Inquisitor Adorno and Retinue

[Molotov]

I posted these guys up on Warseer whilst the Conclave was down, but I'm taking a little bit of a different tack on these guys. I have a number of questions, so this might be a lengthy post. I'd welcome any feedback you guys may have.

This group comprises three characters - Inquisitor Adorno, the daemonhost Seraphael and the mercenary known as Mourn.

Adorno is a (relatively) young and foolhardy radical Daemonhunter whose philosophical leanings would likely ally him with the Xanthites. Adorno has devoted his Inquisitorial career to mastering the dark arts of sorcery through a combination of forbidden lore, dangerous experimentation and focused willpower. Early in his career, he summoned a daemon from the warp with the intent of interrogating it for knowledge. His inexperience showed when the daemon was able to break through a small gap in his (improperly applied) wardings and possess his body.

After a tumultuous struggle, Adorno was able to force the daemon from his body, though the experience scarred him physically and mentally. Loath to let the daemon go, he bound it into one of his few surviving servants, and has attempted to divine what information he can from it over the years.

Obsessed, driven and intelligent, Adorno has resolved to learn from his earliest mistakes, researching carefully to ensure that he can avoid the pitfalls that so often destroy lesser practioners of the malefic arts. Yet his own arrogance will inevitably be his undoing...


WS 64 | BS 53 | S 55 | T 50 | I 81 | Wp 86 | Sg 91 | Nv 80 | Ld 85
Equipment: Power Sword, Laspistol, Auspex, Pentagrammic Wards, Carapace Armour on chest, mesh on all other locations
Abilities: Inured*, Sorceror**
Spells: Banishment, Confound Daemon, Fireball, Sanctuary.

*Inured: Having had a glimpse into the worst that the Immaterium can offer, he treats Terrifying individuals as fearsome, and fearsomecreatures have no effect. Due to a combination of prior experience and foolhardiness, Adorno gains the Force of Will skill against Daemonic entities.

**Sorceror: Sorcery uses the same mechanics as Psychic Powers detailed in the Inquisitor rulebook, although it uses Sagacity rather than Willpower. However, sorcery is a fragmented and contradictory art; the increased complexity that sorcerors face compared to psykers mean that the difficulty rating of a psychic power is increased by a quarter (so a difficulty 20 power would be difficulty 25 instead).

In order to cast a spell, a sorceror must also be able to speak and gesture freely in order to cast a spell, typically requiring a hand free to do so. Casting a spell is considered to be a speech (or shouting) action that can be heard as normal.



Seraphael

WS 53 | BS 51 | S 52 | T 51 | I 52 | Wp 92 | Sg 100 | Nv 94 | Ld 27
Equipment: None
Special Abilities: Daemonic (Void-Chill), Possessed. Although unarmed, Seraphael's close-combat attacks count as having the following daemonic properties: Daemonbane, Gnawing, Mind-Stealer.
Psychic Powers: Regenerate, Chill of the Grave (Counts as Mesmerism), Bloodfreeze*

*Bloodfreeze (Difficulty 12): Seraphael may use this power on any model within 18 yards that he is already aware of. This is a ranged power, but it does not require line of sight. If the psychic test is successful, the victim takes an Initiative test modified by the amount the psyker passed his psychic test by. If this is failed, the character is hit in D6 random locations exactly as if they had been hit by a webber. The effects stay in place exactly as with a webber, including the D6 damage every turn. As this is not a persistent power, further psychic tests are not required. Characters can attempt to free themselves, though web solvent has no effect.


'Mourn'

WS 60 | BS 41 | S 58 | T 62 | I 58 | WP 54 | SG 25 | NV 45 | LD 65|
(Right-Handed)
Equipment: Pump Action Combat Shotgun (with 24 Scatter Shells), Modified Stubber* with Reload, Knife, Re-Breather,  Armour 5 on Chest, Arms and Groin, Armour 3 on Abdomen, Armour 4 on legs.
Special Abilities: Hip-shooting, True Grit

*Modified Stubber: Count as stubber with Semi (3) as the only fire mode, and with 12 shots.

The warrior known as Mourn was born upon a feral world upon which religious deviancy was rife. The efforts of Imperial Missionaries to impose order upon these deviant tribal superstitions had only limited success. Many attended Ecclesiarchal services and yet still paid their dues to witch-doctors and holy men. The young warrior grew up dedicating his kills to an Emperor figure who was but part of a pantheon, assailed on all sides by mischievous fellows.

In this ignorance and simplicity lies an open-mindedness and acceptance Adorno has found useful - perhaps even welcome. Mourn knows all too well that the universe is a cold and savage place, home to all manner of malevolent creatures that must be crushed by any means necessary.

Though initially unnerved by his transition to civilisation, he has come to thrive, Imperial technology simply providing him with better and better ways to kill. Mourn is fierce and callous, accustomed to death and fully prepared to carry out the Inquisitor's orders - no matter how distasteful or questionable they may seem.

[Kaled]

*Sorceror: Sorcery uses the same mechanics as Psychic Powers detailed in the Inquisitor rulebook, although it uses Sagacity rather than Willpower.

So does Sg take the place of Wp in all circumstances?  So for Psychic Overloads & Risky Actions he loses Sg?  Is he able to nullify other powers as he's not a psyker?

Now, feedback on Adorno suggested that his initiative value was perhaps a little high - I don't think that's too bad, though, as the Inquisitors are the stars of the show, and it helps illustrate Adorno as a "man of action", driven to complete his quests no matter the consequences.

I wouldn't say it was too bad, although personally I'd have gone a touch lower, maybe mid-to-high 70s.

I was unsure that mesh armour was so inappropriate, as I figured that his robes would likely be reinforced - Inquisitors don't tend to be that stupid. I've read about robes and coats being reinforced with mesh armour, and it's even available to gangers in Necromunda so I didn't think it was that far out of his league. I also considered that the Solomon Lok appears to have some sort of carapace breastplate on - and that seemed to emulate the Inquisitor Covenant model somewhat.

Looking at the figure, I'd say that he appears to be wearing robes with carapace armour on at least his chest and legs, probably abdomen & groin too.  As such I'd give him AV5 or 6 to all locations except head and arms which should be AV2 or 3.  If his robes are reinforced with mesh, I wouldn't say they should offer as much protection as a proper suit of mesh armour so I think AV3 should be sufficient.

Whilst his sagacity is high - that's because he's been communing with daemons and has received a great deal of "unholy knowledge".

In that case, I think you should drop his Sg a bit, but with a bonus when he's called to make an Sg test in an area where daemons have supplied him with unholy knowledge.  I generally leave such things up to the GM - so for example if a character is a medical doctor he would use his standard Sg stat most of the time, but if he had to take a Sg test that involved his specialist knowledge I'd petition the GM for a bonus.

Equally, he's had to stare down daemons, so I'm not sure if his NV value is too high.

His Nv looks fine to me, but I don't think he should have Force of Will - if you want him to be very brave, up his Nv a bit.  If you want him to be unafraid of things he's faced before, give him Force of Will only against those beings, or perhaps when facing such beings he treats Terrifying ones as Fearsome and ignores the effect of Fearsome.  You describe him as a young daemonhunter, so he didn't ought to be totally unafraid of anything the galaxy or warp might throw at him just yet.

-> I'd really like some guidance as to how you'd categorise his armour - he has what seems like carapace plates on certain places. We figured that underneath his armour he has some sort of bodysuit. Beyond that, I wasn't totally sure.

He appears to have a carapace chestplate and groin (so call those AV5 or 6), his abdomen just has the bodyglove so I'd probably call that AV3.  His legs appear to have the bodyglove with carapace kneepads so I'd go with AV4 for that.

[Tullio]

I do agree that the frail, mad sorceror archetype is a bit of a cliché - it would certainly be worth explaining where Adorno got his sorcerous knowledge from, since it usually tends to be a case of trial and error for most sorcerers (Explaining the tendancy for physical bad health)

Tullio

[Inquisitor Cade]

I was unsure that mesh armour was so inappropriate, as I figured that his robes would likely be reinforced - Inquisitors don't tend to be that stupid. I've read about robes and coats being reinforced with mesh armour, and it's even available to gangers in Necromunda so I didn't think it was that far out of his league. I also considered that the Solomon Lok appears to have some sort of carapace breastplate on - and that seemed to emulate the Inquisitor Covenant model somewhat.

Whilst his sagacity is high - that's because he's been communing with daemons and has received a great deal of "unholy knowledge". Given that Inquisitor campaigns don't tend to involve characteristic increases, I don't think it's that far out of line. Equally, he's had to stare down daemons, so I'm not sure if his NV value is too high.

I do have to take issue with the idea that "all sorcerors should be frail and fragile" - that's a bit too much of a cliché, don't you think?

You've got me wrong. I'm not  saying mesh is inappropriately high, I'm saying it is too low. His chest should have Av 6 (which you have) but his abdomin and legs, and I'd assume most of his other locations should be Av 5 or 6 too.

I'd argue (along the same lines as Kaled) that Sg should be his intellegence and he should recieve bonuses for areas of knowledge. I tend to think of Sg as about half a characters IQ.

I see you reasoning behind a higher Nv, but agree with Kaled that force of will is over the top.

I didn't say "all sorcerors should be frail and fragile" I'd expect a sorcerer who was also an Inquisitor to be able to handle himself. But Ws 75 makes him an expert swordsman, and S/T 60 would require a dedicated training regime. Clearly he dedicated much time and effort to sorcery, so if he also spends most days working out and practicing swordsmanship then he wouldn't have time to carry out any Inquisitoring.
I'd advocate Ws 60ish, making him a skilled swordsman (an as a secondary concern balancing his powersword) and, given his relative youth a S/T slightly in excess of 50 should be attainable. This would make him about as fit as a professional soldier.

What did you think of the rules for sorcery that I gave. Splitting the rituals over multiple actions seems appropriate and help make it distinct for psykic powers.

If I may talk about Morn, in a feral warrior I would expect a S/T of around the level of 60. If I were you I'd swap Adorno's S and T for Morn's. I recon this would better represent both characters. I might give morn a small Bs boost, or better yet increase it as you play games and the character get experiance using guns.
I still think that you've under done his Sg and Nv. He may be primitive, but is he a moron too? I'd say Sg 40. Why is his Nv so low? it isn't a usual trait in warrior/bodyguard.

I still think you've done a great job with Seraphael. I think blood freeze is really well done. It might be cool if his close combat attacks count as shock weapons (due to cold rather than electricity).

[Kaled]

If I were you I'd swap Adorno's S and T for Morn's. I recon this would better represent both characters.

Agreed, that would seem more appropriate for both characters actually.

[Molotov]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. It's certainly appreciated, and I'll post soon with an in-depth response.

[Molotov]

@ Kaled: Good questions with regards to sorcery. My instinct is that psychic overloads would result in a lose of sagacity - it could perhaps represent him being temporarily stunned or the like. As for nullification, I don't see why they couldn't be nullified, with the clarification that the design team later made with regards to nullification. 

I'm liking the armour values you suggested, though he does have armour on his left arm which might raise it perhaps a little higher than AV3?

I see your point regarding Sagacity and bonuses - it's a good approach. Perhaps I'd drop his sagacity and then give him a bit of a bonus when he's spellcasting?

With regards to the issue of force of will and daemons, I suppose I used the justification because he's been possessed by a daemon before. You could try to say "Why would he fear mere aliens when he's seen what the Immaterium has to offer?" Regardless, I figure I'll rewrite the thing to say that he gains Force of Will against daemonic entities due to a combination of experience and foolhardiness. I've edited the skill as "Inured" - let me know what you reckon to it.

Thanks for your feedback on Mourn's armour as well; I appreciate it.

@ Inquisitor Cade: Ah, apologies for the misunderstanding regarding the armour values.

You raise a perfectly valid point that a person can't be reasonably expected to be proficient in all areas; I've switched the Strength and Toughness values between the two characters as you suggested, though I raised Adorno's toughness just a smidge. I also dropped Adorno's WS by ten points to 64. I'd advocate Ws 60ish, making him a skilled swordsman (an as a secondary concern balancing his powersword) and, given his relative youth a S/T slightly in excess of 50 should be attainable. This would make him about as fit as a professional soldier.

Your suggestions for sorcery are interesting - being able to divide the toughness by the number of actions spent spellcasting is an intriguing suggestion, though I'm not sure which idea I like best.

I'll also boost Mourn's stats somewhat.

As to Seraphael, thanks for the feedback. I hit on the idea of the Daemonhost having themed powers, and I liked the idea of the Daemon's ethereal cold. The Voidchill ability means that there is still a "frostbite" effect, so I don't think I need to give him shock abilities. I'm a little unsure as to how powerful Daemonhosts actually are, but hopefully he's okay.

[Kaled]

As for nullification, I don't see why they couldn't be nullified, with the clarification that the design team later made with regards to nullification.

Yes, I see no reason why his sorcery couldn't be nullified, but what I meant was can he nullify psychic attacks made on him?  I'd say not - he's not a psyker so wouldn't be able to sense the buildup of power directed at him in time to perform a sorcerous incantation or whatever to block it.

[Molotov]

Oh, I see - then yes, I'd agree on that point.

[Inquisitor Cade]

I still think you are doing Mourn an injustice with Sg 25 and Nv less than 50. He is a feral warrior and a body guard, both would point to high Nv's, and I think Sg matches up quite well with IQ/2, so he is by my reckoning, beyond mentally retarded.

I think that the first part of 'injured' fits, but force of will is a different matter. Glimpsing a bloodthirster and being unafraid of them are entirely different.

As for the sorcery as far as I can remember, the full rules I read for it were something like:

A sorcerer can case psychic powers using Sg at double difficulty. He may not concentrate but may spend actions preparing the spell, needing to pass a Sg test with no modifiers each for each action (though he wouldn't know if he failed, maybe the Gm should roll it out of sight depending on how able the players are at not passinf their own knowledge on to their characters). These actions need not be consecutive. Ideally they should all be in the roughly the same place, though I suppose he could draw the runes on paper and lay them out somewhere else (talk to the GM). When finally casting the power the difficulty is divided by the number of actions spent preparing the spell (including the actual casting action).

Adorno is rediculously smart. I'd reduce his Sg to 75, leaving him a genius, and say that he knows much about sorcery, giving him +20 to his Sg for the purposes of sorcery.

[Molotov]

Good feedback. For Mourn, I checked the rulebook and based on P.23's recommendations, what do you reckon to giving him a sagacity of 45 (It suggests that educated citizens are 50-60, and Mourn has seized upon the technology of the Imperium) and a Nv of 60ish (the top end of a "trained Imperial Guardsman")?

Equally, I'll concede that Adorno's sagacity is too high - what about reducing it to ~75? P.23 suggests that "Tech-Adepts and Military Commanders" start at around 80. He's clearly an intelligent individual, and his reckless desire to know more and turn over things best left untouched is what has damned him. I could give him a +X bonus when attempting to cast spells, but then I might fiddle with the difficult levels of the spells he casts.

Talking of spell-casting, your rules aren't so bad but I don't think that spreading it over (effectively) an indefinite number of actions is that good. I'm also not totally convinced on having to pass sagacity tests for every action. Whilst the chance of failing a test is great and important for gameplay, I wouldn't want to make it too difficult to cast spells, or it just becomes pointless. This guy is meant to be quite a gifted sorceror, with some degree of aptitude for the malefic arts. The Dark Heresy rulebook clearly states that those unable to deal with what they unleash quickly succumb.

People, please feel free to chime in as to what rules you consider appropriate for sorcery; I'm interested in how you'd approach the mechanics of the thing. It's meant to be somewhat more difficult than manifesting psychic powers, but I simply don't want it to become prohibitive. It could be reasoned that on the battlefield, Adorno sticks to the spells he is most comfortable with/can control easily.

[Inquisitor Cade]

Fair enough, I was half remembering, half macking it up, and it does have to be viable. Bear in mind that if in practice you split it over 2 actions, you'd have to pass one unmodifies Sg test, and one at the difficulty of the psychic power, that doesn't seen too bad. What if failing one of the earlier test didn't cause an auto miscast when it came to casting the spell, but just meant that the action failed.

Whatever you think is best, I hope it is something that is distinct from psychic powers.

[Molotov]

Dragging this topic back from the grave, I wanted to add this character, who's been rattling around in my brain and on paper for about a month now, ever since I read the "Denounced and Condemned" character archetype in The Radical's Handbook.

What I want to do is create an ex-Sister of Battle who has taken up Xanthite teachings. Whilst I accept this could be contentious among some fans of the Sisters, I really like the idea that Adorno could take in somebody who has lost their faith, the very attribute that defined them from the very start; she would have lost her sense of direction, I suppose, and Adorno could be there to mould her and redirect her to following the Xanthite way.

Such a character wouldn't benefit from Acts of Faith or any such thing - but would have had training as a soldier, which could be useful even now the character is out of Power Armour.

Plus, when I was reading The Inquisitor's Handbook I came across this:

"With His divine grace,
I shall read that which should not be written,
see that which should not be witnessed
and endure that which cannot be borne.
His radience shineth on me,
and my soul shall remain pure."
- First Oath of the Dialogus.

I thought it was deliciously double-edged; as Adorno's apprentice she would read that which should not be written, and see that which should not be seen.

Here's the background I've written up for her (some of it is still very derivative, but it will get changed)

Ophelia Dannica
The work of Theodor Adorno to bend the powers of the warp to the whims of Man is dangerous indeed, and requires agents of unfailing will and vision. Foremost among those who aid his cause is Ophelia Dannica.

Ophelia Dannica was a truly dedicated Sister of her Order; proficient on the field of battle yet diligent at her prayers and devotional rites. There were those who foresaw great things for her; and yet that future was not to pass.

Ophelia was part of a simple deployment to quell a mutant uprising; a simple deployment that quickly escalated into a full-blown daemonic incursion. Reality became a nightmare, as the Sisters turned upon one another; There was always the constant buzzing of half-heard whispers and insectile wings. Only three of the Sisters survived. One died of her grievious injuries, the second was shot dead after she ran through the wards of the hospital with a chainsword. The third was Ophelia Dannica. She was changed by her experience and kept apart from her fellow sisters, who grew concerned for her.

Plagued by dark dreams and nightmarish visions, Ophelia confessed her dreams to her Sisters, begging for relief. To her dismay, the Canoness branded her tainted and accused her of consorting with dark powers. She was subjected to days of questioning and torment in the dungeons of the Convent. Those she considered her closest friends visited her and pleaded for her to confess to her sins. Her entire world was reduced to a blur of pain. She begged for a swift death.

It was then that Inquisitor Adorno arrived at the Convent. Using his Inquisitorial power he retrieved Ophelia from the dungeons and inducted her into his service. She was granted the chance to serve the Emperor again, but was forever denied the right to ever call herself "Sororitas" again.

Her imprisonment and torture at the hands of her Sisters had proven extremely damaging. Faith - the defining attribute of any Battle Sister - had been torn away from her. Over many months, Adorno slowly moulded and shaped her that she might adopt the Xanthite way.

She rarely speaks of her experiences, or the twists of fate that have led her here, but the memories and the dark dreams have never left her. Adorno showed her that her dreams were not a curse, but a valuable tool; that she was destined for great things.

The relationship between Ophelia and Adorno is a complicated one. She is a capable student and a formidable acolyte, having absorbed much of her Master's Xanthite philosophies and fighting with formidable gusto to further his aims. Yet such is the fervor with which she fights that one must wonder if the two are more... intimate.

Doubtlessly on some level the former Sororitas must know that Adorno is damned, and yet she knowingly stands with him. Perhaps she has fallen prey to the fallacy that the ends justify the means; perhaps she harbours some delusion that she can redeem the life of the man who saved her from death.

Here's the model that I've chosen for her:








Basically I'd be keen to hear peoples' views on the plausibility of the character, and any ideas on making her more plausible.

Thanks in advance!

(P.S: I know that Ivixia and Ophelia share a last name - I quite liked it, and so I unashamedly appropriated it.)

[Myriad]

Great model as always - what's it based off?  I notice she's also rejected the sororitas hair cut, a sentiment I wholly endorse.

While the character herself is plausible enough, both her treatment by her order and the effects of it, I do wonder quite what drew an inquisitor's attention to the convent in the first place, let alone to one fallen sister.

[Andy]

It's a lovely model and a great backstory. Fallen sisters give great scope for intrigue.

Will these visions of hers be utilised in game somehow?