Comprehensive Breakdown of New Tau Codex Rules

By Juan Lopez | March 10th, 2018 | Categories: Tabletop Gaming News, Tau, Warhammer 40k

Are you ready for more info on the Stratagems, Warlord Traits, relics, and point costs for the Tau? Then come check out this comprehensive rules breakdown!

Thanks to winters SEO, we now have a bigger picture of what the Tau codex will contain. Sadly there are no new models and Vespids are still terrible. Lore hounds will be wanting to pick this codex up for the updated narrative which includes what happened to the 4th Sphere of Expansion and what the Tau Empire is currently up against. For this article, we will be focusing on the information that has not been covered by Warhammer Community (but a lot has been seen in the codex images that were spotted yesterday)

What that being said, let’s dive right in!

The Tau do have Objective Secured but it does not apply to drones. Alien auxiliaries (Kroot, Vespids) can be part of a Tau battle-forged army but will not gain the benefits from the chosen Sept. The Sa’cea Sept has the Calm Discipline Tenet: add +1 to the Leadership characteristic of models with this Tenet. In addition, int he Shooting phase you can re-roll a single failed hit roll when a unit with this Tenet shoots.

Stratagems

There are three pages of Stratagems and many of them are just 1CP.

Dal’yth Sept “Strike and Fade”: For 1CP, use this Stratagem at the start of your Shooting Phase, pick a unit. That unit may shoot and immediately move 6″ as if it were the Movement phase. They cannot Advance as part of this move.
Sa’cea Sept “Orbital Marker distribution Uplink”: For 2CP, at the start of your Shooting phase, choose an enemy unit that is visible to a character from your army. That unit and all other enemy units within 6″ of it gain a marker light counter.
Farsight Enclaves “Dropzone Clear”: For 2CP, you this Stratagem at the start of your Shooting phase. Choose a Farsight Enclaves battlesuit unit from your army that was set up on the battlefield using its Manta Strike ability and add +1 to hit rolls for that unit this phase.
Emergency Dispensation: 1CP/3CP, unlocks up to two more relics.
Orbital Ion Beam: For 3CP, use this Stratagem in the Shooting phase if a Tau Empire commander from army did not move or use its Manta Strike ability in the preceding Movement phase. Pick two points on the battlefield that are 2D6 inches apart. Draw an imaginary line between them. On a 4+, any enemy unit in the beam suffers D3 mortal wounds.
Automated Repair System: For 2CP, pick a vehicle or battlesuit. It immediately regains D3 lost wounds.
Positional Relay: For 2CP, use this Stratagem at the start of your Movement phase. Pick a Sept MB-3 Recon Drone from your army. One of your Sept units that has been set up in a Manta hold can perform a low altitude drop and be set up wholly within 6″ of the MB-3 Recon Drone.

Failsafe Detonator: For 1CP, Use this Stratagem when a Battlesuit unit is destroyed in the Fight phase, before removing the last model, roll a dice for each unit, friend or foe, within 3″ of that model. On a 4+, they suffer a mortal wound.
Repulsor Impact Field: For 1CP, when a Battlesuit is charged, roll a dice for each model in the unit that is within 3″ of the unit. On a 6+, that model suffers a mortal.
EMP Grenade: For 1CP, toss an EMP Grenade at an enemy vehicle and that vehicle can suffer D3 mortal wounds.
Multi-Spectrum Sensor Suite: For 1CP, use this Stratagem before a Battlesuit unit in army shoots. Enemy units cannot gain the benefit of cover against shots made by this unit this phase.
Uplinked Markerlight: For 1CP, use this Stratagem after an enemy unit has been hit by a marker light fired by a model from your army. Instead of 1 marker light counter, place D3+1 next to that unit instead of 1.
Support Turret Replacement: For 1CP, when you lose a Support Turret, you can set up another one as long you maintain unit coherency.
Point Defense Targeting Relay: For 1CP, use this Stratagem when an enemy unit declares a charge against a vehicle. That vehicle can perform Overwatch on a 5+ instead of a 6+.
Recon Sweep: For 1CP, use this Stratagem at the start of your Shooting phase. Select a Pathfinder team from your army. That unit can move 2D6 but cannot shoot or charge this turn.
Stimulant Injector: For 1CP, use this Stratagem at the start of any turn. Pick a battlesuit in your army with a Wound characteristic of 10 or more. Until the end of this turn, use the top row of the model’s damage table regardless of how many wounds it has left. The effect ends immediately if the model is reduced to 0 wounds.

Warlord Traits

Tau Sept: Your Warlord ignores a wound on a 5+
Vior’la Sept: If your Warlord has the Master of War, Volley of Fire, or Failure Is Not An Option, increase the range of that ability to 9″. In addition, if your army is battleforged, you receive 1 additional Command point.
Sa’cea Sept: Friendly Sa’cea units within 6″ of the Warlord reduce the number of models that flee as a result of a failed morale test by 1.
Bor’kan Sept: For each hit roll of a 6+ made by your Warlord, add +1 to the wound roll for that attack.
Precision of the Hunter: Re-roll wound rolls of 1 made by your Warlord against enemy vehicles or monsters.
Through Unity, Devastation: In your Shooting phase, you can pick an enemy unit that is visible to your Warlord. Until the end of the phase, each time you make a wound roll of 6+ against that unit made by an attack from a friendly Sept unit within 6: of your Warlord, the AP characteristic of the attack is increased by +1.

A Ghost Walks Amongst Us: When your Warlord Advances, add 6″ to their Movement characteristic for that Movement phase instead of rolling a dice.
Through Boldness, Victory: If your Warlord is within 12″ of an enemy unit at the start of your Shooting phase, you can re-roll failed hit rolls made by your Warlord until the end of the phase.
Exemplar of the Kauyon: You can re-roll failed hit rolls for your Warlord as long as they have not moved. If they have moved, they lose this trait until the start of your next turn.
Exemplar of Mont’ka: Your Warlord can Advance and shoot as if they had not Advanced that turn.

Relics

Puretide Neuro Engram Chip: Once per battle you can re-roll a single hit, wound, or damage roll made by the bearer. In addition, if your army is battleforged and the bearer is on the battlefield, roll a D6 each time you or your opponent uses a Stratagem. On a 6+, you gain a Command Point.
Supernova Launcher: Model with Airbursting Fragmentation Projector only. 18″ range, Assault D6, S6, -2AP, 2 Damage. This weapon can target units that are not visible to the bearer.
Multi-Sensory Discouragement Array: Enemy units within 6″ of the bearer subtract -1 from their Leadership.
Solid Image Projection Unit: An Ethereal with a Hover Drone only. Once per phase, when an enemy unit declares a charge against the bearer, you may move the bearer 3″ away before the charge roll is made.
Seismic Destabilizer: At the start of each Shooting phase, you may pick an enemy Infantry unit claiming the benefit of cover or a building. If you pick an Infantry unit, roll a dice for each model in the unit. On a 6+, the unit suffers a mortal wound. If you pick a building, that building suffers D3 mortal wounds.
Tau Sept Relic: Battlesuit only: this model may immediately move up to 6″ after attacking in the Shooting phase.
Vior’la Sept Relic: a flamer that does 2 Damage.
Dal’yth Spet Relic – Dynamic Mirror Field: Your opponent must subtract -1 from hit rolls made against the bearer.
Sa’cea Sept Relic: Enemy units that choose the bearer’s unit as the target of a charge must subtract -2 from the charge distance.
Bork’an Sept Relic: a nasty plasma rifle.
Farsight Enclaves Relic: Fusion Blades ( as seen in Warhammer Community).

Points Changes

Aun’va has gone up 20 points, now 85 points.
Gun Drones have gone by 4 points, now 12 each.
Support System point table has changed. Some have been simplified while others have unit specific/other unit costs. For example, Mulit-Tracker is now just 10 points. Early Warning Override (Ghostkeel, Riptide, Stormsurge) costs 10 points. For other models, Early Warning Override is 5 points.
Breacher Team has gone down 1 point. Now 7 points per model.
Kroot Carnivores have gone down 1 point. Now 5 points per model.
Strike Team has gone down 1 point. Now 7 points per model.
XV-88 Broadside Battlesuit down 20 points. Now 60 points per model.
Heavy Rail Rifle has gone down 28 points. Now 35 points.
Smart Missile Systems have gone down 5 points. Now 15 points.
Devilfish have gone down 21 points. Now 80 points per model.
Riptide Battlesuits have gone down 24 points. Now 185 points per model.
Ion Accelerator has gone down 42 points. Now 65 points. For Standard and Overcharged, it is now Heavy D6. When Nova-charged, it is a flat 6 shots.
Heavy Burst Cannon has gone down 20 points. Now 35 points. It is now a Heavy 12. Heavy 18 when Nova-charged.
Hammerhead Gunships have gone down 17 points. Now 100 points per model.
Sky Ray Gunships have gone down 19 points. Now 100 points per model.
Aun’shi has gone down 8 points. Now 60 points.
Tactical Support Turrets are now free.
MV4 Shield Drones have gone up 2 points. Now 10 points per model.
Airbursting Fragmentation Projector has gone 2 points. Now 8 points.
Burst Cannon has gone down 2 points. Now 8 points.
Fusion Collider has gone down 9 points. Now 35 points.
Cluster Rocket System has gone down 25 points. Now 36 points.
Ion Cannons have gone down 20 points. Now 35 points.
Rail Rifles have gone down 5 points. Now 17 points.
Supremacy Railgun has gone down 19 points. Now 50 points.

There you have the latest on the Stratagems, Warlord Traits, Relics, and points changes you will see in the upcoming Tau Codex that is currently available for pre-order. What do you think of the Tau Codex so far? Do you feel it is looking strong? Are you feeling underwhelmed by the rules/points changes? Let us know in the comments below!