Staff Sergeant Silva Abigail Birgen

[N01H3r3]

Essentially, there's a difference between the seal and the rosette.

Huh. I've not really read Dark Heresy, and my Black Library readings are relatively few and far between.
I wasn't entirely sure how much of the seal/rosette dohickey was Abnett riding roughshod over the background and how much of it was really "canonical".

As I said, it's from unpublished background - the background chapters in the original drafts of Dark Heresy weren't used in the final book - but it's a good idea and one I've continued to use regardless.

[Shard]

I have to somewhat echo the feeling that Silva doesn't really seem to have that many downsides, any real flaws aside from being a bit heavy and finding it a bit hard to swim.

Does it matter? It's not as though she's an uber-character as she is. Is that an inferno pistol and force blade built into her arm? Do her bionics give her power-armoured levels of defence? Would it really be that odd to find a veteran Inquisitorial soldier is able to defeat more than just a mangy cultist with a rusty butterknife?   

[Molotov]

I hope Marco would understand that I'm not talking about stats - I'm not saying Inquisitor needs to be rock-paper-scissors. Such simplistic archetypes ("Duellist who is a weak shot, Sniper who is terrible in combat") can be a huge liability in a narrative game like Inquisitor. However, I think we are drawn to characters (and they are certainly more believable characters) because of their flaws, rather than in spite of them.

[Kaled]

As I said, it's from unpublished background - the background chapters in the original drafts of Dark Heresy weren't used in the final book - but it's a good idea and one I've continued to use regardless.

The sections you're thinking of may never have been published, but seals and rosettes and the difference between them are still mentioned in the Dark Heresy books though - in the section of the rulebook dealing with the Inquisition and again in The Inquisitors Handbook.

[MarcoSkoll]

I have to somewhat echo the feeling that Silva doesn't really seem to have that many downsides, any real flaws...

Well, is it that much to suggest that someone who's fought under all kinds of harsh, close-in situations for 20 years and survived them (even if heavily re-built) wouldn't have left any gaping holes in their combat skill set?
But she's not without weaknesses. She might be tough, but she's not got much armour - as she already weighs a lot, she can't really afford the extra weight that would be.

filling her arm with a multitude of weapons such as she has would significantly thin the bionic around the fuel tank to incorporate them all.

I had considered the possibility of fuel tank rupture. But tanks of flammable gas don't suddenly burst into flame when punctured, regardless of what Hollywood seems to think. It would disable the flamer, but not make her explode in a fireball.
Also, I'd note that the same thing could happen with an actual flamer - the fuel tank can get hit. Would I be having a discussion about exploding fuel tanks if I'd given a character an actual hand-held hand flamer?

As for the las weapon if you reduced it down to a digi laser that would be better

I don't really think so. As it is, she might have a theoretically unlimited shot count, but actually using that laspistol beyond one shot a turn does damage to her Injury total.
Anyway, it can be assumed the las-emitter has been in some way cut down in size from a full laspistol. Less frame, magazine and grip, it would be considerably less bulky.

The cynical could view it as another 'gaming bonus' which avoids being called a skill or a talent.

I divide abilities into skills and traits. Skills are mental - something they learned, or part of a characters mindset, so things like Rock Steady Aim, Feint or Fast Draw. Traits are physical - things like Regeneration, or Fearsome.

Often, the split is the same as the Abilities and Exotic Abilities (with exceptions like "Word of the Emperor"). Similarly, the distinction between the two in gameplay is usually non-existent and moot.

Is there a downside to this ability?

Yes. Not in the actual rules, but it more often causes problems than solves them.

They're partners - they're in love. As you can imagine, they'll both go to insane lengths to protect the other, even ignoring objectives to do so. That would be the case with any couple on the table - but these two automatically know if the other is in danger.
At no point can I rationalise "Silva keeps fighting to the objective, because she doesn't know Marco's gone down", because she will always know.

It may be a benefit at times - but as most of the time they'd know roughly where the other was anyway, seldom a big one - and is most often a liability to me as a gamer with objectives to achieve.
If you're thinking of it as a bonus, then remember it can/will confer information it might be "better" for me if it didn't.

and just on a very fluffy note, is cosmetic surgery a big thing in the Grimdark?

Yes. It's half of rejuvenat processes. If you're going to have people who are three hundred appear like they're in their thirties, then you have to do more than just stop them dropping dead of old age.

[Flinty]

I am now going to exit this thread as I think Marco has pretty much addressed my nit-picking queries, especially my personal gaming bug-bear of bound souls

Yes. Not in the actual rules, but it more often causes problems than solves them.

I agree that punctured fuel tanks do not explode - 'hot' bullets dont work, Ive actually tried that one. But, unsurprisingly, I didn't have access to plasma weaponry, so.....

I feel I should apologise if anything I have said has come across in any way as overtly personal  - I think Marco provides such a wealth of detail about his characters that individual preferences will throw up topics for discussion. I think this one got a bit lively in some quarters, but I hope when I get a character worked up enough to post, Im lucky enough to get half as much interest!

Edit: spelling, twice

[Dosdamt]

To put it bluntly, anyone operating with the ultimate authority of the Emperor should not be in some schmaltzy, pink and fluffy wuv bunny relationship, such that, if their partner was put in danger they would disregard what they were doing and immediately head to save that person. I should hope an Inquisitor would be smart enough to ensure that person, if they did exist, never went near the front lines.

Relationships developing between staff members - fine. No issue.

Relationships between Inquisitors and other Inquisitors - plausible.

Relationships between staff and Inquisitors that cripple their ability to operate - NO!

No no no no no.

-Dos

[MarcoSkoll]

Anyone operating with the ultimate authority of the Emperor should not be in some schmaltzy, pink and fluffy wuv bunny relationship

I don't know what kind of relationship you envision, but when one of the partners can warp the laws of physics, and the other is a hybrid of muscle and machine, it is not a "pink and fluffy" one.
They don't immediately disregard anything and everything they're doing if the other goes down - their reaction will depend on the importance of their objective(s) and the likelihood of being able to complete it/them.

Yes, Inquisitors shouldn't be in a relationship. There is however a difference between shouldn't and can't.
Humans aren't always logical beings that do exactly what's most efficient in a given situation - and I find incorporating that half the appeal of roleplay.

I should hope an Inquisitor would be smart enough to ensure that person, if they did exist, never went near the front lines.

Trying to tell an experienced and strong-willed Imperial Guard veteran "Sorry dear, I've got to go out and do something very important that may prove fatal. I want you to stay here and have no impact on the situation whatsoever" probably won't have a very good result.
Silva's more the type who'd listen to "You can come with me, but if I go down, you must keep going, the objective is far more important than I am."

Anyway, to finish with a Firefly quote: "I ain't so afraid of losing something that I ain't gonna try to have it".

[DapperAnarchist]

Inquisitor's should be smart enough not to mess around with Daemons... If they're not going to learn from lessons on that, then why would they avoid relationships? Its not like other, famous, Inquisitors didn't have potentially vulnerable romantic partners (Eisenhorn and his Medicae lover)

[MarcoSkoll]

Or perhaps more relevantly, Eisenhorn's attraction to Bequin who, the ludicrousness of a psyker falling in love with an untouchable aside, he hauled through all kinds of different highly dangerous situations.

[N01H3r3]

Or perhaps more relevantly, Eisenhorn's attraction to Bequin who, the ludicrousness of a psyker falling in love with an untouchable aside, he hauled through all kinds of different highly dangerous situations.

To be fair, he enlisted her services as an Untouchable first, to provide protection from enemy psykers - Ravenor uses Wystan Frauka for essentially the same purpose. Eisenhorn's affection for Bequin on a personal level is at odds with his innate physiological and metaphysical reaction to her nature and presence, certainly, but that seemed to be the point of their relationship as it developed (his feelings are about who she is; his physical reaction is about what she is... two different things) - IMO, a Psyker's reaction to an Untouchable is more like that of an allergic reaction: uncontrollable and physical, rather than a matter of psychology. It will, of course, come with a psychological aspect in its own right, but for two individuals who've known each other a long time and who understand to some extent the nature of psykers and untouchables, I can't see it being an insurmountable obstacle to friendship.

[MarcoSkoll]

To be fair, he enlisted her services as an Untouchable first, to provide protection from enemy psykers

That may be the case, but in the end, he's still ends up taking someone he has feelings for into dangerous situations. I imagine more than a few Inquisitors may have employed someone for other reasons only to fall in love with them - some Inquisitors might then take these people off active duty, but not all will.

IMO, a Psyker's reaction to an Untouchable is more like that of an allergic reaction: uncontrollable and physical, rather than a matter of psychology.

I've always taken Untouchables as psychological - Someone who has never been dishonest, but who you're still suspicious of. Someone who may have always been nice to you, but who you still have to put on a concerted effort to be polite to.

You may know they're honest and pleasant people, but you just can't get your mind off the suspicions. You might even know they're untouchable - but while your conscious mind can tell you that's why you don't accept them, your subconscious just won't listen.
You might be able to be outwardly nice to them if you work at it, but it would take a lot to even argue your subconscious down to indifference rather than irrational distrust.

[N01H3r3]

but it would take a lot to even argue your subconscious down to indifference rather than irrational distrust.

I imagine that, if anyone is capable of telling their subconscious mind to sit down and shut up, it's a telepath. It'd be a dangerous thing to start rooting around in the minds of others if your own isn't under control...

[MarcoSkoll]

I imagine that, if anyone is capable of telling their subconscious mind to sit down and shut up, it's a telepath.

Eisenhorn describes things such as "just bundle her out of the gun-cutter and be done with her" (or words to that effect), which would imply that he can't suppress it (at least not fully) - and at that point, he already suspected she was a blank, so it wasn't like he couldn't've been telling his subconscious to behave.

There may be ways of justifying it (and I have thought about it), but the whole relationship between blank and psyker is inherently part of the "Magic" side of 40k science, and is thus really beyond trying to explain with mundane psychology.

Given that it's most often described as "Hell no", I just stick with that and treat blanks as almost universally hated, especially by psykers.
I do have a character who expressly has an even more limited perception of the warp than a normal human, and who therefore doesn't interact with blanks any differently to mundane humans - but they're hard to connect with at all as a result.

[Inquisitor Cade]

Looking at the pictures, they are at odds with the background and stats that indicate an exceptional strength. You claim artistic licence, but I don't think you can strech it that far. I hope the model of her will represent her muscularity a little better.

Stats:
Ws is appropriate if by reasonably high level you are talking almost, or a low grade, black belt (or equivalent).
Bs is higher than most guardsmen, but still lower than many. You could afford to dock it a bit as shooting isn't her main focus.
S/T are fine but the pictures are wrong, so to speak.
I would be higher, given that her mental strength is quick thinking, esspecially under pressure.
Wp is high for a guardsman, but not particularly for a serious inquisitorial agent
Sg is the stat I think is most out of place. By your own veiw of the stats, Sg 70 (as near as makes no difference) makes her twice as smart as an average joe, and an educated average joe at that. Mid to high 50's would make her stand out amongst non commisioned guardsmen.
The Nv justification sounded sound to me.
Ld seems about right for her ex-rank and for her current position of authoroty but no direct subordinates.

I agree with some that the Arm has too much going for it. They tend to be bulky to begin with, so having one that isn't huge and that still give a high strength shouldn't fit that much gear. Esspecially as the fluff suggests the weapons were added later, meaning they had to find space for them, possibly hollowing parts of it out. I'd cut the flamer, or at least the number of shots.

My other thought was that the reduced organic mass, if significant enough to warrant a rule, should also affect injury total, as she would have a lot less blood to loose etc. I'd say she counts her T as 20% less for purposes of injury total too, but doesn't count damage to bionic parts against it. E.g. her Cncs would be about 25, but damage to her right leg wouldn't increase her damage total.