Vulcan

Matching the size of other modern colossals, the Vulcan is no less than a rolling alchemical arsenal. Sloshing hundred-gallon vats within its structure allow it to unleash an array of alchemical attacks. A series of dispersal nozzles along the chassis can blanket a large area in a debilitating fog of toxic gas. Its primary weapon, the Aqua Mortuum rocket, leaves trails of alchemical poison in the air and detonates with a burst of lingering toxins, while its smaller vitriolic deflagrators hose down squadrons with concentrated, high-molarity acid.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Construct
• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Alchemically Treated
• Template:Alchemical Vents
  • Template:Iron Bane
  • Template:Miasma of Death
  • Template:Unnatural Affliction
• Template:Bulldoze

Weapons

Aqua Mortuum Rocket
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		14			1			4			14
Unlike most Colossals, its main gun is located in only one Field of Fire Template:Arcing Fire Template:Chem Trail Template:Minimum Range Template:Primary Weapon Template:Reload 1
Vitriolic Defragulator (x2)
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		SP 10			1			Template:-			14
Template:Corrosion damage Template:Continuous Corrosion
Fist (x2)
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				3				19
Template:Open Fist

Theme Forces

• Crucible Guard
  • Template:Magnum Opus
  • Template:Primae Materia. This model gains Cutting Edge in this theme.

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

Thoughts on Vulcan

Vulcan in a nutshell

The Vulcan is a rolling alchemical dispersion factory. Its main weapon is made to work in concert with the whole army. It removes Tough and messes up most warbeasts. Cripple one aspect, lob a Miasma of Death at them. They either waste their activation to move away THEN get healed or get little work done. Lowering a warjack's ARM is always useful, and with the plethora of elemental weaponry the faction has, making sure the enemy DOES NOT benefit from them is priceless. It is also quite speedy and accurate for a Colossal.

Combos & Synergies

• EVERY in-faction model that has an elemental weapon. It cannot be stressed enough how stripping elemental immunities from enemy models can make the opponent vulnerable to your entire army.
• Mackay1 - Fail Safe makes it very durable, Mobility makes it faster and her feat boosts all of its damage rolls, meanign you can spend focus on reloading and boosting to hit. She runs a very mean Vulcan!
• Marshal General Baldwin Gearhart & Mr. Clogg grants it Hot-Shot to melt infantry caught in its Blast/Sprays. He also grants Prey on feat turn. They go together like peanut butter and chocolate.
• Prospero has the ever-useful Veteran Leader and Guided Fire for extra accurate spray attacks.
• Aurum Lucanum Athanor Locke can make it into a speedy (13" of threat range!), free charging, ARM 22, P+S 21 (23 if it uses Rust on a 'jack) with Jackhammer. She also can repair it herself.
• Syvestro has a +2 Speed buff for any construct within 5" of him, so he can send a Vulkan and two Railless Interceptors into the enemy and have them do loads of work because the Vulkan can strip immunes to the Railess's guns. Also they all have Bulldoze so they can set up spray angles for each other. On top of that he has a feat giving the Vulkan quasi-Signs & Portents.
• Have the Vulcan strip elemental immunities, then apply oil from a Retaliator and finally have your Crucible Guard Infantry shoot something to death with boosted fire damage rolls. Very effective under Gearhart and Prospero for Veteran Leader, Guided Fire, Prey, Snipe and Hot-Shot.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• It doesn't use Prospero's Instability Equation for anything but the free focus, as it cannot be knocked down, disrupted or turned around outside of its activation. You also DO NOT want it to roll a bad Unstable roll on a 35 points investment.
• - On the other hand an Unstable explosion from a huge base can have a massive radius, especially if you line up the enemy using Bulldoze. And if it clears a zone and wins you the game...
• Unlike the other two major sources of sprays (Suppressor and Railless Interceptor) it does not have Dual Attack, effectively limiting it to a ranged-only platform most of the time. Also because-
• It is surprisingly easy to kill.
• It has the lowest DEF of any colossal.
• It is not uncommon for a Railless Interceptor to have more damage output than a Vulcan. Two Railless Interceptors cost fewer points and have more boxes than a Vulcan. You only bring the Vulcan to take advantage of it's Alchemical Vent effects and to benefit from the many excellent battlegroup-only spells in faction. Without help from other models (especially caster), it will struggle to earn it's points back.
• At P+S 19, it is the most pillow-fisted colossal in melee in the game before Withering Humor or Rust, either of which only bring it on par with other colossals.
• Aurum Lucanum Athanor Locke runs it worse than you'd think. While her feat can make it effectively ARM 22 and she can provide Jackhammer and Redline, it sadly cannot use Road to War and Sentry. It can, however, trigger Road to War on other models up to four times.
• It's main weapon, the rocket, is limited to the right arc, which is a bigger limitation than it looks on paper and means you will usually deploy it on the left side of the table regardless of terrain or opponent. Having to pay a focus for Reload limits your ability to boost attacks and damage and limits the overall output potential considerably.

Tricks & Tips

• Blow it up and burn it down. As long as you remember your vents the Vulcan isn't terribly complex. Just remember that you have to complete all your initial attacks before you can Reload the rocket.
• Remember the rocket AoE also applies Alchemical Vents on anything inside it.
• The rocket can only fire in the right arc. Do NOT deploy the Vulcan on the right side of the table if you can help it.
• Iron Bane (Rust) will be your normal pick against enemy jacks. With a Vulcan you probably don't need to include a Suppressor in your list for Rust.
• The Vulcan's Miasma of Death is effectively Grievous Wounds that can only effect living enemy models. Compare this to the Retaliator's Black Humor with actual Grievous Wounds that effects anything and the Dragon's Breath Rocket's Withering Humor, which removes Tough and reduces ARM on living and undead models by -2 but does NOT prevent removing damage. Neither Miasma of Death nor Withering Humor effects models that ignore gas effects. All of these together create a strange Venn diagram of effects and limitations that you should keep in mind when making a list and again when using them.
• The Vulcan's Alchemical Vents and rockets can be a hard counter to many things that rely on damage removal with living models (like Harbinger of Menoth), elemental resistances (like Protectorate with fire damage or Cygnar with electrical damage), or constructs (like any jack spam, Bones of Orboros, or The Exalted themes).

Other

Trivia

Released in the Crucible Guard CID (2018.03)