Editing Warhammer 40,000/5th Edition Tactics/Tau (section)

==Tau Armoury==
There are a few notes on selecting equipment for a Tau army.  First of all, certain items are available for different unit types (infantry, battlesuits, and vehicles) and may have different effects depending on which unit type it is equipped on. Another thing is that many of these things can come in "hard-wired" varieties. These are versions of the items which are either cybernetic in the user, or directly integrated into their equipment (such as a battlesuit with a system built into its chassis instead of attached to a hardpoint.) Only squad leaders and higher level characters get access to hard-wired items, but they cost the same as regular versions, they do not count against a limit as to how much gear the model can carry (such as how many hard point slots are available on a battlesuit) and the player is NOT required to model them to be considered WYSIWYG compliant.  
* '''Advanced stabilization system''' (battlesuit): Occupies a hard point slot on a battlesuit, allows that battlesuit to use the Slow and Purposeful special rule, and if any model in a squadron takes this then all the models in that squadron must take it. This is only of any practical use on Broadside battlesuits, as no other battlesuits use heavy weapons. It is a good choice, as it offsets the major disadvantages that Broadsides have, being their immobility, allowing them to continually displace while keeping up their pressure. However, they are not hard-wired, and no bits exist to represent them, so expect to do a little modeling if you want them included. A couple of drone shells put together with plasticard to fill the space makes a great looking housing for it.  
* '''Blacksun filter''' (battlesuit, infantry, vehicle, hard-wired): Tau nightvision. Doubles the distance rolled to determine firing distance during a night fighting scenario. Essential in that scenario, useless in all others. Still, if you do not know what kind of scenario you are going into, it might be worth it to take along. At only three points per model and being hard-wired, you can afford to at least give one to each team leader. Unlike similar options for other armies (Read: Searchlights), does not illuminate the unit using it.
* '''Command and control node''' (battlesuit): Allows units within 12" to use the owner's leadership to take target priority tests. Unfortunately, since target priority tests are no longer part of the game, this is now completely useless.  
* '''Decoy launchers''' (vehicle):  Essentially a kind of combination flare and chaff type countermeasure, these launch little mini decoy drones that attract homing munitions and confuse targeters trying to lock onto the vehicle's large and inviting outboard engines. It causes any "Vehicle Immobilized" roll to get re-rolled. These were essential when they were introduced, as immobilized skimmers were instantly destroyed, so any other roll was preferable, but edition updates since then mean that immobilized skimmers are no longer destroyed and the re-roll might in fact give a ''worse'' result than it used to when glancing and penetrating hits were separate tables. Since then, this has actually become an active liability to Tau forces.  
* '''Disruption pod''' (vehicle): One of God's lesser gifts to Tau. Basically a multipurpose ECM suite, this confuses the fuck out of enemy electronic targeting systems, causing any vehicle equipped with one to be considered concealed, even if it is wide in the open. And the rule for targeting concealed vehicles means that such vehicle is granted a 4+ invulnerable save against ''everything''. Tau armor is not necessarily weak, but it is hardly the toughest either, and this will greatly extend any given vehicle's life expectancy on the battlefield.  
* '''Drone controller''' (battlesuit, infantry, hard-wired): Allows a unit to control a pair of drones. This is actually the only piece of equipment in the Tau armoury that is completely free, at a cost of zero points.  However, the true cost of this will depend on what drones will accompany the user:
** '''Gun Drones''': The cheapest drones available, and since their plastic sprues come with ''everything'' Tau, so any Tau player is likely to have the models for them. They provide a little extra short-range [[dakka]] that can potentially pin foes, and can absorb a few hits. They shoot like Orks, but their twin-linked weapons mitigate that well. No real downside to these, and not bad for the points.  
** '''Shield Drones''': Half again more expensive than gun drones, and lacking in any offensive capability, they instead have shield generators giving them a 4+ invulnerable save. They exist purely to have wounds allocated to them. Great for putting on Crisis suits to absorb the anti-armor fire Crisis suits are sure to attract, but beware a canny foe who can blast them all down with [[Dakka|enough small-arms fire]] before going for the big stuff. Less useful on Fire Warrior squads who are less likely to attract the kind of fire that makes invulnerable saves necessary.  
** '''Marker Drones''': Twice as expensive as shield drones, you will have to think very carefully about where to include them. Their abysmal drone accuracy is offset by a built-in targeting array, upping their effective ballistic skill to three, and they have a networked markerlight.  Unlike a regular markerlight, the networked version can be used to benefit the squad that the firing model is part of. Thus, the drone can fire the markerlight, get a hit, and then the unit controlling the drone can fire and use that markerlight hit to its own advantage. Remember though that drones are considered to be the same unit type as the unit they are attached to, and since a markerlight (networked or otherwise) is considered a heavy weapon, that means that marker drones attached to infantry squadrons will have to stop before they can fire, while ones attached to jet pack squadrons will be able to fire on the go. Risky to put on Crisis suits, limited application on Fire Warrior squads, a good place for them is in Stealthsuit teams, where they can fire on the move and benefit from the Stealthsuit's active camouflage. Each suit can take a drone controller and two of these, potentially giving you an infiltrating unit with a huge number of markerlights that can jump-shoot-jump and that the enemy will have a hard time shooting back at assuming it fires at the extent of the markerlight's range. This ''will'' be one of the more expensive ways to get markerlights though, so be prepare to triple (and I mean that ''literally'') the cost of the Stealthsuit team if you fully pack it out with marker drones.  
* '''Ejection system''' (battlesuit): Independent characters and single-member squadrons only. This allows a battlesuit model killed by means other than Instant Death to survive, minus the battlesuit. They are pretty useless by this point, but if you can keep them away from they enemy then they do not count as "killed" and the enemy gets no points for doing so.  Not so tactically sound, but great for "[[Troll|cheating]]" your foe out of the kill of a high-point character.  
* '''Failsafe detonator''' (battlesuit): A "final fuck-you" to any foe who charges a squad that has this. If (haha, "if", I crack me up!) ''when'' a squad with a model that has this loses a close combat round, the suit with the failsafe detonator stays behind in a close combat while the rest of the squad falls back as normal. The suit with the failsafe then says "Problem?" and blows himself and his suit sky high, taking everything under a large blast marker with him. It is supposed to be a last resort thing, but what you are essentially doing is turning your battlesuits into very expensive suicide bombers.  Still, makes them good for high-risk, "in-your-face" kinds of offensive maneuvers where their odds of coming back alive were not good to begin with. They enemy is fucked if they let them go, and fucked if they rush them.  
* '''Flechette discharger''' (vehicle): Who say's Tau have no mind for close combat? When an enemy tries to hit a vehicle with these in close combat, they get a bunch of high velocity spikes jammed in their faces ''before'' their hits are resolved. Wounds on a 4+, saves allowed, this would actually be pretty sweet, if most Tau vehicles were not supposed to get close enough to the enemy that this would actually matter. The enemies of the Tau better pray that they Tau never start installing this system on battlesuits, otherwise they would be goddamn unstoppable.  
* '''Iridium armor plates''' (battlesuit): A tradeoff for Crisis suits, upping their armor save from 3+ to 2+, but reducing their jetpack move in the assault phase from 6" to D6". Special issue, so only one per army. Might be worthwhile to put on a commander you want to use as a "lure" and bait the enemy into trying to kill them.  
* '''Multitracker'''
** (battlesuit): Another one of God's lesser gifts to Tau, this lets a Tau battlesuit fire two weapon systems in one turn. Thus, potentially doubling its output of fire. Since battlesuits are so few in number, but tend to be the linchpin of a lot of Tau strategy, it helps to make sure each battlesuit is pulling as much weight in volume of fire as possible. Understandably, this is a very popular choice for Crisis suits. Pack it on with plasma guns and missile pods and watch [[MEQ]]s weep.  
** (vehicle): Very different than the battlesuit variety, but still very useful, the vehicle version of the multi-tracker lets a vehicle fire as though it were fast. This might not sound too useful, but keep in mind that Tau tanks are some of the only skimmers in the game which are '''not''' also fast vehicles. This helps offset that a great deal. They might never have the top speed of an Eldar tank, but they will be able to move 12" per turn and still fire their primary weapon as they go. When your primary weapon is a 72" S:10 railgun, that firing mobility is a pretty damn awesome thing to have.  
** (infantry?): Possibly as the result of an error, the multi-tracker is listed as having a hard-wired version available to infantry, but the Tau Codex has no description for how an infantry multi-tracker would even ''work''. Intuition would suggest it would allow a model so equipped to fire two weapons per turn, but few infantry even have two weapons. ''Maybe'' if they had a markerlight and a pulse weapon, but there are few situations outside of that where it would even be applicable.  
* '''Positional relay''' (battlesuit): When you have units in reserve, this allows you to bring one unit out on a 2+, but only one unit can be summoned this way per turn (and only from the second turn onward.) Works well if you need to deep strike or outflank a foe, and you want to mitigate some of the randomness of it, but only when you have a few reserves, not when you have many. Combine this with the marker beacon of a Pathfinder squad's Devilfish for pin-point aerial insertions, exactly when and where you want them.  
* '''Seeker missiles''' (vehicle): Essentially similar to Imperial Hunter-killer missiles, seeker missiles exist to give a bit of extra expendable anti-vehicle "oomph" to Tau forces. Unlike hunter-killers though, they may only be launched by a markerlight hit, so it only pays to have these if you have a few markerlights. A Fire Warrior squad leader with one is a good example, so that the squad can call in extra fire support if their enemy decides to try and run them down with a [[METAL BOXES|Metal Box]]. Fortunately, once the markerlight has acquired a target, the seeker missile hits on a 2+, almost guaranteeing that the points will be well spent. Consider mounting a couple on the inevitable Devilfish transports for your infantry.  
* '''Sensor spines''' (vehicle): Allows a vehicle to pass through a terrain feature rather than float above it as usual for a skimmer, but (thanks to elaborate terrain sensors and corrective A.I. auto-pilot) ignores the dangerous terrain test that would normally characterize such a maneuver. However, the primary reason for doing so is to gain concealment, concealment which the disruption pod already grants in any terrain or none. Unless a board is particularly dense with dangerous terrain, this might not be such a good investment of points.  
* '''Shield generator''' (battlesuit): Gives a unit 4+ invulnerable save. Great if you expect your battlesuits to be taking lots of anti-tank fire (which they inevitably will.) Debatable as to how much of an advantage this is over expendable shield drones though, as a single shield drone adds another model with that save to take the hit for five points less. On the other hand, once that model is inevitably shot down but the volume of fire the enemy will commit to swatting down your battlesuits, it has only its own save to fall back on.  
* '''Stimulant injector''' (battlesuit): Grants a model "Feel No Pain" special rule. Only one per army. Again, a good item for a character or single-model unit who wants to bait the enemy into killing them, but not all that necessary outside of that strategy.  
* '''Target lock''' (battlesuit, infantry, hard-wired): Another very useful bit of utility. It allows a carrying model part of a squad to fire at a target other than the rest of the squad  For example, a Fire Warrior team leader with a markerlight could use it to focus on marking vehicles for heavier units while the rest of their squad focus on shooting the oncoming infantry. Or an "odd man out" equipped Crisis suit could use its different equipment to deal with a different threat than the rest of the squad is fighting, such as having one member with fusion blasters for taking out vehicles while the rest of the squad keeps infantry at bay. Since this comes in a hired-wired option, it makes it ideal for the team-leader to be equipped with the special gear you need targeted elsewhere, since they will not have to sacrifice slots to have this.  
* '''Targeting array''' (battlesuit, vehicle): Simple targeter, gives +1 to BS up to a maximum of 5. More BS is always useful, but the Tau have other ways of getting this, like markerlights, so how much value you get from this will vary depending on your army's composition.  
* '''Vectored retro-thrusters''' (battlesuit): Only one per army, but allows a unit equipped with this to use the "Hit And Run" special rule. Not that Tau should actually be putting themselves in close combat, but the ability to get out of close combat really quickly should have obvious appeal. Pity you cannot equip an entire squad with it, unless you are going for Hazard armor.