40K: T’au Rules Conundrums
We’ve got a copy of Codex: T’au early and we’ve got a few questions about how some of the rules work.
With a copy of the T’au Codex in hand, we’ve been going over everything with a find tooth comb. As we’ve been reading more, we’ve also hit a few tangles in the rules that we thought we’d like to share. Will they be FAQ’d or are they working as intended? Guess we’ll all find out soon enough…but for now, here they are:
Dal’yth Sept – Adaptive Camouflage
If you end up going second on turn one, then you technically would not have had a turn to “not do” the things on that list. That raises the question on turn one when you’re getting shot at by your opponent, do you even get the benefit of cover? Asked another way, do the T’au get that innate benefit of extra defense vs the Alpha-strike?
Shadowsun’s Warlord Trait – Exemplar of the Kauyon
By itself, Exemplar of the Kauyon sounds like a fine Warlord trait. You re-roll failed hit rolls as long as you don’t move. But that’s not exactly Shadowsun’s style:
No – Shadowsun is all about getting in close and firing with her Fusion Blasters, which are Assault weapons. On top of that, she’s BS 2+ so does she REALLY need to remain stationary to get a re-roll? This just doesn’t seem like a very good fit. Nothing is wrong rules-wise, but thematically…it’s just not good.
T’au Psychic Defense – They Have NONE
Look, we know that the T’au are a “young race” and how they don’t have Psykers and all that. We get it. But we were hoping for SOMETHING to help them out, just a little bit, in the Psychic Phase of the game. They don’t get a helpful Relic, Stratagem, or Warlord Trait that gives them even a CHANCE at preventing a Psychic Power. Even KHORNE get’s a stratagem! In fact, in much the same way that Khorne Armies can pretty much ignore the shooting phase, the T’au will have to ignore the Psychic Phase. We weren’t expecting them to completely shut down psykers – but not even a measly 1 CP to stop a Psychic Power on a 4+ … that’s pretty harsh.
Breach and Clear…just don’t use Markerlights
Breach and Clear works on an enemy units that is “receiving the benefit of cover.” But read the Markerlight rules, specifically #3…
If you’re not getting the bonus to your saving throw for being in cover, are you still receiving the benefit of cover? And if not, then I guess Breach and Clear doesn’t apply…But if it’s a yes, then what’s the benefit?
Focused Fire makes you better at Splitting Fire…
Okay, this one is takes on a whole new level of messed-up. Read the ability carefully, specifically the last sentence:
“You can add 1 to wound rolls for any other T’au Sept units from your army that target the same enemy unit this phase.”
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Notice it doesn’t specify models, just that the UNIT has to target the same enemy unit. So if I have a unit of 10 models and I choose 1 model to target the “Focused Fire” target, and the other 9 models target something else with the remaining shots, my unit is technically targeting BOTH (or up to 9 other targets thanks to split-firing), then I get to add 1 to all my wound rolls. To put it another way, if I have a Stormsurge multi-target the “Focused Unit” and another, I should get +1 to my wound rolls for ALL the wounds.
Obviously this needs to get FAQ’d – but for now, enjoy getting that extra boost for “Focused Fire” while you split fire!
Oh there will be more – But for now, chew on those conundrums for a bit and let us know what you think in the comments below!
