Immortals with ExtollerAdvocate charging Polarity Field model

[mursu]

I have Extoller Advocate in my Immortals unit. I pick that model (who is not a construct model) as my charging model who moves to a model with Polarity Field active. Can other members in the Immortal unit (who are constructs) make charge attacks against that model with Polarity Field?

[SaltTitan]

I don’t see why not, since they’re just required to attack something in melee range of the model that moved.

[Michael]

@Polarity Field (from Stryker warjack's Galvanic Shield)

…
A model with Polarity Field cannot be targeted by a charge or slam power attack made by a construct model.

Emphasis mine.

@Combined Melee Attacks

When resolving their Combat Actions, two or more troopers with the Combined Melee Attack advantage in the same unit can combine their melee attacks against the same target. In order to participate in a combined melee attack, a trooper must be able to declare a melee attack against the intended target and have the intended target within its melee range.
…
On a charge, the combined melee attack is only considered to be a charge if all the contributed attacks are charge attacks.
…

Also emphasis mine.

@Unit Charges

If the charging model advanced at least 3” during its charge movement, the first attack with a melee weapon made by each model in the unit this activation targeting a model/unit that was in the charging model’s melee range at the end of its charge movement are charge attacks.

I don’t think SaltTitan is correct in this case. Here’s why:

I am assuming the example is as simple as possible, namely that we’re discussing only a unit of Immortals + Extoller Advocate trying to charge a model with Polarity Field. No other enemy models are present.

The Extoller Advocate can 100% declare the charge against the model with Polarity Field, because the Extoller is a living model and it can target the enemy model with a charge. So, it can move and the Immortals can be placed around it.

The Polarity Field model prevents construct models from targeting it with a charge attack.

In order for units to benefit from combined melee attack (hereafter, “CMA”) on the charge, they must be able to declare a melee attack against that target.

Unit Charges tell us that all the models in the unit targeting the enemy model will be making charge attacks.

In order for the CMA to be a charge, all models must be able to contribute a charge attack.

Constructs cannot target the model with a charge, and they have no option to make a non-charge attack.

Therefore, construct models cannot participate in a CMA on the charge against the model with Polarity Field.

[mursu]

What Combined Melee Attack has to do with this?

In any case the two answers above clearly show how it is possible to read this same Polarity Field rule in two different ways.

[Michael]

You appeared to be asking about CMA on the charge because you specified that the Extoller was the one declaring the charge movement and presumably making the charge attack. (That was the general way to get around this sort of rule in previous editions.)

In either case, whether CMA or no CMA: no, the Immortals can’t do that, because the Immortals will be targeting the model with Polarity Field with a charge attack, and they’re constructs, and Polarity Field says they can’t do that.

[Leonard_Dukes]

Polarity Field doesn’t say Constructs can’t target it with a charge attack.

It says Constructs cant target it with [a charge] or [a slam power attack].

Both charges (the advance) and charge attacks can target a model, but until Mk4 there’s never been a case where you could target a model with a charge attack without also targeting it with a charge first.

If the intent is to disallow both targeting it with a charge (for the movement bonus) or a charge attack (e.g. from a placed trooper) then some additionalnwording is in order.

[SilentMunk]

@Leonard_Dukes

Both charges (the advance) and charge attacks can target a model, but until Mk4 there’s never been a case where you could target a model with a charge attack without also targeting it with a charge first.

I agree with this take. The wording seems ambiguous in light of the new edition’s changes to how a unit model can charge

[mursu]

Any official ruling on this?

[DarkLegacy]

Construct models can make charge attacks against a model with Polarity Field if a non-construct model in the unit charges the Polarity Field model.

This is similar to cases where a construct model charges a model near the model with Polarity Field and ended with the Polarity Field model in melee range. The other Construct models placed can make charge attacks against the model with Polarity Field.