Tau Drone Controllers

[Wobahs]

Suppose I have a 4-man XV22 Stealthsuit team, and decide to give them all a battlesuit support system from the Battlesuit Wargear section. The codex says they may each choose different ones, so long as they all have one, but that doesn't apply to this question:

Can I choose to give each one a drone controller, and from that add 8 drones to the squad?

Nothing in the rules says otherwise (nothing I see, at least), but something about this doesn't quite feel right. Can anybody help me?

[DarkLink]

Perfectly legal, as I recall from when I played Tau.

[Nabterayl]

There's nothing at all wrong with that. However, note that the stealth field generator rules say that they only function if the unit is wholly equipped with stealth field generators. Drones are not equipped with stealth field generators, so a stealth suit unit accompanied by drones will not get the benefit of the stealth field until and unless the unit is down to only stealth suits.

[Wobahs]

There's nothing at all wrong with that. However, note that the stealth field generator rules say that they only function if the unit is wholly equipped with stealth field generators. Drones are not equipped with stealth field generators, so a stealth suit unit accompanied by drones will not get the benefit of the stealth field until and unless the unit is down to only stealth suits.

Actually, the drones will count as stealthed.The Stealthsuit entry says all XV22s have an integral stealth field generator, and the rules for the stealth field generator on page 27 say: "Any drones controlled by a model with a stealth field generator will also be shielded at no additional cost."

Thank you for your answers.

[Nabterayl]

Whoops! Should have read to the end of the entry. Thanks for that catch.

[Laban Den]

I do not think it is legal, but would be happy to be proved wrong.

On Page 35 of the codex it states.
"Each team member may select one battlesuit support system. if this option is taken, all members must do so, though each may select a different system."
Battlesuit support system are Advanced stabilisation system, Blacksun Filter, Command & control node(Special issue), Drone conrtoller, multi-tracker, Positional relay(Special issue), sheild generator, Target lock, Targeting array, Vectored retro-thrusters(special issue).

Drones are wargear stealthsuit team members are not permited wargear unless they are the one promoted to Teamleader.

[Old_Paladin]

@Laban:
You know you listed drone controller as a legal support system, right?
And the rules for a drone controller, is that you also purchase drones for it.

[Shas'O D'Narb]

Although Laban's direct quotation is correct, I disagree with the interpretation and conclusion. The "drone controller" entry for battlesuit kit says to take 1-2 drones from the wargear list but the fact that 1-2 drones *must* be taken for any particular drone controller implies, for me, that the drone controller taken as a battlesuit support system (differing from a hardwired version in the wargear list) means that taking drones for all is fine.

RAW, certainly, a case can be made for either side, although I still interpret it to be legal. However, RAI, I'd like to think the conclusion is a very obvious one.

[Nabterayl]

On Page 35 of the codex it states.
"Each team member may select one battlesuit support system. if this option is taken, all members must do so, though each may select a different system."
Battlesuit support system are Advanced stabilisation system, Blacksun Filter, Command & control node(Special issue), Drone conrtoller, multi-tracker, Positional relay(Special issue), sheild generator, Target lock, Targeting array, Vectored retro-thrusters(special issue).
So, as you say, drone controllers are battlesuit support systems. The drone controller itself states that a unit with a drone controller must take at least one drone.

Drones are wargear stealthsuit team members are not permited wargear unless they are the one promoted to Teamleader.
It's true that drones are listed as wargear, but nothing in the book makes a blanket statement that regular stealthsuit team members cannot take wargear. Instead, what we have are the following statements:
Team leaders may select wargear
Anybody with a drone controller must select drones (which are wargear)
So we have no rule allowing regular stealthsuit team members to select, say, a fail-safe detonator. But we do have a rule allowing regular stealthsuit team members to select drones.

[Fizyx]

The ambiguity comes from the permissive nature of GW's rules. The rules specifically state that a Team Leader has access to the wargear section, but nowhere in the codex do the rules state that a non-Team Leader does not have access to the wargear. The reason that regular suits do not have access is because GW's rules are permissive, and unless they say it is permitted, it is assumed to be not permitted.

Therefore, the rules permit a model with a drone controller to take up to two (of three) specific items from the wargear list, and nowhere in the codex does it say they are excluded from any items on said list.

[Nabterayl]

Right. Regular team members can't take most wargear, because nothing says that they can. But in the case of drones, something does say that they can, so they can.

[Wobahs]

Heh. It's funny how people think they see problems in codex parts that I understood without question. (Most notably, seeker missiles.)

You can take a drone without taking a drone controller IF your model has access to the appropriate wargear sections, but if you take a Drone Controller battlesuit support system, you must take one or two drones. Simple.
It didn't feel right when I thought about it, which is why I made this thread, but I feel better now. Thank you all.

[Xar]

There are so many rules and exceptions to rules, that applying exceptions to the wrong rule can happen frequently. Sometimes by mistake. Sometimes by asshatitude.