Monsters and Vehicles

MONSTER and VEHICLE models are the largest, most durable pieces on the table, and they follow a handful of special rules that let them shove past other models, measure from their hull, and keep fighting even while locked in combat.

Moving through other models

Bulk normally forces models to weave around one another, but the biggest ones simply barge through. Whenever a unit makes a Normal move or an Advance move, any MONSTER or VEHICLE models in it may pass straight over friendly and enemy models as they travel. The one thing they cannot move through is another MONSTER or VEHICLE model. As with every move, they still have to end their movement in a legal position rather than sitting on top of the models they crossed.

FRAME models and measuring

Most models sit on a base, and distances are measured to and from that base. Some large models, however, have no base at all — many MONSTER and VEHICLE kits fall into this category, along with certain other oversized models. These carry the FRAME keyword.

When a rule cares about where a FRAME model sits relative to anything else on the battlefield — measuring a range, checking a distance, and so on — you measure to and from the closest point of the model itself, not from a base, unless a rule tells you otherwise. This holds even for a FRAME model that does happen to have a base.

FRAME models also pivot more freely. When you rotate a based model during a move, you are constrained by its base; a FRAME model without a base may instead be turned by any amount around its central axis, so long as you keep it upright.

Shooting while engaged

Being locked in Engagement Range normally shuts a unit out of the Shooting phase, and that remains true even when the enemy is a MONSTER or VEHICLE. A unit engaged with an enemy MONSTER or VEHICLE still cannot make ranged attacks against it — unless that unit is separately eligible to shoot while engaged, for example because it is using close-quarters shooting with its [CLOSE-QUARTERS] weapons.

The MONSTER or VEHICLE, for its part, can shoot back through close-quarters shooting, letting these big models trade fire in melee where an ordinary unit could not.

Targeting engaged Monsters and Vehicles

The size of these models also makes them exceptions to a normal targeting restriction. In your Shooting phase you are allowed to pick an enemy MONSTER or VEHICLE unit as the target of a ranged attack even while it is engaged with your own units — something you could not do against a rank-and-file target caught in melee.

There is a price for shooting into that scrum. Each time a model makes a ranged attack against an engaged MONSTER or VEHICLE, subtract 1 from the hit roll, representing the difficulty of drawing a clean bead while your own troops are in the way. That penalty is waived for attacks made with [CLOSE-QUARTERS] weapons fired by models whose own unit is locked in combat with the target — those close-in shots are unaffected.

Two further points follow from the target being engaged. Because it counts as engaged, [BLAST] weapons cannot be aimed at it; a [BLAST] weapon looking for a home has to pick a different, unengaged unit. And a friendly unit locked in combat with that MONSTER or VEHICLE can only reach it with close-quarters shooting — meaning it may fire nothing but its [CLOSE-QUARTERS] weapons, and only at the very MONSTER or VEHICLE it is engaged with, not at anything else.

Playing them correctly

• Barging through models is a movement perk, not a licence to finish on top of them — always resolve to a legal final position.
• Treat FRAME and "has a base" as separate questions; a FRAME model with a base still measures from its hull.
• The -1 to hit for shooting an engaged MONSTER or VEHICLE stacks with any other modifiers already in play, but never touches [CLOSE-QUARTERS] fire from an engaged shooter.
• Engagement blocks [BLAST] weapons regardless of the target's size, so keep those weapons pointed at unengaged units.

Frequently asked questions

Can Monsters and Vehicles move through other models in Warhammer 40,000?

Yes — during a Normal move or an Advance move, MONSTER and VEHICLE models can pass straight over friendly and enemy models. The only exception is another MONSTER or VEHICLE model, and they must still end their movement in a legal position rather than on top of anything they crossed.

What does the FRAME keyword do in 40k?

FRAME models have no base, so whenever a rule cares about their position — measuring a range or checking a distance — you measure to and from the closest point on the model itself rather than a base. This holds even for a FRAME model that happens to have a base, and a baseless FRAME model can also be rotated any amount around its central axis while kept upright.

Can you shoot an engaged Monster or Vehicle in Warhammer 40,000 11th edition?

Yes — in your Shooting phase you may target an enemy MONSTER or VEHICLE with ranged attacks even while it is engaged with your units, which you could not do against an ordinary target in melee. Each such attack takes a -1 to the hit roll, except attacks made with [CLOSE-QUARTERS] weapons fired by models whose own unit is itself engaged with the target.

Can a Monster or Vehicle shoot while locked in combat in 40k?

Yes — a MONSTER or VEHICLE can shoot back using close-quarters shooting, letting these big models trade fire in melee. A regular unit engaged with it still cannot make ranged attacks against it unless it is separately eligible to shoot while engaged, such as by using its own [CLOSE-QUARTERS] weapons.

Can BLAST weapons target an engaged Monster or Vehicle in Warhammer 40,000?

No — because the MONSTER or VEHICLE counts as engaged, [BLAST] weapons cannot be aimed at it regardless of its size. A [BLAST] weapon must instead pick a different, unengaged unit.