Can you explain to me how might works in terms of damage and health? Essentially, if I reduce a unit's might, it reduces health and damage, correct? But if I do damage to a unit, it doesn't affect how much damage it can do, right?
To clarify how Might, damage, and health interact in Riftbound, it is important to first understand that "Health" as a separate stat does not exist.
Instead, a unit's Might acts as both its offensive power and its threshold for being killed. Here is the breakdown based on the official rules:
1. Does damage reduce Might?
No. According to Rule 141 and several RiftJudge FAQs (such as FAQ #1193 and #556), damage marked on a unit does not reduce its Might.
- A unit's Might remains constant regardless of how much damage is marked on it.
- A unit with 7 Might that has 6 damage marked on it still deals 7 damage in combat.
2. How does a unit die?
Damage is a value "marked" or tracked on a unit (Rule 141.2). A unit is only killed if the total damage marked on it is greater than or equal to its current Might (Rule 142.2.a).
- Think of it as damage counting up from 0 toward the Might threshold, rather than a health bar counting down from Might to 0.
3. What happens if you reduce a unit's Might?
If an effect reduces a unit's Might (e.g., a spell that gives -2 Might), it affects both its offensive output and its survivability:
- Damage Output: Since a unit deals damage equal to its current Might during combat (Rule 443.1), reducing its Might directly reduces the damage it deals.
- Survivability: Because the unit's "kill threshold" is tied to its Might, reducing its Might makes it easier to kill. If a unit has 3 damage marked on it and you reduce its Might from 4 to 2, the unit will immediately die because its marked damage (3) now exceeds its new Might (2).
Summary Table
| Action | Effect on Might | Effect on Combat Damage | Effect on Survivability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marking Damage | No change | No change | Increases risk of being killed |
| Reducing Might | Decreases | Decreases | Decreases (easier to kill) |
In short: Marking damage on a unit does not affect the damage it deals. While it might be intuitive to think of reducing Might as "reducing health," it is more accurate to understand that reducing Might lowers the threshold required to kill the unit.