Reiver DeepStrike/Movement/Charge Shenanigans

[d36williams]

Reivers with Grapnel Hooks ignore Vertical distances when moving, and have a couple of ways to DeepStrike "farther than 9" from enemy models." This allows a unit to deepstrike on top of or well below a tall piece of terrain, and be further than 9" from the enemy, but then make use of a much shortened charge distance -- like a 4" or less charge off the deep strike potentially.  I attached this image for demonstration...

 

I'm particularly intrigued by using Black Templar Reivers to get into enemy lines early. Part of my thinking is that a large unit of Reivers (10 members) could charge something like Plague Zombies or Cultists, or Conscripts, and do a lot of damage per their attacks; but I could also organize my Reivers so that they do minimal damage, yet lock that chaffe up in combat while making it difficult for that chaffe to strike back and wipe out the Reiver unit, thus keeping it tied longer. This would be particularly good against armies like Plague Zombies that usually need to march their Zombies forward else suffer a major road block and struggle to capture objectives. Two Reiver units on opposite sides of large chaffe units would be even more proficient at locking up enemy units. 

 

You won't have tall terrain every game, but one should be able to find a 3" difference in height here and there, and shrink that 9" first turn charge down to 8" or 7" on a regular basis, and occasionally you'll get that easy as pie 2" charge from landing on a tall roof over the enemy, and as a bonus block LOS from Overwatch.

[Rogue]

I see where you’re going with this, and I’m no rules expert, but as you point out in the thread title, this seems very gamey. Ultimately, because of the way you can move Reivers, you have arguably deployed them within 9”.

 

If my opponent deployed a flyer 2” away but on the other side of a 6” wall, I wouldn’t be happy if he claimed to be 12” away.

[d36williams]

I think it is even intended by GW, and not gamey, just easy to overlook. No other model gets to ignore vertical distances, and the rules are quite clear that the 9" deepstrike bubble is not a measurement along pathways but a strict aura. The Codex for Space Marines is fairly difficult to use in a competitive way that doesn't just spam Devastators, Leviathans or Fire Raptors, so if there is a nuance in the book that helps, people should use it rather than longing for something more obviously OP 

[Rogue]

Okay. That makes more sense. So you’re saying that if my opponent had a support squad on top of a 12” ruin, I could deploy Reivers into to ground level (more than 9” away vertically), yet end up with a charge distance of almost nothing?

 

Thinking of the 9” thing as a bubble, rather than a column, does make it seem less like fudging the rules.

[Blindhamster]

Okay. That makes more sense. So you’re saying that if my opponent had a support squad on top of a 12” ruin, I could deploy Reivers into to ground level (more than 9” away vertically), yet end up with a charge distance of almost nothing?

 

Thinking of the 9” thing as a bubble, rather than a column, does make it seem less like fudging the rules.

this is exactly it. you measure model to model for the >9" rule. But when charging, the reivers would charge to the base of the building then automatically be at the top level (or whichever level enemies are at) as they ignore the vertical.

[Prot]

I agree it’s not gamey. I don’t mean to be flippant but let’s keep in mind what we’re talking about here... Reivers. The last time I rick rolled someone with this unit tactic was about 3 months ago... some grots were behind a building shooting some mortars or something.