TEXT:  
  Dark Magenta 
  Issue Three 
  Thought for the Day: Only in faith are we victorious 
  Winter 2009 
   
   
  Contents 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Page 
  The Grand Inquisitor Speaks…………………...................………………………………….2 
  Derek makes confession. 
   
  The Deathwatch..............................................................................................4 
  Eoin Whelan gives rules for the Ordo Xenos chamber militant. 
   
  I am not a Monster – Part 3..........................................................................7 
  Fleshing out the character from Issue 2 – plus win the model for yourself!  
   
  Eldritch Raiders………………...............……………………………................…..............11 
  Nathan Dowdell opens up the first part of his enormous Eldar rule-set!  
   
  Pieces of the Puzzle…..............…………………..…………………………......................25 
  Ruaridh Dall introduces the penultimate part of our on-going campaign battle report. 
   
  The Mercyday Incursion................................................................................31 
  Jez Lowe takes Ruridh and Derek Gillespie on a dangerous mission. 
   
  Modelling Masterclass – Imperial Fist Sergeant Tybalt Andrus…… .........…46 
  The Grandmaster shows off. 
   
  A Riddle in an Enigma.........................…………………………………………...............54 
  Frank O’Hanlon with background and rules for Demiurg constructs. 
   
  The Rites of Regulation................................................................................59 
  Short fiction by Mark Erlight 
   
  “Why Won’t Anyone Play With Me?”...........................................................64 
  Robey gets back on his soapbox 
   
  Communiqués……………………………………………………………………......................…65 
  Via the astropathic duct come your questions and queries. 
   
  Record of Heresies……………………………………………………………….......................66 
  Biographies of all the contributors to this issue of Dark Magenta. 
   
  Space Marine Character Sheet.....................................................................67 
  A special character sheet for Marines based on Eoin Whelan’s rules from Issue 2. 
   
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  2 
  The Grand Inquisitor speaks... 
  Finally, Issue 3 of Dark Magenta is upon us! The trials and tribulations of getting our little fanzine out to all 
  of you have taken their toll, but we’re here, and we’ve got lots of good stuff for the Inquisitor game. Before 
  I start, you’ll notice that Issue 2 never appeared in the same, highly-designed layout as Issue 1 (eventually) 
  did. Unfortunately, the additional time that it currently takes to transform a “plain” copy such as this into the 
  all-singing, all-dancing version we produced for Issue 1 is introducing an unacceptable lag time in getting 
  Dark Magenta available. As it takes long enough to gather content of sufficient quality, and to get that 
  material ready for publication, we’ve taken the difficult decision to run with a simpler page layout for the 
  immediate future, and only return to our more “polished” look if we can guarantee that it won’t slow down 
  the production process unduly. 
   
  One side-effect of a long production time is that a lot can happen in the community in between me getting 
  to speak to you, so I’ll attempt to pick out some of the important news and developments. Games Workshop 
  has now consolidated the Specialist Games range back within the main body of the company, the most 
  obvious result of this being the disappearance of the dedicated Specialist Games website. All SG products, 
  including Inquisitor, are now supported through the new-look GW website and online store. This has had 
  some secondary effects; firstly, the vast majority of Fanatic Online articles have disappeared from the 
  website for the moment. While there are certain routes available on the internet to track down these PDFs, 
  for the most part they’ve disappeared – watch this space to find out if and when they come back online in 
  the future! Secondly, the Specialist Games internet forums are no more. GW has granted permission for the 
  discussion boards to be moved to a new host website and continue in the same vein as before, yet free 
  from official GW monitoring. However, at the time of writing, technical problems are holding up the transfer, 
  so there is currently no official resource for the discussion of the full range of Specialist Games. In this 
  absence, game-specific internet forums have doubtless seen an upsurge in membership. 
   
  I’m writing this piece at the very end of 2008, and it was only a few weeks ago that I was at GW Head 
  Offices, attending the 2008 Inquisitor Grand Tournament, organised by our own Robey Jenkins. I don’t want 
  to say too much about the event itself, as I’m hoping we’ll carry a full report – with pictures and results – in 
  Issue 4, but it was the best-attended event of its type yet, with some wonderful models taking part in 
  fiendish player-derived scenarios, and it also had quite the range of GW celebrity guests dropping by! If you 
  couldn’t make it this year, keep a weekend in December 2009 free for the next one – I’m sure you won’t 
  regret it... 
   
  A teaser from the Recongregator Sourcebook – 
  artwork by Paul Rannard. 
   
  Besides working hard to bring you Dark Magenta, 
  we’re also very pleased to be supporting an 
  excellent fan endeavour. Over the space of 2008 
  and 2009, we’re aiming to produce sourcebooks to 
  cover 
  the 
  remaining 
  major 
  Inquisitorial 
  philosophies, following on from Gav Thorpe’s 
  positively-received Thorian sourcebook. The first 
  such book, covering the Recongregator faction, has 
  been written by Dave Knowles, and is available for 
  download 
  right 
  now 
  (visit 
  http://www.darkmagenta.co.uk/magazine.html), 
  and contains wonderful background, fiction, rules, 
  models and artwork. I’m sure you’ll be impressed if 
  you haven’t seen it as yet, and we’re hoping to 
  release the next in the series – the Istvaanian 
  sourcebook – around March or April 2009. The 
  others have all been lined up, and will hopefully 
  continue to be released steadily during the course 
  of 2009. 
   
  So, this issue of Dark Magenta has gone all Xenos, 
  I’m afraid. Our central article is a substantial 
  treatise from Nathan Dowdell that contains a 
  greatly extended examination of the alien Eldar in 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  3 
  Inquisitor, while Frank O’Hanlon gives 
  us a brief look at the mysterious Demiurg. To counter the incursion of alien interlopers, Eoin Whelan returns 
  to give us an addition to late issue’s Adeptus Astartes rules, covering the Ordo Xenos Deathwatch in greater 
  detail. On top of all that, we’ve got more from Inquisitors Goddard and Saussure as they battle across 
  Agripinaa, as well as fan fiction, art and modelling to amuse and entertain you in equal measure. 
   
  Finally, I’m going to highlight the just-completed 2009 Conclave Modelling competition, which finished only 
  a short while ago. The standard of entries has been high, and judging (with a highly-important VIP guest!) 
  is underway. Hopefully, the wonder of the winning entries will be showcased next issue. Any comments 
  about anything you read in this issue, feel free to get in contact at the usual address: 
  editor@darkmagenta.co.uk. 
   
  Happy gaming! 
  Derek. 
   
  The Dark Magenta Staff: 
   
  Editor-in-Chief 
  Derek Gillespie 
   
  Editors 
  Robert Grayston (Background and Rules) 
  Robey Jenkins (Features) 
  Douglas Johnson (Battle Reports, Scenarios and Campaigns) 
  Eoin Ravensdale (Modelling, Painting and Terrain) 
   
  Sub-Editors 
  Eoin Ravensdale 
  Rob Skene 
  Greg Lewis 
  Simon Philips 
  Joshua Prince 
   
  Technical Support, Layout and Design 
  Jack Davies 
  Isak Ström (currently away) 
   
  Disclaimer 
   
  This magazine is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. Text and layouts are © Dark Magenta and its proprietor. Artwork and characters are the 
  property of their respective owners. No part of this magazine should be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Dark Magenta is a non-profit-
  making organization and with the aim of promoting the Inquisitor game, products and hobby. 40k, Adeptus Astartes, Blood Angels, Bloodquest, Cadian, Catachan, Chaos, the Chaos 
  device, the Chaos logo, Citadel, Citadel Device, Cityfight, Codex, Daemonhunters, Dark Angels, Dark Eldar, Dawn of War, 'Eavy Metal, Eldar, Eldar symbol devices, Eye of Terror, 
  Fire Warrior, the Fire Warrior logo, Forge World, Games Workshop, Games Workshop logo, Genestealer, Golden Demon, Gorkamorka, Great Unclean One, GW, GWI, the GWI 
  logo, Inquisitor, the Inquisitor logo, the Inquisitor device, Inquisitor:Conspiracies, Keeper of Secrets, Khorne, the Khorne logo, Kroot, Lord of Change, Necron, Nurgle, the Nurgle 
  logo, Ork, Ork skull devices, Sisters of Battle, Slaanesh, the Slaanesh logo, Space Hulk, Space Marine, Space Marine chapters, Space Marine chapter logos, Tau, the Tau caste 
  designations, Tyranid, Tyrannid, Tzeentch, the Tzeentch logo, Ultramarines, Warhammer, Warhammer 40k Device, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, 
  names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer 40,000 universe are either ®, TM and/or © Copyright Games 
  Workshop Ltd 2000-2008, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to 
  their respective owners. 
   
  Dark Magenta is a not-for-profit, web-based fan magazine providing additional information for the Inquisitor game, and is in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. For more 
  information, see www.darkmagenta.co.uk. 
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  4 
  The Deathwatch 
  By Eoin Whelan 
   
  Following last issue’s explosive re-imagination of rules for Space Marines in Inquisitor, we asked Eoin to 
  suggest Chapter-specific rules for the various chapters of the Adeptus Astartes.  Because we were planning 
  a xenos-related issue, we specifically asked Eoin for rules for the Deathwatch, tireless supporters and elite 
  warriors of the Ordo Xenos themselves. 
   
  Also, as a treat for those of you who’re converting your Space Marine characters to Eoin’s new rules, you’ll 
  find a character sheet at the end of this issue, especially designed to keep track of the rules and effects of 
  the Astartes implants your character possesses. 
   
  Deathwatch Kill-Teams are elite fighting units 
  drawn from Space Marine Chapters all over the 
  galaxy to form the alien hunting chamber militant 
  of the Ordo Xenos. The Deathwatch are usually 
  spread thin and will frequently operate in small 
  groups or lead units of conventional troops, 
  although the Chapter does maintain a fleet of 
  strike cruisers and heavily-armed thunderhawks 
  for rapid reaction to threats. Only the most 
  dedicated and intelligent veterans are granted the 
  honour of serving a tour of duty with the 
  Deathwatch for it is inevitably perilous: the 
  Deathwatch must be able to act on initiative in 
  desperate situations and yet have the strength of 
  faith to trust in the Inquisition’s crusade to 
  preserve mankind at any cost. 
   
  Interactions with the Inquisition 
  Deathwatch are by the very nature intertwined 
  with the Ordo Xenos. Although nominally an 
  autonomous military force, the Deathwatch often 
  operate unquestioningly under the advice of a 
  given 
  Inquisitor. 
  Despite 
  this, 
  Kill 
  Team 
  commanders 
  are 
  painfully 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  dangerous paths Inquisitors must tread and 
  should the fine line be crossed from radicalism to 
  heresy, action must be taken swiftly and without 
  hesitation. Many fallen Inquisitors have made the 
  mistake of assuming the Deathwatch to be 
  unthinking minions. Far from the doctrines of 
  their parent Chapter, Deathwatch Space Marines 
  often have to confront intense moral decisions: 
  their faith in the Inquisition may be shattered or 
  they may even tread the path of radicalism 
  themselves. 
   
  To be selected to serve with the Deathwatch is an 
  honour that also carries with it a stigma; Space 
  Marines that return are rarely unchanged by the 
  experience. Some, exposed to the horrific 
  brutalities of the Inquisition may lose faith that 
  the will of the Emperor is being executed by His 
  servants, leading to a dangerous contempt for 
  Imperial authority. Others find the experience has 
  opened their minds far beyond the black-and-
  white sermons of hatred their chaplains preach. 
  Once returned to their parent Chapter, the Marine 
  is treated with respect by his battle-brothers, yet 
  usually suffers some degree of alienation.  
   
  Chapters that send Space Marines to serve with 
  the Deathwatch select them for many different 
  reasons. Veterans are often awarded a tour of 
  duty as a mark of distinction and a chance to 
  further serve the Emperor. Promising young 
  warriors are sometimes offered opportunities to 
  serve with the Ordo Xenos in order that they 
  might benefit from the experience.  Newly-
  promoted captains are also frequently selected as 
  their first taste of leadership, returning to assume 
  command of a battle company. Space Marines are 
  not always selected purely as a reward, however. 
  Chapter commanders may use the Deathwatch 
  oaths to rid themselves of troublesome individuals 
  who have displayed great valour yet show 
  undesirable traits such as undue independence of 
  thought or radical ideals. Such dangerous 
  individuals can hardly be punished for their zeal 
  yet their presence can be disruptive to the 
  harmony of the brethren. Hence they are often 
  shipped off to the Ordo Xenos where their ideas 
  can’t infect the rest of the Chapter. Should such 
  an individual fall in the service of the Inquisition, 
  he will be buried as a hero by his Chapter, no 
  longer a problem to the Chapter command. Those 
  that do return alive are often moulded by the 
  experience into a force that can shape the entire 
  future of the Chapter, with the potential to be the 
  greatest heroes the Chapter has known – or to 
  drag the Chapter into heresy and damnation. 
   
  Not all Space Marines return to their Chapters. 
  Some individuals become essentially permanent 
  members of the Deathwatch, forming the 
  command infrastructure. Others have no Chapter 
  to return to; a number of Scythes of the Emperor 
  brothers have found their way into the service of 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  5 
  the Ordo Xenos where their experiences against 
  the foul Tryanid are most beneficial.  
   
  Organisation 
  As the chamber militant of the Ordo Xenos, the 
  relationship between the Deathwatch and the 
  Inquisition is complex. The Deathwatch maintains 
  its own chain-of-command and individual Marines 
  serve a tour-of-duty with the Chapter, although 
  there is no specified length for a tour, it can be as 
  short as a specific mission or simply until released 
  by the Ordo. Scattered fortresses throughout the 
  galaxy serve as staging-posts for the Deathwatch, 
  who stand ready to assist Inquisitors. While the 
  protocol varies from area to area, most commonly 
  each fortress has a staff of human serfs, 
  astropaths and servitors all utterly loyal to the 
  Ordo Xenos, often enforced by mind-wipes and 
  indoctro-lobotomies. Each citadel is overseen by a 
  custodian, who liaises between the Inquisitors 
  and the Librarians of the Deathwatch. Custodians 
  are powerful individuals, often closely associated 
  with a particular Inquisitor Lord of the Ordo 
  Xenos. While it is almost unheard of for an 
  Inquisitor to be denied Deathwatch assistance by 
  a custodian, the request is often brought to the 
  attention of the senior Inquisitors in the area, 
  who may attend the Deathwatch with a full Ordo 
  Xenos strike force under the auspices of an 
  Inquisitor Lord. Such a strike force can be raised 
  in a very short time and lends considerable might 
  to the original Inquisitor – or can form the basis 
  for a conclave should the Inquisitor be found to 
  be unsound.  
   
  The organisation of the Deathwatch is necessarily 
  very loose. Individual Marines are routinely 
  dispatched on missions alone or attached to the 
  retinue 
  of 
  an 
  Inquisitor. 
  More 
  commonly, 
  however, Deathwatch are formed into Kill Teams, 
  usually 
  comprising 
  five 
  to 
  ten 
  individuals, 
  although there is no formal size and up to two 
  dozen Deathwatch marines may be deployed. 
  Alternatively, Ordo Xenos units made up from 
  human warriors lead by a Space Marine are 
  sometimes deployed when resources are scarce 
  or to spread the inspirational leadership of the 
  Deathwatch as much as possible. Kill Teams are 
  usually commanded by a distinguished captain, 
  an experienced commander able to draw the 
  Space 
  Marines, 
  often 
  from 
  very 
  disparate 
  Chapters, together as a tight-knit unit. Only in 
  rare cases are the Deathwatch assembled into 
  larger formations, although detachments in 
  excess 
  of 
  company 
  size 
  are 
  occasionally 
  assembled to combat dire threats. 
   
  Gene-seed 
  The gene-seed of a Deathwatch Marine will be of 
  his parent Chapter, which is always of the highest 
  quality. Chapters with inherited flaws will not 
  send unstable brethren to the arms of the 
  Inquisition: members from Chapters such as 
  Space Wolves or Blood Angels are often 
  exemplary and would be very unlikely to have 
  preponderance for any traits such as the Red 
  Thirst 
  or Curse 
  of the 
  Wulfen. 
  Similarly, 
  Deathwatch Marines from Chapters with extreme 
  ideologies would be among the most moderate of 
  their Chapter. A Deathwatch Marine originally 
  from the Black Templars, for example, might well 
  retain a deep distrust and antipathy for psykers 
  but this would not interfere with his duties in the 
  service of the Inquisition should he have to 
  interact with a sanctioned psyker such as an 
  Inquisitor or Librarian. 
   
  Should an Adeptus Astartes fall in the service of 
  the Inquisition, the Ordo Xenos makes every 
  effort to reclaim the gene-seed and power armour 
  to return to the Chapter. To fulfil this need, some 
  Kill Teams include an apothecary to retrieve the 
  gene-seed 
  if 
  possible. 
  Chapters 
  are 
  often 
  reluctant to give up specialists and the Ordo 
  Xenos does retain Mechanicus tech-adepts trained 
  and equipped to extract and preserve the gene-
  seed in order that it may be returned to the 
  Chapter.  
   
  Characteristics 
  As Deathwatch are recruited from many different 
  Chapters, their characteristics will depend on the 
  gene-seed and training they have received. 
  Deathwatch 
  are 
  usually 
  experienced 
  Space 
  Marines 
  (veteran 
  or 
  commander 
  profiles) 
  although younger battle-brothers with exceptional 
  talent may also be recruited – emphasis is placed 
  on Sagacity, Willpower and Leadership as much 
  as combat prowess.  
   
  Appropriate Skills/Equipment 
  Deathwatch are armed and armoured with the 
  best 
  equipment 
  available. 
  They 
  are 
  often 
  equipped with rare Mk VIII armour and the 
  trademark weapon is a sickle-clip Mk IV boltgun 
  with four additional six-bolt magazines (typically 
  loaded 
  with 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  specialist 
  bolt 
  ammunition), a shot selector and range-finder 
  targeter. Deathwatch Marines are often equipped 
  with auspexes and other detection devices as well 
  as more exotic equipment such as suspensors. 
  Deathwatch teams have access to a wide variety 
  of special weapons, the most common of which is 
  the heavy bolter, typically equipped with hellfire 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  6 
  shells after their development following the first 
  Tyranid invasion.  
   
  Rivalries 
  The Deathwatch are drawn from Chapters all over 
  the galaxy and this does sometimes cause 
  conflicts within Kill Teams although this is almost 
  always restrained to prideful banter. 
   
  Dragonsbreath bolts 
  Unlike inferno rounds designed to set the target 
  on fire, dragonsbreath bolts spray burning 
  promethium over a wide area, making for a 
  serviceable spray weapon. Dragonsbreath rounds 
  must be loaded singly (taking one action) and 
  may not be fired on semi-auto. When fired, 
  determine the point of impact as if it were a Blast 
  weapon – instead of working out normal damage, 
  resolve the effects of a hand flamer fired along 
  the line of fire originating from the point of 
  impact. 
   
  Vengeance rounds 
  Utilising 
  rare 
  and 
  unstable 
  plasma-core 
  technology, vengeance rounds were specifically 
  developed to breach the power armour of traitor 
  marines. Firing a vengeance round is a risky 
  action, if failed roll a D6 and consult the plasma 
  malfunction table (see the Inquisitor rulebook for 
  details). Vengeance rounds deal 3D10+2 damage. 
   
  *** 
  The Inquisitor’s History Book – The Legion of the Damned 
  It is inevitable that the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes come regularly under the intense scrutiny of the 
  Holy Orders.  The legacy of the ancient Heresy remains and the effort of concealing the frequency with 
  which Chapters choose to pursue their own agenda is a constant drain upon resources.  However, few 
  phenomena cause such concern as the strange case of the “Legion of the Damned”.  The precise origin of this 
  mysterious force is subject to debate.  It is widely held that it represents the rump of the Fire Hawks, the last 
  chapter of the Cursed 21st Founding, but if this is so then the truth is only more terrible, because sightings of 
  space marines in distinctive black armour, emblazoned with flames and bones dates back at least as far as 
  the Nova Terra Interregnum and fragmentary data has been cautiously dated even earlier. 
   
  The apparitions that form the Legion of the Damned possess the same superhuman constitution and 
  powerful weapons as their conventional brothers, yet they also possess the ability to translate in and out of 
  combat by an unknown method of teleportation.  They radiate a detectable psionic aura of menace and have 
  proven even more resistant to damage than normal Astartes brethren.  A detailed analysis of limited pict-
  capture data suggests a limited “phasing” ability roughly analogous to that displayed by constructs of the 
  Necrontyr race. 
   
  The true nature of the Legion, in all respects, is yet to be explained and efforts to capture one of their 
  number for interrogation and study have, thus far, proven fruitless. 
   
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  7 
  I am not a monster! 
  Part Three: Character and Profile 
   
  As this project has gone along, I’ve mentioned 
  several times the idea that the model should 
  come first and the character second.  I added last 
  issue the caveat to that idea that, as the model 
  forms, to an extent so does the character.  I defy 
  anyone to experiment with different weapons and 
  poses for a model-in-progress not to imagine who 
  the person is wielding this weapon or pointing 
  dramatically into the distance. 
   
  So to that extent, I am happy to say that the two 
  tend to evolve side by side.  However, I would 
  add that, however much you might imagine about 
  a character’s personality and origins as your build 
  him, that’s not the same thing as having a fully-
  formed character. 
   
  Now, I know that many people like to completely 
  design their character, with weapons, equipment, 
  armour, background, profile and abilities, in full 
  before they so much as pick up a catalogue.  
  Others are inspired by a picture of a model and 
  use that to inspire their character design.  I just 
  can’t do this.  The model who’s occupied my 
  attention for the last two issues has inspired me 
  in many ways and I have a strong feeling for who 
  he is, but, as I sit down to write this article, I 
  have no idea how strong or fast or smart he’ll be.  
  I don’t know what abilities he’ll have.  I don’t 
  know where he was born and I don’t know what 
  he’s doing in the Imperium of Man.  He’s just a 
  model. 
   
  But at least he’s a model.  And, as I’ve often been 
  heard to say, if you’ve got a model without a 
  character then you’re a lot closer to being able to 
  play a game than you are if you’ve got a 
  character without a model.  So, with that said, 
  let’s take a look at him again. 
   
  Profile 
  It may surprised people to know that I start with 
  the profile.  But I find it a good way to flesh out 
  the character in some detail without being too 
  specific.  It’s like a sketch of a portrait, that 
  shows the general outline of the person (or 
  monster) behind it. 
   
  WEAPON SKILL – I want him to be competent, 
  but not too competent.  That eviscerator will do 
  serious damage to an opponent and if he’s too 
  good, he’ll unbalance the game.  Moreover, he’s a 
  big lad and I feel that he probably relies on his 
  fearsome appearance to give him an advantage 
  over those smaller than he is.  So I’m going to 
  give him a WS of 57.  That means he’s got plenty 
  of scrapping experience, but not much finesse 
  and a properly-trained fighter should be able to 
  avoid his attacks and get a few back at him. 
   
  BALLISTIC SKILL – He’s got a flame pistol, 
  which suggests that he’s not much worried about 
  shooting straight.  But on the other hand, I want 
  him to be able to throw those knives!  I’m going 
  to give him a fairly high BS.  This won’t have 
  much affect on his flame-pistol, but it will mean 
  he gets to surprise opponents with a throwing 
  knife and it suggests a deeper level of intelligence 
  that’s part of how I’ve seen this character from 
  the start.  His BS will be 68. 
   
  STRENGTH – He looks strong and he is strong.  
  He needs a Strength of 75 in one hand to wield 
  that eviscerator, so I’m going to give him a S of 
  150. 
   
  TOUGHNESS – In a nod to his trollish origins, 
  I’m already planning to give him the Regeneration 
  ability, and he needs to be hard to put down – 
  but not as tough as he is strong.  So I’m going to 
  give him a T of 82. 
   
  INITIATIVE – Those short legs and that sizeable 
  stomach are going to mean he’s not your fastest 
  of movers.  But I don’t want him to a Speed 3 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  8 
  lummox.  50 is the lowest his Initiative can be 
  and still give him a Speed of 4, so that’s going to 
  be his Initiative. 
   
  WILLPOWER – He’s not a psyker and although 
  he’s intelligent, I feel like he’s always fighting to 
  escape a mind that’s at least part-beast.  I’ve 
  always seen Willpower as the “human side” of a 
  person’s brain, though, so I’m going to give him 
  the benefit of the doubt and a WP of 62. 
   
  SAGACITY – Like I said, he’s smart.  But he’s 
  not technical.  Look at his clothes for heaven’s 
  sake!  He likes his flamer because it’s simple to 
  maintain and use and he probably needs 
  someone else to help him to look after his 
  eviscerator.  His Sagacity will be an unimpressive 
  58. 
   
  NERVE – If Willpower is the “human side”, then 
  Nerve is the “animal” side.  Easily startled by loud 
  noises, even when his reason tells him there’s 
  nothing to fear, his Nerve is a paltry 35. 
   
  LEADERSHIP – He can call upon deep reserves 
  of experience and discipline to help himself 
  overcome his natural animal nervousness.  He’s 
  also had experience of leading mutants and other 
  outcasts and will have the Leader ability (albeit 
  modified).  His natural leadership is 68. 
   
  So, what have we got here?  A smart leader, 
  hiding his natural cunning beneath an impression 
  of size and strength.  But also a mind at war with 
  itself: the human and the beast constantly 
  battling for control.  This leads us nicely into the 
  next part... 
   
  Abilities 
  Abilities can make or break not only a character 
  but also a game.  I’ve heard the mournful cry of 
  “oh, I forgot he had...” so many times, be it a 
  forgotten psychic power or a neglected True Grit, 
  if we laden our characters with too many abilities, 
  we’ll never make full use of all of them and our 
  games and enjoyment will suffer.  So I’m going to 
  pick three abilities for my mutant leader. 
   
  The first, obviously enough, is going to be Leader.  
  But I’m going to modify it, so that it only applies 
  to other mutants on his side.  “Straights” aren’t 
  about to be inspired by the example of such a 
  malformed example of the race. 
   
  The second has also already been mentioned: 
  Regeneration.  Apart from anything else, I tend to 
  see this power as conferring a longer-than-natural 
  lifespan that will allow me to knit his existence in 
  with my other long-lived characters. 
   
  Finally, I’m going to represent his animal nature 
  with Frenzy but, like Leader, I’m going to modify 
  it so that he becomes subject to Frenzy only after 
  he is injured.  At the start of his turn after any 
  round in which he is injured, he must take a 
  Willpower test, with a negative modifier equal to 
  the total amount of damage he received in the 
  previous round.  If failed, he is subject to Frenzy.  
  He will recover automatically in the recovery 
  phase but must test again each time he is injured. 
   
  Equipment 
  A lot of people think that equipment is obvious.  
  You look at the model, write down what you see 
  and the job’s done.  But in fact, there can be a lot 
  more to it than that.  If a character has a lasgun, 
  what pattern is it?  If he has a pistol, does he 
  have any special ammunition?  If he has pouches, 
  what’s in them?  If he’s wearing robes, does he 
  have armour underneath them? 
   
  But the first part is pretty easy: our mutant has a 
  hand flamer and an eviscerator.  I suppose I 
  could just make it a chainsword, but “eviscerator” 
  is such a lovely word it seems a shame to miss a 
  chance to say it as often as possible. 
   
  “He’s going to attack you with his eviscerator!” 
   
  Oh, yes. 
   
  But he’s also got that fuel pack on his belt, so I’m 
  going to double the number of shots he can take 
  with his hand flamer from 4 to 8, although he’s 
  obviously not carrying a reload.  He’s also got his 
  hand flamer chained to his wrist, so he can’t drop 
  it in the unlikely event that he’s shot in the arm 
  and fails a Strength test. 
   
  Then there’s that pair of throwing knives.  But 
  they aren’t regular throwing knives, let’s be fair, 
  here.  These are Monster throwing knives.  So 
  I’ve amended their Accuracy to -10 and made 
  their Damage 2D6. 
   
  Next, there’re the grenades and pouches.  He’s 
  got three frag grenades and two krak grenades, 
  which are pretty standard.  But I’ve decided that 
  the flasks on his belt are a Fabian-style fire bomb 
  and a smoke grenade.  Handy!  Other than that, I 
  think he’s got enough kit, so the rest of his 
  pouches just contain his next meal. 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  9 
  Next, there’s his bionic eye.  Tempting as it was 
  to include a built-in weapon or gunsight, I just 
  couldn’t see some backstreet medic installing 
  something that clever for our renegade mutant.  
  So I made it a plain average bionic eye. 
   
  Finally, I took a good look at his clothes and 
  decided that there was no way they could pretend 
  to be armour of any sort.  On the other hand, 
  though, he does look like his skin is pretty scaly, 
  so I decided that he’d have 2 armour points on all 
  locations to represent his natural mutant hide. 
   
  So he’s finished, right?  Well, you might think so.  
  His character sheet, which you can find at the 
  end of this article, is certainly nearly finished.  But 
  there’s one essential empty field that needs to be 
  filled.  But let’s put that to one side for the time 
  being and look, instead at his background. 
   
  Background 
  We’ve already established that he’s a mutant 
  leader at war with his inner beast, with a wily 
  cunning and obvious physical prowess.  It’s also 
  been hinted – through that fire bomb – that he’s 
  perhaps got contact with the notorious mutant 
  emissary, Fabian.  So with that in mind, let’s take 
  250 words or so to flesh him out: 
   
  When the infamous Emissary Fabian vanished from the Baphomet system, it was thought that his threat had 
  been ended for good.  But whilst Fabian reappeared again, many light years away, matters on Baphomet had 
  not yet reached their conclusion.  A new leader rose up in the wastelands, who led a series of surgical 
  commando strikes against Northern Federation industrial sites, whilst leaving the Southern Congress 
  untouched.  Accusations of Southern sponsorship of this new mutant terrorist were quick to rise from the 
  North and the planet’s largest continent teetered on the brink of civil war. 
   
  Only the intervention of Inquisitrix Kang-Ju Ki prevented open hostilities as she led a lightning raid upon 
  the wasteland headquarters of the outcast terrorists.  Her elite team of mercenaries cut the heart from the 
  resistance and Ki revealed the mutants’ plans to plunge the world of Baphomet into anarchy. 
   
  But the new leader of the mutants eluded capture, apparently disappearing into the depths of Baphomet’s 
  unforgiving deserts.  Inquisitrix Ki departed and peace – of a kind – reigned on Baphomet once more.  But 
  as Ki charted a precisely-calculated course ahead of the bow-wave of Hive Fleet Leviathan, a trend of 
  mutant insurrections was noted by those who monitor such things: a trend that matched with astonishing 
  clarity a similar rise in genestealer cult activity. 
   
  No investigation into this phenomenon has yet been authorised, but there are those who say that the 
  unconventional inquisitrix has acquired a shadowy new ally in her risky strategy to divert the path of the 
  ravenous Tyranids... 
   
  You’ll notice that I like to leave my background deliberately vague and suggestive rather than explicit.  This 
  leaves plenty of “wiggle room” for fitting my characters into the on-going plot and crossed paths of the 
  characters of my regular opponents and allows me to flesh out the history and origins in the course of the 
  gameplay rather than before the model even hits the table. 
   
  But what’s his name!? 
  Well spotted!  I’m yet to give my monstrous new mutant a name, of course.  But that’s where you lot come 
  in, because it’s COMPETITION TIME! 
   
  Write to the editor at the usual address with your suggestion for our mutant rebel’s name.  We’ll pick the 
  best one and the lucky winner will receive the model and character sheet as a prize!  That’s right, I’m giving 
  him away!  So get brainstorming and write in.  One entry per person, please.  No correspondence... judges’ 
  decision final... etc etc. 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  10 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  11 
  Eldritch Raiders 
  A Look at the Ways of the Eldar 
  by Nathan Dowdell 
   
  In this, the first and longest part of what we hope will become the seminal treatment of the 
  Eldar for Inquisitor, you’ll find a detailed background of the race, an explanation of the various 
  sects and racial groups and some starting points for players to give their existing Eldar 
  characters traits and abilities that really capture the essence of this enigmatic alien race. 
   
  EXPLANATIONS or ‘WHY THE ELDAR ARE THE WAY THEY ARE TODAY’ 
   
   
   
  The Fall of the Eldar  
  A cataclysm unlike any in all of recorded 
  history, The Fall, as it is simply known, 
  devastated an entire culture in a single night, 
  tearing the Eldar race asunder as a God was 
  born. 
   
  For tens of millions of years, the Eldar Empire 
  had ruled the stars, unchallenged by any 
  species.  Their long lives were bountiful ones, 
  yielding great feats of scholarship, art, science 
  and warfare as the Eldar strove to reach 
  perfection in any task or sphere of life.  Their 
  minds were keen, their senses sharp, and their 
  lust for fulfilment, and their satisfaction from 
  achieving it, was unmatched by any other 
  race.  Across an Empire that spanned the 
  known galaxy, the Eldar could want for 
  nothing, as all their needs were filled by 
  automaton-labourers, leaving them to spend 
  their considerable lifespan doing nothing less 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  12 
  than fulfilling their every desire, mastering 
  every art, delving into the depths of every 
  science, and honing their bodies to every peak 
  of physical ability.   For the uncounted 
  millennia after the Eldar Empire reached its 
  peak, no Eldar asked "Why?"  Instead, the 
  only question asked was “Why not?” 
   
  As time passed, the Eldar pushed deeper into 
  these activities, eschewing the rest of the 
  galaxy in pursuit of personal pleasure.  No lore 
  was forbidden, no activity taboo, and the 
  once-utopian Eldar Empire was reduced to a 
  husk of what it once was, filled with the 
  ecstatic screams of the hedonists that now 
  occupied it.  Extremes became the norm, and 
  no extreme was beyond reach.  The notion of 
  insanity fell into disuse, becoming ancient 
  terminology no longer relevant to the modern 
  Eldar.  Amongst this hedonistic maelstrom, 
  voices cried out.  Many remembered the old 
  ways, and uncounted thousands decried the 
  ways that had gripped their kin.  For some, 
  this may have been a genuine feeling of panic 
  and fear at what their people had descended 
  to, but for as many others it may have been 
  simply another extreme of perception and 
  action.  The truth is not known.  Regardless, 
  these critics of the new order fled the 
  homeworlds, gathering what ships they could 
  and taking their families to the farthest fringes 
  of the galaxy, seeking the wilderness so they 
  might live lives of honest toil and simple 
  labour, undistracted by the pleasures of the 
  flesh.  This event was known as the Exodus, 
  and its participants, the Exodites. 
   
  With the Exodites gone, Eldar society became 
  more and more insular, finding greater depths 
  of depravity to experience – for that was the 
  only thing left that mattered: the experience.  
  The act was now irrelevant, so long as it was 
  new and fresh and exciting.  Eldar blood ran 
  freely in the streets, gangs and cults formed 
  around concepts and abstract pursuits of 
  enjoyment, and society crumbled further.  
  From the stars themselves, another change 
  came.  Immense trade-ships, known as 
  Kionash, or Craftworlds, plied their wares 
  across the galaxy, trading with other races and 
  with far-flung colonies and settlements.  Such 
  was their isolation that, when they returned 
  home from their journeys, they were horrified 
  at the sight of their worlds in ruins, burning 
  with a thousand fires and stained with blood.  
  As hurriedly as they were able, these 
  Craftworlders gathered up their families and 
  what remained of their homes, and fled back 
  into the depths of space, seeking to put as 
  much distance between themselves and the 
  insanity that gripped the core worlds.  This 
  process took millennia, and happened right up 
  to the end. 
   
  In those last days, the galaxy itself felt the 
  effects of Eldar hedonism.  The Warp became 
  tumultuous, churning with storms that isolated 
  the previously-spreading empires and fiefdoms 
  of Mankind from each other.  The Eldar did 
  not notice, for they no longer cared for anyone 
  but themselves, and travelled across the stars 
  by means of the Webway, an ancient network 
  of warp-tunnels first created by the Old Ones 
  in ancient days, and expanded upon by the 
  Eldar as their Empire grew.  But, regardless of 
  what the Eldar knew, there was something 
  sleeping within the Warp. 
   
  The Eldar soul is more powerful than that of 
  almost any other creatures, and considerable 
  psychic potential rests within each Eldar mind, 
  requiring only training to unleash.  Within the 
  Warp itself, their minds remain awake, 
  conscious 
  of 
  themselves 
  and 
  their 
  surroundings.  This potency, combined with 
  the hedonistic tendencies of the Eldar, had 
  forced the souls of the dead to coalesce, 
  gathering around the core worlds like a 
  malicious 
  cloud, 
  dreaming 
  like 
  some 
  slumbering beast.  Many Eldar knew of this – a 
  cult had sprung up amongst those more 
  attuned to the Warp's tides, and the Eldar 
  were soon celebrating the birth of a new age; 
  an age in which the Eldar would worship a 
  God crafted in their own image. 
   
  As the last Craftworlds arrived and began 
  gathering refugees, the event known as the 
  Final Night started.  Mass sacrifices were 
  planned across the homeworlds, as offerings 
  to this new and powerful God they were 
  creating.  An event of merrymaking to surpass 
  all that had come before was begun all across 
  what remained of the Empire, revelry to usher 
  in this new age.  When it happened, it 
  changed the Eldar forever. 
   
  In an instant, their God awoke, and took Her 
  first breath.  Countless trillions of Eldar died in 
  a single moment, along with uncounted seers 
  and psykers from other races, as their souls 
  were torn from their bodies and consumed by 
  this new entity as it emerged from a hungry, 
  dream-filled sleep.  The mass transfer of souls 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  13 
  being forced into the Warp caused reality to 
  shudder, and where the Eldar were most 
  concentrated – their homeworlds – the strain 
  was too great.  Reality collapsed around those 
  homeworlds, tearing like a cloth stretched too 
  far.  As reality pulled away, the seething 
  energies of the warp flooded through, forever 
  changing those worlds and all who still 
  remained upon them. 
   
  For those that survived, it was little better.  
  The remaining Eldar all watched as friends, 
  family and loved ones dropped to the floor, 
  their eyes dull and lifeless.  Those still left 
  upon the homeworlds looked up to see their 
  once-sapphire skies turned crimson as the 
  warp intruded upon the world around them, 
  and they fled.  Feeling the hunger of their new 
  god upon their souls, a gnawing, whispering 
  sensation that would forever haunt all Eldar, 
  they rushed into the Webway, seeking respite.  
  It was sufficient to reduce the feeling, but it 
  could not be blocked completely – not there, 
  at least. 
   
  No Eldar speaks in any depth about The Fall, 
  and only amongst their own kind do they 
  speak of it at all.  It was a time of great strife 
  and destruction, and, paradoxically, they both 
  force themselves to remember it, yet wish 
  they could forget it; for all that it did to them, 
  all that it represents.  The legacy left by The 
  Fall is all around them – the shattered 
  remnants of a once-glorious Empire, the 
  haunted looks in the faces of their kin, and the 
  great crimson rent in the fabric of existence 
  that lays where once the jewel of the Eldar 
  Empire stood.  That gaping hole is infamous to 
  all beings in this galaxy, and is known now, 
  and forever more, as the Eye of Terror. 
   
  The Toil of the Exodites  
  Of the Exodites, little is told.  Their escape 
  was only somewhat successful, as many were 
  slain by marauding Orks, Humans or even the 
  native beasts of the worlds upon which they 
  landed.  Those few that survived were in just 
  as poor a predicament, but they endured.  
  Casting aside all notions of their history, the 
  legacies of their ancestors and the luxuries of 
  modern existence, they set about working the 
  land, taming livestock and growing crops.  
  There was an honesty in their new lives, a 
  simplicity that hardened them, made them 
  strong.  Written lore was minimal, with 
  knowledge passed down by word of mouth or 
  by apprenticeship, and eventually the Exodite 
  colonies began to stabilise.  What remained of 
  their technology was turned towards the goals 
  of survival, agriculture and defence, but they 
  still relied more on their own bodies and minds 
  than they did on technological marvels. 
   
  On many of these worlds, great herds of 
  reptilian animals dwelt within the wilderness, 
  and many of those creatures were traded with 
  neighbouring worlds, until the sight of the 
  Dragon was common to almost all Exodite 
  worlds.  Though fearsome in name and myth, 
  the dragons seen amongst the Exodites vary 
  from large, docile herbivores, to swift raptors, 
  to airborne predators.  All can be tamed by 
  the Exodites, and they use them as beasts of 
  burden, as war-animals, and as food for their 
  tables. 
   
  The Exodites distrust the rest of the Eldar, 
  seeing them as too close in viewpoint to those 
  who caused The Fall.  That said, they often 
  accept the aid of, and trade with, the Eldar of 
  the 
  Craftworlds, 
  but 
  no 
  non-Exodite 
  is 
  permitted to linger amongst them for long, for 
  fear 
  of 
  corrupting 
  the 
  younger, 
  more 
  impressionable 
  Eldar 
  with 
  notions 
  of 
  exploration and excitement. 
   
  The Intricacies of the Path 
  Though they were not the first to decide that 
  self-denial would be the salvation of their 
  people, the Eldar of the Craftworlds were 
  those who embraced it most rigidly.  The 
  Exodites denied their past, but placed no 
  restrictions upon their future, content merely 
  to eke out an existence upon distant worlds, 
  far from the epicentre of the cataclysm.  The 
  Craftworlders established a far more complex, 
  far more restrictive way of life. 
   
  In the opening days and weeks after The Fall, 
  many Craftworlds were pulled in to the 
  advancing edge of the Eye of Terror, trapped 
  because they strayed near to the homeworlds 
  too 
  long. 
   
  Those 
  that 
  weren't, 
  found 
  themselves unsure of what to do next. 
   
  A warrior, known only as Asurmen, established 
  a system of roles and castes, referred to as 
  ‘The Path’, which would define how the Eldar 
  of the Craftworlds lived their lives and 
  explored their bodies and minds.  At the 
  centre of the Path system was the Path of 
  Khaine – the Warrior Path, which provided 
  skilled warriors to the Eldar cause in this time 
  of desperation.  From this foundation, he 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  14 
  trained five others – Maugan Ra, Jain Zar, 
  Arhra, Feugan, and Baharroth, who each went 
  on to found their own Way within that Path, 
  each choosing to focus upon a different aspect 
  of warfare. 
   
  However, the Path itself is not restricted 
  wholly to that of warriors.  For every facet of 
  life, there is a Path to accompany it, and 
  within those broad facets are countless 
  specialisations, known as Ways.  An Eldar may 
  walk any Path he desires, and any Way within 
  that Path, for as long as he or she wishes it.  
  Once that Eldar has seen, experienced and 
  learned enough from that Path, they turn their 
  back upon it, choosing to walk another Path.  
  In this way, the limitless potential of the Eldar 
  mind is controlled and given structure to learn, 
  while preventing the all-consuming hedonism 
  that destroyed what came before. 
   
  The Path is not without risks, however.  Once 
  upon a Path, an Eldar may find himself called 
  further along it than most.  As time 
  progresses, they find it more and more 
  difficult to consider anything else, and may 
  eventually become trapped, or lost, upon the 
  Path, unable to leave it for as long as they 
  live.  The most infamous of these lost are the 
  Exarchs – exemplars of the Path of the 
  Warrior, they cannot choose to be anything 
  less than Warriors, and can no longer view the 
  world through anything but the eyes of a 
  soldier – seeing cover where others see 
  forests, and killing grounds where another 
  might see a flowerbed or field. 
   
  As a result, Craftworld life is highly ritualised, 
  and mental discipline is honed to a point 
  where all Craftworlders are able to restrain 
  and separate their darkest, warlike impulses 
  from the rest of themselves.  It is through a 
  series of rituals – led and officiated by the 
  Exarchs and Warlocks of the Craftworld – that 
  those impulses are unleashed, allowing the 
  Eldar to engage in battle without remorse or 
  mercy.  Key to this transition is the helm, 
  which 
  serves 
  as 
  a 
  subconscious 
  shield 
  between their peace-minds and their war-
  selves.  Foolish Craftworlders have been 
  traumatised by the horrors of battle by merely 
  removing their helm, undoing the rituals that 
  desensitise them to those horrors. 
   
  Both Exodites and Craftworlders share one 
  uniting element – Carracenad, or Soulstones.  
  Worn upon the breast from birth, Soulstones 
  represent salvation for these kindreds, a 
  means to avoid the unending torment that 
  would accompany death were they allowed to 
  truly depart from this world.  Each stone is 
  bound to its owner, and will capture his soul at 
  the moment of death, imprisoning them in 
  crystal rather than permit them to be 
  devoured.  These soulstones are then carried 
  to sacred resting places, where the immortal 
  soul is allowed to commune with others like it 
  – either in the wraithbone Infinity Circuits of 
  the Craftworlds, or in the myriad World Spirits 
  of the Exodites.  Without this protection, an 
  Eldar is naked to the warp, unshielded and 
  vulnerable to She Who Thirsts, and no Eldar 
  will relinquish his 
  soulstone 
  under any 
  circumstances. 
   
  The Thirst of the Druchii  
  Those who lingered upon the 
  homeworlds to the last 
  moments were forever 
  changed. 
   
  Though 
  unable to relinquish 
  their 
  hedonism, 
  so 
  ingrained was it into 
  their psyches, they 
  knew 
  that 
  they 
  could not survive 
  alone, 
  not 
  when 
  confronted with She 
  Who Thirsts.  Led 
  by the rallying 
  cry of those 
  too 
  young 
  for 
  The 
  Great 
  Enemy 
  to 
  truly 
  dominate, 
  many of whom 
  had been spared from sacrifice only by a 
  matter of moments, the survivors fled into the 
  Webway, knowing that it was separate from 
  the Warp and would shield them. 
   
  Shield them it did, but not completely.  Like all 
  Eldar, they would forever feel a gnawing 
  hunger in their consciousnesses that was not 
  their own, a whispering temptation in the 
  depths of their mind, slowly tugging at their 
  soul.  Unlike their kin aboard the Craftworlds 
  and on distant Exodite colonies, they did not 
  have the means to create soulstones, and 
  would be forced to exist without their 
  protection.  To counteract this, they sunk to 
  depths the likes of which have forever 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  15 
  segregated them from all other Eldar – they 
  began devouring the souls of others. 
   
  They discovered that, though their souls would 
  slowly be leeched away from them by She 
  Who Thirsts, they could fill that gaping void 
  with the essences of others, of all species.  
  Raiders were sent out to capture prime 
  specimens from all walks of life and all 
  species.  While most would be slain within 
  days, if not hours, of their arrival into the 
  Webway, those who showed particular spirit or 
  were otherwise interesting were spared to be 
  experimented upon, or even forced into the 
  fighting pits that were becoming increasingly 
  common. 
   
  Their settlement within the Webway grew over 
  time, the first spires forming the core of what 
  became a vast and disturbing cityscape, 
  forever lacking sunlight or the glitter of stars, 
  bathed in the unnatural twilight of the 
  Webway itself.  This dark city became known 
  as Commorragh, and its inhabitants, the 
  Druchii. 
   
  As the decades and centuries have passed, 
  Druchii 
  society 
  has 
  become 
  increasingly 
  complex and dangerous.  Plots and schemes 
  for supremacy, and thus the vastest banquets 
  of souls and the choicest slaves, are abundant 
  in the upper reaches of the Dark City, while 
  slaughter gangs, drug cults and an assortment 
  of fellowships devoted to all manner of petty 
  indulgences fill the wastes at the bottom.  
  Their raids through the myriad capillaries and 
  tunnels of the Webway lead them to all 
  manner of worlds, and swiftly-dealt death and 
  destruction is wrought, with dozens, even 
  hundreds or thousands of slaves carried 
  screaming to their doom.  They even go so far 
  as to war with their own kin, lashing out at the 
  Craftworlders and Exodites in a mixture of 
  misplaced anger, twisted arrogance and 
  hungry lust, for an Eldar soul burns brighter 
  than almost any other mortal soul, and they 
  command a high price in the Dark City. 
   
  The Freedom of the Outcasts  
  Many find the Exodite colonies to be dull 
  compared to the allure of the stars.  Others 
  seek escape from the rigid constraints of the 
  Path.  Yet more seek respite from the 
  perpetual horrors of Commorragh.  All these 
  are known as Outcasts, Eldar unbound to any 
  but themselves.   
  To the Craftworlders, they are seen as 
  misguided, foolhardy and reckless, willing to 
  endanger themselves and others to selfishly 
  sate their own wanderlust and passion.  To 
  the Exodites, they are a threat to their way of 
  life, tempting the inexperienced youth of each 
  colony 
  with 
  notions 
  of 
  adventure 
  and 
  excitement.  To the Druchii, they are exiles, 
  betrayers, abandoning their birthright and 
  turning their backs upon the true nature of the 
  Eldar.  But in all cases, this distrust, fear or 
  hatred is tempered by a knowledge that 
  Outcasts are useful.  They make contact with 
  mankind and other races, finding new grounds 
  to exploit in trade or plunder.  They find 
  treasures and ruins lost to their people, 
  reuniting Eldarkind with its ancient legacies.  
  They move silently, striking down the enemies 
  of Eldarkind, acting as scouts, assassins and 
  spies for their kin. 
   
  No two outcasts are alike.  Each one seeks a 
  different means of expression, or to sate a 
  different desire.  Their skills are as varied as 
  their motivations, with many taking to the 
  stars in graceful craft, or moving between 
  worlds through the Webway, surviving on their 
  wits and talents.  That isn’t to say that there 
  are no specific distinctions, but they are often 
  vague, and the Eldar lifespan is such that 
  many Outcasts may have been counted 
  amongst two or three of these distinct groups. 
   
  What does bind them together is their 
  eventual fate.  Outcasts end their ‘careers’ in 
  one of two ways – through death, on some 
  forgotten rock, or drifting in space, or through 
  returning home, and rejoining the lives of their 
  brethren, made wiser and wearier because of 
  their travels. 
   
  Of all the known kindreds of Outcast, two are 
  better known than most, perhaps due to 
  renowned examples, or because of their 
  purpose. 
   
  Rangers, 
  most 
  often 
  former 
  Craftworlders or Exodites, wander away from 
  home, but retain their loyalties, choosing to 
  perform their exile in a manner that benefits 
  their 
  families 
  and 
  friends, 
  seeking 
  lost 
  treasures, hidden enemies and new pastures, 
  or otherwise acting at the behest of the 
  leaders of their distant communities.  The 
  most skilled of these regain a measure of their 
  former discipline and stoicism, becoming 
  Pathfinders. 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  16 
  Corsairs, 
  rather 
  than 
  being 
  a 
  singular 
  distinction, are in fact a vague grouping.  Any 
  unaligned Eldar who engages in piracy, space 
  exploration, 
  trade 
  or 
  similar 
  spacefaring 
  activities can potentially be seen as a Corsair, 
  not least because such outcasts are likely to 
  be capricious, unpredictable beings, as quick 
  to slay in cold blood as he is to show mercy to 
  his enemies.  Some Corsairs are in fact 
  shamed 
  and 
  exiled 
  Fleetmasters 
  and 
  Craftmasters from the Craftworlds, banished 
  for some indiscretion or foolish decision.  Most 
  famous of these is Yriel of Iyanden, who was 
  banished for his overzealous and overeager 
  pursuit of a Chaos fleet, leaving the Craftworld 
  vulnerable, only to return in a blaze of glory 
  when the Tyranids assailed his home. 
   
  But they are but the tip of the iceberg, and 
  Outcasts are as varied as they are elusive. 
   
  COMMON ELDAR TRAITS  
  Because the Inquisitor rules are written 
  primarily with humans and near-humans in 
  mind, profile adjustments alone will not 
  properly depict the abilities of the Eldar.  As a 
  result, Eldar have a number of special abilities 
  which are common to most, if not all of their 
  species, representing those traits that cannot 
  be represented by having a different profile. 
   
  Catfall  
  All Eldar have a natural grace and fluidity of 
  movement that makes even the most graceful 
  human look like a clumsy, awkward oaf.  Their 
  smooth, flowing, yet startlingly quick motions 
  allow them to perform feats of agility beyond 
  those of Humans or Orks.  Those who choose 
  to hone these abilities can become acrobats of 
  incredible skill, but even the most untried of 
  Eldar is lithe and light on his feet. 
   
  All Eldar have the Catfall talent, as described 
  in the Inquisitor rulebook.  Certain kinds of 
  armour and equipment can encumber their 
  slender frames, however, and prevent them 
  from gaining the normal benefits.  This will be 
  noted in the entries of the items in question. 
   
  Innately Psychic 
  The vast majority of sentient beings are, to 
  some degree or another, psychic.  In the vast 
  majority of cases – namely humanity – this 
  psychic potential isn’t great enough to 
  manifest 
  itself 
  in 
  anything 
  more 
  than 
  occasional luck, being a keen judge of 
  character, or something equally benign and 
  inconsequential.  The comparatively ‘blunt’ 
  Tau demonstrate fewer and fewer of these 
  traits, and seem to have both a very low 
  natural potential for psychic activity, and a 
  very small variance in that potential. 
   
  The Eldar, on the other hand, are all psychic 
  to a degree where it takes only training and 
  willpower to develop their innate gift into a 
  potent ability.  Every single Eldar, be they a 
  child of less than a century, or a long-lived 
  warrior of several millennia, possesses the 
  capacity to become a psyker. 
   
  In those who do not choose to develop their 
  powers, this capacity manifests itself in minor, 
  but still noticeable ways.  Almost all Eldar 
  technology is based on psychic engineering, as 
  a result of this race-wide talent, and most 
  interactive devices operate on mental impulse 
  instead of mechanical input.  An Eldar need 
  not pull a trigger, press a button or operate a 
  lever – he merely needs to grasp the control 
  surfaces and will it to act.  Beyond that, is 
  their language; a complex, flowing tongue 
  where subtle body language, the tiniest 
  inflection and the emotional presence of the 
  speaker are just as important as the words 
  themselves.  Being able to communicate 
  empathically, projecting their emotions onto 
  the environment or into the minds of their 
  comrades is an integral part of this complex 
  language.  Indeed, many Eldar would rather 
  use a cruder, simpler language like Imperial 
  Gothic than debase the Lam-Eldannar by 
  omitting parts of it – it would be no different 
  to the act of trying to speak Gothic without 
  using vowel sounds.  Of all the abilities 
  possessed by the Eldar, this is the most 
  commonly developed upon, and it is common 
  for Seers and Aspect Warriors to develop it 
  into a lower form of telepathy, allowing them 
  to communicate through mind-speech in a 
  manner similar to the way Humans and Tau 
  use electronic communications devices. 
   
  Minor telekinesis is a common enough ability, 
  though far from ubiquitous, and in most cases 
  only operates at distances of a few inches, or 
  with objects to which the Eldar is closely 
  attuned, such as seer runes and family 
  heirlooms. 
   
  Most of these have no real in-game effect, 
  except 
  the 
  ability 
  to 
  empathically 
  communicate.  An Eldar character can attempt 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  17 
  to 
  project 
  simple 
  concepts 
  – 
  primarily 
  emotional states – to characters they can see 
  who are willing to receive such projected 
  feelings, and who are either other Eldar, or 
  psykers.  Over distances, this requires a 
  Willpower test, with a penalty equal to the 
  distance in yards.  Projecting these concepts 
  to a touched and receptive ally requires no 
  test.  This does not count as a true psychic 
  power, and thus has no risks of psychic 
  overload – the ability disturbs the warp in such 
  minuscule ways that it barely registers to 
  those who can perceive such things. 
   
  However, for the purposes of items, creatures 
  and abilities that detect or otherwise interact 
  in specific ways with psychic creatures, the 
  Eldar are considered to be psychic – their 
  power may be restrained and untapped, but it 
  is still there, and it is considerable.  Thus, a 
  Psy-tracker (or the Psy-track psychic power) 
  will pick out an Eldar character as being a 
  Psyker, a Psycannon will cause double damage 
  (after deductions for armour), and he could, in 
  theory, wield a Force weapon (though such 
  things are deemed too crude and unreliable 
  for Eldar use – they make use of their own 
  equivalents).  He would not be affected by any 
  effect which has a chance of removing a 
  psychic power (such as Psyk-out grenades or 
  the Banishment power), however, as he 
  doesn’t actually have psychic powers.  Further, 
  such is the potency of the Eldar soul that the 
  soul-sight of Daemons can detect them far 
  more readily than they can the flickering 
  sparks of humanity or the dull light of the Tau.  
  As such, Daemonic characters gain a +40% 
  bonus on awareness tests to detect Eldar 
  characters. 
   
  Examples of how these rudimentary powers 
  can be developed into more useful minor 
  abilities are described below. 
   
  Keen Senses 
  The senses of the Eldar are phenomenally 
  keen.  Their eyes can operate in almost total 
  darkness with little disadvantage, and can spot 
  even minute details with startling regularity.  
  Their hearing is such that they can pick out 
  distinct sounds at much greater distances than 
  humans, and their senses of touch, taste and 
  smell can distinguish between far more subtle 
  stimuli than is the case with humans. 
   
  All Eldar have the Night Sight exotic ability, as 
  described in the Sons of Khaine article from 
  Exterminatus 
  Magazine. 
   
  Further, 
  Eldar 
  characters can hear sounds from 50% further 
  away than normal (this increases to 100% 
  further with a successful awareness test).  For 
  example, a pistol shot can be heard 50 yards 
  away normally, but an Eldar character could 
  hear it from 75 yards away, or 100 yards with 
  a successful awareness test.  The remaining 
  sensory acuity of the Eldar is covered with 
  their high Initiative values. 
   
  Lightning Reflexes 
  Just as the Eldar are quick and graceful of 
  body, so are their minds and reactions faster 
  than those of men.  The Eldar mind operates 
  at bewildering speed, processing thoughts and 
  stimuli at more than twice the speed of a 
  human mind, and experiencing those thoughts 
  with a clarity and intensity that makes humans 
  looks like dullards and simple-minded fools by 
  comparison. 
   
  All Eldar have the Lightning Reflexes talent, as 
  described in the Inquisitor rulebook.  Note that 
  Lightning Reflexes is currently under review, 
  so please check with the GM as to which 
  version is being used. 
   
  Metabolism 
  The heart – or nearest equivalent - of an Eldar 
  at rest beats at a rate of between 140 and 160 
  beats per minute – about twice that of a 
  human.  While this may be strictly necessary 
  for their physiology, it does mean that they 
  bleed much faster than humans do.  An Eldar 
  suffering from Bleeding (see page 48 of the 
  Inquisitor rulebook) adds 1d6 points to the 
  Eldar’s injury total each round, instead of 1d3. 
   
  However, a good portion of Eldar physiology is 
  controlled by the Eldar himself – through 
  meditation and concentration, the Eldar can 
  speed the healing of his own injuries.  When 
  spending actions to recover from his own 
  injuries (as opposed to the normal recovery 
  attempts made each turn), an Eldar may use 
  his Willpower instead of his Toughness to 
  determine whether or nor the action succeeds.  
  Use toughness as normal when attempting to 
  help another Eldar heal his wounds – true 
  Eldar medicine is based on psykers aiding a 
  patient who is in this healing trance, rather 
  than 
  the 
  comparatively 
  crude 
  methods 
  employed in human or Tau medicine. 
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  18 
  EXOTIC ABILITIES 
   
  Psychic Talents 
   
  Mind-Speech 
  The simplest form of Telepathy and a 
  development of the empathic projections 
  common to most Eldar, Mind-Speech allows 
  the Eldar to communicate more complex 
  concepts than basic emotions.  This talent is 
  common amongst both Seers and Warriors – 
  the former using it as a basis for greater 
  development of their powers, and the latter 
  using it in the same way Human and Tau 
  forces use Vox-casters and Commlinks.  Mind-
  Speech 
  itself 
  is 
  required 
  before 
  even 
  attempting to speak many of the more 
  complex dialects of Lam-Eldannar. 
   
  This functions in a similar way to the empathic 
  communication described under the Innately 
  Psychic 
  ability 
  noted 
  above, 
  but 
  more 
  information can be communicated in this 
  fashion.  Over distances, this requires a 
  Willpower test, with a penalty equal to the 
  distance in yards.  Projecting these concepts 
  to a touched and receptive ally requires no 
  test.  This does not count as a true psychic 
  power, and thus has no risks of psychic 
  overload – the ability disturbs the warp in such 
  minuscule ways that it barely registers to 
  those 
  who 
  can 
  perceive 
  such 
  things.  
  Equivalent information to a sentence of speech 
  (about 5-10 words) is permitted as a single 
  action. 
   
  This communication is silent, though the 
  momentary mental link can be sensed by any 
  Psyker within a distance equal to the distance 
  between the sender and the recipient.  The 
  Mind Scan psychic power – or similar abilities 
  – used on either sender or recipient reveals 
  the contents of the most recent psychic 
  message. 
   
  Characters with the Telepathy psychic power 
  can engage in Mind-Speech without having to 
  take this talent – the relatively mundane gift 
  of Mind-Speech is almost a parlour trick for a 
  true Telepath. 
   
  Minor Telekinesis 
  Instead of developing further into telepathy, a 
  number of Eldar choose to instead hone their 
  telekinetic potential.  While with most Eldar 
  this potential is barely noticeable – with a 
  range of maybe a yard if they concentrate – 
  those who develop it can call objects towards 
  them from somewhat further distances, and 
  exert mild pressure with nothing but their 
  minds.  They cannot cause damage in this 
  way, as the force they can exert is too 
  insignificant to harm someone. 
   
  As an action, and with a successful Willpower 
  test, an Eldar with this ability can manipulate 
  an object within 5 yards.  This is only light 
  pressure, and is sufficient to call a single, one-
  handed weapon to his hand, tip a reasonably 
  light object over, push an unlocked door open 
  or shut, press a button, move a lever or 
  switch, 
  or 
  something 
  similarly 
  minor.  
  Depending on how intricate and delicate the 
  task, the GM may choose to impose penalties 
  on the Willpower test (say, if you’re trying to 
  pick a lock with this ability). 
   
  SKILLS AND TALENTS 
   
  The Seer Path 
  The 
  Eldar 
  have been manipulating the 
  energies of the Warp for aeons, long before 
  mankind ever became aware of their own 
  psychic talents.  All Eldar are, to a degree, 
  psychic, and their capacity for use of this 
  talent increases with practise and effort.  The 
  Seers of the Exodites, their Witches and 
  Warlocks 
  of 
  the 
  Craftworlds, 
  and 
  the 
  Shadowseers of the Rillietann are all masters 
  of their own chosen disciplines, each of which 
  are based on concepts that have existed for 
  millions of years. 
   
  To shield them from the ravening energies of 
  the Aethyr, the Eldar were taught how to 
  control those energies through runes – tiny 
  psychoreactive talismen that store and focus 
  warp energy – allowing them to avoid 
  dangerous surges and more safely control 
  much greater amounts of psychic power.  To 
  this day, those traditions remain, and each 
  seer learns scores of ancient runes before 
  learning to craft his own, allowing him to wield 
  powers more easily through foci attuned to his 
  own mind. 
   
  The disciplines of the Eldar are not defined by 
  effect as human powers are.  Instead, 
  instinctive groupings of power, referred to 
  here as Aspects, based on the concepts 
  controlled by their gods, separate the distinct 
  powers, and the mindset of the Seer 
  determines which powers come most easily to 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  19 
  him.  The groupings represent those powers 
  to which particular mindsets will be drawn. 
   
  Casting the Runes 
  All Eldar Seers will carry an assortment of 
  runes.  The bulk of these, irrespective of their 
  shapes and sizes, are simple focus runes, used 
  to aid the Seer in manipulating and directing 
  his powers.  The shapes and patterns of the 
  runes are vital to the Seer, as each one keys 
  to a specific emotion or abstract concept, 
  allowing him to gather the ‘components’ of a 
  power away from himself before combining 
  and unleashing it.  In the most potent of 
  cases, this can mean that a power takes a 
  long time to gather and unleash, but the 
  method is far safer than channelling all that 
  energy without aid. 
   
  All the Eldar powers listed below follow the 
  same format as those powers listed in the 
  Inquisitor rulebook.  The rules for Runecasting 
  described here do not change those, and can 
  be used with any psychic power published 
  using the standard format. 
   
  When using a psychic power, an Eldar Seer 
  may choose to divide up the act of 
  concentrating on and using the between a two 
  or more rune clusters.  The maximum number 
  of clusters that may be used in this way is 
  equal to the difficulty of the power, and that 
  difficulty is divided between those clusters as 
  the Seer sees fit.  Thus, if a Difficulty 5 power 
  may be divided into up to five rune clusters, 
  each with difficulty 1, or into two difficulty 2 
  clusters and one of difficulty 1, or any 
  combination where the total difficulty in all the 
  clusters adds up to 5.  Using a rune-cluster 
  requires that the Seer is stationary for the 
  duration of the casting, and rune-clusters 
  cannot be used if the Seer is in close combat. 
   
  Each cluster is resolved as if it was a separate 
  psychic power, applying all other relevant 
  penalties and bonuses as normal.  If the 
  psychic test is successful, one part of the 
  power is complete, and the Seer may repeat 
  the process as many times as he requires to 
  use all the rune clusters for that power.  
  Should the test fail, then the effect of psychic 
  overload is vastly decreased; the Seer is 
  merely stunned for 1 turn for every 10% or 
  part by which the test was failed as he loses 
  control of the energies and disconnects 
  himself from the runes, allowing the energy to 
  disperse into the warp.  Psychic powers used 
  in this manner are still risky actions, though 
  the effects of failing such a risky action are 
  also different: the rune cluster explodes, with 
  an Area of 1 yard, a Damage of 1d3 and a 
  Blast equal to the difficulty of that cluster.  A 
  seer is considered to be less than 1 yard away 
  from any rune cluster he is using.  In both 
  cases, failure means that rune cluster must be 
  restarted. 
   
  Once the final rune cluster of a power has 
  been successfully used, the power takes 
  effect.  For powers which have effects based 
  on the success of the psychic test, use the 
  average amount by which the tests for each of 
  the clusters were passed.  Thus a power with 
  three clusters, which were passed by 31, 18 
  and 4 have an average of 17.6, rounded up to 
  18, so the power counts as if it was passed by 
  18. 
   
  Maintaining persistent powers that were cast 
  using runes follows the normal rules – once 
  the effect has been generated, the Seer can 
  maintain it easily. 
   
  Should an enemy psyker wish to Nullify a 
  rune-cast power, he must first pass an 
  initiative check to ‘lock on’ to the Seer’s power 
  – rune-cast powers are more difficult to 
  detect, due to being diffuse and separated, as 
  opposed to a single obvious mass as is the 
  case with using a power normally.  If this fails, 
  then he may not attempt a nullification.  A 
  psyker may attempt to nullify each individual 
  rune-cluster in this manner, so long as he is 
  the target of the power itself. 
   
  The obvious benefits of rune-cast powers are 
  that the Seer can choose to take his time over 
  using a difficult power in order to have a 
  greater chance of success, and possibly a 
  greater end result as well, while being 
  significantly 
  safer 
  than 
  using 
  a 
  power 
  normally.  The obvious drawback is that using 
  lots of rune clusters takes a long time.  This 
  means that an Eldar Seer can, given time, use 
  much more potent powers than he might 
  normally attempt, and use it more safely than 
  a human might if attempting the same power.  
  This makes Eldar Seers very effective in 
  support roles, standing back and casting 
  potent, far-reaching powers, while human 
  psykers tend to be more inclined towards fast, 
  unsophisticated and obvious powers. 
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  20 
  Eldar Psychic Powers 
  In addition to the powers listed below, the 
  Eldar are likely to use a number of powers 
  with effects similar to those described in the 
  core rulebook.  In most cases, subtle or 
  relatively simple effects – telepathy, telekinesis 
  and detection are suitable to represent these 
  common talents.  Anything more overt or 
  more potent is generally unsuitable, and an 
  equivalent power from one of the following 
  Aspects should be chosen instead. 
   
  ASPECT OF ASURYAN 
  The Aspect of Asuryan contains those powers 
  connected 
  to 
  the 
  concepts 
  of 
  nobility, 
  leadership, resolve and the will to rule.  
  Asuryan was the Eldar over-god, known as the 
  Phoenix King, who was oldest of the gods and 
  ruled them with his wisdom.  As is fitting, 
  then, the Eldar prize the qualities of patience, 
  serenity and humble wisdom in their leaders. 
   
  The powers of Asuryan are thus ones which 
  inspire, embolden and strengthen the wills of 
  the Seer’s allies. 
   
  Augment  
  Difficulty: 10 Ranged 
  The Seer’s mind gathers energy from the 
  warp, channelling it into the powers of 
  another. 
   
  The Seer’s mind gathers energy from the 
  warp, channelling it into the powers of 
  another.  Pick another Eldar Seer within sight 
  of the Seer.  The target gains a bonus on their 
  next psychic test equal to the amount by 
  which this test was passed. 
   
  Embolden  
  Difficulty: 15 Persistent 
  The seer projects visions of victory and 
  heroism into the minds of his comrades, 
  inspiring them to greater bravery and valour. 
   
  This is a persistent power.  All Eldar within a 
  distance in yards equal to half the amount the 
  psychic test was passed by gain a +20 bonus 
  to Nerve while this power is in effect. 
   
  ASPECT OF CEGORACH  
  Cegorach – the Laughing God – is a being of 
  deception, trickery and cunning, who weaves 
  his plans and schemes across time in an effort 
  to bring about the downfall of his enemies.  
  His servants, the Harlequins, wander the 
  Webway at his direction, bringing both 
  knowledge, and falsehood, depending on to 
  whom they go. 
   
  The Aspect of Cegorach is most commonly 
  wielded by the Shadowseers of the Harlequins, 
  but its powers are known to a lesser degree 
  by other seers.  It contains those powers 
  connected to deception and elusiveness, and 
  are thus ones which confuse and beguile 
  enemies. 
   
  Misdirection  
  Difficulty: 5 Ranged, Persistent 
  The Shadowseer reaches into the minds of his 
  enemies, baffling them with psychic messages, 
  preventing them from thinking clearly. 
   
  Select one or more enemy warriors within 
  sight.  Every additional warrior after the first 
  increases the difficulty of this psychic power 
  by 5.  Any and all targets of this spell suffer a 
  penalty to Initiative, Willpower and Sagacity 
  equal to one-third of the amount by which the 
  psychic test was passed, as their minds are 
  bombarded with confusing images that disrupt 
  concentration. 
   
  Veil of Tears 
  Difficulty: 10 Persistent 
  The Shadowseer pulls his presence from the 
  thoughts of his enemies.  Though their eyes 
  may see him, their minds are blinded to his 
  presence. 
   
  The Shadowseer and all allies within 12 yards 
  of him are shrouded from the gaze of their 
  enemies.  While this power remains in effect, 
  anyone attempting to spot or interact with 
  someone protected by the power must spend 
  an action to attempt an Awareness test at - 
  40%, as if their entire bodies were hidden 
  (which, in essence, they are).  This Awareness 
  test is modified by range and ambient 
  conditions as normal.  Characters with other 
  means of detecting enemies – psychic powers, 
  scanning devices, etc – or who are using 
  senses other than sight to find their enemies 
  suffer no specific penalties when using such 
  devices, but any character attempting to fire 
  blind at where he thinks the shrouded 
  characters are resolves the shot at 1/5th 
  normal BS, cannot benefit from aiming, and 
  cannot score a placed shot. 
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  21 
  ASPECT OF ISHA 
  Isha is the harvest-goddess from whom the 
  Eldar are descended, and she is a powerful 
  figure of mercy, protection and compassion in 
  Eldar myth.  The Aspect of Isha is one of 
  healing, protection, nurturing and peace, and 
  the strongest protective powers known to the 
  Eldar come from this Aspect. 
   
  Defend 
  Difficulty: 5 Persistent 
  The seer projects a ward of psychic power, 
  turning aside the attacks of the enemy.  When 
  used, this power conjures a shimmering wall 
  of force that blocks incoming shots. 
   
  The psychic power creates an invisible wall, 1 
  yard in front of the Seer, moving with him 
  while the power persists, always within the 
  front arc of the Seer.  The wall is 1 yard wide, 
  plus an extra yard for every 10 by which the 
  psychic test was passed, and as tall as it is 
  wide. 
   
  The wall does not interfere with movement or 
  line of sight, but it does count as cover, 
  adding armour points equal to one-tenth of 
  the Seer’s Willpower score to every location, 
  for any character stood on the warlock’s side 
  of the wall – the wall only protects from one 
  direction. 
   
  Heal 
  Difficulty: 15 
  The seer’s will reaches into the mind of a 
  fallen comrade, aiding their recovery. 
   
  The Seer must touch the character he wishes 
  to Heal, and may not use the power on 
  himself. If the psychic test is successful, the 
  recipient is treated as having just made a 
  successful recovery action by himself (using 
  his Willpower instead of Toughness if the 
  character is Eldar, as described in the 
  Metabolism rule), with a bonus to his 
  Toughness or Willpower (as relevant) equal to 
  half the Seer’s Willpower. 
   
  ASPECT OF KHAINE 
  Kaela Mensha Khaine is the god of war and 
  murder, representing wanton slaughter and 
  violence, and it is from Khaine that all the dark 
  and violent impulses of the Eldar race come.  
  The Aspect of Khaine draws upon the warrior 
  spirit, and contains those powers connected to 
  anger, destruction and violence in all their 
  forms.  Its powers, then, are most commonly 
  wielded by the battle-ready Warlocks, who 
  have already learnt to harness Khaine’s anger 
  in themselves, and who wield that wrath and 
  hate as a weapon against their enemies. 
   
  Destructor 
  Difficulty: 10 
  The Warlock hurls forth a wave of searing 
  rage and anger, made tangible and deadly by 
  his power. 
   
  Destructor is a psychic bolt with the following 
  profile: 
   
  Type 
  Range 
  Rate of Fire 
  Acc 
  Damage 
  Special 
  (35) 
  flame 
  - 
  3d6+4 
   
  Eldritch Storm 
  Difficulty: 25 ranged 
  The Seer conjures a crackling maelstrom of 
  psychic power, a storm that blasts his foes 
  with lightning and hurls them around as if they 
  were toys. 
   
  Nominate a target point; the Storm extends 
  D3+1 yards out from that point.  Any 
  character even partially within the area of 
  effect must pass a Strength test (rolls of 96+ 
  automatically fail) or is hurled 1d10 yards in a 
  random direction and stunned for 1d3 turns. 
   
  Additionally, anyone within the area of effect 
  suffers d3 hits to random locations, dealing 
  2d6 damage each. 
   
  Enhance 
  Difficulty: 15 persistent 
  The Warlock links his mind to that of his 
  comrades, 
  strengthening 
  their 
  unity 
  of 
  purpose and allowing them an array of 
  differing perspectives. Because of this, the 
  warriors think more swiftly, the speed of their 
  minds combined by this power, and they 
  become more capable combatants, both as a 
  group and as individuals. 
   
  Nominate a number of allied Eldar characters 
  equal to one-tenth of the Warlock’s Willpower 
  score, all of which must be within 12 yards of 
  the Warlock.  While this power remains in 
  effect, all affected characters use the highest 
  Weapon Skill and Initiative scores from 
  amongst the group, and add +10 to those 
  values.  Note that this can increase the Speed 
  of the characters affected. 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  22 
  Mind War 
  Difficulty: ½ Target’s Willpower ranged 
  The Seer sends his thoughts forth, engaging 
  the enemy in a battle of wills and thoughts. 
   
  Pick an enemy character within sight of the 
  Seer.  The victim suffers one level of injury to 
  the head for every 20% or part that the 
  Psychic Test is passed by.  For example if the 
  test was passed by 41%, this would result in 
  three levels of injury to the victim’s head – an 
  Acute wound. 
   
  Strike 
  Difficulty: 20 
  The Warlock unleashes a crackling nimbus of 
  psychic power which hurls around those 
  nearby and wracks their mind with pain and 
  despair. The Warlock’s efforts shield his allies 
  from the worst of the effects, but even they 
  are cast aside by the untamed energy that 
  emerges from the Warlock’s mind. 
   
  Every character, enemy or ally, within 12 
  yards of the Warlock is immediately knocked 
  prone.  Allies suffer no further effects, but 
  enemies are stunned for 1d6 turns.  Enemy 
  psykers may attempt a Willpower test at the 
  start of their next turn to recover from this 
  power sooner. 
   
  ASPECT OF KURNOUS 
  Kurnous is the hunter god, who taught the 
  Eldar much of stealth and the hunt.  The 
  Aspect of Kurnous concerns itself with powers 
  of precision, concealment and surprise – 
  though many of these concepts overlap with 
  the Aspect of Cegorach, Kurnous’ powers are 
  tailored more for ambush than misdirection. 
   
  Conceal 
  Difficulty: 10 persistent 
  The Seer creates an area of shifting mists and 
  dancing shadows which hide the Seer’s allies 
  from the enemy. 
   
  Any enemy attempting to shoot the Seer, or 
  any ally within 12 yards of the Seer, suffers a 
  penalty on his to-hit roll equal to the amount 
  by which the Psychic Test was initially passed. 
   
  Entangle 
  Difficulty: 5 
  The Seer’s mind reaches out and conjures 
  semisolid vines that reach up from the ground 
  and bind his foes, holding him fast with 
  psychic thorns and preventing his approach or 
  his escape. 
   
  Nominate a point within 18 yards and line of 
  sight.  The effect of this power extends 1d3+1 
  yards from this point.  All enemies within this 
  area must immediately pass an Initiative test 
  or be entangled by psychic vines.  Any 
  character that was running or sprinting during 
  their previous turn is also tripped over and 
  knocked prone, in addition to becoming 
  entangled, if they fail their Initiative test.  
  Entangled models may not spend any actions 
  on movement for the next 1d3+1 turns. 
   
  Executioner 
  Difficulty: 20 persistent 
  The Seer projects a psychic image of himself, 
  a shimmering doppelganger which fights with 
  his mind.  This image lingers only for a short 
  while, striking at the enemy as if it were a 
  tangible creature.  Though the image is an 
  illusion, the damage is causes is all too real. 
   
  Nominate a single enemy character.  The Seer 
  may make an immediate melee attack action 
  against that character, resolved as normal 
  (normal 
  Weapon 
  Skill, 
  normal 
  weapon 
  damage, normal chance to parry or dodge for 
  the target, etc), plus one additional attack 
  action for every full 20% by which the psychic 
  test was passed.  Should an attack be parried, 
  and the target make a successful counter-
  attack, the Seer is unaffected, though the 
  power’s effect is ended, even if there were 
  attack 
  actions 
  remaining. 
   
  Only 
  Force 
  Weapons, Rune Weapons and weapons from 
  the Warlock Weapons list may be used to 
  attack with Executioner, due to their psychic 
  nature. 
   
  ASPECT OF LILEATH 
  Lileath the Maiden was the youngest of the 
  trinity of Eldar goddesses, and her domain was 
  that of dreams and fortune.  While the powers 
  of Lileath and Morai-Heg are linked, Lileath is 
  concerned more with luck, and the minor 
  vagaries of destiny.  The Aspect of Lileath 
  contains 
  powers 
  which 
  have 
  short-term 
  beneficial effects, of the minor visions and 
  insights that can accumulate.  At the whim of 
  a Lileath-seer, laws of probability and reality 
  bend, just a little, in favour of the Seer’s allies.  
  Lileath’s 
  powers 
  are 
  also 
  the 
  most 
  ‘traditionally’ 
  psychic, 
  incorporating 
  some 
  forms of both telepathy and telekinesis. 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  23 
   
  Fortune 
  Difficulty: 25 ranged 
  The Seer twists the laws of reality and 
  probability in imperceptible ways, granting 
  good fortune to his allies so they might survive 
  to strike telling blows upon the enemy. 
   
  Nominate any number of allies.  Range is 
  measured to the target furthest away from the 
  Seer, and each targeted ally after the first 
  imposes an additional -10% penalty on the 
  psychic test.  If successful, all those affected 
  gain the Dodge and Heroic talents until the 
  beginning of the Seer’s next turn. 
   
  Guide 
  Difficulty: 25 ranged 
  The Seer reaches out to his allies, steadying 
  their minds and their senses, helping their 
  shots strike true. 
   
  Nominate any number of allies.  Range is 
  measured to the target furthest away from the 
  Seer, and each targeted ally after the first 
  imposes an additional -10% penalty on the 
  psychic test.  If successful, all those affected 
  gain the Deadeye Shot talent, and benefit 
  from 1 ‘free’ level of aiming (that is, they 
  count as if they had aimed, without needing to 
  spend actions doing so) on all ranged attacks 
  made until the start of the Seer’s next turn. 
   
  ASPECT OF MORAI-HEG 
  Morai-Heg was a withered crone-goddess, who 
  cast and bound the fates of mortals within a 
  skin rune pouch.  Her domain was the distant 
  and unseen, and she knew how all things 
  would end.  The Aspect of Morai-Heg contains 
  powers of knowledge and understanding, 
  allowing a Seer to learn how things will come 
  to pass and why and maybe avoid those 
  events.  It is the most difficult to master of all 
  the Aspects, for the results are often vague 
  and confusing, and only Farseers can truly 
  claim to have any command of its powers. 
   
  Doom 
  Difficulty: 40 ranged 
  The Seer reads the myriad strands of fate to 
  find the death of his foes, seeking to find a 
  way to bring it all the closer. 
   
  Nominate any number of enemies.  Range is 
  measured to the target furthest away from the 
  Seer, and each targeted enemy after the first 
  imposes an additional -10% penalty on the 
  psychic test.  If successful, all those affected 
  are doomed until the start of the Seer’s next 
  turn.  Against a Doomed character, all ranged 
  attacks are Placed Shots, regardless of the 
  actual attack roll, and all melee attacks are 
  Critical Hits, again regardless of the actual 
  attack roll. 
   
  Foresight 
  Difficulty: 35 
  The Seer reaches out into fate, looking to see 
  what might be, what will be and what should 
  not be.  Armed with this knowledge, he can 
  change the future for the betterment of his 
  kin. This power represents shortterm scrying 
  and divination, as opposed to the centuries-
  distant prophecies of Farseers, which are 
  beyond the scope of the game. 
   
  When using this power, nominate how far into 
  the future (in turns) the Seer wishes to look; 
  visions of next turn impose no additional 
  penalty, while more distant visions impose a -
  10% penalty on their psychic test for every 
  turn after the first.  So, for example, a Seer 
  attempting to divine what will come to pass in 
  three turns time will take an additional -20% 
  penalty on their psychic test. 
   
  If successful, the Seer will gain insight into the 
  immediate future.  On the turn that the Seer 
  foresaw, the Seer and anyone he has 
  communicated his vision to (this takes three 
  actions of speech, or one action of telepathy, 
  more if communicating with non-Eldar) gain 
  the Dodge talent, and double their chances of 
  parrying melee attacks.  In addition, all 
  characters informed of this future may take a 
  free Pause for Breath action during that turn. 
   
  ASPECT OF VAUL 
  Vaul was the smith-god who crafted the 
  weapons and devices of the Gods in ancient 
  days.  Though a formidable warrior once, he 
  was crippled by Khaine and chained to his own 
  anvil as punishment for some ancient betrayal.  
  The Aspect of Vaul is one of creation, defiance 
  and resilience, as well as of the binding of 
  souls.  It was he who was first able to bind the 
  souls of mortals into objects to give them 
  greater power, and from his forge came the 
  first Direswords, and the first Wraithguard and 
  Wraithlords.  The powers of this Aspect are 
  often those able to manipulate the barrier 
  between the physical world and the psychic. 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  24 
   
  Song of Vaul 
  Difficulty: 15 
  As some Seers can heal the flesh of mortals, 
  so this Seer can weave and grow the 
  wraithbone and psychoplastics that make up 
  Eldar technology, repairing wraith-constructs, 
  damaged weapons and similar devices. 
   
  Primarily, this can be used to mend the 
  substance of constructs and devices, like 
  Wraithguard and Grav-platforms.  In these 
  cases, The Seer must touch the construct he 
  wishes to repair.  If the psychic test is 
  successful, the recipient is treated as having 
  just made a successful recovery action by 
  himself, with a bonus to his Toughness equal 
  to half the Seer’s Willpower.  The power’s 
  other 
  uses 
  are 
  numerous 
  and 
  highly 
  situational—any 
  situation 
  where 
  the 
  psychoplastics 
  used 
  extensively 
  in 
  Eldar 
  technology are in need of repair is a situation 
  in which Song of Vaul may be useful.  When, 
  where and how often these situations arise is 
  at the GM’s discretion. 
   
  Wraithsight 
  Difficulty: 10 ranged 
  The Seer’s mind touches upon the distant 
  souls of his kin, allowing him to see the 
  shadowy soul-realm they perceive, and giving 
  them insight into the world of the living. 
   
  If the psychic test is successful, the Seer can 
  see the shifting and ephemeral visions of the 
  dead—this grants him a +30 bonus on any 
  tests to spot any living creature, but reduces 
  his speed by 1 while the power remains in 
  effect as his ability to see anything but 
  thoughts and souls is impeded.  If he stands 
  near a Wraith-Construct or other repository of 
  an Eldar soul—within a number of yards equal 
  to one-fifth of his Willpower score—he can 
  grant a degree of his mortal perception to 
  them, adding +20 to their Initiative while the 
  power remains in effect and he remains within 
  that distance. 
   
   
   
   
   
  In the next part of the article, which will be published soon, Nathan takes a more detailed 
  look at the various Eldar Paths and the character archetypes of each Path. 
   
  In the third and final part, Nathan will set out in detail a horde of items from the Eldar 
  armoury.  Some of these items are referred to in the earlier two parts but, while you’re 
  waiting for Nathan’s rules, feel free to make up your own! 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  25 
  Pieces of the Puzzle 
  Ruaridh Dall 
   
  Goddard held a delicate silver pin up to the light. 
   
  ‘This,’ he began, ‘is a pain needle.  It’s an obvious 
  term, but one that is entirely fitting for the 
  purpose it serves.’  He placed the needle back 
  down on the table, alongside a glut of gleaming 
  surgical instruments, dental forceps and vials of 
  truth serums.  ‘You should know that I am well-
  versed in the use of all these items.  The Ordo 
  Malleus has taught me well, and as you can see 
  from the stains on this apron, I am very proficient 
  at 
  torturing 
  miserable 
  specimens 
  such 
  as 
  yourself.’  He paused a moment to let his words 
  sink in.  ‘That said, I wouldn’t say I enjoy hurting 
  people.  However, when needs must...’ 
   
  Goddard took a small hammer from the table and 
  rapped it across the knuckles of the fat man who 
  had sat wholly transfixed as he had addressed 
  him.  His name was Kuipers, and he’d been just 
  about the only one they’d dragged out of the 
  Cathedral San Ethusias alive.  Or at least alive 
  enough to inflict pain on.  That he and the other 
  cultists had been preparing a terrorist attack on 
  the Celestian Gate there was little doubt – the 
  evidence had been everywhere – but Goddard 
  knew they were little more than men on the 
  ground, simple underlings in a much bigger 
  operation.  What Goddard needed was access to 
  the big players, the orchestrators of the recidivist 
  movement that had sold out the Imperium as well 
  as their souls to Chaos.  With these men removed 
  the insurrection would wither and die, returning 
  order to Agripinaa.  Saussure had some evidence 
  pointing to the right-hand man of the Procurator 
  Marshal Cato Ryan himself, and ascertaining if 
  this was true was vital to ending the madness.  If 
  the evidence was solid then it meant that the 
  Ryan family, the rulers of the whole world, had 
  turned their back on the rightful rule of Terra, 
  and for what?  A shot at immortality?  As far as 
  Goddard was concerned, it was only the foolish 
  and the ignorant that embraced Chaos, and for 
  that reason alone, the Ryans would have to be 
  purged from existence, their legacy entirely 
  erased from Agripinaa’s records.  Goddard had 
  seen it happen before, and he knew it was the 
  only way to prevent the heretics from triumphing.  
  The Ordo Malleus could never shirk from its duty 
  to protect the Imperium from the enemy beyond.  
  That was precisely why Goddard began the 
  interrogation by breaking each of Kuiper’s fingers. 
   
   
   
  Goddard had come up against a wall.  In his 
  experience, it was a normal part of the 
  interrogation procedure: one inflicted pain on the 
  prisoner and broke his first level of resolve, but a 
  man would rarely crack at that point, and it 
  almost always required the infliction of further 
  pain to hear the whole story.  The torture 
  techniques the Ordo had taught him on Nemesis 
  Tessera were gauged by their excruciation and 
  effectiveness level, and a stepwise progression 
  through them was often enough to crack a weak 
  willed underling by the tertiary level; the neuro-
  barrage.  This mid-point in the excruciation scale 
  was designed to wrack a body with such insult 
  that nerve endings would be permanently 
  damaged, resulting in numerous disaesthesias, 
  paralyses and even blindness.  The tertiary level 
  took pain to a horrific scale as it wreaked its 
  effects and Goddard had seen two fellow Ordo 
  Malleus inquisitors subjected to a tertiary level 
  interrogation confess to daemon-summoning, 
  fratricide 
  and 
  heresies 
  too 
  abominable 
  to 
  comprehend, but despite the undeniable potency 
  of the neuro-barrage, it hadn’t broken Kuipers.  
  He was holding out on some key piece of 
  information, but how he had managed to do so as 
  Goddard had infused his system with dolorium 
  and bent him double with the agony Goddard 
  didn’t know.  Such resolve was unheard of in 
  unaugmented individuals, and Goddard had 
  begun to doubt that Kuipers could possibly know 
  more, but his story had not changed since the 
  primary level of the interrogation.  The way he 
  had churned out the same words over and over 
  again reeked of conditioning and a false cover 
  story, but no matter how much Goddard had 
  pressed him the story just would not deviate from 
  its initial telling.  The strangest part of it was that 
  Kuipers had almost immediately implicated Cato 
  Ryan in the plan and had given an elaborate 
  insight into his involvement with the Brotherhood 
  and even his travel plans for the next few days.  
  Initially Goddard had been convinced that Kuipers 
  was attempting to lead him into a trap and had 
  challenged him numerous times about the 
  information he’d shared but not once had Kuipers 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  26 
  given a different version of Cato’s upcoming 
  schedule.  Even as Kuipers had lain blinded, one 
  arm twisted with tetany and a neural-spike in his 
  lumbar vertebrae seconds before he last fell 
  unconscious he had whispered once more that 
  Cato would be visiting one of the Brotherhood’s 
  fronts, a chemical plant in Sector Beta Four on 
  Mercyday.  It almost certainly had to be the truth. 
   
  Goddard knew he should be elated with such a 
  revelation, but his mind was clouded with doubt 
  and apprehension.  The ease with which he had 
  attained the information worried him; the Ordo 
  had taught him never to take things at face value, 
  always to dig deeper, but it seemed that there 
  was nothing more to unearth here.  Dogma, 
  however, meant that he would not accept that all 
  that Kuipers had told him was the full extent of 
  what he knew, and that meant moving to the 
  quaternary 
  level 
  of 
  interrogation, 
  psychic 
  domination.  A trained telepath could rip open a 
  mind, weeding out the inconsistencies in any 
  story and chelating out the truth - no matter how 
  well buried - behind neural blocks, engram 
  implants and psychic shrouds.  More often than 
  not such an assault would lobotomise a mind, and 
  quaternary level interrogations were reserved for 
  the most dangerous sorcerers and heretics with 
  the means to shield their minds, but Kuipers had 
  proved himself to be more than a run of the mill 
  recidivist thus far, and it was entirely possible 
  with the Ryans’ resources that some surgical or 
  psychic procedure had been performed on 
  Kuipers to conceal some iota of information that 
  the ruling family simply could not allow to become 
  known.  There were few secrets that an 
  insurrectionist would wish to keep that were 
  considered more important than their name, and 
  in the current climate there was only one 
  possibility – the Ryans had pledged themselves to 
  Chaos. 
   
  Goddard peeled off his surgical gloves and threw 
  them into a kidney bowl on the table.  He lifted 
  his comm set and opened the channel to 
  Theobald and Choi.  They were both in the room 
  thirty seconds later, Choi standing resolutely to 
  attention three steps inside the doorway, while 
  Lisa wandered over to Kuipers and casually 
  prodded his unresisting form firmly with a gloved 
  finger. 
   
  ‘Any luck?’ she asked a second later, breaking her 
  gaze from Kuipers’ bloodied face. 
   
  ‘Actually, yes,’ Goddard answered.   ‘Cato Ryan’s 
  involved with the Brotherhood, and I have my 
  suspicions that the entire Ryan family is behind 
  the whole damn insurrection.  From what he told 
  me, Cato is running many different segments of 
  the Brotherhood personally, and as the Procurator 
  Marshal, he has the Magistratum supplying arms 
  to rebels all over the planet.  Cato even visited 
  the cathedral not two days ago to see how the 
  preparations were going for the attack on the 
  spaceport.  If we had been twenty-four hours 
  early we would have had him red-handed.  If that 
  wasn’t enough, I have Cato’s movements for the 
  next three days plotted to the minute, and two of 
  the Brotherhood’s fronts.’ 
   
  ‘Why do you look so surly then?’ Lisa asked 
  bluntly. 
   
  ‘Kuipers told me all of this at the primary level.  
  His story was near enough word-perfect up to the 
  tertiary.’   
   
  Lisa raised her eyebrows quizzically.  ‘So what?  I 
  could have a weak-willed fat scum-sucker like him 
  confessing his mother’s sins before I’d even start 
  on his teeth.’ 
   
  Goddard shook his head.  ‘Maybe so, but my 
  years have taught me that some people will tell 
  you anything to keep one card close to their 
  heart.  No matter how much they tell you, even if 
  they confess to being Abaddon himself, there will 
  always be something else.  I fear that the Ryans 
  have tampered with Kuipers’ mind to keep one 
  truth hidden.  I bet even David wouldn’t need two 
  guesses to work it out.’ 
   
  ‘They have a pact with a daemon,’ Choi said 
  swiftly, swiftly touching the Aquila tattooed on his 
  forehead.   
   
  ‘If not a daemon, then Chaos in general,’ Goddard 
  responded mournfully.  ‘I am going to request 
  that 
  Lord-Inquisitor 
  Saussure’s 
  telepath 
  interrogate Kuipers, as I feel that a quaternary 
  level may be the only way to drag the truth from 
  his head. ‘ 
   
  ‘Isn’t that risky?’ Lisa asked. 
   
  ‘If Kuipers’ mind must be torn asunder to reveal 
  daemonic involvement here, then so be it,’ 
  Goddard answered.  ‘For now though, I need you 
  and David to run a reconnaissance, Elisabel. 
  Cato’s schedule puts him at the chemical facility 
  in Sector Beta Four on Mercyday, and I think that 
  is the best hope we have of intercepting him.  Do 
  you know it?’ 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  27 
   
  Lisa nodded.   
   
  ‘Good.  I need tactical mapping, a security sweep 
  and a likely route of ingress for Cato.’ 
   
  ‘I’ll wake David,’ Lisa said, and left the room. 
   
  Choi stepped forward. 
   
  ‘I can have the squad prepped and the Brilliant 
  ready to deliver them in six hours sir.’ 
   
  ‘Thank you Sergeant.’ 
   
  ‘If they are in league with a daemon sir, the rest 
  of the squad and me are all ready to lay down our 
  lives for you, the Imperium and the God-Emperor, 
  sir.’   
   
  Goddard nodded, and the Sergeant left the room.  
  If Cato really was in league with a daemon then 
  fifteen Stormtroopers would not be enough.  It 
  was a sobering thought that despite the firepower 
  at his disposal, he might already be involved in a 
  battle he could not win.  He just had to hope that 
  his supposition was wrong and the Ryans had not 
  sold out to some abominable power, but with the 
  madness that had taken this world in the past 
  year and the desolation he had witnessed all over 
  the Sectors Ocularis, it would take a visit from the 
  Emperor Himself for Goddard to even start 
  beginning to believe otherwise. 
   
   
   
  ‘You must understand sir; the Lord-Marshal is a 
  very busy man.  He can’t simply drop everything 
  for every visitor he gets, even an astropath sir.’ 
   
  It was, Sark had to admit, a fairly unoriginal false 
  identity for a man such as himself.  Coupled with 
  some simple psychic manipulation though, it had 
  gained both Durant and himself access to the 
  inner sanctum of the Procurator Marshal’s 
  scriptorium bureau with relative ease.  Astropaths 
  were a common sight in the extensive Ryan 
  estate, and only the men on the security controls 
  had even bothered to look twice at him.  If you’d 
  seen one bald witch with a cowl, dark glasses and 
  a burly, well-armed attendant you’d seen them 
  all.  Sark had been required to fall back on his 
  powers of suggestion to get them through the 
  checkpoints, but the weak-willed saps at those 
  stations had been barely more resistant to his 
  mind than children or dogs.  That they were of 
  such poor resolve spoke volumes 
  of the 
  ineptitude of the Ryan family – they entrusted 
  their lives to dull-witted morons with horribly 
  open minds.  It was no wonder that Agripinaa 
  was in such a mess.  The whole planet was a 
  veritable catastrophe, and Sark was only too glad 
  that he was playing a part in his Lord Saussure’s 
  mission to return it to the charge of better men.  
  The Ryans were directly responsible for all the 
  horror that had befallen the world and their 
  disposal could not come soon enough.  For now 
  though, Sark had the slight annoyance of the man 
  in front of him to overcome before he could enact 
  his next part in the plan. 
   
  ‘My missives come from the Ordo Hereticus,’ Sark 
  lied.  ‘I do not believe that the Lord-Marshal 
  would want to upset the Holy Ordos of the 
  Inquisition by ignoring a message from them.  
  That’s exactly the kind of thing he would try to 
  pin on his underlings should an inquisitor come 
  calling...’ 
   
  Sark let the clerk make up his own mind on what 
  to do, despite the fact he knew that the worm 
  would bend to his will in seconds if he took hold 
  of his mind.  It simply would not have been a 
  challenge, and any Throne-fearing citizen would 
  do anything to avoid the ire of his master and the 
  icy fingertips of the Emperor’s left hand.  As he 
  had expected, the clerk failed to surprise him with 
  a sudden onset of backbone. 
  ‘I’ll speak to him right away,’ he said, his voice a 
  fear-shrouded whisper. 
   
  Sark turned to Durant, and the bigger man gave 
  a grin of broken teeth and barely contained 
  amusement at the clerk’s jellyfish-like level of 
  strength of character.  Seconds later he returned, 
  head bowed and beckoned the pair past him and 
  through an open adamantium-reinforced door and 
  into the presence of one Cato Ryan, Procurator 
  Marshal of Agripinaa and younger brother of 
  Echinvar Ryan, the planetary Governor and 
  enemy of the Imperium. 
   
  ‘My attendant tells me you have a message from 
  the Inquisition, astropath,’ Cato said, to his credit 
  not letting any sign of fear drift into his voice. 
   
  ‘Yes milord,’ Sark hissed, sure that that level of 
  formality would suit the situation, no matter how 
  little he personally thought of the “lord” in front of 
  him.  ‘Though I do not wish to relay the message 
  in such an insecure room.’  He waved a hand at 
  the open door to carry his point. 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  28 
  ‘Indeed.  I was just about to suggest the same,’ 
  Cato replied.  ‘You,’ he pointed at Durant, ‘close 
  the door over, and stand guard outside.’ 
   
  Durant’s 
  eyes 
  flicked 
  briefly 
  to 
  Sark 
  for 
  confirmation, and Sark sent the simple message 
  of “do it” back telepathically. 
   
  ‘Sure,’ Durant replied, loosely following up with a 
  half-hearted, ‘sir,’ before leaving the room and 
  dragging the heavy door shut.  Sark couldn’t quite 
  believe 
  that 
  Cato 
  now stood 
  before 
  him 
  completely unguarded and with nowhere to 
  escape.  How he had avoided assassination thus 
  far was a mystery as the man appeared to have 
  nothing other than complete trust in everyone in 
  his bureau.  The man’s overconfidence was hard 
  to stomach, and it had probably just cost him his 
  life.  Goddard believed him to be behind the 
  attempted toppling of the planet and was out for 
  blood.  The paranoid Malleus man had believed 
  everything that Sark had said to him through 
  Kuipers and had even asked Sark himself to 
  psychically interrogate him.  Of course, there had 
  been no need to exert himself with such an act as 
  all the information he had planted in the cultist’s 
  head had found its way to Goddard of its own 
  accord.  Sark had simply spent an hour out of 
  sight before informing him that Kuipers had had 
  nothing more to say.  All that remained now was 
  to have Cato fulfil his role in the scheme. 
   
  ‘The message man, spit it out,’ Cato pressed.  ‘I 
  don’t have all day you know.’ 
   
  Sark sighed.  He could so easily kill the man right 
  now.  He could convince him to push his own 
  letter opener through his eye, or have him bite 
  out the veins and arteries in his wrists to leave 
  him bleeding to death on the floor, or simply 
  barrage his brain with screaming voices and leave 
  him catatonic in a pool of his own urine, and how 
  he wished he could.  The man did not even 
  deserve the oxygen he was dragging from 
  Agripinaa’s already filthy atmosphere.  He was a 
  shameful excuse for a human being, and that he 
  commanded real power on what was one of the 
  most important worlds in the Sectors Ocularis was 
  an absolute travesty and a sign of just how 
  pathetic the Imperium had become.  But death 
  would not do.  Not now anyhow.  Saussure 
  needed to have Goddard bring down the whole 
  Ryan dynasty, as there were few more names 
  associated with the wellbeing of the worlds 
  around the Gate than he, and no one would cast 
  doubt on his decision to remove the rulers of one 
  of the worlds ringing the Eye.  Saussure needed 
  Cato to be at the chemical plant in Sector Beta 
  Four on Mercyday, and Sark was the tool to 
  enable that to happen.  The telepath looked up at 
  Cato and silently cleaved a path between his 
  cerebral hemispheres, diving deep into his 
  memories and leaving behind one that was not 
  there before.  A cache of boltguns for his personal 
  guards was to be picked up from a chemical 
  plant.  No one could trust those Departmento 
  Munitorum fools these days to supply the guns he 
  would need to clear the traitors from his world 
  and he had had to take things into his own 
  hands.  The gun shops of the lower hive were 
  churning out thousands of arms that were going 
  straight to the hands of rebels – he was perfectly 
  in the right to secure some for himself.  He had 
  received word that the first of them were at the 
  sulphur distillery, and he had a space in his 
  schedule that would allow him to personally 
  inspect them on Mercyday. 
   
  ‘The Ordo Hereticus are watching.’ 
   
  Cato stared at Sark for a few silent seconds, 
  waiting expectantly for him to continue. 
   
  ‘Is that it?’ he asked. 
   
  ‘Yes milord, that was all the message said.’ 
   
  ‘Get out of my sight,’ Ryan huffed and turned 
  away. 
   
  ‘Yes milord,’ Sark hissed for the final time. 
   
   
   
  Goddard stood on the balcony outside his 
  quarters in Saussure’s lodge, his eyes gazing 
  wearily into the distance.  Fires burned to the 
  south, throwing into silhouette the burnt-out 
  spires of the manufactorum district that had once 
  provided Chimeras and multilasers for the 
  Imperial war effort, and the sound of heavy 
  gunfire, however distant, was always present.  
  Sometimes it had been drowned out, but only by 
  the shriek of jets and the blast of high explosives 
  as Marauder bombers flew sorties against rebel 
  positions and bombed them to dust.  But as 
  Goddard watched Agripinaa burn he knew bitterly 
  that he was just one of countless billions of men 
  in the Imperium watching a world fall to 
  madness.  This scene was repeating itself for 
  thousands of light years on hundreds of worlds 
  whose skies were filled by the ugly purple stain of 
  the Eye of Terror.  How he hated the sight of that 
  cankerous, nauseating tear in real space: it was a 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  29 
  tumour on the face of the galaxy; ugly, unwanted 
  and slowly killing its host.  Perhaps it was just an 
  effect of the smoke in the air, but as Goddard 
  looked up at the realm of Chaos he was sure he 
  could see it ripple and pulse, every contraction 
  birthing a horde of unholy affronts to the 
  Emperor’s rule.  Somewhere, he prayed, a 
  crusade was being mustered to return all the 
  worlds around the Eye to peace. 
   
  ‘May I join you, Tomashek?’ 
   
  Goddard turned to see Saussure at the window to 
  the balcony, a glass of brandy in each hand.  
  Goddard nodded and accepted one of the glasses 
  without a word, allowing himself the brief warmth 
  of a sip of the amber liquid.   
   
  ‘I fear this is another luxury that will be lost if 
  Agripinaa falls,’ Goddard said, holding up his 
  glass. 
   
  ‘Falls?’  Saussure raised an eyebrow.  ‘I thought 
  you had a break in the case.  Sark told me that 
  your prisoner had talked.’ 
   
  ‘That he did Benedict.  Told me just about 
  everything.  And that’s what worries me.’  
  Goddard paused briefly as another Marauder wing 
  thundered overhead.  ‘Cato Ryan, and therefore 
  by extension, Enchivar Ryan, are the leaders of 
  the insurrection.  The very men charged with 
  protecting this world in the name of the Imperium 
  are the ones that are behind this.’ 
   
  Goddard swept his arm over the blasted 
  landscape of twisted metal and burnt stone that 
  stretched to the horizon before them.   
   
  ‘You are sure of this?’ 
   
  ‘As sure as I can be without the brothers Ryan 
  spread-eagled on the confession racks.’ 
   
  ‘I believe then that it is time we considered 
  making 
  a 
  move 
  against 
  them,’ 
  Saussure 
  suggested, 
  watching 
  his 
  opposite 
  number’s 
  expression closely. 
   
  ‘With the forces they can call upon we would be 
  fools to strike directly at their palace,’ Goddard 
  replied swiftly.  ‘However, the prisoner did give up 
  something that could prove to be my best chance 
  to take Cato before his Magistratum allies can 
  rescue him: Cato is due to visit one of the 
  Brotherhood’s fronts on Mercyday.  I have 
  Theobald and Burrell scouting it out now.’ 
  ‘The Magistratum will surely respond swiftly to 
  any attack on their Procurator Marshal.’ 
   
  ‘That’s why I’ll have to make sure an arrest is a 
  lightning quick manoeuvre.  I don’t have a choice 
  but to go in lightly, smash through any resistance 
  and extract Cato with minimal fuss.’ 
   
  ‘That would appear to be the best choice of 
  action considering the circumstances.  I will try to 
  provide as much assistance as I can, but my 
  agents are following up leads linked to that water 
  syndicate that brought us together in the first 
  place. Interrogator Kuerten seems to believe that 
  they may have links to Ryan family too.’ 
   
  ‘That does not surprise me.’  Goddard raised his 
  glass.  ‘To the Emperor and His glorious 
  Imperium.’ 
   
  ‘To the Emperor,’ Saussure replied, and drained 
  his glass. 
   
   
   
  Saussure sat in his quarters, enjoying one last 
  glass of brandy by candlelight.  Sat in the chair 
  opposite him, Susannah Ward was pensive and 
  stuck in a moment of reflection. 
   
  ‘Do you understand your orders, Susannah?’ 
  Saussure asked. 
   
  ‘Yes, my lord,’ she replied simply. 
   
  This was the final piece of the puzzle, and on it 
  hinged the success of Saussure’s whole plan.  
  Getting Goddard to go after Cato had been 
  difficult, and getting Sark into a position to 
  influence Cato into visiting the chemical plant had 
  succeeded thanks only to the grace of the 
  Emperor and the complacency of Ryan’s guards, 
  but without corrupting the logic engine in the 
  facility with a tech-code of lies there would be no 
  evidence with which Goddard would be able to 
  finally implicate Cato.  The plan relied entirely on 
  Susannah’s natural guile and stealth now.  
  However, the facility was so well covered by 
  image-thieves and guards that Susannah would 
  have an extremely low likelihood of succeeding on 
  her mission without a distraction big enough to 
  draw off the guards, and that meant that she 
  would have to infiltrate the plant while Goddard 
  was kicking in the door.  The risk of her being 
  compromised was huge, and Saussure had made 
  it clear that the mission would have complete 
  deniability applied to it.  Susannah was entirely 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  30 
  alone on this and would not expect aid or rescue 
  whatever should happen.  She had to prepare 
  herself for the worst, and though neither of them 
  had mentioned it, Saussure was confident that 
  she would die rather than be captured.  She had 
  been a loyal agent over many years now, but this 
  was the ultimate test of her devotion to Him on 
  Terra. 
   
  ‘Good luck Susannah,’ he said, and handed her 
  the data wand with the malicious tech-code. 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  31 
  The Mercyday Incursion 
  An Inquisitor Battle Report 
   
  Ruaridh Dall, Jeremy Lowe and Derek Gillespie 
   
  Derek: So, the third outing in the series detailing 
  the activities of Inquisitors Goddard and Saussure 
  upon the surface of Agripinaa is upon us. In the 
  aftermath of the raid upon the recidivist cell 
  based in the Cathedral San Ethusias, Inquisitor 
  Goddard finds himself in an awkward situation. It 
  would appear that the planetary governor, or at 
  least those very close to him, is not only unable 
  to control spiralling violence upon Agripinaa in the 
  aftermath of the 13th Black Crusade, but is 
  actively turning a blind eye to the troubles in 
  order to further enrich himself. However, Goddard 
  remains not entirely convinced by the evidence he 
  and Saussure have put together, and is seeking 
  more proof. For his part, Saussure is being forced 
  to expend energy throwing Goddard off the scent, 
  so he can topple the Lords Ryan and install a 
  military council in governance of the planet. This 
  done, he will be content Agripinaa rests safe. 
  However, as there’s no way Goddard would 
  countenance such a affair without damning proof, 
  Saussure is having to work hard to make sure the 
  plan all comes together smoothly. Ruaridh, Jez 
  and I have got together for the penultimate time 
  to tell the next chapter in the tale – will Goddard 
  be taken in by Saussure’s plan, or will the aged 
  Inquisitor find himself up against one of his own?
   
  Milky blackness surrounded the disused buildings. These streets had teemed with life not too long ago, 
  before the Great Enemy had swarmed across the surface of Agripinaa and war had torn the place to shreds. 
  Doctor Croft had pumped her full of stims before she’d been deployed, but Susannah still caught herself 
  sub-consciously holding her breath as she entered crept through the derelict streets. Some of the most 
  decrepit buildings had obviously never been disturbed since the firestorms that had been unleashed to burn 
  out the taint of the plagued warriors. There were still rumours of the dead-that-walked, and Susannah was 
  acutely aware of how lightly armed she was, given the circumstances. She severely doubted that a plague-
  ridden undead corpse would be stopped by bolas choking its already redundant wind-pipe. 
   
  She had slunk from shadow to shadow, gliding expertly through the shattered remnants of what once had 
  been the homes of Imperial citizens, heading in the direction of the only remaining source of light and 
  activity in this shunned district – the churning towers of the Fritz-Haber plant ahead of her. She watched as 
  armed men patrolled the perimeter, back and forth with weapons held ready. Beneath them, servitors 
  plodded from building to building. The toxic atmosphere was clearly corroding them slowly but surely, which 
  likely explained why she didn’t see any workers venturing outside. Either that, or the war had claimed them 
  all, and the plant was effectively defunct, the servitors simply carrying out their instructions mindlessly. It 
  was of no consequence to her assignment, but Susannah found that she wasn’t as able to isolate herself 
  from the human tragedies that surrounded Inquisitorial work as she always needed to be. Benedict always 
  seemed to understand that, but she knew it couldn’t be a reason for her not to be assigned the work that 
  she was best suited for. 
   
  The small data-core lay against her thigh, dangling from the belt around her waist. A solitary light blinked 
  amber, the tiny machine spirit dormant until needed. In the distance, off to her left, she was sure she could 
  hear the noise of an incoming heavy truck. She intoned a quick prayer under her breath, and prepared to 
  take advantage of the distraction if it came her way…     
   
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  32 
  KICKING IN THE DOOR – Ruaridh Dall 
   
   
  Ruaridh:  Well, after a year spent writing up the first two battle reports (or so it seemed!) we’re back to 
  fight out the conclusion of the campaign.  Working out exactly how we were going to wrap things up on 
  Agripinaa was tough, as we needed a logical and exciting end to the story.  We decided two more games 
  were necessary; with the first one working out if Goddard uncovers Saussure’s nefarious scheme, and then 
  the final one to end it all.  The plot of the final game would depend on the outcome of this one, so if 
  Goddard did what was required of him, he’d be on to Saussure’s Recongregationist plan and would have 
  words with him before Saussure could put a military council in charge of Agripinaa.  If it all goes pear-
  shaped, then Saussure would have his way and the fate of Agripinaa would be set.  We were keen to let 
  Goddard get some sort of revenge though, so had some ideas for an “epilogue” to the story. 
   
  So, Goddard’s aim in this one is to apprehend Cato Ryan and find out if he is involved with the recidivist 
  movement as Saussure has Goddard believing.  Goddard will have Storm Trooper Sergeant Huan Choi back 
  with him after his heroics in the Cathedral of San Ethusias, and Explicator Lisa Theobald is all patched up 
  after taking a couple of bullets in the first game, and is raring to go.  David Burrell is being left out of this 
  one, as it wouldn’t be fair to drag him into the middle of another fire-fight!  I had a straightforward plan for 
  this one: take out the guards swiftly, and then convene on Cato en masse so the alleged no-good heretic 
  can’t escape.  
   
  INSERTION MISSION – Derek Gillespie 
  Derek: So, we’re back, and it appears that there’s a spanner in my 
  carefully-laid plans! Inquisitor Goddard has a sneaking suspicion that all 
  is not quite what it seems, and is attempting to get his hands on Cato 
  Ryan and interrogate him himself. Saussure can’t afford to have that 
  happen in case Goddard finds the holes in his stories so, having got wind 
  of Goddard’s plan, has dispatched a single operative to plant 
  incriminating evidence in a logic engine within one of Ryan’s retreats – in 
  this case, one of his business operations. Assuming that Special 
  Operative Ward can get in and out without being seen, then the job’s a 
  good ‘un and the last nail will be in the coffin! 
   
  Playing a game with only a single model is always a challenge, especially 
  on a playing field wherein everyone else has multiple protagonists. 
  Susannah has been selected by Saussure for her speed and stealth, and 
  I’m very much hoping that she can sneak past any trouble – she’s not 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  33 
  exactly heavily armed! My real hope is that Goddard and co. are going to get caught up in a really big fire 
  fight and Susannah can simply be in and out thanks to the confusion. If Goddard sneaks in successfully then 
  it’s going to be a race against time to get to the logic engine before he does!  
   
  AN UNSUSPECTING QUARRY – Jez Lowe 
  Jez: Well, Derek and 
  Ruaridh have done an 
  excellent job of setting 
  the scene so I’ll get into 
  the specifics of my role 
  a little. Alongside all the 
  normal ‘GM Stuff’ of 
  checking 
  tables 
  and 
  failing Action checks, I 
  would also be providing 
  a ‘God’s Eye view’ of the 
  game. Whilst this might 
  seem run of the mill, 
  given the covert nature 
  of Derek’s role in the 
  game I would have to 
  be especially careful of 
  Awareness, 
  Lines 
  of 
  Sight and the pacing of 
  the game. The pacing of the game is likely to be the toughest part. As GM, I have to balance the ease with 
  which Goddard’s team should brush aside the ‘Red Shirts’ guarding the complex with the need to give 
  Susannah a ghost of a chance of having the time to complete her mission. Keeping the timing dramatic for 
  both parties is going to be a real challenge, especially in a game as potentially fatal as Inquisitor. None of 
  the characters involved are particularly ‘super-human’ and that means that one stray roll could see a 
  awkwardly dug-in guard dead in the first hail of gunfire…or could lead to a bout of inconveniently timed 
  incompetence in dealing with what should be nothing more than the briefest of distractions. 
    
  My other concern, the Awareness rules, will likely play a very big part - not just in giving Susannah a fair 
  chance at staying hidden but also in allowing the Inquisitorial personnel the chance of inflicting the highly 
  cinematic ‘Sneak attack’. 
    
  Many moons ago, Derek was involved in a game I was GMing during which his character suffered a Sneak 
  Attack launched by a Eviscerator-wielding maniac. The intricacies of surprising a target whilst wielding an 
  oversized chainsaw had needed delicate handling and, although Derek fondly remembers the event, the 
  rules surrounding such escapades need delicate handling - not least as a Sneak Attack can be deadly! 
    
  Those concerns aside, I think this should go pretty smoothly. Only Ryan’s Bodyguard is particularly 
  competent and he is limited by the range of his sawn-off shotguns. The Complex Guards may look scary, 
  not least the one wielding the “Elephant Gun”, but they really shouldn’t present too much of a problem for 
  Goddard’s elite team.  
    
  It should be an interesting race between the two techniques. Will stealth prove faster than raw power, or 
  will the direct approach cut to the heart of the matter? 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  34 
  The garbage truck David had procured was 
  authentic, right down to the stink that caught the 
  back of Goddard’s throat.  They sat parked up in 
  an alley two blocks away from the sprawling 
  sulphur distillery that Kuipers had directed them 
  to, with a good view of the cooling towers and, 
  most importantly, the landing pad.  Theobald and 
  Burrell’s scouting mission the previous day had 
  given Goddard a clear layout of the facility, and 
  there were only two routes in: the front gate that 
  they were covering with the truck, and the 
  landing pad, and Goddard suspected that the 
  Procurator Marshal was exactly the kind of man 
  who would use an extravagant aerial transport.  
  If Goddard was right, their operation was going to 
  be all the harder as Ryan would be able to 
  disappear in the clustered buildings while they 
  were covering the ground from the gate to the 
  first row of workshops and cogitator chapels.  It 
  was less than ideal, but with no interceptor 
  available to him, they would just have to do 
  things the hard way.   
   
  When he thought about it, their plan here was 
  brutally simplistic: assault the compound, take 
  Cato prisoner and gather any evidence they could 
  find.  It was an old formula that the Inquisition 
  had used for millennia, and relied as much on the 
  fear that the forces of the Inquisition were held in 
  as much as it did the firepower available.  Choi 
  was an unmistakable emblem of Imperial might 
  with his red carapace, daubed with Inquisitorial 
  insignia, and Goddard hoped that the very sight 
  of him would send the heretics running.  Goddard 
  too had his overcoat unbuttoned to reveal his 
  own similarly inscribed carapace breastplate, and 
  he was sure that Theobald would waste no time 
  in letting the guards know who she represented.  
  It would take a brave man to stand up against 
  one of the Emperor’s chosen, and most of the 
  heretics that Goddard had encountered were 
  anything but.  Aye, an old formula, but a good 
  one at that.   
   
  A few quiet minutes passed in the truck’s cab, the 
  occasional clatter of Choi’s armour plates the only 
  sound as he jostled for room on the bench 
  alongside Theobald in the rear, before the whine 
  of jets turned their heads to the left.  An Arvus 
  lighter came banking in from the north, its dark 
  underside spotted with blue lights as its attitude 
  jets fired to steady its descent.  It slowed 
  markedly, and came into land on the flat rooftop 
  to the west of the compound.  It was stationary 
  for perhaps only thirty seconds, before it rose up 
  again, and boosted off back the way it had come.   
   
  ‘Time to go, David,’ Goddard instructed, and 
  Burrell powered up the truck. 
   
   
   
  Goddard peeled back a section of loose chainlink 
  fence and beckoned Choi and Theobald through 
  the hole and into the mounds of detritus that sat 
  on the fringes of the compound.  He followed 
  swiftly behind, and soon spotted the first guard 
  twenty yards ahead, bathed in light from a wall 
  mounted lamp.  The man was facing away from 
  him, and Goddard felt sure he could close the 
  ground between them before he even realised 
  they were there.  He activated his shock maul and 
  broke from cover.  Theobald took after him, her 
  athletic build propelling her along faster than 
  Goddard could ever achieve.  Soon she was at 
  Goddard’s shoulder, but the noise of two sets of 
  running feet was loud enough to grab the guard’s 
  attention, and he turned to face them.  Eyes wide 
  with surprise, he screamed out ‘alarm!’ and 
  reached to unsling his lasgun from his shoulder, 
  but the double crack of two hellgun shots put him 
  on his back, his head burst open.  Goddard 
  looked back to see Choi’s gun still aimed at the 
  corpse.  The low drone of the plant’s alarm 
  system sounded out.  Things had just become 
  immeasurably more difficult for them. 
   
  Goddard crossed the last few metres to the 
  guard’s body, and rifled through his uniform.  He 
  found a comm-link in a pocket, and pulled the 
  earpiece from the guard’s ear by the wire.  
  Movement caught his eye further into the 
  compound, and instinctively he dived for cover as 
  the guard ahead raised his improbably large 
  double-barrelled rifle and took aim.  Like a 
  thunderclap the gun barked twice and the large 
  bore munitions whipped past Goddard and 
  thudded into Choi, the Stormtrooper unfortunate 
  to have been standing directly behind where 
  Goddard had been moments before.  Despite his 
  armoured bulk, the rounds spun Choi around and 
  dumped him on the ground.  
   
  Jez: The “Elephant Gun”  
  It’s all too easy for mooks to be faceless, characterless cannon fodder for the PCs. But they can (and 
  should) be more than that. Something as simple as their choice of weaponry can achieve just that. For a 
  perfect example, you need only look at John McTiernan’s 1987 masterpiece, ‘Predator’. Each character 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  35 
  carries a unique weapon that defines him as much as the performance of the actor. Would Jesse Ventura’s 
  Blaine be anywhere near as memorable without that minigun?  
   
  In this case, the genesis of The Elephant Gun was inspired by Ruaridh’s modelling skill. We looked at the 
  model during the prep for the game and decided that it would be a little special. So, with a look through the 
  weapons and ammo in the rulebook we came up with a dirty great rifle that fired both barrels 
  simultaneously for extra stopping power. The downside was, of course, that our big-game hunting guard 
  then had to spend time picking himself up and reloading - a dicey proposition for a mook up against an elite 
  Inquisitorial snatch squad. 
   
  From the shadows, a lone figure watched the 
  progress of Goddard’s party intently. 
   
  “Right on time.”  The figure pressed a small stud 
  mounted near the top edge of the body-suit it 
  wore, activating a mid-range secure comm-unit. 
   
  “Insertion to Hawkwind. Additional personnel 
  have entered the arena. Over.” 
   
  There was a crackle of static. 
   
  “Hawkwind to Insertion. Visual?” 
   
  “Insertion, Hawkwind. Visual check confirmed – 
  codename Interloper, and associates. Over.” 
   
  The pause was longer this time. 
   
  “Very good. Proceed as before, Insertion. Non-
  lethal approach. Interloper must not be made 
  aware of your presence. Is this possible? Over.” 
   
  Operative Susannah Ward had the decision 
  wrenched from her by the sound of gunfire.  
  Alarms sounded across the complex.  The 
  Inquisitor had just saved her the bother of 
  creating a proper diversion.  She thumbed the 
  stud once more.  “Affirmative, Hawkwind.  In and 
  out.  Insertion out.” 
   
  As soon as the link went dead, she turned herself 
  from the wall, and leapt upwards, her fingers 
  finding purchase at the lip of the wall, and her 
  legs propelling her up onto the low roof.  Let the 
  Inquisitor blast his way in – she’d find a quicker 
  route…  
   
  Ruaridh: Inauspicious beginnings 
  Not the best start for my guys at all there.  Miserable action rolls had brought both Goddard and Lisa up 
  short as they charged the first guard, and the alarm had been raised.  Choi had done a good job in taking 
  out the guard, but thanks to some excellent dice rolls by Jez, the guard with the elephant gun had shot 
  down Choi.  Best laid plans and all that, I guess... 
   
  Goddard looked back in Choi’s direction, worried 
  that the Stormtrooper was out of it.  Choi was 
  clutching a leg, but he waved Goddard onwards.  
  Confident that Choi could look after himself, 
  Goddard concentrated a second on the comm 
  chatter.  Someone was relaying their position to 
  the other guards.  There had to be a nest 
  somewhere, where another guard or slaved 
  technomat was viewing security feeds.  Goddard 
  swiftly took in his surroundings and spotted a 
  tower on the other side of the compound.  Lisa 
  had earmarked it as a likely control room after 
  her reconnaissance mission, and it looked like the 
  most likely suspect for housing the security 
  system.  Readying himself to cross the alley down 
  which the gunfire had come, Goddard took a 
  deep breath.  He rocked back on his feet and 
  plunged across the gap. 
   
   
   
  Susannah crouched low atop the roof, listening to 
  the booming retorts coming from the passageway 
  below her.  Her lightweight combat shield rested 
  against her back, and she felt the comforting 
  weight of her shock maul hanging from her waist.  
  Apart from that, she only had a few grenades 
  about her person, so she certainly had no 
  intention of getting involved in that firefight if she 
  could avoid it.  Taking stock of her surroundings, 
  she could see several likely doorways that could 
  have concealed her objective, but one was much 
  closer than the rest.  The tower was a substantial 
  leap away from the end of the building, but she 
  was sure she could make it with enough of a run.  
  Having one last look around and seeing no guards 
  visible, she burst from her cover and headed 
  towards the edge of the rooftop, legs pounding 
  the ground. 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  36 
  Derek: A One-Woman Army 
  Playing a game with only a single character while those around you have significantly more than that is a 
  great challenge, and usually forces you to think on your feet, unless your lone character is a frothing 
  berserker, uncaring of odds! In this instance, Operative Ward is most certainly not a berserker. Armed with 
  largely inoffensive weaponry (shock maul, combat shield, 2 smoke grenades and a frag grenade), she’s 
  going to have to rely on guile and agility to get her where she needs to be. 
   
  With Choi down, Lisa knew that things were going 
  to be tough.  She had gone left after Choi had 
  shot down the guard, and she was now a good 
  twenty yards away from Goddard.  With the alarm 
  still sounding, they were sitting ducks, and Cato 
  was 
  probably 
  barricaded 
  away 
  by 
  now, 
  surrounded by heavies.  She had to get further 
  into the compound and quickly.  Ahead she could 
  see a forklift truck, and a plan began forming in 
  her head.  What quicker way to get into the 
  depths of this place than on motorised wheels?  
  She sprinted up behind it, and quickly surveyed 
  the area ahead.  There was a sword and pistol 
  armed guard running across the rooftops in her 
  direction. 
   
  So much for taking a ride in this thing, she 
  thought. 
   
  On the rear of the forklift were two red canisters, 
  obviously its fuel source, and quickly settled on 
  the idea of creating a mobile bomb.  She reached 
  down onto the ground and picked up a loose brick 
  and jammed the forklift’s accelerator down.  It 
  lurched forward, but far more slowly than she had 
  expected, and her eyes shot back up to the 
  closing thug.  She barely had time to curse before 
  he had put a pistol round in her leg.  He leapt 
  down from the balcony of the control tower and 
  slashed at her with his sword.  It clipped her  
  leg, and she fell backwards into the cab of the 
  forklift.  The guard leapt onto the running board 
  of the forklift as it moved off with Theobald 
  struggling to right herself in its cab.  He jabbed at 
  her with his sword, striking the metal of the 
  rollcage, and then piercing her inner thigh.  Lisa 
  screamed out and desperately tried to blast her 
  assailant with her laspistol, but from her upside-
  down position, the shots went hopelessly wild.  
  She nudged into the control stick as she 
  struggled, and the forklift turned through one 
  hundred and eighty degrees.  The guard 
  struggled to hang on, and Lisa kicked out at him 
  in an attempt to knock him off the vehicle.  He 
  scrabbled at the forklift’s frame to steady himself 
  and in retaliation stamped at Lisa’s throat with his 
  boot.  A shot thudded into the guard’s backside, 
  and he yelped, looking round to see a man in a 
  grey coat with his pistol raised.  The forklift jolted 
  as it hit rough ground, and the guard’s attention 
  whipped back to the direction of travel and saw a 
  pile of pipes fast approaching.  He threw himself 
  clear and landed cleanly as the forklift crashed 
  into the pipes at an oblique angle and climbed up 
  them, before it turned over and came crashing 
  down onto its rollcage.  Unrestrained inside, Lisa 
  hit the ground hard, and was pinned as the 
  wreckage came to rest, barely conscious. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  37 
  Vehicular Carnage! 
  Jez’s proficiency with his dice rolls again had ruined Lisa’s craftily thought-out plan.  We kind of winged it 
  with how the forklift would move, and relied on a good old scatter dice and a D6 to decide in what direction 
  and how far it would move, but initially had lurched forward a mere two yards, leaving Lisa in the open. 
   
  The rather useful guard had then shot her and followed that up with a flurry of sword blows.  I have to say 
  that it had been very entertaining though when Lisa had fallen into the forklift and the guard had leapt on 
  too.  Excitement like that is what games of Inquisitor should be about after all!  Admittedly, it was a damn 
  shame that Lisa looked to be out of the fight, but at least she’d gone out in a cool fashion! 
   
  With a mighty heave of the legs against the metal fencing, Susannah threw herself from the rooftop toward 
  the steel gantry that formed a small balcony in front of the doorway in the tower. As she jumped, she had a 
  brief glance to her left to see the utter confusion reigning below her, but she had no time to absorb what 
  was happening. The balcony loomed towards her, and she landed smartly, grasping the balustrade and 
  vaulting over the edge and back to something approximating safe ground. However, barely had she had the 
  chance to take stock of her new vantage point when a chunk exploded from the wall above her right 
  shoulder. As the rock-crete drizzled from the 
  wound in the building, her head whipped around 
  to see a distant guard, shotgun still smoking, 
  hands reaching for a second shell. Feeling 
  exposed, she threw herself at the metal door, 
  racing against the expected retort of another 
  blast form a shotgun. The metal was unyieldingly 
  locked, so a more direct approach was needed. 
  She dropped prone as a second shotgun blast 
  peppered the wall above her, and freed both 
  shield and maul from their bindings. Not having 
  the time for subtlety, she smashed the shock 
  maul into the locking panel next to the door, 
  causing a cascade of sparks to fountain across 
  her body. 
   
   
   
  Goddard sprayed pistol fire at the guard as he 
  scampered away from the forklift.  He had heard 
  Lisa’s screams and come running seconds before 
  to see his protégé being assaulted on the forklift, 
  and had opened fire on the man without pause.  
  He had clipped him once, but he was still a very 
  ready threat.  As Goddard tracked him with his 
  autopistol, one of his shots whipped into the rear 
  of the forklift, and the spark from its ricochet 
  ignited the fuel that had come spilling from its 
  ruptured tanks.  The next shot downed the guard, 
  and Goddard ran for the wreckage, desperate to 
  free Lisa before the fuel tanks went up.  He 
  holstered his pistol, slipped his maul under his 
  belt and reached into the cage.  He put his arms 
  around her chest and bodily dragged her from the 
  cab.  Shotgun fire sounded loud in Goddard’s 
  ears, and his legs stung as a pair of slugs clipped 
  them.  He struggled backwards with Theobald’s 
  dead weight, and tried to free his autopistol with 
  one hand to return fire.  Then he felt a hammer 
  blow to his chest and a sudden searing pain along 
  his temple.  He hit the ground hard and Theobald 
  crashed down on top of him.  Through hazy eyes 
  he saw the shotgun-armed guard bearing down 
  on them, and he tried feebly to raise his 
  autopistol.  He just about had him in his sights 
  when the forklift exploded, and the guard 
  careened out of sight at the edge of a rapidly 
  expanding fireball that roared over Goddard and 
  Theobald as they lay in the dirt.   
   
  Ruaridh: Cruel, Cruel Fate  
  As if missing the guard with a roll of 98 and Jez ruling that the fuel would be ignited was bad enough, 
  Goddard’s heroic rescue of Theobald had then been interrupted by another exceptionally proficient grunt.  
  The guards on show here had been performing so well that I’d been contemplating hiring them!  We had 
  pondered a second about the hit to Goddard’s head before rolling the damage dice, as nobody (especially 
  me!) wanted to see him die, but in the end couldn’t really envisage how Goddard could’ve avoided the blast, 
  other than Theobald’s head being in the way. But, as she had already passed out from her injury total and 
  was bleeding to death, putting the shot on her would have more than likely resulted in a speedy end for her 
  instead!  Goddard took the damage in the end (fortunately only 2 levels), and the resultant knockback from 
  the shot to his chest actually pushed the pair of them out of the blast radius of the exploding forklift, which 
  was a very nice blessing! 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  38 
   
   
  The firewash rippling from the ruined truck 
  lapped around the base of the tower beneath 
  Susannah, and the heat assaulted her back, but 
  she was clear from the flames themselves. 
  Quickly, she was on her feet, only to find herself 
  face-to-face with a new assailant. The man came 
  at her from the now-opened door, body-tackling 
  her backwards into the railing, and trying to pitch 
  her over the edge. She struggled, but he was 
  stronger, and her head swam from the glancing 
  blow of the impact. Faced with the fall, adrenaline 
  fuelled her resistance. She slammed a knee into 
  the kidneys of her attacker, making him wince 
  and lessen his hold. Her shock maul swung in a 
  flat arc, and he leant backwards to avoid the 
  swipe, but had to take his body weight off 
  Susannah to do so. Seizing her opportunity, she 
  charged forwards, taking the weight of his body 
  on her combat shield and tipping him off-balance 
  into the tower room itself. He slammed into a 
  machine panel and, winded, was open to a more 
  measured blow from the crackling shock maul. 
  Susannah heard his skull crack, and ceased to 
  worry about him as he went limp.  
   
  Quickly, she took stock. The room was some form 
  of control tower, and several monitors surrounded 
  her, displaying 
  pict-feeds from 
  across 
  the 
  complex. She had little time – she was in the 
  wrong place, and at least one guard had seen her 
  fight on the balcony. However, a single monitor 
  revealed her target – she could see an internal 
  vid 
  displaying 
  the 
  data-bank 
  she 
  needed. 
  Knowing where she had to go, all that remained 
  was to cover her escape somehow. A box 
  mounted on the wall appeared to hold machine 
  parts and accompanying switches. With a silent 
  prayer on her lips, she flicked the switches and 
  ripped the component parts free. Gratifyingly, the 
  lights went out. While she knew it would likely not 
  last long, she knew where she was going, and a 
  few moments of disorientation for the guards 
  would be enough to let her slip past… 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  39 
  Derek: Fortune Smiles  
  Susannah had enjoyed more than a bit of luck here. Stuck on a balcony above the chaos, and being shot at 
  from behind, I’d thought she was in deep trouble when she got charged by the guard in the tower. 
  However, a few tense combat actions went in my favour, and the shock maul in her hands did the business 
  (For once! Anyone else notice an inability to have an opponent fail a Toughness test for a shock maul?). 
  Once she was inside the tower, Jez let me ascertain where I was meant to be – inevitably, the other side of 
  the board – without too much hassle but, thanks to a very good pass of a Sagacity roll, he also let me work 
  out how to kill the lights!  I’m sure that someone would turn them back on again but, as she had no ranged 
  weaponry to fire back with, being able to get out of the way of Jez’s ultra-proficient goons was a serious 
  bonus!  
   
  Choi had been out of the fight for far longer than 
  he’d have liked.  The wound he’d taken to his leg 
  had been agonising, but the meds he carried had 
  finally started to overcome the pain.  From his 
  position in the dirt he had seen Theobald 
  attacked, and had helplessly watched as the 
  forklift had jerked forward out of his line of sight 
  with the guard chasing after it.  He had heard the 
  crack of Goddard’s gun from that direction too, 
  and had been surprised when the forklift had 
  reappeared.  That surprise had turned to horror 
  when the forklift had crashed, and the flames had 
  begun to lap around it as Goddard had frantically 
  tried to pull Theobald out of there.  Choi had 
  gingerly got up at that point, and limped across 
  to try and aid them.  Then Goddard was down, 
  and the forklift had exploded.  Inexplicably, the 
  lights in the compound had winked out and now 
  things were lit only by the burning forklift.  Choi 
  had cursed his weakness, but now though he had 
  his hellgun raised to his shoulder and he shot 
  down the two guards that he encountered around 
  the charred remains of the forklift with no 
  remorse as they flapped at the flames that were 
  licking across their bodies.  He dropped to his 
  knees beside Goddard, and assessed his wounds.  
  He took bandages from the pouches on his belt, 
  and wrapped one around Goddard’s bleeding 
  head.  He then took his last injector of pain meds 
  and stabbed it into the muscle of Goddard’s thigh.  
  He looked across at Theobald, and saw that she 
  was far worse off even than Goddard.  He took 
  Goddard by the arm and dragged him into cover, 
  and made to return for Theobald, but a hand 
  grabbed his own.  
    
  ‘I’ll see to her,’ Goddard said, and wearily pointed 
  around the corner.   ‘Complete the mission 
  Sergeant.  Get into the control tower and find 
  where Cato is hiding.’   
   
  ‘Yes, sir, Inquisitor,’ Choi replied curtly, discipline 
  and loyalty to his master overriding his concern 
  for Theobald, and went for the tower, head and 
  hellgun scanning for targets in the gloom. 
   
  Goddard groggily got to his feet and moved over 
  to Theobald.  Her left leg was bleeding badly, and 
  she was ghostly pale.  He undid his own belt and 
  looped it around her thigh.  Even with a 
  tourniquet in place though, he knew she wouldn’t 
  last long.  He activated his own microbead. 
   
  ‘David?  Theobald needs to be extracted right 
  away.  Get over here now!’ 
   
  Goddard received a muffled affirmative response, 
  and the sound of the garbage truck’s meaty 
  engine became audible over the crackle of flames.  
  He looked down at Theobald’s peaceful features.  
  ‘Hold on Elisabel,’ he whispered, ‘hold on.’ 
   
  Ruaridh: Injury Woes 
  I’m not often one to blame the dice, but Choi had spent at least 4 turns doing practically nothing as he 
  repeatedly failed the one healing action a turn I’d managed to roll for.  In hindsight, I maybe should have 
  got him up earlier, but as he was at Speed 3 because of his injury effects he wasn’t exactly going to be at 
  optimum combat efficiency!  With Theobald completely out of it and Goddard not much better either, I now 
  had only one character to rely on to complete the mission.  But so did Derek, and he’d been getting on 
  pretty much fine thus far... 
   
  Back in the shadows once more, Susannah took a 
  deep breath and assessed her surroundings. She 
  could still see the burning vehicle in the distance, 
  and it looked as though another figure had waded 
  into the combat – controlled las-blasts hit at least 
  one person she could see, and the body slumped 
  to the floor. Darkness enveloped this part of the 
  complex, but she had had a momentary feeling 
  there was someone nearby. She was sure she’d 
  caught a fleeting glimpse of a silhouette on the 
  rooftops above her as she made her way into 
  cover, which meant she may be being tracked. 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  40 
  However, she needed to get up onto those 
  rooftops herself.  
   
  Two smoke grenades rested in the palm of her 
  hand. They would have to provide either 
  sufficient cover or distraction to let her run across 
  the open ground and make it to the data-storage 
  bank, concealed in an office space nearby. She 
  threw both grenades over the lip of the wall 
  above her. One, she heard roll faintly then burst, 
  the smoke cloud roiling out across the roof. 
  However, in the darkness, the second hit an 
  overhang and fell back at her feet, smothering 
  her in her own smoke screen. Cursing, she leapt 
  up onto the roof and into the first smoke cloud 
  but, disoriented by the unexpected fumble, had to 
  stagger free of the fumes and orientate herself 
  before setting off once more. 
  Gratifyingly, the door was not locked as Susannah 
  reached it. Glancing behind her, she could see 
  little with the lights still off in the compound. A 
  faint glow from the burning wreck, even though it 
  was out-of-sight, and the lights of the landing pad 
  blinking steadily. 
   
  Readying her maul, she softly pushed open the 
  door and began a steady descent downstairs, 
  scanning the room. It appeared empty, and she 
  saw the data-storage bank ahead of her. No 
  sooner had she allowed herself a smile of 
  satisfaction than her world exploded into pain. 
  Four close blasts sounded behind her and she 
  was turning and falling, her body crumpling and 
  her skin in agony. Fighting to avoid blacking out, 
  she landed in a heap on the floor of the office, 
  her previously-unseen assailant holding smoking 
  sawn-off shotguns in his hands has he watched 
  her 
  wounded 
  body. 
  Casually, 
  he 
  began 
  reloading… 
   
   
  Jez: Surveillance pays off… 
  At this point, all but one of the guards had been engaged. The guard, patrolling the roof tops and landing 
  pad, had initially rushed towards the source of the exchanges of small arms fire. But the explosion of the 
  forklift and the sudden extinguishing of the lights had him worried, very worried, so he had hunkered down 
  on the roof tops, waiting to get the drop on any passing intruder with his shotgun.  
   
  It was unlucky timing for Susannah that he spotted her ghosting up to the wall and, although she had 
  gained a reprieve when her wayward smoke grenade had spoilt the guard’s aim, he was in an excellent 
  position to radio her position to Skar and put the veteran on her tail. 
   
   
   
   
  Derek:  Brutalised! 
  Ouch. Poor old Susannah had been doing so well, but her confusion when she stumbled from the smoke 
  cloud had allowed Ryan’s personal bodyguard, Arkat Skar, to follow her to the office. Totally unseen, he 
  unloaded all four barrels of his sawn-offs into her back. Three hits, three Hellfire effects for the poor 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  41 
  woman. I was extremely fortunate to pass the system shock rolls, but it looked like Operative Ward was a 
  goner unless the situation changed. 
   
  Jez: Susannah had done very well up to this point, carefully plotting a way through the warring combatants 
  and dealing with any opposition with brisk efficiency. However, time pressures forced Derek to abandon her 
  usual caution and she was caught out, Skar using both the darkness and the awareness penalties of her 
  helmet against her.  
   
  Choi hauled himself up the ladder to the control room.  An unconscious body lay on the floor, and the entire 
  security system was down.  Someone had been in there and tampered with everything.  But why?  Was 
  there someone within Cato’s operation that was trying to sabotage his plans, and had thought they were 
  aiding the attackers by doing this?  Whatever the truth was, he needed the system back online to track 
  down Cato.  Through guesswork and a couple of quick prayers to the console’s machine spirit he was 
  rewarded by light flooding the compound again.  The security feeds came online, and immediately Choi’s 
  attention was caught by the flash of gunfire in the screen on his right.  The inscription in the plaque under 
  the screen read “Office Stairway”.  Perhaps Cato’s people really were fighting amongst themselves.  He kept 
  watching as the smoke cleared, revealing the unmistakeably gaunt features of Cato Ryan.  Choi scanned the 
  other screens until he found the one marked “Office Stairway Roof Access”.  He knew exactly how to get to 
  Cato. 
   
  ‘Goddard, Cato’s in the office building to the north of the compound,’ he sent through his comm-link.  ‘It’s 
  the one with the rooftop access.’  Choi allowed himself the briefest of smiles.  They had him now. 
   
   
   
  Goddard watched as the garbage truck turned and sped off.  Theobald would be safe now.  He had received 
  Choi’s message seconds before, and with his pistol and maul back in his hands he had a renewed hope that 
  the night was not going to be the complete disaster he felt it had been up until that point.  He headed along 
  the road on which the control tower stood, and paused at the corner opposite Choi’s position.  He poked his 
  head around the corner, and sharply withdrew it as he spotted the double barrels of the gun that had shot 
  Choi down earlier.  The guard was aiming up at the control tower’s door, and if Choi were to exit the 
  building, he would surely be hit. 
   
  ‘Choi, remain in your current position until I give the all clear,’ he sent.  ‘The door is being covered.  I’m 
  going to attempt to flank the gunner.’ 
   
  Goddard turned on his heel and went back the way he had come, ducking into the alley between the central 
  buildings, moving as quickly and as quietly as he could. 
   
   
   
  The figure above Susannah, looming in the 
  doorway, halted in his tracks and listened to a 
  message from the wrist-unit he wore. 
   
  “This is Arvus lander, returning to position as 
  requested. Prepare for extraction.” 
   
  Susannah lay as motionless as possible; helpless, 
  but still alive. Her attacker gave her a disparaging 
  glance, evidently deciding she was no longer a 
  threat. He pressed a stud on the same wrist-
  mounted comm and spoke into it. 
   
  “Lord Ryan, I am returning to your side. The 
  Arvus is incoming. We will extract you under fire. 
  Over.” 
  A panicked voice gave some form of reply that 
  Susannah barely heard, then she was alone all of 
  a 
  sudden, 
  abandoned 
  as 
  no 
  longer 
  of 
  consequence. Had she been more fit, then her 
  pride would have been stung. As it was, all she 
  was suddenly aware of was the agony of the 
  wounds in her back, and the blood pounding 
  through her ears. Discarding her weapons, she 
  took the small canteen from her waist belt and 
  doused her wounds with water, emptying the 
  flask in an effort to deal with whatever corrosive 
  substance had eaten into her. She was in such 
  pain, it was hard to know if it had any effect. 
  Tearing the sleeves of her suit, she fashioned the 
  best make-shift bandages she could, and clipped 
  her maul back to her belt. Using her shield to 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  42 
  help, she dragged herself to her feet with a huge 
  effort, and slumped against the data-bank. Her 
  head swam, and she fought unconsciousness. 
  Back from the brink, she unclipped the portable 
  data-core from her leg pouch, and slotted it into 
  the machine that supported her. Lights blinked 
  into life for a few seconds, then the unit fell silent 
  once more. Through gritted teeth, she managed a 
  half-smile, and withdrew the core. Job done, she 
  could focus on her own survival from this point 
  onwards. 
   
   
   
  Choi watched the screens as Goddard snuck 
  across the open ground to the rear of the 
  gunner’s position.  The inquisitor was making 
  slow progress, and Choi found himself willing 
  Goddard to move faster.  Another screen had 
  revealed that Cato and a bodyguard were 
  ascending the stairs back to the rooftop, and Choi 
  was sure that the distant rumbling he could hear 
  was the returning Arvus lighter.  It wouldn’t take 
  Cato fifteen seconds to cross the rooftop 
  walkways to the landing pad once he reached the 
  top of the stairs, and Choi was sure Goddard 
  wouldn’t have dealt with the guard in time.  Choi 
  watched agonisingly as Cato opened the door and 
  stepped out of view on the “Office Stairway” feed.  
  He looked back at Goddard’s position, and gritted 
  his teeth. 
   
  ‘Cato’s making a break for the landing pad,’ he 
  shouted down the commlink, ‘I have to act!’ 
   
  With that, Choi flung open the door, and stepped 
  halfway out of the door.  He barely managed to 
  shout at Cato to stop before the overwatch shot 
  struck him in the side of his ribs and sent him 
  back through the doorway to crash into the vid-
  screens. 
   
   
   
  Goddard cursed as the guard blasted at Choi, and 
  from the rooftop a shot came shrieking past his 
  head.  Goddard charged round the corner, and 
  came upon the guard from behind.  He’d heard 
  him coming though, and threw himself aside to 
  narrowly dodge the swing of Goddard’s maul.  
  Goddard swung again and again, but the man got 
  the barrels of his gun in the way, sending blue 
  sparks flying as the maul discharged into the 
  metal of the weapon.  The guard rolled away 
  from Goddard and brought his gun up to bare.  
  Goddard threw himself down as the barrels 
  boomed and brought his own pistol up, shooting 
  the man in the leg.  He yelped and scrambled off.  
  Goddard pulled himself upright, and chased the 
  man into cover with autopistol fire, hitting him at 
  least twice more.  Goddard rounded the corner to 
  give the coup de grace, but was knocked to his 
  knees by a shot from behind.  The wound burned 
  with an unbearable fire, and the pain overcame 
  him.  Goddard fell forward onto his face, 
  unconscious. 
   
  Ruaridh: Shot in the back! 
  Jez’s beautifully painted Kal Jerico conversion had more than proved himself to be the man of the match by 
  the time he took aim at Goddard, but still managed to show the inquisitor how it should be done by putting 
  a hellfire shell in his back despite needing something ridiculous like 12 or less to hit.  Unsurprisingly, 
  Goddard had failed his System Shock roll and passed out.  Things were looking grim. 
   
  The Arvus was down on the landing pad, but the 
  twin turbines nestled under its wings had not 
  stopped – this was merely a touch-down and 
  pick-up, and Arvat Skar pushed his charge 
  forward, all thoughts of rank forgotten in the 
  need for speed. The perspiring Lord Ryan 
  stumbled ahead of him, while Skar methodically 
  slipped further shells into the twin barrels of his 
  shotguns. He had a nagging doubt about the 
  woman he’d taken down – had she still been 
  moving? Leaving loose ends was not his style, but 
  he’d had no choice. If Cato Ryan was hurt under 
  his watch, he’d be losing much more than a pay 
  packet. As they got to within ten metres of the 
  Lander, he saw movement off to his left, and 
  quickly assessed the situation. It looked like there 
  was at least one more of the interlopers left, so 
  they weren’t quite safe yet. 
   
   
   
  Painfully slowly, Susannah dropped, or more like 
  slid, down the face of the wall, and nearly 
  crumpled once again as she hit the ground. She 
  could still hear gun-fire, fairly nearby, but had 
  ended up entirely out-of-sight of all those around 
  her. The engines of the Arvus were filling the 
  complex now, but Susannah didn’t care whether 
  or not Cato Ryan was apprehended. Her 
  extraction point was still some distance away, but 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  43 
  she had avoided the remaining guards. She 
  thumbed her vox-stud. 
   
  “Insertion to Hawkwind. Objective achieved. 
  Request medical evacuation.” 
   
  She could barely hear the reply, all of her senses 
  dulled by the pain. She staggered off into the 
  gloom ahead of her.  
   
   
   
  Choi struggled back to his feet and thrust himself 
  out of the doorway, uncaring for his own safety.  
  He could not let the heretic escape.  Cato was 
  making a break for it along the roof towards the 
  landing pad and Choi downed him with a shot to 
  the shoulder that left Cato shrieking with agony.  
  A shotgun barked and Choi felt a round clatter 
  into his shoulder guard.  He stumbled back, but 
  stayed on his feet.  Turning back to his quarry, he 
  saw a man drag Cato into cover on the roof.  Choi 
  had no shot, so in desperation hurled himself 
  across the gap between the control tower balcony 
  and the landing pad.  He landed with a clatter, 
  and before he regained his balance he was 
  pitched back off the rooftop by another shotgun 
  blast from the bodyguard.  He landed heavily on 
  his wounded leg and cried out.  Above him he 
  could see the lighter coming into land.  He only 
  had one final chance to stop Cato’s escape now 
  by damaging the landing pad to deter the lander, 
  and took a krak grenade from his belt.  Whether 
  it had been damaged in the fall, or if it had simply 
  been faulty Choi would never know, but the 
  premature explosion of the grenade left him 
  knowing only pain. 
   
  WHEN EVERYTHING FALLS APART... - Ruaridh 
  Oh dear.  I should’ve known something was going to wrong when Jez said to me pre-game, “I’ll make the 
  goons’ stats somewhere in the 50s and 60s”.  With a shocked look I pointed out that my characters’ stats 
  were all around that mark, and thankfully he lowered them.  That didn’t stop him making the most obscene 
  rolls though, and my guys suffered badly.  I wonder if leaving the stats in the range of my folk would have 
  meant that he’d have rolled badly all day as well?   
   
  Can’t really blame the dice though, as they contributed to a cracking game; full of exciting improvisation on 
  all our parts, with an out-of-control forklift, a big action movie-esque explosion and much leaping from 
  rooftop to rooftop.  It was great fun.   
   
  Of course, it means that Saussure has got away with it all, the sneaky old git.  Hopefully when Choi recovers 
  he’ll remember that someone had tampered with the security system, and that maybe Goddard’s suspicion 
  that there was something not quite right with Kuipers’ interrogation will lead to him looking more closely at 
  all the evidence of the Ryans’ heresy.  But for now, Goddard’s injuries mean that Saussure is going to be 
  able to dispose of the Ryans at his leisure and implement a new military council to govern Agripinaa. 
   
  As an aside, it’s really quite ironic that Choi ended up armless thanks to a krak grenade as I’d described him 
  losing an arm in a piece of fiction I’d put on the Conclave a couple of years ago.  At least in that piece he 
  was putting an end to a Relictor with a krak grenade and not simply forgetting to throw the damn thing!  I 
  guess he must have been fated to losing it from the start... 
   
  BLOODIED YET SUCCESSFUL - Derek 
  If ever there was a game defined by the sheer jaminess of a GM, it was this one!  Though there were signs 
  of it in the last game, this little outing really brought forward Jez’s outrageous ability to roll just what is 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  44 
  required on some dice, regardless of the odds stacked against that outcome!  Normally, the response this 
  brings is a mildly apologetic grin.  I saw that grin rather a lot in this one… 
   
  I was rather taken aback by the speed at which Ruaridh chose to go for the direct route at the start of the 
  game, though I expect he rather hoped to take out the first guard somewhat more smoothly than he did!  
  As a result, poor Susannah was forced to try and sneak through a gun fight as opposed to a quiet factory 
  complex.  This is, obviously, rather problematic when you don’t have a proper gun yourself!  I was lucky, 
  though, that Inquisitor Goddard and companions ran into possibly the most frightening goon squad you’ve 
  ever seen!  Cato Ryan obviously only buys the best guards for his property, but the upshot was to really 
  slow Goddard down and give Susannah a shot at getting the job done.  Managing to sprint and leap my way 
  into the control tower to kill the lights was a plus, but her ultimate failure to cover her final approach into 
  the control centre was very nearly her undoing.  All those Hellfire shells unloaded into her poor back took 
  her to the very brink of being out-of-play but, once again, the commotion caused by Goddard’s team as 
  they gamely tried to apprehend Ryan meant that the killing blow was never struck, and she managed to 
  drag herself to her feet and slam the data core home. 
   
  I really felt for Ruaridh who, at times, was forced to stare in disbelief as Jez nailed another unfeasible shot 
  into Goddard or Choi.  We both had some fairly poor luck, but Ruaridh got it in the neck when it was most 
  important, and even his last dash to get his hands on Ryan resulted in both Goddard and Choi down, and 
  Choi missing a limb!  Sometimes, it’s not your day. 
   
  So, Goddard has failed to uncover sufficient evidence of Saussure’s scheme, and will go along with the older 
  Inquisitor when it comes to the deposition of the Lords Ryan as rulers of Agripinaa.  Quite how he’s going to 
  feel once he eventually gets wind of what might have happened is still to be revealed… 
   
  FATE IS A CRUEL MISTRESS - Jez 
  Wow.  What a game!  Last minute leaps, vicious hand to hand fighting across out of control vehicles, 
  explosions, ambushes, surveillance, stealth, self-sacrifice, last minute escapes and Machiavellian 
  manipulation… James Bond eat your heart out! 
   
  It’s certainly a game that will live with me for a long time to come and should stand as a testament to the 
  qualities of Ruaridh and Derek as both masterminds and puppet masters of the plots and protagonists.   
  However, I’m going to take a moment to engage the unblinking glare of hindsight to highlight what I think 
  is a very important lesson. 
   
  Ridiculous shots, belief suspending system shock checks and frankly ridiculous action rolls characterized this 
  game as much as anything else - almost all of them on my part.  A measure of luck can bring tension to 
  every bounce of the dice and suspense to every action.  However, if it goes too far, it can be drastically 
  unbalancing. 
   
  In theory, the scenario should have revolved around the race between Goddard’s snatch squad and 
  Susannah’s stealthy approach, with Cato’s capture by the elite of the Imperium a given.  However, a series 
  of ludicrous rolls (almost all at Ruaridh’s expense) saw Cato escape and the Inquisitorial forces battered and 
  bloodied. 
   
  In hindsight, this is where a GM needs to take matters into his own hands.  The primary role of mooks 
  (check with previous claims about primary roles of mooks) is to act as enablers for both drama and the main 
  protagonists.  During this game, they tried to steal the show.  Whilst I am not a fan of ‘fudging’ dice rolls, I 
  should have played up the effects of the surprise assault, the shock of the explosions and the fear as the 
  lights cut out to make the mooks more hesitant and to have curtailed some of their more ‘desperate’ 
  gambits (such as the ludicrous long range snap shot that finally took out the indomitable Goddard).  A good 
  rule of thumb is that, if an action will only detract from the overall outcome (e.g. the cinematic roof top 
  arrest of Cato), a GM shouldn’t take it if another route is open (e.g. Skar making a break for the lander 
  himself). 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  45 
  However, my mistakes aside, Ruaridh and Derek were excellent, both as tacticians and players and their 
  willingness to roll with the punches of fate and still come out smiling was humbling.  I would also like to 
  highlight their shared ability to contribute constructive and unbiased suggestions for rulings to cover unusual 
  situations (I’m looking at you, forklift truck) and the ability to accept rulings from their GM instantly and with 
  good grace, no matter what it might mean for their characters.  That sort of behaviour makes GMing a real 
  pleasure. 
   
  “Lord-General Sakya is en route to Agripinaa as we speak, Benedict. He anticipates entering the system the 
  day after tomorrow. We have received no communiqués from the Administratum as yet, but the Ordo 
  Hereticus has acknowledged the apprehension of Cato and Echinvar Ryan. They await your presence with 
  anticipation, and are ready to commence the sentencing court as soon as we can rendezvous with the 
  Imperial Sword.” 
   
  Interrogator Kuerten finished his report and stood, awaiting a response from Saussure. The old man 
  nodded, digesting what he’s been told, then raised himself from the chair. The leather creaked as he took 
  his weight off it. The Lords Ryan were near-as-dead already. The Stormtroopers of the Ordo Hereticus, 
  aided by the Sisters of the Ebon Rose, had pacified the Ryan family complex within a single hour of combat, 
  and decimated the security detail. Benedict was happy no innocent men of the Imperial Guard had been 
  stationed around the premises – the Ryan’s men had grown fat and lazy off the back of their masters’ 
  corrupt dealings, and he had no qualms in sending them to judgement in front of the Throne. 
   
  “How is Inquisitor Goddard?”, he asked. 
   
  Kuerten glanced down at the data-slate. “The last information I have says that he’s up. Still wounded, and I 
  don’t believe his team have left the infirmary yet, but they’ll all recover.” 
   
  “Good. Is Annabelle still with them?” Sending the doctor had seemed like the least he could do. Goddard 
  had insisted on being present while they took the Ryans, but there had hardly been any colour in his face by 
  the time the operation had been completed. However, his name had been on the warrant, and he had 
  wanted to see it himself. Benedict still regretted the part he’d played in those injuries, but it had been a 
  necessary evil. 
   
  “She returned this morning, sir. Goddard has arranged for his staff to be transferred off the surface 
  tomorrow evening. I believe he’s leaving a representative behind to oversee the situation on his behalf.” 
   
  “Very good, Richard. Nathaniel has requested that he be allowed to do the same on my behalf. I have 
  agreed. Durant will stay with him, as will Sark. We can collect them in a few weeks, if needs be. The rest of 
  us need to prepare to leave. Let’s see Tomashek off first, though. Signal the Angelic to expect us in two 
  days. I trust that’s enough time to clean up, here?” 
   
  Kuerten nodded. The old man was troubled. 
   
  “And summon a car, Richard. I’m going to visit Goddard before he leaves. He deserves our thanks.” 
  Saussure turned and headed off into the hallway. The door swung closed behind him, leaving Kuerten alone 
  in the room. He began to collect the scattered data-slates from the tables and the bureau. It was going to 
  take a while for the residue of these last few weeks to leave them all, he suspected. 
   
  He reached across and pressed a rune on the side of the holo-sphere. The rotating image of Agripinaa 
  dissolved before his eyes.     
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  46 
  Modelling Masterclass
  Modelling Masterclass
  Modelling Masterclass
  Modelling Masterclass    
  Brother-Sergeant Tybalt Andrus, Imperial Fists 5th 
  Company 
  By Derek Gillespie 
   
  INSPIRATION & CONVERSION 
  After Dark Magenta published our alternative 
  rules for the Adeptus Astartes in Issue 2, my 
  desire for a 54mm Battle Brother increased 
  massively. I am a fairly staunch Imperialist on the 
  40K gaming table, and have also painted two 
  54mm Marines in the past – a “stock” Artemis 
  figure for Games Workshop Edinburgh, and a 
  lovely 54mm Space Wolf conversion (not my own 
  work, unfortunately) for a GW HQ display at 
  Games Day one year. However, those were both 
  several years ago, and I was itching to have a go 
  at one for my own personal use. Eion’s rules in 
  the last issue were just the catalyst I needed, so I 
  dug out an Artemis figure from the dusty box I 
  had stashed away, and looked at what was in 
  front of me. 
   
  When it came to deciding what I wanted to do, it 
  didn’t take long to make up my mind. I couldn’t 
  face another Marine painted purely as a 
  Deathwatch member, having already handled two 
  such beasts, but I was very keen to have a 54mm 
  Imperial Fist, to tie him in with my current 40K 
  army. However, as you’ll all know, the Artemis 
  figure has a marvellous Deathwatch shoulder pad. 
  Now, to my surprise, it appears that many 
  gamers don’t like this piece of the kit and do their 
  best to hide it, either by getting hold of a second 
  Artemis right arm and chopping it up to provide a 
  second, plain, shoulder pad, or by slapping a 
  great big Green Stuff cloth over the detail of the 
  Deathwatch pad. I, however, do like the 
  Deathwatch pad, so it was staying. Luckily, the 
  Deathwatch background gave me a perfect 
  excuse here, as Marines who have served time 
  with the Xenos hunters are allowed to continue to 
  wear the Deathwatch pad once they return to 
  their Chapter as a mark of honour. With this little 
  detail sorted, I pressed on – hacking, filing and 
  Green Stuffing away until I’d ended up with a 
  Marine I was proud of... 
   
  As you may be able to tell, his pose is heavily 
  influenced by one of the classic Space Marine 
  Assault Sergeant models. I realised that, with 
  only 
  very 
  minor 
  re-
  positioning of 
  the legs and a 
  bit of Green Stuff, 
  Artemis’ whole pose 
  could be lifted more 
  upright and, if you 
  didn’t play around 
  with the knees at 
  all, it looked very 
  much like he had just 
  landed from a jump of 
  some sort. The other 
  advantage is that 
  is began to show 
  off the sheer size 
  of a 54mm Marine, 
  which some people 
  fail to appreciate as Artemis is in a headlong 
  charge at the foe. You may also notice that I look 
  the opportunity to shave the model’s head 
  through judicious application of a file! I like 
  shaven headed Marines, especially for the 
  penitential Imperial Fists, and all if takes in this 
  case is some careful yet forceful filing, followed 
  by some gradual application of Green Stuff to 
  build up a dome on his head once more. As long 
  as you leave the Green Stuff to cure properly, you 
  can then take a file to what you’ve done and 
  smooth everything back into place to give you a 
  neatly-shaven head! The other major areas of 
  conversion note are his plasma pistol and his 
  huge chainsword, so I’ll deal with each of these in 
  turn: 
   
  The Chainsword  
  I decided, fairly arbitrarily, that I wanted my 
  Marine to have a weapon other than a Power 
  Sword. Besides, most Space Marine assault 
  troops, and several characters, make do quite 
  happily with a chainsword, so it was all right by 
  me. However, upon scouring my bitz box, I didn’t 
  have any “stock” blades that were suitable – I 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  47 
  considered using Malicant’s Eviscerator, but it was 
  too long and thin when put in the hands of a 
  Marine. I wanted this to look like a butcher’s 
  weapon – I don’t see chainswords 
  as being wielded for finesse, but 
  because they cause horrifying 
  injuries, and this “fear factor” 
  is part of the reason I see them 
  as prime assault weapons for  
   
   
   
   
   
  the Astartes. So, I needed a weapon of my own 
  choosing.  
   
  What I came up with, you can see above. The 
  body of the chainsword is constructed from the 
  Eviscerator you get in the chain weapons booster 
  pack. The teeth have been chopped off along one 
  edge, and this edge “sealed” with a plastic spine 
  created from the top hatch doors from a rogue 
  trader era Marine Rhino. The handle and 
  extended motor unit of the Eviscerator has also 
  been removed with a modelling saw and a new 
  hilt constructed using parts salvaged from the 
  pintle-mount of a 28mm Astartes tank. Once 
  they’re all stuck together, I was perfectly happy 
  with the look I ended up with. It’s squatter than 
  available chain weapons, but it looks pretty 
  brutal, and is about the right size compared to 
  the rest of the model, in my eyes. You can also 
  the re-positioning work carried out on the left 
  arm, whereby the arm was sawn through under 
  the shoulder pad, rotated, angled and pinned 
  back in place. Likewise, the wrist was also pinned 
  at a more extended angle that is normally the 
  case with Artemis. Green Stuff was then used to 
  re-build the armour plates and the internal 
  flexible joints. 
   
  The Plasma Pistol 
  There is less to describe surrounding the plasma 
  pistol in terms of conversion. An old 
  colleague of mine, John Nicolson, 
  once 
  converted 
  a 
  lovely 
  54mm 
  Khornate 
  Berserker (if you’re reading, John, send us a 
  picture!) that had a plasma pistol based on the 
  28mm Plasma Cannon, and I’ve wanted one ever 
  since. Taking this as my opportunity, I dived into 
  my bitz box and pulled out just what I needed, 
  which could be slotted into place after Artemis’ 
  bolter had been sawn from his hand, and the 
  28mm Marine hands had been clipped free form 
  the Plasma Cannon. 
   
  The fit is generally very pleasing as long as you 
  cut away the parts mentioned carefully. One of 
  the most satisfying sections was slowly bending 
  the cables from the Plasma Cannon into 
  alignment with the scanner unit mounted on the 
  Marine’s right arm. A small amount of Green Stuff 
  was then used to sculpt on a few extra cables and 
  make the whole thing appear as though the pistol 
  feeds directly into the wrist-mounted monitor 
  unit. 
   
  I deliberately held off gluing the whole piece 
  together before painting, so it was easier to get 
  at tricky details without risking dropping the 
  whole thing on the floor. I know from still-hard-
  to-accept past experience what can happen if you 
  drop an Artemis figure onto a hard surface, and I 
  don’t want to repeat the experience. For painting, 
  I left the model in four sections – main torso and 
  legs, left arm, head, and backpack. 
   
  PAINTING 
  A general point regarding the painting – I used a 
  Chaos Black undercoat. Normally, I paint over a 
  Skull White undercoat and, especially in the case 
  of a model that’s going to be ninety-five percent 
  bright yellow, I wouldn’t think of doing anything 
  else. However, experience at painting 28mm 
  Imperial Fist tanks had taught me that it can be 
  hard to get smooth yellow, so I thought I’d have 
  a little experiment with the Citadel Foundation 
  Paint range, which I hadn’t used at the time. 
  These 
  pigment-heavy 
  paints 
  are 
  allegedly 
  designed for even coats over black undercoats, so 
  I thought I’d put them to the test with a yellow 
  model! Also on the general front, my approach to 
  painting a piece such as this – where there is a 
  display element involved – is to base coat the 
  whole model first, then follow up by tackling 
  specific sections of the piece and working on 
  them until they are pretty much finished before 
  moving onto the next section. 
   
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  48 
  The Legs 
  I 
  must 
  admit 
  to 
  being very 
  happy 
  with 
  the Foundation Paint 
  range. At least, I can 
  vouch 
  for 
  the 
  effective-ness 
  of 
  Iyanden Darksun as a 
  colour! It’s not quite 
  the 
  “one 
  coat 
  wonderland” 
  that 
  was boasted of on 
  the 
  GW 
  website 
  when they released 
  the range, but it’s 
  much, much more 
  effective 
  than 
  other 
  yellow 
  shades 
  would 
  have been! 
   
  The photos here illustrate start of the painting 
  process as it was followed. The yellow armour 
  was given a basecoat of Iyanden Darksun, 
  followed by successive coats of Iyanden Darksun 
  and Golden Yellow mixtures – the first such coat 
  was 2:1 
  Darksun:Golden, 
  followed 
  by 1:2 
  Darksun:Golden, and finally two thin coats of 
  pure Golden Yellow were applied. The right-hand 
  of the two photos illustrates the difference in 
  tones – the left leg is pure Golden Yellow, the 
  right leg is 2:1 Iyanden Darksun: Golden Yellow, 
  while the torso is pure Iyanden Darksun. This 
  results in a rich, buttery yellow, which I think is 
  closest to the original descriptions of the heraldry 
  of the Imperial Fists. It shouldn’t burn your eyes 
  out when you look at it, in other words! The 
  highlights on the armour have 
  been kept to the minority required 
  for definition – I wanted the Golden 
  Yellow to be the primary colour, so 
  highlights were restricted to the 
  edges of the power armour, and 
  were applied in two thin layers – 2:1 
  Golden Yellow:Skull White, and 1:1 
  Golden Yellow:Skull White. The 
  completed effect you can see in 
  the next photos. 
   
  The other pertinent details on 
  the legs were the belt skull 
  and 
  the 
  grenades. 
  My 
  method 
  for 
  painting 
  ornamental bone starts with a 
  Dark Flesh basecoat, which is then 
  painted with Snakebite Leather and then Bubonic 
  Brown, 
  in 
  each 
  case leaving only 
  the darker colour in 
  the deeper recesses. 
  Working quickly (or 
  with a wet palette) I 
  then 
  add 
  successive 
  amounts of Skull 
  White 
  into 
  the 
  Bubonic Brown, with 
  each successive layer of 
  the mixture being applied 
  in smaller amounts, 
  and 
  concentrating on 
  the raised areas 
  of 
  the 
  sculpt 
  around 
  the 
  eye 
  cavities, the top of the skull and the teeth. The 
  lightest two layers are “feathered” onto the bone 
  in very faint lines, to give some texture to the 
  section. 
   
  There are two types of grenade on the model’s 
  belt – green frag grenades (Dark Angels Green 
  basecoat, with 1:1 Goblin Green added as a main 
  colour, and pure Goblin Green edge highlights) 
  and a red krak grenade (Red Gore basecoat with 
  two successive layers of Red Gore/Blood Red 
  highlights). The metallic areas in the joints of the 
  power armour have been drybrushed Boltgun 
  Metal followed by a light drybrush of Chainmail. 
   
  The 
  final 
  point 
  of 
  note 
  here is that the 
  base of the model 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  painted by this point 
  in time. On display 
  models like this, I 
  often tackle the 
  base first, as odd 
  as it may seem. I 
  find bases quite 
  messy 
  things 
  to 
  paint 
  and, 
  as 
  I 
  hadn’t 
  decided 
  if 
  the 
  Marine 
  was going to 
  have his armour “weathered” or not by this stage, 
  I decided to tackle the base first. The rocks and 
  the disused plate on the base are from the 40K 
  basing kit, and they were then covered with 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  49 
  normal sand, all 
  super-glued 
  into 
  place. The earth is 
  painted 
  via 
  successive 
  drybrushes – first 
  with Dark Flesh, 
  then 
  Snakebite 
  Leather, 
  then 
  Bronzed 
  Flesh, 
  then 
  Bubonic 
  Brown, 
  then 
  Bleached 
  Bone. 
  Each 
  successive 
  layer 
  is 
  lighter 
  than the last, and 
  the inclusion of the 
  richer tones, such 
  as the Snakebite 
  Leather and the Bronzed Flesh, gives a nice, 
  warm, earthy tone that I find pleasing. The final 
  layer – the Bleached Bone – is applied in a faint 
  ring around the edge of the base, which gently 
  frames the piece. The discarded metal was 
  drybrushed with Tin Bitz, Beaten Copper and then 
  a 2:1 Beaten Copper:Chainmail mixture, and the 
  rocks were painted in Shadow Grey before being 
  drybrushed with first 3:1, then 1:1 Shadow 
  Grey:Space Wolves Grey, followed by the edges 
  being picked out with pure Space Wolves Grey. 
   
  The Torso and Plasma Pistol 
  After tackling the legs, I moved onto the torso 
  and right arm of the Marine. The yellow of the 
  armour was tackled in exactly the same fashion 
  as the legs, as you would expect. However, the 
  major feature of the chest plate is clearly the 
  winged skull icon that 
  forms the chest 
  “eagle” 
  for 
  the 
  Artemis 
  sculpt. 
  Originally, 
  I 
  had 
  toyed 
  with the notion 
  of removing 
  the 
  skull and sculpting 
  a clenched fist in its 
  place, but I decided to 
  leave it 
  as 
  is and, 
  instead, use one of the 
  small Imperial Fist icons 
  from the 28mm booster pack as a medallion 
  hanging from the straps around his neck. 
   
  The winged skull was tackled in the same fashion 
  as the krak grenade, simply with more layers of 
  intermediate reds. Starting from the Chaos Black 
  undercoat, a layer of Red Gore was applied to act 
  as the basecoat, and then this was the 
  highlighted by adding increasingly large amounts 
  of Blood Red to the Red Gore. In total, there were 
  five layers of red, with the final layer being pure 
  Blood Red, applied to the very tips of the wings 
  and to the uppermost edges of the central skull. 
  The hanging pendant was painted Skull White 
  over a Space Wolves Grey basecoat, using several 
  thin coats of Skull White. The strap itself was 
  painted using a Dark Flesh basecoat, followed by 
  1:1 Dark Flesh:Snakebite Leather as the main 
  colour. The very edges of the strap were painted 
  with a 1:2 mix of Dark Flesh:Snakebite Leather, 
  and the bronze detailing was painted with Dwarf 
  Bronze, and then a tiny highlight using 1:1 Dwarf 
  Bronze:Chainmail.  Finally, to signify that this 
  particular Marine was assigned to the 5th 
  company, his shoulder pad was given a Chaos 
  Black trim, which was highlighted twice at the 
  internal and external edges by adding small 
  amounts of Skull White to the Chaos Black. 
   
  The Plasma Pistol itself had the metal areas 
  drybrushed before the arm holding the weapon 
  was painted, to stop all that metallic paint getting 
  all over the lovely yellow! The metals were 
  drybrushed with Tin Bitz, Boltgun 
  Metal and then Chainmail, except 
  the series of fine 
  wires leading from the 
  gun, which were drybrushed Tin Bitz, followed by 
  Dwarf Bronze. After the yellow armour was 
  completed, the muzzle of the pistol was 
  weathered by lightly drybrushing some Dwarf 
  bronze over the Chainmail, while the thicker, 
  insulated cable leading from the pistol to the 
  scanner had additional thin layers of Chainmail 
  applied to remove the drybrushed look. 
   
  After carefully picking out the individual plates 
  that make up the body of the Plasma Pistol with 
  Fortress 
  Grey, 
  the 
  power 
  coils/accelerator 
  chamber of the gun was basecoated with 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  50 
  Midnight Blue, to which was added small amounts 
  of Skull White to create the highlights. The 
  highlights are initially applied thinly to the top of 
  the coils then, as more White is added, to the 
  sharp edges only, picking out the ribbed surface. 
  The whole section was then given a wash of blue 
  ink to pull all the colours together and give the 
  feel of a gentle glow. I’d also draw your attention 
  to the forearm-mounted unit, to which I added a 
  “scanner” effect using the same blue, painting on 
  fine lines to make the display look active. Most of 
  the lights on the unit are green, so I imagine that 
  most 
  functions 
  of 
  the 
  Plasma 
  Pistol 
  are 
  functioning just fine, but you’ll notice the 
  increasing red line to the side of the green lights 
  – I imagined this to be an “overheat” monitor for 
  the Plasma Pistol. Little details like this don’t take 
  very much time to put in, but help to add some 
  greater narrative to a figure – you might miss 
  them the first time you look, but they’ll reward 
  people who pay closer attention to your 
  miniatures. 
   
  Finally, the Imperial Fist chapter marking on his 
  shoulder pad is the smaller of the two Fist icons 
  available from the Space Marine Armoured 
  Vehicles transfer sheet, cut to fit the rounded 
  shoulder pad. To do this, I cut a wedge out of the 
  top of the transfer, placed it onto the model and 
  let it dry, then re-painted the missing detail using 
  a Fine Detail Brush. 
   
  The Face 
  The face of any model is the most important thing 
  you’ll paint – it’s where our eyes naturally 
  gravitate when we look at a miniature, so you do 
  yourself a lot of favours if you get it right! 
  I started off painting the face of the Marine using 
  a basecoat of 1:1 Dark Flesh:Snakebite Leather 
  over the whole face, then taking a thin coat of 
  Bronzed Flesh and applying it over the whole 
  face, leaving the original basecoat showing in 
  only the deepest grooves of the face. A fairly 
  liberal first highlight of approximately 3:1 Bronzed 
  Flesh:Skull White was then applied over most of 
  the face, again leaving the darker colours only 
  where I wanted shading – the sides of the nose, 
  the cheek hollows, the eye sockets and the lines 
  of the face. I then proceeded to add five further 
  layers of highlights – each consisting of Bronzed 
  Flesh:Skull White mixtures in the approximate 
  ratios 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and finally 1:4. 
   
   
  As you will have guessed, each highlight hits 
  successively less of the face, with the final 
  highlight being applied very carefully to only the 
  bridge of the nose, tops of the cheekbones and 
  the ridges of the eyes. It’s also worth noting that, 
  after the 1:2 highlight, no more highlights were 
  applied to his bald head!  Also, make sure that 
  any highlights you apply to the bald head are very 
  thin, so you don’t end up with concentric circles 
  on the head – it needs to be smooth. 
   
   
   
  The final head, seen above, looks deliberately 
  knarled, emphasising the veteran warrior nature 
  of the Battle Brother. The sculpt has lots of detail 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  51 
  in the face, and I didn’t want that to go to waste. 
  Were I after a more fresh-faced appearance, I 
  would have started from a lighter base colour and 
  softened the contrasts. The eyes and mouth have 
  been carefully filled-in with Chaos Black, and very 
  thin Skull White has been dotted in place for the 
  eyes, and lined-in to define his mouth. After that, 
  the head is ready for mounting on the body. 
   
  The Left Arm and Chainsword 
  Rapidly approaching the finishing line on what 
  had been a long, yet enjoyable, paint job, and I 
  had a dilemma. My initial thoughts for the 
  chainsword and attached arm had centred on a 
  highly-decorative 
  chainsword, 
  and 
  a 
  fairly 
  standard Deathwatch shoulder pad. I even got as 
  far as starting to paint the chainsword with a dark 
  marble or malachite effect, but I scrapped it quite 
  quickly as not quite feeling right at all. Painting 
  the chain weapon in that fashion made it look 
  more like an artificer’s work and, as I’d said, I 
  thought this blade looked like a 
  purely functional weapon of war. 
  As such, I changed my mind, 
  and went for a comparatively 
  simple colour scheme, as you 
  can see below. 
   
   
  This new colour scheme simply used Chaos Black 
  to paint the plates of the chainsword, with the 
  edges picked out using Fortress Grey. The hilt 
  and spine of the weapon were painted in a 
  bronze tone made up by drybrushing on Tin Bitz, 
  followed by Dwarf Bronze and then a 1:1 mixture 
  of Dwarf Bronze and Chainmail. After I picked out 
  the rivets with Dwarf Bronze, I was happy with 
  my newer, and simpler, colour scheme for the 
  chainsword. However, I now had to decide what I 
  was going to do with the rest of the arm. I had a 
  good, long think, and decided to take a bit of a 
  gamble. I liked the bronze I’d used on the 
  chainsword, and thought that I could take it 
  through as a good colour to use for all of the 
  Deathwatch detailing on the left arm, including 
  the script on the shoulder pad itself. The gamble 
  involved was that I decided to contrast the 
  bronze not with the normal shining silver of a 
  Deathwatch shoulder pad trim, but instead with a 
  white marbled effect, which I’d never tried on a 
  model before – it had previously been confined to 
  a test run on my painting palette! 
   
  Before I 
  tackled 
  the 
  shoulder 
  pad trim, I 
  worked 
  up 
  the 
  yellow 
  armour 
  as 
  before, 
  and 
  carefully 
  drybrushed all of the 
  sculpted 
  script 
  in 
  bronze as I had done 
  for the chainsword, with 
  an additional (and very 
  light) 
  drybrush 
  with 
  Mithril Silver across the top of each row of letters, 
  just to pick them out further. The central skull 
  and crossbones I painted in a more deliberate 
  fashion, using several thin layers of Shining Gold 
  that then had Mithril Silver worked into the mix to 
  add highlights along the raised edges. I also took 
  care to differentiate the relatively-warm brown 
  tones of the purity seals (from a Snakebite 
  Leather basecoat worked up to Bubonic Brown 
  with a touch of Skull White for the highlights) 
  from the colder bone of the chainsword hilt (a 
  Bubonic Brown basecoat that was highlighted up 
  to pure Skull White with a thin Bleached Bone 
  wash) – this was particularly important as the 
  purity seal and weapon hilt sit against one 
  another. 
   
  For the marble itself, 
  working 
  quickly 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  important point, 
  coupled with very 
  thin 
  paints. 
  I 
  applied 
  a 
  basecoat 
  of 
  Rotting Flesh 
  over 
  the 
  undercoat, 
  and waited for 
  that 
  to 
  dry 
  completely, 
  giving me a 
  sickly 
  grey-
  green base. I 
  then watered down the Rotting Flesh until it was 
  almost the consistency of an ink, and proceeded 
  to add Bleached Bone to the mix in around seven 
  separate stages, each with more Bleached Bone, 
  but also more water to maintain the consistency. 
  The first layer was applied across the majority of 
  the Rotting Flesh in “blotches”, leaving only a 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  52 
  little of the Rotting Flesh showing. The second 
  layer as then added quickly, mainly covering the 
  previous layer but, in some places, covering the 
  Rotting Flesh that was not previously covered. I 
  kept working like this and, as the paints are very 
  thin, the overlapping colour layers build up as 
  solid colour where there are multiple layers, but 
  allow the darker colours to show through where 
  there is a larger tonal difference. This creates a 
  feeling of depth to the “stone”, and gives it a 
  pleasing marble effect. Once I was using pure 
  Bleached Bone, I added a small amount of Skull 
  White, and repeated the technique twice more. 
  Finally, I allowed the piece to dry, before finishing 
  it off with a final highlight of approximately 2:1 
  Skull White:Bleached Bone along the edges of the 
  marble. 
   
  I was personally exceptionally pleased with the 
  result, and I hope you can make it out in the 
  photos above! Perhaps taking those particular 
  photos against a black background would have 
  been good? Ah well... 
   
  Assembly and Weathering 
  Now that all of 
  the component 
  parts 
  were 
  completed, I 
  had 
  the 
  comparatively 
  simple task of 
  supergluing all of 
  the parts together, 
  guided by the pins 
  I’d put in place 
  during 
  the 
  conversion 
  stage. Once 
  this 
  was 
  complete, and I had decided I was happy with 
  everything, I added a single transfer to his greave 
  has an army badge, then proceeded to apply the 
  weathering to his armour. 
   
  “Weathering” is applied at the sections of a model 
  where you think there would be a degree of 
  wear-and-tear. It’s very much a matter of 
  personal taste if you want to weather a model 
  you’ve painstakingly painted, and I’d never insist 
  someone adds weathering to an otherwise lovely 
  model. In this case, I imagined my Marine would 
  be relatively proud of his Chapter colours, so I 
  didn’t want lots of rust on his yellow armour, but 
  I did decide to add some mud and dust around 
  his boots, and some exhaust and heat damage 
  around his backpack vents. It’s not hard to do – 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  I 
  gently 
  drybrushed 
  on 
  successive 
  layers 
  of Bubonic Brown, 
  Snakebite 
  Leather 
  and 
  then 
  Scorched 
  Brown, with each colour 
  having 
  less 
  applied 
  than the last. Where I 
  wanted it to appear as though the paint had been 
  scratched 
  away 
  to 
  reveal 
  bare 
  metal, 
  I 
  drybrushed a very small amount of Boltgun Metal 
  onto the piece, and that was that. 
   
  Completed! 
  So, in all of his completed glory, I proudly present 
  Brother-Sergeant Tybalt Andrus, 5th Company, 
  Imperial Fist Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Once all is said and done, am I happy with him? 
  Well, in general, the answer is very much, “Yes”. 
  When I first revealed him on The Conclave, it was 
  pointed out that service studs would have been a 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  53 
  good addition, and I have to admit that I agree. 
  However, I was pleased with his face and I didn’t 
  want to risk messing it up once painted, so I 
  didn’t go back and add them. I don’t think that 
  was too much of a mistake. 
   
  Apart from the service studs, there’s not that 
  much that I’d change. Were I to make another 
  Marine, I’d quite happily paint him up as an 
  Imperial Fist once more, and it would be fun to 
  carry out some more serious conversion work on 
  his stance, as well as most likely using a helmeted 
  model armed with a boltgun – more of a line 
  trooper as opposed to a Sergeant. 
   
  So, I’m very happy, and I hope you like him as 
  well. Should I let Brother Andrus loose on a table-
  top any time soon, I’ll see if I can give you an 
  update! If any of you have any comments or, 
  even better, photos of your own 54mm Marines, 
  please 
  feel 
  free 
  to 
  send 
  them 
  in 
  to 
  editor@darkmagenta.co.uk – we can feature the 
  best submissions on the Communiqués page next 
  issue.
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  54 
  A RIDDLE IN AN ENIGMA 
  An introduction to the Demiurg by Frank O’Hanlon 
   
  One of the pleasures of the Warhammer 40,000 universe are the wide, open vistas of background 
  that have been broached by the Nottingham Studio but then left as deep and intractable mysteries.  
  Few things generate such discussion on Internet forums, or fire the imaginations of Inquisitor players.  
  It is into this category that the topic of the Demiurg falls: existing as models only in ship form for the 
  Battlefleet Gothic space combat game, almost nothing is known about these mysterious aliens.  
  However, there can’t be many people who’ve given the subject of the Demiurg the amount of thought 
  that Frank “Xisor” O’Hanlon has. 
   
  The article that follows is even more heretical than usual, as it springs fully-formed from Frank’s 
  productive imagination.  Until the Studio sees fit to tell us anything more about the many and devious 
  plans and strategems of the Demiurg, however, this is pretty much as good as you’re going to get. 
   
  Enjoy!  And remember: everything you have been told is a lie... 
  Robey 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  55 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  56 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  57 
  THE AUTOMATA OF THE DEMIURG 
  Representative Jev-30L was recovered by the errant Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Cabel Kean as part of the 
  cataloguing process in the Debronian system.  Jev-30L, self-identifying as sixteenth subservient 
  machine-overlord was retained off the record.  Jev-30L now functions as Kean's rememberer; a 
  bearer of trivial or highly-detailed data and wayward advisor.  Kean was announced Heretek 
  Abominatus after being involved in Rebeanakan Librarium Province disaster on the Forgeworld Voss, 
  wherein a full servitor legion became infected with a xenogene malady which induced partial 
  lobotomy reversal; the death toll exceeded seven thousand tech-adepts.  The association and 
  involvement of the Jev-30L artifact is suspected by pursuing Inquisitors and Magos Mechanicus. 
   
  Equipment: Jev-30L carries two ion wands and an ionic scalpel. It carries two structural disruption 
  charges (function as melta-bombs).  Jev-30L's structure incorporates an unknown field-armour weave 
  (counts as AP5 on all locations and affords two points of force-field protection).  Its sensory 
  capabilities act as a vox-caster ranging up to surface-orbit power and also as infrascope implanted 
  gunsights. 
   
  Special Abilities: Mechanoid, Nodular 
   
  Representative Jev-30L 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  I 
  Wp 
  Sg 
  Nv 
  Ld 
  25 
  51 
  71 
  90 
  35 
  81 
  79 
  39 
  20 
  Jev-30L features four distinct manipulators.  It is 'handed' prominently in two of these manipulators: 
  one on each side. 
   
  Typical Mechanoid 
  WS 
  BS 
  S 
  T 
  I 
  Wp 
  Sg 
  Nv 
  Ld 
  30 
  60 
  65 
  85 
  40 
  50 
  50 
  130 
  20 
   
  This sample might have indicated a load-bearing device, a weapons platform or a designated 
  intermediary. Highly specialised combat models may well be available, as may particularly intelligent 
  models, highly competent impersonators or even walking idiot-armour. 
   
  Mechanoid 
  Although Jev-30L is portrayed as a character, there is would be debate on whether such a term is 
  philosophically or technically accurate. As a machine-construct it is immune to most kinds of psychic 
  powers, gases, toxins, etc whilst must pass toughness tests to avoid system shock under effect of, 
  say, haywire grenades. 
   
  Nodular 
  93-00  
  Jev-30L's central core is hit.  
   
  Count as head. 
  50-93   
  Jev-30L's manipulators are struck.  
  Count as arm. 
  01-49   
  Jev-30L suffers motivator damage.  
  Count as legs. 
   
  Ionic Items 
  Damage done by Ionic devices does not cause bleeding (due to cauterisation of wounded tissue) 
  Weapon  
  Type 
  Range Firing Mode 
  Acc 
  Dam 
  Sh 
  Reload Weight 
  Wand   
  Pistol  E  
  Semi(3) -  
  D6+1  3  
  2  
  10 
  Scalpel  Pistol  E  
  Single   
  -30  
  3D10  1  
  4  
  15 
   
   
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  58 
  MODELLING THE DEMIURG 
   
  Just as there is little official guidance on the Demiurg in the written background material, there’s no 
  real steer as to what they look like either! Modelling guru Dave Knowles presents his take on these 
  mysterious denizens of the Warhammer 40,000 universe… 
   
  Dave: The main thing I tried to keep in mind when building my Demiurg was that it should be 
  ambiguous whether it's the Demiurg himself, some sort of protective suit, or perhaps even just an 
  automaton. My inspiration for this was the encounter suits worn by the Vorlons in Babylon 5 - a mix 
  of technological and organic components with it not being clear where one ends and the other 
  begins.  
   
  Although my Demiurg is obviously humanoid, I was very keen to make him as alien as possible. To 
  this end I decided that his hands and feet should be very different to ours. With his models, Xisor had 
  introduced the idea of 'techneurites'. On his first model these were very long and coiled around the 
  torso of the Demiurg, but I preferered the idea of them being short and coming from his wrists to 
  give the impression that his fingers were used for grasping and the techneurites were used for more 
  delicate manipulation of objects. In order to further distance the hands of the Demiurg from our own 
  I added a second thumb at the bottom of their hands to give him far more options when it comes to 
  holding things. 
   
  As my Demiurg now had six digits and three techneurites on each hand/arm, I decided the pattern 
  should be repeated on his feet, and so each foot was given three sets of two toes, and has 
  techneurites snaking down from his ankles as if they're reaching down to analyse the soil as the 
  Demiurg passes. 
   
    
  I think the hands and feet worked really 
  well and I was very happy with how the 
  segmented leg plates turned out, so if I 
  were to build a second Demiurg I'd keep 
  those aspects and possibly extend the 
  segmented look to the arms and possibly 
  torso as well. I was less happy with how 
  his face turned out; at the time I liked the 
  idea of it being rather featureless but if I 
  were to build another I'd cover it in lenses 
  and other sensors to give him more of a 
  'face'.  
   
  The tool belt also looks a little too 
  mundane, and if I were to revisit the 
  Demiurg this is another area I'd do 
  differently. It strikes me that a Demiurg 
  should carry all sorts of widgets and 
  gubbins around with him, so his toolbelt 
  ought to be festooned with gadgets.  
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  59 
  The Rites of Regulation 
  By Mark Erlight 
   
  'Are you a pious man, brother?' the man asked 
  me in the low tones of someone who wishes 
  to avoid the notice of the governor's Clavigers.  
  'Do you yearn to be closer to Him on Earth? 
  To be alone, in the rapture of pure thought 
  and hear his voice? I can give this to you.  
  Merely break the seal on this vial and breathe 
  deeply.  All I ask in return is a small donation-' 
   
   
  Baptiste, my bodyguard, stepped forward and 
  shoved the man out of the way.  There was 
  little of remark about the _Spook_ pusher, 
  save his woven over-robe made from rough, 
  red cloth.  He was otherwise typical of 
  proletarian Netherwardians - slightly stooped, 
  pallid of skin and marginally underfed.  There 
  is little deference to station or wealth in the 
  Netherward and when they address you with 
  "Sire" or "Lady" there is little feeling in it.  It is 
  something they are inexplicably proud of. 
   
   
  We were posing as assessor, assistant and 
  bodyguard.  This was a perfect cover as it was 
  exactly what we were, to a degree.  I was 
  pretending to be a Second Order, Fortieth 
  Level Imperial Notary of the Haberdasher 
  Regulatory Body.  You find such busy little 
  men all over the civilised worlds, cataloguing 
  the mundane in the Emperor's name.  I was 
  using the cover to enter the most exclusive 
  shops in the Netherward, taking note on who 
  could afford to have expensive tastes and 
  tracing that money back to its sources. 
   
   
  It was in Fayed's, _Purveyors to the Most 
  August Gentlefolk of the Imperium_, that I 
  first spied Shunpiker Chatterton.  My gaze was 
  drawn to him, as if guided by an unseen hand. 
   
   
  'Five and a half feet of nondescript artifice,' as 
  Thatcher Poll, my exactor, described him. 
   
   
  Chatterton was not the name he was using at 
  the time, but it is the pseudonym I think he 
  suited best and I will use it throughout this 
  account for the sake of clarity.  He was posing 
  as 
  a 
  gentleman's 
  gentleman 
  and 
  commissioned a _Lonely Godmother_.  The 
  device was of exquisite design and I decided 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  it 
  warranted 
  further 
  investigation.  Personages of power are 
  notoriously difficult to access and usually 
  outside the social strata of my covert 
  personas.  I often concentrate my attentions 
  on middlemen and servants.  Their actions 
  betray much about those they serve. 
   
   
  I tasked Crosswords Baptiste with following 
  Chatterton.  Baptiste returned a short time 
  later and told me that he'd lost Chatterton in 
  the Baker's Bazaar.  This was unusual.  
  Baptiste was an adept prier and, although a 
  local and temporary associate, had proven to 
  be reliable so long as his credit account wasn't 
  empty.  Chatterton piqued my interest and I 
  invented some pretext for the servants of 
  Fayed to inspect the Gentleman's Armoury 
  workbook.  I made a mental note of when 
  Chatterton would be returning. 
   
   
   
  It was another four weeks before I had to 
  concern myself with Chatterton again and we 
  had plenty with which to occupy ourselves in 
  the 
  meantime. 
   
  I 
  was 
  simultaneously 
  monitoring the illegal gambling dens of a 
  corrupt Signet Noble and tallying the revenue 
  estimates of a narcotics smuggling cartel.  
  These were typical of my activities in the two 
  years I had spent in the Netherward. 
   
   
  When you mention the Office of Tithing, most 
  people imagine the edifices of the Permanent 
  Offices or the vast Auditor Ships with their 
  army of inspectors.  But there is sometimes a 
  need for more subtle assessment.  A full 
  Magisterial Audit is a rather dramatic event 
  and tends to induce an amount of paranoia 
  and secrecy in any planetary government.  I 
  like to catch them with their guard down.  
  Tithes are calculated according to planetary 
  potential, not actual output.  Naturally, that 
  includes 
  any 
  revenues 
  from 
  the 
  black 
  economies. 
   
   
  I have a duty to report illegal activity within a 
  certain timeframe, but this is sufficiently long 
  enough to allow Holy Bureaucracy to run its 
  course.  Statistically speaking, the impact of 
  any subsequent crackdown is of limited 
  duration and does not factor into my 
  assessment. 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  60 
   
   
  Chatterton 
  returned 
  to 
  Fayed's 
  in 
  the 
  intervening period to expedite the delivery 
  date.  We would have missed him if I had not 
  prepared for this ruse.  Eight weeks had 
  originally been specified for the procurement 
  of the _Lonely Godmother_, but I had put the 
  minimum Fayed's would need at four weeks 
  and started surveillance at this date.  When 
  Chatterton emerged from the premises, we 
  were in place and, working as a team, 
  exercised extreme caution in following him. 
   
   
  The Netherward is an unusual city.  Early 
  development included much subterranean 
  excavation and this introduced structural 
  weaknesses in the ground that prevented the 
  construction of taller structures.  Even the city 
  spaceport is limited to vessels under a certain 
  tonnage.  When the pressures of population 
  expansion grew, there was only one direction 
  to go: down.  It is a curious feature of the 
  place that the most expensive buildings are on 
  the surface and the newest constructions are 
  the deepest.  The minimal social segregation 
  of the Netherward allows any man to travel 
  freely to almost any district, something 
  Chatterton's many guises took full advantage 
  of. 
   
   
  'He's 
  got 
  more 
  faces 
  than 
  a 
  clock 
  manufactory,' as Poll put it. 
   
   
  In the garb of a senior merchant, Chatterton 
  was entertained in the home of a Signet 
  Noble.  In the red-lit tunnels of Ladyhole, he 
  passed as an illegal bio-implant courier.  But it 
  was at the spaceport that we found his most 
  persistent persona.  There he was pilot and 
  owner of shuttle Moonfleet 464.  I used 
  Baptiste to wheedle information on this 
  identity from the port master.  According to 
  the port master, Chatterton was a freelance 
  docking-pilot 
  who 
  sold 
  his 
  skills 
  to 
  merchantman captains. 
   
   
  It was a local racket, enforced by law, that 
  shipping had to be navigated into orbit by 
  licensed pilots.  It gave Chatterton ample 
  opportunity for smuggling.  Small smuggler 
  ships mean exclusive cargos. 
   
   
   
  The nature of Chatterton's cargo began to 
  obsess me.  My sleep was disturbed as, 
  unbidden, my mind began to extrapolate the 
  various possibilities.  I put it down to stress 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  difficulties 
  of 
  keeping 
  Chatterton under surveillance.  Still, I was 
  disturbed.  My training and my augmentation 
  mean that, when I obsess, I can do rather 
  more obsessing than the average citizen. 
   
   
   
  The Netherward's spaceport was a grid of 
  high-walled paddocks, leased on an individual 
  basis.  Usage of the port had slumped after 
  the expansion of the heavy lifter port some 
  hundred miles away.  Chatterton's shuttle 
  berth was unguarded beyond the port’s 
  Clavigers, in keeping with the relatively low 
  status of a freelance pilot, but was monitored 
  by surprisingly sophisticated auto-sentries 
  disguised 
  as 
  altogether 
  more 
  primitive 
  technologies.  This is where the third member 
  of my party came into her own.  Still, it took 
  my exactor four nights to convince their 
  machine spirits to admit us. 
   
   
  'Exactor Poll,' I said, 'I'm authorising a covert 
  inspection of Shuttle Moonfleet 464 at the 
  third hour of the sixty-sixth day of Penury 
  according to the third Rite and Regulation of 
  Assessment, sub-clause 4F.  It is recorded and 
  signed.' 
   
   
  'So noted, Assessor Joseph,' she replied.  [For 
  the record, I am Tithe Assessor Kafka Joseph.] 
   
   
  With the formalities out of the way, Poll set 
  about disengaging the aft locks.  Given the 
  time we'd spent gaining access to the bay, I 
  wasn't expecting instantaneous results. 
   
   
  'I'm not going to be able to open this,' said 
  Poll, 'not without him knowing we've been 
  here, and probably not without triggering the 
  plasma bomb he's rigged as a failsafe.' 
   
   
  I 
  was 
  somewhat 
  shocked 
  by 
  this 
  announcement.  Poll was an expert in her craft 
  and she hadn't let me down before, not even 
  when we had broken into the Privy Bank 
  Mercantile on Gudrun. 
   
   
  'Not to worry,' said Poll, 'I'm not out of tricks 
  yet.' 
   
   
  Poll took out a wire imbued with a machine-
  spirit and a glass controller globe.  She set the 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  61 
  wire's head against the hatch and it began to 
  burrow its way through the metal. 
   
   
  'The tail segment will break off and fuse with 
  the surrounding metal.  There won't be a hull 
  breach.' 
   
   
  Poll rubbed the controller globe, steering the 
  spywire through the craft to the cargo hold.  I 
  peered into the globe as the wire entered the 
  hold.  There wasn't much to see, but what 
  there was made me blanch.  Departmento 
  Munitorum requisition chits.  They were 
  dormant, but I didn't need my cortex cogitator 
  to tell me there were enough to provision a 
  small army. 
   
   
  As we left the bay, I was extremely troubled. 
   
   
   
  There is no better way to think than prostrate 
  in abeyance to the Emperor and I can think of 
  no better prayer than silent discourse on how 
  to follow His will.  I was being drawn to this 
  case in a way I had not experienced before - 
  something was pulling me to act against my 
  better judgement.  I went immediately to the 
  House of Forgotten Saints, a small, hewn-
  stone chapel not far from the surface. 
   
   
  Departmento Munitorum requisition chips!  
  The Departmento is the heart of the Imperial 
  war machine.  This is the master for whom I 
  toil, the warmonger for whom I tithe, the 
  beast I feed.  I am not of it but I live for it 
  nonetheless. 
   
   
  This affair was becoming all too complicated.  
  If Chatterton was profiteering, even at the 
  military's expense, I had a duty to investigate.  
  But, if it was a secret military matter, if 
  Chatterton was an Imperial Agent, I would 
  have to ignore these events and ensure my 
  associates' silence.  [Regulations on these 
  matters can be found in The Helican Edition of 
  Contrariwise 
  Policy 
  Making 
  Regarding 
  Assessment and Local Affairs.] Fortunately, my 
  time in the chapel had cleared my mind and, 
  with the Emperor's guidance, a path out of 
  this situation was becoming clear.  I resolved 
  to return with Poll to our apartments to chair a 
  meeting on the subject.  There are few 
  problems that cannot be solved by a dedicated 
  committee of pious minds. 
   
   
  I dispatched Baptiste to watch the spaceport. 
   
   
   
  Poll and I travelled by gravlev to the 
  apartments we were renting in a mid-depth 
  area popular with local functionaries.  The 
  apartments were at the end of a cul-de-sac 
  corridor, 
  chosen 
  precisely 
  because 
  the 
  neighbouring domiciles were unoccupied.  I 
  have an eye for detail - no more than a 
  necessity when one's occupation is modelling 
  planetary economies in one's own head.  Upon 
  the ground, I noticed a thread, red and made 
  from a rough, synthetic fibre that I had seen 
  before. 
   
   
  Some 
  of 
  my 
  colleagues 
  rely 
  on 
  the 
  sophisticated technomagics of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus when engaged in their craft.  I 
  prefer simpler, more devious methods.  There 
  is good reason for this.  Poll's equipment 
  aside, much of which would not be uncommon 
  in an assessor's assistant anyway and the rest 
  of which is disguised to conceal its true 
  purpose, there is no reason to mark oneself 
  out from the crowd.  More than one tithe 
  assessor has run into trouble by lugging round 
  an excess of hardware. 
   
   
  'I shall be glad when this day is over,' I said, 
  which was a coded message that danger lay 
  ahead.  Poll surreptitiously drew her Type 101, 
  a compact laspistol better known as a 
  “Scrivener's Special”.  The work of an exactor 
  is necessarily more of an active one than that 
  of an assessor and Poll was equipped 
  accordingly.  For example, the little booklets 
  that filled the many pockets under her robes 
  had flak-weave covers.  I led the way into the 
  apartment. 
   
   
  As we entered the communal area from the 
  apartment's 
  hallway, 
  my 
  eye 
  caught 
  movement behind the settee.  With a shove 
  from Poll, I fell on my face and heard the 
  hornet buzz of a silenced autopistol rake the 
  entranceway.  I heard the low crack of Poll's 
  101 returning fire, but knowing she was 
  distracting our foe didn't help me feel any less 
  exposed.  I can easily recall the smell of dust 
  and polished stone as I dragged myself behind 
  the granite lump of the kitchen island.  I 
  remember the cold fear of that short journey 
  and the strange elongation of time where a 
  second lasted a minute. 
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  62 
  I peered round the far edge of the kitchen 
  island to get a look at our assailant.  As I 
  suspected, it was our _Spook_ dealer friend 
  from Fayed's.  He was hunched behind the 
  settee, his oversized autopistol convulsing as it 
  loosed projectiles.  Burning fluff-butterflies 
  floated up from the sofa to surround him, 
  hatched into life by Poll's return fire.  The man 
  noticed me and was redirecting his auto-
  sprayer when I shot him with my own 101.  I 
  may not be equipped for war, but I'm not so 
  foolish as to go unarmed.  I singed his neck 
  and he fell back, clutching the burn.  Poll ran 
  from the cover of the doorframe and bounded 
  the sofa.  I heard the smack of a pistol butt 
  against human skull. 
   
   
  'I recognise this one,' said Poll before adding, 
  'he is unconscious.' 
   
   
  My shot had been a fortuitous one.  I am no 
  marksman and had been aiming for his centre 
  body mass, as they taught me to long ago in 
  Administratum Bastion Defence. 
   
   
  My 
  telecommunicator 
  chirped 
  on 
  the 
  bureaucratic channel I had given Baptiste and 
  I touched my aquila earring to receive.  The 
  bureaucratic channels are usually reserved for 
  the endless streams of numerical data that the 
  Administratum generates.  Misuse is severely 
  frowned 
  upon, 
  but 
  I 
  had 
  submitted 
  Consecrated Requested Form 5804-Alpha with 
  some creative entries and Blessed Procedure 
  had duly assigned one to me. 
   
   
  'Sire Joseph, the hat maker is available by 
  appointment tomorrow,' reported Baptiste, 
  meaning 
  Chatterton's 
  shuttle 
  had 
  just 
  departed. 
   
   
  'Inform him that I will call presently,' I said.  'I 
  trust you will ensure that all the necessary 
  paperwork will be made available.' 
   
   
  I disconnected the channel. 
   
   
  'Exact what you can from this one,' I said to 
  Poll.  'I've told Baptiste to keep the bay under 
  observation and that I will join him shortly.  I 
  will take the control globe.' 
   
   
  I left Poll to her work on Chatterton's hireling.  
  This turned out to be a fruitless exercise; the 
  man knew nothing and I would have been 
  glad of Poll's assistance in what was to come.  
  This is hindsight, but it is also a cautionary 
  warning against following the letter of Divine 
  Process. 
   
   
   
  The gravlev was empty as I boarded for the 
  spaceport. 
   
   
  I admit to a certain amount of irrationality on 
  my part at this stage.  All thoughts of defining 
  a measured, agreed direction forward had 
  disappeared.  Chatterton had obviously seen 
  through my subterfuge.  My determination to 
  assess the value of Chatterton's dealings 
  seemed driven by instinct, by a pressing need 
  I could not define.  I was following a path to 
  direct violence where none was necessary.  
  Even now, I cannot explain it. 
   
   
  The control globe came to life as the spywire 
  came back into range.  I directed it to look 
  round the hold.  The requisition chips were 
  gone.  Some transaction had taken place.  I 
  raised Baptiste. 
   
   
  'Chatterton is returning.  Accost him.  I must 
  see what he has.  It is my duty.' 
   
   
  If Baptiste thought anything of this blithe 
  assertion, he kept it to himself and merely 
  grunted an affirmative.  Baptiste had once 
  been a member of the governor's Clavigers, 
  but had been discharged and imprisoned for 
  accepting a bribe.  On his release, he started 
  making a living as a bodyguard.  His new 
  career had spanned all strata of society, 
  criminal or otherwise, and I found his local 
  knowledge invaluable.  You may be shocked 
  that I would associate with such a man, but if 
  it isn't obvious already, I am something of a 
  radical. 
   
   
  The gravlev was approaching the spaceport 
  station when my telecommunicator chirped 
  into life.  I heard Baptiste's heavy slug pistol 
  boom twice and he shouted a stream of 
  colloquial expletives. 
   
   
  'Damned Godmother!' spat Baptiste.  'Can 
  barely see.  He's making for the gravlev, Sire 
  Joseph.' 
   
   
  I rose from my seat as I saw Chatterton board 
  the next carriage.  He spotted me and the 
  clearspex of the dividing door shattered as he 
  fired a bolt pistol down the carriageway.  
  Amber warning lights lit up and the gravlev's 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  63 
  doors reopened.  I returned fire with my Type 
  101 and was glad I had the presence of mind 
  to close an eye.  The machine-spirit of 
  Chatterton's Lonely Godmother intercepted the 
  shot and converted its energy into a flash of 
  blinding light. 
   
   
  Chatterton 
  must 
  have 
  expended 
  some 
  ammunition on Baptiste, for he ejected his 
  pistol clip and was reaching for another.  I 
  hurled the control globe at him.  It wasn't a 
  particularly powerful throw and it didn't trigger 
  the conversion field.  The globe connected 
  with Chatterton's hand and knocked a fresh 
  clip from his fingers.  I ran at him without any 
  real plan and we fell in a tangle of limbs. 
   
   
  Moving to close quarters became an obvious 
  error as I found Chatterton had some skill at 
  unarmed combat.  He punched me twice, 
  paralysing blows that left me limp.  He pushed 
  me aside. 
   
   
  'Shunpiker,' 
  said 
  Baptiste's 
  voice 
  and 
  Chatterton face went chalk white.  Baptiste 
  put a heavy slug through his forehead.  I 
  recovered some movement and painfully 
  righted myself. 
   
   
  'How're your injuries, Sire Joseph?' asked 
  Baptiste. 
   
   
  'I have been better,' I replied.  'How are your 
  eyes?' 
   
   
  'Been better, but I was pretty sure I was 
  shooting the right gentleman.' 
   
   
   
  Not wanting to explain things to the Clavigers, 
  we made a discrete exit, but not before I 
  sequestrated a thing from Chatterton's corpse.  
  Exactor Poll was waiting for us at the safe 
  house 
  prepared 
  in 
  case 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  Netherward's underworld assessees became a 
  problem. 
   
   
  I must mention the book, though to even think 
  about it clouds my judgement.  Strapped to 
  Chatterton's dead breast was a satchel 
  containing a singular volume.  I dare not open 
  it; I dare not part with it.  I imagine it to hold 
  some ancient knowledge, perhaps the lost 
  Library Codification sought by the Cult of Saint 
  Dewey, 
  perhaps 
  something 
  even 
  more 
  valuable. 
   
   
  I was at a loss as to what to make of my 
  experiences and my new possession, so I did 
  what any pious servant of the Administratum 
  would do.  I recorded it all.  In this report. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  64 
  Why Won’t Anyone Play With Me? 
  It’s a familiar refrain and complaint on the online forums: “I want to play Inquisitor, but no one I know 
  plays.”  So here’re some hints and tips on how to find players. 
   
  1.  Ask them.  You may be surprised.  Just because you don’t see anyone playing Inquisitor at your 
  Friendly Local Wargames Store (FLGS) or wargaming club, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other 
  people with a warband tucked away in a dusty corner at home.  They might be enthusiastic for a 
  chance to dust them off and have a crack. 
   
  2.  Search online.  The Conclave (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk) has a register of players around 
  the world and you may be surprised to find people in your locality who play. 
   
  3.  Run some demo games.  If you have at least two models (and you really should have at least two 
  models), then you can play a demo game to introduce new players to the rules.  Most FLGS will be 
  happy to let you have a table for an hour or so and wargaming clubs certainly will. 
   
  I’ve found the last to be by far the most effective way of recruiting new players to the game.  Use 
  some of the scenarios we’ve already published in Dark Magenta or make up your own and get people 
  playing.  Obviously, with more models you can involve more people, but I find that two people and a 
  GM is the ideal balance for introductory games. 
   
  Be prepared to do this for a few weeks in a row and you’ll find that people gravitate to your table.  
  Inquisitor is a fun, funny game that inevitably excites much shouting, laughter and groans of despair 
  and crowds will gather.  Before long, you will become used to the words “can I have a go next week?” 
   
  I started with no players at all in my club and the last time we played Inquisitor, we had to use two 
  tables to involve all the people who wanted a go.  Now, even though I’m taking a break and 
  concentrating on other games (heresy!), I’m always asked when we’re going to play some more 
  Inquisitor.  Several of those who joined in have now bought their own warbands and they’re keen to 
  give them some tabletop action. 
   
  If you think that models or terrain are a problem, look back over the last two issues of Dark Magenta 
  where I’ve already solved all of your problems for you. 
   
  What are you still reading this for?  Go play some Inquisitor! 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  65 
  Communiqués 
  The Grandmaster answers your whispers from the Warp 
   
  Once again, it’s time to delve into the postbag and answer your queries regarding past contents of 
  Dark Magenta, or to discuss matters surrounding the Inquisitor game in general.  Things have been 
  quiet in the Editor’s inbox these last few months, so please keep sending us any Inquisitor-related 
  musings you have, and we’ll give them some column inches here.  Any questions and stories should 
  be sent to editor@darkmagenta.co.uk for our attention! 
   
  My Pet Grumble... 
  First off, I love Dark Magenta. It's awesome! 
   
  My only complaint, (and this is a really minor, pedantic thing) is that in issue 2 you referred to 
  boltgun reloads as "clips".  This is a common error, and as a firearms enthusiast it always grates my 
  ears whenever I hear someone refer to clips.  Just for future reference, clips are used to load 
  magazines which, in turn, load a weapon. The things you stick in bolters are magazines, not clips! 
   
  Keep up the good work - I'm really enjoying it. 
   
  Tom Schinckel. 
   
  Whoops! Sorry, and consider us educated.  This is obviously symptomatic of the fact that we all love 
  the 41st millennium, but many of us (the editor included) have little practical experience of weaponry.  
  Hence, our terminologies probably slip more often than not (indeed, the same mistake has probably 
  cropped up in this issue!). 
   
  We’ll try to keep our eyes open for this mistake in the future, Tom, and thank you for your kind 
  words surrounding the first two issues. 
   
  Robey says: I have no excuse.  I edited the article and I know full well the difference between a clip 
  and a magazine.  I shall report to the excruciator in the morning. 
   
  Can I Get Involved in This? 
  Thank you so much for producing the first two issues of Dark Magenta!  I love the fact I’ve now got 
  some source for keeping on top of things going on for the Inquisitor game. 
   
  I’m wondering about the modelling articles you’ve shown in the first two issues.  They were both 
  great, great collections, and I’m wondering if I can get involved.  I don’t have a huge collection at the 
  moment, but I’m a keen painter.  Do you accept submissions for modelling articles, or do you invite 
  your submissions? 
   
  Thanks for your time, and please keep writing the magazine! 
   
  Allen O’Shea. 
   
  Many thanks for your e-mail, Allen.  In response to your query, the answer is that we do both!  If the 
  Dark Magenta editorial staff know of a good painter or a dedicated hobbyist who has a large 
  collection, we’ll approach them and see if they’re interested in producing a Showcase or Masterclass 
  article for us.  However, we really, really want the readership at large to submit their work to us. 
   
  So if you think that you’ve got a collection of models good enough to show off (or even if you don’t 
  know if they’re quite good enough, but want to try anyway!), then please send us some photos to 
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  66 
  editor@darkmagenta.co.uk.  We can get back in touch with you and invite you to produce a full 
  article if we think there’s potential there.  You’ve seen the sort of thing we’re after in the last two 
  issues, but you’ll also have noticed there was no Showcase article in this issue, so we really do need 
  your help to be able to keep showing off beautiful Inquisitor figures! 
   
  Well, that’s it for this issue.  Keep your comments coming, one and all, and we all hope you’ve 
  enjoyed this issue of Dark Magenta. 
   
  Regards, 
  Derek  
   
  Record of Heresies 
  Derek Gillespie is the Editor-in-Chief of Dark Magenta, and has been keeping his fingers in many Inquisitor-related 
  pies ever since the game came out. He’s currently trying to get back to having some regular gaming and painting time 
  after finishing off his thesis, and is finally having some small measure of success! 
   
  Robey Jenkins is a nu-renaissance man.  He lives in York, where he runs the York Garrison Wargaming Club and 
  writes science fiction.  Look out for his latest story – “The Sixth Day” – at 
  http://www.afterburnsf.com/ . 
   
  Ruaridh Dall is a newly qualified dentist working in Elgin in the north of  
  Scotland.  While not filling teeth he can be found working on far too  
  many modelling projects at once and thinking about grown up stuff like  
  buying a house.  He goes by the online moniker Van Helser.. 
   
  Jeremy Lowe is a a veteran of Games Workshop games, from  
  Man O’War to Aeronautica (although he has a strange aversion to  
  Gorka Morka). Whilst he doesn’t get to play Inquisitor as much as he 
   would like to, it doesn’t stop him talking about it whenever he has the  
  opportunity and reminiscing about aerial sneak attacks with Eviscerators. 
  These days he can be found thinking about tanks, painting High Elves 
  and dreaming of Dark Elves… 
   
  Nathan Dowdell can't talk about what he does during the day, but this  
  secretive vocation is punctuated with feverish bursts of imagination that  
  sometimes result in usable rules and interesting background material. He's  
  been musing about the 40k universe for over a decade and a half, and has  
  produced a small-but-well-received collection of fan material for Inquisitor,  
  Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Dark Heresy... and has made a small  
  but satisfying contribution to the forthcoming Dark Heresy supplement,  
  Creatures Anathema. Which he is extremely pleased about. 
   
  Jason Heuser has more talent than any one person should rightly 
  enjoy.  His deviantArt gallery is: http://sharpwriter.deviantart.com/ 
   
  Mark Erlight is not his real name and he refuses to be drawn. 
   
  Frank O’Hanlon is a hard man to contact for further information, but 
  at least has the common sense to be a regular frequenter of The Conclave…  
   
  If you’d like to buy any of the artwork you see in Dark Magenta  
  or to commission any of our artists, please email the editor at the 
  submissions address. 
   
   
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
   
   
  67 
  Space Marine Character Sheet 
   
  Name:  
   
   
   
   
   
  Player:  
   
   
  Chapter:   
   
   
   
   
   
  Campaign: 
   
   
  WS 
  BS 
  S* 
  T 
  I 
  Wp 
  Sg 
  Nv 
  Ld 
  Starting 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Current 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Effective 
   
   
   
  * +40 for Marines with biscopea, before any bonus from 
  armour 
      
  Weapon 
  Type 
  Range 
  Mode 
  Acc 
  Damage 
  Shots 
  Reload 
  Weight 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Weapon 
  Reach 
  Damage 
  Parry penalty 
  Notes 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Abilities / Psychic powers 
  True Grit  
  (Larraman’s organ) 
  Spit Acid with Bloodfire toxin (Betcher’s gland) 
  Ambidextrous & Nerves of Steel (hypno-
  indoctrination) 
        
  Poison  
  Re-roll resistance tests   
  (Oolitic kidney) 
   +10% versus ingested poison  (Preomnor) 
  +10% versus gaseous poison  (Multi-lung) 
   
  Damage: 
  System Shock: (T x 0.3): 
  ________ 
  Consciousness: (T x 0.75): 
  ________ 
  Instant Death: (T x 1.5):   
  ________ 
  Above 
  Toughness 
  increased 
  by 
  50% 
  (haemastamen) Ignore first Stunned each turn
   
  (secondary heart) 
  Injury Total: 
   
   
  Equipment 
   
   
  Awareness 
  Re-roll failed Awareness tests – sight 
  (occulobe) & hearing (Lyman’s ear)  
  Awareness check to detect poisons by taste or 
  smell at -20% (Neuroglottis)  
  Derive memories from ingested brains; requires 
  D3 turns Stunned & Sg test (omophagea) 
  Organs 
  Defective organs:  
  96-100 
  HEAD 
    Armour: 
   Ablative: 
  c□ e□ 
  Damage 
  L 
  H 
   
  A 
  C 
   
  Armour: 
   
  ____________ 
   
  Strength Bonus: 
   
  ____________ 
   
   
  c – ceramite-bonded 
  ablative armour 
  e – exposed power 
  cabelling f – fixed 
  greaves (may not 
  sprint) 
  36-65 
  RIGHT ARM 
    Armour: 
   Ablative: 
  c□ e□ 
  Damage 
  81-95 
  CHEST 
    Armour: 
   Ablative: 
  c□ e□ 
  Damage 
  36-65 
  LEFT ARM 
    Armour: 
   Ablative: 
  c□ e□ 
  Damage 
  L 
  H 
  S 
  A 
  C 
  L 
  H 
  S 
  A 
  C 
  L 
  H 
  S 
  A 
  C 
   
   
   
  Right hand carrying 
  66-80 
  ABDOMEN 
    Armour: 
   Ablative: 
  c□ e□ 
  Damage 
  Left hand carrying 
   
  L 
  H 
  S 
  A 
  C 
   
   
   
   
  01-30 
  RIGHT LEG 
    Armour: 
   Ablative: 
  c□ e□ f□ 
  Damage 
  31-35 
  GROIN 
    Armour: 
   Ablative: 
  c□ e□ 
  Damage 
  01-30 
  LEFT LEG 
    Armour: 
   Ablative: 
  c□ e□ f□ 
  Damage 
  L 
  H 
  S 
  A 
  C 
   
  L 
  H 
   
  A 
  C 
   
  L 
  H 
  S 
  A 
  C 
   
   
  Immediate: character must test for system shock (second heart) 
   
  
  Dark Magenta Issue 3 
  68 
  Dark Magenta is an unofficial fanzine and is not endorsed by Games Workshop Group Plc in anyway.  Text and layouts are ©Dark 
  Magenta and its proprietor.  Artwork and characters are the property of their respective owners.  No part of this magazine should 
  be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief.  Dark Magenta is a non-profit-making 
  organization with the aim of promoting the Inquisitor game, products and hobby. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/Inquisitor Skirmish/Dark magenta/Dark_Magenta_Issue_3.pdf