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So, picked one of these up to show it off in Cityfight, and the more I consider the beasty the more I grow to like it.

First up, lets have a look at what it can and cannot do.

Can

1. It has a Heavy Flamer equivalent, which is always useful for flushing people out of cover
2. It's pretty cheap!
3. It has Acid Blood, which as I will go into I feel is the key to it's strengths.

Cannot.

1. Do a great deal of damage on it's own
2. Take a great deal of damage.
3. Worry most Elite units.

So that's my loose summary, based purely on it's stat line. So, although cheap it does eat up an important, valuable Elites Slot, easily the most hotly contested area in the Tyranid Codex. Overall, it's not looking especially good. But thankfully, being part of the Tyranid Codex it has several sneaky potentials thanks to it's Spawnmates.

Initially, I envisaged it as close support for broods of Gaunts. On Saturday, I ran it in a larger swarm with 16 Devourer armed Gaunts, 3 Warriors with a Pyrovore. Due to it being a large multiplayer game, and with only a three hour window I didn't get much of a test from the Swarm overall, but the Pyrovore certainly proved useful, incinerating as it did a large squad of Guardsmen before devouring as seeing off some Fire Warriors. But hey, if a unit can't take on such squishy targets, it's doing something extremely wrong. Idea here though, is to not only use it's Heavy Flamer to aid the Gaunts in flushing out and holding objectives, but as a suicide beasty should something large and hard come along to ruin their fun.

And all it needs is it's Acid Blood. Sure, having a Power Weapon equivalent sounds fantakka, but with just one attack it's not going to achieve a great deal before the enemy pulls it's legs off and beats the poor beast to death with them. So with this in mind, I expect and indeed want the Pyrovore to go out in a Acid Tide of glory. Assault it into the hardest enemy unit I can, and laugh with glee as they have to pummell it out of existence, and get a quick bio-acid shower for their efforts. Hurrah! But of course, most Close Combat pros come toting a decent I value, so dont count on wiping them out completely. But hey, all things being equal, and considering (as cleared up in YMDC) the Pyrovore can suffer more than it's two wounds from the enemy in a single Initiative Step. Thus the more enemy hurt it, the more tests they have to pass, hence wanting to engage something rock hard with lots of attacks, to force as many tests as I bloody well can!

So relatively useful already, and certainly gone up some in my estimation. Helped by it's larger Swarm (as mentioned above) gives it increased survival chances, not to mention the hope the enemy will focus on something else in the brood than the solitary, apparently fairly harmless Pyrovore.

Then we get to the Harpy. The lovely Harpy. The delicious flappy, I'm-going-to-halve-your-Initiative-you-big-git Harpy. At this point, the plan above gets even betterer when you engage the Harpy, as the plan goes from a) find hard thing b) engage hard thing c) get horribly jobbed d) cover them in Acid to a) find hard thing b)engage hard thing c) halve their Initiative value for the combat* d) get horribly jobbed e)cover them in a suddenly far more effective Acid. Against I4 (halved to 2) I am DOUBLING the effectiveness of the Acid. Same with I5 and I6. Both drop to three, making the Acid digustingly more potent. What's the asterix (*) for? Check the rule wording on the Harpies Sonic Screech. It drops the I for the duration of the combat phase in which it charged! LOVELY! Just realise I left my book elsewhere, so I'd need to check the Lash Whip wording, but if memory serves it just makes them strike at I1 in the combat, rather than actually changing the Stat however temporarily (same with Powerfists. You strike at I1, but otherwise retain your standard value). Indeed particuarly against large Mobs of Orks, the combo reduces all the Orks to I1, and hopefully the Nob will be toting a Powerclaw. Once it's been thoroughly slapped around by the Powerklaw (same I step now!) and it's pissed it's Acid Blood (remember, those Instant Death wounds count as 2 tests each, as each one inflicts the two wounds!) there is the bonus chance of the Pyrovore suffering a detonation, hopefully going even further to wiping out the Orks in that single round of combat! Not bad for a 45 point unit, I hope you will agree!

So, what do you reckon? Largely situational, and still hardly a compelling reason for it's compulsory inclusion in your list, but I think it certainly puts it further out there for consideration, deliberation, and cogitation when developing your hive?

I think it would be a lot more interesting if there was a way to keep the pyrovore from getting shot down before it hits melee. With T4 and what, a 4+ save is it, it is a juicy target for spare heavy bolters, storm bolters, or really any sort of "bolt" weapon. Maybe it is a bonus if your opponant throws a round of tacmarine shooting at the pyrovore instead of hormagaunts, but I don't find it too thrilling. Especially vs mech guard or anything with spare str5/6 shots. Even against dreads it isn't too exciting since it can't hurt them, and the glancing hits are only on a 4+.

I think your idea is pretty clever (and I think Lashwhips make it worse for your opponent, making them I1 for the rest of the combat) but I suspect that would work exactly once. Afterwards, your opponant would know what was happening and would pick off the pyrovore before melee was likely to occur.

I think at 10 points cheaper they might be worth it, but even then everything in the Elites section seems stronger and more effective, save perhaps lictors.

Certainly I can see it being something your opponent might get wise to fairly quickly, but the trick there is to always give him something better to shoot at. Usual, obvious tactics apply, such as moving it in through cover, block LoS with big stuff etc.

Will check my flatmates copy of the Codex in a moment about the Lash Whip wording!

Bugger! Forgot to add another reason why it works so nicely in a 'Bug Bomb' capacity...the size of it's base! Assuming few people have actually seen one, I would like to point out it comes on a Carnifex sized base, meaning lots of enemy models can crowd it, assuring even more (in theory) attacks, then wounds and logically I test based acidic death rolls! Luvverly! If it was on a Warrior sized base, it wouldn't be anywhere near as good!

Also, with the Harpy tactic, due to the Pyrovore's large base, do ensure you charge the Pyrovore first, as that way, again theoretically, the Harpy will have fewer people swinging at it, as they have been forced to countercharge the Pyrovore first. Huzzah!

I'm definately going to give a brood a spin in PS games. If I'm attacker I get 6 Elites. Sure it might be fun to take 18 Hive Guard but if I'm going to take that many KM equivalents I might as well just play Guard or play Tau.

I will always run DL and a brood of 3 Lictors. I'll eventually get a brood of HG for the 3rd slot though I can see myself switching between them and Zoes on occasion.

Gyarr. Gave the Hiveguard a spin on Saturday, and quite apart from forgetting them after turn one (lots of players, just me running the game) and thinking they were T4 (they are T6) they didn't achieve a great deal!

Should be taking on the big man on Thursday though! First proper game of 40k in years. I fully expect to have my arse throughly handed to me! But I promise to go down swinging!

I'd say that the Pyrovore was moreso something to throw at Ork and Tyranid armies, to soak up their big mobs/broods. Or those pesky Imperial Guard blobs. Or Eldar, just because.

The Acid Blood is nice, but I like the Volatile rule. So, you have a Powerfist, eh? Sounds like a great escort for a big-bug like a Carnifex.

There's gotta be something to be said for something that's dumber than its own gun-symbiont.

Indeedy! Hadn't previously considered it as an escort for Big Bugs, but yes that can certainly work. Heavy Flamer helps thin numbers, and it's detonation can certainly flatten light troops trying to tie up your big lumbering numbnuts, which is nice!

It moves further and further towards being compulsory now. Dammit!

Wehrkind wrote:I think it would be a lot more interesting if there was a way to keep the pyrovore from getting shot down before it hits melee. With T4 and what, a 4+ save is it, it is a juicy target for spare heavy bolters, storm bolters, or really any sort of "bolt" weapon.

Yeah, should be T5.

Anyway, Mad Doc, yuo have given some good tactics and hopefully convinced so mome ot the vore-haters on this forum that pyrovores on this forum. I saw it as reletively useful but you have made it sound even better, i like the model as well so there's a good chance that i'll get one. Thing is though, i don't often play many horde armies, unless one of my uncles uses my ork army, so it won't be as useful fo rme as it could have been.

Great Tactica though

T5 does sound tasty, but then it would hardly ever go pop and kill stuff! I think an extra wound or two would do better, as ultimately I want it to go POP! and the wounds wouldn't prevent this (good old Powerfists! FIST ME XERXES FIST ME!) but would go some way to making sure it gets to somewhere nice before it detonates....

I suppose another use would be to use them to inhabit a nice bit of terrain, going to ground when the enemy get a bit tasty with Heavy Weapons, waiting for a suitably hard unit to wander past, so it can jump them.

Again, largely situational but pretty tasty none the less.

And thank you for the compliment!

3 of them in a drop pod with a Prime might have mileage.

Emphasis on might...

Whereas I feel more than one is wasteful for my purposes. Keep it cheap, keep it disposable. In HTH, a single Pyrovore fulfils the same purpose as three, so why stick three in there?

Because shooting, in all likelihood, is all the Pyrovore will get to do. Dropping 3 down gives 3 Heavy Flamers, pretty much anywhere you want them thanks to the Spore. Just dropping one and hoping he'll do good things retributively in HtH only goes so far - the enemy will toss a couple bolt shots at him and clear him out if he is genuinely a threat, or just move away elsewhere if he isn't. I think Pyrovores can be useful (if not as much so as other Elite choices) - but relying entirely on the suicide bomb to make them worthwhile is way too risky. The Doom functions as a great suicide distraction because of how much havoc he can dish out before the enemy can do anything to him - but the Pyrovore has to rely on the enemy reacting precisely the way you want them too, and good generals won't play into your plan.

And the Doom is far pricier than a single Pyrovore, and unless deepstriking (and then favourably) can be put down just as quickly by Boltfire (well, give or take). His 'absortion' power is fairly short ranged, so against Elite style armies he will only land near a squad or two, providing your opponent has spread out his units (which is what Elites are able to do).

Against Horde armies, the Doom will get knacked off of multiple heavy weapons.

I think I shall persevere with trialling the Pyrovore in this way. As has been said, it's fairly situational, but I reckon when it works it will be worth it. If not, surrounded by Gaunts, it provides some pleasent close in support.

Biggest difference is that your opponent knows to fear the Doom of Malan'tai, and cannot afford to ignore it. The Pyrovore however, is far more innocuous a Beasty, and it shouldn't be a great hassle to provide your opponent with more pressing targets (hello Deathleaper!). It's all about the Synergy matey. Mutually supporting and benfitting choices are the key to successful Hive Fleets.

I found that dropping 2 in a Mycetic Spore can do serious damage to some Guard infantry. I wiped 2 slightly damaged squads with them.


The other thing I like about them is that they are basically immune to Synapse problems. I can drop them where I want, and they will still do exactly what I need. So they Rage? Big deal, they are still allowed to shoot, and have power weapons in close combat.

I like the Pyrovore, and I have since the moment I saw it.

I thought the Feed rules prevented it from shooting, as they HAVE to run?

Might be wrong, as I said I don't have the book to hand right now :(

When looking at potential Tyranid elite units, there were alot that I liked. The Ymgarl stealers are just plain nice, 18" threat range from any terrain feature and a free buff in every round of combat. So I started building my elites. Clearly I would need venomthropes as cover for MCs would be critical, then I needed something to pop vehicles and some redundancy so I'm not just counting on 1 unit. With a severe deficiency of ranged anti-armor anywhere else in the list short of a tyrannofex, this pretty much burned up my last few elite slots. So a unit of of genestealers that threat 18" from any terrain piece the turn they appear pretty much garaunteeing they get to fight, don't make the cut over much needed support units. The pyrovore never even entered my mind as an option.

If I had a choice between being a snowball in hell or a mediocre unit in a bug elite slot, I think I'd have to go with the snowball in hell, at least there you have a chance.

Whereas I don't really rate the Ymgarl Stealers, as ultimately they don't do anything another unit can't achieve, and for less points. Lovely unit yes, but Deathleaper owns them in terms of usefulness, and standard Stealers, whilst squishier, are noticably cheaper, and don't take up an Elites slot.

But each to their own. Not out to tell people they are right or wrong, just discussing!

Mad Doc Grotsnik:

The Flamespurt gun has a special rule allowing it to be fired even if the Pyrovore is acting under the Instinctive Behaviour rule.

I missed that bit!

Bomb-Bug just got betterer as a tactic!

Speaking of, is it just me or is the Pyrovore exactly what you'd want to throw at a unit of Assault Terminators?

They beat it to a paste with their Thunderhammers and not only do they get sprayed with Acid Blood, but the Volatile rule gives you that lasgun's difference when it expodes.

Indeedydooo!

Fighting the Bigman's Imperial Fists on Thursday, and I fully intend to give Lysander Six-Nowt with the old Acid Blood trick! I mean if something is going to beat your Bugs to a nutritious paste anyway, you might as well give them a surprise spanking into the bargain!

Also, same goes for the Broodlord, as it's a nice final pay off when the enemy has eventually chewed through his unit. Though you may wish to adopt distinctly less suicidal tactics with the pricier, overall harder unit

I quite like the Pyrovore and this is a funny tactic but as others have mentioned pull it once and never again, even managing it once could be a stretch.

I like the Ymgarl Stealers and I think Death Leaper is even better. Doom can be horrific though is quite situational but drop him into a Rhino rush line and he'll earn his points back in 1 turn and then some. Ignoring the effect of a distraction he'll then cause.

These are all great choices. But the Nidzilla lists require a Venomthrope and all 'Nid lists struggle against mech and the 2 best antimech units in the army reside in the Elites choices. I can't imagine a competitive army without Zoanthropes and Hive Guard, to be honest I'd want two of each unit...

That is the problem with Pyrovores and all the others Zoathropes and Hive Guard are very effective against the one thing the rest of your army will always struggle with so they become a must. Next on the list dependant on army choice and meta game is the Venomthrope.

I can't see anything else getting a look in for a competitive game or really anything except a fun one off or an Apocalypse game...

Fair assessment, though I have to say I don't play in competitive environments. Just not my bag!

But when it comes to Middling Armies (a variety of bugs of all sizes) I think the Pyrovore is tasty enough to include!

FlingItNow:

It doesn't have to work even once. You can take advantage of the way that a canny player will try to avoid the Pyrovore. As an active remedy for evil assault units like Berzerkers and Assault Terminators the Tyranids couldn't ask for a better unit.

'Ere, surely this guy is going to own in Planetstrike?

I mean, useful for flushing clean enemy held Bastions, and when attacking, a good unit to stick into his counterattack units? Hell, even when defending, just sic him on the biggerest unit of Elites and let them have some fun with him?

Using DL or a brood of Lictors as a beacon to drop them close could work too....it all depends on luck as far as DL coming on turn 2 and pod dropping a turn or 2 later and the DL being alive.

Drop 1 or 3 in a pod within 6 of leaper and now opponent has 2 super scary units to deal with plus the whole entire wave of tyranids coming across the board.

If opp. assaults DL they get counter assaulted by the Pyro's. Assault the pyros and they get counter assaulted in the nid turn by the Leaper. Same goes for shooting. If DL is 12" or less away along with the Spore and 3 pyrovores who do you shoot first? If you are IG the 3 pyros would be a huge threat but so too would DL (he'd chew through most IG squads) + the Spore can shoot as well too.

I've actually been thinking of the drop Bug-Bomb since I saw the Pyrovores entry in the leaked German codex and have always intended to try a brood of 3 in a pod. Of course the Trygon came first as that boy is too sexy to not include

It doesn't have to work even once. You can take advantage of the way that a canny player will try to avoid the Pyrovore.

This would be true if the Pyrovore wasn't so easy to kill... A round of Bolter fire would do the trick.