Dominatrix
No. Not that kind, you dirty bastards. It's a Tyranid. (I have a horrible feeling that didn't turn off as many people as it really should have). Right, down to business.
A Dominatrix is a gargantuan composite creature of nightmarish proportions, equipped with ripping claws and fangs, and a stunning profusion of symbiotic weaponry. Dominatrices are the brood queens of the Tyranid hordes, their children spawning into all the different Tyranid classes. This means that along with the Tervigon and the Norn Queen, are one of the few identifiable females in the Tyranid swarm. Inside her rides a Norn Queen, with all the gene sequences of the galaxy's most lethal creatures, ready to be spliced and twisted into new monstrosities.
The Dominatrix is a Tyranid creature that is essentially a cross between a Hive Tyrant and a Hierophant Bio-Titan. Its role revolves around wrecking ridiculous amounts of shit and acting as a synaptic lynchpin and General, using its advanced mental capacities to dominate large numbers of nearby lower level 'nids, making them basically extensions of the Dominatrix's body. The only Dominatrix in the fluff was slain by the freeblade Imperial Knight, Auric Arachnus at the Battle of Macragge.
However, there are no updated models or rules to accurately represent the Dominatrix on the tabletop, save Epic 40k's Bio Titan figure. So should any Mad Bastard get into his head to make one he will be bitterly disappointed to find that the Dominatrix has not been relevant for quite some time.
Fanmade rules
8th edition
The Dominatrix is a single model armed with a back mounted dire bio-cannon, two dire bio-cannons, a single pair of monsterous sything talons. It may also turn the minds of those around it to pulp with its psychic feelers and mind spikes.
| Name | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | A | Ld | Sv | Pts | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominatrix | * | * | * | 9 | 9 | 45 | 4 | 10 | 2+ | 2200 | 110 |
| Weapon | Range | Type | S | AP | D | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monsterous scything talons | Melee | Melee | X2 | -5 | 2D6 | - |
| Back mounted dire bio-cannon | Macro 6 | 96” | 16 | -3 | 2D6 | - |
| Dire bio-cannon | Macro 6 | 48” | 10 | -2 | 2D6 | - |
| Psychic feelers and mind spikes | Melee | Melee | User | - | 1 | Make 3 hit rolls for each attack made with this weapon, instead of 1. Armour or invulnerability saves may not be taken against this weapon. |
| Remaining W | M | WS | BS | Casting bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35-45+ | 12” | 2+ | 2+ | +2 |
| 20-34 | 6” | 3+ | 2+ | +2 |
| 5-19 | 4” | 4+ | 3+ | +1 |
| 1-4 | 2” | 5+ | 4+ | 0 |
Wargear:
- This model may replace its back mounted dire-bio cannon with a norn queen for 400 points.
Abilities:
- Bio-Titan warp field: Trying to get an attack to land on such a beast when it’s psychic might is channelled against you is a monumental task.
- This model has a 5+ invulnerability save.
- Norn queen: Some Dominatrix’s carry norn queens on their backs, at which point the minds of all before it become blank, and void, as the shadow in the warp consumes all.
- A model with a Norn queen has the character keyword, a 4+ invulnerability save, adds +1 to its casting rolls in addition to that shown on the damage table and knows all psychic powers associated with the TYRANID keyword (which means tyranids and genestealer cults). In addition to this, all other non-tyranid psykers on the battlefield suffer -1 to their manifestion and deny rolls, in addition to any shadow in the warp effects.
- Massive psychic backlashing: If a dominatrix was ever slain the psychic backlash caused by its death would cripple the tyranid assault, and if it happened to be carrying a norn queen then the backlash would be felt in orbit.
- When this model is slain all tyranid units (including those in reserve) suffer D3 mortal wounds and all PSYKERS on the battlefield suffer D6 mortal wounds. If the dominatrix was carrying a norn queen then all tyranid units would suffer D6 mortal wounds, all tyranid model in reserve would be instantly slain and all PSYKERS on the battlefield would suffer 2D6 mortal wounds.
- Shadow in the warp:
- Enemy pskers within 36” of this model subtract 1 from their psychic tests.
- Synapse:
- Friendly HIVE FLEET units within 36” automatically pass morale tests. In addition, instinctive behaviour effects only activate if the unit is more than 72” away from this model.
- Titanic monster: We’re talking monster hunter end boss levels of huge here, seriously, the models for these things are huge.
- A model with this rule can Fall Back in the movement phase and still shoot and/or charge during its turn. When this model Falls Back, it can even move over enemy models as long as they possess the INFANTRY keyword and as long as it ends it’s move more than 1” from enemy models. This model may still shoot if there are enemy models within 1” of it as long as they possess the INFANTRY keyword. In this case it can shoot at enemies within 1” of itself or any other visible enemy unit that is not within 1” of a friendly unit. Finally, this model only gains a bonus to its armour save if at least half of it is obscured from the firing unit.
This model is a psyker, it can attempt to manifest 3 psychic powers each friendly psychic phase, attempt to deny 3 psychic powers each enemy psychic phase, it knows the smite power, 3 psychic powers from the Hive Mind Discipline, and may reroll one dice when determining which powers it possesses. Whenever a dominatrix attempts to manifest or deny a psychic power, add the bonus shown on it`s damage table.
Keywords:
- Faction: <Hive Fleet>, Faction: Tyranids, Lord of War, Monster, Titanic, Synapse, Dominatrix
Tactics
The problem with assessing the worth of such large models on the battlefield is that when you get to models costing thousands of points it’s hard to compare against other models. The dominatrix has a very similar statline to the hierophant, but with one more toughness and one less strength, +1 to both its weapon and ballistic skill, and the same 2+/5++ save. What makes it superior is it’s ability to cast and deny three spells a turn (as well as knowing three powers) and a +2 casting bonus like Magnus (with a similar rate of degradation to the bonus as you take damage) and an even bigger and more powerful back mounted cannon compared to the dire bio-cannon (which it also carries two of). Melee wise it has the same talons as the hierophant but it’s “anti infantry” ignores armour and invulnerability saves, making it an excellent hunter of anything T9 or less, the only thing stopping you from using this against titans is that each attack still only deals 1 wound.
Things get even more interesting though when you cough up 400 points to swap its back cannon for a norn queen, for which you get another +1 to your casting rolls, a 4++, a -1 manifest and deny bubble which effects ALL ENEMY PSYKERS, and (finally) the dominatrix knows EVERY power associated with the tyranids.
Gallery
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What. The. Everlasting. Fuck. This is how you don’t convert a model, kids. - this isn't a converted model - this is the original...
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A better example.
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Epic rules.
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Epic rules.
