Tau seeker missiles vs fliers

[Brother Glacius]

Okay, so I've been trying to piece this one out. The FAQ for the main rulebook and for the Tau codex does not cover this situation in the slightest. In fact, GW FAQs seems fairly useless due to lack of content.

 

The question is, what BS does a seeker missile use to hit a flier when a marker light token has been used?

 

Does it need a '6' to hit following the rules of snapshots? or does it need a '2' following the BS 5 that a seeker missile gets?

 

I am learning towards a '6' since the main rulebook states that a special rule must mention snapshots in order to modify it. The rules for seeker missiles don't include any mention of snapshots.

 

I do think you could spend marker lights to increase the BS of the unit firing at the flier, and the seeker would also benefit from that as well. So for instance, you have a hammerhead with two seekers on it. You get four markers on a flier. The hammerhead can spend two points to launch both seekers, and then the other two points to get a BS 3 for all shots at the flier.

 

Is this how the rest of you would play this?

 

 

 

 

[necrontyr]

Unless they have the Skyfire special rule, they are going to hit on 6's. The Hard to Hit rule is pretty specific.

[VonVilkee]

The increase bs additional effect specifically mentions snap shots, iirc, thus yes the way you outlined at bs5 is the way I'd expect to play it.

 

Also I don't see why it needs a faq. Seeker middle is bs 5 unless snap shooting as the rule state. I don't see wiggle room.

[Lord Hanaur]

Yeah i think you have to roll 6 on Seekers without the snap fire rule.  I think what may be causing the confusion is the Basic Rules.  they state what order to do modifications in.  So for example if something says +1/-1 and then another rule says "sets it at 5" then "Sets it at 5" wins.

 

But in this case, its not a modifier.  Its the Hard ot Hit rule.  But I can see where this would cause a momentary lapse in sanity.

[AbusePuppy]

Snap Shots is actually a modifier (specifically a value-setting modifier), but it explicitly overrides all other modifiers that don't specifically mention it. A Seeker Missile fired by a Markerlight expenditure will need a 6 to hit a flyer or FMC unless its launch platform has the Skyfire rule.

[Brother Glacius]

This is probably why the skyray is so popular. It has skyfire and thus gets to fire at fliers with its full BS.

[VonVilkee]

Totally see the lapse of memory and a check to make sure it is right but not FAQ worthy.

[AbusePuppy]

The Skyray is extra-awesome in that respect because it can effectively use its Markerlights to make other units Skyfire (not really, but when you're firing at BS3 who cares?)

[Lord Hanaur]

Markerlights work even against flyers.  So hooray.

[Kaoshin]

It sounds like the correct conclusion was reached but I'll weigh in.  Seeker Missiles themselves do not have skyfire.  They simply hit using a BS of 5 if fired using a marker light token.  Thus the rules of 'Hard to Hit' and Snapfire which state BS is then reduced to 1 would take effect and 6's would be required to hit.  The distinction however is when a seeker missile is fired by use of a marker token to gain ignores cover, BS5, and so on it is still being fired by the unit/platform and therefore gains the rules of the platform as well.  Thus when fired by a model with a velocity tracker (like the sky ray) which has chosen to have skyfire for that round the seeker missiles gain skyfire as well.  The flip side of course is if the missiles have been bought for a vehicle or suit that does not have skyfire then they will need 6's to hit aircraft, or if skyfire is being used that round by the platform and it then chooses to shoot it's missiles at a tank (not sure why this would happen but it's an example) snap firing would be required as well.

[Guest]

This is probably why the skyray is so popular. It has skyfire and thus gets to fire at fliers with its full BS.

Not the only option here. Even without FW, you still have Velocity tracker broadsides which may take seeker missiles and fire them with full BS at flyers. The two TAU flyers also come stock with seeker missiles, which again, can fire at full BS against flyers.