Overview
This is a guide for Mordheim: City of the Damned Early Access. It will be subject to change throughout the Early Access. This guide will focus on explaining basic combat and spellcasting mechanics.For specific Warband and Unit advice and strategy please refer to the forums in the Gentlemen of Mordheim Steam Group. You will find many interesting builds there for your favorite units!http://steamcommunity.com/groups/gentlemenofmordheim
Hit Chances and Cost of Attacks
Base chance to hit
For Melee attacks the base chance is 80%.
For Ranged attacks the base chance to hit is 75%
NOTE: 95% is a hard cap…hit chances will never exceed 95%. Additionally they can never go below 1%. These numbers will apply for almost all percentage-based chances in the game and not just hitting.
To determine whether or not you hit, you first add all your hit chance modifiers and then subtract from the appropriate resistances…Range Resistance and Melee Resistance in this case. These Resistances will be described in detail in a lower section below. The result is then added to the base hit chances for that type of attack.
Modifiers that add to hit chance:
Melee: Weapon Skill x2. Example: 15 Weapon Skill will add +30 to your base hit chance. (1)
Range: Ballistic Skill x2. Example: 15 Ballistic Skill will add +30 to you base hit chance. (2)
Weapon Type: Various weapons will add to your hit chance. Example: Maces add up to +12 hit. (5)
Runes: Various weapons will add to your hit chance. Example: Runes of Expertise can add up to +12 hit chance. (6)
Skills: Certain skills can also add to your hit chance. Example: Strider can add up to +20 to your hit chances when making a charge.
Stunned: Melee hit chance is automatic against Stunned enemies.
Stunned: Range hit hance is increased by +20 against Stunned enemies.
Modifiers that subtract from hit chance:
Melee: Enemies melee resistance (3)
Range: Enemies range resistance (4)
Skills: Certain skills can also subtact from your hit chance. Example: Hand Shot will reduce the target’s chances to hit by up to -20.
Spells: Certain spells can also subtact from your hit chance. Example: Blinding Flash (Mercs) will reduce the target’s chances to hit by up to -10.
NOTE: The above is not a complete list but simply the most common modifiers you will see. Mordheim is a dark and mysterious place, and things like traps or severe injuries can also impact your chances. There’s also a variety of one-use consumables that have wide range of effects, and I leave it up to the reader to explore these in more detail. This will hold true for all sections of this guide that gives examples of modifiers to various things.
Example: The Mercenary Henchman in the screenshot is attempting to strike an enemy. He has a Weapon Skill of 16 and is using a top quality mace with a Rune of Expertise. The enemy he is fighting has a high Melee Resistance of 70.
Base Melee Hit Chance: 80%
Weapon Skill: +32
Mace: +12
Rune of Expertise: +6
Melee Resistance: -70
This ends up with a final hit chance of 60%.
Offensive Point Costs for an Attack
Every attack uses up Offensive Points, referred to from now on as OP, and also know as “Red Pills”. A Basic Action is 2 OP. Using Special Actions or Charge will increase this by +1 (+2 for rare skills). Basic Actions include Ambush and Overwatch (see the section below for more information).
Tiring
Tiring is a unique condition caused by Two-Hand weapons and Dual Wielding. This is a stacking modifier that increases OP by +1 for every attack AFTER the first. This is in addition to the increase in OP of any Special Action.
Tiring clears at the start of the unit’s next turn.
NOTE: Range weapons also take 2 OP to make an attack with. Blackpowder weapons will take 3 OP. Special Range Attacks will also cost +1 OP (+2 for rare skills) on top of this base cost. Range attacks never cause Tiring.
Example of Tiring: The first Basic Attack with a Two-Hander takes 2 OP. The second will take 3 OP. The third will take 4 OP.
Example of Tiring 2: A Charge with a Two-Hand weapon will take 3 OP. Then the Strong Blow Skill is used which is a Special Action that costs +1 OP to use. This second attack will take a total of 4 OP:
Base Attack: 2 OP
Strong Blow: +1 OP
Tiring x1: +1 OP
Aother Strong Blow would cost 5 OP now due to the second stack of the Tiring debuff. If the unit decided to make a Basic Action instead it would cost 4 OP due to this being the third attack.
Damage
(Base Weapon Damage)*(Total of Damage Modifiers)*(Final Damage)*(Armor)
Base Weapon Damage: This is simply the range of damage on a weapon before any other modifiers (1). The single exception is the Rune of Slaying (2). This rune increases the top-end damage of the weapon by a flat amount. In the screenshot you can see an Axe does 32-36 Base Damage. With the Rune of Slaying this becomes 32-40 Base Damage and is considered to effect Base Damage. If you successfully hit, the game will randomly determine a number in this range to be your Base Damage for that attack.
Damage Modifiers: The vast majority of Damage Modifiers fall into this category. If it adds a bonus or penalty to damage it’s going to go here.
Melee: +3% per point of Strength (3)
Ranged: +3% per point of Ballistic Skill.
Skills: A variety of skills will add to the total Damage Modifiers. Example: Mighty Charge adds up to +100 to your modifiers.
Spells: A variety of spells will add to the total Damage Modifiers. Example: Sigmar’s Might (Sisters) will add up to +20 to your modifiers.
NOTE: It is very important to note ALL modifiers are added together before they are applied to Base Damage. In the screenshot you can see what happens to the damage of an Axe of Slaying (note the Rune) once it has been modified by Strength (4). Any further modifiers do NOT modify this result in the Management Screen but rather the original Base Damage (1). Warband Management is only going to reflect passive skills, attributes and gear, so don’t let this confuse you.
Final Damage: There are two types…Dual Wield, which is a flat 25% reduction to damage at all time, and Two-Hand, which is a stacking 15% reduction for every swing after the first.
Note: There is no Final Damage for Ranged attacks.
Armor: The value of the target’s equipment in addition to various modifiers like spells, Runes or consumables. It is then reduced by Armor Bypass. In the screenshot above we see the Merc has 50% which is from Heavy Armor and a Helmet (5).
Modifiers that increase Armor:
Clothing: Up to 15% base Armor.
Light Armor: Up to 30% base Armor.
Heavy Armor: Up to 45% base Armor.
Helmt: Adds +5 Armor.
Skills: Certain skills will add to the total Armor value. Example: Guard Stance adds up to +10 Armor.
Modifiers that decrease Armor (AKA Armor Bypass):
Weapons: A variety of weapons have Armor Bypass. Example: Axes bypass up to 12 Armor.
Spells: Certain spells will give Armor Bypass. Example: Weapon’s of Destruction (Chaos) will give up to 20 Armor Bypass.
Runes: Runes of Perforation will give up to 20 Armor Bypass.
Example: The Merc in the screenshot is charging someone with 30% armor. The Merc’s leader has used the Skill War Cry on him which increases damage by 20%. In addition, a charge increases damage by a further 50%.
Base Damage: 32-40 (Axe of Slaying)
Damage Modifiers:
10 Strength adds +30
War Cry adds +20
Charge adds +50
Total: +100.
Armor: The enemies armor of 30% is reduced by 12% thanks to the Axe, for a total of 18% Armor.
The average base damage result from this weapon is 36. We then increase this by +100% which yields 72 damage. 72 is then modified by the enemies armor dropping the final total to ~59 damage. Note there are is no Final Damage present here as the Merc is using a 1-handed weapon.
~59 is the average damage. Due to the random nature of the Axe’s damage range, this can vary from ~52 to ~65.
In-game Example of Damage
(1) Hit chance modifiers, as explained in the previous section
(2) Damage after all Modifiers and Armor has been applied
(3) Detail of the Dual-Wield Final Damage
To break down the example:
-58-74 Damage is the base damage of the maces, or 29-37 each. This is the raw damage of the weapons as seen in the Management Screen.
-Strength increases this by +27
-Final Damage is always -25% for Dual Wield (NOTE: This used to be -30% and that number is still used in these calculations and examples)
-10 Armor Bypass is listed for each Rune (dual wield means there are two, one for each mace!)
-Damage Absorption is the effect of the enemies armor…30% in this case
So, plugging into the formula:
(Base Weapon Damage)*(Total of Damage Modifiers)*(Final Damage)*(Armor)
(58-74)*(1.27)*(.7)*(1-[.30-.20]=.9) for a total of 46.4 to 59.2.
Note there are some insignificant rounding errors
Critical Hits
Crits are fairly straightforward, being very similar to the damage calculation above. A crit is checked for AFTER a successful hit is made and is the same for both Range and Melee.
Chance for a Critical Hit
Base Chance: 5%
Modifiers that increase Critical Hit
Accuracy: Each point of accuracy increases crit by 1%
Skills: A variety of skills increase crit chance. Example: Vital Strike increases crit by up to +20 for that attack.
Spells: A variety of spells increase crit chance. Example: Sigmar’s Might (Sisters) increases crit by up to +10.
Equipment: Several weapons will have innate crit buffs. Example: A Great Sword increases crit by up to +9.
Runes: Runes of Havoc will increase crit by up to +8.
Stunned: Crit chance is increased by +20 against Stunned enemies.
Modifiers that decrease Critical Hit (AKA Critical Resistance)
Toughness: Each point of the target’s toughness decreases crit by -1%
Skills: Several skills decrease crit chance. Example: The skill Resilient will decrease the chance to crit by up to -20.
Runes: Runes of Luck will decrease the chance to crit by up to -10. Runes of Steel will decrease the chance to crit by up to -20.
In-game Example of Crit Chance
(2) Accuracy. 14 Accuracy means +14 to crit chances.
(3) Skills. Here we see a passive skill, swarm, that can increase crit chances in certain situations…this being one those!. Another +5 to crit chances.
(4) Toughness. The target has a toughness of 7, so this would be subtracted from the chance.
There are some other modifiers at play that are not visible right now. Each sword has a base +4% to crit, and each sword has the Rune of Havoc, which gives another +4% per Rune, for a grand total of +16% crit:
Base Crit: 5%
Accuracy: +14%
Skills: +5%
Equipment: +16%
Total: 40%
Thus we get the shown critical rate (1) of 40%. Not reflected by this number is the effect of Critical Resistance. In this screenshot, the target’s Toughness of 7 brings the actual crit chance down to 33%. If this target had a skill like Resilient active (+10 to Crit Resistance) the actual chance would now become 23%.
Damage for a Critical Hit
Damage is very similar to a normal hit but simplified slightly:
1) It totally ignores armor
2) You always strike the the max damage of the weapon instead of a random amount from the weapon range (note that Rune of Slaying will increase this!)
3) All crits will force a Stun Resist check. See Resistances for more information. The effect of Stuns are detailed below.
4) All crits add the debuff “Open Wounds” to the victim. This decrease their chances to hit and increases the odds of permanent damage for non-exhibition matches. Note this debuff can stack!
(Max Weapon Damage)*(Damage Modifiers)*(Final Damage)
In addtion there is a new Damage Modifer that is added to the rest of them, called Critical Damage Bonus. These only apply to crits, not normal hits.
Modifiers that increase Crit Damage Bonus
Accuracy: Increase crit damage by 1% per point.
Equipment: Certain weapons will increase crit damage. Example: Hammers increase crit damage by up to +15.
Skills: Deep Wounds will increase crit damage by up to +20.
Runes: Rune of Carnage will increase crit damage by up to +20.
In-game Example of Critical Hit and Damage
(2) This is the actual damage inflicted by the Critical hit.
Note: The target also failed it’s Stun Resist check so is knocked down.
Max Weapon Damage: 72
Strength: +24%
Accuracy: +14%
Final Damage: -30% due to Dual Wield
(Max Weapon Damage)*(Damage Modifiers)*(Final Damage)
(72)*(1.38)*(.7)=69.52
Stuns and Psychology Tests
Stuns can be caused by the following events:
Sources of Stuns
Critical hits Every successful crit will force a Stun Resist check.
Skills: Overpower (Melee) and Headshot (Range) are Special Attacks that will force a Stun Resist check.
Spells: Visions of Torment (Chaos) will cause an immediate Stun Resist check on any targets.
Note:Specific Curses can cause stuns, either on the caster or on everyone close by, if you fail that check while casting a spell! See the section on Spells for more details.
Stun Resist
If a Stun Resist is forced on a unit, the will immediately make a Stun Resist check which behaves in the same manner as a Magic Resist check: a successful Stun Resist will ignrore the stun outright. It has a base chance of 0% to succeed, modified as follows:
Modifiers that improve Stun Resist
Intelligence: Each point of Intelligence increases Stun Resist by +2.
Equipment: Helmets will increase Stun Resist by up to +20.
Skills: Certain skills increase Stun Resist. Example: Force of Will increases Stun Resist by up to +45.
Runes: Runes of True Grit will increase Stun Resist by up to +20.
Effect of Stuns
1) Stuns immediately knock down the target.
2) If this occurs on the character currently moving (like from an Overwatch shot or Counter Attack) than that units turn immediately ends.
3) At the start of the victim’s next turn they ‘recover’, putting them at -2 SP/-2 OP for the turn.
4) Melee attacks against Stunned units automatically hit.
5) Range attacks against Stunned units are at +30 to hit.
5) Critical Hits have a +20 to their chance against Stunned units.
Psychology Tests
There are two types of Psychology Tests, Intelligence and Leadership. Intelligence tests are generally the result of permanent injuries or Stupidty, in the Rat Ogre’s case (Skaven). Leadership tests are taken in a variety of combat conditions and as the result of certain skills or spells.
Intelligence Tests
Intelligence Tests are made at the start of a units turn and have a base 20% chance of success.
Stupidity is not tested for if the unit is in combat at the start of the turn.
Things that modify Intelligence Tests
Intelligence: Appropriately enough, each point of Intelligence increases your chance to pass an Intelligence Test by 3%.
Skills: Guidance will let the target automatically pass any Intelligence Tests for up to 3 turns.
Runes: Runes of Lucidity add +75 to Stupidity tests.
AI: The AI will have a +35% chance to pass Stupidity tests since it’s hard to make it use Guidance correctly.
Effects of Intelligence Test:
1) A failed intelligence test can have a variety of results depending on the injury, generally bad
2) Stupidity will cause the unit to skip it’s turn.
Leadership Tests
Leadership Tests are made immediately when they are triggered and have a base 20% chance of success.
Fear is made when whenever a unit enters combat with a Fear-causing enemy, or is about to via a charge or ambush.
Terror is made when whenever a unit enters combat with a Terror-causing enemy, or is about to via a charge or ambush.
All Alone is made at the start of a unit’s turn, if they are in contact with at least two enemies in close combat, and neither of those enemies is in contact with any other friendlies.
Intimidate (Skill) will cause the target to take an immediate Flee action.
Threaten (Skill) will cause the target to attack the skill user.
Lure (Skill) will cause the target to move away from the skill user. This will cause a free attack, as if a flee was made.
Things that modify Leadership Tests
Leadership : Appropriately enough, each point of Leadership increases your chance to pass a Leadership Test by 4%.
Skills: A variety of skills modify Leadership tests. Example: Coolheaded can increase the chance to pass an All Alone test by up to +40.
Spells: A variety of spells modify Leadership tests. Example: Musk of Courage (Skaven) can let all targets ignore All Alone tests.
Runes: A variety of runes will modify Leadership Tests. Example: Rune of Dismay will reduce the target’s chances to pass All Alone tests by up to -10.
Effects of Leadership Test:
1) Fear: The unit will have a -30 penalty applied to Hit for the duration of Fear.
-If the unit passes the Leadership Test they will be immune to Fear for two turns.
-Once failed, the unit will contine to be affected by Fear until it finally passes a Leadership Test at the start of it’s turn, regardless of whether or not they are in combat with a Fear causing enemy still.
2) Terror: The unit will have have it’s maximum OP reduced by 3 for the duration of Terror.
-If the unit passes the Leadership test they will be immune to Terror for two turns.
-Once failed, the unit will contine to be affected by Terror until it finally passes a leadership test at the start of it’s turn, regardless of whether or not they are in combat with a Terror causing enemy still.
3) All Alone: The unit will immediately flee if possible and lose all their OP that turn. If they cannot flee due to no clear path being available they will still suffer the loss of all OP that turn.
4) Rout Test: A failed leadership test result in the end of the game and a loss for the team that failed the test first.
-Morale at or below 40% will start this test
-Every additional time morale is lost another test will need to be taken
-The leader will take this test against their leadership skill
-If he’s out of action or stunned the hero with the next higher leadership will test
-if all heroes are OOA or stunned the test is automatically failed
NOTE: Impressives cannot take rout tests!
Parry, Dodge and Counter Attacks
Avoidance Stances (AKA Parry and Dodge)
Parry and Dodge are the main defensive stances in the game, used for reducing incoming damage by avoiding the attack outright. They have upgraded versions (requiring a skill investment) that increase the number of Parries and Dodges you can make, called Web of Steel and Sidestep respectively.
You need 2 SP to Parry/Dodge once. You need 4 SP to use Web of Steel/Sidestep.
Web of Steel/Sidestep lets you Parry/Dodge up to three times.
How Avoidance Stances Work
-They only ‘trigger’ if the target is actually hit. If the stance is triggered you will then attempt to Parry or Dodge, depending on which ability you used.
-One use of the stance is removed regardless of if you succeed or fail the Parry or Dodge.
-If the Parry or Dodge is successful it is as if the attack missed!
-Anyone can Dodge. You must have a shield, halberd, sword or certain Skaven weapons equipped to Parry.
-Entering a stance will end your unit’s turn.
Modifiers that increase stance success
Attributes: Each point of Weapon Skill increases chance to Parry by 4%.
Each point of Agility increases chance to Dodge by 5%.
Equipment: Shields increases Parry chance by up to 20%.
Clothing increases Dodge chance by up to 20%.
Leaving one arm unequipped (only use a single 1-hand weapon) will increase Dodge by 10%.
Runes: Runes of Deflection increases Parry chance by up to 10%. Runes of Evasion increases Dodge chance by up to 10%.
Skills: A variety of skills increase stance chances. Example: Flash Parry increases Parry chance by up to 15%.
Note: Many Two-Hand weapons give a bonus to the enemies Dodge attempt!
Modifiers that decrease stance success
Attributes: Each point of Strength decreases the target’s chance to Parry by 2%.
Each point of Accuracy decreases the target’s chance to Dodge by 2%.
Equipment: Certain weapons decrease the target’s chance to succeed. Example: Sigmarite Hammers decrease the chance to Dodge by up to -9.
Runes: Runes of fury decreases Parry chance by up to -10.
Runes of Speed decreases Dodge chance by up to -10.
Skills: A variety of skills reduce stance chances. Example: Precise Strike reduces stance chances by up to -50
Spells: Sorcerer’s Curse (Skaven) will reduce stance chances by up to -40.
Note: Armbands and Bracers completely ignore any chance to parry! You can find these on Chaos units with mutations and on Rat Ogres.
Counter-Attacks
Any time a target is attacked in melee combat they can immediately make a normal strike back called Counter Attack. It is treated exactly as a Basic Action but it occurs out of sequence, during the attacker’s turn. The target must have OP in reserve (that is, they did not use all their OP in their turn) to make these attacks and can keep making one Counter after each of the enemies attacks, as long as their OP lasts. Tiring penalties still apply to Counter-Attacks.
At the very start of a game everyone has 2 OP. This way everyone can make a single Counter-Attack if an enemy strikes at them before they have had a chance to go.
Note: If the target has a range weapon in their hands, is currently stunned, or is taken out of action they will not be able to make a Counter! Additionally if the Counter stuns the enemy through a crit it will end the attacker’s turn!
Counter Attacking and Parry
A successful Parry will reduce the OP needed for a Counter-Attack by 1. This means that instead of a Counter costing 2 OP for a 1-hand weapon it will now only cost 1 OP.
Ambush, Overwatch, and Charge
Ambush and Overwatch are Basic Actions that can all be modified by Skills to improve what they do and add extra functionality. The Actions allow your character to attack during the enemies turn while they are moving. Ambush is for Melee Combat while overwatch is for Ranged Combat.
Charge is a Special Action that is always available and can be modified by Skills as well. It can only be used in your turn.
How Ambush Works:
-The action will end your turn when you use it, much like a stance, taking 2 OP to use.
-You must have a melee weapon equipped.
-As soon as an enemy enters range, without obstructions or other characters in the way, you will interrupt the enemy movement, run up and attack them.
-The enemy will then get to control their unit again. They can then proceed normally (but count as being engaged in melee combat!) if they did not get stunned.
-Counter Attacks can be made as normal to each enemy attack, depending on if you have enough OP remaining.
-Traps and persistent AoE effects (such as from spells or some consumables) can cause an Ambush to fail if you hit the trap or effect before the target. The OP used to go into Ambush is lost!
-The target will be affected by a “Surprised” debuff that will reduce the chance of hitting with the counter-attack by -10.
Note: It IS possible for the enemy to not even trigger your Ambush…and then the OP you used is wasted! This will typically occur because there is a minimum (very small) distance to successfully Ambush that was implemented to avoid certain bugs that can occur. You can see this if you are standing in a doorway and the enemy approaches from a sharp angle, when you are hugging a wall or other obstruction, or are too close to a corner and the enemy can sidle up to you without you ever getting a clear path to them.
In the left screenshot above we see the Merc Captain trying to be sneaky by hugging the column and going into Ambush. In the right screenshot we see it fails as the enemy is able to get into contract with him without triggering the Ambush. This is because the corner of the column is preventing him from getting a clear shot. A few steps back would free up the Ambush to properly trigger.
Note: An Ambush can be countered by a longer-ranged Charge!
Things that Modify Ambush
-There are a number of passive skills that increase distance travelled, chance to hit, and chance to crit during an ambush.
-Prowl is a skill that can increase your chance to hit during an ambush and allow you to make a Dodge as if you entered Dodge stance. It also increases the Damage Modifer by +50. This will take +1 SP and +1 OP.
-Onslaught is a skill that can increase your chance to hit during an ambush and allow you to make a Parry as if you entered Parry stance. It also increases the Damage Modifer by +50. This will take +1 SP and +1 OP.
-Runes can increase the damage and range of Ambush.
How Overwatch Works:
-The action will end your turn when you use it, much like a stance, taking 2 OP to use (3 OP for Blackpowed weapons).
-You must have a ranged weapon equpped.
-As soon as an enemy enters range and is at least 25% visible you will interrupt the enemy movement and shoot them. This will ‘commit’ the movement, preventing them from backtracking.
-The enemy then get to control their unit again. They can then proceed normally if they have any SP left, or did not get stunned.
Skills that Modify Overwatch
-Entrenched is a skill that can increase your chance to hit during an overwatch and allow you to make a Dodge as if you entered Dodge stance. This will take +1 SP and +1 OP.
-Runes can increase the damage of Overwatch.
-The Brethren’s (Chaos) starter skill Lurker increases the chance of hitting during an Overwatch by +15
How Charge Works:
-This is like any Special Action taking 3 OP to use. It requires no special skills to use.
-You must have a melee weapon equipped.
-There is a minimum AND maximum range to be able to charge. In the screenshot above, the Charge indicator is circled as the Sister to the right is in range of the Charge. Note the other Sister, to the left, is too close to be charged!
-The path must be generally clear of obstructions and other units.
-Charge will increase the Damage Modifier of the attack by +50.
-You do not need to use SP for the movement of the charge itself…so you can charge even if you are completely out of SP, as long as the above conditions are met.
-A successful charge puts a debuff on the target that gives them a -10 to their hit for any Counter Attack.
-Traps and persistent AoE effects (such as from spells or some consumables) can cause a Charge to fail if you hit the trap or effect before the target. The OP used for the Charge is lost!
-A normal charge applies a -10 hit penalty. Mighty and Swift change will change this (the hit modifiers listed below are NOT additive to this -10 penalty).
Skills that Modify Charge
-There are a number of passive skills that increase distance travelled, chance to hit, and chance to crit during a charge.
-Mighty Charge is a skill than will increase distance, Damage modifier up to +100, and reduce the target’s chance to parry by up to -30, while changing the chance to hit to -30.
-Swift Charge is a skill than will increase distance, reduce the Damage Modifier to +25, and reduce the target’s chance to Dodge or Parry by up to -30, while changing the chance to hit to +10.
-Runes can increase the damage and range of Charge.
Spells
Spellcasting is handled slightly differently from normal damage and other attacks. There is a cast attempt roll made, similar to a hit roll. This is dependant on the spell being cast, the mastery level of the spell, and any modifiers you might have active at the time. If the spellcasting roll is not a success the spell attempt simply fizzles.
Base chance to succeed
95% chance. Each spell reduces casting chance, from -10 to -30, depending on the spell itself. Note this is reduced from 100%, not the base chance of 95%. You just will never have more than a 95% chance to succeed. This matters when you have something that can increase your chance to succeed.
Modifiers that affect Spell Success
Runes: Runes of Concentration can increase spell chance by up to +10.
Skills: Concentration can increases spell chance by +15.
Spells: Blinding Flash will reduce the targets chance to cast by up to -10.
The Special Attack Jaw Strike will reduce the target’s chance to succeed by up to -40.
Other skills will increase or decrease the chance to succeed at the expense of something else, like Curse Chances (see below) or OP cost of the spell.
If the spell is successful and it targets an enemy that enemy is allowed to make a Magic Resist check against the effect. If successful, they outright ignore the spell. See the section on Resistances for more information.
Spell Curse or Kickback Effects
Regardless of if the spell is successful or not, Tzeentch Curse (for most spell casting) or Divine Wrath (for the Sisters of Sigmar) is then checked for. We will just call this Curse from now on. Curses are generally bad and can have an effect ranging from increasing the OP costs of further spells to killing the spell caster instantly (well, knocking them out of action).
Note: If a Curse occurs it has no effect on the spell cast itself…it is still a success or failure regardless of what happens with Curse.
Base Curse Chances
There is a base 10% chance to suffer a Curse. All spells will also add to this base chance, from +15 to +30, depending on the spell. Generally, the more OP a spell requires to cast the higher the chance of a curse.
Modifiers that increase the chance to suffer from a Curse
Mordheim’s Curse: Similar to Tiring, this is a stacking debuff that increases the chance for a Curse by +15 for every spell after the first. So the second spell cast in a turn will have a +15 in addition to any other modifiers. The third will have a +30, and so on.
Skills: The Special Attack Jaw Strike will increase the targets chance for a Curse by up to +30.
Modifiers that decrease the chance to suffer from a Curse
Equipment: Staffs will decrease the chance by up to -12.
Sigmarite Hammers will decrease the chance by up to -6 each.
Skills: Devotion (for Sisters) or Channeling will decrease the chance by up to -15.
Runes: Certain Runes will decrease the chance for a curse by up to -12.
Note: As with Tiring, Mordheim’s Curse clears at the state of the caster’s next turn.
Note: There is no cap to curse chance. It can exceed 100% with enough stacking modifiers.
Resistances
Resists are a form of defense on the target and either modify the chance of success for the attack or give you a chance to ignore it outright. There are four major Resists, indicated on the Character Sheet, and two minor Resists, Trap and Wyrdstone, that are not readily visible.
Crit Resist and Stun Resist do not appear on the character sheet, and are covered under their respective sections.
Melee Resist (1)
Melee Resist reduces the enemies chance to hit. It is a combination of attributes, gear, skills and spells. It is simply subtracted from the enemies hit chance.
Agility: Each point of Agility increases Melee Resist by +1
Weapon Skill: Each point of Weapon Skill increases Melee Resist by +1
Equipment: Shields increase Melee Resist by up to +15
Skills: A variety of skills increase Melee Resist. Example: Awareness increases Melee Resist by up to +10.
Spells: A variety of spells increase Melee Resist. Example: Divine Revelation increases Melee Resist by up to +10.
Runes: A variety of Runes increase Melee Resist. Example: Rune of Shielding increases the Melee Resist of a shield by up to +12.
Note: Many skills and spells will reduce Melee Resist, making the target easier to hit.
Range Resist (2)
Range Resist reduces the enemies chance to hit. It is a combination of attributes, gear, skills and spells. It is simply subtracted from the enemies hit chance.
Modifiers that improve Range Resist
Toughness: Each point of Toughness increases Range Resist by +1
Alertness: Each point of Alertness increases Range Resist by +1
Equipment: Shields increase Range Resist by up to +20
Skills: A variety of skills increase Range Resist. Example: Concealment increases Range Resist by up to +10.
Spells: A variety of spells increase Range Resist. Example: Divine Revelation increases Range Resist by up to +40.
Runes: A variety of Runes increase Range Resist. Example: Rune of Deviation increases the Range Resist of a shield by up to +12.
Note: Many skills and spells will reduce Range Resist, making the target easier to hit.
Magic Resist (3)
Magic Resist is made by any hostile targetted by a spell. This includes AoE spells. If successful the spell is ignored by that target only. For an AoE attack, every enemy has to test individually. It has a base chance of 0% to succeed, modified as follows:
Modifiers that improve Magic Resist
Intelligence: Each point of Intelligence increases Magic Resist by +1.
Skills: Certain skills increase Magic Resist. Example: Resist Magic increases Magic Resist by up to +10.
Runes: A variety of Runes increase Magic Resist. Example: Rune of Spellbreaking increases the Magic Resist of a shield by up to +20.
Note: The skill Improved Casting will decrease the target’s Magic Resist by up to -15.
Poison Resist (4)
Poison Resist is made by the target as soon as a poison is applied. If it is successful the poison is ignored. There is a base 10% chance to Resist Poison.
Modifiers that improve Poison Resist
Toughness: Each point of Toughness increases Poison Resist by +2
Skills: Resist Poison will increase Poison Resist by up to +30.
Warp Immunity (Skaven) will increase Poison Resist by +30.
Runes: Runes of Hardiness will increase Poison Resist by up to +20.
Note: Certain skills, runes and mutations will reduce Poison Resist, making it harder for the target to pass the Resist check.
Trap Resist
Trap Resist is made by anyone who triggers a trap. It has a base chance of 0% to succeed, so you will always be affected by a trap unless you have some way of improving this number. A successful resist will avoid the effect of the trap.
Modifiers that improve Trap Resist
Perception: This is a Basic Action that costs 1 SP to use. A successful attempt will increase Trap Resist by +15.
Skills: Tracker will increase Trap Resist by up to +30.
Runes: Mark of Foresight will increase Trap Resist by up to +50.
Wyrdstone Resist
Wyrdstone Resist is made everytime Wyrdstone is gathered by a unit. The actual gathering is free to do, but it will commit any movement made. It has a base chance dependant on the size of the Wyrdstone cluster, from 5% to 25%.
Modifiers that improve Wyrdstone Resist
Skills: Resist Corruption will increase Wyrdstone resist by up to +20.
Warp Immunity (Skaven) will make the unit immune to Wyrdstone.
Runes: Mark of the Wap will increase Wyrdstone Resist by up to +50.
Reference: Types of Curses
[From the feedback forum]
Note: Some results are more likely than others!
Tzeentch Curses
Enfeeblement = Chaos energy wracks the caster, the unit loses all remaining SP
Aethyric Attack = The caster loses 12-18 Wounds, bypass Armor Absorption
Aethyric Shock = The caster is Stunned until next turn from the blast of energy unleashed by the spell
Mindnumb = The caster cannot cast spells for the next turn
Blindness = The caster becomes blind for the next turn. Melee and Range Hit Chances are reduced by 35%. Spellcasting has a -35% chances. If possible, we add a filter on the screen when controlling blinded units
Tzeentch’s Lash = The caster is submerged by the amount of Wind flowing through his body and loses all remaining SP and OP
Flare = Everyone, caster included, within 5 meters radius is blinded. They have their Melee and Range Hit Chances reduced by 35%. Spellcasting has a -35% chances. This last for 1 turn. If possible, we add filter on the screen when controlling blinded units
Horrendous Pain = Everyone within 5 meters, allies, foes and the caster, gains an Open Wounds debuff
Aethyric Surge = Everyone within 5 meters of the caster is Stunned from the blast of energy unleashed by the spell
Overload = Everyone within 5 meters of the caster loses all OP from the blast of energy unleashed by the spell
Wild Aethyr = The caster loses control of the Wind, everyone within 5 meters, including the caster, loses 12-18 Wounds, bypass Armor Absorption
Mind Eaten = The caster will be unable to cast spells for 5 turns
Tzeentch’s Wrath = The caster loses all of its Wounds and is automatically taken Out of Action as the chaos energy submerge him
Divine Wrath
Fervor = The caster’s max OP and SP is reduced by 1 for 1 Turn
Rebuke = Casting spells will be harder to do as your god gets more demanding. Spell casting is done with a -25% for 1 turn
Devotion = The next spells will require more praying time, increasing their OP cost by 2. This lasts 1 turn
Unworthy! = Holy energy wracks the caster, the unit loses all remaining OP and SP
Punishment = Your god punishes you for your wrong prayer. The caster loses 12-18 Wounds, bypass Armor Absorption
Unearthly Vision = Your god chooses this time to reveal a symbolic but confusing vision, the caster is Stunned until next turn
Repent! = The caster cannot cast spells for the next turn
Augur’s vision = The caster becomes blind for the next turn. Melee and Range Hit Chances are reduced by 35%. But Perception is free. If possible, we add a filter on the screen when controlling blinded units
Truce = Everyone within 5 meters of the caster loses up to 10 OP
Wrath = Everyone within 5 meters, allies, foes and the caster, gains an Open Wounds debuff
Judgment! = Everyone within 5 meters of the caster is Stunned
Sinners! = Everyone within 5 meters of the caster max SP and OP is reduced by 1 for 1 Turn
Retribution = The caster and everyone within 5 meters suffers 12-18 Wounds, bypass Armor Absorption
Abandoned = The caster will be unable to cast spells for 5 turns
Smite = The caster loses all of its Wounds and is automatically taken Out of Action as the chaos energy submerge him
Reference: Types of Wrydstone Effects
Note: All characters have a base 25% Wyrdstone Resist. Skaven Warpguard are effectively always immune to Wyrstone effects.
Wyrdstone Fragment: -5% Wyrdstone Resistance
Wyrdstone Shard: -15% Wyrdstone Resistance
Wyrdstone Cluster: -25% Wyrdstone Resistance
• Lose 1 Strategy Point
• Lose 1 Offense Point
• Lose 8-12 Wounds
• Lose 10% melee Resistance (stacks)
• Lose 10% range Resistance (stacks)
• Increase cost of spells by 1 Offense Point
• Movement reduction -3 meters (stacks)
• Athletism reduction -15% (stack)
• Increase cost of base attack melee and charge by 1 Offense Point
• Increase cost of Shoot and Aim by 1 Offense Point
• Reduce armor absorption -2 (stack)
• -5 to all Physical Stats
• -5 to all Mental Stats
• -5 to all Martial Stats
• Block the “Switch Weapon” action
• Give back up to 10 wounds
• Give back up to 1 SP & 1 OP
• Range/Melee Resistance bonus of 5%
• Armor Absorption bonus of 2
• Movement bonus of 3
Reference: Other Guides
For other mechanics that are outside of combat such as looting can be found in this guide:
[link]
Details on deployments can be found here:
[link]
Indepth wyrdstone information is here:
[link]