This section of the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook first talks about Psykers and how to generate their otherworldly powers. This section also describes how you generate Warp Charge and manifest psychic powers in the Psychic phase, and gives descriptions of the different types of powers you can unleash.

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Psykers are powerful battle-mystics, able to unleash their mental might in all manner of ways. Each Psyker knows one or more psychic powers, as detailed in their Army List Entry. These powers vary from race to race, and sometimes from one individual Psyker to another. Sometimes, a Psyker will have the option to know additional psychic powers. If this is the case, this will also be clearly shown in the relevant Army List Entry. Sometimes psychic powers might be manifested by a vehicle, or even by entire squads.

For the purposes of all rules, the term ‘Psyker’ and ‘Psyker unit’ refers to any unit with the Psyker, Psychic Pilot or Brotherhood of Psykers/Sorcerers special rules.


The number of psychic powers a Psyker can use each turn depends on his Mastery Level. Even a Psyker with a Mastery Level of 1 is a fearsome foe. Psykers with a Mastery Level of 4 or higher are incredibly rare, and it is better for the galaxy that this is so – they are almost unbelievably powerful, and rarely submit to any authority other than their own.Psykers are assumed to be Mastery Level 1 unless it states otherwise in their Army List Entry. The Mastery Level is usually shown in parentheses after the Psyker special rule. For example: Psyker (Mastery Level 2).A Psyker’s entry will usually state how many psychic powers the Psyker has. Where this is not the case, the Psyker knows a number of psychic powers equal to his Mastery Level. Each of these powers will need to be generated, as described below.

If a Psyker generates all of his psychic powers from the same psychic discipline, that Psyker will automatically know that discipline’s primaris power in addition to any other powers they know, as described in Psychic Focus.

If a Psyker has one or more weapons with the Force special rule, that Psyker automatically knows the Force psychic power (see below) in addition to any other powers they know.

For example, Stu has a Psyker in his army with a Mastery Level of 2. That Psyker knows two psychic powers, which will need to be generated. Stu decides to generate both of his psychic powers from the same discipline and so gains Psychic Focus, and thus that discipline’s primaris power. Stu’s Psyker is also equipped with a force weapon, granting him the Force psychic power (for a total of four psychic powers).If a Psyker generates all of his powers from the same psychic discipline (even if he can only generate one power), that Psyker is said to have Psychic Focus, and gains that discipline’s primaris power in addition to his other powers. If during the course of the game, that Psyker gains a psychic power from a different psychic discipline, he immediately loses Psychic Focus (and the associated primaris power).

If a Psyker has any psychic powers that are not part of a discipline, such as Force, those powers are not considered when determining whether the Psyker has Psychic Focus.If a Psyker has a Mark of Chaos or is a Daemon of a particular Chaos God (see Codex: Chaos Space Marines or Codex: Chaos Daemons), that model automatically knows the primaris power of the discipline that corresponds to their patron deity, in addition to any other powers it knows.

The Psyker channels his powers through the psi-circuitry of his force weapon, transforming it from a mere physical weapon into one that can rend reality.

Warp Сharge: 1
Force is a blessing psychic power that targets the Psyker and his unit. All of the targets’ weapons that have the Force special rule gain the Instant Death special rule until the start of your next Psychic phase. Psykers generate their psychic powers before the game begins. This is done openly, so both you and your opponent are aware of the power(s) each Psyker has generated. If your army includes more than one Psyker, you can choose the order in which you generate their powers.

In some Army List Entries, a Psyker will have one or more specific psychic powers listed – where this is the case, it will be clearly stated. These Psykers always start the game with those psychic powers. Otherwise, a Psyker generates random psychic powers from amongst the psychic disciplines known to him.

To randomly generate a psychic power, first choose one of the psychic disciplines known to the Psyker. Then, roll a D6 and consult the chosen psychic discipline; you will notice that the psychic powers are numbered between one and six – the power generated corresponds to the number rolled on the D6.

If the Psyker needs to generate more than one psychic power, repeat the above process until the required number of psychic powers have been generated. Note that second and subsequent psychic powers do not have to be generated from the same psychic discipline as the Psyker’s first power (but if a power is generated from a different psychic discipline, the Psyker will not benefit from Psychic Focus). A Psyker cannot know the same psychic power twice. If a Psyker generates a power he already has, roll again in the same psychic discipline table until a power is generated that he does not already know. It should be noted that different Psykers in the same army can have the same psychic power(s).Some psychic disciplines have primaris powers. A primaris power is so intrinsic to the discipline’s character that we can assume that any wielder of that discipline is able to master it.

Immediately after generating a psychic power, a Psyker can always choose to substitute the power generated for the discipline’s primaris power. Remember though, that a Psyker cannot have the same power twice – if he chooses to substitute his first power for the primaris power, and then chooses to generate another psychic power from the same discipline, he cannot substitute any further powers from that discipline. Note that this means if a Psyker has chosen all of his powers from the same psychic discipline to gain Psychic Focus, he will already know that discipline’s primaris power and so cannot substitute any of his randomly generated powers.

Regardless of the psychic power(s) your Psykers generate, it’s worth making a note on your army roster – it’s all too easy to forget which Psykers have which powers otherwise!

For example, Sarah has a Psyker in her army with a Mastery Level of 3 who knows powers from the Telepathy and Divination disciplines. The Psyker has no Mark of Chaos, nor is it a Daemon of a Chaos God. The Army List Entry does not specify that the Psyker knows any specific powers, so Sarah chooses the Telepathy discipline and rolls a D6. The result is a 3, thus generating Terrify. Sarah then chooses the Telepathy discipline again, rolling another 3. This is re-rolled, the result being a 1 this time, generating Dominate. However, Sarah chooses to swap Dominate for the Telepathy primaris power, Psychic Shriek. For her Psyker’s final randomly generated power, Sarah chooses to generate a power from the Divination discipline. She rolls a 6, thus generating the psychic power Scrier’s Gaze. As Sarah decided to generate psychic powers from more than one psychic discipline, she does not benefit from the Psychic Focus rule. Finally, Sarah’s Psyker is equipped with a force weapon, so her Psyker also knows Force.

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In the Psychic phase, Psykers can call upon their strange mental powers and other Warpborn effects may manifest. To use their powers, Psykers need to generate, expend and harness Warp Charge points.At the beginning of each Psychic phase, the player whose turn it is rolls a D6. Then, each player takes a number of dice equal to the result of the D6 roll; those dice are their Warp Charge pool. Each player then adds up the Mastery Levels of all the Psyker units they currently have on the tabletop (including those embarked on Transports) and adds that many dice to their Warp Charge pool.

For example, Andy rolls a D6 at the start of his Psychic phase and rolls a 3. Andy has three Psyker units currently on the table: a Primaris Psyker with Mastery Level 2, an Astropath with Mastery Level 1 and a unit of Wyrdvane Psykers with Mastery Level 1. Andy therefore has 7 dice in his Warp Charge pool (3+2+1+1=7). Andy’s opponent has only a single Psyker unit currently on the table: a Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer with Mastery Level 2. Andy’s opponent therefore has 5 dice in his Warp Charge pool (3+2=5).

The number of dice each player has in their Warp Charge pool equates to the total amount of Warp Charge points they have generated for this phase. If a rule tells you to add or subtract Warp Charge points, you add or subtract the appropriate number of dice from your pool.

If, after resolving a psychic action – such as manifesting a psychic power – the player whose turn it is has 0 Warp Charge points remaining, the Psychic phase ends. The Psychic phase also ends if you either cannot, or choose not to, resolve any more psychic actions. When the Psychic phase ends, all remaining Warp Charge points belonging to both players (if any) are lost and the Shooting phase begins.The most common psychic action is the manifestation of psychic powers. Only the player whose turn it is can attempt to manifest psychic powers. If, after attempting to manifest a psychic power, you still have Warp Charge points left, you can attempt to manifest another psychic power with the same unit, or select another of your Psyker units and attempt to manifest a power the new unit knows. Assuming you have enough Warp Charge points, you can alternate back and forth between the same Psyker units in this way, but no unit can attempt to manifest the same psychic power more than once per Psychic phase.

To manifest a psychic power you will need to declare a target (if the power in question requires a target) and make a Psychic test (see below). If the Psychic test is successful, your opponent then has an opportunity to make a Deny the Witch test. If this test is failed, or if your opponent chooses not to make a Deny the Witch test, the psychic power is manifested and its effects are immediately resolved.

Manifesting psychic powers can be summarised in five steps, as described below. Each step is explained in greater detail later in this section.To manifest a psychic power, you will first need to select one of your Psyker units. It does not matter if the selected unit is Falling Back or has Gone to Ground. Then, select a psychic power known to the selected unit that the unit has not already attempted to manifest in this Psychic phase.If the psychic power requires a target, you must nominate it at this point. Unless otherwise stated, your Psyker must have line of sight to the target.Psykers embarked on Transports still generate their normal number of Warp Charge points. Psykers embarked on a Transport can only target enemy units with witchfire psychic powers, and only then if the vehicle has a firing point that has line of sight to the target unit. Psykers embarked on a Transport cannot attempt to manifest any other kind of psychic power.

Psychic powers cannot target units that are embarked on a Transport.Psychic powers are fuelled by the Warp but channelled with the Psyker’s own willpower.

A Psyker must pass a Psychic test to see if he can harness the power of the Warp. To make a Psychic test, you will first need to expend a number of Warp Charge points; declare how many points you are spending and remove them from your pool. Then, roll a number of D6 equal to the number of Warp Charge points you have expended.

For each individual result of 4+, the Psyker has successfully harnessed one Warp Charge point. If the total number of harnessed Warp Charge points is greater than or equal to the Warp Charge cost stated in the psychic power’s description, the Psychic test is successful. Otherwise, the Psychic test has failed and the power does not manifest. If the Psychic test was successful, keep a note of how many Warp Charge points were harnessed as your opponent may attempt to nullify them by performing a Deny the Witch test (see below).

If, when making a Psychic test, two or more dice rolls (before applying modifiers) were rolls of a 6, the unit attempting to manifest the psychic power suffers Perils of the Warp (see below), whether or not the manifestation attempt failed.Just as it takes great force of mind for a Psyker to unleash his mental might, his victims can sometimes nullify a psychic power’s effects through sheer will.

If your opponent makes a successful Psychic test, you can attempt to nullify the power being manifested by making a Deny the Witch test. For a Deny the Witch test to be successful, you need to nullify all of the Warp Charge points that were successfully harnessed by the Psyker when he passed his Psychic test.The Warp is the source of all psychic powers, but there are many dangers for those who utilise this wellspring of otherworldly energy. When a Psyker suffers Perils of the Warp, it indicates that something horrible has happened to the Psyker, the forces of the Daemon-haunted Warp clawing at the Psyker’s mind, threatening to engulf and destroy him.

If a unit suffers Perils of the Warp, roll a D6 and consult the Perils of the Warp table below. If the unit has the Brotherhood of Psykers/Sorcerers special rule, the effects of the Perils of the Warp result apply a randomly determined model in the unit who has the Brotherhood of Psykers/Sorcerers special rule.

Note that suffering Perils of the Warp does not necessarily mean that a psychic power fails to manifest. Assuming that the Psychic test was successful and any Deny the Witch test failed, the psychic power still manifests, regardless of whether or not the Psyker in question suffers a Wound or is slain by Perils of the Warp.

D6 Result 1 Dragged into the Warp: The Psyker must take a Leadership test. If the test is passed, the Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. If the test is failed, the Psyker is removed as a casualty and his unit suffers D6 Strength 6 AP1 hits. For Wound allocation purposes, assume the attack is coming from the Psyker that suffered Perils of the Warp.  2 Mental Purge: The Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. In addition, randomly select one psychic power known to the Psyker. That power is immediately lost, and cannot be used by the Psyker for the rest of the battle.  3 Power Drain: The Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. In addition, if it is currently the Psychic phase, roll a D3; both players lose a number of Warp Charge points equal to the result.  4 Psychic Backlash: The Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed.  5 Empyric Feedback: The Psyker must take a Leadership test. If the test is failed, the Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. If the test is passed, the Psyker suffers no ill effects… this time.  6 Warp Surge: The Psyker must take a Leadership test. If the test is failed, the Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. If the test is passed, the Psyker gains a 3+ Invulnerable save as well as the Fleshbane, Armourbane and Smash special rules, until the start of the next friendly Psychic phase.

To make a Deny the Witch test, first select one of your units that was a target of the enemy’s psychic power. You will then need to expend a number of Warp Charge points; declare how many points you will spend and remove them from your pool. Then roll a number of D6 equal to the number of Warp Charge points expended. Apply any of the following modifiers that apply to each individual dice roll:


For each individual result of 6+, one Warp Charge point has been successfully nullified. If the total number of nullified Warp Charge points is equal to or greater than the number of harnessed Warp Charge points, the Deny the Witch test has been passed and the psychic power does not manifest.

Note that a successful Deny the Witch test simply nullifies the power being manifested – it does not mean that the Psychic test changes from a success into a failure (for some powers, such as Vortex of Doom, a failed Psychic test can have dire consequences for the Psyker).

If none of your units were the target of the enemy’s psychic power (the power in question might have been a blessing, a conjuration, or some other power that only affects the Psyker’s own troops) you can still attempt to Deny the Witch. To do so, follow the same process, but apply no modifiers to your dice rolls – you will require rolls of 6 to nullify Warp Charge points.Assuming the Psychic test was passed and the enemy did not negate it with a successful Deny the Witch test, the power has been successfully manifested. Resolve its effects according to the instructions in its entry. Unless otherwise stated, the effects of multiple different psychic powers are cumulative.

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Psychic hoods are embedded with arcane constructions of psychically attuned crystals that allow the wearer to extend his psychic protection to nearby allies.

Each time a unit (or model) is targeted by an enemy psychic power and is within 12" of a friendly model with a psychic hood, the wearer of the hood can attempt to Deny the Witch in their stead, as if he were in the target unit. If the Deny the Witch attempt is failed, the psychic power is resolved as normal, but effects only the initial target, not the wearer of the hood.

If a model with a psychic hood is embarked in a vehicle or building, he can only use the hood to nullify powers targeting the vehicle or building he is embarked within.

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The many varieties of psychic powers are organised into distinct categories. These determine any targeting requirements and other restrictions that apply along with its type, if it has one.If a psychic power does not have a type, the rules for using it will be clearly expressed within its entry.Blessings grant extra abilities to the Psyker’s allies, such as characteristic boosts or additional special rules. Blessings target one or more friendly units and, unless otherwise stated, last until the start of the Psyker’s next Psychic phase.

Blessings can affect units that are locked in close combat and can affect the Psyker himself. The benefit of any one particular blessing can only be gained once per unit per turn, but benefits from different blessings are cumulative. Unless otherwise stated, blessings cannot modify characteristics above 10 or below 1 (or below 2, in the case of Leadership).Conjuration powers can summon units across great distances, call new allies to the fray, or even create them from the raw stuff of the Warp. Each conjuration power specifies the type and number of models to be conjured. Unless stated otherwise, the new unit cannot take any additional options or upgrades. If you do not have enough models to place the entire unit on the board, place as many as you can – the excess are destroyed.

When the power is resolved, the new unit then arrives via Deep Strike, within the power’s maximum range; the new unit is under your control and is treated as having arrived from Reserves for all rules purposes. If the new unit suffers a Deep Strike mishap and ends up in Ongoing Reserves, it can Deep Strike anywhere on the board when it enters play.

If the new unit is a Psyker, generate its psychic power(s) as soon as the conjuration is manifested; the new unit cannot attempt to manifest conjuration powers on the same turn it was itself conjured. If the new unit has any random powers/abilities that would normally need to be generated before the start of the game, generate them at the same time. Unless otherwise noted, conjured units are scoring units.If a conjuration power creates a unit from Codex: Chaos Daemons and that unit’s Army List Entry includes the option to take an Icon of Chaos, an Instrument of Chaos and/or the option to upgrade one model to a character, you may take any of these options for free provided you have the appropriate model available. Unless stated otherwise, the unit cannot take any further upgrades or options.Maledictions weaken the Psyker’s enemies by reducing their characteristics or inflicting special rules that penalise their abilities. Maledictions target one or more enemy units and, unless otherwise stated, last until the start of the Psyker’s next Psychic phase. Maledictions can affect units that are locked in close combat. Note that bonuses and penalties from different maledictions are always cumulative, but cannot, unless otherwise stated, take characteristics above 10 or below 1 (or below 2, in the case of Leadership).Witchfire powers are shooting attacks. Indeed, they are often referred to as psychic shooting attacks, and many have profiles similar to ranged weapons. Just like when shooting a weapon, a Psyker must be able to see the target unit (or target point) and cannot be locked in combat if he wishes to manifest a witchfire power. Similarly, a witchfire power must roll To Hit, unless it is has the Blast special rule, in which case it scatters as described in the Blast special rule, or it is a Template weapon, which hit automatically. Psykers can make Snap Shots in the Psychic phase with witchfire powers in the same way as with other shooting weapons. Saves can be taken against Wounds from witchfire in the same way as for any other shooting attack, and hits are allocated to the closest target models to the Psyker.

Unlike firing a shooting weapon though, a Psyker can manifest several different witchfire powers during the same phase (assuming he has enough Warp Charge) and each can target a different unit if you so choose. Manifesting witchfire powers does not prevent the Psyker (or his unit) from firing weapons in the following Shooting phase, nor does it prevent the Psyker’s unit from Running, Turbo-boosting or moving Flat Out. A Psyker who manifests a witchfire power can target a different unit with his other ranged weapons in the Shooting phase. Witchfire powers cannot be used to make Overwatch attacks.

There are several different sub-types of witchfire, each applying slightly different targeting restrictions. If the witchfire does not list a sub-type, or simply describes itself as a psychic shooting attack, use the rules given above to resolve it. If it has one of the following subtypes, use the rules for that sub-type.To use a witchfire power with the beam sub-type, target a point within the power’s range and trace a line (about 1mm thick) between the chosen point and the centre of the Psyker’s base – this line cannot be drawn over any unit that is locked in combat. All units under the line (friend and foe) are hit, with the exception of Zooming Flyers, Swooping Flying Monstrous Creatures and the Psyker himself. Each unit hit by the attack takes a number of hits equal to the number of models from that unit that are under the line. Only one unit that has a model under the line can attempt to Deny the Witch.

For example, if three units are under the line, (Units A, B and C) then all three are hit. Unit A has 3 models under the line, and so takes 3 hits. Unit B has 1 model under the line and so takes 1 hit. Unit C has 4 models under the line, and so takes 4 hits.Some witchfire powers can pick out models in an enemy unit – these are called focussed witchfire powers. They follow all the normal rules for witchfire, but you can choose the specific model in the target unit that you want the power to affect. When the Psychic test is taken for focussed witchfire, pay close attention to the number of Warp Charge points harnessed. If the total number of Warp Charge points harnessed exceeds the Warp Charge cost required to manifest the psychic power, the power is resolved against the model you chose. If the cost to manifest the power is met, but not exceeded, resolve the power against the closest model in the target unit instead.A nova power automatically targets and hits all enemy units (including Flyers and Flying Monstrous Creatures) within the psychic power’s maximum range, regardless of line of sight, being locked in combat, intervening models/terrain and so on. Otherwise, a nova is treated like a shooting attack, and indeed will have a profile like a ranged weapon. Only one unit that is within the power’s maximum range can attempt to Deny the Witch.

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Although the powers of Psykers are many and varied, they usually fall into one of several disciplines. The six most common psychic disciplines are: Biomancy, Daemonology, Divination, Pyromancy, Telekinesis and Telepathy. Each discipline has a particular character, which is reflected by the powers within it. The Telepathy discipline, for example, is grounded in mind control, and its powers act through compelling and influencing the thoughts and actions of others. It should be noted that, whilst two different Psykers may both use the same discipline, their powers are likely to manifest in unique ways. For example, an Imperial Psyker using the Pyromancy discipline may hurl blazing bolts shaped like two-headed eagles whilst a Chaos worshipper might conjure conflagrations of living Warpfire.

Many races also have access to their own, unique psychic disciplines and powers. Where this is the case, the relevant codex will contain the necessary psychic power(s).

Some Psykers specialise in one discipline, honing a few powers to the exclusion of all others. Others manifest a much broader range of psychic disciplines and abilities – in such cases, the Psyker will be able to generate powers from several psychic disciplines. The relevant codex or Army List Entry will detail from which psychic disciplines a Psyker can generate his powers.

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Unless otherwise stated, all Psykers, other than those belonging to the Tyranids Faction, can generate powers from the Daemonology discipline. The Daemonology discipline has not one, but two different sets of powers, one labelled ‘Sanctic’ and one labelled ‘Malefic’. Each time a Psyker generates a power from the Daemonology discipline he can choose to generate it from either the Sanctic or Malefic set of powers. For the purposes of Psychic Focus, the Sanctic and Malefic sets of powers are different psychic disciplines.Only those whose purity of soul is beyond reproach can master Daemonology without being consumed by it.

Psykers from Codex: Grey Knights can manifest Sanctic powers as they would any other psychic power, but they cannot generate Malefic powers at all.

All other Psykers that attempt to manifest Sanctic powers suffer Perils of the Warp on a Psychic test that includes any double, whether the Psychic test was successful or not.Those who blindly attempt to bend the Warp to their own will often end up as the prey things of Daemons.

Psykers with the Daemon special rule can manifest Malefic powers as they would any other psychic power, but they cannot generate Sanctic powers at all.

All other Psykers that attempt to manifest Malefic powers suffer Perils of the Warp on a Psychic test that includes any double, whether the Psychic test was successful or not.

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FAQ

Novas & Beams

Psychic Phase

Witchfire Powers

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