Tau Crisis Suits, Drones, and Drone Controllers

[thade]

This one is I think cut-and-dry, but I don't know the answer so here I am.

 

Consider the following unit:

- Crisis Suit w/ Drone Controller (2 shield drones)

- Crisis Suit w/ Drone Controller (2 shield drones)

- Crisis Suit w/ Drone Controller (2 shield drones)

 

Say I light this unit up with a mass of bolter fire (SoB squad) and all 20 hit. All shield drones make their saves, but one of the crisis suits is lost.

 

With the loss of the Drone Controller, are the shield drones lost?

 

I presume no, but I'm not sure.

 

Now a second example:

HQ Crisis suit attached to Elite choice

- Crisis Suit w/ Drone Controller (2 shield drones)

- Crisis Suit w/ Drone Controller (2 shield drones)

- Crisis Suit w/ Drone Controller (2 shield drones)

 

Say the HQ is destroyed but his shield drones survive. Are those shield drones 1. destroyed? 2. still an HQ choice and free to roam about with the Crisis Suit unit? If the Crisis suits were instead part of his retinue and not an elite choice, would this change things?

 

Basically I'm not 100% clear on what the shield drones count as when they're deployed. My reading of it is that possessing the drone controller allows you to take the drones, but there's no rule (that I've seen) stating that should it leave the table it takes the drones with it.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Grey Mage]

If the Drone Controller is slain, his drones go with him. C:Tau pg. 37, third paragraph of the box about drones.

 

Well, they go at the end of the phase anyways.

[Marshal Wilhelm]

pg 31 C:Tau Empire.

 

It says they are only lost if the Independent Character Drone Controller dies.

So I guess in a team of regular Suits, they are not lost just because their Drone Controller dies.

 

They are removed at the end of the phase.

 

Just like G M said :)

[thade]

Interesting. Okay. Thanks.

 

I'm guessing in the case of the HQ/IC that his Shield Drones count as a retinue-like unit? In essence, if he's like joined to a unit of fire warriors and I charge in and put my Power Fist in BtB with their IC...I can focus on him and the Fire Warriors can't soak hits for him...but the shield drones probably still can?

[Frosty the Pyro]

Interesting. Okay. Thanks.

 

I'm guessing in the case of the HQ/IC that his Shield Drones count as a retinue-like unit? In essence, if he's like joined to a unit of fire warriors and I charge in and put my Power Fist in BtB with their IC...I can focus on him and the Fire Warriors can't soak hits for him...but the shield drones probably still can?

 

Thats how I would have played it (and its the purpose of drones anyway), but if you use the wolfs faq (as aweful as it is) and its ruleing on fenrisian wolves as a similar case then it would actualy create three units for you to target, the IC, the drones, and the fire wariors. However similar cases do not make identical cases, and admitidly the wolves being less defensive of their master than the drones makes fulff sense, after all they are bussy trying to tear apart the oposition, as oposed to drones which are there soley to suport their master.

[Marshal Wilhelm]

Interesting. Okay. Thanks.

 

I'm guessing in the case of the HQ/IC that his Shield Drones count as a retinue-like unit? In essence, if he's like joined to a unit of fire warriors and I charge in and put my Power Fist in BtB with their IC...I can focus on him and the Fire Warriors can't soak hits for him...but the shield drones probably still can?

 

"Drones must maintain coherency with the unit their controller is in. If he is an independent character then the drones and character form a unit but the character and drones may still join another unit. If the character with the drone controller is killed then all his drones are removed at the end of the Shooting or Assault phase in which he died"

 

I agree that although the IC is able to be attacked specifically in cc, the drones are not merely a unit he has joined but become a single entity because they are an upgrade he has been bought.

[Reglor]

Does this mean that you have to keep track of who owns each drone? So that if an IC w/ drones join a unit w/ drones, you have to keep track of which drones are owned by each. Also, if so would they count as diffrent groups for spreading wounds?

[Marshal Wilhelm]

Does this mean that you have to keep track of who owns each drone? So that if an IC w/ drones join a unit w/ drones, you have to keep track of which drones are owned by each. Also, if so would they count as diffrent groups for spreading wounds?

 

You need to keep track of the IC's drones, yes. Commander Shadowsun has white drones, which is an excellent idea to differentiate hers from the others.

 

The do not count as different groups for shooting wounds if the IC has joined a unit. So you can use wound-allocation-shenanigans as you please.

 

The IC w/drones is one target in cc and the unit w/drones is another target once in cc. Even when they have joined together as one unit.

[Grey Mage]

Does this mean that you have to keep track of who owns each drone? So that if an IC w/ drones join a unit w/ drones, you have to keep track of which drones are owned by each. Also, if so would they count as diffrent groups for spreading wounds?

 

You need to keep track of the IC's drones, yes. Commander Shadowsun has white drones, which is an excellent idea to differentiate hers from the others.

 

The do not count as different groups for shooting wounds if the IC has joined a unit. So you can use wound-allocation-shenanigans as you please.

 

The IC w/drones is one target in cc and the unit w/drones is another target once in cc. Even when they have joined together as one unit.

Unless hes with a bodygaurd team.... in wich case retinue kicks in and hes doing pretty good again.