A Warhammer Community article about Warhammer 40k 10th edition datasheets provides our first insight into morale and leadership in the next edition of Warhammer 40k. The article, posted on Monday, reveals that units which fail “Battle-shock” tests will “struggle to capture objectives, use Stratagems, or Fall Back from combat”.
There’s no clarification on how precisely units will be impaired, but it is a big change in how 40k represents morale. In 9th edition 40k failing a leadership test causes models to flee from the unit, effectively doing a little extra damage to the squad. The new rules impair a unit’s ability to perform its role in the army, representing how faltering morale erodes the effectiveness of a fighting force.
GW stated when it announced Warhammer 40k 10th edition at Adepticon that the new edition won’t have a morale phase. Monday’s article explains that Battle-shock tests can be forced on a unit by “many factors”, including “being under half-strength during the Command Phase”. This means that once a unit is sufficiently battered it’s at risk of losing its nerve for the rest of the battle.
The WarCom article explains that battle-shock tests are made by rolling 2d6 and attempting to equal or exceed the unit’s leadership value. We expect that some particularly terrifying creatures from the nastiest Warhammer 40k factions will be able to affect this: Chaos Knights already have abilities that suppress enemy leadership, and the Tyranids are full of mind-breaking alien horrors, to name a couple.
If you fancy playing Warhammer 40k 10th edition early, your first chance will be at Warhammer Fest 2023, from April 29 to May 1.
Source: Wargamer
