Traitors path

[Jarrik32]

Ive been thinking about about creating a warband for Inquisitor. However I wanted it to be utterly different to anything else yet still feel at home in the 40k universe.

The warband is led by Devis Thale, an ordos Xenos inquisitor who has gone way off the deep end after he had his faith in the ecclesiarchy is shattered on the fields of Acheron, and then tries to deal with the revelations by throwing himself into his work.

first up is his loyal bodyguard Sgt. Jarrik

Sergeant Jarrik

           WS    BS    S    T    I    Wp    Sg    Nv    Ld
Sgt. Jarrik    56    81    60    65    67    78    59    80    61

Sgt. Jarrik is right handed

Equipment: Boltgun (sickle mag) with attached laser sight and 2 reloads, Laspistol and 1 reload, Sealed suit with built in comm. link (with a helmet mounted rangefinder), knife, average bionic right arm, and average bionic right eye.

Special Abilities: Deadeye Shot, Rock steady aim, force of will, nerves of steel

Biography
To: Censored
Carried by Guild Astropathica (Sol) via meme-wave 3D4~c.122 secure
Path Detail:
Origin: Alpha Centauri Prime, Sol Sub 45672 Origin Date: 007.M42
Received: Censored
Transcript not logged
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Author: Interrogator Rorschen

As you have requested Lord I have compiled a report on Inquisitor Devis's known associates, notably the human male known as 'Jarrik' and the female reputedly called 'Katalina'. However very little verifiable information can be found concerning either, meaning that I have had to fill in the many gaps with reasoned speculation and informed guesses. What is definitely known about 'Sgt. Jarrik' is below with a rough biography to follow.

745.M41 -  Inquisitor Mycath mentions in his personal log recruiting a man called Jarrik who claimed to be an ex-imperial guard sergeant after Jarrik saved his life in unrecorded circumstances.

760.M41 -  Interrogator Tyrus notes in his personal log how Jarrik miraculously survived being shot at almost point blank range by a bolt pistol, It is later discovered that his survival was due to his honorifica imperialis getting in the way and absorbing the bulk of the blast.

769.M41 -  Inquisitor Tyrus notes in his personal log that Sgt. Jarrik had disappeared 3 weeks before his execution of his former mentor Mycath, he states that he will hunt down his former companion even if it takes him a thousand years.

780.M41  -  Reaper (a local term for bounty hunter) Suryet recorded that his target was protected by an armoured figure in the uniform of a guard sergeant

(++ As there is no mention of a 'Sgt. Jarrik' being awarded a honorifica imperialis prior to 760.M41, I searched for others who roughly matched his appearance and found references to another bearer that went by the name of Pvt. Pontius Maelen++)
Pvt. Maelen first appears on imperial records in 739.M41 when he was conscripted into the 5th Hynerian heavy infantry; where he served in Colonel Horns command squad as a coms specialist. During the Katratzi debacle 3 years later his regiment was decimated holding back an almost endless horde of chaos cultists for three days until the few surviving troops were airlifted to safety. It was during this escape that he earned his medal, as he single handedly protected the heavily injured Colonel until a second transport could arrive after the vulture they had been traveling in was shot down by AA fire, what's more he then stayed behind to provide cover fire while it escaped. To this day it is unknown how he managed to escape the planet before exterminatus was declared, let alone received his medal, as records state it was received in person by him.


my reasoning for the high willpower and nerve is that this guy has seen his entire regiment die one by one and has had to listen to their screams over the vox, that sort of thing either makes you (in a manner of speaking) or (more likely) breaks you. Out of character I wanted someone that could stare into the face of hell and not break.

his fairly high BS and advanced gear comes from serving in an elite regiment from a heavily developed world. Out of character I wanted someone who could at least pose a threat to anything without being to powerful.

[precinctomega]

The character looks pretty good for a paramilitary bodyguard type: not an investigator or someone to take in any situation that calls for subtlety, granted, but a perfectly good offering of a character.

However, I do have two other observations.

The first is that, although it's not a hard and fast rule, the Conclave strongly discourages the use of canonical characters in people's background.  This is because you could have your background screwed up if a BL author subsequently writes something to contradict you.  For example, if there's ever a novel about Tyrus, you'd be a bit messed up if it transpired that he never served as an interrogator (not all inquisitors do!).

The second is that I really don't see exactly how this proposed inquisitor is "utterly different to anything else".  I hope I'll find out in due course, because this is one of the coolest thread titles we've had for a while.

R.

[MarcoSkoll]

my reasoning for the high willpower and nerve... <snip> Out of character I wanted someone that could stare into the face of hell and not break.

A lot of people here would argue that he's already broken.

In spite of the name, Nerves of Steel is not a good representation of bravery in the face of fire. It better represents a complete disregard for one's own safety (or an invincibility complex). Not someone who's brave, but who's so cracked as to not feel fear.

Force of Will is pretty similar.

For the most part, mere bravery should be represented only by a high Nv. If you take Nv 80-90, they'll seldom fail Pinning tests (and will autopass with the +20% bonus if they're not actually hit), they'll seldom have trouble with Fearsome opponents - and while they might fail a few tests with Terrifying creatures, Terrifying creatures are nightmare incarnate with the ability to damn you to burn in furnace fires for the rest of eternity. They should cause anyone even slightly sane to falter.

Nerves of Steel and Force of Will are something I think would have been better put in the Exotic Abilities section, as they're more of a sign of a cracked psyche than bravery. (They're also something of a marker of a newcomer to the game).
What I might have put in the regular Abilities section was an ability to re-roll specific types of failed Nv tests, to help represent a greater bravery under certain circumstances than others, but I would have made those rather mutually exclusive.

Also, as a complete aside, that last line has set Tom Petty lyrics going through my head: "You can stand me up at the Gates of Hell, but I won't back down."

his fairly high BS and advanced gear comes from serving in an elite regiment from a heavily developed world.

Fairly high? The highest BS of any of the characters I have is BS 73, and he's a trained gunsmith who's been handling guns since single digit ages.

While BS 81 is not completely unjustifiable, it is not to be considered merely "fairly high".

I would also ask you to think about the bolter. I suggest reading my rambles in this post, this post or this post.
They all largely say the same thing, that while you might justify a weapon as bulky as a bolter as something to carry into a warzone, Inquisitor characters are seldom wandering around expecting combat. They're equipped on the off-chance of combat, but no sane person would constantly hulk around a massive bolter on the improbability that they'll get into a fight (and at that, a fight where a lesser weapon wouldn't do).

I'm not saying that bolters should never make it to the table, but they're the kind of thing Inquisitors would keep in their armouries until they know they're walking into heavy combat* and really need to smack some daemons/heretics/xenos upside the head.

*And most of the time, Inquisitor scenarios are chance encounters. Perhaps they're circumstances that might cause you to get a bit more prepared than normal, but the basic premise of most scenarios is not a reason for a Lock and Load Montage where you strap half the armoury to yourself.

~~~~~

Also, yes - PLEASE give the use of canon characters a miss.

It'll really mess things up for you if GW brings out new canon. (And we've had others who've used Tyrus as part of their background - yet, your two characters will have no idea of each other's existence.)

As a general rule, I'd keep relations with canon characters down to simply the kind of meeting that the canon character wouldn't consider worth remembering.
So, provided it fits with known information, I wouldn't object if you wanted to have one of your characters attend a lecture this "famous Inquisitor" was giving (perhaps they even asked a question or two) - but I wouldn't go much beyond that. Avoid any actual relationships (positive or negative) between the two.

The other thing I'd add is that why do you need to use Tyrus? Why not make up your own (similar) Monodominant Inquisitor - then you've got no chance of stepping on anyone else's toes.

[DapperAnarchist]

And if you create your own Tyrus-alike for the background, then you get to actually make a character you can introduce later, perhaps as a nemesis, perhaps an ally.

[Jarrik32]

okay first up, I've been flicking through my rulebook and noticed that what I thought was a random name was actually something I'd read before. To correct this henceforth Tyrus shall be referred to as Cyrus an equally sociopathic monodominist. On the question of stats, I'll bump down bs and nerve a tad, but I'll keep the skills as he isn't brave so much as suicidal. I'll give him a hellgun while the boltgun can be relegated to the armoury. I may give him a pistol loaded with something appropriate for the few times he HAS to face armoured targets. oh and Cyrus never liked Jarriks liberal streak even when they served together (the RPG to the chest probably didn't help either). He isn't going to be anything but a nemesis.

[Inquisitor Cade]

If you factor his abilities into the mix (I count a combat or shooting ability as the equivalent of +5 to the relevant stat as a rough and ready system) this guy is one of the best shots in the galaxy. I'd suggest a fairly good shot, for a guardsman, would equate to Bs 70 (or 60 including both the skills), which is an 'expert' shot. Given the background you could justify him being better than 'fairly good' but I get the vibe that it is his toughness that is the really impressive thing about him, so I'd bump that up instead.

If you intend FoW and NoS to represent derangement then maybe there should be a bit of frenzy thrown in, or maybe he will not willingly retreat, needing a direct order to do so.

A veteran guardsman with a bolter, while not common, is a viable option. The 40k range of models demonstrates that. Concider though weather he would choose one; sure it has the stopping power, but it is cumbersome difficult to control, and is hard to find ammo for. On the otherhand if war has got to him mentally he may go for the biggest gun in the room over the most practicle, and given his position beside an Inquisitor ammunition is not going to be too much of an issue most of the time. If he does have a bolter though I'd drop his Bs even more. Having a super powerful gun is one thing, being able to hit almost every time with a super powerful gun is another. I'd drop the lasersight too, having a souped up version of a space marine gun is a bit much I think.
Also short of a bolt or plasma pistol you'll struggle to find a handgun that will out do a hellgun against armour.

Sg 59 puts him abouve average for a human (50). Given his origins as a low ranking guardsman I'd have thought it would, if anything be a bit below the average.

[Ynek]

The idea of him changing his name from Maelen to Jarrik intrigues me. It's almost as if he had wanted to distance himself from his past... As if he had something to hide. The plot gives a nice idea as to who the character is, whilst still leaving plenty of doors open for narrative and character development.

Although I will admit that a character with such a high ballistic skill hefting around a bolter raises my eyebrow somewhat. As has already been stated, Inquisitor is a game which typically takes place in the subtle behind-the-scenes warfare that takes place well away from the front lines of war. Therefore, your characters are most likely to be equipped with just what they carry on a day to day basis. (At least, that's the rule of thumb that I tend to employ.)

In saying that, if you can invision Sgt. Jarrik carrying his bolter with him everywhere, then by all means, giving him a bolter is the right thing to do. It's not too much of a stretch of the imagination for a slightly unhinged soldier to serve his time on the front lines with a weapon, and then decide that it must be lucky, and refuse to let it out of his sight.
Or perhaps, the weapon belonged to one of his squad mates, who he was very close friends with, and the weapon is all that he has to remember his old friend by. He feels like if he leaves the weapon behind, it's almost like leaving his friend behind.

I would, however, suggest lowering his ballistic skill to around the 60-70 mark. At BS70 with Rock Steady Aim, he can aim once, effectively bringing him up to BS90, and still be able to move at a walk and not lose his aiming bonus. He would still be a very accurate shot, but just not inhumanly so.

[Jarrik32]

Don't you hate it when an idea sounds really good in your head turns out to suck when you put it down on paper?
meandering aside Ive rejiggered the characters to hopefully make them more at home and more sensible.

Okay first up is the new and improved Sgt. Jarrik, less unhinged and vaguely suicidal disaster waiting to happen and more realistic Hero of the imperium.

Sergeant Jarrik

                    WS    BS    S    T    I     Wp    Sg    Nv    Ld
Sgt. Jarrik    56      79    60   65  67    78    54    77     61

Sgt. Jarrik is right handed

Equipment: Hellgun (Hynerian pattern) with attached laser sight, Revolver with 6 Scorpion rounds as well as 12 rounds, Sealed suit with built in comm. link (with a helmet mounted rangefinder), knife, average bionic right arm, and average bionic right eye.

Special Abilities: Deadeye Shot, Unbreakable will, True grit

Unbreakable will: The character never takes penalties to his nerve or willpower (e.g. if facing a terrifying character).
Scorpion rounds: these ignore a quarter of the targets armour (rare item)
Hellgun (HP):  same as ordinary hellgun except for 30 shots and +6 damage

I left his bs skill high as he has been working with the inquisition for centuries and has had plenty of chances to hone his skills (likewise with deadeye shot), the hellgun was thrown in because while possibly a tad bulky he is a guardsman and more likely to be parted with his right arm than his gun (Which is incidently how he ended up with a bionic right arm) out of character it's because its a hefty gun without being to powerful. As mentioned Nerves of steel and Force of will are more signs of mental illness than bravery, so I came up with Unbreakable will as a less psychotic version but with similar effect. Scorpion rounds are a speciality of Hyneria and were issued to veteran squads to give then an anti-armour edge, Jarrik most likely picked his up on a battlefield and keeps them as a treasured (and useful) possession for use in emergancies.

[RobSkib]

Scorpion rounds: these ignore a quarter of the targets armour (rare item)

Rounded up or rounded down? In 90% of cases, you may find yourself not actually ignoring any armour at all. It's very rare to come across armour 4 or higher in Inquisitor (granted it happens, just not often). It's a fiddly system you've got at the moment - what's a quarter of three? How about five? A good replacement would be to say it ignores half the targets armour (a quarter really isn't that much really, you might as well give the weapon a +1 damage modifier instead) or say that it ignores the first 4 points.

[Kaled]

Hellgun (HP):  same as ordinary hellgun except for 30 shots and +6 damage

What do you mean by an 'ordinary hellgun'?  And +6 damage is a lot... for a hellgun I find that 2D6+4 or 3D6 damage works pretty well.

[MarcoSkoll]

Rather agreed on the Hellgun front. Assuming you're referencing the FO48 Stormtrooper article (the only "official" place I know of which has a hellgun profile), it's already 2D6+3. Adding another 6 on to that, and you go through power armour automatically.

You might want to try looking at my "Revised Inquisitor Armoury". I'm planning on updating to release V5.1 soon, but that's going to be mostly minor rebalancing, simplification and clarifications before I start forging ahead onto other sections.

Lots of lasweapons (quite literally, thousands), as well as a good assortment of revolvers - and with it, more than a few special ammunition variants.

[Jarrik32]

hehe, Thats the problem with inventing weapon variant, balancing is a pain, I shudder to think how difficult it is for GW to balance 40k a competitive game. okay for the scorpion rounds i'll have it as ignore first 4 points of armour, that way they won't be superflous against lightly armoured targets, with a possible -1 or 2 damage to represent over-penetration (i.e. the bullet goes straight through the victem). I haven't played inquisitor yet so i'll stick with an "ordinary" hellgun until I get a better feel for its power. still too used to thinking of lasguns as having the aproximate firepower of a staple gun . p.s. thanks for the constructive criticism and suggestions.

[MarcoSkoll]

Thats the problem with inventing weapon variant, balancing is a pain, I shudder to think how difficult it is for GW to balance 40k a competitive game.

That's the whole point of playtesting. They start by winging the points value, and then they start refining based on test games.

Of course, Inquisitor has less of a requirement for "game balance". Obviously, things should be believable and not outright unfair, but within that, you can do pretty much whatever you like.

with a possible -1 or 2 damage to represent over-penetration (i.e. the bullet goes straight through the victim).

My personal solution to overpenetration with the Revised Armoury's Kraken rounds was that they halved armour, but if the lowest of the D10 for the 3D10 damage roll exceeded the armour value on the location, it was discarded.

Makes them good against tougher armour, but negatively affects them versus lesser armour (and nor can it ever stop it penetrating if it otherwise would have). There was a LOT of mathhammer involved in working out how those dice rolls worked.

Still too used to thinking of lasguns as having the approximate firepower of a staple gun

While it's fun to make jokes like "What do you call a lasgun with a flashlight strapped to it? Twin Linked!", you should perceive them as of similar lethality to modern combat rifles.

[Adlan]

A Lasgun is better than a modern assault rifle:
Doesn't jam
Easier to clean
Ammo can be reloaded from many different sources.
Greater Ammunition capacity for size and weight.

Lasguns are kickarse. I remember a section in a Gaunts ghost novel, where the guard are deployed on a slightly backwards world, and they are in awe of the high tech kit the guard get.

[Inquisitor Cade]

Unless the revolver is one of the very large ones from the revised armoury, the hellgun will be better against armour. I'd suggest you take a look at it and adopt Marco's take on a hellgun (though looking back at it it looks like he's made a few mistakes putting it together) then choose special ammo that is more interesting, say sub-calibre saboted, frangible or supercavitating for the revolver.

How much armour does the sealed suit provide.

Unbreakable will means that he is just as likely to flee from an Orc boy as from a blood thirster. I'd scrap the rule and just give him a really high Nv.