40 CARROTRead the Movement value
Use the unit's current Movement characteristic and measure from the visible edge of its nearest base or hull.
What is a unit's threat range in Warhammer 40K?
Threat range turns “probably safe” into a distance you can test. Start with the farthest legal reach, then decide whether you are willing to offer the shorter charge.
TL;DR
Threat range is the distance a unit can reach this turn. Use its Movement value for movement alone and Movement plus a maximum 12-inch charge for the outer edge of a normal melee threat. Measure from the nearest visible base edge, mark the maximum first, then decide how much charge risk your position can actually accept.
Which threat number matters?
For a unit that needs to reach an objective, screen, or firing position, begin with its Movement characteristic. For a unit that wants to fight in melee, the outer edge is Movement plus a maximum 12-inch charge, before any other rule changes the move.
The maximum is a safety line, not a prediction. A long charge may be unlikely, but a model beyond the maximum cannot be reached by that ordinary move-and-charge sequence. Keep the rules question and the risk decision separate.
Read the threat in four checks
Measure the exact geometry first. Decide whether the offered risk is acceptable second.
Choose the reach you are testing
Use M for movement alone. For the outer edge of a normal melee threat, use M plus a maximum 12-inch charge.
Draw the boundary
Mark the maximum line first, then judge the shorter charge distances you are actually willing to offer.
Test the response
Move the screen, staging unit, or bait target and check whether the enemy can finish where it needs to be.
Move the target and watch the distance change
The live measurement frame shows the true-scale gap between models. In the full app, Threat Range has Movement, Move+Charge, and Shooting views so you can compare both sides without leaving temporary ruler lines everywhere.
How do threat ranges shape staging, screens, and bait?
Staging keeps an important unit outside the enemy's useful reach while preserving your own next move. Screening uses cheaper models to block where a charger can finish. Bait offers a target inside a range you want the opponent to enter. All three depend on the real base edges and the space available after movement.
40 Carrot draws the ring around each visible round, oval, or rectangular base. The overlay does not pathfind around terrain, guarantee a charge, apply every external modifier, or decide whether a trade is good. It makes the distance visible so you can ask the right tactical question.
Threat check
- Enemy
- Movement ___; ordinary melee maximum M+12 = ___.
- My unit
- Current edge-to-edge gap ___; safe beyond maximum? yes / no.
- Risk
- Charge distance I am actually offering ___; what happens if it succeeds?
- Response
- Screen, stage, bait, or accept the trade because ___.
Offno threat boundary
MMovement range
M+CMove plus 12-inch charge
SHOTfixed weapon ranges
Put both threat lines on the table
Open the threat overlay →True-scale measurement and threat overlays are included in the free Virtual Tabletop.
Frequently asked questions
What is a unit's threat range in Warhammer 40K?
Threat range is how far a unit can reach this turn: its Movement characteristic on its own, or its Movement plus a maximum 12-inch charge if it intends to fight in melee.
Why is the maximum charge 12 inches?
A charge roll cannot carry a unit further than 12 inches, so Movement plus 12 is the outer edge of what a unit can threaten in melee this turn. Anything beyond that line is safe from that charge unless another rule changes the movement.
How do you measure threat range quickly?
On a physical table, measure the relevant reach from the unit's nearest models. On 40 Carrot's Virtual Tabletop, the threat range overlay draws Movement and Move+Charge boundaries from each model's visible base edge.