The Hive Mind vs Grandfather Nurgle

[FireHazard]

Hey all!

The other day, my friend and I were having a discussion regarding the backgrounds of our various armies when an interesting question popped up. As neither of us could come to a definitive conclusion, I thought I might put that question to the imaginative minds of your good selves.

The question is this: If the Tyranids got into a tussle with a force under the sway of Nurgle, what would the 'Nids do with the dead 'Nurglites'?

Would they turn their pointy noses up and move on? Would they eat it and get THE WORST case of food poisoning? Indeed, if they did consume the bodies, how would it affect their biological systems, if at all?

Apologies if this has already been discussed before but there are many, MANY pages and I wasn't able to look through everything

I leave the floor open to you, dear readers - have at it!

[The AKH]

I'd wager the Hive Mind exerts enough of a psychic dampening effect that it'd be able to overcome the worst of Nurgle's influences and probably just end up with some more effective Spore Mines, toxins, and maybe Venomthropes and Pyrovores?

[eldargal]

We don't know enough about how Nurgles diseases work to say with any certainty. If they require some kind of active influence from the warp then the Shadow in the Warp may shield the 'nids from the effects. It is also likely that their immune systems are highly developed and would be able to isolate/destroy the plague eventually.

If the plagues are purely physical and just 'designed' by Nurgle in the warp then they may pose more of a threat, at least temporarily (see above re: immune system).

Of course we don't actually know how the Hive Fleet absorbs biomass, it could be tha it is disassembled at such a level that the very virus/bacteria/whatever itself is dissassembled during the process and thus the tyranid organisms themselves are never infected.

Short version: we have no idea how it would work.

[FireHazard]

This was pretty much our thinking too, until we remembered Storm of Iron. In the book, there is a description of one of the Iron Warriors cargo vessels which was a 'Nid bio-ship that had been infected with the Obliterator Virus.

Could Nurgle's Rot not similarly take hold? It is described as being "completely incurable" as well as being part spiritual and part physical.

Your points about the Shadow in the Warp are very valid I think, but it does make me wonder, could Daemons (of any kind) actually manifest themselves on the physical plain if a 'Nid fleet is present?

[Kawauso]

Your points about the Shadow in the Warp are very valid I think, but it does make me wonder, could Daemons (of any kind) actually manifest themselves on the physical plain if a 'Nid fleet is present?

Well they have done so in the past, at least. There's fluff to that effect in the Tyranid codex and, I believe, the Grey Knight codex (who decide upon reviewing a Tyranid-infested brand-new Daemon World to promptly 'nuke it from orbit').

[FireHazard]

*Digs out GK Codex... blows dust away... thumbs pages*

Indeed you are right, sir! 'The Pandemonium of Sondheim V'.

So, Daemons can manifest themselves despite the Hive Mind's warp disruption. So, in theory, something akin to Nurgle's Rot (or, indeed, the Rot itself) could, very maybe affect 'Nids.

I suspect, however, that Eldargal is correct and we will never know.

Still, Nurgley 'Nids... gives me an idea for a new project...

[mjasghar]

for a long time chaos and tyranids were kept apart in the fluff, as were chaos and orks (exception of khorne stormboyz). recently we have seen plague orks though.
my guess is it's the usual from which side is the writer favouring.
so pronurgle the hivefleet gets infected by the biomass and becomes a living plaguefleet.
protyranid use of bioacids and superfast reaction to disease, combined with shadow in the warp, means hivefleet wins.
the exception to the above is that eldar almost always lose even in their own fluff, and the eldar avatar gets mashed by everything, even gretchin.

[DarkDesigner]

I remember talking to a staff member in GW Guildford one time and he mentioned a short story, or even just a small section in a black library novel somewhere about a Tyranid fleet that had gone into the warp and come out all gribbly, like gribblier. But he didn't know which book and no one else I've asked can think where it's from. If you know where it's from and can tell us without too many spoilers, it would definitely be relevant to this conversation!

I've always loved the idea of Chaosified alien races. Like back when the Grey Knight's opponent could take a unit of lesser daemons or a greater daemon, that was great. The only thing is, it's always really easy to show a Khornate or Nurglitch army, and to a certain extent to do Tzeentch, but being primarily a slaanesh player it's much more difficult. Especcially with armies like Orks or Tyranids.

Leather-bound Tau on the other hand...

[FireHazard]

After a fair rummage around the interwebs, I found several references to the above being in a Space Wolf novel but no one knows which one. I've got all of them so I'll do some scouring but if anyone knows more or beats me to it, tell us what you know!

The 'webs have also taught me that I'm far from the first person to question this, and not just specifically about Grandpapa Nurgle. This whole Chaos 'Nid thing is giving me many interesting, and slightly disturbing (I'm looking at you, Slaanesh... well, not AT you 'cause that would be baaad...) ideas.

"Leather-bound Tau". That is so, so, SO wrong.

"So, which caste are you?"

"Pleasure caste. Wanna see my Hammerhead...?"

[Wildeybeast]

I'm pretty sure Tau are largely immune to the effects of Chaos as they are psycially inert, their entire species barely registering in the warp at all (hence why they can't use warp travel).
There was an acccount in the old codex (before they took all the fluff out, thank you for that GW) of Kroot eating Chaos infected beings and it having a rather unpleasant effect on them, to the extent the Tau and Kroot destroyed them. So it can be passed on at genetic level, though Tyranid biomass consumption is obviously more sophicticated than that of the Kroot so it effects may be lessened.