Haven't played a game in years, just trying to remember how the 3d aspect of templates work. http://infinitythewiki.com/en/Template_Weapons_and_Equipment#Impact_Template_Weapons Templates used by Template Weapons and Equipment have a height equal to their radius or half their width (unless otherwise specified, as in the case of Smoke Special Ammunition,). To help determine the three-dimensional Area of Effect of a Template, add a second identical template perpendicular down the middle so the cross-section forms an X. Does this height extend both above and below the template, or it the template assumed to be flat on the bottom? So in the following situation: If I places an impact template (circular) on trooper 1, does it look like this: (where r is the radius, so trooper 1 is affected, trooper 2 isn't) or this: (where r is the radius, both trooper 1 and 2 are affected Apologies for the crap diagrams, limited to MS paint right now.
The template extend itself in 3D-way from the impact point. For a circular template, it is the centre. For a teardrop template, it is the pointy end. Any "line" that is blocked by solid obstacles does not exists. So in your examples... Diagram 1 is the situation Diagram 2 is a normal Impact Circular Template. You need to place the center over the centre of the target model (so the diagram is wrong). Anyway, there is no way that a line from the centre of the template could hit target nr2. Diagram 3 is a valid Speculative Shot, since you are not allowed to place the template off centre. In this way, you would be able to hit both models. References: http://infinitythewiki.com/en/Template_Weapons_and_Equipment
I'll add that diagram 3 is valid for any kind of teardrop template (be it a chain rifle, a flamethrower, or a boarding shotgun's template that impacted on a previous model we cannot see).
Apologies, I have realised that my diagram is more terrible than originally thought (but hey, I had 15mins on my lunchbreak with only ms paint as a drawing tool). In all the examples, trooper 1 is standing on top of a building, trooper 2 is hanging off the wall (so it's effectively a side-on view). I have a feeling that what I expected is the case (in that the impact template only extends upwards from the template, and not below it as well. Edit: ignore the fact that the template is off-center, I just suck at drawing things
It would depend on where the center (blast focus) of the template is placed. If you can't draw an unobstructed line from the Blast Focus to the point you're talking about, the template doesn't reach there, much like how Total Cover works for LoF. If you can, then yes the template goes in any direction including down. Since a template needs to be supported flat, this is rarely going to be possible.
Thanks guys, wasn't sure if the template extended both up and down or just up (and all the official examples show it on the floor) so didn't know what would happen if, for example you spec fired a grenade such that the blast focus was exactly on an edge in an attempt to catch troopers in the situation above
I couldn't find this in the template section. Is it somewhere else? All I could find was that the circular template needed to be placed over the center of the base of the target (let's say from a template ML). Could you not, then, place it at the top of the silly such that you could draw a line from the blast focus to target 2 (in the diagrams in the OP)?
Well, OK, I guess it depends on who is tossing the smoke grenade or whatever we're talking about. I was thinking about it from a speculate fire standpoint, which does say: Place the Template directly on the game table or horizontally over a piece of terrain, and never on a vertical surface or in the air. If you're targeting a silhouette directly, what you're describing may be possible.
Ah, I see. Smoke is a bit weird anyway since it's cylindrical and not spherical. Which actually makes diagram 2 interesting. What if you target someone with smoke on top of a building where the template overhangs the roof? Does the smoke extend downwards as well, or just from the roof upwards? I've always played that it extends downwards, but now I'm questioning whether that is correct.
For smoke it is pretty much the same. From the wiki section "Template Weapons, Scenery Items, and Total Cover" Each Template has a Blast Focus to determine if nearby scenery protects a trooper from the Template's effects. If LoF can be drawn from the Blast Focus to the trooper, then that trooper is affected by the Template. However, if the LoF cannot be drawn due to the presence of a piece of scenery, then the trooper is considered to be in Total Cover and is not affected by the Template. Smoke being a cylinder of infinite height cause some potential confusion, but if you remember that there is a blast focus that you must be able to draw LoF from, it makes it easier. One thing i think is interesting, throwing smoke about an inch or two out from a building lets you climb it all the way to the top without being seen, but if you throw it too close to the building, you wont be able to draw LoF from the blast focus when you reach the top and people will get free AROs on you as you clear the smoke.
Well, there's technically only one possible spot to drop Smoke like that and make your climbing flop, which is on the ground, precisely in contact with said wall. That is, if you are using regular climbing, which means you'll be in base contact with the ledge at the end of your movement. Throwing smoke further will allow for some shenanigans afterwards.
According to the rules Trooper number 2 is affected by the template here anyway Area of Effect The Area of Effect of a Template is the area it covers with a single declaration of use. For example, if you declare an Attack using a Template Weapon, all troopers or targets in base contact or inside the Area of Effect of the Template are affected by the Attack declared. (Please don't make me explain why the Area of Effect is touching the Silhouette of a trooper on the same level of elevation as the roof.) Seemed important to not that you're not forced to place the template's blast point AT the center of the target's base (which also would be inside the base) just OVER it. The target point as shown in the picture is legal though, so there aren't any problems with hitting the red trooper either way. Other than that you have the entire Y-Axis over the base's center (provided the template still has the main target in it's Area of Effect).
You're right, based on the sketch given there would be base contact anyways. I wasn't looking at it that closely.
