Gaunt Brood

Senses: Sees normally in total darkness

One Will, Many Bodies. While under synapse, the brood ignores Suppression and moves, fires, and charges in perfect unison — no hesitation, no gaps. If its synapse creature dies, the brood immediately reverts to instinct: feeding, scattering, or fleeing at GM discretion.

Tide Tactics. The brood flows around cover and corners, threatening flanks by default. It may split its movement around obstacles and reform on the far side.

Wave of Flesh. Area effects, flame, and blasts deal double damage to the brood. While below half Vitality, its attacks and saves are made at -2, though its losses do not show until then — which is worse for morale than degrading.

Wave Assault. The brood surges over its front. Each creature within 10 feet of the brood makes a Strength Save DC 12, taking 2d6 + 2 slashing damage and falling Prone under the press of bodies on a failure, or half damage on a success.

Covering Chitter. The brood fires as one at a 15-foot zone within 60 feet. Creatures in the zone make an Agility Save DC 12, taking 2d6 piercing damage on a failure or half on a success; a creature that fails is also Suppressed until the start of the brood's next turn.

Morale: Does not make Morale checks while under synapse. When the synapse creature dies the whole brood checks at once, and the answer is instinct, not courage.

Tactics: Run the brood as pressure that never stops advancing and never reacts to fear. Its real purpose is making the warrior or tyrant behind the wave expensive to reach; reward the synapse kill with the tide visibly breaking.

Loot / Evidence / Hooks: A broken brood leaves a field of harvestable biomass — and proof of hive-fleet strain for whoever pays for such proof.

A gaunt brood is dozens of lesser organisms run as a single battlefield unit — a wave of guns and talons steered by a will that is not in the room. Under synapse it is one animal with a hundred mouths; without synapse it is weather.

Use this enemy as the standard tyranid wave: horde pressure that makes the party manage space, ammunition, and morale at once.

Threat Profile: Horde-pattern unit, mixed ranged and melee pressure, dramatic behavior shift with synapse, damage falls off with losses, endless-feeling by design.

One Will, Many Bodies. Under synapse the brood moves, fires, and charges in perfect unison; no Morale, no hesitation, no gaps.

Tide Tactics. The brood flows around cover and corners, threatening flanks by default rather than by cleverness.

Cut the Strings. If its synapse creature dies, the brood immediately reverts to instinct: feeding, scattering, or fleeing at GM discretion.

Wave Assault. Mass attack against everything on its front; failed saves leave targets prone under the press of bodies.

Covering Chitter. Massed fleshborer fire that Suppresses a zone while the wave advances.

Reform. Losses close up; the brood does not degrade visibly until below half strength, which is worse for morale than degrading.

Morale: No Morale while under synapse; when the synapse dies the whole brood checks at once, and the answer is instinct, not courage.

Tactics: Run the brood as pressure that never stops advancing and never reacts to fear, and let the party feel what fighting a will without bodies in it costs. Their real target is the warrior or tyrant behind the wave; the brood exists to make reaching it expensive. Reward the synapse kill with the tide visibly breaking.

Full Stat Block Priority: Medium