Other Rules and Abilities

Beyond the core abilities every army uses, datasheets grant units a range of special abilities that are grouped and tagged by type. This guide explains how Aura Abilities, Faction Abilities, Psychic Abilities, and Wargear Abilities work, plus the Plunging Fire rule that rewards shooting from high ground.

Aura Abilities

An ability that affects models or units within a stated range is an aura ability, and it is marked with the tag 'Aura'. A model carrying an aura ability is always considered to be within range of its own aura while it is on the battlefield, so the bearer benefits from its own effect automatically.

A single unit can sit under several different aura abilities at once and gain the benefit of each. However, if a unit falls under the same aura ability several times over — for instance, from two models with identical auras — that aura still applies to the unit only a single time. Auras do not stack with themselves.

Faction Abilities

Some abilities are shared by every unit belonging to a given faction. These are faction abilities, also called army rules, and each unit that has one lists it in the Faction Abilities section of its datasheet.

A faction ability only takes effect if the army faction you chose while mustering your army matches one of the faction keywords printed on the unit's datasheet, unless a rule states otherwise. Fielding a unit outside its intended army faction means it forfeits the shared army rule.

Psychic Abilities

An ability tagged with the word 'Psychic' is a psychic ability. Should a psychic ability strip one or more wounds from a model, every wound lost that way counts as having been inflicted by a psychic attack. This distinction matters because other rules — defensive abilities, triggers, and interactions — can key off whether damage came from a psychic source.

Wargear Abilities

An ability a unit or model gains from carrying a particular piece of equipment is a wargear ability, listed in the Wargear Abilities section of the datasheet.

If the unit as a whole has an item of wargear that carries a wargear ability, that ability applies to the whole unit. If instead a single model within the unit has the item, that model is the 'bearer', and the ability applies only for as long as the bearer remains in play — once the bearer is destroyed, the ability is lost.

Plunging Fire

Plunging Fire improves shooting accuracy from elevated positions. Each time a model makes a ranged attack against a visible target unit that contains one or more models on ground level, improve the BS characteristic of that attack by 1 if either of the following is true:

• The attacking model occupies part of a terrain feature standing 3" or more tall.
• The attacking model carries the TOWERING keyword and its target unit sits within 12".

The 1-point improvement applies per attack that qualifies. A model firing down from a tall ruin, or a TOWERING model looming over nearby ground-level targets, hits more reliably. Note that the rule only triggers against targets with models on ground level, so a target elevated on the same kind of high terrain does not hand the shooter the bonus.

Frequently asked questions

Do Aura Abilities stack in Warhammer 40,000 11th edition?

A unit can benefit from several different aura abilities at once, but the same aura ability applies only once even if the unit falls under it several times over. The model carrying an aura is always considered within range of its own effect.

What are Faction Abilities in 40k?

Faction abilities, also called army rules, are shared by every unit of a given faction and appear in the Faction Abilities section of a datasheet. They only apply if the army faction you chose while mustering matches a faction keyword on the unit's datasheet.

What counts as a psychic attack in Warhammer 40,000?

Should an ability tagged 'Psychic' strip one or more wounds from a model, every wound lost that way counts as inflicted by a psychic attack. This matters because other defensive abilities and triggers can key off psychic damage.

How do Wargear Abilities work in 40k?

If the whole unit has an item of wargear with a wargear ability, the ability applies to the unit. If only one model carries the item, that model is the 'bearer' and the ability lasts only while the bearer remains in play.

How does Plunging Fire work in Warhammer 40,000 11th edition?

Plunging Fire improves the BS characteristic of a ranged attack by 1 against a visible target containing models on ground level. It applies when the shooter stands on terrain 3" or more in height, or when it has the TOWERING keyword and the target is within 12".