@ Mike T - Thanks for the feedback. I've been trying to start the new units perhaps a little weaker and move them up gradually rather than over-shoot and get them flamed down as broken, so
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Even after some consideration, I still think the riptide a are a bit weak/overcosted for 2 main reasons:
1) I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that 2 Ripetides are more resilient to TK than a warhound; assuming a D3 TK hit (volcano cannons and Ork soopa zaapps), then there's only a 1/9 chance of it breaking a warhound (scoring 3 damage and Critting with the one hit that gets through the shields) vs a 4/9 chance of one Riptide taking 2 damage and thus breaking the remaining Riptide. In general, 5+RA and deflector is roughly equivalent to 4+ RA; slightly worse against normal AT hits, slightly better against MW and lance with the obvious 1/3 chance to negate TK hits. The Warhound's two shields offer much more utility though making it more resilient in most situations.
I am assuming the Riptide will break easier than the Warhound, but that it is more resilient based on the assumption that most players will strip shields before firing TK weapons at a warengine, that multiple Titan Killer hits don’t 'spill over' to other units in the formation, and on the fact that a Tau Deflector Field works in close combat as well as against ranged weapons.
The Warhound is only really more resilient than 2 Riptides if the opponent fires TK at it while its shields are still up, and because the Warhound is Fearless (which is a big deal).
The latest version of this list will go up in a couple days, which has the option for a Riptide to buy two Shielded Missile Drones for 50pts. That would increase the size of the formation to 6 (counting each Riptide as 2) and might help with your concern about them being broken too easily.
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2) Firepower still looks really low; a 125 point riptide has roughly the same firepower as a 65 point Ulani Leman Russ Executioner and less than a 75 point Minervan Leman Russ Executioner. If you don't want to drop the slow firing from the ion accelerator ( which I understand from fluff reasons), then maybe increasing the shooting to 3+ or 2+? A maybe keeping it at 4+ but doubling the shots? Maybe boosting the secondary weapon would be another option; the data fax lists it as a twin missile pod, which would imply 4+/5+ rather than 5+/6+.
That's pretty much the direction I have been heading after several test games.
This is the latest version of the Riptide's shooting profile:
2x Twin Missile Pods 45cm AP4 AT5
Ion Accelerator 45cm MW3+ Slow Firing
The shooting remains below a warhound's 4x AP3 AT5 and 2x MW 2+ Slow, but Tau players are supposed to live and breathe markerlights and pre-planning.
Other change
Riptides gain Initiative 1+, which seems appropriate as they are an even more advanced form of the Crisis Battle Suits that have 1+.
The goal is to make this a really useful, versatile formation without also making it over powered. Thanks again for your feedback.
How do the latest changes sound?