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Biovore

A Tyranid Biovore prepares to fire its deadly payload of living ordnance.

The Tyranid bioform called the Biovore (Tyranicus patris-boletus) is a powerful "living artillery" weapon for the Tyranid swarms.

Deep within its squat, lumpen form, the Biovore nurtures a clutch of Spore Mines -- living bombs that cloud the battlefield and cover enemies in acids, poisons and pieces of chitin.

Biovores thump forward in battle, bony protrusions on their forelimbs anchoring themselves into the ground as they release their vile payload from a dorsal aperture by means of a powerful, shuderring muscle spasm. As the Spore Mine is flung through the air, its internal gas bladder inflates and it floats down towards ground level.

A Biovore can fire three types of Spore Mines: fragmentation, bio-acid or poison.

Even if the shot misses its target, the danger is far from over, for the Spore Mines are possessed of a rudimentary animal intelligence and detonate not on impact, but when they sense the proximity of a non-Tyranid lifeform.

Fortunately, the Biovore's relative rarity amongst the Tyranid swarms is taken as a sign that the Hive Mind prefers to win its battles in bloody melee, but the truth is subtly different.

BiovoreCCG

Biovores firing Spore Mines at the enemy.

Over time, as the hive fleets pressed ever deeper into the galaxy, their victories were much harder won as their enemies began to concentrate on destroying the swarm from great distance. In response, the pragmatic Hive Mind recognised the need for a bioform that could neutralise the enemy's long-range weaponry, thus leading to the birth of the Biovore.

When the Hive Mind wishes to deny the enemy access to a particular zone upon the battlefield, it will direct hosts of Biovores towards the area. There, they will unleash dozens of Spore Mines, creating a deadly and impassable hazard.

Imperial savants believe that the Hive Mind may have made use of Orkoid genetic material to create the Biovore. Thus this creature is not merely a powerful weapon in the Hive Mind's arsenal, it is living proof of the adaptive nature of the Tyranid menace.

Wargear[]

  • Spore Mine Launcher

Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Record[]

Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Record
Designation: Biovore
Common Title: Gunbeast
Species Name: Tyranicus patris-boletus
Average Height: 2 metres
Average Weight: 2 tonnes

First Encountered:

Ichar IV (Second Tyrannic War)
Role: Indirect fire support
Threat Evaluation: Low

Sources[]

  • Codex: Tyranids (7th Edition), pp. 66, 101
  • Codex: Tyranids (6th Edition) (Tablet), pp. 125-126
  • Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pg. 48
  • Deathwatch: The Jericho Reach (RPG), pg. 184
  • Imperial Armour Volume Four - The Anphelion Project
  • Games Workshop Online Store - Tyranid Biovore
  • Warhammer 40,000: Collectible Card Game (Picture)

Gallery[]

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