The rules for transporting infantry begin on page 32 of AS, and in particular the rules for externally transported infantry making use of the MEC/XMEC specials are on page 33. Those rules conclude with the following passage:
Even though mechanized battle armor mounts up externally
on an Omni unit, battle armor units may not attack or be directly
attacked while mounted in this fashion—but they can be struck
accidentally (see Determine and Apply Damage, p. 38)
The rules on page 38 do not address the contingency of the damage being area affect in nature, but it was
clarified that those rules are trumped by AoE hitting everything.. i.e. both transporting unit and transported unit.
My question is about that clarification, and whether it sets a precedent that there is a different sort of board presence for transported units using MEC/XMEC versus transported units in a conventional APC.
Question: Since battle armor riding on the exterior of an OMNI unit will automatically be hit by AoE damage, does that establish a presence on the board for any passive abilities the battle armor unit may have like LECM or Antagonizer/Demoralizer?
