Pathfinder Characters in Warhammer 40K

[Malthus Krieger]

Hello everyone!

I was thinking about an interesting thought experiment:
How would a group of Pathfinder Characters be able to survive (or maybe even prosper?) in the universe of Warhammer 40K?

I have read threads about the opposite of that (what kind of characters would W40K persons be in PF and such), but this way around seems quite interesting to me.

As people familiar with the Warhammer 40K universe know: It is basically a grim dark SciFi universe on massive steroids. The standard point of comparison with such thought experiments would be the Space Marine. Which is a MASSIVELY genetically enhanced superhuman capable of crushing skulls with one hand and a fighting capability that far exceeds anything normal humans are capable of doing by a longshot. Plus most likely at least several decades and most likely centuries of experience. And that is BEFORE they get clad in their power armor.

Correct me, if I am wrong, but I would sort a regular Space Marine along the lines of a lvl 12 to 15 human fighter (at the very least). As I gathered from several threads over the last years from different discussions and forums, the peak of "normal" human potential lies about lvl 5 to 6, so lvl 12 to 15 seems quite adequate to me for a regular Space Marine.

Long story short, my question is: How would a single PF character (more or less high end, lvl 15 to 20) fare in the universe of Warhammer 40K?

How would a group of such cahracters fare?

Would they have some chance of making some minor difference in the grim dark future of the 41st millenium? Or would they be wiped out near instanteneously?

Looking forward to an interesting exchange.

[Dave Justus]

I don't think there is anyway to say conclusively. Both come from entirely different universes with different physical rules (even if you only consider the 'fluff' and a lot more so if you consider the mechanics as well).

What gives a 15th level Pathfinder fighter the ability to survive a 1000' fall and consider it only a minor inconvenience? Does he keep that ability or does it go away when he goes to the 40k world? Unless you answer 1000s of questions like that you can't give a definitive answer.

And that isn't even considering how different magic is between the two systems.

At the end of the day, the answer is going to be more about how an individual views then two universes and what they desire from a mashup than anything concrete. Just about any answer would be supportable.

[Malthus Krieger]

I get what you are saying, but I am still interested in is the general comparison between the two fictional universes. I know that trying to compare the numbers and the systems isn't going to get conclusive results, but I am still interested in the views/estimations of fans of both universes.

(Oh and by the way, the falling from near orbit rules are not that much out of the way of possibility. There are several accounts of people jumping out of planes, their parachutes not opening and they still survied. But please don't let this thread slip into that kind of discussion. :) )

What I would like to ask is more of a general opinion of people comparing the two situational universes in that specific situation; ergo one person or a group of persons of level 15 to 20 in the Warhammer 40K universe.

But still thanks for your reply. I know that it is quite hard to compare inherently different universes like that, but I still enjoy that kind of virtual exercise.

[Joshua029]

But if you were to pop a Pathfinder adventuring party out of their universe into the 40k universe, there'd be a few distinct things of note.

1: they'd be psychic blanks, casting no shadows in the Warp, limiting the ability of the Chaos gods to perceive them or mess with their heads.

2: Unless their patron deities came with them, Clerics would be cut off from the source of their power, so they'd lose most of their magical abilities.

3: Wielding Arcane magic (especially at higher levels) would give the Pathfinder party the advantage of having abilities not seen before in the 40k universe. Even the ability to teleport around without risk of teleporting into a wall or having your mind scrambled by Warp demons is something virtually non-existent in 40k.

The biggest threat is probably the Imperium, who tend to kill everything that's not status-quo, and declare everything they aren't currently using "heresy". So as awesome as a L20 Sorcerer would be for confronting the forces of the Warp without any significant risk of corruption, the Imperial officers would likely try to kill them before finding that out.

[The Tyger]

Arcane magic? That's a heresy.
Worshiping a god other than The Emperor? That's a heresy.
Elves/Eldar? That's a heresy.
Impersonating an Inquisitor? Oh, you better believe that's a heresy.