First, let's take a look at the Ork codex to see what a Deffrolla actually does. On page 55 under the Deffrolla entry in the Ork Codex it states:
My question came up in a game during a couple 'Ard Boyz games when I played Orks. One of the Ork players was using his Deffrolla on his Battlewagon to inflict D6 strength 10 hits on vehicles, not infantry. Is this legal or can you only use the Deffrolla against infantry?
Any Tank Shock made by a Battlewagon with a Deffrolls causes D6 Strength 10 hits on the victim unit. If the unit elects to make a Death or Glory attack, it takes a further D6 Strength 10 hits in addition to the usual effects.Well you obviously cannot Tank Shock a vehicle, so let's look at the rule book to see what Ramming is, shall we? On page 69 in the right column, the first sentence says:
Ramming is a special type of tank shock move and is executed the same way, except that the tank must always move at the highest speed it is capable of.So if ramming is a special type of tank shock move, RAW would make it seem like Deffrollas do, in fact, cause D6 Strength 10 hits against a vehicle. The fact that it says "Any Tank Shock" and Ramming is a subset of Tank Shock certainly implies that this is legal. Wow, that was much faster than I thought it would be! It is a bit broken seeing as how it costs less points than a powerfist but has the capability to do more damage, but the only argument I can find against this ruling is "OMG but it wrecks mah Land Raider!". Pretty shaky.
Terran Forge Final Opinion: By the letter of the law it is 100% legal. For a house rule that makes everyone happy, I suggest making is D3 Strength 10 hits against vehicles. You'll do something, and it is far more balanced than D6 Strength 10. Of course, that is just a suggestion!
Even looking at fluff, this ruling makes sense. The problem, I think, lies in how it gets D6 Strength 10 hits and it's cheaper than a powerfist or powerklaw. It just isn't balanced for tournament play but is incredibly fun at least! As always, email us your rules queries to terranforge@gmail.com and feel free to discuss our rulings in the comments! And don't forget, all our FAQs are totally unofficial and just serve as a "second opinion" to tricky situations that may come up in future games!
