Big changes are coming in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k as Games Workshop has axed the Psychic and Morale phases!
We’ve seen a lot of rules about 10th, but they are really starting to come together. People have been apprehensive about the psychic phase specifically, but luckily, GW dropped a few psyker datasheets to show how they will use those powers in the new edition.
Then, for morale, it’s not gone by any means; it actually seems more impactful than before, but when you’re rolling will be changing.
GW has officially confirmed the new 10th edition of Warhammer 40k, and continues to show off a bunch of the rules changes as well! Here are the quick links to the latest for 10th Edition Warhammer 40k and the full articles below!
- Warhammer 40k New 10th Edition Release Guide: LATEST
- New 10th Edition Warhammer 40k Starter Set & Models
- What Will Happen To Codex Books in 10th Edition
- All the Latest 10th Edition Rules Changes
- How to Build Army Lists in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k
Now, let’s jump into the changes.
New Psychic & Morale Rules For Warhammer 40k 1oth Edition
The turn structure is still the same: one player still takes the first turn, to manoeuvre and fight with all the forces at their disposal, and then the second player does the same. This is still called the Battle Round, but seven phases have now become five – and both players will now contest each one to the fullest.
Here’s the headline: the phase structure is broadly the same. You perform admin for the turn ahead in the Command phase. Then you manoeuvre in the Movement phase, take aim in the Shooting phase, charge into melee in the Charge phase, and get biffing in the Fight phase.
So what’s changed? The Psychic phase and the Morale Phase are now no more – but this doesn’t mean that psychic powers and morale are gone. The effects are still very much present, but they’ve been smartly compressed into the other phases. Let’s break it down.
This is something that has gotten a lot of players heated, especially those who play Thousand Sons and the like. It will take some getting used to, but those units should all have their datasheets really buffed up.
Either way, this is what’s happening, so we’ll have to see how the army shapes up before making too many assumptions. Morale will all be done in the Command Phase now too, so just remember to do battleshock tests at the start of your turn and not the end (but we’ll look at it more below).
The Psychic Phase
For some players – the likes of the Thousand Sons, Grey Knights, and Aeldari – the old-style Psychic phase was a technicolour carnival of empyrean delights. For others – especially the T’au Empire and Necrons – it was often 10 minutes spent watching your opponent make a bunch of mysterious 2D6 rolls and remove models accordingly.
This was often un-fun and awkward to play around, so now psychic powers are used throughout the other phases, instead. Peering into the future for tactical insights? That’s an ability for the Command phase. Paralysing foes with hypnosis? You’ll do that in the Fight phase. Tossing around eldritch lightning? That’s a ranged attack, used in the Shooting phase alongside any regular guns you may be carrying.
It’s nice to see so many of the staples still being mentioned, and everything won’t just be an arcane bolt power in your shooting phase. This should make playing against certain armies less boring as instead of a 10-20 minute phase, it will be sprinkled throughout. However, if you’re playing one of those armies, just be sure to pay attention and get your powers in during the right phases and not pass it by and not be able to use them.
Luckily, we also have some datasheets to see how they work.
Terminator Librarian Datasheet
The new Terminator Librarian, for instance, unleashes his Smite in the Shooting phase. Each time he does so, you can choose to manifest either a controlled mental burst, or a recklessly powerful psychic onslaught that may backfire thanks to the Hazardous weapon ability.
Psykers are more than just brain-based artillery, however – he also boosts any Terminator Squad he’s leading, twisting the Veil of Time to grant their attacks the Sustained Hits ability. Each Space Marine Librarian brings their own flavour of psychic chicanery to battle.
First, they haven’t told us what hazardous means (but it would make sense every roll of a 1 is a Mortal against the bearer), but smite can do some serious damage with D6 shots at S6. -2AP, and D3 Damage.
Then, Devastating Wounds will get you mortals on 6’s to wound, so if you have this on a bunch of units, it could be pretty devastating. After that, he gives sustained hits (hit rolls of 6’s do additional hits) and keeps your unit safe from other psychic attacks. So, he only has two powers, in essence, one to help units hit better (innately) and a powerful shooting attack.
Ork Weirdboy Datasheet
The Ork Weirdboy, on the other hand, can’t be bothered with anything so quotidian as a gun, but his ‘Eadbanger shooting attack grows in power and volatility according to how many Boyz he has in his entourage.
His Da Jump power fires at the end of the Movement Phase, allowing you to teleport his ladz somewhere more deadly – assuming his brain doesn’t explode from the stress…
There are a few things here of note. First, he keeps T5 and hits on a 4+ (which might just be because it’s a psychic attack, not necessarily all Orks will have 4+ BS). Next up, his psychic attack has precision (we would guess you can target characters) and can get add on a ton of damage and Strength, which is super thematic.
If you stick this in a big unit, the Weirdboy could be one-shotting characters all over the place, which is just cool. However, Da Jump is what most Ork players may have been really worried about. The new ability goes off on a 2+, and the whole unit jumps. However, you can only do this on the Weirdboy’s unit, meaning you need to put him in a unit you want to jump!
10th Edition 40k Morale Phase
Morale is even simpler – that all gets sorted in your Command Phase, when you take Battle-shock tests for any units that have taken enough losses.
Battle-shock tests are super simple. Roll a 2D6 for every unit that’s Below Half-strength – that means they’re a squad with less than half of their starting models, or a single model with less than half of their starting Wounds. You’ll need to roll equal to or above your new Leadership characteristic – if you fail, that unit suffers some nasty penalties until your next turn.
This means models don’t just run away, but they are not nearly as effective and cannot control objectives, etc. Maybe the most interesting thing about all of this is that even single models can fail LD tests.
So if you have a big vehicle or monster, it can actually fail a test. Whereas before, only squads could really run away; this makes single big models a little worse intrinsically; just interesting to look at.
Check out the latest for Warhammer 40k 10th Edition, new releases, rules, rumors, and more!
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What do you think about the new 10th Edition Warhammer 40k phases? Do you like the changes so far?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
