Earth Caste R&D Wants You

[Skaorn]

This is just for fun. What type of ideas do you have for battle suits, vehicles, or even equipment that could show up in the Tau armory? it's something I have always loved to think about and have been doing it since 3rd ed when I imagined stealth suits with missile pods. This was before rail rifles were a thing and I even tried to balance them by removing the jet pack to make up for having a range that would keep them from being targeted.

 

Some of my ideas:

 

Undertow Suit- Originally conceived in an attempt to improve on the targeting systems of the broadside, the Earth Caste found that they needed a larger frame to contain the various systems. While the prototype performed to specifications, the drone assisted targeting system proved to be far more effective than planned. Not only could it adjust for things like weather and movement but it could analyze troop movements and single out leaders. To match this precision the engineers removed one of the heavy rail rifles and ran simulations using it as a sniper unit. The results were a tremendous success.

 

I imagined the Undertow to be around dreadnaught size, having a BS of 3+, and being able to target characters with a heavy rail rifle. I realize GW would never go for this, but it would be cool imo.

 

Skirmish Suits- light, long legged exo skeletons designed to give off negligible emittions and allow their wearers to traverse hostile territory quickly. They are employed by pathfinder teams for scouting and striking exposed flanks.

 

Essentially a replacement for tetras. They'd get a 4+ save and I was thinking a burst cannon and ML.

 

Narwhal- Tau weaponry normally focuses precision over destructive mayhem, which has always been the desire of the Empire. This has proven problematic when it comes to laying siege to heavily fortified cities like imperial hives. Needing an effective siege weapon to breach walls to allow ground troops to enter en mass the Ethereals turned to the Earth Caste, who presented their most advanced weapon system to date: a particle beam cannon. The weapon was to ungainly to mount on most suits or hammerheads, so they had to design a skimmer around the cannon. The result is a mobile gun that can vaporize large stretchs of fortifications or anything else unfortunate enough to be targeted by it.

 

This one is because I want Tau to have particle beam weapons.

 

That's it for me.

[Triszin]

Auxillary suits:

 

- each suit is limited in capabilities/armament so that tau suits always out perform in general. Bit these fill. Specific tasks.

 

 

Gue'vessa suits:

-rapid response/shock an awe suits:

--"titanfall" style, these sites can't fly, they impact the battle field similar to a drop pod and attempt to assist tau forces. The are meant as emergency ground holders.

 

Something tau don't do, but would be fine for a auxiliary

 

Krootsuits:

Suits that can stealth, but specialized in target acquisition, kroot view it as a way of getting shaper meats with excess life cost

 

--------

 

Devil fish 2.0.

 

New chasis

Multiple builds, one for transport, one mbt. One support

 

-support build has tide wallshield drones

 

-mbt has different weapons, no rail/ion.

 

 

-------

Phase shift protype for suits. Allows the suits to be removed from the table, then one turn later placed it back on the table within 20" of original location.

 

-------

I want to to develop a ranged melts weapon.

 

S5 ap-3, rapid fire 2 range 18".

Overcharge

Rapid fire 3 gets hot rule

 

 

Arc weapons

On a roll of a 6, it instantly hits the closest enemy within 6" of the initial model, can bounce twice.

 

Causes electro warfare rule

 

S4, ap-4, heavy 1

Edited March 17, 2018 by Triszin

[Honda]

This is just for fun. What type of ideas do you have for battle suits, vehicles, or even equipment that could show up in the Tau armory? it's something I have always loved to think about and have been doing it since 3rd ed when I imagined stealth suits with missile pods. This was before rail rifles were a thing and I even tried to balance them by removing the jet pack to make up for having a range that would keep them from being targeted.

 

 

Wonderful topic and some interesting ideas here.

 

Some of my ideas:

 

Undertow Suit- Originally conceived in an attempt to improve on the targeting systems of the broadside, the Earth Caste found that they needed a larger frame to contain the various systems. While the prototype performed to specifications, the drone assisted targeting system proved to be far more effective than planned. Not only could it adjust for things like weather and movement but it could analyze troop movements and single out leaders. To match this precision the engineers removed one of the heavy rail rifles and ran simulations using it as a sniper unit. The results were a tremendous success.

 

I imagined the Undertow to be around dreadnaught size, having a BS of 3+, and being able to target characters with a heavy rail rifle. I realize GW would never go for this, but it would be cool imo.

 

Interesting idea and maybe your gaming group would let you experiment?

 

Skirmish Suits- light, long legged exo skeletons designed to give off negligible emittions and allow their wearers to traverse hostile territory quickly. They are employed by pathfinder teams for scouting and striking exposed flanks.

 

Essentially a replacement for tetras. They'd get a 4+ save and I was thinking a burst cannon and ML.

 

 

My first thought  was...what a most excellent idea AND I really want to do this. So for me, this would translate to a couple of XV Hazard suits  with some minimal pulse weaponry on it and multiple markerlights. Yeah, I've got to add this to my "to do"  list.

 

Narwhal- Tau weaponry normally focuses precision over destructive mayhem, which has always been the desire of the Empire. This has proven problematic when it comes to laying siege to heavily fortified cities like imperial hives. Needing an effective siege weapon to breach walls to allow ground troops to enter en mass the Ethereals turned to the Earth Caste, who presented their most advanced weapon system to date: a particle beam cannon. The weapon was to ungainly to mount on most suits or hammerheads, so they had to design a skimmer around the cannon. The result is a mobile gun that can vaporize large stretchs of fortifications or anything else unfortunate enough to be targeted by it.

 

This one is because I want Tau to have particle beam weapons.

 

 

Back in the day when I was the army list champion for Epic Tau, we had  some interesting offshoot weapons that we felt fit in with the T'au philosophy for weaponry. One of those units was initially called the Narwhal, but eventually got called the Scorpionfish.

 

The concept was to take the Orca chassis and turn it into a missile boat with various types of missiles,all mounted in vertical launch canisters, allowing  the vehicle to take weapons tailored for the mission. One of those missiles was a hard point penetrator, which would operate sort of like the IG  Deathstrike.

 

When the Taunar Supremacy suit came out, I wanted to get an Orca to be  a "counts as" version of that, but FW had already yanked it from online and nobody else seems to sell them. I hope that at some point FW remakes it like they did the  other T'au aircraft, but I don't know that it was that big a seller.

 

But I would do that again in a heartbeat now. :)

 

The other weapon system that I'd  like to see were longer ranged SMS, ala cruise missiles not requiring  LOS. I don't know if we'd ever see that, but it would seem like a logical extension to the existing  SMS system.

 

That's it for me.

 

 

Fun topic, thanx for sharing.

[Firenze]

My current idea for a Close combat variant Riptide, exclusive to the Enclaves. Its still used primarily as a mid range fire platform, but has the capability to throw back enemy heavy CC units such as Dreadnoughts and the like. Its something I could see the Enclaves doing with their focus on CQC warfare.

[Sete]

You guys know what I'm going to do? Fireblade with Pulse Blaster. 39 points. No marker lights. Same stats and rules.

[Emicus]

Bigger forcefield "guardian drones" mounted on vehicles >:)

[Skaorn]

@Honda

 

The Skirmisher suit is one that I've been having the most trouble with for mechanics to be honest. The change in movement and loss of JSJ from jet packs kind of spoked some of my plans since it would be just another fast model but doesn't have fly. The weapon choice also isn't something I'm particularly happy with either considering it leaves them in stealth suit and pirahana territory with MLs, a worse save, and no fly. I was sort of thinking maybe giving them a missile pod to making them a long ranged harassing unit but I don't think it fits well with the ML. Of course there is the option of coming up with a unique weapon system like a pulse grenade launcher or something even sillier like a multiple ML system that was Assault rather than heavy and could be focused to be used as a pew pew laser beam lol.

 

I have always liked the idea of Tau using multiple types of missiles and have been disappointed that GW didn't do this (looking at you Sky Ray). An Orca missile boat does sound fun.

[Triszin]

I think I want a Tau "upgrade pack, 15$~" like the space marine upgrade packs, but instead it has the signature systems, and extra weapons on the sprue like cibs

[Panzer]

@Honda

 

The Skirmisher suit is one that I've been having the most trouble with for mechanics to be honest. The change in movement and loss of JSJ from jet packs kind of spoked some of my plans since it would be just another fast model but doesn't have fly. The weapon choice also isn't something I'm particularly happy with either considering it leaves them in stealth suit and pirahana territory with MLs, a worse save, and no fly. I was sort of thinking maybe giving them a missile pod to making them a long ranged harassing unit but I don't think it fits well with the ML. Of course there is the option of coming up with a unique weapon system like a pulse grenade launcher or something even sillier like a multiple ML system that was Assault rather than heavy and could be focused to be used as a pew pew laser beam lol.

 

I have always liked the idea of Tau using multiple types of missiles and have been disappointed that GW didn't do this (looking at you Sky Ray). An Orca missile boat does sound fun.

 

Well your problem is at the core of the whole idea. Stealth Suits are exactly what you're trying to make. You're trying to re-invent the wheel and are stuck because the only thing you seem to get is a wheel or a worse wheel. ^^

[Skaorn]

I don't think so, the idea is for a long ranged, low profile recon unit rather than a commando unit. As I said the mechanics of such a unit became more troublesome with 8th by the movement changes and such. I had originally imagined TL pulse carbines for example, but that's mechanically the same as a burst cannon.

 

Also this is just for fun.

[Honda]

Well, the ML suit, for me,would just be a counts as Tetra...which is a vehicle that I've  always loved the looks of. Same with the Remora. Not  the most super-dee-duper-tourney-killer units, but I still like them.

 

As an aside, our group specifically indulges ourselves in narrative campaigns/stories, so some of this is just up my alley.

[Skaorn]

I always liked the tetra too, but they have the iffiness of being FW which might see them banned.