I ask because I'm not 100% sure how the Lightning Attack talent and Multiple Arms trait stack or if they stack at all. The way I see it and this is the way I'm generally leaning they do stack which would mean that when making a charge attack the genestealer makes two attacks that round at +10 from his charge attack+multiple arms and as a full action on the following turn assuming he's still adjacent to an enemy he would make four attacks at his bas WS because three from lightning attack+one more from multiple arms.

Let me know what you think, frankly the rules get pretty muddy I think when multiple arms and duel weapon wielding come into it and frankly enemy NPCs are too granular and rather than giving them a laundry list of talents and traits it would have been easier if they'd just told you how many attacks they make each round and exactly what they roll them at.

Swift/Lightning Attack applies only to the 'primary' arm/weapon; Ambidexterity and TWF or the equivalent doesn't let you make Swift/Lightning Attacks from a secondary arm/weapon at the same time as you are Swift/Lightning Attacking from the primary.

Two Weapon Fighting in this system allows one attack from the secondary arm/weapon, and you can only get multiple attacks with the secondary if you swift/lightning with it and are then limited to one attack from the primary.

I'm fuzzy on the exact wording of Multiple Arms, but I believe it would allow, at most, one attack per secondary arm (however many happens to be), and the primary arm gets treated as normal, per the standards of multiple attacks and attacking with more than one weapon. I'm not sure if Multiple Arms would let you make its extra attacks on a charge or not.

I'm fuzzy on the exact wording of Multiple Arms, but I believe it would allow, at most, one attack per secondary arm (however many happens to be), and the primary arm gets treated as normal, per the standards of multiple attacks and attacking with more than one weapon. I'm not sure if Multiple Arms would let you make its extra attacks on a charge or not.

It would not. The description for Multiple Arms says you may use the Multiple Attack option to gain two attacks on its turn. Since you can't Multiple Attack on a charge, you don't gain that extra attack.

So giving it both multiple arms and lightning attack was completely redundant then? I was wondering about the charge thing because yes as I understood it before trying to figure out genestealers the only NPCs that can make mutiple attacks on a charge are Ork Warbosses.

So giving it both multiple arms and lightning attack was completely redundant then? I was wondering about the charge thing because yes as I understood it before trying to figure out genestealers the only NPCs that can make mutiple attacks on a charge are Ork Warbosses.

Not exactly.

Lightning attack gives bonus attacks with it's primary/dominant arm/limb/claw/whatever.

Multiple Arms lets it attack once (each, I think) with it's other arms, and they have a profile identical to that of the primary arm. Multiple Arms might also bypass the regular penalty for multiweapon fighting, not sure about that offhand.

Genestealers are just confusing because they aren't using different weapons/weapon profiles.

With a multiple attack action:

Primary arm: Can single or Lightning Attack (presumably Lightning)

Secondary arm(s): Single Attack

Without Lightning Attack, it only makes a single attack with the primary arm, and one per secondary arm with Multiple Arms.

Without Multiple Arms, it gets to use its primary arm but can still Lightning Attack with it.

I think that Multiple Arms is more or less the natural weapons mechanical equivalent for someone with hands using a weapon in each hand (identical weapons, but that's besides the point).

Alright I'm just going to go with three attacks per round vs an adjacent target as a full action and one attack during a charge, I'll start docking it attacks if it gets two or more of it's four arms disabled or severed.

I believe it should be Four attacks per round. It gets three attacks from Lightning Attacks, and then one additional for "Multiple Arms". Good thing it doesn't have Two-Weapon Wielder

I believe it should be Four attacks per round. It gets three attacks from Lightning Attacks, and then one additional for "Multiple Arms".

This is correct.

I believe it should be Four attacks per round. It gets three attacks from Lightning Attacks, and then one additional for "Multiple Arms". Good thing it doesn't have Two-Weapon Wielder

Concur. Four attacks. All of which are identical - there's no meaningful difference between getting hit with the Genestealer's left or right.

Lightning Attack and Multiple Arms stack additively. Same as Lightning Attack and Two Weapon Wielder.

Ok then I'll do that.

I've said it repeatedly but I'll say it again, I wish they could have just simplified the monster profiles with statements like "the genestealer makes four attacks as a full action".

I'd like to second that Larry - A note-card sized statblock isn't useful if you need a 2 page reference sheet to understand what actually happens.

Absolutely.

There is such a thing as condensing a statblock too much.

QS, it's not a 2 page reference sheet. Well ... maybe if all you have is the 'keywords' and page numbers you can get it down to 2 pages. And/Or use a really tiny font size.

Or did you mean 2 page reference sheet per statblock? Because that, yeah, that's doable. Unless it's a tech-priesty or psyker type with lots of special rules/powers.

And when you don't have a reference sheet made up, you have to spend way too much time flipping through the rulebooks, because there's no 'master list' of talents, traits, special qualities, powers, etc. They're in 3 or 4 different places per book.

Another thing that would help is instead of listing "dodge+10", "unnatural agility" and all this other stuff just write a base dodge value. For instance when I put together my gene stealer cheetsheet I just put all that crap together and wrote "Base Dodge: 90"