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Fire Warrior

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Targetdrone.gif This article is about the Tau military unit; for the novel by Simon Spurrier, see Fire Warrior (Novel).
Tau Fire Warrior[4a]

The Fire Warrior is the backbone of Tau military force, the Fire Caste.[4c]

Overview

Having been bred and trained to be soldiers at birth, Tau 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. As basic infantry, they are deployed in smaller numbers than other races' infantry because of the superior firepower they can bring to bear. Fire Warriors are known to be efficient, professional, and cautious fighters. Often deployed from a Devilfish APC, they are able to rapidly deploy 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 present as one of the 5-12, as well as gun drones, marker drones, shield drones, a guardian drone, and/or a turret drone.[1]

Fire Warrior Strike Team

The Strike Team is the most common type of Tau 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]

A Fire Warrior Shas'vre

Fire Warrior Breacher Team

The Breacher Team is a type of Tau Fire Warrior deployment. The Fire Warriors Breacher Team specializes 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]

Ranks

The ranks of Fire Warriors is part of the greater Tau Caste System, with promotion based on seniority and battlefield experience. After four years 'on the line' as a standard Shas'la, Fire Warriors can undertake the Trial by Fire, an ancient ritual that can see them promoted to Shas'ui. If they succeed in the Trial, they can go on to serve in elite Battlesuit units.[4b] Some of the most seasoned Fire Warriors in a Cadre may eschew promotions to Battlesuit units, instead becoming Fireblades.[3]

Rank Translation
Shas'saal[1] Underling
Shas'la Warrior
Shas'ui Veteran
Shas'vre Hero
Shas'el Noble/Knight
Shas'O Commander

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.[1]

The combat armor 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

Related articles

Sources

Uncited

Tau Empire
Castes
Allied Races
Military
Culture
Notable Characters


Tau Empire Forces
Leadership EtherealTau CommanderFireblade
Troops Fire Warrior Team (Strike TeamBreacher Team) • Pathfinder TeamStealthsuit TeamDrone Squadron
Battlesuits XV8 Crisis (XV8XV8-02XV81XV84XV85XV86XV89)XV15 StealthXV22 StealthXV25 StealthXV95 GhostkeelXV88 BroadsideXV9 Hazard
XV46 VanguardXV104 RiptideXV107 R'varnaXV109 Y'vahraKV128 StormsurgeKX139 Ta'unar
Vehicles DevilfishDrone HarbingerHammerheadPiranhaSky RayTetraSwordfish
Aircraft BarracudaMantaOrcaSun SharkRazorsharkTiger SharkRemora
Auxiliaries Kroot ShaperKroot Carnivore SquadKroot HoundKrootoxKnarlocGreat KnarlocVespid StingwingGue'vesa
Special Characters Aun'vaAun'shiShadowsunFarsightDarkstriderLongstrike