The T’au are wholly committed to mobile and rapid-strike warfare. The entire Fire caste is built and equipped for the fluid tactics such a fighting style requires. Pathfinders are ideally suited to operating behind enemy lines. Discipline and fitness are drilled into such fighters from birth, and their training is rigorous. To them, war is an art form, and every Pathfinder is honed to wage it to the highest standard. They have mastered the two most popular T’au fighting styles – Mont’ka, which translates as ‘the killing blow’, and Kauyon, which means ‘the patient hunter’.
Shas’ui Pathfinders are dynamic and accomplished warriors who have fought in many campaigns and have passed dangerous trials of fire to reach the rank.
Even the rank and file of Pathfinder teams are selfless adherents to the Greater Good, eagerly volunteering themselves for the most dangerous missions, operating close to the enemy.
Many experienced and respected Pathfinders earn the personal name of Mont’yr, which translates as ‘Blooded’. They often bear highly advanced bionics in place of limbs lost in battle.
With careful work and patience, Drone Controller Pathfinders can manipulate a drone to carry out complex tasks that it cannot complete using solely its programming.
The most hot-blooded Pathfinders are trained to carry out extremely dangerous attacks against enemy positions, using their grenades to stun enemy troops and destroy bunkers.
In a Pathfinder kill team, lives are often in the hands of a Medical Technician. These selfless healers brave storms of enemy fire to reach the wounded.
Transpectral Interference Pathfinders are tasked with jamming enemy communications through the use of complex signal scramblers that can shut down electrical systems.
Communications Specialists are found in most Pathfinder kill teams, providing a connection with the team’s Commanders, other kill teams and vital support assets.
Weapons Experts Pathfinders wield their kill team’s heavy weapons. Their task is a relatively simple one – to kill or destroy important targets.
Marksman Pathfinders carry customised rail rifles with advanced optics and sophisticated inertial dampeners to ensure incredible accuracy. They are also issued with experimental dart ammunition.
These large drones are capable of collecting and analysing swathes of vital battlefield data that can make the difference between victory and defeat.
Pulse Accelerator Drones boost the pulse weapons carried by Pathfinders, making the technology much more powerful and giving them a vital edge against the enemy.
Grav-inhibitor Drones are capable of manipulating gravity in order to significantly slow the progress of oncoming enemy troops, saving countless Pathfinder kill teams from almost certain death.
Using anti-gravitic motors and jet-thrusters, Gun Drones hover over the landscape, moving quickly to engage the enemy and record battlefield data, distracting enemies and partaking in attacks.
Fitted with shield generators, their saviour protocols ensure that should a T’au come under direct threat, the Shield Drone will move with remarkable speed to protect them from harm.
The high-intensity markerlights used by Marker Drones are vital for the synergy of T’au forces, indicating priority targets for the Pathfinders they are alongside.