[Rogue Trader] Too Many Alternate Character Ranks?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I'm in the process of building a Rogue Trader for a group I've joined recently (the other players are my Seneschal, Voidmistress and Arch-Militant), and am looking at the various Alternate Character advances to sort of get a feel for how I want my Rogue Trader to think and act, and what ventures he'd seek to pursue. One idea that struck me was to become a connoisseur of Eldar artifacts by becoming a Cold Trade Broker AND a Bonetrader, as well as a Xenographer, but I don't know if that's a good idea or not. There's no explicit rule limiting how many Alternate Character Ranks an Explorer may take, but if my understanding of the game is correct, you give up a lot from your regular class if you do so, and part of me wonders if the sort of...unspoken assumption, as it were...is that you pick only one ACR if you pick any at all.

I'd greatly appreciate some clarification on this matter, and advice as to whether this combination gives up too much from the regular Rogue Trader class to be viable. Thank you all in advance, and Emperor bless!

[Destro_Yersul]

You can have as many as you want, as long as they're not taken at the same rank. Advances from the rank you give up may be purchased for twice the listed cost.

[Magua]

The fact that you can take your "normal" advances if necessary for twice the cost means that any ACR is an increase in the number or quality of skills/talents you have available to you (otherwise you wouldn't've taken it).

So as long as you're getting more than you're giving up, you really want to take as many as possible.

[The Glyphstone]

The fact that you can take your "normal" advances if necessary for twice the cost means that any ACR is an increase in the number or quality of skills/talents you have available to you (otherwise you wouldn't've taken it).

So as long as you're getting more than you're giving up, you really want to take as many as possible.

Though that also applies for things that aren't on your chart to begin with, with the exception of unique talents tied to specific ACRs. All Elite Advances are subject to the approval of/negotiation with your GM, if you can justify it and are willing to pay whatever premium they demand (2x regular cost is the usual, but not guaranteed).

So while you can spam ACRs, that premium for going back and picking up key skills you missed in your core ranks can add up very fast. The key thing to remember is, as Magua mentioned, what you're gaining versus what you are giving up. Do a side-by-side comparison of each ACR, listing which skills/talents are exclusive to them versus your core ranks and versus each other. Add up the costs of the things you can't do without, and see if that's worth the premiums you will pay for needed core skills/talents.