Welcome to this brand new series covering new gaming content for 2004hammer, as well as 3rd and 4th edition Warhammer 40,000. To start things off with a bang, we're introducing a new set of rules for armies of Chaos Daemons in your games of Warhammer 40,000. Kakapo42 sheds some more light on how this diabolical new addition to the 41st Millennium came to be.
Daemonic Incursions - Chaos Daemon Armies in Warhammer 40,000
Kakapo: For a long time now I have been creating exciting new content for Warhammer 40,000, ranging from sci-fi crossovers to new vehicle inventions to, most recently, entire new army lists. Recently I had been meaning to set up a theoretically semi-regular series showcasing them and sharing them for wider use in a revival of Andy Chambers' Chapter Approved feature in White Dwarf, but quickly found myself confronted with decision paralysis on which new content to start with.
The catalyst came with my recent attempts to introduce 2004hammer to my local 40k groups. This experiment has quickly surpassed my wildest expectations, to the point where it has even begun to spread to other 40k groups I've never encountered and is fast taking on a life of its own. An interesting side-effect of this however was that it drew the attention of a number of players interested in trying out 2004hammer and 3rd edition Warhammer 40,000, but whose model collections were mainly comprised of Chaos Daemons. This made getting them started complicated, as normally Chaos Daemons are used as very high caliber support units for other Chaos armies like Lost And The Damned. Not wanting them to be left out, I took on the challenge of working out a means to translate as much of their figure collections as possible into a usable army.
The Foundation
The core of the army was simple enough to put together. Over the years Chaos Space Marines have received not one but two excellent codex books for this version of Warhammer 40,000, and between them they effectively contained all of the basic building blocks for a serviceable set of Daemon army rules. Taking the Lesser Daemons, Daemonic Beasts and Greater Daemons in the 2002 Chaos Space Marine codex provided a good skeleton of basic units, while the Daemonic Gifts featured in the same book made for an excellent ready-made Wargear list. Thus the bulk of the workload simply comprised of transcribing these elements over into an independent list.
From this starting point there were a few extra tweaks made. Perhaps the first thing that long time Chaos players will notice is that Furies have been split off from the Daemonic Beast packs and fleshed out into another unit of Lesser Daemons. This serves two purposes. Thematically, I wanted to reinforce Chaos Undivided as a fully fledged Chaos power in its own right, the equal to any of the individual Chaos Gods, and leaving Furies as just another Daemonic Beast - and a lower end one at that - felt like a great disservice to a unit with such a prestigious and evocative name (tying all the way back to the Furies of Ancient Greek legend), so the creation of an independent Daemon army was a good chance to restore them to their rightful place at the side of the other Lesser Daemons.
Mechanically, this also provides the army with a Chaos Undivided Troops choice that could fit seamlessly alongside God-specific Lesser Daemons in the army, giving Chaos Daemon players at least a binary choice in every Force Organisation category without resorting to bringing in Daemons from different Chaos Gods.
Daemon Princes were another conundrum. Under the 2002 Chaos Space Marine codex, Daemon Princes are an extension of Chaos Lords rather than a separate unit, which provides a lot of scope for customisation but also means that there's no baseline profile for porting over into an independent list. I ended up going with the simplest solution of taking the Chaos Lord profile, adding on the Daemonic Stature upgrade, and using that as the benchmark, which conveniently looks reasonably similar to the Daemon Prince stat profile in the 1999 Chaos Space Marine codex. On top of this I also borrowed a rule from Codex: Space Wolves and allowed Daemon Princes to be taken as either an Elites choice under a Daemon warlord or an HQ choice in their own right, which provides Chaos Daemon players with a choice of Elites units as well as HQ commanders.
Speaking of, these rules offer Chaos Daemon armies a choice of 3 different HQ options - a Greater Daemon, a Daemonic Herald (essentially an enhanced Lesser Daemon with access to Wargear upgrades) and the aforementioned Daemon Prince. I've tried to make choosing between them an open question by restricting Daemonic Gift upgrades to Daemonic Heralds and Daemon Princes only, while leaving the Greater Daemons with their formidable stat profile and a small bonus to nearby Daemon units, as well as locking Greater Daemons to God-specific armies only. This makes choosing a Greater Daemon a trade-off between raw power and tactical flexibility.
I also took the liberty of patching a few other units as Heavy Support options. Defilers were a natural fit here, being already closely associated with both Chaos armies in general and Daemons in particular, as well as a great use for the soul grinder models in many Chaos model collections. To this I added some simple mechanics for importing Chaos Space Marine tanks as Daemon Engines, both as a way of reflecting some of the other Daemon Engines that no doubt exist in the realm of Daemons, but also as a way of getting in some ranged firepower for an army that is otherwise very limited on shooting options, especially at long range.
New Additions
As well as tying all the existing Daemon units together, I also threw in a couple of new additions. The first is Exalted Daemon Packs. These are a notch above Lesser Daemons, with a harder stat profile and the option for a single Daemonic Gift similar to Possessed Chaos Space Marines, and provide Damon armies with an Elites troop.
There are also two new Daemonic Cavalry types. I had originally wanted to simply maintain a single general-purpose Daemonic Cavalry unit like in the 1999 Chaos Space Marine codex, but the 2002 Chaos Space Marine book already let the cat out of the bag with rules for Mounted Daemonettes, and the 1999 codex already spun off Juggernauts as a separate cavalry unit, so I decided to flesh out some equivalents for Nurgle and Tzeentch too. The concept of giant daemonic plague fleas as a mount for Nurgle forces had been living in my head rent-free for some time now, so I took the liberty of including some ridden by Plaguebearers as a cavalry option for Nurgle. For Tzeentch, I took inspiration from the Chaos Spawn in 6th edition Warhammer and combined it with a little dash of HP Lovecraft to create a unit of daemonic creatures that felt suitably weird and wonderful for the Architect of Fate.
Finally, I added in a new monstrous creature - the Abyssal Terror. This is a catch-all term for all the various daemonic grobblies that live in the Warp and are too big and scary to be treated as Daemonic Beasts. I've tried to include lots of scope for players to create their own bizarre monstrosities, and it provides the army with its own unique Heavy Support option that feels suitably, truly daemonic.
No Icons? No Problem!
With all the units in place, the next trick was to address the army rules as a whole. Normally, Daemons are summoned onto the table with icons carried by Mutants, Cultists or Chaos Space Marines, or in the case of Greater Daemons possess another character model. Obviously neither of these methods would work for an army comprised entirely of Chaos Daemons. As an alternative, I looked at some of the rules for Chaos Daemons in other 40k games, and worked off the concept that the Daemon army would be invading from warp rifts on the planet's surface to create a simple system for deep-striking elements of the army en masse. I also added a few restrictions about where they can drop in to ensure that the non-Daemon player has some room to breathe without getting immediately overrun.
In Conclusion
So there you have it! I've stored the army rules as a PDF and given a link to it below, as a lot of the rules are taken straight from other published codexes - naturally all credit goes to the original authors who wrote those sections.
These rules are considered experimental - I've included them here as an advance preview for a select audience to iron out any glaringly obvious oversights before releasing them to the wider public for playtesting, so all constructive feedback is welcome.
In the mean time, let the galaxy burn!
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing
Kakapo Approved
Kakapo Approved
Please stop calling it "Middlehammer"
Re: Kakapo Approved
Welcome back to the next feature of this series for new gaming content in 2004hammer and 3rd and 4th edition Warhammer 40,000. This time we're introducing some exciting new Vehicle Design Rules additions for the Tau.
This compilation has been almost a decade in the making. It started life as a plan to put together some rules for some simple vehicle conversions I had planned for the near future of 2016, in the context of 6th edition 40k. Then when I updated to 3.5 edition Warhammer 40,000, 4th edition Warhammer 40,000 and finally 2004hammer, it turned into porting those concepts over to the 2004hammer rules and then expanded into bringing over some of the Tau vehicles from Epic.
Of course, this was all before I had access to the VDR rules published in Chapter Approved, which I desperately wanted to try and keep things as close to the GW rules as possible. When I finally got hold of Chapter Approved 2004 and the Tau VDR rules contained in them however, I could not help but feel a little disappointed. Rather than the sprawling appendix of extra cool Tau specific customisation options I had imagined them to be, it turned out that the Tau addon was a single page of extra rules that even now years later feels somewhat phoned in.
Worse still, was that Forgeworld had since produced a range of extra Tau vehicle weapons that were not included in these vehicle design rules, leaving Tau players out in the cold if they wanted to make more use of fusion cannons and plasma cannons.
In response, and inspired by Jonathan E's own Necron Vehicle expansion showcased on Classichammer a year or so back, I decided to take my own work on custom Tau vehicles, add in the Forgeworld weapon options, and throw in a couple of extra bits and bobs I came up with more recently to create an expansion on the Tau vehicle design rules to give Tau players some more evocative and thematic options for creating their own vehicle designs.
The following expansion is split into two sections. The first is a list of new weapon and equipment options for Tau vehicles that can be used for creating new vehicle units based on kitbashed or converted models. The second is a list of new Tau vehicles created to showcase some of these new rules.
Now let's get started. For the Greater Good!
Dynamic Progress - Expanded Tau Vehicle Design Rules in Warhammer 40,000
A constant feature of Tau expansion has been their continued technological development. Earth Caste scientists and engineers have developed a wide range of sophisticated equipment to better work towards the greater good in both civilian and military applications. Imperial troops have already become all too familiar with the deadly new rail rifles being issued to Tau infantry units, but the recent wave of Tau expansion and colonisation missions during the 13th Black Crusade have also exhibited the use of a range of heavier weapons and equipment newly introduced to the Fire and Air Castes.
The following rules are to be considered a supplement to the Tau Vehicle Design Rules published in Chapter Approved 2004. The Chapter Approved Tau Vehicle Design Rules still apply in full except where superseded by these rules.
NEW VEHICLE WEAPONS
ER BURST CANNON, MISSILE PODS, FUSION CANNON, PLASMA CANNON Points Varies
Early Hammerhead Gunship models were armed with large-scale extended range burst cannons and missile pods fitted in a twin-linked turret mount. Though the Tau Fire Caste has long since retired these Hammerhead variants from active service in favour of newer models sporting the more familiar railgun and ion cannon, they can still occasionally be found in rear echelon security garrisons on smaller and more isolated colonies. They have also been exported in large quantities to minor alien powers allied to the Tau Empire and are common sight among Gue'vessa armies. Many of the burst cannon and missile pod systems were also salvaged and repurposed for use on other vehicles.
More recently the Tau have begun deploying gunships armed with fusion cannons and plasma cannons, often using the old twin-linked turret mounts These grav-tanks were first encountered by the Imperium during the Taros War, and their weapons have since been seen elsewhere, often equipping newer specialised Tau vehicles.
These are all larger scaled versions of battlesuit weapons adapted as heavy vehicle armaments. Refer to Imperial Armour for more details.
MARKERLIGHT 20/15 pts
Markerlight target designators are a common feature of Tau infantry teams, but are also found on certain support vehicles as well.
The vehicle markerlight functions exactly as the infantry carried device does. Refer to Codex: Tau for more details.
SEEKER MISSILE WEAPONS
Any model equipped with a markerlight may request a single seeker missile to be launched if they score a hit on the desired target with their markerlight Any number of seeker missiles may be launched in a single turn, although each needs to be guided by a separate markerlight. Each missile is a one-shot weapon.
The missiles do not need a line of sight from the vehicle they are mounted on to the target, and they hit on a 2+. The missile is assumed to move in a straight line between the model carrying the missile and the target itself for the purposes of deciding whether the shot strikes the front, side or rear. The target may normally count the benefits of cover they are in or immediately behind.
The vehicle carrying the seeker missiles has no control over them and cannot launch them itself unless it is equipped with its own markerlights. The mechanism is remote and responds only to markerlight users.
THERMOBARIC SEEKER MISSILE 20 pts
These lethal munitions were developed by the Tau for use in urban warfare and attacking heavy fortifications. Guided by an independent markerlight operator, they allow bunkers and strongpoints to be attacked and cleared from a safe distance without resorting to costly and dirty close assaults. The thermobaric warhead releases a cloud of highly explosive fuel vapour over the target, which mixes with oxygen in the air before detonating with a massive high-energy shockwave. The concussive overpressure of the explosion is particularly deadly in confined spaces like caves, bunkers and buildings.
Each Thermobaric Seeker Missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Thermobaric Seeker Missile Unlimited 6 4 Heavy 1, Blast, One-shot
Special Rules
If a Thermobaric Seeker Missile hits successfully, place the small blast template over the target as per the normal rules for blast weapons. Models hit may not count any benefits of cover. Against bunkers a successful missile hit will automatically hit all models inside the bunker in the same manner as a flamer. Roll to wound as normal.
In Cityfight games successful Thermobaric Seeker Missile hits inflict D6 hits in the same way as ordnance weapons, though they are not ordnance weapons themselves and gain no other ordnance weapon benefits. No cover saves can be made against them.
HYPERSONIC SEEKER MISSILE 30 pts
The latest variant of Tau seeker missile technology is the hypersonic model, specially designed for attacking hardened targets. These missiles use a combination of sophisticated aerodynamics and booster rockets to accelerate to hypersonic speeds, supplementing their explosive warhead with immense kinetic energy when they slam into the target. They have quickly earned a frightening reputation amongst Imperial troops who have encountered them in battle, earning the nickname 'Destroyer Missiles' among Imperial Guardsmen on the Eastern Fringe.
Each Hypersonic Seeker Missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Hypersonic Seeker Missile Unlimited 8 3 Heavy 1, One-shot
Special Rules
Hypersonic seeker missile hits against vehicles and bunkers are resolved as ordnance weapons, rolling two dice and choosing the highest for armour penetration and rolling on the ordnance vehicle damage table. They are not true ordnance weapons however and so gain no other penalties or advantages ordnance weapons normally enjoy (so no template, no pinning modifiers etc.).
HIGH-YIELD SEEKER MISSILE (Tau Flyers only) 30 pts
High-yield seeker missiles are a heavier and more advanced variant of seeker missile carried on Tau aircraft. They are used for ground attack missions to deliver precision strikes on large targets or troop concentrations and are guided by friendly markerlight operators on the ground.
A Tau Flyer may carry high-yield seeker missiles instead of conventional seeker missiles. Each missile must be purchased separately.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
High-yield Seeker Missile Unlimited 8 3 Heavy 1, Blast, One-shot
Special Rules
High-yeld seeker missiles use the small blast template. If the missile hits successfully place the small blast template over the target as per the rules for blast weapons.
GUIDED MISSILES
Larger Tau vehicles often carry long-range missiles that are of a class far larger and heavier than regular seeker missiles. These weapons carry sophisticated autonomous guidance systems far more advanced and expensive than the more common markerlight-homing systems used on smaller seeker missiles, allowing them to be launched at targets independently of a markerlight designator. Such weapons are referred to here as Guided Missiles.
A Guided Missile can be fired in one of two ways. The first is using markerlight guidance, in which case the missile follows all the normal rules for Seeker missiles. Guided Missiles used this way do not require line of sight to the target and always hit on a 2+. Any number of Guided Missiles may be launched from a vehicle this way in a single turn, though each one must be guided by a separate markerlight hit.
Alternatively, Guided Missiles can lock onto a target with their own active guidance systems. Guided Missiles fired this way do NOT require a markerlight hit to target a unit, but MUST have line of sight to the target. Guided Missiles using active guidance hit using the Ballistic Skill of the vehicle carrying them. A Tau vehicle may launch a single Guided Missile each turn this way subject to normal shooting restrictions.
Regardless of which guidance method is used, each Guided Missile is a single-shot weapon.
HUNTER MISSILE 45/40 pts
Hunter missiles have been a common medium-range battlefield support weapon in Tau armies since before the Damocles Gulf Crusade. The bigger brother to the more common seeker missile, hunter missiles are essentially the same design as the seeker missile on a larger scale. Recently the Tau have upgraded their stocks of hunter missiles with advanced guidance seekers originally employed on air-launched interceptor missiles.
Each hunter missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Hunter Missile Unlimited 9 2 Heavy 1, one-shot
INTERCEPTOR MISSILE 50/45 pts
The interceptor missile started life as a variant of the hunter missile modified for use on aerospace platforms as a ship-to-ship weapon for aerospace superiority fighters. Since guidance from an independent markerlight designator was extremely impractical for aerospace dogfights, the interceptor missile was fitted with an advanced onboard active homing guidance mechanism that has since become standard to all heavy long-range support missiles used by the Tau. The interceptor missile itself features a specialised warhead designed to inflict maximum damage on opposing aerospace craft and its onboard guidance computer is programmed to plot the most efficient intercept courses and seek out vulnerable areas of the target aerospace craft.
The latest models of interceptor missiles deployed by the Tau make use of upgraded engines that give them phenomenal range, and these missiles have also been observed adapted to ground-launched platforms as a ground based air defence weapon.
Each interceptor missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Interceptor Missile Unlimited 9 2 Heavy 1, One-shot
Special Rules
Interceptor missile hits against Flyers are resolved as ordnance weapons, rolling 2 dice and choosing the highest for armour penetration. They also have the Titan-Killer special rule against Super-heavy or War Machine Flyers. Note these bonuses are only applicable to Flyers, interceptor missiles have no special benefits against ground targets (including ground based War Machines).
Interceptor missiles MUST be used with an Anti-Aircraft mount purchased separately for the vehicle, unless they are carried by a Flyer with the Fighter Intercept special rule.
SUBMUNITION MISSILE 50/45pts
Submunition missiles were first developed in the aftermath of the Damocles Gulf Crusade as a result of the need for an effective response to both the human wave tactics employed by the Imperial Guard and the numerous Ork warbands probing the Tau Empire's coreward borders following the Imperial retreat. Initial studies into heavy anti-personnel ordnance considered a large unitary high-explosive warhead similar to the Imperial earthshaker shell, but ultimately concluded that a more effective solution was a large cluster payload of smart missile submunitions.
The weapon proved devastating against the large masses of Orks it was first used against and quickly became a staple long-range bombardment weapon employed by the Fire Caste. In recent times it has been observed deployed on an increasing number of different platforms.
Each submunition missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Submunition Missile Unlimited 5 5 Heavy 1, Pinning, One-shot
Special Rules
Submunition missiles that successfully hit will infilct 4D6 Strength 5 AP5 hits. Units suffering casualties from a submunition missile strike must check for pinning. Submunition missiles count as Primary Vehicle Weapons despite being Strength 5.
TRACER MISSILE (Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles only) 60/55 pts
Tracer missiles are the largest guided missile weapons employed by the Tau in planetary battles. In space they are deployed as part of the point-defence grid on starships and used to shoot down incoming torpedoes and attack craft. In ground warfare they are used for extreme range deep strikes against hardened installations and war machines as well as long-range air defence against high altitude and super-heavy aerospace craft.
Tracer missiles were among the first weapons the Tau used to counter super-heavy platforms like Ork Gargants alongside Manta missile destroyers. During the Damocles Gulf Crusade they were used with deadly effect to ambush Imperial Titan formations and armour concentrations during the invasion of Dal'yth. Most recently the Tau have begun employing them in much greater numbers on a wide range of ground-based platforms as an economical counter to opposing war machines when Air Caste support is unavailable.
Only Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles can be armed with Tracer Missiles. Each tracer missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Tracer Missile Unlimited 10 1 Heavy 1, One-shot, Titan Killer
ORDNANCE DISPENSER (Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles only) 100 pts
In the wake of the Damocles Gulf Crusade the Tau worked to expand their array of super-heavy class weaponry to better counter the war machines employed by the Imperium. The result was the Ordnance dispenser, originally developed for the Scorpionfish super-heavy gunship. The Ordnance dispenser is a massive weapon module housing storage and multiple launch systems for a full range of guided missiles ranging from seeker missiles to the massive tracer missiles. This array of missile systems allows units equipped with an ordnance dispenser to provide flexible fire support at long range to front-line hunter cadres.
The weapon system has proven very effective in larger engagements and has since begun being adapted to more platforms besides the Scorpionfish. Its only weakness is that the massive stockpile of missiles stored for sustained fire is vulnerable to catastrophic detonation in the event the platform mounting it suffers critical damage, with even the Tau's advanced safety systems struggling to contain the blast. Earth Caste engineers are still searching for a solution to this problem.
Only Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles can be armed with an ordnance dispenser. A Tau War Machine or Immobile vehicle may only be equipped with a single ordnance dispenser, battle matrix or field hangar.
Special Rules
Each turn a vehicle with an ordnance dispenser can use it to launch one of the following types of missile strike. Declare which missile type is being launched before resolving the shooting attack. Only a single missile type can be fired each turn, but in the unlikely event there are multiple vehicles with ordnance dispensers on the table then each may fire a different missile type if desired.
The missiles available for launch are:
- D6+2 Seeker Missiles. Each seeker missile must be guided by a separate markerlight. If there are not enough markerlight hits to guide every seeker missile rolled then the surplus missiles are wasted and have no effect.
- 2 Hunter Missiles. Note that these are not twin-linked and fire separately. Both missiles may be fired using active guidance, but only on a target in line of sight, this is an exception to the normal guided missile rules. If the War Machine or Immobile vehicle is equipped with a target lock, each missile may be fired at a separate target, otherwise both missiles count as a single weapon for the purposes of War Machine targeting.
- 2 Submunition Missiles Note that these are not twin-linked and fire separately. Both missiles may be fired using active guidance, but only on a target in line of sight, this is an exception to the normal guided missile rules. If the War Machine or Immobile vehicle is equipped with a target lock, each missile may be fired at a separate otherwise both missiles count as a single weapon for the purposes of War Machine targeting.
- 1 Tracer Missile
A War Machine equipped with an ordnance dispenser will suffer a Huge Explosion result on any Catastrophic Damage result other than a 1. An Immobile vehicle equipped with an ordnance dispenser will suffer a Vehicle Annihilated damage result on any penetrating hit with a damage roll greater than 1, even if it was not hit with an ordnance weapon.
NEW VEHICLE SPECIAL OPTIONS
PULSE ACCELERATOR 10 pts per weapon
Recent Earth Caste research into applied gravitonics and plasma pulse physics culminated in the development of the Pulse Accelerator, a device that greatly enhances the range of pulse weapons fired within its gravitational accelerator field. Early uses on a drone platform in an infantry support role ultimately proved to be an unsuccessful dead end, but the technology has since been repurposed as an effective upgrade for vehicle weapon systems.
The pulse accelerator adds +12" to the range of a single pulse rifle, pulse carbine, burst cannon and ER burst cannon mounted on the vehicle. This bonus is cumulative with the long-barreled weapon upgrade. Each pulse rifle, pulse carbine, burst cannon and ER burst cannon mounted on the vehicle must be given a separate pulse accelerator if you wish to enhance its range this way. Twin-linked pulse weapons count as a single weapon for pulse accelerator enhancement.
TAU ENGINEERING SUITE (Tau non-Immobile ground vehicles only) 20 pts
Engineering machines are a common sight in the 41st Millennium, and the Tau make extensive use of their own high-tech engineering vehicles equipped with a range of grav-ploughs, lifting cranes and remote engineering drones. Tau engineering vehicles are frequently used after the battle to remove mines and unexploded munitions from civilian areas after the fighting has ended.
Flyers and Immobile vehicles may not be equipped with a Tau Engineering Suite. A vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite may not be equipped with the Gun Drone vehicle upgrade from Codex: Tau. Vehicles with a Tau Engineering Suite must be appropriately modeled with engineering equipment on board.
A vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite that begins its shooting phase in contact with a section of tank traps, razor wire or barricades, or a minefield, may remove that fortification instead of shooting.
Alternatively, a vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite that begins its shooting phase in open ground may construct a new section of barricades at its position instead of shooting. This new section must have at least one point in contact with the vehicle, but can otherwise be placed in any location facing any orientation. From then on the section of barricades will function as normal, providing cover saves to troops sheltering behind it
In addition, a vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite is equipped with two Engineering Drones. These drones normally assist in the construction and dismantling of fortifications, but they are also programmed and equipped to disarm and dismantle dangerous explosives. Engineering Drones can be used to disarm traps purchased as army support (for example by Feral Ork Trappas) and booby traps from Hidden Setup markers, as well as booby-trapped buildings and command detonated mines in Cityfight games.
To do so, select one booby trap or similar device within 6" of the vehicle at the start of the shooting phase and then detach and move the two Engineering Drones to it. Then roll a D6. On a 2+ the device is successfully disarmed and removed from play without incident. On a 1 a dangerous mistake triggers the device prematurely, removing both the device and one of the Engineering Drones. Subsequent disarming attempts will only be successful on a D6 roll of 4+. Note the device is always removed even if a drone is destroyed in the process.
After the device is removed the drones - or drone if only one remains - will automatically return and dock with the vehicle. This is an exception to the normal rules around detached drone units.
In games with Jungle Fighting rules a vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite may be used to prevent any booby traps going off in one section of the table (see Codex: Catachans for more details). To do so it must spend that turn within the designated table section and may not fire any weapons in the shooting phase.
DRONE RACK - SKIMMER (Tau Ground Vehicles only) 10 pts + 12 per Gun Drone
As well as being a common feature of Tau aircraft, internal transport racks for gun drones have recently begun appearing on Tau grav-tanks as well, most notably in the Tau intervention on Kronus. It appears the concept of ground-based drone transports is still undergoing initial field trials.
A Tau ground vehicle can carry one squadron of Gun Drones in its drone rack. Vehicles with structure points may carry an additional drone rack for each structure point they have. This is in addition to any Gun Drones purchased as a vehicle upgrade per Codex: Tau. For each access point the vehicle has a single squadron of Gun Drones may be deployed in the movement phase as per the rules for models disembarking a transport. Gun Drones may not move after deploying in the movement phase but may use their jetpacks in the assault phase.
STEALTH FIELD 100% pts
The advanced cloaking technology employed by Tau stealth battlesuits has long been one of the most feared elements of the Tau military, using sophisticated energy fields to bend radiation wavelengths around the cloaking device to render the user invisible. Recently the Tau have begun experimenting with applying the technology to vehicle platforms, and while their initial attempts at employing stealth fields on mechanised combat walkers have proven impractical, there are unconfirmed reports of Tau skimmers and grav-tanks making use of the technology.
A Tau vehicle may be equipped with a stealth field for an additional 100% of its total points cost. In practice this means that a Tau vehicle with a stealth field will always cost twice as much as if it was not equipped with one. Opposing models shooting at a Tau vehicle with a stealth field count as if firing at night and must rull to check their spotting distance per the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook. If the vehicle is not within spotting range the unit misses its chance to fire while searching for a target and may not choose to fire at a different target. If firing at a vehicle with a Stealth Field while the Night Fighting rules are in effect, the rolled spotting distance is halved.
DEFLECTOR SHIELD (Tau War Machines only) 150 pts
Some of the largest Tau combat vehicles are equipped with an advanced all-aspect deflector shield. These are scaled up versions of the shield generators commonly found on battlesuits and Shield Drones, and work to deflect incoming fire away from the vehicle rather than absorbing and dissipating the hit like conventional energy fields. This makes them much more efficient than conventional void shields.
Only Tau War Machines may be equipped with a Deflector Shield. The Deflector Shield provides a 4+ Invulnerable save against all hits.
BATTLE MATRIX (Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles only) 100 pts
The Tau are aware that as their empire expands the need to fight large scale engagements increases, and this in turn requires them to be better able to manage larger scale battles. To this end the Earth Caste has developed a new range of integrated command and control systems. The crown jewel of this initiative is the battle matrix. Integrated into a state of the art command centre, the Battle Matrix features an advanced sensors manager and unsurpassed data fusion along with highly-encrypted communication links and allows a Shas'O to control an entire multi-cadre battlegroup with optimal efficiency.
Only Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles may be equipped with a Battle Matrix. A Tau War Machine or Immobile vehicle may only be equipped with a single Ordnance Dispenser, Battle Matrix or Field Hangar.
The Battle Matrix's superior command and control systems provide the following benefits to a Tau army:
Positional Relay: The Positional Relay may be used at the start of the Tau turn to allow D3 units to arrive from Reserves on a D6 roll of 2+ regardless of turn number.
Command And Control Node: This sophisticated AI assisted transmission system allows either all Tau units within 24" or a single other Tau unit on the table to count their Leadership as 10 for all Leadership tests that turn. Declare which mode is being used at the start of the turn.
Battle Manager: The Battle Manager increases the Strategy Rating of the Tau army by 1. In the unlikely event that multiple Battle Matrixes are present in the Tau army, this bonus is cumulative to a maximum Strategy Rating of 3. In addition, the long-range sensors manager allows the Tau player to choose which deployment zone to use. If the opposing army also has an ability to choose which deployment zone to use, then the effects cancel each other out and both players roll off for deployment as usual.
The Battle Matrix counts as a weapon for vehicle damage results. If the Battle Matrix is destroyed the Positional Relay and Command And Control Node may not be used for the rest of the game.
FIELD HANGAR (Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles only) 100 pts
A recent innovation to support hunter cadres on the front lines, the Field Hangar is a self-contained docking and repair bay for Tau battlesuits small enough to be fitted to battlefield-level platforms. By deploying Field Hangars close to the conflict zone the combat effectiveness of battlesuit units is greatly enhanced.
Only Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles may be equipped with a Field Hangar. A Tau War Machine or Immobile vehicle may only be equipped with a single Ordnance Dispenser, Battle Matrix or Field Hangar.
A Field Hangar can accommodate up to three XV8 Crisis Battlesuits or XV88 Broadside Battlesuits, as well as any drones attached to them. Battlesuit Teams may enter or exit the Field Hangar using the normal rules for embarking and disembarking from transports. For each turn a Battlesuit model spends inside the Field Hangar it may recover 1 lost wound or 1 lost drone attachment. A Battlesuit model may not gain more attached drones than it started with in this manner.
A Field Hangar is not the same as the Transport Vehicle special option and does not allow a vehicle to transport troops besides Crisis and Broadside Battlesuits.
This compilation has been almost a decade in the making. It started life as a plan to put together some rules for some simple vehicle conversions I had planned for the near future of 2016, in the context of 6th edition 40k. Then when I updated to 3.5 edition Warhammer 40,000, 4th edition Warhammer 40,000 and finally 2004hammer, it turned into porting those concepts over to the 2004hammer rules and then expanded into bringing over some of the Tau vehicles from Epic.
Of course, this was all before I had access to the VDR rules published in Chapter Approved, which I desperately wanted to try and keep things as close to the GW rules as possible. When I finally got hold of Chapter Approved 2004 and the Tau VDR rules contained in them however, I could not help but feel a little disappointed. Rather than the sprawling appendix of extra cool Tau specific customisation options I had imagined them to be, it turned out that the Tau addon was a single page of extra rules that even now years later feels somewhat phoned in.
Worse still, was that Forgeworld had since produced a range of extra Tau vehicle weapons that were not included in these vehicle design rules, leaving Tau players out in the cold if they wanted to make more use of fusion cannons and plasma cannons.
In response, and inspired by Jonathan E's own Necron Vehicle expansion showcased on Classichammer a year or so back, I decided to take my own work on custom Tau vehicles, add in the Forgeworld weapon options, and throw in a couple of extra bits and bobs I came up with more recently to create an expansion on the Tau vehicle design rules to give Tau players some more evocative and thematic options for creating their own vehicle designs.
The following expansion is split into two sections. The first is a list of new weapon and equipment options for Tau vehicles that can be used for creating new vehicle units based on kitbashed or converted models. The second is a list of new Tau vehicles created to showcase some of these new rules.
Now let's get started. For the Greater Good!
Dynamic Progress - Expanded Tau Vehicle Design Rules in Warhammer 40,000
A constant feature of Tau expansion has been their continued technological development. Earth Caste scientists and engineers have developed a wide range of sophisticated equipment to better work towards the greater good in both civilian and military applications. Imperial troops have already become all too familiar with the deadly new rail rifles being issued to Tau infantry units, but the recent wave of Tau expansion and colonisation missions during the 13th Black Crusade have also exhibited the use of a range of heavier weapons and equipment newly introduced to the Fire and Air Castes.
The following rules are to be considered a supplement to the Tau Vehicle Design Rules published in Chapter Approved 2004. The Chapter Approved Tau Vehicle Design Rules still apply in full except where superseded by these rules.
Tau Weapon Costs
Weapon BS4 BS3
Flamer +10 +10
Burst Cannon +10 +5
Missile Pod +35 +30
Plasma Rifle +20 +15
Fusion Blaster +15 +10
Railgun (with Submunitions) +55 +45
Railgun (without Submunitions) +45 +35
Smart Missile System +25 +20
Pulse Rifle +7 +7
Pulse Carbine +7 +7
Ion Cannon +40 +35
ER Burst Cannon +25 +20
Missile Pods +35 +30
Fusion Cannon +35 +30
Plasma Cannon +40 +35
Seeker Missile +15 +15
Thermobaric Seeker Missile +20 +20
Hypersonic Seeker Missile +30 +30
High-yield Seeker Missile (Flyers Only) +30 +30
Hunter Missile +45 +40
Interceptor Missile +50 +45
Submunition Missile +50 +45
Tracer Missile (War Machines Only) +60 +55
Markerlight +20 +15
Ordnance Dispenser (War Machines Only) +100 +100
Tau Special Options Costs
Upgrade Cost Increase
Landing Gear +5
Escape Pods (Flyers Only) +20
Drone Rack (Flyer) +10/+12
Pulse Accelerator +10/weapon
Tau Engineering Suite (ground only) +20
Drone Rack (Skimmer) +10/+12
Stealth Field +100%
Deflector Shield (War Machines Only) +100
Battle Matrix (War Machines Only) +100
Field Hangar (War Machines Only) +100
NEW VEHICLE WEAPONS
New Weapons Summary
Name Range Strength AP Type Notes
ER Burst Cannon 36" 6 4 Assault 3
Missile Pods 36" 7 4 Assault 4
Fusion Cannon 24" 8 1 Heavy 1, Blast Melta Weapon
Plasma Cannon 48" 7 2 Heavy 2 Does not overheat
Therm. Seeker Missile Unlimited 6 4 Heavy 1, Blast, One-shot Thermobaric, Seeker missile
Hyp. Seeker Missile Unlimited 8 3 Heavy 1, One-shot Hypersonic, Seeker missile
HY Seeker Missile Unlimited 8 3 Heavy 1, Blast, One-Shot Seeker missile
Hunter Missile Unlimited 9 2 Heavy 1, One-shot Guided missile
Interceptor Missile Unlimited 9 2 Heavy 1, One-shot Interceptor, Guided missile
Submunition Missile Unlimited 5 5 Heavy 1, Pinning. One-shot Submunition, Guided missile
Tracer Missile Unlimited 10 1 Heavy 1, One-shot Titan Killer, Guided missile
Markerlight 36" N/A N/A Heavy 1
Ordnance Dispenser Unlimited Varies Varies N/A Ordnance Dispenser
ER BURST CANNON, MISSILE PODS, FUSION CANNON, PLASMA CANNON Points Varies
Early Hammerhead Gunship models were armed with large-scale extended range burst cannons and missile pods fitted in a twin-linked turret mount. Though the Tau Fire Caste has long since retired these Hammerhead variants from active service in favour of newer models sporting the more familiar railgun and ion cannon, they can still occasionally be found in rear echelon security garrisons on smaller and more isolated colonies. They have also been exported in large quantities to minor alien powers allied to the Tau Empire and are common sight among Gue'vessa armies. Many of the burst cannon and missile pod systems were also salvaged and repurposed for use on other vehicles.
More recently the Tau have begun deploying gunships armed with fusion cannons and plasma cannons, often using the old twin-linked turret mounts These grav-tanks were first encountered by the Imperium during the Taros War, and their weapons have since been seen elsewhere, often equipping newer specialised Tau vehicles.
These are all larger scaled versions of battlesuit weapons adapted as heavy vehicle armaments. Refer to Imperial Armour for more details.
MARKERLIGHT 20/15 pts
Markerlight target designators are a common feature of Tau infantry teams, but are also found on certain support vehicles as well.
The vehicle markerlight functions exactly as the infantry carried device does. Refer to Codex: Tau for more details.
SEEKER MISSILE WEAPONS
Any model equipped with a markerlight may request a single seeker missile to be launched if they score a hit on the desired target with their markerlight Any number of seeker missiles may be launched in a single turn, although each needs to be guided by a separate markerlight. Each missile is a one-shot weapon.
The missiles do not need a line of sight from the vehicle they are mounted on to the target, and they hit on a 2+. The missile is assumed to move in a straight line between the model carrying the missile and the target itself for the purposes of deciding whether the shot strikes the front, side or rear. The target may normally count the benefits of cover they are in or immediately behind.
The vehicle carrying the seeker missiles has no control over them and cannot launch them itself unless it is equipped with its own markerlights. The mechanism is remote and responds only to markerlight users.
THERMOBARIC SEEKER MISSILE 20 pts
These lethal munitions were developed by the Tau for use in urban warfare and attacking heavy fortifications. Guided by an independent markerlight operator, they allow bunkers and strongpoints to be attacked and cleared from a safe distance without resorting to costly and dirty close assaults. The thermobaric warhead releases a cloud of highly explosive fuel vapour over the target, which mixes with oxygen in the air before detonating with a massive high-energy shockwave. The concussive overpressure of the explosion is particularly deadly in confined spaces like caves, bunkers and buildings.
Each Thermobaric Seeker Missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Thermobaric Seeker Missile Unlimited 6 4 Heavy 1, Blast, One-shot
Special Rules
If a Thermobaric Seeker Missile hits successfully, place the small blast template over the target as per the normal rules for blast weapons. Models hit may not count any benefits of cover. Against bunkers a successful missile hit will automatically hit all models inside the bunker in the same manner as a flamer. Roll to wound as normal.
In Cityfight games successful Thermobaric Seeker Missile hits inflict D6 hits in the same way as ordnance weapons, though they are not ordnance weapons themselves and gain no other ordnance weapon benefits. No cover saves can be made against them.
HYPERSONIC SEEKER MISSILE 30 pts
The latest variant of Tau seeker missile technology is the hypersonic model, specially designed for attacking hardened targets. These missiles use a combination of sophisticated aerodynamics and booster rockets to accelerate to hypersonic speeds, supplementing their explosive warhead with immense kinetic energy when they slam into the target. They have quickly earned a frightening reputation amongst Imperial troops who have encountered them in battle, earning the nickname 'Destroyer Missiles' among Imperial Guardsmen on the Eastern Fringe.
Each Hypersonic Seeker Missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Hypersonic Seeker Missile Unlimited 8 3 Heavy 1, One-shot
Special Rules
Hypersonic seeker missile hits against vehicles and bunkers are resolved as ordnance weapons, rolling two dice and choosing the highest for armour penetration and rolling on the ordnance vehicle damage table. They are not true ordnance weapons however and so gain no other penalties or advantages ordnance weapons normally enjoy (so no template, no pinning modifiers etc.).
HIGH-YIELD SEEKER MISSILE (Tau Flyers only) 30 pts
High-yield seeker missiles are a heavier and more advanced variant of seeker missile carried on Tau aircraft. They are used for ground attack missions to deliver precision strikes on large targets or troop concentrations and are guided by friendly markerlight operators on the ground.
A Tau Flyer may carry high-yield seeker missiles instead of conventional seeker missiles. Each missile must be purchased separately.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
High-yield Seeker Missile Unlimited 8 3 Heavy 1, Blast, One-shot
Special Rules
High-yeld seeker missiles use the small blast template. If the missile hits successfully place the small blast template over the target as per the rules for blast weapons.
GUIDED MISSILES
Larger Tau vehicles often carry long-range missiles that are of a class far larger and heavier than regular seeker missiles. These weapons carry sophisticated autonomous guidance systems far more advanced and expensive than the more common markerlight-homing systems used on smaller seeker missiles, allowing them to be launched at targets independently of a markerlight designator. Such weapons are referred to here as Guided Missiles.
A Guided Missile can be fired in one of two ways. The first is using markerlight guidance, in which case the missile follows all the normal rules for Seeker missiles. Guided Missiles used this way do not require line of sight to the target and always hit on a 2+. Any number of Guided Missiles may be launched from a vehicle this way in a single turn, though each one must be guided by a separate markerlight hit.
Alternatively, Guided Missiles can lock onto a target with their own active guidance systems. Guided Missiles fired this way do NOT require a markerlight hit to target a unit, but MUST have line of sight to the target. Guided Missiles using active guidance hit using the Ballistic Skill of the vehicle carrying them. A Tau vehicle may launch a single Guided Missile each turn this way subject to normal shooting restrictions.
Regardless of which guidance method is used, each Guided Missile is a single-shot weapon.
HUNTER MISSILE 45/40 pts
Hunter missiles have been a common medium-range battlefield support weapon in Tau armies since before the Damocles Gulf Crusade. The bigger brother to the more common seeker missile, hunter missiles are essentially the same design as the seeker missile on a larger scale. Recently the Tau have upgraded their stocks of hunter missiles with advanced guidance seekers originally employed on air-launched interceptor missiles.
Each hunter missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Hunter Missile Unlimited 9 2 Heavy 1, one-shot
INTERCEPTOR MISSILE 50/45 pts
The interceptor missile started life as a variant of the hunter missile modified for use on aerospace platforms as a ship-to-ship weapon for aerospace superiority fighters. Since guidance from an independent markerlight designator was extremely impractical for aerospace dogfights, the interceptor missile was fitted with an advanced onboard active homing guidance mechanism that has since become standard to all heavy long-range support missiles used by the Tau. The interceptor missile itself features a specialised warhead designed to inflict maximum damage on opposing aerospace craft and its onboard guidance computer is programmed to plot the most efficient intercept courses and seek out vulnerable areas of the target aerospace craft.
The latest models of interceptor missiles deployed by the Tau make use of upgraded engines that give them phenomenal range, and these missiles have also been observed adapted to ground-launched platforms as a ground based air defence weapon.
Each interceptor missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Interceptor Missile Unlimited 9 2 Heavy 1, One-shot
Special Rules
Interceptor missile hits against Flyers are resolved as ordnance weapons, rolling 2 dice and choosing the highest for armour penetration. They also have the Titan-Killer special rule against Super-heavy or War Machine Flyers. Note these bonuses are only applicable to Flyers, interceptor missiles have no special benefits against ground targets (including ground based War Machines).
Interceptor missiles MUST be used with an Anti-Aircraft mount purchased separately for the vehicle, unless they are carried by a Flyer with the Fighter Intercept special rule.
SUBMUNITION MISSILE 50/45pts
Submunition missiles were first developed in the aftermath of the Damocles Gulf Crusade as a result of the need for an effective response to both the human wave tactics employed by the Imperial Guard and the numerous Ork warbands probing the Tau Empire's coreward borders following the Imperial retreat. Initial studies into heavy anti-personnel ordnance considered a large unitary high-explosive warhead similar to the Imperial earthshaker shell, but ultimately concluded that a more effective solution was a large cluster payload of smart missile submunitions.
The weapon proved devastating against the large masses of Orks it was first used against and quickly became a staple long-range bombardment weapon employed by the Fire Caste. In recent times it has been observed deployed on an increasing number of different platforms.
Each submunition missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Submunition Missile Unlimited 5 5 Heavy 1, Pinning, One-shot
Special Rules
Submunition missiles that successfully hit will infilct 4D6 Strength 5 AP5 hits. Units suffering casualties from a submunition missile strike must check for pinning. Submunition missiles count as Primary Vehicle Weapons despite being Strength 5.
TRACER MISSILE (Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles only) 60/55 pts
Tracer missiles are the largest guided missile weapons employed by the Tau in planetary battles. In space they are deployed as part of the point-defence grid on starships and used to shoot down incoming torpedoes and attack craft. In ground warfare they are used for extreme range deep strikes against hardened installations and war machines as well as long-range air defence against high altitude and super-heavy aerospace craft.
Tracer missiles were among the first weapons the Tau used to counter super-heavy platforms like Ork Gargants alongside Manta missile destroyers. During the Damocles Gulf Crusade they were used with deadly effect to ambush Imperial Titan formations and armour concentrations during the invasion of Dal'yth. Most recently the Tau have begun employing them in much greater numbers on a wide range of ground-based platforms as an economical counter to opposing war machines when Air Caste support is unavailable.
Only Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles can be armed with Tracer Missiles. Each tracer missile carried by a vehicle must be purchased separately and modeled on the vehicle.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Tracer Missile Unlimited 10 1 Heavy 1, One-shot, Titan Killer
ORDNANCE DISPENSER (Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles only) 100 pts
In the wake of the Damocles Gulf Crusade the Tau worked to expand their array of super-heavy class weaponry to better counter the war machines employed by the Imperium. The result was the Ordnance dispenser, originally developed for the Scorpionfish super-heavy gunship. The Ordnance dispenser is a massive weapon module housing storage and multiple launch systems for a full range of guided missiles ranging from seeker missiles to the massive tracer missiles. This array of missile systems allows units equipped with an ordnance dispenser to provide flexible fire support at long range to front-line hunter cadres.
The weapon system has proven very effective in larger engagements and has since begun being adapted to more platforms besides the Scorpionfish. Its only weakness is that the massive stockpile of missiles stored for sustained fire is vulnerable to catastrophic detonation in the event the platform mounting it suffers critical damage, with even the Tau's advanced safety systems struggling to contain the blast. Earth Caste engineers are still searching for a solution to this problem.
Only Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles can be armed with an ordnance dispenser. A Tau War Machine or Immobile vehicle may only be equipped with a single ordnance dispenser, battle matrix or field hangar.
Special Rules
Each turn a vehicle with an ordnance dispenser can use it to launch one of the following types of missile strike. Declare which missile type is being launched before resolving the shooting attack. Only a single missile type can be fired each turn, but in the unlikely event there are multiple vehicles with ordnance dispensers on the table then each may fire a different missile type if desired.
The missiles available for launch are:
- D6+2 Seeker Missiles. Each seeker missile must be guided by a separate markerlight. If there are not enough markerlight hits to guide every seeker missile rolled then the surplus missiles are wasted and have no effect.
- 2 Hunter Missiles. Note that these are not twin-linked and fire separately. Both missiles may be fired using active guidance, but only on a target in line of sight, this is an exception to the normal guided missile rules. If the War Machine or Immobile vehicle is equipped with a target lock, each missile may be fired at a separate target, otherwise both missiles count as a single weapon for the purposes of War Machine targeting.
- 2 Submunition Missiles Note that these are not twin-linked and fire separately. Both missiles may be fired using active guidance, but only on a target in line of sight, this is an exception to the normal guided missile rules. If the War Machine or Immobile vehicle is equipped with a target lock, each missile may be fired at a separate otherwise both missiles count as a single weapon for the purposes of War Machine targeting.
- 1 Tracer Missile
A War Machine equipped with an ordnance dispenser will suffer a Huge Explosion result on any Catastrophic Damage result other than a 1. An Immobile vehicle equipped with an ordnance dispenser will suffer a Vehicle Annihilated damage result on any penetrating hit with a damage roll greater than 1, even if it was not hit with an ordnance weapon.
NEW VEHICLE SPECIAL OPTIONS
PULSE ACCELERATOR 10 pts per weapon
Recent Earth Caste research into applied gravitonics and plasma pulse physics culminated in the development of the Pulse Accelerator, a device that greatly enhances the range of pulse weapons fired within its gravitational accelerator field. Early uses on a drone platform in an infantry support role ultimately proved to be an unsuccessful dead end, but the technology has since been repurposed as an effective upgrade for vehicle weapon systems.
The pulse accelerator adds +12" to the range of a single pulse rifle, pulse carbine, burst cannon and ER burst cannon mounted on the vehicle. This bonus is cumulative with the long-barreled weapon upgrade. Each pulse rifle, pulse carbine, burst cannon and ER burst cannon mounted on the vehicle must be given a separate pulse accelerator if you wish to enhance its range this way. Twin-linked pulse weapons count as a single weapon for pulse accelerator enhancement.
TAU ENGINEERING SUITE (Tau non-Immobile ground vehicles only) 20 pts
Engineering machines are a common sight in the 41st Millennium, and the Tau make extensive use of their own high-tech engineering vehicles equipped with a range of grav-ploughs, lifting cranes and remote engineering drones. Tau engineering vehicles are frequently used after the battle to remove mines and unexploded munitions from civilian areas after the fighting has ended.
Flyers and Immobile vehicles may not be equipped with a Tau Engineering Suite. A vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite may not be equipped with the Gun Drone vehicle upgrade from Codex: Tau. Vehicles with a Tau Engineering Suite must be appropriately modeled with engineering equipment on board.
A vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite that begins its shooting phase in contact with a section of tank traps, razor wire or barricades, or a minefield, may remove that fortification instead of shooting.
Alternatively, a vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite that begins its shooting phase in open ground may construct a new section of barricades at its position instead of shooting. This new section must have at least one point in contact with the vehicle, but can otherwise be placed in any location facing any orientation. From then on the section of barricades will function as normal, providing cover saves to troops sheltering behind it
In addition, a vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite is equipped with two Engineering Drones. These drones normally assist in the construction and dismantling of fortifications, but they are also programmed and equipped to disarm and dismantle dangerous explosives. Engineering Drones can be used to disarm traps purchased as army support (for example by Feral Ork Trappas) and booby traps from Hidden Setup markers, as well as booby-trapped buildings and command detonated mines in Cityfight games.
To do so, select one booby trap or similar device within 6" of the vehicle at the start of the shooting phase and then detach and move the two Engineering Drones to it. Then roll a D6. On a 2+ the device is successfully disarmed and removed from play without incident. On a 1 a dangerous mistake triggers the device prematurely, removing both the device and one of the Engineering Drones. Subsequent disarming attempts will only be successful on a D6 roll of 4+. Note the device is always removed even if a drone is destroyed in the process.
After the device is removed the drones - or drone if only one remains - will automatically return and dock with the vehicle. This is an exception to the normal rules around detached drone units.
In games with Jungle Fighting rules a vehicle with a Tau Engineering Suite may be used to prevent any booby traps going off in one section of the table (see Codex: Catachans for more details). To do so it must spend that turn within the designated table section and may not fire any weapons in the shooting phase.
DRONE RACK - SKIMMER (Tau Ground Vehicles only) 10 pts + 12 per Gun Drone
As well as being a common feature of Tau aircraft, internal transport racks for gun drones have recently begun appearing on Tau grav-tanks as well, most notably in the Tau intervention on Kronus. It appears the concept of ground-based drone transports is still undergoing initial field trials.
A Tau ground vehicle can carry one squadron of Gun Drones in its drone rack. Vehicles with structure points may carry an additional drone rack for each structure point they have. This is in addition to any Gun Drones purchased as a vehicle upgrade per Codex: Tau. For each access point the vehicle has a single squadron of Gun Drones may be deployed in the movement phase as per the rules for models disembarking a transport. Gun Drones may not move after deploying in the movement phase but may use their jetpacks in the assault phase.
STEALTH FIELD 100% pts
The advanced cloaking technology employed by Tau stealth battlesuits has long been one of the most feared elements of the Tau military, using sophisticated energy fields to bend radiation wavelengths around the cloaking device to render the user invisible. Recently the Tau have begun experimenting with applying the technology to vehicle platforms, and while their initial attempts at employing stealth fields on mechanised combat walkers have proven impractical, there are unconfirmed reports of Tau skimmers and grav-tanks making use of the technology.
A Tau vehicle may be equipped with a stealth field for an additional 100% of its total points cost. In practice this means that a Tau vehicle with a stealth field will always cost twice as much as if it was not equipped with one. Opposing models shooting at a Tau vehicle with a stealth field count as if firing at night and must rull to check their spotting distance per the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook. If the vehicle is not within spotting range the unit misses its chance to fire while searching for a target and may not choose to fire at a different target. If firing at a vehicle with a Stealth Field while the Night Fighting rules are in effect, the rolled spotting distance is halved.
DEFLECTOR SHIELD (Tau War Machines only) 150 pts
Some of the largest Tau combat vehicles are equipped with an advanced all-aspect deflector shield. These are scaled up versions of the shield generators commonly found on battlesuits and Shield Drones, and work to deflect incoming fire away from the vehicle rather than absorbing and dissipating the hit like conventional energy fields. This makes them much more efficient than conventional void shields.
Only Tau War Machines may be equipped with a Deflector Shield. The Deflector Shield provides a 4+ Invulnerable save against all hits.
BATTLE MATRIX (Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles only) 100 pts
The Tau are aware that as their empire expands the need to fight large scale engagements increases, and this in turn requires them to be better able to manage larger scale battles. To this end the Earth Caste has developed a new range of integrated command and control systems. The crown jewel of this initiative is the battle matrix. Integrated into a state of the art command centre, the Battle Matrix features an advanced sensors manager and unsurpassed data fusion along with highly-encrypted communication links and allows a Shas'O to control an entire multi-cadre battlegroup with optimal efficiency.
Only Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles may be equipped with a Battle Matrix. A Tau War Machine or Immobile vehicle may only be equipped with a single Ordnance Dispenser, Battle Matrix or Field Hangar.
The Battle Matrix's superior command and control systems provide the following benefits to a Tau army:
Positional Relay: The Positional Relay may be used at the start of the Tau turn to allow D3 units to arrive from Reserves on a D6 roll of 2+ regardless of turn number.
Command And Control Node: This sophisticated AI assisted transmission system allows either all Tau units within 24" or a single other Tau unit on the table to count their Leadership as 10 for all Leadership tests that turn. Declare which mode is being used at the start of the turn.
Battle Manager: The Battle Manager increases the Strategy Rating of the Tau army by 1. In the unlikely event that multiple Battle Matrixes are present in the Tau army, this bonus is cumulative to a maximum Strategy Rating of 3. In addition, the long-range sensors manager allows the Tau player to choose which deployment zone to use. If the opposing army also has an ability to choose which deployment zone to use, then the effects cancel each other out and both players roll off for deployment as usual.
The Battle Matrix counts as a weapon for vehicle damage results. If the Battle Matrix is destroyed the Positional Relay and Command And Control Node may not be used for the rest of the game.
FIELD HANGAR (Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles only) 100 pts
A recent innovation to support hunter cadres on the front lines, the Field Hangar is a self-contained docking and repair bay for Tau battlesuits small enough to be fitted to battlefield-level platforms. By deploying Field Hangars close to the conflict zone the combat effectiveness of battlesuit units is greatly enhanced.
Only Tau War Machines and Immobile vehicles may be equipped with a Field Hangar. A Tau War Machine or Immobile vehicle may only be equipped with a single Ordnance Dispenser, Battle Matrix or Field Hangar.
A Field Hangar can accommodate up to three XV8 Crisis Battlesuits or XV88 Broadside Battlesuits, as well as any drones attached to them. Battlesuit Teams may enter or exit the Field Hangar using the normal rules for embarking and disembarking from transports. For each turn a Battlesuit model spends inside the Field Hangar it may recover 1 lost wound or 1 lost drone attachment. A Battlesuit model may not gain more attached drones than it started with in this manner.
A Field Hangar is not the same as the Transport Vehicle special option and does not allow a vehicle to transport troops besides Crisis and Broadside Battlesuits.
Last edited by Kakapo42 on Mon Sep 04, 2023 9:03 am, edited 6 times in total.
Please stop calling it "Middlehammer"
Re: Kakapo Approved
Welcome back to another instalment of this ongoing feature for new gaming content in 2004hammer and 3rd and 4th edition Warhammer 40,000. Last time we introduced a set of expanded Vehicle Design Rules for Tau. Now, in the second of this two-part series, Kakapo42 dons his thickest blue-purple plastic rimmed glasses to give us a range of new Tau vehicles to showcase some of the possibilities of these exciting new rules.
As mentioned last time, the new Tau VDR expansion was planned to be in two parts, which is just as well because it ended up being too large to publish all at once! Here then is the second part of the feature, a range of new Tau vehicles to use in Warhammer 40,000 created using the expanded Tau VDR system. Keen eyed readers will no doubt recognise a fair few of them from Epic (and even one from Battlefleet Gothic!), but there are also a couple of brand new original additions to the Tau motor pool to be found.
NEW VEHICLE DATAFAXES
Angelfish Point Defence Gunship
The Angelfish is a relatively recent addition to the Tau air defence arsenal. Combat experience against the encroaching Tyranid splinter fleets on the Tau empire's rimward border has revealed that the Tau air defence network is vulnerable to swarms of small light aerial threats. Adversaries like Tyranid Gargoyles are small enough that using a full air defence missile on them is a waste, but at the same time their airborne nature necessitates the use of an anti-air weapon system.
The Angelfish is the solution to this problem, carrying a battery of burst cannons in a fast-tracking turret to quickly eliminate swathes of small aerial targets, and using newly developed pulse accelerator technology to boos the effective range of the burst cannons to provide a respectable umbrella of protection for Tau ground troops.
The Angelfish is employed on the battlefield as a counterpart and supplement to the more widely known Skyray Missile Defence Gunship. The Angelfish provides fast responding short-range defence against smaller aerial targets like jetbikes and low-flying fighter craft, freeing up the Skyray to focus its powerful but limited missiles on heavier targets at longer ranges. Needless to say the Angelfish can also turn its weapons on ground targets for a potent anti-personnel defence.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Angelfish 165 13 12 10 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Angelfish is armed with two twin-linked burst cannon in a turret, each with an AA Mount and Pulse Accelerator It is also equipped with a secondary weapon system.
The secondary weapon system is either a pair of burst cannons at +10 points or a smart missile system at +20 points. Note that the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The Angelfish is equipped with two pulse accelerators for its turret-mounted burst cannons and landing gear.
Options: The Angelfish may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury.
Heavy Support: The Angelfish is a Heavy Support choice for Tau armies.
Sawfish Engineering Support Vehicle
The origins of the Sawfish Engineering Support Vehicle lie in the Tau intervention on Kaneph Prime, where Tau forces found themselves drawn into a protracted conflict around the planet's heavily fortified capital city. Faced with stubborn resistance from entrenched Imperial Guard formations supported by Space Marines of the Imperial Fists chapter, the Tau had begun to suffer heavy losses. In desperation, the Tau commander Shas'O'T'au Da'Anuk ordered forward the fusion cannon armed Hammerheads held in his reserve forces to directly attack the Imperial strongpoints at close range. The gambit payed off, with the fusion cannon's short range proving no real hinderance when attacking stationary fortifications that could not move away under the cover of longer ranged supporting fire, and while several of the gunships were downed in the process the Tau began to open up holes in the Imperial defence line.
As the campaign continued Tau cadres began to make improvised modifications to their fusion cannon armed Hammerheads, fitting them with engineering equipment and additional armour to help in their mission. These additions also proved effective, and soon allowed the Tau to stage a decisive breakthrough and rout the Imperial Garrison. Imperial troops withdrew from the capital shortly after and the planet quickly capitulated.
Following the Tau victory on Kaneph Prime the Earth Caste, at the suggestion of O'Da'Anuk and the Shas'ar'tol, compiled battlefield data on the various improvised engineering configurations used on the Hammerheads and worked with Fire Caste commanders including Shas'O Da'Anuk himself to produce a new dedicated combat engineering platform based on the Hammerhead gunship. The resulting vehicle, dubbed the Sawfish by Imperial authorities, marries the armour protection and fusion cannon armament of the Hammerhead to a state of the art combat engineering suite, including two dedicated engineering drones.
The Sawfish has since cemented its reputation as an efficient combat engineering vehicle. The twin-linked fusion cannon is an excellent demolition gun, while the vehicle's onboard engineering equipment allows it to quickly clear mines and dismantle obstacles or construct new ones as needs dictate, as well as other engineering tasks. Its most iconic role for Fire Caste and local civilians alike, however, has been to support of mine clearing and unexploded ordnance disposal in the aftermath of a conflict, which has endeared it to many peoples inhabiting the Eastern Fringe.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Sawfish 265 13 12 10 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Sawfish is armed with a turret-mounted twin-linked fusion cannon and four thermobaric seeker missiles.
Systems: The Sawfish is always equipped with sensor spines at no extra points cost. It is also equipped with a Tau Engineering Suite and landing gear.
Options: The Sawfish may be equipped with the following vehicle upgrades from the Tau armoury: Targeting Array, Multi-tracker, Blacksun Filter, Target Lock, Flechette Discharger, Disruption Pod, Decoy Launchers. It may not select the sensor spines upgrade again.
Heavy Support: The Sawfish is a Heavy Support choice for Tau armies.
Special Rules
Engineering Vehicle: The Sawfish is equipped with a Tau Engineering Suite. See the vehicle upgrades section for more information.
Siege Armour: At the insistence of Shas'O D'Anuk the armour of the Hammerhead combat platform was not only retained but reinforced on the hull roof and engine pods to ensure the Sawfish had the armour protection needed to survive in urban combat environments. In Cityfight games the Sawfish counts as being equipped with Siege Armour.
Note: This special upgrade option is unique to the Sawfish among Tau vehicles, as Fire Caste Doctrine still restricts the application of reinforced siege armour appliques to only specialised urban warfare platforms.
Lionfish Heavy Gunship
The Lionfish Heavy Gunship has a troubled history. It initially began life as a response to Imperial heavy armoured formations encountered in the Damocles Gulf Crusade, based on the simple expedient of up-gunning existing Hammerhead Gunships with a second primary weapon system by linking an extra primary weapon through twin-hardpoint turrets refitted from older Hammerhead models to produce an economical and simple counter to Imperial super-heavy tanks using entirely off-the-shelf components.
Early results proved promising, but initial production runs revealed a serious flaw: the Hammerhead's standard power core was unable to provide enough energy to power both primary weapons and the gunship's anti-grav motors, requiring power to be re-routed between the grav drives and the second main gun. Unable to fit a higher-output power plant inside the TX-6/7 Universal Combat Platform chassis used by the Hammerhead, this meant that the Lionfish was only able to fire its full arsenal when stationary, and when engaging targets on the move was no more effective than a regular Hammerhead. As Tau military doctrine began to focus more on fast sweeping mobile advances, interest in the Lionfish waned. Production was halted and the vehicles in service were relegated to secondary roles guarding quieter sectors of Tau space.
All this changed with the Tyranid Invasion of Doran'Cha. The Tau relief force sent to the beleaguered colony included several contingents of Lionfish, some assigned due to their close proximity to the system and others dispatched out of necessity for extra firepower and to test every available weapon system against the newly emergent Tyranid threat. During the fighting in and around Doran'Cha's cities the Tau hunter cadres managed to make good use of the heavy gunships by employing them in an ambush role against the larger Tyranid organisms. Placed to cover key approaches, the Lionfish would wait concealed in alleyways or camouflaged on rooftops and powered down, rendering them virtually undetectable, before suddenly powering up when a suitable target came into view and hammering it with a burst of railgun fire before quickly speeding away from harm. With these tactics the Lionfish was able to inflict heavy losses on the attacking Heirodules and Carnifexes. When no larger Tyranid creatures were detected in the area, Lionfish were also used to bombard swarms of smaller Tyranids with submunition shells and strafe Tyranid Warrior broods when fitted with ion cannons.
The successful defence of Doran'Cha led the Shas'ar'tol and the Etheral caste to reconsider the Lionfish and the heavy gunships were brought back into active circulation with modernisations to their sub-systems to bring them in line with the latest Tau vehicles. This in turn kept them in service long enough to see the Tau empire's latest military reforms, and with the termination of the ill-fated heavy battlesuit programs in favour of expanded vehicle deployment production of the Lionfish has been resumed in full to provide Tau forces with a reliable and economical supporting unit against particularly tough adversaries.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Lionfish 100 13 12 10 3(4)
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Lionfish is armed with a primary weapon system and a secondary weapon system.
The primary weapon system is either two ion cannon at +80 points or two railguns at +110 points. The railguns may fire submunition rounds. Note that in both cases the primary weapons are not twin-linked and fire separately.
The secondary weapon system is either a pair of burst cannons at +10 points or a smart missile system at +20 points. Note that the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The Lionfish is always equipped with a targeting array (already added to the BS above) and landing gear.
Options: The Lionfish may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury. It may not select the targeting array again. The Lionfish may also be armed with an additional twin-linked missile pod on an anti-aircraft mount for +70 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Lionfish is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies, though it is not a true War Machine and does not use the War Machine rules.
Stingray Heavy Missile Gunship
The Stingray Heavy Missile Gunship was developed during the Damocles Gulf Crusade as a response to the need for more responsive heavy missile support. The Imperium was the first galactic power encountered by the Tau to use extensive air power, and the Tau quickly realised they would need to supplement their fighter sweeps with a more robust integrated air defence network. At the same time, the large scale formations of heavy armour used by the Imperial army stretched the capabilities of existing Tau missile carriers thin.
Lessons learned were put into the creation of the Stingray, a heavier counterpart to the Skyray with a larger and more diverse missile armament intended to operate on the front-line. While originally armed with an array of hunter missiles and seeker missiles for countering armoured and aerial targets, the introduction of new long-ranged submunition missiles and the need to counter Ork warbands probing the Tau empire's fringes prompted the Earth Caste to integrate this weapon system into the platform as well.
Unfortunately, the considerable mass of the Stingray's multiple missile systems pushed the capacity of the TX-6/7 Universal Combat Platform's limits. Earth Caste engineers were forced to remove the extra armour plating of the Hammerhead chassis variant to manage the weight, leaving the Stingray with only the Devilfish's lighter armour protection, and even then only two heavy missiles could be accommodated on the primary weapons station.
Nonetheless the design was considered acceptable for a support vehicle expected to mostly deliver indirect missile strikes from behind cover, and the Stingray entered service as a complement to the cheaper and more rugged Skyray, covering medium-range high altitude air defence while the Skyray focused on short range defence against low-altitude flyers, and providing missile support against targets too numerous or well-armoured for regular seeker missiles. Recent upgrades have incorporated the ability to launch interceptor missiles as well as an array of new hypersonic seeker missles.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Stingray 450 12 11 10 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Stingray is armed with eight seeker missiles, four hypersonic seeker missiles, two markerlights and a target lock. It is also armed with a primary missile system and a secondary weapon system.
The primary missile system is either two hunter missiles at +80 points, two interceptor missiles at +90 points or two submunition missiles at +90 points.
The secondary weapon system is either a pair of burst cannons at +10 points or a smart missile system at +20 points. Note that the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The Stingray is always equipped with a target lock and landing gear.
Options: The Stingray may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury. It may not select the target lock again.
Superheavy Detachment: The Stingray is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies, though it is not a true War Machine and does not use the War Machine rules.
Special Rules
Networked Markerlights: The Stingray's markerlights are directly networked with its fire control systems in much the same way as the Skyray. The markerlights carried by the Stingray may be used to launch its own missiles, potentially at two different targets using the target lock upgrade.
Torpedo Ray Heavy Missile Gunship
The Torpedo Ray Heavy Missile Gunship is an off-shoot of the Stingray weapons complex. Combat experience with the Stingray began to highlight the vehicle's endurance as a serious shortcoming. While the lighter armour was able to be mitigated with proper tactics, the vehicle could only carry two large missile weapons which necessitated frequent reloads.
A specialised transloader vehicle based on the TX-6/7 Universal Combat Platform was quickly developed and put into service alongside Stingray units to provide them with rapid missile reloads on the front line. This alleviated the endurance problem, but Tau analysts soon concluded that adding an organic fire-control system to the transloader to turn it into a missile gunship in its own right would provide more flexible and responsive missile support. Consequently the transloading equipment was replaced with a gunner's station and fire-control system and the resulting heavy missile gunship was introduced as a supplement to Stingray and Skyray units. The prominent heavy missiles carried by the vehicle has since resulted in it being named the Torpedo Ray by Imperial authorities.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Torpedo Ray 90 12 11 10 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Torpedo Ray is armed with a primary weapon system and a secondary weapon system.
The primary weapon system is either four hunter missiles at +160 points, four interceptor missiles at +180 points of four submunition missiles at +180 points.
The secondary weapon system is either a pair of burst cannons at +10 points or a smart missile system at +20 points. Note that the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The Torpedo Ray is equipped with landing gear.
Options: The Torpedo Ray may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury. The Torpedo Ray may also be upgraded with an anti-aircraft mount for its primary weapon system for for +80 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Torpedo Ray is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies, though it is not a true War Machine and does not use the War Machine rules.
Scorpionfish Superheavy Missile Gunship
Experience with Imperial superheavy tanks during the Damocles Gulf Crusade motivated the Tau to develop their own ground-based war machines as a direct response. Lacking suitable large ground vehicles as a base, the Earth Caste instead repurposed and modified cargo dropship chassis for the purpose, adding heavy weapons and additional armour plating at the cost of reducing their mobility to that of a conventional grav-tank. When early prototypes based on the well-known Orca Dropship chassis proved to have unacceptably poor handling while cruising at ground-level altitudes, Earth Caste engineers took the weapons, fire control and armour technologies from the project and instead integrated them into a popular cargo utility lander design commonly used across the Tau empire.
The resulting vehicle was a major improvement and was accepted into service, being named the Scorpionfish by Imperial authorities. The Scorpionfish has no single main weapon but instead acts as a platform for a number of missile systems, enabling it to engage any type of threat. This kind of flexibility has proven to be a major asset in recent Tau campaigns, and with the termination of the abortive Supremacy Armour project larger numbers of Scorpionfish are now being procured to provide a counter to opposing War Machines when Air Caste support is unavailable.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Scorpionfish 610 13 12 11 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: War Machine Structure Points: 3 Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Scorpionfish is armed with an ordnance dispenser, two smart missile systems, four markerlights and two twin-linked missile pods. Note that each twin-linked missile pods uses the profile for the larger Hammerhead missile pods.
Systems: The Scorpionfish is equipped with landing gear.
Options: The Scorpionfish may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury. The Scorpionfish's markerlights may be upgraded to have anti-aircraft mounts for +40 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Scorpionfish is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies.
Special Rules
Networked Markerlights: The Scorpionfish's markerlights are directly networked with its fire control systems in much the same way as the Skyray. The markerlights carried by the Scorpionfish may be used to launch its own missiles, potentially at two different targets using the target lock upgrade.
Dragonfish Mobile Command Post
The growth of the Tau empire has required the Fire Caste to fight ever larger battles and campaigns using formations larger than the typical hunter cadre, which in turn required new more capable command and control systems. While a Tau commander in a Crisis Suit can manage a single hunter cadre with no trouble at all, and even a small handful of hunter cadres with little difficulty, commanding any larger force with the equipment able to be carried in an XV-8 battlesuit quickly becomes impractical.
To fulfil this task the Tau have introduced the Joac'mol Shas'ar'tol Mobile Command Post, named the Dragonfish by Imperial authorities that have observed it. While original prototypes were based on the Orca chassis, the latest production model is instead built on the same utility cargo lander platform as the Scorpionfish and features a state of the art command and control room with superb data fusion and communication facilities that allow a commander to manage over 12 hunter cadres and all auxiliary troop formations assigned to them with ease. The command centre takes up the bulk of the vehicle's mass, leaving only limited armament for self defence, but some variants of the Dragonfish have been observed with a small array of long-range missiles for providing direct battlefield support.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Dragonfish 565 13 12 11 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: War Machine Structure Points: 3 Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Dragonfish is armed with an ion cannon, two twin-linked burst cannons and four seeker missiles.
Systems: The Dragonfish is equipped with a Battle Matrix and landing gear.
Transport: The Dragonfish can carry up to 9 models. It may carry troops in XV battlesuits. Crisis Suits count as 2 models for transport capacity, while Broadside Suits count as 3 models for transport capacity. Note this is an exception to the normal rules for Tau transports.
Options: The Dragonfish may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury except seeker missiles. The Dragonfish's seeker missiles may be replaced with a pair of tracer missiles for +110 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Dragonfish is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies.
SX-06 Barracuda Aerospace Superiority Fighter
The SX-06 varaint of the iconic Barracuda is the Tau Air Caste's principle aerospace fighter. It shares the same base chassis as the atmospheric variant, but outfitted with air-independent fusion engines, radiation shielding and expanded life-support systems necessary for spaceflight, as well as more powerful and advanced sensors and avionics to facilitate navigation and combat at the vastly longer ranges of deep space. The most striking feature is its prominent external weapons carriage on the underside. The use of an external payload carriage is partially borne out of necessity, as the space given over to the atmospheric Barracuda's internal weapon bay is instead occupied by additional fuel reserves and an array of internal manoeuvering gyrodynes on the SX-06, but also allows the SX-06 to accommodate the larger missiles needed to threaten small spacecraft like the Imperial Fury and Starhawk.
The SX-06's standard armament is a trio of interceptor missiles carried the ventral weapons carriage which are the aerospace craft's main ship-to-ship weapon, backed up by the ion cannon, missile pods and wingtip-mounted burst cannon turrets common to all Barracuda models. When not deployed on aerospace superiority missions against other small craft, the SX-06 Barracuda can carry a range of air-to-ground munitions instead, from the ubiquitous seeker missiles to specialised high-yield and thermobarric tipped seeker missiles. These payloads are commonly used to attack ground installations and troop concentrations and provide air support to ground troops during planetary assault operations.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
SX-06 Barracuda 373 10 10 10 3(4)
Type: Flyer Size: Normal Speed: Flyer Crew: Tau Air Caste
Weapons: The SX-06 Barracuda is armed with three interceptor missiles, an ion cannon, a twin-linked missile pod and two burst cannon. Note the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The SX-06 Barracuda is always equipped with a targeting array (bonus already included above) and an escape pod.
Options: The SX-06 Barracuda can be equipped with the following upgrades from the Tau armoury: Blacksun Filter, Disruption Pod, Decoy Launchers.
The SX-06 Barracuda's three interceptor missiles can be replaced with either four high-yield seeker missiles, six thermobaric seeker missiles or six seeker missiles at no extra points cost.
Heavy Support: The SX-06 Barracuda is a Heavy Support choice for Tau armies.
Special Rules
Fighter Intercept: The SX-06 Barracuda is designed for the aerospace superiority role and may make use of the Fighter Intercept special rule. See Imperial Armour for more details.
White Shark Attack Bomber
A heavily-armed variant of the more well-known Tiger Shark, the White Shark Attack Bomber is a curious beast. It was originally developed in the aftermath of the Damocles Gulf Crusade as part of a requirement by the Ethereal Caste for a heavy anti-War Machine attack craft below Manta class and weight. While the Manta missile destroyer had proven more than a match for Imperial Titans, it was far too expensive and in far too much demand for other missions to be used exclusively as a War Machine hunter, and the Tau believed the answer lay in a lower-cost supplement strike craft that could be deployed in far greater numbers across a theatre of operations.
The resulting White Shark design took the Tiger Shark chassis and replaced the internal weapon bay and drone racks with the capacitors and ammunition magazines needed to support a pair of railguns, as well as an extensive array of external weapon hardpoints. The design quickly proved to be a formidable ground attack platform during initial testing, but ultimately lost out to the competing Tiger Shark AX-1-0 design which offered greater anti-War Machine firepower. Now appearing to be redundant in the Tau military structure, the future prospects of the White Shark looked bleak.
The White Shark's salvation came from the Air Caste's naval fleet arm, the Kor'vattra. The Kor'ar'tol was looking for a carrier-based tactical ground-attack bomber to attack and suppress ground-based air defences during planetary assault landings, and while the prototype space-capable White Shark variant quickly proved to lack the firepower necessary to threaten spacecraft it did appear to be perfect for the surface-attack role. The Kor'ar'tol duly procured a large number of White Sharks to supplement its carrier wings.
This in turn kept the White Shark in play long enough to be reconsidered following the Tau empire's third-sphere actions during the 13th Black Crusade. Experience in these campaigns revealed a range of ground targets that were too heavy for the standard Tiger Shark's weapons to be effective against, but for which the AX-1-0's heavy railguns were inefficient overkill. The White Shark's flexible weapons fit was the ideal middle-ground solution, and the White Shark has recently been fully integrated into the Air Caste's atmospheric forces where it provides general-purpose close air support for ground troops and interdiction strikes on opposing ground installations and troop concentrations, leaving the Tiger Shark and AX-1-0 free to focus on drone deployment and War Machine hunting respectively. While originally outfitted with hunter missiles and a supply of solid-shot railgun ammunition for attacking armour columns, recent experience against Tyranid splinter fleets has led to the White Shark being modified to also accept submunition rounds and submunition missiles instead when performing missions against massed troop concentrations.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
White Shark 421 10 10 10 3(4)
Type: War Machine, Flyer Size: War Machine Structure Points: 2 Speed: Flyer Crew: Tau Air Caste
Weapons: The White Shark is armed with a twin-linked railgun, a twin-linked ion cannon, a twin-linked missile pod and two twin-linked burst cannons (note these are not twin-linked and fire separately). It is also armed with a primary ordnance payload and a secondary ordnance payload.
The primary ordnance payload is either a pair of hunter missiles for +90 points or a pair of submunition missiles for +100 points.
The secondary ordnance payload is either a pair of hunter missiles for +90 points, a pair of interceptor missiles on AA mounts for +150 points, four high-yield seeker missiles for +120 points, six thermobaric seeker missiles for +120 points or six seeker missiles for 90 points.
Systems: The White Shark is always equipped with a targeting array (bonus included above) and decoy launchers. It is also equipped with escape pods.
Options: The White Shark may be equipped with any of the following vehicle upgrades from the Tau armoury: blacksun filter, disruption pod.
The White Shark's railguns may have their solid-shot ammunition replaced with submunition rounds for no extra points cost. Note that normally the White Shark's twin-linked railgun can only fire solid-shot rounds, thus in practice the White Shark's twin-linked railgun may use the solid-shot profile OR the submunition round profile, but not both in the same game.
Superheavy Detachment: The White Shark is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies.
Moray Assault Ship
The Moray Assault Ship is a recent addition to the Tau military arsenal, built to deliver the firepower of a Manta missile destroyer in a smaller more economical package. It is visually similar to the Manta, though notably smaller in size and lacking the Manta's large modular cargo hold. It's smaller size means it is limited to just one of the Manta's two primary weapon systems, either a twin-linked heavy railgun for smashing hardened targets at long range or a battery of long-barreled ion cannon for saturation fire of area targets, but it retains the extensive defensive countermeasures of its larger brother along with mounting an ordnance dispenser for a formidable array of missile support.
The Moray is built for long endurance and can maintain a near-constant presence over the battlefield for many hours. As well as providing superheavy fire support to Tau ground formations and attacking opposing War Machines directly it is typically employed to spearhead planetary assault landings alongside the larger Manta missile destroyers and can be considered a rough Tau counterpart to Imperial scout Titans or Ork stompas.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Moray 1133 12 11 10 3(4)
Type: War Machine, Flyer Size: War Machine Structure Points: 4 Speed: Flyer Crew: Tau Air Caste
Weapons: The Moray is armed with an ordnance dispenser, three twin-linked long-barreled ion cannon, a twin-linked missile pod and eight long-barreled burst cannons.
Systems: The Moray is always equipped with a Deflector Shield, targeting array and decoy launchers. It is also equipped with escape pods.
Options: The Moray may be equipped with any of the following vehicle upgrades from the Tau armoury: Blacksun Filter, Disruption Pod. The Moray's ion cannons may be replaced with a twin-linked heavy railgun for +55 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Dragonfish is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies.
Special Rules
Heavy Railgun: The Heavy Railgun uses the following profile.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Heavy Railgun (solid shot) 108" 10 1 Heavy 1, Blast, Titan Killer
Heavy Railgun (submunition round) 108" 7 3 Heavy 1, Large Blast
Designer's Note: The heavy railgun has not been included in the expanded list of Tau weapons because it is simply a railgun (including submunitions) with the long-barreled, blast, mega-weapon and titan killer weapon upgrades from the base vehicle design rules. It has been given a unique name here because "heavy railgun" is less of a mouthful than "long-barreled titan killer mega blast railgun with submunitions".
As mentioned last time, the new Tau VDR expansion was planned to be in two parts, which is just as well because it ended up being too large to publish all at once! Here then is the second part of the feature, a range of new Tau vehicles to use in Warhammer 40,000 created using the expanded Tau VDR system. Keen eyed readers will no doubt recognise a fair few of them from Epic (and even one from Battlefleet Gothic!), but there are also a couple of brand new original additions to the Tau motor pool to be found.
NEW VEHICLE DATAFAXES
Angelfish Point Defence Gunship
The Angelfish is a relatively recent addition to the Tau air defence arsenal. Combat experience against the encroaching Tyranid splinter fleets on the Tau empire's rimward border has revealed that the Tau air defence network is vulnerable to swarms of small light aerial threats. Adversaries like Tyranid Gargoyles are small enough that using a full air defence missile on them is a waste, but at the same time their airborne nature necessitates the use of an anti-air weapon system.
The Angelfish is the solution to this problem, carrying a battery of burst cannons in a fast-tracking turret to quickly eliminate swathes of small aerial targets, and using newly developed pulse accelerator technology to boos the effective range of the burst cannons to provide a respectable umbrella of protection for Tau ground troops.
The Angelfish is employed on the battlefield as a counterpart and supplement to the more widely known Skyray Missile Defence Gunship. The Angelfish provides fast responding short-range defence against smaller aerial targets like jetbikes and low-flying fighter craft, freeing up the Skyray to focus its powerful but limited missiles on heavier targets at longer ranges. Needless to say the Angelfish can also turn its weapons on ground targets for a potent anti-personnel defence.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Angelfish 165 13 12 10 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Angelfish is armed with two twin-linked burst cannon in a turret, each with an AA Mount and Pulse Accelerator It is also equipped with a secondary weapon system.
The secondary weapon system is either a pair of burst cannons at +10 points or a smart missile system at +20 points. Note that the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The Angelfish is equipped with two pulse accelerators for its turret-mounted burst cannons and landing gear.
Options: The Angelfish may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury.
Heavy Support: The Angelfish is a Heavy Support choice for Tau armies.
Sawfish Engineering Support Vehicle
The origins of the Sawfish Engineering Support Vehicle lie in the Tau intervention on Kaneph Prime, where Tau forces found themselves drawn into a protracted conflict around the planet's heavily fortified capital city. Faced with stubborn resistance from entrenched Imperial Guard formations supported by Space Marines of the Imperial Fists chapter, the Tau had begun to suffer heavy losses. In desperation, the Tau commander Shas'O'T'au Da'Anuk ordered forward the fusion cannon armed Hammerheads held in his reserve forces to directly attack the Imperial strongpoints at close range. The gambit payed off, with the fusion cannon's short range proving no real hinderance when attacking stationary fortifications that could not move away under the cover of longer ranged supporting fire, and while several of the gunships were downed in the process the Tau began to open up holes in the Imperial defence line.
As the campaign continued Tau cadres began to make improvised modifications to their fusion cannon armed Hammerheads, fitting them with engineering equipment and additional armour to help in their mission. These additions also proved effective, and soon allowed the Tau to stage a decisive breakthrough and rout the Imperial Garrison. Imperial troops withdrew from the capital shortly after and the planet quickly capitulated.
Following the Tau victory on Kaneph Prime the Earth Caste, at the suggestion of O'Da'Anuk and the Shas'ar'tol, compiled battlefield data on the various improvised engineering configurations used on the Hammerheads and worked with Fire Caste commanders including Shas'O Da'Anuk himself to produce a new dedicated combat engineering platform based on the Hammerhead gunship. The resulting vehicle, dubbed the Sawfish by Imperial authorities, marries the armour protection and fusion cannon armament of the Hammerhead to a state of the art combat engineering suite, including two dedicated engineering drones.
The Sawfish has since cemented its reputation as an efficient combat engineering vehicle. The twin-linked fusion cannon is an excellent demolition gun, while the vehicle's onboard engineering equipment allows it to quickly clear mines and dismantle obstacles or construct new ones as needs dictate, as well as other engineering tasks. Its most iconic role for Fire Caste and local civilians alike, however, has been to support of mine clearing and unexploded ordnance disposal in the aftermath of a conflict, which has endeared it to many peoples inhabiting the Eastern Fringe.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Sawfish 265 13 12 10 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Sawfish is armed with a turret-mounted twin-linked fusion cannon and four thermobaric seeker missiles.
Systems: The Sawfish is always equipped with sensor spines at no extra points cost. It is also equipped with a Tau Engineering Suite and landing gear.
Options: The Sawfish may be equipped with the following vehicle upgrades from the Tau armoury: Targeting Array, Multi-tracker, Blacksun Filter, Target Lock, Flechette Discharger, Disruption Pod, Decoy Launchers. It may not select the sensor spines upgrade again.
Heavy Support: The Sawfish is a Heavy Support choice for Tau armies.
Special Rules
Engineering Vehicle: The Sawfish is equipped with a Tau Engineering Suite. See the vehicle upgrades section for more information.
Siege Armour: At the insistence of Shas'O D'Anuk the armour of the Hammerhead combat platform was not only retained but reinforced on the hull roof and engine pods to ensure the Sawfish had the armour protection needed to survive in urban combat environments. In Cityfight games the Sawfish counts as being equipped with Siege Armour.
Note: This special upgrade option is unique to the Sawfish among Tau vehicles, as Fire Caste Doctrine still restricts the application of reinforced siege armour appliques to only specialised urban warfare platforms.
Lionfish Heavy Gunship
The Lionfish Heavy Gunship has a troubled history. It initially began life as a response to Imperial heavy armoured formations encountered in the Damocles Gulf Crusade, based on the simple expedient of up-gunning existing Hammerhead Gunships with a second primary weapon system by linking an extra primary weapon through twin-hardpoint turrets refitted from older Hammerhead models to produce an economical and simple counter to Imperial super-heavy tanks using entirely off-the-shelf components.
Early results proved promising, but initial production runs revealed a serious flaw: the Hammerhead's standard power core was unable to provide enough energy to power both primary weapons and the gunship's anti-grav motors, requiring power to be re-routed between the grav drives and the second main gun. Unable to fit a higher-output power plant inside the TX-6/7 Universal Combat Platform chassis used by the Hammerhead, this meant that the Lionfish was only able to fire its full arsenal when stationary, and when engaging targets on the move was no more effective than a regular Hammerhead. As Tau military doctrine began to focus more on fast sweeping mobile advances, interest in the Lionfish waned. Production was halted and the vehicles in service were relegated to secondary roles guarding quieter sectors of Tau space.
All this changed with the Tyranid Invasion of Doran'Cha. The Tau relief force sent to the beleaguered colony included several contingents of Lionfish, some assigned due to their close proximity to the system and others dispatched out of necessity for extra firepower and to test every available weapon system against the newly emergent Tyranid threat. During the fighting in and around Doran'Cha's cities the Tau hunter cadres managed to make good use of the heavy gunships by employing them in an ambush role against the larger Tyranid organisms. Placed to cover key approaches, the Lionfish would wait concealed in alleyways or camouflaged on rooftops and powered down, rendering them virtually undetectable, before suddenly powering up when a suitable target came into view and hammering it with a burst of railgun fire before quickly speeding away from harm. With these tactics the Lionfish was able to inflict heavy losses on the attacking Heirodules and Carnifexes. When no larger Tyranid creatures were detected in the area, Lionfish were also used to bombard swarms of smaller Tyranids with submunition shells and strafe Tyranid Warrior broods when fitted with ion cannons.
The successful defence of Doran'Cha led the Shas'ar'tol and the Etheral caste to reconsider the Lionfish and the heavy gunships were brought back into active circulation with modernisations to their sub-systems to bring them in line with the latest Tau vehicles. This in turn kept them in service long enough to see the Tau empire's latest military reforms, and with the termination of the ill-fated heavy battlesuit programs in favour of expanded vehicle deployment production of the Lionfish has been resumed in full to provide Tau forces with a reliable and economical supporting unit against particularly tough adversaries.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Lionfish 100 13 12 10 3(4)
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Lionfish is armed with a primary weapon system and a secondary weapon system.
The primary weapon system is either two ion cannon at +80 points or two railguns at +110 points. The railguns may fire submunition rounds. Note that in both cases the primary weapons are not twin-linked and fire separately.
The secondary weapon system is either a pair of burst cannons at +10 points or a smart missile system at +20 points. Note that the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The Lionfish is always equipped with a targeting array (already added to the BS above) and landing gear.
Options: The Lionfish may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury. It may not select the targeting array again. The Lionfish may also be armed with an additional twin-linked missile pod on an anti-aircraft mount for +70 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Lionfish is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies, though it is not a true War Machine and does not use the War Machine rules.
Stingray Heavy Missile Gunship
The Stingray Heavy Missile Gunship was developed during the Damocles Gulf Crusade as a response to the need for more responsive heavy missile support. The Imperium was the first galactic power encountered by the Tau to use extensive air power, and the Tau quickly realised they would need to supplement their fighter sweeps with a more robust integrated air defence network. At the same time, the large scale formations of heavy armour used by the Imperial army stretched the capabilities of existing Tau missile carriers thin.
Lessons learned were put into the creation of the Stingray, a heavier counterpart to the Skyray with a larger and more diverse missile armament intended to operate on the front-line. While originally armed with an array of hunter missiles and seeker missiles for countering armoured and aerial targets, the introduction of new long-ranged submunition missiles and the need to counter Ork warbands probing the Tau empire's fringes prompted the Earth Caste to integrate this weapon system into the platform as well.
Unfortunately, the considerable mass of the Stingray's multiple missile systems pushed the capacity of the TX-6/7 Universal Combat Platform's limits. Earth Caste engineers were forced to remove the extra armour plating of the Hammerhead chassis variant to manage the weight, leaving the Stingray with only the Devilfish's lighter armour protection, and even then only two heavy missiles could be accommodated on the primary weapons station.
Nonetheless the design was considered acceptable for a support vehicle expected to mostly deliver indirect missile strikes from behind cover, and the Stingray entered service as a complement to the cheaper and more rugged Skyray, covering medium-range high altitude air defence while the Skyray focused on short range defence against low-altitude flyers, and providing missile support against targets too numerous or well-armoured for regular seeker missiles. Recent upgrades have incorporated the ability to launch interceptor missiles as well as an array of new hypersonic seeker missles.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Stingray 450 12 11 10 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Stingray is armed with eight seeker missiles, four hypersonic seeker missiles, two markerlights and a target lock. It is also armed with a primary missile system and a secondary weapon system.
The primary missile system is either two hunter missiles at +80 points, two interceptor missiles at +90 points or two submunition missiles at +90 points.
The secondary weapon system is either a pair of burst cannons at +10 points or a smart missile system at +20 points. Note that the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The Stingray is always equipped with a target lock and landing gear.
Options: The Stingray may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury. It may not select the target lock again.
Superheavy Detachment: The Stingray is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies, though it is not a true War Machine and does not use the War Machine rules.
Special Rules
Networked Markerlights: The Stingray's markerlights are directly networked with its fire control systems in much the same way as the Skyray. The markerlights carried by the Stingray may be used to launch its own missiles, potentially at two different targets using the target lock upgrade.
Torpedo Ray Heavy Missile Gunship
The Torpedo Ray Heavy Missile Gunship is an off-shoot of the Stingray weapons complex. Combat experience with the Stingray began to highlight the vehicle's endurance as a serious shortcoming. While the lighter armour was able to be mitigated with proper tactics, the vehicle could only carry two large missile weapons which necessitated frequent reloads.
A specialised transloader vehicle based on the TX-6/7 Universal Combat Platform was quickly developed and put into service alongside Stingray units to provide them with rapid missile reloads on the front line. This alleviated the endurance problem, but Tau analysts soon concluded that adding an organic fire-control system to the transloader to turn it into a missile gunship in its own right would provide more flexible and responsive missile support. Consequently the transloading equipment was replaced with a gunner's station and fire-control system and the resulting heavy missile gunship was introduced as a supplement to Stingray and Skyray units. The prominent heavy missiles carried by the vehicle has since resulted in it being named the Torpedo Ray by Imperial authorities.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Torpedo Ray 90 12 11 10 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: Normal Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Torpedo Ray is armed with a primary weapon system and a secondary weapon system.
The primary weapon system is either four hunter missiles at +160 points, four interceptor missiles at +180 points of four submunition missiles at +180 points.
The secondary weapon system is either a pair of burst cannons at +10 points or a smart missile system at +20 points. Note that the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The Torpedo Ray is equipped with landing gear.
Options: The Torpedo Ray may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury. The Torpedo Ray may also be upgraded with an anti-aircraft mount for its primary weapon system for for +80 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Torpedo Ray is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies, though it is not a true War Machine and does not use the War Machine rules.
Scorpionfish Superheavy Missile Gunship
Experience with Imperial superheavy tanks during the Damocles Gulf Crusade motivated the Tau to develop their own ground-based war machines as a direct response. Lacking suitable large ground vehicles as a base, the Earth Caste instead repurposed and modified cargo dropship chassis for the purpose, adding heavy weapons and additional armour plating at the cost of reducing their mobility to that of a conventional grav-tank. When early prototypes based on the well-known Orca Dropship chassis proved to have unacceptably poor handling while cruising at ground-level altitudes, Earth Caste engineers took the weapons, fire control and armour technologies from the project and instead integrated them into a popular cargo utility lander design commonly used across the Tau empire.
The resulting vehicle was a major improvement and was accepted into service, being named the Scorpionfish by Imperial authorities. The Scorpionfish has no single main weapon but instead acts as a platform for a number of missile systems, enabling it to engage any type of threat. This kind of flexibility has proven to be a major asset in recent Tau campaigns, and with the termination of the abortive Supremacy Armour project larger numbers of Scorpionfish are now being procured to provide a counter to opposing War Machines when Air Caste support is unavailable.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Scorpionfish 610 13 12 11 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: War Machine Structure Points: 3 Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Scorpionfish is armed with an ordnance dispenser, two smart missile systems, four markerlights and two twin-linked missile pods. Note that each twin-linked missile pods uses the profile for the larger Hammerhead missile pods.
Systems: The Scorpionfish is equipped with landing gear.
Options: The Scorpionfish may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury. The Scorpionfish's markerlights may be upgraded to have anti-aircraft mounts for +40 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Scorpionfish is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies.
Special Rules
Networked Markerlights: The Scorpionfish's markerlights are directly networked with its fire control systems in much the same way as the Skyray. The markerlights carried by the Scorpionfish may be used to launch its own missiles, potentially at two different targets using the target lock upgrade.
Dragonfish Mobile Command Post
The growth of the Tau empire has required the Fire Caste to fight ever larger battles and campaigns using formations larger than the typical hunter cadre, which in turn required new more capable command and control systems. While a Tau commander in a Crisis Suit can manage a single hunter cadre with no trouble at all, and even a small handful of hunter cadres with little difficulty, commanding any larger force with the equipment able to be carried in an XV-8 battlesuit quickly becomes impractical.
To fulfil this task the Tau have introduced the Joac'mol Shas'ar'tol Mobile Command Post, named the Dragonfish by Imperial authorities that have observed it. While original prototypes were based on the Orca chassis, the latest production model is instead built on the same utility cargo lander platform as the Scorpionfish and features a state of the art command and control room with superb data fusion and communication facilities that allow a commander to manage over 12 hunter cadres and all auxiliary troop formations assigned to them with ease. The command centre takes up the bulk of the vehicle's mass, leaving only limited armament for self defence, but some variants of the Dragonfish have been observed with a small array of long-range missiles for providing direct battlefield support.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Dragonfish 565 13 12 11 3
Type: Tank, Skimmer Size: War Machine Structure Points: 3 Speed: Normal Crew: Tau Fire Caste
Weapons: The Dragonfish is armed with an ion cannon, two twin-linked burst cannons and four seeker missiles.
Systems: The Dragonfish is equipped with a Battle Matrix and landing gear.
Transport: The Dragonfish can carry up to 9 models. It may carry troops in XV battlesuits. Crisis Suits count as 2 models for transport capacity, while Broadside Suits count as 3 models for transport capacity. Note this is an exception to the normal rules for Tau transports.
Options: The Dragonfish may be equipped with any of the vehicle upgrades permitted by the Tau armoury except seeker missiles. The Dragonfish's seeker missiles may be replaced with a pair of tracer missiles for +110 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Dragonfish is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies.
SX-06 Barracuda Aerospace Superiority Fighter
The SX-06 varaint of the iconic Barracuda is the Tau Air Caste's principle aerospace fighter. It shares the same base chassis as the atmospheric variant, but outfitted with air-independent fusion engines, radiation shielding and expanded life-support systems necessary for spaceflight, as well as more powerful and advanced sensors and avionics to facilitate navigation and combat at the vastly longer ranges of deep space. The most striking feature is its prominent external weapons carriage on the underside. The use of an external payload carriage is partially borne out of necessity, as the space given over to the atmospheric Barracuda's internal weapon bay is instead occupied by additional fuel reserves and an array of internal manoeuvering gyrodynes on the SX-06, but also allows the SX-06 to accommodate the larger missiles needed to threaten small spacecraft like the Imperial Fury and Starhawk.
The SX-06's standard armament is a trio of interceptor missiles carried the ventral weapons carriage which are the aerospace craft's main ship-to-ship weapon, backed up by the ion cannon, missile pods and wingtip-mounted burst cannon turrets common to all Barracuda models. When not deployed on aerospace superiority missions against other small craft, the SX-06 Barracuda can carry a range of air-to-ground munitions instead, from the ubiquitous seeker missiles to specialised high-yield and thermobarric tipped seeker missiles. These payloads are commonly used to attack ground installations and troop concentrations and provide air support to ground troops during planetary assault operations.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
SX-06 Barracuda 373 10 10 10 3(4)
Type: Flyer Size: Normal Speed: Flyer Crew: Tau Air Caste
Weapons: The SX-06 Barracuda is armed with three interceptor missiles, an ion cannon, a twin-linked missile pod and two burst cannon. Note the burst cannon are not twin-linked and fire separately.
Systems: The SX-06 Barracuda is always equipped with a targeting array (bonus already included above) and an escape pod.
Options: The SX-06 Barracuda can be equipped with the following upgrades from the Tau armoury: Blacksun Filter, Disruption Pod, Decoy Launchers.
The SX-06 Barracuda's three interceptor missiles can be replaced with either four high-yield seeker missiles, six thermobaric seeker missiles or six seeker missiles at no extra points cost.
Heavy Support: The SX-06 Barracuda is a Heavy Support choice for Tau armies.
Special Rules
Fighter Intercept: The SX-06 Barracuda is designed for the aerospace superiority role and may make use of the Fighter Intercept special rule. See Imperial Armour for more details.
White Shark Attack Bomber
A heavily-armed variant of the more well-known Tiger Shark, the White Shark Attack Bomber is a curious beast. It was originally developed in the aftermath of the Damocles Gulf Crusade as part of a requirement by the Ethereal Caste for a heavy anti-War Machine attack craft below Manta class and weight. While the Manta missile destroyer had proven more than a match for Imperial Titans, it was far too expensive and in far too much demand for other missions to be used exclusively as a War Machine hunter, and the Tau believed the answer lay in a lower-cost supplement strike craft that could be deployed in far greater numbers across a theatre of operations.
The resulting White Shark design took the Tiger Shark chassis and replaced the internal weapon bay and drone racks with the capacitors and ammunition magazines needed to support a pair of railguns, as well as an extensive array of external weapon hardpoints. The design quickly proved to be a formidable ground attack platform during initial testing, but ultimately lost out to the competing Tiger Shark AX-1-0 design which offered greater anti-War Machine firepower. Now appearing to be redundant in the Tau military structure, the future prospects of the White Shark looked bleak.
The White Shark's salvation came from the Air Caste's naval fleet arm, the Kor'vattra. The Kor'ar'tol was looking for a carrier-based tactical ground-attack bomber to attack and suppress ground-based air defences during planetary assault landings, and while the prototype space-capable White Shark variant quickly proved to lack the firepower necessary to threaten spacecraft it did appear to be perfect for the surface-attack role. The Kor'ar'tol duly procured a large number of White Sharks to supplement its carrier wings.
This in turn kept the White Shark in play long enough to be reconsidered following the Tau empire's third-sphere actions during the 13th Black Crusade. Experience in these campaigns revealed a range of ground targets that were too heavy for the standard Tiger Shark's weapons to be effective against, but for which the AX-1-0's heavy railguns were inefficient overkill. The White Shark's flexible weapons fit was the ideal middle-ground solution, and the White Shark has recently been fully integrated into the Air Caste's atmospheric forces where it provides general-purpose close air support for ground troops and interdiction strikes on opposing ground installations and troop concentrations, leaving the Tiger Shark and AX-1-0 free to focus on drone deployment and War Machine hunting respectively. While originally outfitted with hunter missiles and a supply of solid-shot railgun ammunition for attacking armour columns, recent experience against Tyranid splinter fleets has led to the White Shark being modified to also accept submunition rounds and submunition missiles instead when performing missions against massed troop concentrations.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
White Shark 421 10 10 10 3(4)
Type: War Machine, Flyer Size: War Machine Structure Points: 2 Speed: Flyer Crew: Tau Air Caste
Weapons: The White Shark is armed with a twin-linked railgun, a twin-linked ion cannon, a twin-linked missile pod and two twin-linked burst cannons (note these are not twin-linked and fire separately). It is also armed with a primary ordnance payload and a secondary ordnance payload.
The primary ordnance payload is either a pair of hunter missiles for +90 points or a pair of submunition missiles for +100 points.
The secondary ordnance payload is either a pair of hunter missiles for +90 points, a pair of interceptor missiles on AA mounts for +150 points, four high-yield seeker missiles for +120 points, six thermobaric seeker missiles for +120 points or six seeker missiles for 90 points.
Systems: The White Shark is always equipped with a targeting array (bonus included above) and decoy launchers. It is also equipped with escape pods.
Options: The White Shark may be equipped with any of the following vehicle upgrades from the Tau armoury: blacksun filter, disruption pod.
The White Shark's railguns may have their solid-shot ammunition replaced with submunition rounds for no extra points cost. Note that normally the White Shark's twin-linked railgun can only fire solid-shot rounds, thus in practice the White Shark's twin-linked railgun may use the solid-shot profile OR the submunition round profile, but not both in the same game.
Superheavy Detachment: The White Shark is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies.
Moray Assault Ship
The Moray Assault Ship is a recent addition to the Tau military arsenal, built to deliver the firepower of a Manta missile destroyer in a smaller more economical package. It is visually similar to the Manta, though notably smaller in size and lacking the Manta's large modular cargo hold. It's smaller size means it is limited to just one of the Manta's two primary weapon systems, either a twin-linked heavy railgun for smashing hardened targets at long range or a battery of long-barreled ion cannon for saturation fire of area targets, but it retains the extensive defensive countermeasures of its larger brother along with mounting an ordnance dispenser for a formidable array of missile support.
The Moray is built for long endurance and can maintain a near-constant presence over the battlefield for many hours. As well as providing superheavy fire support to Tau ground formations and attacking opposing War Machines directly it is typically employed to spearhead planetary assault landings alongside the larger Manta missile destroyers and can be considered a rough Tau counterpart to Imperial scout Titans or Ork stompas.
Points Armour: Front Side Rear BS
Moray 1133 12 11 10 3(4)
Type: War Machine, Flyer Size: War Machine Structure Points: 4 Speed: Flyer Crew: Tau Air Caste
Weapons: The Moray is armed with an ordnance dispenser, three twin-linked long-barreled ion cannon, a twin-linked missile pod and eight long-barreled burst cannons.
Systems: The Moray is always equipped with a Deflector Shield, targeting array and decoy launchers. It is also equipped with escape pods.
Options: The Moray may be equipped with any of the following vehicle upgrades from the Tau armoury: Blacksun Filter, Disruption Pod. The Moray's ion cannons may be replaced with a twin-linked heavy railgun for +55 points.
Superheavy Detachment: The Dragonfish is taken as a separate Superheavy Detachment for Tau armies.
Special Rules
Heavy Railgun: The Heavy Railgun uses the following profile.
Weapon Range Strength AP Type
Heavy Railgun (solid shot) 108" 10 1 Heavy 1, Blast, Titan Killer
Heavy Railgun (submunition round) 108" 7 3 Heavy 1, Large Blast
Designer's Note: The heavy railgun has not been included in the expanded list of Tau weapons because it is simply a railgun (including submunitions) with the long-barreled, blast, mega-weapon and titan killer weapon upgrades from the base vehicle design rules. It has been given a unique name here because "heavy railgun" is less of a mouthful than "long-barreled titan killer mega blast railgun with submunitions".
"... Consider the gunship. In almost all things, whatever your XV suit can do the gunship can do greater. The gunship is faster than you, but still carries more armour and protection than you do. You must be cautious around heavy anti-personnel firepower, the gunship will never fear it. The gunship carries attack options far longer reaching and far more destructive than you ever will, and its sensors see farther and more widely then yours. Most importantly, the gunship has four sets of eyes, four sets of ears, and four minds to plan with. You only have two of each to work with.
Compared to the gunship, your XV armour's only advantage is that it can hide in smaller holes. But you are not a gunship. Your task is not to launch yourself into the teeth of danger to save others, but to lift up your fellow infantry warriors, to help them overcome obstacles they cannot surmount.
Remember this always, and remember then that you are not and never will be the apex of battle. Trust in your fellow Shas, and work always towards the Greater Good."
- Kir'qath Kau'Ui Battlesuit Pilot's Primer, Introduction and Closing Passage
Please stop calling it "Middlehammer"
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Jonathan E
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:42 pm
Re: Kakapo Approved
I like the principle behind the Daemon army. I also like that you've included a monster customiser for people who want to bring in their Soul Grinders, Skull Cannons and Hellflayer Chariots or whatever else they own, without explicitly dragging those units back in time.
The principle of Daemon Princes as Elite unit is also pleasing to me - I think the fifth edition Daemons book put them in Heavy Support for some reason - but they fit better where you've put them, I think. The "Exalted Daemons" - the elite versions of Daemon infantry differentiated largely by paintjob - tickle me less, they feel like a cheap solution to a barren slot problem (and I felt the same about them in Total Warhammer 3, for whatever that's worth). I would personally advise putting Possessed Chaos Space Marines in there instead, in the same spirit as the Possessed vehicles in Heavy Support, and calling back to the Daemon World lists of the earlier editions which featured a few select and elect mortals.
The principle of Daemon Princes as Elite unit is also pleasing to me - I think the fifth edition Daemons book put them in Heavy Support for some reason - but they fit better where you've put them, I think. The "Exalted Daemons" - the elite versions of Daemon infantry differentiated largely by paintjob - tickle me less, they feel like a cheap solution to a barren slot problem (and I felt the same about them in Total Warhammer 3, for whatever that's worth). I would personally advise putting Possessed Chaos Space Marines in there instead, in the same spirit as the Possessed vehicles in Heavy Support, and calling back to the Daemon World lists of the earlier editions which featured a few select and elect mortals.
If you're wondering why I'm like this, give this a read.
It's not canon. It's not lore. It's fluff. It's marketing copy to sell toys. Don't take it more seriously than it deserves.
It's not canon. It's not lore. It's fluff. It's marketing copy to sell toys. Don't take it more seriously than it deserves.