Games Workshop has shot out a few more sparks of information on Warhammer 40k 10th edition psychic abilities, revealing the 10th edition datasheets for the new Space Marine Terminator Librarian and the Ork Weirdboy characters, confirming the new turn stucture, and exposing how the popular ‘Smite’ psychic power will work in the new edition.
Revealed in a Warhammer Community article on Tuesday, the news includes a confirmation that the psychic phase and morale phase are both being removed in 10th edition 40k, cutting the game’s turn structure from seven phases to five.
It comes a day after the brand new Space Marine Librarian model was revealed – and just over a week before Warhammer 40k 10th edition makes its public playable debut at GW’s Warhammer Fest event in Manchester, UK.
Tuesday’s article goes a step further by showing us the full datasheets for both the new Librarian, and the Ork Weirdboy, plus a few titbits about their abilities.
We already knew the psychic phase was for the chop, in favour of psychic ‘spells’ becoming Warhammer 40k abilities like any other, and fitting into the other turn phases – but this is the first time we’ve seen those abilities in a printed datasheet.
While there’s nothing too revolutionary to report in the Librarian’s core stats, we do get a proper look at the Smite ability in its new form: a Ranged Weapon attack.
There are now two ‘modes’ to the classic psyker ability: vanilla ‘Witchfire’, and the super-charged ‘Focused Witchfire’ version, which gets an extra pip of both Strength and AP in exchange for the ‘Hazardous’ ability.
GW explains ‘Hazardous’ is analogous to the long-standing rules for plasma weapons, which “[kill] the shooter – or [inflict] mortal wounds, for CHARACTERS and big models – on an unlucky roll”.
The Librarian also gets two extra psychic abilities built into the datasheet: Psychic Hood – which protects him and his led unit against psychic attacks – and Veil of Time, which lets his entourage score extra hits on high rolls thanks to the Librarian’s time-bending powers.
The Weirdboy – the Orks’ trademark psyker unit – also courts disaster with a ‘Hazardous’ psychic ability. While leading a massive mob of Boyz, his ranged psychic attack ‘Eadbanger is extra-powerful; but if the unit he’s leading drops below ten models, he’s at risk of blowing himself up with every attack.
The new 10th Edition iteration of Da Jump is also here – with the customary risk of suffering a horrible glut of mortal wounds while attempting to teleport your green mob across the table – and now takes place at the end of the movement phase.
As for Warhammer 40k 10th Edition battle-shock – the system that’s replacing the morale phase – this will be dealt with at the beginning of the turn, during the command phase. If a unit’s below half strength, you’ll test it right at the top of the turn and, if it fails, it can’t hold objectives or use stratagems until it passes a test.
The spicy part here is the “Desperate Escape test” that models in a battle-shocked unit must take if they try to Fall Back from melee combat. Our money’s on these working similarly to the current Combat Attrition tests – which have you roll a dice for each wavering model, and lose one of them for each roll of a one – but we’ll have to wait to see for sure.
To catch up with every detail of the new edition of 40k, check out our full Warhammer 40k 10th Edition guide – or, if you need a little more background, read our guides to the many Warhammer 40k factions and how to play Warhammer 40k.
And remember: if you can’t make it to Manchester, UK for Warhammer Fest on April 29 – May 1, make sure you stay locked to Wargamer for the weekend! We’ll be reporting throughout the event, bringing you the latest on the Warhammer 40k 10th edition launch box (and every other new model reveal) as soon as we have it.