OK, this has come up in my group: what counts as a "xenos" for purposes of automatically confirming Fury?

I realize a horde or Fire Warriors or a Carnifex is a given "yes, that's a xenos, autoconfirm". My big question is what about vehicles and nonbiological things made by xenos.

There seem to be two schools of how autoconfirm works:

(1) Deathwatch Training grants superior precision through drilling and familairity with the enemy's weak spots, leading to automatic confirmation; or

(2) Deathwatch Training is a sacred ritual whereby the Astartes are infused with a divine hatred for xenos and an affinity for rending asunder their forms.

The former would seem to lend itself towards allowing autoconfirm against xenos and their foul vehicles of war, imparted by training simulations and the like. The latter, to me might infer a need to reconfirm since you're not smiting the soul of your hated foe, just their metal bawks or something.

So, a few questions:

• Do you think Deathwatch SMs need to autoconfirm RF against gun drones - inorganic weapons of the Tau?
• What about Tau vehicles, also inorganic?
• What about Necrons, if they encounter them and have never fought them before? I have an idea on this one, but curious about your thoughts.

Look at the gun drones stat block. See the little skull on the right above it. Notice the text on its forehead? It says Xenos and whenever that happens, Deathwatch training applies. Yeah, I know, well hidden by FFG.

Necrons has been brought up before, essentially they are xenos, so raw the talent does apply. However, you are right in that no training in fighting them does exist, only general principles, probably. So it's a ball that's up in the air. You decide, GM.

Alex

ak-73 said:

I have completely missed that tidbit since day 1. Thanks for pointing it out.

Same here, Charmander. I'd assumed it was just the usual Grimdark decoration in all 40K stuff. Go figure.

I completely missed the fact that the skulls had text on their foreheads. Most vehicles lack a traditional stat-line, excluding Chaos Dreadnoughts and Defilers, so one would assume that RF is NOT auto-confirmed against things that aren't battle-suits or mechs in nature due to being Mehtal Bawkses,rather than teh cowahds and foolz inside.

I can't take credit for the discovery though, it was posted here some time before.

Alex

Captain Ventris said:

Thats how I'd been running it. They were NOT pleased to have to roll to confirm against Piranhas, especially as both confirmation rolls failed. My players will be happy that they can auto confirm against those **** heavy gun drones though!

.....wait. The heavy gun drone statblock in Achilus Assault doesn't have "xenos" written in the little skull. The Water Caste Tau on the same page does, however, have that little notation. What.

Well shoot. I don't have an explanation for THAT one! Not a printing error, the skull is there - it's just blank.

Heavy Gun Drones: Just heavy enough.

Any thoughts onTau tanks or things of that nature?