Hantheman said:

I really did not expect to see something that skirts the edge of rule 34:ing imperial ships and tyranid bioweapons when I started reading this thread. Also , does the above count as shipping? How many lame jokes can I sneak into this reply? Noone knows.

On a more serious note. Looking at the illustration of the Stryxis Xebec it seems larger than a light cruiser. Got lots of other ships interconnected to the main ship. May not be so weird that it has a lot of shields seeing as its three ships wired together. Though I imagine their shields wouldn't overlap taht much so their tech may still be more advanced.

Tau ship weapons would be nice to have, stating them out and making them distinct is taking some time but that just means more time to work out the kinks. Demon weapons is a good idea, heresy yes but not if the crew doesn't realize that said weapons is tainted... just thought of a nice new type of shell for the nova cannon. The shell is inscribed with numerous runes and etchings of devotion to the dark gods. One can feel the malice of the beings the weapon is devoted to even from a distance. Rather than being used to attack ships or stations directly the idea is for it to be used from very long range to attack the minds of any with living thing with psychic abilities. It detonates above a planet or in the midst of an enemy fleet causing any warp touched individuals to suffer horrific visions and would make most go insane and cause many to loose control and be used as portals to allow demonic incursions... fun!

Weapons devoted to the enemy....ooh, as DM I would allready see manifold possibilities if the PC's would be so powerhungry as to use them. The first steps to damnation are so easily taken.

But, we could stay Imperial and adapt plasma weapons. In the old TT games, you could set your plasma weapons to low or maximum power. Low was allready quite decent, and maximum became positively awesome, but at the cost of enormous energy drain, which forced the weapon to recharge for a turn after firing. The main question with such an adaptation would be wether to just add a maximum power to the present weapons (which might be over the top) or to adjust them further, decreasing their low power and increasing the maximum power.

For a Hecutor and Ryza, this might be something like STR depending on broadside or battery):

- normal power: Range 11/22 Dam 1d10+2 Crit 4 and Range 5/10 Dam 1d10+4 Crit 4. Only damage one compartment on a crit of 1/2.

- maximum power: Range 11/30 Dam 1d10+4 Crit 3 and Range 5/18 Dam 1d10+6 Crit 3. Damage two compartments on a crit of 1/2.

Alternatively, you grade the normal power of each weapon a bit down:

- normal power: Range 9/18 Dam 1d10+1 Crit 4 and Range 4/8 Dam 1d10+3 Crit 4. Only damage one compartment on a crit of 1/2.

- maximum power: Range 12/24 Dam 1d10+4 Crit 3 and Range 6/12 Dam 1d10+5 Crit 3. Damage two compartments on a crit of 1/2.

These are just ideas, not tested or tried. You can even come up with more rules, such as tech-use tests to push the plasma drive and recharge the weapons faster (this should be at least a hard test). In each case, it will give the PC's (and NPC's) options and choices, which is from experience something they enjoy. And it will make a full plasma broadside all the more terrifying. Especially as the Enemy really knows how to use such ancient technology.

Friedrich van Riebeeck, Navigator Primus, Heart of the Void

Melta cannon broadsides. A fun, if slightly suicidal weapon for fast light cruisers!

I jsut wonder; why do we need more weapons? With the addition of torpedoes, a ship needs nothing more to me, if only a battery for close encounters and to fire sideways

Ah yes, the dreaded Tyranid torpedo-boats. The infamous Godsbane lances of the Tau.

Errant said:

Actually, the Tyranids do employ organisms analogous to Boarding Torpedoes, Fighters and Assault Boats.

Well yes, but they don't function identically to Imperial weapons, now do they? That said, I've been using the Great Devourer material you wrote to great success in my games.

Just as an idea.

Need more diverse Broadsides?

Just up the power and space requirements for any strength 4 macrobattery by 50% and you have the corresponding broadside available. For strength 3 i would suggest doubling the requirements. Up size limitations to one ship class higher.

Be careful if applying this method to bombardement cannons.

Tau space craft are not terribly spectacular - however unlike the more powerful galatctic powers like the Imperium they are a tech progressive culture not a tech stagnant or regressive one. The true power on Tau navy is not individual ships but combined arms. While their individual ships are pretty weak, and weaponry is average, a capital will almost always be towing escorts and/or have some sort of launch bay. Given time however if the Tau empire survives both the Imperial and Tyranid threat, the Tau will advance their space capabilities considerably (check out the differences between the GW (early fleet) and Forgeworld (later fleet) Tau ships).

Tau allies, specifically the Demiurg specifically are very different. Their commercial/industrial vessels are easily as powerful as Imperial capitals.

The Tau are one of the most dangerous opponents of the Imperium not because of their fleets or their armies but their ideology and doctrines. Their ability to absorb entire worlds culturally means that they can conquer with little infrastructural damage which has lead to the swift expansion of the Tau empire. In fact along the Damocles Gulf, worship of the Emperor, most likely a version without hate and promoting the greater good (which ironically is more similar to the original philosophy of the emperor while he lived), is permitted by humans within the Tau empire.

I quite agree there, the ability ot the Tau to possibly incorporate humanity in its Empire combined with the technological advances that continue to be made mean the Tau are a dire threat to the Imperium as it is. Of course, the Tau have one more enemy to fear, besides the Tyrannid hordes or the wrath of the Imperium: what happens if their technology reaches the stage where humanity stopped and regressed? Will they have their 'Iron Men' too?

FvR

Id say yes.

Every other known high technology culture within the 40k universe has found a way around AI and eletronic technology.

The Eldar use psychoactive wraithbone.

The Orks use Grots or even orks instead of AI.

The Imperium as its servitor tech.

The Necrons have souldriven automatons.

The Tyranid threat is wholly biological in nature.

The Dark Mechanicus uses demon driven tech.

The Tau are the only race with any technology that is electronic/AI driven in concept. So there is a high chance of Terminator/Men of Iron/The Red queen happening.

But also, the Tau only exist because the Imperium is so tied up in other matters. A single truly great crusade along the lines of the Angevin crusade (preferably bigger) could spell doom for the Tau. A true Ork Wagghhh or a hive fleet can just as easily expunge them from Imperial records.

Or put into less words: Their empire is still too small.

I'm all for new weapons but - i'd like to see some stats (space, power cost) on the dozens of weapons presented in several sourcebooks (especially BFK) that have combat statlines but no Cost/space/power stats to match meaning we have to guess at them.

Especially weapons on chaos cruisers and such that can still have analogues in The Imperium's Navy. Eldar and Rak gol weapory are very interesting too - wheres the 'meat' stats? /Sigh.

About the Tau - their main weakness is warp mobility - the Imperium could jump a fleet on top of a single Sept world out of the frikkin blue and nuke it before the Tau could gather a proper defense. Don't bother with troops. Forget a crusade - gather a sector fleet - jump in pummel and jump out - accept your losses for the elimination of a hub world and cripple the Tau advance. Repeat every decade. My two throne gelt.

You mean beside the fact, that the Tau Empire still has weaker ships than the Imperium.

And since GW wont continue BFG, itll prolly stay that way for a looong time.

Chaos ships probably are simply differently looking Imperial ships, and the weaponry follows the same ideas. Though being better than Imperial stuff in one regard or the other if its an older vessel.

Actually, there is a difference in weaponry if you follow BFG conversions between Chaos fleets and Imperial Navy fleets. Chaos tends to have longer ranged weaponry, but but less tough (not always tho) and rely less on torpedoes (I don't even remember if they do use them). This even carries over to RT in the form of durability of attack craft, where Imperial attack craft are harder to destroy while chaos ships are faster but more fragile.

This may not be a technological difference but a military idealology difference, where ships are equipped differently due to the prefered use of different tactics. Chaos fleets are generally raiders, while Navy ships must be able to attack & defend equally well. The another non-xeno naval power are the Marines who focus heavily on ship defense using boarding or landing as a main method of achieving victory.

RT ships are however not Navy ships. The RT ship can be equipped to be fast or armored, extreme long range or have devastating close range, depending on the RT's needs - alternatively they might be maximized for trade, exploration or stealth.

I'd like to see the stats for the 'empty' hulls of some of the Xenos and 'Other' ships. I've recently found myself in possession (maybe, salvaging it is only a possibility) of a Stryxis Xebec. And I hate extrapolating game stats, though at least I'm not working in a complete vacuum (and I'm sure my GM would have something too, I just want to plan ahead).

Also, regarding the possibility of an Iron Men scenario happening with the Tau, I just had a truly frightening thought. The Tau themselves are alright with it at first, because they don't see how truly insane the AI is, because it 'believes' in the Greater Good too.

Except it's a machine.

And of course, things all go horribly wrong, races that prove troublesome are slated for extermination and wiped out in the space of days by the rogue AI. Right up until the point that the AI decides that the Tau themselves, and all other organics, are threats to The Greater Good...