Simple question, can you target different entities, assuming they are next to each other when doing a Swift Attack/Lightning Attack?

The rules don't specify, our GM at the time allowed it, but asked me to investigate further.

Mormoran said:

Yup. You can. At least; that's how we've always played it.

What Siranui said.

Also, from personal experience: this works great with the Assassin Strike Talent which allows you a free move on a successful Acrobatics test following an attack.

How would you declare an action like that Macharias? One of our assasins has high agility, and the assasin strike talent (and lightning attack of course)

Mormoran said:

Well, you declare that you are taking a Full action, which is your Lightning Attack. The Assassin Strike allows you to roll Acrobatics to move a distance equal to your Half Move as a Free Action. Seeing as it's a free action, you could choose to take advantage of this Talent at any point during your turn/attack.

So, let's say you're facing off against an enemy right in front of you and there's another one 4 meters away. You take your first two attacks and that kills/eliminates that oppoenent. You still technically have 1 attack left over from Lightning Attack but there are no enemies right next to you to attack. But, with Assassin Strike, you can roll Agility. If you make it, you move 4 meters as a free action and can then take your third attack againt that new enemy. (If you fail the roll, of course, you don't get to move, so you'll have to wait until your next turn.)

Note that the Talent has been clarified (in the RT book, I believe): you can only use it once per round.

Sorry. I ment of course that you can roll vs. Acrobatics (as the Talent sayd). Not Agility. (with there was an edit button.

Personally I wouldn't rule the change to assassin's strike in RT and DW as being relevant to Dark Heresy (truthfully I would just make it a special rule for Space Marines with assassin's strike). I intend to continue running with it being you can do it as many times as possible. It does require very special circumstances to get the full use of it anyway (start engaged with an opponent, so you can use multiple attacks, and have 3 or 4 enemies all within half move of each other, and succeed on 4 separate acrobatics checks).

Macharias the Mendicant said:

RT is not an errata for DH. They are separate game systems. If the talent is supposed to be limited to once per round, they should say so in the DH errata.

It isn't, but it can help to make calls and judge stuff for a GM, whether or not something should be changed or fixed.

It isn't, but it can help to make calls and judge stuff for a GM, whether or not something should be changed or fixed.

Everything is a GM call (or, more accurately, a GM decision mutually agreeable upon between GM and players).

My point was that RT's modified mechanics do not "clarify" DH mechanics, they provide an alternative interpretation. Those concepts are distinct enough in my mind that I felt it reasonable to call that statement out. No offense.