Ok. So I decided that, if I'm going to start Inquisitor any time soon, it will be easier for me to start at 28 mm. Therefore, I, Swarbie, have actually written a character profile. Yes, that's right. I'm planning on making this guy using an Imperial Guard sanctioned psyker model, and maybe the Empire Wizards kit. His rules and profile are still WIP at the moment, so all comments, criticism and helpful ideas are welcome.
"
I am no radical. I know you people may think me one, but all I do is carry out the Emperor's work. As I see fit. What? The psyker? No he's not possess- what do you mean, tests? Oh sweet Golden Throne, what have you done? Let me out! Let me out NOW! You can't knock him out! It's not safe here! Let me out then RUN!!!"
–Last words of Inquisitor Diados Blaire.
Todd Alexius Blaire was born in 984. M41. A week after his birth it was discovered he had a severe genetic defect which would cause his lungs to slowly stop functioning. As soon as he was old enough to go through surgery relatively safely, his father, Inquisitor Diados Blaire, commissioned a set of bionic lungs for him from contacts within the Adeptus Mechanicus. However, by this age Todd was old enough to understand that he was slowly dying. Because he could not figure out why this was happening, he blamed his condition on an entity he called "Darkling", believing that this creature was real no matter what Diados told him. The main problem with this was that Todd, like his father, was a nascent psyker, and his fervent belief had a beacon-like effect upon a particular Warp entity. When he began to complain to his father that he constantly had to fight Darkling to stop him escaping, even going so far as to say he battled a nightmare creature in his dreams,Diados decided to conduct an experiment.
Diados locked Todd in a room, and then activated an anesthetic gas in the vents, knocking Todd out. As soon as he was unconscious, Diados detected a surge of warp activity in the immediate area. Darkling had escaped. It took the form of a skeleton draped with flowing black fabric. It immediately moved to the door of the room and tore it off its hinges. It then began to run rampant through the house. Most of Diados' staff were killed before he emptied three clips of blessed rounds into Darkling. As soon as the creature was dispatched, Todd woke up. Diados was not pleased when Todd insisted that Darkling was still there, hiding in the back of his mind.
However, the inquisitor decided to take advantage of this new asset. When Todd turned 16, Diados "gifted" him with a neural suppressor. This device was designed to knock Todd out with the flick of a switch. Flicking the switch once again would re-awaken him. Diados used Todd in this manner to great effect, knocking him out just outside the doors of a Chaos cult and letting Darkling slaughter them. However, he found that he and his team had to use incredibly high-powered psy-dampeners, strong enough to mimic the effect of an untouchable, to protect themselves. With the psy-dampeners switched on, Darkling ignored them, moving on to their intended targets.
Now Diados takes Todd with him everywhere he goes. He has even hired a man to protect him while he is unconscious. However, after ten years of viewing his son as a mere asset, he has lost much of his affection for him. Such is the price we pay in our service to the Emperor.
WS BS S T I WP SG NV LD
33 48 39 45 31 83 62 53 32
Todd is left-handed.
Equipment: Robes (AV1 to all locations except head), laspistol (Military magazine, Stealth muzzle, Short pattern barrel, 16 Megathule lasing chamber, Heruna discharge generator, standard trigger/grip, standard frame) with 2 reloads, average bionic lungs.
Neural Suppressor- It takes one action to activate this device. When activated, Todd immediately loses consciousness. It is, however, fairly painful and can cause mild damage when activated. Todd must pass a Nerve test to activate the device. He gains a 20% bonus to this test if Inquisitor Isaiah Matathos orders him to activate it. When the neural suppressor is activated, Todd takes D3 damage to his head. Deactivating the device takes 1 action, which can be performed by any character within arm's reach of him, providing they know how the device works (they may take a Sagacity test to try and figure this out). Todd will count as being Stunned for D3 turns, then can act normally.
Special Abilities: Darkling
Darkling- When Todd loses consciousness, for any reason, Darkling will appear. Darkling appears 2D10 yards away from Todd in a random direction, determined using the scatter dice. Modify this distance by the minimum amount required to prevent him appearing off the board or appearing inside a solid object. He may act normally during the turn in which he appears. If Todd regains consciousness, Darkling immediately disappears as Todd forces him back into the Warp.
Psychic Powers: Most of Todd's psychic ability is focused on keeping Darkling contained; however, he has incredibly minor telepathic powers that manifest randomly. He may occasionally hear other character's thoughts or speak to them telepathically (GM discretion).
* * *
His stats are, I admit, pretty low, but I attribute this to the fact that he is constantly distracted by Darkling's presence, and so cannot concentrate properly on anything, be it working on his physical strengths or his mental strengths. So, what do you guys think? I'll have some WIP rules for Darkling done in a week or so.
EDIT: Found the lasgun parts set in Marco's Revised Inquisitor Armoury. Adjusted the laspistol.
EDIT EDIT: Adjusted stats, background and special rules. Adjustments shown in red.
It's a really brilliant idea, and think it would be very interesting to see being played out - my only problem would be; would the belief of one person, no matter how strong, be enough to manifest such a relatively powerful being in the warp? Or is it that Darkling was a presence in the warp which already existed before Todd and it's just that Todd's belief in him has now attracted him?
Still, a unique concept, and an interesting one at that.
Very interesting. I have a few questions though.
If darkling appears whenever he loses conciousness, why didn't he/it appear before the knock out gas experiment?
What are the rules for Darkling?
Who turns the neural suppressor off again?
Given he spend most of his life suppressing a daemonic entity, and successfully at that, wouldn't his Wp be rather more impressive?
QuoteIf Todd was not knocked unconscious by his neural suppressor, and Darkling is (temporarily) destroyed, Todd will immediately regain consciousness.
Surely if he was rendered unconcious by injury having darkling taken out wouldn't revive him. System shock maybe could be overcome, but not unconciousness by injury total.
From the background it appears that his father is dead. Who dore Todd work for now?
Good points from both of you. I shall edit the background, stats and special rules accordingly.
QuoteFrom the background it appears that his father is dead. Who dore Todd work for now?
That's a good question. I had sort of imagined Diados' last words as his
future last words, but you're right, they do give the overall impression that Diados is dead. Hmmmmm, I will have to think about this one.
I think you made the better choice. If you think about how many people there are in the imperium, if everything any member beleived strongly enough manuifested in the warp, the warp would be much more of a horrific place than it already is! I know you may say that its because that one character is a psyker that means his emotions create more of an effect, but it still seems to strech credibility. I do, however, like the idea of someone who accidentally believes in a lesser daemon, and through the accidental belief ends up attracting that daemon. Being tht he is a psyker, and we know that psyker's souls are particularly tasty for daemons, that his belief in this daemon attracted it seems entirely plausable - the daemon has seen an easy meal!
I assume darkling is an independent daemon, is he not? I'd be interested in hearing a bit more about him, such as what he is a daemon of, his domain and powers etc... As my own primary character suggests, independent daemons are a particular area of interest for me.
As a suggestion, you may want to combine this information with Cade's question of Darkling's rules by giving Darkling his own separate character entry, with a short piece of background and stats, abilities, equipment etc...
I like the concept, but as Cade says, how it all actually works could do with some fleshig out.
Alternatively, you could simply say "lol the warp happens" and leave it at that. Might be more convenient for plot purposes.
As for Darkling itself, as a character, I would assume it's a fairly powerful daemon if it can physically manifest (perhaps only within a short distance of it's host?), so how it is caged in this boy's head is another question that needs to be re-covered.
Perhaps Darkling was believed to be a local malevolent forest spirit on his homeworld, confined by old shamanistic rites and small totes buried throughout the woods to a small grove or valley.
One day nascent psyker Todd was out exploring the village/hunting for deer-equivalents/roaming the grounds of his family villa when he stumbled into Darkling's territory, get's himself possessed and carries the entity out of the weakening and isolating prison.
This is where the nightmares of Darkling start, and Todd's history progresses as you wrote, but this is also where Darkling's power starts growing to the point where he can physically manifest by the time Diados starts his experiments, boosting the boy's mental defences in the process.
In this way Todd's ability to contain Darkling, and Darkling's power, both increase at the same rate, allowing the system to continue.
[Movie trailer voice]But for how long?[/Movie trailer voice]
To back up and add to TheNephew's examples, it could simply be a shamanistic curse put on the family. A local Witch places a curse on the family because the Inquisitor arrested/debunked/killed him. A final breath "[EXCOMMUNICATE] you" if you will.
All of these are brilliant ideas. Don't worry, I am going to write up background for Darkling as well as giving him a profile and rules. He's going to be the very nasty 'surprise' of the group.
And, yes Brother_Brimstone, I am sure that he will be an independent daemon/ warp-entity (I'm not sure if he should actually be classified as a daemon or be a culture's view of death personified, but I'll work it out).
I'm loving all the ideas and am feeling very inspired; please, keep making suggestions.
Sorry for repeating a question, but I still think there is an inconsistency here:
If darkling appears whenever he loses consciousness, why didn't he/it appear before the knock out gas experiment?
Quote from: Inquisitor Cade on April 03, 2010, 03:40:41 PMIf darkling appears whenever he loses consciousness, why didn't he/it appear before the knock out gas experiment?
...such as whenever he goes to sleep.
Although, I suppose you could have it so that he's battling the daemon in his dreams...
. . . Well spotted. My thanks.
Marco, that sounds like a brilliant fix and adds to my image of Todd; sort of pale, sickly and wasting away, with bags under his eyes and stuff like that.
Double post. Here's Darkling's background and rules. The rules are fairly complex, especially compared to the relative simplicity of Todd's; but Darkling is a daemon, and a unique one at that, so he was always going to be more difficult. I know his stats are high, but he's going to be the real heavy-hitter of the group, and he's a daemon, so I reckon he should be pretty nasty.
Anyway, fire away with the comment's criticism, etc.
Before the Imperium reclaimed the planet of Cathos, its people followed a religion that gave a god to almost every aspect of human life. The most revered and feared of this multitude of small deities was Dahar 'Keetlin, or "The darkness of the final breath". To them, it was the personification of death, embodying all that was to be feared about the end of life. The priests of Dahar ' Keetlin were those who heard Dahvshin, "the mad whispers"; in other words, nascent psykers with emerging telepathic powers.
Eventually, a lesser daemon of Chaos was drawn to this shining beacon of death-worship. It saw the people of Cathos, saw the fear on their faces when the black-robed priests went out into the streets, choosing sacrificial victims. It decided that it would draw upon the power offered by the blind faith of these people, and reshaped itself into the image provided by them. This not only affected its appearance, but its intentions; essentially turning the daemon into Dahar ' Keetlin. It waited. Soon, a psyker was chosen to be a sacrifice, and her wave of overriding terror allowed the daemon to move into the physical plane, temporarily.
The daemon appeared in front of the priests, who immediately threw them on the ground before it. It took the psyker and slowly devoured her soul. For the watching crowd, the daemon was Dahar ' Keetlin, showing himself to punish the unfaithful. The daemon returned to the Warp, satisfied. Now that it was the focal point for mass worship led by psykers, it grew in power quickly. Soon it had carved out a small kingdom for itself in the shifting seas of the Empyrean.
Less than three centuries later, an Imperial battlefleet arrived. The people of Cathos were deemed worshippers of Chaos, and were destroyed. Dahar ' Keetlin became nothing more than a myth. The daemon cursed. Its worshippers gone, it lost much of its power and wandered the Warp, until the fervent belief of one little child-psyker drew him back to Cathos.
Dahar ' Keetlin had returned.
WS BS S T I WP SG NV LD
68 53 94 92 76 77 27 79 26
Darkling is ambidextrous
Equipment: Shadow cloth- AV1 to all locations. In addition, Darkling may conceal itself in a sufficiently dark area (GM discretion), giving a -40% penalty to all sight based Awareness tests to detect it. This takes one action and the penalty is removed if Darkling moves from the spot it was concealed in.
Special Abilities: Fearsome, Daemonic
Relentless Death- Darkling does not care about being harmed, it only cares that it should kill as many foes as possible before it is forced back into the Warp. Likewise, it cannot be frightened by anything the physical plane holds. Darkling has the Force of Will special ability against non-Daemonic characters and the Nerves of Steel ability against all shooting attacks.
You Can't Kill Death- All mundane weapons halve their damage against Darkling, rounding up. Mundane weapons are: A) all close-combat weapons that have not been blessed, forged with the express purpose of killing daemons or given a connection with the Warp in some way (ie, all close-combat weapons except daemon-weapons and force weapons)
B) All ammunition that has not been blessed or given some kind of anti-daemonic property. Special rounds that have not been blessed or given anti-daemonic properties halve any damage bonuses they confer (rounding up).
Blessed weapons, blessed rounds, anti-daemonic rounds, force weapons, holy relics, etc, do an extra 5 points of damage against Darkling, in addition to any other bonuses they may confer.
Death Touch- All of Darkling's close-combat attacks count as Unarmed. However, if he penetrates a target's armour or lands a blow that would come into contact with the target's skin, he immediately does an extra 2D6 points of damage. If he stays in contact with that character's skin, he does an extra 2D6 damage to the character's Injury Total each turn until he is forced to let go or the character dies.
Death Takes You All- When Darkling appears, he will immediately be placed under the GM's control. The GM should give him the goal of wiping out all other characters on the table (except for T.A.B.), but should feel free to use evil, twisted, daemonic tactics. Darkling can "see" through any obstructions or cloaking devices (GM discretion for psi-inert obstructions, etc), but must take an Awareness test at -40% to detect untouchables or characters using psy-dampeners, and an Awareness test at -60% to detect pariahs. If he is able to charge any character, he must do so. He makes no distinction between "friends" (anyone working with Todd Alexius Blaire) and "foes" (the opposing characters). The only character he will not attack is Todd Alexius Blaire, as Todd is his only way to enter real-space.
I apologise that I can't comment on the rules, but I did have one thing about the fluff - I dislike it when pople "humanise" daemons too much - I feel as though their motivations and goals should be ultimately unknowable to mere mortals. I think in your background you should make it a bit more ambiguous as to whether the daemon or the belief in the daemon came first. Perhaps it is as simple as saying that it is unknown as to whether which came first - as long as Imperial records can discern, the people of Cathos worshipped him. Ambiguity is good when it comes to Daemons, I think.
Well, I can comment on the rules, and I have a question.
How do his Shadow Cloth and "Death takes you all" abilities work together? Given that his rules express that he has to move towards and attack the nearest character, and can see through intervening terrain, how is he going to come up with the spare action(s) with which to hide?
Personally, what I'd do is replace "Death takes you all" with a rule that puts Darkling under GM control, making sure the GM understands that everyone except T.A.B. is a potential target (as long as the daemon can see them). At this point, you then let the GM's evil and twisted mind go rampant.
That gives you a creature that can use all kind of evil and unpredictable tactics, making it a far more fearsome threat than a model that acts according to specific rules.
Of course, if your GM is a bit rusty, then it might not be a bad idea to have a short list of suggestions of how he might act, but I don't think there are many GMs who wouldn't happily control Darkling for you.
@Molotov: Yeah, but I personally like the idea of a daemon taking advantage of the mindless masses- a bit of a cliche, perhaps, but I like it. And remember, the background for Darkling may not necessarily be true- EYHBTIAL.
@Marco: Good point. I like that idea a lot more than keeping him under a player's control, and I admit I totally overlooked the way "Death takes you all" and Shadow cloth would clash. I think I shall reword "Death takes you all" to work like that.
I like the fluff for Darkling. I hate to disagree with you, Molotov, but I actually feel that Darkling is more mysterious like this than he would be if he were a manifestation of those pople's belief in him. As he is now, by the fluff, we don't really know what Darkling is or where he came from (other than obviously a daemon and the Warp). Is he a manifestation of human fear in death? Does he work for an independent Daemon Lord? Our lack of knowledge about where he comes from also leaves a certain mystery about his 'endgame' goals. Yes, on the surface he's here to party, and eat as many souls as he can, but what if he has a more long-term plan? What role will T.A.B play? Will he draw his new host back to the world where he was first revered, and will his 'god made flesh' story make him some sort of perverse 'messiah'? Will the planet fall to rebellion, or will it be crushed by the Imperium (did someone say Exterminatus?). A planet with a dark and shameful past has a new visitor, and ruour has it he's more than a little weird...
Anyway, that's just my opinion (perhaps i'm a bit biased what with my particular love of all things daemonic), but you would seem to have a lot of ideas to play around with, and some interesting characters with which to do so. Good stuff, keep it up.
QuoteWill he draw his new host back to the world where he was first revered, and will his 'god made flesh' story make him some sort of perverse 'messiah'? Will the planet fall to rebellion, or will it be crushed by the Imperium (did someone say Exterminatus?). A planet with a dark and shameful past has a new visitor, and rumour has it he's more than a little weird...
Gods, I love this idea! This would make for a great campaign.
Now to get my reluctant 40k-playing friends to see the beauty of Inquisitor . . .
Quote(perhaps i'm a bit biased what with my particular love of all things daemonic)
Don't worry, I love my daemons too. Whether they're bound into hosts, unbound and killing at will, or just influencing people through tainted objects, they seem to personify the twistedness of the 40k-universe. These things are pure evil (at least, that's the Imperium's perspective), and remember, evil is
fun.
Also your comment about Darkling becoming a messiah of sorts reminded me of an old piece of daemon-host fiction I was working on last year. I might put that up in the IC section.
Once again, my thanks to everyone for their support and useful comments, criticism and advice.
Ok. Been a little out of things recently, what with getting back to school and all, but today I had time to write up rules for T.A.B.'s bodyguard, Xerxes Steller. Enjoy. And, yes, he is going to be the "pew-pew" character. Also, did a minor edit to T.A.B.'s rules regarding his use of the neural suppressor.
When Diados Blaire realized that making use of his son's unusual "talent" would leave Todd completely unable to defend himself, he resolved to ensure his son's safety by hiring him a bodyguard. Although he looked through countless eager applicants, none of them struck him as being determined enough. Then Diados remembered an encounter with a friend and his personal retinue.
Inquisitor Isaiah Matathos had just finished rooting out a minor Chaos cult and Diados had been assisting him. Later that night, after many drinks, Isaiah began reciting the personal tales of each member of his retinue to Diados.
Xerxes Steller had been a bounty hunter on the semi-modern world of Pallas. Known all over the planet, he was famous for never losing track of a target. The case that had drawn Inquisitor Matathos to him was particularly interesting. Xerxes' target had gone off-world, then had surgery to ensure he wouldn't be recognized. His target, the leader of a recently destroyed rebel group, found employment within the ranks of the local Arbites on Sycorath III. Xerxes committed a number of minor crimes, then allowed himself to be caught. Put in an overnight holding cell, he broke out, then made his way to the sleeping quarters. Dragging his frightened prey from his bunk, Xerxes presented the bounty and a record of all his target's actions since leaving Pallas. Inquisitor Matathos heard of this remarkable hunt, and immediately sought Xerxes out, offering him employment as a bodyguard, citing his obvious determination and bravery.
Soon, as the amasec kept flowing, Diados learnt more about Xerxes Steller.
Xerxes had been born in the year 970 M41. Although no-one was able to uncover the exact date, and Xerxes himself could not remember, the rest of his life was fairly easy to trace. Born to a seamstress, his father unknown, Xerxes grew up working hard. His mother had him help with her job as soon as he could walk, repairing the elaborately decorated fabrics of the aristocrats. Although he had some skill with a needle, he was always wishing for a life of adventure. When an accident at the local market ended in his mother's death, Xerxes, at the time only eight years old, had to grow up fast. He was put into a workhouse, and beaten regularly. After a further three years of toil, he escaped, and lived on the streets. He soon earned a reputation amongst local thieves for his fierce temper and swift punch, and he was left alone. One day, he saw a man running down the road, clutching a bag. Without knowing why, he took the man down with a flying tackle.
The man had just robbed a local jeweler. The jeweler, delighted to have his works of art back, gave the young boy what seemed at the time to be an exorbitant amount of money. Xerxes realized there could be a living in apprehending criminals for rewards. He spent his time training in back alleys, and soon he had caught a number of petty criminals. He came to the attention of the local Arbites, who gave him a list of targets, offering a reward for each one returned alive. In a matter of weeks, Xerxes had apprehended nearly half of the criminals, and had enough cash to start creating his own little business. Offers came in fast and thick once people began to hear of Xerxes successes, but he made sure he only took the highest-paying jobs, most of which were brought to him by the Arbites. After twenty years, he was a famous bounty hunter, and soon took up the case that brought him to the attention of Inquisitor Matathos.
Remembering this, Diados messaged Matathos, asking him if Xerxes could be transferred to his staff. Diados agreed, and gave Xerxes a finely crafted bolt pistol and a small holo-diary as a parting gift; for the two had grown close over the time Xerxes had spent protecting Matathos.
When Xerxes first met his new charge, he felt an instant connection with him. Something in this broken, mentally-battered young man spoke to him, triggering memories of his days in the workhouse. Diados saw this and presented Xerxes with a gift of his own in a gesture of good faith. This gift consisted of five specially prepared magazines of bolt pistol rounds and a psy-dampener. The pistol rounds were unique, similar in design to hellfire rounds, but replacing the acidic core with a vial of silver nitrate. As time went by, Diados would add to the amount of rounds he had available, stockpiling them in case of emergency.
Xerxes Steller was now prepared to meet with Darkling.
WS BS S T I WP SG NV LD
63 72 66 68 64 52 34 73 61
Xerxes Steller is right-handed.
Equipment: Bolt pistol with God-fire rounds and 1 reload (also with God-fire rounds), lasrifle (military magazine, mid length barrel, standard muzzle, 21 megathule lasing chamber, Kantrael discharge generator, standard frame and heavy duty stock), heavy combat knife ( counts as short sword), psy-dampener (see Inquisitor Matathos' profile further down) and reinforced clothing (AV1 to all locations except head, chest and abdomen).
God-fire rounds: These count as hellfire bolt rounds, but only do additional damage if used against a character with the Daemonic special rule. They also count as Silver attacks where applicable. They are extremely rare, so Xerxes will only use them against daemons.
Special rules: Subdue, Rock Steady Aim, Deadeye Shot (lasrifle only), Heroic (only if T.A.B. is in danger), Needle-Work.
Needle-Work: Xerxes has a natural talent for sewing, and often practices the skill, claiming it reminds him of his mother. He is able to produce beautifully ornate pieces of clothing given sufficient time and the necessary materials.*
*Yes, this will almost definitely be of no use in-game.
EDIT: Reworded the God-fire round's ruling slightly.
I'm a little late to the party but I must say I like the way this warband is coming together. The theme with the possessed psyker-child is great. I do have a few points that I'd like to comment on:
1. You Can't Kill Death seems like an overly complicated way of representing Daemonic - Impervious. Also, blessed ammunition and anointed weapons already have rules of their own and it seems unnecessary to make Darkling an exception from these rules.
2. This is a minor point, but is there any downside of having the Psi-dampener activated? As it is now I see no reason a character wouldn't just keep it on at all times. Maybe some sort of psychic feedback would be appropiate when a character turns it on, to make sure he only does so before unleashing the daemon.
That's my two cents. Keep up the good work!
EDIT: Spelling
Hmmm, thanks for the ideas. I wanted Darkling to be pretty hard, and, if I remember correctly, models with Daemonic- Impervious take double damage from hits to the chest and head. Seeing as he is already taking extra damage from blessed weapons plus the bonuses these weapons normally give against daemons, I thought he should be a little harder to take down conventionally.
The idea of feedback on the psy-dampeners is a great little idea, and one that I might toy around with. At the moment, however, I'm working on the Inquisitor of this group, so I'll think about it later.
Actually you're mixing up Invulnerable and Impervious, whereas the first one doubles damage against chest and head and the latter makes the character resistant to normal attacks and vulnerable against silver and holy attacks.
Ah, thanks. Hmm, I will once again think on it.
Ok. It's been a while, but here's the leader of the group. I've posted revised rules for the psy-dampener here, so refer Xerxes' one to here. Enjoy.
Incoming message
Author: Xerxes Steller, Inquisition employee
Recipient: Inquisitor Isaiah Matathos, Ordo Hereticus
++ Isaiah . . . I don't know who else to go to. Diados is dead and Todd's in pretty bad shape. I know it's been a long time, but I need your help. One of those mad puritans, Ashbeth, caught us. He thought we were heretics. Well, who wouldn't, what with Todd the way he is? He tortured Diados, then me, and then Todd. He tried to remove Todd's neural suppressor. The thing shorted Todd out, then the next thing we know, we're running, with that daemon right behind us. Diados . . . fell behind. It got him.
I know you've always wanted the power to punish those who abandon the Emperor. Well, Todd can give you that. He's agreed to work with you if you save us.
We're hiding on Deuter IV. You know the place. Please, come get us. You're our only hope.
The Emperor Protects. ++
Isaiah Matathos was born in the year 890. M41. Placed in the care of the Schola Progenium after his parents' death in an unfortunate accident involving a taxi-speeder and a flock of wild ptera-squirrels, Isaiah was raised to despise and condemn the enemies of the Imperium. Noted for his discipline, determination and religious fervor, Inquisitorial agents selected him to work as a scribe to an administration-based inquisitor, Inquisitor Brant Gaius.
Isaiah recorded and stored the information collected by Inquisitor Gaius for ten years. Near the end of the tenth year, he noticed several discrepancies in the shipping and tithe records for Dea Enrika, a nearby agri-world. Notifying his master of his findings, the two worked together and uncovered a powerful heretical cult running deep into the society of Dea Enrika. Inquisitor Gaius convinced several of his peers to aid him, and then hit the cult with all the force of the God-Emperor's wrath. As Isaiah watched the planet's capital burning from orbit, something stirred deep within him. The other inquisitors there that day saw his potential, and urged Gaius to take him on as an acolyte.
Isaiah served as Inquisitor Brant Gaius' acolyte for another thirty years. At the end of this period, Gaius and two other inquisitors who had been present at the destruction of Dea Enrika verified his ascension to the level of Inquisitor, and he took his place in the Ordo Hereticus. He immediately set to work gathering a series of contacts and acquaintances across the galaxy. Eventually, he had created a vast information network, maintained and updated by over a hundred clerks of the Administratum. While he made great use of this network, Isaiah preferred field work, enjoying the sensation of chasing heretics down. He quickly learnt to make the most of his authority, condemning those he opposed.
He also discovered that he was more liked when he dressed in a military manner, and so now his clothing and equipment is often reminiscent of an Imperial Guard officer's, although it is far better quality.
Over time, his strictly puritan ideals slowly dissolved, and now, although he is as dedicated as ever, he can accept "aberrations" such as Todd. Now he hunts down heretics, and sets a creature from their darkest nightmares upon them.
WS BS S T I WP SG NV LD
55 68 59 62 73 78 83 76 77
Inquisitor Isaiah Matathos is right-handed.
Equipment: Inquisitorial Seal, Inquisitorial papers, psy-dampener, power sword, reinforced clothing (AV1 to all locations except head), laspistol (Hotshot magazine, Blueshift Doppler muzzle, mid-length barrel, 18 megathule lasing chamber, Thacian discharge generator, standard grip, standard frame).
Inquisitorial papers- Used to verify Isaiah's identity when the technology to read his Seal is unavailable.
Psy-dampener: While this device is activated, its user counts as an untouchable. When it is deactivated, there is a 10% chance that it will discharge ineffectively, resulting in the user being Stunned for D3 turns. If a psyker is within 3 yards when this happens, they are Stunned for one turn. 1 action to activate/ deactivate.
Special abilities: Word of the Emperor- Condemnation, Leader, True Grit, Fated Phobia.
Condemnation- Isaiah condemns his opponent, summoning all his authority to make them cower in fear as he strides towards them. This counts as Word of the Emperor, but can be focused against a single opponent within hearing range (count Isaiah as yelling). If the character hears him, they must immediately pass a Nerve test at -30% or treat Isaiah as Fearsome for D10 turns.
Fated Phobia- Ever since the death of his parents, Isaiah has had a phobia of ptera-squirrels. Although he attempts to avoid them whenever possible, they turn up when they are least expected, and more often than can be explained. Isaiah treats ptera-squirrels, images of ptera-squirrels, or sounds similar to those made by a ptera-squirrel (squeak!) as Terrifying. Also, the GM should feel free to include ptera-squirrels in any game including Isaiah, providing someone present has appropriate models and rules for these furred death-fiends.
Nice - I really like the concept of the Darkling and the way you have expanded the group, the ptera-squirrels are a nice (comedy) touch, reminds me a little of Frank Miller's 'Dark Knight' (Batman has some 'mental' issues when confornted by muggers similar to those who killed his parents and some very wierd connections with bat swarms).
Couple of minor points (although depends on your group's playing style and power levels of course);
Psy-dampner. Untouchable might be a bit overpowerd; as someone suggested to me, something like increasing/doubling the difficulty for powers used by attacking psychers might be a bit more balanced.
Condemnation - 3D10 turns seems a bit long (a maximum of 30 turns might last a whole game!) and at -30 to Nv tests seems likely to be highly effective - at least against non-Inquisitor characters. I think most of the Conclave would see Terryifying as pretty powerful, possibly even game skewing, an effect best preserved for actual daemonic manifestations. Perhaps replace that with Fearsome and/or make it last for a shorter (1D6 turns?) duration.
I'm going to have to agree with Flinty on the Condemnation thing. 3D10 turns is a looooong time.
As far as fearsome and terrifying, this is how I normally apply them:
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Fearsome
- Visually scary. Basically, if it looks like a fight with it will result in your gory and unpleasant death - as a result, I personally give Space Marines fearsome. A seven foot tall genetically engineered power armoured killing machine - nobody should need to be told that's dangerous.
(And frankly, if an arcoflagellant gets fearsome, a Space Marine should too.)
- Abomination of natural law. Something that shouldn't be. Zombies and lesser Daemonhosts would count. Most mutants will not (and exceptions will probably be really unpleasant Chaos fuelled mutations).
On the note that some people have scarring causing fear... being a bit ugly does not make you scary. If you're so horrifically scarred that you look like you simply shouldn't be still be moving, then you may qualify for "abomination against natural law", but ONLY if your scars are obviously and blatantly on display.
And frankly, if you're that heavily scarred, I'd expect at least some other penalties to go with it - you're hardly going to be in peak physical health.
Terrifying
- Aura of raw fear. The being actually exudes terror into its surroundings. Manifest daemons would be a good example.
- Deeply engrained phobias. The way you've dealt with ptera-squirrels here is pretty good actually.
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Beyond this, I do actually apply fear reasonably liberally on a more specific basis... one character fearing a specific other because of a previous bad encounter with them. Or indeed, characters temporarily gaining fear of someone who's just made mincemeat of one of their mates.
But at the same time, I allow characters to become immune to certain fears if they triumph over them sufficiently or consistently. (For example, if someone does very well in a fight against zombies, they may become immune to fear from them. However, do sufficiently badly... and they might well regain a fear - or if they never got over it in the first place, have it turn into terror!)
But in short, Terror is something I use quite scarcely. I do have a character that can become Terrifying, but she's a rather powerful psyker who, among other things, can manipulate emotions.
Hmmm, good point. I will edit it.