Hitting your target is not always enough to put it out of action. Not all hits cause damage and some targets can take quite a bit of damage before they are destroyed. A hit might result in nothing more than a superficial graze or flesh wound.
To decide if a hit causes damage, compare the weapon's Strength characteristic with the target's Toughness characteristic. Each weapon has its own Strength score as given in the description of the weapon. Here are some examples of different weapons and their Strength characteristics.
| Weapon | Strength |
|---|---|
| Splinter Rifle | 3 |
| Boltgun | 4 |
| Melta Gun | 8 |
| Lascannon | 9 |
To work out the damage caused by the weapon consult the following Damage chart. If you cross reference the weapon's Strength (S) with the target's Toughness (T) the resulting number is the minimum D6 result needed to convert the hit into damage. As with shooting roll the dice together and once again you can use different coloured dice to represent different weapon strengths.
If this roll is successful the target has been wounded and is removed as a casualty. Casualties are not necessarily dead, they may be merely knocked unconscious or incapacitated in some way. In any case, they are no longer fit to participate in the battle.
Note that N on the chart means that the hit has no effect. A target with the Toughness indicated cannot be harmed by a hit of such a puny strength.
EXAMPLE: A Space Marine armed with a boltgun shoots at an Ork and hits him. A boltgun has a Strength of 4 and the Ork has a Toughness of 4. Referring to the chart a score of 4 or more is needed to convert the hit into damage. If the dice roll is 4 or more then the Ork takes a wound – as he has only 1 wound in the first place this means that he will be 'killed' and removed from play.
Damage Chart
| Strength \ Toughness | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4+ | 5+ | 6+ | 6+ | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| 2 | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ | 6+ | 6+ | N | N | N | N | N |
| 3 | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ | 6+ | 6+ | N | N | N | N |
| 4 | 2+ | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ | 6+ | 6+ | N | N | N |
| 5 | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ | 6+ | 6+ | N | N |
| 6 | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ | 6+ | 6+ | N |
| 7 | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ | 6+ | 6+ |
| 8 | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ | 6+ |
| 9 | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ |
| 10 | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ |