Help
So, what does a character need?
A name. Preferably, something relevant to the world you're in - naming your character 'Max' when everyone else in the world has a name like Maximus Decimus Meridius just ain't going to jive, you know? So you need to consider how well your name is going to fit. This is somewhat easier here, in that we have a galaxy spanning empire from which to draw names - take the diversity of names on the earth, and multiply it by a couple of billion. Yeah. Some things to consider: humanity in the Imperium is distinctly non-Asian. There are a few hints here and there, but it seems kinda rare for someone to hail from a distinctly Asian culture. By the same token, the Tau are somewhat more Asiatic in their mannerisms, though they too have strange names, featuring plenty of glottal stops. Names are hard. But I don't care if you call yourself Cyrus Deathstalker or Alys the Harlot, or even Larrius Varlo, as long as it's something that could, conceivably, fit the world. What exactly is going to 'fit' will become more apparent further down.
Age. Fairly simple: If your character is not nobility, they are going to be somewhere between fifteen and fifty. If they *are* nobility, they could be literally hundreds of years old - juvenat technology as it's known (derived from rejuvenation, obviously) is only available to the richest and most influential of citizens, or the higher echelons of Imperial servants. This means that if your character is a former prisoner, or a member of the Planetary Defense Force, no extreme age for you. If you're the son of a rich administrator (or the rich administrator themself) you could be way older than you look.
Fairly arbitrary, this factor should primarily influence the experience and 'sound' and 'appearance' of your character.
Gender: Once again, fairly arbitrary except the obvious. Female or Male, it doesn't make any real difference in this world, though you may want to apply a bit of logic when working out your base character - it's entirely possible for a woman to be really strong, but it's less likely. Oh, and women, although they aren't exactly second class citizens, aren't accorded entirely the same respect as males. It seems to be a demographic thing in W40k, but a LOT of the main characters are male, especially those in positions of power (try reading through the story of the Horus Heresy and spot an important female figure, for example) and most of the women who do feature are either really, really battle-hardened, or they're scantily clad eye-candy. But don't let that stop you.
Background: Right, this is pretty hard to write if you have no idea about what world they may have come from, or what professions they may have pursued, et. Advice? You don't need to name names, the distinction between a "Feral World" and an "Industrial World" is fairly obvious, and if you want to give it a name, you can go either way: LV-426 is entirely acceptable, but you can also use your imagination and name your planet Callernia or whatever. It doesn't really matter, you can retcon the name in if you leave it blank when you get a better feel for your character (and you don't even haven to mention homeworld, of course!), and as long as you're consistent (or not! Whose to say your character isn't a chronic liar?) when you're writing, it is irrelevant.
There's a reason this is the longest section. It's important. It defines your character more than anything else, and dictates your skills and so forth. IT IS IMPORTANT. Treat it as such.
Barring aforementioned tendency to 'smudge the truth', you will be needing some background experience or whatever. What has your character done? What were they doing before this? Were they an Imperial Guard shock-trooper, whose rise to fame is entirely accidental? Or a bureaucrat from a Hive World who has been drawn into this because he argued with the Inquisitor Lord, and his punishment is attachment to the detail? You can have a 'mysterious background' if you want, but, just for the GM, a bit of fleshing out will go down well - you can specify if you want a mystery, and I won't publish that in our character list.
Now, what I'd *like* you to avoid, if possible, are overpowered characters. This means:
Space Marines.
Inquisitors.
Guard Commissars.
Sisters of Battle.
And the like are OVERPOWERED. They will wipe the floor with many of the enemies you're likely to encounter, and with backup will beat up most of the 'tough' opponents too. I'm not saying you can't. I'm a fan of freedom. But I WILL endeavor to split your character from the group, make all the enemies ambush them, and generally try and weaken them as best I can, because otherwise you'll just break the game. I know, Space Marines are pretty iconic, but they're iconic because they are so damn badass. Try to avoid if you can.
What are NOT overpowered?
Gunslingers, mercenaries, Guardsmen, PDF troops, Rogue Traders, Sanctioned Psykers, administrators, clerks, scribes, Tech-priests, duelists, gangsters, criminals, farmers, workers, Adepts, Initiates (into the Space Marines) or recruits into the Sisters of Battle, etc. Use your imagination. A pirate or scavenger is perfectly acceptable, as are characters with no combat skills.
If you have no idea about some of the 'types' of character referenced above, go to the Lexicanum, and research them there.
If you're a former Guardsman, or a pirate, or whatever, include some 'battle history' if you can - bearing in mind you may only have seen a few engagements, as casualty rates are quite high, and you can't be too old. Feel free to make them up. "He participated in the Battle of Octanius VII, where he saw his entire regiment slaughtered, before being transfered to the command of a fateful mission that unearthed a Necron Tomb, where he was subsenquently transfered out of the Guard for psychological reasons, at the request of the Inquisition." For example, would be entirely appropriate for a member of the Imperial Guard.
You can also discuss your heritage, your parentage, etc, if you wish. Depends how much detail you want to get into - but make sure it's not just a straw man of a character, really try to get into their head, to see if they have depth. Think of their personality, motivations, what they've seen, and how that's affected them. More info is better, but make it all fit, and not just fluff for fluff's sake. Remember, you can flesh out your character and their background THROUGH THE RP ITSELF later on.
Go wild, I'll tell you happily if something is out of place, and if you can't think of where to start, feel free to ask! I'm sure I, or one of the other 40k folk will be glad to give you hints (as I'm sure we all have a few alternative ideas of what character we'd want to play, too).
Appearance: Fit it to the rest of your character. Mention any key equipment, or clothing (talked about below), and discuss basic features like eye colour, hair colour and length, scars, body type, unusual features (a biotic eye? A mechanical hand? Implants? Etc...once again, research a bit, play around) and so forth. If your character has been incredibly lucky or unlucky in life, you can mention how this has impacted their appearance - a carefree attitude, or exceptional scarring, but no serious wounds, or something.
Race: I'd like to keep this simple. Humans and Abhumans only, maybe a Kroot mercenary or two, but don't try anything out of the ordinary if you aren't familiar with the Lore. No Orks. Preferably no Eldar, Dark Eldar, Tau (though I'm more willing to accept a Tau if played right, and you CAN be a human from a Tau-controlled system, working for them) and definitely NO NECRONS. You can be some form of Servitor if you really want to...
Aliens on human worlds, especially in the employ of the Inquisition is just weird.
You CAN be dedicated to Chaos, but this cannot be a KNOWN FACT, so I won't be putting it up in public (and neither will you, if you know what's good for you).
Right, the Meat of the Matter, skills and equipment and suchlike.
I'm going to keep it light on the skills front. Scale of one to five (for most characters, Exceptional characters like Inquisitors or Space Marines have a higher scale, and more points to spare), you have 24 'skill points' to assign. My best advice is: put two points in everything, then pick three other skills and spread the rest amongst them fairly evenly, favouring one as your character's 'forte'. More experienced roleplayers may like to try a more 'balanced' build, or a very 'focused' build, where points are distributed quite evenly across the board, or heavily into one or two skills. But at least keep one point in everything, just in case.
Bear in mind your character's background - just because weapons skills sound like the most 'fun' or 'important', doesn't mean they are, and it certainly doesn't mean you should invest in them. Being the 'tank' of the group is fine, but having ten 'tanks' is kinda lame. And I WILL punish you for not having characters skilled in various areas, by making you pass more speech checks.
Now, that said, don't panic. Wait, what? No, seriously, I'm not going to run this like a DnD PnP game. There won't be any dice rolling, and there won't be any skill-heavy areas. I'm going to create all the characters based off this same table of skills, however, and if you want to try and convince a guy that he should let you past, you'll need to have a higher speaking skill than he has, for example. That's all, and it shouldn't be too common. Combat will be mostly decided by the narrative, but if there are two guys in your party who have low weapons skills, they get separated, and some gangsters jump them, I might decide whether they live or die based on their skills. Fair enough?
Oh, and look at the Abilities further down the page, too. They cost points as well, and you might prefer to take one of those than put your Ballistics at 5.
Right, without further ado:
Persuasion: Your ability to talk people into things, convince them, manipulate them, coerce them and otherwise use rhetoric and false threats and play a convincing innocent, etc. Closely tied to your intelligence, though the two are not always related, as some people have an innate ability in this area - characters skilled with words should obviously have a high Persuasion skill.
Barter: Related to persuasion, this skill relies quite heavily on your knowledge of numbers, and it dictates how you can haggle and drive prices when dealing with merchants, extortionists, and the like. Very closely tied to your intelligence, a character is unlikely to have a high Barter with low Intelligence.
Intelligence: Your overall level of learning and knowledge, this skill indicates how much education you've had, combined with your 'street smarts', and is generally a good indicator of your ability to fix things, identify problems and come up with solutions.
Combat: Your skill with close-quarters weapons, and even unarmed combat, this dictates how effective you are at in-fighting in most situations. Someone who can use a Power Sword or Power Fist, or even a mundane knife or their own hands as weapons must have a high Combat skill.
Ballistics: Your skill with ranged weapons, such as laspistols, bolt pistols, lasguns, bolters...anything that fires a projectile, basically. Someone who is good at gun fighting, or has spent time in the military service is likely to have a moderate to high level of Ballistics skill.
Toughness: How physically capable you are in general, this indicates a level of fitness, as well as a sheer level of hardiness, and will often play a large part in your ability to survive a fight. People who have been sat behind a desk all their life are unlikely to have a high level of Toughness, and while a frontline soldier is likely to be fairly decent in this area, it is by no means certain that he will be exceptional. Very high levels of Toughness should be reserved for the truly impressive characters.
Agility: Similar to Toughness, this is a measure of your physical abilities, but on a different side. Agility shows how maneuverable you are, covering things like flexibility and reflexes - in a pinch, a high Agility is just as likely to save your life as a high Toughness, as it allows you to dodge into cover or even avoid incoming attacks. Usually, a decent Agility will be backed up by some level of Toughness, as the two are closely related to your fitness, though this is not always the case.
Intimidation: Your presence, the effect you have on people near you. Unlike the other skills, this scale can be NEGATIVE too (though it still counts as points used the same) if you are not Intimidating but Endearing. This is closely tied to your Willpower, also, as someone with a great force of will is often imposing, or magnetic in personality. This can also be affected by a character's appearance.
Willpower: The control you have over your own body and mind is represented by your Willpower. Most Psykers and similar characters will have a high Willpower, because of their training, and the immense mental effort necessary to control the Powers of the Warp. Other characters, though, can also have a high Willpower, and this is often tied into their Leadership attribute.
Leadership: How effective you are at leading groups, this skill is often influenced by Persuasion and Willpower, but can be independent of both. Some characters are unlikely to be a good leader simply because of who they are: Psykers and Abhumans are widely reviled by most people, and are unlikely to have a high Leadership attribute.
Abilities
These govern special things that your character can do - a good guideline is that between zero (yes, they're not crucial) and two, maybe three skills are acceptable, more than that makes things a bit weird. Basically, what these do is differentiate your character out. Two people with Ballistics skill 3 can be made completely different by taking relevant abilities - one becomes a sniper, the other turns into a dual-wielding gunslinger, for example.
This list is most certainly not complete - abilities are as much a way of showing background via stats as anything, but bear in mind that not only do you want as few as possible, but if you start creating your own I'm going to have to fill in the blanks and figure out how things balance, and that's going to be annoying for me.
Each ONE of these abilities will cost you TWO skill points, I think. So factor that in before you go grabbing.
Deadeye: Someone who is dedicated to careful, controlled shooting, preferring to pick their targets and drop them with as little amount of collateral as possible. Snipers, particularly, benefit from this ability, so long as they are using appropriate weapons. As with all abilities, though, this has its own negative impacts - you're not going to fire as fast as anyone else, and this means you can get overwhelmed by multiple enemies if they're too close.
Offhander: Either through virtue of birth or training, you've developed the ability to use a weapon of choice in your off-hand. This means you can use gun and sword, or a pair of guns, etc, at the same time, and not suffer for it. Just because your character is going to do this, however, doesn't mean you should take this ability - it's a perk, and as such it should be taken with caution. Gunslinger type characters will benefit from this most, people using two-handed weapons will get the least out of it.
Rifleman: Trained in the Guard, or the PDF, or by someone similarly skilled, this represents an sharp knowledge of guns and their workings. You're a good shot, good under pressure, but you're no marksman, either - though you can field-strip your gun in seconds, and will maintain it to the best of your ability, of course.
Munitions Expert: A keen mind coupled with a slightly concerning fascination with explosives has lead you down the path of the sapper - this ability indicates years of practice (or a natural talent) with creating, disarming, placing and detonating bombs and other explosive traps, though this usually comes with the caveat that you're not that great at hearing people talk.
Stealth: Trained to move silently, swiftly, and skilfully navigate tight corridors and tripwires, someone with Stealth is able to avoid detection. However, your high-tension existence also means you're just a bit paranoid and on edge, which often negatively impacts your interactions with others - you could, after all, just as easily be a thief as an assassin, and few good things come of an ability to hide yourself. This also encompasses slight-of-hand, normally.
Steady Aim: You've been using heavy weapons and firing on the move for as long as you can remember, someone with this ability is unlikely to suffer penalties for wielding high-powered or rapid-firing weapons...but they may have trouble with lighter guns, because they're so used to the weight and recoil of bigger weapons.
Swordmaster: A character who is remarkably skilled with a blade, be it a knife or a power sword, might take this ability. Usually this level of dedication indicates that you haven't devoted as much time to other skills, though, so you probably aren't as good at using guns or persuading people...usually.
Melee Fighter: Close-quarters is where you're most at home, either with a nice knife or your bare fists, you've had training in hand-to-hand combat of some sort. You don't like being shot at, but if you can close the distance to your attacker, you're going to give those damn gun-users a beating like they've never had.
Berserker: Someone who is quite likely to go into a killing frenzy at the first sign of trouble, people with this ability can shrug off pain and just seem to keep on coming. Their skills usually take detriment when raging, however, and against a single or low number of opponents, they not only are ineffective, but run the risk of turning on their own people.
Can't Run Away: Characters who are literally bound by either programming or fear to keep on fighting until they die, or kill everyone, this ability represents the single-mindedness caused by the partial lobotomies and brainwashing common amongst servitors and arco-flagellants, for example. However, their perseverance means they are unlikely to ever be scared away by false shows of force, too.
Medic: Someone able to heal other's wounds, treat injuries, and identify potions and fauna (with enough time), usually these characters will be quite intelligent, having received training from some medical institution or other. Can prove crucial in the survival of a group, characters with this ability are usually more on the passive side of warfare, so their fighting skills suffer...but not always.
Salesman: Bending the ear of any and all who come around, a character taking Salesman can truly talk their way out of anything. Don't let the name fool you, this isn't directly tied to Barter above Persuasion, it reflects a more general skill set. But because of your background, you're highly unlikely to be able to even lift a gun, let alone fire one without cowering in fear.
Archeotech Hunter: You've spent your life searching for old technology, relics and reliquaries, scouring tombs and private hoards to find your prize. This ability represents a keen eye for priceless artifacts, and a drive to find them at all costs - after all, old technology is the future, is it not?
Remember - you don't need to take ANY of these. Just because your character can bind a wound doesn't mean they should take Medic, just because your character is a bit crazy in a fight doesn't mean they should be a Berserker, etc. Though they may grow into this as time goes on, of course.
And note, I haven't explicitly listed or confirmed any of the drawbacks associated with these - it comes down to character, and I'll do it on a char-by-char basis.
Equipment/Wargear
Just to reiterate: things you cannot have (unless you're going to ignore everything above and create a Space Marine or whatever):
Power Armour for humans/Battlesuits for Tau
Heavy Bolters (no, you can't fire one that isn't mounted even if your strength is 5/5)
Lascannons, Missile Launchers, Heavy Flamers, OR ANYTHING THAT SOUNDS REALLY HEAVY, basically. Unless you want to have a grenade launcher or something...
OK, so what CAN you use? Anything else, really.
Weapons governed by your Combat skill:
Swords, knives, axes, maces, flails, and so forth, are all perfectly acceptable, though I recommend you back them up with something like a bolt pistol, unless you're meant to be a more passive character, who likes to use stealth, or talk their way out of situations. These basic close combat weapons are going to be fairly useful even so, but in larger firefights you may find yourself in trouble without some nice covering fire or armour. There are also more 'special' weapons that are yet standard-issue in the Imperium, like electro-batons, shock whips, or even things like pneu-mattocks and electro-flails.
Power Weapons are basically a step up from the standard close combat weapons mentioned above, in that they tend to have some form of energy field surrounding them (or similar powered aspect that does the same...hence the name) which increases their lethality and armour penetration abilities, and reduce the reliance your effectiveness has on your strength. These take various forms, from a simple club, through swords, axes, hammers, staves, and of course, the iconic Power Fist, or the similar Lighting Claw. Obviously as mortal humans and not Space Marines, you'll be using suitably scaled down, probably slightly weaker and more mundane varieties than normal, but the same general principles apply. Obviously, heavier styles (like the Hammers) are going to require more strength to use, so fit the type to your character. And don't feel obligated to use one of these instead of a close combat weapon of a less fancy nature - most of the time, there won't be much difference, except the ease with which you can use it. (Also advisable to take a secondary weapon, unless you're focusing on close combat. You're also less likely to use one of these than a normal weapon if you're not combat-oriented.
Force Weapons are very similar to Power Weapons, but are only useful in the hands of a Psyker. Taking similar forms, they instead channel the user's own psychic energy into the blade through 'psi-converters' (which are sometimes visible on the blade in the form of a serpentine pattern), and are much more effective against creatures of the Warp than other weapons, though once again, the potency of the Psyker comes into play here. Don't take one of these if you're not a psyker!
Chain Weapons are, just like they sound, essentially operate on the same principle as a chainsaw, utilising a moving, jagged chain to cut through enemies instead of a sharp edge. More effective against light armour than anything else. Takes, again, similar forms to the Force and Power Weapons, Chainswords, Chainfists, Chainaxes, etc. Operating entirely on Rule of Cool, of course.
Weapons governed by your Ballistics Skill:
Bolt Pistols (firing ~20mm, self-propelled armor piercing high explosive grenade rounds, either single shot or three round burst), Plasma Pistols, Plasma Guns (firing highly energized plasma through a magnetic accelerated, very risky due to a high chance to explode), Meltaguns (chemical-based incredibly effective flamethrower [but suited to anti-tank roles] of sorts, it is very short range but can reduce even tanks to molten husks in a few seconds), Laspistols and Lasguns (battery-pack powered laser weapons, their short duration high energy beam produces such a rapid temperature change on the target's surface that it vaporises in a small explosion, Lasguns fire with a searing flash of light and the distinctive snap or crack of ionised air, each pull of the trigger firing a single shot, these are among the cheapest and most reliable weapons in the Imperium...against armored targets however, they are incredibly weak, having earned the nickname 'flashlights' for their effectiveness...standard issue weapon of the Imperial Guard). There are also Hand-flamers (actual flamethrowers, though they tend to use 'Promethium' rather than modern-day chemicals) and Needler weapons, which use lasers to propel crystallized neurotoxins/sedatives/intoxicants at an enemy. Said crystals then dissolve into the bloodstream (the laser helps to penetrate armor, and the projectiles are so fine that they usually aren't even felt) and take effect very quickly. Despite the laser, decent armor is the largest problem faced by Needler weapons. There are also Sniper rifles - they come in either slug projectile form or as a 'Long-las' type. The former is usually fitted with a silencer, and while they require more skill to hit a target (Long-las being instant hit) they do not leave an obvious beam back to the shooter.
If your character is incredibly strong or uses augmentations, they may be able to use a full Bolter or what have you, but most characters should be using pistols or the lower recoil plasma or melta weapons if they want high firepower.
There are also Combi-weapons, which basically involve attaching a single-shot version of another gun to a Bolter (so these are fairly heavy weapons, to say the least). You can have Combi-plasma, Combi-melta, Combi-flamer or Combi-needler weapons. There are variations on the basic Bolter pattern also, such as Storm Bolters, but those are, to put it bluntly, out of most character's league - they're Space Marine territory, and if your'e going to play one of those, then you can do your own research on weapons.
Aside from how they work, ranged weapons are fairly similar in effectiveness here - a Lasgun will drop an unarmored target as well as anything else (i.e. in one direct hit...maybe two if it's a glancing blow), so once again, don't worry about which one you pick, really. Needlers are better for stealth, Bolt weapons for armor, Melta weapons for vehicles (i.e. kinda useless here), Plasma weapons are similar to Meltas, and Las weapons are best for unarmored people.
Armor: Comes in several varieties, most notable of which for us is the flak vests - these are basically layers of material(s) which are best suited to protection against laser weapons, while anything else out there seems to be able to cut right through it - though it does provide additional protection against standard close-combat weapons. You can also possibly have Carapace armor, which uses thicker, more rigid plates of materials like ceramite to protect the wearer, but is still less effective than Power Armor, and provides slightly more protection against small arms fire than flak vests. Obviously, this is also heavier, and therefore more tiring to wear/reduces mobility, too.
This is mostly flavour, as hopefully you guys won't be getting hit *too* much, but it's there if you want to have your character close to explosions/protection from shrapnel.
This post has been edited by The Lord Inquisitor: 25 November 2010 - 09:39 AM
