The psychic discipline of Pyromancy has the most offensive options of all of the disciplines. This is tempered by the fact that only five armies may draw upon these powers.

Of the six powers, only one has a Warp Charge of 2.  This leaves five of powers
available to Mastery Level 1 psykers.

Looking at the Warp Charge 1 powers, there are many new ways to inflict damage upon the enemy.


(1) FIERY FORM - this blessing grants the psyker a 4+ invulnerable save and increases their strength by +2.  In addition, any close combat attacks made by the psyker have the Soul Blaze special rule.

This power is primarily a close combat based one.  The psyker's survivability will be improved by the invulnerable save, and opponents may think twice before assaulting a psyker with this power.  As this is a blessing you are able to cast the power while in close combat.  One important change with the new edition's psychic rules is that Blessings cannot be nullified.


(2) FIRE SHIELD - this blessing targets a single friendly unit within 24".  That  unit gains a 4+ cover save against shooting attacks, save for those with the Melta or Soul Blaze special rules.  Additionally, any unit that makes a
successful charge against a unit with this blessing suffers 2D6 Strength 4, AP -
hits at the same time as Hammer of Wrath hits.

The most  defensive of the Pyromancy powers, it still has offensive potential.  The extra  attacks against charging units can tip the scales in an assault.  The cover save would be advantageous for units holding objectives which are in the open, and in conjunction with going to ground or stealth could see a unit's survivability increased dramatically.


(3)  INFERNO - this witchfire power fires a  S4 AP 5 small blast template up to a distance of 24" which ignores cover saves and has the Soul Blaze special rule.

With its ability to  ignore cover, this power will be the bane of units like Rangers, Pathfinders,  Imperial Guard and Kroot which rely on cover saves to enhance their suvivability.  It is also very effective in night fight situations.  


(4) SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION - this focussed witchfire power has a range of 18".  The target model suffers a wound with no armour or cover saves allowed.  If the target is  slain, place the small blast template on the model - any models touched by the  template suffer a S4 AP 5 hit with the ignores cover special  rule.

This is similar to the previous power,  but with a shorter range and you are able to select a specific target.   Best  used on a model with a single wound to try and ensure the secondary effect takes  place.   Models standing near vehicles with an AV 10 facing may be attractive  targets to give you a chance at a lucky glancing  hit.


(5) SUNBURST - another one of the new nova powers, its range is only 6", but as a nova  it affects all enemy units within this range.  Each unit takes a shooting attack  with 2D6 S4 AP 5 shots which ignore cover.

This  power's limited range makes it a bit of a curiousity.  As a nova, enemy units in  close combat can be hit by the power, but casualties can only be taken from  within it's effective range of 6".   A psyker with the ability to move close to  enemy units prior to assaulting would likely realize the most potential from
this power. 

The Pyromancy discipline has a single Warp Charge 2 power.  At first glance it
may not seem to be worthy of such a cost, but upon further examination the
destructive potential of this power justifies its place as the most powerful of
all Pyromancy powers.


(6) MOLTEN BEAM - This beam has the same profile as a meltagun
12" S8 AP1 Assault 1 Melta - which in and of itself is a pretty powerful attack
- however the nature of a beam attack makes this even more deadly.  A beam
automatically hits all models on its target line - even if they are out of line
of sight.  

Tightly packed units will suffer many hits from this power, while the strength does diminish, the first few models hit will still almost certainly be wounded.  Tightly packed Vehicles are especially vulnerable providing the attack is initiated from close range.

+++

Should any of these powers when they are rolled up not be to your liking or
align with your army's tactics, you can always opt to change one of them to the 
PRIMARIS POWER of the discipline.  These powers always have a Warp Charge of 1.  For Pyromancy, the power is:

(P) FLAME BREATH - this witchfire power unleashes a template attack at S5 AP4.  The power also has the Soul Blaze special rule.

By rule, all template attacks ignore cover, so this like many of the other Pyromancy powers make those units that rely on cover exposed.  This power is similar to a number of other psychic powers found in other codices and shares the same tactics as other template weapons.   

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Pyromancy prooves to live up to its billing as the most destructive of all the
disciplines.  Pyromancy's powers have a shorter range on the whole than those of other disciplines but with their offensive nature, this is understandable. 
While only available to some Imperial armies and Chaos Space Marines, other
armies will come to respect Pyromancy as a force to be reckoned with. 

Pyromancy - Fire on my brain.

The psychic discipline of Telekinesiss is the most common of all the disciplines across the nine armies with access to psychic powers, with eight being able to draw upon Telekinesis. 

Of the six powers, one has Warp Charge of 2, with the rest as Warp Charge of 1. Many of these powers will be familiar to most players, as they are inspired by, and in some cases direct duplicates of powers found in Codex Space Marines.
 
Exploring the Warp Charge 1 powers, we see a wide range of abilities to draw upon which use many of the new psychic power types.
 
(1) CRUSH - a  focussed witchfire power with an 18" range.   The AP of the attack is D6 and  the strength of the attack is 2D6 with an 11 or 12 automatically wounding or, in  the case of a vehicle causing an automatic penetrating hit.

This is a very  effective attack to eliminate targets of opportunity with even the most hardy  of models needing to respect the potential of this psychic attack.


(2) GATE OF INFINITY - this blessing is used on the psyker and his unit allowing them to leave play and enter via deep strike within 24" of their original location.  
 
This is much the same as the power from Codex: Space Marines allowing you to get a unit either  closer to the action - or out of harm's way. With the reduced harmful effects of Deep Strike mishaps in v6, players may find more aggressive positioning of units to be worth the risk.

 
(3) OBJURATION MECHANICUM - This malediction can be used on any enemy unit within 24".   They need to re-roll any to-hit or to-wound roll of 6.  In addition, if this targets a vehicle or vehicle squadron, each takes a separate Strength 1 hit using the Haywire special rule.

This is a good power to limit a unit's shooting - especially ones with low weapon strength or low BS and even those that rely on snap-fire for additional effects.  It will also make overwatch fire almost completely ineffective - as well
as affecting to-hit rolls in close combat. So, this power would be the perfect one
to cast on a unit you're setting up to assault in this turn.  It has limited effect on template, and blast weapons, save for the to-wound rolls ability, but against units like Ork Lootas, it can really shut them down.


(4) SHOCKWAVE - this power uses the new nova rules, targeting units within 12".  Each takes D6 S3 AP - hits and any wounds cause pinning.

This power is effective against lightly armoured low toughness units.  
It is best utilized when in the midst of the enemy lines to hit multiple units.   Imperial Guard may reduce the effectiveness of this power by having infantry squads combine before the game. 

Nova attacks are unique in that enemy units locked in combat are also affected as well as units outside of line of sight.  Note that only models in the 12" range can be claimed as casualties as per the normal shooting rules.

 
(5)  TELEKINE DOME - this blessing targets a friendly unit within 12" of the psyker.  While in effect, all models in the target unit gain a 5+ invulnerable
save against shooting attacks.  Furthemore, any successful saves redirect a hit with the same S and AP to an enemy unit of your choice within 6" of the target unit.
 
The benefits of an invulnerable save are obvious, but the redirection of shooting attacks make this an interesting power.  Opponents may reconsider shooting low AP attacks against units protected by this power, in fear of harming their own units poised to assault.  This redirection also works on overwatch attacks with these shots so be wary of reflected shots  causing
casualties and leaving you out of charge range!

The Telekinesis discipline has a single Warp Charge 2 power. It's destructive potential earns it top billing in this discipline. 

(6) VORTEX OF DOOM - This witchfire power fires a S10 AP1 Blast with a range of 12".  Note that this attack is "Heavy 1" which means that the psyker cannot move and cast this power (though the rest of  his unit may still move).

This power while having the most damage potential is also the most risky. 
On a Perils of the warp, the blast marker is centred on the psyker and
does not scatter!  Remember that models which suffer a Perils Of The Warp take a wound in addition to placing the template - so a second wound is very likely.  With the power's strength of 10, psykers with a toughness of 5 or less would suffer instant death from this attack.  This power is drawn directly from Codex Space Marines. 

Relentless models  can move and cast this power, so models in Terminator  armour  and Monstrous Creatures which are psykers could use this power to greater effect.
 
+++

Should any of these powers when they are rolled up not be to your liking or
align with your army's tactics, you can always opt to change one of them to the
PRIMARIS POWER of the discipline.  These powers always have a Warp Charge of 1.  For Telekinesis, the power is:

 
(P) ASSAIL - This is a medium ranged beam attack which starts at S6 AP - and diminishes in strength as per the new beam rules (p69).   This attack also has the Strikedown special rule which halve the initiative of models wounded even if they make their saving through and cause affected models to move as if in difficult terrain on their next turn.

This is a relatively straightforward shooting attack.  As it is a beam, it’s optimal if you can hit multiple models from either the same unit or a unit behind the original target.  Try and get to an enfilade position to maximize the attack's potential.

+++
 
The Telekinesis discipline brings both the old and new to the game table. 
Abilities once only the Emperor's finest could draw upon are now within
reach of their Brothers in Arms and their Fallen Brethren.  The Xenos threat of the hivemind too can now bring these powers to bear on any that dare stand in their way.

Telekinesis - the touch of death.

The psychic discipline of Telepathy is among the most common of all the disciplines across the nine armies with access to psychic powers, with seven being able to draw upon Telepathy.

Of the six powers, two have a Warp Charge of 2, leaving four with a Warp Charge of 1. Based on these numbers, Psykers with a Mastery Level of 1 have a better chance of rolling for and getting these four Warp Charge 1 powers than they would for any of the other disciplines.

Looking over the Warp Charge 1 powers, there are a good mix of types to consider.


(1) DOMINATE - a medium ranged malediction which requires a unit to take a LD test prior to taking action each phase.

This is a useful power against lower LD armies like Imperial Guard and Dark Eldar and Tau. It will have limited affect on armies with high leadership, but note that Fearless units in v6 only pass Pinning, Fear, Regroup, and Morale tests automatically. So units like hormogaunts, termagants and gargoyles with their low leadership are prime targets.


(2) MENTAL FORTITIDUE - A blessing that targets a single friendly unit within 24". That unit gains the Fearless special rule for the duration of the power. If cast on a unit that is falling back, the unit rallies automatically.

This power will be benificial for units coming under heavy fire or engaged in combat, or even holding objectives.


(3) PUPPET MASTER - As a focused witchfire power you can target a specific model in an enemy unit within 24" and make a shooting attack.

Selecting a model with a blast or template weapon can cause significant damage - of course heavy and melta weapons can also have spectacular effects. Subtle choices such as 1-shot weapons like combi-weapons or IG demolition charges, or even the first shot from IG Stormtroopers using their Behind Enemy Lines Special Operations rule can be quite entertaining. Remember that whatever model you select cannot target it's own unit.


(4) TERRIFY - Another malediction which targets an enemy unit within 24".  This removes the Fearless special rule from a unit which already has it, and the target unit now treats all of your own units as having the Fear special rule.  In addition, the targeted unit must take a morale check.

This power can certainly have quite a dramatic affect on the course of play, making once implacable foes turn tail and run to the hills.  With its medium range, you'll need to get your psyker into the thick of things if you're looking to force enemy units to break and run off of the table.   But outflanking or deep striking can put your psyker into position to bring this potential game changing power to bear.  Of course, a successful leadership test will  keep those units in the fight. 

Perhaps the more subtle part of Terrify is Fear.  Fear is back in v6 and can affect weapon skill in combat if a morale test is failed.  Imperial Guard with a Psyker Battle Squad  which use their weaken resolve power could turn an ordinary guardsman into a devastating combatant should fear reduce their opponent's WS to 1.  Of course, Space Marines know no fear so this additional effect does not affect them.

We now move on to the Warp Charge 2 powers.   Telepathy is the only Discipline with more than one Warp Charge 2 power.  These powers may only be selected by the more powerful psykers in the game.


(5) INVISIBILITY - This blessing targets a friendly unit within 24".  That unit gains both Stealth and Shrouded special rules.  A unit charged by a unit with Invisibiltiy does not benefit from the Counter-Attack special rule.  Units attacking or attacked by an invisible unit count as WS 1.

This power adds survivability to all types of units making it quite versitile.  Even in the open the unit gains a 4+ cover save from Invisibility, which can be inproved even further when in cover.  Models assaulting non-stationary Vehicles that have Invisibiltiy only hit on a 4+ as their WS counts as 1 (the same as the vehicle). 


(6) HALLUCINATION - This malediction targets a single enemy unit within 24".  They gain a random effect ranging from being pinned, doing nothing, or striking out against their own unit members.

This power has the potential to really be devastating.  Of course, automatically pinning a unit or having a unit unable to defend itself is certainly a powerful outime - the real gem is the chance to have a unit inflict hits upon itself - especially if the unit is equipped for close combat.  Terminator squads, or lightly  armoured units can really do a great deal of damage to themselves.

The potential of both of these powers  makes their Warp Charge 2 rating a fair cost.

+++

Should any of these powers when they are rolled up not be to your liking or align with your army's tactics, you can always opt to change one of them to the PRIMARIS POWER of the discipline.  These powers always have a Warp Charge of 1.  For Telepathy, the power is:


(P) PSYCHIC SHRIEK - a witchfire power with  a short range of 12".  Roll 3D6 and subtract the target's Leadership.  The target suffers a number of wounds equal to the result.  Armour and cover saves cannot be taken against these wounds.

Desipte its short range, this is a very powerful ability against units with low leadership.  With some above average dice rolling, even very well led units need fear this power.  Vehicles however are completely immune to its efects.  This power can tactically be used to attempt to blunt a unit which enters play near your lines by deep striking or outflanking.  In a short range response role, this power can stop a thrust before it gains any momentum.

Imperial Guard commanders may find this power combined with a Psyker Battle Squad's power Weaken Resolve to be a unit killer.  The Warlord power Intimidating Presence which makes a unit test on their lowest Leadership value will also provide a bit of a boost to this power.  As this is a witchfire power, it can be fired from inside a transport, providing it has is a fire point.

+++

The Telepathy discipline has a wide variety of powers to call upon to boost your own units or hinder your opponent's.  The best defence against these powers is to be embarked in a transport as units embarked cannot be the target of psychic attacks.  The Imperial Guard have the potential to pull off some of the more extreme results with a Psyker Battle Squad's ability to reduce a unit's leadership - but this should not deter other armies from making good use of the Telepathy discipline.

Telepathy - it'll get into your opponent's head.

I have been involved with 40k tournaments for a good long time. Over a dozen years as an Organizer, and even longer as a participant. The central goal for me when it comes to tournaments is to enjoy them as much as I can.

I started with tournament organization in the midst of the third edition of the game, back in 2000. At that time, v3 was already well established and my peers and I had a very solid grasp of the mechanics, tactics, and pitfalls of the game. Looking back, making the transition from Player to Organizer doesn't seem such a huge step, but there are a few reasons the first Astronomi-con tournament took almost a year of planning!

As a Tournament Organizer, a new edition of the game brings a mix of excitement and dread. The notion of change means a complete reevaluation of existing norms as well as gaining an understanding of where the game has gotten itself to. As an Organizer you're expected to be an expert in all aspects of the game by the time your next event rolls around - players by and large simply expect the next one to use the new rules without considering the impact a new edition may have.

The game has definitely evolved over the past decade, but we haven't seen a leap like we have with 6th edition since the transition from 2nd to 3rd. Certainly the changes now are nowhere near as radical as the introduction of v3, but the changes are significant enough to have Tournament Organizers around the globe scratching their heads wondering how to evolve their events.

The best thing we as a hobby community can do right now is to play the game. Try everything! Flyers, Allies, Fortifications, Big games, Smaller games - what have you. It is through playing the game that players will better understand what they want out of their tournament going experiences - and their opinions must be brought to Tournament Organizers so that they can evolve their events for the enjoyment of the community.

GW has placed a strong emphasis on "Forming A Narrative" in the new edition rules. So why not take the cue and talk with your local Tournament Organizers about what you would like to see and what kind of events you would enjoy.

We all have a say in how this is all going to turn out.

Psykers have been a part of 40k from the very beginning. In Rogue Trader their powers ranged from Ectoplasmic Mist all the way to Mental Blitz. They were then billed as "Dangerous" but it wasn't until 2nd Edition (v2) where they became a dominant force on the 40k tabletop.

Second Edition and the Dark Millennium expansion radically changed the way Psykers played - they went so far as to add a Psychic Phase to the game!

Psykers selected powers from a set of cards for various armies, and casted them via a special warp deck. This prooved to be a meta-game and one that as many remember fondly as were happy to be rid of it. But whatever side players fall on, all will agree that drawing the Ultimate Force card called for your best poker-face. Second Edition also saw the origin of the modern-day Perils of the Warp with the Daemonic Attack card.

Psykers were brought down in power significantly with the introduction of v3.
The entire game was revamped and the modern age of 40k was born. Psychic powers were absorbed back into the flow of the game and toned down significantly. GW has historically let the pendulum of power swing wildly from edition to edition, and for Psykers this was very much the case in v3.

They saw a significant resurgence with the release of v4 and into v5. Certain armies however had no access to Psykers or psychic defence - the latter perhaps more important.

Today, with the new edition before us we have once again seen significant changes to how psychic powers are implemented.

The addition of psychic disciplines and the associated sets of cards shows a greater influence and variety for play. Given the leftover space in the psychic card case, we should expect to see more cards for various armies as new codices are released.

All armies once again have some capacity to nullify psychic powers, but with the reigning in of Psychic Hoods, Psykers have gained back some ground.

The new edition rules by and large have been well constructed and laid-out. The rules for Psychic powers are no exception. They have been tightened up and clarified; bringing a much more concise means of play for everyone.

As with any new set of rules, various questions and misconceptions arise.
The biggest miscinception I have encountered so far is with regard to Psykers embarked in a transport.

Witchfire powers can still be cast at a target providing the transport has a firing point. 40Kv6 - Page 69 - Witchfire section - 2nd Paragraph - last sentence.

Note that other types of powers have restrictions on how they affect other units.

In conclusion, Psykers will continue to play an important role in the new edition. Many generals will rely on them to win the day, but must remember that powers which affect their opponent's units are now even less likely to succeed.

Such is the fickle nature of the warp.

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