Brother Auberon, Imperial Missionary... and now Investigator Tomorov.

[Chipperz]

I dunno about the comms, i think the idea of him knowing that one of his friends is in danger but not being able to do anything about it is kind of...eerie, making him almost seem kind of helpless. It'd restrict the team a little bit, but show that they're not reliant on him. Saying that, it'd make perfectly logical sense for them to have comms...

See, I like the idea that he can't warn people, but yes, they should have comms.

What about if they have comms, but somehow the "psychic static" of Tomorov's powers makes them unreliable, maybe a 50/50 chance they'll just have static for each action spent talking after using a psychic power?  It'd make "Henrik, I see a mutant coming up behind you, watch out" become "*bzzzz* see a mutant *bzzzz* behind you, watch out!"

Far more creepy.

I have a Missionary character and I gave him Nerves of Steel in an obvious exception to my usual tendencies, because I reasoned that his faith was such that he believed that, if a round hit him, it was the Emperor's will.  If not, then that, too, was the Emperor's will and so there was no point in ducking or flinching as the Emperor's will would be done either way.

Consider that idea stolen!  I really like it.

[DapperAnarchist]

Logic? BAH! Logic is the work of Chaos, all good Imperial subjects know that (is true when and only when it suits the Ecclesiarchy for it to be true...)!

The psychic static idea is good...

[precinctomega]

A characterful alternative is to come up with some simple rules for battle-signs - hand signals to communicate in LOS at a distance.

Simply make a Sg test for the signer, then apply the margin of passing/failure to the Sg of the recipient and test again.  If the recipient passes their test, the information is communicated effectively.  It usually takes one Action to communicate one piece of information.

R.

[Sentinel Guy]

Thanks for all the help so far guys. I have given my group comm-links now.

Right so I have been thinking about adding some kind of Magos Biologis to my warband who could act as a torturer if need be and will also be the groups medic (I have removed the medic ability from my missionary as its more fitting here). Now this is only a rough draft but does it look reasonable or are there any cool items or abilities I have missed? Also is the stat line to powerful? I don't want him to be a real tough fighter so I tried to keep him a bit weaker.

Anyway here he is -


Vulcanis – Magos Biologis

WS  BS    S      T    I   WP  SG  NV  LD
52   52  110  60   64  70    70  60   62

He is ambidextrous.

Equipment:
Mechadendrites.
Average Bionic Left Arm with inbuilt Galthite Lacerator.
Average Bionic Right Arm.
Re-breather.
1 Hunter Skull with Bio-scanner.
1 Gun Skull with Laspistol.
2 Knives.
Average Bionic Lungs.
Comm-link.
Medi-kit.
Robes (2 points of armour on all locations except head).
1 Digi-weapon (Inferno Pistol).

Abilities:
Ambidextrous.
Medic.

[Myriad]

The stat-line seems about right, the high strength explained by his bionic arms.  The Lacerator is a fairly exotic piece of kit, but could just mean he's duct taped some sharp bits of junk metal to his arm  .

The one thing I'm not keen on is the digital inferno pistol - they just seem to be a bit powerful and not really subtle enough to fit my vision of digital weaponry.

[Sentinel Guy]

Well as he is a magos biologis I gave him a disection claw (looks like a necron flayed one claw) so I thought the Galthite lacerator would represent it rather adequately.

On the subject of the digi inferno pistol, well the the model I have converted has one of his bionic hands holding a ball of energy so I pictured him being able to summon short ranged but powerful energy blasts which he can 'chuck' at his enemies... the inferno pistol again seemed like the most useful and 'realistic' set of rules to use for such a weapon. I like to think he has the digi weapon built into the palm of his hand and can click his fingers to create a ball of energy which he can then throw at his enemies. Also its only 2 shots per game and he only has average BS.

Hope that helps.

(I will eventually get around to writting some decent background for the group - maybe next week).

[MarcoSkoll]

Well as he is a magos biologis I gave him a disection claw (looks like a necron flayed one claw) so I thought the Galthite lacerator would represent it rather adequately.

Word of warning, being someone who has previously used the lacerator rules (or at least, something based off them). They can be absolutely devastating.

I've seen characters KILLED in one by them. 2D6+5, potential for three hits... add in a critical... easily capable of more than 70 damage in one go if that happens. Quite possibly one of the most underestimated weapons in the game. Couple that with the extra strength of your character's bionics, and you may not make many friends with that one.

I've since replaced the rules of on that character's weapon with one that means that hits are resolved at -1 to base injury value. Still makes it capable of serious wounds, but no longer capable of instant killing a character with a hit to their leg.

[Sentinel Guy]

Right so I have been working on backgrounds for my characters and such. I had a quick chat with the gamesmaster today and he said that the rest of the group have also (mostly) stayed away from overly powerful stuff so I thought I might as well post up what I sent to him as my starting warband and background.


Investigator Tomorov - Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor

WS  BS   S      T    I   WP  SG  NV  LD
55   67  50   50  70  86   86  78   72

Age: 89 (looks 40).
He is right handed.

Equipment:
Flak Armour on all locations except head.
1 Bolt Pistol.
+ 12 Inferno Shells.
1 Rune Staff.
Psi-booster.
Hexagrammic Wards.
Comm-link (this allows characters to be aware of anything the other characters with comm-links are aware of and vice-versa. For more information on awareness see page 52 of the Inquisitor rulebook).
Inquisitorial Seal.

Abilities:
Leader.
Rock Steady Aim.

Psychic Abilities:
Mind Scan.
Psi Track.
Psychic Shriek.



Investigator Tomorov is an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus and a follower of the Amalathian ideas. Possessing the perfect skills to hunt down heretics and witches, he was discovered and taken by the Black Ships where he was deemed worthy enough to attempt to become an inquisitor. Now 89 years old, he has had some rejuvenative treatment and looks like a 40 year old. He is inquisitive by nature and before he was taken by the Black Ships he had spent most of his time studying and experimenting. He carries these same skills over into his current work where he prefers to carry out a thorough investigation before committing himself to any decisive action. He favours plain non-descript clothes which enable him to move freely in the streets where he can use his formidable telepathic powers to scan for psychic abilities and heresy.

He is an inspirational leader and he cares greatly about those within his group, some would say too much. He believes that as he was the one who recruited them then he should also act as their protector in times of need, and sometimes this has led him to do things he would later regret, such as allowing the escape of a powerful witch in return for the safety of one of his operatives.

His favoured weapon is the bolt pistol loaded with inferno shells as that way he can cleanse the souls of heretics more accurately. He also relies on his rune staff and psi-booster to support his already powerful psychic ability.

A calm and collected man, only a fool would attempt to double cross or betray Tomorov as his network of spies and informants in the entire sector is great, and he has many friends within the Ordos. He is well respected and although his views are sometimes seen as hard-line, it is only because he cares so much about the Imperium and wants to preserve it.



Brother Auberon - Imperial Missionary

WS  BS    S    T    I   WP  SG  NV  LD
59   49   46  44 48  76   66   77  72

Age: 22.
He is right handed.

Equipment:
Rosarius (conversion field generator).
Simulacrum Imperialis (friendly characters who have line of sight to Auberon may re-roll failed pinning and leadership tests).
1 Frag Grenade.
1 Stubber.
1 Scythe (halberd).
Comm-link.
Robes (2 points of armour on all locations except his head).


Abilities:
Word of the Emperor - Catechism of Hate, Curse of undoing, The will and the Way, Faith Overcomes All.
Medic.



The bombastic Brother Auberon was raised in the Schola Progenium as a priest. A rough-and-ready type of guy, only recently has he been granted the rights of an Imperial missionary and it was on his way to his first mission that he came into contact with Tomorov for the first time. Preaching to a group of settlers onboard the Star Suffice, a transport ship travelling towards the unsettled worlds in the Destrix Nebula, the Investigator heard the holy words of the missionary and was impressed by his unshakable faith and devotion.

When the ship was attacked by hordes of pirates the Investigator was quick to take charge of the situation and ordered that the bulkheads beyond the breached areas be sealed to buy time for the defenders to gather arms and equipment ready to repel the boarders. Trapped in the breached section with a score of other settlers was Auberon himself. Taking up a scythe, one of the farming tools available as a weapon he led the settlers towards the pirates amassing behind the sealed bulkhead doors. With litanies spilling from his lips and fire in his eyes he cut down any who opposed him, the settlers always by his side, inspired by his deeds. Hearing the fighting outside Tomorov himself gathered his warband and led them out to confront the remaining pirates who were cut down without mercy. With the boarders defeated and the pirates unwilling to launch anymore assault ships, they tried to flee but were caught and destroyed by a pair of Imperial Frigates which had been patrolling the area and had responded to distress calls.

After the battle Tomorov looked for the missionary and eventually found him in a make-shift medical ward where he was treating the injured and offering prayer to those who could not be saved. Quite taken by the young mans faith and abilities he requested that he become a part of the warband and without a second thought Auberon agreed, seeing the same faith within the Investigator.
 


Henrik - Enforcer

WS  BS   S     T    I   WP  SG  NV  LD
60  68   55  55  65  55   60   61  56

Age: 29.
He is right handed.

Equipment:
Carapace Armour on all locations except head.
1 Pump-action Combat Shotgun with Laser Sight.
+ 12 Executioner Shells.
1 Laspistol.
Comm-link.
1 Armoured Gauntlet.

Abilities:
Quickload.
Subdue.
Deadeye Shot.



Henrik has only recently been recruited by the Investigator. His skill at hunting down and capturing wrongdoers has already proved useful after he apprehended the late Doctor Mawless, a foul chaos worshipper who mixed warp spawned concoctions together and mutated his patients to observe the effects first hand. Henrik was able to use his knowledge of local hideouts, speak-easies, and gambling dens to track down known associates of the Doctor and with the psychic abilities of Investigator Tomorov they were able to deduce his current whereabouts.

When the Doctor tried to run from the law it was Henrik who stopped him after removing both his legs with shots from his trusty combat shotgun. When the Doctor was later found guilty and burned that evening Investigator Tomorov contacted Henrik's superiors and asked that he be attached to the Investigator's staff for the foreseeable future as his skills could prove useful again.

 

Cloven - Swordsman

WS  BS    S    T     I   WP  SG  NV  LD
70   43   60  54  65  55   50   59   57

Age: 47.
He is left handed.

Equipment:
1 Bastard Sword.
1 Knife.
1 Autogun.
Carapace Armour on chest and abdomen.
Comm-link.

Abilities:
Dodge.
Feint.
Furious Assault.



Born on the medieval world of Casella IV, the orphan known as Cloven was raised by a nobleman and his family, and eventually took his place as one of their retainers on his 21st birthday, acting as bodyguard to his lord's youngest son Erlim. Casella itself was vibrant world of green fields and rolling hills, the perfect world for Imperial settlement, and so it was during Cloven's 36th year that the Imperial settlers first started arriving, preaching the Imperial Creed and gathering new flocks to tend. Most of the Casellanians welcomed their new allies with open arms as they brought new technologies and supplies and it wasn't long before the vast majority of the people had accepted the Emperor as their spiritual leader and guide.

However all was not as it seemed. Erlim, who had risen to become leader of his noble house after his brother suffered a fatal hunting accident, was staunchly against Imperial rule and along with the majority of his household opposed the laws and legislation set out by the new governor. Seeing this as an act of defiance and expecting to crush the insolent whelp within a week, the governor despatched his small but well equipped guard to deal with the uprising. When the commander of the guard arrived on the lands owned by Erlim it was revealed that there was in fact widespread support for the rebellion and so the planet was thrown into turmoil, as brother fought brother, and it looked like the conflict would never end.

That was to change in the 8th month of the war when the true heresy of the rebels was to be revealed. The leaders of the rebellion, who had suffered a recent great defeat had sought ways to end the war quickly and in their favour, and had been approached by the secret Cult of the Changing Flame who offered them salvation in return for support. The cult had been hiding in secret on the planet for all those years, carefully selecting new members and biding its time waiting for the opportune moment to strike and seize power in the name of the Great Changer... now was that time. Erlim and the others quickly swore their loyalty to the cult and the next week was spent gathering their forces ready for the final battle.

Cloven and a band of other retainers grew suspicious of the cult and infiltrated their temple during the right of initiation on the seventh day of the week. What they saw horrified them beyond belief. In the centre of the room stood a twisted, hunched monster with horns and a snakelike tongue that flicked around as he spoke words of ancient power. On the ground around him were the writhing bodies of the rebel leaders who were all mutating into some form or another, each as awful as the next. Remembering the teachings of the Imperial missionaries, and unable to let such horrors escape the temple, the retainers charged the cultists. What ensued has never been revealed, but the next morning when the smoke from the campfires had finally cleared, Cloven was found sobbing, covered in blood and with the head of his former master still gripped in his right hand... nobody else made it out alive.

The rebels surrendered the very same day; it appeared that the vast majority of rebels had only opposed the Imperium because of their loyalty to their lords. The Inquisition was called in to examine the temple and to hunt down any cultists who may have escaped Cloven's wrath. And so it fell to Investigator Tomorov to question Cloven and to judge his faithfulness and worthiness to live. After a week of questioning he could find no traces of heresy within the man and so he asked if he would accompany him on his future exploits as an agent of the Inquisition. Having no place to return to and no duty left to perform Cloven accepted and has been a faithful servant ever since, bringing his formidable swordsmanship to the Investigator's warband.



After a talk with the gamesmaster it seems that the others have good all rounder warbands so I added the swordsman in to give me some decent combat potential (and it saves me having to convert another figure as I have someone suitable already made).