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What is a genestealer cult? Genestealer are great nid troops, but I've seen genestealer cult modelling projects, that included guardsmen and tanks. How does a genestealer cult infiltrate a planet? ? ?

Here

My work here is done

Genestealers are a type of tyranid. They infiltrate a society, "infecting" healthy people with tyranid DNA. They (and their children) are also Genestealers. Genestealers vary depending on if they are hybrid 'stealers or purebred 'stealers. All 'stealers are psychically linked to one (the Patriarch) who controls them. These 'stealer cults then grow, infecting more and more people, breeding as they go. Their combined mental presences act as a beacon to the tyranid fleets. The larger the cult, the stronger the signal. If they get large enough, they will attempt to sow chaos and disorder in the society they are infiltrating. Although they may or may not be aware of their tyranid masters, their actions serve to weaken a society's defenses for when the tyranids DO show up. When that happens, as I understand it, the 'stealers (whether or not they were aware of who it was they served) fall into line with the hive mind. The tyranids will then use them as scouts or shock troops.

Genestealers can have mutations, including extra arms and whatnot.

Not trying to undercut you Brunius, but your link provided a lot of info. Just summarizing.

In addition to what Brunius posted, in the early GW days, genestealer cult miniatures comprised about 80% of all Tyranid miniatures (another 5-10% were Zoats ). There are still fandexes out there to be able to field these miniatures.
http://www.solegends.com/citcat911/c2102genestealers.htm
http://www.solegends.com/citcat911/c2103genestealers.htm

Basically a genestealer cult comes about like this:

One purestrain genestealer comes onto the planet, usually by spacehulk. He implants humans with his genetic material while they're in a trance, and they don't notice it. When those people have children, their firstborn child is a first generation genestealer-human hybrid. The hybrid's family regards the child as one of their own, despite having far more genestealer features than human ones, because of the genestealer child's psychic domination.

This hybrid then implants humans himself, just like his genestealer father did, and his children do the same, as do his children, until the fourth generation of hybrids is born. Each generation looks more human and less genestealer than the last. The fourth generation hybrids look almost exactly like regular humans, and cannot implant anyone; instead, they reproduce like normal for humans, and their children are then purestrain genestealers, who will eventually leave to start cults of their own.

The large extended family, including both the hybrids and the family of those hybrids, becomes the core of the genestealer cult, and they recruit additional human followers from there. The true leader of the cult is the Patriarch, the first genestealer to have started the whole thing, but the leader seen from the outside is the Magus, a fourth generation genestealer who looks particularly human, and is charismatic and more knowledgeable about human society and technology than the Patriarch (as, despite being very intelligent, purestrain genestealers are mentally incapable of understanding the concept of technology).

Genestealer cults are scary. I wish they were used more in the books aside from the steroetypical "imperial govenor sucumbed to chaos" revolution.

Orkeosaurus wrote:Basically a genestealer cult comes about like this:

One purestrain genestealer comes onto the planet, usually by spacehulk. He implants humans with his genetic material while they're in a trance, and they don't notice it. When those people have children, their firstborn child is a first generation genestealer-human hybrid. The hybrid's family regards the child as one of their own, despite having far more genestealer features than human ones, because of the genestealer child's psychic domination.

This hybrid then implants humans himself, just like his genestealer father did, and his children do the same, as do his children, until the fourth generation of hybrids is born. Each generation looks more human and less genestealer than the last. The fourth generation hybrids look almost exactly like regular humans, and cannot implant anyone; instead, they reproduce like normal for humans, and their children are then purestrain genestealers, who will eventually leave to start cults of their own.

The large extended family, including both the hybrids and the family of those hybrids, becomes the core of the genestealer cult, and they recruit additional human followers from there. The true leader of the cult is the Patriarch, the first genestealer to have started the whole thing, but the leader seen from the outside is the Magus, a fourth generation genestealer who looks particularly human, and is charismatic and more knowledgeable about human society and technology than the Patriarch (as, despite being very intelligent, purestrain genestealers are mentally incapable of understanding the concept of technology).

Going off the top of my head, I think** you have it backwards, the children become more and more genestealer like until they become purestrains I think.

HiveFleetGoliath wrote:

Orkeosaurus wrote:Basically a genestealer cult comes about like this:

One purestrain genestealer comes onto the planet, usually by spacehulk. He implants humans with his genetic material while they're in a trance, and they don't notice it. When those people have children, their firstborn child is a first generation genestealer-human hybrid. The hybrid's family regards the child as one of their own, despite having far more genestealer features than human ones, because of the genestealer child's psychic domination.

This hybrid then implants humans himself, just like his genestealer father did, and his children do the same, as do his children, until the fourth generation of hybrids is born. Each generation looks more human and less genestealer than the last. The fourth generation hybrids look almost exactly like regular humans, and cannot implant anyone; instead, they reproduce like normal for humans, and their children are then purestrain genestealers, who will eventually leave to start cults of their own.

The large extended family, including both the hybrids and the family of those hybrids, becomes the core of the genestealer cult, and they recruit additional human followers from there. The true leader of the cult is the Patriarch, the first genestealer to have started the whole thing, but the leader seen from the outside is the Magus, a fourth generation genestealer who looks particularly human, and is charismatic and more knowledgeable about human society and technology than the Patriarch (as, despite being very intelligent, purestrain genestealers are mentally incapable of understanding the concept of technology).

Going off the top of my head, I think** you have it backwards, the children become more and more genestealer like until they become purestrains I think.

No he doesn't. That wouldn't make any sense. As generations pass, the DNA becomes more diluted so the offspring look like humans, making it easier to infiltrate society. More genetic diversity would be required at some point, so the fifth generation Genestealers are 'pure' Tyranids. They can then spread to other planets.

If memory serves, in the Cain novels, genestealers sometimes ran brothels which infected many people. Not to mention that soldiers who fought the 'nids and survived sometimes came back after being missing for a few days. Those guardsmen would be infected as well, and then traveled to planets with their army and then travel to other worlds. Due to increased libido they would visit brothels, who had children from the guardsmen, and then things go on from there.

Cheese Elemental wrote:

HiveFleetGoliath wrote:

Orkeosaurus wrote:Basically a genestealer cult comes about like this:

One purestrain genestealer comes onto the planet, usually by spacehulk. He implants humans with his genetic material while they're in a trance, and they don't notice it. When those people have children, their firstborn child is a first generation genestealer-human hybrid. The hybrid's family regards the child as one of their own, despite having far more genestealer features than human ones, because of the genestealer child's psychic domination.

This hybrid then implants humans himself, just like his genestealer father did, and his children do the same, as do his children, until the fourth generation of hybrids is born. Each generation looks more human and less genestealer than the last. The fourth generation hybrids look almost exactly like regular humans, and cannot implant anyone; instead, they reproduce like normal for humans, and their children are then purestrain genestealers, who will eventually leave to start cults of their own.

The large extended family, including both the hybrids and the family of those hybrids, becomes the core of the genestealer cult, and they recruit additional human followers from there. The true leader of the cult is the Patriarch, the first genestealer to have started the whole thing, but the leader seen from the outside is the Magus, a fourth generation genestealer who looks particularly human, and is charismatic and more knowledgeable about human society and technology than the Patriarch (as, despite being very intelligent, purestrain genestealers are mentally incapable of understanding the concept of technology).

Going off the top of my head, I think** you have it backwards, the children become more and more genestealer like until they become purestrains I think.

No he doesn't. That wouldn't make any sense. As generations pass, the DNA becomes more diluted so the offspring look like humans, making it easier to infiltrate society. More genetic diversity would be required at some point, so the fifth generation Genestealers are 'pure' Tyranids. They can then spread to other planets.

Did some research to make sure and it makes sense. Havn't read up on my Tyranid fluff in a while.