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So do all cults get recognized by the Hive Fleets or just the biggest ones? If so does a cult in a society always mean that a Hive Fleet will arrive in system?

What happens if a cult is destroyed? Does the Hive Fleet just mozy off then because it can’t pinpoint a signal anymore?

Cults only contact a hive fleet once they're in a solid enough position to begin to disrupt a planet's defences. This can take hundreds of years for the infiltration to run deep enough. All patriarch's are likely connected to the hive mind, but not in constant contact.

Several BL books reference Inquisitors regularly putting down both heretical and GS cults. It seems if a cult is destroyed then that's that. A GS cult presence doesn't mean immediate danger for a planet, but in the long run it will mean annihilation.

A healthy cult leads to a strong psychic beacon. If the cult gets wiped the signal stops. Hive fleets would likely prioritize strong beacons as they know the targets would be easier to consume.

GSCs will not be the only factor in a tyranid attack but it will up the odds by a lot.

 Flinty wrote:
pyramid attack

You're thinking of Necrons.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

If a large cults beacon is stopped it attracts a hive fleet, they know there is a rich feeding ground.

If you think about it, the hive fleets prefer to eat pre-digested babyfood planets with a strong cult presence.
On a more serious note, is it possible to obstruct this signal using some psychic trickery, so that the cult continues to grow without summoning the nids?

the_scotsman wrote:

 Flinty wrote:
pyramid attack

You're thinking of Necrons.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Teehee. Stupid auto correct, but it was a good one

 Drakeslayer wrote:
If you think about it, the hive fleets prefer to eat pre-digested babyfood planets with a strong cult presence.
On a more serious note, is it possible to obstruct this signal using some psychic trickery, so that the cult continues to grow without summoning the nids?

Warp storms have been known to prevent psychic messages from being sent, so they could conceivably back the hive fleet. Whether a cult would actually try to take control or not during a period of warp storms is unknown. Other than that there diesn’t seem to be anything capable of hiding the beacon.

This of course raises the question of why no one but a hive fleet can sense the beacon and act on it. You’d think a phychic force strong enough to contact a fleet impossibly far away could be intercepted or at least recognized by someone. Maybe it has to do with how Tyranids use the Warp and psychic powers differently?

 gnome_idea_what wrote:

 Drakeslayer wrote:
If you think about it, the hive fleets prefer to eat pre-digested babyfood planets with a strong cult presence.
On a more serious note, is it possible to obstruct this signal using some psychic trickery, so that the cult continues to grow without summoning the nids?

Warp storms have been known to prevent psychic messages from being sent, so they could conceivably back the hive fleet. Whether a cult would actually try to take control or not during a period of warp storms is unknown. Other than that there diesn’t seem to be anything capable of hiding the beacon.

This of course raises the question of why no one but a hive fleet can sense the beacon and act on it. You’d think a phychic force strong enough to contact a fleet impossibly far away could be intercepted or at least recognized by someone. Maybe it has to do with how Tyranids use the Warp and psychic powers differently?

I assumed it was like an astropaths signal. Small and undetectable but Hive Fleets get it load and clear.

I also think it would depend on how close the Hive fleet was when the signal was "cut". If they were far away, they'd likely change direction to a different cult.
If they were on the brink of the system when the cult is destroyed, they'll likely stay on course since they'll know the system was weakened from the cult's interference and they are already close.

-

Depends. If they cull the cult fast enough, the Hive Fleet will just feth off. In the video game Rite of War, the Tyranid Hive Fleet loses direction after the Brood Lord is killed by the Avatar of Khaine.

But honestly, just for caution, safeguard measures should be taken against full-on invasion following the cult's destruction.

Do all cults send signals to Hive Fleets or just the larger ones when the time is right?

Furthermore if a small cult is located quickly and destroyed before a signal is sent is the planet relatively safe?

Lastly, how common are cults. I know larger ones will be rare but what about small ones. And does a cult always require a Broodlord to start or could one of the high ranking guys make a satellite cult?

usmcmidn wrote:
Do all cults send signals to Hive Fleets or just the larger ones when the time is right?

Furthermore if a small cult is located quickly and destroyed before a signal is sent is the planet relatively safe?

Lastly, how common are cults. I know larger ones will be rare but what about small ones. And does a cult always require a Broodlord to start or could one of the high ranking guys make a satellite cult?

a cult can start with a single genestealer

usmcmidn wrote:
Do all cults send signals to Hive Fleets or just the larger ones when the time is right?

Furthermore if a small cult is located quickly and destroyed before a signal is sent is the planet relatively safe?

Lastly, how common are cults. I know larger ones will be rare but what about small ones. And does a cult always require a Broodlord to start or could one of the high ranking guys make a satellite cult?

I think the strongest senior Genestealer would become the Broodlord or Patriarch...

One of the other purposes of an established cult is to smuggle genestealer onto outbound transports in an attempt to infiltrate other ships and worlds. The genestealer then back as a new patriarch on the new world if things go to plan.

A good example of what happens, can be found in the new book “Outer Dark”.