Warhammer and WH40K RPGs II: Burning Witches, Heretics, and Fate

[Rikandur Azebol]

Such wondrous toy deserves Kharn's axe of approval ! Could you install it on hand-to-hand weapon ?

[EndlessWrath]

Such wondrous toy deserves Kharn's axe of approval ! Could you install it on hand-to-hand weapon ?

If it can be I will buy Milk for your Khorne flakes all year!
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I have a question about the dice rolling in Dark heresy. Do tens count as tens on psyker and other such tests? The psyker specific one and many other tests require you roll a 9 which makes one question why that number specifically? I feel like its a silly question but I figured I'd ask at least. Further how do you handle the mind-wiped race's mental break rules... I have a player jumping into that and I'm not trying o break her mind this game by constantly pulling at it, but of course I'll play with it. She proposed spending exp to remove insanity points but retaining the flashback memories. That way it's a form of her dealing with her past. Seem reasonable?

[MonochromeTiger]

If it can be I will buy Milk for your Khorne flakes all year!
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I have a question about the dice rolling in Dark heresy. Do tens count as tens on psyker and other such tests? The psyker specific one and many other tests require you roll a 9 which makes one question why that number specifically?

as I recall the reason 9 is the number you absolutely DO NOT want to land on for a psyker's abilities is because it's tzeentch's number (I may be mistaken it's been a while since I actually checked). it's kind of like trying to avoid someone's attention to use their stuff while screaming their name at them and holding up a big neon light that spells out "I'm trying to avoid you, mess with me now".

[shadow_archmagi]

Put it on a plasma cannon, add calamity vents for good measure. Hilarity ensues. I call the result the Nonsense Cannon. It's a plasma flamer that makes things it hits explode.

It's actually not too silly, if you rule that the Blast doesn't trigger a second chance to deal damage. If you can only take damage from the cannon once, then the Blast effect just means that plasma splatters off of anything hit and some of that splatter goes outside of the normal cone.

[Destro_Yersul]

It's actually not too silly, if you rule that the Blast doesn't trigger a second chance to deal damage. If you can only take damage from the cannon once, then the Blast effect just means that plasma splatters off of anything hit and some of that splatter goes outside of the normal cone.

But that would be way less entertaining!

[Rikandur Azebol]

@Endless Wrath, check Ascension this book have some stuff about dealing with insanity and stuff. XPing it away is too cheap and easy. And cheap and easy is big no-no in Dark Heresy.

[Grim Portent]

Ascension has a rule that lets you reduce corruption or insanity by 1d10 in exchange for losing 2 points of a characteristic permanently I think. No one characteristic can be used more than 3 times.

[Grim Portent]

Does anyone know quite how big a Hulking human would be? I know that the size ranges from power armoured human to ogrynn sized but I'm wondering how big a mutant with the Hulking size would be expected to be.

[shadow_archmagi]

Does anyone know quite how big a Hulking human would be? I know that the size ranges from power armoured human to ogrynn sized but I'm wondering how big a mutant with the Hulking size would be expected to be.

As big as the story demands, naturally

I'd say something like 8 foot though.

[Grim Portent]

As big as the story demands, naturally

I'd say something like 8 foot though.

The human in question is a Missionary I'm making for RT. Planning to wield a mono greataxe and wear plate armour. He has the Hulking mutation which means he's going to be a pretty big chap.

[Rikandur Azebol]

Mutants shall burn !

[Destro_Yersul]

Hulking is pretty big. Enough to get a +10 bonus when shooting at things with it. You would be looking at roughly on par with Spess Mehreens and Orks in terms of size.

[Cheesegear]

You can Mono a Melee Attachment, right?

[Grim Portent]

You can Mono a Melee Attachment, right?

I think so yes, pretty sure that the sarissa attachment is stated to be a mono-axe so there's precedent and attachments make the gun a spear, so it would be sensible that the resultant spear could get mono.

[Leon]

The Assault Lasgun in Into the Storm comes with a Mono bayonet

[TimeWizard]

What's the best way to get better at resisting Fear checks? my group is going to be experiencing a bunch soon

[bluntpencil]

What's the best way to get better at resisting Fear checks? my group is going to be experiencing a bunch soon

Willpower advances, Resistance (Fear), Unshakeable Faith, and, of course, drugs.

Another option is Fearless, but it makes you an idiot.

[Grim Portent]

In some of the systems psykers can grant bonuses to resist fear/make people ignore fear depending on the power they use.

[bluntpencil]

A leader with Into the Jaws of Hell works too.

[Ceiling_Squid]

Willpower advances, Resistance (Fear), Unshakeable Faith, and, of course, drugs.

Another option is Fearless, but it makes you an idiot.

I second those advances. For those players who don't have them, and won't be ranking-up soon, though, there are always stopgaps...

Drugs. Lots and lots of drugs.

Some things in 40k are simply too mind-rending to look at for very long without being heavily medicated.

[Rikandur Azebol]

That's what Bigger Gun options are for.
You don't look, merely shoot into right direction until you don't feel like dying of fright when staring there. Imperium wide approved medication !

[TimeWizard]

What drugs, in which book, and what is the cost/rarity?

Thank you so much for the info. It might save my second character's life (genestealer cult, going to get messy)

[Cheesegear]

What's the best way to get better at resisting Fear checks? my group is going to be experiencing a bunch soon

Depends what class you are.

With Errata, Frenzy is good for Assassins at Rank 2, when melee is still viable (or not). Frenzy gets worse and worse as you level though.

Unshakable Faith is helpful. Available to Clerics (!), Sororitas and Psykers really early at Rank 3/4. When Fear comes a'knocking, the Cleric comes a'rocking. Don't leave home without a Cleric.

Iron Discipline => Into the Jaws of Hell
Kind of amazing, since only one player needs to have it. The fact that Clerics get it earlier than other classes is one of the reasons why people pick Clerics.

Resistance (Fear) doesn't show up 'til Rank 7. So don't bother. However, Sororitas get it at Rank 2.

Fearless does exactly what it says on the tin. The problem with it is, that it comes very late in the game (Rank 7/8), and makes all the xp that you've used on other Fear-resistance Talents useless which is annoying. Also, it's harder to withdraw from a fight, which is really annoying when that goes bad.

Jaded is one of those 'mandatory Talents' for any class that can take them. Less insanity is better. Always.


Frenzon gives you immunity to Fear and gives you Frenzy which gives you immunity to Fear (with Errata). DOUBLE IMMUNITY!

Spirit Tonic (IH, pg 105) gives you +10 vs. Fear Not great. But it's cheap and common.

Ghostfire Pollen Extract (IH, pg 184). Fearless and Frenzy! Expensive and Rare.

[TimeWizard]

Thanks Cheese. I'm a Gunslinger Scum, rank 6. I have Jaded, and i'll probably dope up on Spirit Tonic. Which book is Frenzon in?

[Destro_Yersul]

Frenzon's in the core book. One of the few drugs that is.

[Pesimismrocks]

Me and my actual gaming groups 3.5 game just ended, and with our love of Warhammer 40k and its universe we decided that we would like to give rogue trader a try. The DMs the newest to 40k fluff though he has a decent knowledge of most things.

The thing I really need help on is if firstly, optimization is essential. With no knowledge of the system, and likely quite ridiculous characters I wanted to know if our group will suffer.

Secondly and perhaps more importantly: Xenos. I want to play an Ork, and one of my friends will be playing a Dark Eldar. Are these more complex to play than other characters? Are they restricted to their racial careers, AKA: Freebooter and Kabalite?
Finally I want a Big Mek type character, who will be the teams technical guy(I realise orks have stupidly low int, I just love the idea). Is this too ridiculous and silly? Likely will be a death skull as they get tech-use and Runtz for free

Finally: Any general advice for newbies, pitfalls and such?

[bluntpencil]

Me and my actual gaming groups 3.5 game just ended, and with our love of Warhammer 40k and its universe we decided that we would like to give horus heresy a try. The DMs the newest to 40k fluff though he has a decent knowledge of most things.

The thing I really need help on is if firstly, optimization is an option. With no knowledge of the system, and likely quite ridiculous characters I wanted to know if our group will suffer.

Secondly and perhaps more importantly: Xenos. I want to play an Ork, and one of my friends will be playing a Dark Eldar. Are these more complex to play than other characters? Are they restricted to their racial careers, AKA: Freebooter and Kabalite?
Finally I want a Big Mek type character, who will be the teams technical guy(I realise orks have stupidly low int, I just love the idea). Is this too ridiculous and silly? Is it possible to get mechandrites at first level as an ork freebooter? Likely will be a death skull as they get tech-use and Runtz for free

Finally: Any general advice for newbies, pitfalls and such?

Thanks in advance

Playing Xenos is... difficult, and I'd recommend it only for experienced groups and players.

They mark your whole party as targets (I assume you're playing Rogue Trader) for more orthodox Imperials, but that's cool. A big problem will be in-party conflict which really should come up.

[Pesimismrocks]

Playing Xenos is... difficult, and I'd recommend it only for experienced groups and players.

They mark your whole party as targets (I assume you're playing Rogue Trader) for more orthodox Imperials, but that's cool. A big problem will be in-party conflict which really should come up.

I've heard if Sanctioned Xenos. Is that a thing.

I also think inter party conflict will be a problem regardless, but I think we can create backstory reasons why we would band together. Although conflict is indeed unavoidable when one likes money, one likes pain and the other like to break things.

Is playing a Xenos too difficult outside fluff?

And yeah, we are playing rogue trader

[bluntpencil]

I've heard if Sanctioned Xenos. Is that a thing.

I also think inter party conflict will be a problem regardless, but I think we can create backstory reasons why we would band together. Although conflict is indeed unavoidable when one likes money, one likes pain and the other like to break things.

Is playing a Xenos too difficult outside fluff?

And yeah, we are playing rogue trader

Well, you get Sanctioned Psykers, and, as a rule, people still loathe them. Sanctioned Xenos are like that, but worse. Also, remember that most people are utterly brainwashed to hate aliens. If they see one, it's usually shoot first, questions later. Okay, they might find out you were Sanctioned, but no court would convict them.

Sure, more tolerant, or those more knowledgeable of obscure Sanctioning laws, parts of society won't open fire, but you won't be welcomed. Quite the opposite. Everyone will always be looking for reasons to kill you (and rightly so, you Throne-damned alien).

Sure, there might be reasons you'd band together, but really, surviving is going to be tough. It is almost as difficult as playing as a Black Nazi soldier in World War 2. It's unheard of (although theoretically possible), and for good reason.

[Dead_Jester]

I've heard if Sanctioned Xenos. Is that a thing.

I also think inter party conflict will be a problem regardless, but I think we can create backstory reasons why we would band together. Although conflict is indeed unavoidable when one likes money, one likes pain and the other like to break things.

Is playing a Xenos too difficult outside fluff?

And yeah, we are playing rogue trader

In my experience, the Wh40k world is too xenophobic to make a party with one, much less two xenos work without major problems when interacting with other humans. Having two different species just takes it over the top; you have to find people who can tolerate both, and that's pretty much means anybody with a bit of legality in them won't even want to come close to you unless it's to tie you to a stake and burn you.

I have found that xeno's work best in either monospecie games (all Ork Freebooterz games are stupidly fun, especially if you have more than one clan in the crew and the players are knowledgeable in 40k lore) or as shady allies/mercenaries you can hire; you don't want your Imperial friends to know just how closely you are associated with those drug-fueled sadistic psychopaths and those crazy psychic mushrooms.