Tau Pathfinder

Tau Pathfinders sneak in ahead of a Cadre to relay strategic information and guide armies in battle. They use their markerlights to assist Fire Warriors on the ground and to call in seeker missile strikes. They are often deployed in a Devilfish for mobility and assisted by Remoras and Piranhas for protection. They can sometimes be seen using rail rifles and ion rifles, but their standard weapon is the trusty pulse carbine.

Pathfinders tend to be younger and more zealous defenders of the Greater Good, who have no cripes with offering their life in support of the Empire. They have a sole function in their Cadre, which is to point their Markerlights at nearby troops who then either are blown into chunks or gets butchered like fish in a barrel. No, carrots in a barrel. They are some of the most devoted Tau infantrymen, who would gladly sit tight while Tyranids advance on their location, just so their little laser lights can support someone else in the Cadre. That's loyality that even Imperials can get behind.

The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer states that they are 'runtish and dimunitive' and have a 'very low survival rate', which is partly true for the latter, and might serve to inspire Guardsmen to hunt the Pathfinders without having to actually teach them the tactical importance of it.

On the Tabletop

Some cool-looking Pathfinders in a hotzone… Shame you'll never see them like this, because they are hiding in the back with Markerlights instead of fighting, doing the equivalent of what cat-owners do when bored, just with plasma-sniper-wielding soldiers instead of cats.

The Pathfinders have the exact same statline as the standard Guardsman, bearing a Leadership of 8, and are outfitted with the standard Pulse Carbine, which is a simple S5, AP5, Assault 2, Range 18" weapon, but what most will notice right away is the cost: 11 points. That is a lot for a model significantly weaker than a Fire Warrior, a Troop choice that's 2 points cheaper and equipped with better armor and the more deadly Pulse Rifle, everybody's favorite plasma sniper rifle. So what is the deal with these blue dudes?

Well, first of all, Pathfinders are not there to deal damage or weather attacks, and if you use them for such things you will be gravely disappointed. They are there to use their markerlights. Each Pathfinder not outfitted with a rail rifle or ion rifle has a markerlight fitted on his pulse carbine, which they can use to light up other units for the rest of the Cadre, and as a unit of Pathfinders can have as much as 10 Pathfinders, this amounts to a relatively high amount of markerlights. The tradeoff is both unit durability, as the Pathfinders are ridiculously easy to wipe out (T3 and 5+ Saves—they're Imperial Guardsmen) and they tend to be placed in areas where they can see the entire battlefield, and mobility, because markerlights count as heavy weapons, so the unit must snap fire (i.e., at BS1) if they want to move and use them in the same turn. Otherwise they have to stay put. That said, they are still one of the most universal units of the Tau Empire, simply because of the amount of other units who can use their support. They also have the Scouts rule, which might help out with those mobility problems.

When fielding them, consider how much you need their abilities. Though markerlights are very important to most Tau forces, you can get them in various other ways, like Marker Drones, which can be added to Crisis Suits squads and have better toughness and armour saves, or the Tetra, a small vehicle with an extra powerful markerlight. If you value versatility over volume of markerlights, you can use the Skyray, which, though a bit maligned by the community, can support troops and blow up someone else with missiles while it's at it. Also consider if you're going to be able to keep them alive; if not, then you might want to pick something else, as most players know to target and cripple the markerlights, as it can often jeopardize the entire battle for a Tau player.