Category:Magical Damage

Unlike most games, having a weapon with a Damage Type in Warmachine doesn't do anything extra for your damage output (with the exception of Corrosion continuous effect, Fire continuous effect, and Damage Type: Magical).

Generally speaking, if you have a Damage Type, then 75% of the time it'll be irrelevant, 20% of the time it is a disadvantage because your opponent is immune to it, and 5% of the time it does something worthwhile because you stacked it with a different special rule (such as Fuel for the Flames or Peel Back the Layers).

• Damage Type: Magical (Page 18) - This weapon causes magical damage (but not magic damage).

Damage Type: Magical is a weird beast:

• The first thing to note is that a "magical attack" is not the same thing as a "magic attack" (see LPG - Magic vs Magical for more about that little gem).
• Secondly, unlike the other damage types, there is no such thing as Immunity: Magical.

The closest thing is stuff like Incorporeal and Passage. Those special rules say the model take zero damage from attacks except attacks with Damage Type: Magical (so they're the reverse of an immunity).

• Thirdly, all spells automatically always deal Damage Type: Magical ... except for when they don't (see the Rules Clarifications below for more about that can of worms).

See also the basic training article: 101 - Damage Type

Rules Clarification:  : Magical Damage      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

* The "Damage Type: Magical" is not inherited by "secondary" damage from a weapon. That is, stuff like arcs (Electro Leap) or hazards (Scather). (Infernal Ruling) All spells have "Damage Type: Magical" (refer errata). This is inherited by "immediate" secondary damage (such as Eruption of Spines). (Infernal Ruling) and might be inherited by "lingering" secondary damage (see below). If a spell leaves a template in play that does damage to models that walk around in it, then: if it is not described as a hazard it will do magical damage to models that walk around in it. (Example: Razor Wall) if it is a hazard then it will not do magical damage to models that walk around in it. Instead, it does whatever damage type is specified by the spell description. (Example: Breath of Corruption). (Infernal Ruling) If a weapon/spell includes Magic Damage and another kind of elemental damage it will still damage Incorporeal models. Incorporeal models are not affected by the rule "if an attack does multiple types of damage and a model is immune to at least one it is immune to the entire attack." The phrase "immune to non-magical damage" should be interpreted as "immune to damage that doesn't include Damage Type: Magical" (not interpreted as "has immunity to Corrosion and Electricity and Cold and etc.")