T'au Empire Tactical Guide | Warhammer 40,000 Tactical Guide - Tabletop Tactics (2024)

All DRONES, have a basic statline of a 10” FLY Mv, WS/BS 5, S3 T4, 1W, 1A, Ld 6 and a 4+ Sv, with a few little changes here and there depending on the Drone, as noted below.

The first of SHADOWSUNS special drones, they have a 4++ but more importantly make their unit untargetable with Shooting attacks unless they’re the closest eligible target. This keeps Shadowsun safe in entire shooting phases as long as there is something between her and the enemy guns. The downside is her guns are relatively short ranged so she won’t be contributing much whilst safe, but it’s great if you’re just looking to have her support your lines and act as a close range tank deterrent.

SHADOWSUNS second super Drone, giving her +3” to her Auras and Command Phase abilities, up to a max of 12”. This means when using her in full T’AU SEPT, she grants a massive 12” Master of War Aura as well as having 12” on her full reroll ability, giving her unparalleled support options. Even if she’s run alongside a non T’AU SEPT army, that’s still an impressive 9”, making her an ideal support piece.

-2” to any Charge Rolls against the unit. Decent enough at 10pts, and helps keep a forward positioned PATHFINDER unit a bit safer from enemy charges, and particularly against Deep Strikers, but it won’t go too far if they’re already on top of you. Especially funny when combined with Difficult Ground or the Photon Grenades Stratagem to impose a -4” (or all three for maximum hilarity).

Packs a 4++ and grants their unit mini Transhuman, making unmodified 1s and 2s fail to Wound them. Might not sound like much, but there’s plenty of Str 6+ weapons out there looking to make a mess of your fairly squishy STRIKE and BREACHER TEAMS, so this isn’t a terrible buy if you have the 10 points.

The first of the 3 “Standard” Drones, and a good little workhorse. Whether attached enmasse to a CRISIS TEAM or docked VEHICLES, they pack 2 Pulse Carbines and have the limit of only being able to shoot the closest eligible target (though there are ways around that). With the restrictions on their targets and low BS, without support they’ll still add some extra firepower though perhaps not the most efficient, but if you’ve overcome those shortcomings and given them extra support, they pump out very points effective firepower for only 8pts (or free in the case of your VEHICLES), whilst acting as ablative wounds for your more important and bigger things.

Docked to the SUNSHARK, this pair come with 2 Ion Rifles, adding some not inconsiderable ranged firepower to the Bomber, and also come with +10” Mv should you undock them. Whilst the Mv is probably neither here nor there, they can be useful for last ditch Objective grabs or Secondaries like Behind Enemy Lines, so don’t forget you have it if the opportunity presents itself.

Comes with a MARKERLIGHT, as its name implies, and is a cost effective platform for them in your army, being the second of the 3 “Standards”, and thus readily available on many units (including CHARACTERS, giving you untargetable Markerlights so long as you have Look Out Sir up and running) and affordable at 10pts. With the flexibility to move into position whilst doing the Action, they give you good flexibility for Markelight placement. A great choice whether it’s taken sprinkled through the army or in bigger units, able to provide key support as well as a bit of extra protection from errant shots.

It’s a Drone with a Missile Pod, shockingly. Only joins BROADSIDES, and whilst not terribly expensive at 15pts, their low BS is begging for a Drone Controller nearby to support them, making them need further babysitting from certain units to get better efficiency. If you’re looking for ablative wounds they’re too costly, though the extra firepower they offer is quite nice, if you can get them buffed.

Another PATHFINDER exclusive, giving their unit’s Pulse weapons an extra AP for 10pts. This is a good multiplier, especially since the unit’s shooting isn’t wasted when using Markerlights now, and also applies to any GUN DRONES that might be in the unit.

The chunkiest of the lot, getting +2W, a Burst Cannon, and grants their unit Ignore Light Cover against targets within 18”. You get a fair bit for 15pts, and can help boost up the offensive capabilities of the unit quite a bit, especially if combined with the PULSE ACCELERATOR DRONE and some special weapons, but this will add up quickly.

The final “Standard” Drone, coming with a 4++ and +1W, at the cost of any weapons or other rules, but they do offer a good layer of protection to important units, at a pretty reasonable 12pts. Obviously it’s only a 50/50 chance, but even saving one Lascannon helps offset a potentially significant loss. Great on units with already high output, or will be a key threat, like CRISIS or BROADSIDES.

More of a floating gun than an actual DRONE, the Longshot Pulse Rifle has a healthy statline of 48” Rapid Fire 1 with Str 5 -2 D1…and that’s it. Fortunately, their actual “Sniper” abilities are covered by the FIRESIGHT MARKSMAN, which is covered in detail further below.

Take a SHIELD DRONE and strap a Missile Pod to it. A good blend of offense and defense, and fairly cheap at 15pts, the main downsides are its exclusive to RIPTIDES (and indeed the only DRONE they can take), could do with a Drone Controller nearby, and also slightly slows the RIPTIDE down, being 2” slower when at full health, so that might be something to watch out for. If you have the points to spare, or find your RIPTIDE gunned down a bit too quickly from heavy firepower, consider bringing some for a safety net.

The GHOSTKEELS best friends, to the point where one bit of fluff mentioned they often name them. Adorable. Whilst at least one is alive, the unit can’t be shot unless they’re the closest eligible target, or are within 18” of the attacking model. Whilst this has a bit of a contradiction with the GHOSTKEELS infiltration style role, getting them up close, it does help when you have multiple units around, can keep them alive longer in later turns, and also causes difficult target priority and positioning for the opponent, sometimes making them choose between an advantageous position, or the ability to deal with the big gun toting Battlesuit roaming the battlefield.