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The Fluff
Syntherion is pretty much the Mr. Fix-it of the Convergence. He repairs and improves the machinations of the Convergence with extreme speed, and is one of the driving forces in securing and altering geomantic hotspots. His expertise of all things mechanical is unmatched elsewhere within the faith, and possibly the world. Syntherion's worship of Cyriss heavily involves crafting new designs as each creation in itself is an act of faith.
Sounds pretty noble right? Well, Syntherion is pretty great until you have to work with him. His approach to all things is extremely utilitarian. Battles are nothing more than a problem to be solved and the participants in that battle--whether they are human, vessel, or vector--are simply variables in the larger equation. Despite being very detached to emotion, Syntherion becomes very angry when a "variable" doesn't behave as it should. The faithful that work with him know full well that any mistake they make could be their last.
Sounds pretty noble right? Well, Syntherion is pretty great until you have to work with him. His approach to all things is extremely utilitarian. Battles are nothing more than a problem to be solved and the participants in that battle--whether they are human, vessel, or vector--are simply variables in the larger equation. Despite being very detached to emotion, Syntherion becomes very angry when a "variable" doesn't behave as it should. The faithful that work with him know full well that any mistake they make could be their last.
The Rules & Tactics
Stats
So what will you find on Syntherion's card? Average speed for a Convergence model and Pathfinder, for one thing. Also, Syntherion has the most balanced MAT/RAT of any Warcaster in the faction, which translates to his vectors. That being said those scores are still pretty average. Defensively, Syntherion is pretty good with an average DEF, high ARM, and a good amount of health (which is bolstered by several abilities). Coming in at FOCUS 6, he's also able to run a large battlegroup (much like any other Convergence Warcaster).
His attacks are okay. His ranged attack is a Static Bolt with an alright POW and RNG, but Syntherion's melee weapons are where he can shine. He has two Workshop Arrays that have a pretty good P+S, and benefit from Synergy (see below).
As a Convergence Warcaster, Syntherion has a Field marshal ability that both he and his vectors benefit from. In this case it's Auto-repair, where each model in the battlegroup heals d3 wounds each Control Phase. Given the ARM and health of most Convergence vectors, this is a nice bonus. Combine that with the fact that Syntherion can be repaired and you have one very resilient Warcaster. Perhaps the coolest thing about Syntherion is that he's Resourceful, which means he doesn't pay upkeep on his four (!) upkeep spells. This, plus Focus Induction and the Corollary, means that Syntherion will usually be camping 4-6 focus any given turn. That raises his effective armor to the low-mid 20s!
Feat-Technological Superiority
This is a pretty cool feat that allows Syntherion's battlegroup to charge for free and gives them Weapon Platform, which allows a model to make melee and ranged attacks in the same activation. Remember to to use all of you initials first before buying more actions, or you lose out! This feat not only makes on of the most focus-efficient forces even more focus-efficient, but allows you to put out more damage and extend threat ranges pretty far into the enemy ranks.
Spell list
Convection: A pretty subpar damage spell that generates focus when it destroys a model. It's an obligatory magic attack for when you don't have any Optifex units in play, but that's about all it's good for. With all of the focus efficiency tricks the Convergence has you shouldn't have to rely on the spell the generate a focus for allocation, especially since casting it results in a net loss of focus.
Hot Shot: One of Syntherion's four upkeep spells, Hot Shot automatically boosts the damage rolls for ranged attacks for a vectors in his battlegroup. There are three good targets for this spell, and all of them are heavy vectors. With Hot Shot, the Monitor can get up to four damage dice on its ranged attack, which combined with its impressive POW makes for a good solo-killing option. The Cipher and Assimilator are better options for dealing with infantry as both have AOE attacks that can be boosted against multiple targets. Even at a pretty low POW three dice can do a lot of work.
Magnetic Hold: This is Syntherion's offensive upkeep spell, which lowers the DEF and SPD of a model. On top of that, constructs (not just vectors!) gain a movement bonus when charging the affected model. The range of this spell isn't great, so be sure to cast it through a Algorithm Dispersion Optifex or be able to close your charge lanes afterwards. This spell works great with the Diffuser's ranged attack (+4" when charging target hit), which is good for otherwise slow heavies. Also great for Eradicators and Perforators.
Reconstruct: This upkeep is basically a second chance for a vector. When boxed, the affected model is moved up to 3" away and repairs one box for each system. This returns the model to full functionality but it will still be very vulnerable to subsequent attacks. If the reconstructed model survives to you next turn Auto-repair and Repair skill checks can return it to the fight, but don't invest too much into it. Load it up with focus, send it at whatever boxed it (if it's in range), and try to use it to distract the opponents who'll be tempted by a soft target.
Synergy: This is Syntherion's hallmark spell, and basically what makes getting tied in melee with his vectors so dangerous. While this upkeep spell is active, every model in Syntherion's battle group that makes an attack in melee gets a to-hit and damage bonus equal to the number of vectors that have previously hit an enemy that turn. Basically, it's a combo meter for your army! It's usually best to have vectors with week bash attacks (Diffuser, Mitigator) go first and generate a few stacks of Synergy before your bigger hitters (Pretty much any heavy, and Syntherion himself) attack. Near the end of your activations the heavy hitters will be swinging with the equivalent of MAT 9/10 and the P+S of their strikes will be in the low-mid 20s. Things get even better on feat turn, where the Diffuser and Mitigator can charge, build up synergy, and shoot a target with an attack that furthers threat range. Not much can stand up to that!
Hot Shot: One of Syntherion's four upkeep spells, Hot Shot automatically boosts the damage rolls for ranged attacks for a vectors in his battlegroup. There are three good targets for this spell, and all of them are heavy vectors. With Hot Shot, the Monitor can get up to four damage dice on its ranged attack, which combined with its impressive POW makes for a good solo-killing option. The Cipher and Assimilator are better options for dealing with infantry as both have AOE attacks that can be boosted against multiple targets. Even at a pretty low POW three dice can do a lot of work.
Magnetic Hold: This is Syntherion's offensive upkeep spell, which lowers the DEF and SPD of a model. On top of that, constructs (not just vectors!) gain a movement bonus when charging the affected model. The range of this spell isn't great, so be sure to cast it through a Algorithm Dispersion Optifex or be able to close your charge lanes afterwards. This spell works great with the Diffuser's ranged attack (+4" when charging target hit), which is good for otherwise slow heavies. Also great for Eradicators and Perforators.
Reconstruct: This upkeep is basically a second chance for a vector. When boxed, the affected model is moved up to 3" away and repairs one box for each system. This returns the model to full functionality but it will still be very vulnerable to subsequent attacks. If the reconstructed model survives to you next turn Auto-repair and Repair skill checks can return it to the fight, but don't invest too much into it. Load it up with focus, send it at whatever boxed it (if it's in range), and try to use it to distract the opponents who'll be tempted by a soft target.
Synergy: This is Syntherion's hallmark spell, and basically what makes getting tied in melee with his vectors so dangerous. While this upkeep spell is active, every model in Syntherion's battle group that makes an attack in melee gets a to-hit and damage bonus equal to the number of vectors that have previously hit an enemy that turn. Basically, it's a combo meter for your army! It's usually best to have vectors with week bash attacks (Diffuser, Mitigator) go first and generate a few stacks of Synergy before your bigger hitters (Pretty much any heavy, and Syntherion himself) attack. Near the end of your activations the heavy hitters will be swinging with the equivalent of MAT 9/10 and the P+S of their strikes will be in the low-mid 20s. Things get even better on feat turn, where the Diffuser and Mitigator can charge, build up synergy, and shoot a target with an attack that furthers threat range. Not much can stand up to that!
The Takeaway
Syntherion can run many vectors in a battlegroup very efficiently, and nearly all of the Convergence vectors released so far work will with him. The Inverter and Conservator aren't the greatest options due to their lack of ranged weapons, but they can still benefit from Synergy greatly. Even if you do not run Syntherion's theme list, most lists with him should have large battlegroups. Some troops that play well with Syntherion would be Eradicators, Perforators, and Clockwork Angels, since they can benefit from Magnetic Hold and the Diffuser's Beacon. These options allow for larger threat ranges than is possible with heavy vectors.
Given auto-repair and Optifexes, Syntherion's forces can become very robust and capable of attrition, but it's not a foolproof plan. Like any battlegroup-heavy list, anything that affects resource allocation can stop your momentum pretty easily. Watch out for Agonizers, Purification, Lamentations and Disruption effects, and be sure be sure to spread out when you can. With a lot of vectors, there should be no reason that the Optifex units aren't benefitting from Iron Sentinel.
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