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Azran posted:Which reminds me - what changes have you done to the 40k universe for your games? I've personally allowed female Space Marines (not like you'd be able to differentiate what the hell that posthuman monster in front of you is to begin with) and introduced some races from stuff like Endless Legend as really minor xenos species. I wrote 6 more primarchs to do this, 3 Traitor, 3 Loyalist. Also used to have the Oldcrons be the Iron Men, straight up, having been built partly with old Necrontyr technology back in the Dark Age while the Dark Age Federation was poking at them, before they went crazy. When the Newcrons came out, I added them in and had them find the Oldcrons hilarious and pathetic in equal measure. Changed around the Sisters some to be more prominent in the Imperium's forces. Added Malal as a fifth Chaos God, but that was the result of a long-running BC campaign where that was the goal. I also set the entire Calixis sector on fire because of the bit hinted at in Radical's Handbook, where Drusus was actually some fuckup who never should've been in command that the Radicals Daemonhosted and used as a figurehead (I think there was an official campaign that did similarly). Most importantly, I added insane cyberpunk space Skaven as an evil counterpart to the Tau (I use the older Tau fluff, where they're well intentioned and completely, totally out of their depth.) Led by the great 4 Corporations, the horrid ratmen have a terrifying 'meritocracy' where life is cheap and conniving rats constantly struggle to combat their innate cowardice to take the insane risks necessary to get out of the gutter and get ahead by volunteering for supersoldier programs, testing unstable new weapons produced by crazed technophiles, and taking on the worst jobs imaginable in hopes of becoming part of the Rodent 1%. I really want to run a Space Skaven campaign some day, instead of using them as villains. Oh, right, also killed off Abbadon to leave his post open for the next BC campaign I'm planning some day. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 15:48 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 15:01
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Yesterday someone proposed a change to how Sound Constitution works on the FFG boards, at least for BC/OW/DH2E. The long and short of it is that rather than Sound Constitution granting one wound per instance taken (which encourages all-or-nothing scenarios), extra wounds are instead automatic based on XP gained (up to a cap) and Sound Constitution instead increases the rate at which one gains extra wounds. I'm tentatively interested but I figured I'd ask others what their experience was with the old style.
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Dec 1, 2014 18:02
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Sound Con generally worked okay at the lower end of Dark Heresy when there's a chance of taking chip damage through your flak vest from low-power ganger weapons, but in my experience has never really mattered for its cost in the later, higher powered games. Either, as a Marine, you started with so much HP that you had a shot at surviving a hit or two from heavier weapons and it was so expensive that it wasn't worth bothering with a 3% increase in HP for 800 EXP, or you were better served putting the EXP into stronger evasion skills because they'd overall keep you alive better.
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Dec 1, 2014 18:33
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Pharmaskittle posted:Lazz gun. Imagine how you say the first syllable in laser or lazy. Not that. Lasgun rhymes with jazzgun.
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Dec 1, 2014 19:08
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Azran posted:Which reminds me - what changes have you done to the 40k universe for your games? I've personally allowed female Space Marines (not like you'd be able to differentiate what the hell that posthuman monster in front of you is to begin with) and introduced some races from stuff like Endless Legend as really minor xenos species. I'm working in what amounts to an alternate setting in my game, after the conclusion of our previous multi-year Rogue Trader campaign that ended in bringing an intact and fully functioning STC back to the Imperium. Which they promptly used to make more copies of. Circa 200 years later, and the PCs are part of the nascent Imperium Secundus, a renaissance for the Imperium of Man headed by five returned primarchs. I made an extensive series of posts about it earlier in the thread. The only real *change* outside the Imperium Secundus I've made is revealing some hints and pieces about the missing XI Legion. They were Chinese inspired, specifically a wuxia themed Legion that wouldn't be out of place in Jade Empire or Legend of the Five Rings. They had a real thing for unarmed combat, and in a graceful martial arts way.
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Dec 1, 2014 20:30
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Honestly with all the weird, crazy poo poo in 40K it's kind of a shame that there isn't more emphasis (that is to say, any at all) on esoteric martial arts developed after 40,000 years. Death cults with knowledge of the body's 23 lethal pressure points, space marines with their own millennia-old martial arts styles, Slaaneshi warriors that forgo weapons entirely in pursuit of ultimate martial perfection, etc.
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Dec 1, 2014 20:41
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All of the martial artists were killed by robutts during the age of strife
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Dec 1, 2014 20:53
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Cythereal posted:I'm working in what amounts to an alternate setting in my game, after the conclusion of our previous multi-year Rogue Trader campaign that ended in bringing an intact and fully functioning STC back to the Imperium. Which they promptly used to make more copies of. Circa 200 years later, and the PCs are part of the nascent Imperium Secundus, a renaissance for the Imperium of Man headed by five returned primarchs. I made an extensive series of posts about it earlier in the thread. I remember the last time you talked about this setting you mentioned how due to Dorn the Black Templars are not part of Imperium Secundus. Out of curiosity how did the Black Templars as a chapter take that?
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Dec 1, 2014 20:55
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The powerfist one-finger-parry technique, training involves folding one thousand paper cranes while wearing a pair. The Glasgow Gambit, going without a helmet, but the iron bolts in your skull for centuries of service are actually digi-las weapons that fire when you nut someone. The "death of the tourist", throwing crockery at people hard enough to cause serious trauma.
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Dec 1, 2014 20:58
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Hunt11 posted:I remember the last time you talked about this setting you mentioned how due to Dorn the Black Templars are not part of Imperium Secundus. Out of curiosity how did the Black Templars as a chapter take that? They're still under review, and they don't actually care very much. They're still being Black Templars, and Dorn just isn't sure about granting a bunch of fanatical zealots his blessing. Every chapter that expresses interest in joining the Imperium Secundus has to be vetted by one of the primarchs, and the Black Templars represent the evolution of the Astartes that none of the primarchs besides Lorgar ever wanted. At the same time, though, can they really condemn the Astartes for changing like the Imperium as a whole did?
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Dec 1, 2014 21:15
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My only real change to the setting I've made is a new hive fleet, Hive Fleet Medusa, that has been attacking the Calixis sector throughout all my games set in the sector here on the forums. My first game "ended" with the hive fleet being turned back, but with heavy losses; every single marine sent to defend it died. It resulted in the death of like a whole chapter's worth of marines, including the destruction of the storm wardens 2-5 companies. My current long running black crusade game is in the same universe, with the players working for a handful of daemon Princes who knew about the coming hive fleet for like 5k years and have been preparing to strike while the bulk of the sector's forces are fighting the tyranids. The only other stuff I've added relates to the background of those princes, but since all the players read this thread I'd rather not share yet.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:22
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A Chapter's worth of dead Marines for deflecting a Hive Fleet is a hell of a good trade. Assuming it doesn't splinter too heavily.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:28
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What exactly is the deal with the Black Templars? They're crusaders or something?
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Dec 1, 2014 21:40
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Clanpot Shake posted:What exactly is the deal with the Black Templars? They're crusaders or something? Yeah they're all on permanent crusades. Also they don't give a drat about the limits of space marine numbers like it says in the Codex Astartes, so their numbers are much higher than usual chapters. They super hate psykers and daemons and don't use Librarians at all.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:42
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Azran posted:Which reminds me - what changes have you done to the 40k universe for your games? I've personally allowed female Space Marines (not like you'd be able to differentiate what the hell that posthuman monster in front of you is to begin with) and introduced some races from stuff like Endless Legend as really minor xenos species. I added scrunts.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:42
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Pretty much, yeah. They've been on permanent Crusade ever since the Heresy and since their forces are scattered all around the galaxy no one can really tell how many of them there are, which is their way of getting around the "1000 Astartes per Chapter" limit.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:43
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Clanpot Shake posted:What exactly is the deal with the Black Templars? They're crusaders or something? They're using a loophole in the codex that says if a chapter is "on crusade" they can ignore the chapter limit. So they just say they're on permanent crusade. Some stuff I've read puts them at pre heresy legion numbers. Only thing that outnumber them is the Dark Angel cabal of them and all their successors; potentially the Ultramarine and their successors if you are of the opinion they coordinate anywhere near like the Dark angels do.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:49
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When the time came to roust the Night Lords from Tsugualsa, the Ultramarines showed up with all of their descendant Chapters, so I'd say that's a pretty good indicator that they coordinate at that level.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:55
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Clanpot Shake posted:What exactly is the deal with the Black Templars? They're crusaders or something? Their aesthetic is based on the crusades, yes, but their ethos is basically the Ku Klux Klan against psykers.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:57
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scalded schlong posted:I added scrunts. You've done God's work, I've seen the Slam Sector thread. The other thing about the Templars is they're explicitly religious, which is usually shunned by the Astartes because while they love shiney medals and honors and the trappings of holiness when it feeds their egos, they also like to pretend they're above it and know 'the real truth' (again, feeds the ego). To them, the Templars are kind of the guy that got a little too into it and forgot the pageantry is all just a show they put on for the plebs.
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Dec 1, 2014 22:00
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Azran posted:Which reminds me - what changes have you done to the 40k universe for your games? I've personally allowed female Space Marines (not like you'd be able to differentiate what the hell that posthuman monster in front of you is to begin with) and introduced some races from stuff like Endless Legend as really minor xenos species. Basically a setting that explores the parts of 40k I like the most, with the aim of providing a good mix of threats, plot hooks and optional political intrigue for a variety of campaigns.
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Dec 1, 2014 22:18
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Elukka posted:Mostly I've added stuff. I wanted a setting with more established Imperial high society than the Koronus Expanse. Eisenhorn touched a tiny bit on trade guilds and house wars, and I wanted those. So I made up a new sector, trailward from Calixis in the shadow of the Fydae cloud, old and well populated yet bordering untamed and unexplored heathen regions. A number of massive trade guilds and noble families with conflicting interests run the commerce of the sector and have their roots in the organizations that originally colonized the area. I made a chart of the sector's political relationships for the players to get caught up in. In places the guilds and nobles have all but supplanted imperial law and government, and the decay of imperial authority coupled with trade connections to the heathens is naturally a conduit for the corruption of Chaos to creep in. All sorts of xenos beyond the borders too, too, warp instability, the works. If you haven't yet you should check out the fluff on the new sector for dark heresy 2.0. It actually sounds a lot like this. It is very much about detached nobles, stagnant imperium power structures, and a hand full of "young blood" merchants trying to buck the system. They even trace their lineage back to ancient colony ships. Kind of freelancerish in that respect.
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Dec 1, 2014 22:47
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Speaking of DH 2.0! Already an upcoming splatbook, with Sister of Battle elite advance  Also finally some background story about the Inquisition involvement in the Askellon Sector, I was a bit  when the core book said nothing about it
frajaq fucked around with this message at 22:58 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 22:54
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One thing that should be noted about the Black Templars is that, in the latest update to the Space Marine codex, GW has actually toned down their rabid hatred of psykers. Now, at least if you wish to incorporate said new fluff, they actually have a great deal of respect for Astropaths and Navigators, as they have communed with the Big E and guide them through the Warp so they can do their whole "space crusade" thing respectively.  So they're slightly less crazy about murdering ALL the psykers, though they don't employ any Librarians because they just assume that if the Emperor wanted them to have psykers in their ranks, he would make it happen! They still hate the hell out of rogue psykers though.
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Dec 1, 2014 23:18
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I always figured that the Templars abhorred the use of Librarians because the Big E said that they were a no-no at the Council of Nikaea, but I can't really find anything to support that. Nor, it seems, how that ban was rescinded.
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Dec 1, 2014 23:22
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PantsOptional posted:I always figured that the Templars abhorred the use of Librarians because the Big E said that they were a no-no at the Council of Nikaea, but I can't really find anything to support that. Nor, it seems, how that ban was rescinded. 1. Emperor bans sorcery because Science is Best 2. Every legion continues using librarians, but only the Thousand Sons get in trouble for it. Notably, even the Space Wolves, the main rivals to the Sons, continue to do this. 3. No explanation whatsoever is provided for how any of this makes sense or how a librarian is really any different from a sorcerer. All of about three chapters actually ban sorcery.
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Dec 1, 2014 23:28
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The Golden Ballers of the Adeptus Mechanicus has been summoned.... to create the most pimped out bolter ever
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Dec 1, 2014 23:31
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I don't see a single skull. Not canon.
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Dec 1, 2014 23:37
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The gun actually shoots skull shaped bolts.
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Dec 1, 2014 23:39
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There's at least one skull on there, just below the barrel. Every single piece of filigree you can see on there is actually skulls at the smallest scale anyway. A hundred microskulls per square cm.
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Dec 1, 2014 23:40
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The past week of BLACK CRUSADE!!!  was a fun one. The group continued to explore the necron tomb for technology they could stay to pay off the adeptus machanicus of the forge to release their ship and give them a bunch of sweet swag for helping them. The group swiped a bunch of necron artifacts right off the sleeping lord's throne. This of course, managed to wake all the necrons up and the group fled while the chaos space marine attempted to provide covering fire. While the entire tomb was waking up and starting to walk towards them, the group was attack by a tomb stalker that was somewhat blocking the main tunnel they were using. Running on past, not even slowing down to actually fight the thing, the stalker pursued them and burst through the walls of the pyramid after the heretics. Yet somehow, everyone made it back to the forge through the portal only to discover that in the intervening hours since they had embarked on the expedition, the war between the forges on The Hallows had started back up in earnest and now everything is exploding. I'm fairly certain at this point that the group is going to specialize in ways to either ignore the encounters I come up with, or blow them apart with psychic abilities.
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Dec 1, 2014 23:43
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That sounds like good in-character decision making. Can we reliably win here without significant loss? "No" -> Leave "Yes" -> Unleash bolts of raw warp energy
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Dec 1, 2014 23:47
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frajaq posted:The Golden Ballers of the Adeptus Mechanicus has been summoned.... to create the most pimped out bolter ever Ordered by the Blessed THIRD SUBSECTOR SAINTS.
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Dec 2, 2014 00:08
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goatface posted:That sounds like good in-character decision making. Well yeah, I'm not blaming them for it. I ran into the same sort of problem with Rogue Trader with another group. If the players think there is the slightest chance of them losing, and you have given even a slightest hint that running away is acceptable, they will. They're probably quite lucky that no one has become Khorne aligned or that poo poo just wouldn't fly.
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Dec 2, 2014 03:02
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PantsOptional posted:When the time came to roust the Night Lords from Tsugualsa, the Ultramarines showed up with all of their descendant Chapters, so I'd say that's a pretty good indicator that they coordinate at that level. Yeah, but there's a difference in what form that coordination takes. Ultra-chapters pay at least lip service (and usually much more) to the Codex, which breaks down command from legion to chapter HQs, and as such they are at least expected to refuse requests from the Ultramarines if they perceive these to be irresponsible, in violation of the codex, or because they don't feel like it. The Dark Angels have a seriously creepy sinister brotherhood thing going with their successor chapters, to the point where you wouldn't really be surprised if, when Lion El'Jonson one day rises (Pbuh), they just said "sike!" and merged into one legion again.
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Dec 2, 2014 09:15
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Tias posted:Yeah, but there's a difference in what form that coordination takes. Ultra-chapters pay at least lip service (and usually much more) to the Codex, which breaks down command from legion to chapter HQs, and as such they are at least expected to refuse requests from the Ultramarines if they perceive these to be irresponsible, in violation of the codex, or because they don't feel like it. Ultramarine chapters are also so dogmatically adherent to the Codex, in general, that they can functionally be a legion when need be. The Ultras were already divided into chapters in the 30k era anyway, and the dissolution of the legions merely formalized their existing structure.
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Dec 2, 2014 09:45
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As far as changes go, I'm manufacturing a more sinister reason for the Enslaver plague at the end of the War in Heaven than "Whoops, Eldar psychic weapons are making warp beasties hungry." It's going to culminate in an extremely angry Thunder Warrior turned-lich chasing the acolytes through a city built by the Old Ones, but that's gonna be endgame content. I also may have accidentally put the Doctor in Desoleum Primus. The Mechanicus Lexmechanic who likes to make people uncomfortable by claiming to be pregnant with the robot baby of the spy-for-hire put on a big bowtie(which was akin to strapping a giant bat to their throat), and an NPC commented that bowties were cool. I'm not actually sure if I want to have an actual Doctor Who crossover or to just leave it at that, though the Men of Iron could be a fun challenge.
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Dec 2, 2014 16:20
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Azran posted:Which reminds me - what changes have you done to the 40k universe for your games? I've personally allowed female Space Marines (not like you'd be able to differentiate what the hell that posthuman monster in front of you is to begin with) and introduced some races from stuff like Endless Legend as really minor xenos species. I've allowed female Marines in my Deathwatch, and I'm dialing back the Grimdark a little. Mostly enough that my plot revolves around the Imperium being in legit peace talks with the Tau.
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Dec 2, 2014 16:30
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Gaghskull posted:Well yeah, I'm not blaming them for it. I ran into the same sort of problem with Rogue Trader with another group. If the players think there is the slightest chance of them losing, and you have given even a slightest hint that running away is acceptable, they will. They're probably quite lucky that no one has become Khorne aligned or that poo poo just wouldn't fly. Give them reasons to stay. Things they have to defend, or the things they really want being dependent on them destroying the enemy there and then. Or just start docking them infamy for being cowards and start shaking your fist at them.
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Dec 2, 2014 16:57
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goatface posted:Give them reasons to stay. Things they have to defend, or the things they really want being dependent on them destroying the enemy there and then. Alternatively, embrace their status as Space Cobra Commanders.
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Dec 2, 2014 17:09
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