Living Rules Reference · v2.0
87
Sustain Damage (Unit Ability)
Some units have the “Sustain Damage” ability. Immediately before a player assigns hits to their units, that player can use the “Sustain Damage” ability of any of their units in the active system.
For each “Sustain Damage” ability that a player uses, one hit produced by another player’s units is canceled. Then, each unit using this ability is placed on its side to indicate that it is damaged.
A damaged unit does not have reduced capabilities and is functionally the same as an undamaged unit, except that it cannot use the “Sustain Damage” ability.
A damaged unit cannot use the “Sustain Damage” ability until it is repaired during the status phase or by another game effect.
A unit can use its “Sustain Damage” ability any time a hit is produced against it. This includes hits produced during combat and from unit abilities such as the “Space Cannon” ability.
- A unit can only use the “Sustain Damage” ability if it is eligible to be hit. For example, a player cannot use a dreadnought’s “Sustain Damage” ability to cancel a hit from “Anti-Fighter Barrage.”
The “Sustain Damage” ability cannot be used to cancel an effect that directly destroys a unit.
The Barony of Letnev’s “Non-Euclidean Shielding” faction technology allows the Letnev player’s units with the “Sustain Damage” ability to cancel up to two hits instead of one.
Source: Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition — Living Rules Reference v2.0 (September 22, 2020), page 32. Rules text reproduced verbatim; the rulebook’s diagrams are omitted.