Greetings, honoured gue’la, and welcome to the next instalment in our Faction Focus series. This time, we get the latest strategic developments from the T’au Empire. For the Greater Good!
Advanced Acquisition Cadre
As a faction focused heavily on ranged combat, the new hidden rules have a big impact on the T’au Empire’s modus operandi – both when firing at enemy units and when keeping their own gun line safe. Their dedicated stealth and reconnaissance specialists have lots of tools for taking advantage of these new rules when part of an Advanced Acquisition Cadre, including the ability to remain completely undetected while firing.
EXPERT FIELDCRAFT
Extensive additional training – including tuition by Trail Shapers – enables these warriors to fire and relocate seamlessly while remaining concealed.
In your Shooting phase, when a friendly PATHFINDER TEAM/ STEALTH BATTLESUITS unit is selected to shoot, those ranged attacks do not prevent your unit from being hidden.
The best defence is not being shot at all, isn’t it? Pathfinder Teams will be especially fond of the Expert Fieldcraft ability, as their ion rifles and rail rifles have the range to stay well outside the standard detection range of 15”, and taking a Pulse Accelerator Drone can even get their pulse carbines up to 26”.
Of course, being that far away doesn’t help much if they can’t shoot hidden units in return, and that’s where the Unmasking Suite enhancement comes in. Up to three of your recon units – including the mighty Ghostkeel Battlesuit – can reveal their own targets, increasing all but the most furtive of units to a detection range of 24” until their attacks are finished.
UNMASKING SUITE (Upgrade)
This advanced AI targeting assistant features incredibly powerful active scanners that can locate and pinpoint even the most well-hidden foes as though they stood revealed in broad daylight.
GHOSTKEEL BATTLESUIT/PATHFINDER TEAM/STEALTH BATTLESUITS unit only. When this unit is selected to shoot, you can select one enemy unit within 24" of this unit. That enemy unit has +9" detection range until this unit has shot.
Being hidden isn’t a foolproof defence, though, and enemies who get close enough can still shoot at your relatively fragile troops. A spot of Autoreactive Camouflage can increase their survivability significantly, and even boosts Stealth Battlesuits up to the coveted 2+ Save.
AUTOREACTIVE CAMOUFLAGE (1CP)
ADVANCED ACQUISITION CADRE STRATAGEM
An experimental new form of portable electrocamouflage generators, these small devices interweave active energy shielding with passive sensor damping to further protect T’au soldiery in hiding.
WHEN: Your opponent’s Shooting phase, when an enemy unit targets a friendly PATHFINDER TEAM/
STEALTH BATTLESUITS unit, if that friendly unit is hidden.
TARGET: That PATHFINDER TEAM/STEALTH BATTLESUITS unit.
EFFECT: Your unit has +1 Sv.
Auxiliary Cadre
T’au Empire armies love the mix-and-match detachment system, as their alien auxiliaries can flex all kinds of interesting abilities without giving up dedicated support for your favourite battlesuits or vehicles. The new Auxiliary Cadre works great with the Advanced Acquisition Cadre by further enhancing Stealth and Ghostkeel battlesuits while having them support your Kroot and Vespid.
INTEGRATED COMMAND STRUCTURE
T’au officers given charge of auxiliary cadres receive additional training in optimised doctrinal and strategic alien amalgamation; this – coupled with specialised translation drones and endless integrated combat drills – allows them to get the best out of their alien subordinates.
Friendly KROOT/VESPID STINGWINGS units have the following ability:
Harnessed Alien Instincts: In your Shooting phase, this unit can select one visible enemy unit within 12". That enemy unit is prey-marked:
While a unit is prey-marked, that unit has +3" detection range.
Friendly GHOSTKEEL BATTLESUIT/STEALTH BATTLESUITS units have the following ability:
Localised Stealth Projectors (Aura): When a friendly KROOT/VESPID STINGWINGS unit within 6" of this unit has shot, those attacks do not prevent that unit from being hidden.
This detachment has the AUXILIARIES tag and cannot be taken with another AUXILIARIES detachment.
Units of Kroot placed ahead of your firing line can now help them see into hidden enemy groups by extending their detection range, and as they can do it at any point in the Shooting phase, it can help reveal targets you want to spot with the For the Greater Good ability – which needs its target to be visible.
While Vespid can simply Deep Strike close enough to spot their target, Kroot need a little more legwork to get up the board… unless your Shaper has the Student of Kauyon enhancement. Dropping three units of 20 Kroot Carnivores out of nowhere is a good lark, and since they’re exceptionally good at grabbing objectives with their Fieldcraft ability, it’s a tactically sound move too.
STUDENT OF KAUYON (Upgrade)
This Shaper has not only studied the Code of Fire but has also adapted it to best suit their people’s skills.
KROOT SHAPER model only. In the Declare Battle Formations step, you can select up to three friendly KROOT CARNIVORES/ FARSTALKERS units. Those units have Deep Strike.
Then, when you’ve got your Kroot and Vespid all nice and close, you can hit one of your shooting units with the Guided by Unity stratagem to really put the hurt on. You’ll have your Stealth Battlesuits nice and close already, and Lethal Hits loves the fire rate of a burst cannon.
GUIDED BY UNITY (1CP)
AUXILIARY CADRE STRATAGEM
Firing on coordinates provided by selfless alien auxiliaries, the T’au are able to scythe down their targets with pinpoint precision.
WHEN: Your Shooting phase, when a friendly T’AU EMPIRE unit (excluding KROOT/VESPID STINGWINGS units) is selected to shoot.
TARGET: That T’AU EMPIRE unit.
EFFECT: Your unit’s ranged attacks that target a unit within 9" of a friendly KROOT/VESPID STINGWINGS unit have [LETHAL HITS].
Experimental Prototype Cadre
Fire Caste commanders in battlesuits are a time-honoured T’au Empire favourite, and the new Experimental Prototype Cadre detachment is all about improving them specifically.
SUPERIOR CRAFTSMANSHIP
The applied science divisions of the Earth caste labour endlessly to provide front-line units with superior weapons systems with which to destroy the foe from afar.
Friendly BATTLESUIT CHARACTER units’ ranged attacks have +6" R.
This detachment has the RETALIATION tag and cannot be taken with another RETALIATION detachment.
Extra range helps to keep them and the units they lead away from the threat of enemy charges, and when they’re leading a Crisis Sunforge Battlesuit team, it’ll ensure their fusion blasters can be inside their Melta range after a Deep Strike.
The T’au Empire is rightly known for the relentless pace of its technological advancement, and prototype weapon systems are constantly being shipped out to experienced pilots for testing. The Supernova Launcher enhancement, for instance, turns a commander’s airbursting fragmentation projector into a deadly plasma bomb launcher.
SUPERNOVA LAUNCHER
Adapted from standard-issue fragmentation projectors, this weapon enables the bearer to fire explosive plasma charges on parabolic trajectories. These projectiles drop amongst the enemy and explode in a coruscating fireball that evaporates metal and flesh alike.
BATTLESUIT model only. In the Declare Battle Formations step, select one of this model’s Airbursting Fragmentation Projector weapons. That weapon’s attacks have:
+3 S.
+1 AP and D.
Prototypes even extend to the detachment’s stratagems. Injecting Experimental Ammunition into a unit’s weapons can help them scythe down a particularly tough target even from long range, although a little too much spice in the tubes can have dangerous consequences.
EXPERIMENTAL AMMUNITION (1CP)
EXPERIMENTAL PROTOTYPE CADRE STRATAGEM
From hardened warheads and amplified ion capacitors, to hyperaccelerated pulse fields and refined fusion cores, the T’au are forever innovating improvements to improve the lethality of their ammunition.
WHEN: Your Shooting phase, when a friendly BATTLESUIT CHARACTER unit is selected to shoot.
TARGET: That BATTLESUIT CHARACTER unit.
EFFECT: Your unit’s ranged attacks have:
+1 S.
OR: +1 S, AP and [HAZARDOUS].
You definitely go for the Hazardous option every time, right? Sure, you have to make a hazard roll for each weapon you fire, but battlesuits have loads of Wounds and it’s all for the Greater Good anyway. Go all-in.
These detachments can be combined in all sorts of ways, as each of them only costs 1 Detachment Point, and most of those found in Codex: T’au Empire only cost 2. In a 2,000 point game,* you could mix the Advanced Acquisition Cadre with Kauyon to help keep your troops safe into the late game, where many of their detachment abilities start to shine.
All of these new detachments are fully Ethereal-approved, so you’ll be able to get your ideal Hunter Cadre going as soon as the new edition launches. Come back tomorrow for the next Faction Focus, where the shining champions of the Adeptus Custodes show us how the Emperor’s finest creations tackle a new era of war.
* Which gives you 3 Detachment Points to spend.
