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This is in the same vain as my post on an expanded Chaos Faction. Tau with their use of auxiliaries are another good target for a slightly expanded faction.. For now I'm leaving humans out simply because I can't see this being more then Tau Imperial Guard (but please add one in if you can think of something new though )

So the main tau codex - nice and easy, this codex loses Kroot and Vespid. Nothing else changed

Codex Kroot - Add a chief Shaper/Shaman as a HQ
Take the kroot squad straight from the Tau codex
Snipers become a separate unit with a +1 cover save
Bring Kroot Vultures back (kroot with wings)
Add Knarloc riders and Great Knarlocs packs

Codex Vespids - Vespid Queen HQ + Elite honour guard (elite assault unit but needs to be different from Kroot Vultures) HG only limited by FOC slots not 0-1 per queen
Strikewings as main troops
Add some war beetles (eg giant stag beetle with vespid manned guns)
Flying MC predator type unit

Finally Demiurg
Foremaster type HQ
Brotherhoods (basic infantry, slow but tough)
Veteran Brotherhood (Heavy weapons)
Siege tanks - big cannons & AA guns

These would be sub-codexes like Harlequins and the Mechanicus so please take that into account. Do you think these would work, if not what would you change and why? All constructive comments welcome

Honestly, I think you'd be better off with a Kroot codex (they're definitely padded out enough to warrant their own) and then another broader 'Tau Auxilliaries' suppement, including elements from various races under their dominion, such as Vespid, Demiurg, Gue'la, Hrenians, Thraxians, etc.

Interesting, I like.

It would be very nice to see more sub-factions for non-imperium factions. Also it would be very nice for space dwarfs to make a comeback. Tau are a popular enough faction these days for it to be viable commercially methinks.

Robin5t, what kind of units would you like would fit in a general auxiliaries book?

I was thinking of these sub codexes as being along the size of the Harlequins which themselves only have 4 units & 3 characters.

I'd especially like to hear any ideas for the Gue'la as past versions have only been IG in carapace armour and a light dusting of Pulse weapons

ScarVet101 wrote:
Robin5t, what kind of units would you like would fit in a general auxiliaries book?

I was thinking of these sub codexes as being along the size of the Harlequins which themselves only have 4 units & 3 characters.

I'd especially like to hear any ideas for the Gue'la as past versions have only been IG in carapace armour and a light dusting of Pulse weapons

Hmm... well, putting me on the spot a bit, there, but I'd immediately think of something like:

HQ - Auxiliary Command Council - a multi-species command squad similar to the Court of the Archon, with a Fire Caste Advisor as an obligatory choice, then with the option to include: Gue'La Commander (traditional human commander type, tactical bonuses?), Demiurg Automachinist (gives bonuses to drones), Nicassar War-Psyker (psyker option for Auxiliaries, including a new psychic discipline), Nagi Mindhacker (has some kind of shooting attack that lets them mind-control enemies, make it leadership-based.)

Elites: Gue'la Special Operators - An elite, teched-up equivalent to the likes of Kaskrin and Tempestus Scions, deep strike and infiltrate, possibly equipped with Pulse Blasters?

Troops: Hrenian Light Infantry - fairly cheap infantry with a few upgrade choices, able to spec for close combat or shooting.

Fast Attack: Vespid Stingwings - upgraded to be a bit more effective than they currently are.

Heavy Support: Demiurg Mining Drones - fairly heavily-armoured skimmers with cutting lasers (lance special rule) and the option to upgrade to Ion Cannons (it was originally their tech, after all).

Sell the command team together in a pack including one of each so you don't need to put separate sprues down and you're looking at around the same sort of model variety we got with the Harlequins.

Sounds good, and if that kind of thing worked they could always expand on one or more of those elements at a later date.

Oh, I thought you were thinking of breaking Tau down themselves, doing Septs like the Space Marines have different books for the various chapters.

ScarVet101 wrote:
This is in the same vain as my post on an expanded Chaos Faction. Tau with their use of auxiliaries are another good target for a slightly expanded faction.. For now I'm leaving humans out simply because I can't see this being more then Tau Imperial Guard (but please add one in if you can think of something new though )

So the main tau codex - nice and easy, this codex loses Kroot and Vespid. Nothing else changed

Codex Kroot - Add a chief Shaper/Shaman as a HQ
Take the kroot squad straight from the Tau codex
Snipers become a separate unit with a +1 cover save
Bring Kroot Vultures back (kroot with wings)
Add Knarloc riders and Great Knarlocs packs

Codex Vespids - Vespid Queen HQ + Elite honour guard (elite assault unit but needs to be different from Kroot Vultures) HG only limited by FOC slots not 0-1 per queen
Strikewings as main troops
Add some war beetles (eg giant stag beetle with vespid manned guns)
Flying MC predator type unit

Finally Demiurg
Foremaster type HQ
Brotherhoods (basic infantry, slow but tough)
Veteran Brotherhood (Heavy weapons)
Siege tanks - big cannons & AA guns

These would be sub-codexes like Harlequins and the Mechanicus so please take that into account. Do you think these would work, if not what would you change and why? All constructive comments welcome

Could add Anghkor Prok as a named HQ for Kroot Dex.

For Vespid Dex. Did you mean stingwings?

Was the Demiurg really all that big of a part of the Tau to warrant them being in a tau codex line?

I recall space skaven just being general nuances to everyone involved.

Also Vespids are pretty pathetic. but certainly would love them getting way updated.

and kroot have so many options already with forgeworld. maybe a psyker option and they are pretty much done.

 Desubot wrote:
Was the Demiurg really all that big of a part of the Tau to warrant them being in a tau codex line?

Not on the ground. The only representation there are the Ion weapons. Their main introduction as a species came in Battlefleet Gothic, in which they are represented by their mining clan vessels.

Another concept I think would be cool from there would also be the highly psychic Nicassar in a battlesuit which provides a zero-g environment for them so they can bring their gifts to the battlefield. In the Tau codex, they would be a Unique feature, I think, but in an Auxiliaries...

 Desubot wrote:
and kroot have so many options already with forgeworld. maybe a psyker option and they are pretty much done.

And they have also had their own mini-codex in the past called "Kroot Mercenaries" provided by White Dwarf in their custom unit series, Chapter Approved (I think). It was rather well done for the time, but some modernization would be needed and quite welcome.

Do Vespid even have enough fluff about them and their varieties to really warrant them their own codex? Probably not. Stingwings need a buff though (I propose Rending in melee, 2 attacks, and 2 wounds and bump up their price by a couple of points for a cool 20).

Kroot already had a mini codex a while back, and with some updates that would be splendid. Pretty sure someone here can find that PDF and we can make the necessary point adjustments together as a forum; some of us are reasonable after all.

Indeed - the Kroot Mercenaries list was quite an interesting one.

It'd need tweaking a bit - at the time Kroot were significantly nastier in melee (they were base S4 and the Kroot Rifle was a rather more effective melee weapon than it is now).

However, that could easily be resurrected.



The original units were:

Master Shaper - independent character, low-grade psyker with a shaman-esque role (probably a mix of telepathy and biomancy unless you want a unique Shaper discipline).

Shaper Council - heavy-duty assault unit. A squad made up entirely of shapers (3 wound, 3 attack) and attendant hounds. The fact that shapers had access to eviscerators made this unit able to hand out serious punishment.

Carnivore Squad - As it currently is. Obviously hounds, krootox, etc, are all bundled together now.

Hunter Squad - was a sniper unit. Hunting rounds are now just an option for carnivores, so you can probably bin this unit

Stalkers - Super-infiltrating chameleon kroot! Give them a lictor-esque deep strike ability and shrouded, and some sort of close-range shooting armament. I don't want to call it a "kroot blunderbuss" but essentially that.

Headhunters - in the original rules, these guys gained poison 4+. Given that kroot are only S3 by default, that's a good rule to keep, but probably give them an extra attack & weaponskill to boot - essentially making them 'old kroot'.

Vultures - again, jump packs. Less useful than vultures used to be - they logically can't have kroot hounds with them, and kroot by themselves aren't good enough in melee to justify rushing at the enemy. You could include the additional options of 'Kroothawks' as a winged Krootox analogue - giving them a fast moving jump assault threat. I'm not sure really what their role is. The 'fast melee assault' is very much the knarloc cavalry. I guess these guys should be backfield vehicle/artillery hunters? A counterpart to stalkers (who mob an infantry unit)

Knarloc Cavalry - Fast melee troops - essentially the bike equivalent. Since their statline is a hybrid of the fighting potential of the steed and the rifer, it's justifiable to make them rather more dangerous in melee (like faster krootox without their guns).

Great Knarlocs - Packs of monstrous creatures. Always a useful asset.

 Stormonu wrote:
Oh, I thought you were thinking of breaking Tau down themselves, doing Septs like the Space Marines have different books for the various chapters.

That's a nice idea, too ! "Chapter tactics" for the septs.
GW should do so much more with the alien factions....

For kroot, you don't need to take too much effort.

There are plenty of kroot units in IA3. they simple are overcosted and generally suck, but with small touch-ups, can be made viable. just add an HQ (master shaper) and some army rules (feed mutations?) and its good to go.

Gue'vesa can be done by hybridzing IG units with tau equipment (such as photon grenades on infantry, battlesuit equipment on sentinals, etc)

Vespid will be hard. we hardly have any information on them, let alone existing rules to base off.

Nagi are outright impossible due to their nature.

Demiurg, Tallerans and such we have a total information lacking scenario.

Hurd (space skaven), despite cool, are both lacking in information and outright refuses to join the tau empire. they are not really into the whole "greater good" sales pitch.