tyranids unit of the week Tyranids Unit of the Week: Termagants

[Brother Nathan]

++Termagants++

 

 

We have a new unit of the week! This week it's the massed hordes of the Termagants, a classic Tyranid unit, and basis for hordes everywhere. What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use a unit of them?

 

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around? Will the beta rules affect your list(s)? And at what points restrictions?
• What size unit? Will you be running multiple units?
• What Enhancements, Hyper Adaptations and Stratagems do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices?
• Are you buffing this unit? If so, how?

Edited June 26, 2023 by Brother nathan

[Brother Nathan]

So ive offered to help out with this series  posts so figured start with the launch box. And in doing so i had to start with the re imagined classic, updated for a new age. Being in this starter and so commonly in most box sets before they will likely be as common as ever in lists so what feedback do you have. 

 

Personally ive rarely not had a unit of them and i see no change to that trend in 10th.  Their stat line has remained constant, they are not impressive, they are not scary. They just are and usually there are lots. Sadly they are fewer (20 limit instead of 30) but with the drop in points and the buff access they have primarily for damage they will not be ignored. Skulking horrors gives them an interesting reactive play to threats and objectives.

 

Their guns are little changed  and are much of a muchness in damage output as standard but that quickly changes with hyper adaptions and other such benefits where the extra shot weapons are more likely to critical more often. Is it a bonified threat for their cost, i doubt it, but in my group they draw a lot of unnecessary fire just for the 'they could kill something' (cant everything)  and generally are targeted too quickly to do much. ill do a reply shortly on the maths comparing the guns 

 

Comparison of shots.

10 gaunts with each. rolling against normal marines(t4 sv 3+)feel free to go over my math

 

spinefist

assault (advance and shoot)pistol(shoot in combat and a few other modifiers) twin-linked (re-roll wounds which is big) 2 shots at st3 12"

20 shots. bs 4, 10 hit.  str 3 needs 5s rerolling,(33.3 +33%of 66) so say 5(5.3...). 3+sv- =1.7wounds....

 

fleshborer

assault(advance and shoot) 1 shot but str 5 18"

10 shots. 5 hits. 3s to wound- 3.33wounds, 1.1 failed saves

 

devourer

none. 2 shots 18" str 4

20 shots. 10 hit. 5 wound=1.6 failed saves?

 

seems grand but...hyper adaptations...1 is sustained hits vs infantry, another is lethal hits vs vehicles and the third its precision vs characters... ignoring characters... so vs infantry first sustained is... 

 

spinefist+sustained 1

assault (advance and shoot)pistol(shoot in combat and a few other modifiers) twin-linked (re-roll wounds which is big) 2 shots at st3 12"

20 shots 10 hit plus3.3 crits enerating an extra hit so 13.3 hits. (4.43+2.956reroll) 7.38wounds=2.46....so a marine dies...

 

fleshborer +sustined 1

assault(advance and shoot) 1 shot but str 5 18"

10 shots. 6.6 hits 4.4 wounds 1.48 failed saves...

 

devourer+sustained 1

none. 2 shots 18" str 4

20 shots. 13.3 hits. 6.5 wounds =2.21 failed saves

 

so 2 shots really benefits more off the sustained a lot more than the single. 

 

They benefit from endless swarm well, possibly the best target for it out of the options. adrenal surge has potential on a full sized unit getting more crits depending on hyper adaption though falls off with squad reduction quickly.

 

Anyway thats just some quick thoughts to get us started, let it begin.

 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by Brother nathan

[Xenith]

Nice work on the maths, and the result is not what I would have expected - I guess "everything counts in large amounts" is going to be the phrase for this edition, especially if we can layer up effects like lethal hits (from the Tervigon), sustained hits, etc. 

 

Termagants themselves I think will be key units for the OC2, they can hang back with devourers and plink at stuff and hold an objective for cheap, or if you're moving upfield, spinfists appear to be the way to go to put some OC2 on a central objective. 

 

The Tervigon is a great partner to them, boosting the numbers that you get back, and giving them lethal hits. 

 

Zoanthropes nearby to give them a 6++ or a psychophage for the 6+ fnp, or venomthropes for the cover and stealth.

[Brother Nathan]

True but what the math dosent cover games will. Fleshborers range and being assault gives them far more range. In all likelyhood i only expect to get one volley out of them then would i be better with the 18 inch range double shots? Or 12 inch double shoots that are assault... or 18 inch single stronger shot that has assault so can shoot to near 24 inches but has a lower threshhold?... may just go 10 of each tbf...

[ZeroWolf]

Sounds like a fair approach. I'm going to look at fielding 2 20 strong blocks at least, but other than the fact that 20 of them will have fleshborers as default I've just been waiting to see what the multipart kit gives us.

[Brother Nathan]

Will be curious to see... will it have options to make hormagaunts even. They used to be boxed together when i started... i think 8 of each and a few ripper swarms... hopefully they are boxed in proper squad strengths and no more of this 8s or 12s...

[ZeroWolf]

58 minutes ago, Brother nathan said:

Will be curious to see... will it have options to make hormagaunts even. They used to be boxed together when i started... i think 8 of each and a few ripper swarms... hopefully they are boxed in proper squad strengths and no more of this 8s or 12s...

I loved that box, was my first nid purchase back in the day. I don't see a reason as to why they won't be in squad strength, and its one of the reasons why I think we will see refreshed hormagaunts.

[Xenith]

Any other combos or synergies for termagants that we can see? 

[ZeroWolf]

What about having a squad of Venomthopes act as babysitters? It'll give then the benefit of cover to provide them some survival boost. It also gives then stealth.

 

The Swarmlord can also turn the Devourers in assault weapons.

 

Could also be fun to set your hyper adaption to give sustained hits but then play the synaptic insight stratagem to give them precision for one round.

[Brother Nathan]

Suppose swarmlord optimally giving assault to devourers to get em in range of a character unit. 20 strong. 40 shots. Getting both options on means hitting character without any loss to shots on squad. . 6 shots on charactr... 3 wounds. I failed save.... unless... you pop adrenal surge... 5+crits... so 40 shots so... 13 on character... 6.5 wounds... 2 failed... lots of investment...  for not enough bang. 40 shots sustained gets 33 hits 16 wounds 5 wounds?... none of which gets much traction for investment. 

 

Terviagon lethal hits?

40 shots 6.6 crits so auto wounds  2 wounds...

popping the adrenal surge...13.3 autowounds. 4 failed saves. Which if precision is on is on the character...

 

Only other thing is exocrine rerolls... which may be a thing for finishing its target off...

Feels like theres weirdly few rerolls etc for nids...

[ZeroWolf]

That could be something they could bring back in the dex, assuming it wasn't playtested and found to be overpowering in a horde army list.

 

Though I'd rather see more abilities to mess with opponents Ld to add synergy with the Shadow in the Warp. Though I doubt the humble Termagaunt will benefit.

[Brother Nathan]

Was one thing i was wondering... a what if gaunts do get a unit attaching character that rather than synapse or such gives them some form of simple targeting boost(iirc in the 3rd ed dex you essentially could have a boosted model in the unit... though something that could go bang would be very fun...

[ZeroWolf]

That's an idea. I do remember the 3rd edition biomorphs offering some fun potential like that now you said it.

 

Specialist gaunt "characters" is certainly something I could see them doing.

[Xenith]

I'm looking at 1 - 2 x 20 man termagant units to hold an objective and push up, then 2x10 man ones to harass and maybe be in strategic reserves, or hold an objective at the back.

 

I keep coming back to the Tervigon, however the point cost for such a limited use piece seems too high Over the game you'll get maybe 25 termagants back, which is 150pts...which as I type means you get the rest for ~50pts, which is maybe not too bad. Just have to keep it alive and pooping out terms on an objective. 

 

I'm thinking 1x20 devilgaunt unit might be a mainstay in any army, particularly one using a tervigon. You get to proc sustained hits more often. I think a second unit of 20 spinefists would be a good alternative and melee buffer to have in the midfield, that you can potentially bring 6+2D3 models back per turn, assuming they don't get wiped in one round. A psychophage or zoanthropes will be real spoilers to the opponent there to dish out FNP/6++.

[Brother Nathan]

Terviagon ill prob do more detail on when its own unit of the week rolls around but on the cost front... assuming it dosent get shot down t1... d3+3 gaunts per turn... 6 points a gaunt. Average 5 per turn... yup 150 points of terviagon reduction. So 50 points for that statline and to give out lethal which seems to be their best output booster may not be the worst(all termagaunt units in 6 inches...)

So if going heavy on the gaunts may not be a bad hq.

[Brother Nathan]

bumping as we now have seen some of the stats for the new termagaunts special guns. whats the thoughts on these.

and possibly more importantly how is anyone looking at sorting out some of these weapons for preexisting gaunts? iv only oldschool and not really interested in upgrading so im looking at my injured gaunts pool and stache of left over weapons and bits and considering my cuts...

[Zoatibix]

The Torrent, Devastating Wounds Strnglewebs sound useful. I don’t know the stats of the Spike Rifle or Shard…thing..

 

As to modelling them…I am tempted just to give the relevant models a coloured base ring. Red for the Strangleweb, green for the Spikerifles, etc.

[TheNicronomicon]

I’d love to see how a couple squads of spinefist Termagaunts do with a Tervigon and psychophage behind them

[Xenith]

On 9/4/2023 at 11:31 AM, Brother nathan said:

bumping as we now have seen some of the stats for the new termagaunts special guns. whats the thoughts on these.

and possibly more importantly how is anyone looking at sorting out some of these weapons for preexisting gaunts? iv only oldschool and not really interested in upgrading so im looking at my injured gaunts pool and stache of left over weapons and bits and considering my cuts...

 

I'm keen to use a couple, haven't seen the stats yet though, apparently it's only one of each per 10 models? I was hoping for whole units to be equipped...like the mass produced hordes they are. I guess it goes back to the mutant bugs concept from 3rd ed. 

 

There's plenty of guides online as to how to convert these special weapons, or at least there used to be - damned if I can find one now, but they're suitably weird weapons, and no one knows what nid weapons are anyway, so I'm going to convert some. Snip off the end of a devourer or something and that'll make a decent strangleweb. Warrior deathspitters could be good stand in spike rifles - I think I have one already from 3rd ed! 

[Brother Nathan]

U used to melt fleshborer down and stick a cocktail stick in for spike rifle. Cant see many buying the kit for the weapon options and the others are so much cheaper that ill get chopping when i get current projects done