Dakka
TYRANID WARRIOR BROOD..... 25pts per model
5 3 4 4 3 4 3 10 4+
3-9 Tyranid Warriors
Infantry
Hardened Carapace
Devourer
Scything Talons
Synapse Creature (Deadly Response)
Shadow in the Warp
Synapse Creature (Deadly Response)
Tyranid Warriors are Synapse Creatures. In addition, all Tyranid units within 6" gain the Counterattack USR.
The brood may take a Mycetic Spore as a dedicated transport.
The entire brood may exchange its Scything Talons for:
Rending Claws..... 5pts per model
A pair of Boneswords..... 10pts per model
Lash Whip and Bonesword..... 15pts per model
One Tyranid Warrior in the brood may exchange its Devourer for:
Barbed Strangler..... 10pts
Venom Cannon..... 15pts
The entire brood may exchange its Devourers for:
Rending Claws..... free
Spinefists..... free
Deathspitter..... 5pts per model
Scything Talons..... free
The entire brood may take:
Adrenal Glands..... 5pts per model
Toxin Sacs...... 5pts per model
Synaptic Network..... 15pts per model
Comments: A small price drop and addition of their Synapse ability were the only real shifts to them, aside from Venom Cannon getting better. They roughly equate to Terminators in terms of overall survivability, and with the purchase of Synaptic Network they are significantly harder to kill with many weapons, especially Lascannons and Plasma. They still can function mainly as cheap Synapse or melee murder machines, but more availability of Primes also enables a mid-range swarm to be possible.
GENESTEALER BROOD..... 14pts per model
6 0 4 4 1 6 2 10 5+
5-20 Genestealers
Infantry
Rending Claws
Reinforced Chitin
Brood Telepathy
Fleet
Infiltrate
Move Through Cover
Broodlord
7 0 5 5 3 7 3 10 4+
Rending Claws
Hardened Carapace
Brood Telepathy
Fleet
Hypnotic Gaze
Infiltrate
Move Through Cover
Shadow in the Warp
Synapse Creature (Cunning Assault)
Hypnotic Gaze
At the beginning of the assault phase, before any blows are struck, nominate one enemy model in base contact. Both players roll a die and add their model's Leadership; if the Broodlord scores equal or higher to the enemy model, that model may not make any attacks during this assault phase. This power has no effect on models without a Leadership value.
Synapse Creature (Cunning Assault)
A Broodlord is a Synapse Creature. In addition, all Tyranid units within 6" gain the benefits of Assault Grenades.
Upgrade one Genestealer to a Broodlord..... 46pts
A Broodlord may take:
Scything Talons..... 2pts
Implant Attack..... 10pts
Acid Blood..... 10pts
The entire brood may take:
Scything Talons..... 2pts per model
Toxin Sacs..... 3pts per model
The brood may take a Mycetic Spore as a dedicated transport.
Comments: Genestealers themselves were left the same, but the Broodlord was changed to be more of a utility guy. He brings Synapse (more like his old version) and can disable an enemy model (no longer a psychic power, though that could be reverted) but also allows you to assault into cover more freely and keeps his previous status as character/MC hunter. Many of the Tyranid troop units didn't need major changes to be viable, as Troops was one of the better slots in the codex.
MYCETIC SPORE..... 40pts
A Mycetic Spore is purchased as an upgrade to another brood, but is always a separate, non-scoring unit.
2 2 6 4 3 1 3 5 4+
1 Mycetic Spore
Monstrous Creature
Hardened Carapace
Lash Whip
Ripper Tentacles
Deep Strike
Fearless
Immobile
Limited Sentience
Transport Spore
Take one of the following:
Stinger Salvo..... 5pts
Cluster Spines.... 10pts
Twin-linked Deathspitter..... 10pts
Barbed Strangler..... 10pts
Venom Cannon..... 15pts
Comments: Mmmmmyep. Some adjustments to the prices on the guns. The Spore was not the problem with the reserve list, other factors were.
TERMAGANT BROOD..... 5pts per model
3 3 3 3 1 4 1 6 6+
10-30 Termagants
Infantry
Chitin
Claws and Teeth
Fleshborer
Instinctive Behavior- Lurk
Move Through Cover
Swarm Attack
The Scuttling Swarm
For every Termagant brood included in your army, you can include one Tervigon as a Troops choice.
For every ten Termagants the brood contains, one model may replace its Fleshborer with:
Strangleweb..... 5pts
The entire brood may replace their Fleshborers with:
Spinefists..... free
Spike Rifles..... 1pt per model
Devourers..... 5pts per model
The entire brood may take:
Adrenal Glands..... 1pt per model
Toxin Sacs..... 1pt per model
The entire brood may upgrade to Fearless Protectors..... 2pts per model
If the brood numbers 20 or fewer models, it may take a Mycetic Spore as a dedicated transport.
Swarm Attack
For every ten full models in the squad, add +1 to penetration rolls made against vehicles without a Weapon Skill value. This benefit does not apply against Skimmers, unless they were stationary in the previous turn or are Immobilized.
Fearless Protectors
A unit with this rule that is within 3" of a Monstrous Creature allows that model to ignore the 50% obscurement requirement when determining whether or not it receives a cover save against a shooting attack, but only if the intervening cover in question is the Termagant brood.
Comments: A few additions, a few adjustments. Gun prices were brought more in line with their actual usefulness, especially the Strangleweb (which is now pretty much just a regular Flamer, since models usually have mirrored S/T scores.) The important changes here are to open up additional strategies- Swarm Attack gives the brood the potential to hurt vehicles, which makes an actual small-bugs list potentially threatening. (With Adrenal Glands and a full brood, you're rolling 7+d6 against rear armor, which is pretty terrifying considering the number of attacks.) Fearless Protectors allows you to make mixed MC/swarm lists by handing out cover saves like candy- but, of course, it can become expensive relatively quickly and there are still ways to bypass it (barrage, flyers or units high in ruins, etc.)
HORMAGAUNT BROOD..... 5pts per model
3 3 3 3 1 5 2 6 6+
10-30 Hormagaunts
Infantry
Chitin
Claws and Teeth
Instinctive Behavior- Feed
Bounding Leap
Fleet
Move Through Cover
Swarm Attack
The entire brood may take:
Scything Talons..... 1pt per model
Adrenal Glands..... 1pt per model
Toxin Sacs..... 1pt per model
The entire brood may upgrade to be Fearless Protectors..... 2pts per model
If the brood numbers 20 models or less, it may select a Mycetic Spore as a dedicated transport.
Comments: The main change here was to drop the cost of Toxin/Adrenal, since having them be double what other Gaunts pay made them basically worthless when Genestealers ended up being only a few points more. However, that left them being a bit too much of auto-picks for my tastes, a problem which I unfortunately haven't resolved to my satisfaction. Perhaps revert Toxin to 2pts and make Hormagaunts 6pts with Talons included? That does seem like a better option, but I'm not sure.
RIPPER SWARM BROOD..... 10pts per base
2 2 3 3 3 2 4 5 6+
3-10 Ripper Swarms
Infantry
Chitin
Claws and Teeth
Instinctive Behavior- Feed
Fearless
Feeder Organism
Mindless
Swarms
Feeder Organism
Ripper Swarms are scoring units, even though they have the Swarms rule.
The entire brood may take:
Spinefists..... 4pts per base
Adrenal Glands..... 2pts per base
Toxin Sacs..... 2pts per base
The entire brood may be upgraded to Tunnel Swarms..... 2pts per
Comments: Rippers weren't scoring. There was absolutely no reason for the unit that Tyranids literally use to devour the planet and enact their endgame and thus "win" to not be scoring. I ended up leaving their base cost the same, since 3+ (or 2+ if you go to ground) cover is pretty harsh to break through, so having a small unit of them sitting in the backfield on an objective is potentially a strong play. Cost on the upgrades was dropped significantly because their real job is to sit somewhere and exist, not to fight anything.
So that's part two of the series, tomorrow will have part 3, the conclusion with FA and HS units. As before, comments and criticisms are highly welcomed, as all of this is still in the testing stage (insomuch as it's ever going to go anywhere.) If you think you can make an ueber-broken list, feel free to post it and explain why it's so unbeatable. If you think something is too expensive/doesn't work right/etc, give me some words on why.
