New Tau and Marines in WD#90 10-17-2015

[Kirsten]

just dropped the ankle connector piece for the ghostkeel, spent twenty minutes looking for it, and had to dismantle the skirting heating panels. I found it though.

[Mr Mystery]

Derp!

Still need to build my second one.

[Learn2Eel]

The master luchiban from Warseer got another early codex, this time for our favoured Tau and....holy crap at those points. The Destroyer Missiles on the Stormsurge can become DESTROYER weapons by using Markerlight tokens!? WOW! Now that's a Knight-killer and explains the markerting! The Optimized Stealth Cadre is really powerful even if just for the Ignores Cover/+1 Ballistic Skill/hitting vehicles on their rear armour all the time on the Ghostkeel. It definitely makes the Ghostkeel super-powerful and the Stealth Suits really worthwhile for a change.

Originally posted by luchiban

1. Yes. Hammerheads and Skyrays

2. Yes

3. Yes they can. And by the way, max unit size is 12 for strike teams, 10 for breachers.

4. No, he can't. He can buy two Support systems.

5. IMO this is one of the best formations in the book. Ghostkeels and any Stealth Battlesuit unit in the formation at 6" of the Ghostkeel ignore cover, add +1 to BS and hit vehicles in the rear!!!!!

BONUS:

Codex is soft cover (Don't know if this was known)

Markerlights (1 marker) can be used to increase the Destroyer Missiles from S8 to SD!!!!!

[Learn2Eel]

More from our saviour on Warseer. The Hunter Contingent (Decurion detachment) is insanely strong. This means for example that if one unit has Tank Hunters, all units shooting at a target will have Tank Hunters, and other rules like Ignores Cover (which if you combine with the above Stealth formation is utterly ridiculous). Sharing Markerlights is ridiculous as it solves the whole "running out of tokens" problem. The Core formation is also really good, the minimum cost of it is around 400 points and it actually includes all of the heavy hitters in the codex unlike any of the other Core formations so far! Yikes! Being able to Run and Shoot for that entire formation is crazy, as is the Supporting Fire 12" bubble. It's looking fantastic for Tau so far!

Originally posted by luchiban
Yes there is, and looks powerful:

Hunter Contingent:

Consists of:
0-1 Command
1+ Basic
1-10 Auxiliaries

Command:
- 1 Commander or Shadowsun
- 0-1 Ethereal or Aun'va or Aun'shi
- 1-2 Crisis bodyguards

Basic (Hunder Cadre):
1 Commander
0-1 Fireblade
0-1 Crisis Bodyguards
3-6 Strike, Breacher or Kroot
1-3 Stealht, Ghostkeels, Riptides or Crisis.
1-3 Scouts, Piranhas, Vespid, Drones
1-3 Broadsides, Hammerhead, Stormsurge, Sniper

Rules for Hunter Cadre:
- Defensive fire at 12"
- Can run and the shoot. In this order.

Rules for Hunter Contigent:
- Reroll Warlord trait
- Units can combine their shooting attacks, and shoot as if they were a single unit. So they can get benefit from special rules and the same markerlight, for example. This is really, really powerful.


I have to say that there are not many (changes):

- Riptides unit size is now: 1-3 (Same as Hammerhead, and Sky Rays) and get Fire Team rule (+1 to BS if unit size is 3 when shooting)
- Crisis bodyguards are now Elite

(Regarding Cadre Fireblades)
No, they are an HQ option

1. (Iridium Armour still a Signature System) It is. Signature systems are pretty much the same.

2. (Cyclic Ion Blasters/Airbursting Fragmentation Projectors remaining "one-per-army") They are not. They can be purchased normally (like a Fusion Blaster for example)

3. (Ghostkeel/Stormsurge formation rules) If target is at 12" or less from the Ghostkeel, reroll to hit. It two units of the formation, shoot at the same target, target unit cannot run or move flat out next turn, and assault distance is halved (rounded down)

4. (Stealth Suits FoC slot) Elite

5. (Changes to Kroot) Not really.

[Mr Mystery]

Softback?

My collection! They've ruineds it! RUINEDS IT PRECIOUS!

[Learn2Eel]

More from luchiban;

Originally posted by luchiban
(Who has the Fire Team special rule) No, only:

- Riptides
- Ghostkeels
- Hamerheads
- Skyrays

Ballistic Skill 5 Hammerheads/Skyrays? Ballistic Skill 4 Riptides/Ghostkeels? Yikes!

[Mr Mystery]

Nice!

[Learn2Eel]

Early thoughts....this makes Tau an absolute top-tier army depending on how the whole "share special rules" pans out, and the immense buffs are enough to make the "trash" units semi-viable now. Very happy indeed as a Tau player as my two Stormsurges just became proper titan-hunters!

[Mr Mystery]

Yarp.

Might need another box of Pathfinders. I get the sneaking suspicion they'll be priority targets in no time, provided of course the above rumours are 100% accurate (nothing personal, I'm just a natural sceptic)

[Learn2Eel]

The formation rules now (for the Core formation, Ghostkeel/Stormsurge formation and Decurion-style detachment rules, look up);

Originally posted by luchiban

Let's go with the formations:

Hunter Cadre (see previous posts)

Retallion Cadre
- 1 Commander
- 3 units of Crisis
- 1 Broadside unit
- 1 Riptide unit
Rules: Relentless
+1 BS when Deep striking
May choose to enter from reserves in turn 2 via Deep Strike. This includes Broadsides.

Heavy Retribution Cradre (see previous posts)

Infiltration Cadre
- 3 Pathfinder units
- 2 Stealth battlesuit units
- 1 Piranha unit
Rules: If one unit of the formation is destroyed, rest of the formation enters from reserve next turn automatically.
If an enemy unit gets hit by 3 or more markerights from this formation, you get a free Seeker missile hit to this unit.

Optimised Stealth Cadre (See previous posts).

Firebase Support cadre
- 2 units of battlesuits
- 1 unit Riptides
Note that they do not have to be max size like before
Rules: They formation can combine their shooting attacks and shoot as a single unit. When doing so, they get Tank and monster hunter SR.

Armored Interdiction Cadre
- 3 Units of Hammerheads
- 1 Unit of Sky Rays
Rules: Choose a point in the battlefield. When shooting to a unit at 6" or less from this point, reroll to hit.

Air Support cadre:
- 1 Sun Shark Bomber
- 1 Razorshark Strike Fighter
Rules: Ignore shaken and stunned with 2+.
Beginning of the turn, roll a D6 for each lost hull point. If you roll a 6, recover 1 HP.

Allied Advanced Cadre
- 4 units of Kroot
- 2 units of Vespids
Rules: Vespids get Infiltration and Stealth (Forests)
Kroot at 12" from Vespid units, get Obscured (Forests) instead of Stealth (Forests), and get +1 BS
They all get supporting fire with other units of the formation.

My thoughts;

The Retaliation Cadre is....woah. Relentless only affects the Broadsides but my god it is such a huge buff for Broadsides. The +1 Ballistic Skill bonus when Deep Striking is insane for Crisis Teams...dual Fusion-Blaster teams just became godly, especially since they automatically arrive on Turn 2 if they Deep Strike. Wow!

Infiltration Cadre; the rules on this formation are weird. The idea seems to be to give Pathfinders Rail Rifles/Ion Rifles and the Stealth Teams Fusion Blasters to Outflank automatically without needing to roll by using the Pirahna as a sacrificial lamb. The very definition of Kauyon! The minimum cost of this formation isn't too high either, while the whole 3 Markerlights = free Seeker Missile is pretty darned powerful (it auto-hits, is S8 AP3 and I'm guessing has Ignores Cover if it follows the old rules).

Firebase Support Cadre; this got nerfed as expected, but it is still really strong. Gaining Tank Hunter like before is still really powerful for all of the units in the formation but being forced to shoot at one unit to get it limits it, though obviously you can just use Target Locks to get around it (lol!). The addition of Monster Hunter is really cool actually, though generally I still think this formation did get a bit weaker....not that it really matters when it was one of the best formations in the game already. Happy with the changes here.

Armored Interdiction Cadre; yikes! That is really darned nasty and so useful for Hammerheads in particular! Re-rolling to hit with Ion Cannon Large Blasts that can easily get Ignores Cover through the shared buffs of the detachment...holy moly.

Air Support Cadre; a nice little formation. Ignoring Shaken/Stunned on a 2+ is no joke for any flyer, though the regaining hull points thing is gimmicky.

Allied Advanced Cadre; now THIS is what I'm talking about! Infiltrating Vespids is actually really good as it solves their major issue of getting to a good spot to fire, while the detachment buffs are awesome for them. Kroot with Shrouded in Forests and +1 Ballistic Skill is pretty cool considering they too can Infiltrate. A wall of infiltrating Kroot/Vespid is actually really nice and will surely make the Auxillaries a lot more popular. The Supporting Fire thing seems weird seeing as both units already had it in 6th Edition, I'm assuming it means regardless of range they get it which is nasty if so.

All in all, the formations are pretty darned good. The juice of the army is undoubtedly in the detachment though, the shared bonuses are insane.