Witch Hunter: Theron Angelis

[horuswaspretty]

I have been working on the stats for my latest character, a with hunter. He has some good abilities and a couple of his stats are quite high but this will be justified in his background. His equipment is also quite basic, apart from the grenades, which both fits with my idea of the character and also, in my opinion, balances the stats.

With regard to his background, I have written it, but its a tad to long at the moment. I am still in the process of cutting it down. Will update this thread with it once its done.

So, let me know what you think!

Witch Hunter Theron Angelis

ws:56  bs:60  s:52  t:54  i:62  wp:71  sg:62  nv:75  ld:59

Equipment:
naval pistol
knuckle dusters
spring brace mounted knife with wither toxin
flak armour on chest, abdomen and groin
shock collar
2 bio-haywire grenades
advanced bionic eyes incorperating psi-tracker

Abilities:
iron will
nerves of steel

[DapperAnarchist]

Hmmm... Interesting. Definitely gives an impression already of a brawler, a dirty fighter... But, as is standard, I would question Nerves of Steel. He never dives for cover? Hmmm... Iron Will is very fitting for a witch hunter though.

[horuswaspretty]

Thats the sort of direction I was going for. He is not a swordsman or fighter, but he has been in his fair share of fights and can give as good as he gets.

I know nerves of steel is questionable, and he is only one of two of my characters (and there are quite a few) who has it. The other has it more due to an invincibility complex. I have given it to Theron to represent his absolute dedication to his mission. He is the sort of person who gets the job done as quickly and in the most simplest way possible. Ducking for cover just to protect his own life would not occur to him, it simply detracts from the mission, if he dies, he dies, dies serving the emperor. For him, there is no more fitting a death.

[Kaled]

I wouldn't call his stats high, but without any background then it's impossible to say whether they're high. Also, every group plays at a slightly different level, so it would be helpful if you could put him in context so we can assess him properly - maybe describe the 'power level' of the people you play against or post statlines of some other characters so we can see how he compares.

[Inquisitor Cade]

Now that's a stat line I can get to grips with.

I surmise thought hat he is some sort of bounty hunter or Inquisitorial agent, and not a member of the inquisition himself. I judge this from the low Ld, the Sg that, while not low per se, is below average for an Inquisitor His combat power might be up there with some inquisitors, but mostly not the front lines types.

His kit though, seems mismatched. I wouldn't have expected a simple bounty hunter to be able to get hold of advanced bionics or a psytracker, but if he were an agent of the inquisition I'd have trhought he'd rate for some snazier combat gear, a shotgun perhaps, with a collection of shells for lethal, non lethal and very lethal take downs. Maybe a grenade launcher with bio-haywire shells, besides some frags. Or a lasgun with under barrel webber might suit him. He might get some special ammo for his hand cannon too, or any spare ammo at all.

[horuswaspretty]

Sorry for the late response, I did type out a reply this morning but for some reason my session timed out and I lost it. Oh well, I found a few minutes to start again now.

@Kaled

I will give you a brief summary of his background. He was an Ensign aboard a Gothic class cruiser which had been requisitioned by an Inquisitor who was hunting a rogue psyker. Somehow the psyker managed to get on board the cruiser, almost destroyed the ship and killed most of its crew etc. By some miracle Theron managed to kill her, but was heavily wounded and lost both his eyes. Basically, to reward him the inquisitor saved his life and gave him bionic eyes. Theron now dedicates his life to hunting psyers. Over time he has become competent, learning many ways to fight them and gathering equipment to aid him. The stats represent him as he is now, a very capable witch hunter.

We try not to have overly powered stats in my gaming group (if you can call 2 people a group!). Stats in the 50's is quite normal, 60's representing being quite competent at a skill, 70's is way above average, and 80+ is very rare.

When I say the stats may be too high I refer more to the mental stats than the physical ones. The combination of Iron Will and high WP, and likewise with Nerves of Steel and high NV. I think they are justified but just wanted to check.

@Inquisitor Cade

Your summary sounds about right. He is pretty much a bounty hunter, who works both off his own back and for Inquisitors or anyone who wants a psyker taking care of.

His background should explain his bionics, but the rest of the kit is supposed to be basic. He only carries the bare minimum he needs. A gun, a weapon, a shock collar, and a couple of grenades, that's all he needs to do the job.

Hope that helps clear up some of the problems.

[DapperAnarchist]

Hmmm... I think several steps need to be put between him meeting an Inquisitor and getting eyes as a mark of gratitude. Its a bit sudden.

[horuswaspretty]

Dont worry, its not sudden, if I put all the details in then it wouldnt be a summary lol 

[horuswaspretty]

any other comments?

[Myriad]

Bio-haywire grenades are a long way off standard - I'd think frag would fit better with the feel of the character anyway.  The statline is a good balanced one, and combines with the kit to give the impression of a brawler, as DapperAnarchist observes.  Even witchhunters are human though, and I'd reserve nerves of steel for characters that simply don't react in the normal fashion to being shot at.

Bionics aren't that rare for guardsmen, so it would only be a minor favour from an inquisitor to arrange bionic eyes, I think.

[Kasthan]

You are going to need a good reason for a Ensign to suddenly change jobs. They would normally be patched up by the Imperial Navy and sent back to work (and maybe given a medal).

As other have said Nerves of Steel are normally reserved for things like Servitors. You could make your own version, for example: he never takes a test unless the shot actually hits. This would represent him being fairly fearless, but having enough sense to get out the way when the bullets etc. start hitting home.

He could learn skills, but just go into a bit more depth especially with the Iron Will ability. 

Myriad suggests a Frag grenade, but I think for a dedicated psyker hunter a psk-out grenade would be quite cool and very fitting.

Have you got a picture of the model, it might allow people to suggest better ideas.

For his stats I would be tempted to raise his WS slightly, and his S and T (not much however by ~5 only).

Please post up his full background, I like the idea for this character.

[horuswaspretty]

Sorry for taking so long, not had much time to work on the background. Its still a WIP as im not happy with it yet, but the main idea is there.

Let me know what you think.

************

Theron Angelis first encountered the Wych aboard the Arjuna, a Gothic class cruiser on which he served as an Ensign. The ship had been requisitioned by Inquisitor Volos to aid in the hunt of the rogue psyker, Taika. As the Inquisitor closed in on his quarry, all signs led to the small hive world of Cartis. Taking a small transport ship, the Inquisitor and his retinue made planet fall.

As soon as the Inquisitors transport was out of communication range Taika made her move. Teleporting directly onto the bridge she took the crew unaware. Before they could draw their weapons a wild tempest surged up around her. Bolts of lightning swirled around her, turning flesh to dust and tearing through bulkheads. As the psychic storm grew in power the very hull of the Arjuna began to twist and groan under the pressure building up inside of her. One by one decks were lost as Taika slowly tore the Arjuna to pieces. As the hull integrity reached critical the remaining crew took up arms against the psyker. They slowly approached the heart of the storm, traversing what was left of the ships corridors.

Taika knew they were there even before they laid eyes on her. She turned her gaze upon crewmen as the storm, answering an unspoken command, intensified around them. Psychic bolts rained down upon them, bringing death to everything they touched. Theron dove into cover as the platform above him collapsed. He dodged the falling debris but was hit by a support him, knocking him to the ground, his naval pistol slipping from his grasp. He dragged himself towards his firearm, blood streaming down his face. As he laid his fingers on the grip of the pistol Taika rose but a finger and a stream of lighting leapt into Theron's eyes. Pain surged around his body as his eyes melted in their sockets. Knowing all was lost he put his faith in the Emperor, with his last ounce of energy he raised his pistol and squeezed the trigger, "Die Wych". The bullet flew effortlessly through the storm and struck Taika directly on her temple. In an instant the maelstrom fell silent as her body slumped to the ground and Theron slipped into unconsciousness.

Over the weeks that followed, Theron was given just enough medical treatment to keep him alive. A voice from the darkness questioned him relentlessly as searing pain was alternated with an uneasy numbness. As the sole survivor of the catastrophe aboard the Arjuna, Inquisitor Volos had great interest in the events leading to Taika's death. Months passed as the Inquisitor used all the methods at his disposal to get to the truth. He eventually accepted what Theron had told him, but how a simple Ensign could take down such a powerful psyker, he did not understand.

Theron woke many days later. As he surveyed his surroundings it took him a few moments to realise he could see, though his vision was somewhat granular. He was chained to a chair in a small, cold cell. He could make out the shape of a figure in the corner of the cell. He strained to make out a face as the shroud of shadows receded and the figure burst in to focus. It was Inquisitor Volos. "It may take some time to adjust to your new eyes. I have a task for you."

Over the next few years Inquisitor Volos had tested him Incessantly. Shaping him into yet another weapon in his arsenal against the psyker. Whether it had been by pure luck, as with Taika, or some innate skill, Theron passed each and every task Volos had set for him. He became a key member of Inquisitor Volos' warband, aiding in the death or capture of many a rogue psyker. He was a highly skilled Wych hunter, and with the equipment the Inquisition gave him access to he was able to track and detain even the most powerful psykers, Theron made himself quite a reputation. This worked to his advantage when Inquisitor Volos was killed by one of his targets.

Since Inquisitor Volos' death, Theron has worked as a bounty hunter, a Wych hunter for hire. Working of his own back, for an Inquistor, or anyone who needs a psyker dealt with.

[Kasthan]

I would be tempted to add some more anti psyker equipment, look in; Lectures On The Wych – pt2

These would be about right:
Litanies of Spite (Exotic): Any psyker wishing to target a character with Litanies of Spite must re-roll their willpower test to cast the power. (Tattoos, cool for a model and fitting for a witch hunter)

Black Charter (Exotic): Psychic characters treat characters that are bearing a Black Charter as if they had the ability "Fearsome". Inquisitors ignore this effect.


Is going to work for the Black Ships? Does he hate/loath psykers (if so all of them or just unsanctioned ones [does he kill them on sight or capture them for the black ships])? How did he see the rogue psyker when he was blind? Does he have standards for who he works for (e.g. illegal cartels that want a psyker caught)? I'd change his starting position to something like chief security officer (just to give him that bit more psychical military background). The response of the crew to the psyker would be fairly immediate, "she's tearing the ship apart send in the stormtroopers".

[Vladimir]

The character seems pretty balanced to me.
Again, the only quibble I can think of is with nerves of Steel- that skill (IIRC) represents a character who will never take cover, ever. They could be shelling him with artillary, and he won't get into a trench. IE, a character with no thought of preserving his own life. THe 'dirty fighter' image I'm getting wouldn't do that... perhaps dodge to represent him diving out of the way of bullets might fit better?

Bio-haywire grenades fit the character, but if he can get them he can probably also get psyk-out grenades.

[Inquisitor Cade]

That puts him as answering directly to, and more importantly being sponsored and equipped by and Inquisitor, so I still think that he should have somthing a bit shinyer. I gave some examples above.

If not then at least he would surely carrly some extra ammo for his pistol, potentially even special purpose ammo.