Mandrakes

An operative is WITHIN SHADOW if any of the following are true:

• It’s within 1" of Heavy terrain that’s not lower than it.
• Any part of its base is underneath Vantage terrain.
• A Shadow Portal marker is within its control range (see SHADEWEAVER).

Once per turning point, one friendly MANDRAKE operative WITHIN SHADOW can use a SHADOW PASSAGE when it performs the Reposition action. If it does, don’t move it. Instead, remove it from the killzone and set it back up WITHIN SHADOW in a location it can be placed. When you set it back up, it cannot:

• Be within control range of an enemy operative.
• Be a valid target for an enemy operative.
• Perform the Shoot or Fight action until the start of the next turning point.

Whenever an operative is shooting a friendly MANDRAKE operative, ignore the Piercing weapon rule. Whenever a friendly MANDRAKE operative is WITHIN SHADOW, improve its Save stat by 1.

Whenever an operative is shooting a friendly MANDRAKE operative that’s WITHIN SHADOW, you can retain one of your defence dice as a normal success without rolling it (in addition to a cover save, if any).

Each friendly MANDRAKE operative can perform the Charge action while it has a Conceal order if it starts or ends that action WITHIN SHADOW.

Whenever a friendly MANDRAKE operative is shooting, fighting or retaliating, if it’s WITHIN SHADOW, you can re-roll one of your attack dice.

After each enemy operative’s activation, before the next operative is activated, you can perform a free Dash action with one friendly MANDRAKE operative that has a Conceal order if it starts and ends that action WITHIN SHADOW. You cannot use this ploy during the first turning point, and you cannot select each friendly operative for this ploy more than once per turning point.

Use this firefight ploy at the end of any operative’s activation. Select one friendly MANDRAKE operative that has an Engage order and is WITHIN SHADOW. Change that operative’s order to Conceal.

Use this firefight ploy when a friendly MANDRAKE operative is shooting against, fighting against or retaliating against an enemy operative within 6" of it, at the end of the Resolve Attack Dice step. That friendly operative regains a number of lost wounds equal to that enemy operative’s APL stat, multiplied by the number of your attack dice that inflicted damage during that sequence. Excess attack dice are ignored (i.e. if the enemy operative is incapacitated before remaining attack dice are resolved). You cannot use this ploy if that friendly MANDRAKE operative is incapacitated.

Use this firefight ploy during a friendly MANDRAKE operative’s activation, when it performs an action in which it moves. Until the end of that activation, that operative can move through parts of terrain features as if they were not there, but must end those moves in a location it can be placed.

Use this firefight ploy when an enemy operative performs the Fight action during an activation in which it performed the Charge action, and selects a friendly MANDRAKE operative WITHIN SHADOW to fight against. In the Resolve Attack Dice step of that sequence, you resolve the first attack dice (i.e. defender instead of attacker).

Once per turning point, when a friendly MANDRAKE operative is performing the Shoot action and you select a baleblast, you can use this rule. If you do, until the end of that action, that weapon has the Blast 1" weapon rule.

Once per turning point, a friendly MANDRAKE operative can use the following ranged weapon:

Once per turning point, when a friendly MANDRAKE operative is activated WITHIN SHADOW, you can use this rule. If you do, until the start of its next activation, while that operative has a Conceal order and is in cover, it cannot be selected as a valid target, taking precedence over all other rules (e.g. Seek, Vantage terrain) except being within 2".

Whenever an enemy operative would perform the Fall Back action while within control range of a friendly MANDRAKE operative, if no other enemy operatives are within that friendly operative’s control range, you can use this rule. If you do, roll two D6, or one D6 if that enemy operative has a higher Wounds stat than that friendly operative. If any result is a 4+, that enemy operative cannot perform that action during that activation/counteraction (no AP are spent on it).

Q: If a NIGHTFIEND operative incapacitates an enemy operative, then that enemy operative attempts to inflict damage as a result of being incapacitated (e.g. LEGIONARY Unending Bloodshed) and the NIGHTFIEND operative’s Oubliex rule ignores that damage, does the oubliex become active again when the enemy operative is removed from the killzone?

A: No. The enemy operative is already incapacitated when it attempts to inflict the damage, so the timing required for the oubliex to become active has passed.

Q: How does the Soulstrike weapon rule interact with rules that allow your opponent to retain defence dice results of 5+ as critical successes (e.g. ANGEL OF DEATH Hardy Chapter Tactic), or retain results of a specific number as a success (e.g. ELUCIDIAN STARSTRIDER Armoured Bodysuit faction equipment)?

A: The Soulstrike weapon rule takes precedence. For example, even with the Hardy Chapter Tactic, a 5 would be a fail not a critical success for that ANGEL OF DEATH operative, as it’s higher than their APL stat (3).

Q: If two MANDRAKE DIRGEMAW operatives select each other with their Haunting Focus rule, which operative activates in the following instance: Operative A is selected to activate normally, then Operative B would attempt to activate first as a result of the Haunting Focus rule, then Operative A would attempt to activate first as a result of the same rule?

A: Operative B.

Q: When a MANDRAKE DIRGEMAW is shooting with its horrifying scream ranged weapon and negatively changes the target’s APL as a result of the Stun weapon rule, does that change affect defence dice rolled for the target during that same sequence in relation to the Soulstrike weapon rule?

A: No, as an operative’s stats don’t change during an action.