TEXT: ™
  ®
  FREE DEMO ADVENTURE
  
  1
  Shattered Hope
  Writing  
   Rob Schwalb
  Front Cover  
   Adrian Smith
  Internal Illustration  
   John Blanche, David Gallagher, Mark Gibbons,
  Karl Kopinskii, Stefan Kopinski and Adrian Smith
  Design & Layout  
   Mark Raynor
  Thanks to
  Dave Allen, Owen Barnes, Kate Flack, Marc Gascoigne, Mal Green, 
  Nick Kyme, Mike Mason, Karen Miksza, Lindsey Priestley & Zoe Wedderburn
  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, 
  electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners.
  This PDF is free for download. Please do not host it on your own site, nor link directly to this site, but direct people to www.blackindustries.com so 
  that they can download it for themselves. BL Publishing cannot accept any liability for any damage caused by the use or mis-use of this file. 
  Any download is strictly at the risk of the user.
  Copyright © Games Workshop Ltd 2007. All rights reserved.
  Games Workshop, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Dark Heresy, the Dark Heresy logo, Black Industries, the Black Industries logo, BL Publishing, 
  the BL Publishing logo and all associated races and race insignia, marks, names, characters, illustrations and images from the Warhammer 40,000 
  universe are either ©, ™ and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2007, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. 
  Shattered Hope
  “Fear not death; the God-Emperor watches you”.
  I
  n February 2008, the Dark Heresy roleplaying game will be born 
  in a hail of bolter fire and the cleansing pyres of the unclean. For 
  the first time, the worlds of the tumultuous 41st Millennium will 
  be  made available for pen and paper roleplaying, where you can 
  take up your force sword, strap on your bolter, and root out heretics, 
  burn mutants with the liquid death of your flamer, and battle xenos 
  as they seek to contaminate the worlds of mankind with their foul 
  views and fouler natures. With so much in need of killing in this 
  dark and grim future, there’s no reason to wait, and with this special 
  preview, you have a taste of the darkness arrayed against you and a 
  chance to do your part to keep the sprawling Imperium safe against 
  its many and varied enemies. So take up your laspistol, make ready 
  your chainsword, and say a quick prayer to the God-Emperor, for in 
  the 41st Millennium, there is only war….
  A Black Industries publication
  An imprint of BL Publishing
  Games Workshop Ltd
  Willow Road
  Nottingham
  NG7 2WS, UK
  www.blackindustries.com
  
  2
  F
  or more than a hundred centuries 
  the Emperor has sat immobile 
  on the Golden Throne of Earth. He 
  is the master of mankind by the 
  will of the gods, and master of a 
  million worlds by the might of his 
  inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting 
  carcass writhing invisibly with power 
  from the Dark Age of Technology. 
  He is the Carrion Lord of the 
  Imperium for whom a thousand souls 
  are sacrificed every day, so that he 
  may never truly die.
  Yet even in his deathless state, the 
  Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. 
  Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-
  infested miasma of the warp, the only 
  route between distant stars, their way 
  lit by the Astronomican, the psychic 
  manifestation of the Emperor's will. 
  Vast armies give battle in his name on 
  uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst 
  his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, 
  the Space Marines, bio-engineered 
  super-warriors. Their comrades in arms 
  are legion: the Imperial Guard and 
  countless planetary defence forces, the 
  ever-vigilant Inquisition and the tech-
  priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to 
  name only a few. But for all their 
  multitudes, they are barely enough to 
  hold off the ever-present threat from 
  aliens, heretics, mutants - and worse.
  to be a man in such times is to be 
  one amongst untold billions. It is to 
  live in the cruellest and most bloody 
  regime imaginable. These are the tales 
  of those times. Forget the power of 
  technology and science, for so much 
  has been forgotten, never to be re-
  learned. Forget the promise of progress 
  and understanding, for in the grim 
  dark future there is only war. There 
  is no peace amongst the stars, only an 
  eternity of carnage and slaughter, and 
  the laughter of thirsting gods.
  it iS tHe 41ST MILLENNIUM…
  
  3
  B
  D
  Getting 
  Started
  The Basics
  Getting 
  Started
  D
  ark Heresy is a roleplaying game, where 
  the action and adventure takes place in the 
  imaginations of those who participate. To play 
  this game, one person should take the role of the 
  Game Master (GM), while the rest of the group, 
  preferably four people, are the players. If you’re 
  selected to be the GM, read on, for you have 
  the best job. If you’re a Player Character (PC), 
  you should stop reading when you get to the 
  Adventure Background lest you ruin your fun as 
  you play through the scenario. To use Shattered 
  Hope, you’ll need to make copies of the Character 
  sheets and the Skills and Talents reference sheet 
  (permission is given to photocopy these sheets 
  for the players) found at the end of this booklet; 
  at least two ten-sided dice, each of a different 
  colour; pens; and scrap paper.
  THE BASICS
  B
  efore we get started with the adventure 
  proper, it’s worth going over the core game 
  concepts so you have an idea how certain things 
  are handled in the game. Do note that the rules 
  provided in this preview are simplified versions 
  of those that appear in the full game, streamlined 
  to whet your appetite for adventuring in the 
  many worlds of Dark Heresy.
  THE DICE
  Like most other games, Dark Heresy uses dice. 
  You roll dice whenever you would determine if 
  something you want your character to accomplish 
  succeeds or fails. If your character climbs a sheer 
  wall, leaps across a chasm, fires a bolter at an Ork, 
  you roll dice to see if he or she is successful or 
  not. Most times, you don’t need to roll the dice, 
  especially when time is not a factor and when 
  failure doesn’t have disastrous consequences, but 
  for those dramatic moments, when success counts 
  the most, are when you pull out the dice and kiss 
  your corpse hair charm for luck.
  This game exclusively uses 10-sided dice. 
  Each player should have at least two dice, but 
  three are better. The individual dice need to 
  be of different colours if possible since many 
  times you’ll need to know which is which. 
  If you don’t have enough dice or don’t have 
  different coloured dice, when it’s important, 
  just roll the ten-sider one at a time.
  The most common dice roll is called a test. A 
  test is a special roll that produces a result from 
  1 to 100. To get this result, pick one ten-sider 
  to serve as the “tens place” and another to serve 
  as the “ones place”. Then, roll them together. 
  The tens die gives you 00, 10, 20, 30, and so 
  on, while the ones die gives you 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. 
  Put the two dice together and you have your 
  result. If you rolled “00” then you rolled a 100, 
  which is not good at all. When rolling for a 
  test, you want to roll low.
  Dark Heresy uses another dice convention 
  for such things like weapon damage or in 
  some specific situations where a successful 
  test has a variable result. When called to do 
  so, you roll one ten-sided die and add any 
  “modifiers” to the roll to arrive at the total. 
  Unlike tests, here, you want to roll high. 
  This sort of die roll is often abbreviated 
  as 1d10, where the first number (1 in this 
  case) signifies how many dice you roll, d 
  stands for die or dice, and the last number 
  (10) the type of die rolled. Variations on 
  this can include 1d5, where you roll a ten-
  sider, halve the result (round up), or 1d100, 
  which operates just like a test. Finally, if 
  the abbreviation includes a number after it, 
  such as 1d10+2, it means roll a ten-sided 
  die and add two to the die roll. So in this 
  case, if the die came up as a 4, you’d add 2 
  for a total of 6. Easy! 
  EXAMPLE
  The GM calls for Owen to make a 
  test. He has a blue die and a red die. 
  He decides the blue die is for the tens, 
  whilst the red is for the ones. He rolls 
  the dice, and the blue die comes up as 
  a 3 and the red die comes up as a 9. He 
  puts the dice together and sees that he 
  has rolled a 39.
  
  4
  Skills
  Characteristics
  CHARACTERISTICS
  All characters have nine Characteristics. They 
  are: Weapon Skill (WS), Ballistic Skill (BS), 
  Strength (S), Toughness (T), Agility (Ag), 
  Intelligence (Int), Perception (Per), Will Power 
  (WP), and Fellowship (Fel). Characteristics 
  tell you something about the character, giving 
  you an idea about his or her capabilities, 
  personality, smarts, and even what they might 
  look like—in a broad and general sense of 
  course. Now we’ve mentioned that when it 
  comes to tests, you want to roll low, right? 
  The reason is pretty simple. Whenever you 
  need to take a test in the game, you compare 
  the dice roll to the Characteristic most likely 
  to be involved in the test. Say you’re trying 
  to shoot a Mutant, you’d roll against Ballistic 
  Skill. Likewise, if you’re trying to avoid a 
  falling column, you’d roll against Agility. 
  Make sense? Since you want to roll under the 
  number associated with the Characteristics, 
  the higher the Characteristic the better.
  Characteristic Bonuses
  Except for Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill, all 
  Characteristics have an associated bonus. This 
  bonus is represented by the “tens” digit of the 
  Characteristic. When looking at a Characteristic 
  Stat Block, the “tens” are denoted by a shaded 
  area for easier reference.
  SKILLS
  Skills are a lot like Characteristics, but 
  offer special things you can do during 
  play. Every skill is associated with a 
  Characteristic so when you want to use a 
  skill, just test the Characteristic that’s tied 
  to the skill. For example, take Awareness. 
  This skill is keyed to Perception, so 
  whenever you would use Awareness, you 
  make a Perception Test.
  Opposed Skill Tests
  Sometimes you have to test your skill against 
  that of an opponent which is known as an 
  Opposed Skill Test. This works by both parties 
  making Skill Tests as normal, whoever succeeds 
  wins. If both participants succeed, then the one 
  with the higher Characteristic bonus wins out. 
  If both parties fail, then new Tests are again 
  attempted to find a clear winner.
  TALENTS
  Talents offer slight advantages, reflecting 
  special training and expanding on your 
  options in the game for using skills and so on. 
  Talents can also grant access to different parts 
  of the game, such as psychic powers, Tech-
  Priest augmentations, and so on. Most talents 
  featured in this scenario include descriptions 
  about how they can be used.
  EXAMPLE
  Kate tries to break down a door. 
  Strength is the most likely Characteristic 
  to test in this case, so she rolls the dice 
  and compares them to her Strength 
  Characteristic. If her roll comes up equal 
  to or lower than her Characteristic, 
  she succeeds. If she rolls over her 
  Characteristic, she fails. 
  EXAMPLE
  John attempts to quietly sneak behind 
  a sentry. He rolls the dice to make 
  his Silent Move Skill Test, compares 
  them to his Agility Characteristic and 
  succeeds. The GM makes a test against 
  the guards Perception Characteristic and 
  also succeeds. Comparing Characteristic 
  bonuses, John has a 3, whilst the 
  guard has only a 2. With a higher 
  Characteristic bonus, John manages 
  to silently slip past the guard, without 
  attracting his attention. 
  
  5
  Adventure 
  Background
  I
  Adventure 
  Background
  I
  f you’re planning on playing through this 
  scenario, stop reading and skip over to the 
  characters found on page 28. Reading the 
  rest of this booklet may ruin the fun of 
  the adventure!
  Years ago, the Inquisition uncovered 
  and eradicated a sinister Chaos cult on 
  Sepheris Secundus—a frozen mining world 
  in the Calixis Sector. Largely consisting 
  of disenfranchised serfs—those wretched 
  workers who toil in the poisonous atmosphere 
  of this world’s extensive mines—the cult 
  offered escape from the oppressive labour 
  and promised to free those nearly enslaved 
  to the impossible demands of the God-
  Emperor’s Tithe. Escape they found, for 
  when word of this insidious group reached 
  the ears of the Inquisition, the response was 
  swift, brutal, and final. To a man, the cultists 
  were exposed, shot or burned, and their 
  blasphemous text consigned to purifying 
  fires. In the eyes of the Inquisition, it was 
  a job done, subversives stamped out, and as 
  a result, these protectors of the Imperium 
  shifted their ponderous attention towards 
  other whispers of fell deeds.
  Unsurprisingly, not all of the tomes and 
  writings were destroyed. In the aftermath of 
  the cleansing, a few curious serfs explored 
  the flame-ravaged tunnels finding—as they 
  searched for anything of value—one massive 
  tome that described many of the rites and 
  rituals associated with the extinct cult. The 
  words that crawled and writhed on the 
  pages disturbed them, and they nearly rid 
  themselves of the blasphemous catalogue. 
  However, they were a desperate people, 
  having long endured the brutal environment 
  and hopeless existence that entails being a 
  miner on this world. A few deluded souls 
  seized upon the idea that the best way to 
  escape their fate was to bring down the 
  wrath of the Imperium, to purge the world of 
  all life, and to put an end to their miserable 
  fates. As expected, their opponents thought 
  them mad, for if they were so unhappy, they 
  could end their own lives, but the core of 
  this misled group thought not of themselves, 
  but of their brothers and sisters, of their 
  children, and their children’s children. So 
  it was that they embarked on their insane 
  mission, founded the Brotherhood of Malice, 
  and set out to cause enough trouble that the 
  powers in the Imperium would come and 
  purge this planet.
  
  6
  S
  Adventure 
  Synopsis
  What the saboteurs and rabble-rousers didn’t 
  expect was Sepheris Secundus’s importance to 
  the Calixis Sector. It was far too important a 
  world to destroy, with the Imperium more likely 
  to eliminate the “cult” than it would the entire 
  planet. So, when the Brotherhood of Malice 
  destroyed a processing plant near the Shatters—
  a particularly dangerous stretch of tunnels—the 
  Imperium responded as it sometimes does when 
  confronted with an unruly population: it sent a 
  detachment of the Imperial Guard to clean out 
  what the planet governors deemed as rebels. As 
  expected, the Guard made short work of the 
  miners and serfs, and once the surface area was 
  cleansed, a few companies descended into the 
  tunnels. After two days of pitched fighting, the 
  uprising was erased.
  The Guardsmen made great strides against the 
  cultists, but they were unprepared for what they 
  found in the depths of the mines. Lurking in these 
  cyclopean tunnels were all manner of twisted and 
  horrific creatures, queer sigils painted on the 
  walls, and signs of Chaos everywhere. Not even 
  the Brotherhood of Malice knew, and as they 
  fled the hail of lasfire, they ran into the waiting 
  tentacles of unspeakable horrors. The Mutants 
  and Chaos Horrors stirred from their depths and 
  made their way up through the tunnels to destroy 
  the humans in the upper corridors. Sensing 
  approaching doom, the Commissar withdrew 
  his troops and sealed off access to the Shatters, 
  locking behind the metal vault his own men, 
  the surviving cultists, and all sorts of terrifying 
  creatures. It was decided that the Inquisition had 
  not quite finished its task with this world. Until 
  the Inquisition could come to the world, it was 
  decided that the Gorgonid Mine—those tunnels 
  that connect to the Shatters—would be sealed, 
  closed off, and all operations halted.
  This is a terrible development indeed, for 
  not only does this revelation reveal that Chaos 
  has gained a foothold on this vital world, but 
  also that the economy of the Calixis sector has 
  become imperilled—Sepheris Secundus is the 
  principle exporter of vital ores, fuel, and other 
  key chemicals. As a result, pressure to attend 
  this matter builds and the Inquisition scrambles 
  to assemble an experienced team of veterans 
  to wipe out the infestation, but until their 
  principal agents can be gathered, they must do 
  something. Enter the PCs.
  Adventure 
  Synopsis
  S
  hattered Hope 
  is 
  a 
  straightforward 
  scenario divided into three parts, each 
  showcasing one of the key elements found 
  in Dark Heresy.
  •	 Part	 One: The Acolytes arrive at the 
  Imperial Guard encampment, where they 
  have buckled down after fighting the 
  Brotherhood of Malice. The characters have 
  several opportunities to learn a bit about the 
  Brotherhood, recent events, and what they 
  can expect to find. This section culminates 
  in a meeting with the Commissar, whose 
  authority they need to enter into the 
  Gorgonid Mines and from whom they 
  acquire the map to the Shatters.
  •	 Part	Two: Armed with the information they 
  were able to ferret out of the Guardsmen, the 
  PCs are ready to enter the mines. They will have 
  to overcome a number of different obstacles, 
  including climbing, leaping, avoiding hazards, 
  and a quick firefight.
  •	 Part	 Three: The final stage of the 
  adventure sees the Acolytes entering the 
  Shatters. Here, they will have to fight their 
  way through a tide of corruption to find out 
  the true source of the danger and perhaps 
  prove their worth to their Inquisitor by 
  destroying the source of corruption.
  
  7
  Part One:
  Gorgonid Mine
  Part One: 
  Gorgonid Mine
  T
  he adventure begins with the PCs 
  dropping through the atmosphere to 
  land on the surface of Sepheris Secundus, 
  a thriving world that exports raw ores and 
  minerals from its rich mines. The lighter 
  takes the PCs to the site of a battlefield 
  near the entrance to the Gorgonid Mine, 
  where they are to learn what they can of 
  the rumours swirling about this place and 
  search out any evidence of corruption in the 
  area. This section is rather straightforward 
  and serves to introduce the characters to the 
  mission, the locals, and reveal a bit of the 
  history of the place. This scene focuses on 
  interaction with the non-player characters 
  and lets the PCs use their skills and abilities 
  to ferret out the area’s dark secrets.
  ARRIVAL
  Enter the PCs. Read aloud or paraphrase the 
  following text:
  At this time, let the characters introduce 
  themselves. It’s assumed that the PCs have 
  spent a few weeks together already, so they 
  should know each other’s quirks, names, 
  and any other pertinent details the players 
  wish to share. Once they are done, read 
  aloud or paraphrase this text:
  It was clear from the tone of your 
  master that you all were not the ideal 
  candidates for this mission. Indeed, he 
  seemed to hesitate as he gave you the 
  rundown of the situation on Sepheris 
  Secundus. There was a recent uprising 
  that necessitated force to put down 
  and so a platoon of Imperial Guard 
  set down in the heart of the rebellion 
  and silenced the mobs. Once the worst 
  of the fighting had passed, they secured 
  the area, which included an exploration 
  of the Gorgonid Mine, where the 
  fighting was the heaviest. The reports 
  are murky, since a number of squads 
  went missing in the dark, but suffice 
  to say, the Commissar sealed shut the 
  mine and quarantined the entire region. 
  Under ordinary circumstances, the 
  Inquisition would have looked into 
  this matter at its own pace, but the 
  damage to the world’s economy and by 
  extension the entire sector’s economy 
  could prove too severe if the problem 
  was left unattended. Hence they sent 
  you and your companions. This is a bit 
  unsettling since you are all raw recruits, 
  bound for training at Scintilla, but you 
  were the closest Acolytes and it was a 
  small matter to divert your vessel to this 
  harsh and frozen world.
  Having disembarked from the lighter, 
  you watch as its engines roar, carrying it 
  upwards towards the cruiser that floats 
  in orbit around this wretched world. 
  As it shrinks away and vanishes, you 
  take in your surroundings. All around 
  you is an Imperial Guard encampment, 
  filled with scores of grimfaced men and 
  women, some bloodied and bandaged, 
  all wearing the grey uniforms of the 
  97th Battalion. The camp is mostly a 
  sea of tents positioned around smoking 
  craters, steam vents that belch violet 
  clouds of stinking gas into the air, and 
  the wreckage from the recent conflict. 
  A walker screeches as it patrols the 
  perimeter, its pilot deftly manoeuvring 
  the vehicle through the wreckage of old 
  buildings, smoking cars, and unburied 
  bodies. At the camp’s centre there stands 
  a rust-red hab-block bearing the eagle 
  symbol of the Imperium on its exterior. 
  Beyond it is a range of low mountains 
  covered in ice and the sprawl of industry. 
  Flames belching forth from smokestacks, 
  storage containers, great bubbling vats 
  issuing toxic steam, and more combine 
  to make the structures look like some 
  vast metal insect straddling the peaks of 
  this rugged range.
  Arrival
  
  8
  Exploring the Encampment
  Once you have read the introductory 
  text, ask the players what they’d like to do. 
  They have several options as outlined in the 
  following sections. This part of the adventure 
  is designed to let the players feel out their 
  characters and roleplay their personalities 
  and outlooks. They should have the chance 
  to talk to the Guardsmen, discover the prison 
  compound where a few cultists are held 
  awaiting execution, and eventually make their 
  way to the Commissar.
  EXPLORING THE ENCAMPMENT
  After the characters have had a chance to take 
  in their surroundings, they should notice that 
  most of the Guardsmen are looking at them. 
  This would be a good time to have all the 
  players make Scrutiny Tests to get a sense of 
  the mood. Each player should roll the dice 
  comparing the result to their Perception 
  Characteristic. Since only Cimbria has the 
  Scrutiny skill, all other characters compare 
  their result to half their Perception scores. 
  However, this should be a fairly simple test, so 
  go ahead and give everyone a +20 bonus to 
  their Characteristics for this test.
  From here, the players can gather a bit of 
  information. They can go about this in one 
  of two ways. One, they can make Inquiry 
  Tests to pick up general rumours or they 
  can talk to a specific Guardsman. Details 
  for either approach follows.
  The Guardsmen
  The first character the Acolytes meet is the 
  young Guardsman Edwin Jurtz. When he saw 
  the lighter land, he just knew that it brought 
  people to help, so he rushed from his post at 
  the seal and headed for the encampment to 
  meet what he sees as saviours. The PCs see him 
  running toward them and when he arrives, he 
  comes to an abrupt stop, stoops over, hands 
  on his knees, struggling to catch his breath. 
  After a moment, he looks up and smiles. He’s a 
  young man, just turned eighteen. He has bright 
  red hair that pokes out from under his helmet, 
  pale freckled skin, and youthful features. He 
  says, “Sirs… Ladies… huh… welcome to the 
  Gorgonid Mines! Yer here to help… I just knew 
  it….” He pauses to take another breath. “I tole’d 
  ’em all ye’d be coming—So, which one of you is 
  the Inquisitor? Want to see the Commissar…?”
  At this point, and before the PCs have a 
  chance to respond, a gruff voice sounds out: 
  “Jurtz! You leave your post again?” The owner 
  of the voice is a compact, square-jawed 
  ugly man, his head shaved and with a dark 
  blue tattoo right on his scalp. He’s wearing 
  the grey fatigues of all the Guards, but the 
  stripes on his sleeve indicate he’s a person of 
  rank. Where his right arm used to be is now 
  a stump on which a large metal rod with a 
  disturbing array of attachments at the end 
  emerges. Jurtz stammers, turns red all the way 
  up to his ears and looks at his feet, mumbling, 
  “No,  Sergeant Raynard. I’m just heading 
  back now, sir”.
  Sergeant Raynard fixes the junior Guardsman 
  with a stare and then turns toward the Acolytes. 
  One of his eyes is ice blue, cold and staring. 
  The other is a crude false eye, made of wood 
  and wandering off to the left. “See that you do. 
  Double time. Now, you. You’re a sorry bunch, 
  aren’t you? Who’re you supposed to be? Not 
  the Inquisitor I’ll warrant. Well? Speak up? I 
  won’t have a commotion in my camp.”
  At this point let the players answer in 
  whatever way this wish. Raynard has a good 
  idea who they are, and is secretly worried 
  that they are all the help he’s going to get. 
  He listens, stony, and waits for them to finish. 
  Let the players talk as long as they wish. Once 
  they stop, trail off, or look confused, stare at 
  EXAMPLE
  For example, Cimbria has a 30 
  Perception and with the bonus, she 
  needs to roll a 50 or less. Mir, on the 
  other hand, has a 28 Perception. He 
  doesn’t have the Scrutiny skill, so he 
  ordinarily would have to roll a 14 or 
  less, which is half his Perception. Since 
  this is an easy task, he gets a +20 bonus, 
  so he now needs a 34 or lower on the 
  roll (14 + 20 = 34).
  
  9
  them a bit longer, a few seconds, and then say, 
  “Right. So, the Inquisitor isn’t coming.” This 
  isn’t a question. “I suppose I’d better let the 
  Commissar know you’re here… sirs.” With 
  that, he makes ready to leave, but as he turns, 
  his crude cybernetic arm starts to shake and 
  the attachments start spinning, swooshing, 
  snapping, and make a terrible racket. Raynard 
  curses, runs his hand down the length of the 
  metal rod, whispers a prayer and pushes a 
  button. Immediately, the device settles down. 
  He starts heading off toward the hab-block. As 
  he marches, the Acolytes hear tittering laughter 
  coming from out of a nearby tent.
  The Acolytes have a couple of options. An 
  Awareness	Test (the players roll under their 
  Perception or half their Perception if they don’t 
  have the skill) reveals Recruit Jurtz watches 
  them, his eyes wide, a few metres away. So the 
  PCs might follow the sergeant, talk to Jurtz, or 
  find out who’s laughing and why.
  Recruit Jurtz
  Recruit Jurtz is a bit sullen after learning 
  that none of the PCs are the Inquisitor 
  and his hopes that they will destroy the 
  infestation have been dashed a bit. He’s 
  just decided to go back to his post so if 
  the characters want to talk with him, 
  they will have to move quickly. He’s not 
  so much interested in chatting either, so 
  to get him talking, the characters need to 
  succeed on a Charm	Test (or at one-half 
  their Fellowship if they lack this skill). 
  A success makes him friendly again and 
  he’ll answer any of the likely following 
  questions with the answers provided.
  What happened here?
  Well, there was this uprising in the mines. So we 
  was called in to crush the rebels. The Commissar 
  ordered us to flush out the mines to see if there 
  were any more rebels. That’s when those things 
  nabbed my mate Hastus. The things grabbed him 
  and dragged him off screaming. That’s when the 
  sergeant ordered our withdrawal, and we’ve been 
  stuck here ever since. Hey, if you’re going down 
  there, see if you can find Hastus, would ya? He 
  has a girl on Scintilla and I know she’d like ’im 
  back, yeah?
  What things?
  I don’t know what they were f ’sure. All I saw was 
  shapes, strange shapes, weird things, tentacles, eyes, 
  and worse. Probably just xeno. Some of the men 
  think there’s something else down there. I dunno.
  What’s the problem with Sergeant Raynard?
  He’s a tough man, but he means well. He just wants to 
  get his boys off this rock.
  What can you tell us about the Commissar?
  Not much, I s’pose. He’s a distant man. Not very 
  friendly. Cool as ice. 
  After these or similar questions, he looks at 
  his chrono and says “I gotta go. Look, if yer 
  heading down there, good luck.”
  
  10
  Sergeant Raynard
  Sergeant Raynard has seen a lot of action. He 
  lost his left arm and left eye from an engagement 
  with some genestealers at the edge of the system 
  a dozen years ago. The prosthetic limb bothers 
  him a great deal, largely because the medic was 
  slain and a tech-priest was sloppy. He refuses to 
  have it replaced because it reminds him of his 
  hatred for the followers of the Omnissiah and 
  the Tyranids alike.
  After meeting the PCs, he’s marching 
  off to let the Commissar know. He’s not 
  happy about the situation for he thought the 
  Inquisition would send more than a couple of 
  green recruits to attend this matter. Raynard 
  wants another shot at the Mutants, but the 
  Commissar won’t let him, so he’s not happy 
  about being here and it shows.
  Characters that want to talk with Raynard 
  are in for a tough go. To get the sergeant 
  to talk, a PC needs to succeed on an 
  Intimidate	 Test to prove they’re tougher 
  than him. No pushover himself, any attempts 
  to pull this off are at a –10 penalty to the 
  Characteristic. Since none of the characters 
  have Intimidate, they need to roll one-half 
  their Strength Characteristic minus 10. If 
  they succeed, however, Raynard stops and 
  agrees to talk:
  With that, Raynard stomps off toward the 
  headquarters. If the acolytes follow after him, 
  proceed with The	Commissar.
  The Man Who’s Seen Too Much
  The sounds of laughter the PCs heard emanates 
  from Corporal Schmendt, a shell-shocked 
  Guardsman who saw more than he should. 
  After the encounter in the mines, he went crazy 
  and screamed the whole way out. Once on the 
  surface, the medics treated him with sedative 
  poultices and stuck him in his tent. Any character 
  that pokes his head inside sees a wild-eyed 
  young man with greasy brown hair, wild eyes, 
  and wearing a straightjacket that’s tethered to 
  a post hammered into the ground. A character 
  that succeeds on a Perception	Test (with a +20 
  bonus to the Characteristic) sees the man’s name 
  on a crumpled jacket lying on the ground.
  Talking to Corporal Schmendt is a chore. 
  He giggles constantly, pausing only to mutter 
  things like “tentacles”, “the eyes!”, “my mind’s 
  eye opens and all I see is blood”, and so on. 
  He’s raving mad. Play this up as much as you 
  can until the players just give up and go about 
  their business.
  Further Inquiries
  After the characters have had a chance 
  to talk with a few of the locals, they may 
  want to push on to dig up additional 
  information. To make general inquiries, one 
  or more characters need to take an Inquiry 
  Test. Only Cimbria has this skill, so to use 
  Inquiry successfully, she has to roll under her 
  Fellowship, which in her case is a 33 or less. 
  The other characters need to roll equal to 
  or under one-half of their Fellowship. Those 
  who succeed get a bit of information about 
  what’s going on. In addition, for every 10 
  points they get below their Characteristic, 
  they acquire a bit more information. See 
  Table	1–1:	Inquiries	at	the	Encampment 
  for the sorts of information the characters 
  are likely to pick up.
  What’s really going on? It’s real simple: the 
  planetary governor can’t control her population. 
  We’re the big guns. We came in and stamped out the 
  uprising. Job done, right? Wrong. The Commissar 
  wanted me to lead a few squads into the mines. 
  He believed the cult had a base inside. We went 
  in, descended the elevator and explored the place. 
  Then, those Mutants fell on us. They came from 
  all sides. I lost a dozen good men, better men than 
  you I’d wager…. Look, there’s a wrongness down 
  there. You’re a bit wet behind the ears for this sort 
  of work. You should call that fancy ship of yours 
  and get as far away from here as you can.
  
  11
  Prisoners
  The Commisar
  PRISONERS
  At some point while the characters are in 
  the encampment, they pass by a large area 
  hemmed in by a chain-linked fence. The 
  fence stands some 3 metres tall and has 
  barbed wires running around the top. Bits 
  of cloth flutter in the breeze hanging from 
  the barbs, while blood covers the ground. 
  Inside the fence are a dozen forlorn looking 
  men and women. All wear light grey garb 
  stained black from dust and filth. Dirty 
  faces stare at the Acolytes as they pass by. 
  A few guards dressed in black flak armour 
  and wearing helmets with photo-visors 
  patrol the perimeter. They carry heavy 
  automatic rifles.
  If any of the PCs approach the fence, 
  one of the prisoners comes forward. His 
  eyes widen as he speaks in a whisper, his 
  face jerking toward the guards. “Please… 
  help me… I… I… did nothing!” Just then 
  one of the guards barks out a warning for 
  the prisoner to back away from the fence, 
  and the wretch does so, eyes imploring the 
  character for mercy.
  The guards are not chatty at all and if asked 
  about the prisoners, they say, “Rebels. They 
  are awaiting processing before execution.” 
  Arguing with the guards achieves nothing. 
  They’re just following orders.
  THE COMMISSAR
  Soon after the characters arrive, they meet the 
  Commissar. If they followed the sergeant to 
  the headquarters, the Acolytes meet the man 
  there. Otherwise, the Commissar’s secretary 
  finds them. Should the secretary meet them, 
  the Acolytes are confronted with a short, 
  stubby man, with a thick moustache, shaved 
  head, aquila tattoo on his neck and dressed 
  in a flak vest and armed with a laspistol in a 
  holster at his side. He pulls a chewed cigar 
  from his mouth and “invites” the characters 
  to attend the Commissar at once.
  Regardless of how they get there, the scene 
  plays out in the same way. The headquarters is 
  a hab-block, a prefabricated structure deposited 
  on the planet’s surface. Constructed of metal 
  alloys and painted with a utilitarian red colour, 
  it features the Battalion’s number, as well as the 
  eagle of the Imperium. A single access hatch 
  in the face of the structure allows access to 
  the interior. Once inside, the place is sparsely 
  decorated, with a desk for the secretary and a 
  second desk for the Commissar.
  Nihilius, the Commissar, is in his late 
  thirties, with coal black hair, matching eyes, 
  and a craggy face. He wears a black uniform 
  decorated with his rank and a few badges of 
  honour. His Commissar hat rests on a hook 
  behind his desk as does his long black leather 
  Table 1–1: Inquiries at the Encampment
  Test  
  Result Information
  Failed 
  Sorry lad (or lass), you ought to check with the Commissar. He’ll tell you 
  everything you need to know.
  Success 
  Aye, we wuz in a tough spot a few days back. There are sorts of nasty 
  things in them mines. Go see the Commissar. He’ll set ya straight.
  Success by 10 It was horrible, mate! The things I saw! I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again. 
  They got Horgen… tore his face right off they did. Thank the Emperor 
  you’re here to put things aright.
  Success by 20 It was bad, I agree, but no worse than any other Mutant-infested hole. If’n 
  yer going in there, yeh better keep those laspistols handy.
  Success by 30 A lot of the men, they’ll tell you that those… creatures… were cultists… 
  but they weren’t… they couldn’t be. The horrors butchered them just like 
  us. I dunno what they are, but they need to be stopped.
  
  12
  Quartermaster
  coat. He invites the characters to take a seat 
  and then sits himself, steepling his fingers as 
  he assesses them. Finally, he speaks. Read or 
  paraphrase the following text: 
  The Commissar entertains any questions 
  the characters might have, though he’s given 
  them a thorough assessment of the situation. 
  If one of the characters asks why he doesn’t 
  just send his own forces into the pit, the 
  Commissar fixes the character with a stern 
  look and says, “Cults are your trouble, not ours. 
  We do our job, now you go do yours.” Answers 
  to any other questions will be terse, quick and 
  restricted to the information in the Adventure 
  Background. The Commissar does reveal, if 
  one of the Acolytes succeeds on a Charm Test, 
  that he believes the rebels were part of a larger 
  organisation called the Brotherhood of Malice. 
  He doesn’t volunteer this information since 
  he’s rather angry about his situation and has 
  no love for the Inquisition, but if pressed, he 
  reveals that he believes the Brotherhood may 
  be affiliated with other, older cult activities as 
  described in the Adventure Background.
  QUARTERMASTER
  Finding the Quartermaster takes 2d10 
  minutes unless the characters succeed on an 
  Inquiry	 Test with a +10 bonus to their 
  Characteristic, in which case the time is 
  cut in half. The Quartermaster oversees the 
  dispensation of supplies to the Guardsmen. 
  In addition to clothing, foodstuffs, and 
  other general gear, he is also responsible 
  “Well, I presume you are from the Inquisition? 
  I was told help was on the way, but I must 
  say I am always surprised by the agents I 
  meet. I’m sure you are eminently qualified for 
  the task at hand, so let’s get down to business 
  and get this over with shall we?
  “As you may or may not know, this world 
  is vital to the commercial interests of this 
  sector and anything that threatens this world 
  ultimately threatens the larger community. 
  Thus when renegade activities on this planet 
  destroyed valuable and, in some people’s 
  estimations, irreplaceable equipment, it was 
  deemed necessary to create a show of force 
  and eradicate all insurgents in and around 
  the lucrative Gorgonid Mine”. He gestures 
  expansively around him.
  “Now, attending to a few rebels is easy 
  work and as expected, the scum lacked 
  grit, leadership, and dedication to their 
  cause, and so in a matter of hours we had 
  contained the site, rounded up a few captives 
  and were ready to ship out. But as I toured 
  the grounds,  something caught my eye. One 
  of the rebels was carrying a sheaf of papers. 
  I examined them quickly and it appeared 
  they were queer texts of some kind, copies 
  surely, but describing unspeakable acts. It 
  was clear that these rebels were foot soldiers 
  for something worse.
  “I know my duty, and so I sent a dozen 
  squads into the mines themselves. Many 
  of our enemy fled the certain death of our 
  superior firepower for the cover of the mines. 
  It was as I feared. The Guardsmen descended 
  and after  three-quarters of an hour, they 
  returned, much diminished and suffering 
  terrible casualties. Reports of twisted mutants, 
  daemons, and worse came in and so I decided 
  that until I received proper support, the mine 
  would be closed.
  “Clearly, the Inquisitor does not share my 
  concern… no offence, of course. I just 
  expected a… larger group to attend to 
  this matter. Well, who am I to question the 
  ways of the Ordo, right? Right. Here is a 
  map. Follow the directions and they will 
  take you through the upper levels of the 
  Gorgonid Mines. My men didn’t encounter 
  much of anything there, but when they 
  entered the tunnels known as the Shatters”, 
  he points at the map, “that was where things 
  went wrong”.
  “I should warn you, it takes a great deal of 
  effort to lift the seal and it’s not quick. We’ll 
  let you out of course, but there’s nothing 
  fast about it so try not to be in a hurry. I 
  presume you’re armed? Not many things on 
  your persons I see. That’s a shame. See our 
  Quartermaster and he’ll properly outfit you. 
  Meet me at the seal—you can see it from the 
  door—in say an hour. It takes a good 30 
  minutes to walk it, so don’t dawdle”.
  
  13
  The Seal 
  for 
  arms, 
  armour, 
  and 
  ammunition. 
  Unfortunately, the Quartermaster is low on 
  martial supplies and he’s not authorised to 
  dispense these goods without the approval 
  of the Commissar—who is making his 
  way to the seal. Still, the Quartermaster, a 
  middle-aged veteran who’s missing most of 
  his nose, gives the characters 15 metres of 
  tough rope, four electric torches, three days 
  of CS Rations and canteens of water for 
  each character. He also slips Xanthia four 
  frag grenades (see sidebar).
  Once the characters are properly outfitted, 
  they are free to head on to the Seal or may do a 
  bit more snooping about. If the characters want 
  to do a bit more investigation, just go back and 
  fill in with details they missed. Remember, 
  they are to meet the Commissar an hour after 
  their meeting, so they need to move quickly.
  THE SEAL
  The trip across the encampment to the foot of 
  the mountains where the great seal cuts off the 
  Gorgonid Mines from the surface takes exactly 
  30 minutes. As the Acolytes travel, they see more 
  signs of the fighting, more torn earth, shattered 
  buildings, and the wreckage of unrecognisable 
  equipment. The planet is quite cold, and the 
  wind is razor sharp as it cuts across their path. 
  When they near the end of their walk, the 
  characters spot pockets of miners sitting around 
  small fires made from dung, salvaged wood, and 
  even plastic, causing poisonous fumes to fill 
  the air. The miners are all forlorn, sporting an 
  appalling number of defects and deformities, as 
  well as plenty of injuries.
  Unlike the prisoners within the Guard 
  encampment, these folks are bystanders, 
  unfortunates who have gotten in the way. 
  They are utterly terrified of the PCs and 
  attempts to approach these poor souls results 
  in them fleeing, fainting, or defecating 
  in terror. Even if the character gets them 
  to talk, they ramble on, agreeing with 
  whatever the Acolyte says, even if they are 
  asked a direct question, “Aye, that’s a good 
  question sirrah!”
  The seal itself measures 30 metres in 
  diameter and is held in place with thick 
  clamps that grasp the stone on all sides. 
  Embossed on the centre is the great double-
  headed eagle of the Imperium that seems 
  to stare down at the Acolytes as if judging 
  them. Scaffolding to the right of the seal 
  leads up to a small post where an attendant 
  can lock or unlock the clamps with a throw 
  of a switch. This, however, is not enough to 
  open the seal; it merely unlocks it. Opening 
  this vault requires the efforts of twenty great 
  hairy monsters indigenous to this world. 
  Their handlers affix the tethers to the seal 
  and goad them forward, and through the 
  combined strength of these beasts, the 
  seal slowly, ever so slowly, pulls away. The 
  process of opening and closing the seal 
  takes about an hour, less if the beasts of 
  burden are already in their harnesses.
  Frag Grenades
  When a frag grenade explodes, it sends 
  flaming chunks of shrapnel out to 3 
  metres from the point of explosion. All 
  creatures in the area of the explosion take 
  1d10+3 damage. The maximum range 
  of a thrown frag grenade is a number 
  of metres equal to 3 × the character’s 
  Strength Bonus. You make a Ballistic 
  Skill Test when you throw a grenade.
  
  14
  Obstacles
  Part Two
  Into the 
  Darkness
  Once the PCs arrive, read or paraphrase the 
  following text:
  Part Two: 
  Into the 
  Darkness
  I
  n this section, the Acolytes enter the 
  Gorgonid Mines and follow the map 
  provided to them by the Commissar so 
  they can travel down into the bowels of the 
  earth to reach the dangerous zone known as 
  the Shatters. The Gorgonid Mines are quite 
  extensive and without a map or extensive 
  familiarity with the layout, a person could 
  become forever lost in the depths. Rather 
  than providing a physical map, this scenario 
  assumes the Acolytes employ the map properly. 
  However, their journey is not without peril and 
  the characters will have to use their wits and 
  their physical talents to overcome a number of 
  potentially deadly obstacles.
  OBSTACLES
  Although the PCs merely need to follow 
  the map to reach the Shatters, the map fails 
  to reveal a few recent problems that have 
  developed as a result of geothermal activity. 
  In the days since the tunnels were sealed up, 
  tremors caused by the growing power of the 
  Antithesis Stone (see P25) have led to extensive 
  damage in the mines closest to the Shatters. To 
  reach their destination, the Acolytes will need 
  to overcome several physical challenges.
  Standing before the seal, dressed in his large black 
  hat and matching trench coat is the Commissar, 
  who, in spite of the disparity between him and 
  the seal, is in no way diminished by its massive 
  size. You see young Jurtz manning the platform 
  next to the seal. Four more grizzled Guardsmen 
  armed with lasguns stand at the ready, as 
  massive beasts covered in heavy brown fur and 
  equipped with four long trunks are herded into 
  position, harnesses attached to their great bulk. 
  Once the harnesses are in place, the Commissar 
  gives the signal to his men, who turn towards 
  the seal and take aim. The Commissar then 
  gestures to Jurtz who throws the switch. With 
  a tremendous noise, the clamps release from the 
  stone, signalling the beast handlers to coax their 
  creatures forward. As the seal pulls away from 
  the wall, moving one centimetre by one gruelling 
  centimetre, a foul yellow gas spills out around 
  the seal, pouring out from the interior and 
  reeking of spoiled meat. Moments after the spew 
  begins, it stops. The Commissar stands ready, 
  a grim smile spread across his lips, his hand 
  hovering near the bolter at his side. After nearly 
  thirty minutes of straining, the beasts open the 
  seal wide enough to let the you through. The 
  Commissar turns to you and gestures for you to 
  enter, offering one last piece of advice: “May the 
  God-Emperor watch over you”.
  I
  
  15
  A Steep Climb
  At some point in their travels, the passageway 
  comes to an abrupt end as the floor drops away 
  into the yawning darkness. A character using 
  an electric torch can shine the light down into 
  the darkness and see that 3 metres down, the 
  passage continues. A tremor caused a section 
  of the tunnels to fall into an air pocket several 
  kilometres down. Reaching the passageway 
  will require a character to climb down the 
  wall. The walls have plenty of handholds—if 
  they didn’t the characters would have to make 
  Climb	Tests, skills they don’t have—so they 
  will each need to roll under or equal to their 
  Strength Characteristic to get to the connecting 
  passage. To give them a fighting chance, give the 
  characters a +20 bonus to their Characteristics. 
  A successful test is enough for the characters to 
  reach the other passage. If any characters fail 
  the test, they make no progress for the round. 
  If they fail by 30 or more, they slip and fall, 
  dropping away into the darkness, forever lost 
  (see Avoiding Death on page 16). Of course, if 
  the players remembered their ropes, they can 
  tie off to each other so that if someone slips and 
  falls, the rest can catch the character. However, if 
  this happens, all characters attached to the falling 
  character must test Strength to maintain their 
  grip. If they fail this test, they slip free too.
  Helping Hands
  Stronger characters can help weaker characters 
  make the descent. The stronger character 
  can make a separate Strength	Test and if he 
  succeeds, he grants an extra +10 bonus to his 
  ally. He may then make another Strength	Test 
  to continue on down.
  A Dreadful Gap
  Shortly after the harrowing descent, the characters 
  come across a large gap in the passageway. A severe 
  tremor caused a wide crack to appear in the floor, 
  Dressing Up the Tunnels
  There’s no reason to spend excessive time describing every step the PCs take on their way to the 
  shatters, but there’s also no reason not to inject a little atmosphere as the characters make their way 
  through the gloom of the mines. What follows are a few sample locations you can use to offer a few 
  unusual sights as the Acolytes make their way. Use some, none, or all of them, but be sure to describe 
  them in ominous ways to create a bit of tension.
  Nexus
  The Acolytes enter a vast chamber, the ceiling of which extends nearly 30 metres overhead. Great 
  columns, three metres in diameter and spaced five metres apart extend from the floor and up into the 
  darkness, supporting the roof of this room. Criss-crossing the floor are numerous tracks that seem to 
  travel in utterly random ways, and following them can lead back on themselves or to nowhere at all. 
  Sub-Section Five
  This tunnel widens a bit and painted overtop a steel door is “Sub-Section Five”. There is a glass window 
  set at eye level, and staining the inside of it and obscuring what lays beyond is a bloody handprint. The 
  door is firmly locked and resists attempts at opening it. Should the PCs use a grenade to blow up the 
  door, it falls off its hinges and reveals a charnel house inside. A dozen corpses litter the floor. They are 
  all the bodies of miners, but each sports a strange mutation—an extra eye, a vestigial hand growing 
  from the abdomen, and so on.
  Broken Rails
  Another tunnel intersects with the main passage. Rails run along its length, but where they would pass 
  through the passage, they are bent and twisted, as if some monstrous thing tore them up and twisted 
  them into knots.
  Flooded Tunnel
  The passage enters a sharp decline until it descends into a pool of brackish water with glistening oil on 
  the surface. The characters can wade through it with no trouble, but as they do, something brushes past 
  their legs. After a few metres, the passage leads up until it levels off, free of the toxic soup.
  
  16
  Part Three: 
  The 
  Shatters
  Combat Summary
  tearing open the ground and creating a gap too 
  wide to simply step across. To get on the other side 
  of the gap, the characters will have to leap across.
  The best way to achieve this is to get a running 
  start. The characters should back up about 4 
  metres and start running. Once they come to the 
  gap, they must make a Strength	Test. If they 
  succeed, they get across the gap. If the characters 
  fail, they fall into the gap. The bottom is 6 metres 
  down, but the walls are sheer, making climbing 
  out very difficult—requiring characters to make 
  Strength	 Tests at half their characteristic to 
  climb 3 metres with every success. A character 
  can climb a dropped rope though as described 
  under A Steep Climb. A character that falls takes 
  1d10+5 damage. The player that fell should 
  record this damage on his sheet or on a piece of 
  scrap paper. If the damage exceeds the character’s 
  Wounds by 4 or less, he falls unconscious and 
  cannot be revived for 1 day. If the damage 
  exceeds the character’s Wounds by 5 or more, the 
  character broke his neck and is dead.
  Part Three: 
  The 
  Shatters
  F
  inally, the characters reach the Shatters. 
  Refer to the Shatters Map for details. The 
  characters can go anywhere they wish, 
  exploring the various rooms and corridors 
  in whichever order they like. Each number 
  on the map corresponds to a description in 
  the following pages. Since these tunnels are 
  infested with horrible Mutants, this is the 
  chance the players have been waiting for to 
  shoot up some heretics. Since the characters 
  may face these encounters in an order 
  depending on which way they decide to 
  go, basic combat rules are summarised here. 
  If the characters find themselves embroiled 
  in a fight, simply refer back to the Combat 
  Summary that follows.
  COMBAT SUMMARY
  The thrill of fighting, the screaming torrent 
  of bolter fire, the pyrotechnic displays of 
  lasgun shots, and the bloody business of 
  hand-to-hand combat are all central to 
  Dark Heresy. While much of the game is 
  often spent investigating conspiracies and 
  exploring terrifying environments, most 
  game sessions feature one or more brutal 
  conflicts that can test the mettle of any Player 
  Character. To make sure that this is one of 
  the most exciting parts of the game, combat 
  is fun, fast paced, and almost always bloody. 
  Since there is not room enough to cover all 
  the combat rules—automatic fire, pinning, 
  bracing, critical damage, and so on—this 
  section just covers the most basic rules to 
  give you a taste of how combat works.
  Combat breaks down into rounds. During 
  a round, each combatant gets a turn to act, 
  which could be anything from running away, 
  blasting a Mutant, or hacking apart a hateful 
  xeno with a sword. Once everyone has acted, 
  a new round begins.
  Avoiding Death
  There are all sorts of opportunities for 
  characters to die in Dark Heresy. One way 
  to avoid nearly certain death is through 
  the expenditure of Fate Points. Normally, 
  a player can spend a Fate Point to gain a 
  re-roll and at the end of the day, all spent 
  Fate Points return to their normal total. 
  However, in dire circumstances—such as 
  a botched fall in A Dreadful Gap—a 
  character can permanently spend a Fate 
  Point to avoid death. Fate, in this case, 
  intervenes, and spares the character. In the 
  case of the fall, the character may have 
  caught himself halfway down, or landed 
  just right to survive the experience with 
  a few cuts and scrapes. Part of your job as 
  GM is to decide how the character escaped 
  his doom in an apt and exciting way.
  F
  
  17
  Who Goes First
  At the beginning of the combat, all participants 
  roll 1d10 and add their Agility Bonus to the 
  die roll. The combatant with the highest 
  result goes first and play proceeds to the next 
  highest character and so on until everyone has 
  acted. This is called rolling for initiative.
  The Turn
  As mentioned, each character gets a turn to 
  act in the round. During a turn a character 
  can do two things: attack and move. Other 
  actions are very much possible, but they either 
  count as an attack, a move, or both!
  A New Round
  Once everyone has acted, the character who 
  started the previous round gets to take another 
  turn. This continues until all the combat ends—
  usually when one side is slain by the other.
  Reactions
  In addition to the attacks and moves a character 
  can take during their turn, all characters can react 
  to threats even when it’s not their turn. Each 
  character gets one reaction per round. For the 
  purposes of this scenario, a reaction should be 
  spent to get out of the way of an attack, such as 
  by making a Dodge	Test (if the character has 
  the skill; otherwise it’s an Agility	Test at half the 
  Characteristic). We’ll talk more about this later.
  Attacks
  Whenever a character wants to attack his 
  opponent, he can use a melee attack (such 
  as with a sword, knife, or axe) or a ranged 
  attack (laspistol, crossbow, bolter, etc.). To 
  make a melee attack, the character has to be 
  adjacent to his opponent and if so, he makes 
  a Weapon	 Skill	 Test. To make a ranged 
  attack, the character needs to be in range of 
  his target (listed under the weapon’s entry) and 
  have a clear shot—the target’s not blocked 
  by another character or not standing behind 
  a door for example. The character then tests 
  Ballistic Skill. As with any other test, a roll 
  that results in a number equal to or lower than 
  the Characteristic hits. A roll that results in a 
  number greater than the Characteristic misses.
  Movement
  Movement is broken down into four types; 
  half , full, charge and run. Half equals a short 
  move, allowing you to also fight in the round. 
  Full is a characters normal movement distance. 
  Charge is when somebody rushes an opponent, 
  gaining +10% bonus to your Weapon Skill 
  Test made at the end of the charge. Run is 
  running at full speed, which makes you harder 
  to hit with missile weapons (-20% Ballistics 
  Skill	 Tests made against you), but easier to 
  hit in melee (opponents gain +20% bonus to 
  Weapon	Skill	Tests).
  The values of each movement type can be 
  found on most character or creature profiles and 
  each value is separated by a slash. The numbers 
  given for each of these types is equivalent to 
  the distance in metres or squares if you are 
  using miniatures on a combat grid.
  Movement in Combat
  A character can move a number of metres 
  equal to his Agility Bonus. He can give up his 
  attack to move twice this amount.
  Avoiding Attacks
  Once per round, whenever a target is successfully 
  hit, he may make a Dodge	Test (or an Agility 
  Test at one-half his Characteristic) to negate the 
  attack. If he succeeds, he ducks out of the way. If 
  he fails, the attack hits squarely.
  Other Actions
  If a player wants to do something not covered 
  by the actions described here, make a judgment 
  about how long something might take and 
  what type of action it would be. Generally, most 
  actions should be resolved with some sort of 
  test. Keep in mind that a round is only a few 
  seconds long, which is a very limited amount of 
  time to accomplish a task.
  EXAMPLE
  Xanthia’s movement is described on 
  her character sheet as 4/8/12/24 – 
  Xanthia can move 4 metres per round 
  at half movement and attempt to hit her 
  opponent, or fearing she is outgunned, 
  Xanthia can choose to run a total of 
  24 metres - making her harder to hit 
  (-20% ballistics skill test) and getting 
  her well away from her enemies.
  
  18
  Inflicting Damage
  Whenever you hit an opponent with a weapon, 
  and your opponent fails to get out of the way, you 
  inflict damage. Each weapon includes a Damage 
  value, usually 1d10 plus a number. Roll the die 
  and add the modifier. This is the damage total. 
  Then, you subtract the target’s Toughness Bonus 
  (again, this is the ‘tens’ number that’s shaded next 
  to the Toughness score) from the damage total. If 
  you’re wearing armour, also subtract the armour 
  points. Whatever is left is damage that’s applied to 
  the target. Record this number somewhere, since 
  damage is cumulative. So long as the accumulated 
  damage is less than the character’s Wounds, the 
  character is fine. But if the damage exceeds the 
  target’s Wounds by 4 or less, the target falls 
  unconscious and doesn’t awaken until the end 
  of the combat. If the damage exceeds the target’s 
  Wounds by 5 or more, the character dies.
  Righteous Fury
  Normally, when a character hits with an attack, 
  the resulting Damage Total equals 1d10 plus 
  the weapon’s damage. However, when you roll 
  a 10 on the die, it may indicate the eye of the 
  Emperor is upon the character. This calls for a 
  second test—Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill—
  as if the character were making another attack. 
  If this second test is successful, the spirit of 
  the Emperor is with him, aiding his attack and 
  guiding his aim. The player can roll for damage 
  again and add the result to the Damage Total.
  Should the result of this die also be a 10, the Emperor 
  has indeed smiled upon the character. The player 
  may immediately roll a third 1d10 and add that to 
  the Damage Total as well. This process continues 
  until the player rolls a number other than 10.
  EXPLORING THE SHATTERS
  The map describing the Shatters is just one 
  tiny corner of this sprawling maze of spent 
  veins, poisonous atmosphere, and corrupted 
  miners. The player characters could spend 
  decades exploring the endless tunnels and 
  perhaps might not ever see everything. 
  For the purposes of this scenario, this very 
  small section of this deadly territory is the 
  extent of the characters’ explorations, since 
  the Mutants have successfully excavated a 
  section of tunnel to find the Antithesis Stone 
  (see Area 11 on page 25).
  General Features
  Through much of these tunnels, the walls 
  were excavated using sonic drills to break up 
  the stone, but the work is sloppy and the 
  walls are anything but smooth. Filthy grease 
  oozes out from the cracks, and bright orange 
  centipedes scuttle in and out of the gaps. The 
  corridors and rooms are all approximately 2 
  metres tall and drip the same slippery slime 
  onto the floor where it gathers in gruesome, 
  awful-smelling puddles. Thick steel beams 
  support the ceiling in places and all of these 
  bear permi-lamps, though only a few are 
  working, shedding a peculiar green light all 
  around them.
  All doors, those few that stand in this place, 
  are metal hatches with wheels that lock or 
  open them. Unlocking a door is hard work 
  and requires a character to succeed on a 
  Strength	Test.
  The air here is noxious and every 10 minutes 
  the characters explore this section of tunnels, 
  they must all succeed on Toughness	Tests. 
  Those who fail take a –5 penalty to all 
  tests for as long as they remain down here. 
  Multiple failed tests are cumulative. A 
  character who retreats to Area 1 and closes 
  the door removes all penalties after 10 
  minutes of “clean” air.
  EXAMPLE
  It’s Cimbria’s turn. She has a laspistol in hand 
  so she decides to blast the shrieking Mutant. 
  Her target’s in range and she has a clear 
  shot, so she makes a Ballistic Skill Test. Her 
  Ballistic Skill is 39, so she needs to roll a 39 
  or less on the dice. She rolls and gets a 24. 
  She hits! A laspistol deals 1d10+2 damage, 
  so she rolls a 9, adds 2, for a total of 11. Now 
  the Mutant has a 3 Toughness Bonus, but 
  no armour. The GM subtracts 3 from 11 
  for a total of 8 damage. The Mutant has 6 
  Wounds, so the attack is powerful enough to 
  knock the Mutant unconscious. If Cimbria 
  wants to finish the job, she can shoot it again 
  on the next round (an automatic hit since it’s 
  unconscious) and put it out of its misery.
  Exploring the Shatters
  
  19
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  10
  9
  11
  
  20
  Key Locations
  The following entries describe the most important 
  locations in this portion of the Shatters. If a location 
  lacks a number, there’s nothing of interest that 
  relates to the player characters, though you should 
  feel free to inject colourful and strange descriptions 
  to enhance the otherworldliness of this place. For 
  example, entering an empty area might cause the 
  characters to hear a distant hissing laughter, or they 
  may spot a human ear left on the ground. Ribbons 
  of strange colours growing in the walls, clots of hair, 
  a pile of yellow sludge that smells of rotten cabbage 
  and more can all enhance the players’ experience as 
  they brave the depths of the Shatters.
  1. The Front Door
  When you’re ready to start this section, read 
  aloud or paraphrase the following text:
  Allow the characters to consider their options 
  before proceeding. If any of the players 
  wants to examine this entrance, have them 
  all make Awareness	Tests. Those characters 
  that succeed notice scratches on the floor and 
  bright rust spots on the hinges suggesting 
  the door was recently opened. A character 
  who succeeds by 10 or more notices fresh 
  blood dripping through the portal.
  When the players are ready to proceed and 
  pull the door open, they find the source of 
  the blood. Go to Area 2.
  2. Slaughterhouse
  Read aloud or paraphrase the following text:
  At this point, you should probably sketch 
  what the Acolytes can see from the door. Let 
  the characters go where they like, they’ll find 
  trouble soon enough.
  3. Horror in the Shadows
  As the characters draw near this area, have them 
  all make Awareness	Tests. Those that succeed 
  hear a wet slobbering noise as if something 
  is eating and is being quite savage about it. 
  Regardless of the success or failure, when the 
  players come to the edge of this area, read aloud 
  or paraphrase the following text:
  Upon seeing the Mutant, all of the characters 
  must attempt Will	 Power	 Tests. Those that 
  You have been following the map for hours, 
  navigating your way through what seems like 
  endless tunnels, and still, you’ve seen no sign 
  of the creatures the Guardsmen claimed they 
  encountered. Certainly, there have been plenty 
  of unusual, and possibly suggestive, bits along 
  the way: suspicious pools of blood, disturbing 
  claw marks, and more, all confirming that you 
  might be headed in the right direction.
  Finally, the access passage through which you’ve 
  travelled comes to an end at an old rusted door, 
  labelled XII, but covered with red graffiti 
  proclaiming this the Shatters. Truly, you can see 
  shattered rock all around the portal and oozing 
  from the gaps is a runny grey slime that drips 
  and collects on the floor near the base of the 
  walls. The door itself is filthy, equipped with a 
  crude wheel to open it. 
  Beyond the portal you see a macabre scene. 
  A two-metre wide corridor extends for some 
  distance ahead of you. Flickering light generated 
  by green lamps set inside support pillars cast 
  everything in a sickly glow. The floor is covered 
  in blood suggesting a great slaughter took place 
  here. The chunks of flesh and glistening organs 
  confirm your suspicions. Scattered here and 
  there are sodden uniforms of Guardsmen, some 
  still clothing a piece of their owner flesh. A door 
  stands on the west wall a few metres ahead and 
  open passages branch off to the right and left all 
  along this shaft’s length.
  Something stirs in the darkness, something big, 
  something awful and stinking of all the charnel 
  houses in the Imperium. It lurches to its feet, 
  swivelling its massive head to fix you with eight 
  glowing red eyes positioned randomly about its 
  vaguely man-like head. It chuffs as it waddles 
  toward you revealing that it still wears the tatters 
  of its Guardsman’s uniform!
  
  21
  succeed may act normally, but those that fail 
  are overwhelmed with horror and can’t take 
  any actions until the start of the next round.
  This is a horrific Mutant, a former Guardsman 
  that was brought before the Antithesis Stone 
  by its changed servants. The aura of the stone 
  changed it, wreaking havoc in its flesh and mind 
  until nothing of its humanity remained and now 
  it hungers and seeks to fill that hunger with the 
  flesh of these Acolytes!
  This freak is a straightforward combatant, 
  lashing out with its slab-like arms to turn the 
  characters to pulp. It has no ranged weapons, 
  so has to engage the Acolytes in melee combat. 
  The Guardsman fights to the death.
  Development
  The Mutant wears dog tags and if the PCs think 
  to snatch them, they find they belong to Hastus.
  If the Acolytes used their laspistols or other 
  firearms, the rest of the complex is alert and 
  ready for the characters.
  4. Charnel Pit
  The Mutant is a choosy eater and whilst he enjoys 
  dining on human flesh, he can’t abide looking at 
  his victims in the eyes. Before setting in for a juicy 
  meal, he tears off his victims’ heads and tosses 
  them here in this blood pit. A quick survey of the 
  pit reveals there are six severed heads inside.
   Main Profile
   WS BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag Int Per WP Fel
   27 22 51 46 22 22 30 25 15 
  MuTANT GuARDSMAN
  Movement: 2/4/6/12; 
  Wounds: 17
  Skills: 
  Awareness 
  (Per), 
  Ciphers 
  (Occult) (Int), Climb (S), Common Lore 
  (Underworld) (Int), Concealment (Ag), 
  Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (Low 
  Gothic) (Int), Survival (Int).
  Talents: Basic Weapon Training (Primitive), 
  Heightened Senses (Sight), Natural Weapons 
  (Fists), Pistol Training (SP).
  Traits: Fear (characters must take a Will 
  Power Test or stand still in fear for 1 round), 
  Mutations: Brutal Charge (+3 damage on a 
  charge), Natural Weapons (unarmed attacks 
  deal 1d10+SB).
  Weapons: Fists (1d10+5; Primitive weapon).
  Gear: Tattered uniform, Bits of Skin in 
  his teeth.
  
  22
  5. Lost Miner
  This metal door is shut tight. It requires 
  a Strength	 Test (at a –10 penalty to the 
  Characteristic) to open it. If the Acolytes 
  succeed, read aloud or paraphrase the following 
  text:
  Hiding behind the table is Rat, a poor miner 
  who found himself in the wrong place at the 
  wrong time. The Guardsmen were not too 
  choosy about their targets and even though 
  Rat had nothing to do with the Brotherhood 
  of Malice, the Guardsmen fired at him anyway. 
  He fled with the rest of the miners, hiding 
  in the Shatters for he knew no one would 
  follow him. What he didn’t anticipate was 
  the Antithesis Stone and its servants. Afraid to 
  leave, but knowing he could last longer here, 
  he’s hidden in this room waiting until he finds 
  the courage to make his way out.
  Rat is a non-combatant, so his statistics aren’t 
  necessary. One shot to poor Rat is enough to 
  end his career. However, if the PCs find him 
  and think to talk to him first, they can learn a 
  few valuable things about this wretched man 
  and what’s going on. It’s clear by looking at 
  his stained brown clothing that he’s a miner.
  Possible questions and their answers follow.
  Who are you?
  I did nothin’ wrong. Doan hur’me… please!
  Again, who are you?
  I good man, loyal man, miner man! I Rat.
  What are you doing down here?
  I get lost! I end up here! Get away from guns!
  Do you know where here is?
  Ya, this be the Shatters. I didn wan to go too far, but I 
  jes hide.
  Do you know what’s going on?
  Horrible things out there. I no go. They eat me!
  To any other questions, Rat just gibbers in fear.
  If the characters choose to take Rat along, he’s 
  more of a liability than a help. He passes out at 
  the sight of anything gruesome, soiling himself 
  in fear. He screams and jumps at shadows and 
  in a fight, he runs around in circles, screaming 
  for help. The best bet, if they don’t just shoot 
  him, is to leave him here and escort him to the 
  surface when the PCs are done.
  6. More Bodies
  This area is a large intersection. The light 
  shining in this area clearly reveals the carnage, 
  and pools of semi-congealed blood cover the 
  floor. Any character that looks down the hall 
  should make an Awareness	Test. On a success, 
  the character sees a faint flickering glow in a 
  pinkish hue shining at the end.
  Beyond the portal is a good sized room with ’crete 
  walls, floor, and ceiling. A table lies tipped over 
  on its side in the centre of the room and broken 
  furniture litters the floor. Cupboards and cabinets 
  line the walls, but the doors are missing or opened, 
  revealing cobwebs and dust on the shelves.
  
  23
  7. Mutants!
  This room holds 4 Mutants, former miners 
  who lost their way in the Shatters and were 
  corrupted by the light of the Antithesis Stone. 
  They are hungry, savage, and well-armed. If 
  they were alerted to the presence of the PCs, 
  such as by gunfire in Area 3, they hide behind 
  the column of stone, emerging to surprise 
  (see sidebar) the characters when they enter 
  this chamber. Otherwise, the Mutants are 
  gathering centipedes for food and are thus 
  surprised when the characters enter. In either 
  case, the Mutants fight to the bloody end.
  Development
  An examination of the corpses turns up little of 
  interest, except that one of the Mutants has one 
  letter from the word Malice tattooed on each 
  of the six fingers of his left hand.
  8. Into the Depths
  While there’s nothing of interest in this 
  room, the corridor that leads out descends 
  deeper into the Shatters. If you’d like to 
  expand this scenario, you can by simply 
  adding more tunnels and more chambers 
  and populating them with creatures similar 
  to the ones presented in this scenario.
  9. Blood Bath
  Once the PCs open the door to this room, read 
  aloud or paraphrase the following text:
  So horrific is this scene that all of the 
  characters have to make Will	 Power	 Tests 
  at a –10 penalty to the Characteristic. Those 
  who fail are overcome with shock! Roll 1d100 
  and for every 10 points by which the character 
  failed the test, add 10 to this roll. If the result 
  is 50 or less, the character gibbers for a few 
  seconds and then composes himself. If the result 
  is 51 to 75, the character vomits in disgust. On 
  a result of 76 or higher, the character flees as 
  fast as he can run for 1d5 rounds.
   Main Profile
   WS BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag Int Per WP Fel
   22 22 36 36 22 22 30 25 20 
  MuTANTS
  Movement: 2/4/6/12 
  Wounds: 10
  Skills: Climb (S), Common Lore (Local) 
  (Int), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int), 
  Survival (Int).
  Talents: 
  Melee 
  Weapon 
  Training 
  (Primitive), Pistol Training (SP).
  Traits: Mutation (Cosmetic - extra eyes, 
  fingers, brightly patterned skin, and so on).
  Weapons: Crowbars (Primitive Weapon; 
  1d10+3), Stub Revolver (Pistol [SP]; 
  Range-30m; Rate of Fire-Single shot per 
  round; Damage-1d10+3; Penalty-0; Shots 
  per Clip-6 shots; Reload-2 Full actions).
  Gear: Tattered clothing, combi-tool.
  Surprise
  Surprise is a special combat development 
  that occurs when one side is aware of the 
  threat and the other is not. What happens 
  when there is surprise is that the characters 
  who are surprised lose their first turn and 
  can take no actions until the start of the 
  next round. After the surprise round, 
  combat proceeds as normal.
  This room is ghastly. Inside is a heap of chewed 
  up remains of dead Guardsmen and cultists alike. 
  Something has torn them to pieces and strewn 
  about the viscera in all directions.
  
  24
  10. Promethium Tanks
  This chamber holds nine tanks of extremely 
  flammable (and explosive) promethium. Have 
  all the characters make Intelligence	Tests as 
  they draw close to identify the smell. Those 
  that succeed know that a stray shot could cause 
  the entire room and hundreds of metres in all 
  directions to be incinerated in a blast of fire. 
  Read aloud or paraphrase the following text:
  This creature is a Mutant Abomination, a 
  once-human that has been so changed that it 
  unrecognisable as being a mortal. 
  The trick with this encounter is, the 
  promethium tanks. Should the characters miss 
  with one of their ranged attacks, they have a 
  50% chance of setting off an uncontrollable 
  explosion that will spell the end of them, 
  but also everyone and everything else in this 
  corrupted place. If the characters want to live 
  however, they’re going to have to fight this 
  thing with melee weapons.
  This large ’crete room reeks of chemicals, likely from 
  the glowing pink fluid that spilled from a ruptured 
  tank. There are nine in all and the fluid covers 
  the floor in the far end of the room. As you look, 
  something dark and giggling emerges from behind 
  one of the tanks. It is vaguely man-shaped, but its 
  arms are impossibly long and end in jagged claws. 
  Tufts of matted fur emerge at weird places all over 
  its body, particularly around its lamprey mouth. It 
  peers at you with human-like arms and then flings 
  itself at you, laughing with bloodlust.
   Main Profile
   WS BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag Int Per WP Fel
   27 22 41 36 42 22 30 25 15 
  MuTANT AboMINATIoN
  Corruption	Points: 8 
  Insanity	Points: 12
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
  Wounds: 17
  Skills: 
  Awareness 
  (Per), 
  Ciphers 
  (Occult) (Int), Climb (S), Common Lore 
  (Underworld) (Int), Concealment (Ag), 
  Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (Low 
  Gothic) (Int), Survival (Int).
  Talents: Basic Weapon Training (Primitive), 
  Pistol Training (SP).
  Traits: Mutation (Claws and Fangs).
  Weapons: Natural weapons (Primitive; 
  Claws and Fangs; Damage-1d10+4).
  
  25
  11. The Antithesis Stone
  When the characters enter this chamber, read 
  aloud or paraphrase the following text:
  At this point, have the players all make Toughness	
  Tests with a +20 bonus to the Characteristic. 
  The Antithesis hopes to change the PCs, alter 
  them and transform them into Mutants. Any 
  character that passes the test is fine and is immune 
  to the stone’s malevolent glow. A character that 
  fails the test is sickened as his body rebels and 
  takes a –10 penalty to all tests for 1 hour. A 
  character that fails by 30 or more undergoes a 
  terrifying transformation, roll 1d5 and consult 
  the following table to see what happens:
  After the PCs succeed or fail on the test, the 
  Antithesis Stone shudders and belches forth a 
  terrifying creature of the Warp: A plaguebearer! 
  This daemon hasn’t fully been released since 
  the Stone lacks the power to fully manifest 
  such a creature, so it is much weaker than a 
  plaguebearer normally would be (its Toughness 
  is lower than normal, it has half its Wounds, and 
  its Fearful presence is weaker).
  Development
  The daemon is confused for a round and 
  can’t take action, giving the PCs a free 
  round of attacks or to do something else. 
  Cowardly characters might flee, but clever 
  ones might think to use a frag grenade to 
  deal with this horrid rock. If the PCs toss the 
  grenade, it instantly destroys the Stone and 
  casts the daemon back into the Immaterium. 
  Otherwise, the characters are in for a brutal 
  fight. Otherwise, the PCs can shoot at the 
  stone. Three successful hits are enough to 
  cause it to shatter and break, dismissing the 
  daemon and ending its foul presence in this 
  part of the Shatters.
  A pink glow suffuses this place, shining forth from a 
  great lavender stone that rises from a crack in the floor 
  and extends nearly all the way to the ceiling. At your 
  approach, the light flickers, pulsing as if in anger.
  Mutations
  Roll Result
  1 Skin Change: The character’s hair and 
  flesh turn a bright shade of pink with grey 
  marbling just below the surface of the flesh.
  2 Brute: The character grows muscled 
  and brutish, but his head shrinks. The 
  character increases his Strength by 10 
  but reduces his Intelligence by 10.
  3 Tentacles: A sloppy mess of purple and 
  warty tentacles sprout from the character’s 
  middle and flail about madly.
  4 Huge Eyes: The unfortunate character’s 
  eyes grow huge, about the size 
  of saucers. The Acolyte gains the 
  Heightened Senses (Sight) Talent, 
  which grants him a +10 bonus on 
  Perception Tests involving sight, but 
  takes a –10 penalty to all tests when in 
  the presence of bright light.
  5 Huge Head: The character’s head swells 
  to three times its normal size, filled 
  with strange fluid that aids in thinking. 
  The character increases his Intelligence 
  by 10, but reduces his Fellowship and 
  Perception both by 10.
  
  26
  Conclusion & Final Notes
  Once the Acolytes destroy the stone, they have 
  removed the most immediate threat to the 
  Gorgonid Mines and proved themselves more 
  than capable for the task their Inquisitor set 
  before them. The PCs have little trouble making 
  their way out of the mines and eventually, by 
  following the map, make their way to the surface 
  once more. The Guardsmen are impressed, 
  particularly the Commissar, who interrogates 
  them about what they saw and encountered. 
  While shaken that his men were all lost, he is 
  grateful the threat has passed and promises to 
  speak well of them to his superiors.
  If any characters gained a mutation as a result 
  of the encounter with the stone, it’s probably 
  the end for them. While Mutants are sometimes 
  tolerated, they are generally not accepted within 
  the Inquisition. The player who deals with this 
  unfortunate PC receives a special recognition 
  from their Inquisitor for their vigilance and 
  commitment to the Imperium.
   Main Profile
   WS BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag Int Per WP Fel
   35 25 35 30 30 30 45 40 10 
  PLAGuEbEARER
  Bloated and malformed, clutching rusted butcher blades and glaring out with a single milky-
  white eye, these foulest of daemons are walking incubators of the most terrible diseases and 
  excrescence, serving as they do Nurgle, Chaos power of decay and contagion.
  Movement: 3/6/9/18  
   
   
  Wounds: 10
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Psyniscience (WP), Speak Language (any one) (Int).
  Traits: Daemonic (TB 6), Dark-Sight, Daemonic Presence, Fear, From Beyond, Infected Wounds, 
  Natural Weapons (Teeth or Claws), Warp Instability.
  Daemonic	Presence: All creatures within 20 metres see phantasmal flies with human faces swarm about 
  them, landing on and biting their flesh. As a result, they take a –10 penalty to Will Power Tests.
  Infected	Wounds: Any injuries inflicted by a plaguebearer automatically become infected.
  Weapons: Claws and Teeth (1d10+3; Primitive).
  Plaguebearer Traits
  The plaguebearer has the following traits.
  Daemonic: The plaguebearer’s Toughness Bonus is double against all attacks except for holy, 
  psychic, and force weapons.
  Dark-Sight: The plaguebearer can see perfectly in darkness.
  Fear: All creatures that behold this daemon must take a Will	Power test or flee in fear.
  From	Beyond: Daemons are immune to fear, pinning, insanity points, and psychic powers used 
  to cloud, control, or delude their minds.
  Warp	Instability: If the plaguebearer takes damage and does not deal damage to another creatures 
  by the end of its next turn, it must make a Will	Power	Test. The creature takes 1 damage for 
  failure, plus 1 damage for every 10 points by which it failed. If this would deal damage equal to 
  or in excess of its Wounds, it is cast back into the Warp.
  Conclusion and Final Notes
  
  27
  Notes
  Notes
  
  28
  Appendix: 
  The 
  Acolytes
  I
  ncluded here are four sample characters, 
  enough for each player in this scenario. You 
  have permission to photocopy each sheet, 
  so do so and distribute them to your players. 
  Finally, at the end of this section is a handy 
  reference sheet (copy this too) that explains 
  what everything means.
  MIR
  Male Feral World Conscript
  “Men must die so that Man endures”.
  You hail from the 
  deadly world of 
  Fedrid, whose for-
  ests are so dense 
  and so full of 
  dangerous preda-
  tors, the Imperium 
  strictly 
  forbids 
  offworlders from 
  descending on the 
  planet without a licence. Indeed, it’s a 
  wonder that your people have survived, so 
  hostile is Fedrid to human life. Somehow, 
  your tribes managed and established small 
  colonies formed out of a need for mutual 
  defence. Unfortunately, your efforts are 
  often for naught, for the Imperium culls 
  the best and brightest warriors from your 
  tribes to fill the ranks of the Imperial 
  Guard, which was how you found yourself 
  removed from everything you knew and 
  battling for your life against horrid xenos 
  and the shrieking tide of Chaos.
  You found the work of a Guardsman 
  especially suited to you; your fighting 
  skills honed by fighting sabre cats, blood 
  wolves and worse on Fedrid, and it wasn’t 
  long before you attracted the attention of 
  Lord Inquisitor Anton Zerbe of the Ordo 
  Hereticus. Impressed by your zeal, natural 
  toughness, and ability to take orders, 
  he lifted you from the faceless throng of 
  Guardsmen and gave you a place in his 
  retinue. Having only served your master for 
  a few weeks, you are not yet comfortable 
  with your duties and wonder where fate 
  will take you.
  You are a rangy young man with fair skin, 
  long brown hair and flinty grey eyes. Whorls 
  and geometric symbols cover your flesh, 
  tribal tattoos you gained as a right of passage 
  to adulthood. You still wear the uniform 
  of your battalion, a camouflaged suite of 
  fatigues and thick jungle boots, but you’ve 
  worked in a number of disturbing trophies 
  taken from your enemies—fingers, locks of 
  hair, and scraps of clothing. You believe that 
  by taking a trophy from a vanquished foe, 
  you gain ownership over his soul.
  Appendix: 
  The 
  Acolytes
   Main Profile
   WS BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag Int Per WP Fel
   40 36 47 50 31 30 28 23 24 
  Movement: 3/6/9/18
  Wounds: 14 
  Fate	Points: 1
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Speak Language 
  (Low Gothic, Tribal Dialect) (Int), Swim (S).
  Talents: Basic Weapon Training (Las), Melee 
  Weapon Training (Primitive), Pistol Training 
  (Las), Sound Constitution.
  Armour	 (Flak): Guard Flak Armour 
  (Armour Points 4).
  Weapons:
  Axe (Melee [Primitive]; Damage: 1d10+5; 
  Primitive, Unbalanced [–10 parry]).
  Laspistol with 2 Charge Packs (Pistol [Las]; 
  30m; RoF S/—/—; Damage: 1d10+2; 
  Clip 30; Reload: Full Action).
  Long Las with 2 Charge Packs (Basic [Las]; 
  150m; RoF S/—/—; Damage: 1d10+3; 
  Clip 40; Reload: Full Action).
  Gear: Uniform, 1 Week of CS Rations, 
  Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer.
  I
  
  29
  ISHMAEL
  Male Hive World Dreg
  “Even a man who has nothing can still offer 
  his life.” 
  For nearly fifty years, 
  you spent your life 
  in the manufacto-
  rum of Malfi, one 
  of the pre-eminent 
  hive worlds in the 
  Calixis Sector. Like 
  your parents before 
  you, you toiled long 
  hours, giving your 
  blood, sweat, and nearly all your time for the 
  good of the hive. It was a thankless existence 
  and one you were happy to perform since you 
  knew that your efforts added, even in a small 
  way, to the prosperity of your world.
  Popular with connections throughout your 
  block, many of the other dregs looked to you 
  for leadership, to represent their interests to the 
  Administratum authorities that oversaw your 
  collective labours. You proudly championed 
  your people, instilling them with pride for the 
  mind-numbing tasks and encouraged them to 
  push harder. Many believed that you would 
  go far, rising above the rest to perhaps become 
  a foreman. You might have, but something 
  inexplicable happened. One day, you enjoyed 
  the friendship and respect of your peers, the 
  favours of your masters, and the next, everything 
  changed. The only explanation was a mistake, a 
  mishap in the higher offices that confused you 
  for someone else. You were accused of murder, 
  theft, acts so foul that to recall them causes you 
  to shudder. Everywhere you turned, there were 
  arbitrators and bounty hunters looking for you. 
  You knew it was your duty to turn yourself 
  in, to present your case, but deep down you 
  understood that such a move would be hopeless 
  and fatal. So you hid, losing yourself amidst the 
  machinery that dominates the bowels of your 
  world until you could find some way to escape.
  The only way you could live was to get off the 
  planet and doing so was all but impossible in the 
  depths. So you drifted upwards, creeping about, 
  stealing food to survive, until you came to one 
  of Malfi’s many spaceports. There you stowed 
  away on a ship, the first ship you came upon, and 
  hid in the cargo hold. The lighter escaped the 
  atmosphere and it seemed as if you had slipped 
  free. At least until you learned you were on the 
  personal craft of Lord Inquisitor Anton Zerbe. You 
  were found, clapped in irons, and dragged before 
  the frightening Inquisitor. Being tossed out of the 
  airlock was your fate, but somehow, the man saw 
  something in you, perhaps your natural talents 
  at leadership or maybe your familiarity with the 
  dregs. He had you released in exchange for your 
  loyal service. You agreed. Your slate was cleaned, 
  and you’ve been a loyal servant ever since.
  You are pushing fifty years old and a life spent 
  in the manufactorum has left its mark. You have 
  thinning brown hair and haunted brown eyes. 
  Your dark skin is bleached white in places from 
  exposure to chemicals and reagents and your 
  bear the scars of toiling in the often dangerous 
  environment. You have next to no possessions 
  except for the stained and torn coveralls you 
  wore on Malfi.
   Main Profile
   WS BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag Int Per WP Fel
   29 40 33 24 43 32 29 30 42 
  Movement: 4/8/12/24
  Wounds: 11 
  Fate	Points: 3
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Charm (Fel), 
  Common Lore (Imperium) (Int), Deceive (Fel), 
  Dodge (Ag), Navigation (Surface) (Int), Speak 
  Language (Hive Dialect, Low Gothic) (Int)
  Talents: Basic Weapon Training (SP), Melee 
  Weapon Training (Primitive), Pistol Training 
  (SP), Unremarkable
  Armour (Primitive): Quilted Vest (Body 
  Armour  Points 2)
  Weapons:
  Hand Cannon with 2 Clips (Pistol [SP]; 35m; 
  RoF S/—/—; Damage: 1d10+4; Clip 5; 
  Reload: 2 Full Actions),
  Brass Knuckles (Melee [Primitive]; Damage: 
  1d5+2)
  Knife (Melee or Thrown [Primitive]; Damage: 
  1d5+3)
  Gear: Stained Coveralls
  
  30
  XANTHIA
  Female Imperial World 
  Killer
  “Violence solves everything.” 
  Zillman’s Domain 
  is a brutal world, 
  trapped in a feudal 
  monarchy, 
  where 
  might makes right. 
  If you’re not one 
  of the king’s sup-
  porters, you are a 
  peasant and live 
  and die at the 
  pleasure of your 
  betters. For much of your life, you lived in 
  ignorance of the larger world, content to 
  serve and be used by the “nobles” of your 
  world. Your life took a sudden and drastic 
  change though when your pretty sister was 
  abducted by a filthy and lascivious lord for 
  who knows what purpose. You had heard 
  stories of the lord’s appetites, but it was his 
  right. However, with the loss of your sis-
  ter, you felt, for the first time, enraged, ap-
  palled at the unfairness of your life, and so 
  you decided to take matters into your own 
  hands. Against all reason and good sense, 
  you crept into the lord’s castle, found his 
  bedchambers and brutally murdered him.
  That should have been the end of your 
  story, since after you were caught, you 
  were frog-marched to the gallows to hang. 
  But it wasn’t the end. Just as they slipped 
  the noose over your neck, a dark man of 
  sinister mien interceded on your behalf. He 
  appraised you with his sparkling black eyes 
  and you felt his presence in your mind. 
  He demanded that you serve him and if 
  you did, you would be rewarded. Death 
  by hanging was not the fate you had in 
  mind for yourself, and so faced with no 
  other option, you agreed. You were cut 
  down, given proper clothing and was then 
  spirited away from Zillman’s Domain for 
  the rest of your days.
  Having only been in the Inquisitor’s 
  retinue for a few short weeks, you have 
  found the arrangement to your liking. You 
  resent his command, but the promise of 
  honing your talents is attractive. You’re 
  content, for now, to see where your service 
  will take you, but are ready to make a run 
  for it at any time.
  Although you spent many years on 
  a Medieval World, you have embraced 
  the wonders of civilisation, even going 
  so far as to get an electoo on your arm 
  and purple lenses to give your eyes an 
  exotic look. You have long blonde hair, 
  but you’ve dyed the ends black. You wear 
  tight-fitting leathers that both enhance 
  your physical assets and warn people to 
  keep their distance.
   Main Profile
   WS BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag Int Per WP Fel
   38 37 26 36 42 28 35 31 34 
  Movement: 4/8/12/24
  Wounds: 10 
  Fate	Points: 3
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Dodge (Ag), Silent 
  Move (Ag), Speak Language (Low Gothic) 
  (Int).
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Heightened Senses 
  (Sight), Melee Weapon Training (Primitive), 
  Pistol Training (Las).
  Weapons:
  Laspistol with 2 Charge Packs (Pistol [Las]; 
  30m; RoF: S/—/—; Damage: 1d10+2; 
  Clip 30; Reload: Full Action).
  Compact Laspistol with 1 Charge Pack 
  (Pistol [Las]; 15m; RoF: S/—/—; 
  Damage: 1d10+1; Clip 15; Reload: Full 
  Action).
  Sword (Melee [Primitive]; Damage:1d10+2; 
  Balanced [+10 to parry]).
  Knife (Melee or Thrown [Primitive]; 
  Damage: 1d5+2).
  Gear: Corpse Hair Charm, Stealth Gear 
  (Common Clothing).
  
  31
  CIMBRIA
  Female Void Born Trooper
  “There are no civilians in the battle for survival.” 
  Drifting 
  through 
  the gulf of space, 
  you 
  were 
  born 
  and spent much of 
  your life on a rag-
  ged mass of flotsam 
  and 
  jetsam—the 
  barely spaceworthy 
  remains of a space 
  hulk. Isolated and 
  adrift, your people 
  were largely insane and many held heretical 
  views, a fact that concerned you being well-
  versed in the Imperium and the responsibili-
  ties of its citizens. You took it upon yourself to 
  root out heresy and corruption and to retain 
  the right-thinking of good Imperium citizens. 
  You were a bit too aggressive, which made you 
  unpopular, but those who followed your ex-
  ample saw in you a pious commitment to the 
  God-Emperor.
  Having 
  escaped 
  nearly 
  a 
  dozen 
  assassination attempts and personally killed 
  almost as many mutants and suspected 
  mutants, you came to see your home as being 
  stifling, and that you could do greater deeds 
  by serving the Imperium more directly. The 
  chance you had waited for came when the 
  Lord Inquisitor paid a visit to your hulk. He 
  walked the corridors, inspecting the people, 
  searching for any sign of heretical behaviour. 
  You, of course, made yourself available to him, 
  sticking close to his side to cater to his every 
  whim. He found little evidence of anything 
  amiss until he interviewed your parents. 
  From his scrutiny, he deemed them cultists of 
  Chaos and ordered their deaths. Your parents 
  denied the claims, but the Inquisitor could 
  do no wrong. You offered to execute the 
  heretics yourself and the Inquisitor allowed 
  it. When the deed was done, he plucked you 
  from the space hulk and invited you to join 
  his retinue.
  Though the deaths of your parents, as well 
  as your hand in the act, has been hard to 
  endure, you have few regrets. Through your 
  new master, you have the chance to do great 
  things and purge the heretics from the great 
  Imperium. Each day, you strive to prove your 
  worth in the hopes that you will one day 
  become an inquisitor yourself.
  People find you disturbing. You are an 
  albino, with wispy thin blonde hair that’s 
  nearly white and blood-red eyes. Your milky 
  skin, nearly translucent, clings to your skeletal 
  frame. You wear long black robes trimmed in 
  silver beneath a heavy black flak vest that’s 
  seen its share of action.
   Main Profile
   WS BS 
  S 
  T 
  Ag Int Per WP Fel
   28 39 23 38 32 33 30 38 33 
  Movement: 3/6/9/18
  Wounds: 11 
  Fate	Points: 3
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Common Lore 
  (Adeptes Arbites, Imperium) (Int), Inquiry 
  (Fel), Literacy (Int), Scrutiny (Per), Speak 
  Language (Low Gothic, Ship Dialect) (Int).
  Talents: Basic Weapon Training (SP), Melee 
  Weapon Training (Primitive), Pistol Training 
  (Las), Rapid Reload.
  Armour	(Flak): Flak Vest (Armour Points 3).
  Weapons:
  Laspistol with 2 Charge Packs (Pistol [Las]; 
  30m; RoF S/—/—; Damage: 1d10+2; 
  Clip 30; Reload: Full Action).
  Hunting Rifle with 3 Clips (Basic [SP]; 150m; 
  RoF S/—/—; Damage: 1d10+3; Clip 5; 
  Reload: Full Action).
  Club (Melee [Primitive]; Damage: 1d10+2).
  Brass Knuckles (Melee [Primitive]; Damage: 
  1d5+1),
  Knife (Melee [Primitive]; Damage: 1d5+2).
  Gear: Good Uniform, Arbitrator ID, Chrono, 
  Pack of Lho Sticks.
  
  Skills & Talents 
  Reference Sheet
  Skill Name 
   
  Characteristic Description
  Basic
  ❏ Awareness 
   
  Perception 
  Use to detect items, small details and hidden dangers.
  ❏ Climb 
   
  Strength 
  Use to ascend or descend sheer surfaces.
  ❏ Concealment 
   
  Agility 
  Use to hide in your surroundings, requires an opposed  
   
   
   
  check against an ‘viewers’ Awareness to hide successfully.
  ❏ Silent Move 
   
  Agility 
  Use to move around silently, requires an opposed check  
   
   
   
  against a ‘listeners’ Awareness.
  Advanced
  ❏ Ciphers 
   
  Intelligence 
  Use to decipher complicated communications or obscure  
   
   
   
  marks and signs.
  ❏ Common Lore 
   
  Intelligence 
  Use to recall the habits, institutions, traditions and  
   
   
   
   
  superstitions of a particular world, culture or race.
  ❏ Psyniscience 
   
  Perception 
  Use to detect disturbances from the Warp from psychic  
   
   
   
  phenomena or the presence of daemons.
  ❏ Speak Language 
   
  Intelligence 
  Use to communicate with others with a common language.
  ❏ Survival 
   
  Intelligence 
  Use to subsist in foreign environments by hunting,   
   
   
   
  foraging, finding a refuge and constructing shelter..
  Talent Name 
   
  Prerequisite 
  Benefit
  ❏ Ambidextrous 
   
  Ag 30 
  Use either hand equally well.
  ❏ Basic Weapon Training — 
  Use weapon group without penalty.
  ❏ Heightened Senses — 
   
  Gain +10 bonus to particular sense.
  ❏ Melee Weapon Training — 
  Gain proficiency with a group of melee weapons.
  ❏ Pistol Training 
   
  — 
  Gain proficiency with a group of pistol weapons.
  ❏ Rapid Reload 
   
  — 
  Reduce reload time.
  ❏ Sound Constitution — 
   
  Gain an additional Wound.
  ❏ Unremarkable 
   
  — 
  You are easily forgettable.
  32
  
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/UNSORTED (help requested)/Roleplaying Games/Dark Heresy/First Edition/Scenarios/Demo/shattered-hope-big.pdf