Ascendant Mentalist

Mk4 has been announced, and we need to talk about what it means for the future of this website. Please join the discussion either on the WMU Facebook Group or the Talk:Main Page area of this wiki.

Ascendant Mentalist Crucible Guard Solo

Trancers are traditionally short-lived individuals, as the powerful alchemical concoctions that grant them their psychokinetic powers tend to destroy their bodies rapidly and without remorse. This destructive cycle is not without anomalies, however, as some can withstand the chemical degeneration indefinitely. These lucky souls become fierce psychic combatants, unlocking mental feats of strength a traditional trancer simply doesn't have the time to master.

Basic Info

Ascendant Mentalist
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Medium SPD 6 STR 7 MAT 7 RAT N/A M.A. 7 DEF 15 ARM 11 CMD 8 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 5 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE N/A COST 4 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

• Flight
• Battle Wizard - Once per turn, when this model destroys one or more enemy models with a melee attack during its activation, immediately after the attack is resolved it can make one Magic Ability special attack or special action.
• Girded - This model and friendly models B2B with it do not suffer blast damage.
• Magic Ability [ 7 ] - This model can cast spells. Normally this uses up the model's Combat Action and as such is limited to one spell per activation, but exceptions do exist.
• Steady - This model cannot become knocked down.

Weapons

Force Crush
		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				7				12
Damage Type: Magical Critical Knockdown - On a critical hit, the model hit becomes knocked down.

Spells

	COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
Force Aura	(★ Action)	SELF	-	-	Round	No
While within 3" of the spellcaster, friendly Faction models gain +2 DEF and ARM against ranged attacks. Force Aura lasts for one round.
Psychic Assault	(★ Attack)	SP 8	-	12	-	Yes
This attack ignores LOS.
Psychokinetic Shield	(★ Action)	-	-	-	Round	No
While within 5” of the spellcaster, enemy models suffer -2 MAT and RAT and cannot run, charge, or make slam or trample power attacks. Psychokinetic Shield lasts for one round.

Theme Forces

• Crucible Guard
  • Magnum Opus. This model gains Reposition [3"] in this theme.
  • Prima Materia

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this model in the Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Lukas is leading the army.

Thoughts on Ascendant Mentalist

Ascendant Mentalist in a nutshell

A support telepath who can become a powerful melee monster and follow up with a devastating spray attack, as her armour is non existent she will likely die when hit, but she fortunately has ways around this thanks to girded and a great defence stat.

She can also has several support duties either versus attacks rolls or ranged attacks & damage rolls, taking the Mentalist at full FA can be useful to have one protect your frontline and another your back line models.

Versitility is the key reason to take Ascendant Mentalist and you will rarely go wrong with one in your list

Combos & Synergies

• The Vanguard in Prima Materia becomes DEF 15 and ARM 21 with double shield guard and a self healing effect, that is truly an obnoxious combo for most enemy gun lines.
  • add in failsafe from Mackay or Deceleration from Baldwin and things get even more serious.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Unlike the Skorne Basilisk Krea the Mentalist doesn’t have the hp or armour to survive a direct attack this limits Force Aura a bit and makes Electro-Leaps or Ashes to Ashes especially dangerous.
• Girded protects against blast damage but not the effects, if she is set on fire for example she will likely die.
• If the enemy have anti magic tech the Mentalist is a fairly unremarkable combat solo.

Tricks & Tips

• If battle wizard triggers Psychokinetic Shield is the best way to keep her alive but a spray can also be devastating to packed infantry.
• Psychokinetic Shield is best used when already engaged because then the enemy cannot snipe her with long range guns as easily and it's harder for whoever is engaging her to strike back.
  • can be also be mitigated by out of activation movement beware things like Energizer or Mirage even things like Side-Step may not have the Mat decrease on attacks after the initial.

Other

Trivia

Released 2021.04

Other Crucible Guard models

Crucible Guard Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warcasters	Benett - Gearhart - Locke - Lukas - Mackay - Syvestro
Warcaster attachments	Aurum Legate Alyce Marc (Crucible) - Sylys Wyshnalyrr (Mercenary) - Madelyn Corbeau (Mercenary)
Other Warjack Controllers	Prospero (BGC)
Light	Liberator - Retaliator - Vanguard
Heavy	Suppresor - Toro - Vindicator
Colossal	Vulcan
Units, Solos, Battle Engines, & Structures
Units	Combat Alchemists - CG Assault Troopers - CG Infantry - CG Rocketmen - CG Storm Troopers - Dragon's Breath Rocket - Failed Experiments Ranking Officer : Doctor Alejandro Mosby
Solos	Ascendant Mentalist - CG Mechanik - Gorman1 - Gorman2 - Hutchuk, Ogrun Bounty Hunter - Prospero - Rocketman Ace - Trancer
Battle Engines	Railless Interceptor
Theme Forces
Magnum Opus - Prima Materia
Mercenaries
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Crucible Guard Mercenary
This index was last updated: 2021.05

Rules Clarifications

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

Flight doesn't ignore: Impassable terrain. Most hazards. The exception is they do ignore Acid Bath and Burning Earth as long as they don't land in them. Templates that stay in play and do damage to models moving through them (such as a Scather). Free strikes. Trampling with a flying model (Edit) Flight allows you to trample "over" medium- and larger-bases. Although you trample "over" them, you don't get to make a trample attack vs them and you don't ignore their free strikes. Refer the core rulebook. Unless, of course, you have an exception like Blade Rush. Flight on a Cavalry model (Edit) Although flyers can move over obstacles/models, and horses can pause to do impacts while charging, flying horses cannot make impact attacks while overlapping models/obstacles. You need to pause in a legal position. Charging through models (Edit) You can't charge all the way through your charge target, with the intention to turn around and face them once you're on the other side. Because you aren't able to satisfy the "must keep the charge target in melee range" clause at the point after you are through the model but before you turn to directly face. At that point the target is behind you, not in your front arc, and thus not in your melee range. Your melee range only extends to your front arc. Refer to the latest errata. You can still "skim" through the edge of their base, if you're careful and smart with your positioning.

Rules Clarification : Battle Wizard      (Edit) A Battle Wizard doesn't have to kill a model to cast a spell. They can instead skip making melee attacks and use their Combat Action to cast a spell. Cavalry Battle Wizards can trigger it from their Mount Attacks. (Infernal Ruling) This does not, however, allow them to trigger it twice in the same turn. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Girded - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Magic Ability      (Edit) Using a Magic Ability counts as a spell, for effects such as Spell Ward, Witch Hunter, etc. Combat Action Nearly all Magic Ability spells require the spellcaster to use their Combat Action to cast the spell. As such it is not an "at any time" ability (like it is when warcasters/warlocks cast spells). This means ... You must complete your movement before you use a MA. A model in a unit cannot use its Combat Action to cast a spell until all members of the unit have completed their movement. (Infernal Ruling) You cannot make initial ranged or initial melee attacks on the same turn you use a MA. You cannot buy additional melee/ranged attacks after using a MA special attack. Refer to the core rulebook, "Special attacks listed as a rule of the model itself are neither melee attacks nor ranged attacks. The rules for these special attacks indicate the nature of any additional attacks that can be made afterward, if any." You cannot use a MA on the same turn you charge. Because a charge must (almost always) be followed by a melee attack. Non-Combat Action There are a few models that can use a Magic Ability without using their Combat Action. These models get around all the restrictions listed above. Models with Geomancy or Necromancy can use a Magic Ability at "any time" just like a warcaster/warlock. Models with Battle Wizard or Necrophage can make melee attacks then get a bonus "free" spell. Models with Combat Caster can cast a spell before charging, then do a normal charge + melee attack. Note that Battle Wizards, Combat Casters, etc have the option to use their Combat Action to cast a spell. Their special rule is in addition to the normal spell casting, not instead of.

Rules Clarification : Steady      (Edit) If you are hit by a knockdown effect during your own turn then ... nothing happens. Unless it was a Slam or a Throw that knocked you down. In that situation, there is a core rule that says "models immune to knockdown that become knocked down from a slam or throw must forfeit either movement or action when they activate". But that core rule doesn't apply to other knockdowns (lots of players assume it does) Steady models are still susceptible to other effects of knock-down attacks (if there are any). For instance, a Head Butt attack causes damage and knockdown - a Steady model would still take the damage. A knocked down model that gains Steady will remain knocked down, because the "cannot be knocked down" is not retroactively applied. Steady models who make a tough check during an advance can continue advancing. (Locked Thread)

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 : 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.

Rules Clarification : Force Aura - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Psychic Assault      (Edit) Ignore LOS (Edit) Since you ignore LOS, you can target models in your back arc. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Psychokinetic Shield - None yet. (Edit)