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Tyranids

The Tyranids are a race of ravenously hungry aliens. They have travelled through the cold darkness of the intergalactic void, hibernating for aeons in order to feed upon the planets of our galaxy. Now they have awakened, sinking their tendrils ever deeper into populated space like a galactic plague of locusts. Impossibly large swarms of scuttling creatures, winged horrors and towering monstrosities consume everything in their path, scouring whole worlds of life as they seek to slake an insatiable appetite. The Tyranid race continuously learns and adapts, spawning new warriors and beasts of war to better defeat its foes. Unrelenting and unstoppable, the Tyranids represent an unimaginable threat, not only to Mankind, but to the whole galaxy.

How This Codex Works

Codex: Tyranids contains everything you need to collect a force of Tyranids and devour your enemies in your games of Warhammer 40,000. Within these pages, you will find rules for all the creatures and monsters at your disposal, as well as an army list that enables you to organise your collection of Citadel miniatures into a horde of the Hive Mind’s warrior-organisms.

Books


BookKindEditionVersionLast update
► TyranidsCodex71.1January 2017
  Tyranid Vanguard - Rising Leviathan IDataslate71.0January 2014
  Tyranid Vanguard - Rising Leviathan IIDataslate71.0March 2014
  Tyranid Vanguard - Rising Leviathan IIIDataslate71.0March 2014
  Shield of Baal: ExterminatusCampaign71.1January 2017
  Shield of Baal: DeathstormBoxset71.0September 2016
  Shield of Baal: LeviathanCampaign71.0January 2017
  ApocalypseExpansion71.0May 2014
  Start Collecting! TyranidsDataslate71.0

FAQ

Codex: Tyranids

 Q: Can a unit of Spore Mines run or charge in the turn they were placed by the Biovore’s Spore Burst rule?
 A: 
Yes.
 Q: If more than one Biovore fires, when is it that they can spawn the mines? Only when the first shot misses or can they be spawned when all shots miss?
 A: 
When a unit of Biovores fires, resolve all the shots at once using the normal rules for a Multiple Barrage. If the first shot misses entirely, place the Spore Mines beneath the template as described in the Spore Burst rule, then roll scatter dice for the remaining shots from the unit as normal for a Multiple Barrage. These subsequent shots will not spawn Spore Mines.
 Q: Can Mawlocs arrive from Deep Strike Reserve via Terror From the Deep onto units in combat?
 A: 
Yes.
 Q: Can Look Out, Sir rolls be made against Wounds inflicted by a Mawlocs’ Terror From the Deep? Can this ability be used on invisible units?
 A: 
Look Out, Sir rolls can be taken, and this ability can be used against invisible units.
 Q: What happens when Spore Mines scatter on top of an enemy unit when arriving from Deep Strike? Do they explode or suffer a Deep Strike Mishap?
 A: 
They suffer a Deep Strike Mishap, as normal.
 Q: Does the Poisoned special rule granted by the toxin sacs biomorph apply to a Gargoyle’s Blinding Venom?
 A: 
No.
 Q: How does the acid blood biomorph work with models that are attacking with an Unwieldy weapon? Is the Initiative test taken against the model’s normal Initiative or against Initiative 1?
 A: 
It is taken against the model’s normal Initiative (so a Terminator with a thunder hammer would take the test against Initiative 4).
 Q: If a Tervigon is taken as a Troops option (per The Scuttling Swarm rule) and spawns Termagants, do these new models have Objective Secured? Do they have Objective Secured if they were spawned by a Tervigon which is an HQ choice?
 A: 
Yes to both questions, as long as the Tervigon is taken as part of a Detachment that confers the Objective Secured Command Benefit (for example, the Combined Arms Detachment).
 Q: The Trygon’s Subterranean Assault rule allows one Infantry unit to emerge from its tunnel from Reserve each turn. With the rule only coming into play after the Trygon has arrived from Reserve, and no way of holding back Reserves you intend to bring out of the tunnel, how is this rule ever going to be used?
 A: 
As described under ‘Reserves’ in Warhammer 40,000: The Rules, in a mission with the Reserves rule (which includes all Eternal War and Maelstrom of War missions), players can choose not to deploy some of their units, keeping them as Reserves to arrive later. If these units arrive from Reserves after the Trygon has arrived, one Infantry unit per turn can enter the battlefield from the tunnel rather than the Tyranid player’s table edge.
 Q: Do Broodlords gain Psychic Focus and have access to the Powers of the Hive Mind primaris power?
 A: 
Yes.
 Q: If I have a Hive Tyrant inside a unit of Tyrant Guard, can he leave it during the game like Independent Characters can normally do?
 A: 
Yes.
 Q: When a unit contains a Psyker, does it count as a Psyker unit for all rules purposes? For example, does Shadow in the Warp cause all models in the Psyker’s unit to suffer the -3 Leadership penalty?
 A: 
No. Only models that are Psykers (that have the Psyker, Psychic Pilot or Brotherhood of Psykers/Sorcerers special rules) are affected. A Tactical Squad that had been joined by a Librarian affected by the Shadow in the Warp would use its own Leadership rather than the Librarian’s modified Leadership of 7.
 Q: I want to field a Genestealer Cult force alongside my Tyranid army. Many of the models in the Genestealer Cult force have Infiltrate. How does this work with the Allies of Convenience rules?
 A: 
Allies of Convenience are ignored for the purposes of setting up Infiltrators. So you could, for example, set up within 12" of an Allies of Convenience model when infiltrating.

Designer’s Note: This applies to all Allies of Convenience in Warhammer 40,000, not just Genestealer Cults and Tyranids.

Tyranid Vanguard - Rising Leviathan I

 Q: The Manufactorum Genestealers Formation cannot add extra Genestealers, but can you add Broodlords?
 A: 
No.

Tyranid Vanguard - Rising Leviathan II

 Q: When using a Living Artillery Node’s Organic Bombardment rule to reroll the scatter on a Barrage from the Biovore Brood, does the re-roll apply to just the direction dice, or both that and the distance? What about the subsequent Barrage hits after the first from a unit with more than one Biovore?
 A: 
The re-roll applies to both the scatter and the distance dice, following the normal rules for re-rolling Blast weapons. The subsequent barrage shots are determined using just a scatter dice – you can re-roll this for each subsequent shot.

Shield of Baal: Exterminatus

 Q: The rules for both the Conclave of the Burning One and the God Shackle name a ‘C’tan Shard’. What C’tan can be used?
 A: 
Use the rules for a Transcendent C’tan.
 Q: Can a model be given a relic from the Mephrit Dynasty and an Artefact of the Aeons?
 A: 
No. A model may only be equipped with a single relic (or equivalent) of any kind.

Shield of Baal: Leviathan

 Q: Do all five guns of a Tyrannocyte shoot at one target or are they supposed to be played as having fixed firing arcs?
 A: 
You should check line of sight from the barrel of each weapon – each gun will fire at the nearest unit it has line of sight to (so the Tyrannocyte can fire all five guns, and likely target more than one unit in a Shooting phase). If in doubt as to what each gun can fire at, treat them as if they were hull-mounted weapons on a vehicle.
 Q: Tyrannocytes don’t use up slots on the Force Organisation Chart – does this mean that you can purchase unlimited Tyrannocytes (within points of course!) and deploy them ‘empty’?
 A: 
Yes.
 Q: A Tyrannocyte can carry a single unit – does that include units with attached Independent Characters?
 A: 
Yes.
 Q: Can I directly drop a Mucolid Spore Cluster onto a unit and have it explode, following the rules for a Spore Mine Cluster?
 A: 
No – you cannot choose to Deep Strike onto an enemy unit as you can’t put the model down on top of your opponent’s models! Mucolid Spore Clusters follow the normal rules for Deep Striking, including suffering Deep Strike Mishaps.
 Q: How many psychic powers does a Maleceptor get?
 A: 
It gets three: Psychic Overload, one power generated from the Powers of the Hive Mind, and the primaris power from Powers of the Hive Mind due to Psychic Focus.
 Q: How many psychic powers does a Zoanthrope Brood get?
 A: 
If the unit doesn’t include a Neurothrope, it knows three: Warp Blast, one additional power from the Powers of the Hive Mind, and the Powers of the Hive Mind primaris power due to Psychic Focus. If it includes a Neurothrope, it knows a fourth power – Spirit Leech – so long as the Neurothrope is alive.
 Q: Can a Sporocyst arrive via Outflank?
 A: 
No. It can’t move, so it can’t move on from the edge of the table as described in Moving On From Reserve.
 Q: In regard to Tyranid Formations like Endless Swarms, Skyblight Swarms and Sporefields, can units that are placed in Ongoing Reserve through the respawn mechanics choose to arrive via Deep Strike if they have the Deep Strike rule and, by extension, Flyers/Flying Monstrous Creatures that leave combat airspace?
 A: 

Reference


Profiles


HQ

 WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv Unit Type
Deathleaper 9 3 6 4 3 7 4 10 5+ Infantry (Character)
Hive Tyrant 8 4 6 6 4 5 4 10 3+ Monstrous Creature (Character)
Old One Eye 3 3 10 6 4 2 4 8 3+ Monstrous Creature (Character)
Tervigon 3 3 5 6 6 2 3 10 3+ Monstrous Creature
The Swarmlord 9 4 6 6 5 6 4 10 3+ Monstrous Creature (Character)
Tyranid Prime 6 4 5 5 3 5 4 10 3+ Infantry (Character)
Tyrant Guard 5 3 5 6 2 4 2 7 3+ Infantry

TROOPS

 WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv Unit Type
Genestealer 6 - 4 4 1 6 2 10 5+ Infantry
Broodlord 7 - 5 5 3 7 4 10 4+ Infantry (Character)
Hormagaunt 3 3 3 3 1 5 2 6 6+ Infantry
Ripper Swarm 2 2 3 3 3 2 4 5 6+ Infantry
Termagant 3 3 3 3 1 4 1 6 6+ Infantry
Tyranid Warrior 5 3 4 4 3 4 3 10 4+ Infantry
Phodian Hive Warrior 5 3 4 4 3 4 3 10 4+ Infantry
Genestealer 6 - 4 4 1 6 2 10 5+ Infantry
Spawn of Cryptus 7 - 5 5 3 7 4 10 4+ Infantry (Character)
Mucolid Spore - - 1 3 3 3 - 3 - Infantry

ELITES

 WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv Unit Type
Haruspex 3 3 6 6 5 3 3 7 3+ Monstrous Creature
Hive Guard 4 3 5 6 2 2 2 7 4+ Infantry
Lictor 6 3 6 4 3 6 3 10 5+ Infantry
Pyrovore 3 3 4 4 3 2 2 6 4+ Infantry
Venomthrope 3 3 4 4 2 3 2 6 5+ Infantry
Zoanthrope 3 4 4 4 2 3 1 10 5+ Infantry
Maleceptor 3 3 6 6 5 3 3 10 4+ Monstrous Creature
Zoanthrope 3 4 4 4 2 3 1 10 5+ Infantry
Neurothrope 3 4 4 4 2 3 1 10 5+ Infantry (Character)

FAST ATTACK

 WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv Unit Type
Gargoyle 3 3 3 3 1 4 1 6 6+ Jump Infantry
Harpy 3 3 5 5 5 5 3 10 4+ Flying Monstrous Creature
Hive Crone 3 3 5 5 5 5 3 10 4+ Flying Monstrous Creature
Ravener 5 3 4 4 3 5 3 6 5+ Beast
Sky-slasher Swarm 2 2 3 3 3 2 4 5 6+ Jump Infantry
Spore Mine - - 1 1 1 1 - 1 - Infantry
The Red Terror 6 3 5 5 3 5 4 8 4+ Beast (Character)
Tyranid Shrike 5 3 4 4 3 4 3 10 5+ Jump Infantry

HEAVY SUPPORT

 WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv Unit Type
Biovore 3 3 4 4 3 2 2 6 4+ Infantry
Carnifex 3 3 9 6 4 2 3 7 3+ Monstrous Creature
Exocrine 3 3 6 6 5 3 3 7 3+ Monstrous Creature
Mawloc 3 - 6 6 6 4 3 8 3+ Monstrous Creature
Trygon 5 3 6 6 6 4 5 8 3+ Monstrous Creature
Trygon Prime 5 3 6 6 6 4 5 10 3+ Monstrous Creature
Tyrannofex 3 3 6 6 6 2 3 8 2+ Monstrous Creature (Character)
The Beast of Phodia 3 3 9 6 4 2 3 7 3+ Monstrous Creature
Sporocyst 2 2 5 5 6 3 3 8 4+ Monstrous Creature
Toxicrene 3 3 5 6 5 3 6 8 4+ Monstrous Creature
Tyrannocyte 2 2 5 5 6 3 3 8 4+ Monstrous Creature

LORDS OF WAR

 WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv Unit Type
Hierodule 4 3 10 8 6 3 5 10 3+ Gargantuan Creature
Harridan 4 3 10 8 8 3 4 10 3+ Flying Gargantuan Creature
Hierophant Bio-titan 6 3 10 9 10 3 8 10 2+ Gargantuan Creature

Wargear


MELEE WEAPONS
Weapon Range S AP Type
Acid maw - 5 2 Melee
Blinding venom - 3 - Melee, Blind, Poisoned (6+)
Bone Sabres - User 2 Melee, Blade Parry, Instant Death
Boneswords - User 3 Melee, Life Drain
Crushing claws - +1 2 Melee, Armourbane, Unwieldy
Lash whip and bonesword - User 3 Melee, Life Drain, Swiftstrike
Lash whips - User - Melee, Swiftstrike
Rending claws - User 5 Melee, Rending
Scything talons - User 6 Melee
Spore Mine cysts - 4 4 Assault 1, Barrage, Large Blast, Spore Bomb, Spore Burst
Bone mace - 8 - Melee, Unwieldy
Prehensile pincer - 6 5 Melee
Thresher scythe - 4 4 Melee, Rending
Toxinspike - 1 6 Melee, Poisoned (2+)
The maw-claws of Thyrax - User 5 Melee, Assimilate, Rending
The Reaper of Obliterax - +1 3 Melee, Life Drain, Shred, Swiftstrike

RANGED WEAPONS
Weapon Range S AP Type
Acid spray Template 6 4 Assault 1, Torrent
Barbed strangler 36" 4 5 Assault 1, Large Blast, Pinning
Stranglethorn cannon 36" 6 5 Assault 1, Large Blast, Pinning
Bio-cannon 48" 10 3 Assault 6
Bio-electric pulse 12" 5 5 Assault 6
Bio-electric pulse with containment spines 18" 5 5 Assault 12
Bio-plasma 12" 7 2 Assault 1, Blast
Bio-plasmic cannon
 - Blast 24" 7 2 Assault 1, Large Blast
 - Streams 24" 7 2 Assault 6
Choking cloud 12" 3 - Assault 1, Ignores Cover, Large Blast, Poisoned (2+), Predatory Sentience
Cluster spines 18" 5 - Assault 1, Large Blast
Deathspitter 18" 5 5 Assault 3
Devourer 18" 4 - Assault 3
Devourer with brainleech worms 18" 6 - Assault 6
Drool cannon Template 6 4 Assault 1
Flamespurt Template 5 4 Assault 1
Flesh hooks 6" User - Assault 2
Spine banks 8" 3 - Assault 1, Blast
Fleshborer 12" 4 5 Assault 1
Fleshborer hive 18" 4 5 Assault 20
Grasping tongue 12" 6 2 Assault 1, Precision Shot
Impaler cannon 24" 8 4 Assault 2, Homing, Ignores Cover
Rupture cannon 48" 10 4 Assault 2
Shockcannon 18" 5 5 Assault 1, Blast, Haywire
Spike rifle 18" 3 - Assault 1
Spinefists 12" 3 5 Assault X, Twin-linked
Spore Mine launcher 48" 4 4 Assault 1, Barrage, Large Blast, Spore Burst
Stinger salvo 18" 5 4 Assault 4
Strangleweb Template 2 - Assault 1, Pinning
Tentaclids 36" 5 5 Assault 1, Haywire, Seeking, One use only
The miasma cannon
 - Miasmic spit 36" 1 4 Assault 1, Blast, Poisoned (2+)
 - Miasmic spray Template 1 4 Assault 1, Poisoned (2+)
Desiccator larvae Template 1 - Assault 1, Fleshbane
Electroshock grubs Template 5 5 Assault 1, Haywire
Shreddershard beetles Template 3 - Assault 1, Rending, Shred
Venom cannon 36" 6 4 Assault 1, Blast
Heavy venom cannon 36" 9 4 Assault 1, Blast