Tyranids
The Great Devourer
Tyranids are a race of alien creatures that are dedicated to consuming all life in the universe. They are described as being a “great devourer,” and their ultimate goal is to consume every living being and strip entire planets of all their resources.
The Tyranid hive fleets are made up of bioengineered creatures that are created and controlled by a single, collective consciousness known as the Hive Mind. Each Tyranid creature serves a specific role within the Hive Mind’s grand plan, and they are able to evolve and adapt quickly to new situations.
Faction Tropes
It came... from outer-outer space!
- Swooping in from outside our galaxy, the Tyranid digestion pools and organic ‘space elevators’ drain all biomass from a planet by capillary tendrils. Nevermind this being a metaphor for the dangers of unchecked consumption, it’s downright terrifying when you think about how many Tyranids are invading the Milky Way Galaxy and they may have eaten all the other galaxies outside our stars…
If Swiss Army knives had Swiss Army knives.
- Tyranid bioweapons often include powerful organic acids, living microbial ammunition, and LOTS of claws. While the rest of the galaxy is stuck in a regressive age (except the T’au), what makes the Tyranids so dangerous is that they constantly mutate and evolve to counter any weapons or tactics brought to bear against them. How quickly they do this is up to you, but similar to how some heroes learn from their mistakes and upgrade for them (Iron Man, anyone?) your bio form at the beginning of the story may be very different (and much deadlier) by the end.
I have no mind, and I must scream
- The Tyranids’ two main weaknesses are their reliance on melee, and the lynchpin strategy of ‘synapse’ creatures who serve as psychic emitters that keep the swarm together and operating under the Hive Mind’s will. Generally speaking, killing the synapse creatures means that the smaller forms they were controlling go berserk and get disorganized, making them easier targets.
