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Tech-Priest generator

Started by Shard, April 04, 2012, 09:31:07 AM

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Shard

Conclave,

My flatmate and I thought it was about time we came up with some new generators to accompany the Inquisitor one. There will be more coming covering some other interesting personalities and organisations, but for now here's the latest. Comments, criticism, etc are all welcome!



Mechanicus Manufactorum Version Alpha
By KrakowSam and Shardifier

Gender – Roll 1d100
01-20:   Male. A relative minority of Tech-Priests continue to bother with concrete gender identity as they ascend the ranks.
21-40:   Female. The Mechanicus rarely discriminates on gender lines, and the balance of genders usually approaches 50/50, not that most outsiders can tell.
40-100:   Neither/Both/Unknown/No Longer Applicable. The majority of Tech-Priests who reach any kind of seniority have long passed the point where they can reliably be assigned a gender, if such a concept even matters any more. 

Age – Roll 1d100
01-10:   Young (40-80). The Tech-Priest is relatively young for one of his or her high standing, and may yet have much to prove in the eyes of their peers.
11-40:   Middle Aged (80-250). The Tech-Priest will have begun to make a name for themselves at this age. A few prodigies will have gained substantial recognition.
41-70:   Old (250-500). It is at this age Tech-Priests will have established themselves, with a host of resources, and will likely have accumulated a great deal of specialist knowledge.
71-94:   Venerable (500-1000). By now a Tech-Priest may be (in)famous and have cemented their reputations. They have almost certainly become quite eccentric over their long lives.
95-100:   Ancient (1000+). The few priests that reach their first millennium are alleged to be among the most knowledgeable individuals in the galaxy. However, most reaching their first millennium are quite insane, bereft of their humanity and have become something terrifyingly other.

Genus – Roll 1d100
The four major divisions of senior Tech-Priest. These can be found throughout the Imperium and the holdings of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
01-25:   Magos Master of  technological achievement. A Magos is generally held to have attained mastery in a particular field and usually pursues his specialism single-mindedly.  They are accomplished researchers and what original research and invention is done within the Adeptus Mechanicus is usually conducted by Magi.
26-50:   Logis Logistician, analyst or statistician. A Logis is often regarded as something akin to a soothsayer for his ability to divine future trends and make sense of mountains of information. Though commonly associated with bureaucracy and logistics, their knack for analytics can be lent to almost any discipline imaginable.
51-75:   Genetor Master of genetic manipulation and matters biological. Their influence is subtle but widespread in the domains of Man, as it often falls to them to ensure the multitudes of humanity are fed and free from disease. They are also responsible for the cloning of servitors, workers and warriors, and even for matters relating to Astartes geneseed.
76-100:   Artisan Master of construction and applied engineering. Artisans are responsible for designing and building the advanced structures and machines on which the Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperium rely. Artisans can either work on various advanced projects themselves directly, or they can be in a position to oversee and manage entire factories thronged with servitors and workers.



Specialisms – Roll 1d100
Roll one to three times on the specialisms table. The older a Tech-Priest, the more likely they are to have mastered more than one specialist field, though interesting cross-disciplinary combinations can occasionally be found in high ranking Tech-Priests regardless of age or seniority. 
01-04   Alchemys: Chemistry
05-08   Astrologicus: Astrophysics and Astrology
9-12   Astrographicus: Warp sciences
13-16   Atomus: Particle Physics
17-20   Biologis: Biology
21-24   Cybernetica: Robotics and Bionics
25-28   Cerebrus: Neuroscience
29-32   Dialecta: Linguistics, Semiotics and Communication
33-36   Digitalis: Computer Sciences
37-40   Explorator: Archaeology, Scouting and Exploration
41-44   Extremis: Internal Security
45-48   Investigatus: Advanced military design and construction
49-52   Lexmechanicus: Applied Mathematics
53-56   Mandati: Command and Strategy
57-60   Metallurgicus: Material Sciences
61-64   Orbologis: Planetary Sciences
65-68   Parvus: Nanotechnology
69-72   Physic: Generalised Physics
73-76   Psychologis: Psychology
77-80   Psykana: Psychic Sciences
81-84   Quantus: Quantum physics
85-88   Stella Navis: Starships and Void engineering
89-92   Tempestas: Climate Sciences
93-96   Xenobiologis: Alien biology
97-100   Xenologis: Alien Technology











Philosophy – Roll 1d100
01-20   Ultra-Orthodox: The Tech-Priest is a fanatical adherent to the 16 Universal Laws of the Omnissiah and treats Adeptus Mechanicus Dogma as inerrant and unbreakable. Such an individual would never even study an item of xenos technology or the plans for an A.I., much less build or operate one.
21-50   Orthodox: The Tech-Priest abides rigidly by the 16 Universal Laws and expresses proper disdain for the workings of xenos and the abomination of thinking machines, but may not entirely agree with some less central doctrines and prohibitions.
51-70   Moderate: The Tech-Priest abides by the 16 Universal Laws, and may reject some minor or particularly obstructive dogmas of the Cult Mechanicus. While they would never dabble in xenos technology or AI, they may study such things in order to better learn to combat them.
71-90   Heterodox: The Tech-Priest's beliefs and practises differ from the norms of the Cult Mechanicus, to the point where they may reject such core tenets as the abomination of alien technology. However, if their experiments are non-disruptive or even beneficial, all but very Orthodox Tech-Priests are liable to give the benefit of the doubt... for a while, at least.
91-100   Heretical: The Tech-Priest rejects Mechanicus dogma to the point where they may reject one or more of the 16 Universal Laws. They may frequently dabble in alien technology, AI, reanimation of the dead, Daemonic technology, or they may embrace evil philosophies such as Progress and Innovation.

Office – Roll 1d100
The situation in which the Tech-Priest currently resides. A senior Tech-Priest may have held several varied offices over the course of their career.
01-10   Minor Forge World: The Tech-Priest is at work on a minor Mechanicus world, maintained to exploit a rare resource or take advantage of a lucrative space lane, or simply a world which is slowly growing to prominence.
11-30   Major Forge World: The Tech-Priest operates on one of the Mechanicus' great Forge Worlds, perhaps even Mars itself. It is here the Mechanicus work their greatest wonders, and the best and brightest among their ranks can be found hard at work.
31-50   Imperial World: The Tech-Priest is assigned to a world under the Imperium of Man, assisting the Mechanicus' staunch allies in some capacity.
51-60   Starship: The Tech-Priest is stationed aboard a starship. It could be a naval vessel, a ship of exploration, a rogue trader, or even an Explorator or Astartes vessel.
61-70   Void Installation:  The Tech-Priest is stationed on an orbital or deep space structure. This could be anything from an orbital shipyard to an asteroid base lost in deep space.
71-80   War Zone: The Tech-Priest finds him or herself at the front of one of Man's many wars. Possibly actively involved in the conflict, possibly just caught in the middle of events.
81-90   Frontier: The Tech-Priest works at the fringes of civilised space, posted on evangelical or fact-finding missions to feudal worlds, acting as envoy to non-imperial human powers or simply manning a research outpost or listening station on an isolated and uninhabited planet.
91-100   Other: Who knows where else a Tech-Priest might conceivably end up?



Augmentations - Roll 1d100
Tech-Priests generated by these tables are assumed to be of high status, and can be assumed to have any number of more mundane or 'standard issue' augmentations such as bionic limbs, mechadendrites, electoos etc. Augmentations on this table are dramatic and quite rare, and should be rolled 1 to 3 times.
1-3   Rite of Pure Thought: The Tech-Priest has had a large portion of his organic brain replaced with a cogitator-like device, purging emotion and irrationality and enhancing their intellect.
4-6   Haemonculites: The Tech-Priest is tethered to several specially designed servitors which constantly filter impurities from their vital fluids.
7-9   Rite of Duplessence: The Tech-Priest has had the brain of another Tech-Priest implanted into their body, theoretically doubling their intellect and literally doubling their personalities.
10-12   Rite of Multiplessence: as the Rite of Duplessence, but roll a 1d5. The Tech-Priest is host to that many additional brains.
13-15   Clone Dynasty: The Tech-Priest maintains a legacy of specially grown clones. When a body fails, the priest's brain or consciousness is transferred into a fresh clone.
16-18   Rite of Setesh: The Tech-Priest's ruined body is entombed in an arcane mobile sarcophagus which artificially preserves their life long after they should have perished.
19-21   Scholaris Polypus: The Tech-Priest bristles with dozens of varied mechadendrites, above and beyond even what is usual for one of their kind.
22-24   Cerebrum in Vitro: The Tech-Priest's brain has been removed and emplaced in a resilient mobile container, perhaps supported by a suspensor or on mechanical limbs.
25-27   Cerebrum in Vivo: The Tech-Priest's brain has been removed and emplaced for the forseeable future into some sort of installation. Roll on the Wards and Acquisitions table. The brain is implanted into that object or location.
28-30   The Rite of Potentia Magna: The Tech-Priest has been turned into something akin to a living potentia coil, harnessing vast internal electrical energies which can be leveraged to power devices, or simply smite anyone foolish enough to get in the way.
31-33   Personal Teleportation Unit: The Tech-Priest is host to an emergency teleportation unit capable of short localised 'hops' through the warp.
34-36   Maglev Ascension: Such is the Tech-Priest's mastery over the power of magnetic repulsion that they are capable of limited flight. Metal objects dance at their whim.
37-39   Alternative power sources: The Tech-Priest can sustain themselves and their implants using an unusual or esoteric power sources, be it solar, nuclear, psychic, or something even more unusual.
40-42   Unusual Locomotion: The Tech-Priest has forsaken their organic legs and opted for wheels, treads, suspensors, or something truly bizarre.
43-45   Weapon implants: The Tech-Priest has implanted weapon systems above and beyond the customary las mechadendrite or forearm blade, whether for the purpose of smiting the Omnissiah's enemies or simply out of paranoia.
46-48   Gigas Mechanica: The Tech-Priest has augmented their body to be particularly large, making them giants even when compared to Ogryn and Astartes. 
49-51   In Utero Mechanica: The Tech-Priest has a particularly robust life support system. When completely sealed, this system allows indefinite operation in hostile environments ranging from hard vacuum to molten lava.
52-54   The Rite of Corpora Multiplex: The Tech-Priest has several mechanical or cloned bodies under parallel control. The priest's consciousness resides in one body and controls the others through wireless transmissions, allowing them to potentially be in several places at once.
55-57   The Rite of Corpora Redacta: The Tech-Priest can detach some or all of their body parts at will, controlling them remotely. While this is more commonly done with limbs and sensory devices, one should never underestimate the utility of an independently mobile stomach.
58-60   The Rite of Corpora Modularis: The Tech-Priest's body is modular, allowing new devices to be easily and seamlessly integrated into their form and swapped at will. The success of a new installation depends largely on its sophistication and point of origin.
61-63   Cortex Bibliotecha: The Tech-Priest has a prodigious amount of additional storage space, allowing them to store and access the equivalent contents of multiple datastacks. Of course, such systems can be temperamental.
64-66   Sanguinem Vitae: So advanced is the Tech-Priest's augmented blood that it can regenerate any and all damage in a matter of minutes, rather than hours.
67-69   Omniception: The Tech-Priest has an advanced suite of esoteric artificial senses allowing them to perceive one or more variety of information well outside the human norm, including but not limited to psychic fields, data transmissions, unusual radiations, etc.
70-72   Corpus Gloriosa: The Tech-Priest's body is a thing of aesthetic perfection, whether constructed with the devotion of a renowned artisan or gene-sculpted into a vision of corporeal perfection. Very useful for dealing with those outside the Cult Mechanicus, who set more store in appearances.
73-75   Integral Forcefield: The Tech-Priest has an internal forcefield to protect them from attempts on their life.
76-78   The Rite of the Chimaera: The Tech-Priest's augmented body forsakes almost all conventions of form, with a number and placement of limbs, senses and even heads which is unusual even among the Mechanicus.
79-81   Ecclesia in Mobilis: The Tech-Priest is a veritable walking chapel to the Omnissiah, bedecked with loudhailers, incense burners, holy writs and sacred diagrams, and a cortical implant preloaded with millions of religious rites.
82-84   Bezerker Implant: For reasons perhaps best left unknown, the Tech-Priest is host to a Bezerker device which, upon activation, gives over control of their body to a volatile machine spirit programmed only for destruction and mayhem.
85-87   Specialist Tools: The Tech-Priest is equipped with advanced and finely engineered bionics related to a single specific task.
88-90   The Rite of Crypta Mentis: The Tech-Priest is host to a databank filled with the digitally preserved personality and data readings of long-deceased Tech-Priests who can be summoned up at will for their input into the situation at hand. As with all technology of this nature, the process is temperamental and not without risk to the user's sanity.
91-93   Brainwave Decoder: A particularly rare and temperamental device, this marvel of ancient technology allows the Tech-Priest to non-psychical read the minds of others by remotely decoding brainwaves. Its effectiveness is proven, if extremely erratic and taxing to the user's sanity.
94-96   Domination Array: Utilising pheromones, nanotech viruses, specially modulated soundwaves or any number of other means, the Tech-Priest can exert an unnatural level of control over the weak-willed and feebleminded, making them his willing or unwilling puppets.
97-99   Phylactery: The Tech-Priest has a well-protected organic or mechanical 'backup brain' which stores an imprint of their personality and memories in real time. In the event of their death the imprint can be used to partially or fully reconstruct their minds, though the process is rarely perfect.
100   The Rite of Mortem Somniare: Special implants allow the Tech-Priest to enter a state akin to suspended animation, in which their mind, free of the encumbrances of maintaining a body and cybernetics, may operate at many times its usual speed. Such an ability is not used lightly, as a Tech-Priest can easily go insane from subjective years of accelerated solitude. 

Derangements, Quirks and Eccentricities - 1d100
Roll 1 to 3 times.
01-04   Paranoia: A little paranoia is healthy in the 41st millennium, but the Tech-Priest sees enemies and plots all around them, even where none could conceivably exist.
05-08   Multiple Personalities: The Tech-Priest's mind has fragmented into several distinct personalities. This is a mental derangement distinct from any additional personalities the priest may actually possess due to brain implantation.
9-12   Data Addiction: The Tech-Priest's thirst for knowledge has fallen into an abusive pattern, to the point where they suffer withdrawal if not exposed to fresh stimulus.
13-16   Bibliomania: The Tech-Priest hoards books and data beyond what would be considered normal even for a high ranking member of Mechanicus, their irrational fascination with recorded data driving them to perform outlandish acts to acquire new ones.
17-20   Megalomania: The Tech-Priest's ego is out of control, and they have delusions of grandeur even above their lofty position.
21-24   Sadism: The Tech-Priest is needlessly cruel to other living beings, positively relishing a chance to inflict suffering on those they deem under their power.
25-28   Masochism: At some point in their quest to purge the weaknesses of the flesh the Tech-Priest began to enjoy pain and discomfort, possibly going so far as to intentionally implant themselves with devices designed to inflict torment.
29-32   Mortem Delusion: The Tech-Priest suffers from the persistent delusion that they are dead, and only remain in the material universe by some miracle of technology or warpcraft. They may even go so far as to believe that they are a discorporated phantom or spirit, or that they are literally decaying away to nothing.
33-36   Flesh Loathing: The Tech-Priest has a particular revulsion for the unmodified organic flesh of those outside the Priesthood of Mars, barely concealing a pathological level of disgust and hatred when forced to deal with those outside the Mechanicus, or even lower ranked Tech-Priests who have not yet purged the weakness of flesh.
37-40   Nostalgia: While it is an acknowledged truth that everything was better in the past, the Tech-Priest is unable to escape from their own past glories, behaving as though they were still encountering situations and people from decades or even centuries prior.
41-44   Compulsive Hoarding: The Tech-Priest collects and holds onto vast quantities of various odds and ends. While many are genuinely useful or interesting, they soon become lost in growing mountains of detritus which becomes near impossible to catalogue.
45-48   Carnal Longings: The Tech-Priest has somehow failed to purge or control all the longings of the flesh. While they may now be incapable of acting on their urges physically, they may still pursue bizarre romantic attachments doomed to failure.
49-52   Object Delusion: The Tech-Priest has lost touch with humanity to the point they are unable to perceive living beings as anything other than objects obeying complex mathematical rules, rather than independent entities with desires and wills of their own.
53-56   Voices of the Machine: The Tech-Priest suffers a delusion that machine spirits are literally communicating with them, independent of any datalink or status readout. Such hallucinations even have personalities and may even 'have ideas' which would not have occurred to the Tech-Priest.   
57-60   Arithmomania: The Tech-Priest has a compulsion to enumerate everything they come into contact with. Naturally with augmented intelligence and senses this is not a problem in many cases, but certain situations are so compelling that the Tech-Priest has no choice but to lose themselves in a reverie of calculations.
61-64   Pets: The Tech-Priest has formed a strange attachment to some non-Tech-Priests and take them with them wherever they go, lavishing them with unusual levels of care and attention. Whether the subjects are willing or not is a matter of perspective.
65-68   Manic Episodes: The Tech-Priest undergoes periods of manic activity, which may be triggered or random, and may last anywhere from a few hours to weeks at a stretch.
69-72   Worthless Obsession: While obsessive behaviour is common and even beneficial in a Priest of Mars, this Tech-Priest is known to obsess over something trivial, or even irrational, devoting inordinate time and resources into worthless projects which are doomed to inevitable failure.
73-76   Dream Delusion: The Tech-Priest believes that reality is to a greater or lesser extent simply a dream or simulation, and that consequently nothing is particularly important and that their actions do not have tangible consequences.
77-80   Corpus Delusion: Some part of the Tech-Priest's mind has rejected their augmented body and they believe themselves to be an unmodified (or only slightly modified) human, regardless of how outlandish their situation may have become.
81-84   Omnissiah Complex: The Tech-Priest believes that they receive direct communications from the Omnissiah. They may need to keep this secret or risk being punished for heresy.
85-88   Bloodlust: The Tech-Priest is unusually bellicose, and positively enjoys being in the midst of a heated conflict.
89-92   Wandering Mind: The Tech-Priest's attention flits back and forth across multiple subjects and projects, making dealing with them particularly frustrating.
93-96   Self-Loathing: The Tech-Priest finds themselves repelled by their inhumanity, but are either unable to unwilling to do anything about it, instead simply castigating themselves and putting on bizarre affectations to try to disguise their altered nature.
97-100   Meme Delusion: The Tech-Priest has difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy, and theory from practise. They may believe an abstract concept to be physically real, while something physically tangible may be dismissed as a mere conjecture.





Wards and Acquisitions – Roll 1d100
These are resources which have been placed under the Tech-Priest's control or guidance, or they may be something which they own in their own right. Certain results may only be the result of an appointment, and could not conceivably be owned by a single individual.
01-04   Manufactorum: A complex of foundries, factories and workshops with a respectable workforce and material output.
05-08   Research Laboratory: Either a state of the art personal laboratory or a large manned research facility.
9-12   Archaoetech Vault: A particularly grand collection of relics dating back millennia.
13-16   Librarium: Either a particularly comprehensive personal archive or a manned biblio-complex.
17-20   Cogitator Complex: A large installation of networked cogitators.
21-24   Orbital Installation: These range from small communications or research satellites through to sprawling orbital manufacturing installations.
25-28   Land Leviathan: A titanic land-based vehicle used for industry, research or warfare
29-32   Sea Leviathan: A titanic liquid-based vehicle used for industry, research or warfare
33-36   Air Leviathan: A titanic aircraft used for industry, research or warfare
37-40   System Ship: A small vessel limited to non-warp travel within a star system
41-44   Small Starship: A small warp capable vessel.
45-48   Medium Starship: An average warp capable vessel.
49-52   Large Starship: A particularly large warp capable vessel
53-56   Collosal Starship: A capital ship or equivalent warp capable vessel.
57-60   Habitation Block: A structure housing a huge population of densely packed humanity.
61-64   Palatial Estate: A particularly spacious residence or posting, fit for an Imperial noble.
65-68   Temple: A sizeable temple of the Machine Cult
69-72   Servitors: A sizeable population of servitors, numbering in the hundreds or even thousands.
73-76   Prison: A penal installation housing those charged with crimes against the Imperium or the Adeptus Mechanicus.
77-80   Medical Facility: A hospital, sickbay or triage installation.
81-84   Resource Extraction Facility: A mine, promethium field, solar array or other important resource.
85-88   Communications hub: A Vox or Astropathic installation.
89-92   Fortress: A defensive fortification or weapon installation.
93-96   Administrative complex: A center of government or bureaucracy.
97-100   Exotic: Space Hulk, Xenos Ruins, Spatial Anomaly etc


Van Helser

Excellent stuff.  I expect to use this resource for both Dark Heresy and Inquisitor.  Modelling a Corpora Redacta could be a fun challenge!

Ruaridh

Kaled

#2
Very comprehensive - an impressive piece of work. As it is all background, it could be useful to Dark Heresy and Inquisitor players, so you could add some pictures and it could be released as a nicely formatted Dark Magenta article. Then, once players have generated a character, they could go to the rules for whichever game they're using him in to create an actual  profile.
I like to remember things my own way... Not necessarily the way they happened.

Inquisitor - Blood Bowl - Malifaux - Fairy Meat

Heroka Vendile

great stuff Shard, certainly covers all the angles!
It's all fun and games until someone shoots their own guy with a Graviton gun instead of the MASSIVE SPIDER.
The Order of Krubal
Rewards Of The Enemy

Shard

Thanks everyone - my flatmate started this one off, it was fun going through it all. I think it requires some tweaking here and there, and maybe it could be expanded on in places. Does anyone have any suggestions/criticisms?

There should be more generators in the pipeline which Mark and I both hope will be of use for Dark Heresy/Inquisitor.  :)

Rob.

Dolnikan

Very useful and inspiring, I look forwards to more generators containing even more ideas.
Circles of the wise My attempt at writing something, please comment on it if you have any advise.

Akuro Adenn

This is great- fuel for hundreds of ideas. Though I do have to point out that it is limited in that it only covers rather high ranking Mechanicus priests. Maybe a smaller, less comprehensive set of generators could be made for the lesser ranks? Otherwise, great work. I'm going to be writing up a character after this post- I've got what I feel is pure awesome for a Heretek.