Genestealer Hybrids

'A Family Picture'.

A Hybrid is what happens when a Genestealer has done its 'business' with an impregnated victim before said victim starts to copulate and birth abominable spawns. Said spawns are called Hybrids and make up the majority of a Genestealer Cult.

Overview

As touched briefly on the Genestealer page, Purestrain Genestealers can only reproduce by infecting a victim with their genetic material. The gene-host survives as a healthy human being, but, upon becoming a parent, the gene-host's firstborn child is indelibly marked by the gene-infection. Once the child matures into a Human-Genestealer Hybrid, it can pass the infection on to other Humans, whose firstborn will also be born as Hybrids. It is only the firstborn child of infected parents that is a Human-Genestealer Hybrid; later offspring will always be normal humans, though they will be similarly slaved to their hybrid siblings (see also Brood Brothers).

The first generation Hybrids closely resemble Purestrain Genestealers. But, with each new generation of Hybrids, Genestealer traits give way to Human traits, until fourth generation Hybrids are all but indistinguishable from untainted Humans. However, a Hybrid will always display the Genestealer's primal instincts; these always remain in their genetic structure, and - no matter how Human in appearance - a Hybrid belongs to the Genestealer brood.

Purestrain Genestealers are totally incapable of passing as Human. Their multiple arms, bulbous heads, glaring eyes, and animal crouch give them away; no amount of clothing and make-up can disguise such characteristics. However, later generations, particularly the third and fourth, become more humanoid in appearance. Indeed, many Genestealers of advanced generations can appear as Humans at first glance, especially if wearing concealing clothing. However, as their sharp teeth and hypnotic eyes are somewhat of a giveaway, they tend to avoid speaking to strangers or looking at people straight in the face.

It follows that, in many ways, the later generation Hybrids are the most dangerous - they can move freely among Humans, passing on their terrible disease unnoticed.

Generations

Each hybrid generation possesses a somewhat specific anatomy. By infecting a victim with its genetic material, a Genestealer passes on some of its physical characteristics to the victim's first offspring. In the first generation, this gives rise to a Hybrid with a number of Genestealer traits. Through successive generations of Hybrids these traits become less extreme, until in the fourth generation the Hybrids can pass as normal Humans. Genestealer Aberrants can appear in any of the generations without warning as well.

• First generation: The first generation Hybrids are born to human (or otherwise) parents, one of which has been infected. Of all the generations they resemble Genestealers most closely. They have either three or four arms.
• Second generation: Second generation hybrids always possess three arms, one of which ends in the Genestealer claw. However, their skin starts to become smoother and more human-like.
• Third Generation: These hybrids possess bodies somewhere between the crouched bodies of Genestealers and the humanoid shapes of humans. They appear perpetually crouched, possess two or three arms, one of which might end in a Genestealer claw. Some lack the ovipositor of preceding generations; these are called drones or neuters, although they can still infect other races through their blood. The Primus may appear in either this generation or the fourth, depending on the needs of the Genestealer cult.
• Fourth Generation: This generation is virtually indistinguishable from members of the host species. They retain the hypnotic gaze of Genestealers, making them rather charismatic. A "mutant" which can appear among this generation is the Magus, which takes the highest position in a Genestealer Cult, besides the Genestealer Patriarch. The first offspring of fourth generation hybrids are invariably purestrain genestealers, allowing the cycle to continue.

Psychic Hybrids

Purestrain Genestealers and first and second generation Hybrids have no psychic powers except for their innate abilities, Hypnotic Gaze and Brood Telepathy. Third and fourth generation Hybrids, however, will often have additional psychic powers. Inherited psychic traits passed on from infected psykers in the Hybrid's ancestry may become apparent in the near-human third and fourth generation Hybrids.

Purestrains and Hybrids can recognise human psykers when they find them. Genestealers are attracted to psykers, and share none of the normal human's prejudices against them, simply regarding them as exceptionally advanced specimens of the race. Consequently, the psykers in a community are among the first to be infected by the Stealer gene. This means that Human psychic traits will pass into the gene pool of the Hybrid brood, to be inherited by later generations. Thus, by the third and fourth generations, the Hybrids can develop full psychic powers in addition to possessing the two innate abilities of Genestealers.

What's worse than a normal Genestealer? A Genestealer with a fucking cement saw that can cut through tanks.

Psychic Hybrids tap raw psychic energy emanating from the primitive Genestealer Power that exists in the warp - the shadow image of the Genestealer species' will to survive. Psychic Hybrids who worship a Chaos Power may of course draw psychic energy from their patron, thus tainting their simple Genestealer souls.

Acolyte Hybrids

Not to be confused with Acolyte which is a rank in the Inquisition

Acolyte Hybrids are Genestealer Hybrids spawned from the first to second generation, thus they looked more like the Genestealers than the host-parents. During a Genestealer uprising, Acolytes specialises in close quarters combat, mixing their already dangerous physique with that of added Imperial weaponry and industrial equipment. When the time comes to throw off the torn robes they use to disguise their foulness, the Acolyte Hybrids crawl up to the surface and into the sunlight, their grotesque faces twisted in subhuman glee. They display a bizarre blend of the species from which they hail – the speed of a Purestrain Genestealer twinned with human cunning is a potent combination. These hybrids fire off volleys of pistol fire, before descending on the enemy in a riot of claws, close combat weapons and screamed praise to their masters.

Acolyte Hybrids are armed with close range weapons, thus they are equipped with autopistols, close combat weapons, blasting charges and rending claws as well as hand flamers, a heavy rock saw, a heavy rock drill (with backpack) and a heavy rock cutter to rip apart tanks and armoured vehicles of the defenders. Acolyte Leaders can be armed with a bonesword and a lashwhip.

The Neophyte Hybrids 'thank' the Imperial Guard for graciously giving them their entire detachments of Leman Russ Tanks.

Neophyte Hybrids

Not to be confused with Neophyte which is a Space Marine in training

Unlike the more grotesque Acolytes, Neophytes clearly come from third and fourth generation Genestealer Hybrids due to their more human looking qualities. While they lack in the extremely lethal claws of the Acolytes and more purestrains, Neophyte compensates this for their specialization in range combat as their more human hands and dexterity allows ease in holding a gun. Because of how human they look, Neophytes exploit this by joining the Imperial Guard or Planetary Defense Force in order to 'loot or borrow' powerful Imperial weaponry, equipment and even vehicles into the Cult's arsenal. When the Cult signals their attack, Neophytes swarm from sewers, catacombs and shadowy barracks, overwhelming their enemies and seizing control of entire planets within hours.

As they are more suited and trained in the Imperial Guard/PDF, Neophytes thus, work best in long range combat and are equipped with autoguns, autopistols and blasting charges as well as shotguns, seismic cannons, heavy stubbers or mining lasers to annihilate mass waves of infantry. A Neophyte Leader can be armed with a web pistol, autopistol or bolt pistol and a chainsword, power pick or close combat weapon.

Hybrid Metamorphs

"Look Ma! Four Scything Talons!"

Hybrid Metamorphs are special types of Genestealer Hybrids that use weapons more commonly found on other Tyranid organisms. These Metamorphs scuttle forward with preternatural speed, weapon limbs thrashing and biomorphs pulsing with toxins. Spontaneously spawned in a cult’s later cycles, they are thought to be created when a Tyranid hive fleet nears a prey planet that is host to a Genestealer Cult. When the day of the uprising arrives, it is the Hybrid Metamorphs that take pride of place upon the front line. In a storm of iron-hard claws, sinewy tentacles and slashing talons they crush and hack their way through everything in their path, an inspiration to the broodkin that worship them as sainted heroes of the cult.

Due to their flexibility, Hybrid Metamorphs gain weapons not commonly found on regular Hybrids such as Metamorph talons (read: Lictor talons), Carnifex crushing claws, and Warrior lashwhips. Other more common equipment for the Metamorphs includes autopistols, blasting charges, rending claws, feeder tendrils, hand flamers, a heavy rock saw, a heavy rock drill (with backpack) and a heavy claw cutter. Metamorph Leaders can be armed with a bonesword.