Editing Warhammer 40,000/9th Edition Tactics/Tau (section)

====HQ====
* '''[[Tau Commander]]:''' Your captain figure. Unlike the other Tau HQs, Commanders are heroic models, built for jumping into the thick of it with half a dozen wounds and up to four BS2+ guns blazing. '''Master of War''' is now an Aura of re-roll 1s to hit for {{W40kKeyword|<sept> core}} units though, with their bulk and speed, "{{W40Kkeyword|CORE}}" often translates to "{{W40Kkeyword|CRISIS}} teams" who can keep up with them. There are three Commander versions (and two FW Legends), each with the ability to give a special rule to a {{W40kKeyword|<sept> Crisis core}} unit within 9" that changes how they play, but they all have in common that they are shooty, hardy, and mobile. Even in melee their A4 WS3+ S5 can be helped by a close-combat-oriented Onager Fist signature and/or Thermoneutronic Projector prototype system (and the battlesuit's ability to shoot whilst engaged), but it's best not to expose them to any unnecessary roughness, if mostly for their squad's sake.
**Want to '''Manta Strike''' them alongside a Crisis bomb? Wait until turn 2 (''or fake it with a Coldstar''): A homing beacon only works on {{W40kKeyword|core}} units, which Commanders are ''not''.
**BS2+ means the high Damage guns go here: as many anti-armor Fusion blasters and anti-everything Cyclic Ion Blasters as you can afford, with a plasma rifle potentially thrown in. Relic and Prototype stuff also goes here, including the Prototype flamer. '''S5 stuff can be wielded by literally anything else'''. Even a shield generator ought to be reconsidered, as changes to Drone rules mean you can have them be the Commander unit's 4++ while the Commander focuses on shooting stuff. ''Miniguns do be looking cool though, not gonna lie''.
***Despite the escalating costs of guns, the best loadout you can take against almost anything is quadruple CIBs, unless you can reliably get into melta range with your Fusion blasters. If you do equip a commander with 4 CIB do consider buying 2 Shield drones, to absorb the self-inflicted mortal wounds.
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<tab name="XV8 Armor">
*Not "the standard" anymore. They have the fewest wounds, with "only" 6, but can get Iridium to get a 2+, which Coldstars can't. Their main protection, however, is their smaller size, which can be hidden easier unlike the other Commanders, whose truescale size is almost twice of their fellow Crisis (you can always kitbash them a bigger base). Unlike other Commanders, XV8 have access to a Counterfire defence system, Early warning override, Multi-tracker, and (unlike the Enforcer) Target lock. You will likely be stuffing them full of guns instead of systems anyway, but they are there if you need them. In return, they're the one commander that lacks access to a Positional Relay, which is fine.
**Comes with '''Tactical Acumen''', giving a Crisis team in the Command Phase the ability to shoot and charge after falling back, as well as having their ranged attacks ignore any or all hit modifiers, meaning the enemy can neither tie them up nor foul their aim.
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<tab name="XV81 Crisis Battlesuit (Legends FW)">
*Commander in an XV8 Battlesuit with a mandatory Smart Missile System weapon and only 2 remaining slots for Weapons/Support systems. Kitbash model.
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<tab name="XV84 Crisis Battlesuit (Legends FW)">
*Commander in an XV8 Battlesuit with a mandatory markerlight, target lock, and still has two more customization slots left. Kitbash model.
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<tab name="XV85 Enforcer Battlesuit">
*The mighty glacier and most expensive one, built for jumping onto a point and then hold onto it instead of dashing somewhere else. For this their chassis is equipped with beyond-Iridium '''Hardened Armor''', dragging their movement down to 8" (M10" is the norm) in return for Sv2+ and a Disgustingly Resilient -1D to incoming damage (to a minumum of 1) on their W7. Same lessened access to Support Systems as the Coldstar, but you want four guns anyways.
**'''Resolute Firebase''' gives ObjSec to the accompanying Crisis squad in the Command Phase, giving you a fast, tough ObSec unit with which to contest enemy-held objectives. Or outright ''steal'' them when combined with the '''Multi-Sensory Discouragement Array''''s ability to delete the enemy's own ObSec rule.
**Alternatively, -1D allows this commander to survive close combat, should the enemy reach it. And battlesuits are deceptively capable of stomping someone, should they need to.
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<tab name="XV86 Coldstar Battlesuit">
*No longer with ludicrous speed, but M14" is still faster than any enemy jump packs, gives those Fusion Blasters a 23" melta radius, lets you use fusion or flamers turn 1, and it even has an easier time using CC systems, should you want to (<s>don't</s> ''you do''). It's the only commander without access to a 2+ save (does have W7, though), but has '''High-Altitude Maneuvers''', a one-use jump at the start of ''any'' movement phase to either escape into strategic reserves (Kauyon!) or drop back down at the reinforcements step of the same turn, re-deploying anywhere the usual 9" away from enemies (Mont'Ka!). Thus [[Noice|'''they're the only commanders who can actually deepstrike turn 1''']] alongside a Homing Beaconed Crisis team. See? ''Fast!''
**With access to a special burst cannon, ''a lack of CIBs'' but the speed necessary to use melee and short ranged weaponry, their wargear loadout can be different from what other commanders use.
***They're armed with ''one'' Coldstar-exclusive Assault ''10'' AP-1 'High-output Burst cannon' (HOBC), giving you something better than two of the normal version on a single hardpoint. It is also legally ''not'' a "Burst cannon", meaning the first of those is paid for at no overcost. Which you can then turn into the DW-02 Advanced Burst Cannon and have two special gatling guns! Which they can use masterfully, as Coldstars come with a hardwired Target Lock, enabling them to ignore cover naturally. That's if you want to use gatling guns, though, because...
***...a Coldstar's speed makes them your best choice for using flamers or melee relics, and the Thermoneutronic Projector is both, so it's ''really'' hard to top that, the HOBC, and 2 Fusion Blasters on one of these.  There are niche uses for swapping the HOBC out for a Plasma Rifle or third Fusion, but ''against MEQ, TEQ, or a Knight, you do want the HOBC''.
**As to not leave their squad behind, their '''Aggressive Tactics''' turboboosts a Crisis squad into advancing 8" automatically (better and cheaper than the stratagem), meaning they can either:
***Dash forward while the commander high-altitude jumps to meet another Crisis team arriving through a Homing Beacon Manta Strike, giving them a ''guaranteed 27" Melta threat radius'', or...
***Keep up with a Devilfish armored spearhead, which would otherwise be faster under Mont'Ka and end up outrunning the Crisis team's special weapon fire support.
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*'''[[Ethereal]]:''' The support HQ, with the ability to buff nearby squads whilst mostly just standing around. A regular ethereal knows 2 invocations of the elements, and can successfully intone one on a 3+. Named ethereals (or one with a relic) intone two elements on a 2+, so those are to be prioritized when considering Ethereal support. Still, their mere presence is already beneficial to your units. '''Inspired to Greatness''' allows one unit to keep on shooting without failing an action, and '''Failure Is Not An Option<sup>Aura</sup>''' lets non-{{W40kKeyword|auxiliary}} Tau use their resolute Leadership 10. As expected, these guys do not interact with {{W40kKeyword|farsight enclaves}} units, and cannot be from that sept.
**Ethereals do have an A3 WS4+ S+2(5) AP-1 D2 Honour Stave to bonk people in melee, but this is mostly an auxiliary weapon to have something to do while waiting for your turn to fall back. If you want to use them on the front lines but are worried about their ''relative'' frailty (T3 Sv5+ W4 means they're a Fireblade in Pathfinder armor and hardier than a Shaper), simply adding drones allows them to use their superior 4+ save.
**Ethereals are customizable and flexible, owing to their invocations, being able to interact with Strike Teams, Crisis Teams, and even Kroot and Vespid too - '''the only model capable of doing so in general''', and can mount on an exclusive Hover Drone to gain M10", {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}}, and zip around yelling invocations at Crisis speed instead of being confined inside a Devilfish in the Command phase.

* '''[[Cadre Fireblade]]:''' The infantry support guy, chiefly Strike Teams. Cheap and support-oriented, they do alright embedded among ''several'' squads (or leading a trio of Devilfish), as their '''Volley Fire''' aura gives {{W40kKeyword|<SEPT> CORE}} units within 6” exploding 6s to hit with pulse weapons. Additionally they can give one {{W40kKeyword|FIRE WARRIOR TEAM}} re-rolls of 1s to hit with their ranged attacks until their next command phase; that means their aura is better (*1.33 without a markerlight token, *1.25 with) than their single-target buff (*1.17), and strapping one to even 1 Strike Team means they're earning their points back. Also has a 36" Rapid Fire 1 S5 AP-2 D2 Fireblade pulse rifle, to contribute to the shooting. They also have a markerlight, but that needs them to stay still so they'll only get to use it when defending an objective.

=====Special Characters=====
These are listed here because, while they do belong to specific septs, they can still be included without disrupting army rules; they simply won't gain theirs whilst in a foreign army. As such, they are accessible to any sept.
*'''[[Aun'Shi|Aun'shi]]<sup>{{W40Kkeyword|Vior'la Sept}}</sup>''': Unlike the other Ethereals, he really did [[meme|study the blade]]. Good in melee for the points even compared to the melee characters of other factions, especially before considering that you are playing Tau and literally ''every single other unit you can pick besides Farsight, Kroot Hounds, and Krootox absolutely suck in combat and are better off trying to shoot things if at all possible''.  His special rule '''Leadership Caste''' lets him be in any non-{{W40Kkeyword|farsight enclaves}} {{W40Kkeyword|TAU EMPIRE}} detachment without interfering with {{W40Kkeyword|<SEPT>}} rules, but he will only gain {{W40Kkeyword|<SEPT>}} traits if in a {{W40Kkeyword|Vior'la}} army.  <s>Unfortunately, his rule ''doesn't'' let him avoid disabling your Tactical Philosophy, so it's up to you if he's worth it.</s> As a named Ethereal he knows a third invocation has a built-in Humble Stave, meaning he  can attempt a second invocation and succeeds on a 2+.  His other benefits include a 4++ and the fact that he's a melee powerhouse: his staff is A5 WS2+ S+2(5) AP-2 D2, exploding 6s to hit means he usually makes 5 attacks and then lands 5 hits, which is more than triple the amount a normal Ethereal lands even before you notice his AP-2.  His final benefit isn't cross-faction, though; '''Inspirational Defiance<sup>Aura</sup>''': Friendly {{W40Kkeyword|VIOR’LA CORE}} units within 6” that are not engaged in melee can hold steady or set to defend when charged (effectively, they always count as being in Defensible Terrain).
*'''[[Aun'Va|Aun'va]]<sup>{{W40Kkeyword|T'au Sept}}</sup>''': Dead, but apparently that doesn't stop him from spreading the good word. Despite being {{W40Kkeyword|T'au Sept}}, his special rule '''Leadership Caste''' lets him be in any non-{{W40Kkeyword|farsight enclaves}} {{W40Kkeyword|TAU EMPIRE}} detachment without interfering with {{W40Kkeyword|<SEPT>}} rules, but he will only gain {{W40Kkeyword|<SEPT>}} traits if in a {{W40Kkeyword|T'AU SEPT}} army.  <s>Unfortunately, his rule ''doesn't'' let him avoid disabling your Tactical Philosophy, so it's up to you if he's worth it.</s>  As a named Ethereal he knows a third invocation and has a built-in Humble Stave, meaning he can attempt a second invocation and succeeds on a 2+.  His other benefits are that he replaces '''Failure Is Not An Option''' with '''Supreme Loyalty''', which is the exact same thing except it's 9" instead of 6", and although he's a 3-model unit and hence is more difficult to transport, he's significantly nastier in melee and tougher than a standard Ethereal, partially because he's a 3-person unit.  Compared to a standard Ethereal you get twice as many Honour Staff attacks without the -1 to hit penalty from his two bodyguards, and he himself contributes 1 laughably worthless WS6+ S2 slap.  On the durability side, aside from being 8 wounds to a normal Ethereal's 3 (and that's spread across multiple models, letting you dissipate high-D attacks), he continues to commit to basically having Shield Drones But Better by having the entire unit have a 5++ ''and'' all attacks against it suffer -1 to wound.  
*'''[[Shadowsun|Commander Shadowsun]]<sup>{{W40Kkeyword|T'au Sept}}</sup>''': Ever wished your Stealth Suit squad could carry more Fusion Blasters? Well, now one can.  Statwise she's a Crisis Commander with W7, but [[Schlicktau|everyone's favorite Tau waifu]] has {{W40Kkeyword|supreme commander}}, so you can take her in any detachment without shutting off Sept rules ''or'' your Tactical Philosophy, meaning she's even easier to take than either named Ethereal, and accompanying that is her special rule '''Hero of the Empire''', stating that if you take her, she has to be your Warlord.  She comes with a pair of fusion blasters which come in one of two flavors you can pick from when putting her in your list:  "Dispersed" (18" Assault 2 S7 AP-4 D2, +1D at half range) or "High-Energy" (24" Assault 1 S8 AP-4 D1d6, +2D at half range).  She also has a Flechette Launcher she appears to have stolen from the Adeptus Mechanicus: 18" Assault 5 S3 AP0 D1 and a Light Missile Pod: 24" Assault 2 S7 AP-1 D2.  For some reason she also has a Pulse Pistol you'll literally never fire.  She has the standard re-roll 1s aura, only hers works on all {{W40Kkeyword|Tau Empire Core}} (i.e. she can buff across Septs), and her single-target buff lets her pick a {{W40Kkeyword|Tau Empire Core}}/{{W40Kkeyword|Tau Empire character}} unit within 6" (so she can pick herself) to re-roll ''all'' hit rolls.  She also has a permanent -1 to be hit and a 5++.  Rather than Manta Strike, she infiltrates like a Stealth Suit.  She also has 2 bespoke drones no-one else can take: an "Advanced Guardian Drone" which [[derp|is a special stealth drone, not a special guardian drone]]: it has a 4++ and while the drone lives Shadowsun can't be targeted with ranged attacks unless she's the closest eligible unit.  Her other bespoke drone is a Command-Link Drone, and while it lives, she gets +3" to her auras and Command Phase abilities, so the aforementioned re-roll 1s aura is actually 9" on her and 9" is the range of her full re-rolls buff.

The Forge World characters hail from a time back before septs had their own subfaction rules. While technically they do belong to a specific sept, those septs don't have rules themselves...''meaning you can use any rules you want''.
* '''[[Shas'O R'alai]]<sup>Forge World,{{W40kKeyword|KE'LSHAN}}</sup>:''' {{W40kKeyword|KE'LSHAN}} Sept has no rules, but it ''has'' got at least one person in it.  Appears to be a ranged monster-killing Commander, that can also throw a SINGLE Mortal Wound onto vehicles at close range. Equipped with Photon casters and a drone controller he can do a decent amount of damage at close to mid-range while still being difficult to charge due to Photon Casters reducing enemy charge range by 2". His Markerlight drones are a bit better, being that they can mark units within 48" rather than the stock 36". While he can re-roll failed hit rolls against {{W40kKeyword|CHARACTERS}}, [[Fail|he has no special rules bypassing the Character targeting restrictions]].
** RAW, the EMP rounds roll to see if any Mortal Wounds are inflicted to a {{W40kKeyword|VEHICLE}} on target, rather than on hit. This means you effectively have to make a second to hit roll after all your normal ones, just this time for the Mortal Wound, and you can only inflict one Mortal Wound no matter how many times you successfully shoot the target.
* '''[[Shas'O R'myr]]<sup>Forge World,Legends</sup>:''' Commander equipped with a Twin Plasma Rifle and a 4 shot autopistol. Re-rolls 1s to hit against [[Imperial Guard]], which makes his weapon loadout an odd choice. He [[Fail|can't take any drones]]. Overall, not great.