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I have had this idea for a while about helping tau suits out in cc without breaking fluff and without making them Uber powerful. What if we put flechette discharges on suits like Shas'O R'myr? It could be a defensive system that helped make some units think twice about charging suits. Thoughts?

The guns and jetpacks aren't enough?

I do think the Tau should be using Photon Dischargers on all their suits. It's not a huge help, but it's already there and fluffy.

Well I mean they have so many ways to help fend off assault while still being bad at assault

While this won't break the game or anything, what's the point of adding it? Tau already have jetpacks that make it a pain to get into CC, and they have supporting fire. Why do they need another way to avoid melee? Everything has to have some sort of weakness.

 kingbobbito wrote:
While this won't break the game or anything, what's the point of adding it? Tau already have jetpacks that make it a pain to get into CC, and they have supporting fire. Why do they need another way to avoid melee? Everything has to have some sort of weakness.

Helps increase survivability of suits. They still suck in cc buy now they have an initial counter to make some squads reconsider assaulting them

If your suits are getting into combat you're doing it wrong. But surely this is the point, they have to have some sort of downside.

I think that standard tacticals marines should be more effective in melee. Why don't they all get 2 attacks base or get a free combat knife? It'd suit the fluff too.

Every unit needs to have some sort of weakness, and here it's that suits aren't entirely effective in melee. Sure, you could give them something that'd make them stand a better chance, but why not give tac marines (who are particularly lackluster in CC) something that makes them better too? Why not give everyone something that'd make them better in melee?

Long story short, suits aren't meant to be good up close. They aren't a "weak" or underpowered unit, and thus don't need any additional buff. Unless there's proof that suits are the absolute worst unit in melee and desperately need a way to avoid it, they don't need a buff.

Are you kidding, t5, 2 attacks, s5, 2 wounds, 3+. They're decent in mellee and can easilly wreck face to a non-mellee oriented unit.

lol Tau buff proposal

I actually think this would be an interesting Nerf opportunity. Drop Supporting Fire, add in a defensive mechanism to suits or at least Riptides, charge more points than it's worth, and bam, Tau nerf and price hike in one easy package.

 Great White wrote:

 kingbobbito wrote:
While this won't break the game or anything, what's the point of adding it? Tau already have jetpacks that make it a pain to get into CC, and they have supporting fire. Why do they need another way to avoid melee? Everything has to have some sort of weakness.

Helps increase survivability of suits. They still suck in cc buy now they have an initial counter to make some squads reconsider assaulting them

Yes, Tau are supposed to suck in CC. No offence but I do own a Tau army and the shooting from it is extraordinarily effective. If you get into CC then you're supposed to lose.

I think that replacing Supporting Fire with a Photon Discharge (Battlesuits and Pathfinders only) that inflicts anyone who fails an Initiative check when assaulting them with Blind would be pretty fluffy and cool

Suits are already too strong in CC. Str5. They should be Str4 really.

Suits are fine, RIptide withstanding.