Editing Melta (section)

== Tau Melta Weapons ==

===Fusion Blaster===
[[File:FusionBlasterSide.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Fusion Blaster]]
While the Imperium probably has been using Melta ever since the Emperor kick-started it, the Tau Empire probably invented Melta by themselves at some point. That's cute.

The primary Melta weapon of the [[Tau]] is the Fusion Blaster, an equivalent to the standard Imperial Meltagun, only with a slightly longer range because the thing is about as bulky as a Multi-Melta, though not as powerful. Like all Melta weapons, the Fusion Blaster agitates the sub-atomic particles of the target, causing a massive build-up of heat in the same manner as our microwave oven. Living targets are often completely vaporized, and non-living targets, even the most heavily armored vehicles and fortifications, can be reduced to slag in the blink of an eye with its nuclear-fusion-powered blast. The Fusion Blaster is most commonly utilized as a weapons system on standard Battlesuits, fitting snuggly on to any of its hard points. Even Commander Shadowsun dual-wields the damn thing, getting into close combat and cutting armor left and right like a Fruit Ninja. Bigger Battlesuits may choose to attach a couple of Fusion Blasters as side weaponry, or might as well use a couple of them on one arm as another weapon. Outside the area of Battlesuits, Piranha skimmers may also take it as primary weapon if it just so happens to be more appropriate for the upcoming battle with lots of tanks than the Burst Cannon.

The necessity to engage hostile armored units the rest of the galaxy has to offer should force the Tau Empire to expand even further in this field.
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CrisisFusionBlaster.png|<center>XV8 Crisis Battlesuit</center>
StealthsuitFusionBlaster.jpg|<center>XV25 Stealth Battlesuit</center>
PiranhaFusionBlaster.jpg|<center>TX4 Piranha</center>
GhostkeelFusionBlaster.jpg|<center>XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit</center>
RiptideFusionBlaster.jpg|<center>XV104 Riptide Battlesuit</center>
ShadowsunFusionBlaster.jpg|<center>Commander Shadowsun</center>
Fusion_Blaster.jpg|<center>Sketch</center>
ShadowsunFusionBlasterPict.jpg|<center>Pict Capture</center>
ShadowsunFusionBlasterPict2.jpg|<center>Pict Capture</center>
ShadowsunFusionBlasterPict3.jpg|<center>Pict Capture</center>
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|r7=18"|s7=8|ap7=1|type7=Assault 1, Melta|r8=18"|s8=8|ap8=-4|d8=D6|type8=Assault 1|abil8=If target within half range, roll two dice for damage and discard the lowest result.}}
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===''Fusion Blades''===
[[File:FarsightFusionBlasterSide.jpg|200px|right|thumb|''Fusion Blades'' (''Placeholder'')]]
The closest thing the Tau Empire has gotten to a Lightsaber.

This is a deadly Fusion Blaster modification exclusively deployed by the Farsight Enclaves as an alternative if the Battlesuit in question happens to have at least two Fusion Blasters installed comes in a pair. Collectively called ''Fusion Blades'', while it is more or less the same pair of Fusion Blasters when fired at range and possibly appearance, when activated for melee in exchange for a huge power drain, the volatile stream of Melta supposedly shortens and concentrates, resembling a blade in both form and function. The modification was first requested by Commander Brightsword III. This thing was so badass that Commander Brightsword VII went full-on Jedi Knight on the Tyranids with the thing. This weapon has been continually refined over the decades by Farsight's own Earth caste division. They'll eventually figure out how to reduce the severe power drain, probably. There remains a possibility that the ''Fusion Blades'' is viable for larger Fusion Weapons as well. But since they still haven't figured this current one out just yet, Lightsabers the size of a [[Chain_Weapon#Reaper_Chainsword|Reaper Chainsword]] remains a fantasy. Given enough time, we might get to see more than one Farsight Battlesuit with lightsabers. For now, only one presumably field-testing prototype is available to the Farsight Enclaves for installation on one of their Battlesuits.

If GW decides that the Tau in general needs some more close combat action, this is the weapon they would probably turn to.
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|r7=18"|s7=8|ap7=1|type7=Assault 1, Melta, Twin-Linked|r8=18"|s8=8|ap8=-4|d8=D6|type8=Assault 2|abil8=If target within half range, roll two dice for damage and discard the lowest result.}}
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|r7=-|s7=8|ap7=1|type7=Melee, Armourbane, Blind, Power Outage|r8=Melee|s8=8|ap8=-4|d8=D6|type8=Melee|abil8=Each time the bearer fights, it can make two (and only two) attacks with this weapon.}}
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=== Fusion Cascade ===
[[File:FusionCascadeSide.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Fusion Cascade]]
Although the appearance is drastically different, the Fusion Cascade is a modification of the Fusion Blaster possibly tailor-made just for the [[Battlesuit#XV9_Hazard_Battlesuit|XV9 "Hazard" Battlesuits]].

An experimental Battlesuits should also use experimental weapons, and the Fusion Cascade is one of the options the XV9 has in store. Indeed, the weapon is simply a (''likely heavily'') modified version of the standard Fusion Blaster which trades raw power in exchange for a vastly improved rate of fire – basically, a Melta machine gun. Since the barrel is conveniently cylindrical, it opens up the possibility that it spins like a Gatling. This will make the Fusion Cascade a '''''Melta Minigun'''''. Designed to be used with the XV9 Hazard Suits whose operational keyword is "Close Support," the Fusion Cascade unleashes a blistering torrent of energy that punches holes in armor with ease and transforms everything else in its path to swirling ash. Of course, in exchange for the microwave Dakka, the Fusion Cascade has a rather short effective range equivalent to that of the common Imperial Meltagun. This forces the possibly foolhardy pilot of the XV9 equipped with this to engage the enemy at an uncomfortably close range. Do remember, this is the Tau we're talking about here. By effectiveness, interestingly enough, the Fusion Cascade is at about the same level as the Thermal Spear fitted on Armiger Knights, though our Warglaives can afford more than double the range of this tube.

So if you want some rapid-firing Melta cannons in your army for the Greater Good, you must get the XV9.
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HazardFusionCascade.png|<center>Front View</center>
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|r7=12"|s7=6|ap7=1|type7=Assault D3, Melta|r8=12"|s8=8|ap8=-4|d8=D6|type8=Assault D3|abil8=If target within half range, roll two dice for damage and discard the lowest result.}}
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===Fusion Collider===
[[File:Fusion_Collider.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Fusion Collider]]
By merit of being a bigger Battlesuit, the XV95 gets its own collection of weapons developed including this Melta cannon.

The XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit may be armed with a Fusion Collider, one of the foremost tank-busting weapons in the Tau arsenal by being really big and also due to the tactics deployed by its users. Fitted with power dispersal exchangers which might be some fancy coolant systems, this weapon can fire a searing blaze of energy capable of destroying the most heavily armored foe like what a Melta should be able to. This particular one, however, has no risk of detection by enemy imaging, which might be the fancy coolant doing its thing. The Fusion Collider's comparatively short range at the about same distance as the normal Fusion Blaster is seen as little impediment to the Ghostkeel's Shas'vre pilot – that is, Fire Caste Level 4 who is also a Stealthsuit veteran – for the Battlesuit has been specifically engineered to enter close range without harm. Frequently, the detection part is off the table for these big ninjas. Often the first sign of a Ghostkeel's presence is the mushroom cloud explosion of a choice target detonating from within, flames rippling across the XV95's stealth field as it withdraws into the gloom within the relative safety of that same stealth field once more. This is a weapon to take up if you, the Ghostkeel pilot, are in the mood to backstab tank columns.

The Fusion Collider is functionally a Fusion Blaster with a D3 shots, allowing it to destroy tightly packed TEQ's and Vehicles.
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GhostkeelFusionCollider.png|<center>Front View</center>
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|r7=18"|s7=8|ap7=1|type7=Assault 1, Blast, Melta|r8=18"|s8=8|ap8=-4|d8=D6|type8=Heavy D3|abil8=If target within half range, roll two dice for damage and discard the lowest result.}}
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===Fusion Cannon===
[[File:FusionCannonModel.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Fusion Cannon]]
This is basically the Fusion Blaster, but bigger and most notably longer.

Indeed, the Fusion Cannon is essentially a larger version of the Battlesuit-mounted Fusion Blaster above. The Fusion Cannon has an extended range compared to a Fusion Blaster, comparable to the Imperium's Multi-Melta in that respect and destructive capabilities in fact. A larger blast radius allows it to fire and destroy closely packed groups of enemy vehicles and heavy infantry. [[Hammerhead Gunship|Hammerhead Gunships]] are the only Tau unit armed with Fusion Cannons, as they may be mounted as a twin-linked primary turret weapons system in place of a more common Railgun or Ion Cannon. You'd think something rather basic like this would find more usage in their armies. The Fusion Cannon is one of the experimental weapons systems that were first deployed (''i.e. field-tested'') against the Imperium during the Taros Campaign. Judging from its rarity, either the Earth Caste engineers or the Fire Caste soldiers were probably not too keen about this particular one. Since the only specimen that uses this uses in a pair, it opens up a possibility for the Farsight Enclaves to implement their Fusion Blades system on the much larger Fusion Cannons, although this application would be most likely very limited since Fusion Blades work so well with Battlesuits precisely because arms are flexible – turrets are not flexible.

[[Forge World]] used to produce a variant turret for the Hammerhead Gunship for the twin-linked Fusion Cannon, which is the equivalent of the [[Devil Dog]]'s Melta Cannon, but with two shots instead of D3. But since it "used to," your only choices of getting one are either finding people who sell it, whipping out your conversion expertise, or the [[Proxy|universal solution]].
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HammerheadFusionCannon.png|<center>Hammerhead Gunship</center>
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|r7=24"|s7=8|ap7=1|type7=Heavy 1, Blast (3"), Melta|r8=24"|s8=8|ap8=-4|d8=D6|type8=Heavy 1|abil8=If target within half range, roll two dice for damage and discard the lowest result.}}
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===Fusion Eradicator===
[[File:FusionEradicatorSide.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Fusion Eradicator]]
Frankly, the Tau might have gone overboard with making the next size in their array of Melta weaponry.

While the ''gorillas'' made their Melta Cannons huge in size with similarly huge blasts, the Tau took a different approach and basically created a gatling Multi-Melta that definitely wasn't inspired by a one Cyclonic Melta Lance. Designed as a radical solution to the limitations of current Tau Fusion/Melta weapons technology, the Fusion Eradicator combines a battery of multiple synchronized firing chambers, ten to be exact. By appearance, it looks like the Earth Caste engineers have figured out a design paradigm behind the Imperial weapons, and they applied that theory accordingly by strapping not two, not three, but five Fusion Cascades together. This ridiculous weapon creates a blast of energy so potent that solid matter caught in its path is torn apart at a molecular level by brute thermal force, and no physical material yet known to the Tau can survive its destructive power save perhaps their plot armor and Primaris Marines. The cost in materials and expertise to create a single Fusion Eradicator is immense, and the natural endurance of each weapon is limited often to a single battle. Each Fusion Eradicator is then discarded and must be replaced. This is different from Imperial technology where every fucking thing over there lasts for a heck of a long time. However, as the Imperial Knights lead the Imperium's counter-attack to retake the Damocles Gulf, a weapon capable of reliably one-shotting them is worth any price.

The Fusion Eradicator on tabletop is a Titanic weapon that can be mounted on the Tau KX139 Ta’unar Supremacy Armor. The weapon itself is a five-shot Fusion Blaster with an extra 6" range. Once you realize that each Fusion Blaster is a 1D6 damage weapon, you'll know that it's gonna do a lot of hurt.
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SupremacyFusionEradicator.png|<center>Front View</center>
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|r7=24"|s7=8|ap7=1|type7=Heavy 5, Melta|r8=24"|s8=8|ap8=-4|d8=D6|type8=Heavy 5|abil8=If target within half range, roll two dice for damage and discard the lowest result.}}
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{{40k-Tau-Weapons}}

[[Category:Chaos]][[Category:Necrons]]