Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader - The Colony of Rain

[TheGlyphstone]

For the battlesuits, I think that's because they are just so darn tough, the same way Terminator armor gets a built-in Protection rating for being a walking tank. Unless you mean the Protection rating is only if they have a shield generator in one of their hardpoints, then never mind.

As for the tabletop game, the drone invulnerable save is exclusive because wounds are allocated to a unit (or were when I was playing); a failed save meant the shield had collapsed and the drone was now useless, whether or not it had physically been hit with the attack. It has to be able to indirectly protect you somehow, though - a huge dinner plate swooping around deflecting bullets with its shell will play hell on your line of sight and target tracking.

[LisztesFerenc]

Shield drones are spherical force field generators on hover-lifts. If they are physically blocking a shot from hitting you, someone needs to go slap their programmer.

  Her back story would make that a difficult Endeavor, but defiantly for the Greater Good if it means removing such a design philosophy from drone builders.

  In absence of more updated information, I'm going to go with the rules from Deathwatch: Mark of the Xenos, which has the Drone give everyone within 2m of it a shield with a protection rating of 45, overload 21-10. The shield only applies to attacks coming from more than 2m away.

It has to be able to indirectly protect you somehow, though - a huge dinner plate swooping around deflecting bullets with its shell will play hell on your line of sight and target tracking.

  Maybe that's why you can also get a drone with a markerlight: to compensate for the one buzzing around your face.

[Jaded]

For the battlesuits, I think that's because they are just so darn tough, the same way Terminator armor gets a built-in Protection rating for being a walking tank. Unless you mean the Protection rating is only if they have a shield generator in one of their hardpoints, then never mind.

It is if the battlesuit has a shield generator equipped to a hardpoint.  They don't actually seem hugely defensive (8-15 armour, and you need a special talent not to get the size penalty when being shot at).  So the larger battlesuits (if they have a shield generator) are compareable to Deathwatch's terminator armour in that regard. 

In absence of more updated information, I'm going to go with the rules from Deathwatch: Mark of the Xenos, which has the Drone give everyone within 2m of it a shield with a protection rating of 45, overload 21-10. The shield only applies to attacks coming from more than 2m away.

I'm happy with that (and the 2 useable, 3 total drones), though the shields (in the Rogue Trader Tau Book) are listed as 40 and 1-10 for common, so that is actually superior to them. ;)

As far as Profit Factor goes, all of the options for starting PF and SP give a combined total of 90. Rather than have you roll, I will simply give you 90 ships point (+/- whatever your origin path gives you, treating PH as SP for the purpose of this) and then convert any unspent SP to PF once the ship is finished.

How are we designing the ship?  Leave it to the Rogue Trader's player or some other method?

[LisztesFerenc]

  For ship design I was going to make a thread where it could be designed by committee (with the Rogue Trader's character having final say if it were needed). The thread could also be used for syncing the crew's back stories together. Is everything one okay with this going in the NC: Exotic subforum?

[Jaded]

NC-Exotic is fine by me (and I feel like I'm posting a lot  :-[ )

Also, before I forget.  She probably salvaged everything she could from the battlefield, so I imagine her quarters (and a storage room if they let her have one) are full of any 'junk' that she might have thought was useful, as well as a stocks of grenades, parts, and such.  Just as a way to explain how she doesn't run out (I think grenades are considered forever in stock once you acquire them?), how she has parts to fix drones, potentially how she might acquire other equipment that is Tau specific, etc. 

[AndyZ]

  Yeah, you can reroll the whole lot. Also you get one free reroll (not that it would have helped for those, but it may help on the second go).

I keep forgetting people around here are awesome enough to allow this.  The group that I learned from would regularly TPK.  Sorry for freaking.

[LisztesFerenc]

  Yeah that makes sense (although it may have led to an interesting conversation with the Enginseer Prime, not sure how he would feel about a load of xeno tech scraps being brought onto the ship). Grenades are considered to be infinite once you acquire them, however it does mention that the supply can be disrupted based on your location, which for Tau weaponry would logically be everywhere this game will likely take place in. As such you will have infinite ammo for your pulse carbine and pistol, but will need to make a single acquisition check (at rare, singular availability) to use them unlimited, otherwise you will only have 9 before you run out, and cobbling them together from your junk would be time consuming and unreliable. The acquisition check would represent you finding some semi compatible Imperium tech and then adapting that. You can use 1 of your two starting acquisitions rolls to try and get this.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

So are we going with the Seneschal and Navigator guiding our young, impressionable Rogue Trader?

[AndyZ]

Edit: Spoilered for ease

[9:19:55 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 3, 4,
Total: 32
[9:20:04 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 1, 3,
Total: 29
[9:20:13 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 4, 1,
Total: 30
[9:20:20 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 7, 3,
Total: 35
[9:20:30 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 5, 10,
Total: 40
[9:20:39 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 2, 2,
Total: 29
[9:20:51 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 3, 8,
Total: 36
[9:21:01 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 1, 7,
Total: 33
[9:21:22 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 9, 9,
Total: 43
[9:21:31 AM] AndyZ: Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10, adding 25 to the total
Comment:
Result: 7, 7,
Total: 39

Still below average but at least not ridiculous this time.

[LisztesFerenc]

  That is better. You discard the lowest (one of the 4s) and then reroll the other 4, the 8 and the 10.

So are we going with the Seneschal and Navigator guiding our young, impressionable Rogue Trader?

  I think so. We already have a navigator with above average fellowship for the task.

[AndyZ]

Um...how exactly do the rerolls work?  Other than the discard, I get to reroll the three lowest?

Edit: My original set if you're curious

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10
Comment:
Result: 4, 2,
Total: 6

Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10
Comment:
Result: 10, 3,
Total: 13

Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10
Comment:
Result: 2, 9,
Total: 11

Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10
Comment:
Result: 5, 2,
Total: 7

Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10
Comment:
Result: 2, 3,
Total: 5

Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10
Comment:
Result: 5, 1,
Total: 6

Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10
Comment:
Result: 4, 4,
Total: 8

Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10
Comment:
Result: 3, 6,
Total: 9

Roll Result: AndyZ rolled: 2d10
Comment:
Result: 6, 7,
Total: 13

[LisztesFerenc]

Um...how exactly do the rerolls work?  Other than the discard, I get to reroll the three lowest?

  Yeah, you discard one 4, because you have 10 sets and you only need 9. Then discard the other 4, the 8 and the 10, but then you will need to roll new values in their place, to bring you back up to 9 sets, which you can then freely assign to your stats in any order you wish.

[AndyZ]

Why those specifically?  Can I discard the other 4, the 5 and the 7?

[LisztesFerenc]

  No, this isn't in the rules, its just me letting you in an attempt to mitigate with removing the joyful nature of randomly generated stats, so I chose three of the lower results, but not the 3 lowest.

[AndyZ]

Ahhhh, no wonder I hadn't heard of it before.  Thank you ^_^

[AndyZ]

Here's what I'm looking at so far.  Help, suggestions, good ideas on a last name, and so on are appreciated.

Tristan - Rogue Trader

Weapon Skill 39+5=44
Ballistic Skill (39)=42
Strength (40)=40
Toughness (34)=31
Agility (32)=35+5=40
Intelligence (30)=33+5=38
Perception (36)=33
Willpower (36)=31
Fellowship (43)=45+5=50

Skills: Awareness (Per), Command (Fel), Commerce (Fel), Charm (Fel), Common Lore (Imperium) (Int), Evaluate (Int), Literacy (Int) (+10), Scholastic Lore (Astromancy) (Int), Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) (Int), Speak Language (High Gothic (+10), Low Gothic) (Int).

Talents: Air of Authority, Ambidextrous, Light Sleeper, Melee Weapon Training (Universal), Nerves of Steel, Pistol Weapon Training (Universal), Quick Draw, Resistance (Psychic)

Child of Destiny

Characteristic Modifiers:–3 Toughness; +3 Intelligence; –5 Willpower; +5 Fellowship
Starting Skills:The Child of Dynasty character begins with Literacy (Int), and Speak (High Gothic) as trained Skills.
Dynastic Warrant:Due to the prestigious heritage of a Child of  Dynasty,  they  can  bring  considerable  resources  to  bear when outfitting a starship. All Child of Dynasty characters add an extra +3 Ship Points to those already generated when building the group’s ship. However, a group with a Child of Dynasty Character may not exchange their Ship Points for Profit Factor—any unspent Ship Points at the end of creating their starship are lost.
Honour Amongst One’s Peers: Even the most unimportant offspring of a Rogue Trader dynasty are likely to have grown up amongst the rarefied heights of Imperial aristocracy, and can handle themselves amongst them without embarrassment.  A Child of Dynasty gains a +5 bonus to all Fellowship Tests to interact with high-ranking officials of the Imperium and members of the Imperial nobility in a formal setting (exactly when this bonus applies is up to the GM).
Unseen  Enemy: This  character  has  an  enemy  who  covets their  position,  their  wealth,  or  their  ship.  The  Child  of Dynasty has no idea who this person is, or the fact that they’re  coming  for  them.  The  GM  determines  this foe and is free to reveal this enemy at any given time. The character gains the Enemy Talent; the group is this unseen foe.
Starting Wounds:The Child of Dynasty doubles his starting Toughness Bonus and  adds  1d5  to  the  result  to determine their starting number of Wounds.
Starting Fate Points:Roll 1d10 to determine this character’s starting Fate Points. On a 1–3, begins with 2 Fate Points; on a 4–7, he begins with 3 Fate Points; on an 8 – 10, he begins with 4 Fate Points.

Vaunted

Effect: You  gain  the  Decadence  Talent  and  a  bonus  of +3  to  Agility  or  Fellowship  (your  choice).  You  suffer  –3 Perception and 1d5 Corruption Points.

Chosen by Destiny

Fated for Greatness:You gain +1 Fate Point, but you also suffer 1d10+1 Insanity Points.

Darkness - Warp Incursion

Effect: Gain  Resistance  (Psychic  Powers)  and  the  Light Sleeper Talents. Also gain +1d5 Corruption Points from the exposure to the incursion.

Exhilaration - The Thrill of War

Effects:Gain Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) as a trained Skill. Additionally gain the Nerves of Steel and Quick Draw Talents. Finally, gain +3 Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill, but suffer –3 Fellowship.

Starting Skills:Command (Fel), Commerce (Fel), Charm (Fel), Common Lore (Imperium) (Int), Evaluate (Int), Literacy
(Int), Scholastic Lore (Astromancy) (Int), Speak Language (High Gothic, Low Gothic) (Int).
Starting Talents: Air of Authority, Pistol Weapon Training (Universal), Melee Weapon Training (Universal).
Starting Gear: Common-Craftsmanship Plasma Pistol, Common-Craftsmanship Power Sword, Micro-Bead, Void Suit, Set of Fine Clothing, Xeno-Pelt Cloak, Best-Craftsmanship Enforcer Light Carapace



8 Wounds, 4 Fate Points (darn you nat 1!), and I got us +3 to the Profit+Ship Points deal.

1200 xp spent, 300 xp remaining

10 Corruption, 10 Insanity.  So I can roll high after all.  (Two fives for my 1d5 Corruption rolls.  Seriously.)  I guess I start the game at the Unsettled rating.  Do I have to roll on the Trauma Test before my character even comes into play?

[Wargtass]

Rolls then!

Rolls

ATTRIBUTES:
At 2014-12-17 10:42:57, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 44
At 2014-12-17 10:42:14, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 31
At 2014-12-17 10:42:09, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 33
At 2014-12-17 10:42:04, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 41
At 2014-12-17 10:42:00, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 33
At 2014-12-17 10:41:54, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 38
At 2014-12-17 10:41:50, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 32
At 2014-12-17 10:41:44, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 30
At 2014-12-17 10:41:30, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 42
At 2014-12-17 10:45:55, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 29 [REROLL]

STARTING WOUNDS:
At 2014-12-17 10:48:26, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 1d5 Result: 5 +whatever my TBx2 ends up being

FATE POINTS:
At 2014-12-17 10:49:25, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 1d10 Result: 5 ergo 3 FP

INSANITY POINTS:
At 2014-12-17 10:53:02, Wargtass (uid: 26303) rolls: 1d5 Result: 2

Landed me at a total of 98, two less than allocation, and a reroll that was worse than the previous result. Can't always win the jackpot.  ;D

[Wargtass]

5 Corruption, 10 Insanity.  So I can roll high after all.  I guess I start the game at the Unsettled rating.  Do I have to roll on the Trauma Test before my character even comes into play?

As per the rules on p.296; "The result (ie. of the Trauma Roll) is applied to the character in the aftermath of any encounter that inflicted the Insanity Points on him."

So probably not since those are points accumulated in the character's past. Even so most Mental Traumas pass after a relatively short amount of time and Disorders won't pop up until 40 IP.

[Baalborn87]

Is there still space on this? If so do you have an Explorator/Tech-priest?

[AndyZ]

I haven't seen anyone do anything with the ship yet, so I figured I'd toss some stuff down.  I'm certainly open for suggestions, but figured I'd get us started.

I was looking at the Havoc Class Merchant Raider.  It's a Raider, not that big of a ship but very fast and meant for hit-and-run tactics if we do end up getting into battle.

Speed: 9  Manoeuvrability:+25
Detection: +10  Hull Integrity:30
Armour: 16  Turret Rating:1
Space: 40  SP: 35
Weapon Capacity:Dorsal 1, Prow 1

Jovian Pattern Class 2 Drive - 45 Power, takes 10 space

Miloslav H-616.b Warp Engine - 8 Power - 10 Space

Geller Field - 1 Power

Void Shield - Single Void Shield Array - 5 Power, 1 Space

Command Bridge - 2 Power, 1 Space

Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer - 4 Power - 2 Space

Pressed-Crew Quarters - 1 Power - 2 Space

M-201.b Auger Array - 5 Power - 0 Space

Jovian-Pattern Missile Battery - 3 Power - 1 Space - 1 SP



By my math, we have 16 power and 13 Space left.  A Sunhammer Lance could be added as well, using 9 power, 4 space and 2 SP, but I'm not sure we want to get into all that much combat with a ship like this.

I also have abject adoration for teleportariums, but I think we need something special for those like being able to have archaeotech.

Edit: 35, not 30.  Originally I was looking at a different ship.  Fixed.

[LisztesFerenc]

Is there still space on this? If so do you have an Explorator?

  I've got 7 players already, one of whom is an Explorator. I can keep you in mind though if a space opens up though, along with ShadowFox89.

  Here is the ship building thread: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=219700.0 . You can also use it for deciding how everyone got to know each other. Just fluff stuff, ask mechanics questions in this thread. Also I think a Havoc Class Merchant Raider costs 35 SP.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

I will try to get a sheet together and ready by the weekend. 

[TheGlyphstone]

A Havoc Raider is okay by me, though I'd comfortable upgrading to a Tempest Frigate for the extra survivability - 50 PF is still a lot. A little fragile either way; we'll be a blockade runner and harasser, rather than a line combatant, but the description indicates plenty of cargo space. We'll definitely want more than just that missile battery to be able to hit-and-run; a good long-range lance if we can get one, and if we are relying on hit-and-run tactics, the two Dorsal weapon mounts of the Tempest will give us better flexibiltiy in firing arcs than the Dorsal+Prow mounts of the Havoc.

[AndyZ]

Tempest-Class Frigate can't have a Lance.  If you want a Lance on a Frigate or smaller, it has to be on the Prow.  202, Supplemental Components.

[deadmanshand]

Stats rolled!

68943   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:08:51   At 2014-12-17 15:08:51, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 44
68942   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:08:47   At 2014-12-17 15:08:47, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 35
68941   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:08:43   At 2014-12-17 15:08:43, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 35
68940   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:08:39   At 2014-12-17 15:08:39, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 34
68939   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:08:31   At 2014-12-17 15:08:31, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 33
68938   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:08:26   At 2014-12-17 15:08:26, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 34
68937   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:07:44   At 2014-12-17 15:07:44, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 36
68936   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:07:28   At 2014-12-17 15:07:28, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 33
68935   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:07:12   At 2014-12-17 15:07:12, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 36
68944   Noone or Anyone   2014-12-17 15:16:20   At 2014-12-17 15:16:20, deadmanshand (uid: 54173) rolls: 2d10a25 Result: 35