Amongst the myriad of potential alien lifeforms, the most repugnant of them are insectoids. Equipped with chitinous armour and often living weapons, these creatures strike fear into the hearts of everything they face.
The Tyranid Hive Lord- A specialised Synapse entity developed by Hive Fleet Leviathan; which attacked the Aurelius Subsector.
VS.
The Xenomorph Palatine- The Xenomorph Queen Mother's elite guard; which defend the central hive to the death.
WHO...IS...DEADLIEST?
To find out the history of war and modern science collide, as we test the weapons and tactics used by these instruments of war. We dissect their strengths and weaknesses and file them in for an all new battle to the death. It’s no rules, no safety, no mercy. It’s a duel to the death as we find out who is the Deadliest Warrior.
| “ | They're her chosen few. They're trying to protect her.
|
” |
Sharing a role to the Praetorian, the Palatine is seen in the presence of the Queen Mother. They are extremely aggressive in nature. However, they only truly take any action in times when the Queen Mother's safety is critically endangered. The Palatines are also strong enough to destroy a P-5000 Powered Work Loader and seem to possess a greater resilience to physical damage.
Around the size of a Queen, Palatines typically have additional features around their body, such as spines on either side of their heads. Some even possess tusks. They reside in five large, egg-shaped pods that surround the Queen Mother's chamber, implying that only a select few Palatines can be present at a time.Like all Xenomorphs, Palatines has claws capable of shredding flesh and leaving scratch marks in stone as well as a Yautja's Biomask; an impressive feat considering that the Biomask can still be used and access data even after a headbite. Palatines can easily shear through the reinforced steel of a P-5000 Power Loader with their claws.
Like all Xenomorphs, Palatines have a powerful pharyngeal, or inner, jaw that they can launch from their mouth, usually at one's head to create the infamous "headbite". It has enough power to punch through a Yautja's Biomask
Like all Xenomorphs, Palatines possess a segmented, bladed tail. The tail can be used as both a blunt weapon or as an impaling weapon. It's strong enough to lift a Yautja off their feet and hold them in place for a headbite.
Like all Xenomorphs, Palatines possess Molecular Acid for blood, which is powerful enough to melt through most materials with ease. Xenomorphs can also use it as an offensive or defensive weapon; i.e. spitting large or small quantities of it or spraying it from open wounds like a severed tail.
Palatines possess a highly aggressive temperament. If their charge is under attack, the Palatines will fly into a bloody rage and kill whatever threatens the Queen Mother.
| “ | Prey...Feed...Consume
— A Hive Lord of Hive Fleet Leviathan, during the Typhon Campaign
|
” |
A variant of the similar Hive Tyrant, the Hive Lord is a monstrous synapse organism of the Tyranid Hive Mind. Covered in barbs, spikes, claws, teeth, and incredible strength, the primary strength of these creatures though comes through their psyker powers drawn from the power of the all-seeing Hive Mind. The Hive Lord's synaptic power instructs and empowers weaker organisms, allowing them to act as a group and with surprising intelligence.
To date, only one Hive Lord has truly been encountered by the Imperium. A tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan deployed one such creature to command their number during the Typhon campaign against the forces of the Blood Ravens chapter under Gabriel Angelos, Craftworld Alaitoc, an Ork WAAAAGH! led by Kaptin Bluddflagg, Imperial Guard led by Lord General Castor and the abominable forces of Chaos of Chaos Lord Eliphas the Inheritor. Under the Hive Lord, the Hive Fleet gnawed its way through Subsector Aurelius and led to the Exterminatus of Typhon Primaris by the Inquisition forcing it to spawn the dreaded Swarmlord.Although they're not power weapons, the Hive Lord is equipped with a set of scything talons are as good as or better than those mono-molecular little knives the Astartes use. They are made of Tyranid chitin, which is durable enough by itself to resist small-arms fire.
A heavy weapon stronger than the Deathspitter but with less range, the Venom Cannon fires corrosive crystals that are projected from the biomorph with high velocity. Should the target survive the crystals' impact, they will still shred him/her/it apart and get killed by the corrosive poison from the crystal. It's also good against vehicles, but that's because the crystals tear apart tank armor and kill the crew inside, not make the entire thing go boom. The Hive Lord can take either one Barbed Strangler or Venom Cannon at a time.
Similar to the Venom Cannon, the Barbed Strangler fire seed pods that grow to maturity in seconds, spreading out hooked tendrils in all directions. These tendrils ensnare targets and lacerate flesh. The Hive Lord can take either one Barbed Strangler or Venom Cannon at a time.
The Hive Lord can produce a sphere of bio-plasma from biomorphs in its stomach. Fired at a close range, the Hive Lord can use it to burn through metal and ferrocrete. When used, the Hive Lord emits a distinctive screaming sound as the plasma courses its way through the creature's eosophagus.
The Hive Lord unleashes a horrifying scream of psychic energy which outright disables the weak-willed. Even those with strong minds find themselves distracted, afraid, and even driven to insanity by this ability.
X-Factors[]
| X-factor | Hive Lord | Palatine | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggression | 90 | 88 | While both are possessed with extreme aggression, the Palatine only really shows its full aggressive nature should the hive come under attack. |
| Intelligence | 80 | 70 | While Palatines do show some form of intelligence outside of primitive instincts, they are nowhere near as intelligent as Tyranid Synapse organisms; which are demonstrated to organise and execute synchonised attacks flawlessly. |
| Brutality | 100 | 100 | Both are capable of effortlessly tearing apart anything in their path. |
| Total | 270 | 258 |
Notes[]
Battle will be 1 vs 1 and set on a Xenomorph-infested world.
Voting ends on the 4th of February.
Votes must be at least one paragraph in length and must have proper punctuation and grammar.
Please no bias or arguments.