New FAQ's are out.

[Typhus]

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?categoryId=600005&pIndex=1&aId=3400019&multiPageMode=true&start=2

[cryptoron]

Well, they just shot the Doom Scythe out of the sky.

Q: Can a Doom Scythe’s death ray hit enemy Flyers and/or Flying Monstrous Creatures? (p50) A: The Death Ray can hit Flyers in Hover Mode (friendly or enemy) and Gliding Flying Monstrous Creatures (friendly or enemy). It cannot hit Zooming Flyers or Swooping Flying Monstrous Creatures.

[cryptoron]

But I guess they are a killer ground assault vehicle, even if they jink.

Q: Does a weapon that hits automatically, still hit automatically when making a Snap Shot? (p13) A: Yes.

[cryptoron]

But I guess not, maybe, is this a contradiction?  Can they snap shot at the ground, but not a flyers.  Is that what they are saying?
Q: How do maelstroms, novas and beams – or indeed any weapon that doesn’t need to roll To Hit or hits automatically – interact with Zooming Flyers and Swooping Flying Monstrous Creatures? (p13) A: Only Snap Shots can hit Zooming Flyers and Swooping Flying Monstrous Creatures. Therefore, any attacks that use blast markers, templates, create a line of/area of effect or otherwise don’t roll to hit cannot target them. This includes weapons such as the Necron Doom Scythe’s death ray or the Deathstrike missile of the Imperial Guard, and psychic powers that follow the rule for maelstroms, beams, and novas.

[Sir_Prometheus]

So personally, I think Doomscythes should be able to hit flyers, it doesn't seem a problem.

But no, they still can't shoot while snapshotting (after jinking) because it doesn't "hit automatically" it does a line template and does not roll BS.  Attacks that "do not roll BS" are specifically forbidden from shooting as snapshots. 

"hit automatically" would be like Lash, I think?

[Rurouni Benshin]

"hit automatically" would be like Lash, I think?

I don't think Lash would be considered a "hits automatically" though, because of "Deny the Witch".  Granted no rolling (other than the Psychic test) is necessary for the power to hit it's target, but if you're going with the exact definition of "automatically", I don't think Lash would be considered automatic since it's subject to an (albeit 1/6 at worst) opposed roll.

[cryptoron]

So great, we need the NEXT faq to tell us what "hit automatically" means.

[Sir_Prometheus]

"Hit" has a very specific meaning, same as "wound".  You "hit" with lash, automatically, and then DTW kicks in.  You still hit it.

I'm sorry, Ron, I disagree with the ruling in regards to hitting Flyers, but it's still pretty clear that you can't fire the Death Ray after jinking. 

Now, what they didn't clarify, is what arc of fire the thing has.  I guess you can still fire it backwards, at least as long as the starting point was in the front arc. 

[Grimwulfe]

I agree with Matt here.

[the_trooper]

What kind of lash are we talking about here?

[Ian Mulligan]

Lash rolls to hit.

[the_trooper]

Lash rolls to hit.

There goes Ian "The Hater of Fun" Mulligan ruining the joke again.

[Grand Master Steve]

im glad doom scythes can not hit fliers that are zooming that was just to dumb of a weapon. It needed a nerfing in my opinion the Necrons are a power house codex to begin with.

[Grand Master Steve]

looks like this is done for all similar weapon types taken from the core book errata.
Q: How do maelstroms, novas and beams – or indeed any weapon
that doesn’t need to roll To Hit or hits automatically – interact with
Zooming Flyers and Swooping Flying Monstrous Creatures? (p13)
A: Only Snap Shots can hit Zooming Flyers and Swooping
Flying Monstrous Creatures. Therefore, any attacks that use
blast markers, templates, create a line of/area of effect or
otherwise don’t roll to hit cannot target them. This includes
weapons such as the Necron Doom Scythe’s death ray or the
Deathstrike missile of the Imperial Guard, and psychic
powers that follow the rule for maelstroms, beams, and
novas.

[andalucien]

Of course this still leaves open the question of whether global effects that are not "attacks" or "weapons", like the storms of Njal and Imhotekh, can hit flyers.   Mike Brandt says, yes they can.