Rogue Trader PRT17 - Tau Character Guide.pdf

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THE WARRIORS OF THE GREATER GOOD
IN THE KORONUS EXPANSE
CREDITS
Max Brooke and Tim Flanders
Blake Bennet, Tim Cox, and Anthony Hicks
Andrew Kenrick with David Johnson and Mark Latham
Lead Developers
Executive Game Designer
Corey Konieczka
Michael Hurley
Writing and Development
Editing and Proofreading
Managing RPG Producer
Chris Gerber
Executive Producer
Publisher
Tau Character Guide
Tau Character Guide
Tau Character Guide
Christian T. Petersen
Playtest Coordinator Zach Tewalthomas;
“Unrepentant” Lachan “Raith” Conley with Aaron Wong,
Nicole Gillies, Rhys Fisher, and Jordan Dixon;
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Keesjan Kleef, Jan-Cees Voogd, and Joris Voogd; “Well
Done My Lord, You Killed Them” Siobhan Robson with
Brad Wallis and Luke Caspers
Special Thanks
Graphic Design Manager
Brian Schomburg
Cover Art
David Griffith
The Games Workshop Design Studio
Interior Art
G
AMES
W
ORKSHOP
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Managing Art Director
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FANTASY
FLIGHT
GAMES
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USA
© Games Workshop Limited 2014. Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer 40,000 Role Play,
R
OGUE
T
RADER
, the foregoing marks’
respective logos, and all associated marks, logos, places, names, creatures, races and race insignia/devices/logos/symbols, vehicles, locations, weapons,
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R
OGUE
T
RADER
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Product Code: PRT17
For more information about the Rogue Trader line, free downloads, answers
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2
For The Greater Good
Contents
Tau Armoury
Tau Explorers
Classified Competence .........................................................7
Tau Characteristics ..................................................................9
Tau Skills ..................................................................................9
Tau Talents ...............................................................................9
Fire Warrior Career Path ..................................................... 12
Alternate Career Ranks ....................................................... 18
Taking an Alternate Career Rank .................................... 18
Elite Advances from Missed Career Ranks ..................... 19
Career Progression ............................................................ 19
Pathfinder.............................................................................. 20
Drone Handler...................................................................... 22
Battlesuit Pilot ...................................................................... 24
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Tau Character Guide
Through Unity, Prosperity for All.........................................4
Body and Soul .........................................................................5
Progress Unopposed ...............................................................5
Victory on the Horizon ..........................................................5
Spreading the Greater Good to All .....................................6
Tau Equipment ................................................................... 26
Tau Armour ........................................................................ 27
Tau Weapons ...................................................................... 28
Tau Drones ......................................................................... 29
Tau Battlesuits ...................................................................... 30
Nanocrystalline Armour.................................................... 31
Primary Systems ................................................................ 31
Support Systems................................................................. 33
Signature Systems .............................................................. 35
Weapons Systems ............................................................... 37
Tau Battlesuit Profiles .......................................................... 39
XV25 Stealth Battlesuit .................................................... 39
XV8 Crisis Battlesuit ......................................................... 40
XV9 Hazard Battlesuit ...................................................... 40
XV8–05 “Enforcer” Crisis Battlesuit ............................... 41
XV88 Broadside Battlesuit ............................................... 42
XV104 Riptide .................................................................. 42
XV104 Riptide (Continued) ............................................ 43
“Our paths are one, Gue’la. I shall lend my strength to yours, until
such a time as you no longer serve the Greater Good.”
For The
Greater Good
–Shas’o Boh’mha
W
HAT IS THE
T
AU
C
HARACTER
G
UIDE
?
This product provides
R
OGUE
T
RADER
players with
all the necessary information and rules to play Tau
Explorers. Included in this supplement is a concise
history of the Tau Empire, rules to play Tau Warriors
of the Fire Caste, and an armoury from which to outfit
characters with the advanced technology of the Tau.
far unlike their own. In each case, Water caste members first
attempted to diplomatically integrate the aliens into the Tau
Empire, promising great boons in technology and a chance
to help further the cause of the Greater Good. The diplomats
were often successful, and in cases where they were not, the
warriors of the Fire caste were always prepared to lend their
expertise, honed by endless training, in achieving a satisfactory
end to the negotiations. In such a manner, the Tau added not
only new worlds to their empire, but also new species who
supplemented and added to the strength of the whole.
The Tau Empire has thus far seen three periods of rapid
growth, known as Spheres of Expansion, and although none
were without problems, each was on the whole successful. The
Tau themselves remain first amongst equals in their empire, and
seek to instil the core tenets of the Greater Good in all the
vassal races. The idea of giving one’s all for the good of the
whole, even up to literal self-sacrifice, lies ever at the forefront
in the mind of all Tau, and drives and defines their actions. Such
behaviour often baffles outsiders, but to the Tau the comfort
of the implicit knowledge of what drives their comrades is a
luxury few other races in the galaxy can enjoy.
Tau Character Guide
Tau Character Guide
Tau Character Guide
Tau Character Guide
Tau Character Guide
Tau Character Guide
A
machine is only as strong as its weakest component, and
the machine that is the Tau Empire grows strong indeed
off the foundation of ensuring every cog slots into the
perfect place. Rather than founding itself off ancient tradition,
veneration of a god, or some bestial desire for war, the small but
growing empire draws its strength from the abstract concept of
the “Tau’va,” or “Greater Good.” The ideal of putting the group
and society as a whole before any single individual drives every
action, and has enabled the rapid growth and rampant success
that the Tau have achieved in adding both territories and new
races to what they believe is the manifest destiny of the galaxy:
all united, serving the Greater Good.
THROUGH UNITY,
PROSPERITY FOR ALL
A relatively recent addition to the galactic tapestry, the Tau
have only just begun to carve their empire our of the Eastern
Fringe. A thriving species possessed of remarkable unity of
vision and unmatched technological innovation, the Tau have
burst from their home world, constructing, colonising, and
conquering footholds for themselves throughout the eastern
reaches of the galactic plane. As the Tau spread explosively
outward, their expeditions came into contact with a myriad
of other species. Whether through diplomacy, duplicity, or
violence, the Tau have had little need to slow their expansion,
as each new species has fallen to their guns, or been seduced
into the Empire’s philosophy of the “Greater Good.”
In their distant past, the Tau were divided into rival clans
that had descended into an unending war that threatened to
consume the planet. The seemingly miraculous appearance
of the Ethereal caste, bringing with them the concept of the
Tau’va, finally ended the generational feuds and united all Tau
under a common cause. Rather than intermingling the clans, the
Ethereal instead chose to keep them separate and assign each
to tasks that utilised their strengths. The fierce and physically
strong plainswalkers became the Fire caste, warriors for the
growing empire. The sturdy valley dwellers excelled at building
and innovation, and became the Earth caste. The winged
mountain people used their superior mobility as messengers
and eventually pilots, and received the name Air caste. The
final group, gifted with great verbal skills, lent themselves to
positions of business, bureaucracy, and diplomacy, earning the
title of the Water caste. And ever did the Ethereal class remain
in positions of authority, dispensing wisdom and guidance and
ensuring all strove towards universal prosperity.
The tenet of finding the best use for a given group’s skills
and talents burned strong as the Tau developed the ability to
reach the stars, and in their travels met other races and worlds
4
BODY AND SOUL
The Tau themselves appear humanoid in size and shape, but
their blue skin colouring making them quickly differentiable
from humans. They have rather flat faces, wide eyes, and often
lack hair other than the occasional warrior’s braid. Their two-
toed feet make another marked distinction from the form of
Mankind. Their lifespans are typically shorter than a human’s,
especially those with access to juvenats and other medical
luxuries enjoyed by Rogue Traders and other such Imperial
luminaries, although a rare few have found ways to extend
their lives well beyond the norm.
Due to a long history of a rigidly enforced caste system,
physical appearance can easily inform a viewer as to a given Tau’s
role and position within society. For instance, members of the
Fire caste include the strongest and largest of the Tau, whereas
Air caste members showcase taller and lighter physiques more
apt for piloting and space travel. Certain mental traits often exist
alongside the physical commonalities within a caste, although
whether that is due to physical qualities or societal standards is
up for debate. Nevertheless, Water caste members find themselves
naturally able to charm others and learn languages, while Earth
caste inventors and builders display a natural affinity to improve
and innovate. Furthermore, individual Tau often possess certain
traits that make their home world of origin easily identifiable,
chief of which is the exact hue of their blueish skintone, which
varies based on proximity of the world to the sun.
PROGRESS UNOPPOSED
The Tau Empire has enjoyed its rapid advances and numerous
victories in large part due to its technology. Historically, the
Tau evolved biologically and developed technology at a rate far
exceeding most species in the galaxy, a phenomenon that still
begs an explanation. Because of this, they view their technology
as a tool to be constantly refined, updated, and improved as
needed. Unlike, for instance, humanity or the Eldar, they do
not feel constrained by the practices of the past, and view their
weapons, vehicles, and the like in an entirely ordinary light.
The Tau already enjoy a level of technological sophistication
superior to most other races in the galaxy, and furthermore even
understand the science behind it. To further this advantage,
members of the Earth caste seek always to improve, and new
prototypes are constantly being developed and deployed to
ensure the Fire and Air castes constantly have a technological
edge on the ever-changing battlefields the Tau face. Alongside
devastating weapons and agile vehicles, the Tau also
commonly employ sophisticated artificial intelligences, often
in the form of drones. Although regularly used alone or in
small groups by a single Tau giving them direct instructions,
the level of refinement of the AIs allows groups of drones to
be slaved together, and their gestalt intelligence enables them
to undertake complex assignments and independent operation.
Such advances do not exist without accompanying perils,
since by their nature prototypes do not always work as intended.
The Tau view such risks as acceptable. For instance, the initial
development of larger-scale battlesuits resulted in numerous
injuries and fatalities to test pilots, in particular hazards associated
with early miniaturised nova reactors. However, such sacrifices
were deemed valuable in light of the final product, the mighty
XV104 “Riptide” battlesuit, a development that was able to swing
the tides of war on the planet Agrellan and many worlds thereafter.
The Tau inherently do not understand mankind’s mistrust
and mysticism towards technology; after all, even the most
advanced devices are simply tools to be wielded. While
they have no problem using foreign products in times of
necessity, they always prefer the weapons and accessories
they themselves have manufactured, for reasons of safety,
reliability, and, of course, lethality.
VICTORY ON THE HORIZON
While still on their home world, the Tau’s rapidly developing and
enlarging population began to feel constrained. The Ethereals
guided their people towards the obvious solution: the stars, and
other planets. Thus began the millennium-long First Sphere
Expansion, starting with the neighbouring planet of Tau’n and
quickly encompassing all the systems in close proximity of the
planet T’au. These eight systems, also known as Septs, were
acquired relatively successfully, although this expansion also
marked the first contact what would become a perennial enemy
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Tau Character Guide
In addition to such physical differences, the Ethereal caste
also seems to exude a natural presence of some sort that
inspires loyalty, obedience, and often hope in members of the
other castes. What this stems from or the reasons behind it
have never been adequately explained, and the Tau themselves
seem little inclined to pursue research on this particular topic.
in the form of Orks. It also marked, however, first contact with
with the Kroot, who would become closely bonded as allies of
the Tau and fellow servants of the Greater Good.
The Second Sphere Expansion’s beginning was heralded
by extraordinary advances in space travel, with Earth caste
engineers developing near-light speed space flight. Led by
the luminary Ethereal Aun’wei, this period brought a dozen
new Septs into the empire’s boundaries. This age also allowed
the now-legendary Commander Puretide to demonstrate his
tactical brilliance, delivering numerous remarkable victories for
his people. He would go on to train some of the other most
famous Fire caste members, such as Commander Shadowsun
and the infamous Commander Farsight, and his trainings and
strategies would forever influence Fire caste war doctrine.
The end of the Second Sphere Expansion marks perhaps the
most tumultuous time in the empire’s history. After crossing the
Damocles Gulf, the Tau came into contact with the Imperium of
Man for the first time. Their gentle encroachment into Imperial
space was met with the fierce and militaristic response typical
of humanity, and the Tau experienced warfare on a scale and
brutality unlike any they had previously encountered. Forced
into a major retreat for the first time in the history of the Spheres
of Expansion, the Fire caste was forced to reconsider its tactical
strategies and adapt to this new foe. A plan developed by Ethereal
Aun’Va and executed by Commander Farsight enabled the Tau
to quickly retake their lost worlds. Victory was all but complete
until two major setbacks: Farsight’s sudden and unexplained
disappearance into what would be named the Farsight Enclave,
and an immense Waaagh! by Ork forces crashing into Tau space.

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