Ranged Magic Attacks in Melee

[Vedo]

Hey all, this came up in a game last night and I wanted to get official clarification on it.

If a model with a ranged magic attack (ie. Force bolt) is engaged in melee, can they cast the spell either at the model they are engaged with or out of that melee? My opponent was citing pg. 78 of Primal, 2nd column, first paragraph: "Unlike ranged attacks, being in melee does not prevent a model from casting a spell." I believe this to be referring a) to warnouns and b) not excluding the normal rule of "no ranged attacks of any kind in melee unless you have gunfighter."

Please help!

[mezoar]

Magic attacks and Ranged attacks are two different things. If some rule refers to ranged attacks it does not apply to magic attacks.

In other words, your opponent was correct.

[FearLord]

Hey all, this came up in a game last night and I wanted to get official clarification on it.

If a model with a ranged magic attack (ie. Force bolt) is engaged in melee, can they cast the spell either at the model they are engaged with or out of that melee? My opponent was citing pg. 78 of Primal, 2nd column, first paragraph: "Unlike ranged attacks, being in melee does not prevent a model from casting a spell." I believe this to be referring a) to warnouns and b) not excluding the normal rule of "no ranged attacks of any kind in melee unless you have gunfighter."

Please help!

Magic attacks are not ranged attacks at all - they share a few targeting rules, but that is it.

A model can use a Magic Attack (which is either an Offensive Spell paid for with Focus / Fury from a spell list or a *Attack under a model with the Magic Ability Rule) can be used in melee at any model the spell caster can see with no penalty (including no in melee penalty vs models that the spell caster is in melee with).

[Vedo]

Here's the thing though:

pg. 56, bottom of the page states "Magic attacks are similar to ranged attacks and follow most of the same rules, but they are not affected by rules that affect only ranged attacks."

That second part would just seem to imply that things like eLylyth's feat would not affect ranged magic attacks. The first part though seems to imply that since it is a "ranged" attack either way you'd be unable to shoot it while engaged.

[PG_The Captain]

Here's the thing though:

pg. 56, bottom of the page states "Magic attacks are similar to ranged attacks and follow most of the same rules, but they are not affected by rules that affect only ranged attacks."

That second part would just seem to imply that things like eLylyth's feat would not affect ranged magic attacks. The first part though seems to imply that since it is a "ranged" attack either way you'd be unable to shoot it while engaged.

The rules don't "seem to imply" that magic attacks are ranged attacks - they specifically say that despite similarities, they are not affected by rules that affect only ranged attacks.

Only ranged attacks are forbidden when in melee (this is an example of rules that apply only to ranged attacks).

[vintersbastard]

ranged magic attacks

Stop using this terminology; it doesn't exist.


The only thing they mean by the similarity of ranged and magic attacks is that they're not going to reexplain how thing like concealment and cover work in relation to the latter when they have already done so for the former. Everything that specifically calls out ranged attacks affects only ranged attacks, but not magic attacks.

[TheSanityAssassin]

We went over this in a local tournament a while ago, and came to the same conclusion. We were however, somewhat surprised that the rules were not more direct on this...PP is usually pretty fantastic about straight up saying things like "Models can make magic attacks against models they are in melee with" or something like that in the rules.

[solkan]

We went over this in a local tournament a while ago, and came to the same conclusion. We were however, somewhat surprised that the rules were not more direct on this...PP is usually pretty fantastic about straight up saying things like "Models can make magic attacks against models they are in melee with" or something like that in the rules.

For reference:

Unlike ranged attacks, being in melee does not prevent a model from casting a spell.

and

Remember that a model making a magic attack while in melee with its target does not suffer this penalty.

Or pretty much the whole last paragraph of Magic Attack Rolls on page 77 which covers casting a spell at a model that you're in melee with. Isn't that direct enough?