"The first rule of unarmed combat is: don’t be unarmed."
- Cadre Fireblade giving a lesson on hand to hand combat
A Cadre Fireblade is the most grizzled and seasoned Tau Fire Warrior of a Hunter Cadre, whose extraordinary skill at the Fire Warrior's art of battle leads him to eschew Tau Battlesuit technology and remain as a leader of the Tau infantry. Cadre Fireblades are excellent field leaders and their long experience at war has taught them exactly where to place shots to maximise damage, and fire with pinpoint accuracy. It is on the firing line that Cadre Fireblades really comes into their own. There, they radiate a steadying calm, directing their Fire Warriors to maintain accurate fire no matter the circumstances, instilling each Tau trooper with the precision and efficiency that is the hallmark of thousands of Terran years of martial training.
Whether breaking the impetus of an advancing horde of Ork Greenskins or seeking to bring down the heavily armoured Space Marines of the Imperium, no one knows a Fire Warrior's strength better than a Cadre Fireblade. A Cadre Fireblade will always extol a focus upon what they believe to be the Tau's primary military strength -- overwhelming infantry firepower! Theirs is the ability to drive and direct Fire Warriors as they pour volley after volley of merciless pulse fire onto the target.
Experts in the standard Fire Caste tactical doctrine as laid down in the Code of Fire, Cadre Fireblades will also instruct all warriors nearby to fight closely together, with each member of a team doing his utmost to protect not just his comrades, but also nearby teams in his cadre. All teams then provide mutual support on the battlefield when the enemy launches a major assault, helping to annihilate the foe with mutually reinforcing fields of overlapping firepower.
The military path that takes a soldier to become a Cadre Fireblade means that they will never rise to the rank of Shas'o -- they are limited to a level just beneath that of Shas'el. Nor does the title carry with it the élan associated with those who pilot a Battlesuit. Nonetheless, a Cadre Fireblade, or Shas'nel in the Tau Lexicon, is a highly respected role - not least because of their willingness to forgo prestige. The constant drilling and workman-like efficiency of a Cadre Fireblade is, to the Tau, a willing embrace of their most central societal philosophy, the Tau'va - the Greater Good.
Required Careers: Tau Fire Warrior
Alternate Rank: Rank 5 or higher (17,000 xp)
Requirements: Fellowship 45
Other Requirements: A member of the Fire caste must have earned the rank of Shas’ui. Whereas most of these seasoned leaders eventually choose the great honor of donning a Battlesuit, there are a few who instead prefer to remain among the infantry with the Fire Warriors.
New Talent (Prereqs Here):
New Talent (Prereqs Here):
Cadre Fireblade Advances:
- Talented [Command] (Talent; 500xp)
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Still a Work-in-Progress! I haven't decided on the two new talents nor the advance tree yet, but it will be heavily command/fellowship focused and I will most likely borrow talents from the Only War supplements as well.
