Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

My opponent has a prim on the table that is equipped with lash whips and a bone sword. The current turn phase is mine and we are down to the assault phase. I decide to take Mephiston in against him. Due to his unit size being one he must be in base to base with the prim so I’ve been dropped to I1 I can deal with that. He declares his 4 attacks on Mephiston and rolls to hit rolls to wound. Nice rolls he gets a total of 3 wounds. Mephiston does not have an invulnerable save to speak of so I place all 3 wounds on the model. The Tyranid player now request that I roll 3 leadership test, this sounded a little fishy but in the sake of time management I rolled to see what I get. 2 great rolls and here comes the fail! My opponent now declares Mephiston dead. I was angry as any Blood angels player would be he was my 250 pt hq killer.
I decided to look up these devastating weapons in the codex and this is what I found!

Bonesword: No armor saves may be taken against wounds inflected in close combat by a Tyranid with a bonesword. In addition, if a model suffers one or more unsaved wounds in close combat from a Tyranid with a bonesword, it must immediately pass a leadership test or suffer instant death. If the Tyanid creature that inflected the wound is armed with a pair of boneswords then the leadership test must instead be passed on 3D6

I am arguing that I only am to take one test from one Tyranid. The book stats that if you suffer one or more unsaved wounds make a LD test. It does not state for ea wound the faq from gw does not shed light on the subject. The issue simply is that I read it as if you take a wound from this weapon you make one test. I defend my way of thinking because the rule itself takes into account having more than one bone sword makes you take the test on 3d6. The rule points out multiple wounds and results in “a leadership test”. (I can even accept that it would be 1 test from each nid but per wounds does not sound balanced in any manner.)

You only need to take ONE leadership test - due to the clause "suffers one or more .....pass a leadership test " - no matter the number of wounds will give A leadership test.

+1 to Nosferatu - Regardless of how many wounds were caused in that particular combat phase, mr Lord o' Death only needs to pass 1 Ld test to prevent insta-death.

You was robbed.


That's why you always politely ask to read their codex when the rules seem a little crazy.

Just as others said the nid player played it wrong. This is a common misconception though. Most likely he was not attempting to cheat and just didn't fully know what he was doing. It was played wrong for awhile at my FLGS.

Possibly because it was quite similar to Blade of Realities, a WHFB weapon, which does make you take a leadership test per hit so can force multiple checks per turn.

Why was this even an Issue?

Lord of Cheese has EW!!!

Grey Templar wrote:Why was this even an Issue?

Lord of Cheese has EW!!!

mephiston does not have EW unless im missing something in my codex

Grey Templar wrote:Lord of Cheese has EW!!!

No, he doesn't.

Just out of curiousity - does the "if a model suffers one or more unsaved wounds --> pass a leadership test or suffer instant death" also apply to multiple combats?
(e.g. recieving wounds from BS-units in two different units)

Furthermore, if the answer is "yes, you only take one Ls-test", does Furious Charge then change that?

Billinator wrote:Just out of curiousity - does the "if a model suffers one or more unsaved wounds --> pass a leadership test or suffer instant death" also apply to multiple combats?
(e.g. recieving wounds from BS-units in two different units)

Furthermore, if the answer is "yes, you only take one Ls-test", does Furious Charge then change that?

One test, unless they are striking at different initiative values. Basically you group all models with the same Init and roll to hit, roll to wound, roll saves (and in this case) take a LD test or face ID; you then repeat with the next Init level.

If the bone sword equipped model splits his attacks between 2 different multi-wound models and wounds both then a test would be taken by each. The same would go for differently equipped nobz/twc as the bone-swords cause a test on each model wounded.

GT - he really,r eally doesnt. He has T6, which is sort-of EW for most weapons

*Checks book of cheese.




Wow, all of a sudden. Meph seems, underpowerd?

Grey Templar said: *Checks book of cheese.




Wow, all of a sudden. Meph seems, underpowerd?

Ok I had to comment on this thread because of this.

Really Meph seems underpowered because he doesn't have EW?! Are you kidding!!!!!!!!!!!

Mephiston is I 7 for a reason. He is striking before most things in the game. The only exception being an Archon and some other select DE characters and the Slannesh Greater Demon. If he had EW he would just be stupid overpowered. Every BA player would take him and he would be impossible to kill except with incredible amounts of anti-tank firepower (and thats assuming he isn't in cover).

No Mephiston is still Lord of Cheese and even though I use Mephiston even I'm grateful that he doesn't have EW or else Mephiston would just be Lord of Broken!

Tri wrote:

Billinator wrote:Just out of curiousity - does the "if a model suffers one or more unsaved wounds --> pass a leadership test or suffer instant death" also apply to multiple combats?
(e.g. recieving wounds from BS-units in two different units)

Furthermore, if the answer is "yes, you only take one Ls-test", does Furious Charge then change that?

One test, unless they are striking at different initiative values. Basically you group all models with the same Init and roll to hit, roll to wound, roll saves (and in this case) take a LD test or face ID; you then repeat with the next Init level.

I actually think we've got it all wrong... Have a look:

"... If a model suffers one or more unsaved wounds in cc from a Tyranid with a BS, it must pass a Leadership test, or so help me god! ...etc..etc..."
- As i read it, and DO correct me if it's just bad engrish on my end, the rules clearly states, that it's: "A Tyranid with A BS", right?

If they intended the test - regardless of numbers of wounds and/or numbers of wounds PER model - then why isn't it written: "Tyranids with a BS" - or "one or more Tyranids with a BS".
- The way i'm reading it, you force a test per model, regardless of initiative order. The only ristriction is, that you can only force ONE test per model, be it one or ten wounds inflicted this way!

On the other hand, and as you're all probably gonna quote me for, it also says: "... A leadership test ...". But the reason i still have my doubt, is that it's written in the exact same sentence, that says; A Tyranid with A BS.

Bah , we all know the best way to deal with Meph is Swarmlord

Bone sabres > Bone Swords

Course it costs grossly more points than a prime with 2 bone swords... lol

Resurrecting because the same situation happened to me the other day, except i was fighting a prime and two warriors, all with bone swords. Most everyone seems to agree that mephy would only take one ld test; any rules or faqs to support that?

The Bonesword rules cover it. One test.

Page 83 Tyranid Codex for reference.

stevensonmat2 wrote:
Resurrecting because the same situation happened to me the other day, except i was fighting a prime and two warriors, all with bone swords. Most everyone seems to agree that mephy would only take one ld test; any rules or faqs to support that?

Three tests. If a model takes one or more wounds from a tyranid...
That would suggest it is on a per-model basis.

stevensonmat2 wrote:
Resurrecting because the same situation happened to me the other day, except i was fighting a prime and two warriors, all with bone swords. Most everyone seems to agree that mephy would only take one ld test; any rules or faqs to support that?

Please don't do that. If a thread has been dormant more than one month, leave it alone; it's tired and deserves to rest. Start a new thread instead.