Kroothawk wrote:BTW, Kroot travel with Warspheres that have ... Warp Drive

Kroothawk wrote:...that always brings them near inhabited planets.

Unlike the Tau, the Kroot are capable of true warp travel but the exact method has been kept secret from their employers. To the Kroot warp travel is almost migratory and they seem incapable of navigating anywhere other than systems with habitable worlds. It would appear they are drawn to functioning eco-systems.

The famous Kroot Warspheres are self-contained towns wherein is kept the retained knowledge of Kroot technology and the choicest items they have received as payment for their services. As such they do not risk them in battle willingly and try to avoid direct action against warships unless the need is great or they are being exceptionally well rewarded.

Warspheres have a single drive running through their core from north to south pole and manoeuvring thrusters along their equator. These engines are very basic, yet reliable, making Warspheres very slow. They are powerful enough to allow the Warsphere to land and take-off from a planet although the process is not elegant. When dirtside the manoeuvring thrusters are used to bury the Warsphere.

Further, less violent contact has since made with the Kroot; indeed some mercenary Kindreds have been known to fight alongside Imperial forces in return for weapons and food. Kroot fight for the Tau, but it is not unknown for mercenary forces to be seen fighting alongside Elder, human renegades, the dread legions of Chaos and even Orks. The Kroot have no deeply held prejudices against alien races and give little or no thought to who they fight, only that they are paid.(...)

The Kroot are a primitive race with a low threat index and there is no current Imperial campaign to exterminate them. However, on several occasions the services of Kroot mercenaries have been employed by frontier outposts and it should be remembered that such contact with aliens remains a crime and punishable by death. The Kroot do not themselves have any xenocidal tendencies and do not actively seek out other races to kill. Although their warriors are motivated by a strong sense of honour, they are mercenaries at heart and fight for money or goods that they themselves cannot produce.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Why aren't the Tau Warp-capable then? It's not like the Tau have to say 'please' for anything.

Kanluwen wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:Why aren't the Tau Warp-capable then? It's not like the Tau have to say 'please' for anything.

I'd say more because nobody knew the Kroot were Warp-capable until this thread.

Melissia wrote:Tau have no psykers, and therefor cannot make the transition into OR out of the Warp.

H.B.M.C. wrote:

But, I am not going to get into a fluff argument with you (of all people), so let's just leave this one and all walk away.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Why aren't the Tau Warp-capable then? It's not like the Tau have to say 'please' for anything.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Like the Kroot have a choice.

Kroothawk wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:Why aren't the Tau Warp-capable then? It's not like the Tau have to say 'please' for anything.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Like the Kroot have a choice.

Because official background is different from Dakka's view on Tau. Officially, the Tau Empire is a peaceful union of equals, not an oppressive Nazi regime worse than the human Imperium. Tau even know of the Kroot mercenary forces and turn a blind eye.

The Good Green wrote:I thought the Tau were the ones that could skim the edge between the warp and reality, not passing into the warp, but not fully in real space either.
They can only make short jumps through this plain, as it is very unstable. So it's not true warp travel, but a kind of hyper space jump.
I know that is one of the races, but I can't remember if it's the Tau or not. But what does this have to do with Rogue Trader/Dark Heresy/Deathwatch stuff? and when is the Deathwatch/Ordo Xenos coming out, galldarnit!

Actually I haven't and now I will. But after browsing some reviews, I have the feeling that I won't enjoy this more than reading a Goto novel on Eldar. In this thread http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4738456 Shinzui wrote the following about McNeill's accuracy to official Tau/Kroot background and logic:

Tyranid Profiles

As with the profiles for the Genestealers and the Broodlord from Final Sanction, the profiles for the Tyranids presented here have been simplified for the purposes of the scenario and for reasons of space. However, if the GM has a copy of the Deathwatch Rulebook, he can instead use the full profiles for Tyranid creatures found in Chapter XIII: Adversaries. He should be aware, however, that these expanded profiles make the Tyranid adversaries more powerful and consequently more of a challenge for the players.

Greetings, Deathwatch fans!

During the development of Deathwatch, it quickly became clear that Space Marines would not find a single Tau Fire Warrior or even a small group of Heretics or Mutants to be any threat. Space Marines, after all, are the galaxy’s supreme warriors, and to bring that across in the Deathwatch RPG, we needed to present worthy adversaries!

Naturally, the Deathwatch RPG presents some major threats that, on their own, are definitely a challenge for an entire Kill-team of Space Marines—such as the fearsome Tyranid Hive Tyrant. In addition, Deathwatch presents a new set of mechanics to make a group of lesser enemies into a dangerous force known as a Horde.



A Serried Tide of Foes

In addition to presenting a new way for Space Marines to fight their enemies, the Hordes mechanic was created to make the GM’s job easier. Using a Horde, the GM has a simple and easy-to-use toolbox to present a large number of similar enemies without having to keep track of every single one’s own Initiative or Wounds. I definitely plan to expand on the Hordes mechanics in future Deathwatch products, so read on for more information on what Hordes are all about!



Defining a Horde

Whenever a group of lesser enemies comes together into a coherent group, the Game Master may designate them as a Horde. The main idea is that a Horde consists of 10 or more lesser enemies who have banded together and are combining their efforts against the Kill-team. A Horde has several advantages. First, when a Horde attacks, there are so many individual blows, wild swings, and shots fired that it is impossible to avoid them all. Thus, a Horde’s attacks cannot be dodged or parried under normal circumstances. Secondly, because a Horde is composed of mutliple enemies, their basic attacks gain a bonus to damage.

For instance, a heretic’s autopistol would be a negligible weapon against a Space Marine; however, if there are thirty heretics all firing at the same target, it is possible for their autopistol rounds to find a chink in the Space Marine’s armour or strike a vital location. The exact definition of how this extra damage is caused can be as simple as the volume of fire, or the GM may choose to describe it in any way he likes; the GM may decide that some of the heretics have slightly better-quality weapons or ammunition just as one example.

Breaking a Horde

Hordes also suffer damage differently than a single opponent... Hordes possess Magnitude, not Wounds, representing the general size of the enemy group. When a Space Marine attacks a Horde, he may be cutting down several opponents with each swing of his chainsword, or raking his bolter fire across the entire front rank of his foes. For a Horde, you do not calculate damage normally; it is assumed that each hit from a Space Marine’s weapon slays one enemy within the Horde, and thus reduces its magnitude.

Of course, weapons that are good at inflicting damage to multiple foes do especially well against Hordes, Blast and Flame weapons among them. In addition, there are certain special abilities, Talents, and additional weapon Qualities that all have additional effects on a Horde.

Once a Horde has been reduced to a fraction of its original Magnitude, there is a chance the Horde will Break. When a Horde Breaks, it is no longer considered a Horde, but instead a confused mass of individuals who no longer gain any of the benefits of being a Horde...easy prey for the Space Marines!

Hordes can also be improved; they have qualities of their own that can be applied. Here is one example of a Horde quality:

Blood Soaked Tide (Horde)
The horde with this trait is teetering on the brink of madness. These bloodthirsty madmen thrive on the slaughter of battle. When the horde fails a Willpower test to avoid being broken, or would have broken automatically (see Breaking a Horde on page 360 in this chapter), it is not broken, but instead gains the Fearless and Frenzy Talents.

The Devastator Marine

This week’s designer diary includes a special preview of the Deathwatch RPG! I am pleased to present a glimpse at the Devastator Marine Speciality, one of the many roles your Space Marine can take in his Deathwatch Kill-team.

Devastator Marine Speciality Preview (PDF, 385k)

Deathwatch is a roleplaying game in which players take on the roles of the bio-engineered super-soldiers known as Space Marines. United with their battle-brothers, players will complete extraordinary missions involving some of the greatest heroes and deadliest opponents the Warhammer 40,000 universe has to offer.

By Dark Heresy Developer Mack Martin



Salutations Acolytes,

I got a chance to talk to a lot of really great gamers recently at Malleus Imperator and Free RPG Day, and I must say the enthusiasm our community has for the Dark Heresy line is invigorating! There were many questions to be answered and today I am happy to give you a glimpse into the future of Dark Heresy.

In this latest installment of Knowledge is Power (pdf, 1.3 MB) you will read reports from the Acolytes of Inquisitor Acherus who are on the trail of a mysterious artifact and in the process uncover a terrible secret that threatens to set the Calixis sector on a spiral into oblivion!

So head over to the support page and peer into the grim future...