Sometimes even the ineffable mind of the hive fleet is aware that a little finesse and blood-curdling terror is more effective than the weight of numbers it tends to prefer as the ultimate solution to every problem.
Creatures like Von Ryan’s Leapers and Lictors are stealthy slaughterers, evolved for the express purpose of infiltrating deep into enemy territory and launching gory assaults at the perfect time to sow maximum disorder. They’ve been given an exquisite makeover, and have even received a brand-new brainy variant.
Larger than the Von Ryan’s Leapers, Lictors have been a mainstay of the Tyranid forces since their introduction into Warhammer 40,000. They are agile hunters with chameleonic skin, and two huge crescent talons attached to powerful arms that can effortlessly split a Space Marine in two, no problem.
When they’ve slayed their foe, they use their writhing feeder tendrils to suck out their brain matter, somehow ingesting the knowledge held by their foes which they impart to the Hive Mind.
The Hive Mind has not rested on its sinewy laurels since creating the perfect assassin however. Carefully orchestrated evolution has created a new strain of Lictor, a psychological horror whose highly developed neural organs emit a wave of psychic dread that causes even the most iron-willed warriors to experience an atavistic terror response.
These psychic abilities grant them the ability to mask their presence by confounding their enemy’s senses, rendering them hapless when the main Tyranid force arrives to finish the job.
The apex of the Lictor bioform is the Deathleaper, a rare evolution that has stalked battlefields for decades now like some chitinous spectre. It’s even evolved to get a cool flesh cape, striking an even more fearsome figure than ever before.
While all of these creatures can find a home in the standard Invasion Force Detachment, they excel in the Vanguard Assault Detachment – one of the new Detachments you can look forward to in Codex: Tyranids.
Focused on sowing terror within enemy ranks before blindsiding them with lighting-fast flanking assaults, this Detachment allows Deathleaper to take up the role of Warlord, using goading imperatives to coordinate its allies in lethal assaults.
You can find out more about the wide array of new Tyranid creatures being announced today over on our preview hub.
