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So, being rather a tau fan, I decided to put some ideas out there, wondering what thoughts are? Tried to keep it useful but also fluffy so id like to hear opinions. Also a few balance changes, I think the tau codex is on the whole pretty damn good and with a few tweaks and formations would be fun to play as and against.

So. Heres the tau "decurion"

Tau Battlegroup
The tau battle (or battlegroup) is formation of cadres often under the command of a senior shas'o or member of the aun. It consists of one or more cadres with axillary and support teams attached as required. The tau battlenet allows these units to work together closely in unison to produce an army greater than the sum of its parts.

0-1 High command
1 of the follwing:
Ethereal
Aun-shi
Aun-va
Shas'o
Commander Farsight
Commander Shadowsun
0-1 Bodyguard team

CORE
1-3 Fire caste Cadre

1 Commander OR Fireblade
1-3 Crisis Teams
0-1 Stealth team
3 Fire warrior Teams
1 Pathfinder team
0-1 Broadside Battlesuit Teams
0-2 Hammerhead Gunships
0-1 Sky ray Gunships
0-1 Pirahna speeder teams
0-2 Drone squadrons

1-12 of the following Support formations per core cadre

Rapid Insertion Force
3 Crisis Teams
1 Stealth team

Armoured interdiction Cadre
2-6 Hammerhead Gunships
0-3 Sky ray gunships

Air caste superiority team
3 Razorshark strike fighters

Air caste close support team
2-3 Sunshark bombers

Infiltration cadre
3-6 Stealth teams

Kroot auxillery cadre
2-6 Kroot carnivore kindreds

Vespid Auxillery cadre
1-3 vespid stingwing teams

0-2 Experimental Support
1 riptide battlesuit

Longsight group
3 Pathfinder teams
0-3 sniper teams
0-1 Tetra speeder teams

Air defence Cadre
3 Sky rays

Fire support cadre
3 Broadside battlesuit teams
0-1 Riptide battlesuit

Aun Observation
1-3 Ethereals

Command Benefits:
Battlenet Clarity
All reserve rolls made for units in this detachment may be passed or failed at the controlling players choice, rather than having to roll.


High Command:
This formation consists of a single model chosen from the folliwng list:
Ethereal
Aun Shi
Aun va
Tau commander
Commander Shadowsun
Commander Farsight

This model is designated as the high commander, and must be your warlord. If you have more than 1 high commander then you must choose which one is the warlord

You may also include a single bodyguard team, even if the model chosen does not normally have the option to unlock a bodyguard

Special Rules:
Voice of wisdom: Any unit within 12" of the High commander may choose to pass or fail any moral check they have to make

The patient Hunter: Once per game, at the start of your turn, as long as your high commander is alive. you may reduce all enemy cover saves by 1, and increase all friendly cover saves by 1 until the start of your next turn. This prevents the killing blow ability from being used.

The killing blow: Once per game, at the start of your turn, you may reroll all armour penetration rolls made against enemy vehicles that turn. You may also reroll all to hit rolls with weapons with the heavy or salvo type.This lasts until the start of your next turn. This prevents the patient hunter from being used.

The Art of war: if the high commander is a tau commander or ethereal, he may select his warlord trait rather than roll for it.The other models in the list already have a pre determined warlord trait and may not change it.

Fire caste Cadre:
The fire caste cadre is the core of the tau way of war. It emphisises combined arms and fast redeployment to outgun and outmanouver the enemy
The cadre consists of:
1 Commander OR Fireblade
1-3 Crisis Teams
0-1 Stealth team
3 Fire warrior Teams
1 Pathfinder team
0-1 Broadside Battlesuit Teams
0-2 Hammerhead Gunships
0-1 Sky ray Gunships
0-1 Pirahna speeder teams

Special rules:
Target selection
The commander or fireblade may place D3 markerlight counters on one unit within line of sight at the start of your shooting phase. This does not count as firing a weapon and he/she may shoot at a seperate target

Swift redeployment:
Models from this formation may enter or exit a devilfish troop carrier on the same turn, no matter how far it moved


Rapid Insertion force:

This force consists of 3 crisis battlesuit teams
1 Stealth team

Special rules:
High altitude insertion:
All crisis teams from this formation automatically start in reserve. while the stealth team MUST infiltrate. The stealth team gains the scout special rule and is allowed to make a scout move after infiltrating even though not normally allowed to do so

Rapid deployment:
All crisis teams are rolled for as a single unit when rolling for reserves, and may be rolled for from turn 1 rather than turn 2 (treat turn 1 as if it was turn 2 for the roll required)

Armoured interdiction Cadre:
An armoured interdiction cadre is deployed when armoured warfare is expected. Although almost always outnumbered, the superior armour, range, and weapon potency of the tau vehicles gives them the edge in these kinds of battles. Especially against the lumbering tank columns of the imperium an armoured interdiction cadre is a sight that brings a cold fear to vehicle crews.

The cadre consists of between 3 and 6 hammerhead gunships and 0-3 skyray gunships

Special rules:
Target selection: Nominate one hammerhead as the command gunship, this is piloted by the cadres tank commander. As long as the tank commander is alive then he may place D3 markerlight tokens on a single unit at the start of his shooting phase.

Coordinated Annihilation: If one model in the cadre fires and scores a penetrating hit on an enemy vehicle, seeker missiles, ion cannons, and railguns from other model in the cadre gains +1 to both its armour penetration roll and the roll on the damage table or destroyer chart. These effects are cumulative. Note you only gain +1 per model that penetrates, not +1 per weapon.
For instance, if a sky ray causes a penetrating hit on predator, then the next model to fire at it with a seeker missile, railgun, or ion cannon will gain +1 to both penetrate and +1 on the damage table or destroyer chart. If that also causes at least 1 penetrating hit, then the next model will gain +2 to both armour penetration and the damage roll or destroyer chart with seeker missiles, railguns, or ion cannons.
The effect resets at the end of the shooting phase.

Infiltration Cadre:
An infiltration cadre is a group of stealth teams designed to act as a scalpal that quickly cuts apart unaware enemy formations and dissapears before they can retaliate.
The already slightly unhinged and gung-ho stealth shas'ui and shas'vre that participate in the hunt take great pride in their ability to walk so close to the enemy as to look them in the eye before they annihilate them in a fillusade of plasma bursts that cuts infantry to ribbons and leaves vehicle targets crippled.
During the failed Vauhn III liberation, imperial guardsmen deserted in huge numbers and many faced the firing squad for cowardice rather than serve in the vanguard that was
to march into the tall grassy jungles that claimed entire companies of men and vehicles

The formation consists of between 3 and 6 stealth teams

Special rules:
The hunter stalks unseen:
Until they fire or lose a model, all units in this formation reroll failed cover saves

The hunter strikes:
The first time they fire, all models in the formation gain the pinning and rending special rules on their burst cannons and fusion blasters

Like a ghost:
The first turn they fire, all models in the formation may reroll their thrust move rolls


Longsight Group
When a larger battle is formed, pathfinder teams seperate from the cadres are often employed to roam ahead of the army to locate weak points in the enemy and safe paths for the tau forces.
Once battle is joined, these teams pick out targets of oppotunity for the tau army, those found by their barely visible marker beams are soon amongst the dead, normally reduced to charred meat or smoking wreckage.
They are often joined by firesight marksmen who pick out targets of oppotunity such as leaders and heavy weapon operatives

This formation consists of 3 Pathfinder teams, 0-3 Sniper teams, and 0-1 Tetra scout speeders

Mark for death:
Models from this formation reroll to hit rolls of 1 with markerlights

Neutralise the threat:
Successful "look out sir!" rolls taken against weapons in this formation must be re rolled.



Additional Changes to the codex:

The blood of the empire:
The tau way of war does not recognise the idea of expendable troops or attrition, it also does not hold the taking of ground as an important factor." The ground is but the location from which to make the kill, once the enemy is dead, the ground is for the taking" Tau commanders will often retreat and replan in order to preserve tau live rather than waste their troops recklessly. A commander who is responsible for the needless death of his troops is normally demoted, shamed, and severely reprimanded for his reckless attitude.

models with the tau faction may never benefit from the "objective secured" special rule

When playing a game with tactical objectives, the tau player may always choose to immediately discard a "hold objective x" card and immediately draw another from his tactical objective deck.



Armoury

MSSS- Removed

Velocity Tracker: 15ppm for suits/20 for riptide

Heavy rail rifle:
Range S AP Type
72 8 1 Rapid fire


Railgun Solid Shot
Range S AP Type
120" D 1 Heavy 1

Kroot rifle profile addition:
Range S AP Type
- User - Melee, +1A

Repair systems:
Can repair a hull point

Markerlights:

Scour: 1 marker token reduces the cover save by 1, 2 tokens 2, 3 tokens 3, so on.

Suppress: 1 marker token -1Ld for pinning tests

disruption pod
10pts



HQ:
No changes

Elite:

Stealth Team:
All models get a marker beacon for FREE

Riptide battlesuit
195pts Base

Troops:

Kroot

Strength 4

Fast attack
Devilfish troop carrier
70pts

Pathfinders:
10ppm
1ppm for combat armour
1ppm for EMP grenades

Sunshark
-20pts

Razorshark
-15pts

Vespid
-1ppm

Drone squadrom
12ppm

Heavy support:
Broadside Team
+5ppm, start with new heavy rail rifle,
+5ppm for HYMP

Hammerhead Gunship
115pts
Starts with ion cannon
+30pts for railgun
+5 for submunition
Twin linked burst cannon becomes two seperate burst cannons, that count as 1 weapon when fired

So far so good; I like it a lot.

A few things I'd add (Zagman's Balance Errata for Tau covers a lot of this) -

Stimulant injectors for Stealth Suits: 10ppm
Shield Generators: 15 points for Stealth, Crisis. Leave at 25 for Broadside, Commander.

Ion Accelerator: 20 points. Profile changes to AP3 in standard and Overcharged mode; nova-charged remains as normal (S9 AP2 Ordnance 1 Large Blast, Gets Hot)

Heavy Burst Cannon: nova-charged mode loses Gets Hot.

The idea on those is to make the Ion Accelerator less of a no-brainer while removing the big drawback to the HBC (and not making the ECPA or Shadowsun's Command-Link drone an auto-take).