Week 2.5 Hot takes

Heal is friendly faction for some reason so Doc won't work.

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Developer notes:

Aurum Legate Lukas di Morray
Lukas' Juicer mechanic has been completely overhauled to provide a more dynamic risk / reward experience that better represents his use and abuse of the strange chemicals which empower him. An increase in damage boxes was included after review of this new mechanic. Additionally, Lukas no longer sets himself on fire from hitting things in his juice induced rage.
Cut Fixed Control Range.
Increase damage boxes to 18.
Change the text of Juicer to the following:
Juicer - At the start of each of your Control Phases, you can place up to three juice tokens on this model. For each juice token placed on this model this turn, this model gains +1 FOCUS for one round. At the end of each of this model's activations, it suffers 1 damage point for each Juice token on it. This model cannot spend focus points to reduce this damage. After suffering this damage, this model can remove d3 juice tokens.
Add the following to Exothermic Reaction: This model is not affected by Exothermic Reaction. This damage is not considered to have been caused by an attack.
Change the text of Overdose to the following:
Feat: Overdose
Gain one focus point for each juice token currently on di Morray.

Marshal General Baldwin Gearhart
As leader of the Crucible Guard military forces, we wanted to further reinforce Gearhart's strengths when bringing mass infantry to the table. With Solid Ground and Deflection, Gearhart protects and delivers Crucible Guard Infantry and Rocketmen potentially best in the Faction.
Gain Solid Ground: Solid Ground 2 Self Ctrl – UP No
While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction models cannot become knocked down and do not suffer blast damage.

Captain Eira Mackay
Mackay and the Railless package has proven to be slightly too strong in terms of offensive output and assassination capability. The removal of Arcing Fire from her main weapon, the reduced RNG and AOE on the massive gun (same for the Railless Cannon), and the loss of Veteran Leader should put her in a better place for testing this weekend.
Cut Veteran Leader [Railless].
Alchemical Mortar loses Arcing Fire. Becomes RNG 14, AOE 3.

Liberator
While True Sight proved to be interesting, a compelling suggestion made through CID was reviewed and is being introduced for further testing. Allowing the sole arc node of the Crucible Guard Faction to channel even while engaged is a powerful ability, even given the drawback that the arc node system can potentially burn itself out.
Cut True Sight.
Gain Experimental Arc Node - This models controller can channel spells through it even if it is engaged.

Vulcan
A small but important quality of life change, the Vulcan's Iron Bane ability now only effects enemy models.
Change the text of Iron Bane to the following:
Iron Bane - Affected enemy constructs without Immunity: Corrosion suffer Rust. A construct suffering Rust suffers –2 ARM.

Crucible Guard Infantry Officer & Standard
Crucible Guard Infantry have lost their Repo ability and previous mini-feat, and instead gained a new granted and mini-feat to help further differentiate their role from other infantry in the Faction. With the ability to now CRA into melee, as well as a mini-feat providing an additional shot per aiming model, this unit excels at picking off light and heavy infantry from afar (even once they are stuck in).
Replace Granted: Reposition with Granted: War-Tempered:
Granted: War-Tempered - While this model is in formation, models in its unit can make combined ranged attacks targeting models in melee. If a combined ranged attack made by models with War-Tempered misses a model in melee, participating attackers that would automatically miss the new target do not contribute to the attack and damage roll bonus but still forfeit their attacks.
Replace Whites of Their Eyes with Support Fire:
Support Fire - This model can use Support Fire once per game at any time during its unit’s activation. This activation, models in its unit gain Dual Shot. (If a model with Dual Shot uses its Normal Movement to aim, it can make one additional ranged attack this activation.)

Crucible Guard Storm Troopers
We have reduced the FA and the RNG of the Storm Troopers as testing has indicated they were a bit too powerful for their value.
Reduce RNG to 10.
Reduce FA to 2.

Crucible Guard Rocketmen
We feel the Rocketmen are performing as intended, but a small points adjustment was warranted given feedback and testing results. Reduce cost to 9/15.

Dragon's Breath Rocket
Melee RNG 0 is bad. Melee ranges added.

Railless Interceptor
As mentioned in the Mackay post, the power of the battle engine's main weapon has been slightly tweaked down.
Alchemical Cannon becomes RNG 14, AOE 3.

Crucible Guard Mechanik Become FA 4.

Lady Aiyana & Master Holt
Aiyana & Holt were not only stepping on the toes of the Crucible Guard Infantry by proving magic weapons to other units, but their ability to stack even more damage increasing buffs in the Faction was proving to be problematic
These models will not work for the Crucible Guard. 

Actually, Lynus' first aid isn't friendly faction, could certainly be worth a thought? Lukas can use applied knowledge really well on feat turn and removing enemy clouds is helpful too. They can even wind wall Dr. Morely to make him nearly unkillable on his minifeat feat.

Two big changes are Lukas and the Liberator. I am a big fan of both, especially Lukas. He is comparable to Stryker2 and Baldur2 in that he takes damage to have increased threat on the board. Baldur2's is easily mitigated, though, while Stryker2 does his all at once. Lukas will require a careful risk/reward playstyle throughout the game and will reward forward-thinking tactical play. I am a big fan.

Arcing while in melee is a pretty fantastic ability, I should know as a filthy swan.

Dropping Aiyana is probably fair

It doesn't surprise me, as it's not plainly clear on paper how good it is. But it rewards planning to a degree I have not seen reflected in a single model yet. I look forward to reading some tests but I am of similar opinion. Mathematically, the longer you delay the Feat and mitigate Juicer via healing, the more dangerous Lukas becomes. He is a late game monster.

it makes me laugh that a legitimate support package that could be considered for lukas is an emergency surgery team made up of the grad students and doctor morely. They also answer enemy clouds and can have lukas strip out a cortex so... not terrible?

also, Trollock the caddy does lose a lot of his defense although one thing he still has is aoes that directly hit him still dont effect him

Agreed.  The later you go the riskier it gets.   It starts getting dicey on turn 5-6 when you have 3-5 boxes,  but potentially 20-23 focus,  but if you can hold out that long,  holy crapola.

I have a feeling he won't stay like this.   But the peeps calling for *this* incarnation to get Mental Force too... uh... don't get the feat and juicer. 

Trollock,  regarding war tempered,  its meant to allow you to put big money shots on high armor targets like beast or jacks once they are engaged.  I can 100% confirm that is the design intent behind war-tempered, and its the exact reason why it doesn't ignore the in melee defense bonus.  Not saying that's a good thing,  but that's the idea behind it.  So your war tempered "thing" uses its opening turns to either do small combined on attractive targets that would be impacted by that kind of shot, or big ones,  but once the lines collide,  you can maintain some of their high POW output against stuff that is stuck in melee.

It's not fantastic, but its not awful either.  I just don't know if its worth trading for repo.   Mini feat Dual shot is certainly nice though.