Fire Warrior
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This article is about the Tau military unit; for the novel by Simon Spurrier, see Fire Warrior (Novel). |
Fire Warriors are the backbone of the T'au military force, the Fire Caste.[4c]
Contents
Overview
Having been bred and trained to be soldiers at birth, T'au Fire Warriors strictly follow both the Greater Good and the Code of Fire and represent the best fighters of their species.[4c] They are soldiers outfitted with a wide variety of advanced technology. Their main firearm is the pulse rifle, although they do sometimes use pulse carbines and pulse blasters. As basic infantry, they are deployed in smaller numbers than other races' infantry because of the superior firepower they can bring to bear.[1a]
Fire Warriors are known to be efficient, professional, and cautious fighters. Their veteran Shas'ui squad leaders are able to draw upon additional equipment, such as Drones or Markerlights. Fire Warrior teams, and the Shas'ui that command them, are expected to follow orders while at the same time adjusting to the flow of war, making them tactically flexible and autonomous. To the T'au, needless sacrifices are treated as a severe failure, as are occasions when a team neglects to support its nearby comrades. Fire Warriors tirelessly drill and practice setting up overlapping fields of fire and covering volleys. The Greater Good emphasises that the sum is greater than the individual parts, and Fire Warriors understand that interunit dynamics and interlocking Cadres are the true strength of the T'au military.[11b]
Often deployed from a Devilfish APC, they are able to rapidly disembark and lay down withering barrages of fire against their foes. The basic team is made up of five Fire Warriors, but it is not uncommon for them to contain up to twelve, with or without a Shas'ui team leader, as well as gun drones, marker drones, shield drones, a guardian drone, and/or a turret drone.[1a]
Fire Warrior Strike Team
The Strike Team is the most common type of T'au Fire Warrior deployment. A Fire Warrior Strike Team is a high-speed detachment of shock troops who lay down sheets of withering pulse rifle fire, throwing electromagnetic pulse grenades and aiming powerful tactical support turrets at a rapidly-depleting foe.[5]
Fire Warrior Breacher Team
The Breacher Team is another type of T'au Fire Warrior deployment. Drawn from the most aggressive members of the Fire Caste,[11b] Breacher Teams specialise in brutally effective close-range assaults, clearing buildings of threats in a tight, tactical formation and delivering sharp, shockingly sudden frontline displays of raw incendiary power that grind enemy soldiers into dust, discharging Pulse Blasters and hurling Photon Grenades until they are certain every path is clear.[6]
The catalyst for the formation of Breacher Teams dates back to the Damocles Crusade, where the T'au, formerly used to fighting the likes of aggressive Orks, were caught unprepared for the defensive bunkers and trenches of the Imperium. Furthermore, an alarming amount of Air Caste vessels were lost to aggressive boarding actions by Imperial Space Marines. In these close-quarter engagements the true strength of the T'au military, Battlesuits, could not be brought to bear. So born were Breacher Teams, which are equipped with hard-hitting close range weaponry and Shield Drones. Each warrior is trained to hold their fire until the perfect moment to maximise their kill potential, a trait that requires extreme self-control and courage. Indeed, though their casualties are invariably high and their lives often short, the Breacher Teams have continued in the proud and selfless tradition of their founding ever since.[11b]
Fire Warrior Bodyguard
Elite Fire Warriors tasked with guarding members of the Aun (Ethereal) caste. Hand-chosen by Aun'el from among the veterans of past conflicts, these elite Shas'ui can stabilise key positions and provide heavy cover fire.[9]
Fire Warrior Bodyguards deployed on Kronus during the failed T'au Empire campaign.[9]
Ranks
| Rank | Translation |
|---|---|
| Shas'saal[1a] | Underling |
| Shas'la | Warrior |
| Shas'ui | Veteran |
| Shas'vre | Hero |
| Shas'el | Noble/Knight |
| Shas'O | Commander |
The ranks of Fire Warriors is part of the greater Tau Caste System, with promotion based on seniority and battlefield experience. Some of the most seasoned Fire Warriors in a Cadre may eschew promotions to Battlesuit units, instead becoming Fireblades.[3]
- Shas'la: The basic Fire Warrior rank, denoting one who has completed the rigorous basic training regimen for the Fire Caste.[11a]
- Shas'ui: Given to Shas'la who have served for four years on the line and completed the first Trial By Fire. If they succeed in the Trial, they can go on to serve in elite Battlesuit units.[4b]
- Shas'vre: Given to Shas'ui who have served for four years and completed the second Trial By Fire.[1b] These are veteran officers who often lead Battlesuit teams or pilot more advanced systems such as the Ghostkeel or Riptide.[11c]
- Shas'el: Given to a Shas'vre who has served for four years and completed the third Trial By Fire. They then become junior Tau Commanders[1b] who most frequently lead Cadre-level formations.[4e]
- Shas'O: Given to a Shas'el who has experienced many successes in the field. These are experienced Commanders who have become true masters of the Tau art of war and can command entire Coalitions.[4e] After becoming a Shas'O, the only remaining option after command is to either teach at an academy, become a military advisor to the Shas'ar'tol or join in politics and be on one of the many Elemental Councils in the Empire. Besides death, this is the only way a member of the Fire Caste can leave the Tau military.[1a]
There also exist other specialized ranks, such as Saz'nami (or Close Protection Officer)[4g], which denotes ones place as a bodyguard of important Tau or an agent of the Ethereal Guard.[12b] Saz'nami are in turn led by veteran Shaz'ai in their protection duties.[12a]
Wargear
Fire Warrior squads are typically armed with Pulse Rifles but sometimes are also seen with Pulse Carbines and Pulse Blasters and the Shas'ui may be equipped with a Markerlight. Fire Warriors also typically carry Photon or EMP Grenades, and frequently make use of Devilfish vehicles for transport. Tau military doctrine does not allow for organic, integrated heavy weapons, so Fire Warrior teams are reliant on other units for heavy support, typically in the form of Seeker Missiles.[1a]
The combat armour worn by the Fire Warriors is lightweight and agile but sturdy, produced by advanced metal fusing techniques that are more advanced than Ork or Imperial methods.[4a] The outer surface of the armour is a hard, ultra-dense nanocrystalline metal bonded to an inner layer of high-performance, thermo-set molecular polythene. The inner layer acts as an energy-absorbent padding which prevent blunt trauma wounds from high-velocity impacts.[7a] The enlarged single shoulder pad is particularly useful, as Fire Warriors are trained to position themselves in a way to use it as a shield. In addition, Fire Warrior helmets contain a number of aids, including sensors, target-trackers, air quality monitors, and communications uplinks.[4a] Breachers also carry field amplifier relays as backpacks, allowing for increased protection from nearby guardian drones; it is unclear why members of strike teams do not.[8]
Fire Warriors make frequent use of supporting technology in field operations, most notably drones, including the DS8 Tactical Support Turret.[6]
Notable Fire Warriors
Images
Fire Warrior Shas'ui[4d]
A Fire Warrior Squad with 2 Gun Drones and Shas'ui (3rd Edition)
Fire Warrior Strike Team (7th Edition)
Fire Warrior Breacher Team (7th Edition)
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Tau Empire (4th Edition):
- 2: The Art of Warhammer 40,000, pg. 239
- 3: Games Workshop
- 4: Codex: Tau Empire (6th Edition):
- 5: Games Workshop (last accessed 7 November 2015)
- 6: Games Workshop (last accessed 7 November 2015)
- 7: Imperial Armour Volume Three - Second Edition: The Taros Campaign:
- 8: Codex: Tau Empire (7th Edition)
[Help] - 9: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Definitive Edition - Dark Crusade: T'au Empire Commander Honour Guard Unit Fire Warrior Bodyguard
- 10: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Definitive Edition - Soulstorm: T'au Empire Commander Honour Guard Unit Fire Warrior Bodyguard
- 11: Codex: T'au Empire (8th Edition):
- 12: Farsight: Blade of Truth (Novel):
Uncited
| Castes | |
|---|---|
| Allied Races |
Anthrazod • Boaburi • Brachyura • Charpactin • Demiurg • Domati • Formosian • G’nosh • Galg • Greet • Humans • Hrenian • Jagordian • Ji'atrix • Kroot • Morralian • M'uh'ja • Nagi • Nicassar • Ostense Council • Phosiab • Pohu-Agg • Ranghon • Tarellians • Thraxians • Vespid • Vorgh • Yabi-Yabi |
| Military |
Fire Warriors • Kor'vattra • Merchant Fleet • Auxiliaries • Information Awareness |
| Culture | |
| Notable Characters |
Aun'Va • Aun'shi • O'Shaserra • O'Shovah • Puretide • El'Myamoto • T'au Sha'ng |
| Tau Empire Forces | |
|---|---|
| Leadership | Ethereal • Tau Commander • Fireblade |
| Troops | Fire Warrior Team (Strike Team • Breacher Team) • Pathfinder Team • Stealthsuit Team • Drone Squadron |
| Battlesuits | XV8 Crisis (XV8 • XV8-02 • XV81 • XV84 • XV85 • XV86 • XV89 • Warmaker) • XV15 Stealth • XV22 Stealth • XV25 Stealth • XV26 Stealth • XV95 Ghostkeel • XV88 Broadside • XV9 Hazard XV46 Vanguard • XV104 Riptide • XV107 R'varna • XV109 Y'vahra • KV128 Stormsurge • KX139 Ta'unar |
| Vehicles | Devilfish • Drone Harbinger • Hammerhead • Piranha • Sky Ray • Tetra • Swordfish |
| Aircraft | Barracuda • Manta • Orca • Sun Shark • Razorshark • Tiger Shark • Remora • Dorsal • Harpedo |
| Auxiliaries | Kroot Shaper • Kroot Carnivore Squad • Kroot Hound • Krootox • Knarloc • Great Knarloc • Vespid Stingwing • Gue'vesa |
| Special Characters | Aun'va • Aun'shi • Shadowsun • Farsight • Darkstrider • Longstrike • Twin Lance |
