Zoanthrope

"Can't you feel it? It's like a claw crushing my mind in its grasp, squeezing my brain between its talons. I can feel it scratching behind my eyes, tearing at my sanity... Emperor save us!"

— Sanctioned Psyker Euos Dax, Castobel Regional Command

An Ordo Xenos Hive Fleet Leviathan Tyranid Zoanthrope specimen.

Zoanthropes (Tyranicus animus-aborrens) are perhaps the strangest and most bizarre of the Tyranid's myriad breeds. They are powerful psykers, apparently engineered from harvested Aeldari DNA to form living conduits for the focused power of the Tyranid Hive Mind. So extreme is their development that their atrophied bodies and bulbous heads are entirely energised by psychic force.

They can shoot an extremely powerful blast of Warp energy and rival the Craftworld Aeldari in their psychic prowess. They can move only by psychically levitating themselves, drifting across the battlefield to rain bolts of incandescent psychic power on the enemy or relay the synapse commands of the Hive Mind to its lesser breeds.

Zoanthropes are without a doubt one of the more effective psychic creatures among the Tyranids. Their primary means of defence is a Warp blast psychic power that can even kill the mighty Space Marines. Zoanthropes are a potent addition to a swarm of smaller Tyranid bioforms as they have extended synaptic control and provide hard-hitting, ranged psychic attacks.

Despite their power, however, Zoanthropes sometimes seem to be victims of their own massive energy reserves and there have been numerous after action reports of Zoanthropes psychically "burning out" in battle. After hurling numerous psychic bolts or sustaining their telekinetic shield for an extended period, their craniums have been observed to burst and bleed out, sending them crashing limply to the ground.

Imperial psykers who have witnessed these events liken it to the perils of the Warp which normal psykers can suffer when psychic energy overloads their minds.

A Tyranid Zoanthrope unleashing its powerful psychic powers upon Astra Militarum troopers.

In addition to their ability to hurl powerful bolts of Warp energy at their foes, Zoanthropes are also very difficult to destroy, especially considering how weak and feeble their actual bodies are. This resilience stems from their ability to create a powerful telekinetic bubble of Warp energy around themselves, shielding them from all kind of weapons and even turning aside physical blows in close combat, much like naturally-generated Void Shields.

Like their ability to drift above the ground by extending a bubble of Warp energy around themselves, the psychic shield seems to be constantly regenerated by the Zoanthrope and is always present as long as the creature lives.

It has been noted that the shield seems to strengthen or coalesce around particularly powerful attacks, flashing bright for an instant to turn aside the blow before fading back to a uniform shimmer surrounding the alien psyker.

Quick Answers

What makes the Zoanthropes the strangest and most bizarre of the Tyranid's breeds?

Zoanthropes, part of the Tyranid breed, stand out due to their distinctive traits. Engineered from Aeldari DNA, they are powerful psykers and living channels for the Tyranid Hive Mind's power. Their atrophied bodies and large heads are fueled entirely by psychic energy. They can emit a potent Warp blast and match the Aeldari's psychic abilities. Their movement is solely through psychic levitation. However, their vast energy reserves can lead to them burning out in combat.

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How do Zoanthropes use their psychic abilities in battle?

Zoanthropes, a potent addition to a Tyranid swarm, employ their psychic abilities in combat by levitating and launching psychic bolts at adversaries. They relay Synapse commands from the Hive Mind to lesser Tyranids and use a Warp blast psychic power as their main defense, potent enough to eliminate Space Marines. Despite their power, Zoanthropes can burn out after prolonged use of their abilities or maintaining their shield.

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What species' DNA were Zoanthropes engineered from?

Zoanthropes are bio-engineered creatures, created by merging Tyranid DNA with genetic elements from psychically-active species, notably the Aeldari. These beings are potent psykers, characterized by their significantly bloated heads and atrophied bodies.

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What is the purpose of the Zoanthropes within the Tyranid Hive?

Within the Tyranid Hive, Zoanthropes are used by the Hive Mind to scout new species for potential genetic incorporation, aiding the Tyranids' evolutionary quest. They communicate with various intelligent species encountered by the Tyranid swarms. Zoanthropes also emit Hive Mind signals, boosting the vitality of lesser Tyranid creatures and strengthening the Hive Mind's control.

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How does a Zoanthrope differ from a Neurothrope in the 40k universe?

Zoanthropes are Tyranids with robust psychic powers, extended synaptic control, and the ability to launch strong ranged psychic attacks. However, their vast reserves of psychic energy can lead to self-inflicted "burnout" during combat. They can transmit psychic commands from the Hive Mind to boost the vitality of lesser Tyranid bioforms. Neurothropes are further evolved versions of the standard Zoanthrope. These alpha bioforms have the ability to leech the very life force from their foes to power their psychic attacks. There are some who believe the Neurothrope strain to be the progeny of the unique Zoanthrope known as the Doom of Malan'tai, which is a truly horrifying concept for all sapient species of the galaxy. Neurothropes can also use their parasitic power to heal nearby Zoanthropes, which helps to safeguard against the overload of psychic energy that commonly overwhelms these creatures. A combined host of these psychic bioforms is a formidable threat indeed.

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Zoanthrope Psychic Powers

A Tyranid Zoanthrope obliterates a Tech-priest.

The Zoanthrope and Neuothrope, like many of the other Tyranid bioforms, possess potent psychic powers, manifested not from drawing power from the Warp but by tapping into the vast gestalt will of the Tyranid Hive Mind itself. Powers that have been displayed by a Zoanthrope include the following:

• Catalyst - The Zoanthrope can send out a signal from the Hive Mind that infuses lesser Tyranid creatures with an unnatural vitality.

• Death Shock - When a Zoanthrope is slain, its death sends a psychic shockwave through the Hive Mind. All Tyranid creatures within synapse range will automatically break or flee as quickly as they can.

• Dominion - The Zoanthrope reaches into the depths of the Hive Mind and strengthens its links to the indomitable alien will, projecting a blanket of control and purpose through its synapse to all Tyranid bioforms nearby.

• Hypnotic Gaze - The Zoanthrope can use its powerful gaze to snare the mind of a nearby warrior, holding it immobile and helpless as long as its stare remains unbroken. The Zoanthrope can affect a single enemy with this power, provided it can make eye contact with its intended target.

• Leech Essence - Using the raw psychic power of the Hive Mind, the Zoanthrope creature tears the life-force from a nearby foe, devouring its essence and healing its own wounds.

• Onslaught - The Zoanthrope infuses a nearby Tyranid brood with burning energy and the pitiless drive of the Hive Mind to devour all in its path.

• Paroxysm - Summoning the psychic power of the Hive Mind, the creature assails its foes with crippling pain, tearing at their nerve endings and filling their minds with agony that makes it difficult for them to stand, let alone fight.

• Psychic Scream - The Zoanthrope may let forth a terrible silent psychic scream that echoes in the mind as a crippling shriek. All those sentient, living creatures (not soulless machines like the Necrons or beings of pure psychic energy like Daemons) within a 20-metre radius suffer a crippling blow.

• The Horror (Psychic Power) - The Zoanthrope unleashes a wave of psychic horror that gnaws at the resolve of its enemies.

• Warp Blast - By sending out a burning bolt of Warp energy, the Zoanthrope blasts an area with raw psychic power. The Zoanthrope must choose a single creature within range as the target, through others nearby may be affected.

• Warp Lance - More focused and thus more potent than a Warp Blast, the Warp Lance is primarily used against heavily-armoured targets and vehicles. Taking the form of a single concentrated beam of Warp energy, it can strike a single target within range.

Neurothrope

A Neurothrope is a subspecies of the Zoanthrope bioform that possesses the ability to leech away the life energies of its foes and stablise other Zoanthropes so they do not burn themselves out.

The Neurothrope is a further evolved version of the standard Zoanthrope bioform created by the Hive Mind. These alpha Zoanthropes possess the psychic ability to leech the very life force from their foes to power their own psychic attacks.

There are some Imperial xenographers who believe the Neurothrope strain to be the progeny of the unique Zoanthrope known as the Doom of Malan'tai, which is a horrifying concept for all the sapient species of the galaxy if true.

Neurothropes can also use their parasitic psychic power to heal nearby Zoanthropes, which helps to safeguard them against the overload of psychic energy that commonly overwhelms these bioforms, which is one reason why the Hive Mind may have developed the Neurothrope subspecies. A combined host of these psychic bioforms acting to mutually reinforce and protect each other from psychic burnout is a formidable threat indeed.

Other Zoanthrope Subspecies

• Horror Zoanthrope

• Zoanthrope Screamer

• Catalyst Zoanthrope

• Biothrope

Ordo Xenos Data

Designation:	Zoanthrope
Common Title:	Brain
Species Name:	Tyranicus animus-aborrens
Average Height:	3.5 metres
Average Weight:	0.5 tonnes
First Encountered:	Moloch
Role:	Psychic assault
Threat Evaluation:	High

Sources

• Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pg. 44
• Codex: Tyranids (8th Edition), pg. 52
• Codex: Tyranids (9th Edition), pg. 32
• Deathwatch - Mark of the Xenos (RPG), pp. 34-35, 53
• Imperial Armour Volume Four - The Anphelion Project, pg. 102
• Warhammer 40,000 Collectible Card Game
• White Dwarf Weekly 42 (15 November 2014) , "The Rules - Zoanthropes & Neurothrope", "Zoanthrope Brood"

Gallery

A Biothrope

A Zoanthrope Screamer

A Catalyst Zoanthrope

A Horror Zoanthrope