T'au Wargear

The race that came to be known as the Tau were first discovered by the Imperium of Man in the late 35th millennium. They were at a hunter-gatherer stage of development at this time, and were earmarked for cleansing. The combination of warp storms and the outbreak of the Age of Apostasy within the Imperium prevented this from occuring, and during the next six millennia of isolation the Tau were able to evolve, unite, and develop an extremely advanced level of technology. Also during this time, the Tau have incoporated numerous alien species into their fledgling Empire, the most significant of these being the Kroot and the Vespid.

This list will describe the various weapon types, common equipment, and vehicles used by the Tau military, along with their allies.

Pulse weapons
The standard infantry weapon of Tau Fire Warriors, pulse weapons use electromagnetic induction fields to convert particles to a plasma state and propel them out the barrel of the weapon. There are several different types of pulse weapon:
 * The pulse rifle carried by Fire Warrior teams is comparable to the boltguns used by the Space Marines.
 * Pulse carbines are used by Pathfinder teams and are fitted to gun drones. Although as powerful as pulse rifles, carbines are smaller, trading decreased range for portability. Pulse carbines are almost always fielded with an underslung photon grenade launcher.
 * Pulse pistols are small hold-out weapons issued to battlesuit pilots and the controllers of sniper drones. They have an extremely short range, but are slightly more powerful than an Imperial bolt pistol.

Burst cannons
A multi-barrel weapon capable of sustaining high rates of fire, burst cannons are an offshoot of Tau pulse weapon technology. They are usually mounted on battlesuits and vehicles.

Kroot weaponry
Originally designed to use chemical propellant and solid ammunition, when the Kroot were absorbed into the Tau Empire, these weapons were upgraded to utilise the charged pulse rounds favoured by the Tau. Standard 'Kroot Rifles' are also fitted with blades near the barrel and stock, a throwback to fighting staves used by primitive Kroot.

The Kroot have adapted Tau pulse technology to produce a large calibre weapon. This heavy weapon is equevilant in range and firepower to the autocannon used by the Imperial Guard, and is primarily used to engage light vehicles. The 'Kroot Gun' is significantly heavier than the rifle, and must be mounted on the back of the ape-like Krootox.

Plasma rifles
In addition to their skill with pulse weapons, the Tau have developed plasma rifles that do not suffer from the fatal overheating problems of plasma-based weaponry used by other races. However, a side effect of the increased operator safety, Tau plasma rifles are weaker than equevilant weapons from other races.

Railguns
Linear accelerator weapons, known more colloquially as railguns, are high-power weapons mounted on Tau battlesuits and tanks. These weapons fire a single, solid projectile at hypervelocity, although the vehicle-mounted version can also fire a sophisticated bundle of submunitions.

Railguns have been used for some time by battlesuits and vehicles, and the technology has been scaled up to the point where massive railcannon batteries are mounted on Air Caste starships. However, it was only recently that the Tau began to experiment with man-portable weapons based on railgun technology. Although weaker than its larger relatives, the rail rifle is still powerful enough to be an effective anti-tank weapon. To use a rail rifle, the bearer must also be equipped with a hard-wired targeting device. During trials, one of the main flaws of the rail rifle was that the massive energy requirements needed to power the electromagnetic linear accelerator would overload the targeting device, causing feedback in the hard-wire interface, which in turn would kill the rifle's bearer. This flaw has been fixed through constant field-testing, and was authorised for use by frontline Pathfinder teams just prior to the declaration of the 'Third Sphere Expansion'.

Ion Cannons
An althernate turret-mounted weapon for the Hammerhead Gunship, and also appearing on Tau fightercraft and starships, the Ion Cannon generates a stream of high-energy particles, which are fired by the mainpulation of an electromagnetic field. The particles react explosively with the target, as a result of direct energy transmission at the atomic level.

Missiles
Tau missiles are self-guiding, as each missile is designed with a basic drone intelligence. These smart missiles can be fired at any target within range, regardless of line-of-sight. Once locked on to a target, the missiles will pass around any blocking terrain to reach that target. Smart missile systems are mounted on battlesuits and some vehicles.

As Fire Caste doctrine discourages the use of heavy weapons within squads, a variant of the smart missile, the seeker missile, is present on some Tau vehicles. Used to provide fire support to Fire Warrior and Pathfinder teams, these missiles are guided to the target by a combination of the drone intelligence and communications from a Tau team.

Fusion blaster
An analog of the Imperium's meltagun, the fusion blaster is mounted on Crisis battlesuits as an anti-tank weapon.

Neutron blaster
A weapon unique to the Vespid Stingwings, the neutron blaster is a hybrid of Vespid and Tau technology. Mounted at the barrel of each weapon is a highly energetic and unstable crystal, which has been harvested from the deepest layers of the lighter-than-air stalactite islands the Stingwings call home. This is combined with an efficient neutron projection system to produce a weapon capable of bypassing all but the most effective armour.

Neutron blasters can only be used by the Stingwings, as the constant ultrasonic tone emitted by the Stingwings are required to modulate the crystal used in the weapon.

Markerlight
A handheld device used to target enemy soldiers and vehicles, the markerlight is not a weapon, but a unit (similar to a laser pointer) capable of several functions, including rangefinding, targeting for accuracy, and designating targets for 'blind' weapons systems (such as seeker missiles to home in on.

Drones
Independant artificial intelligences, Tau drones are used for a variety of civil and military functions. They normally require reqular instructions from a Tau to function, although if four or more drones are networked to operate in unison, they become capable of operating independantly of their Tau controllers. Drones that are linked to a control device cease to function if the controlling Tau is killed, or if the drones move more than a set distance from the controller.

Drones are designed to fulfill a set role. The most common drone designs are:
 * Gun drones are armed with a pair of pulse carbines and are the most common drone type used by the Tau Fire Caste. They can accompany any Tau posessing a control device, whether he be in a battlesuit or leading an infantry Team. In addition, gun drones are often used as weapons systems for the Devilfish APC and Piranha skimmer.
 * Shield drones are assigned to protect elite commanders, along with members of the Ethereal caste. They are equipped with powerful energy shields and are programmed to block weaponsfire intended for their controller with their shields. If necessary, the drone will physically intercept the incoming fire.
 * Marker drones are equipped with an advanced markerlight system, and through the use of the control device can improve the accuracy of the operator and anyone else in the operator's Team.
 * Sniper drones are a recent development for the Third Sphere Expansion. A single Tau equipped with an advanced control and targeting system can utilise up to three sniper drones to provide accurate anti-personnel fire. The drones themselves are armed with a rail rifle, and project a distortion field that makes the drones and their operator difficult to hit.

Battlesuits
Battlesuits are the main vehicles found in Tau forces. They are exoskeletal mecha suits that completely encompass the body of their Fire Caste warrior-pilot.

All battlesuits of the same type are given a designation: XV, followed by two digits. The first digit indicates the mass class of the suit: '1' being a complete exoskeletal version of standard Tau body armour, while '8' represents the heaviest available battlesuits. The second digit indicates the role or status of the particular suit design: '2' marking an experimental design, '5' representing stealth capability, and '8' being heavy fire support.

Stealthsuits
The XV15 (up until the start of the Third Sphere Expansion) and the XV25 Stealthsuits are equipped with burst cannons and holographic camouflage, and are capable of equipping a fusion blaster in place of the burst cannon.

Teams of up to six suits operate independantly of the main Tau force, and are given broad parameters by which to operate. Most Stealth Teams are not factored into Tau battleplans, and the appearance of a Stealthsuit-equipped team can be a surprise to both forces. Stealth Team members are perceived to be eccentric, and are said to delight in employing new and unpredictable tactics.

Crisis suits
The mainstay of the Tau's battlesuit forces, the XV8 Crisis battlesuits are worn by Fire Caste commanders and Fire Warriors that have proven themselves in battle. Each Crisis suit is capable of mounting two heavy weapons, and can be equipped with a variety of support systems, including drone controllers, fire control and targeting systems, or a shield generator.

Broadside
The most heavily armed Tau warriors on the battlefield, pilots of the XV88 Broadside battlesuit have access to a twin-linked railgun system and a smart missile system.

Devilfish
The Devilfish is the standard APC of the Tau Fire Caste. Capable of carrying 12 Warriors or Pathfinders, the anti-grav Devilfish is equipped with a burst cannon and two gun drones.

Hammerhead
Based on the hull design of the Devilfish, the Hammerhead Gunship is the main battle tank of the Tau Empire. The troop carrying ability of the Devilfish is removed, as the space is needed for the complex generators and capacitors required to power the Hammerhead's turret weapon; either a railgun or ion cannon. In addition, Hammerheads are equipped with either a pair of burst cannons or a smart missile system.