In Warhammer there are many different types of warriors, from ordinary archers and spearmen to lordly knights riding mighty chargers. There are monstrous creatures too, some quite small such as Goblins and others that are huge such as fire-breathing Dragons.

Often simply called Move this shows the number of inches a creature can move on the tabletop under normal circumstances. Eg, a Goblin with a Move of 4 (M4) can move 4”.

Defines how accomplished or skilled a warrior is with his weapons, or how determined and vicious a monster is. Weapon Skill is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and the higher the score the more likely the fighter is to hit an opponent in close combat. An ordinary human has WS3 whilst a battle-hardened leader might have WS4, WS5 or possibly even higher!

This shows how good a warrior is with ranged weapons such as bows or handguns. Ballistic Skill is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and the higher this value is, the easier a creature finds it to hit with missile attacks. Some monsters have natural weapons that can be used at range (they might spit venom, for example) and their BS is used to determine whether they hit or not.

Shows how strong a creature is. Strength is rated on a scale of 1 to 10. An exceptionally puny creature might have a Strength characteristic of 1, while a mighty Giant might have S7 or even higher. Most Men have S3. Strength tells you how hard a creature can hit and thus how easily it can hurt an opponent it has struck.

Toughness is a measure of a creature’s ability to resist or withstand physical damage and pain, and reflects such factors as the toughness of a creature’s flesh, hide or skin, or the depth of its fur. Toughness is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and the tougher a creature is, the better it can withstand an enemy’s blows.

Shows how much damage a creature can take before it dies or is badly hurt that it can’t fight any more. Most Men and human-sized creatures have a Wounds characteristic value of 1. Large monsters are often able to withstand several wounds that would slay a smaller creature and so have W2, W3, W4 or more.

This is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and indicates how fast a creature can react. Creatures with a low Initiative score (such as Orcs with I2) are slow and cumbersome whilst creatures with a high Initiative score (eg, Elves with I6) are quicker and more agile. Humans have I3. In close combat, Initiative dictates the order in which creatures strike, since faster creatures will attack before slower ones.

Indicates the number of times a creature attacks during close combat. Most creatures attack only once and have an Attacks value of 1, although some monsters or warriors of exceptional skill may be able to strike several times and have A2, A3 or more.

A creature with a high Leadership value is courageous, steadfast, and self-controlled. A creature with a low value is the opposite! Leadership is rated on a score of 1 to 10. Humans have a Leadership value of 7, which is average, whilst cowardly Night Goblins have only a Leadership value of 5.

Some creatures have been given a value of ‘0’ for certain characteristics which means that they have no ability whatsoever in that skill. This usually applies to creatures unable to use missile weapons, so they have BS0, but it might equally well apply to other characteristics too. For example, an ordinary horse has no Attacks (A0).

If any creature or object has a Weapon Skill of 0 then it is unable to defend itself in close combat, and any blows which are struck against it will automatically hit.

If at any time a model’s Strength, Toughness or Wounds are reduced to 0 or below, it is considered slain and removed from play.

Every creature in the Warhammer world has a characteristic profile which lists the value of its different characteristics. Then examples below who the profiles for an Orc and a Man.

As you can see, an Orc and a Man are similar in many respects. Thy both move at the same speed – 4”, and they both have the same Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill values which means they are very evenly matched in combat. Both have the same Strength value, so they can deliver blows with equal potency. When it comes to Toughness however the Orc wins over the Man – the Orc’s value is 4 compared to 3. This is not a vast difference, but it does make the Orc better able to withstand blows and gives it the edge in any hand-to-hand fighting. Both creatures have 1 Wound, which is the normal value of man-sized creatures. The Orc loses our however when it comes to Initiative. This is not a terrible disadvantage, but it does mean that the Man will get to strike his blows before the Orc does when they get stuck into hand-to-had fighting. Both races have the same Leadership of 7 – which is about average.

A creature’s saving throw gives it a chance to avoid being harmed when struck or shot. Most creatures have a saving throw based on what kind of armour they are wearing, so their saving throw may be improved if they are equipped with better armour. Other creatures, such as the reptilian Lizardmen, receive an armour saving throw for having scaly skin, while others may have a think skin or chitinous shell which grants them an armour save.

Some troops are protected by magic or are incredibly tough by nature. These creatures have what is known as a Ward save, a special type of save which can save them from almost any type of damage.

Armour saves are taken by rolling a D6. If a creature has 3+ armour save, it can normally avoid any wound it suffers by rolling 3 or more on a D6.

Often during a battle, a model will have to take a test on one of its characteristics. In order to pass the test, the model has to roll a D6 and obtain a result equal to or lower than the value of the characteristic involved. Note that if a 6 is rolled, then the model will automatically fail the test regardless of the characteristic’s value.

Tests that are made against the Leadership characteristic of a model are done slightly differently to other tests. In the case of a Leadership test, roll two dice and add the results together. If the result is equal to or less than the model’s Leadership value, the test has been passed.