Editing Armor Save (section)

== Warhammer Fantasy ==

In ages past, the writers at [[Games Workshop]] decided that instead of a nice traditional armour save, <s>Fantasy</s> both systems used an extremely in-depth system of modifiers, increasing and decreasing values and other such things. Where 40k's third edition got rid of that early for a much less bookkeeping-intensive approach of 'fixed value that can be negated altogether' (Amusingly enough, eight edition is reintroducing them; see below), Fantasy kept the intricate system of save modifier for a much longer time.  

[[Fail| Fuck those guys.]]

So, from the top, armour saves in Warhammer Fantasy work differently to those of 40k. Instead of a flat value, all forms of armour in the game increase the unit's armour value. So for example, an Empire Spearman has light armour, which gives him a 6+ armour save. Simple right? Well now you gave him a shield, for some reason since he [[Derp|can't use it in close combat with his spear]], which gives him +1 to his armour save as well, meaning he now has a 5+ save, as well as a 6+ parry save in close combat (which again he can't use with his spear you fucking simpleton). Every form of armour in the game works similarly, even the really strange stuff like Scaly Skin (mainly seen on the [[Lizardmen|Lustrian Reptile Regiment]] but sometimes on other people) and stuff like Chaos Armour, unique to [[Warriors of Chaos]] and bestowing a 4+ save on your common Warriors, becoming [[MEQ|Space Marine levels of bullet-spongy]] when given a shield as well. Being mounted also gives you +1, and then [[The Elder Scrolls|horse armour]] adds a whole other side to the armour calculations.

Now comes the fun part.

Y'see, the problem with this system is that light armour is fucking useless and mounted heavy-armoured burly bastards are broken beyond belief, since they'll get a 2+ save for almost no points on top of riding a motherfucking Daemon horse. So the writers at GW decided that life was too simple for us Fantasy peasants, and introduced armour-affecting attacks. So let's take our old friend the Empire Spearman. He looks too damn smug with his 6+ save, poncing around the place looking at his reflection in his speartip. Let's get an Ogre to smack some fucking sense into him. {{BLAM}} Thank you (Ogres hit roughly as hard as a bolt pistol to the head). Now the Ogre is a solid S4, which means that he reduces the armour save of his opponent by 1 when he wounds. so the Spearmen now has a 7+ save. Whoops! That doesn't exist, so he has no save and is now fucking paste. But wait! He has a shield! That means the -1 modifier from the Ogre's attack makes his 5+ save a 6+! Hooray! Oh shit here comes an Ogre Tyrant {{BLAM}} who is S5, which reduces armour saves by 2. 5+2 (yeah reduce is add and add is reduce, deal with it this isn't fucking 40k anymore) equals 7 so there's no saving this Spearman. Wait! (again), his shield gives him a 6+ parry save, which is a ward save for combat, so he still has a very small chance! Whoops, he failed and died, ah well, better luck next time.

So the basic function of the negative modifier system is to ensure that heavy attacks are actually useful and feel like something happened when you use them, and also to make sure strong armour saves aren't complete bullshit. Because let's be fair, a mounted heavy-armoured shielded Knight ain't surviving shit when he's taking a cannonball to the gut. As the Strength of the attack increases, the armour save negative modifier also increases, so at S4 you reduce 1 from the save and at S10 you remove 7. This means that 1+ saves are actually legal in Fantasy, since reducing the defense they afford means they are breakable, and the "always fails on 1" rule still applies. There are also attacks that have extra armour piercing rules, like Skaven Warpfire Throwers that reduce the armour save by 2 as well as being S5, giving a healthy -4 to the save overall.

This system is often infuriating, but also helps make the game feel more authentic, and is genuinely fun at times.