warhammer damage calculator

Welcome, tacticians and strategists! In the grim darkness of the far future, or the fantastical realms of age-old conflicts, understanding how much damage your units can inflict (and withstand) is paramount to victory. This Warhammer damage calculator is designed to give you a clear average expectation of your unit's combat effectiveness, helping you make informed decisions on the battlefield and during list building.

Mastering the Battlefield: Your Guide to Warhammer Damage Calculation

Warhammer is a game of dice, strategy, and glorious miniatures. But beneath the spectacle lies a robust set of rules governing combat. Understanding the expected damage output of your units is a critical skill for any commander. This calculator simplifies that process, giving you an edge in list building and in-game tactical decisions.

The Core Mechanics of Damage Calculation

Damage in Warhammer is a multi-stage process, each step reducing the number of successful attacks until a final damage value is applied. Let's break down each stage:

Step 1: The Hit Roll

This is the first hurdle your attacks must overcome. Each attack is rolled against the attacker's Weapon Skill (for melee) or Ballistic Skill (for ranged). The target number (e.g., 3+ for 3 skill) determines success.

• Input: Attacks - The total number of attacks a unit makes.
• Input: Skill (to hit) - The target number needed on a D6 for an attack to hit. A lower number is better.
• Calculation: Average Hits = Attacks * ((7 - Skill) / 6)

Step 2: The Wound Roll

Once an attack hits, it must then wound the target. This is determined by comparing the attacker's Strength (S) characteristic to the defender's Toughness (T) characteristic, often using a specific S vs T chart:

• Input: Attacker Strength - The Strength characteristic of the attacking weapon or unit.
• Input: Defender Toughness - The Toughness characteristic of the defending unit.
• Calculation: The required roll to wound changes based on S vs T:
  • S is at least double T (S ≥ 2T): 2+ to wound
  • S is greater than T (S > T): 3+ to wound
  • S is equal to T (S = T): 4+ to wound
  • S is less than T (S < T): 5+ to wound
  • S is half or less than T (S ≤ 0.5T): 6+ to wound
  Average Wounds = Average Hits * ((7 - Wound Roll Needed) / 6)

Step 3: The Save Roll (and AP)

If a model is wounded, it gets a chance to save itself from the incoming damage. This is where Armour Penetration (AP) comes into play, modifying the defender's save roll.

• Input: Armour Penetration (AP) - A negative value (e.g., -1, -2) that subtracts from the defender's save roll.
• Input: Defender Armour Save - The unmodified armour save characteristic of the defending unit (e.g., 3+).
• Calculation: Modified Save = Defender Armour Save - AP. The defender must roll this modified number or higher on a D6 to save. A natural 1 always fails, regardless of modifiers. Average Failed Saves = Average Wounds * (1 - ((7 - Modified Save) / 6))

Step 4: Invulnerable Saves and Feel No Pain (FNP)

These are special saves that can mitigate damage even if a normal save fails. An Invulnerable Save ignores AP entirely, while a Feel No Pain roll is made after all other saves, for each point of damage that would be inflicted.

• Input: Defender Invulnerable Save - A special save that ignores AP. If present, the defender uses the better of their modified normal save or their invulnerable save.
• Input: Defender Feel No Pain - A roll made for each point of damage. If successful, that damage point is ignored.
• Calculation:
  • If an invulnerable save is present, the model uses the better of the modified normal save and the invulnerable save.
  • Average Damage Through Saves = Average Wounds * (1 - ((7 - Effective Save) / 6))
  • Average Damage Through FNP = Average Damage Through Saves * (1 - ((7 - FNP) / 6)) * Damage per Hit

Step 5: Damage Characteristic

Finally, for each failed save (after considering invulnerable saves), the weapon's Damage characteristic is applied. This can range from 1 (D1) to multiple damage points (D3, D6, etc.). Our calculator uses a fixed damage value for simplicity.

• Input: Damage per hit - The number of damage points inflicted by each successful wound.
• Calculation: Total Average Damage = Average Damage Through FNP (from previous step)

Using the Warhammer Damage Calculator

Our interactive tool allows you to quickly test various combat scenarios. Simply input the relevant statistics for your attacking unit and the defending unit, then click "Calculate Damage" to see the average damage output.

• Attacks: How many attacks does the weapon/unit make?
• Skill (to hit): What number does the attacker need to roll to hit (e.g., 3 for 3+)?
• Attacker Strength: The weapon's Strength characteristic.
• Armour Penetration (AP): The weapon's AP value (e.g., -1 is input as -1).
• Damage per hit: How many damage points does each successful wound inflict?
• Defender Toughness: The target unit's Toughness characteristic.
• Defender Armour Save: The target unit's unmodified armour save (e.g., 4 for 4+).
• Defender Invulnerable Save: The target unit's invulnerable save (e.g., 4 for 4+). Enter 7 if they have none.
• Defender Feel No Pain: The target unit's FNP ability (e.g., 5 for 5+). Enter 7 if they have none.

Use this tool to compare different weapon options, predict combat outcomes, and optimize your army lists!

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Considerations

While this calculator provides a solid average, Warhammer has many layers of complexity:

• Re-rolls: Many abilities grant re-rolls to hit, wound, or save. These significantly boost average outcomes.
• Modifiers: +1 to hit, +1 to wound, -1 to save, etc., can shift probabilities.
• Mortal Wounds: These bypass all save rolls entirely and are applied directly.
• Critical Hits/Wounds: Special effects triggered on specific dice rolls (e.g., 6s to wound).

This calculator focuses on the foundational average, but experienced players will factor in these additional rules manually or with more complex tools.

Why This Matters for Your Warhammer Strategy

Understanding average damage isn't just for number crunchers; it's a vital strategic asset:

• List Building: Choose units and weapons that efficiently deal with common threats in your meta.
• Target Prioritization: Quickly assess which of your units can best eliminate an enemy threat, or which enemy unit poses the biggest threat to your forces.
• In-Game Decisions: Decide when to charge, which unit to shoot, or whether to commit resources to an engagement.
• Learning the Game: New players can use this to grasp the core combat mechanics faster.

Empower your Warhammer gameplay by leveraging the power of probability. May your dice rolls be ever in your favor, and your tactical decisions always informed!