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My idea to improve Tau drones is to return them back into the parent unit that bought them with the additional rule:
Drone Support: drones do not affect the toughness value of a unit and never count as casualties for the morale phase. In addition, during the shooting phase a drone may be allocated wounding rolls even if a battle suit model in the unit has suffered 1 or more wounds.
This would improve movement of battlesuit units due to differing advance rolls, while still allowing drones to take wounds. Riptides would receive a nerf as they would be capped in the amount of drones they can bring (4?). The drone profile itself may need to be modified to keep them useful.

Personally I think it makes sense. Shielded missile drones for riptides kinda get hosed not having the riptide tank small arms fire

It's also a bit of a buff for crisis suits as they would be the only unit able to spam drones if they're kept as 2 drones per suit.

This is actually really good idea. What do you propose happens for Tactical Drones entry?

 skchsan wrote:
This is actually really good idea. What do you propose happens for Tactical Drones entry?

I would say scrap it due to to having almost no use but others may think groups of marker drones may be useful. So keep it as is, minus the savior protocol rules.

Additional there would need to be a rule added to remove the FLY keyword from Drones in a non battlesuit infantry unit. Kinda inelegant to add a slew of new rules bit it'll still run smoother than current rules.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
As an idea, also rework the drone controller to:
Drone Controller: add +1 to hit rolls for shooting attacks for Drone models in a unit containing a Drone Controller or a unit within 6" of any model with a Drone Controller. This rule does not stack with multiple Drone Controllers.
This would boost drones in a unit while also allowing separate drone units to be boosted and allow for some synergy.

Apocalypse just treats drones as unit wide wargear. Its simple and easy.

 Absolute_Maniac wrote:
My idea to improve Tau drones is to return them back into the parent unit that bought them with the additional rule:
Drone Support: drones do not affect the toughness value of a unit and never count as casualties for the morale phase. In addition, during the shooting phase a drone may be allocated wounding rolls even if a battle suit model in the unit has suffered 1 or more wounds.
This would improve movement of battlesuit units due to differing advance rolls, while still allowing drones to take wounds. Riptides would receive a nerf as they would be capped in the amount of drones they can bring (4?). The drone profile itself may need to be modified to keep them useful.

I feel like this would work pretty well. As a possibly simpler alternative, perhaps Savior Protocols should just become a Grot Shield strat? That way, there's a CP cost to using it, your opponent can switch targets once they know which unit is shielded, and drones would have to actually be between the shooter and the target to help out. But maybe that makes it too difficult for the units that actually took a given drone to benefit from it? Spending CP to throw two drones in front of a commander seems a bit steep, for instance.

Call it "Emergency Savior Protocol" 1 CP and it lets unit of drones to act as if they were purchased as part of the defending unit.

YES. Honestly, the solution is not too difficult and doesn't even need to be especially punishing:

Saviour Protocols (1CP)
T'au Stratagem

Use this stratagem when a friendly <Sept> Infantry or <Sept> Battlesuit unit has been hit by a weapon. Until the end of the phase, whenever the target of the attack is successfully wounded whilst within 3" of a friendly <Sept> Drones unit, roll a D6. On a 2+, the attack is retargeted to the Drones unit, which suffers 1 mortal wound instead of any other damage. If this Stratagem is used on a unit without the Monster keyword, roll a D6; on a 4+, the CP spent to use this Stratagem is immediately refunded.

Alternatively, it can just cost 3 CP for Monsters.

Saviour Protocols should never have been a rule. It should be a stratagem. Tau players can whine all they want about not being competitive anymore, but they are not entitled to being competitive, especially not as the result of a grossly abusive rule.

 Suzuteo wrote:
YES. Honestly, the solution is not too difficult and doesn't even need to be especially punishing:

Saviour Protocols (1CP)
T'au Stratagem

Use this stratagem when a friendly <Sept> Infantry or <Sept> Battlesuit unit has been hit by a weapon. Until the end of the phase, whenever the target of the attack is successfully wounded whilst within 3" of a friendly <Sept> Drones unit, roll a D6. On a 2+, the attack is retargeted to the Drones unit, which suffers 1 mortal wound instead of any other damage. If this Stratagem is used on a unit without the Monster keyword, roll a D6; on a 4+, the CP spent to use this Stratagem is immediately refunded.

Alternatively, it can just cost 3 CP for Monsters.

Saviour Protocols should never have been a rule. It should be a stratagem. Tau players can whine all they want about not being competitive anymore, but they are not entitled to being competitive, especially not as the result of a grossly abusive rule.

That looks pretty solid to me. I'm not sure you necessarily need to make it more expensive for MCs or refund the CP though. Just make it 1 CP with no built-in refund. If your opponent sees that you've used it on a riptide surrounded by drones, he'll just start shooting at other targets for the rest of the phase. If you're using the strat every turn, you're spending 5+CP to basically protect the first important unit to get targeted each phase. Sure, that last riptide is going to be tough to dig out, but you're probably winning the game if that's the last unit in your opponent's army worth shooting at.

Also, I'd probably have the stratagem activate when a unit is targeted by an attack rather than when hit by a weapon. This is more consistent with similar rules, and you don't have to interrupt your opponent's dice rolling flow.