If you are looking for a few extra points, why not drop a dire avenger from each squad? 2 5 man squads leaves enough space for 2 hq's to hop in as well, which in turn reduces the number of drops.
As to warlock powers, doom + jinx is a major threat to any big thing you want dead. Slap it on a target and watch it melt. Plus, getting Protect off on something like the spears will help them immensly.
I think I got the list where I want it, at least for now and it's down to 8 drops - I had also forgotten to remove the Shadow Spectres from the updated list, leaving it massively over the point limit
The 3 characters jumps into the serpent with the banshees, maxing it out and the avengers goes into the other one. I might even upgrade the Warlock to a Spiritseer, got enough points leftover to do it and don't really have anything else I can spend the points on. It would also mean that an unlucky peril won't detonate the poor guy and it would mean a second full power smite. And with the Spirit stone on the Spiritstone, I'll be able to save a reroll each psychic phase on both psykers.
I think it'll end up being protect/jinx in the end as well, as it just makes sense and means I can make a unit go away when I need to, or save a unit.
In an average game the 2 serpents, vypers and 3 Crimson Hunters starts on the table, with guardians and spears in deep strike. It's costly in CP but will be worth it as I don't rely heavily forcing a psychic power through, and I suspect the remaining CP will be spent on either rerolls or the Biel-Tan stratagem to help with a charge on the spears.
If there are a minimum of threats against the spears they might start on the table, saving a few extra CP for later. But it'll be a decision I'll need to make at the start of each game.
So the list ends up looking like this:
Battalion
Autarch
Farseer
Spiritseer - Spirit Stone of Anath'lan
6 Dire Avengers, including exarch with 2 catapults
6 Dire Avengers, including exarch with 2 catapults
20 Guardians with 2 Shuriken Cannon platforms
9 Howling Banshees, including exarch with Mirrorswords
9 Shining Spears, including exarch with Star Lance
3 Vypers with 2 Shuriken Cannons
Wave Serpent with Spirit Stones, Vectored Engines, Star Engines, Twin Shuriken Cannon & Shuriken Cannon
Wave Serpent with Spirit Stones, Vectored Engines, Star Engines, Twin Shuriken Cannon & Shuriken Cannon
Airwing detachment
Crimson Hunter
Crimson Hunter
Crimson Hunter Exarch
As I said I'm quite happy with the army and the balance between speed, firepower and theme, on paper anyway. Now I just need to test it and see if I need to change things or if it holds up on the table as well. In theory I should be able to make any unit go away in any given turn, reality will probably end up being different but the potential for high damage is there and the third hunter adds the last bit of AT I felt was missing before.
*Update 19/3*So after a test game, I've made some changes to the list. Sadly the banshees just didn't deliver enough pain on things to justify keeping them. The vypers were temporarily put back on the shelf, due to me being worried about not having enough damage against big targets, so with a bit of retooling of the list I managed to fit in 2 Fire Prisms.
The past few days I've been tinkering with the list again and decided to forget about the coming FAQ and the potential changes to certain units it could bring.
So i've ended ud with the following list, which will be tested on wednesday against the new T'au.
Battalion Autarch
Farseer
Spiritseer - Spirit Stone of Anath'lan
6 Dire Avengers, including exarch with 2 catapults
6 Dire Avengers, including exarch with 2 catapults
20 Guardians with 2 Shuriken Cannon platforms
5 Shining Spears, including exarch with Star Lance
6 Dark Reapers, including exarch with Tempest Launcher
Fire Prism with Shuriken Cannon, Crystal Targeting Matrix and Spirit Stones
Fire Prism with Shuriken Cannon, Crystal Targeting Matrix and Spirit Stones
Wave Serpent with Spirit Stones, Vectored Engines, Star Engines, Twin Shuriken Cannon & Shuriken Cannon
Wave Serpent with Spirit Stones, Vectored Engines, Star Engines, Twin Shuriken Cannon & Shuriken Cannon
Airwing detachmentCrimson Hunter
Crimson Hunter
Crimson Hunter Exarch
If that is not enough to put a super heavy tank, daemon primarch or other nasty things in the ground on turn 1, I'll have to go back to the drawing board. I think the list is in a good place now, but who knows what that FAQ will do to it and what changes I'll have to make. But that's part of the fun isn't it?
Should add that the airwing detachment will be Alaitoc instead of Biel-Tan, as the hunter just didn't benefit from that trait in any way and Alaitoc just makes a whole lot more sense for them.