Gérald Di' Sabatier, Renegade Alchemist

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Focus 6			CMD 8
SPD	STR	MAT	RAT	DEF	ARM
6	5	5	6	16	13
Sepsis
M		Special		POW	P+S
		Poison		4	9
Cartridge Launcher
R		RNG	ROF	AOE	POW
		12	1	*	*
Gérald's Damage					15
Point Cost					72
Field Allowance					C
Victory Points					5
Base Size: Small

Description

Don't worry dearest Ashlynn, I fully expect those Schardic wretches to betray us to the Khadorans. That makes me perfectly just in giving them a fanciful bomb rather than a cortex. - Gérald Di' Sabatier, moments before the unsolved explosion at the Wake Isles dockside

Gérald Di' Sabatier, Renegade Alchemist - Llael Warcaster Character

Born as the fifth son to a family of high nobility in Llael, Gérald was faced with the not uncommon problem of a lofty name with very little backing in the way of material wealth, especially when one is the very bottom of the latter of inheritance. Things were further complicated by the death of Gérald’s father in the early years of his life, succumbing finally to the life of excessive drink (and some say darker intoxicants). While his siblings squandered what little wealth wasn’t outright stolen by the mercantile captains, Gérald realized that if he were to have any hope of creating a power base for himself he would need to find some other means of funding. Thus, he found himself abjectly forced into finding a profession befitting his high station.

It was fortunate then, that his lofty name allowed him to successfully apply to the Order of the Golden Crucible where, to his surprise, he was set to the rigorous training of every other apprentice at the age of twenty – including the common applicants from the universities. His pride burned at this humiliation, believing that his family name should serve to at least out him in a position of power over the other apprentices. Instead, he suffered greatly at the hands of the more common applicants who saw the noble interloper as a disgrace to those that had actually worked to gain entrance to the Order. His only reason for enduring such petty torments lie in the promise of eventually gaining entrance into deeper secrets of the Order, showing the dirty commoners that nobility meant far more than just a name.

Shocking his instructors, he passed through the process of apprenticeship quicker than any other applicant for decades – his desire to see the other apprentices cast out in disgrace serving as fuel to his already greedy pursuit of knowledge. Surprisingly, this devotion was complemented by his seemingly instinctual understanding of the deeper complexities of alchemy concerning the more "distasteful" concoctions the Order had devised. This quick ascent allowed him to finally gain his vengeance, and several of his tormenters were sent home due to ‘unavoidable and unfortunate laboratory accidents’. While the rumors were multitudinous, nothing could ever be proven. Gérald was far too clever to leave any trace of his involvement, and put his family honor on the line refuting any claims of his involvement. Naturally, a few more ‘accidents’ saw his most vocal accusers incapable of speaking out any further – normally due to the lack of lips with which to do so.

Unknown to the Order, Gérald had progressed far farther than they ever expected of any newer apprentice. His latent genius and burning pride, so long quenched, had been channeled into the study of the most complex destructive alchemies one could possible imagine. Applying what little sway his name could give him, Gérald demanded more and more complex books of destructive alchemy, verbally abusing any who even thought to stand in the way of his twisted genius. The only reason he was even allowed to continue working at Thunderstone Fortress was due to his ability to produce a revolutionary new idea whenever sentiment seemed to be turning against him. From acids which melted through serricsteel like paper, to toxins which caused test animals to expire in close proximity, Gérald showed an abject talent at militarized alchemy. These talents began to give him a rather unsavory reputation, but Gérald could hardly be troubled by the commoner’s dissent. After all, in his mind, he was simply better than them. Long-standing members of the Order, despite there misgivings, were helpless but to agree.

His latent genius made a surprising way of announcing itself in the form of when he showed the gift of sorcery. Shortly before he was due to gain his mark of a full member, his connection to the still prototype Vanguard warjacks manifested in the form of a complete forcing of his will upon the still early warjack design. He found it much easier to order around subjects which didn’t require threats or cajoling for them to obey, and he took a great deal of satisfaction out of utilizing the expensive jacks to complete menial tasks he had been assigned whenever an overseer was absent. Finally discovered at just such an occasion, the expected punishment died as the realization dawned that the Order had in its ranks a fledgling warcaster.

Given the secretive nature of the Order, an appeal to Gérald’s nature was given as he was graduated through the as a full member of the Order itself without being required to take the normal examinations – effectively hushing him up for a good couple of months while he utilized his new authority to request even more exotic scholarly works. A Warcaster was far too valuable a commodity to let out of their grasp, and the penchant for secrecy allowed the Golden Crucible to conceal their prized possession long enough to train him themselves. Initially, he was set to train using stripped down Vanguard chassis’s to develop fine motor control and the necessary state required to use the warjacks as an extension of his body. Unsavory rumors point at the Orders discreet hiring of the Traitor for this training, although such a connection has never been proven. His new command of even complex sorceries allowed him to devise yet more abominable brews within the safety of his private laboratory – courtesy of the Order itself. By giving him whatever he requested (within reason), Gérald was kept like a rather dangerous toy. He was far too valuable to let go, but at the same time incredibly difficult to allay his unsavory reputation – especially with the disappearance of several disadvantaged citizens from the streets of Merwyn. His greatest accomplishment concerned the meshing of several potent alchemical substances into explosive capsules, designed to deliver pinpoint devastation of an incredible scale in the area where they were set off. How he tested such devices are a secret that the Order is more than willing to be ignorant of.

The Khadorans learned this fact to their great detriment during their siege of the Golden Crucible's Thunderstone Fortress. Mustering the full complement of newly completed Vanguard's, Gérald tested his most potent concoctions on the Khadoran vanguard, which had the (rather unintentional) added benefit of giving many of his fellow Alchemists time to escape. It was only a temporary action however, and once Gérald had recorded the full extent of his more exotic effects he departed the battlefield, leaving the remaining members of the Order to the Khadoran army while he quickly packed the essentials from his laboratory onto the remaining Vanguards that were still fully operational. With their pet Warcaster absent, the Order’s defenders were quickly dominated with the arrival of the full bulk of the main Khadoran force. Gérald himself had already made good headway towards his ancestral home, caring little for the fate of commoners or the few nobles left in the Fortress.

Gérald, infuriated at the loss of his personal laboratory and the notes he was forced to leave behind, returned home only to find that even the barest hope of an inheritance was now impossible. His siblings, in a mix of entitlement and stupidity, had seen fit to oppose the searching of their home for rebels. Shot for opposing the Empress, the Khadorans took the opportunity to burn the large manse as an example to any other noble factions that hadn’t already been subverted by the regent. Finding his status as a noble so blatantly ignored, and by northern commoners no less, saw Gérald’s civil mode of behavior fall away like a shroud. While the soldiers scuttled around the burning shell to loot whatever possible, Gérald saw to it that an especial brew he had concocted found its way into the blaze. A quickly spreading yellow cloud, accelerated by the heat of the fire, quickly filled the valley – melting flesh from bone like wax from a candle. This instance was the first recorded mention of what soon would become known as the Bloody Crucible, a terrifying story that spread from the lone horribly crippled survivor throughout the rest of the Khadoran military machine stationed in Llael.

Seeing the Llaelese Rebellion as a perfectly valid means to gain his most savage vengeance upon the Khadoran military, Gérald offered his services as a military alchemist in return for a guaranteed line of funding through the Rebellion’s financers. Nonetheless, Gérald is not above working for anyone who can pay him enough coin, and he has been seen on battlefields as far away as the sands of the Protectorate when the pay is good enough. His primary allegiances lie with the Rebellion, but only so long as they can finance his efforts and help him achieve his own personal vendetta. As part of the Highborn Covenant, Gérald brings the full complement of the Golden Crucible's most destructive alchemies against the northern menace, and the 'Empress' will reap a crop dripping with the blood of her own subjects. Gérald’s honor has been slighted in the most disgraceful possible manner, and he will personally see the best and the brightest of the Khadoran empire gasping their last tortured breaths at his feet.

Special Rules

Gérald Di' Sabatier

• Alchemical Mask - Gérald ignores cloud effects, stealth, and invisibility when making attacks.

• Alchemically Treated Gear - Gérald may not be affected by continuous effects.

• Potent Reactions - Whenever Gérald uses focus to cast a spell he regenerates his power field by 2 damage boxes.

• Utter Disgust - Gérald may not be fielded in any army which includes Privateer models, as he refuses to work with such scum.

• Cohort - Mark II Vanguards - Vanguard Light Warjacks included in Gérald Di' Sabatier's battlegroup gain Shield Guard. Once per round, when Gérald is directly hit by a ranged attack during an opponent's turn, a Vanguard controlled by Gérald may move to intercept the attack. The Vanguard must be within 2" of Gérald and be able to position itself as an intervening model between the warcaster and the attacker using its normal movement. The Vanguard then moves and is hit automatically by the attack, suffering full damage and effects. If the Vanguard uses Shield Guard, it may not use it again until after its controlling player's next turn. If the Vanguard is denied its full normal movement it cannot use Shield Guard.

Sepsis

• Poison - After a sucessful attack against a living model, roll an additional damage die.

Cartridge Launcher

• Arcing Fire - Gérald ignores intervening models when drawing line of sight using the Alchemical Explosive Launcher.

• Alchemical Shells - Gérald cannot attack with the Cartridge Launcher more than once per turn. When Gerald attacks with the Cartrige Launcher, choose one of the following ammunition types:

• Alchemical Webbing - Alchemical Webbing is a 4" AOE attack that causes no damage and remains in play for one round. While within the AOE models move at half rate. A charging, slamming, or trampling model immediately stops and ends its movement if it enters the AOE.

• Vitriol Cloud - Acidic Cloud is a 3" AOE cloud effect that remains in play for one round. Models currently within the AOE when it is placed or entering the AOE during their activation suffer Corrosion. Corrosion is a continuous effect that slowly erodes its target. Corrosion does one damage point each turn to the affected model during its controller’s Maintenance Phase until it expires on a d6 roll of 1 or 2.

• Phosphor Flare - The Phosphor Flare is a 3" AOE. Models currently within the Phosphor Flare AOE suffer Retinal Overload. Models suffering Retinal Overload cannot run or charge and have their LOS reduced to 5". Retinal Overload lasts for one round.

Feat

• Bloody Crucible
  Long holding contempt for what others consider safe practice, Gérald shatters the delicate alchemical balance in a burning wave of mist that seems to actively seek its victims. Whether it is Gérald's twisted will, or an unpredictable facet of the mist itself not even its contoller can say.

All enemy models within Gérald's control area suffer a magic attack roll using Gérald's current FOC. Models hit by this attack suffer Corrosion. Corrosion is a continuous effect that slowly erodes its target. Corrosion does one damage point each turn to the affected model during its controller’s Maintenance Phase until it expires on a d6 roll of 1 or 2.

Spells

Spell	Cost	Range	POW	AOE	UP	OFF
Acidic Blood	3	8	-	-	X	X
Target living non-warcaster/warlock warrior model/unit affected by Acidic Blood gains -2 DEF, -2 ARM, and may not run or charge. When a model with Acidic Blood is destroyed by a model in melee, the attacking model suffers Corrosion as the models acidic blood splashes over the attacker. Corrosion is a continuous effect that slowly erodes its target. Corrosion does one damage point each turn to the affected model during its controller’s Maintenance Phase until it expires on a d6 roll of 1 or 2. When this spell targets an enemy model, it is an offensive spell and requires a magic attack roll.
Catabolic Shift	3	10	-	-	-	-
Target model/unit gains Catabolic Shift for one round. Models with Catabolic Shift gain +2 movement and one additional melee attack this turn. When Catabolic Shift expires, the unit suffers Exhaustion for one round. Models with Exhaustion suffer -2 MAT, DEF, and SPD. Models suffering from Exhaustion cannot be targeted by Catabolic Shift.
Condensed Blasting Powder	2	6	-	-	X	-
Target friendly warjack affected by Condensed Blasting Powder adds +3 to ranged damage rolls and suffers -1 to ranged attack rolls.
Desiccation	2	SPR	10	-	-	X
Models destroyed by Desiccation are replaced by a 3” AOE cloud effect.
Hydrolytic Detonation	4	10	-	-	-	X
Steam lines percolate and rupture within the target warjack. Target Warjack suffers 1d3 damage on a column designated by Gérald's controller. This damage is applied from the bottom of the column up. Target warjack vents a hot steam cloud effect with a 5" AOE centered on itself that remains in play for one round. Warrior models in the AOE when it is put in play suffer an unboostable POW 12 damage roll.
Thermogenesis	2	8	-	-	X	-
Target warjack in Gérald’s battlegroup gains +2 SPD and MAT. At the end of its activation the warjack suffers d3 damage for every focus point spent during it's activation.

Concept Notes

Here we go, this guy has gone through the wringer in several tactics forums and has even gotten a very generous Infernal to look over him for me to help fix some rule wordings (thanks again LC!). Likewise, dboeren gracefully stepped in to really fix some balance issues (mainly concerning spells and the Alchemical Shells). Another generous individual (Jarnigan's wife) was kind enough to create the picture, Killj0y helped to refine the fluff beyond simple drivel, and no small number of individuals (Lee T, Poet, razorpowell, ArcticLancer, coopernicus, Khobai, pyrolord314, SiegfriedOfTheWall, McNs, Tigersclaws, Invid, Druce, matthewmw64, Sheeeplauncher, Rosicrucian, and thumperforhire) helped to turn this individual from a typical bake-a-caster into something capable of being played without the opponent simply rolling their eyes. From this, I can't honestly call this my caster anymore. I created the basic idea, but this product here is a product of a multitude of minds.

This started as an attempt to create a second caster for the Highborn Covenant, based on the principle of turning an Alchemist into a Warcaster.

Playtesting Notes

Gérald has been playtested, as of now, a total of 23 times at varying point levels against various armies. Any major issues have pretty much been worked out, but the subtlety of Warmachine means that the chances of there being something I've missed are incredibly high. More playtesting is required, obviously, but he seems to work rather effectively as a battlefield control/enhancement caster.