Tau Upgrade Special Character (V2.1)

After getting some unposted feedback, Vre'Shen has gotten a light overhaul. Story's been tweaked, ranged weapon added, and special rules have been rewritten to better meet a Tau army's need.

Shas'Vre T'au Shen

In the History of the Tau, only a handful of Ethereals have fallen in combat. The Ethereal are too revered to be guarded lightly, and the Tau are not prone to making tactical mistakes. For the very rare instances when an adversary is given the opportunity to face an Ethereal in battle, they are often made to regret it. Every Ethereal is protected by an Honor Guard from the Fire Caste, and the soldiers chosen for this duty are the very finest in all of the Tau Empire. The most famous of all Tau Honor Guard is Shas'Vre T'au Shen. Vre'Shen is the only member of an Honor Guard to have ever outlived his Ethereal.
Vre'Shen was part of a Honor Guard detachment with an Aun'O dispatched on a diplomatic mission that brought them to the edge of the Damocles Gulf. The Tau expedition ran in to an armed Imperial task force raiding one of the Tau fringe worlds. The Aun'O insisted that his expedition go to the aide of the besieged Tau settlement, and lead the forces from the planet himself. Soon the Tau had pushed the Imperials back, and the battle looked won. But in an unexpected counter-attack the Imperials gained back more ground than the Tau would have thought possible, and soon were in a position to threaten the sacred Ethereal. All the Tau forces suddenly redoubled their efforts and fought fanatically to push the Imperials back so the Ethereal could be extracted. When the main strike force of the Tau finally pushed the Imperials back, the found the Ethereal and all his Honor Guard but Vre'Shen dead. Countless dead lie around the Ethereal, both enemies and allies. Despite multiple wounds, Vre'Shen was still breathing. He was given the most basic of medical treatment, with his death almost a certainty.
But Vre'Shen kept breathing. When he recovered fully his commanders could only say that the Greater Good still had some purpose for him. All Honor Guard were rotated through Fire Warrior teams to keep them battle-ready, so it was not unusualy for Vre'Shen to be placed in command of a Fire Warrior team again. But despite his elevated rank this would be a permanent assignment, for no Ethereal will ever allow him to guard them again. For Vre'Shen, he is content to wage war on the battle field. In combat, his mute rage is evident to all that face him. For Vre'Shen is skilled not only in tactics and manuevering, but also in the flurry of close combat.




Special Rules:
Fient Attack and Retreat: Advesaries are often shocked when assaulting what appears to be a standard Fire Warrior team and find themselves locked in combat with a foe such as Vre'Shen. Vre'Shen uses this to his advantage and will often leave an enemy reeling while he pulls his unit back and engages them again at range. Vre'Shen and his unit have the Hit and Run special rule, but only while Vre'Shen is still alive. The initiative test is taken on Vre'Shen's initiative.

Dishonored: The Ethereal see Vre'Shen as a grim reminder of their own mortality, and the ultimate failure of a member of the Fire Caste. Any army that includes Vre'Shen may not take an Ethereal.

One Fire Warrior Team may replace its Shas'ui with Vre'Shen for 30 pts.

Vre'Shen
4 4 5 3 2 4 3 10 4+
Unit Type: Infantry (unique)
Wargear: Pulse Rifle, EMP grenades, Photon Grenades, Bonding Knife, Honor Blade (included in profile)
Special Rules: Fient Attack and Retreat, Dishonored

This site and these characters are in no way affiliated with Games Workshop.