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Is It Better to Reroll Hit or Reroll Wounds? The Definitive Guide

The age-old question! In the intricate world of tabletop wargaming, particularly in games like Warhammer 40,000, optimizing your dice rolls is crucial for victory. When faced with the choice, is it better to reroll hit rolls or wound rolls? The answer, surprisingly, is nuanced and depends heavily on the specific circumstances of the game, the abilities involved, and the target you’re facing.

In many simplified scenarios, rerolling 1s to hit is mathematically equivalent to rerolling 1s to wound. However, reality is rarely so simple. A blanket statement favoring one over the other is misleading. To truly optimize, you must consider several factors, including the initial probabilities of success for each roll, the presence of other modifiers, special abilities, and even the strategic importance of the target.

Let’s break down the core considerations.

Understanding the Math: A Simplified Baseline

On a basic level, if you only have the option to reroll failed rolls (typically represented by rolling a 1), the mathematical odds are identical whether you apply it to the hit roll or the wound roll. This is because you’re effectively increasing your chances of converting a failed roll into a success, regardless of which stage of the attack sequence it occurs. This holds true when you’re strictly talking about rerolling ONLY 1s. However, this baseline is often disrupted by the complexities of the game.

Factors Favoring Rerolling Hits

Overcharging Plasma Weapons: Many weapons, such as overcharged plasma guns, risk inflicting mortal wounds on the user if a 1 is rolled to hit. Rerolling hit rolls can significantly mitigate this self-destructive risk. This is a crucial tactical consideration.
Modifiers to Hit Rolls: If you have modifiers that make hitting easier (e.g., +1 to hit), it becomes more advantageous to ensure that initial hit is successful. A +1 to hit makes hitting more reliable and rerolling hits will magnify the chance to land those hits.
Abilities Triggered on Hits: Some abilities or stratagems trigger only on successful hit rolls. Rerolling hits maximizes the chances of activating these potentially devastating effects.
Higher Probability of Failing the Hit Roll: If your base chance to hit is relatively low (e.g., hitting on a 5+), rerolling hits provides a greater immediate return, as there are more potential failures to correct.

Factors Favoring Rerolling Wounds

Modifiers to Wound Rolls: Similar to hit rolls, modifiers that make wounding easier (e.g., +1 to wound) amplify the effectiveness of ensuring a successful wound roll. A higher chance to wound is maximized through rerolling.
Abilities Triggered on Wounds: Some abilities or stratagems activate specifically on successful wound rolls. Rerolling wounds will increase the chances that this happens.
Higher Probability of Failing the Wound Roll: If your base chance to wound is low (e.g., wounding on a 5+ or 6+), rerolling wounds becomes more impactful, as you’re correcting a higher percentage of failures.
High-Value Targets: If you’re targeting a unit of critical importance, ensuring that you wound it becomes paramount. Rerolling wounds on these targets can swing the battle in your favor.
Weapon Abilities Dependent on Wound Rolls: Certain weapons have abilities that only trigger if the wound roll is successful. For example, a weapon might inflict additional mortal wounds on a successful wound roll of a 6. Rerolling wounds in this case maximizes the potential for these extra effects.
Units that Mitigate Hits: Some units, like those with Smoke Launchers, might severely penalize the chance to hit. Once you’ve overcome that hurdle, ensuring that you wound becomes even more crucial.

Strategic Considerations

Beyond the raw probabilities, strategic considerations play a major role. Ask yourself:

What is the priority target? Focus your rerolls on damaging the most dangerous or strategically important enemy units.
What are the potential consequences of failure? If failing to hit means triggering a dangerous ability on the enemy unit, prioritize rerolling hits. If failing to wound means allowing a powerful enemy unit to survive another turn, prioritize rerolling wounds.
What resources do I have available? Consider other abilities, stratagems, or psychic powers that might further modify your hit or wound rolls. Coordinating these abilities with your rerolls can create synergistic effects.

The Takeaway

Ultimately, there’s no universally “better” option. The ideal choice depends on a careful assessment of the specific situation. Consider the probabilities, modifiers, abilities, and strategic importance of your target. By analyzing these factors, you can make informed decisions that maximize your chances of success.

The GamesLearningSociety.org explores the principles of game-based learning which is applicable here. Understanding the rules, probabilities, and strategic options is paramount to maximizing your opportunities in the Warhammer 40k setting. It’s about understanding the underlying system and making informed choices that yield the best results.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can you reroll mortal wound rolls?

Generally, no. Mortal wounds are typically considered separate from the attack sequence. Rerolls that specify hit rolls, wound rolls, or damage rolls typically do not apply to mortal wound rolls unless a specific rule states otherwise.

2. What does “reroll” mean in the context of gaming?

In most gaming contexts, “reroll” refers to the act of repeating a dice roll or other random process to obtain a potentially more favorable outcome. In some games like World of Warcraft, it can also refer to creating a new character, effectively restarting your progress.

3. What can you reroll in 9th edition Warhammer 40,000?

In 9th Edition Warhammer 40,000, you can reroll a hit roll, a wound roll, a damage roll, a saving throw, an Advance roll, a charge roll, a Psychic test, a Deny the Witch test, or a dice roll determining the number of attacks made by a weapon.

4. What does “reroll the hit roll” mean in 40k?

“Reroll the hit roll” means you re-roll the specific dice you rolled to determine whether an attack successfully hits the target. You only reroll the dice that failed to meet the required threshold. Each dice is considered an individual hit roll.

5. Are Hit and Wound Roll Buffs the Best?

Hit and wound roll buffs are among the most powerful buffs in Warhammer 40,000, as they directly increase your chances of dealing damage. However, their effectiveness depends on the specific circumstances, and other buffs (e.g., damage buffs, invulnerable saves) can also be highly valuable.

6. How do rerolls work in League of Legends champion select?

In League of Legends, a reroll allows you to randomly select a different champion to play in champion select, provided you have enough reroll points. Champions you reroll from are added to the champion pool for that game.

7. What is a “death roll” in WoW?

A “death roll” is a player-created minigame in World of Warcraft where two players take turns rolling dice, with each player rolling a number between 1 and the previous player’s roll. The goal is to avoid rolling a 1, as that results in a loss.

8. Is a lethal hit a critical wound?

No. A Lethal Hit automatically scores a wound and skips the wound roll. Because there is no wound roll, it cannot trigger Devastating Wounds which requires a critical wound to be triggered.

9. Can you reroll hunger dice in Vampire: The Masquerade?

You cannot directly reroll Hunger dice in Vampire: The Masquerade using Willpower like normal dice. Instead, you must manage your dice pool and potentially use other abilities or advantages to influence the outcome.

10. What are the odds of getting a 5-star character in Genshin Impact?

The base chance of pulling a 5-star character in Genshin Impact is 0.6%. However, the game has a “pity system” that guarantees a 5-star character within 90 wishes.

11. Is it better to reroll skin shards in League of Legends?

Whether to reroll skin shards depends on the shards you have. Generally, it’s recommended to reroll low-value shards or shards for champions you don’t play. High-value shards for skins you want should typically be kept.

12. Do drink tickets affect rerolling gear in Splatoon?

No, drink tickets in Splatoon affect the likelihood of specific abilities appearing on gear during normal gameplay. They do not influence Murch’s rerolling service, which provides chunks.

13. What is the crocodile death roll?

The “death roll” is a hunting technique used by crocodiles and alligators where they rapidly rotate their body along its longitudinal axis to dismember their prey.

14. What is the formula for a reroll probability?

The basic formula for calculating the probability of success with a reroll is: (Probability of success on the first roll) + (Probability of failure on the first roll) * (Probability of success on the reroll).

15. How do rerolls affect overall probability?

Rerolls significantly increase the probability of success. By allowing you to repeat a failed roll, you effectively get a second chance to achieve the desired outcome, boosting your overall odds. Games like Warhammer 40k depend on these small increases to increase your chances of winning.

Is it better to reroll hit or reroll wounds?