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The context of the OP's post is pretty clearly meant to be "Greater purpose as devised by someone else that exists in the fluff", not "Greater purpose by GW to advance the plot or whatever else".

(to which, again I repeat it seems that Eldar Harlequins being involved is probably the best bet. Definitely NOT a 100% sure thing, but it's the thing which has the most evidence in fluff sources even if not that much)

SomeRandomEvilGuy wrote:

Quickjager wrote:
I forgot about Broadsides, guess that would be the Termie equivalent.

Wouldn't they be more vehicle class though? I know they don't count as such on the tabletop but their function, mobility and size seems more akin to vehicles than (power) armour.

No, I'd say they're definitely Power Armour, not a vehicle. They walk on legs, they have manipulator arms, and roughly follow the physical form of their pilot. You could argue that they're more vehicular because the wearer sits in the torso and remote controls the limbs, I suppose, but in terms of mobility and function they're definitely infantry.

Crisis suits aren't demonstrably better than the terminator or centurion armor. They are different, but nothing the Imperium can't do or hasn't done similarly.

Crisis suits offer less protection than Terminator or Centurion armour, and are larger, but offer significantly greater mobility. Their firepower capability is superior to that of Terminators, though Centurions are better at that (but much slower as a result, it's not fair to compare Centurions to Crisis suits because their battlefield role is different - Centurions and Broadsides would be a fairer comparison, since they are effectively equivalent.)

SomeRandomEvilGuy wrote:

 Co'tor Shas wrote:

They aren't blanks, but they can't be possessed, and have such a small pretense in the warp that they are hard to dittect.

Why not?

An Avatar of Khaine was possessed. Swords can be possessed as can vehicles and starships. I don't think there's any reason they can't be possessed.

Because they have such a small warp signature that there minds can't be sized upon.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

morgoth wrote:

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

Yes they are. I study physics. I have derived that equation from base principles. You are wrong.

That m is the rest mass of a body (as mass is variable with velocity). So that energy is the energy that a body will have when stationary. That is therefore the absolute minimum energy a body can have.

The full equation is technically E^2 = p^2c^4 + (mc^2)^2 but as we're dealing with a body at rest it has no momentum so it can simplify to E=mc^2.

Unless you would like to argue with Einstein?

My bad, usually people don't really know what it means.

But as I said, that equation hides a lot of complexities.
No body is stationary unless measured from another body that does not move, like your shoes vs you as long as they're tied.
Mass is not variable with velocity, mass is the amount of matter in a body and it does not vary. There are constructs called "mass" that do vary with velocity, but that's just bad naming.
And while you could say that for limited speeds you can ignore p, that's definitely a rounding error you choose to take, i.e. not the whole story.

So... back to your premise: Energy and mass are not interchangeable outside of math.

E=mcc may only be true if m and E are both positive.
If you derive it from the other equation, it's |E|=|m|cc, i.e. Energy could be negative, mass could be negative, nobody has any idea and there is nothing directly linking Energy to mass without using squares is there ?

Energy and mass are interchangeable, that's how nuclear reactions work.

Co'tor, if you needed a large warp presence to be possessed, it would be impossible to bind daemons into nonliving objects.

That's the stated reason in the fluff. I didn't write it.

Where's it stated that they can't be possessed?

Fire warrior, IIRC. A greater deamon only manages to make a FW bloodthirsty, and can get no hold at all on an ethereal because his emotions are too in-check. AFAIK, there is no recorded instance of a tau being possessed.

Ah. The Greater Daemon in that instance wasn't trying to possess them though. Influence them? Yes, but as a Greater Daemon, he needed a ritual to come through into a mortal in any case and he had a ready and willing host waiting for him on the material side already.

 Furyou Miko wrote:

No, I'd say they're definitely Power Armour, not a vehicle. They walk on legs, they have manipulator arms, and roughly follow the physical form of their pilot. You could argue that they're more vehicular because the wearer sits in the torso and remote controls the limbs, I suppose, but in terms of mobility and function they're definitely infantry.

Where have they been described as having manipulator arms? They appear to "hold" a heavy rail gun but they probably can't drop it to use something else. Knights (and Titans) also walk on legs and follow a rough physical shape but noone would consider them power armour. I've never heard of Broadsides being particularly mobile (if anything less so than normal Fire Warriors) and in terms of function they're primarily anti-tank guns as far as I know. Seems to me they're a heavy support vehicle.

Co'tor Shas wrote:Because they have such a small warp signature that there minds can't be sized upon.

That contradicts various other pieces of background so it comes down to which you choose.

Personally I dislike the idea of Chaos focussing on\affecting humanity almost exclusively so I'm inclined to think the Tau could be corrupted.

SomeRandomEvilGuy wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:

No, I'd say they're definitely Power Armour, not a vehicle. They walk on legs, they have manipulator arms, and roughly follow the physical form of their pilot. You could argue that they're more vehicular because the wearer sits in the torso and remote controls the limbs, I suppose, but in terms of mobility and function they're definitely infantry.

Where have they been described as having manipulator arms? They appear to "hold" a heavy rail gun but they probably can't drop it to use something else. Knights (and Titans) also walk on legs and follow a rough physical shape but noone would consider them power armour. I've never heard of Broadsides being particularly mobile (if anything less so than normal Fire Warriors) and in terms of function they're primarily anti-tank guns as far as I know. Seems to me they're a heavy support vehicle.

They are a bit like heavy weapons teams. They are as fast as normal troops, just have heavy weaponry. Tau suits are quite agile all told. They are also not so much piolted as worn. You interace directly into the suit, your mind controling it and feeling what it "feels." You even feel ghost pain.

And look at the arms of the commander.


Fluffwise, the hand on the model are not deployed (in reality, modeling restrictions).

 Wyzilla wrote:

 EmpNortonII wrote:

 1hadhq wrote:


@EmpNortonII:

Spoiler:

In contrast to your weird ideas I wrote:

1hadhq wrote:

Taffy17 wrote:

There is a lot of mystery around the tau and I have heard many rumours that seamed to indicate that they have a great importance in the grand scheme of things.

I've heard several rumours about the Tau and I'll share them with you here...

-The Ethereal's seem to be manipulating the Tau in a certain way and their arrival happening at the same time as lights in the sky indicate some alien race put them there.

Not a rumor. Codex material.

-The Ethereal's crystals in their forehead which they use to control tau through pheromones is similar to that of an ancient arachnid species whose queen was kidnapped by Eldar.

Maybe, maybe not. Tau got 3 Options you can choose from. Yours is just one of them.

-The Eldar created the warp storm that cut them off from the Imperium.

Source?

How many Eldar created warp-storms have you seen in the fluff ?

-Someone in the Imperium (may have been the Emperor) told the ultramarines to protect the Tau seeing as their home world is so close to Macragge.

BS.

The Galaxy belongs to the Emperor. The Ultramarines won't lead crusades against Tau if their "job" was to protect them.

-Tau bare similarities to Necrons and their connected somehow.

Everyone with 4 limbs and a head shares something with Necrons....
But generally Necrons tend to cleanse the Tau off of their Worlds.

Taffy17 wrote:

I quite like the idea that the Eldar created the Tau and the Emperor, believing it was their destiny to defeat chaos told the Ultramarines to protect them and together, unknowingly, have protected them as they've evolved.

What do you think? Is it their destiny to destroy chaos? Help the Necrons or Eldar back to full strength? something else?

I'd love to hear your thoughts

The Destiny of the Tau is to annoy someone so hard, they get kicked out of this Galaxy.

Or, the Tau are the model of a small upstart race on its way through the 40k-verse and GW did a lot of plot-armoring to keep them alive.

Basically the destiny of every participant in Eternal War tm is to be stuck in endless struggle. No respite, no mercy. Just WAR.

I don't see any mistreatment there.

Now your idea of "balanced" posts:

EmpNortonII wrote:

Taffy17 wrote:
So any speculation on why the Eldar or Tzeentch or whoever else might have influenced Tau development?

There are many theories. I'll go through a few.

One thing that applies to the initial set is that the Tau barely register in the Warp. Unlike humanity and the Eldar, Tau don't provide a high level of "food" for the Chaos Gods.

The Eldar may have influenced the race so that the galaxy could become populated by a race that would starve Chaos of the emotional food it needs to survive. Likewise, Tzeentch may have done the same, for He knows that if Chaos wins, it will cease, for there will be no more emotions to feed off of.

The second Eldar theory is that the Tau are all secretly capable of being psykers (or they have been manipulating the Tau's genetic destiny to bring this about) and the Eldar are waiting for the right moment to flip the switch and create a race of psyker-warriors with excellent technology to defeat Chaos.

Likewise, Tzeentch may have done the same, to create new servants that can overpower his brothers and his other enemies.


*MY* favorite theory leaves both of those out, and has the Tau being manipulated by the last Old One. The Tau, unique among the galaxy's powers, are dynamic, intelligent, and creative. Humanity has a lifespan at least three times that of the Tau- the Eldar a thousand times greater- and neither race is capable of many of the technological feats the Tau have made in the last 6,000 years. Of all the wars and all the weapons employed against Chaos and the Necrons, only one was never fully brought to bear. for it was never truly finished. It may be that the Tau are destined to create a control mechanism for the Orks, and use them to crush the Tyranids, Chaos, the Necrons, and Imperial Cult, and to bring peace to the galaxy.

After all, somehow, the galaxy survives the 42nd Millenium, and there isn't much of a reason to believe that Humanity's already-failing defenses will succeed in the 14th Black Crusade after failing so dramatically in the 13th.




6,000 years to go from throwing stone spears and barely mastering fire to star ships and rail guns.

In contrast, humans discovered fire 125,000 years ago, and we still haven't sent people to another planet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_of_fire_by_early_humans

Humanity's stone age ended somewhere between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Age

The Tau advance much faster than humans do. Considering their shorter life span, it isn't unreasonable to conclude that Tau are, individually, much smarter than individual humans of the Imperium.

Your claims based on ?? vs my posts which never stated any other race is not as smart as any other, of failing or incapable of repairs etc pp.

EmpNortonII wrote:
You side started it.

Moreover, I've not done it in any thread the derailed the thread's topic.

Don't try to draw a moral equivalency here. There was NO REASON for anyone to come here and say "Yay the Imperium! They'll smash the Tau!" when we all know darned well that the Imperial policy toward the Tau is containment... because humanity already has bigger concerns with Abaddon the Armless sacking Cadia. The Tau are far more in danger of being overrun by Tyranids.. or Orks, but no. You have to put an Imperial stamp on your trolling... despite the fact that the Imperium will fall long before it can mount the forces to launch an offensive against the Tau.

So Mr Troll.

I'd say you take your time and start reading the background material. Please.
Almost none of your claims got a foot to stand on.


BoT:


Neither chaos nor tyranids nor orks are meant to be stopped, but Eldar and Humans and Necrons and all these multitudes of other xeno species are not meant to die.
To alter the Tau is beneficial for:

- Humans ? mankind is on its way to greater psychic presence, they need to deal with a realm the Tau don't understand. Tau are as useful as Crons or Orks to them. Maybe Crons are better if they share some tech...
- Eldar ? Eldar are pretty selfish. They failed to educate the younger races, but really really like to use the "uncivilized" as their tools. The Eldar are splintered into so many factions its possible one of them has a plan for Tau.
- Orks ? Green is best. Orks won't care for blue-grey beeings. Not green enough, too pansy, etc.
- Necrons? Crons don't consider anyone their equal, the plan is Order and obedience. Tau and their superiority complex however...Serve the dynasty and feth your greater good. There is a whole Galaxy to be re-conquered.
- Tyranids ? Yes they want the biomass of the Tau, the Tau allies, the whole arm of the Galaxy they live in and so on. Tyranids create more tyranids.
- Chaos? Has its own realm. And lots of fun ruining someones life. Enough playthings for all eternity, don't need Tau.
- Old ones? Maybe. An attempt to be less specialized ( eldar and krork ) , to create a team instead of a unruly bunch of space elfs and space orcs. Not stirring the empyrean up further.

My claim that I haven't trolled Imperial threads is still justified. My claim that Imperial stooges are bitter because Abaddon fethed their asses raw on Cadia is still justified.

Let's just assume, then, that every Imperial-friendly poster here is just pissed because another faction might not be fethed as hard by Chaos as the Imperium was.

I already explained how the Tau could be useful to Eldar, Chaos, and the Old Ones. Rather than making direct responses, you copy-pasted and ignored my points. If you'd like to actually address my theories, you're welcome to do so.

No, people are pissed because you don't understand how technology or industry works. Tau have absolutely nothing to offer to any of the factions save possibly to the Orks by being a new punching bag or the Tyranids as more biomass. The Imperium already has access to better technology via STC's (never-mind that technology from a completely different species would be utterly useless to them) from the DAOT that are leagues beyond those of the Tau, and everyone else is laughably more advanced than the Tau in terms of industry and technology. The problem with you is that along with many other Tau fanboys, think the Tau are some special snowflake that actually are relevent on the galactic scale.... when ultimately they're completely irrelevant due to being logistically outclassed by every other faction in 40k. Tau aren't some important empire- they're just one of the countless xenos mini-empires scattered throughout the milky way with the Tau effectively serving as a mascot for.

People don't care that the Tau haven't been steamrolled by Chaos, and the idea of you thinking such to be true is both hilarious and proves you know absolutely nothing about 40k, making you appear to everyone as some kind of in-joke as you fail to grasp why the Tau have not been steamrolled by other factions. Everyone has bigger fish to fly as guess what! The tau are in-universe completely irrelevant to every other faction! They're the North Korea of 40k. Everone is capable of taking them out with little effort, however for multiple factions doing so would have far reaching consequences, much how in real life what stops the West from rolling right over North Korea and putting Kim Jon to the boot is the potential of it igniting a far greater war.

TL;DR, if their faction wasn't represented at the Thirteenth Black Crusade, they don't matter on the grand scale.

The Tau have the best infantry rifle in the galaxy. The standard-issue Tau weapon is blatantly superior to the weapon of the Imperium's elite warrior class. In no way does a bolter compare favorably to a pulse rifle whatsoever. The Necrons and Eldar both are incapable of producing an infantry gun that hits as hard as a pulse rifle, or one capable of hitting at such a long range. The Tau Hammerhead, by virtue of range, firepower, or survivability, also compares favorably to every other main battle tank in the game. Eldar lack range, Imperials generally lack survivability and firepower- with occasional exceptions, like Vindicators, that lack range. The Tau are a special snowflake, because they are the ONLY faction in 40k still developing technologically.

Imperials tend to forget that they only have tanks as good as the Predator or the Leman Russ because of STCs- their tanks represent the best of the DAoT. There aren't any mass-producible tanks sitting around waiting to steam-roll their enemies because humanity, in the DAoT, never mass-produced better weapons. Even at the height of their technology, neither human nor Eldar not demon not Necron came up with a rifle as good as the pulse rifle or a tank as solid as the Hammerhead. Only the Eldar made a better infantry transport, and it is not likely as mass-producible as a Devilfish.

What the Tau lack isn't technology- it's resources. In a hundred years, prototypes like Shadowsun's drones and the Riptide will be common on the battlefield as they become easier to produce and the Tau make use of resources won in the 3rd CExpansion... and their enemies will, at most, lose technology and at best, remain where they are. In a hundred years, the Tau will be rolling out Titans that have the maneuverability and firepower advantages Tau generally enjoy over their enemies, as they gain the resources to make them.

Not taking part in the 13th Crusade isn't a losing point. While every other faction bleeds out, the Tau grow stronger. They'll be able to sit and grow stronger, while the Imperium pursues greater enemies, until they eclipse Chaos as the Imperium's greatest enemy, sack Terra, and fortify the Eye of Terror like humanity failed to.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 PhillyT wrote:
Crisis suits aren't demonstrably better than the terminator or centurion armor. They are different, but nothing the Imperium can't do or hasn't done similarly.

What jump jet units does the Imperium field?

 EmpNortonII wrote:

The Tau have the best infantry rifle in the galaxy. The standard-issue Tau weapon is blatantly superior to the weapon of the Imperium's elite warrior class. In no way does a bolter compare favorably to a pulse rifle whatsoever. The Necrons and Eldar both are incapable of producing an infantry gun that hits as hard as a pulse rifle, or one capable of hitting at such a long range. The Tau Hammerhead, by virtue of range, firepower, or survivability, also compares favorably to every other main battle tank in the game. Eldar lack range, Imperials generally lack survivability and firepower- with occasional exceptions, like Vindicators, that lack range. The Tau are a special snowflake, because they are the ONLY faction in 40k still developing technologically.

I don't think so. Eldar > you. It's just that for the sake of the game, Tau are given a comparatively good gun.

 EmpNortonII wrote:


The Tau have the best infantry rifle in the galaxy. The standard-issue Tau weapon is blatantly superior to the weapon of the Imperium's elite warrior class. In no way does a bolter compare favorably to a pulse rifle whatsoever. The Necrons and Eldar both are incapable of producing an infantry gun that hits as hard as a pulse rifle, or one capable of hitting at such a long range. The Tau Hammerhead, by virtue of range, firepower, or survivability, also compares favorably to every other main battle tank in the game. Eldar lack range, Imperials generally lack survivability and firepower- with occasional exceptions, like Vindicators, that lack range. The Tau are a special snowflake, because they are the ONLY faction in 40k still developing technologically.

Uhm, the Gauss Blaster would like a word.

Rank and file Necron soldiers (Immortals being soldiers, Warriors being random farmers, etc, with less good gear, as of the codex) are armed with guns that are demonstrably better, if slightly shorter-ranged, than Pulse Rifles: They have Gauss Blasters, which have the same stopping power, better armour penetration (AP4 vs AP5 in game terms) and the ability to disintegrate heavily armoured vehicles up to and including super-heavies and Titans. Furthermore, with a bit of tinkering by an insane cultist, the Gauss Blaster can be upgraded further into a Gauss Cannon.

Destroyers obviously have a lot more technical know-how than you would give credit to, considering they're 'mere' soldiers before they give in to nihilism, and they're still responsible for re-working their own bodies and weapons to turn legs into a grav-platform and their blaster into a cannon.

 Furyou Miko wrote:

Uhm, the Gauss Blaster would like a word.

Rank and file Necron soldiers (Immortals being soldiers, Warriors being random farmers, etc, with less good gear, as of the codex) are armed with guns that are demonstrably better, if slightly shorter-ranged, than Pulse Rifles: They have Gauss Blasters, which have the same stopping power, better armour penetration (AP4 vs AP5 in game terms) and the ability to disintegrate heavily armoured vehicles up to and including super-heavies and Titans. Furthermore, with a bit of tinkering by an insane cultist, the Gauss Blaster can be upgraded further into a Gauss Cannon.

Destroyers obviously have a lot more technical know-how than you would give credit to, considering they're 'mere' soldiers before they give in to nihilism, and they're still responsible for re-working their own bodies and weapons to turn legs into a grav-platform and their blaster into a cannon.

If you were to follow the fluff, the individual Eldar warriors would be a lot stronger, so this is really an argument about game profiles.

Wait till your codex gets nerfed into the ground, mr. tesla snap shot w/ gauss bs sauce. JUST YOU WAIT DAMN NECRON !!!!!

I have nightmares from Gauss weapons... best standard infantry weapon goes to the Necrons hands down.

Tau are not supposed to be the best Law and Order civilization in anything, that's their entire gimmick.

Tech? Necrons
Size? Imperium
Warp?Eldar

Also get back to me when the Tau have teleporter packs integrated onto their Crisis Suits.

Quickjager wrote:
I have nightmares from Gauss weapons... best standard infantry weapon goes to the Necrons hands down.

Tau are not supposed to be the best Law and Order civilization in anything, that's their entire gimmick.

Tech? Necrons
Size? Imperium
Warp?Eldar

Also get back to me when the Tau have teleporter packs integrated onto their Crisis Suits.

Size? Orks? Tyranids?
Warp? Daemons?

And yep, fluffwise necron gauss flayers desintegrate matter. From a nightbringer book, a single hit from this weapon was enough to unmake a space marines in power armor. And following the fluff of pulse rifles, they don't harm power armor unless it suffers too many hits.

Where is that from?

BTW, there is fluff that pulse weapons can penetrate terminator armour.

There is fluff for chain swords chopping clean through power armor too. But then there is fluff where power armor soaks up round after round without much real damage.

Welcome to the world of inconsistent fluff interpretation! At its core though, the fluff is built off the crunch and can always be viewed with game mechanics in mind.

Yep, that's my point. I probably should have been a bit clearer.

 Furyou Miko wrote:

 EmpNortonII wrote:


The Tau have the best infantry rifle in the galaxy. The standard-issue Tau weapon is blatantly superior to the weapon of the Imperium's elite warrior class. In no way does a bolter compare favorably to a pulse rifle whatsoever. The Necrons and Eldar both are incapable of producing an infantry gun that hits as hard as a pulse rifle, or one capable of hitting at such a long range. The Tau Hammerhead, by virtue of range, firepower, or survivability, also compares favorably to every other main battle tank in the game. Eldar lack range, Imperials generally lack survivability and firepower- with occasional exceptions, like Vindicators, that lack range. The Tau are a special snowflake, because they are the ONLY faction in 40k still developing technologically.

Uhm, the Gauss Blaster would like a word.

Rank and file Necron soldiers (Immortals being soldiers, Warriors being random farmers, etc, with less good gear, as of the codex) are armed with guns that are demonstrably better, if slightly shorter-ranged, than Pulse Rifles: They have Gauss Blasters, which have the same stopping power, better armour penetration (AP4 vs AP5 in game terms) and the ability to disintegrate heavily armoured vehicles up to and including super-heavies and Titans. Furthermore, with a bit of tinkering by an insane cultist, the Gauss Blaster can be upgraded further into a Gauss Cannon.

Destroyers obviously have a lot more technical know-how than you would give credit to, considering they're 'mere' soldiers before they give in to nihilism, and they're still responsible for re-working their own bodies and weapons to turn legs into a grav-platform and their blaster into a cannon.

Immortals are shock troops. Warriors are warriors, not farmers. Straight from the book.

The gauss blaster couldn't be mass-produced enough, even for the necrons with their galaxy-spanning civilization, to equip warriors with it.

Destroyers don't *have* technical know-how. They're insane. Also, from the codex. When whatever C'tan that corrupted them finishes what he's doing, they'll likely turn on the rest of the necrons.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

morgoth wrote:

I don't think so. Eldar > you. It's just that for the sake of the game, Tau are given a comparatively good gun.

That's wishful thinking.

morgoth wrote:
If you were to follow the fluff, the individual Eldar warriors would be a lot stronger, so this is really an argument about game profiles.

Wait till your codex gets nerfed into the ground, mr. tesla snap shot w/ gauss bs sauce. JUST YOU WAIT DAMN NECRON !!!!!

If you were to follow the fluff, individual Eldar warriors would be mauled into the ground by any passing space marine. Also, show me the Shurikat or Pulse Rifle that can disintegrate a Land Raider, then come back and tell me that it's just a game profile thing, hm?

EmpNortonII wrote:
Immortals are shock troops. Warriors are warriors, not farmers. Straight from the book.

The gauss blaster couldn't be mass-produced enough, even for the necrons with their galaxy-spanning civilization, to equip warriors with it.

Destroyers don't *have* technical know-how. They're insane. Also, from the codex. When whatever C'tan that corrupted them finishes what he's doing, they'll likely turn on the rest of the necrons.

You're lucky I can't find my Necron codex, but it states therein that Warriors are the elevated slave caste, and that Immortals were created from the soldier-caste. I know this, because it was a retcon from the previous codex, which had Immortals as bodyguards and Warriors as soldiers.

The Destroyers are the result of encroaching madness due to isolation and faulty stasis cells. You're thinking of Flayed Ones when you talk about C'tan influence.

 Psienesis wrote:
The Tau's purpose in the galaxy is to serve as an example to other Xenos.

That example being: poke the Imperium and, eventually, it will turn around and End you.

XD reminds me of America's foreign policy circa 1970. Poke the Russians poke the Russians OH MY GOD THEY'RE COMING

poke the humans poke the humans OH MY GOD EMPS IS COMING

The shtick of the Tau is not that they are the most technologically advanced race, which they aren't. It's that they are the most rational race.

 Co'tor Shas wrote:

They are a bit like heavy weapons teams. They are as fast as normal troops, just have heavy weaponry. Tau suits are quite agile all told. They are also not so much piolted as worn. You interace directly into the suit, your mind controling it and feeling what it "feels." You even feel ghost pain.

Either way I'm disinclined to think they act like infantry.

And look at the arms of the commander.

The Shas'O's get better technology. I don't think that proves much. Never heard of Broadsides having any dexterity in their "hands". Not that I think it particularly matters.

EmpNortonII wrote: In no way does a bolter compare favorably to a pulse rifle whatsoever.

The various types of ammunition available to the bolter can allow it to fare better against armoured targets and large biological foes (as examples).

I'm disinclined to refer to TT in regards to this anyway. Necron weaponry in the background is far superior to how it is portrayed on the TT. Three Ork-operated Doomsday Arks destroyed a world; the level of power required for such vehicles would be enormous. Not to mention their vastly superior navy (which arguably is how the technology of spacefaring factions should be rated). Don't both the Eldar and Imperium both typically have superior ships to the Tau?

The Tau have the best infantry rifle in the galaxy. The standard-issue Tau weapon is blatantly superior to the weapon of the Imperium's elite warrior class. In no way does a bolter compare favorably to a pulse rifle whatsoever. The Necrons and Eldar both are incapable of producing an infantry gun that hits as hard as a pulse rifle, or one capable of hitting at such a long range. The Tau Hammerhead, by virtue of range, firepower, or survivability, also compares favorably to every other main battle tank in the game. Eldar lack range, Imperials generally lack survivability and firepower- with occasional exceptions, like Vindicators, that lack range. The Tau are a special snowflake, because they are the ONLY faction in 40k still developing technologically.

The Conversion Beamer would like to have a word.

SomeRandomEvilGuy wrote:

 Co'tor Shas wrote:

They are a bit like heavy weapons teams. They are as fast as normal troops, just have heavy weaponry. Tau suits are quite agile all told. They are also not so much piolted as worn. You interace directly into the suit, your mind controling it and feeling what it "feels." You even feel ghost pain.

Either way I'm disinclined to think they act like infantry.
They sort of act like half walker half infantry. Really like giant infantry.

And look at the arms of the commander.

The Shas'O's get better technology. I don't think that proves much. Never heard of Broadsides having any dexterity in their "hands". Not that I think it particularly matters.
If I can get my hands on the white dwarf pic it says that the suits usually keep their hands folded in. The broadside is a bit wired however, the previous edition broadside had the same hands as a crisis suit, I'm not sure about these ones. Their hands seem a tad more permanent.

I believe that the Warp Storm that shielded the Tau from the Imperium (and sped up their development, perhaps so they would be ready for whatever their purpose is in time) was caused by the Eldar. Not Harlequins, but a Craftworld or a number of Craftworlds working to fulfill some hope for the future that the Tau play an instrumental part of.

However, that doesn't mean that the Tau will be the saviors of the Eldar. Butterfly effect, and all that. The existence of the Tau may have unnoticed (by everyone else) and unintentional benefits for the Eldar. They might be wiped out by something that would have otherwise harmed the Eldar. In short, their intended purpose could be very, very subtle, and there's no way of knowing what it means for the future of the Tau.

Also, I think it's less that the Tau have a small Warp signature and more that they actually are essentially very mild Blanks. This would explain why they can't be Warped while inanimate objects (which have no Warp signature whatsoever) can with ease.

 Furyou Miko wrote:


The Destroyers are the result of encroaching madness due to isolation and faulty stasis cells. You're thinking of Flayed Ones when you talk about C'tan influence.

Third paragraph in the Destroyer entry mentions that the C'tan may be responsible for them about halfway through.