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So, I've been toying around with these ideas in my brain for a couple years now. (Long before 6th edition Tyranids.) Obviously, they'd have to be accompanied by a slew of other points and rule changes, but I always thought/hoped that Tyranids would have sort of a stacking Synapse instead of just a 'You have it or you don't rule.'
The version I created (Approximately,) would assign a number of Synapse points to any Synapse creature, and for every point you add 6" of range and remove a point. Each point within that circle buffs the Nids inside, depending on the amount of Synapse. So, for example, a Tervigon might have 2 points of Synapse, but is standing near a Hive Tyrant, who had three. Gants within 6" the Tyrant and Tervigon, therefore, would have 5 points of Synapse on them. Within 12" of the Hive Tyrant but out of ranfe from the Tervigon, they'd only have two points.

Then, you'd consult a chart for the number of points a squad has, and apply the appropriate debuffs. This chart is just for example (It's probably not balanced well):
0 - Suffers instinctive behaviors
1 - No penalty/Modifier
2 - Fearless (Like normal Synapse)
3 - Fearless, Feel No Pain (6+)
4 - Fearless, FNP 6+, Preffered Enemy
5 - Fearless, FNP 6+, Preffered Enemy, Eternal Warrior (Like 4th Edition Nids)
6 - As above, FNP 5+
7+ - As above, some other special buff.


I personally feel like a chart or system similar to this would make playing Tyranids a lot more interesting. Suddenly, the Swarlord isn't just an overpriced CC model... He's also Synapse level 4 and boosts the soldiers around him. Synalse is no longer a 'Oh well, gotta throw more in, I guess...' and turns into something to genuinely be desired. Playing a Tyranid army would be a game of manuevering models and uaing formatioms wisely, and look really badass too: Alien commamders striding in the thick of their armies, to oversee and guide massive hordes of bugs.
(And it's not like Tyranid players don't already have to cluster their models around certain others. Venomthropes, anyone?)


So, ignoring the fact that this will probablty never become a real thing and the obvious balance issues with my chart, does anyone else like this idea?

I have always thought that Tyranid models should be slightly overpriced but then compensate by having Synapse hand out buffs.

As it is, Synapse is pretty much only negative for an army that is generally overpriced to begin with.

It's an interesting idea, but I think the way you have it written out would make it too long and complicated to determine what level of Synapse a given unit has. I've seen some really clustered Tyranid forces before. Figuring out all the stacking would be tough.

What about something like different creatures granting different levels of Synapse? For example regular Synapse just gives you Fearless and immunity to IB, a Tervigon would grant FNP, a Hive Tyrant would grant Preferred Enemy.

Of course if you do it this way, there's no need to tie the special rule to Synapse, you can just give the ability to the unit in question.

Murrdox wrote:

What about something like different creatures granting different levels of Synapse? For example regular Synapse just gives you Fearless and immunity to IB, a Tervigon would grant FNP, a Hive Tyrant would grant Preferred Enemy.

DoWII style. I like it.

Murrdox wrote:
It's an interesting idea, but I think the way you have it written out would make it too long and complicated to determine what level of Synapse a given unit has. I've seen some really clustered Tyranid forces before. Figuring out all the stacking would be tough.

What about something like different creatures granting different levels of Synapse? For example regular Synapse just gives you Fearless and immunity to IB, a Tervigon would grant FNP, a Hive Tyrant would grant Preferred Enemy.

Of course if you do it this way, there's no need to tie the special rule to Synapse, you can just give the ability to the unit in question.

That could work too, I just don't like the way that Synapse is currently nothing but a kick in the teeth to an already struggling codex. Some kind of function to make it seem like a boon, rather than just a pain, would be nice.