Tau Strat to shoot pulse rifles as pistol 2

[Galron]

QUestion, if  firewarrior squad is in close combat and they use the strat to turn their pulse rifles into Pistol 2 weapons, can they fire both the rifles and their normal pistols? Seems to me they have to pick one or the other.

[Tyriks]

I don't have the Tau codex so it may come down to what the stratagem says. Normally you can fire all pistols you have equipped OR all other weapons. So if they have two pistols they can fire both, normally.

 

If the strat says fire them as if they are pistols or otherwise restricts it, I would say no. But if it just says they are pistols then yes.

Edited March 31, 2022 by Nemesor Tyriks

[Valkyrion]

Imperial Fists have a similar one (without the tau wording I can't be sure)

 

Use this in your shooting phase when an IF unit from your army is chosen to shoot with. Until the end of the phase, bolt weapons models in that unit are equipped with have the pistol type instead of their normal type.

 

The Imperial Fists wording actively modifies the profile of the weapon, so you could fire your heavy bolters, bolters and bolt pistols in the same phase because for that phase only they are all Pistol X. 

 

If the strat said 'bolt weapons may be fired as though they were pistols' that would allow you to fire your rapid fire weapons in engagement range, but preclude the use of the Bolt Pistol, because you can't fire Pistols and other weapons (p218) and the other weapons would retain their Rapid Fire/Heavy type.

 

IMO, I think. 

[Galron]

"Until the end of phase, pulse blasters,carbines, rifles that the unit is equipped with have the Type characteristic Pistol 2."

[Valkyrion]

In that case they can use their normal pistols in addition to their main weapon. The type has been changed to Pistol 2, it isn't Rapid Fire that acts as though it was a Pistol, it simply becomes a Pistol.