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Not really. Tyranid Warriors arer far more numerous than Zoantrophes.
That's kind of a chicken/egg answer, which came first.
If Zoanthropes were both better protected (with psychic shields) and able to direct the Tyranid Swarms with Synapse, then the Tyranid Hive Mind would spawn dozens of them, instead of dozens of Tyranid Warriors.
The question was rhetorical, clearly Warriors are still deemed to have a purpose, and Zoanthropes aren't as common. The only thing I can think of is that Warriors are more directly linked through Synapse.
Every creature that remains in a Tyranid army is the high point of it's evolution, it must do it's role better than anything else as it has adapted to this role the best- that is evolution.
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Perhabs they really aren't dumb like, say, Gaunts but they are...well, cowards. Never read anything significant in fluff about Biovores. As artillery they should tend to stay behind and acton their own without a valuable Synapse Creature in vicinity to direct them. Synapse Creatures are front-line leaders. They don't belong to the artillery. So the artillery needs some more independence to act properly.
I get the feeling Biovores don't fire miles like Basilisks or Whirlwinds, but act more like field mortars firing several hundred metres across the battlefield.
I just don't see Biovores as great thinkers or strategists. I still think they'd need Synapse babysitters.
I think you give Brood beasts too much credit for independent thinking- bearing in mind that they should revert to animal instincts out of Synapse range- most beasts, Biovores included are more likely to wander around, lurk, search for food, etc than to direct co-ordinated and sustained artillery bombardments.
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Perhabs but it is rare that something like a Hierophant will face something which is bigger. And Carnifexi and Hierodules are famed to rampage "like a raging bull" or worse. I don't think that any of this creatures will flee if they are actually in hand-to-claw combat even if treated with certain death until directly ordered to do so through a Synapse Creature.
I'll conceed the point on this one, I can see the larger beasts being evolved to be essentially permanently 'on steroids', testosterone, adrenaline and to be constantly aggressive- to the point their animal instinct is to attack rather than flee in almost all cases.
The true Bio-titans are a tricky one, as they are truly large enough to be Synapse led (like Dominatrix), it doesn't make any evolutionary sense for the biggest war machines of the Tyranid army not to be directly linked to the Hive Mind.
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So Lictors are pre-programmed to certain behaviours but to a more aggressive degree as Gaunts. So they would fall into the no self-preservation instinct group except that they actually HAVE a self-preservation instinct as they act much more cunningly. But still they won't flee headless from a superior foe but would retreat in a more resonable manner. Thats until actually engaged in hand-to-claw combat where their urge to kill will overcome them so that they will either win or be killed.
Aye, I'd put Lictors second only to Genestealers in their level of cunning, or animal intelligence (as opposed to when controlled by Synapse)- they will only attack when they believe the prey is isolated and weaker than them. They're role is to trail this prey to larger gatherings of it's kind to lead the Tyranid swarms. This requires incredibly stealth and trailing abilities.
I think they'd flee if the ambush didn't immediately go their way (didn't they have Hit-n-Run or similar once?), their aim when killing is to lure other prey out, some conjecture says they can absorb the prey's memories through consumption- their role isn't to hunt down the prey, that's what the following swarm is for. It is more important that they stay alive behind enemy lines and continue to trail enemy groupings and positions.
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Hmm yes and no. Predatory animals can plan in advance but usually will make ad-hoc decisions as the situation warrants.
Tyranids don't seem to plan much, that's too human. Their invasions are not logistical campaigns, they are more like locusts, or a natural disaster.
For example, Tyranids will detect an enemy fortress via Lictors and direct other Tyranids to attack it- this is instinctive, reacting to stimuli from the Lictors.
Swarms, initially of Gaunts and Warriors will then frontal assault the fortress instinctively rushing at the enemy.
Either the wave assaults will overwhelm the fortress and the swarms will stampede onto the next target, or larger and larger beasts will be attracted to assault the fortress- again through instinct.
Other methods of insertion like Tunnelling and Harridans will be attracted if the fortress remains defiant. Essentially the longer it holds, the more Tyranids it attracts- much like the larger a pool of food, the more ants will trail to it.
If Tyranids planned ahead, they would go direct to the biggest creatures to storm the fortress, or lay siege to it.
Tyranids don't plan, from the lowliest Ripper Swarm attracted to rotting food on the ground, to the Hive Bio-ships being attracted to worlds by Lictor/Genestealer trails- they are all following biological imperatives with no sentient thought required.
That is what makes Tyranids scary, for all your technology and might, they- mere animals- will devour you without even understanding the horror of the act.
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As a species yes but not always on an individual level. Hive Tyrants are rumoured to possess some level of self-awareness. And they need it to act properly to changing battlefield conditions. Instinct alone can't be the only means to victory. More often than not abstract thinking is also needed.
Tyranids don't think abstract though- they use hyper-evolution instead.
If there's a square hole, the IG Officer will think about it, plan, then send a square peg.
A Tyranid swarm will throw a thousand different pegs at the square hole, the pegs don't get through will die out, the pegs that do get through will be bred in the millions.
This is how all the Tyranid creatures have come to fill particular roles, and how they are still constantly evolving to changing battlefield conditions.
Tyranids work on numbers, they may lose many battles, but they will eventually win the war.
How about this compromise- the Hive Tyrant, rarely amongst Tyranid creatures can live for weeks, months or years depending on the campaign length- it also has intelligence similar to a dog or chimp, in that it can learn from positive/negative stimuli and use this in later similar incidents.
For example, a Hive Tyrant survives a battle where it faces a Predator Annihilator, it learns this creature is powerful as it kills a lot of Tyranids linked to the Tyrant (negative stimuli), until it is destroyed and the Tyranids swarm the defenders (positive stimuli). In future battles the Hive Tyrant will recognise the shape/noise/colours of the Predator Annihilator and urge it's swarm to destroy this first.
Repeating this for months may get a Tyrant that becomes disturbingly proficient at identifying the strongest enemy and eliminating them first- without any concept of abstract thought or planning.
I agree with the rest, I just tend to concentrate on the disagreements as this is where the best discussion inevitably is.
as they act much more cunningly. But still they won't flee headless from a superior foe but would retreat in a more resonable manner. Thats until actually engaged in hand-to-claw combat where their urge to kill will overcome them so that they will either win or be killed.
