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Hi all,

This might seem like a silly question, but it's actually quite difficult to locate a definitive answer!

In the situation where a one-wound model fails to save against one wound from the black mace, does it die without needing a toughness test because it has failed to save one wound, or does it take a toughness test and only die if it fails the test? Conversely keeping its one wound and living if it passes the test.

I ask mostly because the black mace actually seems quite crappy if the latter option is true, and I really hope that this is not the case!

The wound is dealt regardless. As such, a 1 wound critter is going to die if the Black Mace wielding model tags it for a wound. The toughness test thing is really for multi-wound models.

Thanks. I couldn't be 100% certain based on the wording. Used it for the first time against a BA army, causing a lot of unsaved wounds against a unit of ten. In the interest of fairness, we went with my second interpretation and suddenly only about 2 or 3 casualties happened compared to the 9 or so that should have! Plus it took forever doing all those toughness tests!

Spoongefeesh wrote:
Thanks. I couldn't be 100% certain based on the wording. Used it for the first time against a BA army, causing a lot of unsaved wounds against a unit of ten. In the interest of fairness, we went with my second interpretation and suddenly only about 2 or 3 casualties happened compared to the 9 or so that should have! Plus it took forever doing all those toughness tests!

Yeah, the Black Mace is this horrific, chaos tainted weapon capable of leaching your very life essence should your stamina falter at its touch... but, you know, it's also a mace. So if it hits you hard enough, you're going to die regardless of how strong your fortitude is!

Haha, yeah, like I said, seems like a silly question. But you know..."rules as written" etc etc. Had to make sure I understood it correctly!

There are two ways the Black Mace causes Toughness tests.

The first way is that models that have taken unsaved wounds from it must take a toughness check.

The second way is if the Black Mace has caused any wounds, at the end of the assault phase all models within 3" must take a toughness check (regardless of if they've taken a wound or not)

The second way is why the Black Mace is good,

 CrownAxe wrote:
at the end of the assault phase all models within 3" must take a toughness check (regardless of if they've taken a wound or not)

That's not completely accurate. The rule states, "...all non-vehicle enemy models within 3" of the bearer, which haven't suffered an unsaved Wound from the Black Mace this Phase, must take a Toughness test." So if a model has taken a Wound from the Black Mace, it does not have to take a second for being within 3" of the bearer.