Comprehensive look at Flight and Incorporeal mechanics

[Flib Jib]

I get a lot of questions regarding Flight and Incorporeal mechanics so I constructed a somewhat comprehensive look at the two. I would love feedback. Looking for fact checking as well as any mechanics that I missed that would be good to include.

Flight: This model is immune to falling damage and may ignore any terrain or models while moving.

Incorporeal: This model ignores, and is ignored by, other models and terrain during any movement or push. Reduce all damage this model suffers from Sh: and Ml: attack actions by half.

 

 

Fall Damage:
•    YES: Flight ignores fall damage
•    NO: Incorporeal does not ignore fall damage
Ignore Models During Moving:
•    YES: Flight ignores/is ignored
•    YES: Incorporeal ignores/is ignored 
Ignore Terrain During Moving:
•    YES: Flight ignores/is ignored
•    YES: Incorporeal ignores/is ignored 
Ignore Models During Push:
•    NO: Flight does not ignore/is ignored
•    YES: Incorporeal ignores/is ignored 
Ignore Terrain During Push:
•    NO: Flight does not ignore/is ignored
•    YES: Incorporeal ignores/is ignored 
Ignore Models During Charge:
•    NO: Flight does not ignore/is ignored
•    NO: Incorporeal does not ignore/is ignored 
Ignore Terrain During Charge:
•    NO: Flight does not ignore/is ignored
•    NO: Incorporeal does not ignore/is ignored 

*Note that Flight and Incorporeal do not affect any LoS mechanics.

*All models stop immediately when the rules use “Base to base” see FAQ #73

73) If a model is pushed “into base contact” with an Incorporeal model, can it move through the Incorporeal model and stop on the other side?
No. It stops as soon as base contact is achieved. 

*Addendum regarding elevation, see FAQ #57-58.

 57) If a model is pushed off of an edge high enough to necessitate a fall, does it fall immediately? Could it be pushed far enough to reach another surface of equal height (assuming there was such a surface)?

Models which fall due to a push, fall immediately (models also generally fall immediately during regular movement unless they have Flight or Incorporeal). The model would be pushed off of the ledge and then immediately fall and take any necessary falling damage upon reaching the ground. Then, if there is any distance left required by the push (and the model is still in play), it will push the remaining distance.

 

58) How do the Flight and Incorporeal abilities interact with vertical terrain? Can a model with Flight end its move a further vertical distance from its starting point than its Walk stat would normally allow? Can a model with flight “leap” over a gap in two pieces of terrain?

A model with Flight ignores terrain for all purposes while moving. However, the distance the model moves is still limited by the length of the move the model is allowed to take. Add the distance the model moved horizontally in relationship to its starting point to the distance the model moved vertically upwards (downwards movement is falling and it is never counted against a model’s movement total) in relationship to its starting point. This value may not exceed the distance allowed by the move the model was making. For example, a model with a Wk of 6 and Flight declares a Walk Action. It is on a Ht 3 building and wishes to move to a point on a separate terrain piece (a Height 5 building) which is 3" away. It takes the model 5" of movement to get there (3" of horizontal movement and 2" of vertical movement because the difference between the Heights of the buildings is 2, and the model is moving upwards). Since the model has a Wk of 6, it can make it to the desired point on the Ht 5 building and still has 1" of movement to use as it wishes once it gets there. Incorporeal models move in the same way, though they may take falling damage if the end point of their move is on a lower Ht, depending on the terrain (see falling, Core Rulebook pg. 42).

 

[Kadeton]

Since there's no case in which a model will ignore models but not terrain (or vice versa), you could combine those categories to make it a bit easier, e.g.:

Immune to falling damage:

• Flight: YES
• Incorporeal: NO

Ignore models and terrain while moving:

• Flight: YES
• Incorporeal: YES

Ignore models and terrain while being pushed:

• Flight: NO
• Incorporeal: YES

Ignored by other models while they are moving or being pushed:

• Flight: NO
• Incorporeal: YES

The error in your breakdown is the bit on Charging. A Charge is movement, and uses the same "while moving" rules as a Walk (or being Lured, or anything else that uses the phrases "Move this model" or "Move target model").

Hope that helps.

[Kadeton]

2 hours ago, Bengt said:

I've always read it as the first version, but not everyone agrees.

I've always read it the opposite way. I'm pretty familiar with Justin's grammatical style by this point, and I would guess that if he had intended the first interpretation, the rule would be phrased as "While moving, this model is immune to falling damage and may ignore any terrain or models." Anecdotally, we have also previously discussed the fact that models with Flight are immune to damage from Kaeris' Grab and Drop attack, which would not be the case in the first interpretation. Neither of those is in any way definitive, but I feel confident in reading the rule according to your second interpretation.

[Myyrä]

53 minutes ago, Kadeton said:

I've always read it that way as well. I'm pretty familiar with Justin's grammatical style by this point, and I would guess that if he had intended the second interpretation, the rule would be phrased as "While moving, this model is immune to falling damage and may ignore any terrain or models." Anecdotally, we have also previously discussed the fact that models with Flight are immune to damage from Kaeris' Grab and Drop attack, which would not be the case in the second interpretation. Neither of those is in any way definitive, but I feel confident in reading the rule according to your first interpretation.

Wait what? Isn't what you are saying the exact opposite of what @Bengt is saying?

[Kadeton]

Haha, on re-reading, yes. I've adjusted my phrasing. 

[Bengt]

 

4 hours ago, Kadeton said:

Anecdotally, we have also previously discussed the fact that models with Flight are immune to damage from Kaeris' Grab and Drop attack, which would not be the case in the first interpretation.

What do you base this on? The Action doesn't mention Flight and there is nothing in the FAQ about Grab and Drop. If you only base it on your interpretation of Flight the argument is circular.

p.s. @Aaron Kaeris' name is misspelled in question 99.

[Kadeton]

2 hours ago, Bengt said:

What do you base this on? The Action doesn't mention Flight and there is nothing in the FAQ about Grab and Drop. If you only base it on your interpretation of Flight the argument is circular.

p.s. @Aaron Kaeris' name is misspelled in question 99.

I'm not making an argument, just stating an opinion and providing a personal anecdote. I don't think there's an argument to be made - as you say, the rule for Flight as written is ambiguous.

[Bengt]

8 hours ago, Thimblesage said:

This model is immune to falling damage and may ignore any terrain or models while moving.

It has been debated whether this is supposed to be:

"This model is (immune to falling damage and may ignore any terrain or models) while moving."

or

"This model is (immune to falling damage) and (may ignore any terrain or models while moving)."

The first only make models with flight immune to falling while moving (not when being pushed), the latter always.

As English, being a natural language, lacks operator precedence, the sentence can be parsed either way. I've always read it as the first version, but not everyone agrees.