Category:Precision Strike

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Rules Clarification : Marksman and/or Precision Strike     (Edit) These abilities do not get around Retribution Force Fields. The attacker's ability assigns it to a column, and Force Field reassigns it. Versus a Colossal or Gargantuan, you don't get to choose which grid is damaged. That is still governed by which Firing Arc the attacker is standing in. Attacker chooses column vs Defender chooses column (Edit) When both the attacker and defender have an ability that lets them choose the column that gets damaged, the attacker gets to choose. (Infernal Ruling)

Damage guide 101

Or how to choose the branch/coloumn on your target's spiral/grid:

Warbeasts

• Mind - Crippling spirals 1 and 2 will give one less attack die, and no chain/power/special attack,
• Body - 3 and 4 will give one less damage die,
• Spirit - 5 and 6 will stop forcing altogether.

Since plenty of things on a warbeast are tied to forcing (boosting, buying, using animus, shaking, running, charging, making power attacks, etc), 5 & 6 is usually the most sought-after branch for attackers.

Of course, some of these 'force effects' may be done for free - like charging with an Angelius under the effect of the Boundless Charge spell. In such cases a crippled spirit makes no difference.

Warjacks
Arms

• On a standard warjack columns 5-6 and 1-2 usually contain Arm systems, ie. the main weapons of the warjack. Crippling them will give one less attack and damage die, plus denial on chain/power/special attacks.
• If you do a really high damage roll, choosing column 5 can potentially cripple both Arms.
• Look for Arm systems with important functions, like the Deathjacks arms, or Brickhouse's Force Lock on his open fist.
• Some weapons are not tied to a certain location (like the tusks on a Slayer, and will remain fully functional until the jack is killed.

Movement

• Columns 2-3 usually house the Movement system of a warjack, and is one of the best armored sections. Crippling it will make the warjack a sitting duck with its base DEF 5, and it cannot charge, run, slam or trample.
• An often overlooked part is that if you knock this system out during advance (ie. with a free strike) while charging/slamming, the jack's activation immediately ends.
• Even if a jack has a functional cortex, or can run/charge for free (like having the Aggressive rule), a crippled Movement will prevent it running/charging.

Cortex (brain)

• 4-5 is home of the Cortex, one of the most valuable system on the warjack. Disabling it will counter focus allocation - and focus gain under any other title. Jacks also lose all the Focus point(s) they currently have on themselves.
• No more boosting, charging, or running, unless the jack makes it without spending a FOCUS.
  • Convergence Vectors have Induction Nodes instead of cortices. Crippling that system will counter their unique Focus Induction mechanism, and focus allocation. However, as the Convergence has an abuncande of repair sources, and usually induction nodes are just as well defended as cortices, it rarely comes into play.

Other

• Some warjacks will have custom systems, such as an Arc Node or Field Generator. These are usually on columns 3-4, above the Movement snd Cortex. Wiping out a custom system can usually hamstring that 'jacks ability to function - for instance prevent strong spellcasters casting spells thtough arc nodes.
  • Special mention to Thorn, who gets extra movement when a spell is arced through his arc node.
• Colossi often house a system called Superstructure, marked with S on the damage grid and usually spreading out into both the left and right sides. Knocking out these boxes will deny various bonuses and/or abilities for the colossal: a Stormwall without the superstructure cannot launch lightning pods, and the Judicator loses the Reliquary's ability to discard the lowest attack and damage die.
• Mainly Cryx light warjacks ("bonejacks") have no arms, their weapon systems located on their head instead. Crippling it will have the same effect as a crippled arm on other warjacks.

Grid Shape

• Different Factions may have different system load-outs. While warbeasts are all the same, Cryx bonejacks and Convergence vectors may have very special set-ups, and may require more damage points to cripple a certain system than on a regular warjack.
  • Special mention to the Retribution myrmidons of House Shyeel, where you have to take down the jacks' Force Fields before you could start damaging the grid.

All the above advice may be negated by various effects, like the Fail-Safe spell. Study your target, and attack accordingly.

Cephalyx Monstrosity - The exception, not the rule

Cephalyx Monstrosities are made of (mostly) living flesh like regular warbeasts, and have damage grid like warjacks, but they are neither. Hence, abilities that work on jacks and beasts exclusively, fail to do so against monstrosities. They suffer the same penalty for a crippled arm/movement/head as warjacks do, but they have brain system instead of a cortex. Once the brain is crippled, the monstrosity loses any and all focus it has and cannot gain any for any reason. Monstrosities don't power up either and are gaining focus either by allocation or 1 for each time they suffer damage from an attack or a continuous effect. Unspent Focus is not removed at their controller's Control phase.

Infernal Horrors - aka hit them until they vanish

Like many things in their faction, Infernal Horrors have a fairly unique setup, since they have neither grid, like a Cephalyx Monstrosity, nor spirals like warbeasts. They have 3 concentric circles, outer, middle and inner. You cannot "shift" damage by any means, so you always must proceed from the outer to the inner parts. On the other side you will never have to roll for damage location and may have some easier time with Future Sight to apply the required amount of damage without accidently rolling location first. The circles' function is the following:

• If the outer circle is filled the Horror must spend Essence to run, charge, or make a power attacks.
• If the middle circle is filled the Horror rolls one fewer die on all attack rolls (damage rolls are unaffected).
• If the inner circle is filled the Horror goes through the standard disabled-boxed-destroyed phases.