Beyond the farthest reaches of the Imperium, beyond the edge of the galaxy, there is only the void. This vast gulf between systems was once thought to contain nothing more than cosmic dust - we were wrong. From the depths of this interstellar abyss comes one of the greatest threats that mankind (or alienkind for that matter) has ever seen. It knows no fear or pity or remorse or hatred. It knows only one thing - hunger! The Great Devourer is here, but the Adepts of the Imperium have given it another name in grim recognition of its planet-killing might, the Tyranids. For a detailed history of the Imperium and the Tyranid threat go here.
THE HIVE MIND While Tyranid Warriors and other creatures function individually, each bio-engineered organism is part of a vast and alien intellect known as the Hive Mind. Driven forward by this single consciousness, the Tyranid race forges its way across the galaxy, consuming all bio-matter that it encounters. Entire worlds fall to the hunger of the Hive Mind and all that is left when the Tyranids pass on is a barren, airless rock, completely devoid of life. HIVE TYRANT The largest and most powerful creatures yet encountered have been named Hive Tyrants. The Hive Tyrant is a gigantic, many-limbed horror who's fearsome fangs, claws and whip-like tail are combined with a variety of symbiotic weaponry. As well as being a terrifying opponent in close combat, the Hive Tyrant seems to be able to direct the other Tyranid creatures in its vicinity, giving them a strategic organization which rivals their relentless ferocity. Additionally, Hive Tyrants course with the potent psychic might of the Hive Mind. Troops attempting to engage these terrifying alien commanders must steel themselves against the horrifying images and thoughts which can overwhelm their senses, driving them mad with terror. TERMAGANTS The bulk of the Tyranid army is made up of legions of scuttling creatures known as Termagants. These vicious creatures fight in groups, making up for their comparative lack of individual size or strength with their vast numbers. HORMAGAUNT
BIOVORE Bred solely to nurture and fire their living cargo of deadly Spore Mines, Biovores can lay down barrages of these acidic and explosive spores. These seemingly innocent, floating mines can cripple or kill the opposition, while Tyranid assault constructs close in for the kill.
TYRANID WARRIOR Larger, more specialized Tyranid creatures form the merciless heart of Tyranid armies. Foremost among these are the exceedingly resilient and deadly Tyranid Warriors. Often reaching four or more meters in height and armed with a frightening array of close combat, , assault, and heavy weapons, Tyranid Warriors are highly intelligent and inhumanly vicious on the battlefield. Like the Hive Tyrants, Tyranid Warriors can influence the lesser Tyranid monsters and suppress their natural instincts. This keeps the Tyranid forces highly organized during the battle. LICTOR Lictors are silent, predatory stalkers which infiltrate behind enemy lines with unequaled skill. They track down all the useful genetic material for the brood to consume. Often they can be amongst opposing units before they are even detected and by then it is far too late. The Lictor's massive mantis-like claws and armor piercing flesh hooks silence enemy troops before the alarm can even be raised.
GENESTEALERS The most fearsome and vicious of all the Tyranid constructs are the merciless Genestealers. Often infiltrating systems ahead of the Hive Fleets, Genestealers are becoming an increasing problem on many Imperial worlds. Once the Tyranid fleet draws close to a planet, the Genestealer broods form the vanguard of the alien attack. Leading preemptive strikes to smashing the enemy regiments with a deadly wave of flesh and steel shredding claws, the Genestealers pave the way for the Tyranids arrival. Genestealers are commonly encountered in the floating derelict wrecks of space craft known as Space Hulks. Operations of the Adeptus Astartes (Space Marines) are commonly waged on the Tyranid horrors and the losses to Space Marine forces are often devastating. This is due to the Genestealers highly specialized adaptations for close combat, a skill which they excel at like no other creature in the galaxy. The razor sharp talons of the Genestealer can tear through bone and armor with staggering ease making even the most heavily protected troopers a target for these monstrous shock troops.
GARGOYLES
CARNIFEX The Carnifex is literally violence incarnate on the field as its enormous scythe arms can destroy even battle tanks in an orgy of frenzied destruction. Battlefield reports have also filtered in of Carnifexes which fire gouts of super-heated plasma from their fanged maws, incinerating soldiers and vehicles alike. Covered in thick, dense, chitinous armor, the Carnifex is almost unstoppable, withstanding firepower which would instantly disintegrate any other creature.
TYRANID BIO-WEAPONS Their weapons are very unique and will no doubt be a lot of fun. Just imagine the look on a player's face when something latches onto him and starts to eat into his body! All Tyranid Weapons require the Exotic Weapon Feat to be used. You may also have to talk the weapon into working for you since they are living creatures themselves. Treat such weapons as Intelligent Swords per the DMG.
BONESWORD Boneswords are principally used by Tyranid Warriors and Hive Tyrants. The blade of a Bonesword is a massively enlarged horn, sharply serrated along both edges. The blades are alive and slowly grow in size. If damaged they are capable of repairing themselves over time. The hilt is formed by the hard, chitinous exo-skeleton of the bio-construct. The creature's small brain is protected deep within the hilt. It is incapable of independent thought but is able to generate a powerful surge of psychic energy when stimulated by the user. LASH WHIP Lash whips are used by Tyranid Warriors and Hive Tyrants. The lash whip has a small body that is protected inside a bony tube-like shell which forms the handle of the whip. The majority of the creature's body protrudes beyond the tube and is made up of three muscular tentacles that terminate in serrated bony hooks. The lash whip gains its sustenance by using its hooked limbs to slice gobbets of flesh from its victims with a blindingly fast strike. SPINEFIST A Spinefist is a symbiote weapon-creature carried by Tyranid Warriors and Hive Tyrants for close quarter fighting. The creature clamps itself around its user's wrist with hooked extremities and wraps its muscular tail around the user's arm. The end of the tail spreads into a fan of tubes and tendrils which connect into the user's airways. The creature's carapace is formed into rows of diamond-hard spines coated with a lethal toxin. When the user wishes to fire it inhales sharply and the sudden increase in air pressure directed through the Spinefist launches a salvo of deadly projectiles in a broad pattern. STRANGLEWEB This is a weird spider-like composite creature that fires a mass of sticky mucous-like strands which wrap themselves tightly around the target and immobilise it. The harder a victim struggles, the more the web tightens so if the victim continues to struggle it will eventually be strangled or crushed by the mesh of threads. Termagants often use these weapons to capture victims for dissection. DEATHSPITTER This weapon is used frequently by Tyranid Warriors. It is an organic symbiote formed from three separate and quite different creatures. Deep inside the quivering innards of the Deathspitter is a warm wet brood chamber where the maggot-like creatures which form the ammunition are nurtured. These have chitinous shells and a fiery metabolism based upon their highly corrosive and volatile vital fluids. Next to the brood chamber lies the arming orifice in which lurks an oozing, spider-jawed creature that strips the maggot-like creature of its carapace with a loud grinding noise before finally dropping it into the firing colon. This in turn reacts to the corrosive flesh of the maggot-like creature with a powerful spasm which fires the morsel of living flesh out of the Deathspitter. The still living gobbet of flesh shrieks through the air (which is poison to it) until it reaches its target. There it splatters over it and kills it with a combination of velocity, poison and corrosive slime. Firing the weapon: A target hit by a Deathspitter may effect other targets nearby. Any character with 2 metres of the original target will be hit if they fail a Reflex save vs. DC 20. This acidic slime automatically penetrates primitive and energy protections. Physical armour has its effective AR halved to determine damage. FLAMESPURT This symbiote creature metamorphises its bile into a liquid phosphorous compound which burns on contact with air. Gargoyles use this weapon to burn whole populations and their dwellings. Firing the weapon: When fired the flames effect everyone within a cone of 30 metres. At its widest point the cone is 5 metres wide. FLESHBORER This weapon is normally used by Termagants. It is a compact brood nest in which Borer beetles lay their eggs, which then hatch and mature, fed by sticky sap exuded by the gun itself. Mature beetles have long flea-like legs, though they more little except to shuffle slowly into the firing cavity of the weapon. When the weapon is fired, a massive electro-chemical shock surges through the beetle, goading it into frenzied activity. Its legs push it out of the weapon at tremendous speed and it hurtles forward to strike the first thing in its path. FLESH HOOKS Flesh hooks are part of the armoury of genetically engineered weaponry used by Lictors. The hooks are fired by sharp intercostal muscle spasm and allows Lictors to slay or snare their victims from a distance. The flesh hooks are also sometimes used as grapnels to allow Lictors to scale vertical surfaces at great speed. Firing the weapon: A Lictor can fire two flesh hooks per round exactly like firing a normal weapon. A character hit by a flesh hook must inflict at least 3 wounds on it, in one hit, or be dragged 2D6 metres towards the Lictor. This will continue to happen for as long as the hook(s) stays attached. If 3 or more wounds is caused the hook detaches. SPIKE RIFLE This is used almost exclusively by Termagants. It is made up of a bony muscle-lined tube which contains a row of forward-pointing spikes growing from its rear. The spikes resemble harpoons more than anything else; they are barbed and have a razor-sharp edge. When the Spike rifle is fired a powerful muscle contraction hurls the first spike in the row at the target. DEVOURER The Devourer is amongst the most horrific of Tyranid bio-weapons. It resembles a conical lump of rotting flesh projecting from the jaws of a coiled, chitin-covered creature. The fleshy cone is infested by writhing worm-like organisms with black, shiny heads. When the gun is fired a bio-electrical shock hurls a number of these fleshworms at the target with tremendous force. The fleshworms will either shatter against the target, spraying acidic bile and poisons over it, or pierce it and start burrowing inside the victim's body. A creature infested by fleshworms is driven mad with agony as the worms eat their way through its nervous system to the brain and devour it. Firing the weapon: When it penetrates armour, the target must pass a T test or have the fleshworms burrowing into him working their way towards the brain. If the test is failed, the victim must drop everything as he falls to the floor in agony. If no appropriate medical help can be administered in as many rounds as the victim's Toughness characteristic plus 2, the victim dies immediately. BARBED STRANGLER The barbed strangler begins its growth cycle as life form contained in a seed pod the size of a man's fist. The seed is fired from a simple launcher which is little more than a muscled tube. If the seed pod pierces a living host its germination is triggered by the warmth of the victim's flesh and body fluids. The seed pod explodes releasing a concentrated mass of writhing tentacles that shoot through the victim's body and tear it apart. Within seconds the strangler grows to maturity and blood red tendrils lash out from the torn corpse; spreading and growing in all directions with blinding speed. The strangler is even powerful enough to entrap, or tear apart, a vehicle. Firing the weapon: If the seed pod misses its target it will deviate 2D3 metres from the target in a random direction. The seed pod effects everyone within a 3 metre radius, though everyone, apart from the target, may pass an I test to avoid it at the last minute. After all damage has been done, each character within the 3 metre radius must pass a S test each round or be ripped apart. How many rounds a character has depends on his T score. That is how many rounds a victim has to get out of the grip of the strangler. VENOM CANNON The Venom cannon is a long, powerful bio-weapon that fires salvos of highly corrosive poison at high velocity. The poison is formed into crystals which are encrusted with a metallic residue. When the weapon fires it uses an electrostatic charge to accelerate its deadly ammunition to supersonic speeds. The characteristic rapid cracking sound of a firing Venom cannon is caused by the crystals breaking the sound barrier. A target struck is either killed by the impact and blast of electrical energy or by corrosive fragments of the poison crystals when they shatter. Firing the weapon: The Venom cannon fires a barrage 3 metres in diameter. Nominate a target as normal and fire. If the target is missed then the shot deviates 2D3 metres in a random direction. Everything within the blast area is hit. BIO-PLASMA Carnifexes have the capacity to internally energies a form of bio-plasma which they vomit forth as a ball or bolt of blinding green fire. The plasma material is held in their gut and energized by rasping plates in their esophagus.
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