Only War: The Forsaken

Game Master Eradico Pravus

Kaltos - Ogryn are very much more "Hulk Smash!" while Heavy Gunners are like Vasquez in Aliens - big guns.

Catching up now after an epic day of work - thanks for the background update Rookseye. I'm thinking that my man will be an unreformed prisoner - fresh out of basic and with a chip on his shoulder and axe to grind... but obedient enough.

As I understand our updated and fully spent Regimental Loadout is:

Not sure what an ogren do other then being shuriken cannon fodder. Either that or a heavy gunner.

I would strongly push selecting a heavy gunner over the ogryn:

The Oremor 4th is a recon/stealth unit. Having an ogryn (bigger than a Space Marine!) tromping through the brush won't help with their primary assignment type.

Not sure if Ogryn are indigenous to Oremor.

Ogryn are about as smart as a brick. Role-playing might be a little tough if your sentences can be 2-3 words AT MOST.

Transportation will be an issue at times. The Ogryn won't fit inside the Operator's Chimera.

That said, I will yield if you REALLY want to play an Ogryn (fun, I admit!) but I think the Heavy Gunner will be a better fit and be able to dish out plenty of punishment with a heavy bolter or missile launcher.

** spoiler omitted **

Eradico

This will be the profile for Mark's Weapons Specialist

Wounds: 8 + 1d5 + 1 ⇒ 8 + (4) + 1 = 13

Fate: 1d10 ⇒ 2 = 1

And Profile now updated with gear, XP fully spent and face-melting goodness ready to go.

Mark, your character and character page look great. A couple more things to do:

1. Pick a demeanor. Either pick one from the Demeanor chart (pp. 68-9) or make your own. Yeah, I want a *single* word that describes Hathin. From what you've written I'm thinking "Obstinate" but feel free to change that!

2. Please generate a comrade. See the rules starting on p. 70. Basically I'd like a name, brief physical description, and most importantly what is the nature of your relationship.

EDIT: Do not pick an avatar for your Comrade. I'll post actions as the GM.

A general word about Comrades

EDIT: And Mark, on your character page it looks like you listed two clips for each weapon. Did you find that in the RAW? I'm thinking you should probably start with 3, maybe even 4 clips but let me look into that.

Rook,

A question about names... Did you have a certain ethnicity or region in mind when developing Oremor? To be more specific did you choose Scandinavian or Germanic names, for example, when naming characters? Are there some sort of broad guidelines to follow or is pretty much anything game?

Eradico

** spoiler omitted **

Ellipsis mentioned this earlier but here's a reminder. If you receive any Aptitude/talent/skill duplicates or "doubles" during creation, you receive the following (p. 17):

Double talents yield you 100xp
Double skills give you an extra rank in said skill
Double aptitudes give you a free attribute based aptitude of your choice

Ellipsis, minor point and one I'm sure you'd figure out but you receive Good Craftsmanship Storm Trooper Carapace (p. 140) not Good Craftsmanship Carapace Armor (p. 60)

And I thought regular FFG products were poorly edited. Sheesh!

The two clips for the carbine and pistol come straight outa RAW - and I've just assumed two clips for the melta more along the lines of makes sense.

Hathin's Demeanor: bloody-minded - which serves as a duality of purpose.
He is both blood thirsty, eager to get up close and feel the gush of warmth as his mono-knife slides home or the back-blast of heat from a melta shot.
And secondly he is stubborn of outlook, considering himself strong enough to not be ignored and refusing to bend no matter how hard people try.
But, again as a reinforcement - he will obey chain of command religiously, so won't be disruptive in game.

Rook,

A question about names... Did you have a certain ethnicity or region in mind when developing Oremor? To be more specific did you choose Scandinavian or Germanic names, for example, when naming characters? Are there some sort of broad guidelines to follow or is pretty much anything game?

Good point Eradico, I was thinking of mentioning this somewhere along the way.

Nomenclature on Oremor, because it is a civilized world with continent-spanning cities and hives in the northern hemisphere runs the gamut as far as names go, as there is a steady influx of trade and imported off-world labor (both traditional and penal).

That being said, the native Oremites are mostly descendants from the waves of colonists following the conflict with the Eldar that once resided here before/during the Angevin Crusade, or the descendants of those military forces that remained to garrison the nascent agri-world. This makes the naming conventions relatively cosmopolitan (Albrek Vodak, Juan Rico, Quincus Dauln) but I wanted to follow some overarching trends, so I settled on a sci-fi accented mixture of quasi-Latinate names for prominent rulers and officials (this is the Administratum, general 40K influence, i.e. Taius Ceprus), and a weird amalgam of Germanic meets Italian/Venetian Renaissance city-states, for the largest bloc of descended colonists (Stroinigli, Aebena Glecia, Sigmunt Vendangio, Cinzia Vingere).

Incidentally, the prefix 'dol' before a last name originally indicated nobility, but now stands as 'wealthy or powerful personage', boss, or politico, as is evidenced by Erika dol Fulcus (governor of Fulcus hive) and Trizo dol Soulard (an established crimelord).

Former prisoners and members of the penal legion could conceivably use any of these trends or none. One thing I do like that Bal/Mark have incorporated is the use of nicknames based on prison patois, which I think would play very well into the plantation-slave meets incarcerated-penitent theme of the Unduz colonies. "Scope", "Book" and "Lark" are easy handles to use in field-work, and I'd extend this to include the idea that the prisoners would almost have their own cant to communicate ideas over the heads of their Guard overseers---though given their close working proximity, many of the boots on the ground guardsmen of the Oremite Penal Legions would have some day to day understanding of the lingo. I also would hazard that some prisoners, particularly those of lesser importance or consequence might just receive a handle based on the final digits of their penal-conscript identifier with a notable trait, like, "Lazy-Eye Thirteen" or "Lame-leg 23", as the mortality rate both within the claustrum and working the fields and agri-harvesting equipment is significant enough to warrant short-timers or the weak very little in the way of identity.

The Unduz archipelago and those plantation colonies/claustrums in the southern hemisphere would be where the majority of the Cajun-esque names would originate too. I see these names as direct descent from a large influx of prisoners from Dusk following the re-conquest of that world during the Angevin Crusade. The Imperium figured these dissidents and heretics knew how to clear swamps and initiate agriculture on a Death World, so they could logically serve the same purpose on their new home, a paradise in comparison, far from any chance to stir up further discord.

Well, I didn't expect to write that much, but I guess since I never got it down in any other capacity through my notes, I may as well here.

The two clips for the carbine and pistol come straight outa RAW...

House rule: side-arms standard load-out comes with 2 clips. For "primary weapons" like lasgun, shotgun, melta, etc., they come with 3 clips.

Is that good enough for the comrade?

Absolutely! The Comrade write-up for 'Book' sets a nice example for others to follow in terms of physical and relational description. Nice job and thanks!

And Rook thanks a bunch for the overview on naming. Very helpful.

Have we decided on the leader and training,regiment chooses, because it does make a difference with final writeups.

Eradico

In the interest of encouraging Oremor flair, here are some names to pick from. Feel free to mish-mash as in Rook's examples above.

Have we decided on the leader and training,regiment chooses...

I think so. I've not heard any vetoes so here it is:

Rook, how about some unique "common" Oremor hand to hand weapons? Is the scerrido blade 'common' to Oremor? What else might be a signature blade?

FFG is posting errata already!

Rook, also there are character sheets posted. Are you willing to maintain those on the Wiki?

Well I'm trying to come up with the background, but for some reason I'm struggling a lil' bit.

Other than that, we need to discuss the vehicle we are getting unless we are set on the chimera so we can added as the group vehicle and I know what I'm driving.

Damn lol I get Fieldcraft and Agility twice, Going to pick something interesting or just another fieldcraft appropriate for our regiment, so at least the driver can manage in 2 terrains.

Will hopefuly at least ahve the crunch done later one.

Hit points 1d10 + 1 + 1d5 ⇒ (7) + 1 + (5) = 13
Fate 1d10 ⇒ 9

I added a form-field fill-able character sheet to the wiki, you can find it here:

Only War Character Sheet

FFG is posting errata already!

Rook, also there are character sheets posted. Are you willing to maintain those on the Wiki?

Posted before I noticed your post, Eradico, how is that for efficient!

Consider it done, I will put them together as the characters come in and post them.

Rook, how about some unique "common" Oremor hand to hand weapons? Is the scerrido blade 'common' to Oremor? What else might be a signature blade?

Already considered, Eradico. The scerrido is more of a dueling weapon of the hives, both Upspire and Underhive.

The 'chit-sickle' is the chosen hand weapon for the Oremor Penal Legions, it is essentially a broad bladed, razor-sharp sickle used for cutting through the chitinous skin of Oremor's mycological foodstuffs. There are both agricultural and martial variants, with the latter tending to be one handed and crafted of adamantine for better use in punching through armor.

The 4th Legion actually has one in their regimental banner, visible on the bottom left of the wiki main page. I plan on using the larger art for this (where it will be more visible) once we put up the Characters page.

I'm thinking a normal hand-weapon with a above average penetration and the Razor Sharp weapon quality (not in OW, on p. 143 of DW Core Rulebook), if it works for you.

Eradico - sure, let's call him Gethric Solsa. I'll update him into a spoiler on my profile.

Deiros - I think we're going with the Chimera when it's reasonable (as in jungle isn't too dense, etc) and the walker otherwise. I'm thinking that since it's essentially a class feature for the Operator that you should get the fun of customising it.

...we need to discuss the vehicle we are getting unless we are set on the chimera so we can added as the group vehicle and I know what I'm driving.

Mark is right about the choices: Sentinel Walker or Chimera. Without giving away too much, sometimes you might get to choose your vehicle, sometimes you might be assigned which to take.

Damn lol I get Fieldcraft and Agility twice, Going to pick something interesting or just another fieldcraft appropriate for our regiment, so at least the driver can manage in 2 terrains.

Will hopefuly at least ahve the crunch done later one.

No hurries. I'm learning that there is a lot of ramp up time to getting this off the ground.

Hit points 1d10+1+1d5

Oops. I may have mislead you on how to create your Wounds total. My house-rule for the Operator is 8+d5 (rulebook lists 6+d5). So your total with your roll of "5" is: 8 + 5 + 1 = 14. That's one tough Operator!

Okay think I am almost done with my character.

Wounds (1d8+5=8)

Couple of questions though. I noticed I get Awareness twice-under sniper, and recon. Also get Street Fighter twice-under Hardened Fighter, and Penal Colony. Can we take additional skills/Talents? Or do we get a bonus for those abilities?

Also how does if effect that I bought Awareness +10 already?

As for my second weapon training slot I pick pistol.

Bal,

Wounds should be 8 + 1d5

Double Awareness means you have Awareness +10. As any XP purchases happen at the end of character creation then you can't have bought Awareness +10 with XP. So you'll need to choose that again.

The Penal Colony home world gives a choice of three talents, so you could always choose one of the other ones? - or you get an extra 100xp to spend at the start of the game on advances (as I did).

So you don't specifically choose pistol as an option, but rather Las - which gives you training to use all Las weapons.

Okay cool. So have +100pts left to spend because of Awareness.

What are the other two traits? If I don't like them I will go for the 100xp. Can tell you its tricky making a character without a book for reference.

Will take Las then since its the Imperial standby weapon.

Wounds (1d5+8=13)

Much better on the wounds now that I rolled it correctly Lol. So with the Hardened Fighter Talent it will make for 14 wounds.

Fate Points 1d10=2

The other two options are Peer Underworld (which I think is probably the same as in DH or the other 40K books, gives you a contact) and Pity the Weak (which isn't actually in the Only War book, but someone stated the effect from DH earlier in thread).

So not fantastic options, hence why I went with the 100xp extra instead :)

And that Fate roll = 1 point.

Oh - and you get a +1 to starting wounds from Penal Colony - so your wounds are actually 14

Yeah figured with the FP. Have rolled that number before.

So have 200pts to burn.

Can someone post up a list of Talents in the 100xp range for my class please?

And thanks for the quick replies Mark.

There isn't much that can be bought for 100xp - it's either a simple characteristic increase where you have two matching aptitudes, or getting a skill as a known skill where you also have two matching aptitudes.

Tier one talents are 200xp with two matching aptitudes.
Skill +10 (like Stealth +10) where you have two aptitudes are 200xp as well.

As for talents for 200xp - You could get Light Sleeper, Rapid Reload, Quick Draw, Lightning Reflexes, Leap Up, Heightened Senses.

Okay. So I miss priced Stealth +10, so that means I have 100xp left to spend.

Guess I will save it unless I can take operate, or Scrutiny for 100.

Scrutiny you can take for 100xp (as you have the aptitudes Perception and General). Operate also (as you have Agility and Fieldcraft aptitudes).

I know it sounds needlessly complicated and arcane, but it's a fairly elegant system once you've a chance to look over it in the books.

Okay Cool. I am sure the rules are intuitive. Its just tricky when you don't have a book in front of you. I know Black Crusade would be a nightmare if I didn't have the rule set in front of me.

Will take Operate-Aeronautica then for my final skill. That way I don't step on our current Operators toes. Unless Eradico wants to put limits on that skill since we are a Penal Legion.

Thanks again for all the help Mark.

Mark, we have a quandary.

From the "Week One Errata":

>Weapon Specialist Starting Aptitudes, Talents, and
>Modifiers (page 48): Replace “or Common Craftsmanship
>Meltagun” in Specialist Equipment with “or Common
>Craftsmanship Regimental Favoured Basic Weapon.”

So the nerfed rules are taking away your melta.

One (partial) solution: There are no rules for choosing Regimental Favoured Weapons (look in the blue boxes of the sample regiments, pp. 18-25). Consensus from the forums is that regiments choose one basic and one support weapon. So I suppose the Oremor 4th could choose "Melta" as its support weapon. That would add +10% to a Logistics Test in obtaining a melta and ammo.

Don't want to be a kill-joy so I'm open to your input. Thoughts?

Regimental Favoured Weapons

From the errata:

“Favoured Weapons: Each regiment has weapons that its members
prefer to wield,or simply have a natural aptitude for. Each
regiment may choose one Basic weapon and one Heavy Weapon to be their Favoured Weapons, these weapons mat not have an Availability higher than Very Rare.

Members of this Regiment gain a +10 bonus on all Logictics Tests to
obtain those weapons and ammunition for them.”

Let me know what your choices are.

Hmm - reading through it there is a quandry, but the following helps:

Favoured Weapons (page 33): Add the following section after the Equipment from Doctrines section: “Favoured Weapons: Each regiment has weapons that its members prefer to wield, or simply have a natural aptitude for. Each regiment may choose one Basic weapon and one Heavy Weapon to be their Favoured Weapons, these weapons mat not have an Availability higher than Very Rare. Members of this Regiment gain a +10 bonus on all Logictics Tests to obtain those weapons and ammunition for them.”

Meltagun (page 125): In Table 6–9: Ranged Weapons, replace the Meltagun Availability with “Very Rare.”

So the way I read that is that as a Regiment we get to choose one Basic and one Heavy Weapon as the regimental favoured weapons. Then Hathin gets to choose to start with that gun as part of his character options.

So unless I'm mistaken - that increases our options, just that they have to be made on a regimental level.

Basic Weapons that are Very Rare or less:
Long Las / Triplex Pattern Lasgun / Hot-shot Lasgun
Boltgun
Meltagun
Plasma Gun

So the choice now is between Melta, Boltgun or Plasma?

Ok for the sake of ease and what not Ill take the heavy gunner. I got more ideas for a background for it then the Ogren. :-)

Kaltos - do you want to start with a missile launcher or heavy bolter?

As you'll be the only one with appropriate training, it's worth thinking on what you'd like as a regimental favored heavy weapon. Choices are:
Man Portable Lascannon
M41 Multi-Laser
Heavy Stubber
M34 Autocannon
Heavy Bolter
Heavy Flamer
Missile Launcher
Mortar

Meltagun (page 125): In Table 6–9: Ranged Weapons, replace the Meltagun Availability with “Very Rare.”

From 2nd Page of Errata wrote:

Meltagun (page 125): In Table 6–9: Ranged Weapons, replace the Meltagun Availability with “Very Rare.”

** spoiler omitted **

Team,

In the errata that was released this week, melta was eliminated as a "basic" choice for weapons specialist. Mark has been gracious in accepting this rule change (even though I would still let him take one if he really wanted to). His suggestion is that the Regimental Favoured (Basic) Weapon be the Plasma Gun (and then that choice *would* be available to him).

Kaltos would also still be free to choose: missile launcher, heavy bolter, or the regimental (Heavy/Support) Favoured Weapon.

So please add your opinion if you have one.

Thanks!

Damn lol I get Fieldcraft and Agility twice, Going to pick something interesting or just another fieldcraft appropriate for our regiment, so at least the driver can manage in 2 terrains.

Deiros, there is no way to get Fieldcraft twice. You might want to double check that.

“Favoured Weapons: Each regiment has weapons that its members prefer to wield,or simply have a natural aptitude for. Each

regiment may choose one Basic weapon and one Heavy Weapon to be their Favoured Weapons, these weapons mat not have an Availability higher than Very Rare.

Given the regiment's specialty, I would say that Flamers would be appropriate as a regimental favored weapon.

In the errata that was released this week, melta was eliminated as a "basic" choice for weapons specialist. Mark has been gracious in accepting this rule change (even though I would still let him take one if he really wanted to). His suggestion is that the Regimental Favoured (Basic) Weapon be the Plasma Gun (and then that choice *would* be available to him).

Technically, if the meltagun was the regiment's favored weapon he could take one, but I would still recommend Flamer/Heavy Flamer for a regiment of jungle specialists.