10th Edition 40k has one big rule that gets confused: the difference between Mortal Wounds and Devastating Wounds.
While there are obviously plenty of rules questions out there, this is one that people seem to get confused about, and for good reason. There are abilities that will not work on devastating wounds but on mortals, how the damage rolls over, and more. So, we’ll try to answer all your questions on Mortal and Devastating Wounds! That way, you can roll more dice on the tabletop and worry less about what those rolls actually mean.
Mortal Wounds Vs. Devastating Wounds In 40k Rules
Let’s start with the changes to Devastating Wounds. Now, you don’t get to make saving throws against these attacks, but they are not applied as mortal wounds. This means if you roll a critical hit (A natural six no matter what, but some factions have rules to make this a 5+ or something better), the enemy doesn’t get to roll any saving throws, including invulnerable saves. However, they still get Feel No Pains (FNP).
But with this, wounds don’t carry over. Just remember, these are done at the end of the sequence, meaning you do all the saves and then take these hits without saves.
What are Mortal Wounds in 40k 10th Edition?
Mortal Wounds are generally something not tied to the normal attack sequence that will deal damage without normal or invulnerable saves. Mortal Wounds do not allow saves (other than FNPs and special rules) and carry over to other models in a unit. For example, if you get 6 Mortal Wounds against a unit, and each model has 2 Wounds in the unit, you would kill 3 models. If each model has 6 wounds, you would only kill one model. Mortals are often done from something that isn’t a weapon per se, such as a stratagem, destroyed transport, or some abilities.
Looking at the rules is good, but what’s actually the difference?
What is the Difference Between a Critical Wound & a Mortal Wound?
(The Custodes recently had their rule reverted to allow saves on Critical Wounds)
There are three main differences.
- Devastating (critical) Wounds ignore saves, but unlike mortals, they do not carry over to other models. This means that if you get a devastating wound with a huge damage profile (such as D6+6), you can only do that damage to one model. This was changed as Devastating Wounds were destroying whole units. This is good against vehicles and monsters, but if you get 12 damage against a Guardsman, he will just be extra blasted.
- Certain abilities only give you saves against Mortal Wounds, meaning if you get hit with a Devastating Wound, you get nothing.
- Mortal Wounds often happen outside of a normal attack sequence, such as the grenade stratagem. Devastating wounds are still done last, but they only come from weapons. Mortals can come from a lot of sources.
One last thing to keep in mind: you do get normal FNPs against both unless you have a specific rule that clearly states Mortals. You still need to roll the FNPs for each damage, so if you deal a devastating wound with 12 damage, you still roll all 12 FNPs, but there are no other saves.
You may ask why GW did this change, but it’s actually good for the game. This means big guns with devastating wounds cannot be taken for every purpose. If they caused mortals, you could easily destroy entire units and big vehicles with a single gun type. This change also allows things like the grenade stratagem to go across a unit and cause a bunch of damage.
Do You Get a Save Against Mortal Wounds?
You do not get either armor saves or invulnerable saves against mortal wounds. However, you can still use Feel No Pain or special rules against them.
Does Feel No Pain Work On Mortal Wounds?
Yes, they work on Mortal Wounds as well as Devastating Wounds. You must take a FNP for every Mortal Wound. Meaning if your unit takes 6 Mortals, you must take 6 FNPs.
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What do you think about the differences between Mortal Wounds and Devastating Wounds in 10th Edition 40k?
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!
