Fenn's Suppressive Fire ability

By talker13, in Imperial Assault Rules Questions

This came up as a point of debate in a game recently.

The card reads "Exhaust this card after resolving an attack using "Havok Shot". Each figure that suffered one or more damage chooses to suffer one damage or become Stunned. If that figure is already Stunned, it must choose to suffer one damage."

Now my take on this is that there are two triggers.

1. Did you resolve an attack using Havok Shot?

2. Did the figure suffer DMG?

I believe this applies to the initial target of the attack as well as all figures hit by the blast. Another player was saying that this does not apply to the initial figure and only those hit by the Havok Shot.

It applies to all figures including the initial figure. It does not say only those suffering blast damage suffer more dmg or become stunned, it says each figure that suffers dmg--that includes the targeted figure.

Agreed. If it meant "only those hit by Blast" then it would say so. The phrasing is pretty specific: "each figure that suffered one or more damage" while the attack was resolving.

Note of course that it also doesn't specify "hostile" -- if your Blast hit friendlies (which it can), they'd also be subject to the Suppressive Fire, if you choose to trigger it.

There is only one trigger for Suppressive Fire, "Resolve an attack using Havoc Shot".

After the attack using Havoc Shot resolves, two things happen at the same time;
(1) Suppressive Fire triggers, you may pay a Strain to use this.
(2) Havoc Shot triggers, Blast 1 is applied to the resolving attack.

The player controlling Fenn chooses what order to apply the effects. Obviously, you would apply the Blast 1 effect first, then pay the strain for Suppressive Fire.

The Suppressive Fire effect then tells you which figures will be affected, "Each figure that suffered 1 or more damage" (from the resolving attack). The controller of that figure decides if their figure will suffer 1 damage or become Stunned. If that figure is already Stunned, then that figure has to take the 1 damage.

So, every figure that took damage from the resolving attack (the target and those that took Blast damage) (friendly or hostile), will suffer the effects of Suppressive Fire.

On a side note, you could resolve the Suppressive Fire first, before the Blast 1 damage goes off.

The initial target would suffer the effects of Suppressive Fire, THEN the Blast 1 would go off, and those figures suffering Blast damage would NOT suffer the effects from Suppressive Fire.

*Edited

Edited by DarkJodo