Editing Fluffhammer 40k (section)

== Save System ==

Chris Save - you always get to choose your Armour no matter what the rulebook says.

The various saves in 40k are one of the areas that most need an overhaul in order to fit the fluff.

=== Armour Saves ===

Warhammer 40,000's current armour system seperates armour into 6 levels that are extremely broad, which can cause silliness like power swords doing as much damage to power armour as they do to mighty crisis suits, or riptides and Artificer Armour providing the same level of protection.  The proposed changes (see below) are better suited to representing elite armour (such as space marines, grey knights, battlesuit-heavy tau etc.) and avoids silliness such as terminator armour having an invulnerable save without having any kind of forcefield.

*Armour will have a rating 0-10, with the number for the save functioning the same as ballistic skill (i.e. 4=3+, 6=2+/6+)
*Armour Pen will have a rating 0-10, with each point of Pen ignoring one point of armour
*Most 40k weapons can calculate their Pen rating in the new version by flipping their AP (i.e. AP6 becomes Pen 1, AP2 becomes Pen 5)

Most armour would need some changing of its value, because the point is to better represent the fluff! Terminator armour would make sense at Armour 8 (meaning if they got hit by a melta gun (Pen 6), they would have a 5+ [almost like it makes sense!], whereas weaker weapons would grant them better saves (such as plasma granting a 5+, or a lasgun granting 2+/4+).  Power armour at AV5 would allow for marines much closer to their fluff depiction, shrugging off lasguns but still not immune to them, while being inferior to terminator armour in a significant way.  Most current 2+ saves would end up at around 6-7, with especially heavy suits (Calgar's named armour, Cataphractii Armour, Dreadknights/riptides etc.) could reach the upper limits, getting a 9 or a 10.

=== Cover Saves ===

A tree WILL NOT stop a lascannon blast under any circumstances.  This is an inherent problem with the current 40k ruleset that bears addressing.  Cover does absolutely benefit those using it however, and the following rules are possible solutions to this issue:

*Cover will not be a distinct save to take instead of armour.  There will be two types of cover: Visual Cover, and Protective Cover
**Visual Cover will have a numerical value (a low one).  This number is subtracted from any firer's BS when targeting the unit in cover (to a minimum of one, doesn't apply to blast weapons or enemies within 12") when the unit in cover goes to ground.  Otherwise, half the value is used (rounding up).  Examples include forests, Night Fighting, area terrain etc.
**Protective Cover will have an armour value.  When going to ground, the full value can be added to the users armour.  Otherwise, half the value is used (rounding up).

Examples: 
* Guardsman in Area terrain (standard): Visual Terrain 1
* Stealthsuit in Forest: Visual Terrain 2+1 (for shrouded/stealth)
* Aegis Line: Protective terrain 3
* Etc.

=== Invulnerable Saves ===

Invulnerable saves are (usually) meant to represent forcefields and the like, and using either forcefields OR armour to deflect attacks makes little enough sense.

*Invulnerable saves will grant an Invulnerable Value (IV) between one and four.
*IV will be added to Armour Value
*IV will be resistant to Pen

Example: An Imperial Guard officer with Flak Armour (AV 2) and a Refractor Field (IV 2) would have an effective AV of 4.  However, regardless of the Pen of the weapon targeting him, his effective AV will never drop below 2 because of his refractor field.

=== Evasion Saves ===

Any model with an initiative score greater than its AV can substitute its initiative for its armour against the first shot directed against each game turn, counting the value as an IV that does NOT stack with armour.  This save is unaffected by cover.