Behold! The 5 pre-gen characters for tomorrow’s one-shot set in the Warhammer40k universe!
Quite happy with how they came out. Need to work on a “campaign-ready” version that includes space to record Data Points and Advancement (I figure since this is an online game people can record their own Data Points)
I put a bunch of extra effort to make sure everything was lore-accurate, down to the weapon manufactures. WH40k Lore-Nerds: enjoy! I really like them all, though the Confessor stands out to me, flavor-wise. The Psyker’s Grav-Chair was an inspiration out of left field, I can’t believe I never thought of it before.
Got the opportunity to try out a few alterations to skills in here, including the Sacntioned Psyker’s new Barrier skill from Kinetic (formerly “Shield”).
As a side effect of making these characters, I really got a feel for the usability/ergonomics of some of the new material from FBH. For example, as I was creating/adding them, Cybernetics became almost like Kits, rather than Attire.
So, which is your fave? (Sadly I can’t set up a poll with a collection)
Psyker in a Grav-Chair – have you read Abnett’s Ravenor trilogy? 🙂
As for favorite…man, I’m hard-pressed to choose…
Kits is kinda how I was thinking of cybernetics too. I like the tech priest.
Noah Doyle I need to pick up Ravenor but I’ve read the entire Eisenhorn set a dozen times now. Abnett does Warhammer very well.
Oh, yes. Ravenor isn’t quite as good – I’d say that nothing is quite as good as Eisenhorn – but still worth reading.
A pleasant surprise was Michael Farrer’s Shira Calpurnia series. Three books about an Arbites in a big, politically complex system, Hydraphur. Shira seems like a very stereotypical ‘rawr i am fighting woman’ at first, but there’s actually a good amount of depth and some very well done development, esp. in the last book. A view of Arbites from the street level, and higher.
Digging Barrier. And it’s cool that you see Cybernetics drifting towards being Kit-like, since thats how I see them often being used in my play experiences.
Have to admit, I’m leaning towards the Catachan Vet…
Jeremy Kear Alec Doughty this looks awesome. I’ve got the book. We should play 🙂
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This looks so awesome! I am actually trying to get some friends to play this with me next week. They love 40k and are familiar with PBTA games. We will try it for our first time over internet, though (i have moved to another town at the beginning of the year…)
Awesome, Jochen Steimel. If you get the chance, write back with how it went (especially if you had any comments/questions about the rules or whatnot)
Quick questions:
1. Why does the class 3 crew of the confessor have 4 Tags? Can the player choose the three most appropriate?
2. Shield of the psyker: As i understand, the target gets a bonus to his armor equal to the +Mettle of the Psyker?
3. Would you share some of the questions you asked the players about their characters?
Jochen Steimel
1. Because I’m terrible! I was waffling between choosing Fearless and Loyal for them, and forgot to delete one. Derp.
2. I assume you mean Barrier. The way you use it is like any other tool: you Get Involved or Face Adversity using your +Mettle to create an effect (in this case, a planar or hemispherical force shield)
3. Since this was a one-shot that used very established archetypes, I didn’t have the opportunity to ask to many personal questions, opting instead to ask about the current situation. However, my players were awesome and tossed in some details that I didn’t consider as part of their own explanations (like the Psyker being a lesser Nobilis scion and registered Merchant Navigator, due to their Faction Debt/Favor)
That said,
Inquisitor: Which of the prime Ordos do you work for? Hereticus, Malleus or Xenos? Do you fall more on the Radical or Monodominant philosophical spectrum?
Tech-Priest: What was your greatest work? What specific system or machinery speaks to you the most?
Catachan Vet: What fetish or totem is tied to your gear by a string, and what does it signify?What was your greatest kill, and is there anything greater you could face that would surpass that victory?
Psyker: Before joining this group, what was your sanctioned task? What is your Trance trigger? What do the pathetic, quashed voices tell you to do?
Confessor: What act of purification do you proscribe to yourself and your followers? How far must a sinner have gone before their only salvation is by fire and the sword?
Sean Gomes Thanks alot for the write-up. That meshes up nicely with the questions I came up with.
All my players are 40k fans, so I would like to give them the opportunity to shape the characters a bit before we start playing. I will probably ask a bit more questions before I begin with the “Jump Point”. Probably going to tie in the session into the beginning of the Badab Schism, i.e. the part where the inquisition tried to negotiate between the Astral Claws and The Tradelords of Carthago.