Zoanthrope: Difference between revisions
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Sorry for that. But Tenacious D did all but perfectly describe the Zoanthrope's abilities in their song Wonderboy. With their powers they can float (but not that high off of the ground), they can shoot holes the size of a [[Predator Tank]] in a Predator Tank (or melt small groups of [[MEQ]]s), and have the power to move you. With "you" meaning "your creatures that have Instinctive Behavior" because the Zoanthrope is a Synapse Creature. It also has a strong forcefield surrounding it, meaning that it has a good chance to shrug off otherwise lethal shots. And in older editions there were almost as good as [[Warriors]] at fighting. Like any Psyker, the Zoanthrope is vulnerable to brain overload and subsequent exploding craniums (or as [[Orks]] call it; 'eadbanging). If this happens the creature's brains burn out and it falls to the ground like a grotesque deflating balloon. | Sorry for that. But Tenacious D did all but perfectly describe the Zoanthrope's abilities in their song Wonderboy. With their powers they can float (but not that high off of the ground), they can shoot holes the size of a [[Predator Tank]] in a Predator Tank (or melt small groups of [[MEQ]]s), and have the power to move you. With "you" meaning "your creatures that have Instinctive Behavior" because the Zoanthrope is a Synapse Creature. It also has a strong forcefield surrounding it, meaning that it has a good chance to shrug off otherwise lethal shots. And in older editions there were almost as good as [[Warriors]] at fighting. Like any Psyker, the Zoanthrope is vulnerable to brain overload and subsequent exploding craniums (or as [[Orks]] call it; 'eadbanging). If this happens the creature's brains burn out and it falls to the ground like a grotesque deflating balloon. | ||
One Zoanthrope called "The Doom of Malan'tai" evolved to feed | One Zoanthrope called "The Doom of Malan'tai" evolved to feed on psychic energy. It got the name after singlehandedly destroying Craftworld Malan'tai when it drained the Infinity Circuit. But according to recent developments this creature has been thought to be the progenitor of a new sub-species of Zoanthrope called the [[Neurothrope]]. | ||
==On the tabletop== | ==On the tabletop== | ||
Revision as of 17:33, 23 December 2015
The Zoanthrope is a Tyranid species characterised by its massive head, a long thin body dangling under it and having enough psychic power to turn a Land Raider inside out.
Physiology
Prior to third edition, Zoanthropes looked like giant two-legged Zoats. Yes, this was utterly stupid and was retcon'd with extreme prejudice.
The Zoanthrope is a tall, slender creature with an oversized cranium that makes up more than half its mass and about half its body length. The Zoanthrope's head is far too large for its body: if it were a natural creature its neck would snap under the weight of the noggin. But the Tyranids do not obey the laws of nature: the massive brain housed by the head serves as a relay for the massive psychic power of the Hive Mind, giving the Zoanthrope awesome psychic powers. What powers you ask? How about the power of flight? That do anything for ya? That's levitation, Holmes. How about the power to kill a yak, from 200 yards away... with mind bullets! That's telekinesis, Kyle. How about the power... to move you?
(ahem)
Sorry for that. But Tenacious D did all but perfectly describe the Zoanthrope's abilities in their song Wonderboy. With their powers they can float (but not that high off of the ground), they can shoot holes the size of a Predator Tank in a Predator Tank (or melt small groups of MEQs), and have the power to move you. With "you" meaning "your creatures that have Instinctive Behavior" because the Zoanthrope is a Synapse Creature. It also has a strong forcefield surrounding it, meaning that it has a good chance to shrug off otherwise lethal shots. And in older editions there were almost as good as Warriors at fighting. Like any Psyker, the Zoanthrope is vulnerable to brain overload and subsequent exploding craniums (or as Orks call it; 'eadbanging). If this happens the creature's brains burn out and it falls to the ground like a grotesque deflating balloon.
One Zoanthrope called "The Doom of Malan'tai" evolved to feed on psychic energy. It got the name after singlehandedly destroying Craftworld Malan'tai when it drained the Infinity Circuit. But according to recent developments this creature has been thought to be the progenitor of a new sub-species of Zoanthrope called the Neurothrope.
On the tabletop
Zoanthropes are used best against either vehicles or big monsters. As a Brotherhood of Psykers at Psychic Level 2 they have access to three powers: the tank-wrecking Warp Blast/Lance, dominion and one power that you roll for. The downside to this is that your psychic shooting attack is Mastery Level 2, which means if you use one of your powers you cannot use the other. And their Brotherhood of Psykers rules means that you only need one test (and your opponent gets one Deny the Witch roll) to use your powers: Warp Blast/Lance is improved by 1 for each Zoanthrope in the brood, so with three of them your shots become Assault 3. This is good because it speeds up rolling for your shots, but one lucky roll from your opponent wastes an entire turn (and maybe your unit as well, if you're unlucky).
Because of the short range of their powers they have to come dangerously close to their target. This is why you should always provide enough distractions so they are not shot to death in one turn. Keep in mind that, while they have a 3+ invulnerable save, they still have a 1/3 chance to die to a single good Krak Missile hit. Neither should you forget that they can be tied up in combat if they get charged: they are not very good at fighting and will stick in combat longer than you'd like. As they are Synapse Creatures, they will keep your Gaunts controllable, which is always nice but again remember the range on their weapons and that they are not as fast as Hormagaunts. And while a single shot is likely to deal great damage to a target, it is not guaranteed it will be destroyed: as such it is smart to take several of these in a single brood.
Tyranid players rejoice! With the new update, they can deep-strike again using the Tyrannocyte, which makes them even more awesome. Buy a nice bug-balloon, stuff it with Zopes, and drop it behind whatever scares you for instant gratification.
Some things of note come up with these unique psychic smile-inverters. First, having a 3+ invul means that they don't benefit from basically any degree of cover unless it completely blocks your enemy's line of sight. This means that Zoanthropes are independent of your Venomthrope-shrouded gaunt shields, for better or worse. The only reliable way to keep them from being focus-fired into psychic pink mist is to make sure nothing can shoot them at all.
Second, their Warp Blast power is a Warp Charge 2 attack. This means that to have a majority chance of success, you'll want to pour at least 4 or 5 warp charge dice into their psychic test. This gives them almost a 20% chance of Perils, but also takes more juice than they are generating for your army. While multiple smaller squads of Zopes can be an effective way to spread the pain around the board, keep in mind that you are getting fewer shots per successful manifestation of Blast, meaning the shots are less cost-effective. When you are trying to power more than two Zope squads, you can get seriously strapped for crackle, and you may find yourself unable to fire with all of them. The Neurothrope can save your bacon in this regard, generating you some extra points to zap with.
In Last Stand
In Last Stand, these things are assholes: Giant, flaming assholes. They do enormous damage, have immense knockback, a huge area-of-effect, and are remarkably durable for a floating snake-brain thing thanks to a Warp Field that acts like an Iron Halo. They are the bane of every Lord General, since they can effectively one-shot the entire minion squad a General may have with him. They are, thankfully, easy prey for Sniper Rifle rounds and Shotgun solid slugs, and are a perfect target for a Chaos Sorcerer who has the Improved Summoning wargear to clone.