Games Workshop Warhammer 40,000 Tyranid Warriors

Product Information

The Tyranid Warriors come in teams of three, Genestealers teams of five, and Tyranid Swarms teams of eight, with a Group Activation of 2. This latter team provides access to Hormagaunts and Termagants, and is limited to one per Kill Team. Each of these fire teams provides access to a minimum of two Tac Ops categories, and the faction has access to all four categories. 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. Not owning a huge number of tyranids, I thought it would be fun to start building a small tyranid force for use in Kill Teams, focusing mainly on tyranid warriors. The tyranid warriors have always been an iconic element of Warhammer 40,000, represented in several classic illustrations (I particularly remember those from the 2nd edition of Warhammer 40K; quite a few good ones are in the Codex Imperialis). Nothing in the tyranid range has achieved the wholly alien and bizarre look captured by the original plastic tyranid warriors . Their bipedal ant-like frames tower over their modern counterparts and their faces have a subtle, yet horrible, resemblance to a rat. 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.

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. 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. 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 kit also includes the option to make a Tyranid Prime. This monster is distinguished with its own chest plate; head and crest; shoulder guards; and has the option to add a scythed tail. 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.We are a close combat focused army and this is a shooting edition. Even our heavy hitters in close combat are pretty pillow fisted compared to the toughness stats now. The same is true for other armies as well (look at Wulfen), but most others have better shooting options. 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. 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.

Overrun doubles the Consolidation move of a Tyranid unit, or let’s them make a 6” Move if they are in Synapse Range and not in Engagement Range of any enemies for 1 CP, 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. 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. If an operative is within six inches of an operative with Synapse (Tyranid Warrior) add 1 to its APL. A fantastic ploy, as mentioned in previous articles APL modification is one of the most powerful abilities in Kill Team, and this is one of the better examples available to a team. It is important to note that Hive Fleet teams have no method of performing Shoot or Fight Actions more than once during an activation, however this ploy can still be incredibly useful, particularly on Tyranid Warriors armed with both melee and ranged options. A Aggressive Biostrain One Tyranid Warrior or Genestealer operative can be upgraded to a Leader, and the Tyranid Warrior fire team offers the option to take either Fighters or Heavy Gunner, with a max of one of those per fire team. StrengthsThe 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. Whenever the bearer incapacitates an enemy operative in combat they regain D3 wounds. Very straightforward, kill enemies, eat them, heal yourself. That being said there are better things you can spend your EP on, and this is easily the weakest choice available to Hive Fleets. C Toxin Sacs [2 EP] Operatives deal an extra point of damage on the first critical hit they deal in a combat. This ploy is more situational than the previous two, but can be very useful against Guardsmen equivalent teams as it allows Tyranid melee weapons to reach seven damage on their critical hits, allowing lesser operatives to incapacitated with a single strike. C – Simply due to being situational. 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.

Neurotyrant: The main advantage of the Neurotyrant is how cheap it is at only 105 points. It provides a buff to the shadow in the warp ability, but shadow in the warp is pretty bad as a competitive rule. It can join a unit of tyrant guard and buff their ability to hit and wound. However, if it is in combat it can't use it's psychic flamer which is its best weapon. Tyrant Guard are also not a high damage output choice, and including a Neurotyrant with them is only going to get you an extra 1-3 wounds on average into a target. Giving synapse to two units every turn is very good for a monster mash or deathstar style list. This ended up being the HQ I used the most just because it was the cheapest. 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. The Tyranid Warrior ( Tyranicus gladius) 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.

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Every one of the myriad of Tyranid warrior-creatures is a killing machine, perfectly adapted to slaughter its victims. They are the ultimate predators, and we are their prey." 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.