Editing Scrollhammer Rulebook (section)

=====Types of Saving Throws=====

Few warriors take to the battlefield without some form of protection, whether it is a suit of armour or a magical talisman. Furthermore, the battlefield itself can also offer protection. All these forms of protection are represented by saving throws (sometimes called saves), as we'll now discuss.

Armour Saves:

Most troops wear some sort of protective clothing or armour, even if it's only a helm! Some creatures may have a form of natural protection, such as a chitinous exoskeletons or thick bony plates. If a model has an Armour Save characteristic of 6+, it is allowed a further dice roll, to see if the armour prevents the wound. This is called an armour saving throw, or armour save, for short.

To take an armour save, roll a D6 and compare the results to the Armour Save characteristic of the model that has been allocated the wound.

*If the dice result is equal to or higher than the model's Armour Save characteristic, the wound is stopped.

*If the result is lower than the Armour Save value, the armour fails to protect its wearer and it suffers a wound. 

This means that, unlike other characteristics, an Armour Save is better if it is a lower number.

Armor Piercing Weapons:

Some powerful weapons are quite capable of tearing through or shattering even the thickest armour. This is shown by a weapon having an Armour Piercing characteristic, usually referred to as AP.

Many weapons have an Armour Piercing value. A weapon's AP rating is '''subtracted''' from the armor saving throw of an enemy that it wounds. A weapon shown as 'AP 0', or without a stated AP, has no Armour Piercing value and will never lower a target's Armour Save.

Example: A weapon of AP2 hits a warrior with a 3+ armor save. He may make an armor save, but he must make the save on a 5+.

If a multiple AP values are granted to a single attack from different sources, they stack.

Ward Saves:

Some warriors are protected by more than mere physical armour. They may be shielded by divine blessings, enveloped in mystical energies or have a metabolism that can shrug off hits that would slay a giant. Models with wargear or abilities like these are allowed a ward saving throw.

Ward saves are different to armour saves because they may always be taken at full effectiveness whenever the model suffers a Wound - the Armour Piercing value of attacking weapon has no effect. Even if a wound ignores all armour saves, an ward saving throw can still be taken.

Cover Saves:

Often, you'll find enemy models are partially hidden or obscured by terrain, also known as being in cover. Cover shields soldiers against flying arrows and fiery blasts, enabling them to get their heads down or crawl amongst the boulders and (hopefully) avoid harm. Where this is the case, the model will be entitled to a cover save. Cover saving throws are not affected by the AP value of an attacking weapon, so units in cover get a specific saving throw regardless of what's firing at them. Cover saves only apply against shooting attacks, unless stated otherwise in a special rule.

Determining Cover Saves:

A model is considered to be "obscured" if at least 50% of it is out of sight of at least 50% of the firing models. If at least 50% of the models in a unit are obscured from the firing unit, that unit will get a cover save. 

Types of Cover Saves:

The type of cover save a model receives depends on exactly what he is sheltering behind. For example, a soft obstacle (like tall grass) that would hide soldiers behind it, but would not slow an arrow, confers a 5+ cover save. Purpose-built fortifications, such as castle ramparts, confer a 3+ cover save, and most other things confer a 4+ cover save. Before deploying their armies, it is a very good idea for players to go through all the terrain pieces on the battlefield quickly and agree what kind of cover each will offer.

In most cases, terrain will offer a 4+ Cover save.

Go to Ground:

If warriors find shots raining down on them, they may decide to keep their heads down to try to stay alive a little longer while they wait for reinforcements. After the enemy has rolled To Hit and To Wound against any of your units, but before any saves are made for wounds allocated, you can declare that the unit is Going to Ground. To represent this, place a suitable marker next to the unit as a reminder.

*Models in a unit that has gone to ground immediately receive +1 to their cover saving throws.

*Models that are not currently in a position that would give them a cover save can still Go to Ground by diving into the mud (or some other evasion technique) and receive a 6+ cover save. 

A unit that has gone to ground cannot move, shoot, march or charge. At the end of its following turn, the unit returns to normal, the marker is removed and the unit is free to act as normal from then on.

Whilst it has gone to ground, a unit reacts normally if affected by enemy actions (for example, it takes Morale checks as normal). If the unit is forced to move, for example they have to Fall Back, it returns to normal immediately - remove the marker. If assaulted, the unit will fight as usual, but because they are not set to receive the enemy charge, the unit cannot Stand and Shoot or Counter-Attack if it is able to do so.

Intervening Models:

If a target is partially hidden from the firer's view by models from a third unit models not from the firer's unit, or from the target unit, it receives a 4+ cover save in the same way as if it was behind terrain. Similarly, if a model fires through the gaps between models in an intervening unit, the target is in cover, even if it is completely visible to the firer.

Note that this does not apply if the shots go over the unit rather than through it.

This does not mean that intervening models literally stop the shots, but rather that they obscure the target and spoil the firer's aim. A successful cover save in this case might mean that the firer has not shot at all, missing the fleeting moment when his eye was trained on the target. This is because, in the case of intervening friends, the firer would be afraid of hitting his comrades, while in the case of intervening enemies, the firer is distracted by the more immediate threat.

Scenic rocks and other decorative elements that players might have placed on the bases of their models are always ignored from the point of view of determining cover. You cannot take your cover with you!

Note the exception that, in the same way as they can trace line of sight through members of their own unit, models can always shoot through members of their own unit without conferring or receiving a cover save.

Models with More than one Save:
Sometimes, a model will have a normal armour save and a separate ward save. As if this wasn't enough, the model might be in cover as well. In these cases,a model only ever gets to make one saving throw, but it may choose which one it makes. If a model can benefit from different types of cover, for example, being behind tall grass (5+ cover save) and a barricade (4+), the model uses the best cover save available (in this case 4+).

Maximum Save: 
Some models may have a save of 1+ or better, especially after potentially recieving benefits from certain abilities. However, no saving throw (armour, cover or invulnerable) will ever succeed on a roll of 1. Regardless of what is giving the model its save, a roll of 1 always fails.