The following applies to direct damage spells:

• The target must be an enemy unit.

• The target must lie within the Wizard's forward arc (unless specified).

• The Wizard does not need line of sight to their target.

• The target must be within the spell's range.

• Wizards cannot target spells at units engaged in close combat.

Sometimes a direct damage spell will use a template to determine which models are hit. When this happens, the template cannot be placed in such a way that it touches friendly units or enemy units that are in close combat – this is not to say that the template won't scatter onto friends later, depending on the spell. Ranged direct damage spells that use a template have to target an enemy unit by placing the template over the target enemy unit. When targeting a unit with a small or large round template, the hole in the centre must be placed over an enemy model, but only the hole of the template must be within range.