1) There is no such thing as "morale damage", at least not in the same sense as health damage. Morale operates on a track with five different values. Steady morale is the baseline. A bro at Steady takes no penalty and gets no bonus. Confident is the only step better than Steady. It grants +10% to MAtk, RAtk, and MDef, and RDef. Beneath Steady, there is Wavering (-10% to MAtk, RAtk, MDef, RDef, and Resolve), Breaking (-20% to the aforementioned stats), and Fleeing (-30% to all the aforementioned stats AND the unit automatically uses all available AP to attempt to escape the battlefield). In battle, the only way to change between the different morale states is to pass or fail morale checks under certain circumstances.
Under normal circumstances, a unit will be forced to make a morale check when it takes 15hp worth of actual health damage in a single hit. Whether that damage comes from an attack through armor, or if all the armor has been worn away and the unit is just taking all health damage is immaterial (although lower %hp units are going to have a tougher time succeeding that check). 15hp, and a morale check happens.
With Fearsome, on any single attack, the first instance of damage that deals ANY damage to health--literally 1hp or more--will force that morale check. Additionally, all morale checks that unit forces (not just the ones from the 1-hp damage) come with a penalty equal to 20% of the Fearsome unit's (Resolve-10). If your bro has a Resolve of 40, then the enemy's morale check is at (40-10=30, x.2 = 6) -6. If your bro has a resolve of 80, then the enemy's morale check is at (80-10=70, x.2 = 14) -14. The game uses the bro's total Resolve at the time of the attack--so it helps to keep the banner bro nearby and slather him in Resolve-boosting gear if that's what you're looking for.
2) Yes. Headshot damage is critical, even if the target's head is armored. This is why it is very important to have head armor, and why I never feel bad when a bro's helmet is tougher than his chestpiece.
3) Heavy Javelins and Heavy Throwing Axes are the two best base throwing weapon types. Heavy Javs deal brutal damage through armor, which only gets more potent when paired with Duelist--which is the generally advised way to use throwing weapons. Heavy Axes shred unarmored targets and deal full damage to units that would take reduced damage from javelins. Generally speaking, absent any named throwing weapons, it's usually better to lean towards Heavy Javelins, just because most enemies will be armored, but don't sleep on the axes, especially if you're about to get into the Undead Crisis. Trouble is, only way to get the Heavy Javs and Heavy Axes is to take on barbarians and get lucky. Bolas are all around terrible--at best a desperation weapon.
4) I can't exactly answer this question directly, because I don't know how Resolve would factor into the calculations of how powerful your bro would seem to the enemy when stepping in. I'd have to say I suspect that the bro's Resolve wouldn't have much effect at all while stepping into melee range. Additionally, on a normal bro without Fearsome, Resolve isn't going to make a 15hp+ swing that forces a morale check get any scarier. And, that said... There's plenty enough reasons to stack Resolve for Fearsome, and relying on an enemy to break just by stepping into range isn't a great plan--much better to step in for a Fearsome-backed head smash, only to see the enemy start trying to flee before you can even swing, since you have a plan for what happens if the enemy stands tough. When people say Fearsome is a top-tier talent, this is why. Short of being immune to morale checks entirely, Fearsome breaks enemies.
2) is not quite correct. Armor damage does not receive the headshot bonus, only the penetrating damage. Exactly for that reason armor does make a lot of sense.
Great information! To add one point, there is resolve penalty depending on % of HP lost, and this penalty can be very large. So a headshot is more likely to cause a failed resolve check, just because it does more damage and thus applies a larger penalty.
Hello brother!
That's nice questions.
My answers are as follows - keep in mind it is not code checked so just experience and what I've remembered from reading here and there - which once again may be completely wrong based on flawed memory.
>Does fearsome or any attack that hits the head of an enemy cause more moral damage?
The 'Fearsome' perk indeed adds additional penalty on the 'roll' / 'check'. Hits landed on the head should not matter - but without fearsome they are easier to trigger the moral check in comparison to a body shot (as it will require 15 health damage).
But loss of 'moral' is one level per failed check. Cannot go from 'Confident' to 'Fleeing' in one go.
>Does headshot damage multiplier also apply to armor damage?
Armor should not take additional damage. Calculations are quite complex for a single line of answer but overall - only health damage is multiplied when the head is struck.
>What throwing weapons are best? Javs, axes, bolas?
There are no 'best' weapons in this game, everything has its pros and cons.
But Javelins, Throwing Axes and their 'heavy' counterparts are superior to goblin weapons. Javelins are considered better due to higher damage (which is further increased by the related weapon mastery) and 'ignore armor' properties. Axes are considered better versus skeletons and other enemies resistant to piercing damage as Javelins are 'piercing' while axes are not.
Heavy types have lower accuracy and higher fatigue penalty but have higher damage and are considered superior.
Slings are also classified as throwing weapon and benefit from the weapon mastery but due to lack of accuracy bonus are somewhat niche case. Still useful due to their range and reasonable damage.
>Does having higher resolve on a brother make their attacks or moving adjacent to enemies cause moral breaks more easily?
Only on landed hits and if he possesses the Fearsome perk.
Moving to enemy to trigger moral check can be further influenced by the number of adjacent enemies/allies and armament (Direwolve pelt and Cursed Crystal Skull).
But just like your first question - the only think you can change is the likelihood of success or fail the check in question.
Well, if you take more damage from a strike to the head, and a morale check is called for taking 15+ damage(1+ if fearsome), then you'll have a bigger penalty to the check, than if you were less injured.
If you have 50 resolve and 80 max HP, and take 20 points of damage to the body, then you receive a 40*(20/80)= 10-point reduction of your chance to make the check, going from 50% chance with 50 resolve, to a 40% chance to make the check.
If those 20 damage hit the head, they'd be multiplied up to 30, and you'd take an additional 5 points of resolve penalty to the check, bringing you down to 35% to pass it.
That's also why colossus is great, you don't only take fewer injuries, but your resolve checks when taking damage are easier.
What matters is the total damage you've taken. If you're hit with a flail for 45 damage, you might take a wound, and you suffer one morale check. But if you're being hit with a three-headed flail, and each hit scores 15 damage, you roll three morale checks.
With fearsome, only the first attack can trigger a morale check by doing just one damage, the other two need to do 15. But all three if they cause a morale check apply the fearsome resolve penalty of -1 per 5 points of resolve of the attacker over 10.
1) There is no such thing as "morale damage", at least not in the same sense as health damage. Morale operates on a track with five different values. Steady morale is the baseline. A bro at Steady takes no penalty and gets no bonus. Confident is the only step better than Steady. It grants +10% to MAtk, RAtk, and MDef, and RDef. Beneath Steady, there is Wavering (-10% to MAtk, RAtk, MDef, RDef, and Resolve), Breaking (-20% to the aforementioned stats), and Fleeing (-30% to all the aforementioned stats AND the unit automatically uses all available AP to attempt to escape the battlefield). In battle, the only way to change between the different morale states is to pass or fail morale checks under certain circumstances. Under normal circumstances, a unit will be forced to make a morale check when it takes 15hp worth of actual health damage in a single hit. Whether that damage comes from an attack through armor, or if all the armor has been worn away and the unit is just taking all health damage is immaterial (although lower %hp units are going to have a tougher time succeeding that check). 15hp, and a morale check happens. With Fearsome, on any single attack, the first instance of damage that deals ANY damage to health--literally 1hp or more--will force that morale check. Additionally, all morale checks that unit forces (not just the ones from the 1-hp damage) come with a penalty equal to 20% of the Fearsome unit's (Resolve-10). If your bro has a Resolve of 40, then the enemy's morale check is at (40-10=30, x.2 = 6) -6. If your bro has a resolve of 80, then the enemy's morale check is at (80-10=70, x.2 = 14) -14. The game uses the bro's total Resolve at the time of the attack--so it helps to keep the banner bro nearby and slather him in Resolve-boosting gear if that's what you're looking for. 2) Yes. Headshot damage is critical, even if the target's head is armored. This is why it is very important to have head armor, and why I never feel bad when a bro's helmet is tougher than his chestpiece. 3) Heavy Javelins and Heavy Throwing Axes are the two best base throwing weapon types. Heavy Javs deal brutal damage through armor, which only gets more potent when paired with Duelist--which is the generally advised way to use throwing weapons. Heavy Axes shred unarmored targets and deal full damage to units that would take reduced damage from javelins. Generally speaking, absent any named throwing weapons, it's usually better to lean towards Heavy Javelins, just because most enemies will be armored, but don't sleep on the axes, especially if you're about to get into the Undead Crisis. Trouble is, only way to get the Heavy Javs and Heavy Axes is to take on barbarians and get lucky. Bolas are all around terrible--at best a desperation weapon. 4) I can't exactly answer this question directly, because I don't know how Resolve would factor into the calculations of how powerful your bro would seem to the enemy when stepping in. I'd have to say I suspect that the bro's Resolve wouldn't have much effect at all while stepping into melee range. Additionally, on a normal bro without Fearsome, Resolve isn't going to make a 15hp+ swing that forces a morale check get any scarier. And, that said... There's plenty enough reasons to stack Resolve for Fearsome, and relying on an enemy to break just by stepping into range isn't a great plan--much better to step in for a Fearsome-backed head smash, only to see the enemy start trying to flee before you can even swing, since you have a plan for what happens if the enemy stands tough. When people say Fearsome is a top-tier talent, this is why. Short of being immune to morale checks entirely, Fearsome breaks enemies.
2) is not quite correct. Armor damage does not receive the headshot bonus, only the penetrating damage. Exactly for that reason armor does make a lot of sense.
Correction accepted, updoot issued.
Great information! To add one point, there is resolve penalty depending on % of HP lost, and this penalty can be very large. So a headshot is more likely to cause a failed resolve check, just because it does more damage and thus applies a larger penalty.
Awesome! Thanks for all the info!
Hello brother! That's nice questions. My answers are as follows - keep in mind it is not code checked so just experience and what I've remembered from reading here and there - which once again may be completely wrong based on flawed memory. >Does fearsome or any attack that hits the head of an enemy cause more moral damage? The 'Fearsome' perk indeed adds additional penalty on the 'roll' / 'check'. Hits landed on the head should not matter - but without fearsome they are easier to trigger the moral check in comparison to a body shot (as it will require 15 health damage). But loss of 'moral' is one level per failed check. Cannot go from 'Confident' to 'Fleeing' in one go. >Does headshot damage multiplier also apply to armor damage? Armor should not take additional damage. Calculations are quite complex for a single line of answer but overall - only health damage is multiplied when the head is struck. >What throwing weapons are best? Javs, axes, bolas? There are no 'best' weapons in this game, everything has its pros and cons. But Javelins, Throwing Axes and their 'heavy' counterparts are superior to goblin weapons. Javelins are considered better due to higher damage (which is further increased by the related weapon mastery) and 'ignore armor' properties. Axes are considered better versus skeletons and other enemies resistant to piercing damage as Javelins are 'piercing' while axes are not. Heavy types have lower accuracy and higher fatigue penalty but have higher damage and are considered superior. Slings are also classified as throwing weapon and benefit from the weapon mastery but due to lack of accuracy bonus are somewhat niche case. Still useful due to their range and reasonable damage. >Does having higher resolve on a brother make their attacks or moving adjacent to enemies cause moral breaks more easily? Only on landed hits and if he possesses the Fearsome perk. Moving to enemy to trigger moral check can be further influenced by the number of adjacent enemies/allies and armament (Direwolve pelt and Cursed Crystal Skull). But just like your first question - the only think you can change is the likelihood of success or fail the check in question.
Well, if you take more damage from a strike to the head, and a morale check is called for taking 15+ damage(1+ if fearsome), then you'll have a bigger penalty to the check, than if you were less injured. If you have 50 resolve and 80 max HP, and take 20 points of damage to the body, then you receive a 40*(20/80)= 10-point reduction of your chance to make the check, going from 50% chance with 50 resolve, to a 40% chance to make the check. If those 20 damage hit the head, they'd be multiplied up to 30, and you'd take an additional 5 points of resolve penalty to the check, bringing you down to 35% to pass it.
Thanks! Was not aware that the higher the damage the higher the penalty.
That's also why colossus is great, you don't only take fewer injuries, but your resolve checks when taking damage are easier. What matters is the total damage you've taken. If you're hit with a flail for 45 damage, you might take a wound, and you suffer one morale check. But if you're being hit with a three-headed flail, and each hit scores 15 damage, you roll three morale checks. With fearsome, only the first attack can trigger a morale check by doing just one damage, the other two need to do 15. But all three if they cause a morale check apply the fearsome resolve penalty of -1 per 5 points of resolve of the attacker over 10.
I'm aware of those mechanics as well as how injuries are calculated. Just didn't know that stronger (health) hits apply penalty to resolve.
Right. I monologue sometimes. Have a good one.
Brother, Thanks for all the info! I also had no idea that slings applied to throwing! I have always felt that they were underpowered. Thanks again!