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Tylos Rubio - Echoes of Fate: At Calth, Tylos Rubio heard the pre-echo of disaster as the Word Bearers' betrayal approached, yet he rejected it, heeding instead his oath to his Primarch and to the Emperor to uphold the Edict of Nikaea. Once he foresworn that oath and replaced it with one of still greater portent, Rubio then listened for the ever-present ghost-voices that warned of approaching betrayal, knowing that to ignore them as he did at Calth would be to invite still greater a tragedy even than befell that world. |
Tylos Rubio - Psionic Fury: Rubio carried a force sword through which he was able to focus his psionic power to an unprecedented degree. |
Tylos Rubio - By Falsehood Cloaked: The Knights-Errant were gifted by the highest offices of the Mechanicum with many technological artifices, one of the most wondrous and guileful of which was known simply as 'Falsehood'. Such devices took many different forms and had varying effects, but that used by the Knights-Errant in open battle projected a psycholuminal sphere about them that distorted their appearance, allowing them to infiltrate the battlefield unseen and, even once detected, made it all but impossible for a foe to draw a bead upon them. |
Tylos Rubio - Wargear: Artificer ArmourParagon BolterMaster-Crafted Bolt PistolForce SwordPsychic HoodIron HaloFrag & Krak Grenades |
Typhon-Styx Protectorate - Typhon-Styx Protectorate: The Typhon-Styx Protectorate is a minor league of the Leagues of Votann located in the galactic core.It is an ancient, and well-established Kin power bloc. No league boasts greater or more indomitable fortifications in its space than the Typhon-Styx. The Typhon-Styx Protectorate seek always to render themselves indomitable, so that they may be unassailable by enemies and invaders.Their Oathbands lean towards steady and relentless strategies, advancing from one defensible position to the next and allowing waves of enemy counter-attacks to smash themselves apart against swiftly-raised ramparts and tanks, dug in as temporary bunkers.The holds of the Typhon-Styx are, without exception, massively fortified. They are forever being improved by the league's diligent Brôkhyrs. |
Typhon-Styx Protectorate - Trivia: The Typhon-Styx Protectorate is named after two concepts from ancient Greek mythology, the divine monster Typhon and the River Styx.Typhon was a monstrous serpentine giant and one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology. According to Hesiod, Typhon was the son of Gaia and Tartarus. Typhon attempted to overthrow Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods, for the supremacy of the cosmos. The two fought a cataclysmic battle, which Zeus finally won with the aid of his thunderbolts. Defeated, Typhon was cast into Tartarus, or buried underneath Mount Etna, or in later accounts, under the island of Ischia.The Styx is a mythological river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the ancient Greek Underworld. The Rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, which sometimes is also called the Styx.The use of these names here coincides with the general reliance upon the mythological nomenclature and imagery, particularly that of legendary giants, used in the fictional culture of the Leagues of Votann. |
Typhon Heavy Siege Tank - Typhon Heavy Siege Tank: The Typhon Heavy Siege Tank is a super-heavy siege tank that was used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.The Typhon is a variant of the super-heavy Spartan Assault Tank also used by the Legions, and both were developed simultaneously using the same hull, armour, and chassis design.While the Spartan Assault Tank was developed by the ancient Mechanicum in response to the Space Marine Legions demanding a vehicle as powerful and versatile as the Land Raider Proteus yet also having the ability to carry Terminators into combat, the Typhon was developed at the request of Perturabo, primarch of the Iron Warriors Legion, who wanted a tank that could rival the great artillery batteries of the Imperial Army in firepower, but maneuver and deploy at the speed of a Space Marine force.The Typhon Heavy Siege Tank was used in small numbers by many of the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, and in much larger numbers by the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists who specialised in siege warfare.After the Legions were broken down into Chapters during the Second Founding, it is unknown if the newly-formed Space Marine units retained any of these powerful vehicles in their armouries.It is also unknown if the Adeptus Mechanicus is able to build new Typhons in the 41st Millennium or if the technology has been lost like so much else from the Great Crusade era. |
Typhon Heavy Siege Tank - Armament: The Typhon, named after the Great Beast of ancient Terran myth, is armed with a single, massive, forward firing cannon known as the Dreadhammer Siege Cannon.This massive weapon was designed in part by the Iron Warriors' Primarch Perturabo himself and is a modified version of an unknown class of static siege gun that was used to pound cities into dust.The weapon fires massive, multi-tonne shells that are powerful enough to liquify flesh and bone and destroy even the most well-fortified bunkers and strong points.The Typhon's structure is so densely constructed and heavily reinforced to withstand the force of its main weapon that it has the side effect of being able to completely pulverise anything smaller than itself, allowing the tank to cross through difficult terrain, such as rubble, wrecks, ruined buildings, or barricades with little difficulty.Other than the tank's main weapon, the Typhon is only lightly armed compared to the Spartan Assault Tank or the Land Raider Proteus, featuring only two sponson-mounted Lascannons or Heavy Bolters, one on each side.The tank was always outfitted with a Searchlight and Smoke Launchers. The Typhon could also be outfitted with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher for extra firepower or Armoured Ceramite Plating for better protection from enemy fire.The tank could also be equipped with a variety of pintle-mounted weapons including a twin-linked Bolter (Combi-Bolter) or other Combi-Weapon, a Heavy Bolter, a Heavy Flamer, a Multi-Melta, or a Havoc Missile Launcher. |
Typhon Heavy Siege Tank - Unit Composition: 1 Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank (41st Millennium Only)1 Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tank (31st Millennium Only) |
Typhon Heavy Siege Tank - Wargear: A Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank is armed and equipped with:Dreadhammer Siege CannonSmoke LaunchersMachine Spirit (artificial intelligence)Crushing Tracks - The Cerberus can crush smaller vehicles under its behemoth weight.A Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank may take the following sponson-mounted weapons:2 Heavy Bolters2 LascannonsA Relic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank may take one of the following pintle-mounted weapons:Storm BolterHeavy BolterHeavy FlamerMulti-Melta |
Typhon Heavy Siege Tank - Horus Heresy Wargear: During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy the Typhon Heavy Siege Tanks of the Legiones Astartes featured different weapon loadout options than those still found during the 41st Millennium.A standard Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tank is armed and equipped with:Dreadhammer Siege CannonSearchlightSmoke LaunchersFlare ShieldMachine Spirit (artificial intelligence)Crushing Tracks - The Spartan can crush smaller vehicles under its behemoth weight.A Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tank may take the following sponson-mounted weapons:2 Heavy Bolters2 LascannonsA Legion Typhon Heavy Siege Tank may take one of the following pintle-mounted weapons:Twin-linked Bolters (Combi-Bolter)Combi-WeaponHeavy BolterHeavy FlamerMulti-MeltaHavoc Missile LauncherLegion Typhon Heavy Siege Tanks may also have a variety of vehicle equipment such as:Hunter-Killer Missile LauncherArmoured Ceramite Plating |
Typhon Heavy Siege Tank - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Typhon Heavy Siege TankVehicle Name:Typhon Heavy Siege TankMain Armament:Dreadhammer Siege CannonForge World of Origin:Mars/Anvilus IXSecondary Armament:2 sponson-mounted Lascannons or Heavy BoltersKnown Patterns:I-IIITraverse:N/ACrew:Commander, Driver & GunnerTraverse & Elevation:Sponsons -10°-5° / +20°Powerplant:Unidentified meta-thermic hybrid, with auxiliary reactorMain Ammunition:12 roundsWeight:170 tonnesSecondary Ammunition:Unlimited cell feedLength:10 metresArmour:Width:6.1 metres with sponsonsHeight:5 metresSuperstructure:95mmGround Clearance:0.5 metresHull:95mmMax Speed On-Road:35 kphGun Mantlet:UnknownMax Speed Off-Road:30 kphVehicle Designation:UndesignatedTransport Capacity:N/AFiring Ports:N/AAccess Points:2 Side Doors, 1 Top Hatch (Crew Only)Turret:N/A |
Typhon Heavy Siege Tank - Sources: Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes (8th Edition), pg. 18Imperial Armour Volume 2, Second Edition - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes, pp. 108-111Imperial Armour Volume 13 - War Machines of the Lost & The Damned, pp. 62-63The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 46-47, 225, 249The Horus Heresy - Book Two: Massacre (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 130The Horus Heresy - Book Three: Extermination (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 126-127The Horus Heresy - Book Six: Retribution (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 150The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness Army List, pg. 87Forge World - Typhon Heavy Siege Tank |
Typhon Primaris - Typhon Primaris: Typhon Primaris was a jungle-covered Imperial Feral World found in the Sub-sector Aurelia of the Korianis Sector, in the Ultima Segmentum, and was one of the primary recruiting grounds for the Blood Ravens Space Marines Chapter. Its population primarily consisted of a small number of human settlements and several klanz of Feral Orks.During the events of Dawn of War II in the late 41st Millennium a Craftworld Aeldari Warp Spider Exarch was provoking the Orks to attack Imperial outposts and villages, and the Space Marines of the Blood Ravens Chapter intervened. However, unknown to them, Typhon Primaris had been infested with Tyranid Genestealers and some plants and animals became mutated by the Tyranid organisms, killing the human settlers' livestock.Soon after, a Tyranid splinter of Hive Fleet Leviathan appeared over the lush planet, drawn by the Genestealers' psychic emanations, threatening to engulf the entire star system, though this Hive Fleet was defeated by the Blood Ravens in the course of the conflict known to that Chapter as the First Aurelian Crusade.Ultimately, to deal with the ongoing Tyranid and Chaos threat approximately a standard decade later, an Exterminatus action was carried out upon the world by an Imperial Retribution Fleet under the command of the Inquisition's Ordo Malleus on the orders of the Puritan Inquisitor Adrastia during the Third Aurelian Crusade, leaving it a barren, blasted Dead World. |
Typhoon Missile Launcher - Typhoon Missile Launcher: The Typhoon Missile Launcher is a type of Imperial Missile Launcher mounted on Space Marine Land Speeder Typhoons and on the Stormtalon gunship. They are similar to the Cyclone Missile Launcher but fire heavier missiles more rapidly than the Cyclone Launcher.They are useful in that Typhoon missiles are gyro-stablised so that they can be undergoing rapid movement whilst still launching accurately, unlike the munitions used by standard Missile Launchers. This quality is essential for a weapon used onboard the lightly armoured and extremely mobile Landspeeder. |
Typhus - Typhus: Typhus, also known as "Typhus the Traveller" and the "Herald of Nurgle," originally the Space Marine named Calas Typhon of the world of Barbarus, is the Death Guard Lord of the Death Guard Traitor Legion's 1st Plague Company, and the host of the terrible plague known as the Destroyer Hive. He is a Champion of Nurgle, a Death Guard Sorcerer and the former first captain of the Death Guard Legion. Typhus is also the most feared of all Chaos Lords to command one of the legendary Plague Fleets.That Typhus has been truly blessed by Nurgle is indisputable. When the Death Guard were adrift in the Warp during the Horus Heresy, dying from the Destroyer Plague, Calas Typhon, First Captain of the XIV Legion, absorbed the full power of the disease, becoming a vessel for this ultimate corruption. Swelling in size, his skin and armour bonded. Great pestilential funnels grew from his body, spewing forth a miasma of destruction. Calas Typhon has been transformed into Typhus, Host of the Destroyer Hive.When the Death Guard retreated to the Eye of Terror after the Horus Heresy, Typhus was disgusted by Mortarion's shaping of the Plague Planet in the image of their homeworld, Barbarus. Believing his master had given in to sentimentality, Typhus departed at the head of a sepsis cohort to spread Nurgle's gifts to the undeserving Imperium of Man.In a rare display of tolerance, Mortarion let his ever-insubordinate son depart to forge his own legacy, for he would not repeat the mistakes that the Emperor had made with him. Since that day the two have settled into a tense but tolerable arrangement, Typhus fighting at Mortarion's behest when the cause is suitably great, but otherwise remaining free to maraud throughout the Imperium at will.For ten thousand standard years Typhus has been a blight upon Imperial worlds. He unleashed Nurgle's Rot upon Carandinis VII and Protheus, instigated the Jonah's World pandemic, and has killed millions with the Destroyer Hive. In the wake of Typhus' fleet a virulent plague spreads, causing its victims to suffer a long, agonising demise. Those who fall to this Warp disease do not stay dead, however; their bodies are soon reanimated by the Chaos infection, creating Plague Zombies whose bites carry the disease to new victims.Billions have died and been returned to undeath. Worse still, since the opening of the Great Rift during the 13th Black Crusade, the proliferating energies of Chaos have mutated countless strains of the original Zombie Plague. Boasting infection vectors as esoteric as nightmares, groans of misery and the surrender to despair, they have created many new types of Plague Zombie to bedevil the Imperium, of which the most common by far are the leering, moaning Poxwalkers.Typhus rules the greater portion of the Death Guard's decaying armada from the bridge of his flagship, the Terminus Est, a warship encrusted with the filth of aeons that was ancient even when the Horus Heresy began some ten thousand standard years ago. His skill in ship-to-ship combat has been honed over many millennia of war, and when he broods in his command throne upon his starship's bridge, he and the titanic war machine become one.Though the warship exists on the cusp of Imperial legend, its three-pronged pict-sign is dreaded by admirals and planetary governors alike across the Segmentum Obscurus. Wherever Typhus' flagship appears, it heralds plague, death and misery on a system-wide scale. Even whispers of its coming can cause panicked evacuations from worlds in its path, for wherever Typhus goes, pain and despair blossom in his wake. |
Typhus - Witch-blooded: Typhus' original name was Calas Typhon, and he hailed from the Death Guard Legion's toxic homeworld of Barbarus. Typhon possessed the blood of the mutant psyker warlords that had ruled the planet before being defeated by Mortarion, the Death Guard's primarch, who had been exiled to Barbarus through the Warp from Terra by the Dark Gods.Typhon was in fact a half-breed, the result of one of the Overlords of Barbarus taking an unhealthy liking to his Human mother. For this sin, his mother's fellow villagers later drowned her after she bore her hybrid offspring.As a child upon the toxic planet of Barbarus, Calas Typhon was troubled by nightly phenomena over which he believed he had no control. Objects would shudder and smash around him whenever he was frightened or angered, and plants would wither and die under his gaze.These phantom powers troubled him greatly, but he resolved to turn them to his advantage. By the time Typhon reached maturity, he had learned to master the psychic energies that resonated within him each night; a feat of will that impressed his elders mightily. With this act, Typhon became stronger in his resolve to succeed than any of his peers.When Mortarion defected from the service of the High Overlord Necare after witnessing their atrocities against the Human population of Barabarus, Typhon was the first person the young primarch encountered and the young adolescent helped lead him to safety in the Human-settled lowlands of Barbarus. During his early adulthood, Typhus was a champion of Mortarion's early Death Guard militia in his war against the Overlords of Barbarus.When the Emperor reclaimed His lost son Mortarion from the poisonous mists of Barbarus, and reunited him with the transhuman warriors born from his gene-seed, Typhon was amongst those chosen to join their ranks. His clan's citadel had been visited by the Apothecaries of Mortarion's new Space Marine Legion, and during their assessments, Typhon's inner strength had shone through.The esoteric processes by which Typhon became a member of the Death Guard are lost to even his memory, but when he learned that his Legion spurned the use of mental powers, Typhon quickly learned to suppress his psychic potential. His primarch Mortarion frowned on the use of such arcane tactics, seeing them as a crutch unbecoming of true warriors and a reminder of the terrible abilities also wielded by the hated necromantic Overlords of Barbarus.Instead, Typhon fell back on the iron will and rugged stamina that had seen him ride out the events of his tumultuous childhood. This, in itself, was a remarkable resource -- Typhon outlasted all others in the toxin-trials and marathon endurance contests staged by his nascent Legion. |
Typhus - Typhon's Ascension: Such was his strength of mind and body that Mortarion soon favoured his old friend Typhon above all others, elevating him to first captain of the Death Guard Legion. Such an honour was not lost on the stoic warrior. If Calas Typhon could win such a glorious post without even making use of his hidden psychic abilities, he was truly destined for greatness should circumstances change.As the errant worlds of the galaxy were brought to Imperial Compliance, Typhon distinguished himself again and again. He became first a knight and then a warrior king who contributed greatly to his Legion's success in the Great Crusade. Typhon's ability to shrug off the baleful effects of hostile war zones and enemy weapons alike became an oft-discussed legend.During the Tribewars of Rothric IX, Typhon lost his weapon and took a mace blow to the side of the head that would have killed a lesser man, but it merely drove Typhon into a cold rage that saw him kill every tribal warrior in the vicinity using only a short iron bar.He selflessly saved the lives of a squad of Sisters of Silence upon Madrighoul by throwing himself on a malfunctioning Krak Grenade and, after less than a solar week in the Legion Apothecarion, discharged himself for active duty once more. Even the brotherhood of the Deathshroud, the forty-nine handpicked warriors who served as Mortarion's elite honour guard, were in awe of Typhon's uncanny fortitude. Though none spoke openly of it, the warriors of the Death Guard obeyed Typhon out of a lingering sense of fear as well as respect. |
Typhus - The Making of a Monster: It was whilst on crusade with the Word Bearers Legion that Typhon learned of a different path for the Legiones Astartes to follow, a future where his hard-won psychic abilities would be a source of greatness instead of a taboo to be hidden from sight.The foremost Chaplain of the Word Bearers, Erebus, inducted Typhon into the secrets of the Seven Pillared Lodge, one of the Warrior Lodges that had begun to spread throughout the Space Marine Legions in the later days of the Great Crusade. It was during this time that Typhon caught a glimpse of what the Space Marines could truly become if they shrugged off the yoke of the Emperor's puerile ambitions.Perhaps Typhon's revelation was instrumental in Mortarion's own fall to the Ruinous Powers; perhaps Mortarion would have walked a dark path on his own. Either way, the troubled Death Guard primarch saw a worthy master in Horus, whereas in the Emperor he saw only a self-serving and pompous pretender who used the same dark powers as Barbarus' Overlords and had stolen Mortarion's hard-won kingship in a single day.With the primarch of the XIV Legion and its first captain united in their hidden rebellion, it did not take long for most of the Death Guard's officers to become infected by mutinous thoughts. The most important exception was the 7th Great Company's battle-captain, Nathaniel Garro, whose refusal to allow the honour of his Legion to die out changed the course of the entire Horus Heresy. |
Typhus - Isstvan III Atrocity: The corruption spreading throughout the Legiones Astartes was to come to a head at Isstvan III, where Mortarion ordered those Loyalists in his Legion's ranks to destroy the heretical Warsingers of that planet. While they fought planetside, the Traitor elements of the Death Guard virus-bombed the entire world.As their earthbound brothers' flesh sloughed from bone, Horus ignited the planet's atmosphere in a firestorm that burned thousands of Loyalist Space Marines to ash. Despite the ground offensive launched by the Traitor Legions under the command of the rebel primarchs, a core of Loyalists still survived. Stationed aboard the frigate Eisenstein, Battle-Captain Nathaniel Garro and a core group of Loyalists had discovered the treachery of the Warmaster before he ordered the Exterminatus.Mortarion hoped to sway Garro, and thus moved to spare him from the cull. Typhon, however, regarded this as a mistake and, whilst following the primarch's orders to the letter, ensured that Ignatius Grulgor, Garro's rival in the Legion, was assigned to the same ship. Grulgor had been easily won to Horus' banner, and would eagerly murder Garro if the Terran captain refused to betray his Emperor.However, the Traitors' plot was unmasked, and Grulgor killed in the ensuing struggle. Garro was determined to flee the Isstvan System and make for Terra. Realising something was amiss, First Captain Typhon, aboard the massive Death Guard battleship Terminus Est, moved to intercept the small frigate when he had received no word from his usually boisterous subordinate Commander Grulgor.He gave chase as the Eisenstein attempted to evade the guns of his ship. The frigate sustained severe damage from the Terminus Est's massive gun batteries as it sped past. Garro and a handful of fellow Death Guard Legionaries managed to escape, taking word of Horus' rebellion to Terra.As the heresy that Horus initiated slowly but surely escalated into a galactic civil war, Mortarion ordered his fleet to head for Terra with all haste, intending for the Death Guard to join the other Traitor Legions in the destruction of the False Emperor. By this point, Typhon served one master alone, and it was not his primarch. |
Typhus - Separation from Mortarion: During the Horus Heresy, Typhon led half of the Death Guard in a splinter fleet while Mortarion himself took command of the remainder. Initiating a campaign of misery and misdirection against the Dark Angels Legion, Typhon's fleet attempted to acquire the Tuchulcha engine in fulfillment of Nurgle's designs but was foiled by Lion El'Jonson during the Battle of Perditus.Hounded by a Dark Angels retribution force under the command of Corswain, Typhon's fleet later reappeared at the Zaramund System. There, the Death Guard forces were welcomed by the Dark Angels' second-in-command Luther and his Fallen Angels. Fleeing from Corswain and his Dark Angels, Luther hid his Death Guard fleet while deceiving his former comrades. |
Typhus - A Legion Reborn: After being instructed that the time was right by the Dark Apostle Erebus of the Word Bearers, Typhon and his forces rejoined Mortarion's fleet during the purging of the Loyalist world of Ynyx. Disappointed that Mortarion had still not yet embraced the service of Chaos like most of his brothers, Typhon initiated a final scheme that would force the Deathlord to accept the truth of his Legion's damnation.Typhon had seen to it that the XIV Legion fleet's Navigators were killed to a man by his Grave Warden Terminators, claiming that he had caught evidence of their communications with Malcador the Sigillite in a plot to destroy the Death Guard fleet by leading it astray in the Warp, but reassured Mortarion that the psychic Warp-gift he himself possessed would see them through their journey in the Empyrean safe enough.Though he hated the concept of relying on witchery, Mortarion was left with little choice. The Death Guard fleet made transition into the Warp, and in the process damned themselves to an eternity of war as the puppets of a foul and ancient god.In leading the Death Guard into the Warp, Typhon had knowingly delivered them into the clutches of his new master, Nurgle, the Lord of Decay. The strange tides of the Empyrean are notoriously fickle, and during their voyage the entire Death Guard fleet was becalmed. As their warships lingered, directionless and without hope, the cloying influence of Grandfather Nurgle began to take hold.The Death Guard were subjected to the terrible infection of the Destroyer Plague and Nurgle's Rot, as Nurgle's power managed to infiltrate the vessels of the XIV Legion. It polluted the vessels themselves as easily as it did the warriors within. Before long, fat devil-flies buzzed through the thickening miasma inside each warship. Where they bit at the desperate warriors trapped within, flesh turned to suppurating jelly.The Daemon-venom of their stings caused mortal flesh to blossom into hard new growths. Bellies distended and eyes ran like cracked eggs; even power armour melded and flowed into strange new shapes. Here, the superhuman resilience of the Death Guard to disease and toxins proved their enemy, for they could not simply die, nor were they allowed to do so by the Plague Lord. Instead, they were slowly, sickeningly transformed into Plague Marines, their souls claimed by Nurgle in exchange for a permanent release from their pain.Enraged at the trap he now realised Typhon had led them into, Mortarion himself confronted his former friend aboard the Terminus Est. Typhon expressed his desire for Mortarion to accept the embrace of Nurgle as his true father, but instead the primarch physically assaulted his first captain, disgusted by his betrayal and embrace of the witchery he had long abhorred.Typhon's psychic abilities allowed him to hold off the primarch's attacks for a time, however Mortarion eventually prevailed and struck down Typhon with his scythe. Due to the Destroyer Plague permeating the vessel, Typhon was infused with the energies of Nurgle and was quickly resurrected by his divine patron. Yet Mortarion then revealed his trump card: he had long been keeping the deformed first Plague Marine and Nurglish Daemon Prince Ignatius Grulgor imprisoned, who he now released to carry out his vengeance.Grulgor strangled Typhon to death, fulfilling his oath to Mortarion to kill the first captain who had been responsible for his own first death upon the Eisenstein. However Typhon quickly came back to life once more, and both the first captain and Daemon Prince laughed as Mortarion realised he had been betrayed by both servants of Nurgle. As a reward for his service to the Lord of Flies, Grulgor's Daemonic essence dissolved and merged with Typhon's body, becoming the vector by which Calas Typhon would be transformed into Typhus, Champion of Nurgle.Typhon, having orchestrated this grand corruption, was rewarded most of all as Grulgor's essence entered into him. Swelling in size, his skin and armour became one. Great funnels of pestilential bone burst from his body. Into these poured thousands of Nurgle's Daemon-flies, gnawing him from the inside out until his rotten shell teemed and heaved with squirming life.Typhon became a great hollow colony of disease-carrying, supernatural insects. The bone funnels that sprouted from his back coughed black decay as Nurgle's servants regurgitated the psychic energies pulsing through what was left of his herald's body. Typhus, Host of the Destroyer Hive, had been born, most blessed and most cursed of all his now-repugnant kin. |
Typhus - Siege of Terra: During the Siege of Terra in 014.M31, Typhus worked with Primarch Perturabo of the Iron Warriors, First Captain Ezekyle Abaddon of the Sons of Horus, and the Dark Apostle Zardu Layak of the Word Bearers to summon the Daemonic influence of the Daemon Prince of Nurgle Cor'bax Utterblight into the Outer Palace in order to subvert the Imperial defences there.Typhus next took part in the assault on the Imperial Palace's Colossi Gate against forces led by Primarch Jaghatai Khan of the White Scars, Captain-General Constantin Valdor of the Legio Custodes, and Raldoron, first captain of the Blood Angels Legion.Later during the Siege Mortarion informed Typhus that his old foe Corswain had landed a force of Dark Angels which had captured the Astronomican and he dispatched Typhus to take it back. After Jaghatai Khan led a massive attack on the Lion's Gate Spaceport and banished Mortarion into the Warp, Typhus reappeared and took command of the Death Guard Legion after rallying key leaders of the XIV Legion such as Mortarion's equerry Caipha Morarg and the Apothecary Zadal Crosius.Typhus subsequently rallied the Death Guard to retake the Astronomican before it could be reactivated to lead Roboute Guilliman and his Ultramarines and Space Wolves reinforcements to Terra. Typhus tempted the Fallen Angels' Librarians such as Zahariel within the Astronomican to join Horus' cause and deliver the Astronomican to the Traitors without a battle, but to no avail.Typhus proceeded with a full-scale assault on the Astronomican. Typhus' forces were able to penetrate the Hollow Mountain, and seemed to have victory in his grasp despite a determined assault by the Dark Angels and Imperial Fists forces commanded by their first captain, Sigismund. However, the mystic and future saint of the Imperial Cult Euphrati Keeler was able to lead a sacrificial prayer amongst the throngs of faithful Emperor-worshippers now to be found within the Imperial Palace complex that caused a psychic backlash which not only threw back the Death Guard but also reactivated the psychic beacon of the Astronomican so that the Loyalist reinforcements could find their way to Terra. |
Typhus - A New Beginning: Though the heresy of Horus was eventually defeated, the Traitor Legions claimed by the Chaos Gods were changed forever. After the Warmaster's death at the hands of the Emperor, the Traitor Legionaries fled Terra and burned their way across the Segmentum Solar towards the Eye of Terror.They were pursued by those Legions still loyal to the Emperor. As the retributive war known to Imperial scholars as the Great Scouring blazed across the stars, the Traitor Legions made new homes within the trackless reaches of the Eye. Typhus found himself fighting against the most surreal creatures he had ever seen. Wyrms of living crystal were shattered by his great scythed blade, eight-armed minotaurs were reduced to biological sludge by his psychic blasts, and shapely sirens met their end on the mutant horn of bone that had sprouted from his forehead. Just as before, he survived.Mortarion, by this point a Daemon Prince of Nurgle, eventually claimed a distant Daemon World, known as the Plague Planet, as his demesne. There, he ruled as king of Daemons and corrupt Heretic Astartes alike. The Daemon Primarch shaped his Daemon World to resemble Barbarus, his former homeworld. Typhus was sickened by the sentimentality of his lord.His loyalty was to Nurgle alone and Nurgle waxed strong when mortals feared death. By this point, Typhus was an unholy legend in his own right, and was not content with a sedentary existence as his primarch's right hand. Instead, he marshalled those among the Death Guard whose bitter enmity for the Imperium still burned fiercely, forming a Plague Fleet that took to the tides of the Warp once more.At their head flew the Terminus Est, the spear that Typhus intended to plunge deep into the heart of the Imperium. With the blessing of the Father of Plagues, he would deal a festering wound that would never heal. |
Typhus - Typhus the Traveller: Since that day, Typhus has visited a hundred thousand diseases upon the Imperium of Man. The Destroyer Plague is without doubt the most virulent of all, though its vector of Daemonic insects means that it is of limited use when infecting entire star systems.Typhus was always an ambitious man, and his tireless search for the perfect plague has led to the destruction of nations, worlds, and even star systems. Typhus has even walked in the Garden of Nurgle itself, in the Realm of Chaos, learning of a great many ways to turn order and structure into chaotic decay.It is whispered that he followed a humanoid emissary composed entirely of his own Destroyer Daemon-flies to the outskirts of the Garden, lulling its sentient fungus with his deep bass voice and bewitching its guardians with tales of entropy and despair visited upon the mortal realm.When the crimson Blood Legions of Khorne invaded the Garden of Nurgle and cut down every living thing they could find, it was Typhus who coordinated the Garden's defence, leading the final charge of buzzing Plague Drones and slug-like Beasts of Nurgle at Bubbling Gully. At the climax of the battle, Typhus overcame the gigantic Daemon Prince that led the Khornate legions, slowly but surely crippling the dog-headed monstrosity with ever more virulent plagues until he was able to best him in single combat and take his guts as a gift for Nurgle's cauldron. Such was the resultant favour of the Lord of Decay that Typhus was allowed to reach the throne of Nurgle himself in the Plague Lord's rotting manse, presenting his offering before dipping his battle scythe into the filth that pooled around its base and withdrawing quickly before death finally found even him.Tales such as these spring up wherever Typhus treads, for his ambition is as fierce as ever. As his journeys across the Imperium bring system after system to ruin, Typhus becomes ever more convinced that he is the true son of Nurgle. Mortarion has proved his own lack of worth by failing to wage the Long War against the Imperium; to Typhus, the primarch was purely the vector by which the beauty of the Plague Marines were birthed into the universe.By comparison, Typhus has been tireless in his prosecution of his true master's goals. He unleashed Nurgle's Rot upon Carandinis VII and Protheus, turning billions of ailing souls into Plaguebearers that tirelessly catalogued the lesser diseases springing up in Typhus' wake. On Ligeta, he loosed a plague-song that forced the infected to chant a hymn to Nurgle even as they slowly wasted away.He wiped out the entire male population of Florins with the dreaded Red Flux, and engineered the Jonah's World pandemic, reducing a once-proud Shrine World to a global necropolis of rot-filled tombs. Yet the crowning glory of Typhus' achievements is the introduction of the Zombie Plague into the Segmentum Obscurus. With this terrible new curse, Typhus has fused the cycles of life and death together, an act that has pleased his master greatly.The Zombie Plague is a supernatural Warp-based disease, and as such it does not follow the laws of biology or physics, for it can actually only infect those who have no hope or faith in their hearts. In the uncaring grind of Imperial life, the vast majority of the populace can be counted amongst that number. The unfortunate victims of this horrendous malady rot from the inside out, coughing themselves to death over a long, painful period. That is merely the beginning of their suffering. Those that fall do not stay dead -- their bodies are reanimated by the uncanny psychic power of the arcane infection, and they lurch after the living, desperate to gnaw upon warm, supple flesh. Even a single bite can transfer the infection to a new host, and so the process begins anew.In the 41st Millennium Typhus once again attempted to unite the Tuchulcha engine with its brother devices, this time in cooperation with the Fallen Angel Merir Astelan. The two planned to gather the original Fallen with Typhus's own Death Guard forces to create a new Heretic Astartes Legion known as the "Death Angels." However, they were defeated by the Loyalist Dark Angels, led by Supreme Grand Master Azrael and, surprisingly, the enigmatic Fallen Cypher in the Battle of the Caliban System in 998.M41. |
Typhus - Era Indomitus: After the creation of the Great Rift and the start of the Era Indomitus, Typhus launched a major Chaos assault on the Charadon Sector, besieging the Forge World of Metalica and corurpting it with a computer phage known as the Nemesis Wurm after a prolonged battle.After Fabius Bile stole the Nurglish artefact knows as the Ark Cornucontagious from Nurgle's realspace realm in the Scourge Stars during the Psychic Awakening, Typhus pursued the former Chief Apothecary of the Emperor's Children with his Plague Fleet in a bid to reclaim it and with it the Spider's head. In the ensuing War of the Spider, Typhus battled not only Bile's mutant Terata creations and his Chaos Space Marine allies among The Shriven but also an Adeptus Custodes force commanded by Shield-Captain Atal Tyvar. Thanks to Bile's machinations, Typhus was unable to corner the Spider and had to withdraw in the face of the Custodes' assault.Typhus later appeared as part of Mortarion's own armada during the Death Guard's invasion of the Realm of Ultramar in the Plague Wars. Typhus led a splinter fleet which terrorised the outer systems of Ultramar. During the conflict, Typhus made it clear that he no longer maintained even the slightest reverence or respect for his primarch, who he viewed as only a reluctant servant of Chaos at best. The Herald of Nurgle scolded Mortarion for his lack of devotion and proclaimed that he was a far better champion to carry out the divine vision of Nurgle. Typhus declared that he would no longer serve Mortarion directly, but was willing to take part in the campaigns of the Plague Wars because it furthered Nurgle's own interests.Following the battle on Parmenio and the instigation of the War in the Rift in which the forces of the other Chaos Gods sought to claim the Scourge Stars for themselves, Nurgle lost interest in the war in Ultramar and ordered his forces to pull back to the Scourge Stars to defend them against his rival Ruinous Powers. Typhus obeyed the Plague God's orders, informing Mortarion that he would be leaving the Ultramar warzone with substantial amounts of the Death Guard Legion. This angered Mortarion, who wished to remain in the region and finally slay Roboute Guilliman with the new Nurglish disease known as the Godblight concoted by the Great Unclean One Ku'gath. Typhus scolded his gene-father for this apparent insubordination to their divine master once again before departing for the Scourge Stars.When he is not reaping a bloody harvest for Nurgle with his Manreaper on the field of battle, Typhus sits immobile on the Terminus Est's command throne, his mind fusing with the mighty voidship's senses to search for its next destination amongst the eddies and currents of the Warp. His ceaseless travels to find yet more places to spread Nurgle's blessings have earned him the half-reverent, half-mocking title of "The Traveller" amongst the other servants of the Ruinous Powers. |
Typhus - Notable Campaigns: The Black Crusades (ca. M31-M41) - Over long centuries, Abaddon the Despoiler spends the blood of countless followers in battles against the Imperium of Man. Though seemingly unconnected, each so-called Black Crusade is in truth part of a far grander plan that eventually triggers the opening of the Great Rift in ca. 999.M41. During this period, the new Warmaster of Chaos forges numerous pacts with the greatest powers of the forces of Chaos, amongst them the Death Guard. Mortarion's scorn for Abaddon is obvious, but the Daemon Primarch cannot ignore the Chaos Lord's successes, and so sends warbands of his gene-sons to aid in several of the Despoiler's campaigns. Typhus aids Abaddon more readily, fighting alongside him more than once, and using his attacks upon the Cadian Gate as an opportunity to spread the seeds of the Zombie Plague far and wide.Outbreak Hydra Minoris (757.M41) - The first outbreak of the Zombie Plague occurs on Hydra Minoris after Typhus, and his Death Guard foot soldiers, penetrate to the heart of its capital hive city. As the living begin to fall prey to the painful disease, its true horror is revealed; the dead victims begin to rise up and attack the living. The resultant Imperial quarantine traps 23 billion uninfected citizens alongside a rising tide of the undead.Cando Campaign (969.M41) - Typhus' flagship, the Terminus Est, is sighted in the Cando System. It disappears soon after, but it is already too late. The Zombie Plague ravages all of the planets in the system over the following solar months, exposing the worst in Human nature as brother turns against brother in their desperation to survive.Infection of Pandorial (Unknown Date.M41) - Typhus invades Hive Pandorial with the Zombie Plague, departing before Imperial retribution can occur. Instead of encountering a hated and ancient enemy, the courageous troops of the Astra Militarum's Necromundan Spiders find themselves plunging deep into the shadowed horrors of a hive city filled only with the shambling corpses of those they came to avenge.Outbreak Cadia (Unknown Date.M42) - Since the annihilation of Cadia, Typhus and vectoriums of his 1st Plague Company have repeatedly been sighted around the shattered Cadian Gate. Striking at beleaguered Imperial worlds, they seed infestations of the Zombie Plague, overrunning the armies of the Imperium with tides of groaning, shambling victims that leave only desolation in their wake.Duel on Danasar (Unknown Date.M42) - As Warp Storm Fomori engulfs the world of Danasar, Typhus duels -- and humbles -- Huron Blackheart, Chaos Lord of the Red Corsairs, atop the ruins of the Endless Spire. He leaves the Tyrant of Badab alive as an abject lesson not just in Nurgle's might, but also of his generosity.Raid of Medusa (Unknown Date.M42) - Alongside warbands of the Cleaved, the Purge and several other Renegade forces, Typhus leads the 1st Plague Company in a shocking raid against the Iron Hands' Chapter planet, Medusa. The Chapter's clan companies drive off their attackers, but not before terrible damage is done, leaving regions of the planet as cursed quarantine zones. |
Typhus - Terminus Est: The Terminus Est is arguably the most powerful warship in the Plague Fleets of the Death Guard. It is a befouled abomination, a swathe of Nurgle's realm given license to sail the stars and bring contagion and misery to all in its path.Originally, the Terminus Est was a powerful assault carrier that dated back to the era of the Great Crusade, or -- some whispered -- even earlier. It was one of the most powerful warships in the arsenal of the pre-Heresy Death Guard Legion, and it was the voidcraft that destroyed the Raven Guard flagship Shadow of the Emperor during the betrayal on Isstvan V.When Nurgle placed his mark upon the Death Guard, so too did he bless their warships and vehicles with his foul gifts. Thus, this once proud warship is now a seething abomination, a diseased leviathan encrusted with filth and twisted beyond recognition by biomechanical growths and pustulant buboes.A miasma of filth and plague flies spills from its innards to pollute the void around it, and it is said that the very sight of the Terminus Est is enough to cause mortals to sicken and die. |
Typhus - Wargear: Typhus is a formidable psyker who has been favoured by Nurgle as a Death Guard Sorcerer, and is able to call forth both Nurgle's Rot and many of the powers offered by the Nurglish Psychic Discipline. In addition to his formidable psychic abilities Typhus also employs an array of malefic weapons and wargear, gifted to him by the Lord of Decay. These include:Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour - Typhus wears an ancient suit of Cataphractii Terminator Armour which encloses his corpulent, Nurgle-blessed Plague Marine body. This archaic battle-plate dates back to the time of the Horus Heresy.Manreaper - Manreaper is a Daemonic Power Scythe. It is said that even the smell of the pitted scythe can lay a mortal man low for solar weeks. Though Typhus has never confirmed the rumours that he dipped his weapon in Nurgle's own brew of filth at his manse in the Garden of Nurgle, any mortal being that is touched by its blade quickly collapses into a pile of festering bone.Hand Flamer - As Calas Typhon, Typhus often utilised a Hand Flamer with chem-munitions in conjunction with his Master-crafted Deathshroud Power Scythe.Destroyer Hive - Typhus' mighty Terminator Armour has become as much a part of him as the Daemonic insects that thrive inside. Fused chimneys of bone sprout from his torso, and in the thick of battle, these tubes will belch out great clouds of daemonic flies. Each buzzes into the cracks and gaps they find in the armour of Typhus' opponents, stinging their victims with Daemon-poison until there is nothing left but a pile of plague-riddled corpses.Daemon Flies - The grotesque daemonic flies that infest the Destroyer Hive are truly disgusting creatures, though in the eyes of Typhus, and of Father Nurgle himself, each is a diminutive angel of decay just waiting to pass on the blessings of rot and entropy to all they touch.Blight Grenades - The Death Guard's Plague Marines long ago perfected the grisly practice of using their enemies' decapitated heads as crude grenades. Hacked from the neck, filled with maggot-laden toxic goop and sealed with wax, these projectiles burst apart on impact to spray liquid disease and biting, stinging flies in all directions.Wind of Chaos - Typhus is a Death Guard Sorcerer who can call forth the corruption from within his soul, unleashing waves of psychic energy that are subtly different for each sorcerer: a sheet of iridescent Warp fire for the followers of Tzeentch, a golden cloud of rapturous agony or a rain of hypnotic light for the worshipers of Slaanesh, and a stream of bilious filth for those devoted to Nurgle like Typhus.Nuncio VoxRad Grenades - Rad Grenades detonate in a shower of tiny, radioactively-contaminated fragments. Each particle's radioactive emissions have a millisecond half-life, ensuring that the user can charge in without exposing themself to radiological contamination. Nevertheless, those foes caught in the initial blast will feel the Rad Grenade's debilitating influence for some time afterwards, and may be permanently affected by long-term radiation sickness. |
Typhus - Sources: Angels of Caliban (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, EpilogueCodex Heretic Astartes - Death Guard (8th Edition), pp. 18-19, 20-23, 29, 71Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 53Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 55Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pg. 24-25, 61Dark Imperium (Novel) by Guy Haley, Ch. 10Index Chaotica: Terminus Est (Digital Edition) (6th Edition)Psychic Awakening: War of the Spider (8th Edition), pp. 8-18Godblight (Novel) by Guy Haley, Ch. 4The Flight of the Eisenstein (Novel) by James SwallowThe Primarchs (Anthology), "The Lion," by Gav ThorpeCadian Blood (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-BowdenLantern's Light (Short Story) by James SwallowThe Buried Dagger (Novel) by James Swallow, Ch. 2, Interval IV, Chs. 6-7, Interval VIIThe First Wall (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, Ch. 12Saturnine (Novel) by Dan Abnett, Part 1 Chapter 2Warhawk (Novel) by Chris Wraight, Chs. 6, 27The End and the Death: Volume I (Novel) by Dan Abnett, 3:xi, 3:xxiiiThe End and the Death: Volume III (Novel) by Dan Abnett, 10:xvLuther: First of the Fallen (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, "Tale of the Traitor"The Horus Heresy - Book Two: Massacre (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 228-229Warhammer 40,000: Warlords of the Dark Millennium - Typhus (6th Edition), pp. 3, 5-11, 13-16, 22-29War Zone Charadon - Act II: The Book of Fire, pp. 36-37White Dwarf 282 (UK), "Heroes & Villains of the 41st Millennium - Typhus the Traveller"Forge World - Calas Typhon, First Captain of the Death Guard LegionWarhammer Community - Typhus 8th Edition (Image) |
Tyran - Tyran: Tyran, or more formally Tyran Primus, is the former Ocean World on the very edge of the Milky Way Galaxy in the Eastern Fringe where the Adeptus Mechanicus of the Imperium of Man maintained a small Research Station.It was on Tyran that Mankind made first contact with Hive Fleet Behemoth, which destroyed all life on the planet in early 745.M41 and initiated the First Tyrannic War.Tyran is now classified as a Dead World by the Administratum, the first of many in Imperial space created by the Great Devourer. The encounter at Tyran gave a name to this deadly new threat to all life in the galaxy, a terrifying xenos species known as the Tyranids forever after. |
Tyran - First Contact: The first recorded contact between the Imperium of Man and the Tyranids occurred in early 745.M41 on the Eastern Fringe of Imperial space.To that point, Imperial records indicate that Mankind was wholly ignorant of the terrible new threat that was emerging from the intergalactic void and if any of the galaxy's older intelligent species like the Aeldari were aware of the Tyranids' existence, they had never deigned to warn Mankind of the terror that was to come.Yet Hive Fleet Behemoth had left plenty of evidence of its approach to the fringes of the Milky Way Galaxy. Over the course of the solar decade that preceded the first contact at Tyran, Imperial Explorators had performed a census of the star systems surrounding the far-flung Adeptus Mechanicus outpost located at Tyran Primus.These Explorators had discovered something curious, for entire worlds known to once have been verdant planets teeming with all manner of alien animals and plants had been stripped bare, reduced to barren rocks floating in the vacuum.Not one speck of life, not even the simplest of bacteria, remained to be found. Though this anomaly was reported to the Explorator General of the Adeptus Administratum, no follow-up was ordered. The galaxy is a place larger than a single human mind can comprehend and untold and unsolved mysteries abound. As always, the Administratum was as slow as only a galaxy-spanning bureaucracy can be.As the Mechanicus outpost on Tyran continued to file reports of its discovery of a large cluster of Dead Worlds, Hive Fleet Behemoth drew ever closer. The Tyranids had to that point consumed only isolated planets that were home to no intelligent life forms, using the biomatter they absorbed to replenish the reserves the hive fleet had expended during the long journey through the extragalactic night.Now refreshed and replenished in number by the new stocks of organic materials, the xenos descended upon Tyran Primus. This was only the first of the Imperium's worlds to fall to the Great Devourer but would be the place from which Mankind would name this new threat to its continued existence.That the Mechanicus outpost on Tyran had any warning at all of the impending attack was only due to good fortune. A survey starship, returning from a survey of yet another Dead World, encountered a cloud of unidentified objects as it entered the edge of the Tyran System.Though crippled by what seemed to be mines made of organic tissue on the very edge of this cloud, the Explorator vessel managed to limp back to the Imperial base in orbit of Tyran Primus and carry its dire warning. Several solar days later, the first full invasion of an Imperial world by a Tyranid Hive Fleet began.Yet the main outpost on Tyran Primus would not fall easily to the extragalactic predators. Located deep within the ruins of an ancient chain of volcanic islands, the Imperial base was heavily fortified to resist the fearsome storms and massive sea creatures of the Ocean World's savage seas.Also, given Tyran's position on the very edge of Imperial space in a very dangerous and unexplored frontier region of the galaxy, Tyran had been wisely provided with armament deemed adequate to deter the attacks of raiders or aggressive xenos.Four giant planetary Defence Lasers protected the Tyran outpost, each protected in turn by hardened ceramite silos and Void Shield generators. The amount of firepower was further supported by 36 Autocannon and Lascannon interceptor emplacements, an overlapping network of defence bastions and Proteus-class bunkers.The Imperial garrison deployed on Tyran Primus was also formidable. In addition to the cybernetic Skitarii bodyguard of the outpost's Adeptus Mechanicus commander, Magos Varnak, Tyran boasted 3 full wings of the Imperial Navy's Thunderbolt fighters, 3 Endeavour-class Light Cruisers and an entire infantry regiment of the Astra Militarum.This was a standard garrison for a valued Imperial frontier outpost and had been proven to be effective against most of the adversaries faced by isolated Imperial troops on the galactic rim. Yet against the Great Devourer, this garrison would prove to be little more than a brief obstacle to its endless hunger. |
Tyran - Invasion: Tyran's planetary Defence Lasers opened fire on the foe the moment the first alien bio-ships entered orbit over the Ocean World. For more than a solar hour, the perpetually stormy skies of Tyran were ruptured again and again by coloured blasts of coherent light as the base's gunners desperately sought to drive back the descending xenos invaders.Then, just as the Defence Lasers had begun to glow white hot and overheat from the sheer number of targets, the invaders suddenly withdrew.Buoyed by overconfidence in his own forces and ignorance of the true scope of the threat, Magos Varnak ordered his small fleet of Imperial Navy cruisers to harry the withdrawing bio-ships, but this strategy proved to be mistaken.After penetrating the spore cloud that masked the sheer size of the approaching alien fleet, the pursuing Imperial starships discovered that less than a dozen of the strange organic spacecraft had been destroyed out of the thousands present in the fleet that had entered the Tyran System.Having successfully lured the Imperial cruisers away from the support of the planet's Defence Laser emplacements, the bio-ships suddenly changed direction and fell upon the Imperial vessels like hungry sharks.The Emperor's Fist was the first Imperial starship destroyed, its hull shredded by a voracious swarm of organisms vomited forth by a much smaller vessel. The Righteous Destiny did not last much longer as a cluster of grasping tentacles dragged it into the gaping maw of a Hive Ship.Only the Sword of Warriors lasted long enough to transmit a warning by Vox to Tyran. Before the message was completed, leech-like pseudopods gnawed through the starship's adamantium hull plates and unleashed a horde of vicious Genestealers onto the spacecraft's bridge and lower decks. The entire crew was slaughtered within minutes and the Cruiser was left to drift in space unmanned, its precious biomatter already dissolved into the Hive Fleet's reserve stocks.With the Imperial cruisers lost, the hive fleet then returned into orbit of Tyran and this time the Imperial defences proved inadequate. Thousands of Mycetic Spores hurtled down onto the world, and though the Defence Lasers managed to still destroy many of the lethal pods, countless more crashed into the stormy seas.All around the Imperial outpost, the waters boiled as the invaders burst from the spores and tore their way through the powerful maritime predators of Tyran's oceans, who were no match for the savagery of the Tyranids.Then the xenos scaled the walls of the Imperial outpost. At first, disciplined volleys of laser fire from the Imperial Guardsmen managed to drive the voracious creatures back, as amongst their numbers were veteran Guardsmen from the jungle-covered Death World of Catachan, long-used to battling the similar monstrous fauna of their own homeworld. The Guardsmen fought through the constant, pouring rain and their firepower scythed out massive holes within the alien line.The hides of the smaller bioforms offered little protection from concentrated laser fire and were no match at all for the Autocannons of the interceptor grid erected around the base.Wave after wave of Hormagaunts and Genestealers were torn apart and their corpses began to choke the carefully laid-out killing zones that lay between the outpost's bastions. Thunderbolt fighters soared through the skies above the base, destroying any incoming spores with precision fire before darting away to find new targets. And there were always more targets...But the Imperial defence began to crack when the northern planetary Defence Laser finally fell silent. Thousands of Gargoyles had thrown themselves on the Hive Mind's order into its barrel, clogging the gigantic beam projectors with their own blackened bodies. Moments later the eastern planetary Defence Laser was destroyed when a Carnifex penetrated its steel walls and ripped apart the massive weapon's coolant lines.Despite their valiant efforts, the Thunderbolts eventually fell from the skies, their engines choked by spores or their pilots torn shrieking from their cockpits by Harpies. As the Imperial defence network collapsed, the Mycetic Spores began to fall onto the outpost itself. |
Tyran - The Behemoth Triumphs: Only a solar hour after this, the Imperial outpost on Tyran Primus had been effectively overrun. The bastions had been destroyed or overrun and all of the planetary Defence Lasers had gone silent. Even the Catachan Jungle Fighters of the Astra Militarum had finally abandoned their posts and fled into the rain in hope of an escape from a gruesome death that could not be found.Only the command bunker still stood and its walls began to crack under the impact of massive blows from some of the larger Tyranid bioforms. Through the few remaining displays that were still functional, Magos Varnak saw the unstoppable tide of xenos destroying his once-impregnable outpost. Once the adamantium gate of the bunker crashed inwards, the Tyranids poured into the command bunker.Imperial Guardsmen and cybernetic Skitarii fought with Flamers and in some case their bare hands, but the sheer number of vicious aliens managed to hack and bite and claw their way forwards. As Hormagaunts poured into the command centre, Varnak whispered his last prayer to the Omnissiah and triggered a special switch that sent a data-codex plummeting into the depths of what remained of the outpost before being torn apart.The precious data within this codex would prove to be the Tyran outpost's greatest legacy, for its video, pict and data records of the first Tyranid assault would be found almost a full Terran year later by Inquisitor Fidus Kryptman, a man who would later dedicate his life to ending the Tyranid threat to humanity. Without Kryptman's arrival, the fate of the Tyran outpost might never have been known and the Imperium taken completely unaware of what was to come.Kryptman had found a sterile, dead planet that now bore no sign of the thriving Ocean World it had once been. The planet had been literally sucked dry and scoured of all life, with every scrap of vegetation and even all of its water consumed by the Hive Fleet as needed biomass and nutrients.As Kryptman reviewed the data-codex he found in the outpost's ruins, the full horror of the first Tyranid attack was revealed to him. The Inquisitor immediately left the ghosts of Tyran behind to warn the galaxy of the Great Devourer's approach, a terror that Kryptman named the "Tyranids" after the first Imperial world they had consumed.The nightmare of the Tyrannic Wars had begun, and the Imperium of Man would never be the same... |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Tyranid Biomorphs: Tyranid biomorphs are essentially biomechanical devices and artificially-induced genetic mutations of the Tyranid genome that provide another way to attack a foe beyond the Tyranid's natural weapons of teeth and claws. A biomorph can also alter an aspect or the metabolism of a Tyranid bioform to improve its speed, durability, or other physical traits.Variants of these organic weapons are also sometimes used by the Brood Brothers and Genestealer hybrids in service to the various Genestealer Cults that infest Imperial worlds. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Close Combat Biomorphs: Bio-plasma - Bio-plasma is emitted by a potent, close-ranged Tyranid biomorph -- often engineered by the Hive Mind into Tyranid Carnifexes -- that can be unleashed in a short-ranged attack upon foes. With this biomorph, a Tyranid organism gains the ability to internally energise a form of organically-created plasma that can be vomited forth as a burning and blinding ball of incandescent green energy. Each ball of Bio-plasma has the equivalent force of a blast from an Imperial Plasma Cannon, but can be hurled a much shorter distance.Bonesword - Boneswords are blades of living chitin that wear away and grow back. They crackle with the Hive Mind's psychic energy and are very effective against armoured units. Boneswords are also used by the servants of Genestealer Cults. Grown from the Genestealer Patriarch's osseous throne, these Boneswords are sentient weapons that thirst for the psychic energies of the cults' adversaries.Claws and Teeth - These basic biomorphs are equipped on even the simplest of Tyranid organisms, such as Rippers. These razor-sharp claws and fangs allow Tyranids to rip apart their victims.Crushing Claws - The obscene strength of these claws allows them to smash any foe.Hypermorph Tail - Like Hybrid Metamorphs, some Genestealer Cult Aberrants mutate as a hive fleet approaches their Genestealer-infested homeworld. As these mutations take hold, the creature's spinal column extends into a muscular tail, tipped with a hooked barb sharp enough to slice through meat, bone and even infantry armour.Lash Whip - Lash Whips are cords of muscle that move at lightning speed to slash prey. Some Tyranid creatures wield both a Lash Whip and a Bonesword as a deadly symbiotic combination. Favoured Genestealer Cult hybrids may also be blessed with this symbiotic pairing of bio-weapons, making them even more lethal at close quarters.Rending Claws - The diamond-hard tips of these claws can tear through armour.Scything Talons - Scything Talons are long, razor-edged claws of serrated chitin. Powered by whipcord muscles, they can stab, slash, and eviscerate victims with lightning-fast swipes.Sharpened Claws - These claws are of extreme length and have been sharpened to a monomolecular edge. They are further enhanced by the presence of crackling psychic energies which run down their length.Stone Crusher - This close-combat biomorph is most commonly encountered on the Stone-Crusher Carnifex. Designed for urban battles, the Stone-Crusher is rammed through a wall using the Carnifex's immense strength, then pulled backwards to wrench the entire structure down.Tusks - Tusks are a large adamantium-laced chitin weapon that extends from the head of the Tyranid and allows them to initiate a devastating charge, often breaking through ranks of troops by smashing them aside.Wrecking Ball - A Wrecking Ball is a large biomorph composed of hardened chitin utilised on massive Tyranid species like the Carnifex which use it to shatter armoured vehicles and crush ranks of infantry into bloody pulp. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Tail Biomorphs: The tails of some Tyranids are deadly weapons, from bony protrusions dense enough to cave in the side of a tank to stingers containing enough poison to kill whole regiments.Bone MacePrehensile PincerThrasher ScytheToxinspike |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Ranged Biomorphs: Acid Spray - A Bio-Cannon stores huge reservoirs of caustic digestive fluids used to break down organic matter at a rapid rate. This acid corrosion is sprayed over the victims, melting through their body armour with horrifying ease and reducing them to a puddle of liquefied flesh.Barbed Strangler Weapons - These weapons fire seed pods that grow to maturity in seconds, spreading out hooked tendrils in all directions.Bile Pod - This living ammunition is a parasitic creature which feeds off the toxins emitted by the poisonous glands of the Dactylis' cranium. In recent encounters, the Dactylis has shown the Tyranids' innate ability to adapt to any combat situation or tactical need -- its cranial glands have grown a variety of spore-generating colonies that can be used to produce a number of different types of deadly ammunition that can be chosen for their particular utility against specific classes of foe.Bio-Cannon - This biomorph is among the largest weapons yet encountered on a Tyranid organism. They are often equipped on large Tyranid Bio-Titans such as Hierophants or Harridans. The Bio-Cannon is triggered by a massive electro-chemical shock that spews forth a hail of highly venomous and corrosive maggot organisms. These organisms then impact on the target, splattering a rain of bio-acid and poison that can melt through nearly any material in a matter of seconds and reduce the unfortunate victim to a steaming pile of bubbling goo.Bio-Electric Pulse Weapons - As a Trygon moves, it generates a potent bio-static electric field that discharges with lethal effect when the Trygon sights prey. Trygon Primes have curved spines sprouting from their bodies which contain and amplify this energy.Bio-plasma - Some Carnifexes can generate a roaring ball of bio-plasma within their bodies and vomit forth the resultant energy as an incandescent gobbet of fire.Bio-Plasmic Cannon - This giant weapon can channel bio-plasma through a series of different ventricles to ensure the destruction of its prey, unleashing a vast ball of roaring energy through its central chamber, or firing several focussed streams of death through its surrounding barrels.Cluster Spines - Some Tyranid bioforms have rows of quills imbedded in their carapaces that they can project a considerable distance.Deathspitter - This multi-creature symbiote fires maggot-like organisms with corrosive innards. A spider-jawed set of fangs drags an organism from the weapon's brooding chamber and strips off its shell, before the Deathspitter reacts to the caustic flesh with a spasm, firing the maggot to explode in a shower of caustic slime against its target.Devourer - These weapons fling worm-like parasites called flesh-worms that burrow into their victim's flesh and eat their way through its nervous system to the brain, rapidly destroying the victim's central nervous system, resulting in a painful but rapid death. The Devourers wielded by larger Tyranids teem with hives of brainleech worms, a more aggressive and voracious Devourer organism. When the worms are launched at the target, in a swarm of hundreds at a time, they either shatter against the target and spread acid and poison over it, or pierce the armour to burrow into the flesh or brain as their species type determines. The worms possess shiny black heads and are kept within the weapon, their activity triggered by a bio-electric surge that signals them to attack.Drool Cannon - Drool Cannons fire gobbets of caustic digestive juice over their victims. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Thorax Biomorphs: Certain Tyranids have thoracic cavities that play host to swarms of parasites -- some of these minute creatures drain their victims' vital fluids, others emit an electrical charge which plays havoc with enemy vehicles, and others still nestle amongst the foe's armour before exploding in a horrific fashion like a grenade. All Thorax Biomorphs are ranged weapons.Flamespurt - The Pyrovore's flamespurt bio-weapon billows forth a blazing plume of fire, engulfing the Hive Mind's foes in a searing conflagration.Flesh Hooks - Equipped on Lictors, these sharp barbs are attached to long ropy tendrils which are kept coiled close to the Lictor's ribcage, until they are fired by a powerful muscle spasm. The Lictor can use these hooks either to scale sheer obstacles or to snag luckless prey and drag it into the Lictor's waiting claws.Fleshborer - A Fleshborer is a Tyranid Biomorph most commonly used by Termagants and Gargoyles. A larger hive-nest variation, a Fleshborer Hive, is used by Tyrannofexes. The Fleshborer is a compact brood nest for sharp-fanged borer beetles. These beetles are kept dormant once mature until the weapon is ready to be fired. When the weapon is fired through aggressive electrochemical stimulation, a frenzied borer beetle will hurtle itself forward with a single flick of its flea-like legs. The beetle then spends its remaining life energy in a few seconds, frantically boring through the armour, flesh and bone of the first thing in its path. Fleshborer beetles possess sensor spines to then help locate soft flesh. They are capable of secreting a potent digestive enzyme upon impact to help penetrate armour and flesh.Fleshborer Hive - The Fleshborer Hive is a larger, seething colony of the very same Tyranid borer beetles found in a Fleshborer that is used by Tyrannofexes. The fanged creatures stored in the bloated sacs of the hive lay thousands of eggs that hatch and mature at an astonishing rate within the cavernous chambers of the brood nest. Indeed, the Fleshborer Hive must eject the beetles at regular intervals to prevent the Tyrannofex from bursting apart due to the mass of creatures birthed within it.Grasping Tongue - This creature's clawed tongue grasps its chosen prey before yanking it bodily into its maw.Impaler Cannon - Impaler Cannons propel osseous spines at such high velocities that they can punch through reinforced plasteel. At the base of each spine is a small creature known as a shard-beast that uses thin membranous fins to steer the spine towards its target.Rupture Cannon - This weapon fires two different projectiles, launched in quick succession. The first is actually a bloated tick that bursts upon impact, showering the target in an oil-like substance. The second is a seedpod covered in a virtually indestructible biopolymer shell. As the seed smashes the target, it is coated in the viscous remains of the tick. When combined, these inert fluids rapidly dissolve the toughened shell of the seedpod which produces a massive explosion powerful enough to wrench even armoured vehicles inside out.Ripper Tentacles - Ripper tentacles are a biomorph utilised by Mycetic Spores, which consists of thick ropes of tendon and corded muscle that reach out from a Mycetic Spore in search of prey. Drawn to movement, Ripper Tentacles can smash apart several foes in a single swipe, coil around a single victim and crush it to a bloody pulp or clutch around its quarry and drag it into the spore's fanged maw.Shockcannon - Shockcannons fire large claws attached to ropes of sinew, which latch onto their target before delivering a powerful bio-electric surge that electrocutes any prey nearby and disables enemy machinery.Spike Rifle - This bony, muscle-lined tube launches harpoon-like spikes.Spine Banks - The explosive spine banks embedded in the carapaces of some Carnifexes can also be fired at the foe as the Tyranid charges.Spinefist - This weapon-creature, typically carried in pairs, has a long tail that burrows through a limb to connect the gun's own air-bladder to the airways and vents of its host. A larger host will exhale great salvoes of spines, ripping through the flesh of anything caught in the blast.Stinger Salvo - Stinger Salvoes are simple but effective biomechanical weapons that fire rows of metre-long, razorsharp spikes.Stanglethorn Cannon - Stranglethorn Cannons are larger versions of the Tyranid Barbed Strangler. This heavier version of the Biomorph fires a larger and more aggressive seed pod. The tendrils grow at alarming rates, choking infantry. Sometimes a Stranglethorn Cannon will render lightly armoured vehicles ineffective by damaging the crew or weapons.Strangleweb - This composite symbiote creature fires a sticky mesh of webbing that ensnares a victim. The web then quickly hardens to stop the target from breathing and cuts into the flesh as they struggle to free themselves. Those not crushed to death are usually left immobile for a time and are completely at the mercy of other Tyranid organisms.Tentaclid - These living missiles seek out aerial prey, latching onto their targets with barbed fangs before emitting a massive bio-electrical pulse.Venom Cannon / Heavy Venom Cannon - The Venom Cannon and Heavy Venom Cannon are large and heavy Biomorphs that fire out salvos of deadly, corrosive crystals. Most victims die from the impact or from the toxins carried by the poisonous crystalline fragments. The plating of some armoured vehicles may also be punctured by the crystals, with the splinters destroying the interior equipment and killing the crew members inside. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Spore Mines: These weapons are used by the Tyranids as living, floating mines which explode if any non-Tyranid lifeform gets too close to one. Spore mines are grown deep inside a Biovore's body and are then launched via a powerful muscle spasm through the Biovore's dorsal aperture and hurled across the battlefield.An internal gas bladder in the Spore Mines inflates, allowing them to drift down towards the ground where they do not detonate upon impact but only when they sense the proximity of a non-Tyranid. They have been known to drift for solar days, weeks or even standard years until an unwary foe comes too near. Spore Mine biomorphs are all ranged weapons.Spore Mine Cysts - Spore Cysts are found on larger Tyranids and are excretion pits for the creation of Spore Mines. The symbiotic relationship between creature and Spore Cyst is such that they cannot be separated once formed.Spore Mine Launcher - The Spore Mine Launcher is a Tyranid Biomorph. Equipped to Biovores, the Spore Mine Launcher fires Spore Mines at its target, living bombs that blanket victims in acid, poisonous gas, and shrapnel-sized chitin spines. The Spore Mine Launcher is a large cannon-like organism mounted to the back of the Biovore, and the creature fires Spore Mines by activating a powerful muscle spasm which causes the launcher to spit a Spore Mine over great distances. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Armour Biomorphs: Armoured Shell - The largest Tyranid organisms are akin to walking battle tanks, with an armoured shell tougher than ceramite. Anything less than anti-tank weaponry patters harmlessly off these seemingly invulnerable monsters.Bonded Exoskeleton - A Bonded Exoskeleton is a Tyranid Biomorph that increases the defensive potential of larger Tyranid organisms. A Bonded Exoskeleton is formed when every bone-like plate and chitinous segment of a bioform's exoskeleton is fused together to form a tough and virtually impenetrable sheathing which offers a similar level of protection to the ceramite used by Imperial Space Marines in their power armour. The most common Tyranid bioforms evolved to have Bonded Exoskeletons are Hive Tyrants, the Tyrant Guard, Tervigons, Tyranid Primes, Carnifexes, Trygons and Mawlocs.Chitin - Even the most basic Tyranid life forms have tough leathery hides and a beetle-like carapace that covers the creature's vital spots. This chitinous material is tough enough to turn aside blades and even glancing small-arms fire. The outer body of a Tyranid is coated in a waxy slime that allows the organism to survive for short periods of time in a vacuum.Extended Carapace - This type of biomorph forms when a Tyranid's carapace has grown and extended over time to cover the few vulnerable areas they might have still possessed.Hardened Carapace - The creature's carapace is made of denser, strengthened chitin, able to absorb kinetic impacts that would shatter or punch through lighter armour.Reinforced Chitin - The carapace plates of these Tyranid creatures continuously exude a sticky resin-like substance. These secretions quickly harden, creating an additional self-healing layers of ablative armour that offers the Tyranid greater protection against incoming attacks. This material has also proven effective in attenuating the worse effects of intense heat and radiation.Toughened Exoskeleton - This biomorph takes the form of an exoskeleton of a Tryanid creature that has been enhanced through a toughening process which makes it more durable and able to resist more damage before failing. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Support Biomorphs: Acid Blood - The alien blood spilt from certain Tyranids is so corrosive that it can eat through ceramite armour and dissolve flesh in mere moments.Acid Maw - The maws of some Tyranids constantly drip with acidic bile.Adrenal Glands - An Adrenal Gland is a Tyranid Biomorph that is commonly developed in the frontline creatures of a Tyranid swarm. Adrenal Glands massively increase the production of adrenaline within a Tyranid bioform, and also saturate their host's bloodstream with other chemicals that boost the creature's metabolism to a hyperactive state of frenzy. This allows the organism to move more swiftly and attack with greater strength. The most common Tyranid bioforms found with Adrenal Glands are Hive Tyrants, Tervigons, Tyranid Primes, Tyranid Warriors, Genestealers, Termagants, Hormagaunts, Rippers, Sky Slasher Rippers, Tyranid Shrikes, Gargoyles, Harpies, Carnifexes, Trygons, Mawlocs and Tyrannofexes.Adrenaline Sac - The Adrenaline Sac is a special container for excess adrenaline which the bioform can use to temporarily enhance its senses, abilities and physical attributes. It does not contain enough adrenaline for extended use and will require refilling after a single use.Blinding Venom - Some Tyranids spit caustic venom at their prey's eyes.Chameleonic Skin - Chameleonic Skin allows Lictors to alter their skin colour to blend into any environment and become all but invisible to the naked eye.Containment Spores - These curved spines are displayed down the length of a Trygon Prime's body that allows the creature to contain and focus their natural build-up of electrical energy to a greater degree than a standard Trygon.Enhanced Senses - Tyranid bioforms' Enhanced Senses are represented by a large grouping of antennae which Imperial autopsies have shown to have created areas of neural meshing which indicates that the Tyranid bioform has essentially become a mobile appendage to its own weapon. Some bioforms have a different version of Enhanced Senses in which the Tyranid organism has highly developed and sensitive sight, smell and hearing. These abilities enable it to locate hidden enemy units much more effectively, often finding even those outfitted with special technology intended to keep them unseen.Feeder Tendrils - Feeder Tendrils are special organs possessed by some Tyranid bioforms such as Lictors and Ymgarl Genestealers that enable them to drain their dead victims' brain matter and cerebrospinal fluid, absorbing all of their memories and learned knowledge in the process. This provides the Tyranids with crucial information about an enemy's strengths and weaknesses, along with invaluable intelligence and reconaissance information about a world whose biosphere has been targeted for absorption by a Tyranid hive fleet.Frag Spines - Frag Spines are studded along the spines of some Carnifexes, composed of explosive Spine Banks or other similar short-range Bio-Morphs that launch as the Carnifex rampages forward and forces their prey to take cover or be shredded with hundreds of chitinous shards.Implant Attack - An Implant Attack is a Tyranid biomorph that is comprised of hollow fangs, barbed stingers, or serrated claws that are capable of inflicting massive internal injuries to a victim and bleeding them to death in seconds, as well as injecting the target with fatal toxins.Leaping - Tyranid bioforms outfitted for leaping take large, bounding steps towards enemy lines and can close for combat more quickly. Hormagaunts, Tyranid Warriors and Rippers are the only Tyranid species able to use Leaping.Optic Membranes - The bioform's eyes have been modified with an extra membrane which can cover the eyes momentarily, allowing it to avoid being blinded by sudden flashes of light.Regeneration - Some Tyranids have the ability to recover from horrendous wounds and injuries that should have proven fatal.Scuttlers - Some Tyranid bioforms have been made more intelligent and capable of greater stealth, as they can make use of terrain to creep closer and closer to the enemy before the initial attack is launched. Genestealers and Gaunts are the only Tyranids able to take the ability.Symbiote Rippers - Symbiote Rippers is a type of biomorph in which a living carpet of Rippers is laid down over terrain which Tyranid organisms walk over. This squirming organic carpet can shuttle large numbers of different Tyranid organisms, forming a tide of biological death that can cross almost any geographical obstacle to reach the foe.Thornback - Thornback is the nickname given by Astra Militarum troops to Tyranids who possess Biomorphs in the form of large blade-like chitin protrusions from their carapace. Thornbacks are often seen charging into ranks of enemy troops using pure body mass as their primary weapon and simply impaling any enemies they come across on their "thorns."Thorax Swarm - The Thorax Swarm is a Tyranid biomorph in which a large, bloated chest cavity is filled with swarms of small parasites. These creatures erupt from openings in their host organism's chest to drown the enemy in a deadly cloud that chews out eyes and crawls down throats. Different types of small creatures may make up these swarms, including:Electroshock Grubs - Electroshock grubs are part of a Thorax Swarm and emit powerful bolts of electricity that arc among themselves as their constantly writhing segmented plates produce electrostatic energy. Anything caught in this energy is reduced to charred remains.Desiccator Larvae - Desiccator Larvae are part of a Thorax Swarm and can latch on to an enemy and within only seconds suck every drop of moisture from their victims, leaving behind only a dry, desiccated husk.Shreddershard Beetles - Shreddershard beetles are part of a Thorax Swarm and once released, instinctively crawl into any nook or crevice on their victims' bodies, such as those between armour joints. They are covered in needle-sharp spines and cannot live for long outside their host, but as they die they explode, covering their victims in a hail of deadly, chitinous needles.Toxic Miasma - This Biomorph consists of vents sprouting from the backs of some Tyranid creatures to release toxic gases comprised of microscopic algal formations into a prey world's atmosphere, most notably the Venomthrope species. Even brief exposure to the miasma gases can cause a victim to choke to death on its own blood.Toxin Sacs - Toxin Sacs are a Biomorph consisting of parasitic glands containing small mites which attach to a Tyranid creature and secrete poisons into the host organism's existing Biomorphs or coat poison over the host's claws, fangs and talons, while the parasite feeds on the host in return. The poisons vary wildly from necrotic venoms to toxins capable of boiling a victim's blood while still in their veins. All of the deadly poisons are swimming with Tyranid phage cells.Venom Sac - This biomorph modifies a Tyranid organism by adding a sac full of corrosive venom beneath its claws and fangs, making its attacks all the more deadly to lightly armoured enemies.Wings - The forelimbs of some Tyranid organisms have been mutated into leathery wings that allow them to move much more swiftly over long distances by flying or gliding. Some organisms also develop more than one set of wings or a lightened exo-skeleton to assist with flight. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Close Combat: Rending Claws - These are massive versions of rending claws that are only used by gargantuan Tyranid bio-forms like Bio-Titans.Razor Claw - Razor Claws are deadly hand-to-hand combat weapons carried by Tyranid Bio-Titans to enhance their already formidable fighting power. Razor Claws resemble gigantic crab claws, but this basic evolutionary design has been made more lethal by bonding a mono-molecular edge to them so that they can slice through armourplas and ceramite. Razor Claws are also implanted with frag spines like those mounted on Haruspex and Malefactors, and these increase the Bio-Titan's short-range firepower against infantry and light vehicles.Scything Talons - These are massive versions of the chitin scything talons found on smaller Tyranid bio-forms.Stinger Salvo - Stinger Salvos are used against infantry and lightly armoured vehicles at close range. The Stingers themselves are fans of long, needle-like protuberances which contain a vein of lethal corrosive venom. The stings are segmented and when the Bio-Titan directs a pulse of venom into them the tips are launched with tremendous velocity. This reveals the sharp tip of the next segment of the needle and makes it ready for firing. Salvos of the high velocity Stingers are short-ranged but devastating, riddling targets with slivers of bone and corrosive poisons. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Ranged: Bile Launcher - Bile Launchers work by belching a jellied lump of cankerous slime which is corrosive enough to burn through flesh and bone in seconds. Armoured targets may last a little longer than others but even they will collapse into piles of pitted and rusted metal within a few Terran minutes. Worse still, the Bile Launcher can have a considerable splatter radius if it strikes its target. These smaller droplets of acidic slime are unlikely to damage battle tanks but they can still kill foot soldiers who fail to take cover.Bio-Cannon - Bio-Titans commonly carry large, triple-orificed symbiote weapons which appear to function in a similar manner to the Bio-Cannon mounted on an Exocrine. The heavy cords of muscle that ridge the barrels of the cannon accelerate its ammunition of chitin shells to a speed at which they punch through armour as if it were cardboard. A hardened penetrator core at the centre of the shell penetrates the target in a small explosion of shrapnel and carries the spores of a pernicious slime fungus into it. Large targets that sustain a hit from a Bio-Titan's Bio-Cannon are often rotted from the inside out within minutes of impact.Cluster Spines - Cluster Spines are similar to the Frag Spine implanted onto Haruspex and Malefactors for close range, anti-personnel work. They are fired by a muscular contraction and use explosive cellular expansion to detonate on impact and spray razor-sharp chitin plates over the target area. The cluster spines implanted onto Bio-Titans are larger, more densely packed and fire in groups to achieve maximum saturation of the target.Pyro-Acid Spray - Pyro-Acid Spray is undoubtedly one of the most fearsome weapons in the Bio-Titan's arsenal. The spray fires a triple jet of highly corrosive acids which melt through plascrete and steel like wax. The interaction of the acids also produces a great release of heat, such that the jets ignite as they leave the nozzles of the spray and the target area is quickly covered in licking flames and explosions where the burning acid has swept over it.Spore Pods - Many Bio-Titans carry swollen pods of virulent spores implanted into their chitinous limbs. When they explode, the air around the Bio-Titan is filled with deadly spores which will pierce the surface of anything warm they touch and send burning, threadlike growths shooting into it. Bio-Titans use nerve impulses to detonate the pods, either as an intense cloud in a small area or as a broad bank of spores to sweep a larger area. Though each Spore Pod is emptied when it is used, a single Bio-Titan carries enough Spore Pods to last for an entire battle. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Tyranid Bio-Ship Biomorphs: Bio-plasma - Bio-plasma is a Lance-like weapon utilised by Tyranid Bioships that fire energetic plasma produced by organic rather than technological means.Feeder Tentacles - Many Tyranid bioships have huge tentacles which they use to "feed" on planetary atmospheres and the biomatter pumped up into the lower atmosphere of a prey world by Capillary Towers, and which can also be used to punch through the hull of a voidship to allow the Tyranid organisms within to assault the enemy.Massive Claws - Tyranid vessels are terrifying in combat at close quarters. Not only are they packed full of bio-engineered killing machines, often the ships themselves have specially-evolved claws designed to rip through the armoured hull of its target, or crushing mandibles that latch onto the bio-ship's prey and then slowly but inevitably tear through decks and gantries.Pryo-acid Battery - These Tyranid weapons are a kind of voidship Weapons Battery utilised by Tyranid bioships, which work by launching compact organic shells containing virulent toxins and pyro-acids. These can cause considerable damage on impact, but it is the release of their ravening payloads into the confines of a ship that can prove the most deadly. Any ship hit by a pyro-acid weapon has a chance that the acid will continue to eat away at its hull due to the caustic nature of the bio-agents.Spores - Tyranid bioships do not have weapons turrets or Void Shields in the normal sense, and instead rely on emitting a constantly replenished physical barrier of spore clouds. Every spore is a Pandora's box of viral compounds, acids and even nucleonic mutagens capable of eating through hull armour with alarming speed. The combined effect of the millions of spores produces an ablative armour effect as they absorb weapons fire and ordnance directed at the bio-ship they surround.Ordnance - Some Tyranid ships may have launch bays or Torpedo batteries. Tyranid bioships may only launch boarding torpedoes, fighters and assault boats, or rather their biological equivalents in the form of giant hull-boring worms, ether-swimming brood carriers, protazoid enzymes, ravening limpet mines and the like. It is also possible for a Tyranid hive fleet to make use of such ordnance independent of launch bay-equipped vessels. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Bio-Artefacts: The Bio-artefacts of the Tyranids are symbiotic, biomechanical organisms of incredible rarity. Only one of each of the following biomorphs is usually found in each Tyranid force, as there is only thought to be one of each of these items in existence, or so the indigenous intelligent species of the galaxy hope...Maw-Claws of Thyrax - During the destruction of Thyrax, the dread beast that spearheaded the assault bore a symbiotic pair of fang-lined pincers. These terrible claws tore apart and consumed the bodies of those brave enough to stand against the monstrosity, absorbing their memories and assimilating greater knowledge of its prey.Miasma Cannon - The Tyranids utilise all manner of biomechanical weapons, but none that have earned more dread than the Miasma Cannon. Unlike other Venom Cannons, this weapon fires gobbets of toxin-laden slime so virulent that it reduces squads of soldiers into shapeless puddles of organic goo in seconds. Whether vomiting noxious fluids in great torrents or liquefying targets in gouts of acid, the Miasma Cannon has been responsible for deaths beyond counting.Norn Crown - First named by Inquisitor Kryptman, the Norn Crown is a unique parasitic organism that clings to the armoured crest of the host organism's head with dozens of tendrils. Burrowing needle-like cerebral bores directly into the brain of its host, the Norn Crown forms a neuro-synaptic link that acts as a hyper-conduit for the Hive Mind. Through this abhorrent union, the Hive Mind's indomitable will can pour forth to augment and control the hordes of lesser Tyranids that scuttle in the leader-beast's wake.Reaper of Obliterax - The Reaper of Obliterax was first encountered amongst the re-emergent Tyranid swarms of Hive Fleet Jormungandr. A deadly biomechanical weapon resembling a Bonesword, this sentient blade is commonly wielded alongside a Lash Whip. The Reaper discharges highly concentrated bursts of destructive energy, and even the lightest blow can result in the blade's target being rent asunder.Ymgarl Factor - The Ymgarl Genestealers have long been a cancerous blight on the worlds of the Imperium. Their insatiable voracity is legend amongst those that have had the misfortune to encounter them and live. Now, dark rumours have surfaced of another Tyranid leader-beast that appears to share the unfathomable adaptability of the Ymgarl Genestealers. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Hive Mind Psychic Powers: Dominion - The Tyranid bioform uses its prodigious psychic strength to channel and amplify the will of the Hive Mind.Catalyst - Through its synaptic conduits, the power of the Hive Mind reaches out to infuse the organisms under its control, invigorating their metabolic systems with such unnatural vitality that they can ignore the most grievous of wounds.The Horror - The terrifying psychic presence of the Hive Mind radiates from a synapse creature, flooding the minds of the Tyranids' enemies and causing them to quail and panic.Onslaught - A synapse creature reaches out its mind and seizes control of the lesser creatures' biomorph weapon symbiotes, guiding their fire whilst simultaneously driving the swarms towards the enemy at a breakneck pace.Paroxysm - The Hive Mind debilitates its enemies by triggering every nerve and pain receptor in their bodies, overwhelming their senses with wracking fits of agony.Psychic Scream - Through its vassal organism, the Hive Mind unleashes a piercing shriek of undiluted psychic energy that shreds the minds of those caught in the wake.Synapse - Synapse is the Tyranid psychic ability which unites all of the Tyranids within the gestalt self-awareness that is the Hive Mind. It is projected across the local Tyranid swarm by synapse creatures which usually also serve as leader organisms, such as Hive Tyrants, Tyranid Warriors and Broodlords or specialist psyker organisms such as Zoanthropes. These creatures have greatly increased synapse networks within their own cortexes created at the direction of the Hive Mind and these organisms act as psychic conduits and network nodes for the Hive Mind to control and order any troops within the psychic range of the synapse creature. Without the synapse creature present to guide them and include them within the Hive Mind's psychic gestalt network, most Tyranid bioforms will revert to a feral, instinctive state, although some, such as Genestealers, who can generate the similar gestalt among their cultists known as the "Broodmind," can perform just as well without synapse creatures to connect them to the Hive Mind as they do when in their presence.Warp Blast - The Tyranid organism taps into the raw power of the Hive Mind, unleashing it as a blast of pure Warp energy that arcs from its cranium and vaporises its prey. |
Tyranid Biomorphs - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic - The Hive Fleets: Tyranid Vessels, pp. 84-85Chapter Approved: The Second Book of the Astronomican (2001), "Tyranid Monstrosities - A Guide to Spawning," by Pete Haines, pg. 100-101Codex: Genestealer Cults (8th Edition), pp. 102-104Codex: Genestealer Cults (7th Edition), pp. 98-100Codex: Tyranids (2nd Edition), pp. 18, 52, 66-67Codex: Tyranids (3rd Edition), pp. 6, 8-9Codex: Tyranids (4th Edition), pp. 28, 31-33Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pp. 41, 46, 48, 50, 82-84, 86-95Codex: Tyranids (6th Edition), "Bio-Artefacts of the Tyranids," pp. 88, 91, 167-185Codex: Tyranids (8th Edition), pg. 52Epic: Hive War (2nd Edition) by Andy Chambers, pp. 56, 64-66Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook (6th Edition), pp. 216-217 |
Tyranid Escort Drone - Tyranid Escort Drone: A Tyranid Escort Drone is an escort-analog bio-ship found in a Tyranid Hive Fleet.They generally serve as the last line of defence for a fleet's Hive Ships.As such, they can usually be found clustering around the flanks of those massive bio-ships. |
Tyranid Escort Drone - Strangler Drone: The Strangler Drone is outfitted with Feeder Tentacles. |
Tyranid Escort Drone - Caustic Drone: Outfitted with Pyro-Acid batteries. |
Tyranid Escort Drone - Bio-Plasma Drone: Equipped with Bio-Plasma batteries. |
Tyranid Escort Drone - Wardrones: Wardrones are designed solely to fight and protect the Norn-Queen and the Hive Ship. They are dependent entirely on the influence of the Hive Mind in order to operate.Wardrones vary heavily in size and shape, and usually fight in swarms, using weight of numbers to accomplish their protective missions. |
Tyranid Escort Drone - Stalker Drones: Stalker Drones are smaller defence ships which dart around the Hive Ship, reacting immediately and in a frenzy to anything that threatens it. |
Tyranid Warrior - Tyranid Warrior: The Tyranid Warrior (Tyranicus gladius, alternatively Bellatori tyrannus) is one of the most common type of bioforms used by a Tyranid swarm. As Tyranids are constantly biologically adapting their forces to match their enemies' shifting strategies, Tyranid Warriors are often seen in combat in many different sub-species intended for different battlefield and tactical functions.Tyranid Warriors are among the most important Tyranid bioforms deployed by a hive fleet in battle, as not only are they powerful and deadly creatures in their own right, but they also serve as Tyranid synapse creatures, the important bioforms intended to direct lesser Tyranid bioforms and forming the focal points of the Tyranid Hive Mind's system of telepathic command.Tyranid Warriors are large creatures, but still smaller than the massive Tyranid Hive Tyrants. They are fast and powerful, with the capability to be strong at ranged combat or in close quarters in a similar fashion to the Hive Tyrant.According to Imperial research conducted by the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Tyranicus gladius species itself is highly adaptable to any battle role, with over 212 known variants of Tyranid Warriors having been observed -- combining flying, walking, leaping biomorphs, with biomechanical symbiotes that serve as ranged weapons like the Deathspitter or assault symbiotes like scything talons or rending claws or both.This has caused one Imperial researcher, Magos Biologis Locard, to claim that the Tyranid Warrior is the most adaptable of any Tyranid species yet encountered.The Tyranid Warrior is often a common trooper found in Tyranid armies. They have the ability to carry a wide variety of deadly biomechanical weaponry and other upgrades, making them suitable to take on many roles in battle. They are easily able to bring valuable long range firepower or high volume, short-ranged support to their Tyranid brethren.In addition, they can even be seen wielding close combat biomorphs (intentionally evolved Tyranid mutations and biomechanical weapons), such as scythe-like talons or shorter, incredibly sharp claws, which make them fearsome close combat melee combatants.Less commonly, they are seen in battle bearing great wings, which allow them to swoop onto the battlefield and act as fast-moving assault troops and close-in air support. This variant is called the Winged Warrior by Imperial forces, or the Tyranicus gladius avius sub-species by Mechanicus Magi Biologis. |
Tyranid Warrior - Variants: Tyranid Huntsmen - Tyranid Huntsmen use powerful biomorphs to break an enemy squad before using their iron-hard claws to eviscerate the survivors.Tyranid Lashers - A Tyranid Lasher pulls their prey close to them with the biomorphs known as Lash Whips before pumping their bodies full of venomous barbs.Tyranid Shrikes - Formerly classified as "Harpies" before that designation was given to a different flying bioform, Tyranid Shrikes are winged Tyranid Warriors able to take variable weapon loadouts, and provide synapse to Gargoyles and other flying Tyranids.Tyranid Warrior Prime - The Tyranid Warrior Prime serves as a powerful synapse creature for Tyranid swarms and is a potent commander of Tyranid attacks. The Tyranids' leadership caste is difficult for Imperial commanders to identify, and there is often the mistaken assumption that the larger a Tyranid creature is, the more important it is to the swarm. This is a mistake that has cost more than one Imperial officer his rank and countless men their lives. This is especially true for Tyranid Warrior Primes, an evolution of the standard Tyranid Warrior genus that has an elevated intelligence and a stronger link to the Tyranid Hive Mind.Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus RecordImperial Designation:Tyranid WarriorMain WeaponryDeathspitterCommon Name:WarriorSpecies Name:Tyranicus gladiusSecondary WeaponryFangs and clawsAverage Height2.4mAverage Weight1.2 tonnesTertiary WeaponryNoneFirst encounteredTyranRoleShock troop/leaderThreat evaluationHigh |
Tyranid Warrior - Sources: Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pp. 36, 90Codex: Tyranids (4th Edition), pp. 31, 37Codex: Tyranids (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Forces of the Hive Mind"Codex: Tyranids (9th Edition), pp. 24, 97Deathwatch: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 370Imperial Armour Volume Four - The Anphelion Project White Dwarf 190 (UK), pg. 40 |
Tyranid Warrior Prime - Tyranid Warrior Prime: The Tyranid Warrior Prime (Tyranicus gladius primus) serves as a powerful synapse creature for Tyranid swarms and is a potent commander of Tyranid attacks. The Tyranids' leadership caste is difficult for Imperial commanders to identify, and there is often the mistaken assumption that the larger a Tyranid creature is, the more important it is to the swarm.This is a mistake that has cost more than one Imperial officer his rank and countless men their lives. This is especially true for Tyranid Warrior Primes, an evolution of the standard Tyranid Warrior genus that has an elevated intelligence and a stronger link to the Tyranid Hive Mind. |
Tyranid Warrior Prime - History: It has in fact only been in recent times that the Warrior Primes have been identified and reported to exist amongst the ranks of the various Hive Fleets, though many Imperial savants and Adeptus Mechanicus Magos Biologis are quick to point out that this is less likely to be because they are a recent evolution and more likely because they simply blend in with the other standard Tyranid Warriors. Primes are also being encountered in greater and greater numbers within Hive Fleet Dagon, perhaps as a direct response to the constantly evolving tactics of Imperial forces and the Hive Fleet’s need to deal with the elevated Deathwatch presence in the Orpheus Salient after several costly encounters. |
Tyranid Warrior Prime - Role: In military function, Tyranid Warrior Primes take on the role of junior officers within a Tyranid swarm. Much in the same way as a Hive Tyrant might lead a full host of Tyranids, a Warrior Prime will oversee a smaller section of the battlefield or direct a smaller strike force of warriors. When close to a more powerful synapse creature they will defer their control, acting instead like non-commissioned officers, often personally leading broods. However, should they find themselves alone, they can easily bind together those Tyranid creatures nearby into an effective fighting force and carry on with little trouble. In this way, a Tyranid Warrior Prime is just as capable of directing a swarm as a Hive Tyrant and many an Imperial officer has suffered as a result of underestimating their ability to project the Hive Mind and lead lesser Tyranid creatures.Tyranid Warriors Prime have earned fearsome reputations as resourceful and cunning tacticians, directing nearby Tyranid creatures through the Hive Mind to take advantage of terrain, enemy movements and other battlefield conditions that may enhance the outcome of a battle. It is a common failing amongst the leaders of the Imperium (and even some xenos races like the T'au and the Eldar) that the Tyranids are nothing more than mindless animals, driven forward by the will of the Hive Mind with no thought to tactics or strategy. The truth is of course that creatures like the Tyranid Warrior Prime and the Hive Tyrant are just as capable as any other race's military commanders, perhaps more so as they have a literally unshakable faith in their troops and are fearless in battle because of their constant psychic connection to the Hive Mind, making them near-perfect combat commanders. |
Tyranid Warrior Prime - Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Classification: The Inquisition's Ordo Xenos has not yet gathered enough information on this bioform to release an official classification. |
Tyranids - Tyranids: The Tyranids are an extragalactic composite species of hideous, insectoid xenos. They actually comprise an entire space-faring ecosystem comprised of innumerable different bioforms which are all variations on the same genetic theme.The Tyranids are unlike any other intelligent species encountered by Humanity. They are the ultimate predators; to them, all living things, from the lowliest insect to the most advanced starfaring civilisation, are mere prey. Only now are the inhabitants of the galaxy realising the scale of the threat; unless the Tyranids can be stopped, it will mean nothing less than the extinction of all life.The Tyranid species is ultimately dedicated solely to its own survival, propagation and evolutionary advancement. The Tyranids collectively form a monstrous superorganism that travels across the universe in their great hive fleets of biomechanical Hive Ships, systematically consuming all other biomatter to enable their own rapid evolution and reproduction.The Tyranids are likened to a galactic swarm consuming everything in its path, feeding on entire worlds and leaving only dead husks in their wake. Their threat is such that an unprotected planet can be infested and stripped clean of all its organic material in a matter of solar weeks without even slowing down the advance of the hive fleet.All Tyranid organisms are "synaptic" (psychically-reactive), and each Tyranid creature within a hive fleet shares and contributes to a communal Hive Mind, which allows the trillions of beings comprising the Tyranid hive fleets to communicate and organise instantaneously on a staggering scale.The mentality of the Tyranid approach to warfare can be described with the phrase "quantity has a quality all its own." From the "lowly" Ripper, to the deadly Hive Tyrant and beyond, the signature of the Tyranid species is that they overwhelm their foes with sheer numbers, reproducing massive numbers of highly virulent organisms in record time from the biochemical soup that they derive from the biospheres of the worlds they consume.The components of a Tyranid hive fleet travel almost exclusively in large groups known as "swarms" that possess specialised biomechanical creatures for destroying and consuming a wide variety of prey life forms.The Tyranids have evolved sophisticated methods for facilitating genetic transfer across species boundaries. As a result, a significant goal of any Tyranid invasion is acquisition of useful new biological traits from other lifeforms.These are used by the Hive Mind to enhance the Tyranids' effectiveness in consuming new worlds to gain more of the necessary organic raw materials for further reproduction and directed evolution. All Tyranids are reproduced by a single, highly intelligent female bioform known as a Norn-Queen.A hive fleet's Norn-Queens are the most important Tyranids within the fleet, for if they are injured or killed the Tyranids cannot reproduce their numbers from the captured bio-mass. As a result, Norn-Queens can be found only at the heart of the largest and most-well defended Tyranid Hive Ships. |
Tyranids - Tyrannic Wars: The Tyranids are not native to the galaxy; they have journeyed across the unspeakable cold of the void, where time and space conspire to hold the stars apart with inconceivable distances.Yet the Tyranids crossed this expanse nonetheless, moving through the empty darkness for countless millennia to reach the rim of the galaxy.Who can say for sure what could compel an entire species to make such a venture? Perhaps the Tyranids have already consumed everything of worth in their home galaxy and must find new feeding grounds or starve.It is possible that the Tyranids have been preying on galaxies since time immemorial and this is but the latest to feel their predations.Some have even speculated that the Tyranids are in flight from an even greater threat, be it a cosmic disaster or another fearsome alien threat, and have risked the nothingness between galaxies rather than face extinction.Whatever the truth, for the Tyranids to have endured such a voyage must have required utter single-mindedness and unimaginable energy. During their journey,the Tyranids slumbered in a state of frozen hibernation, but now they have arrived, they have awoken and they are hungry.The first recorded contact between the Imperium and the Tyranids places their appearance in the Eastern Fringes of the galaxy in 745.M41. However, it is rumoured that the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition had identified possible appearances of this xenos species as far back as the 35th Millennium.The xenos emerged from the intergalactic space of the Local Group of galaxies, their Hive Mind drawn to the Milky Way by the psychic beacon of the Astronomican transmitted by the Emperor's presence in the Warp from Terra.The first officially recorded contact with the Tyranids for the Imperium of Man came during a Tyranid attack on an Ocean World called Tyran, and from there Hive Fleet Behemoth continued directly towards the centre of the galaxy, consuming all the worlds in its path.The Tyranids were defeated, barely, by the efforts of the Ultramarines Chapter of the Space Marines during the Battle of Macragge, although the Ultramarines suffered devastating losses that would take centuries to replace.In 942.M41, Commissar Ciaphas Cain, while on a mission on the Ice World of Nusquam Fundumentibus, discovered hibernating Tyranids buried deep in the permafrost; the swarm was apparently carried to the planet by a Hive Ship that had crashed on the planet seven millennia earlier, prior to any human colonisation.Members of the swarm and subsequently, the Hive Mind, were awakened, but this swarm was eventually defeated. However, the Inquisition was unsettled by the fact that the Tyranids had developed a presence in the galaxy possibly before even the start of the Age of the Imperium.It is not known whether the crashed bio-ship was on a scouting mission when it was lost, was a casualty in a pre-Imperial Tyranid invasion force that was defeated by unknown adversaries, or part of a plan by a Tyranid super-intelligence that may have "seeded" the galaxy with many such slumbering broods.In 993.M41 the Tyranids returned to the galaxy with Hive Fleet Kraken which, instead of assaulting its targets as a single massed Hive Fleet, split into countless smaller fleets, each enveloping whole star systems before reinforcements could arrive.The brunt of this new attack was borne by the Space Marine Chapters known as the Scythes of the Emperor and the Lamenters; the former Chapter was almost completely destroyed.Though the backbone of the hive fleet was broken by its defeats at the Battle of Ichar IV and at the Aeldari Craftworld Iyanden, the cost to the Imperium was still great and many splinter fleets broke off from the Kraken to later wreak havoc deep within Imperial space, even reaching as far as the fringes of the T'au Empire.Only a few Terran years later, in 997.M41 Hive Fleet Leviathan unexpectedly appeared from "below" the plane of the galaxy (on the Z axis) and attacked from two points, cutting off large portions of the galaxy from reinforcements.Just as it seemed the defences of the Segmentum Solar and perhaps Terra itself would be tested, the Tyranids were distracted by being deflected into the star system of the powerful Ork Empire of Octarius in the Octarius Sector of the Segmentum Ultima.While the Orks managed to stall the main Tyranid hive fleet's advance in what has become known as the Octarian War, tendrils of the Leviathan have already begun to reemerge from these battles, victorious and stronger than ever after having absorbed potent Orkoid genetic material into their own genetic pool. |
Tyranids - Devastation of Baal: In the final days of the 41st Millennium, the bulk of Hive Fleet Leviathan moved to consume Baal, the homeworld of the Blood Angels Chapter. The Blood Angels called a gathering of all their Successor Chapters, the Sanguinary Brotherhood, most of whom sent forces to aid the defence of their Primarch's adopted home. But the sheer size of the Leviathan fleet threatened to overwhelm all the sons of Sanguinius.As the Great Rift tore open reality, Warp Storms ravaged the Baal System even as its worlds faced the Leviathan. Upon Baal itself, the battle between Blood Angels and Tyranids raged on, but the vast Leviathan fleet orbiting Baal was pulled apart by the empyric storms and devoured by the madness of the Warp.Daemons invaded the moon of Baal Prime, annihilating a great portion of the Leviathan's invasion swarms. They were led by Ka'Bandha, the ancient nemesis of the Blood Angels, who had determined that he and he alone would be responsible for the destruction of the Blood Angels.The Bloodthirster slaughtered the entire Tyranid host upon Baal Prime, and piled their skulls high in the shape of his dread sigil, leaving a chilling message for his hated foes, before vanishing back into the Warp.As the Warp-spawned insanity of the Great Rift's birth finally began to wane, the principal fleet of the resurrected Primarch Roboute Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade arrived at Baal, assisting the few surviving Blood Angels in the extermination of the isolated Tyranid ground forces. Baal was saved during the campaign rememvered as the Devastation of Baal, but at the cost of almost the entire Blood Angels Chapter. |
Tyranids - Era Indomitus: In the latter days of the 41st Millennium the galaxy-wide cataclysm of the Great Rift tore a ragged wound across realspace, signalling the beginning of a new age of darkness, the Era Indomitus of the Age of the Imperium.Further Warp Storms followed, rippling across the galaxy, spilling the raw matter of Chaos into the material realm in ever-increasing quantities.This ongoing corruption of the galaxy spells potential disaster for the Hive Mind. Tyranid hive fleets require vast stockpiles of organic matter to power their galactic assaults.The mutable, inconstant psychic energy of Chaos provides none of this vital sustenance. With every passing season, more planets and systems are swallowed up by the roiling tide of empyric madness, denying the Tyranids the precious biomass that sustains them.Yet the Tyranid species is defined by its ability to adapt in the face of disaster. The timeless sentience of the Hive Mind has already developed new organisms and hunting patterns in the face of this peril.In the wake of its defeat at Baal, the remainder of Hive Fleet Leviathan launched a vast offensive along the southern border of the Segmentum Solar.As the Leviathan pushed ever further towards Holy Terra, Primarch Guilliman has despatched dozens of newly founded Primaris Marine Chapters to the front lines of the Third Tyrannic War. |
Tyranids - The Great Devourer: The Tyranids are actually an extragalactic species, born somewhere beyond the void that separates the galaxies of the Local Group. Tyranid Hive Fleets travel through space by using gigantic organisms genetically engineered to travel through a vacuum known as Hive Ships, which move in groups which can be likened to very large Terran locust swarms.The Tyranids travel in great fleets of gigantic living creatures that serve as spacecraft, each of which is home to countless lesser Tyranid organisms grown in the bubbling organ-sacs of the vessel's reproductive chambers.All of these creatures are born to serve the single entity that is the Hive Ship, and the ship itself exists only as part of the entity that is the hive fleet.Typically, Tyranid hive fleets move in ad hoc formations known as "tendrils," migrating to nearby inhabited planets after consuming all the biological and organic material on a recently invaded planet and breeding, often reproducing many times their original number.When a hive fleet encounters a prey world, it does not invade for territorial gain or out of a sense of pride or vengeance. Indeed, it is doubtful the Tyranid Hive Mind even comprehends such concepts.Rather, they invade to harvest valuable biomass and feed their insatiable hunger. The Tyranids require an endless supply of food, not only to nourish the hive fleets, but to grow new organisms. Therefore, when a hive fleet invades a planet rich in life, every action of every Tyranid creature is honed to a single goal -- the total and rapid absorption of that world's organic population, ecosystems and bioresources.To this end, the hive fleet creates an army with the express purpose of overcoming the prey world's defenders before it is stripped of every scrap of biomatter and devoured.Hive fleets travel at superluminal speed, though they never enter the Warp. Instead, by using the specialized psychic power of a selectively evolved Hive Ship called a Narvhal, they manipulate the gravity fields of star systems to achieve faster-than-light travel.The massive Warp presence of the Tyranid Hive Mind, however, manifests itself in that realm through the Shadow in the Warp phenomenon. The current collection of Tyranid hive fleets have migrated to the Milky Way Galaxy, presumably after overpopulating or overfeeding in other nearby galaxies of the Local Group.Given that each of the different Tyranid hive fleets has approached the Milky Way from a different direction, this may imply that the Tyranids have consumed a disturbingly large number of nearby galaxies. |
Tyranids - The Hive Fleets: The Tyranids are a space-borne species that have inveigled their way into the realms of Mankind, as well as those of other xenos, like a disease spreading through a healthy body.Tyranid hive fleets consist of millions of biomechanical craft, each serving as host to an untold number of symbiotic organisms. These creatures evolve and spawn from a variety of geno-organisms in the ships' reproductive chambers.All these creatures are born to service the ship, and the ship in turn exists only to service the needs of the Hive Fleet. Whereas other armies like those of the Imperium and the T'au fight for conquest or self-defence, and the forces of Chaos and the Ork tribes battle merely for the chance to wreak violence and havoc, the Tyranid hive fleets are driven by the will of the Hive Mind, which itself is motivated by the most ineradicable instinct inherent to all lifeforms -- reproduction, and through reproduction and the acquisition of new genetic traits, evolution to a better adapted form.A fully mobilised Tyranid Hive Fleet strikes shock, awe, and terror into even the most stalwart of humanity's defenders. Even when the xenos threat is eliminated (at great cost), it will not be long before another Tyranid migration emerges to take advantage of the situation.This is what makes the Tyranid species such a threat: it is an evolved meta-predator capable of out-producing, out-consuming, and out-lasting all other species it encounters, having done so on a disquietingly unknowable number of prior occasions across a vast swathe of intergalactic space. |
Tyranids - The Hive Mind: The Magos Biologis of the Imperium categorises each Tyranid hive fleet as a separate force, an individual entity that competes with other hive fleets for resources. Indeed, each is self-sufficient, appearing to exhibit different strategies and developing unique creatures to overcome its prey.However, the truth is more complex, for each hive fleet is but a splinter of one greater assemblage. The Tyranids' numbers are vast beyond counting, swarms so large that they block out the very stars, yet each and every creature is but a single cell in the living body of a single super-organism.Every thought and action, every spark of life in the Tyranid species, is bound and interlinked into a single unfathomable consciousness, a great entity that stretches across hundreds of light years of space. This gestalt sentience is known as the "Hive Mind."It holds all Tyranids in a psychic bond that enables them to act together in perfect unison. Under the influence of this ancient consciousness, the Tyranids have fed on countless planets and devoured intelligent civilisations since time immemorial.The majority of Tyranid organisms have no distinct minds as a human would understand it, having been created to perform a single task to the exclusion of all else. Unless the implacable will of the Hive Mind instructs them to do otherwise, these organisms simply fulfill the functions for which they were created, acting on nothing more than instinct.Larger, more complicated, Tyranid bioforms have been grown to make limited decisions appropriate to current stimuli and situations, but even these actions are subordinate to the goals of the Hive Mind.The Hive Mind's influence is strongest in the vicinity of creatures such as Tyranid Warriors and the feared Hive Tyrants. These beings are able to communicate with their kin, not through language, but by a synaptic form of telepathy through which they relay and channel the will of the Hive Mind.Under the command of such creatures, the Tyranids operate in perfect unison, slaved to the psychic imperatives of a single communal intelligence. However, should these "synapse" creatures be slain, the link between individual creatures and the Hive Mind will be severed -- many of the lesser organisms will revert to their baser, animalistic behaviours.For this reason, the Tyranid swarms do not have only a single commander, but many, to ensure the Hive Mind's synaptic control is maintained across the entire Tyranid species. |
Tyranids - The Shadow in the Warp: The coming of a Tyranid hive fleet is preceded by a smothering psychic signal that envelops entire star systems and disrupts all forms of Warp travel and communication.Swallowed up by psychic-static, whole worlds suddenly go deathly silent, giving no clues as to what is unfolding on the surface below, or of what terrors are about to befall. This is the Shadow in the Warp, and it heralds imminent invasion and horror.It is unknown if the Shadow in the Warp is created deliberately by the hive fleets, or if it is simply a by-product of the Hive Mind's innate synaptic control. In any case, the Shadow in the Warp creates fear and panic wherever it falls, instilling a pervasive dread into the minds of a prey world's defenders, plunging entire planets into misery and despair.For highly psychic species, such as the Aeldari, or for luckless psykers caught within this enervating effect, the malaise is magnified tenfold.Should a psyker attempt to use their otherworldly abilities, the cerebral cacophony worsens even further; the psychic sound of a billion alien thoughts scratch at their mind, and unless they are particularly strong-willed they will be pitched into an insanity where they will repeatedly utter phrases in a tongue too alien to properly pronounce.For species such as the humans of the Imperium of Man, whose means of interstellar communication and travel rely upon highly specialised psykers such as Astropaths and Navigators, the Shadow in the Warp is one of the deadliest facets of the Tyranid menace.Bereft of their means to call for reinforcements or safely navigate surrounding space, the worlds of the Imperium are easily isolated from the wider galaxy.This means that, by the time the Shadow in the Warp falls, it is already too late; these beleaguered planets are effectively on their own. They must fend for themselves and face the Tyranid swarm with the weapons they have to hand, or die in the attempt. |
Tyranids - The Super-Organism: All Tyranids possess a common psychic bond, known as the "synapse." This bond enables the Tyranid swarms to think, perceive, and act as a single great super-organism, providing nearly seamless co-ordination and control within a Tyranid invasion force so numerous and extensive as to be completely uncontrollable otherwise.From the smallest feeder organisms, to the microbes that decompose new biomass; from the sessile and rooted flora-like forms, to the huge tendril-like shoals of the hive fleets, every Tyranid organism has a place within the will of the Hive Mind.The lesser and smaller Tyranid creatures are mindless and instinctive animals, plants and bacteria, performing functions with no conscious oversight or commitment, while larger and more complex creatures can make decisions appropriate to the situation and form an integral if minuscule part of the Hive Mind's distributed sentient awareness. |
Tyranids - Synaptic Web: Functioning in perfect unison, coordinated by powerful psychic imperatives transmitted through the Tyranid communal sentience that is the Hive Mind, Tyranid hive fleets, planetary swarms, and broods do not have a singular command structure, but rather form a synaptic web of psychic influence and feedback.Situated within this tangled web are specialised "synapse creatures" whose slightly more advanced brains contain cortex alterations that function as psychic routers, buses, and hubs, co-ordinating and policing the riotous cacophony of the collective brain power of a mass organism that is sometimes larger than most planets.Without the localised control provided by these organisms, the swarm can quickly falter, and some Tyranid creatures may revert to animalistic behaviors, when individual will and situational instincts come into conflict. Often swarms will subdivide into smaller packs of creatures still capable of consensual behavior among themselves.The synapse creatures that channel the commands of the Hive Mind are mostly, if not all, potent individual psykers. How any of this is done without drawing the attention of countless Daemons of Chaos or the other psychic predatory entities of the Warp into the midst of the Tyranid swarm is unknown and possibly unknowable to the humans of the Imperium. |
Tyranids - The Narvhal: Tyranid Hive Fleets do not travel through the Warp like Imperial starships. Yet, the hive fleets' incredibly fast rate of advance into the galaxy belies the argument made by some that they do not possess a mode of faster-than-light travel.Whilst it is true that the Tyranids are forced to remain at sublight speeds while within the gravitic boundaries of a planetary system, they are capable of superluminal velocities when travelling through interstellar space. This capability is the result of a small Tyranid bio-ship classified by the savants of the Imperium of Man as a "Narvhal."Unlike most Tyranid bio-ships, the Narvhal is almost completely defenceless, and possesses almost no bio-weaponry and only a very thin protective carapace. A cluster of monofilament spines on the Narvhal's bow allow it to take in a wide variety of sensory input, including a broad spectrum of gravimetric and electromagnetic signals.Using these sensors, the Narvhal can detect new planetary systems at extreme interstellar distances. In some unknown manner it then makes use of the origin star system's own gravity and creates a compressed space-time transit corridor through which the Narvhal and other Tyranid bio-ships can traverse interstellar distances. This form of space-warping travel cannot be used near strong gravitational sources as they overwhelm the Narvhal's hypersensitive navigational sensors.As a result, a Tyranid Hive Fleet must use more conventional forms of biologically-induced reaction-based propulsion during the final approach to a new star system, which can slow their arrival by Terran years or even entire solar decades. Whilst this form of propulsion is ultimately slower than a reliance upon the Warp-Drive, it is a great deal more reliable and allows the Tyranids to move slowly, if implacably, across the galaxy.However, the Narvhal's manipulation of a star system's gravity does sometimes produce unintended side effects. A destination world can suffer from earthquakes, solar flares, tidal waves and other natural disasters produced during the interval during which the Hive Fleet is in transition through the space-time transit corridor.This chaos only further benefits the Tyranids' invasion, however, as the defenders of the target world will have their resources bound up in dealing with these problems when the swarm finally arrives in orbit and the first Mycetic Spores begin to fall. |
Tyranids - Tyranid Combat Doctrine: The Tyranids often attempt to first conquer a planet through subterfuge and infiltration. Space hulks and other derelict voidcraft are often infested with Genestealers, which quickly familiarise themselves with the layout of their new home, then enter a state of self-induced hibernation.When the hulk is eventually discovered by Imperial authorities, the Genestealers attack the exploration crew, sometimes killing some crew members, but always leaving at least one survivor who is implanted with a seed, a form of Genestealer reproductive virus that contains specially-engineered Tyranid DNA.This infestation is never fatal, but instead the virus' genetic material subtly alters the victim's DNA, producing in them a strong urge to mate created by the stimulation of the individual's sex hormones.The Genestealer DNA will be incorporated into the host's germ cells and so any child that results from this union will be a Genestealer hybrid, which now has the complete loyalty of its parents through a psychic bond.The hybrids continue to breed and multiply among the population of the host species, eventually forming a Genestealer Cult. As the cult grows in numbers, it begins to spread its influence throughout the planet's political and social structure, placing its members in positions of power within the government and the military.At the same time, the cult's hybrid members, united by a smaller psychic gestalt known as the Broodmind, begin to emit a collective psychic signal through the Warp that acts as a beacon for the approaching Tyranid hive fleet.As the Tyranid Hive Fleet nears the doomed world, the Genestealer Cult, potentially numbering in the millions by this point, goes into action, instigating a worldwide rebellion with the goal of weakening the planet's defences against the approaching hive fleet.The hive fleet will also seed the planet with numerous Tyranid organisms, which will begin to biologically alter the planet's climate, surface and ecosystems to make it easier to consume.If the hive fleet is victorious, the fleet will descend to the planet, inhaling the atmosphere, drinking the seas, and basically consuming all organic biomass until nothing more than a lifeless ball of rock remains.On the battlefield, Tyranid tactics are based around the notion of superior numbers, as they generally try to outnumber the enemy fifty to one. Tyranids overrun opposition in close combat, closing faster than most armies.They possess few ranged weapons, but their sheer numbers and close combat specialisation makes up for the slaughter if they are led by a capable commander.The Tyranids do not communicate with other intelligent species, and why should they do so? Tyranids are as far above other life forms, such as humanity, just as humanity is above the domesticated livestock it consumes.The Tyranids cannot be reasoned with, appeased or surrendered to. There can be no hope of mercy from such a foe. To face the Tyranids is simply a matter of survival: kill or be consumed.Vast swathes of the galaxy have already been stripped of life, and with every passing Terran year the hive fleets push deeper into regions of populated space. Even as the prey races direct their forces to repel these threats, still more Tyranid fleets approach from the intergalactic void and emerge from their aeons-long slumbers.The thought processes of the Hive Mind are gathering pace as more Tyranids wake and recall the age-old purpose of their kind -- feed, grow, survive, and evolve. |
Tyranids - Biomechancial War Machines: The Tyranids do not build their starships and weapons from metal and plastic like the other intelligent races of the Milky Way Galaxy; instead, they use gene-splicing and bioengineering to grow them from the organic biomatter harvested from the planets they consume.Every weapon, gland and projectile used in their armies is a bioengineered Tyranid organism in its own right, from the spores polluting the atmosphere, to the grotesque spires that burst from the tortured ground during an invasion.Tyranid warrior-organisms are creatures of visceral horror, implacable monsters with razor-sharp claws, which can tear a man apart in the blink of an eye, and grotesque bio-cannons that fire hungry, parasitic projectiles into their prey's flesh.Every weapon and projectile used by the hive fleets is a living organism or "biomorph," grown from the reconstituted biomatter of previous invasions. The Tyranids have no form of mechanical technology and, instead, harness an advanced form of biotechnology to create organic equivalents of the tools, weaponry and ammunition used by other intelligent species.These creatures live in a highly symbiotic fashion, fusing into each other's flesh so that it is often impossible to say where one Tyranid creature ends, and another begins. In this way, Tyranid warrior-beasts wield living weapons that are literally extensions of their own bodies, each one a killing machine, perfectly adapted to slaughter its victims.The bio-construct nature of the Tyranids makes them a terrible foe to face, for their armies contain a creature specialised for every conceivable facet of warfare, which can be altered and re-grown to suit a battle's needs in a short span of time.Thus can a hive fleet adapt to generate a force capable of overwhelming any opposition, unleashing a vast throng of ferocious alien monsters that can fly, run, burrow and stalk through the defences of any foe. |
Tyranids - Tyranid Invasion Process: The Tyranid threat is unprecedented in its ability to transform a planet thriving with nature's bounty into a barren orb of lifeless rock devoid of a once-verdant biosphere. When a Tyranid hive fleet descends upon a prey world to strip it of life, it does so in a series of distinct stages.Each wave of the invasion unleashes a fresh menagerie of biological nightmares, perfectly designed to sow despoilment and death. In mere solar days, a once-thriving planet is scoured of every drop of organic matter.Hunger briefly satiated, the hive fleet drifts away in search of its next meal, leaving nothing but an airless tomb behind. |
Tyranids - Reconnaissance: The earliest stages of a Tyranid infestation of a new world are best characterised by their subtlety. At this stage, the xenos evaluate the planet's viability for attack and begin to infect the native life forms.The three Tyranid species most active during this stage are Vanguard Drone Ships, Lictors, and Genestealers. These bioforms share two critical characteristics for identifying new target planets and performing infiltrations: stealth and independence from the Hive Mind. All of the organisms involved have physiological abilities that are focused upon concealment. These talents are exploited to the utmost, so that they can initially observe the native environment safely. As there are often a very limited number of Tyranids involved at this stage, these specimens exhibit an uncharacteristic degree of self-preservation.The creatures are clearly aware that they must survive and propagate before the invasion may proceed. These specimens are distinctive from most of the Tyranid horrors in that they are also capable of stable independent action. The vast majority of known Tyranid organisms are incapable of coordinated activity when separated from the psychic emanations of the Hive Mind. As these creatures must be capable of acting when light-years distant from the swarm, they manifest a greater degree of intelligence, control and animal cunning than would otherwise be expected. This becomes most evident in the often unexpected subtlety of their plans.Vanguard Drone Ships depend upon speed, their relatively small size, and their reduced psychic and propulsion signatures to enable them to quietly scout out new star systems. In many cases, a Vanguard Drone Ship will deposit a portion of its living cargo onto the surface of a likely prey planet, and then quickly leave the system to scout out targets in other systems.As their time in the system is both brief and stealthy, Imperial agencies may remain completely unaware of the foreboding intrusion. In those cases when a drone ship is identified, it must immediately be considered the highest priority target in the system, as destroying it before it can deploy its cargo may significantly delay any Tyranid intrusion.Lictors are masters of unseen reconnaissance. After insertion on a target world from a drone ship, these xenos immediately begin scouting the wilds of the newly identified planet. Using their Feeder Tendrils, they analyse the atmosphere, mineral availability, and the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of all native life forms. In addition, these fierce predators also target isolated animals and even sapients, if any exist, to absorb their memories as they devour them.This information is compiled and sent back to the Hive Mind as soon as a psychic synaptic node within range is available. Any Lictor that can be eliminated prior to the start of a full Tyranid invasion can substantially slow the attack, as the invading xenos are less optimised for the planet's ecosystem.Genestealers are the most insidious of these early invaders. As they scout out the target planet, they also infect the planet's fauna with Tyranid genetic material. The corruption of the planet's native gene-code eventually results in hybrid native-Tyranid creatures, particularly among any population of intelligent beings like Humans, that are subject to the will of a Broodlord or other representative of the Tyranid Hive Mind.It is also believed that Genestealers may use their cunning and stealth to infiltrate planets without the aid of a drone ship. Specimens have been found on abandoned space hulks and hidden among the cargo holds of Warp-capable Imperial vessels. These creatures, once discovered, must be eliminated with extreme prejudice, before they establish a breeding nest and a community of dedicated hybrid organisms that form the nucleus of a Genestealer Cult. Once Tyranid species have established a toehold on a planet, their strategy soon changes.Successful integration of the planet's wildlife triggers these infiltrators to emit a psychic call to the swarm. This call draws a fleet of vessels, including a Hive Ship, to the system. The arrival of the Hive Ship and its escorts heralds the next phase of the invasion. |
Tyranids - Infestation: The arrival of the Hive Ship and its fleet of escorts initiates the next stage of a Tyranid planetary invasion. As a powerful synaptic node of the Hive Mind, the Hive Ship disrupts the local Warp in a radius of several light years, unleashing the disruption of FTL travel and astrotelepathic communications that is known as the "Shadow in the Warp." By the time one of these massive voidfaring biomechanical constructs has arrived, it is often too late for a planet to send out an astropathic or other psychic cry for help.Even vessels sent to defend a system under threat of Tyranid attack may be unable to exit the Immaterium in a system that has come under the influence of the Shadow in the Warp. Once the Hive Ship has come into range of a target planet, it immediately begins to launch a rain of Mycetic Spores into the atmosphere and towards the planet's surface.Some of these pods are filled with microbial life. These hostile alien micro-organisms immediately begin to change the planet's atmosphere, oceans, soil, flora, and fauna. Complex organic molecules are broken down and recreated in formats that are best suited for absorption by the swarm. Other spores bear more complex Tyranid bioforms.Some of these, including the various strains of Gaunts and Gargoyles, immediately begin preparing for the assaults that are to come. Other strains begin to burrow deeper into the planet's crust. These may include Mawlocs and Trygons. As these creatures burrow, they plant the spores that can later grow into Capillary Towers and Spore Chimneys. Other organisms may use the tunnels these massive bioforms create to access a planet's mineral wealth and subterranean life in the shelter of the tunnels.At the same time that this rain of devastation begins, those Genestealers and Lictors which have already infested the planet reveal themselves. Using the knowledge that they have obtained and the hybrid fauna they have spawned, these creatures sow confusion through the ranks of the defenders. By selectively targeting officers and communications hubs, the infiltrators of a Genestealer Cult can effectively delay or even compromise a planet's defences.During this phase of the encroachment, a planet's defenders must take rapid and decisive action or all hope may be lost. Cutting the attack off at its source is the optimal solution. If the Hive Ship can be destroyed, the remainder of the Tyranid fleet may lose its psychic cohesion, falling into confusion and even cannibalism. This presents the defenders with an opportunity to divide and conquer the remaining Tyranid forces.While less effective, destroying Mycetic Spores as they fall to the planet may also help the cause. Even the massive bulk of a Hive Ship has a limit to its resources. Each spore destroyed may mean greatly fewer Tyranid war organisms to face on the ground.The Tyranid Hive Mind possesses the ability to make a tactical assessment and modify its strategy. On admittedly rare occasions, a fleet facing unexpectedly stiff resistance may break off the assault and retreat to attack an alternative target that will require the expenditure of fewer resources.Countermeasures against Genestealers and their hybrid xenophile ilk are crucial to this stage. With astrotelepathy likely restricted, any additional loss of communications on the planet could quickly doom the defenders. Extensive security measures must be taken to preserve the integrity of all communication and command centres. |
Tyranids - Assault: Once the Tyranid forces have established a foothold on the target planet's surface, they quickly begin the process of eliminating any resistance. Endless swarms of the smaller bioforms -- including Gaunts, Gargoyles, and Genestealers -- rampage through the skies, across the land, and under the oceans. Interspersed with these creatures, the larger bioforms -- including Carnifexes, Tyrannofexes, and even Hierophant Bio-Titans -- accompany their smaller brethren, sowing endless destruction across the planet.These varied breeds come together in large swarms, that sweep forward to create battlefronts that may be hundreds of kilometres in length. Behind the battlefront, Capillary Towers, many thousands of metres in height, burst forth from the planet's crust. These towers consolidate the biomass that the swarm has already absorbed, using it to breed additional warrior organisms to assist in the assault.While the towers may appear to be a Tyranid plant-analogue, they are no less aggressive than the more mobile bioforms. Capillary Towers extend tendrils throughout the target planet that can absorb indigenous species -- both plants and any small or slower moving organisms. As they do this, the towers also filter the planet's atmosphere, absorbing the biomass of airborne microbes and small flying creatures.Along the battlefront, Termagants use their ranged weapons to lay waste to opposition, while Hormagaunts boldly engage any opposition in close combat. These xenos, along with other variants of the Gaunt genus, may be found in swarms of hundreds coordinated by Tyranid Warriors.In those instances when sheer numbers prove inadequate to overcome the planet's defences, the Hive Mind may direct larger strains to assist in the battles. For those planets with extensive defences, the swarm may grow exceptionally large creatures. Specimens of the Dominatrix and the Hierophant strains have been observed which are comparable in size and strength to Imperial Titans.In cases when a defensive point seems insurmountable, the Hive Mind is quick to adapt its strategy. In many cases, Raveners and Trygons may be used to burrow under defenders, attacking from behind or beneath enemy lines. In other cases, Shrikes or Harpies may make strafing runs from above.While the swarm will readily sacrifice thousands of bioforms to take a single metre of ground, it will not waste their biomass needlessly. Alternative strategies are consistently employed, as the Tyranids are clear masters of evolution and adaptation. It is worth noting that the battlefront swarms that cross the target planet's surface do not typically devour the planet's defenders. Rather, they leave a swathe of refuse in their wake to be consumed by the next wave of warrior organisms.This carpet of the dead may, of course, also include those Tyranid organisms that the defenders have managed to overcome. Their deaths hold little meaning to the Hive Mind. They have served their purpose, and will serve the swarm once more after their corpses are devoured.In the skies over the prey planet, Gargoyles and Harpies swarm in numbers large enough to block out the light of the system's star. While they may assist in land-based battles, they also serve two additional purposes. Like the Capillary Towers, these flying organisms devour the biomass of the skies, returning it to the Tyranid swarm upon their deaths. They also serve to block out the sunlight from any photosynthetic life.Over time, this can have an effect on the planet's atmosphere and climate as the native plant life is unable to synthesise oxygen. The only effective recourse at this stage of the invasion is all-out war. By this stage, the invading Tyranid forces have firmly established a presence on the target planet. Eliminating the Hive Ship would not avert the damage already done.Further, depending upon the numbers and types of bioforms on the surface, the Hive Mind might still persevere. Even if the Hive Mind were overcome and the majority of the xenos were eliminated, the battles to cleanse the planet completely could continue for Terran centuries.The Tyranid genetic taint extends to the microbial level, and all of these xenos bioforms are strongly resistant to biological and chemical toxins. Even the tiniest Tyranid organism remaining on a world could have the potential to spawn more dangerous organisms given enough time and opportunity. |
Tyranids - Subjugation: Even as the more militant warrior bioforms continue to battle the planet's defenders to eliminate all resistance, others begin sweeping up behind them, collecting all available biomass. Some of the substrates collected are used to generate additional Tyranid bioforms to complete the conquest.In this manner, the prey planet's natural resources are turned against it, providing additional tools for the swarm. The majority, however, is set aside to feed the Hive Ships orbiting the planet. Those massive creatures generally delay their feeding until after the planet has been secured.Near the battlefront, untold thousands of maggot-like Rippers are deployed from the sky in Mycetic Spores to form massive, tightly packed swarms. With fang-filled jaws, they devour every organic substance they can find -- living or dead.Once these abominations have eaten all they can, they slowly drag their bloated bodies towards digestive Reclamation Pools formed by the Capillary Towers. Rather than spewing the devoured biomass into the pools, the Rippers hurl themselves in, to be digested along with all that they devoured.New Rippers are continuously created to propagate the cycle of gluttony. As the target planet's surface biomatter is depleted, similar Tyranid bioforms to the Rippers deplete all of the life in the oceans and within the planet's crust. Eel-like Rippers swarm through the oceans in massive swarms devouring all of the native sealife. Burrowing variants expand the tunnels dug by Trygons and Raveners, consuming subterranean fungus, root systems, microorganisms and any burrowing fauna. Mineral reserves are also depleted, particularly rare ores that may be incorporated into the exoskeletons of the various weapon biomorphs.Massive Capillary Towers develop in even the deepest parts of the planet's oceans. These towers, which may stretch several kilometres up through the sea, are capable of withstanding the crushing pressures of the depths and thriving in even the coldest of waters.As they grow, they may even modify the planet's tidal flow as their powerful metabolic filtration systems draw in all maritime biomass. The only effective recourse to prevent total consumption of the world's biomass at this stage of a Tyranid assault is Exterminatus. Planets which have been subdued by the Tyranids are no longer salvageable, but their biomass can still be denied to the hive fleet, to prevent it from growing larger and stronger.The only hope for the Imperium or another faction is to destroy the feeding system before the biomass can be used to feed the fleet for further attacks. The one positive aspect is that at this stage of a planetary assault, the Tyranid hive fleet may have expended its resources in preparation for the gluttony the Hive Mind expects as the planet's entire biosphere is absorbed. As a result, attacking the voidfaring bioforms and annihilating the bioforms on the planet may be easier than it would have been at an earlier stage of the invasion. |
Tyranids - Absorption: As the last of the target star system's defenders fall, the Capillary Towers begin to feed the world's absorbed biomass back to the orbiting Hive Ship and its escorts. The massive living vessels extend tendrils through the upper atmosphere which make contact with the Capillary Towers, as they grow to pierce the edges of the atmosphere.Biomass is drawn up the towers, through a combination of massive pumping organs and suction. Once the last of the defenders have fallen, the surviving bioforms of the Tyranid swarms hurl themselves into the digestive enzymes of the Reclamation Pools near the Capillary Towers. Their bodies are broken down and devoured so that their biomass may be returned to the fleet to be recycled by the Hive Mind into new Tyranid organisms for future conquests.Along with their biomass, the memories, genetic innovations, and the gene patterns of all of the planet's native life forms are also absorbed. After the last vestiges of the world's biosphere have been absorbed, the Capillary Towers begin to absorb the planet's water systems. All of these liquids are transferred into the hive fleet's voidfaring organisms, some of which may grow dramatically in size as their storage vesicles expand to accommodate the newfound resources.As this happens, many of the Capillary Towers are also broken down so that their biomass may be reabsorbed. Finally, the planet's atmosphere, and then the last few massive Capillary Towers, are absorbed into the Hive Ships.Some Magi Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus theorise that atmospheric absorption may require even more massive voidfaring Tyranids than those previously identified. Others postulate that the bioships use previously unseen techniques to compress a target world's atmosphere into a liquid or solid state. Though the precise mechanism is unknown to the Imperium, the outcome is certain: nothing is left behind on a prey world but a barren, airless rock of little value.As it travels between systems, the Hive Mind analyses the new genetic patterns it has identified in the victim world's former biosphere. Some of these may be used to develop new bioforms. Of course, these new strains may not appear immediately. The Hive Mind may save them for deployment at a time when a new strategy is required. Clearly, adaptation is a key factor in the Tyranids' long-term success and survival.By this point in a Tyranid assault on a world, the battle is well and truly lost. Any defenders who arrive are far too late to save the target planet. Their only possible hope is to spread word to neighbouring star systems, in the hopes that they might prepare more effectively before the Tyranid threat makes itself known on yet another world. Yet, attacking the voidfaring bioforms of a hive fleet immediately after they have fed on a world is to attack them at the very height of their power and resources. |
Tyranids - Hive Mind Psychic Powers: Dominion - The Tyranid bioform uses its prodigious psychic strength to channel and amplify the will of the Hive Mind.Catalyst - Through its synaptic conduits, the power of the Hive Mind reaches out to infuse the organisms under its control, invigorating their metabolic systems with such unnatural vitality that they can ignore the most grievous of wounds.The Horror - The terrifying psychic presence of the Hive Mind radiates from a synapse creature, flooding the minds of the Tyranids' enemies and causing them to quail and panic.Onslaught - A synapse creature reaches out its mind and seizes control of the lesser creatures' biomorph weapon symbiotes, guiding their fire whilst simultaneously driving the swarms towards the enemy at a breakneck pace.Paroxysm - The Hive Mind debilitates its enemies by triggering every nerve and pain receptor in their bodies, overwhelming their senses with wracking fits of agony.Psychic Scream - Through its vassal organism, the Hive Mind unleashes a piercing shriek of undiluted psychic energy that shreds the minds of those caught in the wake.Synapse - Synapse is the Tyranid psychic ability which unites all of the Tyranids within the gestalt self-awareness that is the Hive Mind. It is projected across the local Tyranid swarm by synapse creatures which usually also serve as leader organisms, such as Hive Tyrants, Tyranid Warriors and Broodlords or specialist psyker organisms such as Zoanthropes. These creatures have greatly increased synapse networks within their own cortexes created at the direction of the Hive Mind and these organisms act as psychic conduits and network nodes for the Hive Mind to control and order any troops within the psychic range of the synapse creature. Without the synapse creature present to guide them and include them within the Hive Mind's psychic gestalt network, most Tyranid bioforms will revert to a feral, instinctive state, although some, such as Genestealers, who can generate the similar gestalt among their cultists known as the "Broodmind," can perform just as well without synapse creatures to connect them to the Hive Mind as they do when in their presence.Warp Blast - The Tyranid organism taps into the raw power of the Hive Mind, unleashing it as a blast of pure Warp energy that arcs from its cranium and vaporises its prey. |
Tyranids - Bio-Artefacts: The Bio-artefacts of the Tyranids are symbiotic organisms and biomorphs of incredible rarity. Only one of each of the following biomorphs is usually found in each Tyranid force, as there is only thought to be one of each of these items in existence, or so the indigenous intelligent species of the galaxy hope...Maw-Claws of Thyrax - During the destruction of Thyrax, the dread beast that spearheaded the assault bore a symbiotic pair of fang-lined pincers. These terrible claws tore apart and consumed the bodies of those brave enough to stand against the monstrosity, absorbing their memories and assimilating greater knowledge of its prey.Miasma Cannon - The Tyranids utilise all manner of biomechanical weapons, but none that have earned more dread than the Miasma Cannon. Unlike other Venom Cannons, this weapon fires gobbets of toxin-laden slime so virulent that it reduces squads of soldiers into shapeless puddles of organic goo in seconds. Whether vomiting noxious fluids in great torrents or liquefying targets in gouts of acid, the Miasma Cannon has been responsible for deaths beyond counting.Norn Crown - First named by Inquisitor Kryptman, the Norn Crown is a unique parasitic organism that clings to the armoured crest of the host organism's head with dozens of tendrils. Burrowing needle-like cerebral bores directly into the brain of its host, the Norn Crown forms a neuro-synaptic link that acts as a hyper-conduit for the Hive Mind. Through this abhorrent union, the Hive Mind's indomitable will can pour forth to augment and control the hordes of lesser Tyranids that scuttle in the leader-beast's wake.Reaper of Obliterax - The Reaper of Obliterax was first encountered amongst the re-emergent Tyranid swarms of Hive Fleet Jormungandr. A deadly biomechanical weapon resembling a Bonesword, this sentient blade is commonly wielded alongside a Lash Whip. The Reaper discharges highly concentrated bursts of destructive energy, and even the lightest blow can result in the blade's target being rent asunder.Ymgarl Factor - The Ymgarl Genestealers have long been a cancerous blight on the worlds of the Imperium. Their insatiable voracity is legend amongst those that have had the misfortune to encounter them and live. Now, dark rumours have surfaced of another Tyranid leader-beast that appears to share the unfathomable adaptability of the Ymgarl Genestealers. |
Tyranids - Notable Tyranid Species: Tyranids appear in a multitude of genera, and all have an extremely rapid rate of evolution artificially directed by the Hive Mind, rapidly adapting genetically to threats in direct response to their presence. Tyranid biomatter is constantly reabsorbed into the digestive enzymes of biomass Reclamation Pools to create new species and adapt existing ones to suit the Hive Mind's immediate tactical and strategic purposes.Hive Tyrants - The Hive Tyrants are large and enormously strong Tyranids, who act as the leaders of the swarm and a synaptic conduit for the smaller creatures. They are highly psychic and highly mutable, and have a closer connection to the Hive Mind than most other genera of Tyranids. They are skilled at both close combat and ranged attack, more so than most other Tyranid organisms. Sometimes they are spawned with wings. Imperial Magi Biologis believe that Hive Tyrants are the repository of a hive fleet's collective consciousness, which means they completely embody the Hive Mind, yet their destruction does not in any way diminish its presence.Broodlords - The Broodlords are another Tyranid synaptic organism, regarded as the epitome of the Genestealer breed. The Broodlord is one of the first Genestealers to make planetfall on a victim world. They are devastating in combat and are specifically adept at infiltration on the battlefield to get closer to the enemy. They are very adaptable and highly intelligent. Broodlords are also the center of Genestealer Cults, and they coordinate the cult's attacks. If the Broodlord is killed, then one of the purestrain Genestealers will eventually evolve into a new Broodlord after a period of time.Tyrant Guard - The Tyrant Guards are a special species of Tyranid spawned in small broods for the sole purpose of defending the Hive Tyrant. They are large, tough, and difficult to harm, and it is nearly impossible to surpass their defense. Tyrant Guard are completely blind, utterly controlled by the synapse creatures they protect. On occasion Carnifex also benefit from the Tyrant Guard's protection. Tyrant Guard are believed by some Adeptus Mechanicus magi to contain the DNA of the defeated Space Marine Chapters, but the Imperium considers this blasphemy and denies its very likely possibility.Tyranid Warriors - The Tyranid Warriors are synaptic foot troops for the swarm. In between the size of a Hive Tyrant and a Gaunt, they serve as psychic resonators and assist in guiding the lesser Tyranid troops into battle. They are fast and powerful, with the capability to be strong at ranged combat or in close quarters in a similar fashion to the Hive Tyrant.Lictors - The Lictors are large, deadly organisms bred for their stealthy qualities. A Lictor is basically chameleonic in nature, allowing it to blend with its surroundings to hunt and later kill its prey. Lictors are usually only seen when the Tyranids are springing a deadly ambush onto an unsuspecting army, unleashing a bio-engineered killing machine within their own ranks. They range ahead of the swarms, performing commando raids of sorts, and gathering information by devouring their victim's brains. The Lictors possess stealth and cunning of an unprecedented scale - to a point where they can best the famous Catachan fighters in jungle combat. Many Astra Militarum commanders have lost their troops in the shadows as they blink for a second; that is the terrifying undetectable Lictor at work.Gaunts - The Gaunts are the basic staple combat unit of a Tyranid swarm. They are smaller and less physically powerful than most other Tyranid organisms, but they are extraordinarily adaptable and always attack in large numbers. They are a fully mutable species, and some are grown with extra wings, adrenaline/venom sacs, and even bizarre biomechanical weaponised symbiotes, including the dreaded spike rifle.Gargoyles - The Gargoyles are essentially winged variants of the Gaunt genus. They possess many similar traits, including a smaller size and physical prowess than most Tyranid organisms. Gargoyles retain most of the physical traits of Gaunts, however, and their lower legs have atrophied to little more than stumps. Like their cousin, the Gaunt, they are capable of being armed with a large host of biomechanical, symbiotic weaponry.Rippers - The Rippers are small, snake-like organisms designed to devour biomatter so that new DNA and nutrients can be absorbed by the Hive ships. They are released in the final stage of a Tyranid invasion.Genestealers - The Genestealers are ferocious humanoid creatures, supposedly derived from human DNA, that are used as a vanguard to the Tyranid invasions of the Imperium. They infiltrate human societies, creating Genestealer Cults, as described under the tactics section above. They are also used as shock troops on the battlefield, where their sharp claws and instinctive close combat skills allow them to tear heavily armed opponents to shreds.Carnifexes - The Carnifexes are originally known as screamer-killers – are huge, hulking, living battering rams, armed with a variety of biomechanical, symbiotic weaponry. Even stronger than the Hive Tyrants, they are used for assaulting fortified positions and as armor formations, such as during boarding actions. Carnifexes are the Tyranid equivalent of tanks or Space Marine Dreadnoughts - and the monstrous creatures can be mutated into a multitude of different sub-species, some designed for tank hunting, others built to produce acid and toxins ideal for anti-infantry combat.Raveners - The Raveners appear to be related to both Rippers and Tyranid Warriors. These large beasts are designed for fast assaults against lighter enemies, and dig through the ground to perform surprise raids.Zoanthropes - The Zoanthropes are a type of psychic artillery, whose highly evolved brains swell out of proportion with their bodies. Through their use of psychic powers they can perform a number of roles on the battlefield. Some evidence points to later incarnations of Zoanthropes being improved by the Hive Mind's assimilation of Aeldari DNA following the Hive Fleet Kraken Tyranid assault on the Craftworld Iyanden.Biovores - The Biovores are sluggish, sessile creatures, whose only task is to grow and launch Spore Mines towards the enemy. The Spore Mines grow inside the Biovore's body, and are then hurled across the battlefield through a muscle spasm. Biovores are supposedly evolved from Orkish gene-stock.Bio-Titans - The Bio-Titans are enormous organisms, evolved as a response to other races' Titans and other super-heavy warmachines. They are (as of yet) the largest land-based Tyranid creatures encountered. They range from nine to thirty metres tall, and can single-handedly take out an entire squad of Space Marines.Norn-Queens - The Norn-Queens are gargantuan organisms that are essentially biomechanical wombs that give birth to all of the other known Tyranid life forms. They can biochemically and genetically manipulate biomass in infinite ways to create new organisms to serve any function the Tyranid race requires. The Norn Queens are housed in huge rooms aboard the Hive Ships. Each room is hundreds of metres high, filled with a single Norn Queen.Dominatrixs - The Dominatrixs are the Norn-Queen's link to the Tyranid ground forces. They are huge monsters, almost as large as a Bio-Titan and the stronger, more psychically-powerful female Hive Tyrant. They are symbiotically fused with a smaller (Warrior-sized) entity which acts as a psychic, synaptic link to the linked Norn-Queen aboard her ship.Trygons - The Trygons are powerful serpentine organisms that tunnel behind enemy lines. Towering over even a Carnifex, Trygons are one of the most powerful Tyranids breeds in existence. Trygons can also become synapse creatures to control other Tyranids. Trygons can lead a force of Tyranids known as a 'Tunnel Swarm'. This swarm is usually comprised of Lictors and Hormagaunts. The armour of a Trygon vibrates as it moves, thus creating a bio-electric current which can be released at will on a group of foes.Mawlocs - The Mawlocs are a subspecies of the Trygon. They are worm-like and blind, though they are incredibly agile despite their size. Their short claws are not suited for close combat, rather to tunnel efficiently under the battlefield, although they are by no means defenseless. They prefer to swallow their prey whole to be digested alive for several days. Despite being blind, the Mawloc can gather information of the surface through pressure waves since they can travel through solid and fluid objects below ground. When a Mawloc begins to home in on the enemy, severe tremors errupt on the surface, which can tell the Mawloc where its prey is with more accuracy. If the sound is regular and rhythmic, it is easier for the Mawloc to home in on. Even a heartbeat will tell it where its next meal is.Hive Guard - The Hive Guard are charged with protecting Tyranid structures and are capable of unleashing salvo after salvo of intense firepower. Essentially gun-beasts, they are heavily armoured in a shell-like carapace and have a body designed to be a stable firing platform for the massive impaler cannon bonded to their forelimbs. Physically linked to the shard-beasts that comprise the ammunition of their cannons, Hive Guard can target enemies with unerring accuracy - even those who they cannot see because they can receive sensory impressions from the shard bests in mid-flight. |
Tyranids - Forces of the Tyranids: Tyranid ForcesCommandNorn-Queen • Hive Tyrant • Neurotyrant (Neuroloid) • Broodlord • Neurothrope • Dagon Overlord • Malanthrope • Maleceptor • Swarmlord • Tervigon • Tyranid Warrior Prime • Trygon PrimeElitesHaruspex • Hive Guard • Lictor (Neurolictor) • Leaper • Biovore • Pyrovore • Venomthrope • Ymgarl Genestealers • Zoanthrope • Hive Guard • Tyrant GuardTroopsGaunt (Termagant • Hormagaunt • Barbgaunt• Neurogaunt) • Rippers (Sky-slasher) • Genestealer • Tyranid Warrior (Tyranid Shrike)Fast Attack & Flying BioformsGargoyle • Harpy • Ravener • Hive Crone • Harridan • TyrannocyteHeavy SupportBiovore • Carnifex (Thornback • Stone Crusher • Screamer-Killer) • Dimachaeron • Exocrine • Mawloc • Haruspex • Pyrovore • Trygon • Tyrannofex • Sporocyst • Maleceptor • Psychophage • ToxicreneSporesMeiotic Spore • Mycetic Spore • Mucolid Spore • Spore MineOthersBio-Titan (Hierophant • Nautiloid • Vermis • Viciator • Dactylis • Dominatrix) • Cerebore • Hierodule • Malefactor • Norn Emissary • Norn Assimilator • Capillary Tower • Reclamation Pool • Spore ChimneyUnique TyranidsDeathleaper • Old One Eye • Parasite of Mortrex • Doom of Malan'Tai • Red Terror • Mist Reaper • What Lies Beneath • Death's Shadow |
Tyranids - Game History: The Tyranids were initially described in the 1st Edition of Warhammer 40,000 (Rogue Trader) in 1987, with their basic form not too different from that used today. Their only additional troop type was an enslaved alien race, the Zoat. At that time they were not an important faction in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.In later editions the Tyranids became a playable faction in their own right, and it was revealed that the Genestealers (first popularised in the board game Space Hulk) were in fact part of the advance reconnaissance element of the main Tyranid hive fleets. |
Tyranids - Trivia: The Tyranids bear a great many similarities to the xenomorphs designed by H.R. Giger for the Aliens film series, such as their hive mentality, innate hostility and the appearance of a large number of the different bioforms.The Zerg from the Blizzard Entertainment video games StarCraft and StarCraft II are very similar to the Tyranids in conception and function, though StarCraft concept artist Maxx Marshal said he had no knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise when designing the Zerg and based their designs off of his interest in comic books. Similarly, Bob Fitch, the lead programmer and technical director of StarCraft, has stated that he had not heard of Warhammer 40,000 until after StarCraft was shipped in 1998, after which a rumour began to circulate that StarCraft was based on the Games Workshop intellectual property. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Tyrannic War Veteran: A Tyrannic War Veteran is a Veteran Marine who is a member of the Ultramarines Chapter's specialised strike force dedicated to the eradication of the Tyranid menace from the galaxy.The Tyrannic War Veterans were forged from the remnants of an atrocity committed by Hive Fleet Behemoth against the Ultramarines on their homeworld of Macragge in a series of campaigns collectively known to history as the Battle of Macragge.During the Battle of Macragge, a good portion of the Chapter was heroically sacrificed to stop the menace of the Great Devourer during its first known incursion into the Milky Way Galaxy. Numbering only in their dozens, these Veterans are experts in the art of Tyranid warfare, and have saved many worlds from being completely devoured by the hive fleets.Whenever Tyranid bio-horrors begin to ravage a planet, these Ultramarines can be relied upon to strike a blow back against the swarm. Often in the face of impossible odds, they launch disciplined strikes against monstrous horrors and shred incessant bio-forms with a blaze of bolter fire. The presence of the Tyrannic War Veterans is enough to rouse other Imperial forces to achieve great deeds in their darkest hour.Though each squad of Tyrannic War Veterans is led by a sergeant, the entire strike force is commonly directed by Chaplain Ortan Cassius, the Ultramarines' Master of Sanctity, a noted Deathwatch Veteran, and the oldest living member of the Chapter. Scarred by countless conflicts, Cassius leads his Veterans from the front.Cassius was chosen to lead the Veterans not only because the idea of the strike force was his in the first place, but also because he is still afire with righteous fury at the violence the Tyranids committed against his Chapter during the First Tyrannic War.To attempt to rid the galaxy of that xenos scourge is a sacred duty for any Ultramarine. To see the Tyranids continue to rampage throughout the galaxy is a reminder of the Ultramarines' ultimate failure to have truly defeated them during the First Tyrannic War.But for Chaplain Cassius and his strike force, taking the fight to the Tyranids, whenever and wherever they appear, has become a way of life. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - History: The Battle of Macragge was the greatest test ever faced by the Ultramarines Chapter when they confronted the first invasion of the Milky Way Galaxy by the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Behemoth in 745.M41. Coming from the Eastern Fringes of the galaxy, Hive Fleet Behemoth invaded the Imperium of Man's Ultima Segmentum.It is likely that the Tyranid Hive Mind was drawn to the Milky Way Galaxy by either the potent psychic beacon of the Astronomican in the Warp or the potent psychic presence of the Emperor Himself.Thankfully, the Ultramarines stood in its way. The Ultramarines were quick to react, and the Ultramarines newly appointed Chapter Master, Marneus Calgar, deployed the Ultramarines Chapter fleet to stop the Tyranid Hive Fleet at the Garden World of Prandium -- the jewel of Ultramar, with gardens and forests of such amazing beauty and genetic craftsmanship that it was considered one of the Wonders of the Imperium -- a world that the Ultramarines were duty-bound to protect.It was a slaughter. The tactics and strategies decreed by the Codex Astartes, a tome of knowledge created by the Ultramarines' Primarch Roboute Guilliman to govern all aspects of Imperial warfare, did not succeed against the Tyranids.The harrying strategies of the Ultramarines could not inflict enough damage against the Tyranids, while the close-range passes of Thunderhawks and other Imperial aircraft and vehicles for optimal firepower favoured the Tyranids' mode of attack, since their Spore Cysts and clawed tentacles would burst or tear open many of the ships that went in on the attack.The Ultramarine fleet had to sacrifice Prandium to consumption by the Hive Fleet. The Chapter needed to adapt and develop new strategies and tactics, even weapons, if they were to be successful against the Tyranid menace. Hit-and-run raids were abandoned in place of concentrated defences and static firepower. This meant that the Ultramarines had to choose a place to defend, and they chose their homeworld of Macragge, the very heart of Ultramar.Scant solar weeks later, the outrider vessels of the Tyranid fleet attacked Macragge. The alien bio-vessels swept aside attacks by Ultramarines Strike Cruisers and swarmed over the planet below. Soon many thousands of Mycetic Spore-birthed Tyranid beasts scurried and rampaged across Macragge. Deeming that the Tyranid threat was too massive to be opposed piecemeal, Calgar combined his ground forces into three mighty armies.The primary and secondary taskforces, composed largely of 1st Company Veterans and the regiments of the Ultramaran Planetary Defence Forces, known as the Ultramar Auxilia, bolstered Macragge's polar fortresses against the Tyranid onslaught. Meanwhile, Calgar's taskforce, the largest of the three, performed a series of rearguard actions, attempting to slow the Tyranid advance and eliminate the Hive Mind's synapse-control bioforms.Calgar achieved great success in the early days of the campaign, buying time with blood for his Battle-Brothers to the north and south. However, the Tyranids kept coming.In a final climactic battle on Cold Steel Ridge, the Ultramarines rearguard was brutalised by the Tyranid horde and Calgar himself was gravely wounded. Knowing that to remain planetside was to doom his followers to wasteful deaths, Calgar withdrew to the orbiting Battle Barge Octavius.Refusing all but the most vital medical attention, the Master of Macragge took command of the fleet, and sought a way to save his homeworld from certain destruction. Hours later, the main Tyranid fleet arrived at Macragge. With no sign of reinforcements, Calgar led his fleet in a series of daring attacks, striking at isolated vessels as they spread out to invade Macragge in force.Caught between the blistering firepower of Macragge's polar fortresses and the vengeful hammer blows of Calgar's fleet, Tyranid vessels were destroyed by the score, but many more yet remained.As battle raged, the Tyranids unleashed thousands of Mycetic Spores above the vital polar fortresses -- and if the fortresses were taken, Macragge's planetary defence guns would be silenced, and the world left defenceless. So it was that the Tyranids landed in even greater numbers than before, and the fortresses soon found themselves sorely beset.Their gruesome cargo delivered, the battered Hive Ships retreated from orbit. Trusting to his Ultramarines to keep the fortresses secure, Calgar relentlessly pursued the Tyranid fleet, determined that it would not bring ruin to other worlds.Never before or since has the valour of the Ultramarines been tested as it was in the defence of Macragge's polar fortresses. The Veteran Space Marines of the 1st Company led the lightly-armed Ultramar Auxilia in a tenacious defence of the fortresses, holding every wall and trench until the last possible moment before it was overrun by the Tyranid swarm.Slowly the troops withdrew ever deeper into the fortress, while making the Tyranids pay for every single yard of ground they advanced over.However, the war in space was not yet concluded. Refusing all but the most vital medical aid, Calgar took command of the surviving vessels and began to harry the Hive Fleet as it spread out to surround Macragge. Its forces deployed on the planet's surface, the Hive Mind chose to withdraw its bio-ships from Macragge in order to lure the defending Imperial ships away and thus prevent them from coming to the polar fortresses' aid.Calgar took the Tyranids' bait, and pursued the Tyranid fleet toward the ringed world of Circe at the edge of the Macragge System. The timely arrival of the Imperial Navy's entire Battlefleet Tempestus from Bakka finally sealed the Tyranids' fate by catching them in a vice between the two fleets.Even now, the Imperial fleet was overmatched, for the Tyranids were too many. However, the Hive Mind's victory was short-lived. The battle would have been lost save for the heroic sacrifice of the great Battleship Dominus Astra.Charging into the heart of the Hive Fleet, the huge Emperor-class Battleship detonated its Warp-Drives, creating a Warp vortex that dragged both it and the entire Tyranid fleet to oblivion. With the Hive Fleet destroyed, Calgar's surviving starships came about and roared back to Macragge to try to save the beleaguered polar garrisons.Through darkness and terrors unimaginable, the 3rd Company finally reached the lower Penitorium where the Astartes defenders had made their last stand. Tyranid bodies were piled six deep around the doors, and within the room a circle of Terminators lay where they had fought back to back. Each had given his life for his brothers. The Ultramarines' 1st Company had been wiped out to the last man.The Battle of Macragge remains a great source of both sorrow and pride for the Ultramarines. The names of its fallen are commemorated each year by the Chapter at the Feast of Days, their sacrifice remembered throughout Ultramar with honour and gratitude, but the cost had been great. The Ultramarines 1st Company was gone and the 3rd and 7th Companies sorely diminished. It would be many long years before the Chapter could properly replace its losses, but replace them it would, and the Ultramarines would endure. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Conclave of Herra: In the aftermath of the Battle of Macragge, the Ultramarines were faced with the herculean task of rebuilding their most experienced body of Veteran warriors -- the 1st Company. Responsibility for this undertaking fell to Chaplain Ortan Cassius, whose hatred for the Tyranids and all they had done to the worlds of Mankind knew no bounds.Cassius petitioned Marneus Calgar for the authorisation to raise a new body of Ultramarines drawn from the ranks of those Astartes who had survived the First Tyrannic War. Only those Space Marines who had been tested like he had could truly understand the threat posed by the Tyranids.This new cadre was a departure for the Ultramarines, a Chapter for whom such non-Codex specialisation was almost unheard of.Perhaps not surprisingly, there was resistance to the recognition of Tyrannic War Veterans within the ranks of the Ultramarines. Though the Master of Sanctity himself urged the formation of such squads, many of the Chapter's Captains protested that such a unit was unsanctioned by the Codex Astartes and therefore unthinkable.Arguments both for and against the formation of Tyrannic War Veteran squads raged back and forth, but no resolution could be reached. Eventually, Marneus Calgar decided that such arguments, while providing much theoretical debate on the origins of the Codex Astartes and the intent of Roboute Guilliman, were ultimately fruitless.In order to break the deadlock, the Chapter Master decreed that all warriors of the Ultramarines could have their say upon the matter at a great conclave to be held on Macragge following the great Feast of Remembrance, where the Chapter honours those who died to defeat the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Behemoth.Ultramarines travelled far and wide to attend the Conclave of Herra and Marneus Calgar waited for as many of the Chapter's warriors to arrive as possible before beginning proceedings in the shadow of the great Primarch himself in the Temple of Corrections.Each warrior was permitted to speak his mind on the formation of the Tyrannic War Veterans unit within the Chapter and many opinions and views were aired before the Chapter Master. Chaplain Cassius and Captain Agemman of the 1st Company spoke passionately of their value, bringing a surviving warrior of the Scythes of the Emperor, Sergeant Remas, before the conclave to speak of what he had seen and learned in battle against the Tyranids.The conclave continued for many solar months, as warriors who had been unable to reach Macragge before its beginning arrived and spoke their minds on the issue. At long last, Calgar decreed that he had heard all he needed to and retired to his chambers atop the Ultramarines fortress-monastery to ponder the matter.For many solar days and nights the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines thought of the widely differing views espoused at the conclave, praying and fasting for guidance from Roboute Guilliman and the Emperor. As dawn broke on the morning of the 40th day, Lord Calgar emerged from his chambers as word reached Macragge of Tyranid creatures attacking settlements on the Cardinal World of Espandor -- monsters stranded in the Realm of Ultramar after the battles against Hive Fleet Behemoth.Calgar took this as a sign from the Emperor and declared before his assembled Astartes that the Tyrannic War Veterans would indeed become part of the Ultramarines' military structure. This new infestation would be their first trial and, should they prove successful, then all would recognise their usefulness. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Cleansing of Espandor: During the subsequent Cleansing of Espandor, the Tyrannic War Veterans were organised into three detachments by Chaplain Cassius and together he and Captain Agemman led them to the site of the most recent Tyranid attack. Having specially modified their auspexes to detect Tyranid pheromone trails, the Ultramarines were able to track the aliens into the dark depths of the world's primeval forest.The trail continued for many kilometres, eventually ending at a great, bio-organic structure enmeshed within the trees that resembled a great insect hive.Hissing Tyranid creatures poured from the hive and attacked the Ultramarines, but with Flamers and disciplined Heavy Bolter fire, the aliens were forced back and the warriors of the Ultramarines pursued them within the blasphemous structure.Inside was a warren of caves formed from Tyranid biomass, each tunnel a potential hiding place for a Tyranid bioform. With great discipline, the Ultramarines fought downwards through the hive, cleansing and burning everything before them.At the heart of the hive they discovered a wounded creature that obviously still served as some kind of synpase creature that controlled the lesser beasts. Only its crippling injuries prevented the Tyranids from spreading further across the surface of the planet, but the alien monsters that protected it were no less fierce than any other.The Tyrannic War Veterans fought their way through the creatures and Captain Agemman himself slew the beast. The expertise learned in previous engagements with the Tyranids proved invaluable, as each Astartes knew precisely where to strike their foes to cause maximum damage and understood how the aliens fought.Such was their skill and training that not a single Ultramarines warrior was lost in the battle. With the aliens expunged, the hive and the surrounding area was destroyed by a sustained orbital barrage to ensure that no taint from the aliens survived. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Formation of the Tyrannic War Veterans: Upon returning to Macragge, the value of the Tyrannic War Veterans could now not be doubted and with the Chapter Master's sanction given, for the first time in the Chapter's history, the dictates of the Codex Astartes were re-written, and the elite cadre of Tyrannic War Veterans was incorporated into the military organisation and order of battle of the Ultramarines Chapter.Chaplain Cassius gathered his corps of Tyrannic War Veterans. Under Cassius' leadership, those Battle-Brothers who had fought the hardest against the Tyranid swarms that had assaulted Macragge were elevated and afforded additional duties, until each was eventually judged worthy of joining the ranks of the slowly reconstituted 1st Company.These so-called "Tyrannic War Veterans" make up the first and most powerful squads of the Chapter's reformed 1st Company, and are second to no other warriors of the Imperium because of their experience, training and upgraded Power Armour.Though a minor deviation from the Codex Astartes, Marneus Calgar tolerates his mentor's divergence from its sacred tenets, sensing that someday there shall be a final reckoning between the Ultramarines and the Tyranids, and that Cassius' Tyrannic War Veterans may be the key to final victory.Soon, the expertise gained from fighting the Tyranids was included within the training of all Space Marines of the Ultramarines Chapter. Those who excelled in this field of warfare are now often seconded to units likely to see action against the Tyranids, in order to further hone their skills. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Era Indomitus: Cassius' veterans could be forgiven for wondering what fate would meet their order when Roboute Guilliman was resurrected and altered his Codex Astartes. Would he end their organisation? Would he tolerate it? None dared believe he might embrace it -- but that he did.After learning of the Tyranid threat, Guilliman immediately saw the value of the Tyrannic War Veterans, praising his sons for their adaptability in the face of such a dangerous foe.With the Primarch's blessing, the Tyrannic War Veterans took to their task with renewed vigour, with ever more Successor Chapters embracing their own Tyranid hunters as a result. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Role: The Tyrannic War Veterans serve in every part of the Chapter, often as squad leaders where they can pass on their knowledge to their Battle-Brothers. Under their command, the expertise they gained at such cost during the Battle of Macragge has been passed on and disseminated throughout the ranks.Fire support Astartes are taught where to aim their weapons to bring down the mighty warrior beasts of the Tyranids, or how best to use rapid-firing heavy weaponry to hold a seemingly endless swarm at bay.Battleline warriors are taught the optimum combination of firepower and manoeuvrability, and which creatures to attack to the disrupt the whole.Close support Space Marines are taught how to engage this most fearsome of close-quarters enemies in the deadly storm of close combat, countering every attack the enemy tries to make and in turn dealing it the killing blow.While the Tyrannic War Veterans tutor others in their knowledge, they seek also to learn more about the Tyranids. It was the Codex Astartes that provided the inspiration for this quest, as Roboute Guilliman had committed his own wisdom and experience to its pages so that others might learn from his example.Each squad is composed of a Space Marine Sergeant and four to nine Space Marines, armed with a Bolt Pistol, a special-issue Bolter, Frag and Krak Grenades, wearing their distinct Power Armour displaying Purity Seals and, should they earn it, Terminator Honours.One squad member may take a Heavy Bolter, while another may take a Flamer, in place of their special-issue Bolter. They may also use a Rhino or Razorback from the Chapter's Armoury for transportation.Tyrannic War Veterans are specially trained in how to kill Tyranids, both with close-combat and long-range weaponry, by targeting known weak points in the different bioforms' anatomy for maximum penetration and damage.Tyrannic War Veterans have honed their reflexes to incredible heights to better combat Tyranid warriors in hand-to-hand combat, particularly through the use of Krak Grenades normally reserved only for armoured vehicles.They also use special Hellfire Rounds in their Heavy Bolters, and are trained to work with other Space Marine squads to bring down both large and small Tyranid creatures. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Combat Doctrine: The Tyrannic War Veterans fight with a mix of close combat weapons and long-range firepower that best exemplifies how to defeat the Tyranids. They carry special ammunition for Heavy Bolters, known as Hellfire Rounds, which were developed by the Magos Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus working in tandem with the Ordo Xenos.These shells are designed to shatter upon impact, shredding their targets with thousands of needles coated with a powerful mutagenic acid that is lethal even to Tyranids. Flamers are an important part of their arsenal, as such indiscriminate weapons are deadlier to the smaller, but no less dangerous, Tyranid organisms.But firepower alone will never be enough to halt a Tyranid assault, and each warrior is highly trained to recognise and strike weak points in a Tyranid's body. Every warrior has had his reflexes honed to incredible heights, that he might better fight the Tyranids in close combat.In addition, Tyrannic War Veterans are trained to utilise Krak Grenades in close combat, something normally only possible when attacking armoured vehicles. They have proved that larger Tyranid creatures, those that would normally be too large to defeat with conventional close combat weaponry, can be brought down by the careful placement of a grenade somewhere vital.Tyrannic War Veterans are trained to work with other squads of Space Marines to utilise their skills most effectively, driving larger broods of Tyranids towards the guns of Devastator Squads or guiding smaller ones onto the blades of Assault Squads.Having now fought successfully in several major engagements, it would seem the Tyrannic War Veterans are now an established and accepted part of the Ultramarines Chapter. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Deployment: When the Hive Fleets overwhelm a planet, there are many options available to Imperial Commanders -- the mobilisation of huge swathes of Astra Militarum regiments, fortification of Imperial placements or even Exterminatus.However, when a planet is of particular importance to a star system, Ultramarines Chapter Master Marneus Calgar mobilises Ortan Cassius' Tyrannic War Veterans, who then deploy from their Strike Cruiser Vengeance of Macragge into a battlezone.With all the pragmatism and tactical nous of the Ultramarines, these Veterans are trained to deal with any scenario on the ground, and local Imperial officers are often honoured to cooperate with the battle doctrines of these revered warriors.Whether the planet has a large contingent of domestic planetary defence forces or has only limited numbers garrisoned there, whether they have to deal with harsh environmental conditions or terrain ill-suited to defensive actions, the Tyrannic War Veterans will process and execute a plan to deal appropriately with the Tyranid threat.Once engaged, the Tyrannic War Veterans smash through seas of chitin in Land Raiders. The vehicles' Heavy Bolters and Lascannons are able to eviscerate broods of Gaunts, fell Hive Tyrants and Tervigons alike.Once into the thick of battle, the Veterans charge down the vehicles' ramps and continue their slaughter of the hungry bio-forms. Tyrannic War Veterans are trained to read the movement of the swarm and understand the baser xenos instincts, so the Space Marines excel at guiding the battle at range.However, the Veterans enjoy nothing more than to face the bio-horrors close enough to smell their burning carapaces and spilt ichor. These sensations go some way towards satisfying the Veterans' urge to avenge the warriors of their Chapter's fallen 1st Company.Over the years, the Tyrannic War Veterans have learnt to observe different behaviours in the Hive Fleets. Whereas the Behemoth preferred blunt attacks, overwhelming planets with Tyranid war beasts, the Kraken proved more insidious.As a consequence, the strike force has adjusted its tactics. Against the remaining splinters of Hive Fleet Behemoth, Cassius maintains rigorous fortifications on the ground, but often attacks off-world from the Vengeance of Macragge, in order to weaken the coming Tyranid assault.Against the forces of the Kraken, however, Cassius often takes the fight to the Tyranids themselves. On the Shrine World of Saint Theresta, Cassius led a stealth mission into the capital city's hab shrine.The Veterans flushed out hordes of the Kraken's Genestealers, who had been skulking within the many hundreds of levels, and burned their rotten forms.Whether fighting as their own force or assisted by Veterans from other Chapters, Cassius' strike force continues its crusade to save key Imperial worlds from Tyranid invasions. Given the unpredictable presence of the current assault by Hive Fleet Leviathan, there are always a number of vital Imperial planets suffering from the incessant attacks of the swarm.Cassius' work is endless. Yet it is thought by those Space Marines who sometimes fight alongside the Tyrannic War Veterans that Cassius has observed some pattern in the movement of the Hive Fleets.With his closest Battle-Brothers, Cassius discusses his prime theory concerning the Leviathan. He is convinced that this Hive Fleet is seeking to cut off the Segmentum Tempestus from the rest of the galaxy in order to create a vast Tyranid breeding ground.All that remains certain is that few Space Marines are better skilled in the subtleties of warfare against Tyranids than Cassius and his legendary Tyrannic War Veterans. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Deathwatch Service: In the centuries since the First Tyrannic War, those who survived have passed on the grim lessons they have learnt to those Astartes who have not faced the Great Devourer. Since the earliest days of their impromptu brotherhood, it has been a tradition of the Tyrannic War Veterans to teach as much as to fight, spreading hard-won insight amongst Astartes of every Chapter, and to swear the Apocryphon Oath is one more route for this knowledge to be passed on.Thus it was that the first of the Tyrannic War Veterans presented himself at Watch Fortress Erioch in the Jericho Reach. His duty is to disseminate what he knows of the Tyranids and their methods, tutoring others, even the elite of the Deathwatch, in how best to counter the Hive Fleets' advance.By joining the Deathwatch, the Tyrannic War Veterans increase their chances of encountering the Tyranids on the field of battle, and in so doing learn more of their enemy's ways. Finally, what he learns of the Tyranids whilst undertaking his Vigil can be taken back with him to his Chapter, disseminating his hard-won knowledge still further.Several Tyrannic War Veterans are currently serving the Long Watch in the ranks of the Deathwatch of the Jericho Reach. One, Brother Scelus, is considered likely to be granted the rank of Watch Captain, though whether or not he will accept this honour given his need to return to his Chapter and pass on his knowledge remains to be seen.It was Brother Scelus who mastered the technique of using a cluster of sync-fused Krak Grenades to slay the very largest of Tyranid monstrosities, and he has passed this unique tactic on to several Battle-Brothers he has served alongside.Other Tyrannic War Veterans have mastered the use of various xenos-keyed poisons, coating their combat blades with deadly venom or delivering them by way of special ammunition.All of the Tyrannic War Veterans are masters of fighting the Tyranids, and to serve in the same Kill-team as such a warrior is to fight alongside both a trusted Battle-Brother and a masterful tutor in the arts of death. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Notable Campaigns: The work of the Tyrannic War Veterans is never complete against a foe as unyielding as the Tyranids. Cassius' Veterans travel the length and breadth of the galaxy, striking blows against the Hive Fleets whenever the opportunity presents itself. Here is a selection from Imperial records of some of their more famous deeds:Tyrannic War Veterans Strike Force Formed (747.M41) - Following the Conclave of Hera and deeds on Espandor, Marneus Calgar sanctions the formal creation of the Tyrannic War Veterans within the Ultramarines Chapter. They commence immediate training under the guidance of Chaplain Ortan Cassius.Brettiks's Furnace (867.M41) - On the manufactorum-choked plains of Brettik V, a world that generates Promethium for the sector's starships, the Tyrannic War Veterans set a trap for a swarm of Hive Fleet Kraken. After the Tyranids make planetfall, the Veterans funnel the bioforms through the labyrinthine capital, whose civilian populace was evacuated. Cassius' squad continually baits the swarm until millions of Tyranid creatures are concentrated within the city's streets. Having previously disabled the city's manufactoria, a squad led by Sergeant Trajus detonates the platforms of several drilling rigs and redirects their Promethium flows to flood the streets. The Veterans ignite the rampant creatures with grenade explosions. Though the city becomes uninhabitable, the Tyranids advance no further in the star system.Leviathan Maimed (939.M41) - On board the Vengeance of Macragge, Chaplain Cassius tracks down a tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan passing close to an asteroid belt to enter the star system of Jomm. The Ultramarines Strike Cruiser partners with Battle Barges from the Howling Griffons and Aurora Chapters, and destroys the nearby moon of Vendorak. The resulting explosion sends a shock wave through the asteroid field and its debris crashes down onto the planet. The Hive Fleet is severely depleted by the attack and is consequently unable to reach the planets of Jomm.Calgar's Orders (991.M41) - A Genestealer infestation rises on Ichar IV. The Ultramarines, led by Marneus Calgar, engage in a bitter conflict with Hive Fleet Kraken. The Tyrannic War Veterans join the rebuilt -- but under strength -- 1st Company of the UItramarines. Together they help drive the Swarmlord directly into the path of Marneus Calgar, in order for their Chapter Master to exact vengeance for Macragge. Calgar engages in combat with the Swarmlord and eventually slaughters it. The Ultramarines proceed to annihilate every last Genestealer, though they are too late to save the planet.The Defence of Saint Tylus (999.M41) - The Tyrannic War Veterans reinforce the Ultramarines 3rd Company on the Shrine World of Saint Tylus in the face of an assault from Hive Fleet Leviathan. Cassius takes grim delight in utilising the aerial superiority of the agile Stormtalons against the swarm. As Gargoyles, winged Hive Tyrants, Sky-Slasher Swarms, Harpies and Hive Crones assault the enormous walls outside the central Hab Cathedral, Stormtalons outflank the masses. The aircraft pummel the hordes with Bolter fire and explode the largest beasts with Skyhammer missiles. As the Leviathan's control quickly wanes, the Veterans roll out through the streets in Land Raiders and obliterate the remaining Tyranids. One of the swiftest victories known against a Hive Fleet assault, this success is attributed to Cassius' innovative tactics. |
Tyrannic War Veteran - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic 10 (US), "The Defence of Macragge", pp. 6-10Battlefleet Gothic 15 (US), "The Ultramarines", pp. 16-23Codex Supplement: Ultramarines (8th Edition), pp. 47, 69Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pp. 12-15, 57Codex: Tyranids (4th Edition), pp. 8-9Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pp. 32-33, 40, 87Dataslate: Tyrannic War Veterans (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 1-14Deathwatch: First Founding, pp. 69-70Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse, pp. 25-32Warhammer 40,000 Chapter Approved - The Book of the AstronomicanWarhammer 40,000: Planetstrike (5th Edition), pg. 54White Dwarf 306 (US), "Return to Macragge", pg. 92White Dwarf 305 (US), "Purge the Alien - Ultramarines Tyrannic War Veterans" by Graham McNeill, pp. 84-89White Dwarf 300 (US), "The Battle Rages On", pg. 168White Dwarf 299 (US), "The Battle Rages On", pg. 86White Dwarf 298 (US), "The Battle Rages On", pg. 80White Dwarf 297 (US), "The Battle Rages On", pg. 82White Dwarf 256 (UK), "Codicium Imperialis: Defenders of Ultramar - Volume IX, Part I of the Liber Victorum: Battle of Macragge"The Chapter's Due (Novel) by Graham McNeillGames Workshop Online Catalogue - Space Marine Ultramarines Tyrannic War Veterans |
Tyrannofex - Tyrannofex: The Tyrannofex is a massive, fortress-like Tyranid fire support bioform that exists purely to spread destruction to the hive fleet's foes. Created for service on the most grueling battlefields, the Tyrannofex is clad in a dozen layers of ablative chitinous armour and supported by three pairs of massive legs. It is as unyielding in battle as any war engine constructed of steel or crafted from more conventional technology.The Tyrannofex has the armour and fortitude of a living battle fortress and its bio-weaponry eclipses that of its foes' most powerful main battle tanks in both quantity and destructive potential. Worse, its body houses several breeding chambers, nurturing all manner of ferocious Tyranid organisms that it can unleash onto any enemy foolish enough to come too close.Its main weapon is a massive bio-cannon fused with its torso, among the largest and most destructive to be carried by any Tyranid bioform smaller than a Bio-Titan. The precise nature of this weapon differs from Tyrannofex to Tyrannofex. Each represents a particular pinnacle of Tyranid bio-weaponry and is as efficient as it is unearthly in its design. The Magi Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus speculate that the Tyrannofex, like the Hierophant, was derived from the combined genetic strains of the Tyranid Carnifex and the Dominatrix.Given its massive size, the Tyrannofex is ungainly and prone to being overwhelmed when engaged in a long melee battle. However, the Tyranid Hive Mind has adapted this bioform to compensate for this weakness. When the Tyrannofex finds itself in difficulty, it can emit a stress pheromone that attracts other Tyranid bioforms more suited to close combat. Once the primary threat is eradicated, the Tyrannofex can then return to its primary goal of blasting the enemy with its fearsome bio-weaponry. |
Tyrannofex - Tyrannofex Bio-Weapons: A Tyrannofex has a massive biomechanical cannon fused with its torso, the largest and most destructive Tyranid weapon carried by anything smaller than a Bio-Titan. The nature of the main cannon varies between different Tyrannofexes. There are three notable variations:Acid Spray - This version of the Tyrannofex's bio-cannon stores huge reservoirs of caustic digestive fluids used to break down organic matter at a rapid rate. This acid corrosion is sprayed over the Tyrannofex's victims, melting through their body armour with horrifying ease and reducing its victim to a puddle of liquefied flesh.Fleshborer Hive - The Fleshborer Hive variant of the bio-cannon is a seething colony of the very same Tyranid borer beetles found in a Termagant's fleshborer. The fanged creatures stored in the bloated sacs of the hive lay thousands of eggs that hatch and mature at an astonishing rate within the cavernous chambers of the brood nest. Indeed, the Fleshborer Hive must eject the beetles at regular intervals to prevent the Tyrannofex from bursting apart as a result of the actions of the smaller creatures birthed within it.Rupture Cannon - When fired from this version of the Tyrannofex's bio-cannon, two different cannonball-sized organic projectiles are launched in quick succession. The first is actually a bloated tick-like organism that bursts upon impact, showering the target in an oil-like substance. The second is a seedpod covered in a virtually indestructible biopolymer shell. As the seed smashes the target, it is coated in the viscous remains of the tick. When combined, these inert fluids rapidly dissolve the toughened shell of the seedpod which produces a massive biochemical implosion powerful enough to wrench even armoured vehicles inside out, essentially serving as a form of biomechanical artillery. |
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