Bad TheoryHammer: Pathfinders

 Bad TheoryHammer:  Pathfinders

(Image Credit:  GW)

To begin with, an announcement.  Yes, I've sold out.  AdSense offered me the ability to get a little bit of money from this blog, which I intend to use for more giveaways and the like.  You don't have to whitelist this at all, but if you feel like it, hey, thanks!  If not, no worries.

Pathfinders are, as I'm sure everyone is aware, really pretty freaking good.  I am not a huge fan of T'au in general (nothing against them, they've just never resonated with me outside of thinking the suits are cool), so I apologize in advance.  That said, I don't actively dislike them, they're just meh to me in appearance and looks, is all!

So what do Pathfinders get that make them so good?  Let's go into it:

• Mont'ka is freaking brilliant.  A free dash once (okay, probably twice) per game is just phenomenal.
• Incredible "basic" shooting.  Their "flashlight" equivalent is just a great weapon.
• Markerlights.  All the markerlights.  And they actually do stuff now!
• BETTER markerlights.  I don't even mean that they're better now, but that you can drop two tokens for the price of one (equipment restrictions apply, please see site for full details).
• Honestly ridiculous chain activations.  Up to four models at once?  Hopefully this will be changed, but it's still really strong.
• You couldn't even build the Grenadier with normal EPs if you wanted to.
• The Recon Drone is still here and is still incredible.
• Did I mention up to three rail rifles?

Now, let's go into some weaknesses.  There really aren't many.

• They're kinda squishy.  And by kinda, I mean they're typically Guard squishy.
• They can't fight up in melee worth a lick.  But they have tricks for that.
• They're stuck to Recon.  I dislike Recon pretty highly.  They do have some things to make up for that, though.
• They are surprisingly straightforward.  I mean this in that the roster more or less builds itself.
• AI on Drones makes them a bit less useful than they would be without it.
• Savior Protocols just got a little bit of a nerf and doesn't protect from Blast weapons any more.

Operatives

Shas'ui

(Image Credit:  DakkaDakka)

What's not to love about this guy?  I mean, you have to take him anyways, but he's a straight upgrade from the one in the Compendium, with a better attack with the knife that was, I thought, not supposed to be a weapon but a symbol (I don't know, my T'au lore is pretty weak, but whatever) and the ability to call out an Art of War and make people do Mission Objectives for less AP.  Really darned cool guy.

Shas'la

[IMAGE NOT FOUND]

Yes, I admit occasionally I use this joke.  But honestly, there's just no reason to take these dudes over anyone else.  They're GA1, they have the worst stats and nothing special to back it up, they exist just in case you really, really want them.  Don't bother.  I suppose they MIGHT make sense if you give them a Fusion Grenade, but even then, wouldn't you rather give it to someone who's a bit...  better?

Blooded

(Image Credit:  Reddit)

See, this is what I'm talking about.  For the same low, low price of a Shas'la, you get a better save, a MUCH better melee weapon, and your gun gets silent.  He's sort of a weird jack-of-all-trades Operative in that if you want to take advantage of his punching people, you're not going to be able to take advantage of him sniping people, but I suppose you could look at it the other way:  he's a sniper with a pretty decent gun who, if you manage to get the drop on you, can punch you in the jaw.

If we are talking about auto-includes when it comes to a Pathfinder team, I would put this guy at...  third (you have to take a Shas'ui, so he gets first).

Drone Controller

(Image Credit:  eBay)

Sorry, sorry.  I had to!  I mean, that was one of the first images I found searching around for a pic.

There's only one reason not to take the Drone Controller, and that's if you aren't taking any Drones.  You are taking them, so you're taking him.  Heck, even if you weren't taking any Drones, he's still the same as a Shas'la, so there's no reason to take one over him.  Drone Scout is great.  Control Drone is amazing and part of the utterly silly 4-chained activation shenanigans.

Chances are you're taking a Recon Drone (because why wouldn't you?) and so you're taking this guy as well.  And it's getting controlled.  Go spy on some girl tanning by the pool or something.  I don't know.  What do real people use drones for anyway?

Transpectral Interference

(Image Credit:  Reddit)

This guy...  not my favorite.  Probably my least favorite of the specialists, to be honest.  That does not mean he's bad by any stretch of the imagination!  He's great, actually.  I just don't see space for him on a team a lot of the time.  By ignoring obscured, he can get off some really cheeky shots with his scary (basic) gun.  Spectral Jam isn't my jam just because I dislike spending my APL to reduce your APL, but I fully admit it has some situations where it can be extremely good.

Basically, I'm not a huge fan, but that's sort of like saying I'm not a huge fan of one guy on my favorite sportsball team.  I still like him.

Assault Grenadier

(Image Credit:  Reddit)

I'm going to start this off with a little bit of a note.  I'm just pulling images off a Google search here and crediting the source based off what is showing when I see the image.  If any of these images are yours and you want credit (or want me to take them down), let me know and I will do it gladly!  Plus, these are painted really well.

Okay, remember how I said that the Blooded would be my third auto-include?  The only reason why this guy isn't number one with a bullet is because the Shas'ui is literally an auto-include.  Seriously.  He does SO MUCH for a team.  In addition to coming with SIXTEEN FETHING POINTS OF EQUIPMENT, he's basically just a normal dude, so there's no reason not to SIXTEEN FETHING POINTS!  Holy cow.

Basically, he has a two-shot Melta and then can shoot with his big gun or throw some EMP around or something.  He does come with a drawback, though.  He's an obvious target and he has to get in close and he's squishy.  If you use him well, he will more than pull his weight, but he's got the equivalent of five markerlights on him at all times (not literally, but you get what I mean).

Comms

(Image Credit:  DakkaDakka)

Another "not a star player, but can put in some good work) Operative here, in my Bad opinion.  Situationally great when you REALLY need to give an APL to a critical Operative, but otherwise he's take or leave.  It's just a playstyle thing here in my opinion.  I'm not calling him bad by any stretch of the imagination, but he is just more or less there.

Medic

(Image Credit:  Frontlinegaming)

Seriously, you try searching for Medic Pathfinder.  I didn't want to put up another silly image--once is enough.

Basically, this guy falls into the "why not?" category, in my opinion.  I don't generally like medics on really squishy guys who are also really squishy themselves (SHOOT THE MEDIC FIRST is meme for a reason), but when he can come in clutch, he really does come in clutch.  I never expect to see him make much of an impact on a game, but the few times he does, he can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Weapons Expert

(Guess)

Everyone loves these guys.  Let's be honest, you're probably playing T'au because you want to be able to shoot at Operatives with really big guns to begin with.  Now, just a bit of a word here.

If you are shooting Overcharge every turn, you will technically do more damage overall (generally speaking) with the Ion Rifle rather than the Rail Rifle.  HOWEVER, you are also very squishy and a bad roll will turn your precious Weapons Expert into a pair of smoking boots surrounded by his very surprised compatriots.  Plus, Rail Rifles are cool, you know?

I like Rail Rifles.  They will still destroy just about anything they target and they don't blow up in your face.  That's a very useful quality for a weapon in my experience.

Marksman

(Image Credit:  Reddit)

I just want to begin by pointing out that I think I've wound up using this guy's pics like three times and they are just astoundingly well-painted.  I'm impressed.

I'm also impressed with the Marksman.  He's a better shot than the Weapons Expert and has a potentially-silent Rail Rifle.  What's not to love?  Plus he can Overwatch better than anyone on your Kill Team.  All in all, really, really solid.

Oh, and I didn't point this out earlier, but neither the Marksman nor the Weapons Experts carry Heavy weapons.  That makes them even better.

MB3 Recon Drone

(Image Credit:  Warhammer40000.com)

This is going to be the only drone I talk about singularly (otherwise this is going to be even longer than usual and I have to get stuff done today).  The Recon Drone "costs" two Operatives in your Kill Team.  Is it worth it?

Short answer:  Yes.

Long answer:  YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Let's get into what is offered here:

To begin with, it's decently chunky with a 4+ Save and 12 Wounds.  That's not bad for a list that is basically Guard stats with the occasional better save.  The Burst Cannon is a nice supplement for attacking.  Please note that it is Defense 3 now due to Errata, so don't look at that!

Taking it gives you an extra Recon scouting option, so hey, bonus.  It can Fly, and Fly is easily one of the strongest keywords in the game on a good shooty model.  But that's not all.

It is a vital component of the 4-activation chain that really messes with people (I expect some changes to come to this, but you know, whatever).  Plus it buffs that chained activation.  You're going to take one.  You know it.  It's up there on the auto-includes.

The Rest of the Drones

(Image Credit:  GW)

Sorry, there's just too darned many drones for me to want to go through them all one-by-one, and also I get confused with all the designations and stuff (it's like the Primaris In...ors thing).  Plus, they're all pretty much one trick ponies.  That said, let me put in a few general words, and then we'll go into their specifics.

AI is a strict downgrade over a standard Operative, but that's somewhat to be expected.  Don't spam drones, but you're probably going to take 1-2 in addition to the Recon.

Flight is always amazing.

Savior Protocols can be really useful when you have GOT to keep that Assault Grenadier alive for one more TP.

Now, to get into the actual drones themselves.

Gun:  Basically a better Shas'la.  Worth taking in most cases, maybe not the actual best choice depending on if it costs you a specialist you really want or not.  Relentless is REALLY nice to have on a gun that scary.

Shield:  When you REALLY need your Fusion Grenades to get to the target.  Made for Savior Protocols (of course).

Marker:  I like this one (said Thor).  Being able to just drop two markerlights on something you really want to turn into a statistic is a great idea.

Pulse Accelerator:  Not my favorite (but again, read about my less-than-favorites above as well).  It makes for a nice bonus to other shooting, but generally either I want something really tanky (shield) to protect my murderers or I want another murderer.

Grav-Inhibitor:  This one I have trouble wrapping my head around.  Sure, it's nice (It's basically a free Warpcoven spell, but much shorter-ranged, plus being able to fall back and shoot), but there are other ways to deal with a lot of that stuff and an inch less on a charge isn't going to make or break most games.  I'm sure someone uses it phenomenally well.  That someone isn't me.

Equipment

Are you still reading this?  Let me know in the comments below!  (Yes, I'm officially silly at this point.)

Look, I'm going to be honest with you.  I don't think there's much for bad equipment for the Pathfinders, so I'll keep this a bit short.

I REALLY, REALLY like Fusion Grenades, even for 4 EP a pop.  Being able to (effectively) give an Operative a Combi-Melta (but with a better base gun) is just great, and the amount of times I've been able to shoot a melta more than once can probably be counted on one hand.  The amount of times I've let someone else shoot a melta more than once?  The fingers of one foot.  No, I don't worship Chaos, so don't think about that too much.

Anything that adds markerlight tokens or enhances them is always good as well.  But dang, being able to just add a nuke to a normal Operative really makes me giggle.  And I look scary when I giggle.

Ploys

I'm not going to talk about A Worthy Cause.  People far better than me have done so at length.  Instead, let's talk about the other ones!

Recon Sweep:  Pretty decent, but you're probably calling timber Mont'ka early in the game, so I think that's a bit of a better use.  When you don't have Mont'ka active, it can be situationally really danged useful.

Take Cover:  You're probably going to combine this with Mont'ka TP1 and that's a smart play to do.  Why not?  Get into position, get extra benefits from cover, it's all bueno.

Bonded:  Can be really, really good if you are close together and get a ton of benefits from it.  Remember it stacks with other things, too.  Unless I'm horribly mistaken here!

Determined Tactician:  Eh, I'm split.  I like another free dash, but it's all close-range to the Leader and it's a lot of CPs.  I'm sure people have put it to VERY good use, though.

Supporting Fire:  Shoot into combat (not your own combat).  That's a great way of messing up a melee operative's day, but I'm going to be honest with you here.  Who is charging a Pathfinder and not eating their face?  I mean, I can get charging to just tie them up, but then they know this ploy is there, so it's not really doing a whole lot.  If your opponent doesn't know about it, though, then yeah, it's great.

Reposition:  Has a lot of potential and is another "Don't charge a Pathfinder unless you're going to eat its face" ploy.  It can also be used for slipping past someone who is awkwardly blocking the path you need to find (get it?).

Archetypes

You get Recon and your special ones.  You take Recon and your special secondaries as much as possible.

Sample Kill Team (Because a Roster is Just EVERONE IS HERE!)

Shas'ui (Give him a Fusion Grenade.  Come on, he deserves it!)

Blooded

Drone Controller

Transpectral Interference

Assault Grenadier

Medic

2x Weapons Expert (Rail Rifles)

Marksman

Recon Drone

Gun Drone

Markerlight Drone

But anyway, that's it for now.  Gotta go get ready for interviews.  Wish me luck!