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So the Tau Hammerhead is currently basically never taken as you would be better off just sinking the points into more missile pod broadsides which use the same slot. This is a real shame as the model is great and truly iconic of the Tau army, in my opinion. So lets try to fix it.

Main Weapons

Now the Ion Cannon Hammerhead is actually more likely to see use than the Railgun, as it acts basically the same as the Ion Accelerator on the riptide (though lacks access to interceptor or skyfire) and is AP3 compared to the IAs AP2.

The Ion Cannon has 2 profiles: a Heavy 3, S7, AP3 mode and a Heavy 1, S8, AP3, Large Blast with Gets Hot! The multi-shot profile can allow for hull-pointing out light vehicles and, when combined with an Advanced Targeting System giving Precision Shots, can also allow for sniping of special weapons and characters whilst the large blast is good for taking out power armour units, especially when combined with markerlights for increased BS (especially to avoid damage from the gets hot) and ignore cover if necessary.

The Ion Cannon is a nice gun and doesn't really need any changes. It does its job well.

So now lets look at the Railgun. Heavy 1, S10, AP1 and, if you pay extra points, a Heavy 1, S6, AP4 Large Blast. The Large blast profile is, again, fine. It's great at taking out softer infantry, like GEQs up to Necron warriors.

So how to fix the single shot profile to allow it to adequately compete with high ROF weapons? I think the answer is to make the single shot profile an Ordinance weapon (roll 2D6 pick highest to penetrate, can only fire other weapons as snapshots) as it will give a better chance of penetrating an enemy vehicle, the main problem with a single shot weapon, without making it too easy as 2D6 pen from armourbane would do. Destroyer is an alternative but would be way too powerful on a 72" gun mounted on a skimmer, in my opinion.

Secondary Weapons

Simple fix here: make the twin-linked burst cannon two separate burst cannons again. As it stands there is absolutely no reason to keep the burst cannon when the SMS option is there. With this change you have double the amount of shots from the burst cannons as from the SMS but you have less range and special rules. Seems like a fair trade. Have them both cost +5 points to upgrade from the drones.

Vehicle Systems.

Bring back the vehicle target lock, allowing the vehicle to fire its weapons at independent targets. The Hammerhead was designed with this upgrade in mind (which existed for 3 editions until GW scrapped it in 6th) so that you wouldn't waste your secondary weapons shooting at a vehicle they can't hurt because that is what the railgun wants to shoot. It basically makes the points spent in the base price for these secondary weapons useless. It would be like if a Space Marine Predator was forced to buy heavy bolter sponsons. I'd also add in a new rule to this piece of wargear which allowed each individual tank in a squadron to fire at a separate target to its squadronmates.

And bring back the vehicle multitracker. This little gadget allowed Tau vehicles to fire their weapons as if the vehicle was a Fast vehicle. So move 12" and fire one of your guns at full BS. This allowed the Tau vehicles to occupy a place between the Imperium and Eldar vehicle styles without having to rely so heavily on markerlights.

So, there's my thoughts. Any suggestions of things you think I might have overlooked or things which you disagree with?

As horrible as it is to say, the Railgun just isn't as scary as it used to be. It needs some kind of buff, not a big one, but something to make it particularly fearsome against armour and MCs.

Other than that, the old vehicular Target Lock and Multitracker would do wonders.

Not a lot else has to happen ... Well maybe Shrouded Disruption Pods returning too.

Jefffar wrote:
As horrible as it is to say, the Railgun just isn't as scary as it used to be. It needs some kind of buff, not a big one, but something to make it particularly fearsome against armour and MCs.

What it needs is HYMPs being nerfed to hell.

And Armourbane. But not the derpy Armourbane we have right now.

Armourbane needs to be the following:

A weapon with the Armourbane special rule rolls 2D6 for Armor Penetration, and gets a +1 to any roll on the Armor Penetration table.

Additionally, Armourbane weapons have the Fleshbane special rule.

Boom. Vanquishers, Transauranic Arquebi, and Railguns suddenly become a hell of a lot more intimidating.

+25 points, make it a D-weapon.

To bring things into Lynx is 255 points for a three-shot, Twin-Linked D at 48".

StrD is normally 30 points (at least, that's what it appears to be. It's the price given in the old vehicle design rules.)

I have a house rule where ordinance inflicts d3 wounds to monstrous creatures instead of one. Another allows for ap1 weapons that successfully injure mc's to roll to wound again.
It makes the heavy rail rifle and railguns much scarier than their current iteration. (Also let's melta get more mileage against monsters)

Main gun = Str D, and then make vehicles not suck ass. Frankly, the hammerhead railgun has more business being Str D than anything else in the game, including Eldar toys.

Oh, and bring back the fake fast upgrade.

Martel732 wrote:
Main gun = Str D, and then make vehicles not suck ass. Frankly, the hammerhead railgun has more business being Str D than anything else in the game, including Eldar toys.

Oh, and bring back the fake fast upgrade.

If Railguns become StrD, then Vanquishers become StrD.

And Deathstrikes and Basilisks!

Basilisk? Probably not. Deathstrikes shouldn't even have to roll b/c they are clearly nukes.

I think the Tau railgun is plausibly far stronger than a Vanquisher cannon. Imperial ballistics seem crappy.

Deathstrikes could/should be Str. Vanquishers...eh, sure for a points hike. Basilisks? Nah.

Lythrandire Biehrellian wrote:
StrD is normally 30 points (at least, that's what it appears to be. It's the price given in the old vehicle design rules.)

Those old rules and costs were written with completely different rules for STR D and using them is completely inappropriate for the modern game.

Change the Railgun to be one of 3 shots
Solid Slug - Str 10 AP1 Primary Weapon
Submunition Shell - Str 6 AP4 Large Blast
Buster Slug - Str 8 AP2 Heavy 1, Internal Burst
Internal Burst removes D3 wounds for every unsaved wound, removes D3 hull points for every unsaved penetrating hit. Feel No Pain cannot be taken against any wounds caused by this weapon.

This way the solid shot is more reliable good against high armor targets with primary weapon giving the 2 D6 picking the highest armor penetration. Submunition continues to be the anti infantry backup weapon which is reliable but not as effective as the Ion's large blast. The buster slug being the anti MC and light/medium vehicle shot that is better at stripping multiple wounds/HP but is less effective at penetrating heavy AV and risks not breaking through the bigger MC's toughness.

Personally I would also think the Hammerhead should have target lock (for squadrons) and give the Ion Cannon an emergency coolant flush that gives a one use only reroll to gets hot.

 Peregrine wrote:

Lythrandire Biehrellian wrote:
StrD is normally 30 points (at least, that's what it appears to be. It's the price given in the old vehicle design rules.)

Those old rules and costs were written with completely different rules for STR D and using them is completely inappropriate for the modern game.

Just because they changed the rule doesn't mean they changed the point totals for it. If they believe the current rendition of destroyer is as potent in this version of the game as the old one was in 4th (and progressively up through 5th) there would be no points change.

Hell, if anything they decided to cheapen strD TOO much. With the newest version of the revenant titan being so obscene as to not be believed.

 Vankraken wrote:
Change the Railgun to be one of 3 shots
Solid Slug - Str 10 AP1 Primary Weapon
Submunition Shell - Str 6 AP4 Large Blast
Buster Slug - Str 8 AP2 Heavy 1, Internal Burst
Internal Burst removes D3 wounds for every unsaved wound, removes D3 hull points for every unsaved penetrating hit. Feel No Pain cannot be taken against any wounds caused by this weapon.

This way the solid shot is more reliable good against high armor targets with primary weapon giving the 2 D6 picking the highest armor penetration. Submunition continues to be the anti infantry backup weapon which is reliable but not as effective as the Ion's large blast. The buster slug being the anti MC and light/medium vehicle shot that is better at stripping multiple wounds/HP but is less effective at penetrating heavy AV and risks not breaking through the bigger MC's toughness.

Personally I would also think the Hammerhead should have target lock (for squadrons) and give the Ion Cannon an emergency coolant flush that gives a one use only reroll to gets hot.

I like that idea for the railgun, actually.

I also like the "Ordnance/Primary Weapon deals d3 wounds per successful wound roll" and "AP1 wounds explode" mechanics. The latter, especially, makes pretty much all the AP1 weapons more interesting.