Gastone Crosse

Gastone Crosse Mercenary Llaelese Character Solo - ("Junior Warcaster")

A natural at hit-and-run tactics, the bitter, reckless Gastone Crosse prefers to strike from a distance, whether with his powerful mechanikal pistol Gypsy Kiss or the cannons of his warjacks. He lends his arcane power to extending the range of his battlegroup's arms, while each kill provides them with a burst of arcane speed.

Basic Info

Crosse1
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 6 STR MAT 5 RAT 5 M.A. N/A DEF 14 ARM 14 CMD N/A ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS 4 FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 5 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA C UNIT SIZE N/A COST 4 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

• Mercenary - Will work for Cygnar, Crucible Guard or Protectorate.

Abilities

• Battlegroup Controller - (1) This model is not a warcaster but has the following warcaster special rules: Battlegroup Commander, Focus Manipulation, Power Field, and Spellcaster. (2) This model must have at least one warjack in its battlegroup at the start of the game.
• Backstab - While completely within the back arc of an enemy model, this model gains an additional die on its attack and damage rolls against that model.
• Dodge - This model can advance up to 2" immediately after an enemy attack that missed it is resolved unless it was missed while advancing. It cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement.

Weapons

• Soul Reaver - 12" range, POW 12 ranged weapon
  • Damage Type: Magical
  • Reload [1] - This model can spend 1 focus point to make one additional ranged attack with this weapon during its Combat Action.

• Knife (x2) - 0.5" reach, P+S 8 melee weapons

Spells

	COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
Fire Group	2	SELF	-	-	Turn	No
While models in the spellcaster's battlegroup are in its control range, their ranged weapons gain +2 RNG. Fire Group lasts for one turn.
Moving Shadows	2	SELF	-	-	Upkeep	No
While in the spellcaster's control range, models in its battlegroup gain Run & Gun. Run & Gun - At the end of its activation, if a model with Run & Gun destroyed one or more enemy models with a ranged attacks during that activation, it can make a full advance.

Theme Forces

• Mercenary
  • The Irregulars
  • Llaelese Resistance - This solo gains Pathfinder in this theme.

• Other Factions
  • Hearts of Darkness. Crosse1 is one of the few models that can't go in Hearts.
  • As a mercenary model/unit, it can also be hired out to a bunch of other Faction's themes. Refer to #Other Theme Forces.

Thoughts on Crosse1

Limited Edition Kickstarter sculpt (2014)

Crosse1 in a nutshell

Gastone Crosse is the mercenary journeyman warcaster - a ranged 'jack specialist with a magical 2-shot hand cannon combined with hit and run tactics.

Combos & Synergies

Fire Group and Moving Shadows commend him to ranged jacks, the Swabber, Vanguard, Mule, Mariner and Rover being strong candidates.

• However, there's also a good case for a Talon or a Buccaneer as a really cheap warjack and letting Gastone be a super-solo with boostable guns while the jack gets trashed.
• Even a Nomad, or Toro can be used for this purpose as a throwaway heavy that gets a few hits in before dying and leaving Crosse to go shoot things.
• Galleon is a high-risk to put on a junior, and staggeringly expensive in points cost. But Fire Group plus another warcaster buff (such as Magnus1's Snipe) can really turn the warjack to 11.
• Mule - Crosse is the best at running it, for what that's worth. With Fire Group and Moving Shadows, it shoots respectably far and can move after it shoots if it kills something. Paired with Snipe for extra range, it becomes rather effective in messing up enemy plans from afar if you get Devastation. Damiano can cast Deadeye on Crosse's Mule, which dramatically improves the odds of a crit and can wreak all sorts of havoc. Ashlynn's feat can provide a similar effect for but one turn.
• Fiona's Befuddle spell makes for easy backstabs, this plus Curse of Shadows makes him an extremely powerful super solo, capable of removing even battle engines trivially if you throw in some other dmage buff like Aiyana's Kiss or the Hermit bubble.
• Gibbs or Boomhowler2 give him Reposition, which makes sure he can stay alive a bit longer.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• He's a special order model.
• Like all non-warcasters controlling jacks, he's squishy and has a huge bullseye on his head.
• He has to pay a "warjack tax". Crosse would be taken much more often if he didn't have to have a jack, as he's a strong solo on his own.
• Despite having two knives, if he is stabbing things something has gone terribly wrong.
• He has very poor RAT, which effectively requires him to boost or aim to reliably hit, even vs Khador jacks.

Tricks & Tips

With the speed granted by Fire Group he can work out on the flank, and threaten back arcs for Backstab. If only mercs had a cheap shooty jack that could also run and gun (the Buc of course can't).

Other

Limited Edition Minicrate sculpt (2018)

Trivia

• In Mk2, Crosse1's gun was known as 'Gypsy Kiss.' It's even still referred to by that name in the fluff. However PP renamed it Soul Reaver in Mk3.
• On release of his next incarnation, Crosse2, it was revealed that the gun is cursed and likes to eat souls.
• Trying to understand and master the power of his cursed gun is what led Crosse to the teachings of Thamar, and why Crosse2 can be used as an Infernalist. Crosse1, however, does not count as a Thamarite (because he hasn't started down this path yet).

• He has some backstory in the ebook anthology Rites of Passage, 2014.04, alongside the other Journeymen released in the Tactics game.

• His rules were published in Warmachine: Vengeance expansion (2014)

• This model has 3 sculpts, 2 of which are limited editions.
  1. A limited edition for Kickstarter backers (2014)
  2. The 'default' sculpt available to anyone (2015-ish)
  3. A limited edition for MiniCrate (2018.08)

Other Theme Forces

Cygnar (Edit)

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

Protectorate of Menoth (Edit)

• The Creator's Might
• Exemplar Interdiction
• The Faithful Masses
• Guardians of the Temple

Crucible Guard (Edit)

• Magnum Opus

What warjacks can he take?

With the way Mercenary battlegroups work, this model can't simply control any Mercenary warjack, and instead is limited to the following choices:

Mercenary Warjacks (Human)   (Edit)
Light	Buccaneer - Renegade (Magnus only) - Scallywag - Swashbuckler - Talon - Vanguard
Heavy	Freebooter - Gallant - Mangler - Mariner - Mule - Nomad - Rocinante - Rover - Toro - Swabber
Colossal	Blockader - Galleon

Note: Other restrictions may apply, such as 'Jack Marshals can't control Colossals, character warjacks aren't allowed in most theme forces, etc.

Rules Clarifications

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.")

Rules Clarification : Reload      (Edit) You cannot mix melee attacks and ranged attacks in the same activation unless you have a special rule (such as Dual Attack). Reload does not get around this restriction. A Trample Power Attack is a melee attack, even if you don't actually trample over anyone and make zero dice rolls. So you can't trample then Reload (unless you have something like Dual Attack). You can use Reload to make additional attacks after a Special Ranged Attack. (Infernal Ruling) If you have (x2) of a weapon with Reload (such as Caine1), the special rule will only be written on the card once. But you can reload both weapons to the max limit. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Battlegroup Controller      (Edit) This model has a completely separate battlegroup to your main warcaster. Your main warcaster cannot allocate focus to warjacks under this model's control (and vice versa). Any spells/effects that apply to your main warcaster's battlegroup (such as Energizer) do not apply to warjacks under this model's control (and vice versa). This model is not a warcaster It is affected by stuff which specifies "non-warcaster models" (such as Seduction). It is not affected by stuff which specifies "warcasters" (such as Black Arts). Even if it has "Warcaster" in its name (such as the Journeyman Warcaster or Trencher Warcaster Lieutenant) it is still not a warcaster, and won't benefit from warcaster-only stuff (like free upkeeps in Sons of the Tempest). (Infernal Ruling) Warjacks this solo controls can still benefit from Power Up exactly as if it were a warcaster. (Closed thread) When this model dies, any warjacks they are controlling go inert exactly as if it was a warcaster. (Infernal Ruling) See this article for the Inert warjack rules and how to re-activate them. 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 : Backstab      (Edit) Backstab always applies on a free strike, because free strikes are always in the back arc. (Infernal Ruling) Backstab applies to magic and ranged attacks, too. For a caster with Backstab that uses an arc node to attack their target: Backstab doesn't care about the point of origin of the attack, and does not interact with Arc Nodes at all. In other words, if your arc node is in the target's back arc & but the caster is not, then Backstab doesn't apply. And vice versa, if your arc node is in the front arc & you're in the back arc, then Backstab will apply. Models with Circular Vision aren't immune to Backstab. They still have a back arc, and backstabbers can stand in it. As of November 2021, Steamroller objectives no longer have facings, and cannot be backstabbed.

Rules Clarification : Dodge      (Edit) Dodge triggers after any missed attack - melee, ranged, or magic. An enemy model with 2" melee range that is B2B with you before you Dodge, will be exactly 2" away afterwards, and thus will be able to attempt a 2nd melee attack. If you're missed by an AOE attack, but it doesn't deviate very far and still hits you then: Dodge still triggers, but the AOE does damage before you get the Dodge movement. (Infernal Ruling) If an enemy can attack you when you advance and then stop moving (such as Countercharge or Defensive Strike) and they miss you, then you can trigger Dodge (because you're no longer advancing). Dodge plus Riposte (Edit) If a model has both Dodge and Riposte, you can choose whether to dodge or riposte first. Appendix A Step 13 applies here, because the controller of the model being attacked is not the active player.

Rules Clarification : Fire Group      (Edit) Battlegroup members (Edit) Spells that target/affect "models in the battlegroup" can also target/will also affect the caster, the caster's unit (if they have one), and the caster's Companion (if they have one). It won't target/affect models which are Attached, though.

Rules Clarification : Moving Shadows and/or Crimson Ballet     (Edit) Moving Shadows is retroactive. Which means you can cast it after killing a model, and still benefit from it.(Infernal Ruling) Crimson Ballet will probably get the same ruling. Battlegroup members (Edit) Spells that target/affect "models in the battlegroup" can also target/will also affect the caster, the caster's unit (if they have one), and the caster's Companion (if they have one). It won't target/affect models which are Attached, though. Rules Clarification : Sprint  and/or Run & Gun     (Edit) You cannot use this ability after an out-of-activation attack (such as Countercharge), only during real activations. (Locked thread) Run & Gun won't trigger if you RFP the model, but Sprint will. 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.