Editing Plasma (section)

===Ion Rifle===
[[File:IonRifleProfile.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Ion Rifle]]
The aforementioned new power source, called Mor'tonium (a form of hyper-enriched Iridium that quickly decays when exposed to an atmosphere), allowed Earth caste engineers to create a portable Ion weapon.

The resulting weapon that is the Ion Rifle combines the man-portable size of a Pulse Rifle and the firepower equivalent to an Imperial Autocannon in one deadly package. Now, Tau Ion weapons are typically found on heavy vehicles and void craft, and this lightweight man-portable variant is still considered highly experimental. The weapon operates by creating a stream of highly ionized particles and using advanced electro-magnetic fields to direct them at a target. Where the particles strike the target, they react explosively, causing massive trauma.

Currently, the Ion Rifle is carried by [[Pathfinder Team]]s as a variant sniper/anti-materiel weapon to vaporize heavy infantry and light vehicles alike. As an Ion weapon should be capable of, the Ion Rifle’s safety measures can be temporarily shut off, allowing the ion stream to reach dangerous levels of energy before being released. If done correctly, the resulting damage can be spectacular. However, if left active for too long, the Mor'tonium power source will emit to much ionic radiation and cook the user like a popcorn shrimp. Aside from the Pathfinders, the [[Interceptor Drone]]s used by [[Sun Shark Bomber]]s are also armed with a set of twin-linked Ion Rifles as their standard armament, which they use in conjunction with their advanced targeting systems to blow incoming aircraft looking to do harm to the bomber out of the sky.

Ion Rifles are basically the Tau's quintessential [[Lascannon]] or Rocket Launcher equivalent; and like its big brother, the Ion Rifle can be overcharged for an S8 AР4 small blast, but in order to do so a soldier must expose the gun's power source to air. This is not a good idea, considering that said power source is highly radioactive. As a result, Pathfinders equipped with this weapon usually die from [[cancer]], unless they get killed in action before that happens (''and considering the high risk of their job, there is a good chance they will''.)
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{|class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background: white;"
|+ class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap"|'''Profile'''
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{|align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10
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{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="background: white;"
|+style="white-space: nowrap;"| Gallery
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|<gallery class="center">
IonRifleArt.jpg|<center>Profile</center>
IonRiflePathfinder.jpg|<center>Pathfinder</center>
IonRifleInterceptorDrone.jpg|<center>Interceptor Drone</center>
</gallery>
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{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="background: white;"
|+style="white-space: nowrap;" | Stats
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{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="background: white;"
|+style="white-space: nowrap;" | 7th
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{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="background: white;"
|+style="white-space: nowrap;" | Standard
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile|range=30"|strength=7|ap=4|type=Rapid Fire}}
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{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="background: white;"
|+style="white-space: nowrap;" | Overcharge
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile|range=30"|strength=8|ap=4|type=Heavy 1, Blast, Gets Hot}}
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{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="background: white;"
|+style="white-space: nowrap;" | 8th
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{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="background: white;"
|+style="white-space: nowrap;" | Standard
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-8|range=30"|strength=7|ap=-1|damage=1|type=Rapid Fire 1}}
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{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="background: white;"
|+style="white-space: nowrap;" | Overcharge
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{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-8|range=30"|strength=8|ap=-1|damage=2|type=Heavy D3|abilities=If you roll one or more hit rolls of 1, the bearer suffers a mortal wound after all of this weapon’s shots have been resolved.}}
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