2d4chan - User contributions [en]

Hammerhead Gunship

2017-01-21T11:24:38Z

2601:245:4201:F940:7DDC:9A32:36F0:848E: /* Comparison to the Leman Russ */

[[Image:T hammerhead.jpg|thumb|450px|right|Dare you deploy armour against me?]]
The '''Hammerhead Gunship''' is the [[Tau]]'s analogue to a tank. It has a distinctly piscine name and can be considered the Tau Empire's main battle tank, being a general purpose combat vehicle.

It can mount either a [[railgun]] or an [[ion cannon]] as its primary weapon. The railgun (S10, AP1 standard round or S6, AP4, Large blast with the submunition) really shines against both enemy armor and light infantry. And with a gnarly 72" range, the Hammerhead probably won't have to move much to go to work on the enemy. The ion cannon (S7, AP3, Heavy 3 or S8, AP3, Blast if Overcharged) costs the same amount of points, but without the +5 fee for the railgun's submunition mode. It will deal some hefty damage to heavy infantry and Monstrous Creatures (more than the railgun typically can since it has to choose between a single, powerful shot and weaker multiple hits) and can take out light armor if need be, though it lacks the railgun's power to punch through heavier vehicles. And with a 60" range, it'll be within striking distance almost as easily as the railgun. [[Forge World]] makes some additional primary weapon options for the Hammerhead—two long-barrelled burst cannons, twin-linked [[missile pod|missile pods]], two plasma cannons, or two fusion cannons. All are pretty good, with one major exception *cough*missile pod unconvincing*cough*.

Secondarily it is equipped with either a pair of independently targeting [[gun drone|gun drones]], a twin-linged pair of [[burst cannon|burst cannons]], or a twin-linked smart missile system. The gun drones' advantage is that they are passengers and thus can fire on a different target or detach and act independently, and also have Pinning, but have lower accuracy than the other two options. The burst cannons as per current rules have the same range, strength, AP and rate of fire (18", 5, 5, 4) but put out moar [[dakka]] than the drones due to usingg hammerheats BS of 4. The smart missile system, also has the same firepower, but can hit from a greater distance (30") and ignores cover and line of sight, and as it cost as much as burst cannons taking the former makes no sense. Most of the time though these secondary weapons are moot points unless there's an emergency, since the Hammerhead will usually try to stay outside ranges at which it needs to use them anyway, so most people take drones and detach them to press forward or create cover and distraction targets while Hammerhead stays on the back lines.
[[Image:Tau_Firepower_Demotivator.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Sniping tanks for the Greater Good.]]
It has one point less armor in the front and sides than a [[Leman Russ Battle Tank]], coming in at —13/12/10. Fluff says that it and the Leman Russ tank are more or less equally matched. Given the number of Leman Russes in existence compared to the number of Hammerheads, though...probably sucks to be a Hammerhead in the fluff. On the other hand, in the Taros Campaign the Imperial Guard lost five to six Russes for every Hammerhead destroyed, though considering they were waging war in the flat, open desert with no cover, under constant markerlight-guided missile barrage, and with supply lines being cut almost the second they were established, those statistics may be misleading. Unlike the Leman Russ, the Hammerhead is not intended to smash its way into enemy lines, instead hanging back and exploiting the 72" range of the railgun to put holes in the Tau's enemies while taunting them to try and rush it. It can be equipped with a disruption pod that gives it a 6+ cover save in the open and 3+ in ruins/fortifications, plus the Jink ability. All of this can help it remain much more survivable than it might be with its armor alone.

In 4th and 5th Editions, the Hammerhead competed with Broadside [[Battlesuit]]s for heavy support slots. For roughly the same cost, a trio of Broadsides could put three twin-linked railgun shots on target compared to the single-shot Hammerhead. However, the Hammerhead could move further before shooting, and could fire the S6, AP4 large blast template to vaporize light infantry, while Broadsides could only, at best, bump off three soldiers with a lucky round of shooting. For the 6th Edition [[Codex]], [[Games Workshop]] decided to "resolve" the conflict (read: give people a reason to spend their money on both Broadsides ''and'' Hammerheads) by changing the Broadside's main weapon to the "heavy rail rifle"—nerfed to S8, but with the option of getting Skyfire, making them a threat to flyers in a way that a lone Hammerhead never could be. Although admittedly this nerfing makes sense fluff-wise since the Hammerhead's railgun was always larger than a Broadside Battlesuit's.

==Comparison to the Leman Russ==
Design-wise, it's interesting to note that while the Russ looks like (as the [[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Russ's 1d4chan article]] says) "A drunken three-way between an old [[Wikipedia:Mark V tank|British Mark-V]], a [[Wikipedia:M3 Lee|M3 Lee]], and a [[Wikipedia:T-34|T-34]]", the Hammerhead looks more like the love child conceived after a night of red wine between an [[Wikipedia:M1 Abrams|M1 Abrams]] and the [[Wikipedia:Railgun#U.S._Navy_tests|U.S. Navy rail gun program]]. And then the child was spoiled rotten by Grandma [[Wikipedia:Attack helicopter|Attack Helicopter]].

Much like a cold war tank, the Hammerhead is low to the ground with good (if the model is any indication) gun depression (said to be from -10° to +28°) , with a main gun that can be either anti-tank or anti-infantry depending on its firing mode, while being blisteringly fast. Further, its role is more akin to a U.S. tank than a Soviet one, as western tanks were built to take on lots and lots of Soviet tanks at once. As mentioned, Hammerheads are almost always drastically outnumbered by Leman Russes. (Who are the communists supposed to be here, again?)

Tactically they fill the same niche as a modern tank, an element supporting mechanized infantry advancing very, very quickly, and taking out armor while using its machine guns on infantry, and The ion cannon fills a role similar to a Bradley's chain gun by taking out infantry and (if a modern military ever faced power armor) heavy infantry. While it does have rather fine armor, Hammerhead rely more on evasive maneuvers, disruption pods and straight up outranging it's opponents to survive, so it can potentially withstand twice to trice more anti-tank fire than most imperial tanks. The Leman Russ, on the other hand, is a World War II tank and it shows; it's much slower and has a much broader silhouette, but it's bristling with guns and relying purely on it's thick armor, while lacking more sophisticated defense systems.

'''"Shas'ui, I have spotted the Gue'la tanks sitting on the horizon line, twelve kilometers downrange! Engaging now!"'''
*Three seconds later* '''CLANG, KA-BOOM!''' ''The leman russ spontaneously explodes''

Do note, however, that the Battle Cannon and Vanquisher Cannons do have a range of 72", too. So, uh, really there's no range advantage for the Hammerhead.

{{Tau}}

[[Category:Vehicles]]

Fire Warrior

2017-01-21T11:07:16Z

2601:245:4201:F940:7DDC:9A32:36F0:848E: /* On the Tabletop */

[[File:TauEmpire8.jpg|400px|thumb|right|You will never see offical artwork like this, because GW thinks that we want nothing but grimderp all the time. Sometimes though, you just got to stop and smell the flowers...]]

''Not to be confused with the video game [[Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior]].''

The '''Fire Warrior''' (''Shas'la'') is the [[Tau Empire]]'s basic infantry unit. Armed with the mighty [[pulse rifle]], a set of combat armour and a fuckload of other gadgets to help them survive the galaxy better than most other factions' unfortunate grunts, these Tau go out to claim territory and bring the galaxy into the fold of the Empire, and, like [[Imperial Guard|certain other armies]], the Tau Empire has a whole fuckload of them.

While comparable to Guardsmen in most respects, their gear and training are far superior to what most other factions in the galaxy can muster—not because it's objectively better, but because it synchronizes with the rest of the Tau military to turn a decent weapon into a devastating weapon. Combining with equipment from other units, Fire Warriors can turn their accuracy up to eleven and disintegrate anything caught in their weapons range. Fire Warriors also keep tabs with the [[Tau Pathfinder|Pathfinders]] of their [[Tau Cadre|cadre]], who designate targets for them to shoot long before they would be able to see them themselves.

According to the [[Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer]] (which, as you may know, is a wonderfully reliable source of objective reality—on Opposite Day, at least), they are physically weak, have poor eyesight and cannot hit the broad side of a space-barn. In reality, they are just fine at shooting (they have slightly better eyesight than humans but slightly poorer reflexes that make hitting moving targets harder), though they really do fold up like paper in close combat.

== Training and Wargear ==

Fire Warriors are warriors from birth. When a Tau child is born in the Fire Caste, that child will die somewhere at sometime in gruesome battle, unless they are so lucky/skilled that they end up becoming a Shas'o and retire after many years of warfare and command, and at which point most people would prefer to die anyway. Their training begins from an early age, and from that moment onwards, the Fire Warrior is put into a squad of soldiers who will fight together for the rest of their lives. Therefore, many of them perform the ritual of the Ta'lissera, which is kinda like a Nordic blood bond and makes them all battle brothers. It's accepted by the Fire Caste, as it strengthens the Warriors' morale greatly under fire.

Most notable among the Fire Warriors' wargear is the pulse rifle, an plasma-based battle rifle with terrifying range and damage. They are especially deadly when combined with targeting computers in the Warriors' helmets and the support of [[markerlight]]s. This way, Fire Warriors rarely miss and can chew through many a squad of enemy troops if given the order to. Warriors may also be seen carrying [[pulse carbine]]s, a shorter-range, automatic version of the rifle. For protection, the Fire Warrior is equipped with a set of combat armor, which is made of a combination of nano-mesh and other technobabble. This includes the iconic asymmetrical pauldron designed to face towards any enemy that would be firing at the Warrior as he takes aim. They are also equipped with photon grenades, which emit a blinding flash of multi-spectral light and a sonic burst that disorient any enemies that get too close to the squad (in other words, a fancy flashbang). For anti-tank purposes, some Warriors carry EMP grenades, though these are not standard equipment.

== On the Tabletop ==
[[File:2013-07-12 13.37.14.png|thumb|200px|left|Funny thing is, that [[Killa Kan]] is in more pain than the Fire Warrior.]]

Costing slightly more than two Guardsmen per model, Fire Warriors spot a 4+ Armour Save that makes them twice as survivable against basic (S4, AP5) guns compared to Guardsmen, and are outfitted with arguably the best basic infantry weapon in the game—the S5, AP5, Range 30", [[Rage|RAPID FIRE]] pulse rifle, which makes them two to five times killier depending on what they're shooting at. Mathammer-wise they trade evenly in a firefight with an equal points worth of tactical [[Space Marines|Marines]] when unsupported. But there is a LOT of support available for them—Buffmander can grant them twin-linked, Ignores Cover and Tank/Monster Hunter (and remember, S5 can glance [[Rhino|METAL BOXES]]!), Ethereals and Fireblades grant extra shots, and markerlights can boost their accuracy to potentially goofy levels. With proper support, things within that ever-nifty 30" of your Fire Warriors are gonna die and die fast. So all in all, unless you have taken them only to fill your mandatory Troops slots (in which case you might consider taking some [[Kroot]] instead, or going [[Farsight|Enclaves]]), it's highly advisable to actually support your Fire Warriors.

One Fire Warrior in a squad can and probably ''should'' be upgraded to Shas'ui, not only because it grants +1 Leadership, but also for the wargear, specifically the cheap blacksun filter (night vision) and markerlight/target lock combo. The last one allows your little blue sergeant not only to spot targets for other units, but also to man (Tau?) fortification gun emplacements without compromising the squad's targeting.

There is a common belief that Fire Warriors immediately disintegrate like wet newspaper the moment they come into base-to-base contact with the enemy, and like many common beliefs, this one is wrong, at least as far as combat with other basic infantry (they have been known to kill the likes of [[Necron Warrior]]s in close combat). See, WS2 actually doesn't matter much against the common WS3 or 4 (they'll still need a 4+ to hit; the only difference is that enemies only need a 3+ to hit them), and they have average Strength (3) for basic infantry along with a solid 4+ Armor Save. Plus, with photon grenades, charging enemies will have to take an Initiative test or go Blind, reducing their WS to 1 and turning the 3+/4+ thing the other way around the first turn. The only effective disadvantage they're at is their piss-poor Initiative (2). Before the assault even starts, though, you can potentially get a ton of supporting fire that guarantees at least a few enemies won't make it to base-to-base contact due to a massive multiple-squad Overwatch. Don't get me wrong — they're eventually going to die in close combat with pretty much anything, but it could take a turn or two, or even three, and Fire Warriors have a decent chance to take at least a few enemy models with them. And hey, if they do break and flee, and they don't get run down by a Sweeping Advance (unlikely, unless they are fighting other low-inititive enemies, terminators, or slow and purposeful), you can just blast the shit out of the enemy squad next turn with all your other [[shooty|shootiness]] and save the survivors.

If equipped with EMP grenades Fire Warriors could actually be a scary force in melee, at least against vehicles, including walkers. A squad of Fire Warriors can wreck a Dreadnought in one turn of combat, losing only three or four members, and things like Killa Kans, Tomb Stalkers or Sentinels would go down even easier. Hell, they could have a fighting chance against Imperial Knights or even Titans. Unfortunately, as they lack any assault delivery system (unlike other haywire grenade users in the game), this upgrade is rarely taken, as it could only be useful if your opponent is stupid enough to move his mech units near your Fire Warriors. Then again, just knowing that your Fire Warriors have EMP grenades might be enough to suppress your opponent's walker or force them into a bad position.

*Alternate Assessment: Fire warriors trade evenly with marines if and only if the marines don't have ranged chapter tactics and it assumes that neither squad breaks, which Fire Warriors are more likely to do. In melee, against MEQs you're not just being hit on 3's but wounded on 3's, as well, and the enemy is generally likely to have a melee-weapon serge that will wound better and/or ignore your armour. Fire Warriors aren't stubborn and losing combat by even a small margin puts them at serious risk of being wiped out by sweeping advances. Moreover, you want to die in a single round against an enemy charge for the greater good. Holding up for one turn only allows the enemy to break you in your own melee phase, thus letting them charge again in theirs.

*Furthermore, their armour and toughness is precisely where heavy bolters and heavy flamers (and the guns of Nexron Imortals, who refute your claim for strongest basic infantry gun) want it to be. Thus, you can get killed very quickly, even at range, if you choose their foes poorly.
*Stay in cover, keep your head down, choose your firefights well, get support, and never assume you can hold for a round in combat.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:EatingFireWarrior.jpg|Small blue man and woman eating small-blue-men-rations.
File:TauRailrifle.jpg|No, they don't get Rail Rifles. No, their armour doesn't look that cool in official artwork. No, I'm not bitter.
</gallery>

{{Template:Tau}}
[[Category:Tau]]
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]

Fire Warrior

2017-01-21T11:06:49Z

2601:245:4201:F940:7DDC:9A32:36F0:848E: /* On the Tabletop */

[[File:TauEmpire8.jpg|400px|thumb|right|You will never see offical artwork like this, because GW thinks that we want nothing but grimderp all the time. Sometimes though, you just got to stop and smell the flowers...]]

''Not to be confused with the video game [[Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior]].''

The '''Fire Warrior''' (''Shas'la'') is the [[Tau Empire]]'s basic infantry unit. Armed with the mighty [[pulse rifle]], a set of combat armour and a fuckload of other gadgets to help them survive the galaxy better than most other factions' unfortunate grunts, these Tau go out to claim territory and bring the galaxy into the fold of the Empire, and, like [[Imperial Guard|certain other armies]], the Tau Empire has a whole fuckload of them.

While comparable to Guardsmen in most respects, their gear and training are far superior to what most other factions in the galaxy can muster—not because it's objectively better, but because it synchronizes with the rest of the Tau military to turn a decent weapon into a devastating weapon. Combining with equipment from other units, Fire Warriors can turn their accuracy up to eleven and disintegrate anything caught in their weapons range. Fire Warriors also keep tabs with the [[Tau Pathfinder|Pathfinders]] of their [[Tau Cadre|cadre]], who designate targets for them to shoot long before they would be able to see them themselves.

According to the [[Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer]] (which, as you may know, is a wonderfully reliable source of objective reality—on Opposite Day, at least), they are physically weak, have poor eyesight and cannot hit the broad side of a space-barn. In reality, they are just fine at shooting (they have slightly better eyesight than humans but slightly poorer reflexes that make hitting moving targets harder), though they really do fold up like paper in close combat.

== Training and Wargear ==

Fire Warriors are warriors from birth. When a Tau child is born in the Fire Caste, that child will die somewhere at sometime in gruesome battle, unless they are so lucky/skilled that they end up becoming a Shas'o and retire after many years of warfare and command, and at which point most people would prefer to die anyway. Their training begins from an early age, and from that moment onwards, the Fire Warrior is put into a squad of soldiers who will fight together for the rest of their lives. Therefore, many of them perform the ritual of the Ta'lissera, which is kinda like a Nordic blood bond and makes them all battle brothers. It's accepted by the Fire Caste, as it strengthens the Warriors' morale greatly under fire.

Most notable among the Fire Warriors' wargear is the pulse rifle, an plasma-based battle rifle with terrifying range and damage. They are especially deadly when combined with targeting computers in the Warriors' helmets and the support of [[markerlight]]s. This way, Fire Warriors rarely miss and can chew through many a squad of enemy troops if given the order to. Warriors may also be seen carrying [[pulse carbine]]s, a shorter-range, automatic version of the rifle. For protection, the Fire Warrior is equipped with a set of combat armor, which is made of a combination of nano-mesh and other technobabble. This includes the iconic asymmetrical pauldron designed to face towards any enemy that would be firing at the Warrior as he takes aim. They are also equipped with photon grenades, which emit a blinding flash of multi-spectral light and a sonic burst that disorient any enemies that get too close to the squad (in other words, a fancy flashbang). For anti-tank purposes, some Warriors carry EMP grenades, though these are not standard equipment.

== On the Tabletop ==
[[File:2013-07-12 13.37.14.png|thumb|200px|left|Funny thing is, that [[Killa Kan]] is in more pain than the Fire Warrior.]]

Costing slightly more than two Guardsmen per model, Fire Warriors spot a 4+ Armour Save that makes them twice as survivable against basic (S4, AP5) guns compared to Guardsmen, and are outfitted with arguably the best basic infantry weapon in the game—the S5, AP5, Range 30", [[Rage|RAPID FIRE]] pulse rifle, which makes them two to five times killier depending on what they're shooting at. Mathammer-wise they trade evenly in a firefight with an equal points worth of tactical [[Space Marines|Marines]] when unsupported. But there is a LOT of support available for them—Buffmander can grant them twin-linked, Ignores Cover and Tank/Monster Hunter (and remember, S5 can glance [[Rhino|METAL BOXES]]!), Ethereals and Fireblades grant extra shots, and markerlights can boost their accuracy to potentially goofy levels. With proper support, things within that ever-nifty 30" of your Fire Warriors are gonna die and die fast. So all in all, unless you have taken them only to fill your mandatory Troops slots (in which case you might consider taking some [[Kroot]] instead, or going [[Farsight|Enclaves]]), it's highly advisable to actually support your Fire Warriors.

One Fire Warrior in a squad can and probably ''should'' be upgraded to Shas'ui, not only because it grants +1 Leadership, but also for the wargear, specifically the cheap blacksun filter (night vision) and markerlight/target lock combo. The last one allows your little blue sergeant not only to spot targets for other units, but also to man (Tau?) fortification gun emplacements without compromising the squad's targeting.

There is a common belief that Fire Warriors immediately disintegrate like wet newspaper the moment they come into base-to-base contact with the enemy, and like many common beliefs, this one is wrong, at least as far as combat with other basic infantry (they have been known to kill the likes of [[Necron Warrior]]s in close combat). See, WS2 actually doesn't matter much against the common WS3 or 4 (they'll still need a 4+ to hit; the only difference is that enemies only need a 3+ to hit them), and they have average Strength (3) for basic infantry along with a solid 4+ Armor Save. Plus, with photon grenades, charging enemies will have to take an Initiative test or go Blind, reducing their WS to 1 and turning the 3+/4+ thing the other way around the first turn. The only effective disadvantage they're at is their piss-poor Initiative (2). Before the assault even starts, though, you can potentially get a ton of supporting fire that guarantees at least a few enemies won't make it to base-to-base contact due to a massive multiple-squad Overwatch. Don't get me wrong — they're eventually going to die in close combat with pretty much anything, but it could take a turn or two, or even three, and Fire Warriors have a decent chance to take at least a few enemy models with them. And hey, if they do break and flee, and they don't get run down by a Sweeping Advance (unlikely, unless they are fighting other low-inititive enemies, terminators, or slow and purposeful), you can just blast the shit out of the enemy squad next turn with all your other [[shooty|shootiness]] and save the survivors.

If equipped with EMP grenades Fire Warriors could actually be a scary force in melee, at least against vehicles, including walkers. A squad of Fire Warriors can wreck a Dreadnought in one turn of combat, losing only three or four members, and things like Killa Kans, Tomb Stalkers or Sentinels would go down even easier. Hell, they could have a fighting chance against Imperial Knights or even Titans. Unfortunately, as they lack any assault delivery system (unlike other haywire grenade users in the game), this upgrade is rarely taken, as it could only be useful if your opponent is stupid enough to move his mech units near your Fire Warriors. Then again, just knowing that your Fire Warriors have EMP grenades might be enough to suppress your opponent's walker or force them into a bad position.

*Alternate Assessment: Fire warriors trade evenly with marines if and only if the marines don't have ranged chapter tactics and it assumes that neither squad breaks, which Fire Warriors are more likely to do. In melee, against MEQs you're not just being hit on 3's but wounded on 3's, as well, and the enemy is generally likely to have a melee-weapon serge that will wound better and/or ignore your armour. Fire Warriors aren't stubborn and losing combat by even a small margin puts them at serious risk of being wiped out by sweeping advances. Moreover, you want to die in a single round against an enemy charge for the greater good. Holding up for one turn only allows the enemy to break you in your own melee phase, thus letting them charge again in theirs.

*Furthermore, their armour and toughness is precisely where heavy bolters and heavy flamers (and the guns of Nexron Imortals, who refute your claim for strongest basic infantry gun) want it to be. Thus, you can get killed very quickly, even at range, if you choose their foes poorly.
Stay in cover, keep your head down, choose your firefights well, get support, and never assume you can hold for a round in combat.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:EatingFireWarrior.jpg|Small blue man and woman eating small-blue-men-rations.
File:TauRailrifle.jpg|No, they don't get Rail Rifles. No, their armour doesn't look that cool in official artwork. No, I'm not bitter.
</gallery>

{{Template:Tau}}
[[Category:Tau]]
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]

Fire Warrior

2017-01-21T11:06:07Z

2601:245:4201:F940:7DDC:9A32:36F0:848E: /* On the Tabletop */

[[File:TauEmpire8.jpg|400px|thumb|right|You will never see offical artwork like this, because GW thinks that we want nothing but grimderp all the time. Sometimes though, you just got to stop and smell the flowers...]]

''Not to be confused with the video game [[Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior]].''

The '''Fire Warrior''' (''Shas'la'') is the [[Tau Empire]]'s basic infantry unit. Armed with the mighty [[pulse rifle]], a set of combat armour and a fuckload of other gadgets to help them survive the galaxy better than most other factions' unfortunate grunts, these Tau go out to claim territory and bring the galaxy into the fold of the Empire, and, like [[Imperial Guard|certain other armies]], the Tau Empire has a whole fuckload of them.

While comparable to Guardsmen in most respects, their gear and training are far superior to what most other factions in the galaxy can muster—not because it's objectively better, but because it synchronizes with the rest of the Tau military to turn a decent weapon into a devastating weapon. Combining with equipment from other units, Fire Warriors can turn their accuracy up to eleven and disintegrate anything caught in their weapons range. Fire Warriors also keep tabs with the [[Tau Pathfinder|Pathfinders]] of their [[Tau Cadre|cadre]], who designate targets for them to shoot long before they would be able to see them themselves.

According to the [[Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer]] (which, as you may know, is a wonderfully reliable source of objective reality—on Opposite Day, at least), they are physically weak, have poor eyesight and cannot hit the broad side of a space-barn. In reality, they are just fine at shooting (they have slightly better eyesight than humans but slightly poorer reflexes that make hitting moving targets harder), though they really do fold up like paper in close combat.

== Training and Wargear ==

Fire Warriors are warriors from birth. When a Tau child is born in the Fire Caste, that child will die somewhere at sometime in gruesome battle, unless they are so lucky/skilled that they end up becoming a Shas'o and retire after many years of warfare and command, and at which point most people would prefer to die anyway. Their training begins from an early age, and from that moment onwards, the Fire Warrior is put into a squad of soldiers who will fight together for the rest of their lives. Therefore, many of them perform the ritual of the Ta'lissera, which is kinda like a Nordic blood bond and makes them all battle brothers. It's accepted by the Fire Caste, as it strengthens the Warriors' morale greatly under fire.

Most notable among the Fire Warriors' wargear is the pulse rifle, an plasma-based battle rifle with terrifying range and damage. They are especially deadly when combined with targeting computers in the Warriors' helmets and the support of [[markerlight]]s. This way, Fire Warriors rarely miss and can chew through many a squad of enemy troops if given the order to. Warriors may also be seen carrying [[pulse carbine]]s, a shorter-range, automatic version of the rifle. For protection, the Fire Warrior is equipped with a set of combat armor, which is made of a combination of nano-mesh and other technobabble. This includes the iconic asymmetrical pauldron designed to face towards any enemy that would be firing at the Warrior as he takes aim. They are also equipped with photon grenades, which emit a blinding flash of multi-spectral light and a sonic burst that disorient any enemies that get too close to the squad (in other words, a fancy flashbang). For anti-tank purposes, some Warriors carry EMP grenades, though these are not standard equipment.

== On the Tabletop ==
[[File:2013-07-12 13.37.14.png|thumb|200px|left|Funny thing is, that [[Killa Kan]] is in more pain than the Fire Warrior.]]

Costing slightly more than two Guardsmen per model, Fire Warriors spot a 4+ Armour Save that makes them twice as survivable against basic (S4, AP5) guns compared to Guardsmen, and are outfitted with arguably the best basic infantry weapon in the game—the S5, AP5, Range 30", [[Rage|RAPID FIRE]] pulse rifle, which makes them two to five times killier depending on what they're shooting at. Mathammer-wise they trade evenly in a firefight with an equal points worth of tactical [[Space Marines|Marines]] when unsupported. But there is a LOT of support available for them—Buffmander can grant them twin-linked, Ignores Cover and Tank/Monster Hunter (and remember, S5 can glance [[Rhino|METAL BOXES]]!), Ethereals and Fireblades grant extra shots, and markerlights can boost their accuracy to potentially goofy levels. With proper support, things within that ever-nifty 30" of your Fire Warriors are gonna die and die fast. So all in all, unless you have taken them only to fill your mandatory Troops slots (in which case you might consider taking some [[Kroot]] instead, or going [[Farsight|Enclaves]]), it's highly advisable to actually support your Fire Warriors.

One Fire Warrior in a squad can and probably ''should'' be upgraded to Shas'ui, not only because it grants +1 Leadership, but also for the wargear, specifically the cheap blacksun filter (night vision) and markerlight/target lock combo. The last one allows your little blue sergeant not only to spot targets for other units, but also to man (Tau?) fortification gun emplacements without compromising the squad's targeting.

There is a common belief that Fire Warriors immediately disintegrate like wet newspaper the moment they come into base-to-base contact with the enemy, and like many common beliefs, this one is wrong, at least as far as combat with other basic infantry (they have been known to kill the likes of [[Necron Warrior]]s in close combat). See, WS2 actually doesn't matter much against the common WS3 or 4 (they'll still need a 4+ to hit; the only difference is that enemies only need a 3+ to hit them), and they have average Strength (3) for basic infantry along with a solid 4+ Armor Save. Plus, with photon grenades, charging enemies will have to take an Initiative test or go Blind, reducing their WS to 1 and turning the 3+/4+ thing the other way around the first turn. The only effective disadvantage they're at is their piss-poor Initiative (2). Before the assault even starts, though, you can potentially get a ton of supporting fire that guarantees at least a few enemies won't make it to base-to-base contact due to a massive multiple-squad Overwatch. Don't get me wrong — they're eventually going to die in close combat with pretty much anything, but it could take a turn or two, or even three, and Fire Warriors have a decent chance to take at least a few enemy models with them. And hey, if they do break and flee, and they don't get run down by a Sweeping Advance (unlikely, unless they are fighting other low-inititive enemies, terminators, or slow and purposeful), you can just blast the shit out of the enemy squad next turn with all your other [[shooty|shootiness]] and save the survivors.

If equipped with EMP grenades Fire Warriors could actually be a scary force in melee, at least against vehicles, including walkers. A squad of Fire Warriors can wreck a Dreadnought in one turn of combat, losing only three or four members, and things like Killa Kans, Tomb Stalkers or Sentinels would go down even easier. Hell, they could have a fighting chance against Imperial Knights or even Titans. Unfortunately, as they lack any assault delivery system (unlike other haywire grenade users in the game), this upgrade is rarely taken, as it could only be useful if your opponent is stupid enough to move his mech units near your Fire Warriors. Then again, just knowing that your Fire Warriors have EMP grenades might be enough to suppress your opponent's walker or force them into a bad position.

*Alternate Assessment: Fire warriors trade evenly with marines if and only if the marines don't have ranged chapter tactics and it assumes that neither squad breaks, which Fire Warriors are more likely to do. In melee, against MEQs you're not just being hit on 3's but wounded on 3's, as well, and the enemy is generally likely to have a melee-weapon serge that will wound better and/or ignore your armour. Fire Warriors aren't stubborn and losing combat by even a small margin puts them at serious risk of being wiped out by sweeping advances. Moreover, you want to die in a single round against an enemy charge for the greater good. Holding up for one turn only allows the enemy to break you in your own melee phase, thus letting them charge again in theirs.

Furthermore, their armour and toughness is precisely where heavy bolters and heavy flamers (and the guns of Nexron Imortals, who refute your claim for strongest basic infantry gun) want it to be. Thus, you can get killed very quickly, even at range, if you choose their foes poorly.

Stay in cover, keep your head down, choose your firefights well, get support, and never assume you can hold for a round in combat.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:EatingFireWarrior.jpg|Small blue man and woman eating small-blue-men-rations.
File:TauRailrifle.jpg|No, they don't get Rail Rifles. No, their armour doesn't look that cool in official artwork. No, I'm not bitter.
</gallery>

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[[Category:Tau]]
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]