Cipher

The Cipher supports the assault with a pair of hydraulically powered piston spikes and an integrated servipod mortar that can unleash several different ammunition types in support of its army’s advance.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Construct
• Template:Steady

Weapons

Servipod Mortar
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW			LOCATION
		11			1			4			-			Head
Template:Arcing Fire Template:Attack Type Template:Bombardment Template:Crater Template:Flare Template:Reload 1
Piston Spike (x2)
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S				LOCATION
		1				6				18				1 Each Eide

Theme Forces

• Convergence
  • Template:Clockwork Legions
  • Template:Destruction Initative
  • Template:Strange Bedfellows

• Other Factions
  • There are three Convergence Partisan models that, between them, can take this warjack in a plethora of Mercenary, Cryx, and Cygnar themes.

  These models are Aurora2, Asphyxious4, and Nemo4.

Thoughts on Cipher

Cipher in a nutshell

Slow, Steady, and Strong, Cipher is a widely used utility heavy vector. At range, it has a shot type for all occasions, and when engaged in melee, it hits hard, with 2 initials. It’s highly adaptive and most casters can use it, even those with low RAT get some benefit of wandering AOEs and the control effects on the attack types.

Combos & Synergies

Non-caster synergies

• Diffuser : Every Convergence construct model loves the Diffuser and its beacon. But Ciphers really love them. Hit a target with the Diffuser first, and then watch Cipher rush into melee range with surprising speed.
• Widget1 : In Strange Bedfellows you can use Ancillary attack for a 3rd shot a turn.
• Optifex Directive : Helps all vectors, but granting pathfinder helps prevent other models getting held up by your rough terrain.

Caster synergies
Try not to misunderstand Cipher as a shooty vector. Cipher's gun, especially its flare, is good, but it mainly functions as supporting fire. The real game is Ciphers' heavy punches, only slightly lower than inverter's main weapon. It can serve almost any role.

• Forge Master Syntherion : Since it's a versatile vector, Cipher can do its best when with Syntherion. Hot Shot means the blasts can actually threaten, Synergy makes his pistons crush heavies with ease, and Magnetic Hold increases his threat range.
  • Try to charge an enemy in his feat turn, launch out some flares at point-blank-range, and then obliterate the unlucky victim.
• Iron Mother Directrix : Fire Group can mean an extra turn of shooting, and Tactical Supremacy can help speed it up.
• Axis, The Harmonic Enforcer : the feat is exactly what the doctor ordered, and rough terrain can help ensure you get the alpha strike.
• Aurum Lucanum Athanor Locke whether it’s Sentry or Redline the Cipher really loves Locke although these buffs are not much to write home about what you factor in Mat 9 from Engine of Destruction and more speed ups from Road to War the cipher is really turned up to 11
• Aurora2 - It a great jack for Arcane Propulsion, putting it at a 12/19 statline and she can give it Dual Attack with her directives so it can leverage all its weapons in one turn. On feat and under Hand of Destruction the piston spikes will also hurt like a ton of bricks at effective P+S 20 with quasi-[[Signs & Portends)).
• Orion - so the Cipher isn’t a shooty jack so this is an odd choice, but flare really helps the other shooty Vectors hit and when Orion likes to run lots of shooting Vectors it helps to have one that can do some armour cracking. His feat polishes the Ciphers output as it does all models and spell piercer means they can’t mitigate your output, you could stick magic bullet on the cipher (but honestly there are better targets). His field marshal grants Reposition which actually means the Cipher can trample faster than it can run.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• It's slow, without long range/high pow guns to mitigate it (which the Assimilator and Monitor sport)
• Very little ranged damage

Tricks & Tips

• You don't resolve any damage rolls for Crater or Flare.
• Many armies, particularly Khador and Protectorate, don't handle rough terrain well.
• Target cheap servitors to place the AOE exactly where you want it.

Other

Trivia & Lore

• Released in Forces of Warmachine: Convergence of Cyriss (2013)
• For Lore, see Lore - Convergence Technology