Hormagaunt

Hormagaunts are a type of Tyranid biological construct which appear in Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe. A member of the ubiquitous Gaunt genus, they specialise in closing quickly with their opponents and slaughtering them in close combat.

Description
Like many Tyranid organisms, Hormagaunts are armoured, six-limbed creatures which use the rear pair for locomotion, and the front sets as weapons. In the case of Hormagaunts, these are usually a primary pair of long, scything talons capable of tearing through flesh, bone, and most armour with ease, with the centre limbs being used to hold prey while their vicious teeth and blades get to work.

Deployed via the drop pod-like Mycetic Spores, Hormagaunts are unusual amongst Tyranid creatures in that they are capable of reproducing on their own. This means that vast hordes of these monstrosities are a common sight on worlds targeted by the Hive Mind which are unfortunate enough to be populated by beings capable of organised resistance. Their means of doing so have yet to be discovered.

Common Biomorphic Enhancements
Although the basic bodily frame of a Hormagaunt can be easily manipulated by the Norn-Queens, some of the more commonly-encountered genetic upgrades are listed below.
 * Adrenal Glands: the creature is spawned with a set of hormone-injecting organs which function in much the same way as those found in humans, although magnified to an extreme degree, allowing it bursts of incredible speed and strength when the situation requires.


 * Toxin Sacs: the Hormagaunt plays host to tiny insect-like beasts which coat its natural weaponry in a highly toxic substance, making even the slightest injury inflicted fatal to most prey.