1500 Tyranids "Hive Fleet Esper"

Antubis · by **Antubis** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:06 pm

Here is my first dabble at gene splicing with Tyranids. As believe the quote "No plan survives contact with the enemy." my tactics are made up on the fly but feel free to impart your collective wisdom. One thing I would like to know is which you think better; Toxin or Acid Spore mines?

Code: Select all: 1 Hive Tyrant @ 183 Pts Enhanced Senses +1 BS; Implant Attack; Toxin Sacs +1 St; Winged; Twin-linked Devourer (x2); Psychic Scream; Synapse Creature; The Horror 1 Lictor @ 80 Pts Feeder Tendrils; Flesh Hooks; Rending Claws; Scything Talons 12 Gaunt Brood @ 120 Pts Extended Carapace +1 Save; Fleshborer; Without Number 12 Gaunt Brood @ 120 Pts Extended Carapace +1 Save; Fleshborer; Without Number 12 Gaunt Brood @ 120 Pts Extended Carapace +1 Save; Fleshborer; Without Number 12 Gaunt Brood @ 120 Pts Extended Carapace +1 Save; Fleshborer; Without Number 2 Ravener @ 88 Pts Scything Talons (x2); Deathspitter 3 Zoanthrope @ 195 Pts Toxic Miasma; Synapse Creature; Warp Blast; Warp Field 3 Biovore @ 165 Pts 1 Bio-acid Spore Mines @ [15] Pts 1 Carnifex @ 309 Pts Adrenal Glands +1 In; Adrenal Glands +1 WS; Bio-plasma; Bonded Exoskeleton; Enhanced Senses +1 BS; Extended Carapace +1 Save; Flesh Hooks; Implant Attack; Regenerate; Reinforced Chitin; Spine Banks; Tail Weapon - Scythe; Toxic Miasma; Toxin Sacs +1 St; Tusked; Crushing Claws; Venom Cannon Total Roster Cost: 1500

Thanks, Antubis.

killmaimburn · by **killmaimburn** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:36 pm

Hiya, as you probably know I'm just starting out on nids myself (hopefully someone wiser will come along soon and say what I say is rubbish :lol:

)
Why have you bought your ravenors a gun, do they need it\will they use it?
Why not scything and rending and have them as seperates (visualise them hopping around amongst the small things)? rending means they have the potential to hurt stuff.
If you had to take a ranged weapon why not a devourer..6 shots instead of a template?

That carnifex is most strange to my noob like eyes I like the number of attacks you gave him but what does he do for that much points that other things couldn't?
No idea on the mines question I'm afraid :cry:

hope you get feedback from someone wiser soon.

Antubis · by **Antubis** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:20 pm

Last time I checked Deathspitters were blast not template and I'd rather have St 5 blast than St 3 x 6 for 4 more Pts; but I do like the idea of splitting them up, having done it with my gaunts I don't know why I didn't do it with the Raveners, thanks. As for the Necrofex, (it's going to have a metallic sheen so it looks like some Necrodermis got into the digestion pools) it is used for area denial and taking and holding objectives with a side order of god killing e.g. Daemon princes, Greater Daemons, Avatars and possibly Mephet'ran but not Kaelis Ra; he's too powerful.

Ljundhammer · by **Ljundhammer** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:07 pm

Quick comments. I'll admit to not being an expert, but a couple of things jump out (in a tyranid way).

1. Extended carapace on gaunts - still don't get a save against boltguns. However cheap this upgrade is, it doesn't seem worth it.

2. That carnifex looks REALLY expensive points-wise - does it need to be this much?

3. Synapse - doh - just realised that the zoanthropes have it - so you should be ok...

Tyranids, from my experience, need to be as lean as possible in points for the effect they have. Bang for your buck so to speak. Why outnumber your opponent 3:1 when you can outnumber them 4:1?

Angelwing · by **Angelwing** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:57 pm

H'mm.

First off, I don't think extended carapace on gaunts is worthwhile either. It will only really make you slightly more durable in assault. I'd much prefer more bodies (and therefore shots and attacks).
Without number on gaunts looks cool, but frequently lets you down as the recycled broods come back on too far from sysnapse. You would have to position your zoanthropes carefully to avoid this. Again, I'd spend the points on more gaunts.
The lictor. Glad you are using one! Three would be better though. Make sure you attack appropriate targets though. DO NOT charge him in by himself against squads. Use him to support those gaunts.
Raveners. I hope they are better shots than mine! Split them up into separate units to grab more objectives. Having a gun tempts you to shoot with it. better hiding to snatch objectives later.
Biovores. Bio acid is the best all round mine type. Toxin is only the best against orks (T4 and open topped vehicles).
Carnifex. Frightens me due to the point cost. I'd split this into two, one for shooting and one for combat if possible. The model would look cool though!

I have a build for destroying tough stuff thats 239 points. A few points shaved elsewhere (say the lictor) can get you a cheap shooting carnifex as well.

Antubis · by **Antubis** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:04 pm

I'm glad you mentioned the Without Number out of synapse range thing; part of the plan is the Gaunts come on, fail their Leadership test and promptly moves 3D6 towards the nearest synapse creature

.
I may take the +1 Sv off them as it would give me +1 Gaunt per brood, also I have now split the Raveners up, if I do take off the guns I can give my Tyrant Warp Field.
I did have three Lictors to start with but they're quite expensive for what they do; one of the best things about them is if they arrive too early they can lurk where they deep strike with a 3+ cover save at worst.
As for Necrofex I can't bring myself to kill the monster I have created. :cry:

Just the fact that he has the potential to inflict 23 wounds

in one round of combat gives me shivers, admittedly the enemy unit would need to have Counter-Attack and I'd need a lot of luck to pull that off. :wink:

Angelwing · by **Angelwing** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:43 pm

When do we see the model for the necrofex?

Antubis · by **Antubis** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:49 am

When I buy and build it, I need to get a car first though.

I did write out a big description a minute ago but my computer just ate it. :banghead

For a quick preview imagine a Hunter from Halo but better and Tyranidised. :wink:

Oh, here the updated list:

Code: Select all: 1 Hive Tyrant @ 204 Pts Bio-plasma; Enhanced Senses +1 BS; Toxin Sacs +1 St; Winged; Twin-linked Devourer (x2); Synapse Creature; The Horror; Warp Field 1 Lictor @ 80 Pts Feeder Tendrils; Flesh Hooks; Rending Claws; Scything Talons 14 Gaunt Brood @ 126 Pts Fleshborer; Without Number 14 Gaunt Brood @ 126 Pts Fleshborer; Without Number 12 Gaunt Brood @ 108 Pts Fleshborer; Without Number 12 Gaunt Brood @ 108 Pts Fleshborer; Without Number 1 Ravener @ 40 Pts Rending Claws; Scything Talons (x1) 1 Ravener @ 40 Pts Rending Claws; Scything Talons (x1) 3 Zoanthrope @ 195 Pts Toxic Miasma; Synapse Creature; Warp Blast; Warp Field 3 Biovore @ 165 Pts 1 Bio-acid Spore Mines @ [15] Pts 1 Carnifex @ 308 Pts Adrenal Glands +1 In; Adrenal Glands +1 WS; Bio-plasma; Bonded Exoskeleton; Enhanced Senses +1 BS; Extended Carapace +1 Save; Implant Attack; Regenerate; Reinforced Chitin; Spine Banks; Tail Weapon - Scythe; Toxic Miasma; Toxin Sacs +1 St; Tusked; Crushing Claws; Venom Cannon Total Roster Cost: 1500

killmaimburn · by **killmaimburn** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:35 am

Is there any particular reason why you went for 4x12 rather than 6x8?
More targets, easy to gain cover, (do gaunts hold objectives? if so more objective holders) APPEAR less of a threat. and easy to disperse points around. (I'd be tempted to use the points you gained between lists on them maybe for a true swarm..but then i'm not all that familiar with gaunts)
there is a very short GW tactica on runnning nids somewhere it basically says fill the troops FOC or else..it works well for me.

This is the simple tactica http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40k/ ... efault.htm
EDIT: oh poo, yeah ignore me, you want the larger squads to work better with without number :oops: