Army-wide Special Rules and Biomorphs

Reds8n has said we can expect to see many new and improved psychic abilities in the book.
Scryer in the Darkness tells us The Shadow in the Warp is now 12" range on 3d6, causes Perils of the Warp on double 1 or 6 and is free for Hive Tyrant, Tyranid Warriors and Trygon Alpha.

Synapse Creatures: units within 12 inches are fearless. No eternal warrior.

Feral behaviour: each Tyranid unit not in range of a Synapse creature has to pass a morale check or falls back to instinctive behaviour. Melee-creatures move as fast as possible to the next enemy, while shooting creatures go for the next cover and shoot at the nearest enemies. What they do is said in their entries.

Biomorphs: They grant general special abilities now. Examples: Toxin sacs grant you poisoned attacks (4+), adrenalin glands grant furious charge, etc. An Injector grants Instant Death on each to wound roll of 6. I don't remember them all, though.

Weapon symbionts are supposedly no longer modified by the creature that wields it. There are heavy variants of most of them for the bigger creatures.

Venom Cannon now gets a 3" blast. They suffer an additional -1 penalty against vehicles. So, a glancing hit is - 3, a penetration - 1. Heavy Venom Canon, is as above plus S9.

BramGaunt tells us One pair of Scything Talons grants rerolls on all 1's to hit, and two pairs grant rerolls to all to hit rolls.

Stickmonkey tells us the Lash whip may be changed to be able to target specific models in close combat. BramGaunt tells us it reduces the initiative of all models attacking the bearer to 1.

Scryer in the Darkness says Boneswords will be power weapons that cause Instant Death on a failed Ld roll. If a pair of Boneswords, Ld test is taken on 3d6.

BramGaunt tells us Crushing Claws grant d3 additional attacks.

Special characters including Old One Eye are rumoured to return. Phil Kelly explained that they are not meant to be individuals, but more like mutated survivors from a big war. Robin Cruddace has supposedly said they may give special rules to the whole army. BramGaunt tells us The Red Terror will not appear in the Codex.

Phil Kelly has implied the Tyranids will get an increased anti-tank capability

HQ

Hive Tyrant – Stickmonkey tells us Tyrants are likely to get more psychic powers and a 5+inv save as default.
- WS8, I6.
- Starts of with a pair of scything talons, a tentacle whip and a Bonesword.
- May be given wings or heavy carapace (2+ armour save)
- May chose from 4 different psychic powers:
- Mental scream: all enemy units within 18" have to pass Ld check. If they fail, they suffer the difference between the roll and their Ld as casulties with no armour saves allowed.
- Lifeleech: one unit within 12 " suffer D3 autohits S3 AP2. for each casulty they suffer, the Hive Tyrant is granted one Wound, up to a maximum of 10
- One that forces a unit to do a morale check or to fall back.
- One shooting attack.
- He may be given tactical advances, for example to grant one standard unit outflank and +1 to reserve rolls.
- Has lots of weapons available.

Swarmlord - Armed with 4 Boneswords, costs more than a LR.
- WS9
- Invulnerable saves passed against Wounds from him have to be rerolled.
- He may buff one unit within 18 inches with Preferred Enemy, Furious Charge or two other special abilities.

Tervigon –Made by combining the Carnifex and Trygon kits.
- Creates 3d6 Termagants with standard loadout each movement phase, even if he's in close combat.
- If he dies, Gaunts near him suffer heavy losses.
- Has its own psychic powers

Alpha Warrior - WS 6, which he passes to a unit of Warriors he joins.

Winged Horror - The horror is a hit and run monster with wings.
- Each enemy unit outflanking may suffer casualties: your opponent names one model within the unit, it has to pass a Toughness test. If it fails it is killed and the Tyranid player gets D6 Ripper Swarms. He may do the same to victims he kills in close combat.

Tyrant Guard – According to a GW product brief they get Rage and Furious Charge if their Tyrant is killed.
- Each Hive Tyrant may be given a Tyrant Guard

Elites

Hive Guard - Brood size 1-3
- BS4
- Impaler Cannon: Range 24" S8 AP4 Assault 2. supposedly does not need LOS

Lictor – Official GW retail product release says they will have increased stats such as 3 Wounds, reduced points cost, and no 0-1 Limit.
- 1-3 per slot, they act together as one unit. Deploy like Marbo
- Grant +1 to reserve rolls. Deep striking units do not scatter if deployed within 6” of a Lictor, as long as it was on the table for at least one turn

Death Leaper – WS9, I 7, and Rending on 5+.
- Named Character
- Deployed like a Lictor, but may retreat and redeploy text turn

Zoanthrope - Broods of up to 3
- Warp field grants 3+ Inv save
- Psychic powers: warp lightning and warp lance. Warp Lightning is S6 AP3 3 blast, Warp Lance is S10 AP2 Assault 1, lance at 18 inches

The Terror of Mal'anathi (sp?) - Last survivor of a swarm destroyed by the Eldar of Craft World Mal'anathi (sp?). It sucked the souls out of the Crystal Matrix and killed almost all of its citizens.
- After using its strong 5 " template psychic shooting attack it suffers D3 wounds with no saves allowed.
- May leech up to 10 wounds, and the strength of its psychic attack increases to the number of wounds it has left

Pyrovore – Official GW retail product release says they will have a similar statline to Tyrant Guard, and their Pyro Acid spray is S6 AP4.
- I1 A1 ignores Armour in CC

Venomthrope - Appears to have 4 lashwhips, possibly toxic sacs similar to a Malanthrope, and is rumoured to be a psyker. The GW Newsletter confirms it has Poisoned attacks (2+). BramGaunt says it and will grant a 5+ cover save to all units within 6” and possible also give them defensive grenades.

Ymgarl Genestealers - Brood size 5 - 10, no Broodlord for them
- They are NOT a named unit. basically, they are Genestealers, which can morph: they may increase their Attacks, Toughness or Strength characteristic at the beginning of each close combat phase
- Special rule: "Hibernation": note one piece of terrain. When the Genestealers become available, they are placed in this piece of terrain. They may move, shoot and charge

Troops

Tyranid Warriors - WS 5, 3 Wounds 4+ Armour save
- If led by an Alpha Warrior they use his WS
- lots of options

Genestealers - Mostly the same as before, less options
- Point cost lower than Grey hunters
- No way to boost their armour save
- Have Infiltrators and Fleet

Broodlord – Upgrade for Genestealers.
- Uses old profile, at point cost of a Long Fang with HB
- May have two psychic powers: Confusion, which makes both player roll a D6 and add the Ld of a model chosen by the Tyranid player. If the result of the Tyranid player is the same or higher, the chosen miniature may not attack in this close combat phase. The other ability reduces the Ld characteristic of surrounding enemies by 1

Termigants – Fleshborer S4 AP5 Assault 1
- For every 10 Gaunts, one may be upgraded with a S2 flamethrower that wounds against the Strength characteristic

Hormagaunts – Points cost halved
- Brood size 10 - 30
- WS3, S3, I5, 2 Attacks, Ld 6
- Infantry
- May be given toxin sacs and adrenalin glands
- Fleet and “Quick” 3D6 pick the highest for Fleet

Ripper Swarm

Fast Attack

Winged Tyranid Warriors

Winged Ripper Swarm

Gargoyles – minimal increase to Initiative.
- points cost halved
- Toxin Sacs supposedly available
- Poisoned attacks: Each roll of 6 to hit and to wound automatically causes a wound.

Raveners - Two pairs of scything talons
- May have a thorax swarm: thorax swarms are a special weapon, the ammunition is chosen at the beginnig of the game. 3 different flamer variants

Harpy – Monstrous creature.
- Flying, Trygon-sized creature that acts as a bomber
- It may deploy Spore mines at a unit it flies over

Spore Mines – See Biovore

Heavy Support

Carnifex – Some vague talk about them getting some sort of “Tank Shock” like rule allowing them to charge through other units (causing wounds) to engage units on the other side.
- 1-3 per slot which must be armed the same
- WS 4, BS 3
- Cannot boost Initiative, and it is almost sure that cannot go above 3+Sv
- When charging, increase Initiative by 2. If purchase adrenaline, grants I4 and S10.
- S9 in profile
- Two pairs scything talons and 4A as standard

Biovore – A pic from an official GE product brief shows the following (with thanks to jamesterjlrb for transcribing):

Originally Posted by jamesterjlrb View Post
WS3, BS3, S4, T4, W2

Equipment and Biomorphs

Hardened carapace, Claws and teeth

Spore Mine Launcher: Range 48" str. 4, Ap 4, Assault ?[assume 1], Large [blast]

*If after the first template in the ????[possibly barrage?!] [has been] determined, there are no enemy models within 6" of the [template, do] not resolve the attackbut instead place a number of spore mines equal to the number of biovores in the unit, in base contact w[ith each other] on the spot wher the central hole would have landed. T[he mines] follow the rules for spore mines detailed in the Living Brood [special rule].

Special Rules

Biovore

Instinctive behaviour-Lurk

Spore Mines

Living Bomb: Each spore mine is treated as an [individual] unit. Spore mines are always ignored for the purposes of [all] mission objectives. Spore mines are not subject to I[nstinctive] Behaviour, never go to ground voluntarily or ??? fall back. At the beginning of the Tyranid movement p[hase each] spore mine moves D6" in a direction determined by r[olling the] scatter dice. (Tyranid player chooses the direction if a hit [is rolled].

If a spore mine suffers a wound, touches an enemy mo[del, hits] impassable terrain or it ends any movement phase with[in 1"] of an enemy unit, it immediately explodes. Place the centr[al hole] of the large balst marker over the spore mine and resolve [it at] a strength 4 and ap of 4. Spore mines that drift off the [board or] into a friendly unit are immediately removed from play.

Spore mine clusters
Fluff about how spore mines don't always need biovores drop from sky (like last codex)

Orbital Deployment: Spore mine clusters are always deployed in the following manner. After both sides have selected their deployment zone but before any units are deployed, all of your spore mine clusters must Deep Strike onto the board. If any scatter off the board or into impassable terrain then the entire cluster is destroyed as described in the 1-2 result on the deep strike mishap table. After they have landed the spore mines in the cluster are then treated as individual spore mines as described in the living bomb rule.
Trygon – May be upgraded to a Trygon Alpha, making it a Synapse Creature with an improved Bioelectric attack.
- Official GW retail product release says if it lands on a model when Deep Striking it counts as having assaulted that model/unit.
- WS6, S6, 6 Wounds and 6 Attacks
- Bioelectric attack: Range 12",S6, AP5, Assault 6
- If upgraded to an Alpha Trygon, attack is 18" and Assault 12

Mawloc – Cheaper and less CC oriented than standard Trygon.
- Has a large Red Terror style mouth, so possibly a Swallow Whole rule. May possibly have Hit & Run.
- According to the official GW retail product release, when Deep Striking any model touched suffers a S6 AP2 hit and survivors are pushed out the way as the Mawloc emerges. At the end of any subsequent Tyranid movement phase it can re-burrow and will automatically arrive the next Tyranid turn using its special DS rules.

The official GW retail release says three new Apocalypse data sheets for the Trygon/Mawloc in WD February. One of these will supposedly include the ability for Raveners to DS through the Trygon tunnel without rolling for Reserves and Assault after.

Tyrannofex - Walking weapon battery
- Fleshborer swarm: S4 AP5 Assault 20
- Pyroacid spray: S6 AP4 flamer template, used exactly like the Hellhound
- Capsule cannon: Range 48", S10, AP4, Assault 2
- Monstrous Creature with high Toughness

Dedicated Transports

Spore Capsule - Can be taken by lots of units
- transports 1 MC or up to 20 Infantry
- Deep Strike. Transported unit disembarks immediately.
- Completely immobile. Can't move, run, assault, regroup or pursue.
- WS and BS 2 Toughness 5 or 6 and 3 Wounds. 3 attacks S 6.
- has a 6" Assault 6 S6 shooting attack