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Post by Hive Bahamut on Feb 12, 2021 4:06:25 GMT
That is correct, by all accounts a Genestealer does not exist without a host species. It just turns out humans are the most available, the most easily corruptible, and have a decent lifespan to get some dirty done in. Let's look at some other races and WHY humans fit.
Orkz: My favourite one, as if you have ever done mushrooms and someone is in the room not on them, you know. Orkz are mushrooms so they can "feel" intruders. As much sci-fi nonsense there is in 40k this one is really easy.
Tau: Short lifespan like the Orkz, which allows them little, if any freedom of choice. Also, the lack of a "soul" might affect them?
Craftworld Aeldari: Meddling to impossible. Psychic attunement that senses taint (ghosthelms etc) and tremendously long lifespan. Also, in a galaxy of monsters absorbing a tiny twig is kind of useless. They already have speed and psychics.
Drukhari: These folks love Tyranids. Haemonculi have pulled worlds of Nids nearby to study, many citizens like grafted Nid bits, and the Wych's fight them. Drukhari embraces Genestealers about the best they can with hating on them.
Ad mech: (Not humans a divergent which they should expand on.) Machine/Science worshipers despise the organism. It is weak, it is corruptable and it is prone to the elements. Apart from difficulties there have been infected, (Bladed Cog emphasizes this)
Necrons: Can't "possess" a soulless husk of metal. Useless
I think the genetic construct between the two is identical, the "Purestrains" are in flight mode, and self preservation is their motto. Hivestrains are shock troops. I would go as far to say that this is the only difference. Both have the genetic make ups of many creatures at the Hive's disposal and this is where I thought about the ARK idea. Modern problems require modern solutions, and it turns out "asking" the sentient races to reseed themselves will never fly. If you take all that data back and then use it to reseed accordingly, then this makes a little more sense.
Here is some more on the physicality of the Genestealer, and other info about reproduction (Ymgarls explained apparently)
*Start*
Genestealers, like virtually all Tyranid organisms, are characterised by their six limbs and resilient, armoured exoskeletal carapace. They are bipedal and able to move with lightning speed on their reverse-jointed, clawed lower limbs. The upper sets of limbs are distinctly different, the foremost pair ending in razor-sharp claws capable of slicing even through Tactical Dreadnought Armour (ref. Battle of Macragge. Ultramarines 1st Company.qv).
Their secondary limbs are typically shaped like gnarled hands, allowing them to manipulate objects, climb and even operate simple devices such as touch-panels. The number of digits differs depending on the parent organism.
Despite their dexterity, these secondary limbs are still more than capable of ripping a limb from its socket. The thickly-muscled tail appears to be vestigial, although it could aid the balance and agility shown by all variations of the species. it seems to allow the creature to race at full speed across piles of rubble and tangled scrap to close upon its enemies.
Isolated broods of this Tyranid creature are typified by a blue-indigo coloration. Such beasts have been encountered not only on numerous Space Hulks, notably the Sin of Damnation, but also upon the moons of Ymgarl, once thought home to a tentacle-mawed variation of the xenoform. This strain is possibly specifically nomadic; bio-engineered purely to infect new hosts.
Where a Genestealer is part of a larger Hive Fleet, it will instead bear the same colouration as the rest of the Tyranids in its fleet. Specimens have been reported ranging from bone-white to jet black. Such bioforms communicate via telepathy, enabling their broods to operate independently.
Hive fleet broods are often centred around an alpha predator sometimes mistaken for a Genestealer Patriarch, though this creature is more accurately termed a "Broodlord." This beast is not empowered by the psychic energies of a Genestealer Cult's "Broodmind," but by a single brood of Genestealers.
If divorced from the greater swarm of a Tyranid invasion, Hive Fleet Genestealers can evolve into a purestrain form, their life cycle optimised to infect new hosts once new feeding grounds are viable.
A Genestealer's characteristically bulbous head.
A Genestealer's head is characteristically bulbous and houses a disproportionately large brain for such a single-minded creature. Its jaws are lined with viciously sharp teeth, all designed for ripping and tearing; like other Tyranids they possess only incisors and no molars.
Their carapace, along with the density of their internal skeleton, typically thickens with body mass; a Genestealer whose host was Orkoid will typically be tougher than one born of Aeldari gene-stock. Underneath this is the fibrous muscular sheath that can be compared to standard Imperial Flak Armour in terms of durability.
These layers provide a considerable degree of protection; combined with their naturally tough physique it is possible for a Genestealer to charge headlong through a volley of Lasgun fire and survive. As with other Tyranid organisms, they typically have an open circulatory system with haemolymph flooding the intercellular spaces. This system is host to unnumbered phage cells, believed by the Magos Biologis of the New Hallefuss research facility to be digestive systems.
These allow them to feed on the nutrient-rich end product of a Tyranid invasion. Closer investigation shows the phage cells to have a dual purpose, acting in a manner similar to fibrinogens in the Human bloodstream and clotting the liquids that seep from any wounds that the Genestealer has suffered (ref.MBfl277.anticoagulant.hellfire.qv).
Another physiological anomaly that Genestealers display is the redundant respiratory and circulatory systems inherited from their host species. Furthermore, they exhibit vestigial digestive systems. Some specimens even have complete stomachs, although these are superfluous given the efficiency of the phage cell.
These expendable systems allow the Genestealer to sustain considerable non-lethal damage and still function. It is widely known by Imperial forces that those coming into conflict with Genestealers should direct their fire towards the thorax and abdomen of the beasts, as even with several extremities missing they are still highly dangerous opponents.
Thanks to the capture of live Tyranid specimens by the Draco Legion Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, it is known that Genestealers are able to feel pain and react adversely to its application, either becoming incredibly aggressive or cowed into temporary submission.
Genestealers have a tremendous tolerance for cold, allowing them to survive in the void of deep space, hidden within the bowels of the Space Hulks they typically infest. They are even able to survive in a vacuum for a short space of time.
To truly exploit the space detritus it inhabits, a Genestealer has great longevity and also the ability to endure long periods without nourishment. A Genestealer may also enter a torpid state at will, lowering its metabolic rate dramatically, therefore allowing them to survive long periods of inactivity and hardship until new prey enters their lair.
Reproduction Cycle
A Genestealer Ovipositor as dissected by an Adeptus Mechanicus Magos Biologis.
Genestealers reproduce by introducing their genetic material into a host from another intelligent species; this is normally a Human, but can theoretically be any sentient humanoid race, including the Aeldari or the Orks.
The Genestealers have no true genders, and require a creature of any species, of any gender, to reproduce. The Genestealer will find a suitable host and hypnotise them into passivity using an effect induced with its eyes.
The Genestealer then thrusts its long, whip-like tongue (which also serves as an ovipositor) into the body of the host, where it deposits its DNA in the form of a type of virus that infects the somatic and germ line cells of the host.
Several solar hours later, the infected victim wakes up from the incident, with no wounds or any recollection of what happened. The new host of the Genestealer DNA will go on about their normal life, and eventually reproduce with another member of their species, thus siring or giving birth to a Genestealer hybrid.
The Genestealer reproductive cycle is truly cyclical, as a fourth generation hybrid will always spawn a Purestrain Genestealer in the fifth generation with a genome identical to that of the original Genestealer that infected the first host.
The different phases of the Genestealer reproductive cycle, beginning with a Purii, a Purestrain Genestealer. The Contagii, who are mere hosts and not Genestealers at all, are not shown.
Newly born Genestealer hybrids, although fundamentally Genestealers, will have characteristics inherited from the host parent. Thus a Genestealer hybrid of Human stock may have a vaguely humanoid head, or only two arms instead of the usual four, and its tail will be shortened or missing.
A Genestealer hybrid of four or more generations of consistent Human parentage would pass for a baseline Human on cursory inspection, although a closer look would reveal bluish skin, sharp, pointed teeth and unsettling behaviors.
The Ymgarl Genestealers on their homeworld exploited a large, semisentient leech-like creature called a Csith as their usual host, which explains their variant and more inhuman appearance. As a known exception, Csith hosts always produce natural Ymgarl Genestealers rather than hybrids, no matter what the parentage of previous generations.
Purii A fuill, Purestrain Genestealer starts the infection cycle by inserting their genetic material into a host victim. As the infestation spreads and the cult grows, the first Genestealer takes the role of a Genestealer Patriarch and often grows larger into an obese and psychic monstrosity.
The Infected - Contagii The host victims, or Contagii, return to their own societies and begin to have an urgent need to find a mate and begin a family. This mate also becomes infected with Genestealer DNA through sexual intercourse with the infected host.
Contagii, many of whom become Brood Brothers, still physically resemble other members of their species, though they may have a slight blue or mauve pallor to their skin and can be psychically controlled by the Patriach through the Broodmind to become mindless slaves, making them the perfect infiltrators.
The psychic control of the Genestealer's Kiss can be resisted by infected Space Marines, as seen with members of the Scythes of the Emperor. However even they wear psychic dampening hoods to keep out the Broodmind's urgings.
Generation 1 - Maelignaci The first of a cult's vile children, a First Generation Hybrid or Maelignaci is as much of a monster as it looks. More reminiscent of a Genestealer than a Human, these foul creatures feature between five or six limbs, each one ending in sharp talons. These mutants often serve as Acolyte Hybrids.
Their bulbous heads have the facial features of their xenos gene-father, with their skin taking on a purple hue. These creatures are little more than beasts, their instincts directing their every move.
Generation 2 - Hybrid The second generation of hybrids are hunched and stooped -- not in the manner of the old or infirm, but more like pressured springs, ready to explode into movement. Like the generation before them, Second Generation Hybrids, who also serve as Acolyte Hybrids, may have five or six limbs, but their eyes and mouth are more like their Human parents, and they can make themselves understood in Low Gothic.
Though their minds are still so alien that they defy analysis, they are still sapient enough to understand their host society. Some are even put to work in the industrial brotherhoods of their kin, their uncanny strength and resilience allowing them to use heavy mining tools and explosives with far more ease than any mere Human.
Generation 3 - True Hybrid Taking a fully upright stance, the Third Generation Hybrid is reminiscent of many mutants in Imperial society. Their foul features go unnoticed in the underhives of many Imperial worlds.
However, on closer inspection their alien form is revealed. They have heavily ridged heads, mauve to violet skin, and may even hide an extra clawed limb under their tattered clothes.
True hybrids often become Kelermorphs and Loci.
Generation 4 - Primacii
A 4th Generation Genestealer Hybrid can pass for almost fully Human.
By the fourth generation, the scions of the Genestealer Cult can pass for fully Human, inveigling themselves into positions of power to further the aims of their sinister cult. Most of these Primacii serve as Neophyte Hybrids.
A few members of this generation possess psychic powers and become a Magus or Genestealer Primus. Other types of Fourth Generation Hybrids include Clamavi, Nexoses, Sancti, and Biophagi.
They are often noticed by their Human overseers as dutiful, hard-working citizens, and as such, often find themselves above suspicion. Many of these hybrids join the Astra Militarum to spread their vile seed across the galaxy, starting new cults and claiming worlds for their four-armed Patriarch.
Between the fourth and fifth generations of hybrids, the Genestealer Cult will prepare for all-out war. They will spawn Hybrid Metamorphs, creatures that echo the warrior bioforms of the Tyranid hive fleets and are built only to serve as vicious cannon fodder for the coming battles.
Generation 5 - Purii Paradoxically, the Genestealer's purestrain DNA reemerges in the fifth generation of hybrids since the initial infection, giving birth to a full Tyranid Purestrain Genestealer, albeit one showing some physical characteristics of the original host species.
Thus the cycle can begin anew, as the new Purestrain Genestealers have the potential to infiltrate other worlds and become a Genestealer Patriarch.
Other Host Species
A Genestealer fighting a Space Marine Terminator.
The Purestrain Genestealer can, through the modus of implantation via its ovipositor, place its germ-seed in any creature of the requisite anatomy to later sire a hybrid. Over the countless centuries since their introduction into the stellar realm of Mankind, these extragalactic predators have started colonies within the races of the Orks, the Greet, the Kroot, the Vespid, the Aeldari, the Tarellian, and even the T'au.
They tend to choose ambulatory species of sufficient intellect to be space-capable, and hence spread their curse far and wide, and will usually target one whose population is dense enough to keep such a spread secret until it is too late for the infection to be overcome.
The Orks have proven troublesome as Genestealer hosts, for they can sense a wrongness in those infected, something that disturbs the strange gestalt of the Greenskin mind. The Kroot are much the same, though their avoidance of infected members of their society comes from their ability to taste pheromones, and the wisdom of the Kroot Shapers who guide their people's evolution.
The Aeldari have such lengthy gestation cycles that they are simply not viable biological hosts; furthermore, their psychic abilities are so well developed they can often see the shadow of the curse even before it can manifest, and avoid it accordingly.
The T'au have a connection with their Ethereal Caste that makes infection by the Genestealers difficult. Only Humanity, so manifold and unruly in its civilisations, has as yet provided an ideal host.
Ork-Genestealer Hybrids
Ork-Genestealer hybrids serving as part of an Ork Freebooter force.
Orks are not an ideal host race for Genestealers and eventually any Genestealers who infect them will realise that the Orks are a dead end as far as the prospects for furthering the spread of the Genestealer genetic curse is concerned.
Ork society is not structured like Human society and the sophisticated techniques of infiltration of a popuation in a secure power base like an Imperial planet will not necessarily work with the more nomadic Orks.
Sometimes Genestealers find that they must infect Orks simply because no better hosts are available. Orks often find and board drifting space hulks and delve into deserted ruins which are exactly the sort of places where Genestealers might lurk.
If the Genestealers has been waiting for standard centuries to infect a host and a party of Orks just happen to turn up the Genestealers will simply follow their instinct to procreate their species.
Sometimes, albeit rarely, a Genestealer-Ork hybrid brood grows and prospers. Genestealer broods are usually only successful once a breeding community of Feral Orks has been infected, and the Genestealer genetic curse will integrate itself into any reproductive spores shed by those Orks.
If a "civilised", technologically-advanced greenskin community is infected it has a catalytic effect on the Ork breeding urge and Ork hybrids will develop from Ork spores eventually, but usually the Genestealer incursion among the Orks simply dies out.
It is very rare for such a "Green Brood" to survive long enough for Purestrain Genestealers to finally emerge, and then there are few. This is because the Ork life cycle and asexual, spore-based reproduction simply does not favour the propagation of a Genestealer brood.
Orks do not shed spores until the end of their lives and so the development of a brood is very slow. Additionally hybrid whelps are unlikely to be accepted by the "civilised" Orks, who will find them "unOrky."
A Genestealer Patriarch who realises its mistake in trying to subvert an Ork tribe will instead tend to use its Ork hybrid brood as a temporary expedient useful only in facilitating contact with more suitable hosts like Humans.
An Ork hybrid brood that does begin to thrive, and has sufficient technology to be of use to the Genestealer Patriarch in spreading the curse of the Genestealers further, is also likely to make contact with other Orks.
When surrounding greenskin tribes notice that there is "sumfink wrong" with the infected tribe, that they are "not proper Orkses" and have been "taken over by da bug-eyez," they will move to exterminate them.
Occasionally Genestealer-Ork hybrid bands, the so-called "Green Broods," are encountered wandering on the fringes of Ork society or as part of a band of Freebooterz, wondering what they can do about their predicament.
Aeldari-Genestealer Hybrids Aeldari biology and physiology is in some ways far less crude than that of their Human counterparts. As a result, the Genestealers' geentic taint takes many more generations before it manifests and produces a first generation Aeldari-Genestealer hybrid.
The vigilant and ruthless Aeldari quickly discover this once the first hybrids begin to be born. They then swiftly move to eliminate the hybrid community on their craftworlds or in the Dark City of Commorragh to maintain their genetic purity.
Purestrain Genestealer
Purestrain Genestealers face the forces of the T'au Empire.
Purestrain Genestealers have the same basic arthopodal body structure as all other Tyranid species. They appear as roughly man-sized, six-limbed creatures with both the chitinous exoskeleton and endoskeleton common to Tyranids.
They can function as a bipedal organism using their lower appendages; a second pair have extremely sharp claws used for evisceration in close combat -- these claws are sharp enough to hack through extremely well-armored enemies, such as Space Marine Terminators, with ease.
The third set of limbs may also act as arms, though their nature can vary depending on the type of host species used to create the Genestealers or the needs of the Hive Mind. In addition, Genestealers are known for their agility and adept fighting skill.
Genestealers were first encountered by the Imperium of Man on the moons of Ymgarl. After this encounter, more and more were spotted on large derelict starships known as "Space Hulks" - these ship-borne encounters being the subject of the aforementioned Space Hulk game.
With the invasion of the Imperium of Hive Fleet Behemoth in the late 41st Millennium, it was discovered that the Genestealers were in fact a part of the wider Tyranid species. Genestealers perform two primary roles for the Tyranid armies.
First, they act as assault troops in Tyranid swarms; second, they can be found as an advanced reconnaissance force of a Tyranid Hive Fleet, preparing future planetary invasions and aiding biomass absorption through the use of their unusual reproduction method and the establishment of Brood Mind-based Genestealer Cults.
Ymgarl Genestealer
An Ymgarl Genestealer hybrid.
Imperial researchers of the Adeptus Mechanicus have concluded that the Ymgarl Genestealer was a form of the species that separated from the main conglomerate of the Tyranids' Hive Fleet Behemoth several hundred Terran years ago and, having completely lost its psychic link to the Tyranid Hive Mind, had thus reverted to a feral state.
Ymgarl Genestealers appear apparently different from normal Genestealers, which is also believed by the Imperials to be due to the complete separation from the Hive Mind, and generations of feeding almost exclusively on a native lifeform of the Ymgarl moons.
Genestealers are known to change over the generations. The different variations between broods can be quite marked, but Ymgarl Genestealers are truly unique because they possess the ability to alter their own flesh to react to incoming attacks or to change its colour like a chameleon, so as to blend into its surroundings and remain unseen until it strikes or flees.
Their claw-tipped fingers can suddenly elongate and fuse together to form curved blades and barbed hooks or split apart into tentacles of sinewy alien flesh to slash or entangle victims who attempt escape. Under assault, their chitinous carapaces thicken and help absorb the energy of incoming attacks.
Some Imperial observers that have made contact with these creatures reported this strain's ability to change the colour of their skins, utilizing extreme light conditions to better go undetected. Such an extreme adaptation comes at a high price for this bio-form, as Ymgarl Genestealers must feed on large amounts of biomatter often.
Moreover, an Ymgarl Genestealer's most distinctive feature is the mass of writhing tentacles in place of a fanged mouth, which they use to pierce their victim's flesh and better feed upon the blood within -- this strain's only source of real nutrients. When they cannot obtain adequate nourishment to feed their raging metabolisms, they will be forced to enter a state of dormancy or otherwise starve to death. Once in this state they must wait until something living and of fresh blood passes near enough to disturb their dreamless sleep.
The origins of the Ymgarl Genestealers remain a mystery to Imperial savants, for they do not seem to have been a strain of bioform created by any of the Hive Fleets already known to have invaded Imperial space. It may be that they are the last survivors of a Tyranid reconnaissance of the galaxy before the arrival of Hive Fleet Behemoth.
Even stranger, whilst the survival instincts of the other Genestealer strains leads them to flee the oncoming arrival of their parent Hive Fleets, Ymgarl Genestealers actively seek them out, as if hoping to once again hear the comforting presence of the Hive Mind.
Jumping from planet to planet, they spread across the galaxy searching for worlds that lie in the path of an approaching Hive Fleet. Once there they will lay dormant until the Hive Mind reasserts contact with them and they can hunt alongside the rest of the Tyranid swarm. However, the Hive Mind has no desire to reabsorb their biomass or genetic legacies, lest their instability spread throughout all of the bioforms in the Hive Fleet.
Once the target world has had all of its biomass devoured, the Ymgarl Genestealer brood is abandoned, forced once more to enter their hibernation. Unfortunately, Human starships often investigate the Dead Worlds left in the wake of a Tyranid attack.
In this way, they have come to learn more about the horrific xenos, amidst the forlorn hope of discovering survivors, or as scavengers come to pick over whatever wealth may remain. These fools and idealists eventually leave with a far more deadly cargo hidden within their holds, ready to spread the cycle of death and terror anew.
At first, Ymgarl Genestealers were not thought to be part of the broader Tyranid race, but were instead thought to be xenos native to the moons of Ymgarl. However, two hundred standard years later, during the invasion of Hive Fleet Behemoth in 745.M41, the Tyranids used Genestealers as shock troops and melee infantry in countless battles against the Imperium and the other intelligent races of the Milky Way Galaxy.
The Magos Biologis of Mars spent many Terran years trying to classify the Tyranid artefacts and bioforms left behind on Macragge after the invasion of Hive Fleet Behemoth was stopped by the sacrifices of the Ultramarines.
Yet they could only learn so much of their origins from these remains. The only notable discovery was that the Tyranids used the Genestealers as their shock troops. It was believed that these xenos had spread across the galaxy on board Imperial cargo barges and derelict Space Hulks. Many of the Imperium's most violent encounters with Genestealers before the arrival of the Tyranids had been on board infested Space Hulks and names of such Hulks as the Sin of Damnation were forever synonymous with them.
The presence of Genestealers among the Tyranid bio-forms proved that these previous assumptions concerning the Genestealers' independent origins had been false. Further genetic analysis confirmed that all Genestealers, even the Ymgarl variant, were Tyranid bioforms.
In response to this news, the Space Marines of the Salamanders Chapter unleashed a xenocidal campaign to purge the moons of Ymgarl of the foul creatures and the Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos intensified their search for any signs of new Genestealer infestations, but little else could be done to deal with the problem.
The question continuing to perplex Imperial savants is whether the Ymgarl strain of Genestealers are the remainders of an unknown ancient Hive Fleet that entered the galaxy before Behemoth, or whether there is more to the current Tyranid invasion that has yet to become apparent.
Regardless of the outcome, the Ymgarl Genestealer strain was not completely destroyed by the Salamanders' efforts. They endure in the darkest corners of the galaxy, always waiting for the opportune moment to infest new worlds and offer another sacrifice for the Great Devourer. The truth about the Ymgarl strain has yet to be revealed.
Adrenal Genestealer
Adrenal Genestealer.
Adrenal Genestealers are a newer strain that have emerged within the Tyranid armies: deathly agile and relentless, these dangerous new foes spring out from every dark corner, unleashing volley after volley. Attached to these deadly creatures are Adrenal Glands, a common Tyranid biomorph which can be found on most of their front-line fighters.
Polyp-like organisms clamp themselves onto the host and secrete doses of a powerful adrenaline-like substance during combat, making the host creature relentless and nigh unstoppable in the heat of battle.
Vectori-Strain Genestealer
Vectori-Strain Genestealer.
The Vectori strain represents a classification of Genestealers adopted by the Deathwatch of the Jericho Reach to refer to the unique Genestealer breed encountered aboard the Space Hulk Mortis Thule.
Much more agile than the Purestrains from which all Genestealers derive, this xenos breed is well adapted to moving swiftly, as well as silently through confined spaces, while their lowered body mass reduces the energy required of their metabolisms, allowing them to operate effectively for longer periods without sustenance.
Vectori Genestealers are nimble and stealthy hunters, operating with a focus and efficiency natural to such creatures for which economy of energy is an essential facet of survival. However, their lighter physiology makes them ill-suited for direct shock tactics, being not as durable as those of other purestrains.
Broodlord
A Tyranid Broodlord.
The Broodlord, or Corporaptor Primus, is the ultimate product of Genestealer evolution. The Broodlord is immensely strong, agile and durable, which makes it a superb frontline warrior.
In addition to their already potent combat abilities, the Broodlord also has a few Tyranid Biomorphs or biomechanical weapon-symbiotes to chose from beyond just its standard rending claws and scythe-like talons.
Broodlords act as commanders for Tyranid assault forces, personally leading attacks. They bear the "synapse" ability frequently observed in higher forms of Tyranids, which allow them to coordinate the Hive Mind's psychic commands over less-intelligent Tyranid species.
This is unlike the traditional Genestealer Cults which grow and rise on infested Imperial worlds to take its followers from among the local populace, and psychically dominate them and be worshiped as gods. The army led by the Broodlord is an infiltrating frontline vanguard operating in a similar manner to the Tyranid Lictor.
A Broodlord at the heart of a telepathic link can track its foes with the senses of many and employs its greater intellect to coordinate and command the lesser Genestealers.
Vectori-Strain Broodlord The circumstances that lead to a Broodlord coming into being are still relatively unknown to the Ordo Xenos, but speculation and theories abound on the subject.
In the case of those found aboard the space hulk Mortis Thule in the Jericho Reach, it has been theorised that exposure to the energies of the Warp and isolation from the Hive Mind has somehow culminated in the creation of an "alpha" Genestealer, a creature of terrible majesty and dreadful might that exists at the heart of the collective brood-mind shared by any given group of Genestealers.
Whatever the truth of their origins, Vectori Broodlords are the most frightening of these creatures. Connected psychically to an instinctive network of hunters, they lie in wait while their lesser brood herd unwitting prey into traps and ambushes orchestrated by a being of vicious cunning and inhuman intellect. When they choose to act directly, very few combatants can endure their onslaught.
Vectori-strain Genestealers have a constant telepathic link with each other which can function clearly and without restriction (such as from intervening objects or other forms of shielding) up to one kilometre. This allows them to communicate with one another and pass information to nearby Genestealers swiftly and surreptitiously.
*END*
Lots in here too from the Wiki on Genestealers. Some new stuff like Ymgarls using a leech species and the other subspecies.
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Post by Hive Bahamut on Feb 19, 2021 3:17:20 GMT
Also, for those that haven't read the short yet called "The things" I will relink it here. This is EXACTLY the narrative I want. clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/ *1 spoiler ahead* The fact it comes to pity us is... Surreal. This thing we hated, and tried to remove felt nothing but sadness for us in the end. In our meat sacks driven by a tumor with spark we were all broken and scared.. ** Now ironically? (maybe because I made a connection that wasn't there..) this is very much akin to the Genestealer and the Tyranid. The Genestealers seem to have this mechanic turned off, and what if that itself is part of the hybridizing process? The genetic stock is strictly imprinted from this sole organism, which is unlike ANYTHING Tyranid. Tyranids are one. It is one, we are one. The sum of all of the components is the whole, no heroes, no Hierarchies, OTHER than what is optimal for this "replication" process to assimilate others, which itself is camouflage. Still with me? So by mimicing us they get to learn. Who, what, when, where, why, how? These are all foreign concepts of a single entity, but it is intelligent enough to understand, that there is knowledge and more importantly "survival" codes locked within. I always attributed Tyranids to cunning not so much intelligent, but this isn't that. I always assumed Tyranids evolution was more reactionary than planned but that can easily be attributed to "Bolter Porn" narrative in the books. If we know now that the Ymgarls are also just another hybrid species, it really narrows down that the Genestealer isn't necessarily the Tyranid. Quite the opposite. I was wrong in my initial assessment, but it would seem that the Genestealer is in fact the Tyranids attempt at something sentient. Also, that would iron out why they have no guns, and or crazy biomorphs. One system. One unit. One being. One "consciousness." Genestealers are a simulation species. Using traditional vampirism and illusion/mysticism, a omnipotent/omniscient being created a creature to try to learn just WHY these things are so sad.. WHY do they harbour so much of this.. resent!? THIS is something I can get behind. Not only are they going to eat you but they will pity your anger as they do so.. Holy hell even if this has 10% truth to it that is goldenly Grimdark.. To clarify too, I don't think they understand it as happiness united. Just.. United. That is best.
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Post by Hive Bahamut on Mar 4, 2021 6:04:50 GMT
You are correct Dranzyl. Their lifespan is effectively immortal but their life expectancy is not stellar. I would go as far to say that the majority of players in 40k are effectively immortal. Only Tau, and basic humans are presented to have a short lifespan. (Holy (please do not swear) is that why GW always hating on Tau in codex pictures??!!?!?!) Aeldari can just pleasure (please do not swear) themselves into never dying/ Use an internet of dead Orkz are angry mushrooms Necrons had a nap because everyone else died Astartes have heavy plot armour and age into centuries, effectively immortal Daemons are upsidedown things that essentially just get sent to their room for a bit because they sucked Nids are basically Groundhog day with birth/death, except the twist is you are some random BS each time. IMO this is because it makes the setting more daunting, but it also plays into this here. Genestealers use Humans because they are the only effectively non-immortal being. I never would have connected that dot without you mentioning that. That makes a LOT of sense if you think about it. Genestealers use birth cycles to procreate what is essentially just... Biomass to the Tyranids. The perfect stock isn't humans because it meshes the best. It is the ONLY viable source in the Galaxy. Except Tau. Now why do they get a pass? I think this also can be answered using these same connections. Tau live short indoctrinated lives only having one path usually. This "discipline" lets call it, has not only hampered the Hive Mind's desires, but also, made it almost... Unappetizing. The Ethereals and their whodoyouvoodoo are the wild card. If this short life is connected to their lack of "soul, or presence in the warp" now could that not also be why they don't seem to GSC well? Cooking a whole meal to eat a peanut seems like a waste of resources. Could this be why the Hive Mind hasn't used their stock? Does the Ethereal have a way of subsiding the psychic powers? Or are they simply innate because of their focus elsewhere? The Raptor humans seem to have quite a story to be told. This explanation of Genestealers is pretty up my ally. "40k Herpes" is a decent description.. Hahaha www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckryWqXzkUg
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Post by Hive Bahamut on Mar 29, 2021 4:48:04 GMT
So now diving back into this we can ask a few more questions:
1. IF Genestealers are essentially a simulation program to learn from the "meat sacks" could that mean that until Tyranids arrived in the Milky Way they actually had very little if any understanding of emotion? This could be doubled down as Kronos seems to be evolving to specifically counter this "overflow," or rifts where the immaterial and real-space collide? Nids are actually the anathema to daemons whereas Necrons are just the anathema to everything alive.
2. Do all Genestealers have Ovipositors? Is this something that the Broodlords are churned out with? Why do no other Tyranids use anything like this when it seems to be so effective? Is 40k herpes actually an accurate description of the "Kiss?"
3. Why is Mauve/Purple/Blue their inherent colour? Do these colours camouflage the best regardless of urban/industrial settings? We know that they can hibernate for decades, does this colour palette return if they were dormant from a Tyranid Fleet? Or is it simply so GW could call them "purple people eaters" because original ideas are hard and ripping off other IP while hoarding theirs is key?
4. If Tyranids were to actually churn out creatures of each species, would they be the relics we were told or something entirely different?
5. Is it wrong that I painted all of my GSC with denim blue pants and the Abominant in Denim Coveralls? JeanStealers, Canadian Tuxedo takers, Denim Death Dealers, Wrangler Tanglers, Levi-I-can, or even the Mean-Jeans
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Post by naviedzony on Apr 1, 2021 9:21:43 GMT
Ok, I love those lore talks. 1. I don't think that the individual Tyranids have any understanding of emotions at all. All they have is basic instinct and rudimentary intelligence. The Hive Mind on the other hand is a powerful being and it's knowledge consists of a genetic memory of milions of devoured species. It has to know about emotions and understand them as biomechanical prcesses but it is so alien, that I don't suspect it really know how it is to feel those emotions. And yes, Tyranids must give the Dark Gods a good scare, especially Hive Fleet Kronos. 2. Yes, all Genestealers have Ovipositors. The first one of the Genestealers on an infiltrated planet to give somebody a "Genestealer Kiss" morphs into a Patriarch and imposes its will over another ones creating a local version of a Hive Mind, called a Broodmind. After the planet is devoured the Genestealers are assimilated back to the Hive Fleet and the one that was Patriarch is now Broodlord. The Genestealer Kiss is slow and stealthy way to create a cult - something you don't need on the open battlefield. Why waste effort and biomass on giving Hormagaunts the Ovipositors if their job is to kill as many enemies as they can and die in the hail of fire? During the invasion there is no time to set the scene and create a handy distraction for yourself - it is assumed that the planet already should be infested by a Genestealer Cult at this moment and for a long time - at least a couple of generations! 3. I don't know why the purple is the genestealers inherent colour. But I've heard that Genestealers wear the Hive Fleet Colours as long as they stay with the Fleet and when they go out to infiltrate they automatically revert to the "default" purple. Interesting bit. 4. I don't understand the question. What do you mean? 5. I think it's awesome.
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Post by Hive Bahamut on Apr 6, 2021 6:57:30 GMT
naviedzony Thank you! A few ideas to add: Tyranids may have not known about emotion, but they sure got a crash course when they hit the milky way. Utilizing the Genestealer they were able to learn about this construct, which allowed them to camouflage into societies, to understand. After what might as well have been an eternity (Ymgarls were early 40k as one example) they were able to now pinpoint weaknesses and strengths. As a kid playing with clay, the Hive Mind was able to tweak genetic mutations as easily as you tie your shoe. This propelled not only the understanding of the natives to the Milky Way, but also how to "cure" what ailed it. The Kelermorph was constructed specifically to play on the human psyche as frail as it is. With Unity there is no emotion, only perfection. If all is provided there is no desire, no greed, no hate.. That is not quite correct. Many Genestealers do, but a few of the Hive Fleet variants are produced with other Biomorphs such as Acid Maw or Flesh Hooks. These would also be the ones that would be re-assimilated, but many of the Ovipositor ones would actually be triggered back into flight mode to go with retreating forces and start the process anew on other planets. In the panic and despair an extra passenger would hardly go noticed until it was too late. In essence GSC is basically lazy version Tyranids and I love it. I have not been able to find anything about the coloration other than a few snippets about the colour purple. I feel like it could be something as simple as a regressive state that parallels the flight mechanic. It does hide exceptionally well in shadow when I compare it to other colours. Actually thinking about it those are ultraviolet leaning colours, and not ones we use to see. It couldn't be any more difficult than that. If they are redoing Tyranids or at least updating the line ala Orkz, Necrons, Marines, Sisters etc in 10th (my prediction don't need to agree) are we going to see more of the "simulation species" like Tyrant Guard ala Marines, Zoeys ala Aeldari etc? Or (what I would like) are we getting more Giant Ribbed Spiky Dinosaur Potatoes and their smaller kin of faceless hordes? Are they giving Nids that identity finally after struggling for years to jam in heroes into a Saturday morning cartoon badguy faction? New question: If a Genestealer is just an apex predator + species trying to simulate does that not lean into hinting that Tyranids do have a more Dinosaur (apex predator) like background than initially thought? You could even argue that while they may not be the first defenders, they most certainly could be the last. If they cure chaotic corruption they are essentially a very very hungry Noah's Arc.. Is this not what Lizardmen do in Fantasy/AoS?
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Post by naviedzony on Apr 9, 2021 7:26:27 GMT
Hive Bahamut good point about other head Biomorphs on genestealers. Their colour seems to work pretty well on human ships, I agree, but what about other races? Tau ships, Eldar ships and so on? We know that all the races got infiltrated at some point, though only humans seem to suit this style of infiltration particularly well.
I'd like new units of Tyranid/Eldar and Tyranid/Tau or Tyranid/Ork hybrids in Genestealer Cults!
I think we are going in the direction of generic space locust, but I'd love some primarch-level nid with the new codex.
Regarding the new question: I don't think that there is a paralell between Tyranids and Lizardmen. Tyranids could work like a genetic material storage, that's true, but there is a hint, that they are not native to the Milky Way galaxy. Also, I don't believe they were created by the Old Ones as Orks were. The Lizardmen however in the old WFB lore are directly created bythe Old Ones to maintain and guard their star gates. After the gates collapsed the Lizardmen are actually clueless, still trying to do their work, but not understanding that there is no more work to be done, as all is lost already. There is no true Lizardmen equivalent in the 40k universe.
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