How many extra hits for full or semi auto fire on hordes?

By coderodent, in Deathwatch Rules Questions

Pg 359

Weapons that can fire on full, or semi-auto will cause additional hits (to a Horde).

And then it never says how many additional hits.

For example Semi-auto… how do I determine the additional hits?

And don't you dare say "one for every two degrees of sucess" I'll have to hurt you. That is standard behavior for semi-auto fire… I'm asking how to determine my 'additional' hits.

It tells (and is errata-ed) how to assign additional hits for blast weapons, and flame weapons, and explosive damage weapons…

But not the simplest case of semi and full auto-fire.

coderodent said:

And don't you dare say "one for every two degrees of sucess" I'll have to hurt you. That is standard behavior for semi-auto fire… I'm asking how to determine my 'additional' hits.

Too **** bad, that's what it is. How do you expect additional to be defined, because it isn't different for hordes. One bonus hit for ever 2 DoS on semi-auto, one bonus hit for every DoS on full-auto. And total hits cannot exceed RoF.

Each hit does 1 Magnitude damage unless a special rule like Blast is in effect on the ammo.

Special weapon properties and special effects do stack against hordes per those properties/effects own rules.

Explosive for instance.

A RoF 4 'X' full auto attack that hit with 3 DoS would cause 5 hits to a horde: 1 for hitting, 3 more for each additional DoS up to maximum RoF, and +1 PER ATTACK for explosive.

BUT

There are no special rules against hordes for basic RoF, just like Kshatriya stated. 1 extra per 2 DoS up to RoF for semi and 1 extra per DoS up to RoF for full.

I would clarify though, Each 'hit' will only deal magnitude damage if it would deal at least 1 or more points of damage to the target. Only a very few properties actually deal magnitude damage. ex: Devestating, Wrathful Descent

'Nuff said.

However, most things worth hordifying are going to be auto wounded by pretty much any Space Marine weapon, so often you don't need to roll. The major exception I can think of are Frag missiles and grenades.

But yeah: The reference to additional hits for full auto weapons is not some special rule for hordes. I think it is just meant as a clarification that the bonus hits from RoF still apply as normal.

All right, that's fair. So the rule just wasn't written well.

So might I suggest to the writers of the text that an additional two words will clarify things: 'as usual'.

'Weapons that can fire on full, or semi-auto will cause additional hits as usual. Thes hits must be allocated to the Horde and not any individual Lieutenents or Masters that may also be present.'

The rule was obviously to try to clarify the second situation,

borithan said:

However, most things worth hordifying are going to be auto wounded by pretty much any Space Marine weapon

You ain't seen my nurgling Horde :D

But you are correct, this is true.

coderodent said:

All right, that's fair. So the rule just wasn't written well.

So might I suggest to the writers of the text that an additional two words will clarify things: 'as usual'.

'Weapons that can fire on full, or semi-auto will cause additional hits as usual. Thes hits must be allocated to the Horde and not any individual Lieutenents or Masters that may also be present.'

The rule was obviously to try to clarify the second situation,

Why would it need to be clarified? There is nothing there that is confusing. You shot at the horde, you hit the horde. More than that, why would Semi and Full-Auto attacks suddenly change because you are shooting at a horde?