User Email in:
I visit your site every day, you guys are fantastic! I know you guys answer emails now and then, and I have a question - A good one, I think. When do you make the leadership test for instant death checks for the bonesword or soul devourer abilities?
Here is how it reads to me:
Models must immediately take a leadership test when they suffer an unsaved wound.
Non-complex unit, say a unit of raveners, get attacked by warriors with boneswords.
Roll to hit, Roll to wound, Roll to save.
For non-complex units, this is done all at once for all the models. The unit has now suffered unsaved wounds, so leaderships are taken. Wounds are then assigned to models via the brb, instant death on unwounded and non-instant death on wounded models first.
Aside from the fact that the tyranid rule isn’t written exactly like the daemon one, the tyranid rule appears that a model only needs to make one leadership roll no matter how many wounds it has taken, the daemon one specifically says that each wound is rolled.
Its a tough one, when do we check leadership for instant death? like I suggest above or after combat has resolved and models have lost wounds, or have suffered the wounds so to speak.
Reply from Wildeyedjester:
Thanks for the email and the kind comments. We are glad you enjoy the blog! Here is my interpretation on the situation.
The key rule here is that you must endeavor to remove as many whole models as possible – p26 in the brb:
Once you have determined the number of unsaved
wounds suffered by a group of identical multiplewound
models, you must remove whole models as
casualties where possible. Wounds may not be ‘spread
around’ to avoid removing models.
Secondly, with the bonsword and devourer it would function essentially like instant death on multiwound creatures – p26 in the brb
If amongst the unsaved wounds there are some that inflict
instant death, the player must first, if possible,
remove one unwounded model for each unsaved
wound that causes instant death, and then proceed as
normal (this is done for each group of identical
multiple-wound models). This rule is designed to stop
players avoiding single wounds by putting them on a
model that has suffered instant death anyway.
Your bone sword is essentially causing instant death on some attacks and the key here is for each unsaved wound.
Therefore, on non -complex multiwound targets you roll t hit, and roll to wound. The opponent then makes his/her saves. For each save that is not made, they would need to make a leadership check. For each check that is failed a whole model would be removed. For each leadership check passed, a model would suffer a wound normally.
On complex units, like Nobz, the opponent may allocate the wounds before the leadership checks are made and before saves are taken. Any failed save would be dealt with on a case by case, and model by model basis. Each failed save would be a leadership check. A failed leadership check removes the model. A passed leadership check gives that specific model a wound.
Your interpretation is pretty much spot on.