Ghordson Avalancher

99% of this website is about Mark 3 (mk3), which is the previous edition of the game (2016 to 2022). The reasons for this are explained here. 1% of the website is about Mark 4 (mk4), but only in regards to which mk3 models are useable in mk4 Prime and which are mk4 Unlimited. See Legacy Armies for more detail.

Ghordson Avalancher Mercenary Rhulic Heavy Warjack

Prime This model is available in one Prime Army, Rhul Guard. It can also be used in the Unlimited game mode. You can view the other Mk3 models that made it into a Legacy Army at this page. Note that the rest of this page is about the model's Mark III rules.

A dedicated mobile artillery platform, the Avalancher grants Rhulic forces both excellent control on the battlefield and a strategic advantage in the narrow mountain passes of Rhul.

Basic Info

Ghordson Avalancher
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Large SPD 4 STR 12 MAT 6 RAT 5 M.A. N/A DEF 9 ARM 20 / 22 (★) CMD N/A ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 32 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA U UNIT SIZE N/A COST 15 N/A N/A (★) ARM 22 with the Shield bonus Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Warjack - All warjacks share the same set of special rules. Most notably being big and stompy. Click here for a newbie-friendly recap, or click here for the full rules.

Rhulic Warjack - This warjack must be controlled by a Rhulic model.

Abilities

• Construct
• Shield Guard - Once per round, when a friendly model is directly hit by a non-spray ranged attack during your opponent's turn while within 3" of this model, you can choose to have this model directly hit instead. This model is automatically hit and suffers all damage and effects. This model cannot use Shield Guard while it is incorporeal, knocked down, or stationary. The Shield Guard special rule can only trigger once per attack roll.
• Sturdy - This model cannot be pushed.

Weapons

Avalanche Cannon
		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW			LOCATION
		12"			1			4			14			Right
Quake - On a direct hit against an enemy model, all models hit are knocked down.
Assault Shield
		RNG				POW				P+S				LOCATION
		1				3				15				Left
Shield

Theme Forces

Within mercenaries, this warjack can be used in:

• Hammer Strike. Ghordson Avalanchers gain Reposition [3] in this theme.
• Soldiers of Fortune
• The Irregulars. If 'Jack Marshalled, it gains Flank [Warrior model] in this theme.

Outside of mercenaries, it can be taken by Thor Steinhammer in a few more themes.

Thoughts on Ghordson Avalancher

Ghordson Avalancher in a nutshell

The Avalancher is the Rhulic ranged heavy. It's pretty durable sporting ARM 22 in the front arc, and has a scary gun but is simply dreadful in melee. You will likely choose it for Quake on the gun, especially in Hammer Strike which lacks hit fixers.

Combos & Synergies

Using Tune Up (from Thor) or Fire For Effect (from Ossrum) to fully boost the cannon shot is probably the most value you can get out of the Avalancher.

Casters

• Durgen Madhammer makes it set the world on fire. It's one of his best choices for a jack.
• General Ossrum provides Snipe for extra range, Energizer before it activates for extra range or Energizer after it activates to pull back to safety, and Fire For Effect for fully boosted shots.
  • Snipe + Energizer lets you knockdown something from surprisingly far away, which might even set up an assassination.
  • Add in Widget1 (in Irregulars) and you can get two shots per turn that are fully booted from FFE.
• Gorten Grundback can make it passable in melee with Strength of Granite ... but you probably have better targets to cast SoG on. He also has Energizer, like Ossrum.

Non-casters

• Thor Steinhammer can 'Jack Marshal it, his Drive gives it Repo [5], and he has Tune Up to boost its first attack.
  • With Tune Up (fully boosted attack) and Take Aim! (+2 to hit and damage) the gun is quite potent: It is effectively RAT 7 + 3d6, POW 16 + 3d6 on direct hits, and POW 9 + 3d6 on blast damage.
  • Add in Snipe from Ossrum and you can shoot something 16" away, then Repo 5" further back to do the same thing next turn.

• A Freebooter appreciates having someone else knock down a target for it.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• A bit pillow-fisted in melee, especially given its points bracket.
• Even when boosted, its gun's raw damage is comparable to the much cheaper Horgenhold Artillery Corps but without the threat range or the arcing fire. That said, the Avalancher has Quake.
• It competes with budget Gunners and Siege Crawlers for the role of "good gun".
• While it has a decent range on the gun, it has low SPD so it its threat range is "moderate".
• It's a shooting 'jack but it has no good target - it's not very good at shooting beasts/jacks (who just take a POW 14 hit and shake the knockdown), it's not very good at shooting infantry (who spread out and/or simply survive the POW 7 blast damage), and it's not very good at shooting high-DEF solos. It'll seldom do nothing but it's an exceptionally rare game where it makes back its points.

Tricks & Tips

• With its ARM it can walk out of most combats safely then shoot. It will not get the shield bonus against the free strike, however.

Other

Trivia

Released in Warmachine: Superiority (2006)

Who can control this warjack

To include this mercenary warjack in your army, it must be controlled by one of the following Rhulic warcasters or marshals. Thus, to include this jack you first need to find a controller that works for your army.

Rhulic 'Jack Controllers (Edit)
Warcaster	Durgen Madhammer - General Ossrum - Gorten Grundback
'Jack Marshal Cannot take Colossals	Thor Steinhammer

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Shield and/or Buckler     (Edit) The only time you lose the Shield bonus is when the weapon is crippled, or if the attack originates in your back arc. (Infernal Ruling) In other words, you still get the Shield bonus while knocked down or stationary. You don't get the Shield bonus vs stuff originating in your back arc. This includes stuff that "leaps" off models in your back arc, such as Electro Leap. (Locked thread)

Rules Clarification : Quake      (Edit) If the weapon misses, then it will deviate and do blast damage as per a normal AOE (assuming it has a POW to begin with). Other effects of the attack will still occur (such as the Mitigator's auto-point of damage to all models hit). 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.

Rules Clarification : Warjack      (Edit) The Cortex/Induction core rule means a warjack cannot have more than 3 focus at any time (maybe 4 if they're really special). Many abilities give out focus and don't state an upper limit (such as Convection and Empower). Despite not stating an upper limit, they are always "hard-limited" by the core rule. A warjack can have more than 3 focus during a turn, though. For instance, a knocked down warjack can Power Up and be Allocated 2 focus, then spend 1 to shake knockdown, then another model could Empower it back up to 3. Warjacks cannot spend focus outside of their activation. For instance, they can't boost free strikes or trigger Powerful Attack on Broadsides. (Infernal Ruling) Inert warjacks Abilities that say they cannot be used if the model is stationary (such as Shield Guard) cannot be used while a warjack is inert, either. Refer "Warcaster Destruction", page 59 of the core rulebook.

Rules Clarification : Rhulic Warjack - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Construct - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Shield Guard and/or Shadow Guardian     (Edit) You can't use this ability vs spells. You shift all effects onto the new model, including stuff that triggers on "when this attack hits". When you use this ability vs an AOE attack, the template moves too. Because, with reference to Apdx A, the hit 'moves' at Step 6 and the template placement is determined at Step 7. This ability doesn't work vs Point Blank attacks. Because Point Blank attacks are melee attacks that are made using a ranged weapon. On the other hand, it will work vs Gunfighter attacks. Shield Guard only Since Shield Guard specifies "opponent's turn", it can't be used against stuff that shoots in your own turn (such as Watcher or Counterblast). The Shield Guard does not necessarily need to be in the attacker's LOS or range. The Shield Guarder is always hit even if they have an ability that makes them automatically get missed, such as Stealth. (Automatically missing is determined earlier in the timing sequence than the Shield Guard moving the hit.) (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Sturdy - None yet. (Edit)