Are Tau the best of them all?

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**Overlord Thraka**

As far as the OP's question... Yes in my opinion, Tau are OP in Dawn of War.

**Grey Templar**

I don't know man, Tactical marine bum rush seemed pretty strong from what I remember.

**Aeroroot**

In terms of soulstorm, I found kroot rush to be scary as crap.
In terms of 40k lore, the tau were (until the most recent codex) considered the only real "good guys" of the galaxy. Sure the imperium had good people, but as a whole they are pretty screwy and nasty.
Tau don't, and may never have the numbers to contend with pretty much any other race. However, if they can avoid getting omnomed by tyranids, they are currently the only race in the 40k universe that is new and not at their technological peak. They have the most potential, but I feel they are at a relitively delicate point in their evolution. The most important thing about them is that they realize this, which puts them ahead of most other races.

**Anfauglir**

Aeroroot wrote:
In terms of 40k lore, the tau were (until the most recent codex) considered the only real "good guys" of the galaxy.

What in the new codex makes them "bad guys" as opposed to previous codex fluff?

**Ashiraya**

Anfauglir wrote:
Aeroroot wrote:
In terms of 40k lore, the tau were (until the most recent codex) considered the only real "good guys" of the galaxy.

What in the new codex makes them "bad guys" as opposed to previous codex fluff?

Apparently the Ethereals are subtly mindcontrolling their underlings with pheromones. Or something like that.

**Mr Morden**

One of their leaders hasa Daemon Weapon?#

**A Town Called Malus**

Mr Morden wrote:
One of their leaders hasa Daemon Weapon?#

Not a Daemon Weapon, never has been. It's most likely Necron in origin (Stylistically and Fluff-wise)

**Mr Morden**

A Town Called Malus wrote:
Mr Morden wrote:
One of their leaders hasa Daemon Weapon?#

Not a Daemon Weapon, never has been. It's most likely Necron in origin (Stylistically and Fluff-wise)

Apparently the Farsight Enclave Codex confirms that its a Deamon weapon...............well according to the girl I was talking to who had the codex anyway

**Kain**

Mr Morden wrote:
A Town Called Malus wrote:
Mr Morden wrote:
One of their leaders hasa Daemon Weapon?#

Not a Daemon Weapon, never has been. It's most likely Necron in origin (Stylistically and Fluff-wise)

Apparently the Farsight Enclave Codex confirms that its a Deamon weapon...............well according to the girl I was talking to who had the codex anyway

Protip: Never rely on "he said/she said" as a valid source for anything.

**Psienesis**

It's a sort of vampiric blade that adds the remainder of the life of whoever it kills to that of its wielder. While this sounds plenty magic/Daemonic, the weapon has a definite Necron feel to it in appearance, and its abilities are perfectly within the Necron super-science vibe.

**Kain**

Psienesis wrote:
It's a sort of vampiric blade that adds the remainder of the life of whoever it kills to that of its wielder. While this sounds plenty magic/Daemonic, the weapon has a definite Necron feel to it in appearance, and its abilities are perfectly within the Necron super-science vibe.

It's quite possibly a C'tan artifact given their propensity for metroid style life force vampirism.

**Anfauglir**

BrotherHaraldus wrote:
Apparently the Ethereals are subtly mindcontrolling their underlings with pheromones. Or something like that.

That aspect of Tau fluff hasn't changed between codices, though. It was penned as Imperial speculation in the original codex, and it's still penned as Imperial speculation in the new codex. As far as I can tell, nothing has changed in the fluff to make the Tau any more or less bad or good guys in relation to the other factions/the general setting.

**Mr Morden**

Kain wrote:
Psienesis wrote:
It's a sort of vampiric blade that adds the remainder of the life of whoever it kills to that of its wielder. While this sounds plenty magic/Daemonic, the weapon has a definite Necron feel to it in appearance, and its abilities are perfectly within the Necron super-science vibe.

It's quite possibly a C'tan artifact given their propensity for metroid style life force vampirism.

Can anyone who has direct acces to the Farsight Enclave codex comment on this? Seems from the quote above it could be either - although the lady in question and the GW store owner seemed pretty sure it was a Daemon blade but they could indeed be reading more into it?

**Co'tor Shas**

Mr Morden wrote:
Kain wrote:
Psienesis wrote:
It's a sort of vampiric blade that adds the remainder of the life of whoever it kills to that of its wielder. While this sounds plenty magic/Daemonic, the weapon has a definite Necron feel to it in appearance, and its abilities are perfectly within the Necron super-science vibe.

It's quite possibly a C'tan artifact given their propensity for metroid style life force vampirism.

Can anyone who has direct acces to the Farsight Enclave codex comment on this? Seems from the quote above it could be either - although the lady in question and the GW store owner seemed pretty sure it was a Daemon blade but they could indeed be reading more into it?

It was discovered by Farsight on the artifact world of Arthas Moloch, which had a lot of "...tumbledown shrines and strange, faceless statues that predate any of the worlds of the Imperium." and there was a giant summoning pedestal for daemons (the "Great Star Dais"), that the tau unknowingly activated by slaughtering orks on it. From what The supplement says, one could infer that it is a deamon weapon, but I am more inclined to agree with Necron, because it prolongs his life through non-warp means.

Farsight supplement on the dawn blade:

THE DAWN BLADE The mysterious artefact that O’Shovah took up on Arthas Moloch is even older than the Imperium of Man. Fashioned aeons ago by the strange race that once inhabited that haunted world, the Dawn Blade has been forged from materials that even the finest of Earth caste minds cannot fathom. Its blade is sharp enough to cut through rock, and since taking it up on Arthas Moloch, and modifying it for use in battle, it has been O’Shovah’s weapon of choice for close engagements. Unbeknownst to Farsight, the ancient sword has a dark secret. Its blade is made from chronophagic alloys – whenever its wielder cuts a life short with it, the natural span that he stole from his victim is added to the wielder’s own. This hasallowed O’Shovah to live for almost three centuries. Though he has his suspicions that it is the Dawn Blade that has prolonged his lifespan to such a degree, if Farsight ever found out the horrible truth, he would likely end his own life in ritual suicide then and there. copyright Games Workshop

**Mr Morden**

Ah right thanks for that - thats a lot more ambigious than I was lead to believe.................and does sound more Necron or maybe Eldar............or other race ...........

**A Town Called Malus**

Indeed. Also consider that many of the Artifacts on Arthas Moloch within those shrines actually repelled the daemons, and so might actually be anti-daemon weaponry, rather than daemonic.

**Admiral Valerian**

The Old Ones, perhaps? IIRC, they were wiped out when the Enslavers 'exploded' out of the Warp, so perhaps it was an aborted research facility as part of a doomed last-ditch effort to stave off the new horrors unleashed on the galaxy.

**Kain**

Admiral Valerian wrote:
The Old Ones, perhaps? IIRC, they were wiped out when the Enslavers 'exploded' out of the Warp, so perhaps it was an aborted research facility as part of a doomed last-ditch effort to stave off the new horrors unleashed on the galaxy.

In the newer continuity, the Necrons were the ones who enacted the genocide of the Old Ones after them and their creations were slowly losing the war for millions of years. But draining life energy is right up the C'tans alley. I wouldn't be surprised if Farsight is being manipulated by the/a C'tan to make a new servant race to replace the ones who betrayed them.

**Co'tor Shas**

Mr Morden wrote:
Ah right thanks for that - thats a lot more ambigious than I was lead to believe.................and does sound more Necron or maybe Eldar............or other race ...........

Hey, it could be one of the 100 swords forged by Vaul!

**Archonate**

Mr Morden wrote:
Kain wrote:
Psienesis wrote:
It's a sort of vampiric blade that adds the remainder of the life of whoever it kills to that of its wielder. While this sounds plenty magic/Daemonic, the weapon has a definite Necron feel to it in appearance, and its abilities are perfectly within the Necron super-science vibe.

It's quite possibly a C'tan artifact given their propensity for metroid style life force vampirism.

Can anyone who has direct acces to the Farsight Enclave codex comment on this? Seems from the quote above it could be either - although the lady in question and the GW store owner seemed pretty sure it was a Daemon blade but they could indeed be reading more into it?

He was fighting demons when he found the blade. (They had been inadvertently summoned by the spilling of ork blood all over a certain platform.) The sword was an ornament on a statue that belonged to whatever mysterious race had inhabited Arthas Moloch. He also found an amulet which repelled demons. Whoever this race was, they seemed to have anti-warp/anti-demon technology.
It is mentioned that Arthas Moloch appears to be a planet-wide graveyard. It looks grey and melancholy, but if a psyker were to look at it using the Second Sight, it would appear to burn with golden light... Interpret that how you will.