Templates

Some spells and war machines are so powerful that they don't just target a single model or unit, but have an 'area effect' which might encompass (and often utterly devastate!) several different units. To better represent these, Battleaxe uses a series of three different templates:

A small round template (3" in diameter)
A large round template (5" in diameter)
A flame template (a teardrop-shaped template roughly 8" long)

The templates are used as a way of determining whether or not models have been hit by an attack that has an area of effect or blast radius. When an attack uses a template, it will explain how the template is positioned, including any kind of scatter that might occur (see below). To work out which models are hit, you normally need to hold the template over an enemy unit or a particular point on the battlefield, and then look underneath to see which models' bases lie partially or completely underneath the template. Normally, any model that is fully or even partially underneath the template is hit automatically with the effect described in the special rules for the attack. Remember that a model's base is counted as being part of the model itself, so as long as any part of the base is under the template everything is hit.

Scatter

Sometimes a rule will call for an object (a template, counter or even a unit) to be placed on the battlefield and then scattered. When this occurs, follow this procedure: Place the object on the battlefield, as instructed by the rule. Roll a scatter dice to determine the direction of scatter, and any other dice required by the rule to determine the scatter distance. For example, if something is said to 'scatter 2D6" in a random direction' then you'd roll the scatter dice for the direction and 2D6" for the distance. It's normally a good idea to roll these as close to the scattering object as possible, to minimise the inaccuracy that will inevitably creep in as you attempt to match the vector. If a Hit! is rolled on the scatter dice, the object does not move – leave it in place and resolve the rest of the rule. If an arrow is rolled, move the object in the direction of the arrow and the distance (in inches) shown on the other dice, ignoring intervening terrain, units, etc, unless the rule states otherwise. Once the object has scattered to its final position, you can resolve the effects of the rule.