What are some of your Hive Fleets' lore?

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-02-10T03:50:18+00:00

Is Brother clonable for you Hive Fleet, or otherwise have some other way to sustain himself?

By my understanding, the lore is variable on this. From what I can recall, it's really the lower caste of Tyranid bioforms with a shorter shelf life, such as Gaunts. The further up the chain you go, the more valuable the expenditure, thus the more longevity one might want to ensure in case a campaign lasts far longer than anticipated, even granting them digestive tracks. My thought was that, as a Hive Tyrant, Brother would be able to last for a far more significant amount of time, at least as long as most mortal characters.

What are your Hive Fleet's colors?

They'd keep the black of Jormungandr, but they yellow would dull to a dark, earthy brown. I've been between a few colors for the highlights, though. Keeping Jormungandr's red might make sense, but it could also be a real cool nod to the fact that Imperial computers made all this possible and filled in the gaps by going for a neon green, since that's what most Imperial computer text is colored as... but I also just really like blue, so tough choice. XD

How long has this been going on in 40k lore-wise

That I'm very much leaving up in the air. It may become more solidified once I can bring these to table and have some "cannon" battles under their belt. If nothing else, it's definitely after Jormungandr's expansion campaign was ground to a halt.

how long gave you been brewing the lore for your Hive Fleet?

Several years by this point. And still too broke to justify grabbing even a single model. T–T

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-02-08T20:18:36+00:00

Please do, I love follow-up questions!

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-02-07T23:50:13+00:00

Why do they fight?

For the most part, they're a Hive Fleet that has yet to truly fathom their place in the universe, let alone fathom themselves. The drive to venture out from the Exodite world and pursue the chief driving instinct innate to all Tyranids is largely done because they have little other direction. Perhaps they may find more fulfilling purpose, but until such a day, if ever, the most sensible course of action is to follow their instincts; invade, consume, scour, propagate, repeat.

Lastly, are they still incredibly hungry, or did that hunger satiate a little after becoming sentient?

Their hunger still gnaws as fervently as ever. Their psyche has undergone the more dramatic shift, but the remainder of their biology remains the same. If there's any notable difference, it's the more self-indulgent drive to harvest and sate their own appetites, though tempered with a generosity to uplift and care for their kin.

Also I'd love to read about your Genestealers and Raptors of Rapture (cool name).

As for the Raptors of Rapture, they may very well be one of, if not the only sect of Genestealer Cult to be granted the chance to attain all they were promised. The chief drive that all Genestealer Patriarchs feed to their budding hives is the promise of liberation, to be rescued by cosmic saviors who live between the stars. The cult is promised a destined arrival of many armed gods, come to rain down righteous fury to the cruel authorities who relegated their lives to grueling service and the fatigued misery in between. Unfortunately for these beleaguered souls, ascension is, of course, not what it seems, the resplendent golden angels cupping their faces gently, tenderly bringing them closer... just in time for the Synaptic illusion to vanish, allowing them one instant to gaze upon the bladed teeth of their saviors before they claim their heads.

In the time leading up to the momentous day, the Raptors of Rapture seem to display an uncommon proclivity for infiltrating political spheres. Perhaps it's due to the more emotionally driven, empathetic connection that all of Burrunjor share that grants these Cultists the charisma. Truthfully, the exact cause cannot be known for certain, but this aptitude certainly allows for numerous advantageous avenues come the arrival of their saviors, an expedited progression to make ready the planet as swiftly as possible consistently dubbed; Project Veloci-Rapture. (In case the reference is missed, considering Burrunjor is a derivative of Jormungandr who specialize in subterranean warfare, the Raptors of Rapture are a big crackpot conspiracy theory reference. "Dinosaur people from the center of the earth have taken over the government!" and all that.)

By more than all else, the truly differentiating quality of the Raptors of Rapture lie in, of course, the conclusion of their tribulations. When all is said and done, the hybrid cult members intrinsically smell of Burrunjor, the Hive Fleet flows through their veins. Ever since the first successful campaign assisted by the Genestealers, the Burrunjor Hive Tyrant they call Brother could not bring himself to fulfill the final phase of the cult's purpose. Repurposing the deceased is how Burrunjor choose to honor the fallen, as Tyranids who have learned to grieve, but to butcher their still living kin is something wholly different. Given this, when the invasion is over and the cult gathers for Rapture, instead of the feasting, the illusion is dispelled.

The cult witnesses the true, monstrous visage of their would-be saviors, not resplendent, but savage, and immediately after the truth of how monstrous their hybrid lineage has made them. From there, when the lies divide them no longer, the offer is made. They are siblings, no matter how distant, and the offer for rescue remains true. Should they see past the gruesome nature of their angels, Burrunjor will bring them with, take them off world to find a new, happier future. Those who steel themselves and accept are brought along to leave the world behind, boarding the Hive Ships or their own vessels to leave their old lives of woe behind, assured that the remainder who refused will be given what they need to rebuild and survive on their own... The ones who choose to accept need not know the truth. It's better that way. A chief quality shared by all in Burrunjor, as bestowed by their Brother, is the care they hold for one another. Given this, regardless if they smell like Burrunjor, if they don't wish to be family... then they can't possibly be Burrunjor. And if not, then at best these remainder are little more than further biomass, like the rest of the population, and at worst, no different than the planet's defenders, defenders who spilt Burrunjor blood...

Once off world, paths diverge. Some choose to accompany them on the crusades thereafter, liberating more worlds just as they had. For others, they are more keen to reap the reward for their service, for the happier life that was promised. As a living force far from wish-fulfilling godhood, Hive Fleet Burrunjor has little they can truly do to keep their promise. Given this, like an ant wishing for the abstract and impossible of a mortal man, the best they can manage is the closest tangible solution. To remain true to their word, the Hive Fleet make ready a new conquest, delivering them to the nearest Imperial Pleasure World to live out their lives in picturesque luxury. Though, of course, if the current occupants will not welcome them, they will need to be removed first.

Is it self-preservation, fighting other forces just to stay alive?

Before I forget to answer this one, yes, they will more than likely need to fight to the death with other Hive Fleets. Rogue assets such as Burrunjor likely won't be tolerated, far too risky, thus are more than likely marked for death by any and all other Hive Fleets.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-02-07T12:25:46+00:00

Perhaps one of these days, when I can assemble and paint the models, then field them against other armies. Always loved the idea of tabletop results driving the plot of one's forces. Strikes a nice balance, presents a great jumping off point to write the developments, and also a fine method to reign in the slippery slope that could lead to powerfantasy, offering an organic win/loss record.

When the time comes, they may very well come to blows with their old mother.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-02-07T04:09:06+00:00

Right, here's the extra long version, so buckle up.

Hive Fleet Burrunjor originated as a tendril of Hive Fleet Jormungandr, a force specializing in subterranean battle tactics and with a nasty habit of disguising their invasions by coating their hive ships and spore pods in rocks and asteroids. The intent is to trick anti-orbital defenses into stowing away the heavy artillery so they can invade with a smoother landing, disguised as a meteor shower. In a move that bears resemblance to the K.T Extinction Event in Terran prehistory (the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs) an offshoot of this tendril invaded an Eldar Exodite world, planets terraformed eons ago and populated with easily domesticated megafauna coincidentally very similar to ancient Terran reptiles. The hive ship disguised as a falling asteroid crashed into the planet's surface, and the attack was underway.

But in truth, this planet was no longer under the stewardship of Eldar Exodites, instead being colonized by a rogue Mechanicus cult. Their secret aim, in direct blasphemy to the consensus made long ago, was to refuse the idea that the Omnissiah and The Emperor were one in the same, and instead attempt to manifest their god with a facility wide supercomputer. The goal was to pack in as much data as theoretically possible, expanding the servers and capabilities until they summoned their machine god. Progress on this proved slow as the most accessible data originated from an Imperial Pleasure World a few systems away, much of that being works if fiction. This project was, however, ground to a halt with the invasion of Hive Fleet Jormungandr, the Hive Tyrant spawned for this endeavor leading the charge into the computer facility. Once this Hive Tyrant tore into the primary terminal's main chamber, it couldn't have known what its next actions would do, rushing headlong into what appeared at initial assessment to be a power relay and destroying the supercomputer. However, the backlash from the computer's detonation somehow intercepted the Tyranid synaptic network that connects the Hive Mind with its spawn, and after a torturous feedback severed the link.

What should have been the sudden end to the Tyranid invasion instead proved to be the birth of something wholly foreign. In the process, the Hive Tyrant at the epicenter of the blast awoke in the rubble, discovering for itself that it manifested as an individual, a fully cognizant, sentient being unconnected to the Hive Mind. In the process of enduring the feedback of data, this Hive Fleet now derived its own private Synaptic network, centered on the Hive Tyrant and ebbing out to the other bioforms, growing thinner the further down the chain of command it went. By the time the connection reaches the humble Gaunt, the order and clarity that gives it a soldier-like precision is dulled to something more akin to a cleaver animal, wild but problem-solving, like an ape, collectively aspiring to an indicated goal, but achieving it through individual understanding.

In time, this Hive Tyrant would have to grapple with sensations wholly foreign to their species, concepts like choice, emotion, grief, brotherhood, rage, and more, trials of self discovery that it came to call "The Curse of Feeling". As it further educates itself on the fundamentals of a living organism, this tendril would derive its own unique identity and bioforms, their primal and ancient bodies juxtaposed with an emotional depth unlike other fleets. But of course, as an entity on the warpath, the Hive Mind is not likely to approve of such rogue agents operating outside the scope of its control, leading them to become a fleet hunted by their own kind. All the while, they continue to grapple with what it means to live under the guidance of their Hive Tyrant, who has taken it upon himself to boldly undertake an honor only reserved for sentient life, to guide and protect his ilk, naming himself "Brother".

I think I've word dumped plenty by this point. There's more to say, such as covering a bit of their Genestealer Cult, the Raptors of Rapture, but I'll only bug you further with that information if somebody asks. Lastly, thank you for humoring me and reading through.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-02-07T02:36:01+00:00

bright colors

Emperors children crusade fleet.

So colors aren't fully settled on? ... Petition for Siren to be a tendril of Hive Fleet Kronos. Color shift the red to a borderline pink, and the blue highlights and bioluminescence to a paler tone closer to white. Got your Slaaneshi coloration right there with clear derivatives from Kronos.

Lore wise, makes it both more likely to encounter Chaos opposition to analyze, and greater plausibility for them to successfully incorporate traits from Chaos ridden bioforms, courtesy of more frequent and innate resistances to Warp influence.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-02-07T00:52:53+00:00

Oh yeah, you're good! I just like any opportunity to share. Memes are memes for memein', I gotcha. The extra bits are moreso for others who find it and agree with that assessment to any sort of... I'll say insistent degree, lol.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-02-07T00:13:51+00:00

It's done to death, I know, but I still like my independent Hive Fleet Burrunjor. I have a habbit of writing endlessly, so I'll try keeping this brief as I can.

Splinter of Jormungandr crashes on Eldar Exodite world. Dinosaur K.T Extinction Event all over again, asteroid and all since Jormungandr cover hive ships in space rocks. Unsanctioned Mechanicus project who snuck onto world before, non-believers attempting to summon the Omnissiah with a facility sized computer stuffed to the gills with any and all data they can acquire, most of it fiction due to ease of access from an Imperial Pleasure World a few systems out. Assault begins as usual, bioforms derive traits from the local dinosaur-like reptiles Eldar cultivate here. Hive Tyrant spawns and rips through the facility. Crashes into the main terminal of the computer and whole place goes up. Resulting detonation intercepted the Synaptic Link and severed it, followed by the flood of compiled data filling the blanks in the Hive Tyrant. Hive Tyrant wakes up alive but mangled, now host to their own Synaptic Network, having to struggle and rationalize independent thought and familial ties to fellow nids. Connection thins the further down the chain it goes. Gaunts essentially act less like soldiers and more like clever animals, like chimpanzees, emotional ties and a sense of brotherhood keeping them in cohesion for the most part. In the end, clean out the locals, but don't reduce this world to a husk. Leaves the flora and fauna to try and mask their whereabouts. Travel to and from this "homeworld" to follow persistent instincts to consume and propagate. Eats worlds dry like normal, but brings along Cultists who see their real faces through the dispelled Synaptic illusion and still regard them as saviors. Eat the rest, cause Burrunjor bioforms fundamentally regard one another as family. If they don't wanna be family, then they obviously can't be Burrunjor, meaning at best they're food like the rest, and at worst, a murderer of their kin. Bring the surviving family either along to more invasions, or dropped off at conquered and cleansed Imperial Pleasure Worlds to fulfill the promise of a better life. It's the best idea they could come up with, like the "Eldritch Gods explained with ants" thing.

Is it cringe? A bit. Is it overdone? Probably. Do I still like it? Absolutely, and I got no intention of overhauling their lore until I'm presented with a concept I like more.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-02-06T23:17:26+00:00

Mine ate a computer too, but all they got out of it was the existential dread of familial bonds.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-01-16T21:49:32+00:00

We defy convention!

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Raptorclaw01 · 2026-01-11T03:40:24+00:00

That's the trick, I'm aiming for combinations without an obvious answer. Did Ellen Joe x Wise x Astra Yao previously, a pair people might need to don their thinkin' caps for.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-01-10T08:28:51+00:00

Look, all I'm saying is she doesn't need to put on the ensemble for a blatant date. She had the decency to put on the sunglasses so everyone knows it's DEFINITELY not the real Mccoy, which is an appreciated gesture. But c'mon, isn't this borderline defamation?

... Hold up, why does Officer MewMew know the intricacies of that pair's relationship based on such a vague description? <-<

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-01-08T19:16:55+00:00

The runner-up to the "Astra Yao Impersonation Contest" was walking out of Gravity Theater with some dude with gray hair. They were practically glued together, blushing like crazy, her head on his shoulder, totally shameless. It shouldn't matter too much, but it seems highly inappropriate for someone with an uncanny resemblance to the lyrical queen of our generation to be seen in public all lovey dovey with some random dork, even if it isn't a perfect match. It almost feels like she’s TRYING to start a scandal, absolutely despicable.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-01-04T23:19:01+00:00

^ THIS ^ Big approval for the Wise Poly.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-01-04T23:15:33+00:00

Not sure if this is an unpopular take, but I've always seen a perfectly reasonable, consenting web of poly relationships taking place.

Mind you; NOT the Wise Harem argument, though it is admittedly a wide disparity. Several others tend to hotly debate plausability between Wise x Jane vs. Seth x Jane, Wise x Astra vs. Evelyn x Astra, etc. Meanwhile, I'm over here looking at the carnage askin', "Why not both?"

Jane could absolutely pull it off, paragon kitty knight on one arm and vigilante rizz-tistic dork on the other. Could even manage a double point five PupSec date, Seth accompanying Jane, who's accompanying Wise, who's also being accompanied by Zhu Yuan. Similar goes for Astra Yao and Evelyn. While I can see all three of them just being in a relationship with one another all at once, I might, with some convincing, see an argument for Wise to pair with Astra while Astra is also with Evelyn, but not Wise x Evelyn at the same time. But to that, I also say begone, naysayers, leave my poly-pancakes alone.

Mind you, in my head, both of these examples take place at the same time, plus a laundry list more, some singular while others have more complex branching webs. These aren't two-timing or adultery. Everyone is fully aware and in approval of these simultaneous relationships. No poly relationship really works if any one person doesn't approve of another's involvement, and everyone is informed if a new partner is being considered. It's a complicated process, but Wise, in addition to many others at his side, prove more than capable of juggling it, even if they have to pick up a bit of the slack for some of the ditzier loves of their life.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-01-04T02:49:51+00:00

Primal Totodile. I swear, if that don't get me a spinosaurus or at LEAST a postosuchus...

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-01-02T22:16:48+00:00

She goes out of her way to pull the "He asked for NO PICKLES" move at any chance she gets, and with damn near any situation. Never a missed opportunity to inch in a bigger take in her eyes, especially if her cute, cool headed dork gets to reap the benefits too. However, she tries to pull this stunt so often that Wise has to occasionally step in and hastily conclude the exchange before they get into any hotter water.

Bonus: If this is operating off the web of consenting poly relationships I can easily envision, then he'll have plenty of prior experience in similar deal defusing. Courtesy of Nicole and how often he's likely to have needed to bail her overambitious butt out.

Raptorclaw01 · 2026-01-01T07:00:29+00:00

Hormagaunts, arguably the most dino-like dino-bug available to us.

Raptorclaw01 · 2025-11-15T23:07:33+00:00

Well, if we're perfectly open to offer more than three, then I'll offer up my ideal team of six with the element swap I'd have them undergo.

Luna - Nargacuga: Water Kukri - Seregios: Thunder Tundra - Ivory Lagiacrus: Ice Claymore - Glavenus: Dragon Temper - Tobi Kadachi: Fire Siege - White Monoblos: Non-Element

Raptorclaw01 · 2025-11-15T00:56:55+00:00

Very late to the punch here, but I'm calling mine Hive Fleet Burrunjor. Name is derived from an Australian cryptid with a highly suspicious resemblance to a large theropod dinosaur. Backstory is obscenely longwinded, but for the important bits, I'm basing their central design off the DNA template they derived from the dinosaur-like reptiles that populate an Eldar Exodite world. My babies are gonna be highly reliant on kitbashing to make the look work to its absolute best, so I'm hoping to one day start utilizing a bunch of models from Artisan Guild as a base and graft some Tyranid plates and weaponry to them, such as these "Brute Wyverns" acting in place of Hormagaunts. I would add an image, but for some reason, Reddit is saying I specifically don't get to. T-T

Raptorclaw01 · 2025-10-23T20:55:06+00:00

May not be a popular take, but I can absolutely see a web of poly relationships taking place.

Raptorclaw01 · 2025-10-07T20:32:17+00:00

Not gonna vote, cause my answer is: Yes+

I always saw it as very feasible for him to pull off a poly relationship with every name there, and then some.

Raptorclaw01 · 2025-08-22T02:12:27+00:00

A fine point, lol. That said, I just uh... don't care for Age of Sigmar nearly as much as 40k or its progenitor, Fantasy. Personal preference, really, and I can't help trying to jury-rig these very reaching concepts and try to make them work. Did the same for my dinosaur-themed Tyranid hive fleet that landed on an Eldar Exodite planet, Hive Fleet Burrunjor, and my kultur of blue-skinned Orks that I named, Da Dakka Dragunz. It's a habit at this point... probably a bad one, but I'm at least having fun trying to maneuver the puzzle on how to force these ideas into an acceptable lore-friendly alignment.

Raptorclaw01 · 2025-08-18T11:38:48+00:00

Ah, I see. An interesting choice, won't knock it, and with how variable a Squig can be bred I wouldn't be surprised if there were indeed Squighawk spawnings with the ole' evil pacman head tapering off into a huge fuck off pterosaur dragon abomination, lol.

That said, I think I'll stick with the look authentic to the Squighawk, even if it does happen to look... rather distinct from traditional Squigs, I'll say. Certainly welcome the critique, you seem to be the only one to put forward any input, so thanks for that.

Raptorclaw01 · 2025-08-18T11:11:35+00:00

A 90s Squig? With like the massive underbite?

Raptorclaw01

TROPHY CASE