Character

Characters can operate as a unit consisting of just a single model. In this case, follow the normal rules for units.

Characters can operate as part of other units by joining them. This can be done either by deploying the Character in the unit, or by moving into contact with the unit during the Movement Phase while performing an Advance Move or a March Move. If a Character being deployed in a unit would cause the Combined Unit to no longer be fully inside its Deployment Zone, the Character cannot be deployed in that unit. Units that are Engaged in Combat or Fleeing cannot be joined.

Characters can join other Characters to form a unit consisting only of Characters.

Units that are formed by Characters joining R&F models or other Characters are referred to as Combined Units.

When a Character joins a unit, it must move into a legal position during its Advance or March Move (see Front Rank). A Character can choose any legal position it can reach with its move, moving through the unit it joins, possibly displacing other models (including models with Front Rank). Move displaced models as little as possible in order to keep all models in legal positions. If the Character does not have a sufficient movement range to reach a legal position, it cannot join the unit.

When a Character joins a unit with just a single rank, the owner can choose to either displace a model to the second rank, or to expand the unit's width and place the displaced model at either side of the first rank.

When a unit is joined by a Character, the unit cannot move any farther in the same Movement Phase. For determining which model counts as having moved or Marched (e.g. for purposes of shooting), the Character and the unit are treated individually during the Player Turn in which the Character joined the unit. For example, if the unit hasn't moved and the Character has Marched in order to join the unit, the Character counts as having Marched, while the rest of the unit counts as not having moved at all.

Once joined to a unit, the Character is considered as part of the unit for all rules purposes.

If a Combined Unit has all its R&F models removed as casualties, leaving one or more Characters behind, the remaining Characters will stay a Combined Unit, which is considered to be the same unit for ongoing effects (such as One Turn spells) and Panic (the unit has not been destroyed; the Characters in this Combined Unit may have to take a Panic Test if they have suffered 25% or more casualties). They are treated as a new unit for Rally Tests (i.e. Characters that were part of Fleeing Combined Units at 25% or less of their starting number of Health Points take Rally Tests on their normal Discipline). Models with Front Rank that are positioned in a rank other than the first when the last R&F model is removed as a casualty remain in the rank they occupy (this may result in the reduction of files compared to the unit's original formation), unless this would cause an illegal formation (see ).

A Character can leave a Combined Unit in the Charge Phase and in the Movement Phase if it is able to move (i.e. if it isn't Engaged in Combat, hasn't already moved, isn't Fleeing, etc.). In both cases, any game effects that would affect the Combined Unit (such as Banner Enchantments) remain in effect for all parts of the Combined Unit until the end of the phase (even if a Character leaves the unit), unless specifically stated otherwise (e.g. One Turn spells). The Character ignores models from the Combined Unit for movement purposes and may make a Flying Movement (if it has Fly). Characters leaving a unit do not affect whether or not this unit counts as having moved (e.g. for purposes of shooting).

Charging out of a Unit

Advance/March Moving out of a\ Combined Unit

When a non-Close Combat Attack hits a Combined Unit, there are two possibilities for distributing hits:


• If Characters are of the same Type and the same Height and there are 5 or more R&F models in the unit, then all hits are distributed onto the R&F Health Pool, and Characters cannot suffer any hits, unless specifically stated otherwise.

• If Characters are of a different Type or a different Height or there are 4 or less R&F models in the unit, then the player making the attack distributes hits onto the R&F Health Pool and Characters. In case of attacks that are not made by either player, the owner of the affected unit distributes the hits. All simultaneous hits must be distributed as equally as possible, meaning that no model can take a second hit until all models have taken a single hit, and so on.

If a unit of 5 or more R&F models contains several Characters of both the same and different Type or Height, Characters with the same Type and Height as the R&F models are ignored for the hit distributions. Note that hits are never distributed onto Champions, unless specifically stated otherwise.

At step 3 of the Round of Combat Sequence, any Character placed in the first rank and not in base contact with an enemy model may move into contact with an enemy model. This enemy model must be in base contact with the Character's unit, and it must be attacking the Character's unit in its Front Facing. To perform a Make Way move, the Character switches position with another model (or models) in its unit; these models cannot be Characters. Characters with Mismatching Bases can never perform a Make Way move.