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A Rogues Gallery

Started by Patient 131071, June 22, 2011, 01:15:20 AM

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Patient 131071

Anselm Eisekette

WS 35, BS 61 (-20 non metallic), S 49, T 54, I 64, Wp 80, Sg 81, Nv 58, Ld 68, Speed 4

Stubber
Shock knife

Powers/abilities:
Electromagnetic acceleration, uses stubber, -20% acc, 5d6 damage, requires 2 actions: a telekinetic action on the bullet at the exact same time the Stubber is fired. It is an extremely risky attack and requires I, Wp, Sg and Nv tests to ensure the timing and focus requirements are met.

Storm of lightning
Telekinesis (on metallic objects only)
Magnetic ward (1d6 force field against metal)

Captured at a young age by slave traders,  Prisoner 214782 was sold  to a group of heretical cultists. Here he was tortured and experimented on by Doctor Adolphus Geist.  Years later, having been groomed into a great weapon by the Doctor, 214782 turned on his owners and all but massacred them making use of his unusual abilities. Helmets crushed skulls as they crumpled inwards, explosives were detonated, guns and knives turned on their owners as 214782 unleashed his electromagnetic wrath upon his tormentors.

Having made full use of his training against his mentors 214782 decided that violence, while occasionally entertaining was not something he felt like engaging in on a regular basis, unless it became absolutely necessary, and with this particular revelation, he more or less gave up on all focus with regards his military training.
After escaping from the cultists, 214782 stole much of their ill-gotten-gains, and used it for his own means. He found that the art of thievery was much more to his liking, and was quick in realising the subtle uses his electromagnetic skills gave him quite the advantage in bypassing ever more elaborate and advanced security measures.
Somewhere along his journey he created the identity of Anselm Eisekette.  Anselm has expensive tastes, utilising the wealth of his sequestered merchandise to afford his every whim:  his suits are made Bespoke from the finest materials, many of which would be considered hard to come by for even the wealthiest of generals and Planetary Governors, and as such has quite the reputation with many a Rogue trader as a man who knows how to get things, obviously because this is very much the case. He appreciates fine wines, haute cuisine of Cordon Bleu standard and a well made dry martini (whether these compare in the slightest to the current standard of Cordon Bleu or even meet the loosest definition of a martini is unknown, however, standards are relative and names get reused).
It was at a high society event, the likes of which Anselm had come to enjoy and thus frequent, that he was caught accessing the hostess' vault by Inquisitor Carradine, who recognising the many uses of the young man's talents offered him leeway to continue in his extralegal dalliances, and thus continue to enjoy the premier lifestyle he had become so enamoured with, in exchange for his services whenever they were required.
Anselm's Machiavellian assessment of the situation found the offer to be not without merit, and understanding that to decline would only result in a violent confrontation, Anselm accepted, albeit somewhat begrudgingly.

Upside down in the dark again, does anyone else have a feeling of deja vu?

SpanielBear

Ave, and-

Welcome to The Conclave!!

Good to have you with us.

So, Anselm. I know we've been discussing the acceleration effect for a while now, and I actually think you might have taken it a bit far. four tests over two actions means its not going to happen except once in a blue moon. I'd keep the accuray penalty, take it down to 4d6 damage, keep it risky and two actions but just an i and wp test for it to succeed. If both tests fail, then usual psychic failure rules apply, but if only one fails, then how about the shot scatters in a random direction? Adds a little chaos without just being 'nothing happens'

As to his background, the only thing I can see is- if he was captured by a chaos cult, and now has this very sensuous side to him, I would be interested if there was a Slaaneshi influence at work. Add to that the fact that he is an unsanctioned psyker, and I am curious as to why Carradine wats to risk working with him at all- he seems exceedingly unstable from an Inquistion perspective. But then maybe Carradine's background will explain that- perhaps the guy is a radical Istvaanian, who believes that crises and threats will ultimately strengthen the Imperium; and the rules that bind against certain activities are preventing real growth.

But I like the character, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the Rogues.  :)
Have Fun, Stay Sane, Enjoy the Madness

Patient 131071

Ave Spaniel Bear

The maths gives the electro.acc about 1 in 4 chance of succeeding as it stands, 2 in 5 if we take out the nerve test, or 1 in 2 if we bring it down to just initiative and will power.
I'm reluctant to reduce the potential damage, given that two shots with the stubber would do 4d6 + 4 across two actions, and granted two shots works a bit different to a single shot in what it will accomplish, but the idea behind the electromagnetic acceleration on the bullet is that it effectively ends up as the pistol equivalent of a rail gun. Even if the bullet is travelling 50% faster than normal, it would still have more than twice as much energy, and thus be in position to do more than twice as much damage, hence the 5d6.
I also figure Anslem mostly uses this action to invoke a shock impact on the many safes he works on trying to open, after his more subtle attempts have failed.

As to the lasting affects of the Heretical Cult and decadent lifestyle Anselm now leads, yes it is quite possible there is a Slaaneshi influence, however this is a relatively subtle demonstration of possible influence, and Carradine is unaware of his past, as such the Inquisitor's suspicions are not what they could be. As for why Carradine would work with an unsanctioned psyker? Well, he has a rather large number of questionable habits...
Upside down in the dark again, does anyone else have a feeling of deja vu?

MarcoSkoll

#3
Quote from: Patient 131071 on June 22, 2011, 12:31:56 PMThe maths gives the electro.acc about 1 in 4 chance of succeeding as it stands, 2 in 5 if we take out the nerve test, or 1 in 2 if we bring it down to just initiative and will power.
Do bear in mind the ~1 in 3 of failing the risky action.

Quotebut the idea behind the electromagnetic acceleration on the bullet is that it effectively ends up as the pistol equivalent of a rail gun.
Actually, if his powers are magnetic (as opposed to some mysterious "metal-only telekinesis"), then the current in a non-ferromagnetic armature would be internal, making it more akin to an induction coilgun.

QuoteEven if the bullet is travelling 50% faster than normal, it would still have more than twice as much energy, and thus be in position to do more than twice as much damage, hence the 5d6.
As ballistics is a particular interest/speciality of mine, I can tell you there is a lot more to damage and stopping power than raw kinetic energy. Elements like projectile hardness/toughness/shape/dimensions, target hardness/toughness, over penetration, inelastic momentum transfer...

But I figure I'll look at this from a different angle: That the Inquisitor damage system is an abstraction and not linearly related to energy transferred.

For a simple example taken from the rulebook, the Stubber and the Autogun, both 2D6+2 damage. Taking contemporary military equivalents, we'll use 9mm for the pistol and 5.56mm for the Autogun.

9mm muzzle energy: ~450 ft-lbs.
5.56mm muzzle energy: ~1,300 ft-lbs.

Nearly three times the muzzle energy in the 5.56mm, yet they're given the same damage.

But even if these aren't good equivalents, the rifle/pistol power disjoint is existent across almost all cartridges. It's not until you get to something like the .44 magnum - which, while not "the most powerful handgun in the world" any longer, is still an exceptionally powerful pistol cartridge - that you finally reach the same muzzle energy as the 5.56mm (and even then, only barely). And the 5.56mm is actually quite a low powered rifle chambering.

Firstly, what this means is that the game designers didn't know that much about guns. A rifle is a rifle, and a pistol is a pistol. While the same damage might work as an abstraction for 40k, rifles are far more lethal than pistols (and I show this in my "Revised Armoury", where most rifles have damages of the form of 3D6+X).

However, despite that failing it does clearly demonstrate that there was absolutely no intention for damage to be proportional to kinetic energy.
And indeed, if that were the case, then it would mean making an autogun something like 6D6+5 damage, which would make games very short and very uninteresting.

In other words, SpanielBear's advice is solid.

Quote(whether these compare in the slightest to the current standard of Cordon Bleu or even meet the loosest definition of a martini is unknown, however, standards are relative and names get reused).
This is a space sci-fi setting where most of history before the year 30,000 has been completely lost.

Names don't get reused in 40k, because their language is not one we'd recognise today. Much the same as when you're watching a war film and the Germans are all speaking English, everything we read is conveniently rendered in English/Pig Latin translated from the Low Gothic/High Gothic the characters are actually speaking.

So, word choice is the author's, not the character's - and therefore, it makes its use relative to the contemporary author.
People won't read it as an phrasal translation, but a literal one, which will draw them out of their suspension of disbelief, if they can't conceive that the Martini might still exist in said future.

In 40k, you should only use fairly generic terms as far as you need to get the meaning across ("Wine" and maybe "Beer/Ale"). Beyond that, you should use new terms and the context to give the intent.

If I talk about "haute cuisine of a Masséau Blanc standard and a well made Vergili cocktail"

In the first term, the reader can guess from the French gist that I'm drawing a parallel to Cordon Bleu (but without saying it and jarring them from the setting), but even if they don't, they can still work out that it's fancy cooking.

In the latter term, all the important information is there too. "Well made" and "cocktail". In other words, he has a favourite tipple and holds it to high standards. Same information, no readers going "Martinis? In the 41st millennium? Give me a break."

In short, if you ever find yourself going "Well, it's not the same thing, it's a 41st millennium equivalent", you should find some other way to get the meaning across.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Alyster Wick

Since you're going the Magneto route I'd suggest that you might reexamine the powers you've given your character as their are a number of more interesting options you could give.

First, you pluck certain details directly from First Class concerning his escape which are noticeable absent from the power list (ie his magnetic telekenisis giving him the ability to kill others/use their own weapons against them).

Story-wise, you might want to switch things up a bit to avoid so blatant a port. Your giving an identical origin and identical abilities to your character and while there's nothing objectively wrong with that it is a bit lazy. If you truly feel inspired and compelled by the film then I'd suggest taking more care in translating the character, otherwise you might as well just use the INQ rules to play with X-men character (which in and of itself could be a fun and legitimate thing to do).

Suggestions for changing the story slightly to be more interesting/pertinent to the 41st millenia: it isn't a heretical cult that captures him, it's a rogue inquisitor who performs all kind of experiments. Alternatively you could say that he gets picked up by one of the black ships (not necessarily pleasant places for psychers) and this is where he goes through his life altering trials. Rather than having feelings of anger for a vague cult it would be much more interesting for him to have a chip on his shoulder against the entire Imperium, which would make his relationship with the current Inquisitor much more exciting in-game. How does Anselm feel when tasked with hunting down a rogue psycher?

For the power themselves, I'd suggest de-emphasizing the more massively powerful aspects and suggest that his ability to manipulate magnetic fields is more finesse based and that acts of sheer power are confined to relatively simple things. You could think about ways for him to jam guns, cause them to misfire, ruin las power cells, etc. Likewise his ability to pic locks could be much more intuitive. He could have a persistent power which allows him to reroll SG tests when interacting with certain types of equipment because of his intuitive ability to map out the innards of such a device.

As for the "Telekinisis with metal objects only," why don't you call it "Magnetic Field Manipulation" (or some such thing) and describe it as identical to telekinesis but he can only perform it on metal objects? It seems more a description and less a title of the power.

As for his magnetic acceleration, but not lose the stubber all together and give him a sack of ball bearings? Make it an exceptionally powerful psychic bolt but one which he needs "ammo" for so that it balances out in game purposes. His powers aren't incredibly refined so he can't just use any old object and achieve the same effect, it needs to be a perfect sphere. This also makes him more interesting in that he can walk around unarmed and yet still be incredibly dangerous.

Lastly, you could have have a rule like "magnetic acceleration" as a power which dramatically increases the potency of thrown metal weapons. If he passes his WP test perhaps it stacks on a damage bonus, +1 damage for every 10 points of Willpower that he has, or add an extra d6 for every full 10 points he passes his test by, etc. This would make him absolutely deadly with a throwing knife.

Electric storm could also go. Given I'm no scientist so I can't talk to the relation between how the manipulation of electromagnetic fields could create a small scale electrical storm, but right now it doesn't seem to fit the background you've created. That said, if you modify his story and make him less Magneto-y then it could feel more natural.

Anyway, hope some of that was helpful.

Patient 131071

Fair enough

Electromagnetic acceleration: Damage 4d6, requires 2 actions, an initiative test and a will power test. it counts as a risky action

"He appreciates fine wines, haute cuisine of Cravate Cramoisi standard and a well made dry Schtolzano cocktail"
Upside down in the dark again, does anyone else have a feeling of deja vu?

Patient 131071

Alyster, thanks for the suggestions.
The "telekinesis (on metallic objects only)" was more for purposes of directing to the applicable section of the rules with a note to the nature/limitations of the power, rather than a name or explaination of them.
I had also been taking it as inferred that these powers could possibly be used with regards to pick pocketing, taking weapons from people, turning them on their owners and so on. Similarly it is possible that Anselm might throw something at someone only to then add to the force behind it with his electromagnetic abilities. 

I'd also been working on the assumption that using the "telekinesis" on smaller objects would likely be using more finess, particularly with regards things like safe cracking, and that working with bigger heavier items would be more cumbersome, but I think this is something of a given simply by the rule mechanics of telekinesis. A certain amount of what he is and isn't allowed to do will probably come down to the GM. I can of course say Anselm is going to attempt to perform an MRI on someone, but whether its acceptable or not is naturally up to them.

The electromagnetic acceleration rule is more designed to indicate a specific example of what has been described above with him further accelerating a bullet to huge speeds just after it is activated by the stubber, although I do like the idea of using ball bearings quite alot.

As for 214782's early origins, I'm still playing around with ideas, I had considered a rogue inquisitor in the early stages of development, but it didn't quite fit with other ideas I had. I think the idea of a Black Ship might work better, but who knows? like I said I'm still toying with the fluff.

Thanks for the feedback

Upside down in the dark again, does anyone else have a feeling of deja vu?

SpanielBear

If there was one person I wouldn't want at the controls of an MRI machine...
Have Fun, Stay Sane, Enjoy the Madness

Patient 131071

But think of all the wacky fun that would ensue Spaniel Bear!
What happens if you give a huge electromagnet to someone with powers over electromagnetic fields?
All the science we could do! I should contact Glados!
Upside down in the dark again, does anyone else have a feeling of deja vu?

Alyster Wick

QuoteI'd also been working on the assumption that using the "telekinesis" on smaller objects would likely be using more finess, particularly with regards things like safe cracking, and that working with bigger heavier items would be more cumbersome, but I think this is something of a given simply by the rule mechanics of telekinesis. A certain amount of what he is and isn't allowed to do will probably come down to the GM. I can of course say Anselm is going to attempt to perform an MRI on someone, but whether its acceptable or not is naturally up to them.

Which is a very fair statement. Inventive ways to utilize what's already there is the basis of inquisitor really. I was just thinking that their could be a big opportunity for some good "branch powers" (if you will) which no one has really utilized given that you're breaking new ground with the electromagnetic field thing. I believe it was Marco who really broke new ground with this, giving one of his character a large list of powers which were really just an expression of the same ability in different ways (the assumption being that a psycher's abilities are a lot more complex than just saying, oh, well they can shoot a fire ball and nothing else).

Anyway, it's worth a think to create some interesting twists on what specific impact his abilities can have with 40K tech so that the GM isn't constantly confounded by your desire to try new and inventive things, though perhaps specific rules will be generated when you try things out in-game, so have fun experimenting!

Patient 131071

It's a good suggestion Alyster, I'll have great fun thinking about variety of ways to give opponents problems, such as people aren't allowed to run because Anselm saw fit to undo the buckles of their boots.

Now onto member number two of the Rogues Gallery:

James Rourke: "Falx"

WS 78, BS 51, S 92, T 86, I 71, Wp 45, Sg 52, Nv 68, ld 56, speed 5

Gertrude, pistol, A, Single, Acc -5, Damage 2d6 + 4, Reload (1), Weight 25
Wendy, Double Barrelled shotgun, Basic, E , single/ semi 2, Acc  - , Damage 2d6+ 2, Reload (2), weight 35

Olivia (short sword), Reach 2, Damage D10, -15% parry
Marla (axe), reach 2, damage 2d6 + 2, -15% parry

Powers/Abilities
Furious Assault, True Grit,
Vampirism, Regenerate (may only be used after successful Vampirism attack roll against unmodified Wp),
Experienced Brawler: Falx enjoys fighting and does it on a regular basis, as such has become particularly adept at disarming his opponents.  If his parry, or his subsequent attack is a success of ten percent or better, the opponent loses the parried weapon. 

Little is known of James Rourke, largely because although easily recognised by casual civilian observers, most of those who have had direct dealings with him of even the most slightly extended nature are either unwilling or unable to share their experiences of the man.
Please do not be so foolish as to presume this is because most of those who have come into contact with Rourke are Dead. Such assumptions are unfounded. While Rourke has indeed killed a great many people these were rarely cold executions, but drunken accidents when he got a little over enthusiastic in some Bar Room Brawl. Since it is during these Brawls one is most likely to deal with Rourke, it is quite understandable why so many of those with first hand experience of his behaviour are comatose, unconscious, or at least nursing a broken jaw.
In a somewhat paradoxical series of accounts all Barmaids have noted that Rourke was, in his own way, charming, and friendly, which they found quite surprising to his gruff exterior.  It has been noted that many of the aforementioned brawls seem to have been triggered by Rourke's disapproval of the ungentlemanly behaviour of many of his fellow patrons toward the barmaids and waitresses/hostesses/dancers.
Rourke is always observed to be wearing a long leather trench coat of some variety, notably on at least five occasions a Lord Commisar's coat (confirmed), once accompanied by the cap, though Rourke appears to have a high turn over of coats and seems to trade up whenever his coat is too damaged to continue to be of service, or, and more frequently, whenever he finds a nicer one.
One such exchange was caught on a Vox caster, but the details of the exchange are considered to unseemly to be printed here.
Other small pieces of information concerning  Rourke are also consistent: he is quite the giant of a man, some say he must be the son of Sly Marbo and an Eldar Witch he left alive just long enough to give birth, this may be quite possible given the skills and strength he is said to demonstrate while fighting, while others believe he is a genius of a half ogryn. Rourke himself has said he was the bastard son of Inquisitor Hector Rex, but this is one of the few rumours that have actually been proven false. Or so the inquisition says. He has pale white blonde hair that is possibly bleached, and his appearance is frequently described as being rugged or sallow, though most waitresses have made it clear this is most definitely "in a hot way".
His accent is remarked upon: while always speaking in High Gothic with a vocabulary that defies his thuggish exterior, all that anyone can further agree is "it was not from around here" .
How Inquisitor Carradine came to employ Rourke is apparently quite a story, it must be because neither one is prepared to give details beyond, the involvement of a large bottle of particularly potent Bourbosky (each),  a bar which exploded around the time they supposedly met, and six young kittens.
May also write poetry.

Upside down in the dark again, does anyone else have a feeling of deja vu?

Alyster Wick

Something you should definitely address with Falx is the vampirism. His physical stats are abnormally high but not outside the realm of possibility (though being some kind of a vampire could be helpful by way of an explanation). The vampirism ability you gave him is pretty distinct and it never looks to be directly addressed unless your suggestion that he might possibly be an eldar half-breed was meant as an explanation. In that case I would seriously suggest you rethink that choice as you're likely to find the conclave is very anti-half breeds, largely due to the fact that 40K goes out of its way (in the past few additions) to specify that physiologically there are massive differences between these species which (based on our current understanding of biology) would preclude half-breeds from existing between most established species.

Anyway, that all aside, it's a major piece of his rules that really bears direct addressing.

*Disclaimer for my rant below: this is purely a matter of personal taste so feel free to completely disregard what I'm saying.

Aside from that, I'd suggest some serious retooling of your characters as they exist in their current forms. This may just be an matter of opinion, but I think it's unfulfilling and against the spirit of the game to port other characters so directly. Falx is basically a better looking Marv who happens to be a vampire. His quirks and habits are almost identical. While in both character's cases you've added enough into their background to make them fit into the 40K universe the transfers are extremely thinly veiled.

I think there's no problem with what you're attempting to do by the way. In fact, my namesake is based on the Joker so I have very little room to judge. That said, I'll walk you through the process I went through and hopefully that will help.

To begin with, I have always found the Joker to be one of the most compelling comic character (or, indeed, fictional characters) I've encountered. Is paradoxically frivolous/comedic and yet dark and violent personality has an allure for me. My interest was rekindled with the release of The Dark Knight and the way the character was so grounded in reality which pushed me to start developing my own character (whose ancient thread I cannot find).

I won't rehash the entire character but suffice it to say that many may not even see the connection unless prompted. I wanted to take the kernel of the character, the thing I found most compelling and find a way to transpose it in the INQ universe. What I ended up doing was taking the Joker's "moral code" and asking myself what it would look like/how it could be explained in a way that was inherently 40K. I epitomized the Joker's code as a kind of super-sanity (not my term, I'd heard it applied to him before) in which he saw the world as an insane place which morality as an abstract construct and decided the only logical reaction was to reinvent himself constantly and laugh in the face of absurdity (the joke being that he's the only sane one).

From there I needed to decide what character would carry these values and how they were derived. Sure, I could choose a space pirate or crime lord, but that would be (a) predictable and (b) uninteresting. In a universe as dark and violent as 40K, I decided to ask myself "why can't I turn the idea on its head and have the character be an Inquisitor?"

So then I had the premise and the person, I just needed to link the two with a story. Since I can't find the post to link to I'll give you the cliff notes: Wick was an incredibly promising acolyte who disappeared on his first investigation after achieving the rank of Inquisitor. He was discovered years later in the torture vault of a slanneshi cult. After being saved by his former mentor it was discovered that Wick believed he had a transcendent experience in which the Emperor showed him his divine plan. Wick now believes that the Emperor has already won, his victory preordained. Now he plays out his job as an actor on the Emperor's stage, performing for his divine observer. While he fights for the Emperor he does so without consequence; since the Emperor has already won then what is there left to do but glorify his victory in everything?

Again, these are the brief cliffnotes. I fully intended to link the actual post which would have made it much clearer and I don't want to post my entire character bio here so hopefully that makes sense and you get the connection.

From there I decided to keep certain aesthetic qualities of the Joker that sprung up organically: he has a Glascow smile left over from his torture and dresses in garish colors because it's part of the masquerade. While these were unnecessary (almost self indulgent) characteristics to keep I was satisfied that not only were they in keeping with his origin, but indeed the excuses for them popped up unplanned.

So that's an insight into how I handled doing essentially the same thing you're doing here. There's nothing especially wrong with the characters as they stand, but when coming to the game board I wouldn't help but think, "Oh, I'm fighting Magneto and Marv," since the characters are nearly identical in history and personality to their modern day counterparts. Yes you've 40Ked their stories up, but that's completely incidental to their stories.

I would suggest looking back and picking some of the things you like most about the characters and utilize that. For the Anselm, what do you feel defines him? Do you want him to carry the same chip on his shoulder and hatred that defined Magneto or are you more interested in the powers he contains?  How can these things fit organically together in a distinctly 40K setting? For the Marv character what are you aiming at? His quirkiness in naming his weapons or "trading up" coats? His bar fighting and love of "working women?" His incredibly questionable sanity? In his case it's a little more difficult as (aside from a few quirks) Marv is a pretty standard noir-character but it's worth a think.

Again, there's nothing necessarily wrong with these two I'd just like to see a little more complexity than how you've ported two great (IMO) comic figures without any real 40K depth.