Caulder

Overview

Caulder is a commanding officer from Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. As a scientist and the director of the private military contractor, Intelligent Defense Systems, he sees the devastation caused by meteor showers as a perfect opportunity to perform experiments on the remnants of civilization. He is intelligent, patient, and keeps a cool head while finding ways to test desperate survivors with a combination of physical threats and psychological abuse. Often he uses his three children Tabitha, Penny, and Cyrus to help him with his work- no matter how dangerous it might be.

He often describes the chaos he creates as "fascinating."

Abilities

Dr. Caulder is the very last CO to unlock in the campaign and gives a very substantial offensive and defensive boost to units in his CO Zone. He has no CO Power, because at the start of every turn he heals units in his zone by 5 HP including whatever unit he is riding in. For balance reasons, he cannot be selected when playing online.

CO Zone:

• Size: 3
• Boost: Offensive (*****) and defensive (*****) boost
• CO Power: None, units in Caulder's zone recover 5 HP every turn with repair costs

Campaign

For most of the campaign, Caulder spends his time working behind the scenes. His first appearance is during the sixth mission "Fear Experiment" where he sets his daughter Penny to destroy a crop production facility to ensure starvation among survivors. He also uses others like the Beast, going as far to drug him up and equip him with advanced weapons to test Brenner's willingness to save people. Both occasions Caulder expresses interest in how soldiers die during the conflict. He also tries to convince Forsythe to use experimental weapons but is repeatedly turned down, finding Forsythe's stubbornness to fight with honor and avoid using inhumane methods to win obstructive and pitiful. He has better luck with the power mad Greyfield and takes part in the murder of Brenner by dropping a nuclear bomb on him.

It's only during the last leg of the campaign when Caulder and his children show their true colors. His "children" are actually modified clones by his design that are closer to weapons than actual human beings. Isabella is one of those children and originally designed to be a repository of extensive military knowledge of both Rubinelle and Lazuria. And they're just as expendable, as he orders his youngest daughter Penny to commit suicide by crashing a massive bomber with the hope Will, Lin and the others would die. During the final confrontation at the IDS Headquarters known as The Nest, Caulder makes it known that he created the Creeper Virus and his true identity as a clone of the original Caulder. He is actually a survivor of a war between countless clones and the original Caulder, and intends to carry out his experiments forever.

He eventually loses to Will and is crushed by the collapsing Nest.