I can see A LOT of equally valid interpretations and I'm interested in what others think. Is it a force field that stops attacks before they hit the target? If it's a force field, what happens when attacks hit? Is it visible when the warded person isn't being threatened? Does it come with sound effects? What about dumb luck? The bullet is deflected off the target's jewelry, a gust of wind catches the arrow, the enemy weapon splinters apart before hitting or at least hits with the blunt side. What about unreliable invincibility? The attack hits but rebounds like it hit a brick wall, sometimes. Does THAT come with sound effects? Or alternatively it still hurts a bit, but it doesn't really wound. So a warded sword wound is no more debilitating than stubbing your toe or a small cut on your finger got while trying to convert models into zombies with a dull exacto knife. I can't make up my mind or rather I think every Ward save would be different. I think Slann would have a forcefield. Attacks would stop short of the Slann and his palanquin without any drama. No clashes or bouncing, they just stop. If it was a projectile it would fall fairly slowly. I think most non Slann with Ward Saves of 4+ or better would have similar force fields although they would be louder or brighter. A Tzeentch powered Ward might have the attacking projectile turn into dust and a purple aura. A Ward save from the Horned Rat might be accompanied with high pitched laughter and a green glow. I think most 6+ ward saves would manifest as dumb luck or wounds that are surprisingly mild. Maybe there'd be a cosmetic effect like a brief glowing of protective talismans or tattoos but it'd be so mild you might miss it. I just don't see them as reliable enough to justify a literal force field. I think the Opal Amulet and other one use Ward saves would fall under this though I could see a case for a force field popping up once in a dramatic fashion. I think Magic Resistance would just have the spell wash over the target as harmlessly as water off of a ducks back. When the spell is done there would be no evidence it every happened at all. Same with special ward saves versus flaming attacks though I can see a case for fire being rapidly snuffed out. I could see a spell being erased or deflected but I think that is a better literary reaction to something being dispelled. Phoenix Guard are emboldened by the knowledge of the exact manner of their destined death and they have 4+ Ward saves. That's potent, but I don't think a force field is appropriate. I imagine their Ward Saves are a borderline precognition ability to deflect blows before they come. Even with artillery they probably look like Wonder Woman deflecting shrapnel. I don't see this method of Ward Saves being appropriate for non-elves. I imagine bad asses like Dwarves and Orcs with Ward Saves might lean towards the "just a flesh wound" camp. or "NOTHING can penetrate my armor!" It's the 5+ Ward Saves I'm less sure of. Seems to weak for a force field. Seems too strong for the unit to just be lucky. What does it look like when a Daemon avoids getting injured entirely? What happens to a unit of elf whose High Magic caster is stacking on Ward Saves? I could see a Khorne or Slaaneshi daemon could deflect hits or dodge them supernaturally well, a Tzeentch daemon having freakishly good luck, and a Nurgle Daemon having hits merely take off a tumor or something they can live without. Part of me thinks they should have a universal ward save mechanism since they have universal Ward Save.
Nice ideas in there Scalenex! my thoughts on the demon save - maybe that part of their body momentarily phases out of reality and the blade passes harmlessly through? Fits my idea of them forcing their bodies into the world. in more in the camp of ward saves being a blow that would normally wound being deflected by the magical quality of the armour. Eg the blade imperceptibly bent to the side at the last moment, like how a magnet can deflect things. one time saves etc i do see as a massive discharge of energy as the amulet explodes etc. edit: been thinking some more (!). How do you feel about Matrix style feel for wards? Eg "I'm sure I shot him in the head with an arrow, but somehow I missed!". So somehow the attack just doesn't make contact, even though it looked like it would have. The bearer of the ward save would not even notice the save s it happened
I think, in the fluff, a ward save isn't actually a tangeble thing in all cases. It could be a combination of a wizard using the winds of magic to ward a cannonball off-course, it could be divine intervention that causes a rifle shot to break apart before it does any damage, it could be the magic of the gods that force the skin to grow hard as a rock momentarily, to save the life of an unsuspecting trooper. For example, the HE Phoenix Guard have seen into the future and know when and how they die. In this case, I see it as something as simple as falling into a ditch to narrowly avoid an arrow in the eye. I guess I see it as everythng otherworldly or not, or chance.
I've been viewing it more like a repulsing effect. If you were to have a magnet at the bottom of a tube, and drop a second magnet with the same polarity down the tube, the two would repulse each other as they got close. The faster they are going, the more likely it is that the magnetic force won't be able to push back hard enough to prevent getting hit. 4+ ward saves are the best magnet you can get. It pushes back, and takes a lot of force to get through. So, random arrow gets shot just a little harder than usual, and is able to pierce through hard enough to cause a wound. A 5+ ward save is a weaker magnet, and thus it is easier to get enough force into a shot to push through, while a 6+ is weaker still. The reason it is a repulsing effect rather than a force field is because the warded unit is still getting hit. The ward is just determining if they were hit with enough force to cause a wound after the slowing effect of the repulsing field. With my version they still take all the hits, but with a slowing effect. Some still wound, others just kind of bounce off of their armor. No crackling energy field or anything. Just the person taking the same number of hits they always do, and taking less damage with each hit.
Just from a game mechanics point of view, Attacker swings. They actually hit... with enough force to wound a target of said toughness... which would penetrate their armour... as long as the target doesn't parry. then we have a concession for the magical side of the game. The mechanics would be different for different races: Lukky Bloo war paint causes, well, lucky things to happen. A timely sneeze, a stumble etc. Magic armour might cause light / sparks or convert the energy of the blow into another harmless form. Slanns should have a dalek style force field to show their utter mastery of the elements around them. A daemon might be phasing in and out of corporeal form and therefore only be hittable some of the time. An undead thing might take the wound without losing any significant amount of vigour. The Gungans could have equal mastery of shield technology AND pointy sticks. Regeneration is just a ward, with a flaming attack restriction (or it used to be) A Bretonnian's attacker might be put off by a bright vision of the lady. Scalenex's named characters could use any combination of the above and still succumb to an infection. Let the fluff be your guide! The only hard and fast rule to follow is that your regadon giant bow will never hit anything, whether it has a save or not.
Mechanics wise, this makes sense for ease of game play, but I figure Ward Saves would rarely happen last in the sequence fluffwise. Good idea, a Ward save means you survive the battle, not that you survive my story. You just inadvertently gave me an unrelated short story idea....
And so you are going to find a pretext to blame me for the death of your next hero. Please forgive me, Pinki/Sneezi/Boopsi/Ringo-Kai !
A stubbed toe gets infected and then moments before his 3 month circling of the drain, a kroxigor accidentally drops a slab of stone on his face. Accidental mercy, or failed dangerous terrain?
Slann - magnetic resistance as described above Swordmasters/parry - a perfect angled counterblow Daemons - "now im here now im not" syndrom WoC with tzeenetch save - good calculations which lead to luck. EoTg - gungan bubble ...a weak one...gungang shields can stop massive rocket and laser bombardment. Ours more often than not fails to hold back wooden arrows. And so on and so on, everything its own way. But a question: if Phoenix guard has seen their own deaths, why arent they unbreakable? "I die a year from now by the axe of a bloodthirster, but im most CERTAINLY not gonna stay around these smelly plaguebearers for ONE MORE second!" *whimses away holding up his dress so it doesnt get muddy*