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Hi all. After first game another question popped up-


Drones taking hits for other Tau Units. Question is two part(shield drones/other drones)



Enemy fires at a Riptide. Hits and wounds 3 times.

Behind the Riptide are 2 Shield Drones.

1- Can the drones only try take 2 of the hits?

3- If I decide to try take 2 hits and toll do do so(2+), do you then try roll to wound the drones(after you rolled to wound the riptide already) or does it go straight to the Shied Drones Save (+ invlun). Then Shield drone gets to roll 5+ and it donst die. I THINK if you roll a 2+ to take the hit, the drone take a auto Mortal wound, killing it(unless you roll 5+ afterwards). Is the Shield drones Inv save purely for when its getting shot at directly as a chosen target?

4- If you change the Shield drones for say Marker Drones. Can they also take the hits on a 2+? It seems so? Makes them remarkably like Shield drones imo but without the Invlun save or the 5+ to not take the wound.


Thanks for any advice. Was a lot to take in but we got through most of it without issue which was great.

1) You take the hits one at a time, as attacks are made one at a time.

2) (I do not see a #2)

3) You take the hits one at a time, as attacks are made one at a time.

4) Saviour Protocols does exactly what it says. if the unit has Saviour Protocols, they can roll to take the wounds. The type of model that takes the mortal wound form the Saviour Protocols rule does not matter.

The shield drone’s invuln is only used when directly shooting at it - the mortal wound from saviour protocols ignores armour and invulnerable saves.

1) You resolve to wound rolls one at a time, by assigning the wound and then rolling to wound. Each time you successfully wound, the drone can attempt to intercept it via Saviour Protocols. A set of 2 drones can transfer 3 wounds just fine, because the first or second mortal wound might be prevented by their Ignore Wounds rule.

3) Mortal Wounds do not allow for Invulnerable saves. It is as you say, the Invul on the Shield Drones is only for when they get targeted themselves by non-mortal wounding attacks.

4) The Marker Drones have Saviour Protocols, so they can do so. The lack of the 5+ ignore wounds effect is a pretty big difference.

Thanks all. Think I have it.

1- Riptide Takes 3 hits(and wounds)

2- Taking the hits one at time, roll 2 + to take it on the drone. Drone takes a mortal wound and dies....unless it is a Shield Drone in which case it can roll 5+ to survive and ignore the wound.

With lucky rolling, 1 shield drone could in theory at least take a whole pile of hits in one turn if it kept rolling 5+(after getting 2+ to take it).

That is correct.