Casting a magical vortex from the second rank?

[michael]

Hi Everyone


I have a friend who takes a wizard in a unit of cav. Takes a full command and 2 other combat characters so that the wizard can sit in the second rank and be safe from combat.


So my question is can he still cast a magical vortex given that the vortex must be placed in base contact with the wizard and therefore will 100% effect the front rank?


The rule book FAQ

Page7 bottom left

Q: Can direct damage spells be used in such a way that they affect

friendly models? (p31)

A: No. A direct damage spell can’t be used in a way that

deliberately affects a friendly model (though they may end up

scattering onto a friendly model and affecting it in that way).


His counter is that a vortex is not a direct damage spell it’s a vortex. But its seems to me the RAI is intended to say that wizards cannot damage (or put in danger) their own units on purpose. Am I off base with this? Or is there another section that clears this up?

 

[Mad 'At]

Can't find any page reference atm, but I'm pretty sure your friend plays it correctly.

Vortexes are indeed a different spell class from direct damage (and magic missiles, augments and hexes). There is even a know tactics for vampire counts where you cast purple sun though your own zombies in order to gain a bunch more power dice.

 

[michael]

Can't find any page reference atm, but I'm pretty sure your friend plays it correctly.

Vortexes are indeed a different spell class from direct damage (and magic missiles, augments and hexes). There is even a know tactics for vampire counts where you cast purple sun though your own zombies in order to gain a bunch more power dice.

That would be pretty funny, raise a unit of zombies, blast said zombies. seems like a handy combo with undead magic.

Casting a vortex on your own troops seems like the ultimate dick move, what soldier is happily going to march in front of a wizard that casts fatal spells on them? Well I guess the Undead don't care.

I'm happy to roll with this, and have in past games nut it still doesn't add up in my mind. are there any direct damage spells that scatter?

 

[michael]

I found my answer in the FAQ by using key word vortex
Q: Can magical vortex spells be used in such a way that they affect friendly models? (p31) A: Yes.

So yer oh well there you go.

 

[estwheadn]

There is even a know tactics for vampire counts where you cast purple sun though your own zombies in order to gain a bunch more power dice.

Never heard of that before but I love it! Would be awesome with mannfred who could both raise zombies and cast purple sun, and then use those power dice for the other 12 spells he knows

 

[Powl]

Pit of Shades (Shadow) is a direct damage spell that scatters.
So in direct damage, the template can't be placed in such a way that it touches friendly units or units in combat, but it may touch them after scatter. But a magical vortex can be placed in such a way, but also in combat?

 

[Count Vashra]

Well yes, it would certainly regenerate his magic phase. Good use for a spell, and unexpected. Also, how do you counter? If Raise Dead gets through, would you Dispel Purple Sun, and leave a unit of Zombies there? Or let the SUn destroy the Zombies and give back 4-5 dice?:devil2:

 

[Fodderboy]

Would you get your dice back, though?

Odds are, you'll get 2 dice per rank, which means you're utterly annihilating two+ spells worth of dice (raise, sun, IoN, IoN, IoN...) to get not much in return, unless you're just using the zombies as a dice bank.