A separate Tyrant Guard Light Vehicle unit would actually be able to soak up hits intended for the Hive Tyrant.

Another interestinhg fluff bit:
In the fluff about Iyanden it talks about a single Hive Tyrant remaining. Only when he was killed the remaining Tyranids where fair game. I got the impression that there where hughe amounts of Tyranids left after the Hive Tyrants death. I interpret it so that a slong as there is a Hive Tyrant on the board no Brood creatures will "go to ground".

Another thing: Tyranid Warriors are "only" exctensions of the Hive Tyrants will. The Hive Tyrant has independend thoughts and consciousness the Tyranid Warriors mainly act out of instinct and the direct feed of the Hive Mind.
This is supported by the army FOC where Tyranid Warriors are now only Troops choices. Only Hive Tyrants are HQ choices (and Tervigons and Tyranid Primes but the letter is only some type of inbetween of Tyranid Warrior and Hive Tyrant).

And i compared the fluff about Hive Tyrants and Swarmlord. Really i don`t know what the differences are. If a Hive Tyrant dies a new one is born with all his expierences, characteristics and knowledge of his predecessor.
Same is true for the Swarmlord but it seems he (or his experiences) are as old as the Tyranid race itself.

_________________
We are returned!
http://www.epic-wargaming.de/

I think the best approach to the new synpase is that nid units (not indipendant) have an in value of 4+

Each warrior unit adds +1 to the int
Each tyrant adds +2 to the int
A dom adds +2 in to its formations int and +1 int to any formation within 30cm

Remove going to ground

possible add that a failed in test allows the formation to regoup (lurk) or engage (feed).

_________________
Tyranid air marshal

Tpo quote myselfe because this thread is a better place for this:

The Harpy is just a flying weak Trygon with guns (and was present since Hive Fleet Behemoth).
Model wise the FW Harridan is unsuprisingly spot on to be used to represent a Harridan.
The old metal Harridan would have the perfect size (if not apperance) for the Harpy.

How about these stats?

Tyranid Harpy
Type Speed Armour CloseCombat Firefight
Armoured Vehicle 35cm 3+ 5+ 5+
Weapon Range Firepower Notes
Twin Stranglethorn Cannon 30cm AP3+/AT5+ Disrupt
Piercing Wail (base contact) Assault Weapons First-Strike, Extra Attack (+1)
Stinger Salvo (15cm) Small Arms  Extra Attack (+1)
Spore Mine Cysts 15cm AP4+ One-shot, Disrupt
Notes: Skimmer.

And i was thinking about Mycetic Spores. How about this?

Tyranid Mycetic Spore Cluster
Type Speed Armour CloseCombat Firefight
War Engine Immobile 5+ 5+ 5+
Weapon Range Firepower Notes
Lashwhips (base contact) Assault Weapons -
Ripper Tentacles (15cm) Small Arms -

Damage Capacity 3. Critical Hit Effect: Destroyed.

Notes: Planetfall, Transport (one Synapse Swarm). The Mycetic Spore Cluster can only contest not claim Objectives. Once the Synapse Swarm has disembarked the Mycetic Spore Cluster looses it's Transport ability.

Instead of placing just a marker as with Space Marien DropPod you place a roughly Barrage Template sized model of the DropSpores. The model/templates represents several DropSpores which land on the planets surface and transport Tyranids. As these are living beings which actualy have a profile inWh40k and a short ranged shooting attack it fits that it has a CC and FF ability as well as DC because of the numbers of individual DropSpores.

_________________
We are returned!
http://www.epic-wargaming.de/

I was thrashing the Harpy out as a slightly more restrained version.

Tyranid Harpy
Type Speed Armour CloseCombat Firefight
Armoured Vehicle 30cm 4+ 6+ 5+
Weapon Range Firepower Notes
Twin Heavy Venom Cannon 30cm AP4+/AT5+
Spore Mine Cysts 15cm 1BP Disrupt
Notes: Skimmer.

The Tyrannofex as an Exocrine replacement is problematic due to the Rupture cannon's short 40k range, limited number of shots and highly mixed weapon load compared to the Exocrine. My feeling at the moment would be like a slower more heavily armoured Malefactor (Fleshborer hive) or limited range tank hunter (Rupture Cannon) retaining the Malefactor FF ability with both versions (Thorax swarm).

Mycetic spores I was looking at Spacecraft with a essentially free access to spores for as many Synapse Formations you can fit on the Spacecraft (30/50 slots)

I've got rough stats thrashed out for a Hive Fleet Jomungundr list (having 2 lists, a Standard (modern) Fleet and a Bio-Titan list) taking inspiration from 9.2.1, Leviathan and the French lists. Tiered Init for synapse, 9.2.1 type spawning, 1 Uncommon per Common brood (with 6 stand common clusters and Raveners to Uncommon), Points Limit on Independent (1/4), Synapse (1/3) and Spacecraft/Bio-Titans (1/3).

As some have the english version of the Codex could someone of you PM me the names of all the new bio-weapons?

_________________
We are returned!
http://www.epic-wargaming.de/

I don't see mycetic spores being as accurate as a drop pod deployment.

What about

Mycetic spores
+5pts per model, war engines may not take mycetic spores.

Each unit in the swarm gains planetfall.

Now I kow that this emans dropping 20 gaunt stands will take forever (so we might need to pack several stands together per pod).  However it does mean the swarm will scatter all over the place, and need to spend a turn getting back into cohereancy.

The planetgfall ability was written with such a deployment in mind, but marines get around it by all deploying from a single drop pod model.

_________________
Tyranid air marshal

Regarding mycetic spores, they do function similarly to drop pods and at the very least the Hierodule is known to have come down in a mycetic spore.

I think some form of plantefall ability (for just the Spacecraft cost) for as many formations as can fit in the Spacecraft is workable (Inf/LV/AV taking up 1/2/3 slots and WE taking 3 slots per DC with ~30/50 slot Spacecraft)

The quirk here is that Mycetic Spores stay alive after they have dropped and continue to attack nearby enemies.
An other idea i had was that it turned a Barrage Template sized area to Dangerous Terrain for all non-Tyranid units.

_________________
We are returned!
http://www.epic-wargaming.de/

How are a group of Mycetic spores, with short ranged weapons, even more dangerous than Drop Pods with a variety of weapons with greater range and better targetting?

Additionally, as a WE, they "unit" would block Line of Sight, which doesn't seem right to me either.

I'm interested in a "Mycetic Spore" option, but I'm not sure it should be strongly present in the "core" list as, if it is, why would you take any other type of army?

_________________
"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Well ok i was still under the impression that Space Marine DropPods had only one-shot Deathwinds. But the current version of the DropPod has unlimited shooting ability.

But then a similar rule as above culd be adopted for Space Marine DropPods.

Another idea was to introduce a a newunit type: Light War Engine.
- Doesn't block Line Of Sight
- Can be targeted by AP and AT weapons.
- Has 2+ Damage Capacity

Could be used for a unit which is small but covers a large area. Such as a field of multiple DropPods/MyceticSpores.

And well Mycetic Spores are for Phase II army list i thought?

_________________
We are returned!
http://www.epic-wargaming.de/

Why wouldn't you do that though - pay 100pts to get yourself into CC turn1. I'm not sure coherency would be a problem either - drop them all on 1 point and the chances are that number of pods will scatter in coherence.

_________________
www.epic-uk.co.uk
NetEA NetERC Human Lists Chair
NetEA Chaos + Black Legion Champion

Besides you can download a new Apocalypse Datasheet on the GW site:
Leviathan Gargoyle Swarm
4+ Gargoyle Broods (each at least 20 models)
0+ Harridans
The whole formation can Deep Strike.

In WD there are two new Apocalypse Datacheets too:
Tyranid Tunnel Swarm
1 Lictor Brood
1 Hormagaunt brood (at least 20 models)
1 Trygon
Lictors appear then the Trygon burrows to the surface within 6" of the Lictors. Thenthe first 20+ models Hormagaunt unit appears through the the Trygon creates. Thehole generates a unit of 6 Hormagaunts each turn. If yourolldoubles the hole is empty and nomore Hormagaunts appear.
In the turn they appear the wohle formation counts as if it failed its Instinctual Behaviour test even if Synapses are around.

Trygon Bioshock Brood
3+ Trygons
Improved Bio-Electric attack and 4+ Invulnerable save a slong as thelead Trygon lives.

_________________
We are returned!
http://www.epic-wargaming.de/