Perforators

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Perforators Convergence Unit

Perforators fulfill the Convergence’s need for ranged firepower with protean javelin launchers powerful enough to punch through heavy armor. The souls selected for these vessels are chosen for their ability to quickly calculate ballistics trajectories based on an extraordinary insight into the efficiency of motion. With keen mind and powerful weaponry, perforators overcome opponents who threaten to stall the army’s advance.

Basic Info

Perforators
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Medium SPD 5 STR 8 MAT 7 RAT 6 M.A. N/A DEF 12 ARM 15 CMD 7 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 8 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE 3 or 5 COST 10 or 16 3.2 pts each N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

• Construct
• Assault
• Soul Vessel - This model generates soul tokens as if it were a living model.
• Variable [Ranged] - At the start of this unit's activation, choose one of the following special rules. The unit's Ranged weapons gain the special rule chosen for one round.
  • Empowered Attack - This weapon gains +2 on its damage rolls.
  • Snipe - This attack gains +4 RNG.

Weapons

Protean Javelin
		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		7			1			-			6
Armor-Piercing - When calculating damage from this weapon, halve the base ARM stat of models hit. Predator Protocol - This attack gains +1 to attack and damage rolls against models with damage boxes.
Gear Blade
		RNG				POW				P+S
		0.5				4				12

Command Attachment

They can have a Transverse Enumerator. Her info has been omitted for brevity.

• Her weapon benefits from Variable [Empowered Attack], but not Variable [Snipe] because it is a spray.
• In Clockwork Legion, she also gains Vengeance if put with this unit..

Theme Forces

• Clockwork Legions. They gain Vengeance in this theme.

Recent Changes

No changes since 2020.02

Thoughts on Perforators

Perforators in a nutshell

It does what it says on the box; throw an armor-piercing javelin at people. And armor piercing is an awesome ability. Unfortunately, even if you charge, the damage roll on the ranged attack isn't boosted making it so-so vs a lot of targets when you factor assault and the +2 damage they do hurt but it really needs to be versus the right targets...

As an example using assault and +2 damage on ranged attacks vs a Khador heavy (10/20); they hit on anything but double 1 and on average dice deal 6 damage with the ranged attack and 2 damage with the charged melee attack. With 3 medium bases in melee range they won’t kill a model at full hp without some serious dice spikes.

Whereas a Cryxian heavy (13/17) under the same circumstances (not black industries) you have a 92% chance of hitting and on average you are dealing 7 damage with the ranged attack and 5 damage with the charge attack. 3 models will deal on average 39 damage and you will kill the slayer (or equivalent).

Vengeance from the theme benefit makes them deceptively mobile models but the easiest to kill of the 3 heavy infantry convergence options.

Combos & Synergies

• A screening unit to jam and prevent the enemy counter-charging.
• The usual Clockwork Legions synergies.
• They are a decent unit to attach a Transverse Enumerator, if you time the mini-feat with the turn you get the Assault attack. In the ideal setup you get successful charges, giving you rerolls on both the gun and the melee attack.
• Aurora1:
  • Her Aerogenesis spell gives warriors flight, making moving medium base troops around a lot easier.
  • Aerogenesis also gives +2" movement. Add the Perforator's Assault and Snipe and you can shoot models 21" away. (Note that Assaulting from this far away causes your charge to fail, and this means you won't get the Reposition from her feat, if it is her feat turn.)
  • She also has Arcane Might, which lets warrior models boost some attacks. You can't afford to boost every attack, but an all-important armor piercing can be all the difference.
• Lucant
  • Does what he does for all infantry - improves their armour until they can get stuck in.
• Orion

Not typically a caster that likes the infantry theme but he can be made to work.

• • Armour buffs are awful on armour penetration as the bonus is added after the value is halved Spellpiercer gets around this.
  • His feat is one of the few ways to get a conditional damage boost on the guns.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Although they have melee weapons, they're very much a shooty unit.
  • They have terrible range, even with Snipe and Assault, and will often only get one turn of shooting before getting bogged down in melee.
  • Also their RAT without predator protocol is only "okay", and their original RAT-fixer (Attunement Servitors) are mostly locked away in another theme.
• Armor Piercing is great against models with a high base ARM, but not so great against models which have a lot of ARM buffs (such as Legion of Lost Souls or Initiates of the Wall). Because the ARM buffs don't get halved.
• Squishier than they look, a boosted POW 12 damage roll will take one out 50% of the time.
• Their POW varies enourmously ("If this, then I get +1, and if that, I get a +2, and if the other thing, your ARM is halved.") This means that if you split their attacks vs different targets, you waste your clock figuring out their effective POW vs each different target.
• at the time of writing convergence do not really have a caster that can improve infantry ranged output AND deliver them safely both of which they need to some degree.

Tricks & Tips

• You can declare a charge vs a model that is out of charge range, and you'll still get your Assault attack. Combine that with Snipe, and you can get a shot vs something 19" away from your start position. The main downside is, you'll fail your charge 11" away from your target and will likely get countercharged next turn.

Other

Trivia

Released in Forces of Warmachine: Convergence of Cyriss (2013)

Other Convergence models

Convergence Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup
Warcasters	Aurora1 - Aurora2 - Axis - Directrix - Locke - Lucant - Orion - Syntherion
Light	Corollary (Attached) - Diffuser - Galvanizer - Mitigator - Negator - Tesselator
Heavy	Assimilator - Cipher - Conservator - Inverter - Modulator - Monitor
Colossals	Prime Axiom - Prime Conflux
Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units	Asphyxious4 - Clockwork Angels - Eradicators - Obstructors - Optifex Directive - Negation Angels - Perforators - Reciprocators - Reductors Special CA [Any Unit] : Transverse Enumerator
Solos	Accretion Servitors - Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex - Attunement Servitors - Destructotron 3000 - Elimination Servitors - Enigma Foundry - Frustum Locus - J.A.I.M.s - Prefect Hypatia - Reflex Servitors - Steelsoul Protector - Widget, Mathlete Archeologist
Battle Engines	Nemo4 - TEP
Theme Forces		Mercenaries
Clockwork Legions - Destruction Initiative - Strange Bedfellows		Refer to Category: Convergence of Cyriss Mercenary
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Armor-Piercing and/or Case Cracker     (Edit) The correct maths is (Infernal Ruling): First halve the target's base ARM (what's printed on their card). Then round up. Then apply any +/- ARM modifiers (Shield, Spiny Growth, Dark Shroud, etc). There are examples of how to do maths on the Armor Piercing page.

Rules Clarification : Predator Protocol      (Edit) Remember a model “with damage boxes” is any model with more than one base damage indicated on its stat card. ie it still triggers even when they've taken damage and have been left with only 1 hitpoint.

Rules Clarification : Construct - None yet. (Edit)

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

General Step 1: Declare the charge Are you in already melee? With any enemy, not just your charge target? If yes, you don't get an Assault attack at all (Refer to the latest Errata). Instead it's just a normal charge. If no, continue to Step 2. Note: You cannot be "in melee" with a stationary/knocked down target. Feel free to declare charges (and Assault shots) in this case. You can even charge a knocked down model you're in B2B with, advance 0", and get your ranged attack and your melee attack(s). Step 2: Move the charging model As soon as the movement is finished, determine whether it was a successful charge or not. Do this before resolving anything that triggers on "Ends Movement" (like Admonition, Countercharge). Do this before resolving your Assault attack. Did you make a successful charge? You get the ranged attack even though you're "in melee" (not yet though). Did you fail the charge? You will get the Assault shot anyway (not yet though). Did you fail the charge, but end your movement in melee with someone different to your charge target? You get the ranged attack even though you're "in melee" (not yet though). (Infernal Ruling) Now that you've figured out whether the charge successful, you resolve "Ends Movement" effects (such as Countercharge) before the Assault attack. (Infernal Ruling). If something happens at this point that changes whether a model is in/out of melee range, it does not retroactively change a failed charge into a successful charge or vice versa. If your charge was successful you may use "any time" abilities between 'finishing movement' and 'starting Assault attack'. (Infernal Ruling) If you fail your charge, you may not use "any time" abilities before or after making the Assault attack. (Infernal Ruling) Tip ! Assault is not a "triggered ability" and it will never trigger simultaneously with another ability that triggers/resolves at "ends movement". Instead, the other ability is always resolved before the Assault shot. You can make an Assault shot even if you charged less than 3". Step 3: Make the ranged attack The ranged attack is optional. Since the Assault attack is outside your Combat Action, you can only do a basic ranged attack. CRA & Special ranged attacks are only allowed during your Combat Action, you can't do them. (Infernal Ruling CRA & Special Attack) Did you move at least 3" during the charge movement? Who cares, that is irrelevant to the Assault attack! Make your ranged attack vs your charge target If the charge target is already dead (which can happen when units charge) then you don't get to redirect your Assault attack vs 'someone else'. You simply don't get an Assault attack. (Infernal Ruling) A model which can do something "instead of making a ranged attack" (such as the Spriggan's Targeting Flare) then they can do that as an Assault attack. (Infernal Ruling) If your ranged attacks triggers other attacks/damage that occur "after the attack" (such as Drag or Electro Leap) then those will resolve as per normal, regardless of whether you had a successful charge or not. (Infernal Ruling) Is the target in melee with the shooter? If yes, then you ignore the +4 DEF bonus (as per the 3rd paragraph of "Targeting a Model in Melee" (TMM) rules) If no, resolve the ranged attack exactly the same as if it were a normal ranged attack. Step 4: After finishing the Assault attack If it was an unsuccessful charge, your activation now ends. You may not trigger "any time" abilities. (Infernal Ruling) You may not trigger "at the end of the activation" abilities (such as Sprint) (Infernal Ruling) If it was a successful charge, and your charge target is ... still alive, then you get your charge attack (as per the charge rules) dead, then you get your initial melee attack(s) vs anyone still in your melee range (as per the charge rules). Either way, you don't get to make more ranged attacks (other than the obvious exceptions like Gunfighter, of course). Units Move all models in the unit before making any Assault attacks. (Infernal Ruling) Make all Assault attacks before making any Charge attacks. (Infernal Ruling) Each model in the unit is effectively "stalled" while you move/shoot the other models. This "stall" does not create an opportunity to use "any time" abilities. (Infernal Ruling) If a trooper's target dies before they make their Assault shot, they don't get to redirect it. You just skip their Assault shot. (Infernal Ruling) You cannot make Assault attacks while out of formation, as per the regular formation rules about making attacks. Assault & CRA (Edit) You cannot mix Combined Range Attacks with Assault shots, as CRA works during your combat action and Assault shots occur before it. (Infernal Ruling) Other Warbeasts Warbeasts cannot use Assault during a Frenzy. Refer to the latest errata. Assault vs Countercharge ( Edit ) Things which are resolved when a model "ends movement" (such as Countercharge) need to be resolved before the Assault attack. (Infernal Ruling). Assault & Drag ( Edit ) You determine whether a charge was successful or not before making the Assault attack. If you make an unsuccessful charge but then use Drag to get your charge target into melee range, then: It is still a failed charge and your activation is going to end after the Assault attack is resolved. (Infernal Ruling) You will get the free melee attack from Drag as part of resolving the Assault ranged attack. (Infernal Ruling) Whether or not your charge was successful, this free melee attack is not a charge attack. (Infernal Ruling) You won't be able to purchase additionals (because your activation ended).

Rules Clarification : Soul Vessel      (Edit) The only thing the Soul Vessel rules does is, the model produces a soul when it is destroyed as if it were a living model. For similar logic, things that prevent living models from generating souls (such as Annihilator) also prevent Soul Vessels from generating souls. (Infernal Ruling) A Soul Vessel is not a living model for the purposes of anything except soul generation & collection. Special rules that interact with living models but which aren't soul-related (such as Bloodthirst or Poison) don't do anything vs Soul Vessels. For example: An attack that RFPs living models (such as Snacking) would normally prevent that living model from generating a soul token; but Snacking doesn't work vs non-living. So a Soul Vessel doesn't get Snacked and will produce a soul token.

Rules Clarification : Variable      (Edit) Unit Attachment(s) will gain the benefit of Variable, because it is worded "models in this unit gain [x]". (Locked Thread) But only as long as at least one model with Variable is still alive.

Rules Clarification : Empowered Attack - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Snipe      (Edit) Although Snipe the spell and Snipe the Attack Type are two different "sources", they are multiple instances of the same effect. As such, they're not cumulative. Refer to the "Rule Priority" section of the core rulebook. Snipe does not affect the range of weapons that use the Spray template, or one's which have RNG = CTRL.