Hive Tyrants (gothic: Tyranicus praefactor) are a strain of Tyranid which function as the closest thing to battlefield commanders and swarm coordinators that the Hive Mind has at its disposal.
Description[]
Displaying the six-limbed body configuration typical of Tyranids, Hive Tyrants are bipedal monstrosities which stand nearly twenty feet tall. They are covered in a tough, chitinous carapace which makes them very difficult to harm, let alone destroy, and their upper two pairs of limbs can be equipped with an astonishing variety of biomorphic enhancements: living cannon of varying designs, razor-sharp blades of bone, and long, tendril-like whips which secrete poisonous slime are all weapons which have been encountered fitted to rampaging Tyrants. In addition, they may also be engineered with biological upgrades which suit a particular situation, for example glands which produce a type of adrenaline closer to rocket fuel than any organic compound, acidic blood, or even vast, leathery wings.
As if the above were not fearsome enough, Hive Tyrants possess powerful psychic abilities as a result of their connection to the Tyranid Hive Mind. This not only allows them to launch powerful mental attacks at their opponents, but also makes them act as a 'synapse' for the overmind, passing out orders to the lesser Tyranid organisms. Whilst they possess the ability to manipulate warp energy in this manner, the presence of the Hive Mind casts a pall in the Immaterial known as the Shadow in the Warp, which makes Tyrants immune to the influence of daemons which is an ever-present risk for most other creatures which attempt to use psychic powers.
This ability to control other Tyranids, along with their noticeable size, is something of a weakness for Hive Tyrants however, and entire invasions can often be thrown into complete disarray by the elimination of a single Tyrant, the severing of their connection to the Hive Mind causing them to revert to animalistic behaviour rather than act as the cohesive entity they were whilst under its guidance.
See Also[]
- The Swarmlord, a singularly unique Hive Tyrant which has been encountered on several occasions since the arrival of Hive Fleet Behemoth in the Milky Way galaxy.