New player, new warband

[Minerva]

Hi guys im starting a small inquisitor warband despite not really seeing any oppotrunity to play mainly because it seems too awesome not to.

I feel very aware of the spirit in which inquisitor is supposed to be played as well as the potential for more fun with less kit. I have constructed in my eyes reasonable characters and stats but lack the experience to back it up. This is where you come in please!

So the basic premise is 3 individuals who represent a mid level rogue trader. Whenever there is a dubious deal, a dangerous tasking, a first meeting with questionable individuals (even nonhumans, shock!) these guys are first in. They are deniable and expendable to an extent. This allows the rogue trader to continue his high level political scheming in luxary and safety whilst also able to deny things if events turn bad.

The three will almost always be outnumbered and at least in unfamiliar, often unfriendly, territory. In order to survive and complete their missions they first need to assess and relay threats. This is so the rogue trader can adapt or cancel plans/deals or start covering his tracks if inquisitors get involved and events are not entirely legal. Also so the three dont walk blindly into an ambush.

They will also be often outnumbered and outgunned and are thus aware that if things become violent they need to extract quickly. Ideally not killing if it can be avoided as this is politically messy and also diminishes the chances of the rogue trader salvaging deals/plans etc... (this is represented in some equipment).

So onto the characters:

Main character, Cassian Aurelius: Without going into too much detail this charcter was educated amongst a hive city elite and therefore possess a sharpness of mind and natual authority which lends itself well to the job. He either brow beats or manipulates lesser individuals into line with the best interests of his employer. (hence leader). At a young-ish age he was given a revolver which has been on his person from that point on (where appropriate). Violence is rarely helpful to their cause and as a result weapons are usually concealed under long coats etc... However experience has shown the need to react quickly and decisivly to threats and he has thus trained extensivly with the help of his warrior body guard and can draw his revolver in the blink of an eye (hence fast draw). An incident early on in his career saw his left arm injured heavily due to the inability to take down an opponent wearing concealed armour. Learning his lesson he carries a power knife and a load of man stopper ammo to make sure this does not repeat itself! (Hopefully only 6 man stopper bullets and the power weapon being a knife means it isnt too powerful?)

ws  bs  s     t     i     wp  sg  nv  ld
60  64  58  56  67   71  77  69  78

Equipment Revolver, laser sight, 18 normal bullets, 6 man stopper bullets, power knife, knife, flak armour everywhere apart from arms and head.

Special abilities: leader, fast draw, injured left arm: All equipment held in the left hand counts as double weight

right handed


Body guard/warrior Wihtout going into too much detail he is the equivalent of a guard veteran but more intelligent. He is the warbands main line of defence and his equipment reflects the idea of an initial weight of fire (not necessarily lethal- choke gas and smoke) so they can escape to complete the mission or live another day). He is mainly a gunfighter with a large amount of experience and practice firing and reloading on the move.

ws  bs  s     t     i     wp  sg  nv  ld
65  74  64  59  65   61  66  67  65

Equipment: autogun, infra scope, two reloads, auxillary grenade launcher- 1 choke gas shell, 1 frag shell, autopistol, 1 reload, short sword, knife, auspex, gas mask, 2 smoke grenades, 1 frag grenade, flak armour chest + abdomen, closed helmet

Special abilities: Rock steady aim, quick load

right handed

Psyker: Not much background as of yet however he has been hand picked to detect threats and relay them both to the rest of the warband and also to the rogue trader so he can consider his options.

ws  bs  s     t     i     wp  sg  nv  ld
43  36  40  42  52   71  65  73  61

Equipment: Staff, knife

Special abilites: detection, mind scan, telethapy, psychic impel, gaze of death

right handed


So thats it. I think they seem realistic and fun but I lack the experience to judge their stats. As part of a rogue traders inner circle they theoretically have access to most equipment going but I hope you agree they are fairly modestly geared up.

So what do you think?! Thanks!!!

[0604854]

In terms of game balance good but background detail is vital I would get working on tbat asap as tgat will inform their stats and abilities

[Draco Ferox]

WELCOME TO THE CONCLAVE


They're certainly not OP, but all your stats end in 0 or 5- just have them all end in a different number, if only for some variety. Aside from that, psychic impel seems out of place on your psyker- all his other powers are telepathy.

I like the injured left arm, but if he holds a weight 13 gun/item/weapon in his hand, it'll incur penalties. There's a dark magenta article on injuries to a character, but 3/4 strength in one arm would work better, I feel.

[Minerva]

Noted. When I have more of a think about the characters I will reduce the 5's and 0's! I also like your arm suggestion!

[Dolnikan]

They seem interesting but really need more background, that is what a character is after all. The power knife could also be a gift from the trader, as a reward or something like that, a rogue trader would easily get one for a favoured servant.

The psuyker's background should certainly include the most important point, how did the trader get him or her, psykers are a rare commodity after all.

[Draco Ferox]

Have a look at this random name generator.

Input some name categories, give it a few spins, and you might either find something you like, or find inspiration for a name. I suggest germanic, latin and russian to get a good mix from the background of 40k

[Koval]

Have a look at this random name generator.

Input some name categories, give it a few spins, and you might either find something you like, or find inspiration for a name. I suggest germanic, latin and russian to get a good mix from the background of 40k

Should probably point out that you'll need to generate a surname separately, although there are plenty of ways to generate suitable surnames...

[MarcoSkoll]

Should probably point out that you'll need to generate a surname separately, although there are plenty of ways to generate suitable surnames...

Not necessarily. Many surnames, often being derived from things like "Fredrick, son of Carl", often strongly resemble forenames, so you'll often find that you can comfortably butcher a forename to get something surname like.

[Koval]

Should probably point out that you'll need to generate a surname separately, although there are plenty of ways to generate suitable surnames...

Not necessarily. Many surnames, often being derived from things like "Fredrick, son of Carl", often strongly resemble forenames, so you'll often find that you can comfortably butcher a forename to get something surname like.

As true as that is, the BTN-generator provided doesn't allow for surname generation in and of itself (intentionally, at least; I've spotted things like Cohen in that list, and I've never heard of anyone with Cohen as a first name), hence my comment that you'll need to do something (either with the generator or with something else) to make a separate surname.

[DapperAnarchist]

Some of my characters simply use BTN generated first names as last names. Adelmar, Belhinos, Remiel, and I think Kolab are all first names. I do also use the Seventh Sanctum evil name generators - here - sometimes.

[Draco Ferox]

With regards to naming, I've found that throwing a few words into google translate can yield some interesting results. Maybe less so for character names, but if you're looking for organisation names then it works quite well, especially latin.

I like the power knife on the inquisitor, it seems like the sort of thing he could easily pass off as a normal knife until he needs to use it, and coming from a background in the upper hive, he would know the value of easily concealable weapons. I like the justification in the background for it, as it also explains his injury quite well. As a general rule, if it can be justified in he background, and I mean really justified, it's not overpowered. However, the justification must be better than "he saw it and liked it", "he just has it" or "it's a 'just in case' weapon". For example, Marco's namesake carries an unbreakable, daemon-slaying, incredibly ancient sword, but it's justified in his background (it basically has its own little backstory), so there are very few objections to him using it.

[MarcoSkoll]

For example, Marco's namesake carries an unbreakable, daemon-slaying, incredibly ancient sword, but it's justified in his background (it basically has its own little backstory), so there are very few objections to him using it.

It's quite fun actually, all of the hints that there's something about the sword that chooses and influences who will "own" it.

But to move on... as far as the injured left arm, there was a permanent injury mechanic that Lord Inquisitor Thorpe wrote in a WD article. (Reproduced in the 2002 Annual)

Basically, a permanent injury was what it sounds like -  the character had permanently had an injury marked on their character sheet. They'd start games with it, it couldn't normally be healed, and basically it meant it was a permanent bother and the location would take major injuries much more quickly.

In this case, a permanent Light injury might work quite well. Normally, it wouldn't bother him much (light arm injury is "no effect"), but if it started to get hurt, the old injuries would only make it worse.