Tau Redux 5th Gen, Weapons and Wargear

[shasocastris]

Last but not least (for now), are the weapons and wargear of the Tau Empire. Because I've done more than I've posted, some of these things have no relevance right now, but remember to check back as I add more units to reference pieces of wargear. Most things I'll be referencing to hear, so check back often!

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Codex: Tau Empire

Battlesuit Systems

XV0 Light Carapace Battlesuit: 5+ armour save.

XV1 Carapace Battlesuit: The most common form of battlesuit is the one used by the Fire Warriors and Pathfinders of the Fire Caste. Though not normally regarded as such, the Earth Caste's technical designation of all armour worn on the battlefield as a battlesuit. It grants the user a 4+ armour save.

XV2 Carapace Battlesuit: 3+ armour save.

XV8 Crisis Battlesuit: This is a powerful piece of wargear used by the elite of the Tau forces. It grants the user extremely powerful targeting systems that are used to exterminate the high profile enemies of the Greater Good. Each Crisis suit is equipped with a Targeting Array and Blacksun Filter. It also grants the user the Acute Sense USR, and makes the unit type Jump Infantry (jet pack).

XV15/25 Stealth Battlesuit: Both the XV 15 and XV 25 Stealth Battlesuits are derived from the same form of technology, with the XV 25 stealth battlesuit being slightly larger and able to house the power for a fusion blaster. Both are equipped with a powerful stealth field generator making them virtually invisible at long ranges. The effect is far more pronounced during night fighting, when the normal stealth fields have their effects amplified with the help of the natural darkness. During normal visibility, when shooting at a team equipped with a Stealth Battlesuit fires at them as if during a mission in which the Night Fighting rules are in effect. During a time in which the Night Fighting rules, the roll to spot the Stealth Battlesuit equipped team is halved before acquiring the maximum distance that the firing unit can see. In addition, any unit that charges a unit equipped with a Stealth Battlesuit strikes at Initiative 1 unless they are equipped with Assault Grenades.

XV88 Broadside Battlesuit: The XV88 Broadside Battlesuit is the heaviest form of infantry the Tau can bring to bear. Armed with the most ferocious weapons in the Tau arsenal, it is one of the most feared tank killers in the galaxy. All tank commanders fear hearing the whining of a railgun firing over their heads and hearing one of their friendly tanks explode, knowing they could be next. Each Broadside is equipped with a Targeting Array, Blacksun Filter, TL Railgun, and a Smart Missile System.


Battlesuit Wargear

Advanced Stabilization System: Used solely by the XV-88 Broadside Battlesuit, this system includes a variety of gyros and stabilizers that allow the pilots to advance slowly while still firing their main weapons. This gives the user the Slow and Purposeful USR.

Blacksun Filter: A blacksun filter is used by Tau in during the night, and is the piece of equipment that has the Tau rightly feared during this time. Using a combination of sonic and infrared sensors that even the Imperial Techpriests have been unable to understand, the blacksun filter virtually doubles the range normally seeable under these circumstances. When after rolling spotting distance in Night Fighting missions, double the number rolled to get the maximum spotting distance.

Command and Control Node: Using sophisticated AI that is characteristic of the Tau, this lets Fire caste commanders exercise great control over the flow of battle. Once per turn, any unit using performing an Outflanking manuever may choose which board edge they come on.

Bonding Knife: This is given to squad leaders who have performed the Ta'lissera ritual, the highest form of respect the Tau can grant each other. Teams such as these have worked long and hard together, and it is a rare sight indeed for even shas'la to go into a serious battle without first being bonded to each other. As long as the team leader is alive, the squad may attempt to regroup even if they are below 50%. A squad joined by an Independent Character may use his Bonding Knife as it would a team leader.

Defensive Suit: Taken bearers of an XV8 Crisis Battlesuit, this equips the battlesuit with the ability to emit intense flashes of light at an incoming enemy, temporarily blinding them. While it is a significant power drain on the battlesuit, requiring constant maintenance, it has proven it's worth, keeping many enemies at bay while the battlesuits retreat to better firing positions. In game terms, this equips the bearer with Photon Grenades.

Ejection System: Though many Tau commanders shun the Ejection System, claiming that it puts them in more danger than just waiting to be recovered from their broken battlesuit. However, others claim that it gives them a chance to escape, and live another day. When the last wound of a model equipped with an Ejection System is lost due to a shooting attack that does not cause Instant Death, the model is replaced by a single model, the pilot. He is at -2 S, -1 T, and has only one wound with no save. He is equipped with a pulse pistol.

Fire Support Relay System: This is a powerful communications relay combined with a Markerlight. Recently, it has been used by the Fire Caste to call upon Seeker Missile support of a Skyray.A model equipped with an FSRS also counts as equipped with a Markerlight. When the Markerlight is fired, in addition to the normal uses for a Markerlight, a Skyray Missile Defense Gunship may use it's Seeker Missile Strike special rule with just one Markerlight from an FSRS.

Hard-wired Systems: A Hard-wired System takes the form of cybernetic implants or warrior jewelry. The rules between normal and Hard-wired Systems do not differ in any way, except that Hard-wired Systems are wargear and, for example, do not take a Crisis Suit Combat System. In addition, due to their nature, Hard-wired Systems do not need to be represented on the model.

Iridium Plating: The Tau battlesuits offer an incredible amount of protection to the pilot, sometimes it is not enough. Enemy weapons normally designed to attack tanks are sometimes used against battlesuits, with disastrous results. As such, the Earth Caste designed a plating system that would be able to resist these attacks. The design was the Iridium Plating, a system that closes the intrinsic weaknesses of a Crisis suit. It grants the wearer the Eternal Warrior special rule against shooting attacks.

Iridium Armour: Like it's counter part, Iridium Plating, Iridium Armour is designed to increase the resilience of the Crisis Battlesuits. While it is not as effective at stoping the enemy's most powerful anti-tank weapons, it has proven effective at doubling the life of the wearer against less powerful weapons. It grants the user a 2+ Armour Save.

Multi-tracker: This piece of wargear has been a staple of the Tau army since the beginning of the Fire Caste. It allows the user greater control over the weapons fired in the course of a battle, allowing the bearer to unleash a maelstrom of firepower down on the enemy. It lets the bearer shoot two weapons in the shooting phase.

Positional Relay: Using powerful encryption methods, this sends data to units off field, telling them when to deploy. When rolling for reserves, the Tau player may forgo rolling normally, and choose a single unit to come from Reserve on a 2+.

Shield Generator: A Shield Generator is a long standard part of the arsenal of the Tau. First developed for drones, than as parts of battlesuits, the Shield Generator is capable of letting the wearer receive the most powerful of enemy attacks and survive unscathed. It grants the user a 4+ invulnerable save.

Target Lock: The Tau use a sophisticated intelligence network that is routed to all members of the cadre to maximize killing efficiency. A target lock taps into that, and identifies priority targets to engage while the rest of the team focuses on the rest of the enemy forces. It lets the user shoot at a different target than the rest of the unit.

Targeting Array: This piece of equipment is used by the elite of the Tau Fire Caste to greatly increase their accuracy. It grants the user +1 Ballistic Skill.


Non-Battlesuit Wargear

Blacksun Filter: A blacksun filter is used by Tau in during the night, and is the piece of equipment that has the Tau rightly feared during this time. Using a combination of sonic and infrared sensors that even the Imperial Techpriests have been unable to understand, the blacksun filter virtually doubles the range normally seeable under these circumstances. After rolling spotting distance in Night Fighting missions, double the number rolled to get the maximum spotting distance. This extra range is only used by the wearer of the Blacksun Filter, and not granted to the entire squad.

Blacksun Sensor: A new invention designed by the Earth Caste solely for use by Pathfinders. It was designed based on the old technology of the Blacksun Filters, but with the ability to extend it to the entire squad. After rolling spotting distance in Night Fighting missions, double the number rolled to get the maximum spotting distance. If the bearer can see the enemy unit, the rest of the squad can as well.

Bonding Knife: This is given to squad leaders who have performed the Ta'lissera ritual, the highest form of respect the Tau can grant each other. Teams such as these have worked long and hard together, and it is a rare sight indeed for even shas'la to go into a serious battle without first being bonded to each other. As long as the team leader is alive, the squad may attempt to regroup even if they are below 50%. A squad joined by an Independent Character may use his Bonding Knife as it would a team leader.

EMP Grenades: These weapons are specialized anti-tank grenades that deliver a shock to enemy tanks that can temporarily disable them and even possibly completely overload their circuits, rendering them useless. A model equipped with an EMP grenade can make one grenade attack against a vehicle. After rolling to hit, roll a d6. 1-3 does nothing, 4-5 causes a glancing hit, 6 causes a penetrating hit.

Hard-wired Systems: A Hard-wired System takes the form of cybernetic implants or warrior jewelry. The rules between normal and Hard-wired Systems do not differ in any way, except that Hard-wired Systems are wargear and, for example, do not take a Crisis Suit Combat System. In addition, due to their nature, Hard-wired Systems do not need to be represented on the model.

Honour Blade: Used primarily as a weapon in bloodless duels between Ethereals to settle disputes, on occasion these weapons are used by the Ethereals on the battlefield. It grants the wearer +2 S in close combat.

Failsafe Flare: An upgrade from the crude failsafe detonator, the failsafe flare is a drone mounted upgrade using advanced photon technology that is designed to allow Tau forces a chance of disengaging from combat without loss of Tau life. When an enemy unit is attempting to run down a Tau unit containing a Failsafe Flare using Sweeping Advance, the enemy's Initiative is reduced by 2, and the model with the Failsafe Flare is lost.

Multi-tracker: This piece of wargear has been a staple of the Tau army since the beginning of the Fire Caste. It allows the user greater control over the weapons fired in the course of a battle, allowing the bearer to unleash a maelstrom of firepower down on the enemy. It lets the bearer shoot two weapons in the shooting phase.

Photon Grenades: All Tau disdain close combat, but realized the need to defend against it early on. To do so, they developed Photon Grenades, a sophisticated piece of technology that focuses an intense beam of light at the charging opponents. They act as defensive grenades.

Scavenged Armour: While Kroot Carnivores normally don't wear armour, or clothing of any sort in their homes, the practice of going to battle in lightl armour taken from the bodies of dead enemies has become common place. While it is not nearly as effective as Tau carapace armour, it does on occasion spare the life of a Kroot on the battlefield, particularly in close quarters fighting. It grants the wearer a 6+ Sv.

Symbols of Office: Carried by the Ethereals into battle as a sign of their authority, they serve no apparent function on the battlefield, other than as a way to clobber enemy assaulters with. They count as two close combat weapons, granting +1 attack in close combat.

Target Lock: The Tau use a sophisticated intelligence network that is routed to all members of the cadre to maximize killing efficiency. A target lock taps into that, and identifies priority targets to engage while the rest of the team focuses on the rest of the enemy forces. It lets the user shoot at a different target than the rest of the unit.


Vehicle Wargear

Blacksun Filter: A blacksun filter is used by Tau in during the night, and is the piece of equipment that has the Tau rightly feared during this time. Using a combination of sonic and infrared sensors that even the most learned Imperial Techpriests have been unable to understand, the blacksun filter virtually doubles the range normally seeable under these circumstances. When after rolling spotting distance in Night Fighting missions, double the number rolled to get the maximum spotting distance.

Decoy Launchers: Coming Soon! Decoy launchers are mounted near the engines of Tau skimmers and fire clouds of reflective strips and tuny emitter drones to protect the vulnerable thruster arrays. Whenever an Immobilisedresult is rolled on the Vehicle Damage table, the Tau player may force his opponent to re-roll the dice, though the second result stands, even if it is worse.

Disruption Pod: A disruption pod throws out distoring images in both visual and magnetic spectra, marking it hard to target at range. Weapons firing at the vehicle from more than 12" distant count the vehicle as an Obscured Target.

Fire Control System: Fire control systems identify potential targets and plots fire plans to counter them, granting the vehicle gunner far more choice about the targets to be engaged. Each weapon on the vehicle may fire at a separate enemy unit if desired, subject to the normal line of sight rules.

Flechette Discharger: Powerful clusters of reactive charges are attached to the hulls of many Tau vehicles. If the enemy approach, they fire off vicious clouds of high velocity flechettes. Any model attacking the vehicle in close combat will be wounded on a 4+, with Saves allowed, before resolving its attacks.

Landing Gear: Though they utilise advanced anti-gravitic technology, Tay vehicles are fitted with basic landing gear in case they should suffer malfunction. In any turn that the vehicle does not move, it may choose to no longer count as a Skimmer until it moves again. This benefit does not apply on the first turn of the game.

Marker Beacon: Tau vehicles, especially those used in conjunction with Pathfinder teams, are sometimes equipped with enhanced optical processors and long-ranged communications systems. These are able to guide the deployment of battlesuit and other jetpack equipped teams. Tau units deploying by meas of the Deep Strike rule to a point visible to the vehicle may re-roll the Scatter dice. Note that the vehicle must already be on the table at the start of the turn for the Marker Beacon to be used.

Sensor Spines: Sensor spines are used to feed data to an advanced ground following flight-control system. The vehicle may opt to use them during the Movement phase. Whilst doing so, the vehicle does not have to take Dangerous Terrain checks for entering or leaving Dangerous Terrain.

Targeting Array: The same piece of technology used by the Tau battlesuits can also be mounted on Tau vehicles, most commonly found on Hammerhead Gunships. It gives the vehicle +1 Ballistic Skill.

Tracking Stabilizer: The entirety of the Tau Fire Caste is based around the doctrine of mobile warfare. To this end, the Tau Earth Caste developed ways for the Tau vehicles to move quickly and still unleash firepower, using the battlesuit of the multi-tracker combined with advanced stabilizers. Any Tau vehicle equipped with a Tracking Stabilizer shoots as a Fast vehicle.


Markerlights
Markerlights are hand-held devices used to project beams of electromagnetic waves onto the enemy that Tau sensors are specifically designed to detect. Using this frequency, units of the Fire Caste are able to more accurately pinpoint enemy units for destruction.

When firing with a markerlight, it is done so before firing any other weapons, using the profile given under Miscellaneous Weapons. This lets the owning squad potentially benefit from its own markerlight.

Each time you hit a target unit with a Markerlight, put a counter by that unit. The counter remain until the end of the current Tau Shooting phase or until they are used. To use a counter, fire a Tau unit (including Drones and Vespid with a Strainleader), at the 'marked' unit. Every counter expended grants one of the following effects, which may be combined.
To allow a Seeker Missile or an EMP Missile to launch from a vehicle, which fires at BS 5. The Seeker or EMP Missile counts as a weapon firing from the unit for the purpose of cover, and from the vehicle for the purpose of vehicle facing.
To allow a unit which fires at the target to do so at +1 Ballistic Skill. This effect may be stacked, allowing a Ballistic Skill up to a maximum of 5. Other markerlights may not use this effect.
To allow the firing unit to ignore the effects of the Night Fighting rule when shooting at the marked unit.
To impose a -1 penalty on any Cover Saves the marked unit may have from the effects of the firing unit's shooting. Multiple counters may be expended to impose a cumulative modifier.
To impose a -1 Leadership penalty on the marked unit for the purposes of any Pinning test imposed by the firing unit's shooting. Multiple counters may be imposed for a cumulative modifier.


Drones
Drones are independent artificial intelligence, programmed to protect the Tau. Unlike the Imperium, the Tau make extensive use of machine intelligences. Normally drones require regular orders from a Tau, but when several intelligences are networked together in a squadron they become capable of acting independently for a long period.

Drones under the command of a drone controller are not counted when assessing if the unit they are with should take a Morale from suffering 25% casualties. Similarly, they do not count for when a unit is at 50% for determining Victory Points, and do not grant a Kill Point to the enemy if they are deployed from a vehicle if the squadron numbers less than four models.

Unless acting as an independent squadron, all drones take on the unit type of their owner. Otherwise, they count as Jump Infantry (jetpack).

Any Independent Character that has taken drones as wargear may still join other squads.

Gun Drone (WS 2, BS 2, S 3, T 3, W 1, I 4, A 1, Ld n/a, Sv 4+)

Equipment:
TL Pulse Carbine

Heavy Gun Drone (WS 2, BS 2, S 3, T 4, W 1, I 4, A 1, Ld n/a, Sv 4+)

Equipment:
TL Burst Cannon

Failsafe Drone (WS 2, BS 2, S 3, T 3, W 1, I 4, A 1, Ld n/a, Sv 4+)

Equipment:
Failsafe Flare

Marker Drone (WS 2, BS 3, S 3, T 3, W 1, I 4, A 1, Ld n/a, Sv 4+)

Equipment:
Markerlight
Targeting Array

Shield Drone (WS 2, BS 2, S 3, T X, W 1, I 4, A 1, Ld n/a, Sv X/4+ inv)

Equipment:
None

Special Rules:
Close Protection: Shield Drones always have the same Toughness and Armour Save values as their controller.

Sniper Drone (WS 2, BS 3, S 3, T 3, W 1, I 4, A 1, Ld n/a, Sv 4+)

Equipment:
Rail Rifle
Targeting Array


Weapons

Weapon Descriptions: Coming Soon!

Pulse Weapons______________________________

Pulse Pistol (Range 12", Str 5, AP 5, Pistol)

Pulse Rifle (Range 30", Str 5, AP 5, Heavy 2)

Pulse Carbine (Range 18", Str 5, AP 5, Assault 2)

Burst Cannon (Range 24", Str 5, AP 5, Assault 3)

Heavy Burst Cannon (Range 36", Str 6, AP 4, Assault 4)

Silenced Burst Cannon (Range 18, Str 5, AP 5, Assault 3, pinning)


Rail Weapons_______________________________

Rail Rifle (Range 36", Str 6, AP 3, Heavy 1, pinning)

Rail Repeater (Range 30", Str 6, AP 3, Heavy 2)

Railgun [solid shot] (Range 72", Str 10, AP 1, Heavy 1)

Railgun [submunition] (Range 72", Str 6, AP 4, Heavy 1, 5" blast)

Plasma Weapons_____________________________

Plasma Rifle (Range 24", Str 6, AP 2, Assault 2)

Plasma Cannon (Range 48", Str 8, AP 2, Heavy 2)

Fusion Weapons_____________________________

Fusion Blaster (Range 12", Str 8, AP 1, Assault 1, melta)

Fusion Cannon (Range 24", Str 8, AP 1, Heavy 1, 3" blast, melta)

Missile Weapons____________________________

Missile Pod (Range 36", Str 7, AP 4, Assault 2)

Missile Pod Array (Range 36", Str 7, AP 4, Heavy 4)

Flamer Weapons_____________________________

Flamer (Template, Str 4, AP 5, Assault 1)

Heavy Flamer (Template, Str 5, AP 4, Assault 1)

Ion Weapons________________________________

Cyclic Ion Blaster (Range 18", Str 3, AP 4, Assault 5, Rending)

Ion Cannon (Range 60", Str 7, AP 3, Heavy 4)

Kroot Weapons_______________________________

Kroot Rifle (Range 24", Str 4, AP 6, Rapid Fire, 2 CC weps in CC)

Kroot Gun (Range 48", Str 7, AP 4, Rapid Fire)

Intelligent Weapons_________________________

Smart Missile System (Range 24", Str 5, AP 5, Heavy 4, no LOS needed)

Airbursting Fragmentation Projector (Range G18", Str 4, AP 5, Assault 1, Ignores Cover)

Seeker Missile (range infinite, Str 8, AP 3, Heavy 1)

EMP Missile (range infinite, Str n/a, AP n/a, Heavy 1) [2-4 glance, 5-6 penetrate]

Miscellaneous Weapons_______________________

Neutron Blaster (Range 18", Str 5, AP 3, Assault 1)

Lasgun (Range 24", Str 3, AP -, Rapid Fire)

Markerlight (Range 36", Str n/a, AP n/a, Heavy 1, ignores cover)

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Cheers!

[railguns are fun]

Just looking at the lasgun, I was just thinking. wouldn't it make more sense for the tau to give their gue'vesa something in between a lasgun and a pulse weapon. Having them retain their own pathetic armament seems kinda silly. maybe something like this:
Rng: 24"
S: 4
Ap: -
Type: Rapid Fire

Call it something like a photon blaster?

[railguns are fun]

oh yeah, something else:
-maybe come up with something like drone intelligences for vehicles to act like the SM Machine Spirits?
-Is anyone going to use light carapace armour?
-You forgot to list 'shield generator' under the shield drone's equipment
-Maybe include in the landing gear rules that if a skimmer would normally crash because it got blown up at high speeds, it can ignore this because it uses emergency boosters to land on it's landing gear?
-could we mount some form of markerlights on crisis battlesuits? Because they are relentless we could fire them on the go, but at the moment there isn't much point in markerlights because the tau army works on being mobile, and markerlights are heavy weapons.

[railguns are fun]

bit more:
-maybe the honour blade should have a secondary function, if the tau are in close combat they are dead anyway.
-Can we have some more blast weapons? (like the plasma cannon?)
-Should drones have a higher Bs. They shoot worse than a grot!
-can failsafe detonators do some damage? It is a big explosion after all

[railguns are fun]

(sorry I'm doing so many posts, I think of something, post it, and then think of something more!)
-In the 'close protection' rule for shield drones, state that they can take the wounds that another model in the unit would normally recieve, otherwise they're not fulfilling thier purpose, are they? (what I mean is that at present when allocating wounds, they count as a different 'group', and as such many wounds will be inflicted on the other models in the unit, so modify the close protection rule to get rid of this)

-Not sure if this bit should go here, but maybe the tau should have an army-wide rule that states that defensive weapons are those with S5 or less, that would be good. *Mutter mutter stupid GW*

[shasocastris]

For the record, posts have an edit button... On the other hand, I like people responding to my stuff, so I'll let Vedal deal with it

To reply:
-Tau don't trust humans, so they give them crappy guns.
-vespids use light carapace
-possibly a machine spirit
-devilfish and hammerheads can't crash anymore (can't move Flat Out)
-shield drones just have the 4+ inv save. No shield generator
-honour blade is traditional, so stays as is (for now)
-no new blast weapons
-failsafe detonator's fluff is changed, and is fine as is
-drones are AI, and making AI shoot straight is tough, so that's why it's twin-linked
-no str 5 isn't defensive, as of now
-shield drones are allocated wounds as per 5th edition

Cheers!

[shasocastris]

***updated***
Failsafe Flare
Photon Grenades
Command and Control Node
Drones
Positional Relay
Iridium Armour
Iridium Plating

Cheers!

[railguns are fun]

What I ment about the strength 5 defensive thing was that there ought to be a rule for the tau that states that S5 weapons are defensive weapons, because otherwise there is no point in taking burst cannons and the like on hammerheads, really.
Likewise, it would increase shield drones effectiveness by saying you can choose to remove them.
I know how the rules are now, but I'm suggesting the Tau have some race-specific rule that will change these things.

[shasocastris]

I'm in perfect agreement, but I think that would have to a base rules change, not an army specific change, or maybe a codex change. If you make it so each army list tells us what defensive and main weapons are, that might work.

For example, the TL shuriken catapults on eldar tanks are defensive, and can be upgraded to a shuriken cannon, main. I think that that shuriken cannons should be defensive. Not a TL one bought by a wave serpent, but the upgrade from the smaller guns. Same with us. Burst cannons should be defensive, but the SMS is too good to not be main.

It would just take a lot of work.

Cheers!

[railguns are fun]

I see your point.
If you added a specific rule to burst cannons that say that they are always defensive weapons when mounted on a vehicle could be handy, even if it is a one-of-a-kind rule.