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

[shadow_archmagi]

To be fair, OW is (speaking as someone who hasn't played it) the least open-world of them. RT/DH/BC are largely player-directed (Even though you have a boss in DH, he's generally just like "eh do a thing or something, good luck! I'm off to the pub.") so you have a good mix of intrigue and violence and stealth and mongering of all kinds.

[Leon]

I get that its extremely rare circumstances, I just find it amusing that there are potential situations in which a couple of attack craft can hold a warp vessel in check.

In check is a bit extreme ~ be an annoyance more likely

[Incorrect]

So, running DH (or soon to be), how does my fellow GMs run Income?

From my own DH experience, with me playing a Noble and another playing a Scum, I can say that it is wildly imbalanced. Power in DH depends a lot on gear, and the pure buying power of a noble will leave a scum in the dust. Wealth is the only difference between poor quality leather and best quality carapace.
Now, this is very fitting for the setting, mind you. Its grim dark after all.

But as a GM, I would give each character an equal income from their inquisitor to spend on gear, and say that their normal income is how much they can spend on fluff items. The noble might make 100 times as much as the scum, but if he ever wears the same outfit twice, people would accuse him of being poor. And so, he has to spend 100 times as much.
Or just let the scum find awesome items.

I like a somewhat balanced game, so one way or the other, I would try to minimize the differences in gear.

[Grim Portent]

My preferred method for supplementing low income in DH is to steal everything that's not nailed down. If I have a claw hammer I'll also steal the stuff that's nailed down and the nails along with it. When I GM the odd bonus gets parceled out if the party did well on a job and the Inquisitor is feeling nice.

[shadow_archmagi]

I think it's a setting where wild imbalance just kinda happens, so I don't touch income, I just make sure everyone gets a chance to use their unique set of skills sometimes. ][ dead drops also tend to be special treats for the underequipped characters more often than not.

[Boci]

In check is a bit extreme ~ be an annoyance more likely

In the right situations "in check" is exactly how it will play it.

[Destro_Yersul]

So, running DH (or soon to be), how does my fellow GMs run Income? Is it just the PC spending money, or is it all they get, supposed to cover everything from rent to food to ammo expenditures (not to mention perhaps getting a new weapon).

It's all they get. By RAW, anyways. As I run it, it's still all they get, but items can, within reason, be requisitioned from the Inquisition once they're a higher rank and have thus proved their usefulness as more than sacrificial canaries. Also, anything they can beg, borrow or steal during a mission is theirs to do what they will with unless somebody powerful ends up wanting it returned.

[Grim Portent]

Can anyone think of any spit/breath style natural weapons or traits? I'm doing a thought exercise and trying to make a dragon themed character in BC, but I'm having a hard time finding a breath attack for it.

The ones I can remember are Enoulians, which have a 1d5 toxic spit attack, the mutation that grants 1d10 rending and the DH GM kit ability that does 1d10+TB.

The last seems the most suitable of them, but I'm wondering if anyone knows about any others they think would suit.

[The Glyphstone]

There's the Betcher's Gland from (chaos?)space marines - can't remember how much damage it does, but it is a short-ranged acid spit attack.

[Grim Portent]

I think it's d5 once a day, bit weak for a 'dragon'.

EDIT: Right, it's actually 1d5 pen 4 toxic with a range of 3.
Also, I noticed while glancing through the BC core book that it's technically possible to emulate a Mandrakes basic abilities.

[Tychris1]

Infuse a Doom Siren into your body, probably as a Daemon Weapon. Zim zam zoom done.

[Grim Portent]

Infuse a Doom Siren into your body, probably as a Daemon Weapon. Zim zam zoom done.

Too rare, it's hard to acquire one during character creation and that's the point at which my theoretical builds are made.

[Squark]

Updated the OP with LeSwordfish's complilation. Sorry about the tardiness with that, I was pretty busy with real life for a bit. For the record, PM's work better as I usually do check the forum at least once a day, and I'm less likely to miss a thread if there's a PM telling me to check it.

[Tychris1]

Too rare? It's only Extremely Rare. Not that hard to get with proper building. Especially easy for a Space Marine if you trade.

[TimeWizard]

Can anyone think of any spit/breath style natural weapons or traits? I'm doing a thought exercise and trying to make a dragon themed character in BC, but I'm having a hard time finding a breath attack for it.

The ones I can remember are Enoulians, which have a 1d5 toxic spit attack, the mutation that grants 1d10 rending and the DH GM kit ability that does 1d10+TB.

The last seems the most suitable of them, but I'm wondering if anyone knows about any others they think would suit.

You could always rule it as a Flame Pistol or a Heavy Flamer

[LCP]

Magic and Heresy In The Playground
A list of WFRP and 40K RPGs on GiantITP.

Very nice! I approve

Regarding thresholds for admission: I think that's best left up to your discretion. There's no hard and fast rule (that I can think of, at least) that won't need exceptions.

[shadow_archmagi]

Can anyone think of any spit/breath style natural weapons or traits? I'm doing a thought exercise and trying to make a dragon themed character in BC, but I'm having a hard time finding a breath attack for it.

The ones I can remember are Enoulians, which have a 1d5 toxic spit attack, the mutation that grants 1d10 rending and the DH GM kit ability that does 1d10+TB.

The last seems the most suitable of them, but I'm wondering if anyone knows about any others they think would suit.

Yeah I'd say just write it as though he's got a flamer implanted in his throat.

[shadow_archmagi]

Joined a Rogue Trader campaign. GM says to start, we can make any three acquisitions, with the restriction that they have to be things we can carry. Disregard quality and rarity.

So, the obvious first stop is a best-quality eldar forceshield (Just Say No to 75% of all attacks? Yes. Yes this.) but what next? I'm the seneschal, so it seems like there should be some good Unique/Near Unique stuff for out of combat and I should resist my urge to just get a pair of power fists and call it good.

[Grim Portent]

Use a xenograft to get a lictor's chameleonic skin? (Warning, books may be thrown at you)

Power Armour's always nice.

Maybe a privacy field thing from one of the DH books, I think it's in Radicals handbook.

[shadow_archmagi]

Use a xenograft to get a lictor's chameleonic skin? (Warning, books may be thrown at you)

Hehehehehehehe

Power Armour's always nice.

I can't see a spymaster getting a lot of mileage out of power armor

Maybe a privacy field thing from one of the DH books, I think it's in Radicals handbook.

Hmm, I'd forgotten about Dark Heresy. The privacy field seems like something I could Acquire without too much effort though- I'd imagine they're fairly common. A psy-jammer though...

[Grim Portent]

Best Craftsmanship Shock Gloves for when negotiations get difficult?

[TimeWizard]

"Senior Chairman, Aggressive Negotiations Subcommittee" has a cool ring to it.

[Grim Portent]

"Senior Chairman, Aggressive Negotiations Subcommittee" has a cool ring to it.

'Let me make you an offer you can't refuse.'

[MonochromeTiger]

'Let me make you an offer you can't refuse.'

negotiation is heresy. debating that heresy is not heresy is heresy. using any words except "for the emperor" with the inquisition present is heresy. breathing with the inquisition present is also heresy....a rogue trader claiming to have a member of the inquisition with them so they can get stuff for free is not heresy because it's expected.

[LordBlades]

Joined a Rogue Trader campaign. GM says to start, we can make any three acquisitions, with the restriction that they have to be things we can carry. Disregard quality and rarity.

So, the obvious first stop is a best-quality eldar forceshield (Just Say No to 75% of all attacks? Yes. Yes this.) but what next? I'm the seneschal, so it seems like there should be some good Unique/Near Unique stuff for out of combat and I should resist my urge to just get a pair of power fists and call it good.

What do you mean you can't carry a Grand Cruiser? :)))

Depending on what you plan to do with the seneschal some potentially nice implants:

good-quality cortex implants (RT core, grants unnatural Int. x2)
blackbone bracing(Into the Storm, grants Bulging Biceps and Iron Jaw)

[Grim Portent]

If you do some optimising in regards to your carrying capacity you could get a gravity generator and carry it like a car sized backpack.

[shadow_archmagi]

negotiation is heresy. debating that heresy is not heresy is heresy. using any words except "for the emperor" with the inquisition present is heresy. breathing with the inquisition present is also heresy....a rogue trader claiming to have a member of the inquisition with them so they can get stuff for free is not heresy because it's expected.

Actually, the campaign theme is crazy heresy. It's "Every character is an optimist with some kind of grand, setting-changing goal." I'm thinking that since seneschals are merchant-types and Fortune is the best Motivation by far, I'll go ahead and be some kind of 1800's style capitalism-improving-life by just opening manufactorums with reasonable working conditions and then trying to spread my business model.

What do you mean you can't carry a Grand Cruiser? :)))

I like the way you think.

good-quality cortex implants (RT core, grants unnatural Int. x2)
blackbone bracing(Into the Storm, grants Bulging Biceps and Iron Jaw)

I had a question about cortex implants (actually I think I've had this question before but I've completely forgotten the answer because it was like a year ago)

What exactly does Unnatural Intelligence *do*? It doubles your intelligence bonus, yeah. What uses Intelligence bonus? It also gives extra degrees of success to opposed tests- what opposed Intelligence tests are there?

EDIT: I'm just gonna go ahead and use CTRL-F on my digital copy to find every instance of intelligence bonuses being used for things. Total list:

1. Medicae, First Aid: determines HP restored.
2. Medcae, Extended Care: determines maximum number of patients
3. Combat Formation: replaces agi for init for *other* party members
4. Gun Blessing: Determines how many guns you can simultaneously unjam

EDIT2: Whoops, checked the list of houserules. Apparently we're using black crusade's unnatural modifiers, which means that you get half the bonus as successes on *all* tests, so the Cortex means at least one degree of success on every lore check forever. That seems well worth my while.

[Grim Portent]

I kind of want to make a melee character in BC with unnatural WS (stupidly high), just so I can get the pleasure of saying, 'ok I rolled 50 out of 57, I hit. I get 20 hits from Lightning Attack. Dodge that Eldar. '

[Ceiling_Squid]

Actually, the campaign theme is crazy heresy. It's "Every character is an optimist with some kind of grand, setting-changing goal." I'm thinking that since seneschals are merchant-types and Fortune is the best Motivation by far, I'll go ahead and be some kind of 1800's style capitalism-improving-life by just opening manufactorums with reasonable working conditions and then trying to spread my business model.

Crazy heresy indeed. Tzeentch would love you guys, with your optimism and grand designs. While Tzeentch is better known as the Chaos God of Change, he is also the Chaos God of Hope.

The two go hand-in-hand, after all. If I were GMing that game, I'd have a bunch of Tzeentchian cultists take lots of interest in your enterprise. Though chances are they'd go straight from "minor improvements in working conditions" to "inciting workers rebellions that leave a hive city in flames". But eh, Chaos never did do things by halves.

[shadow_archmagi]

Crazy heresy indeed. Tzeentch would love you guys, with your optimism and grand designs. While Tzeentch is better known as the Chaos God of Change, he is also the Chaos God of Hope.

The two go hand-in-hand, after all. If I were GMing that game, I'd have a bunch of Tzeentchian cultists take lots of interest in your enterprise. Though chances are they'd go straight from "minor improvements in working conditions" to "inciting workers rebellions that leave a hive city in flames". But eh, Chaos never did do things by halves.

Yeah, but as always, the solution to chaos is Just Say No