This is the first character I've made for the Inquisitor game. I'm not entirely sure if I'll even end up playing the actual game, but I love the lore so much I really wanted to make a character or two. On the chance that I do end up finding someone to play with, I was wondering if anyone would mind giving me some suggestions/opinions. Thanks guys :D
Inquisitor Miritoll Kaiathus
Description: He wears a leather outfit tailored and designed to allow swift movement and a wide range of motion. He wears a thin layer of cloth underneath to avoid having leather rub against his skin 24/7. He wears the symbolic hat of a witch hunter, and smalll pieces of armor cover his shoulders, knees, and elbows. He wears the sigil of the Inquisition on a long chain around his neck. When not in his combat garb, he wears exquisite clothing, though it has all been tailored to allow combat should it arise suddenly. He adheres to the pleasantries that accompanied him during his childhood, though he finds less actual pleasure in them now. He stands at 6’ 2” with a thin—though lean—frame. He is incredibly quick, but his body is not particularly resistant to physical trauma. He has short, black hair and a short beard.. His age numbers ninety-seven, and he carries himself with pride and determination.
As an acolyte, Miritoll learned to be proficient with a sword and as a leader. He also underwent extensive training to refine his natural speed into a functional weapon. He was a bright young man, full of vigor and energy. Following his master's demise, he became much less energetic. His eyes always seem to be gazing into the warp, and only the heat of battle can truly demand his full attention. His hatred for psychers is truly undeniable, as he primarily focuses his efforts on removing them from existence.
Miritoll loves the thrill of battle. His quick reflexes and incredible speed allow him to dance around his opponents. Such conflict is the only instance in which he can loose himself in the moment. In all other things he is stoic and cold, but he is truly himself in battle. The vigor of his early years returns and his eyes grow full of life. His own acolytes are another of the few things he treasures. Those closest to him are Eritus Marridok, an Arbitase cqc gunner, and his daughter Scynthia Kaiathus, a minor null and rifleman. Of course, his weapons are also an invaluable treasure, one he never allows to leave his side.
Background: Miritoll was born on Scintilla, the capital of the Sub-sector Golgenna Reach in the Calixis Sector. He grew up wealthy and well-educated and his parents allowed him to pursue training in swordplay, considering his great interest.
An incident occurred during Miritoll's twenty-third year of age, in which a firefight broke out between an inquisitor's forces and a group of heretics. The young man found himself running to the inquisitor's side before he even realized what he was doing. His first action in the fight saved the life of one of the inquisitor's soldiers, and he managed himself well during the course of the short skirmish. As the last of the scourge fell dead, Miritoll further aided Taira as he lead her troop through the endlessly complex ins and outs of the hive. Through his swift thinking and nimble movement he managed to bring the Inquisition's wrath down upon the corrupted house of Kollix. It was through this shrewd display of martial skill and intellect that earned Miritoll the attention of Inquisitor Taira. His loyalty to the Imperium of Man and his god emperor further won him the position of acolyte.
As an acolyte of the inquisitor Taira, Miritoll's natural skills with the sword and the tongue were sharpened on a daily basis. Whether his blade bathed in a heretic's blood or the splinters of wooden training dummies, it found itself constantly moving. Taira was a hard woman, as one might suspect from an inquisitor, and her instruction was harsh. Of course, this only expedited the growth of Miritoll's skills. He served her for many years, and they grew close. Despite Taira's aggressive nature, she grew fond and trusting of her acolyte. At such a time in which she considered Miritoll ready, Taira called some of her most proximal inquisitor contacts to a meeting. There she requested that Miritoll be lifted to the rank of inquisitor. She called for a short demonstration and let loose a pair crazed mutants onto the floor, which Miritoll summarily executed. She then related the tale of Miritoll's exploits at their first meeting, and those of importance subsequent. "His hatred for the heretic is unyielding, his blade faster than a xenos banshee's, and his love for the emperor is insurmountable." These were her final words of summary regarding Miritoll Kaiathus.
Only a short number of days following Miritoll's ascension to the rank of inquisitor, he lost his master to the hands of a psycher. The heretic had managed to catch her unaware and let loose an incredibly powerful attack. Miritoll arrived too late, and the woman he had such adoration for, now lay dead before him. In a rage he tore the psycher limb from limb, and his mind and heart grew cold towards such children of the warp.
As such, he and his men serve the Ordo Hereticus faithfully in the pursuit and execution of heretic psychers. His daring in combat and kindness towards those who follow him has earned him the adoration of his soldiers, and they know he would die to protect them. Such is the nature of a man who refuses to lose those he loves a second time.
Equipment: Chain Sword, refractor field, psi-tracker, bio-scanner, and a las-pistol (20 shots, 2 reload, silenced, E range, 3d6-1, single/semi (2) low/mid, 20 enc)
Abilities: Leader, Acrobatic, Feint, First Strike,
Stats: WS:70 BS:60 S:56 T:52 I:72 WP:68 SG:65 NV:68 LD:75 Spd.:5
Firstly, traditional yellow
WELCOME TO THE CONCLAVELet's take a look:
QuoteWears a long black coat, no hat or helmet, and rarely finds different clothing. He stands at 6' 2" with a thin—though lean—frame. He is incredibly quick, but his body is not particularly resistant to physical trauma. He has short, black hair and no facial hair.
Fine so far, fixed a typo.
QuoteHis age numbers thirty-two
The second early-30s Inquisitor this week! Blimey, they're getting younger and younger. Seriously, this is too young. To quote myself from another thread:
Quote from: meSomething I've come across is the idea that giving a 40-year-old the authority an Inquisitorial seal represents is like putting a small child in the White House
And to quote Marco:
Quote from: MarcoSkollBear in mind, this is the highest authority possible - when we look at how few youngsters reach high political office (some constitutions even forbid it), it's not really likely that they'll hand Inquisitorial seals to individuals not deemed experienced.
Few Inquisitors will want to have agents who are not at least into young adulthood - they're not emotionally mature enough yet; It then takes a while for their potential to be a worthwhile apprentice to show through - even Inquisitors cannot evaluate someone in the short time some backgrounds have people taken on directly as apprentices in; Then there's a fairly long apprenticeship... at the end of which, the apprentice has to be vetted by three Inquisitors (one of whom can be their mentor, so that requires two other Inquisitors to be prepared to stake their reputations) before they achieve the rank.
It's not really plausible to get a short cut. Less than 40 is unlikely*, and most will be considerably older (which isn't a great problem when rejuvenat can slow the ageing process by a factor of four or five quite easily - being 80 when you've been on rejuve for several decades of that isn't even really middle aged yet).
With that said, let's move on.
QuoteSome say he's taken the title of untouchable to heart, as he often acts as though he believe himself to be invincible. His eyes also have a tendency to look dead or inattentive, as though there were no soul behind them. Of course, some believe that that is the very case for a pariah. Regardless, emotion is not a staple of Eritus' personality.
I don't imagine there are many Untouchables that ever attain a real measure of status. Most if not all Inquisitors would admittedly want to find one, but that would be either to kill them for being mutants (or just plain
wrong), or to make use of their unique "nature". Keep in mind that Untouchables tend to incite at the very least distraction, and at the very worst outright loathing, in everyone around them. This is not, I think, the sort of person that would make it to the rank of Inquisitor.
It might actually be worth splitting Eritus into two characters: an Inquisitor (possibly even Miritoll?) and an Untouchable acolyte (Eritus).
QuoteHe learned the majority of his skills from another inquisitor, and gained his pistol from the same man. His sword he acquired from a black market dealer he had executed moments before relieving him of the fine weapon.
A bit short and nondescript, but ultimately not a huge issue.
QuoteBeing an inquisitor, he knows a great many things regarding the secrets of the Imperium. However, his schooling was cut short due to his transfer to the guardianship of an Inquisitor. As such, he is not as educated as some of the sharper Inquisitors. He is still rather intelligent.
You're forgetting that by and large, education in the Imperium is a privilege, not a right -- and in any case there is nothing stopping an Inquisitor from giving his acolytes the means to learn things. Sure, he may not be able to do differential calculus, but he doesn't need to know that, whereas critical thinking is an infinitely more likely skill for him to have either learned or been taught. Keep in mind as well that there are things called hypno-casques
(source: Inquisition War trilogy), which let you learn things like an entirely new dialect of Gothic: put it on when you go to sleep and you're fluent by the time you wake up.
QuoteHe continues to live on Scintilla
Appreciate that Scintilla is more or less "given to us" as something we can use as we see fit, but be careful with the canon/fanon disconnect inherent in using someone else's worlds -- and in any case Inquisitors are unlikely to "live" anywhere; they're more likely to have different bases of operations and spend loads of time on the job. (In theory.)
QuoteHe's made a great many enemies in his years, though he cares very little to remember who they are.
Oh dear, he's only 32 and already growing forgetful! If he were a few decades, even a century older, this wouldn't be a problem.
QuoteIn theory, his greatest threat should be the psychers he so religiously pursues, but they actually present very little danger, given his ability to disrupt the warp.
Again... see above regarding Untouchable Inquisitors.
QuoteEritus loves the thrill of battle. His quick reflexes and incredible speed allow him to dance around his opponents, and he loves it.
So he's a mild version of a Blood Knight (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BloodKnight). Not a massive problem.
Background in general could do with a bit more padding -- keep in mind that Untouchables are as likely to be feared and reviled by reputation as they are by their nature. Expand a bit on Eritus' dealings with Miritoll, as this is important business.
With regard to his game profile, I'll take a look at the stats first:
QuoteStats: WS:98 BS:60 S:60 T:56 I:90 WP:71 SG:75 NV:85 LD:83 Spd.:6
There is literally no reason for him to have WS 98 or I 90. WS 98 in particular means that this 32-year-old man is two steps away from the pinnacle of human achievement in close combat -- to the point where one has to wonder why he isn't a Temple Assassin. Consider also that you've paired that WS up with Feint and First Strike, and a power sword of all things. You could easily drop his WS by 30 points without sacrificing the image of Eritus being good at close combat (and it's not every day that I get to say that about such a massive stat-drop); auto-passing his hit rolls is not pleasant, whereas WS 68 would still allow you to emphasise his solid melee skills. Similarly, his Initiative could go down by 20 points and he'd still be respectably agile.
Have a look at this page on the Carthax Wiki (http://carthax.wikispaces.com/Creating+Characters); these days, the general attitude towards character design is "less powerful can be more fun", and as such we tend to disregard the character profiles in the second half of the rulebook in favour of the stat guidelines in the front of the first half (which themselves saw a bit of expansion on the Carthax Wiki).
Quote
Abilities: Leader, Acrobatic, Feint, First Strike, Pariah Gene-Negative presence in the warp
Which version of the Pariah Gene rules are you using? It's extremely unlikely that an Untouchable would have Leader, as they inspire revulsion rather than loyalty. In context, Acrobatic, Feint and First Strike are fine, but perhaps a little overpowering with the power sword (and very overpowering with WS 98 and I 90).
QuoteEquipment: Power sword, inferno pistol, carapace armor, refractor field, psi-tracker, and a bio-scanner.
This is a bit monstrous. Does he need any of these? A chainsword would be a slightly friendlier option than a power sword (without limiting an Inquisitor to the same kind of mundane sword that Billy the Feudal World Vagabond might have).
Inferno pistols are not only ridiculously powerful at short range, but they're also horrendously impractical weapons -- low shot capacity, long reload times, crappy range, and the fact that they're a pain in the fundament to maintain. Without knowing the scale of Eritus' support network I'd be tempted to go for a really blingy laspistol instead of the inferno pistol -- if nothing else, he can fire it more than three times in a game.
With regard to the protection he uses... generally, I go with either armour or the force field. Sometimes neither. Rarely both. (If I do go with both, the armour's about 1 or 2 points' worth so it barely counts.) As it stands, not only do you have one of the most destructive human swordsmen in the galaxy, but he's also highly resistant to most small arms (and possibly immune to them if they're using the rulebook profiles).
Finally, the psi-tracker makes little sense as he's an Untouchable -- it's not likely to work around him, for the same reason that psychic powers generally fail in his presence. :P
Firstly, and I'm afraid this might sound pretty harsh...
... I really do NOT like Pariah Inquisitors. Their mutation makes them exceptionally unliked, untrusted and constantly under suspicion from all those around them, an unconscious reaction forced onto people by the sheer revulsion that the negative
Many Pariahs do not live to maturity - it's common they get lynched in the street; ironically, often because people think they're psykers.
Becoming an Inquisitor requires a character to be trusted enough by their mentor to believe they are worth entrusting the secrets of the Inquisition to - then they have years worth of training still to get through (and remember, they'll instil hatred in all, and are at greater risk than others in the Inquisition - talking their way out of a situation will be very hard). It then requires two other Inquisitors (along with their mentor) to be willing to stake their reputations on the individual in order that they get their full and final promotion.
A pariah becoming an Inquisitor is therefore highly unlikely.
I have heard one way to go about it I like, but it's very hard to justify. As a general rule, Inquisitors might employ Pariahs, but are not Pariahs themselves. (Very much more minor levels of psychic negativity may however occur on occasion).
As Koval says, splitting him into two characters is probably far better.
~~~~~
To move on... 32 years old is too young really. Koval's already said that (and that's overlooking the disadvantage he'd have in progressing as a psychic negative in the first place).
It's quite alright for him to be 75, 92 or 156 years old (yet still be, in physical terms, in their 30s), because the wealthy and powerful in the Imperium have access to the rejuvenat drugs and processes that allow that kind of thing.
~~~~~
His father, even as a member of the Arbites, is unlikely to know much about Psy-negatives. While they're fairly common knowledge to us as players, they are seriously rare. We're talking one in billions. How many "one in a billion" medical conditions do you expect the average modern police officer knows about?
~~~~~
One more thing... what's his full name?
~~~~~
Now, to get on to the profile... by what we refer to as the "Conclave Standard", he is unbelievably powerful. The Standard has generally moved away from the stat generators in the rulebook, as these frequently produce stats that, by the rulebooks' own descriptions at the front, do not make sense.
Of course, the standard is not the only way to play, but we've taken to it because we have the consensus that it's generally a more fulfilling way to play.
What's the point in always succeeding? It's more fun if there's chance in the game, it's more tense if you don't know something will work...
The powerful sword, powerful gun, lots of armour, energy field, WS 98, I 90, complete resistance to psychic powers... these do not add up to a character who has any real weaknesses.
Regarding the stats in the 90s - counting only human characters, throughout my entire (and pretty large) collection, I have two stats of 90 - a Death Cultist's Initiative and a mind wiped psyker's Nv (having who has almost no fear, because he has very little left to lose).
For my collection, any stats above 90 are only on super human characters - a Space Marine's S116, a Wraithguard's S180 and a mutant's Nv 120 (her mutation is - or appears to be - an inability to stay dead).
So, I would genuinely consider dropping a lot of the stats by a big margin - as Koval says, 30 points off his WS would still leave him quite the swordsman (particularly with the benefits of such a dangerous sword). An Inquisitor is unlikely to be the best fighter in his entourage - he has other things to deal with and other places it's important to specialise (although knowing how to handle himself is almost a necessity)... Staff Sergeant Max Fightmaster* doesn't.
*The manliest real name ever - yes, someone called Staff Sergeant Max Fightmaster actually exists, although he's only part of a technical computey type unit, unfortunately.
It's also the case that his Pariah gene makes the Leader and Ld 85 unlikely - nobody will like him or trust him that much - and the Psi-tracker almost certainly shouldn't work (even in the rules - as it is using a psychic power, it has to suffer the penalty for being close to him). I'm afraid he'll have to sniff those psykers out another way.
My (presently) only psychic Inquisitor has a similar problem with his aethyric compass. Much like a magnetic compass points towards magnetic fields, it determines "field lines" for the warp - problem is, as far as it's concerned, he's a bit like putting it next to a magnet.
~~~~~
Now, that probably all sounds very harsh, but I really don't want to put you off.
Split into two characters - a psyker hunting Inquisitor plus his Pariah agent, along with some scaling back of the stat lines and equipment, things could work out very well. However, as he is, he really is a master of all trades and won't be as interesting to play - or play against - as more balanced characters.
But, if you want, what you've got is not impossible to play with... but probably not as fulfilling as it could be!
Thanks for the responses and welcomes, guys! In truth, I'm relatively new to the scene as far as the entirety of Warhammer 40k Lore goes, since there's an absolute ton of it, and I've only just come across this game. As such, I expected some of this stuff to not add up, so don't worry about being harsh. It's unfortunate that a pariah inquisitor is not a very feasible thing, as that's really what I wanted to base his personality on, but I suppose splitting them into two characters would still make for an interesting endeavor.
On the age issue, I was totally un-aware of the age at which someone might become an inquisitor, so that was pretty much just an arbitrary number. I was also not aware that anti-aging stimulants existed, though I figured there was something of that nature. I'd be happy to increase his age significantly in light of this.
In regards to his power, I was afraid he might end up being too potent. I was working off of the stat charts from the manual working between their inquisitor and space marine characters and placing Eritus where I wanted him in respect to those characters. I'll check that thread out and adjust them. I can work on his equipment as well. I had actually decided what equipment I wanted for him long before I even took to the charts, so I didn't realize how powerful they were, haha. As far as the Pariah bit goes, I couldn't actually find any rules, just a lore mention in the handbook. Also, the book said that all Inquisitors automatically have the skill, "Leader," so I put it on there. I also was not aware that the psi-tracker operated with psychic power, so I'll scratch that off.
Also, one last thing, how does a pariah generally go about being discovered?
Again, thanks for the input. I'll try fixing some stuff!
Quote from: Inquisitor Eritus on August 28, 2013, 03:06:19 PMIt's unfortunate that a pariah inquisitor is not a very feasible thing, as that's really what I wanted to base his personality on
To elaborate on Pariahs, see the "Inquisitor PDFs" thread (either at the top of the section, or linked via my signature) - this includes almost all the "official" GW released rules for Inquisitor. The file you want is "SgtBlack.pdf" (or something like that, I renamed some of the files at some point to make them more identifiable) - it's in either the "Mega Bulk Pack", Specialist Games site bulk pack or loose in the Specialist Games folder.
Personally, I suggest downloading the lot via the Mega Bulk pack. It's a big file, but it's a lot of material.
To summarise though, their name is somewhat descriptive. They are not liked. They're such constant sucking drain on the warp around them that even an average human, with only the slightest awareness of the warp, can subconsciously perceive it - they can't work out what is wrong, but they have an overriding gut instinct of hate for this person.
To be honest, Pariahs not generally being nice people doesn't help either. They've been discriminated against for their entire life and can't perceive any reason why - so they tend to develop pretty unpleasant personalities to "complement" their auras of unpleasantness.
Rules are also in the file - although a general community consensus has shifted this a bit. Koval has a new version to go with his variant psychic power rules, but as the "Revised" rulesets going around are perhaps too complicated a place to start, I'd suggest this variant:
Pariah
The character has a negative presence in the Immaterium. No psychic powers maybe used directly against him, and any Psychic power used or directed at anyone or thing within 10 yards of the Pariah suffers an additional -50 difficulty modifier (reduced by -5 for each full yard from the Pariah).
Daemons and other warp sighted creatures cannot directly see a Pariah, but will be aware of the black void in the warp where they stand. This may affect their ability to determine the Pariah's actions.
Pariahs also instil a sense of distrust in those around them. Any friendly or neutrally aligned character starting their turn within 10 yards of the Pariah must sacrifice one action die, constantly unable to shake the feeling he might be hiding something from them. (Enemy characters don't trust him anyway, and are unaffected).
They may never possess any command or charm based skills.QuoteIn regards to his power, I was afraid he might end up being too potent. I was working off of the stat charts from the manual working between their inquisitor and space marine characters and placing Eritus where I wanted him in respect to those characters.
A bit of an unfortunate start!
The profiles in the rulebook are seriously overpowered and/or broken at times, particularly the Inquisitor and Space Marine ones - these days, the Dark Magenta fan magazine's heavily adjusted Space Marine rules have largely supplanted the rulebook version within the community.
Aside from that, Eritus doesn't really have an excuse for being better than other Inquisitors. He's not a super-human who spends 16 hours a day training like a Space Marine.
QuoteAlso, the book said that all Inquisitors automatically have the skill, "Leader," so I put it on there.
The rulebook says a lot of things. :P
Aside from the issue with Pariahs, there's no reason an Inquisitor is inherently a brilliant combat leader (even if various generations of 40k rules have tried to pretend otherwise) - they have too many different methods and backgrounds for that to be universally true.
QuoteAlso, one last thing, how does a pariah generally go about being discovered?
Generally, they don't. Discounting being murdered by lynch mobs as discovery, the most likely way it will come up is if they encounter a psyker.
If this is a sanctioned Imperial psyker - a rare experience, but this might be an astropath, a psyker seconded to the Arbites (likely psykers of the "diviner" type) or Imperial Guard, maybe a minor soothsayer permitted to read the Imperial Tarot or, at a very long shot, some Inquisitors or members of their entourage - this will not be a pleasant experience for the psyker, but the Pariah
may then be taken into Imperial service.
If it's not a loyal psyker... then they'll probably be "outed" by proving immune to the psyker, will be suspected of being a heretic worshipper of the Dark Gods and then executed - unless someone more knowledgeable intervenes, but that's a bit of a contrived coincidence. (Particularly as it's what's in Sgt. Black's background).
I'll take a look at the new background for Miritoll a bit later, but I will take a look at the updated stats.
QuoteStats: WS:68 BS:50 S:56 T:52 I:72 WP:60 SG:55 NV:68 LD:75 Spd.:5
Looks much better now, although I'd raise his BS, Wp and Sg by a few points. He doesn't have to be a fantastic shot, but 50's a bit on the low side, certainly lower than any of my characters (the lowest BS among my own characters being 52*), and I'd question whether Sg 55 or Wp 60 really represent an Inquisitor's general intellect and force of will.
Abilities look fine.
*Acacia Lelant, who's a sanctioned telepath; she might've received some basic firearms training in the Scholastica Psykana, but the main reason her BS isn't even lower is because the Inquisitor in charge of Acacia wanted her to know her way around a basic laspistol.Quote
Equipment: Chain Sword, laspistol, refractor field, psi-tracker, and a bio-scanner.
I wonder whether his shiny new outfit might warrant AV 1 or AV 2 on some locations? Beyond that, Miritoll's gear looks fine, although I did say a really blingy laspistol -- the same kind of bog-standard thing that Billy the PDF Conscript might have is a little underwhelming. As a suggestion, Marco's Revised Armoury has a whole host of different laspistols in it; for example, here are the stats for the Mars-pattern, which I use a fair bit on my own characters:
Type Range Mode Acc Dam Shots Reload Wt
Pistol J Sg/Sm(2/3) - 2D6+1 32 2 12I've left out some of the extra stuff like Low Recoil and charge levels purely to avoid causing confusion, but as we can see it's a more interesting weapon than what the rulebook has to offer.
He might also benefit from a few spare reloads :P
Koval: Ok, I'll raise the stats. I did think they looked a bit low. Attributing a number to his skill levels is more complicated than I though, lol. As far as the AV goes, I was actually a little confused on how that worked. I didn't quite understand what the rulebook was saying. It mentioned having different kinds of armor on different body parts, but sort of left it at that. Hahaha, I didn't know they had blingly laspistols, I was just assuming that would be a fluff thing. I'll have to check out the revised armory thread. Thanks for the help! :)
MarcoSkoll: Thanks for the clarification. I guess i didn't realize just how bad pariahs were, haha. So, what about an untouchable (this is for one of his subordinates)? If they have no presence in the warp, but not a negative one, would they still have all of those negative attributes, or would they just seem strange to people. Thanks again! I appreciate it :)
Here's a copy/paste of my own rules for Untouchables, taken from the Revised Psychic Powers rules -- they're fairly comprehensive (though not necessarily comprehensible :P ) but that serves mostly to get across just how nasty Untouchables can be.
QuoteUntouchable: The character is an Untouchable. He is completely immune to psychic powers, the effects of Psychic Phenomena, and all forms of Warp energy – such things simply fail to affect him.
In addition, Daemonic characters, and characters using Warp Sight, suffer a -30 penalty to Awareness tests made to detect the Untouchable by sight. Furthermore, the Untouchable may not be detected by means of the Detection, Psi-Track or Warp Perception powers.
An Untouchable character additionally projects an "aura" extending 10 yards out from his body. This has the following effects:
• Psykers using their powers within this aura, or using them on anyone within the aura, suffer a penalty to their Psychic test; this is a -50 penalty, modified by +5 for every full yard between the Untouchable and either the psyker or the target (if both are within the aura, measure to whoever is closer to the Untouchable).
• The above modifier also applies to Willpower tests made to sustain persistent powers if the psyker or target is within the aura.
• The aura also robs force weapons and daemon weapons of their special properties, and Daemonic characters lose all of their Daemonic attributes (with the sole exception of This Form Is Fragile).
• All characters within the aura, except the Untouchable, reduce their Speed by 1 and their Willpower, Nerve and Leadership by 10 while they are affected, as they are driven to distraction and distrust by the Untouchable's presence. Psykers additionally reduce their Psy Rating by 1 (to a minimum of 1).
Finally, Untouchables may not take the Leader, Persuasive or Compelling abilities for any reason, and psykers and sorcerers treat Untouchables as Fearsome.
As you can see, that's quite messy, but that's because Untouchables and Pariahs are serious business. However, it's possible to get rid of the aura bit entirely and represent characters' distrust of Untouchables through roleplaying if you want something that's easier to manage.
Whoa, that is pretty nasty, haha. Thanks for the info!
Quote from: Inquisitor Eritus on August 28, 2013, 06:02:51 PMSo, what about an untouchable (this is for one of his subordinates)? If they have no presence in the warp, but not a negative one
The terms are... mixed. Blunts, Blanks, Untouchables and Pariahs are somewhat interchangeable (part of why Koval uses Untouchable above - it's a good way of stopping his new similar rules getting mixed up with the old official ones). Although in general, that list I just gave is approximately increasing severity from left to right.
I include a minor psychic-null in one of my warbands - a female Arbitrator. She has some resistance to psychic powers - she treats psykers as passing by 20 points fewer (which can potentially cancel the power's effects). However, it's phrased that way as no-one else around her benefits - only she is resistant.
The particular way her null-effect manifests blots out even the small level of mental connection of the warp a "normal" human has - this, along with a degree of anti-telepathic training, means her perceptions and mind are almost entirely shielded from the warp. This has further rules, but I'll not complicate it with the specifics - simply saying that she is further resistant to telepathy and ignores most things that would require her to have a perception of the warp*.
*Mostly ignoring warp illusions and she doesn't get "weirded out" by Pariahs (she just thinks they're jerks). However, this is often not a benefit - her inability to perceive the tang of warp corruption occasionally results in problems.
As a person, she is withdrawn - people don't naturally hate her (although may well do for other reasons), but she's never been particularly popular or liked. She was also a fairly natural target for bullying while at the Schola Progenium... at least until she reached the top of her hand-to-hand combat classes, at which point she stopped being anywhere near as popular a choice to pick on (beyond hazing bossy newcomers by telling them she was the Schola punching bag...)
However, she's really not that powerful a null. She's resistant at best and weak enough as a null that it took my aforementioned psychic Inquisitor a while before he really worked it out for certain. (She's weird to be around for him, but not unpleasant).
Ah, ok. So you can have characters who are resistant to the warp but don't suck people's souls out by sitting next to them. Good to know! Thanks :)
Quote from: Inquisitor Eritus on August 28, 2013, 06:08:56 AM
As an acolyte of the inquisitor Taira, Miritoll's natural skills with the sword and the tongue were sharpened on a daily basis. Whether his blade bathed in a heretic's blood or the splinters of wooden training dummies, it found itself constantly moving. Taira was a hard woman, as one might suspect from an inquisitor, and her instruction was harsh. Of course, this only expedited the growth of Miritoll's skills. He served her for many years, and they grew close. Despite Taira's aggressive nature, she grew fond and trusting of her acolyte. At such a time in which she considered Miritoll ready, Taira called some of her most proximal inquisitor contacts to a meeting. There she requested that Miritoll be lifted to the rank of inquisitor. She called for a short demonstration and let loose a pair crazed mutants onto the floor, which Miritoll summarily executed.
While avoiding the whole Awarded their mentors rosette is a cheering feat for your first character, I've got to nit pick the Conclaves decision. While I'm sure Inquisitors enjoy blood sports as much as the next human, I'd not expect them to watch a gladiator and then promote the winner to their office. In addition too/instead of Killing a pair of mutants, problems he's solved, investigations he's been vital too, perhaps his report on a problem this circle of Inquisitors have faced. This is a great chance to build background, and character for your inquisitor. Does he have any Ordo's affiliation, or specialise in any particular foe? If his mistress is Ordo Xenos, perhaps he was responsible for killing a Genestealer Patriarch in hand to hand, after using his own initiative on a scouting mission to lead a hasty assault at a sudden weakness in the hivemind, Ordo Heretics, he Cut down the two huge mutant body guards to a rabble rousing Agitator, stirring up trouble on a hive world, and over saw the torture of the agitator, and the dismantling of his rebel network, Ordo Malleus, He defended Taira from Possessed Cultists, and was instrumental in disrupting the summoning circle.
Show me why the Conclave were convinced to give him the power to call down Exterminatus.
That nit-picked, great first character, I'd love to see the rest of the warband.
Quote from: Inquisitor Eritus on August 28, 2013, 09:47:45 PMSo you can have characters who are resistant to the warp but don't suck people's souls out by sitting next to them.
The whole scale of psyker to anti-psyker is an infinitely variable spectrum.
However, the weaker psychic nulls are far less powerful* and, while actually more common, probably harder to find. A fair portion of the Imperium is less psychically active than the average human (after all, averages have values above and below them), but those "less less" psychically active are a far lesser contrast and thus much harder to discern from the teeming masses.
*At the point an anti-psychic aura extends anywhere past themselves though (and is thus directly useful to others), they are almost certainly not going to be liked or trusted individuals.
MarcoSkoll: Ah, ok. That makes sense, thanks!
Adlan: Good point. I appreciate the examples, I'll have to come up with something. I really wasn't sure how the whole process worked, except that Taira needed two other inquisitor's approval as well. I'll work more on it. Thanks for the help and the compliment :).
Now I have the time for some critique of the new background...
Quote from: Inquisitor Eritus on August 28, 2013, 06:08:56 AMThe young man found himself running to the inquisitor's side before he even realized what he was doing. His first action in the fight saved the life of one of the inquisitor's soldiers, and he managed himself well during the course of the short skirmish. The inquisitor took notice of Miritoll's skill and fervor, and--as one thing led to another--she took him on as an acolyte of her own.
The "meets Inquisitor by chance, helps them in a fight and gets recruited" method of getting employed by the Inquisition is, as things go, one of the more clichéd (or at least, overused) ones.
It's not impossible, but it's not common and probably not a ticket to success - being good enough in a fight might get you recruited into their personal forces, but that's not a position likely to get you further ear-marked as a possible apprentice.
Those forces aren't normally wanting for new recruits, either. They can comfortably be restocked by recruiting squads of tried-and-tested soldiers from wherever they choose.
I'm not suggesting it has to be changed, but expanding it a bit would be an improvement.
Given Scintilla is a hive world, his involvement might be better if it goes beyond just lending a hand in the fights - hives are complex places.
If the Inquisitor and her forces are attempting to clear heretics in general out of a wide sector of the hive, his arrival and ability to guide them around the area would be a better demonstration of his loyalty and competence than simply stabbing a few heretics.
QuoteShe called for a short demonstration and let loose a pair crazed mutants onto the floor, which Miritoll summarily executed.
As Adlan says, a display that he can handle himself in the field might be part of him being sponsored, but it's certainly not going to be the only part.
Quotelas-pistol (20 shots, 2 reload, silenced, E range, 3d6+1, single/semi (2) low/mid, 20 enc)
If you're trying to use the RIA, you've probably made a mistake somewhere. The closest profile to that would be 3D6-1 damage (Military Magazine, Standard Muzzle, Short Pattern Barrel, 21 Megathule Chamber, Triplex-Phall Pattern Generator, Standard Grip, Standard Frame) - this
would become 3D6+1 on mid power, but the profile is intended to show low power by default.
The lasweapons are actually pretty scary in the RIA already - making them scarier would be terrifying!
Yeah, again I wasn't really sure how inquisitors would go about selecting recruits, so I sort of just made something up. I'll try and remedy those things. Thanks for pointing them out! As far as the las-pistol goes, I was reading over the pieces and found that the only weapon I'd seen in the entire document thus far to have a negative modifier was the one I had selected. I had assumed it was just a typo, haha. I'll fix it now.
I proof-read each iteration of the Revised Armoury for funsies. I'm pretty sure the minus was intentional. :P
No, there aren't a lot of negative modifiers on damage rolls in the RIA - but any unintentional ones that exist are hopefully outnumbered by the intentional ones!
Mistakes are more likely to be rules that I didn't think through enough, rather than typographical.
Ah, ok. It's all good :)
Quick question: How does one go about becoming a "minor-null." I take it they don't actually have a pariah gene, and I'm trying to figure out if a non-null character could have a child who is a null to any extent.
As it's a mutation and/or recessive genetic trait (I'm given to understand GW flip-flop over this...), I'd say one would come about in the same way as other blanks, Untouchables et cetera. If we're using the Pariah Gene, then yes, they'd have it, but it just wouldn't manifest itself to any great extent. And yes, a perfectly normal couple can produce blank children (in much the same way as they could also produce psykers).
Rules wise, I'd go with the Imperceptible trait that I wrote into the Revised Psychic Powers rules, as I put that in to denote a low level of psychic blankness without turning a character into a full-blown Untouchable (whose rules, as you can see from the previous page, are a lot wordier). Quoting here for ease of reference:
QuoteImperceptible: The character is difficult to perceive or influence through psychic means. This has the following effects:
• Daemonic characters, and characters using Warp Sight, suffer a -30 penalty to Awareness tests made to detect the character by sight.
• The character may not be detected by means of the Detection or Warp Perception powers.
• Psykers using the Psi-Track power (or characters using a psi-tracker) must roll a D10 whenever they are used; on a 1, 2 or 3, they fail to detect the character, but the power (or psi-tracker) will otherwise work normally.
• Should the character need to make a test to resist a psychic power's effects, he may re-roll the test if it is failed.
Awesome, thank you very much! That's very helpful :).