CorNTENTS I NTR O D U CTI N FO R C E S OF TH E TAU E M P I R E (CoNIINUFD) ; Ray Gunships 51 uads 52 hr-oot Carn.irore 54 ,.espid tinP>,in Drone Squadrons 55 Commander F t 56 Commander hadowsun 58 Aun'\ a 60 Longst:rike 62 Darkstrider 63 Aun' hi 64 s A N EW E M P I R E DA The Rise of the Tau····················-·································· Contact with the lmperiu:m l4 A New Age of Ascenden cy 17 A Growing Emp ire 20 Art ofi ar 22 Fire Caste rion 24 Lan e and Culrure 26 March of Conquest 28 Time of the ·e\\ Bemnning 30 FO R C E S OF TH E TA U E M P I R E 32 Warlord Traits 32 Drones 33 Commanders 34 Ethereals 35 Cadre Fire blades 36 Fire Warriors 37 Pathfinders 38 Devilfish 39 XV8 Crisis Battlesuits (XV8 Crisis Teams & Crisis Bodyguard Teams) 40 XV88 Broadside Teams 42 Stealth Teams 43 XV104 Riptides 44 Sniper Drone Teams 46 Piranhas 47 Sun Shark Bombers 48 Razorshark Strike Fighters 49 Hammerhead Gunships 50 Written by: Jeremy Vetock A R S E N AL OF EXPAN S I O N Melee Weapon 65 Ranged il\ eapon 65 Support Systems 68 Armour 70 Vehicle Battle S terns 72 Signature Systems 73 WAR R I O R S OF TH E G R EAT E R G O O D 76 A R MY OF TH E TH I R D S P H E R E Tau Empire Wargear List 95 HQ 96 Troops 99 Dedicated Transport 99 Elites 100 Fast Attack 101 Heavy Support l03 R E FE R E N C E 104 Cover Art: Raymond Swanland Art, Design, Production and Reprographics by the Games Workshop Design Studio Special thanks to our playtester:s: Nick Bayton,John Bracken, Stefano Carlini, Paul Hickey, Matt Hilton, Tre\'Of Larldn, Gan· Shaw, Adam Snook ©Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2012, Games Workshop, the Games Workshop logo, GW, Warhammcr, Warhammer 40,000, lhe Warhammer 40,000 logo, the Aquila logo, 40K 40,000, Citadel, the Citadel Device, Codex: Tau Empire, and all associated marks, logos, names, places, characters, creatures, races and race insignia., illustrations and images from the Warhammer 40,000 universe are eitherđ, TM and/orâGames \Vorkshop Ltd 2000-2012 variably registered in the UK and other counrries around the "'-orid All Reserved Rights No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic mechanical, photocop�ing, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers incidents is pureh• coincidental This is a work of fiction All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or British Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Picrures used foe illustrathe purposes only Certain Citadel products may be dangerous if used incorrectly and Games Workshop does not recommend them for use by children lliKkr � e of 16 "'it.bout adult supervision Whatever your age, be careful when using glues, bladed equipment and sprays and make sure that you read and follow the in:suucrions on the packaging WWW.G AM E S -WD R KS HO P C DM UK NORTHERN EUROPE NORTH AMERICA AUSTRALIA Games Workshop Ltd, Games Workshop Ltd, Games Workshop Inc Games Workshop, \1-illow Rd, Lenton, Willow Rd, Lenton, 6211 East Holmes Road, 23 Liverpool Street, )\ortingham, Nottingham, Memphis, Ingleburn, ).;Gi2\\'S NG72WS Tenne ee Hl NSW255 I NTRO D U CTIDN O n the galaxy's Eastern Fringe a new Empire is rising Ambitious and united in purpose, the Tau seek to spread their enlightened ways across the galaxy, believing that now is their time to rule Those who not willin gly bow down to the Greater Good of the Tau Empire must be shown the error of their ways FO R TH E G R EATE R G O O D The Tau are an alien race seeking to carve its own realm into the havoc-filled galaxy of the 41st Millennium They mean to bring a new way to a barbaric and unordered universe Many races have already joined their cause, and in time even those that resist are shown the light Their cause - known to the Tau as the Greater Good - requires all individuals to set aside their own desires and cooperate for the benefit of their growing Empire They believe there is no foe their technology cannot overcome and no quandary their science cannot resolve If needs be, even the stars will be moved for the Greater Good WA R H AM M E R 0, 0 If you are reading this codex, then you have already taken your first steps into the Warhammer 40,000 hobby The Warhammer 40,000 rule book contains all the rules you need to fight battles with your Citadel miniatures, and every army has its own codex that acts as a definitive guide to collecting and unleashing it upon the tabletop battlefields of the Warhammer 40,000 universe This codex allows you to turn your collection of Tau Empire models into a Hunter Cadre ready to battle for the Greater Good TH E TA U A R MY A stylish and powerful army, none can match the sophisticated weaponry and high tech gear of the Tau Empire To achieve victory, a Commander must use his diverse elements in a combined fashion A gunline supported by anti-grav tanks, drones and alien auxiliaries will hold the foe at bay so tl1at they'll never see the killing blow coming Battlesuits - mobile suits of armour bristling with deadly weaponry, the apex of Tau technology - airdrop from on high in support of the foot soldiers advancing below Through such harmony comes devastation H OW TH I S C O D E X W O R K S Codex: Tau Empire contains everything you need to play a game of Warhammer 40,000 with your army Within these pages you will find the origins of the Tau, their caste system, their many battles of expansion and the rise of their ever-growing Empire You will also find the rules to use the powerful heroes, units, vehicles and even advanced prototype equipment at your disposal There is also an army list that enables you to organise your collection of Citadel miniatures into a worthy army Finally, you will find a showcase of fantastically painted Tau Empire miniatures, replete with examples of markings, camouflage patterns and colour schemes employed by the many Tau septs 'STRANGER, I BID YOU GREETINGS IN THE NAME OF THE TAU IF YOU ARE READING THIS, THEN YOU WILL HAVE ENCOUNTERED ONE OF OUR MESSENGER DRONES AND ARE THEREFORE A SPACEFARING RACE You WILL SCION SEE MORE EVIDENCE OF us; THIS IS NO CAUSE FOR ALARM WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER CINE CIF OUR SHIPS CIR OUTPOSTS, THEN WELCOME IT WE HAVE MUCH TCI OFFER A FAITHFUL FRIEND WE ARE FIVE CASTES, CINE PEOPLE ALL ARE BOUND TCI THE DREAM CIF BRINGING A NEW AND BETTER WAY TCI THE UNIVERSE ALL ARE WORKING TOWARDS THE GREATER GCICID HOPE YOU WILL CHOOSE TCI SHARE THE CULTURE, TECHNOLOGY AND PROTECTION CIF THE TAU EMPIRE THE WISE LEARN TCI ADAPT TCI CHANGE BELIEVE IN OUR DESTINY.' - TRANSCRIPT FROM ALIEN PROBE DISCOVERED IN KDATH SYSTEM , 696.M41 NEW EMPIRE DAWNS On the eastern fringes of the galaxy, there is a new power on the rise The Tau Empire is spreading; its boundless ambitions have yet to be checked Although world after world have been subsumed under their control, the Tau believe it is only the start of their new unified order, for it is their destiny to rule, and none have the right to deny their progress across the stars Like a newborn sun spreading its light into the darkness, the M A N I F E ST D E STI NY Tau Empire radiates outwards, its power ever growing The The Tau believe that their destiny is to rule and that the Tau are a dynamic race, whose unity of purpose and superb time to so is now They fully accept the superiority of grasp of technology have enabled them to make rapid their culture and technology, and have recognised that they advances Where once the Tau looked up to see the distant are the only hope of bringing an enlightened philosophy pinpricks of unexplored stars, now they see the shimmering to a bleak, barren and backwards galaxy T here is no feat lights of their own interstellar empire beyond the range of their engineering, no quandary that In their expansions, the Tau have planted thriving cannot overcome In time all other races will come to their scientists cannot oh·e and no foe that their warriors colonies where before there was only desolation In their accept these truths, and the very tars will be reshaped and wisdom, they have transformed lifeless and poisonous realigned in the name of the on1 cause that ever mattered orbs into fecund worlds capable of supporting burgeoning populations Artificial planets, orbital docks and strings of A strong ideological concept driYe the Tau- Tau'va- which relay stations now light interstellar pathways all across what translates as 'the Greater Good' a phrase that means the was once the empty blackness of space Although considered good of the many (society) i greater than the good of upstarts and fledglings by the elder powers of the galaxy, the few (the individual) T hat one must set aside personal the Tau have supreme confidence in themselves and see desires to work for the Greater Good is of prime concern to only the unfolding of the natural order of things New stars the Tau and it is impo ible to underpla the importance of are born out of swirling nebula, replacing those suns that this ideal- all working together collapse or blaze out in supernovas So too empires rise of the whole society ro achieve the advancement and fall RELENTLESS D R IVE The Tau Empire continue to grow, rretching outwards in ever-increasing bands This continual expansion ensures that the Tau regularly encroach into already occupied territory, where they encounter much i!!llorance and hostility However, this has not dissuaded them from their mission If anything, each conflict onl,· rrengthens the Tau's collective will and lends further clari£\· ro their purpose Although the Tau ee- to annex all territory and assimilate any alien race the\· discorer d!ev attempt to so through enticement, ramer than :uhju2ation The Tau have become masters of diplomaCY- offerina �rreat rewards for those who acquiesce In d!ese mane the incorporation proc me Tau are patient, content for w rake years, or even decades, until an alien world is fuTh· sub umed Oftentimes, Tau rule is so ubd,- insinua ed that the natives even assume it was £heir idea Hm:eYer if re i tance is encountered, gro , more aggressive in nature If these negotiations quic · not proceed in a talks are '>fuctory manner for the Tau, the ,i.fth· replaced ,,;dJ a purely military solution The mili taf\· appara - o me Tau is a finely tuned in trurnen o death Their wan;or caste is prepared for batde from b1nh Each oldier is equipped with hi-tech weaponn· and·- unque·tionably committed to the cause of me Grearer Good Their elite troops wear advanced banlesui - that bristle ";d! fearsome arrays of firepower .\ combined a.nns force £heir mechanised infantry and I!Ta\;r