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The Imperial World of Inisdias Minoris, deep within the Drusus March of the Calixis Sector, is not an important world to the Imperium. A few small hive cities dot the landscape, several shrines and Cathedrals of some note, but much of its is farmland dedicated to feeding the sub-sector.
But that doesn't mean it's not a target.
It started with rebellion, a small town refusing to give its part of the Imperial Tithe. This was broken by the soldiers of the PDF and the Adeptus Arbites small precinct, but by then the whole region was restless. Several of its neighbours began to rebel, and more forces were call in to quash those too.
This was an obvious thread, and met with obvious force. But the problem with the obvious is you often fail to see what is less so. Nearly half way across the planet, something else had landed...
It has been two years since those first, easily defeated rebellions. Two years since every battle won turned out to be a pointless distraction, a phyric victory that let the Enemy grow elsewhere. Now the Hive City of Secundas Insidias is in danger of being attacked, layers of PDF trenches and the cities own defences standing between the citizens and the enemy.
The planet may not be important, but is part of the Imperium. The Imperial Guard has been dispatched to crush the attack on the planet, and rumour has it that Emperor's Space Marines have sent a strike force too.
All the citizens must do is hold out...
You are one of them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Hola, and welcome to my run at Dark Heresy. I'm Jon.
The idea of this story will be to follow a story all the through to Ascension level, with a few twists and turns along the way.
The Crunch
You will be starting with 400xp in addition to the 400 you can spend as part of character creation, meaning you're 100xp off second rank.
You may play as any of the classes from the Core Rule Book, plus the version of the Sister of Battle from the Inquisitor's Handbook. You may take alternative ranks with my permission - check with me first, however, as some have unusual or powerful talents.
In addition to your starting gear and funds, you have three months worth of coin as well.
You may also take background packages, although only up to 400xp worth.
Your character may or not be part of the Inquisition at this point, as you prefer. Characters who aren't will be inducted after a introductory adventure.
Are we playing the stats where they lie? I've got plenty of experience with all the 40k rpgs.
I have a bunch of ideas though something along the lines of a tech priest, combat character (likely a moritat assasin or guardsman) or psyker are chief among them. Way back I did have an idea for a gentleman duelist using the assassin class.
I haven't used this ruleset before, but I've played plenty of 40K, and had a good read through of 1e and got the gist of it. Still, I think I'll stick to a guardsman for simplicity's sake... Pretty excited!
I haven't used this ruleset before, but I've played plenty of 40K, and had a good read through of 1e and got the gist of it. Still, I think I'll stick to a guardsman for simplicity's sake... Pretty excited!
Autogun is the best of the options from the starting weapons. Full auto gives a +20 to hit so consider it. We'll need the help. Picking up a longlas is an easy way to get some great hitting power at ranged early on... and mono up a weapon! Combat knife on page 180 of the Inquisitors Handbook would do nicely even for a ranged guardsman for a melee back up.
Dotting. Considering either a scum or sororitas
I haven't used this ruleset before, but I've played plenty of 40K, and had a good read through of 1e and got the gist of it. Still, I think I'll stick to a guardsman for simplicity's sake... Pretty excited!Autogun is the best of the options from the starting weapons. Full auto gives a +20 to hit so consider it. We'll need the help. Picking up a longlas is an easy way to get some great hitting power at ranged early on... and mono up a weapon! Combat knife on page 180 of the Inquisitors Handbook would do nicely even for a ranged guardsman for a melee back up.
Equipment advice is just what I was hoping for :)
At first glance I was considering a sword for parrying and a las pistol for close range... If I have the coin and the skills/talents for both, is it worth getting those with the autogun? Or am I spreading too thinly?
Was thinking of a hometown hero/new recruit to the guardsmen, a know-nothing country boy from the planet the campaign starts on.
I think I'll roll up my stats and home planet etc. and see what the Emperor wills.
Hive World
30
25
30
31
29
31
27
27
35
Tech-Priest
11
2
154 Throne Gelt
Runt
Mature
Ruddy Skin, Grey Hair, Green Eyes
Large Mole
Middle Hive
"There are no civilians in the battle for survival." +2 Toughness and +1 Wound
You get a sword as an option, putting mono on it would be 40 thrones. Worth it to remove primitive and give it a penetration of 2... obviously a chainsword is better damage wise but it's noisy, needs more advanced training and is more expensive. -Guardsmen start with primitive weapon training.
Laspistols are a good back up. You can pick pistol weapon training las and basic weapon training solid projectile.
So with guardsman starting options you can start with the sword, laspistol and autogun but the mono upgrade for the sword will be a wise investment. Armour wise, Guardsman get's flak armour which is probably the best anyone in the party will have.
...guardsmen have the best starting gear of the characters in the core rulebook! The starting world sounds like an Imperial World, so no negatives to stats just a +3 to willpower because you know the Emperor loves your world.
*SCREECH* "I am Heironymous Bahrenfahrer, Head Tech-Priest of sub-level 2183-Omega-A. I will be in the mech-bay assessing the capabilities of the group."
This is Aipaca's submission, if someone could have a look over it and see if I'm missing anything that'd be fantastic.
Also some advice on gear would be much appreciated.
@Aipaca unfortunatley mechanicus like their expensive gear. Maybe mono on the knife. Perhaps sell the flak vest and get a flak coat and a flak helmet.
Hmm... if it's play them where they lie the stats lend more towards a social character or psyker than pure combat but they'll still be able to contribute in a fight. I'll need to ponder the reroll perception and agility are both tempting.
I will allow people to put stats where they wish, choose planet of origin and careers and such. Play the character you wish, not the one the dice decide (the dice already get to kill you).
Littlehewy - Dark Heresy is pretty simple, really. It's all about rolling under your score on a d100. It gets a little more complicated, of course - things like full-burst weapons giving you +20 to hit, using a Half-Action to Aim, and the like, but don't worry about getting stuff wrong. It looks like several folks are veteran players.
Your character could be a Guardsman, one of the first to arrive in system to relieve the planet, or a member of the local Planetary Defence Force - the PDF.
For people looking for gear, I recommend The Macharian Handbook for weapons and armour (and upgrades and add-ons) and The Macharian Handbook - Tools of the Trade for pretty much everything else.
It offers a lot of variety, and covers items from Dark Heresy and the other Final Flight Warhammer games with a cost added. If I note an item thatmight cause an issue, I'll talk to you about it, and please explain if you have strange or unusual equipment not normally found on a small, relatively backwater world.
Hmmm. I'm thinking arbitrator, psyker, or cleric. Let's see...
1.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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9.
Great, thanks for the advice DM and Kevin :)
Should have a character rolled in the next 24hrs.
They look like pretty good rolls to me. Might just swap out the WS for Int, and stick with the rest. Unless anyone has any other suggestions...
Yay... a bit late for me to jump back into the books, so I'll roll up something tomorrow...
It's only 3am here in the UK! Plenty of time to get a character sorted before dawn.
...oh, right, most people don't work nights.
If allowed, I'd love to toss in as well? I had some small fun with two different Dark Heresy groups that feel apart in other venues.
Well, my current plan is to take 4-6 of the best applications, plus potentially one other person (my wife enjoys playing games too).
Although, honestly, I'll be a little surprised if I actually get that many applications.
Then if you don't mind as a late comer I'll simply do my rolling for now and build the character and if you have room in the end....then Yay. If not, well...I reckon I've mostly just wasted my very large amount of time ^_^.
Edit: Might as well toss all the rolls into this same post.
Hmm, you let are letting people place stats where they like?
I'm leaning a Voidborn Psyker but if one of your other players ends up choosing to play that then I shall build something else when I see such.
Ooo Robo Voice.
Almost max, not bad at all.
3 Fate, good.
+2 Strength. "Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life."
Yay!
Play what you wish. I take the most interesting characters, not the most balanced party, and it's my job to give you guys a game that you'll enjoy. If we get a party of Tech Priests or Adepts I'll balance things out. Of course, if we get one full of Psykers it likely won't last long.
...and we all know what terrible things happen when an All Guardsman Party is formed.
Oh there's a reroll thing. I might do that for Fel (which is 26)
Edit: Sweet. Also Fate points
Here's a link to "Lug" Laetus. Linking rather than posting with him in case I don't get in and want to delete him.
@JonGarrett
Cheers for setting this up. I'm not long out of a two-year DH1 campaign and I'm still up for more.
My notion is a scum, one hell-bent on survival at all costs and willing to use whatever means to do so whether lies, intimidation, violence, or even sweet talking. A trait which can be directed for the good of the Imperium with suitable incentives. And of course, in the battle for survival, there are no bystanders, willingly or no.
Mechanically, a volg-born hiver (IH p25) with the reclaimator alternate rank (IH p77) and the background package Imposter (BoJ p38, 400xp). I aim to take trade (techomat) and have a basic knowledge of tech-lore to begin with.
A few questions.
1. With the above, I would get Melee Weapon Training (primitive) from two sources, the scum career and the volg homeworld. Could one of those be swapped for something else? Perhaps from the first rank advances?
2. For scum, is three months of income is three rolls on the relevant income table? (DH p125)
3. To confirm, can we trade in starting gear for their value in thrones? I'd like to replace some pieces, if nothing else with different patterns.
4. Will there likely be much downtime for using trade skills?
5. Speaking of trade skills, are you incorporating the piece in IH p239 where a character with a trade becomes a member of the trading class for income? This would have an obvious effect on my character's starting money.
Edit: A thread with a list of background packages. Might be handy!
@JonGarret
If noble born would be reasonable I'm thinking of doing a noble born guardsman from a sister regiment of the one some of my players had in a campaign. They're from a world where an Imperial Guard Transport crashed during the early stages of the Angevin Crusade and conquered it. When the crusade showed up the Imperial Guard (and a small amount of Imperial Navy) survivors were the new nobility of the world.
It was seen as the privilege of those with noble blood alone to go fight in the God Emperor's wars with the peasantry relegated to PDF duty at best. They had alliances with the Divine Light of Solex faction of the Mechanicus so had a preference for las weapons using deadlight lasguns with fine quality monoswords at their hips. The world is on the map but nothing was ever done with it, Kinog in the Malfian Subsector.
I'd be thinking a member of the 11th Kinog Grenadiers possibly with the Soldier of the Margin Crusade background (it's so so mechanically so with the GM's blessing I might opt to have him been in the margin crusade without the background).
If you've read Deathwatch you know the whole situation with the Margin Crusade. If not then the long and short of it is the Margin Crusade is long over but they use it to drum up support and funnel the troops through a warp gate to reclaim a lost Imperial Sector with Tyranids, Tau and Chaos among other forces running around in it.
I'd be interested in taking Forbidden Lore Xenos with him if he was in the Margin Crusade though it wouldn't be cheap, 400xp would seem about right... I wish I could suggest cheaper but I don't think it would be. I have no idea how much it will come up in your campaign. It just makes me chuckle the idea of the party running across a genestealer and saying something like "Ah yes, seen some of these chaps back in the Margin Crusade. Disciplined fire will put them down but damned sneaky. Knew a chap from one of the Brontian Longknives regiments who used to call them sneakers." Has a far off look "Well nothing for it, these little blighters can show up anywhere. The big ones thankfully don't show up this far into Imperial territory. Nasty I saw one of their Screamers melt a sentinel once, damned bad luck. They vomit this kind of acid see, it can melt through flesh and steel. A few lascannon shots will do the trick... oh well yes... don't let them get close or it can go badly. Just remember lads, it's not too bad... there could always be some of the big ones. Or even some of the other little ones. The Critters aren't sneaky like these ones but there are lots of them when they show up."
Lots of using guardsmen slang names for enemies for example and helpfully informing people that it could always get worse. "Ah yes some of the older ones get bigger and lead cults like this but there are bigger breeds I am afraid. I once saw one in the distance step on a tank. Artillery and one of our armoured companies got it so remember chaps, disciplined fire and keep your buttons polished."
I now have "Lug" Laetus' background and personality up under a spoiler on his profile.
Linkdead - There doesn't seem to be any reason why those don't work together.
Kevin O'Rourke 440 - That sounds fun.
Decimus Observet - Let's see...
1 - That'll depend on what you wish to swap it for. Something like Light Sleeper would work.
2 - Yup. Scum kinda loose out on the money side of things.
3 - Yeah, feel free to sell off gear you don't need.
4 - There will be some, mostly during travel time (the Warp is a fun place with relatively little to do).
5 - Huh, I never noticed that rule before. Yeah, given we're likely to have at least one Noble, seems fair.
2 Fate points
@JonGarrett
1. How about Paranoia? Light Sleeper is also covered by the Volg origin. ;)
2-4. Sounds fair.
5. Neither had I until I happened to spot it while browsing recently. And cheers!
A new one:
6. Will our characters all count as from Inisdias Minoris, regardless of mechanics? Just so I know whether I need to explain how Vasyl Zima got from Fenksworld to here, or whether he's from that rough a part of Inisdias.
Decimus Observet
1 - As long as you can play your character as Paranoid
2-5 - I am a kind and reasonable GM...until I'm not.
6 - No, you can be from another world. As to why you're here...that is up you.
Tossing the dice to see what stands...
reroll
good mix of rolls, now for a concept.
That all seems fair to me. I'll work on Vasyl and post him up.
A list of alternate ranks for Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader
97 - "Trust In Your Fear" - Increase Agility by +2 and gain 1 Fate Point
“Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life.” Increase Strength by +2
@JonGarrett
I just checked the 3.0 errata (pdf) and Scum actually get Deceive as a starting skill. Would that stack with the Deceive from Imposter for Deceive +10?
Decimus Observet - No, I'm afraid not.
@JonGarrett
Oh right. In that case, could I replace one instance of Deceive with an equivalent skill? Say knowledge of Security to help infiltrate under an assumed identity?
That I will allow.
Appreciated.
|
Hello there, GM and other 40k fans!
I noticed this when it popped up in the Interest check, and I thought I'd check out the recruitment. As a Rogue Trader game I was in practically just fell apart after mere weeks, I feel that itch is unscratched. I've been a fan of 40k since I started playing tabletop RPG, and I feel like PbP can be a great medium for it. That, and I've never played Dark Heresy from the start, despite hearing... interesting stuff about it.
Characteristics:
Increase Willpower by +3.
Wow. Those are some quite decent rolls. Looking at the submissions so far, there seems to be a lack of brainy types (with the exception of the Tech-Priest). I imagine with those rolls, I could easily make an Adept who is there to cover the knowledge, while also not being a complete slouch in either talking or shooting.
I even started to have an idea in my head, I need to look around the splatbooks to see if it might work.
Cheers!
Mechanics sorted but it is getting late here, I've got the background in my head I just need to type it out. I have not forgotten any of the things a full guardsman would be running around with like a mess kit and entrenching tools.
A question on sandbags, they are in the Inquisitors Handbook for four thrones and weighs 5kg I presume that's just a bunch of sandbags that are empty and not one full one.
Decimus here. I'll post gear and background tomorrow.
Hive
= 5
= 14
= 2
= 15
= 12
= 10
= 11
= 9
= 10
re-roll the 2 = 12
So... going with a psyker
WS: 20 + 5 : 25
BS: 20 + 9 : 29
S : 20 + 10 : 30
T : 15 + 11 : 26
Ag : 20 + 14 : 34
Int : 20 + 12 : 32
Per : 20 + 12 = 32
WP : 15 + 20 :35
Fel : 25 + 10 : 35
Optical Rupture - common quality cybernetic senses
9
2
Random stuff
male
bronze
red
nervous tic
dross hound
be a boon to your brothers, and bane to your enemies Fel +3
Just to note, I've made Lug* something of a noob (and pretty vanilla), mostly unaware of the intrigues and history of the Imperium and the Inquisition, to mirror (and mask!) my own lack of knowledge of this stuff. Like I said earlier, I've played quite a bit of 40K, but not read any books or played the RPGs before, so my in-depth setting mastery is lacking, but I'm still very keen! This would all be in contrast to a character like Lothar Von Bismark, who seems very knowledgeable and super well prepared.
Also, if anyone has any suggestions for further gear past weapons and armour that a guardsman would regularly have, feel free to share them :)
That's fine. Most Imperial Citizens know jack, honestly. Xenos are presented as stupid, week threats that can only temporarily defeat the Imperium through poor luck, massive numbers and as part of a strategic withdrawal to cement the Imperium's ultimate victory. Knowledge of Chaos doesn't exist, which leads to a lot of accidental Heresy. Imperial forces that fight Chaos are often killed, enslaved or mindwhiped, with the exception of the Inquisition and Astartes.
So not knowing this stuff is fine. You shouldn't known it in character anyway.
Here is Vasyl Zima, a man who wants to live at any cost. He worked in Volg as a rogue technomat/reclaimator until he worked up the resources to escape for literally anywhere else.
Vasyl Zima
"Trust In Your Fear"
Scum - Rank 1
WS 33
BS 25
S 37
T 42
Ag 40
Int 36
Per 37
Wp 34
Fel 28
Fate Points 4
Wounds 11
Right-Handed originally but Ambidextrous
Insanity Points 1
Corruption Points 0
Divination: "Trust In Your Fear" - Increase Agility by +2 and gain 1 Fate Point
Armour: Enforcer Carapace Armour (5 AP all around), Carapace Chestplate (6 on chest)
Skills
Awareness (Per)
Barter (Fel)
Blather (Fel)
Charm (Fel)
Common Lore (Imperium) (Int)
Disguise (Fel)
Dodge (Ag)
Deceive (Fel)
Intimidate (Str)
Security (Int)
Speak Language (Volg Hive Dialect) (Int)
Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int)
Tech-Use (Int, Basic)
Trade (Technomat) +10 (Int)
Talents
Ambidextrous
Basic Weapon Training (SP)
Jaded
Light Sleeper
Melee Weapon Training (primitive)
Paranoia
Pistol Training (SP)
Talented (Deceive)
Traits
Accustomed to Crowds
Hivers grow up surrounded by immense herds of humanity. They are used to weaving through even the densest mob with ease.
Benefit: Crowds do not count as Difficult Terrain for hivers, and when Running or Charging through a dense crowd, hivers take no penalty to the Agility Test to keep their feet.
Caves of Steel
To a hiver, surrounded at all times by metal, machinery and industry, the arcane mysteries of technology are not so strange.
Benefit: Hivers treat the Tech-Use (Int) skill as a Basic Skill.
Hivebound
Hivers seldom endure the horrors of the open sky or the indignity of the great outdoors.
Penalty: Hivers take a -10 penalty to all Survival (Int) Tests, and while out of a “proper hab” (e.g. places without manufactured goods, solid ceilings and electrical power) the hiver takes a –5 penalty to all Intelligence Tests.
Trade (technomat) 100
Trade (technomat +10) 100
Barter 100
Charm 100
Autogun (100T) and 1 mag of 30 -> Armageddon (100T) and 2 mags of 15 = 0T
Autopistol (75T) and 1 mag of 18 -> Orthlack Mark IV (75T) and 1.5 mags of 12 = 0T
Silencer for Orthlack 10T
Brass Knuckles (5T) -> Bolo Knife (50T) = 45T
Knife
Quilted Vest (10T) -> Flakweave Cloak (80T) = 70T
Street Ware (Poor Quality Clothing) (?T) -> Coveralls (Common Quality Clothing) (10T?)
Backpack 10T
Blast Goggles 25T
Gas Mask 25T
Photo Visor 100T
Data-Slate 20T
Weapon Maintenance Kit 20T
Stablight 10T
Autojector 10T
2.5 Days Combat Rations 5T
Appearance
Vasyl keeps his brawny figure difficult to make out between rough industrial coveralls and the folds of flakweave that double as heavy clothing. He has a beaten backpack, which he stuffs with whatever useful materials he can find. A bolo knife is hidden at his right side, and a more regular blade in his left boot. A bulge in his left torso clothing hides a silenced Orthlack IV autopistol, but his openly carried Armageddon autogun helps distract from that.
If he pulls back his hood, his shaven head is visible, along with scars and chemical burns. And a pair of dark brown eyes that flick about often and warily.
Personality
Vasyl is focused on survival and relentlessly pursues goals he believes will aid him in this. He cares little for human life apart from his own, but is not pointlessly cruel or destructive. Everything he does is intended to further him staying alive one more day - and preferably more. He is wary of others, always suspecting their intentions and goals will clash with his.
Background
Vasyl was born in what is arguably the single worst hellhole in the Calixis Sector. There are death worlds regarded as less hazardous than the sprawling fen hive of Volg. The descendants of criminals and exiles, few Volg-born ever entertain notions of leaving. Volg brutally prunes those who are not paying sufficient attention to the here and now.
The road to his departure took years. Day-to-day life in Volg demanded huge efforts and environmental awareness, and Vasyl provided. He bought - and stole - fragments of tech-lore and found he had a real knack for it. He found a lucrative niche as peddlar of repairs to those too poor, too despised, or too criminal for the tastes of the tech-priests.
He learned how to trick people, how to break security on whatever and wherever he needed to. He put every scrap of thrones and wits he had into the long-term goal of escaping this deadly, deadly place. Because logically, staying in Volg was a death sentence and not a drawn out one. Quality of life did not factor into his decision, only duration.
One day, he found the fool. A Magnogorsk noble and his retainers, who were sweating as their idiot boss led them “slumming”. Vasyl gathered some associates and made short work of the fool and the rest. The others he paid off with the goods, but he kept the critical elements: clothing and ward accessors.
A day later, a “clearly” injured nobleman staggered back uphive, gaining assistance from the enforcers to reach a shuttle. This shuttle never reached the topmost reaches of the Fenksworld hives, but made a detour as the nobleman “decided” to book a sudden visit to a passing void freighter.
The shuttle suffered a tragic and incredibly fatal explosion shortly after it entered the freighter’s shuttle deck. And if someone had fled into the ship in the seconds beforehand, that was missed.
The freighter continued on its circuitous voyage, which would in the not so distant future lead to Inisdias Minoris….
Hello, Are still open for more Players? I am new to to PbP but not 40k or DH