Re: [Epic] Tyranids vs Tyranids

From: Aaron P Teske <Mithramuse+_at_...>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 01:19:51 -0400 (EDT)

Excerpts from Epic: 28-Aug-97 Re: [Epic] Tyranids vs Tyra.. by Aaron P
Teske_at_...
> > Oki Purwanto wrote:
> > > In the good olde days, Aaron/Sauron (or some other oldies, help me out
> > > with this) there was a bunch of Tyranid advance force, consisting of
> > > Zoats that managed to break free from the Hive Mind.
>
> Um... um... dunno. It's certainly possible; I'll have to look when I
> get back to my room.

Yup, Oki, you're right. Rogue Trader, page 202: (first two paragraphs
to set the scene; this is basically all they have to say on Zoats,
barring stats.)

"Zoats are the most common of all the Tyranid's many specially
engineered slave races. Other slave races are little more than animals,
mere blobs of protoplasm dedicated to cleaning and maintaining the Hive
Fleets of which they are a part. Even the hulking spacecraft that
compose the Hive Fleets are in a sense races as they are grown and
nurtured from a common, albeit much modified, biological stock.
Spacecraft are mindless monstrosities and the vast majority of other
slave races are so dedicated to a single purpose it would be
inappropriate to think of them as creatures. Zoats, on the other hand,
are completely independent living creatures much like their masters.

"The Xenobiologers of the Administratum believe that Zoats were created
purely for combat. Tyranids, being creatures of space, suffer
discomfort if they spend too long on a planet. Zoats, however, are
stocky animals that feel quite at home in a wide variety of atmospheric
and gravitational conditions. Like Tyranids, Zoats are centauroid.
Their two rear sets of limbs are heavily built and muscular providing
the creature with its means of locomotion. The front limbs are
manipulative organs of great strength and are used to weild a variety of
weapons. Unlike Tyranids, Zoats will eat anything although they largely
subsist on a daily diet of three reconstituted protein based woven
biscuits called Zoatibix. Zoats are common Hive Fleet inhabitants,
often equalling the number of Tyranids themselves.

"Although they are a slave race, Zoats occupy important positions
throughout the Hive Fleets and individual Zoats can gain great power.
Rebellion from Tyranid control is not unknown, but is extremely rare.
This is because Tyranids secrete a special slave-hormone which
surpresses the Zoats' natural sense of independance. However, renegade
Zoats do exist throughout the universe, where they have broken away from
the Hive Fleets or have become lost during scouting or exploration
missions. Without the inhibiting influence of the Tyranid
slave-hormone, Zoats are able to develop strong psychic powers. The
path of independant Zoat civilization is incredibly diverse, with small
groups isolated from each other on widely scattered planets."

---cut here---

And that's that. On the flip side, this means that the Tyranids,
through Zoats, might provide *some* sustinance for the Chaos Powers
(Tzeentch in particular), but I really doubt it would be enough.
Besides, the Tyranids seem to have adapted for ground combat quite
nicely, probably by absorbing all the Zoats. ^_-

Later,

                    Aaron Teske
                    Mithramuse+_at_...
Received on Fri Aug 29 1997 - 05:19:51 UTC