Are the Tau a threat to anyone?

[K. A. Pital]

If you agree and sign up great, you get inducted and your part of the Tau empire

As far as I know, you can still have a large degree of autonomy, i.e. the Tau Empire does not govern your planet and you can retain your governance (whatever it was) if you support the Tau Empire itself in basic over-arching functions (trade & economic interaction, science, defense). Basically that's what the lesser races (which provide Tau Auxillaries) do.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Ahh yes, the Tau...

"Speed Bump of the Galaxy"

[Norseman]

If you agree and sign up great, you get inducted and your part of the Tau empire

As far as I know, you can still have a large degree of autonomy, i.e. the Tau Empire does not govern your planet and you can retain your governance (whatever it was) if you support the Tau Empire itself in basic over-arching functions (trade & economic interaction, science, defense). Basically that's what the lesser races (which provide Tau Auxillaries) do.

Under THOSE circumstances I can easily see a lot of planets going over to the Tau quite voluntarily. Especially worlds recently reincorporated into the Imperium. I take it that's what actually happens?

[NecronLord]

And then the Imperium comes down on such worlds hard. It's a more reasonable option for alien species than it is for human worlds.

[Connor MacLeod]

Pick five worlds from the Imperium. The chances are that their combined population is greater than the entire Tau empire.

Indeed. According to Kill Team a single Sept had fewer than 13 billion Tau (which was the population of the Hive World Kage came from.)
As I recall a Sept represents one of their major worlds, so they probably have fewer than a trillion tau total (maybe a few trillion tops) since I don't recall them having more than a few dozen major worlds as of yet.

The Fire Warrior who heard that was shocked and angered by the news. The Tau evidently don't let on just how BIG the Imperium is, or how many of them there are.

[Connor MacLeod]

Their technology is better applied, they don't surpass the Imperium as a rule. Imperial ships possess railgun batteries, for example. Another example of this; the Tau completely lack teleporter technology - there's a part in the novel of Fire Warrior where the bridge crew of a Tau ship all stand aroud gawping when Space Marines step onto their bridge from nowhere. It is more accurate to say that the Tau understand and apply their technology well; the Imperium has most-everything they do.

Yep. The chief difference is that the Tau don't have an AM keeping all sorrts of neat technologicla secrets to themselves (human lives < technological monopoly.) And there's also probably the small fact that Imperium has had to deal with Chaos-corrupted technology (Men of Iron like from first and Only, corrupted Chaos Titans, etc.) - a thing that has made them VERY leery of how their tech is utilized (understandably.) The story for the Tau might be different if they had to face that sort of stuff.

Technically speaking, though, there's very little reason they couldn't apply railguns - technically plasma guns and cannons make use of magnetic acceleration as well, and that's not the bit that makes the devices unreliable. But they don't really NEED a railgun - battle cannons allow for indirect fire, and rocket-propelled ammo can match railgun performance pretty well if need be. And if they need a "direct fire" weapon of some kind, they have lascannon and plasma weapons already. And in terms of personal weapons a railgun doesn't offer a whole hell of alot of advantage over a chem-propelled weapon (recoil is still a limiting factor.)

Likewise, they could probably develop grav-tanks, since they have smaller applications in grav chutes and jump packs (Guns of Tanith) and inertial dampers in some of their tanks. Hell, some sourcees HAVe indicated they have hover vehicles of some kind, and I've lost track of the novels where AG tech is rampant in civilian use.

There's also the not-so-minor fact that the Imperium has far better body armor than the Tau do (Space Marine power armor can resist autocannon fire whereas a tau Battle-Suit can be penetrated by a projectile sniper rifle using Armor piercing ammo.)

[Connor MacLeod]

Under THOSE circumstances I can easily see a lot of planets going over to the Tau quite voluntarily. Especially worlds recently reincorporated into the Imperium. I take it that's what actually happens?

As I understand it, its mosly human renegades or outcats who join with the Tau as auxiliaries, or perhaps worlds not yet discovered by the Imperium (the Imperium tends to treat any huuman world, discovered or undiscovered as being in the Imperium by virtue of being human.) Some worlds have "allied" with the Tau (Rogue Star features a couple, though that was more the Tau manipulating them) while some others tend to be "contested" by a populace divided (GRavalax from FTE.)

I also recall that the Tau sometimes try snatching worlds from the Imperium when they think they can get away with it, but they rarely if ever go to direct conflict first with the Imperium. The Tau are a cautious lot and prefer to use "traps" to eliminate their enemies (a big hunter mentality in their tactics.), but they know the Imperium would crush them if they go head to head with them. So they tend to be opportunistic when it comes to interacting with humans and the Imperium in general.

[white_rabbit]

The new series of Rogue Trader books by Andy Hoare indicate that the straw that broke the camels back for the Imperium's initial assault on Tau space was a sector wide invasion. As in Tau ships appeared in orbit around every Imperial World in the sector, who all promptly join the Tau Empire.


The Tau wank was strong with that novel.

[Stravo]

Since Tau do not have a presence in the Warp does this mean that they have some sort of resistance to Chaos' influence? Can they be corrupted by Chaos or conversely are they easier to corrupt?

And if the Tau do not have pskyers how do they defend themselves against the pskyers of other powers?

[Elheru Aran]

Since Tau do not have a presence in the Warp does this mean that they have some sort of resistance to Chaos' influence? Can they be corrupted by Chaos or conversely are they easier to corrupt?

Not easier to corrupt; they can be forcibly mutated, and they can be influenced by Chaos through advisers and such.

And if the Tau do not have pskyers how do they defend themselves against the pskyers of other powers?

"Hammerhead squads Two and Three, target that human with the lightning flying from his eyes. Load frag rounds, fire for effect!"

[Tasoth]

The Tau are less likely to be bitched by a daemon naturally, although they still can be corrupted if they come into contact with an item or person of chaos that is capable of it. There's a story in the codex where a group of Kroot ate portions of either cultists or chaos marines after they got done fighting them. They promptly mutated and went insane, which brought down a shaper and a host of kroot upon them. After that, they burnt the bodies and decided never to eat chaos types again.

[NecronLord]

To be fair, that's kroot, not tau. Kroot are warpdy.

[Connor MacLeod]

The new series of Rogue Trader books by Andy Hoare indicate that the straw that broke the camels back for the Imperium's initial assault on Tau space was a sector wide invasion. As in Tau ships appeared in orbit around every Imperial World in the sector, who all promptly join the Tau Empire.


The Tau wank was strong with that novel.

Except when they were facing the Rogue Traders in question

[Connor MacLeod]

Since Tau do not have a presence in the Warp does this mean that they have some sort of resistance to Chaos' influence? Can they be corrupted by Chaos or conversely are they easier to corrupt?

Some resistance, yes. Those with a connection to the warp (A warp soul if you will) can be detected and preyed upon by warp entitites via that connection (consumption, possession, etc.) and even without that there's bound to be some potential for "taint" or corruption due to the Warp's very nature through that link (moreso if you're a psyker, I believe.)

Its not 100% foolproof though, as others have indicated. We know inert matter (well large inert masses, like StarS) have at least SOME presence in the Warp, and inert objects can be imbued, corrupted, or mutated (even machines or robots!) so its still possible through other means.

Also note that this "resistance" does not extend to resistance to psyker powers (or if it does, not by very much) - physical attacks will still harm tau, and telepathic/psychic abilities affecting minds will also affect tau minds.

And if the Tau do not have pskyers how do they defend themselves against the pskyers of other powers?

As discussed by NecronLord and myself already, they don't have any tau who are themselves psychic, but they have "acquired" a number of races that do have psychic ability, and they make use of those race's talents.

[Connor MacLeod]

Another interesting question occurs to me: If the Tau can navigate the Warp after a fashion, even over short distances, does this mean they've developed Gellar Fields or an analogue to them?

[Imperial Overlord]

Another interesting question occurs to me: If the Tau can navigate the Warp after a fashion, even over short distances, does this mean they've developed Gellar Fields or an analogue to them?

It would stand to reason that they do. Otherwise skimming the warp without protection is asking to pick up some seriously nasty passengers. Even if they didn't invent it themselves I can't imagine them not picking it up from one of their subject/ally races.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Since Tau do not have a presence in the Warp does this mean that they have some sort of resistance to Chaos' influence? Can they be corrupted by Chaos or conversely are they easier to corrupt?

In the novel Firewarrior, a Chaos cultist attempts to corrupt an ethereal and he can't. The ethereal had some sort of psych-conditioning, with a hint of some sinister alterations, that made him impervious to direct psychic corruption. On the other hand, Kais, the firewarrior, is very nearly corrupted himself with almost no defense against chaos once his mental conditioning started to break down.
Let's not forget that something apparently corrupted Commander Farsight, a hero of the Tau, even if we don't know what it was. Probably Necrons.

And if the Tau do not have pskyers how do they defend themselves against the pskyers of other powers?

With missiles. From long range.

[SAMAS]

Since Tau do not have a presence in the Warp does this mean that they have some sort of resistance to Chaos' influence? Can they be corrupted by Chaos or conversely are they easier to corrupt?

In the novel Firewarrior, a Chaos cultist attempts to corrupt an ethereal and he can't. The ethereal had some sort of psych-conditioning, with a hint of some sinister alterations, that made him impervious to direct psychic corruption. On the other hand, Kais, the firewarrior, is very nearly corrupted himself with almost no defense against chaos once his mental conditioning started to break down.
Let's not forget that something apparently corrupted Commander Farsight, a hero of the Tau, even if we don't know what it was. Probably Necrons.

Also, in Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, when the player assaults the Word Bearers' stronghold, the Chaos Lord taunts them through telepathy. Most of the other commanders can hear him(except the Necron Lord, of course), but when he tries it with O'Kais, Kais can barely hear him, and thinks it's a problem with his comm system.