Daxam's Menagery of Characters

[Daxam]

Thanks for the honest and fair critique. I didn't want to make my Malleus acolyte too exceptional, which is why his SG is a little low. To be honest, I thought that 70ish was a brave character while the 80 region was sheer balls-to-the-walls heroic, but maybe I'm misjudging it.

As for the bolt pistol, I originally did want to put up a design description and maybe a sketch to show what it looked like. I while update it with a profile soon, though it will contain 8 bolts to represent a compact bolt pistol type weapon. It probably shouldn't be loaded with Anti-daemonnic shells first, so I'll change that. Maybe giving his revolver an extra clip or two wouldn't hurt. Again, thanks for the suggestions, they will be implemented.
Taber's background is a little shaky at the minute. Still trying to get some good ideas for him, however, I am interested in what you think of the barrier rules.

As for Eliath's relatively quick ascension through the Mechanicum ranks is too simple and quick, so I may update it. I'm always looking to make my characters more believable (an ambition I sorely fail at on the first half dozen attempts). I will be changing Heather's sword for a chain blade, and giving her a scope. But I'm a little apprehensive about giving her a grenade launcher for fear of making her a little too powerful.

[Inquisitor Cade]

I thought that 70ish was a brave character while the 80 region was sheer balls-to-the-walls heroic,

Among the guard this would be a fair evaluation, but Inquisitors have to be even tougher. For an acolyte to be notable brave, I'd say high 70's low 80's would be about right.

[Daxam]

Character:

Name: Alvares Carrde
Rank: Brother Corporal of the Black Brotherhood, Flamer Troop.
Religion: Mechanicus Church, Ordo Purifico
Age: Unknown (50s region)
Height:
Weight:
Appearance: Pale Skin, bald, red eyes (Augmentation based).
Notes: Expert incendiary weapons user, surprisingly intelligent

Statline:

WS: 56 BS: 67 S: 60 T: 57 I:53 WP:60 NV:61 SG:62 LD:69

Weapons:
- Flamer with 2 reloads.
- Vibro-Knife
- Las pistol- (Comprised of Standard Barrel, Muzzle, Grip, Frame, Military Cell, 18 Megathule chamber, Triplex Phall Generator.)- 1 reload.
- 1 Incendiary Grenade


Equipment:
- Ceramate layered Carapace on all points, except head.
- Closed Helm with Bio-scanner autosenses, rebreather.
- Bionic Paired legs (Average)
- Bionic Lungs and Heart (Average)

Abilities:
- Ambidextrous
- Fast Reload
- Flame Weaver- Alveras has been using incendiary weapons for a good deal of his military career. He knows how flames warp and flow. When using a flamer weapon, he gets a +10 to hit bonus.

Background: A Flame Operative of the Black Brotherhood, a sub cadre of the Mechanicus. Born in a slum-hab on the Forge world of Lucien, he was selected, along with a vast group, to form a secretive chamber militant for the Mechanicus under the guidance of their Tribune Officers. This led to the creation of the Black Brotherhood. A sect that venerates flames as a purifying aspect of the Machine god, they were created to root out possible dissidents and heretics using many non conventional and varied ways. To this day, thirty four years later, the remaining candidates have dwindled, but have often taken new recruits in.

Alvares is a natural with the flamer, able to cook up an inferno quickly, or set a slow burning fire to buy time. He is one of the only officers remaining from the original cadre, and takes great pride in his work. Dressed in black carapace plate, with a crimson visor and a singed cloak, he strikes a terrifying image on the battle field. His lungs and heart were replaced in tone with his work, protecting his circulatory system from the searing fumes, and his legs have been replaced when a promethium facility went up in a poorly executed operation, and have proven to be useful.

Despite his weaponry and talents, he is not a pyromaniac. He has no compulsive desire to burn anything, but simply knows his mission is to burn out those who threaten the Church of the God Emperor and the Omnissiah.
---------------------------------

Guess which game I've been playing too much. What does everyone think?

[Myriad]

Mostly what I'd expect from a heavy trooper carrying a heavy flamer.  I like the idea of a clandestine military cadre within the mechanicus - nice to be reminded that their politics is often very human under all those enhancements.

I'm not sure of the abilities though - they seem to be circumventing the drawbacks to carrying a heavy flamer, especially fast reload.  The re-roll to hit also seems to make a dangerous weapon even more deadly.

[Daxam]

I admit, I was a apprehensive when applying the two skills. I did want to represent he was damned good with a flamer, but didn't really know how, so I gave him advantages that do make him a little... Extreme perhaps. May take off or edit flame weaver to make it more balanced. Maybe a bonus to hit when using it?

Out of interest, has anyone got any ideas for other types of flamer fuel?

[Inquisitor Cade]

hmm. Mostly follows. I think a flamer would be sufficient, a heavy flamer seems unnecessary, but there may be a reason for it that I'm missing.

How about a backpack fuel tank, seems all the rage with the guard.

Sg 52 would make him at the upper end of the intelligenge that one would expect. I'd say Sg 62 was surprisingly intelligent. I'd not go higher than that.

[Myriad]

A bonus to hit would, generally, be considerably less powerful than a reroll, and in general a better idea. 

I think specialist flamer fuels are one the few ammunitions I've not seen discussed.  I suppose a fuel that was especially smokey, or that produced a toxic gas when burning (beyond the usual, that is), might be plausible.

[Kasthan]

if you take a look at modern fuels there are differences in the way they burn and then you can add things to them to change colours/reactions (these are normally metals/metal oxides) (copper oxide + meths = green flames for very pretty fire juggling).

Napalm sticks (to kids) and alcohols produce very hot flames (meths is almost invisible, so you could spray a character and they would start burning before anyone could see). You could have a shorter ranged one that uses gas (think oxy-acetylene) that with a spin of a tap turns into a cutting torch (power weapon rules + can not parry).   

You could have a fuel with iron fillings added to not only burn your enemy but cover him in hot metal particles (lovely!).

You could change the way the flamer works also, for different pressures would change the distance the flamer sprays (marco probably could tell you the distances possible).   

[MarcoSkoll]

You could have a shorter ranged one that uses gas (think oxy-acetylene) that with a spin of a tap turns into a cutting torch (power weapon rules + can not parry).

While they use the power weapon rules for burnas in 40k (at least, I think they still do), it's not really a comparison I like.
If you were to take a powersword to moderately thick sheet metal, you could rend a huge gouge in it with a quick swing. To make the same cut with a cutting torch would take several seconds.

Gas flamethrowers do exist, but mostly for safety reasons - one use is on film sets. The flames look pretty similar, but they don't leave around burning fuel and the less dense gases hold less heat (although they are a similar temperature), so they don't do as much damage if something does go wrong.

You could change the way the flamer works also, for different pressures would change the distance the flamer sprays (Marco probably could tell you the distances possible).

Depends on pressure, fuel density & viscosity, burn rate... it can be worked out, but it's not a quick and easy calculation.

In this case, it's more of a case of winging it. I'd keep inside of 30 yards at maximum though.

[Kasthan]

ok may be not power weapon rules but it would still make a mess of someone if you swung at them with it.

Maybe does X amount of damage but armour counts as double?

[Daxam]

Just a quick bit of artwork I sketched out for Naverius. I'm going to be using it as a guide for him if I ever build up the courage to actually scratch build him.



I may well post other sketches of my characters (if that's permitted), and you can offer your opinions on how they look, what I can add to make them more 40kish etc.

[Aidan]

if I ever build up the courage to actually scratch build him.

My advice is: go for it. A year ago I was horrified by the prospect of sculpting a model from scratch, and now I have four done and have come to really enjoy it. Like with any other skill, it just takes practice. If'n you need ideas, look to some of the great work some of the other conclavers post here every now and then.

I may well post other sketches of my characters (if that's permitted), and you can offer your opinions on how they look, what I can add to make them more 40kish etc.

Always permitted, nay, welcomed. It's always good so see what the character's creator is picturing. Some people are more keen to display their artwork than others, mind (come to think of it, I've never posted a single scribbling on the conclave myself), but it's always a nice touch.

As for the picture displayed, I think he actually does fit into the most popular 40k style quite well - perhaps lacking a little of the frippery of some of the more over-the-top models (in which over-the-top is a stylistic choice rather than error), but he fits. His chainsword and bolt pistol do look a little small, but that's because such weapons are usually rather oversized in 40k. I've certainly used a wide variety of scales for weaponry myself.

Cheers,

-Aidan.

[Daxam]

Thanks. I wanted to make a rather sutble character, though he still does have some minor 'frippery' in my opinion. When i was drawing him, I did forget that 40k weapons are often upscaled slightly, so his armaments are on the small size in the image. Don't worry, I'd make sure to give him the standard 40k sized weapons.

I'll be posting a few more sketches then, and maybe even starting to make him. I have the armature (with the first layer of milliput) sitting on my desk waiting.