Category:Chain Lightning

Rules Clarification:  : Chain Lightning      (Edit)
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• Spells that "arc" (Edit)
  • For spells that cause damage to "leap" or "arc" to adjacent models (Chain Lightning, Eruption of Spines, Ashes to Ashes, etc) ...
  • The damage is from a spell, so it is magical damage. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Steamroller flags are models, and so are eligible to be leaped to/from (although they won't be damaged by the spell). (Infernal Ruling)
    • Check whether your spell specifies "enemy model" or just "model", because as of Steamroller 2017 flags are not enemy or friendly.

• Not considered an attack & "Non-attack damage roll" (Edit)   [Show/Hide]

  • There are two ways you can get these "non-attack" damage rolls.
    • Type 1 - A secondary damage roll that is not considered to be an attack. Some attacks create a second damage roll that is explicitly "not considered an attack" (such as Electro Leap).

      (Note that although the secondary damage roll is not an attack, the original attack certainly is and will trigger stuff normally. These clarifications don't apply to the original attack.)

    • Type 2 - A damage roll that's not from an attack. Some special abilities & special actions tell you to make a damage roll without mentioning whether it is considered an attack or not (such as Vent Steam and Flak Field).
  • When it comes to other abilities that trigger on damage (such as Vengeance) both types function the same way. For brevity we'll refer to both as "Pure Damage".
    
    

  • Pure damage is not an attack, so doesn't trigger stuff like Vengeance.
  • Pure damage is not an attack, so doesn't benefit from stuff that affects 'attack damage rolls' (such as Bethayne1's feat). (Infernal Ruling)
  • Pure damage (normally) doesn't actually hit the model(s) it damages, so doesn't trigger stuff like Shock Field. (A few of them do specify they hit, though, like Warhead.)
  • Pure damage is not from an attack, but it is (normally) damage from the original model. This has two implications:
    1. It's not an attack from a weapon so:
       • it won't gain damage buffs from the weapon (such as Poison).
       • it won't gain any Damage Types from the weapon. (Infernal Ruling)
    2. It is a damage roll from a model so:
       • it can be boosted. (Infernal Rulings) ... unless the rule specifically says it can't, like a Scrap Thrall explosion or Lightning Generator.
       • it will gain benefits that worded "this model gains ... on damage rolls" (such as Prey). (Infernal Ruling)
       • warbeasts with a Crippled Body will roll one less die. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Exception: Some damage is not from an attack and not from a model (for example, Collateral damage). In this case, you should reverse the stuff listed under #2 above.