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Core Stratagems
11th ed.

Core Stratagems

Warhammer 40,000 · 11th edition · Available to every army

Using stratagems

All core stratagems

Any phase

Command Re-roll

Either player’s turnAny phase
1 CP
When

Any phase, just after you make one of the following rolls for a friendly unit or model:

  • Advance roll
  • Charge roll
  • Damage roll
  • Hazard roll
  • Hit roll
  • Save roll
  • Wound roll
  • A roll to determine the number of attacks generated with a weapon.
Target

That unit or model.

Effect

You re-roll that roll. If you are rolling more than one dice together, select one of those dice to re-roll (excluding charge rolls, which you must re-roll in full).

Command phase

Insane Bravery

Your turnCommand phase
1 CP
When

Battle-shock step of your Command phase, just before you make a battle-shock roll for a friendly unit.

Target

That unit.

Effect

That battle-shock roll is automatically successful.

Restrictions

You cannot use this stratagem more than once per battle.

Movement phase

Rapid Ingress

Opponent’s turnMovement phase
1 CP
When

End of your opponent’s Movement phase.

Target

One friendly unit that is in strategic reserves (excluding AIRCRAFT).

Effect

Your unit makes an ingress move.

Restrictions

You cannot use this stratagem during the first battle round.

Fire Overwatch

Opponent’s turnMovement phase
1 CP
When

End of your opponent’s Movement phase.

Target

One friendly unengaged unit (excluding TITANIC units).

Effect

Your unit shoots using snap shooting.

Snap Shooting

Shooting type · used by Fire Overwatch
Eligible If

As stated in the rule allowing this shooting type.

Effect

Your unit shoots as described in Making Attacks.

While Shooting
  • You can only target one visible enemy unit within 24" of your unit (and only if it is an eligible target).
  • Each attack only hits on an unmodified hit roll of 6 (irrespective of the attacking weapon’s BS characteristic or any modifiers).
  • You cannot re-roll hit rolls.
After Shooting

Until the end of the phase, your unit is not eligible to start an action.

Shooting phase

Explosives

Your turnShooting phase
1 CP
When

Your Shooting phase.

Target

One friendly unengaged EXPLOSIVES/GRENADES unit that is eligible to shoot and did not make an advance move this turn.

Effect

Resolve the following sequence:

  1. Select one EXPLOSIVES/GRENADES model in your unit.
  2. Select one unengaged enemy unit within 8" of and visible to that model.
  3. Roll six D6: for each 4+, that enemy unit suffers 1 mortal wound.

Also known as Grenade.

Smokescreen

Opponent’s turnShooting phase
1 CP
When

Start of your opponent’s Shooting phase.

Target

One friendly SMOKE unit.

Effect

Until the end of the phase, each time an attack targets either your SMOKE unit, or a unit that is not fully visible to the attacking model because of one or more models in your SMOKE unit, the target has the benefit of cover against that attack.

Charge phase

Crushing Impact

Your turnCharge phase
1 CP
When

Your Charge phase, just after a friendly MONSTER/VEHICLE unit ends a charge move.

Target

That MONSTER/VEHICLE unit.

Effect

Resolve the following sequence:

  1. Select one enemy unit engaged with your unit.
  2. Select one model in your unit engaged with that enemy unit.
  3. Roll a number of D6 equal to the T characteristic of that model: for each 1, your unit suffers 1 mortal wound; for each 5+, that enemy unit suffers 1 mortal wound (to a maximum of 6 mortal wounds per unit).

Also known as Tank Shock.

Heroic Intervention

Opponent’s turnCharge phase
1 CP
When

End of your opponent’s Charge phase.

Target

One friendly unengaged unit within 12" of one or more enemy units. You can only select a VEHICLE unit if it is a CHARACTER/WALKER unit.

Effect

Resolve a charge with your unit. While doing so, before making the charge roll, you must select one of the following modes:

  • Leap to Defend: When selecting charge targets, you can only select enemy units that made a charge move this phase and are within the maximum distance.
  • +1CP Into the Fray:
    • When making the charge roll, if the result is greater than 6 (after modifiers), change it to 6.
    • When selecting charge targets, you can select any enemy units that are within 6" of your unit and within the maximum distance.

Fight phase

Epic Challenge

Either player’s turnFight phase
1 CP
When

Fight phase, just after a friendly CHARACTER unit is selected to fight.

Target

That CHARACTER unit.

Effect

Select one CHARACTER model in your unit. Until the end of the phase, that model’s melee weapons have the [PRECISION] ability.

Counteroffensive

Opponent’s turnFight phase
2 CP
When

Fight step of your opponent’s Fight phase, just after an enemy unit has resolved its attacks.

Target

One friendly unit that is eligible to fight.

Effect

Until the end of the phase, your unit has the Fights First ability and it must be the next unit you select to fight.

Unofficial quick reference, taken from the 11th-edition Core Rules, chapter 15 (Wahapedia); the list of ten core stratagems was also cross-checked with Wargamer and Grimslate. Fluff text is omitted. When in doubt, the Core Rules win. Data fetched 2026-09-21.