Relentless does NOT fit that... AT ALL. Relentless is an extremely poor choice for that and here's why. Relentless means you are big and heavy enough to be carrying a massive weapon and shoot it like a lightweight submachinegun. It's designed to represent something that's capable of carrying even a missile launcher or Heavy Bolter, run with it, shoot it without slowing down or stumbling, and able to smash someone aside in combat.

Relentless allows you to ignore movement restrictions with weapons. Imagine a Broadside Battlesuit moving 6" at all times and shooting their Railguns? Or a team of Pathfinders moving and shooting their Rail Rifles like carbines?

Counter-Attack represents a berserker, extremely fast-reacting group of soldiers throwing themselves at the enemy as they move up.



I'm well aware of that quote, but nobody said anything about rushing into hand-to-hand combat. Just because you get Furious Charge and Preferred Enemy doesn't mean you're rushing into combat. That's Rage you're talking about.

Preferred Enemy can represent someone who is in a fitful state of rage, attacking randomly and very rapidly, or charging up for a swing. This is how it's described for the Witch Hunters. You re-roll failed hit attacks. Furious Charge represents, in the event an attack IS made, there is an extra bit of anger in the attack, with pulsing adrenaline.

You also have to remember that the infantry aren't the only ones affected, the Battlesuits are too. Something needs to be made that can universally apply to both. I've tried adding rules that applied to vehicles. The only rule that throughly exemplifies that is something like "First Rank, Fire! Second Rank, Fire!" and "Bladestorm". I've given this some thought and found an application that even worked for vehicles. I'm planning on making "Ethereal" a special rule, that applies to that statement.


Just as a side note, there is absolutely nothing in the fluff that supports Tau abstaining from close combat at all times like the plague. There are only two sentences: one you just stated. That has to do with the Tau taking rage differently than most creatures. Tau become more aggressive and get ready to eliminate the enemy more fully. Humans, Eldar, Orks, they want to hit something and expel anger. The second sentence is that Tau PREFER (not abstain or avoid) ranged warfare over close quarters combat. The roots are in their origins as early barbarians, and that it's simply not practical when you have all of this firepower and your puny enough compared to most other races you encounter.

Protection that would be way too expensive. The Chosen are Shas'vre skills with BS:4 in Fire Warrior armor. Currently, each guy costs 18 points. For the original ceremonial guard about 45 points each, plus 6 Gun Drones, 2 rail rifles and EMP grenades, that's a 622 point unit with Aun'Va.

An Eldar player can get Eldrad Ulthran, 8 Warlocks each with powers, 2-3 with Singing Spears and Prince Yriel for slightly more expensive than that, and they're going to be far more effective than the Honor Guard and Aun'Va.

For the same cost, you can get 10 Terminators and Calgar (or Logan or other 250-point Marine hero).

Space Marines and Eldar can jack up the cost of their dudes because they are so versatile, powerful, and can take damage in combat and at range. Fire Warriors cannot.



Instead, to represent the extra protection Aun'Va can get, a single unit of Chosen Honor Guard become Troop choices (on top of the regular HQ choice). Don't forget, these guys can come in battlesuit units of 1-3 as well (and yes, the battlesuit Honor Guard have the option to take an Honor Blade instead of a hard-point weapon for free, still gives them +2 to Strength).