My very first Warhammer 40k RT character in Inquisitor...

[monkhmer]

My original character from Rogue Trader 40k in the 90s was a simple human eking out a meager existence on a planet which had succumbed to a zombie virus.  The tech level before society collapsed wasn't archaic, nor was it high Imperial either.  After the fall pockets of survivors existed in isolated hamlets with rooftop rope bridges crisscrossing everywhere.  Essentially they had knocked out all of the stairwells to the lower floors of all the buildings and were living only in the top levels with rooftop gardens, solar panels, windmills, etc.

They were beginning to thin the the evergrowing herd of zombies out via sniping so that they could return to the ground and construct a perimeter and begin serious cultivation of crops.

The scant supplies that existed in the relative safety of the upper communities had been gathered slowly over many years.  A few generations have passed but zombie population has never thinned enough to build the wall and clear a perimeter.

There are rumors of demons and possession.  The night sky is often lit by spectacular displays of unnatural lightning and distant fires.  Emergent psykers do exist but are usually adept at hiding their taint.

The culture that has developed is an odd mix of feral and technological.  All in all fairly typical of what one might expect from a world fallen to the Warp.

My character's name was... wait for it... it's uber-cheesy... Rata-tat-tat... named after the sound of the local equivalent of an AK.  In game terms, a simple, effective and highly reliable autogun.

Taking this concept and applying it to the CHARACTER CREATION AND ADVANCE SYSTEM SUPPLEMENT I generate stats.

************************STATS************************
WS: 41   BS: 31   S: 49   T: 41   I: 63   Wp: 32   Sg: 55   Nv: 36   Ld: 52

My 2 rerolls went to Initiative.  Traits were Cool Head (+5 Nv) & Keen Senses (+5 I)

Backgrounds rolled were:  Smuggler and Psyker.  I think I'll opt for Smuggler as in our campaign way back then we eventually encountered rogue Eldar exploring the planet for some reason.  They were nice to us and offered us passage off the planet.

( In the original RT, Eldar weren't quite so reviled by humans or so condescending.  Probably because the existing canon has evolved into its present Imperium-centric view.  Um.. so I don't know where to go with this bit of the concept.  Would it be too implausible for rogue Eldar to ally themselves with Monkeigh? )

Anyway, back to the character.  Assuming the contact with the Eldar was congenial for at least a period of time I elect to take the +10 I representing a further development of reflexes from trying to spar with the preternaturally quick xenos.  And, Lightning Reflexes.  Again, representing experience with the Eldar.

For equipment.  Hmmm... 3 common items... trusty Autogun+bayonet... Flak Armour...
Now, background equipment... Refractor Field and 2 doses of Spur... plus Thick Jacket

   

[DapperAnarchist]

THe background concept is interesting - a world abandoned by the Imperium (tick), with a serious issue (zombies - tick), and a unique response to it (stilt housing - very tick), interesting feral name (tick - I like it...) - but, uhmm, its been a while since I read RT - is the talk of re-rolls and character types a blend of Inquisitor (where the dice roll is secondary to whatshould happen and characters are not types, necessarily) and Rogue Trader?

The equipment is good - a blend of high and low (tick) and a good justification for the skills (tick tick), the stats seem fine, perhaps even too low - I'd have thought a guy named Rata-tat-tat would be a better shot.

Rogue Eldar might well look kindly upon non-Imperial Humans, especially if they are dedicated to fighting Chaos - perhaps this Eldar has some hint of Isha's position as Nurgle's prisoner, and, though he doesn't quite know why, hates Nurgle more than any other?

[MarcoSkoll]

Is the talk of re-rolls and character types...

Nah, it's the "Character Creation and Advancement" system from Fanatic Online 84 - I think.

[DapperAnarchist]

Is that the same as Gav's Random Character Creator from WD days? Or is this something I missed? Is it in your archive?

[Inquisitor Cade]

I generate stats.

Not the way that most of us do it, but each to his own. We tend to choose stats appropriate to the background. As has been said, Bs 31 is pretty low for anyone with any firearms experiance, at all. I'd really concider hanging the generator and boosting it by 10 or so.

I don't know what a thick jacket does, but it sounds plauable. The refractor feild is a step up though, and stand out as odd on him. I'd mension how he came by it. Was it the property of the old guard/PDF officer that raised him/he robed/he looted/he traded with...

[MarcoSkoll]

Is it in your archive?

Certainly. It goes by the name "FO84InqCharacterCreation&Advance.pdf"

[Kaled]

That's not an article I'm a fan of; when it comes to random character generators I much prefer the one that Gav wrote and Derek expanded on (see the 2002 annual and Exterminatus 10) but I'm pretty sure there isn't a pdf version of that one...

[DapperAnarchist]

Well, perhaps certain objects were preserved, especially useful ones and those of religious significance - Rata-tat-tat might be seen by his people as some sort of knight, and granted a religious artifact of power - a refractor field. Course, then it should get a special name. How about something using the word "Sion" - and while some people assume it means it came from some sort of safe zone, it actually just means it was carried by a senior Missionary, and the word has become corrupted....

I'm lucky enough to have the WD with that generator - but Nexus Hive used to have a version of it as an Excel file. Not sure what happened to it...

[monkhmer]

I kind of figured the Refractor Field may be a gift from the Eldar he is associated with.  My other roll for background was psyker, which would have suited the Eldar interest in him, especially if he were a Wyrd but it was Sanctioned Psyker... and therefore didn't suit his origin story.

[Holiad]

A couple of points worth considering as far as the association with Eldar goes-
Firstly, while eldar have recently become much less benevolent towards humanity, they are still generally callous rather than actively spiteful. They will kill any number of humans to save an eldar life, and not feel guilty about it, but not because they feel like it. Therefore, it is entirely acceptable that where a given human was somehow useful to them, they would keep him around, as long as he continued to be useful.
Secondly, they are often acting on the basis of a farseers visions, so their reasons for considering him useful may not be immediately apparent.

[N01H3r3]

A couple of points worth considering as far as the association with Eldar goes-
Firstly, while eldar have recently become much less benevolent towards humanity, they are still generally callous rather than actively spiteful. They will kill any number of humans to save an eldar life, and not feel guilty about it, but not because they feel like it.

Depends on the Eldar, really. Corsairs and other outcasts are less likely to bear the 'ulterior motives' of their Craftworld cousins (though some retain close ties with their homes and do the bidding of its Farseers), and are unbound by the strictures of the Path, so their emotions are unconstrained and experienced freely.

Such Eldar are generally quick to anger, and swift to slay the source of their ire. Dark Eldar are similarly vicious, with additional undertones of immense cruelty.

Similarly, Craftworlders in the throes of the Warsong (that is, ones that've donned their armour and taken up their weapons to march to war) are more of the shoot first, kill the ones asking questions variety - their mindset at the time isn't exactly one of subtle manipulation.

Therefore, it is entirely acceptable that where a given human was somehow useful to them, they would keep him around, as long as he continued to be useful.

Useful, or amusing. Or otherwise interesting. They might not live long, they don't really understand what you're saying, and it's almost impossible to house-train them, but they're occasionally interesting pets. A conversation starter at the very least...

The Eldar of the current background are vicious, self-interested, arrogant, mercurial, passionate, sneaky and manipulative, each to varying degrees dependant upon the individual.

[monkhmer]

A couple of points worth considering as far as the association with Eldar goes-
Firstly, while eldar have recently become much less benevolent towards humanity, they are still generally callous rather than actively spiteful. They will kill any number of humans to save an eldar life, and not feel guilty about it, but not because they feel like it.

Depends on the Eldar, really. Corsairs and other outcasts are less likely to bear the 'ulterior motives' of their Craftworld cousins (though some retain close ties with their homes and do the bidding of its Farseers), and are unbound by the strictures of the Path, so their emotions are unconstrained and experienced freely.

Such Eldar are generally quick to anger, and swift to slay the source of their ire. Dark Eldar are similarly vicious, with additional undertones of immense cruelty.

Similarly, Craftworlders in the throes of the Warsong (that is, ones that've donned their armour and taken up their weapons to march to war) are more of the shoot first, kill the ones asking questions variety - their mindset at the time isn't exactly one of subtle manipulation.

Therefore, it is entirely acceptable that where a given human was somehow useful to them, they would keep him around, as long as he continued to be useful.

Useful, or amusing. Or otherwise interesting. They might not live long, they don't really understand what you're saying, and it's almost impossible to house-train them, but they're occasionally interesting pets. A conversation starter at the very least...

The Eldar of the current background are vicious, self-interested, arrogant, mercurial, passionate, sneaky and manipulative, each to varying degrees dependant upon the individual.

What if I fudged my rolls or used creative license to make the character a Wyrd?  How would an Eldar view a Wyrd Human Psyker?  I guess, as mentioned earlier, it would depend upon the outlook of the Eldar and whether they are Corsairs, Craftworld, etc.

(Do Wyrds manifest in any other species besides Human?)

(An idea for a further thread perhaps..)

[Kaled]

What if I fudged my rolls or used creative license to make the character a Wyrd?

It's your character, you can do what you want with him - you're in a minority (possibly of one!) using a random character so no one is going to complain if you decide to ignore what it says.

[Vladimir]

Agreed. Pretty much everybody here thinks that a cool character is much more important than obaying the dice. Face it, how should we know what rolls you got?

Oh, and excellent character. I'm rather impressed!

[monkhmer]

I'll make him a Wyrd Teleporter.  I think this would definitely pique the interest of Eldar, especially if they had pursued the Warp Spyder path (not that I really know anything about that fluff other than a Goto novel).

Then bump his BS up by 10.

What do you guys think about an Eldar Chainsword and/or Carapace armour?  Maybe a Cameleoline cloak or something else of Eldar make?