The Conclave

The Ordos Majoris - Hobby, Painting and Modelling => Inquisitor Game Discussion => Topic started by: Koval on February 13, 2020, 07:36:25 PM

Title: Inquisitor Minerva Dagan, Ordo Hereticus
Post by: Koval on February 13, 2020, 07:36:25 PM
Following on from Sister Sorcha, I'm about ready to present the Inquisitor heading up my Abraxis cell. Again, comments and constructive feedback welcome.  :)

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Comments and constructive feedback welcome!

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NAME: Minerva Dagan (née Minerva Phoebe Yasmin Honor Augusta Taheri-Dagan III)

RANK / AFFILIATION: Inquisitor / Ordo Hereticus (Thorian/Monodominant-ish)

BACKGROUND:
The daughter of an affluent Rogue Trader, Minerva came to the Inquisition's attention after she uncovered a heretical scheme within her own family. During a stop-over at Carachus, in Sub-Sector Abraxis -- the next world along the Taheri-Dagans' trade route -- the seventeen-year-old Minerva stowed away on board a lander bound for the hive world's surface, and made it her mission to seek out the highest religious authority on the planet. Thus, upon locating Archbishop Mikail Fiori, Minerva wasted little time in presenting three identical cypress boxes, each one containing an identical copy of the marksman's bullet that deformed into a perfect Macharian Cross when it entered Saint Genoveva's skull; showing them first to a lower-ranking priest, then to the Archbishop directly after demanding an audience. According to Minerva, the Taheri-Dagans were in the business of counterfeiting Imperial relics, and made their fortune by selling these very convincing duplicates to the unsuspecting faithful with more money than sense. However, mistaking Minerva for a con artist, Fiori ordered her arrest.

Two days later, after languishing in a bare cell with only the warden and a very carefree rat for company, Minerva received a visit from a short man with a tall hat, a single-headed axe with a haft long enough to use as a walking-stick, and a presence that -- in spite of his stature -- seemed to dominate the room. Introducing himself as Inquisitor Omar Dalziel, he began by explaining his intentions to interrogate Minerva, and the actions that would follow if she failed to comply. Much to Minerva's annoyance at having to repeat herself, she cooperated as best she knew how to, explaining what she'd seen of her dynasty's counterfeiting operation and willingly surrendering family secrets, and claimed she was motivated only by her duty to the Emperor outweighing family loyalties. Unconvinced and believing her to have an ulterior motive, Dalziel took her away to an asteroid facility orbiting Carachus for further questioning and interrogation while his own operatives investigated Minerva's claims more directly.

When it transpired a month later that the Taheri-Dagans -- by this time frantically searching for Minerva all across the Carachan hives -- had not only earned a grotesque amount of money through the sale of fraudulent relics, but in fact had also counterfeited the Letter of Marque appended to their Warrant of Trade, Dalziel had them apprehended along with everyone else connected to their fraud operation. Those who were involved only loosely were executed or remade into servitors, whereas those at the heart of the scheme, and all members of the actual family save for Minerva herself, were instead sentenced to Arco-Flagellation. Their ship, the Vision of Glory, was impounded, rebranded, and dispatched to serve in Battlefleet Abraxis. Minerva, meanwhile, was assigned to one of Inquisitor Dalziel's acolyte cells, first as a scribe, then later as a sharpshooter after demonstrating an aptitude for firearms. Under Dalziel, Minerva worked alongside the others in her cell, and in collaboration with the Ecclesiarchy, to recover (legitimate) holy relics and apprehend rogue psykers; all while being indoctrinated further into the mysteries of the Inquisition, and studying the lives and deeds of the saints at Dalziel's behest.

At the age of forty-seven, the then-Interrogator Dagan began to exhibit low-level psychic ability, at first sensing how many people were behind a closed door (or in her words, "how many hearts were beating"), then quickly being able to put names to those she recognised. As soon as she realised that she was a psyker, and in danger of being branded a rogue or a renegade, Minerva surrendered herself to Inquisitor Dalziel's judgment and was sent aboard a Black Ship straight to Terra, there to be sanctioned. Dalziel's influence expedited the process somewhat, and some six years later, Minerva returned to Abraxis and to Dalziel's service as a sanctioned Imperial psyker; able to pick out one individual in a crowd, seemingly by the rhythm of their heartbeat alone. As the years went on, Minerva found herself spending more and more time apart from Dalziel's other acolytes, broadening her psychic powers, and studying the Litanies of Faith to keep herself firmly in the Emperor's good graces.

Eventually, at sixty-three and as the Primus in her acolyte cell, Interrogator Dagan led a seemingly simple mission to the feudal world of Tarantus to recover the mortal remains of the alleged Living Saint Berenike from her final battlefield; a mission that escalated quickly when civil war broke out between four neighbouring kingdoms, all arguing over whose land the Emperor had blessed the most by the arrival of the cell's shuttlecraft. Contact with Inquisitor Dalziel was lost quickly after the cell's only surface-to-orbit vox was damaged by a Tarantine crossbowman, leaving Minerva stranded in hostile territory. However, by the time Minerva and Dalziel got back in contact, the cell had somehow settled the four-way territorial dispute, established a brand-new sect of the Imperial Creed, revealed two of the rival kings to be unsanctioned witches (before purging them and their entire royal families), and accidentally invented the black pudding as a stopgap measure to combat a local hunger crisis.

Upon Minerva's return, Dalziel took her to an asteroid facility orbiting Carachus, the same as from her youth; there to commune with the Emperor and have her faith and resolve tested in a ritual that, even now, she knows better than to speak about. All she will say is that two weeks later, she emerged, scarred and burned but somehow looking all the younger for it, and clutching her very own Inquisitorial Seal tightly enough to make her hands bleed.

In the six decades that have passed since then, Inquisitor Dagan has carried out her duty to the Emperor very much as Dalziel instructed her; just with a lot more reach. As a loosely aligned Thorian among the Ordo Hereticus, she is careful to maintain good -- if not always terribly close -- ties with the Ecclesiarchy, and especially those that study the saints. At the same time, she maintains a watchful gaze over the Abraxis Sector, ever vigilant against the dangers of rogue psykers, of which there are no shortage in the wake of the Cicatrix Maledictum opening and the so-called Great Awakening turning countless civilians into potential witches. As a result, Dagan has at times flirted with Monodominant philosophy, but has always been reluctant to associate with those who would tar a sanctioned Imperial psyker like herself with the same brush as witches and Chaos sorcerers. In this time of saints and heroes battling the legions of darkness, Dagan has come to believe that if there truly is a Divine Vessel in the galaxy, then there are also false claimants beyond counting that must be eliminated in order to find the Imperium's true saviour.

Lately, Dagan's attentions have been drawn to the Arch Worlds phenomenon, and although the Abraxian Conclave maintains their interdiction zone around Planet Scylla in Sub-Sector Charun, she sees great potential in the Arch Worlds as a way to cross the Great Rift and reclaim huge swathes of Imperial space from the clutches of the Dark Powers. She has even gone as far as to theorise that other such Arch Worlds may exist across the galaxy, and could even offer a way to stitch the Great Rift shut and reunite the two halves of the Imperium.


WS BS S  T  I  Wp Sg Nv Ld
60 64 55 58 70 77 72 78 76


(Planned base model: "Esmerelda II" from Black Scorpion Miniatures)

Handedness: Left

Equipment: Needle pistol (two reloads), force staff, conversion field, nice hat

Skills and Talents: Compelling, Leader, Psyniscience

Special: Psy Rating 4
Psychic Powers: Debilitate, Detection, Hallucinate, Lightning Arc, Psi-Track, Resist Possession
(Psy Rating and all psychic powers taken from the Revised Inquisitor Psychic Power Archive (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2383.0))

Needle pistol: Although Dagan willingly left the Rogue Trader life behind her over a century ago, some aspects of her upbringing have stuck with her -- such as a love of fancy toys.
This is a needle pistol from the Revised Inquisitor Armoury (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=33.0). Dagan uses Explosive Needles.

Nice hat: In Dagan's own words, "I may have chosen the Emperor over my family's old warrant, but damn if I don't still love the fashion..."
The craftsmanship is exquisite, and other characters must have the Philistine trait not to be impressed by Dagan's hat. Effects of being impressed by Dagan's hat include envy, dissatisfaction with their own headwear (GM's discretion to ignore if they also have a nice hat), and wondering if it would fit them.


Compelling: Dagan may re-roll Persuasion tests.

Psyniscience: By attuning herself to the flow of the warp, Dagan can detect the presence of other psykers or daemons. By passing an Awareness test, Dagan will become aware of all psykers or daemons within a radius equal to the amount by which she passed the Awareness test.


Psy Rating 4: This influences the Difficulty of psychic powers Dagan uses (reduced by 5), as well as the strength of her powers and how well she can Nullify other powers.
(Refer to the Revised Inquisitor Psychic Power Archive (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2383.0))

Debilitate: Difficulty (Target's T/4), LOS: No, Ranged: Yes, Persistent: No.
The target is immediately affected by Bloodfire toxin.
Push: The psyker may force the first (and only the first) successful Resistance test to be re-rolled.

Detection: Difficulty 0, LOS: No, Ranged: No, Persistent: No.
Roll a single D6 per point of PR. The psyker becomes aware of all characters within a distance equal to the number rolled.
Push: Add D3 to the psyker's PR when using Detection.

Hallucinate: Difficulty 0, LOS: No, Ranged: Yes, Persistent: No.
The target must test Willpower, with a negative modifier equal to the amount by which the Psychic test was passed. If failed, the target must roll on the Hallucinogen table.
Push: Hallucinate affects all characters within PR yards of the target.

Lightning Arc: Difficulty 15, LOS: Yes, Ranged: Bolt, Persistent: No.
Range: B, Mode: Single, Damage: 3D6+PR
If Lightning Arc hits and deals damage, the psyker may make a second Psychic test (with no risk of Psychic Phenomena) to strike another target within 4 yards of the first (hitting automatically). This continues until the psyker runs out of targets or fails a Psychic test. Each target may be hit only once.
Push: Targets that take damage from Lightning Arc must pass a Toughness test or be Stunned for one turn.

Psi-Track: Difficulty 0, LOS: No, Ranged: No, Persistent: Yes.
The psyker becomes aware of all characters in the area; choose one on which to focus. The psyker loses Awareness of all characters except the target, but is completely aware of the target and what actions they are performing. If the target has a Psy Rating or any Daemonic attributes, the psyker additionally becomes aware of these.
Push: The psyker is also aware of every action the target has taken, including an "action history" from previous scenarios if this is relevant.

Resist Possession: Difficulty 0, LOS: No, Ranged: No, Persistent: No.
May only be used during a Possession attempt (see Appendix 2 of RIPPA (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2383.0)). Test Willpower immediately. If the test is failed, nothing happens. If the test is successful, add the amount by which the Psychic test was passed to the psyker's Possession score.
Push: The psyker receives a +10 modifier to her Willpower test.
Title: Re: Inquisitor Minerva Dagan, Ordo Hereticus
Post by: MarcoSkoll on February 14, 2020, 05:10:39 AM
The background seems fine to me (although it goes without saying that you know the lore). It's an interesting origin, and gives a good sense of her history in the intervening years.

(I'll add that the last person I knew called Dalziel was my final headteacher. And he was not short. If I recall, he was about six foot five).

As far as questions, it'd be interesting to hear how about her relationships with the rest of the sector Conclave and perhaps a snapshot of what she's currently like personality-wise (Short tempered? Fastidious? Particularly amused by toilet humour?)

QuoteLately, Dagan's attentions have been drawn to the Arch Worlds phenomenon, and although the Abraxian Conclave maintains their interdiction zone around Planet Scylla in Sub-Sector Charun, she sees great potential in the Arch Worlds as a way to cross the Great Rift and reclaim huge swathes of Imperial space from the clutches of the Dark Powers. She has even gone as far as to theorise that other such Arch Worlds may exist across the galaxy, and could even offer a way to stitch the Great Rift shut and reunite the two halves of the Imperium.
The Arch Worlds are indeed something that's going to have to be explored further with future events. The story sort of tapered off, given we didn't do much with Abraxis back then - but yes, after the Cicatrix has opened, the potential of a link across the Rift becomes very significant, even it does lead to the arse-end of nowhere that is Carthax.

I suspect there have been major arguments in both sector Conclaves about the matter. Actually, quite possibly across several sector Conclaves - if it is a viable link, then there's going to be a lot of traffic that wants to go through Carthax.

It's certainly up there on the list of ideas for future events. (Ideally I'd like it to be another dual scale event, but that's probably overoptimistic).

QuoteWS BS S  T  I  Wp Sg Nv Ld
60 67 55 58 70 81 72 78 76
I know she's noted to be a good shot, but I might be tempted to knock either her BS or Wp down a smidge, as she's currently pretty good with both her shooting and her psychic powers.

(Although I'll need to dig back through RIPPA to remind myself of the exact details of those psychic powers before I can make a final conclusion).

QuoteThe craftsmanship is exquisite, and other characters must have the Philistine trait not to be impressed by Dagan's hat. Effects of being impressed by Dagan's hat include envy, dissatisfaction with their own headwear (GM's discretion to ignore if they also have a nice hat), and wondering if it would fit them.
... I'm honestly staggered that you remembered and/or found those rules. That was a footnote on a character I must have written back in around 2011.
Title: Re: Inquisitor Minerva Dagan, Ordo Hereticus
Post by: Koval on February 14, 2020, 06:47:27 AM
Quote from: MarcoSkoll on February 14, 2020, 05:10:39 AM
The background seems fine to me (although it goes without saying that you know the lore). It's an interesting origin, and gives a good sense of her history in the intervening years.
I am honestly surprised, on that note, that you didn't pick up on her mission to Tarantus. The whole thing was meant as a Whole Plot Reference to some of the shenanigans we get up to in Dark Heresy.

Quote(I'll add that the last person I knew called Dalziel was my final headteacher. And he was not short. If I recall, he was about six foot five).
Not intentional!

QuoteAs far as questions, it'd be interesting to hear how about her relationships with the rest of the sector Conclave and perhaps a snapshot of what she's currently like personality-wise (Short tempered? Fastidious? Particularly amused by toilet humour?)
I can try and work something like that in a bit later tonight, but the reality is that I hadn't quite gotten that far.

Quote
QuoteLately, Dagan's attentions have been drawn to the Arch Worlds phenomenon, and although the Abraxian Conclave maintains their interdiction zone around Planet Scylla in Sub-Sector Charun, she sees great potential in the Arch Worlds as a way to cross the Great Rift and reclaim huge swathes of Imperial space from the clutches of the Dark Powers. She has even gone as far as to theorise that other such Arch Worlds may exist across the galaxy, and could even offer a way to stitch the Great Rift shut and reunite the two halves of the Imperium.
The Arch Worlds are indeed something that's going to have to be explored further with future events. The story sort of tapered off, given we didn't do much with Abraxis back then - but yes, after the Cicatrix has opened, the potential of a link across the Rift becomes very significant, even it does lead to the arse-end of nowhere that is Carthax.

I suspect there have been major arguments in both sector Conclaves about the matter. Actually, quite possibly across several sector Conclaves - if it is a viable link, then there's going to be a lot of traffic that wants to go through Carthax.

It's certainly up there on the list of ideas for future events. (Ideally I'd like it to be another dual scale event, but that's probably overoptimistic).
Sounds like a good opportunity to pick it back up, then! Perhaps later in the year? :)

Quote
QuoteWS BS S  T  I  Wp Sg Nv Ld
60 67 55 58 70 81 72 78 76
I know she's noted to be a good shot, but I might be tempted to knock either her BS or Wp down a smidge, as she's currently pretty good with both her shooting and her psychic powers.
Fair. I can happily knock both those stats down by a few points, although I want to keep her Psy Rating where it is. Not because I think the -5 to Difficulty from her Psy Rating will hugely matter when four of her powers have Difficulty 0, but because in RIPPA, I listed PR4 as appropriate for "a talented psychic Inquisitor" (which she is) and PR3 for "a psychic Inquisitor with a greater focus on non-psychic abilities" (which she isn't).

(EDIT: I've knocked her BS down to 64 and Wp down to 77)

Quote(Although I'll need to dig back through RIPPA to remind myself of the exact details of those psychic powers before I can make a final conclusion).
That's fair. Actually, the only reason I didn't post her powers was to save on space, but I can happily post it all. (EDIT: Done)

Quote
QuoteThe craftsmanship is exquisite, and other characters must have the Philistine trait not to be impressed by Dagan's hat. Effects of being impressed by Dagan's hat include envy, dissatisfaction with their own headwear (GM's discretion to ignore if they also have a nice hat), and wondering if it would fit them.
... I'm honestly staggered that you remembered and/or found those rules. That was a footnote on a character I must have written back in around 2011.
I actually had them saved on another old character sheet! I think I first borrowed them for Kerrie but, in any case, the meme lives on.
Title: Re: Inquisitor Minerva Dagan, Ordo Hereticus
Post by: MarcoSkoll on February 14, 2020, 03:26:03 PM
Quote from: Koval on February 14, 2020, 06:47:27 AMI am honestly surprised, on that note, that you didn't pick up on her mission to Tarantus. The whole thing was meant as a Whole Plot Reference to some of the shenanigans we get up to in Dark Heresy.
I saw it, but it's sort of one of those things where I didn't feel I could say much more than "heh"; nice as it is, there wasn't a huge amount to discuss about it.

QuoteNot intentional!
I'd hope not, because that would imply an alarming level of familiarity with my personal history...

*Paranoia intensifies*

QuoteSounds like a good opportunity to pick it back up, then! Perhaps later in the year? :)
I'd hope so. Obviously the major planning for the moment is for Salute, and I'd like to fit in a 54mm event (having not run one in a while) and I've been meaning for a while to try to run something up in Manchester that will probably need to be a 28mm event, but that wouldn't actually be an unthinkable number of events. (I've certainly run that many in a year before).

QuoteI actually had them saved on another old character sheet! I think I first borrowed them for Kerrie but, in any case, the meme lives on.
Fair enough. It's certainly one of the sillier rules I've written over time, and I was somewhat surprised to see them again.