Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I've got a list of miniatures I have. Can anyone help shape this into a list? All help will be much appreciated!

20 Devilgaunts

1 Broodlord

3 Rippers

10 Spinegaunts (Termagaunts with Spinefists)

10 Termagants (For use with Spinegaunts in 1 squad)

3 Warriors; 1 is a Prime. Prime has Lashbone w/Rending Claws, one has Venom Cannon and Lashbone, another has Deathspitter and Lashbone. All have Toxin Sacs and Adrenal Glands.

1 Carnifex, two pairs of Scything Talons

1 Carnifex, Crushing Claws, Twin - Linked Devourers w/Brain Leech worms. This counts as a Beast of Phodia.

10 Gargoyles

40 Hormogaunts Toxin Sacs.

1 Hive Tyrant Wings, and TL Devourers w/Brainleech Worms.


I plan to buy:


1 Toxicrene

3 Zoanthropes w/1 upgraded to a Neurothrope

5 Mycetic or Tyrranocite Spores

1 Tervigon

1 Harpy

1 Hive Crone

If this is not enough, I shall change my buying list accordingly. I will accept all suggestions. Thank you!

You don't have enough Termagants for a Tervigon. You need somewhere around 30 for spawning and another 30 if you want it as a Troop choice.

A Carnifex is one of the easiest models to make look like what it needs to be. Why do you have a 'counts as' version when none of the weapons match? And why play it as the Beast anyway? The Beast was a decent build in 3rd Edition but it isn't anymore. Either build the Carni as a Dakkafex, 2x Devourers w/ Worms, or a Melee bug and a Tyrannocyte. Halving it's role means it is bad at both. Same goes for the Talon one.

You don't have enough Warriors for a brood. Minimum is three and you have spent a lot of points on these... If you use them at all, obviously get more. I have some good luck with five IF they get behind the enemy. Outflank using Hive Commander or a Tyrannocyte to drop in and you might do something. Again, you're splitting the role and taking away the +1 Attack for CCWs but oh well. I prefer guns too. But the Prime NEVER needs Claws and Sword and Whip. Wasted points. Just how many times are you going to want to Rend at normal Initiative since you have to pick one weapon for each co,bat. Just use the sword and whip, ditch the claws, put on Talons or another gun. I actually like the Miasma Cannon in the three games I've used a Prime in. Let's be honest here, Primes aren't good. You CAN Tyrannocyte in the Prime and 17 Devilgaunts for some backfield threat and a Synapse Bubble but again, lots of points, small return.

Broodlord can't be fielded without Genestealers. Spinefists are useless on anything but Raveners, 3 Ripper bases are used in lists with minimum troops to Deep Strike onto an objective but those lists have a lot of other threats that eat up points.

So frankly, you don't have much you can use and even less that is useful. You could shoot for Skyblight with more Gargoyles, another Harpy and such. Then a CAD of medium swarmers with Warriors, another Flyrant, Hormagaunts and the Carnifexen. The Zoanthropes would actually be helpful too with the whole 'run every turn' thing they can do. Might be able to keep up with the Gaunts a little.

Focus on Synapse though right now. You have a Flyrant and a Prime, that's it. You NEED more before you can do anything. The Zoanthropes and more Warriors can give you a swarmy list but it wouldn't be very good. I honestly can't think of any way to make a list work with what you currently have available...

Id buy 2 boxes of zoans, 3 tyranocytes, a box of warriors and a flyer or two. Proxy your carnifex's to have loadouts that make sense.

Run -

Flyrant, devs x 2

6 warriors some rending claws some LW/BS adrenal glands if points.

20 hormaguants no upgrades

20 hormagaunts no upgrades

20 termagaunts however

dakka fex in tyranocyte

dakka fex in tyranocyte

6 zoans with sergeant

Flyers if points.

Alternative just take a unit of 30 termagaunts to unlock the Tervigon as a troop (and the warrriors)

If you do this you can pod the zoans in and melt something. Dont throw them away though because way to many points.

Flyrant doing Flyrant things, two dakkafexxe's podding in causing problems, zoans either marching up lancing armor or podding down to lance armor, warriors and gaunts with maybe a tervigon for objectives, flyers doing flyer things.

Its an army

Not much to add...You both want, and need a second Tyrant (with Wings) so put that on your list. The Warrior Brood is min size x3, and the Prime takes out a body, so you need one more Warrior from somewhere...(or count the Prime as a "normal" Warrior)

I'm guessing you built off of the Spawn of Cryptus, and it can be a usable force, you just want to build a "normal" CAD outside of it. You have enough Termagants to take the Tervigon as a Troop, but you want to have about 21 or so "extra" for spawns, RAW, only base "vanilla" Termies can be spawned, so aim for that. You should find them cheap, likely off of E-bay.

HQ: Winged Dakka'rant, Thorax 240
HQ: as above

Troops: 20 Termagants, + 10 Devigaunts 160
Troops: Tervigon (or run Leviathan, and take Tervigon as third HQ) Thorax, 205

Spawn of Cryptus : 550?

480+365+550= 1395? add 105, and you hit 1500, a perfectly valid force. If you run x3 HQ, you can split out the Troops, and then add Hormagaunt Broods to hit higher point totals.

 SharkoutofWata wrote:
You don't have enough Termagants for a Tervigon. You need somewhere around 30 for spawning and another 30 if you want it as a Troop choice.

A Carnifex is one of the easiest models to make look like what it needs to be. Why do you have a 'counts as' version when none of the weapons match? And why play it as the Beast anyway? The Beast was a decent build in 3rd Edition but it isn't anymore. Either build the Carni as a Dakkafex, 2x Devourers w/ Worms, or a Melee bug and a Tyrannocyte. Halving it's role means it is bad at both. Same goes for the Talon one.

You don't have enough Warriors for a brood. Minimum is three and you have spent a lot of points on these... If you use them at all, obviously get more. I have some good luck with five IF they get behind the enemy. Outflank using Hive Commander or a Tyrannocyte to drop in and you might do something. Again, you're splitting the role and taking away the +1 Attack for CCWs but oh well. I prefer guns too. But the Prime NEVER needs Claws and Sword and Whip. Wasted points. Just how many times are you going to want to Rend at normal Initiative since you have to pick one weapon for each co,bat. Just use the sword and whip, ditch the claws, put on Talons or another gun. I actually like the Miasma Cannon in the three games I've used a Prime in. Let's be honest here, Primes aren't good. You CAN Tyrannocyte in the Prime and 17 Devilgaunts for some backfield threat and a Synapse Bubble but again, lots of points, small return.

Broodlord can't be fielded without Genestealers. Spinefists are useless on anything but Raveners, 3 Ripper bases are used in lists with minimum troops to Deep Strike onto an objective but those lists have a lot of other threats that eat up points.

So frankly, you don't have much you can use and even less that is useful. You could shoot for Skyblight with more Gargoyles, another Harpy and such. Then a CAD of medium swarmers with Warriors, another Flyrant, Hormagaunts and the Carnifexen. The Zoanthropes would actually be helpful too with the whole 'run every turn' thing they can do. Might be able to keep up with the Gaunts a little.

Focus on Synapse though right now. You have a Flyrant and a Prime, that's it. You NEED more before you can do anything. The Zoanthropes and more Warriors can give you a swarmy list but it wouldn't be very good. I honestly can't think of any way to make a list work with what you currently have available...

Sorry, I forgot to list that I have 21 Genestealers


Automatically Appended Next Post:
What should I buy?

Genestealers have been pretty bad since we stopped being able to buy armor for them. They cost way to much for how easily they die and there is no way to get them into combat before they get lit up.

There is however a way to make them annoying if the opponent doesn't have Ignores Cover weapons. Using the Children of Cryptus, Go to Ground the first time you're shot at when you're on an objective or at a critical part of the table in some Ruins or Rubble and you have a 2+ Cover Save. Still, not great and very situational but it can be made to work. I miss my Stealers with Extended Carapace...

Warriors, Zoanthropes and more normal Termagants should be your first buys followed by a second Flyrant, Tervigon and a Tyrannocyte or two. Then an Exocrine and Biovores for a Living Artillary Node so you can really get good use out of the Warriors and Venomthropes. By then you should have a few games under your belt and know how you play, what works and what doesn't and you can build your army more in YOUR way instead of the cookie cutter ways that Tyranids sometimes seem to be.