void-combat/fleets/tyranids.md

Tyranid Hive Fleet List

"The Great Devourer comes. It does not negotiate. It does not retreat. It consumes."

Tyranid hive fleets are not true navies but swarms of living bio-ships controlled by the Hive Mind. Each vessel is a creature unto itself, guided by synaptic links to vast Hive Ships that serve as nodes of the collective consciousness.

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Fleet Special Rules

Synapse Web

The Hive Mind controls lesser bio-ships through psychic links:

• Synapse Creatures are ships marked with the Synapse special rule
• Ships within 20cm of a Synapse Creature use that creature's Leadership
• Ships outside Synapse range have Ld 5 and must roll for Instinctive Behavior

Instinctive Behavior

Bio-ships outside Synapse range act on animal instinct:

• When a non-Synapse ship fails a Command Check while outside Synapse range:
  • It must use All Ahead Full toward the nearest enemy ship
  • It cannot use any other Special Order
  • If it contacts an enemy, it must attempt to board

Living Ships

Tyranid bio-ships are living organisms:

• Tyranid ships have no Shields
• Instead, at the start of each End Phase, each Tyranid ship regenerates 1 Hull (unless Crippled)
• Additionally, repair 1 critical damage effect at the start of each End Phase (this is automatic, no roll required)
• This makes Tyranids extremely resilient over long engagements

Spore Clouds

Bio-ships travel within clouds of spores and organisms:

• All Tyranid ships count as having 1 Blast Marker in base contact for the purpose of turret defense against ordnance
• This means turrets fire at -1 to hit against incoming torpedoes/bombers
• This does NOT affect Leadership or shield suppression (Tyranids have no shields)

Shadow in the Warp

The Hive Mind's psychic presence disrupts enemy communications:

• Enemy ships within 15cm of a Synapse Creature suffer -1 Ld
• This stacks with Blast Marker penalties

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Bio-Weapons

Bio-Plasma

Living energy weapons that fire superheated organic matter:

• Function as Batteries (4+/5+ to hit based on range)
• Range: 30cm
• On a natural 6 to hit, deal 2 damage instead of 1

Pyro-Acid Batteries

Corrosive bio-weapons that dissolve armor:

• Function as Batteries (4+/5+ to hit based on range)
• Range: 30cm
• Ignore armor saves (targets only get Shield saves, if any)

Feeder Tentacles

Close-range appendages for ripping apart enemy vessels:

• Range: 15cm
• Function as Batteries (always hit on 4+ regardless of range)
• +2 to boarding when in base contact

Bio-Torpedoes

Living projectiles that seek out prey:

• Move 25cm per Drift phase (slower than standard)
• May turn up to 45° at the start of each Drift phase
• On impact, deal 1 damage per torpedo AND place 1 Blast Marker per torpedo

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Bio-Organisms (Attack Craft)

Gargoyle Swarms

Winged creatures that intercept enemy craft:

Craft	Speed	Role	Special
Gargoyle Swarm	25cm	Fighter	Sacrificial Interception

Sacrificial Interception: When intercepting, Gargoyle Swarms destroy two targets (torpedo salvos, bomber wings, or any combination). The Gargoyle Swarm is then removed.

Mycetic Spores

Living drop pods carrying warrior organisms:

Craft	Speed	Role	Special
Mycetic Spore	20cm	Assault Boat	Devastating Assault

Devastating Assault: Mycetic Spores cause d3 critical hits on a successful 4+ roll (instead of 1 critical per success).

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Hive Ships (Capital Ships)

Hivemind Dreadnought

The largest bio-ship, a node of the Hive Mind itself.

Points	Speed	Turns	Armor	Hull	Turrets	Ld	Special
400	15cm	45°	4+	14	4	9	Synapse

Weapons:

Weapon	Arc	Strength	Range	Type
Bio-Plasma	L	10	30cm	Bio-Plasma
Bio-Plasma	R	10	30cm	Bio-Plasma
Pyro-Acid	F	6	30cm	Pyro-Acid Battery
Launch Bays	-	4	-	Launch (4 capacity)

Special Rules:

• Synapse Creature: Provides Synapse within 20cm
• Massive: Uses a 60mm base
• Counts as a Battleship for fleet composition
• Hive Node: Synapse range extended to 30cm instead of 20cm

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Hive Ship

A powerful synapse creature that coordinates lesser bio-ships.

Points	Speed	Turns	Armor	Hull	Turrets	Ld	Special
300	20cm	45°	4+	10	3	8	Synapse

Weapons:

Weapon	Arc	Strength	Range	Type
Bio-Plasma	L	8	30cm	Bio-Plasma
Bio-Plasma	R	8	30cm	Bio-Plasma
Feeder Tentacles	F	6	15cm	Feeder Tentacles
Launch Bays	-	3	-	Launch (3 capacity)

Special Rules:

• Synapse Creature: Provides Synapse within 20cm
• Counts as a Battleship for fleet composition

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Razorfiend

A cruiser-class bio-ship optimized for ranged combat.

Points	Speed	Turns	Armor	Hull	Turrets	Ld	Special
160	25cm	45°	5+	6	2	6*	Drone

Weapons:

Weapon	Arc	Strength	Range	Type
Bio-Plasma	L	6	30cm	Bio-Plasma
Bio-Plasma	R	6	30cm	Bio-Plasma
Bio-Torpedoes	F	4	-	Bio-Torpedo

Special Rules:

• *Uses Synapse Ld when in range
• Counts as a Cruiser for fleet composition

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Kraken

A versatile cruiser bio-ship with balanced armament.

Points	Speed	Turns	Armor	Hull	Turrets	Ld	Special
140	25cm	45°	5+	6	2	6*	Drone

Weapons:

Weapon	Arc	Strength	Range	Type
Bio-Plasma	L	4	30cm	Bio-Plasma
Bio-Plasma	R	4	30cm	Bio-Plasma
Pyro-Acid	F	4	30cm	Pyro-Acid Battery

Special Rules:

• *Uses Synapse Ld when in range
• Counts as a Cruiser for fleet composition

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Devourer

A boarding-focused bio-ship with powerful tentacles.

Points	Speed	Turns	Armor	Hull	Turrets	Ld	Special
170	25cm	45°	5+	7	2	6*	Drone

Weapons:

Weapon	Arc	Strength	Range	Type
Feeder Tentacles	L	4	15cm	Feeder Tentacles
Feeder Tentacles	R	4	15cm	Feeder Tentacles
Feeder Tentacles	F	6	15cm	Feeder Tentacles

Special Rules:

• *Uses Synapse Ld when in range
• Counts as a Cruiser for fleet composition
• Boarding Horror: +2 to boarding attacks (in addition to Feeder Tentacle bonus when in contact)

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Prowler

A light bio-ship used for scouting and harassment.

Points	Speed	Turns	Armor	Hull	Turrets	Ld	Special
110	30cm	45°	5+	4	1	6*	Drone

Weapons:

Weapon	Arc	Strength	Range	Type
Bio-Plasma	L/R	3	30cm	Bio-Plasma

Special Rules:

• *Uses Synapse Ld when in range
• Counts as a Light Cruiser for fleet composition

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Escort Organisms

Vanguard Drone

Expendable organisms sent ahead of the swarm.

Points	Speed	Turns	Armor	Hull	Turrets	Ld	Special
25	30cm	90°	6+	1	1	5	-

Weapons:

Weapon	Arc	Strength	Range	Type
Bio-Plasma	F	2	30cm	Bio-Plasma

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Escort Drone

Standard escort bio-ships with balanced armament.

Points	Speed	Turns	Armor	Hull	Turrets	Ld	Special
30	30cm	90°	6+	1	1	5	-

Weapons:

Weapon	Arc	Strength	Range	Type
Pyro-Acid	F	2	30cm	Pyro-Acid Battery

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Kraken Spawn

Aggressive boarding organisms.

Points	Speed	Turns	Armor	Hull	Turrets	Ld	Special
35	30cm	90°	5+	2	1	5	-

Weapons:

Weapon	Arc	Strength	Range	Type
Feeder Tentacles	F	2	15cm	Feeder Tentacles

Special Rules:

• Boarding Organism: +1 to boarding attacks

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Hive Fleet Adaptations

Each Hive Fleet has evolved unique adaptations. Choose one Hive Fleet:

Hive Fleet Leviathan

• Synaptic Imperative: Synapse range extended by +10cm (30cm for Hive Ships, 40cm for Dreadnoughts)
• Psychic Barrier: Ships within Synapse gain a 6+ save against damage (in addition to armor)

Hive Fleet Kraken

• Swift Predators: All bio-ships gain +5cm Speed
• Feeding Frenzy: When a Kraken ship destroys an enemy, it regenerates d3 Hull instead of the normal 1

Hive Fleet Behemoth

• Unstoppable Swarm: Bio-ships ignore the first Crippled penalty (still suffer penalties at 25% Hull remaining)
• Overwhelming Force: +1 to all boarding attacks

Hive Fleet Gorgon

• Adaptive Toxins: Pyro-Acid batteries gain +1 Strength
• Bio-Corrosion: Ships hit by Pyro-Acid suffer -1 to armor saves for the rest of the game (cumulative)

Hive Fleet Jormungandr

• Subterranean Assault: May hold up to 50% of fleet in reserve; these ships arrive from any table edge on turn 2+
• Ambush Predators: Ships arriving from reserve gain +1 to hit on their first activation

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Fleet Composition

Required

• At least one Synapse Creature as Flagship
• All non-Synapse ships must deploy within 20cm of a Synapse Creature

Limitations

• For every Synapse Creature, you may include up to 4 Drone ships
• Maximum 1 Hivemind Dreadnought per 1000 points
• Escort drones are organized in squadrons of 3-6 organisms
• No Fleet Commander upgrades (the Hive Mind IS the commander)

Hive Mind Leadership

The Hive Mind doesn't use traditional commanders. Instead:

• The Hivemind Dreadnought or most expensive Hive Ship is automatically the Flagship
• Flagship gains +1 Ld
• Command Phase rolls use the Flagship's Ld
• If all Synapse Creatures are destroyed, remaining ships automatically fail all Command Checks

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Sample Fleet: Tendril of Leviathan (1000 pts)

Ship	Type	Points
Alpha Node	Hive Ship (Flagship)	300
Beta Node	Hive Ship	300
Drone Cluster Alpha	2x Kraken	280
Vanguard Swarm	4x Vanguard Drones	100

Total: 980 pts (Hive Fleet Leviathan)

Tactics: Keep drones within the extended 30cm Synapse range. Use the 6+ Psychic Barrier to absorb chip damage while bio-plasma and pyro-acid whittle down enemies. Regeneration keeps the Hive Ships functional while drones swarm forward.

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Tactical Notes

Strengths

• Hull regeneration provides staying power
• Bio-Plasma deals bonus damage on 6s
• Pyro-Acid ignores armor
• Bio-Torpedoes can turn and generate blast markers
• Mycetic Spores cause d3 criticals per hit
• Shadow in the Warp debuffs enemy Leadership
• Large Hull values on Hive Ships

Weaknesses

• No shields (vulnerable to alpha strikes)
• Synapse dependency (kill the Hive Ship, cripple the fleet)
• Drone ships have only Ld 5 outside Synapse
• Lower weapon ranges than most factions
• Spore Clouds penalize your own turret defense
• Crippled ships stop regenerating

Key Tactics

1. Protect Synapse: Your Hive Ships are priority targets—screen them with drones
2. Stay in Range: Keep drones within Synapse range at all times
3. Focus Fire: Use Bio-Plasma's bonus damage to finish wounded ships
4. Use Pyro-Acid: Against armored targets, Pyro-Acid is devastating
5. Board Aggressively: Devourers with +2 boarding and Feeder Tentacles are terrifying
6. Accept Losses: Drones are expendable—trade them for tactical advantage
7. Leverage Regeneration: Fight defensively in early rounds while regenerating damage