Tyranid

In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, Tyranids are a swarm of aliens in many sizes and shapes.

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Tyranids form a superorganism: they travel the universe on their Hive Fleets, destroying all ecologies in their path. They are psychically linked via their Hive Mind, a collective consciousness that links all Tyranid organisms to one another. This gives them great abilities to strategize and coordinate. When one Tyranid sees something, within an instant the entire Tyranid race is aware of it.

The mentality behind the Tyranid race can be summed up by the phrase "quantity has a quality all its own". From the lowliest Ripper swarm, to the deadliest Hive Tyrant, the signature trademark of Tyranids is that they swarm over their foes, obliterating everything before them without regard for species or race, seeing all life as merely fresh meat; new gene code to be assimilated, processed, and cycled into the spawning cycle to generate deadlier species off-shoots.

Tyranids were first described in the first edition of Warhammer 40,000 (Rogue Trader), with their basic form not too different from today. Their only additional troop type was an enslaved race, the Zoat. At that time they were not an emphasised race in the 40K universe (see External Links). In later editions, they became a playable race in their own right, and it was revealed that the Genestealers (popularised in Space Hulk) were in fact part of and the advance force for the Tyranid army.

Tyranid Storyline

In Warhammer 40,000, the Tyranids appeared from the eastern part of the Galaxy. First they sent a large fleet of troops (called Hive Fleet Behemoth) directly at the center of the galaxy. They were defeated, barely, by the efforts of the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines, although the Ultramarines suffered devastating losses in the decisive Battle of Macragge.

The Tyranids arrived with Hive Fleet Kraken which, instead of throwing one mass of troops against the Imperium, split into countless smaller fleets, each small fleet enveloping whole systems before reinforcements could arrive. The brunt of this new attack was borne by the Space Marine chapters Scythes of the Emperor and Lamenters; both were almost completely destroyed.

In 997.M41, Hive Fleet Leviathan appeared from "below" the Galaxy (in a 3D sense, on the Z-axis) and attacked from two points, cutting off large portions of the galaxy from reinforcements.

Although the Imperium has no interest in negotiating with such dangerous aliens, attempts have been made to contact the intelligence controlling the Hive Swarm.

In Ian Watson's Warhammer 40,000 novel "Space Marine", the Tyranid Hive Fleets appear to be migrating into our galaxy - the Milky Way - from the Andromeda galaxy, our nearest neighbour. Such a journey would have taken an incredible amount of time despite the Tyranid ability to travel through warp space. It is postulated in the novel that it is this distance which drives human psykers insane when they attempt to contact the Hive Fleets rather than the power or size of the Hive Mind.

If it is true that the Tyranids are coming here from Andromeda it can only be assumed that the Andromeda galaxy has been scoured of all useful resources; a galaxy of life consumed and reborn as part of the Hive Swarm.

It is not known at this time how many Hive ships are in a Fleet, nor how many Fleets make up the greater Swarm. It is probable that Hive Fleets Kraken, Leviathan and Behemoth are merely the tiniest part of the greater whole. In the 2005 edition of Codex: Tyranids, a report compiled by an Imperial research body demands that Imperial forces along the galaxy's Eastern fringe should be increased in size by at least 500% to have any chance of holding the Tyranids back for any length of time. It is noted that such a mobilisation of force would still result in the eventual defeat of Mankind.

In order to actually defeat the Tyranid Hive Swarm the research institute suggests every able-bodied man, woman and child throughout three Segments of the Imperium (judging by the size of each Segment this would mean approximately 75% of the human population of the Imperium) must be inducted into the Imperial Guard.

Currently the Imperium has bought itself time by redirecting the attacks of Hive Fleet Leviathan towards the Ork held worlds of the Charadon Empire toward the Eastern edge of the galaxy. Unfortunately it appears the Tyranids are slowly destroying their way through Ork space, assimilating everything that stands before them. The Imperium has bought itself decades at least; but with newly-harvested Ork DNA, the Tyranids could well evolve into an even more dangerous opponent.

Tyranid Species

Tyranids appear in a multitude of genera, and all have an extremely rapid rate of evolution, adapting to threats in direct response to their presence. Tyranid matter is constantly reabsorbed into biomass reclamation pools to create new species and adapt existing ones to suit the immediate purpose.

• Hive Tyrants are large and enormously strong Tyranids, acting as leaders of the swarm and a synaptic conduit for the smaller creatures. They are highly psychic and highly mutable, and have a closer connection to the Hive Mind than most other genera. They are monsters at both close combat and ranged attack, with the ability to excel in both. Sometimes they are spawned with wings. Imperial Techno-Magi believe that Hive Tyrants form the repository of the hive fleet's collective consciousness, which means they completely embody the Hive Mind but their destruction does not in any way diminish its presence.

• Broodlords are another leader organism, regarded as the epitome of the Genestealer breed. The Broodlord is always the first Genestealer to make planetfall. They are devastating in combat and are specifically adept at infiltration on the battlefield to get closer to the enemy, sometimes spending weeks in enemy territory before launching a crushing assault. They are very adaptable and highly intelligent.

• Tyrant Guard are a special species of Tyranid spawned in small broods for the sole purpose of defending the Hive Tyrant. They are large, tough, and difficult to harm, and it is nearly impossible to surpass their defences when they are active in their purpose as bodyguards. Tyrant Guard are completely blind, utterly controlled by the synapse creatures they protect. On occasion Carnifexes also benefit from the Tyrant Guard's protection. Tyrant Guard are scientifically rumoured to contain the DNA of defeated Space Marines, but the Imperium considers this blasphemy and denies its possibility.

• Tyranid Warriors are synaptic foot troops for the swarm, the most common synapse creature. In between the size of a Tyrant and a Gaunt, they serve as psychic resonators and assist in guiding the lesser troops into battle. They are fast and powerful, with the capability to be strong at ranged combat or in close quarters in a similar fashion to the Hive Tyrant.

• Lictors are large, deadly and highly intelligent Warrior mutants bred for their stealthy qualities. A Lictor is basically chameleonic in nature, allowing it to blend with its surroundings to hunt and later kill its prey with its giant scythes. Lictors are usually only seen when springing a deadly ambush onto an unsuspecting army, unleashing a bio-engineered killing machine within their own ranks. They range ahead of the swarms, performing commando raids of sorts, and gathering information by devouring their victim's brains.

• Gaunts are the basic staple unit of a Tyranid swarm. They are smaller and less physically powerful than most other Tyranid organisms, but they are extraordinarily adaptable and always attack in large numbers. They are a fully mutable species, and some are grown with extra wings (Gargoyles), adrenaline/venom sacs, and even weapon-symbiotes, which include spinefists, devourers, and fleshborers. The sub-species of Gaunts most often seen are the small Fleshborer-equipped Termagants and the horrifically fast, scythe-armed Hormagaunts.

• Gargoyles are essentially winged variants of the Gaunt genus. They follow many similar traits, including a smaller size and physical prowess than most Tyranid organisms. Gargoyles retain most physical traits of Gaunts, however, their lower legs have atrophied to little more than stumps. Like their cousin, the Gaunt, they are capable of being armed with a large host of symbiotic weaponry.

• Rippers are small, snake-like organisms designed to devour living matter so that new DNA and nutrients can be absorbed by the Hive ships. They are released in the final stage of a Tyranid invasion.

• Genestealers are ferocious creatures, supposedly derived from human DNA, which are used as a vanguard to the Tyranid invasions. They infiltrate societies, creating Genestealer Cults, as described under the tactics section above. They are also used as shock troops on the battlefield, where their sharp claws and instinctive close combat skills allow them to tear heavily armed opponents to shreds.

• Carnifexes – originally known as Screamer-Killers – are huge, hulking living battering rams, armed with a wide variety of symbiotic weaponry. Even stronger than the Hive Tyrants, though less skilled, they are used for assaulting fortified positions and tank formations, such as boarding actions. They are the most mutable of all Tyranid creatures.

• Raveners appear to be related to both Rippers and Tyranid Warriors. These large, snake-like beasts are designed for fast assaults against lighter enemies, and can dig through the ground to perform surprise raids.

• Zoanthropes are a type of psychic artillery, whose highly evolved brains swell out of proportion with their bodies. Through their use of psychic powers, they can perform a number of roles on the battlefield, including launching the devastating Warp Blast. Some evidence points to later incarnations of Zoanthropes being improved by Eldar DNA. Zoanthropes' mighty intellect and psychic power has allowed them to evolve past the need for limbs, instead psychically levitating. Their legs have shrivelled up and curl close to their bodies.

• Biovores are sluggish creatures, genetically engineered for the task of growing and launching Spore Mines towards the enemy. Spore Mines grow inside the Biovore's body, and are then hurled across the battlefield by a convulsive muscle spasm. Biovores are believed to be evolved from Orkish gene-stock.

The following breeds are not given statistics in the Warhammer 40,000 game. They are either described in the background material, available for order as resin models from Forge World, or used in Epic.

• Malefactors are the Tyranid version of an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). They take the form of a huge slug-like creature whose body is covered entirely with armour (hence its role). Not only can it transport troops but it can also attack other vehicles and infantry using its massive frontal claws. Malefactors are supposedly related to Raveners.

• Haruspexes are similar to Malefactors in terms of size, however, these creatures are bred purely for assault purposes. They attacks enemies with their claws, teeth, mandibles and basically anything else they have on their body. They appear to be related to Raveners as well.

• Dactyli are a version of Tyranid Bio-Artillery. A Dactylis attacks by launching gigantic seed pods at the enemy with its two arms. As with the Malefactor and Haruspex, Dactyli appear as giant armoured slugs with claws.

• Exocrines are the second type of Bio-Artillery available to the Hive Mind. They are like miniature Malefactors in terms of looks but instead of claws they sport a single Bio-Cannon mounted on their back. An Exocrine's sole purpose is to provide covering fire for the rest of the Tyranid horde and it is for this reason that its development has been so extreme, to the point of becoming nothing more than a mobile gun. They are related to Raveners in the same way as Malefactors and Haruspexes.

• Trygons are some of the most feared Tyranid creatures in existence. They appear as giant Raveners except with more claws, teeth, and pincers! Not only are they fast and deadly in combat but they also have the ability to generate a bio-electric shockwave that can gun down enemies from afar. Trygons tunnel their way into the battlefield, surprising opponents from below.

• Harridans are massive winged creatures apparently related to both the Gargoyle and Winged Warrior. Their common role is the main Tyranid dispersal form (other than Mycetic Spores), carrying broods of smaller Gargoyles into battle. A Harridan looks like a cross between a Warrior and a Gargoyle and has colossal Bio-Cannons mounted in its huge wings and Scything Talons instead of feet. It is presumed that a Harridan never lands or if it does, it slithers on its belly like a snake.

• Hierodules are huge tank-sized beasts, separated into two different sub-species. The Scythed Hierodule is a four-clawed close-combat beast, while the Barbed Hierodule mounts two large Bio-Cannons. Hierodules are supposedly related to the Carnifex genus.

• Hierophant Bio-Titans are creatures designed to emulate other races' Battle Titans. Each of a Hierophant's limbs is a weapon, from the four Scything Talons it has for legs, to the Bio-Cannons meshed into its arms. In battle, vents and openings on its back secrete toxic spores while countless spines and tentacles lash out from beneath its belly. A Hierophant is constantly protected by a psychic force field generated by the Hive Mind and is unbelievably fast considering its size. With the strength of a Carnifex (from whose genetic material it is derived), the skill of a Hive Tyrant and the armament and resilience of a war machine, the Hierophant is the Hive Mind's greatest creation.

• Norn-Queens are believed to be the mysterious female counterparts to the Hive Tyrants. They psionically lead the Tyranid swarms, endlessly spawn new Tyranids to replace those lost in combat, and direct the evolution of the Tyranid super-organism. They're tied to the massive biological ships of the Hive Fleet, and never leave them.

• Dominatrices are the Norn-Queen's link to the ground forces. They are huge monsters, almost as large as a Bio-Titan, symbiotically fused with a smaller (Warrior-sized) entity which acts as a psychic link to the Queen aboard her ship.

Similar aliens in other media

• Bugs (Starship Troopers)
• Zerg
• Xenomorph

External links

• Genesis of the Tyranids at Games Workshop