New Tyranid Bioforms in WD

[Xenith]

So flicking through the most recent White Dwarf, issue 468, there's a story about Skitarii hunting down some tyranids, and they come across two new, or seemingly new bioforms:

 

 

"Decima's squad had detected an anomaly - Tyranid creatures that their internal xenolysis nodes could not identify. The creatures were similar to beasts of burden, large and ungainly. They appeared to lack weapon biomorphs and followed each other in an orderly line along the tunnels. Each carried a number of dead humans."

 

 

"They had found something. A Tyranid apex-beast. It had no eyes, an enormous cranium and a large bulbous abdomen. Twenty pairs of legs reached out from it's armoured thorax. It feasted on a mound of dead humans. A trail of Tyranid creatures entered the cavern, brining fresh sustenance for it.

 

Identified creature matches no known Tyranid genus.

 

Behaviour...suggests 'Synapse' prime-classification

 

Their aparent devotion to it speaks much"

 

 

So, two new weird things, both seemingly non-combat species - with the latter having 40 legs, or being sat on 20 humans. My initial thought with the bloated thorax was an early description of a Tervigon, however the legs and eyeless head counter this.

 

Also, this is possibly the first example we see of a Synapse eating creature. Generally I recall that most tyranids dont have digestion systems, they fight, burn out and die, then are replaced by the hive. Things like rippers and Haruspexes are late stage invasion organisms there to devour biomass, then throw themselves into the biomatter pools so the hive fleest can reabsorb them.  

 

On the other hand, it seems like a bit of riff off of/nod to the Starship Troopers brain bug.

 

What do you think?

[INKS]

#2 Is a Brain Bug 100%

Rules wise it's probably a mega synapse creature. 

 

The Oxen like creature are probably body guards for the brain bug? / It's transporting food for the brain bug. Rules wise I am not sure how that works out. Movement for the brain bug + Body guards? 

[WarriorFish]

It could be some random story bit without any meaning, but it feels like GW have tightened up such things? If we're talking something new for the game, what about as a Tyranid fortification? It does feel like a bit of a change from current lore, but maybe it's a new type of vanguard organism? Perhaps the Hive Mind has been pushed back enough times it has decided something to provide local support and extra forces is needed to help ensure progress.

 

If there are to be some fortifications I hope we get a capillary type one, like you could use in Dawn of War II. My caveat is I very rarely care for rules etc for fortifications (and they are often underwhelming), and view them almost exclusively as terrain/visual pieces

[TheMawr]

It could be some random story bit without any meaning, but it feels like GW have tightened up such things?

This pops up often, they did tighten these things many years ago ( cant pinpoint when as during that time I had lost interest in GW stuff for a while.) but they officially losened it up again around 8th edition, even verbally acknowledging this in one of their warcom videos, that while in the past they had a strict policy that fluff/worldbuilding would be tied to the miniature range they would take a more free approach to these matters, then they showed off some art from 8th edition like the ultramarines vs deathguard battlescene with the strange nurgle monsters ( that was leaked before and had alot of speculation and expectations) and the imperium civilians art.

 

Considering these descriptions pretty much represent a more "civilian" type of tyranid I think its just that; fluff/world building.

[INKS]

The brain bug is a non combative synapse like creature. It feeds, which other nids don't really do, they take all the resources back to the digestive pools. Why does it feed? What does it fuel? Does it "give birth to" other Nids?

 

I'm probably reading way too much into it, but I'd love to see some new additions.

[WarriorFish]

A change for the best I think, it always did feel ill thought out not that I read much 40k. These do feel harder to imagine on the table top, particularly the beasts of burden. It'd be nice to get something new for nids but I think most would agree with me when I say what I'd like first is some revamped kits as some are getting on in years

[Azekai]

I always like seeing tyranid variants/species that aren't featured on the tabletop. First off, its great conversion idea fodder. But also, from an in-universe perspective, it makes sense. The galaxy is vast, and the mutability and mystery of the tyranids means that there could be all sorts of species totally unknown to the Imperium. That is one of the reasons my own swarm has the conversions that it does- it seems very weird that the most variable and ever-changing races looks so dang homogeneous on the tabletop. 

The 40k collectible card game has a couple unusual species, such as the Viciator, that aren't represented anywhere else. 

[Evil Eye]

The "brain bug" set off immediate alarm bells by the presence of "twenty pairs of legs"- Tyranids have always been depicted with six limbs, so unless this is some kind of mutant that seems mighty suspicious. It does sound kind of interesting though. The beast of burden creatures could possibly serve as the basis for transport organisms (return of the Cerebore?) so there's that.

[Stercus]

The "brain bug" set off immediate alarm bells by the presence of "twenty pairs of legs"- Tyranids have always been depicted with six limbs, so unless this is some kind of mutant that seems mighty suspicious. It does sound kind of interesting though. The beast of burden creatures could possibly serve as the basis for transport organisms (return of the Cerebore?) so there's that.

Maybe it’s several creatures acting in symbiosis. We’ve seen it with the weapons most nids use being separate creatures but kind of “plumbed in”. Could make for a truly excellent model if done well.

[Brother Nathan]

wonders if one of those is actually more like a bio engineering bug? feed it the specific bodys so it can break  biomass separately to the digestion pools and break it down and combine however nids do it to try pooing out something new... doubtful like but nids need more smegging do not let that thing kill fear...

[Triszin]

Sounds similar the some nid descriptions around tiamet