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So this thought's been bugging me for the last half hour now... And it all originated when I read that Eldar Craftworlds were essentially made of Wraithbone.

I mean, I already knew this, but it just suddenly popped up into my head...

Tyranids eat biomass, including bones, and use it to make more Tyranids...

And Eldar use Wraithbone as building material for pretty much everything...

So if a Tyranid fleet manages to overrun a whole Craftworld, do they pretty much just eat it all up?

Or is it not as much bone as it is some Warp stuff I haven't read enough about?

Kthx

Not just the biomass, the Doom of Malantai ate the infinity circuit. So yes, Tyranids can eat entire craftworlds, including the souls.

I really didn't get what you just said, such is my ignorance of the fluff. Could you please explain? Or was that a joke?

Ps. I swear, I just fell in love with your signature.

Basically, the tyranid creature 'doom of malantai' consumed the infinity circuit of craftworld malantai. The infinity circuit= the souls of the dead malantai eldar. From that we can assume that not only can the tyranids consume the bone and biomass, but the souls of the eldar as well.

Wait.... But the souls are useless to them since they yield nothing of relevance to the Tyranids, right?

Or do they maybe gain some information of the Eldar weapon or defense mechanisms from this soul-eatery?

I would assume the psychic-ness of the DoM increases with the more souls it eats.

Actually the Tyranids might not be too interested in the Wraithbone itself as it is not really organic or living it is only related to that in its background information in order for the reader to grasp how it behaves. It is basically warp energy solidified and guided by a Bonesinger.

The Nids would attack for the Eldar on board, but the craft itself should be pretty uninteresting to them.
It is kind of alive, but at the same time not really alive at all.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Wraithbone

Also I supose the energy of the Infinity Circuit may actually help the Nids. Being a well of psychic energy, the magic of 40k, there really wouldn't be any idea as to what it could do to the Nids. They could be unable to harvest it, the Hive Mind might be able to feed on it, etc.

Simple answer: NO

Wraithbone is a psycho reactive super plastic... not organic so the nids would most likely find no usful bio material out of it.

DoM and other psychic nids can harvest souls of other organisms to use as a weapon or heal themselves. (warp blast, soul drain)

Tyranids can eat plastic no problem. It's mass and it can be turned into armor or whatever.

The Eldars are basically armoring themselves in bread. I bet that'll scare the 'nids off!

TheLinguist wrote:So if a Tyranid fleet manages to overrun a whole Craftworld, do they pretty much just eat it all up?

I eat your craftworld... I EAT IT UP!

Didn't the Tyranids just leave the Malantai craftworld desolate, letting it drift through space? If they could of harvested it, I'm sure they would have. So I'll guess they can't.

Seeing as though nids eat everything on a planet except the rock I'm assuming that they would eat the wraithbone as well since it is grown, therefor has to have some sort of biological construction.

And yes, Eldar Craftworlds, Structures, Infinity Structures, Maiden Worlds, etc are all a friggin all you can eat buffet to nids *pours one out for his homies* :(

Rube wrote:Tyranids can eat plastic no problem. It's mass and it can be turned into armor or whatever.

The Eldars are basically armoring themselves in bread. I bet that'll scare the 'nids off!

I think the scary bit come from their moon sized ship and substantial fleet compliment.
Factor in the general lethality of the Eldar aspects.
And it still won't work because the Tyranids are afraid of nothing.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
It seems that wraithbone is solidified warp energy according to Eldar 4th edition.
I'm not sure you can even eat that.
Though if anyone could Tyranids would do it.

BlueDagger wrote:Seeing as though nids eat everything on a planet except the rock I'm assuming that they would eat the wraithbone as well since it is grown, therefor has to have some sort of biological construction.
And yes, Eldar Craftworlds, Structures, Infinity Structures, Maiden Worlds, etc are all a friggin all you can eat buffet to nids *pours one out for his homies* :(

Not really true. You can grow crystals, and they are certainly not all organic, or biologicly derived.

purplefood wrote:
It seems that wraithbone is solidified warp energy according to Eldar 4th edition.
I'm not sure you can even eat that.
Though if anyone could Tyranids would do it.

They can eat souls, which is unsolidified warp energy. Cheapo wraithbone would get munched on just as easy.

Rube wrote:

purplefood wrote:
It seems that wraithbone is solidified warp energy according to Eldar 4th edition.
I'm not sure you can even eat that.
Though if anyone could Tyranids would do it.

They can eat souls, which is unsolidified warp energy. Cheapo wraithbone would get munched on just as easy.

Do they eat souls?
Wraithbone is apparently stronger than adamantium which is used to plate batte tanks so i'm thinking not so easy. Also a good psychic shield apparently.

The Doom of Malon 'Tai was a special Zoanthrope. It is not a common occurance. Described as "Vampiric" it is the onlTyranid (i know of) that can "eat" souls.

Well then.
It's not exactly a repeatable strategy then.

Yes and no, Old one eye the amazing invincible carnifex was also a "special" carnifex with his regenerating ability. Look how that turned out, the hive mind made almost every carnifex have this trait (in fluff) just not as effective.

So I imagine maybe zoanthropes gaining the ability to drain the souls out of other beings. Just not as effective as the Doom of Malon 'Tai.

TheLinguist wrote:
Didn't the Tyranids just leave the Malantai craftworld desolate, letting it drift through space? If they could of harvested it, I'm sure they would have. So I'll guess they can't.

This is a VERY good point. although i may be wrong, i can only say that maybe the fleet could not regenerate itself at that point.
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Malan%27tai
It says that it was the dying spasms of a bioship that sent a bunch of spores onto the craftworld and then the nids were hunted down by the eldar, specifically hunting the more overtly lethal types... a carnifex kinda demands attention, which situation allowed the doom to feast and grow super strong and kill everyone with a psychic scream. That also leaves me wondering what happened to the doom... so many questions.

Well this may have been what happened to it. The Swarmlord is so connected to the Hivemind that it can transcend any boundaried separating it from a hive fleet if needed. Could the Doom of Malan Tai have grown to this strength and become this valuable? This would explain where all of these infamous tyranid have gone, like old one eye, parasite of Morton, the red terror, etc.

This could also explain why these Tyranid have occasionally appeared in different systems. I think this is very possible IMO

I like the idea that the Doom got so powerful it can exert it's will over Tyranid swarms if they are close enough sort of a renegade Tyranid.

well they wouldnt be renegade really, the powerful tyranid still serve the hive mind. Or did you mean something else?

xXSir MontyXx wrote:well they wouldnt be renegade really, the powerful tyranid still serve the hive mind. Or did you mean something else?

Well afaik the Zoanthropes still have a connection to the Hive Mind but if the fleet was destoyed and such leaving only the non-synapse dudes then the Doom could exert it's own control over the little critters and would possibly be powerful enough to control a norn queen.
And the Doom strikes me as the kind of critter who would just stop doing what the Hive Mind told it too after a while.

eehh idk you have to remember it is strong but the hive mind is MUCH stronger. I see what you mean though.

xXSir MontyXx wrote:eehh idk you have to remember it is strong but the hive mind is MUCH stronger. I see what you mean though.

All it has to do is break the connection which should be easier than actually fighting it.

It could work, maybe eventualy becoming another hive mind haha. That would suck for the universe

It would suck for the Hive Mind, the universe is already f**ked.

Doom of malantai, to me at least, seems like the kind of leader that would eat his own followers to improve himself.

Wraithbone is not actually made of bone, its a psycho reactive plastic, although if plastics are still petroleum absed 40k years from now i guess they could consume it as it would be made from hydrocarbons.

Mattieau wrote:Doom of malantai, to me at least, seems like the kind of leader that would eat his own followers to improve himself.

Maybe mind control the first to get more people dead so he could eat them.