In Warhammer 40,000 Crusade play, battles leave lasting marks. As your units gain experience and rank up, they earn upgrades called Battle Honours. However, when a unit is wiped out during a game, they risk receiving a lasting injury called a Battle Scar. This balance of rewards and setbacks is what makes Crusade play a truly immersive experience.
What are Battle Honours?
Every time a unit ranks up, they earn one Battle Honour. These represent elite training, rare equipment, or blessings of the machine spirit. A unit can have a maximum of 3 Battle Honours (extended to 6 for Characters or squads upgraded via the Legendary Veterans requisition).
Battle Honours are selected or rolled from three core categories:
- Battle Traits: Unique rules, custom abilities, or stat bonuses tailored to the unit's role (such as Infantry, Vehicle, or Monster traits).
- Weapon Modifications: Upgrades to a specific weapon on a model within the unit, making their ranged or melee attacks significantly deadlier.
- Crusade Relics: Exclusive artefacts that can only be carried by Character units. The Crusade Relics guide covers the three categories and the rank each needs.
Weapon Modifications table
A Weapon Modification upgrades one weapon on one model in the unit, and it gives that weapon two modifications, not one. Roll two D6 on the table below and apply both results, rolling again if they match, or choose any two different modifications:
| D6 Roll & Modification | Rules and Effect on Stats |
|---|---|
| 1. Finely Balanced | Improve BS or WS of the weapon by 1 (e.g. 3+ becomes 2+). |
| 2. Brutal | Increase the Strength characteristic of the weapon by 1. |
| 3. Armour Piercing | Improve the Armour Penetration (AP) characteristic of the weapon by 1 (e.g. AP-1 becomes AP-2). |
| 4. Master-worked | Increase the Damage characteristic of the weapon by 1. |
| 5. Heirloom | Increase the Attacks characteristic of the weapon by 1. |
| 6. Precise | Critical Wounds scored with this weapon gain the Precision ability. |
What are Battle Scars?
If a unit is destroyed during a game, you must roll an Out of Action test in the post-battle sequence. The test is passed on a 2+, so most destroyed units come away with nothing at all. Only on a roll of 1 does the unit lose something, and you choose what: a Devastating Blow (losing a Battle Honour) or a Battle Scar. Scars reflect physical damage, shell shock, or tactical disgrace.
For the full breakdown of that roll, covering the odds, choosing between a scar and a blow, the three-scar rule, and which units auto-pass, see the Out of Action tests guide.
| D6 Roll & Battle Scar | Crippling Penalty and Narrative Rules Effect |
|---|---|
| 1. Crippling Damage | Unit cannot Advance; subtract 1" from its Move characteristic. |
| 2. Battle-Weary | Subtract 1 from all Battle-shock, Leadership, Desperate Escape, and Out of Action tests taken for the unit. |
| 3. Fatigued | Subtract 1 from the unit's Objective Secured (OC) characteristic; unit never receives the Charge bonus. |
| 4. Disgraced | The player cannot target this unit with Stratagems; unit cannot be Marked for Greatness. |
| 5. Mark of Shame | The unit cannot form an Attached unit; is unaffected by friendly Aura abilities; cannot be Marked for Greatness. |
| 6. Deep Scars | Critical Hits scored against this unit automatically wound (regardless of Toughness). |
Accumulating too many scars
A unit can never have the same Battle Scar twice. If a unit has 3 Battle Scars and fails another Out of Action test, you must choose Devastating Blow (removing a Battle Honour). If a unit has 3 Battle Scars, no Battle Honours, and fails another Out of Action test, they are permanently removed from your Order of Battle.
Calculating Crusade Points
Your units' honours and scars determine their Crusade Points:
- Each Battle Honour adds +1 Crusade Point (+2 if the unit is TITANIC).
- Each Crusade Relic adds points based on its rarity: Artificer (+1), Antiquity (+2), or Legendary (+3).
- Each Battle Scar subtracts −1 Crusade Point.
Crusade Points measure a unit's overall upgrade status. The sum of all your units' Crusade Points is your army's total Crusade Points. If your total is higher than your opponent's, they receive Crusade Blessings (such as extra Command Points) during the game to keep it competitive.
Healing scars with Requisition Points
If a scar is too crippling, you can heal it by spending Requisition Points on the Repair and Recuperate requisition in the post-battle sequence. Healing a scar costs 1 RP, plus an additional 1 RP per Battle Honour the unit possesses (up to a maximum of 5 RP). This removes the scar and restores its normal stats, but also increases the unit's Crusade Points by 1 (since the scar subtraction is removed).
This guide explains the mechanics of Battle Honours and Battle Scars in Warhammer 40,000 Crusade mode. For official rules and codex-specific upgrades, consult Games Workshop rules. Echelon is an independent campaign tracker and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Games Workshop.