“SHADOWS AND SPOTLIGHTS” – A TALE OF PATHFINDERS, DARKSTRIDER, AND TACTICAL SHENANIGANS
To strike unseen is to strike unopposed." – Shas’ui T’Rel, Pathfinder Veteran
In the swirling dust and blazing sun of a war-torn Imperial colony, a strange thing happens. A hulking Space Marine steps onto the field and—before he can utter "For the Emperor"—gets lit up like a disco ball by a burst cannon, two ion rifles, and something called a rail rifle (which really should come with a do not stand in front of warning).
What happened?
The Pathfinders happened.
PATHFINDERS – TACTICAL HIPSTERS OF THE T’AU EMPIRE
“We were in position before it was cool.” – Anonymous Pathfinder
THE LORE
Pathfinders are the eyes and ears of the T’au Empire’s Fire Caste. While the bulk of the T’au army engages from long range with advanced technology and overwhelming force, Pathfinders slip ahead of the main battle lines. They’re recon operatives, forward observers, and special weapons specialists—each one a walking threat detector, GPS beacon, and weapons tester rolled into one.
Trained to infiltrate hostile terrain, spot enemy vulnerabilities, and relay targeting data to the larger T’au war machine, Pathfinders are often the first to arrive on the battlefield—and the first to make the enemy regret being there at all.
They’re fast, flexible, and extremely disruptive—like battlefield influencers armed with rail rifles instead of ring lights.
“We move first. We see what others can’t. We strike before the enemy knows we’re there.
We’re not here for glory. We’re here to mark the kill.
When the Fire Caste fires, they hit because we lit the target.
We are Pathfinders.
We don’t wait.
We lead.”
THE RULES (AND WHY THEY'RE SNEAKY-SMART)
TARGET UPLOADED
This is the main event: when Pathfinders Spot a unit, they mark it for destruction with advanced T’au tech. Every T’au unit that shoots at that target gets +1 to Ballistic Skill and [IGNORES COVER] Ontop of all this they are the only unit that in the whole tau army that can get the same benefits from there own spotting bonus.
What does this mean? Your opponent’s fancy ruin-hugging elite infantry now might as well be standing in a parking lot under floodlights. And your Hammerhead just got a free AimBot.
SPECIAL WEAPONS
Pathfinders bring unique toys to the party:
Rail Rifles – 30" range, AP -4, D3 damage, and Devastating Wounds. Perfect for mulching elite units and heroes. One shot, one mess.
Ion Rifles – Flexible with two modes:
Standard: S7, AP -1, D1 – ideal for light armor and infantry.
Overcharge: S8, AP -2, D2, [Hazardous] – punchier, but risky. Like strapping a grenade to a taser and hoping for the best.
DRONES: BECAUSE WHY NOT BRING A ROBOT BUDDY?
You get one drone system, but oh boy, each one is worth considering:
Grav-inhibitor Drone: Makes enemy charges -2" when coming at your unit. Makes your squad annoyingly hard to engage in melee.
Pulse Accelerator Drone: Adds +6" range to your pulse carbines. That’s a serious boost when you're using volume fire to chip down hordes.
Recon Drone: Gives the unit the Infiltrators ability and carries a drone burst cannon. Deploy up the board and lay down surprise firepower.
HOW THEY PLAY
Pathfinders want to infiltrate early, spot threats, and set up the rest of your army for success. They are force multipliers—turning good shooting phases into legendary ones. You’re not just shooting with your Pathfinders—you’re shooting through them.
They don’t just hunt targets. They curate them.
DARKSTRIDER – THE RUIN WHISPERER
“That support beam is load-bearing. Remove it.” – Darkstrider, seconds before a building collapsed on a Chaos Lord
THE LORE
El’Myamoto, known universally as Darkstrider, is a legend among Pathfinders. Equal parts field commander and structural engineer, he is cold, calculating, and grimly effective.
He doesn’t lead in the traditional sense. He points, and people shoot better. He walks into fortified ruins, scans the walls, and tells his team, “If we shoot here, this whole flank falls.”
He’s been in more close-quarters gunfights than some Fire Warriors have fired rifles, and his ability to dissect the enemy’s defenses with cold precision makes him a force multiplier like no other.
If Farsight is the blade of the T’au Empire, and Shadowsun is its spearpoint—Darkstrider is the chisel. He chips away at enemy defenses until the entire warplan cracks open.
THE GHOST WITH A RANGEFINDER
Among the T’au, few warriors command the kind of silent reverence Darkstrider does. He’s not a hero in the traditional sense—he doesn’t seek glory, and he has no patience for ceremony. Where others celebrate the Greater Good with speeches, Darkstrider speaks through precision. He finds the softest point in the hardest target and turns it into a fault line.
Darkstrider earned his moniker after leading a suicidal recon operation into the shattered hive-spires of Vortlas II. His team returned not only intact, but with detailed schematics of the enemy’s stronghold—and within hours, the Fire Caste reduced the fortress to rubble, shot-for-shot, following his analysis. No T’au died. Thousands of enemies did.
Since then, he’s become a living myth among Pathfinder cadres: the one who walks alone through ruin and shadows, calculating angles, marking beams, and returning with just enough information to level an entire warzone.
Unorthodox, Unapologetic
Some Ethereals see him as a liability. He refuses to waste lives for “honor,” and he disregards traditional T’au hierarchy when it gets in the way of efficiency. But his results speak for themselves.
Even Commander Shadowsun is rumored to have personally cleared several black marks from his record, stating simply:
“He sees the battlefield differently. We need that.”
THE RULES (AND WHY HE'S A BRAINY BEAST)
STRUCTURAL ANALYSER
If Darkstrider is leading a unit, all models in that unit add +1 to Wound rolls for their ranged attacks.
This is huge. Especially when combined with Pathfinders' [Spotter] buffs or special weapons. It turns even Strength 5 carbines into reliable threats against Marines. Ion rifles? Even more devastating. Rail rifles? Now you’re wounding Terminators on 2s and deleting characters with ease.
JAMMER ARRAY
No sneaky shenanigans here—enemy reserves cannot set up within 12" of Darkstrider.
He literally exudes “you shall not pass” energy. Want to drop in your Reinforcements? Do it somewhere else, buddy.
HOW HE PLAYS
Stick him in a squad of Pathfinders (especially with special weapons), and you’ve got a mobile death-dealer that punches above its weight.
Infiltrate them into a ruin midfield.
Use Target Uploaded to mark an enemy squad.
With +1 to hit from spotting and +1 to wound from Darkstrider, your ion and rail rifles become surgical precision instruments of doom.
Your opponent? Left wondering how their elite Terminator squad got turned into fine dust by a bunch of skinny blue aliens with glowy goggles.
even leave him in your backfeild knowone is getting in there now
And if they try to deep strike in to stop the carnage? That Jammer Array says “nope.”
CONCLUSION: THE SCALPEL IN THE GUNLINE
Pathfinders and Darkstrider don’t just play the game—they rewrite the terms of engagement. Where other factions rely on brute strength, melee prowess, or religious zeal, these units use science, vision, and layered buffs to outmaneuver, outshoot, and outlast the competition.
In T’au terms, they’re not just forward scouts. They are precision instruments—and when guided by Darkstrider’s ruthless tactical mind, they become surgical kill teams that leave a crater where elite enemy squads used to be.
So next time you’re building your T’au army, remember:
You don’t always need more guns—you need the right ones.
And a Pathfinder team with Darkstrider? That’s a scalpel hidden in the shadows… and it cuts deep.
FOR EVERY SHOT THAT LANDS, REMEMBER WHO LIT THE TARGET.
NEXT WEEK ON FIREBLADE
Think we’ve reached the end of the recon road? Not even close.Next week, we’re diving into the Pathfinders’ faster, meaner cousinsThat’s right, it’s Piranha time.Just like the fish, they’re fast, sharp, and come with one hell of a bite.Speed. Firepower. Surprise. You won’t want to miss it.
See you then, Commander.
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