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Another attempt at reducing the voluminous tyranid special rules to something more manageable. This is basically just what Hena did, but repeated everything for clarity and to get the order of things clear. However I've combined Relentless and Instinctive (lots of unnecessary repetition there I think). Also added a note in Spawning about instinctive (just to increase user friendliness).
Comments?
Tyranid Swarms
The Tyranid army is divided into three basic types of units: Brood creatures, Independent creatures, and Synapse creatures (with Brood creatures themselves being further subdivided into Common and Uncommon creatures). Each creature's type is noted on their individual data sheet and in the army list that follows.
Independent creatures are organised into formations just like non-Tyranid units. They are organized like normal formations.
Synapse creatures and Brood creatures are treated a bit differently. Instead of fixed formations, these creatures are combined to form a "Brood swarm" that is controlled by a Synapse Group. Both the Synapse Group and the Brood creatures are treated as a single formation.
Pre-battle preparations
Before deployment, the Tyranid player assigns Brood creatures to Synapse Groups, creating swarms. Each Synapse creature has a "Synapse (x)" value that indicates the maximum number of Brood creature units it can control. Synapse Groups with multiple creatures add all their Synapse values to determine how large a swarm they can maintain. All such swarms must be set up in legal formation using the setup instructions for the scenario. In addition, all units must be deployed within synapse range (15cm) of a Synapse creature from the swarm's Synapse Group. If the Tyranid player wishes, they may hold some Brood creatures in reserve and not assign them to any Synapse Group.
Actions phase
The brood swarm acts mostly like normal formations during a turn. However all the brood creatures must stay within synapse range from synapse creatures of the group. If swarm finds itself "out of formation" (either normal coherency or synapse range, see 1.7.4), the portion with most synapse creatures cannot be removed.
At times Brood creatures "go to ground". When this happens they automatically removed from play. Although not dead, it is assumed that the creatures have lost connection to Hive Mind and have reverted to their animalistic instincts, lurking on the battlefield and waiting for an easy chance to get their next meal.
The only exception to staying in synapse range is assault. During an assault only normal coherency must be maintained. At the end, brood creatures outside of synapse range will "go to ground". Note that, if a swarm loses all its synapse creatures during an assault, all remaining Brood creatures will "go to ground" at the end of the action, even if victorious.
End Phase
During end phase, after rallying, brood swarms may be reorganized. First, any brood creatures out of synapse range "go to ground". Second, any brood creatures that are within synapse range of one synapse group become parts of it's brood swarm. If any brood creatures are within synapse range of two or more synapse groups then the brood creatures may be joined to any one of the synapse groups as decided by the Tyranid player. It is recommended that the units that are in doubt be turned to face the swarm they belong to, avoiding confusion later. Lastly, if the number of brood creatures within synapse range of a synapse group exceeds its total synapse value then excess brood creatures selected by the Tyranid player "go to ground".
Voracious
The Hive Mind is eager to overwhelm and consume prey, devouring all who stand before It. To represent this, Tyranid swarms gain a +1 modifier to their action test rolls when taking Engage or March actions.
Instinctive
As long as they are under the control of the Hive Mind, lesser Tyranid creatures, quite literally, do not know the meaning of fear and will relentlessly sell their lives to secure the goals of the greater Hive Mind. This is not due to any bravery or training, but reflects the iron will of the Hive Mind transmitted though psychic links to these creatures. Disruption of these psychic links is the only thing that can slow down the remorseless tide of Tyranids.
Tyranid swarms receive Blast markers as normal, but do not suffer from suppression. Also Tyranids swarms are never broken, but become Instinctive instead. Swarms that become Instinctive do not get withdrawal moves or suffer from "hack down", except in assault. In assault the Tyranids never count as having more Blast markers than the enemy. If Tyranid swarm loses an assault it is treated in the normal fashion: suffering "hack down" hits and making withdrawal moves in addition to becoming Instinctive.
A swarm that has become Instinctive may only take Hold actions and suffers -2 to any Initiative tests they make, in addition to any other applicable modifiers.
In the end phase all Blast Markers are removed and Instinctive swarms return to normal. With Brood swarms this happens after they have attempted to spawn. Note: some tyranid swarms are permanently Instinctive and as such have ?Instinctive? listed in their datafax notes.
Regeneration
Some extremely large Tyranid creatures (the size of most Imperial Titans) are covered inside and out with symbiotic creatures that heal wounds, repair damaged tissue, and stem the flow of vital bodily fluids. This makes Tyranid war engines extremely dangerous foes; an unwary Princep may think he has inflicted a mortal wound only to have that same creature rear up and attack. Such creatures have regeneration.
During the Rally Phase, a Tyranid war engine with the regeneration special ability rolls a number of D6 equal to half its starting damage capacity, rounded up. For each roll of 5+ the war engine regains one of its lost DC. As these symbiotes cannot increase the size of a Tyranid war engine, nor make it stronger, successful rolls can only be used to replace a war engine's lost DC. Finally, regeneration may not be used to bring a war engine back to life: once it's dead, it's dead.
Spawning
One of the most terrifying things about fighting Tyranids is that there seems to be no end to the number of creatures in the army. Even if an attack is stopped, more Tyranids will soon appear to renew it.
Spawning allows the Tyranid player to return Brood creatures to play that have been killed, gone to ground, or held off table before the start of the battle. Spawning is treated as a Rally test for brood swarms, with all applicable modifiers. A successful spawning check generates a number of "spawn points" based on the Brood swarm's starting Synapse Group with following modifiers:
-No enemy units within 30cm of any unit in the swarm +D3
-Add a maximum of one Catalyst to a successful Spawning* +D3
-Each unit missing from Synapse Group (War Engines do not count -1 lost DC for this effect)
*A Catalyst used in this way is then discarded.
Each Brood creature has a spawning cost based upon its general availability to the Tyranid army as a whole. Brood creatures which can be spawned have "Brood (x)" in their notes where "x" equals the number of spawning points required to return the creature to play. All spawned units must be placed within 5cm of any Synapse creature from that swarm. They may not be placed in the zone of control of enemy units or in impassable terrain.
Special Rule - T5.1.1 Tournament Scenario Victory Conditions and Tyranids
Due to the unique nature of the Tyranid army, and the completely alien Hive Mind that controls it, Tyranid "military" objectives are not pursued in the same manner as most armies of the known races in the galaxy. For example, an Imperial commander keenly feels heavy losses in personal and equipment, while the Hive Mind thinks no more of expending lesser creatures in battle than most commanders consider expending ammunition. It is impossible for an opponent to attack and degrade the Tyranid army?s morale. However, it is possible to eliminate the Synapse creatures providing the link between the Hive Mind and its drones, thus disrupting the effectiveness of the army. This ?alien outlook? requires some changes in the way that Tournament Victory Conditions are treated by the Tyranid army.
Objectives
Only Independent and Synapse units (not Brood units) may control or contest battlefield objectives. Also units that removed Instinctive status during end phase may not control or contest objectives.
Break Their Spirit
Against Tyranids, the Break Their Spirit goal is based upon the number of Synapse creature units still on the battlefield compared to those that have been removed. If the number of Synapse creature units killed is equal to, or greater than, the number of Synapse creatures still in play, the opponent has achieved the Break Their Spirit goal. Note that the number of individual Synapse creatures is counted, not Synapse Groups, and that Synapse War Engine units count their full starting DC.
Tiebreaker
When determining victory points, the Tyranid army does not use formation size to determine the number of points the opponent receives for a tiebreaker. Instead the opponent uses the following values for units/groups destroyed or reduced below half at the end of the battle:
-Synapse Groups are worth double their point value.
-Independent Swarms are worth their normal point value.
-Brood Creature units are worth half their point value, rounded down.
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The closest i got was just increasing the initiative penalty to -3 (so -2 with voracious) but allowing engage as an option. Thus it is more difficult, rather than strictly ruled out. It doesn't solve the withdraw march problem but it does hamper it more.