View source for Lieutenant Crosse, Resistance Fighter

{{Mercbox|{{Mercenary}} {{Thamarite}} {{Llaelese}} [[Warcaster]]}} [[Category: Model]]
{{4P|'''Soldiers of Fortune'''}}

''Under the mentorship of Marshal Ashlynn d’Elyse, Gastone Crosse has begun to reach his potential and fights alongside the other determined warriors of the Llaelese Resistance. Yet he struggles to control the weapon that first unlocked his warcaster ability. A survivor with a proven knack for battlefield improvisation, few who fight alongside him know of the darkness weighing on his conscience, as the soul of every foe he kills is consumed to strengthen him.''

=Basic Info=
{{Infobox-Model
| name  = [[Crosse|Crosse2]]
| image = Crosse2.jpg
| base  = Small
| spd   = 6
| str   = 5
| mat   = 6
| rat   = 6
| def   = 15
| arm   = 15
| cmd   8 irrelevant
| focus = 6
| hp    = 14
| wjp   = +29
}}

'''[[Mercenary]]''' - In a 2+ caster game, Crosse will work as a {{Crucible Guard mercenary}}, {{Cygnar mercenary}}, or {{Menoth mercenary}}.
: ''There is a bug in WarRoom that makes the 'works for' info not show up. You can find the info on the card database instead.

{{Warcaster}}

===Feat: Shadow War===
: Friendly Faction models currently in his {{CTRL}} range are affected by Ghost Walk this turn.
: Additionally, affected models gain [[Stealth]] and Run & Gun for one round. 
: (''{{Run & Gun-alt|Hide_Cat=}}'') [[Category: Ghostly Feat]] [[Category: Stealth Feat]] [[Category: Run & Gun Feat]]
{{Tipbox|Even though the Ghost Walk spell says "target model/''unit''" that phrase doesn't apply during the feat (because the feat doesn't ''target''). As such, when it comes to units, only the models inside his control range will get Ghostly.}}

===Abilities===
* {{Gunfighter}}
* {{Dark Blessing}}

===Weapons === 
{| class="wikitable"
{{Ranged|Soul Reaver|12|12|rof=2|
* {{Magical Damage}} 
* {{Black Boon}} 
* {{Death Dealer}} 
* {{Soul Reaver}} }}
{{Melee|Knife|0.5|3|8| }}
|}

===Spells===
{{Spellbox|
{{Dark Fire}} 
{{Dauntless Resolve}}
{{Fire Group}} 
{{Ghost Walk}}
{{Lifebound}}
}}

===Theme Forces ===
* '''''Mercenaries
** {{Flame in the Darkness}}. He gains access to Cygnar & Mercenary warjacks in this theme.
** {{Llaelese Resistance}}. Crosse gains [[Pathfinder]] in this theme.
** {{Steelies}}
** {{The Irregulars}}

* '''''Other Factions
** '''[[Infernal]]''' players can use this warcaster in the {{Hearts of Darkness|notbold=}} theme.


=Thoughts on Crosse2= 
===Crosse2 in a nutshell===
Crosse2 is a ranged powerhouse easily able to remove lights and low ARM heavies from the table by himself if he is able to collect souls, and his abilities are designed to help ensure he does so. He has an unusual mix of support abilities that provide his army with excellent ranged defense and good maneuverability making him a very serviceable anti-gunline caster. Death Dealer and Black Boon amount to an effective 9 free focus on top of his usual 6, making him a very powerful personal contributor to the battle. He excels at delivering a melee army but doesn't do much for it once it gets there.

He is the most capable assassin in mercenaries (Shae's army has better assassination runs, but Shae doesn't do the deed like Crosse.). His gun is an absolute trip when Death Dealer goes off. It is not uncommon for him to 4 shot full health ARM 18 heavies right off the board.

===Feat Thoughts===
Shadow War is a dual-use feat that can be used defensively for the turn of stealth or offensively for the ghost walk to strike at vulnerable targets or the opposing caster. It's great into a lot of gun lines and should be used early; turn 1 if you go second and the enemy has lots of guns or spells.

In order to get full use out of it, your army must project significant threat so as to force the enemy to move into scenario and get attacked or sit back and lose board presence. Cavalry is best since Crosse doesn't do threat extension.

===Spell Thoughts===
'''Lifebound''' 
* This is Crosse's most important spell because many enemy armies don't have souls you can collect, but this keeps him charged up anyway.
* It should go on something cheap and expendable, but also that the opposing army has to deal with. Steelhead Halberdiers and Precursor Knights are ideal candidates.
* Note that Crosse needs to be the closest eligible model if he wants the soul.

'''Dauntless Resolve''' 
* This can go either on a unit or Crosse himself. If he also uses Dark Blessing it makes him 18/18. 
* Useful targets are Morrowan Archons, Exemplar Cinerators, Legion of Lost Souls, any cavalry unit, or ARM 12+ infantry you'd like to keep safe from blasts.

'''Ghost Walk''' 
* This is situational but can be used to enable assassinations and make unexpected plays, which is always valuable. Extremely strong with Steelhead Cavalry. It also removes the need to bring a Pathfinder solo.

'''Fire Group''' 
* He'll cast this a fair amount. It's great when Crosse has souls because he should have the focus to cast it and stay back farther.

'''Dark Fire''' 
* Occasionally you will have 3 souls and want a 4th before you activate Death Dealer. This is perfect for that situation. 
* It's also another attack if you've nothing better to do.

===Drawbacks & Downsides===
* He depends on soul collection to reach his full potential. Anything that stops him from collecting souls is going to make his life rather difficult, though this can be mitigated with a Morrowan Archon. Snacking, Takedown, Trick Shot, Thamarite Archons, Explosivo, or electro-leaps are really bad news.
* He provides no help with speed, accuracy, or damage to the rest of the army, which is why he needs to make a big impact on the game himself. He needs self-sufficient units in large numbers since his battle group will be minimally effective.
* He usually has only 4 focus to use and lots to do with it so try not to get him all killed.
* If the enemy has upkeep removal, forget it.

===Tricks & Tips===
* Get 1 soul on him ASAP and never give it up unless it is absolutely necessary. Even without Death Dealer, using Reinholdt's reload and focus allows Crosse to dish out pain every turn thanks to Black Boon.

=List Building Advice=
===Strategy===
Crosse wants to leverage his soul collection ability to make the opponent pay for attacking his army while not giving up too much on the way in as the lines close. He also wants to present a very high ARM unit that is hard for the opposing force to deal with.

For units, the first choice is a target for Lifebound. You want something cheap and expendable, but also something that your opponent has to kill.

Next, you want something to put Dauntless Resolve on. You want something that is already durable, where the +3 ARM will push it "over the top" into nigh-unkillable.

Finally, if at all possible, bring [[Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator]] for Lucky Charm, stealth removal and reload.

The rest of the list should be self-sufficient and should fill in any weaknesses the army has, since Crosse himself will be doing nothing for them.

===Theme Thoughts===
{{Header|[[Soldiers of Fortune]]}}

This gives him access to Mark the Target from solos and several powerful combos. He might be the best caster to run this theme as he plays off the recursive nature of the army better than anyone. Bring two units of Halberdiers, Rocinante, two units of Cavalry, and all the solos you can squeeze in there and enjoy unparalleled freedom of movement and lots of Death Dealers.
* [[Verendrye]] lets his Lifebound Halberdier unit regenerate models. This works great in conjunction with either [[Alexia1]] or [[Alexia2]] to double up the recursion.
* [[Steelhead Heavy Cavalry]] models love Dauntless and Ghost Walk, and they can be used to bulldoze opposing casters 2" closer to him. Ghost Walk with Tactician from Stannis means unlimited freedom of movement.
* The [[Ironhead]] extends his threat range to 22".
* [[Rocinante]] is his favorite warjack. He can increase its range, its focus efficient thanks to Powerful Attack, and it hits hard with its gun. A 2" P+S 18 sword is also always nice. Finally, Guard Dog can push Crosse to DEF 20 against melee while also under Dark Blessing.
* [[Boomhowler2]] is a great replacement for Gibbs, as he is also able to give him Repo. Further, he contributes nicely to the lists scenario game with Covering Fire and Beat Back.
* The various artillery options also like Run & Gun from the feat, so they can roll up the board to get in range further.
* [[Stannis Brocker]] couples Tactician with Ghost Walk allowing free movement.
* [[Anastasia di Bray]] Crosse doesn’t really care about the rest of her kit that much; although she can use his feat to threaten the use of espionage. Her value comes from being an ambushing Mark Target and her ability to get pretty much anywhere can really put the pressure on your opponent when Crosse makes his personal output known.

{{Header|[[Llaelese Resistance]]}}

This offers rubble to hang out in and great Dauntless Targets in the Protectorate units. You are hard-pressed for good Lifebound units though. so this is ironically his worst theme.

* [[Exemplar Cinerators]] get to ARM 24 with Dauntless. Even with being slowed to a walk to use Shield Wall, they can still advance 10" with pathfinder thanks to [[Gibbs]]. This is the most powerful use of the spell and asks a very difficult question.
* That said, [[Exemplar Vengers]] move very fast, hit very hard, and are "only" ARM 23 under Battle Driven. So they also work well.
* Another less-effective use for Dauntless is to put it on something like [[Trencher Commandos]]. It won't let them survive direct hits much better, but it will make them highly resistant to blast damage.
* A [[Morrowan Archon]] at ARM 23 takes dedication to kill and is a strong scenario piece. It also protects his soul train.
* Similarly the [[Thamarite Archon]] is here, too, and is an excellent shooter, protects Crosse with clouds, and gives him rerolls.
** Both Archons have Flight, which makes for a great combo with Ghostly meaning they can go where they please and contest. The turn of stealth they receive from the feat means the opponent can't shoot them down either.
* Decent Lifebound targets can be [[Trencher Infantry]], [[Exemplar Errants]], [[Crucible Guard Rocketmen]] and even [[Devil Dogs]], though they are all inferiors options to what is available in the other themes.
** Lifebound works very well on Devil Dogs as they are very dangerous to anything that can be knocked down if not dealt with, but at the same time, Lifebound discourages people from dealing with them because it fuels Crosse's soul train. If you spend your two out of faction picks on models that do work, you don't have much choice but to bring them as your Life Bound target.
* Bring [[Reinholdt]], [[Gibbs]], and [[Ragman]] at minimum.

{{Header|[[Flame in the Darkness]]}}

This theme gives up cavalry and Reinholdt for lots of melee damage and a Hurricane.

* The only size 10+ unit to put Lifebound on are the [[Precursor Knights]]. If need be, they're also an alright Dauntless Resolve target if you're looking to shield wall into a zone or in annoying positions. They aren't as cheap as Halberdiers, but Lifebound makes the enemy not want to kill them and with Shield Guard, they can trigger Vengeance whenever you like. Always bring Battle Priests for this unit.
* Both Archons of the twins are in this theme too, and thus make for great Dauntless targets. One of each, minimum.
* [[Gabriel Throne]] brings his usual buffs. Pathfinder isn't needed with Crosse's Ghost Walk, so he can focus on handing out Stir the Blood.
* [[Hermit]]'s ARM debuff allows Crosse to take ARM 20 heavies off the table.
* [[Resolutes]] are ARM 20 multi-wound infantry under Dauntless. They also like Stealth, Ghostly, and Run & Gun very much. 
* [[Gallant]] is a focus-efficient heavy, which is appreciated. He is also another Shield Guard.
* [[Reliant]] - If you have [[Savio]] in the list this jack is self-fuelling with Accumulator giving you enough focus to fully boost its shot without input from Crosse, and Fire Group is a major boon to its gun.
* [[Vigilants]] are held back by their short-range and no repo. Run and Gun fixes this.
* Access to shooty Cygnar jacks is a blessing as well, especially the focus efficient [[Charger]]s and [[Hunter]]s.
* Keep in mind that this is the only theme without Reinholdt. You will dearly miss the reload, reroll and anti-stealth, so bring Thamarchons and the True Sight objective to compensate.
* [[Hurricane]] - Unlike the Galleon, this thing is a ranged beast, and Fire Group is a major enhancement. It will remove flight from your Archons, however, so you may need to Ghost Walk them.

{{Header|[[Hearts of Darkness]]}}

This makes his battle group focus-efficient with Accumulator.

* Two units of [[Steelhead Halberdiers]] are recommended, as they fuel the Gate and Crosse himself.
* The [[Infernal Gate]] it will be able to collect lots of souls from the Halberdiers and can convert them into Howlers.
* [[Howlers]] can be brought back by the gate and appreciate Dauntless Resolve for ARM 20. They fuel Accumulator as well.
* [[Cultist Band]]s and [[ The Wretch]]es are able to heal Howlers after they were brought back. Orin2 also gives you rerolls.
* [[Valin Hauke]] makes the Howlers even harder to remove with Brothers Keeper and also protects Crosse from pop and drop tricks.
* [[Runewood2]] compensates his lack of Reposition with the Shadow insidious plan.
* [[Nicia2]] can give him a soul with Death Song.
* [[Umbral Guardian]]s keep him safe and fuel the Accumulator, too.
* As your three merc solo options you definitely want to bring Reinholdt and Dr. Nic. The last one is a wash but a damage buff is very much needed, so Ragman is a strong contender. (Note that you can bring neither Boomhowler2 nor Gibbs, as they are partisans)

{{Header|[[Irregulars]]}}

Irregulars has no archons or fancy character jacks, but many great damage fixers, independent units like [[Kayazy Eliminators]], and arguments to his shooting. It also has the super juniors as extra focus reserves, and that alone makes it a great theme for almost any caster.

* Precursor Knights are here, too. As is Gabriel Throne. Lifebound can go on a full 12 man unit of Precursors with 3 Battle Priests attached so he has a large soul pool. Precursors need help with delivery and nothing delivers them like Crosse punishing your opponent for killing Precursors by shooting a heavy of the board with their souls.
* [[Idrian Skirmishers]] - They hit less hard in melee than PKs but are more durable with Repo 5 and Go to Ground so they still do well as Life Bound targets. With Gaspy and Hermit in tow, they will also crack armour admirably and make excellent use of the run & gun part of his feat. They make for a more balanced combined arms list.
* [[Asphyxious4]] is as solid a Dauntless Resolve target as there is, who will run his own jacks independently of Crosse and put Dark Shroud onto things for Crosse to blow away. A Tough ARM 20 workpiece such as Gaspy will be a great boon to Crosse.
* [[Nemo4]] - He, too, brings an independent heavy warjack Crosse doesn't have to fuel. With Lighting and Dark Shroud in the same list, it will hit very hard to boot. More importantly, he is able to bring back your Life Bound unit. Also, turn one he can Open the Gate and bring in an Iron Head.
* [[Lynus & Edrea]] get rid of clouds and give him Applied Knowledge, so Crosse can at least cripple systems of choice if he cannot finish off a target.
* The theme has a myriad of ranged solos like [[Harlowe Holdemhigh]] that love feat induced stealth and run and gun, as well as the presence of the Hermit, whom Crosse also loves.
* [[Aiyana & Holt]] pack an ARM debuff, which unlike Dark Shroud works independently of melee range, so it works great with guns. With the Hermit, Throne, and Gaspy around you won't need them anymore though.
* [[Widget1]] can squeeze an extra attack out of one of his jacks each turn.
* [[Bamfist]] helps with focus efficiency, or he gives [[Harlowe]] Force Barrier.
* [[Gudrun2]] granting defense to your army is great. Using sucker from the Thamarite Advocate to increase the number of tokens on him and improve this aura is also great.

{{Header|Various Themes}}
* [[Thamarite Advocate]] - They can accompany him into every theme and can top off either him or his jack with a point of focus.

===Battlegroup===
Crosse is not a battlegroup caster. Most turns you'll have two upkeeps to pay for, leaving you four focus to spend. Two for either Fire Group, Ghost Walk, Dark Fire, or cycling upkeep and two left for your battlegroup. On one hand, this means he doesn't run any warjacks very well. On the other hand, it means you're free to build the battlegroup to fill a specific role for the army. Just stay clear of the colossals. He does nothing of value for either of them.

* [[Toro]] - It can take some punishment and dish it out in return, just like its big little brother the [[Nomad]].
* [[Rover]] - A sturdy shieldguard is never bad with a squishy caster and he makes his short rage gun... less short-ranged.
* [[Mariner]] - Probably the best merc non-character heavy when it comes to sheer firepower and range and with its anchor, it can wipe out substantial amounts of infantry in melee as well.
* [[Mangler]] - It charges for free and hits reasonably hard.
* [[Swabber]] - Fire Group is great for its low-range guns and drag sets up targets for Crosse to shoot. Shield Guard is also great for a squishy caster and lastly Lash and Girded is perfect for further increasing the survivability of your troops. It's good in Flame in the Darkness where you may be light on guns.

===Starting a 25 point Brawl list===
In 2020.11 Phillip Melvin, one of the LOS authors, put together this '''Infernal''' list for the [[Brawlmachine]] format. It was then updated for the 2021.10 errata. He even wrote about its playstyle and expanded it beyond 25 points, which you can [https://www.loswarmachine.com/brawlmachine/2020/11/19/brawlmachine-list-building-infernals read here].

'''[[Theme - Hearts of Darkness]] ([[Infernals]])

: '''[[Lieutenant Crosse, Resistance Fighter|Crosse2]]''' [+29 WJP]
:* [[Mariner]]: [14 pts]
:* [[Freebooter]]: [9 pts]
:* [[Buccaneer]]: [6 pts]

: [[Great Princess Regna Gravnoy]]: [6 pts]
: [[Nicia, Hound of the Abyss|Nicia2]]: [Free] {{grey|(4 pts)}}
: [[Sergeant Nicolas Verendrye]]: [4 pts]
: [[Thamarite Advocate]]: [3 pts]
: [[Swamp Gobber River Raider]]: [1 pt]

: [[Steelhead Halberdiers]] (Max unit): [11 pts]


Similarly, in 2021.03 he put together this '''Mercenaries''' list, then updated it for the 2021.10 errata, which you can [https://www.loswarmachine.com/brawlmachine/2021/2/5/brawlmachine-list-building-mercenaries read here].

'''[[Theme - Flame in the Darkness]] ([[Mercenaries]])

: '''[[Lieutenant Crosse, Resistance Fighter|Crosse2]]''' [+29 WJP]
:* [[Gallant]] [17 pts]
:* [[Swabber]] [13 pts]

: [[Thamarite Archon]] [9 pts]
: [[Thamarite Advocate]] [3 pts]
: [[Glyn Cormier, Illuminated One]] [Free] {{grey|(5 pts)}}

: [[Order of Illumination Vigilants]] (Max unit) [10 pts]
: [[Field Mechaniks]] (Min unit) [2 pts]


{{Brawl}}

=Other=
[[File: Gastone1_minicrate.jpg|thumb|Limited Edition Minicrate sculpt (2018)<br>(Technically [[Crosse1]]) ]]
===Trivia===
* He has a longer fluff blurb on [http://privateerpress.com/no-quarter/web-extras PP's "extras" page].
* [[Crosse1]] is a solo, while this version is him as a fully-fledged warcaster.
* Crosse1 had the same gun, but it didn't have any of the special rules. He has since bonded with it and mastered its power.
* There is a limited edition sculpt for Mini-Crate subscribers which is technically Crosse1, but PP has said it can be used for Crosse2 if your Event Organiser allows it.
* Crosse aspires to figure out the nature of his cursed gun, which led him to delve into Thamarite teachings, hence his tag. This also makes him susceptible to the "little nudge" into infernalism the other Hearts of Darkness casters are liable to, hence his presence in said theme. He has absolutely zero conflict of interest when it comes to his relationship with Morrowans and Infernals, right?
* The Soul Reaver is likely an Infernal-touched weapon. In the books, it is hinted the gun is slowly driving him mad with bloodlust.

===Video Battle Reports ===
* [https://youtu.be/6ATa7g-qhLQ 2018.07 Not Snakes Gaming], 75 points vs [[Kreoss3]]
* [https://youtu.be/NG5AUK-xs4U 2018.03 Arcane Assist], 75 points vs [[Siege2]]
* {{VBR}}

===Warjacks he can take===
{{Index Mercenary Warjacks}}

===Other Mercenary models===
{{Index Mercenary}}

===Rules Clarifications===
{{RCbox2
|Name= Feat: Shadow War
|list=
* "Being affected by a spell" does not mean that Crosse "counts as having cast a spell". Stuff like [[Arcane Consumption]] and [[Spell Ward]] don't interact with his feat.  ('''[https://privateerpressforums.com/showthread.php?262902-Baldur2-feat-and-casting-spells Locked thread]''')
* Even though the Ghost Walk spell says "target model/''unit''" that doesn't apply (because the feat doesn't ''target'').  As such when it comes to units, only the models inside the control range will get Ghostly. [https://privateerpressforums.com/showthread.php?278454-Crosse2-s-feat-compared-to-Agathia1-s-feat Reference thread (not an official Ruling, but it links to an '''Infernal Ruling''']
}}

{{RC Magical Damage}}
{{RC Black Boon}}
{{RC Death Dealer}}
{{RC Soul Reaver}}

{{RC Warcaster}}
{{RC Gunfighter}}
{{RC Dark Blessing}}

{{RC Lifebound}}
{{RC Dark Fire}} 
{{RC Fire Group}} 
{{RC Dauntless Resolve}} 
{{RC Ghost Walk}}

{{RC Pathfinder}}
{{RC Stealth}}
{{RC Run & Gun}}