A unit is destroyed during a Warhammer 40,000 Crusade battle. It gets picked up off the table, and at the end of the game you take an Out of Action test for it. This is the single most misunderstood step in the post-battle sequence, and the misunderstanding always runs the same direction: players assume a destroyed unit comes away scarred.
It usually does not. The test is one D6, and it is passed on a 2+. Five results out of six leave the unit completely untouched.
How the Out of Action test works
At the end of each battle, take one Out of Action test for every unit from your Crusade army that was destroyed during the game. Roll a single D6 per unit:
| D6 result | Outcome | What happens to the unit |
|---|---|---|
| 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 | Test passed | Nothing happens. The unit returns to your Order of Battle unharmed and keeps every honour it had. |
| 1 (choose one) | Battle Scar | The unit gains one Battle Scar from the D6 scars table. It cannot take the same scar twice. |
| 1 (choose one) | Devastating Blow | The unit loses one existing Battle Honour of your choice, along with the Crusade Points that honour was worth. |
The odds are on your side
A failed test is a one in six chance, roughly 17%. Over a full campaign your veterans will go Out of Action repeatedly and walk away clean nearly every time. Scars are meant to be rare and memorable, not the default cost of dying.
When the test fails: scar or blow?
On a roll of 1, the unit loses something, and you choose what. This choice is the part most often missed. There is no automatic outcome:
- Battle Scar: the unit takes a permanent injury from the D6 scars table, worth −1 Crusade Point. A unit can never have the same Battle Scar twice, and can carry a maximum of three.
- Devastating Blow: the unit loses one existing Battle Honour of your choice, along with the Crusade Points that honour was worth (1 point, or 2 for a TITANIC unit).
Which one you take is a real decision. A green unit with no honours has nothing to give up, so it takes the scar. A decorated veteran with three honours can often afford to lose its least useful upgrade rather than carry a stat penalty for the rest of the campaign, especially if the scar on offer is Crippling Damage or Deep Scars.
The Battle Scars table
If you take the scar, roll a D6 on the Battle Scars table (or choose one, if your campaign allows it):
| D6 | Battle Scar | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crippling Damage | Cannot Advance; −1" Move. |
| 2 | Battle-Weary | −1 to Battle-shock, Leadership and future Out of Action tests. |
| 3 | Fatigued | −1 OC; never receives the Charge bonus. |
| 4 | Disgraced | Cannot be targeted by Stratagems or Marked for Greatness. |
| 5 | Mark of Shame | Cannot form an Attached unit; ignores friendly Auras; cannot be Marked for Greatness. |
| 6 | Deep Scars | Critical Hits against this unit automatically wound. |
Watch for Battle-Weary in particular. It subtracts 1 from future Out of Action tests, which turns a one-in-six failure chance into two-in-six for that unit. Scars compound. For the full effects and the Battle Honours that offset them, see the Battle Honours and Crusade Scars guide.
The three-scar rule and permanent death
Scars accumulate, and eventually a unit runs out of room to absorb them:
- A unit with three Battle Scars that fails another test cannot take a fourth. It must resolve the failure as a Devastating Blow.
- A unit with three Battle Scars and no Battle Honours that fails another test has nothing left to give. It is permanently removed from your Order of Battle.
Permanent removal is the only true death
This is the only way the rules take a unit off your Order of Battle for good, and it takes a long, brutal campaign to get there: three separate failed tests, every honour stripped, and then one more failure. A unit that simply gets destroyed in a game is never lost. It is back on the table next battle.
Units that never take a scar
Some units automatically pass their Out of Action test and can never be scarred by it:
- Epic Heroes, because named characters do not get maimed by the campaign system.
- Fortifications, rebuilt between battles.
- Swarms, replenished rather than injured.
- Summoned units, which were never really there.
What a failed test costs you in Crusade Points
Crusade Points measure how upgraded a unit is, and both failure outcomes reduce them:
- A Battle Scar subtracts 1 Crusade Point.
- A Devastating Blow removes the honour and the point it was worth, so 1, or 2 if the unit is TITANIC.
Echelon recalculates this for you on submission and floors the total at zero, so a heavily scarred unit with no honours sits at 0 rather than going negative. Your army's total Crusade Points is the sum across your Order of Battle, and a lower total is what earns you Crusade Blessings against a more decorated opponent.
How to record an Out of Action test in Echelon
Echelon tracks Out of Action status live during the game, so the post-battle screen already knows which units need a test. You supply the dice result; it enforces the rules around it.
- 1
Open the post-battle report
Once the battle result is in, open the battle and scroll to Post-Battle Sequence. Any unit you marked Out of Action during the game already carries an OOA badge and its own Out of Action test control, so you never have to remember which units died.
- 2
Roll one D6 per Out of Action unit
Roll a physical D6 for each unit listed. Most rolls are a pass, so most units cost you nothing. Echelon does not roll for you: the dice stay on the table where the rest of your game happened.
- 3
Record what the dice said
On a 2+, choose Passed, no scar and move on. On a 1, choose Battle Scar and pick the scar from the dropdown, or Devastating Blow and pick which Battle Honour the unit loses. Options the unit cannot legally take are greyed out.
- 4
Choose Marked for Greatness
Pick the one unit that earns +3 XP for this battle. This is required. The submit button stays disabled until you choose, and until every Out of Action unit has a recorded result.
- 5
Submit the report
Submitting awards XP, applies scars and honour losses, recalculates Crusade Points, and updates each unit's battle tally. Your opponent files their own report; the battle completes when everyone has.
Echelon will not let you break the rules
The Battle Scar option is disabled for a unit that already has three scars, the Devastating Blow option is disabled for a unit with no Battle Honours, and scars the unit already carries never appear in the dropdown. If both losing options are closed off, the unit has reached permanent removal.
Removing a scar later
A scar is permanent until you pay to remove it. Spend the Repair and Recuperate Requisition in the post-battle step: it costs 1 RP, plus 1 RP for each Battle Honour the unit already has, to a maximum of 5 RP. The scar is removed and the unit gets its Crusade Point back. Decorated units are expensive to heal, which is exactly the trade the rules intend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a unit always get a Battle Scar when it goes Out of Action?
No. Going Out of Action only means you have to take the test. You roll one D6 and the test is passed on a 2+, so five results out of six leave the unit completely unharmed. A Battle Scar is only possible on a roll of 1.
What are the odds of failing an Out of Action test?
One in six, or about 17%. A unit that goes Out of Action in five separate battles will, on average, fail once. Battle-Weary is the exception worth watching: that scar applies −1 to future Out of Action tests, which doubles the failure chance to two in six.
Should I take a Battle Scar or a Devastating Blow when I fail?
It depends on what the unit is carrying. A unit with no Battle Honours has nothing to lose to a Devastating Blow, so it takes the scar. A veteran unit with three honours often prefers to drop the least useful honour rather than carry a permanent stat penalty for the rest of the campaign.
What happens when a unit already has three Battle Scars?
It cannot take a fourth. A failed test must be resolved as a Devastating Blow instead. If the unit has three Battle Scars and no Battle Honours left to lose, it is permanently removed from your Order of Battle.
Which units automatically pass Out of Action tests?
Epic Heroes, Fortifications, units with the Swarm keyword, and units that were summoned during the battle automatically pass and never take a scar.
Can I remove a Battle Scar later?
Yes. Spend the Repair and Recuperate Requisition in the post-battle step. It costs 1 RP plus 1 RP per Battle Honour the unit has, up to 5 RP, and removes one scar.
Does Echelon roll the Out of Action test for me?
No. You roll a physical D6 at the table and record the outcome. Echelon enforces the rules around that result: it will not let a unit take the same scar twice, take a fourth scar, or take a Devastating Blow with no honours to lose.
This guide explains the Out of Action test in Warhammer 40,000 Crusade mode. For official rules and codex-specific exceptions, consult Games Workshop rules. Echelon is an independent campaign tracker and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Games Workshop.