Boomhowler, Solo Artist

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Boomhowler, Solo Artist Mercenary, & Minion, & Trollblood Partisan, Trollkin Character Solo

Mark IV Status: Limbo - This model has not (yet) been updated with Mk IV rules, as of 2022.12. Privateer Press have promised it will get updated ... eventually. You can view the Mk3 models that have been updated on this page. Note that the rest of this page is about the model's Mark III rules.

Once the leader of the infamous mercenary band, Boomholwer & Co., Greygore Boomhowler struck out as a solo act—no, like he actually struck out—until he found an instrument that truly spoke to him: a chain gun!

Basic Info

Boomhowler2
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Medium SPD 5 STR 7 MAT 7 RAT 6 M.A. N/A DEF 12 ARM 15 CMD 8 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 8 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA C UNIT SIZE N/A COST 6 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Riot Quest - Although this model has rules which allow it to be played in Warmachine and Hordes, it was primarily designed for the Riot Quest boardgame. RQ is set in an alternate and/or future timeline where the Infernals won the war. Some of the RQ models are slightly more goofy than their WMH equivalents.

Mercenary - This model will work for Crucible Guard, Cryx, Cygnar, or Khador.

Minion - This model will work for Trollbloods.

• Partisan [ Trollblood ] - When included in a Trollblood army, this model/unit is a Trollblood model/unit instead of a Minion/Mercenary model/unit.

Abilities

• Tough
• Fell Calls - This model can make one of the following calls at any time during its activation. A friendly Faction model/unit can be affected by only one call each turn.
  • Cacophony - While in this model's command range, enemy models/units cannot cast spells or be used to channel spells. Cacophony lasts for one round.
  • Cry of Defiance - RNG 5. Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit. If the model/unit is in range, affected models do not lose Tough while knocked down. Cry of Defiance lasts for one round.
  • Special Orders - RNG 5. Target friendly Faction model/unit. If the model/unit is in range, it gains Reposition [3"] for one turn. (Reposition [3"] - At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3"] can advance up to 3", then its activation ends.)

Weapons

Chain Gun
		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		10			d3+1			-			10
Beat Back - Immediately after a basic attack with this weapon is resolved during this model's Combat Action, the enemy model hit can be pushed 1" directly away from the attacking model. After the enemy model is pushed, the attacking model can advance up to 1" directly toward it. Covering Fire (★ Action) - Place a wall template anywhere completely within this weapon's RNG and this model's LOS, ignoring intervening models. A model entering or ending its activation in the template suffers a damage roll with POW equal to the POW of this weapon. The template remains in play for one round. If this model is destroyed or removed from play, immediately remove the template from play. Critical Knockdown - On a critical hit, the model hit becomes knocked down.
Great Axe
		RNG				POW				P+S
		1				5				12

Theme Forces

• Mercenaries
  • Soldiers of Fortune. He gains Mark Target in this theme.
  • The Irregulars
  • The Kingmaker's Army. He gains Feign Death in this theme.
• Minions
  • Vengeance of Dhunia
  • Will Work for Food

• Trollblood
  • As a Minion solo he can go in every theme, but he'll use your "Up to one Minion solo" slot most of the time.
  • Band of Heroes. He gains "Optional Take Down".
  • Kriel Company. Boomhowler doesn't use up your Minion slot in this theme. Also, he gains Mark Target.
  • Power of Dhunia
  • Storm of the North. He becomes Northkin and gains Immunity: Cold.
  • Vengeance of Dhunia. No limit on Minion slots in this theme.

• Other Factions
  • Mercenary/Minion models can be hired by other Factions. Normally those Factions' themes will have a limit on how many models they can hire. Refer to #Other Theme Forces, below.

Thoughts on Boomhowler2

Boomhowler2 in a nutshell

Boomhowler2 brings two main abilities to the table, Reposition and Cacophony, a niche anti-knockdown ability, and lastly he is an okay "ranged control" solo.

• Special Orders is considered his best ability, it is "Reposition on a stick", and most units will appreciate the extra move - ranged units especially so.
• Cacophony lets you shut down enemy spellcasting which can be super important in some matchups, for instance vs Agathon.
• His gun's low POW means he's not a raw damage dealer like most combat solos, but the gun's utility makes up for raw power. Covering Fire and Beat Back means he can contribute to your scenario game by messing with the enemy's position.

Note that when he works outside of Merc/Minions/Trolls, most things in the army will be a different Faction. So he won't be able to use his best ability, Special Orders, unless there is a Mercenary/Minion unit working alongside him. Still his other abilities are good enough that you should consider taking him.

Combos & Synergies

• Nyss Hunters are a ranged unit without the Reposition rule, so they appreciate Special Orders.
  • Same goes for most units in Kriel Company.
• Ranged solos like Harlowe Holdemhigh or Gastone Crosse like Repo just as much.
• In Kingmakers, he can Special Order a unit of Trencher Infantry, so they can do a rolling cloudwall.
• Crosse2 loses out on his second best buddy Gibbs in Soldiers of Fortune. Greygore can fill in the role of giving him Reposition.
• As with Boomhowler1, MacBain can feat on him, have him yell cacophony and run to mute spellcasters.
• Units with Shield Wall like Precursor Knights love being able to advance and repo for an extra 3" of movement while still being able to benefit from the ARM buff.
• in Trolls Champions with Skaldi can use overtake and then reposition back to take advantage of defensive line.
• in Trolls the Krielstone is a great reposition target turn1 so it can use its special action and not tax your caster that much.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• The POW and RNG of his gun is flimsy.
• His CMD range is pretty low, meaning he has to be close to his Fell Call target, which will might get him killed.
• He is fairly easy to kill for 6 points.
• If you take him as a "real Merc" (ie in a non-Merc non-Minion non-Troll army), his Special Orders will have few valid targets.

Tricks & Tips

• Remember that beat back is optional - don’t advance into charge range

Other

Trivia

• Released 2019.07

Other Theme Forces

Crucible Guard (Edit)

• Magnum Opus

Cryx (Edit)

• Black Industries
• Dark Host
• The Ghost Fleet
• Scourge of the Broken Coast

Cygnar (Edit)

• Gravediggers
• Heavy Metal
• Sons of the Tempest
• Storm Division

Khador (Edit)

• Armored Korps
• Jaws of the Wolf
• Legion of Steel
• Winter Guard Kommand

Other Faction models

Trollbloods Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warlocks	Borka1 - Borka2 - Calandra - Gunnbjorn1 - Gunnbjorn2 - Grim1 - Grim2 - Grissel1 - Grissel2 - Doomshaper1 - Doomshaper2 - Doomshaper3 - Horgle2 - Jarl - Kolgrima - Madrak1 - Madrak2 - Madrak3 - Ragnor
Warlock Attachment	Trollkin Runebearer	Lesser Warlocks	Horgle1 - Madrak0
Light warbeasts	Ice Troll - Night Troll - Pyre Troll - Slag Troll - Storm Troll - Swamp Troll - Troll Axer - Troll Basher - Troll Bouncer - Troll Impaler - Winter Troll
Heavy warbeasts	Dire Troll Blitzer - Dire Troll Bomber - Dire Troll Brawler - Dire Troll Mauler - Dozer & Smigg - Earthborn Dire Troll - Mulg the Ancient - Rök
Gargantuan	Glacier King - Mountain King - Sea King
Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units	Dannon Blythe & Bull - Boomhowler1 - Dhunian Knot - Kriel Warriors - Stone Bearer - NK Bears - NK Fire Eaters - NK Raiders - Pummeler Crew - Pyg Burrowers - Pyg Bushwhackers - Pyg Lookouts - Sons of Bragg - Scattergunners - Thumper Crew - T Champions - T Fennblades - T Highwaymen - T Long Riders - T Runeshapers - T Scouts - T Sluggers - Warders Special WA: Trollkin Sorcerer
Solos	Boomhowler2 - Boomhowler3 - Braylen Wanderheart, Trollkin Outlaw - Bumbles - Dhunian Archon - Fell Caller Hero - Fennblade Kithkar - General 'Thunderstone' Brug - Horgle1 - Horthol, Long Rider Hero - Janissa Stonetide - Ledfoot & Tredz - Madrak0 - Northkin Shaman - Pyg Tank - Stone Scribe Chronicler - Troll Whelps - Trollkin Champion Hero - Trollkin Skinner Valka Curseborn, Chieftain of the North
Battle Engines	Hearthgut Hooch Hauler - War Wagon
Theme Forces
Band of Heroes - Kriel Company - Power of Dhunia - Storm of the North - Vengeance of Dhunia
Minions that work for the Trollblooods
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Trollblood Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.10

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Boomhowler Partisan There is a small typo in Boomhowler's Partisan. The intent is dor him to lose both Minion and Merxenary Faction tags when he is in a Trollblood army. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification:  : Partisan      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

Which Faction am I? Partisans are Mercenary (or Minion) models unless they're taken in their "Home" Faction. For example, a Mercenary model that is Partisan [Cygnar]: When used in most armies it is "friendly Faction" only to other Mercenary models. When used in a Cygnar army it is "friendly Faction" to Cygnar models ... and stops being "friendly Faction" to any other Mercenaries in that Cygnar army. In a multi-caster game, Partisans count as the main army's Faction and not as a Mercenary models (if playing a Faction other than Mercaneries). (Infernal Ruling) Attachments If a Partisan unit can get a special attachment from their Partisan Faction (for instance a Soulless Escort or Trollkin Sorcerer) then they can only get that attachment when they're in the Partisan Faction. They can't take it when working as a regular Mercenary. (Locked thread) When taken in their Partisan Faction, they can't have a Ranking Officer attached. Partisan warcasters If you have a Partisan caster, you must choose whether your army is a Mercenary force or a [Partisan Faction] force. What warjacks the caster can take are then limited by your choice. Partisan casters can be taken in [Partisan Faction] theme forces. Refer to the main rulebook. Partisan casters can be fielded in multiple-caster games. (Locked thread) See also the Category: Partisan for what happens if you mix and match Partisan casters and Merc casters in multi-caster games. Partisans & Theme Forces (Edit) Partisans are Mercenary/Minion models, so there are two ways you can add them to a theme force: Freely: If the Partisan is on the list of allowed models, then you can take as many as you want plus another Mercenary unit/solo. (Infernal Ruling) They can be explicitly allowed (for example Jaws of the Wolf allows "Kayazy models/units" so Partisan Kayayz can be used freely). They can be implicitly allowed (for example Scourge of the Broken Coast allows "living Cryx models/units" and Partisan Cephalyx fit that criteria, so they can be used freely). (Infernal Ruling) Limited: If the Partisan isn't on the list of allowed models, it does use up your "Up to one Mercenary/Minion" slot, so you can only have the one. Whether you used option 1 or 2 above, once they're in your theme force they count as a Faction model and so: They can be taken as a Requistion Option (if they fit the Requistion description). For example Lanyssa can be taken as a free solo in the Legion of Dawn theme. (Infernal Ruling) They will get any theme benefit that they fit the description for. For example Storm Division gives all Cygnar models Immunity Electricity, so Partisan Mercs in that theme get immunity too. For example Nemo4's Mechaniks get Reposition [3] in Heavy Metal. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Tough - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Fell Calls      (Edit) Restrictions on "Any Time" abilities     (Edit)         [Show/Hide] "Any Time" abilities can be used at any time during a model/unit's activation, except: Before any compulsory forfeiture of movement/action. See step 2 of the activation sequence, appendix A. After the model with the "Any Time" ability has had their activation end "prematurely". By this I mean you resolved something which includes the phrase "its activation ends". Examples include: Running, failing a charge, or failing a slam. Abilities that include "then its activation ends" (such as Reposition and Teleport). In between declaring your charge target and making your charge movement. (Infernal Ruling) In between completing your charge movement and determining whether it was a successful charge. (Infernal Ruling) When you're in the middle of moving. (Note: Impact Attacks count as being in the middle of movement). When you're in the middle of an attack. Which also includes effects that occur "after the attack is resolved". (Although the attack is "resolved" at Step 11, in terms of using an "Any Time" ability the attack is not "finished" until after Step 14. Refer to the first paragraph of Apdx A.) Your opponent interrupted your activation to trigger one of their own abilities (such as Countercharge). Warcasters/warlocks/etc can normally cast a spell or use their feat "At any time". However, there is a core rule saying they cannot do so on the same activation that they run. So, they are subject to all the same restrictions listed above, plus they can't cast/feat before running. Units: See below. In general you can use "Any Time" abilities while you're knocked down or stationary (except Spells and Feats which specify you can't). If you have a gun with a random ROF, you can use an "Any Time" ability inbetween rolling the number of shots and actually making the first attack. (Infernal Ruling) Units with "Any Time" abilities You cannot use an "Any Time" ability before issuing/receiving orders. See step 1 and 2 of the activation sequence, appendix A. A model in a unit can't use an "Any Time" ability after they run (Infernal Ruling) or fail a charge. Because that makes that specific model's activation to end even though the unit's activation is still ongoing, and you can't use abilities on models that are not active. You can use an "Any Time" ability before running, however. A model in a unit can't use an "Any Time" ability after anyone in the unit has begun a Reposition move. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Cacophony      (Edit) Because it uses the term "model/unit" then if any models from a unit are in your CMD range, no one in that unit can cast/channel spells.

Rules Clarification : Call of Defiance and/or Cry of Defiance - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Special Orders      (Edit) Rules Clarification : Reposition      (Edit) Models out of formation cannot move via Reposition. Refer to the "Out of Formation" rules in the core rulebook. End of Activation (Edit) You cannot resolve two end-of-activation movement effects (refer to "End of Activation Movement" in the core rulebook). For EOA stuff that doesn't involve movement, though, it gets a bit more murky: Some EOA abilities explicitly state your activation ends as part of resolving the ability (like Reposition), and some don't (like Refuge). Whether it is explicit it or not, by definition an EOA ability is the last thing you can do for that activation. For instance, if you resolve Refuge and then continue your activation to cast more spells, then you have not used Refuge at the end of your activation. You cannot do an "at any time" ability during or after triggering an EOA ability; you cannot cast spells, purchase additional attacks, use a mini-feat, etc. If you start resolving an EOA movement (such as Reposition) then you cannot trigger abilities that occur "at any time" (such as Go To Ground). Because you can't trigger it while resolving the EOA movement, and after the EOA movement your activation has ended. (Infernal Ruling) For units: if any model in the unit starts resolving the unit's EOA movement, then no model in the unit can trigger an any-time ability. (Infernal Ruling) See also the training article: LPG - End of Activation.

Rules Clarification : Beat Back      (Edit) You cannot use Beat Back if you destroy the target; because you can't advance towards a model that is no longer on the table. (Infernal Ruling) You can trigger Beat Back even if the model is no longer in your melee range after the attack. For instance, if you used a Pitch to throw it away, you can still Beat it Back. (Locked thread) The free advance doesn't depend on the target being pushed, but it is dependent on you trying to push them: If you try to push something which Cannot Be Pushed (such as a Colossal), then it won't move and then you can advance directly towards it. If you choose not to push your target, then you choose not to trigger Beat Back, so you don't get to advance. (mk2 Ruling) Beat Back can be used to push larger models. Push - General     (Edit)   [Show/Hide] Pushed models do not change their facing. Pushed models move at half rate through difficult terrain. Also, Pathfinder doesn't apply during pushes. Pushed models stop if they contact anything - a model of any size, or any obstacles or obstructions. You don't get free strikes against pushed models, because it is "involuntary movement" and therefore does not count as an advance. Pushed models suffer the effects of anything they move through (such as acid clouds). If you use a Push vs a charging model (via a free strike for example), this will stop the charge movement (refer core rulebook). However, if the pushed model is in melee range of its charge target after the push, then it is considered a successful charge. (Infernal Ruling) In that scenario, you measure whether the charging model moved 3" or less excluding the push distance. (Infernal Ruling) If you push a model to a position where it regains Incorporeal (for instance you push it out of range of an Exorcist) then what happens is (Being Checked by Infernals)

Rules Clarification : Covering Fire and/or Sustained Fire     (Edit) The size of the wall template is 0.75" by 4". (Infernal Ruling) Although it uses the wall template, it is not wall terrain. It does not provide cover nor interfere with models moving. Covering Fire templates do not inherit the Damage Type(s) of the weapon that put it into play. For instance, if you put Explosivo on the warjack, the Covering Fire remains non-magical. However, some versions of Covering Fire already do a specific Damage Type (notably, the Manticore). In this case, the Covering Fire does that Damage Type and no other Type. Templates that do damage (Edit)   [Show/Hide] Most templates that do damage to models that walk into them are defined as "Hazards" (such as Burning Ground) but there are a few that aren't Hazards (such as Creeping Barrage and Wall of Fire). The differences are: A hazard is a terrain element Damage from a hazard template is never considered to be from the model or weapon/spell that put it into play. So hazards never gain special rules of the weapon/spell (such as a Damage Type or Poison), nor does it gain special rules of the model (such as Hand of Fate). Damage from a non-hazard template is considered to be from the model that put it in play. So non-hazards do get stuff like Hand of Fate. (Infernal Ruling) Damage from a hazard is not from an attack (so won't trigger stuff like Vengeance) Damage from a non-hazard is also not from an attack. Instead it will be a Special Action (Covering Fire), or a "instead of making an attack, place a template" (Creeping Barrage), or etc.   Damage templates from spells is complicated: (Infernal Ruling) Spells that leave templates that are not hazards (such as Razor Wall) do Damage Type: Magical. Spells that leave templates that are hazards (such as Breath of Corruption) follow the rules for hazards, which are most likely not magical damage but it varies by the hazard. The initial damage when you place the template, if any, is Damage Type: Magical. For example, Breath of Corruption's initial POW 12 corrosion damage roll is Damage Type: Magical in addition to Damage Type: Corrosion. But the hazard that is put into play from Breath of Corruption is not Damage Type: Magical, just Damage Type: Corrosion.   By default, when you put a template into play it doesn't do damage to models they overlap. The exceptions are templates that are created by an AOE weapon, and templates that explicitly say they do damage when they're placed. A model which is "placed" also counts as "entering" an area, so the template will damage any one who teleports/spawns into it, too. If two templates are overlapping, a model that enters them will take two points of damage.

Rules Clarification : Knockdown      (Edit) Knockdown (Edit) - Remember, knockdown only prevents what it says it does. Refer to the Knockdown page for a recap of what a model can/can't do.