Warhammer 40k, Freeform RP based on Inquisitor, may range from [NA] to [EX]

[Maximillian Crowloft]

With the recent opening of the Warhammer 40.000 Dawn of War II multiplayer beta, my enthusiasm for the Warhammer40k universe has once again reached a point where too much of my time is spent diving through occult player guides and codexes to find that one inspiring weapon, armour or character, upon which I can base another quick story.
Then, still being new to Elliquiy, I realised that there was no need to keep the high integrity and inspired universe of Warhammer 40k to myself. I would love to play an Inquisitorial game with multiple players. Both female and male, and towards wherever the RP may take us.

Whether it is a group of young daring imperial guardsmen sent on a suicide mission only to find something none of their superiors were expecting, or a small group of the adeptus astartes, more commonly known as the space marines, trying to hold holy ground against unstoppable odds. Upon which investigation and retaliation must be executed on the assaulters.
A radical Inquisitor would be able to convey with deamon or half-deamon kind, and corrupted men might seek all the pleasures slaanesh has to offer. The Dark Eldar have long been executing slave raids, and their tortured screams haunt the twilight city.

Anyone interested in this universe and wishing more detail on the various races and possibilities for characters can ask away, my knowledge of the universe is extensive and I love to share the gruesome details of it.
Furthermore, I would not be opposed to be the GM of this game, though may decide to hand the position over if someone more capable or daring offers to try for the position.





This part of the introduction post will offer the first insights on the story of this particular RP and some of the important characters who will be starring in it. To start off, the campaign will for the majority of the time take place in the Calleras system:

The Calleras system. A small cluster of planets at the far off reaches of the Ultima Segmentum. The four planets and their moons have been spared the brunt of the Tyranid Hive fleet attacks, though have seen their fair share of battle. Small outbreaks of heretics and mutants plague the regions, though the presence of the Ultramarines so nearby has always spurred on the Imperial guard regiments to deal with such threats before the Marines have to come in. It is never a good thing on a commander's record if he required the help of the space marines to deal with small pests.

For now the planets live in reasonable peace. The two hive worlds hold strong Imperial guard regiments, all drafted from the planet's surface and the very best of these recruits sometimes make it far enough to be picked up by Ultramarine recruiting officers. Both Miran and Delvon are ruled by their own Governor-General. While Aerlian Hemeron of Miran, a fourty-three year old veteran of war is content with his rulership over one planet and all its worries, Sandren Khamaro the thirty-two year old shock-commander of Delvon has tasted the lust for power and is dearly hoping for an opportunity to show his courage and prowess in the name of the Emperor. Taking back a world from feral orks or simply fighting off somewhere other than the 'stinking hellhole' he feels the higher ups have dumped him in.
The remaining two planets are a Pleasure world and a Forge world respectively. Tychas, the pleasure world, is often visited by the Imperial nobility and its beauty and culture would amaze any inhabitant of the filthy and overpopulated hive worlds. Chrom-IV, the Forge world, is lead by the fabricator-general Marcus Ireili Vostanal. Aiming to upgrade his relatively new Forge world to a II-Prima production grade whilst still providing a large portion of the Ultramarines' armoury, he hopes to procure new pacts and vows with nearby mining worlds to secure stable progress towards his goal.

Lately, the increased activity of the Heritics on both Miran and Delvon have caught the attention of the Inquisition. Should such activity spread rapidly amongst the hive cities of these worlds, then many people loyal to the Imperium could be converted and Chaos would find itself a small outpost within the weakened part of the Ultima Segmentum. The added possibility of the valuable Forge world falling into the hands of the Traitor legions could cause immense damage to the strength of the Imperium in this section. To make matters worse, the nobility visiting Tychas have begun to put pressure on both Governor-Generals to put an end to the heretical infestation, lest it disturb their vacations on the nearby pleasure planet.

All of these parts combined cause for more than enough reason for the Ordo Hereticus to send an Inquisitor to take care of the irregularities. His mission is to find out the cause of the heretical outbreaks and put a stop to them, by all means necessary.
Though due to one of the many miscommunications between the Hive worlds, the nobility and several of the branches of the Inquisition, not one, but two Inquisitors have been sent. Completely unaware of eachother until they meet on one of the planets or in orbit. Their ways differing greatly and their followers different in every kind.

How they solve not only the problem of the Heritics but also each other, is a story that will develop as it goes. Though whatever happens, may their Faith in the God-Emperor stand forever strong.




Horusian Side


PLAYER: 
Asmodeus

NAME: 
Vailon Chaarn

RANK: 
Inquisitor, Ordo Hereticus
Horusian

WEAPONS: 
Lightning Claw
Autopistol (with a few DumDum, Flechette & Manstopper rounds)
Hallucinogen grenade

ARMOUR:
Carapace Armour, Hexagrammic Wards
Psychic Hood

BIONICS:
Bionic arm (Advanced)

ITEMS:
Stimm-Inhaler (with Reflex)
Stimm-Injector (with Spook)

PSYCHIC POWERS:
Demoralise, Distraction, Psychic Shriek

---   ---

PLAYER:
dready

NAME: 
–

RANK: 
Adepta Sorarita member
Horusian Retinue

WEAPONS: 
Dual Melta-Pistols, Frag Grenades, Flak Grenades

ARMOUR:
Power Armour, Purity Seals
Atmospheric Jump Pack

ITEMS:
-

STORED ITEMS:
-

---   ---

PLAYER:
Kroduk

NAME:
Gor

RANK:
BONE'ead
Horusian Retinue

WEAPONS:
Ripper gun w/saw bayonet
Stub gun (rather large)
Combat knife
Frag grenades

ARMOUR:
Heavily modified Flak armor. (poorly stitched together from several suits)

BIONICS:
Optics (Riveted in)

ITEMS:
Bandoleers of Ripper rounds across his chest

PSYCHIC POWERS:
The ability to count to FIVE!



Thorian Side


PLAYER:
Paladin
 
NAME:
Andreas Whitefire
 
RANK:
Inquisitor
 
WEAPONS:
Ancient Rune Sword and Bolt Pistol Reloads of Standard, Psi-bolts, Inferno bolts
 
ARMOUR:
Mesh Armor
 
BIONICS:
Bionic Eye with Targeter, Nightvision, and infrared
 
ITEMS:
Emperors Tarot, Consecrated scrolls, Red-Dot laser Sight, Clip Harness, Gas Mask, Data Slate, Psychic hood, 
 
PSYCHIC POWERS: 
Minor:
Chameleon
Flash Bang
Healer
Fearful Aura

Major:
Prenatural Awareness
Fire Bolt
Fire Storm
Telekenetic Shield
Compel
Mind Scan

Stored Objects:
None

---   ---

PLAYER:
Paladin

NAME:
Conrad Ulrich

RANK:
Justicar (Equivalent to Sgt.)
Thorian Retinue

WEAPONS:
Nemesis Force Sword, Gauntlet Mounted Storm Bolter with Psycannon Bolts

ARMOUR:
Aegis Suit with Hexagramic and Pentagramic Wards and Purity seals

BIONICS:
Space Marine Augmenatations

ITEMS:
Liber Demonicus, Spare Bolter Reloads for Psybolts, Standard rounds, Infero Bolts

PSYCHIC POWERS:
The Shrouding, The Aegis

STORED ITEMS:
Spare Ammo, Gun repairkit and Armor repair Kit.

---   ---

PLAYER:
Voichin

NAME: 
Ratmir Yarolslawsky

RANK: 
Captain of the 241ST Vostroyan regiment, "Legia Zaimprowizowany"
-

WEAPONS: 
Laspistol
Powersword

ARMOUR:
Crimson Flak armour

STORED ITEMS:
Assault bike, Cameoline. Meltagun, Grenade launcher, Frak grenades, Krak grenades, Longlas (sniper rifle), Demolition charges; Frezon and Reflex injector, Sacred machine oil

[Asmodeus]

I'm game.

An inquisitor and his retinue sounds like a good place to start.  Maybe set him against a rival inquisitor as well.

A Guard plot would also be interesting, but I'd vote for an Inquisitorial investigation if given the choice.



I like playing human(ish) characters, whether corrupted, stoic, or gene-seeded up to the eyeballs. ;)

[consortium11]

Take me down as a possible interest depending on how other games go or start up.

I haven't played 40k in years (and I mean that literally... pretty much since around the time the Dark Eldar showed up), so my knowledge may be a little out, but I still remember the basics.

An Inquisitor's party seems like the most logical idea, as the Inquisitor game already gave a good vision of what such a group would be like. A group of guardsmen would be cool, but runs the risk of not really taking advantage of the universe, and just being a more varied version of Aliens. Space marines suffer from problems in that IIRC pretty much everyone within a Legion is basically the same, their individuality gentically wiped out and all being suicidially loyal to the Empire, unless you'd run it similar to the Necromunda type campaign with a Scout group from a destroyed legion that the Citadel Journal ran the rules for.

[Maximillian Crowloft]

Both problems with the guardsmen and the Space marines would work out well if put against eachother. One person could play a space marine enlisted by the inquisitor and a lone guardsman might have come in contact with something that makes him interesting to the Inquisitor.

I personally love the idea of pitting inquisitors, and their retinues against eachother. One might be subconciously corrupted, whether by chaos, the necron, Tyranids or even the Orks (not sure how that last would work out, but its a large universe, I'm sure the possibility is there.)

Furthermore, a radical inquisitor on one side and a puritan on the other would mean we can have corrupted and alien characters on one side and grey knights and/or sisters of battle on the other.

With two people, we could already start out, the Inquisitor(s) getting their retinues together and still allow time for more people to join. On the other hand, waiting might end up with better ideas/plans.

Tell me which you prefer, and we can work it out.

[Asmodeus]

I say we get into it.

I'd be happy to play one of the Inquisitors.

Why don't we leave both sides in the grey area, so we're not sure which is good or evil?  Maybe both Inquisitors have their own good intentions, but different methods.

And I like the idea of having the odd lone space marine or guardsman in the retinues.

[Maximillian Crowloft]

Space marine veteran, vindicare assassin, or just a normal guardsman for all I care. An inquisitor could have any reason to pick up a man, perhaps its just his nephew and he's trying to get him out of a bloody assault on an ork camp, never expecting the sudden turn of events that is about to take place.

I would love to play out two inquisitors against each other, subtly manipulating events in the background to allow both to believe they're right.

Alright, this thread will still be here for everyone who wishes to join, which could happen at any time during the RP. Inquisitors change their retinue quite often, simply because their team-mates tend to die. In a universe like Warhammer40k, no one is safe.

Before we begin though, we will need to reach a consensus on characters. Assuming now that I will be the GM, everyone would need to bring a character draft. There are no specific rules yet, though limit yourself to non-legendary equipment. Top of the notch, one or two master crafted items, you would be an inquisitor after all. Anyone wishing to be part of the retinue will also have top grade equipment, somewhat less costly than that of the inquisitorial leader.

[HairyHeretic]

I know GW have put at least some of the Special Games rules up for free download from their website. I don't know if the =I= rules are amongst them, but if they are you may find them handy.

[Maximillian Crowloft]

I appreciate the heads up, though I personally was looking to go through the RP without the use of rules and work by the GM's rule of thumb. I hope that this intention was clear when I started, its why I added the freeform RP in the title.

Nevertheless, help is always appreciated.

[HairyHeretic]

I was thinking of it more as a useful resource book for gear and such.

[Maximillian Crowloft]

On that subject it will be a very useful tool, though a while back I had found a Warhammer wikia online, providing a wealth of information outside the usual rulebooks.

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

The weapons of the Imperium page is a quick and easy list available for everyone to see.

[consortium11]

IIRC a Vindicare Assasin would be fairly over-powered in a game such as this.

I'd prefer to play someone other than an Inquisitor, but I'll happily step in as needed.

[Asmodeus]

How's this:


NAME:  Inquisitor Vailon Chaarn

SECT:  Horusian

APPEARANCE:   

EQUIPMENT: 
Bionic arm (Advanced)
Lightning Claw
Autopistol (with a few DumDum, Flechette & Manstopper rounds)
Carapace Armour (with Hexagrammic Wards and Psychic Hood)
Stimm-Inhaler (with Reflex)
Stimm-Injector (with Spook) 
1 Hallucinogen grenade

PSYCHIC POWERS:  Demoralise, Distraction, Psychic Shriek


BACKGROUND:  Inquisitor Vailon is a firm believer in the Horusian Edict - that a new leader can be born to lead the Imperium to a golden age.  He joined the sect after serving 20 years in the Ordo Hereticus, where his penchant for torture and shock tactics upheld the fearsome reputation of that order. 

He met Inquisitor Malthus briefly during the Kraken Wars 10 years ago.  Tasked with the purging of Genestealer Cults on Ichar IV, Vailon persuaded Malthus to delay aerial bombardment in favour of a ground assault on one of the main Cults.  A whole platoon of Guardsmen were lost in the assault, and as the men perished Vailon went on ahead to encounter firsthand the Genestealer Patriarch.  Fascinated by its psychic powers, Vailon got too close and lost his arm to the creature before being forced to kill it.  Inquisitor Malthus never forgave Vailon for this error, nor himself for letting cruder tactics prevail.  Most of all, Malthus never forgot Vailon's unorthodox fascination with the Genestealer Cults.

Vailon's defection to the Horusian sect over the next 10 years was inevitable.  With each cult he helped to eradicate, with each religion he extinguished, he began to find links: deities appearing in separate religions, symbols reccuring, men attaining divinity through the hand of Chaos.  These discoveries, twinned with his growing stimm addiction, led him to the belief that there was greater scheme a work - an answer hidden in the esoteric secrets of the Cults.  After a succession of religious visions, he chose his new path - to collate and penetrate the beliefs of these heretics in search for a "holy grail" of sorts - a formula for the supreme being who would replace the Emperor. 

[Maximillian Crowloft]

Perfect for a radical inquisitor, the frenzon addiction would be a hampering factor towards "smart" decisions in combat though, and you may want to give it a second thought. After all, if your character is limited to simply charging into battle, then any type of dangerous situation will result in just that.

I'm not telling you not to give your character this trait, simply offering feedback for your character creation. The rest is great, perhaps a small note in your history where you lost your arm, or if you simply chose to have it removed and replaced, might add more character.

Looks like a good character for the radical side, now I hope we'll find one for the puritan side, otherwise I might have to step in the game myself.


On the vindicare assassin topic, that depends entirely on what kind of situations I put you guys in. And I am sure I know plenty where a vindicare assasin finds himself in a situation where quick thinking and a lot of luck will be needed. After all, even if you play inquisitor against inquisitor. No inquisitor, or someone associated with him could afford to be linked to another inquisitor's death. Quick and merciless persecution will be arranged. Without bringing charges to the High Lords of Terra, no assassination may take place. And if you kill someone who works with another Inquisitor, an order may be arranged to simply put you to death. Every kill an assassin makes must be signed by the High Lords of Terra, so that will put quite some limitations on what might seem an overpowered character.

Since we're just starting out, you would be welcome to join the first inquisitor's retinue. After all, we don't need a counter-Inquisitor right off the bat.

[Asmodeus]

Ah, good point about the arm.  I've added that in.


Yeah, I couldn't remember the names of any other 40K drugs except Frenzon.  I thought it was a general name for a range of psychoactive drugs, so I stuck with it.

The one I want is the one that boosts psychic abilities and premonitions (Is it "Spook"?).  He uses it to meditate and contemplate on vast amounts of information when he's undistracted.

[Maximillian Crowloft]

Spook is likely the drug you mean then, Frenzon itself is a concoction of various drugs, though that particular mix makes you go practically berserk. Spook and psi-crystals could be used to enhance your psychic abilities. Though I'd go with Spook for the use you had in mind, psi-crystals are typically used to channel psyker spells. Even so, it might not be a bad idea to take a psi-crystal with you, as well as a familiar. If you're just starting out with the psychic abilities, you'll need all the help you can get, especially if you're going to try and work them during battle.

For the rest though, your character looks about ready to get his show on the road. All he needs is a good lead into a chaos or heretic religion, and he'd be ready to dive right in.

[Voichin]

Hm, would a Vostroyan first-born fit in the group?

[Maximillian Crowloft]

As long as he's either a war hero or has a relation of some kind to the Inquisitor, he would yes. Funny hats though, that would stand out. Though going undercover will almost surely be a necessity.

[Voichin]

No problem. He will go undercover with bare head.

[Maximillian Crowloft]

Voichin,

Perhaps you could give a small history and character section for your character. While we haven't started yet, it would be best to get such things done before we start posting. After all, I'm here to see whether or not you take items your character couldn't or shouldn't have, and doing that before we start is always better than too late.

I myself will be working on several important characters for the storyline I'm developing and will edit the starting post of this RP to contain them and a small introduction to the current events.

[Asmodeus]

Got my friend Shadey writing up the puritan Inquisitor.  We're good at antagonizing each other, and he's all wordy like a Puritan should be.  ;)

[Voichin]

NAME: Captain Ratmir Yarolslawsky

REGIMENT: 241ST Vostroyan regiment, "Legia Zaimprowizowany"

APPEARANCE: Still under thirty, captain Yaroslawsky has youthful appearance, partially due to the fact that unlike most other vostroyans prefers long sideburns to beard and mustaches since they suit better to his long face. The vostroyan keeps his wavy dark blond hair longer, but not long enough to reach his shoulders.

His uniform is crimson, with the traditional hat and long coat, but in spite of his rank he does not carry the traditional long lazrifle. Instead his weaponry consists of more practical, one handed arms - an ornate lazpistol and power sword, all of which - older than him.

BACKGROUND: With excellent mechanical knowledge since before he joined the ranks of the first-born and quick reflexes, captain  Yaroslawsky gained the reputation of a prodigy for being able to command almost every vehicle, deployed by the "Improvised regiment". Starting as a rough rider, which is still his his specialty he was later used to guide heavy machines through difficult terrain and even as artillerist, quickly adapting to the ever-shifting tactics of the regiment. Gaining anecdotal notoriety for swapping his assault bike for orkish wartruck in the middle of a battle and then causing serious confusion in their ranks with it, Yaroslawsky is sometimes considered reckless, but also highly acclaimed for his bravery in battle.

ACCESS TO: Assault bike, Land speeder; Cameoline; Melta weapons, Grenade launcher with frak and/or crak grenades, sniper rifle, demolition charges; combat drugs, Sacred machine oil;

[Jack Shade]

Oy Oy Oy....

Quite the plethora of terms and the like...I've quite the long night ahead of me attempting to educate myself in these Warhammer terms.

Still...I'd like to try an Inquisitor with a Thorianism viewpoint.  An interesting counterbalance to Asmo's character in the similarity that they both agree on a new emperor...though the methods differ immensely.

Makes for what I believe to be an interesting idea of character conflict.

Still...I'll be frank...I've little knowledge in the realm of Warhammer at the time being.

*busies himself in the feverish studying of Warhammer facts*

[Asmodeus]

*blink blink*

I think that's Shadey.

Let's all call him Shadey so his fancy new name NEVER catches on.




Right, so that's the two Inquisitors.  I guess it's time for people to pick sides.

[Maximillian Crowloft]

Voichin,

Ratmir Yarolslawsky is looking like a great character, background leading into specialist skills, very nicely done. Though your equipment list is rather small. Basically you have a Laspistol and a powersword. It would be a good idea to expand on this during the course of the RP if you don't want to add to it beforehand. Things you could think of are bionic upgrades or hardwired wargear. Even grenades and stimulant injectors should be added to an equipmentlist if you're planning to carry them with you. Otherwise, still a great character, loved the wartruck part.

Nylock/Shadey, I'll call you whatever you prefer if you let me know you have preference,
The site I use for quick reference to Warhammer terms is http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page , a usefull wiki with search options. Its the main site for the weapons of the imperium link I provided earlier, for those who hadn't caught on yet.
And you're right, the Thorianism viewpoint allows me to base the RP on the prelude to the emperor's reincarnation/resurrection. Throw in some heretics who want to ruin it or manipulate it and some focal points such as shrines and relics, and we've got quite the setup for intrige, combat, moral debate and everything else you might want in a campaign. After all, there are few races besides the Imperium of man who would want to see the emperor resurrected.

A Radical Horusian Inquisitor versus a Puritan Thorianism Inquisitor, time to pick sides indeed.

[HairyHeretic]

Nylock, I should also point out that unapproved members have access only to a small portion of the site. In all likelyhood this game won't be in that portion. Now, should you be approved, this will no longer be a consideration, but approval is not automatic. It's better not to start looking for games while still unapproved.

And while I'm not playing this, I am a big 40k fan, so if anyone wants to talk background, feel free to ping me.

I still recall the very first Inquisitor ever mentioned, in Rogue Trader, Obi-wan Sherlock Clueseau.  :)