A DH 1.0 Ascension level game beginning in the latest timeline of WH40k, a Cadre of powerful individuals is called for to discover something unimaginable and uncover a plot that threatens every living soul.
"Short of attempting to use the elevator to descend further, if that is indeed even possible, it may be prudent for us to retreat at this time.
there are still some injuries to tend to, information to decipher and possibly equipment to retrieve.
In addition, we should inform the inquisitor of what we have learned so far and await further orders.
While we have been busy here, the inquisitor may have learned something through other contacts."
The sister keeps vigil on the ceiling. Not flinching, she starts talking. "And do you think it possible to leave? After all, we simply... appeared here after touching that wall, no? If you believe it possible to extract ourselves from here, I would wholly support this. All the information we have is as valuable as our lives."
"Stay together and find the exit. We are leaving.", Federica orders, hurling another look at the surroundings to identify an exit.
"At this point I believe that the most logical thing to do would be to retrace our steps. It is likely that if one button on the elevator takes us down and one slows the speed we travel by, the first button we tried that did nothing at the time is to ascend, and the reason it did not was because we were already at the top."
"Furthermore, I must believe that there is a way for us to exit this place, perhaps in a similar fashion to how we arrived.
That I personally found no such way does not mean much at this state."
"Also, I do not believe it prudent to remain here for too long..."
The cadre begins a tactical retreat, retracing their steps back to the elevator shaft. They are able to retreat from the area without incident, making it back through to the outer chamber where they first unsealed doors, leading through to the lift.
Everyone makes it back to the lift and boards it, ready for a decision to be made, which button to press?
Stepping up to the controls, Ludicus finger hoover over the first button used, the one likely to mean "up".
Feeling that it is his duty as an interrogator to take charge in absence of the Inquisitor, he does briefly pause to allow anyone to offer other suggestions.
Rakavet simply watched for enemies as they prepared to board the lift. "We must remember the slight inertia issue it had last time," he mentioned cheerfully.
Sister Federica steps in the elevator last, tossing one last glance on the room beyond. "A fair warning, Master Faeyd.", she says, pointing towards the console. She points towards the button that was pressed to lower the elevator last time. "That was the one we pressed. And this is the one we pressed to stop it.", before pointing towards the third one. "So this must be the one to go up. I am ready as always. Take us out, Magos."
Nodding, Rakavet slung his heavy weapon up and moved over to the controls. Manipulating them via mechandendrite in case of some unknown or unforseen booby trap, and keeping one eye out. At the same time he recanted a litany to protect the machine spirits within his own prosthetics and equipment from corruption by what ever date-daemons lurked within the heretecal machine.
So the more I look into it the more I realize that Psyker detection is really weird in Dark heresy.
there are several low level methods to detect them but the book seems to think that making certain high level NPC's secret psykers in public positions viable.
This will be something we will need to address as with the number of psykers in this group with easy detection methods we might as well have the Tech Priest carry a Neon sign with 'Inquisition here' around with us.
@Gun-Nun. So being that you are going to be in a radical crew you might consider looking at the Blighted Schola background in the radial handbook.
Purity of faith is great and all but being able to interpret that faith outside the lens of your superiors could also become highly important with this crew.
What with the way that the Blighted ones were indoctrinated you could easily have a memory or two of the heretek's that built the machines that made you the way you are.
Also I may at some point I may need to murder a high level gun-nun for her fancy coat and even fancier necklace.
Because I've been hunting for a method to grab unnatural toughness as a psyker for some time now. (Because not needing to wear armor is always amusing) One that doesn't turn me into a hulk analogue is awesome.
Wouldn't hide them, more like suck their souls and PR out ever hole... You'd have to stay away... Depending on degree, but any pysker would hate you and everyone one else would want to kidnap and dissect you... Could be fun.
Just about home, gonna update and answer some questions.
On that topic, here is a list I found online of all the skills in the game condensed. I found it helpful when looking to see if I could actually upgrade one skill or another.
Nulls do make Psykers miserable, I'm hoping creative use of the shape changing biomancy power can at least get me difficult to detect by swapping appearances.
I'll prolly spend much of the game on our ship conversing with the team via the Projection power, so I may not need to be hidden too much, a pariah could do a lot to hide us during an active psi sweep though.
I prolly won't be super useful in combat guys, just a heads up.
I think I may take like 1 attack power to defend myself and otherwise be focused on Telepathy/Telekinesis/Divination powers that are versatile and useful in many situations.
You could also have someone in the party carry a couple of Kineblades for you to use as combat weapons.
I considered using them myself but my with maxed out will power 1d5+7 four times at 35meter range is a bit excessive.
Soul killer is really the only damage spell a Telepath needs anyway.
It was tempting, but with other things would have led to 0 or -ve fellowship, so maybe not! Also it would rule out Maelific Scholar which is tempting, I mean who isn't to give their soul for sorcerous powers?
I think i may still take chirurgeon, so should be fairly good at medicae. (Most of the other branch is covered elsewhere)
Have i read the ascension insanity/corruption bit right so 8d10/d5 minus number of dice based on willpower bonus. Is that starting characters WP? (before any advancements) Also how do talents like jaded affect that?
If you take Arcana please tell me you are going to grab the Summon door spell.
that and unnatural intelligence means we have a very dangerous trump card were we to somehow need to use it.
I was trying to figure out a way for me to grab the sorcerer stuff as well. Create Door is particularly Ork-y spell (the random and dangerous nature of their teleport units) as are a few of the others.
I'd intended to learn Arcana by punching orc hard enough to get it through osmosis.
As to corrupt/Insan.
It looks like it has you roll those after creation so I'm assuming you use your post-build stats for it.
I have no idea how the corruption/insanity DR talents interact with that.
I'm assuming not at all due to it being an effective net total of the corruption/insanity you've had to deal with since starting your life as an Acolyte.
On the issue of insanity/corrup, its hard building this all up. How about you take what you get throughout your PC building, backgrounds, alt ranks etc, and I'll see what they are and your background, in which case I can decide if you need more/less based on history and transition...Unless you wanna go by core rules, I know this was an issue with another Ascension game I was involved in, but can't recall how the GM resolved in, but I know the questions were the same. I'd say its after PC creation that you roll if anything, so if that works out well for everyone cool, but if people gets some bad dice and start off with high levels of both then it complicates things and I'd rather avoid that problem and focus on things that are more important right now.
So, core it and roll after creation. Talents won't change anything, unless its in order of your ranks. For example if you get Dark Soul and then later need to roll something on a higher rank, then it works. Otherwise, we put this on the back burner and deal with it after we sort other things, not really looking to get too much into that now and/or punish people with mutations, problems, disorders, etc..Not yet....Unless you want more of those things, in which case, you could just roll it out like Ascension says.
You guys seem quite concerned about your Psykers being discovered, why is that? How is it so easy? Its 2am, so maybe its obvious, but its not coming to me right now. I need to sleep. Answered some PMs, forgive my spelling, no spell check on this PC/browser.
Effectively the psyker version of perception has some odd wording that makes it rather easy to find out if someone has warp powers.
There are several sources providing information and they conflict so its an issue of deciding how your game is going to play out for psyker detection.
Thanks, I'll check it out and let you guys know ASAP, as I'm sure it can affect your PCs greatly.
Hmm...glanced over stuff, didn't see anything that really contradicted how I play them.
If you're not using powers, it'll be a difficult test to detect and depends greatly on range. Using powers will make you more noticable and I'd call for Psyn test if/when it were appropriate.
Going to sleep now, I'll read some more and make some more objective/clearer rules if need be.
Hello, after much lurking and a short question/answer with the GM I've decided to throw my hat into the ring! I'm currently trying to figure out what would be best to help the group as it's currently lining up.
I've got two ideas:
The first is Scum/Desperado with the intent to be the guy with tons of connections (Lord of the Underworld type).
The second is an Assassin/Vindicare, obviously a sniper, but mostly good at steath and surveillance in all forms.
@Snowman
So would you be alright with including a item of some variety that siphons a Psy dice or two to put up a fake non-psyker Psy aura around someone?
I'm mostly wanting to avoid the situation of making the party work around me for more stealthy/social scenes.
@Aptinu... yeah whatever.
I'm not sure if anyone had aims on the 'Social butterfly' but I can say that won't be me.
Vindicare might run into issue with our Gun-Nun's desire to re-purpose two of your sects weapons as her personal kill rays.
Though looking at it our sage will have the investigation stuff due to his silly trick and redicu-INT. I plan to kill things up close, our inquisitor is going to flit around as a ghost alot. The Lucky/Lucky Gun-Nun will be channeling the blessings of the Emprah! And shooting the ever loving crap out of anything and everything in the area.
We are likely going to need one very smooth operator to finesse our way into the doors of parties without sending alarms everywhere.
A Battle sister, Two Primaris, A Magos and a Warp Ghost attached to a cripple. Did I miss anyone?
I'd vote for the Scum but I have yet to see everyone's load outs so I can't tell if anyone else intended to take the job of resident 'Talky person'
Someone with the Panache to boost our influence would be great in my book.
Yeah fellowship isn't going to be my bag,i will probably have contacts (looking at wide correspondence and maybe later shadow lord but both are influence based) but not spymaster skills. But go for whatever you like.
On a seperate note. I can't find minor arcana anywhere, do i just use minor psychic powers?
Looks like Disciples of the Dark gods has a grand total of 3. Page 117.
You can select minor/domain Psyker powers but all the power DC's increase by 2 when used as Arcana.
It irks me that a biomancy discipline power is inferior to a minor arcana in this. Changing skins and assuming disguises is kind of a big thing what with the psyker powers specifically for that.
You will also need to speak on what costs Bayou Snowman wants you to pay for actually obtaining that lore. Daemonic tomes and ancient secrets do not come cheap. Sorcerer/Master sorcerer says you can know that many warp powers but you have to extract them dangerous tomes and effectively counts as a null talent until you actually have the time and effort to find a proper library.
Though I am fairly sure any Arcana talents you can select ought to give you an option as expending experience should give you an effect rather than just expanding the empty bookcase you have in your brain.
Yeah i have pmed him although admittedly not about all of that. I was hoping to possibly cash in a unique item towards knowing possibly 1-2 major and a few minor, but hadn't said as much so thanks for bringing it up.
Unfortunately i don't have Disciples, might just have to take the power dc increase, or just go for major arcana! ;)
And as to your earlier point! lets face it, who wouldn't take summon door!
I don't think the Vindicare I plan on playing would have any issue with someone using their weapons. Or trying to use them. Well...maybe not *no* issues, but certainly wouldn't worry about someone in the group doing it. And his skills will be more focused on infiltration and gaining information. Possibly in support of the Adept.
On the other hand, I don't mind being the guy that talks to the local authorities after the destruction to make sure we're welcome back.
If you can cover the mechanical aspects of breaking and entering I think it is a gap in our group. I can open doors but the door will no longer be functioning after my opening. Might be god to have someone who can sneak in and out unseen.
Our Inquisitor can hitch a ride in your head.
The weapons/armor are bio-locked but you can jailbreak them with a sufficiently high check. think its something like a -40 or -60.
Hollowing out the previous owners hands to serve as gloves could also work. but then they leave the method of the the gene-lock gets cracked up the imagination.
It should be noted that Exitus equipment isn't as hard to crack as say, Executor equipment. Though my guess is that she'd be much more interested in Executor pistols.
I was rather thinking that she could've had the heavily modified set as a gift for reaching the rank of Palatine by either the Inquisitor pulling some strings in the Lathe Worlds, or a reward from the High Magos for bringing down a Heretek Cult to justice with the judicious use of jetpacks and gunslinging.
There is truly not a greater gift to be given to a Gunmetallican Seraphim-trained Palatine than using the Exitus Pattern to make a pair of Aquila shaped kill-rays.
Also, I wasn't considering being hella Radical (Although, that hoverboard from Rogue Trader is hilarious), most likely an Istvaanian.
With my 80 PB, roll-based, I only managed to squeeze in a (Really High) BS and Willpower, but I got lots of Fate Points, and I'm going to use them and pass them around occasionally. We definitely would need a 'face' of sorts, and another pistol-weaving character makes a lot of sense to have along. Probably an old acquaintance from Gunmetal City?
Depending on Psyker knowledge, we might be low-ish on combat, with just me and possibly the Tech-priest. Then again, Tech-Priest are famous for 'anything you can do, I can do better' stuff, so we might got it covered.
But, yeah, I'm hoping to bring some purity of sorts to the party, regardless of radicalism levels.
Also, while the Executor Pistol is slighly better in pure damage, it lacks the Accurate Quality, and the absolutely devastating special ammunition option.
Psykers, especially at this point, tend to handle combat pretty well all by themselves. I don't plan on playing either style of character as straight up fight kind of guy.
First version of Rakavet's history. Any issues of screw ups, give me a yell. I haven't done much in the 40k world for a few years now, so...
Crunch is mostly done, but I actually had to do work at work tonight, so I ran out of time. Hopefully will finish up tomorrow.
History:
Born among the Factorums and Titan Bays of Opus Macharius, it was no great shock to anyone when Rakavet Kaldaria was discovered to be Fit For Purpose and inducted into the ranks of the Machine Cult. A strong body combined with a superior mind meant that he was an ideal candidate. Within due course he received the first of the Omnissiah’s gifts, the basic augmentation common to all Tech-Priests, and was assigned to the service of the Legio Venetor, providing maintenance and blessings to the ground forces of the Skiitari.
Rakavet therefore grew up in the shadow of the greatest of the Omnissiah’s bounty, his mightiest avatars of war. Even if too junior to service the great machines he had the privilege of watching the mightiest engines of war take life and walk, heard the talk of their crews and Enginseers; He hoped, one day, to serve on one himself.
During a campaign to retake the War World of Protasia the Legio Venetor was dispatched, in the hope that the Titans would quell any further notions of rebellion through their sheer dominance of the battlefield. With no Titans to face them the only danger lay in the larger defenses. It should have been a simple campaign with no losses.
It therefore came as a shock when rumours reached the main force that the Warlord Titan Sanctus Espiritus had been felled. But the leaders of the expedition didn’t confirm the news. No one was sure what was happening. Until Rakavet and several of his fellows were called into service.
It turned out the Titan had been badly damaged, one leg stuck within a simple enough trap. Essentially Sanctus Espiritus had been lured onto a mineshaft large enough to enclose it’s foot rigged with a huge quantity of explosives on top functioning as a massive mine. The charge was detonated and the Titan’s leg was noc trapped and damaged, unable to pulled out. Skiitari forces guarding the God-Machine were besieged.
And most worryingly, the expedition has been placed in the hands of an Ordo Malleus Inquistor named Copain rather than being left in the hands of the Mechanicus. It was he who had ordered a small cadre of field-ready Tech-Priests to be gathered. He didn’t say why.
A small fleet of Valkyrie transports guarded by Vulture Gunships was dispatched to rescue the downed machine. As they approached it soon became obvious that the defenders had been forced to withdraw into the God-Machine itself. The Titan’s weapons were functional, but ineffective at such close ranges. And around it were the rebel forces and...something else. Writing that made organic eyes weep and cybernetic ones show static. Something horrible.
As they approached, Inquisitor Copain explained what he needed of the Tech-Priests. What was happening below, he claimed, was a summoning ritual. The rebels were attempting to call into being a daemon within the blessed Titan. Worse, they wanted to modify it’s Void Sheilds into the opposite of a Geller Field, creating a patch of the Immaterium in the real world. Copain claimed it was insane, with no chance of success...but Chaos, as he called the enemy, sometimes thrived on the impossible.
If the Titan was tainted, there would be no way to bring it back into Imperial service. It would be lost. And it had to be ensured that the enemy didn’t get it’s might, either - such a Daemon Engine would be a terrible weapon.
Either the Tech=Priests saved Sanctus Espiritus, or they would kill it.
The bulk of the Inquistorial forces were sent to press the rebel. Copain himself attacked the ritual. And Rakavet was one of the Tech-Priests assigned to rig the mighty Titan’s core with enough explosives to reduce it to slag.
It was because of this that Rakavet was spared when the Rebels finally broke through and began to board Sanctus Espiritus. He heard across the Vox as his fellow Tech-Priests tried to fight back or finish the final repairs to bring the leg back online. He heard there screams and there prayers. And he heard, with a sickening finality, the voice of the Princeps as he calmly announced that the cockpit was under attack at that moment.
The explosives set and his task complete, Rakavet attempted to fight his way to continue the repairs, but was wounded and dragged back to a Valkyrie by a retreating defender. In a dazed, pain fuelled nightmare he watched as the transport departed. And therefore saw what rose when the ritual was completed. Sanctus Espiritus stood with a groan of metal and the sickening sound of ripping flesh. The voices of her crew screamed out one last time as the corrupted Titan rose, and that scream kept going, refusing to stop.
Rakavet looked down at the remote in his hand. And he pushed the trigger.
Deep within a core pulsing now with the energies of Chaos the charges detonated. Machine and Daemon-flesh alike were incinerated by a blast as hot as many suns as raw plasma errupted into the machine. And in a flash Sanctus Espiritus, the rebel army and the imperial forces were gone.
Copain was one of the few other survivors of the ordeal. Most of the survivors were Mind-Cleansed, but Rakavet was allowed to retain his knowledge in exchange for service with the Inquisitor. Shaken, he accepted. The encounter had left him questioning much of what he knew. The Inquisition would have answers, although Rakavet doubted they would be pleasant ones.
During his services, Rakavet chose to follow the Omnissiah as an Engine of War, joining the Elite ranks of the Secutors and forging himself into a destroyer. But he kept his mind clear of further augmentation. He had started to question the superiority of the machine over flesh in all things.
As he studied and learned from forbidden archives and strange places, Rakavet came to the conclusion that all past attempts to rid the machine of the weakness of flesh had ended in disaster. Indeed, wasn’t the Omnissiah in his manifestation as the Imperial Emperor considered one of the great heroes? Yet the Iron Men, pure machine beings, had nearly ended humankind.
Equally, the greatest of the machines built now - the vast warships and the Titans - required humans as much as the humans needed them. Rakavet began to conclude that it was not the removal of flesh that made a Tech-Priest closer to understanding, but rather the balance of mortal and eternal machine in one form.
Equally, he began to conclude that acting as priests to Machines wasn’t the only way. Instead of acting like a preacher, begging the machine-spirits for help, was it not wiser to make sure there physical form was perfect? Didn’t the Credo Mechanicus teach that all machine-spirits were the Machine God’s children? Then why were some so stubborn and unwilling to help? Rakavet came to a radical conclusion - that just like an ill patient, in pain and suffering, was often irritable and difficult, so too would a machine whose physical form was not in balance behave improperly.
Therefore, by tending more to the physical condition of the machine the spirit would better serve. Obviously, it would be insane to ignore the machine spirit completely, but the time spent of difficult ritual would be better spent on making sure everyone was perfect.
Thanks to his work with the Inquisition, Rakavet was now ranked as a Magos. But equally, the Mechanicus distrusted him. They had gotten wind of his research into Archeotech long forbidden, and his strange ideas. Although not declared a heretek, the Mechanicus began to view Rakavet with suspicion. This forced him to turn once again to the Inquisition as one of the few organizations that could, and would, support him.
Here is my is an initial stats and advance scheme write-up for my character. I'm still working on a full background write-up, but the basics are that she she works as a roving troubleshooter (often in the literal sense) for a number of Inquisitors and other powers that be in the sector. You've worked before and our newly minted Inquisitor (or one of her fellows) suggested she would be a useful addition to the team you have assembled for this latest mission.
The Grey Lady:
Home World: Schola Progenium
Career Path: Assassin
Path to Ascension: Art of Death
Ascended Career: Vindicare Assassin
It is beginning to Irk me that so many of the more amusing melee combat tricks require you have a high agility.
Having a decent number of Parry/dodge options is deadly necessary when my intention is to stand right next to the nasty things.
Guess I'll just need to hope whatever is hitting me doesn't insta-gib me.
Time to shuffle the books around and look for some awesome armor that is less obvious and clunky than power armor.
Meh. If I just wanted to kill thinks I would have broken down and taken Telekinesis for Force barrage.
That or the Pyro flame ball.
Both gib everything they touch.
I could just use a force blade but I tend to ignore they exist as they are unreasonably potent against so many things.
Fortunately as a Biomancer any attack not immediately lethal is not a concern.
Most things in 40k are unreasonably powerful combat tools. Though in general, killing your enemy is almost always the least efficient way to accomplish goals in 40k games (at higher ranks). It is, however, the easiest.
I have to say, I'm very torn. I keep coming back to my idea for a Vindicare. But having one already submitted, I'm more inclined to lean toward the Desperado. Argh, I'll think about it some more and maybe try to decide soon-ish.
My current idea is actually to start off as a Hive World Scum with an Imposter background. Recruited to do deep cover operations. Eventually becoming a Tyrantine Shadow Agent and being assigned to infiltrate a rogue Inquisitor's crew. His transition package would be Hero of the Inquisition and go into Vindicare Assassin with the idea being that anyone can be taught to shoot a weapon. What an assassin really needs is the will and the patience to hunt their target. It's not the traditional path into Vindicare, but it should end up with a guy that solves problems in a non-direct manner.
His overt role in the group would be PR and cleaning up after the less subtle members. His skills being mostly social and infiltration.
Hitler? We will never use his flower painting overblown vengeance taking mind I this empire. Only the best maniacs will do
More than just heresy
its Extra heretical!
OK, here's the mostly done character. Bar adding the total of each skill + any talent based bonuses into the skill list and any further shopping, it should be done.
I've included what I spent all my points on in Advancement so the GM can double check I haven't screwed the pooch, as it were.
I've also included my shopping list for rare, unusual and Mechanicus only toys for approval.
Traits Fit For Purpose - Add +3 to Will.
Stranger to the Cult - Take a -10 regardin the Imperial Creed, and a -5 on any Fellowship tests involving the Ecclesiarchy.
Credo Omnissiah - Start play the Technical Knock Talent.
Opus Macharius - Add the Bulging Biceps and Light Sleeper Talents at the cost of -5 to Perception..
Mechanicus Implants
- Electro-Graft: Allows access to data ports and certain types of data nets.
- Electoo Inductors: Can be used to emit or siphon power in many ways.
- Respirator Unit: Grants a +20% bonus to resist airborn toxins and gas, contains a vox-synthesiser.
- Cyber-Mantle: Acts as a sub-dermal anchorage point.
- Potentia Coil: Powers the various cybernetic implants of the TechPriest
- Cranial Circuitry: Upgrade to the brain itself.
Outside Looking In -
Soul of Iron - All Interaction Tests against a Magos suffer a -30 penalty. Gains an additional success with Forbidden Lore (Archeotech) or Tech-Use.
Armour Monger - Increases all armour worn by +2 points each day so long as he has an hour to prepare it.
Weapon Talents
Melee Weapon Training (Primitive) - Can use basic melee weapons
Basic Weapon Training (Las) - Can use basic las weapons
Bulging Biceps - Use heavier weapons without the need to brace
Pistol Training (Las) - Can use basic las pistols
Basic Weapon Training (Flame) - Use basic flamers
Heavy Weapon Training (Las) - Use heavy Las based weapons
Exotic Weapon Training (Integrated Ranged Weapons) - Allow the use of intergrated ranged weapons.
Exotic Weapon Training (Integrated Melee Weapons) - Allow the use of intergrated melee weapons.
Melee Weapon Training (Power) - Trained to use Power Weapons,
Tech Priest Talents
Electro Graft Use - +10 to Tech Use, Common Lore and Inquiry tests when connected to a Data Port
Technical Knock - Unjam 1 weapon per turn as a half action.
Feedback Screech - All non-machine, non demonic creatures within 30 feet must pass a Willpower test or lose a half action on their next turn. Can be used every 1d5 rounds.
Lumien Charge - On a successful Toughness test you charge one item. Gain fatigue with each use.
Lumien Blast - Inflict 1d10+WP bonus as energy damage to an enemy within 10m. Gain one level of fatigue with each use.
Mechadendrite (Medicae) - Allows the use of medical-based mechadendrites.
Mechadendrite (Utility) - Allows the use of utility mechadendrites.
Mechadendrite (Gun) - Allows the use of gun mechadendrites.
Machinator Array - Increase strength and toughness by +10. Reduce agility and fellowship by -5. Can no longer swim. Weighs three times as much as a normal human. Can use any one handed pistol or melee weapon with a mechadendrite.
Gun Blessing - Unjam a number of guns equal to intelligence bonus within a 10m radious
Maglev Grace - Levitate for 1d10+TB about 30cm off the floor. Reduces falling damage to 1d10+3 impact. Usable once every 12 hours.
Maglev Transcendance - Levitate for 2d10+TB minutes. Negates all fallin damage.
Luminen Shield - As a full action, create a barrier lasting the same length as TB with a rating equal to half of the toughness bonus. When any attacks hit, roll to see if they are negated. If rolling 1-5 the attack is stopped but the shield collapses, causing fatigue unless a challenging Toughness test is passed..
Luminen Barrier - As Lumien Shield, but uses full Toughness Bonus rather than half.
Call of Iron - Allows the use of the Ferric Lure and Ferric Summons talent.
Energy Cache - No longer gain fatique when using Luminen Talents.
Foresight - Spend 10 minutes contemplating to gain a +10 to next intelligence test.
Others
Light Sleeper - Always assumed to be awake, even when asleep, for the purposes of being surprised or getting up in a hurry.
Sound Constitution - Gain 1 wound. Taken 9 times
The Flesh is Weak (2) - Gain the Machine trait and add armour to all locations equal to the number of times this has been taken.
Total Recall - Recall all minor details.
Jaded - Never gain insanity points from ordinary horrors such as murder.
Master Chirugeon - Gain +10 to all Medicae tests. When treating Heavily or Critically wounded patients, all successes heal 2 points instead of 1. Add +20 to patient’s toughness test to resist limb loss.
Orthoproxy - +20 to resist mind control and interrogation.
Fearless - Immune to fear and pinning, but must pass a willpower test to break off combat.
Armour of Contempt - Reduce all corruption points by 1.
The Power Without - Reduces all Fear levels caused by Xenos by 1, May once per session automatically pass a Forbidden Lore (Xenos) or (Archeotech) with successes equal to intelligence bonus.
Peer (Academics) - +10 to interact with Academics
Peer (Inquisition) - +10 to interact with the Inquisition.
The Power Within - Reduce the Fear levels of psychic powers by 1, may once per session automatically pass Forbidden Lore (Psychers) or (The Warp) with successes equal to Intelligence bonus.
Strong Minded - Reroll failed saves against psychic powers.
Equipment: Las carbine and 2 charge packs, knife, glow lamp, data-slate, Mechanicus robes and vestments (Good Quality Clothing), 10 spare parts (power cells, wires, chronometers etc), vial of Sacred Machine Oil.
Best craftsmanship carapace armour, power axe or power maul, best craftsmanship hellgun, badge of office, auspex, combitool, vox-caster.
Red Dot Laser Sight, 3 x Demolition Kits, Microbead, Stummer, 6 x Screamers, Best Quality Cybernetic Arms, Best Quality Cybernetic Eyes, Concealed Weapon Bionic (Lathe Blade Sword).
Best Buality Hellgun - S/3/# - 1d10+5 Energy - 7 Pen - Clip 30 - Reload 2 Full - 6kg - +20 to hit.
Concealed Lathe Blade - 1d10+7 - 2 Pen - +10 to hit - Power Weapon Resistant.
Best Quality Carapace Armour - Head 5 / Chest 7 / Legs 6 / Arms 6 /
Born among the Facotrums and Titan Bays of Opus Macharius, it was no great shock to anyone when Rakavet Kaldaria was discovered to be Fit For Purpose and inducted into the ranks of the Machine Cult. A strong body combined with a superior mind meant that he was an ideal candidate. Within due course he received the first of the Omnissiah’s gifts, the basic augmentation common to all Tech-Priests, and was assigned to the service of the Legio Venetor, providing maintenance and blessings to the ground forces of the Skiitari.
Rakavet therefore grew up in the shadow of the greatest of the Omnissiah’s bounty, his mightiest avatars of war. Even if too junior to service the great machines he had the privilege of watching the mightiest engines of war take life and walk, heard the talk of their crews and Enginseers; He hoped, one day, to serve on one himself.
During a campaign to retake the War World of Protasia the Legio Venetor was dispatched, in the hope that the Titans would quell any further notions of rebellion through their sheer dominance of the battlefield. With no Titans to face them the only danger lay in the larger defenses. It should have been a simple campaign with no losses.
It therefore came as a shock when rumours reached the main force that the Warlord Titan Sanctus Espiritus had been felled. But the leaders of the expedition didn’t confirm the news. No one was sure what was happening. Until Rakavet and several of his fellows were called into service.
It turned out the Titan had been badly damaged, one leg stuck within a simple enough trap. Essentially Sanctus Espiritus had been lured onto a mineshaft large enough to enclose it’s foot rigged with a huge quantity of explosives on top functioning as a massive mine. The charge was detonated and the Titan’s leg was noc trapped and damaged, unable to pulled out. Skiitari forces guarding the God-Machine were besieged.
And most worryingly, the expedition has been placed in the hands of an Ordo Malleus Inquistor named Copain rather than being left in the hands of the Mechanicus. It was he who had ordered a small cadre of field-ready Tech-Priests to be gathered. He didn’t say why.
A small fleet of Valkyrie transports guarded by Vulture Gunships was dispatched to rescue the downed machine. As they approached it soon became obvious that the defenders had been forced to withdraw into the God-Machine itself. The Titan’s weapons were functional, but ineffective at such close ranges. And around it were the rebel forces and...something else. Writing that made organic eyes weep and cybernetic ones show static. Something horrible.
As they approached, Inquisitor Copain explained what he needed of the Tech-Priests. What was happening below, he claimed, was a summoning ritual. The rebels were attempting to call into being a daemon within the blessed Titan. Worse, they wanted to modify it’s Void Sheilds into the opposite of a Geller Field, creating a patch of the Immaterium in the real world. Copain claimed it was insane, with no chance of success...but Chaos, as he called the enemy, sometimes thrived on the impossible.
If the Titan was tainted, there would be no way to bring it back into Imperial service. It would be lost. And it had to be ensured that the enemy didn’t get it’s might, either - such a Daemon Engine would be a terrible weapon.
Either the Tech=Priests saved Sanctus Espiritus, or they would kill it.
The bulk of the Inquistorial forces were sent to press the rebel. Copain himself attacked the ritual. And Rakavet was one of the Tech-Priests assigned to rig the mighty Titan’s core with enough explosives to reduce it to slag.
It was because of this that Rakavet was spared when the Rebels finally broke through and began to board Sanctus Espiritus. He heard across the Vox as his fellow Tech-Priests tried to fight back or finish the final repairs to bring the leg back online. He heard there screams and there prayers. And he heard, with a sickening finality, the voice of the Princeps as he calmly announced that the cockpit was under attack at that moment.
The explosives set and his task complete, Rakavet attempted to fight his way to continue the repairs, but was wounded and dragged back to a Valkyrie by a retreating defender. In a dazed, pain fuelled nightmare he watched as the transport departed. And therefore saw what rose when the ritual was completed. Sanctus Espiritus stood with a groan of metal and the sickening sound of ripping flesh. The voices of her crew screamed out one last time as the corrupted Titan rose, and that scream kept going, refusing to stop.
Rakavet looked down at the remote in his hand. And he pushed the trigger.
Deep within a core pulsing now with the energies of Chaos the charges detonated. Machine and Daemon-flesh alike were incinerated by a blast as hot as many suns as raw plasma errupted into the machine. And in a flash Sanctus Espiritus, the rebel army and the imperial forces were gone.
Copain was one of the few other survivors of the ordeal. Most of the survivors were Mind-Cleansed, but Rakavet was allowed to retain his knowledge in exchange for service with the Inquisitor. Shaken, he accepted. The encounter had left him questioning much of what he knew. The Inquisition would have answers, although Rakavet doubted they would be pleasant ones.
During his services, Rakavet chose to follow the Omnissiah as an Engine of War, joining the Elite ranks of the Secutors and forging himself into a destroyer. But he kept his mind clear of further augmentation. He had started to question the superiority of the machine over flesh in all things.
As he studied and learned from forbidden archives and strange places, Rakavet came to the conclusion that all past attempts to rid the machine of the weakness of flesh had ended in disaster. Indeed, wasn’t the Omnissiah in his manifestation as the Imperial Emperor considered one of the great heroes? Yet the Iron Men, pure machine beings, had nearly ended humankind.
Equally, the greatest of the machines built now - the vast warships and the Titans - required humans as much as the humans needed them. Rakavet began to conclude that it was not the removal of flesh that made a Tech-Priest closer to understanding, but rather the balance of mortal and eternal machine in one form.
Equally, he began to conclude that acting as priests to Machines wasn’t the only way. Instead of acting like a preacher, begging the machine-spirits for help, was it not wiser to make sure there physical form was perfect? Didn’t the Credo Mechanicus teach that all machine-spirits were the Machine God’s children? Then why were some so stubborn and unwilling to help? Rakavet came to a radical conclusion - that just like an ill patient, in pain and suffering, was often irritable and difficult, so too would a machine whose physical form was not in balance behave improperly.
Therefore, by tending more to the physical condition of the machine the spirit would better serve. Obviously, it would be insane to ignore the machine spirit completely, but the time spent of difficult ritual would be better spent on making sure everyone was perfect.
Thanks to his work with the Inquisition, Rakavet was now ranked as a Magos. But equally, the Mechanicus distrusted him. They had gotten wind of his research into Archeotech long forbidden, and his strange ideas. Although not declared a heretek, the Mechanicus began to view Rakavet with suspicion. This forced him to turn once again to the Inquisition as one of the few organizations that could, and would, support him.
Shopping List:
1 unique
1 near unique
2 Extremely rare
- Good Quality Cortex Implant (Unnatural Intelligence 2, Full coginator, 1d10 insanity)
- Best Quality Intergrated Multi-Laser
3 Very Rare
- Excrutiator Kit
- Good MIU System
Adeptus Mechanicus Only
- Shoulder Mounted Utility Mechadendrite - +10 to tech use
- Sternum Mounted Medicae Mechadendrite - +10 to Medicae use.
- Sternum Mounted Optical Mechadendrite - +10 to all Perception-based tests.
- (Greater) Opus Machina
- Best Quality Dragon Scale Armour
- Enhanced Potential Coil
Play what you like Gaius, whats your story and who you want to have been and be. The medics are a great skill and the biomancer isn't gonna be advertising his abilities to all, you might be split up and/or the medic might get hurt, so with this large a group, its not an issue, but I can see if you don't want to invest in being "The medic" but having it and some bonuses arent a bad thing....Medical knowledge is broad, from mutants to xenos, genes to beats, biology to chymist, (which none of you may have yet, it for making drugs, toxins, chems, etc..)
Point is, do what's best for your PC, I'm not 100% sure I will be able to handle every applicant in this game. Before it was 4,5,6, now its 7 or 8 with the additional interest shown here and by PM...So I'm trying to work things out and hopefully I can fit everyone in, otherwise, I'll have to make some hard decisions.
Worse case scenario, I run two campaigns, just not sure I can handle this number of people for a single game and if you'll be able too as well. I was hoping 6, maybe 7 can work, I have to recount and see who finally makes it to submission and has a complete app, but I promise I won't leave you hanging after having done all the work. I've been in your shoes and hated it, so I'm trying to fit everyone in.
Thanks Bayou, still puzzling him out. Have pmed you a question about 'Seen it all before' as that will have major implications to character build. I will probably take medicae skills anyway, like we said, it can't hurt, the biomancer might need it and I like the way it fits Gaius.
Still trying to factor out how radical and in what way.
Realistically going to be sunday night at least before I can get Gaius up fully.
@Jon
that is a very nice set of spoilers. Think I'm going to steal those spoilers.
@Snowman
I would be sad were I not able to participate in this. Please do keep us informed.
@Lan- Lion cleric
Amusingly my Psyker can down pounds of cocaine with no ill effects.
What with being less attractive than the tech priest I'm reasonably sure I would also be a positively atrocious HR manager.
Perhaps we could chop our battle sister's hands off from some effect or another. Have the tech accidentally give you male size equivalents. Discover they are excellent for choking recalcitrant co-workers.
I was intending to take the poison/drug options specifically because of that little trick.
Jon Garrett, I'm also impressed with the layout you have there. Might be stealing it as well. Very easy to read and follow.
I'll work on my character today and see what I come up with by this evening. I'm sure I'll have decided what to do by then. Normally I'm not this indecisive, honest.
Yea Jon, nice spoiler sheet for DH. The ones I have in my profile are for DW, BC, and others, nothing for DH yet and while I have another standard one on another site, its not as pretty and had been working to change it to fit our needs here...So I'm gonna put them together and make a baby:
Not sure if you all can manipulate and understand spoilers, it should be easy to create titles and edit this post, let me know if you got problems.
Name of PC, and Final Ascension Class
(Here please list starting class and any Alt. Ranks/classes you might have taken over the levels, it will greatly help me in easily recognizing your PCs and history)
Stats::
WS
BS
WP
Int (for example, if you Got Unnat. Int, list it here)
Tgh TB=?? You can list your bonus here in () if you like
Per
ST
AG
Fe
Wounds:
Fate:
Insanity:
Corruption:
Movement: Half , Full , Charge , Run
Skills:
Trained Skills:
(T)
(T)
(T)
(T)
(T)
(T)
(T)
Basic Skills:
(B)
(B)
(B)
(B)
(B)
(B)
(B)
***If you list them in alphabetical order you could mix them up and just put (B) and (T) to indicate the difference. Alternatly, if you like Jons italics, that is ok, just a wee bit harder to differentiate at first glance, but feel free to do that way if you like.
Talents:
Please list your talent and a short description for me if its not a basic/core obvious one. If you got a talent from an alt. class in some other book, then MUST put a description and/or pg./book for reference, it will speed things up and help me easily understand your intentions and actions. Thanks! Example:
Killing Strike (When making all out attack, may spend FP, can't dodge/parry)
Deathwatch training (Auto Confirm RF vs aliens)
Short and sweet is fine. BOJ (Book of Judgement, IH, Inquitsitors Handbook, pg. xxx) If you list its description clearly, then no need for reference..Up to you and what benefits you too.
Traits:
Any starting traits or ones you get from alt. ranks, backgrounds, purhased, cybernetic/implants, etc.
Class and Alt. Rank Abilities:
If you got some special abilities or things you can do, please list those here, from book, history, purhases, etc. Background stuff you might be awarded, etc. List what it is, descript. and/or reference it by book/pg.
History and Background:
Type up your history, if you took any background packages, please list them here and where I can find them/what they do.
Background(s) taken:
***Here list the name, reference it for me, no need for cost, thats in XP section. A short description, just detail the benefits/penalties.
Weapons, Gear, Armor, Ammmo:
Standard Issue:
(List all the stuff you start with and get with your ranks in beginning Ascension packages)
Alt. Rank_______ gives:
(Alt. rank equip/gear)
Acquired:
(Here list anything you got from the free acquisitions I've given you)
***Please list the weapon profile here, by that I mean for example the following:
***Also if you got talents/abilities that add bonuses to damage, range, add weapon qualities, mention them here and add them to the profile, so you don't have to later. You might forget.
Might Shot (+2 Dmg ranged weapons) **Dmg. already added to each weapon.
_____________Ranged Weapons______________
1. Astartes Bolt Pistol Pistol 30m S/3/– 2d10+9 X 5 14 Full Tearing
2. Astartes Bolter with fire selector: Basic 100m S/2/4 2d10+9 X 5 28 Full Tearing
****If you have any attachments, then list them here. I know the wpn qualities, so no need to describe them, but you could if you can't remember each.
******If your weapon is a special pattern and/or has additional abilities/restriction/stuff we should know, then please list that here with the weapon, but when posting, you only need to list the basic profile, not extra stuff that doesn't apply to your actions.
***I add a place here in the wpn profile for (SB) Strength bonus to be added to stats, makes it easier and you can do it before game to make posting the attacks with wpn profile easier.
****Here you may include the base weapon stats, and if you get stuff that adds damage to your melee/ranged attacks or does something else, then add it here into the profile. I'd ask that when you use the weapon in combat, then please cut/paste it here so I can see and its easy for me to calculate stuff.
_____________Armor_____________
***Don't need to list the entire description, just the basics, if its really special, reference it so we can both check it when/if needed.
_____________Gear/Tools/Misc._____________
***Don't need to list the entire description, just the basics, if its really special, reference it so we can both check it when/if needed.
_____________Special Ammo_____________
***Don't need to list the entire description, just the basics, if its really special, reference it so we can both check it when/if needed.
Untouchable 500xp (No need to describe, thats in another place. Here is just for listing the cost. Same goes for everything below)
___________________Characteristic Advances ___________________
***You could list it like John did for each rank if you'd like*****
Weapon Skill
Ballistic Skill
Strength
Toughness
Agility
Intelligence
Perception
Willpower 200xp (Rnk. 3)
Fellowship 200xp (Rank 1)
***If you would like an elite advance, please indicate when/where/how much you paid for it, and hopefully you cleared it with me first on the boards or by PM.
If you like the way Jon did his xp spending, I'm not opposed to that and the math, up to you, just have it organized in some way.
