Zoanthrope

Zoanthropes are amongst the strangest and most bizarre of all Tyranid creatures. Their feeble atrophied bodies hang limp and seemingly lifeless beneath their massive craniums, far too large for their weak limbs to support. Only their immense psychic power allows them to move at all, drifting across the battlefield on a cushion of psychic energy. This vast store of energy and their ability to focus it is also what makes them such terrible foes, for a Zoanthrope is capable of conjuring up earth-shattering bolts of warp energy with the strength to smash apart even the most heavily armoured troops or vehicles. In this role, the swarm uses Zoanthropes as psychic cannons, blasting apart strong points and tanks with equal ease or raining warp fire down upon the heads of massed foes, slaying dozens of warriors in a single, blinding flash of power. There is an unknown and alien intelligence which lurks within the chitin cranium of the Zoanthrope, its actions seemingly governed by both the Hive Mind and some inner psychic instincts to seek out particular enemies and use its powers in certain ways. Despite their power, however, Zoanthropes sometimes seem to be victims of their own massive energy reserves and there have been numerous afteraction reports of Zoanthropes “burning out” in battle. After hurling numerous bolts or sustaining their shield for an extended period, their craniums have been observed to burst and bleed out, sending them crashing limply to the ground. 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. In addition to their ability to hurl terrible bolts of warp energy at their foes, Zoanthropes are also very difficult to destroy, especially considering how weak and feeble their bodies appear. This resilience stems from their ability to create a powerful warp bubble around themselves, shielding them from all kind of weapons and even turning aside blows in close combat. Like their ability to drift above the ground, the shield seems a constant part of 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.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Tyranides