Ideas for a 5th Edition Tau Codex

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**The Bringer**

+1 to the "Blind to the Warp" (which should go on everything but auxiliaries.)

Not OP in the least...

**la'DunX**

i'm agreeing with makerlights assault1 R36, because it's like todays "laserpainters" really. if you move you're still going to find time to point and it just doesn't make sense to "paint" something twice with the same "laser", its like going to the bathroom on 2 toilets(sorry that analogy is the only one i can come up with)
EVADE FOR THE WIN!!!

can i use your suggestions as a codex until i find the money to get one?(my internet isn't mine)

**Kanluwen**

la'DunX wrote:i'm agreeing with makerlights assault1 R36, because it's like todays "laserpainters" really. if you move you're still going to find time to point and it just doesn't make sense to "paint" something twice with the same "laser", its like going to the bathroom on 2 toilets(sorry that analogy is the only one i can come up with)

Just "pointing it" at the target won't really help your squadmates, friendly units, or friendly vehicles get an accurate lock on a target though. If you were to compare it to the modern "laserpainters", you'd find that it's not so far off. Many laser designators require a few seconds and a constant 'paint' on the target for heavy ordnance(seeker missiles would fall under this category) to be guided in on target.
That's why it's been a heavy weapon.

Like I mentioned in the other thread though:
Pulse Carbines can be the answer here for the Fire Warriors.

Allow Fire Warrior Teams to have different "loadouts", such as:
'Skirmisher' loadout--The Fire Warriors ditch their Pulse Rifles in favor of Pulse Carbines and Stun Grenades, along with taking a pair of Heavy Gun Drones with them and whatever potential transport they have.

To offset the fact that they have Stun Grenades, the unit comes equipped with Hard-wired Blacksun Filters so they don't blind themselves using their own grenades to disorient and confuse the foe, allowing the Fire Warriors to cut them down with disciplined Carbine Fire and the Heavy Gun Drones' Burst Cannons.

'Hunter' loadout(Standard loadout)--The Fire Warriors come equipped with Pulse Rifles and Photon Grenades along with Marker Drones that supplement their volleys of fire.

Then of course, there's the real kicker of a rule that should have been implemented from the get-go for both Guard and Tau.

"Fire Discipline"--The units are trained to stand their ground, pouring fire on into a charging foe.
During the first round of combat, the unit makes attacks using their standard weapons and utilizing their Ballistic Skill.
In subsequent rounds of combat, the unit can make attacks using their standard weapons but those attacks must be used with their Weapon Skill.

**micahaphone**

I was very bummed to see that Guyperson5's recent post was a sham, but it had some nice ideas in it. The quoted ideas would allow for many variations to occur in armies, and would force you to choose between two good choices, sort of like what Kanluwen is proposing for Fire Warrior Teams. I'll quote the parts of said rumor that I am talking about. Parts in red are my own addition.

guyperson5 wrote:

(etheral) Can also be upgraded to take an envoy:

Fire Caste Envoy: basically a team of 12 Firewarriors with BS4 and advanced pulse rifles that are 24" assault 2 pinning

Earth Caste Envoy: Ethereal is followed by a retinue of 4 mining drones. The mining drones can be detached and deployed to create an area of difficult terrain. Treat this as a ordinance barrage attack for the purposes of determining where it hits in a 18" range, roll to scatter. The effect causes no real damage as the drone uses a seismic destabilization device to cause a ground disturbance that is difficult terrain for troops and dangerous terrain for vehicles. (but not skimmers)

Water Caste Envoy: The ethereal is followed by 2 Water Caste ambassadors. Each time an enemy has a chance to roll for a reserve coming in on a deep strike or outflank you can declare you are using th water caste's "passive resistance" ability. You roll a dice and your opponent rolls a dice for each enemy reserve coming in via either deep strike or outflanking. For each roll off you win, you may place that unit. You may place deep striking units anywhere on the table but must be at least 6" away from any table edge. For outflankers you choose what side they come in on. You must have at least one water caste ambassador alive to use this ability.

Air Caste Envoy: The ethereal is followed by a command and control drone. The drone is attached to Advanced air caste aerospace computer relay satellites. While the drone is alive, any tank in the Tau army equipped with a command and control node relay can make one shooting attack against deep strikers. Each unit may only be targeted once and each tank can only target one deep striking unit.

Troops (this part makes more sense if you saw an omitted rumor of cheap markerlight dones-10 points each)
Fire warriors cost the same but have the option that if NOT mounted in a devilfish they may take a unit of kroot hounds (max 5) as an attachment. The unit may not include any drones if it includes kroot hounds. If the Firewarriors lose combat and flee check to see if there are any remaining kroot hounds. If there are still kroot hounds present in the unit, the firewarriors will still flee, but the Kroot hounds will stay and fight, gaining the fearless special rule, preventing the firewarriors from being run down.

New Troop unit - XV-6 Alert
18 points per model, max 8 in a squad
same stats as a stealth suit except only 1 attack and I 2
Jet Pack infantry
+4 save
has 2 hard points that must be filled by
(2 weapons mounted will count as 1 twin linked weapon)

Advanced Pulse Rifle S 5 AP 5 24" range assault 2 pinning
Flamer
Advanced boosters ( adds + 1D6" to any move using the jet pack.When choosing to run in the shooting phase roll 3D6 and choose the highest)
Iridium Armor granting +3 armor save (cannot be taken with advanced boosters)
Drone Controller
Shield Generator

There are new seeker ammo load outs for the skyray. Each skyray may only equip 1 type of seeker loadout

New seeker ammo load outs: Anti-Air Seekers. Causes all deep strikers during an enemy's turn to suffer a dangerous terrain test on the turn they arrive. 20 pts

Choking Smoke: these seekers are launched the same way a normal seeker is, but you target an area of ground, roll to see if you hit as normal for seeker missiles, if missed rolled 2D6 and scatter. The round creates an area of choking smoke the size of the large blast template that lasts until the beginning of the next Tau turn. The smoke blocks LOS and any non-vehicle unit trying to move through it treats it as difficult terrain. Any infantry unit starting their turn or moving through the smoke reduces their WS and I to 1 for the rest of their turn. 40 points

Marker Gel I'm guessing these would cost a heckuva lot more, but they would doom any unit hit by them.
These seekers explode into a gout of electro-reactive gel that adheres to any surface and is full of nanomachines that relay information to Tau targeting computers. For the rest of the game any Tau unit shooting at a unit that has been marker gel'd is treated as having BS 5. 25 points

Normal Seeker ammo 15 points

Can be equipped with atmoshperic thrusters. May only take a command and control node relay if equipped with a standard seeker missile rack.

You can see the full rumor (now debunked) at

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/150/359053.page

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No SMS for devilfishes?

As far as your USR "Evade! Evade!", what's the point of the dropped photon grenades? To give the tau unit a chance to flee, but if they are caught, it shows that they could not move fast enough, and the photon grenade's effect wore off on the attackers? Can you still use photon grenades as usual?

***And something that needs editing: on the section on markerlights, it says "markerlights are now all networked........... create tokens which can be spent as follows:" then nothing follows.

**Ledabot**

Wow. I have not been here for a while

**Kanluwen**

I blame Kilkrazy, this is the thread he linked to

**awb**

I thought, why not let Fire Warriors take rail rifles or some kind of special weapon.

**ObiFett**

New pulse rifle profile should be:

S5 AP5 H1 30" / A2 18" / A3 12"