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Anyone notice how shorthand GW was when writing the Fast Attack units for the Tyranid kind of ran out of idea. Well hell, lets take the a unit from other categories, add wings and call it a new creature. Because why not?

Shrike = Warrior with wings
Ravener = mini Trygon
Gargoyle = Termagant with wings
Harpy = Trygon with wings

GG GW

The Choices actually fit the fluff.

Need flying Termagants on this planet, make some.

Need flying Trygon offspring on this planet, make some.

Need flying Warriors on this planet, make some.

Need flying Trygons on this planet, make some.

The Harpy is a flying trygon? Man I wish they were that good.. lol

Yeah, just look at the picture it's a flying Trygon. But, yes if it have similar stats to the Trygon I'm sure everyone will use them. Of coarse as gameplay goes, it's more like a flying Carnifex with a cannon.

Raveners were in the army book before Trygons. If anything, the Trygon is a larger Ravener.

broodstar wrote:Ravener = mini Trygon

Gorskar.da.Lost wrote:Raveners were in the army book before Trygons. If anything, the Trygon is a larger Ravener.

This. Trygons are giant Raveners. Raveners existed well before Trygons ever did. They're fairly unique in my mind, especially compared to other army choices.

Isn't the Ravener just a fast moving CC variant of a Warrior, according to the fluff? Besides, logistics of war would dictate that the most expeditious means to fill an emergent role within your force is to adapt an existing design to fulfill the need. Militaries around the world have used a similar process for decades.
Have an APC but need something that can carry troops and engage entrenched infantry and lightly armored vehicles? Reduce it's troop capacity and use the space and free weight to add an autocannon. Now you have an IFV.

The same could be said about the Tyranid bioconstruction process. They have an existing template of a capable all-rounder soldier like their Warriors, but they need both a dedicated, fast striking, shock troop that can sniff out listening outposts and a fast moving, synapse creature capable of the same all-rounder fighting capabilities of a Warrior.

The results:
Raveners: Warriors with their synapse abilities removed for EMF detection abilities and their legs replaced with a snake tail to aid in locomotion across broken terrain
Shrikes: Warriors with wings added and carapace reduced to make flight possible, but with the same weapon loadouts as Warriors.

It's design 101: "Don't reinvent the wheel" and "Keep it simple".

PS- Also, it allows GW to create new units with minimal change to their existing casting equipment. Thus reducing their logistical strain as a company and saving them money.

cowmonaut wrote:

broodstar wrote:Ravener = mini Trygon

Gorskar.da.Lost wrote:Raveners were in the army book before Trygons. If anything, the Trygon is a larger Ravener.

This. Trygons are giant Raveners. Raveners existed well before Trygons ever did. They're fairly unique in my mind, especially compared to other army choices.

Trygons existed in 40k long, long before Raveners in a little game called Epic. However, Raveners were around before Forgeworld did the new slim concept for a Trygon, so the Ravener concept was kind of new when it was introduced.

themandudeperson wrote:Isn't the Ravener just a fast moving CC variant of a Warrior, according to the fluff?

No. The 4th and 5th edition codices say there's similarities (mostly in their size and the types of weapons they employ), neither allude to them actually being a variant of the Warrior.

I'd really like to see Lictors move to Fast Attack. There's far less competition in that slot (only Gargoyles are true standouts), and accompanied by some fixed rules, wouldn't be too bad. Even if they fixed their rules right now, no one would take them still over Hive Guard and Zoanthropes.

If you look at the 4th edition book it would make a little more sense.
In that book, the shrikes were just warriors with the wings upgrade.
Hormagaunts and termagants were the same entry, it just depended what arm weapon you chose.

The tyranids are modular. They are kinda supposed to work this way.





Look at any codex, and that is kinda how it works.

Tactical squad = troops
Tac squad with JP or Bikes = Fast attack
Tac squad with more guns = Heavy Support

ect.

svendrex wrote:If you look at the 4th edition book it would make a little more sense.
In that book, the shrikes were just warriors with the wings upgrade.
Hormagaunts and termagants were the same entry, it just depended what arm weapon you chose.

No they weren't. The main difference being Hormagaunts were beasts, and gaunts were infantry. Gaunts and Hormagaunts were separate.

-Loki- wrote:

svendrex wrote:If you look at the 4th edition book it would make a little more sense.
In that book, the shrikes were just warriors with the wings upgrade.
Hormagaunts and termagants were the same entry, it just depended what arm weapon you chose.

No they weren't. The main difference being Hormagaunts were beasts, and gaunts were infantry. Gaunts and Hormagaunts were separate.

Indeed. Sounds like you're getting the codex entry and the box they were sold in mixed up there.