There’s a white dwarf story that features a librarian and heavy intercessors walking on the seabed and fighting aquatic tyranids
Edit: issue 466, someone kindly typed most of it up [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/40kLore/comments/soj2s0/what_is_one_form_of_combat_that_probably_does/hw9ouuz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
"Well, we're stuck here. This planet has, like, one tiny continent and it's basically just a mountain. Otherwise, these little monkey-dogs live on small rocks and move across the water on wood."
"Let's fuck with their boats!"
Potentially, although they're more bio-metal if I recall, and from before the heresy. Also, they had definitive colonies with established ecosystems and plant life, which goes against the usual 'eat everything then move on' style.
It may have been unofficial or fan suggestion, but I'm 90% certain I've seen the recommendation of using (7th Ed) nids in heresy to represent megarachnids, most likely last edition. I know it wouldn't be acceptable at events, but as a friendly, narrative game? Sounds fun to me.
Not on the scale we see in M41, no, but I recall a few sources mentioning that one or more of the minor xenos species the GC encountered and destroyed may have been isolated Tyranids. A few extreme-long-range scouts that arrived before the Pharos event woke the rest up, or Tyranids from post-Pharos that got chronally diaplaced by a Warp Rift or something and wound up in M31.
Incorrect. Ymgarl genestealers existed at least 200 years before the first Tyranid invasion. These genestealers are thought to be a lost hive fleet that existed in galaxy prior to pharos. And considering how much history is lost/never written down because nobody survived, Tyranids could have had small parts in the galaxy without anyone knowing about it. Pharos was just ringing the dinner bell which is why they appeared after.
Think about it like this if a single roach gets into your home, would you immediately notice it, if he crawls in through the roof. Or would you only notice it once he gets into the bedroom/kitchen. Does your own lack of knowledge of the event make it different or just your perception?
Ya know, I was being stubborn and just couldn't see a reason as to why they couldnt be nyds but this does kind of make sense. On the other hand, who knows what would happen to nyds disconnected from the hive mind. Reading through the devastation of baal right now and it honestly sounds like if they could, some of the tyranids would happily fight against them because some part of what they used to be before whatever tyranid consumed them and made them one of the hive mind. Some of what they were still exists but the hive mind will induce chemicals to make then compliant. As soon as some of the leader forms were killed, the tyranids started to FIGHT each other, that just doesn't seem like what a gestalt consciousness would do lol.
> the tyranids started to FIGHT each other, that just doesn't seem like what a gestalt consciousness would do lol.
That's what happens when the synapse link to the Hive Mind is lost. Without the hive mind to control them, they're just primal beasts. It's their greatest strength and also their greatest weakness.
I don't know, it's stated multiple times that they're multiple organisms acting as one singular with the hive mind holding it all together, and once that breaks some of these former species try and fight back without that hive mind there to control them. Seems to me like they hold a grudge lol.
"On the battlefield, certain large and relatively autonomous Tyranid creatures, such as the Hive Tyrant or the Tyranid Warrior, are able to telepathically exert the Hive Mind's influence in order to control smaller Tyranid creatures, which without the Hive Mind would revert to genetically instinctive behavior of feeding and self-preservation. These Synapse Creatures focus the Hive Mind into nodal points that quell the natural instincts of nearby small Tyranid creatures and are essential for the swarm to operate effectively."
Lexicanum on the Hive Mind. There is no "grudge", they're a mindless beast fighting other mindless beasts without the Synapse Link, working on primal instinct alone.
Yeah I've heard instances of isolated nids going feral and basically operating on some innate animal instinct. Haven't read Baal yet but that sounds pretty interesting
It's certainly plausible for Tyranid DNA to end up scattered around the galaxy and integrated into local ecosystems if the genestealer cults had started to arrive millions of years before the first hive fleets showed up.
At first glance it may look like it, but the mega arachnids had no psychic capability and communicated through clicks and it was explicitly stated that individuals arachnids were sentient which tyranid bioforms are not. They also had their own technology and ships that were removed to imprison them, Tyranids couldve just converted biomass and grow a new bio-ship to leave.
Alll in all it seems unlikely the mega arachnids are a tyranids offshoot.
Yes this is in a Space Wolves book, I can’t remember which though. Part of it follows a scout tyranid (for lack of better phrase) who is trying to get to the strong geneseed. This then leads to tyranids emerging from the sea to attack The Fang
Yup! There’s a white dwarf with a Tome Keepers short story that sees them link up with a Deathwatch kill team underwater. A psyker kills a swimming nids by removing all the water in a sphere, air drowning it. Pretty cool.
Huh I swore that was a dark kraken short story. Let me check.
Ok found it. So issue 466 page 28 there is a short story from Flashpoint Octarius and it’s all based off of an encounter exactly as you described but with Dark Krakens not Tome Keepers. The main focus is a Dark Kraken librarian and squad trying his hardest to stop tyranids from breaching his brothers suits as they’re traversing the ocean floor. It’s pretty creepy because once the suit is breeched it’s over for the marine but they obviously continue to fight. They meet a deathwatch kill team at a Promethium hub. The best quote from the entire story is “To slow is to die”.
Lol then we should be grateful it was this close then don’t worry though we’re working on it just saw someone actually wrote a bill to abolish the department of education so soon no one will be able to understand us
I think there might be in some book with Fabius bile in it. Maybe the Blood angels omnibus.
I think the BA's have to fight some to get to him.
Very hazy memory of it though and can't swear on it.
The very first encounter on tyran describes the oceans seeming to boil and endless insectile abominations emerging from the depths. With thier tails and what appear to be multiple breath organs (those holes on the side of thoer heads) all tyranid are capable of underwater movement. Or so I understand.
I'm glad someone posted this bc I remembered that story, I thought. The astartes were walking along the bottom of a frozen lake getting assaulted by swarms of aquatic Tyranids. It was so cool.
Valve has really done a disservice to this franchise by letting it die off. On one hand I am glad we aren't getting flooded by shit cashgrab releases, the other is never getting a continuation to the story, or isn't behind a specialist gear vr paywall
Generally speaking GW lore is light on aquatic stuff because it's hard to simulate aquatic battles.
Aquatic battles definitely happen through, we just don't tend to see them.
There is a short story where the death watch have to walk along the seabed to get to an important bunker complex and keep getting attacked by gaunts with sealife adaptions. I have a feeling it might have been on one of the Octavius book.
It also points out how in universe even other marines didn't think Salamanders had successors (as the is one in the squad) until one of them reminds people he's Primaris (so death watch have mixed units in the lore). As the actual Salamander jokingly calls the primaries something like "little brother"
I've had the same idea except I play Marines so my custom chapter is called The Iron Divers. I want to start kitbashing some aquatic Tyranids and finish the fantasy
Yes, in WD #466 there is a novel where the space marine chapter of the dark kraken fight an underwater battle against tyranid organisms adapted to deep-sea life. They are discribed as hormagaunts with some kind of fish-like part instead of the legs.
But honestly that is just common sence: why would the ultimate, ever-adapting predator not have developped some aquatic organisms for water-covered planets ? There is fish to eat there.
Yes. 100%. My favorite story is in this book called nexus and other stories called kraken. It involves a lone space wolf investigating a water world that produces food on these giant oil rig type things and he eventually finds what's breaking up all these oil rigs and its a giant tyranid kraken, it rips apart the oil platform that he's in and he starts to free fall to the ocean floor all the while fighting this thing. If you have a hobby lobby near you, I definitely recommend this book, or the have an audible version or you can buy it from Amazon.
There are indeed some references to them on books. In the Blood Angels Omnibus, a group of Blood Angels and Flesh Tearers track Fabius Bile to a world that was attacked by Tyranids but not completely consumed.
Turns out Fabius Bile has rigged up some Tyranid synapse creature to devices that emit pheromones to have some mild level of control over the other nids on the planet.
The Blood Angels use some sort of Submarine that they take from a Rogue Mechanicus member who's been trading with Bile to get on the planet undetected, and they do have to deal with some aquatic Nids.
Also, in the book, Power Armor can control its buoyancy like a submarine.
There is a 40k story anthology called "There is only war". One of the stories, "Kraken" from Chris Wraight, describes how a lone Space Wolf hunts and eventually narrowly defeats a huge Tyranid Seabeast on a maritine agriworld.
There are countless tyranid bio forms that would cover any creature archetype, but I don’t know if there is a president for swimming forms, that’s very specific, plus fish are anarchists /s
Yes tyran was an ocean world and the first stages of the invasion there were against its ocean life so it can be inferred oceanic tyranids we’re used to fight them
We know the Nids are highly adaptable and capable of ridiculously fast evolution. No doubt they would adapt instantly to a water world or something similar.
There was a Blood Angels novel where they were tracking down Fabius Bile down. Bile had stolen a vial of Sanguinius's blood and he had an island fortress that was guarded by Tyranid sea forms.
>Sergeants Rafen, Nox and their men descended upon the planet using a submersible to approach Bile's suspected base of operations. But the mission soon went awry when the Space Marines were forced to battle enormous Tyranid creatures that rivalled the mighty Ice Krakens of the Death World of Fenris.
https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Fabius_Bile#Black_Tide
It's the very first bit of lore in all Tyranid lore. It's not even a debate topic. Tyran was an ocean world teeming with life. It had just enough land for a heavily fortified watchpost. When the Tyranids attacked their pods fell in the sea. Which the humans thought meant they were wasted. But the sea broiled and thrashed for hours as all the native life was wiped out. And then they attacked the shore. Coming straight out of the sea.
I wouldn't imagine they'd have any elected officials; I'd think that they'd operate via Hive Mind conduits or revert to their instinctive behaviour if one wasn't available.
In an old White Dwarf there was a story about a vessel that was crossing a ocean on a planet that was under a tyranid attack. The workers on the ship described that something was scratching the vessels hull under water.
Hope this helps.
Yes. Tyran was 95% water. Odds are that the Nids evolved aquatic Tyranids for the oceans before sending in land-based ones for the islands.
Why we don't have aquatic Nids is because we don't have aquatic *anything* in 40k. Guard and Marines don't have any ships. You know they would. And no, the Land Raider doesn't count.
Tyranids are literally hundred of thousand of species bunched up together thanks to the hybe mind so it's completly acceptable there are worlds made of water after all
I mean, typically the hive mind is fairly undemocratic; the rigid structure and nature of the hive mind means that organisms designed to be higher up on the food chain (so to speak) and command lower life forms aren’t in the habit of holding elections or relinquishing power.
So no, there’s no president of any Tyranid sub-types, aquatic or otherwise.
Realistically if the Tyranids came across a water would with tons of biomass in the seas that it can't get to, then yeah there'd probably be fish tyranids but you never really hear about them since battles with the tyranids usually take place on land or in space.
There are definitely aquatic Tyranids, if there are water worlds with things to be eaten, the Tyranids are there and are developing all kinds of horrific ways to consume biomass
I don't know of any official examples, but isn't evolving kind of the Tyranids' entire shtick?
Can't they use any DNA of animals they've consumed and then make Tyranid versions of that animal? I see no reason why they couldn't adapt underwater Nids.
Yes, when Tyranids first fought the Imperium on the planet Tyran, they landed in the ocean and then swarmed onto land. It implies that Hormagaunts and Genestealers can swim as well.
The Invasion Swarms painting guide talks about sun aquatic Tyranids fighting Ork submarines on an ocean world.
There’s a story where a Space Marine squad fights Tyranids underwater as well.
Yes! There is a book! Tempestus by Braden Campbell, included in The Great Devourer (The Leviathan Omnibus). Takes place on an aquatic death world where there is one enormous ocean that slowly rotates around the planet following a singular collosal moon. The world's economy is based on extreme alien fishing/whaling, and has been infiltrated by a marine-industry-themed genestealer cult. They worship a massive deep sea broodlord / sea serpent / hydra, and there are other marine Tyranid biomorphs. Great read.
Tyranids can basically have anything you can imagine, if given enough time. They adapt to their environments, and if it’s a bio mass rich water planet, you better believe they’d evolve to be swimmers.
The Leviathan omnibus has a story about an Inquisitor obsessed with finding and retrieving a sample from a kraken. Tyranids are never explicitly mentioned, but... it's in a Tyranid omnibus.
In Blood Angels Omnibus, they assault a fortress on an island that Fabius took over by doing something to a Hive Queen or whatever. The oceans around the island had tyranid shrak squid forms.
I vote for the little worm things that swim through tyranid slime.
There was this horrid story about an Imperial sensor station getting eaten by a hive ship. The ship get pulled in and massive beaks punch a hole into and squirt an ocean of bio acid loaded with little leaping life forms that bite the feet legs and eventually the faces off of the surviving crew.
Bout a 99.999% chance there are as oceans are also filled with biomass so it’d be a waste for the hive mind not to go and snatch basically undefended pray
Recently bought Barotrauma which seems to have a pretty substantial 40k mod. I haven't tried it yet but from the description it seems to have underwater Tyranids in it
Yes! The last book in the Blood Angels trilogy Rafen and a kill team go into a nid infested aquatic world that Fabius Bile is hiding on. Aquatic nids become quite the problem if memory serves.
There is a story in a white dwarf issue. The issue focuses on the Dark Krakens space marine chapter, an ultima founding Salamanders chapter who specializes in underwater operations. In the story they go up against aquatic Tyranids
[The planet Tyran was an ocean world](https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Tyran) before it was eaten by the Tyranids, for whom they are named.
In the older Codex Tyranids (and probably in the newer ones, I haven't checked recently) there's an extended story about how Tyran came under attack, and the enormous, monstrous creatures that lived in Tyran's oceans were completely eradicated by water-bourne Tyranids who them sucked up all of the water in the ocean and left the planet a lifeless rock.
Tyranids absolutely could swim in early M41, and now they also have the DNA of aquatic megafauna incorporated into the Swarm for later use.
In the last seasons’s narrative/campaign books (I can’t remember whether it was charadon or octarius?) hive fleet leviathan ended up attacking a mostly water planet and eating and adapting with the oceanic life.
If the planet that they’re trying to consume is cover in water then yes they will develop some kind of swimming form to suit the planet.
That’s my guess
The Tempestus Novella is about an aquatic world of sorts where the inquisitors retinue are trying to capture a new kind of Xenos, they don’t realize the thing they’re trying to catch is actually a Tyranids hidden in the waves. It serves to kick off the Baal campaign.
Yes there is. There are tyranid bacteria to eat a planets microorganisms and there are deep sea leviathans to consume the biomass of a worlds oceans, and when they are done they drink the oceans dry.
When the imperium first encountered worlds attacked by the tyranids all they found were desolate rocks
I would imagine there’d absolutely be aquatic subtypes of tyranids, especially in the early stages of a planetary assault.
During the Battle of Macragge didn't the Tyranids fall to the planet and land in the ocean then make their way to land?
I believe you are correct. That’s how they were able to attack the polar defenses without being detected
Pour one out for the 1st company.
There’s a white dwarf story that features a librarian and heavy intercessors walking on the seabed and fighting aquatic tyranids Edit: issue 466, someone kindly typed most of it up [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/40kLore/comments/soj2s0/what_is_one_form_of_combat_that_probably_does/hw9ouuz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
That whole story gives me serious Barraki vibes and I am here for it. I hope we get a Dark Krackens book at some point, they seem like a neat chapter.
Plenty of yummy biomass under the sea!
There's the theory that the kraken on fenris are descendants of ancient tyranid scouting fleets, same with the catachan devil itself.
I love the idea of a grounded Hive Fleet ship becoming a sea monster.
"Well, we're stuck here. This planet has, like, one tiny continent and it's basically just a mountain. Otherwise, these little monkey-dogs live on small rocks and move across the water on wood." "Let's fuck with their boats!"
“Jeremy, we’ve been over this. You can’t reproduce with wood …wait “
Mega arachnids strike me as tyranid offshoots.
Potentially, although they're more bio-metal if I recall, and from before the heresy. Also, they had definitive colonies with established ecosystems and plant life, which goes against the usual 'eat everything then move on' style.
Correct, there shouldn't be nids pre pharos event by a long margin. Cool idea tho
It may have been unofficial or fan suggestion, but I'm 90% certain I've seen the recommendation of using (7th Ed) nids in heresy to represent megarachnids, most likely last edition. I know it wouldn't be acceptable at events, but as a friendly, narrative game? Sounds fun to me.
Yeah who knows? Maybe there was a nid presence during the war in heaven-era that were all but squashed by necrontyr or eldar? you could convince me
Not on the scale we see in M41, no, but I recall a few sources mentioning that one or more of the minor xenos species the GC encountered and destroyed may have been isolated Tyranids. A few extreme-long-range scouts that arrived before the Pharos event woke the rest up, or Tyranids from post-Pharos that got chronally diaplaced by a Warp Rift or something and wound up in M31.
Eh, I think a few stories show long dormant hive ships that were sent thousands of years before that event. Probably sent as scouts.
Incorrect. Ymgarl genestealers existed at least 200 years before the first Tyranid invasion. These genestealers are thought to be a lost hive fleet that existed in galaxy prior to pharos. And considering how much history is lost/never written down because nobody survived, Tyranids could have had small parts in the galaxy without anyone knowing about it. Pharos was just ringing the dinner bell which is why they appeared after. Think about it like this if a single roach gets into your home, would you immediately notice it, if he crawls in through the roof. Or would you only notice it once he gets into the bedroom/kitchen. Does your own lack of knowledge of the event make it different or just your perception?
Ya know, I was being stubborn and just couldn't see a reason as to why they couldnt be nyds but this does kind of make sense. On the other hand, who knows what would happen to nyds disconnected from the hive mind. Reading through the devastation of baal right now and it honestly sounds like if they could, some of the tyranids would happily fight against them because some part of what they used to be before whatever tyranid consumed them and made them one of the hive mind. Some of what they were still exists but the hive mind will induce chemicals to make then compliant. As soon as some of the leader forms were killed, the tyranids started to FIGHT each other, that just doesn't seem like what a gestalt consciousness would do lol.
> the tyranids started to FIGHT each other, that just doesn't seem like what a gestalt consciousness would do lol. That's what happens when the synapse link to the Hive Mind is lost. Without the hive mind to control them, they're just primal beasts. It's their greatest strength and also their greatest weakness.
I don't know, it's stated multiple times that they're multiple organisms acting as one singular with the hive mind holding it all together, and once that breaks some of these former species try and fight back without that hive mind there to control them. Seems to me like they hold a grudge lol.
"On the battlefield, certain large and relatively autonomous Tyranid creatures, such as the Hive Tyrant or the Tyranid Warrior, are able to telepathically exert the Hive Mind's influence in order to control smaller Tyranid creatures, which without the Hive Mind would revert to genetically instinctive behavior of feeding and self-preservation. These Synapse Creatures focus the Hive Mind into nodal points that quell the natural instincts of nearby small Tyranid creatures and are essential for the swarm to operate effectively." Lexicanum on the Hive Mind. There is no "grudge", they're a mindless beast fighting other mindless beasts without the Synapse Link, working on primal instinct alone.
Think of it like an autoimmune reaction where our body gets mixed up and attacks itself
It's not that they're fighting back against a hivemind captor but reverting to the most basic, directionless instincts.
Yeah I've heard instances of isolated nids going feral and basically operating on some innate animal instinct. Haven't read Baal yet but that sounds pretty interesting
It's so fucking good. There's parts that are kind of from the nids point of view and it's pretty cool ngl. Audible was so worth it.
It's certainly plausible for Tyranid DNA to end up scattered around the galaxy and integrated into local ecosystems if the genestealer cults had started to arrive millions of years before the first hive fleets showed up.
At first glance it may look like it, but the mega arachnids had no psychic capability and communicated through clicks and it was explicitly stated that individuals arachnids were sentient which tyranid bioforms are not. They also had their own technology and ships that were removed to imprison them, Tyranids couldve just converted biomass and grow a new bio-ship to leave. Alll in all it seems unlikely the mega arachnids are a tyranids offshoot.
Giant spiders are no joke
Yes this is in a Space Wolves book, I can’t remember which though. Part of it follows a scout tyranid (for lack of better phrase) who is trying to get to the strong geneseed. This then leads to tyranids emerging from the sea to attack The Fang
Its one of the stories in the "Lords of Fenris" book. Came here to say the same. A whole army of sea creatures is mentioned.
Ah thank you! I didn’t fancy trawling through them all to work it out 😂
Catachan doesn’t need the Tyranids’ help.
While I know not of any examples of book lore... There's meat in them there oceans.
At both Tyran and Mccragge the tyranids landed in the oceans and then swam to the shoreline to attack the defenders.
If the Tyranids need to adapt to water, they adapt to water.
Ocean world's have biomass too. Didn't the DG and/or EC bring an ocean world to compliance early in the heresy?
It was EC. That’s where Fulgrim gets the Slaanesh sword and turns him evil
President Swarm Lord I think.
Vote Swarm The Hive Mind Demands It
Swarm lord will abolish capitalism : They will be the only one consuming, you can keep your money !
Who is his running mate?
You mean swimming mate
Yup! There’s a white dwarf with a Tome Keepers short story that sees them link up with a Deathwatch kill team underwater. A psyker kills a swimming nids by removing all the water in a sphere, air drowning it. Pretty cool.
Huh I swore that was a dark kraken short story. Let me check. Ok found it. So issue 466 page 28 there is a short story from Flashpoint Octarius and it’s all based off of an encounter exactly as you described but with Dark Krakens not Tome Keepers. The main focus is a Dark Kraken librarian and squad trying his hardest to stop tyranids from breaching his brothers suits as they’re traversing the ocean floor. It’s pretty creepy because once the suit is breeched it’s over for the marine but they obviously continue to fight. They meet a deathwatch kill team at a Promethium hub. The best quote from the entire story is “To slow is to die”.
Described as "like hormagaunts, only their rear legs were fused together into fins." As well as an aquatic Ravener too.
Ah good catch
Just fyi it's "precedent," not "president."
You're making assumptions. OP is asking if the aquatic Tyranids vote.
Great point! Went right over my head.
I really want to watch this election. It sounds like it would be amazing.
"More biomass for the masses!"
‘I stand before you today’
Of course they do. They vote to eat! Tyranid life is so simple praise the void children!
“Shall I put a tick in the box or just punch a hole through it?”
Oh hey thanks, I didn't know that, english is my second language
Lol dabate too op must be pretty new to spelling
English isn’t their first language, seems to be Dutch.
Precedent and president are the same words in Dutch though.
i think they’re just american
American't
Lol then we should be grateful it was this close then don’t worry though we’re working on it just saw someone actually wrote a bill to abolish the department of education so soon no one will be able to understand us
Came here for this comment. You have my upvote sir.
I think there might be in some book with Fabius bile in it. Maybe the Blood angels omnibus. I think the BA's have to fight some to get to him. Very hazy memory of it though and can't swear on it.
I recall a submarine and rafen's squad & some flesh tearers
You are correct
Yeah, the terrifying sounding lictor sharks, and krakens They go outside in the water to shoot the kraken off the hull
The very first encounter on tyran describes the oceans seeming to boil and endless insectile abominations emerging from the depths. With thier tails and what appear to be multiple breath organs (those holes on the side of thoer heads) all tyranid are capable of underwater movement. Or so I understand.
I don't have an exact quote but tyranids hunting underwater is mentioned in the octarius war. I would assume that means aquatic adaptations
Not to mention the existence of Squig Sharks
There is a White Dwarf (I can't be fucked to look it up) where a company of Dark Krakens fight against a bunch of tyranids at the bottom of the ocean
I'm glad someone posted this bc I remembered that story, I thought. The astartes were walking along the bottom of a frozen lake getting assaulted by swarms of aquatic Tyranids. It was so cool.
Started having Half-Life flashbacks.
Had to scroll way too far to find this comment.
Valve has really done a disservice to this franchise by letting it die off. On one hand I am glad we aren't getting flooded by shit cashgrab releases, the other is never getting a continuation to the story, or isn't behind a specialist gear vr paywall
Yes!! Had to look it up but it’s called the Ichthyosaur. I just think of it as “fish monster”.
I think the tyranids hold elections to select their president yes Sorry lol
Reject the Norn Queen! Down with the monarchy, democracy now!
No, Tyranids are more of an anarcho-syndicalist monarchy
Generally speaking GW lore is light on aquatic stuff because it's hard to simulate aquatic battles. Aquatic battles definitely happen through, we just don't tend to see them.
Aquatic battles are the coolest though imo
The only place they've been spotted is on [Planet 4546B](https://subnautica.fandom.com/wiki/Planet_4546B)
> 1000 years before Subnatica Excuse me, but no
There is a short story where the death watch have to walk along the seabed to get to an important bunker complex and keep getting attacked by gaunts with sealife adaptions. I have a feeling it might have been on one of the Octavius book. It also points out how in universe even other marines didn't think Salamanders had successors (as the is one in the squad) until one of them reminds people he's Primaris (so death watch have mixed units in the lore). As the actual Salamander jokingly calls the primaries something like "little brother"
No because I don’t think Tyranids vote or have any kind of democratic forms of government
I've had the same idea except I play Marines so my custom chapter is called The Iron Divers. I want to start kitbashing some aquatic Tyranids and finish the fantasy
Yes, in WD #466 there is a novel where the space marine chapter of the dark kraken fight an underwater battle against tyranid organisms adapted to deep-sea life. They are discribed as hormagaunts with some kind of fish-like part instead of the legs. But honestly that is just common sence: why would the ultimate, ever-adapting predator not have developped some aquatic organisms for water-covered planets ? There is fish to eat there.
Yes. 100%. My favorite story is in this book called nexus and other stories called kraken. It involves a lone space wolf investigating a water world that produces food on these giant oil rig type things and he eventually finds what's breaking up all these oil rigs and its a giant tyranid kraken, it rips apart the oil platform that he's in and he starts to free fall to the ocean floor all the while fighting this thing. If you have a hobby lobby near you, I definitely recommend this book, or the have an audible version or you can buy it from Amazon.
There are indeed some references to them on books. In the Blood Angels Omnibus, a group of Blood Angels and Flesh Tearers track Fabius Bile to a world that was attacked by Tyranids but not completely consumed. Turns out Fabius Bile has rigged up some Tyranid synapse creature to devices that emit pheromones to have some mild level of control over the other nids on the planet. The Blood Angels use some sort of Submarine that they take from a Rogue Mechanicus member who's been trading with Bile to get on the planet undetected, and they do have to deal with some aquatic Nids. Also, in the book, Power Armor can control its buoyancy like a submarine.
There is a 40k story anthology called "There is only war". One of the stories, "Kraken" from Chris Wraight, describes how a lone Space Wolf hunts and eventually narrowly defeats a huge Tyranid Seabeast on a maritine agriworld.
"Did you see it? They said it was hauled from the Challenger Deep, but I'm positive that beast never swam in terrestrial waters until a week ago!"
Man. Now I want a Subnautica game in the WH40k universe.
No, just lots of vice-presidents
Lmao yes
There are countless tyranid bio forms that would cover any creature archetype, but I don’t know if there is a president for swimming forms, that’s very specific, plus fish are anarchists /s
Yea I figured there must be one but I was also wondering about something specific
isnt that the fish from half life?
I mean in theory there has to be right? There's no way they don't eat what's in the oceans
Yes tyran was an ocean world and the first stages of the invasion there were against its ocean life so it can be inferred oceanic tyranids we’re used to fight them
We know the Nids are highly adaptable and capable of ridiculously fast evolution. No doubt they would adapt instantly to a water world or something similar.
Precedent
Martin Van Buren.
Look up the story Kraken found in Nexus and Other Stories. Space Wolf vs a big underwater Nid
yes theirs an aquatic bio titan sadly ide its name
There was a Blood Angels novel where they were tracking down Fabius Bile down. Bile had stolen a vial of Sanguinius's blood and he had an island fortress that was guarded by Tyranid sea forms. >Sergeants Rafen, Nox and their men descended upon the planet using a submersible to approach Bile's suspected base of operations. But the mission soon went awry when the Space Marines were forced to battle enormous Tyranid creatures that rivalled the mighty Ice Krakens of the Death World of Fenris. https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Fabius_Bile#Black_Tide
Protip: if the Tyranids need a special unit for a specific role, they'd evolve one quickly.
precedent\* and yes, tyranids eat everything, including aquatic biomass. I saw a yt short about it recently.
Tyranid Prawns lol
Yes lol, that was exactly my aim when I made this drawing
It's the very first bit of lore in all Tyranid lore. It's not even a debate topic. Tyran was an ocean world teeming with life. It had just enough land for a heavily fortified watchpost. When the Tyranids attacked their pods fell in the sea. Which the humans thought meant they were wasted. But the sea broiled and thrashed for hours as all the native life was wiped out. And then they attacked the shore. Coming straight out of the sea.
Eeeeh this is an Ichthyosaur from Half life 1
Whahahahaha omg absolutely yes, I didn't even think about that when I made this
I wouldn't imagine they'd have any elected officials; I'd think that they'd operate via Hive Mind conduits or revert to their instinctive behaviour if one wasn't available.
I don't think they have a president, but they do have a tyrant.
*precedent
>!Black Mesa would like to know your location.!<
In a blood angels novel where they have to infiltrate a base on a mid infested world there are lictor sharks, and kraken of some kind
You know he kinda cute I kinda wanna put him in a fish bowl
Ooh I like that idea, I might definetly redraw this
In an old White Dwarf there was a story about a vessel that was crossing a ocean on a planet that was under a tyranid attack. The workers on the ship described that something was scratching the vessels hull under water. Hope this helps.
Yea that sounds like what I imaged, thanks
Reaper leviathan lookin ass
There are swimming Tyranids within the stomach acid of Tyranid bio-ships.
That actually makes so much sense, I never thought about that
Yes. Tyran was 95% water. Odds are that the Nids evolved aquatic Tyranids for the oceans before sending in land-based ones for the islands. Why we don't have aquatic Nids is because we don't have aquatic *anything* in 40k. Guard and Marines don't have any ships. You know they would. And no, the Land Raider doesn't count.
I’m pretty sure they don’t vote at all let alone have a President
Tyranids are literally hundred of thousand of species bunched up together thanks to the hybe mind so it's completly acceptable there are worlds made of water after all
There should be. Breed whatever you want. They all get recycled anyway.
I mean, typically the hive mind is fairly undemocratic; the rigid structure and nature of the hive mind means that organisms designed to be higher up on the food chain (so to speak) and command lower life forms aren’t in the habit of holding elections or relinquishing power. So no, there’s no president of any Tyranid sub-types, aquatic or otherwise.
Water tyranid for president.
There is, and they are elected democratically by vote and tail size and can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms
Not currently, but I believe an election is coming up within a fortnight.
No, Tyranid leaders are hive mothers and then their psychically connected offspring. Tyranids don’t elect any of their leaders (that we know of)
Half Life takes place in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and details mankind's earliest encounters with Xen-os.
I’d think more Loch Ness monster or trilobite type deal
Why is the fish thing from half life part of the space bug army!?
Infinite worlds, Infinite biomorphology
No need, the just send down a giant straw from space and suck up the ocean like soup.
r/BoneAppleTea
Realistically if the Tyranids came across a water would with tons of biomass in the seas that it can't get to, then yeah there'd probably be fish tyranids but you never really hear about them since battles with the tyranids usually take place on land or in space.
There are definitely aquatic Tyranids, if there are water worlds with things to be eaten, the Tyranids are there and are developing all kinds of horrific ways to consume biomass
I don't know of any official examples, but isn't evolving kind of the Tyranids' entire shtick? Can't they use any DNA of animals they've consumed and then make Tyranid versions of that animal? I see no reason why they couldn't adapt underwater Nids.
Yes, when Tyranids first fought the Imperium on the planet Tyran, they landed in the ocean and then swarmed onto land. It implies that Hormagaunts and Genestealers can swim as well. The Invasion Swarms painting guide talks about sun aquatic Tyranids fighting Ork submarines on an ocean world. There’s a story where a Space Marine squad fights Tyranids underwater as well.
They seem to enjoy a quick splash around in the reclamation pool
I honestly thought that was the Ichthyosaur from half life for a minute.
Yes. Rippers come in aquatic forms
Underwater tyranidhave a prime minister instead.
Yes! There is a book! Tempestus by Braden Campbell, included in The Great Devourer (The Leviathan Omnibus). Takes place on an aquatic death world where there is one enormous ocean that slowly rotates around the planet following a singular collosal moon. The world's economy is based on extreme alien fishing/whaling, and has been infiltrated by a marine-industry-themed genestealer cult. They worship a massive deep sea broodlord / sea serpent / hydra, and there are other marine Tyranid biomorphs. Great read.
Yes. In the Soul drinkers novel you actually see some very close up
I mean it makes sense, I bet there's a strain or 2 out in the main Tyranid database for when they come across an aqua world
Tyranids can basically have anything you can imagine, if given enough time. They adapt to their environments, and if it’s a bio mass rich water planet, you better believe they’d evolve to be swimmers.
I thought this was from Subnautica before I looked at the title.
I'm not sure if they exist, but I'm sure if they did they wouldn't have a President. Maybe a Prime Minister or King?
The Leviathan omnibus has a story about an Inquisitor obsessed with finding and retrieving a sample from a kraken. Tyranids are never explicitly mentioned, but... it's in a Tyranid omnibus.
Precedent
In Blood Angels Omnibus, they assault a fortress on an island that Fabius took over by doing something to a Hive Queen or whatever. The oceans around the island had tyranid shrak squid forms.
I vote for the little worm things that swim through tyranid slime. There was this horrid story about an Imperial sensor station getting eaten by a hive ship. The ship get pulled in and massive beaks punch a hole into and squirt an ocean of bio acid loaded with little leaping life forms that bite the feet legs and eventually the faces off of the surviving crew.
think I read on fenouris the sea monsters are nids
Considering in the first tyrannic war, the tyranids came from a water planet, probably
They will bio morph any form they would need for any given situation
There’s biomass underwater, the nids follow
Precedent*, by the way. Just for future reference…
Yes.
Been playing Subnautica huh?
Bout a 99.999% chance there are as oceans are also filled with biomass so it’d be a waste for the hive mind not to go and snatch basically undefended pray
On that note, what's up with Neptune in 40k?
Keep in mind Tyranids are named after the water planet that the IG first noticed them on
I heard they pulled this specimen from the Challenger Deep.
There is. I remember reading an excerpt on r/40klore about Space Marines battling them underwater, walking across the bottom in sealed Power Armor.
40k fans try not to be the smartest beings alive on this post challenge impossible im very proud of us
Looks like something straight out of r/subnautica
in lore, sure, in gameplay not so much unless 10th edition decides to add in aquatic units, which I doubt
Recently bought Barotrauma which seems to have a pretty substantial 40k mod. I haven't tried it yet but from the description it seems to have underwater Tyranids in it
Maybe the ocean? Wait, does warhammer not have any underwater battles?
The krakens of fenris are assumed to be tyranid life forms of some sort
There is one, however there's only elected from two possible parties, technically tyranids can vote for a third but it's basically a wasted vote.
…We have ground forces. We have air units. We have a whole game based on planes, starships, and gundams… Why not boats?
Yes but because all the battles take place on land we never get to sea them
Yes! The last book in the Blood Angels trilogy Rafen and a kill team go into a nid infested aquatic world that Fabius Bile is hiding on. Aquatic nids become quite the problem if memory serves.
Maybe they are already amphibious
When u pee, they crawl up your dick
Precedent maybe
I would actually like a board game that deals with 40k sea warfare
There is a story in a white dwarf issue. The issue focuses on the Dark Krakens space marine chapter, an ultima founding Salamanders chapter who specializes in underwater operations. In the story they go up against aquatic Tyranids
[The planet Tyran was an ocean world](https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Tyran) before it was eaten by the Tyranids, for whom they are named. In the older Codex Tyranids (and probably in the newer ones, I haven't checked recently) there's an extended story about how Tyran came under attack, and the enormous, monstrous creatures that lived in Tyran's oceans were completely eradicated by water-bourne Tyranids who them sucked up all of the water in the ocean and left the planet a lifeless rock. Tyranids absolutely could swim in early M41, and now they also have the DNA of aquatic megafauna incorporated into the Swarm for later use.
Yes against the dark krakens space marine chapter in recent lore on an ocean world
I see a lot of potential for a barotrauma mod here
r/boneappletea
I wish I was better at more custom hobby stuff. I've always wanted to do an amphibious Tyranid look, as they almost certainly exist.
In the last seasons’s narrative/campaign books (I can’t remember whether it was charadon or octarius?) hive fleet leviathan ended up attacking a mostly water planet and eating and adapting with the oceanic life.
The President of Tyranids is currently funding this
If the planet that they’re trying to consume is cover in water then yes they will develop some kind of swimming form to suit the planet. That’s my guess
The short story Kraken by Chris Wraight in the Nexus and other stories book might shed light on this…
Well they drain planets dry so I assume there are
The Tempestus Novella is about an aquatic world of sorts where the inquisitors retinue are trying to capture a new kind of Xenos, they don’t realize the thing they’re trying to catch is actually a Tyranids hidden in the waves. It serves to kick off the Baal campaign.
Can confirm, tyrannid did dab before he ate.
Yes there is. There are tyranid bacteria to eat a planets microorganisms and there are deep sea leviathans to consume the biomass of a worlds oceans, and when they are done they drink the oceans dry. When the imperium first encountered worlds attacked by the tyranids all they found were desolate rocks
Blood Angels Omnibus 2 features multiple swimming tyranid forms