ong-range sensors have detected heavy Tyranid activity nearby, and the loss of several of your sentries confirms these readings! Imperial Xeno-specialists believe that these Tyranids are the product of a spawning Hive Node that is creating and controlling the creatures. Your Kill-team has been tasked with investigating the area and eliminating the threat. Lucky for you, the Comm-Servitors at Headquarters are monitoring the life readings of the well-hidden creatures defending the Hive Node. The Servitors will pass along any targeting data they can. The rest of the mission is up to you – all you have to do is sneak in, terminate any patrolling 'Nids, and destroy the Node. Piece of cake, right?

CHOOSE FORCES

Tyranid Genestealer Click to enlarge

Kill-team. Choose your team per the normal rules on pp. 218-219 of the revised Warhammer 40,000 rulebook.

Kill-team members must start the game in unit coherency but don't need to maintain coherency after that. Any models within 2" of each other are always considered to be a unit, and any models more than 2" away automatically form a new unit. Treat any models out of coherency as Independent Characters, but they don't gain any benefit for moving through difficult terrain.

Since the Kill-team can be split into multiple units, it generates a Klaxon each time one of these separate units shoots. If the Kill-team has silencers, it applies to all shooting done in that turn by all units the first time any of them shoot.

Brute Squads. All of the Brutes are Tyranids, but no one knows which ones! Instead of placing models, the Brute player uses "blips." Each Blip counter is a round, 40-mm base that represents one Brute squad. Blips indicate sensor readings the Kill-team's HQ Servitors have found and are transmitting to the team. Convert blips into models when they are detected by the Kill-team.

CHOOSE OBJECTIVES

The mission profile is "Assassinate" from p. 220 of the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook. The target is a Tyranid Hive Node with this stat line.

TYRANID HIVE NODE

	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Hive Node	4	-	3	6	4	3	2	10	4+

The Hive Node counts as a Synapse Creature, but can only detonate Spore Mines within its Synapse Range of 12". Don't forget the Target Priority rules for shooting at it! You can use the Hive Node model in the Battle for Macragge boxed set for your Hive Node. However, if you don't have access to this item, use something that will fully cover a 60-mm round base and is no taller than 2".

MISSION SPECIAL RULES

There are a few special rules for this mission shown below. Otherwise, use all the normal Kill-team rules for this mission.

Starting the Game. The Brute player starts with D3+2 blips, each one placed D6+6" in a random direction from the Hive Node (use Scatter dice). If you roll a "hit," the Brute player chooses the scatter direction.

Then, the Kill-team player enters the table as normal (remember, the team must have coherency at the start of the game) to start turn 1.

Tyranid Genestealer Click to enlarge

Blip Creation and Movement. At the start of each Brute turn, a new blip appears 2D6" away in a random direction from the Hive Node on a D6 roll of 4+ to represent new Tyranids appearing on the scanners. Add +1 to that roll for every Klaxon counter accumulated, though a roll of 1 always fails. A roll of a "hit" on the Scatter dice allows the Brute player to pick the direction, just as above.

All new blips must appear more than 6" away from any Kill-team member (place the blip more than 6" away in any direction chosen by the Brute player). Blips are controlled and moved just like regular Brute squads, and blips count as having moved already in the turn they appear. Blips cannot be shot at or assaulted because the scanner data is just that: data. No self-respecting soldier of the Imperium would waste ammo on a sensor ghost – he has to see something first! As such, blips also do not count as a possible target for Target Priority checks. Any blips that move off the edge of the table are considered lost.

Blip "Awareness." Blips become aware of the Kill-team just like a normal Brute squad. Treat their Initiative as 4. Klaxons in this mission represent the Hive Mind becoming more aware of the threat and devoting more mental resources to its bio-constructs nearby. Once a blip becomes Aware, it can be converted by the Brute player immediately, if desired. Note that it is possible for a blip to become Aware of a Kill-team member and still stay unconverted! Blips that become Aware can be indicated by simply flipping over the 40-mm base with uniquely marked counters.

Blip Conversion. Each blip represents one or more Tyranids moving through the terrain. Convert them into models when either a Kill-team member has line-of-sight (LOS) to it or is within their Initiative range (based on the table below). Kill-team members with Acute Senses or an auspex/scanner re-roll to see if the blip converts.

CONVERSION REQUIREMENTS

• LOS Revealed on 4+
• Initiative Range Revealed on a 2+
• LOS + Initiative Range = Automatic Reveal!

The Kill-team player rolls for conversions at the end of each Movement phase. Immediately replace any converted blip with the appropriate model(s). Place one model where the Blip counter was on the board and any others within 2" of that location. Each blip can only be checked once per player turn, and the Kill-team player can chose which member makes the detection effort. However, any blip that the Kill-team has LOS on or is within Initiative Range for must be checked. That means that sometimes one Kill-team member may be checking multiple blips.

Blips can also be converted in the Brute player's turn. Roll in the same way described above at the end of that Movement phase for each blip that has moved into a detection area.

D6 ROLL	BLIP RESULT
1	False Alarm – nothing there!
2	One Spore Mine (of any type)
3	One Ripper Swarm
4	Two Hormagaunts or two Termagants
5	Two Genestealers (no bio-upgrades)
6	One Lictor or one Ravener (no ranged weapons)

If the Brute player doesn't have the appropriate model(s) for the converted blip, treat the result as a False Alarm. Once revealed, each model or group of models forms a regular Brute squad (except for Spore Mines, which will always move as per their regular Codex rules). Note that converted blips are not Aware but are considered to be automatically Activated for the rest of the game. They become Aware in the normal manner for a Brute squad.

Battlefield. The denser the better! Lots of jungle foliage or heavy urban ruins are the idea – bring out everything you've got. The table should be 4' x 4' at the most, with the Hive Node in the centre.

Expanded and Experienced Kill Teams. If the Kill-team breaks the creation rules, then the Brutes gain benefits. However, it's a little different in this mission than normal, as they can't get any upgrades. Instead, use the following chart to see what the Brutes get:

BRUTE SQUAD ADVANTAGES

• For every Immutable Law broken, the Brutes gain one blip at the start of the game.
• For every Mutable Law broken, the Brute player can make the Kill-team player re-roll (once) when he rolls a False Alarm when converting blips into models. Each re-roll can only be used once per game, so track them with a separate pile of dice.
• Specialist Kit – for every 10 points (rounding up) spent on kit for the Kill-team, the Brute player gains one extra Frag Spore Mine. The Brute player places these mines anywhere on the table at the start of the game after he's placed all starting blips. No mine can be placed within 6" of any table edge.

Related Articles:
Kill-team: Return To Space Hulk | Tyranid Miniatures Range | Tyranids Reference Sheet

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