Phase IV ?Subdual? Tyranid Army List v6.0
T1.1 SPECIAL RULES
Strategy Rating: 1
Initiative Rating: 2+
T1.20 UNSTOPPABLE
Tyranid formations never receive blast markers and therefore can never be suppressed or broken by them. As long as they are under the control of the greater hive mind they, quite literally, don?t know the meaning of fear and will mindlessly sell their lives to bring victory to the greater hive mind. Tyranid formations that lose an assault must still make a withdrawal move, and any units that end their move within 15cms of an enemy unit will be destroyed, but the formation itself is not broken.
T1.30 TYRANID SWARMS
The Tyranid army is divided into three basic groups of units, these are; Brood Creatures, Independent Creatures, and Synapse Creatures (with Brood Creatures themselves being further subdivided into Armored Brood Creatures, Uncommon Brood Creatures, and Common Brood Creatures). Each creature?s type is noted on their individual data sheets and in the army list that follows.
Independent Creatures are organized into formations like other units, and are treated in all ways as if they were a normal formation in Epic-A, as this concerns coherency, and formations.
Synapse creatures and brood creatures are treated a bit differently. Instead of having a fixed formation brood creatures are purchased as individual units that will become part of a swarm that is controlled by a synapse creature group. It must be made clear that the Swarm is the formation, and that both the synapse creature group controlling it, and the brood creatures in it, make up a single formation that contains units (for all intents and purposes).
In order for this to work Tyranid players must organize their brood creatures into swarms at the start of the game, and at the start of each turn after the first turn. All the units in the swarm will operate together for that turn as a single formation and are required to maintain coherency, as per all the rules for formations, throughout that turn. At the start of the game the Tyranid player simply assigns one, or more, brood creatures to a synapse creature group, thus creating a formation called a swarm, until all the brood creatures have been assigned. All such swarms must be set up in a legal formation using the instructions for the scenario. If the Tyranid player wants they may hold some brood creatures back and not assign them to any synapse creature group. These unassigned brood creatures may be used when a swarm spawns during the game (see T1.40 Spawning)
Starting with the second turn, and all subsequent turns, a swarm consists of it?s original synapse creature group, and all the brood creatures within 15cms of those same synapse creature(s). Brood creatures that are within 15cms of synapse creatures from different swarms may join either swarm as designated by the Tyranid player (We recommend that the units that are in doubt be turned to face the swarm they belong to, to avoid confusion later in the turn).
Any brood creatures that start a turn not within 15cms of a synapse creature will go to ground and are removed from play. Although not dead it is assumed that the creatures have reverted to their animalistic instincts and are lurking on the battlefield waiting for an easy chance to get their next meal. These brood creatures may return to the game using the Spawning action (T1.40) described below.
Brood creatures may not voluntarily leave the coherency of the swarm, nor may they voluntarily leave the synapse range of the synapse creature controlling them, except at the very start of the turn (as explained above), or if the synapse creature controlling the swarm in question has a movement of 0cms. In the later case the brood creatures move as if they were one formation and maintain coherency with each other, but not having to remain in coherency, nor synapse range, of the original controlling synapse creature group. This move has no adverse effects on the abandoned synapse creature group.
In all cases the organization of the swarms is determined at the very start of the turn before anything else, like Teleports, Strategy Roll, etc.
T1.40 SPAWNING ACTION
One of the most terrifying things about fighting the Tyranid army is 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. Some of these will be brood creatures that have gone to ground earlier in the battle but now have been incorporated back into the hive mind?s control, while others will be reinforcements sent by the hive mind to sustain the attack.
To represent this endless stream of claws Tyranid formations that carry out a Marshal Action may spawn instead of regrouping. Spawning allows the Tyranid player to return brood creatures to play that have been killed, gone to ground, or were held off table before the start of the battle. Also note that only brood creatures can be spawned, not synapse creatures, or independent creatures as these creatures are to rare to be spawned back in this manner.
Each swarm may return 1D6 spawning points worth of brood creatures back into play, plus an extra 1D6 spawning points if there are no enemy units within 30cms of any unit in the swarm. The swarm may also add 1D6 spawning points for each myecetic spore that is added to the swarm during the spawning action (up to a maximum of three myecetic spores may be added to a single spawning action). Last, a swarm under the control of a Dominatrix rolls an extra 1D6 spawning points for the hive mind nexus created by this creature (so a swarm under the control of a Dominatrix rolls a base 2D6 spawning points).
The Tyranid player uses the number of spawning points rolled to return brood creatures that are off table and return them to the battle. Each brood creature type has a spawning value based upon it?s general availability, or lack there of, to the Tyranid army as a whole. Common Brood Creatures Unit costs one spawning point each to return it to play, Uncommon Brood Creatures Unit costs two spawning points each to return it to play, and Armored Brood Creatures Unit costs three spawning points each to return it to play. Armored Brood Creature Units that are war engines cost three spawning points for each DC of that unit, so a DC3 Armored Brood Creature that is a war engine would cost nine spawning points.
Place any units spawned back by a swarm within 5cms of any synapse creature(s) from that swarm. Spawned units may not be placed in the zone of control of an enemy unit, or in impassable terrain.
T1.60 WAR ENGINE REGENERATION
Really large Tyranid creatures (the size of most Imperial War Engines) are covered inside and out with symbiote creatures that swarm in and around the creature healing wounds, repairing damaged tissue, and stemming the flow of vital bodily fluids. This makes Tyranid war engines dangerous foes indeed as an unwary Princep may think he has given one of them a mortal wound only to have that same creature pull itself up from the ground and attack. To represent the actions of these symbiotic creatures during the Rally Phase the Tyranid player rolls 1D6for each starting DC capacity of a war engine. For each roll of 6+ that war engine recovers on of it?s lost DCs. As these symbiotes cannot increase the size of a Tyranid war engine, nor make it stronger, these rolls can only be used to replace a war engines lost DCs.
T1.70 GT VICTORY CONDITIONS AND TYRANIDS
Because of the unique nature of the Tyranid army, and the completely alien Hive Mind that controls it, it doesn?t ?see? military objectives in the same way that most sentient commanders, of any number of known races in the, galaxy do. For example a sentient commander would keenly feel heavy losses in personnel, while the Hive Mind thinks no more of expending gaunts in battle then most sentient commanders would ammunition. This ?alien outlook? requires some changes in the way that GT objectives are treated by the Tyranid army.
T1.71 Objectives
Brood creatures can be best described as almost mindless drones whom the Hive Mind gives some direction to, while at the same time letting that same creatures instinctive behavior do the rest. In effect the Hive Mind only tells the brood creatures where to go and how fast to get there and leaves the detailed work of fighting to the brood creatures instinctive behavior. So the real truth is the brood creatures have no idea why they are going where they are going, nor what they are supposed to be doing once they get there, so they could walk right past the objective they have been sent to secure!
Fortunately the Hive Mind does provide this ?more detailed? bit of information to the ?higher creatures? (Independents and Synapse) that make up the army so that at the very least these positions, that it deems vital, can be secured.
To represent this effect in the Tyranid army only independents creatures and synapse creatures (not brood creatures) can be used to gain control over, or contest battlefield objectives.
T1.72 Break Their Spirit
The Tyranid army basically has no morale that any opponent can take advantage of, in fact their behavior is so instinctive in nature that it is doubtful that they have any feelings at all. While this is one of the great strengths in the way that the Hive Mind uses it?s lesser creatures, it also requires that the army use centralized control, via synapse creatures, to keep the mindless mass moving where it needs to go. So while it is impossible for an opponent to attack and degrade the Tyranid army?s morale, it is possible to eliminate the synapse creatures providing the link between the Hive Mind and it?s drones and degrade the effectiveness of the army.
To represent this trait the Break Their Spirit goal is based upon the number of synapse creatures still on table in the Tyranid army. If the number of synapse creatures left on the table is equal to, or less then, the number of synapse creatures in the dead tray off table then the opponent has achieved the Break Their Spirit goal.
T1.73 Tie Breakers
All armies, including Tyranids, are effected adversely by losses in both personnel and equipment. In all other armies these losses directly effect the formations that make up the army with losses of 50%, or more, resulting in that formation becoming combat ineffective till it can be rebuilt. In effect the army has lost 100% of that formations ability to fight until it?s return.
The Tyranid army doesn?t suffer attrition in this way. Synapse creatures can scower the battlefield and in mere minutes scoop up enough brood creatures that have gone to ground to put together a fit ready to fight formation ready to have at the enemy. When one speaks of attrition and the Tyranid army one must ignore what occurs on even a major battlefield and think on a planet wide scale, and even this itself makes it more difficult to judge what effects losses have had on them. The only thing that is clear is that the effects of attrition vary with what types of creatures the Tyranid army looses, difficult to produce synapse creatures losses are keenly felt, while gaunt brood creatures losses are far less noticed, but not ignored.
To represent these effects on the battlefield the Tyranid army doesn?t use formation size at the end of a battle to determine points the opponent receives for a Tie Breaker. Instead the opponent receives the following points for each creature, by type, that is in the dead tray, or off table, at the end of the battle.
Synapse Creature units are worth three times their point value
Independent Creatures units are worth two times their point value
Brood Creatures units are worth their full base points for each two such units of that type.
ARMY LIST
SYNAPSE CREATURE GROUPS
(up to 1/3 of the armies points may be spent on these groups)
Dominatrix Group: 1 x Dominatrix unit: 500 points
Harridan Group: 1 x Harridan unit: 225 points
Hive Tyrant Group: 1 x Hive Tyrant unit: 100 points
Tyranid Warrior Group: 3 x Tyranid Warrior units: 150 points
Hive Nexus Group: 1 x Hive Tyrant unit, 3 x Tyranid Warrior units: 250 points
Synapse Node Group: 1 x Synapse Node unit: 100 points
Lesser Synapse Node Group: 1 x Lesser Synapse Node unit: 30 points
Vituperator Group: 1 x Vituperator unit: 350 points
INDEPENDENT SWARMS
(up to 1/3 of the armies points may be spent on these swarms)
Genestealer Swarm: 6 to 9 Genestealer units: 25 points each
0-2 Lictor Swarms : 2 to 5 Lictor units: 75 points each
Phant Swarm: 1 x Hierophant for 300 points
OR
1 x Hydraphant for 400 points
Expecorator Swarm: 1-2 x Expecorators: 250 points each
ARMORED BROOD CREATURES
(up to 1/3 of the armies points may be spent on these units)
Biovore 35 points each
Carnifex 50 points each
Haruspex 50 points each
Hierodule 150 points each
Zoanthrope 50 points each
Exocrine 75 points each
Myecetic Spores 25 points each
COMMON AND UNCOMMON BROOD CREATURES
(At least 1/4 of the armies points must be spent on the following Brood Creatures)
Uncommon Brood Creatures
Ravaner 30 points each
Gargoyle 20 points each
Common Brood Creatures
Termagaunt 15 points each
Hormogaunt 15 points each
UNIT DATA SHEETS
SYNAPSE CREATURES
Dominatrix
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 20cm / 4+ / 3+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Warp Blast / 30cm / AP4+ AT4+ AA4+
Bio-Plasmic Breath / Template / MW5+ AA5+ / Ignore Cover
Monstrous Claws / Base Contact / MW(TK) / +4 attacks
Cluster Spines / (15cm) / small arms
notes: DC-8, Supreme Commander, Fearless, Walker, Reinforced Armor, Synapse
Critical Hit: Roll 1D6 and consult the following chart;
1-5: The creature loses one DC and one of it?s Monstrous Claw attacks
6: The Dominatrix?s Symbiote is killed and it is no longer treated as a Supreme Commander.
Harridan
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 35cm / 4+ / 3+ / 5+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Bio Cannon / 45cm / MW5+ / Ignore Cover
Bio-Plasmic Breath / Template / MW5+ AA5+ / Ignore Cover
Monstrous Claws / Base Contact / MW(TK) / +2 attacks
notes: DC-3, Reinforced Armor, Skimmer, Synapse, Transport (Four Gargoyles, Gaunts, Hive Tyrant, Ravaner, Tyranid Warrior)
Critical Hit: Roll 1D6 and consult the following chart;
1-5: The creature loses one DC and one of it?s Monstrous Claw attacks
6: The Harridan is killed
Vituperator
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 30cm / 4+ / 3+ / 5+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
2 x Bio Cannon / 45cm / MW5+ / Ignore Cover
Bio-Plasmic Breath / Template / MW5+ AA5+ / Ignore Cover
Monstrous Claws / Base Contact / MW(TK) / +2 attacks
Huge Claws / Base Contact / MW / +1 attacks
notes: DC-5, Reinforced Armor, Skimmer, Commander, Synapse Transport (Eight Gargoyles, Gaunts, Hive Tyrant, Ravaner, Tyranid Warrior)
Critical: : Roll 1D6 and consult the following chart;
1-5: The creature loses one DC and one of it?s Monstrous Claw attacks
6: The Vituperator is killed
Synapse Node
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 0cm / 4+ / 6+ / 6+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Cluster Spines / (15cm) / small arms
notes: DC-3, Reinforced Armor, Fearless, Synapse
Lesser Synapse Node
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 0cm / 5+ / 6+ / 6+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Cluster Spines / (15cm) / small arms
notes: DC-1, Reinforced Armor, Synapse, Teleport
Hive Tyrant
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
AV / 15cm / 4+ / 2+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Venom Cannon / 30cm / AP5+ AT6+
Monstrous Claws / Base Contact / MW(TK) / +2 attacks
Tyrant Guard / Base Contact / MW(TK) / +2 attacks
notes: Commander, Fearless, Invulnerable Save, Synapse
(May be given wings then it is Speed 25cm Armor 5+ and is also given Jump Pack)
Tyranid Warrior
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
Inf / 15cm / 4+ / 3+ / 5+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Venom Cannon / 30cm / AP5+ AT6+
Death Spitters / (15cm) / small arms
Scything Talons / Base Contact / CC weapon +1 attacks
notes: Fearless, Synapse
INDEPENDENT CREATURES
Genestealers
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
Inf / 15cm / 6+ / 4+ / 0+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Rending Claws / Base Contact / CC weapon +1 attacks
notes: First Strike, Infiltrator, Scout, Independent
Lictors
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
Inf / 15cm / 5+ / 3+ / 0+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Huge Claws / Base Contact / MW / +2 attacks
notes: First Strike, Infiltrator, Reinforced Armor, Scout, Teleport, Independent
Hierophant
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 25cm / 4+ / 3+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Bio-Plasmic Breath / Template / MW5+ AA5+ / Ignore Cover
Monstrous Claws / Base Contact / MW(TK) / +4 attacks
notes: DC-6, Reinforced Armor, Walker, Independent
Critical: : Roll 1D6 and consult the following chart;
1-5: The creature loses one DC and one of it?s Monstrous Claw attacks
6: The Hierophant is killed
Hydraphant
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 20cm / 4+ / 3+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Warp Blast / 30cm / AP4+ AT4+ AA4+
Bio-Plasmic Breath / Template / MW5+ AA5+ / Ignore Cover
Monstrous Claws / Base Contact / MW(TK) / +4 attacks
Cluster Spines / (15cm) / small arms
notes: DC-8, Fearless, Walker, Reinforced Armor, Independent
Critical: : Roll 1D6 and consult the following chart;
1-5: The creature loses one DC and one of it?s Monstrous Claw attacks
6: The Hierophant is killed
Expecorator
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 20cm / 4+ / 5+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Super Spore Mines / 60cm / 3BP / Disrupt, Indirect Fire
notes: DC-3, Walker, Independent
Critical: : Roll 1D6 and consult the following chart;
1-5: The Expecorator becomes slow firing
6: The Expecorator is killed
ARMORED BROOD CREATURES
Haruspex ?A?
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
AV / 20cm / 4+ / 3+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Cluster Spines / (15cm) / small arms
Acid Spray / 15cm / MW5+ / Ignore cover
notes: Walker, Reinforced Armor, Thick Rear Armor, Brood
Haruspex ?B?
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
AV / 20cm / 4+ / 3+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Cluster Spines / (15cm) / small arms
Huge Claws / Base Contact / MW / +2 attacks
notes: Walker, Reinforced Armor, Thick Rear Armor, Brood
Carnifex ?A?
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
AV / 15cm / 4+ / 3+ / 6+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Spore Cysts / (15cm) / small arms
Huge Claws / Base Contact / MW / +2 attacks
notes: Fearless, Reinforced Armor, Walker, Brood
Carnifex ?B?
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
AV / 15cm / 4+ / 4+ / 5+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Spore Cysts / (15cm) / small arms
2 x Venom Cannon / 30cm / AP5+ AT6+
notes: Fearless, Reinforced Armor, Walker, Brood
Biovore
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
Inf / 15cm / 5+ / 6+ / 6 +
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Spore Mines / 30cm / AP5+ AT6+ / Disrupt, Indirect Fire
notes: Walker, Brood
Zoanthrope
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
Inf / 15cm / 4+ / 6+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Warp Blast / 30cm / AP4+ AT4+ AA4+
notes: Brood
Hierodule ?A?
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 15cm / 4+ / 3+ / 5+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Cluster Spines / (15cm) / small arms
Acid Spray / 15cm / MW5+ / Ignore cover
Huge Claws / Base Contact / MW / +2 attacks
notes: DC-3, Reinforced Armor, Walker, Brood
Critical: : Roll 1D6 and consult the following chart;
1-5: The creature loses one DC and one of it?s Monstrous Claw attacks
6: The Hierodule is killed
Hierodule ?B?
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
WE / 15cm / 4+ / 4+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Cluster Spines / (15cm) / small arms
2 x Bio Cannon / 45cm / MW5+ / Ignore Cover
Huge Claws / Base Contact / MW / +1 attacks
notes: DC-3, Reinforced Armor, Walker, Brood
Critical: : Roll 1D6 and consult the following chart;
1-5: The creature loses one DC and one of it?s Monstrous Claw attacks
6: The Hierodule is killed
Exocrine ?A?
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
AV / 20cm / 4+ / 5+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Spore Cysts / (15cm) / small arms
Big Spore Mines / 60cm / 2BP / Disrupt, Indirect Fire
notes: Reinforced Armor, Walker, Brood
Exocrine ?B?
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
AV / 20cm / 4+ / 5+ / 4+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Spore Cysts / (15cm) / small arms
Bio Cannon / 45cm / MW5+ / Ignore Cover
notes: Reinforced Armor, Walker, Brood
UNCOMMON BROOD CREATURES
Ravaner
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
Inf / 20cm / 4+ / 4+ / 5+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Death Spitter / (15cm) / small arms
Scything Talons / Base Contact / Assault Weapon
notes: Brood
Gargoyle
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
Inf / 30cm / 0+ / 5+ / 6+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Flesh Borer / (15cm) / small arms
Bio Plasmic Attack / Base Contact / Assault Weapon
notes: Jump Pack, Brood
COMMON BROOD CREATURES
Termagaunt
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
Inf / 15cm / 0+ / 6+ / 6+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Flesh Borer / (15cm) / small arms
notes: Infiltrator, Brood
Hormogaunt
Type/Speed/Armor/CC/FF
Inf / 20cm / 0+ / 4+ / 0+
Weapons/Range/Firepower/Notes
Scything Talons / Base Contact / Assault Weapon
notes: Infiltrator, Brood
Jaldon
.
. I'll grow a carnie any day, or a dactylis, much better.
Trygon by any chance? I love its addition.