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So, obviously, the codex gives a decent description, enough to base a model off of it, but it lacks the finer details, such as, where the nerve bundles used for channeling the Hive Mind are, what sort of "delivery" system is there for the little buglets (we talking musculature for pushing the little buggers out of it's pseudo-vagina, or does it have egg sacks hanging by the rear that get jolted into life), and the big question; exactly how big is it supposed to be fluff wise compared to the other big nasties?

If this keeps up, I'm gonna have to do it the lazy way and use a carnifex, add scything talons, make baby-sacks, and call it done; but I don't want to do that. :(

Any thoughts and ideas?

Nice Tervigon, I'll certainly take it into consideration when I stare down the carnifex.

I looks like the gaunts are held in a sac judging by the artwork.

Yeah, but the way that it lines up to the chest cavity, I figured it's possible that it's not just a sac that they tear out of. Was hoping that GW had some official fluff on Tervigon physiology that I didn't hear about.

Orminah wrote:Yeah, but the way that it lines up to the chest cavity, I figured it's possible that it's not just a sac that they tear out of. Was hoping that GW had some official fluff on Tervigon physiology that I didn't hear about.

I don't know how else it could not be interpreted as a sac that gaunts rip out of, at least if that's the only pic we have to go by.

The description mentions the creature's massive, thickened carapace shielding the creatures, and I always read this as the Tervigon having cavities inside it holding the Termagants, and apertures built into its flanks allowing them to be disgorged.

There is nothing conrete on this though.

Tervigons are something I really wished they didn't add, for various reasons.

First up, fluff reasons. They roam the halls of the bioships, looking for intruders, and if found, they spawn a bunch of Termagants and go wake up other Tyranids. This expands on a bit of fluff I find preposterous, that bioships have halls and rooms inside them. They're living ships. The only 'tunnels' should be heading to organs that require something from outside, like lungs (not really, since they live in space), the stomach, and any form of excretion. 'Boarding' a bioship is ludicrous.

Then the fact that they're 'brood mothers' to Termagants. Previously, Termagants were like any other organism, birthed by Norn Queens, put in mycetic spores, and ejected at a target or birthed from a Dominatrix. Why are Termagants so special now that this has changed?

Then from a gameplay point of view. They were added to give Tyranids a form of replicating troop, but it wasn't needed at all. Without Number as an upgrade was fine. In fact, it would have worked well with Trygon Tunnels, giving them an actual use. Units replaced by Without Number would be able to choose to emerge from a tunnel.

Even their psychic powers could have been rationed out to other units. Give Hive Tyrants Catalyst to represent them willing the swarm on, rather than from some secondary leader that sits back popping out baby Termagants.

The whole thing is a unit added for the sake of adding a unit, replacing previously existing utilities in a poorly written way.

The Tyrannofex is the same, which should have just been an Exocrine.

Um. Okay then.

-Loki- wrote:Tervigons are something I really wished they didn't add, for various reasons.

First up, fluff reasons. They roam the halls of the bioships, looking for intruders, and if found, they spawn a bunch of Termagants and go wake up other Tyranids. This expands on a bit of fluff I find preposterous, that bioships have halls and rooms inside them. They're living ships. The only 'tunnels' should be heading to organs that require something from outside, like lungs (not really, since they live in space), the stomach, and any form of excretion. 'Boarding' a bioship is ludicrous.

I have tried to rationalize it as the bioship finding that some internal passages with some atmosphere allows for gases and pheromones to circulate in some fashion that is advantageous compared to having everything be solid flesh, even if penetrated by fluid filled vessels like blood vessels.

The other rationale I suppose is that if it were just solid flesh, then the ship would be at the mercy of any enemies that penetrated on a boarding torpedo or assault boat. They would be free to plant charges or do damage in other ways. If similar sized organisms, i.e. individual Tyranids, could respond then the intruders could be met and fought on their own scale.

What I find hard to believe about the Tervigon is how such a creature can walk, considering the maximum number of Termagants it could be carrying (based on its maximum potential output in a 40K game).

Frankly I'd be happier if they just put the Malefactor back in, as at least that sized creature would be believable carrying so many smaller creatures. That and replace the Tyrannofex with the Exocrine creature.

Personally I view the tervigon as being an egg carrying machine, with the termagants spawning in a birthing canal or something. That would explain why they are able to spawn so many.

As for the hive ships, as someone above me has said, were it a lump of flesh how could it defend against stuff penetrating its outer layers and blowing its organs up?

Just because 'gants come from tervigons doesn't mean a norn queen can't poop em out too, maybe the tervigon is just a sorta secondary baby momma

Mechanized Space Corps wrote:Personally I view the tervigon as being an egg carrying machine, with the termagants spawning in a birthing canal or something. That would explain why they are able to spawn so many.

That wouldn't make a difference with regards to how the thing can move around. It would still be carrying the equivalent mass around whether the Termagants are in sacs, in birthing canals, or even in other forms like fat (if we suppose somehow the Tervigon rapidly generates the Termagants).

Iracundus wrote:What I find hard to believe about the Tervigon is how such a creature can walk, considering the maximum number of Termagants it could be carrying (based on its maximum potential output in a 40K game).

Frankly I'd be happier if they just put the Malefactor back in, as at least that sized creature would be believable carrying so many smaller creatures. That and replace the Tyrannofex with the Exocrine creature.

Couldn't this be rectified by modelling a larger creature though? Maybe use the thorax of a Trygon/Morlock? Without an official model, the aesthetic is entirely subjective. You don't have to follow the picture in the codex.