Drifting through the void come star-eclipsing shoals of immense creatures whose cephalopodic forms bristle with spines and feeder tendrils. Each of these living vessels is host to thousands upon thousands of dormant warrior-forms, ready to wake from their slumber when the hive fleet locates its next meal.
Welcome to the rules section of Codex: Tyranids. Whether forging your own tales of glory and infamy with narrative play or pitting yourself against your opponents in nail-biting matched play contests, this page present all the rules you will need to bring your Tyranids collection to life on the tabletop.Book | Kind | Edition | Version | Last update |
Tyranids | ||||
Tyranids | Codex | 10 | 1.2 | October 2024 |
Munitorum Field Manual | ||||
Munitorum Field Manual | Expansion | 10 | 1.14 | December 2024 |
Grotmas Calendar: Tyranids - Warrior Bioform Onslaught | ||||
Grotmas Calendar: Tyranids - Warrior Bioform Onslaught | Expansion | 10 | December 2024 | |
Boarding Actions | ||||
Boarding Actions | Expansion | 10 | 1.0 | October 2024 |
Legends Field Manual | ||||
Legends Field Manual | Expansion | 10 | 1.9 | October 2024 |
Legends: Tyranids | ||||
Legends: Tyranids | Datasheet | 10 | September 2024 | |
Imperial Armour: Tyranids | ||||
Imperial Armour: Tyranids | Datasheet | 10 | September 2024 |
Q: | What is the effect of the Unseen Lurkers Stratagem with respect to the Balance Dataslate ruling on Stratagems that prevent units from being targeted? |
A: | The effect of the Unseen Lurkers Stratagem becomes: EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, your unit can only be selected as the target of a ranged attack if the attacking model is within 18" or, if your unit has the Lone Operative ability, if the attacking model is within 6". Your opponent can select new targets for the attacking unit’s attacks. |
Q: | Do units that are repositioned by rules that do not specify that the unit being repositioned is first placed into Reserves (e.g. the Grey Knights Teleport Assault rule) need to take a Battle-shock test on a roll of 2+ if a TYRANIDS CHARACTER with the Hunting Grounds Enhancement is on the battlefield? |
A: | A: Yes. Rules that are triggered by or apply to Reserves units are also triggered by and apply to a repositioned unit when it is set back up. |
Q: | Can I use the Rapid Regeneration Stratagem when an ability like Doombolt or Vortex of Doom would inflict mortal wounds on a TYRANIDS unit from my army? |
A: | No. |
Q: | When resolving a Mawloc’s Terror From the Deep ability, which units need to take a Battle-shock test: every unit within 12" of the Mawloc, or only those units for which a 5+ was rolled when resolving that ability? |
A: | Only those units for which a 5+ was rolled. |
Q: | If my opponent uses a rule to place a unit into Strategic Reserves during the first battle round, and that rule states that the unit must arrive on the battlefield in the next battle round, what happens if a model from my army uses the Psychostatic Disruption Enhancement in the second battle round when that enemy Strategic Reserves unit is due to arrive? |
A: | The ‘cannot arrive’ rule takes precedence over the rule stating that the unit ‘must arrive’ from Strategic Reserves. Roll one D6: on a 4+, that enemy unit cannot arrive on the battlefield this turn. |
Q: | If I select a unit of Neurogaunts for a Neurotyrant’s Neuroloids ability that is not led by a SYNAPSE unit, does that unit of Neurogaunts gain the SYNAPSE keyword? |
A: | No. |
Q: | When using the Reclaim Biomass Stratagem, can the Stratagem effect be used on the unit that was just destroyed? |
A: | No. |
Q: | Does an Attached unit containing a HIVE TYRANT and TYRANT GUARD receive the Stealth ability from a VENOMTHROPE’s Foul Spore's ability? |
A: | No. The unit has the MONSTER keyword and the ability excludes MONSTERS. |
Q: | Are SPORE MINES units that are added to an army during a battle restricted by abilities that prevent Reserves from being set up within a certain range (e.g. Space Marines Infiltrators’ Omniscrambers)? |
A: | No. |
Q: | Do rules such as the Insurmountable Odds Detachment rule and the CARNIFEXES’ Blistering Assault ability let me choose between not moving the unit in question or moving the unit as far as possible following the conditions? |
A: | Yes. |
Q: | If I roll one D6 for a CARNIFEXES unit’s Blistering Assault move and then choose not to move the models, do they still count as having made a Blistering Assault move that phase? |
A: | Yes, they have made a Blistering Assault move of 0". |
Q: | When a CARNIFEX model makes a Blistering Assault move or an ENDLESS MULTITUDE model makes a Surge move, does that model have to move the full amount allowed by the dice result? |
A: | No, it can move any distance up to that allowed distance. |
Q: | Does a unit affected by the Psychostatic Disruption Enhancement have to arrive from Reserves in the next Movement phase? |
A: | No. |
Q: | Does the Synaptic Goading Stratagem allow a unit to leave Engagement Range and move towards the closest objective marker? |
A: | Yes. |
Q: | Can units targeted by the Shadow in the Warp army rule use the Insane Bravery Stratagem? |
A: | No. Insane Bravery can only be used in your Command phase. |
Some Tyranids serve as synaptic conduits or nodal relays through which a portion of the Hive Mind’s iron will flows, overriding the natural instincts of the swarm to direct the teeming warrior-beasts to function as a single, gestalt organism on the battlefield.
If your Army Faction is TYRANIDS, while a TYRANIDS unit from your army is within 6" of one or more friendly SYNAPSE models, that TYRANIDS unit is said to be within Synapse Range of that model and of your army. While a TYRANIDS unit from your army is within Synapse Range of your army:Tyranids flood the battlefield with the psychic signature of the hive fleet - an icy, alien dread that gnaws at the minds of their prey and smothers even the most stalwart courage. When faced with such unfathomable horror, many are driven insane or suffer catastrophic neural damage.
If your Army Faction is TYRANIDS, once per battle, in either player’s Command phase, if one or more units from your army with this ability are on the battlefield, you can unleash the Shadow in the Warp. When you do, each enemy unit on the battlefield must take a Battle-shock test. Each time an enemy unit takes such a Battle-shock test, if it is within 6" of one or more SYNAPSE units from your army, subtract 1 from that test.Every warrior organism in the Tyranid race is fashioned by the ineffable alien will of the Hive Mind. Their flesh and chitin is endlessly mutable, honed into whatever form will prove most lethal to the prey.
At the start of the first battle round, select one of the following Hyper-adaptations to be active for TYRANIDS units from your army until the end of the battle:Swarming Instincts Each time a TYRANIDS model with this Hyper-adaptation makes an attack that targets an INFANTRY or SWARM unit, that attack has the [SUSTAINED HITS 1] ability. |
Hyper-aggression Each time a TYRANIDS model with this Hyper-adaptation makes an attack that targets a MONSTER or VEHICLE unit, that attack has the [LETHAL HITS] ability. |
Hive Predators Each time a TYRANIDS model with this Hyper-adaptation makes an attack that targets a CHARACTER unit, on a Critical Hit, that attack has the [PRECISION] ability. |
This leader-beast possesses highly sophisticated neural pathways, allowing it to identify priority strategic assets and adapt the disposition of its warriors to seize them before the foe even recognise their value. TYRANIDS model only. After both players have deployed their armies, select up to three TYRANIDS units from your army and redeploy them. When doing so, you can set those units up in Strategic Reserves if you wish, regardless of how many units are already in Strategic Reserves. |
This creature was created for one purpose: to completely eradicate the defenders of the target prey world. TYRANIDS model only. Once per turn, you can re-roll one Hit roll, one Wound roll, one Damage roll, one Advance roll, one Charge roll or one saving throw made for the bearer. |
With a neuro-cortex that pulsates with the irresistible power of the Hive Mind, this leader acts as a blazing synaptic beacon to the lesser creatures of the swarm, the better to direct their actions and react to the ever-changing state of battle. TYRANIDS model only. While a friendly TYRANIDS unit is within 9" of the bearer, that unit is within Synapse Range of your army. |
The same weapon rarely works against this leader-beast twice, as its alien physiology adapts at an astonishing rate to counter the attacks of the foe. TYRANIDS model only. The bearer has the Feel No Pain 5+ ability. At the start of any turn, if the bearer has fewer than its starting number of wounds remaining, until the end of the battle, it has the Feel No Pain 4+ ability instead. |
In their efforts to lay the monstrous beasts of a Crusher Stampede low, the prey only succeed in further enraging the rampaging monsters. The surviving beasts are driven to fight with greater fury the more of their number that fall.
Each time a TYRANIDS MONSTER model from your army makes an attack, add 1 to the Hit roll if that model’s unit is below its Starting Strength, and add 1 to the Wound roll as well if that model’s unit is Below Half-strength. In addition, while a TYRANIDS MONSTER unit from your army (excluding Battle-shocked units) is at its Starting Strength, add 2 to the Objective Control characteristic of models in that unit.
The crushing menace of the Hive Mind rolls off this monstrous creature in waves, causing it to loom even larger in the minds of its quailing prey and lending it absolute dominance of the battlefield. TYRANIDS MONSTER model only. Add 3 to the bearer’s Objective Control characteristic. |
Contained deep within this organism’s body is a pulsating sac filled with a cocktail of adrenostimulant fluids linked to a ring of vascular-pneumatic sphincters, allowing them one last-ditch strike. TYRANIDS MONSTER model only. If the bearer is destroyed by a melee attack, if it has not fought this phase, roll one D6: on a 3+, do not remove it from play. It can fight after the attacking model’s unit has finished making its attacks, and is then removed from play. |
A contraganglion knot in this creature’s cranium channels and amplifies the smothering power of the Shadow in the Warp to nullify its prey’s psychic abilities. TYRANIDS MONSTER model only. Once per battle, when a Psychic Attack is allocated to the bearer, it can use this ability. If it does, until the end of the phase, the bearer has the Feel No Pain 5+ ability against Psychic Attacks. |
With its basic logic centres and instinctive drivers augmented, this warrior organism is capable of singling out and hunting down valuable prey without direct synaptic oversight. TYRANIDS MONSTER model only. Each time the bearer makes a melee attack that targets a MONSTER or VEHICLE unit, add 1 to the Wound roll. |
When Hormagaunts, Termagants and other such expendable warrior organisms attack en masse they make up for their comparative fragility with sheer numbers. Coupled with the speed and ferocity of their onslaught - which only seems to increase as the prey try to gun the creatures down or drive them back - the gathered broods soon overrun even the most determined defenders.
Each time an enemy unit is selected to shoot, after that unit has finished making its attacks, if one or more models from one or more ENDLESS MULTITUDE units from your army were destroyed as a result of those attacks, each such unit can make a Surge move. To do so, roll one D6: that unit can be moved a distance in inches up to the result, but that unit must end that move as close as possible to the closest enemy unit (excluding AIRCRAFT). When doing so, those models can be moved within Engagement Range of enemy units. A unit cannot make a Surge move while it is Battle-shocked.
An overriding need to sink their fangs into the flesh of their prey drives these creatures toward the foe. TYRANIDS model only. Add 2" to the Move characteristic of models in the bearer’s unit. |
These warrior organisms possess limited chameleonic properties that conceal their advance. The benefits of such deceptions decrease as they approach their prey, but can be enough to bring them safely into range to strike. TYRANIDS model only. At the start of the first battle round, select up to three friendly ENDLESS MULTITUDE units within 9" of the bearer. Until the end of the battle round, each time a ranged attack targets one of those units, models in that unit have the Benefit of Cover against that attack. |
A simple but potent biomorphic enhancement of these warrior organisms sees some amongst their number boast diamond-sharp talon tips. Lashing suddenly from amidst the mass of thrashing weapon limbs these plunge through armour to pierce organs and rupture delicate systems. TYRANIDS model only. Each time a model in the bearer’s unit makes an attack, on a Critical Wound, improve the Armour Penetration characteristic of that attack by 1. |
Biostimulants course through the bodies of these warrior organisms, combining with goading synaptic impulses to lend them an unholy turn of speed. TYRANIDS model only. Each time the bearer’s unit Piles In or Consolidates, models in this unit can move an additional 3". |
Even as the beasts of the Assimilation Swarm stalk across the battlefield they make use of the abundant biomass yielded up by the prey worlds slow demise. Warrior organisms heal even the most grievous wounds in moments, or stagger upright and return to the fight after they seemed slain. A strain of revolting vitality flows through the Tyranid broods as though leeched direct from their dismayed victims.
In your Command phase, each HARVESTER unit from your army can Regenerate one friendly TYRANIDS unit that is within 6" of it. A unit can only be regenerated once per phase. Each time a unit regenerates, do one of the following:
This nightmarish creature seems virtually unkillable, its every hurt healing in moments as it guzzles down the hunks of bubbling biomatter that were once foes. TYRANIDS model only (excluding MONSTERS models). The bearer’s unit can be regenerated up to twice per phase, instead of once. |
The swarm’s warrior organisms fight with instinctive and single-minded ferocity to protect the all-devouring organisms in their midst. TYRANIDS model only. While the bearer is within 6" of one or more friendly HARVESTER units, you can target the bearer’s unit with the Heroic Intervention Stratagem for 0CP. In addition, while the bearer is within 6" of one or more friendly HARVESTER units, models in the bearer’s unit have the Fights First ability. |
Parasitised biomass and revivifying fluids flow through the Assimilation Swarm like lifeblood. TYRANIDS model only. While a friendly HARVESTER model is within 12" of the bearer, when using the Feed the Swarm ability, that HARVESTER model can Regenerate one friendly TYRANIDS unit that is within 9" of it, instead of one within 6". |
These warrior organisms boast additional fanged maws, jabbing probosci and haemophagic membranes that consume the fluids of their prey. TYRANIDS model only. Add 1 to the Strength characteristic of melee weapons equipped by models in the bearer’s unit. The first time the bearer’s unit destroys an enemy unit in the Fight phase while the bearer is within 6" of one or more friendly HARVESTER units, until the end of the battle, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of melee weapons equipped by models in the bearer’s unit. |
In the early stages of an invasion, the Hive Mind harries and unbalances its foes with lightning-fast flanking attacks, before encircling them for the final, bloody slaughter.
TYRANIDS units with this ability are eligible to charge in a turn in which they Fell Back. VANGUARD INVADER units with this ability are eligible to charge in a turn in which they Advanced.During the earliest stages of a Tyranid invasion, the rare bioform Imperial observers have named Deathleaper has been seen fulfilling a leadership and coordination role amongst the swarms. Employing pheromone trails and goading imperatives, the creature provides guidance to other warrior organisms that is the localised equivalent of synaptic control.
DEATHLEAPER loses the Hunter Organism rule and can be your WARLORD.
This warrior organism has identified installations and routes of communication and supply vital to the prey. As the Tyranid invasion commences so the beast orchestrates ambushes and terror raids against these priority targets, ensuring that those enemy reinforcements who do reach the battlefield do so in bloodied disarray. TYRANIDS model only. While the bearer is on the battlefield, each time your opponent sets up a Reserves unit on the battlefield, roll one D6: on a 2+, that unit must take a Battle-shock test. |
Subdermal crystals in this organisms carapace capture and redirect light, helping to conceal it. VANGUARD INVADER model only. The bearer has the Stealth ability and each time a ranged attack targets the bearer’s unit, models in that unit have the Benefit of Cover against that attack. |
This hunter seeks vital priority prey that has been pheromonally marked for swift slaughter. VANGUARD INVADER model only. At the start of the battle, select one enemy unit. Each time the bearer makes an attack that targets that enemy unit, add 1 to the Hit roll and add 1 to the Wound roll. |
While no true synapse beast, this bioform has been grafted with a limited synaptic symbiote, the influence of which increases its host’s ability to formulate and enforce large-scale predatory strategies. TYRANIDS model only. After both players have deployed their armies, you can select up to three VANGUARD INVADER units from your army and redeploy all of those units. When doing so, any of those units can be placed into Strategic Reserves, regardless of how many units are already in Strategic Reserves. |
The leader-beasts of these swarms act as conduits to the will of the Hive Mind. Irresistible imperatives lash out from them like whips that drive lesser bioforms to hurl themselves at the prey, to fight on through fatal wounds or to attack with redoubled savagery.
At the start of the battle round, you can select one of the Synaptic Imperatives shown below. Until the end of the battle round, that Synaptic Imperative is active for your army and while a TYRANIDS unit from your army is within Synapse Range of your army, it will benefit from it. Each Synaptic Imperative can only be selected once per battle.
The Hive Mind channels lethal energy through its synaptic bioforms. TYRANIDS PSYKER model only. Improve the Strength and Armour Penetration characteristics of psychic weapons equipped by the bearer by 1. |
A maelstrom of psychostatic disruption boils about this bioform. It degrades artificial and biological cognition alike, causing teleport signals to fluctuate, geopositioning cogitators to spew contradictory data, and onrushing enemy warriors to reel in confusion. TYRANIDS SYNAPSE model only. Enemy units that arrive on the battlefield from Reserves cannot be set up within 12" of the bearer. In addition, once per battle, during the first or second battle round, when your opponent declares that a unit will arrive on the battlefield from Strategic Reserves, the bearer can use this Enhancement. If it does, roll one D6: on a 4+, that enemy unit cannot arrive on the battlefield this turn. |
The Hive Mind’s synaptic network is so strong that even the mangled remains of mortally wounded beasts can be compelled to fight on. TYRANIDS SYNAPSE model only. Each time an attack is allocated to the bearer, subtract 1 from the Damage characteristic of that attack. |
This grotesque biomorphic symbiote buries itself in its hosts thorax and emits a droning psychic note. The longer prey are exposed to the sound, the worse their atavistic terror response becomes... TYRANIDS SYNAPSE model only. While an enemy unit is within 9" of the bearer, worsen that units Leadership characteristic by 1. |
None of the synapse-beasts comprising the hive fleets are more prevalent than Tyranid Warriors. Lethal killing machines in their own right, these bioforms serve not only as instruments of destruction but as relay nodes through which the will of the Hive Mind transmits. Armed with an array of devastating weaponised biomorphs, broods of Tyranid Warriors and other bioforms slaughter their way through any resistance and open a path for hordes of Hormagaunts and Termagants to pour in to obliterate all remaining resistance.
Tyranid Warriors are adapted to shepherd the hive fleet’s teeming swarms to war. Benefiting from heightened senses, hardened forms and great strength, they serve as ferocious beacons for and enforcers of the Hive Mind’s indomitable will.
TYRANID WARRIORS (see below) and WINGED TYRANID PRIME units from your army have a 5+ invulnerable save.
This Neurotyrant has been integrated into the synaptic web, maximising its control over the lesser bioforms and providing an additional layer of protection. Neurotyrant model only. During the Declare Battle Formations step, the bearer can be attached to a TYRANID WARRIORS unit. |
This node-beast’s bio-adaptations allow it to perceive the minutest electrical impulse or heat signature. Few prey organisms escape its clutches. WINGED TYRANID PRIME model only. Each time a model in the bearer’s unit makes an attack, add 1 to the Hit roll. |
The Hive Mind feeds accumulated sensory data to this leader‑beast, providing it with forewarning of incoming attacks long before the foe can land a blow. WINGED TYRANID PRIME model only. Each time an attack targets the bearer’s unit, subtract 1 from the Hit roll. |
This bioform and its accompanying organisms possess muscular adaptations that give them incredible speed and endurance. TYRANIDS model only. The bearer’s unit is eligible to declare a charge in a turn in which it Advanced. |
In this section you’ll find additional rules for playing Crusade battles that are bespoke to TYRANIDS units. You can find out more about Crusade armies in the main Crusade rules.
In the first stages of a Tyranid invasion, swift and adaptable broods of bioforms assess and then rapidly counteract the defences of the prey. Some organisms may already have infiltrated the target world, and only now burst from their hiding places to wreak bloody havoc. Others pour down from spore-blighted skies and flow into battle, the myriad heralds of yet greater horrors still to come.
So thoroughly infested with Tyranid swarms has the prey world become, that broods prowl almost all environs and surge from every tangled thicket and blasted ruin to attack. Even defenders who consider themselves safe within formidable fortifications can be suddenly and violently disabused of that notion amidst a rush of chitinous bodies and stabbing talons from an unexpected quarter.
As the Tyranid ecosystem takes hold, strange living structures sprout forth that are vital to the final consumption of the world. Those Tyranid organisms charged with protecting these grotesque bio-structures now become exceptionally aggressive even as vile eater-beasts devour every scrap of available biomass and ferry it back to the waiting assimilation structures.
Raw biomass is diverted to the creation of even more warrior organisms and hive ships to bear them through the void.
A great enough stock of biomass has been secured that a portion can be poured into fashioning strange and terrible graft organisms for the swarms’ mightiest leader-beasts.
The Hive Mind exploits the neurally cached experiences of its warrior organisms to hone their predatory instincts.
A focused allocation of biomass offers a brood the chance to rapidly and significantly adapt at the Hive Mind’s urging.
With so much accumulated biomass, the hive fleet can adapt whatever aspect of its nature the Hive Mind bids it to.
In order to overwhelm the prey, devour the biomass of the dead and seed the world with toxic spores; the swarm must cover all.
The Hive Mind has marked those prey organisms whose swift destruction it wishes prioritised. The hunt begins.
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In preparation for the complete assimilation of biomass on this prey world, it is necessary to seed Tyranid structures on the battlefield, from sporecaster organisms to digestion pools.
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Every last prey organism that stands against the swarm must be overrun - butchered - and their biomass consumed so that fresh waves of bioforms may be spawned.
The Hive Mind can break down the biomass of its warrior organisms, reabsorbing them and restructuring their bodies and neural pathways at a molecular level before spawning them anew.
The gestalt consciousness of the Great Devourer is omnipresent throughout the hive fleets, always urging its mindless, ravenous swarms on toward whatever strategic goals will see them best feed, grow and spread.
As the needs of the swarm change, so the Hive Mind is able to break down the physical form of its synaptic node-beasts while preserving their neuro-ganglia and the cached sense-impressions therein. This neural mass is then encased in a new and more suitable physical form.
Every warrior organism is fashioned by the ineffable alien will of the Hive Mind. Their flesh and chitin is endlessly mutable, honed into whatever form will prove most lethal to its prey.
These warrior organisms are possessed of a ravenous hunger, their eagerness to tear and rend flesh lending their blows additional, frenzied strength.
The sensory acuity of this brood has been heightened such that no prey can hide from them.
This brood possess heightened tactical instincts that allow them to hunt efficiently even without direct synaptic oversight.
These warrior organisms are well protected by their pseudo-sentient carapaces and partial regenerative capabilities. It takes a great concentration of fire to do them any real harm.
Moving with lithe rapidity, these warrior organisms close the distance to their prey and begin their killing frenzy.
The bioforms of this brood have been imbued with tensile strength and whipcord sinews that allow them to spring upon their prey, lending their pouncing onslaught additional impact to maximise carnage.
These leader-beasts emanate the unfathomable will of the Hive Mind, an alien consciousness so vast it drives prey creatures mad.
Such is this creature's psionic power that enemy sorceries unravel in its presence.
So potent is the psionic presence of this leader-beast that it is able to act as a nodal amplifier to imperatives unleashed by other nearby synaptic organisms.
The damaged flesh and chitin of this formidable warrior organism regrows at an astounding rate.
This brood boasts thickened and extended chitinous carapaces.
So potent is this bioform's synaptic presence that it acts as a focusing lens for the psychic might of the Hive Mind.
Lingering neural trauma has left this brood with a damaged connection to the synaptic network.
Severed entirely from synapse control, this brood is forced to fall back upon its own hardwired instincts in battle.
Overdeveloped prey-response instincts drown out the higher functions of this brood, causing them to obsessively focus on the nearest prey to the exclusion of more strategically important targets.
So overcome with biochemical adrenaline and predatory aggression is this brood, that its warrior organisms seek constantly to hurl themselves upon the nearest possible prey and tear them to pieces.
Due to neurosynaptic feedback or cranial damage, this bioform struggles to mesh fully with the Hive Mind.
Physical and neural damage has eroded the strength of this organism’s synaptic signal, leaving it unable to fully impose its will upon the swarm.
Although able to still provide the warrior organisms around it with basic synaptic imperatives, this beast is no longer able to control their behaviour.
This organism’s psychic presence is all but non-existent, its ability to deepen the Shadow in the Warp stolen away from it.
This rare cranial biomodification allows its monstrous host to psionically drain the life from its prey, feeding off their animus and using it as fuel to both regrow and augment its own form.
PSYKER model only. Each time an enemy unit loses a wound as the result of a Psychic Attack made by the bearer:This foul net of neuro-membranes infests the cranial cavities of its host and amplifies their offensive psycho-synaptic aptitude.
Model with one or more Psychic weapons only. Each time the bearer makes an attack with a Psychic weapon, you can re-roll the Hit roll and you can re-roll the Wound roll.This bio-artefact can penetrate the thickest armour in order to implant dozens of Ripper parasites within a host. In seconds, the ghastly creatures grow to full size, devouring the host from the inside out and bursting forth in a shower of gore.
At the hilt of each of these enormous, curving blades is a shell of diamond-hard chitin. This houses the brain of the weapon-symbiote. With a mental command, the wielder can generate a surge of psychic energy through this organism that incinerates the sabres’ unfortunate victims from the inside out.
MONSTER model only. Select one of the bearer’s melee weapons. That weapon gains the following ability:First named by Inquisitor Kryptman, the Norn Crown is a unique parasitic organism that burrows needle-like cerebral bores directly into the brain of its host, forming a neuro-synaptic link that acts as a hyper-conduit for the Hive Mind. Through this abhorrent union, the Hive Mind’s indomitable will can pour forth to augment and control the hordes of lesser Tyranids that scuttle in the leader-beast’s wake.
Stretching out across the dark void, your swarms spread the soul-crushing Shadow in the Warp to sow dismay amongst the foe. With every successful act of predation, every prey bastion broken open and its defenders devoured, every massed clash won by means both insidious and monstrous, the power of your tendril grows. You have amassed much biomass and driven vanguard organisms like talons into the yielding flesh of yet more bounteous hunting grounds. Now is the time to push forward at the Hive Minds urging and let the true feast begin.
One after another the prey worlds fall to the rapacious hunger of your swarms. Whether teeming wildernesses of ferocious flora and fauna, populous megalopolis worlds covered in mountainous cities, or indomitable fortress worlds clad in plasteel and ferrocrete from pole to pole, none can resist your hunger. With each fresh victory your bioforms harvest more and varied quantities of biomass, opening up new options for adaptation and increasingly efficient consumption of the prey. Yet more worlds still lie before you. All must fall. All must be devoured.
Immense swarms flood entire star systems at your urging. An unending torrent of biomass pours back into your tendril, fortifying it further with every world devoured. You are the will of the Hive Mind made manifest. You are the death of worlds, and you are unstoppable!
Amidst the dark of the void, the alien horror of the Tyranids is rendered all the more terrifying. Whether swarming forth to defend their own bio-ships or stalking their prey through the decks of voidships or star forts, the hunting swarms leave none alive.
The internal structures of voidships are no obstacle to the insidious reach of the Hive Mind.
Units from your army with the Shadow in the Warp ability retain that ability.To be trapped within the hull of a voidship with swarming Tyranids, subjected to the focused horror of the Shadow in the Warp that wreathes them, is more than some can stand.
When you unleash the Shadow in the Warp, subtract 1 from the Battle-shock test each enemy unit on the battlefield must take as a result. For each enemy unit that fails one of those tests, that enemy unit cannot Fire Overwatch this turn.Synaptic Goad This gestalt colony of ganglean parasites amplifies the Hive Mind’s localised control over its leading warrior organisms, driving them on to greater speed and aggression. In your Command phase, select one friendly TYRANID WARRIORS WITH MELEE BIO-WEAPONS or TYRANID WARRIORS WITH RANGED BIO-WEAPONS unit within 6" of the bearer. Until the end of the turn, add 2" to the Move characteristic of models in that unit. |
Reinforced Carapace Threaded with molecular veins of absorbed alloys and minerals, this bioforms chitinous carapace has a dull glint that hints at its formidable resilience. Each time an attack is allocated to the bearer, subtract 1 from the Damage characteristic of that attack (note that if given to a TYRANID PRIME model, this only affects that model and not other models in its unit). |
When Tyranid hive ships latch onto prey vessels, they unleash tailored swarms of swift vanguard organisms whose purpose is to sow terror amongst the defenders and strike for vital targets such as the enginarium and command bridge.
The internal structures of voidships are no obstacle to the insidious reach of the Hive Mind.
Units from your army with the Shadow in the Warp ability retain that ability.As these cunning vanguard predators move deeper into the prey vessel, they adapt their hunting patterns at need. They run down those victims worthy of slaughter while leaving lesser enemies to flee into the dark even as the Tyranids move away in search of far worthier prey.
Each time an enemy unit within Engagement Range of one or more TYRANIDS units from your army is selected to Fall Back, after that enemy unit has made that Fall Back move, for each of those TYRANIDS units, if there are no other enemy units within Engagement Range of it, it can make a Normal move of up to 3".Monoform Predators These hunter organisms are already perfectly tailored to their task. The Hive Mind does not waste biomass in altering them further. TYRANIDS models in this Detachment cannot be given Enhancements. |
Whether responding to attacks by hostile boarding parties or spilling into an already-breached prey vessel, these unceasing waves of warrior organisms overrun their victims like a multiplying virus.
The internal structures of voidships are no obstacle to the insidious reach of the Hive Mind.
Units from your army with the Shadow in the Warp ability retain that ability.This massed swarm of warrior organisms spills over and around one another as they advance, chitinous killers packing corridors floor to ceiling and bursting open hatchways with sheer weight of numbers.
Each time a TYRANIDS unit from your army moves, models in that unit can move through friendly TYRANIDS models as if they were not there. In addition, each time a TYRANIDS unit from your army attempts to operate a closed Hatchway, if your opponent tries to prevent it, add 1 to your result of the roll-off.Synaptic Beacon Like a psionic fire burning in the depths of the void, this organisms mere presence unifies and anchors all the swarms flowing about it. While a friendly TYRANIDS unit is within 9" of the bearer (ignoring Walls and closed Hatchways), that unit is within Synapse Range of the bearer and of your army. |
Hypersurge Gland This internal symbiote can expend itself in a single flood of aggression stimulants and drive its host into a sudden, accelerated attack against a key target. Once per battle, at the end of your opponents Charge phase, the bearer can use this Enhancement. If it does, it can declare a charge as if it were your Charge phase. |
Many doomed voidships have been infested by Genestealers, their corridors and crawlways transformed into the hunting grounds and brood-lairs of monstrous vanguard organisms. Such infestations prove nightmarishly deadly to any unwise enough to board these apparent derelicts.
All the enemy see are half-glimpsed darting shadows, or partial returns of contact blips on sensor-screens. At least, that is, until the Genestealers are in position to pounce...
Units from your army with the SYNAPSE or Cult Ambush abilities replace those abilities with this one.Possessed of alien cunning and unnatural stealth, Genestealers are able to fade back into the shadows or crawl across ceilings or under deck-plates, the better to evade notice by their prey.
Each time a ranged attack targets a GREAT DEVOURER unit from your army, if the attacking model is not within 6" of that unit, subtract 1 from the Hit roll.Stalking Menace Soon after this nightmarish predator vanishes from sight, its victims feel the hot reek of its breath upon the napes of their necks in the instant before it strikes. Once per battle, at the end of your opponent’s Fight phase, if the bearer is not within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units, it can use this Enhancement. If it does, remove the bearer from the battlefield and place it into Strategic Reserves. It will arrive back on the battlefield in the Reinforcements step of your next Movement phase as if it had the Deep Strike ability. If this is not possible, the bearer is destroyed. When the bearer is set back up on the battlefield, until the end of the turn, it cannot declare a charge. |
Psi-spoor Sensitivity Able to taste its prey’s terrified mental signatures like pheromones, there is nowhere to hide from this beast. Each time the bearer declares a charge, it can target enemy units that are not visible to it. |
The VANGUARD INVADER keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
Mighty heroes fight at the forefront of battle.
Some CHARACTER units have ‘Leader’ listed on their datasheets. Such CHARACTER units are known as Leaders, and the units they can lead – known as their Bodyguard units – are listed on their datasheet.Assassins and other covert agents are difficult to track and pinpoint in the swirling maelstrom of battle.
Unless part of an Attached unit (see Leader), this unit can only be selected as the target of a ranged attack if the attacking model is within 12".The soul of the Grey Knights is sacrosanct, and their purity is incorruptible. The silvered armour of this Chapter’s warriors is bound with incantations, engraved with sigils of warding. Their blades shine with the inner light of their sanctity, for each of these Space Marines is a psychic warrior, in empyric communion with his battle-brothers. Empowered by minds constantly on guard, they can cut steel with bare hands, their eyes blaze with fire and even the power of their words flays the otherworldly skin of daemons. They are the Imperium’s foremost sword and shield against the daemonic. Guided by the foresight and prophecies of the Chapter’s Prognosticars, a Grey Knight can adapt to the most irrational of foes and, in a flare of teleportation energies, emerge at exactly the right location to unleash their devastating power.
If your Army Faction is GREY KNIGHTS, at the end of your opponent’s turn, you can select a number of GREY KNIGHTS units from your army with this ability (excluding units that are within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units). The maximum number of units you can select depends on the battle size, as follows:
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This warrior organism has identified installations and routes of communication and supply vital to the prey. As the Tyranid invasion commences so the beast orchestrates ambushes and terror raids against these priority targets, ensuring that those enemy reinforcements who do reach the battlefield do so in bloodied disarray.
Reserves unit on the battlefield, roll one D6: on a 2+, that unit must take a Battle-shock test.
model only. While the bearer is on the battlefield, each time your opponent sets up aWeapons powered by unstable and dangerous energy sources pose a substantial risk to the wielder every time they are used.
Weapons with [HAZARDOUS] in their profile are known as Hazardous weapons. Each time a unit is selected to shoot or fight, after that unit has resolved all of its attacks, for each Hazardous weapon that targets were selected for when resolving those attacks, that unit must take one Hazardous test. To do so, roll one D6: on a 1, that test is failed. For each failed test you must resolve the following sequence (resolve each failed test one at a time):Some attacks are so powerful that no armour or force field can withstand their fury.
Some rules inflict mortal wounds on units. Each time mortal wounds are inflicted on a unit, each of those mortal wounds inflicts one point of damage to that unit, and they are always applied one at a time. Each mortal wound is allocated to a model in the same manner as allocating an attack. Excess damage from mortal wounds is not lost if the damage can be allocated to another model. Instead, keep allocating damage to another model in the target unit until either all the damage has been allocated or the target unit is destroyed.Some warriors refuse to be laid low, even by what should be fatal wounds.
Some models have ‘Feel No Pain x+’ listed in their abilities. Each time a model with this ability suffers damage and so would lose a wound (including wounds lost due to mortal wounds), roll one D6: if the result is greater than or equal to the number denoted by ‘x’, that wound is ignored and is not lost. If a model has more than one Feel No Pain ability, you can only use one of those abilities each time that model suffers damage and so would lose a wound.The SYNAPSE keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
Some Tyranids serve as synaptic conduits or nodal relays through which a portion of the Hive Mind’s iron will flows, overriding the natural instincts of the swarm to direct the teeming warrior-beasts to function as a single, gestalt organism on the battlefield.
If your Army Faction is , while a unit from your army is within 6" of one or more friendly SYNAPSE models, that unit is said to be within Synapse Range of that model and of your army. While a unit from your army is within Synapse Range of your army:A maelstrom of psychostatic disruption boils about this bioform. It degrades artificial and biological cognition alike, causing teleport signals to fluctuate, geopositioning cogitators to spew contradictory data, and onrushing enemy warriors to reel in confusion.
SYNAPSE model only. Enemy units that arrive on the battlefield from Reserves cannot be set up within 12" of the bearer. In addition, once per battle, during the first or second battle round, when your opponent declares that a unit will arrive on the battlefield from Strategic Reserves, the bearer can use this Enhancement. If it does, roll one D6: on a 4+, that enemy unit cannot arrive on the battlefield this turn.
The HARVESTER keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
The INFANTRY keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
The CHARACTER keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
The ENDLESS MULTITUDE keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
Even as the beasts of the Assimilation Swarm stalk across the battlefield they make use of the abundant biomass yielded up by the prey worlds slow demise. Warrior organisms heal even the most grievous wounds in moments, or stagger upright and return to the fight after they seemed slain. A strain of revolting vitality flows through the Tyranid broods as though leeched direct from their dismayed victims.
In your Command phase, each HARVESTER unit from your army can Regenerate one friendly unit that is within 6" of it. A unit can only be regenerated once per phase. Each time a unit regenerates, do one of the following:The HIVE TYRANT keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
Some warriors are masters of disguise and concealment.
If every model in a unit has this ability, then each time a ranged attack is made against it, subtract 1 from that attack’s Hit roll.When Hormagaunts, Termagants and other such expendable warrior organisms attack en masse they make up for their comparative fragility with sheer numbers. Coupled with the speed and ferocity of their onslaught - which only seems to increase as the prey try to gun the creatures down or drive them back - the gathered broods soon overrun even the most determined defenders.
Each time an enemy unit is selected to shoot, after that unit has finished making its attacks, if one or more models from one or more ENDLESS MULTITUDE units from your army were destroyed as a result of those attacks, each such unit can make a Surge move. To do so, roll one D6: that unit can be moved a distance in inches up to the result, but that unit must end that move as close as possible to the closest enemy unit (excluding AIRCRAFT). When doing so, those models can be moved within Engagement Range of enemy units. A unit cannot make a Surge move while it is Battle-shocked.Tyranids flood the battlefield with the psychic signature of the hive fleet - an icy, alien dread that gnaws at the minds of their prey and smothers even the most stalwart courage. When faced with such unfathomable horror, many are driven insane or suffer catastrophic neural damage.
If your Army Faction is , once per battle, in either player’s Command phase, if one or more units from your army with this ability are on the battlefield, you can unleash the Shadow in the Warp. When you do, each enemy unit on the battlefield must take a Battle-shock test. Each time an enemy unit takes such a Battle-shock test, if it is within 6" of one or more SYNAPSE units from your army, subtract 1 from that test.The greatest warriors, most cunning tacticians and seers lead their armies to war possessed of hard-won skills and powerful artefacts that mark them out as legendary commanders.
Some weapons strike in a flurry of blows, tearing the foe apart with relentless ferocity.
Weapons with [SUSTAINED HITS X] in their profile are known as Sustained Hits weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, if a Critical Hit is rolled, that attack scores a number of additional hits on the target as denoted by ‘x’.Some weapons can inflict fatal injuries on any foe, no matter their resilience.
Weapons with [LETHAL HITS] in their profile are known as Lethal Hits weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, a Critical Hit automatically wounds the target.Precision attacks can pick high-value targets out in a crowd, whether through the unerring aim of a sniper or the pinpoint accuracy of a blade-master’s strike.
Weapons with [PRECISION] in their profile are known as Precision weapons. Each time an attack made with such a weapon successfully wounds an Attached unit (see Leader ability), if a CHARACTER model in that unit is visible to the attacking model, the attacking model’s player can choose to have that attack allocated to that CHARACTER model instead of following the normal attack sequence.
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Every warrior organism in the Tyranid race is fashioned by the ineffable alien will of the Hive Mind. Their flesh and chitin is endlessly mutable, honed into whatever form will prove most lethal to the prey.
At the start of the first battle round, select one of the following Hyper-adaptations to be active for units from your army until the end of the battle:Swarming Instincts Each time a INFANTRY or SWARM unit, that attack has the [SUSTAINED HITS 1] ability. model with this Hyper-adaptation makes an attack that targets an |
Hyper-aggression Each time a MONSTER or VEHICLE unit, that attack has the [LETHAL HITS] ability. model with this Hyper-adaptation makes an attack that targets a |
Hive Predators Each time a CHARACTER unit, on a Critical Hit, that attack has the [PRECISION] ability. model with this Hyper-adaptation makes an attack that targets a |
From detonating ammo stores to corrosive innards or frenzied death throes, some targets are deadly even in defeat.
Some models have ‘Deadly Demise x’ listed in their abilities. When such a model is destroyed, roll one D6 before removing it from play (if such a model is a TRANSPORT, roll before any embarked models disembark). On a 6, each unit within 6" of that model suffers a number of mortal wounds denoted by ‘x’ (if this is a random number, roll separately for each unit within 6").Some weapons are designed to root enemy formations out of entrenched positions.
Weapons with [IGNORES COVER] in their profile are known as Ignores Cover weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, the target cannot have the Benefit of Cover against that attack.Shattered ruins and twisted wreckage afford much-needed shelter from enemy salvoes. Even heavily armoured warriors unfazed by small arms fire are thankful for such cover when foes bring their biggest guns to bear.
Models can sometimes gain a measure of protection from terrain features. The rules below detail the conditions under which a terrain feature confers the Benefit of Cover on a model.High-explosives can fell several warriors in a single blast, but firing them where your comrades will get caught in the ensuing detonation is simply unwise.
Weapons with [BLAST] in their profile are known as Blast weapons, and they make a random number of attacks. Each time you determine how many attacks are made with a Blast weapon, add 1 to the result for every five models that were in the target unit when you selected it as the target (rounding down). Blast weapons can never be used to make attacks against a unit that is within Engagement Range of one or more units from the attacking model’s army (including its own unit).The MONSTER keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
Many warriors thunder headlong into combat, using the impetus of their charge to bring swift death to their foes.
Each time a unit makes a Charge move, until the end of the turn, that unit has the Fights First ability.Some warriors attack with blinding speed, landing their blows before their foes can react.
Units with this ability that are eligible to fight do so in the Fights First step, provided every model in the unit has this ability.The VANGUARD INVADER and INFANTRY keywords are used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
Whether shielded by force fields, enveloped in mystical energies or simply possessed of preternatural senses and lightning-fast reflexes, some warriors are protected by more than mere physical armour.
Some models have an invulnerable save listed on their datasheet. Each time an attack is allocated to a model with an invulnerable save, the controlling player must choose to use either that model’s Save characteristic or its invulnerable save, but not both. If a model has more than one invulnerable save, it can only use one of them – choose which it will use.The leader-beasts of these swarms act as conduits to the will of the Hive Mind. Irresistible imperatives lash out from them like whips that drive lesser bioforms to hurl themselves at the prey, to fight on through fatal wounds or to attack with redoubled savagery.
At the start of the battle round, you can select one of the Synaptic Imperatives shown below. Until the end of the battle round, that Synaptic Imperative is active for your army and while a unit from your army is within Synapse Range of your army, it will benefit from it. Each Synaptic Imperative can only be selected once per battle.Many armies employ reconnaissance units who can sit concealed, waiting for the right moment to strike.
During deployment, if every model in a unit has this ability, then when you set it up, it can be set up anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9" horizontally away from the enemy deployment zone and all enemy models.Information uncovered by your forces has revealed the growing importance of this war zone and the increasing threat posed by enemies. In response, high command has acceded to your urgent request for reinforcements.
The PSYKER keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets:
First named by Inquisitor Kryptman, the Norn Crown is a unique parasitic organism that burrows needle-like cerebral bores directly into the brain of its host, forming a neuro-synaptic link that acts as a hyper-conduit for the Hive Mind. Through this abhorrent union, the Hive Mind’s indomitable will can pour forth to augment and control the hordes of lesser Tyranids that scuttle in the leader-beast’s wake.
Genestealer Cults keep their fighting strength carefully hidden from their oppressors until the glorious Day of Ascension arrives. When they finally emerge to fight, it is after long years of meticulous planning, and with an intimate knowledge of the battlefield that grants them a tactical advantage. Even as battle rages, reinforcements slip from the shadows or spill up from the dark places below, called to war by the Broodmind.
If your Army Faction is GENESTEALER CULTS, you start the battle with a number of Resurgence points, depending on the battle size, as shown below.
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The GREAT DEVOURER keyword is used in the following Tyranids datasheets: