Gardes Tyranides

Tyrant Guard exist for a single purpose and a single purpose alone, the defence of the Hive Tyrant they are charged with protecting. In this capacity they excel like no other kind of bodyguard in the galaxy. Their armoured hides and thick muscles are almost impervious to small arms and highly resistant to even the heaviest weapons which means they can soak up an appalling amount of damage before they are destroyed. Though similar in size to a Tyranid Warrior, a Tyrant Guard has more of the appearance of a hound or boar, loping alongside the Hive Tyrant on four limbs, their massively armoured heads close to the ground and alert for danger to their master. When they detect a threat to the Hive Tyrant, they immediately move to block lines of sight and throw themselves in front of bolts, blasts and missiles. When in close combat, they swarm around their Hive Tyrant, keeping the bulk of its foes away so it may deal with them more easily. Never encountered without the presence of a Hive Tyrant, and never straying far from its side in battle, Tyrant Guard are nevertheless vicious opponents in their own right, tearing at their foes with large, bladed talons and gnashing teeth, with an animalistic fury notable even in the midst of a Tyranid swarm. They do however always remain close to their Hive Tyrant, like loyal dogs running at their master’s feet and unlike more independent Tyranid creatures, they cannot be tempted or lured into pursuit, remaining steadfastly in the Hive Tyrant’s shadow regardless of the presence of nearby foes. Some scholars speculate that the Tyrant Guard, not encountered in the early stages of the hive fleets, were an evolution to combat the tactics of Imperial forces which quickly found that destroying Hive Tyrants with heavy weapons fire was a good way to break up a swarm. Like so many Tyranid creatures, however, this is merely speculation, as Tyrant Guard have only been observed on the battlefield, and most specimens recovered are extensively damaged by the efforts of destroying them. What has been established by Imperial scholars and tacticians is that the Tyrant Guard are among the dimmest of the Tyranid creatures, on a par with many of the smaller gaunt genus creatures in their intellect. This seems to be a deliberate evolution of the Hive Mind in creating a lumbering, heavily defended and utterly loyal bodyguard with no sense of personal safety, only the continued survival of its master. To this end, Tyrant Guard are blind, their heads encased entirely in rock-hard chitin, save for a razor-lined maw with which to bite and savage their prey. This is doubtless a further protection against damage, as the presence of eyes would only create a weak spot which their foes could exploit. Despite this seeming disability, Tyrant Guard seem to have little trouble detecting enemies, and appear to have a kind of sense link with their Hive Tyrant, seeing what it sees and reacting to danger instinctively as it becomes aware of its foes.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Tyranides