Malekith's Wound Rules

The place for all game discussions on Age of Sigmar.

Moderator: The Dread Knights

Post Reply
User avatar
CAPTAINxDEE
Slave (off the Altar)
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2015 1:39 am

Malekith's Wound Rules

Post by CAPTAINxDEE »

So this is up in the air because I don't think there is anything official. But I just played a game where my opponent said Steve from MWG does it this way. And what happened was he attacked my Malekith with a bunch of little dudes from one unit, each ended up doing 6 wounds, 1 from each model. So Malekith took 6 wounds, not 3. This doesn't seem right to me. I think if anything it should half all wounds from each unit, otherwise it feels rather pointless. I wasn't trying to cheese with Malekith either, we were just doing a game with all of the models we had on us.

What are your guys's opinions on the matter?
User avatar
Haagrum
PhD in Dark Magic
Posts: 592
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2013 11:54 am
Location: The depths of the Black Library

Re: Malekith's Wound Rules

Post by Haagrum »

CAPTAINxDEE wrote:So this is up in the air because I don't think there is anything official. But I just played a game where my opponent said Steve from MWG does it this way. And what happened was he attacked my Malekith with a bunch of little dudes from one unit, each ended up doing 6 wounds, 1 from each model. So Malekith took 6 wounds, not 3. This doesn't seem right to me. I think if anything it should half all wounds from each unit, otherwise it feels rather pointless. I wasn't trying to cheese with Malekith either, we were just doing a game with all of the models we had on us.

What are your guys's opinions on the matter?


The rules for applying wounds from a single source (i.e. one unit) are very clear. Page 4 of the rules says that, if you're rolling multiple attacks at once, you add up the total number of wounds caused after all hit, wound and save rolls have been made. Wounds are allocated in turn once they've been suffered, and where allocated to a single model, they must be allocated to the same model until it is slain or there are no more wounds to be applied.

What is less clear is how the Armour of Midnight interacts with multiple single-Wound attacks, as this does not indicate when the Armour of Midnight's effect takes place. The only rules reference I can find is The Most Important Rule, which helps reach a temporary solution if you can't agree. However, if the Armour triggers first, then each wound does 0.5 wounds (rounded up to 1). If the Armour triggers second, then each wound is counted (i.e. all 6 in the example given above) and then the amount is halved, rounded up (i.e. 3 wounds in this case).

For what it's worth, I'd tend to go with your opponent's interpretation. The Armour of Midnight has always prevented Malekith from suffering multiple wounds and killing blows from individual strikes, not from enduring a death of a thousand cuts. It's not useless under this interpretation; it still stops enemy characters from killing him quickly (including the likes of the Celestant-Prime and Skarbrand), most of whom have a decent Rend value to make armour saves less effective as well. The same result would apply in respect of the Tomb Kings' war statutes, who have a similar rule to the Armour of Midnight.

This interpretation gives Malekith protection against huge slobbering monsters and character-killers, but means that he can still be swarmed by masses of troops, much like almost every other character or model in Age of Sigmar. There is a limit to the number of models that will be able to attack him, and he can always summon a Balewind Vortex to get out of combat. Even if he takes a few wounds, he's going to cut a swathe through the enemy unit with Destroyer, Seraphon's attacks, Soul Stealer and the Noxious Breath attack, and they're likely to take truly horrendous losses from battleshock tests unless your opponent has a way of avoiding those tests.
"The wrath of a good man is not to be feared. They have too many rules."

"Good men don't need rules. Today is not a good time to find out why I have so many."
User avatar
CAPTAINxDEE
Slave (off the Altar)
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2015 1:39 am

Re: Malekith's Wound Rules

Post by CAPTAINxDEE »

Haagrum wrote:
CAPTAINxDEE wrote:So this is up in the air because I don't think there is anything official. But I just played a game where my opponent said Steve from MWG does it this way. And what happened was he attacked my Malekith with a bunch of little dudes from one unit, each ended up doing 6 wounds, 1 from each model. So Malekith took 6 wounds, not 3. This doesn't seem right to me. I think if anything it should half all wounds from each unit, otherwise it feels rather pointless. I wasn't trying to cheese with Malekith either, we were just doing a game with all of the models we had on us.

What are your guys's opinions on the matter?


The rules for applying wounds from a single source (i.e. one unit) are very clear. Page 4 of the rules says that, if you're rolling multiple attacks at once, you add up the total number of wounds caused after all hit, wound and save rolls have been made. Wounds are allocated in turn once they've been suffered, and where allocated to a single model, they must be allocated to the same model until it is slain or there are no more wounds to be applied.

What is less clear is how the Armour of Midnight interacts with multiple single-Wound attacks, as this does not indicate when the Armour of Midnight's effect takes place. The only rules reference I can find is The Most Important Rule, which helps reach a temporary solution if you can't agree. However, if the Armour triggers first, then each wound does 0.5 wounds (rounded up to 1). If the Armour triggers second, then each wound is counted (i.e. all 6 in the example given above) and then the amount is halved, rounded up (i.e. 3 wounds in this case).

For what it's worth, I'd tend to go with your opponent's interpretation. The Armour of Midnight has always prevented Malekith from suffering multiple wounds and killing blows from individual strikes, not from enduring a death of a thousand cuts. It's not useless under this interpretation; it still stops enemy characters from killing him quickly (including the likes of the Celestant-Prime and Skarbrand), most of whom have a decent Rend value to make armour saves less effective as well. The same result would apply in respect of the Tomb Kings' war statutes, who have a similar rule to the Armour of Midnight.

This interpretation gives Malekith protection against huge slobbering monsters and character-killers, but means that he can still be swarmed by masses of troops, much like almost every other character or model in Age of Sigmar. There is a limit to the number of models that will be able to attack him, and he can always summon a Balewind Vortex to get out of combat. Even if he takes a few wounds, he's going to cut a swathe through the enemy unit with Destroyer, Seraphon's attacks, Soul Stealer and the Noxious Breath attack, and they're likely to take truly horrendous losses from battleshock tests unless your opponent has a way of avoiding those tests.


Thanks for your interpretation! I was wondering what you mean about the Balewind Vortex though as I dont see it in his rules.
User avatar
Haagrum
PhD in Dark Magic
Posts: 592
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2013 11:54 am
Location: The depths of the Black Library

Re: Malekith's Wound Rules

Post by Haagrum »

The Balewind Vortex is a scenery piece, with its own rules in the Scenery PDF. One of those rules is that any wizard on the table can cast the Summon Balewind Vortex spell, which is similar in many ways to an Arcane Fulcrum in the 8th edition Storm of Magic/Magic of the End Times rules. It casts on 5+ and doesn't count against the available spells for that wizard in the turn it is cast.

One of its features is that, when summoned, the casting wizard is placed on the Balewind Vortex (which is placed where the wizard was standing), and all models are moved 3 inches away from it. Another rule is that no-one may move within 3 inches of a Balewind Vortex while it is being occupied by a wizard. The caster can't leave it voluntarily (other than by ending the spell), but neither can anyone attack them in close combat. Furthermore, the wizard on the Balewind Vortex gets +1 to cast and unbind, and doubles the range of their spells.
"The wrath of a good man is not to be feared. They have too many rules."

"Good men don't need rules. Today is not a good time to find out why I have so many."
Post Reply