Thoughts on the Tau Codex

[The Pounder]

I think the Guardian Drone is a must. I’ll be doing the Guardian and Gun drone when I start my T’au element.

 

That’s my plan maybe someone else might have more experience.

[Hfran Morkai]

I was devastated to learn that Pathfinders can only take one of their cool Drones (admittedly then two standard Drones too).

 

I want them all! 

[Focslain]

9 hours ago, MithrilForge said:

Question -  I'm building some Breacher teams and Fire warrior teams I want to know what the best drone additions are to the Fire warrior teams?... 

I was thinking Guardian drone and Gun drone but if there are ant other more Viable options I'd like to hear them please  

And while I'm at it Pathfinder teams as well !!

 

Cheers, Mithril

So for the Firewarriors I'd go Guardian/Gun as the -1 to wound rolls is a decent buff to their defense. 

For Pathfinders, personally I'd go for Pulse/Gun/Marker, gives thier carbines longer range (including the gun drones) and the marker will remove cover on an unit they spotting. Since they can spot twice it seem worth the lose of two shots, otherwise double gun.

[Karhedron]

Broadly speaking, Guardian is always a solid pick. You would need to have a good reason not to take one if the option exists.

[chapter master 454]

Guardian drones are outright the best part of the Fire Warrior squads (both Strike and Breacher) as the -1 to the wound on them is actually quite immense for such cheap units. Even against heavier weaponry, you limit any and all attempts without outside rules or stratagems to only wounding you on 3+ which can be a massive blessing. Outside of that, we are talking about the fact that in straight up gunfights with any other infantry squad of any ilk really, it can really shift the maths in your favour. Guardsman just can't get anything done as now they are wounding you on 5+ and still need to make their way through the 4+ armour save. Marine bolters that normally rip up light infantry are wounding on 4+.

By all metrics, the guardian drone is far too good to pass up as it turns your normally light class of infantry into near enough medium grade in terms of recieving shooting.

 

As for the secondary drone, it ultimately is up to purpose. As breachers have the markerlight keyword by default and their weapons have the assault keyword, Marker drones have literally zero reason to be taken. Maybe in Strike teams on the niche case of having them advance and mark but that's it really. Gun drones vs. Shield drones though is where we talk purpose. If we are talking about a squad of breachers deploying from a devilfish, gun drone. As you will be giving these guys a cadre with 2 gun drones of his own, this kind of squad just wants more shooting to get more damage through.

If it's however a footslogging unit that is taking an etheral, shield is going to just be a great way to frustrate an opponent at the last hurdle. Effectively adding a phantom 11th member to the squad that is already -1 to wound and with an etheral has a 5+FNP will just be that straw that may break the camels back.

Ultimately, just whatever you feel gets the job done. Drones only hit their shots on 5+ so unless guided their extra shots don't really add a whole lot and the extra wound from the shield drone can often just be completely blown past by a lot of factors or even just getting caught out. Wouldn't sweat it too much.

 

In terms of the Pathfinders, I actually would say that the Pulse Accelerator is the worst option of the lot of the utility drones. The Grav-inhibitor drone offers a places for pathfinders to operate as effective backfield objective holders that are incredibly difficult to charge out of deep strike, or can be used to get a little closer to locations of interest when melee units are around with the -2 to charge making quite an impact in that regard. Out of deep strike, the opponent needs an 11 to complete the charge which is incredibly unlikely and while out and about, they could present quite a frustrating obstacle, even using them aggressively in tandem with other units spaced out, making what may of been easy call multi-charges into having to only charge the pathfinders to avoid fumbling the charge.

The Recon drone offers the Infiltrate ability and while we have Ghostkeels, Shadowsun and Stealth teams, having a 3rd option that importantly has Scout is actually very useful. Nevermind the burst cannon, this USR alone is quite potent and compared to the other units, these guys can screen a massive area of mid field out of the opponents options for placement if you get the first drop. Then follow with scout move to move back into safety if you go second or get into position to attack if you get first, it just offers another layer of frustration for your opponent to handle. Oh and remember pathfinders now have a 4+ armour save now, so they don't fold like laundry when a stiff breeze comes their way (still T3 but at least now lasguns don't hose them).

The reason I don't rate Pulse Accelerator is that 20" is plenty of range to get the job done if they are being used in a midfield presence, and if you are keeping them in the backline, the extra range isn't going to matter then because getting LoS for 7 dudes with pulse carbines ain't worth it when you also need to make sre those rail rifles can see! Not to mention, they ain't here for damage, they are here to mark targets and be a pest unit. 90 points maybe ain't cheap but these guys might just be able to sneak under the radars of opponents while you barrel riptides and ghostkeels their way!

[Focslain]

10 hours ago, chapter master 454 said:

The reason I don't rate Pulse Accelerator is that 20" is plenty of range to get the job done if they are being used in a midfield presence, and if you are keeping them in the backline, the extra range isn't going to matter then because getting LoS for 7 dudes with pulse carbines ain't worth it when you also need to make sre those rail rifles can see! Not to mention, they ain't here for damage, they are here to mark targets and be a pest unit. 90 points maybe ain't cheap but these guys might just be able to sneak under the radars of opponents while you barrel riptides and ghostkeels their way!

Ok, that makes sense, The few times I've used them that extra 6" generally meant the difference between getting a shot or not. But that was back in 9th and the tables I was on had quite the few fire lanes. Not so much anymore.

[MithrilForge]

@chapter master 454 - Thanks heaps for the insights and information, and to all others who contribute, this thread is nice to have as a beginners question thread!..

in saying that  

Enforcer Commander - I have made up My enforcer Commander as a Quad missile load out and was wondering what Drones would complement this Character?

eventually I will be getting a "Fire Knife" Unit with Missile pods to tag along with him. 

 

any insights and answers greatly appreciated 

Cheers, Mithril 

[chapter master 454]

milage varies depending on what you want them to do but considering you are commiting a commander to them, Marker drones don't seem the path you want to go and these guys are for damage. Gun drones rarely add much meaningful damage output so just double up on the shields on the commander. Having 8 wounds instead of 6 lets him tank a lot more damage once he is on his own.

Though, enforcers need to be used with caution, comically both commanders are actually at odds with their attached units, with only 1 compensating via abilities. The coldstar at base moves 12" (and boosts his bodyguard to that movement rate) while the enforcer only moves 8" so be careful when moving the unit.

 

Ultimately, there is a reason why they say you can't take duplicate drones on crisis suits...otherwise you would be seeing a LOT of 6 wounds crisis suits.

However if it were a commander leading a starscythe squad that were all flamers, dropping one shield drone on the commander to take a marker drone isn't a bad idea as now the unit can become an observer unit that grants ignores cover. (not like they need guided now, they have auto-hitting weapons!)

[Hfran Morkai]

Current core of a list I'm looking at building:

 

Shadowsun 

1 x Fireblade

2 x Breacher Teams in Devilfish

2 x Strike Teams in Devilfish

Ghostkeel

2 x 3 Man Stealth Teams

Pathfinder Team in Devilfish

2 x Hammerheads

 

Leaves me 435 points to bring up to 2k.

 

Thinking of expanding the Stealth Teams, and maybe another Pathfinder Team because the Cadre I'm trying to create is one based around Reconnaissance with a Rapid Reaction Force. Maybe some Crisis Suits.

 

Shadowsun, I like the XV-22 and wish we could take a generic Commander with weapon options but she fits the theme (may use her as a 'Counts as' though for my own fluff).

 

I have a feeling the Pathfinder Devilfish is a suboptimal choice but it fits with the rapid deployment idea of the force (and I come from a time when Pathfinders HAD to take one).

 

[Guiltysparc]

That is really similiar to the 1000pts i'm building up as a starter for my army.  

 

Fireblade

Crisis Commander

Breachers with the Fireblade

Pathfinders

Sunforge Crisis suits for the Commander to lead

Ghostkeel

2 units of Stealth Suits

2 Devilfish - one for the breachers and one for the pathfinders

[Guiltysparc]

You guys like the fusion blasters in your stealth suits? I was thinking I'd go without given their main job is too guide rather then be guided, so the extra shots from burst cannon would be nice, plus I have the sunforge team in the list.

[Guiltysparc]

So, with drones being wargear now, how to do guys feel about building them out?  It seems to me like, it definitely makes sense in some cases (i'm thinking the stealth drones on a ghostkeel) and doesn't really make sense in others (shield drones in general), and maybe makes sense for yet others (like gun drones for infantry)?  I'm not sure how you'd draw line of the sight from gun drones if they don't count as models in any way, maybe just draw it from any model in the unit?

[Focslain]

22 minutes ago, Guiltysparc said:

So, with drones being wargear now, how to do guys feel about building them out?  It seems to me like, it definitely makes sense in some cases (i'm thinking the stealth drones on a ghostkeel) and doesn't really make sense in others (shield drones in general), and maybe makes sense for yet others (like gun drones for infantry)?  I'm not sure how you'd draw line of the sight from gun drones if they don't count as models in any way, maybe just draw it from any model in the unit?

For gun drones attached to characters/sgt I take it from the model who's wargear they are. AS for modeling them I planned to up size the base and attach the drones to that. At least for the infantry based ones. Right now I just tell my opponent X squad has Y drones in it.

 

The missile drones of the Riptide I'm going to attach via magnetized stands and the battlesuit ones are just the oversized shields I modeled on them and I'm going back and fixing the heads to have a pair of pulse ears (repping the gun/shield drones). Not sure on the commanders yet since taking twin shield is kind of a no brainer.

[Guiltysparc]

Ya, I didn't build out the shield drones for my commander.  I think if I had been playing tau for a while and had them all built/painted, I'd still use them since they are cool, but starting from nothing, man, I sure do like the idea of building/painting fewer things, lol, at least at first 

[MithrilForge]

I’m actually a fan of all the li’l drones etc.. I’m building them cause I want to paint them (quite the opposite of Guiltysparc)  but yeah I think I’m just going to simply play with a variety of them to test effectiveness of them in games, but I do agree with general consensus on things like shield drones on troops they’re not really worth it compared to shield drones on say a commander … . Although I’ve been stealing the shield drone bottoms for hats on my figures though  might have to stop doing that !! 
 

Mithril

[Tawnis]

On 5/13/2024 at 2:01 AM, Hfran Morkai said:

Current core of a list I'm looking at building:

 

Shadowsun 

1 x Fireblade

2 x Breacher Teams in Devilfish

2 x Strike Teams in Devilfish

Ghostkeel

2 x 3 Man Stealth Teams

Pathfinder Team in Devilfish

2 x Hammerheads

 

Leaves me 435 points to bring up to 2k.

 

Thinking of expanding the Stealth Teams, and maybe another Pathfinder Team because the Cadre I'm trying to create is one based around Reconnaissance with a Rapid Reaction Force. Maybe some Crisis Suits.

 

Shadowsun, I like the XV-22 and wish we could take a generic Commander with weapon options but she fits the theme (may use her as a 'Counts as' though for my own fluff).

 

I have a feeling the Pathfinder Devilfish is a suboptimal choice but it fits with the rapid deployment idea of the force (and I come from a time when Pathfinders HAD to take one).

 

Looking at your list, while the Devlifish are good, you still need units that can actually fight too, I think you are right that you don't need one for your Pathfinders. 

Given the mobility you are going for with your army, I think one or two squads of Kroot Carnivores are a good option unless you want to keep it pure Tau. With their sticky objectives and scout move that you can support with your infiltrating Stealth Suits, you can sticky objectives, then rapidly redeploy your other infantry with your Devilfish. 

Another good option you could take either on his own, or with the Pathfinders is Darkstrider. He gives you a 12" no Deep Strike aura which is really strong and if you take him with the Pathfinders that you've already got anyway gives them +1 to wound. 

A second Fireblade for your other Breacher squad could be a good benefit too, it adds a lot of punch to the squad and can really up your firepower without having to bring in a whole other unit plus Devilfish to cart them around. 

Crisis Suits are always a good call like you said. Looking at your list, I think the Fireknife suits would be best since you have some good anti-tank, and some great anti-infantry, but not a lot of anti-elite power. A bunch of plasma rifles would help this a lot, you could also support this unit with Commander Farsight who's quite strong as well. 

Edited Sunday at 02:49 PM by Tawnis

[Hfran Morkai]

I'm not committed to pure T'au at all, in fact I have the Kroot army box sitting in the pile.

 

Regarding a second Fireblade, I didn't want to feel like I was spamming it because it's a good buff.

 

Farsight, I know there's no rule forbidding him with Shadowsun but I think that would be upsetting to the lore.

 

Thanks for the thoughts, I'm leaning towards removing the Pathfinder Devilfish, as much as I would like the entire force nice and mobile.

[Tawnis]

6 hours ago, Hfran Morkai said:

I'm not committed to pure T'au at all, in fact I have the Kroot army box sitting in the pile.

 

Regarding a second Fireblade, I didn't want to feel like I was spamming it because it's a good buff.

 

Farsight, I know there's no rule forbidding him with Shadowsun but I think that would be upsetting to the lore.

 

Thanks for the thoughts, I'm leaning towards removing the Pathfinder Devilfish, as much as I would like the entire force nice and mobile.

I don't think 2 Fireblades is too spammy personally, 3 might be, but that's your call. 

Shadowsun is kinda helping Farsight on the DL. After Aun'Va was killed, she leaked a bunch of information to him to help him out, and he's saved her before in the past as well. They're rivals, but in a competitive way, not an adversarial one. If the Ethereals didn't get in the way, they'd have a Legolas/Gimli kind of dynamic. 

A few Kroot Hounds could be a good addition too, they are crazy fast, good for screening and pinning units in place so that your mobile forces have more room to maneuver. 

[MithrilForge]

Just to add to the Above comments, as well as Farsights books, after reading The Shadowsun Novel (and without giving away any spoilers),  I definitely see Farsight & Shadowsun as being on the merging path of having the same understanding of The "Ethereal's" and the New Universe, I think it would kinda be fluffy now to have them both in a force ...for the Greater Good of course  not just for gameplay... 

 

2x Fireblades is very acceptable how many LT's do marines have in their forces???. or Vet Sgt's, Chaplains, Apothecaries, Tech marines etc... we have Commanders in a Suit, an Ethereal on hover board and 3 Named Characters ( Darkstrider Included) Fire blades are probably very necessary to a good T'AU force, especially if your taking troops.

 

Cheers, Mithril 

    

[Guiltysparc]

somewhat offtopic, but how are the tau novels?  I've read a ton of BL books but all imperium focused.  With the heresy series over, I need something new to read.

[MithrilForge]

Um good luck finding any T’AU books out in the wild, I’ve read Farsight crisis of faith and have shadowsun , read Blades of  Damocles  a while ago.. but not found any of the others… people ridiculously ask hundreds of dollars for them on eBay …. 
maybe e book or audio book available but paperback… good luck with that 

 

M. 

Edited Monday at 01:13 PM by MithrilForge

[Guiltysparc]

I audio book everything.  Are they worth a read?

[Tawnis]

I personally really enjoyed the Farsight books, but I know others who didn't so YMMV.

[MithrilForge]

Well I enjoyed all the T’AU books I have read and the associated books with marines & T’AU … and if you do audio books then I think your set

  go for it !! 

 

cheers, M 
 

 

[Hfran Morkai]

That's very interesting that Shadowsun and Farsight aren't the sworn enemies I expected them to be.

 

I think I like that, didn't they both study under the same Commander (Puretide if my memory recalls)? Obviously they took different aspects of the teaching.

 

I don't know if I'd play both together but it's certainly not what I expected. I distinctly recall Shadowsun vaporising a statue of Farsight.