Core Rules
19. Attached Units
WTC 3 rulings on this section
When a unit heals and resurrects models, it cannot bring back characters. When a character specifically resurrects, if it was not attached or its attached unit is dead, it comes back alone with a starting strength as if it was not attached. When a character resurrects and it was attached to a unit that still is on the battlefield, it has to come back in it and in coherency with it. If it cannot come back in coherency with it, it dies immediately. If the ability that brings the model back requires it to be out of engagement range of enemy units, it has to fulfill this condition. If it cannot, it dies immediately. If the ability does not mention anything, it can be engaged with enemy units its unit is engaged with.
... that you are able to bring back Non-Character models that have been Destroyed using the rules for Healing a Unit if they are part of an attached unit even if there are no models that are part of that datasheet.
... that you only need to pre-declare which of your leaders and supports are joining which units, so things like Warlock Conclaves, Ogryn Bodyguards and so on can be decided upon at the Declare Battle Formations step.
19.00Attached Units#
The heroes of your army rarely fight alone. Instead, they typically lead bands of warriors, forming an attached unit that acts as a single entity. This section explains how to form attached units and how they function on the battlefield.
19.01Forming Attached Units#
Some units have the Leader or Support ability listed on their datasheet (24.22 & 24.34). Such units are known as leader units and support units respectively. Both of these abilities allow such units to lead other friendly units (known as bodyguard units) to form attached units. An attached unit is a single unit for all rules purposes. Leader and support units can only lead specific bodyguard units, as listed in the Warhammer 40,000 app
19.01.01 - Attached Units After Their Bodyguard Unit is Destroyed#
Some units have rules stating that when the unit in an attached unit is destroyed, leader/support units that were attached to them become separate units with their original starting strengths.
When the bodyguard unit in an attached unit affected by such a rule is destroyed, all of those leader/support units remain a single unit for all rules purposes.
FAQ
Q The Munitorium Field Manual shows my unit can attach to different units then are on it's datasheet, which do I use?
Use the Munitorium Field Manual.
19.02Attacking Attached Units#
Each time an attack targets an attached unit, if that unit contains one or more bodyguard models, use the highest T characteristic of the bodyguard models in that unit while resolving that attack, even if a leader/support unit in that attached unit has a different T characteristic. If that unit only contains leader/support models, use the highest T characteristic of those models while resolving that attack instead.
Rules that are triggered when a unit is destroyed are only triggered when the last model that started the battle in an attached unit is destroyed.
19.03Keywords In Attached Units#
An attached unit has all of the keywords of all of its component units. As such, an attached unit is affected by any rule that applies to units with any of those keywords. Note that models in an attached unit do not gain the keywords of other models in that unit that they do not already have. Remember that attacks target units, not models.
Example: An attached unit contains a leader model with the PSYKER keyword. While that model is part of that unit, that unit has the PSYKER keyword, even if the bodyguard models do not have that keyword. If that unit is attacked by a weapon with the [ANTI‑PSYKER 4+] ability, any unmodified wound roll of 4+ made against that unit is a critical wound, even if the attack itself is not allocated to that leader model.
19.04Abilities In Attached Units#
Abilities/rules that affect a single specified model (e.g. from an enhancement or an item of wargear) only ever apply to that model, even while part of an attached unit.
Otherwise, abilities/rules that affect a unit (or models in it) apply to every model in an attached unit, until the source of that ability/rule is destroyed, as shown below.
| SOURCE OF ABILITY/RULE | APPLIES TO THE ATTACHED UNIT UNTIL |
| Leader/support unit | The last model in that leader/support unit is destroyed.* |
| Bodyguard unit |
The last model in that bodyguard unit is destroyed |
| A specific model |
That model is destroyed |
*This means leader/support units continue to benefit from their own 'while this model is leading a unit' abilities even after their bodyguard unit is destroyed, provided they started the battle in an attached unit.
In all of the above cases, if that last model was destroyed as the result of an attack, the ability it was conferring upon the attached unit applies until the attacking unit has resolved all of its attacks.
19.04.01 - Only In Death Does Duty End#
Leader and support units often have abilities that make the models they are leading more powerful. In the same way, some bodyguard units’ abilities can enhance the power of those leading them. Abilities in Attached Units (19.04) means that once the models conferring such effects are destroyed, that attached unit does not continue to benefit from them. Should those models later be revived, however, those abilities will once more apply to their attached unit.