Unit of the Week: Hierophant

[Xenith]

++Hierophant++

 

 

We have a new unit of the week! Having already discussed all units in the standard codex, we're moving on to Forge World datasheets. This time we've saved the biggest (but is it the best?) for last, and this week it's the massive Tyranid Bio-Titan the Hierophant!

What are you thoughts, and how best would you use them?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around? Will the beta rules affect your list(s)?
• What size unit? Will you be running multiple units?
• What Hive Fleet Traits, Adaptative Physiologies and Stratagems do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices?
• Are you buffing this unit? If so, how?
• Uses in Matched, Narrative and Open Play

Over to you.

 

Tyranids Unit of the Week Index

[Arson Fire]

I find people tend to rate this unit lower than it perhaps deserves, due to a common misconception that the model can't fit in 10" wide long table edge deployment zones. Resulting in it not being able to do anything in the first battle round of the game. Possibly this is true of the tabletop simulator model, which I guess is what most people have been using since 9th came out.

 

Owning the model myself I can say this isn't necessarily true. It's a posable model with a 'base size' determined by where its feet touch the ground.  As a result it can be assembled to be less than 10" wide. I did so quite unintentionally when I put mine together 6 or 7 years ago. Mine is about 9.5" wide.

 

Being a lord of war, it doesn't get a hive fleet trait due to being in a Superheavy Auxiliary detachment. (It does of course get one if in a full superheavy detachment, but you can't fit one of those in a 2k game, so it's a moot point). It does however get a hive fleet keyword, so there are a few aura buffs or hive fleet specific psychic powers it could benefit from. Symbiostorm for instance, to get a bit more value out of those nice bio-cannons.

 

Flat 3 damage guns with 16 shots is very nice. You can also use Pathogenic Slime to buff that up to 4 damage, which is very useful if you're shooting at something like death guard terminators (3 wound models with -1 damage).

 

You probably want to give it Dermic Symbiosis. It already has a 5++, so that part of the adaptation is wasted. However doubling the number of wounds it has remaining for the damage table will keep it strong for longer, and given how many points this thing costs is worth the adaptation.

 

I do kind of like the idea of transporting a big unit of 20 genestealers inside it. There are some minor tricks you could do like disembarking them to charge and kill something, and then using the Overrun stratagem to re-embark them aboard the Hierophant after fighting.

 

Ultimately I think the Harridan is a better lord of war. Similar statline, cheaper, and just has more utility.

The hierophant isn't great, but it's better than people give it credit for.

Edited August 31, 2021 by Arson Fire

[Xenith]

Good thoughts! I've never used one so can't really comment. 

 

I find people tend to rate this unit lower than it perhaps deserves, due to a common misconception that the model can't fit in 10" wide long table edge deployment zones. Resulting in it not being able to do anything in the first battle round of the game. Possibly this is true of the tabletop simulator model, which I guess is what most people have been using since 9th came out.

 

 

The rulebook FAQ cleared this one up. Kind of. 

 

 

DEPLOYING LARGE MODELS Some large models, typically Aircraft, have wings and other parts that extend significantly beyond their base, this can make it difficult for them to fit wholly within a mission’s deployment zone, and whilst the deployment sequences of mission packs clearly state that no part of the model can overhang the edge of the battlefield, the edge of your deployment zone is not mentioned. For clarity, such models can overhang a deployment zone if it is not possible to set them up otherwise (i.e. if it is not possible to set them up without them overhanging their deployment zone), but when setting them up on the battlefield their base must still be wholly within their deployment zone.

 

 

No base = can overhang the DZ. 

[Malakithe]

I like that this big boy is Heavy and its datasheet is pretty good. Send him up as a cruise missile to melt anything it touches. As Heavy slots are kinda meh right now over all im planning on 2 of them.

[Evil Eye]

I doubt I'd ever field one, but it really is a very nice looking kit. Aesthetically I have a few gripes, notably I wish the forelegs had another joint, and I kinda feel it would benefit from stompy hooves for the rear limbs rather than the "stilts", but the overall design is very cool.

 

My biggest thing stopping me buying it (price aside) is the fact that due to the sheer weight of the torso, the flexibility of resin and its spindly limbs, if you don't either put it on a base (possibly impractical for gaming because of its HUGE area) or "core" the limbs with rods, it will start to collapse under its own weight, its legs slowly bowing outwards inn a manner that would be funny were it not nearly £300!