Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Tau (section)

===Support Systems===
These can be taken by nearly all battle suit variants, albeit to varying degrees; Broadsides and Stealth suits, for instance, can only take one. Items marked as "(standard issue)" come with all Battlesuits, do not need to be purchased, and do not count against a suit's support system limit. They are included just for the sake of completeness. 

* '''Advanced Targeting System:''' Allows an equipped model to use the Precision Shot Special Rule. Consider equipping them with this plus a burst cannon and a cyclonic ion blaster to maximize the odds of sniping special weapons and characters from enemy units as a kind of tactical-level Mont'ka maneuver. Remember this CAN be taken on Broadsides for even more trolltastic sniping fun.
* '''Blacksun Filter (standard issue):''' Tau night vision, it grants the Night Vision special rule (obviously) and immunity to Blind, which is nice, since Blind become more common nowadays and could seriously fuck your I2 everything up. Unlike certain options (like searchlights) available to other forces, this does not give away its user's position at night, but doesn't illuminate the target for the rest of your army, like those options do. But because a unit only needs one model with the rule, if you brought multiple Commanders/Battlesuited characters you could attach them to some fire warriors until the dawn. Once a separate option, this now comes as standard issue equipment built into all Tau Battlesuits for free and without occupying a hardpoint.
* '''Counterfire Defense System:''' Increases a model's Overwatch fire from the normal BS1 shot for snap-fire to BS2. For my money and hardpoints I'd rather bring a Flamer - you'd get more hits and wounds in most cases. Or save some space and have Markerlights do the work, which can improve snapshots beyond BS2. It's a personal choice though, can be useful if you decide to go TEQ hunting with some plasma rifles. Also a good choice if you feel like investing in support systems on your Stealth suits. Keep in mind they don't change BS of Drones. Also if you like playing chess and having all your pieces in the right place at the right time, you can keep Supporting Fire crisis suits close to essential units but just out of assault range. Don't forget to put forward veiled insults and subtle taunts to force that poor idiot who plays orcs to charge your gunline, despite having three crisis suits with Counterfire Defense Systems and two Burst Cannons each right there.
* '''Drone Controller:''' Formerly necessary for a unit to use drones, that functionality has become built-in. This new little bad boy works to ''enhance'' the drone's function, meaning the drones in your unit use the same BS as the bearer, making Markerlight hits that much easier to get. If your squad is taking any sizable amounts of drones (unless they are all shield drones) then think of including this as it will make up its point quickly.
* '''DS8 Tactical Support Turret:''' New support that only Fire Warriors (both Strike and Breacher Teams) can use. It can be deployed in a turn where the team stands still. It acts as an extra gun (actually either a missile pod or a smart missile system) for all intents and purposes, but it's immobile.  However, in the event that nobody's nearby enough to blast or enemies are too close, it can be recalled to be deployed elsewhere.
* '''Early Warning Override:''' Battlesuit aimbot program, providing Interceptor. While your first thought would be to combine it with a Velocity Tracker, it's too expensive to be effective against anything save absolute cheesemongering (i.e. all-air lists). Instead use the Interceptor rule for what it was designed: to shoot down reserves at the end of THEIR movement phase. Do not forget to bring your tearcup when your Riptide blows apart tightly packed teleporting Terminators or drop-podded Sternquards with single Ion accelerator blast. A decent option, all things considered. ''Great with a Cyclic Ion Blaster.''
* '''Multi-tracker (standard issue):''' Sensors and targeting systems which allow a unit to manage the fire power of two weapons simultaneously, like a Battlesuited John Woo action hero. Once a separate hardpoint-filling option, its popularity (bordering on ubiquity) has made it a now standard issue piece of equipment built into every battle suit, so comes free with the unit and does not occupy a hardpoint.<p>'' Note: Recent FAQ confirmed that it does work on Overwatch. The 3-year skub war over this issue is finally over.
* '''Positional Relay:''' This allows outflankers in reserve in your army move in from the same board edge as the bearer provided he is within 6" of it, including your opponent's edge. Used correctly this could allow you control of most of the board. However there isn't much need for lots of these in your army - ''setup for Kroot Konga line, anyone?''. Expect to use it more often on larger point games. Note that this piece of gear also comes as standard with the Recon drones that can accompany Pathfinder squads, so weigh that in consideration for this if you are already taking them.
* '''Shield Generator:''' Another that remains unchanged. It grants you a 4+ invulnerable save. Basically it's a one upped version of the Stimulant injector. Combine the pair and add shield drones for a model that just simply refuses to die.
* '''Stimulant injector:''' Again another item that is no longer one per army. This will give the equipped model Feel no Pain. It's not cheap and it's even costlier on Riptides/Ghostkeel, but it prevents a wound on a 5+ that is only denied by Instant Death. Get it if you have the points and the unit in question is likely to see [[DISTRACTION_CARNIFEX|a lot of fire]] and needs the endurance, like the aforementioned Riptides so they don't kill themselves.
* '''Target Lock:''' Allows the model to fire at a different target from the rest of the unit. This tool, while cheap, is often over-used. More often than not the one extra weapon does not make the difference. The only real time its effectiveness comes into play is when used in conjunction with fusion-blaster wielding, deep striking, jihad shouting, suicide squads. Deploy them onto the back armoured line of a foe and watch him cry. Remember to have your china tear cup at the ready. You can't use this to shoot at units emerging from a wrecked transport because you must declare targets prior to rolling any dice. Alternatively, it works really nice with Marker drones, whose markerlights are no longer Networked.
* '''Vectored Retro-thrusters:''' No longer one per army, this gives the model both Fleet and Hit & Run. Useful if you get bogged down in combat and need to redeploy quickly. The only downside is a poor I means that you won't always pull out in time, unless you have Drones with you (which are I4 for some reason) or stick it in a Farsight Bomb (Farsight is I5). Vespids have I6, but not only they already have H&R, ''why are you sticking around with them?''. Would be great for Broadsides, Ghostkeels and Riptides stuck in CC, but they can't buy this. <b>Note:</b> You only need 1 suit with this system in order to give the entire unit the benefits of Hit & Run, but you need to give this to everyone in the unit if you want to gain the benefits of Fleet. Because you wont be running or assaulting with Battlesuits, you don't care about Fleet, so take only one. Still, positioning is key so the model carrying doesn't get killed before running away.
* '''Velocity Tracker:''' Another new toy. This thing allows a model to choose on a turn-by-turn basis whether it wants to use the Skyfire rule or not (so it can be fire at fliers one turn and ground units the next with no penalty to either). Slapping these on Broadsides may be everyone's first move but they don't do too badly on Crisis suits, Ghostkeels or Riptides (especially with the HBC) either. Combine with Early Warning Override to give flier heavy lists an early bus ticket home.