Warhammer 40k: Dark Imperium Rogue Trader

[TheGlyphstone]

That actually brings a good question to mind...is this game intended to have a noticeable degree of smut? That, as mentioned, tends to go very poorly in 40K.

[ChaoticSky]

Holy shit 5 pages in three days. Is this even still looking for people?

[TheGlyphstone]

I don't think we are operating on a first-come-first-serve basis, so you can throw your hat in the ring and hope for the best I guess.

[Ironwolf85]

Holy shit 5 pages in three days. Is this even still looking for people?

People on here have been itching for a good game of rouge trader.

[TheGlyphstone]

And their lifespan is roughly that of the average Imperial Guardsman, so we're never left with any satisfaction.

[ChaoticSky]

Mhm, Idea wise. Anyone like the idea of a token chaos cultist?

Long ago, in the days of yore when i played the old Dark Heresy one of my favourite characters was a chaos aligned cultist and psyker. It was a group of acolytes with a radical Inquisitor, and she was a cultist hed captured and decided to put to use instead of simply killing. So she was given to the group of acolytes as a 'resource' who could advise them about Chaos stuff without them having to put their souls at risk learning it themselves. And as a psyker(biomancy) she was handy in a fight and patching people up after! She had a bomb collar around her neck with the leader of the acolytes having a control band on his arm that would shock her if he pushed the button, kill her if he died, or if she got too far away. She was not well treated at first (we were all friends OOC, having them kick my cultist around didnt bother me), but over time kinda grew on them, being a droll and snarky little heretic she was.

General idea was that she was on the more benign side of chaos. Oh shes not a nice person and totally does human sacrifice and stuff, but she was a very reasonable/down to earth cultist who was very interested in not getting killed and maybe getting to sleep in a bed instead of on the floor please? As opposed to the whole... burning worlds stuff.

In a game that includes lewds, i could see it going in some very interesting directions.

I would probably kitbash something together from the RT2e stuff and BC's stuff (psyker rules, biomancy discipline, the chaos version of the corruption track). A alternative version of the character ive always wanted to try out since BC launched but i never got to would have a relatively innocent girl who alittle Possessed by a daemon (a RT2 character with BC's daemonhost rules with a few tweaks so its not a absolute bad end?). Two characters for the price of one! One nice imperial girl and one daemon!

Does any variation on that appeal to our glorious leader? That is, both the GM and RT.

[Roleplay Frog]

Mhm, Idea wise. Anyone like the idea of a token chaos cultist?

Lemme check in my smart book!



woops.. wrong book...



.....

[TheGlyphstone]

IMO, I don't think it would fit at all. Chaos in 40K, especially if we're not trying to make a joke campaign, doesn't really have a benign side to it; it might have a benign face, but that is a lie meant to lure people deeper into its power. A secret Chaos cultist might slide, with the OOC understanding that pretty much all the Imperial characters would murder them if it got exposed, but a 'Token Chaos Worshipper' just feels very inappropriate for a game that is trying to be remotely serious. The way you describe it is probably the only way it'd work, and even that is highly dependent on that specific game and the GM being flexible with the nature of Chaos.

[Roleplay Frog]

All joking aside, much as I want the kinkies, yeah. My undertanding is that the RT is gonna be an inquisitor on a side-mission, in case my posts were unclear, I wanna do a sister, now dealing with Eldar and Tau is one thing, but the moment there's gonna be a chaos mark visible on anything we're getting out the flame-thrower, unless the DM agrees it's far more light hearted and lewd than I estimated this as. :p

[TheGlyphstone]

Tau have hooves like horses. Wanna guess what other parts of them are like horses? ;D

[Roleplay Frog]

Tau have hooves like horses. Wanna guess what other parts of them are like horses? ;D

I ought to start writing my character... I mean... don't try to seduce me, Xenos!

[Drowdeviant]

Mhm, Idea wise. Anyone like the idea of a token chaos cultist?

Long ago, in the days of yore when i played the old Dark Heresy one of my favourite characters was a chaos aligned cultist and psyker. It was a group of acolytes with a radical Inquisitor, and she was a cultist hed captured and decided to put to use instead of simply killing. So she was given to the group of acolytes as a 'resource' who could advise them about Chaos stuff without them having to put their souls at risk learning it themselves. And as a psyker(biomancy) she was handy in a fight and patching people up after! She had a bomb collar around her neck with the leader of the acolytes having a control band on his arm that would shock her if he pushed the button, kill her if he died, or if she got too far away. She was not well treated at first (we were all friends OOC, having them kick my cultist around didnt bother me), but over time kinda grew on them, being a droll and snarky little heretic she was.

General idea was that she was on the more benign side of chaos. Oh shes not a nice person and totally does human sacrifice and stuff, but she was a very reasonable/down to earth cultist who was very interested in not getting killed and maybe getting to sleep in a bed instead of on the floor please? As opposed to the whole... burning worlds stuff.

In a game that includes lewds, i could see it going in some very interesting directions.

I would probably kitbash something together from the RT2e stuff and BC's stuff (psyker rules, biomancy discipline, the chaos version of the corruption track). A alternative version of the character ive always wanted to try out since BC launched but i never got to would have a relatively innocent girl who alittle Possessed by a daemon (a RT2 character with BC's daemonhost rules with a few tweaks so its not a absolute bad end?). Two characters for the price of one! One nice imperial girl and one daemon!

Does any variation on that appeal to our glorious leader? That is, both the GM and RT.

I'm kind of iffy on having a daemonhost in the party. They're kind of meant as NPCs for a reason. :P

Not knocking your idea, just that even with us using homebrew Con's been kind of firm on wanting things to still be balanced for the most part. Daemonhosts seem a bit too powerful for a starting character to me is all.

Plus what Glyph is saying, Daemonhosts are very strictly controlled if ever used...and even radical inquisitors in the dark imperium aren't so radical that they would allow a daemonhost to be around unbound...Also daemonhosts aren't two characters, they're a daemon character wearing a very heavily mutilated human flesh suit. :P

Also kitbashing BC's corruption rules into a dh 2e kind of doesn't work...Sorry, I just wouldn't want to play with such a character is all.

...Also my character would kill you word one. She really doesn't need to be known as being associated daemonhost that might cast any more suspicion on her, she's already got enough of that shit from being a psyker. xD

All joking aside, much as I want the kinkies, yeah. My undertanding is that the RT is gonna be an inquisitor on a side-mission, in case my posts were unclear, I wanna do a sister, now dealing with Eldar and Tau is one thing, but the moment there's gonna be a chaos mark visible on anything we're getting out the flame-thrower, unless the DM agrees it's far more light hearted and lewd than I estimated this as. :p

Same here Frog, my gal is a relatively pious psyker...and I'll be taking the background which gives all my offensive psychic powers sanctified. Very bad for Daemonhosts xD

[TheGlyphstone]

What is that background even supposed to do? By DH2e, the Daemonic property is already negated by psychic powers (along with holy attacks and force weapons). So a holy psychic power doesn't have any actual beneficial mechanical impact - it's just purely flavor, which is neat but seems odd against the other backgrounds granting real abilities.

[ChaoticSky]

IMO, I don't think it would fit at all. Chaos in 40K, especially if we're not trying to make a joke campaign, doesn't really have a benign side to it; it might have a benign face, but that is a lie meant to lure people deeper into its power. A secret Chaos cultist might slide, with the OOC understanding that pretty much all the Imperial characters would murder them if it got exposed, but a 'Token Chaos Worshipper' just feels very inappropriate for a game that is trying to be remotely serious. The way you describe it is probably the only way it'd work, and even that is highly dependent on that specific game and the GM being flexible with the nature of Chaos.

*shrug* Its a very radicalesque campaign from what i read of the topic, which is why i brought it up at all.

Chaos does infact have a benign side... saying otherwise is blatantly false, atleased to the extent that any faction in the 40k setting has one. There are Chaos Worlds that are paradises compared to most imperial worlds and vis versa. You just dont get to see Chaos folk minding their own business much for the same reason you dont get to see imperials doing it. Chaos isnt evil, its amoral. And the gods all have positive traits along with their bad ones.

Frankly having xenos around (especially ones like the DE, Orks and Tau, which were in RT1) that are actively hostile and at war with the imperium of man is no different than having chaos around. At leased my cultist is still human.

*Edit since drow posted;
Daemonhosts are actually PCs in BC, and their powers are more modest because they are under control instead of just having a body as a meat puppet. Sharing a body with a Daemon vs giving a daemon a body and a soul to eat. I had planned to keep it balanced by forcing her to rely on her 'gifts' rather than letting her run around with power weapons and stuff besides. But like i said, ive never had a game where i got to actually play that version of her so its more a pipe dream i threw out on the off chance of intriguing the GM since its such a interesting concept to me.

[Roleplay Frog]

Huh. I feel like Chaotic sky makes a pretty good point actually, in the world of grimdark you might be better off on a Slaanesh orgy world or with Papa Nurgle than as a cog in the imperial machine. I mean the setting makes a point out of having no truly morally white faction, greatest force for good, The Emperor, is disgusted at what his plan turned into and still prone to mortal failings, so.. *chuckles*
I mean, it's that or Chaotic here is trying to trick us with chaos-lies *suspicious look*

Ultimately, all up to the DM to define. There still is the problem of party hostility, even so.

Fun fact, this is the second time in three warhammer rps I've been at that someone wanted to to a daemonhost too, I guess it's a kink-thing. :P

[Drowdeviant]

What is that background even supposed to do? By DH2e, the Daemonic property is already negated by psychic powers (along with holy attacks and force weapons). So a holy psychic power doesn't have any actual beneficial mechanical impact - it's just purely flavor, which is neat but seems odd against the other backgrounds granting real abilities.

Psychic doesn't do that to my knowledge glyph. To what I remember only things with sanctified negates daemonic tomfoolery. Also it gives psychic powers and low tech weapons sanctified so its' a bit more useful.

*Edit since drow posted;
Daemonhosts are actually PCs in BC, and their powers are more modest because they are under control instead of just having a body as a meat puppet. Sharing a body with a Daemon vs giving a daemon a body and a soul to eat. I had planned to keep it balanced by forcing her to rely on her 'gifts' rather than letting her run around with power weapons and stuff besides. But like i said, ive never had a game where i got to actually play that version of her so its more a pipe dream i threw out on the off chance of intriguing the GM since its such a interesting concept to me.

Yes but BC is different than dh 2e in how it balances things. Also in BC daemonhosts aren't under the strict af supervision they are under if used by imperial agents. We literally couldn't keep you on board because to deny requests to hand you back over to inquisitorial custody= HERESY! *BLAM*

Plus we need to be able to work with many different people, only particularly radical inquisitors and dark eldar would trust anyone accompanied by daemons in a human host. The Ynnari could possibly refuse to deal with us, aka one of our hopefully good future allies. xD

[TheGlyphstone]

Psychic doesn't do that to my knowledge glyph. To what I remember only things with sanctified negates daemonic tomfoolery. Also it gives psychic powers and low tech weapons sanctified so its' a bit more useful.\

It's in the Daemonic trait itself.

This increase is
negated by damage inflicted from force weapons, psychic powers,
holy attacks, or other creatures with this trait.

I guess it does technically give low tech sanctified...but the only low tech weapons anyone wants to be using are Force weapons.

Huh. I feel like Chaotic sky makes a pretty good point actually, in the world of grimdark you might be better off on a Slaanesh orgy world or with Papa Nurgle than as a cog in the imperial machine. I mean the setting makes a point out of having no truly morally white faction, greatest force for good, The Emperor, is disgusted at what his plan turned into and still prone to mortal failings, so.. *chuckles*
I mean, it's that or Chaotic here is trying to trick us with chaos-lies *suspicious look*

You can run a perfectly functional 'Evil' game in the setting, with a bunch of Chaos-aligned characters who might even genuinely believe they are doing the right thing. They can even work together if they're not pants on head stupid, that's what the whole Black Crusade game is about. But you can't run a mixed Chaos/Imperium game the way you could run a mixed Good/Evil party in D&D, because they're a far more fundamentally opposed set of ideologies.

(Also, we should distinguish between Daemonhosts and Possessed...the former are demons in meatsuits, the latter are a symbiotic relationship).

[ChaoticSky]

Psychic doesn't do that to my knowledge glyph. To what I remember only things with sanctified negates daemonic tomfoolery. Also it gives psychic powers and low tech weapons sanctified so its' a bit more useful.

Yes but BC is different than dh 2e in how it balances things. Also in BC daemonhosts aren't under the strict af supervision they are under if used by imperial agents. We literally couldn't keep you on board because to deny requests to hand you back over to inquisitorial custody= HERESY! *BLAM*

Plus we need to be able to work with many different people, only particularly radical inquisitors and dark eldar would trust anyone accompanied by daemons in a human host. The Ynnari could possibly refuse to deal with us, aka one of our hopefully good future allies. xD

Which is why she was given by the inquistor. Obviously i wouldn't create a senario where youd have to fight the bloody Inquisition. As mentioned the origin is the Inquisitor keeping her because shes useful and giving her to the group (in this case the RT) for the same reason.

Also, you know, its not like she has a neon sign over her head saying DAEMONHOST OVER HERE. As long as she avoids some very uncommon pitfalls (like fondling a santified reliquary) and covers up any mutations she has (like mutants do, which is another RT character type) its pretty hard to spot. That said... the non-daemonhost version (which was what i actually asked if i could play) really has nothing to make her different from anyone else aside from being a psyker. Its not like she walks around with her head shaved except for one dyed blue braid like those human Tau fangirls do.

She may be a follower of chaos, but ultimately shes just a person no different from any other. She wants to live, she wants to eat, she wants human contact, she has goals and desires and dreams. Shes not a omnicidal nutjob or shrieking cultist steriotype. (which she finds offensive, thank you. :P)

@Glyph:
Not really? I mean, one bunch worships the emperor, one bunch worships chaos, a third bunch worships the Greater Good. Chaos and the Imperium only fight because the Imperium tried to exterminate Chaos and Chaos returned the favour. Theres no intrinsic moral reason they couldnt work together for a common goal except for their objection to each other. Chaos isnt (for example) any more interested in letting the Tyranids eat the galaxy than the Imperium is. The same objection applies to any Xenos race. If your willing to shoot the same thing a Tau is shooting instead of shooting the Tau, any justification for that can also be applied to a chaos worshipper shooting the same target.

If your willing to overlook that (and if your working with Xenos and following a radical inquisitior, you kinda have to be), then theres no reason you cant get along with a friendly neighbourhood chaos cultist.

And like, it probably helps that shes not there as a equal but as a asset? With the bomb collar and all? So your not so much objecting to working with a cultist so much as you are objecting to use one as a tool to accomplish your goal. Ideally atleased some of the group would warm up to her eventually, but i dont mind being bullied either :P

[Conundrum]

While it is possible to deal with chaos in a non-combative manner during the campaign a daemonhost or anything else as overtly chaos oriented as that is not going to be a starting option.

[Drowdeviant]

It's in the Daemonic trait itself.
I guess it does technically give low tech sanctified...but the only low tech weapons anyone wants to be using are Force weapons.
[/quote]

True, but getting force weapons is a bitch...so it likely gives one to temporarily replace the other.

You can run a perfectly functional 'Evil' game in the setting, with a bunch of Chaos-aligned characters who might even genuinely believe they are doing the right thing. They can even work together if they're not pants on head stupid, that's what the whole Black Crusade game is about. But you can't run a mixed Chaos/Imperium game the way you could run a mixed Good/Evil party in D&D, because they're a far more fundamentally opposed set of ideologies.

(Also, we should distinguish between Daemonhosts and Possessed...the former are demons in meatsuits, the latter are a symbiotic relationship).

This! This what I meant. xD

Radical inquisitors toe a dangerous line and many have fallen to chaos. Also radical inquistors are somewhat more dangerous when it comes to valuing human life. Hell I'm reading the Knightsblade novel by Black library where a radical inquisitor is ready to exterminatus a planet in the middle of an ork invasion because he just wants to wash his hands of the entire affair (and because he's done so numerous times in hunting down a big creepy warp entity)...said planet on the chopping block is a very important knight world. xD

Which is why she was given by the inquistor. Obviously i wouldn't create a senario where youd have to fight the bloody Inquisition. As mentioned the origin is the Inquisitor keeping her because shes useful and giving her to the group (in this case the RT) for the same reason.

Also, you know, its not like she has a neon sign over her head saying DAEMONHOST OVER HERE. As long as she avoids some very uncommon pitfalls (like fondling a santified reliquary) and covers up any mutations she has (like mutants do, which is another RT character type) its pretty hard to spot. That said... the non-daemonhost version (which was what i actually asked if i could play) really has nothing to make her different from anyone else aside from being a psyker. Its not like she walks around with her head shaved except for one dyed blue braid like those human Tau fangirls do.

Well when she starts using her gifts in any manner my gal would look at her in the warp and then proceed to try to murder her for being a daemon meat puppet. To the common bloke she can hide...to psykers...much more difficult, especially an astropath transcendent. xD

[ChaoticSky]

While it is possible to deal with chaos in a non-combative manner during the campaign a daemonhost or anything else as overtly chaos oriented as that is not going to be a starting option.

I figured as much, what about the actual idea i asked about instead of the daemonhost thing everyone got obsessed with?

[Red Leaf]

Not to jump in here - and obviously it's not my call, it's the GM's, ultimately - it feels like Chaos cultist, or willing/(IC) unwilling daemonhost would be something super neat to work towards, later in the game, once we've slid a few levels towards more radicalism? Once the group dynamic has developed to something where 'do I hollow out my soul for a daemon to wear me, for what I'm are sure are very good reasons' (and the Tau is all going a bit Farsight, the Rogue Trader is pillaging Imperial shipping on contract for his Eldar allies, the Sister alternates between rocking back and forth and going all broken and 'nothing is wrong nothing is wrong nothing is wrong' - or whatever  ;) ) - then I feel that having an out-and-out Chaos-worshipper is potentially less disruptive to plot and party cohesion? I'd super look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Re:Chaos ... I feel like the nature of Chaos is that it does want to subvert, to rule, and gain power over others - there aren't really any examples of them just living side by side where one hasn't tried to take over the other, and the literal Ruinous Powers have issued a number of 'first strikes' - e.g. the Dark Prince announced his birth from the Eldar by massacring trillions with a psychic shockwave and devouring their souls. Not that the Imperium is great, but I feel that there's a qualitative difference between an Ork/Eldar/Tau and a worshipper of the Octet in terms of the scale of the goals they are looking at, and the methods they employ, that makes the former much easier to work into an Imperial-ish narrative. You can have the latter in a host, but you will get hostile attention from Inquisitors other than your own, interest from psykers Chaotic and non-Chaotic, and it rather limits the types of stories you can tell?

[Conundrum]

Starting the game with outright chaos worship I do not feel properly fits.  The group is being sent into chaos territory to fight chaos and find a safe passage for non-chaos ships to traverse the rift.

[TheGlyphstone]

It's in the Daemonic trait itself.
I guess it does technically give low tech sanctified...but the only low tech weapons anyone wants to be using are Force weapons.


True, but getting force weapons is a bitch...so it likely gives one to temporarily replace the other.

Oh...right. I've been playing Deathwatch for so long that I forget mortal psykers don't get force swords as starting equipment. ;D

Not to jump in here - and obviously it's not my call, it's the GM's, ultimately - it feels like Chaos cultist, or willing/(IC) unwilling daemonhost would be something super neat to work towards, later in the game, once we've slid a few levels towards more radicalism? Once the group dynamic has developed to something where 'do I hollow out my soul for a daemon to wear me, for what I'm are sure are very good reasons' (and the Tau is all going a bit Farsight, the Rogue Trader is pillaging Imperial shipping on contract for his Eldar allies, the Sister alternates between rocking back and forth and going all broken and 'nothing is wrong nothing is wrong nothing is wrong' - or whatever  ;) ) - then I feel that having an out-and-out Chaos-worshipper is potentially less disruptive to plot and party cohesion? I'd super look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Re:Chaos ... I feel like the nature of Chaos is that it does want to subvert, to rule, and gain power over others - there aren't really any examples of them just living side by side where one hasn't tried to take over the other, and the literal Ruinous Powers have issued a number of 'first strikes' - e.g. the Dark Prince announced his birth from the Eldar by massacring trillions with a psychic shockwave and devouring their souls. Not that the Imperium is great, but I feel that there's a qualitative difference between an Ork/Eldar/Tau and a worshipper of the Octet in terms of the scale of the goals they are looking at, and the methods they employ, that makes the former much easier to work into an Imperial-ish narrative. You can have the latter in a host, but you will get hostile attention from Inquisitors other than your own, interest from psykers Chaotic and non-Chaotic, and it rather limits the types of stories you can tell?

Pretty much. There's simply no room for Chaos and the Imperium to exist side by side in the long term. You might be able to argue for short-term team-ups against, say, the Tyranids or the Necrons. But the core premise of this campaign is mapping potential safe routes through the Great Rift, which is a fundamentally Chaos vs. Imperium conflict. A Chaos cultist does not suit that concept because any genuine aid they provide is a betrayal of the gods they worship, and betrayal is the ultimate unforgivable sin for the Dark Powers.

Also...."going Farsight?" I'm an Enclave member from the start, thank you very much. ;D

[Drowdeviant]

I figured as much, what about the actual idea i asked about instead of the daemonhost thing everyone got obsessed with?

Possessed are doomed to die by their daemonic visitor's hand Chaotic, sorry but no real way to avoid having your soul eventually consumed by them short of getting said daemon exorcised from your body. Daemons want to subvert, dominate and exploit by their very nature. They can play nice for a time if they feel like it but at the end of the day they do only look out for themselves and their patron gods. :P