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Creating an Acolyte

“My past mattered only to the extent it attracted the attention of a man I cannot name, even here. My future was all that mattered now. Each success ensured I still had a future, if only for one more day, but we all knew a single failure could condemn Mankind to endless death.”

–Gex Avrille, from the private memoirs Recollections of Service

efore starting a game of DARK HERESY each player creates a character. These player characters (also known as PCs) act as alter egos for the players, and star

as the protagonists in the ongoing story that they and the Game Master create together. They might have come from the squalid depths of an overcrowded hive city or opulent palaces, devout worlds dedicated to worship or industrial factory planets that revere technology. They could have been powerful scions of noble families, or lowly dregs who lived from day to day on theft or extortion. Their only common aspect is that they have drawn the attention of an Inquisitor, who believes their unique abilities can aid him in fighting the foes of Mankind.

To create a character, each player follows these five stages:

1. Choose Home World

A character’s home world is the planet or location where he was born and likely spent a great deal of his life. It can determine his physical appearance, mannerisms, and perspective on the Imperium as a whole. A character’s home world also determines his starting characteristics.

The Adeptus Administratum classifies each world into one of many broad categories in a vain attempt to apply organization to the domains of man. This guide contains fifteen types of home worlds. Though each setting is utterly unique, there are enough commonalities to make these generalisations somewhat effective. Hive cities might appear superficially identical, no matter the planet, but in reality each proves to be wildly different once one ventures inside the kilometres-tall metallic spires.. The billions that reside inside of each hive, though, still share more in common with each other than those from a primitive wasteland or massive trawler migrating through the void.

2. Choose Background

A character’s background represents what the character has done with his life up until this point, including the previous Imperial organisations under which he served. It determines what sort of training the character has received throughout his life, what kind of resources he has access to, and who he knows.

3. Choose Role

While home world and background determine a character’s past, his role determines what he is in the present. Each character views the world around him and his place in it in a certain manner, which is reflected in his role. This broadly defines how he faces dangers, interacts with others, and seeks to resolve problems. His role also dictates what areas of expertise he excels at, and how he grows and learns with experience.

Deciding on a character’s role is perhaps the single most important stage of character creation for the player, for it determines what type of Acolyte he plays in DARK HERESY. Home world and background contribute a great deal to the character’s history before he became an Acolyte, but his role sets out his days to come and how he operates in the warband.

4. Spend XP, Equip Acolyte

In this stage, each player customises his character’s abilities. Player Characters start the game with a certain amount of experience points (xp) to reflect their lives up until this point, and can spend these points to increase their characters’ initial characteristics, skills, and talents. Here, they can also purchase additional equipment such as weapons and gear from the Armoury.

5. Give the Character Life

Lastly, it is time for each player to give his character the unique personality that sets him apart from his fellow Acolytes. This stage helps the players define their characters’ names, appearances, past, histories with their Inquisitor, and more.

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Stage 1. Choose Home World “We were all from different worlds. We never really liked each other; we could rely on each other, but we were never friends. If we weren’t bound together against terrors no one else even dreamed existed, we probably would have killed each other quickly.”

–Gex Avrille, from the private memoirs Recollections of Service

he Imperium of Man is spread across the stars, laying claim to huge reaches of space and encompassing nearly the entire galaxy. It is made up of over a million systems,

each an uncertain light flickering in the surrounding darkness. Holy Terra is at its centre, the birthplace of humanity. Surrounding it are the many other planets, void stations, vessels, and other locations where man has established a presence. From these come the teeming billions that are the true measure of the Imperium, each life moulded and shaped from the place of its origin.

Each home world includes the following special rules that are applied to a character from this home world:

Characteristic Modifiers: Modifiers that alter how the player generates the Acolyte’s starting characteristics (see page 31). Fate Threshold: A value representing the starting Fate threshold of a character from this home world (see page 293). A character starts with a threshold equal to the listed value, but has a chance at gaining the “Emperor’s Blessing” and increasing the value by 1. The player rolls 1d10, and compares the result to the Emperor’s Blessing value for his home world. If the result is equal to or higher than the listed value, the player increases his character’s Fate threshold by 1. Home World Bonus: A special ability that a character from this home world gains during character creation. Note that the character does not need to meet the prerequisites for talents (see page 119) granted in this stage. Home World Aptitude: An aptitude (see page 79) that the character gains based on his home world. Wounds: The number of wounds (see page 232) a character possesses at the beginning of the game. This is commonly a static value plus a die roll. Recommended Backgrounds: Several samples representing backgrounds (see page 44) that a character from this type of home world would be likely to follow.

Each player chooses one home world for his character, and either uses the example given, creates a new, unique world for his character, or leaves the exact world of his origin a mystery. After the player chooses a home world, his character immediately gains the appropriate home world bonus.

Generate Characteristics

After choosing his home world, the player should generate his Acolyte’s characteristics. These are the basic building blocks that determine the character’s strengths and weaknesses, as described on page 21. Characteristics are generated one at a time. To generate a characteristic, the player rolls 2d10, adds the results together, and then adds 20. The result is the Acolyte’s characteristic, and the player does this for each of the 10 characteristics, filling in each result on the Acolyte’s character sheet. The roll to generate a characteristic can be altered by the characteristic modifiers of the Acolyte’s home world. Each modifier lists a characteristics with either a “+” or a “–” in front of it. These affect the roll in the following ways:

+ Characteristic: When rolling to determine the specified characteristic, the character rolls 3d10, takes the two dice with highest results, and adds their results to 20 to determine the characteristic.

– Characteristic: When rolling to determine the specified characteristic, the character rolls 3d10, takes the two dice with lowest results, and adds their results to 20 to determine the characteristic. Inquisitors do not choose their Acolytes at whim. The Player Characters in DARK HERESY are a cut above the rest of humanity, and fated for a greater destiny. Because of this, the player can re-roll any one characteristic value when generating his Acolyte’s characteristics, but must keep the second result. At the GM’s discretion, players can instead use point allocations to determine starting characteristics in place of generating the characteristics via dice rolls. To determine starting characteristics, the character starts with a score of 25 in each characteristic and then receives 60 points which he can distribute to any of his characteristics as desired. Each point distributed to a characteristic raises that characteristic by one. No characteristic, however, can be raised to a value higher than 40 in this way. When using point allocations, the characteristic modifiers applied from the PC’s home world change the starting score of the respective characteristics: + Characteristic: Starts with a score of 30. – Characteristic: Starts with a score of 20.

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Player Note: Home Worlds

Home worlds are often strongly tied to archetypal character types and backgrounds, allowing players to pick settings that match their envisioned character. For example, those looking for strong fighters should consider playing a feral worlder, while forge worlds generate excellent tech-savvy characters. Players should read through the home worlds presented in this book, especially the effects each setting has on starting characteristics, to see which one fits with the concept for their characters.

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Feral World (Dark Heresy Core 32)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Strength, + Toughness, - Influence Fate Threshold: 2 (Emperor’s Blessing 3+) Home World Bonus: The Old Ways: In the hands of a feral world character, any Low-Tech weapon loses the Primitive quality (if it had it) and gains the Proven (3) quality Home World Aptitude: Toughness Wounds: Starts with 9+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Imperial Guard, Outcast

Forge World (Dark Heresy Core 34)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Intelligence, + Toughness, - Fellowship Fate Threshold: 3 (Emperor’s Blessing 8+) Home World Bonus: Omnissiah’s Chosen: A forge world character starts with either the Technical Knock or Weapon-Tech talent Home World Aptitude: Intelligence Wounds: Starts with 8+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Mechanicus, Imperial Guard

Highborn (Dark Heresy Core 36)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Fellowship, + Influence, - Toughness Fate Threshold: 4 (Emperor’s Blessing 10+) Home World Bonus: Breeding Counts: Any time a highborn character would reduce his Influence, he reduces it by 1 less (to a minimum of 1) Home World Aptitude: Fellowship Wounds: Starts with 9+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Adeptus Ministorum

Hive World (Dark Heresy Core 38)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Agility, + Perception, - Willpower Fate Threshold: 2 (Emperor’s Blessing 6+) Home World Bonus: Teeming Masses in Metal Mountains: A hive world character ignores crowds for purposes of movement, treating them as open terrain. When in enclosed spaces, he also gains a +20 bonus to Navigate (Surface) tests Home World Aptitude: Perception Wounds: Starts with 8+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Mechanicus, Imperial Guard, Outcast

Shrine World (Dark Heresy Core 40)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Fellowship, + Willpower, - Perception Fate Threshold: 3 (Emperor’s Blessing 6+) Home World Bonus: Faith in the Creed: Whenever a shrine world character spends a Fate point, he rolls 1d10. On a result of 1, the character’s total number of Fate points is not reduced Home World Aptitude: Willpower Wounds: Starts with 7+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Ministorum, Imperial Guard

Voidborn (Dark Heresy Core 42)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Intelligence, + Willpower, - Strength Fate Threshold: 3 (Emperor’s Blessing 5+) Home World Bonus: Child of the Dark: A voidborn character starts with the Strong Minded talent, and gains +30 bonus to tests for moving in a zero gravity environment Home World Aptitude: Intelligence Wounds: Starts with 7+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Ministorum, Outcast

Agri-World (Enemies Within 24)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Fellowship, + Strength, - Agility Fate Threshold: 2 (Emperor’s Blessing 7+) Home World Bonus: Strength from the Land: An agri-world character starts with the Brutal Charge (2) trait Home World Aptitude: Strength Wounds: Starts with 8+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Ministorum, Imperial Guard, Mutant

Feudal World (Enemies Within 26)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Perception, + Weapon Skill, - Intelligence Fate Threshold: 3 (Emperor’s Blessing 6+) Home World Bonus: At Home in Armour: A feudal world character ignores the maximum Agility value imposed by any armour he is wearing. Home World Aptitude: Weapon Skill Wounds: Starts with 9+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adepta Sororitas, Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Ministorum, Imperial Guard

Frontier World (Enemies Within 28)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Ballistic Skill, + Perception, - Fellowship Fate Threshold: 3 (Emperor’s Blessing 7+) Home World Bonus: Rely on None but Yourself: A frontier world character gains a +20 bonus to Tech-Use tests when applying personal weapon modifications, and a +10 bonus when repairing damaged items. Home World Aptitude: Ballistic Skill Wounds: Starts with 7+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Mutant, Outcast

Death World (Enemies Without 26)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Agility, + Perception, - Fellowship Fate Threshold: 2 (Emperor’s Blessing 5+) Home World Bonus: Survivor’s Paranoia: While a death world character is Surprised, non-Surprised attackers do not gain the normal +30 bonus to their Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill tests when targeting this character. Home World Aptitude: Fieldcraft Wounds: Starts with 9+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Ministorum, Imperial Guard

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Garden World (Enemies Without 28)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Fellowship, + Agility, - Toughness Fate Threshold: 2 (Emperor’s Blessing 4+) Home World Bonus: Serenity of the Green: A garden world character halves the duration (rounded up) of any result from Table 8–11: Shock or Table 8–13: Mental Traumas (see pages 287 and 288 of the Dark Heresy Core Rulebook), and can remove Insanity points for 50xp per point rather than the normal 100xp. Home World Aptitude: Social Wounds: Starts with 7+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Adeptus Ministorum, Rogue Trader Fleet

Research Station (Enemies Without 30)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Intelligence, + Perception, - Fellowship Fate Threshold: 3 (Emperor’s Blessing 8+) Home World Bonus: Pursuit of Data: Whenever a research station character reaches Rank 2 (Trained) in a Scholastic Lore skill, he also gains Rank 1 (Known) in one related or identical Forbidden Lore skill specialisation of his choice. The GM is the final arbiter of whether the two specialisations are related. Home World Aptitude: Knowledge Wounds: Starts with 8+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Adeptus Mechanicus, Mutant

Daemon World (Enemies Beyond 26)

Characteristic Modifiers: Willpower, + Perception, - Fellowship Fate Threshold: 3 (Emperor’s Blessing 4+) Home World Bonus: Touched by the Warp: A Daemon world native begins with one Rank in the Psyniscience skill. Should he gain this skill again in a later step of character creation, he instead gains one additional Rank in the skill. Note that he cannot purchase more Ranks of this skill unless he acquires the Psyker aptitude. This character also begins with 1d10+5 Corruption points. Home World Aptitude: Willpower Wounds: Starts with 7+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Adeptus Ministorum, Exorcised, Outcast

Penal Colony (Enemies Beyond 28)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Toughness, + Perception, - Influence Fate Threshold: 3 (Emperor’s Blessing 8+) Home World Bonus: Finger on the Pulse: One survives a penal colony by instinctively knowing who is in charge and who is a threat. A penal colony character begins with one Rank in the Common Lore (Underworld) and Scrutiny skills, and starts with the Peer (Criminal Cartels) talent. Home World Aptitude: Toughness Wounds: Starts with 10+1d5 Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Ministorum, Imperial Guard, Outcast

Quarantine World (Enemies Beyond 30)

Characteristic Modifiers: + Ballistic Skill, + Intelligence, - Strength Fate Threshold: 3 (Emperor’s Blessing 9+) Home World Bonus: Secretive by Nature: Those who manage to leave a quarantine world learn how to keep secrets. Whenever the warband’s Subtlety would decrease, it decreases by 2 less (to a minimum reduction of 1). Home World Aptitude: Fieldcraft Wounds: Starts with 8+1d5 wounds Recommended Backgrounds: Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Mechanicus, Imperial Guard, Outcast

Random Home World

D100 Roll Result

01-15 Feral World

16-33 Forge World

34-44 Highborn

45-69 Hive World

70-85 Shrine World

86-100 Voidborn

86-100 with even result Agri-World

16-33 with odd result Feudal World

34-44 with even result Frontier World

01-15 with odd result Death World

70-84 with even result Garden World

A roll of doubles (11, 22, etc) Research Station

The sum of dice equals 8 Daemon World

The sum of dice equals 13 Penal Colony

The ones digit equals 0 Quarantine World

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Stage 2. Choose Background “I still remember the old regimental motto: With Las and Faith and Flamer, for Oath and Emperor and Desoleum! Simple, but it remains with me even now.” –Gex Avrille, from the private memoirs Recollections of Service

he Imperium operates on the blood and sacrifice of the untold billions who call the Emperor master, yet without organisation and focus, their efforts would be

wasted and Mankind would swiftly fall. Where once the Emperor walked amongst men and directed their actions, now impossibly massive bureaucracies administrate in his name. Backgrounds represent these organisations and other groups that Acolytes come from, and just as home worlds represent the birth and development of an Acolyte, backgrounds represent the organisations that drove his training and indoctrinations. While home worlds establish a place of origin, backgrounds indicate an Acolyte’s previous life experience before an Inquisitor noticed the aptitudes and abilities he developed there, found them to be of use, and forever changed the Acolyte’s destiny.

Backgrounds are also instrumental in determining a character’s possessions: the weapons, armour, support gear, and other accoutrements an Acolyte has gathered as part of his life and occupation. These could range from a lovingly maintained lasgun used in wars across the sector to a scavenged stubgun that has witnessed many an underhive gang fight. These can also be items such as his normal garb, from gang leathers to Arbitrator armour, primitive hides to perfumed clerical robes. Backgrounds can even guide hairstyle preferences, favourite foods, common speech patterns, and other details that make an Acolyte unique. An Acolyte’s prior lifetime also helps mould how he views the Imperium and other agencies, sometimes reinforcing impressions from his home world or creating new ones.

While a character occupied this background, his Inquisitor noticed something about him: exceptional skills, impressive competencies, or useful connections. The background also illustrates how the character gained such distinction. For an Inquisitor to notice indicates someone who could be useful in his endless fight. This could come from formal training, practical experience, or most commonly a mix of the two.

Each world in the Imperium is utterly unique, however, as is each background and even the variations within a background. Given the difficulties of Warp travel and interstellar communication, this is of little wonder. For example, while to an outsider the Adeptus Mechanicus may appear uniform, the priesthood of each forge world possesses subtle but significant differences from its fellows. Factions within a forge are also unique on close inspection, one always wearing crimson tunics a shade precisely 37 Angstroms lower than their rival smelters or canting their prayers to the Omnissiah in a slightly different binary dialect. Each faction encompasses its own background as well, offering myriad possible Mechanicum backgrounds from a single forge.

Similarly, almost all worlds are devoted to the Imperial Creed, but how each actually worships the Emperor can be radically different. The background a character selects is essentially singular, as often Acolytes from the same organization might bear little resemblance to one another. Most backgrounds carry with them distinctive dress, mannerisms, and religious practices, and players should also consider these in their decision. These can offer interesting ways to roleplay a character, such as an Adeptus Mechanicus character who would rather converse with his servo-skull than his fellow Acolytes, or a dour Imperial Guardsman convinced he should have died with the rest of his regiment. There are no incorrect backgrounds as long as the selection further guides the character’s history from his home world to his role.

Each background includes the following special rules that are applied to a character from this background: Starting Skills: A list of skills (see page 94) that the character starts with at the Known (rank 1) level, due to his previous life in that background. Starting Talents: A list of talents (see page 119 that a character from this background gains at character creation. Note that the character does not need to meet the normal prerequisites for any talents granted during this stage of character creation. Starting Equipment: A list of weapons, gear, and other items from Chapter V: The Armoury (see page 140) that a character from this background gains at character creation. All ranged weapons come with two clips of their standard ammunition. Background Bonus: A special ability that a character from this background gains. Background Aptitude: A choice of an aptitude (see page 79) that the character gains from this background. Recommended Roles: A list of roles (see page 60) that a character from this background would be likely to follow.

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Player Note: Backgrounds

Almost any background can be matched to a home world; the Adeptus Astra Telepathica for example, can originate in any world or setting, given that the Black Ships visit every habitation across the Imperium. Outcasts can be found everywhere.

Most backgrounds carry with them distinctive dress, mannerisms, and religious practices, and players should also consider these in their decision. These can offer interesting ways to roleplay a character, such as an Adeptus Mechanicus character who would rather converse with his servo-skull than his fellow Acolytes, or a dour Imperial Guardsman convinced he should have died with the rest of his regiment. There are no incorrect backgrounds as long as the selection further guides the character’s history from his home world to his role.

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Adeptus Administratum (Dark Heresy Core 46) Starting Skills: Commerce or Medicae, Common Lore (Adeptus Administratum), Linguistics (High Gothic), Logic, Scholastic Lore (Pick One) Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Las or Solid Projectile) Starting Equipment: Laspistol or stub automatic, Imperial Robes, autoquill, chrono, dataslate, medi-kit Background Bonus: Master of Paperwork: An Adeptus Administratum character counts the Availability of all items as one level more available (Very Rare items count as Rare, Average items count as Common, etc.) Background Aptitude: Knowledge or Social Recommended Roles: Chirurgeon, Hierophant, Sage, Seeker

Adeptus Arbites (Dark Heresy Core 48) Starting Skills: Awareness, Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites, Underworld), Inquiry or Interrogation, Intimidate, Scrutiny Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Shock or Solid Projectile) Starting Equipment: Shotgun or shock maul, Enforcer light carapace armor or carapace chestplate, 3 doses of stimm, manacles, 12 lho sticks Background Bonus: The Face of the Law: An Arbitrator can re-roll any Intimidation and Interrogation test, and can substitute his Willpower bonus for his degrees of success on these tests Background Aptitude: Offence or Defense Recommended Roles: Assassin, Desperado, Seeker, Warrior

Adeptus Astra Telepathica (Dark Heresy Core 50) Starting Skills: Awareness, Common Lore (Adeptus Astra Telepathica), Deceive or Interrogation, Forbidden Lore (the Warp), Psyniscience or Scrutiny Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Las, Low-Tech) Starting Equipment: Laspistol, staff or whip, light flak cloak or flak vest, micro-bead or psy focus Background Bonus: The Constant Threat: When the character or an ally within 10 meters triggers a roll on Table 6-2: Psychic Phenomenon (page 196), the Adeptus Astra Telepathica character can increase or decrease the result by an amount equal to his Willpower bonus Tested on Terra: If the character takes the Psyker elite advance during character creation, he also gains the Sanctioned trait (page 138) Background Aptitude: Defense or Psyker Recommended Roles: Chirurgeon, Mystic, Sage, Seeker

Adeptus Mechanicus (Dark Heresy Core 52) Starting Skills: Awareness or Operate (Pick One), Common Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus), Logic, Security, Tech-Use Starting Talents: Mechadendrite Use (Utility), Weapon Training (Solid Projectile) Starting Trait: Mechanicus Implants (page 137) Starting Equipment: Autogun or hand cannon, monotask servo-skull (utility) or optical mechadendrite, Imperial robes, 2 vials of sacred unguents Background Bonus: Replace the Weak Flesh: An Adeptus Mechanicus character counts the Availability of all cybernetics as two levels more available (Rare items count as Average, Very Rare items count as Scarce, etc.) Background Aptitude: Knowledge or Tech Recommended Roles: Chirurgeon, Hierophant, Sage, Seeker

Adeptus Ministorum (Dark Heresy Core 54) Starting Skills: Charm, Command, Common Lore (Adeptus Ministorum), Inquiry or Scrutiny, Linguistics (High Gothic) Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Flame) or Weapon Training (Low-Tech, Solid Projectile) Starting Equipment: Hand flamer (or warhammer and stub revolver), Imperial robes or flak vest, backpack, glow-globe, monotask servo-skull (laud hailer) Background Bonus: Faith is All: When spending a Fate point to gain a +10 bonus to any one test, an Adeptus Ministorum character gains a +20 bonus instead. Background Aptitude: Leadership or Social Recommended Roles: Chirurgeon, Hierophant, Seeker, Warrior

Imperial Guard (Dark Heresy Core 56) Starting Skills: Athletics, Command, Common Lore (Imperial Guard), Medicae or Operate (Surface), Navigate (Surface) Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Las, Low-Tech) Starting Equipment: Lasgun (or laspistol and sword), combat vest, Imperial Guard flak armour, grapnel and line, 12 lho sticks, magnoculars Background Bonus: Hammer of the Emperor: When attacking a target that an ally attacked since the end of the Guardsman’s last turn, the Guardsman can re-roll any results of 1 or 2 on damage rolls. Background Aptitude: Fieldcraft or Leadership Recommended Roles: Assassin, Desperado, Hierophant, Warrior

Outcast (Dark Heresy Core 58) Starting Skills: Acrobatics or Sleight of Hand, Common Lore (Underworld), Deceive, Dodge, Stealth Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Chain, and Las or Solid Projectile) Starting Equipment: Autopistol or laspistol, chainsword, armoured bodyglove or flak vest, injector, 2 doses of obscura or slaught Background Bonus: Never Quit: An Outcast character counts his Toughness bonus as two higher for purposes of determining Fatigue. Background Aptitude: Fieldcraft or Social Recommended Roles: Assassin, Desperado, Seeker

Adeptus Sororitas (Enemies Within 30) Starting Skills: Athletics, Charm or Intimidate, Common Lore (Adepta Sororitas), Linguistics (High Gothic), Medicae or Parry Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Flame or Las, Chain) Starting Equipment: Hand lamer or laspistol, chainblade, armoured bodyglove, chrono, dataslate, stablight, micro-bead Background Bonus: Incorruptible Devotion: Whenever an Adepta Sororitas character would gain 1 or more Corruption Points, she gains that many Insanity Points minus 1 (to a minimum of 0) instead. Background Aptitude: Offence or Social Recommended Roles: Chirurgeon, Fanatic, Sage, Warrior

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Mutant (Enemies Within 32) Starting Skills: Acrobatics or Athletics, Awareness, Deceive or Intimidate, Forbidden Lore (Mutants), Survival Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Low-Tech, Solid Projectile) Starting Trait: One of the following: Amphibious, Dark-sight, Natural Weapons, Sonar Sense, Sturdy, Toxic (1), Unnatural Agility (1), Unnatural Strength (1), or Unnatural Toughness (1) Starting Corruption & Mutation: A Mutant character begins play with 10 Corruption points. Instead of rolling as normal for malignancy or mutation, roll 5d10 on Table 8–16: Mutations (see page 292 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook) to determine a starting mutation for the character. Starting Equipment: Shotgun (or stub revolver and great weapon), grapnel and line, heavy leathers, combat vest, 2 doses of stimm Background Bonus: Twisted Flesh: A Mutant character can always choose to fail any test associated with resisting malignancy or mutation. Whenever he would gain a malignancy, he may roll on Table 8–16: Mutations to gain a mutation instead. Background Aptitude: Fieldcraft or Offence Recommended Roles: Assassin, Desperado, Penitent, Warrior

Heretek (Enemies Without 32) Starting Skills: Deceive or Inquiry, Forbidden Lore (pick one), Medicae or Security, Tech-Use, Trade (pick one) Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Solid Projectile) Starting Trait: Mechanicus Implants (see page 137 of the Dark Heresy Core Rulebook) Starting Equipment: Stub revolver with 2 extra clips of Expander bullets or Man-Stopper rounds, 1 web grenade, combi-tool, flak cloak, filtration plugs, 1 dose of de-tox, dataslate, stablight Background Bonus: Master of Hidden Lores: When a Heretek makes a Tech-Use test to comprehend, use, repair, or modify an unfamiliar device, he gains a +20 bonus if he has one or more relevant Forbidden Lore skill specialisations at Rank 1 (Known) or higher. Background Aptitude: Finesse or Tech Recommended Roles: Chirurgeon, Desperado, Sage, Seeker

Imperial Navy (Enemies Without 34) Starting Skills: Athletics, Command or Intimidate, Common Lore (Imperial Navy), Navigate (Stellar), Operate (Aeronautica or Voidship) Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Chain or Shock, Solid Projectile) Starting Equipment: Combat shotgun or hand cannon, chainsword or shock whip, flak coat, rebreather, micro-bead Background Bonus: Close Quarters Discipline: An Imperial Navy character scores one additional degree of success on successful Ballistic Skill tests he makes against targets at Point-Blank range, at Short range, and with whom he is engaged in melee. Background Aptitude: Offence or Tech Recommended Roles: Ace, Chirurgeon, Hierophant, Warrior

Rogue Trader Fleet (Enemies Without 36) Starting Skills: Charm or Scrutiny, Commerce, Common Lore (Rogue Traders), Linguistics (pick one alien language), Operate (Surface or Aeronautica) Starting Talents: Weapon Training (Las or Solid Projectile, Shock) Starting Equipment: Laspistol or autopistol (fitted with Compact weapon upgrade), shock maul, mesh cloak or carapace chestplate, auspex, chrono Background Bonus: Inured to the Xenos: A character from a Rogue Trader Fleet gains a +10 bonus to Fear tests caused by aliens and a +20 bonus to Interaction skill tests with alien characters. Background Aptitude: Finesse or Social Recommended Roles: Ace, Desperado, Hierophant, Seeker

Exorcised (Enemies Beyond 32) Starting Skills: Awareness, Deceive or Inquiry, Dodge, Forbidden Lore (Daemonology), Intimidate or Scrutiny Starting Talents: Hatred (Daemons), Weapon Training (Solid Projectile, Chain) Starting Equipment: Autopistol or stub revolver, shotgun, chainblade, Imperial robes, 3 doses of obscura or tranq, disguise kit or excruciator kit, rebreather, stablight or glow-globe Starting Malignancy: An Exorcised character starts with one Malignancy chosen from Table 8–15: Malignancies (see page 290 of the Dark Heresy Core Rulebook). Background Bonus: Touched by a Daemon: An Exorcised character counts his Insanity bonus as 2 higher for purposes of avoiding Fear tests (see page 289 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook). Additionally, he can never again become possessed by the same Daemon that once possessed him. Background Aptitude: Defence or Knowledge Recommended Roles: Assassin, Sage, Hierophant, Seeker

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Stage 3. Choose Role “There wasn’t much thought needed, other than just staying alive from combat to combat. Theft filled the time nicely, and I was so good at it, better than just shooting a lasgun. One mistake was all it took. The Commissar never discovered who made off with his shiny pistol, but someone else noticed and had me by the short ones. He pulled me out, and my new duties began. Ones much more dangerous than open war.” –Gex Avrille, from the private memoirs Recollections of Service

oles illuminate an Acolyte’s essence. While a home world establishes where an Acolyte came from, and a background indicates his prior experiences, a role

helps reveal who he really is underneath his clothing, armour, and cybernetics. It is an internal quality, a product of both a lifetime of training and his natural talents, and combines a great many things to help define him and how he fits into life in the 41st Millennium.

Each Acolyte has an image of himself that guides his actions, and this is a major aspect of his role. This image also guides how he views his surroundings and those around him, and most importantly how he interacts and resolves the many situations he faces. An Assassin is enraptured with death, and seeks to offer it as often as possible. When faced with recalcitrant hive functionaries, he might simply begin killing them one by one until he earns their cooperation. A Sage who relies on knowledge and research might view the same problem as requiring careful analysis to determine a more effective approach. He might instead suggest targeted bribes against one official he learns is corrupt, or blackmail against another who has a secret obscura addiction. Similarly, when a warband is on the trail of a suspected underhive cult, a Warrior could approach the problem with force and proffer violent questioning with threats of worse to come in order to gain information. A Seeker, however, might rely on stealthy surveillance and infiltration of nearby stickrat taverns in the same quest.

Even within each role exists a broad range of styles, and just as each home world and background is unique, even if of the same named type, each role can offer a wide range of approaches though. A Hierophant might approach a newly discovered tribe of humanity with stern words and burning flames, or might insinuate the Imperial Creed into existing beliefs with guile and subtlety. How each Acolyte carries his role is another facet of how he serves his Inquisitor and the Emperor.

Though the Acolyte can grow and change in the course of service to his Inquisitor, even perhaps becoming an Inquisitor himself, his role does not change. He can learn new abilities, acquire new wargear, and make new connections, but this does not change how he uses them. A Desperado might grow in influence and power, guiding a xenos artefact smuggling ring as a front to track down this illicit trade, gaining him enormous status across the sector, but he still watches for new angles to work and new targets to con. A Sage can

become as proficient with the bolter and chainsword as the Arbitrator in their warband, but when a new cult is discovered, still acts to ensure this new threat is fully researched and investigated before any other action is taken. Roles are an integral part of each Acolyte’s identity, and, like duty itself, only end with death.

Each role includes the following special rules that are applied to a character with this role: Role Aptitudes: The aptitudes (see page 79) the character gains from this role during character creation. Role Talents: The talents (see page 119) that a character with this role gains at character creation. Note that the character does not need to meet the normal prerequisites for talents granted during this stage of character creation. Role Special Ability: A unique ability that a character with this role gains during character creation. Each player chooses one role for his character, and decides his character’s function before and after joining the warband. After the player chooses his character’s role, the character immediately gains the appropriate role special ability.

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Player Notes: Roles

Deciding on a character’s role is perhaps the single most important stage of character creation for the player, for it determines what type of Acolyte he plays in DARK HERESY. Home world and background contribute a great deal to the character’s history before he became an Acolyte, but his role sets out his days to come and how he operates in the warband.

Players who enjoy certain types of roleplaying experiences can use this to help guide their role selection; those who seek out mysteries to solve might favour a Seeker or a Sage role, for example. The role also helps a player determine how his character should react and progress as the adventure unfolds. These are powerful roleplay tools and a player should always remember his role and use it when deciding new courses of action.

Roles are also something the players as a group should consider together, as a solid warband is one that encompasses a wide range of roles. A warband filled with Warriors might excel at physical combat, but likely suffers with the investigations needed to find heretics to fight. Developing a good mix of roles makes for a more successful warband, and also allows each player a chance to shine during an adventure. This is not to say a warband dominated by only a few roles cannot be interesting to roleplay, but the players and GM should work together to ensure the characters face adventures that fit into the type of game desired.

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Assassin (Dark Heresy Core 62)

Role Aptitudes: Agility, Ballistic Skill or Weapon Skill, Fieldcraft, Finesse, Perception Role Talent: Jaded or Leap Up Role Bonus: Sure Kill: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (see page 293), when an Assassin successfully hits with an attack, he may spend a Fate point to inflict additional damage equal to his degrees of success on the attack roll on the first hit the attack inflicts.

Chirugeon (Dark Heresy Core 64)

Role Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Intelligence, Knowledge, Strength, Toughness Role Talent: Resistance (Pick One) or Takedown Role Bonus: Dedicated Healer: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (see page 293), when a Chirurgeon character fails a test to provide First Aid, he can spend a Fate point to automatically succeed instead with the degrees of success equal to his Intelligence bonus.

Desperado (Dark Heresy Core 66)

Role Aptitudes: Agility, Ballistic Skill, Defence, Fellowship, Finesse Role Talent: Catfall or Quick Draw Role Bonus: Move and Shoot: Once per round, after performing a Move action, a Desperado character may perform a single Standard Attack with a Pistol weapon he is currently wielding as a Free Action.

Hierophant (Dark Heresy Core 68)

Role Aptitudes: Fellowship, Offence, Social, Toughness, Willpower Role Talent: Double Team or Hatred (Pick One) Role Bonus: Sway the Masses: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (see page 293), a Hierophant character may spend a Fate point to automatically succeed at a Charm, Command, or Intimidate skill test with a number of degrees of success equal to his Willpower bonus.

Mystic (Dark Heresy Core 70)

Role Aptitudes: Defence, Intelligence, Knowledge, Perception, Willpower Role Talent: Resistance (Psychic Powers) or Warp Sense Role Bonus: Stare into the Warp: A Mystic character starts the game with the Psyker elite advance (see page 90). It is recommended that a character who wishes to be a Mystic have a Willpower of at least 35.

Sage (Dark Heresy Core 72)

Role Aptitudes: Intelligence, Knowledge, Perception, Tech, Willpower Role Talent: Ambidextrous or Clues from the Crowds Role Bonus: Quest for Knowledge: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (see page 293), a Sage character may spend a Fate point to automatically succeed at a Logic or any Lore skill test with a number of degrees of success equal to his Intelligence bonus.

Seeker (Dark Heresy Core 74)

Role Aptitudes: Fellowship, Intelligence, Perception, Social, Tech Role Talent: Keen Intuition or Disarm Role Bonus: Nothing Escapes My Sight: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (see page 293), a Seeker character may spend a Fate point to automatically succeed at an Awareness or Inquiry skill test with a number of degrees of success equal to his Perception bonus.

Warrior (Dark Heresy Core 76)

Role Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Defence, Offence, Strength, Weapon Skill Role Talent: Iron Jaw or Rapid Reload Role Bonus: Expert at Violence: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (see page 293), after making a successful attack test, but before determining hits, a Warrior character may spend a Fate point to substitute his Weapon Skill (for melee) or Ballistic Skill (for ranged) bonus for the degrees of success scored on the attack test.

Fanatic (Enemies Within 34)

Role Aptitudes: Leadership, Ofence, Toughness, Weapon Skill, Willpower Role Talent: Deny the Witch or Jaded Role Bonus: Death to All Who Oppose Me!: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (DARK HERESY Core Rulebook, pg 293), a Fanatic character may spend a Fate point to count as having the Hatred talent against his current foe for the duration of the encounter. Should he choose to leave combat against a Hated foe in that encounter, however, he gains 1 Insanity point.

Penitent (Enemies Within 36)

Role Aptitudes: Agility, Fieldcraft, Intelligence, Offence, Toughness Role Talent: Die Hard or Flagellant Role Bonus: Cleansing Pain: Whenever a Penitent character suffers 1 or more points of damage (after reductions for Toughness bonus and Armour), he gains a +10 bonus to the first test he makes before the end of his next turn.

Ace (Enemies Without 38)

Role Aptitudes: Agility, Finesse, Perception, Tech, Willpower Role Talent: Hard Target or Hotshot Pilot Role Bonus: Right Stuff: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (DARK HERESY Core Rulebook, page 293), an Ace character may spend a Fate point to automatically succeed at an Operate or Survival skill test involving vehicles or living steeds with a number of degrees of success equal to his Agility bonus.

Crusader (Enemies Beyond 34)

Role Aptitudes: Knowledge, Offence, Strength, Toughness, Willpower Role Talent: Bodyguard or Deny the Witch Role Bonus: Smite the Unholy: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (DARK HERESY Core Rulebook, page 293), a Crusader character can also spend a Fate Point to automatically pass a Fear test with a number of degrees of success equal to his Willpower bonus. In addition, whenever he inflicts a hit with a melee attack against a target with the Fear (X) trait, he inflicts X additional damage and counts his weapon’s penetration as being X higher.

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Stage 4. Spend XP, Equip Acolyte “He let me keep the pistol, at least. Sometimes he would allow us items from his private armoury. Most of the time, we found ways to get what we needed after we landed.” –Gex Avrille, from the private memoirs Recollections of Service

character’s characteristics, home world, background, and role define the core of who that character is, but do not exemplify the unique abilities and proficiencies of

the various people who are called to serve the Inquisition. To reflect everything a character has and will learn across his career, each Player Character earns experience points (xp) periodically throughout the game. He can use these to increase his characteristics and skills, purchase new talents, and gain access to character-altering elite advances.

When a character earns experience points, they are added to

his total. The player can spend them at any point the GM allows, or he can save them to be used at a later time.

Starting Experience Each Player Character starts with 1,000 experience points to spend at character creation. This experience represents everything the Acolyte has learned in his life before service to his Inquisitor, on top of what is granted from his other character creation options. If all players concur, this value can be adjusted upwards for more advanced play with higher-powered Acolytes, or lowered to represent less skilled Acolytes perhaps newly recruited by a novice Inquisitor.

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Aptitudes Those who serve an Inquisitor in the defence of Mankind come from a wide range of planets, organisations, and mental outlooks. This means each Acolyte typically can pick up some areas of expertise more easily than others, or might struggle to achieve what another Acolyte seems to intuitively understand.

DARK HERESY uses these various propensities as aptitudes during character creation. These represent tasks or abilities for which a character has a natural affinity, and can learn with greater ease than others. Characteristic, skill, and talent advances in the game have aptitudes linked to them, usually two (though especially rare abilities might have only one). Those advances sharing a character’s aptitudes are easier for that character to learn, and thus cost fewer experience points to purchase. If a character shares one aptitude with an advance, he gains a small discount to purchasing it, and if he shares two aptitudes with the advance he gains a large discount. Players can still purchase advances for which they have no shared aptitudes, but these are typically very expensive.

Note that if during creation a character gains the same aptitude from different sources, he does not gain it twice. He instead chooses and gains a Characteristic-based aptitude that he does not already have.

General

Those skills and talents with the General aptitude represent advances that are simple to learn, regardless of the background or aptitude of the character gaining them. To represent this, all characters in DARK HERESY have the General aptitude.

Characteristic-Based Aptitudes There are nine aptitudes that share a name with nine characteristics each character possesses: Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Strength, Toughness, Agility, Intelligence, Perception, Willpower, and Fellowship. These represent the character’s ability to learn and improve the matching characteristic, as well as all the skills and talents related to it. Note that Influence is not a characteristic-based aptitude, as players cannot purchase advances in that characteristic.

Offence Characters with the Offence aptitude are those who prefer an all-out assault of brute force over a more careful, strategic approach. These Acolytes often charge into melee in a blood-crazed frenzy, or favour unloading overwhelming amounts of firepower into their foes.

Finesse While skills and talents with the Offence aptitude focus on sheer, brute force, those with the Finesse aptitude rely instead on precise skill and careful planning. Acolytes with the Finesse aptitude can become expert at effectively firing long-range weapons, or wielding exotic weapons with deadly results in personal combat.

Defence Acolytes with this aptitude quickly learn how to keep themselves alive amongst the deadly chaos of combat that often surrounds them. Whether through skilful deterrence or dogged toughness, they weather the battlefields and violent underhives of the 41st Millennium while others fall around them.

Psyker Only those with the rare ability to wield psychic powers gain the Psyker aptitude, representing their affinity with the terrible powers of the Warp. It also indicates abilities to sense the unnatural energies that signal Warp denizens or the use of psychic powers.

Tech Very few dare tamper with the mysteries of the Dark Age of Technology, and fewer still excel at it. Those characters with the Tech aptitude might not understand the inner workings of machines, but they can easily learn to commune with the machine spirit, and seem to get results where others gain only frustration.

Knowledge Amongst the countless worlds and labyrinthine organisations of the Imperium, there is more information than could be amassed in a million lifetimes. While the majority of citizens in the Imperium remain ignorant of the grand and mysterious workings of the Imperium, Acolytes with the Knowledge aptitude find it simple to acquire this information.

Leadership There are untold billions of humans within the Imperium, but without guidance they are but bleating sheep or unruly children. Commanding them effectively is essential to defending Mankind, and Acolytes with this aptitude can turn cowering citizens into a vengeful force ready to storm a heretical shrine or defend against xenos raiders.

Fieldcraft Staying alive in the inhospitable environments across the Imperium can be as difficult as surviving an actual battle. Acolytes with the Fieldcraft aptitude easily adjust to, and thrive on, myriad settings, from oppressive jungles to bleak deserts.

Social Social situations can be just as deadly as any fire-fight to those unfamiliar or unskilled with verbal combat. Those with this aptitude easily learn how to best use honeyed words or harsh intimidation to get their way with self-important priests, well-connected Rogue Traders, and others requiring more subtle means of persuasion.

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Characteristic Advances A characteristic advance represents a natural improvement to a character’s body or mind. When a player purchases an advance in a characteristic, he adds +5 to that characteristic permanently. Characteristic advances are divided into five progression levels: Simple: A small fulfillment of the character’s potential. Intermediate: A significant and noticeable improvement

of the character’s capabilities. Trained: A measure of the character’s improvement

beyond most around him. Proficient: Active, focused effort upon improving the

character’s prowess. Expert: The limit of a character’s natural abilities

As players set about increasing their characters’ characteristics, they must progress through each of the progression levels in turn. This begins with Simple and ends at Expert, using the prices in Table 2–2: Characteristic Advances above.

As shown in Table 2–2: Characteristic Advances, if the character has one matching aptitude, then the first +5 to his characteristic costs 250 xp; the next +5 advancement (the Intermediate progression level) costs 500 xp, and so on. Table 2–3: Characteristic Aptitudes lists the nine characteristics that players can actively seek to improve through spending experience, and the aptitudes associated with each. Advancing Agility, for example, has the Agility and Finesse aptitudes linked with it.

The costs for characteristic advances are cumulative. For instance, a player could not simply pay 500 xp for a +10 increase for a characteristic he has one aptitude matched with. Instead, the player is required to buy the Simple advance for 250 xp first, and then pay the 500 xp for the Intermediate advance.

Skill Advances Player Characters learn new skills or improve existing

skills by selecting skill advances. The xp cost of skill advances depends on how many aptitudes the character has in common with that skill. These advances are divided into four ranks of progression levels, which are as follows:

Known (rank 1): The character can use the skill without

the –20 penalty for untrained skills. Trained (rank 2): The character receives +10 on all skill

tests when using this skill. Experienced (rank 3): The character receives a +20

bonus on all skill tests when using this skill. This bonus replaces the bonus for being Trained.

Veteran (rank 4): The character receives a +30 bonus to all skill tests when using this skill. This bonus replaces the bonus for being Experienced in this skill.

When improving a skill, a character must progress through each of the levels in turn, starting with Known and ending with Veteran. So, for example, players cannot choose to pay for the Trained skill advance for their character without first purchasing the Known skill advance. Note that characters might have received the Known or Trained skill advance already through character creation. Table 2–4: Skill Advances below indicates the price of skill advances, based on both the progression level and number of matching aptitudes.

Table 2–5: Skill Aptitudes on page 81 lists the skills in DARK HERESY, along with the aptitudes linked to each. Refer to Chapter III: Skills for more information on selecting skills and skill descriptions.

Characteristic Advances Matching Aptitudes Simple Intermediate Trained Proficient Expert

Two 100 xp 250 xp 500 xp 750 xp 1250 xp

One 250 xp 500 xp 750 xp 1000 xp 1500 xp

Zero 500 xp 750 xp 1000 xp 1500 xp 2500 xp

Skill Advances Matching Aptitudes Known Trained Experienced Veteran

Two 100 xp 200 xp 300 xp 400 xp

One 200 xp 400 xp 600 xp 800 xp

Zero 300 xp 600 xp 900 xp 1200 xp

Characteristic Aptitudes Characteristic Aptitude 1 Aptitude 2

Weapon Skill Weapon Skill Offence

Ballistic Skill Ballistic Skill Finesse

Strength Strength Offence

Toughness Toughness Defense

Agility Agility Finesse

Intelligence Intelligence Knowledge

Perception Perception Fieldcraft

Willpower Willpower Psyker

Fellowship Fellowship Social

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Talent Purchases

Talents are enhancements that permit a character to use his natural abilities in new fashions. These can provide a situational bonus to the use of a skill or characteristic, or provide specific and unusual ways for a character to take advantage of his equipment. See Chapter IV: Talents and Traits for detailed descriptions of the many talents available in the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook.

As with characteristics and skills, talents have aptitudes associated with them (usually two, but some might have only one), and are discounted based on how many a character shares. Talents are also divided into three tiers, representing their relative power levels and the amount of xp needed to purchase them.

Talents also often have prerequisites that must be met before they can be purchased, no matter what tier they belong to. For this reason, players in DARK HERESY can find themselves needing to purchase lower tier talents before they can purchase the talent that they want. See Table 2–6: Talent Advances for information on the experience cost of talents.

Specialist Talents Some talents are designated Specialist talents. These talents can be selected more than once, with a different specialty each time. Refer to page 120 for more information on Specialist talents.

Taking Talents Multiple Times Some talents can be taken multiple times, which is noted in the talent’s description. There are only a few of these talents; the most prominent is Sound Constitution, which increases a Player Character’s wounds each time it is taken. When taking these talents multiple times, the player simply pays the experience cost each time. It should be noted, however, that some talents that can be taken multiple times have a hard limit, indicating the maximum number of times they can be purchased.

Elite Advances Elite advances are specialised advances that set a character apart significantly. Many elite advances can only be acquired under special circumstances, and those that can be obtained through play represent large, fundamental changes to a character.

To obtain an elite advance, a character must have the permission of the GM, meet all of the prerequisites, and spend the specified amount of experience. For more information on this, see elite advances on page 86.

Equip Acolyte Each character starts with certain items based on his background, but can also select additional weapons, equipment, and gear as part of his initial creation. These represent other accessories the Acolyte brought with him, and help define his favoured combat methods and idiosyncrasies. An Acolyte can make a number of selections up to his starting Influence bonus value from Chapter V: Armoury, each of which can have an Availability of Scarce (–10) or better. For example, a character with an Influence of 37 could make up to 3 acquisitions. Note that all weapons acquired during character creation (and in regular game play onwards) come with two clips of standard ammunition.

During regular game play, Acolytes use the normal Requisition system for acquiring additional weapons, gear, armour, and other items from the Armoury as per page 142.

Talent Advances Matching Aptitudes Tier One Tier Two Tier 3

Two 200 xp 300 xp 400 xp

One 300 xp 450 xp 600 xp

Zero 600 xp 900 xp 1200 xp

Skill Aptitudes Skill Aptitude 1 Aptitude 2 Page

Acrobatics Agility General 98

Athletics Strength General 99

Awareness Perception Fieldcraft 100

Charm Fellowship Social 100

Command Fellowship Leadership 101

Commerce Intelligence Knowledge 102

Common Lore † Intelligence General 102

Deceive Fellowship Social 103

Dodge Agility Defence 104

Forbidden Lore † Intelligence Knowledge 104

Inquiry Fellowship Social 105

Interrogation Willpower Social 105

Intimidate Strength Social 106

Linguistics † Intelligence General 106

Logic Intelligence Knowledge 107

Medicae Intelligence Fieldcraft 108

Navigate † Intelligence Fieldcraft 110

Operate † Agility Fieldcraft 110

Parry Weapon Skill Defence 112

Psyniscience Perception Psyker 112

Scholastic Lore † Intelligence Knowledge 113

Scrutiny Perception General 114

Security Intelligence Tech 115

Sleight of Hand Agility Knowledge 115

Stealth Agility Fieldcraft 115

Survival Perception Fieldcraft 116

Tech-Use Intelligence Tech 117

Trade † Intelligence General 118

† Indicates Specialist Skill

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Stage 5. Give the Character Life “He told us another truth right before we assaulted the Locust Palace, so we would know what we faced if we were too late. After that, I could never sleep soundly while travelling through the Warp again.” –Gex Avrille, from private memoirs Recollections of Service

nce all of the raw data of a character is determined, it is time to flesh out his history, personality, motivations, and everything else that makes him a complete character instead of just a collection of numbers.

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Divinations D100 Roll Prophecy Effect

01 Mutation without, corruption within

Roll once on Table 8–15: Malignancies (see page 290) and apply the result.

02-05 Trust in your fear Increase this character’s Perception by 5, He also gains the Phobia Mental Disorder (see page 288).

06-09 Humans must die so that humanity can endure

This character gains the Jaded talent. If he already possesses this talent, increase his Willpower characteristic by 2 instead.

10-13 The pain of the bullet is ecstasy compared to damnation

Reduce this character's Agility characteristic by 3. The first time this character suffers Critical damage each session, roll 1d10. On a result of 10, he does not suffer any Critical Effects, though the damage still counts as Critical damage.

14-17 Be a boon to your allies and a bane to your enemies

This character gains the Hatred (choose any one) talent. If he already possessed this talent, increase his Strength characteristic by 2 instead.

18-21 The wise learn from the deaths of others

Increase this character's Agility or Intelligence Characteristic by 3. Reduce his Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill characteristic by 3.

22-25 Kill the alien before it can speak its lies

This character gains the Quick Draw talent. If he already possesses this talent, increase his Agility characteristic by 2 instead.

26-29 Truth is subjective Increase this character's Perception characteristic by 3. The first time he would gain 1 or more Corruption points each session, he gains that amount plus 1 instead.

30-33 Thought begets Heresy Reduce this character's Intelligence characteristic by 3. The first time he would gain 1 or more Corruption points each session, he reduces that amount by 1 (to a minimum of 0) instead.

34-38 Heresy begets Retribution Increase this character's Fellowship or Strength characteristic by 3. Reduce his Toughness or Willpower characteristic by 3.

39-43 A mind without purpose wanders in dark places

When gaining Mental Disorders (see page 287), the character may choose to gain a new Disorder instead of increasing the severity of an existing Disorder.

44-49 If a job is worth doing, it is worth dying for

Increase this character's Toughness or Willpower characteristic by 3. Reduce his Fellowship or Strength characteristic by 3.

50-54 Dark dreams lie upon the heart

Whenever this character would roll on Table 8–15: Malignancies (see page 290), he may instead select any one result and gain that Malignancy.

55-59 Violence solves everything Increase this character's Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill characteristic by 3. Reduce his Agility or Intelligence characteristic by 3.

60-63 Ignorance is a wisdom of its own

Reduce this character's Perception characteristic by 3. The first time he would gain 1 or more Insanity points each session, he reduces that amount by 1 (to a minimum of 0) instead.

64-67 Only the insane have the strength enough to prosper

Increase this character's Willpower characteristic by 3. The first time he would gain 1 or more Insanity points each session, he gains that amount plus 1 instead.

68-71 A suspicious mind is a healthy mind

Increase this character’s Perception characteristic by 2. Additionally, he may re-roll Awareness tests to avoid being Surprised.

72-75 Suffering is an unrelenting instructor

Reduce this character's Toughness characteristic by 3. The first time that this character suffers any damage each session, he gains a +20 bonus to the next test he makes before the end of his next turn.

76-79 The only true fear is dying without your duty done

This character gains the Resistance (Cold, Heat, or Fear) talent. If he already possesses this talent, increase his Toughness characteristic by 2 instead.

80-83 Only in death does duty end The first time this character would suffer Fatigue each session, he suffers that amount of Fatigue minus 1 (to a minimum of 0) instead.

84-87 Innocence is an illusion This character gains the Keen Intuition talent. If he already possesses this talent, increase his

Intelligence characteristic by 2 instead.

88-91 To war is human This character gains the Dodge skill as a Known skill (rank 1). If he already possesses this skill,

increase his Agility characteristic by 2 instead.

92-95 There is no substitute for zeal

This character gains the Clues from the Crowds talent. If he already possesses this talent, increase his

Fellowship characteristic by 2 instead.

96-99 Even one who has nothing can still offer his life

When this character burns Fate threshold to survive a lethal injury, roll 1d10. On a result of 10, he

survives whatever grievous wound would have killed him but does not reduce his Fate threshold.

100 Do not ask why you serve, only ask how

Increase this character's Fate threshold by 1.

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Feral World Traditions D100 Roll Belief

01-10

Ward of Soil: Each world protects those who honour it; applying a handful of native soil to the skin helps keep foul spirits at bay.

11-20 Unlucky Colour: The sky flashed an unnatural shade just before the tribe's greatest disaster; this colour must be shunned whenever it

appears.

21-30

Hunter’s Oath: Eating food that he did not personally kill brings bad luck, and only acts of contrition can appease the angry spirits.

31-40

Thirsty Blade: The spirit of a weapon is a hungry ghost; it must taste blood every time it is drawn lest great ill befall those around it.

41-50

Spirit Shackle: All items gain a portion of their owner's soul; taking a trophy from a vanquished foe brings the victor great luck.

51-60 A Good Death: Honour comes from a glorious death, while cowardice brings only shame to the tribe. The ancestors are watching; do not

disappoint them.

61-70 Power of Names: Never use the true names of friends and loved ones; the shadows are always listening and ready to use them for evil.

71-80

Lonely Dead: Never utter the true names of the dead, lest they be summoned back from the void.

81-90

Living Record: Each victory must be recorded; scarred inscriptions and tattoos ensures the Emperor can read of their mighty deeds.

91-100 Sacred Ground: Distance from the living earth upsets the natural balance; time spent not in contact with a world is ill-omened and

unnatural.

Forge World Cants D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Native Metal: A forge's primary metal is linked to each birth there; when that alloy is encountered, it is wise to softly polish or oil it to

improve probabilities.

11-20 Waste Not: There is no such thing as unneeded materials; let nothing go to waste, and always seek to reuse and refurbish lest the spirits of

the item become upset.

21-30 Binary Perfection: The machine speaks in binary to show the proper path. Life should also form in pairs, and whenever possible, turn the

odd into even to honour the balance.

31-40 Castigate the Flesh: The flesh must always be reminded of its inherent weakness; inflicting minor tortures and pain upon oneself brings

strength to nearby machine spirits.

41-50

Purifying Heat: A forge purifies ores into refined metal; always seek out heat and steam to purify the mind and strengthen the will.

51-60 Placate the Machine-Spirit: To soothe the machine is to honour its spirit; soft humming and sub-vocal harmonics brings favour with

devices.

61-70 Never to Dust: No machine should go still; always seek to utilise all moving parts on a device and activate its motive means, lest its spirit

grow quiet and fade.

71-80 Tapping for Blessing: A machine spirit that is acknowledged is one that responds well to its users; slightly tapping a device twice with two

fingers soothes the spirit and brings fortune.

81-90 Honour the Metal: No machine should fall forgotten; whenever a stray part or shard is found left in the dirt, raise it up and place it in a

prominent spot to honour its service.

91-100 Abhor the Natural: The flesh is best serviced with machine-blessed meals; avoid food and drink that have not been properly rendered and

processed.

Highborn Customs D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Count the Blessings: Knowledge of power is power continued; maintaining a ledger of debts and favours helps ensure

power is retained and strengthened. 11-20 Each Land a Conquest: To journey to a planet is to start the process of control; the first step onto a new world must

be a firm stomp, to begin its taming. 21-30 Layers of Protection: A deed pawned to another is a deed disguised; whenever possible, have others conduct your

directives so they can never be traced to their source. 31-40

Arms Length: Nearness breeds contempt; always seek to keep lessers at a distance, lest they believe themselves equal.

41-50 Nothing Left Behind: Fill the belly and enforce the station; never leave an unfinished meal which could allow lessers

to dine far above their lot. 51-60 Speak Strongly: None should be unaware when their betters speak; always vocalise with powerful tones to suitably

impress those nearby. 61-70 Comport in Style: Proper conduct is the true test of blood; to never panic, to maintain the finest of manners, and to

never embarrass the family name, are all marks of the lordly. 71-80 Beware the Poisoner: The quickest way to the heart is through the stomach; be wary of a meal from unknown

sources, lest it be the last. 81-90 Trappings of Power: It is essential to display power in order to wield it properly; fine clothing, carrying batons or

other devices of control, and well-styled hair should always be the goal. 91-100 Disguise Strength: Power hidden is power multiplied; always refrain from showing the full extent of capabilities to

ensure there are still surprises left to use.

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Hive World Foundations D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Touch the Sky: To feel the sturdy metal above is to know serenity; whenever entering a new enclosure, always reach

upwards to the ceiling to honour the dwelling. 11-20 Blight in Darkness: An area unlit is a dangerous area; whenever possible, leave glow-globes and torches lit and never

wander from their comforting presence. 21-30 Combat Strength: Tap a melee weapon against a wall or flooring before battle, allowing it to gain a sliver of the

hive's strength and power. 31-40 Comfortable Numbers: Only when surrounded with fellow hivers is the hive complete, and rooms should never be

allowed to become bereft of crowded flesh. 41-50 Distrust the Strange: Familiarity breeds comfort; new places, people, or sights should be avoided as they can only

bring unwelcome change. 51-60 Strengthen the Hive: Forming stray objects into pyramidal shapes bolsters the hive's spirit and brings good fortune

until the next waking hour. 61-70 Fear the Silence: A hive is always filled with sound; quiet only means death is coming, and should silence descend,

make noise to ward off ill-fortune. 71-80

Keep Nature at Bay: Base life should never intrude; pluck and toss stray weeds to gain luck.

81-90 Hive and Skin: Make the hive part of the flesh, and honour its spirit; always rub dust or metal shavings from the

ground under fingernails to ensure luck. 91-100 Solitude is Golden: For the crowded masses, the smallest measure of privacy is priceless; seclusion should be

respected and honoured.

Shrine World Mores D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Honour the Skulls: Those who serve after death are especially favoured; always show signs of respect to all servoskulls

and honour their duty. 11-20 Endless Repose: Respect the spirits of the fallen by refraining from sudden movements or gestures; perfect stillness

is perfect honour. 21-30 Suffer the Pilgrims: Only through pain can pilgrims properly appreciate the sacrifice of others; always scatter nails

or sharp rocks along any pathways they would take. 31-40 Never Disturb the Dead: Those buried should be allowed their sleep; never walk over a grave or even any location

where a death occurred. 41-50 Cloud Revelations: The patterns above can reveal the faith below; the colours and shapes in aerial masses of smoke

indicate true faith of the next pilgrim encountered. 51-60 Challenge the Sun: Faith is stronger than nature; stare into the sun once a day until it is sufficiently cowed into

submission to man's dominion. 61-70 Stone Abides: When entering a new building or habitation, press strongly against a wall to ensure it is as strong and

eternal as faith. 71-80 Death in the Odds: Any group of pilgrims with an odd number of people will surely suffer a death before sundown,

so ensure they are split or merged to create an even number. 81-90 Drink to the Dead: The first sip of any liquid should be spit unto the floor, as an offering to those who fell that the

Imperium would survive. 91-100

Aquila Blessing: The sign of the Emperor is sacred; always return the mark of the Aquila after it is given.

Voidborn Lores D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Nailed Hulls: Leaving a pile of toenail clippings (the longer and more plentiful the better) at the base of a bulkhead

bolsters its strength. 11-20 Haunted Decks: If the lights in an area fail three times in a shift, hold one hand over the eyes when passing through

it. This allows passage without detection from the angry souls trapped within. 21-30

Welcoming Hatches: Always leave hatchways open, to ensure the vessel's spirit can move freely.

31-40

Unlucky Eclipses: Refrain from important actions whenever the vessel is in shadow.

41-50 Feared Octet: When prominent stars are sighted in an eightfold symbol, make the sign of the Aquila, lest foul

spirits notice the unprotected soul. 51-60 Third Ship Omen: If a squadron comes alongside, the third vessel to pass along the viewport is destined to bring

bad luck. 61-70 Rumbling Plasma: If the ship's engines roar loudly in a burst of vibration, always stomp three times on the deck as

an answering reply. 71-80 Lucky Rub: If offered real meat, first rub it up and down twice against a wall or bulkhead, so the ship's luck infuses

the meal. 81-90 Knocking Shells: Before loading a weapon, bounce three shells off the ceiling. If all are caught in one hand, the clip

becomes lucky. 91-100 Ebon Offerings: To remove poor fortune, venture to the under-decks and throw a day's rations into the darkness. If

no impact is heard, good luck is certain to return.

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Agri-World Proverbs D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Earth to Earth: Always ensure a vessel takes a portion of the land with it when it departs, such as a lump of soil or handful

of grass, to share the Emperor’s blessings from one world to the next. 11-20 Share the Pain, Share the Gain: Watering the green with red shows respect for the blessed crops that feed Mankind. Always cut one’s

thumb before cutting a plant or chopping wood, or suffer poor digestion for a fortnight.

21-30 Water to Water: The waters that bind all humans and the worlds they inhabit is one. Whenever it rains, spit into a puddle or open body of

water, or be thirsty the rest of the day.

31-40 Grand in the Light, Small in the Dark: When light is strongest, be of least dark so vile things cannot find any haven. Stand upright when

the sun is directly overhead to lessen one’s shadow and shine brightly for the Emperor.

41-50 Strength from the Dead: Even when departed to the Emperor, the fallen should aid the living. Grind a bone from the departed and add it

into the next meal.

51-60 Tread Lightly, Grow Brightly: Only through direct communion with the ground can luck grow in abundance. Honour the soil by walking

barefoot on it before planting, or to ensure terrain acts favourably in battle.

61-70 Smooth Cuttings, Strong Blessings: No scything should be unimportant. Gather and bury one’s trimmed hair to promote a speedy harvest,

or to smooth a comrade’s passage to the Emperor’s embrace.

71-80 Deny the Black, Embrace the Green: Patience is rewarded at night. Those who place a plucked leaf over each eye before sleeping will see

crops grow faster and voyages pass more smoothly.

81-90 Close the Season, Sound the Horn: Announce every victory loudly and with pride, so the Emperor can rejoice. After the last crops are

taken from a field or a hard-fought battle is won, stomp on the ground in a thunderous manner.

91-100 Connect to the Land, Taller You Stand: It behooves the tillers to know their fields. Sprinkle soil taken from the first steps onto a new land

into one’s shoes, and only remove it when leaving.

Feudal World Chants D100 Roll Belief

01-10

Humbled Visitor: So as a vassal to his lord, bow when entering a house to honour the dead who dwelled within.

11-20 Impart Stewardship: All much belong to someone, for all belong to the Emperor. Whenever venturing into a forest, carve a marking to

show dominion over the land.

21-30

Always Loyal: Even when no present, none should forget their obligations. Spit out the last mouthful of food as an offering to absent lords.

31-40 Honour Thy Lords: The burden of command weighs heavy, only lightening through the service of others. Invoke the Emperor’s Blessing

on the ruler of each land after stepping foot onto a new domain.

41-50 Respect the Craft: To carve the bedrock of a world is to impart the grace of the Emperor on it. Knock on stonework to show respect for its

mason.

51-60 Gifts for the Night: There is no greater favour than to house others, and no greater gift than to nourish those who would provide it. Food

should be offered to any who would grant shelter.

61-70 Shield from Darkness: Only through the mark of the Emperor can the vile unknowables be kept at bay. Make the sign of the Aquila

whenever witchcraft is invoked or spoken of.

71-80 Friends before Spirits: No vintage is more valuable than a ready blade at one’s side. Always pour for others, and only drink if there is any

left after this.

81-90 Give Thanks to the Flames: For that which keeps life warm and protected, life’s blood is called for. After dousing a fire, offer three drops

of blood to the ashes for the warmth it provided.

91-100 Trust Not the New: What was enough for the father is good enough for the son. Wherever possible, the weapons of the honoured

forefathers should be used above all others.

Frontier World Sayings D100 Roll Belief

01-10

Never Kill with a Dull Blade: Clean and resharpen a knife after each use, or it will turn badly in the next fight.

11-20 May Their Dead Eyes Burn: Mere death isn’t enough for the worst. Bury hated enemies face up, so they can always witness

the Emperor’s eternal hatred. 21-30 Early to Bleed, Lessen Will Feed: Early light means darkness is still about. Butchering an animal before noon means the

meat will spoil early. 31-40

Three on Three, Witches May Be: Evil comes in flocks, so always burn any feathers found in groups of nine.

41-50 See the Good First: None should trust a gun until it’s fired and draws blood or saves a life. Shun strangers until they

show evidence of their worthiness. 51-60 From One to the Next: Let strength and courage pass on, to ensure it never dies. If a steed falls in combat, remove a tooth

to make as an offering to the next steed. 61-70 Blood Proof Deal: Only through shared pain and blood can honesty grow. Mingle blood with that from a trading partner

to ensure the deal is good. 71-80 Cracked Echoes, Dark Comings: A visage that is broken can never heal properly. If a mirror cracks, bury all of the pieces

so it cannot reflect again. 81-90 Signed Death: Even if one’s face is hidden, let the bullets signal the marksman. Carve a nick in the first shell of each clip

so an enemy knows who struck him. 91-100 Smite for the Emperor: Let the first blow drive out bad and welcome the good. When constructing a dwelling, pound a

hammer into the wood once before driving in nails to invoke blessings on the house.

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Death World Passages D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Softly into the Dark: Your end should be a personal matter. When death approaches, strive to find a place of isolation and

privacy where you can settle your duty to the Emperor. 11-20 Gain from Death: Each end is an opportunity to learn ways to prevent future endings. Whenever death occurs seek to gain

as much information as the cause, either from nature or combat, to ensure it does not follow that way again. 21-30 At Peace with the End: No matter how you lived your life or what brought you here, it all ends the same way. Given this,

face your end with serenity and grace, knowing that your real duty to the Emperor is only beginning. 31-40 Scars for the Emperor: Judgement is based on scars, not on words. Ensure every victory (but also every failure) is proudly

and clearly marked, so the Emperor can properly judge your life when it ends. 41-50 Rail Against the Night: Death can only represent the end of your duty, and duty to the Emperor should never be allowed

to end. Fight death to the utmost, with everything method possible, for every loss is one less fighter for Mankind. 51-60 Go Not Alone: The only thing worse than dying would be dying alone. Never leave a friend who is facing the final

moments—instead offer support and courage until the end, no matter what dangers you might face yourself. 61-70 A Blaze of Glory: Anyone can die, but only the best can die in the midst of extraordinary accomplishment or after

completing a fantastic feat. Ensure the Emperor sees your final action by making it as exceptional as possible. 71-80 The More Dead, the More Worthy: There is only one important thing about dying, and that is how many of your foes you

take with you. The higher the mound of slain enemies around you, the more the Emperor values your end. 81-90 Create the Legend: Each death should become a heroic story that becomes tales of wonder, to grow with each telling

around firepits at night. Strive for an end that can be made into epic myth, as legend inspires better than mere fact. 91-100 When the Emperor Calls: Death can come at any moment, so any attempt to prepare for it is futile—even thinking about

the end is a waste of precious time. Live for the moment, for only the Emperor can know when you are needed.

Garden World Aphorisms D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Answers Come From Within: While your home planet is wondrous indeed, its nature is only a distraction. Only though

introspection and contemplation can the soul find its true place in the Emperor’s Plan. 11-20 Embrace the Wild: Nature contains red secrets that cannot be found anywhere else, from the ways of bloodthirsty

predators to those of devious prey. Observe from the creatures around you, and learn new ways to thrive. 21-30 Every World a Garden: No matter its outward nature, any location can achieve the Emperor’s Grace if enough believe

it to be worthy. Always encourage natives to seek perfection in their own settings and thus create their own gardens. 31-40 Serenity of the Green: Take inspiration from the calm and peaceful native flora of your world. Keeping an even

countenance no matter what terrors come your way will ensure all goes as smoothly as your nature. 41-50 Honour the Wounded: Many of the Emperor’s servants came to your world to recuperate in mind and body, and you

grew up knowing of their bravery. Always show proper respect to those who openly display their wounds and scars. 51-60 Tend the Garden: No natural setting can sustain itself without proper support. Wherever you go, strive to improve your

settings and leave them better than when you arrived, from retrieving discarded bolter shells to replanting burnt flora. 61-70 Perfection in Everything: Life surrounded with immaculate nature has taught you that perfection can be found everywhere

and in all things. Examine your surroundings and you will always find wonders that display the Emperor’s Hand. 71-80 Welcome the Stranger: Your world saw continuous visitors, all of whom left some part of their own culture and grace

after they departed. Always embrace newcomers as ways to discover more of the Imperium and its peoples. 81-90 Beauty is All: Your world and its natives are epitomes of physical perfection, and you grew knowing this the most

crucial element in life. No matter your circumstances, ensure your form and your surroundings are always flawless. 91-100 Breathe in the Air: The only way to embrace a new world is to embrace its atmosphere. No matter how unpleasant it

might be for non-natives, take at least one full breath before leaving to honour your setting and those who live there.

Research Station Revelations D100 Roll Belief

01-10 No Datum Irrelevant: None but the Omnissiah can ever know what information is actually useful or not, as all data can

be necessary at some point or in some way. Never discard any data, or any other items found in the course of research. 11-20 Power is All: Without the flow of power, machinery cannot function and information cannot be gathered. Before

undertaking any effort ensure power conduits are secure and cells are charged, or your quest will end before it begins. 21-30 Only the Emperor Knows: The quests for understanding can never end, but the wisest know there are some truths that

Mankind will never find. To know all would place humanity above itself, and so some secrets will always remain secret. 31-40 Purity of the Data: Once collected, information must be protected above all else lest it be corrupted by tainting mockery

or disbelief. Keep evidence and findings away from those who would not properly honour the blessed data. 41-50 Everything a Factor: It is not just the actual data; any aspect from ambient lighting to the colour of the parchment could

be important. Whenever gathering information you should record everything, no matter how seemingly trivial. 51-60 Reward in the Ritual: Others might find glory in end results, but properly following rote liturgy of the process is the

real path to truth. Carefully adhere to all rites and instructions, and the Emperor will reward your proper dedication. 61-70 Honour the Recorders: Information is only as good as the blessed mechanisms used to collect it, so it is essential to

properly care for your machinery. Keep all devices pristine so their spirits are appeased and eager to operate. 71-80 Ever Vigilant: Data not recorded is data that is lost forever. There is no telling when items of importance might appear,

so always be ready to react to them from recording features in ink to isolating physicalities in huge Gellar-Field tanks. 81-90 Question Not the Cause: It is not for those who gather the data to understand the goal or purpose behind the effort.

Directives from those above you should be faithfully followed and trust the Emperor’s Judgement in their station. 91-100 Not Real Unless Recorded: Events that are not preserved to parchment or dataslate for the ages do not exist except in

error-prone memories. Always seek to document every deed, lest it be forgotten and consigned to dust.

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Daemon World Curses D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Endless Appetites: Those who enjoy excesses, be they food, drink, or base sensation, can only find themselves starving

and deprived when they are without such things. Self-denial is the only true path to self-reliance. 11-20 Feel the Pain: Any who would try to understand and share the pain of others will only find that pain only multiplied.

Empathy is for the weak; the Emperor knows the pain of His subjects, and that should be enough for anyone. 21-30 Seek the Truth: The untainted truth is the foulest of poisons. Any who would insist that the truth is all should instead

try to find whatever enjoyment possible, for a life filled with truth has no room for the Emperor. 31-40 Honour is All: A life structured around perfect integrity in one’s actions is a life made of brittle bricks. Do not demand

honourable behaviour from anyone, or hold yourself to such standards—concentrate instead only on the end results. 41-50 Hope Pains Eternal: To long for a better future is to be forever disappointed. Forego any faith that tomorrow could be

an improvement on yesterday; the only faith that matters is your faith in the Emperor. 51-60 Fall to Pride: Those who dare take pride in their accomplishments are surely seeking destruction. Always remember that

self-satisfaction can only lead to arrogance, so shrug off compliments and concentrate on past failings instead. 61-70 Perfect Vision: To truly study the world around you in exacting clarity is to witness more than mortal minds can

withstand. Better to merely see and not observe, and trust that the Emperor is watching over all. 71-80 Never Forget: Those who forget the past might repeat it, but those who cannot forget it are doomed to never be content

with the present. Memories can only lead to pain, so let them go and apply yourself to surviving the current day. 81-90 Pressing Throngs: There are few hells worse than those that come from being surrounded by maddening crowds. Find

solace in solitude instead, for in the end we are all alone save for the Emperor’s grace. 91-100 Persistent Dreams: The fantasies of sleep can make the night pass more easily, but dreams that refuse to fade away in

waking hours only reinforce the horrid nature of life. Better to forget your dreams and live in the world around you.

Penal Colony Codes D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Code of Silence: No matter what the event, never speak of it to outsiders or warders. Despite the intentions or assurances

of others, it is better to deal with transgressions against yourself or your cadre internally and through your own means. 11-20 Code of Vengeance: Every slight must be returned, no matter how small or who it was from. Anything less only invites

further disrespect, and so any misconceptions concerning your strength must be corrected lest others also act against you. 21-30 Code of Blood: Family is all, be the connection arise from shared blood or shared bloodshed. Care for your kin, and

your kin will care for you. Turn against your blood kin, and no one will aid you when your kin come for your blood. 31-40 Code of Forgiveness: The only way for bloodshed to end is to grant forgiveness, not out of weakness but out of

pragmatism. Endless conflict profits no one, and if needed you can always strike once a back is foolishly turned to you. 41-50 Code of Protection: Take care to watch for danger, and prepare for any occurrence. With proper protection, attacks and

insults can be turned away or twisted against a foe, and others will flock to your side as they see your power. 51-60 Code of Remembrance: Never forget, ever. The past is everything, and once it is lost then so are the lives and deeds of

those who came before you. Thus so too will your own deeds turn to dust when you are gone if they are forgotten. 61-70 Code of Trust: The highest honour you can bestow on others is to rely on them, no matter how bad things get. They will

stand with you when death or worse is on the line, and you for them—without such trust, life is worthless. 71-80 Code of Reliance: There are only two things you can count on in the end: yourself and the Emperor—and the Emperor

expects you to take care of yourself, as He’s busy. Mind yourself, and let the Emperor can take care of the rest. 81-90 Code of Faith: There is more around you than prison walls and iron chains, but only those who reach out and place their fate

in the Emperor’s hands will ever see this. Have faith that the Emperor acts through all things, and you will be rewarded. 91-100 Code of Discipline: The best way to survive is to always follow a strict internal regimen and rigidly control yourself no

matter the madness around you. Only when you master yourself can you master others.

Quarantine World Mandates D100 Roll Belief

01-10 Hold the Breath: Those who breathe first are often not breathing for long. Whenever walking into a new habroom, a ship

cabin, or especially the outdoors, always hold your breath until you see others safely draw air and still live. 11-20 Walk in Footsteps: Never reveal your passage to others, for who knows what might be watching or what a wayward

footfall might trigger? Ensure your feet only follow where others have stepped, especially in rough earth. 21-30 Blood to Ashes: Offer life to the dead whenever possible. A few drops of blood can suffice for a minor friend or battlecomrade,

while a long cut to allow for both a gout and a scar of remembrance is proper for valued friends or family. 31-40 Care for Yourself: Personal care is often overlooked, but is as essential as armour or filterplugs. Grooming might be

mocked, but it detects diseases and ailments before they become necrotic, and also ensures you always leave a clean corpse. 41-50 Watch the Skies: Death commonly comes from above, be it from xenos raiders, insectoid swarms, or avian predators.

Keep your eyes always scanning upwards, and be ready to defend yourself against the lethal dangers in the air. 51-60 Blink Before Seeing: True sight only comes from clear eyes, so be sure to blink at least three times whenever your vision

is essential. This also wards off any biotic mites, strands of poison flora, or foul spirits that might infest your eyes. 61-70 Carry the Water: There is one thing you should always have—your own water supply. This might be a small flask, an

assortment of plasteel bottles, or even a conformal tank worn on the back. Forget your water, and forget tomorrow. 71-80 Observe the Others: The greatest dangers can be those around you, even those you have trusted for years. Trust only goes

so far, so always keep a close eye in case others turn traitor, become possessed by alien minds, or gain unnatural appetites. 81-90 Sanctity of the Meal: Sustenance is essential for survival, so any opportunity to safely gather and eat together should

be grasped and cherished. Every meal could be your last, so give thanks to the Emperor for both food and friendship. 91-100 Paranoia is Not Enough: Anything, at any moment, could be the cause of your death. Always check your gear before

travel, double-check your weaponry before combat, and triple-check your so-called allies before turning your back.

21