Part 4 (and the last for now!)
Page 136
Arkelius is more aware of the comings and goings of interstellar forces across the Salient than almost any other person, with command of thousands of starships both military and civilian (due to the Orpheus Salient being a warzone, military authorities have oversight over civilian and merchant vessels).
In this context at least, thousands of starships in military and civilian roles, which includes merchant as well as combat ships.
Page 137
His oversight onto all Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy activities within the Salient is carried out through the means of thousands of lesser Commissars stationed aboard starships and deployed within Imperial Guard regiments
Thousands of commissars aboard naval ships and in regiments throughout the Salient. This may imply thousands of regiments and warships as well.
Page 137
A dutiful and honourable man, Theren does not suffer the wasteful use of the Emperor’s armed forces, regarding the lives of the Emperor’s servants as something not to be expended frivolously or rashly. Indeed, quite at odds with the archetypal image of the Commissar, Theren cares about the men under his authority.
...
..having executed several senior Imperial Guard officers for negligence over the years of the Achilus Crusade. Further, he has reprimanded several of his subordinate Commissars for being overzealous in their punishments. The lives of the Emperor’s servants are valuable and it is the responsibility of their leaders to ensure that the dutiful efforts of even the least of men are employed wisely....
...
In spite of this atypical outlook, Theren is a stern disciplinarian...
Yet a nother example of a non-Asshole commissar. He'll still put you in a penal legion if you fuck up, and has a personal battalion of vets as MPs. He was even friends with Curas. He's also the guy holding the salient together by pretending Curas is alive, so he's also clever and manipulative - but for noble goals rather than personal selfish ones.
Page 140
A veteran of countless warzones and a master of biological weaponry, Thann gained renown as the mastermind behind the geno-tailored toxins...
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..taking samples of various Tyranid flora and fauna, or testing recently developed concoctions in the field. To date, he has not yet found a substance that works for more than a single generation, the Tyranids adapting to overcome his creations swiftly...
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He is working under a theory that worlds beyond the vanguard will contain lessevolved or otherwise purer creatures that are closer to a theoretical genetic baseline that can be exploited.
Apothecary involved in biowarfare. Also a theory on 'Nid toxin resilience.
Page 142
A world’s very atmosphere becomes impossible to breathe as it fills with their spore.
Tyranids infesting atmosphere with spores.
Page 145
...carriers for a broad array of toxins and pathogens. The majority of these substances can swiftly reduce a healthy organism to little more than a puddle of protoplasmic sludge. However, some of these are even capable of infecting a host, turning the unsuspecting victim into an incubator for Tyranid growth
'Nid Biowarfare.
Page 146
Some specimens fly, others swim, and a number of strains burrow beneath the earth or fly through the void. The different specimens exploit their diversity so that they can be certain to extract every bit of bio-mass from a planet, but also to be certain that their prey is under constant attack. By using specialised troops in these different fronts, the xenos forces manage to expand through virtually all portions of a planet’s biome even during the earliest stages of their assault.
As these horrors expand throughout the planet, they are able to launch their attacks against Imperial forces from any of these battlefronts.
Combined arms warfare, Tyranid style. To the examples above, you can add insurgency and sabotage (Genestealers, 'gaunts, etc.), biowarfare (spores in the atmosphere, other chem or toxin attacks), artillery and orbital bombardment (Starships and biovores, spore mines and pods, and the like.), armour and titan-analogues, and so on.
Page 147
The Hive Mind provides a constant network of communication for all of the Tyranid creatures that fall within its reach. During any planned conflict, creatures that serve as nodes for this psychic phenomenon are well distributed...
..
.Tyranid operates as a single mind, coordinating all of its actions so that the every action is complemented by a host of actions from supporting creatures.
'Nid command and control
Page 147
...fonts of promethium flame can scarcely miss their targets. Tissues burn, exoskeletons pop, and their ichor boils..
Effect of (Astartes) flamers on 'Nids.
Page 148
When arrayed to defend a vulnerable asset against Tyranid attack, Imperial assets willingly make whatever sacrifice is required in order to preserve that resource against the ravenous swarm. At times, this may require a noble loss of lives. In other situations, jury-rigged explosives, chemical toxins, or even biological contaminants may be used to sterilise a region against the oncoming xenos.
Imperials will hold terrain when defending an important asset. Usually they are stuck defending said asset (like a city) to the last
Page 148
Because of the Hive Mind, knowledge is readily shared between different members of the Tyranid swarm. This includes shared battlefield memories. With this information, the aliens can quickly discover the vulnerabilities of Imperial assets, enabling the xenos to more effectively compromise such targets. This information sharing remains available to Hive Fleet Dagon even if the organisms that discovered it is slain.
...
Memories of general tactics and even those favoured by individual soldiers may benefit the overriding Tyranid strategy.
Nid target recognition/data sharing.
Page 149
These xenos infest a world from the microbial level, and virtually every organism is capable of growing, mutating, and developing to eventually replicate most other strains of the Tyranid swarm. To eliminate this threat, any portion of a system that has played host to Hive Fleet Dagon must be thoroughly cleansed. In fact, some portions must be sterilised, before native forms of life may be safely reintroduced.
'Nids can be as difficult and pervasive to remove from a planet as Orks are. Says something about the levels of power needed to deal with widespread incursions.
Page 150
On worlds under the assault of Hive Fleet Dagon, it is often vital to preserve some Imperial assets so that they may be used for future battles. In these instances, it may be acceptable to sacrifice raw materials, replaceable stores, or even some military forces so that a vital manufactory, specialised combat unit, or command staff might survive to fight once more.
Again (in theory) Imperial troops are only sacrificed when it is necessary (Although that will depend on the officer greatly.)
Page 152
Orbital defences will expend months worth of ammunition in minutes before being overrun, their magazines empty and their power cores drained,
Orbital resources being exhausted so rapidly suggests that 'outputs' - the quantity of ordnance used and the amount of energy expended may be variable in combat depending on circumstances - eg more resources used in a shorter period can mean greater firepower, but at the cost of endurance that may not be easily replaced. It could suggest that even energy weapons are subject ot this - running on batteries or capacitors that have to be replaced (or it may be something as simple as pyrum-petrol/Photonic hydrogen 'ammo' analogues for most beam weapon. Even laser smight have something like that.)
In either case it suggests that output can vary dramatically for orbital weapons by literally orders of magnitude (hundreds or thousands of times difference perhaps, depending on exact timeframe comparisons.) This can be handy in explaining seemingly vast discrepancies in firepower even in similar instances.
Page 157
They are trying to determine how their behaviour and biology differ from those Tyranids encountered previously throughout the Imperium. For many, this understanding has been limited, restricted to weapon systems and tactical data.
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The Magi have delved deep into the building blocks of this genus and its very nature, in an effort to understand how Dagon thrives and evolves at such a terrifying rate. In some cases this has led to potent virus weapons or toxic munitions, both of which have had mixed effects...
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...the Magos have learnt to manipulate Tyranid organisms, either by disrupting the controlling influence of the Hive Mind or by confounding their natural instincts....
AdMech RESEARCH on Tyranids to learn how to defeat or manipualte them. So far with mixed results, but resulting in new weapons or tactics and techniques for the STAGNANT Imperium. It just goes to show that R&D is acceptable under the right circumstances. Or the right kinds of R&D. Or something.
Page 157
To this end the Magos has created the Eye in the Storm, a vast void station permanently situated in the depths of the warp,..
Void stations inside the warp. Not unlike the Space Hulk from Inquisition War.
Page 165
Often a creature that was thought destroyed, riddled with lasgun holes or even partially dismembered, will rise up to make a final attack..
Riddled with lasgun holes.
Page 165
(perhaps even calling in an orbital strike or otherwise vaporising an entire area
Self explanatory.
Page 168
The agents of the Machine God have gathered more technical lore and biological data on the Tyranids than any other arm of the Imperium, the efforts of the Magos uncovering countless hidden secrets about the xenos and the nature of their species. In times of need, the Adeptus Mechanicus will share this knowledge with frontline Imperial forces and agencies such as the Inquisition and the Deathwatch...
Again more HERETICAL research into filthy XENOS to learn MORE about them. And sometimes they might even SHARE that information.
Page 169
As the Tyranids are always evolving to face the Imperium, the forces of the Achilus Crusade must change their tactics, weapons and troops to meet the variety of threats posed by the swarm. Part of this evolution includes the development of toxins and viruses to better attack the Tyranid biology or antipersonnel weaponry better suited to cutting through chitin and bone. While the Adeptus Mechanicus is largely responsible for these creations, the Inquisition and the Deathwatch also make use of them, or benefit from the specified ammunitions produced.
...
..field testing either a creation of the Adeptus Mechanicus or something developed by the Inquisition or Deathwatch.
Again the AdMech is doing R&D and IMPROVING and ADAPTING its weapons and technologies when it needs to to fight the 'Nids. What's more, its stated that the Imperial forces in general are required to adapt across the board to fight the 'Nids.
Now to be fair this doesn't guarantee changes (or the right changes) due to various factors (politics among them) but they're aware of the fact and they do try at it to some degree. The most you can say about the Imperium is that it changes in some ways but not neccesarily in others, but it still changes, adapts, etc. Also in game terms it only apples to projectile weapons mainly (probably because you can't stick a toxin on a laser, per se.)
Page 170
Throughout the Hive Fleet’s advance, it has continuously evolved new Tyranid creatures and alternative tactics. Imperial forces are thus challenged to identify new effective ways to respond to these threats
Again ADAPTATION.
Its mentioned neither side's adaptations have been decisive and thy aren't neccesarily significant (changes can be revolutionary or incremental after all.) but changes of osme kind DO occur.
Page 171
These xenos are capable of exploiting the raw materials that they have captured to launch attacks that utilise near overwhelming force against prey worlds. With each triumph, their resources are renewed and their capacity for destruction becomes further enhanced.
Conquering a world seems to be a net gain in resources usually for the Nids
Page 171
Crusade and Deathwatch forces have confirmed intrusions by Tyranid Drone ships within more than twenty systems of the Orpheus Salient. Imperial analysts have thus far had no luck in tracing a pattern of how Hive Fleet Dagon’s Vanguard Drone ships have been scouting the Reach. This, combined with a lack of knowledge regarding the lifespan of the Vanguard Drone ships, leaves Imperial forces helpless to defend against these forward scouts of the Hive Fleet. If each such creature is capable of identifying and infecting multiple targets, a single vessel surviving could soon draw Hive Fleet elements to dozens of planets.
The interesting thing about this is that the 'Nids clearly have some stealthy means of the Vanguard ships getting about without being detected. That tends to rule out Narvahls, and the timeframe implied tends to rule out purely sublight journeys (we'd porbably be talking centuries to infiltrate so many systems, especially if they believe a single ship could handle multiple targets). Warp travel of some kind is possible, but even then warp transits can be detected (at least the entry/exits, nevermind the arrivals.) without some fancy tricks (Recall that 2-5 years have passed since the 'nids first entered the scene.)
Page 172
..it is important to note that Hive Fleet Dagon has largely ignored Imperial space stations and outposts on otherwise barren planets and moons.
...
It might offer further evidence that the Hive Mind is operating in a conservative fashion, or might simply be that for some reason the Hive Fleet is unable to accurately identify these elements as worthwhile targets.
They also mention that they make a beeline for habitable planets and gneerally only attakc starships that get in the way. Given that we know Hive Fleet Behemoth attacked space stations I think we can rule out 'unable to recognize target' as an issue. Odds are it's more a matter of priorities or tracking (they home in on the sources identified by their vanguard/recon elements.)
They also mention that some systems have fended off the 'Nids in space and seemingly driven them off. Wehther it was because they were driven away or because a feint (both are mentioned) isn't stated.
Page 172
...the absence of a Tyranid supply line. Once a Hive Ship leaves a system after devouring its habitable planets, nothing is left behind. A Hive Ship and its support vessels effectively carry all of its swarm into each new warzone.
Tyranids have the advantage of having no bases or supply lines to attack, per se.
Page 173
...these examples are consistent in their tactical approaches and seem capable of learning from past encounters..
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It is unclear if this indicates that the Tyranids have a mechanism for resurrecting these specimens, or if the later encounters are evidence of additional specimens.
A likely reference to the Swarmlord and similar 'champion' Nids.
Page 174
...(though still quite resilient by human standards). The Harpy, like many avian and other airborne fauna catalogued by Codiciers throughout the Imperium, is hollow-bodied and thus unable to survive injuries that might not even faze other Tyranid creatures of similar size.
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..have observed these creatures turning, climbing, and diving with far greater deftness and precision than even the most sophisticated fighter-craft of the Imperium..
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Large cysts on the underside of the Harpy’s abdomen produce clusters of spore mines...
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...a number of bio-weapons, such as Scything Talons and often a Stranglethorn or Heavy Venom Cannon..
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...the Harpy can also stun and, in some cases, injure its opponents with the high-pitched shriek..
Tyranid Harpies. Basically fighter/bombers with a sonic weapon and claws. Some suggestions hint they are related to the Trygon, but they may also be a separate species.
Page 175
Embedded in the Harpy’s carapace are rows of metre-long, poisoned spines that the creature can fire by means of incredibly strong muscle contractions...
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...instead of relying on toxins to slay the enemy, Cluster Spines explode upon impact, showering a large area with needle-like shards.
Antipersonnel 'munitions'' Stinger slavoes (poisoned ones) and cluster spines (fragmentation ones) .
Page 177
..measures up to 30 metres in length with a wingspan of up to 40 metres.
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..the Harridan is capable of flights of indefinite duration and tens of thousands of kilometres in length.
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..dodge enemy fighter-craft as well as surface-to-air ordnance. While these enormous Tyranid flyers do not have the maximum straight-line speed of mechanised aircraft..
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..occasional suicide ram attacks to destroy enemy fighters.
Harridans. Noted as the largest airborne creatures. Their claws can open a battle tank, and theycna carry up to 20 gargoyle 'troops' attached. Basiucally 'Nid paratroopers.
Page 179
“The armour of a Land Raider, the strength of a Thunderfire Cannon, the accuracy of a veteran Devastator, and the discipline of the Emperor’s Finest—this is the Tyranid Hive Guard.”
Hive Guard.
Page 179
[quiote]..enormous capillary towers and spore chimneys emerge from the ground, the former growing with astounding speed past the upper reaches of the planet’s atmosphere..[/quote]
"range' of Capillary towers.
Page 179
...Hive Guard have some capacity for telepathy, though not to the extent of the more sophisticated synapse creatures...
..
This low-level psychic capacity enables the creatures both to see through the eyes of their fellow xenos in order to target enemies with their Impaler Cannons and to communicate with the shard-beasts that are fused to the Cannon’s projectiles, long bony spikes up to 2 metres in length. Through the psychic link that Hive Guard and shard-beast share, the Hive Guard can direct the symbiotic organisms to alter the course of the projectiles in mid trajectory, by moving membranous fins to act as wing flaps or rudders that steer the missiles. As such, Hive Guard need not make direct visual contact with enemy targets to fire upon them. Field reports from Imperial troops indicate that the Hive Guard can target unseen foes with uncanny accuracy even over moderate distances.
Hive Guard nad Shard beast (which is up to 2 m long) and its guided, indirect fire capability/
Page 180
The Hive Guard’s Impaler Cannon fires a bony spike 1 to 2 metres in length that is powerful enough to penetrate even Space Marine power armour and the strongest Imperial armoured vehicles
Impaler cannon.
Page 181-182
When engaging infantry, many Tyrannofexes defend themselves by firing a Stinger Salvo, a volley of poisonous spikes a metre long.
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.,.the most common swarm creatures observed to date are Electroshock Grubs, squat worm-like creatures protected by small armoured plates that generate static electricity as the teeming organisms flow through the enemy ranks. This energy is sufficient to electrocute those caught in the arcing electrical discharges that accompany the writhing grubs’ movements.
...
..Desiccator Larvae, slug-like organisms with hollow fangs that latch onto their victims and drain them of all moisture within seconds, and Shreddershard Beetles, insectoid organisms that are covered in needle-like spines and that instinctively crawl into tight spaces such as gaps in armour and body orifices. Shreddershard Beetles cannot survive for long outside of the Tyrannofex host and explode after a few moments’ exposure to an aerobic environment, thereby showering those nearby in a blast of spikes.
...
Cannon types vary from creature to creature, but the most common are Acid Sprays, which shower the enemy in caustic fluids that rapidly break down organic tissue as well as armour plating and other substances. Another primaryweapon biomorph is the Fleshborer Hive, a pullulating nest of the same small Tyranid creatures fired from Termagant weapons. Yet another is the Rupture Cannon, which fires two projectiles, the first of which is a bloated tick that erupts and covers the point of impact with a sticky, oily substance, and the second of which is a hard seedpod whose armoured shell dissolves instantly in the tick’s remains and then implodes with enough force to destroy even a tank’s armour.
Tyrannofex armaments. Basically organica rtillery of some kind (direct and preusmably indirect fire.) Can also emit a pheremone distress signal to draw lesser creatures to its defense when attacked, but is implied ot be well protected by multiple layers of carapace as well.
Page 183
...residue coating Tyrannofex projectiles...
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..a complex poisonous cocktail of highly concentrated polymerised toxins...
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..cause most humanoid life forms to release neurotransmitters, resulting in nearly instantaneous severe pain in local muscle groups. As these toxins enter the bloodstream, they quickly affect muscular nerves, resulting in tetany (i.e., painful muscle contractions), paralysis, and often death within a few moments.
Nid Poisons.
Page 183
...Chemical residues collected from Adeptus Astartes casualties a few hours after the Beetles exploded contain trace amounts of a variety of flammable chemicals...
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...Shreddershard Beetles explode moments after leaving the Tyrannofex’s thoracic cavity...
Shreddershard beetles seem to be chemical/incendiary frag devices of some kind with 'self guidance'. Not sure how many moments is, but unless they move fast they must not have much range.
Page 183
..the weaponised fluid produced by the Tyrannofex includes not only acids but also a variety of corrosive and caustic substances...
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...tests detected other agents that my field equipment could not identify...
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..suspect that the Tyrannofex genus, if not individual Tyrannofex organisms, is capable of producing “acid” weapons with a variety of chemical compositions tailor-made for particular enemy targets..
Tyranid acid weaponry. Or maybe magic acid per se.
Page 184
..Biovore is not in its claws, but in the huge mortar-like symbiote on its back.
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... [Spore mines]floating sacs of gas and bile, plated in a rigid shell of bone.
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They then quickly register the presence of whatever target they were fired at and explode in a shower of hardened bone shrapnel or corrosive acid.
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..an off-target Spore Mine can prove deadly, as it drifts onwards, ready to explode as soon as it senses a new enemy.
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The amount of bio-mass a Hive Ship must expend to create a Biovore and its clutch of living bombs is not insignificant, and few planetary assaults merit the kind of extended warfare at which the Biovore excels.
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...once they have been active long enough to blanket the battlefields with a living minefiel.
They mention that Biovores may have appeared in response to use by Imperial artillery.. whether created as a response to or already existing and ismply deployed as a counter noone knows.
Note that in second edition the larger (capital ship) spore mines could be thermonuclear baesd (Hive War as well as from Let the Galaxy Burn) - whether or not this applies to the ground based versions (or if they cna make 'nuclear' spore mines') is up for debate. I'd guess most of them are HE/chemical or something of that magnitude.
In any case like all 'Nid artillery the munitions are self guided to an extent, which gives them something of an advantage over Imperial artillery. Also the biovore can double as a sort of minelayer. On the other hand it seems to be only employed in longer engagements and seems more resource intensive than other 'Nid designs.
Page 186
..Pyrovore is little more than an ambulatory digestive system..
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..find the choicest morsels of the worlds the Hive Fleet consumes, from living flesh to exotic minerals required by the strange leviathans...
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..caustic bile dripping between the Pyrovore’s fangs, which can melt through even the blessed plates of Terminator Armour.
Pyrovores. Again they can eat organic or inorganic shit, both of which the 'nids used.
Page 187
Using their alien sense they can home in on their target, whether the thrumming of a tank division’s engines, or the frantic beating of a terrified Guardsman’s heart.
MawLoc sensory capability.
Page 189
127,000 Calixis-standard Thrones value of research equipment.
This might implie Thrones are used as a standard of measurement in other regions of space, hence needing different standards. The novel 'Nemesis' hints this is the case.
Page 190
Nestled deep in the Tervigon’s abdomen is an incubator for scores of dormant Termagants....
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..the Tervigon acts as a potent nodal relay to the Hive Mind for the Termagants it spawns...
Nid APC. Has claws and talins, as well as the stinger salvo option for Antipersonnel use. can also use psychic powers to strengthen control over local Tyranids, or drive them onwards with greater fervour, etc.
Page 192
...landing precisely through the guidance of the Hive Mind...
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...it may survive long enough to launch a few salvoes from any bioweapons it possesses...
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..physiologically enhanced sensory nodes. These nodes are believed to work in conjunction with pheromone markings left by Lictors...
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By following the trails that the Lictors plant, in conjunction with Hive Mind directives, the Mycetic Spores are capable of targeting key defensive elements far more accurately.
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...enhancements to the bioweapons carried, with a few even replacing their cargo with additional resources to keep the armaments active...
Mycetic spores and Dagon variants.. they can be armed with weapons as well as function as regular drop pods (meaning they can be like Deathwind pods as well) and like most 'Nid constructs can be self guided (or home in via Hive Mind.) and enhanced 'targeting/tracking' ability/
Page 194
..the Malanthrope is a synapse creature...
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..selectively devour the genetic resources of a prey world...
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The Malanthrope’s role seems to be to selectively collect and process genetic material from fallen enemies, before itself being reabsorbed...
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The bio-mass is then used to create more complex creatures.
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...some Magos Biologis believe that it is seeking out unique genetic material for use in creating new Tyranid creatures.
This suggests that these creatures could play a direct role in the hive fleet’s genetic adaptability.
Malanthorpes and probable purposes. It's mentioned thy project a psychic warp bubble.
Page 195
The Malanthrope’s tendrils carry a highly venomous, cardiotoxic, neurotoxic, and dermatonecrotic poison..
Malanthrope toxins.
Page 196
For these regions, Mycetic Spores represent an inefficient means to distribute Tyranid creatures to the planet’s surface.
Instead, the Hive Mind maintains slower growing options, which can utilise the planet’s resources, rather than depending upon the materials that the Hive Fleet has retained from prior conquests. These are introduced to the planet’s atmosphere through rains of nearly microscopic spores. Some may be spread by Tyranid flying organisms, while others drift from spore chimneys spouting alien contaminants into the atmosphere.
Brood Nests are one of the products of these spores. From a single malignant spore, an enormous structure can grow under the planet’s surface. As these caverns extend, the nest produces incubator-like structures that fill with growing Tyranid creatures. These are nurtured to near maturity within them, and then kept in a state of hibernation. If the nest is threatened or the Hive Mind requires additional units, these bio-killers complete their maturation within moments and awaken.
Brood Nests, an alternate, planet-based method of producing Tyranid forces. Also probably represents the insurrection approach - even if the hive ships are destoryed they can still fight on the ground as long as the spores resist - not unlike Orks.
Page 196
..Brood Nests can vary wildly in size. Some have just a few creatures, and some are dedicated to the production of only a single Tyranid creature. Agents of the Adeptus Mechanicus theorise that some nests may grow large enough to produce Hierodules or even Hierophants.
Variability of Brood nexts
Page 196
...its accelerated biological processes, Tyranid creatures grow at a terrifying rate and gestation periods are short. .In a matter of just a few days, a Brood Nest may develop from a single spore into a large complex packed with fully grown monsters. They may then wait in hibernation for months until needed...
..
Tyranids are always birthed fully mature.
Tyranids have no growth cycle, and they can be created rapidly. AT least days for the lowest forms, although that includes the Brood Nest.
Page 198
More than thirteen metres tall and massing over fifty tons, the Hierophant is one of the largest Tyranid creatures to have been observed within the Jericho Reach.
chibi titans reborn. CURSE YOU FORGE WORLD!
PAge 198
..Analysts believe that the Hierophant represents the largest shock troop the Tyranid forces have produced to date. Its huge form is covered in thick, chitinous armour, but it is also protected by warp fields, created by the overwhelming psychic potential of the Hive Mind.
...
...scything talons on a scale far larger than any others observed. These are capable of penetrating the armour on anything but the largest Imperial Titans or the most secure fortifications.
..
Its underbelly is littered with dozens of spine covered tendrils that are similar to the lash whips...
...
The bio-Titan also constantly emits a dense cloud of toxic spores from the millions of small pores on the underside of its bony armour plates.
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Two lengthy bio-cannons are mounted just above its forearms, alongside the creature’s head. These symbiote weapons are triggered by a massive electrochemical shock from the host creature. The bio-cannon spews forth a hail of highly corrosive, maggot-like organisms
...
The biochemicals can melt through plasteel, ferrocrete, ceramite, and unprotected flesh in seconds. Targeted structures and victims are swiftly reduced to smouldering puddles of their component materials.
Bio titan capabilities. They mention variants of bio titans existing which are just weapons combos from other Tyranid forms simply scaled up/writ large.
IT's also hinted that biotitans may only appear in response to Imperiql equivalnets. The Biotitans also emit the same spore cloud other kinds do.
Page 199
The scale of its muscle tissues is extraordinary. Chitinous structures, interwoven with complex metallic alloys, are required to hold the tendon analogues into place. These tissues were discovered to have an extraordinary tensile strength.
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Specialised ammunition might be synthesised to target them in the future.
Tyranid skeleton and muscles.. note the use of 'metallic alloys' to enhance the structurea nd such. also the use of specialized ammo synthesised to face 'Nids specifically.
Page 201
We further believe that the bio-Titan strains observed on Jove’s Descent may include novel variants. A few of the creatures have been measured at over 14 metres in height. Some of these specimens have a central body structure that seems broader or narrower than is observed in the picts that have been provided for threat recognition
Biotitan variants. They also mention that the 'Nids may be producing Biotitans faster than the Imperium can defeat them (EG they're faster to build than Imperial equivalents, unsurprisingly.)
PAge 201
..so that we might be able to identify armaments better suited to combat the Hierophant. For if we know a weapon is particularly effective against a source strain, it might retain its efficacy against the derived species.
Again adapting 'Nid weapons to a specific Tyranid thread.
Page 202
...[Hierodule] is substantially larger than the Carnifex, though it is being deployed in comparable numbers and roles.
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...claws are sharp enough to slice cleanly through the front armour of a Land Raider. Its armour plating has been observed to deflect fire from a Leman Russ Battle Tank’s main cannon.
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The creature is capable of emitting a devastating jet of mutagenic acid at will.
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..caused substantial damage to vehicles and Space Marine power armour. Samples of the acid have been exceptionally difficult to analyse. It is believed that there may be Tyrannic pathogens present within the bio-acid that contribute to its potency.
Hierodules.
Page 202
The symbiote that launches this potent spray of lethal acid maintains an astronomical respiration rate. In this manner, it isolates reducing agents from the planet’s atmosphere, which can be used to generate the extremely potent acidic spray. The acid’s component elements are then stored in separate vesicles within the symbiote. When it launches its deadly stream, these reagents are combined with pathogenic microbes from several biological passages constructed near the symbiote’s surface. The various components only combine into their lethal form during an exothermic reaction as the stream leaves the Tyranid creature’s body.
Hierodule acid spray. Also incendiary qualities (treated as a flamethrower) Possibly related to Tyranid pyro-acidic weaponry.
Page 203
Based upon the depth of the impressions, the creature that damaged the roadways must have been at least twenty tons. Estimates of its stride length suggest that the creature is a quadruped at least twelve meters in length, though this measure has a very low degree of confidence.
Damage to the outpost’s walls indicate that a creature whose vertical reach exceeded six meters used massive sheering claws to rip through and pull down the ceramite-armoured walls. Given that these walls bore twenty centimetres of plating, it is safe to assume that the Tyranid creature poses a substantial threat to well fortified outposts and military vehicles. The resultant opening suggests that the creature is less than ten metres wide, but this estimate seems excessive based upon footprint spacing measurements.
Estimates of Hierodule dimensions.Also a measure of outpost defenses.
Page 203
Spectrographic analysis may reveal additional properties of this substance...
Spectrographic analysis of Tyranid materials.
PAge 204-205
The base commander had violated standard Imperial deployment regulations and established the temporary promethium storage tanks far too close to the facility’s field munitorium.
...
An orbital resupply run had just topped off the promethium tanks. The munitorium had also recently completed a manufacturing cycle devoted to artillery units. Hundreds of thousands of potent explosive shells were awaiting transfer to an overdue transport shuttle. In combination with the thousands of kilolitres of promethium, the depot was a lethal combination.
..
When the Trygon made its attack, a massive bioelectric pulse ignited the fields of promethium storage tanks. In short order, the intense fire spread to the munitorium. Then, the artillery shells detonated in a cataclysmic fashion.
In any case, hundreds of thousands of shells produced in a 'manufacturing cycle' in a field munitorum, giving indication of production rate/scale (thousands of tonnes of shellss perhaps?) It also implies that the shells may be roughly of comparable yield to the promethium supply (within an ordoer of magntidue at least.) Not only is it effective from a psychologicla nad mateiral standpoint, but it demonstrates thea daptability and ability to pereive weaknesses in the enemy's warfighting ability (exploiting flaws or weaknesses or sloppiness, etc.)
Page 205
Hundreds of Imperial tanks and crews, thousands of trained support staff..
Tanks and crew to support statf ratio.
The fun part is that the 'Nids are noted to be using their Trygons to deliberately set off volatile Imperiaul fuels/reactors/munitions/etc, and cause maximum devastation.
PAge 206
..no depot is to maintain more than a three day supply of fuel or ammunition for the units under its jurisdiction. Any substances in excess of this quantity are to be transferred to Imperial Navy resources in planetary orbit..
An indication of depot supplies of fuel and ammo. If we go by 'defixio' 3 days of supply is enough for a 1500 km range on a Leman Russ. Apparently also an orbital storage of fuel and ammo makes it (relatively) safer, but puts an added drain on crusade supplies in the form of extra shuttle/cargo ship flights to ferry down from orbit to the ground as needed.
Page 206
They are in the process of reconfiguring and reallocating transport shuttles to accommodate the increased workload necessary for the additional resupply flights. To offset this new drain on Imperial resources, Guard units are to restrict their use of naval assets for troop movements. Instead, troops are to use ground-based transport for reassignment whenever possible. Further, additional ground-based reconnaissance efforts are now required. Naval manpower used for aerial reconnaissance has been reassigned to assist with the increase in supply shuttle flights.
Interesting for the mobility/transport related issues for the Guard and the Navy, as well as the balance/tradeoff of resources and issues. Increased supply issues cut into the ability of naval assets being used to ferry guard troops, as well as cutting into aerial recon assets. Which means ground based recon must be used more, and ground based transport (which must also be available in some form - mechanised, motorised, etc. - since they don't seem to be hoofing it around muhc.) This implies the Canis salient has significant ground and aerospace transport assets to it, which may not be unsuual for this crusade.
It also means that when needed they cna provide adequate transport to the military forces in some form or another (unlike, for example, the majority of Imperial armour conflicts.)
Page 208
So efficient are the Tyranids that many of those warrior-creatures initially bred to take the world are themselves rendered back into the raw material from which they were created...
...
Thus dissolved to its essential matter, the remains are returned to the hive fleet, to be reused over and over again.
This tends ot suggest that Tyranid use of biomass - at least those bits for construction of nid creatures, is fairly efficient. Whether any of it pertains ot other aspects (maintennace, feeding, etc) those creatures is up for debate.
Page 209
Even the air is fast vanishing, and the landscape is covered with obscenely pulsing, rootlike matter transferring the last of the planet’s chemical resources to the pools..
This leads to an interesting speculation. do the Tyranids consume fossil fuels as part of the 'chemical' resources' or are we talking p urely organic/biological matter? If thats the case we could be talking billions, or even trillions of tonnes of coal, gasoline or even natural gas.
Also again the atmosphere being removed.
Page 209-210
The tech-priest has constructed an impenetrable bunker so far beneath the surface that it is suspended in the world’s superheated mantle.
..
The facility is a magma-warded, armoured bunker, sunk fifty kilometres beneath the surface of Khnum. So deep is the bunker that it is not encased by solid rock, but by shifting, super-heated magma, marking it as a feat of engineering only seen in the most strategically vital command centres and strategiums in the entire galaxy.
That's quite a base, especially considering it was built in secret using the resources of a couple sectors in a crusade, and whilst not exactly trivial is far from a unique occurance. The Temperatures and pressures involved are probably pretty significant to resist, although the exact mechanisms aren't defined yet, nor is the exact position (It's likely that givne the position and depending on the planet's exact compostiion it is more straddling the crust/mantle boundary rather than being completely submerged in the mantle. It may also be a matter of location - perhpas it is near or inside a volcano.
It's also mentioned that the builders are part of what may be deemed a heretical sect of the AdMech, dedicated to finding any weapon with which to defeat the Tyranids.
PAge 212
Khnum is being consumed in every way possible, and the vast tendrils plunging into its surface in search of valuable organisms and minerals cause the ground to tremble in a manner that cannot be predicted.
Tyranoforming causing groundquakes. They burrow deep for the resources.
Page 213
Against primitives armed with bow and spear, the Hive Mind fielded very different forces to when it engages troops armed with tanks and missiles.
'Nids tailor their combat approaches, they fight primitives idfferent than the Imperium.
Page 213
...these are outnumbered a trillion times over by the microbial life forms unleashed by the Hive Fleet..
Quadrillions to quintillions of 'Nid microbial life forms for corrutping, destroying and mutating the native life.,
Page 213
The air is toxic and in places so blisteringly hot that to breath it would sear the lungs.
...
..the surface is wracked by earthquakes as the subsoil is mined for every last nutrient. All that now lies in store for Khnum is the siphoning off of its oceans, followed at the last by the grazer vessels stealing its very atmosphere.
REsource stripping and the enviromentla dangers. fucking around with climate and temp is anothe rway of attacking the populace indirectly.
Page 217
...One way is the use of the gunship’s auspex array to detect energy emissions, but as the bunker is well hidden, shielded, and masked by hundreds of metres of raging magma
Implied detection range of Thunderhawk sensors (at least 50+ km through rock) as well as the AdMech facility buried at least hundred of metres under magma so its not right up against the crust.
Page 219
...falling into the brood nest...
...
..the only light provided by the opening thirty metres overhead.
Brood nest 30 m belowground.
Page 220
...they are travelling in a wide spiral, taking them deeper and deeper into the planet’s crust.
...
It takes the Killteam around five hours to reach bottom of the spiral, and the temperature steadily increases throughout the journey.
5 hours to cross 50 km depth, although in a more indirect 'round the spiral' method. Call it ~3 m/s roughly at least which is consistent with what we know of Astartes Strides.
Page 223
..pursued lines of heretical enquiry long denied to the Adeptus Mechanicus.
...
..trod the surface of forbidden worlds and desecrated long buried tombs.
...
...entered the sealed archives beneath Mars itself, accessing crumbling data-stacks and recovering details of forbidden technologies...
Technically they are Radicals, although they are still loyal to the AdMech/Imperium because they seek to destroy the Tyranids with their discoveries. I suspect the real issue is the AdMech and their compulsive desire to control information.
PAge 223
Some are masters of alien science, genetics and even physics.
HEretical AdMech who are still not traitors who study alien science nad physics.
Page 223
He has created an artificial virus (itself a heretical process), gene-keyed to the most common elements of Khnum’s bio-mass.
..
...introducing his virus directly into the consumption process...
...
..every Tyranid creature that shares even a small portion of the genetic characteristics harvested from Khnum can be attacked and destroyed at the genetic level.
Micro-machines or nanomachines perhaps? The plan is basically to infect the process where the planet's resources are absorbed, and then let the virus attack creatures made from those materials.
Page 224
Xhenek’s prodigious psychic powers appear to operate at, for want of a better word, a frequency that makes her able to penetrate the Shadow in the Warp...
Given what is said about the Emperor modulating the Astronomican and 'frequencies' it works as well as anything. Variable 'frequencies' can also explain various oddities of astrotelepathy - variable speeds, efficiency/precision, etc.
Page 225
..not subject to the mindwiping and neuro-monotasking of servitors
neuro-monotasking. I guess its how they fuck with the brain that determines whether they are monotask or multitask.
Page 226-227
Other screens show reams upon reams of raw data, endless lines of text representing the collation and analysis of the vast amounts of information being collected by sensors hidden all over the surface of the planet.
...
...a powerful cogitation engine.
...
..to process, analyse and store the flood of data gathered regarding the planet’s consumption.
...
The cogitation array holds a staggering amount of information... ....
...
..no one has attempted to record the consumption process in the way Klute has. Every possible scrap of information has been gathered, covering every stage of the consumption from the moment the first vanguard organisms inserted in their Mycetic Spores, to microscopic observations of the action of Tyranid-spawned hybridising bacteria.
...
In order to ex-load more.......every ten minutes in order to gather around 1% of the useful data the cogitator has stored in its eidetic coils.
Implied scope of the material collected and the time to download it. I'm betting just from visual data alone there would be hundreds if not thousands of megabytes worth of data, nevermind the other (auditory, textual, sensor, etc.) data. It would take the better part of the day to download it (some 60,000 seconds).
Assuming 100 MB of data the data transfer rate is a 'mere' 1.7 kb/s. If its a gigabyte its 17 kb/s. If it is a hundred gigabytes we get up to 1.7 mb/s. And at a terabyte its tens of MB per second.
Of course the rates are nothing special since modern tech can match or exceed that quite easily, but in a biotech form (and given the odd computer tech of 40K) it is interesting, and suggests at least comparable performance in data transmission to modern tech, at least.
Page 227
...it is actually submerged in a lightless ocean of molten rock.
...
..keeping any such structure intact and keeping the occupants alive is a prodigious undertaking, and one that draws upon engineering techniques very rarely utilised.
...
...magma-wards. These devices utilise all but lost technologies that project an esoteric field effect into the surrounding mantle, manipulating the magma in such a way that it ceases to present a threat to the bunker. Exactly how this is achieved is a matter of debate, even amongst those who constructed the facility, and while some claim the field interrupts the local flow of space-time, others hold that it alters the laws of physics in such a way that the enormous heat and pressure simply do not come into play.
Magma wards. Interesting in how its implied to 'cheat' to allow the facility to survive. Not impossible, although this would be bordering on necron-type tech (which it may be derived from, given the origins of the Mechanicum's techbase) in that regard and if so it wouldnt be brute force or calcable in any obvious way. On the toher hand, they dont know how it works, so for all we know its just a magical heat pump of some kind
Page 231
...to teleport to the transport via a teleportarium hidden inside the most secret portion of the bunker complex.
Our underground magma complex has a teleporter too!
