Welcome to Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum! Log in and join the community.

Genestealer Hybrid

From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
Jump to: navigation, search
Genestealer Hybrids[Needs Citation]

A Genestealer Hybrid is any being infested by a Genestealer or the progeny of such an individual.[Needs Citation]

Overview

Purestrain Genestealers can only reproduce by infecting a victim with their genetic material. The gene-host survives as a healthy being, but, upon becoming a parent, its firstborn child is indelibly marked by the gene-infection. Once the child matures it can pass the infection on to others, whose firstborns will, in turn, also be born as hybrids. It is only the firstborn child of infected parents that is a Human-Genestealer Hybrid; later offspring will always be normal members of the parent species.[Needs Citation]
The cycle of Genestealer Hybrid creation[Needs Citation]

The first generation Hybrids closely resemble Purestrain Genestealers. But, with each new generation of Hybrids, Genestealer traits give way to host species traits, until fourth generation Hybrids are all but indistinguishable from those untainted. However, a Hybrid will always display the Genestealer's primal instincts; these always remain in their genetic structure, and - no matter how normal in appearance - a hybrid belongs to the Genestealer brood.[Needs Citation]

Purestrain Genestealers are totally incapable of passing as anything innocuous. Their multiple arms, bulbous heads, glaring eyes, and animal crouch give them away; no amount of clothing and make-up can disguise such characteristics. However, later generations, particularly the third and fourth, become more typical in appearance. Indeed, many genestealers of advanced generations can appear as standard host species at first glance, especially if wearing concealing clothing. However, as their sharp teeth and hypnotic eyes are somewhat of a giveaway, they tend to avoid speaking to strangers or looking at people straight in the face.[Needs Citation]

It follows that, in many ways, the later generation hybrids are the most dangerous - they can move freely among others, passing on their terrible disease unnoticed.[Needs Citation]

Generations

The different phases of Genestealer from Purestrain to 4th generation[Needs Citation]

Each hybrid generation possesses a somewhat specific anatomy. By infecting a victim with its genetic material, a Genestealer passes on some of its physical characteristics to the victim's first offspring. In the first generation, this gives rise to a Hybrid with a number of Genestealer traits. Through successive generations of Hybrids these traits become less extreme, until in the fourth generation the Hybrids can pass as normal Humans.[Needs Citation]

  1. First generation: Also known as Genestealer Acolytes.[7b] The first generation Hybrids are born to human (or otherwise) parents, one of which has been infected. Of all the generations they resemble Genestealers most closely. They have either three or four arms. Aberrants may also be created during this time.[7b]
  2. Second generation: Also known as Genestealer Acolytes.[7b] Second generation hybrids always possess three arms, one of which ends in the genestealer claw. Aberrants may also be created during this time.[7b]
  3. Third Generation: Also known as Neophytes[7b], these hybrids possess bodies somewhere between the crouched bodies of genestealers and the humanoid shapes of humans. They appear perpetually crouched, possess two or three arms one of which might end in a genestealer claw. Some lack the ovipositor of preceding generations; these are called drones or neuters, although they can still infect other races through their blood. Some specialist organisms have been observed in this generation, such as the Kelermorph[8], while Primi have also been known to spawn here.[7a]
  4. Fourth Generation: Also known as Neophytes.[7b] This generation is virtually indistinguishable from members of the host species. They retain the hypnotic gaze of genestealers, making them rather charismatic. A "mutant" which can appear among this generation is the Magus and Primus, which takes the highest position in a Genestealer Cult, besides the Genestealer Patriarch. Other types of 4th Generation Hybrids have been observed, such as the Clamavus.[8] These individuals often have Familiars accompanying them. The first offspring of fourth generation hybrids are invariably purestrain genestealers, allowing the cycle to continue. Between the fourth and fifth generations, creatures spawned purely for war, Hybrid Metamorphs, will be produced.[7b]
  5. Fifth Generation: The fourth generation Hybrids breed with the local population, creating new Purestrain Genestealers and beginning the cycle anew.[7b]

Psychic Hybrids

Purestrain Genestealers and first and second generation Hybrids have no psychic powers except for their innate abilities, Hypnotic Gaze and Brood Telepathy. Third and fourth generation Hybrids, however, will often have additional psychic powers. Inherited psychic traits passed on from infected psykers in the Hybrid's ancestry may become apparent in the near-human third and fourth generation Hybrids.[Needs Citation]

Purestrains and Hybrids can recognize human psykers when they find them. Genestealers are attracted to psykers, and share none of the normal human's prejudices against them, simply regarding them as exceptionally advanced specimens of the race. Consequently, the psykers in a community are among the first to be infected by the Stealer gene. This means that Human psychic traits will pass into the gene pool of the Hybrid brood, to be inherited by later generations. Thus, by the third and fourth generations, the Hybrids can develop full psychic powers in addition to possessing the two innate abilities of Genestealers.[Needs Citation]

Psychic Hybrids tap raw psychic energy emanating from the primitive Genestealer Power that exists in the warp — the shadow image of the Genestealer species' will to survive[Needs Citation]. Psychic Hybrids who worship a Chaos Power may of course draw psychic energy from their patron, thus tainting their simple Genestealer souls.[Needs Citation]
Ork/Genestealer Brood[3b]

Non-Human Hybrids

Although most documented cases of Genestealer Hybrids have been of human hosts, Genestealers can infect a range of different species. The taint created by Genestealers is known to be able to be sown amongst almost every race with the likes of the Tau, Eldar, Kroot, Vespid, Hrud and Orks being species that can spawn hybrids with the contagii being an adaptable breed.[6][9][9]

Eldar/Genestealer Hybrids

Eldar biology is notably less crude than that of humans, with the genestealer taint taking many generations before producing a hybrid. By the time this occurs, vigilant Eldar typically manage to discover and quickly destroy the hybrid community.[6]

Ork/Genestealer Hybrids

Orks are not an ideal species for Genestealer infiltration, although sometimes Genestealers will infect Orks if no better host species is available. Generally Genestealer-Ork groups are only sucessful when a community of Feral Orks is infected, as more "civilised" Orks are usually able to instinctively detect the presense of alien contamination and will doubtless wipe out the infected Orks.[3a]

Miniatures

Numerous miniatures appeared for hybrids of the later generations and most depended on the arm and weapons sprues of the Imperial Guard.[Needs Citation] For a short time, available miniatures for mounted hybrids needed individual parts of mounted imperial soldiers.[Needs Citation] Besides these metal miniatures, plastic models with their own arm sprues also appeared in the Space Hulk extension Genestealer.[Needs Citation] These were also included in the game Tyranid Attack and in the box Terminators and Tyranids.[Needs Citation] Also, individual parts were brought out for the Inquisitor game to convert hybrids and a magus.[Needs Citation] In 2016, Games Workshop released a new series of hybrid miniatures as part of the game Deathwatch: Overkill.[Needs Citation]

See Also

Sources


Genestealer Cult Forces
Leadership PatriarchMagusPrimusAbominantJackal Alphus
Specialists BiophagusClamavusKelermorphLocusNexosReductus SaboteurSanctus
Troops Acolyte HybridNeophyte HybridMetamorph HybridBrood BrotherPurestrain GenestealerAberrantFamiliarMindwyrm FamiliarAtalan Jackal
Vehicles DirtcycleWolfquadGoliath TruckGoliath RockgrinderAchilles RidgerunnerChimeraSentinelLeman Russ (EradicatorExterminatorVanquisher)
Other Tectonic Fragdrill