Warhammer 40,000/2nd Edition Tactics/Psychic 101

This is a placeholder for 2nd Edition. Break out those Dark Millennium Cards.

How It Works

The 2nd Edition Psychic Phase is broken down into three subphases.

Determine Warp Flux

The "Warp Flux" of a battlefield determines how many dice you roll per Psychic Phase to determine the number of cards dealt between players. By default, Warp Flux is two meaning that you roll 2d6. However, Warp Flux cannot be greater than the number of Psykers on the battlefield; thus if there is only one Psyker on the battlefield, Warp Flux is only 1.

Deal Cards

Self-explanatory: The player deals out cards starting with himself. Dark Millenium comes with a deck of 36 Warp Cards: Most of these are Force Cards which are spent in order to cast Psychic Powers, but other types of cards include:

• Nullify:

• Destroy Power:

Use Psychic Powers

Note that unlike other editions, the 2nd Edition Psychic Phase is an Alternating Activation system where both players (starting with the one whose turn it is) alternate between each Psyker attempting to cast powers. Note that each Psyker can only attempt to cast one power per turn.

Psychic Disciplines

Adeptus

• Scan: Scan is simple enough. All enemy models within 36" lose their hidden status.

• The Gate: This is the granddaddy to Gate of Infinity, but as opposed to simply teleporting a single squad around, you actually place down two small portals on the battlefield. Both Gates have to be within 18" of the Psyker in question, yet once they're placed, they remain until nullified or the Psyker maintaining them is destroyed. The Gate is an amazingly versatile spell for numerous reasons:
  • Transporting things around: Any infantry model that moves in base-to-base with a Gate template can instantly move to the other gate template for no cost; this may be done even when moving or charging, and so can allow you to "clear" your way past an Overwatch killzone. Be careful though, since the Gate works both ways.
  • A non-random Blind Grenade: The Gate blocks LOS like a normal terrain-piece. Unlike a Blind Grenade, you don't have to roll for it to see if it scatters or disappears.

• Assail: A simple "telekinesis" spell, you target one non-vehicle model (friend or foe) within 24" and move it 6" in any direction, knocking said model out of Overwatch. You can move a model through blast templates or into/out of close combat in such a matter. Alternately, Assail can target a vehicle, causing it to go Out of Control next turn on a 4+.

• The Carmine Assassin: Blood Angels players may recognize this one as a Bloodboil power of a sort. Select one enemy model within 18". It must take a toughness test or die. Alternately, it can target a crewmember in an enemy vehicle, but if this happens, the crewmember may roll 2d6 and drop the highest.

• Displacement: Displacement costs 2 Force Cards to use, and may only be used on a friendly non-vehicle unit/model that is anywhere on the battlefield; you roll 3d6" and may place the unit up to that many inches away, ignoring intervening obstacles. There is a FUN* rule that models that fall when placed due to wobbly model syndrome suffer a (saveable) wound on a 4+, but other than that, this power is a pretty handy one, especially since it has no range requirement for selecting a unit.

• Hellfire: Hellfire also costs 2 Force Cards, for a range 24" Strength 4 2-inch radius blast. After resolving the attack, the Hellfire remains on the table until nullified or cast again; during this time, it blocks line of sight, and any models that spend their turn in the Hellfire template take a S4 AP -1 hit. Think Warmachine Wall of Flame.

• Machine Curse: Machine Curse also costs 2 Force Cards. You place down a 24" 2-inch radius blast: Models inside this may not fire any ranged weapons (though they may through grenades as normal), and vehicles touching the Machine Curse are unable to move or shoot or assault or anything. This power needless to say is a painful one for treadheads. The power lasts until nullified or the Psyker is killed.

• Lightning Arc: Chain Lightning, for those that want to get their Palpatine on. This one will cost you a good 3 Force Cards to use, and is potentially nasty if Lady Luck is on your side. You select a single target enemy model (or vehicle component) within 24"; said target immediately takes S6 AP -3 hit doing D3 wounds. If the target is slain or that part of the vehicle penetrated, you can immediately target another model/component within 6" of the previous target. You can do this for a maximum of 6 hits. Lightning Arc is an assassin's spell, the problem of course being most multiwound models tend to be heroes that can get good invulnerable saves; its best use arguably becomes selectively jumping the heavies from enemy squads, shredding tires on warbuggies, wrecking bikes or otherwise causing havoc.

Librarian Powers

• Psychic Shield:

• Teleportation:

• Prescience:

• Quickening:

• Strengthening:

• Iron Arm:

• Smite:

• The Salamander:

Inquisition Powers

• Purge Psyker:

• Aura of Fire:

• Aura of Fortitude:

• Storm of Wrath:

• Destroy Daemon:

• Scourging:

• Holocaust:

• Vortex:

Eldar Powers

• Doom:

• Battle Fate:

• Fortune:

• Executioner:

• Mind War:

• Guide:

• Eldritch Storm:

• Destructor:

Ork Powers

• 'Eadbutz: 'Eadbutz is a simple power: You target an enemy Psyker anywhere on the table and both Psykers rolloff, adding their Mastery Level to their score. If you roll higher than your opponent, the enemy Psyker takes a wound and cannot cast any Psyker Powers (though may still use Warp Cards) until the next Psychic Phase.

• Kop Dis: Select a model within 24" that is in line of sight, and push that model D6+1" directly away from your Psyker. Should that model collide with anything, the move ends and both models take a S5 hit. This may appear weaker compared to Assail since your target selection is more limited and you can only push models directly away from you, but there is a silver lining: Kop Dis does work on vehicles so you can push them around, but more importantly it works on any "remain in play" template, including plasma bursts, hellfires, or even a vortex; you can push such a template around, and it will automatically score any hits on any models it passes over.

• Squish: Squish requires two Force Cards to pull off and is a beefier 'Eadbutz that can be used against any target model within 24". The target takes 2d6-(target's strength or ram value) Strength 5 AP -2 hits.

• Power Vomit: For 2 Force Cards, you get to draw a 18" beam. For each

• Brain Bursta: Brain Bursta costs 2 Force Cards has similar target selection to Kop Dis ("first model in a line is struck), but instead of being a "push" effect, requires the target to pass a Toughness check or die. If this ability hits a vehicle, the passenger inside has to make such a similar check.

• Deff Wave: The Deff Wave is basically Brain Bursta amplified. For 3 Force Cards, you place a Deff Wave template down in front of your Psyker, then move it forward 4d6. Each model underneath (partials are a 4+) must make a toughness check or die. When the Deff Wave passes over a vehicle (note: Most are large enough to mean this will be a partial), each member inside must make a toughness check. Note that the Deff Wave will continue to move 4d6 each turn until it is either nullified or it reaches the table edge.

• Da Krunch: Although this requires 3 Force Cards, this effectively lets you summon the Foot of Gork! Models underneath the foot must take an Initiative Check to get out of the way, or else suffer a S10 hit.

• Waaagh: The final power also requires 3 Force Cards and is essentially Eadbutz' on overdrive. Instead of selecting a single Psyker to attempt to disable for this Psychic Phase, you roll-off against every enemy Psyker. On top of that, all Ork and Gretchin units within 36" of the Weirdboy get +1 Weapon Skill and may reroll Leadership Checks until the start of the next Psychic Phase. Waaagh!

Squat Powers

• Mental Fortress:

• Domination:

• Hammer of Fury:

• Force Dome:

Tyranid Powers

• Psychic Scream:

• The Horror:

• Hypnotic Gaze:

• Catalyst:

Nurgle Powers

• Miasma of Pestilence:

• Aura of Decay:

• Plague Wind:

• Stream of Corruption:

Slaanesh Powers

• Beam of Slaanesh:

• Acquiescence:

• Fleshy Curse:

• Pavane of Slaanesh:

Tzeentch Powers

• Pink Fire of Tzeentch:

• Boon of Tzeentch:

• Tzeentch's Firestorm:

• Bolt of Change: