TEXT: CORE RULEBOOK
  ®
  ®
  TM
  
  ROLEPLAYING IN THE GRIM DARKNESS  
  OF THE 41ST MILLENNIUM
  TM
  
  2
  Credits
  CREDITS
  Fantasy Flight Games
  Only War Designed By
  Andrew Fischer
  with additional concepts by Mack Martin and Sam Stewart
  Lead Developer
  Andrew Fischer
  Writing and Development
  Owen Barnes, Max Brooke, Nathan Dowdell, John Dunn, 
  Matthew “HBMC” Eustace, Tim Flanders, Ian Hardin,  
  Andy Hoare, Jason Marker, Mack Martin, Charles May,  
  Brandon Rospond, and Sam Stewart
  Based on Dark Heresy, Designed By
  Owen Barnes, Kate Flack, and Mike Mason
  Editing and Proofreading
  Graham Davey, Alex Davy,  
  Matt Harkrader, and David Johnson
  Graphic Design
  Edge Studios, David Ardila with WiL Springer
  Cover Art
  Sam Wood
  Interior Art
  A.L. Ashbaugh, Alberto Bontempi, Matt Bradbury, Sam 
  Burley, Jon Cave, Mauro Dal Bo, Javier G. Ureña, Diego 
  Gisbert Llorens, Zach Graves, Ilich Henriquez, Nikolaus 
  Ingeneri, Michal Ivan, Jason Juta, Anton Kokarev, Mathias 
  Kollros, Sam Lamont, Simon Lissaman, Jorge Maese, Marco, 
  Morte, Sean Andrew Murray, Ameen Naksewee, David 
  Auden Nash, and Mark W. Smith
  Managing Art Director
  Andrew Navaro
  Art Direction
  Andy Christensen
  Production Management
  Eric Knight
  Licensing and Development Coordinator
  Deb Beck
  Executive Game Designer
  Corey Konieczka
  Executive Producer
  Michael Hurley
  Publisher
  Christian T. Petersen
  Games Workshop
  Licensing Manager
  John French, Andy Hall, and Owen Rees
  Head of Licensing
  Jon Gillard
  Head of Licensing, Legal and  
  Strategic Projects
  Andy Jones
  Head of Intellectual Property
  Alan Merrett
  FANTASY
  FLIGHT
  GAMES
  Fantasy Flight Games
  1975 West County Road B2
  Roseville, MN 55113
  USA
  Copyright © Games Workshop Limited 2012. Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer 40,000 Role Play, Only War, the foregoing marks’ 
  respective logos, and all associated marks, logos, places, names, creatures, races and race insignia/devices/logos/symbols, vehicles, locations, weapons, 
  units and unit insignia, characters, products and illustrations from the Warhammer 40,000 universe and the Only War game setting are either ®, 
  ™, and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2012, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. This edition published under 
  license to Fantasy Flight Publishing Inc. Fantasy Flight Games and the Fantasy Flight Games logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fantasy 
  Flight Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved to their respective owners. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or 
  transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
  ISBN: 978-1-61661-469-0   Product Code: IG01   Print ID: 1405NOV12
  Printed in China
  For more information about the ONLY WAR line, free downloads, answers to 
  rule queries, or just to pass on greetings, visit us online at
  www.FantasyFlightGames.com
  Special Thanks to the Playtesters
  See page 397 for a full list.
  
  3
  Contents
  Chapter III: Character Creation
  Creating a Guardsman .........................................................72
  Stage 1: Generate Characteristics .......................................74
  Stage 2: Choose Speciality ..................................................75
  Heavy Gunner ......................................................................76
  Medic .....................................................................................78
  Operator ................................................................................80
  Sergeant .................................................................................82
  Weapon Specialist ................................................................84
  Commissar ............................................................................86
  Ministorum Priest ................................................................88
  Ogryn ....................................................................................90
  Ratling ...................................................................................92
  Sanctioned Psyker ................................................................94
  Storm Trooper ......................................................................96
  Tech-Priest Enginseer ..........................................................98
  Stage 3: Wounds, Fate, and Spending Experience .........100
  Wounds ................................................................................100
  Fate Points ...........................................................................100
  Starting Experience ............................................................100
  Aptitudes .............................................................................100
  Characteristic Advances .....................................................102
  Skill Advances.....................................................................102
  Talent Advances ..............................................................103
  Stage 4: Giving Characters Life ..................................104
  Stage 5: Generate Comrades .....................................110
  Creating a Comrade ................................................110
  Losing and Replacing Comrades ....................... 110
  Contents
  Foreword ..................................................................................6
  Introduction
  War Without End ....................................................................8
  Blood-soaked Stars and Broken Worlds............................ 10
  Worlds at War ....................................................................... 13
  The Calixis Sector and Spinward Front ............................ 13
  Hammer of the Emperor ..................................................... 14
  Born in Battle ....................................................................... 14
  Chain of Command ............................................................. 15
  The God-Emperor’s Armoury ............................................. 18
  Mobilisation for War ........................................................... 19
  Auxiliaries and Support Forces ........................................... 21
  Anatomy of a Regiment ...................................................... 24
  Chapter I: Playing the Game
  Game Dice ............................................................................ 28
  Characteristics ...................................................................... 28
  Characteristics and Characteristic Bonuses....................... 29
  Tests ....................................................................................... 29
  The Core Mechanic ............................................................. 29
  Skill Tests .............................................................................. 30
  Characteristic Tests .............................................................. 30
  Degrees of Success and Failure .......................................... 30
  Extended Tests...................................................................... 31
  Opposed Tests ...................................................................... 31
  Test Difﬁculty ....................................................................... 32
  The Role of Fate................................................................... 33
  Using Fate Points ................................................................. 33
  Burning Fate ......................................................................... 33
  Gaining Additional Fate Points .......................................... 33
  Movement ............................................................................. 33
  Structured and Narrative Time ........................................... 33
  Climbing ............................................................................... 34
  Jumping and Leaping .......................................................... 35
  Swimming ............................................................................. 36
  Carrying, Lifting, and Pushing Objects ............................ 36
  Lighting ................................................................................. 37
  Flying..................................................................................... 38
  The Effects of Gravity ......................................................... 38
  Chapter II: Regiment Creation
  Anatomy of a Regiment ...................................................... 40
  Choosing a Regiment .......................................................... 41
  Cadian Shock Troops .......................................................... 42
  Catachan Jungle Fighters .................................................... 44
  Death Korps of Krieg .......................................................... 46
  Elysian Drop Troops ............................................................ 48
  Maccabian Janissaries ........................................................... 50
  Mordian Iron Guard ............................................................ 52
  Tallarn Desert Raiders ......................................................... 54
  Vostroyan Firstborn .............................................................. 56
  Regiment Creation Rules .................................................... 58
  Creating a Regiment ............................................................ 58
  Choosing a Home World or Origin .................................. 59
  Commanding Ofﬁcer ........................................................... 63
  Training and Doctrines ....................................................... 64
  Standard Regimental Guardsman Kit ................................ 68
  Finishing Touches ................................................................ 70
  
  4
  Contents
  Low-Tech Weapons ...........................................................181
  Launchers ............................................................................182
  Grenades, Missiles, and Rounds .......................................182
  Exotic Weapons ..................................................................184
  Melee Weapons ..................................................................185
  Chain Weapons ..................................................................185
  Power Weapons ..................................................................186
  Force Weapons....................................................................186
  Low-tech Weapons.............................................................187
  Weapon Upgrades ..............................................................188
  Weapon Customisation ......................................................190
  Ammunition ........................................................................192
  Unusual Ammunition .........................................................193
  Artillery Shells ....................................................................194
  Armour ................................................................................195
  Force Fields .........................................................................196
  Wargear ...............................................................................197
  Clothing and Worn Gear ..................................................197
  Drugs and Consumables....................................................198
  Tools ....................................................................................200
  Cybernetics .........................................................................204
  Bionic Replacement Limbs and Body Parts ...................204
  Implant Systems .................................................................205
  Imperial Guard Vehicles ....................................................210
  Vehicle Types ......................................................................210
  Vehicle Speeds ....................................................................210
  Vehicle Traits ......................................................................212
  Imperial Guard Vehicles ....................................................215
  Chapter IV: Skills
  Using Skills .........................................................................112
  Skill Tests ............................................................................112
  Untrained Skill Use ............................................................113
  Specialist Skills ...................................................................113
  Skill Descriptors .................................................................114
  Gaining Skills .....................................................................114
  Skill Descriptions ...............................................................116
  Chapter V: Talents and Traits
  Using Talents ......................................................................136
  Gaining Talents ..................................................................136
  Talents .................................................................................140
  Traits ....................................................................................154
  Trait Descriptions ...............................................................154
  Chapter VI: Armoury
  Regimental Logistics ..........................................................161
  Logistics ..............................................................................161
  Standard Regimental Guardsman Kit ..............................163
  Mission Assignment Gear .................................................165
  Equipment Craftsmanship .................................................166
  Weapons ..............................................................................168
  Weapon Special Qualities ..................................................169
  Las Weapons .....................................................................175
  Solid Projectile Weapons ............................................177
  Bolt Weapons ...........................................................179
  Melta Weapons .....................................................179
  Plasma Weapons ...............................................180
  Flame Weapons .............................................180
  
  5
  Contents
  Campaigns ..........................................................................299
  Designing a Campaign ......................................................299
  Running Massive Battles ...................................................301
  Interaction ...........................................................................303
  Interaction Skills ................................................................303
  Dispositions ........................................................................303
  Interaction and Groups......................................................303
  Fear and Damnation ..........................................................304
  Insanity and Corruption Points ........................................304
  Fear ......................................................................................305
  Insanity ................................................................................305
  Corruption ..........................................................................308
  Using Only War with Other Games ................................310
  Conversion Rules ...............................................................312
  Chapter X: A Galaxy of War
  The Imperium of Man .......................................................315
  The Masters of Mankind ...................................................316
  The Emperor’s Wars ...........................................................318
  The Calixis Sector ..............................................................322
  The Koronus Expanse ........................................................324
  The Jericho Reach ..............................................................326
  The Screaming Vortex .......................................................328
  The Spinward Front ...........................................................330
  Sins of the Fathers .............................................................330
  The Green Tide Rises ........................................................335
  Total War .............................................................................335
  Worlds of the Spinward Front ..........................................336
  The Periphery Sub-Sector .................................................336
  Kulth ....................................................................................336
  Ganf Magna ........................................................................340
  Sisk.......................................................................................340
  Sinophia ..............................................................................341
  Cyclopea ..............................................................................342
  Kalf  .....................................................................................342
  Waaagh! Grimtoof ..............................................................343
  Avitohol ...............................................................................344
  The Severan Dominate ......................................................346
  Chapter XI: Adversaries & NPCs
  Chaos ...................................................................................350
  Chaos Vehicles....................................................................354
  Dark Eldar...........................................................................356
  Dark Eldar Vehicles ...........................................................361
  Orks .....................................................................................363
  Ork Vehicles .......................................................................370
  NPCs ...................................................................................371
  Chapter XII: Against the Savages
  Adventure Background ......................................................376
  Adventure Summary ..........................................................377
  Skrynne Gazetteer..............................................................378
  Arrival ..................................................................................381
  Meetings and Assignment .................................................383
  Through the Jungle ............................................................386
  At the Reﬁnery ...................................................................388
  Holding the Facility .........................................................391
  Wrap-Up .........................................................................392
  NPC Appendix ............................................................393
  Index ..........................................................................394
  Character Sheet ..................................................... 399
  Chapter VII: Psychic Powers
  Psykers in the Imperial Guard ..........................................222
  Psychic Powers in Only War ............................................223
  Psy Ratings .........................................................................223
  Using Psychic Powers ........................................................223
  Psychic Strength .................................................................223
  Focus Power Test ................................................................225
  Psychic Bolts .......................................................................226
  Psychic Phenomena ...........................................................226
  Psychic Powers ...................................................................229
  Power Format .....................................................................229
  Biomancy ............................................................................230
  Divination ...........................................................................231
  Pyromancy ..........................................................................233
  Telekinesis ...........................................................................234
  Telepathy .............................................................................237
  Chapter VIII: Combat
  Narrative Time vs Structured Time ..................................240
  Narrative Time ....................................................................240
  Structured Time ..................................................................240
  Combat Overview ..............................................................240
  Using Actions .....................................................................242
  The Attack ..........................................................................249
  Unarmed Combat ...............................................................251
  Two-Weapon Fighting ......................................................252
  Combat Circumstances ......................................................253
  Injury ...................................................................................256
  Wounds ................................................................................256
  Fatigue .................................................................................257
  Characteristic Damage .......................................................257
  Conditions and Special Damage ......................................266
  Healing ................................................................................268
  Comrades in Combat .........................................................269
  Cohesion .............................................................................269
  Performing Orders .............................................................270
  Comrades Being Attacked ................................................271
  Vehicles ................................................................................272
  Driving a Vehicle ...............................................................272
  Vehicle Combat ..................................................................274
  Damage & Repair ...............................................................281
  Repairing Vehicles .............................................................281
  Chapter IX: The Game Master
  The Role of the GM ..........................................................288
  The Basics ...........................................................................289
  Running an Only War Game ............................................290
  Themes in Only War .........................................................290
  Styles of Play ......................................................................291
  Non-Player Characters ......................................................292
  Rewards ...............................................................................292
  Experience Points ...............................................................292
  Fate Points ...........................................................................294
  Medals and Honours .........................................................294
  Missions ...............................................................................296
  Brieﬁng ................................................................................296
  Objectives............................................................................296
  Mission Archetypes ............................................................297
  Mission Complications ......................................................297
  Debrieﬁng ...........................................................................298
  
  6
  Foreword
  hard to ﬁght. In BLACK CRUSADE, players broke free of the 
  bonds of the Imperium, and searched out a glorious destiny 
  amongst the broken stars of the Screaming Vortex. For the 
  ﬁrst time, BLACK CRUSADE allows players to take on the roles 
  of characters of a variety of different power levels. Heretics 
  and sorcerers fought alongside mighty Chaos Space Marines, 
  all for the same goal of launching a devastating Black Crusade 
  against the Imperium of Man.
  Each of these games in turn raised the stakes for what 
  the players were capable of in the Warhammer 40K universe, 
  taking them from inquisitorial acolytes to power-armoured 
  super-soldiers empowered by the Dark Gods. It was at this 
  point that we decided to take a step back. Many of the 
  game lines gave players power far beyond that of mortal 
  men; whether it be inﬂuence, technology, or unimaginable 
  psychic abilities, players had the power to bend the universe 
  to their will. Instead, we wanted players to experience what it 
  would be like to be a normal human in the Warhammer 40K 
  universe, thrust up against the same horrors Space Marines 
  face every day, but with nothing but their wits, their lasgun, 
  and their compatriots to survive to see the next day. To this 
  end we began development on ONLY WAR, a book entirely 
  devoted to the Imperial Guard.
  ONLY WAR originally started as a DARK HERESY 
  supplement. As the most gritty, brutal, and low power level of 
  our game lines, it seemed like the perfect place to integrate the 
  Imperial Guard. However, the more we worked on the book, 
  the more we realized there were simply too many awesome 
  elements to explore in a single supplement. As ONLY WAR 
  grew into the core rulebook it is today, we worked to craft a 
  system that captures the feel of being a mere mortal, forced 
  to contend with the greatest threats of the 41st millennium, 
  yet maintaining hope and camaraderie, even in the face of 
  seemingly insurmountable odds.
  So strap on your helmet and grab your lasgun, soldier. It’s 
  time to take the ﬁght to the enemies of the Imperium!
  Happy Gaming,
  The Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay Team
  Foreword
  I
  n 1987 Games Workshop released a sci-ﬁ miniatures 
  rulebook called Rogue Trader, and captured the imagination 
  of gamers across the world with their depiction of a 
  grim, dark future among the stars. For two decades, fans of 
  Warhammer 40,000 clamoured for a roleplaying experience 
  set in this deep and engaging setting. Then, ﬁve years ago, 
  Games Workshop delivered DARK HERESY, the ﬁrst of what 
  would become a full line of roleplaying games set in the 
  Warhammer 40,000 universe.
  DARK HERESY allowed players to assume the roles of Acolytes 
  in the service of powerful Inquisitors. With unhindered authority, 
  Acolytes explored the deepest, darkest corners of the Imperium 
  of Man, rooting out heresy from the bowels of monumental hive 
  cities to the spires of glorious shrine worlds.
  After the release of DARK HERESY and its ﬁrst few 
  supplements, the Warhammer 40K Roleplay line was licensed 
  to Fantasy Flight Games. We picked up right where it left 
  off, and took the next big step with the release of a new 
  core rulebook in the line: ROGUE TRADER. This game gave 
  the players complete freedom to explore the 40K universe 
  as they wanted. Empowered by their Warrant of Trade, the 
  players set off into the dark void to explore, ﬁght, and even 
  steal their way to great success and proﬁt.
  The third game line to be released for Warhammer 40K 
  Roleplay took on the challenge of encapsulating one of the 
  most iconic aspects of Warhammer: the Adeptus Astartes. In 
  DEATHWATCH, the players embark on dangerous missions as 
  members of an elite group of xenos-hunting Space Marines. 
  Empowered by genetic implants, elite training, and the best 
  equipment the Imperium has to offer, the players fought 
  vicious enemies to decide the fate of not only entire worlds, 
  but entire sectors of space.
  After DEATHWATCH, we decided to take Warhammer 40K 
  Roleplay in a bold new direction, allowing players to take 
  on the roles of the very heretics they have been working so 
  
  7
  Introduction
  7
  Introduction
  It is the 41st Millennium...
  For 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 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 Astronomicon, 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 but 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.
  
  8
  Introduction
  War Without 
  End
  W
  ar is the ﬁre upon which the Imperium of Man 
  burns and the madness from which it was born.
  On a million, million worlds across thousands 
  of light years of space, man ﬁghts endlessly for his survival 
  against aliens, heretics, and Daemons so that humanity may 
  continue to exist. From the blood-drenched mud of frontier 
  worlds to the cold depths of space, humans are at constant war 
  with the galaxy, ﬁghting threats from without, from within, 
  and from beyond. Numbering untold billions upon billions 
  of souls, the Imperium of Man sprawls across the stars under 
  the watchful eye of its God-Emperor, its worlds unstable and 
  its glory days long gone. It has sunken into a long twilight 
  from which it may never emerge. Powerful alien empires 
  strike at the Imperium from all sides, those that would claim 
  the galaxy as their own, or are merely bent on mankind’s 
  annihilation. Man has no place in his realm for such races, and 
  to be alien is to be counted 
  as an enemy of humanity 
  and another foe to be 
  destroyed. Within the 
  Imperium, man turns upon 
  man and thousands of civil 
  wars rage constantly, as the 
  armies of the God-Emperor 
  work endlessly to stamp 
  out sedition and heresy from 
  within its own worlds. Yet still 
  men and women turn against 
  the Imperium, either through 
  discontentment and rebellion against 
  oppressive overlords or because they 
  have been tainted with impure ideas and 
  vile alien philosophies. 
  Beyond the Imperium lurks the Warp, the 
  otherworldly realm of madness and Chaos that 
  ships must use to cross the vast distances of space 
  and which psykers use to draw power for their 
  unholy gifts. From this eldritch realm, monsters 
  and Daemons emerge, forcing themselves 
  through rents in the fabric of reality to bring ruin 
  and death to the living inhabitants of whole worlds. 
  Only through endless conﬂict, brutal struggle, and 
  the lives of countless soldiers does the Imperium 
  of Man endure at all. It is the blood price for an 
  empire which is ten millennia old, created at a 
  time when man’s light was waning, poised on 
  the edge of the abyss and the eternal darkness 
  of the void. 
  Never in its existence has the 
  Imperium known peace. From the dark 
  days of its inception, when entire 
  sectors of space made war upon 
  each other, to its grim and 
  dark present, the Imperium 
  has always been aﬂame with 
  conﬂict. While individual worlds and systems may often 
  know times of relative safety and stability, this is only at the 
  cost of thousands more teetering on the brink of oblivion, 
  their populations sacriﬁced to preserve the greater domain of 
  mankind and the rule of the God-Emperor. With such danger 
  and so many terrible foes besetting mankind, only the most 
  brutal and disciplined of empires could hope to survive. The 
  God-Emperor sits at the apex of such a realm, His teeming 
  hordes of servants and His vast armies enforcing His will upon 
  the inhabitants of the Imperium, ensuring their obedience 
  and their loyalty. This is what holds the Imperium together 
  and keeps it alive when an open mind and a weaker soul 
  would invite utter destruction from enemies which live only 
  to feast on the bones of men. Only its size and ancient power 
  prevent the Imperium’s complete destruction; that it may lose 
  a hundred systems or a world of a billion faithful citizens and 
  continue to ﬁght on. Even so, it is slowly dying—the God-
  Emperor’s armies clinging desperately to 
  what is left, as systems crumble 
  its glory days long gone. It has sunken into a long twilight 
  from which it may never emerge. Powerful alien empires 
  strike at the Imperium from all sides, those that would claim 
  the galaxy as their own, or are merely bent on mankind’s 
  annihilation. Man has no place in his realm for such races, and 
  to be alien is to be counted 
  as an enemy of humanity 
  and another foe to be 
  destroyed. Within the 
  Imperium, man turns upon 
  man and thousands of civil 
  wars rage constantly, as the 
  armies of the God-Emperor 
  work endlessly to stamp 
  out sedition and heresy from 
  within its own worlds. Yet still 
  men and women turn against 
  the Imperium, either through 
  discontentment and rebellion against 
  oppressive overlords or because they 
  have been tainted with impure ideas and 
  vile alien philosophies. 
  Beyond the Imperium lurks the Warp, the 
  otherworldly realm of madness and Chaos that 
  ships must use to cross the vast distances of space 
  and which psykers use to draw power for their 
  unholy gifts. From this eldritch realm, monsters 
  and Daemons emerge, forcing themselves 
  through rents in the fabric of reality to bring ruin 
  and death to the living inhabitants of whole worlds. 
  Only through endless conﬂict, brutal struggle, and 
  the lives of countless soldiers does the Imperium 
  of Man endure at all. It is the blood price for an 
  empire which is ten millennia old, created at a 
  time when man’s light was waning, poised on 
  the edge of the abyss and the eternal darkness 
  Never in its existence has the 
  Imperium known peace. From the dark 
  days of its inception, when entire 
  sectors of space made war upon 
  each other, to its grim and 
  dark present, the Imperium 
  has always been aﬂame with 
  continue to ﬁght on. Even so, it is slowly dying—the God-
  Emperor’s armies clinging desperately to 
  what is left, as systems crumble 
  
  9
  Introduction
  thin line which protects the Imperium from complete and 
  utter destruction; they are the Imperial Guard. 
  It is the duty of every world in the Imperium to provide 
  men and women for the Imperial Guard, in essence recruiting 
  the armies which protect not just their own planet but the 
  vast galactic empire to which they belong. To be a member of 
  the Imperial Guard is to be plucked from your home world, 
  often barely into adulthood, and thrust into a life of harsh 
  discipline, endless drilling, and constant mobilisation for war. 
  “Lucky” Guardsmen may have the chance to ﬁght on their 
  own worlds or in their own star systems if they are in a state 
  of war; likely raised with the spectre of destruction hanging 
  over their heads from birth and the knowledge that soon it 
  would be their turn to march off to ﬁght like their fathers and 
  brothers before them. More often, a Guardsman will leave his 
  world behind, never to set eyes upon it again, and make the 
  terrifying journey across the void to a far off battleﬁeld where 
  he will ﬁght in the name of the God-Emperor. The Imperial 
  Guard is a vast bureaucratic and logistical machine with 
  Guardsmen endlessly being raised on practically every world 
  within the Imperium and funnelled into warzones, some near, 
  some far, on a scale which can barely be comprehended by 
  the human mind. It is an undeniable truth that an individual 
  in the Imperial Guard is but a grain of sand on a blood-soaked 
  beach and when he inevitably dies, alongside thousands of 
  his brothers in arms on a nameless battleﬁeld, he will not be 
  missed. Though in his death, the Imperium will continue 
  to exist, even if just for a few seconds more, making his 
  sacriﬁce necessary in the minds of his commanders and 
  glorious in the eyes of the God-Emperor.
  from around its edges and the slow rot of sedition and heresy 
  eat away at it from inside. Though it may be ten thousand 
  more years before its death, the Imperium is in decline and 
  every battle its armies win, every enemy it vanquishes or 
  wipes from existence is but a single sandbag placed in front 
  of a rising ﬂood of death and decay. 
  Those that live in such times live with the knowledge that 
  the galaxy is a dangerous and unwelcoming place. They look 
  up to the stars and see only the darkness between them which 
  hides hungry alien raiders and warp-spawned monsters eager 
  for the souls of men. For most, this means keeping their 
  eyes ﬁxed ﬁrmly on the dirt beneath their feet and going 
  about their lives not daring to think about anything beyond 
  their devotion to the God-Emperor and the endless toil of 
  their lives, content in the belief that prayer and hard work 
  will keep them safe. For some, though, the defence of the 
  Imperium becomes their personal duty. Either through choice 
  or chance, these men and women are inducted into the God-
  Emperor’s armies, trained to ﬁght and sent off to far-ﬂung 
  stars and systems to hold the line against the coming night. 
  Though they come from a million different worlds, each with 
  its own unique superstitions, beliefs, and cultures, they are 
  united against the enemies of mankind by the God-Emperor; 
  a devotion to a far off monarch who they will never meet and 
  a duty to an Imperium of which only a tiny fraction they will 
  ever see. Still though they ﬁght; they ﬁght for the honour 
  of their world, they ﬁght for their sense of duty to the cause 
  or even humanity itself, they ﬁght simply because they like 
  to, or they ﬁght because they have no choice and killing the 
  enemies of man means another day of life for them. Whatever 
  their origins, whatever their reasons or training, they are the 
  WHAT IS A ROLEPLAYING GAME?
  In a roleplaying game (or RPG), you create an alter ego, a ﬁctional character that is your avatar within the game world. 
  Perhaps you create a honourable warrior, a cunning sorcerer, or a leader who inspires loyalty through dark magniﬁcence. 
  Next, you and your friends direct your characters through a series of adventures. Imagine reading a fantasy novel, 
  watching an action movie, or following a television series—except instead of passively watching or reading the story 
  unfold, you control one of the characters, making his decisions, selecting his actions, and even speaking for him. Instead 
  of waiting to see how the story unfolds, you directly affect and even determine the outcome of the story.
  How can you affect these events? How do you decide what happens? That is the role of the game itself. Roleplaying 
  games such as ONLY WAR provide a framework of rules that describe how to design your character and have him interact 
  with the world within the game. Rules cover situations like gun ﬁghts, delicate negotiations, or inﬁltrating an enemy 
  stronghold to destroy it. Often, the rules require you to roll dice when performing an action, with some results indicating 
  success and others indicating failure. While the rules provide structure and guidelines to the game, dice add the element 
  of chance. After all, success would not be so sweet if you had no chance of failing! 
  At ﬁrst, RPGs like ONLY WAR seem like they have a lot of rules. However, as you read the book you will soon see 
  that the rules are actually quite simple, easy to remember, and even intuitive. ONLY WAR is built on a simple set of base 
  mechanics. Once you grasp the basic mechanics, the rest is easily understood.
  To adjudicate these rules, each game has a Game Master (or GM). The GM is you, or one of your friends, chosen by 
  consensus of your group. Unlike everyone else, the GM does not control a single character. Instead, the GM runs the 
  game, presenting the story and the myriad of situations that come with it. He controls the people your character meets in 
  the game, controls the encounters and strange occurrences that shape your decisions as to your actions, and is basically 
  both the game’s narrator and the referee. 
  All of the other players control characters within the world, around which the story resolves. These characters are 
  known as the Player Characters (also referred to as the PCs). During the game, the players describe the intentions and 
  actions of their characters to the GM, who then decides (based on the rules) whether those actions succeed or fail, and 
  how their words and deeds affect the story.
  
  10
  10
  Introduction
  and dominance endured. Across thousands of light years, the 
  Imperium maintains a tenuous hold over millions of worlds 
  and counts every domain of men as its own, whether they 
  bow to the God-Emperor on far away Terra or not. Vast 
  armies of men and warships struggle every day to keep the 
  God-Emperor’s realm alive and keep the myriad of mankind’s 
  foes at bay. However, ten thousand years is a very long time, 
  and as the centuries have slipped by, the Imperium’s borders 
  have continued to crumble—many of its worlds have broken 
  away or been destroyed, and potent alien empires have begun 
  to gnaw away at its insides. Perhaps if the God-Emperor had 
  had more time to ﬁnish His great work in uniting the galaxy, 
  or perhaps if the nature of men did not so easily turn to 
  destruction, the Imperium would not be so wracked with war 
  and conﬂict; or perhaps after ten thousand years, it is just the 
  Imperium’s time to slip away into the abyss.
  Against this backdrop of carnage and chaos, it is the role of 
  the Imperial Guard to protect and defend the Imperium. Even 
  in its faded glory, the Imperium still covers the majority of the 
  galaxy, comprising millions of worlds and countless billions 
  of humans. Its ponderous size is both the source of its greatest 
  strength and its greatest weakness: its size means it can suffer 
  the loss of worlds and lives with little immediate effect on 
  the greater Imperium, but it also makes it extremely difﬁcult 
  to defend. The logistics of an army which must cover the 
  entire galaxy and protect an empire without distinct borders 
  against dozens of foes at once is barely comprehensible to 
  the mind of man. Even the Administratum, the Imperium’s 
  vast bureaucratic network tasked with recording and keeping 
  a tally of the armies of the God-Emperor, has no real idea 
  of the exact numbers of men and women serving in the 
  Blood-soaked  
  Stars and 
  Broken Worlds
  “Nothing of any worth was ever won without paying a price in blood.”
  –Commander Tyras Cor, Scintillan 73rd Light Infantry
  I
  t is the 41st Millennium and the galaxy teeters on the 
  brink of annihilation. Humanity has spread out across 
  the stars and, for thousands of years, settled worlds and 
  spread their domain deep within the void. Ages of Man have 
  passed since the ﬁrst colony ships left ancient Terra and the 
  fortunes of mankind have waxed and waned as an uncaring 
  galaxy and hostile alien races have fought against him. Ten 
  thousand years ago, after a time of unequalled darkness and 
  ruin, the God-Emperor arose and united mankind once 
  more. In a grand crusade that lasted many years, His armies 
  gathered together the scattered tribes of men and created 
  what was to become the Imperium of Man. Tragically, before 
  he could ﬁnish His great work, he was betrayed by His most 
  faithful servant, Horus, and thrust into a civil war that almost 
  destroyed everything he had worked to achieve. In a battle 
  against Horus, the Emperor was mortally wounded and 
  is now interred in the Golden Throne; where ancient 
  technologies keep him alive to this day. However, 
  despite His wounds, His armies had triumphed 
  against the betrayers and His dream of uniﬁcation 
  Blood-soaked  
  Blood-soaked  
  I still can’t believe my luck. that my number
  should be drawn of all the members of my house
  shows that the God-Emperor must be watching
  over us just like they say. I’d only just joined
  our hive strata’s Fabricators Guild when I got
  the news: I’m part of the founding, I’m going
  to be one of those chosen to serve the Emperor
  and our lords out there beyond the steel skies.
  It still seems too strange to be true, a base
  born lad like me chosen for such a task, even
  though I hear they take just as many from
  the other hives, especially those near the chem
  seas; something to do with all the people
  they have there and the training they get
  working the great stacks and outflows. I also
  know I’m not alone; Drayn, Helson, and even
  Torsh were all called too, us fabricator boys all
  giving up the work of our fathers and brothers to
  take up the rifle. They told me no one from our house
  has served in the Guard since my old great uncle
  Nert, some three or four generations back. I
  just hope I can do half as well as him and
  make my house and hab masters proud!
  
  11
  11
  Introduction
  Imperial Guard regiment has suffered such a fate, ambushed 
  from the shadows and cut down before they knew they were 
  at war with these treacherous aliens.
  Tyranids are terrifying, monstrous aliens from beyond the 
  edge of the galaxy itself, intent on consuming all life to feed 
  their vast bio-ﬂeets and hive ships. As the endless advances of 
  the Tyranids pour into the galaxy from the eastern fringe, the 
  Imperial Guard must form a break wall against the alien tide. 
  Like two great hammers smashing into each other, the Tyranids 
  and their swarms of alien horrors and bizarre monstrosities slam 
  into the massed ranks of the Imperial Guard and its millions 
  of men. The result is a horriﬁc and bloody war of attrition, 
  in which every Guardsman slaughtered screaming to feed the 
  hive mind makes the Tyranids stronger and the Imperium 
  weaker. Yet there is no choice for the Imperial Guard, lest the 
  Tyranids overrun their defences and plunge even deeper into 
  the Imperium; and so more and more regiments are fed into the 
  alien meat-grinder. 
  The Tau are a young and idealistic race of blue-skinned 
  humanoids, with only a small empire under their control but 
  with command of advanced and innovative technology. Against 
  the Imperium’s history, which is measured in millennia, the Tau 
  are only recently risen to power, their race but a few thousand 
  years removed from their primitive ancestors. Yet they have 
  made an impact on their region of space, spreading rapidly 
  and forging alliances with numerous minor alien races to create 
  a potent empire which presses in against Imperial borders. As 
  dangerous as their advanced weapons and void ships are, their 
  philosophies of unity and collective endeavour with other races 
  are even more so. Centred upon a belief in the “Greater Good” 
  and a common goal of balance and equality, many humans have 
  been seduced by these alien lies. As the Tau empire continues 
  to encroach on Imperium space, they have placed an increasing 
  drain on the Imperium’s already dwindling resources and 
  become an increasing threat.
  Xenos are not the only foes the Imperial Guard must hold 
  back to preserve the blessed Imperium of Man and defend 
  its most holy God-Emperor. Of equal danger to the Orks, 
  Eldar, Tyranids, and Tau are the human renegades, traitors 
  and heretics which turn away from the Imperium and seek 
  to subvert it with their treachery. In its most simple form, 
  this can mean worlds led astray by seditious planetary 
  governors, choosing to break away from the Imperium and 
  claim independence. With so many worlds and such vast 
  distances between them, a planet and its people may forget 
  the Imperium exists or come to believe its reach cannot 
  touch them so far are they from ancient Terra and the God-
  Emperor. These are false beliefs, of course, and in time the 
  Imperium’s wrath will fall on any human world which rejects 
  the mastery of the God-Emperor and chooses to either refuse 
  to pay its tithes or proclaim itself independent. Thus the 
  Imperial Guard is often tasked with dealing with such rebels, 
  crushing all resistance and destroying the leadership which 
  brought them to such a place, leaving behind a battered and 
  war ravaged world with a heavy debt to be repaid to the 
  Administratum and the threat of complete annihilation 
  should they transgress again.
  Not all rebels are treated with such leniency as those 
  which merely try to secede. Sometimes humans will 
  Imperial Guard at any one time. Nearly every world within 
  the Imperium maintains its own standing planetary defence 
  forces, though against a determined invasion or uprising, 
  these limited forces often prove inadequate. It then falls to 
  nearby regiments of the Imperial Guard, made up of soldiers 
  raised from dozens of worlds, either near or far, to respond. 
  Finding such regiments and then moving them to a warzone 
  can take many months or even years to execute, and regiments 
  may arrive in a warzone to discover the world they were sent 
  to rescue has long since fallen to its foes. As a result, the 
  regiments of the Imperial Guard are constantly ﬁghting or 
  in transit to warzones, its soldiers either huddled in trenches 
  and foxholes on battle scarred planets or awaiting their fates 
  in the holds of transport ships as they plunge through the 
  Warp. It is the only way the Imperial Guard can exist; always 
  mobilized for war, always ready for action.
  Arrayed against the Imperium and its Imperial Guard are 
  foes beyond counting. Long ago, mankind realised there 
  was to be no solace for him among the stars and no peace 
  with those that shared his galaxy. All alien life is considered 
  hostile to humanity and every race, no matter how vast or 
  simple, is viewed as a threat to the stability and continued 
  dominance of the Imperium. In many cases, alien empires are 
  restricted to a few worlds or a system and easily contained or 
  exterminated by mankind, little threat to its vast armies and 
  potent warships. Some races of xenos are more troublesome 
  and cannot so easily be swept aside or smashed by the blunt 
  might of the God-Emperor’s armies. Several of these races 
  have a prominent place among the enemies of man; the 
  bloodthirsty Orks, the enigmatic and aloof Eldar, the utterly 
  alien Tyranids, and the technologically advanced Tau, all of 
  which make up the Imperial Guard’s principle foes.
  Orks are everywhere: brutish, green-skinned aliens with 
  tribes on a million worlds and a collective galactic population 
  which may approach (or even exceed) that of humanity itself. 
  Muscle-bound and always thirsting for violence, Orks live only 
  for war. Whether it is against the Imperium, other xenos, or 
  other Orks, they simply do not care. This fact alone keeps the 
  Orks from overwhelming the Imperium, as despite their ferocity 
  and crude but effective technology, it is rare for them to unite, 
  preferring instead to ﬁght among themselves in endless wars for 
  dominance. When they do gather into a single-minded battle 
  force, it is a terrible thing to behold and whole systems are often 
  consumed in ﬂame and death. Known as a Waaagh!, these alien 
  invasions have been known to wipe out whole regiments in their 
  advance, men and women fed to the beast to slow or stop its 
  assault. Such is the duty of the Imperial Guard.  
  The Eldar are an ancient race, once masters of the galaxy 
  before man and now fallen into decay and decline. Cunning 
  and technologically advanced, these willowy aliens regard 
  humanity as base upstarts, little more than animals which 
  have clawed their way up from the dirt of their world to crawl 
  among the stars. The motives of the Eldar are often difﬁcult 
  for mankind to discern and, unlike the more numerous or 
  brutish of the Imperium’s foes, the Eldar use subtlety and 
  subversion to win their wars as much as open conﬂict. When 
  the Eldar choose to strike, they do so with purpose and 
  often using surprise, moving swiftly to achieve their goals 
  before disappearing as quickly as they arrived. More than one 
  
  12
  Introduction
  as his or her lot. From the day they take their oaths to the 
  God-Emperor to the day they fall in battle, they are part of 
  mankind’s unending war, and whether they face their fate with 
  a steely resolve and grim determination or a weak heart and 
  cowardly spirit, their deaths will serve the Imperium one way 
  or another. This is the fate of all Guardsmen, to give their lives 
  in battle, to sell their existence in the Emperor’s name so that 
  His glory may continue and His light will shine on across the 
  darkness of the void. It remains in the hands of each individual 
  Guardsman how that life is used and whether he dies with duty 
  and honour, or he simply dies.
  Guardsmen have been laying down their lives to protect the 
  Imperium for thousands of years in millions of conﬂicts across 
  the galaxy. Some of these conﬂicts have been famous and 
  word of their heroic struggles have reached the ears of worlds 
  hundreds of light years away and lived on long after the guns 
  have fallen silent and the battleﬁelds grown cold—conﬂicts 
  like the Sabbat Worlds Crusade to cleanse an entire sector 
  from the clutches of heretics and Chaos worshipers, which 
  lasted decades and consumed whole regiments in its many 
  bloody battles. Just as important as these major conﬂicts are the 
  thousands of others which go unrecorded and unremembered; 
  desperate combats on worlds largely beneath the notice of 
  the greater Imperium but no less vital to its survival. Every 
  world lost to alien ambition, treacherous rebels, or the Dark 
  Gods is another tick on the doomsday clock for the Imperium, 
  and each loss could be the tipping point which will bring the 
  Imperium crashing to its knees.
  For more information on the Imperium, its organisations, 
  and its sprawling domain see Chapter X: A Galaxy of War.
  be seduced by the promises of alien empires or, worse still, 
  the dark powers of the Warp. No mercy can be shown to such 
  traitors and the reward for those which have given over to 
  such vile masters can only be death. The inﬂuence of the Warp 
  especially is of great peril to the Imperium and humanity, its 
  malign entities and shadowy gods always looking for a way 
  to break free of their otherworldly realm and wreak madness 
  and chaos upon the world. Such was the terrible fate of Horus 
  so long ago when he turned upon the Emperor and, since that 
  time, countless others have been twisted by the daemons and 
  the Dark Gods of Chaos. For the Imperial Guard, to ﬁght 
  such foes is perhaps the most perilous kind of war, a war in 
  which even the victors can ﬁnd defeat if they themselves have 
  become tainted while facing their foes. Many times this has 
  been the fate of regiments; winning great victories against the 
  powers of the Warp and their thralls, only to be put to death 
  themselves for fear that they have now been tainted and if left 
  alive would themselves turn against the Imperium they once 
  swore to protect.
  Together, the enemies of the Imperial Guard and the efforts 
  of the Imperium to oppose them create a vast galactic conﬂict, 
  which has raged since the day the Emperor took His place at 
  the head of humanity and the Imperium was created. Beset on 
  all fronts across countless worlds, Guardsmen ﬁght valiantly, 
  courageously, and desperately to hold back the night, keep the 
  Imperium alive, and maintain humanity’s place among the stars. 
  To serve in their ranks is to be entrusted with a sacred duty to 
  all mankind, and be one of those who will spill their blood 
  and spend their lives so billions may sleep soundly in their 
  beds, knowing the armies of the God-Emperor are watching 
  over them. Every Guardsman knows this duty and accepts it 
  12
  I never imagined such an immense thing as a void ship. 
  They keep telling us that we are in the hold of one but I 
  can’t tell. It is a lot like the hive strata, just different 
  walls and doors, though a lot of the smells are the same. 
  The only real difference is the number of servitors, dozens 
  of the things crawling like rats all over the place, something 
  to do with the running of this or that, but I never really 
  see what they are doing. I’m bunking with my mates from 
  the Fabricators Guild; Drayn, Helson, and Torsh, and 
  about a thousand other lads, all of us in this huge chamber 
  we seem to use for everything from marching around to 
  eating and sleeping. Yesterday an officer came in and gave 
  us a speech, he had three stripes on his collar, which I’m 
  told makes him important, but he mostly just talked about 
  duty and honour and stuff, and told us we’re now the 565 
  and should always remember that. I’m just eager to fight. 
  They keep telling us we are going to some world that has 
  rebelled against the Emperor, but they won’t say where or 
  how long it will take to get there. I guess this is what it 
  means to be in the Imperial Guard.
  
  13
  Introduction
  the Calixis Sector, and its fate is closely linked to the interests 
  of powerful organisations like the Adeptus Ministorum and 
  Adeptus Mechanicus and their own stakes in the sector. The 
  Holy Ordos of the Inquisition also have a major interest in the 
  sector and its denizens—the Calixis Sector and its environs are 
  rife with plots and intrigues, many of which lead directly back 
  to the feet of the Ordos and their agents. It is no surprise then, 
  given the level of distrust and the looming shadow of Warp-
  spawned powers and hungry alien raiders, that the Imperial 
  Guard is vital to the survival of the sector.
  Centred upon the hive world of Scintilla, the Calixis Sector 
  has long been a very dangerous place. Due to its position on 
  the very edge of the Imperium, next to the lawless and wild 
  Halo Stars, the region of void where systems and stars give 
  way to the empty inky black of nothing between galaxies, 
  it has struggled for survival at every step of its existence. It 
  is a testament to the stoic strength of the Imperium and the 
  endless efforts of the Imperial Guard that the sector exists 
  at all, so far from the light of Terra and the bulk of the 
  God-Emperor’s resources and might. Sector Lord Hax, the 
  commander and Imperial authority of the Calixis Sector, has 
  a monumental task on his shoulders—he must contend with 
  squabbling nobles, seditious planetary governors, Ork, Eldar, 
  and human raiders, as well as the ever present shadow of 
  heretics and rebels and the Inquisition which hunts them. 
  In addition to these internal and external threats to his 
  own sector, the Lord of Calixis must keep keen eyes turned 
  outward to neighbouring sectors and regions, lest the ﬁres of 
  war and rebellion spill over into his own domain or the slow 
  rot of sedition and heresy infect his far ﬂung planets. The 
  Spinward Front is such a place, a ﬁre burning close to the 
  breast of the Calixis Sector, dangerously out of control and 
  spreading unchecked from system to system.
  The Spinward Front is a warzone, a region of Imperial space 
  where order has collapsed under the weight of alien aggression 
  and human treachery, and only heavy application of force can 
  hope to contain it. Though removed from the Calixis Sector by 
  vast distance and many barren systems, its fate is no less vital 
  to the Sector Lord than that of his own planets and peoples. 
  Should the Spinward Front fall, be it to the brutal expansion of 
  the Orks or the subterfuge of its traitorous planetary lords and 
  nobles, it would press in upon the Periphery and threaten the 
  edges of the Calixis Sector. This is the nature of the Imperium, 
  that no one part can stand completely on its own forever, and 
  the rot of a neighbour can easily spread without quick and 
  aggressive intervention. With this shadow upon his mind, 
  Lord Hax sends regiments of Imperial Guardsmen into the 
  Spinward Front, throwing these men and women against the 
  endless tides of howling Greenskin warriors or to face their 
  own in wars of futile and hopeless rebellion. Other aliens also 
  circle the ﬁghting—Eldar raiders, Stryxis opportunists, and 
  darker, shrouded forces all exploiting the chaos of war and 
  the weakness of worlds fallen from the Imperium’s favour. 
  The Imperial Guard alone stands against this carnage and 
  ruin, enacting the will of the God-Emperor and the lords of 
  the Calixis Sector in a struggle for the very survival of the 
  Spinward Front, its worlds, and its people.
  For more details on the Spinward Front and the 
  Calixis Sector see Chapter X: A Galaxy of War.
  Worlds at War
  S
  ince the time of the Emperor’s ascension on Terra and the 
  Great Crusade to cleanse the stars and cement Imperial 
  rule across the galaxy, the armies of the Imperium have 
  been pressing back its boundaries and expanding its borders. 
  As vital to the continued existence of humanity as protecting 
  what has already been won is the task of winning more worlds 
  in the name of the God-Emperor. This continuing war of 
  expansion falls largely to the Imperial Guard and the multitude 
  of regiments within its ranks. Periodically, the High Lords 
  of Terra and the Segmentum Lords of the Imperial Guard 
  will set their sights upon a new sector of space or a lawless 
  boundary within the Imperium, either one which has fallen 
  under the inﬂuence of xenos or Chaos and been cut off, or 
  one which has recently been revealed by shifting warp storms. 
  Often littered with lost human worlds, remnants of mankind’s 
  ﬁrst great drive toward the stars so many millennia ago, 
  these regions are rich with resources and civilisations for the 
  Imperium to absorb and add to its strength. Once such a sector 
  has been identiﬁed, the High Lords will sanction a crusade to 
  claim it, sometimes raising regiments from bordering worlds 
  for the sole purpose of the endeavour. Crusades are massive 
  undertakings comprising huge numbers of Imperial Guard 
  regiments supported by Imperial Naval vessels, all manner of 
  auxiliary support divisions, and even Space Marine Chapters. 
  A crusade can last for years, decades, or even centuries.
  Most of the Imperium has been forged from such crusades, 
  new and old regions of space carved out from the dark by the 
  blood and courage of the armies of the Imperial Guard and 
  their allies, and clawed back from the vile grip of xenos empires 
  and the slow decay of the Ruinous Powers. Among these is 
  counted the Calixis Sector, resting on the very edge of Imperial 
  controlled space in the region known as the Segmentum 
  Obscura, far from the light of Terra but still touched by the 
  God-Emperor. Centuries ago a great hero of the Imperium 
  known as Praetor Golgenna Angevin led a glorious crusade 
  into what was then the Calyx Expanse, a region of lost worlds 
  and hostile aliens. With the armies of the Imperial Guard at 
  his back, Angevin blazed a path through the expanse of void 
  and settled the worlds which would in time become known as 
  the Calixis Sector, incorporating them into the Imperium and 
  adding to the might and glory of the God-Emperor. Known 
  as the Angevin Crusade, for its progenitor, it lasted many long 
  blood-soaked years and cost countless millions of lives as it 
  threw itself against numerous foes of the Imperium such as 
  teeming Ork empires and the Warp-worshipping Yu’Vath. 
  THE CALIXIS SECTOR AND 
  SPINWARD FRONT
  ONLY WAR takes place largely in an area known as the 
  Spinward Front, which rests on the edges of the Calixis 
  Sector adjoining one of its regions known as the Periphery. 
  Because the Spinward Front is so close to the Calixis Sector, it 
  is heavily inﬂuenced by that sector of space and by its politics 
  and its commanders. Many of the regiments raised to ﬁght 
  in the wars of the Spinward Front come from the worlds of 
  
  14
  Introduction
  hundreds or thousands of light years separate conﬂicts from 
  reinforcements, and the ﬁckle nature of Warp travel, where ships 
  may be lost or arrive years after setting out, the Imperial Guard 
  will sequester whatever it can, whenever it can, to ﬁght its wars. 
  This means all the worlds within range of a warzone are often 
  called upon to ﬁght, offering up additional men and materials 
  or whatever they can, lest their own worlds suffer the fate of 
  their beleaguered neighbours. It also means the quality and type 
  of Imperial Guard regiments and equipment will vary hugely 
  even within a single theatre of operation. Guardsmen may ﬁnd 
  themselves ﬁghting shoulder to shoulder with comrades bearing 
  wildly different uniforms, whose ofﬁcers have unfamiliar titles 
  or who don’t even share a common language. Despite these 
  sweeping differences, however, one piece of gear remains 
  almost universally consistent across all regiments—the lasgun. 
  Straightforward to manufacture en masse, incredibly reliable, 
  and easy to maintain, the lasgun has remained the mainstay 
  of Imperial Guard regiments from all across the galaxy as they 
  constantly wage the Emperor’s wars across the stars.
  This is the nature of the Imperial Guard, that it will make 
  war for the God-Emperor, however it can, wherever it must. 
  In a galaxy of over a million inhabited worlds, the Imperial 
  Guard must contend with all kinds of environments and 
  battleﬁeld conditions. It must adapt, overcome, and triumph 
  no matter the cost; with only the cold vacuum of the void 
  at its backs when its regiments land on a world, they know 
  they must ﬁght and win or die in the attempt. The great war 
  the Imperial Guard ﬁghts cannot be fought in any other 
  way, for to give an inch or surrender a sector is to invite 
  destruction from mankind’s foes. Only through constant 
  pressure, unceasing resistance, and the continued action of 
  countless millions of Guardsmen can the Imperium continue 
  to exist, its foes kept in check, and its borders protected. This 
  is the duty of the Imperial Guard, which will end only when 
  humanity stands as master over every world in the galaxy or 
  the Imperium of Man lies in ashes.   
  BORN IN BATTLE
  The Imperial Guard has existed for the better part of ten 
  thousand years, since the time of the great Horus Heresy and 
  the rebellion against the Emperor. During that time of civil 
  war, the Imperium was split asunder and humanity turned in 
  upon itself in a bloody war which almost saw its complete 
  destruction. Horus, once one of the Emperor’s most trusted 
  sons, led fully half of the legendary Space Marine Legions 
  in open revolt against the Imperium which had created them 
  and the master which they were sworn to protect. Alongside 
  these legions of genetically engineered warriors marched 
  millions of Imperial soldiers, men and women drawn from 
  across the colonies of man and gathered under the banner of 
  the Emperor. At this time, these mortal troops were known 
  simply as the Imperial Army and were comprised of vast 
  ﬂeets of warships and thousands of regiments mixing armour, 
  infantry, and support weapons all into single powerful 
  formations. When Horus turned, he took countless soldiers 
  and ships of the Imperial Army with him. Those men which 
  had once fought for humanity during the Emperor’s Great 
  Crusade reuniting the Imperium were instead pitted against 
  Hammer of the 
  Emperor
  “Men, we are the ﬁrst, last, and often only line of defence the Imperium 
  has against what is out there. You and that ﬁne piece of Imperial 
  weaponry you hold in your hands is all that is keeping humanity 
  alive. Most of you will probably not live to see your second year in the 
  Imperial Guard and most of you will probably never see your home 
  worlds again, but I can guarantee you that when you do fall, with a 
  prayer to the most high and mighty God-Emperor on your lips, you 
  will have earned the right to call yourself a man!”  
  –Staff Sergeant Vermak, 12th Cadian Shock Regiment 
  I
  magine an army so vast that at any one time there is no exact 
  record of its size, an army of such size that the resources 
  of millions of worlds must constantly feed it with fresh 
  recruits and new weapons, and an army which must defend 
  an empire that spans the entire galaxy. This is the Imperial 
  Guard, the human armies of the God-Emperor and the 
  primary military institution of the Imperium, through which 
  it exerts its power upon the stars. It is difﬁcult to comprehend 
  the size of the Imperial Guard and scope of its operations, 
  as nothing in all of recorded human history has ever come 
  close to replicating it, but then no war has ever matched the 
  scale of the conﬂict which it must ﬁght. For generations, entire 
  worlds have sent their young men and women off to the stars 
  to ﬁght in the Imperial Guard, seldom, if ever, seeing them 
  again, and rarely even hearing of their exploits, knowing only 
  that they ﬁght for the God-Emperor against the foes of all 
  mankind. Whole planets are also given over to the constant 
  production of weapons and material for the Imperial Guard; 
  forge worlds endlessly pumping out tanks and guns, while 
  agri-worlds grow continent wide orchards to feed its troops. 
  Such is the scale of the Imperial Guard that every world of the 
  Imperium contributes to it in some way or another, no matter 
  how remote or small, be they lonely penal worlds offering up 
  condemned criminals, asteroid mining colonies tithing ore to 
  make shells, or primitive feral worlds where savage tribesmen 
  ﬁght for the chance to join the sky-men. 
  Given the ponderous size of the Imperial Guard and the 
  nature of its perpetual state of war, it is constantly straining 
  under the weight of logistical problems. Even for relatively 
  close engagements, where a cluster of worlds are threatened and 
  the Imperial Guard has regiments on hand to respond to the 
  threat, moving the millions of men and the materiel needed to 
  wage war from one world to another is a massive undertaking. 
  While the Imperial Navy provides ships for the Imperial Guard 
  regiments to reach their destination, the Imperium cannot 
  always provide them with everything they need or with the 
  manpower required to complete the often daunting task they 
  are assigned, such as the liberating of entire worlds which have 
  fallen to rebellion or alien invasion. In these cases, the true 
  ingenuity of the Imperial Guard comes to the fore and the 
  nature of its military make up is tested as resources must 
  be gathered from local worlds and systems. Because 
  of the vast distances within the Imperium, often 
  
  15
  Introduction
  This was the birth of the Imperial Guard as it exists today. 
  Divided by logistics and separated by worlds, it remains 
  united by a common duty to the God-Emperor and mankind. 
  Riddled with inefﬁciency and bureaucracy, it is often slow to 
  respond and resistant to change, but it continues to function 
  despite the rules laid down by the Adeptus Administratum to 
  limit its power and use by untrustworthy commanders. That 
  no one man can know the extent of the Imperial Guard’s total 
  strength at any time is part of this protection and part of its 
  power, as in this way it is truly an army of unlimited size and 
  resources which can meet the demands of war but which will 
  only ever answer to the God-Emperor himself.
  CHAIN OF COMMAND
  Command and control of the Imperial Guard is carried out by 
  a complex and byzantine web of advisors, ofﬁcers, and lords 
  all working both together and against each other to determine 
  the fate of a regiment. Internally, an Imperial Guard regiment 
  will usually have its own cadre of ofﬁcers from lowly NCOs 
  up to its own personal commander, all hailing from the same 
  world and raised at the same time with direct control over 
  those under their command. It is rare, though, for a regiment 
  each other in a bloody struggle as the Heresy unfolded and 
  civil war spanned the galaxy.
  After Horus was defeated and his armies had taken ﬂight, 
  the Imperium was in chaos, weakened and shattered after long 
  years of war. Even though the need for the Imperial Army was 
  as great as ever, those that remained were fearful of a repeat 
  of the rebellion which had cost them so dearly. Thus, as the 
  Emperor was interred in the Golden Throne, held between life 
  and death after His mortal battle with Horus, plans were put in 
  place to protect the security of the Imperium, even from itself. 
  The Space Marine Legions were broken up and organised into 
  smaller Chapters, so they might never wield the terrible power 
  they once had, while the Imperial Army was split into different 
  institutions so that no one commander could muster both ﬂeets 
  and armies with the ease which the traitors of the Heresy had. 
  Primary among these changes was the division between the 
  Imperial Navy and the Imperial Guard, where the ﬂeets of the 
  void would remain separated from the infantry on the ground. 
  In addition, the regiments of the Imperial Guard were divided, 
  so that no single ﬁghting force would incorporate armoured, 
  infantry, and specialised support elements, making it more 
  difﬁcult still to turn an entire army traitor.
  15
  We started out weapons training today and 
  I got to fire a lasgun for the first time. 
  They took us down into the depths of the ship, 
  where the sound of the engines got louder and 
  the air smelt bad. It looked like the chamber had 
  been used for training before as it had burn marks on 
  the walls and what looked like old dried blood on the decking. 
  Our sergeant, Prator, was there too. I think I remember him from 
  the enforcer station of our strata, though if he was from there he 
  didn’t seem to remember me or the others. It was a lot of yelling 
  and noise and it seemed like we couldn’t do anything right. When 
  Drayn dropped his charge pack while trying to reload, Prator gave 
  him a hard smack around the back of his head and 
  told him an Ork wouldn’t wait for him to pick 
  it up, whatever an Ork is. Either way it seems 
  pretty important that we can all fire 
  quickly and in time with each other. 
  Lasguns don’t seem to have much 
  kick, which is good, so it’s pretty 
  easy to keep firing one shot after 
  the other and be roughly on target. 
  I did alright, but Prator seems to 
  think we can all do better and says 
  he has some other more “motivating” 
  training methods in mind, whatever 
  that means.
  They took us down into the depths of the ship, 
  where the sound of the engines got louder and 
  the air smelt bad. It looked like the chamber had 
  been used for training before as it had burn marks on 
  the walls and what looked like old dried blood on the decking. 
  Our sergeant, Prator, was there too. I think I remember him from 
  the enforcer station of our strata, though if he was from there he 
  didn’t seem to remember me or the others. It was a lot of yelling 
  and noise and it seemed like we couldn’t do anything right. When 
  Drayn dropped his charge pack while trying to reload, Prator gave 
  him a hard smack around the back of his head and 
  told him an Ork wouldn’t wait for him to pick 
  it up, whatever an Ork is. Either way it seems 
  pretty important that we can all fire 
  quickly and in time with each other. 
  Lasguns don’t seem to have much 
  think we can all do better and says 
  he has some other more “motivating” 
  training methods in mind, whatever 
  that means.
  Our sergeant, Prator, was there too. I think I remember him from 
  the enforcer station of our strata, though if he was from there he 
  didn’t seem to remember me or the others. It was a lot of yelling 
  
  16
  Introduction
  to ﬁght alone and, when it is mobilised for war, a regiment 
  will be one of many, sometimes from the same world but oft-
  times from several worlds all grouped together for a single 
  purpose. Added to this is the various support formations 
  which accompany the Imperial Guard regiments, some 
  from other arms of the Imperial Guard, some from powerful 
  Imperial organisations like the Adeptus Mechanicus or the 
  Ministorum, each with a vested interest in the endeavour. 
  Finally, no mobilisation of the Imperial Guard could take 
  place without the Imperial Navy and its ﬂeets. Combined, 
  this means that for every engagement the Imperial Guard 
  participates in, there will be dozens of potential commanders 
  either with direct control over its regiments or the inﬂuence 
  to change their orders or alter their deployment.
  In principle, the armies of the Imperial Guard are under 
  the direct control of the Segmentum Lords, each controlling 
  the deployment and disposition of the Imperial Guard across 
  a vast section of the galaxy and answering only to the High 
  Lords of Terra. When a conﬂict arises in a Segmentum Lord’s 
  domain, he must then consider its importance in the overall 
  defence of his region and dictate the Imperial Guard’s response 
  accordingly. In practice, though, Segmentum Lords have little 
  time for every single brushﬁre war plaguing their command 
  and in many cases only learn of the existence of conﬂicts long 
  after they have be resolved one way or another, such are the 
  long and frail lines of communication involved. Rather, while 
  the Segmentum Lords focus on major crusades and lengthy 
  on-going conﬂicts within their regions, it falls to sector and 
  even system commanders to make frontline decisions about the 
  deployment and mobilisation of the Imperial Guard regiments 
  under their control. A Sector Lord can always call for outside 
  assistance from his Segmentum Lord should the need be great, 
  or he faces a threat too large for his own forces to handle, 
  but the reality the Imperium and much of the Imperial Guard 
  contends with is the fact that while reinforcements are always 
  coming, it may be months or even years before they see the 
  frontlines, ferried across vast stretches of space, and only then 
  once the right orders have been signed and the Segmentum 
  Lord is satisﬁed they are needed.
  As a result of the disparate nature of the Imperial Guard’s 
  command structure, a great deal of responsibility and weight 
  falls on Planetary Governors and Sector Lords and their local 
  cadre of Imperial ofﬁcers. Such men can never be sure that their 
  requests for aid, or their petitions for the approval of a course 
  of action, will be answered before it is too late, but they can be 
  sure that should they lose worlds or sacriﬁce their regiments 
  pointlessly, they will be held accountable. Fortunately for such 
  men, while the High Lords of Terra and their Segmentum Lords 
  16
  I still can’t believe what just happened. 
  Prator called it a training exercise but I’ve 
  never been so scared in my whole life, not 
  even that time I got lost in the strata 
  vacuum tunnels after lock-down. It has 
  been at least a dozen or more cycles 
  since we started weapon training 
  and most of us seem to be getting 
  pretty good at hitting the targets. They 
  even started to group us into squads 
  depending on our abilities and I’ve 
  ended up in one of the better ones 
  (designated B14 since we are part 
  of B Company, so they say). Today, 
  though, Prator told us that we would 
  have to learn how to fire under 
  pressure if we were to make real 
  soldiers, and shooting at a target 
  that doesn’t shoot back can only teach 
  you so much. So we were taken in 
  teams down into another part of the 
  hold where they locked us in a series 
  of tunnels. At first I didn’t know 
  what they were doing and assumed we 
  might have to find our way out or survive until they released us. It was 
  only when the first servitor turned up and started shooting at us that it became clear what was going 
  on. The servitors had been fitted with heavy armour plates and low impact slug throwers, so as to keep 
  casualties to a minimum (they told us later). At the time, though, we had to fight for our lives and I 
  got hit more than once while we shot our way out. Afterwards, I heard a couple of guys from D Company 
  had been killed when they let the servitors get too close and were shot at point blank range.
  
  17
  Introduction
  world. Some ofﬁcers, often young and idealistic ones, will 
  show initiative on the battleﬁeld, taking matters into their 
  own hands to secure victory and acting on the intent of their 
  orders rather than slavishly following them to the letter. 
  Whether or not this is rewarded or punished by those above 
  these young, idealistic ofﬁcers varies wildly throughout the 
  Imperium. In some areas, these kind of actions are quickly 
  shut down, the offending ofﬁcers getting sent off on suicide 
  missions before they cause too much trouble for those 
  higher in the chain of command. However, in other areas 
  of the Imperium, such brave, unprompted behaviour can be 
  rewarded, the young ofﬁcer rising in command and perhaps 
  eventually ascending high enough to lead a crusade across 
  the stars in the name of the Emperor.
  In addition to the direct chain of command reaching down 
  from the Segmentum Lords, there are numerous individuals 
  and organisations which exert considerable inﬂuence on the 
  ofﬁcers of the Imperial Guard. At every level, from companies 
  up to whole army groups, the Imperial Guard is teeming with 
  advisors of all kinds: from tacticians versed in the secrets of 
  the Tactica Imperialis and clerics of the Ministorum sent to 
  keep the faith in the God-Emperor strong, to Tech-Priests of 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus overseeing the use of ancient engines 
  of war and psykers of the Scholastica Psykana to aid them 
  in matters of the Warp. When a high ranking Imperial Guard 
  ofﬁcer walks into a brieﬁng room, it will usually be at the head 
  of such an entourage; dozens of advisors surrounding him and 
  whispering in his ear every time he must make a decision or 
  issue an order. In some cases, these advisors exist at the pleasure 
  of the Imperial Guard, and their counsel only offered when 
  asked and even then purely at the discretion of the ofﬁcer. In 
  others, such as when dealing with such powerful institutions 
  as the Ministorum or Adeptus Mechanicus, such advice will 
  come whether it is wanted or not and an ofﬁcer must consider 
  carefully whether or not to act upon it, lest he draw disapproval 
  from powerful places.
  This advisory capacity also applies to the relationship 
  between the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Navy, and 
  Imperial Guard ofﬁcers will often have naval liaisons 
  and ﬂeet advisors as part of their staff. In theory, the 
  have the right to intervene personally in the actions of the 
  Imperial Guard, they seldom do, only making their will known 
  when events threaten signiﬁcant portions of the Imperium or 
  are set to spiral beyond the control of a single world or system. 
  In these instances, where a sector-wide conﬂict draws the 
  attentions of the Imperial authorities, the outcome can become 
  unpredictable. Just as a System Lord might ﬁnd himself side-
  lined when the hand of the Sector Lord intervenes, so too can 
  whole sectors lose any pretence of independent control by their 
  lords and nobles should armies raised by the Segmentum Lord 
  arrive to “deal” with a problem.
  All of this amounts to a command structure which is as much 
  about the politics of the Imperium as it is about the military 
  command of the Imperial Guard. On the ground, frontline 
  ofﬁcers can bemoan the lack of support and orders which 
  demand they dig in when they know they should manoeuvre 
  or which call for a retreat when they know they should attack, 
  but for their superiors, and for the lords and governors above 
  them, waging a successful war means both actually ﬁghting 
  the enemy and being seen to be ﬁghting the enemy, which 
  can at once be the same and different things. It does not 
  simplify matters than many of the higher ranking ofﬁcers of 
  the Imperial Guard are drawn from local nobility and are the 
  high born upper classes of the very men and women who will 
  report to them in the chain of command. To even reach a high 
  rank in the Imperial Guard, a commander must usually be a 
  savvy political animal, acutely aware of the favour of his Sector 
  Lord and the needs of system and planetary governors. Many 
  of these men and women may also be shrewd tacticians and 
  strategists, well-schooled in the arts of waging war, though to 
  hold onto their posts they must also consider their actions, the 
  orders they give and receive, and how they act upon them.
  It is this political climate which is the bane of independence 
  and initiative among many ofﬁcers of the Imperial Guard. 
  Far from the machinations of System, Sector, and Segmentum 
  Lords, regimental commanders must tread with care, keeping 
  one eye on the men under their command and the success 
  of their campaigns, and one eye on their superiors and the 
  favour their actions garner, lest they ﬁnd themselves sent to 
  the frontlines or their regiment posted to a remote and dismal 
  IMPERIAL COMMISSARS
  With so many worlds and cultures feeding the armies of the Imperial Guard, it can be a daunting task for commanders 
  to unite and control the soldiers in their armies. Often feral world savages will be asked to ﬁght alongside reﬁned 
  noble regiments from powerful hive worlds or penal soldiers expected to serve the very authority which sentenced 
  them. Divided by language and customs, this can lead to disruption among regiments and more importantly poor 
  morale within the regiments themselves, as Guardsmen forget why they have been torn from their home worlds and 
  ferried across the void. The Imperial Commissariat exists to ensure control over the regiments of the Imperial Guard 
  and remind every Guardsman of his duty both to the Imperium and to the God-Emperor. Practically every company 
  in the Imperial Guard, regardless of the world from which they hail, will have at least one Commissar attached as an 
  advisor to its company command group. It is the Commissars’ job to keep the commanders and their men true to the 
  God-Emperor’s cause and make sure their duty to the Imperium is done. As Commissars exist outside the command 
  structure at the regimental level, answering instead to the Departmento Munitorum, they have the power to remove 
  commanders if they are not performing their duty (often violently through the use of a bolt pistol). However, a good 
  Commissar knows when to use fear and when to use inspiration to motivate men, and alongside the many cruel and 
  brutal Commissars there are those who lead by example, standing atop trenches in the face of enemy ﬁre to stir their 
  company to courage and show scorn to their enemies. 
  
  18
  Introduction
  to have done its previous owner much good either). Some 
  regiments are crammed onto their void-transports, often barely 
  comprehending they are now travelling among the stars, still 
  wearing tribal furs and carrying spears and swords. These poor 
  unfortunates must scavenge what they can and make do with 
  the castoffs of other regiments, until such time as they win 
  glory for themselves and can gather spoils of the battleﬁeld.
  Supplementing the often meagre kit that a Guardsman’s 
  home world sees ﬁt to provide him with, the Departmento 
  Munitorum, the military arm of the Administratum, may provide 
  additional resources and resupply. Much of the bureaucracy that 
  mires the entire Imperial Guard in paperwork stems directly 
  from the Departmento Munitorum and its endless records 
  and tallies of the Imperial army. When a regiment is raised, 
  the Administratum records its existence and it joins millions 
  of others in the roll call of armies which can be called upon 
  to defend the Imperium from its enemies. Thousands upon 
  thousands of scribes and adepts work endlessly within the 
  deep and dark halls of the Administratum to keep their records 
  as current as possible, funnelling their lists back to Terra where 
  the Departmento Munitorum can store and collate them. 
  Unfortunately, the vagaries of Warp travel and the truly vast 
  distances between the worlds of the Imperium, most of which 
  take years for messages to reach and more years for responses 
  to be issued back, the ﬁles of the Departmento Munitorum 
  are often hopelessly out of date and at any one time might 
  contain thousands of regiments which no longer exist or fail 
  to include thousands of others which have been newly raised. 
  Many regiments are raised and destroyed years before the 
  Administratum ever records them at all.
  All of this inﬂuences the Imperial Guard’s ability to outﬁt 
  its troops and move materiel to where it is required. In the 
  ﬁeld, especially once beyond the immediate support of its 
  presence of such liaisons is to help co-ordinate operations 
  between regiments on the ground and ships in close orbit or, 
  in the case of regiments in transit, to ensure that they are not 
  a threat to the ship. In practice, however, the presence of such 
  men and women can be just as political as the presence of 
  other advisors. A naval liaison may act as a strong inﬂuencing 
  factor when naval presence outweighs that of the Imperial 
  Guard (ensuring the objectives of the ﬂeet commanders are 
  met ﬁrst), or as a spy to keep eyes on the Imperial Guard lest 
  an opportunistic ofﬁcer claim glory or favour which should 
  rightfully belong to the Imperial Navy.
  THE GOD-EMPEROR’S 
  ARMOURY
  Keeping the Imperial Guard equipped and battle ready is a 
  gargantuan task, and the Imperium is endlessly outﬁtting 
  newly raised regiments to feed the ﬁres of war. In part, the 
  arming and equipping of a regiment falls to its founding 
  world—at least initially, many of the possessions a Guardsman 
  has will come from his home world, or nearby worlds in close 
  trade alliance with them. Uniforms, personal arms, and armour 
  often bear these local seals and are of local design. Thus forge 
  worlds and hive worlds, with their massive manufacturing 
  capabilities, can equip their regiments more lavishly, and it is no 
  coincidence that most mechanised Imperial Guard regiments, 
  such as the famed Steel Legion of Armageddon, where every 
  platoon is outﬁtted with armoured troop transports and fully 
  mobile support, hail from these kinds of worlds. More rustic 
  worlds, or feral backwater planets, often have to make do 
  with whatever they have, Guardsmen leaving their world with 
  a battered lasgun (still stained with the blood of its previous 
  owner) and a tattered suit of ﬂak armour (which doesn’t appear 
  PLANETARY DEFENCE FORCES
  Every planet in the Imperium is required not only to tithe men and materials to the defence of the Imperium, but also see 
  to the defence of their own worlds. In an empire as thinly spread across the stars as the Imperium, reinforcements from the 
  Imperial Guard can be slow to respond to cries for aid from planetary governors; with millions upon millions of worlds 
  to protect, one world’s woe might not even elicit a response by the Imperial Guard at all. To protect their home worlds, 
  governors and lords must organise and maintain their own planet-bound defences. Often referred to as a planetary 
  defence force, these forces vary wildly from system to system. Some planetary governments maintain strictly regimented 
  soldiers for their own defence, while others simply rely on the feral masses of their planets to ﬁght back whatever threats 
  may arise. Unlike the soldiers of the Imperial Guard, a planetary defence force is completely supplied and controlled by 
  local authorities. Governors rely on these local forces as their ﬁrst line of defence, crushing rebellions, protecting against 
  orbital raiders and xenos inﬁltration, or hunting out heresy and sedition against their Imperial appointed leaders. Many 
  worlds exist only because of the presence of a strong garrison force, the constant military presence a reminder of the 
  God-Emperor’s grip upon a world and the power of the lord which governors it.
  Imperial Guardsmen usually look down on such forces, seeing them as lacking in training, experience, and morale, 
  unﬁt for off-world service and consigned to babysit a local population. For the most part this is true, though some 
  planetary defence forces are the equal of some Imperial Guard Regiments in skill and experience, either because of 
  rigourous local training regimes or the unstable societies which they “protect.” When a governor is required to tithe men 
  to the Imperial Guard, he may send a portion of his forces to meet the quota, though they are often loath to do so if their 
  forces are particularly competent and thus valuable to the lord’s continued position of power. For their part, members of 
  such forces often aspire to join the Imperial Guard, especially the young and idealistic that dream of sailing off across 
  the void to do their glorious duty on alien battleﬁelds. It is a dream which can quickly sour once they get their ﬁrst taste 
  of “real” combat. However, such recruits rarely, if ever, return to their home worlds to tell of their exploits and so the 
  illusion of adventure is never tarnished.
  
  19
  Introduction
  MOBILISATION FOR WAR
  The Imperial Guard is responsible for the defence of the 
  roughly two-thirds of the galaxy controlled by mankind. 
  While the mighty Chapters of the Space Marines and the 
  Imperial Navy also play their part, it is the Imperial Guard 
  which bears the greatest weight of combat and is often the 
  ﬁrst and last line of defence for thousands of worlds which can 
  expect help from no other quarter. Because of this mammoth 
  task, there are almost as many adepts, scribes, cypher-
  mongers, tallymen, and scriveners as there are Guardsmen, 
  all keeping track of the movement, ﬁghting strength, and 
  morale of Imperial Guard regiments. It is a never-ending 
  task as the Imperial Guard is always in motion, its troops 
  always moving from one world to the next, fresh regiments 
  being raised to replace diminished or destroyed ones, and 
  new wars and crusades always calling for more fodder for 
  their meat grinders. Overseeing the mobilisation, movement, 
  and coordination of the Imperial Guard is the Departmento 
  Munitorum within the Administratum. The Departmento 
  Munitorum’s adepts process all matters concerning the 
  Imperial Guard and act upon the will of the Segmentum 
  Lords and the High Lords of Terra.
  All requests for the aid of the Imperial Guard must travel 
  via the Departmento Munitorum, just as they preside 
  over the raising of regiments and the use of the men 
  founding world, a regiment must often accept whatever aid it 
  is issued. In minor instances, this can mean a Valkyrie air wing 
  supplied with crates of bayonets or an infantry platoon which 
  receives main tank battle cannon shells for their squad support 
  weapons. In its more extreme cases, armoured companies 
  might go without fuel or be issued the wrong kind (coal ore 
  for promethium burning engines) or of poor quality (such 
  as unreﬁned promethium) or shipments of ammunition for 
  entire regiments which is unusable (solid rounds for lasguns or 
  bolt shells for autoguns). This can be because the ten million 
  autogun rounds were intended for a regiment which no longer 
  exists or was never raised in the ﬁrst place, but somehow found 
  its way into the endless lists of the Departmento Munitorum. 
  Such is the nature of the Imperial Guard that sometimes a war 
  is won and lost before it is even recorded or the ink of the 
  orders authorising its support is dry.
  With such a vast organisation at work behind the logistical 
  support of the Imperial Guard, lack of current information is not 
  the only peril which can inﬂuence the resupply and outﬁtting of 
  regiments. With so many scribes and adepts endlessly scribbling 
  away, it is little wonder that mistakes are made. When dealing 
  with so many billions of soldiers and materials, a single number 
  in the wrong place or a regiment recorded on the wrong form 
  can have massive and far reaching consequences. For the most 
  part, the Imperial Guard is so large that it absorbs such errors: 
  a regiment sent light-years from its home segmentum to ﬁght 
  on the far side of the galaxy will never the less do its duty, 
  while a regiment issued with only enough lasguns to arm 
  one soldier in every two will send them to war in pairs, until 
  shortages no longer exist. Sometimes, though, the consequences 
  can be more crippling. It is possible for entire regiments to be 
  forgotten, their existence smudged away by the careless hand of 
  an Administratum scribe, and left to their fate, unsupported, on 
  remote worlds. However, because of, rather than in spite of this, 
  the Imperial Guard is a largely resourceful and resilient force, 
  able and always willing to complete its orders with whatever 
  resources it has at its disposal.
  Introduction
  founding world, a regiment must often accept whatever aid it 
  is issued. In minor instances, this can mean a Valkyrie air wing 
  supplied with crates of bayonets or an infantry platoon which 
  receives main tank battle cannon shells for their squad support 
  weapons. In its more extreme cases, armoured companies 
  might go without fuel or be issued the wrong kind (coal ore 
  for promethium burning engines) or of poor quality (such 
  as unreﬁned promethium) or shipments of ammunition for 
  entire regiments which is unusable (solid rounds for lasguns or 
  bolt shells for autoguns). This can be because the ten million 
  autogun rounds were intended for a regiment which no longer 
  exists or was never raised in the ﬁrst place, but somehow found 
  Introduction
  We’ve finally 
  arrived and I’ve never felt so sick 
  in my life. After getting used to the hum and smell of 
  the ship (they never did tell us its name), they packed us 
  into shuttles to be ferried down to some planet’s surface. 
  I couldn’t see anything because there were no windows or 
  viewports but all the lurching and swaying made me feel 
  very ill, especially when Helson puked on my boots and 
  I had to struggle not to throw up myself. After what 
  seemed like an eternity, our shuttle finally came smacking 
  down on some hard surface and they opened the doors and 
  let us out. I’m still not sure what is worse; the time on 
  the ship, that shuttle ride, or what I saw when I stepped 
  out of it. They tell me this world is called Kulth, though 
  it is like no world I have ever seen before. For a start, 
  there is no roof and where the steel-sky should be there 
  is... well nothing at all, just an expanse of emptiness with 
  is sometimes grey or blue and then black when it comes 
  to down-cycle. Almost as bad as the emptiness above our 
  heads is the emptiness all around us. The land seems to 
  stretch off in all directions with no end, all uneven ground 
  and broken features, few of which look to be made by man. 
  They let us off near a city called Rans Bluff, though it 
  is tiny really, and would fit inside our strata with ease. It 
  is also in ruins. There are no people here, only our regiment 
  (until we got off the shuttle I had no idea how big it was). 
  So here we are, like a hive of drain-lice crawling all over 
  this place, waiting to see what happens next.
  
  20
  Introduction
  governor’s press gangs arrive in settlements suddenly and take 
  every able-bodied adult away, leaving only the very young 
  and old to wonder where their mothers, fathers, sisters and 
  brothers have gone. Some governors may chafe at the wholesale 
  conscription of such large portions of their population, but they 
  know it is within the Departmento Munitorum’s rights and 
  would much rather retain their positions of power (even with 
  diminished subjects) than refuse.
  Part of the Departmento Munitorum’s remit, in addition to 
  supplying and supplementing the weapons and gear used by 
  regiments, is ensuring that Imperial Guard regiments receive 
  at least a modicum of training. Though this is not always 
  possible, and many a fresh regiment has been plunged into 
  battle never even having ﬁred their weapons, it is desirable 
  to get regiments into ﬁghting condition even if it only 
  slightly extends their life expectancy. Though there are no 
  exact speciﬁcations on what constitutes a “trained” regiment, 
  countless texts exist on the subject. The ﬁrst and foremost 
  level of training occurs when a regiment is raised on a world 
  and it undergoes the transformation from civilian rabble into 
  military personnel. How long this process takes and exactly 
  what skills are imparted (and to what level of success) varies 
  immensely from world to world. Some, like the hive world 
  of Scintilla at the heart of the Calixis Sector, have the wealth 
  and power as well as the military tradition to spend months 
  or even years turning a man into a soldier and preparing him 
  for his service. Others, especially feral or remote worlds, do 
  not have the same luxury, and recruits may not even know 
  they are to be soldiers until the lasgun is pressed into their 
  hands and they are pushed in the direction of the enemy. 
  garnered from planetary tithes for military use. Before a world 
  can receive assistance, their request must be processed and 
  considered, their need weighed against the needs of other 
  systems and other requests for aid. Even as vast as the Imperial 
  Guard is, it is not endless, and the Departmento Munitorum 
  must oft choose between worlds under attack, sometimes even 
  if it means sacriﬁcing one so another can be saved. Lords and 
  ofﬁcers of the Imperial Guard are not beyond power of the 
  Departmento Munitorum either, and their orders to mobilise 
  troops or deploy to a certain warzone must usually be 
  authorised by the Departmento, records kept and copies made 
  before soldiers are released to do their duty. On the ground 
  or in the heat of battle, a commander can usually consider 
  himself in control of events, at least to the extent that he can 
  issue orders to his men and see them acted upon without 
  unnecessary reliance on the Departmento Munitorum, though 
  requests for resupply and reinforcement can be tediously slow 
  if the conﬂict has garnered a “low” priority or, as often happens 
  in the Imperial Guard’s galaxy-wide struggle, a new warzone 
  has ﬂared up and troops have been diverted to deal with it.
  To mitigate this latter issue, when a war looks to require 
  signiﬁcant effort to win or contain, the Departmento Munitorum 
  authorises the raising of troops from nearby systems, mobilising 
  and training large portions of a local population to aid existing 
  Imperial units. This will go beyond the sequestering of forces 
  protecting local worlds and, in extreme cases, can mean whole 
  populaces are conscripted to act as frontline troops. This can be 
  traumatic for some worlds, such as those yet to be touched 
  by the presence of the local conﬂict, where men and 
  women must give up their lives to ﬁght for strangers 
  against foes they may never have known existed. A 
  It has been over seven cycles here on Kulth and we have not seen nor heard anything from the enemy we 
  must fight. They have been endlessly training us, making us run around on all this open ground and practise 
  our weapons drill. We have also started to dig in around Rans Bluff, setting up sandbag walls and trenches, 
  which is as hard a kind of work as I have ever done. They have also been briefing us on our enemy, a vile alien 
  species known as Orks. Apparently they are crude and brutish with 
  little intelligence or skill at war, and we have been told if we build 
  our defences properly there is no chance they will be able to break 
  through. More of the regiment has been showing up all the 
  time, and I reckon there must be at least ten thousand 
  of us here now, along with tanks and artillery from 
  some Scintillan division. Drayn, Helson, and Torsh 
  have all started gambling to pass the time between 
  training and digging (and also to take our minds 
  off the nothing over our heads). Some of the games 
  of Emperor’s Ante we have been playing have been 
  with the Scintillans, though largely they are a dour 
  lot. It seems they have come from some other part of 
  Kulth where the Imperial Guard is not doing so 
  well and have lost a lot of their regiment. I wish 
  they’d cheer up a bit, their listless stares and 
  vacant faces give me the creeps.
  
  21
  Introduction
  to integrate into a disciplinary structure and they will often 
  rankle at being told what to do. This problem is not helped 
  by the fact that the authorities who provide these men and 
  women prefer to send them to the Imperial Guard as whole 
  gangs or tribes, seeing this as a chance to send off a problem 
  for someone else to deal with. This means the bonds of gang 
  and tribe are brought into the regiment, and a regiment made 
  up of many tribes or gangs from the same world may not soon 
  forget the rivalries they once had; inﬁghting can be all too 
  common. Canny commanders and experienced Commissars 
  have learned tricks to turn these rivalries to their advantage and 
  will form companies comprised solely of the members of one 
  gang or tribe, and then exploit the competition between the 
  companies to push them to greater feats in battle. Failing this, 
  some commanders will simply try to beat the gang or tribal 
  identity out of their recruits through constant punishment and 
  disciplinary measures, though this is less desirable as it robs 
  the recruits of their ﬁghting edge and the beneﬁts that a life of 
  conﬂict and brutal day-to-day survival has gifted them with. 
  AUXILIARIES AND 
  SUPPORT FORCES
  When the Imperial Guard marches to war, it does so with 
  the might of the Imperium at its back and the servants of the 
  Emperor supporting it. The honest Guardsmen of a regiment 
  might ﬁght in the Imperium’s wars and face the foe across 
  the battleﬁeld, but they would struggle without the wealth 
  of support formations behind them, supplying them with 
  materials, keeping their vehicles functioning, and protecting 
  their faith and their souls from the things they cannot ﬁght 
  with their lasguns. Each of the major organisations of the 
  Imperium has a presence alongside the regiments of the 
  Imperial Guard, just as they have a vested interested in the 
  continued existence of the Imperium and its protection. 
  The Ecclesiarchy, also known as the Adeptus Ministorum 
  or Church of the God-Emperor, sends priests to keep the 
  Imperial Creed strong in the hearts of Imperial Guardsmen, 
  while the Adeptus Mechanicus sends Tech-Priests, masters 
  of the ancient and mysterious technology of mankind to 
  maintain and repair the ﬁghting vehicles and complex 
  machineries of war. The Imperial Guard also makes use of 
  abhumans for their unique abilities, such as hulking Ogryn 
  warriors or agile and diminutive Ratlings. Psykers are also 
  part of the support a commander can call upon; trained by 
  the Scholastica Psykana, they are often the only protection a 
  regiment has against psychic attacks and their only means of 
  sending them back against the enemy.
  FAITH IN WAR
  The Ecclesiarchy has an active hand in the spiritual strength 
  of the Imperial Guard and, like the Commissariat, has agents 
  among its ranks to ensure that every man does his duty in 
  the name of the God-Emperor. The degree to which the 
  Adeptus Ministorum has involvement with a regiment 
  is largely dependent on the regiment’s degree of faith 
  and the world from which it hails. Some regiments, 
  such as the Maccabian Janissaries, are deeply devout 
  Time is always a pressure on the Imperial Guard and, 
  with the number of wars it must ﬁght and the huge areas it 
  must defend, commanders cannot usually wait years for new 
  recruits to be trained, as much as they might like to. Because 
  of this need and the constant demands by the Departmento 
  Munitorum for more men, a large part of a Guardsman’s 
  training will often take place in transit aboard an Imperial 
  Naval transport vessel. In the deep holds of these ships, the 
  men will endlessly drill and practise squad and unit tactics, 
  their ofﬁcers and Commissars striving desperately to get them 
  into some semblance of combat readiness before they face 
  the foe for the ﬁrst time and they must ﬁght for their lives. 
  Depending on the ofﬁcers overseeing training, accidents and 
  casualties can be common, men killed in live ﬁre exercises or 
  “culled” for their ineptitude. The thinking often goes that a 
  little blood on the training ground can save a lot of blood on 
  the battleﬁeld, and for the loss of a few of the weaker members 
  of a company, the remainder will be stronger. This is not to say 
  though that the Departmento Munitorum condones waste of 
  its human resources, and many commanders prefer to round up 
  those soldiers which have proven incompetent or cowardly and 
  use them as battleﬁeld fodder instead, where their deaths might 
  give true soldiers a momentary tactical edge.   
  Some recruits for the Imperial Guard come to their regiments 
  already with a degree of combat experience. Underhive gangers 
  from the nightmare depths of overcrowded hive worlds and 
  primitive feral warriors from wild and untamed feudal worlds 
  are two of the most common kinds. Both can make excellent 
  Guardsmen with the right training and leadership, their natural 
  skills for ﬁghting and their aggressive natures translating well 
  onto the battleﬁeld. However, such people can be difﬁcult 
  A FIRST TASTE OF COMBAT
  No commander can tell exactly how fresh troops will 
  react when they are ﬁrst deployed into combat. All the 
  training in the galaxy cannot truly predict whether a 
  Guardsman will run or ﬁght when presented with the 
  horrors of war. This can be even more pronounced in 
  Imperial Guard formations which may not only be facing 
  combat for the ﬁrst time, but hideous xenos monsters 
  or Warp-spawned Daemons which the Guardsman 
  had no concept even existed before they appeared in 
  his lasguns sights. Commanders always keep a close 
  eye on regiments deployed for the ﬁrst time and will 
  try to mitigate any problems their untested courage 
  might create. This can mean the installation of veteran 
  commanders or the presence of veteran units in the same 
  battlefront, or, with especially cautious commanders, 
  the assignment of such regiments to lesser areas of the 
  conﬂict or second and third lines of defence. Many times 
  though, a commander will have no choice but to send 
  the unproven troops right into the thick of the ﬁghting, 
  certainly if he is desperate for manpower or he has 
  nothing under his command but fresh untested units. In 
  either case, every regiment must eventually face combat 
  for the ﬁrst time and then, and only then, will its leaders 
  know what kind of Guardsmen they have made.
  
  22
  Introduction
  become perceived as the “enemy” by the Adeptus Ministorum, 
  and it might ﬁnd more and more priests joining its ranks in 
  an effort to ensure it display the right level of fanaticism. 
  Fortunately for most Imperial Guardsmen, this never becomes 
  an issue and the presence of a ﬁery Confessor in battle is a 
  welcome one as he cries out prayers to the God-Emperor and 
  personally leads men screaming into the fray.
  HAND OF THE MACHINE GOD
  Tech-Priests minister to the Imperial Guard’s machines of war, 
  its vast array of battle tanks, support weapons, and countless 
  armoured personnel carriers, and transport vehicles. Part of 
  the sacred Priesthood of Mars, the Tech-Priest Enginseers are 
  mankind’s custodians of technology, taught the ancient secrets 
  of machine spirits and the rites which will awaken a machine 
  and make it do man’s bidding. All of the technology used by 
  the Imperial Guard is crafted from ancient designs, created 
  long ago by mankind, and understanding of the workings 
  of this technology has been largely forgotten. Enginseers are 
  among the few that still comprehend even a fraction of these 
  mysteries and so their presence in Imperial Guard regiments 
  is necessary for even a lightly mechanised force to function. 
  When a machine fails in battle or a tank is in need of repair, 
  it is the Tech-Priests which are summoned, chanting slow 
  prayers to the Machine God over the wreck and enacting the 
  rites which will once again awaken it to war.
  As beﬁts members of one of the most powerful 
  organisations in the Imperium, Tech-Priests come to the 
  Imperial Guard well-equipped, protected by rare and potent 
  suits of armour, with ancient weapons and arcane devices of 
  uses all but unknown to the common man. Robed in red, a 
  men and women, and bring many priests with them when 
  they march to war, while others, such as the savages of 
  Dust or Iocanthos, have only those brave and bold enough 
  among the clergy willing to act as advisors to its ofﬁcers. 
  Despite this wide variance, however, there is almost always 
  at least one member of the Adeptus Ministorum among the 
  ranks of every Imperial Guard Regiment as per an ancient 
  Ecclesiarchal decree.
  Confessors and other independent Ecclesiarchy servants 
  can also be found travelling with the Imperial Guard and 
  joining it on the battleﬁeld. These powerful and charismatic 
  men and women are far more difﬁcult for a commander to 
  control or, failing that, ignore. Instead, a commander must 
  content himself with an “alliance” with the Confessor, either 
  embracing the priest’s religious zeal or trying to steer it toward 
  his regiment’s own goals. This can cause additional tension if 
  the regiment comes from a world where the Imperial Creed 
  is not as strong as the Ministorum would like it to be, and 
  its Guardsmen more loyal to their own ofﬁcers than the ideal 
  of the God-Emperor. In these cases, the regiment itself can 
  Introduction
  among the few that still comprehend even a fraction of these 
  mysteries and so their presence in Imperial Guard regiments 
  is necessary for even a lightly mechanised force to function. 
  When a machine fails in battle or a tank is in need of repair, 
  it is the Tech-Priests which are summoned, chanting slow 
  prayers to the Machine God over the wreck and enacting the 
  rites which will once again awaken it to war.
  organisations in the Imperium, Tech-Priests come to the 
  Imperial Guard well-equipped, protected by rare and potent 
  suits of armour, with ancient weapons and arcane devices of 
  uses all but unknown to the common man. Robed in red, a 
  22
  Introduction
  They came last night, when the not-sky turned dark and 
  most of us were sleeping. The first I knew anything was 
  wrong was when one of the perimeter flares was tripped 
  somewhere in the dark. The next thing I knew, something 
  landed in the trench beside me that looked like a stick with 
  a metal ball on one end, then everything turned white for 
  a second and I was thrown to the ground. Only as I was 
  getting up did I realise that Torsh had stepped between me 
  and the bomb and taken the brunt of the blast, shredding his 
  flesh and breaking his bones. Jumping up to the trench’s 
  firing step I could see a dozen hulking figures running up 
  out of the earthworks toward me. It was then I remembered 
  Prator and the servitors and started firing. Scores more 
  Guardsmen took up position beside me and, just as we had 
  been taught, we laid down volley after volley at the advancing 
  figures. Yet still they came. As they got closer I realised 
  each one must have stood seven foot tall, covered in muscle 
  and howling for blood through wickedly pointed teeth. Just 
  feet from where I stood I saw one of the creatures reach down 
  into our trench and haul out a poor Guardsman before ripping 
  his arm from its socket and tossing him aside like a toy. 
  It was then that our lines seemed to waver and thoughts of 
  flight were swimming through my mind. Our captain, Favan, 
  who had joined us in the trench, didn’t seem to know what 
  to do, and I saw him crawl back toward the centre of Rans 
  Bluff with fear in his eyes. All around, men were falling 
  back, following the captain. Then I heard a shot ring out, 
  distinct, deep, and loud. Standing over Favan’s body was 
  Commissar Kurtz, a man I had only seen from afar and 
  heard dire rumours about. I still remember what he said, 
  “Fight them or fight me! Make your choice, but remember 
  the God-Emperor is watching and you will be judged!” 
  And so I fought them, and fought until there 
  was no more fighting to be done.
  
  23
  Introduction
  Condemned to a miserable existence as forced labour or 
  culled to “acceptable” levels, mutant populations are usually 
  considered an unpleasant problem by planetary governors and 
  kept far away from the eyes and lives of its citizens. Mutants 
  are also often seen as touched by the Warp, or somehow in 
  league with the Ruinous Powers, and thus always considered 
  dangerous and suspicious by Imperial authority, and among 
  the ﬁrst to suffer the attentions of the Inquisition.
  Not all mutants are so scorned or oppressed by the Imperium, 
  and some kinds have even reached a point of sanctioning 
  and induction to the Imperial Guard. These are stable strains 
  of mutants known as abhumans, and primarily comprised of 
  Ogryns and Ratlings. Ogryns are large, bulky humanoids, 
  standing seven or eight feet tall and wrapped in massive slabs 
  of muscle. Despite limited imagination, they make excellent 
  shock troops, where their size and ability to ignore all but 
  the most grievous of wounds allows them to plough into the 
  enemy, leading the way for their comrades. Ogryns are also 
  fantastically loyal and make excellent bodyguards, ﬁghting to 
  the death or standing resolutely over the body of their fallen 
  master like a faithful dog (granted, a seven foot dog armed 
  with a shotcannon). For their strengths, though, Ogryns 
  do have their weaknesses. In addition to their limited 
  intelligence, which, without proper leadership, can leave 
  them confused or dithering in the midst of battle, they 
  are also adverse to conﬁned spaces, especially dark 
  Tech-Priest is also usually augmented mechanically, organs 
  and limbs replaced with machines, making him closer to 
  the perfection of the Machine God which he worships. 
  Enginseers are also accompanied by servitors to aid them 
  in their tasks; lobotomized humans, augmented and altered 
  for a single purpose, acting as the living tools with which 
  the Enginseer completes his tasks. Servitors, and the Tech-
  Priests which create and control them, can be found in every 
  facet of the Imperium, making up huge numbers of workers 
  on void-fairing vessels and in highly developed planets like 
  hive worlds. The Imperial Guard is no different, and for every 
  Enginseer there will be numerous servitors ambling about 
  doing his bidding, their sallow grey skin and dead eyes a 
  faint reminder of their lost humanity and the power of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus over mankind. 
  ABHUMANS
  The Imperium is both a diverse and dangerous place, choked 
  with worlds mired with billions of humans. Among all that 
  teeming humanity, and over the course of the many millennia 
  since mankind ﬁrst stepped out among the stars, it is little 
  wonder that the human race has devolved and diverged 
  numerous times into mutation. Many hive worlds and similar 
  developed planets have signiﬁcant mutant populations, the 
  twisted rejects of humanity warped by chemicals, radiation, 
  or successive generations of inbreeding and genetic impurity. 
  TITHES AND FOUNDINGS
  Every world in the Imperium is required to provide men for the Imperial Guard as part of its tithe to the Adeptus Terra. 
  Tithing is the due all worlds owe the God-Emperor, and the standard galactic taxation of the Imperium’s resources that 
  at once both binds it together and allows it to function. There is, however, no exact number or method for an Imperial 
  tithe, no universal quota which must be met or exact number common to all planets. Instead, the Administratum, with 
  its countless departments and divisions, sets and monitors tithes based on the nature of the world in question. While it is 
  true every world must provide for the Imperium, not all do so with the same amount or even the same manner of men and 
  materials. Large and populous worlds are therefore expected to give heavily, raise more regiments with greater numbers of 
  men, and provide them with better equipment, while smaller worlds are expected to give proportionally less. For instance, 
  the numerous regiments of Scintilla and their various ﬁnery and wealth of materiel far exceed the feudal regiments provided 
  by the High Kings of Acreage, but both are equal in the eyes of the Administratum as set out by the contracts of their tithes.
  Exactly how a planetary governor, be he a despotic king, bureaucratic ofﬁcial, or fairly elected chairman, rules his world 
  is largely beyond the notice of the Adeptus Terra and the Administratum, as long as he fulﬁls his obligations and produces 
  his tithe. Thus the nature of the founding and raising of a regiment for service in the Imperial Guard varies hugely among 
  worlds, just as the composition of the regiment when it is offered up for Imperial service will vary. On some worlds it is a 
  great honour to join the Imperial Guard, and men and women must prove themselves, sometimes in bloody trials, for the 
  chance, while on others a governor will only take those which volunteer and make the choice to leave their worlds behind 
  to serve their God-Emperor. Many worlds simply conscript the men of their foundings, either with some semblance of 
  fairness using lotteries or impartial systems or more often simply to get rid of excess population or undesirable elements 
  within their society. This latter method accounts for many of the hive world gangers and feral bandits which ﬁnd their way 
  into the Imperial Guard—criminals rounded up and given a choice between death or off-world service.
  Wherever the men come from, as long as the Administratum sees that a world is honouring its tithe, it does not care 
  much about the methods involved. Should a planet fail to produce its tithe, offer it up late, or present substandard men 
  and materiel, the Administratum is quick to act. There are few greater sins against the Administratum, and the Imperium, 
  than failure to pay one’s tithe to the God-Emperor, and while the most brutal of regimes or most bloodthirsty of warlords 
  can be tolerated despite the inhumanity to their people, the Imperium will not stand for evasion of the Emperor’s tax. 
  To commit such a crime will almost always mean that the planetary governor’s life is forfeit, sometimes including the 
  world’s entire ruling class, as a lesson to those that replace them not to take the demands of the Adeptus Terra lightly. 
  The Administratum will then take its due, sometimes with interest added to punish the transgressing world and ensure 
  it does not forget the price of such a treachery.
  
  24
  24
  Introduction
  Even Primaris Psykers who have shown a greater level of 
  control and survived to become veterans within a regiment 
  are usually not well received. Their new comrades and long 
  time commanders all keep their distance because of that 
  inexplicable disquiet which seems to hang over all those 
  touched by the Warp. The only comfort to a Guardsman 
  who witnesses such a psyker in combat, an experience 
  only slightly less traumatic than facing an enemy psyker, 
  is the Commissar or overseer standing at the psyker’s back, 
  vigilant eyes keenly searching for signs of possession or loss 
  of control, and his bolt pistol cocked and ready.
  ANATOMY OF A REGIMENT
  A regiment is the standard military formation of the Imperial 
  Guard and the key method the Departmento Munitorum 
  uses to group troops and ﬁghting vehicles into manageable 
  allotments. Though it is a command term, and every founding 
  is typically given a designation using the title of regiment, 
  there is no standard to its size or disposition. A regiment might 
  comprise hundreds of thousands of men or hundreds of tanks, 
  or it might only number a handful of men, a single company of 
  a dozen vehicles or similar token force. Equally, regiments are 
  not always comprised of frontline ﬁghting troops—a regiment 
  might be a medical battalion of medicae personal and servitors 
  or a logistical division with nothing more than unarmoured 
  transports and drivers. In the eyes of the Departmento 
  Munitorum, all regiments represent a portion of the Imperial 
  Guard’s might, regardless of their exact make up and it is not 
  uncommon for the paper strength of the Imperial Guard to be 
  signiﬁcantly different to its actual strength on the ground. In 
  the great accounts of the Administratum, dozens of regiments 
  deployed to a warzone might look like a massive allocation of 
  resources and manpower, but if most of those regiments are 
  made up of second echelon formations or support companies, 
  the truth will be quite different.
  The most deﬁning factor in the size and composition of a 
  regiment is its home world. Regiments raised on hive worlds 
  or prosperous forge worlds will typically have more men to 
  conscript into their ranks and more equipment with which 
  to arm them. Smaller worlds or those less developed (or with 
  smaller populations) will have smaller foundings and less men 
  to commit to a single regiment. Thus, canny commanders will 
  be able to judge the ﬁghting potential of a regiment based 
  upon its home world and plan accordingly. In the Calixis 
  Sector, regiments from the core worlds of Scintilla, Sepheris 
  Secundus, and Luggnum all produce strong, battle-worthy 
  regiments, while regiments from the Lathes Worlds are some 
  of the best equipped in the sector. Commanders also know to 
  value troops from feral or shrine worlds, where savagery and 
  fanaticism can account for more than numbers would indicate. 
  The worlds of the Drusus Marches fall into this category, such 
  as Maccabeus Quintus where the regiments of Maccabian 
  Janissaries have a reputation for their zeal and devotion to the 
  Imperial cause. On the other hand, regiments from certain 
  worlds will become a byword for poor quality and training, 
  either because of the dregs their governors choose to tithe to 
  the Imperial Guard or simply because there are no worthy 
  ﬁghting men among their populations. Within the Calixis 
  ones. An understandable trait in such a large creature, the 
  Imperial Guard nevertheless has to transport the abhumans 
  to the battleﬁeld, and it will fall to some unlucky Guardsman 
  to lure the Ogryns into a transport or ship hold (often with 
  the promise of food) and then babysit them through a long 
  and miserable journey. 
  Ratlings are of a different breed altogether, and where the 
  Ogryn is large and powerfully muscled, the Ratling is diminutive 
  and quick. Only reaching heights of three or four feet, Ratlings 
  make excellent snipers and inﬁltrators, their keen senses and 
  small size allowing them to slip past larger foes. Ratlings 
  have their own home worlds, descended from ancient human 
  colonies where they levy troops for the Imperial Guard, and so 
  feel their rightful place among the Imperial Guard just like any 
  other world might. Unlike other worlds, though, Ratlings are 
  not large or strong enough to make acceptable front line troops 
  and thus do not comprise complete regiments in the same way 
  as the rest of the Imperial Guard. Instead, Ratlings are used as 
  specialist troops, either as snipers and inﬁltrators (where their 
  natural marksmanship and skills at stealth outshine ordinary 
  Guardsmen) or as their other great vocation: cooks.
  SANCTIONED PSYKERS
  The Imperial Guard makes extensive use of psykers when 
  it wages war. Astropaths allow for Imperial Guard forces to 
  communicate with the Departmento Munitorum and their 
  Commanding Ofﬁcers across the vast gulf of space, a resource 
  that without which, the Imperial Guard would be nothing 
  more than countless, uncoordinated armies. Astropaths are also 
  vital to convey telepathic messages over long distances on the 
  battleﬁeld, especially when secrecy and discretion is desirable 
  or vox signals would be out of range. They often possess other 
  powers as well, such as precognition and various other kinds of 
  divination which can be of use to Imperial commanders, eager 
  for anything which might help them to pierce the fog of war, 
  no matter how questionable its origins might be. In addition 
  to the Astropaths, the Imperial Guard also makes use of more 
  direct psychic intervention in the form of Primaris Psykers 
  and Sanctioned Psyker cadres. These are gifted individuals 
  which have been trained by the Scholastica Psykana for the 
  Imperial Guard’s use and which have been deemed “safe” 
  enough for frontline service. Even so, Sanctioned Psykers can 
  prove unpredictable and, until they have proven themselves and 
  risen to the rank of a Primus Psyker, they are always grouped 
  together and kept under the watchful eye of a specially trained 
  overseer. These psychic choirs are made up of individually 
  weak psykers, novices to the art of controlling the energies 
  of the Warp but psychically strong when grouped together 
  and focused on a single task. In battle, this can be sending 
  bolts of energy into the ranks of the foe, shielding soldiers 
  from las-blasts and bolt-shells, or providing some semblance of 
  protection against the horrors of the Warp for which mundane 
  weapons are no defence.
  Psykers in the Imperial Guard, despite the uses they 
  can have or the value a commander might place upon 
  them, are generally despised and feared in equal 
  measures. No Guardsman wants to share a trench 
  with someone who might suddenly burst into 
  ﬂame or turn into a ravening Daemon-host. 
  
  25
  25
  Introduction
  from its home world. Almost always, regiments from the same 
  home world—or at the very least same system—are merged in 
  this way. On rare occasions, regiments from different planets 
  might be amalgamated, however, this can lead to problems 
  in morale and leadership. Even when two regiments from the 
  same home world are brought together there can be issues, 
  especially when one has already made a name for itself.
  Within a regiment, commanders will divide their men 
  and vehicles into smaller, more manageable combat units 
  depending on the customs and practices of their home world. 
  While the names, sizes, and roles of these combat units can 
  vary widely, there are three fairly common formations which 
  can be found in the majority of Imperial Guard regiments. 
  These are the Company, Platoon, and Squad.
  SQUADS
  The smallest unit in the Imperial Guard is usually known as a 
  squad and is, on average, comprised of ten soldiers. Commanders 
  throughout the ages have found that the squads are the basic 
  building blocks of their armies and are vital to success on the 
  battleﬁeld. A good squad can outﬁght an enemy many times 
  its own number using clever tactics and coordinated attacks 
  or defences, ﬂanking their foes, catching them in crossﬁres, or 
  laying deadly ambushes. While a squad will operate as part 
  of a larger formation of many men, in more elite units it will 
  often have its own objectives as part of the whole, and 
  skilled commanders will use numerous squads in concert 
  Sector there are numerous such worlds, their miserable tithes 
  of men barely worth the trouble of the Imperial Guard to 
  train and equip. Two such worlds lie in the Markayn Marches: 
  Dreah, a world of such dismal and depressing people that its 
  soldiers are good for little more than cannon fodder, and Prol 
  IX, a world of scribes and scholars, as unfamiliar with arms 
  and armour as they are with the ways of war.
  After home world, a regiment’s disposition will largely be 
  a result of its combat history. Because there is no exact size to 
  a regiment, it can be difﬁcult for Imperial Guard commanders 
  and the Departmento Munitorum to gauge its exact ﬁghting 
  strength. Once a regiment has been in combat for a while, it 
  is almost certain it will have suffered losses and its original 
  strength will have been diminished. However, this means less 
  for a regiment of a hundred thousand men than it does for one 
  of a few hundred. Unless an ofﬁcer can directly ascertain the 
  strength of a regiment (assuming he cares about preserving it 
  at all) the Departmento Munitorum and command response is 
  usually to send it into battle and see how it fares. Eventually, 
  it will either fail, and thus prompt the deployment of another 
  regiment, or succeed, in which case it is clearly up to the task 
  of ﬁghting and should immediately be sent back into the fray. 
  Often, when a regiment becomes too small to be of any real 
  operation use, it is absorbed or folded into another existing 
  regiment. This is a common battleﬁeld alternative to reinforcing, 
  which can take months or years given the regiment’s distance 
  It has been months since I 
  came to this cursed world to do 
  my duty to the God-Emperor. I’m 
  all that’s left out of the Fabricator 
  Guild lads, and the last from my 
  strata as far as I know. There is no 
  peace here and no point to what we 
  do. I have fought the Orks time 
  and again and seen what they are 
  capable of. I have fought the 
  rebels here, traitors which 
  I spit on every time I 
  put a las-round between 
  their cowardly shoulder 
  blades. There is no point 
  to recording what I do, for 
  there is no reason to it and no 
  respite. But I am a Guardsman, 
  this is my duty and my honour, 
  and I will serve my Emperor and 
  bring glory to my regiment as long as 
  a single breath fills my body.
  It has been months since I 
  came to this cursed world to do 
  my duty to the God-Emperor. I’m 
  all that’s left out of the Fabricator 
  Guild lads, and the last from my 
  strata as far as I know. There is no 
  peace here and no point to what we 
  do. I have fought the Orks time 
  do. I have fought the Orks time 
  and again and seen what they are 
  capable of. I have fought the 
  rebels here, traitors which 
  I spit on every time I 
  to recording what I do, for 
  there is no reason to it and no 
  respite. But I am a Guardsman, 
  this is my duty and my honour, 
  and I will serve my Emperor and 
  bring glory to my regiment as long as 
  a single breath fills my body.
  
  26
  Introduction
  teams and specialist troopers but also because the casualties 
  and attrition so common to Imperial Guard formations are 
  acutely felt at the platoon level. Over the course of its life, 
  a platoon will cycle many squads and replacements, groups 
  of fresh recruits being funnelled in to make up for losses. 
  Veteran squads in such platoons seldom bother to learn much 
  about their comrades, well aware that soon many of the fresh-
  faced men joining them will be corpses.  
  COMPANIES
  Companies are typically units made up of three to six platoons 
  with the addition of supporting formations. In an infantry 
  platoon, this may mean upwards of two hundred frontline 
  ﬁghting men arranged into platoons and squads, added to 
  which are squads and platoons of heavy weapons, medicae 
  staff, and dedicated communications ofﬁcers. Meanwhile, in 
  an armoured company, this can mean several dozen tanks or 
  ﬁghting vehicles with dedicated mechanised support such as 
  infantry platoons mounted in Chimeras. The company level is 
  also where members from the Imperial Guard’s allies typically 
  appear, and attached clerics of the Ministorum, Enginseer Tech-
  Priests, or psykers of the Scholastic Psykana can be found. 
  Much like regiments, companies can earn much prestige and 
  honour for themselves if they perform well in battle. While a 
  regiment’s renown might be known beyond its home world, 
  a company’s renown is usually limited to the conﬁnes of its 
  regiment. Even so, a famous company can live on for centuries 
  in the history of a world and every Guardsman recruited for 
  such a regiment will have heard tell of their exploits. To honour 
  these companies, a regiment will often grant it special status 
  within the regiment and keep its name on their rolls long after its 
  original members have died. An example of this is the Ambulon 
  Junkers, a company originally comprised of conscripted deep 
  scrappers from the Scintillan hive of Ambulon. Even though 
  the original Junkers are long gone, regiments raised on Scintilla 
  with a signiﬁcant intake from Ambulon will form an honorary 
  Junkers company from its more worthy new recruits.
  to achieve their goals. Equally in conscript armies, squads can 
  be mere designations, where one tally on the roster starts and 
  another ends, its members utilised as only part of a mass of men 
  in blunt attacks or crude holding actions.
  Squads that ﬁght together and survive for any length of 
  time will form close bonds of comradeship, as there are few 
  things like combat to bind men together, especially when 
  they must continually protect each other from harm. Some 
  commanders, and certain Commissars, see this bond as a cancer 
  to morale, and create distinctions between members of an army 
  which should be a single united force under the gaze of the 
  God-Emperor. Their response is to break up squads which 
  have served too long together or cycle men from one squad to 
  another on a regular basis, lest they become too familiar and 
  start to see themselves as somehow unique. An experienced 
  commander, however, recognises the value of a veteran squad, 
  and more than one regimental ofﬁcer is willing to turn a blind 
  eye to lapses in discipline or correct uniform if it means a squad 
  performs better on the battleﬁeld.
  PLATOONS
  Platoons are units comprised of around half a dozen squads 
  under a single commander. In an infantry platoon, this might 
  include the addition of heavy weapon squads or special 
  weapon troopers to supplement the squads’ own individual 
  ﬁrepower, whereas an armoured platoon might comprise of 
  several tanks or self-propelled artillery pieces, perhaps with 
  the addition of a recovery or command vehicle. While a squad 
  may be given speciﬁc roles within a single combat action, a 
  platoon is a tactically signiﬁcant force and will be assigned a 
  speciﬁc role within an attack or defence, often relying only on 
  its own men and weaponry to get the job done. Regimental 
  commanders consider platoons capable of holding their own 
  on the battleﬁeld and thus platoons might be sent off far from 
  the rest of the regiment to hold a ridge line, scout a ruined hab-
  block, or attack an enemy strongpoint by themselves.
  Platoons, like squads, can form close bonds over time, 
  though this is less likely given that the disposition of 
  squads can change dramatically from engagement to 
  engagement. This is in part because a commander 
  may wish to form platoons of different weapon 
  COMBINED ARMS
  When a regiment is created, it is usually made up of a single kind of ﬁghting formation, i.e., infantry, armour, drop-
  troops, etc. Even if a world provides considerable numbers of infantry alongside tanks and artillery vehicles, these will 
  be divided into different regiments depending on the kind of formation they are. The reasons for this stretch back to 
  the time of the Horus Heresy and the great rebellion against the God-Emperor. During that period, even relatively low 
  ranking commanders in the Imperial Army had control over companies and divisions of men which incorporated tanks, 
  artillery, and orbital naval gunﬁre. A single such regiment in the Imperial Army could, on its own, lay waste to an entire 
  world. When vast portions of the Imperial Army sided with Horus, they took with them these regiments of combined 
  arms along with their legions of armoured vehicles and void fairing vessels. In the dark days after the defeat of Horus, 
  the survivors made sure no one man could ever command such power again, and should any force turn traitor it would 
  do so with only limited arms and manpower. So, in addition to the new divisions in the Imperial Army, which created 
  the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Navy, regiments were limited in the kinds of formations they could include. For 
  thousands of years this practice has made it easier for the Imperial Guard to deal with traitors. An infantry or armoured 
  regiment which sides with the enemy, or is corrupted by the Dark Powers, will ﬁnd itself facing combinations of 
  infantry, tanks, artillery and naval support, and be at a signiﬁcant disadvantage both tactically and strategically.
  
  GAME DICE
  •
  TESTS
  •
  THE ROLE  
  OF FATE
  •
  MOVEMENT
  
  28
  28
  I: Playing the Game
  or “d100,” the player or GM uses a pair of ten-sided dice, 
  one assigned as the “ones” digit and the other assigned as 
  the “tens” digit, to generate his number. Unlike d10 rolls, the 
  results of a percentile roll aren’t added together. See Table 
  1–1: Percentile Roll Examples for a quick explanation of 
  how to read a percentile roll.
  EXAMPLE
  Darius is searching a ruined building for spare ammo and gear. 
  Once all modiﬁers have been applied, the GM tells Darius that 
  he will need a 45 or below to ﬁnd something useful amongst the 
  rubble. Darius rolls his percentile dice and gets a result of 61, well 
  over his target and a disappointing failure.
  There are times when the rules will require a roll of 1d5. 
  To make this roll, the player simply rolls a ten-sided die, 
  divides the result by two, and rounds up.
  EXAMPLE
  Darius is attacked by an opponent with a grenade launcher and 
  is struck with a krak grenade. The GM scores a solid hit that 
  deals so much Explosive Damage to Darius that it punches right 
  through his ﬂak armour and deals one point of Critical Damage. 
  Consulting the appropriate Critical Damage table, the GM ﬁnds 
  that, along with the Damage dealt by the grenade, Darius is also 
  thrown backward 1d5 metres. The GM rolls a ten-sided die and 
  gets a 7, which is treated as a result of 4 (7÷2=3.5 rounded up to 
  4). Darius ﬂies four metres and lands ﬂat on his back.
  Whenever fractions are generated, such as when dividing 
  a result in half on a roll, the results should be rounded up.
  CHARACTERISTICS
  Characteristics represent a character’s raw potential and natural 
  physical and mental gifts, such as his strength, agility, intelligence, 
  and skill with melee and ranged weaponry. Characteristics 
  operate on a scale of 1 to 100 and the higher the Characteristic 
  is, the more raw talent the character has in that particular area. 
  There are nine different Characteristics in ONLY WAR and each 
  represents a different area of mental or physical attributes. Each is 
  listed brieﬂy here, with its common abbreviation (Willpower, for 
  example, is often abbreviated as “WP” in game text). 
  WEAPON SKILL (WS)
  Weapon Skill measures a character’s competence in hand-to-
  hand ﬁghting, whether using ﬁsts, knives, or chainswords. 
  Chapter I: 
  Playing the 
  Game
  T
  he following chapter outlines the game’s core game 
  mechanics and how to use them to play ONLY WAR. 
  It covers the dice used to play, how to make Tests, and 
  how to set task difﬁculties. This chapter also covers special rules 
  for movement, lighting, gravity, and many other environmental 
  conditions that have a direct effect on the Player Characters.
  GAME DICE
  For ease of play, ONLY 
  WAR uses only ten-sided 
  polyhedral dice for its 
  core game mechanic. Ten-
  sided dice can be acquired 
  online or anywhere role-playing games 
  are sold, including game stores and larger chain book stores. 
  In fact, the dice needed to play ONLY WAR are likely available 
  at the very store where this book was purchased. The GM 
  and each player will need at least one pair of ten-sided 
  dice. These dice should preferably be of different colours to 
  help differentiate between the “tens” die and the “ones” die. 
  There are also special pairs of ten-sided dice that typically 
  come in sets of dice called percentile dice. One of the pair is 
  numbered 1-10 like normal dice and the other is numbered 
  10-00. These dice are designed to allow a player to easily 
  generate a random number between 1 and 100.
  ONLY WAR uses, at its core, two basic types of die rolls, 
  the “d10” roll and the percentile roll. D10 (ten-sided dice) 
  rolls are called for when the player or GM needs to generate a 
  number between one and ten (or a higher number if multiple 
  d10 dice are rolled and the results added together), perhaps 
  when rolling Damage for a weapon. When making a d10 
  roll, the player or GM rolls the number of dice called for, 
  three dice for a roll of 3d10 for example, and adds the results 
  together (meaning the results could be between 3 and 30).
  EXAMPLE
  Darius, a Cadian Guardsman, is hit with a blast from a meltagun 
  which inﬂicts 2d10+2 Energy Damage. The GM rolls two ten-
  sided dice and gets a 4 and a 9. He adds the two dice results, 
  getting a total of 13, then adds two more points for a total of 15 
  points of Damage.
  Percentile rolls are called for when a player or GM needs 
  to generate a random number from 1-100 and are perhaps 
  the most common rolls made in the game. Characteristic 
  and Skill Tests are two of the many ways in which 
  percentile rolls are used in the game. When making 
  percentile rolls, commonly abbreviated as “d%” 
  Table 1–1: Percentile Roll Examples
  “TENS” DIE
  “ONES” DIE
  RESULT
  ESULT
  ESUL
  7
  3
  73
  4
  2
  42
  42
  0
  1
  1
  0
  0
  100
  core game mechanic. Ten-
  sided dice can be acquired 
  
  29
  29
  I: Playing the Game
  Tests
  T
  he Test is the basic mechanic by which success or failure is 
  determined in ONLY WAR. Whenever a character performs 
  a task or action that has a direct or dramatic effect on the 
  game—be it ﬁring a lasgun at a ﬂeeing enemy, fast-talking a 
  commanding ofﬁcer, healing a comrade, or negotiating with 
  an enemy—that character may be called on to make a Test to 
  determine whether their action succeeds or fails. 
  THE CORE MECHANIC
  To make a Test, follow these steps.
  • Determine the Skill or Characteristic being Tested.
  Each Test identiﬁes one Characteristic or a Skill (which
  is a Characteristic modiﬁed by certain training) that
  must be Tested.
  • Once the Skill or Characteristic is identiﬁed, take
  the value of the Skill or Characteristic. This will be a
  number between 1 and 100. Once the player has that
  number, he should identify any modiﬁers that may
  affect the Test, either positive or negative. Easier Tests
  may grant bonuses (such as +10 or +20) to the Skill or
  Characteristic being Tested for the duration of the Test,
  while more difﬁcult Tests may impose penalties (such
  as –10 or –20). In addition, actions and environmental
  conditions may impose further modiﬁers. Aiming a gun
  before ﬁring it may grant a bonus to a Ballistic Skill Test,
  while running through deep snow may impose a penalty
  to an Athletics Test.
  • Add all the modiﬁers together. Positive and negative
  modiﬁers may negate each other. Once all modiﬁers
  have been combined, the player should be left with a
  ﬁnal number. This number may be greater than 100,
  or less than zero, but will typically be a number
  between 1 and 100.
  BALLISTIC SKILL (BS)
  Ballistic Skill reﬂects a character’s accuracy with ranged weapons, 
  whether lasguns, missile launchers, or even throwing knives.
  STRENGTH (S)
  Strength represents how physically strong a character is. 
  TOUGHNESS (T)
  Toughness deﬁnes how easily a character can shrug off 
  injury as well as how easily he can resist toxins, poisonous 
  environments, disease, and other physical ailments. 
  AGILITY (AG)
  Agility measure’s a character’s quickness, reﬂexes and poise. 
  INTELLIGENCE (INT)
  Intelligence is a measurement of a character’s acumen, reason 
  and general knowledge. 
  PERCEPTION (PER)
  Perception describes how aware a character is of his 
  surroundings and the acuteness of his senses. 
  WILLPOWER (WP)
  Willpower demonstrates a character’s mental strength and 
  resilience; his strength and toughness of mind. It is his ability to 
  withstand the horrors of war, the terrors of the unknown, and—in 
  the case of rare individuals—the potency of his psychic powers. 
  FELLOWSHIP (FEL)
  Fellowship is a character’s ability to interact with others, and 
  represents his ability to charm, command, or deceive. 
  CHARACTERISTICS AND 
  CHARACTERISTIC BONUSES
  Each Characteristic is a number between 1 and 100, with 
  higher numbers better than lower numbers. In addition, each 
  Characteristic has a Characteristic Bonus, a number equal to 
  the tens digit of the Characteristic. For example, a character 
  with a Strength of 42 would have a Strength Bonus of 4. 
  Characteristic Bonuses are used in a wide variety of situations.
  When a Characteristic Bonus is abbreviated in the text, 
  it will use the Characteristic abbreviations listed above with 
  an additional “B” at the end (Willpower Bonus, for example, 
  would be abbreviated as “WPB” in game text).
  Characteristics are important to a Guardsman for a number 
  of reasons, not least of which is that they reﬂect a character’s 
  ability to succeed at particular actions. Characteristics 
  are modiﬁed by external factors such as Skills, and can be 
  improved in a number of temporary and permanent ways. 
  Since Characteristics set the base target number for all Tests in 
  ONLY WAR, high Characteristics are always more favourable 
  than low Characteristics. For more information on how to 
  generate Characteristics and how they relate to character 
  generation, see Chapter III: Character Creation.
  SKILLS, TALENTS, AND TRAITS
  If the raw potential and natural gifts of a character 
  are described by his Characteristics, his competence, 
  prowess, and innate abilities are deﬁned by his Skills, 
  Talents, and Traits. Skills are learned abilities, such as 
  speaking a language or driving a vehicle, that reﬂect 
  a character’s training and life experience. Talents are 
  unique abilities and proﬁciencies that a character 
  possesses either through his intrinsic nature or from 
  years of hard-won experience. Ambidexterity, the 
  ability to use both hands equally well, is a Talent. 
  Finally, Traits are those abilities a character possesses 
  by virtue of birth, mutation, or racial circumstance. 
  Dark Sight, the ability to see in complete darkness, 
  is a Trait, as it’s not something humans are normally 
  able to do. More information on Skills can be found in 
  Chapter IV: Skills on page 112, and information 
  on Talents and Traits can be found in Chapter V: 
  Talents and Traits on page 136.
  
  30
  30
  I: Playing the Game
  EXAMPLE
  Guardsman  Darius is trying to get some green conscripts to join 
  him in an attack on an enemy outpost. Due to the risky nature of 
  the demand, the GM decides that this requires a Command Test. 
  If he had been trained in the ways of commanding men, Darius 
  would make this Test against his Fellowship of 33. However, as 
  he is untrained in this particular Skill, he suffers a –20 to his 
  Characteristic and must roll under 13 to succeed.
  CHARACTERISTIC TESTS
  There are times over the course of an ONLY WAR game when 
  no amount of education or training sufﬁces, and a player 
  must rely simply on raw physical prowess or mental acumen. 
  Breaking through a reinforced door or resisting torture are 
  two tasks that call for Characteristic Tests. Again, the Core 
  Mechanic is used. First the Game Master determines the 
  most appropriate Characteristic for the Test, then the player 
  makes a percentage roll. If the roll is less than or equal to the 
  Characteristic after any modiﬁers are applied, then the Test 
  is successful. If the roll is higher than the Characteristic after 
  any modiﬁers are applied, then the Test fails.
  DEGREES OF SUCCESS  
  AND FAILURE
  During an ONLY WAR game, knowing whether a Test has 
  succeeded or failed is typically sufﬁcient. There are times, 
  however, when it is helpful to know just how well a character 
  has succeeded at a given task, or just how badly he has failed. 
  This is of particular importance with social skills, such as 
  Charm and Inquiry, as well as during some combat situations 
  such as when ﬁring an automatic weapon. 
  • Make a percentile roll (see page 28).
  • If the result of the percentile roll is less than or equal
  to the Skill or Characteristic being Tested, after all
  modiﬁers are applied, then the Test succeeds.
  • If the result of the percentile roll is greater than the Skill
  or Characteristic being Tested, after all modiﬁers are
  applied, then the Test fails.
  • Note, that if the result of the percentile roll is a natural 1,
  the Test succeeds, even if the total modiﬁers made the Skill
  or Characteristic less than 1. Likewise, if the result is a
  natural 100, then the Test fails, even if the total modiﬁers
  made the Skill or Characteristic greater than 100.
  SKILL TESTS
  The Skill Test is the most common Test performed in ONLY 
  WAR. Each Skill is governed by a corresponding Characteristic, 
  which sets the base level of the Skill on a scale of 1-100. For 
  example, Dodge is governed by the Agility Characteristic and 
  Scrutiny is governed by the Perception Characteristic. To make 
  a Skill Test, the Core Mechanic is used. The player ﬁrst adds 
  all relevant positive and negative modiﬁers determined by the 
  Game Master to the governing Characteristic. Once the ﬁnal 
  result is tallied, the player then makes a percentile roll. A Skill 
  Test succeeds if the result of the percentile roll is equal to or 
  less than the ﬁnal target number after all modiﬁers are applied. 
  A Skill Test fails if the result of the percentile roll is higher than 
  the ﬁnal target number after all modiﬁers are applied.
  Succeeding at a Skill Test is always easier if a character has 
  training in the Skill being Tested. A character can attempt to 
  use any Skill untrained, but does so at a heavy disadvantage. 
  Any attempt to Test an untrained Skill suffers a –20 penalty 
  in addition to any other penalties.  For more about Skill Tests 
  and their penalties and beneﬁts see page 112. 
  AUTOMATIC SUCCESS AND FAILURE
  Although technically all actions require Tests, in 
  practice, this would greatly slow down the game and 
  make for an unpleasant and repetitious experience. 
  Therefore, particularly simple tests such as driving a 
  ground car along an open road, climbing a ladder, or 
  writing routine reports can be passed automatically, 
  without any Test needed. A good guideline is that if 
  the Test wouldn’t have any consequences for failing, no 
  Test should be required by the GM. On the other hand, 
  the GM may determine that some tasks are so difﬁcult 
  that the character has no chance of success and fails 
  automatically. This is to avoid players whose characters 
  have no chance of accomplishing a task attempting to 
  “ﬁsh” for a natural 1. 
  Table 1–2: Characteristic Tests
  Characteristic
  Example Tests
  Weapon Skill
  Make an attack with a melee weapon.
  Ballistic Skill
  Make an attack with a ranged weapon.
  Strength
  Break down a door, restrain a 
  captive, push over a grox.
  Toughness
  Resist poison or disease, tolerate 
  temperature extremes, stave off 
  mutation, resist hunger.
  Agility
  Determine initiative, maintain 
  balance on a narrow surface, 
  navigate treacherous terrain.
  Intelligence
  Recall an important detail, identify 
  a familiar face, solve a puzzle.
  Perception
  Notice a hidden enemy, locate 
  a secret door, gauge another 
  person’s attitude.
  Willpower
  Resist torture or Psychic Powers, 
  manifest Psychic Powers.
  Fellowship
  Make a good impression or inspire 
  conﬁdence.
  
  31
  31
  I: Playing the Game
  EXTENDED TESTS
  Occasionally, a character will attempt a task so complicated 
  that it will require quite a length of time to complete. In cases 
  such as these, the Game Master may require multiple Skill 
  Tests to complete the task. This is known as an Extended 
  Test. In general, each Skill states within its description 
  whether it requires an Extended Test. However, the Game 
  Master may adjust the time represented by each Test to best 
  suit the situation and the needs of his campaign. 
  OPPOSED TESTS
  There are times when a character needs to Test himself 
  against a foe, and times like these call for an Opposed Test. 
  In an Opposed Test, each participant makes his appropriate 
  Test normally and whoever succeeds wins the Test. If both 
  parties succeed, the party with the most Degrees of Success 
  wins the Test. If the number of successes is equal, then the 
  party with the highest Characteristic bonus wins. If the result 
  is still a tie, then the lowest die roll wins. 
  Should both parties fail, then one of two things occurs: 
  either the Test ends in a stalemate and nothing happens, 
  or both parties re-roll until there is a clear winner. Either 
  outcome is appropriate and is left to the GM’s discretion. 
  Measuring a character’s Degrees of Success or Failure is a 
  rather straightforward process. Once the percentage roll for the 
  Test is made, compare the outcome of the roll with the modiﬁed 
  Characteristic score. If the roll is equal to or lower than the 
  Characteristic, the character has gained one Degree of Success. 
  Furthermore, every 10 points by which the Test succeeds grants 
  yet another Degree of Success. Conversely, if the roll is higher 
  than the Characteristic, the character has gained one Degree 
  of Failure, and gains an additional Degree of Failure for every 
  additional 10 points rolled over the Characteristic.
  EXAMPLE
  Darius is lying in ambush with a M34 Autocannon for a group 
  of Orks from the Iron ‘Orde warband. Their Trukk rumbles into 
  view over a nearby ridge, presenting quite an easy target. From his 
  position, Darius opens up on the unsuspecting Orks, spraying their 
  vehicle with screaming shells. Darius’s player makes a roll against his 
  character’s Ballistic Skill of 55, scoring a 12 on the roll and rolling 
  under his target number by a whopping 43 points. Darius gets one 
  Degree of Success for succeeding on the Test, and an additional four 
  Degrees of Success for his lucky roll. The bulk of his shots hit home, 
  crippling the Trukk and perhaps wounding some of the Orks inside.
  
  32
  I: Playing the Game
  LIMITS ON ASSISTANCE
  While characters can assist each other in most tasks, there are 
  some restrictions and conditions that must be met:
  • To give assistance on a Skill Test, a character must have
  training in that Skill.
  • The assisting character must be adjacent to the character
  performing the Test.
  • Assistance cannot be given for Reactions or Free Actions.
  • Assistance cannot be given on Tests made to resist
  disease, poison, Fear, or anything else the Game Master
  deems inappropriate.
  • No more than two characters may attempt to assist
  another on a single Test, unless the GM decides it is
  allowable, such as if an entire Squad is attempting to
  push their Chimera out of a ditch.
  EXAMPLE
  Darius is attempting to activate some ancient technology to bring 
  power to the systems of the fortress his regiment has been tasked 
  with defending. This requires a Tech-Use Test, a Skill which 
  Darius possesses. However, he quickly realises that these ancient 
  systems are far beyond his meagre understanding of technology, 
  and he calls upon Ignacio, the Enginseer working with his platoon, 
  for assistance. Ignacio, a wizened and knowledgeable Tech-Priest, 
  also has Tech-Use trained and is uniquely suited to assist, enabling 
  him to add his know-how to Darius’ and increase their possibility 
  of success. Due to the antiquity and complexity of the systems, 
  the GM declares that this will be an Arduous (–40) Test. With 
  Ignacio’s help, however, this becomes a Very Hard (–30) Test. 
  Furthermore, if Darius succeeds in his Test, he gains an additional 
  Degree of Success thanks to Ignacio’s assistance.
  EXAMPLE
  Darius is on the front line of a battle against the ferocious Iron 
  ‘Orde Orks. As they clash in battle, an Ork Boy attempts to grab 
  the lasgun out of Darius’ hands and the GM calls for an opposed 
  Strength Test. Darius’ player rolls against his character’s Strength 
  of 36 while the GM rolls against the Ork Boy’s Strength of 45. 
  Darius’ player rolls a 34, a success but only just. The GM rolls 
  a 13 and succeeds with four Degrees of Success, a much better roll 
  than Darius’. The Ork Boy rips the lasgun from Darius’ hands, 
  leaving the Guardsman defenceless in the heat of battle.
  TEST DIFFICULTY
  No two Tests are created equal. Piloting a skimmer across an 
  open ﬁeld is one thing, while racing through a ruined, debris-
  choked cityscape while under heavy ﬁre is quite another. Both 
  require Operate (Surface) Tests, but the latter is demonstrably 
  more difﬁcult than the former. The question, however, is just 
  how much harder is piloting a skimmer through a war-torn 
  city? This is where Test difﬁculty and the Game Master’s 
  discretion come into play.
  While the difﬁculty of a given Test is sometimes clearly 
  stated by the rules, often it is left to the GM to determine 
  just how difﬁcult an action is. Once the difﬁculty of a task 
  has been determined, the GM needs to consult Table 1–3: 
  Test Difﬁculty below to ﬁnd the appropriate modiﬁer. 
  The difﬁculty modiﬁer is then applied to the governing 
  Characteristic associated with the Test before the percentile 
  roll is made.
  EXAMPLE
  Darius is attempting to ascertain the squad’s location on an alien 
  world using only the ancient and outdated maps provided by the 
  Departmento Munitorum. Due to the age of the maps, the Game 
  Master decrees that this a Hard (–20) Navigation (Surface) Test. 
  Normally, Darius would Test against his Intelligence of 38. In this 
  instance, however (as this is a Hard Test), he suffers a –20 penalty to 
  his Characteristic and must roll an 18 or less to pass the Test.
  ASSISTANCE
  Imperial Guardsmen are seldom alone, often relying on the 
  teamwork of their squad to get them through tough situations. 
  There are commonly times during an ONLY WAR game when 
  a task will be too great, an obstacle too insurmountable, or an 
  enemy too implacable, for a lone Guardsman to succeed. The 
  only way for the players to succeed at such a task is to pool 
  their skills and resources and work together. 
  During a complicated or delicate Test (and with the Game 
  Master’s permission), the character performing the Test can 
  request the assistance of other characters in the group. When 
  the percentile roll is made, only the character who is actually 
  making the Test rolls the dice, but every other character 
  giving assistance reduces the difﬁculty of the Test by 
  one step (see Table 1–3: Test Difﬁculty). If the Test 
  succeeds, the character performing the Test gains an 
  extra Degree of Success.
  Table 1–3: Test Difﬁculty
  Difﬁculty
  Test Modiﬁer
  Trivial
  +60
  Elementary
  +50
  Simple
  +40
  Easy
  +30
  Routine
  +20
  Ordinary
  +10
  Challenging
  +0
  Difﬁcult
  –10
  Hard
  –20
  Very Hard
  –30
  Arduous
  –40
  Punishing
  –50
  Hellish
  –60
  
  33
  33
  I: Playing the Game
  GAINING ADDITIONAL 
  FATE POINTS
  Player Characters are awarded additional Fate Points (or 
  allowed to replenish those that have been burnt) at the 
  GM’s discretion. Such rewards can be given out as the main 
  adventure reaches certain milestones, or for particular acts of 
  heroism, cunning, or good roleplaying. 
  Movement
  I
  n most ONLY WAR games, it is largely unnecessary to worry 
  about how fast a character can run or how long it takes 
  him to walk from the barracks to the armoury. There are, 
  however, a number of situations within a game, most notably 
  during combat, when knowing how fast a character can move 
  is very important. As discussed in Chapter VIII: Combat, 
  there are two different methods of keeping time in an ONLY 
  WAR game—Narrative Time and Structured Time—and each 
  has its own unique rules regarding movement.
  STRUCTURED AND 
  NARRATIVE TIME
  During Structured Time, which typically involves combat, 
  a character may take a speciﬁc action during a Round to 
  move at one of four speeds: Half Move, Full Move, Charge, 
  or Run. The number of metres a character moves at these 
  various speeds is dictated by his Agility Bonus, and can 
  be further modiﬁed through some Talents or Traits. Table 
  1–4: Structured Time Movement gives more details on 
  the various speeds.
  Often during Narrative Time, when a character is not 
  actively involved in combat or some other all-consuming, 
  time-sensitive task, knowing how far a character can move 
  in a given amount of time is, while perhaps not critical, 
  still important to the story. Narrative Time Movement 
  describes the standard speeds a character can move at a 
  leisurely pace under ideal circumstances. Environment 
  The Role  
  of Fate
  A
  ll Player Characters begin play with at least one Fate 
  Point. The number of Fate Points a character receives 
  is decided during character creation. Fate Points are 
  what separate the characters from the countless millions of 
  Guardsmen who die for the Imperium every day. The Player 
  Characters have destinies and the Emperor has marked them 
  for great things. While this is no guarantee that they will live 
  to see victory, they are a cut above the rest.
  USING FATE POINTS
  Fate Points allow Player Characters to manipulate situations by 
  mitigating bad results or turning a mishap into fortune. Among 
  other things, this allows players to take more risks, which 
  makes the game faster and far more exciting. A character has 
  a limited pool of Fate Points, and when a Fate Point is spent, 
  that pool is reduced by one. Spent Fate Points are restored back 
  up to the character’s maximum at the beginning of the next 
  gaming session, or possibly, under special circumstances, in the 
  middle of the game session that the GM deems appropriate. 
  A Fate Point can be used at any time, either on the character’s 
  own Turn or in reaction to the action of another character, 
  Spending a Fate point is a Free Action.
  Spending one Fate Point allows a Player Character to do 
  one of the following:
  • Re-roll a failed Test once. The results of the re-roll are ﬁnal.
  • Gain a +10 bonus to a Test. This must be chosen before
  the dice are rolled.
  • Add a Degree of Success to a Test. This may be chosen
  after the dice are rolled.
  • Count as having rolled 10 for Initiative.
  • Instantly remove 1d5 Damage (this cannot affect
  Critical Damage).
  • Instantly recover from being Stunned.
  • Remove all levels of Fatigue.
  BURNING FATE
  Sometimes a re-roll or an extra Degree of Success is not 
  going to be enough to save a Guardsman’s life. In these 
  instances, the character may choose to burn a Fate Point, 
  permanently reducing his maximum Fate Points by one. 
  The result is that the character survives whatever it was that 
  would have killed him, but only just. For example, if the 
  character was shot with a lascannon and suffered a Critical 
  Hit that would have killed him, instead he is only hideously 
  burnt and rendered unconscious with zero Wounds. In more 
  extreme circumstances, such as being trapped on a spaceship 
  during a Warp drive implosion, it is up to the player and the 
  GM to work out just how the Guardsman makes his escape. 
  A Fate Point may be burnt even if it has already been used 
  for that gaming session.
  Table 1–4: Structured Time Movement 
  (Metres/Round)
  AB
  Half Move
  Full Move
  Charge 
  Run
  0
  1/2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  1
  2
  3
  6
  2
  2
  4
  6
  12
  3
  3
  6
  9
  18
  4
  4
  8
  12
  24
  5
  5
  10
  15
  30
  6
  6
  12
  18
  36
  7
  7
  14
  21
  42
  8
  8
  16
  24
  48
  9
  9
  18
  27
  54
  10
  10
  20
  30
  60
  
  34
  I: Playing the Game
  MOVEMENT AND ENVIRONMENT
  Structured Time Movement Rates as listed in Table 1–4 
  assume a relatively clear and uncluttered battleﬁeld. This is 
  rarely the case, however, as few battles are held on a clear day 
  in clear hive streets or open ﬁelds, and there can be any number 
  of obstacles present to hinder a character’s movement. Rubble 
  strewn corridors, deep snow, thick fog, deep, soft sand, dense 
  underbrush—these are but a few examples of the conditions 
  that can complicate navigation. In such conditions, a character’s 
  Structured Time Movement Rate is halved. If a character runs 
  or charges he must succeed at a Challenging (+0) Agility 
  Test or fall prone. Of course, the difﬁculty of this Test can 
  be further modiﬁed at the Game Master’s discretion, based 
  on any number of factors. See Table 1–6: Treacherous 
  Environment Agility Modiﬁers for suggestions. 
  CLIMBING
  There are many times in a character’s experience when the 
  best way to reach a destination or bypass an obstacle is 
  by climbing. Clambering over a fence, scaling a city wall, 
  descending into a crevasse, or climbing to an ideal sniper 
  position on a rooftop are all instances where climbing is 
  required. Typically, climbing is divided into two general 
  categories: simple climbs and sheer surfaces.
  SIMPLE CLIMBS
  Simple climbs include low walls, steep hills, tall piles of rubble, 
  trees, or anything else that requires effort and concentration but 
  no real skill to accomplish. Any character with his hands free can 
  automatically accomplish a simple climb as long as he takes his 
  time and is not being distracted (while taking ﬁre for example).
  If a character is hurrying, being chased, under ﬁre, or 
  otherwise distracted, he needs to make a Challenging (+0) 
  Strength or Athletics Test to perform a simple climb. With 
  one Degree of Success, the character completes his climb at a 
  rate of one-half his Half Move speed. For each further Degree of 
  Success, the character climbs an additional metre. If the Test is 
  failed, the character falls from his starting climbing position. At 
  his discretion, the Game Master can adjust the difﬁculty of the 
  climb to account for any other factors that he deems appropriate. 
  Some types of climb, such as ascending a sturdy ladder or steep 
  ﬂight of stairs, are so simple that no Test should be necessary. 
  and terrain, discussed further below, can affect these speeds, 
  helping or hindering the characters as they travel. Table 
  1–5: Narrative Time Movement gives more details on the 
  various speeds.
  NARRATIVE MOVEMENT AND TERRAIN
  Terrain conditions affect how quickly a character can cover 
  ground during Narrative Time. Slogging through a waist-
  deep snow-ﬁlled ﬁeld is much harder than walking across 
  the broad ﬂagstone-paved courtyard. When moving through 
  thick foliage, dense crowds, soft sand, deep mud, and other 
  similar difﬁcult terrain, a character’s movement is halved. 
  Furthermore, the Game Master determines what, if any, 
  modiﬁers apply to Narrative Time due to the environment.
  HURRYING
  A character can, when called for, pick up the pace by moving 
  up to double his Narrative Time Movement for a number 
  of hours equal to his Toughness Bonus. At the end of his 
  exertion, the character must make a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test or take 1 level of Fatigue. In addition to the 
  Fatigue, a hurrying character is distracted and prone to miss 
  tiny details in his surroundings. Thanks to this, he suffers a 
  –10 penalty to all Perception-based Tests.
  In truly dire circumstances, the character may push himself 
  to the limit and continue on despite his increasing Fatigue 
  and penalties. In this case, the character must continue to 
  make progressively more difﬁcult Toughness Tests to avoid 
  accruing more levels of Fatigue. For example, the character 
  suffers a –10 penalty to his Toughness Test after the second 
  time period, a –20 after the third, and so forth.
  RUNNING AND NARRATIVE TIME
  While characters can, and often do, run during Narrative 
  Time, the act of doing so is extremely tiring. When running, a 
  character triples his rate of movement. Each hour of sustained 
  running requires the character to make a Toughness Test 
  with a cumulative –10 penalty per each hour past the ﬁrst 
  to maintain his pace. Failing the Toughness Test grants 1 
  level of Fatigue. Running characters are even more focused 
  on the task at hand than those simply hurrying, and suffer a 
  –20 penalty to all Perception-based Tests. As with hurrying,
  characters may push themselves past endurance after a failed 
  Test, but all penalties are cumulative.
  FORCED MARCHING
  While the standard time for marching is ten hours in a day, 
  nothing is stopping characters from continuing past that time. 
  Characters may safely press on a number of hours equal to 
  their Toughness Bonus. Beyond this, a character must make a 
  Toughness Test with a cumulative –10 penalty per hour for each 
  hour travelled beyond his Toughness Bonus. A character who 
  fails his Test acquires 1 level of Fatigue. It is quite possible for 
  a character to march himself into unconsciousness. Fatigue 
  gained from forced marching is removed at the rate of 
  one level per two hours of rest. 
  Table 1–5: Narrative Time Movement
  AB
  Per Minute
  Per Hour
  Per Day
  0
  12m
  0.75km
  7km
  1
  24m
  1.5km
  15km
  2
  48m
  3km
  30km
  3
  72m
  4km
  40km
  4
  96m
  6km
  60km
  5
  120m
  7km
  70km
  6
  144m
  9km
  90km
  7
  168m
  10km
  100km
  8
  192m
  12km
  120km
  9
  216m
  13km
  130km
  10
  240m
  14km
  140km
  
  35
  I: Playing the Game
  Hard (–10) Athletics Test. With one Degree of Success, the 
  character completes his climb at a rate of one-half his Half 
  Move speed. For each further Degree of Success, the character 
  climbs an additional metre. If the Test is failed, the character 
  falls from his starting climbing position. Specialised tools such 
  as grapnels and clip harnesses add bonuses to Athletics Tests and 
  are discussed further in Chapter VI: Armoury.
  ABSEILING
  If a character needs to descend a sheer surface quickly, he can 
  attempt abseiling as opposed to climbing down. Abseiling 
  requires climbing gear, a drop harness, or at least a good, stout 
  line, and requires a Challenging (+0) Agility Test. With 
  one Degree of Success, the character descends at a rate of 10 
  metres per Round, plus an additional metre for every additional 
  Degree of Success. With one Degree of Failure, the descent 
  rate is reduced to 5 metres per Round. Failure by two or more 
  degrees requires the character to make a Challenging (+0) 
  Strength Test or lose his grip—and if he is not wearing a 
  drop harness or otherwise secured, he falls.
  JUMPING AND LEAPING
  A jump is termed as a controlled vertical ascent or descent 
  wherein a character attempts to either jump as high as he 
  can, or jump safely down from an elevated surface without 
  taking Damage. If a character is pushed from a ledge, or is 
  otherwise not in control of his descent, he is not jumping, but 
  falling (see page 267). A leap is a horizontal jump by which 
  a character attempts to cover as much ground as possible. 
  Both jumping and leaping can beneﬁt from a running start, 
  and both require a Full Action.
  STANDING VERTICAL JUMPS
  An average character can jump, from a standing position, 
  roughly one half-metre straight up as measured from the 
  ground to the bottom of his feet. Jumping distance depends 
  as much on a character’s body mass as it does on his Agility 
  or Strength, so this distance tends to vary only slightly 
  among characters. A character can jump up to reach an 
  overhead item like a ledge or other handhold that is as high 
  as his own height plus about one metre for average arm length 
  and an additional half-metre for the average standing jump. A 
  Test is not usually required for such a jump, though pulling 
  oneself up onto a grabbed ledge requires a Challenging 
  (+0) Strength Test. 
  A character can attempt to safely jump down a number of 
  metres equal to his Agility Bonus by making a Challenging 
  (+0) Agility Test. With one Degree of Success, he lands 
  on his feet and takes no Damage. If he gets a Degree of 
  Success but the drop is longer than his Agility Bonus, he 
  takes falling Damage (see page 267) equal to the distance 
  jumped in metres beyond his Agility Bonus and he ends the 
  Turn prone. If he gets a Degree of Failure on the Test he 
  takes falling Damage for the entire distance of the fall and 
  ends the Turn prone. However, if he gets additional 
  Degrees of Success equal to the additional metres 
  beyond his Agility Bonus, he takes no falling 
  Damage and does not fall prone. 
  SHEER SURFACES
  Many surfaces are beyond the means of ordinary characters to 
  climb, and often require specialised training and equipment. A 
  sheer cliff with overhangs and no handholds, an icy crevasse, 
  the walls of buildings, or the massive ﬂying buttresses of a hive 
  city are examples of such technical climbs, and attempting a 
  climb like this requires a 
  Table 1–6: Treacherous Environment 
  Agility Modiﬁers
  Condition
  Difﬁculty 
  Difﬁculty 
  Fog or Smoke 
  Ordinary (+10)
  Mud
  Challenging (+0)
  Shallow Water
  Challenging (+0)
  Darkness
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  Thick Snow
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  Underbrush
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  Dense Crowds
  Hard (–20)
  Zero Gravity
  Hard (–20)
  Rubble
  Hard (–20)
  Tremors
  Hard (–20)
  JUMPIN
  A jump is termed as a controlled vertical ascent or descent 
  wherein a character attempts to either jump as high as he 
  can, or jump safely down from an elevated surface without 
  taking Damage. If a character is pushed from a ledge, or is 
  otherwise not in control of his descent, he is not jumping, but 
  falling (see page 267). A leap is a horizontal jump by which 
  a character attempts to cover as much ground as possible. 
  Both jumping and leaping can beneﬁt from a running start, 
  and both require a Full Action.
  S
  An average character can jump, from a standing position, 
  roughly one half-metre straight up as measured from the 
  ground to the bottom of his feet. Jumping distance depends 
  overhead item like a ledge or other handhold that is as high 
  as his own height plus about one metre for average arm length 
  and an additional half-metre for the average standing jump. A 
  Test is not usually required for such a jump, though pulling 
  oneself up onto a grabbed ledge requires a 
  (+0) Strength Test
  metres equal to his Agility Bonus by making a 
  (+0) Agility Test
  on his feet and takes no Damage. If he gets a Degree of 
  Success but the drop is longer than his Agility Bonus, he 
  takes falling Damage (see page 267) equal to the distance 
  jumped in metres beyond his Agility Bonus and he ends the 
  Turn prone. If he gets a Degree of Failure on the Test he 
  takes falling Damage for the entire distance of the fall and 
  climb like this requires a 
  
  36
  36
  I: Playing the Game
  also swim underwater, but needs to hold his breath to do so. A 
  character who is physically incapable of swimming (unconscious, 
  paralysed, bound, etc.) automatically sinks. While underwater, 
  a character risks Suffocation by drowning. See page 267 for 
  more information regarding Suffocation.
  Heavy equipment, especially armour, makes swimming 
  incredibly difﬁcult. If a character is wearing armour, or is 
  otherwise heavily encumbered, all Athletics Tests are Very 
  Hard (–30) and a Degree of Failure on a Athletics Test to 
  swim automatically imposes a level of Fatigue.
  SWIMMING AND NARRATIVE TIME
  Prolonged swimming, no matter the circumstances, is 
  exhausting and potentially dangerous. A character can swim 
  for a number of hours equal to his Toughness Bonus. After 
  that point, he must make an additional Toughness Test each 
  hour with a cumulative –10 penalty per hour. If a character 
  fails his Toughness Test, he gains a level of Fatigue. If a 
  swimming character falls unconscious due to Fatigue, he 
  immediately slips beneath the surface and begins to Suffocate 
  (see page 267). To determine distance covered for each hour 
  of swimming, use Table 1–5: Narrative Time Movement 
  and swap the character’s Agility Bonus for his Strength Bonus.
  CARRYING, LIFTING, AND 
  PUSHING OBJECTS
  Under normal circumstances, it is not necessary to know 
  exactly how much a character can carry, and common sense 
  can serve as a guide in most instances. In general, an average 
  character can reasonably carry a main weapon, such as a lasgun, 
  autogun, or ﬂamer, plus one or two secondary weapons like 
  a pistol or melee weapon, along with a few clips of extra 
  ammunition and several pieces of miscellaneous equipment in a 
  rucksack, satchel, or similar container. It is not at all reasonable, 
  however, for a character, even a very strong one, to be walking 
  around with three heavy weapons and several thousand rounds 
  of ammo for each, or for the character to have a backpack with 
  one of everything from the equipment section of Chapter VI: 
  Armoury. There are, however, times when just how much a 
  character can lift or carry is crucial information. The amount 
  of weight a character can move is dependent on the sum of his 
  Strength and Toughness Bonus. Compare the total to Table 
  1–7: Carrying, Lifting, and Pushing to ﬁnd out the limits 
  of a character’s might. It is important to note that certain Traits 
  and Talents may increase these values.
  CARRYING WEIGHT
  A character’s Carrying Weight is how much he can comfortably 
  carry without suffering Fatigue and penalties to his movement. 
  If a character carries more than his weight he is Encumbered.
  LIFTING WEIGHT
  A character’s Lifting Weight represents the maximum amount 
  of weight he can pick up off the ground. A character may 
  attempt to move while holding a heavy load, but if that load 
  exceeds his Carry Weight he is Encumbered. Lifting a heavy 
  load is considered a Full Round Action. A character can 
  RUNNING VERTICAL JUMPS
  With a running start of at least four metres in a straight line, a 
  character can increase the height of his jumps. At the end of his 
  running jump, the character must make a Challenging (+0) 
  Agility Test. If he gains a Degree of Success on the Test, he can 
  add half his Strength Bonus, rounded up, to his normal vertical 
  jump distance plus an additional half-metre for each additional 
  Degree of Success. If the character gains a Degree of Failure 
  on the Test, he stumbles and must succeed on an additional 
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test or fall prone. Either outcome 
  ends the character’s Turn. For every four additional metres 
  beyond the ﬁrst four that the character runs before making 
  the jump, he receives a +10 bonus to his Agility Test, to a 
  maximum of +30. 
  STANDING HORIZONTAL LEAPS
  To make a Standing Horizontal Leap a character must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test. With a Degree of Success, 
  the character leaps a number of metres equal to his Strength 
  Bonus, plus another half metre for every additional Degree of 
  Success. With a Degree of Failure, the character only leaps a 
  number of metres equal to half his Strength Bonus rounded 
  up; each additional Degree of Failure reduces this distance by 
  another half metre (to a minimum of one-half metre). If it is 
  important, the height attained during a leap is equal to one 
  quarter the distance leapt in metres rounded up.
  RUNNING HORIZONTAL LEAPS
  As with Running Vertical Jumps, to make a Running Horizontal 
  Leap a character must have a running start of at least four metres 
  in a straight line. At the end of the movement, the character 
  makes a Challenging (+0) Agility Test. With one Degree 
  of Success, the character leaps a number of metres equal to his 
  Strength Bonus, plus another half metre for each additional 
  Degree of Success. With a Degree of Failure, the character 
  only leaps a number of metres equal to half his Strength Bonus 
  rounded up, and each additional Degree of Failure reduces the 
  distance leapt by another half metre to a minimum of one-half 
  metre. For every four additional metres beyond the ﬁrst four 
  that the character runs before making the leap, he receives a 
  +10 bonus to his Agility Test, to a maximum of +30. If it is 
  important, the height attained during a leap is equal to one 
  quarter the distance leapt in metres rounded up.
  SWIMMING
  Under ideal circumstances a character, does not need to make 
  a Tests to swim, but ideal circumstances are rare in ONLY WAR. 
  Rough, choppy seas, restrained hands, heavy burdens, ﬁghting 
  while swimming and the like are all considered hazardous 
  conditions and require a character to make a Swim Test to move. 
  To swim under hazardous conditions, a character must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Athletics Test as a Full Action. With one 
  Degree of Success, the character moves a number of metres 
  equal to one-half his Strength Bonus in any direction. He 
  may also, at his discretion, simply tread water. A Degree 
  of Failure on the Swim Test indicates that the character 
  makes no progress and cannot move. A character can 
  
  37
  37
  I: Playing the Game
  THROWING OBJECTS
  There are many weapons, such as grenades and knives, that are 
  designed to be thrown, but a character can attempt to throw 
  nearly any object that weighs up to half of his normal Lifting 
  Weight as indicated by Table 1–7: Carrying, Lifting, and 
  Pushing. To throw an object, a character makes a Challenging 
  (+0) Strength Test. A Degree of Success indicates that the 
  object ﬂies a number of metres equal to his Strength Bonus. For 
  each additional Degree of Success this distance is increased by a 
  factor one, so two Degrees of Success means that the character 
  throws the object a distance equal to twice his Strength Bonus, 
  three Degrees of Success means it travels three times his 
  Strength Bonus, and so on. With a Degree of Failure, the object 
  falls short, ﬂying a number of metres equal to half his Strength 
  Bonus rounded down. A result of 0 means that the character 
  simply dropped the object and it fell at his feet. If the thrown 
  object hits a hard surface such as a wall or vehicle, it takes 
  1d10+SB Damage plus one for every additional Degree of 
  Success past the ﬁrst. These rules do not apply to aerodynamic 
  throwing weapons or grenades. These weapons have a given 
  range on the weapons table and have range brackets like other 
  weapons. If the object is thrown at a speciﬁc target, it is treated 
  as an improvised weapon and the character makes a Ballistic 
  Skill Test instead of a Strength Test. A character can attempt to 
  throw an object that weighs more than half his Lifting Weight, 
  but requires a Hard (–10) Strength Test to do so.
  LIGHTING
  Characters in an ONLY WAR game may ﬁnd themselves 
  participating in night-time raids, under black, moonless 
  skies, or inﬁltrating through dank, foetid sewer systems. 
  As a result, the oppressive darkness becomes an enemy in 
  its own right, concealing countless threats and nameless 
  terrors in its inky depths. An experienced character knows 
  that a reliable, portable light source like a luminen-pack 
  or glow-globe is every bit as important as his weapon. For 
  ease of play, ONLY WAR uses three levels of light: Bright, 
  Shadow, and Darkness. Bright light is any light that allows 
  for normal vision, such as sunlight, a well-lit chamber or the 
  light of a glow-lantern. Shadow conditions occur during 
  pre-dawn and twilight hours on Terra-like worlds, when 
  a character is just out of range of a light source, or when 
  a light source is obscured by an environmental effect like 
  smoke or fog. Darkness is, of course, the total absence of 
  light. Aside from obscuring vision, Shadow and Darkness 
  conditions also have a deleterious effect on a character’s 
  movement and combat capabilities. Characters may move 
  through Shadow with no penalties, but may only move at 
  half speed or less in Darkness. A character moving faster 
  than half speed in darkness has a tendency to wander, and 
  may become disoriented and move in random directions 
  unless they succeed on a Hard (–20) Perception Test. For 
  the effects of lighting on combat, see page 253.
  attempt to lift more than his limit by making a Challenging 
  (+0) Strength Test. For every Degree of Success achieved 
  on a successful Test, the character gains +1 to the sum of 
  his Strength Bonus and Toughness Bonus for the purpose 
  of determining limits. If the character gains two or more 
  Degrees of Failure, he immediately gains one level of Fatigue.
  PUSHING WEIGHT
  Pushing Weight is the maximum amount of weight a character 
  can push across a smooth surface like a ship’s corridor or the 
  polished stone ﬂoor of a dark temple. Difﬁcult terrain can 
  make pushing objects difﬁcult or even impossible. Pushing an 
  object is treated as a Full Round Action, and pushing weight 
  up to his limit requires no Test. Pushing weight that exceeds 
  the sum of his Toughness Bonus and Strength Bonus requires 
  a successful Challenging (+0) Strength Test. Each Degree 
  of Success adds +1 to the sum of the character’s Strength 
  Bonus and Toughness Bonus for the purpose of determining 
  limits. If the character gains two or more Degrees of Failure, 
  he immediately gains one level of Fatigue.
  ENCUMBERED CHARACTERS
  A character who attempts to carry more than his normal 
  carrying limits, but less than his lifting limit, is considered 
  Encumbered. An Encumbered character suffers a –10 penalty 
  to all movement-based Tests and sees his Agility Bonus 
  reduced by one for the purposes of determining movement 
  rates and Initiative. Additionally, after a number of hours equal 
  to his Toughness Bonus have passed while Encumbered, the 
  character must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test 
  or gain one level of Fatigue.
  Table 1–7: Carrying, Lifting & Pushing
  Sum of SB 
  Sum of SB 
  and TB
  Max Carrying 
  Max Carrying 
  Weight
  Max Lifting 
  Max Lifting 
  Weight
  Max Pushing 
  Max Pushing 
  Weight
  0
  0.9kg
  2.25kg
  4.5kg
  0
  0.9kg
  2.25kg
  4.5kg
  1
  2.25kg
  4.5kg
  9kg
  2
  4.5kg
  9kg
  18kg
  3
  9kg
  18kg
  36kg
  4
  18kg
  36kg
  72kg
  4
  18kg
  36kg
  72kg
  5
  27kg
  54kg
  108kg
  6
  36kg
  72kg
  144kg
  6
  36kg
  72kg
  144kg
  7
  45kg
  90kg
  180kg
  8
  56kg
  112kg
  224kg
  8
  56kg
  112kg
  224kg
  9
  67kg
  134kg
  268kg
  10
  78kg
  156kg
  312kg
  10
  78kg
  156kg
  312kg
  11
  90kg
  180kg
  360kg
  12
  112kg
  224kg
  448kg
  12
  112kg
  224kg
  448kg
  13
  225kg
  450kg
  900kg
  14
  337kg
  674kg
  1,348kg
  14
  337kg
  674kg
  1,348kg
  15
  450kg
  900kg
  1,800kg
  16
  675kg
  1,350kg
  2,700kg
  16
  675kg
  1,350kg
  2,700kg
  17
  900kg
  1,800kg
  3,600kg
  18
  1,350kg
  2,700kg
  5,400kg
  18
  1,350kg
  2,700kg
  5,400kg
  19
  1,800kg
  3,600kg
  7,200kg
  20
  2,250kg
  4,500kg
  9,000kg
  20
  2,250kg
  4,500kg
  9,000kg
  
  38
  I: Playing the Game
  Run are all valid Actions for maintaining ﬂight. If a hovering 
  creature suddenly stops ﬂying, due to being Stunned or not 
  devoting a Move Action, for example, it simply comes to a 
  safe landing on the ground. If it is at Low Altitude instead, 
  it falls to the ground and suffers Falling Damage (see page 
  267) as if it fell 15 metres. A creature that falls from High 
  Altitude suffers Falling Damage as if it fell 25 or more metres, 
  based on the GM’s discretion.
  THE EFFECTS OF GRAVITY
  While the inhabited worlds of the Imperium may vary slightly 
  in gravity, the effects of gravity on game play are usually 
  minimal. Only when characters visit High Gravity or Low 
  Gravity worlds, or are caught in Zero Gravity, are movement, 
  lifting, and other factors affected.
  LOW GRAVITY WORLDS
  On worlds with Low Gravity, all characters see their Agility 
  Bonus increased by two points for the purposes of movement 
  and for determining initiative. Characters also have their 
  Strength Bonus and Toughness Bonus increased by four points 
  for the purpose of determining carrying, lifting, and pushing 
  limits. When attempting to throw an object, a character on a 
  Low Gravity world has his Strength Bonus increased by two. 
  All jumping and leaping distances are doubled when on a 
  Low Gravity world. 
  HIGH GRAVITY WORLDS
  On worlds with High Gravity, all characters have their Agility 
  Bonus decreased by two points, to a minimum of one, for 
  the purposes of movement and for determining initiative. 
  Characters also have their Strength Bonus and Toughness 
  Bonus decreased by four points for the purpose of determining 
  carrying, lifting, and pushing limits. When attempting to 
  throw an object, a character on a High Gravity world has 
  his Strength Bonus decreased by two, to a minimum of zero. 
  Finally, all jumping and leaping distances are halved when on 
  a High Gravity world. 
  ZERO GRAVITY
  Characters in ONLY WAR are most likely to encounter 
  Zero Gravity in space when there has been a signiﬁcant 
  technological failure. Zero Gravity is considered Difﬁcult 
  Terrain for determining movement, and making a Charge 
  or Run action requires a Hard (–20) Agility Test to avoid 
  drifting off in a random direction. Characters who fail the 
  Agility Test are considered prone. Additionally, a character 
  starting a Move Action in zero gravity must be adjacent to a 
  ﬂoor, wall, ceiling, deck, or other secure object so that he has 
  something to push off from.
  FLYING
  The following section describes the rules that bind 
  everything in ONLY WAR blessed with the power of ﬂight, 
  from ﬂying creatures to characters and NPCs with speciﬁc, 
  ﬂight-capable technology.
  ALTITUDE
  On a typical Terra-like planet, there are three broad 
  Altitudes: Hovering, Low Altitude, and High Altitude. To 
  move up or down in altitude requires a Move Action, and 
  Altitude can only be changed one level with a standard 
  move action. To move more than one Altitude level requires 
  a Charge or Run action.
  HOVERING ALTITUDE
  A hovering character or creature is skimming just above the 
  ground, typically at an altitude of no greater than two metres, 
  and can move over low obstacles with ease. A hovering creature 
  can both attack and be attacked by land-bound creatures 
  and characters. Often, a creature that can hover cannot ﬂy at 
  other altitudes, as is the case when a creature possesses the 
  Hoverer Trait (see page 155). A creature with the Hoverer 
  Trait always stays at roughly the same altitude, give or take 
  two metres, even if it descends into low terrain like a crater or 
  valley. Such creatures will not willingly descend into a place 
  that they cannot escape from, much like any other creature 
  would not enter an area from which it could not escape.
  LOW ALTITUDE
  A character or creature ﬂying at Low Altitude is beyond 
  normal melee range of land-bound threats, but still well 
  within range of most ranged attacks from such characters or 
  creatures. A Low Altitude ﬂier takes no penalties for attacking 
  the ground, but anyone or anything attacking it suffer a –10 
  penalty to their Ballistic Skill Tests in addition to any normal 
  penalties for range.
  HIGH ALTITUDE
  A character or creature ﬂying at High Altitude is well beyond 
  the reach of any attacks coming from the ground or from Low 
  Altitude. Characters or creatures at High Altitude can only 
  attack or be attacked by others at the same altitude.
  FLYING MOVEMENT
  Flying characters and creatures are broken into two general 
  categories deﬁned by Traits: Hoverers and Flyers (see Chapter 
  V: Talents and Traits for information on these traits). 
  Hoverers move through the air, but are limited to an altitude 
  of roughly two metres. A Flyer is not limited to ground level, 
  and can ascend or descend to any altitude. Each Trait has an 
  associated number in the creature’s description that describes 
  that creature’s Flying Movement. Flying Movement works 
  just like regular Movement, but only when the creature 
  is airborne. While ﬂying, a creature must devote a 
  Movement Action to maintaining its ﬂight each 
  Turn or it falls. Half Move, Full Move, Charge, and 
  
  ANATOMY OF A 
  REGIMENT
  •
  HONOURED 
  REGIMENTS
  •
  REGIMENT 
  CREATION RULES
  
  40
  II: Regiment Creation
  regiments currently ﬁghting in the Spinward Front have been 
  provided, with full rules for their use, from the disciplined 
  Cadian Shock Troops to the grim Death Korps of Krieg, and 
  more besides. Furthermore, because the diversity of regiments 
  to be found within any warzone is considerable, a set of rules 
  to generate unique regiments has been provided, allowing 
  players and GMs alike to create a force that suits their desires, 
  and lets them produce the war stories they want.
  When starting a campaign of ONLY WAR, ﬁrst the group 
  must decide which regiment they would like their Squad to be 
  a part of (see page 41). Once they have made this decision, 
  they can proceed to Chapter III: Character Creation, and 
  craft their individual characters.
  ANATOMY OF A REGIMENT
  Though regarded as such by many within the Departmento 
  Munitorum, a regiment is not a uniform mass of warriors, equal 
  in might and utility to every other regiment. On the contrary, 
  regiments vary immensely in size, structure, and purpose, 
  from small, deadly, armoured regiments, to bewilderingly 
  large regiments of siege infantry. In truth, the regiment is a 
  difﬁcult thing to deﬁne, but some might classify it thusly: 
  a regiment is the operational unit of the Imperial Guard, a 
  discrete formation of Imperial Guardsmen, all trained and 
  equipped to operate in a single way, and all drawn from a 
  single world. All other factors are subject to local variation 
  and prevailing logistical doctrine—at times, all the ﬁghting 
  men taken from a single world at a single time have been 
  classiﬁed as a single regiment, creating units of millions of 
  men, while other periods and places have attempted to deﬁne 
  a set number of warriors or an arbitrarily calculated ﬁghting 
  strength to determine a regiment.
  Nonetheless, some elements remain consistent. At the top 
  of every regiment in the Imperial Guard is a single ofﬁcer, 
  commonly given the rank of Colonel, who serves as the front-
  line commander. Traditional expectations are that a Colonel 
  takes to the ﬁeld with his men, leading in person, and is often 
  accompanied by advisors such as Imperial Navy liaisons, 
  preachers, psykers, Tech-Priests, and the dreaded Commissars.
  Each regiment is typically divided into several companies, 
  each of which is commanded by a Captain or Major. A 
  company normally consists of several hundred warriors, 
  and can serve well as a ﬁghting unit in its own right, with 
  individual companies commonly split off to achieve distinct 
  objectives pertaining to a regiment’s overall mission. Within 
  each company, the unit is further divided. The exact term used 
  varies by type of company, with vehicle companies divided 
  into squadrons, infantry operating in platoons, and artillery 
  operating in batteries. Each platoon, squadron, or battery 
  is typically commanded by a Lieutenant, the most junior of 
  ofﬁcers, new to the service of the Imperial Guard.
  The most basic building block of the regiment is the 
  squad. In an infantry regiment, the squad is the smallest 
  operational unit, overseen by a Sergeant. In an armoured 
  or artillery regiment, each squad is given a single vehicle or 
  artillery piece to control, with different soldiers serving as 
  gunners, loaders, drivers, spotters, and a variety of other roles, 
  as required by their duties.
  Chapter II: 
  Regiment 
  Creation
  “These colours have travelled to distant worlds under distant stars, 
  and returned time and again to see new regiments founded beneath it. 
  You each have sworn to uphold the legacy of these colours, and now 
  you go forth into His Imperium as the Brontian Longknives 32nd.”
  –Aegir Cullough, Brontian Defence Force
  T
  he Imperial Guard is a colossal organisation, dwarﬁng 
  every other military force in the Imperium for sheer 
  manpower, and matched only by the Imperial Navy 
  in logistical complexity and universal signiﬁcance. It has 
  been claimed that for every star visible from the surface of 
  Holy Terra, there are a hundred million Imperial Guardsmen 
  waging war on some distant world in the Emperor’s name, 
  though nobody could possibly know how many Imperial 
  Guardsmen there truly are at any one moment, so vast are 
  their numbers and so quickly do those numbers change. 
  However, what is certain is that every one of these brave 
  souls, and more besides, are required to ﬁght and die for the 
  Imperium in order to try to preserve it.
  The matter of assembling and arming the uncountable 
  masses of Guardsmen is the responsibility of the Departmento 
  Munitorum, a department within the Adeptus Administratum 
  responsible for military logistics across the Imperium. Some have 
  claimed that the numbers of the Imperial Guard are matched or 
  even exceeded by the sheer number of scribes, adepts, prefects, 
  and a bewildering array of other administrative ofﬁcials, whose 
  duty it is to ensure that the Imperial Guard are able to ﬁght 
  their countless wars. In their hands is the impossibly complex 
  task of raising armies from a million worlds, equipping them 
  in an appropriate manner, and ensuring that every man and 
  woman is fed, watered, and supplied with ammunition.
  What this all boils down to is the regiment. The regiment 
  is the building block of the Imperial Guard, and the nature 
  of each regiment deﬁnes how it is to ﬁght, how it is to be 
  equipped, and the manner in which it is best employed. 
  Regiments are raised either as part of the tithe that all worlds 
  contribute to the Imperium, or as necessary from worlds 
  within a particular distance of a newly-opened warzone. It is 
  a rare world in the Imperium that has not raised at least one 
  regiment of Imperial Guard, with the overwhelming majority 
  of those being the tithe-exempt forge worlds and the home 
  worlds of the Adeptus Astartes, both of which produce their 
  own particular ﬁghting forces.
   This chapter serves to deﬁne the regiment in game 
  terms, and is a major component of character creation. A 
  Guardsman is deﬁned in large part by the regiment he 
  belongs to—his outlook, his training, and his equipment 
  are shaped primarily by the world and the regiment 
  he hails from, and these factors will deﬁne him 
  for his entire career. In aid of this, a number of 
  
  41
  II: Regiment Creation
  CHOOSING A REGIMENT
  When beginning a campaign in ONLY WAR, the group ﬁrst 
  decides on a single regiment that their Squad of Guardsmen 
  hails from. This determines which world the characters were 
  born on, what their commanding ofﬁcer is like, and what 
  type of missions they are assigned, as well as many other 
  elements of their campaign. After deciding on a regiment, 
  the players should record all important information regarding 
  their regiment onto a squad sheet (an example squad sheet 
  is provided in the back of this book), and individual players 
  can then create their individual characters as described in 
  Chapter III: Character Creation. 
  Because deciding on a regiment can have such a large 
  impact on the Squad, and the campaign as a whole, there are 
  a few different approaches the group can take when deciding 
  on a regiment:
  RENOWNED SOLDIERS
  This chapter presents information on planets from across 
  the Imperium that have produced some of the most revered 
  Imperial Guard regiments, as well as information on speciﬁc 
  regiments from these planets that are currently operating in 
  the Spinward Front. Each of these regiments has been created 
  using the Regiment Creation Rules, and are ready for play.
  Selecting one of these revered regiments is perfect 
  for groups who want to dive right into the game and not 
  spend time deliberating on small details. It also provides the 
  opportunity for players to create characters from some of the 
  most famous regiments in the entire Imperium.
  FORGE YOUR OWN FATE
  All of the pre-generated regiments have been created using the 
  Regiment Creation System presented on page 57. Using 
  this system, groups can create their own, unique regiment 
  in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe, and create their legacy 
  amongst the stars.
  THE GM ALWAYS KNOWS BEST
  What regiment the Squad is a part of can drastically change 
  how their campaign in ONLY WAR plays out. An Armoured 
  Battalion will have a completely different experience on a 
  mission than a specialised group of drop infantry. Occasionally, 
  this can conﬂict with the story the Game Master wants to tell.
  In these cases, it often works better for the Game Master 
  to predetermine what regiment the players will be making 
  characters in. This allows the GM to plan ahead, and create a 
  campaign based around the strengths and weaknesses of his 
  selected regiment.
  REGIMENTS IN ONLY WAR
  The regiment deﬁnes the origins and training of a character in 
  ONLY WAR, providing him with a core of Skills, Talents, and 
  other special abilities, as well as a selection of equipment. A 
  member of an armoured regiment hailing from an overcrowded 
  hive world will have a different array of abilities and advances 
  than a light infantryman raised upon a savage death world.
  All the regiments in this chapter have been created using 
  the Regiment Creation Rules which can be found later. They 
  are presented as both an example of what can be accomplished 
  using those rules, as well as a quick and easy way of beginning 
  play with one of these iconic and established regiments. In some 
  cases, these pre-generated regiments may differ slightly from the 
  rules later on; where differences exist, they will be pointed out 
  clearly, to allow players and GMs to create other regiments from 
  that world or culture with minimal difﬁculty.
  Each regiment provides a number of abilities and advantages, 
  which are broken down into the following categories:
  •	 Characteristic Modiﬁers: These are permanent, one 
  time modiﬁcations to a character’s base Characteristics. 
  These 
  modiﬁers 
  are 
  applied 
  after 
  generating 
  Characteristics in Chapter III: Character Creation.
  •	 Starting Aptitudes: A few select doctrines grant an 
  additional Aptitude to the Guardsmen in that regiment. For 
  information on Aptitudes, and how they affect characters, 
  see page 100 of Chapter III: Character Creation. It is 
  possible for a character to gain an Aptitude twice—once 
  from his regiment, and once from his Speciality—if this 
  happens, he selects any one additional Aptitude that shares 
  its name with a Characteristic. 
  •	 Starting Skills: Characters from the regiment start the 
  game with these Skills Known. If the character receives 
  a speciﬁc Skill twice, from Regiment Creation or his 
  Speciality, he gains an extra Advance in that Skill, and 
  starts the game Trained in that Skill (see page 114).
  •	 Starting Talents: All characters from the regiment 
  receive these Talents, regardless of Talent prerequisites. 
  If a character would receive a speciﬁc Talent twice, from 
  Regiment Creation or his Speciality, he instead receives a 
  free extra 100 xp to spend at character creation.
  •	 Special Abilities: Every home world provides a number 
  of special abilities that further inﬂuence a character’s 
  abilities. These are listed separately and in full.
  •	 Standard Regimental Kit: Every regiment has a pre-
  set list of equipment, its Standard Regimental Kit, which 
  every character from the regiment is equipped with at the 
  start of play. Certain items are listed as “per Guardsman,” 
  meaning that each character is issued those items. 
  Others—such as vehicles—are listed as “per squad,” 
  meaning that each squad of Guardsmen receives the 
  items to use collectively.
  •	 Favoured Weapons: Certain regiments hold a 
  preference for particular heavy and special weapons, 
  whether through availability, due to a particular style 
  of combat, or simply due to the nature of the common 
  enemy. A regiment’s favoured weapons are easier to 
  obtain, granting characters from the regiment a +10 
  bonus on all Logistics Tests to obtain those weapons and 
  ammunition for them.
  LIFE DECISIONS 
  Many options presented throughout Regiment 
  Creation may include choices designated by an “or” in 
  the text. In these instances, each individual character 
  makes the choice of which of these options he wants 
  to personally start with.
  
  42
  II: Regiment Creation
  In addition to defending the Imperium from the horrors 
  of the Eye of Terror, Cadia also provides a large tithe of 
  troops to the Departmento Munitorum, and some of the most 
  legendary regiments in the Imperium hail from the fortress 
  world. These soldiers are selected at random, without fear that 
  they might be rejected by the Departmento Munitorum—a 
  testament to the quality of the Interior Guard. The legendary 
  status of these troops sees Cadian regiments serving in 
  warzones vast distances from Cadia. As such, the inﬂuence of 
  Cadian regiments can be felt on worlds in every Segmentum, 
  inﬂuencing combat doctrine and logistics.
  Cadian Interior Guard forces employ standardised 
  Departmento Munitorum equipment and vehicles, allowing 
  them to seamlessly transfer into the service of the Imperial 
  Guard, and there are only a few types of regiment that cannot 
  be raised from Cadian forces. 
  Cadians believe that discipline is the single 
  most important factor in the operation of an 
  army. While there are those who justiﬁably 
  disagree with this position, it has nonetheless 
  served the Cadians well for millennia, and 
  countless victories can be attributed to the 
  effort and determination of the sons and 
  daughters of Cadia.
  CADIAN SHOCK TROOPS 
  IN THE SPINWARD FRONT
  Because of the quantity of Cadian 
  regiments 
  produced, 
  thousands 
  of them are sent to warzones 
  across the galaxy at any one time, 
  with generals overseeing warzones 
  across the Segmentum constantly 
  requesting additional forces from 
  the reserve, to ﬁght alongside 
  those mustered locally. However, 
  the 
  bureaucracy 
  of 
  the 
  Departmento Munitorum, and 
  the sheer quantity of warzones 
  that exist in a region as large as 
  the Segmentum Obscurus, mean that 
  such requests are seldom approved.
  Still, the requests made by Lord 
  Sector Hax were agreed to. With the 
  Calixis, Scarus, and Ixaniad sectors 
  already heavily taxed by supporting 
  distant conﬂicts, notably the grand and 
  costly Margin Crusade (which treasonous 
  rumours suggest may have been diverted 
  to another region of the galaxy altogether), 
  the need for other forces to prosecute 
  a war closer to home was acute. Due to 
  this dearth of locally available forces, and 
  some measure of distrust of locally-raised 
  forces amongst Lord Hax’s court, the bulk 
  of the Spinward Front’s 
  forces are drawn from the 
  Segmentum reserve and 
  Cadian Shock 
  Troops
  “Any Cadian who can’t ﬁeld-strip his own lasgun by age ten was 
  born on the wrong planet.”
  –Common Cadian aphorism
  C
  adia is a by-word for stalwart deﬁance and righteous 
  contempt on countless worlds, and for good reason. 
  Sat within a narrow stable passageway into the heart 
  of the Eye of Terror, the Cadian Sector stands as a bastion 
  against the encroachment of the forces of Chaos, holding fast 
  for millennia against the onslaught of traitors, heretics, and 
  daemons. Cadia is amongst the foremost fortress 
  worlds in the Imperium, 
  with every soul trained 
  from 
  childhood 
  to 
  defend their world, and all 
  worlds beyond, against the 
  abominations that dwell 
  within the colossal Warp 
  Storm 
  that 
  dominates 
  their skies.
  Barring a small minority 
  composed of those unﬁt to 
  serve as soldiers, every child 
  on Cadia is expected to serve in 
  the Cadian Youth Army, better 
  known as the Whiteshields, from 
  the age of fourteen until their 
  maturity, learning the combat skills 
  and discipline regarded as essential. 
  From these, many will continue their 
  service by joining the Interior Guard 
  as adults, pledging their lives to the 
  defence of Cadia, a force of hundreds, 
  even thousands of regiment-strength 
  units, and the equal of any comparably-
  sized Imperial Guard force. Even those 
  who do not remain in military service—
  fulﬁlling some rear-echelon role essential 
  to the upkeep of an immense defensive 
  army—are expected to maintain their skills 
  and remain vigilant, stepping up to ﬁght 
  should the Interior Guard be overwhelmed. 
  Indeed, such is the number of capable youth 
  soldiers, Interior Guardsmen, reservists, 
  and the sheer quantity of new recruits on 
  Cadia every year, that many invasions have 
  been defeated through attrition alone, 
  the invading armies unable to match the 
  hundreds of millions of Cadians.
  42
  Departmento Munitorum equipment and vehicles, allowing 
  them to seamlessly transfer into the service of the Imperial 
  Guard, and there are only a few types of regiment that cannot 
  be raised from Cadian forces. 
  Cadians believe that discipline is the single 
  most important factor in the operation of an 
  army. While there are those who justiﬁably 
  disagree with this position, it has nonetheless 
  served the Cadians well for millennia, and 
  countless victories can be attributed to the 
  effort and determination of the sons and 
  daughters of Cadia.
  CADI
  ADI
  A
  A
  DIA
  DI N
  AN
  A SHOCKTR
  TR
  T OOPS
  ROOPS
  R
  IN TH
  TH
  T E SPINWAR
  PINWAR
  PINW
  D
  ARD
  AR FRONT
  RONT
  R
  Because of the quantity of Cadian 
  regiments 
  produced, 
  thousands 
  of them are sent to warzones 
  across the galaxy at any one time, 
  with generals overseeing warzones 
  across the Segmentum constantly 
  requesting additional forces from 
  the reserve, to ﬁght alongside 
  those mustered locally. However, 
  the 
  bureaucracy 
  of 
  the 
  Departmento Munitorum, and 
  the sheer quantity of warzones 
  that exist in a region as large as 
  the Segmentum Obscurus, mean that 
  such requests are seldom approved.
  Still, the requests made by Lord 
  Sector Hax were agreed to. With the 
  Calixis, Scarus, and Ixaniad sectors 
  already heavily taxed by supporting 
  distant conﬂicts, notably the grand and 
  costly Margin Crusade (which treasonous 
  rumours suggest may have been diverted 
  to another region of the galaxy altogether), 
  the need for other forces to prosecute 
  a war closer to home was acute. Due to 
  this dearth of locally available forces, and 
  some measure of distrust of locally-raised 
  forces amongst Lord Hax’s court, the bulk 
  of the Spinward Front’s 
  forces are drawn from the 
  Segmentum reserve and 
  Sat within a narrow stable passageway into the heart 
  Sat within a narrow stable passageway into the heart 
  of the Eye of Terror, the Cadian Sector stands as a bastion 
  of the Eye of Terror, the Cadian Sector stands as a bastion 
  against the encroachment of the forces of Chaos, holding fast 
  against the encroachment of the forces of Chaos, holding fast 
  for millennia against the onslaught of traitors, heretics, and 
  for millennia against the onslaught of traitors, heretics, and 
  daemons. Cadia is amongst the foremost fortress 
  daemons. Cadia is amongst the foremost fortress 
  worlds in the Imperium, 
  with every soul trained 
  from 
  childhood 
  to 
  defend their world, and all 
  worlds beyond, against the 
  abominations that dwell 
  within the colossal Warp 
  Storm 
  that 
  dominates 
  their skies.
  Barring a small minority 
  composed of those unﬁt to 
  serve as soldiers, every child 
  on Cadia is expected to serve in 
  the Cadian Youth Army, better 
  known as the Whiteshields, from 
  the age of fourteen until their 
  maturity, learning the combat skills 
  and discipline regarded as essential. 
  From these, many will continue their 
  service by joining the Interior Guard 
  as adults, pledging their lives to the 
  defence of Cadia, a force of hundreds, 
  even thousands of regiment-strength 
  units, and the equal of any comparably-
  sized Imperial Guard force. Even those 
  who do not remain in military service—
  fulﬁlling some rear-echelon role essential 
  to the upkeep of an immense defensive 
  to the upkeep of an immense defensive 
  army—are expected to maintain their skills 
  army—are expected to maintain their skills 
  and remain vigilant, stepping up to ﬁght 
  and remain vigilant, stepping up to ﬁght 
  should the Interior Guard be overwhelmed. 
  should the Interior Guard be overwhelmed. 
  Indeed, such is the number of capable youth 
  Indeed, such is the number of capable youth 
  soldiers, Interior Guardsmen, reservists, 
  soldiers, Interior Guardsmen, reservists, 
  and the sheer quantity of new recruits on 
  and the sheer quantity of new recruits on 
  Cadia every year, that many invasions have 
  been defeated through attrition alone, 
  the invading armies unable to match the 
  the invading armies unable to match the 
  hundreds of millions of Cadians.
  
  43
  II: Regiment Creation
  THE CADIAN 99TH 
  MECHANISED INFANTRY
  None are entirely certain how many different incarnations 
  of the Cadian 99th Shock Troops have existed across the 
  millennia. The most recent incarnation was raised only a year 
  ago, and were initially intended to join the Margin Crusade, 
  but received orders to reinforce the Spinward Front instead. 
  For all the Guardsmen’s inexperience, they are nonetheless 
  Cadians, and they have trained since they were children to 
  ﬁght for the Imperium.
  Colonel Dero Arkat, a thirty-year veteran of the Interior 
  Guard assigned to lead the newly-raised regiment, has 
  worked tirelessly to prepare his men for warfare, and appears 
  to have succeeded thus far, operating as part of a series of 
  rapid assaults against Chaos forces infesting the Periphery 
  and worlds beyond.
  other non-local sources, with a signiﬁcant number of Cadian 
  regiments amongst them, and a slow trickle of reinforcements 
  from Cadia to replace some of those lost each year.
  Cadian regiments of all kinds have served on most 
  worlds in the Spinward Front, with Lord Marshal Ghanzorik 
  employing a dozen regiments of Cadian infantry as part of 
  the permanent defence force of Fort Drusus Dozens, perhaps 
  even hundreds more serving on worlds across the Periphery, 
  holding the line against Orks, Chaos raiders, Dark Eldar 
  incursions, and rebels from the Severan Dominate.
  REGIMENT RULES
  Characters belonging to the Cadian 99th Mechanised Infantry gain the following advantages:
  Characteristic Modiﬁers: +3 Agility, +3 Ballistic Skill, –3 Perception, +3 Willpower.
  Starting Aptitudes: Willpower.
  Starting Skills: Command, Common Lore (Imperial Guard), Common Lore (Imperium), Common Lore (War), 
  Linguistics (Low Gothic), Operate (Surface).
  Starting Talents: Combat Formation or Double Team, Hatred (Servants of Chaos), Nerves of Steel or Sprint, Rapid Reload.
  Bred For War: Cadians possess an entirely justiﬁed siege mentality. This is a natural result of daily lives shaped by the 
  need for perpetual vigilance against an enemy that could strike at any time, and the discipline required to respond to that 
  threat swiftly and effectively. Cadians are loyal almost to a fault, and reluctant to disobey orders even with good reason, 
  lacking personal initiative, and becoming inﬂexible as a result. A Cadian must pass a Challenging (+0) Willpower 
  Test in order to go against the rules and regulations of the Imperial Guard.
  Hated Enemy: Cadia stands on the edge of the Eye of Terror, within the only stable passage out of the massive Warp 
  Storm, and the Cadians are taught to loathe the forces of the Lost and the Damned that frequently venture forth from 
  the hellish daemon worlds within the Eye. All Cadians have Hatred (Servants of Chaos). However, this hatred is often 
  so strong as to overwhelm reason and sound judgement, and Cadian characters may be required, at the GM’s discretion, 
  to take an Ordinary (+10) Willpower Test in order to restrain themselves from attacking without mercy when 
  confronted with Chaos forces.
  Wounds: Characters from this regiment generate starting Wounds normally.
  Standard Regimental Kit: 1 Good Craftsmanship M36 lasgun and 4 charge packs, autopistol and 2 clips, knife, 
  ﬂak armour, 2 frag grenades, 2 krak grenades, uniform, poor weather gear, rucksack, basic toolkit, mess kit and water 
  canteen, blanket and sleep bag, rechargeable lamp-pack, grooming kit, dog tags, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting 
  Primer, 2 weeks’ rations, gas mask, micro-bead, and a single Chimera Armoured Transport per squad.
  Favoured Weapons: Autocannon, grenade launcher.
  CREATING THE CADIAN  
  SHOCK TROOPS
  The rules listed for the Cadian 99th Mechanised 
  Infantry have been created using the Regiment 
  Creation Rules later in this chapter. The following 
  doctrines have been used:
  Home World: Fortress World
  Commanding Ofﬁcer: Fixed
  Regiment Type: Mechanised Infantry
  Doctrines: Close Order Drill, Iron Discipline
  Total Cost: 12 points
  
  44
  II: Regiment Creation
  seeming contradiction can be explained by the simple matter 
  of familiarity—natives of Catachan are so accustomed to 
  danger that their responses, while appearing foolhardy, are 
  honed by practice and a perpetual, careful awareness of their 
  surroundings. This is compounded by a contempt for the 
  threat of death, born from that familiarity. To a Catachan, 
  the threat of death is a constant thing, and they do not 
  understand the concept of safety or peace.
  Catachan regiments are most commonly light infantry, 
  making the most of their legendary talents as scouts and 
  ambushers. However, their daring and aggression have been 
  employed in other ways, with armoured regiments hailing 
  from Catachan in the past. The Catachan Jungle Fighters 
  take special pride in their ofﬁcers, who ﬁght side-by-side 
  with their rank and ﬁle troops, sharing in their suffering on 
  the battleﬁeld. As a result, discipline within Catachan 
  regiments is maintained through trust and respect 
  won over many years of campaigning, rather 
  than purely through the formal rank structures 
  relied upon by many other regiments. This 
  has, however, resulted in a reputation for 
  wilfulness amongst other regiments and 
  outsiders, particularly ﬁgures of authority 
  such as Commissars, who have difﬁculty 
  earning the trust and deference of 
  Catachan Guardsmen.
  Similarly, the warriors of Catachan 
  do not place much regard in medals, 
  preferring their own system of 
  battle honours: marking their 
  ﬂesh with tattoos. Skull emblems 
  are common amongst those 
  who have served for more than 
  ﬁve years, while dagger symbols are 
  used by those who survive a decade 
  or more of warfare. While such 
  markings are unique to individual 
  regiments, campaigns, and soldiers, 
  some 
  uniform 
  elements 
  remain 
  common to virtually all Catachans, 
  such as the red bandannas that evoke 
  the blood-oaths sworn upon each soldier 
  joining the regiment, and a wide variety 
  of steel-alloy knives that are as much marks 
  of status as they are weapons and tools. Such 
  is the pragmatism of the Catachans that they 
  dull their knives, regimental insignia, and any 
  other metal on their persons with soot and 
  soil to avoid revealing their presence to the 
  enemy with errant reﬂections.
  Catachan 
  Jungle Fighters
  “We’ve run into scorpions the size of battle tanks, three men died 
  from eyerot last week, I’ve sweat enough to ﬁll a lake, my boots got 
  sucked into a sink-swamp, and the trees are so thick that in places, 
  you can’t squeeze between them. Emperor help me, I love this place! 
  It’s just like home!”
  –Captain Rock of the Catachan III “Green Devils,” 
  commenting on Varestus Prime
  C
  atachan is one of the deadliest worlds known 
  to man, and its inhabitants are amongst 
  the hardiest, most dangerous humans 
  in the Imperium. Almost every creature and 
  plant on Catachan is deadly to human life 
  in some way, from the monstrous Catachan 
  Devil to the mind-destroying brainleaf 
  and the carnivorous venus mantrap. The 
  true diversity of life on Catachan has 
  never been catalogued, though many 
  Adeptus 
  Mechanicus 
  expeditions 
  have tried and failed. Because of 
  these creatures and innumerable 
  others, life on Catachan is 
  unimaginably harsh, with most 
  unlikely to survive childhood. 
  Those who reach adulthood 
  are tough, uncompromising, 
  and resourceful, masters of 
  surviving in one of the most 
  inhospitable 
  environments 
  in the Imperium. With little 
  to offer the Imperium but 
  their lives, many Catachans 
  are recruited into the Imperial 
  Guard, their skills such that each 
  one of them is worth a dozen 
  other Guardsmen when ﬁghting in 
  dense jungle.
  Catachan itself has little need for a defence 
  force, the world’s ﬂora and fauna being sufﬁciently 
  deadly to thwart invaders without the need for human 
  intervention, and so most Catachan Guardsmen are 
  instead recruited from amongst the population of 
  hunters, skilled trackers, and combatants, used to 
  clearing the encroaching jungle and driving off or 
  slaying the beasts that would threaten the small, 
  short-lived settlements. Their necessary skill with an 
  assortment of weapons, and the dangers they face keeping 
  their homes safe from predators, mean that they are well-
  prepared for the dangers of the battleﬁeld. Indeed, a 
  state of almost constant mortal peril has resulted in the 
  Catachan mind-set being one of apparent recklessness 
  and bravado, paradoxically mixed with constant 
  vigilance and almost paranoid caution. This 
  44
  employed in other ways, with armoured regiments hailing 
  from Catachan in the past. The Catachan Jungle Fighters 
  take special pride in their ofﬁcers, who ﬁght side-by-side 
  with their rank and ﬁle troops, sharing in their suffering on 
  the battleﬁeld. As a result, discipline within Catachan 
  regiments is maintained through trust and respect 
  won over many years of campaigning, rather 
  than purely through the formal rank structures 
  relied upon by many other regiments. This 
  has, however, resulted in a reputation for 
  wilfulness amongst other regiments and 
  outsiders, particularly ﬁgures of authority 
  such as Commissars, who have difﬁculty 
  earning the trust and deference of 
  Catachan Guardsmen.
  Similarly, the warriors of Catachan 
  do not place much regard in medals, 
  preferring their own system of 
  battle honours: marking their 
  ﬂesh with tattoos. Skull emblems 
  are common amongst those 
  who have served for more than 
  ﬁve years, while dagger symbols are 
  used by those who survive a decade 
  or more of warfare. While such 
  markings are unique to individual 
  regiments, campaigns, and soldiers, 
  some 
  uniform 
  elements 
  remain 
  common to virtually all Catachans, 
  such as the red bandannas that evoke 
  the blood-oaths sworn upon each soldier 
  joining the regiment, and a wide variety 
  of steel-alloy knives that are as much marks 
  of status as they are weapons and tools. Such 
  is the pragmatism of the Catachans that they 
  dull their knives, regimental insignia, and any 
  other metal on their persons with soot and 
  soil to avoid revealing their presence to the 
  enemy with errant reﬂections.
  –Captain Rock of the Catachan III “Green Devils,” 
  commenting on Varestus Prime
  C
  atachan is one of the deadliest worlds known 
  to man, and its inhabitants are amongst 
  the hardiest, most dangerous humans 
  in the Imperium. Almost every creature and 
  plant on Catachan is deadly to human life 
  in some way, from the monstrous Catachan 
  Devil to the mind-destroying brainleaf 
  and the carnivorous venus mantrap. The 
  true diversity of life on Catachan has 
  never been catalogued, though many 
  Adeptus 
  Mechanicus 
  expeditions 
  have tried and failed. Because of 
  these creatures and innumerable 
  others, life on Catachan is 
  unimaginably harsh, with most 
  unlikely to survive childhood. 
  Those who reach adulthood 
  are tough, uncompromising, 
  and resourceful, masters of 
  surviving in one of the most 
  inhospitable 
  environments 
  in the Imperium. With little 
  to offer the Imperium but 
  their lives, many Catachans 
  are recruited into the Imperial 
  Guard, their skills such that each 
  one of them is worth a dozen 
  other Guardsmen when ﬁghting in 
  dense jungle.
  Catachan itself has little need for a defence 
  force, the world’s ﬂora and fauna being sufﬁciently 
  deadly to thwart invaders without the need for human 
  intervention, and so most Catachan Guardsmen are 
  instead recruited from amongst the population of 
  hunters, skilled trackers, and combatants, used to 
  clearing the encroaching jungle and driving off or 
  slaying the beasts that would threaten the small, 
  short-lived settlements. Their necessary skill with an 
  assortment of weapons, and the dangers they face keeping 
  their homes safe from predators, mean that they are well-
  prepared for the dangers of the battleﬁeld. Indeed, a 
  state of almost constant mortal peril has resulted in the 
  Catachan mind-set being one of apparent recklessness 
  Catachan mind-set being one of apparent recklessness 
  and bravado, paradoxically mixed with constant 
  vigilance and almost paranoid caution. This 
  
  45
  II: Regiment Creation
  An uncommonly large regiment, the Drakebats have been 
  divided up into a number of company-strength groups and 
  spread across the Spinward Front warzone, lending their skills 
  to the hostile wilderness of several worlds. Most recently, the 
  Orks in the fungus jungles on Thrax have been the Drakebats’ 
  primary concern, with the Catachans forming part of a task 
  force charged with retaking the world and driving the Orks 
  from it. Before that, they waged war across the dusty plains 
  and frontier towns of Ganf Magna, purging Feral Orks with 
  knife, lasgun, and ﬂamer.
  The regiment’s commanding ofﬁcer is a long-serving 
  soldier in his early sixties, remarkably old for a Catachan, 
  and bearing a wealth of experience that could only have 
  been gained from over forty years at the front lines. Colonel 
  Tiho Anders, referred to as “The Old Man” by his men, is 
  a cunning and resourceful leader, still uncomfortable with 
  outside authorities and justiﬁably proud of his warriors’ 
  accomplishments. He is distrustful of his superiors, and has 
  long been vocal of his dislike of what he calls the “witless 
  interference of the Commissariat”. This outlook has not 
  endeared him to senior commanders, who only tolerate 
  Anders because of his regiment’s skills.
  CATACHAN JUNGLE FIGHTERS IN  
  THE SPINWARD FRONT
  There are comparatively few Catachan regiments within the 
  Spinward Front. However, for reasons that remain entangled 
  within the bureaucracy of the Departmento Munitorum, a 
  small number of regiments from Catachan found their way 
  into the region, likely due to a planned deployment that never 
  came to fruition, perhaps because the campaign had already 
  concluded by the time the Catachans had arrived. Whatever 
  the reason, a number of these legendary death worlders found 
  themselves redeployed to serve on the Spinward Front.
  For the most part, these regiments serve in a variety of roles 
  on a variety of worlds; there are few worlds in the Periphery 
  requiring the particular talents of death world veterans, but their 
  skills are nonetheless valuable, particularly as scouts and assault 
  troops. The daring and gung-ho attitudes of the Catachans 
  have put them at odds with elements of the Spinward Front’s 
  command, and out of tacit mutual consent, Catachan regiments 
  tend to be placed in isolated battlegroups deployed to brutal 
  warzones, where their distrust of authority ﬁgures and their 
  tendency towards independence are less of a hindrance.
  THE CATACHAN 18TH 
  “DRAKEBATS”
  The drakebat is an Ogryn-sized, winged, pseudo-reptile that 
  lurks amongst the upper canopy of the equatorial jungles of 
  Catachan, descending from the treetops to ambush and devour 
  unsuspecting prey. The Catachan 18th Light Infantry, famed 
  for their swift ambushes and surprise assaults, took on the name 
  of these beasts, as is a common tradition amongst Catachan 
  regiments. The speed at which the drakebat performs its 
  swooping attacks is echoed by the Catachan 18th’s ability to 
  deploy and execute an ambush with minimal time to prepare.
  REGIMENT RULES
  Characters belonging to the Catachan 18th gain the following advantages:
  Characteristic Modiﬁers: +3 Agility, +3 Strength.
  Starting Aptitudes: Agility.
  Starting Skills: Navigate (Surface), Survival.
  Starting Talents: Lightning Reﬂexes or Light Sleeper or Resistance (Poison), Resistance (Fear), Sprint.
  Fluency: While Catachans have learned to speak Low Gothic, they do not have time in their violent lives to learn how to read or 
  write the universal language of the Imperium. Because of this, Catachans do not start with the Linguistics (Low Gothic) Skill at 
  creation, although they are still capable of engaging in any verbal communication in Low Gothic that does not require a Skill Test.
  Survivalists (Jungle): Catachans have grown up ﬁghting in the lethal jungle of their homeworld, and feel at home on any planet 
  with a similar environment. When operating in jungle terrain, they can re-roll failed Survival and Navigate (Surface) Skill Tests.
  Wary of Outsiders: Catachans tend to be slow to put their faith in anyone other than themselves and their comrades, 
  and they chafe at the expectations and strictures of more civilised society. They suffer a –10 penalty on all Interaction 
  Skill Tests made in formal surroundings, and similarly impose a –10 penalty on any Interaction Skill Tests made on 
  them by any non-Catachans. These penalties can be waived at the GM’s discretion, if the death worlders are dealing 
  with those who have earned their trust.
  Wounds: Characters from this regiment begin play with +2 starting Wounds.
  Standard Regimental Kit: 1 Lascarbine and 4 charge packs, 1 Best Craftsmanship sword, 1 knife, ﬂak vest and ﬂak helmet, 
  3 frag grenades, 2 smoke grenades, uniform, poor weather gear, rucksack, basic toolkit, mess kit and water canteen, blanket 
  and sleep bag, rechargeable lamp-pack, dog tags, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer, 2 weeks’ rations, stummer, grapnel.
  Favoured Weapons: Flamer, heavy bolter.
  CREATING THE CATACHAN  
  JUNGLE FIGHTERS
  The rules listed for the Catachan 18th “Drakebats” have 
  been created using the Regiment Creation Rules later in 
  this chapter. The following doctrines have been used:
  Home World: Death World
  Commanding Ofﬁcer: Maverick
  Regiment Type: Light Infantry
  Doctrines: Survivalists (Jungle)
  Total Cost: 11 points
  
  46
  II: Regiment Creation
  for the Emperor’s will, faceless and inﬁnitely replaceable 
  behind their anonymous rebreather masks, and they hold 
  self-sacriﬁce as the highest of ideals. Few other regiments 
  feel entirely comfortable alongside the Krieg, with morale 
  issues often arising as a result. Commissars assigned to Krieg 
  regiments are not required to maintain order and zeal, as is 
  normally the case, but rather, to ease interaction between 
  Krieg and non-Krieg regiments and curb the self-sacriﬁcial 
  tendencies of their charges.
  Given the depleted population of Krieg, it is a wonder 
  that so many Guardsman can be produced, even with the 
  entire world’s remaining efforts devoted to that end. Vicious 
  rumours continue to circle around the world’s regiments, of 
  unnatural methods used to bolster birth and recruitment rates, 
  producing children artiﬁcially to ensure that there are always 
  soldiers to give their lives for the Emperor’s 
  wars. To date, no investigations by the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus have presented 
  any evidence of this, but speculation 
  continues nonetheless.
  Death Korps  
  of Krieg
  “In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement.”
  –Final line of the Litany of Sacriﬁce, recited by Krieg 
  Korpsmen when entering battle.
  I
  n 433.M39, the once-loyal world of Krieg declared 
  independence and renounced the glory of the Emperor. 
  At that moment, the world was changed forever. Colonel 
  Jurten, commander of the 83rd Krieg Planetary Defence 
  Force regiment, gathered to him all those still loyal to the 
  Imperium, and struck back against the rebellion, choosing 
  to unleash the horror of atomic bombardment upon those 
  who had forsaken the Emperor. After ﬁve hundred years 
  of atomic ﬁre, continent-spanning trench warfare, and 
  thunderous artillery barrages, the attempted secession 
  of Krieg was halted, but at great cost: Krieg was a 
  blasted, irradiated wasteland, barely inhabitable by 
  humans. The remaining population was forced to 
  exist in the subterranean bunkers and tunnels that 
  had spread across the planet during the war, and 
  found that they could not walk upon the surface 
  without protective equipment. 
  Seeking to atone for the betrayal their world’s 
  government had committed, and with no other 
  resources left to offer up in the tithe, the people 
  of Krieg set about providing the only thing 
  they had left—manpower. Hardened 
  by generations of war in an atomic 
  wasteland, the Krieg people were 
  already well-prepared to be 
  sent out into the Imperium 
  as Imperial Guardsmen. 
  Trained amongst the 
  irradiated ruins of 
  long-dead 
  cities, 
  equipped 
  for 
  the most hostile 
  environments, and 
  raised to sermons 
  of self-sacriﬁce and 
  penitence, the Krieg 
  regiments have commonly been deployed—
  often at their own request—to some of the 
  deadliest warzones, from the toxic ash wastes 
  that surround many hive cities, to brutal wars 
  of attrition and years-long sieges.
  The Krieg have gained a reputation for their 
  grim attitude and uncompromising nature. 
  Disdainful of retreat or surrender, and ﬁghting 
  without fear of death, the soldiers of Krieg 
  seem to have no regard for their own 
  lives. Indeed, the prevailing attitude 
  amongst the Krieg is that they 
  are little more than weapons 
  entire world’s remaining efforts devoted to that end. Vicious 
  rumours continue to circle around the world’s regiments, of 
  unnatural methods used to bolster birth and recruitment rates, 
  producing children artiﬁcially to ensure that there are always 
  soldiers to give their lives for the Emperor’s 
  wars. To date, no investigations by the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus have presented 
  any evidence of this, but speculation 
  continues nonetheless.
  independence and renounced the glory of the Emperor. 
  At that moment, the world was changed forever. Colonel 
  Jurten, commander of the 83rd Krieg Planetary Defence 
  Force regiment, gathered to him all those still loyal to the 
  Imperium, and struck back against the rebellion, choosing 
  to unleash the horror of atomic bombardment upon those 
  who had forsaken the Emperor. After ﬁve hundred years 
  of atomic ﬁre, continent-spanning trench warfare, and 
  thunderous artillery barrages, the attempted secession 
  of Krieg was halted, but at great cost: Krieg was a 
  blasted, irradiated wasteland, barely inhabitable by 
  humans. The remaining population was forced to 
  exist in the subterranean bunkers and tunnels that 
  had spread across the planet during the war, and 
  found that they could not walk upon the surface 
  without protective equipment. 
  Seeking to atone for the betrayal their world’s 
  government had committed, and with no other 
  resources left to offer up in the tithe, the people 
  of Krieg set about providing the only thing 
  they had left—manpower. Hardened 
  by generations of war in an atomic 
  wasteland, the Krieg people were 
  already well-prepared to be 
  sent out into the Imperium 
  as Imperial Guardsmen. 
  Trained amongst the 
  irradiated ruins of 
  long-dead 
  cities, 
  raised to sermons 
  of self-sacriﬁce and 
  penitence, the Krieg 
  regiments have commonly been deployed—
  often at their own request—to some of the 
  deadliest warzones, from the toxic ash wastes 
  that surround many hive cities, to brutal wars 
  of attrition and years-long sieges.
  The Krieg have gained a reputation for their 
  grim attitude and uncompromising nature. 
  Disdainful of retreat or surrender, and ﬁghting 
  without fear of death, the soldiers of Krieg 
  seem to have no regard for their own 
  lives. Indeed, the prevailing attitude 
  amongst the Krieg is that they 
  are little more than weapons 
  
  47
  II: Regiment Creation
  Like many Krieg regiments, individual troopers tend to 
  have little in the way of personal identity, often stripped 
  of their sense of self during training, even removing their 
  names in favour of a simple designation. This attitude often 
  spreads even to the ofﬁcers, with many simply known by 
  the designation of their platoon, company or regiment. This 
  is the case within the 616th, with its commanding ofﬁcer 
  known only as Colonel Six-Sixteen. Regarded by his peers 
  in other regiments as being little more than a mouthpiece for 
  the orders issued by more senior commanders, Colonel Six-
  Sixteen is a quiet, unassuming ﬁgure, seldom seen without 
  his greatcoat and rebreather, whose leadership abilities are 
  effective, if unimaginative. The nature of Krieg regiments is 
  such that little more is necessary. For the most part, inter-
  regimental communications are handled by the 616th’s 
  current senior Commissar, Anton Kraevan. 
  THE DEATH KORPS OF KRIEG IN THE 
  SPINWARD FRONT
   It was never originally planned that regiments of the Death 
  Korps would serve in the Spinward Front, and they are only a 
  very recent arrival. Instead, countless Death Korps regiments, 
  comprising siege infantry, armour, and artillery, were being 
  shipped from their home world of Krieg to Vraks Prime in 
  the Scarus sector, a world dominated by the forces of the 
  Apostate Cardinal Xaphan. Countless millions of Krieg 
  soldiers had already been shipped to Vraks to wage the early 
  years of a siege campaign planned to last a decade.
   However, due to reasons only known to the scribes of the 
  Departmento Munitorum, many of these regiments from Krieg 
  were diverted. Being located only a relatively short distance from 
  Vraks, the Spinward front received these diverted regiments, 
  and in 816.M41, thirty Krieg regiments arrived on Kalf to 
  receive orders. The majority deployed to Kulth, while others 
  were despatched to the bastions on Ashen, the Ork-dominated 
  manufactories of Asterion, the subterranean mines of Virbius, 
  and the hostile duality of Janus, where the nights freeze and the 
  days burn, to reinforce the conﬂicts on those worlds.
  THE KRIEG 616TH  
  SIEGE REGIMENT
  Originally consisting of over thirty thousand warriors, the 
  616th Siege Regiment is newly-raised from their self-inﬂicted 
  hell of a home world, as part of the ﬁrst wave of Krieg forces 
  redirected from Vraks. Since their arrival in the Spinward 
  Front, these regiments have found themselves embroiled in 
  some of the heaviest ﬁghting, such as besieging Mek-Boss 
  Dregrukk’s Stompa manufactories on Asterion, or battles 
  amongst the defenders on Kulth.
  REGIMENT RULES
  Characters belonging to the Krieg 616th Siege Regiment gain the following advantages:
  Characteristic Modiﬁers:–3 Intelligence, +6 Toughness, +3 Willpower.
  Starting Aptitudes: Toughness, Willpower.
  Starting Skills: Common Lore (Ecclesiarchy), Common Lore (Imperial Creed), Common Lore (Imperial Guard), 
  Common Lore (War), Intimidate, Linguistics (Low Gothic), Tech-Use.
  Starting Talents: Nerves of Steel, Orthoproxy or Unshakeable Faith.
  Only One Life to Give: So driven to martyrdom are the Krieg, that it can cause them to take unnecessary risks, 
  lamenting that they can only sacriﬁce themselves once. Krieg characters must pass an Ordinary (+10) Willpower Test 
  in order to retreat from combat or otherwise act in the interests of self-preservation.
  Faceless, Nameless, and Selﬂess: Krieg Korpsmen are taught to regard themselves without identity, hidden behind 
  gas masks and stripped of even their names. This lack of self helps them ﬁght on against impossible odds, and neither 
  fear nor doubt will hinder them. When required to make a Fear or Pinning Test, ignore all penalties applied to the Test, 
  and simply treat it as a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test.
  Wounds: Characters from this regiment begin play with +2 starting Wounds.
  Standard Regimental Kit: 1 M36 lasgun and 6 charge packs, 1 mono-knife, ﬂak armour, 1 respirator, 4 empty 
  sandbags, 1 entrenching tool, 4 frag grenades, 2 photon ﬂash grenades, 2 smoke grenades, uniform, poor weather gear, 
  rucksack, basic toolkit, mess kit and water canteen, blanket and sleep bag, rechargeable lamp-pack, grooming kit, dog 
  tags, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer, 2 weeks’ rations, 1 box of 6 screamers per squad.
  Favoured Weapons: Heavy bolter, meltagun.
  CREATING THE DEATH KORPS OF KRIEG
  The rules listed for the Krieg 616th Siege Infantry 
  have been created using the Regiment Creation Rules 
  later in this chapter. The following doctrines have 
  been used:
  Home World: Penitent, but the Untempered Zeal Trait 
  has been replaced with the unique Faceless, Nameless, 
  and Selﬂess Trait listed in the Regiment Rules.
  Commanding Ofﬁcer: Phlegmatic
  Regiment Type: Siege Infantry
  Doctrines: Die-Hards, Iron Discipline
  Total Cost: 12 points
  
  48
  48
  II: Regiment Creation
  by anything much heavier than those light vehicles, denying 
  them the support of the mighty Leman Russ battle tank 
  or even the humble Chimera. Consequently, the Elysians 
  struggle in prolonged battles, lacking the endurance and the 
  ﬁrepower necessary to hold their ground for a protracted 
  period. Instead, Elysian Drop Troop regiments are better 
  suited to surprise attacks, ambushes, and guerrilla warfare 
  once they’ve landed, relying on mobility to continue their 
  ﬁght. For similar reasons, Elysians carry as many supplies as 
  possible to prolong their ability to operate behind enemy 
  lines, and their intense training ensures that these supplies 
  last as long as possible, with availability of ammunition 
  being a particular problem, alleviated by ensuring that as 
  few shots are wasted as possible.
  Elysian Drop 
  Troops
  “The enemy commanders think themselves safe from the Emperor’s 
  Wrath behind kilometres of fortiﬁcations and legions of warriors. 
  They did not account for us. Make your peace with the Emperor, 
  men—we drop in two minutes.”
  –Colonel Johanna van Meer, 
  Elysian 13th “Helldivers” Drop Troops
  E
  lysia is a civilised world in the wilderness, existing at 
  the edge of a colonised spur of territory within the 
  Segmentum Solar. Surrounded by untamed 
  worlds, barren moons, and a variety of gas clouds 
  and asteroid ﬁelds, the region is a haven for pirates 
  and renegades, who must constantly be kept in 
  check to prevent lawlessness from overrunning the 
  system. Much of the Elysian planetary defence force 
  is thus required to serve the dual role of defending 
  their home world and suppressing pirate activity in 
  the surrounding area. Due to this necessity, Elysian 
  soldiers are well-versed in ship-to-ship 
  boarding actions and similar strategies, rapid 
  strikes in concert with orbital and aerial 
  support being the only effective way of 
  combating elusive enemies, such as those 
  the Elysians routinely face.
  As a result of this, Imperial Guard 
  regiments raised from Elysia are regarded 
  as somewhat unorthodox. Conventional 
  infantry, armour, and artillery formations are rare, 
  with the bulk of Elysians becoming the famed 
  Drop Troops. Rare within the Imperial Guard 
  as a whole, Drop Infantry regiments are a potent 
  strategic asset which many Generals are eager 
  to obtain, and Elysia produces a considerable 
  quantity of such regiments, whose skills are 
  employed across the galaxy.
  Each Elysian must spend a single tour of 
  duty within the forces guarding Elysia itself 
  before they will be considered for service 
  within the Imperial Guard. After this time, 
  with each soldier becoming veterans of a 
  dozen or more battles, potential recruits 
  are drilled for months in the art of airborne 
  assault by grav-chute and aircraft, working to 
  perfect those skills before being deployed to a 
  warzone on a distant world. Little compares to 
  the awe-inspiring sight of an entire regiment of 
  Elysian Drop Troops, thousands of soldiers strong, 
  dropping by grav-chute and rappelling from Valkyrie 
  Assault Carriers, supported by similarly air-mobile 
  Sentinel walkers and Tauros scout vehicles.
  However, their favoured strategies also 
  come with their own problems. Drop 
  Trooper regiments cannot be supported 
  Segmentum Solar. Surrounded by untamed 
  worlds, barren moons, and a variety of gas clouds 
  and asteroid ﬁelds, the region is a haven for pirates 
  and renegades, who must constantly be kept in 
  check to prevent lawlessness from overrunning the 
  system. Much of the Elysian planetary defence force 
  is thus required to serve the dual role of defending 
  their home world and suppressing pirate activity in 
  the surrounding area. Due to this necessity, Elysian 
  soldiers are well-versed in ship-to-ship 
  boarding actions and similar strategies, rapid 
  strikes in concert with orbital and aerial 
  support being the only effective way of 
  combating elusive enemies, such as those 
  the Elysians routinely face.
  As a result of this, Imperial Guard 
  regiments raised from Elysia are regarded 
  as somewhat unorthodox. Conventional 
  infantry, armour, and artillery formations are rare, 
  with the bulk of Elysians becoming the famed 
  Drop Troops. Rare within the Imperial Guard 
  as a whole, Drop Infantry regiments are a potent 
  strategic asset which many Generals are eager 
  to obtain, and Elysia produces a considerable 
  quantity of such regiments, whose skills are 
  employed across the galaxy.
  Each Elysian must spend a single tour of 
  duty within the forces guarding Elysia itself 
  before they will be considered for service 
  within the Imperial Guard. After this time, 
  with each soldier becoming veterans of a 
  dozen or more battles, potential recruits 
  are drilled for months in the art of airborne 
  assault by grav-chute and aircraft, working to 
  perfect those skills before being deployed to a 
  warzone on a distant world. Little compares to 
  the awe-inspiring sight of an entire regiment of 
  Elysian Drop Troops, thousands of soldiers strong, 
  dropping by grav-chute and rappelling from Valkyrie 
  Assault Carriers, supported by similarly air-mobile 
  Sentinel walkers and Tauros scout vehicles.
  However, their favoured strategies also 
  come with their own problems. Drop 
  Trooper regiments cannot be supported 
  
  49
  49
  II: Regiment Creation
  whenever possible, the victories of the 13th, along with those 
  other regiments whose exploits will bolster morale.
  The truth is, as always, both more and less than the ﬁctions 
  wrought from it. Colonel Johanna van Meer, the regiment’s 
  commander, is daring, optimistic, courageous, and more than 
  a little vainglorious. Her fervour for the glory of battle has 
  seen the Elysian 13th deployed to the deadliest of conﬂicts 
  and the most challenging of missions, succeeding at any 
  cost, and to great acclaim. The Helldivers have suffered great 
  casualties over the years, and only a handful of companies 
  of their original ten thousand warriors still remain, though 
  each is a veteran of many battles. Only on one occasion have 
  the Helldivers been reinforced with the remnants of another 
  regiment.  After the failed invasion of Avitohol, they bolsteed 
  their diminishing numbers with the remains of the Elysian 
  227th Drop Troops, though subsequent campaigns have 
  reduced their numbers further.
  ELYSIAN DROP TROOPS IN  
  THE SPINWARD FRONT
  Through careful politicking and negotiation at the highest 
  levels, a contingent of Elysian regiments was secured for 
  operations in and around the Calixis Sector. While the majority 
  were quickly claimed for the Margin Crusade, a few were 
  diverted to support the Spinward Front. These regiments are 
  held as a strategic reserve by Lord Marshal Ghanzorik, who 
  is careful to employ such a limited resource only when strictly 
  necessary, unwilling to simply throw the valuable regiments 
  into the meat-grinder.
  This has not limited the action that Elysian regiments 
  have seen within the Spinward Front, however. So many 
  individual warzones and objectives exist across so many 
  worlds that there are ample opportunities and vital conﬂicts 
  aplenty that are deserving of the Elysians’ rare talents, from 
  counter-offensives against Dark Eldar raiders on Kalf, to 
  intense guerrilla warfare on Horizon and the sabotage of the 
  Ork-dominated shipyards above Sickle. However, the Elysian 
  contingent has suffered heavy losses during the failed assault 
  on Thrax, which saw nine regiments lost and the survivors 
  stranded on a world contested by both the Orks and the 
  forces of the Severan Dominate.
  THE ELYSIAN 13TH 
  “HELLDIVERS”  
  DROP TROOPS
  The Elysian 13th Drop Troops has gained something of a 
  heroic reputation amongst the regiments of the Spinward 
  Front, having emerged from seemingly impossible odds 
  on multiple occasions. Dubbed the Helldivers for their 
  tendency to descend upon the enemy from above and leave 
  destruction in their wake, the Elysian 13th are the subject of 
  overblown tales and ﬂights of fancy amongst the masses. The 
  Departmento Munitorum has only encouraged this, reporting, 
  REGIMENT RULES
  Characters belonging to the Elysian 13th Drop Troops gain the following advantages:
  Characteristic Modiﬁers: +3 Agility, +3 Ballistic Skill, –3 Fellowship, +3 Willpower.
  Starting Aptitudes: Willpower.
  Starting Skills: Common Lore (Imperial Creed), Common Lore (Imperium), Linguistics (Low Gothic), Operate 
  (Aeronautica).
  Starting Talents: Catfall, Die Hard, Hatred (Mutants).
  Blessed Ignorance: Elysians know that the proper ways of living are those tried and tested by the generations that 
  have gone before. Horror, pain and death are the just rewards of curiosity, for those who look too deeply into the 
  mysteries of the universe are all too likely to ﬁnd maleﬁc beings looking back at them. Their wise blindness imposes a 
  –5 penalty on all Forbidden Lore (Int) Tests.
  Demolitions Doctrine: Elysians gain a +10 bonus on all Logistics Tests made to obtain grenades, missiles, explosives 
  and special tank ammunition.
  Wounds: Characters from this regiment generate starting Wounds normally.
  Standard Regimental Kit: 1 Combat shotgun and 4 clips, 1 knife, ﬂak armour, 1 respirator, 1 grav-chute, 3 frag 
  grenades, 3 smoke grenades, uniform, poor weather gear, rucksack, basic toolkit, mess kit and water canteen, blanket 
  and sleep bag, rechargeable lamp-pack, grooming kit, dog tags, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer, 4 weeks’ 
  rations, survival suit, micro-bead, photo-visor.
  Favoured Weapons: Heavy bolter, plasma gun.
  CREATING THE ELYSIAN DROP TROOPS
  The rules listed for the Elysian 13th “Helldivers” have 
  been created using the Regiment Creation Rules later in 
  this chapter. The following doctrines have been used:
  Home World: Imperial World
  Commanding Ofﬁcer: Sanguine
  Regiment Type: Drop Infantry
  Doctrines: Iron Discipline, Demolitions
  Total Cost: 12 points
  
  50
  II: Regiment Creation
  his miraculous return and subsequent triumph, and the site of his 
  miracle was declared a Shrine World.
  To this day, Maccabeus Quintus is a site of pilgrimage for 
  the faithful across the Calixis Sector, and is the heart of the 
  Drusian Cult within the sector’s Ecclesiarchy. The world’s harsh 
  and unforgiving landscape is walked by countless pilgrims 
  every year, many of whom spend the remainder of their lives 
  there, giving themselves to the devotion of the Emperor.
  Unlike many Shrine Worlds, Maccabeus Quintus has a 
  signiﬁcant military tradition all its own. Following after their 
  patron, discipline and endurance are regarded as the greatest 
  of virtues, and to defend or expand the Imperium in battle is 
  regarded as the most pious form of worship. With the sheer 
  number of pilgrims arriving on-world each year, a considerable 
  population of the devout exists on Maccabeus Quintus, which in 
  turn provides an ample and diverse supply of potential candidates 
  to the Maccabian militias, the ﬁnest of which are chosen to 
  join the Maccabian Janissaries. To date, none have refused this 
  honour, for all are driven by faith and the spirit of pilgrimage, 
  and to become a Janissary is to embark upon a 
  pilgrimage of a different sort, carrying the 
  Emperor’s Wrath to dark and distant places. 
  While it is rare for an Imperial Guardsman 
  ever to return to his home world, Janissaries 
  never do so—they press on to ever more 
  distant warzones and die ﬁghting on 
  countless distant worlds. Even those 
  who are demobilised at campaign’s 
  end will often ﬁnd themselves on 
  other pilgrim trails in 
  other parts of the 
  Imperium, guarding 
  the 
  faithful 
  from 
  the predations of the 
  heretic and the alien.
   Janissary regiments are 
  extraordinarily well-equipped, 
  clad 
  in 
  ﬁnely-wrought 
  armour adorned with 
  silvered masks in the 
  image of Saint 
  Drusus, 
  and 
  are 
  capable 
  m a r ks m e n , 
  well-trained 
  at 
  ﬁghting 
  in 
  carefully-
  orchestrated formations, 
  often literally battling 
  shoulder-to-shoulder in 
  serried ranks, unleashing 
  volleys of accurate ﬁre 
  into enemy units. Units of 
  Maccabian Janissaries commonly 
  stand at the heart of a battle line, 
  their faith and their equipment 
  allowing them to hold out against enemy 
  attack when others might falter. Being united by faith, 
  rather than common heritage, the Maccabian Janissaries 
  have few ties to the world they are named for, and tend 
  Maccabian 
  Janissaries
  “In all things do we take the example of Saint Drusus, who the 
  Emperor saw ﬁt to return from death to continue service in His 
  name. We endure hardships, as Drusus did. We show no mercy, 
  as Drusus did. We drive back the darkness beyond His realm, as 
  Drusus did.”
  –Verse III of the Janissary’s Oath.
  A 
  world of vast, dry, salt ﬂats, dust-laden winds, and 
  harsh, chill sun; the ﬁfth planet of the unforgiving 
  Maccabeus system is nevertheless a blessed place. 
  Blessed not because of the resources it is gifted with (which are 
  few), or because of the climate (which is harsh), but because of 
  the faith, for this is the place where a great man fell and was 
  raised up as a saint by the glory of the Emperor.
  The chronicles of the Angevin Crusade tell that 
  General Drusus, commanding the Trailward 
  Salient of the Crusade, had pushed 
  towards the Halo Stars, hoping to 
  carve out a stable domain in what 
  had been a fraught and bitter decade 
  of war, when a sudden and vicious 
  resurgence of hostilities in the region 
  around Spectoris, at his rear, caused 
  his advance to shudder to 
  a halt. The order to 
  mass and regroup 
  was given. The 
  planet chosen for 
  this gathering was an 
  uninhabited world in 
  the obscure Maccabeus 
  system, and as Drusus’ 
  forces 
  gathered, 
  the 
  General himself prayed 
  for guidance, knowing that a 
  wrong choice could jeopardise the 
  fate of the whole crusade.
  Disaster 
  struck, 
  as, 
  employing unholy methods, 
  his 
  enemies 
  discovered 
  Drusus’ 
  location 
  and 
  unleashed a deadly assassin 
  against him. Drusus fell, 
  but even as the killing blow 
  was struck did the power of the 
  Emperor rend apart the assassin and 
  spare the great man. After ten days and 
  nights in shadow did Drusus return, and the light of the 
  Emperor was within him. In the years that followed, 
  Drusus knew not defeat; one by one his enemies 
  fell, and from the ashes of his conquest, the Calixis 
  Sector was born. In the centuries following the 
  Crusade, Drusus was declared a Saint, for 
  join the Maccabian Janissaries. To date, none have refused this 
  honour, for all are driven by faith and the spirit of pilgrimage, 
  and to become a Janissary is to embark upon a 
  pilgrimage of a different sort, carrying the 
  Emperor’s Wrath to dark and distant places. 
  While it is rare for an Imperial Guardsman 
  ever to return to his home world, Janissaries 
  never do so—they press on to ever more 
  distant warzones and die ﬁghting on 
  countless distant worlds. Even those 
  who are demobilised at campaign’s 
  end will often ﬁnd themselves on 
  other pilgrim trails in 
  other parts of the 
  Imperium, guarding 
  the 
  faithful 
  from 
  the predations of the 
  heretic and the alien.
   Janissary regiments are 
  extraordinarily well-equipped, 
  clad 
  in 
  ﬁnely-wrought 
  armour adorned with 
  silvered masks in the 
  image of Saint 
  Drusus, 
  and 
  are 
  capable 
  m a r ks m e n , 
  well-trained 
  at 
  ﬁghting 
  in 
  carefully-
  orchestrated formations, 
  often literally battling 
  shoulder-to-shoulder in 
  serried ranks, unleashing 
  volleys of accurate ﬁre 
  into enemy units. Units of 
  Maccabian Janissaries commonly 
  stand at the heart of a battle line, 
  their faith and their equipment 
  allowing them to hold out against enemy 
  attack when others might falter. Being united by faith, 
  rather than common heritage, the Maccabian Janissaries 
  have few ties to the world they are named for, and tend 
  the faith, for this is the place where a great man fell and was 
  raised up as a saint by the glory of the Emperor.
  The chronicles of the Angevin Crusade tell that 
  General Drusus, commanding the Trailward 
  Salient of the Crusade, had pushed 
  towards the Halo Stars, hoping to 
  carve out a stable domain in what 
  had been a fraught and bitter decade 
  of war, when a sudden and vicious 
  resurgence of hostilities in the region 
  around Spectoris, at his rear, caused 
  his advance to shudder to 
  a halt. The order to 
  mass and regroup 
  was given. The 
  planet chosen for 
  this gathering was an 
  uninhabited world in 
  the obscure Maccabeus 
  system, and as Drusus’ 
  forces 
  gathered, 
  the 
  General himself prayed 
  for guidance, knowing that a 
  wrong choice could jeopardise the 
  fate of the whole crusade.
  Disaster 
  struck, 
  as, 
  employing unholy methods, 
  his 
  enemies 
  discovered 
  Drusus’ 
  location 
  and 
  unleashed a deadly assassin 
  against him. Drusus fell, 
  but even as the killing blow 
  was struck did the power of the 
  Emperor rend apart the assassin and 
  spare the great man. After ten days and 
  nights in shadow did Drusus return, and the light of the 
  Emperor was within him. In the years that followed, 
  Drusus knew not defeat; one by one his enemies 
  fell, and from the ashes of his conquest, the Calixis 
  Sector was born. In the centuries following the 
  Crusade, Drusus was declared a Saint, for 
  Crusade, Drusus was declared a Saint, for 
  
  51
  II: Regiment Creation
  THE MACCABIAN 
  JANISSARIES 1322ND
  The Maccabian 1322nd is on its last legs, having fought on 
  the front lines now for over a decade. Like those who came 
  before them, and those who shall come after, the 1322nd 
  hold no illusions about returning to Maccabeus Quintus, and 
  unfettered by thoughts of home, they have endeavoured to be 
  at the forefront of battle whenever the opportunity has arisen. 
  Particularly driven to oppose traitors and heretics, the 1322nd 
  have come to relish battle against Dominate and Chaos forces, 
  and are currently embroiled in the multi-front battles that have 
  engulfed the resource-rich Karacallia system.
  The 1322nd are currently led by Major Gwendolin 
  Tsavice, who has commanded the regiment for the last two 
  years, since the assassination of Colonel Richter Kamask by a 
  Dominate kill-squad. Not entirely prepared for command, and 
  haunted by the sudden and malicious demise of her former 
  commanding ofﬁcer, Tsavice has become deeply paranoid, 
  her faith fuelling her caution by making her doubt the zeal 
  of those around her. His chief advisor, Commissar Kristoffer 
  Novek, has encouraged this righteous scrutiny, and they have 
  worked hard to instil a proper sense of wary circumspection 
  in the remaining men and women of the 1322nd.
  to volunteer for deployments that place them at the forefront, 
  pushing deep into enemy territory, viewing every engagement as 
  another step along their militant pilgrimage.
  MACCABIAN JANISSARIES IN  
  THE SPINWARD FRONT
  During the early days of strife within the Periphery, twelve 
  regiments of Maccabian Janissaries were duty-bound to 
  accompany Missionaries voyaging there, to ensure that the 
  population remained loyal and faithful. Stationed within 
  what would become the Spinward Front, when the Ork 
  invasion came, the Maccabian Janissaries were already on 
  the front lines, fending off numerous Dark Eldar raids across 
  the Periphery, and would then form the core of the Imperial 
  Guard force that was mustered to defend the region.
  The subsequent betrayal of Duke Severus XIII was taken 
  by the Janissary regiments as a particular affront against 
  their patron saint, inspiring greater levels of fervour in the 
  Maccabians. Almost immediately, Cardinals Hestor and Fortis 
  began calling for a War of Faith to cleanse the Periphery of 
  the apostate and the heretic, so that it could be repopulated by 
  the true and the pure. While their zeal was to be commended, 
  more practical minds won out; between the Margin Crusade’s 
  increasing demands and the war effort already present in the 
  Periphery, the military capabilities of the Calixis Sector were 
  already stretched to the breaking point, and little more could 
  be drawn from Segmentum reserves or neighbouring sectors.
  Nonetheless, Maccabeus Quintus continued to recruit 
  soldiers and raise regiments, whipping the pilgrims into a 
  frenzy of devotion and purgation and doubling the number 
  of regiments mustered, pledging every new regiment to the 
  Spinward Front. At present, the Maccabian Janissaries form the 
  fourth largest contingent of Calixis-born Imperial Guardsmen 
  in the Periphery, overshadowed only by large musters from 
  the populous Hive Worlds of Scintilla, Malﬁ, and Bront, and 
  given the perpetual inﬂux of new pilgrims, it seems unlikely 
  that this recruitment rate will dwindle any time soon.
  REGIMENT RULES
  Characters belonging to the Maccabian Janissaries 1322nd gain the following advantages:
  Characteristic Modiﬁers: +3 Fellowship, –3 Intelligence, +3 Strength, +2 Weapon Skill, +3 Willpower.
  Starting Skills: Athletics, Common Lore (Ecclesiarchy), Common Lore (Imperial Creed), Intimidate, Linguistics (Low Gothic). 
  Starting Talents: Combat Formation or Double Team, Nerves of Steel or Orthoproxy or Unshakeable Faith, Paranoia, 
  Rapid Reload, Street Fighting.
  Only One Life to Give: So driven to martyrdom are the Janissaries, that it can cause them to take unnecessary risks, 
  lamenting that they can only sacriﬁce themselves once. Janissary characters must pass an Ordinary (+10) Willpower 
  Test in order to retreat from combat or otherwise act in the interests of self-preservation.
  Untempered Zeal: The pious spirit of the Janissaries is almost unmatched in its ferocity, and while their faith is closer 
  to the violent ardour of the fanatic than the divine clarity of the Adepta Sororitas, it is nonetheless inspiring to behold. 
  Janissary characters can re-roll any failed Charm Test to inspire religious fervour or righteous hatred in others.
  Wounds: Characters from this regiment begin play with +2 starting Wounds.
  Standard Regimental Kit: 1 Good Craftsmanship M36 lasgun and 4 charge packs, 1 knife, ﬂak armour, 2 frag 
  grenades, 2 krak grenades, uniform, poor weather gear, rucksack, basic toolkit, mess kit and water canteen, blanket and 
  sleep bag, rechargeable lamp-pack, grooming kit, dog tags, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer, 2 weeks’ rations, 
  photo-visor, respirator, purity seals.
  Favoured Weapons: Lascannon, plasma gun.
  CREATING THE  
  MACCABIAN JANISSARIES
  The rules listed for the Maccabian Janissaries 1322nd have 
  been created using the Regiment Creation Rules later in 
  this chapter. The following doctrines have been used:
  Home World: Penitent
  Commanding Ofﬁcer: Bilious
  Regiment Type: Line Infantry
  Doctrines: Close Order Drill, Hardened Fighters
  Total Cost: 11 points
  
  52
  52
  II: Regiment Creation
  commonly as line infantry. They are unusual in their disdain 
  for traditional doctrines such as camouﬂage, preferring instead 
  to take to the ﬁeld in ﬂak-reinforced dress uniforms, brightly 
  coloured and pristine. This can lead many to underestimate 
  the Mordians in battle, perceiving them as vainglorious, 
  naïve, or inexperienced ceremonial troops. None who have 
  made war against the Mordians with such a mistaken opinion 
  have held it for long, often ﬁnding themselves blasted apart 
  by precisely-timed volleys of ﬁre from serried ranks of 
  unﬂinching infantry.
  MORDIAN IRON GUARD IN  
  THE SPINWARD FRONT
  Located within the Segmentum Obscurus, regiments 
  of Mordian Iron Guard are commonly deployed to 
  the Calixis Sector and surrounding regions, and 
  as a result, there is a sizeable contingent of Iron 
  Guard within the Spinward Front. For the most 
  part, these regiments’ experience as enforcers 
  of law and discipline has been invaluable 
  on rear-echelon worlds and in multi-
  regiment deployments alike, with the 
  Mordians often being tasked to serve as 
  provosts for Commissars, a duty that the 
  Mordians accept with the same stoicism 
  as any of their required duties. This has 
  resulted in some resentment, particularly 
  against more independent regiments, 
  such as those from Catachan, Elysia, 
  and Tallarn, who regard the interference 
  of these pallid, gaudily-clad outsiders 
  as entirely unwelcome. Nonetheless, the 
  discipline and proﬁciency of the Iron Guard 
  has proven invaluable on the night-shrouded 
  world of Nox, the mustering yards of Kalf, and 
  the ever-shifting defence lines of Kulth.
  However, the unwavering resolve of the 
  Mordians has often proven to be costly to the 
  Spinward Front, with the number of Iron Guard 
  regiments dwindling. Numerous regiments have 
  found themselves on the front lines, isolated from 
  the chain of command, without the explicit order 
  to withdraw and regroup. In such a situation, the 
  Iron Guard continue ﬁring and reloading with 
  mechanical precision and efﬁciency, and then 
  ﬁghting with bayonets as their weapons run dry, 
  dying where they stand rather than retreat. With 
  the numbers of regiments available at any given 
  time limited by circumstance and logistics, the 
  Spinward Front can ill-afford to squander lives 
  needlessly, and every act of sacriﬁce must be 
  accompanied by a commensurate gain if the 
  Imperium is to triumph.
  Mordian Iron 
  Guard
  “No remorse, no mercy, no forgiveness. Not a single step back, not a 
  single moment of hesitation. You will not succumb to fear or doubt, 
  and you will relent only after you have given your last moment for 
  the Emperor. Nothing less than this will be tolerated.”
  –Colonel Kostan Drescher, Mordian 18th Iron Guard,
  addressing the newly-raised regiment
  A 
  tiny world of overcrowded hive cities and 
  scarce resources, Mordian’s already limited 
  surface area is reduced further by simple 
  quirks of rotation and orbit. Mordian’s rotational 
  speed and orbit are perfectly synchronised, resulting 
  in a local day and a local year being of identical 
  length, and causing one side of the world to be 
  bathed in perpetual searing light, while the other 
  is swathed in endless darkness. The entire 
  population of Mordian dwells in cramped 
  conditions upon a region barely a tenth 
  the size of Holy Terra, forced together 
  into multilevel tower cities. Together with 
  the scarcity of resources, which are strictly 
  rationed amongst the vast population, and the 
  typically dim lighting, casting entire city-sized 
  districts into an oppressive gloom, the crowded 
  conditions breed discontent and thoughts 
  of rebellion.
  Stood against this threat is the Iron 
  Guard. The Iron Guard serves as both 
  military force and enforcers of order, 
  and they strive to swiftly crush any 
  uprising in its infancy, while protecting 
  the world from external threats. 
  Queue wars and hospice riots are a 
  common occurrence on Mordian, and 
  the Iron Guard are thus never lacking 
  for some threat to quell, whether 
  from within or without. So named 
  for their unwavering discipline and 
  dour attitudes, the Iron Guard are a 
  stark contrast to the unruly population 
  around 
  them, 
  which 
  outnumbers 
  them hundreds of thousands to one, 
  and their precise, rigorously-drilled 
  combat doctrines have allowed them 
  to maintain order in the name of 
  Mordian’s rulers, the Tetrarchs.
  With resources so scarce, a portion 
  of Mordian’s tithe to the Imperium is 
  given in Imperial Guard regiments 
  drawn from the disciplined ranks of 
  the Iron Guard. These regiments 
  serve in a variety of roles within 
  the Imperial Guard, but most 
  MORDIAN IRON GUAR
  UAR
  U
  D
  THE SPINWAR
  PINWAR
  PINW
  D FRONT
  Located within the Segmentum Obscurus, regiments 
  of Mordian Iron Guard are commonly deployed to 
  the Calixis Sector and surrounding regions, and 
  as a result, there is a sizeable contingent of Iron 
  Guard within the Spinward Front. For the most 
  part, these regiments’ experience as enforcers 
  of law and discipline has been invaluable 
  on rear-echelon worlds and in multi-
  regiment deployments alike, with the 
  Mordians often being tasked to serve as 
  provosts for Commissars, a duty that the 
  Mordians accept with the same stoicism 
  as any of their required duties. This has 
  resulted in some resentment, particularly 
  against more independent regiments, 
  such as those from Catachan, Elysia, 
  and Tallarn, who regard the interference 
  of these pallid, gaudily-clad outsiders 
  as entirely unwelcome. Nonetheless, the 
  discipline and proﬁciency of the Iron Guard 
  has proven invaluable on the night-shrouded 
  world of Nox, the mustering yards of Kalf, and 
  the ever-shifting defence lines of Kulth.
  However, the unwavering resolve of the 
  Mordians has often proven to be costly to the 
  Spinward Front, with the number of Iron Guard 
  regiments dwindling. Numerous regiments have 
  found themselves on the front lines, isolated from 
  the chain of command, without the explicit order 
  to withdraw and regroup. In such a situation, the 
  Iron Guard continue ﬁring and reloading with 
  mechanical precision and efﬁciency, and then 
  ﬁghting with bayonets as their weapons run dry, 
  dying where they stand rather than retreat. With 
  the numbers of regiments available at any given 
  time limited by circumstance and logistics, the 
  Spinward Front can ill-afford to squander lives 
  needlessly, and every act of sacriﬁce must be 
  accompanied by a commensurate gain if the 
  Imperium is to triumph.
  addressing the newly-raised regiment
  tiny world of overcrowded hive cities and 
  scarce resources, Mordian’s already limited 
  surface area is reduced further by simple 
  quirks of rotation and orbit. Mordian’s rotational 
  speed and orbit are perfectly synchronised, resulting 
  in a local day and a local year being of identical 
  length, and causing one side of the world to be 
  bathed in perpetual searing light, while the other 
  is swathed in endless darkness. The entire 
  population of Mordian dwells in cramped 
  conditions upon a region barely a tenth 
  the size of Holy Terra, forced together 
  into multilevel tower cities. Together with 
  the scarcity of resources, which are strictly 
  rationed amongst the vast population, and the 
  typically dim lighting, casting entire city-sized 
  districts into an oppressive gloom, the crowded 
  conditions breed discontent and thoughts 
  Stood against this threat is the Iron 
  Guard. The Iron Guard serves as both 
  military force and enforcers of order, 
  and they strive to swiftly crush any 
  uprising in its infancy, while protecting 
  the world from external threats. 
  Queue wars and hospice riots are a 
  common occurrence on Mordian, and 
  the Iron Guard are thus never lacking 
  for some threat to quell, whether 
  from within or without. So named 
  for their unwavering discipline and 
  dour attitudes, the Iron Guard are a 
  stark contrast to the unruly population 
  around 
  them, 
  which 
  outnumbers 
  them hundreds of thousands to one, 
  and their precise, rigorously-drilled 
  combat doctrines have allowed them 
  to maintain order in the name of 
  Mordian’s rulers, the Tetrarchs.
  With resources so scarce, a portion 
  of Mordian’s tithe to the Imperium is 
  given in Imperial Guard regiments 
  drawn from the disciplined ranks of 
  the Iron Guard. These regiments 
  serve in a variety of roles within 
  the Imperial Guard, but most 
  
  53
  53
  II: Regiment Creation
  and every man in the regiment, from the keen-eyed gunner of 
  Tanz’s own Leman Russ Vanquisher, Iron Spear, to the lowliest 
  menial responsible for the cleaning, refuelling and simple 
  maintenance of the vehicles between battles.
  THE MORDIAN 12TH 
  ARMOURED REGIMENT
  The customary discipline and rigourous drills of the Mordian 
  Iron Guard serve the vehicle crews of the Mordian 12th  
  Armour Regiment as well as they serve ranks of infantry 
  ﬁghting shoulder to shoulder. The close-knit Leman Russ 
  crews have been transformed from a group of individuals 
  into a single lethal entity, with many eyes and many arms, 
  but only one will.
  The Mordian 12th Armoured are ﬁne example of this, 
  a regiment of some ﬁfteen companies, each consisting of 
  thirteen Leman Russ battle tanks, with the command tank 
  in each company a rare variant of the mighty vehicle, 
  such as a Vanquisher or Executioner. The crews of the 
  12th are trained to an exacting standard, and understand 
  their roles and duties well enough to require only the 
  most cursory supervision by their tank’s commander. 
  This, at least, is the theory. The Mordian 12th are untried 
  and untested except in the mock battles of their training, 
  fought through the cavernous holds of the troop transport 
  Deliverance during the regiment’s transit to the Calixis 
  Sector. Recently moved from the reserves muster on Kalf 
  to the eternally-dark battlegrounds of Nox, the 12th have 
  yet to face more than a brief skirmish, against enemies wise 
  enough to withdraw in the face of the brutal might of an 
  armoured regiment. While each is a veteran of the conﬂicts 
  on their home world, their skills as vehicle crew are still 
  fresh from training, and have not yet been tempered by the 
  realities of battle.
  Their commanding ofﬁcer, Colonel Halon Tanz, is a 
  veteran of decades of riot suppression and defensive actions 
  against Chaos raiders—a calm and conﬁdent leader, well-
  versed in the doctrines of the Tactica Imperialis. His warriors, 
  true to the traditions of the Iron Guard, obey his every 
  command without question and without hesitation, and trust 
  absolutely in the chain of command that links him to each 
  REGIMENT RULES
  Characters belonging to the Mordian 12th Armoured Regiment gain the following advantages:
  Characteristic Modiﬁers: +3 Agility, +3 Intelligence, +3 Perception, –3 Weapon Skill.
  Starting Skills: Common Lore (Imperial Guard), Common Lore (Imperium), Common Lore (War), Deceive, Linguistics 
  (Low Gothic), Operate (Surface).
  Starting Talents: Combat Formation or Double Team, Heightened Senses (Hearing) or Paranoia or Unremarkable, 
  Technical Knock.
  Accustomed to Crowds: Mordians grow up surrounded by crowds, and they are used to weaving through even 
  the densest mobs with ease. Crowds do not count as Difﬁcult Terrain for Mordians, and when Running or Charging 
  through a dense crowd, these hive worlders take no penalty to the Agility Test to keep their feet.
  Hivebound: Mordians seldom endure the horrors of the open sky or suffer the indignities of the great outdoors. Whilst 
  outside of an enclosed or artiﬁcial environment (such as a hive city, starship or similar), they suffer a –10 penalty to all 
  Survival Tests due to their continued unfamiliarity with such places.
  Wounds: Characters from this regiment begin play with –1 starting Wounds.
  Standard Regimental Kit: 1 Laspistol and 2 charge packs, 1 knife, 1 ﬂak vest, 1 injector, 5 doses of stimm, 1 anointed 
  maintenance toolkit, uniform, poor weather gear, rucksack, basic toolkit, mess kit and water canteen, blanket and sleep 
  bag, rechargeable lamp-pack, grooming kit, dog tags, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer, 2 weeks’ rations, and a 
  single Leman Russ battle tank per squad.
  Favoured Weapons: Grenade Launcher, Lascannon.
  CREATING THE MORDIAN IRON 
  GUARD
  The rules listed for the Mordian 12th Armoured 
  Regiment have been created using the Regiment 
  Creation Rules later in this chapter. The following 
  doctrines have been used:
  Home World: Hive World
  Commanding Ofﬁcer: Phlegmatic
  Regiment Type: Armoured Regiment
  Doctrines: Close Order Drill, Combat Drugs
  Total Cost: 12 points
  12 points
  53
  
  54
  II: Regiment Creation
  expanding their subterranean homes with tunnels, caverns, 
  and surface domes, the population was protected from the 
  deadly sandstorms and extreme conditions. Tallarn has 
  remained this way for millennia.
  With so little to offer to the Imperium’s tithe collectors, 
  the Tallarn can reasonably give only soldiers, and they do 
  this with pride. Owing to the subterranean tunnels they grow 
  up in, and the barren deserts of their home world’s surface, 
  the Tallarn people are skilled in ﬁghting across open ground 
  and in narrow tunnels alike, and Tallarn regiments still favour 
  the hit-and-run tactics mastered by their ancestors during 
  the Horus Heresy, moving swiftly and striking with surprise 
  and precision before retreating to regroup and stage the next 
  attack. For this reason, the most common Tallarn regiments 
  are infantry, Rough Rider cavalry mounted on horses or 
  the reptilian Mukaali, or armoured regiments, all of which 
  focus on some particular element of the favoured strategies 
  of the Tallarn—stealth, swiftness, and the killing blow. Many 
  Tallarn forces have also come to appreciate the utility of the 
  Sentinel walker, in its effectiveness as a means of crossing 
  even rough terrain swiftly, without sacriﬁcing ﬁrepower.
  Tallarn forces are often somewhat wilful and independent, 
  their traditional skills ill-suited to standing in static battle lines 
  or holding fortiﬁcations, when they could be creeping up upon 
  an enemy and executing them with the edge of a knife or a 
  carefully-placed shot. As a result, they are often employed as 
  vanguard and reconnaissance forces, or as the spearhead of 
  a concerted attack, where their speed and stealth are of the 
  greatest use.
  Tallarn Desert 
  Raiders
  “The desert, from a distance, can seem to be little more than a 
  barren waste, devoid of feature or variation. We who know the 
  desert can see past this façade, for the dunes can conceal much of 
  signiﬁcance. Like the sandstorm, we can rise up swiftly to ravage 
  our foes, and vanish as swiftly, leaving no trace of our presence 
  but the damage wrought. As the burning sun and open sky, to walk 
  before us unprepared is to invite doom. We are the desert, and the 
  desert is merciless.”
  –Colonel Aram Shayan, Tallarn military philosopher
  O
  nce a fertile, verdant agri-world, Tallarn was
  devastated early in the history of the Imperium.
  During the dark days of the Horus Heresy, warriors
  of the Iron Warriors Legion unleashed powerful virus bombs 
  upon the world’s surface, scouring it of almost all life, and 
  leaving only a few pockets of survivors in subterranean 
  shelters. When the Iron Warriors descended from orbit to 
  claim and fortify this poisoned world as one of their countless 
  citadels, they faced immediate and savage resistance from those 
  who had survived, braving the surface in armoured vehicles 
  that would protect them from the virus-infested air. What 
  followed, simply dubbed the Battle of Tallarn, remains to this 
  day the single largest tank engagement in the history of the 
  Imperium, with hundreds of millions of vehicles clashing and 
  withdrawing in brutal exchanges over the course of months. In 
  spite of the sheer size of the conﬂict, the 
  Tallarn people could not hope to face the 
  Traitor Astartes in open battle, and instead 
  quickly mastered guerrilla warfare strategies that allowed them 
  to better elude the retaliation of the Iron Warriors forces, 
  vanishing beneath the sands after each sortie, only to engage in 
  another elsewhere. In time, the Iron Warriors withdrew from 
  the world that had been so costly to them, and the people of 
  Tallarn were given the opportunity to rebuild. To this day, the 
  Tallarn have a particularly fearsome reputation for armoured 
  warfare, and their tank crews are rightly feared.
  In the centuries following the Horus Heresy, the poisons 
  in the atmosphere diminished entirely, but the world was 
  forever changed. In place of rolling hills, bountiful ﬁelds, and 
  broad seas, were dunes of sulphurous sand, sun-scorched 
  plains, and mesas of wind-scoured rock, with what little 
  water remained lingering as vapour in the skies 
  above. Constructing tall vapour 
  traps that could gather 
  this vital moisture, and 
  who had survived, braving the surface in armoured vehicles 
  carefully-placed shot. As a result, they are often employed as 
  vanguard and reconnaissance forces, or as the spearhead of 
  a concerted attack, where their speed and stealth are of the 
  greatest use.
  who had survived, braving the surface in armoured vehicles 
  that would protect them from the virus-infested air. What 
  followed, simply dubbed the Battle of Tallarn, remains to this 
  day the single largest tank engagement in the history of the 
  Imperium, with hundreds of millions of vehicles clashing and 
  withdrawing in brutal exchanges over the course of months. In 
  spite of the sheer size of the conﬂict, the 
  Tallarn people could not hope to face the 
  Traitor Astartes in open battle, and instead 
  quickly mastered guerrilla warfare strategies that allowed them 
  to better elude the retaliation of the Iron Warriors forces, 
  vanishing beneath the sands after each sortie, only to engage in 
  another elsewhere. In time, the Iron Warriors withdrew from 
  the world that had been so costly to them, and the people of 
  Tallarn were given the opportunity to rebuild. To this day, the 
  Tallarn have a particularly fearsome reputation for armoured 
  warfare, and their tank crews are rightly feared.
  In the centuries following the Horus Heresy, the poisons 
  in the atmosphere diminished entirely, but the world was 
  forever changed. In place of rolling hills, bountiful ﬁelds, and 
  broad seas, were dunes of sulphurous sand, sun-scorched 
  plains, and mesas of wind-scoured rock, with what little 
  water remained lingering as vapour in the skies 
  water remained lingering as vapour in the skies 
  above. Constructing tall vapour 
  traps that could gather 
  this vital moisture, and 
  
  55
  II: Regiment Creation
  to the Warp, when the three Tallarn regiments emerged 
  at the edge of the Kalf system, there was more than a little 
  astonishment, particularly as the Tallarn themselves had 
  experienced a journey only eight days longer than expected.
  With reinforcements desperately needed, these regiments were 
  immediately deployed to the front lines, and the 11th Desert 
  Raiders, known colloquially as the Dune Scorpions, have since 
  found themselves in a series of warzones, most recently serving 
  as part of the inﬁltration mission deployed to Maesa. Particularly 
  known for their proﬁciency with ambush tactics, the Dune 
  Scorpions have claimed as many kills with their razor-sharp 
  curved daggers as with precise shots from their lasriﬂes, seldom 
  allowing their foes to see who is attacking them.
  Their commander, Colonel Fiora Javed, is a calm and careful 
  woman, unwilling to act rashly or strike without considering 
  the terrain, the enemy, and a variety of other factors. Her 
  caution is not due to fear, as her men are quick to point out 
  to anyone who dares imply cowardice, but the result of a keen 
  tactical mind, unclouded by vainglory or hubris, and their 
  victories are a testament to the value of such an approach.
  TALLARN DESERT RAIDERS IN  
  THE SPINWARD FRONT
  Like many other regiments ﬁghting in the Periphery, the 
  Tallarn forces present there are mostly drawn from forces left 
  idle. A considerable number of Tallarn regiments of all kinds 
  had been delivered to the Segmentum Obscurus, and when the 
  call for reinforcement came from the Calixis Sector, they were 
  amongst those sent to ﬁght within the Spinward Front.
  Thus far, the Tallarn have more than demonstrated their 
  worth to the Imperium, with their particular skills helping 
  to combat Dark Eldar raiders attacking Kalf, participating 
  in vicious tunnel ﬁghting on Virbius, and sabotaging Ork 
  industry during the Scouring of Maesa.
  However, because of the slow progress of the forces in 
  the Spinward Front, and the limited resources available, the 
  Tallarn have frequently found themselves engaged in long-
  term “meat grinder” conﬂicts against massed foes. Lacking 
  the forces to truly push back against the Ork advance or 
  crush the Severan Dominate, the war has become a brutal 
  defensive conﬂict, with little to gain and everything to lose. 
  Nonetheless, the tenacity and ruthless effectiveness of the 
  Tallarn forces have earned them a fearsome reputation.
  THE TALLARN 11TH 
  DESERT RAIDERS
  The Tallarn 11th, together with the Tallarn 220th Armoured 
  and the Tallarn 31st Rough Riders, were despatched to the 
  Calixis Sector alongside many other Tallarn regiments, only 
  months after the ﬁrst call for reinforcements. However, due 
  to the vagaries of Warp travel, these three regiments have 
  only arrived in the last few months, their transit delayed by 
  disruptive Warp activity that saw them separated from their 
  transport group and delayed by several years. Believed lost 
  REGIMENT RULES
  Characters belonging to the Tallarn 11th Desert Raiders gain the following advantages:
  Characteristic Modiﬁers: +3 Agility, +3 Perception.
  Starting Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill.
  Starting Skills: Navigate (Surface), Survival.
  Starting Talents: Deadeye Shot, Foresight, Sprint.
  Fluency: While Tallarns have learned to speak Low Gothic, they do not have time in their violent lives to learn how to read or 
  write the universal language of the Imperium. Because of this, Tallarns do not start with the Linguistics (Low Gothic) Skill at 
  creation, although they are still capable of engaging in any verbal communication in Low Gothic that does not require a Skill Test.
  Guerrilla Warfare: The people of Tallarn long ago became masters of hit-and-run strategies. After successfully attacking 
  and hitting an enemy who is Surprised, or was otherwise Unaware of the Tallarn character prior to the attack, a Tallarn 
  character gains an immediate bonus Half Action, which can only be used on an Action with the Movement subtype.
  Wary of Outsiders: Tallarns tend to be slow to put their faith in anyone other than themselves and their comrades, and they 
  chafe at the expectations and strictures of more civilised society. They suffer a –10 penalty on all Interaction Skill Tests made 
  in formal surroundings, and similarly impose a –10 penalty on any Interaction Skill Tests made on them by any non-Tallarns. 
  These penalties can be waived at the GM’s discretion, if the death worlders are dealing with those who have earned their trust.
  Wounds: Characters from this regiment begin play with +2 starting Wounds.
  Standard Regimental Kit: 1 M36 lasgun and 4 charge packs, 1 mono-knife, ﬂak vest and ﬂak helmet, 2 frag grenades, 3 smoke 
  grenades, uniform, poor weather gear, rucksack, basic toolkit, mess kit and water canteen, blanket and sleep bag, rechargeable 
  lamp-pack, grooming kit, dog tags, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer, 4 weeks’ rations, magnoculars, micro-bead.
  Favoured Weapons: Missile launcher, plasma gun.
  CREATING THE TALLARN 11TH 
  DESERT RAIDERS
  The rules listed for the Tallarn 11th Desert Raiders have 
  been created using the Regiment Creation Rules later in 
  this chapter. The following doctrines have been used:
  Home World: Death World, but with the Hardened 
  Trait replaced with the unique Guerrilla Warfare Trait 
  described in the Regiment Rules.
  Commanding Ofﬁcer: Circumspect
  Regiment Type: Light Infantry
  Doctrines: Sharpshooters
  Total Cost: 11 points
  
  56
  56
  II: Regiment Creation
  the lowliest menials—required to send their ﬁrst-born sons 
  to serve, familial ties within regiments are not uncommon, 
  and many young Vostroyans have found themselves under the 
  guardianship of distant uncles and older cousins, something 
  that encourages a strong bond of brotherhood. Within each 
  regiment, the ofﬁcer corps is composed of those of noble 
  birth, while the common soldiery are drawn from the worker 
  families that make up the bulk of Vostroya’s population.
  With both the industrial capacity of Vostroya and its unusual 
  tradition of reinforcement, the Vostroyans are particularly well-
  equipped, clad in durable, plasteel-alloy carapace armour and 
  armed with ﬁnely-wrought riﬂes. These are both often passed 
  down through the generations, giving 
  the Firstborn a baroque look, further 
  embellished by their traditional use of 
  red dyes and brass metalwork in their 
  uniforms and wargear.
  Vostroyan 
  regiments 
  are 
  most 
  commonly line infantry, and are 
  particularly at home in cold environments 
  and urban areas, as these conditions best 
  match those of their training back 
  on Vostroya. However, Firstborn 
  armoured regiments are not 
  uncommon, turning the 
  Vostroyans’ 
  traditional 
  ties with the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus 
  to 
  the 
  operation of powerful 
  battle tanks.
  Vostroyan 
  Firstborn
  “Quiet, you dogs! Are you weak-willed agri-worlders, or are you 
  ﬁrst-born sons of Vostroya? If you receive an order, you act as if the 
  Emperor Himself gave it!” 
  –Sergeant Teodor Arinkev, berating new recruits recently
  arrived from Vostroya
  D
  uring the dark days of the Horus Heresy, Vostroya 
  failed in its duty to the Emperor. When all across the 
  galaxy was war and anarchy, the Emperor commanded 
  that worlds still loyal to the Imperium send forth ﬁghting men 
  to help defend it. Vostroya refused, arguing that it could better 
  serve the Imperium by continuing to devote all its efforts to 
  the manufacture of weapons for the Emperor’s armies, and 
  that to give up so much of its populace to become warriors 
  for the Imperial Army would render it incapable of producing 
  those weapons in sufﬁcient quantities. The Vostroyans’ refusal 
  to provide soldiers was met with uncommon mercy once the 
  Heresy had ended, and they sought to atone for their mistake, 
  promising to provide the ﬁrst-born of every family to the 
  service of the Imperial Guard.
  An industrialised world which has maintained ties with 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus since the Age of Strife, Vostroya 
  is covered in manufactories and cityscapes, and while not a 
  hive world, it is nonetheless heavily populated. Its rulers 
  are known collectively as the Techtriarchs, a council of 
  native nobility and Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagi. 
  Most of the population work in the manufactories, 
  subjected to poor conditions and long hours 
  to ensure that weaponry and other goods are 
  produced in the vast quantities demanded by 
  the Imperium. For the poorest families, their 
  ﬁrst-borns are provided with an opportunity 
  to achieve something beyond the toil and 
  frozen squalor of their homes, and for all 
  on Vostroya, the offering of the ﬁrst-
  born is regarded as both a duty and an 
  honour—their culture places enormous 
  importance on the repayment of their 
  ancestral debt to the Imperium.
  Firstborn regiments are trained in 
  the frozen, snow and ash covered ruins 
  of its ancient cityscapes, on portions 
  of their home world no longer 
  habitable or functional, before being 
  shipped out, once each generation, 
  to serve the Imperium, never to return. Unusually, the 
  Firstborn reinforce their regiments, sending new soldiers out 
  to each one, no matter how far away it is. This ensures that 
  the youngest Firstborn have the experience of hardened 
  veterans to draw upon, and means that every Vostroyan 
  Firstborn regiment can trace its existence back to their 
  original mustering, ten thousand years before. With 
  every family—from the highest Techtriarchs to 
  armed with ﬁnely-wrought riﬂes. These are both often passed 
  down through the generations, giving 
  the Firstborn a baroque look, further 
  embellished by their traditional use of 
  red dyes and brass metalwork in their 
  uniforms and wargear.
  Vostroyan 
  regiments 
  are 
  most 
  commonly line infantry, and are 
  particularly at home in cold environments 
  and urban areas, as these conditions best 
  match those of their training back 
  on Vostroya. However, Firstborn 
  armoured regiments are not 
  uncommon, turning the 
  Vostroyans’ 
  traditional 
  ties with the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus 
  to 
  the 
  operation of powerful 
  battle tanks.
  uring the dark days of the Horus Heresy, Vostroya 
  failed in its duty to the Emperor. When all across the 
  galaxy was war and anarchy, the Emperor commanded 
  that worlds still loyal to the Imperium send forth ﬁghting men 
  to help defend it. Vostroya refused, arguing that it could better 
  serve the Imperium by continuing to devote all its efforts to 
  the manufacture of weapons for the Emperor’s armies, and 
  that to give up so much of its populace to become warriors 
  for the Imperial Army would render it incapable of producing 
  those weapons in sufﬁcient quantities. The Vostroyans’ refusal 
  to provide soldiers was met with uncommon mercy once the 
  Heresy had ended, and they sought to atone for their mistake, 
  promising to provide the ﬁrst-born of every family to the 
  service of the Imperial Guard.
  An industrialised world which has maintained ties with 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus since the Age of Strife, Vostroya 
  is covered in manufactories and cityscapes, and while not a 
  hive world, it is nonetheless heavily populated. Its rulers 
  are known collectively as the Techtriarchs, a council of 
  native nobility and Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagi. 
  Most of the population work in the manufactories, 
  subjected to poor conditions and long hours 
  to ensure that weaponry and other goods are 
  produced in the vast quantities demanded by 
  the Imperium. For the poorest families, their 
  ﬁrst-borns are provided with an opportunity 
  to achieve something beyond the toil and 
  frozen squalor of their homes, and for all 
  on Vostroya, the offering of the ﬁrst-
  born is regarded as both a duty and an 
  honour—their culture places enormous 
  importance on the repayment of their 
  ancestral debt to the Imperium.
  Firstborn regiments are trained in 
  the frozen, snow and ash covered ruins 
  of its ancient cityscapes, on portions 
  of their home world no longer 
  habitable or functional, before being 
  shipped out, once each generation, 
  to serve the Imperium, never to return. Unusually, the 
  Firstborn reinforce their regiments, sending new soldiers out 
  to each one, no matter how far away it is. This ensures that 
  the youngest Firstborn have the experience of hardened 
  veterans to draw upon, and means that every Vostroyan 
  Firstborn regiment can trace its existence back to their 
  original mustering, ten thousand years before. With 
  every family—from the highest Techtriarchs to 
  
  57
  57
  II: Regiment Creation
  55th, and considerable quantities of scrip and luxury rations, 
  such as lho-sticks and alcohol, have been won and lost by 
  the rank-and-ﬁle in the weekly sweepstake, with individual 
  squads betting over which warzone on the planet they’ll be 
  deployed to next. The regiment’s ofﬁcers have done little to 
  curb this, seeing it as nothing more than a means for the 
  men to blow off steam and raise morale between gruelling 
  battles—bad blood between winners and losers is unlikely, 
  due to the strong sense of brotherhood within the regiment.
  The regiment’s commander, Nikolai Aleksandrov, is well-
  regarded by the other ofﬁcers in his regiment, not purely 
  because of his rank, but because he is a distant cousin of 
  one of the ruling Techtriarchs of Vostroya, and thus an 
  extremely important member of the nobility. The rank-and-
  ﬁle have little to no interest in this, and most are entirely 
  unaware of his high status, but respect the man’s leadership 
  and prowess—there is little that Colonel Aleksandrov will 
  ask of his men in battle that he will not do himself, and he is 
  always found at the front, leading the charge or exhorting his 
  men with bellowed warcries.
  VOSTROYAN FIRSTBORN IN  
  THE SPINWARD FRONT
  Several regiments of the Firstborn currently serve within the 
  Margin Crusade, lending their support during the recent 
  escalation that has seen countless regiments pass from the 
  Calixis Sector into the Halo Stars. It came as little surprise 
  that amongst the reserves brought in from outside the Calixis 
  Sector to defend the Periphery were a number of Vostroyan 
  regiments, or that they were amongst the ﬁrst to arrive.
  Alongside a variety of Calixian and Cadian regiments, the 
  Vostroyans have served the longest within the Spinward Front, 
  earning numerous victories and staving off disastrous defeats. 
  Yet, thanks to their own traditions of reinforcement, they have 
  remained at close to full strength for the entire conﬂict so 
  far. Consequently, Lord Militant Ghanzorik has been keen to 
  ensure that the Firstborn regiments stand alongside his own 
  Maccabian Janissaries as the core of many defensive lines, 
  particularly on Kulth, where the battle lines shift daily.
  THE VOSTROYAN 
  FIRSTBORN 55TH
  Like all Vostroyan Firstborn regiments, the 55th can trace its 
  history back to the reconstruction of the Imperium after the 
  Horus Heresy. Generations of Vostroyan men have fought, 
  bled, and died on countless worlds across the galaxy. It is an 
  old saying amongst their number that Vostroyan blood has 
  been shed on every world in the Imperium, and given the 
  illustrious history of even one Firstborn regiment, this may 
  not be too far from the truth.
  The Firstborn 55th were redeployed to Fort Drusus on 
  Kulth about four months after the Orks claimed Avitohol, 
  having already fought with distinction on Ashen, Oriad, and 
  Manus Genita during the earlier years of the Spinward Front 
  campaign. Since that time, the 55th have been relocated to 
  another corner of Kulth every other week, holding back 
  Ork and Dominate incursions before pushing to reclaim 
  some scrap of territory from them. This constant dance of 
  defence and attack has become something of a routine for the 
  CREATING THE VOSTROYAN 
  FIRSTBORN
  The rules listed for the Vostroyan Firstborn 55th 
  have been created using the Regiment Creation 
  Rules later in this chapter. The following doctrines 
  have been used:
  Home World: Imperial World
  Commanding Ofﬁcer: Choleric
  Regiment Type: Line Infantry
  Doctrines: Hardened Fighters, Sharpshooters
  Total Cost: 11 points
  REGIMENT RULES
  Characters belonging to the Vostroyan Firstborn 55th Regiment gain the following advantages:
  Characteristic Modiﬁers: –3 Intelligence, +3 Strength, +3 Toughness, +2 Weapon Skill, +3 Willpower.
  Starting Aptitudes: Ballistics Skill.
  Starting Skills: Athletics, Common Lore (Imperial Creed), Common Lore (Imperium), Linguistics (Low Gothic).
  Starting Talents: Deadeye Shot, Hatred (Mutants), Rapid Reaction, Rapid Reload, Street Fighting.
  Blessed Ignorance: Vostroyans know that the proper ways of living are those tried and tested by the generations 
  that have gone before. Horror, pain and death are the just rewards of curiosity, for those that look too deeply into the 
  mysteries of the universe are all too likely to ﬁnd maleﬁc beings looking back at them. Their wise blindness imposes a 
  –5 penalty on all Forbidden Lore (Int) Tests.
  Wounds: Characters from this regiment generate starting Wounds  normally.
  Standard Regimental Kit: 1 Good Craftsmanship M36 lasgun and 4 charge packs, 1 sword, ﬂak armour, Good 
  Craftsmanship carapace breastplate, 2 frag grenades, 2 krak grenades, uniform, poor weather gear, rucksack, basic 
  toolkit, mess kit and water canteen, blanket and sleep bag, rechargeable lamp-pack, grooming kit, dog tags, Imperial 
  Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer, 2 weeks’ rations, micro-bead, respirator, survival suit.
  Favoured Weapons: Long-las, heavy bolter.
  
  58
  II: Regiment Creation
  long and bloody, but also for those who are newly mustered, 
  and have yet to either gain glory in the Emperor’s name or 
  vanish in ignominious defeat.
  This section allows a group of players to deﬁne their own 
  regiment during character creation, shaping the nature of 
  their unit before creating the individual soldiers who will 
  make up the group. The regiments already described in this 
  chapter have all been built using the rules described in this 
  section, and should serve both as pre-made regiments to 
  begin play quickly or as archetypal Imperial Guard forces, 
  and as examples of what can be done with these rules.
  CREATING A REGIMENT
  “With every regiment raised, many millions of tonnes of materiel must 
  be gathered. Thousands of men must be properly trained and prepared 
  to serve the Throne in an approved manner. Vessels must be secured to 
  transport these resources and these warriors. It is in the best interests 
  of the Imperium that while vast numbers of regiments are raised each 
  year, they are only raised when necessary, and always with a mind to 
  the speed at which the muster can be completed—for even the mightiest 
  army is futile, if its force cannot be brought to bear quickly enough.” 
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  When creating a new regiment, a group must go through a 
  series of stages, which are described in more detail below. 
  Firstly, a regiment has a budget of 12 points with which to 
  purchase individual options, which come from a number of 
  categories. First is the home world or origin, which deﬁnes 
  where the recruits came from before they were chosen to serve 
  in the Imperial Guard. Following that, a unit must select a 
  personality for its commanding ofﬁcer, which deﬁnes how the 
  unit has adapted to the realities of war under their commander’s 
  authority. Finally, there is an assortment of doctrines, which 
  represent the way a unit is trained and equipped. 
  At all stages, the GM’s approval is required when a choice 
  is made—the GM should be involved in the entire process, 
  from start to ﬁnish. This allows him to build a mission or 
  a campaign around the  regiment, and to ensure that the 
  challenges and encounters are appropriate to the capabilities 
  of the players’ regiment.
  Regiment 
  Creation Rules
  “In any army, balance is the key to success. A commander who 
  puts his faith in heavy weaponry alone will be outmanoeuvred. A 
  commander who relies on close combat without support will lose his 
  force to enemy ﬁre. Each element must work in harmony, so that the 
  effectiveness of the army is greater than the sum of its parts.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  W
  hile 
  many 
  regiments 
  have 
  long-standing 
  reputations, forged by generations of predecessors 
  across countless worlds, others may not be so 
  renowned. There are countless millions of Imperial Guard 
  regiments in service to the Imperium at any one time, 
  scattered across tens of thousands of warzones. No one man 
  knows for certain how many souls give their lives in service 
  to the Emperor in any given year, but the hard truth is that 
  more must serve to replace those who have fallen, which 
  means that new regiments must constantly be raised.
  Thus continues the cycle; regiments fall in battle, and new 
  ones are raised to replace them, or to begin new campaigns 
  under the light of a distant star. As a result, it is important to 
  make room not only for those regiments whose histories are 
  A MILLION WORLDS,  
  UNTOLD REGIMENTS
  These rules allow a considerable range of regiments 
  to be created, but the sheer variety of Imperial 
  Guard regiments in the galaxy deﬁes even the most 
  comprehensive and versatile system. GMs should feel 
  free to make changes to the regiments this system 
  generates to better suit the needs of their campaigns. 
  The easiest changes to make are to increase or reduce 
  the number of points provided to purchase options, to 
  increase or decrease the number of Doctrines a regiment 
  is allowed, or both. A regiment with a greater number 
  of, or more powerful, Doctrines can easily represent an 
  elite or veteran regiment, while a regiment with fewer or 
  cheaper Doctrines is more likely to represent conscripts, 
  a mustering from a world inexplicably untouched by 
  war, or other less capable units.
  An alternative is altering Home Worlds—replacing 
  individual Starting Skills and Talents, or even changing 
  Characteristic modiﬁers or a Home World’s traits to 
  create a unique Home World for your group’s regiment 
  (some minor examples of this can be seen with the pre-
  generated regiments earlier in this chapter). Equally, 
  new Doctrines could be created—individual Doctrines 
  are composed of relatively few elements, normally four 
  Skills and Talents in some combination. 
  All in all, the rules presented here should be 
  regarded as a starting point for individual groups and 
  GMs to create their own unique regiments.
  HOMEWORLDS AND  
  SUPPORT SPECIALISTS
  Many of the Specialities from Chapter III: Character 
  Creation are Support Specialists, auxiliary characters 
  who are attached to the Regiment to provide their 
  special skill-set. These characters can be from worlds 
  half the galaxy away from the Regiment’s Home World, 
  or even have no Home World at all. Despite these 
  vast differences, support troops often begin to adapt 
  the mannerisms, skills, and habits of the Guardsmen 
  they are serving with. Because this, in ONLY WAR all 
  Support Specialist characters gain the beneﬁts and 
  abilities of the Home World of the Regiment they are 
  serving alongside, even if they were not born there.
  
  59
  II: Regiment Creation
  death worlders are slow to trust off-worlders, who cannot 
  understand the hardships they have faced, and they often lack 
  discipline, which gives them a reputation for unreliability in 
  the eyes of more strictly-trained regiments. Death worlders are 
  renowned for their ability to endure the worst the galaxy can 
  throw at them, and exemplify the concept of survival of the ﬁttest. 
  Cost: 3 points.
  Characteristic Modiﬁers: +3 to any two of the following 
  Characteristics—Perception, Strength, Toughness.
  Skills: All death world characters are Trained in Survival.
  Fluency: While death worlders have learned to speak 
  Low Gothic, they do not have time in their violent lives to 
  learn how to read or write the universal language of the 
  Imperium. Because of this, death worlders do not start with 
  the Linguistics (Low Gothic) Skill at creation, however they 
  are still capable of engaging in any verbal communication in 
  Low Gothic that does not require a Skill Test.
  Hardened: Death worlders are accustomed to violence, and 
  many death worlds contain a variety of deadly, venomous 
  creatures. They must be continually prepared and wary of 
  danger from a young age if they are to survive, and those 
  instincts do not easily fade. Death worlders start with one of 
  the following Talents: Light Sleeper, Lightning Reﬂexes, or 
  Resistance (Poisons).
  Wary of Outsiders: Death worlders tend to be slow to 
  put their faith in anyone other than themselves and their 
  comrades, and they chafe at the expectations and strictures 
  of more civilised society. They suffer a –10 penalty on all 
  Interaction Skill Tests made in formal surroundings, and 
  similarly impose a –10 penalty on any Interaction Skill Tests 
  made on them by any non-death worlders. These penalties 
  can be waived at the GM’s discretion if the death worlders are 
  dealing with those who have earned their trust.
  Starting Wounds: Death world characters begin play with 
  +2 starting Wounds.
  FORTRESS WORLD
  “Fortress worlds are a ﬁne source of soldiers, owing to necessarily large 
  defence forces, which are typically trained and equipped to the high 
  standards of the Imperial Guard. Fortress Worlds are a valuable asset not 
  only because of their signiﬁcance as strategic bastions, but also because 
  they can serve as a readily available source of skilled, disciplined ﬁghting 
  men, and it is a rare fortress world that does not raise its armies with the 
  expectation that they may be called upon to serve the Imperial Guard.” 
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  Characters from fortress worlds have been raised to serve 
  in war, and by the time they reach maturity, they are well-
  versed in the arts of war and the doctrines of the Tactica 
  Imperialis. Each has been long trained to destroy the enemies 
  of the Imperium, particularly those whose threat forced their 
  world to be fortiﬁed in the ﬁrst place. Fortress worlders are 
  disciplined, honourable, loyal, and with the highest regard 
  for integrity, and each is already a proﬁcient combatant long 
  before they are taken to serve in the Imperial Guard. 
  Cost: 3 points.
  Characteristic Modiﬁers:  +3 to any two of the following 
  Characteristics—Ballistic Skill, Willpower, Toughness.
  CHOOSING A HOME 
  WORLD OR ORIGIN
  “The worlds of the Imperium are diverse indeed, and while broad 
  categories exist, no two planets are more than superﬁcially similar. 
  This can pose a challenge when raising regiments. Each world has 
  unique traditions and cultures that strongly inﬂuence its peoples, 
  and in turn strongly inﬂuence the character of that world’s ﬁghting 
  forces. The nature of a world is a worthwhile matter to consider 
  when raising regiments, for it will allow that world’s strength to be 
  employed most effectively.” 
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  A regiment’s home world is perhaps one of the greatest deﬁning 
  factors in its structure and purpose, with different worlds 
  producing men with different strengths and weaknesses, and 
  differing natural tendencies. Even though some of the Specialists 
  attached to regiments do not hail from the same home world as 
  those they are serving alongside, the Departmento Munitorum 
  tries to assign Specialists to the regiments they will integrate 
  with the best. Because of this similarity, all Specialists still gain 
  the beneﬁts of the home world.
  Each home world provides two modiﬁers to the 
  Characteristics of every character from it, normally chosen 
  from a list of three options. Each also provides a number of 
  Starting Skills, and a number of Starting Talents, as well as 
  several special abilities which apply to all characters of that 
  regiment. Finally, some home worlds modify the number of 
  starting Wounds a character from a given regiment has. Each 
  home world has a cost in points, which is taken from the 
  budget set at the start of regiment creation.
  DEATH WORLD
  “Few born upon such inhospitable worlds will readily trust those who 
  have not endured what they have. Instilling appropriate discipline 
  is a difﬁculty faced by many Commissars, but the difﬁculties are 
  regarded as acceptable, given the matchless survival instincts and 
  natural resilience of such peoples.” 
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  Characters from death world regiments have left behind the danger 
  and ferocity of their home world. They are rugged, uncomplicated 
  individuals for the most part, at ease with the hazards of the 
  battleﬁeld and the dangers posed by alien monstrosities. However, 
  Table 2–1: Home Worlds and Origins
  Home World or Origin
  Cost
  Death World
  3
  Fortress World
  3
  Highborn
  3
  Hive World
  3
  Imperial World
  1
  Penal Colony
  2
  Penitent
  3
  Schola Progenium
  3
  
  60
  60
  II: Regiment Creation
  Duty and Honour: The highborn hold themselves to standards 
  of behaviour and etiquette, their upbringing distinguishing 
  them from the low-born troopers that make up the common 
  bulk of the Imperial Guard. Highborn characters suffer a –10 
  penalty on all Charm, Inquiry, and Deceive Tests made to 
  interact with characters who are not highborn. However, they 
  gain a +10 bonus on all those same Skill Tests when dealing 
  with the nobility and other high authority in formal situations.
  Abundant Resources: Highborn are almost universally 
  wealthy and well-connected, able to draw upon considerable 
  resources when seeking new equipment. A squad from a 
  highborn regiment starts with 10 extra Logistics Rating.
  The Finest Tutors: Years of study under a wide range of 
  military instructors, and traditional connections to other 
  military dynasties, have prepared each and every highborn for 
  a life in the Imperial Guard. Highborn characters start with one 
  of the following Talents: Air of Authority or Peer (Nobility).
  Starting Wounds: Highborn characters begin play with –1 
  starting Wound.
  HIVE WORLD
  “The immense populations of hive worlds, and the often harsh 
  conditions found upon them, make them valuable recruiting grounds 
  for new regiments, and many hive worlds serve to manufacture vast 
  quantities of commonly-used materiel, making it far simpler to equip 
  regiments. As a result, a single muster from a hive world can produce 
  potentially millions of Guardsmen, forming thousands or even tens 
  of thousands of regiments within a relatively short span of time.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  Characters from hive world regiments are one amongst many. 
  Due to the colossal populations of hive worlds, musters from 
  them tend to be large, sometimes numbering over a thousand 
  regiments at a time, each of which may number as many as 
  ten thousand men. In many areas of a hive world—not just 
  the twisted depths of the underhive—murder, rioting, and 
  gang warfare are rife. Constantly having to avoid (or take 
  part in) such dangers turns the people into capable warriors 
  and survivors, made nimble by the tangle of urban decay, 
  wary by the dangers in the darkness, and gregarious by the 
  mass of humanity that has always surrounded them. Due to 
  the suitability of hive worlders as Imperial Guardsmen, and 
  the sheer quantity of people on each hive world, there are a 
  vast number of hive world regiments in the Imperial Guard 
  at any one time.
  Cost: 3 points.
  Characteristic Modiﬁers:  +3 to any two of the following 
  Characteristics—Agility, Fellowship, and Perception.
  Skills: All hive world characters start with Common Lore 
  (Imperium), Deceive, and Linguistics (Low Gothic).
  Accustomed to Crowds: Hive worlders grow up surrounded 
  by crowds, and they are used to weaving through even the 
  densest mobs with ease. Crowds do not count as Difﬁcult 
  Terrain for hive worlders, and when Running or Charging 
  through a dense crowd, hive worlders take no penalty to 
  Agility Tests to keep their feet.
  Hivebound: Hive worlders seldom endure the horrors of 
  the open sky or suffer the indignities of the great outdoors. 
  Skills: All fortress world characters start with Common Lore 
  (War), Common Lore (Imperium), Common Lore (Imperial 
  Guard), and Linguistics (Low Gothic).
  Hated Enemy: A fortress world often stands opposed to a 
  single threat, and they are taught to hate that particular foe 
  and eliminate it on sight. All fortress world characters gain a 
  single Hatred Talent, where the group chosen is the enemy 
  the fortress world has been established to defend against. 
  However, this hatred is often so strong as to overwhelm reason 
  and sound judgement, and all fortress world characters may 
  be required, at the GM’s discretion, to attempt an Ordinary 
  (+10) Willpower Test in order to restrain themselves from 
  attacking without mercy when that enemy is sighted.
  Combat Doctrine: Because of the intensive training that each 
  fortress worlder goes through from childhood, including extensive 
  live-ﬁre drills and gruelling mock battles, all fortress worlders start 
  with one of the following Talents:  Nerves of Steel or Sprint.
  Bred for War: Fortress worlders possess an entirely justiﬁed 
  siege mentality, a natural result of daily lives shaped by the need 
  for perpetual vigilance against an enemy that could strike at any 
  time, and the discipline required to respond to that threat swiftly 
  and effectively. Fortress worlders are loyal almost to a fault, 
  and reluctant to disobey orders even with good reason, lacking 
  personal initiative, and becoming inﬂexible as a result. A fortress 
  worlder must attempt a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test in 
  order to go against the rules and regulations of the Imperial Guard.
  Starting Wounds: Fortress world characters generate 
  starting Wounds normally.
  HIGHBORN
  “Those born to wealth and power are born to lead, and it is not unusual 
  for the command staff of a regiment to be drawn from the noble classes 
  of a world, where their natural authority can be put to best use. On other 
  worlds, the military arts are the preserve of the ruling classes only; this 
  produces highborn regiments, whose wealth and prestige ﬁnd them well-
  equipped, and placed on the front lines of many a battleﬁeld.” 
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  Highborn characters were born into wealth and privilege, 
  shaped by tutors and the heavy burdens of dutiful tradition 
  and dynastic obligation. Many highborn bloodlines have 
  long and proud traditions of military service, viewing the arts 
  of warfare as the obligation and honour of the wealthy, the 
  powerful, and the inﬂuential. They are born to rule, and most 
  highborn who serve in the Imperial Guard aspire to command 
  and high ofﬁce, seeing such authority as their right. 
  Cost: 3 points.
  Characteristic Modiﬁers:  +3 to any two of the following 
  Characteristics—Fellowship, Intelligence, Weapon Skill.
  Skills: All highborn start with Common Lore (Administratum), 
  Inquiry, and Linguistics (High Gothic).
  Fluency: While Highborn characters have learned to speak 
  Low Gothic, they have no reason to learn to read and 
  write the language of the lowly masses. Because of this, 
  Highborn characters do not start with the Linguistics 
  (Low Gothic) Skill at creation, although they are still 
  capable of engaging in any verbal communication 
  in Low Gothic that does not require a Skill Test.
  
  61
  61
  II: Regiment Creation
  penitent, Imperial worlders are faithful, loyal, and adaptable, 
  unconstrained by the focus of specialisation.
  Cost: 1 point.
  Characteristic Modiﬁers:  +3 to Willpower and +3 to any 
  one other Characteristic.
  Skills: All Imperial world characters start with Common Lore 
  (Imperial Creed), Common Lore (Imperium), and Linguistics 
  (Low Gothic).
  Blessed Ignorance: Imperial citizens know that the proper 
  ways of living are those tried and tested by the generations 
  that have gone before. Horror, pain, and death are the just 
  rewards of curiosity, for those that look too deeply into the 
  mysteries of the universe are all too likely to ﬁnd maleﬁc 
  beings looking back at them. Their wise blindness imposes a 
  –5 penalty on all Forbidden Lore (Int) Tests.
  Kill the Mutant: The general citizens of the Imperium 
  are trained from birth to fear mutation, for it heralds the 
  taint of Chaos. All Imperial world characters start with 
  Hatred (Mutants).
  Starting Wounds: Imperial world characters generate their 
  starting wounds normally.
  PENAL COLONY
  “While swift and merciless retribution is the just and proper fate 
  of all sinners and criminals, it can be effective to determine other 
  punishments for them. Transit to distant worlds for the purpose of 
  menial labour, or volunteering for military absolution are two such 
  alternatives. Isolated penal colonies populated by these convicts 
  produce vicious, hardy individuals, albeit ones who require nothing 
  less than the harshest discipline to function in battle. However, these 
  benighted souls can be regarded as more readily expendable than 
  most units, for as sinners, their lives are already forfeit.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  Characters from penal colonies tend to be ruthless, 
  opportunistic individuals, the desperate conditions of their 
  origin making them eager for any opportunity to survive for 
  just a little longer, or proﬁt just a little more from a situation. 
  While ill-disciplined and commonly impious, the expendable, 
  vicious nature of convicts makes them quite useful in the 
  Emperor’s wars. The resultant Penal Legions can be found 
  in the harshest warzones, undertaking the most dangerous 
  missions, with the promise of salvation in death, after which 
  the survivors are imprisoned once more until the next battle. 
  In time, the few hardened veterans, survivors of a dozen or 
  more would-be suicide missions, become amongst the most 
  dangerous and unorthodox units in the Imperial Guard, 
  deployed to achieve the impossible or die trying. 
  Cost: 2 points.
  Characteristic Modiﬁers:  +3 to any two of the following 
  Characteristics—Agility, Strength, Toughness.
  Skills: All penal colony characters start with Intimidate and 
  Linguistics (Low Gothic).
  Honour Amongst Thieves: Penal colonists, whether 
  criminals themselves, or the descendants of the previous 
  generation’s scum, know well the way criminal societies 
  operate, understanding the nuances of deception, 
  loyalty, intimidation, and violence that characterise 
  Whilst outside of an enclosed or artiﬁcial environment (such 
  as a hive city, starship or similar), they suffer a –10 penalty 
  to all Survival Tests, due to their continued unfamiliarity 
  with such places.
  Urban Violence: Hive worlders are constantly alert for the 
  ﬁrst hint of trouble, be it a hivequake, a gang shoot-out, 
  or a hab riot, allowing them to quickly detect danger and 
  elude it, if need be. Hive worlders start with one of the 
  following Talents: Heightened Senses (Hearing), Paranoia, 
  or Unremarkable.
  Starting Wounds: Hive world characters begin play with –1 
  starting Wound.
  IMPERIAL WORLD
  “While many worlds may be required to provide resources, materials, 
  and other such goods as part of their tithe, their primary obligation 
  to the Imperium is in the form of manpower. It is only with rare 
  exception that a planet not be required to provide men to the 
  Imperial Guard, and if a world is found to be neglecting this portion 
  of their tithe, they will be subject to extreme punishment.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  Characters from Imperial world regiments represent best 
  the greatest mass of humanity. Their minds are shaped by 
  faith and humble duty, their bodies honed by toil. While 
  lacking the tenacity of death worlders, the unyielding 
  discipline of a fortress worlder, or the unthinking zeal of the 
  
  62
  II: Regiment Creation
  than the divine clarity of the Adepta Sororitas, it is nonetheless 
  inspiring to behold. Penitent characters may re-roll any failed 
  Charm Test to inspire religious fervour or righteous hatred 
  in others.
  Starting Wounds: Penitent characters increase their starting 
  Wounds by +2.
  SCHOLA PROGENIUM
  “The Storm Trooper regiments and the Commissariat are all raised 
  under the care of drill abbots of the Schola Progenium. Progena 
  are amongst the truest servants of the Imperium you are ever likely 
  to encounter, and Progena of a militant inclination are soldiers of 
  unwavering loyalty and discipline, raised to defend the Emperor’s 
  realm from a young age. While their numbers are few and in 
  high demand, the orphans of the Schola Progenium make for 
  outstanding Guardsmen.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  The creations of the Schola Progenium are trained to be of 
  unyielding will, of decisive action, and of swift mind. Service 
  to the Imperium is an expectation, one their lives have been 
  directed towards for the years of their tutelage. The harsh 
  mental and physical discipline of the Schola Progenium 
  produces ﬁne ofﬁcers and soldiers, none ﬁner than the Storm 
  Trooper regiment, which recruit only from the ﬁnest Schola 
  Progenium graduates.
  Cost: 3 points.
  Characteristic Modiﬁers:  +3 to Willpower, and +3 to 
  either Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill.
  Skills: All Progena characters are Trained in Common Lore 
  (Imperial Guard), Common Lore (Imperium), Common Lore 
  (War), and Linguistics (High Gothic, Low Gothic).
  Only In Death Does Duty End: Those that pass through 
  the Schola Progenium are drilled each and every day by 
  hardened drill abbots, and all are expected to defend the 
  Emperor’s domain with their lives if necessary. All Progena 
  characters start with one of the following Talents: Air of 
  Authority or Unshakeable Faith.
  Starting Wounds: Progena characters begin play with +1 
  starting Wound.
  the criminal classes. Penal colonist characters start with one of 
  the following Talents: Peer (Underworld) or Street Fighting.
  Larcenous: Hailing from worlds where the black market is 
  the only market, penal colonists are skilled at obtaining illicit 
  items, whether to sell, on or for their own purposes. Penal 
  colony characters add a +10 to all Logistics Tests made to 
  acquire illegal or contraband items.
  Scum and Villainy: Penal colonists are ill-regarded by 
  just about everyone else in the Imperial Guard, and tend to 
  be viewed more as expendable fodder than as worthwhile 
  soldiers. As a result, they are seldom afforded more than the 
  most basic of equipment. Penal colony regiments have only 
  15 points when determining Standard Regimental Kit.
  Starting Wounds: Penal colony characters begin play with 
  +1 starting Wound.
  PENITENT
  “Many worlds are dominated by particular zeal and piety, beyond 
  even the devotions expected by the Adeptus Ministorum. Such worlds 
  can produce exceptional soldiers, who are willing to sacriﬁce all they 
  have for the Emperor, particularly where the recruits are those who 
  aspire towards martyrdom, in order to prove their faith or absolve 
  their world of some ancestral sin. As valuable as devotion can be in 
  a soldier, rigorous discipline is required to ensure that their zeal does 
  not become an uncontrolled frenzy.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  The penitent are not those born of a single type of world, 
  but rather those of a particular mind-set. While all the 
  Imperium lives in the Emperor’s service, the penitent are 
  those who eagerly give their deaths as well. Willing martyrs 
  all, the penitent ﬁght to demonstrate their zeal or to show 
  their contrition for the sins of the past. The penitent may be 
  from Shrine Worlds, or the masses of pilgrims who cross the 
  Imperium, while others hail from worlds where some ancient 
  crime demands countless generations of absolution. In all 
  cases, the penitent are savagely pious, seeking to bring death 
  in the Emperor’s name, or die trying.
  Cost: 3 points.
  Characteristic Modiﬁers: +3 to any two of the following 
  Characteristics—Fellowship, Toughness, Willpower.
  Skills: All penitent characters start with Common Lore 
  (Ecclesiarchy), Common Lore (Imperial Creed), Intimidate, 
  and Linguistics (Low Gothic).
  The Blood of Martyrs: The penitent do not regard death 
  in the Emperor’s service as anything to fear, and face the 
  prospect of righteous sacriﬁce gladly. Penitent characters 
  start with one of the following Talents: Nerves of Steel, 
  Orthoproxy, or Unshakeable Faith.
  Only One Life to Give: So driven to martyrdom are the 
  penitent, that it can drive them to take unnecessary risks, 
  lamenting that they can only sacriﬁce themselves once. 
  Penitent characters must pass an Ordinary (+10) Willpower 
  Test in order to retreat from combat or otherwise act in the 
  interests of self-preservation.
  Untempered Zeal: The pious spirit of the penitent 
  is almost unmatched in its ferocity, and while their 
  faith is closer to the violent ardour of the fanatic 
  starting Wound.
  
  63
  II: Regiment Creation
  Maverick
  The regiment’s commander is something of a rebel, regarded 
  as ill-disciplined and unpredictable by his peers, but his 
  attitude and his daring make him beloved by his men, who 
  see their leader as one of them, rather than one of “the 
  ofﬁcers.” So long as he leads, they will follow him anywhere.
  Cost: 2 points
  Starting Talents: Resistance (Fear)
  Melancholic
  The regiment’s commander is careful and introspective, but 
  his will is not what it once was, having suffered greatly in the 
  crucible of war. While loyal, his leadership is hampered by 
  hesitation and pessimism, and his warriors are often forced 
  to rely more on their own initiative in battle, taking charge 
  themselves when their superiors falter.
  Cost: 2 points
  Starting Talents: Air of Authority
  Phlegmatic
  The regiment’s commander is quiet and contemplative, a 
  man of few words. When he does speak, it is with great 
  and solemn purpose, to give commands that have been 
  considered in exacting detail. He does not command loyalty 
  through rhetoric or heroics, but through quiet competence, 
  and his men have learnt to trust in his skill and rely on the 
  chain of command.
  Cost: 1 points
  Starting Skills: Common Lore (Imperial Guard), Common 
  Lore (War)
  Sanguine
  The regiment’s commander is conﬁdent and optimistic, 
  though sometimes too caught up in dreams of glory and 
  triumph. While inspirational to his men with grandiose 
  speeches and heroism, his ambition has often seen them faced 
  with impossible odds, caught up in their commander’s quest 
  for glory, and they must battle hard to survive.
  Cost: 2 points
  Starting Talents: Die Hard
  Supine
  The regiment’s commander is a devout man, absolutely loyal 
  to the Imperium, but lacking in his own initiative. Incapable 
  of the imagination and daring that gets an ofﬁcer noticed by 
  his superiors, he serves as little more than their mouthpiece, 
  accepting their commands and passing them on ﬂawlessly 
  to his own men. Bereft of any true command, the men must 
  have faith if they are to survive in the fury of war.
  Cost: 1 points
  Starting Skills: Common Lore (Ecclesiarchy), Common 
  Lore (Imperial Creed)
  COMMANDING OFFICER
  “A warrior’s faith in his commander is his best armour and his 
  strongest weapon.” 
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  After selecting a home world, the players must select a single 
  personality from the following list, each of which deﬁnes 
  the nature of the regiment’s commanding ofﬁcer and the 
  inﬂuence he has on the men under his command.
  Bilious
  The regiment’s commander is ill-tempered and paranoid, 
  eternally suspicious of betrayal, and watchful of enemies and 
  allies alike. He regards vigilance as the greatest of virtues, and 
  encourages suspicion and watchfulness amongst his men.
  Cost: 2 points
  Starting Talents: Paranoia
  Circumspect
  The regiment’s commander is balanced in his attitudes and 
  careful in his decision-making, yet often overly cautious. His 
  demeanour encourages his men to similarly consider situations 
  before they strike, observing the battleﬁeld before acting.
  Cost: 2 points
  Starting Talents: Foresight
  Choleric
  The regiment’s commander is decisive and leads from the front, 
  taking charge of situations personally, and never afraid to do 
  what he orders his men to do. However, he is quick to anger, and 
  can often be drawn into foolish actions. His men are ever ready 
  for action, and familiar with the rigours of battle.
  Cost: 2 points
  Starting Talents: Rapid Reaction
  Fixed
  The regiment’s commander is decisive and unyielding, and once 
  set on a course of action he seldom changes his mind. While 
  this is invaluable during many actions his regiment undertakes, 
  it leaves his forces inﬂexible in the face of changing battleﬁelds.
  Cost: 1 points
  Starting Skills: Command
  Table 2–2: Commanding Ofﬁcers
  Personality
  Cost
  Bilious
  2
  Circumspect
  2
  Choleric
  2
  Fixed
  1
  Maverick
  2
  Melancholic
  2
  Phlegmatic
  1
  Sanguine
  2
  Supine
  1
  
  64
  64
  II: Regiment Creation
  REGIMENT TYPE
  “It is the diversity of the Imperial Guard that is perhaps, its greatest 
  strength, for with that diversity, there are few threats that cannot 
  be met and overcome. No one element of the Imperial Guard can 
  triumph alone, be it deadly artillery, mighty tanks, or brave infantry, 
  but in proper combination, there is nought that cannot be crushed by 
  the Hammer of the Emperor.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  Armoured Regiment
  Alongside the serried ranks of infantry and the humble lasgun, 
  little is as emblematic of the wars of the Imperial Guard as the 
  armoured might of its tanks. Rugged, resilient, and capable of 
  unleashing staggering amounts of ﬁrepower, there is little that can 
  stand before the fury of companies of Leman Russ battle tanks, 
  let alone the terrible and wondrous power of the Baneblade. The 
  crews of these mighty behemoths are justiﬁably proud of their 
  status, and the accomplishments of their steel charges.
  Cost: 4 points
  Characteristics: –3 Weapon Skill, +3 Intelligence
  Starting Skills: Operate (Surface)
  Starting Talents: Technical Knock
  Standard Kit: One Leman Russ battle tank (or variant, at 
  GM’s discretion) per Squad, and one anointed maintenance 
  toolkit per Player Character.
  Reconnaissance Regiment
  A key part of any war effort, reconnaissance units allow 
  an army to scout out enemy movements and positions, and 
  their keen senses and training allow them to swiftly ambush 
  enemy patrols attempting to do the same. Due to their role, 
  reconnaissance units invariably operate far ahead of army 
  commanders, requiring considerable autonomy and personal 
  initiative, traits that often breed a strong sense of daring and 
  recklessness. For all their typical ill-discipline, reconnaissance 
  units are invaluable assets to any army commander.
  Cost: 3 points
  Characteristics: +3 Perception, –3 Willpower
  Starting Skills: Awareness
  Starting Talents:  Combat Sense
  Standard Kit: One Sentinel Scout Walker or one Chimera 
  Armoured Transport per Squad, and one set of magnoculars 
  per Player Character.
  TRAINING AND 
  DOCTRINES
  A home world and commander provide the heart of a 
  regiment, but it is the training they are provided and the 
  armaments they receive which hone that regiment into a 
  weapon against the enemies of the Imperium. After selecting 
  a home world and commander from the previous sections, the 
  players may select a number of doctrines from the following 
  three lists (Regiment Type, Training Doctrines, and Special 
  Equipment Doctrines). One of those doctrines selected, and 
  only one, must be selected from the Regiment Type section, 
  and the regiment may have no more than three doctrines in 
  total. In addition, each of the doctrines listed has a cost in 
  points, which is deducted from the budget set at the start of 
  regiment creation. 
  Each doctrine provides some or all of the following 
  beneﬁts: modiﬁers applied to the Characteristics of characters 
  from the regiment, a number of additional Starting Skills, a 
  number of additional Starting Talents, an additional special 
  rule or advantage, and/or a few extra items for the Standard 
  Regimental Kit.
  Table 2–3: Regiment Type
  Regiment Type
  Cost
  Armoured Regiment
  4
  Reconnaissance Regiment
  3
  Drop Troops
  3
  Hunter-Killer
  3
  Light Infantry
  2
  Line Infantry
  2
  Mechanised Infantry
  3
  Siege Infantry
  2
  
  65
  65
  II: Regiment Creation
  Line Infantry
  The backbone of the Imperial Guard, line infantry form the bulk 
  of every battle line, the core of every assault, and the heart of 
  every defence. The humble, doughty, and loyal infantryman is 
  the subject of countless propaganda picts and inspirational murals 
  across the Imperium. They form the iconic image of the Imperial 
  Guard for most Imperial citizens, and for good reason. It is a rare 
  battleﬁeld that is not graced by the presence of line infantry.
  Cost: 2 point
  Characteristics: +3 Strength, –3 Intelligence
  Starting Skills: Athletics
  Starting Talents: Rapid Reload
  Standard Kit: One M36 lasgun and four charge packs per 
  Player Character (Main Weapon), one suit of Imperial Guard 
  ﬂak armour per Player Character, two frag grenades and two 
  krak grenades per Player Character.
  Mechanised Infantry
  Less common than line infantry, mechanised infantry serve as 
  a fast-moving, hard-hitting force, pairing the utility of infantry 
  with the speed and ﬁrepower of armoured vehicles. The 
  availability of Chimera transports is the main limiting factor to 
  the number of mechanised infantry units in any given warzone, 
  and this rarity means that many mechanised infantry regiments 
  are divided into a number of smaller Armoured Fist groups—
  single squads or platoons—attached to armoured regiments 
  (to provide infantry support) and line infantry regiments (to 
  provide a fast reserve or armoured vanguard). 
  Cost: 3 points
  Characteristics: +3 Agility, –3 Perception
  Starting Skills: Operate (Surface)
  Starting Talents: Rapid Reload
  Standard Kit: One M36 lasgun and four charge packs per 
  Player Character (Main Weapon), one suit of Imperial Guard 
  ﬂak armour per Player Character, two frag grenades and two 
  krak grenades per Player Character, one Chimera Armoured 
  Transport per Squad.
  Siege Infantry
  Similar to line infantry, siege infantry form a solid mass of troops, 
  speciﬁcally trained to serve in protracted sieges. A siege regiment 
  may be deployed in a single location for years at a time, moving 
  only infrequently to a new front line, often only a few hundred 
  metres from the last one. Each line usually consists of newly-
  dug trenches and earthworks, swiftly and precisely excavated by 
  thousands of troopers. It is said that the ﬁnest siege regiments can 
  establish a solid defence line with nothing but shovels, ﬂakboard, 
  and sandbags, within half an hour of deployment.
  Cost: 2 points
  Characteristics: +3 Toughness, –3 Intelligence
  Starting Skills: Tech-Use
  Starting Talents: Nerves of Steel
  Standard Kit: One M36 lasgun and six charge packs per 
  Player Character (Main Weapon), one suit of Imperial Guard 
  ﬂak armour per Player Character, one respirator per Player 
  Character, four empty sandbags and one entrenching 
  tool per Player Character, two frag grenades and two 
  photon ﬂash grenades per Player Character.
  Drop Troops
  A rare type of regiment, drop troops are extremely specialised 
  infantry, trained for rapid strikes from airborne transports. 
  Employing grav-chutes and attached Imperial Navy Valkyrie 
  assault carriers to perform raids deep behind enemy lines, 
  drop troops provide an uncommon, but potent resource to 
  generals. Largely regarded by other Imperial Guardsmen as 
  insane for choosing to leap out of a perfectly good aircraft 
  in mid-ﬂight, they are nonetheless required to be daring and 
  courageous to dive into enemy territory, and away from the 
  comfort of supply lines and heavy support. However, their 
  habit of operating alone without support tends to make them 
  somewhat distant and cold to those outside their ranks.
  Cost: 3 points
  Characteristics: +3 Agility, –3 Fellowship
  Starting Skills: Operate (Aeronautica)
  Starting Talents: Catfall
  Standard Kit: One lascarbine and four charge packs per 
  Player Character (Main Weapon), one suit of Imperial Guard 
  ﬂak armour per Player Character, one respirator per Player 
  Character, one grav-chute per Player Character, two frag 
  grenades and two smoke grenades per Player Character.
  Hunter-Killer
  Being used as the linchpin units in many grand strategies, 
  hunter-killer units use light vehicles with deceptively heavy 
  ﬁrepower to linger behind the front lines until called upon, 
  then pushing forward quickly to strike down priority targets 
  in support of the rank-and-ﬁle. Many hunter-killer units 
  develop a hero mentality from their exploits, dealing the 
  killing blow to enemy after enemy, and so outsiders tend to 
  regard them as glory-seeking mavericks.
  Cost: 3 points
  Characteristics: +3 Ballistic Skill, –3 Strength
  Starting Skills: Operate (Surface)
  Starting Talents: Resistance (Fear)
  Standard Kit: One Sentinel Scout Walker or one Hellhound 
  Support Tank (or variant) per Squad.
  Light Infantry
  Lightly-equipped infantry units are key to the complex 
  tactical manoeuvres required on the battleﬁelds of the 41st 
  Millennium. Lacking the ﬁrepower to effectively ﬁght on 
  the front lines, their talents are better employed in dense 
  terrain, where they can lay ambushes and engage in short-
  lived skirmishes.
  Cost: 2 points
  Characteristics: +3 Agility, –3 Toughness
  Starting Skills: Navigate (Surface)
  Starting Talents: Sprint 
  Standard Kit: One lascarbine and four charge packs per 
  Player Character (Main Weapon), one ﬂak vest and ﬂak 
  helmet per Player Character, two frag grenades and two 
  smoke grenades per Player Character.
  
  66
  66
  II: Regiment Creation
  Hardened Fighters
  The regiment’s warriors are vicious up close, deadly in melee 
  as well as at range. Armed with the tools of their grim trade, 
  they are not afraid to face their enemies in single combat, and 
  feel the hot blood of the freshly-slain on their skin.
  Cost: 2 points
  Characteristics: +2 Weapon Skill
  Starting Talents: Street Fighting
  Standard Regimental Kit: The regiment can either 
  replace its standard melee weapon with a Common (or more 
  available) Low-Tech Weapon, or apply the mono upgrade to 
  its standard melee weapon.
  Iron Discipline
  The regiment is well-known for its unyielding devotion to 
  duty and absolute loyalty to superiors. No man will hesitate 
  to act when ordered, nor will they falter when carrying out 
  those orders. The expectations of the common infantryman, 
  however, are such that shouldering the burden of command 
  is to take on a great and solemn responsibility, and only 
  the humblest and most serious-minded of ofﬁcers can be 
  entrusted with warriors so devoted.
  Cost: 3 points
  Starting Aptitude: Willpower
  Sharpshooters
  The regiment has a well-earned reputation for producing 
  deadly marksmen, and every soldier is expected to be able to 
  demonstrate great proﬁciency with a lasgun, at the very least. 
  Such regiments commonly produce some of the ﬁnest snipers 
  in the Imperial Guard, and even the common soldier can be 
  relied upon to fell foe after foe with a storm of precise shots.
  Cost: 4 points
  Starting Aptitude: Ballistic Skill
  Starting Talents: Deadeye Shot
  Survivalists
  The regiment is skilled at surviving in the wilderness, and 
  its soldiers are masters of operating in a particular kind of 
  terrain, normally the one in which they’ve grown up and 
  trained extensively. Hunters and trackers almost without peer, 
  there are few who can escape their pursuit.
  Cost: 4 points
  Starting Aptitude: Agility
  Special: When selecting this doctrine, nominate a single type 
  of terrain—Desert, Jungle, Tundra, Ash Wastes, Urban Ruins, 
  etc. When operating in that kind of terrain, characters from 
  a regiment with this Doctrine can re-roll failed Survival and 
  Navigate (Surface) Skill Tests.
  TRAINING DOCTRINES
  “Every regiment is essentially unique, and while all are of a carefully 
  measured ﬁghting strength and all are given a degree of uniformity 
  by the Departmento Munitorum, there can be no argument against 
  evaluating the strength of each regiment under one’s command, 
  identifying their particular proﬁciencies to better employ them in 
  battle. With diligent training, this strength can be heightened and 
  focussed, turning it into a true asset.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  Close Order Drill
  The regiment has trained long and hard to operate in 
  close formations, ﬁghting shoulder-to-shoulder with their 
  comrades. These close formations can respond quickly with 
  overwhelming force, moving as a single entity, rather than a 
  group of individuals.
  Cost: 2 points
  Talents: Combat Formation or Double Team
  Die-Hards
  The regiment is unyielding in the face of adversity, and will 
  not falter amidst the fury of battle, no matter the horrors 
  arrayed against them. 
  Cost: 3 points
  Starting Aptitude: Toughness
  Favoured Foe
  The regiment’s home world has long been assailed by one of 
  the myriad enemies of Mankind, and its troops have learned 
  the hard way the most effective ways to slay that enemy. 
  Without mercy and without fear, they relish opportunities to 
  bring death to their traditional foe.
  Cost: 3 points
  Starting Skills: Forbidden Lore (choose one†)
  Starting Talents: Hatred (choose one†)
  †When selecting this doctrine, a single enemy of the Imperium must 
  be selected. The choice of Forbidden Lore speciality and Hatred must 
  both reﬂect this choice of enemy.
  Table 2–4: Training Doctrines
  Training Doctrine
  Cost
  Close Order Drill
  2
  Die-Hards
  3
  Favoured Foe
  3
  Hardened Fighters
  2
  Iron Discipline
  3
  Sharpshooters
  4
  Survivalists
  4
  
  67
  II: Regiment Creation
  Demolitions
  Destruction is the unit’s calling, and they are equipped and 
  trained to follow that calling, with access to a variety of 
  explosive munitions.
  Cost: 3 points
  Standard Regimental Kit: The regiment gains a +10 bonus 
  on all Logistics Tests made to obtain grenades, missiles, 
  explosives, and special tank ammunition.
  Scavengers
  Some regard the strict rationing, draconian regulations, and 
  complex bureaucracy of the Departmento Munitorum as 
  needless restrictions upon the capabilities of the Imperial 
  Guard. Others seek personal gain, or simply steal out of habit 
  or necessity. Whatever the reason, the regiment is populated 
  with those who steal and scavenge additional equipment 
  from the battleﬁeld.
  Cost: 3 points
  Standard Regimental Kit: The regiment may choose to 
  gain a +10 bonus on any Logistics Test. However, on any 
  test where this bonus is used, if any doubles are rolled (22, 
  33, 44, etc.) whether the Test was a success or a failure, then 
  the scavenging and stealing attracts unwanted attention 
  from higher authorities within the Imperial Guard or the 
  Departmento Munitorum.
  Warrior Weapons
  Warriors from primitive worlds are often ill-suited to serve 
  on ﬁring lines, their savage demeanour making them a poor 
  choice to wield a lasgun. Such warriors often serve the 
  Imperial Guard in other ways, armed with swords, axes, and 
  mauls, to cut the enemy apart in close quarters.
  Cost: 3 points
  Starting Skills: Parry
  Standard Regimental Kit: The regiment exchanges their 
  Main Weapon for a Common (or more available) Low-Tech 
  weapon and a laspistol with two charge packs.
  Well-Provisioned
  The regiment has been marked as a supply priority by the 
  Munitorum, keeping them well-supplied with ammunition, 
  food, medical equipment, and other consumables. Well-
  provisioned regiments tend to be those expected to face the 
  worst of the ﬁghting, with regular resupply to allow them to 
  remain at ﬁghting strength for far longer.
  Cost: 3 points
  Standard Regimental Kit: The regiment increases the 
  number of clips for their main ranged weapon and the 
  number of weeks’ rations they carry as standard by +2, and 
  gain an additional grenade of each type in their standard kit 
  (if applicable). If the regiment contains vehicles, this also 
  grants a +10 bonus on all Logistics tests to obtain fuel and 
  parts for repairing and maintaining those vehicles.
  SPECIAL EQUIPMENT DOCTRINES
  “The arming of a regiment is a matter of considerable 
  complexity. Each and every regiment will be equipped in a 
  manner according to their purpose, the world of their origin, and 
  the availability of resources.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  Augmetics
  The regiment has had long ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus, 
  and though not privy to the many secrets of that organisation, 
  they willingly accept the wisdom of the Priests of Mars. As 
  a testament to this unity, the regiment’s warriors sport many 
  more bionics and augmetics than is typically the case, with 
  veterans often sporting bionics to replace organs and limbs 
  lost to the horrors of war.
  Cost: 2 points
  Standard Regimental Kit: The regiment gains an additional 
  +10 on all Logistics Tests made to obtain bionic replacements 
  and implants.
  Chameleoline
  The regiment’s duties require them to move unseen across the 
  battleﬁeld, and for this reason, they have been equipped with 
  colour-shifting chameleoline, which helps them blend in with 
  their surroundings.
  Cost: 3 points
  Standard Regimental Kit: The regiment is equipped with 
  either chameleoline cloaks or chameleoline-coated armour.
  Combat Drugs
  Commonly given to Penal Legions and other units who 
  may require additional encouragement to ﬁght their hardest, 
  combat drugs can provide the additional psychological or 
  physical kick needed to spur a unit to action.
  Cost: 2 points
  Standard Regimental Kit: The regiment adds an injector 
  or inhaler and three doses of frenzon or ﬁve doses of stimm. 
  Additional doses must be obtained through requisition or 
  additional standard kit items.
  Table 2–5: Special Equipment Doctrines
  Special Equipment Doctrine
  Cost
  Augmetics
  2
  Chameleoline
  3
  Combat Drugs
  2
  Demolitions
  3
  Scavengers
  3
  Warrior Weapons
  3
  Well-Provisioned
  3
  
  68
  II: Regiment Creation
  Equipment from Doctrines
  Every Regiment Type Doctrine, and several other Doctrines, 
  provides additional equipment to a regiment, items which are 
  essential to the function of that regiment in its role. These items 
  are typically listed in a fairly broad and generic way, without 
  regard for the speciﬁc variations or patterns that may exist.
  Numerous Regiment Type Doctrines—primarily those for 
  infantry regiments—provide an item listed as a Main Weapon. 
  This replaces any other Main Weapon they may be issued 
  (commonly the standard-issue laspistol listed above), and is 
  intended to be the primary method by which Guardsmen 
  from that regiment deal death to the Emperor’s foes.
  Similarly, numerous doctrines provide a regiment with 
  armour. In all cases, this replaces the standard ﬂak vest that 
  all Guardsmen are issued with—front-line combat units are 
  invariably issued heavier armour than vehicle crews (who 
  should be protected by their vehicles).
  Finally, some items are issued on a squad-by-squad basis 
  rather than an individual basis. This is primarily the case for 
  large vehicles, for which multiple Guardsmen are required to 
  operate the vehicle effectively, or when the vehicle is used 
  as transportation for the entire squad. In such cases, a single 
  such item is issued to the squad as a whole.
  Favoured Weapons
  Each regiment has weapons that 
  its members prefer to wield, or 
  have a natural aptitude for. Each 
  regiment may choose one Basic 
  Weapon and one Heavy Weapon 
  to be their Favoured Weapons, 
  these weapons must be Very Rare 
  or more available. Members of 
  this Regiment gain a +10 bonus 
  on all Logistics Tests to obtain those 
  weapons and ammunition for them.
  Additional Equipment
  Local resources and the particular needs of a given 
  regiment lead to standard kit allocations varying 
  immensely. While numerous universal items exist, 
  they are far from the only pieces of equipment a 
  regiment can (and might need to) acquire. Consequently, 
  every regiment in ONLY WAR has an allocation of points 
  to spend on the customisation of its Standard Regimental 
  Kit, adding additional items or improving existing ones. 
  This allocation is 30 points, with an additional 2 points 
  added for each unused Regiment Creation point left over, 
  and can be further increased by certain doctrines and 
  other options. These points may be spent in a number of 
  different ways, as described below.
  Items and upgrades may be selected from Table 2–6: 
  Additional Standard Kit Items, using the listed costs. 
  At the GM’s discretion, other items may be selected from 
  Chapter V: Armoury, determining their cost by the item’s 
  availability, as described on that table. Some items have limitations 
  regarding how many times they can be taken or to which regiments 
  they are available, which can be waived at GM’s discretion.
  STANDARD REGIMENTAL 
  GUARDSMAN KIT
  “The lasgun is a great asset to the Imperial Guard. No other weapon 
  amongst all the creations of the Machine God could serve its purpose 
  so perfectly.”
  –Extract from the Tactica Imperialis
  The last major part of creating a regiment is determining its 
  equipment. An Imperial Guard regiment is nothing without 
  the weapons and wargear it wields. A signiﬁcant portion of 
  a regiment’s standard kit will have already been determined 
  when its regiment type was selected, and this may have been 
  further inﬂuenced by other doctrines.
  It should thus be fairly clear what the bulk of a unit’s 
  equipment will be before reaching this point. All that remains, 
  then, is to add those speciﬁc items to a handful of universal 
  items that all Guardsmen are issued, and then choosing a few 
  additional items to further customise them.
  Universal Standard Kit
  There is a selection of common pieces of equipment that all 
  characters are equipped with in some form or another. While 
  the speciﬁc details of such items 
  may vary from world to world, 
  and sometimes even character to 
  character (the rations of an Ogryn are 
  far different in mass to those issued to a 
  normal, human Guardsman, and ofﬁcers of 
  noble birth may expect fare different from 
  the artiﬁcial nutrition blocks fed to 
  the underhive scum they command), 
  their existence is seldom, if ever, in 
  doubt. These items form the core of a 
  character’s initial equipment list, are easy 
  to replace, repair, or otherwise replenish, 
  and are universally essential to possess.
  The universal standard kit items are 
  as follows:
  •	 One uniform
  •	 One set of poor weather gear
  •	 One laspistol (Main Weapon), 
  and two charge packs
  •	 One knife
  •	 One ﬂak vest
  •	 One rucksack or sling bag
  •	 One set of basic tools
  •	 One mess kit and one water canteen
  •	 One blanket and one sleep bag
  •	 One rechargeable lamp pack
  •	 One grooming kit
  •	 One set of cognomen tags or equivalent 
  identiﬁcation
  •	 One primer or instructional handbook
  •	 Combat sustenance rations, two 
  weeks’ supply
  Favoured Weapons
  Each regiment has weapons that 
  its members prefer to wield, or 
  have a natural aptitude for. Each 
  regiment may choose one Basic 
  Weapon and one Heavy Weapon 
  to be their Favoured Weapons, 
  these weapons must be Very Rare 
  or more available. Members of 
  this Regiment gain a +10 bonus 
  on all Logistics Tests to obtain those 
  weapons and ammunition for them.
  Additional Equipment
  quipment
  q
  Local resources and the particular needs of a given 
  regiment lead to standard kit allocations varying 
  immensely. While numerous universal items exist, 
  they are far from the only pieces of equipment a 
  regiment can (and might need to) acquire. Consequently, 
  every regiment in ONLY W
  NLY W
  NLY
  AR has an allocation of points 
  AR has an allocation of points 
  AR
  to spend on the customisation of its Standard Regimental 
  Kit, adding additional items or improving existing ones. 
  This allocation is 30 points, with an additional 2 points 
  added for each unused Regiment Creation point left over, 
  and can be further increased by certain doctrines and 
  other options. These points may be spent in a number of 
  different ways, as described below.
  Items and upgrades may be selected from 
  Additional Standard Kit Items
  At the GM’s discretion, other items may be selected from 
  Chapter V: Armoury
  Chapter V: Armoury, determining their cost by the item’s 
  , determining their cost by the item’s 
  availability, as described on that table. Some items have limitations 
  regarding how many times they can be taken or to which regiments 
  they are available, which can be waived at GM’s discretion.
  characters are equipped with in some form or another. While 
  the speciﬁc details of such items 
  may vary from world to world, 
  and sometimes even character to 
  character (the rations of an Ogryn are 
  far different in mass to those issued to a 
  normal, human Guardsman, and ofﬁcers of 
  noble birth may expect fare different from 
  the artiﬁcial nutrition blocks fed to 
  the underhive scum they command), 
  their existence is seldom, if ever, in 
  doubt. These items form the core of a 
  character’s initial equipment list, are easy 
  to replace, repair, or otherwise replenish, 
  and are universally essential to possess.
  The universal standard kit items are 
  One set of poor weather gear
  One laspistol (Main Weapon), 
  and two charge packs
  One rucksack or sling bag
  One set of basic tools
  One mess kit and one water canteen
  One blanket and one sleep bag
  One rechargeable lamp pack
  One set of cognomen tags or equivalent 
  One primer or instructional handbook
  Combat sustenance rations, two 
  Combat sustenance rations, two 
  weeks’ supply
  
  69
  II: Regiment Creation
  Table 2–6: Additional Standard Kit Items
  Item or Upgrade
  Cost
  Limitations
  Improve a single item of standard kit wargear from Common Craftsmanship to  
  Good Craftsmanship
  5
  Improve a single item of standard kit wargear from Common Craftsmanship to Best 
  Craftsmanship
  10
  Replace laspistol (Main Weapon) with lascarbine (Main Weapon)
  5
  Replace lascarbine (Main Weapon) with M36 lasgun (Main Weapon)
  5
  Add an additional knife
  2
  Add a laspistol and 2 charge packs as a sidearm
  5
  May only be taken once
  Add an autopistol and 2 clips as a sidearm
  8
  May only be taken once
  Add a stub automatic and 2 clips as a sidearm
  8
  May only be taken once
  Add a stub revolver and 12 bullets as a sidearm
  3
  May only be taken once
  Add an additional frag grenade to standard kit
  5
  May only be taken twice
  Add an additional smoke grenade to standard kit
  5
  May only be taken twice
  Add an additional krak grenade to standard kit
  15
  May only be taken twice
  Replace a M36 lasgun (Main Weapon) or lascarbine (Main Weapon) with a combat 
  shotgun (Main Weapon) and 4 clips
  10
  Line Infantry, Light Infantry, 
  Siege Infantry or Drop Infantry
  Add a chrono to standard kit
  2
  Add a clip/drop harness to standard kit
  5
  Add an additional uniform for ﬁeld use to standard kit
  2
  Add an additional uniform for dress or parade use to standard kit
  5
  Add ﬁltration plugs to standard kit
  5
  Add the Munitorum Manual to standard kit
  3
  Add a photo-visor or set of photo-contacts to standard kit
  8
  Add preysense goggles to standard kit
  15
  Add purity seals to standard kit
  8
  Penitent regiments
  Add respirator or gas mask to standard kit
  8
  Add survival suit to standard kit
  8
  Add 1 dose of de-tox and an injector to standard kit
  15
  Add a single advanced medikit to the squad as standard kit
  15
  May only be taken once
  Add 2 weeks’ worth of additional ration packs to standard kit
  3
  Add 1 dose of slaught to standard kit
  10
  Combat Drugs doctrine
  Add 1 dose of frenzon to standard kit
  20
  Combat Drugs doctrine
  Add 1 dose of stimm and an injector to standard kit
  8
  Add a single auspex or scanner to the squad as standard kit
  10
  May only be taken once
  Add a grapnel to standard kit
  5
  Add magnoculars to standard kit
  8
  Add a micro-bead to standard kit
  8
  Add a pict recorder to standard kit 
  8
  Add screamers (one box of 6) to the squad as standard kit
  10
  Add a single stummer to standard kit
  8
  Add a targeter to standard kit
  10
  Sharpshooters doctrine
  Add an additional item of Ubiquitous availability to standard kit
  1
  GM’s Discretion
  Add an additional item of Abundant availability to standard kit
  2
  GM’s Discretion
  Add an additional item of Plentiful availability to standard kit
  3
  GM’s Discretion
  Add an additional item of Common availability to standard kit
  5
  GM’s Discretion
  Add an additional item of Average availability to standard kit
  8
  GM’s Discretion
  Add an additional item of Scarce availability to standard kit
  10
  GM’s Discretion
  Add an additional item of Rare availability to standard kit
  15
  GM’s Discretion
  Add an additional item of Very Rare availability to standard kit
  20
  GM’s Discretion
  Add one Favoured Basic Weapon
  Add one Favoured Basic Weapon
  10
  May only be taken once.
  10
  May only be taken once.
  10
  May only be taken once.
  10
  May only be taken once.
  Add one Favoured Heavy Weapon
  15
  May only be taken once.
  
  70
  II: Regiment Creation
  respect to Drusus, but every world will have its own ancient 
  heroes and ﬁgures of veneration, whose examples and legends 
  inspire the faithful.
  IN WHAT STATE IS THE REGIMENT?
  Whether freshly raised to ﬁght the Emperor’s wars, or hardened 
  veterans of many battles, regiments come in a variety of shapes 
  and sizes, with some of the most dangerous consisting of a 
  handful of companies, while a fresh regiment may consist of 
  tens of thousands of warriors. Some veteran regiments may even 
  have been so battered by conﬂict that they have merged with 
  another under-strength regiment, to ensure that neither goes 
  to waste, and by the end of a long campaign, single regiments 
  with eclectic compositions and histories can be all that remains 
  of a dozen or more regiments that began the campaign.
  Fresh regiments and veteran ones can produce wildly 
  different styles of campaign. The inexperienced are still equipped 
  with brand new wargear, and in full and neat formations, still 
  stood tall with the rhetoric of preachers and drill instructors, 
  but blissfully ignorant of the truth of warfare. Meanwhile, the 
  veterans exist in ragged, almost informal groupings, where 
  casualties have shattered the ordered ranks and ﬁles of the past, 
  no longer naïve about warfare, and with every trooper having 
  his own quirks and disorders from years of battle. 
  WHAT IS THE REGIMENT’S NAME?
  As already seen, earlier in this chapter, every regiment must 
  be uniquely identiﬁed. For some, more formal forces, a simple 
  number and a factual designation is entirely sufﬁcient, and often 
  even those plain identiﬁers can be heavy with ancient legacies 
  and traditions, where numbers have been used and re-used 
  over the millennia. At other times, a regiment may be given 
  a moniker all its own, distinct from its ofﬁcial designation. 
  Commonly a source of pride for the regiment’s men, their 
  collective name helps distinguish them from all others who 
  have come from their home world, and gives them a stronger 
  sense of identity. In particular, this seems to be commonplace 
  with regiments from worlds that are naturally deadly, with 
  regiments named after particularly deadly predators, bearing 
  stylised images of those creatures upon banners and medals, or 
  emblazoned on the armour of tanks.
  WHO IS THE REGIMENT’S COMMANDER?
  Having already deﬁned the personality of the commanding 
  ofﬁcer, it is worth considering him in a little more depth. 
  Particularly as a campaign continues, the regimental 
  commander is likely to become an increasingly relevant ﬁgure 
  within the Player Characters’ lives. Determining his name, at 
  least, is something worth putting a little thought into.
  Beyond the regiment’s commander, there are other ﬁgures 
  within the regiment to consider, ranging from Commissars, 
  whose judgement is all that stands between a man and execution, 
  to attached preachers, who guard the souls of troopers and 
  lead them in their prayers to the Emperor. The regiment’s 
  command structure contains many whose personalities and 
  responsibilities will bring them into contact with even the most 
  junior of Guardsmen, and it’s worth putting a little time and 
  effort into deciding who those people are.
  FINISHING TOUCHES
  “What is the strongest weapon of Mankind? The machines of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus? No! The Astartes Legions? No! The tank? The lasgun? The 
  ﬁst? Not at all! Courage, and courage alone, stands above them all!”
  –Lord Commander Solar Macharius
  At this point, Regiment Creation is almost complete, with only 
  a few details remaining before players can begin constructing 
  characters from their regiment. These are elements of background 
  to help further ﬂesh out the who, how, and why of the regiment:
  WHERE IS THE REGIMENT FROM?
  You should have already determined the type of home world or 
  origin the regiment came from, but worlds are more than the 
  simple classiﬁcations that the Imperium gives them. Considering 
  the nature of a regiment’s world of origin can help deﬁne the 
  way that regiment is dressed, the style of its wargear, and its 
  traditions and idiosyncrasies, all of which are useful for the GM 
  and the players to know when playing the game.
  A simple option might be to select a world that already 
  exists—many worlds across the Imperium have already been 
  described in countless rulebooks and novels over the years, and 
  most worlds in the Imperium have raised regiments of Imperial 
  Guard at some point (and if they haven’t, maybe the regiment 
  you’ve created is the ﬁrst to come from there). Closer to home, 
  numerous worlds suitable for raising regiments of soldiers 
  within the Calixis Sector are described in the DARK HERESY 
  rulebook and its supplements, and any of those worlds could 
  reasonably be sending troops into the Spinward Front.
  WHY WAS THE REGIMENT RAISED?
  Particularly when dealing with regiments that have come from 
  far distant sectors on the other side of the Imperium, explaining 
  why the regiment came to exist is useful to know—are they 
  the simple product of their home world’s tithes, contributed 
  to a distant war, or were they mustered to combat a particular 
  threat on a world near to their home? Perhaps they’re survivors 
  from a campaign that tore across their home world, now moved 
  from warzone to warzone, or they’re returning crusaders, not 
  yet asked to lay down their weapons.
  With regiments hailing from the Calixis Sector and 
  other regions close to the Spinward Front, the war beyond 
  the Periphery could well be the entire reason the regiment 
  exists—a threat so close to home cannot easily be ignored.
  WHAT DOES THE REGIMENT BELIEVE?
  Every world in the Imperium worships the Emperor—this 
  much is both inescapable truth and inviolable law. However, 
  the differences between the belief systems of individual 
  worlds can be considerable. Each sector and each world 
  within will have different ways to practise those beliefs, 
  different local festivals and patron saints. 
  Within the Calixis Sector, Saint Drusus is the most 
  revered of saints, having been one of the generals who 
  founded the sector, and its ﬁrst ruler in the aftermath 
  of the Angevin Crusade. Few are the Calixian 
  regiments who do not pay at least the slightest 
  
  CREATING A 
  GUARDSMAN
  •
  CHOOSING A 
  SPECIALITY
  •
  SPENDING 
  EXPERIENCE
  •
  GENERATING 
  COMRADES
  
  72
  III: Character Creation
  The life of an Imperial Guardsman is often a brutally short 
  one, though many joke that time effectively stops once one is 
  conscripted, the passage of months and years twisted by their 
  constant movement through the Warp aboard Imperial Navy 
  troopships, and interrupted only by the ﬂashes of unbridled 
  terror that punctuate the otherwise excruciating boredom of a 
  Guardsman’s existence. Most Guardsmen aspire to little more 
  than daily survival, wishing only to make it through the day and, 
  perhaps at some point in the distant future, to return to a half-
  forgotten home world. Others seek glory, honour, or adventure, 
  or even aspire to high military or political ofﬁce, hoping to 
  leverage military honours and success into a sector lordship, 
  appointment to some powerful branch of the Adeptus Terra, or 
  even a Rogue Trader’s Warrant. Whatever their ultimate desires, 
  the fact of the matter is that the Guardsman’s path is a gruelling 
  one. It is a path of hardship and ﬁre, and blood and death, 
  and those who tread it are fully aware of the cost of failure. 
  Throughout a Guardsman’s career, honour, faith, a lust for glory 
  or adventure, and grander aspirations all war within him as he 
  undertakes to protect his homes and his fellow humans from the 
  ever-present threat of xenos, heretics, and Chaos.
  As Guardsmen, each character is expected to embody the 
  best ideals of the Imperial Guard—obedience to their ofﬁcers, 
  undying faith in the God-Emperor, and unquenchable and 
  unquestioning hatred of His enemies. They are to take the 
  glorious ﬁght to the foe, and spread the light of His Word to 
  the darkest corners of the galaxy. In the course of their duty 
  they will encounter known enemies of the Imperium, such as 
  savage Orks and decadent Eldar, as well as countless, faceless 
  horrors, both of this world and of the Empyrean beyond. 
  CREATING A GUARDSMAN
  To prepare for his ﬁrst billet in the Imperial Guard, the player 
  needs to create his character. This alter ego, known as a Player 
  Character (PC), is like an actor or character in a movie, the player’s 
  proxy in the exciting and deadly world of Warhammer 40,000. 
  Creating a Player Character in ONLY WAR is a relatively simple 
  process that is quite enjoyable in its own right. This chapter 
  lays out the tools needed to “design” a member of the Imperial 
  Guard, tools that allow the player to infuse his character with an 
  interesting personality and history, and to get a clear idea about 
  who the character is and what his motivations are. Be aware, 
  however, that in this chapter there may be numerous unfamiliar 
  terms, places, and concepts. While it may be a bit intimidating 
  or overwhelming at ﬁrst, all will be explained in due course, as 
  the player explores the rest of this rulebook, and takes his place 
  among the massed ranks of the Imperial Guard. 
  To start, each player needs to gather some basic tools 
  to create his character. The essentials that are required for 
  character creation are some ten-sided dice, referred to as 
  “d10”s throughout the rules, a character sheet, and a pencil 
  with a stout eraser. It is best to record everything in pencil, 
  at least at ﬁrst, as players will be doing plenty of changing 
  and correcting throughout the character creation process. In 
  addition to the dice and character sheet, some spare paper is 
  highly recommended. ONLY WAR is a heavily collaborative 
  game, more so than perhaps any other, and character creation 
  should go hand in hand with the creation of a regiment by 
  Chapter III: 
  Character 
  Creation
  “The men and women of the Imperial Guard sacriﬁce more and gain 
  less than perhaps any other arm of the Imperial Armed Forces.”
  –Commissar Ibram Gaunt
  I
  n ONLY WAR, each player plays a member of the Imperial 
  Guard, one of the countless billions of hardened, faceless 
  conscripts constantly ﬁghting on myriad fronts at the 
  whim of the Adeptus Terra. Using this martial alter ego, the 
  players go forth at the behest of their ofﬁcers to ﬁght the 
  eternal and implacable foes of the Imperium—the foul xenos, 
  the mutant, the heretic, and the dark forces of the Ruinous 
  Powers. Throughout the course of their service, these 
  characters may ﬁght on a hundred nameless worlds, often 
  outnumbered and outgunned by their enemies, and ﬁghting 
  in some of the worst conditions that history has ever known. 
  Driven by their ofﬁcers, the dreaded Commissars, and their 
  own sense of duty and loyalty to the God–Emperor, each 
  Guardsman is expected to persevere and execute his duty, 
  even unto death.
  
  73
  III: Character Creation
  these Experience Points to broaden his character’s experience, 
  to tightly focus him for speciﬁc roles within his squad, or 
  to ﬁt the player’s character concept. Additional calculated 
  attributes are also recorded during this step. This stage is also 
  the point at which the players determine their characters’ 
  Movement, number of Fate Points, and his Wounds.
  •	 The Player Character’s Wounds are determined by his 
  Speciality. Each has a speciﬁc number of Wounds to 
  start, determined by adding a set number to a random 
  1d5 roll.
  •	 Every Guardsman begins the game with a randomly 
  generated number of Fate Points (see page 100).
  •	 Determine the Player Character’s Movement rate by 
  consulting Table 1–4 on page 33.
  •	 The player can now further customise his character by 
  spending xp to purchase Characteristic Advances, Skills, 
  and Talents.
  STAGE 4: GIVE THE CHARACTER LIFE
  Once the number crunching is ﬁnished and all of the 
  character’s penalties and beneﬁts are tallied, it is time to 
  breathe some life into the new character. This stage helps the 
  player deﬁne his character’s name, nature, beliefs, and more. 
  This step is an important one, as it helps the players portray 
  their characters during the game, and makes each a unique 
  individual who stands out from the usual faceless throng of 
  the Imperial Guard. During this step, the players also choose 
  their character’s Demeanour—a roleplaying aid that helps 
  shape the character’s personality.
  STAGE 5: GENERATE COMRADE
  Player Characters would be lost without their Squad to 
  accompany them into the heat of battle. In this stage, the 
  player generates the Comrade who will serve alongside him 
  on the battleﬁeld.
  STAGE 6: PLAY ONLY WAR
  With their Regiment, Squad, and Player Characters complete, 
  the players are now ready to play ONLY WAR!
  the players as a group, as outlined in Chapter II: Regiment 
  Creation. As with regiment creation, it is extremely helpful 
  to have the Game Master and fellow players around the table 
  when characters are created. Not only is it more fun, but it 
  also allows the player to compare his character to those of his 
  fellow players, and see how they complement one another. 
  Once the group’s regiment has been created, there are 
  ﬁve easy steps to follow when creating an individual Player 
  Character. Each step is relatively simple, and requires little 
  more than some decision making, and recording those choices 
  on the character sheet. The stages in the character creation 
  process are as follows:
  STAGE 1: GENERATE CHARACTERISTICS
  A Player Character is largely deﬁned by numbers which 
  set his numerous physical, mental, and social attributes. 
  These numbers, which exist on a scale of 1–100, are called 
  Characteristics, and cover such things as the Player Character’s 
  physical strength, how physically and spiritually resilient he 
  is, and how well he handles a weapon.
  STAGE 2: CHOOSE SPECIALITY
  While your chosen Regiment and Characteristics lay the 
  foundation for your character, it is your Speciality that deﬁnes 
  your character and determines his role in the Imperial Guard. 
  Specialities determine your character’s focus; what weapons 
  he uses, what skills he knows, and what areas of expertise 
  he easily excels in. The Imperial Guard is incredibly diverse, 
  and because of this, there are twelve different Specialities for 
  players to choose from in ONLY WAR.
  Each player selects one and only one Speciality, and this 
  determines his character’s starting Aptitudes, Skills, Talents, 
  and Wounds. Additionally, each Speciality grants that 
  character a short list of special abilities that he can purchase 
  as Advances for experience.
  When creating characters, it is recommended that your group 
  discuss which Specialities you each intend on choosing for your 
  characters. This way, you can plan around each other, and make 
  a balanced Squad that is better prepared to face a variety of 
  challenges, and easier to play in—a group of four Ogryn could 
  run into some trouble when it came time for any complex tasks!
  STAGE 3: MOVEMENT, WOUNDS, FATE, 
  AND SPENDING EXPERIENCE
  This step is where the player further customises his character. 
  Every Player Character in ONLY WAR starts with 600 
  Experience Points (or 300 xp for Support Specialists) with 
  which to buy Skills and Talents and improve Characteristics 
  during Character Creation. These points reﬂect the character’s 
  life experiences prior to being conscripted. A player can use 
  TERMINOLOGY
  The players’ own characters, their alter egos within 
  the game, are simply called Player Characters (or PCs 
  for short). Player Characters can be either Guardsmen, 
  soldiers recruited as part of the regiment, or Support 
  Specialists, who are outside auxiliaries who have been 
  attached to the regiment, such as Commissars and Tech-
  Priests. Players also create allied characters, the soldiers 
  and compatriots with whom they march to war, who are 
  known as Comrades. The Player Characters, together 
  with their Comrades, form the Squad, and naturally, all 
  members of the Squad are termed squad-mates.
  TALENT PREREQUISITES
  Many Talents granted to characters by their Speciality 
  have prerequisites that the character might not meet. For 
  Talents granted by their Speciality, characters ignore any 
  Talent prerequisites, and gain those Talents regardless.
  
  74
  74
  III: Character Creation
  WILLPOWER (WP)
  Willpower demonstrates a character’s strength of will. It helps 
  him withstand the horrors of war, and the awful opponents 
  he is bound to encounter on the countless battleﬁelds of the 
  Imperium of Man.
  FELLOWSHIP (FEL)
  Fellowship represents a character’s ability to interact with others, 
  and his ability to deceive, charm, befriend, or lead them.
  CHARACTERISTIC BONUSES
  Each Characteristic has a corresponding bonus that equals 
  the tens digit of the Characteristic score. For example, a 
  character with an Intelligence of 41 has an Intelligence 
  Bonus of 4. Characteristic Bonuses are used as modiﬁers in 
  many different rules, to determine things such as how much 
  Damage a character causes in combat.
  GENERATING 
  CHARACTERISTICS
  Characteristics are generated one at a time. For each 
  Characteristic, roll 2d10, add the resulting numbers together, 
  then add 20. The player must follow this procedure once for 
  each of his character’s Characteristics until he has the results for 
  all nine, then ﬁll them in on his character sheet. Ofﬁcial ONLY 
  WAR character sheets are found at the back of this book. Note 
  that one or more Characteristics might be further modiﬁed by 
  both his Speciality and his Background, so write in pencil!
  Since the men and women in ONLY WAR are expected to 
  survive the harshest and deadliest warzones in the galaxy, 
  Player Characters are expected to be a cut above the average 
  Guardsman. As such, the player may re–roll any one result of 
  his choosing. Should the player choose to do this, he must keep 
  the new result, even if it is inferior to the original result.
  EXAMPLE
  Katya is creating a new character. She rolls 2d10 for her Weapon 
  Skill and gets a result of 19, then adds 20 for a total Weapon Skill 
  of 39. She repeats this process for the rest of her Characteristics 
  and comes up with the following. 
  Characteristic
  2d10 Roll Total
  Characteristic 
  Bonus
  Weapon Skill
  19 (+20)
  39
  3
  Ballistic Skill
  13 (+20)
  33
  3
  Strength
  16 (+20)
  36
  3
  Toughness
  6 (+20)
  26
  2
  Agility
  14 (+20)
  34
  3
  Intelligence
  12(+20)
  32
  3
  Perception
  15(+20)
  35
  3
  Willpower
  7 (+20)
  27
  2
  Fellowship
  13 (+20)
  33
  3
  She then decides to re-roll her Toughness score, hoping for a better 
  result. Unfortunately, this time the dice come up with a total of 3, 
  for an even worse Toughness of 23. Bad luck! 
  Stage 1: 
  Generate 
  Characteristics
  ”A Guardsman’s worth can only truly be measured by his actions 
  under ﬁre. Numbers in a ledger can never show what is hidden in the 
  dark corners of a man’s heart.”
  –Sergeant Yuri Alexeivich, 3rd Volkov Strelets
  C
  haracteristics represent a Player Character’s raw ability, 
  on a scale of 1 to 100, in a variety of physical and 
  mental areas. Characteristics are important for many 
  reasons, but principally, they reﬂect the ability to succeed at 
  certain actions. Since a player needs to roll under his Player 
  Character’s Characteristic when called upon to perform an 
  action, the higher the Characteristic is, the better off the 
  player and his character will be.
  WEAPON SKILL (WS)
  Weapon Skill represents a character’s competence in hand-
  to-hand combat, and covers the use of everything from bare 
  hands to bayonets and chainswords.
  BALLISTIC SKILL (BS)
  Ballistic Skill represents a character’s accuracy with the 
  numerous ranged weapons provided by the Departmento 
  Munitorum, from grenade launchers and the trusty lasgun to 
  the massive cannon of the Baneblade super-heavy tank.
  STRENGTH (S)
  The Strength Characteristic measures the character’s raw 
  physical strength.
  TOUGHNESS (T)
  Toughness deﬁnes how easily a character shrugs off injury, as 
  well as how easily he resists toxins, hazardous environments, 
  disease, and other physical ailments.
  AGILITY (AG)
  Agility measures a character’s quickness, reﬂexes, and poise.
  INTELLIGENCE (INT)
  Intelligence is a measure of a character’s intellect, as well as 
  his acumen, ability to reason, and general knowledge.
  PERCEPTION (PER)
  Perception describes how sharp a character is. It reﬂects how 
  he perceives his surroundings, and how acute his physical 
  senses are.
  
  75
  75
  III: Character Creation
  Despite the lack of hard and fast Departmento Munitorum 
  deﬁnitions of the different roles a Guardsman can play within a 
  Squad, there is still a great diversity. In ONLY WAR, Guardsmen 
  Specialities are broken into ﬁve general archetypes, that 
  cover the typical skill-sets a “grunt” Guardsman could have. 
  Guardsmen who ﬁll these Specialities may have completely 
  different titles from regiment to regiment, but all still serve 
  the same general purpose.
  •	 Heavy Gunner: Big, strong, and tough, these Guardsmen 
  wield any heavy weapons that are given to the Squad.
  •	 Medic: Dodging deadly weapons-ﬁre and explosions, these 
  Guardsmen risk everything to keep their squad-mates alive.
  •	 Operator: A bit less leery of the strange technology that 
  the Imperial Guard often employs than their compatriots, 
  these Guardsmen are often entrusted with piloting the 
  Squad’s transport or other vehicles.
  •	 Sergeant: Every Squad needs a strong commander to 
  lead the charge into combat. The Sergeant keeps his men 
  motivated and coordinated through the toughest battles.
  •	 Weapons Specialist: The “average” Guardsman, these men 
  and women perfect the use of the lasgun or other weapons, 
  bringing death to the enemies of the Imperium.
  SUPPORT SPECIALISTS
  Support Specialists are elite members of the Imperial Guard 
  who possess advanced training or unique natural talents. Some, 
  like the Commissar, hold positions of great respect among the 
  Guard, while others, such as the Sanctioned Psyker, are feared 
  or reviled. No matter their rank or position within the Imperial 
  Guard, these Specialists’ ﬁrst priority is the same as the rank-
  and-ﬁle Guardsmen with whom they serve: to serve the God-
  Emperor, to bring his light to the dark corners of the galaxy, 
  and to punish his foes without mercy.
  In ONLY WAR, there are seven different types of Support 
  Specialists that can be part of an Imperial Guard Squad.
  •	 Commissar: Great leaders raised in the legendary Schola 
  Progenium, these men and women enforce morale over 
  the rank-and-ﬁle troops with an iron ﬁst.
  •	 Ministorum Priest: Bringing the light of the God-Emperor 
  to the battleﬁeld, Ministorum Priests inspire the troops 
  around them, not just with their preaching, but by ﬁghting 
  their foes with their massive Eviscerator chainswords.
  •	 Ogryn: These immense abhumans tend to be a bit dim-
  witted, but act as some of the Imperial Guard’s most 
  effective shock troops.
  •	 Ratling: Short and rotund, these small abhumans are used as 
  inﬁltrators and snipers. They also can cook an excellent meal!
  •	 Sanctioned Psyker: Feared by their enemies and allies 
  alike, the Psykers of the Imperium are capable of bending 
  the roiling power of the Warp to their will.
  •	 Storm Trooper: These elite soldiers are trained 
  alongside the Commissars in the Schola Progenium. 
  Equipped with some of the best armour and weapons in 
  the Imperium, they are deadly soldiers.
  •	 Tech-Priest Enginseer: Emissaries of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, Enginseers wade into battle clad in 
  thick armour, tending to the machine spirits of the 
  Imperial Guard’s many war machines.
  Stage 2: Choose 
  Speciality
  S
  pecialities are unique roles that each character ﬁlls within 
  his or her Squad. While it may seem to the casual observer 
  that the Imperial Guard is composed solely of faceless, 
  foot-slogging infantry, there are, in fact, a dizzying array of 
  specialities and sub-specialities found within this diverse ﬁghting 
  force. Despite the numerous specialities, sub-specialities, advisory, 
  and support positions that can exist within the countless different 
  regiments of the Imperial Guard, the most common archetypes 
  that are found can be broken down into two basic groups: 
  Guardsmen and Support Specialists.
  GUARDSMEN
  “No matter his primary speciality, from the lowliest cook to 
  the Warmaster himself, every Guardsman’s secondary military 
  occupation is infantry.”
  –Captain Jorge Melial, 874th Horlus Grenadiers
  Guardsmen are the basic grunts of the Imperial Guard. From 
  the stolid Cadians to the ﬂashy Mordians to the masked ranks 
  of the Deathkorps of Krieg, these men and women are what are 
  typically thought of by the average Imperial citizen as “Imperial 
  Guard”, when they are thought of at all. They form the bulk 
  of the massive Imperial Guard. Guardsmen dig trenches, drive 
  tanks, operate radios, handle ordnance, win battles, and die by 
  the countless thousands for the glory of Him on Earth. 
  In the eyes of the Departmento Munitorum, these 
  Guardsmen are all simply Guardsmen, regardless of history, 
  speciality, or personality. A Guardsman can be tough and 
  strong, capable of wielding large, heavy weaponry, or have 
  lightning reﬂexes and pilot a Sentinel like no other, or be a 
  strong leader of men, unwavering in the face of the Emperor’s 
  enemies, but still be nothing more than a statistic on the 
  sheets of the Departmento Munitorum. Because of this, on 
  the individual level, there are no ofﬁcial ranks or titles for 
  the members of an Imperial Guard Squad. How a regiment 
  breaks their Squad up, or titles their specialists—or decides if 
  they even have specialists at all—is left entirely in the hands 
  of the regiment, and can vary greatly across the Imperium.
  ALLOCATING POINTS
  An alternate method for generating Characteristic scores is 
  to give each player a number of Characteristic points that he 
  may assign as he wishes. In this case, the player begins with 
  a score of 20 in each Characteristic, and can allocate a total 
  of 100 additional points to his Characteristics as he sees 
  ﬁt. It is important to note that the player cannot add more 
  than 20 points to any one Characteristic when generating 
  a Player Character with this method. The point allocation 
  method generates Player Characters with slightly higher 
  than average Characteristic scores, and allows the player 
  more exact control over the creation of his character.
  
  76
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  III: Character Creation
  Heavy Gunner
  “A good Heavy can provide support to his squad-mates, deny an area, 
  or put single shots on target all day and never run out of ammo. A 
  great Heavy can drop a mortar shell into a renegade’s shirt pocket at 
  a thousand yards.”
  –Trooper Blaise, Kasar 18th Heavy Infantry Anti–Armour squad.
  H
  eavy Gunners are those Guardsmen who, during 
  their basic training, show a great amount of afﬁnity 
  for and competence with the various heavy support 
  weapons ﬁelded by the Imperial Guard. Adapted for a 
  number of special roles such as ﬁre support and anti-armour, 
  heavy weapons tend to be highly advanced and require not 
  only a strong arm and a stout heart to operate, but a cool 
  head and a better than average amount of technical acumen 
  to keep them running. Heavy Gunners themselves tend to 
  be bold and courageous, very reliable, and not easily rattled 
  under ﬁre, ﬁne qualities for men and women who so often 
  ﬁnd themselves the targets of enemy heavy weapons and 
  marksmen. They are typically deployed in ﬁre teams of two 
  to six depending on the crew requirements of the weapon 
  in their care, and are, necessarily, slower than average 
  infantrymen, due to their heavy loads.
  Roughly speaking, there are three general types of Heavy 
  Gunner ﬁre teams: Direct Fire Support Squads, Anti-Armour 
  Squads, and Indirect Fire Support Squads. Direct Fire Support 
  Squads are typically armed with heavy bolters, autocannons, 
  and heavy ﬂamers, and are tasked with denying areas, laying 
  down suppressive ﬁre, guarding strategic points, and even 
  identifying and neutralizing light enemy reconnaissance 
  vehicles. Carrying lascannons, missile launchers, and multi-
  meltas, Anti-Armour squads make tank-busting into a ﬁne art. 
  Light and relatively mobile, these squads are trained to set up 
  and break down their weapons quickly and silently to keep 
  pace with enemy armour and mechanised infantry. Finally, 
  Indirect Fire Support Squads operate the various indirect ﬁre 
  weapons in the Imperial Guard arsenal, such as mortars and 
  grenade launchers. Operating as light artillery, especially when 
  armed with highly portable mortars, these teams are typically 
  stationed well behind the front lines where, using targeting 
  information supplied by their squad-mates, they can suppress 
  enemy troops and vehicles, pinning them in place and allowing 
  friendly forces to advance and neutralize them. 
  Thanks to their specialized training and ability to bring 
  the heaviest man portable guns to bear on a problem, Heavy 
  Gunners are valuable in nearly every squad in the Imperial 
  Guard. They grant an incredible amount of tactical ﬂexibility 
  to an advancing squad, and depending on their loadout, can 
  tackle nearly any situation on the battleﬁeld.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–1: Heavy Gunner 
  Recommended Advances offers some suggestions on 
  which Advances to initially work towards as you start 
  your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Toughness.
  Starting 
  Aptitudes: 
  Ballistic 
  Skill, 
  Defence, 
  Fellowship, Offence, Perception, Toughness.
  Starting Skills: Athletics or Survival, Common Lore 
  (Imperial Guard, War), Intimidate
  Starting Talents: Iron Jaw, Weapon Training (Las or Solid 
  Projectile, Low-Tech, Heavy, choose 1 excluding Exotic). 
  Specialist Equipment: Common Craftsmanship 
  missile launcher with 5 Frag Missiles or Common 
  Craftsmanship 
  heavy 
  stubber 
  or 
  Common 
  Craftsmanship Regimental Favoured Heavy Weapon.
  Wounds: 10+1d5
  heavy weapons tend to be highly advanced and require not 
  only a strong arm and a stout heart to operate, but a cool 
  head and a better than average amount of technical acumen 
  to keep them running. Heavy Gunners themselves tend to 
  be bold and courageous, very reliable, and not easily rattled 
  under ﬁre, ﬁne qualities for men and women who so often 
  ﬁnd themselves the targets of enemy heavy weapons and 
  marksmen. They are typically deployed in ﬁre teams of two 
  to six depending on the crew requirements of the weapon 
  in their care, and are, necessarily, slower than average 
  Roughly speaking, there are three general types of Heavy 
  Gunner ﬁre teams: Direct Fire Support Squads, Anti-Armour 
  Squads, and Indirect Fire Support Squads. Direct Fire Support 
  Squads are typically armed with heavy bolters, autocannons, 
  and heavy ﬂamers, and are tasked with denying areas, laying 
  down suppressive ﬁre, guarding strategic points, and even 
  identifying and neutralizing light enemy reconnaissance 
  vehicles. Carrying lascannons, missile launchers, and multi-
  meltas, Anti-Armour squads make tank-busting into a ﬁne art. 
  Light and relatively mobile, these squads are trained to set up 
  and break down their weapons quickly and silently to keep 
  pace with enemy armour and mechanised infantry. Finally, 
  Indirect Fire Support Squads operate the various indirect ﬁre 
  weapons in the Imperial Guard arsenal, such as mortars and 
  grenade launchers. Operating as light artillery, especially when 
  armed with highly portable mortars, these teams are typically 
  stationed well behind the front lines where, using targeting 
  information supplied by their squad-mates, they can suppress 
  enemy troops and vehicles, pinning them in place and allowing 
  friendly forces to advance and neutralize them. 
  Thanks to their specialized training and ability to bring 
  the heaviest man portable guns to bear on a problem, Heavy 
  Gunners are valuable in nearly every squad in the Imperial 
  Guard. They grant an incredible amount of tactical ﬂexibility 
  to an advancing squad, and depending on their loadout, can 
  tackle nearly any situation on the battleﬁeld.
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  Table 3–1: Heavy Gunner 
   offers some suggestions on 
  which Advances to initially work towards as you start 
  your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  Wounds: 10+1d5
  
  77
  77
  III: Character Creation
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  These are Advances that may be purchased by the Heavy Gunner to enhance the abilities of his Comrade.
  LOADER
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: As long as his Comrade is in Cohesion, the Heavy Gunner may use his Comrade’s Actions to reload his currently 
  equipped weapon. These may be used in combination with the Heavy Gunner’s Actions. For example, to reload a gun 
  that requires a Full Action to reload, the Heavy Gunner spends a Half Action Reload, and his Comrade performs a Half 
  Action Reload, reloading the gun and leaving them both with a Half Action remaining.
  STABILISE
  Type: Order (Full Action)
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: The Heavy Gunner’s Comrade helps brace the weapon for ﬁring, keeping the recoil from throwing off the 
  Heavy Gunner’s aim. Any Semi-Auto Burst or Full-Auto Burst Actions used by the Heavy Gunner this Turn are made 
  with a +10 modiﬁer to the Ballistic Skill Test instead of the modiﬁer normally bestowed by the Action. This Order 
  can only be issued to the Comrade if he is in Cohesion with the Player Character.
  Table 3-1: Heavy Gunner Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Perception – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Perception – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Perception – Simple
  Toughness – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Toughness – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Toughness – Simple
  Athletics†
  Skill
  117
  Athletics +10
  Skill
  117
  Athletics
  Awareness
  Skill
  118
  Awareness +10
  Skill
  118
  Awareness
  Dodge
  Skill
  121
  Dodge +10
  Skill
  121
  Dodge
  Intimidate +10
  Skill
  123
  Intimidate
  Survival†
  Skill
  132
  Survival +10
  Skill
  132
  Survival
  Bulging Biceps
  Talent
  141
  S 45
  Combat Sense
  Talent
  142
  Per 30
  Crack Shot
  Talent
  142
  BS 50
  Eye of Vengeance
  Talent
  144
  BS 50
  Hardy
  Talent
  145
  T 40
  Mighty Shot
  Talent
  148
  BS 40
  Sound Constitution
  Talent
  151
  Storm of Iron
  Talent
  151
  BS 45, Weapon Training (any one ranged)
  Target Selection
  Talent
  152
  BS 50
  True Grit
  Talent
  152
  T 40
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  Table 3-1: Heavy Gunner Recommended Advances
  
  78
  III: Character Creation
  Medic
  “I pray to slow the blood and staunch the wound.”
  –Part of the Imperial Catechism of Healing.
  W
  hen a regiment of Guardsmen is ﬁrst tithed from a 
  world, they have no idea of what to expect. They 
  could travel to any of millions of planets, or face 
  any of millions of enemies, but the one thing that they can 
  all be sure of is that they will see combat, and that many, if 
  not all, of them will die to ensure that the Imperium endures. 
  It is for that reason that many Guardsmen are trained in ﬁeld 
  medicine, not simply just to treat injuries and save wounded 
  members of the Squad, but to help alleviate the worries of 
  many new recruits; with a Guardsman trained in medicine 
  at their back, they feel safer from the inevitable death that 
  awaits them on the battleﬁeld.
    Going by many different names across the varying 
  regiments, Medics are put in charge of all medical gear 
  and supplies sent to the Squad by the Departmento 
  Munitorum. Whether they receive simple bandages to 
  wrap around las-wounds, or sophisticated combat-
  drugs and surgery kits, Medics are the ones who 
  are entrusted with using this equipment to keep 
  their Squad healthy and prepared for combat. 
  Many combat patrols, operating behind 
  enemy lines for months, have stayed alive 
  only due to the medical expertise of one of 
  their squad-mates.
  Medics are specially trained Guardsmen, 
  responsible for providing ﬁrst response 
  and front line medical care to fellow 
  Guardsmen on the battleﬁeld. They are 
  trained as combat medics, ﬁghting chirugeons 
  equally at home with a medi-kit as they are with a 
  lasgun. In battle, they stand shoulder to shoulder 
  with their squad-mates, ﬁghting with equal skill 
  and fervour, and all the while patching, dosing, 
  or administering the God-Emperor’s Mercy to 
  their brothers in arms.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and 
  spending experience to advance your 
  character are provided on page 100 later 
  in this chapter. To help you along, Table 
  3–2: Medic Recommended Advances 
  offers some suggestions on which Advances 
  to initially work towards as you start your 
  tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Intelligence.
  Starting Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Fieldcraft, 
  Intelligence, Knowledge, Perception, Willpower.
  Starting Skills: Medicae, Scholastic Lore (Chymistry), 
  Scrutiny or Trade (Chymist).
  Starting Talents: Cold Hearted or Jaded, Weapon 
  Training (Las or Solid Projectile, Low-Tech).
  Specialist Equipment: Diagnostor, injector, medikit.
  Wounds: 8+1d5
  all be sure of is that they will see combat, and that many, if 
  not all, of them will die to ensure that the Imperium endures. 
  It is for that reason that many Guardsmen are trained in ﬁeld 
  medicine, not simply just to treat injuries and save wounded 
  members of the Squad, but to help alleviate the worries of 
  many new recruits; with a Guardsman trained in medicine 
  at their back, they feel safer from the inevitable death that 
  awaits them on the battleﬁeld.
    Going by many different names across the varying 
  regiments, Medics are put in charge of all medical gear 
  and supplies sent to the Squad by the Departmento 
  Munitorum. Whether they receive simple bandages to 
  wrap around las-wounds, or sophisticated combat-
  drugs and surgery kits, Medics are the ones who 
  are entrusted with using this equipment to keep 
  their Squad healthy and prepared for combat. 
  Many combat patrols, operating behind 
  enemy lines for months, have stayed alive 
  only due to the medical expertise of one of 
  Medics are specially trained Guardsmen, 
  responsible for providing ﬁrst response 
  and front line medical care to fellow 
  Guardsmen on the battleﬁeld. They are 
  trained as combat medics, ﬁghting chirugeons 
  equally at home with a medi-kit as they are with a 
  lasgun. In battle, they stand shoulder to shoulder 
  with their squad-mates, ﬁghting with equal skill 
  and fervour, and all the while patching, dosing, 
  or administering the God-Emperor’s Mercy to 
   Rules on Aptitudes and 
  spending experience to advance your 
  character are provided on page 100 later 
  in this chapter. To help you along, Table 
  3–2: Medic Recommended Advances
  offers some suggestions on which Advances 
  to initially work towards as you start your 
  tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  Training (Las or Solid Projectile, Low-Tech).
  or Solid Projectile, Low-Tech).
  or
  Specialist Equipment: Diagnostor, injector, medikit.
  Wounds: 8+1d5
  
  79
  III: Character Creation
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  These are Advances that may be purchased by the Medic to enhance the abilities of his Comrade.
  MEDICAE AUXILIA
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: The Comrade assists the Medic in treating his patients, quickly responding to any situation that arises. For 
  Extended Care Medicae Tests, the Medic’s Comrade counts as an assistant trained in Medicae. Additionally, the Medic’s 
  Medicae Test suffers no penalty for additional patients.
  FIELD TREATMENT
  Type: Order (Half Action)
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: The Comrade acts as a natural extension of the Medic on the battleﬁeld. The Medic relays him complex medical 
  instructions, and the Comrade obeys with precision. As long as his Comrade is within range of communication, the 
  Medic may perform Medicae Tests on any character next to the Comrade at a –10 penalty.
  Table 3-2: Medic Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Intelligence – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Intelligence – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Intelligence – Simple
  Perception – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Perception – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Perception – Simple
  Willpower – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Willpower – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Willpower – Simple
  Awareness
  Skill
  118
  Awareness +10
  Skill
  118
  Awareness
  Dodge
  Skill
  121
  Dodge +10
  Skill
  121
  Dodge
  Medicae +10
  Skill
  125
  Medicae
  Scholastic Lore (Chymistry) +10
  Skill
  130
  Scholastic Lore (Chymistry)
  Scrutiny†
  Skill
  131
  Scrutiny +10
  Skill
  131
  Scrutiny
  Trade (Chymist)†
  Skill
  134
  Trade (Chymist) +10
  Skill
  134
  Trade (Chymist)
  Cold Hearted†
  Talent
  141
  Combat Sense
  Talent
  142
  Per 30
  Die Hard
  Talent
  142
  WP 40
  Foresight
  Talent
  144
  Int 30
  Jaded†
  Talent
  146
  WP 40
  Light Sleeper
  Talent
  147
  Per 30
  Master Chirurgeon
  Talent
  148
  Medicae +10
  Meditation
  Talent
  148
  Paranoia
  Talent
  149
  Total Recall
  Talent
  152
  Int 30
  Unshakable Faith
  Talent
  153
  WP 35
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  80
  80
  III: Character Creation
  Operator
  “Infantry win ﬁreﬁghts. 
  Tanks win battles. 
  Artillery wins wars.”
  –Old saying amongst Imperial Guard artillery ofﬁcers
  T
  echnology in the 41st Millennia is an arcane science, 
  dabbled in by a rare few, and truly understood by none. 
  However, these great works of ancient science are what 
  keep the Hammer of the Emperor rolling forward, crushing 
  the foes of the Imperium. Those rare Guardsmen who feel 
  comfortable around the machine spirits of these ancient devices 
  are highly valued by their commanders. Although they do not 
  possess the knowledge of the Enginseer and other members of 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus, they are competent enough to rouse 
  the machine spirits into action, and use them to great effect in 
  battle. Whether these men are piloting a mighty Leman Russ 
  into the heat of battle, operating a Vox to relay a commander’s 
  orders, or performing litanies on jammed lasguns in the trenches, 
  these men are indispensable to the Imperial war machine.
   In ONLY WAR, those Player Characters who work with 
  the war machines of the Imperial Guard fall under the 
  Operator Speciality. As with the other Guardsmen Specialities, 
  Operator is not an ofﬁcial title, and these men are called by 
  many different names across the Imperium—for example, the 
  Lacustan 103rd affectionately refer to men in their armoured 
  Squads as “tread-jocks.” 
  Operators are an invaluable asset, and can quickly 
  rise in the ranks if they survive the brutality of combat. 
  Some eventually become Masters of Ordnance, calling 
  in titanic orbital bombardments upon their enemy. 
  Others are given charge of the various war-machines 
  ﬁelded, commanding Chimera transports, Leman Russ 
  battle tanks, and sometimes even the mighty 
  Baneblades. Whatever 
  their function, it is 
  sure that the Operator 
  will bring the Emperor’s 
  wrath down upon his foes.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later 
  in this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–3: Operator 
  Recommended Advances offers some suggestions on which 
  Advances to initially work towards as you start your tour of 
  duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Agility.
  Starting Aptitudes: Agility, Ballistic Skill, Fellowship, 
  Fieldcraft, Intelligence, Tech.
  Starting Skills: Common Lore (Tech) or Navigate 
  (Surface), Operate (Surface), Tech-Use.
  Starting Talents: Technical Knock, Weapon Training 
  (Las or Solid Projectile, Low-Tech).
  Specialist Equipment: Auspex/scanner, Common 
  Craftsmanship mind impulse unit, combi–tool, data–
  slate, lascutter.
  Wounds: 6+1d5
  possess the knowledge of the Enginseer and other members of 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus, they are competent enough to rouse 
  the machine spirits into action, and use them to great effect in 
  battle. Whether these men are piloting a mighty Leman Russ 
  into the heat of battle, operating a Vox to relay a commander’s 
  orders, or performing litanies on jammed lasguns in the trenches, 
  these men are indispensable to the Imperial war machine.
   those Player Characters who work with 
  the war machines of the Imperial Guard fall under the 
  Operator Speciality. As with the other Guardsmen Specialities, 
  Operator is not an ofﬁcial title, and these men are called by 
  many different names across the Imperium—for example, the 
  Lacustan 103rd affectionately refer to men in their armoured 
  Squads as “tread-jocks.” 
  Operators are an invaluable asset, and can quickly 
  rise in the ranks if they survive the brutality of combat. 
  Some eventually become Masters of Ordnance, calling 
  in titanic orbital bombardments upon their enemy. 
  Others are given charge of the various war-machines 
  ﬁelded, commanding Chimera transports, Leman Russ 
  battle tanks, and sometimes even the mighty 
  Baneblades. Whatever 
  their function, it is 
  sure that the Operator 
  will bring the Emperor’s 
  wrath down upon his foes.
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later 
  in this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–3: Operator 
  Recommended Advances offers some suggestions on which 
  Advances to initially work towards as you start your tour of 
  duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  
  81
  81
  III: Character Creation
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  These are Advances that may be purchased by the Operator to enhance the abilities of his Comrade.
  GUNNER
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: When the Operator is driving a multi-passenger vehicle, his Comrade can jump in and man one of the guns, 
  ﬁring upon the Operator’s command. If the Operator spends his Turn driving a vehicle, he may also make a Ranged 
  Attack Action using whatever gun his Comrade is manning, as if he were stationed at it himself. This uses the Comrade’s 
  Full Action for the Turn.
  PUT THAT OUT!
  Type: Order (Full Action)
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: If the Operator’s vehicle catches ﬁre, the Operator’s Comrade jumps into action. If the Comrade is inside the 
  affected vehicle, he spends a Full Action to end any Fire effect currently afﬂicting the vehicle.
  Table 3-3: Operator Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Agility – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Agility – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Agility – Simple
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Intelligence – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Intelligence – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Intelligence – Simple
  Common Lore (Tech)†
  Skill
  120
  Common Lore (Tech) +10
  Skill
  120
  Common Lore (Tech)
  Dodge
  Skill
  121
  Dodge +10
  Skill
  121
  Dodge
  Navigate (Surface)†
  Skill
  127
  Navigate (Surface) +10
  Skill
  127
  Navigate (Surface)
  Operate (Surface) +10
  Skill
  128
  Operate (Surface)
  Security
  Skill
  131
  Security +10
  Skill
  131
  Security
  Tech-Use +10
  Skill
  133
  Tech-Use
  Armour-Monger
  Talent
  140
  Int 35, Tech-Use, Trade (Armourer)
  Hard Target
  Talent
  145
  Ag 50
  Hotshot Pilot
  Talent
  146
  Ag 40, Operate (any)
  Lightning Reﬂexes
  Talent
  147
  Rapid Reaction
  Talent
  150
  Ag 40
  Rapid Reload
  Talent
  150
  Sprint
  Talent
  151
  Target Selection
  Talent
  152
  BS 50
  Weapon-Tech
  Talent
  153
  Tech Use +10, Int 40
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  82
  III: Character Creation
  Sergeant
  “A good soldier obeys without question. A good ofﬁcer commands 
  without doubt.”
  –Tactica Imperialis
  S
  ergeants are typically well-respected, non-commissioned 
  ofﬁcers, who ﬁll a number of leadership roles within the 
  Imperial Guard. The strong backbone of the Imperial 
  Guard, Sergeants are in charge of the individual squads, 
  and much of the day-to-day operation of units falls on their 
  capable shoulders. Along with their leadership roles, Sergeants 
  are tasked with the training and general education of their 
  subordinates. They are expected to take new conscripts and 
  turn them from inexperienced civilians into battle-ready and 
  professional Guardsmen, typically in a stunningly short amount 
  of time. The institutional memory of the Imperial Guard also 
  lies largely with the Sergeants and their colleagues among 
  the non-commissioned ofﬁcers. These senior enlisted men 
  and women typically have years of hard-earned combat and 
  leadership experience, and tend to have a better grasp of tactics 
  and command than many of their superior ofﬁcers, especially 
  those who have never served in actual combat. It is a wise ofﬁcer 
  who places his trust in his Sergeants, especially when new to a 
  unit, as the Sergeants typically have the trust and respect of the 
  men under them already, and, in some regiments, their support, 
  or lack thereof, can make or break an ofﬁcer. 
  Due to their role as both leaders and instructors, Sergeants 
  in the Imperial Guard are expected to lead from the front, 
  driving their men to feats of valour and glory, and setting 
  a strong example for junior enlisted men and ofﬁcers alike. 
  A good Sergeant can keep a squad together even under the 
  most dire of circumstances, using his command skills, natural 
  gravitas, and the earned trust of his men, to quell fear and rally 
  shaken Guardsmen in their command.   
  This is not to suggest, however, that all Sergeants in the 
  Imperial Guard are highly-respected father ﬁgures and 
  competent leaders, who have the best interests of their 
  men foremost in mind. In an organisation as vast and far-
  ranging as the Imperial Guard, the opposite may be the case. 
  Tyrannical, corrupt, and incompetent Sergeants litter the non-
  commissioned ofﬁcers’ corps. Many ﬁnd that the power they 
  wield goes to their head, and they take to brutalising their 
  subordinates. Others ﬁnd themselves in over their heads, and 
  their fear and inability make them capricious and dangerous. 
  Many incompetent or brutal Sergeants have met their end at the 
  hands of their subordinates, victims of “accidents” or “friendly 
  ﬁre incidents” on the battleﬁeld. In general, however, Sergeants 
  are a blessing to a squad. Their experience and knowledge is 
  priceless, and surely, without the Sergeants, the Imperial Guard 
  would suffer greatly.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later 
  in this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–4: Sergeant 
  Recommended Advances offers some suggestions on 
  which Advances to initially work towards as you 
  start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Fellowship.
  Starting Aptitudes: Defence, Fellowship, Leadership, 
  Perception, Strength, Toughness, Weapon Skill.
  Starting Skills: Command, Navigate (Surface) or 
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis).
  Starting Talents: Air of Authority or Iron Discipline, 
  Weapon Training (Chain, Las or Solid Projectile, Low-Tech).
  Specialist Equipment: Common Craftsmanship las 
  pistol, Common Craftsmanship chainsword.
  Wounds: 10+1d5
  capable shoulders. Along with their leadership roles, Sergeants 
  are tasked with the training and general education of their 
  subordinates. They are expected to take new conscripts and 
  turn them from inexperienced civilians into battle-ready and 
  professional Guardsmen, typically in a stunningly short amount 
  of time. The institutional memory of the Imperial Guard also 
  lies largely with the Sergeants and their colleagues among 
  the non-commissioned ofﬁcers. These senior enlisted men 
  and women typically have years of hard-earned combat and 
  leadership experience, and tend to have a better grasp of tactics 
  and command than many of their superior ofﬁcers, especially 
  those who have never served in actual combat. It is a wise ofﬁcer 
  who places his trust in his Sergeants, especially when new to a 
  unit, as the Sergeants typically have the trust and respect of the 
  men under them already, and, in some regiments, their support, 
  or lack thereof, can make or break an ofﬁcer. 
  Due to their role as both leaders and instructors, Sergeants 
  in the Imperial Guard are expected to lead from the front, 
  driving their men to feats of valour and glory, and setting 
  a strong example for junior enlisted men and ofﬁcers alike. 
  A good Sergeant can keep a squad together even under the 
  most dire of circumstances, using his command skills, natural 
  gravitas, and the earned trust of his men, to quell fear and rally 
  shaken Guardsmen in their command.   
  This is not to suggest, however, that all Sergeants in the 
  Imperial Guard are highly-respected father ﬁgures and 
  competent leaders, who have the best interests of their 
  men foremost in mind. In an organisation as vast and far-
  ranging as the Imperial Guard, the opposite may be the case. 
  Tyrannical, corrupt, and incompetent Sergeants litter the non-
  commissioned ofﬁcers’ corps. Many ﬁnd that the power they 
  wield goes to their head, and they take to brutalising their 
  subordinates. Others ﬁnd themselves in over their heads, and 
  their fear and inability make them capricious and dangerous. 
  Many incompetent or brutal Sergeants have met their end at the 
  hands of their subordinates, victims of “accidents” or “friendly 
  ﬁre incidents” on the battleﬁeld. In general, however, Sergeants 
  are a blessing to a squad. Their experience and knowledge is 
  priceless, and surely, without the Sergeants, the Imperial Guard 
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later 
  Table 3–4: Sergeant 
   offers some suggestions on 
   offers some suggestions on 
  which Advances to initially work towards as you 
  start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  pistol, Common Craftsmanship chainsword.
  Wounds: 10+1d5
  
  83
  III: Character Creation
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  Although he is still paired with a Comrade like the other members of his squad, the Sergeant’s time is dedicated to directing all 
  of the men under his command. The Sergeant may purchase Sweeping Orders, which affect all Comrades in communication 
  range of the Sergeant. However, the Sergeant can only issue a single Sweeping Order per Turn.
  VOX-TECH
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: The Sergeant is accompanied by a Vox-Tech who can relay orders out to his men over the din of battle. As long 
  as his Comrade is in Cohesion with him, all of the Sergeant’s orders affect all Comrades within vox range.
  COVERING FIRE
  Type: Sweeping Order (Free Action)
  Cost: 200 xp
  Effect: All Comrades in communications range ﬁre wildly at the enemy, keeping them pinned down and protecting their fellows 
  from retaliation. For the next Round, all Player Characters with their Comrade in Cohesion gain a +10 to all Dodge Tests.
  GET THEM!
  Type: Sweeping Order (Free Action)
  Cost: 200 xp
  Effect: As part of this order, the Sergeant must make a Challenging (+0) Command Test. If he succeeds, all Comrades 
  in communications range become inspired by the Sergeant’s fervour, charging into battle with a renewed zeal. For the 
  next Round, when performing the Ranged Volley or Close Quarters Orders, the Comrades grant their controlling Player 
  Character an additional +4 Damage to the affected Melee or Ranged Attack.
  SNAP OUT OF IT!
  Type: Sweeping Order (Free Action)
  Cost: 200 xp
  Effect: As part of this order, the Sergeant must make a Challenging (+0) Intimidate or Command Test. If he succeeds, 
  all Comrades in communication range end any ongoing Fear or Pinning effects. They may act normally in subsequent Turns.
  Table 3-4: Sergeant Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Fellowship – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Fellowship – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Fellowship – Simple
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Command +10
  Skill
  119
  Command
  Navigate (Surface)†
  Skill
  127
  Navigate (Surface) +10
  Skill
  127
  Navigate (Surface)
  Parry
  Skill
  129
  Parry +10
  Skill
  129
  Parry +10
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis)†
  Skill
  130
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) +10
  Skill
  130
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) +10
  Air of Authority†
  Talent
  140
  Fel 30
  Ambidextrous
  Talent
  140
  Ag 30
  Combat Formation
  Talent
  141
  Int 40
  Into the Jaws of Hell
  Talent
  146
  Iron Discipline, Fel 50
  Iron Discipline†
  Talent
  146
  Fel 30
  Sidearm
  Sidearm
  Talent
  Talent
  151
  WS 40, BS 40, Two-Weapon Wielder
  151
  WS 40, BS 40, Two-Weapon Wielder
  151
  WS 40, BS 40, Two-Weapon Wielder
  151
  WS 40, BS 40, Two-Weapon Wielder
  Two-Weapon Wielder
  Talent
  152
  These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  C
  Type:
  Cost:
  Effect:
  from retaliation. For the next Round, all Player Characters with their Comrade in Cohesion gain a +10 to all Dodge Tests.
  G
  Type:
  Cost:
  Effect:
  in communications range become inspired by the Sergeant’s fervour, charging into battle with a renewed zeal. For the 
  next Round, when performing the Ranged Volley or Close Quarters Orders, the Comrades grant their controlling Player 
  Character an additional +4 Damage to the affected Melee or Ranged Attack.
  S
  Type:
  Cost:
  Effect:
  all Comrades in communication range end any ongoing Fear or Pinning effects. They may act normally in subsequent Turns.
  Table 3-4: Sergeant Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Fellowship – Simple
  Fellowship – Intermediate
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Weapon Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Command +10
  Navigate (Surface)
  Navigate (Surface) +10
  Parry
  Parry +10
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis)
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) +10
  Air of Authority
  Ambidextrous
  Combat Formation
  Into the Jaws of Hell
  Iron Discipline
  Sidearm
  Sidearm
  Two-Weapon Wielder
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  84
  III: Character Creation
  Weapon 
  Specialist
  “Do not strike until you are ready to crush the enemy utterly, and 
  then attack without mercy, destroy every vestige of resistance, leave no 
  one to work against you.”
  –Tactica Imperialis
  I
  n the Imperial Guard, all specialists play an important role, 
  whether it be to lead, to heal, to pilot various vehicles and 
  war machines, or to lay down suppressive ﬁre with massive 
  weapons, it is vital to the success of the Imperial Guard. But 
  despite their important role, they all only exist to support 
  and supplement the true power of the Imperial Guard—the 
  endless ranks of lasgun-toting Guardsmen.
  The men and women who make up these ranks of 
  Guardsmen are not distracted by the burdens of leadership, 
  or the difﬁculties of dealing with strange 
  technology. Instead, they are able to focus all 
  their attention on being the best soldiers 
  they can be, and ﬁghting their righteous 
  war in the name of the God-Emperor. 
  This 
  singular 
  focus 
  allows 
  these 
  individuals to quickly become masters 
  of the lasgun, focussing all 
  their attention on the task of 
  bringing death to the enemies 
  of the Imperium.
  In 
  Only 
  War, 
  those 
  Guardsmen 
  who 
  focus 
  on 
  perfecting their combat abilities 
  fall under the Weapons Specialist Speciality. Not 
  simply limited to the ubiquitous lasgun, a Weapons 
  Specialist could be a Catachan Jungle Fighter 
  using his shotgun and knife to stalk his prey, a 
  Vostroyan Firstborn cracking enemy vehicles with 
  a meltagun, or a Cadian daring enough to carry 
  a plasmagun into the battleﬁeld. Whatever their 
  weapon of choice, these Guardsmen make up the 
  backbone of the Hammer of the Emperor, and are 
  a force to be reckoned with.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and spending 
  experience to advance your character are provided on 
  page 100 later in this chapter. To help you along, Table 
  3–5: Weapon Specialist Recommended Advances 
  offers some suggestions on which Advances to initially work 
  towards as you start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Ballistic Skill or  
  +5 Weapon Skill.
  Starting 
  Aptitudes: 
  Agility, 
  Ballistic 
  Skill, 
  Fellowship, Fieldcraft, Finesse, Weapon Skill.
  Starting Skills: Athletics or Survival, Navigate 
  (Surface), Common Lore (Imperial Guard, War).
  Starting Talents: Lasgun Barrage or Rapid Reload, 
  Weapon Training (choose 3 excluding Heavy and Exotic).
  Specialist Equipment: 4 frag or krak grenades, Good 
  Craftsmanship lasgun or Common Craftsmanship 
  ﬂamer or Common Craftsmanship shotgun or Common 
  Craftsmanship Regimental Favoured Basic Weapon.
  Wounds: 8+1d5
  The men and women who make up these ranks of 
  Guardsmen are not distracted by the burdens of leadership, 
  or the difﬁculties of dealing with strange 
  technology. Instead, they are able to focus all 
  their attention on being the best soldiers 
  they can be, and ﬁghting their righteous 
  war in the name of the God-Emperor. 
  This 
  singular 
  focus 
  allows 
  these 
  individuals to quickly become masters 
  of the lasgun, focussing all 
  their attention on the task of 
  bringing death to the enemies 
  , 
  those 
  Guardsmen 
  who 
  focus 
  on 
  perfecting their combat abilities 
  fall under the Weapons Specialist Speciality. Not 
  simply limited to the ubiquitous lasgun, a Weapons 
  Specialist could be a Catachan Jungle Fighter 
  using his shotgun and knife to stalk his prey, a 
  Vostroyan Firstborn cracking enemy vehicles with 
  a meltagun, or a Cadian daring enough to carry 
  a plasmagun into the battleﬁeld. Whatever their 
  weapon of choice, these Guardsmen make up the 
  backbone of the Hammer of the Emperor, and are 
  a force to be reckoned with.
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending 
  experience to advance your character are provided on 
  page 100 later in this chapter. To help you along, Table 
  3–5: Weapon Specialist Recommended Advances
  offers some suggestions on which Advances to initially work 
  towards as you start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  
  85
  85
  III: Character Creation
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  These are Advances that may be purchased by the Weapon Specialist to enhance the abilities of his Comrade.
  ARMSMAN
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: The Weapons Specialist is a master in the use of many weapons, and often needs different ones for different 
  situations. His Comrade carries all of the necessary weapons with him, keeping them ready for the Weapons Specialist 
  when the time comes. As long as his Comrade is in Cohesion, the Weapon Specialist may switch to any of his weapons 
  as a Free Action.
  HAIL OF FIRE
  Type: Order (Half Action)
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: With just a look, the Weapon Specialist signals his Comrade to lay down a coordinated hail of ﬁre. If the 
  Weapon Specialist’s Comrade is in Cohesion, all of the targets of the Weapon Specialist’s attacks this Turn must take a 
  Challenging (+0) Pinning Test or become Pinned (see Pinning on page 254).
  Table 3-5: Weapon Specialist Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Agility – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Agility – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Agility – Simple
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Athletics†
  Skill
  117
  Athletics +10
  Skill
  117
  Athletics
  Common Lore (Imperial Guard) +10 Skill
  120
  Common Lore (Imperial Guard)
  Common Lore (War) +10
  Skill
  120
  Common Lore (War)
  Dodge
  Skill
  121
  Dodge +10
  Skill
  121
  Dodge
  Navigate (Surface) +10
  Skill
  127
  Navigate (Surface)
  Survival†
  Skill
  132
  Survival +10
  Skill
  132
  Survival
  Arms Master
  Talent
  140
  WS 40, BS 40, Weapon Training (any two)
  Crack Shot
  Talent
  142
  BS 50
  Deadeye Shot
  Talent
  142
  BS 30
  Hip Shooting
  Talent
  145
  BS 40, Ag 40
  Lasgun Barrage†
  Talent
  146
  Weapon Training (Las), BS 40
  Precise Blow
  Talent
  150
  WS 40, Sure Strike
  Quick Draw
  Talent
  150
  Rapid Reload†
  Talent
  150
  Sharpshooter
  Talent
  151
  BS 40
  Sure Strike
  Talent
  151
  WS 30
  Target Selection
  Talent
  152
  BS 50
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  86
  III: Character Creation
  Commissar
  “A leader is a man who possesses the ability to get others to do what 
  they do not want to do, and enjoy it all the while.”
  –Commissar Johann Holzel, 81st Falco Infantry
  R
  aised up in the halls of the Schola Progenium, 
  Commissars are, by and large, the orphaned children of 
  highly-respected Imperial Guard ofﬁcers. From an early 
  age, these young potential Commissars go through a rigorous 
  education and indoctrination process that includes scholastic 
  and ecclesiastical studies, as well as military training every 
  bit as demanding as that undergone by their Storm Trooper 
  colleagues. Throughout their studies, they are observed and 
  evaluated, probed for physical or spiritual weaknesses that 
  would disqualify them from this vaunted position. Once ﬁnished 
  with their Schola Progenium training, many Commissars serve 
  amongst the ranks of the elite Storm Trooper companies 
  that they trained alongside. This allows the Commissars to 
  experience combat and learn tactics and leadership ﬁrst hand, 
  before moving on to take on their true role as a Commissar. 
  A combination morale ofﬁcer and political operative, 
  Commissars are tasked with making sure that every Guardsman 
  does his sworn duty to the God-Emperor and the Imperium. 
  Commissars are constantly watching, always on the look-
  out for weakness or corruption among their charges. They 
  stalk among the ranks of the soldiery and the ofﬁcers alike, 
  conspicuous in their peaked hats and ornate coats. Through 
  webs of informants and the use of propaganda, they 
  control the hearts and minds of the Imperial 
  Guard, moulding both the rank-and-ﬁle 
  Guardsmen and their ofﬁcers into model 
  soldiers, free of doubt or mercy for 
  their enemies. Their unique position 
  allows them unfettered access to any 
  member of the Imperial Guard or 
  any of its facilities, and they mete out 
  their brutal punishment without doubt, 
  secure in the knowledge that what they do is for the 
  ultimate betterment of the Imperium as a whole.
  Thanks to both their training and, typically, natural 
  inclination, Commissars prefer to carry out their work as 
  close to the front lines as possible. Most serve alongside their 
  charges, taking the ﬁght to the God-Emperor’s enemies while 
  ensuring the moral purity and unquestioning loyalty of those in 
  their care by example, and, when called for, visiting the harsh 
  justice of Him on Earth to cowards and backsliders. Despite 
  their constant, inimitable presence and the punishment they 
  mete out, Commissars are typically seen as a blessing by the 
  Guardsmen they are sent to watch over, a gift from the God-
  Emperor himself and an omen of sure victory. 
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–6: Commissar 
  Recommended Advances offers some suggestions on 
  which Advances to initially work towards as you start 
  your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Fellowship.
  Starting Aptitudes: Agility, Fellowship, Finesse, 
  Leadership, Perception, Weapon Skill, Willpower.
  Starting Skills: Command or Intimidate, Common Lore 
  (Imperial Guard), Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis).
  Starting Talents: Air of Authority, Cold Hearted or 
  Unshakeable Faith, Weapon Training (Bolt, Chain, Las 
  or Solid Projectile). 
  Specialist Equipment: Good Craftsmanship chainsword, 
  Good Craftsmanship bolt pistol, Commissar’s uniform.
  Wounds: 10+1d5
  and ecclesiastical studies, as well as military training every 
  bit as demanding as that undergone by their Storm Trooper 
  colleagues. Throughout their studies, they are observed and 
  evaluated, probed for physical or spiritual weaknesses that 
  would disqualify them from this vaunted position. Once ﬁnished 
  with their Schola Progenium training, many Commissars serve 
  amongst the ranks of the elite Storm Trooper companies 
  that they trained alongside. This allows the Commissars to 
  experience combat and learn tactics and leadership ﬁrst hand, 
  before moving on to take on their true role as a Commissar. 
  A combination morale ofﬁcer and political operative, 
  Commissars are tasked with making sure that every Guardsman 
  does his sworn duty to the God-Emperor and the Imperium. 
  Commissars are constantly watching, always on the look-
  out for weakness or corruption among their charges. They 
  stalk among the ranks of the soldiery and the ofﬁcers alike, 
  conspicuous in their peaked hats and ornate coats. Through 
  webs of informants and the use of propaganda, they 
  control the hearts and minds of the Imperial 
  Guard, moulding both the rank-and-ﬁle 
  Guardsmen and their ofﬁcers into model 
  soldiers, free of doubt or mercy for 
  their enemies. Their unique position 
  allows them unfettered access to any 
  member of the Imperial Guard or 
  any of its facilities, and they mete out 
  their brutal punishment without doubt, 
  secure in the knowledge that what they do is for the 
  ultimate betterment of the Imperium as a whole.
  Thanks to both their training and, typically, natural 
  inclination, Commissars prefer to carry out their work as 
  close to the front lines as possible. Most serve alongside their 
  charges, taking the ﬁght to the God-Emperor’s enemies while 
  ensuring the moral purity and unquestioning loyalty of those in 
  ensuring the moral purity and unquestioning loyalty of those in 
  their care by example, and, when called for, visiting the harsh 
  justice of Him on Earth to cowards and backsliders. Despite 
  their constant, inimitable presence and the punishment they 
  mete out, Commissars are typically seen as a blessing by the 
  Guardsmen they are sent to watch over, a gift from the God-
  Emperor himself and an omen of sure victory. 
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–6: Commissar 
   offers some suggestions on 
  which Advances to initially work towards as you start 
  your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  Good Craftsmanship bolt pistol, Commissar’s uniform.
  Wounds: 10+1d5
  
  87
  III: Character Creation
  COMMISSAR ADVANCES
  The Commissar does not work alongside a Comrade like the other Player Characters in the squad. To instil the proper 
  amount of fear and motivation into his men, he must act alone, in accordance with his Schola Progenium training. These 
  Advances are gained by the Commissar and improve his ability to lead his men, properly motivating them to bring the 
  Emperor’s will to the stars.
  GALVANISING PRESENCE
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: The members of the Squad feel the Commissar’s watchful eye upon them, keeping them in line with his strict 
  justice. When employing the Terrify special use of the Command Skill, its effects apply to all members of his Squad, 
  including Player Characters. Additionally, the Commissar counts as having Fear (2) for the purpose of all Terrify Tests.
  SUMMARY EXECUTION
  Type: Half Action
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: The Commissar begins to see his men falter before their enemy, and must use his Bolt Pistol to reinforce the 
  reason they ﬁght. If a Player Character within range of the Commissar falls below 0 Wounds, the Commissar may 
  perform a Summary Execution on that character’s Comrade. The Commissar makes a Challenging (+0) Ballistics 
  Skill Test to ﬁre on the Comrade. If he succeeds, he kills the Comrade, and properly motivates the Player Character to 
  ﬁght on. The Player Character ignores all Critical Effects until the end of combat, and regains 1d5 Wounds as he ﬁnds 
  a new resolve.
  Table 3-6: Commissar Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Agility – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Agility – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Agility – Simple
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Willpower – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Willpower – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Willpower – Simple
  Command†
  Skill
  119
  Command +10
  Skill
  119
  Command
  Common Lore (Imperial Guard) +10 Skill
  120
  Common Lore (Imperial Guard)
  120
  Common Lore (Imperial Guard)
  Intimidate†
  Skill
  123
  Intimidate +10
  Skill
  123
  Intimidate
  Parry
  Skill
  129
  Parry +10
  Skill
  129
  Parry
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) +10 Skill
  130
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis)
  130
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis)
  Ambidextrous
  Talent
  140
  Ag 30
  140
  Ag 30
  140
  Ag 30
  140
  Ag 30
  Cold Hearted†
  Talent
  141
  Inspire Wrath
  Talent
  146
  Air of Authority
  Into the Jaws of Hell
  Talent
  146
  Iron Discipline, Fel 50
  Iron Discipline
  Talent
  146
  Fel 30
  Lightning Attack
  Talent
  147
  Swift Attack
  Sidearm
  Talent
  151
  WS 40, BS 40, Two-Weapon Wielder
  Swift Attack
  Talent
  151
  WS 30
  Two-Weapon Wielder
  Talent
  152
  Unshakeable Faith†
  Talent
  153
  WP 35
  Whirlwind of Death
  Talent
  153
  WS 40
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  88
  III: Character Creation
  Ministorum 
  Priest
  “Have no fear, my son. He is with you this day. He will guide your 
  arm, and bless your weapons. With His blessings and guidance, you 
  cannot fail.”
  –Confessor Markys
  A
  s shepherds tending their ﬂocks, Ministorum Priests 
  exist at every level of the Guard, from the ﬁeld preacher, 
  salving wounded souls in the bloody trenches, to the 
  ofﬁcial Ecclesiarchy advisor, sitting at the right hand of the 
  Warmaster himself. Responsible for the spiritual well-being 
  of the Guardsmen in each of their squads, these priests work 
  tirelessly to ensure that Ecclesiarchy dogma is followed to the 
  letter among the troops. Through sermons, benedictions, and 
  the simple example of their daily lives among the troops, the 
  Ministorum Priests of the Imperial Guard guide their ﬂock 
  along the true path of the God-Emperor, and ensure their 
  adherence to the Imperial Creed. 
  Ministorum Priests attached to the 
  Imperial 
  Guard 
  are 
  ﬁnely 
  trained 
  combatants, as well as priests and 
  confessors. With ﬂamer and chainsword, 
  they enter combat alongside their 
  ﬂock, burning away the heresy of 
  xenos and the foul treachery of the 
  Ruinous Powers. Carrying with them 
  books of scripture, they wade into the 
  fray to deliver His justice, their robes spattered 
  with the blood of their enemies. Ministorum Priests, 
  like Commissars and Sanctioned Psykers, also form a 
  large part of the headquarters company of an Imperial 
  Guard Regiment. Typically quite learned in both military 
  and religious matters, they are always available to guide a 
  commander or general’s hand, and advise him on the most 
  orthodox and Ecclesiarchy-approved course of action. 
  Among the rank-and-ﬁle, Ministorum Priests are looked 
  upon as emissaries of the God-Emperor, bringing his word 
  and the moral absolutism of the Imperial Creed to the poor 
  infantrymen. Their words and actions are a much needed 
  balm against the constant horrors of war experienced in the 
  daily life of a Guardsman. They embolden their ﬂock, whip 
  them into frenzies of religious fury, and send them to war 
  with a prayer on their lips, and the ﬁre of the God-Emperor 
  in their hearts. For this, they are idolised by the soldiery, and 
  considered to be crucial to the Imperial Guard’s mission in 
  the 41st Millennium.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–7: Ministorum 
  Priest Recommended Advances offers some suggestions 
  on which Advances to initially work towards as you 
  start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Fellowship.
  Starting 
  Aptitudes: 
  Fellowship, 
  Leadership, 
  Perception, Social, Strength, Weapon Skill, Willpower.
  Starting Skills: Charm or Inquiry, Common Lore 
  (Ecclesiarchy), Forbidden Lore (Heresy), Scholastic 
  Lore (Imperial Creed).
  Starting Talents: Hatred (Any), Unshakeable Faith, 
  Weapon Training (Chain, Las or Solid Projectile, 
  Flame, Low-Tech).
  Specialist Equipment: Ecclesiarchy robes, Common 
  Craftsmanship 
  ﬂamer, 
  Common 
  Craftsmanship 
  chainsword, book of scripture.
  Wounds: 9+1d5
  letter among the troops. Through sermons, benedictions, and 
  the simple example of their daily lives among the troops, the 
  Ministorum Priests of the Imperial Guard guide their ﬂock 
  along the true path of the God-Emperor, and ensure their 
  adherence to the Imperial Creed. 
  Ministorum Priests attached to the 
  Imperial 
  Guard 
  are 
  ﬁnely 
  trained 
  combatants, as well as priests and 
  confessors. With ﬂamer and chainsword, 
  they enter combat alongside their 
  ﬂock, burning away the heresy of 
  xenos and the foul treachery of the 
  Ruinous Powers. Carrying with them 
  books of scripture, they wade into the 
  fray to deliver His justice, their robes spattered 
  with the blood of their enemies. Ministorum Priests, 
  like Commissars and Sanctioned Psykers, also form a 
  large part of the headquarters company of an Imperial 
  Guard Regiment. Typically quite learned in both military 
  and religious matters, they are always available to guide a 
  commander or general’s hand, and advise him on the most 
  orthodox and Ecclesiarchy-approved course of action. 
  Among the rank-and-ﬁle, Ministorum Priests are looked 
  upon as emissaries of the God-Emperor, bringing his word 
  and the moral absolutism of the Imperial Creed to the poor 
  infantrymen. Their words and actions are a much needed 
  balm against the constant horrors of war experienced in the 
  daily life of a Guardsman. They embolden their ﬂock, whip 
  them into frenzies of religious fury, and send them to war 
  with a prayer on their lips, and the ﬁre of the God-Emperor 
  in their hearts. For this, they are idolised by the soldiery, and 
  considered to be crucial to the Imperial Guard’s mission in 
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  this chapter. To help you along, 
  Priest Recommended Advances
  on which Advances to initially work towards as you 
  start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  letter among the troops. Through sermons, benedictions, and 
  the simple example of their daily lives among the troops, the 
  Ministorum Priests of the Imperial Guard guide their ﬂock 
  along the true path of the God-Emperor, and ensure their 
  adherence to the Imperial Creed. 
  Ministorum Priests attached to the 
  Imperial 
  Guard 
  are 
  ﬁnely 
  trained 
  combatants, as well as priests and 
  confessors. With ﬂamer and chainsword, 
  they enter combat alongside their 
  ﬂock, burning away the heresy of 
  xenos and the foul treachery of the 
  Ruinous Powers. Carrying with them 
  books of scripture, they wade into the 
  fray to deliver His justice, their robes spattered 
  with the blood of their enemies. Ministorum Priests, 
  like Commissars and Sanctioned Psykers, also form a 
  large part of the headquarters company of an Imperial 
  Guard Regiment. Typically quite learned in both military 
  and religious matters, they are always available to guide a 
  commander or general’s hand, and advise him on the most 
  orthodox and Ecclesiarchy-approved course of action. 
  Among the rank-and-ﬁle, Ministorum Priests are looked 
  upon as emissaries of the God-Emperor, bringing his word 
  and the moral absolutism of the Imperial Creed to the poor 
  infantrymen. Their words and actions are a much needed 
  balm against the constant horrors of war experienced in the 
  daily life of a Guardsman. They embolden their ﬂock, whip 
  them into frenzies of religious fury, and send them to war 
  with a prayer on their lips, and the ﬁre of the God-Emperor 
  in their hearts. For this, they are idolised by the soldiery, and 
  considered to be crucial to the Imperial Guard’s mission in 
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–7: Ministorum 
  Priest Recommended Advances offers some suggestions 
  on which Advances to initially work towards as you 
  start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  
  89
  89
  III: Character Creation
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  These are Advances that may be purchased by the Ministorum Priest to enhance the abilities of his Comrade.
  CURATE
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: Whenever the Ministorum Priest triggers Righteous Fury on a Melee Attack, and his Comrade is in Cohesion, 
  his Comrade may grant a temporary Fate Point to any Player Character within communications range. This temporary 
  Fate Point may be spent as normal (see page 33), but may not be burnt. If the temporary Fate Point has not been spent 
  by the end of the encounter, it is lost.
  RIGHTEOUS ORATION
  Type: Order (Full Action)
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: The Ministorum Priest’s Comrade forcefully recites litanies, inspiring all those who can hear him. All Player 
  Characters within communications range may re-roll all Damage rolls for the next Round. The Comrade pours so much 
  fervour and energy into his Oration that afterwards, he is exhausted, and may not use Righteous Oration again for the 
  duration of the encounter.
  Table 3-7: Ministorum Priest Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Fellowship – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Fellowship – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Fellowship – Simple
  Strength – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Strength – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Strength – Simple
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Charm†
  Skill
  118
  Charm +10
  Skill
  118
  Charm
  Common Lore (Ecclesiarchy) +10
  Skill
  120
  Common Lore (Ecclesiarchy)
  Forbidden Lore (Heresy) +10
  Skill
  121
  Forbidden Lore (Heresy)
  Inquiry†
  Skill
  122
  Inquiry +10
  Skill
  122
  Inquiry
  Parry
  Skill
  129
  Parry +10
  Skill
  129
  Parry
  Air of Authority
  Talent
  140
  Fel 30
  Counter Attack
  Talent
  142
  WS 40 
  Crushing Blow
  Talent
  142
  WS 40
  Disturbing Voice
  Talent
  142
  Furious Assault
  Talent
  144
  WS 35
  Hammer Blow
  Talent
  145
  Crushing Blow
  Inspire Wrath
  Talent
  146
  Air of Authority
  Killing Strike
  Talent
  146
  WS 50
  Master Orator
  Talent
  148
  Inspire Wrath
  Mimic
  Talent
  148
  Polyglot
  Talent
  150
  Int 40, Fel 30
  Radiant Presence
  Talent
  150
  Fel 45
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  90
  III: Character Creation
  Ogryn
  “Brute force not work? It because you not use enough of it!”
  –Karg, Ogryn Bone’ead.
  O
  gryns are huge, powerful abhumans ﬁelded by the 
  Imperial Guard as shock troops. Standing heads taller 
  than an average man, these savage, simple-minded 
  creatures are thick with bulk and muscle, and are descended 
  from humans who were stranded on cold, high-gravity 
  worlds in a time long forgotten. Their thick frames 
  are capable of lifting immense weight and 
  protecting them from most small weapons ﬁre, 
  and their great strength is invaluable for ﬁghting 
  on the front lines. 
   Once the Ogryns were rediscovered, the 
  leadership of the Departmento Munitorum was 
  able to ﬁnd appropriate uses for the big, dim 
  abhumans. Carrying special, sturdily built, 
  Ogryn-speciﬁc equipment like the brutal 
  ripper gun and ripper saw, they are 
  still utilised as shock troops, deployed 
  on the front lines to smash enemy 
  units and cause as much damage 
  and havoc as possible in as short 
  a time as possible. While not as 
  common as they once were, 
  there are many regiments 
  who still ﬁeld Ogryns, 
  either 
  in 
  dedicated 
  Ogryn 
  squads, 
  or 
  mixed in with other 
  Guardsmen, who can 
  help guide them and 
  keep an eye on them, to 
  prevent them from hurting 
  themselves and their comrades.
  Conveniently for the Imperial Guard, 
  Ogryn are incredibly loyal once 
  befriended, and will go to any ends 
  to fulﬁl the commands of someone 
  they trust. They worship the 
  God-Emperor with a child-like 
  devotion, and are more than 
  happy to charge into battle to 
  keep the Imperium safe.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes 
  and spending experience to advance 
  your character are provided on 
  page 100 later in this chapter. To 
  help you along, Table 3–8: Ogryn 
  Recommended Advances offers some 
  suggestions on which Advances to initially 
  work towards as you start your tour of 
  duty in the 41st Millennium. 
   
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +10 Strength, +10 Toughness, 
  –15 Intelligence, and –10 Agility.
  Starting Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Defence, Offence, 
  Strength, Toughness, Weapon Skill.
  Starting Skills: Intimidate or Survival.
  Starting Talents: Die Hard or Iron Jaw, Weapon 
  Training (Heavy, Solid Projectile).
  Starting Traits: Auto-Stabilised, But It Dark in Dere!, 
  Clumsy, Size (Hulking), Sturdy, Unnatural Strength 
  (+2), Unnatural Toughness (+2).
  Specialist Equipment: Common Craftsmanship 
  ripper gun, 1d5 frag grenades.
  Wounds: 25 + 1d5
  90
  Othan an average man, these savage, simple-minded 
  creatures are thick with bulk and muscle, and are descended 
  from humans who were stranded on cold, high-gravity 
  from humans who were stranded on cold, high-gravity 
  worlds in a time long forgotten. Their thick frames 
  worlds in a time long forgotten. Their thick frames 
  are capable of lifting immense weight and 
  are capable of lifting immense weight and 
  protecting them from most small weapons ﬁre, 
  protecting them from most small weapons ﬁre, 
  and their great strength is invaluable for ﬁghting 
  and their great strength is invaluable for ﬁghting 
  on the front lines. 
   Once the Ogryns were rediscovered, the 
   Once the Ogryns were rediscovered, the 
  leadership of the Departmento Munitorum was 
  leadership of the Departmento Munitorum was 
  able to ﬁnd appropriate uses for the big, dim 
  able to ﬁnd appropriate uses for the big, dim 
  abhumans. Carrying special, sturdily built, 
  abhumans. Carrying special, sturdily built, 
  Ogryn-speciﬁc equipment like the brutal 
  Ogryn-speciﬁc equipment like the brutal 
  ripper gun and ripper saw, they are 
  ripper gun and ripper saw, they are 
  still utilised as shock troops, deployed 
  still utilised as shock troops, deployed 
  on the front lines to smash enemy 
  on the front lines to smash enemy 
  units and cause as much damage 
  units and cause as much damage 
  and havoc as possible in as short 
  and havoc as possible in as short 
  a time as possible. While not as 
  a time as possible. While not as 
  common as they once were, 
  common as they once were, 
  there are many regiments 
  there are many regiments 
  who still ﬁeld Ogryns, 
  who still ﬁeld Ogryns, 
  either 
  in 
  dedicated 
  Ogryn 
  squads, 
  or 
  mixed in with other 
  Guardsmen, who can 
  help guide them and 
  keep an eye on them, to 
  prevent them from hurting 
  prevent them from hurting 
  themselves and their comrades.
  themselves and their comrades.
  Conveniently for the Imperial Guard, 
  Conveniently for the Imperial Guard, 
  Ogryn are incredibly loyal once 
  Ogryn are incredibly loyal once 
  befriended, and will go to any ends 
  befriended, and will go to any ends 
  to fulﬁl the commands of someone 
  to fulﬁl the commands of someone 
  they trust. They worship the 
  they trust. They worship the 
  God-Emperor with a child-like 
  God-Emperor with a child-like 
  devotion, and are more than 
  devotion, and are more than 
  happy to charge into battle to 
  happy to charge into battle to 
  keep the Imperium safe.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes 
   Rules on Aptitudes 
  and spending experience to advance 
  and spending experience to advance 
  your character are provided on 
  your character are provided on 
  page 100 later in this chapter. To 
  page 100 later in this chapter. To 
  help you along, Table 3–8: Ogryn 
  Table 3–8: Ogryn 
  Recommended Advances
  Recommended Advances offers some 
  suggestions on which Advances to initially 
  suggestions on which Advances to initially 
  work towards as you start your tour of 
  work towards as you start your tour of 
  duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  Starting Skills: Intimidate or Survival.
  or Survival.
  or
  Starting Talents: Die Hard or Iron Jaw, Weapon 
  or Iron Jaw, Weapon 
  or
  Training (Heavy, Solid Projectile).
  Training (Heavy, Solid Projectile).
  Starting Traits: Auto-Stabilised, But It Dark in Dere!, 
  Clumsy, Size (Hulking), Sturdy, Unnatural Strength 
  (+2), Unnatural Toughness (+2).
  Specialist Equipment: Common Craftsmanship 
  ripper gun, 1d5 frag grenades.
  Wounds: 25 + 1d5
  
  91
  91
  III: Character Creation
  BUT IT DARK IN DERE!
  Despite their fearsome and fearless nature, Ogryns are extremely claustrophobic. They will not enter caves, basements, 
  ruins, infantry ﬁghting vehicles like the Chimera, or even smaller than average buildings, of their own free will. Ofﬁcers 
  and Commissars can order them into such places, but suffer a –10 penalty to any Command Skill Tests to do so, and 
  Ogryns suffer a –10 to all Skill Tests when so conﬁned.
  CLUMSY
  Ogryn’s hands are not only much larger than those of a normal human, but also far stronger, and most Ogryn have a 
  hard time using them to perform delicate, or even normal, tasks. Because of this, Ogryn cannot use most weapons made 
  for humans, as they tend to break them when they try. Any weapon which doesn’t have the Ogryn-Proof Trait cannot 
  be used by a character with the Clumsy Trait.
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  These are Advances that may be purchased by the Ogryn to enhance the abilities of his Comrade.
  LITTLE ‘UN
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: Those Guardsmen that choose to tolerate the presence of the Ogryn tend to be the ones of similar build. However, even 
  the largest Guardsman is tiny in the eyes of an Ogryn, and gain the affectionate name “little ‘uns.” The Ogryn’s Comrade gains 
  an extra Wound State. He can now be either Healthy, Lightly Wounded, Heavily Wounded, or Dead.
  FIERCE LOYALTY
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: Ogryns become very attached to those around them, and can gain strong connections to their Comrades. If the 
  Ogryn’s Comrade is not in Cohesion with the Ogryn, or is within 10 metres of another Player Character and engaged 
  in melee with an enemy, the Ogryn becomes Frenzied (see page 144) and gains an additional +10 Strength and +10 
  Toughness until his Comrade is either safe or dead. If the Comrade dies, the Ogryn becomes inconsolable for hours. 
  Table 3-8: Ogryn Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Strength – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Strength – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Strength – Simple
  Toughness – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Toughness – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Toughness – Simple
  Athletics
  Skill
  117
  Athletics +10
  Skill
  117
  Athletics
  Intimidate†
  Skill
  123
  Intimidate +10
  Skill
  123
  Intimidate
  Survival†
  Skill
  132
  Survival +10
  Skill
  132
  Survival
  Berserk Charge
  Talent
  141
  Crushing Blow
  Talent
  142
  WS 40
  Die Hard†
  Talent
  142
  WP 40
  Frenzy
  Talent
  144
  Hammer Blow
  Talent
  145
  Crushing Blow
  Hardy
  Talent
  145
  T 40
  Iron Jaw†
  Talent
  146
  T 40
  Thunder Charge
  Talent
  152
  S 50
  True Grit
  Talent
  152
  T 40
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  92
  92
  III: Character Creation
  Ratling
   “Filthy little wretch ate all of my rations and skipped out on his 
  duties, but damn is he a good shot.”
  –Captain Naia, 98th Eolith Highguard
  L
  ike their distant cousins the Ogryns, Ratlings 
  are abhumans, humans who followed a different 
  evolutionary path, descended from ancient settlers cut 
  off from larger human society. This is where the similarity 
  to Ogryns ends, however. While Ogryns are large, brutish 
  creatures, Ratlings are incredibly short and round, and 
  remarkably clever.
  Despite their obvious unsuitability for military life, Ratlings 
  are nevertheless drafted wholesale into the Imperial Army. 
  While they cannot ﬁll many of the human roles in the Imperial 
  Guard, Ratlings still proved incredibly useful. Their small size 
  allows them to inﬁltrate enemy territory much better than the 
  average human, and, combine with their incredible eyesight, 
  makes them excellent snipers. In addition, Ratlings have a 
  reputation amongst the Guard for their incredible cooking, and 
  often act as cook for the unit, in addition to their battleﬁeld 
  duties. Although, their love of food can often get them into 
  trouble, as many Ratlings are known to “acquire” extra 
  supplies to supplement their diets, a practice their Imperial 
  Guard commanders frown upon. 
  In the ﬁeld, 
  Ratlings operate 
  independently, 
  with a second 
  Ratling who acts as a spotter and back-
  up marksman, or in small squads. They are deployed 
  behind enemy lines with the barest of supplies, where they 
  immediately go to ground, secreting themselves, living off the 
  land, and waiting as patiently as spiders for their quarry. They 
  delight in causing confusion and havoc among their enemies, 
  killing ofﬁcers and key personnel from extreme ranges, 
  with near impunity. Their proﬁciency and marksmanship 
  may possibly be the Ratling’s one saving grace, and despite 
  being the butt of numerous jokes over the millennia, many a 
  Guardsman owes their life to the sharp eyes and steady hands 
  of a Ratling sniper.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes 
  and spending experience to advance your 
  character are provided on page 100 later 
  in this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–9: 
  Ratling Recommended Advances offers some 
  suggestions on which Advances to initially work 
  towards as you start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic 
  Bonus: 
  +10 Perception, +10 
  Fellowship, and –10 Toughness.
  Starting Aptitudes: Agility, Ballistic Skill, Fellowship, 
  Fieldcraft, Finesse, Perception, Social.
  Starting Skills: Awareness or Stealth, Deceive, Trade 
  (Cook).
  Starting Talents: Deadeye Shot, Heightened Senses 
  (Sight, Smell, Taste) or Light Sleeper, Weapon Training 
  (Las, Solid Projectile).
  Starting Traits: Size (Weedy).
  Specialist Equipment: Good Craftsmanship long-
  las or Good Craftsmanship sniper riﬂe with telescopic 
  sight, chameleoline cloak.
  Wounds: 5+1d5
  allows them to inﬁltrate enemy territory much better than the 
  average human, and, combine with their incredible eyesight, 
  makes them excellent snipers. In addition, Ratlings have a 
  reputation amongst the Guard for their incredible cooking, and 
  often act as cook for the unit, in addition to their battleﬁeld 
  duties. Although, their love of food can often get them into 
  trouble, as many Ratlings are known to “acquire” extra 
  supplies to supplement their diets, a practice their Imperial 
  Guard commanders frown upon. 
  In the ﬁeld, 
  Ratlings operate 
  independently, 
  with a second 
  Ratling who acts as a spotter and back-
  up marksman, or in small squads. They are deployed 
  behind enemy lines with the barest of supplies, where they 
  immediately go to ground, secreting themselves, living off the 
  land, and waiting as patiently as spiders for their quarry. They 
  delight in causing confusion and havoc among their enemies, 
  killing ofﬁcers and key personnel from extreme ranges, 
  with near impunity. Their proﬁciency and marksmanship 
  may possibly be the Ratling’s one saving grace, and despite 
  being the butt of numerous jokes over the millennia, many a 
  Guardsman owes their life to the sharp eyes and steady hands 
  of a Ratling sniper.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes 
  and spending experience to advance your 
  character are provided on page 100 later 
  in this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–9: 
  Ratling Recommended Advances offers some 
  suggestions on which Advances to initially work 
  towards as you start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  
  93
  93
  III: Character Creation
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  These are Advances that may be purchased by the Ratling to enhance the abilities of his Comrade.
  SPOTTER
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: The Ratling’s Comrade carries magnoculars and other tools to help line up the perfect sniper shot. If the Ratling 
  is using an Accurate weapon, and his Comrade is in Cohesion, the Ratling may use his Comrade to make an Aim Action, 
  and gain the beneﬁts himself.
  SET-UP SHOT
  Type: Order (Half Action)
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: The Ratling’s Comrade ﬁres off a shot that distracts the Ratling’s target from the real threat. The Ratling’s next 
  Ranged Attack cannot be Dodged. The Ratling’s Comrade must be in Cohesion to enact this Order.
  Table 3-9: Ratling Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Agility – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Agility – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Agility – Simple
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Fellowship – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Fellowship – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Fellowship – Simple
  Perception – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Perception – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Perception – Simple
  Acrobatics
  Skill
  116
  Acrobatics +10
  Skill
  116
  Acrobatics
  Awareness†
  Skill
  118
  Awareness +10
  Skill
  118
  Awareness
  Deceive +10
  Skill
  120
  Deceive
  Sleight of Hand
  Skill
  131
  Sleight of Hand +10
  Skill
  131
  Sleight of Hand
  Stealth†
  Skill
  132
  Stealth +10
  Skill
  132
  Stealth
  Trade (Cook) +10
  Skill
  134
  Trade (Cook)
  Crack Shot
  Talent
  142
  BS 50
  Eye of Vengeance
  Talent
  144
  BS 50
  Heightened Senses (Sight)†
  Talent
  145
  Heightened Senses (Smell)†
  Talent
  145
  Heightened Senses (Taste)†
  Talent
  145
  Lightning Reﬂexes
  Talent
  147
  Per 30
  Light Sleeper†
  Talent
  147
  Marksman
  Talent
  147
  BS 35
  Mighty Shot
  Talent
  148
  BS 40
  Paranoia
  Talent
  149
  Rapid Reload
  Talent
  150
  Sharpshooter
  Talent
  151
  BS 40
  Target Selection
  Talent
  152
  BS 50
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  94
  III: Character Creation
  Sanctioned 
  Psyker
  “They have their uses, surely, but they can never be trusted. Their 
  continued presence is a threat to our very souls, and no matter how 
  useful they are, I fear that just by associating with them, we are 
  already damned.”
  –Unnamed Imperial Guard ofﬁcer
  A
  s feared by their allies as they are by their enemies, 
  Psykers play a prominent role in the Imperial Guard. 
  Snatched from their home worlds and shipped away in 
  the mysterious Black Ships, they are taken to the Scholastica 
  Psykana. There, they are tested and trained. Some are soul-
  bound to the Emperor, and become Astropaths, while others are 
  trained to serve the Imperium among the ranks of the Imperial 
  Guard, as Sanctioned Psykers. Those strong enough to survive 
  these trials come out the other side more powerful, and are 
  instructed in controlling their ﬁckle powers and resisting the 
  siren call of the Ruinous Powers, who are so attracted to the 
  pliable minds of human psykers. 
  Sanctioned Psykers are trained as both warriors and advisors. 
  With their natural gifts, they ﬁght the enemies of Mankind all 
  across the galaxy, under the ﬂag of the Imperial Guard. In this 
  capacity, they divine the future for enemy troop movements and 
  attack the enemy with mind-destroying powers. They also serve 
  as advisors to the Imperial Guard’s ofﬁcer corps, reading the 
  Emperor’s Tarot and using strategic prognostication to help plan 
  battles and win wars. Unfortunately, Sanctioned Psykers do not 
  have the breadth of training and conditioning of the powerful 
  Librarians of the Adeptus Astartes. Constant battleﬁeld use of 
  their powers strains them to near breaking, and the stress of life 
  in the Imperial Guard makes them perhaps more susceptible to 
  Daemonic possession than others in their ﬁeld. Commissars are 
  trained to identify the signs of possession, or a psyker out of 
  control and consumed by the Warp, and are always ready to 
  deliver the God-Emperor’s justice to those poor souls.
  Life in the Imperial Guard can be solitary for the 
  Sanctioned Psyker. They can never 
  truly be part of their regiment, having 
  been assigned from the Scholastica 
  Psykana, and most likely 
  hailing from somewhere 
  half the galaxy away. Fear 
  of psykers is pervasive 
  across all levels of the 
  Imperial Guard. They are 
  seen as untrustworthy and 
  dangerous, just a step away from 
  ultimate corruption.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–10: Sanctioned 
  Psyker Recommended Advances offers some 
  suggestions on which Advances to initially work towards 
  as you start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Willpower.
  Starting 
  Aptitudes: 
  Intelligence, 
  Knowledge, 
  Perception, Psyker, Strength, Willpower.
  Starting Skills: Common Lore (Adeptus Astra 
  Telepathica), Forbidden Lore (Psykers), Psyniscience, 
  Scholastic Lore (Cryptology).
  Starting Talents: Heightened Senses (Hearing), Up 
  to 400 xp worth of Psychic Powers (see Chapter VII: 
  Psychic Powers), Weapon Training (Las or Solid 
  Projectile, Low-Tech).
  Starting Traits: Psyker.
  Specialist Equipment: Data-slate, psy focus, Best 
  Craftsmanship staff.
  Wounds: 8+1d5
  trained to serve the Imperium among the ranks of the Imperial 
  Guard, as Sanctioned Psykers. Those strong enough to survive 
  these trials come out the other side more powerful, and are 
  instructed in controlling their ﬁckle powers and resisting the 
  siren call of the Ruinous Powers, who are so attracted to the 
  pliable minds of human psykers. 
  Sanctioned Psykers are trained as both warriors and advisors. 
  With their natural gifts, they ﬁght the enemies of Mankind all 
  across the galaxy, under the ﬂag of the Imperial Guard. In this 
  capacity, they divine the future for enemy troop movements and 
  attack the enemy with mind-destroying powers. They also serve 
  as advisors to the Imperial Guard’s ofﬁcer corps, reading the 
  Emperor’s Tarot and using strategic prognostication to help plan 
  battles and win wars. Unfortunately, Sanctioned Psykers do not 
  have the breadth of training and conditioning of the powerful 
  Librarians of the Adeptus Astartes. Constant battleﬁeld use of 
  their powers strains them to near breaking, and the stress of life 
  in the Imperial Guard makes them perhaps more susceptible to 
  Daemonic possession than others in their ﬁeld. Commissars are 
  trained to identify the signs of possession, or a psyker out of 
  control and consumed by the Warp, and are always ready to 
  deliver the God-Emperor’s justice to those poor souls.
  Life in the Imperial Guard can be solitary for the 
  Sanctioned Psyker. They can never 
  truly be part of their regiment, having 
  been assigned from the Scholastica 
  Psykana, and most likely 
  hailing from somewhere 
  half the galaxy away. Fear 
  of psykers is pervasive 
  across all levels of the 
  Imperial Guard. They are 
  seen as untrustworthy and 
  dangerous, just a step away from 
  dangerous, just a step away from 
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–10: Sanctioned 
  Psyker Recommended Advances offers some 
  suggestions on which Advances to initially work towards 
  as you start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  Wounds: 8+1d5
  
  95
  III: Character Creation
  SPECIAL ABILITY: SANCTIONED PSYKER
  The character has undergone the Rite of Sanctioning, and wields the powers of the Warp. He begins play with the 
  Psy Rating Trait, a Psy Rating of 2, and 1d5 Corruption Points. Additionally, the Sanctioned Psyker has access to an 
  additional Advance, listed below:
  PSY RATING
  Cost: 200 xp x PR†
  The character is a psyker. In game terms, his power is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, where Psy Rating 1 is the lowest 
  necessary to tap into the Warp, and a Rating of 10 represents one of the most powerful beings in existence. See Chapter 
  VII: Psychic Powers for detailed rules on the game mechanics of this ability. Increasing a character’s Psy Rating 
  represents that character unlocking more of his psychic potential, and becoming more and more powerful. A character 
  may take this Advance multiple times. Each time this Advance is taken, the character’s Psy Rating increases by 1, to a 
  maximum of 10. An increase in Psy Rating in ONLY WAR does not give additional Psychic Powers.
  †The farther along a Psyker progresses, the harder it becomes for him to strain his limits and grow in power. Each time the Psyker 
  purchases the Psy Rating advance, the xp cost is equal to 200xp multiplied by the Psy Rating he is advancing to. So, if a Sanctioned 
  Psyker with a Psy Rating of 2 wishes to purchase the Psy Rating Advance and increase his Psy Rating to 3, he must pay 3 x 200xp, a 
  total of 600 Experience Points.
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  These are Advances that may be purchased by the Sanctioned Psyker to enhance the abilities of his Comrade.
  ULTIMATE SANCTION
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: The Psyker’s Comrade carefully watches him for any signs that he might be losing control of his powers, ready 
  to step in with any means necessary. As long as his Comrade is in Cohesion, the Sanctioned Psyker may take 1d5 
  Wounds, ignoring Armour and Toughness, to re-roll any result on Table 7–2: Psychic Phenomena (see page 227).
  OVERSEER
  Type: Order (Full Action)
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: The Sanctioned Psyker’s Comrade keeps him in check, but he also keeps him protected. If given this Command, 
  the Comrade steps forward, protecting the Sanctioned Psyker from any incoming attacks. For the next Round, as long as 
  the Comrade is in Cohesion, he is struck with any attacks that would have normally hit the Psyker. However, if the Weapon 
  Skill or Ballistic Skill Test on the Attack result was a double, the Attack hits the Psyker, and is resolved as a normal hit. 
  Table 3-10: Sanctioned Psyker Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Prerequisites
  Perception – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Perception – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Perception – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Perception – Simple
  Willpower – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Willpower – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Willpower – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Willpower – Simple
  Common Lore (Adeptus Astra Telepathica) +10 Skill
  120
  Common Lore (Adeptus Astra Telepathica)
  120
  Common Lore (Adeptus Astra Telepathica)
  Forbidden Lore (Psykers) +10
  Skill
  121
  Forbidden Lore (Psykers)
  121
  Forbidden Lore (Psykers)
  Psyniscience +10
  Skill
  129
  Psyniscience
  129
  Psyniscience
  Bastion of Iron Will
  Bastion of Iron Will
  Talent
  140
  PR, Strong Minded, WP 40
  Talent
  140
  PR, Strong Minded, WP 40
  Favoured by the Warp
  Talent
  144
  WP 35
  Resistance (Psychic Techniques)
  Talent
  150
  Strong Minded
  Talent
  151
  WP 30, Resistance (Psychic Techniques)
  Warp Conduit
  Talent
  153
  PR, Strong Minded, WP 50
  Warp Lock
  Talent
  153
  PR, Strong Minded, WP 50
  Warp Sense
  Talent
  153
  PR, Psyniscience, Per 30
  
  96
  96
  III: Character Creation
  Storm Trooper
  “Storm Troopers work best under maximum pressure, maximum 
  intensity, and maximum danger. When these things are shared 
  with others, they help form a bond stronger than any tie known 
  in the galaxy.”
  –Attributed to an unnamed Storm Trooper ofﬁcer
  T
  rained from their youth by the Schola Progenium in 
  the arts of war, Storm Troopers are, perhaps, the ﬁnest 
  soldiers ever to serve in the Imperial Guard. Equipped 
  with the ﬁnest weapons and wargear in the Departmento 
  Munitorum’s arsenal, Storm Troopers are trained to carry 
  out missions beyond the capabilities of the rank-and-ﬁle 
  Guardsman. Deep strike assaults, reconnaissance, inﬁltration, 
  sabotage, and airborne insertion  are just a few of the special 
  missions with which Storm Troopers are regularly tasked. 
  They are the very best that the Imperial Guard has to offer, 
  each man a perfect specimen of health and moral purity, 
  forged by experience and training, not into a simple soldier, 
  but into a one-man assault squad.
   Unlike regular Guardsmen, Storm Troopers are organised 
  into a single permanent regiment, a situation unique among 
  the Imperial Guard. This regiment takes in newly forged 
  Storm Troopers from the scattered Schola Progenium facilities 
  across the Imperium, gives them further training to ensure 
  readiness, then separates individual Storm Troopers and 
  Squads and distributes them among the other, more standard 
  Imperial Guard regiments. Thanks to the constant stream of 
  new recruits needed to keep the regiment at full strength, 
  and the fact that these warriors are culled from countless 
  worlds across the Imperium, there is an incredibly rich and 
  diverse breadth of training and experience among the Storm 
  Troopers. This diversity forms a powerful alloy among these 
  elite warriors, and allows their superiors to hone them into 
  efﬁcient killing machines. 
   There is often a lot of friction between regular Guardsmen 
  and Storm Troopers. The special treatment and elite training 
  given to Storm Troopers has created much resentment 
  amongst the regular troop. Many Guardsmen resent the Storm 
  Troopers’ attitudes and ﬁner equipment, calling them “Glory 
  Boys” or “Toy Soldiers.” Despite this history of animosity, the 
  effectiveness of Storm Troopers cannot be disputed, and even 
  the most embittered Guardsman thanks the God-Emperor 
  when a Storm Trooper squad appears to turn the tide of battle 
  and save the day.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  this chapter. To help you along, Table 3–11: Storm Trooper 
  Recommended Advances offers some suggestions on which 
  Advances to initially work towards as you start your tour of 
  duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Toughness.
  Starting Aptitudes: Agility, Ballistic Skill, Fieldcraft, 
  Finesse, Offence, Toughness.
  Starting Skills: Awareness, Dodge or Parry, Intimidate 
  or Security, Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis), Stealth.
  Starting Talents: Quick Draw or Rapid Reload, 
  Takedown, Weapon Training (Las or Solid Projectile, 
  Low-Tech).
  Specialist Equipment: Good Craftsmanship hot-shot 
  lasgun, storm trooper carapace armour.
  Wounds: 12+1d5
  Guardsman. Deep strike assaults, reconnaissance, inﬁltration, 
  sabotage, and airborne insertion  are just a few of the special 
  missions with which Storm Troopers are regularly tasked. 
  They are the very best that the Imperial Guard has to offer, 
  each man a perfect specimen of health and moral purity, 
  forged by experience and training, not into a simple soldier, 
   Unlike regular Guardsmen, Storm Troopers are organised 
  into a single permanent regiment, a situation unique among 
  the Imperial Guard. This regiment takes in newly forged 
  Storm Troopers from the scattered Schola Progenium facilities 
  across the Imperium, gives them further training to ensure 
  readiness, then separates individual Storm Troopers and 
  Squads and distributes them among the other, more standard 
  Imperial Guard regiments. Thanks to the constant stream of 
  new recruits needed to keep the regiment at full strength, 
  and the fact that these warriors are culled from countless 
  worlds across the Imperium, there is an incredibly rich and 
  diverse breadth of training and experience among the Storm 
  Troopers. This diversity forms a powerful alloy among these 
  elite warriors, and allows their superiors to hone them into 
   There is often a lot of friction between regular Guardsmen 
  and Storm Troopers. The special treatment and elite training 
  given to Storm Troopers has created much resentment 
  amongst the regular troop. Many Guardsmen resent the Storm 
  Troopers’ attitudes and ﬁner equipment, calling them “Glory 
  Boys” or “Toy Soldiers.” Despite this history of animosity, the 
  effectiveness of Storm Troopers cannot be disputed, and even 
  the most embittered Guardsman thanks the God-Emperor 
  when a Storm Trooper squad appears to turn the tide of battle 
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending experience 
  to advance your character are provided on page 100 later in 
  Table 3–11: Storm Trooper 
   offers some suggestions on which 
  Advances to initially work towards as you start your tour of 
  
  97
  97
  III: Character Creation
  STORM TROOPER ADVANCES
  Like the Commissar, the Storm Trooper’s Schola Progenium training makes him somewhat of a loner while operating in 
  a Squad of normal Guardsmen. Because of this, the Storm Trooper does not get a Comrade, but instead may gain these 
  Advances to allow him to assist the rest of the Squad with his elite training.
  MENTOR
  Type: Full Action
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: The Storm Trooper has undergone extensive training in the Schola Progenium, and can often pass on small 
  tricks to help the rest of the Squad thrive in the battleﬁeld. Once per game session, the Storm Trooper may impart his 
  training to his Squad. All Squad members in communications range (including Player Characters) may take all Skill Tests 
  in a single Skill of the Storm Trooper’s choosing as if they had the Storm Trooper’s Skill Training. Once activated, this 
  effect lasts until the end of the encounter, or ten minutes in narrative time.
  PROTECTOR
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: The Storm Trooper keeps a watchful eye on the less trained members of his Squad, keeping them safe with his 
  superior training. Whenever any Comrade within 10 metres of the Storm Trooper would take a hit that would kill him, 
  the Storm Trooper may take the hit instead, rolling Damage as normal.
  Table 3-11: Storm Trooper Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Toughness – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Toughness – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Toughness – Simple
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Awareness +10
  Skill
  118
  Awareness
  Dodge†
  Skill
  121
  Dodge +10
  Skill
  121
  Dodge
  Intimidate†
  Skill
  123
  Intimidate +10
  Skill
  123
  Intimidate
  Parry†
  Skill
  129
  Parry +10
  Skill
  129
  Parry
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) +10 Skill
  130
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis)
  Security†
  Skill
  131
  Security +10
  Skill
  131
  Security
  Stealth +10
  Skill
  132
  Stealth
  Catfall
  Talent
  141
  Ag 30
  Eye of Vengeance
  Talent
  144
  BS 50
  Lasgun Barrage
  Talent
  146
  Weapon Training (Las), BS 40
  Lightning Reﬂexes
  Talent
  147
  Mighty Shot
  Talent
  148
  BS 40
  Quick Draw†
  Talent
  150
  Rapid Reload†
  Talent
  150
  Sprint
  Talent
  151
  Step Aside
  Talent
  151
  Ag 40, Dodge Parry
  Storm of Iron
  Talent
  151
  BS 45, Weapon Training (any one ranged)
  These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  PROTE
  Type:
  Cost:
  Effect:
  superior training. Whenever any Comrade within 10 metres of the Storm Trooper would take a hit that would kill him, 
  the Storm Trooper may take the hit instead, rolling Damage as normal.
  Table 3-11: Storm Trooper Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Ballistic Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Ballistic Skill – Simple
  Toughness – Simple
  Toughness – Intermediate
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Weapon Skill – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Weapon Skill – Simple
  Awareness +10
  Dodge
  Dodge +10
  Intimidate
  Intimidate +10
  Parry
  Parry +10
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) +10
  Security
  Security +10
  Stealth +10
  Catfall
  Eye of Vengeance
  Lasgun Barrage
  Lightning Reﬂexes
  Mighty Shot
  Quick Draw
  Rapid Reload
  Sprint
  Step Aside
  Storm of Iron
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  98
  98
  III: Character Creation
  Tech-Priest 
  Enginseer
  “The Tech-Priest tends his ﬂock of Chimeras and lasguns as surely 
  as his priestly brethren from the Ecclesiarchy tend the souls of their 
  Guardsmen, and his ministrations are no less important to the 
  continued success of the numerous campaigns of the Imperial Guard.”
  –Magos Aubrey Bessemer
  C
  onspicuous among the regiments of the Imperial Guard 
  in their red Mechanicus robes, their bodies twisted by 
  the numerous holy augmetics that bring them closer to 
  their Omnissiah, the tech mystics of the Priesthood of Mars 
  maintain the Imperial Guard’s vast store of weapons, ﬁghting 
  vehicles, and other various and sundry war materiel. They 
  command armies of mono-task servitors, and bear with them 
  arcane tools, and possess an abundance of knowledge of 
  the sacred machine. Always, they move among their 
  regiments’ armouries, soothing machine spirits, 
  and ensuring that all proper obeisance is made 
  to the Omnissiah. 
   Many Tech-Priests carry incense burners and 
  painstakingly prepared oils with which to soothe 
  and prepare the myriad weapons, vehicles, and 
  other machinery of the Imperial Guard.  They serve 
  all across the galaxy with the Imperial Guard at the regimental, 
  company, and squad level, and are expected not only to tend 
  to the machinery, but also to take up arms and, if so called 
  upon, to lay down their lives in defence of the Imperium. 
  They are often directly in harm’s way, rushing 
  into the thick of battle to salve the machine 
  spirits of a wounded Chimera, for 
  example, or bringing their copious 
  engineering knowledge to bear on 
  enemy fortiﬁcations and armour, to 
  the great beneﬁt of their squad-mates.
  New Players: Rules on Aptitudes and spending 
  experience to advance your character are provided 
  on page 100 later in this chapter. To help 
  you along, Table 3–12: Tech-
  Priest Enginseer Recommended 
  Advances offers some suggestions 
  on which Advances to initially work 
  towards as you start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  STARTING APTITUDES, TALENTS,  
  AND MODIFIERS
  Characteristic Bonus: +5 Intelligence.
  Starting Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Intelligence, Knowledge, 
  Strength, Tech, Toughness, Weapon Skill, Willpower.
  Starting Skills: Common Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus, 
  Tech), 
  Forbidden 
  Lore 
  (Adeptus 
  Mechanicus), 
  Forbidden Lore (Archeotech) or Logic, Tech-Use.
  Starting Talents: Cold Hearted or Technical Knock, 
  Mechadendrite Use (Weapon, Utility), Weapon 
  Training (Las or Solid Projectile, Power).
  Starting Traits: Mechanicus Implants.
  Specialist Equipment: Sacred unguents, dataslate, 
  combi-tool, one utility or ballistic mechadendrite of choice.
  Wounds: 8+1d5
  maintain the Imperial Guard’s vast store of weapons, ﬁghting 
  vehicles, and other various and sundry war materiel. They 
  command armies of mono-task servitors, and bear with them 
  arcane tools, and possess an abundance of knowledge of 
  the sacred machine. Always, they move among their 
  regiments’ armouries, soothing machine spirits, 
  and ensuring that all proper obeisance is made 
   Many Tech-Priests carry incense burners and 
  painstakingly prepared oils with which to soothe 
  and prepare the myriad weapons, vehicles, and 
  other machinery of the Imperial Guard.  They serve 
  all across the galaxy with the Imperial Guard at the regimental, 
  company, and squad level, and are expected not only to tend 
  to the machinery, but also to take up arms and, if so called 
  upon, to lay down their lives in defence of the Imperium. 
  They are often directly in harm’s way, rushing 
  into the thick of battle to salve the machine 
  spirits of a wounded Chimera, for 
  example, or bringing their copious 
  engineering knowledge to bear on 
  enemy fortiﬁcations and armour, to 
  the great beneﬁt of their squad-mates.
   Rules on Aptitudes and spending 
  experience to advance your character are provided 
  on page 100 later in this chapter. To help 
  Table 3–12: Tech-
  Priest Enginseer Recommended 
   offers some suggestions 
  on which Advances to initially work 
  towards as you start your tour of duty in the 41st Millennium. 
  Wounds: 8+1d5
  
  99
  99
  III: Character Creation
  MECHANICUS
  Tech-Priest Enginseers gain the Mechanicus Implants Trait, which can be found on page 156. Additionally, a Tech-
  Priest Enginseer character begins play with a Good Craftsmanship mind impulse unit and two additional Good 
  Craftsmanship cybernetics of his choice.
  COMRADE ADVANCES
  After years of training with the Adeptus Mechanicus, and countless bionic surgeries and replacements, the Tech-
  Priest Enginseer no longer ﬁts in with the rest of humanity. Instead of being paired with a Comrade, the Enginseer is 
  accompanied by a Servitor that works with him on the battleﬁeld. If anything ever happens to the Servitor that requires 
  information from a proﬁle, refer to the Servitor proﬁle on page 372 of Chapter XI: NPCs & Adversaries.
  SERVO-ARM
  Type: Passive
  Cost: 250 xp
  Effect: The Servitor assists in all repairs the Enginseer performs, acting as a natural extension of his will as he communes 
  with vehicle machine spirits. When assisted by his Servitor, the Enginseer gains a +10 bonus to all Tech-Use Tests to 
  make repairs, and halves the time any repair takes.
  FIELD REPAIRS
  Type: Order (Full Action)
  Cost: 300 xp
  Effect: On the battleﬁeld, the Enginseer links to his Servitor, relaying complex data and instructions, and the Servitor 
  enacts those commands with precision. As long as his Servitor is within range of communication, the Enginseer may 
  perform Tech-Use Tests on anything next to the Servitor at a –10 penalty.
  Table 3-12: Tech-Priest Enginseer Recommended Advances
  Advance
  Type
  Page
  Prerequisites
  Intelligence – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Intelligence– Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Intelligence – Simple
  Strength – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Strength – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Strength – Simple
  Toughness – Simple
  Characteristic
  102
  Toughness – Intermediate
  Characteristic
  102
  Toughness – Simple
  Common Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus) +10
  Skill
  120
  Common Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus)
  Common Lore (Tech) +10
  Skill
  120
  Common Lore (Tech)
  Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus) +10 Skill
  121
  Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus)
  Forbidden Lore (Archeotech)†
  Skill
  121
  Forbidden Lore (Archeotech) +10
  Skill
  121
  Forbidden Lore (Archeotech)
  Logic
  Skill
  125
  Logic +10
  Skill
  125
  Logic
  Tech-Use +10
  Skill
  133
  Tech-Use
  Cold Hearted †
  Talent
  141
  Ferric Summons
  Talent
  144
  Luminen Blast
  Talent
  147
  Luminen Shock
  Talent
  147
  Maglev Transcendence
  Talent
  147
  Master Enginseer
  Talent
  148
  Orthoproxy
  Talent
  149
  Prosanguine
  Talent
  150
  Technical Knock †
  Talent
  152
  Weapon-Tech
  Talent
  153
  †These Advances may have already been granted by this Speciality during character creation.
  
  100
  III: Character Creation
  STARTING EXPERIENCE
  All ONLY WAR characters begin their careers with a set number 
  of starting Experience Points. These Experience Points, along 
  with the player’s choice of Regiment and Speciality, help 
  deﬁne a Player Character, and ensure that he is unique and 
  ready to face the challenges of the battleﬁeld.
  The amount of starting Experience for a Player Character 
  is based primarily upon whether he is a Guardsman or a 
  Support Specialist. Support Specialists such as Commissars 
  and Tech-Priest Enginseers have fewer starting Experience 
  Points than their Guardsman counterparts. This reﬂects the 
  fact that while Support Specialists have strictly regimented 
  training and education, and thus more set skills and abilities 
  dictated by their role, their conscripted Guardsman squad-
  mates have more life experience and a varied range of skills 
  from their former existence.
  •	 Guardsmen Characters in ONLY WAR begin their careers 
  in the Imperial Guard with 600 starting Experience 
  Points to spend.
  •	 Support Specialist Characters in ONLY WAR begin 
  their careers in the Imperial Guard with 300 starting 
  Experience Points to spend.
  Starting Experience Points may be spent on Characteristic 
  Advances, Skills, Talents, or Comrade Advances. There is no 
  limit on how much of this starting Experience players may 
  spend on their new character, and they may spend as much 
  or as little of it as they see ﬁt. If they wish to save some of 
  their starting Experience for later on in the campaign, that is 
  perfectly ﬁne.
  APTITUDES
  When a regiment is founded from a planetary tithe, thousands 
  of people are organized into companies, platoons, and squads, 
  and are assigned specialities based on their strengths and 
  weaknesses. Most planets are massive, and these newly recruited 
  Guardsmen usually come from all different walks of life. One 
  person may pick up a task with relative ease, while another 
  struggles for weeks to ﬁgure it out. However, with enough hard 
  work and training, almost any technique can be learned.
  In ONLY WAR, this wide variety of aptitudes within the 
  Imperial Guard is reﬂected by Aptitudes that are gained by 
  characters during creation. Aptitudes reﬂect those tasks that 
  the characters have a particular afﬁnity for, and can learn with 
  relative ease. Every Characteristic, Skill, and Talent Advance 
  in ONLY WAR has two Aptitudes listed with it. Those 
  Advances that a character shares Aptitudes with are easier 
  for that character to learn, and thus cost fewer Experience 
  Points to purchase. If a character shares one Aptitude with 
  an Advance, he gains a small discount to purchasing it, and 
  if he shares two Aptitudes with the Advance he gains a large 
  discount. Players may still purchase Advances that they share 
  no Aptitudes with, but they tend to be very expensive!
  If, during creation, a character gains the same Aptitude 
  from different sources, he does not gain it twice. He instead 
  chooses an Aptitude that he does not already have and that 
  shares a name with a Characteristic. He gains that chosen 
  Aptitude instead.
  Stage 3: 
  Wounds, Fate, 
  and Spending 
  Experience
  “There is no substitute for real-life experience in the ﬁeld. No 
  amount of book learning or Schola Progenium conditioning comes 
  close to the real thing.”
  –Sergeant Philo Zane
  O
  nce the player chooses his character’s Speciality, he 
  can now truly get under the character’s skin, as it 
  were, and begin the process of ﬁnal customisation. 
  By the end of this stage, every Player Character should be 
  quite distinctive, thanks to the myriad ways of tweaking 
  Characteristics and the vast number of Skills and Talents 
  available through Aptitudes, Specialities, and Regiments. 
  The information presented in this section grants the players 
  the ability to create truly unique Guardsmen and Specialists, 
  ready to take part in the glorious struggle for the survival of 
  the Imperium of Man.
  WOUNDS
  Wounds are a vital part of any character, and represent how 
  much punishment he can take before suffering a grievous 
  injury. To determine a character’s Wounds, consult the 
  character’s Speciality, and follow the directions given there. 
  FATE POINTS
  While the Guard is widely seen, and rightfully so, as a vast, 
  faceless organisation of largely disposable conscripts, the 
  characters in ONLY WAR stand out from their brethren, and 
  are destined for greater glory. Fate represents this special 
  destiny, and makes incredible feats of daring, heroism, and 
  valour not only plausible, but eminently possible. 
  To determine starting Fate Points, each player rolls 1d10 
  and consults Table 3–13: Starting Fate Points, and his 
  character then starts the game with the corresponding number 
  of Fate Points. More information on Fate and its many uses 
  can be found on page 33.
  Table 3–13: Starting Fate Points
  Table 3–13: Starting Fate Points
  Dice Result
  Fate Points
  1–7
  1
  8–9
  2
  10
  3
  
  101
  101
  III: Character Creation
  DEFENCE
  Those with the Defence Aptitude quickly learn how to 
  keep themselves alive amongst the deadly chaos of combat. 
  Whether through skilful deterrence or sheer toughness, they 
  weather the battleﬁeld of the 41st Millennium, and live to 
  tell the tale.
  PSYKER
  Representing an afﬁnity with the unstable powers of the 
  Warp, only individuals with the rare ability to wield psychic 
  powers gain the Psyker Aptitude. 
  TECH
  Very few dare tamper with the mysteries of the Dark Age of 
  Technology, and fewer still excel at it. Those characters with 
  the Tech Aptitude might not understand the inner workings 
  of machines, but they can easily learn to commune with 
  the machine spirit, and seem at ease when dealing with the 
  perplexing devices.
  KNOWLEDGE
  Amongst the countless worlds and labyrinthine organisations 
  of the Imperium, there is more information than could be 
  amassed in a million lifetimes. While the majority of citizens 
  in the Imperium remain ignorant of the grand and mysterious 
  workings of the Imperium, characters with the Knowledge 
  Aptitude ﬁnd it simple to acquire this information.
  LEADERSHIP
  The Imperial Guard is the single largest organised ﬁghting 
  force in the galaxy, and to keep its countless soldiers in line, 
  it takes the best leaders the Imperium has to offer. Those 
  characters with the Leadership Aptitude naturally step into the 
  role of command, fearlessly leading their troops into battle.
  FIELDCRAFT
  Staying alive in the varied environments of the 41st Millennium 
  can be as difﬁcult as surviving battle. Characters with the 
  Fieldcraft Aptitude easily adjust to, and thrive on, the battleﬁeld. 
  Whether sneaking through a dense jungle or navigating 
  constantly shifting terrain, they easily adjust to any condition.
  SOCIAL 
  Just as dangerous as any battleﬁeld, the social landscape of 
  the Imperium is ﬁlled with sinister hivers, righteous priests, 
  and backstabbing nobles. Characters with the Social Aptitude 
  easily adapt to the societal structures of any planet, using 
  honeyed words or harsh intimidation to get their way.
  GENERAL
  Those Skills and Talents with the General Aptitude represent 
  Advances that are simple to learn, regardless of the background 
  or aptitude of the character gaining them. To represent this, all 
  characters in ONLY WAR count as having the General Aptitude.
  CHARACTERISTIC-BASED APTITUDES
  There are nine Aptitudes that share a name with the nine 
  Characteristics each character possesses: Weapon Skill, 
  Ballistic Skill, Strength, Toughness, Agility, Intelligence, 
  Perception, Willpower, and Fellowship. These represent 
  the character’s ability to learn and improve the matching 
  Characteristic, as well as all the Skills and Talents related to it. 
  OFFENCE
  Characters with the Offence Aptitude are those who prefer 
  an all-out assault of brute force over a more careful, strategic 
  approach. These characters may charge into melee in a blood-
  crazed frenzy, or hang back and unload massive amounts of 
  ﬁrepower into their foes.
  FINESSE 
  While Skills and Talents with the Offence Aptitude focus on sheer, 
  brute force, those with the Finesse Aptitude rely instead on precise 
  skill and careful planning. Characters with the Finesse Aptitude 
  easily pick up ﬁring precise weapons from long distances, or 
  wielding exotic weapons with deadly precision in melee. 
  
  102
  III: Character Creation
  EXAMPLE
  Now that Katya has chosen her character’s Speciality, a Tech-
  Priest Enginseer, and given her the name Levitica, it is time to ﬂesh 
  this new character out. Because Levitica is an Enginseer, and many 
  of her Skills require a high Intelligence Characteristic to make 
  the most of, Katya decides to purchase a Simple Characteristic 
  Advance to start, for a +5 increase to her Intelligence. As she has 
  both the relevant Aptitudes, this has a price of 100 xp. Later, after 
  Levitica has spent some time in her unit, tending to the capricious 
  machine spirits of her Squad’s weapons and vehicles, Katya decides 
  to purchase the Intermediate Intelligence Characteristic Advance. 
  Since she already purchased the Simple Advance at character 
  creation, she has access to the Intermediate Advance.
  SKILL ADVANCES
  Player Characters learn new Skills or improve existing Skills 
  by selecting Skill Advances. The xp cost of Skill Advances 
  depends on how many Aptitudes the character has in 
  common with that Skill. Skill Advances are divided into four 
  progression levels, which are as follows:
  •	 Known: The character can use the Skill without the –20 
  penalty for untrained Skills.
  •	 Trained: The character receives +10 on all Skill Tests 
  when using this Skill.
  •	 Experienced: The character receives a +20 bonus on all 
  Skill Tests when using this Skill. This bonus replaces the 
  bonus for being Trained. 
  •	 Veteran: The character receives a +30 bonus to all Skill 
  Tests when using this Skill. This bonus replaces the 
  bonus for being Experienced. 
  When improving a Skill, the character must progress 
  through each of the progression levels in turn, starting with 
  Known and ending with Veteran. So, for example, players 
  cannot choose to pay for the Trained Skill Advance for their 
  character without ﬁrst purchasing the Known Skill Advance. 
  Note that characters might have received the Known or 
  Trained Skill Advance already through their Regiment or 
  Speciality. Table 3–16: Skill Advances indicates the price 
  of Skill Advances, based on both the progression level and 
  number of matching Aptitudes.
  CHARACTERISTIC 
  ADVANCES
  A Characteristic Advance is an increase to a character’s abilities. 
  When players buy a Characteristic Advance, they add +5 
  to the existing Characteristic score on their character sheet. 
  Characteristic Advances are divided into four progression levels:
  •	 Simple: A small fulﬁlment of the character’s potential.
  •	 Intermediate: A signiﬁcant improvement of the 
  character’s capabilities.
  •	 Trained: Active, focused effort upon improving the 
  character’s prowess.
  •	 Expert: The limit of a character’s natural abilities.
  As the players set about increasing their characters’ 
  Characteristics, they must progress through each of the 
  progression levels in turn, starting out with Simple and 
  ending with Expert. Prices for Characteristic Advances can 
  be found in Table 3–14: Characteristic Advances.
  As shown in Table 3–14: Characteristic Advances, 
  if the Player Character has one matching Aptitude, then 
  the ﬁrst +5 to his Characteristic costs 250 xp;  the next 
  +5 Advancement (the Intermediate progression level) costs 
  500 xp, a further +5 improvement (the Trained progression 
  level) costs 750 xp, and the ﬁnal improvement (the Expert 
  progression level) costs 1,000 xp. 
  The costs for Characteristic Advances are cumulative. For 
  instance, a player could not simply pay 500 xp for a +10 increase 
  for a Characteristic he has one Aptitude matched with. Instead, 
  the player is required to buy the Simple Advance for 250 xp ﬁrst, 
  and then pay the 500 xp for the Intermediate Advance.
  Table 3–15: Characteristic Aptitudes
  Characteristic/Aptitude 1
  Aptitude 2
  Weapon Skill
  Offence
  Ballistic Skill
  Finesse
  Strength
  Offence
  Toughness
  Defence
  Agility
  Finesse
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  Willpower
  Psyker
  Fellowship
  Social
  Table 3–14: Characteristic Advances
  Matching Aptitudes
  Simple
  Matching Aptitudes
  Simple
  Intermediate
  Trained
  Expert
  Expert
  Two
  100 xp
  250 xp
  500 xp
  750 xp
  One
  250 xp
  500 xp
  750 xp
  1,000 xp
  Zero
  500 xp
  750 xp
  1,000 xp
  2,500 xp
  Table 3–16: Skill Advances
  Matching Aptitudes
  Known
  Trained
  Experienced
  Veteran
  Two
  100 xp
  200 xp
  300 xp
  400 xp
  One
  One
  200 xp
  200 xp
  400 xp
  400 xp
  600 xp
  600 xp
  800 xp
  800 xp
  Zero
  300 xp
  600 xp
  900 xp
  1,200 xp
  
  103
  III: Character Creation
  TALENT ADVANCES
  Talents are enhancements that permit a character to use his 
  natural abilities in new fashions. These may provide a situational 
  bonus to the use of a Skill or Characteristic, or provide speciﬁc 
  and unusual ways for a character to take advantage of his 
  equipment. Please refer to Chapter V: Talents and Traits 
  for detailed descriptions of all Talents available in ONLY WAR.
  Psychic Powers are also purchased using Talent Advances. 
  Please refer to Chapter VII: Psychic Powers for more 
  information on Psykers and their powers. Please note that the 
  xp cost for Psychic Powers is variable, and each power’s price 
  is outlined in its description. 
  As with Characteristics and Skills, Talents each have two 
  Aptitudes associated with them, and are discounted based on 
  how many a character shares. Talents are also divided into 
  three tiers. These tiers are simply a way of representing that 
  some Talents are more powerful, and therefore cost more 
  Experience Points, than others. 
  Talents also often have prerequisites that must be met 
  before they can be purchased, no matter what tier they 
  belong to. For this reason, players in ONLY WAR may ﬁnd 
  themselves needing to purchase lower tier Talents before 
  they can purchase the Talent that they want. See Table 
  3–18: Talent Advances for information on the experience 
  cost of Talents.
  SPECIALIST TALENTS
  Some Talents are designated Specialist Talents. These Talents 
  may be selected more than once, with a different speciality 
  each time. Please refer to page 139 for more information on 
  Specialist Talents.
  TAKING TALENTS MULTIPLE TIMES
  Some Talents may be taken multiple times, which will be 
  noted in the Talent’s description. There are only a few of 
  these Talents, the most prominent being Sound Constitution, 
  which increases a Player Character’s Wounds each time it is 
  taken. When taking these Talents multiple times, the player 
  simply pays the experience cost each time.
  It should be noted, however, that most Talents that can be 
  taken multiple times have a hard limit—a maximum number 
  of times they can be taken.
  EXAMPLE
  After purchasing her Intelligence Advance, Katya decides that Levitica 
  should also be a little better than the average Player Character at 
  Tech-Use. Levitica already has Tech-Use as a Known Skill, thanks 
  to her Speciality, and has the Intelligence and Tech Aptitudes as well. 
  This allows Katya to purchase Tech-Use at the Trained level, and to 
  do so at a reduced xp cost thanks to her Aptitudes. If, for example, 
  Katya wished to purchase Parry instead, to give Levitica an added 
  edge, she would have to purchase the Skill at Known, and at full xp 
  price, since she does not have the right Aptitudes.
  Refer to Chapter IV: Skills for more information on 
  selecting Skills and Skill Descriptions.
  Table 3-17: Skill Aptitudes
  Skill
  Aptitude 1
  Aptitude 2
  Aptitude 1
  Aptitude 2
  Page
  Page
  Acrobatics
  Agility
  General
  116
  Acrobatics
  Agility
  General
  116
  Athletics
  Strength
  General
  117
  Awareness
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  118
  Awareness
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  118
  Charm
  Fellowship
  Social
  118
  Command
  Fellowship
  Leadership
  119
  Command
  Fellowship
  Leadership
  119
  Commerce
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  119
  Common Lore† 
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  120
  Common Lore† 
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  120
  Deceive
  Fellowship
  Social
  120
  Dodge
  Agility
  Defence
  121
  Dodge
  Agility
  Defence
  121
  Forbidden Lore† Intelligence
  Knowledge
  121
  Inquiry
  Fellowship
  Social
  122
  Inquiry
  Fellowship
  Social
  122
  Interrogation
  Willpower
  Social
  122
  Intimidate
  Strength
  Social
  123
  Intimidate
  Strength
  Social
  123
  Linguistics†
  Intelligence
  General
  124
  Logic
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  125
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  125
  Medicae
  Intelligence
  Fieldcraft
  125
  Navigate†
  Intelligence
  Fieldcraft
  127
  Navigate†
  Intelligence
  Fieldcraft
  127
  Operate†
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  128
  Parry
  Weapon Skill
  Defence
  129
  Weapon Skill
  Defence
  129
  Psyniscience
  Perception
  Psyker
  129
  Scholastic Lore†
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  130
  Scholastic Lore†
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  130
  Scrutiny
  Perception
  General
  131
  Security
  Intelligence
  Tech
  131
  Sleight of Hand
  Agility
  Knowledge
  131
  Stealth
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  132
  Stealth
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  132
  Survival
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  132
  Tech-Use
  Intelligence
  Tech
  133
  Trade†
  Intelligence
  General
  134
  †Specialist Skill
  Table 3–18: Talent Advances
  Matching Aptitudes
  Tier One
  Tier Two
  Tier Three
  Two
  200 xp
  300 xp
  400 xp
  One
  300 xp
  450 xp
  600 xp
  Zero
  600 xp
  600 xp
  900 xp
  900 xp
  1,200 xp
  1,200 xp
  
  104
  104
  III: Character Creation
  TYPES OF NAMES
  There are ﬁve general types of names found in the Imperium:
  •	 Primitive: Filled with hard consonants and the 
  occasional guttural noise mixed in, characters with 
  primitive names typically hail from feral, death, or 
  feudal worlds. They are, like their owners, often nasty, 
  brutish, and short.
  •	 Low Gothic: Debased forms of High Gothic names, 
  Low Gothic names can be found among most regiments, 
  typically owned by conscripts, non–commissioned 
  ofﬁcers, and low–born ofﬁcers.
  •	 High Gothic: Drawn from the ancient High Gothic 
  tongue, these names are found among regiments from 
  Hive and Imperial worlds, and carry with them a certain 
  gravitas and air of authority.
  •	 Archaic: Drawn from the ancient human tongues of 
  the past, these names are quite auspicious, and are often 
  carried by particularly lucky or doomed characters. They 
  might be the names of mighty Imperial saints or heroes 
  from Ministorum legends. Some are so ancient that all 
  trace of their origin is lost to the dim past.
  •	 Informal: Informal names are not unique to any one 
  type of regiment or Imperial world. Instead, they reﬂect 
  nicknames given to a character, usually by his squad-mates, 
  earned through some outstanding physical or personality 
  trait, or a particularly spectacular deed (or misdeed). 
  A player might decide that one or more of the names 
  below are particularly well-suited to his character, especially 
  if he already has a strong concept in mind. If this is the case, 
  the player should simply pick his chosen names from the 
  naming charts. Otherwise, he can roll randomly.
  Stage 4: Giving 
  Characters Life
  “Let us be clear about the Imperial Guard. First, all battles and all wars 
  are won, in the end, by the Guardsman. Secondly, the Guardsman always 
  bears the brunt. His casualties are heavier, and he suffers greater extremes 
  of discomfort and fatigue than any other warriors. The Guardsman is 
  more than his training, more than his lasgun, and it is in the Imperial 
  Guard that the man himself is a weapon.”
  –Attributed to Saint Drusus
  T
  he raw data recorded by the player so far during 
  character creation is just that: data. Mere numbers and 
  lists of Aptitudes on a page cannot reveal the actual soul 
  of a character. With the bones of the character assembled and 
  properly arranged, it is now time to wrap them in living ﬂesh and 
  imbue them with a soul and personality that is both compelling, 
  and enjoyable to play. The following section gives some rough 
  guidelines on ﬂeshing out a new Player Character.
  NAME
  Names in the 41st Millennium are as varied as the countless 
  thousands of worlds which make up the Imperium of Man. As 
  Mankind is both an inventive and contrary creature, there are 
  no standard or universal conventions that govern the names 
  people give themselves. In some places, a single name might 
  indicate low birth or ignominy, while in others, it might act 
  as a mark of extreme power, fame, and good breeding. When 
  deciding on a name for a character, the player should feel free 
  to mix and match any of the example names in the naming 
  tables below. The idea, of course, is to create an auspicious 
  and descriptive name that suits the character.
  Table 3–19: Example Male Names
  Table 3–19: Example Male Names
  Roll
  Roll
  Primitive
  Low Gothic
  High Gothic
  Archaic
  Informal
  01–06
  Artho
  01–06
  Artho
  01–06
  Artho
  Aubray
  Aloysius
  Aleksandr
  Alt
  07–12
  Bron
  07–12
  Bron
  Cort
  Aphesius
  Casmirre
  Bane
  13–18
  Carno
  Emil
  13–18
  Carno
  Emil
  13–18
  Carno
  Emil
  Cornelius
  Gilliam
  Cutter
  19–24
  Hob
  19–24
  Hob
  Harmon
  Darrien
  Haddon
  Echo
  25–30
  Galt
  25–30
  Galt
  25–30
  Galt
  Jace
  Fortunus
  Johnstonne
  Gant
  31–36
  Jorn
  31–36
  Jorn
  Lucien
  Godwinne
  Kennoch
  Hal
  37–42
  Keeghan
  Malakai
  Holt
  37–42
  Keeghan
  Malakai
  Holt
  37–42
  Keeghan
  Malakai
  Holt
  Mordecai
  Jak
  43–48
  Lok
  43–48
  Lok
  Nathin
  Ibram
  Ossian
  Mord
  49–54
  Marn
  49–54
  Marn
  49–54
  Marn
  Piotr
  Macharius
  Patronius
  Notch
  55–60
  55–60
  Pak
  Roland
  Quinilli
  Ramirez
  Rook
  61–66
  Quin
  61–66
  Quin
  61–66
  Quin
  Solar
  Regiam
  Sebastion
  Sawyer
  67–72
  Stiehr
  67–72
  Stiehr
  Teodor
  Sarvus
  Sigismund
  Serge
  73–78
  Thale
  73–78
  Thale
  73–78
  Thale
  Vorgen
  Tristan
  Torian
  Stubbs
  79–84
  79–84
  Vin
  Yuriy
  Victrus
  Veknironth
  Torque
  85–90
  Ziel
  85–90
  Ziel
  85–90
  Ziel
  Zacharias
  Xanatov
  Yorke
  Veche
  91–00
  Re–roll on 
  91–00
  Re–roll on Table 3–20: Example Female Names
  
  105
  105
  III: Character Creation
  HEIGHT AND WEIGHT
  A Player Character’s height and weight are determined by 
  the player’s choice, as opposed to referencing a chart and 
  dice rolls. Full-blooded human Guardsmen, the majority 
  of the men under arms in the Imperial Guard, are loosely 
  restricted in size by their environment and physiology. 
  While Mankind’s basic sacred form has certainly become 
  more diverse as he’s spread among the stars over the past 
  millennia, the basics of anatomy can only be stretched so far. 
  Adult humans range in height from 1.2 metres to 2.1 metres. 
  Anything outside of that range would be remarkable, and is 
  quite rare. A healthy human adult has a weight proportional 
  to his height. On the very low end of the scale, a very short 
  person might have a healthy weight of 30 kilograms. At 
  the opposite end of that scale, a very tall individual could 
  tip the scales at over 100 kilograms without appearing 
  obese. Of course, the ravages of war, illness, deprivation, 
  environment, or simply the hard life of the Imperial Guard 
  might well set a character’s weight well outside of what is 
  considered healthy.
  The few abhumans among the ranks of the Imperial 
  Guard, the tiny Ratlings and hulking Ogryn, have different 
  physiologies, and therefore, different averages of height 
  and weight. Ogryns are massive, brutish abhumans who 
  range between 2.5 and 3 metres in height and weigh, on 
  average, 250 kilograms. Ratlings are diminutive, ﬂeet–footed 
  abhumans, usually between .9 and 1.1 metres in height, and 
  with a scant weight of between 15 and 25 kilograms.
  GENDER AND APPEARANCE
  The ranks of the Imperial Guard are as varied as the countless 
  worlds they hail from across the galaxy. All soldiers are equal 
  in the eyes of the Departmento Munitorum and the Emperor. 
  In ONLY WAR, players are free to choose the gender and 
  appearance of their character as they wish. It is recommended, 
  however, that each player considers the group’s regiment when 
  creating his character’s appearance. The world a Guardsman 
  comes from can have a great effect on his physical appearance; 
  for example, a group of characters from Catachan would be 
  made up of broad-shouldered, scarred, muscular people used to 
  the punishing jungles of their home world, while a group from 
  Vostoyans would be much more proper and well put together, 
  likely wearing the fancy trimmings of their home world.
  Table 3–20: Example Female Names
  Roll
  Primitive
  Low Gothic
  High Gothic
  Archaic
  Informal
  01–06
  Attie
  Barbarella
  Arnette
  Anastasia
  Astra
  07–12
  Bess
  Cynthia
  Carnelia
  Boadicea
  Blanche
  13–18
  13–18
  Flur
  Flur
  Diane
  Diane
  Dominique
  Cymbry
  Ceile
  Dominique
  Cymbry
  Ceile
  Dominique
  Cymbry
  Ceile
  Dominique
  Cymbry
  Ceile
  Dominique
  Cymbry
  Ceile
  Dominique
  Cymbry
  Ceile
  19–24
  Halia
  Dorah
  Faydra
  Emilia
  Flora
  25–30
  Jessee
  Elisabeta
  Inessa
  Gillian
  Jet
  31–36
  Kal
  Faye
  Jessilea
  Loraynne
  Katya
  37–42
  Marra
  Genevie
  Lucretia
  Kaitlin
  Luna
  43–48
  Narine
  Isabella
  Marcella
  Miriam
  Mae
  49–54
  Ovina
  Jayne
  Janine
  Nyota
  Poise
  55–60
  Ralle
  Lidiah
  Noelle
  Pallas
  Rosa
  61–66
  Salia
  Natalia
  Regina
  Seraﬁna
  Sola
  67–72
  Tasso
  Odette
  Symonne
  Samara
  Trenne
  73–78
  Unna
  Shandra
  Ursulla
  Undynne
  Val
  79–84
  Vyn
  Tandy
  Wintre
  Victrix
  Xandra
  85–90
  Yasha
  Zora
  Yekaterina
  Zephyr
  Zel
  91–00
  Re–roll on Table 3–19: Example Male Names
  HANDEDNESS
  Whether a Player Character is left-handed or right-
  handed can have an effect on the game, especially 
  in instances of Critical Wounds or being bound or 
  restrained. Players can either choose their handedness, 
  or leave it up to chance and roll for it. Players choosing 
  this route roll 1d10, and on a result of 10, the character 
  is left-handed. Otherwise he is right-handed. It is 
  important to note that handedness is less of an issue 
  for characters with the Ambidextrous Talent. 
  
  106
  106
  III: Character Creation
  WHAT IS THE  
  CHARACTER’S DEMEANOUR?
  Perhaps the ﬁrst thing to consider is the new Player Character’s 
  personality. What is he like? Is he ﬁery and passionate, or 
  earthy and practical? Is he a perpetual pessimist, a man for 
  whom the canteen is always half empty, or does he believe 
  that no matter the odds, the best will always happen? Does he 
  enjoy the company of his squad-mates and the varied throngs 
  of the Imperium of Mankind, or is he a sardonic misanthrope 
  who prefers his own company? What is the Player Character’s 
  instinctive reaction to threats, surprises, or professional and 
  social pressures? The Demeanours presented in Table 3–21: 
  Demeanours offer some different ideas upon which to build 
  a Player Character’s personality.
  Each player must choose one Demeanour from Table 
  3–21: Demeanours. If he likes, he may roll randomly for 
  one, but this is not required.
  WHAT WILL THE  
  CHARACTER SACRIFICE?
  All too many people shy from their ultimate victories, scared 
  by what it might cost to achieve them. How deep are the 
  wounds the character is willing to suffer on his path to 
  glory? How far will he go, and how many of his dearly 
  held beliefs will he betray along the way? Is he willing 
  to sacriﬁce his health, his limbs, or his very life, if duty 
  dictates? Will he use his squad-mates, his subordinates, his 
  NATURE
  The character creation process provides the player with the 
  basics of his alter ego. These numbers and assorted Talents 
  and Skills are not the sum total of the character, however. The 
  actual core of the character’s being, his personality, quirks, 
  ambitions, fears, and all of the tiny assorted details are what 
  separate a unique individual from a simple archetype. These 
  details come from within the player himself, and form the 
  character concept upon which his Player Character is based. 
  Creating a character’s personality and concept is quite 
  personal, and there are as many different ways of going about 
  it as there are players. Some come to the gaming table with a 
  ﬁrm idea in mind, a character concept that includes all of the 
  character’s tiny and important details. Others prefer to develop 
  their characters through game play, husbanding the character’s 
  personality, and allowing it to blossom and evolve as the events 
  of his life unfold before him. For players such as these, it is 
  enough to know that the character is a young recruit in a newly 
  raised regiment, shipped to the other side of the galaxy to ﬁght 
  an enemy he doesn’t know, on a planet he’s never heard of. 
  The following four questions are provided as a guide 
  for players. They are given to assist in ﬂeshing out the 
  different kinds of characters available for play in ONLY 
  WAR. Answering these questions allows the player to 
  focus his thoughts, and really get to the core of his 
  emerging character.
  
  107
  107
  III: Character Creation
  Table 3–21: Demeanours
  Roll
  Demeanour
  Description
  1–2
  Addict
  Whether it be Departmento Munitorum issue stimulants or deadly contraband substance, the character is 
  addicted. If he goes for long without his ﬁx, he become irritable and irrational, and will go to extreme 
  means to sate his addiction.
  3–4
  Affable
  Ever willing to offer a hand to even the surliest of his squad mates, this character makes a point of trying 
  to understand and assist his comrades.
  5–6
  Backwater
  While he hails from the same planet as his squad mates, the character is from a location relatively separate 
  from the main society on their homeworld. He does not quite ﬁt in with many of his comrades, often 
  misunderstanding idioms the others readily grasp.
  7–8
  Heroic
  This character is known for his deeds of unfailing heroism. Tales of his exploits have spread throughout 
  the entire regiment and beyond, and his reputation almost inevitably precedes him.
  9–10
  Bilious
  Caustic and spiteful, this character reacts to most things in the same way: with cutting remarks, and not a 
  trace of sympathy. This character is rarely liked by his squad-mates, but few wish to incite his impressive ire.
  11–12
  Boisterous
  Loud and energetic, the character is always talking and joking with the other members of his squad, even 
  when it might not be entirely appropriate.
  13–14
  Braggart
  Arrogant and self-centred, the character cannot resist boasting to his squad-mates. He has told so many 
  grandiose tales of his own accomplishments, no one can tell what is true and what is pure exaggeration.
  grandiose tales of his own accomplishments, no one can tell what is true and what is pure exaggeration.
  15–16
  Cocky
  The character is incredibly conﬁdent in his own abilities, often to his detriment. He is quick to volunteer 
  for a task, and is personally offended when people don’t share the same conﬁdence in his abilities.
  17–18
  Cook
  Loved by everyone in his squad for his talents, the cook is always attempting to make new and interesting 
  food, despite the constraints of Departmento Munitorum issue rations.
  19–20
  Coward
  The character was not bred for the battleﬁeld, and is unable to handle the incredible pressures of war. He 
  is jumpy, and ducks and covers at the ﬁrst sign of danger.
  21–22
  Death-Wish
  Either because of guilt, trauma, or the constant and unrelenting emotional wear and tear of life in the 
  Imperial Guard, this character has developed a desire for personal annihilation. This does not extend so 
  far as suicidal tendencies, and the character might or might not even be consciously aware of his wish to 
  die, but it drives his actions nonetheless.
  23–24
  Dissenter
  Contrary and argumentative, the character commonly disagrees with the decisions of his commander. 
  If he isn’t brave enough to speak out directly, he is often heard grumbling to his squad-mates about his 
  problems with the commander.
  25–26
  Dreamer
  The character’s imagination often gets away from him, wandering off into daydreams and away from reality. 
  He is an idealist, and seems slightly disconnected from the horror of the reality that surrounds him.
  27–28
  Gambler
  To ﬁnd this character in the camp, merely ﬁnd the nearest group of guardsmen playing Tarot. This 
  character is addicted to games of chance, and whether he is a perennial winner or loser, he will rarely pass 
  up a chance to gamble.
  29–30
  Green
  The character is young and optimistic, not yet prepared for the horrors that await him on the battleﬁeld. 
  He is blissfully naive, often asking obvious questions of his more experienced squad-mates.
  31–32
  Incompetent
  Inept and bumbling, the character seems to always screw up any task he is given.
  33–34
  Jaded
  The character has seen the horrors of war, and will never be the same. He sees his companions as nothing 
  more than numbers on Departmento Munitorum forms, waiting to die on the battleﬁeld.
  35–36
  Joker
  Ready with a wisecrack for every situation, the character is always telling jokes, even in the most grim of situations. 
  His squad mates have become so used to his constant quips and puns that all he gets in response are groans.
  37–38
  Lateral Thinker
  Capable of impressive feats of ingenuity, especially under pressure, this character often offers unexpected 
  solutions to the problems of the squad. Of course, some of his unorthodox ideas are better than others.
  39–40
  Loner
  Quiet and introverted, the character prefers his own company to that of his squad-mates.
  41–42
  Loose Cannon
  This character is always on the edge of behaving in ways that others deem “rash” or “unpredictable” in the 
  name of success, and frequently ignores protocol in his pursuit of results.
  43–44
  Loyal
  Dedicated to his friends, sometimes to a fault, this character places the utmost trust in one or more of his 
  squad-mates, and gladly risks his life for their cause or well-being.
  45–46
  Lucky
  This character has always been constantly (and sometimes infuriatingly) fortunate in at least one aspect of life. 
  Whether this luck manifests itself in the character miraculously dodging falling shells, or merely in depriving 
  his comrades of their lho sticks in games of Tarot, it has always been very consistent—at least so far.
  47–48
  Mentor
  This character regards one or more members of the squad as his charges, and generally takes a parental, or 
  at least supportive attitude towards those with less experience on the battleﬁeld.
  49–50
  Leech
  First to ask for a spare lho stick, last to offer one to a dying comrade, this character is a sponge, who 
  leeches off of the rest of his squad for his material needs.
  51–52
  Never Bathes
  Standards of cleanliness may vary from one contingent to another, but this character’s personal hygiene is 
  consistently below that stipulated by the ofﬁcial regulations of any known regiment of the Imperial Guard.
  
  108
  III: Character Creation
  Table 3–21: Demeanours (Cont)
  Roll
  Demeanour
  Description
  53–54
  Nihilist
  53–54
  Nihilist
  This character embraces the emptiness that the Imperial Guard has worn in his soul. He cares little for whether he 
  or his squad mates live or die, overwhelmed by their insigniﬁcance in the face of an uncaring universe.
  55–56
  Numb
  Accumulated suffering has left this character unable or unwilling to feel intense highs and lows of 
  emotion, instead seeking inner peace in quiet acceptance of the ﬁckle hand of destiny.
  57–58
  Oblivious
  57–58
  Oblivious
  The more obvious something is to the rest of his squad, the less likely this character is to notice it. From basic 
  social cues to rampaging Orks, this character has a real gift for overlooking what is right in front of him.
  59–60
  Obsessive
  This character is possessed of a keen attention to some sort of detail, and frequently becomes ﬁxated on 
  things that others ﬁnd trivial. Whether this manifests in a need to keep his kit pristine, clean every part 
  of his lasgun three extra times per day, or constantly check the ceiling for incoming Genestealers, this 
  character’s squad-mates know him for one or more signature obsessions.
  61–62
  Old
  61–62
  Old
  This character has been around the block a few times, and, impressively, survived the trip. He may be a 
  veteran of the regiment or merely a late recruit, but he has experiences (and likely complaints) not shared 
  by the younger members of the squad.
  63–64
  Optimist
  This character has an unshakeable, positive outlook on life. He is quick to reassure his squad mates that 
  the trials they face are not so terrible or insurmountable (even if they actually are).
  65–66
  Pessimist
  65–66
  Pessimist
  The ﬂask of amasec is always half empty for this character, for bitter experience has taught him that the 
  Emperor rarely has pleasant tasks for those who do His holy work on the battleﬁeld.
  67–68
  Pious
  The Emperor is not some distant deity to this character, but a guiding beacon whose presence he sees 
  everywhere he goes. This character makes no distinction between his religious and his military duties, and 
  has little tolerance for the vices or doubts of his squad-mates.
  69–70
  Psycho
  69–70
  Psycho
  This character is, simply put, violently deranged. Whether he spends his idle hours speaking lovingly to his 
  knives, or is known through the regiment for hacking off an Ork’s arm and clubbing the xenos to death with 
  its own limb, his squad-mates all worry that one day, he might cease to distinguish between friends and foes...
  71–72
  Quiet
  This character speaks very infrequently. Whether this is stoicism or shyness, nobody is quite sure, and he 
  has remained silent on the matter.
  73–74
  Reckless
  73–74
  Reckless
  No risk is too great for this character. He might be driven by his love of the Emperor, a desire for glory, or a love 
  of adrenaline coursing through his veins, but whatever the reason, this character often takes unnecessary risks.
  75–76
  Sarcastic
  This character is possessed of a biting wit, and for better or for worse, makes little effort to contain it. He 
  rarely offers a direct answer when a snide remark will do.
  77–78
  Sensible
  77–78
  Sensible
  This character consistently makes quick, no-nonsense decisions, usually to his beneﬁt and that of the 
  squad. His squad-mates often seek his advice for their personal and practical problems.
  79–80
  Shell-Shocked
  The trauma of war takes its toll on everyone, but some characters are more affected than others. Some 
  past event left this character emotionally shattered, and while he might maintain a facade of normality, 
  certain memories or triggers may cause his instability to bubble back to the surface.
  81–82
  Slacker
  81–82
  Slacker
  Hard work is anathema to this character, and despite the difﬁculty of maintaining a lazy lifestyle on the 
  battleﬁeld, this character is willing to try. While he cannot usually derelict his duties for fear of reprisal, this 
  character is eager to pass on hard or unpleasant tasks to any squad-mates willing to take them up in his stead.
  83–84
  Slow
  This character is does not jump to decisions quickly, and often spends a long time processing problems or 
  challenges before taking any action. In the end, his decisions may be wise or they may be foolish, but his 
  plodding pace might make his squad-mates wish he would simply make his choices faster.
  85–86
  Smooth
  85–86
  Smooth
  This character is more reﬁned than many of his squad-mates. Most either admire this trait, or mock him for it.
  87–88
  Steely
  This character has a piercing gaze, and is happy to let it do the talking for him most of the time. His 
  squad-mates are exceptionally careful around him, for fear of his dark glare.
  89–90
  Strict
  89–90
  Strict
  This character loves rules: the spirit, the letter, and everything in between. He is a stickler for the details 
  of military regulations, and is quick to chastise his squad-mates for any laxity.
  91–92
  Superstitious
  This character has a number of odd personal beliefs about the nature of the universe that diverge from 
  those of his comrades, and is quick to see patterns in runs of bad luck, or offer explanations for strange 
  phenomena that his squad-mates ﬁnd outlandish.
  93–94
  Talkative
  93–94
  Talkative
  This character is extremely loquacious, and has trouble keeping silent. He voices his opinions and 
  observations to anyone willing to listen.
  95–96
  Thief
  According to this character, he merely partakes in “aggressive sharing,” but most people would call him 
  a thief, or any number of other names not suited to polite company. Any item left unattended is liable to 
  mysteriously ﬁnd its way into his kit bag.
  97–98
  Twitchy
  97–98
  Twitchy
  For some reason, this character has trouble remaining still for long periods of time, short periods of time, 
  or, in truth, any period of time.
  99–100
  99–100 Unlucky
  Unlucky
  This character has a history of extremely poor fortune, and he and his squad-mates have noticed this 
  trend. Whether he accepts his fate with quiet resignation, complains vociferously, or cheerily denies it, 
  trend. Whether he accepts his fate with quiet resignation, complains vociferously, or cheerily denies it, 
  nobody in the squad thinks that his luck is likely to improve any time soon.
  
  109
  III: Character Creation
  WHAT IS THE CHARACTER’S  
  GREATEST HATRED?
  The burning ﬂame of hatred is an Imperial virtue. It sustains 
  men against the terror inherent to life in the 41st Millennium, 
  and it helps ease the horrors of war, the betrayals and rivalries 
  rampant in the Imperial Guard, and even defeat, when it 
  burns slow and cold. What hatreds sustain the character in 
  his darkest hours, and drive him to acts of valour, destruction, 
  or penitence? Does he loathe the mutant or the renegade, 
  who has turned his back on his brothers and worships the 
  Dark Gods? Does he wish ﬁery doom upon his ofﬁcers or 
  his Commissar, or desire to send the unwashed heathens of 
  feral and death worlds to their ultimate demise, in an attempt 
  to cleanse the Imperium of their stench? Perhaps he fosters 
  a seething hatred of the vile Orks or treacherous Eldar, due 
  to some encounter in his dim past? Has he been wronged by 
  another Guardsman, squad, ofﬁcer, or regiment? Or does he 
  simply despise being proved wrong or embarrassed publicly, 
  or to be in the presence of cheats and liars?
  allies, and contacts as mere stepping stones, trading their 
  lives for a military or political victory? Is he willing to step 
  from the righteous path and truck with xenos, renegades, 
  and dark powers to achieve his goals, even at the cost of 
  his immortal soul? These choices are ultimately left to the 
  player, and he must decide what his character is willing to 
  sacriﬁce for glory, honour, or victory, and how he can live 
  with the ultimate consequences of his actions.
  WHAT IS THE CHARACTER’S  
  GREATEST AMBITION?
  Every person, no matter his background or the situation 
  of his birth, has something that drives him, some force that 
  makes it worth getting out of his bunk in the morning. 
  Ambition, the raw lust for power over others, for 
  wealth, for glory, for mere survival, or to give his 
  life to the God-Emperor—these things drive all 
  Guardsmen, to greater or lesser degrees. In what 
  ways will the character make his mark, and have his 
  name echo through the ages? Will he lead a desperate 
  last charge against an impregnable fortress, losing 
  his life but gaining immortality among the annals 
  of the regiment, and his rightful place beside the 
  God-Emperor? Does he wish to personally kill 
  the vile xenos leader that invaded his planet, 
  destroyed his family, and turned his whole 
  world upside down? Does he wish to scale 
  the very heights of the Imperial hierarchy 
  and become a grand general, and lead a 
  campaign to reclaim some lost part of 
  the Imperium? 
  Perhaps the character’s ambitions 
  are less lofty but no less noble. Does he 
  desire the respect of an honoured ofﬁcer or priest? 
  Does he wish to keep his squad-mates alive, no matter the 
  cost? Or does he simply want to escape the terrible privation 
  and violent drudgery of life as a Guardsman through 
  desertion, or even death?
  MATCHING ONLY WAR 
  CHARACTERS WITH OTHER  
  GAME LINES
  Players who have played other Warhammer 40,000 
  Roleplay games such as ROGUE TRADER and BLACK 
  CRUSADE might wonder how a Player Character from 
  ONLY WAR matches up against characters from the other 
  game lines. Since ONLY WAR characters do not use Career 
  Ranks, and the cost of Skills and Talents varies quite a 
  bit across different game lines, this comparison can be 
  slightly tricky. Before spending Starting Experience, a 
  Player Character from ONLY WAR is roughly equivalent 
  to a 2,000 Experience character from DARK HERESY. 
  For more information on using ONLY WAR with other 
  Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay games, see page 310 of 
  Chapter IX: The Game Master.
  
  110
  III: Character Creation
  CREATING A COMRADE
  Generating Comrades occurs during character creation, 
  and whenever the Squad needs to be restocked after 
  a costly battle. Each Player who needs a new Comrade 
  follows these steps:
  •	 Roll once on either Table 3–19: Example Male 
  Names or Table 3–20: Example Female Names, 
  to generate the Comrade’s name. The gender, age, and 
  other physical characteristics of the Comrade are up to 
  the player. However, the GM must approve all Comrades, 
  and as with any other NPC, reserves the right to make 
  any changes to a Comrade he deems necessary.
  •	 Roll once on Table 3–21: Demeanours to generate the 
  Comrade’s personality.
  Once the Comrade has been generated, ﬁll out the appropriate 
  space on the Squad Sheet with the relevant information.
  LOSING AND REPLACING 
  COMRADES
  The battleﬁelds of the 41st Millennium are dangerous places, 
  and most Imperial Guardsmen are lucky to see the next ﬁfteen 
  hours, let alone the end of the battle. It is likely that sooner 
  or later, a character’s Comrade is going to give his life for the 
  God-Emperor on the ﬁeld of battle. When this happens, the 
  character crosses off his Comrade’s name on the Squad 
  Sheet, records the cause of death, and no longer gains 
  the beneﬁts of any abilities or Orders that require a 
  Comrade. To replace the lost Comrade, the Squad 
  must request new recruits from Regimental 
  Command or the Departmento Munitorum 
  to replace their lost Squad members. 
  This is not an instant process, however, 
  and 
  unless 
  there 
  are 
  exceptional 
  circumstances, as determined by the GM 
  (such as coming across a lone member of 
  their regiment, and bringing him into the 
  Squad), the Squad will have to wait until 
  they have downtime at an Imperial 
  Guard base before they can 
  replace their lost Comrades.
  Once the Squad has the 
  time to request new Comrades, 
  each player who has lost their 
  Comrade can generate a new 
  one using the rules for Creating 
  a Comrade above.
  Stage 5: 
  Generate 
  Comrades
  I
  mperial Guardsmen do not march onto the battleﬁeld 
  alone to face the countless enemies of the Imperium. They 
  march in force, shoulder to shoulder with their comrades-
  in-arms. They ﬁght and die alongside these men and women, 
  trusting them with their lives.
  In ONLY WAR, the Non-Player Character Imperial 
  Guardsmen in the players’ Squad are known as Comrades. 
  Each Player Character—except for several Specialists—is 
  accompanied by a Comrade who can ﬁght alongside him in 
  combat, aid him in vital tasks, and protect him from enemy 
  ﬁre. Each Comrade has his own name and persona, but all 
  Comrades are still strictly supporting characters. Their role is to 
  help support the Player Characters, to ﬂesh out the Squad, and 
  all too often, to die and be replaced by a fresh-faced recruit.
  For more information on using Comrades in gameplay and 
  combat, see page 269 of Chapter VIII: Combat.
  110
  or later, a character’s Comrade is going to give his life for the 
  God-Emperor on the ﬁeld of battle. When this happens, the 
  character crosses off his Comrade’s name on the Squad 
  Sheet, records the cause of death, and no longer gains 
  the beneﬁts of any abilities or Orders that require a 
  Comrade. To replace the lost Comrade, the Squad 
  must request new recruits from Regimental 
  Command or the Departmento Munitorum 
  to replace their lost Squad members. 
  This is not an instant process, however, 
  and 
  unless 
  there 
  are 
  exceptional 
  circumstances, as determined by the GM 
  (such as coming across a lone member of 
  their regiment, and bringing him into the 
  Squad), the Squad will have to wait until 
  they have downtime at an Imperial 
  Guard base before they can 
  replace their lost Comrades.
  Once the Squad has the 
  time to request new Comrades, 
  each player who has lost their 
  Comrade can generate a new 
  one using the rules for Creating 
  a Comrade above.
  
  USING SKILLS
  •
  SKILL RANKS
  •
  SKILL 
  DESCRIPTIONS
  
  112
  112
  IV: Skills
  USING SKILLS
  Skills can be used in a wide variety of situations from navigating 
  the surface of a treacherous death world to commanding troops in 
  the midst of a raging battle. When a Skill Test is required, it will 
  be set by the GM based either on the actions of the PC or as a 
  response to the actions of NPCs and game events. The outcomes 
  of successful or unsuccessful Skill Tests can vary widely and are 
  covered in more detail in the individual descriptions of each Skill. 
  SKILL TESTS
  All Skills are based on a Characteristic and when a character makes 
  a Skill Test he is making a Characteristic Test. If he rolls equal or 
  less than his Characteristic on a 1d100 then he has been successful, 
  if he rolls higher, then he has failed. More details on Characteristics 
  and Tests can be found in Chapter I: Playing the Game. 
  EXAMPLE
  Jeff ’s character Theleus is attempting to inﬁltrate a Severan 
  Dominate outpost and must scale the outside wall. Since this 
  presents a challenge, and success is not guaranteed, the GM asks 
  Jeff to make an Athletics Skill Test for Theleus. Athletics is based 
  on Strength and so Jeff notes Theleus has a Strength of 32. Jeff 
  then rolls 1d100 and scores a 27. He has rolled less than his 
  character’s Strength and so has passed his Athletics Skill Test. 
  Theleus successfully climbs into the outpost without incident. 
  Chapter IV: 
  Skills
  “Lasguns and fancy pieces of technology are all well and good, but I 
  will trust the skill of my men over those old hunks of metal any day.”
  –Last words of Sergeant Wilkins of the Tervalian 19th
  T
  o survive on the battleﬁelds of the 41st Millennium, a 
  Guardsman must be resourceful, insightful, and skilled. 
  The ability to think fast under the pressure of combat 
  marks the difference between a Guardsman destined to rise 
  through the ranks, and one who is doomed to die in the 
  trenches. A true commander leads his men unﬂinching into 
  enemy ﬁre and coolly deals with every problem that arises, 
  guiding the troops to victory no matter the odds.
  In ONLY WAR, these abilities are represented by Skills and 
  are the basis for a character’s capabilities and the ways in 
  which he can interact with the Warhammer 40,000 universe. 
  Skills form an integral part of all characters in measuring their 
  ability and competence at tasks and allowing them unique 
  options during game play. More often than not, when 
  the GM asks a player to complete a task or overcome 
  a challenge, the player’s character will need to pass a 
  Skill Test to determine the outcome.
  
  113
  113
  IV: Skills
  MULTIPLE MODIFIERS
  Sometimes there is more than one factor at play when making 
  a Skill Test and multiple modiﬁers (both good and bad) apply. 
  In this case, total up the modiﬁers to ﬁnd the ﬁnal penalty 
  or bonus to the Skill Test, remembering that as with single 
  modiﬁers, the total modiﬁer can ever exceed +60 or –60.
  A list of example modiﬁers for each Skill can be found in 
  the individual Skill descriptions below.
  UNTRAINED SKILL USE
  It is unlikely that a character will be trained in the use of 
  every Skill, instead focusing on the mastery of a few and a 
  general knowledge of a handful of others. A character can, 
  however, still use Skills in which he has no training when 
  needs must, such as attempting to hide from a stalking group 
  of Dark Eldar Wyches or trying to climb the walls of a fortress 
  before being consumed by a horde of hungry battle squigs. 
  In these instances, the character makes a Skill Test as normal 
  but suffers a –20 penalty in addition to any other modiﬁers.
  The only exception to this rule is Specialist Skills which 
  require a level of ability that cannot be attempted by the 
  untrained, such as knowledge of ancient rites of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, commanding a Mars Class Cruiser, or speaking 
  ﬂuently with an Eldar Corsair in its own language. Which 
  Skills are Specialist Skills is indicated both in the Skill list 
  below and the individual Skill descriptions.
  SPECIAL USES
  Several Skill entries have subsections that detail a speciﬁc, focused 
  use outside its usual employment. These sections spotlight 
  particularly creative or interesting uses of the Skill, allowing for 
  greater variety of applications. Special Uses and their effects can 
  be found at the end of each relevant Skill description.
  SPECIALIST SKILLS
  Some Skills are not just one Skill but many, representing 
  a specialisation within the Skill itself. These are known as 
  Specialist Skills and whenever a character learns a Specialist 
  Skill, he must choose a particular specialisation within it. 
  Specialisations represent such things as speciﬁc knowledge 
  of places, people, and events; the ability to control, drive, or 
  pilot particular types of vehicles and equipment; the ability 
  to read and understand maps as well as the ability to plot a 
  course across a world or the stars themselves; and the ability 
  to speak, read, or understand one of the countless languages, 
  codes, or glyphs used by the races of the 41st Millennium.
  A character can take a Specialist Skill more than once, 
  taking a new speciality each time he takes the Skill. If 
  a character takes a Specialist Skill more than once (each 
  with its own speciality), then for all intents and purposes 
  these are treated as separate Skills and must be advanced 
  in Rank individually.
  A list of the individual specialities within each Specialist 
  Skill can be found within the individual Skill descriptions.
  OPPOSED SKILL TESTS
  Sometimes the outcome of a Skill Test depends on the actions 
  of others and how well they can spot, argue with, or hide 
  from the character. In these instances, the GM can call for an 
  Opposed Skill Test. In an Opposed Skill Test, both the PC 
  and the NPC, or the force opposing him, make a Skill Test as 
  detailed above. Both parties then work out how much they 
  have passed (or failed) their Test by, with the largest margin 
  of success indicating the winner. More details on Opposed 
  Skill Tests can be found in Chapter I: Playing the Game.
  EXAMPLE
  Having successfully entered the Severan Dominate outpost outer 
  walls, Theleus must sneak past the watchful eyes of one of the 
  guards. To see if the guard spots Theleus as he tries to sneak past, 
  the GM calls for an Opposed Test between the Awareness Skill of 
  the guard and Theleus’s Stealth Skill. The guard then rolls 1d100 
  against his Perception (the base characteristic for Awareness) of 34 
  and scores a 11, while Theleus rolls 1d100 against his Agility (the 
  base characteristic for Stealth) of 29 and scores a 28. Even though 
  both the guard and Theleus passed their Test, the guard succeeded 
  by a larger margin than Theleus and thus won the Opposed Test. 
  The guard spots Theleus and sounds the alarm!
  Guidelines on which Skills require Opposed Tests and the 
  Skills which oppose them can be found in the individual Skill 
  descriptions below.
  MODIFYING SKILL TESTS
  Quite often circumstances make a Skill Test either harder or 
  easier, increasing or decreasing the character’s chances for 
  success. In these instances, the GM applies modiﬁers to the 
  Skill Test to represent the difﬁculty or ease of the task, such 
  as a bonus when trying to detect a large and obvious threat 
  with Awareness or a penalty when trying to swim across a 
  fast ﬂowing river with Athletics. Modiﬁers to Skill Tests can 
  also come from other sources such as Talents, Traits, and Gear 
  and can be found in Chapter V: Talents and Traits and 
  Chapter VI: Armoury. Characters can gain bonuses to their 
  Skill Tests for having higher ranks in Skills as detailed in 
  Gaining Skills below. 
  Note: Regardless of its source, no bonus can ever exceed 
  +60 and no penalty ever exceed –60.
  EXAMPLE
  Having ﬂed the Severan Dominate Outpost in a stolen vehicle, 
  Theleus drives into the jungle surrounding the outpost while being 
  pursued by Severan forces. To keep away from the pursuers, the GM 
  makes Theleus make an Operate (Surface) Skill Test, imposing a 
  –10 penalty for driving through the rough jungle terrain. Theleus 
  rolls a 1d100 against his Agility of 29 and scores a 25. Normally 
  this would be a success. However, he must subtract 10 from the 
  Characteristic due to the penalty for the jungle terrain, reducing it 
  to 19 and thus resulting in a failure.
  
  114
  IV: Skills
  GAINING SKILLS
  As characters survive adventures and develop during game 
  play, they naturally become more competent and the range 
  of their abilities grows and strengthens. A Player Character 
  learns new Skills and improves existing ones, getting steadily 
  better and gaining access to new options during play and 
  new ways of overcoming challenges. Skills, like other kinds 
  of Advances, are gained during character creation or bought 
  during play by spending Experience Points. The amount of 
  Experience Points a Skill costs depends upon its Rank and 
  which Aptitudes a character has as detailed in Chapter III: 
  Character Creation.
  SKILL RANKS
  Simply knowing a Skill is very different from having mastered 
  its use, and different characters are likely to be able to use 
  different Skills at varying levels. To represent this, all of a 
  character’s Skills are ranked from 1-4, representing his level 
  of ability. The beneﬁts of having a Skill at a higher Rank is 
  detailed on Table 4-1: Skill Ranks.
  SKILL DESCRIPTORS
  Some Skills fall into broad categories that use common rules. 
  These descriptors allow both players and GMs to instantly 
  identify the appropriate rules section from Chapter I: 
  Playing the Game for their resolution. These categories 
  include: Crafting, Interaction, Investigation, and Movement.
  CRAFTING SKILLS
  Skills with the Crafting descriptor allow characters to create 
  things from parts or raw materials. These creations can vary 
  from exotic drugs and custom weapons to disturbing works 
  of art and ﬁendish traps. The GM sets up an appropriate 
  Extended Test for the task, and its resolution follows the 
  guidelines in the Crafting sidebar.
  INTERACTION SKILLS
  All Skills with the Interaction descriptor involve interplay 
  with others. The difﬁculty of these Skill Tests depends on 
  the individual’s disposition towards the character, as deﬁned 
  by the GM in accordance with the circumstances of the 
  encounter. See page 303 of Chapter IX: The Game 
  Master for more information on NPC disposition.
  INVESTIGATION SKILLS
  Most of the Skills with the Investigation descriptor allow 
  characters to collect information from various sources, and 
  also require Extended Tests as characters try to gather detailed 
  intelligence on their foes or their mission. The GM sets up the 
  proper time period for the Test, as it takes far longer to uncover 
  the secret base of a rival cult than it does to spot the location 
  of an armoured column.
  MOVEMENT SKILLS
  Skills with the Movement descriptor all relate to a character’s 
  mobility, anything from daring leaps across chasms to climbing 
  up sheer cliffs. They involve the ability to move across, through, 
  over, or between a character’s environment. Movement Skills are 
  all adversely affected by reductions to the character’s mobility 
  (such as crippling injuries to limbs) or environmental factors 
  as detailed on page 34.
  USING ALTERNATIVE 
  CHARACTERISTICS
  Every Skill has a base Characteristic indicated in its 
  description which is used to test against when making 
  a Skill Test. Most of the time this is the Characteristic a 
  character uses to determine success of failure, though in 
  some circumstances when setting a Skill Test, the GM 
  might wish to substitute an alternative Characteristic 
  which better suits the situation.  
  INTERACTION SKILLS AND CROWDS
  It is possible for a Skilled commander or masterful 
  orator to inﬂuence or control groups of people at the 
  same time. When a character uses a Skill with the 
  Interaction descriptor, he can if he chooses affect a 
  number of people up to ten times his Fellowship Bonus, 
  provided they can all clearly hear and understand him. 
  If it is an Opposed Test, then the character only makes 
  one roll and compares the result to the rolls of each of 
  the people he is trying to affect to determine success.
  Table 4-1: Skill Ranks
  Rank
  Beneﬁt
  1 (Known)
  Use the Skill without the –20 
  penalty for being untrained 
  2 (Trained)
  +10 on all tests with this Skill†
  3 (Experienced)
  +20 on all tests with this Skill†
  4 (Veteran)
  +30 on all tests with this Skill†
  †Characters only use the highest bonus
  
  115
  IV: Skills
  CRAFTING
  It is possible with the right Skills and materials for a character to create his own items, such as crafting basic gear and equipment 
  like spears or storm-cloaks, brewing up herbal remedies or even advanced drugs and medicines, or building advanced gear 
  such as automatic riﬂes or grenades. To create an item, a character needs three things: the right Skill, materials, and time.
  CRAFTING SKILLS
  There are three different kinds of crafting Skills, each one covering the creation of different kinds of items.
  Medicae: This Skill allows a character to create all manner of drugs and poisons as detailed on page 198 of Chapter 
  VI: Armoury. With the GM’s permission, players can even create new drugs and poisons based on the venom of slain 
  creatures or to mimic the effect of certain worlds or environments. When creating drugs or poisons, a character always 
  needs at least a small sample of the substance he is trying to create.
  Survival: This Skill allows a character to create any kind of primitive device or basic items such as clothing or foodstuffs. 
  Survival can be used to craft any item with the Primitive Special Quality or any Low-tech Weapon (see Chapter VI: 
  Armoury). With the GM’s permission, players can also create any simple item with this Skill provided it can be 
  fashioned from unprocessed materials and lacks any complex moving parts (i.e. clothing, a cart, a hovel, etc.).
  Tech-Use: This Skill allows a character to create complex or technical devices such as those commonly created within the 
  forges of Imperial worlds. With the GM’s permission, any weapon, armour, explosive, or piece of tech can be created using 
  this Skill. Unlike Survival and Medicae, however, many items created using this Skill are ﬁendishly complex or their design a 
  closely guarded secret and are only available to characters with the right knowledge and access to advanced workshops. 
  MATERIALS
  When creating an item, a character must have access to the right materials, otherwise he cannot make it. Whether or not 
  these materials are on hand is up to the GM, though common sense should play a part (i.e. a character on a feral world 
  is going to have access to lots of basic materials good for the Survival Skill but might have trouble ﬁnding the complex 
  parts or manufacturing base needed to make an autogun). Once it has been determined whether or not the materials are on 
  hand, the GM then decides if the character needs to expend any resources acquiring them. As a general rule when creating 
  items using the Tech-Use Skill (or the Medicae Skill when creating advanced drugs such as those not occurring naturally), 
  characters must always buy materials. Items crafted with Survival, on the other hand, can other be made from “found” 
  materials, such as fashioning a bow when in a forest, or making a spear from scrap metal in an underhive.
  When acquiring materials for crafting, determine the item’s Availability and then decrease it by one step (i.e. Average 
  items become Common, Common items become Plentiful, etc.). The character then makes a Logistics Test to acquire the 
  materials just as if he were acquiring an item. Once he has the materials, he can then try to create the item.
  TIME
  Creating an item takes time and is always an Extended Test set by the GM. The length of the Extended Test and the 
  time it takes depends on the complexity of the item. While both these factors are up to the GM, he can use Table 4-2: 
  Crafting Items as a guideline.
  TABLE 4-2: CRAFTING ITEMS
  Type of Item
  Time
  Extended Test Successes
  Chem-Use Items
  Natural Drugs/Poisons
  1d5 hours
  4
  Synthetic Drugs/Poisons
  2d10 hours
  8
  Survival Items
  Weapons
  1d5 hours
  5
  Armour
  1d10 hours
  6
  Gear
  1d5 hours
  3
  Tech-Use Items†
  Weapons
  1d5 days
  8
  Armour
  1d10 days
  12
  Gear
  1d5 days
  8
  †Note in the case of Tech-Use, characters cannot create items they do not have access to designs for.
  The GM can also modify Crafting Tests depending on factors such as the presence of assistants, the workshop or lab 
  available, or an excess of funding or materials.
  
  116
  116
  IV: Skills
  The GM can call on a player to use the Acrobatics Skill when:
  •	 He must keep his balance or avoid falling over on 
  unstable ground.
  •	 He wishes to jump down from a height and land well.
  •	 He wants to move over or around a foe or obstacle in his 
  path without breaking his stride.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Moving in an open environment with Earth-like 
  gravity or completely unarmoured. 
  +20
  Moving through an open forest or tall grass ﬁeld, or with 
  hands free of weapons or other objects.
  +10
  Moving in a low gravity environment, wearing armour 
  only on torso.
  +0
  Moving across rubble or debris, or in loose and 
  shifting sand.
  –10
  Moving in obstructed terrain or in heavy armour.
  –20 
  Moving in zero gravity or with both hands tied 
  behind one’s back.
  –30
  Moving in an environment with gravity three times 
  Terran standard.
  Skill Use: Full Action unless otherwise noted.
  Skill 
  Descriptions
  T
  he following section provides in-depth descriptions 
  of the Skills in ONLY WAR, their uses, and other 
  valuable information.
  ACROBATICS (AGILITY)
  Aptitudes: Agility, General
  Acrobatics covers feats of agile movement, graceful motion, and 
  mastery of balance and form. With this Skill, characters can leap 
  nimbly across gaping chasms, maintain their balance on a pitching 
  ship deck, or fall gracefully to the ground without snapping 
  their limbs. In combat, a Skilled acrobat can summersault, ﬂip, or 
  cartwheel away from foes, twisting his body out of reach of his 
  enemy or slipping past foes in a blur of motion. 
  SPECIAL USES FOR ACROBATICS
  The following are special uses for the Acrobatics Skill.
  CONTORTIONIST
  A character can use his Acrobatics Skill to escape from 
  bonds or the grip of a foe by twisting and turning 
  his body. As a Full Action, a character may make an 
  Acrobatics Skill Test to free himself from bonds, such 
  as rope, manacles, or the like. This Test can only be 
  attempted once to escape restraints; if the character 
  fails to free himself the ﬁrst time, then he is simply too 
  tightly bound and unable to contort his way free. The 
  GM can modify this Test depending on the quality of 
  the bonds the character is trying to escape.
  Characters may also use Acrobatics to escape from a 
  grapple (see page 251) by using their Acrobatics Skill 
  instead of their Agility or Strength when grappling.
  MANOEUVRING
  In combat, a character capable of acrobatics can more 
  easily avoid foes or retreat from combat without harm. 
  The character may make a Disengage Action (see page 
  244) as a Half Action (rather than a Full Action) if 
  they pass a Challenging (+0) Acrobatics Skill Test.
  JUMPING
  A well trained acrobat excels at jumping, leaping, and 
  lessening the effect of falls by folding their body as they 
  hit the ground. When jumping or leaping (see page 
  35), a character may use the Acrobatics Skill in the 
  place of Agility and Strength Tests. When determining 
  falling Damage, a character can make an Acrobatics 
  Skill Test to reduce the effective distance fallen by a 
  number of metres equal to their Agility Bonus.
  SPECIAL USES FOR ATHLETICS
  The following are special uses for the Athletics Skill.
  ENDURANCE
  Trained athletes are extremely ﬁt and can push 
  themselves far beyond the ability of normal people. 
  As a Free Action, a character with the Athletics Skill 
  may make a Difﬁcult (–10) Athletics Skill Test 
  whenever he suffers a level of Fatigue (see page 
  257) as a result of running, swimming, or climbing 
  to ignore its effects. The character may continue to 
  take Tests and ignore Fatigue gained in this way 
  indeﬁnitely; however, as soon as he fails a Test, 
  hemust rest for at least 4 hours and cannot use their 
  Athletics Skill again in that time.
  HEFT
  Athletes are also known for their strength and can 
  lift great weights for short periods of time. As a 
  Free Action a character may make a Challenging 
  (+0) Athletics Skill Test to increase his carrying 
  capability for a single encounter. For every Degree 
  of Success the character achieves, his Strength is 
  increased by 10 for the purposes of how much 
  weight he can carry, lift, or drag (see page 36), to 
  a maximum modiﬁed Strength of 100. Hefting can 
  only be attempted once, and if the character fails the 
  Test, he cannot try again until the next encounter.
  
  117
  117
  IV: Skills
  parts could be required to make more difﬁcult Athletics Tests 
  to swim across a river than a character who grew up on an 
  aquatic hive world. 
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Climbing a ladder in a hurry or swimming in 
  perfectly calm water.
  +20
  Climbing across a gantry or swimming with some 
  method of staying aﬂoat.
  +10
  Climbing the outside of a hive or swimming with 
  specialised gear (i.e. ﬂippers).
  +0
  Climbing a rough rock wall with protruding stones, 
  or swimming across a deep lake.
  –10
  Climbing a brick wall or swimming a slow river.
  –20
  Climbing a ferrocrete wall without climbing aids or 
  swimming against a current.
  –30 
  Climbing up a slick plasteel bulkhead or swimming 
  in a storm.
  Skill Use: Full Action unless otherwise noted.
  ATHLETICS (STRENGTH)
  Aptitudes: Strength, General
  Athletics is the ability to run long distances, climb sheer 
  surfaces, and swim strongly without tiring or faltering. 
  It encompasses all manner of strength and brawn based 
  tasks that a character may undertake; a skilled athlete can 
  run for miles, heft mighty loads, or cross fast ﬂowing rivers 
  with relative ease. Athletics also allows a character to push 
  themselves to greater levels of endurance and shrug off the 
  effects of fatigue when running, swimming, or climbing. 
  The GM can call on a player to use the Athletics Skill when:
  •	 He must swim across a body of water or try to stay aﬂoat.
  •	 He wishes to push himself beyond his limits and keep 
  going even when exhausted.
  •	 He wants to climb a cliff or cross extremely rough ground.
  A character’s background might dispose him more 
  towards certain types of athletics. Not all skilled climbers 
  make excellent swimmers, though both may have similar 
  upper body strength. A GM can keep this in mind when 
  determining the difﬁculty of a Test. For example, a character 
  from a desert world or an Enginseer with extensive augmetic 
  Table 4-3: Skill List
  Name
  Aptitude 1
  Aptitude 2
  Descriptors
  Acrobatics
  Agility
  General
  Movement
  Athletics
  Strength
  General
  Movement
  Awareness
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  —
  Charm
  Fellowship
  Social
  Investigation, Interaction
  Command
  Fellowship
  Leadership
  Interaction
  Commerce
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  Investigation, Interaction
  Common Lore†
  Intelligence
  General
  Investigation, Interaction
  Deceive
  Fellowship
  Social
  Investigation, Interaction
  Dodge
  Agility
  Defence
  Movement, Combat
  Forbidden Lore†
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  Investigation, Interaction
  Inquiry
  Fellowship
  Social
  Investigation, Interaction
  Interrogation
  Willpower
  Social
  Investigation, Interaction
  Intimidate
  Strength
  Social
  Investigation, Interaction
  Linguistics†
  Intelligence
  General
  —
  Logic
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  Investigation
  Medicae
  Intelligence
  Fieldcraft
  —
  Navigate†
  Intelligence
  Fieldcraft
  —
  Operate†
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  —
  Parry
  Weapon Skill
  Defence
  Combat
  Psyniscience
  Perception
  Psyker
  —
  Scholastic Lore†
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  Investigation, Interaction
  Scrutiny
  Perception
  General
  Investigation, Interaction
  Security
  Intelligence
  Tech
  —
  Sleight of Hand
  Agility
  Knowledge
  —
  Stealth
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  Movement
  Survival
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  Crafting, Movement
  Tech-Use
  Intelligence
  Tech
  Crafting, Investigation
  Trade†
  Intelligence
  General
  Crafting, Interaction
  †Specialist Skill
  
  118
  118
  IV: Skills
  CHARM (FELLOWSHIP)
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social
  Charm is the ability to sway the reactions of others or impress 
  people with a smile and kind word. A character Skilled in 
  Charm can turn a hostile situation into a friendly one or 
  ingratiate their way into secure places past suspicious guards. 
  Charm need not be used whenever a character speaks to 
  someone in a pleasant manner, but should be used whenever 
  he wishes to modify a character’s disposition, opinions, or 
  convince the other character to do something he might not 
  have any interest or reason to do.
  When Charm is used against an opponent (such as to 
  change their mood) it is an Opposed Test (see page 31). 
  Charm is opposed by Willpower.
  The GM can call a player to use the Charm Skill when:
  •	 He wants to make someone like him for whatever reason.
  •	 He wishes to distract someone by drawing their focus 
  away from others.
  •	 He is gathering information from locals or strangers.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Subject is already very friendly or loyal, or the 
  character is obviously harmless.
  +20
  Subject is friendly or the character adds incentive such 
  as a bribe.
  +10
  Subject is naturally talkative or the character is of a 
  favoured gender or social class.
  +0
  Subject is ambivalent to the character, or has no prior 
  reason to do what the character suggests.
  –10
  Subject doesn’t want to be bothered or the character 
  is rude or aggressive.
  –20
  Subject is suspicious of the character or the character 
  is heavily armed.
  –30 
  Subject is actively hostile or the character has 
  wronged the subject previously.
  Skill Use: 1 minute.
  AWARENESS (PERCEPTION)
  Aptitudes: Perception, Fieldcraft
  Awareness is a character’s ability to understand and be aware of 
  his surroundings, and is vital to all characters who wish to see 
  danger coming. A character Skilled in Awareness is able to notice 
  small details, sounds, or smells before others and interpret what 
  they might be and where they might be coming from. Awareness 
  is most often used when trying to spot hidden foes or ambushes, 
  though it can also be used to ﬁnd hidden objects.
  In general, Awareness is used when trying to spot items 
  or individuals that are either hidden or not easy to notice. 
  Scrutiny is used to interpret hidden emotions, motivations, 
  or other undercurrents. So while spotting someone hidden 
  would be Awareness, telling when someone is lying would be 
  Scrutiny (see page 132).
  When Awareness is used against an opponent (such as 
  to spot an ambush) it is an Opposed Test (see page 31). 
  Awareness opposes and is opposed by Stealth.
  The GM can call a player to use the Awareness Skill when:
  •	 He is walking into an ambush or being spied upon by a 
  hidden foe.
  •	 He wants to search an area for clues or ﬁnd a hidden item.
  •	 He is trying to eavesdrop on a conversation or there is a 
  chance of overhearing some pertinent information.
  Skill Use: Free Action made in reaction to something.
  SPECIAL USES FOR AWARENESS
  The following is a special use for the Awareness Skill. 
  LIP READING
  Lip reading allows a character to effectively understand a conversation even though he cannot hear it. The character must 
  have a clear view of the speaker’s mouth and understand the language used by the target. The difﬁculty of this Test is 
  modiﬁed -10 for every 10 metres of distance between the character and the speaker. The GM can assign other penalties for 
  darkness, fog, or other factors affecting vision. However, magnoculars or other vision enhancing devices can help offset 
  this penalty or provide a bonus. A successful Awareness Skill Test reveals the general gist of the conversation, such as 
  talking about a sentry patrols or dissatisfaction with one’s overlord. Additional Degrees of Success reveal correspondingly 
  more information. The character need not make a Skill Test every Round, as one Degree of Success is enough to follow the 
  conversation for the span of roughly one topic. The GM determines when a new Test is necessary.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Detecting the approach of a tank or spotting a jungle 
  clearing containing a Marauder bomber from the air.
  +20
  Detecting a Hulking creature’s passage or noticing a 
  vehicle behind rubble.
  +10
  Detecting a small object in the open or spying a 
  camouﬂaged artillery piece. 
  +0
  Spotting someone in a crowd or searching a room.
  –10
  Detecting a well-laid ambush or searching a building 
  for a speciﬁc document.
  –20
  Finding a speciﬁc spent bolt round on a battleﬁeld.
  –30 
  Noticing an assassin in a darkened room or searching 
  through planetary records for a shipping manifest.
  
  119
  IV: Skills
  COMMERCE 
  (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Knowledge
  Commerce is an understanding of trade, value, and exchange 
  amongst the varying ranks of the Imperial Guard, how to 
  barter for the best deal possible, and even acquire contraband 
  gear. This Skill covers everything to do with deal making and 
  exchange from swapping extra rations for a pack of lho-sticks 
  to acquiring xenos tech while keeping out from under the 
  watchful eyes of the Commisariat. Commerce also includes 
  an understanding of the value of things and can be used to 
  appraise items or evaluate something’s potential worth.
  When Commerce is used against an opponent (such as to 
  gain a bonus on a Logistics Test) it is always an Opposed 
  Test (see page 31). Commerce opposes, and is opposed by, 
  either Commerce or Willpower.
  The GM can call a player to use the Commerce Skill when:
  • He wants to gain a bonus to a Logistics Test (see page
  161)
  • He wishes to track down a rare item in camp.
  • He is trying to ﬁgure out how much an item or raw
  material might be worth
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Dealing with a highly-trusted requisition ofﬁcer.
  +20
  Dealing with a trusted ofﬁcer.
  +10
  Dealing with a familiar ofﬁcer or one who owes the 
  character a favour.
  +0
  Dealing with an unknown individual.
  –10
  Dealing with an ofﬁcer who is suspicious of the 
  character.
  –20
  Dealing with a merchant or trader from a non-
  Imperial culture.
  –30
  Dealing with an openly hostile ofﬁcer.
  Skill Use: 1 minute, or more for complex deals.
  COMMAND (FELLOWSHIP)
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Leadership
  Command is the ability to effectively lead men into combat 
  and direct their actions against the enemy. This Skill allows a 
  character to control the actions of his followers or change their 
  standing orders in a combat situation quickly and accurately 
  without the chance for misinterpretation or mistake. Command 
  can also be used to inspire men to greater feats of courage as well 
  as to counter the effects of fear through the threat of violence.
  The GM can call a player to use the Command Skill when:
  • He wishes to send his Comrade into an extremely
  dangerous situation.
  • He needs to rally his Squad or organise them in the face
  of a surprise attack.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Followers have high morale or commands are very 
  simple to follow.
  +20
  Followers are performing well-known tasks or 
  commands can be followed out quickly.
  +10
  Followers outnumber their foes or commands are 
  familiar to the followers.
  +0
  Commands are complex or the commander is newly 
  in charge of the subjects.
  –10
  Followers are outnumbered by their foes.
  –20
  Followers are performing unfamiliar tasks or 
  commands need to be interpreted.
  –30
  Followers have very low morale or commands are 
  very complex or hazardous.
  Skill Use: Half Action for simple commands, Full Action for 
  more involved direction.
  SPECIAL USES FOR COMMAND
  These are certain unique uses for the Command Skill.
  INSPIRE
  A charismatic commander can try to inspire his followers 
  to greater efforts through praise, careful direction, or 
  threats of violence. As a Full Action, the character can 
  make a Challenging (+0) Command Test to inspire 
  one or more of his followers. Inspired followers receive 
  a +10 on their next Skill or Characteristic Test.
  TERRIFY
  A commander can use the Command Skill to terrify his 
  followers into fearing him more than a Fear-causing foe. 
  As a Reaction, a character can try to counter the effects 
  of Fear (see page 305) in his troops should they fail 
  their Willpower Test against a Fear-causing foe. Make a 
  Command Skill Test opposed by the Willpower of the 
  Fear-causing creature. Both the character and the creature 
  add +10 to their rolls for each level of Fear they possess. 
  If the character is successful, his followers ignore the 
  effects of Fear from this creature for the encounter.
  SPECIAL USES FOR COMMERCE
  The following is one of the special uses for the 
  Commerce Skill.
  EVALUATE
  A character can use the Commerce skill to determine the 
  worth of an item or commodity. The GM should make 
  this roll in secret, modifying the result depending on the 
  Availability of the item or commodity in question (see 
  below for example modiﬁers). A success tells the character 
  the Availability of the item he is evaluating, while a failure 
  tells him nothing. If he fails by more than 3 Degrees of 
  Failure, the GM should give him a false Availability. 
  
  120
  IV: Skills
  The GM can call a player to use the Common Lore Skill when:
  •	 The GM feels the Player Character might know something 
  about a current situation, location, or individual. 
  •	 The character wants to know a speciﬁc detail about a 
  common subject. 
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Remembering the name of a broad region.
  +20
  Remembering generally known facts about a 
  region.
  +10
  Learning general information about a speciﬁc planet.
  +0
  Remembering speciﬁc information about a speciﬁc 
  planet or well-known location on a planet.
  –10
  Learning information about a large city.
  –20
  Learning information about a small settlement.
  –30 
  Remembering information learned about a speciﬁc 
  individual relatively unknown to most people.
  Skill Use: Free Action.
  DECEIVE (FELLOWSHIP)
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social
  The Deceive Skill is the art of lying or fooling others into 
  believing something which is not true. A character with this Skill 
  is adept at convincing others of falsehoods, hiding their true 
  intent from those around them, or concealing some of the truth. 
  The Deceive Skill can also be used to create a disguise, given the 
  proper time and materials, which can be used to either hide their 
  own appearance or even impersonate the appearance of another.
  When Deceive is used against an opponent (such as to 
  convince someone of a lie or fool them with a disguise) it is 
  always an Opposed Test (see page 31). Deceive opposes, 
  and is opposed by, Scrutiny.
  The GM can call a player to use the Deceive Skill when:
  •	 He wants to tell a convincing lie.
  •	 He wishes to distract someone with rambling nonsense.
  •	 He is trying to disguise himself.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Telling a lie that is supported by what a person can 
  see, creating a simple disguise meant to fool a stranger.
  +20
  Telling a lie which is partially true or only very 
  slightly false.
  +10
  Telling a lie to someone who wants to believe it.
  +0
  Telling a lie to someone unknown to the character or 
  creating a complex disguise with aid of props or kits.
  –10
  Telling a lie to someone who is already suspicious 
  of the character.
  –20
  Telling a lie to someone who has been deceived by 
  the character before.
  –30 
  Telling a lie that contradicts what a person can see 
  or disguising oneself as a close friend or loved one.
  Skill Use: 1 minute, or more for complex deceptions.
  COMMON LORE 
  (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, General
  All Common Lore Skills represent the common knowledge 
  an individual might know about the general information, 
  procedures, divisions, traditions, famed individuals, and 
  superstitions of a particular world, group, organisation, or 
  race. This Skill differs from Scholastic Lore, which represents 
  scholarly learning one might gain through study and research, 
  and Forbidden Lore, which involves hidden or proscribed 
  knowledge. Common Lore deals with basic information 
  gained from prolonged exposure to a culture or area. 
  Unlike other Skills, Common Lore has multiple Specialisations. 
  See page 113 for more information on how these Specialisations 
  work. The Specialisations for this Skill are as follows:
  Adeptus Arbites: Knowledge of the various arms and sub-
  sects of the Arbites, including details of rank structure, common 
  procedures, and the basic tenants of Imperial Justice.
  Adeptus Astra Telepathica: Knowledge of how psykers 
  are recruited and trained, including how Astropaths are used 
  throughout the Imperium, and the basics of astro-telepathy.
  Adeptus Mechanicus: A general understanding of the symbols 
  and practices of the Adeptus Mechanicus. 
  Administratum: Broad knowledge of the labyrinthine workings, 
  rules, traditions, and dictates of the Adeptus Administratum.
  Calixis Sector: Information concerning the basic layout of 
  the Calixis Sector, including the workings of Sector Lord Hax 
  and the other nobles on Scintila.
  Ecclesiarchy: Understanding of the structure of the Adeptus 
  Ministorum and its role in the worship of the Emperor.
  Imperial Creed: Knowledge of the rites, practices, and 
  personages of the Imperial Cult, the most common observances, 
  festivals, and holidays in honour of the Emperor.
  Imperial Guard: Basic information about the ranking system, 
  logistics, structure, and basic tactical and strategic practices of 
  the Imperial Guard, as well as particularly famed regiments.
  Imperial Navy: Basic information about the ranks, customs, 
  uniforms, and particular traditions of the Imperial Navy, as 
  well as famous admirals and ships.
  Imperium: Knowledge of the segmenta, sectors, and best 
  known worlds of the Imperium.
  Jericho Reach: Information concerning the basic layout of 
  the Jericho Reach and the events taking place there.
  Koronus Expanse: Information concerning the general 
  astrography of the Expanse, including known warp passages, 
  regions, and legends of what may be found there.
  Screaming Vortex: Knowledge about the myriad worlds, 
  factions, and stories of the Screaming Vortex.
  Spinward Front: Information regarding the Severan Dominate, 
  Waaagh! Grimtoof, and the Children of Thorns, as well as the 
  movements of Imperial Guard forces in the Front.
  Tech: An understanding of simple litanies and rituals to 
  sooth and appease machine spirits.
  War: Knowledge of great battles, notable commanders, 
  heroes, and famous stratagems employed by those who 
  ﬁght for and against the Imperium.
  
  121
  IV: Skills
  FORBIDDEN LORE 
  (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Knowledge
  All Forbidden Lore Skills represent knowledge forbidden 
  or hidden to the average citizen of the Imperium of Man. 
  In many cases, it is a heinous crime to even possess such 
  knowledge and is often sufﬁcient to warrant termination 
  at the hands of the Inquisition, so a character must tread 
  carefully when revealing what he knows.
  Forbidden Lore has several different Specialisations. 
  Specialisations are described in greater detail on page 113. 
  The Specialisations are as follows:
  Adeptus Mechanicus: An in-depth understanding of 
  followers of the Machine God, including such things as their 
  rituals, observances, beliefs, core philosophies, and speciﬁc 
  knowledge of the Universal Laws. 
  Adeptus Astartes: Knowledge of the practices, organisation, 
  and home worlds of the Imperial Space Marines and their 
  Chapters including blasphemous knowledge of their rites, 
  rituals, and beliefs.
  Codex Astartes: Understanding and interpreting the Codex 
  Astartes and how it relates to the organisation, deployment, 
  and tactics of the Space Marine Chapters.
  Archaeotech: Knowledge of the great, lost tech devices of 
  past times and clues to their mysterious functions and purposes.
  Daemonology: Lore about some of the most infamous warp 
  entities and their twisted physical manifestations.
  Heresy: Wisdom concerning acts and practices deemed 
  heretical by the Imperium, the most contemptible heretics of 
  history, and their acts.
  The Horus Heresy and Long War: The origins and 
  history of the 10,000 year long war between the forces of 
  the Ruinous Powers and the Imperium of Man.
  The Inquisition: Understanding this secretive organisation of the 
  Imperium, its Ordos, common tenets, and famous Inquisitors.
  Mutants: The study of stable and unstable mutations 
  within humanity, their cancerous inﬂuence and mutagenic 
  development over time, and some of the studies and books 
  on the topic.
  Navigators: Secret knowledge about the Navis Nobilite 
  families, their breeding programs, common mutations, and 
  prominent patriarchs.
  Pirates: Knowledge of the scourge of the warp lanes, their 
  tactics, infamous vessels, and notorious captains.
  Psykers: Skill in identifying psykers, the physical effects of 
  their powers, the danger they cause, and the general extent 
  of their capabilities.
  The Warp: An understanding of the energy of the warp, its 
  interaction and interrelation with realspace, and how its tides 
  and eddies affect travel between the stars.
  Xenos: Knowledge of the minor and major alien species 
  known to the Imperium, the threat they pose, and their 
  general appearance.
  DODGE (AGILITY)
  Aptitudes: Agility, Defence
  Dodge is the ability to avoid blows in melee, dodge away 
  from incoming ﬁre, or leap out of the way of falling debris. It 
  combines nimbleness of movement with trained reﬂexes and 
  an awareness of all kinds of danger. A character can use his 
  Dodge Skill to dodge either melee attacks or ranged attacks. 
  Dodging attacks is made as a Reaction to a foe’s successful 
  attack. A success indicates that the attack has been avoided 
  and it does not hit the character. In the case of attacks which 
  cause multiple hits (such as automatic ﬁre) each Degree of 
  Success a character achieves on his Dodge Test cancels one 
  hit from the attack. Any excess hits not cancelled by Dodging 
  are then applied to the character as normal..
  The GM can call a player to use the Dodge Skill when:
  •	 He is attacked in melee.
  •	 He is attacked with a ranged weapon.
  •	 He needs to avoid hazards such as falling wreckage or 
  leap from a collapsing bridge.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Character can easily detect the attack and has at 
  least a Round to avoid it.
  +20
  Character has full cover between him and an attack.
  +10
  Character has half cover between him and an attack.
  +0
  Character is avoiding an attack in the open. This is 
  the default modiﬁer for Dodge in combat.
  –10
  Character is on loose ground, mud, or knee-deep water.
  –20
  Character is in waist-deep water.
  –30 
  Character is unable to see the source of the attack.
  Skill Use: Reaction.
  SPECIAL USES FOR DECEIVE
  This is one of the special uses for the Deceive Skill.
  DISGUISE
  A character with the Deceive Skill can create a 
  disguise for themselves given time and raw materials. 
  The time taken depends greatly on the complexity of 
  the disguise; simply putting on an enemy’s uniform 
  or covering the character’s face with ﬁlth may take 
  minutes, while trying to disguise gender, race, or mimic 
  a speciﬁc individual may take hours, days, or longer. 
  The GM decides how long formulating a disguise 
  takes and if the character has the materials at hand. 
  Once the disguise is donned, the GM then secretly 
  Tests for the player (using his Deceive Skill and any 
  appropriate modiﬁers) whenever the disguise comes 
  under scrutiny (an opposed test against the Scrutiny 
  of whoever is trying to see through the disguise). If a 
  disguise passes this ﬁrst Test, then the player need not 
  Test again unless something changes (suspicion is cast 
  on the character or a more observant NPC arrives).
  
  122
  122
  IV: Skills
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Subject is already very friendly or loyal, or answering 
  the questions works towards the subject’s best 
  interests.
  +20
  Subject is friendly or the character adds incentive such 
  as a bribe.
  +10
  Subject is naturally talkative or the character is of a 
  favoured gender or social class.
  +0
  Subject is ambivalent to the character or has no prior 
  reason to interact with the character.
  –10
  Subject doesn’t want to be bothered or the character 
  is rude or aggressive.
  –20
  Subject is suspicious of the character or the character 
  is inquiring about information the subject wants 
  secret.
  –30 
  Subject is actively hostile or answering questions 
  likely results in serious problems for the subject.
  Skill Use: One hour or more, depending on the nature of the 
  inquiries, the size of the group targeted, and information sought.
  INTERROGATION 
  (WILLPOWER)
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Social
  Interrogation allows a character to extract information from 
  an unwilling subject. The application differs from torture, 
  where a subject will frequently say anything to stop the 
  ordeal. Rather, it represents skilled application of psychology, 
  various devices, serums, and other techniques. The GM may 
  modify the difﬁculty of the Test according to the availability 
  of tools, facilities and other conditions. Interrogation is 
  always an Opposed Test, pitting the character’s Intimidation 
  Skill against an opponent’s Willpower. If the character wins 
  the Opposed Test, he gets one answer for each Degree of 
  Success. If his opponent wins the Opposed Test, he gets 
  nothing of worth. Two or more Degrees of Failure inﬂict 
  1d10 plus the character’s Willpower Bonus in Damage to the 
  subject, and prevents any further interrogation for 1d5 days. 
  If the character suffers four or more Degrees of Failure, he 
  deals the same Damage and the subject gains a +30 bonus to 
  Willpower Tests made to resist Interrogation at the character’s 
  hands or his allies. Each Interrogation Test inﬂicts one level of 
  fatigue on the target.
  The GM can call a player to make an Interrogation Test 
  whe:
  •	 He attempts to force an Imperial Adept to reveal 
  information about his superiors. 
  •	 He is attempting to learn about battle plans from an 
  Imperial Guard captain.
  A successful Forbidden Lore Test imparts information from 
  the GM to the player. The GM may impart more information if 
  the Test scores additional Degrees of Success. 
  The GM can call a player to make a Forbidden Lore 
  Test when:
  •	 He seeks information about potential cults active on an 
  Imperial world. 
  •	 He wishes to learn about the dangers the Inquisition may 
  pose to a potential undertaking.
  •	 He wishes to learn more about the mysterious monoliths 
  on a desert world. 
  •	 He seeks information on the operations of the dreaded Eldar.
  •	 He desires to learn the True Name of a powerful Daemon. 
  •	 He seeks the proper procedure to summon a warp-spawn.
  •	 He wishes to know more about psykers and psychic abilities.
  •	 He must recall information about the Traitor Legions and 
  their ongoing war against the Imperium.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Learning of the existence of xenos races such as the 
  Orks or Tyranids.
  +20
  Learning of the Warp and what it is.
  +10
  Remembering the existence of a heretical text.
  +0
  Learning of the nature and events of the Horus Heresy.
  –10
  Remembering obscure xenos races in local regions of 
  space such as the Rak’Gol.
  –20
  Understanding details of the nature and motives of 
  Daemons and Warp entities.
  –30 
  Learning a Daemon’s True Name.
  Skill Use: Free Action.
  INQUIRY (FELLOWSHIP)
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social
  Inquiry is used to gain information by asking questions, 
  stimulating conversation, or simply eavesdropping. Unlike 
  Charm or Intimidate, which focus on changing a character’s 
  disposition or inﬂuencing speciﬁc individuals, Inquiry 
  focuses on gaining information from large groups, and may 
  involve a great deal of time and effort. One or two Degrees 
  of Success reveals basic information about an area, population 
  group, or individuals, while additional Degrees of Success 
  on a successful Inquiry Test allows the GM to impart more 
  valuable or secretive information to his players.
  The GM can call a player to make an Inquiry Test when:
  •	 He is trying to track down a local crime lord in a hive. 
  •	 He attempts to learn the attitudes of the local populace 
  towards their leaders.
  •	 He seeks a speciﬁc type of location such as a shop or 
  tavern.
  
  123
  IV: Skills
  The GM can call a player to use the Intimidation Skill when:
  •	 He wants someone to get out of his way.
  •	 He wishes to extract information from a hostile or 
  resisting NPC.
  •	 He is trying to make an opponent back down from a 
  ﬁght.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Opponent is obviously inferior to the character (i.e. a 
  grot, a slave, etc.).
  +20
  Opponent is at a disadvantage to the character, such 
  as being outnumbered or wounded.
  +10
  Opponent is weaker than the character (either in 
  physical stature or social status).
  +0
  Opponent is the physical or social equal of the 
  character.
  –10
  Opponent is stronger than the character (either in 
  physical stature or social status).
  –20
  Opponent has an obvious advantage over the 
  character, such as better weapons or more men.
  –30 
  Opponent is considerably more powerful than the 
  character, such as a planetary ruler or warlord.
  Skill Use: Full Action.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Subject has no reason to resist the interrogator and 
  actively cooperates.
  +20
  Subject is terriﬁed of interrogator.
  +10
  Subject is frightened of the interrogator.
  +0
  Subject has a good reason to resist or sees himself as 
  the interrogator’s equal.
  –10
  Subject feels he is the interrogator’s better.
  –20
  Subject is conﬁdent in an impending rescue.
  –30 
  Subject would suffer far worse fate than what the 
  interrogator would do if he answered questions.
  Skill Use: One hour or more, depending on the invasiveness 
  of the interrogation and the subject.
  INTIMIDATE (STRENGTH)
  Aptitudes: Strength, Social
  Intimidate is a character’s ability to frighten others into 
  either doing what he tells them or giving up information. 
  A character skilled in Intimidation can bully their way past 
  guards, terrify locals into giving up their secrets, or even force 
  foes to back down from a ﬁght for fear of the consequences. 
  When Intimidation is used against an opponent (such as to 
  scare them into doing the character’s bidding or make them 
  back down from a ﬁght), it is an Opposed Test (see page 
  31). Intimidation is opposed by Willpower. 
  
  124
  IV: Skills
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Deciphering a language with the aid of a lexicon.
  +20
  Deciphering a primitive language based on a 
  known language.
  +10
  Deciphering a code in Low Gothic.
  +0
  Deciphering a code in High Gothic.
  –10
  Deciphering a code in a local language.
  –20
  Deciphering an ancient or forgotten language (i.e. 
  ancient Terrian)/Understanding a language unknown 
  to the character, but based on human language. 
  –30 
  Deciphering a completely alien language (i.e. 
  Eldar)/Understanding a language both unknown 
  to the character and without any relationship to 
  known languages.
  Skill Use: Free Action.
  LINGUISTICS 
  (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, General
  Linguistics covers all kinds of spoken and written languages. 
  A character with the Linguistics Skill has learned to speak, 
  read, and write (if it has a written form) a particular language, 
  code, or cipher. No test is normally required to use Linguistics 
  as it pertains to normal speaking, reading, or writing.
  Any character who has Linguistics as a Skill knows how 
  to read and write in their primary language (which for most 
  Guardsmen is Low Gothic). 
  Linguistics is a Specialist Skill (see page 113) and requires a 
  player to choose a speciality when ﬁrst taken. The Linguistics Skill 
  may be taken more than once, each time with a new speciality.
  The GM can call a player to use the Linguistics Skill when:
  •	 He must decipher an archaic version of his language.
  •	 He wishes to write a moving piece of prose.
  •	 He is trying to convey a message using subtext or a 
  limited vocabulary.
  DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
  There are many different languages in the galaxy, and Linguistics does not automatically allow a Guardsman to know 
  them all (although the Skill may make it easier to understand them a little). What languages a Guardsman knows is 
  largely based on his background. All Guardsmen know Low Gothic and Imperial Codes, while some of the members of 
  the Schola Progenium—such as Commissars and Storm Troopers—may know High Gothic. 
  If a character does not know a certain language, Linguistic Tests pertaining to that language should be much more 
  difﬁcult (or even impossible) than if he does know the language. However, Guardsmen can use Linguistics to learn new 
  languages. Doing this requires an Extended Linguistics Test, with a difﬁculty based on the difﬁculty of the Language. 
  The time required can be weeks or months, depending on the Guardsman’s intelligence and diligence. 
  The following are some example languages.  
  Chapter Runes: Each Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes has its own form of ciphers used to communicate between its 
  warriors. These are closely guarded secrets, and they are almost never taught to those outside the Chapter or Legion; 
  and as such form a reliable way for those within the Chapter or Legion to quickly identify each other.
  Chaos Marks: There are countless symbols and signs used by followers of the various Dark Powers, each with its own 
  subtle meaning or speciﬁc purpose.
  Eldar: Though no human can hope to capture the subtle nuances and sub-tones of this extremely complex and ancient 
  language, it is enough to make one’s meaning clear.
  High Gothic: The ofﬁcial language of the Imperium, used by Imperial ofﬁcials, nobility, members of the Ecclesiarchy, 
  and those involved in high-level negotiations.
  Imperial Codes: Both the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Guard employ a battle language which comprises mostly 
  numbers and acronyms. Incomprehensible to those who do not know its meaning, it allows them to quickly signal for 
  reinforcements, identify enemies, and call down ﬁre support or artillery barrages.
  Kroot: The native chirping language of the Kroot is almost impossible for a human to emulate, however, with training 
  and a good ear it can be understood.
  Low Gothic: The common tongue of the Imperium, used by the countless billions of ordinary citizens.
  Mercenary Cant: Many mercenary companies operate across the Spinward Front, and each has an abbreviated, clipped 
  battle language for orders and commands. Though there are some commonalities, each is essentially unique.
  Ork: More grunts and physical violence than an actual language, it is possible for humans to speak and understand it, 
  though it is doubtful they would be able to survive a conversation. 
  Techna-Lingua: The language of the Adeptus Mechanicus (and its dark counterpart), this binary language has been 
  optimized for rapid communication of technical data and servitor commands.
  Tau: The language of the Tau Empire, spoken by the Tau themselves and understood by their multitude of alien subjects.
  Underworld: Crime lords have used ciphers for countless millennia, and their sophistication has only increased over 
  time. Each organization uses their own to deter competition.
  Xenos Markings: Many aliens make extensive use of symbolism and icons. Understanding these markings allows a broad 
  understanding of their meaning such as where a tribe has marked its boundaries or areas they have marked as “dangerous.”
  
  125
  IV: Skills
  MEDICAE (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Fieldcraft
  Medicae is an understanding of the biologis sciences and 
  how to set broken bones, heal wounds, or even perform 
  complicated surgery such as attaching a bionic limb. A 
  character with the Medicae Skill can apply ﬁrst aid to his 
  comrades, diagnose an illness, or remove an organ (and keep 
  the patient alive given the right equipment). The Medicae 
  Skill also relies heavily on certain tools (see Chapter VI: 
  Armoury) for more complex procedures and even a simple 
  medikit can make a signiﬁcant difference to the effects of 
  this Skill. 
  The GM can call a player to use the Medicae Skill when:
  •	 He wants to apply ﬁrst aid to a wounded comrade.
  •	 He wishes to diagnose an afﬂiction and work out a 
  suitable treatment.
  •	 He is trying to perform a surgical procedure such as the 
  removal of a limb or organ.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Healing a critical wound in a fully-stocked 
  Surginarium with the aid of medical servitors.
  +20
  Healing a critical wound in a hive med-lab with 
  well-trained assistants. 
  +10
  Healing a critical wound in a ﬁeld hospital with 
  trained assistants
  +0
  Healing a non-critical injury in the ﬁeld.
  –10
  Healing a critical wound without assistance.
  –20
  Healing a critical wound exposed to the elements.
  –30 
  Healing a critical wound in the midst of a combat 
  or battle.
  Skill Use: Full Action.
   
  LOGIC (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Knowledge
  Logic is the ability to think logically, solve puzzles, and 
  dissect information rationally and quickly. A character skilled 
  in logic can detect patterns where others cannot, see how 
  each piece ﬁts together into a whole, and gather meaning 
  from chaos. In addition to ﬁnding clues, solving riddles, or 
  completing puzzles, logic can also be used to help a character 
  in games and endeavours where chance plays a large part, 
  such as gambling.
  The GM can call a player to use the Logic Skill when:
  •	 He must solve a riddle or puzzle.
  •	 He is looking for a clue in a vast amount of unrelated 
  information.
  •	 He is trying to win at a game of chance.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Puzzle or riddle is very basic with few possible solutions.
  +20
  Puzzle or riddle is already partially complete.
  +10
  Puzzle or riddle is similar to one the character has 
  solved before.
  +0
  A straightforward but new puzzle.
  –10
  Puzzle or riddle is long or buried in excessive 
  meaningless information.
  –20
  Puzzle or riddle is incomplete and requires the 
  character to ﬁll in the blanks.
  –30 
  Puzzle or riddle is of alien origin or created by a 
  completely inhuman mind.
  Skill Use: 1 minute, or longer for particularly complex problems.
  SPECIAL USES FOR LOGIC
  These are some of the special uses of Logic.
  GAMBLING
  A character can use Logic when participating in games of chance rather than simply relying on blind luck. Each 
  participant wagers an amount, though these are typically the same, and makes an Opposed Test with the Logic Skill. 
  The character with the most Degrees of Success or fewest Degrees of Failure wins the pot. 
  However, this only covers Gambling if the character is attempting to win by playing the game correctly—analysing 
  the odds and playing intelligently. Gamblers often use blufﬁng, deception, and outright cheating in order to win. In 
  this case, Deceive may be used to bluff or trick an opponent, while Sleight of Hand may be used to palm cards or alter 
  results. These would be opposed by Scrutiny and Awareness, respectively. 
  CIPHERS AND DECODING
  A character can use the Logic Skill to decode ciphers and codes. This usually takes a great deal of time (days or weeks 
  of prolonged work) and the difﬁculty depends greatly on whether the character has a key or the number of examples of 
  the cipher available. In general, these Tests should be Difﬁcult (–10) at the easiest, unless the cipher is already partially 
  decoded or the character has a key available. 
  
  126
  126
  IV: Skills
  SPECIAL USES FOR MEDICAE
  These are some of the special uses of Medicae.
  FIRST AID
  A character trained in Medicae can use this Skill to perform ﬁrst aid, treating minor injuries suffered in the ﬁeld of 
  operations by suturing lacerations, bandaging abrasions, and plugging punctures.
  To perform ﬁrst aid, a character must make a Challenging (+0) Medicae Test, with a –10 penalty if his patient is 
  Heavily Damaged or a –10 penalty for every point of Critical Damage that his patient is currently suffering from if he 
  is Critically Damaged. If he succeeds, he removes an amount of Damage from his patient equal to his Intelligence Bonus 
  plus one additional point of Damage per Degree of Success the healer scores on the Test (removing Critical Damage 
  before normal Damage).
  A given individual can only be treated with ﬁrst aid once every 24 hours, and only so long as he is not also 
  undergoing extended care.
  EXTENDED CARE
  A character trained in the Medicae Skill can also perform extended care, treating a number of patients equal to his 
  Intelligence Bonus, plus one patient per assistant (trained or untrained) he has on hand. For each patient beyond this 
  number, he suffers a –10 penalty on his Medicae Tests for extended care. For each assistant trained in the Medicae Skill 
  assisting in the process, he gains a +10 bonus on these Tests.
  At the end of each 24-hour period of extended care, the primary healer must perform an Ordinary (+10) Medicae 
  Test. If he succeeds, his patients remove twice the normal amount of Damage normally recovered by their natural rates 
  of healing (removing Critical Damage ﬁrst). On top of this, each patient removes one point of Damage per Degree of 
  Success the healer scores on his Test, and one additional point of Damage per consecutive day of extended care they 
  have received beyond the ﬁrst. 
  If he fails, none of his patients improve beyond their natural rate of healing. Further, he must choose a number 
  of patients under his care equal to his Degrees of Failure, starting with the most gravely injured (ﬁrst from among 
  those who are Critically Damaged, then those who are Heavily Damaged, and then ﬁnally those who are only Lightly 
  Damaged). Each of these patients must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer one point of Damage per 
  Degree of Failure, not reduced my Armour or Toughness. If this results in any Critical Damage, the patient dies.
  For additional information on Healing, see Chapter VIII: Combat.
  DIAGNOSE
  The Medicae Skill can also be used to diagnose disease and other ailments, both on one’s fellow characters and also on 
  large groups. On individuals, a successful Skill Test yields the name of the ailment and basic treatments. When used on 
  groups, a successful Skill Test can prevent the spread of disease or mitigate the effects of malnutrition as determined by 
  the GM and dependent on the nature (and virulence) of the disease.
  CHEM USE
  The Medicae Skill can be used to cover a character’s understanding of drugs, poisons, chemicals, and toxins. A Skilled 
  chymist can create and identify such compounds, as well as know how best to use them either for medicinal effects or in 
  combat against their enemies. Chem-Use is also useful in diagnosing those suffering from toxins and poisons or ﬁnding 
  antidotes to treat them.
  Applying Poisons and Chemicals: Particularly virulent or dangerous chemicals might require a Medicae Test to 
  administer or apply to a weapon. This test is usually challenging, and failure by four or more Degrees may indicate that 
  something has gone seriously wrong with the dosage or application and the applicant suffers the adverse effects of the 
  chemical or poison. 
  Crafting: Medicae can be used to make all kinds of drugs and poisons, from animal venom and healing unguents 
  to Stimm and Spook. The time, difﬁculty, and materials it takes to create these items are greatly dependent on their 
  complexity, the kind of lab the character has, and their access to recipes or assistance. See the Crafting sidebar on page 
  115 for the kinds of things that can be created using Medicae.
  Antidotes: A chymist may manufacture an antidote if they can identify the poison or toxin and have the right materials 
  on hand. To create an antidote, the character must have a sample of the poison in question or a sample of blood from 
  the person he is trying to treat. The character must also have at least a basic medikit. He then makes an Extended Test 
  requiring a number of Degrees of Success set by the GM depending on the strength of the poison; as a guideline this 
  can be 4 for weak poisons, 7 for average poisons and 10 for strong poisons. Success nets 2d10 doses of antidote for 
  that speciﬁc poison. Creating an antidote takes 1d10 hours. The GM can modify these Tests depending on the materials 
  available (granting bonuses for labs and assistants).
  
  127
  127
  IV: Skills
  STELLAR
  Navigate (Stellar) is the ability to plot a course across real 
  space using stars, planets, and other celestial phenomena. 
  This ability is primarily used aboard voidships.
  The GM can call a player to use the Navigate (Stellar) Skill 
  when:
  •	 He wants to make a journey across a star system.
  •	 He ﬁnds his ship stranded in an unknown region of 
  space.
  •	 He wishes to ﬁnd the quickest route from one point 
  to another
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Navigating familiar or well travelled routes in one 
  star system.
  +20
  Navigating between star systems with the aid of 
  extensive charts or a guide.
  +10
  Navigating between two planets in an open star system.
  +0
  Navigating between star systems without a guide.
  –10
  Navigating around stellar anomalies such as a pulsar.
  –20
  Navigating through an asteroid ﬁeld or ice ﬁeld.
  –30 
  Navigating in a hazardous environment, such as a binary 
  star system with a black hole and fractured planets.
  Skill Use: 1 minute for simple location; 1d5 hours for 
  plotting courses or routes.
  WARP
  Navigate (Warp) is the rare ability to navigate not reality, but 
  the shifting and ever-changing vista of the Warp. This is most 
  commonly used by those who must guide voidships with a 
  warp engine through the immaterium.
  The GM can call a player to use the Navigate (Warp) Skill 
  when:
  •	 He must guide a starship through the Warp.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Navigating familiar or well travelled routes. 
  +20
  Navigating with the aid of extensive charts or the 
  Astronomicon.
  +10
  Navigating established Warp routes.
  +0
  Navigating between two nearby systems in the Warp.
  –10
  Navigating off established Warp routes.
  –20
  Navigating without the aid of any equipment or maps.
  –30 
  Navigating in a Warp storm.
  Skill Use: 1 minute for simple location; 1d5 hours for 
  plotting courses or routes.
  NAVIGATE (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Fieldcraft
  Navigate is the ability to plot a course from one point to 
  another, either on the surface of a planet or across the stars. 
  A character with the Navigate Skill is able to ﬁnd their way 
  quickly and efﬁciently even when far from familiar landmarks; 
  this could mean successfully navigating through a dense 
  jungle or a crowded hive city. Navigate can also be used to 
  guide a ship from world to world or through the maelstrom 
  of the Warp.
  SURFACE
  Navigate (Surface) covers the ability to Navigate across 
  terrestrial environments from frozen tundra to sweltering 
  jungles as well as navigating man made environments such as 
  hive cities or subterranean complexes. 
  The GM can call a player to use the Navigate Skill when:
  •	 He wants to make a journey across unfamiliar terrain.
  •	 He becomes lost or wakes up in a strange place and needs 
  to get his bearings.
  •	 He wishes to ﬁnd the quickest route from one point 
  to another.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Navigating familiar or well travelled routes.
  +20
  Navigating with the aid of extensive charts or a guide.
  +10
  Navigating open terrain (i.e. lunar deserts or ash 
  plains) with clear landmarks.
  +0
  Navigating in a forest during the day.
  –10
  Navigating at night or during bad weather.
  –20
  Navigating without the aid of any equipment or maps.
  –30 
  Navigating a constantly-changing environment, such 
  as shifting sand dunes.
  Skill Use: 1 minute for simple location; 1d5 hours for 
  plotting courses or routes.
  Skill Use:
  
  128
  IV: Skills
  AERONAUTICA
  Operate (Aeronautica) covers the ability to pilot any vehicle that 
  operates in three dimensions. This primarily covers atmospheric 
  ﬂiers such as the Imperial Navy Thunderbolt or Chaos Hellblade 
  and Hell Talon, but also includes small manoeuvrable voidcraft 
  such as landers, shuttles, starﬁghters, and bombers. Piloting jump 
  packs is also covered by this ability. 
  The GM can call a player to use the Operate Skill when:
  •	 He is piloting a vehicle in a combat situation
  •	 He wishes to push his vehicle or machine beyond its 
  normal limits
  •	 He is overseeing the use of a massive weapon such as a 
  macro battery or orbital laser
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Flying in situation outside of combat and without 
  danger of crashing.
  +20
  Flying with the aid of a dedicated cogitator/
  machine spirit.
  +10
  Flying with the aid of a navigator or co-pilot.
  +0
  Flying in combat but in open skies.
  –10
  Flying at high speeds, performing fast manoeuvres.
  –20
  Flying in bad weather such as storms or high winds.
  –30 
  Flying in a damaged aircraft while in combat, 
  performing high-gee manoeuvres while ﬂying 
  through a canyon.
  Skill Use: Half Action.
  VOIDSHIP
  Operate (Voidship) covers the ability to pilot large void-faring 
  vessels often kilometres long. Any space-going vessel that 
  requires a captain and large crew and cannot be conceivably 
  piloted by a single individual is operated by Operate (Voidship). 
  The GM can call a player to use the Operate (Voidship) 
  Skill when:
  •	 He is manoeuvring a voidship.
  •	 He is overseeing the use of a massive weapon such as a 
  macrobattery or orbital laser.
  OPERATE (AGILITY)
  Aptitudes: Agility, Fieldcraft
  Operate encompasses the ability to control and direct all 
  manner of vehicles and heavy equipment. This can include 
  everything from void ships the size of cities or macro 
  batteries to landspeeders or jump packs. A character with this 
  Skill is adept at piloting, driving, or operating a particular 
  type of vehicle or machine. No Test is normally required to 
  pilot or drive a vehicle unless it is in a combat situation or 
  other unusual circumstances (i.e. extremely rough terrain, 
  high speed, etc.).
  SURFACE
  Operate (Surface) covers the ability to pilot any vehicle that 
  primarily operates on the surface of a planet. Groundcars, 
  walkers, treaded vehicles, boats, and skimmers (hovering or 
  ﬂying vehicles that must remain very low to the ground) can 
  all be piloted using Operate (Surface). 
  The GM can call a player to use the Operate (Surface) 
  Skill when:
  •	 He is piloting or driving a vehicle in a combat situation.
  •	 He wishes to push his vehicle or machine beyond its 
  normal limits.
  •	 He is overseeing the use of a massive weapon such as a 
  macrobattery or orbital laser.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Driving a standard civilian landcar.
  +20
  Operating a surface vessel with the aid an on-board 
  cogitator/machine spirit.
  +10
  Driving with the aid of natives familiar with terrain.
  +0
  Operating a tank in combat but far from enemy ﬁre.
  –10
  Manoeuvering a tank through enemy fortiﬁcations.
  –20
  Driving a tank in the midst of heavy enemy ﬁre. 
  –30 
  Driving a damaged tank across heavily mined areas 
  whilst under constant enemy ﬁre.
  Skill Use: Half Action.
  SPECIALISATIONS
  These are some of the vehicles that can be piloted by 
  Operate (Surface). 
  Bike: Powered bikes such as those used by the 
  Adeptus Astartes or the Adeptus Arbites as well as any 
  two wheeled powered vehicle.
  Hover/Skimmer: Landspeeders, suspensor platforms, 
  and vehicles which hold themselves aloft with rockets, 
  jets, or anti-grav engines but are not true aircraft.
  Tracked: Tracked vehicles from the humble Chimera 
  to the mighty Land Raider; includes most kinds of 
  tanks used by the Imperium. 
  Walker: Vehicles which use legs rather than wheels 
  or jets to move such as Imperial Guard sentinels and 
  Eldar War Walkers.
  SPECIALISATIONS
  These are some of the vehicles that can be piloted by 
  Operate (Areonautica).
  Flyers: Atmospheric aircraft such as Marauder Bombers 
  or Thunderbolt ﬁghters, also includes all manner of non-
  standard ﬂyers whether they are driven by propellers, air 
  balloons, or some other more esoteric methods.
  Jump Pack/Grav Chute: The use and operation 
  of personal equipment such as Jump Pack and Grav 
  Chutes—when to deploy them, how to take off and 
  land with them, and how to ﬁght while wearing them. 
  Spacecraft: Small void craft such as ﬁghters or shuttles 
  (often also capable of entering a planet’s atmosphere). 
  Also includes boarding craft or man guided torpedoes.
  
  129
  IV: Skills
  PSYNISCIENCE 
  (PERCEPTION)
  Aptitudes: Perception, Psyker
  Those with the Psyniscience Skill sense the currents and 
  eddies of the warp and Immaterium. Characters can use the 
  Skill to detect the presence or absence of Daemons and the 
  use of psychic powers. The Skill also allows detection of 
  psychic phenomena, disturbances, voids, or other areas where 
  the ﬂow of the Immaterium has been unsettled or disrupted. 
  Unless otherwise noted, a character can use the Psyniscience 
  Skill to detect entities, locales, and events up to a number 
  of kilometres away equal to their Perception Bonus. A GM 
  may increase this range for particularly powerful events 
  or creatures. The general results of Psyniscience tests are 
  summarized on Table 4–4: Psyniscience.
  The GM can call a player to use the Psyniscience Skill when:
  •	 He is hunting for the location of a Daemon.
  •	 He wishes to determine whether a psyker has used his 
  powers recently in the area.
  •	 He is trying to ﬁnd a weak point between the Materium 
  and the Immaterium.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Detecting the presence of a Greater Daemon.
  +20
  Detecting the presence of a major Daemonic incursion.
  +10
  Detecting the presence of a minor Daemonic incursion.
  +0
  Detecting the presence of a nearby Warp entity.
  –10
  Detecting the presence of a Daemon among a large 
  group of psykers.
  –20
  Detecting the presence of a Daemon several 
  kilometres away.
  –30 
  Detecting the presence of a Daemon somewhere in 
  the midst of a hive city.
  Skill Use: Full Action.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Piloting a voidship in clear space.
  +20
  Piloting a voidship in an open orbit around a moon.
  +10
  Piloting a voidship in a cluttered orbit around a 
  large planet.
  +0
  Piloting a voidship in a formation with other vessels.
  –10
  Performing stressful combat manoeuvres.
  –20
  Piloting a voidship through an asteroid belt.
  –30 
  Avoiding being caught in a Warp rift.
  Skill Use: Half Action.
  PARRY (WEAPON SKILL)
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Defence
  Parry is the ability to block blows in melee, deﬂecting them 
  using one’s hands or weapons. A character targeted by melee 
  attacks can deﬂect these attacks using the Parry Skill. Parrying is 
  a Reaction (and as such can usually only be attempted once each 
  Turn) and can only be used against close combat attacks from 
  foes engaged with the character in melee. A success indicates 
  that the attack has been parried and does not hit the character. 
  In the case of attacks which cause multiple hits (such as those 
  from a foe with the Lightning Attack Talent) each Degree of 
  Success a character achieves on his Parry Test discounts one hit 
  from the attack. Any excess hits not discounted by Parrying are 
  then applied to the character as normal.
  The GM can call a player to use the Parry Skill when:
  •	 He is attacked in melee.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Character can easily detect the attack and has at least 
  a Round to avoid it.
  +20
  Character has a large obstruction between him and 
  the attack.
  +10
  Character has partial cover between him and the attack.
  +0
  Character is avoiding an attack in the open. This is 
  the default modiﬁer for Parry in combat.
  –10
  Character is on unstable ground, or calf deep water.
  –20
  Character is in waist deep water.
  –30 
  Character is unable to see the source of the attack.
  Skill Use: Reaction.
  WHAT IS A VOIDSHIP?
  A voidship is a large (often hundreds of metres or even 
  several kilometres in length) starship, a vessel designed 
  to travel in deep space. Some are capable of travelling 
  through the Warp, and even those that are not are 
  still massive vessels. Piloting such vessels is less about 
  agility and reﬂexes, and more about the intelligence to 
  make correct decisions and select proper manoeuvres. 
  Table 4-4: Psyniscience
  Degrees 
  of Success Result
  One
  Awareness of Immaterium disruption or 
  number of entities present.
  Two
  Approximate direction of the phenomena or 
  creatures.
  Three 
  Rough location of the Warp creatures or beings 
  affecting the Immaterium.
  Four
  Exact position of the creatures or psykers present.
  
  130
  130
  IV: Skills
  Imperium. This knowledge may be used to devise a battle plan 
  or deduce the likely ﬂow of war fought by Imperial forces.
  The GM can call a player to use the Scholastic Lore  
  Skill when:
  •	 He wishes to recount legends from mankind’s past.
  •	 He wishes to know what a Standard Template Construct is. 
  •	 He wishes to understand an obscure ruling made by a 
  Judge of the Adeptus Arbites.
  •	 Decipher the complex legal relationship between an Imperial 
  Governor and the local Administratum representative.
  •	 He seeks to identify a rare beast.
  •	 He is making a philosophical argument.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Studying a broad history of the Imperium, focusing 
  only on “approved” topics.
  +20
  Conducting research in a well-stocked library.
  +10
  Learning the particulars of the Imperial Creed.
  +0
  Researching a speciﬁc philosophical point.
  –10
  Studying occult rituals.
  –20
  Breaking down a particular chemical formula.
  –30 
  Compiling a complete history of the Horus Heresy.
  Skill Use: Free Action.
  SCHOLASTIC LORE 
  (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Knowledge
  All Scholastic Lore Skills represent information that a 
  Guardsman would need to learn in a formal setting or 
  institution of learning, whether from a knowledgeable 
  mentor, an organisation, or even the careful study of rare 
  tomes. Unlike Common Lore, this information is not readily 
  available to the average inhabitant of a planet, while unlike 
  Forbidden Lore, it is not forbidden or proscribed. 
  Scholastic Lore has several Specialisations (see page 113). 
  These Specialisations are as follows:
  Astromancy: A knowledge of stars, singularities, and the 
  worlds around them, as well as theoretical understanding of 
  how to use telescopes, astrolithic charts, and the like.
  Beasts: An understanding of the genus and families of animals 
  and familiarity with the characteristics and appearance of 
  many semi-sentient creatures.
  Bureaucracy: A familiarity with the rules and regulations involved 
  with governments, particularly the Adeptus Administratum, and 
  their many and varied departments, bureaus, and policies.
  Chymistry: A knowledge of chemicals, their alchemical 
  applications in a number of uses, and their prevalence or 
  scarcity throughout the Imperium.
  Cryptology: 
  An 
  understanding 
  of 
  codes, 
  ciphers, 
  cryptographs, secret languages, and numerical keys. This may 
  be used to either create or decipher encryptions.
  Heraldry: A grasp of the principles and devices of Heraldry, 
  as well as a knowledge of the most common seals and heraldic 
  devices used by the Imperium’s most noble houses and families.
  Imperial Warrants: Information concerning the establishment, 
  legal scope, and use of the warrants granted to Rogue Traders, as 
  well as the best known and dynastic warrants of the Imperium.
  Imperial Creed: An understanding of the speciﬁc rituals and 
  practices of the Ecclesiarchy, from the traditional construction of 
  their temples to speciﬁc points from its texts. This information 
  may be used to conduct the rituals for others.
  Judgement: Knowledge of the proper punishments for the 
  myriad of crimes and heresies punishable by Imperial law. 
  Legend: Going beyond archaic knowledge, this encompasses 
  momentous portions of Imperial history, such as the Dark Age 
  of Technology, the Age of Strife, the Great Crusade, and the 
  Horus Heresy, retold in the form of epic, apocryphal fables.
  Navis Nobilite: Lore concerning the family trees, contracts, 
  and histories of the great houses of the Navigators.
  Numerology: An understanding of the mysterious link 
  between numbers and the physical universe, from catastrophe 
  theory to the Sadleirian litany.
  Occult: An understanding of occult rituals, theories, and 
  superstitions, as well as the better-known mystical uses of 
  occult items.
  Philosophy: Knowledge concerning the theories of thought, 
  belief, existence, and other intangibles. As it also includes 
  logic and debate, it may be used for argument or creating 
  philosophical works.
  Tactica Imperialis: The theories of the Tactica 
  Imperialis, as well as other systems of troop 
  deployment and battle techniques used by the 
  
  131
  131
  IV: Skills
  SECURITY (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Tech
  The Security Skill deals with overcoming locks and safeguards, 
  breaking into secure places or protecting them from intrusion. 
  A character with the Security Skill is trained to bypass locks 
  or hack codes, whether using cogitators and tech or simple 
  mechanical devices. Characters with Security are also able to 
  safeguard systems and locales by making their passive defences 
  more secure, even setting traps for unwary intruders and thieves.
  The GM can call a player to use the Security Skill when:
  •	 He wants to open a locked door.
  •	 He wishes to hack a cogitator and discover its secrets.
  •	 He is trying to lay traps for an ambush or to protect a camp.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Lock is very crude or simple in design. 
  +20
  Hacking a simple cogitator security system with a 
  powerful machine-spirit.
  +10
  Lock is poorly maintained or parts are not working.
  +0
  Deactivating a standard security system with basic 
  but required tools.
  –10
  Lock is well made and maintained.
  –20
  Lock is well made and of a complex design with 
  multiple parts.
  –30 
  Lock is of alien manufacture or ﬁendishly complex.
  Skill Use: 1 minute, reduced by 10 seconds for each Degree 
  of Success.
  SLEIGHT OF HAND (AGILITY)
  Aptitudes: Agility, Knowledge
  Guardsmen use the Sleight of Hand Skill for any task requiring 
  a combination of deception and dexterity. Examples include 
  palming small objects, picking pockets, or performing tricks. 
  The GM sets the difﬁculty of the Test based on the size of 
  the object and the intensity of observation. This is always an 
  Opposed Test against the opponent’s Awareness or Scrutiny. 
  The GM can call a player to use Sleight of Hand when:
  •	 He attempts to steal something from the target’s pocket.
  •	 He must palm evidence at a crime scene.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Stealing from a sleeping Ogryn.
  +20
  Picking an Ork’s pocket.
  +10
  Palming a key on a table while others are not paying 
  attention to you.
  +0
  Picking a human’s pocket.
  –10
  Taking a data slate while speaking to someone.
  –20
  Stealing from a Departmento Munitorum station.
  –30 
  Taking a knife from a Kroot’s belt.
  Skill Use: Half Action, or Free Action with an additional 
  –10 penalty. 
  SCRUTINY (PERCEPTION)
  Aptitudes: Perception, General
  The Scrutiny Skill helps assess the people or objects a 
  Guardsman encounters. The Guardsman can use Scrutiny to 
  determine an individual’s truthfulness, his motives, and appraise 
  his personality and temperament. It can also be used to analyse 
  an object or display in detail, determining information that 
  may be hidden or simply not readily apparent. 
  In general, Scrutiny is used to interpret hidden emotions, 
  motivations, or details unnoticeable unless subjected to a 
  careful analysis. Awareness is used when trying to spot items 
  or individuals. Thus, while spotting someone hidden would 
  be Awareness (see page 118), telling when someone is lying 
  would be Scrutiny.
  The GM can call a player to use the Scrutiny Skill when:
  •	 He wants to tell if someone’s lying.
  •	 He wants to discern information and conclusions from a 
  complex report. 
  •	 He is interpreting augur or auspex readings and 
  determining what they mean.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Judging the mood of a close friend.
  +20
  Judging a comrade’s mood.
  +10
  Judging the mood of someone you have met before. 
  +0
  Judging the mood of someone you haven’t met before.
  –10
  Judging an alien’s mood.
  –20
  Judging a Tech-Priest’s mood.
  –30 
  Judging a servitor’s mood.
  Skill Use: Half Action.
  SPECIAL USES FOR SECURITY
  This is one of the special uses for the Security Skill.
  TRAPS
  A character with the Security Skill can fashion and set 
  traps, given enough time and raw resources. Traps can 
  range from hiding a live grenade under a corpse (set to 
  explode when rolled over) to elaborate spiked pits, dead 
  falls, or rigged shotguns. The time, resources, and damage 
  caused by these kinds of traps depends on the GMs 
  discretion and the materials involved (see Chapter VI: 
  Armoury and Chapter VIII: Combat for guidelines 
  on weapon damage and perils). The chance that a trap 
  will go off as planned or avoid the detection by its victims 
  depends on the character’s Security Skill. This is either 
  a Skill Test (modiﬁed depending on circumstance or 
  the complexity of the trap) made secretly by the GM to 
  see if it works, or an Opposed Test against the victims 
  Awareness to spot the trap before it goes off.
  
  132
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  IV: Skills
  SURVIVAL (PERCEPTION)
  Aptitudes: Perception, Fieldcraft
  Survival is the mastery of one’s environment away from the 
  protection of dwellings, villages, or cities. A character with 
  the Survival Skill can live off the land, ride beasts, and predict 
  weather with only a minimum of equipment and without 
  the need for resupply or support. Survival can be used to 
  create primitive items such as bows or blades as well as 
  basic clothing. Survival is also used to track prey (human or 
  otherwise) across all kinds of terrain by following the tell-tale 
  signs they leave on the environment around them. 
  STEALTH (AGILITY)
  Aptitudes: Agility, Fieldcraft
  Stealth is the ability to remain unseen, while moving through a 
  crowd, the open croplands of an agri world, or the blast craters 
  of no-man’s-land. A character with the Stealth Skill can move 
  silently or conceal themselves from others, either to escape 
  from their foes or take them by surprise. Stealth also allows a 
  character to conceal their actions when in plain sight, such as 
  hiding weapons from someone searching their person.  
  When Stealth is used against an opponent (such as to hide 
  from a foe or shadow a target) it is an Opposed Test (see page 
  31). Stealth opposes and is opposed by Awareness.
  The GM can call a player to use the Stealth Skill when:
  •	 He wants to scout an enemy force without being detected.
  •	 He wants to sneak up on a foe and kill him quietly.
  •	 He wishes to follow someone without arousing suspicion.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Sneaking past a sleeping enemy without waking them.
  +20
  Sneaking past a foe with the aid of pitch darkness.
  +10
  Sneaking past a tired or distracted foe.
  +0
  Sneaking past a guard who has no reason to be suspicious.
  –10
  Sneaking past a suspicious or alert foe.
  –20
  Sneaking past a foe with no cover available.
  –30 
  Sneaking past a suspicious foe with no cover in 
  broad daylight.
  Skill Use: Free Action as part of Movement.
  SPECIAL USES FOR STEALTH
  The following is a special use for Stealth. 
  SHADOWING
  Stealth can be used to shadow others and follow them 
  unseen, either on foot, in vehicles, or even in shuttles 
  and starships. On foot it might involve using physical 
  cover or the press of bodies coming off mid-shift; 
  in a vehicle techniques might include false turns or 
  using a Cargo-8 as cover; aboard ships it can entail 
  the use of asteroids or other stellar objects or busy 
  space lanes around major systems. Stealth Skill Tests 
  for shadowing are always Opposed Tests against the 
  opponent’s Awareness. A single Stealth Skill Test is 
  sufﬁcient to follow the opponent unseen for 5 minutes 
  per Degrees of Success.
  SPECIAL USES FOR SURVIVAL
  The following are special uses for Survival.
  CRAFTING
  Survival can be used to make all kinds of primitive devices from cloaks and stone buildings to spears and traps. The time, 
  difﬁculty, and materials it takes to create these items are greatly dependent on their complexity, the kind of workshop 
  the character has and their access to designs or assistance. See the Crafting sidebar on page 115 for the kinds of things 
  that can be created using Survival.
  TRACKING
  A character can use the Survival Skill to follow the signs left by his quarry, allowing him to hunt them down. Following 
  obvious tracks does not require a Skill Test, and is considered part of a character’s movement. In instances where the 
  time or elements have eroded the signs or where the very environment makes seeing them difﬁcult, such as darkness or 
  fog, Survival Skill Tests are required. The modiﬁers for this Test depend on the condition of the traces and the tracker’s 
  surroundings. A cunning or devious quarry might attempt to conceal or erase any tracks. In any case where an opponent 
  has attempted to do this, make an Opposed Test made against the prey’s Stealth.
  WRANGLING
  Characters can tame, train, and potentially ride animals they encounter in their travels, from Spine-Hounds to the noble 
  warhorse breeds. Both taming and training beasts are Extended Tests, the duration of which is determined by the 
  nature and temper of the creature involved. Once an animal has been broken to its master’s will—or at least formed a 
  partnership for particularly strong-willed beasts—directing it or issuing commands is a Half Action. Wild animals, or 
  those trained for hostility and aggression, can have their Disposition changed by one level for every two Degrees of 
  Success, up to a maximum of three levels by a Full Action use of this Skill. GMs may impose penalties for animals that 
  have been particularly well trained or those with uncommon Willpower and Intelligence. Wrangling is of no use against 
  cyber or psy-bonded animals, nor against any xenos with true sentience.
  
  133
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  IV: Skills
  an understanding of the Blessing of the Omnissiah and the 
  rites of the Machine Cult than it is an actual knowledge of 
  the science behind technology—in the 41st Millennium, 
  however, this amounts to the same thing.
  The GM can call a player to use the Tech-Use Skill when:
  •	 He wants to repair a broken weapon or vehicle.
  •	 He wishes to push a piece of tech beyond its normal 
  capabilities.
  •	 He is trying to ﬁgure out how a piece of unknown tech 
  works.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Repairing a common device with ample parts 
  available (i.e. changing the barrel of a lasgun).
  +20
  Repairing a device with few ﬁne moving parts (i.e. 
  carapace armour).
  +10
  Repairing a device with the aid of a Tech-priest or 
  Mech-Servitor.
  +0
  Performing work on complicated devices.
  –10
  Repairing a severely damaged device with complex 
  parts (i.e. a data slate with a bullet hole).
  –20
  Repairing an ancient device or ﬁxing a device 
  without all the pieces available.
  –30 
  Repairing an alien device or one with a machine 
  spirit (i.e. a cogitator).
  Skill Use: 1 minute, or more for more complex systems.
  The GM can call a player to use the Survival Skill when:
  •	 He wants to ﬁnd food or water in a hostile environment.
  •	 He wishes to start a ﬁre with no tools.
  •	 He is trying to track a foe across the depths of the underhive.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Tracking a bleeding foe or a Massive foe.
  +20
  Tracking a foe across soft dirt, ash, or mud.
  +10
  Tracking a foe only minutes after his passing.
  +0
  Tracking a foe through a forest.
  –10
  Tracking a foe while moving rapidly (i.e. running or 
  force marching).
  –20
  Tracking a foe at night or during a storm.
  –30 
  Tracking a foe days after their passing over hard 
  rock or across shallow waterways.
  Skill Use: Full Action.
  TECH-USE (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Tech
  Tech-Use is the ability to use and interact with all manner 
  of mysterious technological devices as well as create them. 
  A character with Tech-Use can expertly operate common 
  equipment such as Vox or Pic-Casters though they might not 
  understand the inner working of such things. Tech-Use can 
  also be used to build basic or complex technical devices with 
  the right amount of time and materials. Tech-Use is more 
  SPECIAL USES FOR TECH-USE
  The following are special uses for Tech-Use.
  CRAFTING
  Tech-Use can be used to make all kinds of technical devices from simple clockwork and steam engines to advanced 
  weaponry and armour. The time, difﬁculty, and materials it takes to create these items are greatly dependent on their 
  complexity, the kind of workshop the character has, and their access to designs or Adeptus Mechanicus knowledge. See 
  the Crafting sidebar on page 115 for the kinds of things which can be created using Tech-Use.
  DEMOLITIONS
  Tech-Use can be used to determine the effectiveness of explosive devices, which is greatly dependent upon the 
  Skill with which they are placed. Success on a Tech-Use Skill Test indicates a character has successfully planted an 
  explosive charge, set with the trigger of his choice. Possible triggers are only limited by a character’s imagination, and 
  can include trip wires, timers, proximity sensors, or remote activators. Failure indicates that the explosives will fail to 
  go off when triggered, though the character does not know this until the time of activation. Four or more Degrees 
  of Failure indicate the character has set the device off prematurely and it explodes while being set! Some tasks, such 
  as rigging a building for demolition or bringing down a massive suspension bridge, require an Extended Test. The 
  GM will set difﬁculty and duration depending on the extent of the undertaking. When placing explosives, make sure 
  to note the total Degrees of Success and the die roll, as it might be used in an Opposed Test if someone attempts to 
  defuse a character’s hard work.
  Defusing charges also falls under the Tech-Use Skill. Make an Opposed Test against the Tech-Use Skill Test of the 
  individual who set the explosives. Winning the test indicates that the bomb has been diffused. Simple failure means that 
  while the charge has not been disarmed, neither has it gone off. Four or more Degrees of Failure indicate the character 
  has set off the device, suffering the consequences of the explosion. Defusing multiple charges or complex trigger 
  mechanisms might require an Extended Test, as determined by the GM.
  
  134
  IV: Skills
  Archaeologist: Used to locate, examine, and analyze ancient 
  ruins and artifacts.
  Armourer: Used to design, upgrade, and forge weaponry, 
  from personal arms to starship batteries.
  Astrographer: Used to create two and three-dimensional 
  representations of stellar locations and warp routes.
  Chymist: Used to create poisons, drugs, and a wide variety 
  of other compounds.
  Cryptographer: Used to create or decode ciphers, 
  codes, and other puzzles.
  Cook: Used to cook meals and determine if 
  scavenged food is edible.
  Explorator: Used in the exploration of unknown 
  stellar regions.
  Linguist: Used to learn or decipher new languages, 
  both spoken and written.
  Remembrancer: Used to recount events in a variety of 
  art forms, from sculpture to poetry.
  Scrimshawer: Used to inscribe patterns, text, and art 
  onto materials.
  Shipwright: Used to design, upgrade, and create 
  void-capable vessels.
  Soothsayer: Used to “foretell” the future by a 
  number of interpretative arts, though its effectiveness 
  is suspect.
  Technomat: Used to maintain and repair 
  technological devices, but through rote memorization 
  rather than true understanding.
  Voidfarer: Used in the day-to-day operation, 
  logistics, and defence of starships.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIERS
  +30
  Making a simple product with plentiful tools.
  +20
  Making a more complex product, such as a 
  scrimshawed design, but with good tools and 
  plenty of time.
  +10
  Doing mediocre work quickly.
  +0
  Brewing a somewhat complex poison with basic 
  supplies under a time limit.
  –10
  Constructing Good-Craftsmanship carapace armour.
  –20
  Constructing Good-Craftsmanship Power Armour.
  –30 
  Constructing or working on ancient tech-relics, such 
  as Terminator armour.
  Skill Use: Variable depending on task and complexity.
  TRADE (INTELLIGENCE)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, General
  Trade Skills allow the Guardsmen to create things, from 
  contracts to starships. They can identify the work of 
  particularly famous or infamous craftsmen, or recall 
  information concerning items of their trade.
  Trade Tests can represent the work of hours, weeks, or 
  months depending on the complexity of the task at hand. 
  However, Tests that involve the examination of an 
  item to recall information require a Full Action.
  134
  IV: Skills
  Chymist: Used to create poisons, drugs, and a wide variety 
  of other compounds.
  Cryptographer: Used to create or decode ciphers, 
  codes, and other puzzles.
  Cook: Used to cook meals and determine if 
  scavenged food is edible.
  Explorator: Used in the exploration of unknown 
  stellar regions.
  Linguist: Used to learn or decipher new languages, 
  both spoken and written.
  Remembrancer: Used to recount events in a variety of 
  art forms, from sculpture to poetry.
  Scrimshawer: Used to inscribe patterns, text, and art 
  onto materials.
  Shipwright: Used to design, upgrade, and create 
  void-capable vessels.
  Soothsayer: Used to “foretell” the future by a 
  number of interpretative arts, though its effectiveness 
  is suspect.
  Technomat: Used to maintain and repair 
  technological devices, but through rote memorization 
  rather than true understanding.
  Voidfarer: Used in the day-to-day operation, 
  logistics, and defence of starships.
  EXAMPLE MODIFIER
  +30
  Making a simple product with plentiful tools.
  +20
  Making a more complex product, such as a 
  scrimshawed design, but with good tools and 
  plenty of time.
  +10
  Doing mediocre work quickly.
  +0
  Brewing a somewhat complex poison with basic 
  supplies under a time limit.
  –10
  Constructing Good-Craftsmanship carapace armour.
  –20
  Constructing Good-Craftsmanship Power Armour.
  –30 
  Constructing or working on ancient tech-relics, such 
  as Terminator armour.
  Skill Use: Variable depending on task and complexity.
  information concerning items of their trade.
  Trade Tests can represent the work of hours, weeks, or 
  months depending on the complexity of the task at hand. 
  However, Tests that involve the examination of an 
  item to recall information require a Full Action.
  
  USING AND 
  GAINING TALENTS
  •
  TALENT LIST
  •
  TRAIT LIST
  
  136
  136
  V: Talents and Traits
  without taking harm, or predicts the future using cold hard 
  logic he is using Talents. On the harsh battleﬁelds of the 
  41st Millennium, the right Talents can make the difference 
  between a glorious victory for the Imperium or a crushing 
  defeat at the hands of the enemies of man.
  USING TALENTS
  Talents differ from skills in that a player usually does not need 
  to use an Action or Test to utilise the ability. They are always 
  in effect, and many Talents give bonuses to Tests or allow 
  Actions not available to the common man. In essence, once a 
  character has a Talent, its beneﬁts will always be applied to 
  their Actions unless speciﬁcally noted otherwise.
  GAINING TALENTS
  Talents represent a myriad of special abilities for characters, 
  reﬂecting their skill at arms, speciﬁc relationships and 
  reputations they might have, or any number of other things 
  that make them better than the average inhabitant of the 
  41st Millennium. Just like Skills, a character will start play 
  with a number of Talents depending on their regiment 
  and speciality (see Chapter III: Character Creation), 
  and then acquire more as they improve during play by 
  spending Experience Points. The amount of Experience 
  Points required to purchase a Talent depends on its tier and 
  which Aptitudes a character has, as detailed on page 103 
  in Chapter III: Character Creation.
  Chapter V: 
  Talents and 
  Traits
  T
  o survive and triumph on the battleﬁelds of the 
  Imperium requires truly exceptional individuals; men 
  and women who stand head-and-shoulder above their 
  peers to lead the Emperor’s armies into glorious battle. It is 
  not enough to merely know how to ﬁre a lasgun or command 
  a squad to charge into battle; a true commander must rise 
  above the rank-and-ﬁle, showing himself to be unique and 
  exceptional. This is the role that Talents play within ONLY 
  WAR, marking the player characters as individuals amongst 
  the endless ranks of the Imperial Guard.
   Talents are special abilities and proﬁciencies that a 
  character possesses either through their intrinsic nature or 
  through the application of constant use and experience. 
  This is in contrast to Skills which represent abilities gained 
  by learning or training. A Talent is an ability which a 
  character is either capable of or is not, whereas a Skill 
  is something that they can be better at by degrees. 
  When a character deﬂects an impossible blow with 
  his power sword, falls from an extreme height 
  
  137
  137
  V: Talents and Traits
  cost. In addition, higher tier Talents are more likely to have 
  prerequisites than lower tier Talents. 
  When selecting Talents, a character can choose any 
  Talent from any tier. However, he should be mindful that 
  some Talents have prerequisites. A character must meet 
  the prerequisites before he takes the Talent. 
  TALENT TIERS AND CATEGORIES
  Not all Talents are created equal, and some are unashamedly 
  better than others. For this reason all Talents are divided into 
  three levels, or tiers, rated one to three, with one being the 
  weakest and three being the most powerful. Tiers primarily 
  exist to price Talents, as higher tier Talents have a greater 
  Table 5–1: Tier 1 Talents
  Talent
  Prerequisites
  Aptitude 1
  Aptitude 2 Beneﬁt
  Air of Authority
  Air of Authority
  Fel 30
  Fel 30
  Fellowship
  Fellowship
  Leadership
  Leadership
  Affect more targets with Command.
  Affect more targets with Command.
  Ambidextrous
  Ag 30
  Weapon Skill
  Ballistic Skill Use either hand equally well—reduce penalties for using 
  two weapons.
  Berserk Charge
  —
  Strength
  Offence
  Gain an extra bonus to hit when charging.
  Blind Fighting
  Per 30
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  Suffer half usual penalties for obscured vision.
  Catfall
  Ag 30
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  Reduce falling damage.
  Cold Hearted
  —
  Willpower
  Defence
  Immune to Seduction, resistant to Charm.
  Combat Formation Int 40
  Leadership
  Fieldcraft
  Use intelligence bonus for Initiative.
  Combat Sense
  Per 30
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  Use Per bonus instead of Ag bonus for Initiative.
  Deadeye Shot
  BS 30
  Ballistic Skill
  Finesse 
  Reduce penalties for ranged called shots.
  Die Hard
  WP 40
  Willpower
  Defence
  Improves chances of surviving Blood Loss. 
  Disarm
  Ag 30
  Weapon Skill
  Defence
  Force opponent to drop weapon.
  Disturbing Voice
  —
  Fellowship
  Social
  +10 to Intimidate, –10 to Charm.
  Double Team
  —
  General
  Offence
  Gain additional +10 for outnumbering opponent.
  Enemy
  —
  General
  Social
  An organization or group particularly despises the character.
  Ferric Summons
  Ferric Lure Implants, 
  Mechanicus Implants
  Willpower
  Tech
  Can summon larger metallic objects.
  Frenzy
  —
  Strength
  Offence
  Enter psychotic rage to gain combat bonuses.
  Heightened Senses† —
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  Gain +10 bonus to particular sense.
  Iron Jaw
  T 40
  Toughness
  Defence
  Test Toughness to overcome Stunning.
  Jaded
  WP 40
  Willpower
  Defence
  Ignore mundane horrors.
  Leap Up
  Ag 30
  Agility
  General
  Stand as a Free Action.
  Light Sleeper
  Per 30
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  Count as awake even when sleeping.
  Lightning Reﬂexes —
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  Roll twice and take the highest for Initiative rolls.
  Meditation
  —
  Willpower
  Knowledge
  Character may enter a trance to ignore Fatigue.
  Mimic
  —
  Fellowship
  Social
  Character can copy voices.
  Orthoproxy
  —
  Willpower
  Tech
  +20 bonus to resist mind control or interrogation.
  Peer
  Fel 30
  Fellowship
  Social
  Character has good reputation amongst chosen group.
  Polyglot
  Int 40, Fel 30
  Intelligence
  Social
  Character has innate grasp of languages.
  Psychic Power†
  Psyker
  Willpower
  Psyker
  May take one psychic power.
  Quick Draw
  —
  Agility
  Finesse 
  Draw weapon as Free Action.
  Radiant Presence
  Fel 40
  Fellowship
  Leadership
  Character has an inspiring aura.
  Rapid Reload
  —
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  Reduce reload time.
  Resistance†
  —
  Toughness
  Defence
  Gain +10 bonus to particular resistance Test.
  Sound Constitution —
  Toughness
  General
  Gain an additional Wound.
  Street Fighting
  WS 30
  Weapon Skill
  Offence
  Add half WS to Critical Damage.
  Sure Strike
  WS 30 
  Weapon Skill
  Finesse 
  Reduce penalties for melee Called Shots.
  Takedown
  —
  Weapon Skill
  Offence
  Make special attack to stun opponent.
  Technical Knock
  Int 30
  Intelligence
  Tech
  Un-jam gun as Half Action.
  Total Recall
  Int 30
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  Character can remember trivial facts and minor details.
  Unarmed Warrior
  WS 35, Ag 35
  Strength
  Offence
  Improves unarmed attacks.
  Unremarkable
  —
  General
  Social
  Character is easily forgettable.
  Warp Sense
  Psy Rating, 
  Psyniscience, Per 30
  Perception
  Psyker
  Allows Psyniscience Test as Free Action.
  Weapon-Tech
  Tech Use +10, Int 40
  Intelligence
  Tech
  Increase potency of advanced weaponry.
  Weapon Training†
  —
  General
  Finesse 
  Use Weapon Group without penalty.
  †Denotes Specialist Talent.
  
  138
  V: Talents and Traits
  Table 5–2: Tier 2 Talents
  Talent
  Talent
  Prerequisites
  Prerequisites
  Aptitude 1
  Aptitude 1
  Aptitude 2
  Aptitude 2 Beneﬁt
  Beneﬁt
  Armour-Monger
  Int 35, Tech-Use, Trade 
  (Armourer)
  Intelligence
  Tech
  Increase the efﬁcacy of physical armour.
  Battle Rage
  Frenzy
  Strength
  Defence
  Parry while frenzied.
  Bulging Biceps
  S 45
  Strength
  Offence
  Remove bracing requirement from certain weapons.
  Combat Master
  WS 30
  Weapon Skill
  Defence
  Opponents get no bonus for outnumbering the 
  character.
  Counter Attack
  WS 40
  Weapon Skill
  Defence
  May attack after successful Parry.
  Crack Shot
  BS 50
  Ballistic Skill
  Finesse 
  Add +2 to ranged Crit Damage.
  Crippling Strike
  WS 50
  Weapon Skill
  Finesse 
  Add +2 to melee Crit Damage.
  Deﬂect Shot
  Ag 50
  Weapon Skill
  Defence
  Add WS Bonus to AP against Primitive ranged attacks.
  Exotic Weapon 
  Training
  —
  Intelligence
  Finesse 
  Gain proﬁciency with one exotic weapon.
  Foresight
  Int 30
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  Contemplate to gain +10 bonus to next Test.
  Furious Assault
  WS 35
  Weapon Skill
  Offence
  On a successful WS Test, gain a free second attack.
  Hard Target
  Ag 40
  Agility
  Defence
  –20 to hit character when he Charges or Runs.
  Hardy
  T 40
  Toughness
  Defence
  Character always heals as if lightly wounded.
  Hatred†
  —
  Weapon Skill
  Social
  Gain +10 bonus to attack hated creatures.
  Hip Shooting
  BS 40, Ag 40
  Ballistic Skill
  Finesse 
  Characters may shoot when moving.
  Hotshot Pilot
  Ag 40, Operate (any)
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  Character can drive or ﬂy anything.
  Independent 
  Targeting
  BS 40
  Ballistic Skill
  Finesse 
  Fire at multiple targets more than 10 metres apart.
  Inspire Wrath
  Air of Authority
  Fellowship
  Leadership
  Inspire crowd to hatred and anger.
  Iron Discipline
  Fel 30
  Fellowship
  Leadership
  Comrades resist Pinning and Fear.
  Killing Strike
  WS 50
  Weapon Skill
  Offence
  Spend Fate Point to make melee attacks unavoidable.
  Luminen Shock
  Luminen Capacitors, 
  Mechanicus Implants
  Weapon Skill
  Tech
  Character can discharge energy in melee attack.
  Maglev 
  Transcendence
  Maglev Coils/
  Mechanicus Implants
  Intelligence
  Tech
  Character can hover for longer periods of time.
  Marksman
  BS 35
  Ballistic Skill
  Finesse 
  No penalties for ﬁring at long or extreme range.
  Mechadendrite Use† Mechanicus Implants
  Intelligence
  Tech
  Gain ability to use certain Mechadendrites.
  Munitorum 
  Inﬂuence
  —
  Fellowship
  Social
  +5 Bonus to Squad Logistics Rating.
  Nerves of Steel
  —
  Willpower
  Defence
  Reroll Pinning Tests.
  Paranoia
  —
  Perception
  Fieldcraft
  Character is always alert for danger.
  Precise Blow
  WS 40, Sure Strike
  Weapon Skill
  Finesse 
  Reduce penalty for melee called shots.
  Prosanguine
  Autosanguine Implant, 
  Mechanicus Implants
  Toughness
  Tech
  Test to heal 1d5 Damage.
  Rapid Reaction
  Ag 40
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  Test Ag to ignore surprise.
  Sharpshooter
  BS 40, Deadeye Shot
  Ballistic Skill
  Finesse 
  Decrease penalty for ranged called shots.
  Strong Minded
  WP 30, Resistance 
  (Psychic Powers)
  Willpower
  Defence
  May reroll failed WP Tests to resist Psychic Powers.
  Storm of Iron
  BS 45, Weapon 
  Training (any one 
  ranged)
  Ballistic Skill
  Offence
  Allocate extra full-auto and semi-auto hits to additional 
  targets within ﬁve metres.
  Swift Attack
  WS 30
  Weapon Skill
  Finesse 
  May make multiple melee attacks.
  Two-Weapon 
  Wielder†
  —
  Weapon Skill/
  Ballistic Skill
  Finesse 
  May ﬁght with two weapons.
  Unarmed Master
  WS 45, Ag 40, 
  Unarmed Warrior
  Strength
  Offence
  Deadly ﬁghter while unarmed.
  Unshakable Faith
  WP 35
  Willpower
  Defence
  May reroll failed Fear Tests.
  Warp Conduit
  Psy Rating, Strong 
  Minded, WP 50
  Willpower
  Psyker
  Spend Fate Point to get +1d5 to Psy Rating.
  Whirlwind of 
  Death
  WS 40
  Weapon Skill
  Finesse 
  Make one attack for each melee opponent.
  †Denotes Specialist Talent.
  
  139
  V: Talents and Traits
  speciﬁcally listed in the Peer specialisations, a character could 
  still choose them with the approval of the GM.
  TALENT PREREQUISITES
  Several Talents require the Player Character to possess a 
  prerequisite before their selection. This represents a certain innate 
  ability level required to employ speciﬁc Talents, or a Skill or other 
  Talent necessary to access more advanced capabilities. These 
  prerequisites may take the form of Skills, Talents, Aptitudes, 
  Characteristic scores, or even special abilities. 
  SPECIALIST TALENTS
  Several Talents are not one Talent but many, and require a 
  character to select a speciﬁc specialisation when taking the 
  Talent. Thus, when selecting the Peer Talent, a character 
  would also choose a speciﬁc group or organization from 
  those listed within the description, such as Peer (Schola 
  Progenium). Each time a character gains the Talent, they are 
  in effect taking a new Talent, and must choose a different 
  specialisation, so the next time a character selected Peer he 
  might opt for Peer (Adeptus Mechanicus). In many cases, 
  group listings are representative as opposed to all inclusive, 
  so even though groups like the Valhalan Ice Warriors are not 
  Table 5–3: Tier 3 Talents
  Talent
  Talent
  Prerequisites
  Prerequisites
  Aptitude 1
  Aptitude 1 Aptitude 2
  Aptitude 2 Beneﬁt
  Beneﬁt
  Arms Master
  WS 40, BS 40, Weapon 
  Training (any two)
  Weapon Skill Ballistic Skill Less penalty for using weapons untrained.
  Assassin Strike
  Ag 40, Acrobatics
  Weapon Skill Fieldcraft
  After making melee attack, test Acrobatics to move.
  After making melee attack, test Acrobatics to move.
  Bastion of Iron Will
  Psy Rating, Strong Minded, 
  WP 40
  Willpower
  Psyker
  Gain bonus to Opposed Tests when defending 
  Gain bonus to Opposed Tests when defending 
  against psychic powers.
  Blademaster
  WS 30, Weapon Training 
  (any melee)
  Weapon Skill Finesse 
  Reroll missed attack, once per Round.
  Blade Dancer
  WS 40, Two-Weapon 
  Wielder (Melee)
  Weapon Skill Finesse 
  Reduced penalties for ﬁghting with two melee 
  Reduced penalties for ﬁghting with two melee 
  weapons.
  Crushing Blow
  WS 40
  Weapon Skill Offence
  Add half WS Bonus to Damage inﬂicted in melee.
  Add half WS Bonus to Damage inﬂicted in melee.
  Eye of Vengeance
  BS 50
  Ballistic Skill Offence
  Adds Damage and Pen to ranged attack.
  Favoured by the Warp
  WP 35
  Willpower
  Psyker
  Roll twice for Psychic Phenomena and choose.
  Roll twice for Psychic Phenomena and choose.
  Fearless
  Nerves of Steel 
  Willpower
  Defence
  Immune to Fear and Pinning.
  Gunslinger
  BS 40, Two-Weapon Wielder 
  (Ballistic)
  Ballistic Skill Finesse 
  Reduce penalties for ﬁghting with two pistols.
  Reduce penalties for ﬁghting with two pistols.
  Hammer Blow
  Crushing Blow
  Strength
  Offence
  Make a thunderous strike with a melee weapon.
  Make a thunderous strike with a melee weapon.
  Infused Knowledge
  Int 40, Lore (any one)
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  Know a little bit about everything.
  Into the Jaws of Hell
  Iron Discipline, Fel 50
  Fellowship
  Leadership
  Comrades ignore Fear and Pinning.
  Lasgun Barrage
  Weapon Training (Las), BS 40 Ballistic Skill Offence
  Additional DoS when ﬁring Las weapons.
  Lightning Attack
  Swift Attack
  Weapon Skill Finesse 
  Character may make many melee attacks with 
  single roll.
  Luminen Blast
  Luminen Shock, Luminen 
  Capacitors, Mechanicus Implants
  Ballistic Skill Tech
  May discharge stored energy as a ranged attack.
  May discharge stored energy as a ranged attack.
  Master Chirurgeon
  Medicae +10
  Intelligence
  Fieldcraft
  Perform advanced medical procedures.
  Master Enginseer
  Tech-Use +20, 
  Mechanicus Implants
  Intelligence
  Tech
  Gain +10 to Tech-Use Tests, and spend Fate Points 
  Gain +10 to Tech-Use Tests, and spend Fate Points 
  to automatically succeed on Tech-Use Tests.
  Master Orator
  Inspire Wrath
  Fellowship
  Leadership
  Affect larger groups with Charm and Intimidate.
  Affect larger groups with Charm and Intimidate.
  Mastery†
  Rank 4 in Selected Skill
  Intelligence
  Knowledge
  May spend Fate Point to succeed on Test.
  Mighty Shot
  BS 40
  Ballistic Skill Offence
  Add half BS Bonus to ranged Damage rolls.
  Never Die
  WP 50, T 50
  Toughness
  Defence
  Ignore penalties from Critical Damage by 
  spending Fate Point.
  Preternatural Speed
  WS 40, Ag 50
  Agility
  Offence
  Double speed when charging.
  Sidearm
  WS 40, BS 40, Two-Weapon 
  Wielder (Ballistic, Melee)
  Weapon Skill Ballistic Skill Reduce penalties for ﬁghting with pistol and 
  melee weapon.
  Sprint
  —
  Agility
  Fieldcraft
  Move more quickly in combat.
  Step Aside
  Agility 40, Dodge or Parry
  Agility
  Defence
  May make additional Dodge or Parry attempt.
  May make additional Dodge or Parry attempt.
  Target Selection
  BS 50
  Ballistic Skill Finesse 
  May shoot into melee without penalty.
  Thunder Charge
  S 50
  Strength
  Offence
  Break enemies with armoured charge.
  True Grit
  T 40
  Toughness
  Defence
  Reduce Critical Damage taken.
  Warp Lock
  Psy Rating, Strong Minded, 
  WP 50
  Willpower
  Psyker
  Ignore Psychic Phenomenon once per session.
  Ignore Psychic Phenomenon once per session.
  †Denotes Specialist Talent.
  
  140
  140
  V: Talents and Traits
  he is untrained in, he only suffers a –10 penalty, rather than a 
  –20. The only exception to Arms Master are exotic weapons, 
  which are so unusual or rare that they always require their 
  own weapon training Talents to use without penalty, and gain 
  no bonus when combined with this Talent.
  ASSASSIN STRIKE
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Agility 40, Acrobatics
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Fieldcraft
  The character’s natural agility and graceful martial form turn 
  him into a dervish of death on the battleﬁeld. After making 
  a melee attack, a successful Acrobatics Skill Test allows the 
  character to move at half rate as a Free Action. The character’s 
  opponent does not receive a free attack resulting from this 
  move. The character may only make this move once per Round.
  BASTION OF IRON WILL
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Psy Rating, Strong Minded, Willpower 40
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Psyker
  The character’s sheer willpower and psychic focus have 
  become one and the same over years of practice and training, 
  such that their combined use is second nature. The character 
  adds 5 x his Psy Rating to any Opposed Test involving 
  defending against Psychic Powers.
  Talents
  B
  elow is a listing of the Talents available to characters, 
  presented on the previous three tables (divided by tier) 
  along with a brief description. The full explanation of 
  each Talent is then listed after these tables alphabetically.
  AIR OF AUTHORITY
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Fellowship 30
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Leadership
  The character was born to command, either motivating or 
  terrifying those under their charge. When making Command 
  Skill Tests, the character may affect a number of targets equal 
  to 100 times their Fellowship Bonus rather than just 10. If 
  the character is giving an Order to his Squad, the order’s 
  range is increased by 100 metres. This Talent has no effect on 
  hostile targets and only affects NPCs.
  AMBIDEXTROUS
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Agility 30
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill
  This Talent does not represent true ambidexterity so much as 
  sufﬁcient training with both hands to make the distinction 
  moot. The character may use either hand equally well for any 
  task, and does not suffer the –20 penalty for actions using their 
  off hand. 
  Special: When combined with Two-Weapon Wielder Talent, 
  the penalty for making attacks with both weapons in the 
  same Turn drops to –10. 
  ARMOUR-MONGER
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Intelligence 35, Tech-Use, Trade (Armourer)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Tech
  The character is a skilled armourer and constantly tinkers and 
  improves his armour or keeps it in pristine shape by repairing 
  the slightest damage it sustains. With years of training, the 
  character has even learned to enhance the protection afforded 
  by his armour and how to use it to its optimum. The character 
  increases the Armour Points of any armour he wears by 1 
  on all locations it would normally cover, as long as he has at 
  least an hour each day to clean and repair it or make minor 
  modiﬁcations. This bonus applies only to armour when worn 
  by the character, as it combines his training as much as his 
  skill at armoury.
  ARMS MASTER
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 40, Ballistic Skill 40, Weapon 
  Training (any two)
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill
  The character is a true master of weapons and there is 
  practically nothing he cannot pick up and use with 
  ease, from autoguns to plasma pistol or chainswords 
  to shock mauls. When the character uses a weapon 
  
  141
  141
  V: Talents and Traits
  BULGING BICEPS
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Strength 45
  Aptitudes: Strength, Offence
  Whereas a weaker man might be sent ﬂying by the recoil 
  of a heavy weapon, this character’s strong physique allows 
  him to remain standing. The character can ﬁre heavy weapons 
  using Semi-Auto Burst or Full Auto Burst without bracing, 
  and he does not suffer the –30 penalty for failing to brace. 
  In addition, whenever the character uses the Athletics Heft 
  Special Skill Use (see page 117) he may add +20 to his 
  Athletics Skill Test to reﬂect his massive muscles. 
  CATFALL
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Agility 30
  Aptitudes: Agility, Fieldcraft
  Gymnastic ability and natural balance enables the character to 
  fall great distances without harm. The character automatically 
  reduces the distance of all falls by a number of metres equal to 
  his Agility Bonus, ignoring this distance as if it did not exist. 
  In addition, the character adds +20 to their Acrobatics Skill 
  Tests when using the Jump Special Skill Use as it pertains to 
  reducing Damage from falling.
  COLD HEARTED
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Defence
  Either chemical and surgical treatments or sheer will has 
  rendered the character immune to most mundane temptations. 
  Seduction attempts against him automatically fail and Charm 
  Tests increase their Difﬁculty by one level. Taking this Talent 
  causes one Insanity Point.
  COMBAT FORMATION
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Intelligence 40
  Aptitudes: Leadership, Fieldcraft
  The character makes sure the Squad is constantly alert 
  and prepared for danger, planning out their actions for 
  many contingencies if attacked. All members of the Squad 
  (including the character) add +1 to their Initiative rolls. Any 
  member of the Squad may also choose to use the Intelligence 
  Bonus of this character for their Initiative roll rather than 
  their own Agility Bonus.
  COMBAT MASTER
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 30
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Defence
  The character’s weapon seems to be everywhere at once, 
  keeping many more opponents at bay in close combat than 
  would seem possible. Opponents ﬁghting the character in 
  hand-to-hand combat gain no bonuses for Ganging Up 
  (see page 253).
  BATTLE RAGE
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Frenzy
  Aptitudes: Strength, Defence
  Long experience and indomitable will have allowed the 
  character to master the beast within, directing its rage while 
  keeping his head, despite the howling bloodlust in his mind. 
  The character may Parry while Frenzied. In addition, such is 
  the character’s control, he may re-roll a failed roll to snap out 
  of Frenzy or resist entering Frenzy if he so chooses.
  BERSERK CHARGE
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Strength, Offence
  The character has learned to put the whole force of their 
  momentum behind their weapon blows and when the 
  character charges into combat, few can stand before them. If 
  the character uses the Charge Action, his Weapon Skill Test is 
  Easy (+30) instead of Routine (+20).
  BLADEMASTER
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 30, Weapon Training (any melee)
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Finesse
  The character’s mastery of bladed weapons and their martial 
  disciplines has no peer. When attacking with any bladed 
  weapon, including chainswords, axes, and power swords, the 
  character may re-roll one missed attack per Round.
  BLADE DANCER
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 40, Two Weapon Wielder (Melee)
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Finesse
  The character has mastered the difﬁcult ability to wield a blade or 
  other melee weapon in either hand, making expert simultaneous 
  attacks as they weave a deadly pattern of steel. When armed with 
  two single-handed melee weapons with the Balanced Quality, 
  the character reduces the penalties for Two-Weapon Fighting 
  (see page 252) by 10 (so –20 would drop to –10). If taken with 
  the Ambidextrous Talent, this drops the penalty to +0. 
  BLIND FIGHTING
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Perception 30
  Aptitudes: Perception, Fieldcraft
  Years of practice and development of other senses allows 
  the character to ﬁght in close combat without the beneﬁt of 
  sight. This Talent reduces all penalties for ﬁghting with a 
  melee weapon while suffering from obscured vision by half 
  (rounded up), permitting the character to ﬁght in fog, smoke, 
  or darkness more effectively. See (see page 253) for a full 
  list of attack penalties based on lighting and vision. Note this 
  Talent only improves a character’s chances to hit with melee 
  weapons and has no effect on ranged weapon attacks.
  
  142
  V: Talents and Traits
  DEADEYE SHOT
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 30
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
  The character’s rock-steady hand and hawk-like eyesight 
  make him a dreaded marksman. No target, however agile 
  or small, can escape his crosshairs. When making a Called 
  Shot (see page 244) ranged attack, the character reduces the 
  penalty by 10 (so a –20 becomes a –10 instead).
  DEFLECT SHOT
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Agility 50
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Defence
  The character’s weapons move with such speed that they 
  can deﬂect thrown weapons and shots ﬁred from primitive 
  weapons. When the character is armed with a readied melee 
  weapon, they add their Weapon Skill Bonus to their Armour 
  Points on all locations (even unarmoured locations) when 
  calculating Damage from hits from ranged weapons with the 
  Primitive Special Quality or Thrown weapons.
  DIE HARD
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Willpower 40
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Defence
  Through either willpower or sheer stubbornness, the character 
  refuses to die. When he suffers from blood loss, he may roll 
  twice to avoid death.
  DISARM
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Agility 30
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Defence
  The character can wrest weapons from their opponent’s 
  hands through practised technique or brute force. If in close 
  combat, the character may use a Full Action to disarm his foe 
  by making an Opposed Weapon Skill Test. If the character 
  wins the Test, the enemy drops his weapon at his feet. Should 
  the character obtain three or more Degrees of Success, he 
  may take the enemy’s weapon from him.
  DISTURBING VOICE 
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social
  The character’s voice has particularly baleful or menacing 
  qualities, causing others to quail before it. The character 
  gains a +10 bonus to all Intimidate Skill Tests, but suffers 
  a –10 penalty to Fellowship Tests when dealing with others 
  in a non-threatening manner, such as animals, children, or 
  the easily startled. In addition, the character is more adept as 
  instilling fear in his followers and when using the Command 
  Terrify Special Skill Use (see page 119), and adds +10 to his 
  Command Skill Test to counter the effects of Fear.
  COMBAT SENSE
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Perception 30
  Aptitudes: Perception, Fieldcraft
  The character has the ability to consciously recognise the 
  proddings of his subconscious as it reacts to his preternaturally 
  sharp senses, giving him an edge that mere speed cannot 
  match. The character may use his Perception Bonus in place 
  of their Agility Bonus when rolling Initiative.
  COUNTER ATTACK
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 40
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Defence
  The character’s lightning ripostes are things of deadly beauty; 
  swift and invisible as the wind. After successfully Parrying an 
  opponent’s attack, the character may immediately make an 
  attack against that opponent using the weapon with which 
  they parried as a Free Action, even though it is not their Turn. 
  This attack suffers a –20 penalty and may not be combined 
  with any ability which allows more than one hit or attack 
  such as Lighting Attack or Two-Weapon Fighting. This 
  ability may only be used once per Turn, even if the character 
  makes more than one Parry attempt.
  CRACK SHOT
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 50
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
  The character can place his shots where they will inﬂict more 
  harm, such as at creases, gaps, or joints in armour. When the 
  character’s ranged attack causes Critical Damage, add +2 to 
  the Damage result.
  CRIPPLING STRIKE
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 50
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Finesse
  The character can land their blows precisely where they will 
  inﬂict the most harm, cutting into seams or hammering at 
  weak points. When the character’s melee attack causes Critical 
  Damage, add +2 to the Damage result.
  CRUSHING BLOW
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 40
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Offence
  The character has the ability to focus their entire body into 
  close combat attacks. The character adds half their Weapon 
  Skill Bonus rounded down to Damage they inﬂict in melee.
  
  143
  V: Talents and Traits
  Unlike other Talents, this Talent does not cost any 
  experience points to purchase and cannot be taken as an 
  advance. Instead the GM and player may agree to award 
  this Talent when appropriate to the adventure or campaign. 
  This Talent can be removed with an Elite Advance and the 
  approval of the GM, if the character has redeemed himself 
  with the group in question.
  This Talent may be awarded multiple times for the same 
  group, in which case it should be listed as Enemy (X), with X 
  equalling the number of times the Talent has been awarded. 
  This can be used to represent groups who particularly hate 
  the character and want to see him dead. In game terms, the 
  penalty to Fellowship Tests increases to –10 times X, with X 
  being the number of times the Talent has been awarded.
  EXOTIC WEAPON TRAINING
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: None
  Specialisations: (each single exotic weapon)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Finesse
  The character is trained to use a particularly obscure type of 
  weapon, allowing them to use armaments few others have 
  ever seen. Weapons requiring this unique Talent are noted in 
  their armoury descriptions. When a character attempts to use 
  a weapon for which he does not have the correct Weapon 
  Training Talent, he suffers a –20 penalty to any relevant 
  Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill Test. Unlike other kinds 
  of weapons training, this Talent applies only to a single 
  weapon and not a class of weapons.
  DOUBLE TEAM
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: General, Offence
  The character has experience of ﬁghting in paired teams that 
  work together to take down their enemies. When ganging up 
  on an opponent, the character gains an additional +10 bonus 
  to Weapon Skill Tests. If both the characters that outnumber the 
  enemy have this Talent then both gain an additional +10 bonus, 
  for a total of +20. This bonus is in addition to the normal bonus 
  gained from Ganging Up on an opponent (see page 253).
  ENEMY 
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Specialisations: Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, 
  Adeptus Astartes, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adepta Sororitas, Adeptus 
  Titanicus, Administratum, Astropaths, Dark Mechanicus, Daemon 
  Prince, Ecclesiarchy, Chartist Captains, Heretical Cult, Imperial 
  Navy, Inquisition, Navigators, Ofﬁcio Assassinorum, Planetary 
  Defence Force, Planetary Governors or Warlords, Rogue Traders, 
  Schola Progenium, Scholastica Psykana, Traitor Legions
  Aptitudes: General, Social
  The opposite of Peer; the character is particularly despised 
  and possibly hunted by a speciﬁc social group or organisation. 
  The character suffers an additional –10 penalty to Fellowship 
  Tests when dealing with this group, and the GM may use 
  them to complicate his life from time to time.
  POWERS WITHIN AND WITHOUT
  The Spinward Front is a complex warfront, where many different multi-facetted factions vie for power. The Imperium 
  alone is a vast machine made up of many divisions and sub-divisions of authority, power, and responsibility. In addition to 
  the many layers of organisation within the Imperium, there are countless more that exist outside the ofﬁcial architecture 
  of power, or only within particular locales.
  Administratum: The vast bureaucracy of the Imperium that administers its domains.
  Adeptus Arbites: The keepers of Imperial law and enforcers of loyalty to the Golden Throne. 
  Adeptus Astartes: The genetically enhanced, power armour clad angels of death.
  Astra Telepathica: The organisation that trains and sanctions Imperial Psykers.
  Adeptus Mechanicus: The Tech-priests who are the preservers and fabricators of technology.
  Adepta Sororitas: The female holy orders who include the Sisters of Battle.
  Adeptus Titanicus: The Titan Legions whose vast war machines shake planets when they walk.
  Astropaths: The telepaths who unite the Imperium through telepathic communication.
  Chartist Captains: The masters of space craft who voyage within the bounds of the Imperium.
  Ecclesiarchy: The keepers of faith in the Emperor’s divinity.
  Heretical Cults: The many heretical cults operating in the Spinward Front and Calixis Sector.
  Imperial Guard: The Imperium’s vast armies of men and women.
  Imperial Navy: The forces of warships that defend the worlds of the Imperium.
  Inquisition: The secretive protectors of the Emperor’s dominion.
  Navigators: The mutants whose abilities allow starships to pass through the warp.
  Ofﬁcio Assassinorum: The secret bringers of death.
  Planetary Defence Force: The military forces raised on planets to defend against invaders.
  Rogue Trader: One of those who voyage beyond the bounds of the Imperium. 
  Schola Progenium: The schools that teach orphans of Imperial ofﬁcials.
  Scholastica Psykana: The organisation that trains and sanctions Imperial Psykers.
  Traitor Legions: Fallen brothers of the Adeptus Astartes ﬁlled with hate and dark purpose.
  Warlords: Leaders who have fallen from the light of the Imperium, ranging from planetary masters to petty chieftains.
  
  144
  V: Talents and Traits
  FRENZY
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Strength, Offence
  The character’s temper and passion boil just below the 
  surface of his psyche, mostly held in check by his rational 
  mind, but easily released when needed. If the character 
  spends one full Round fuelling his anger—by ﬂagellation, 
  drugs, or other means—on the next Round he goes into an 
  uncontrolled rage, gaining a +10 bonus to Weapon Skill, 
  Strength, Toughness, and Willpower, but suffering a –20 
  penalty to Ballistic Skill, Intelligence, and Fellowship—note 
  that Characteristic penalties are different from Characteristic 
  Damage (see page 188), and cannot reduce a Characteristic 
  below 1. While Frenzied, the character must attack the nearest 
  enemy in melee combat if possible. If he is not engaged with 
  the nearest enemy, he must move towards that enemy and 
  engage it if possible. The character will not take obviously 
  suicidal actions such as leaping off a building in order to 
  engage someone on the ground, but he will take any actions 
  that have a reasonable opportunity to engage in melee with 
  the nearest enemy. 
  While Frenzied, he is immune to Fear, Pinning, stunning 
  effects, the effects of Fatigue, and he may not Parry, retreat, 
  or ﬂee. He remains Frenzied for the duration of the combat. 
  Characters may not use psychic powers while Frenzied. After 
  combat ends, or if there are no more eligible enemy targets 
  for the character to attack, he can make a Willpower Test to 
  snap out of his Frenzy. If he fails, he must continue to attack, 
  favouring NPCs over PCs. Each successive Round, however, 
  he may make another Willpower Test, with a cumulative +10 
  bonus to return to a stable state of mind and come out of 
  Frenzy. After Frenzying, a character may not Frenzy again for 
  at least an hour as he recovers his mental and physical strength.
  FURIOUS ASSAULT
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 35
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Offence
  The character’s speed and martial prowess allow him to 
  land several blows where lesser combatants land one. If the 
  character successfully hits his target using the All Out Attack 
  Action, they may spend their Reaction (and thus cannot Parry 
  or Dodge until their next Turn) to make an additional Attack 
  using the same bonuses or penalties as the original attack.
  GUNSLINGER
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 40, Two-Weapon Wielder (Ranged)
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
  The character has trained with pistols for so long that they are 
  like extensions of their own body, barely requiring conscious 
  thought to aim and ﬁre. When armed with two pistol class 
  weapons that he can use single handedly, the character 
  reduces the penalty for Two-Weapon Fighting by 10 (so –20 
  would drop to –10). If taken with the Ambidextrous Talent, 
  this drops the penalty to +0.
  EYE OF VENGEANCE
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 50
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Offence
  The character can focus their intent on where it is likely to 
  do most damage to their enemy and then strike them down 
  with a single shot. Before making a ranged Standard Attack 
  Action, the character may spend a Fate Point. If he does so, his 
  attack deals +X Damage and gains +X Pen, where X equals 
  the number of Degrees of Success scored on the attack roll.
  FAVOURED BY THE WARP
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Willpower 35
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Psyker
  Whenever a Power Roll results in Psychic Phenomena, the 
  character may roll one additional time on that table and 
  take the more favourable result. Perils of the Warp affect 
  him as normal.
  FEARLESS
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Nerves of Steel
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Defence
  Through hard experience with horrifying situations, fear no 
  longer commands the character’s actions. The character is 
  immune to the effects of Fear and Pinning, but disengaging 
  from combat or backing down from a ﬁght is difﬁcult 
  for them to stomach, and as such requires a successful 
  Willpower Test.
  FERRIC SUMMONS
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Ferric Lure Implants, Mechanicus Implants
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Tech
  The character can call an unsecured metal object to his hand as 
  with Ferric Lure Implants (see page 206). He may summon 
  objects of up to 2 kilograms per point of his Willpower Bonus 
  and may summon objects up to 40 metres distant. 
  FORESIGHT
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Intelligence 30
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Knowledge
  Logic and analysis do for the character what animal entrails 
  and the bones claim to do for the superstitious masses. By 
  careful consideration of all the possible consequences and 
  examination of all evidence and information, the character 
  can identify the best path for success. By spending ten 
  minutes studying or analysing a problem, the character gains 
  a +10 bonus to his next Intelligence Test or a Skill Test based 
  on Intelligence.
  
  145
  V: Talents and Traits
  HARDY
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Toughness 40
  Aptitudes: Toughness, Defence
  The character’s constitution rebounds quickly from shock 
  or injury. When undergoing medical treatment or healing 
  from injuries, the character always recovers Damage as if 
  lightly wounded regardless of the level of Damage they 
  have sustained. 
  HATRED
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: None
  Specialisations: Chaos Space Marines, Daemons, Mutants, 
  Psykers, Xenos (speciﬁc), other
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Social
  A group, organisation, or race has wronged the character in 
  the past, fuelling this animosity. When ﬁghting opponents of 
  that group in close combat, the character gains a +10 bonus to 
  all Weapon Skill Tests made against them. The character also 
  ﬁnds it difﬁcult to back down from a ﬁght with his hated foe 
  and must make a Willpower Test to retreat or surrender when 
  ﬁghting them, unless massively outnumbered or outclassed.
  HEIGHTENED SENSES
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Specialisations: Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch
  Aptitudes: Perception, Fieldcraft
  Either genetics or augmetics have made one of the character’s 
  senses superior to others. When the character gains this 
  Talent, select one of the ﬁve senses: The character gains a 
  +10 bonus to any Tests speciﬁcally involving this sense. Thus, 
  Heightened Senses (Sight) would apply to an Awareness Test 
  to see a distant ﬂock of Shale Crows, but not to a Ballistic 
  Skill Test or a Weapon Skill Test because the character is not 
  just using their eyes.
  This Talent may be taken more than once, each time with 
  a different specialisation.
  HIP SHOOTING
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 40, Agility 40
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
  The character’s prowess with ranged weapons is such that 
  they can still ﬁre accurately without their eye behind the 
  sights. As a Full Action, the character may both move up to 
  their Full Move rate and make a single attack with a ranged 
  weapon. This attack can only be a single shot and may not 
  be a semi- or full-automatic ranged attack. Characters with 
  the Two-Weapon Fighting Talent may use this Talent with 
  Hip Shooting to make two single shots, if they are armed 
  with a ranged weapon in either hand.
  HAMMER BLOW
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Crushing Blow
  Aptitudes: Strength, Offence
  The character strikes a single blow with such focus and force 
  that it breaks armour and pulps ﬂesh as it strikes. When the 
  character uses an All Out Attack manoeuvre to make a single 
  melee attack, they may add half their Strength Bonus to 
  the weapon’s Armour Penetration. The attack also counts as 
  having the Concussive (2) Special Quality to represent the 
  shocking force of the blow’s impact
  HARD TARGET
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Agility 40
  Aptitudes: Agility, Defence
  Light on his feet, the character dodges 
  and weaves as he moves, skills learned 
  from long years in the line of ﬁre. 
  When the character performs a Charge 
  or Run action, opponents suffer a –20 
  penalty to Ballistic Skill Tests made 
  to hit 
  the character with a ranged 
  weapon. This penalty 
  continues until the 
  start of the character’s 
  next Turn.
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite:
  Specialisations:
  Psykers, Xenos (speciﬁc), other
  Aptitudes:
  A group, organisation, or race has wronged the character in 
  the past, fuelling this animosity. When ﬁghting opponents of 
  that group in close combat, the character gains a +10 bonus to 
  all Weapon Skill Tests made against them. The character also 
  ﬁnds it difﬁcult to back down from a ﬁght with his hated foe 
  and must make a Willpower Test to retreat or surrender when 
  ﬁghting them, unless massively outnumbered or outclassed.
  HEIGH
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: 
  Specialisations:
  Aptitudes:
  Either genetics or augmetics have made one of the character’s 
  senses superior to others. When the character gains this 
  Talent, select one of the ﬁve senses: The character gains a 
  +10 bonus to any Tests speciﬁcally involving this sense. Thus, 
  Heightened Senses (Sight) would apply to an Awareness Test 
  to see a distant ﬂock of Shale Crows, but not to a Ballistic 
  Skill Test or a Weapon Skill Test because the character is not 
  just using their eyes.
  This Talent may be taken more than once, each time with 
  a different specialisation.
  HIP S
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite:
  Aptitudes:
  The character’s prowess with ranged weapons is such that 
  they can still ﬁre accurately without their eye behind the 
  sights. As a Full Action, the character may both move up to 
  their Full Move rate and make a single attack with a ranged 
  weapon. This attack can only be a single shot and may not 
  be a semi- or full-automatic ranged attack. Characters with 
  the Two-Weapon Fighting Talent may use this Talent with 
  Hip Shooting to make two single shots, if they are armed 
  with a ranged weapon in either hand.
  HARD TARGE
   TARGE
   T
  T
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Agility 40
  Aptitudes: Agility, Defence
  Light on his feet, the character dodges 
  and weaves as he moves, skills learned 
  from long years in the line of ﬁre. 
  When the character performs a Charge 
  or Run action, opponents suffer a –20 
  penalty to Ballistic Skill Tests made 
  to hit 
  the character with a ranged 
  weapon. This penalty 
  continues until the 
  start of the character’s 
  next Turn.
  
  146
  V: Talents and Traits
  INTO THE JAWS OF HELL
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Iron Discipline, Fellowship 50
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Leadership
  The character’s cool demeanour and faith in the Emperor 
  inspire those around him to great feats. Comrades become 
  immune to the effects of Fear and Pinning as long as they are 
  within 10 metres of him. 
  IRON DISCIPLINE
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Fellowship 30
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Leadership
  Iron sharpens iron. The character does not coddle his squad-
  mates nor motivate them through kindness. The character’s 
  stalwart example and stern leadership exhorts them with 
  steel instead of praise. If the Player Character fails a Fear or 
  Pinning Test, his Comrade only fails if the roll was a double.
  IRON JAW
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Toughness 40
  Aptitudes: Toughness, Defence
  The character has taken blows from Orks and given back 
  as good as they got. The character can bounce back from 
  most strikes without ill effects. If ever Stunned, a successful 
  Toughness Test allows the character to ignore the effects.
  JADED
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Willpower 40
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Defence
  The character’s wide travels have shown them both wonders 
  and horrors beyond the ken of most. The galaxy has thrown 
  its worst at the character and they have yet to ﬂinch. Mundane 
  events, from death’s horriﬁc visage to xenos abominations, do 
  not force the character to gain Insanity Points or make Fear 
  Tests. Terrors of the Warp still affect the character normally.
  KILLING STRIKE
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 50
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Offence
  With expert precision, the character can land blows which 
  defy their opponent’s ability to counter, slicing through their 
  defences as surely as a powerblade cuts ﬂesh. At the start of 
  any of his combat, the character may spend one Fate Point 
  to choose to make all their melee attacks for that Round 
  unavoidable with Parry or Dodge Skills. These effects last 
  only for the Round, though they apply to all the character’s 
  attacks (i.e. such as extra attacks gained with Talents such 
  as Two-Weapon Fighting or Furious Assault), and only stop 
  the use of evasion (i.e. Parries and Dodges) to counter them. 
  Other means of stopping attacks (such as Shadow Fields or 
  Displacement Fields) are unaffected.  
  HOTSHOT PILOT
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Agility 40, Operate (any one)
  Aptitudes: Agility, Fieldcraft
  The character can pilot or drive vehicles as if they were 
  extensions of his own body and has a natural understanding of 
  anything that needs steering. The character counts as having all 
  Operate Skills at Rank 1 (Known) (basically they can drive or 
  ﬂy anything). If they wish to later improve their Operate Skills, 
  these Advances must be bought using Experience Points (from 
  Rank 1) as normal. Such is their skill they also add one Degree 
  of Success to any successful Operate Tests. 
  INFUSED KNOWLEDGE
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Intelligence 40, Lore (any one)
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Knowledge
  The character has been infused with a great wealth of lore and 
  knowledge, either through punishing noetic techniques or by 
  arcane methods kept secret by the guardians of technology 
  and learning. The character counts as having all Common 
  Lore and Scholastic Lore Skills at Rank 1 (Known) (basically 
  they know something about everything). If they wish to later 
  improve their Lore Skills, these advances must be bought 
  using Experience Points (from Rank 1) as normal. 
  Such is their skill, they also add one Degree of Success to 
  any successful Common or Scholastic Lore Tests.
  INDEPENDENT TARGETING
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 40
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
  The character has developed their situational awareness to 
  a point where they can ﬁre in two directions within a split 
  second. When ﬁring two weapons as part of a single action 
  (using the Two-Weapon Fighting Talent, for example), the 
  targets do not have to be within 10 metres of each other.
  INSPIRE WRATH
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Air of Authority
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Leadership
  The character’s personal vitriol and bitter hatred is so ingrained 
  in his being that he can inspire the same hate in others. As a 
  Full Action, the character can make a Charm Test to grant the 
  effects of the Hatred Talent to their Squad, or any people in their 
  immediate vicinity. Success on the Test grants the Hatred Talent 
  to the listeners (with the object of hate chosen by the character) 
  for the duration of an encounter. Listeners can resist the effects 
  of the character’s speech (and therefore not be burdened with his 
  chosen hatred) by passing an Opposed Willpower Test against 
  the character’s Charm Skill Test. Inspire Wrath affects a number 
  of people up to 10 times the character’s Fellowship, which 
  can be increased with the use of the Master Orator Talent 
  as normal. Both players and GMs should bear in mind, 
  however, that once a crowd has been inspired to hatred 
  or mindless anger, the effects can be unpredictable 
  and are seldom exactly as the character intends. 
  
  147
  V: Talents and Traits
  LUMINEN BLAST
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisites: Luminen Shock, Luminen Capacitors, 
  Mechanicus Implants
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Tech
  The energies charged in the character’s Luminen Capacitors 
  can be expelled in a ranged attack with a Ballistic Skill Test, 
  directing this energy against a single target within 10 metres, 
  inﬂicting 1d10 plus twice the character’s Willpower Bonus 
  in Energy Damage, with the Shock Quality. The attack uses 
  a Half Action to accomplish (counting as a Single Attack 
  Action) and the character must pass a Toughness Test when 
  they use this ability or gain a level of Fatigue.
  LUMINEN SHOCK
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisites: Luminen Capacitors, Mechanicus Implants
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Tech
  The energies charged in the character’s Luminen Capacitors 
  can be expelled as he grapples with an opponent. By making a 
  successful melee attack (without penalties for being unarmed) 
  or instead of doing Damage during a grapple, the character 
  may deal 1d10 plus his Willpower Bonus in Energy Damage, 
  with the Shock Quality. After use, the character must pass a 
  Toughness Test or gain a level of Fatigue.
  MAGLEV TRANSCENDENCE
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Maglev Coils/Mechanicus Implants
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Tech
  The character has learned how to better use his inbuilt maglev 
  coils. He may hover for a number of minutes equal to 1d10 
  plus twice his Toughness Bonus. He may move his Run speed 
  when making a Half Move Action and suffers no Damage 
  from falling if the coils are active. Each use drains half the 
  power stored in the coils (therefore he may use the coils twice 
  before recharging them).
  MARKSMAN
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 35
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
  The character’s steady hand and eagle eye allows him to keep 
  crosshairs steady on any target, regardless of range. Distance 
  is no protection against the character’s marksmanship and 
  he suffers no penalties for Ballistic Skill Tests at long or 
  extreme range. 
  LASGUN BARRAGE
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Weapon Training (Las), BS 40
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Offence
  Through years of practice drills and battleﬁeld experience, the 
  character has become a master of the lasgun. The character 
  can use lasguns of all types to unleash devastating volleys of 
  disciplined ﬁre that can cut down his enemies like the sweep 
  of a scythe. When ﬁring any class of Las weapon on full or 
  semi-auto, the character may score one additional Degree of 
  Success (provided the Test is successful) if he does not take a 
  Move Action in his Turn.
  LEAP UP
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Agility 30
  Aptitudes: Agility, General
  A combination of athletic ability and speed allow the 
  character to spring to their feet in virtually any circumstance. 
  The character may stand up as a Free Action. 
  LIGHT SLEEPER
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Perception 30
  Aptitudes: Perception, Fieldcraft
  The slightest change in conditions or disturbance brings the 
  character from sleep to full awareness, remaining alert even 
  in slumber. The character is always assumed to be awake, 
  even when asleep, for the purposes of Awareness Tests or 
  surprise. Unfortunately, the character’s sleep is not deep and 
  can be frequently interrupted, resulting in a less-than-cheery 
  disposition when awake.
  LIGHTNING ATTACK
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Swift Attack
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Finesse
  The character’s speed with weapons is unmatched, allowing 
  him to launch ﬂurries of attacks in melee. A Player Character 
  with this Talent may make the Lightning Attack Combat 
  Action (see page 246). 
  LIGHTNING REFLEXES
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Agility, Fieldcraft
  The character always expects trouble, even in the most 
  innocuous situations, allowing them to act quickly when 
  needed. When making an Initiative roll, the character may 
  roll twice and add the higher of the two dice results to his 
  Agility Bonus.
  
  148
  V: Talents and Traits
  MECHADENDRITE USE
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Mechanicus Implants
  Specialisations: Weapon, Utility
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Tech
  The character is trained in the use of a particular kind of 
  Mechadendrite (extra mechanical arms often sprouting from 
  a cyber mantle mounted on the character’s back) in much the 
  same way as Weapon Training allows the use of weapons. 
  Though there are many different types of Mechadendrite, this 
  Talent divides them into two categories:
  •	 Weapon: Mechadendrites of this type end in either 
  ranged or close combat weapons, and have the 
  supplemental support and strength necessary for combat.
  •	 Utility: Including such varied types as Machine Spirit 
  Interface, Manipulator, Medicae, Utility, Optical, and 
  countless others, these Mechadendrites generally require 
  less hardy mountings, but all interface with the Cyber 
  Mantle in a similar manner.
  MEDITATION
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Knowledge
  The character has mastered their body and its reactions by the 
  practice of meditative techniques, shutting down unnecessary 
  functions and enabling them to refresh both body and 
  mind. Success on a Willpower Test and ten minutes without 
  interruptions removes one level of Fatigue.
  MIGHTY SHOT
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 40
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Offence
  The character knows the weak points in every armour and 
  material, and has the skill to ensure that his shots land 
  exactly where they will do the most damage. The character 
  adds half his Ballistic Skill Bonus to Damage inﬂicted with 
  a ranged weapon.
  MIMIC 
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social
  Vox synthesisers, training, or innate abilities allow the 
  character to accurately mimic the voice of another. For proper 
  imitation, the character must study the voice patterns of their 
  intended target for at least one hour and speak the same 
  language. The character cannot accurately copy the voice of 
  a xenos due to the difference in physiology and the subtle 
  complexities of most alien languages. Listeners must succeed 
  on a Scrutiny Skill Test with a –10 penalty to penetrate the 
  deception. If the character’s study used vox recordings or 
  comm-link conversations rather than in-person observation, 
  then there is no penalty to the Scrutiny Skill Test to see 
  through it. The character’s deception automatically fails if the 
  listener can clearly see them.
  MASTER CHIRURGEON
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Medicae +10
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Fieldcraft
  The character’s advanced medical skills enable him to knit ﬂesh 
  with deft mastery. The character’s exceptional education in use 
  of the Narthecium, Med-Slate, and supplemental drugs give 
  their patients an enormous advantage. The character gains a 
  +10 bonus on all Medicae Skill Tests. If the character fails his 
  Medicae Test while performing Extended Care, he reduces the 
  amount of Damage suffered by his patience due to his failure 
  by an amount equal to his Intelligence Bonus. If their patient 
  is in danger of losing a limb from a Critical Hit (see Chapter 
  VIII: Combat), the character provides the patient with a +20 
  bonus to the Toughness Test to prevent limb loss.
  MASTER ENGINSEER
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Tech Use +20, Mechanicus Implants
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Tech
  The character’s knowledge of engines and their machine 
  spirits surpasses all but the most venerable servants of the 
  Machine-God. The character can feel the plasma pulsing 
  through a reactor’s conduits as if it was in his own veins. The 
  character gains a +10 bonus on Tech-Use Skill Tests. The 
  character may spend a Fate Point to automatically succeed 
  on a Tech-Use Skill Test for enhancement, repair, or upgrade 
  of a machine’s system, taking the minimum amount of time 
  possible on the task. In addition, at the GM’s discretion, the 
  character may repair objects without all the parts to hand, 
  jury-rigging a working device as good as the original.
  MASTER ORATOR
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Inspire Wrath
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Leadership
  The character has learned the techniques required to 
  inﬂuence large audiences. When the character uses the Charm 
  or Intimidate Skill to affect more than one person, they may 
  affect a number of people up to a 100 times their Fellowship 
  Bonus rather than just 10.
  MASTERY
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Rank 4 in Selected Skill
  Specialisations: Any Skill
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Knowledge
  The character has become a consummate master of a single 
  Skill and can perform feats with it that would bafﬂe lesser 
  men. The character may spend a Fate Point to automatically 
  pass a Skill Test with his chosen Skill, provided the ﬁnal 
  modiﬁer to his Skill Test is 0 or better. In addition to simply 
  passing the Test, the character will pass it by a number of 
  Degrees of Success equal to the Characteristic Bonus of 
  its associated Characteristic. This Talent may be taken 
  more than once, each time for a different Skill. 
  
  149
  V: Talents and Traits
  NEVER DIE
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Willpower 50, Toughness 50
  Aptitudes: Toughness, Defence
  The character’s will or devotion to the Emperor can sustain him 
  when his mortal body fails him. The character can spend one 
  Fate Point to ignore the effects of injury, Fatigue, and Stunning 
  for a single combat. This Talent does not prevent the Damage, 
  but allows the character to temporarily ignore its effects for the 
  duration of the combat. Death still affects him normally. 
  ORTHOPROXY
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Tech
  Either part of the character’s brain has been removed or an 
  inhibitor such as a reason inhibitor circuit has been implanted 
  within the character’s skull, allowing him to ignore the mental 
  strain that would affect a more “complete” person. The character 
  receives a +20 bonus to Willpower Tests made to resist mind 
  control or interrogation. However, he tends not to get jokes.
  PARANOIA
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Perception, Fieldcraft
  The character knows that danger lurks behind every corner 
  and that the galaxy will hit him as soon as he lets his guard 
  down. The character gains a +2 bonus on Initiative rolls and 
  the GM may secretly Test using the character’s Perception to 
  notice hidden threats. The price of this eternal vigilance is a 
  twitchy disposition and the inability to relax.
  PEER
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Fellowship 30
  Specialisations: Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, 
  Adeptus Astartes, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adepta Sororitas, 
  Adeptus Titanicus, Administratum, Astropaths, Ecclesiarchy, 
  Chartist Captains, Imperial Guard, Imperial Navy, Inquisition, 
  Navigators, Ofﬁcio Assassinorum, Planetary Defence Force, 
  Planetary Governors or Warlords, Rogue Trader, Schola 
  Progenium, Scholastica Psykana
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social
  The character knows how to deal with a particular social 
  group or organisation. The character gains a +10 bonus to all 
  Fellowship Tests when interacting with this chosen group and at 
  the GM’s discretion may call upon them for favours from time to 
  time. The GM and player may agree to award this Talent when 
  appropriate to the adventure or campaign, though the character 
  must still pay the experience cost for the Talent as normal.
  This Talent may be awarded multiple times for the 
  same group, in which case it should be listed as Peer (X), 
  with X equalling the number of times the Talent has 
  been awarded. This can be used to represent groups who 
  particularly like the character and may even be staunch 
  allies. In game terms, the penalty to Fellowship Tests 
  increases to +10 times X.
  MUNITORUM INFLUENCE
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social
  Whether through contacts in the Departmento Munitorum 
  or simple fame amongst the ranks of the Imperial Guard, the 
  character has an easier time acquiring equipment for his Squad. 
  The Squad’s Logistics Rating increases by +5. This bonus 
  is permanent, and is not removed even if the character who 
  purchased this Talent is killed or removed from the Squad.
  Purchasing this Talent costs an additional amount of XP 
  equal to 5 times the Squad’s current Logictics Rating.
  NERVES OF STEEL
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Defence
  Long years on the battleﬁeld enable the character to remain 
  calm as ﬁre impacts all around them. The character may re-roll 
  failed Willpower Tests to avoid or recover from Pinning. In 
  addition, he is seldom impressed by 
  the aggressive displays of his enemies 
  and gains a +10 to Willpower Tests 
  when resisting the effects of enemy 
  Intimidation Skill attempts. 
  receives a +20 bonus to Willpower Tests made to resist mind 
  control or interrogation. However, he tends not to get jokes.
  PARANOIA
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite:
  Aptitudes:
  The character knows that danger lurks behind every corner 
  and that the galaxy will hit him as soon as he lets his guard 
  down. The character gains a +2 bonus on Initiative rolls and 
  the GM may secretly Test using the character’s Perception to 
  notice hidden threats. The price of this eternal vigilance is a 
  twitchy disposition and the inability to relax.
  PEER
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: 
  Specialisations:
  Adeptus Astartes, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adepta Sororitas, 
  Adeptus Titanicus, Administratum, Astropaths, Ecclesiarchy, 
  Chartist Captains, Imperial Guard, Imperial Navy, Inquisition, 
  Navigators, Ofﬁcio Assassinorum, Planetary Defence Force, 
  Planetary Governors or Warlords, Rogue Trader, Schola 
  Progenium, Scholastica Psykana
  Aptitudes:
  The character knows how to deal with a particular social 
  group or organisation. The character gains a +10 bonus to all 
  Fellowship Tests when interacting with this chosen group and at 
  the GM’s discretion may call upon them for favours from time to 
  time. The GM and player may agree to award this Talent when 
  appropriate to the adventure or campaign, though the character 
  must still pay the experience cost for the Talent as normal.
  This Talent may be awarded multiple times for the 
  same group, in which case it should be listed as Peer (X), 
  with X equalling the number of times the Talent has 
  been awarded. This can be used to represent groups who 
  particularly like the character and may even be staunch 
  allies. In game terms, the penalty to Fellowship Tests 
  increases to +10 times X.
  failed Willpower Tests to avoid or recover from Pinning. In 
  addition, he is seldom impressed by 
  the aggressive displays of his enemies 
  and gains a +10 to Willpower Tests 
  when resisting the effects of enemy 
  Intimidation Skill attempts. 
  
  150
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  V: Talents and Traits
  QUICK DRAW 
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Agility, Finesse
  The character has practised so frequently with his weapons 
  that they practically leap into his hands in response to a 
  simple thought. The character can draw and ready a weapon 
  as a Free Action when the character is armed with a Pistol or 
  Basic class ranged weapon, or a melee weapon that can be 
  wielded in one hand. 
  RADIANT PRESENCE
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Fellowship 40
  Aptitudes: Fellowship, Leadership
  There is something strong and inspiring about the character, 
  the way he holds himself and the look in his eyes, that puts 
  people at ease, ﬁlling them with conﬁdence. Everyone within 20 
  metres that can see the character feels inspired just by being near 
  them and suffers lessened effects from things that would upset or 
  distress them. Those affected gain a +10 to Willpower Tests to 
  resist Fear or against Intimidation attempts. This ability affects all 
  allies close to the character, though not the character himself.
  RAPID REACTION
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Agility 40
  Aptitudes: Agility, Fieldcraft
  The character has honed his reactions to a razor’s edge, 
  allowing him to act while most stand dumbfounded. When 
  surprised or ambushed, a successful Agility Test allows the 
  character to act normally.
  RAPID RELOAD
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Agility, Fieldcraft
  The ﬁring ranges and weapon drill chambers are the 
  character’s constant abode, and hours of reloading countless 
  magazines or power cells means that he can replace them 
  without looking and without thinking. The character halves 
  all reload times, rounding down. Thus, a Half Action reload 
  becomes a Free Action, a Full Action reload becomes a Half 
  Action, and so on.
  RESISTANCE
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Specialisations: Cold, Fear, Heat, Poisons, Psychic  
  Powers, Other
  Aptitudes: Toughness, Defence
  The character’s background, experience, training, exposure 
  or plain stubbornness has developed a resistance within him. 
  Each time the character selects this Talent, choose one area 
  of resistance. The character gains a +10 bonus when making 
  Tests to resist effects of this type. The GM may wish to approve 
  certain choices or have them justiﬁed by the character’s past.
  POLYGLOT
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Intelligence 40, Fellowship 30
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Social
  The character has an innate ability to derive meaning from 
  unknown languages and can make himself understood using 
  this intuitive grasp. The character can make untrained Skill Tests 
  with the Linguistics Skill even though it is a Specialist Skill. 
  Being a Polyglot is not the same as having a true knowledge 
  of a language, and characters must make a Linguistics Skill Test 
  (with the –20 for being untrained) to have more than the most 
  basic conversations or exchanges of ideas.
  PRECISE BLOW
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 40, Sure Strike
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Finesse
  The character’s eye, hand, and weapon act seamlessly together, 
  placing his blows where he intends. When making a Called 
  Shot (see page 244) melee attack, the character reduces the 
  penalty by 10 (so a –20 becomes a –10 instead). If combined 
  with Sure Strike, this reduces the penalty to 0.
  PRETERNATURAL SPEED
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 40, Agility 50
  Aptitudes: Agility, Offence
  The character is a swift moving bringer of death; a living, 
  bloody scythe before whom foes die like corn before the 
  reaper. When making a Charge Move, the character doubles 
  his normal charge movement (i.e. a character with an AB of 3 
  has a charge movement of 9 metres, which is then doubled to 
  18 metres by the Preternatural Speed Talent).
  PROSANGUINE
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Autosanguine Implants, Mechanicus Implants
  Aptitudes: Toughness, Tech
  Through the character’s iron will, he is able to speed the 
  function of his Autosanguinator. He must spend 10 minutes 
  in mediation and make a Tech-Use Test. If he succeeds, he 
  heals 1d5 points of Damage. If he rolls a 96 or higher, he 
  loses the ability to use his Autosanguinator for one week. 
  PSYCHIC POWER 
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Psyker
  Specialisations: See Chapter VII: Psychic Powers
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Psyker
  Either through training or natural development, the character 
  has learned an additional Psychic Power. This power must be 
  selected from one of the powers presented in Chapter VII: 
  Psychic Powers. The Experience cost and requirements 
  for Psychic Powers are not the same as other Talents,  
  and can instead be found in the individual Psychic 
  Power entries in Chapter VII: Psychic Powers. 
  
  151
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  V: Talents and Traits
  STEP ASIDE
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Agility 40, Dodge or Parry
  Aptitudes: Agility, Defence
  The character can sway their body out of the path of an 
  attack, causing it to pass through thin air or turn their blade 
  in mid swing to deﬂect a blow. The character may make 
  an additional Evasion attempt (either a Dodge or a Parry) 
  once per Round. In effect, this gives the character a second 
  Reaction that may only be used for Dodge or Parry attempts, 
  allowing two Dodges, two Parries, or a Dodge and a Parry 
  in each Turn. However, the character may still only attempt a 
  single Dodge or Parry against each individual attack.
  STORM OF IRON
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 45, Weapon Training (any 
  ranged)
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Offence
  When facing massed enemies on the battleﬁeld, the character 
  lays down a storm of ﬁrepower that even the most foolhardy 
  cannot push through. When the character deals Damage to a 
  target with a semi-auto burst or a full-auto burst, the character 
  may allocate his extra hits to any other target within ﬁve 
  metres, instead of the usual two metres.
  STREET FIGHTING
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 30
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Offence
  The character is adept in close and dirty ﬁghting, favouring 
  small weapons or even his bare hands to take down his foes. 
  When armed with a knife (powered, chain or otherwise), 
  similar small weapon, or simply armed with his bare hands, 
  he adds half his Weapon Skill Bonus to any Critical Damage 
  he inﬂicts.
  SURE STRIKE
  Tier: 1
  Category: Weapon Skill 30
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Finesse
  The character’s eyes, hand, and weapon act seamlessly 
  together, placing his blows where he intends. When making 
  a Called Shot (see page 244) melee attack, the character 
  reduces the penalty by 10 (so a –20 becomes a –10 instead).
  SWIFT ATTACK
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 30
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Finesse
  The character’s ability with weapons is legendary, allowing 
  him to attack with amazing speed in melee. A Player Character 
  with this Talent may make the Swift Attack Combat Action 
  (see page 248). 
  SHARPSHOOTER
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 40, Deadeye Shot
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
  The character’s steady hand and eagle eye allow him to place 
  shots or strikes exactly where he wants. When making a Called 
  Shot (see page 244), the character reduces the penalty by 
  10 (so a –20 becomes a –10 instead). When combined with 
  Deadeye Shot, this reduces the penalty to 0. 
  SIDEARM
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: WS 40, BS 40, Two Weapon Wielder (Ranged 
  and Melee)
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill
  Many Sergeants among the ranks of the Imperial Guard 
  favour ﬁghting with both blade and pistol. When armed with 
  a pistol in one hand and melee weapon in the other (both of 
  which the character could normally use single-handed), the 
  character reduces the penalty for Two-Weapon Fighting by 10 
  (so –20 would drop to –10). If taken with the Ambidextrous 
  Talent, this drops the penalty to 0.
  SOUND CONSTITUTION
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Toughness, General
  The character gains an additional Wound. The character 
  may purchase this Talent multiple times up to twice their 
  Toughness Bonus. When a character has gained this Talent 
  multiple times, note the number of times it has been taken 
  after the Talent, such as Sound Constitution (3).
  SPRINT
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Agility, Fieldcraft
  The character can move at great speeds. When taking a Full 
  Move Action, the character can move an extra number of 
  metres equal to their Agility Bonus. When taking the Run 
  Action, the character may double their movement for one 
  Round. The character gains one level of Fatigue if they use 
  this Talent two Turns in a row.
  STRONG MINDED
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Willpower 30, Resistance (Psychic Powers)
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Defence
  The character’s mind acts as a fortress against psychic attacks. 
  He may re-roll failed Willpower Tests to resist any Psychic 
  Powers that affect his mind. Psychic Powers that have a 
  physical effect, such as Engulf, are unaffected by this Talent. 
  
  152
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  V: Talents and Traits
  TOTAL RECALL
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Intelligence 30
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Knowledge
  Mental conditioning or cranial augmentation enables the 
  character to record and recall great amounts of information, 
  effectively granting them a perfect memory. The character can 
  automatically remember trivial facts or pieces of information 
  the character might feasibly have picked up in the past. When 
  dealing with more detailed, complex, or obscure facts, such as 
  the exact layout of a defence network, the GM may require a 
  successful Intelligence Test to recall the information.
  TRUE GRIT
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Toughness 40
  Aptitudes: Toughness, Defence
  The character is able to shrug off wounds that would fell lesser 
  men. Whenever the character suffers Critical Damage (after 
  reduction for Armour and Toughness), reduce the amount by 
  his Toughness Bonus (to a minimum of 1).
  TWO-WEAPON WIELDER
  Tier: 2
  Category: Melee, Ranged
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill, Finesse
  Intensive training allows the character to use a weapon in 
  each hand when needed. When armed with two one-handed 
  weapons (ether melee or ranged weapons), after making a Half 
  Action Attack (this can be a Single Attack, a Swift Attack, or 
  a Lightning Attack with a melee weapon, or a single shot, 
  semi-auto burst, or full auto burst with a ranged weapon), he 
  may make a single additional Half Action Attack following 
  the same restrictions with the other weapon. (In effect, this 
  allows the character to attack twice in a Round; once from 
  each of their weapons). Both of these Attacks count as being 
  part of the same Half Action, and both Tests made to attack 
  with the weapons suffer a –20 penalty. 
   This Talent may be taken twice, each time with a different 
  focus (melee or ranged). If a character possesses both Talents, 
  then he may ﬁght with one melee and one ranged weapon. 
  When this Talent is taken with the melee focus it counts as 
  having the Weapon Skill and Finesse Aptitudes, and when it 
  is taken with the ranged focus it counts as having the Ballistic 
  Skill and Finesse Aptitudes.
  This Talent may be enhanced by the Blade Dancer, 
  Gunslinger, and Sidearm Talents.
  UNARMED MASTER
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 45, Agility 40, Unarmed Warrior
  Aptitudes: Strength, Offence
  The character possesses unparalleled mastery of unarmed 
  combat. He counts as having the Deadly Natural Weapon 
  Trait (see page 155). 
  TAKEDOWN
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Offence
  As a Half Action, or when making a Charge Action, the 
  character may declare that he is attempting a takedown 
  against an opponent in melee combat. He then rolls to hit 
  (using his Weapon Skill) as normal, using any modiﬁers for 
  weapons and Talents (or the +20 bonus from Charging). 
  If the character hits and would have done at least 1 point 
  of Damage (after reduction for Armour and Toughness), no 
  Wounds are caused, but the character’s opponent must make 
  a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be stunned for 1 
  Round and knocked prone. In addition, when performing a 
  Stun Action, the character does not suffer a –20 penalty to 
  his Weapon Skill.
  TARGET SELECTION
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 50
  Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
  The character’s dread gaze marks out his chosen victim and 
  not even the riotous confusion of close combat interferes. 
  The character may shoot into melee with no penalty. If 
  he aims beforehand, he can avoid any chance of hitting 
  friendly targets. 
  TECHNICAL KNOCK 
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Intelligence 30
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Tech
  Either through the ease of long practice, or the proper ritual 
  to appease a weapon’s machine spirit, the character can clear 
  stoppages with a simple knock or solid smack of his hand 
  to a weapon. The character may un-jam any gun as a Half 
  Action, but may only use this Talent on one weapon per 
  Round. The character must touch the weapon (often quickly 
  and violently) to make this Talent work.
  THUNDER CHARGE
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Strength 50
  Aptitudes: Strength, Offence
  The character charges into combat using his body as an 
  additional weapon to push foes away or to the ground. Driven 
  by his rage and momentum, the impact of such a charge can 
  knock a foe ﬂying or bring them to their knees. When the 
  character makes a Charge Action, he can barrel through 
  foes to get to his target. Make an Opposed Strength Test 
  between the character and each foe in his way (i.e. each foe 
  his charge would take him past or through). Those that fail 
  are knocked to the ground. Once the character has Tested to 
  knock down those in his way, he may complete his Charge 
  and make his attacks against his intended target. 
  
  153
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  V: Talents and Traits
  WARP SENSE
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Psy Rating, Psyniscience, Perception 30
  Aptitudes: Perception, Psyker
  The character’s senses have evolved to perceive the warp in 
  parallel with the physical world. After gaining this Talent, using 
  the Psyniscience Skill requires a Free Action instead of a Half 
  Action. In addition, the character can passively detect psychic 
  effects and entities without the need to actively seek them out. 
  Whenever the character could detect such a Warp signature or 
  a creature, the GM may allow him to make a Psyniscience Skill 
  Test to detect it, in the same way he might use Awareness to 
  spot an ambush without knowing it is there. 
  WEAPON-TECH
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Tech Use +10, Intelligence 40
  Aptitudes: Intelligence, Tech
  The character has developed an extensive understanding of 
  advanced technological weapons and their functions, opening 
  them up and learning what makes them tick, hum, or click. Once 
  per combat, the character can enhance his weapon, increasing its 
  ﬁrepower and deadliness. For one Round per combat encounter, 
  a weapon personally wielded by the character from the Melta, 
  Plasma, Power, or Exotic category increases its Damage and 
  Penetration by an amount equal to his Intelligence Bonus.
  WEAPON TRAINING
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Specialisations: Bolt, Chain, Flame, Heavy, Las, Launcher, 
  Melta, Plasma, Power, Low-Tech, Shock, and Solid Projectile
  Aptitudes: General, Finesse
  The character can use all weapons with Class: Pistol, Basic, 
  Melee, Throwing, and Vehicle within the group he has selected 
  with this Talent. When a character attempts to use a weapon he 
  does not have the correct Weapon Training Talent for, he suffers 
  a –20 penalty to any relevant Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill Test.
  The character can only use weapons with Class: Heavy 
  without suffering the –20 penalty if he has both Weapon 
  Training in the appropriate group and Weapon Training (Heavy).
  This Talent may be taken more than once, each time with 
  a different specialisation.
  WHIRLWIND OF DEATH
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 40
  Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Finesse
  When facing massed opponents in combat, the character 
  becomes a whirlwind of death, moving, hacking, gutting, and 
  beheading with ceaseless fury. When attacking more than one 
  foe in close combat, the character may make one melee attack 
  for each foe he is facing, up to a maximum equal to his Weapon 
  Skill Bonus. Each additional attack beyond the ﬁrst counts 
  as a Free Action, but cannot be combined with any other 
  Talents or abilities which would grant extra attacks or hits 
  (i.e. Lightning Attack, Furious Charge, etc.). The character 
  may choose in which order he attacks his opponents. 
  UNARMED WARRIOR
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 35, Agility 35
  Aptitudes: Strength, Offence
  After extensive training, the character has gained the Natural 
  Weapon Trait (see page 156), improving all his unarmed 
  attacks from 1d5-3 to 1d10, and meaning he counts as armed 
  even when facing opponents with weapons while bare handed. 
  UNREMARKABLE
  Tier: 1
  Prerequisite: None
  Aptitudes: General, Social
  Something about the character’s face just doesn’t stick in 
  people’s memories. The character can more easily blend into 
  crowds or pass themselves off as a nobody. Any attempts to 
  recall the character’s face or spot him in a crowd suffer a –20 
  penalty. In addition, the character gains a +20 when using the 
  Deceive Skill to either convince someone they have never seen 
  or met him before or if he is trying to appear harmless and 
  ordinary. Naturally, this Talent doesn’t work if the character 
  wears distinctive clothes, armour, or carries unique weaponry.
  UNSHAKEABLE FAITH
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Willpower 35
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Defence
  The Guardsman’s faith in the Emperor and his abilities is so 
  strong that he can face any danger. The character may re-roll 
  any failed Willpower Tests to avoid the effects of Fear.
  WARP CONDUIT
  Tier: 2
  Prerequisite: Psy Rating, Strong Minded, Willpower 50
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Psyker
  The sheer power of the character’s mind allows the character to 
  channel vast amounts of Warp Energy when he chooses. When 
  Pushing (see page 223), the character may spend one Fate 
  Point to add 1d5 to his Psy Rating when determining the ﬁnal 
  effects of the psychic power he is manifesting. Channelling 
  such vast amounts of power, however, is dangerous and he must 
  add +30 to any resultant Psychic Phenomenon rolls.
  WARP LOCK
  Tier: 3
  Prerequisite: Psy Rating, Strong Minded, Willpower 50
  Aptitudes: Willpower, Psyker
  The character has learned to swiftly cut himself off from the 
  Warp to protect himself from harm. Once per game session, 
  the character may ignore a Psychic Phenomenon result he has 
  rolled (including a result that would indicate rolling on the Perils 
  of the Warp Table) completely negating its effects. Such rapid 
  dislocation from the Warp, through, is stressful and traumatic to 
  the character’s mind and they will suffer 1d5 Energy Damage to 
  the Head location (not reduced by Armour or Toughness) as a 
  result, and may not make any Focus Power Tests or sustain other 
  Psychic Powers until the beginning of his next Turn. 
  
  154
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  V: Talents and Traits
  Traits
  S
  kills and Talents represent ability and knowledge 
  gained over the course of a character’s life. Traits, by 
  contrast, are innate abilities gained by virtue of birth and 
  circumstance. They may be gained through other means later 
  in life, but they are almost never gained through choice. 
  TRAIT DESCRIPTIONS
  The rules for each Trait can be found in the descriptions 
  below. In some cases, a Trait has a variable level, indicating a 
  number of Armour Points, arms, or some other factor. In these 
  cases, the Trait has an (X) after its title, where X indicates the 
  level at which a creature has the Trait.
  AMORPHOUS
  An amorphous creature has a malleable form, capable of 
  squeezing its body or expanding it. It can change size by 
  one-step in either direction, though doing so does not 
  change its speed. Creatures with this Trait determine their 
  movement rates using one half of their Agility Bonus rounded 
  up. Amorphous creatures are often missing senses and so rely 
  on the Unnatural Senses Trait to perceive their surroundings.
  AMPHIBIOUS
  The creature can breathe water as well as air and can stay 
  underwater indeﬁnitely without the need to surface. If this Trait is 
  taken by a creature with the ability to breathe another predominate 
  substance other than air (i.e. water, ammonia, carbon-dioxide, etc.) 
  then it can breathe air as well as its native atmosphere.
  AUTO-STABILISED
  The creature always counts as braced when ﬁring heavy 
  weapons and therefore may ﬁre a weapon on full or semi-
  automatic without taking the Brace Action ﬁrst, and not 
  suffer any penalties to hit.
  BESTIAL
  A creature with this Trait is animalistic, tending to behave 
  instinctively rather than rationally. No matter how high its 
  Intelligence score is, it is still bestial. A creature with this 
  Trait never needs to make a Survival Test whilst in its natural 
  habitat. Unless starving or desperate, a Bestial creature must 
  make a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test when frightened, 
  startled, or injured. On a failed Test, the creature ﬂees. 
  BLIND
  Blind creatures automatically fail all Tests based on vision and 
  automatically fail all Ballistic Skill Tests. Such creatures take a 
  –30 penalty to Weapon Skill Tests and most other Tests that 
  ordinarily involve or are beneﬁted by vision. Note that this 
  Trait indicates not only that the creature cannot see but that 
  it also has no other senses which would provide the same 
  beneﬁt as eyes. The Blind Fighting Talent reduces the 
  penalty to Weapon Skill Tests as normal for Blind 
  creatures, from –30 to –15. 
  Table 5–4: Traits
  Table 5–4: Traits
  Trait
  Description
  Amorphous
  Creature is a blob, and slow.
  Amphibious
  Creature can breathe underwater.
  Auto-stabilised
  Always counts as braced.
  Bestial
  Automatically passes Survival Skill Tests, 
  test Willpower to avoid ﬂight.
  Blind
  Cannot see.
  Brutal Charge
  Deals additional Damage on a Charge.
  Burrower
  Move by digging.
  Crawler
  No penalties for moving over difﬁcult terrain.
  Daemonic
  Double TB against normal weapons, 
  immune to disease and poison.
  Dark-sight
  See in darkness.
  Deadly Natural 
  Weapons
  Natural weapons are no longer primitive.
  Fear
  Forces others to make Fear Tests to avoid 
  Shock and Madness.
  Flyer
  Fly and enter any altitude.
  From Beyond
  Immune to Fear, Pinning, Insanity Points, 
  and mind-affecting powers.
  Hoverer
  Fly and enter the hover altitude.
  Incorporeal
  Insubstantial and weightless, cannot be 
  affected by mundane weaponry.
  Machine
  Creature gains immunities and resistances.
  Mechanicus 
  Implants
  Character has mechanical augmentaions.
  Multiple Arms
  Creature gains extra attacks.
  Natural Armour
  Gain additional Armour Points to all locations.
  Natural Weapons Unarmed attacks deal 1d10+SB damage.
  Phase
  Switch between incorporeal and corporeal 
  as a Half Action.
  Possession
  Take control of another creature.
  Psyker
  Creature has a Psy Rating of 1 or more.
  Quadruped
  Movement equals AB×2.
  Regeneration
  Test Toughness to remove 1 or more Damage.
  Size
  Determines creature size and beneﬁts.
  Sonar Sense
  Perceive surroundings ﬂawlessly within 
  30 metres.
  Soul-bound
  Bound to a particular group or creatures in 
  exchange for certain beneﬁts.
  Stampede
  Failed Willpower Test causes creature to 
  ﬂee, trampling anything in its path.
  Stuff of 
  Nightmares
  Gain appalling list of immunities.
  Sturdy
  +20 bonus to resist grapple and 
  Takedown.
  Touched by the 
  Fates
  Has Fate Points.
  Toxic
  Gain poisonous attack.
  Undying
  The creature is immune to many 
  environmental and natural dangers.
  Unnatural 
  Characteristic
  Increases one Characteristic Bonus.
  Unnatural Senses Perceive surroundings by uncanny means.
  Warp Instability
  Creature must deal damage if damaged, or 
  be cast back into the Warp.
  Warp Weapons
  Creature’s attacks ignore armour.
  
  155
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  V: Talents and Traits
  On a failure, the character must roll on Table 9–5: Shock 
  (see page 304), adding +10 to the roll for every Degree of 
  Failure by which the Willpower Test was failed. 
  FLYER (X)
  A creature with this Trait has the natural ability to ﬂy, 
  whether with broad leathery wings, strange warp energies, or 
  inﬂatable gas sacs. The number in parentheses (X) indicates 
  its speed when ﬂying. This number replaces the creature’s 
  Agility Bonus for movement Actions. For more details on 
  ﬂying, see Chapter I: Playing the Game. 
  FROM BEYOND
  The mind of a creature with this Trait is beyond the petty 
  frailties and precarious sanity of a mortal mind. It is immune 
  to Fear, Pinning, Insanity Points, and psychic powers used to 
  cloud, control, or delude its mind. 
  HOVERER (X)
  Creatures with this Trait have a limited capability for ﬂight, 
  ﬂying no higher than two metres. The number in parentheses 
  (X) indicates its speed when hovering. This number replaces its 
  Agility Bonus for purposes of calculating Movement. For more 
  details on ﬂying, see Chapter I: Playing the Game.
  INCORPOREAL
  Incorporeal creatures are insubstantial and weightless, able to 
  pass through solid objects such as walls and weapons. An 
  incorporeal creature gains a +30 bonus on Stealth Tests due 
  to their ability to merge with objects and the fact they make 
  practically no sound when they move. Incorporeal creatures 
  gain the Hoverer (6) Trait. An incorporeal creature is also 
  immune to normal weapons—they simply pass through its 
  body as if it wasn’t there. Daemons, psychic powers, warp 
  creatures, other incorporeal creatures, and opponents armed 
  with force weapons may all injure an incorporeal creature 
  normally. An incorporeal creature can’t normally affect 
  the mortal world, and thus can’t damage non-incorporeal 
  opponents unless it has a suitable special ability or Talent. 
  Creatures with the Incorporeal Trait can damage other 
  creatures with the Incorporeal Trait normally.
  Certain devices can keep an incorporeal creature at bay, 
  most notably the Gellar Field of a spaceship. Creatures with 
  this Trait cannot pass through such a ﬁeld.
  BRUTAL CHARGE (X)
  A creature with this Trait deals an extra (X) points of Damage 
  per attack, during a Turn in which it has already charged. 
  BURROWER (X)
  A creature with this Trait can move through solid objects by 
  burrowing through them. The number in parentheses (X) 
  indicates its speed when burrowing. Such creatures can burrow 
  through soil, rock, sand, and so on, though some (expressed in 
  the creature entry) can burrow through metal. When a creature 
  burrows, it leaves behind a tunnel. Creatures of one-size smaller 
  than the creature that created the tunnel can enter these areas 
  without impediment. There’s a 50% chance each Round that 
  the tunnel collapses behind the creature.
  CRAWLER
  Worms, serpents, and similar creatures crawl and slither rather than 
  walk. The base move for a creature with this Trait is half their normal 
  movement rate (round up) as determined by their Agility Bonus, but 
  they do not take penalties for moving over difﬁcult terrain.
  DAEMONIC (X)
  Daemonic creatures are denizens of the warp, but can 
  manifest in real space either through sheer strength of will, 
  hunger, or occult rituals. Creatures with this Trait increase 
  their Toughness Bonus against all Damage by the number 
  indicated in the parentheses (X) in the same manner as an 
  Unnatural Characteristic (see Unnatural Characteristics Trait 
  on page 158). The effects of this Trait stack with the effects 
  of the Unnatural Characteristic Trait. This increase is negated 
  by Damage inﬂicted by force weapons, psychic powers, holy 
  attacks, or other creatures with this Trait. Daemonic creatures 
  are also immune to poison and disease. Creatures with the 
  Daemonic Trait also gain beneﬁts when using Psychic Powers 
  as detailed in Chapter VII: Psychic Powers. 
  DARK-SIGHT
  A creature with this Trait sees normally even in areas of total 
  darkness, and never takes a penalty for ﬁghting in areas of 
  dim or no lighting. 
  DEADLY NATURAL WEAPONS
  This creature’s natural attacks are powerful enough to crush 
  plasteel or punch through armour. The creature gains all the 
  beneﬁts of the Natural Weapons Trait (see page 156), except 
  that its attacks no longer have the Primitive Special Quality. 
  FEAR (X)
  A creature with this Trait has an unnerving appearance. The 
  Fear Trait always has an associated rating (1–4) to reﬂect 
  just how awful the creature is to behold and is indicated by 
  the number in parentheses (X). The higher the Fear Rating, 
  the harder it is for others to resist going insane from the 
  encounter, as shown on Table 5–5: Fear Rating. When 
  a character encounters a creature with this Trait, they must 
  make a Willpower Test, modiﬁed by the severity of the 
  creature’s Trait. On a success, the character may act as normal. 
  Table 5–5: Fear Rating
  Table 5–5: Fear Rating
  Fear Rating
  Penalty
  Disturbing (1)
  0
  Frightening (2)
  –10
  Horrifying (3)
  –20
  Terrifying (4)
  –30
  
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  V: Talents and Traits
  MULTIPLE ARMS (X)
  This creature has more than one pair of arms. The exact 
  number of arms is indicated in parentheses (X), so a 
  Genestealer with Multiple Arms (4) has four arms total. It 
  gains a +10 bonus on Athletics Tests involving climbing 
  and swimming. In addition, for each pair of arms it has—
  the Multiple Arms value divided by 2—it may make an 
  additional attack as if wielding multiple melee weapons 
  (the creature must either have natural weapons or actual 
  melee weapons to wield for this to take effect). Note, that a 
  creature still requires Two-Weapon Wielder (Melee) to make 
  multiple attacks in the same Turn.
  NATURAL ARMOUR (X)
  This creature has a naturally tough hide or an exoskeleton, 
  affording it some protection against attacks. The number 
  in parentheses (X) indicates how many Armour Points the 
  creature gains to all locations. Natural armour stacks with 
  worn armour, but not with the Machine Trait.
  NATURAL WEAPONS
  This creature has sharp claws, teeth, spines or some other 
  natural weapon with which it can slice and dice its foes. It 
  counts as being armed even when not wielding weapons. Its 
  attacks deal 1d10 points of Damage plus its Strength Bonus. 
  The creature may make attacks with its Natural Weapons 
  using its Weapon Skill, though it cannot Parry with its natural 
  weapons, nor can it be disarmed unless, of course, its limbs 
  are hacked off ! (In general, creatures with Natural Weapons 
  are immune to the Power Field quality, as it’s assumed they 
  have enough teeth, claws, or spines to ignore a few being 
  removed.) Natural weapons have the Primitive (7) Special 
  Quality unless stated otherwise in the proﬁle.
  PHASE
  A creature with this Trait can transform its body into an 
  insubstantial state, passing ghost-like through solid objects or 
  barriers of any sort. By spending a Half Action, the creature may 
  become insubstantial or change back from insubstantial to solidity. 
  While insubstantial, the creature gains a +30 bonus to 
  Stealth Tests to remain visibly concealed and makes no sound 
  whatsoever. While insubstantial, the creature is also immune 
  to normal weapons—they simply pass through its body as 
  if it wasn’t there. Daemons, psychic powers, warp creatures, 
  other insubstantial creatures, and opponents armed with Force 
  Weapons may all injure an insubstantial creature normally. An 
  insubstantial creature can’t normally affect the mortal world, 
  and thus, can’t damage non-insubstantial opponents unless 
  noted otherwise. 
  An insubstantial creature cannot cross psychically charged 
  barriers, holy wards, or energy ﬁelds designed to ﬂux space or 
  manipulate the warp, such as a Gellar Field or a Void Shield. 
  MACHINE (X)
  A creature with the Machine Trait is fashioned from inorganic 
  materials and is generally more rigorous then ﬂeshy folks. 
  Machines do not breathe, are immune to the effects of a 
  vacuum, extremes of cold, any mind-inﬂuencing psychic 
  effect, and their Armour Points apply toward ﬁre Damage. 
  Machines have a certain number of Armour Points (indicated 
  by the number in parentheses). This armour stacks with worn 
  armour, but not with the Natural Armour Trait. 
  TRAIT: MECHANICUS IMPLANTS
  The character is a servant of the Machine-God, and 
  has access to implants beyond other characters.
  ELECTRO-GRAFT
  The Electro-graft is a small port that is grafted into the 
  nervous system. Once a recipient has been properly trained, 
  this allows him to interface with machine data ports and 
  certain types of data nets. Electro-grafts can take many 
  forms, such as skull shunts, ﬁnger probes, or spine jacks.
  ELECTOO INDUCTORS 
  Electoo Inductors are palm-sized metal skin grafts 
  that appear much like tattoos to the uninitiated. The 
  electoos are wired into the nervous system, where they 
  derive power from the bio-electrical emanations of the 
  ﬂesh and the sacred mysteries of the Potenia Coil. They 
  can be used to emit or siphon power in many ways. 
  RESPIRATOR UNIT
  A Respirator Unit implant involves tubes, wires, vox-
  grills, or other augmetic parts replacing the neck and 
  upper chest. The unit puriﬁes the air supply, granting a 
  +20 bonus to resist airborne toxins and gas weapons. 
  The respirator unit also contains a vox-synthesiser 
  capable of transmitting the voice in a variety of ways. 
  CYBER-MANTLE
  The Cyber-mantle is a framework of metal, wires, and 
  impulse transmitters bolted onto the spine and lower 
  ribcage. As the initiate gains further implants, this 
  mantle acts as a sub-dermal anchorage point. Amongst 
  some servants of the Omnissiah, this cyber-mantle is 
  often referred to as “the true ﬂesh.” 
  POTENTIA COIL
  Cradled within the cyber-mantle is a power unit known as 
  the Potentia Coil. This mass can store energy and produce 
  various types of ﬁelds. Coils come in many types, from 
  small crystal stack affairs to bulky electrical galvinators.
  CRANIAL CIRCUITRY
  Cranial circuitry is a series of linked processors, 
  implants, and cortical circuits that enhances mental 
  capacities. Most sit within housing bolted onto the 
  skull, whilst others nestle within the brain itself.
  
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  V: Talents and Traits
  Surviving Possession
  Should the victim survive and the entity is cast out by 
  exorcism or some other means, then the ordeal deals 2d10 
  points of permanent Damage to the character’s Toughness 
  and Willpower Characteristics. In addition, the victim gains 
  1d10 Insanity and Corruption Points.
  PSYKER
  Whether due to unnatural inﬂuences, the study of forbidden lore, 
  or simply sheer force of will, this individual is a Psyker, and can 
  bend the Immaterium to his will. Though this Trait has no beneﬁts 
  on its own, it allows characters to purchase the Psyniscience Skill 
  and the Psy Rating and Psychic Power Talents.
  QUADRUPED
  Quadrupeds are much quicker over a distance than their 
  bipedal counterparts. Their movement is double that normally 
  indicated by their Agility Bonus (see page 29). This Trait 
  is intended to cover creatures with hind legs and forepaws. 
  Creatures with more than four legs may gain this Trait as well, 
  increasing their movement as indicated above but adding an 
  additional 2 (after doubling) to their ﬁnal movement rate, for 
  each set of legs beyond the ﬁrst two pairs (i.e. +2 for 6 legs, 
  +4 for 8 legs, etc).
  REGENERATION (X)
  Creatures with this Trait heal very quickly. Each Round, at 
  the start of its Turn, the creature makes a Toughness Test to 
  removes an amount of Damage indicated in the parentheses 
  after the Trait. It loses this Trait when slain. 
  SIZE (X)
  Creatures come in one of ten different size categories, as 
  shown on Table 5–6: Size. Size affects movement, how well 
  the creature can hide and move undetected, and how easy or 
  hard it is to strike in combat. When calculating movement, 
  apply the size modiﬁer ﬁrst, and then other modiﬁers from 
  other Traits or Talents (such as Quadruped). For the purposes 
  of comparison, a human is a Size (4) creature. Note that a 
  creature’s movement cannot be reduced to less than 1.
  POSSESSION
  Certain spirit-beings and denizens of the warp have the 
  ability to possess mortal bodies. This is a far more insidious 
  and damaging process than most forms of mental control, or 
  even the power of the strongest psykers to “wear” the bodies 
  of others, as the very fabric of the assaulting warp being is 
  merged with the victim’s living body on a fundamental level, 
  so as to allow it to remain in our reality. The mechanisms by 
  which these possessions occur in the game are detailed below, 
  although circumstance and the nature of the entity itself may 
  vary. Note that Daemonhosts, being extraordinarily powerful 
  examples of deliberate, ritualistic possessions, designed to 
  bind and control daemons in living vessels, are a special case 
  and dealt with separately.
  The Possession Attack
  The entity must be within a few metres of its intended victim 
  and use a Full Action. The creature and target make Opposed 
  Willpower Tests each Round until either the entity or the 
  victim achieve a total of ﬁve Degrees of Success over the 
  other—this is cumulative over several Rounds. If the entity 
  wins, it successfully possesses its victim. If the victim wins, he 
  has repelled the entity, who may not attempt to possess him 
  again for 24 hours. A repelled entity also takes 1d10 points of 
  Energy Damage which is not reduced by Armour or Toughness.
  The Effects of Possession
  A possessing entity takes control utterly, binding itself to its 
  victim, and is capable of commanding the body to function 
  regardless of pain and injury (and indeed might delight in 
  damaging or altering it to suit its whims). The victim increases 
  its Strength and Toughness Characteristics by 10 and gains 
  1d10+3 Wounds. The victim uses the possessing entity’s 
  Intelligence, Perception, Willpower, and Fellowship, and uses 
  the entity’s Psy Rating and powers in place of its own (if any). 
  Likewise, the victim uses any mind-related Skills and Talents 
  of the entity and loses its own.
  The entity may also attempt to recall memories and skills 
  from its victim with a successful Intelligence Test. In the case 
  of possession by a daemon, the victim has a good chance of 
  becoming immediately mutated, and likely becomes further 
  mutated the longer the possession continues (see Chapter 
  IX: The Game Master for more details on mutation).
  Table 5–6: Size
  Size
  To Hit Modiﬁer
  Stealth
  Base Movement
  Miniscule (1) (Autoquill, Knife)
  –30
  +30
  AB–3
  Puny (2) (Bolt pistol, Servo-skull)
  –20
  +20
  AB–2
  Weedy (3) (Gretchin, Human Child)
  –10
  +10
  AB–1
  Average (4) (Human, Eldar)
  0
  0
  AB
  Hulking (5) (Ork Nob, Armoured Space Marines) 
  +10
  –10
  AB+1
  Enormous (6) (Sentinel Walker, Krootox)
  +20
  –20
  AB+2
  Massive (7) (Battle Tank, Greater Daemon)
  +30
  –30
  AB+3
  Immense (8) (Land Raider, Great Knarloc)
  +40
  –40
  AB+4
  Monumental (9) (Squiggoth, Baneblade)
  +50
  –50
  AB+5
  Titanic (10) (Reaver Battle Titan, Ordinatus War Machine)
  +60
  –60
  AB+6
  
  158
  V: Talents and Traits
  TOXIC (X)
  A creature with this Trait is poisonous. Anyone that 
  successfully deals Damage to a Toxic creature must make a 
  Toughness Test with a penalty equal to 10 times the number 
  in parentheses (X) or suffer 1d10 points of Damage (of the 
  same type as the weapon which inﬂicted the hit) not reduced 
  by Armour or Toughness. For example, a creature with Toxic 
  (4) would impose a –40 on Toughness Tests. Some creatures 
  may carry additional effects with their toxins or inﬂict more 
  Damage as indicated in their individual descriptions. 
  UNDYING
  This creature has a strange and barely understood physiology. 
  It cannot be harmed by diseases, poisons, or toxic effects. It has 
  no need to breathe and can survive unaided in a vacuum.
  UNNATURAL CHARACTERISTIC (X)
  One or more of the creature’s Characteristics is unnaturally 
  enhanced. This is indicated by a number that is then added 
  directly to the relevant Characteristic Bonus. For example, 
  a creature with a Strength of 41 normally has a 4 Strength 
  Bonus. If the creature had Unnatural Characteristic Strength 
  (3) then its Strength Bonus increases to 7 (4+3). A creature 
  may have this Trait more than once. Each time, it is applied 
  to a new Characteristic. In addition, whenever someone 
  with an Unnatural Characteristic succeeds on a Test utilising 
  that Characteristic, they gain a number of bonus Degrees of 
  Success equal to half of their Unnatural Characteristic.
  UNNATURAL SENSES (X)
  The creature can perceive its surroundings using senses other 
  than sight or hearing, such as special organs, ﬁne hairs, or 
  some other disturbing ability. This Trait always includes a 
  range in metres indicated by the number in parentheses (X). 
  WARP INSTABILITY
  Most warp-entities have a tenuous hold on our reality, often 
  maintained only by horror and bloodshed, and may be 
  disrupted if sufﬁcient harm can be done to their manifested 
  forms. If a creature with this Trait takes Damage and does not 
  deal any Damage or Insanity Points to another creature by 
  the end of its next Turn, it must make a Willpower Test. The 
  creature takes 1 point of Damage for failing, plus 1 additional 
  point of Damage for each Degree of Failure. If this would 
  deal Damage equal to, or in excess of, the creature’s Wounds, 
  it is cast back into the warp. 
  WARP WEAPONS
  Creatures with this Trait have weapons that are partially 
  insubstantial, able to ignore such mundane things as armour 
  or cover. Natural weapons and attacks made by a creature 
  with this Trait ignore physical armour unless it is created from 
  psychoactive materials or is somehow warded against the 
  warp. Force ﬁelds still work against these attacks normally.
  SONAR SENSE
  A creature with this Trait perceives its surroundings by 
  emitting a frequency noise, allowing the creature to locate the 
  position of any solid object within 30 metres. Other creatures 
  within this 30 metre range, which succeed on an Awareness 
  Skill Test at –10, may detect the curious keening.
  SOUL-BOUND
  The soul of this creature is bound to a higher power or being, 
  in return for a measure of protection. When this Trait is ﬁrst 
  gained, the entity to which the soul is bound must be decided. 
  Many Imperial psykers, especially Astropaths, are soul-bound 
  to the Emperor, for example, whereas Chaos Sorcerers may be 
  bound to one of the Ruinous Powers. A soul-bound psyker 
  rolls an additional die when forced to roll on the Perils of the 
  Warp table, discarding whichever one he chooses to get a more 
  favourable result. (Essentially, he may replace either the ones 
  die or the tens die with the extra die he rolls.) Upon becoming 
  soul-bound, a character must choose one of the following 
  effects: 3d10 Insanity Points, the permanent loss of their sight, 
  permanent loss of 1d10 from one Characteristic, or a random 
  mutation. In addition, a soul-bound character is permanently 
  indebted to the entity, which undoubtedly entails all manner 
  of other duties and consequences.
  STAMPEDE
  Whenever a creature with this Trait fails a Willpower Test, it 
  automatically stampedes, charging in a straight line forwards 
  for as far as possible, overrunning anything in its path until the 
  source of danger is escaped or crushed under hoof. Anyone 
  in the way takes Damage equal to the creature’s Natural 
  Weapon Damage (or 1d5+SB I if it doesn’t have one). One 
  stampeding creature automatically causes all other creatures 
  with the same Trait within sight to stampede as well. The 
  stampede lasts until the source of danger is no longer visible 
  or for 1d10 minutes, whichever occurs last. 
  STUFF OF NIGHTMARES
  Some warp entities are so terribly powerful that the will 
  perpetuating their bodies in our reality is almost impossible to break 
  or disrupt. Such entities are completely immune to the effects of 
  poisons, diseases, the need to breathe, most environmental hazards, 
  bleeding, and stunning. They also ignore any critical result other 
  than one that would destroy them outright, unless it was caused by 
  a psychic power, force weapon, or holy attack.
  STURDY
  Sturdy creatures are hard to move and thus gain a +20 bonus to 
  Tests made to resist grappling and uses of the Takedown Talent.
  TOUCHED BY THE FATES (X)
  The creature or NPC has a number of Fate Points shown in 
  parentheses (X). It may use these Fate Points in exactly the 
  same way as Player Characters and may even burn a Fate 
  Point to survive death and destruction at the GM’s 
  discretion. The rules for Righteous Fury also apply 
  to this creature or NPC. 
  
  RANGED WEAPONS
  •
  MELEE WEAPONS
  •
  ARMOUR
  •
  DRUGS, 
  CONSUMABLES, 
  TOOLS, AND GEAR
  •
  CYBERNETICS
  •
  VEHICLES
  
  160
  VI: Armoury
  certain that they have the equipment they feel is necessary to 
  function within a warzone. Of course, any gear is subject to 
  inspection by ofﬁcers and Commissars, who may frown upon 
  and punish individual eccentricities, and few Guardsmen want 
  to end up on the wrong side of their Commissar’s bolt pistol. 
  Soldiers are also expected to maintain their gear to rigorous 
  standards and all regimental standard issue equipment can be 
  subject to frequent inspections.
  This section presents a broad range of equipment that 
  may become available to members of the Imperial Guard. 
  Starting characters begin with a standard regimental 
  kit, as described on page 163. The contents of this kit 
  may vary based upon the nature of their home world, the 
  conditions of their deployment, what type of unit they are 
  a part of, and what speciﬁc battleﬁeld role they have been 
  trained to perform. The process of acquiring further gear 
  is dependent upon battleﬁeld conditions, planet of origin, 
  mission parameters, and regimental proclivities. Of course, 
  as characters gain in fame and grow increasingly familiar 
  with the nature of their environs, they may develop new 
  ways to ensure that they have access to the gear they feel 
  necessary for their battleﬁeld missions.
  Chapter VI: 
  Armoury
  “The God-Emperor provides us with the tools we need to vanquish 
  the foe. However, a responsible commander must always remember to 
  care for those tools. Reckless use of resources may win a battle, but 
  such a strategy could easily lose a war.”
  –Lord Solar Macharius
  T
  he Departmento Munitorum issues every member 
  of the Imperial Guard a standard kit. This provides 
  every soldier with the necessities needed to function 
  as an effective member of the vast ﬁghting force. Of course, 
  this basic equipment provides exactly what is necessary and 
  nothing more. Many Guardsmen ﬁnd themselves hounding 
  after additional gear and supplies to make their time on 
  the hostile worlds of the galaxy more easy. Many go to 
  extraordinary means to acquire additional gear. For some, 
  this is accomplished through battleﬁeld commendations and 
  evidence of extreme competency during training, which 
  can see them chosen to perform a special role within their 
  unit or grouped together into a speciﬁc unit with other 
  Guardsmen who show the same talents. For others, 
  they might rely upon less savoury means to make 
  
  161
  161
  VI: Armoury
  LOGISTICS
  An Imperial Guardsman is a sworn servant of the God-
  Emperor. His life is the Imperium’s to spend in whatever way 
  his commanders see ﬁt. In the same vein, a Guardsman does not 
  own any of his gear. Instead, it is all entrusted to his care by 
  the Departmento Munitorum. Because of this, a soldier in the 
  Imperial Guard cannot be expected to purchase new equipment 
  or to receive special compensation in exchange for his service. At 
  least, that is how the system is intended to work.
  In practical terms, things function slightly differently. Every 
  soldier is issued a standard kit that is consistent with the gear 
  provided to all members of his regiment. In addition, specialist 
  gear is provided to soldiers who have particular responsibilities. 
  This might include a special or heavy weapon, tools required 
  for a speciﬁc responsibility, or even gear that is appropriate for 
  a speciﬁc mission or environment. Once equipment is issued, 
  soldiers are fully responsible for maintaining it and returning 
  it, when requested, in fully operational condition. Any gear lost 
  or damaged through the course of training or conﬂict must be 
  fully justiﬁed to regimental command. The consequences for 
  unacceptable losses can be unpleasant.
  Often, characters may wish to acquire gear that is outside of 
  the normal mission speciﬁcations. Sometimes this may simply 
  be to have the best possible equipment for the situation. 
  Other times, something might land in their lap with little 
  explanation. The galaxy is enormous, and there are countless 
  battlefronts with similar or even identical names. The adepts 
  of the Departmento Munitorum may make clerical errors 
  and deliver something entirely inappropriate. If the gear is 
  assigned through ofﬁcial channels to a unit, then that group 
  must assume full responsibility for it. However, if the goods 
  are delivered without a paper trail, then the characters might 
  be able to exploit it for their own purposes. 
  For game purposes, any equipment—whether acquired 
  through legitimate or underhanded means—apart from the 
  standard kit falls under the umbrella of the Logistics system. 
  This includes gear issued to specialists as well as equipment 
  speciﬁc to a mission—including non-standard gear that a Player 
  Character might requisition, even if high command believes it 
  falls outside of mission requirements. Sometimes characters may 
  choose to work the system, but other times an unexpected piece 
  of equipment may reach them through fortuitous circumstances. 
  In either case, their bounty might be used for their own purposes 
  or it might be used to barter for something else that they need. 
  The Guardsmen’s squad begins the game with a Logistics 
  Rating of 10. This rating may be increased in two ways. Players 
  may purchase the Munitorum Inﬂuence Talent that increases 
  their Logistics Rating by +5 at a time (see page 149). In 
  addition, Logistics may be awarded as a situational modiﬁer 
  for completing objectives on the battleﬁeld. Essentially, as 
  the squad’s fame increases, its reputation improves and others 
  within the camp become more willing to accommodate their 
  unusual requests. Conversely, particularly disastrous missions 
  may cause a squad’s Logistics Rating to decrease. Any such 
  awards or penalties to Logistics are subject to the Game 
  Master’s discretion, but should seldom exceed a gain or 
  loss of more than 5 points.
  Regimental 
  Logistics
  E
  ach regiment of the Imperial Guard includes a 
  substantial number of soldiers equipped with a 
  broad range of gear. The simple matter of billeting, 
  feeding, and providing for the basic needs of these troops 
  requires substantial resources. Of course, providing them 
  with adequate equipment to engage in extended conﬂicts 
  only complicates these matters. Ostensibly, the Departmento 
  Munitorum ultimately assumes full responsibility for supplies. 
  The overworked scribes and adepts must constantly verify 
  that the appropriate gear is sent to each regiment so that they 
  may function at acceptable levels of efﬁciency.
     When a regiment is initially raised, its home planet is 
  expected to provide ample supplies as part of their military 
  tithe. Consequently, the initial supply of foodstuffs, uniforms, 
  and standard kit that are issued to each trooper are generally 
  consistent with those used as part of the planet’s standing 
  military. The lasgun is the sole exception to this rule. Even on 
  worlds where that weapon is not commonly used, Imperial 
  Guard units are issued some variant of the lasgun as their 
  standard weapon. Only after a regiment has been issued 
  these supplies and undergone at least rudimentary training 
  can the planetary tithe be considered complete. The variation 
  between different home world military traditions and cultural 
  proclivities leads to the substantial variations that are observed 
  between Imperial Guard regiments from different systems. 
  Unfortunately, these initial supplies are seldom sufﬁcient to 
  maintain a regiment through an extended campaign. Vehicles, 
  weapons, and gear rapidly degrade under battleﬁeld conditions. 
  Foodstuffs are quickly depleted as the thousands of soldiers strive 
  to remain in effective ﬁghting condition. As a consequence, the 
  Departmento Munitorum must continue to ship supplies, with 
  the help of the Imperial Navy, to needy war zones. For worlds 
  that regularly provide regiments as tithe, additional supplies 
  may exceed their capacities. Instead, food must be drawn from 
  agricultural worlds with available production, while other gear 
  often comes from manufactories. Because of this, over time, as a 
  regiment is repeatedly resupplied, its arms and equipment may 
  begin to show some variation.
   In practice, the vast reserves of food, fuel, and munitions 
  required represent a substantial issue for any Imperial 
  Guard regiment. In order to stretch them, rationing is a 
  crucial factor. Ofﬁcers responsible for supply and inventory 
  must take constant care to see that all gear is allocated in 
  a responsible fashion. Otherwise, these reserves may be 
  quickly depleted, leaving a regiment unable to operate at 
  their expected efﬁciency levels. Different regiments employ a 
  variety of policies to see that these allocations are performed 
  in a reliable fashion. Ultimately, however, it boils down to 
  a logistical system that ensures the necessary supplies are 
  available when needed, but may not be squandered.
  
  162
  162
  VI: Armoury
  in conjunction with the Logistics system to determine what 
  equipment the characters can obtain and the status associated 
  with that gear.
  All equipment, including armour and weapons, has an 
  Availability ranking. When a character attempts to acquire 
  an object, this ranking plays a key factor in whether or not 
  he is able to obtain it. The Availability listed for any given 
  item is based upon standard conditions. Note that there are 
  a variety of different situational modiﬁers that can affect the 
  Availability of a given piece of equipment. As a consequence, 
  an item that is commonly available within one battle zone 
  might be substantially rarer in another. 
  Note that Availability is a moot point for the Guardsmen’s 
  standard kit and for equipment that is speciﬁcally issued for 
  a mission. Standard Regiment Guardsman Kit (see page 
  163) should almost always be available, as maintaining this 
  equipment is one of the regiment’s highest priorities. Mission 
  Assignment Gear is subject to situational Tests as described on 
  page 165. Availability becomes an issue for additional gear 
  that the characters attempt to acquire, including duplicates of 
  items present in their standard or mission speciﬁc kits.
  When calculating the difﬁculty of the Logistics Test 
  to acquire an item, characters should consult Table 6–2: 
  Availability by Front Conditions. There are four cumulative 
  bonuses to consider. Initially, the difﬁculty is calculated based 
  upon the number of troops deployed to the front. Characters 
  should consider the number of units deployed to the area and 
  cross reference that with the item’s Availability to determine 
  an initial difﬁculty. Next, the amount of time that the front 
  has been active, as well as the amount of time that the unit has 
  been deployed to the front must be considered. Some Imperial 
  warzones have been actively engaged for centuries, or even 
  millennia, while others are newly formed. As troops spend 
  additional time within a given warzone, they learn more of its 
  complexities as well as learning whom to contact for unusual 
  gear. Next, the current conditions must be considered. If the 
  Imperium is not faring well within a warzone, shipments may 
  THE LOGISTICS TEST
  When an individual Guardsman, or the squad as a whole, 
  wants to acquire an item or resource outside of standard issue, 
  he must make a Logistics Test. This is a 1d100 roll against 
  the Squad’s Logistics Rating—made in much the same way 
  as a Characteristic Test. This Test is modiﬁed based on the 
  item’s Availability, Craftsmanship, and the conditions of 
  the battleﬁeld the squad is currently operating in. Success 
  means the item has been obtained, while failure means the 
  Guardsmen could not locate or obtain the item.
  AVAILABILITY
  Unfortunately, not every piece of gear is readily available 
  to the characters at all times. In some cases, particular types 
  of items were never designated for assignment to a given 
  battle zone. In others, the Departmento Munitorum might 
  have shipped vast reserves of an unusual piece of equipment, 
  for reasons that only their adepts could hope to understand. 
  Game Masters and players should use the Availability system 
  WORKING THE SYSTEM
  A player might decide that it is in his character’s best interest to focus his Skills so that he is better suited for acquiring 
  gear. In this way, one character might be the focal negotiator for obtaining unusual items for the squad or bartering for 
  any extra equipment. A character who chooses to embrace this philosophy would be best suited by raising his Commerce 
  Skill and Fellowship Characteristic. In this way, the squad can improves its odds of having access to the most appropriate 
  gear for their situation, and might even acquire a few luxuries along the way.
  Any time that a character seeks to obtain an item, he begins by identifying the person most likely to provide it. Once 
  he has done so, he may engage them in a Challenging (+0) Opposed Commerce Test. For every Degree of Success 
  on the Test, the character receives a +10 bonus to his Logistics Test to obtain an item. 
  Often, a character might have a piece of extra gear that he might be willing to trade in order to obtain a particular 
  item. If this is the case, the availability of that item should be calculated (see Table 6–2: Availability by Front 
  Conditions on page 163). The Logistics Test difﬁculty for the traded item may be added as a bonus to the acting 
  character’s Commerce Test or as a penalty to the opposing character’s Commerce Test. 
  The downside is that, strictly speaking, bartering is a violation of Imperial Doctrine. The God-Emperor and his 
  servants—by divine mandate—are certain to always provide all of the necessary equipment for a mission. Anyone who 
  doubts this is clearly guilty of heresy. Furthermore, many of the items that are in greatest demand include things that are 
  clear violations of Imperial law. These include illicit substances, xenos tech, and even conﬁdential information. Anyone 
  who is willing to deal in such contraband could potentially trade them for items of great value, but must always consider 
  the risk that his trade partner might turn him in to the Commissariat.
  Table 6-1: Logistics Rating
  Table 6-1: Logistics Rating
  Logistics 
  Logistics 
  Rating
  Examples
  Rating
  Examples
  5
  Green Recruit
  5
  Green Recruit
  5
  Green Recruit
  10
  Enlisted Soldier
  10
  Enlisted Soldier
  15
  Low Rank Non-Commissioned Ofﬁcer
  15
  Low Rank Non-Commissioned Ofﬁcer
  15
  Low Rank Non-Commissioned Ofﬁcer
  20
  Squad Rank Non-Commissioned Ofﬁcer
  20
  Squad Rank Non-Commissioned Ofﬁcer
  25
  Senior Squad Rank Non-Commissioned Ofﬁcer
  25
  Senior Squad Rank Non-Commissioned Ofﬁcer
  25
  Senior Squad Rank Non-Commissioned Ofﬁcer
  30
  Platoon Ofﬁcer
  30
  Platoon Ofﬁcer
  40
  Company Command Ofﬁcer
  40
  Company Command Ofﬁcer
  40
  Company Command Ofﬁcer
  50
  Senior Ofﬁcer or Commissariat
  50
  Senior Ofﬁcer or Commissariat
  70
  Regimental Ofﬁcer
  70
  Regimental Ofﬁcer
  70
  Regimental Ofﬁcer
  90
  Battle Zone Command
  90
  Battle Zone Command
  100
  Salient Command
  100
  Salient Command
  100
  Salient Command
  120+
  Crusade Command
  120+
  Crusade Command
  
  163
  163
  VI: Armoury
  STANDARD REGIMENTAL 
  GUARDSMAN KIT
  “This armour is a gift from the Omnissiah. If you do not care for it 
  in the manner he has instructed, he will know that you have failed 
  him and it will not protect you. Pay heed to the rites, for your life 
  depends upon it.” 
  –Tech-Priest Obediah Arcseeker
  During the latter stages of his training as an Imperial 
  Guardsman, every soldier is issued his Standard Regimental 
  Guardsman Kit. The contents of this kit can vary substantially 
  between different regiments based upon their preferred 
  gear and standard protocols. The precise contents of each 
  Guardsman’s starting equipment is determined based upon 
  his starting regiment, either through the use of one of the 
  predeﬁned regiments or through the regiment creation 
  process (see Chapter II: Regiment Creation). 
  be lost and gear may be deployed hastily. Alternatively, when 
  things are going better, luxuries may become more readily 
  available. Finally, if a piece of equipment is a part of the 
  standard kit for any regiment engaged within the warzone, 
  the characters receive a +20 bonus to the Logistics Test.
  EXAMPLE
  Andrew decides that his Mordian Guardsman needs a plasma 
  gun. Consulting the weapons chart, he discovers that it has an 
  Availability of Very Rare. As there are ﬁve regiments deployed 
  to his current battlefront, this begins with a difﬁculty of Hard 
  (–20). His unit was just deployed to the front (–10), but it has 
  been active for more than a century (+30). The world remains 
  contested and the front is considered to remain at a Violent Impasse 
  (–10). Fortunately, one of the other regiments favours plasma guns, 
  so they are fairly numerous (+20). Summing the modiﬁers, the 
  ﬁnal difﬁculty for the Logistics Test is –20 + –10 + 30 + –10 
  +20 = Ordinary (+10).
  Table 6-2: Availability by Front Conditions
  Difﬁculty by Number of Troops
  Availability
  Company or Less
  Single Regiment
  Multiple Regiments
  Ubiquitous
  Easy (+30)
  Automatic
  Automatic
  Abundant
  Routine (+20)
  Easy (+30)
  Automatic
  Plentiful
  Ordinary (+10)
  Routine (+20)
  Easy (+30)
  Common
  Challenging (+0)
  Ordinary (+10)
  Routine (+20)
  Average
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  Challenging (+0)
  Ordinary (+10)
  Scarce
  Hard (–20)
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  Challenging (+0)
  Rare
  Very Hard (–30)
  Hard (–20)
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  Very Rare
  Arduous (–40)
  Very Hard (–30)
  Hard (–20)
  Extremely Rare
  Punishing (–50)
  Arduous (–40)
  Very Hard (–30)
  Near Unique
  Hellish (–60)
  Punishing (–50)
  Arduous (–40)
  Unique
  GM’s Discretion
  Hellish (–60)
  Punishing (–50)
  Time Spent in Front
  Modiﬁer
  Less than 3 Months
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  3–6 Months
  Challenging (+0)
  6–12 Months
  Ordinary (+10)
  1–5 Years
  Routine (+20)
  5+ Years
  Easy (+30)
  Front Active
  Modiﬁer
  Less than 3 Months
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  3–6 Months
  Challenging (+0)
  6–12 Months
  Ordinary (+10)
  1–5 Years
  Routine (+20)
  5+ Years
  Easy (+30)
  War Conditions
  Modiﬁer
  Losing Badly
  Very Hard (–30)
  Faltering
  Hard (–20)
  Violent Impasse
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  Ceaseﬁre
  Easy (+30)
  Near Victorious
  Ordinary (+10)
  Dominant
  Routine (+20)
  
  164
  VI: Armoury
  or ﬂak armour that served him faithfully through his earliest 
  years. In this way, a member of the Imperial Guard should 
  always have the most basic gear necessary to be combat 
  effective. While these choices might not be their ﬁrst option, 
  they are always an available choice that should enable them 
  to continue their service to the God-Emperor. 
  Similarly, this means that ammunition for such standard 
  equipment should seldom be an issue. Unless the characters 
  are assigned to a mission far from Imperial support, they 
  should be able to quickly resupply at a moment’s notice. 
  A visit to the base’s supply depot should be a part of each 
  soldier’s standard procedure upon returning from assignment 
  and before embarking upon one. In this way, every soldier 
  should be ready to embark upon a mission with little notice. 
  Because this standard kit offers both a resource and 
  a responsibility, it is crucial that the Game Master and the 
  players seriously consider all of the components at the very 
  beginning of the campaign. When selecting or creating a 
  regiment, overdoing the contents of the kit might create a 
  scenario where the characters are seldom challenged by 
  objectives as they always have ample supplies for every 
  imaginable conﬂict. An excessively expansive kit might also 
  require that the characters spend far too much of their down 
  time simply performing the routine series of rituals necessary 
  to keep their gear in proper working order. 
  In contrast, a kit that includes too little gear—say, just a 
  laslock, a combat knife, and primitive armour—might leave 
  the characters entirely too focused upon constantly acquiring 
  and replacing their equipment. Instead of preparing for 
  Because this equipment is predetermined by their regiment, 
  individual characters have no opportunity to customise it. 
  Unless the soldier is transferred to another regiment, the 
  contents of this kit remain largely ﬁxed for the entirety of 
  his career. Some characters may view this as a substantial 
  detriment. They might prefer to adapt their combat techniques 
  based upon circumstance or their own development, leaving 
  them feeling quite limited by the constraints of the standard 
  kit. Nevertheless, this is the nature of service in the Imperial 
  Guard. Of course, there are things a Guardsman can do about 
  this situation.
  Ultimately, the standard kit should be viewed as a resource 
  rather than a liability. Any time that a soldier is able to access 
  a fortiﬁed military encampment, that character can fully 
  resupply his kit from the regiment’s stores. Of course, this 
  is subject to Game Master discretion. If a character goes 
  through three lasguns a day for several days, there are likely 
  to be some inquiries from his commanding ofﬁcer, the base 
  quartermaster, and the local Tech-Priests. While a reasonable 
  explanation might resolve the issue, the consequences could 
  be severe if one is unavailable.
  In the same way, this may offer a more pragmatic soldier 
  an opportunity to acquire alternative gear—especially if he 
  happens to be in a base where there are members of other 
  regiments stationed. When members of those other regiments 
  resupply their standard kit, there are certainly ample 
  opportunities to engage in trade with them. In this way, a 
  character might obtain an alternative model of weapon, 
  variant gear, or even ﬁeld rations that are different enough to 
  be considered a delicacy. A handy supply of such goods could 
  even be more useful when the character engages in trading 
  with other regiments at a future date.
  At the same time, player characters are ultimately 
  responsible for the maintenance and care of all items that 
  are part of their standard kit. Any time that they do need 
  to requisition a replacement item, they must ﬁll out the 
  necessary paperwork. As with any such paperwork, doing 
  so runs the risk of excess scrutiny from a superior ofﬁcer, 
  with all of the potential consequences that entails. Losing 
  or damaging equipment—or having it stolen—can have 
  unpleasant consequences.
  Furthermore, some characters may be issued standard kit 
  that they never actually use. For example, every character is 
  issued his regiment’s standard model of lasgun. This includes 
  specialists who might always wield another weapon, such as 
  a meltagun or a grenade launcher. While they are unlikely to 
  ever take the lasgun out of their footlocker, they must still 
  maintain that weapon and have it prepared for inspection 
  at all times. This is part of standard Imperial Doctrine. 
  The characters must be prepared for all circumstances. As 
  a consequence, if they neglect to perform the maintenance 
  rituals on these secondary or tertiary pieces of equipment, 
  this could attract the attention of their superior ofﬁcers.
  However, for practical purposes, this means that any 
  piece of gear that is part of their Standard Regimental 
  Kit is always an option for every character to fall back 
  upon. Even if a highly specialised, well-loved, and 
  combat proven piece of equipment is destroyed, 
  the character may resort back to the trusty lasgun 
  
  165
  VI: Armoury
  When the characters are briefed about their mission, their 
  commanding ofﬁcer should indicate any Mission Assignment 
  Gear as part of the brieﬁng. When running a published 
  scenario, a list of the appropriate equipment is included as 
  part of the relevant scene. Otherwise, Game Masters must 
  devise a list of the speciﬁc equipment issued. Suggestions 
  are outlined below, but ultimately, the ﬁnal distinction about 
  what should be included in this list is subject to the Game 
  Master’s discretion. For more information regarding the 
  various types of missions, refer to Chapter IX: The Game 
  Master, page 296.
   Once the characters have been issued a list of their expected 
  Mission Assignment Gear by their commander, they can go 
  about the process of acquiring it. In every regiment, and on 
  every battlefront, the process of distributing gear is different. 
  Some regiments use scribes who meticulously record every 
  item that is shipped to them by the Departmento Munitorum, 
  and the Guardsmen must stand in a monolithic line, waiting 
  for their turn to put in their request for equipment; while 
  in other regiments, equipment sent from the Departmento 
  Munitorum may simply be thrown into an immense pile 
  through which greedy soldiers riﬂe for the best gear.  
  To represent the requisition of Mission Assignment Gear 
  in any of the myriad situations the Guardsmen should ﬁnd 
  themselves in, one of the squad members should make a 
  Logistics Test. This is typically an Ordinary (+10) Logistics 
  Test. However, extenuating circumstances can modify 
  this difﬁculty. Refer to Table 6-3: Mission Assignment 
  Logistics Modiﬁers for situational changes. Note that 
  the Availability of any equipment included in the Mission 
  Assignment Gear does not affect the difﬁculty of this Test. 
  The commanding ofﬁcer is presumably familiar with the 
  base’s resources, so is deliberately assigning the relevant 
  gear to the squad. Some Game Masters might choose to 
  develop the personality of the NPCs who work in the base’s 
  supply depot. In such a case, they can apply discretionary 
  modiﬁers as appropriate to the character’s personality and 
  past interactions with the Player Characters. 
  Once all modiﬁers have been applied, the characters should 
  compare the results of their Logistics Test with Table 6–4: 
  Mission Assignment Logistics Results. If appropriate, 
  they must then make any indicated rolls upon Table 6–5: 
  Random Issue Gear. Either exceptional failure or success on 
  the Logistics Test may leave the characters with unexpected 
  supplies as part of their Mission Assignment Gear. In either 
  case, this equipment has not been properly tracked and the 
  characters are not responsible for returning any gear acquired 
  in this manner. Savvy characters might wish to trade anything 
  acquired in this manner with other units stationed at their 
  base, prior to embarking upon their mission. In this way, they 
  might be able to acquire additional appropriate equipment 
  or create a stockpile of reserves against a future disastrous 
  Logistics Test.
  missions and slaying the Imperium’s foes, the soldiers could 
  be forced to spend their time trying to loot equipment from 
  fallen comrades or foes and bartering for the bare essentials 
  necessary to survive under battleﬁeld conditions. While 
  this might make for an interesting—though exceptionally 
  dark—campaign, it dramatically changes the focus of each 
  adventure. Characters in such a situation could ﬁnd seemingly 
  routine encounters to be far more challenging than would 
  otherwise be expected.
  Ultimately, the Standard Regimental Guardsman Kit should 
  be more of a baseline resource than either a tremendous asset 
  or a troublesome burden. Characters should consider it as a 
  reserve that can keep them from falling into desperate situations 
  rather than as a critical resource. At the same time, if it becomes 
  something that is completely taken for granted, Game Masters 
  are encouraged to increase the frequency of routine inspections, 
  to make certain that the Player Characters are fulﬁlling their 
  responsibilities to care for their essential gear.
  MISSION ASSIGNMENT GEAR
  “By the grace of the Omnissiah, you have been granted this sacred 
  tool. It has been used in his name for 1,500 years. Guard it well so 
  that it may continue to serve in the future. It is worth far more than 
  your life. Make sure that your comrades know that its survival is at 
  least as important as your mission.”
  –Cyber-Seer Kierkegaard Phi IX
  At the beginning of every mission, commanders issue each squad 
  a set of equipment that the Squad is granted in addition to their 
  Standard Gear that is intended to assist them with completing 
  their mission parameters. At a minimum, this should include any 
  environmental gear necessary for survival within the mission’s 
  ﬁeld of operations. Often, the mission objectives may require 
  additional equipment that is not part of the standard kit. In 
  these situations, the characters should also receive appropriate 
  gear to allow for the completion of the task at hand. However, 
  it is not uncommon for clerical error, command oversight, or 
  a simple miscommunication to result in Mission Assignment 
  Gear that is not consistent with the squad’s expectations. 
  Table 6-3: Mission Assignment  
  Logistics Modiﬁers
  War Conditions
  Modiﬁer
  Losing Badly
  Very Hard (–30)
  Faltering
  Hard (–20)
  Violent Impasse
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  Ceaseﬁre
  Easy (+30)
  Near Victorious
  Ordinary (+10)
  Dominant
  Routine (+20)
  Mission Importance
  Modiﬁer
  Routine
  Difﬁcult (–10)
  Minor
  Challenging (+0)
  Important
  Ordinary (+10)
  Vital
  Routine (+20)
  
  166
  VI: Armoury
  disparity, it is important to consider the ramiﬁcations of these 
  production methods when such equipment is used. This issue 
  becomes even more vital when a user’s life depends upon the 
  reliability of a piece of gear.
  The overall quality of a device is expressed in terms of 
  its Craftsmanship. All equipment within the game has a 
  Craftsmanship value, which is considered Common unless 
  otherwise indicated. Items are classiﬁed as of Poor, Common, 
  Good, or Best Craftsmanship. This value expresses the care 
  taken when the piece of equipment was created, but also 
  covers how well it has been maintained. A device that might 
  have been of Good Craftsmanship when it was created could 
  degrade to Poor after years of abuse and neglect on the 
  galaxy’s battleﬁelds.
  Weapons and armour offer speciﬁc rules for their 
  Craftsmanship as outlined below. For other goods and services, 
  their effectiveness and Availability are both modiﬁed based 
  upon Craftsmanship. Because such goods are unlikely to have a 
  frequent impact on game play, the precise effects are subject to 
  the Game Master’s judgment. As a general rule, a Poor item may 
  fail at an inopportune time while a Poor service may take longer 
  to complete and fail to live up to the characters’ expectations. 
  In sharp contrast, Good or Best services are completed well 
  within their expected deadlines and should include luxuries 
  that exceed the characters’ hopes. Similarly, a Good or Best 
  Craftsmanship item may offer unexpected features and prove 
  reliable under even the most extreme of circumstances. 
  Equipment Craftsmanship must also be considered when 
  acquiring an item through Logistics (see page 161). The 
  calculation for an item’s Availability assumes that it is of 
  Common Craftsmanship. If the character is willing to settle 
  for Poor Craftsmanship or desires a higher quality item, the 
  Logistics Test must reﬂect this variation. Consult Table 6–6: 
  Craftsmanship and Logistics and add in the appropriate 
  modiﬁer. Availability of alternative Craftsmanship products 
  is always subject to Game Master discretion. It may be that 
  in a particular battlefront, the only items available fall into 
  EXAMPLE
  Andrew’s character’s  commanding ofﬁcer issues his squad a case of ten 
  demolition charges, a case of ten gas masks, and ten sets of infra-red 
  goggles. The ongoing war has been at a Violent Impasse (Difﬁcult 
  (–10)), but this is an Important (Ordinary (+10)) Mission that 
  could have serious ramiﬁcations. Andrew makes an Ordinary (+10) 
  Logistics Test (the other modiﬁers offset) but suffers two Degrees of 
  Failure. Consulting Table 6-4: Mission Assignment Logistics 
  Results, the Game Master decides that the gas masks and infra-red 
  goggles are unavailable. Andrew then rolls twice on the Random Issue 
  Gear chart, with a –10 penalty. He rolls a 56 and an 84. After 
  applying the penalties, he consults the chart to discover that the supply 
  depot gave the squad a ﬁle of satellite maps and a case of power packs.
  After numerous missions, rolls on the Random Issue Gear 
  chart could start to become repetitive. This should never 
  be the case. To avoid this, Game Masters are encouraged 
  to devise variant charts appropriate to their own campaign. 
  Alternatively, Game Masters can substitute alternative items 
  of comparable availability for any item that is randomly 
  rolled, at their own discretion.
  EQUIPMENT 
  CRAFTSMANSHIP
  “Your life does not depend upon whether or not that knife holds an edge. 
  It depends upon whether you meet your quota. Get back to work!”
  –Overseer Jorgensen
  Across the span of the galaxy, there are a huge range of 
  different manufactorums producing goods of vastly 
  disparate grades. Some are equipped with only the 
  crudest of input materials and design techniques, while 
  others are supplied with only the highest quality raw 
  materials and technicians who have undergone 
  the most strenuous of training. Because of this 
  Table 6-4: Mission Assignment Logistics Results
  Table 6-4: Mission Assignment Logistics Results
  Degree of Success or Failure
  Degree of Success or Failure
  Result
  4+ Degrees of Failure
  4+ Degrees of Failure
  No Mission Assignment Gear is available. The supply depot demands that the characters each 
  return one piece of equipment from their Standard Regimental Kit.
  3 Degrees of Failure
  3 Degrees of Failure
  No Mission Assignment Gear is available. Roll three times on Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear 
  (with a –20 penalty) to determine what replacement gear is issued. 
  2 Degrees of Failure
  2 Degrees of Failure
  Two important pieces of equipment, at the Game Master’s discretion, from the Mission 
  Assignment Gear are unavailable. Roll twice on Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear (with a –10 
  penalty) to determine what replaces the gear. 
  1 Degree of Failure
  1 Degree of Failure
  One piece of equipment, at the Game Master’s discretion, from the Mission Assignment Gear is 
  unavailable. Roll on Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear to determine what replaces the missing gear. 
  Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear to determine what replaces the missing gear. 
  Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear
  1 Degree of Success
  1 Degree of Success
  All Mission Assignment Gear is available.
  2 Degrees of Success
  2 Degrees of Success
  In addition to the listed Mission Assignment Gear, the characters receive a duplicate item, at the 
  Game Master’s discretion.
  3 Degrees of Success
  3 Degrees of Success
  In addition to the listed Mission Assignment Gear, the characters receive two additional items. 
  Roll twice on Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear (with a +10 bonus) to determine what 
  additional gear is issued. 
  4+ Degrees of Success
  4+ Degrees of Success
  In addition to the listed Mission Assignment Gear, the characters receive two additional items. 
  Roll twice on Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear (with a +20 bonus) to determine what 
  additional gear is issued.
  
  167
  VI: Armoury
  MELEE WEAPON CRAFTSMANSHIP
  Poor: Lax craftsmanship or poorly balanced work means this 
  weapon inﬂicts a –10 on all Weapon Skill Tests made with it. 
  Good: An eye towards balance and design means this weapon 
  grants a +5 bonus to all Weapon Skill Tests made with it.
  Best: Superior materials and superb design means this 
  weapon grants a +10 bonus to all Weapon Skill Tests made 
  with it, and increases the Damage it deals by +1.
  ARMOUR CRAFTSMANSHIP
  Poor: Badly ﬁtted, designed or damaged, Poor armour is 
  difﬁcult to wear. Characters wearing Poor armour take a –10 
  penalty to all Agility Tests.
  Good: Well constructed and better ﬁtting, this armour is 
  easier to wear. Against the ﬁrst attack in any Round, the 
  armour increases its AP by 1.
  Best: Finely wrought and perfectly ﬁtted Best armour is like 
  donning a second skin. Best armour weighs half the normal 
  amount and increases the AP by 1.
  a particular category. Players must clarify prior to making 
  a Logistics Test if they are attempting to obtain an item of 
  anything but Common Craftsmanship.
  RANGED WEAPON CRAFTSMANSHIP
  Poor: Shoddy and dangerous to use, this weapon has the 
  Unreliable Quality. If the weapon already has this Quality, 
  then it jams on any failed hit roll.
  Good: This weapon is constructed well and loses the Unreliable 
  Quality. If it does not have the Unreliable Quality, it gains the 
  Reliable Quality. If it already has this Quality, there is no further 
  effect beyond the obvious ﬁne workmanship of the weapon.
  Best: As ﬁne a piece of craftsmanship as can be found, this 
  weapon never suffers from jamming or overheating, treating 
  any such results as a miss.
  Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear
  Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear
  D100 Roll
  Random Issue Gear
  <0
  A duffel ﬁlled with uniforms in desperate need of laundering.
  0–5
  A case of ﬁnely tailored dress uniforms, sized for Ogryns.
  6–10
  A 200 litre drum ﬁlled with concentrated acid.
  11–15
  A case of 20 suits of survival clothing appropriate to a climate that is not present within their ﬁeld of operations.
  16–20
  A case of 20 magazines of ammunition for a special weapon that neither the squad nor their regiment normally ﬁelds.
  21–25
  A case of 12 spare components used for routine servitor maintenance.
  26–30
  A case of 10 standard entrenching tools.
  31–35
  A case of 100 copies of The Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer.
  36–40
  A case of 10 lasguns identical with those in the Standard Regimental Kit.
  41–45
  A 200 litre fuel drum ﬁlled with promethium.
  46–50
  A case of 40 power packs sized to ﬁt the lasguns in the Standard Regimental Kit. 
  51–55
  A case of 50 Ration Packs.
  56–60
  A case of 100 servings of Recaf.
  61–65
  A case of 4 grav chutes.
  66–70
  A case of 20 grenades (Game Master’s choice for type).
  71–75
  A ﬁle folder marked “High Command Only” containing extensive high-resolution orbital images of the battle front.
  76–80
  Inside of an unmarked wooden crate resides an ornately jeweled box that bears the seal of the Inquisition. 
  (Contents of the box subject to the Game Master’s discretion.)
  81–85
  A case containing a single Heavy Weapon (Game Master’s choice) and 6 standard magazines/missiles/shells of 
  ammunition for it.
  86–90
  A case containing 2 suits of Storm Trooper Carapace Armour.
  91–95
  A case of 24 Demolition Charges.
  96–100
  A case of 24 servings of High Provender.
  101–105
  A case of 48 doses of Stimm.
  106–110
  A case of 144 packs of 20 lho-sticks.
  111–115
  A case of 12 bottles of amasec. 
  116–120
  Any 1 item of the player’s choice of up to Very Rare Availability.
  121+
  Any 1 item of the player’s choice of up to Extremely Rare Availability.
  Note that characters are not ofﬁcially responsible for any item received through this table. Because of the failure in the requisition process, the 
  Departmento Munitorum is unaware that this gear has been issued.
  Table 6–6: Craftsmanship and Logistics
  Craftsmanship
  Logistics Modiﬁer
  Poor
  Routine (+20)
  Common
  Ordinary (+0)
  Good
  Very Hard (–30)
  Best
  Punishing (–50) 
  
  168
  VI: Armoury
  weapon’s RoF has three entries to indicate the modes a weapon 
  can be ﬁred in. The ﬁrst entry indicates whether the weapon 
  can be ﬁred singly (with an S). The second entry indicates 
  whether or not a weapon can be ﬁred semi-automatically, and 
  the number listed describes the number of shots ﬁred when the 
  weapon is used in this manner. Finally, the third entry describes 
  if the weapon can be ﬁred on full automatic, and how many 
  shots are ﬁred when this happens. Any mode in which the 
  weapon cannot be ﬁred is indicated with a “–.”
  Some weapons can be ﬁred in more than one mode. If this 
  is the case, each of its different Rates of Fire are listed in its 
  proﬁle. Characters must choose which mode they are ﬁring 
  their weapon in before making their attack.
  Dam (Damage): The Damage the weapon does and the type 
  of Damage it inﬂicts for the purpose of Criticals (as shown in 
  brackets): (E) Energy, (X) Explosive, (R) Rending, (I) Impact.
  Pen (Penetration): Reﬂects how good the weapon is at 
  cutting through armour. When a shot or blow from this 
  weapon hits a target, reduce the target’s Armour Points by the 
  weapon’s Penetration, with results of less than 0 counting as 
  0 (i.e. the armour provides no protection at all). Then work 
  out Damage as normal. So, for example, if a weapon with a 
  Penetration of 3 hits a target with 5 Armour Points, the target 
  only counts as having 2 Armour Points against any Damage 
  the hit causes. Note that Penetration has no effect on ﬁelds, 
  but it does affect cover.
  Clip: How many rounds/charges the weapon holds when 
  fully loaded.
  Weapons
  “The Demolisher, the Vanquisher, even the mighty Deathstrike 
  Missile Launcher pale in comparison to the sheer ﬁrepower of 
  trillions of lasguns unleashing hell in unison.”
  –Captain Garius Septus of the 263rd Maccabian Jannissaries
  W
  eapons are divided into several groups covering 
  a plethora of ranged weapons, dealing with 
  everything from crossbows to plasma cannons, and 
  melee weapons covering all manner of close combat weaponry. 
  Unless they are of Poor Craftsmanship, all weapons come with 
  the appropriate holster or carrying strap as part of their cost.
  All weapons have a proﬁle that is presented using the 
  following statistics, providing players and GMs with all the 
  relevant information needed to use them:
  Name: What the weapon is called.
  Class: Describes what class the weapon is, either a Melee, 
  Thrown, Pistol, Basic, Heavy, or Vehicle weapon.
  Melee weapons can be used in close combat. When using 
  a Melee weapon, you add your SB to the Damage you inﬂict.
  Thrown weapons cover anything propelled by muscle 
  power alone and includes knives, axes, spears and the like. 
  Unless they are also classed as Melee, Thrown weapons 
  cannot be used in close combat (or if they are, they count as 
  Improvised weapons). When using a Thrown weapon, you 
  add your SB to the Damage you inﬂict (with the exception of 
  explosives such as grenades).
  Pistol weapons are ﬁred one-handed and can be used 
  in close combat. However, when a Pistol is used in close 
  combat, the ﬁrer gains no bonuses or penalties to hit for 
  range or targeting equipment. Pistols with the Scatter 
  Quality ﬁred in melee are considered to be ﬁring at Point-
  Blank range. However, they do not gain a +30 bonus for 
  being at Point-Blank range.
  Basic weapons normally require two hands, but can be 
  used one-handed with a –20 penalty to hit.
  Heavy weapons always require two hands and must be 
  braced in some way, usually either on a bipod or tripod but 
  equally it could be a windowsill or sandbag (or the ﬁrer’s 
  shoulder in the case of missile launchers) to be ﬁred without 
  penalties. Firing a Heavy weapon without bracing incurs a –30 
  penalty to hit and prohibits Semi-Auto and Full Auto ﬁre.
  Vehicle weapons must be mounted either upon a vehicle or 
  as part of a permanent emplacement. These weapons are far 
  too massive to be man-portable. Their complex ammunition 
  feeds, massive scale, and powerful recoil require large support 
  elements, though these are often mounted upon a turret.
  Range: This number is used to determine how far the 
  weapon can be accurately ﬁred in metres. A weapon’s Short 
  Range is half this number, while its Long Range is double 
  this number (for ranged bonuses and penalties see Chapter 
  VIII: Combat, page 253). Weapons cannot be ﬁred at 
  targets more than four times their range distance away.
  RoF (Rate of Fire): This tells you if the weapon can be 
  ﬁred either on Semi-Auto or Full Auto and how many 
  rounds or charges it expends when doing so. A 
  
  169
  VI: Armoury
  CORROSIVE
  Some weapons utilise highly caustic acids which cause damage 
  to both the wearer and their equipment. If a target is hit by 
  an attack from a Corrosive weapon, the Armour Points of any 
  armour worn by the target in that location are reduced by 1d10 
  points. If the Armour Points of the armour are reduced below 
  0 or the target is not wearing any armour in that location, the 
  excess amount of Armour Point Damage (the whole amount 
  if the target is wearing no armour in that location) is dealt to 
  the target. This excess Damage is not reduced by Toughness. A 
  target’s armour can be reduced multiple times by the effects of a 
  Corrosive weapon. The Armour Point Damage is cumulative. A 
  suit of armour can be repaired with a successful Challenging 
  (+0) Tech-Use Test. A Player Character who possesses the 
  Armour Monger Talent can repair the armour while making 
  use of that Talent. 
  CRIPPLING (X)
  Particularly cruel or deadly weapons, usually employed 
  by the xenos enemies of the Imperium, sometimes include 
  things like living barbs or shards that remain in their victims’ 
  wounds, causing them immense pain and even slowly killing 
  them. When a target suffers at least one Wound from this 
  weapon, he counts as being “crippled” for the remainder of 
  the encounter or until healed of all Damage. If a crippled 
  character takes more than a Half Action on his Turn, he 
  suffers Rending Damage equal to the number in parentheses 
  (X) to whichever location received the original Damage. This 
  Damage is not reduced by Armour or Toughness.
  DEFENSIVE
  A Defensive weapon, such as a shield, is intended to be 
  used to block attacks and is awkward when used to make 
  attacks. Defensive weapons grant a +15 bonus to Tests 
  made when used to Parry, but impose a –10 penalty when 
  used to make attacks.
  FELLING (X)
  To kill powerful foes often requires fearsome weapons or special 
  rounds with the ability to punch through even the toughest 
  hides. When calculating Damage from Felling weapons, reduce 
  the target’s Unnatural Toughness Bonus by the number in 
  parentheses (X). Felling only reduces Unnatural Toughness, not 
  the target’s base Toughness Bonus. The reduction occurs for 
  calculating Damage only and does not persist.
  FLAME
  Some weapons belch great gouts of ﬂame, igniting anything 
  they strike. If a target of a Flame attack is hit (even if he 
  suffers no Damage), he must succeed on an Agility Test or be 
  set on ﬁre (see page 266).
  If the target of the Flame attack is a Vehicle, the pilot of the 
  vehicle must make the appropriate Operate Skill Test with a 
  bonus equal to the Vehicle Armour value on the facing 
  hit by the Flame Attack. If the pilot fails, the Vehicle 
  immediately catches ﬁre (see the On Fire! sidebar on 
  page 284).
  Rld (Reload): How many Actions the weapon takes to reload. 
  This is generally Half (for a Half Action) or Full (for a Full 
  Action). Some weapons can take a number of Actions over 
  several Rounds. The number of Rounds is given as a number, 
  for example 2 Full means that reloading takes 2 Full Rounds.
  Special: This tells you if the weapon has any special qualities, 
  such as creating a blast when ﬁred or needing to recharge 
  between shots.
  Wt (Weight): Represents how much the weapon weighs, 
  normally in kg (kilograms).
  Availability: This identiﬁes the weapon’s availability, and is 
  used when making Logistics Tests to acquire the weapon (see 
  page 161).
  WEAPON SPECIAL 
  QUALITIES
  Some weapons possess special qualities to represent such 
  things as special damage or unusual effects. The following is 
  a list of the most widely used weapon qualities:
  ACCURATE
  These weapons are designed with precision in mind and 
  respond superbly in skilled hands. They grant an additional 
  bonus of +10 to the ﬁrer’s Ballistic Skill when used with an 
  Aim Action, in addition to the normal bonus granted from 
  Aiming. When ﬁring a single shot from a single Basic weapon 
  with the Accurate Quality and beneﬁting from the Aim 
  Action, the attack inﬂicts an extra 1d10 of Damage for every 
  two Degrees of Success, to a maximum of an extra 2d10. 
  These extra d10s cannot generate Righteous Fury.
  BALANCED
  Some weapons, such as swords and knives, are designed so that 
  the weight of the hilt balances the weight of the blade, making 
  the weapon easier to wield. Balanced weapons grant a +10 
  bonus to Weapon Skill Tests made to Parry. Even if the wielder is 
  using multiple Balanced weapons, he only gains the bonus once.
  BLAST (X)
  Many missiles, grenades, and some guns create an explosion 
  when they hit their target. When working out a hit from a 
  Blast weapon, anyone within the weapon’s blast radius in 
  metres, indicated by the number in parentheses, is also hit. Roll 
  Damage once and apply it to each person affected by the blast. 
  CONCUSSIVE (X)
  Some weapons create a deafening blast or shock wave when 
  they hit. When a target is struck by a Concussive weapon, 
  he must take a Toughness Test with a penalty equal to 10 
  times the number in parentheses (X). For example, a weapon 
  with Concussive (2) would impose a –20 on Toughness Tests 
  and Concussive (0) would be a Test with no penalty. If he 
  fails, the target is Stunned for 1 Round per Degree of Failure. 
  Additionally, if the target takes Damage greater than his 
  Strength Bonus, he is knocked Prone.
  
  170
  VI: Armoury
  HALLUCINOGENIC (X)
  Hallucinogenic weapons use drugs or mind-altering exotic 
  energy to disorient or disable their targets, often inducing a 
  variety of short-lived psychological states and delusions. When a 
  creature takes a hit from a Hallucinogenic weapon, it must make 
  a Toughness Test with a penalty equal to 10 times the number 
  in parentheses (X) or suffer a temporary delusion and roll 1d100 
  on Table 6–7: Hallucinogenic Effects. Respirators and sealed 
  armour provide a +20 bonus to this Test. The effects last for 1 
  Round, plus 1 additional Round for every Degree of Failure.
  HAYWIRE (X)
  Haywire weapons make use of microwaves or electromagnetic 
  radiation to destroy the inner workings of machines and 
  tech. Everything within the ﬁeld’s radius, indicated by the 
  number in parentheses, is affected: Haywire (3) would affect 
  an area with a three metre radius. Roll 1d10 on Table 6–8: 
  Haywire Field Effects (adding any modiﬁers from the 
  weapon) to determine the strength of the effect. As the ﬁeld 
  slowly dissipates, the strength lessens one step in severity each 
  Round until it becomes Insigniﬁcant (i.e., a result of Major 
  Disruption would become Minor Disruption the following 
  Round and then cease to have an effect the Round after that). 
  Additional Haywire attacks in the same area do not stack but 
  instead create a new effect that is either ignored if lower than 
  the current effect or replaces the old one if higher.
  FLEXIBLE
  Some weapons, such as whips, are made up from lots of 
  loosely connected segments, such as chains or supple woven 
  hides. These kinds of weapons lash about when used to attack 
  and cannot be Parried. 
  FORCE
  Force weapons are unique in that they only function properly 
  when wielded by a true psyker, whose mental energies turn 
  these ordinary looking weapons into devices of terrifying 
  power. They can take the form of almost any normal hand 
  weapon such as a sword, axe, halberd, or hammer, and in the 
  hands of a non-psyker they function as such. When a psyker 
  directs his powers through them, though, such a weapon can 
  multiply his strength to superhuman levels. 
  Force weapons have special rules when used by a psyker and 
  otherwise count as a Best Craftsmanship Mono variant of the 
  standard Low-Tech weapon. In the hands of a psyker, the weapon 
  deals bonus Damage and gains bonus Penetration equal to the 
  psyker’s Psy Rating (so a Psy Rating 3 would grant +3 Damage 
  and +3 Penetration) and the Damage type changes to Energy. In 
  addition, whenever a psyker Damages an opponent, he may make 
  a Focus Power Action (Opposed Willpower) as a Half Action. If 
  he wins the Test, then for every Degree of Success, the Force 
  weapon’s wielder deals an additional 1d10 E Damage, 
  ignoring Armour and Toughness Bonus. Force weapons 
  cannot be destroyed by a power weapon’s ﬁeld.
  Table 6-7: Hallucinogenic Effects
  Table 6-7: Hallucinogenic Effects
  Roll
  Effect
  Roll
  Effect
  1
  Bugsbugsbugsbugs!
  Bugsbugsbugsbugs! The character drops to the ﬂoor, ﬂailing and screaming as he tries to claw off imaginary insects 
  devouring his skin and ﬂesh. In game terms, the character is Stunned.
  devouring his skin and ﬂesh. In game terms, the character is Stunned.
  2
  My hands…!
  My hands…! The character believes his hands have turned into slimy tentacles, or perhaps the ﬂesh has begun to strip off 
  the bone in bloody lumps. Regardless of the particulars, the character drops everything he is carrying and spends the duration 
  the bone in bloody lumps. Regardless of the particulars, the character drops everything he is carrying and spends the duration 
  staring at his hands and screaming. In game terms, the character is Stunned.
  staring at his hands and screaming. In game terms, the character is Stunned.
  3
  They’re coming through the walls!
  They’re coming through the walls! The character sees gruesome aliens bursting through the walls/ceiling/ﬂoor/bushes and 
  opens ﬁre. The character must spend each Turn ﬁring at a random piece of terrain within his line of sight. Any creatures caught 
  opens ﬁre. The character must spend each Turn ﬁring at a random piece of terrain within his line of sight. Any creatures caught 
  in the line of ﬁre are subject to attacks as normal. Each Round, choose a new target at random (use the 
  in the line of ﬁre are subject to attacks as normal. Each Round, choose a new target at random (use the Scatter Diagram on page 
  255 to determine which direction that is, with a “7” meaning he shoots the ground, and a “0” meaning he ﬁres wildly into the air).
  255 to determine which direction that is, with a “7” meaning he shoots the ground, and a “0” meaning he ﬁres wildly into the air).
  4
  Nobody can see me!
  Nobody can see me! The character believes he is invisible and wanders aimlessly, making faces at those around him. He 
  waddles about in random directions each Round (use the 
  waddles about in random directions each Round (use the Scatter Diagram on page 255), using a Full Action to move. The 
  character retains his Reactions.
  character retains his Reactions.
  5
  I can ﬂy!
  I can ﬂy! The sky looks so big and inviting, the character ﬂaps his arms trying to imitate a pterasquirrel. He may do nothing 
  but jump up and down on the spot. If he is standing above ground level, he may throw himself off in a random direction, 
  but jump up and down on the spot. If he is standing above ground level, he may throw himself off in a random direction, 
  with the usual consequences for falling—appalling injury or death being the usual outcomes.
  with the usual consequences for falling—appalling injury or death being the usual outcomes.
  6
  They’ve got it in for me…
  They’ve got it in for me… The character is overcome with paranoia, believing even his own comrades are out to get 
  him. On the character’s Turn, he must move to a position of cover, getting out of line of sight from any other characters. He 
  him. On the character’s Turn, he must move to a position of cover, getting out of line of sight from any other characters. He 
  remains hidden until the effect ends.
  remains hidden until the effect ends.
  7
  They got me, mother…
  They got me, mother… The character believes that the gas is toxic and collapses to the ﬂoor as if dead—he counts as 
  being Helpless. Any other character who sees him “die” must pass an Intelligence Test or they think the character is dead too.
  being Helpless. Any other character who sees him “die” must pass an Intelligence Test or they think the character is dead too.
  8
  I’ll take you all on!
  I’ll take you all on! The character is ﬁlled with a burning rage and a desire for violence. The character enters a Frenzy (see 
  page 144) and attacks the closest opponent.
  page 144) and attacks the closest opponent.
  9
  I’m only little!
  I’m only little! The character believes he has shrunk to half his normal size and everything else is big and frightening now. 
  All other characters count as having a Fear Rating of 3 to the character.
  All other characters count as having a Fear Rating of 3 to the character.
  0
  The worms!
  The worms! The character desperately tries to remove a massive fanged worm he thinks is slowly winding its way up his leg. If 
  holding a gun, he shoots himself with it or, if not, he hits himself in the leg with whatever melee weapon he is holding. If the 
  holding a gun, he shoots himself with it or, if not, he hits himself in the leg with whatever melee weapon he is holding. If the 
  character is currently holding no weapon, he draws a random weapon from those he carries and attacks himself with it. Randomly 
  character is currently holding no weapon, he draws a random weapon from those he carries and attacks himself with it. Randomly 
  determine which leg the character believes to be trapped by the worm. The attack hits automatically and deals normal Damage.
  determine which leg the character believes to be trapped by the worm. The attack hits automatically and deals normal Damage.
  
  171
  171
  VI: Armoury
  If the ranged attack fails, or if the Semi-Auto Burst or Full 
  Auto Burst Actions fail to achieve the maximum potential hits, 
  the remaining missed hits—up to the maximum potential hit 
  for the rate of ﬁre used in the attack—are still ﬁred, but miss 
  their target. For each missed hit, roll once on the Scatter 
  Diagram (see page 255). The hit instead strikes the ground 
  at a location Xd10 metres away from the intended target in 
  the direction rolled on the Scatter Diagram (where X is 
  equal to the number in parentheses [X]).
  If the active character has a Comrade in cohesion, that 
  Comrade may spend a Full Action to help the character in 
  aiming and steadying the weapon. If he does, then the attack 
  with the Indirect weapon does not suffer from the normal 
  –10 penalty and all missed hits only scatter Xd5 metres. 
  LANCE
  Lance weapons ﬁre focused beams of devastating energy, 
  piercing armour with ease. Weapons with the Lance Quality 
  have a variable Penetration value that is dependent on the 
  accuracy of each shot. When a target is hit by a weapon 
  with the Lance Quality, increase the weapon’s Penetration 
  value by its base value once for each Degree of Success 
  achieved by the attacker. For example, if a Dark Eldar 
  Kabalite Warrior hit a Leman Russ Battle Tank with a Dark 
  Lance and achieved 3 Degrees of Success, the Dark Lance 
  would have a Penetration value of 20—the base Penetration 
  value of the Dark Lance of 5 plus 15, 5 for each of the three 
  Degrees of Success—for that shot. Note that this means 
  that a weapon with the Lance Quality always has at least a 
  Penetration value of 5 if its wielder hits the target, as a hit 
  represents a single Degree of Success. 
  MAXIMAL
  Maximal weapons have two ﬁre settings allowing the wielder 
  to either use the weapon at its lower setting to conserve 
  ammo and allow a higher rate of ﬁre or make single powerful 
  blasts that require the weapon to recharge between shots. 
  Before making an attack, the user can choose to either ﬁre 
  the weapon normally, in which case it uses the proﬁle detailed 
  on Table 6–9: Ranged Weapons, or to ﬁre it on Maximal. 
  When the weapon is ﬁred on Maximal it adds 10 metres to its 
  Range, adds 1d10 to its Damage, and +2 to its Penetration. 
  If it has the Blast Quality, then this is improved by +2; i.e., 
  a weapon with Blast (3) become Blast (5). The weapon also 
  uses three times the normal amount of ammo per shot and 
  gains the Recharge Quality.
  MELTA
  Using intense blasts of heat to excite particles and carve away 
  armour, these weapons can slag even the hardest materials 
  if ﬁred from a close enough range. This weapon doubles its 
  Penetration when ﬁring at Short Range.
  INACCURATE
  Inaccurate weapons are either far too cumbersome to aim 
  properly or lack any kind of reliable sights. No bonus is 
  gained from the use of the Aim Action with these weapons.
  INDIRECT (X)
  Mortars and similar Launcher weapons are often ﬁred in a 
  suppression mode, where the actual enemy cannot be seen 
  and only their rough location is known. In these cases, mortar 
  shells and the like can be ﬁred without any actual line of sight 
  required. Often such weapons are ﬁred in conjunction with a 
  spotter who directs ﬁre from the weapon. Any ally with an 
  auspex or who can see the target can assist with indirect ﬁre. 
  When making any ranged attack Action (Standard Attack, 
  Semi-Auto Burst, or Full Auto Burst) with an Indirect weapon, 
  the attack does not have to target a location in line of sight 
  of the active player, but is made at a –10 penalty and requires 
  a Full Action instead of the normal Half Action. The active 
  character, however, must be aware of his intended target, 
  either by using the target’s last known position, through the 
  use of a spotter, or through other means. The GM makes the 
  ﬁnal determination on whether or not the character is aware 
  of his target’s location and may add penalties to this ranged 
  attack based on how aware the character is of his target.
  For each hit with the ranged attack, roll once on the Scatter 
  Diagram (see page 255). The hit instead strikes the ground 
  at a location a number of metres away from the intended target, 
  in the direction rolled on the Scatter Diagram, equal to 1d10 
  minus the ﬁrer’s Ballistic Skill Bonus—to a minimum of zero. 
  Table 6–8: Haywire Field Effects
  Table 6–8: Haywire Field Effects
  Roll
  Field Strength
  1–2
  Insigniﬁcant: There is no noticeable effect on 
  nearby technology.
  3–4
  Minor Disruption: All actions utilising technology, 
  including ﬁring Ranged weapons without the 
  Primitive Quality, Tech-Use Tests, and any physical 
  actions attempted while wearing power armour or 
  employing cybernetics, suffer a –10 penalty. The 
  Base Movement of anyone in power armour is 
  reduced by 1.
  5–6
  Major Disruption: All actions utilising technology, 
  including ﬁring Ranged weapons without the 
  Primitive Quality, Tech-Use Tests, and any physical 
  actions attempted while wearing power armour or 
  employing cybernetics, suffer a –20 penalty. The 
  Base Movement of anyone in power armour is 
  reduced by 3. Melee weapons with technological 
  components function as a Primitive weapon of the 
  analogous type.
  7–8
  Dead Zone: Technology within the affected 
  area completely ceases to function. Power armour 
  becomes unpowered reducing the wearer’s move 
  to 1. Characters with cybernetic replacements to 
  any internal organ(s) suffer one level of Fatigue 
  each Round they remain in the Dead Zone. Melee 
  weapons with technological components (i.e. power 
  swords) function as a Primitive weapon of their type.
  9–0
  Prolonged Dead Zone: As Dead Zone.
  
  172
  VI: Armoury
  RAZOR SHARP
  Certain weapons or ammunition have the ability to slice right 
  through armour if they hit just right. If the wielder scores 
  three or more Degrees of Success when rolling to hit with this 
  weapon, double this weapon’s Pen when resolving the hit.
  RECHARGE
  Because of the volatile nature of the weapon’s ammunition 
  or due to the way it ﬁres, the weapon needs time between 
  shots to Recharge. The weapon must spend the Round after 
  ﬁring building up a charge and cannot be ﬁred—in effect, the 
  character can only ﬁre the weapon every other Round. 
  RELIABLE
  Based on tried and true technology, Reliable weapons seldom 
  fail. Reliable weapons only jam on an unmodiﬁed hit roll of 
  00. Reliable weapons with the Spray Quality, or which do 
  not make hit rolls, never jam.
  SANCTIFIED
  These weapons are blessed against the forces of Chaos. Any 
  Damage inﬂicted by a Sanctiﬁed weapon counts as Holy 
  Damage. Holy Damage does not have any integral effects, but 
  works differently against some Daemonic 
  and Warp creatures (see page 155).
  OGRYN-PROOF
  The bestial Ogryn that serve amongst the ranks of the Imperial 
  Guard have hands that are not only much larger than those of 
  a normal human, but also far stronger. Most Ogryn have a hard 
  time using them to perform delicate, or even normal, tasks. There 
  are many weapons, however, that are perfect for use by these 
  cumbersome creatures. Characters with the Clumsy Trait can use 
  any weapon with the Ogryn-Proof Quality with no penalty. 
  OVERHEATS
  Certain weapons are prone to overheating, either because 
  of poor design or because they ﬁre unstable superheated 
  ammunition. A weapon with the Overheats Quality overheats 
  on an attack roll of 91 or higher. When a weapon overheats, 
  the wielder suffers Energy Damage equal to the weapon’s 
  Damage with a Penetration of 0 to an arm location (the arm 
  holding the weapon if the weapon was ﬁred one-handed, or 
  a random arm if the weapon was ﬁred with two hands). The 
  wielder may choose to avoid taking the Damage by dropping 
  the weapon. Dropping a weapon is a Free Action. A weapon 
  that overheats must spend the Round afterwards cooling 
  down and cannot be ﬁred again until the second Round after 
  overheating. A weapon with this Quality does not jam and 
  any effect that would cause the weapon to jam instead causes 
  the weapon to overheat.
  POWER FIELD
  A ﬁeld of power wreathes weapons with this Quality, increasing 
  their Damage and Penetration. Such modiﬁers are already 
  included in the weapon’s proﬁle. When the character 
  successfully use this weapon to Parry an attack made 
  with a weapon that lacks this Quality, he has a 
  75% chance of destroying his attacker’s weapon. 
  Weapons with the Warp Weapon Quality and 
  Natural Weapons are immune to this effect.
  PRIMITIVE (X)
  Crude and basic in design, these kinds of 
  weapons, while still deadly, are less effective 
  against modern armour. When rolling for 
  Damage with these weapons, any dice roll 
  greater than the number in parentheses 
  (X) counts as that number. For example, 
  a weapon with Primitive (7) would count 
  all Damage rolls of 8, 9 or 0 as 7. These 
  weapons can still generate Righteous Fury 
  as normal, on a Damage roll of 0. 
  PROVEN (X)
  Weapons with a Proven Quality always 
  inﬂict massive trauma and treat any dice roll 
  for Damage lower than the Proven rating (as 
  indicated by the number in parentheses) as 
  if it were the Proven rating instead. Thus, 
  a Proven (3) weapon would treat any die 
  roll of 1 or 2 as a 3 for the purposes of 
  calculating Damage.
  These weapons are blessed against the forces of Chaos. Any 
  Damage inﬂicted by a Sanctiﬁed weapon counts as Holy 
  Damage. Holy Damage does not have any integral effects, but 
  works differently against some Daemonic 
  and Warp creatures (see page 155).
  down and cannot be ﬁred again until the second Round after 
  overheating. A weapon with this Quality does not jam and 
  any effect that would cause the weapon to jam instead causes 
  A ﬁeld of power wreathes weapons with this Quality, increasing 
  their Damage and Penetration. Such modiﬁers are already 
  included in the weapon’s proﬁle. When the character 
  successfully use this weapon to Parry an attack made 
  with a weapon that lacks this Quality, he has a 
  75% chance of destroying his attacker’s weapon. 
  Weapons with the Warp Weapon Quality and 
  Natural Weapons are immune to this effect.
  Crude and basic in design, these kinds of 
  Weapons with a Proven Quality always 
  inﬂict massive trauma and treat any dice roll 
  for Damage lower than the Proven rating (as 
  indicated by the number in parentheses) as 
  if it were the Proven rating instead. Thus, 
  a Proven (3) weapon would treat any die 
  roll of 1 or 2 as a 3 for the purposes of 
  
  173
  VI: Armoury
  STORM
  A weapon with the Storm Quality unleashes shots at rapid 
  speed, often through use of a double-barrelled design. This 
  Quality doubles the amount of hits inﬂicted on the target 
  and the amount of ammunition expended. For example, when 
  ﬁring a weapon with the Storm Quality in fully automatic 
  mode, each Degree of Success yields two additional hits (up 
  to the weapon’s ﬁring rate, as normal).
  TEARING
  Tearing weapons are vicious devices, often using multitudes 
  of fast-moving jagged teeth to rip into ﬂesh and bone. These 
  weapons roll one extra die for Damage, and the lowest result 
  is discarded.
  TOXIC (X)
  Some weapons rely on toxins and poisons to do their damage. 
  Anyone that takes Damage from a Toxic weapon, after 
  reduction for Armour and Toughness Bonus, must make a 
  Toughness Test with a penalty equal to 10 times the number 
  in parentheses (X) or suffer an additional 1d10 points of 
  Damage (of the same type as the weapon which inﬂicted the 
  hit) not reduced by Armour or Toughness. For example, a 
  weapon with Toxic (4) would impose a –40 on Toughness 
  Tests. Some weapons or creatures may carry additional effects 
  with their toxins or inﬂict more Damage as indicated in their 
  individual descriptions.
  TWIN-LINKED
  A Twin-Linked weapon represents two identical weapons 
  connected together and linked to ﬁre at the same time, often 
  through one pull of the trigger or push of a button. Twin-linked 
  weapons are built this way in order to increase the chances 
  of scoring a hit through the crude expedience of blasting 
  more shots at the target. A weapon with the Twin-linked 
  Quality gains a +20 to hit when ﬁred and uses twice as much 
  ammunition. In addition, the weapon scores one additional hit 
  if the attack roll succeeds by two or more Degrees of Success. 
  Lastly, the weapon’s reload time is doubled.
  UNBALANCED
  Heavy and difﬁcult to ready after an attack, these kinds of 
  weapons cannot be used to make Lighting Attack Actions, 
  and impose a –10 when used to Parry.
  UNRELIABLE
  Certain weapons misﬁre more often than normal because they 
  are badly maintained or constructed. An Unreliable weapon 
  suffers a jam on a roll of 91 or higher, even if ﬁred on Semi- 
  or Full Auto.
  UNWIELDY
  Huge and often top-heavy, Unwieldy weapons are too 
  awkward to be used with ﬁnesse. Unwieldy weapons cannot 
  be used to Parry or make Lightning Attack Actions.
  SCATTER
  The standard ammunition of these weapons spreads out 
  when ﬁred, hitting more of the target. If ﬁred at a foe within 
  Point Blank range, every two Degrees of Success the ﬁrer 
  scores indicates another hit (use Table 8–2: Multiple Hits 
  on page 246). However, at longer ranges this spread of 
  small projectiles reduces its effectiveness. All Armour Points 
  are doubled against hits from Scatter weapons at Long or 
  Extreme Range.
  SHOCKING
  Shocking weapons can Stun their opponents with a powerful 
  surge of energy. A target that takes at least 1 point of Damage 
  from a Shocking weapon, after Armour and Toughness 
  Bonus, must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test. If 
  he fails, he is Stunned for a number of Rounds equal to his 
  Degrees of Failure.
  SMOKE (X)
  Rather than inﬂicting Damage, these weapons throw up dense 
  clouds of smoke to create cover. When a hit is scored from 
  a weapon with the Smoke Quality, it creates a smokescreen 
  a number of metres in diameter from the point of impact 
  equal to the number in parentheses (X). This screen lasts for 
  1d10+10 Rounds, or less in adverse weather conditions (see 
  the effects of Smoke on page 253).
  SNARE (X)
  Weapons with this Quality are designed to entangle enemies. 
  On a successful hit, the target must make an Agility Test with 
  a penalty equal to 10 times the number in parentheses (X) 
  or be immobilised. For example, a weapon with Snare (1) 
  would impose a –10 on Agility Tests. An immobilised target 
  can attempt no other Actions except to try to escape the 
  bonds. He can attempt to burst the bonds (a Strength Test) or 
  wriggle free (an Agility Test) on his Turn. Both of these Tests 
  to escape also have a penalty equal to 10 times the number in 
  parentheses. The target is considered helpless until he escapes.
  SPRAY
  Spray weapons project a cone of missiles, liquid, or ﬁre out 
  to the range of the weapon. Unlike other weapons, Spray 
  weapons have just one range and, when ﬁred, hit all those 
  in their area of effect. The wielder does not need to Test 
  Ballistic Skill; he simply ﬁres the weapon. All creatures in the 
  weapon’s path, a cone-shaped area extending in a 30-degree 
  arc from the ﬁrer out to the weapon’s range, must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test or be struck by the attack 
  and take Damage normally. Cover does not protect characters 
  from attacks made by Spray weapons unless it completely 
  conceals them. Because Spray weapons make no roll to hit, 
  they are always considered to hit targets in the body, and jam 
  if the ﬁrer rolls a 9 on any of his Damage dice (before adding 
  any bonuses). Due to their inaccurate nature, Spray Weapons 
  cannot be used to make Called Shot Actions.
  
  174
  174
  VI: Armoury
  Table 6-9: Ranged Weapons
  Las Weapons
  Las Weapons
  Name
  Name
  Class
  Range
  RoF
  Dam
  Pen Clip Rld
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Laspistol
  Laspistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/2/–
  1d10+2 E
  0
  30
  Half
  Reliable
  1.5kg
  Common
  Las Carbine
  Basic
  75m
  S/2/–
  1d10+3 E
  0
  60
  Half
  Reliable
  Las Carbine
  Basic
  75m
  S/2/–
  1d10+3 E
  0
  60
  Half
  Reliable
  Las Carbine
  Basic
  75m
  S/2/–
  1d10+3 E
  0
  60
  Half
  Reliable
  2.5kg
  Common
  M36 Lasgun
  Basic
  100m
  S/3/–
  1d10+3 E
  0
  60
  Full
  Reliable
  M36 Lasgun
  Basic
  100m
  S/3/–
  1d10+3 E
  0
  60
  Full
  Reliable
  4kg
  Common
  Laslock
  Laslock
  Basic
  70m
  S/–/
  1d10+4 E
  0
  1
  Half
  Unreliable
  4kg
  Plentiful
  Long Las
  Long Las
  Basic
  150m
  S/–/–
  1d10+3 E
  1
  40
  Full
  Accurate, Reliable, 
  Felling (4)
  4.5kg
  Scarce
  Triplex Pattern 
  Triplex Pattern 
  Lasgun
  Lasgun
  Basic
  100m
  S/3 /–
  1d10+3 E
  0
  30
  Full
  —
  4.5kg
  Rare
  Bullpup Lasgun
  Basic
  90m
  S/2/–
  1d10+3 E
  0
  60
  Full
  Reliable
  Bullpup Lasgun
  Basic
  90m
  S/2/–
  1d10+3 E
  0
  60
  Full
  Reliable
  3.5kg
  Average
  Hot-shot Laspistol
  Pistol
  20m
  S/2/–
  1d10+4 E
  7
  40
  2 Full —
  Hot-shot Laspistol
  Pistol
  20m
  S/2/–
  1d10+4 E
  7
  40
  2 Full —
  Hot-shot Laspistol
  Pistol
  20m
  S/2/–
  1d10+4 E
  7
  40
  2 Full —
  4kg
  Rare
  Hot-shot Lasgun
  Basic
  60m
  S/3/–
  1d10+4 E
  7
  30
  2 Full —
  Hot-shot Lasgun
  Basic
  60m
  S/3/–
  1d10+4 E
  7
  30
  2 Full —
  6kg
  Rare
  Man Portable 
  Man Portable 
  Lascannon
  Lascannon
  Heavy
  300m
  S/–/–
  5d10+10 E 10
  5
  2 Full Proven (3)
  55kg
  Very Rare
  M41 Multi-laser
  Heavy
  150m
  –/–/5
  2d10+10 E 2
  100
  2 Full Reliable
  M41 Multi-laser
  Heavy
  150m
  –/–/5
  2d10+10 E 2
  100
  2 Full Reliable
  35kg
  Very Rare
  Solid Projectile Weapons
  Solid Projectile Weapons
  Name
  Name
  Class
  Range
  RoF
  Dam
  Pen Clip Rld
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Autopistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/–/6
  1d10+2 I
  0
  18
  Full
  —
  Autopistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/–/6
  1d10+2 I
  0
  18
  Full
  —
  Autopistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/–/6
  1d10+2 I
  0
  18
  Full
  —
  1.5kg
  Average
  Stub Automatic
  Pistol
  30m
  S/3/–
  1d10+3 I
  0
  9
  Full
  —
  Stub Automatic
  Pistol
  30m
  S/3/–
  1d10+3 I
  0
  9
  Full
  —
  1.5kg
  Average
  Stub Revolver
  Pistol
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10+3 I
  0
  6
  2 Full Reliable
  Stub Revolver
  Pistol
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10+3 I
  0
  6
  2 Full Reliable
  Stub Revolver
  Pistol
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10+3 I
  0
  6
  2 Full Reliable
  1.5kg
  Plentiful
  Hand Cannon
  Pistol
  35m
  S/–/–
  1d10+4 I
  2
  5
  2 Full —
  Hand Cannon
  Pistol
  35m
  S/–/–
  1d10+4 I
  2
  5
  2 Full —
  3kg
  Scarce
  Sniper Riﬂe
  Basic
  200m
  S/–/–
  1d10+4 I
  3
  20
  Full
  Accurate, Reliable
  Sniper Riﬂe
  Basic
  200m
  S/–/–
  1d10+4 I
  3
  20
  Full
  Accurate, Reliable
  Sniper Riﬂe
  Basic
  200m
  S/–/–
  1d10+4 I
  3
  20
  Full
  Accurate, Reliable
  5kg
  Scarce
  Autogun
  Autogun
  Basic
  100m
  S/3/10 1d10+3 I
  0
  30
  Full
  —
  5kg
  Average
  Shotgun (Pump-Action)
  Shotgun (Pump-Action) Basic
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10+3 I
  0
  12
  2 Full Scatter
  5kg
  Average
  Shotgun
  Shotgun
  Basic
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10+4 I
  0
  8
  2 Full Scatter
  5kg
  Average
  Combat Shotgun
  Basic
  30m
  S/3/–
  1d10+4 I
  0
  18
  Full
  Scatter
  Combat Shotgun
  Basic
  30m
  S/3/–
  1d10+4 I
  0
  18
  Full
  Scatter
  Combat Shotgun
  Basic
  30m
  S/3/–
  1d10+4 I
  0
  18
  Full
  Scatter
  6.5kg
  Scarce
  Ripper Gun
  Heavy
  30m
  S/–/6
  1d10+8 I
  0
  48
  2 Full Ogryn-Proof, Scatter
  35kg
  Common
  Ripper Gun
  Heavy
  30m
  S/–/6
  1d10+8 I
  0
  48
  2 Full Ogryn-Proof, Scatter
  35kg
  Common
  Heavy Stubber
  Heavy
  100m
  –/–/8
  1d10+4 I
  3
  75
  2 Full Ogryn-Proof
  30kg
  Rare
  Heavy Stubber
  Heavy
  100m
  –/–/8
  1d10+4 I
  3
  75
  2 Full Ogryn-Proof
  30kg
  Rare
  Heavy Stubber
  Heavy
  100m
  –/–/8
  1d10+4 I
  3
  75
  2 Full Ogryn-Proof
  30kg
  Rare
  M34 Autocannon
  Heavy
  300m
  S/3/–
  3d10+8 I
  6
  20
  2 Full
  M34 Autocannon
  Heavy
  300m
  S/3/–
  3d10+8 I
  6
  20
  2 Full Ogryn-Proof, Reliable 40kg
  Very Rare
  Battle Cannon
  Vehicle 750m
  S/–/–
  Battle Cannon
  Vehicle 750m
  S/–/–
  Battle Cannon
  Vehicle 750m
  S/–/–
  3d10+10 X 8
  12
  3 Full Blast (10), Concussive 
  (3), Reliable
  350 kg Average
  Demolisher Cannon
  Vehicle 50m
  S/–/–
  Demolisher Cannon
  Vehicle 50m
  S/–/–
  4d10+20 X 10
  2
  Full
  Blast (10), 
  Concussive (3)
  400kg
  Rare
  Vanquisher Battle 
  Vanquisher Battle 
  Cannon
  Cannon
  Vehicle 900m
  S/–/–
  3d10+10 X 16
  6
  2 Full Accurate
  400 kg Very Rare
  Earthshaker Cannon
  Vehicle 3,500m
  S/–/–
  Earthshaker Cannon
  Vehicle 3,500m
  S/–/–
  4d10+10 X 8
  1
  Full
  Blast (10+1d10), 
  Concussive (5), 
  Indirect (5)
  800 kg Very Rare
  Bolt Weapons
  Bolt Weapons
  Name
  Name
  Class
  Range
  RoF
  Dam
  Pen Clip Rld
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Bolt Pistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/2/–
  1d10+5 X
  4
  8
  Full
  Tearing
  Bolt Pistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/2/–
  1d10+5 X
  4
  8
  Full
  Tearing
  Bolt Pistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/2/–
  1d10+5 X
  4
  8
  Full
  Tearing
  3.5kg
  Very Rare
  Boltgun
  Boltgun
  Basic
  100m
  S/3/–
  1d10+5 X
  4
  24
  Full
  Tearing
  7kg
  Very Rare
  Storm Bolter
  Basic
  90m
  S/2/4
  1d10+5 X
  4
  60
  Full
  Storm, Tearing
  Storm Bolter
  Basic
  90m
  S/2/4
  1d10+5 X
  4
  60
  Full
  Storm, Tearing
  Storm Bolter
  Basic
  90m
  S/2/4
  1d10+5 X
  4
  60
  Full
  Storm, Tearing
  9kg
  Extremely Rare
  Heavy Bolter
  Heavy
  150m
  –/–/6
  1d10+8 X
  5
  60
  Full
  Tearing
  Heavy Bolter
  Heavy
  150m
  –/–/6
  1d10+8 X
  5
  60
  Full
  Tearing
  40kg
  Very Rare
  Melta Weapons
  Melta Weapons
  Name
  Name
  Class
  Range
  RoF
  Dam
  Pen Clip Rld
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Inferno Pistol
  Pistol
  10m
  S/–/–
  2d10+10 E 12
  3
  Full
  Melta
  Inferno Pistol
  Pistol
  10m
  S/–/–
  2d10+10 E 12
  3
  Full
  Melta
  Inferno Pistol
  Pistol
  10m
  S/–/–
  2d10+10 E 12
  3
  Full
  Melta
  3kg
  Near Unique
  Meltagun
  Meltagun
  Basic
  20m
  S/–/–
  2d10+10 E 12
  5
  Full
  Melta
  15kg
  Very Rare
  Multi-melta
  Heavy
  60m
  S/–/–
  2d10+16 E 12
  12
  Full
  Melta, Blast (1)
  40kg
  Multi-melta
  Heavy
  60m
  S/–/–
  2d10+16 E 12
  12
  Full
  Melta, Blast (1)
  40kg
  Multi-melta
  Heavy
  60m
  S/–/–
  2d10+16 E 12
  12
  Full
  Melta, Blast (1)
  40kg
  Extremely Rare
  Plasma Weapons
  Plasma Weapons
  Name
  Name
  Class
  Range
  RoF
  Dam
  Pen Clip Rld
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Plasma Pistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/2/–
  1d10+6 E
  6
  10
  3 Full Maximal, Overheat
  Plasma Pistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/2/–
  1d10+6 E
  6
  10
  3 Full Maximal, Overheat
  4kg
  Very Rare
  Plasma Gun
  Basic
  90m
  S/2/–
  1d10+7 E
  6
  40
  5 Full Maximal, Overheat
  18kg
  Very Rare
  Plasma Gun
  Basic
  90m
  S/2/–
  1d10+7 E
  6
  40
  5 Full Maximal, Overheat
  18kg
  Very Rare
  Plasma Gun
  Basic
  90m
  S/2/–
  1d10+7 E
  6
  40
  5 Full Maximal, Overheat
  18kg
  Very Rare
  Plasma Cannon
  Heavy
  120m
  S/–/–
  2d10+10 E 8
  16
  5 Full
  Plasma Cannon
  Heavy
  120m
  S/–/–
  2d10+10 E 8
  16
  5 Full Blast (1), Maximal, 
  Overheat
  40kg
  Extremely Rare
  
  175
  175
  VI: Armoury
  LAS CARBINE
  A lighter, cut down version of the lasgun, the las carbine has 
  a lower rate of ﬁre and a shorter range but is easier to carry 
  and aim, often coming with a folding stock. Las carbines can 
  be ﬁred in one hand with only a –10 penalty rather than the 
  normal –20 for Basic weapons. Las Carbines beneﬁt from the 
  lasgun variable setting rule (see M36 lasgun).
  M36 LASGUN
  Produced in a multitude of different styles and patterns, the 
  lasgun can be found on almost every world of the Imperium. 
  The M36 pattern is one of the most ubiquitous patterns. 
  Lasgun Variable Setting: The M36 Lasgun has a variable 
  setting option, allowing it to ﬁre higher-powered bursts. It 
  may be changed to overcharge mode, dealing +1 Damage, 
  but using two shots worth of ammunition per shot ﬁred. 
  Further, the lasgun may be changed to overload mode, 
  dealing +2 Damage and gaining +2 Penetration. In this 
  case, the lasgun uses four shots of ammunition per shot 
  ﬁred, loses Reliable, and gains Unreliable.
  LAS WEAPONS
  Laser or “las” weapons are the most numerous weapons found in 
  the Imperium. Based on reliable technology, they are cheap to 
  manufacture and easy to maintain. Las weapons work by emitting 
  short, sharp pulses of laser energy from high-storage fast-discharge 
  capacitors with a ﬂash of light and a distinctive snap like the 
  cracking of a whip. To use the various classes of las weapons, a 
  character must have the Weapon Training (Las) Talent. 
  In almost all cases, a las weapon is included as part of 
  the Standard Regimental Kit. Virtually all members of the 
  Imperial Guard are well versed in the operation of these 
  armaments. Many soldiers develop a personal relationship 
  with their weapons, as they spend every moment of every 
  day with their trusted riﬂe in easy reach. 
  LASPISTOL
  The laspistol is a light, compact, 
  and reliable weapon, common 
  throughout 
  the 
  Imperium. 
  Designs vary widely and can 
  range from elaborate heirloom 
  devices inscribed with ornate carvings and gold 
  ﬁligree to simplistic but brutally robust weapons used by 
  gangs and criminals. Laspistols beneﬁt from the lasgun variable 
  setting rule (see M36 lasgun).
  Table 6-9: Ranged Weapons (Cont)
  Flame Weapons
  Flame Weapons
  Name
  Class
  Range
  Class
  Range RoF
  Dam
  Pen Clip Rld
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Hand Flamer
  Pistol
  10m
  S/–/–
  1d10+4 E
  2
  2
  2 Full Flame, Spray
  3.5kg
  Rare
  Flamer
  Basic
  20m
  S/–/–
  1d10+4 E
  2
  6
  2 Full Flame, Spray
  Basic
  20m
  S/–/–
  1d10+4 E
  2
  6
  2 Full Flame, Spray
  6kg
  Scarce
  Heavy Flamer
  Heavy
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10+5 E
  4
  10
  2 Full Flame, Spray
  45kg
  Rare
  Inferno Cannon
  Vehicle
  50m
  S/–/–
  2d10+15 E 8
  50
  —
  Flame, Spray
  Inferno Cannon
  Vehicle
  50m
  S/–/–
  2d10+15 E 8
  50
  —
  Flame, Spray
  600 
  kg
  Rare
  Low-Tech Weapons
  Name
  Class
  Range
  Class
  Range RoF
  Dam
  Pen Clip Rld
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Bolas
  Thrown 10m
  S/–/–
  —
  0
  1
  —
  Primitive (1), Snare (1), 
  Inaccurate
  1.5kg
  Average
  Hand Bow
  Pistol
  15m
  S/–/–
  1d10 R
  0
  1
  Full
  Primitive (5)
  Hand Bow
  Pistol
  15m
  S/–/–
  1d10 R
  0
  1
  Full
  Primitive (5)
  1kg
  Rare
  Flintlock Pistol
  Pistol
  15m
  S/–/–
  1d10+2 I
  0
  1
  3 Full Primitive (8), 
  Inaccurate, Unreliable 3kg
  Common
  Flintlock Musket
  Basic
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10+3 I
  0
  1
  5 Full
  Flintlock Musket
  Basic
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10+3 I
  0
  1
  5 Full Primitive (8), 
  Inaccurate, Unreliable 7kg
  Common
  Bow
  Basic
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10 R
  0
  1
  Half
  Primitive (6), Reliable 2kg
  Common
  Sling
  Basic
  15m
  S/–/–
  1d10–2 I
  0
  1
  Full
  Primitive (5)
  0.5kg
  Plentiful
  Basic
  15m
  S/–/–
  1d10–2 I
  0
  1
  Full
  Primitive (5)
  0.5kg
  Plentiful
  Crossbow
  Basic
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10 R
  0
  1
  2Full
  Primitive (7)
  3kg
  Common
  Launcher Weapons
  Name
  Class
  Range RoF
  Dam
  Pen Clip Rld
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Grenade Launcher
  Basic
  60m
  S/–/–
  †
  †
  6
  2 Full †
  Grenade Launcher
  Basic
  60m
  S/–/–
  †
  †
  6
  2 Full †
  12kg
  Average
  Hellstrike Missiles
  Vehicle
  300m
  S/–/–
  3d10+7 X
  7
  1
  N/A
  Blast (5)
  85kg
  Very Rare
  Hunter-Killer Missile Vehicle
  350m
  S/–/–
  3d10+6 X
  6
  1
  N/A
  Hunter-Killer Missile Vehicle
  350m
  S/–/–
  3d10+6 X
  6
  1
  N/A
  64kg
  Very Rare
  Missile Launcher
  Heavy
  300m
  S/–/–
  †
  †
  1
  Full
  †
  35kg
  Rare
  Mortar
  Heavy
  50–
  300m
  S/–/–
  †
  †
  1
  Full
  Inaccurate, Indirect (2)† 41kg
  Rare
  †The Damage, Penetration, and Special Qualities of Launcher weapons with variable ammunition are dependent upon the grenade or missile used.
  with their weapons, as they spend every moment of every 
  day with their trusted riﬂe in easy reach. 
  The laspistol is a light, compact, 
  and reliable weapon, common 
  throughout 
  the 
  Imperium. 
  Designs vary widely and can 
  range from elaborate heirloom 
  devices inscribed with ornate carvings and gold 
  ﬁligree to simplistic but brutally robust weapons used by 
  gangs and criminals. Laspistols beneﬁt from the lasgun variable 
  In almost all cases, a las weapon is included as part of 
  
  176
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  VI: Armoury
  BULLPUP
  Units focused towards aerial or vehicular deployment often 
  utilise lasgun variants that are designed to increase portability 
  and minimise size. While many employ las carbines, many 
  such units are unwilling to sacriﬁce the lasgun’s effective 
  range. The bullpup design counters this by extending the 
  barrel into the weapon’s stock, as well as mounting the power 
  pack within the base of the stock behind the grip. In this 
  way, the riﬂe achieves a balance between the compact design 
  of a carbine while retaining most of the full capability of a 
  standard lasgun. Bullpup lasguns beneﬁt from the lasgun 
  variable setting rule (see M36 lasgun).
  HOT-SHOT LASPISTOL & LASGUN 
  (LUCIUS-PATTERN)
  Sometimes known as hellguns and hellpistols, “hot-shot” 
  weapons are almost exclusively used by high ranking 
  Imperial ofﬁcers and elite forces who favour the higher 
  power over regular las weapons. While hellguns are rarely 
  seen outside of elite Storm Trooper units, hellpistols can 
  be seen among many of the ofﬁcer corps and Inquisitorial 
  agencies where the extra hitting power they provide over a 
  regular laspistol often means the difference between their 
  life and failure to the Emperor.
  Hot-shot weapons use a 10 kg backpack power source 
  rather than a standard plug-in pack, even for the smaller 
  hellpistol. Larger power packs mean greater power behind 
  each shot but make reloading more impractical, which is 
  a trade-off most are willing to make. Hellguns can also be 
  linked to larger backpack power sources (see page 192).
  MAN PORTABLE LASCANNON
  Built for war, lascannons use huge power packs that provide 
  enough energy to punch holes in the thickest armour even at 
  very long ranges. Lascannons also require separate power packs, 
  which is why they are often crewed by two or more people.
  M41 MULTI-LASER
  Often found mounted on vehicles as a counter to infantry and 
  light vehicles, the multi-laser is a multi-barrelled gatling laser 
  with an impressive rate of ﬁre. However, its blasts lack the 
  penetration of the lascannon, making it less effective against 
  heavy armour.
  LASLOCK
  On worlds where the standard power pack pattern has 
  been lost, laslocks are commonly used in place of lasguns. 
  Sometimes known as “blaze guns” or “las-muskets” among 
  more sophisticated worlds, these may instead be cobbled 
  together and ill-made weapons. Often found in the hands 
  of desperate and poorly equipped insurgents or renegades, 
  laslocks might be scratch-built or modiﬁcations of antique 
  or damaged las riﬂes brought back into service by scav-
  workshops and heretek forges. A laslock’s jury-rigged cells 
  are temperamental things at best, but still potent, ﬁring a 
  more powerful discharge than that of a standard lasgun. 
  LONG LAS 
  Favoured by snipers, the long las is a specially modiﬁed 
  version of the lasgun constructed for added range and 
  accuracy. As its name implies, a long las also has a much 
  longer barrel than a standard lasgun, sometimes being up to 
  twice the length, which makes it awkward in close quarters. 
  The long las beneﬁts from the lasgun variable setting rule (see 
  M36 lasgun).
  TRIPLEX PATTERN
  A highly reﬁned variant of the standard lasgun, the triplex 
  offers alternative ﬁring modes that make the weapon more 
  versatile on the battleﬁeld. When ﬁred in standard mode, 
  the weapon uses the Rate of Fire, Range, and Damage listed. 
  When ﬁred in precision mode, the Rate of Fire is changed to 
  S/–/–, the Range is changed to 150m, and the weapon gains 
  the Accurate Quality. When ﬁred in burst mode, the Rate of 
  Fire is changed to S/–/–, the Range is changed to 50m, and 
  the weapon gains Proven (5) and Felling (4).
  
  177
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  VI: Armoury
  AUTOGUN
  Cheap and easy to produce, autoguns are a common weapon 
  across the galaxy as even alien races acquire and use them 
  or sometimes make their own equivalents. These rapid-ﬁring 
  automatic weapons use common solid low-calibre shells fed 
  via standardised clips. Reliable, rugged, and easily stocked 
  with ammunition, they are a mainstay on many planets.
  SHOTGUN (PUMP-ACTION)
  Common amongst enforcers, mercenaries, and raiders, these 
  weapons are robust and practical, holding more shells than a 
  regular shotgun. The distinctive sound of a new round being 
  chambered into a pump shotgun has led to many a scummer 
  ﬂeeing or a colonist’s surrender before the shot can be ﬁred.
  SHOTGUN
  Even low-tech manufactorums can produce these basic 
  weapons in great quantities, and their ability to hit several 
  targets with a single shot make shotguns appealing to those 
  with little actual skill in shooting. Their relatively short range 
  and low shot velocity makes them appealing for shipboard 
  use as well, as they have little risk of causing hull breaches.
  COMBAT SHOTGUN
  These automatic shotguns, often fed from a drum magazine, are 
  designed purely for warfare and are even deadlier than the normal 
  shotgun. In addition to their short-range destructive power, they 
  hammer out an intimidating racket when being ﬁred.
  RIPPER GUN
  Designed to accommodate the primitive nature and vast 
  strength of an Ogryn, the ripper gun is a massive combat 
  shotgun. The substantial drum feed mechanism of these 
  fully automatic shotguns is designed to provide enough 
  ammunition to entertain the Ogryns as they charge towards 
  their foes. Its ﬁring mechanism is limited so that the user 
  may not ﬁre off the entire clip in a single burst—something 
  that Ogryns are otherwise prone to due. Ripper guns are also 
  designed to function effectively as Ogryn melee weapons. 
  In close combat, a ripper gun counts as a warhammer (see 
  page 187).
  SOLID PROJECTILE 
  WEAPONS
  Commonly known as slug-throwers, these weapons are 
  exceedingly plentiful across the Imperium. Most alien races have 
  their own versions as well, for both technology and manufacture 
  are fairly simple. Citizens of all types commonly carry one kind 
  or another for their basic protection or livelihood. To use the 
  various classes of solid projectile weapons, a character must have 
  the Weapon Training (Solid Projectile) Talent.
  AUTOPISTOL
  Small 
  but 
  effective, 
  autopistols are a favourite 
  amongst 
  many 
  military 
  veterans as a supplement for their 
  standard lasgun. They have a 
  faster rate of ﬁre than most pistols 
  and can put down most targets in a single burst of shells.
  STUB AUTOMATIC
  Unlike the stub revolver, this 
  pistol weapon also can ﬁre in 
  rapid semi-automatic mode 
  as well as single shots. Like 
  the autopistol, it is easy to 
  produce and maintain, but less accurate at longer ranges.
  STUB REVOLVER
  Perhaps the most ancient 
  of pistol designs, the stub 
  revolver carries fewer rounds 
  than most pistols but is very 
  reliable and easy to operate. 
  As shells can be inserted 
  individually, it is relatively easy to load specialised rounds 
  when needed.
  HAND CANNON
  A variant of the stub gun 
  is the huge hand cannon, 
  used mostly by enforcers or 
  bounty hunters who aren’t 
  picky on the state of their 
  quarry. These weapons kick with a strong recoil and, unless 
  used with two hands or a Recoil Glove, impose a –10 penalty 
  on Ballistic Skill Tests.
  SNIPER RIFLE
  Less advanced than the needle riﬂes prized by Ratlings, the sniper 
  riﬂe is none-the-less effective against lightly armoured targets. 
  Complete with tripod brace, silencer, and telescopic sight, in the 
  hands of a skilled marksman it can easily turn the tide of a battle.
  The integral noise bafﬂes built into the riﬂe make it very 
  quiet. Any attempts to detect the sound of a shot ﬁred by this 
  weapon require a Hard (–20) Awareness Test. Sniper riﬂes 
  can be loaded with unusual ammo.
  veterans as a supplement for their 
  standard lasgun. They have a 
  and can put down most targets in a single burst of shells.
  Unlike the stub revolver, this 
  pistol weapon also can ﬁre in 
  rapid semi-automatic mode 
  as well as single shots. Like 
  the autopistol, it is easy to 
  produce and maintain, but less accurate at longer ranges.
  Perhaps the most ancient 
  of pistol designs, the stub 
  As shells can be inserted 
  individually, it is relatively easy to load specialised rounds 
  A variant of the stub gun 
  is the huge hand cannon, 
  used mostly by enforcers or 
  bounty hunters who aren’t 
  picky on the state of their 
  quarry. These weapons kick with a strong recoil and, unless 
  
  178
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  VI: Armoury
  DEMOLISHER CANNON
  A variant of the battle cannon, the demolisher cannon is 
  speciﬁcally designed as a siege support weapon. While it suffers a 
  decreased range, its plasma charged shells are capable of blasting 
  through layers of plasteel and ceramite with each devastating 
  volley. Its massive shells wrap an outer layer of explosives and 
  shrapnel around an unstable chemical core. When the outer 
  explosives detonate, weakening their target, they also trigger 
  the chemical reagents to unleash a potent jet of plasma that is 
  channelled directly into its victims. The combination of shrapnel 
  and ﬂaming metal can eliminate even the most robust defences. 
  VANQUISHER BATTLE CANNON
  Veteran tank commanders highly respect this rare pattern 
  battle cannon for its unique efﬁcacy in battles against heavily 
  armoured opponents. While few forge worlds remain capable of 
  producing it, the legends of its ability to penetrate any known 
  armour make its extended proﬁle immediately recognisable. 
  The vanquisher battle cannon gains the extra Damage 
  granted by Accurate Quality as if it were a Basic weapon.
  EARTHSHAKER CANNON
  This massive artillery gun is designed for long range bombardments, 
  but it may also be used as a direct ﬁre weapon when necessary. 
  In either situation, it is ideal for levelling fortiﬁcations, destroying 
  massive war machines, and obliterating any unsuspecting infantry. 
  Earthshaker cannons are far larger than the indirect weapons 
  carried by infantry, and ﬁre over a much longer distance.  
  HEAVY STUBBER
  Heavy stubbers are popular amongst military forces and 
  gangers alike, as they are one of the more easily maintained 
  heavy weapons available. Though not as powerful as an 
  autocannon, heavy stubbers can lay down a curtain of 
  suppressive ﬁre and cut swaths through light infantry and 
  vehicles alike. As with other stubber weapons, ammunition is 
  cheap and plentiful.
  Lighter than most other heavy weapons, the heavy stubber 
  can be used hand-held, but a bipod mount can be employed 
  by those seeking to avoid the jarring recoil, and it is often 
  utilized as a defensive anti-infantry weapon mounted on 
  vehicles. The Orthlack pattern, manufactured for planetary 
  defence force armouries in the Calixis Sector and widely 
  exported, uses an ammunition belt that allows for long ﬁring 
  periods, while the locally copied “Ursid” pattern, supposedly 
  originating on the war world of Zayth, is more compact and 
  uses a smaller ammunition drum which most users ﬁnd easier 
  to port and reload.
  M34 AUTOCANNON
  An autocannon is a crew-served heavy weapon, a self-
  loading, high calibre cannon that uses dense solid shells 
  to punch through armour. Though unlikely to fully 
  penetrate the ceramite of Space Marine power armour, they 
  decimate light to medium vehicles and see 
  widespread use in the Imperial Guard and 
  many renegade armies.
  The M34 autocannon is an older 
  version of a common Imperial Guard 
  pattern used throughout the Calixis Sector 
  and uses a tripod mount. It can be manned by one 
  person, though it ideally employs a crew of two to move 
  and set up.
  BATTLE CANNON
  A massive version of the autocannon, the battle cannon 
  ﬁres a huge, explosive shell which is proportionately more 
  damaging. One of the largest and most destructive weapons 
  that see common use on the battleﬁeld, these cannons, their 
  ammunition, and support equipment are far too large for 
  infantry units to carry and use. Instead, the weapons are 
  generally mounted upon vehicles or fortiﬁcations. The Leman 
  Russ main battle tank most commonly employs a battle 
  cannon in its main turret.
  and ﬂaming metal can eliminate even the most robust defences. 
  penetrate the ceramite of Space Marine power armour, they 
  version of a common Imperial Guard 
  pattern used throughout the Calixis Sector 
  and uses a tripod mount. It can be manned by one 
  person, though it ideally employs a crew of two to move 
  A massive version of the autocannon, the battle cannon 
  
  179
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  VI: Armoury
  HEAVY BOLTER
  A larger, support version of the boltgun, the heavy bolter is 
  seldom seen outside military organisations. It uses a much 
  larger version of the standard bolt shell, with more propellant 
  for greater distance and stopping power, which also makes it 
  more deadly to armoured vehicles and infantry.
  MELTA WEAPONS
  Melta weapons emit devastatingly intense but short-ranged 
  blasts of heat that can melt through almost any material. Also 
  known as cookers or melters, most types of melta induce 
  highly pressurised gases from an ammunition canister into an 
  unstable sub-molecular state and direct the resulting energies 
  down the barrel. Melta usage is accompanied by a distinctive 
  hissing sound as the beam boils away the water in the air, 
  then a roaring blast as it reduces the target to charred scraps 
  or molten slag. Meltas are the premier anti-armour weapons, 
  and few vehicles can withstand their power. To use the 
  various classes of melta weapons, a character must have the 
  Weapon Training (Melta) Talent.
  INFERNO PISTOL
  The inferno pistol, a single-
  handed 
  melta 
  weapon, 
  represents very specialised and 
  ancient technology, almost 
  impossible to recreate. Mere 
  handfuls might exist in any sector, each jealously guarded.
  MELTAGUN
  Meltaguns are the 
  most common form 
  of melta weapon, 
  coveted by soldiers 
  of the Imperium for 
  their massive close-
  range destructive power. 
  There are also few things as good at cutting through armour 
  than a meltagun and they are often pressed into service 
  for breaching the heavy armour of opposing vehicles or 
  quickly cutting through bulkheads during hive battles. As 
  an alternative to using a meltagun with attached canisters, a 
  character may instead have a backpack and feed line, which 
  doubles the Clip Size and adds 6 kg to the weight. 
  BOLT WEAPONS
  If there is one weapon type that deﬁnes the Imperium, it is the 
  bolter. No other weapon combines high technology levels with 
  deliberate brutality, and no other race would consider making it 
  but Mankind. Bolter weapons ﬁre rounds of self-propelled mass-
  reactive shells called bolts, set to explode just after penetration.
  Overall they are superb, if temperamental, devices requiring 
  skilled maintenance using the correct rituals and blessings. 
  Furthermore, these are all very rare weapons, available only 
  to the lucky or well-connected few. Many are centuries old, 
  handed down from veteran to successor, and some have 
  long legends attached to them of their lineage. The Adeptus 
  Astartes also make extensive use of bolt weapons, albeit of 
  different patterns and often of great antiquity.
  Bolter ammunition is expensive and difﬁcult to 
  manufacture and only the elite of the Imperium have ready 
  access to it. The standard bolter round is .75 calibre and has 
  a super-dense metallic core with a diamantine tip. To use the 
  various classes of bolt weapons, a character must have the 
  Weapon Training (Bolt) Talent.
  BOLT PISTOL
  Carrying a bolt pistol is a sign of 
  high status in the Imperium, one 
  that only a minority can afford 
  due to the high cost of maintenance 
  and ammunition. However, few can 
  argue with their destructive power in 
  combat and, after experiencing their potent 
  capabilities, a man might beggar himself to own one.
  BOLTGUN
  Boltguns are known for 
  the unique roar they 
  make when ﬁred, as 
  the propellant in their 
  shells ignites, followed 
  shortly by the explosive 
  detonation as they hit their 
  target. Hearing one is an experience 
  only slightly less satisfying than seeing the results of such a 
  weapon in action.
  STORM BOLTER
  Storm 
  Bolters 
  arose 
  from 
  experiments 
  in 
  combining 
  weapons together to achieve 
  greater rates of ﬁre. Here, two 
  linked bolters form a single weapon 
  which can shred most foes in a single 
  burst. Rarely seen outside of the elite Astartes, most Storm 
  Bolters are relic-weapons covered with glyphs and purity seals 
  that speak of their ancient origin.
  due to the high cost of maintenance 
  and ammunition. However, few can 
  argue with their destructive power in 
  Boltguns are known for 
  shells ignites, followed 
  shortly by the explosive 
  detonation as they hit their 
  target. Hearing one is an experience 
  weapons together to achieve 
  greater rates of ﬁre. Here, two 
  linked bolters form a single weapon 
  which can shred most foes in a single 
  Weapon Training (Melta) Talent.
  The inferno pistol, a single-
  handed 
  melta 
  weapon, 
  represents very specialised and 
  handfuls might exist in any sector, each jealously guarded.
  Meltaguns are the 
  coveted by soldiers 
  of the Imperium for 
  their massive close-
  range destructive power. 
  
  180
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  VI: Armoury
  PLASMA GUN
  This is a squad-
  support 
  weapon 
  intended for use by 
  Imperial Guardsmen. 
  Most 
  extant 
  plasma 
  guns are hundreds if not 
  thousands of years old. However, as a testament to their 
  design, they remain as deadly today as they were on the day 
  of their fabrication. Through their sturdy construction, even 
  in the event of an overheat, the weapon is likely to survive, 
  though the wielder is often less fortunate.
  PLASMA CANNON
  The largest man-portable 
  plasma 
  weapon 
  is 
  the plasma cannon 
  or 
  heavy 
  plasma 
  gun, which is also 
  seen in service on 
  some Imperial war 
  machines. Rather than 
  using attached ﬂasks, 
  the wielder wears a large 
  backpack containing the weapon’s store of hydrogen fuel. 
  This weapon has a much longer range and ammunition supply, 
  and its violent discharges, hurled like miniature suns from the 
  barrel, have a large impact area. It can also be ﬁred in a special 
  Maximal mode that exhausts more fuel but provides an even 
  larger blast of heat on impact, creating a ﬁreball capable of 
  destroying heavily armoured targets.
  FLAME WEAPONS
  Flame weapons project ﬁre upon their foes and generally use 
  a fuel referred to as promethium, though it can also be a 
  home-made concoction or other chemical brew depending 
  on the local technology level. Most are a mono-propellant 
  fuel that ignites via a smaller pilot ﬂame at the tip of the 
  barrel, though some ﬂamers use binary hypergolic fuels. 
  Once produced, the intense jet that spurts from the barrel 
  creates a torrent of liquid ﬁre, which spreads out in an inferno 
  that burns even underwater, leaving enemies hard pressed to 
  put out the ﬁre. To use the various classes of ﬂame weapons, 
  a character must have the Weapon Training (Flame) Talent.
  HAND FLAMER
  Flame pistols or hand ﬂamers 
  are miniaturised versions of 
  the larger ﬂamer. Small 
  enough to carry in one 
  hand, these weapons are 
  favoured by assault troops who can ﬁre them once or twice as 
  they close with the enemy.
  MULTI-MELTA
  The multi-melta is 
  a larger type of 
  melta weapon, 
  usually 
  only 
  employed 
  by 
  the 
  Adeptus 
  Astartes 
  or 
  mounted 
  upon 
  Imperial vehicles. This huge 
  weapon carries more fuel, ﬁres 
  at much longer ranges, and creates a larger blast area, cooking 
  several square metres at a time. It also generates much more 
  heat than its smaller cousins and most users must insulate 
  themselves with protective clothing or armour.
  PLASMA WEAPONS
  Plasma weapons represent an almost-lost art for the 
  Imperium, their secrets known to but a handful of the inner 
  circle of the Adeptus Mechanicus and their tech-adept 
  artisans. Existing weapons must be carefully maintained and 
  passed down generation to generation with each operator 
  carefully ensuring all proper blessings of the Machine God 
  are bestowed before use.
  Plasma weapons work using hydrogen fuel suspended in 
  a photonic state in either fuel ﬂasks or backpack containers. 
  As the fuel is fed into the miniature fusion core inside the 
  weapon, the hydrogen energises into a plasma state, held in 
  the core by powerful magnetic conﬁnement ﬁelds. When 
  ﬁred, the ﬁelds dilate open and the plasma is ejected via a 
  linear magnetic accelerator in a bolt of superheated matter 
  akin to a solar ﬂare in appearance and temperature. For this 
  reason, plasma weapons are also known as “sun guns.” To use 
  the various classes of plasma weapons, a character must have 
  the Weapon Training (Plasma) Talent.
  PLASMA PISTOL
  Few pistols are deadlier than 
  the plasma pistol, and those 
  willing to take the risk of 
  using one possess a weapon 
  capable of taking down 
  almost any foe at close range. 
  Plasma pistols are a favourite 
  weapon of Imperial ofﬁcers, who view it as a status symbol 
  to be entrusted with such a valuable and venerated weapon. 
  The pistol variant can only hold smaller hydrogen ﬂasks 
  (or sometimes only a single ﬂask) and thus can only ﬁre a 
  handful of shots. They are dangerous to use on board a vessel, 
  as a single shot can penetrate several bulkheads.
  ELT
  ELT
  EL A
  TA
  T
  The multi-melta is 
  a larger type of 
  the 
  Adeptus 
  Astartes 
  or 
  mounted 
  upon 
  Imperial vehicles. This huge 
  Most 
  extant 
  plasma 
  ANNON
  The largest man-portable 
  plasma 
  weapon 
  is 
  machines. Rather than 
  using attached ﬂasks, 
  the wielder wears a large 
  a character must have the Weapon Training (Flame) Talent.
  Flame pistols or hand ﬂamers 
  are miniaturised versions of 
  the larger ﬂamer. Small 
  enough to carry in one 
  hand, these weapons are 
  favoured by assault troops who can ﬁre them once or twice as 
  
  181
  181
  VI: Armoury
  BOLAS
  Bolas are normally non-lethal and as such can be seen 
  employed by bounty hunters or local law enforcement 
  members, where the swirling balls (some styles use up to 
  eight of these dense objects) can entangle a target with heavy 
  cords or wire.
  HAND BOW
  This weapon offers the hitting power of a crossbow but in a 
  pistol grip, suitable for one-handed operation but at shorter 
  ranges. The ease at which they can be broken down and 
  concealed, as well as their almost silent operation, makes 
  them a favoured weapon of assassins.
  FLINTLOCK PISTOL
  These primitive blackpowder weapons can take many forms, 
  from ﬁnely crafted pistols constructed for the nobles of 
  low-tech worlds to simple pipe and powder affairs used by 
  underhive scum.
  FLINTLOCK MUSKET
  These crude devices can only ﬁre once before reloading, 
  are prone to failure, and only the most low-tech 
  savage or desperate renegade would generally ﬁght 
  with one. When they do strike, however, they 
  are deadly against unarmoured foes.
  BOW
  Bows have changed little through their 
  many countless centuries of usage and 
  can be found across the galaxy in a 
  variety of designs and constructions. 
  Even on high-tech worlds, these 
  weapons, like hand bows, are a favourite 
  amongst assassins and gangers for their 
  silence and reliability.
  SLING
  Slings are difﬁcult weapons to master, but 
  can be used to throw anything from rocks 
  picked off the ground, to specialised metallic 
  balls, or even grenades. When using a sling to throw 
  grenades, replace the sling’s Damage with the effects of 
  the grenade but retain the weapon’s Range.
  CROSSBOW
  Crossbows are less common than bows as they require more 
  advanced mechanical ﬁttings, but they are equally as deadly.
  FLAMER
  The ﬂamer, or ﬂame 
  gun, comes in a wide 
  variety of designs and 
  patterns, but all are ideal 
  for ﬂushing out enemies 
  in cover and putting groups 
  of foes to the torch. The two most 
  common variants of ﬂamers either have a detachable fuel canister 
  under the barrel or a hose connecting to a backpack canister.
  A ﬂamer can have a backpack fuel canister instead of a 
  detachable clip. The backpack canister must be worn on the 
  user’s back, doubles the ﬂamer’s Clip Size, and adds 10 kg to 
  the weight. The Availability remains unchanged.
  HEAVY FLAMER
  The heavy ﬂamer is 
  a larger and more 
  cumbersome 
  version of the 
  ﬂamer. It is 
  often mounted 
  on vehicles, though 
  it is just reasonable enough in size to be carried by a team of two 
  troopers. Any lack of accuracy is more than offset by the wide 
  gout of burning promethium that is almost impossible to dodge. 
  Heavy ﬂamers must be fuelled by backpack fuel canisters—the 
  weight is already part of the weapon proﬁle, but again, the 
  canister must be worn on the back of one of the two wielders.
  INFERNO CANNON
  Speciﬁcally designed as part of the Hellhound Flame Tank, the 
  inferno cannon has a limited number of other uses within the 
  Tactica Imperialis. These enormous ﬂamers send huge gouts of 
  white hot ﬂames over an extended portion of the battleﬁeld. 
  Their accelerated pumping mechanisms grant the turreted 
  weapons the abilities to shoot massive jets of destruction at 
  a range that drastically exceeds that of a traditional ﬂamer. 
  Because of this, when calculating the weapon’s spray area, the 
  cannon’s wielder may choose to begin the spray at a point up 
  to half the weapon’s range away from the ﬁring point. Due to 
  the inferno cannon’s power, other vehicles do not add their 
  Armour value when making the Operate Test to avoid catching 
  on ﬁre from the Flame Quality.
  The inferno cannon draws fuel from a large storage tank, 
  and can’t be easily reloaded on the battleﬁeld. Reloading one 
  requires at least thirty minutes at a properly equipped facility.
  LOW-TECH WEAPONS
  Even in the 41st Millennium there is a call for low-tech 
  weapons, found on feral, undeveloped planets or post-
  apocalyptic environments where technology has collapsed, 
  or on vicious hive worlds that see combat take on all forms. 
  Though these weapons may be hopelessly outdated by more 
  advanced ﬁrearms, in the hands of a skilled user they can be 
  just as deadly. To use the various classes of low-tech weapons 
  a character must have the Weapon Training (Low-Tech) Talent.
  The ﬂamer, or ﬂame 
  gun, comes in a wide 
  variety of designs and 
  patterns, but all are ideal 
  for ﬂushing out enemies 
  in cover and putting groups 
  The heavy ﬂamer is 
  a larger and more 
  often mounted 
  on vehicles, though 
  it is just reasonable enough in size to be carried by a team of two 
  underhive scum.
  FLINTLOCK M
  K M
  K
  These crude devices can only ﬁre once before reloading, 
  are prone to failure, and only the most low-tech 
  savage or desperate renegade would generally ﬁght 
  with one. When they do strike, however, they 
  are deadly against unarmoured foes.
  BOW
  OW
  O
  Bows have changed little through their 
  many countless centuries of usage and 
  can be found across the galaxy in a 
  variety of designs and constructions. 
  Even on high-tech worlds, these 
  weapons, like hand bows, are a favourite 
  amongst assassins and gangers for their 
  silence and reliability.
  SLING
  Slings are difﬁcult weapons to master, but 
  can be used to throw anything from rocks 
  picked off the ground, to specialised metallic 
  balls, or even grenades. When using a sling to throw 
  grenades, replace the sling’s Damage with the effects of 
  the grenade but retain the weapon’s Range.
  CROSSBOW
  OSSBOW
  OSSBO
  Crossbows are less common than bows as they require more 
  Tactica Imperialis. These enormous ﬂamers send huge gouts of 
  advanced mechanical ﬁttings, but they are equally as deadly.
  
  182
  182
  VI: Armoury
  MORTAR
  While relatively simple in construction, this weapon provides 
  a medium-range attack capability, particularly against targets 
  behind cover or out of sight, as it ﬁres its explosive rounds in a 
  high, indirect arc. Mortar shells explode with a strong blast effect 
  and also suppress enemy ﬁre as the targets are forced to dive for 
  protective cover. Many are operated in teams, with one manning 
  the weapon whilst the other acts as a spotter to provide targeting 
  information and often communicating the data via voxlink.
  GRENADES, MISSILES,  
  AND ROUNDS
  The explosives listed here can either be thrown by hand or loaded 
  in a grenade launcher as grenades, used in missile launchers as 
  missiles, or ﬁred from mortars as rounds.
  ANTI-PLANT
  These explosives release a wide range of toxic and viral 
  agents that quickly reduce almost any type of ﬂora to a foul-
  smelling muck, depriving the enemy of cover while not 
  seriously harming other materials. Larger versions are also 
  used to create improvised landing zones and clear foliage for 
  quick camp sites or building locations.
  BLIND
  Blind explosives detonate with a burst of 
  dense smoke, IR bafﬂers, and broadband 
  EM-spectrum chaff, all of which is designed 
  to block detection through the cloud. Sensors 
  and vision that would pierce normal smoke 
  cannot see through haze created by a blind explosives. 
  FIRE BOMB
  A relatively primitive explosive, the ﬁre bomb is normally 
  a breakable canister of ﬂammable liquid with a fuse made 
  from cloth or other material that the liquid can soak into. 
  Once the fuse is set aﬂame, the bomb is hurled at the 
  enemy; the canister breaks open on impact to release the 
  now burning liquid.
  FRAG
  These explosives use a combustible charge 
  and special ﬁllers of shrapnel fragments. 
  Imperial frag grenades are roughly the size 
  of a clenched ﬁst and covered with a heavily 
  notched shell, both to increase the shrapnel 
  produced and provide a more secure grip for throwing.
  HALLUCINOGEN
  These kinds of explosives induce a variety of 
  short-lived psychological states and delusions. 
  Anyone within 10 metres of a detonating 
  hallucinogen explosive must succeed on 
  a Difﬁcult (–10) Toughness Test or be 
  overcome with delusions and hallucinations for 
  1d10 Rounds. When the character is ﬁrst affected 
  LAUNCHERS
  In a galaxy raked by war and disorder there is a high demand 
  for extremely destructive ordnance. To that end, the forge 
  worlds of the Imperium send out a steady stream of explosives, 
  grenades, and similar weaponry, some of which may ﬁnd 
  its way into the hands of the Guardsmen and their foes. To 
  use the various classes of launchers, a character must have 
  the Weapon Training (Launcher) Talent. Setting explosives 
  requires the Demolition special use of the Tech-Use Skill (see 
  Chapter IV: Skills, page 133).
  GRENADE 
  LAUNCHER
  The 
  standard 
  grenade launcher 
  uses compressed 
  gas charges to 
  launch a variety of grenade types at the enemy. These shots 
  can be arced high into the air as suppressive ﬁre at unseen 
  targets as well as being used directly against foes.
  HELLSTRIKE MISSILES
  The hellstrike missile is an air to surface missile commonly 
  mounted on Imperial attack and assault craft used in support 
  of ground-based operations. These weapons use a solid 
  propellant core to deliver a high explosive load, designed to 
  effectively penetrate even well-armoured targets. Because they 
  are generally launched from ﬁxed wing aircraft, these missiles 
  often strike their targets with a speed that substantially exceeds 
  that of rockets ﬁred from ground-based platforms. Hellstrike 
  missiles may not be loaded with unusual ammo.
  HUNTER-KILLER MISSILE LAUNCHER
  This missile launcher is often mounted on vehicles and ﬁres 
  a specialised krak missile. Fitted with advanced guidance 
  systems and fuel, it has longer range and better accuracy than 
  standard missiles, as the internal cogitator’s sensorum suite 
  guides it to the target. Each comes in a complete launching 
  package, good for one shot only. 
  A hunter-killer missile grants a +20 to Ballistic Skill Tests 
  made to ﬁre it. Hunter-Killer Missile Launchers cannot be 
  loaded with unusual ammo.
  MISSILE 
  LAUNCHER
  Like the grenade 
  launcher, missile 
  launchers ﬁre a variety of explosive rounds at 
  long distances. A missile is ﬁtted with guidance 
  systems to aid target acquisition, which is excellent at long ranges. 
  Most launchers, like the Locke-pattern, are shoulder mounted 
  tube-like weapons that ﬁre a single round with great accuracy, 
  while the ancient Retobi design holds a huge vertical clip 
  of 5 rounds but is much more awkward to ﬁre and has 
  less precision.
  GRENADES, 
  AND 
  The explosives listed here can either be thrown by hand or loaded 
  in a grenade launcher as grenades, used in missile launchers as 
  missiles, or ﬁred from mortars as rounds.
  AN
  These explosives release a wide range of toxic and viral 
  agents that quickly reduce almost any type of ﬂora to a foul-
  requires the Demolition special use of the Tech-Use Skill (see 
  Chapter IV: Skills, page 133).
  ENADE
  HER
  The 
  standard 
  grenade launcher 
  uses compressed 
  gas charges to 
  launch a variety of grenade types at the enemy. These shots 
  can be arced high into the air as suppressive ﬁre at unseen 
  FRAG
  RAG
  R
  These explosives use a combustible charge 
  and special ﬁllers of shrapnel fragments. 
  Imperial frag grenades are roughly the size 
  of a clenched ﬁst and covered with a heavily 
  notched shell, both to increase the shrapnel 
  produced and provide a more secure grip for throwing.
  HALLU
  made to ﬁre it. Hunter-Killer Missile Launchers cannot be 
  loaded with unusual ammo.
  HER
  Like the grenade 
  launcher, missile 
  launchers ﬁre a variety of explosive rounds at 
  long distances. A missile is ﬁtted with guidance 
  systems to aid target acquisition, which is excellent at long ranges. 
  Blind explosives detonate with a burst of 
  dense smoke, IR bafﬂers, and broadband 
  EM-spectrum chaff, all of which is designed 
  to block detection through the cloud. Sensors 
  and vision that would pierce normal smoke 
  These explosives use a combustible charge 
  and special ﬁllers of shrapnel fragments. 
  Imperial frag grenades are roughly the size 
  of a clenched ﬁst and covered with a heavily 
  notched shell, both to increase the shrapnel 
  These kinds of explosives induce a variety of 
  short-lived psychological states and delusions. 
  Anyone within 10 metres of a detonating 
  hallucinogen explosive must succeed on 
   or be 
  overcome with delusions and hallucinations for 
  1d10 Rounds. When the character is ﬁrst affected 
  
  183
  183
  VI: Armoury
  PHOTON FLASH
  Photon ﬂash explosives detonate like a small 
  star, blinding anyone nearby and bright enough 
  to overload primitive vision protection systems. 
  Anyone within 15 metres of a photon ﬂash 
  grenade when it detonates must succeed on a 
  Ordinary (+10) Agility Test or be blinded for a 
  number of Rounds equal to his Degrees of Failure.
  SCATTER
  Scatter Rounds combine much smaller and less-powerful 
  frag grenades into a single missile launcher round. These are 
  generally ﬁred in a high arc and disperse into separate micro-
  explosives, spreading the explosive effect over a huge radius. 
  These rounds can only be used in either mortars or missile 
  launchers (not grenade launchers) and cannot be thrown.
  SMOKE
  These explosives release a dense smoke which only obscures 
  basic eyesight and optical based systems. They do not block 
  detection systems that use heat or other spectral bands 
  outside of normal human eyesight, but are much more 
  widely available and easier to construct.
  by a hallucination, roll on Table 6–7: Hallucinogen 
  Effects, page 170 to see how the character behaves for the 
  next 1d10 Rounds.
  KRAK
  Krak explosives have powerful concentrated explosives 
  designed to punch holes in armoured targets such 
  as vehicles or bunkers. While stronger than frag 
  explosives, krak detonations do not produce a Blast 
  effect and their more focused explosion makes them 
  less practical for use against people. Krak explosives 
  trigger Righteous Fury against vehicles on a roll of a 9 or a 10.
  MINEFIELD
  These shells are designed to splinter open at the highest arc of 
  their trajectory, releasing a plethora of sub-munitions with two 
  impact triggers. Once the ﬁrst is sprung upon contact with the 
  ground, the second trigger deploys—awaiting only a single, 
  unlucky step to unleash its powerful explosives. Easy to use and 
  safe from a distance, mineﬁeld rounds are an effective way to lay 
  down a protective cordon around a bunker or other defensive 
  location. These rounds can only be used in either mortars or 
  missile launchers (not grenade launchers) and cannot be thrown.
  Table 6-10: Grenades, Missiles, and Rounds
  Name
  Class
  Range RoF
  Dam
  Pen
  Clip
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Anti-Plant Grenade
  Thrown
  SBx3
  S/–/–
  3d10 E†
  0
  1
  Blast (3)
  0.5kg
  Scarce
  Blind Grenade
  Thrown
  SBx3
  S/–/–
  2d10 E
  0
  1
  Smoke (3)
  0.5kg
  Scarce
  Fire Bomb Grenade
  Thrown
  SBx3
  S/–/–
  1d10+3 E
  6
  1
  Blast (3), Flame
  0.5kg
  Plentiful
  Frag Grenade
  Thrown
  SBx3
  S/–/–
  2d10 X
  0
  1
  Blast (3),  
  Ogryn-Proof
  0.5kg
  Common
  Hallucinogen Grenade
  Thrown
  SBx3
  S/–/–
  —
  0
  1
  Hallucinogenic (2), 
  Blast (6)
  0.5kg
  Scarce
  Krak Grenade
  Thrown
  SBx3
  S/–/–
  2d10+4 X
  6
  1
  Concussive (0)
  0.5kg
  Rare
  Photon Flash Grenade
  Thrown
  SBx3
  S/–/–
  —
  0
  1
  Blast (10)
  0.5kg
  Rare
  Smoke Grenade
  Thrown
  SBx3
  S/–/–
  —
  0
  1
  Smoke (6)††
  0.5kg
  Common
  Stun Grenade
  Thrown
  SBx3
  S/–/–
  —
  0
  1
  Blast (3),  
  Concussive (2)
  0.5kg
  Common
  Frag Missile
  —
  —
  —
  2D10+2 X
  2
  —
  Blast (5), 
  0.5kg
  Average
  Krak Missile
  —
  —
  —
  3d10+8 X
  8
  —
  Concussive (3), 
  Proven (2)
  0.5kg
  Scarce
  Mineﬁeld Missile
  —
  —
  —
  2d10 X
  1
  —
  Blast (1)
  0.5kg
  Rare
  Scatter Missile
  —
  —
  —
  2d10 X
  0
  —
  Blast (10)
  0.5kg
  Rare
  Anti-Plant Round
  —
  —
  —
  3d10 E†
  0
  —
  Blast (5)
  1kg
  Rare
  Blind Round
  —
  —
  —
  2d10 E
  0
  —
  Smoke (6)
  1kg
  Rare
  Frag Round
  —
  —
  —
  2d10 X
  3
  —
  Blast (5)
  1kg
  Common
  Mineﬁeld Round
  —
  —
  —
  2d10 X
  1
  —
  Blast (1)
  1kg
  Rare
  Photon Flash Round
  —
  —
  —
  —
  0
  —
  Blast (12)
  1kg
  Rare
  Scatter Round
  —
  —
  —
  1d10+3 X
  0
  —
  Blast (7)
  1kg
  Very Rare
  Smoke Round
  —
  —
  —
  —
  0
  —
  Smoke (9)††
  1kg
  Scarce
  Starﬂare Round
  —
  —
  —
  —
  0
  —
  1kg
  Scarce
  † Damage only effects ﬂora and has no other effect.
  †† Unlike blind, this only interferes with visual sight.
  ††† If the weapon causes any Damage, then, each Round after the ﬁrst, check for another target at random (friend or foe) within d5 metres to see if any Damage is caused 
  to them (rolling for a new Damage to represent the mutated virus). Continue until Damage is not taken or after d10 Rounds have passed.
  Krak explosives have powerful concentrated explosives 
  designed to punch holes in armoured targets such 
  as vehicles or bunkers. While stronger than frag 
  explosives, krak detonations do not produce a Blast 
  effect and their more focused explosion makes them 
  Photon ﬂash explosives detonate like a small 
  star, blinding anyone nearby and bright enough 
  to overload primitive vision protection systems. 
  Anyone within 15 metres of a photon ﬂash 
  grenade when it detonates must succeed on a 
   or be blinded for a 
  
  184
  184
  VI: Armoury
  MOLE MORTAR
  Mole Mortars are odd devices that look much like regular 
  Imperial Mortars, but they ﬁre their shells under the ground 
  rather than through the air via special tunnelling torpedo 
  rounds. The rounds penetrate the earth then arc back up in 
  almost a reverse of a normal mortar round, timed to explode 
  just underneath the surface. While not particularly accurate, 
  they can often catch the enemy unprepared, and the 
  resulting underground explosion can be devastating, since 
  those enemies not killed or injured outright are typically 
  knocked off their feet.
  Mole Mortars ﬁre specially designed ammo and may not 
  ﬁre any unusual ammo that is not speciﬁcally designed to be 
  used with a Mole Mortar.
  NEEDLE PISTOL
  Needle pistols use a 
  low-power laser beam 
  to propel small slivers 
  of crystal coated in viral 
  toxins. Enemies wounded 
  by them are almost instantly 
  paralysed or dead within moments. As they are virtually 
  silent and have no muzzle ﬂash, needle weapons are ideal 
  for assassins.
  NEEDLE RIFLE
  Prized by snipers, the needle riﬂe offers the perfect 
  combination of range, stealth, and deadliness. The only 
  argument against these exquisite weapons is that they are 
  next to useless against heavily armoured targets.
  STARFLARE
  These are ﬁred high into the air via mortar, where they 
  burst into a multitude of small ﬂares. As the ﬂares burn out 
  and drift to the ground, they fully illuminate the underlying 
  area for almost a minute. They can also dazzle the vision 
  of anyone not wearing protective lenses. These rounds can 
  only be used in mortars (not grenade or missile launchers) 
  and cannot be thrown.
  STUN
  Stun explosives use a combination of a loud detonation and 
  a ﬂash of light to momentarily incapacitate targets before an 
  assault is launched. They are designed for non-lethal uses and 
  generally cause no lasting injury. 
  EXOTIC WEAPONS
  Many weapons are not only uncommon in the Imperium, 
  but also unimaginable to most of its citizens. These 
  weapons are always expensive and beyond the reach of all 
  but the elite or most resourceful. Because these weapons 
  are so specialised, a character must have a Talent for each 
  individual exotic weapon he wishes to use. For example, to 
  use a needle pistol, a character would need Exotic Weapon 
  Training (Needle Pistol).
  THROWING GRENADES
  Throwing grenades requires no special training or 
  Talents and is resolved using a Ballistic Skill Test 
  including any modiﬁers (such as range). On a miss, the 
  thrown grenade goes in a random direction—see the 
  Scatter Diagram on page 255.
  FUMBLING GRENADES AND DUDS
  Whenever a jam results from throwing a grenade or 
  ﬁring a grenade launcher or similar weapon (see 
  Weapon Jams, page 255), something unfortunate has 
  happened. Roll 1d10. On any result other than 10, the 
  explosive is simply a dud and nothing happens. On a 
  10, the explosive detonates immediately with the effect 
  centred on the attacker. If the explosive was ﬁred from 
  a launcher, it detonates in the barrel, halving its normal 
  effect as well as destroying the weapon.
  Table 6-11: Exotic Weapons
  Name
  Class
  Range RoF
  Dam
  Pen
  Clip Rld
  Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Mole Mortar
  Heavy
  50–
  200m
  S/–/–
  2d10+2 X
  2
  1
  Full
  Inaccurate, Indirect (2), 
  Shocking, Blast (4)
  50kg
  Extremely 
  Rare
  Needle Pistol
  Pistol
  30m
  S/–/–
  1d10 R
  0
  6
  Full
  Accurate, Toxic (5), 
  Felling (1)
  1.5kg
  Very Rare
  Needle Riﬂe
  Basic
  180m
  S/–/–
  1d10 R
  0
  6
  2 Full
  Accurate, Toxic (5), 
  Felling (1)
  2kg
  Very Rare
  OL
  Needle pistols use a 
  low-power laser beam 
  to propel small slivers 
  of crystal coated in viral 
  toxins. Enemies wounded 
  by them are almost instantly 
  
  185
  185
  VI: Armoury
  CHAINSWORD
  Chainswords generally have a large ﬂat carapace containing 
  the chain, with only the forward curved section open where 
  the spinning chain teeth can bite into ﬂesh and bone, although 
  double-edged versions can also be found. Within Chaos and 
  Ork forces they are often preferred over power weapons due to 
  the messy deaths they can bring, the better to intimidate both 
  enemies and rivals alike. This a one-handed melee weapon.
  EVISCERATOR
  Often carried into battle by the Priests of the Adeptus Ministorum, 
  the eviscerator is an obscenely large double-handed chain weapon 
  ﬁtted with a crude version of the disrupter ﬁeld generator more 
  commonly found on power weapons. Although very unwieldy 
  and tiring to use, the eviscerator is fully capable of ripping an 
  armoured man in half. This a two-handed melee weapon.
  If an attack made with an eviscerator triggers Righteous 
  Fury (see page 250), the wielder adds +1 to the resulting roll 
  on the appropriate Critical Hit Table.
  Melee Weapons
  Despite the wide range of ways available to kill the enemy at 
  a distance, there is always a demand for weapons designed 
  for close and personal combat. For some, it is a matter of 
  honour to look their foe in the eye, for others, simply another 
  way to ensure their safety in a dangerous galaxy. These kinds 
  of weapons range from crude lengths of metal to exquisitely 
  constructed artefacts from ages gone by, devices that could 
  never be created again in this dark millennium.
  CHAIN WEAPONS
  Chain weapons are popular as most races and planets have 
  the basic technology to produce these brutal war-devices. 
  They come in a variety of styles, but all feature fast moving 
  chains with serrated metallic teeth running down what would 
  normally be a weapon’s bladed edge. Once engaged, the chain 
  drive roars loudly to life, acting as a clear warning to all. Even 
  the slightest impact can tear open ﬂesh and solid blows can 
  cut through most armour. To use chain weapons, a character 
  must have the Weapon Training (Chain) Talent.
  Table 6-12: Melee Weapons
  Chain Weapons
  Name
  Class
  Range Dam
  Pen Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Chainsword
  Melee
  —
  1d10+2 R
  2
  Tearing, Balanced
  6kg
  Average
  Eviscerator
  Melee
  —
  2d10 R
  9
  Razor Sharp, Tearing, Unwieldy
  15kg
  Very Rare
  Eviscerator
  Melee
  —
  2d10 R
  9
  Razor Sharp, Tearing, Unwieldy
  15kg
  Very Rare
  Power Weapons
  Name
  Class
  Range Dam
  Pen Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Power Fist
  Melee
  —
  2d10† E
  9
  Power Field, Unwieldy
  13kg
  Very Rare
  Power Sword
  Melee
  —
  1d10+5 E
  5
  Power Field, Balanced
  3kg
  Very Rare
  Power Axe
  Melee
  —
  1d10+7 E
  7
  Power Field, Unbalanced
  6kg
  Very Rare
  Power Maul (High)
  Melee
  —
  1d10+5 E
  4
  Power Field, Shocking
  3.5kg Very Rare
  Power Maul (Low)
  Melee
  —
  1d10 +1 E
  2
  Shocking
  Omnissian Axe
  Melee
  —
  1d10 +4 E
  6
  Power Field, Unbalanced
  8kg
  Extremely Rare
  † Power Fists add the user’s SB×2 to the Damage.
  Force Weapons
  Name
  Class
  Range Dam
  Pen Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Force Sword
  Melee
  —
  1d10+1 R
  2
  Balanced, Force
  5kg
  Near Unique
  Force Staff
  Melee
  —
  1d10 I
  2
  Force
  2kg
  Extremely Rare
  Low-Tech  Weapons
  Name
  Class
  Range Dam
  Pen Special
  Wt.
  Availability
  Great Weapon
  Melee
  —
  2d10 R
  0
  Ogryn-Proof, Unbalanced
  7kg
  Scarce
  Groxwhip
  Melee
  3m
  1d10+3 R
  0
  Flexible, Tearing, Primitive (6)
  4kg
  Scarce
  Hunting Lance
  Melee
  —
  2d10+3 X
  7
  Concussive (3)
  4kg
  Scarce
  Improvised
  Melee
  —
  1d10–2 I
  0
  Ogryn-Proof, Primitive (7), Unbalanced
  —
  —
  Knife
  Melee/Thrown 5m
  1d5 R
  0
  1kg
  Plentiful
  Shields††
  Melee
  —
  1d5 I
  0
  Defensive, Primitive (6)
  3kg
  Common
  Spear
  Melee
  —
  1d10 R
  0
  Primitive (8)
  3kg
  Common
  Staff
  Melee
  —
  1d10 I
  0
  Balanced, Primitive (7)
  3kg
  Plentiful
  Sword
  Melee
  —
  1d10 R
  0
  Balanced
  3kg
  Common
  Truncheon
  Melee
  —
  1d10 I
  0
  Ogryn-Proof, Primitive (7)
  2kg
  Plentiful
  Warhammer
  Melee
  —
  1d10+2 I
  1
  Ogryn-Proof, Primitive (8)
  4.5kg Scarce
  †† Provides Armour 2 to the Body and Arm wielding the Shield.
  
  186
  186
  VI: Armoury
  POWER MAUL
  Power Mauls are solid truncheon-like rods with a discharge 
  cap at one end, and a hand grip at the other. Controls along 
  the haft allow the user to adjust the energy ﬁeld’s strength 
  from a mild stunning blast to a heavy force suitable for 
  breaking down reinforced doors. They are popular with the 
  Adeptus Arbites, as well as Inquisitorial agents, as they can be 
  used in a non-lethal capacity when desired. This weapon has 
  two entries in the weapons table, representing its two power 
  settings: high and low. Switching the Power Maul between 
  its two settings is a Free Action. This a one-handed melee 
  weapon. However, when used with two hands, it gains the 
  Concussive (0) Quality.
  OMNISSIAN AXE
  Granted to suitably devoted followers of the Omnissiah, this 
  weapon has a long staff-like body tipped with half of the 
  circular Adeptus Mechanicus skull and cog icon. The symbol 
  forms a blade and is sheathed in a power ﬁeld. Covered with 
  inscribed circuitry designs indicating the sacred nature of 
  the weapon, many a foe has realised far too late that what 
  appeared to be a religious walking staff was really a deadly 
  weapon. The Omnissian axe also functions as a combi-tool. 
  This a two-handed melee weapon.
  FORCE WEAPONS
  Made from the rarest materials and interlaced with psychic 
  reactive and channelling circuitry of a design said to have 
  originated with the Emperor himself when he walked among 
  mortal men, force weapons are capable of channelling 
  the mental power and aggression of a psyker into deadly, 
  reality-rending force. It is theoretically possible to create 
  force weapons in almost any form and several unique and 
  potent variants, such as the Nemesis weapons of the Grey 
  Knights and the mythically destructive Daemonhammers, 
  exist. The most common types of force weapons used by 
  associates of the Imperial Guard are presented here: the 
  force sword and force staff.
  FORCE SWORD
  On the surface, force swords look just like any regular sword, 
  albeit of unusual colouration. It is only upon closer inspection 
  that the tiny but elaborate runes appear, giving away their 
  arcane nature. Most psykers are not skilled ﬁghters, but for 
  those who are, a force sword is the perfect weapon as it allows 
  them to fully use both their psychic as well as martial abilities. 
  This a one-handed melee weapon.
  FORCE STAFF
  Longer-length force weapons typically take the form of a 
  staff, and they can be used as a weapon in regular combat. 
  Some are fashioned to appear as a simple walking staff, 
  only giving away their real function as psychic powers are 
  channelled through them. This a two-handed melee weapon.
  POWER WEAPONS
  Power weapons project a disruptive energy ﬁeld along the 
  blade or head of a weapon, allowing it to slice armour or 
  strike with explosive impact. Many of these weapons use 
  subtle mechanisms and can appear normal until activated, 
  whereupon crackling lightning runs across the blade. A 
  power weapon can still be used as an ordinary weapon should 
  its power source run dry or become damaged. To use the 
  various classes of Power weapons, a character must have the 
  Weapon Training (Power) Talent. 
  POWER FIST
  Rather than encasing an edged weapon 
  with a power ﬁeld, a power ﬁst uses 
  the energy to disrupt material in a 
  more violent fashion. Worn as a 
  huge glove, when the mechanically 
  augmented ﬁst strikes its target 
  it can tear open even the heaviest 
  armour and burst ﬂesh into a shower 
  of blood and tissue. Unless worn as part 
  of power armour, it normally requires 
  heavy backpack-mounted power sources 
  connected to the ﬁst via heavy cables. Some variants are designed 
  to maximise rending and crushing power, while others are better 
  suited to exert a maximum of force when punching. A suitably 
  braced user can knock through the strongest bulkheads or 
  rend even reinforced armour. Most are ancient relics, with the 
  mantle inscribed with family heraldry or iconography indicating 
  impressive victories. This a one-handed melee weapon.
  POWER SWORD
  Power swords are elite weapons and a sure sign of high status 
  in the Imperium; many ofﬁcers favour them as a prestige item 
  to impress Guardsmen and enemies alike. Like a common 
  sword, they allow the user greater attack options and 
  defensive responses than many weapons. Entire specialised 
  styles of combat have been designed around the expansive 
  number of variants found across the galaxy and beyond. This 
  a one-handed melee weapon.
  POWER AXE
  Power axes allow for greater impact when striking than a 
  power sword, but are clumsier to use. They are viewed as a 
  brutal and unsubtle weapon, more suited for crude assault work 
  against rebellious underhive scum or foul xenos races. The huge 
  arc needed to properly attack with one makes use difﬁcult 
  when ﬁghting within enclosed spaces. To compensate for 
  this, some feature shorter handles, while others ignore 
  this detriment to maximise swing length. This a one-
  handed melee weapon.
  Rather than encasing an edged weapon 
  it can tear open even the heaviest 
  armour and burst ﬂesh into a shower 
  of blood and tissue. Unless worn as part 
  of power armour, it normally requires 
  
  187
  187
  VI: Armoury
  STAFF
  Longer basic weapons use a staff of wood or other material, 
  with the extra reach useful for hitting an enemy before he can 
  strike. The staff is just that, and is a common sight, especially 
  among pilgrims trekking throughout the galaxy to retrace the 
  steps of the saints. This a two-handed melee weapon.
  SWORD
  Swords can range from short dagger-like models to longer, 
  elaborate duelling blades. The nature of the blade (single- or 
  double-edged, curved or straight, ﬂexible or stiff, cutting or 
  stabbing, and so on) varies with the intent of the sword and 
  the taste of its user. This a one-handed melee weapon.
  TRUNCHEON
  Small and easily concealable, these short and heavy sticks of 
  dense wood or metal are often used by press gangs to “sign 
  up” new Guardsmen with a swift blow to the back of the head. 
  This a one-handed melee weapon.
  WARHAMMER
  Mounted on a longer pole grip than a regular hammer, 
  warhammers generally have a thinner striking head with 
  a sharply pointed reverse. Both of these make it ideal for 
  penetrating light armour and causing deeper wounds by 
  concentrating the force of the blow into a smaller area. This a 
  two-handed melee weapon.
  LOW-TECH WEAPONS
  Basic hand weapons are a common sight throughout the 
  Imperium, and in many places it would be unthinkable to 
  venture forth without at least one such weapon visible on your 
  person. Depending on the planet’s level of technology—and 
  the wealth of the user—these can range from simple metal 
  swords to high-tech blades made of exotic materials.
  GREAT WEAPON
  Most melee weapons can also be found in larger and heavier 
  versions, usable only with two hands. Great weapons—such as 
  huge axes, giant hammers, double-handed swords, and so on, 
  including huge clubs—are massive, brutal weapons that can inﬂict 
  serious damage with each blow. This a two-handed melee weapon.
  GROXWHIP
  “Groxwhip” may be an apocryphal name, as there is no strong 
  evidence they were developed to help herd these massive 
  beasts. It is more likely that most onlookers felt that a barbed 
  steel whip covered with serrated edges could be meant for 
  nothing else. Unlike most whips, these are deliberately 
  designed for lethal use, as strikes will tear away chunks of 
  ﬂesh with each attack. This a one-handed melee weapon.
  HUNTING LANCE
  The lance, most commonly used by Imperial Rough Riders, is 
  tipped with an explosive charge which blows apart on impact, 
  shattering armour and ﬂesh alike. While commonly used to 
  hunt big game on their native worlds, these single-use weapons 
  are spectacularly effective against even the most well-armoured 
  infantry—especially when wielded by a soldier mounted on a 
  frenzied war beast. This a one-handed, single-use melee weapon.
  IMPROVISED
  Improvised weapons are generally any handy, weighted object, 
  such as table legs, severed limbs, or artillery shell casings. 
  Hitting someone with the butt of a basic ranged weapon (such 
  as a lasgun or boltgun) also counts as an improvised weapon.
  KNIFE
  The knife is the ubiquitous back-up weapon for warriors all 
  across the Imperium, be they lowly hive scum or the elite 
  soldiers of a planetary governor. Some, such as the Catachan 
  ﬁghting knife, are designed for a speciﬁc purpose, whilst others 
  are more generic in nature. This a one-handed melee weapon.
  SHIELDS
  Shields are a useful protective device, either in conjunction 
  with armour or on their own. Sizes range from light bucklers 
  to huge full-body shields. Attacks made with shields suffer a 
  –20 instead of the normal penalty from the Defensive Quality. 
  This a one-handed melee weapon.
  SPEAR
  Common on feral and feudal worlds, spears can be found in the 
  hands of hunters and warriors. This a two-handed melee weapon.
  
  188
  VI: Armoury
  MELEE ATTACHMENT
  Bayonets, chain blades, and other long-bladed combat 
  attachments can be ﬁtted to most ranged weapons, making 
  them more useful in assaults. A weapon with a melee 
  attachment counts as a spear in close combat.
  Upgrades: Any Basic ranged weapon can have melee 
  attachments.
  MONO
  Mono weapons have specially fashioned blades with superﬁne 
  edges that can easily cut through armour and never lose their 
  edge. Mono weapons no longer count as Primitive and add 
  a +2 bonus to their Penetration. The mono upgrade can 
  be applied to a power weapon, but it has no effect whilst 
  the power ﬁeld is active. If the power ﬁeld is ever lost or 
  deactivated, the mono upgrade’s bonuses then apply.
  Note: The mono upgrade may be applied to any Low-
  Tech Melee weapon, but when applied to close-combat 
  weapons that do not use an edge (e.g., hammers, mauls, etc.), 
  it is treated differently. Game Masters are encouraged to 
  come up with interesting deﬁnitions for non-edged weapons 
  with the mono upgrade. For example, a hammer with the 
  mono upgrade could be deﬁned as having a pneumo-shock 
  enhancement. The in-game effects remain the same.
  Upgrades: Any Low-Tech Melee weapon.
  WEAPON UPGRADES
  Weapons can be given upgrades to enhance their performance. 
  The upgrade descriptions below list which weapons are eligible, 
  as well as how many upgrades can be applied. If an upgrade 
  is acquired, a character with the Trade (Armourer) Skill can 
  integrate it with a suitable weapon by making a successful Test. 
  Upgrades modify a weapon’s weight as noted.
  AUXILIARY GRENADE LAUNCHER
  A small, single-shot version of the regular grenade launcher is 
  ﬁtted onto another ranged weapon such as a lasgun, allowing the 
  user to ﬁre a single grenade instead of ﬁring as normal. The added 
  weight and cumbersome nature means that most users rarely 
  bother to reload the launcher once it is expended. An auxiliary 
  grenade launcher adds 2.5 kg to the weight of its ﬁtted weapon. A 
  character using a weapon with an auxiliary grenade launcher can 
  choose to either ﬁre the launcher or the weapon it is attached to in 
  their Turn but not both at once. (Basic; 45m; S/–/–; Damage As 
  Grenade; Pen As Grenade; Clip 1; Reload Full)
  Upgrades: Any Basic Las, Solid Projectile, or Bolt weapon.
  COMPACT
  Compact weapons are smaller versions of Pistol and Basic 
  weapons favoured by those who prefer concealment over 
  stopping power. This upgrade halves the weight of the 
  weapon but also halves its Clip Size and Range as well as 
  reducing its Damage by 1. Anyone attempting to ﬁnd a 
  concealed weapon with the Compact upgrade suffers a –20 
  penalty to any related Skill Test (e.g., Awareness, Scrutiny).
  Upgrades: Any Pistol or any Basic Las, Solid Projectile, 
  Flame, Bolt, or Plasma weapon.
  EXTERMINATOR
  Many of the more zealous religious warriors of the Imperium use 
  an exterminator cartridge on their regular weapons. This small 
  device contains a small one-shot ﬂamer weapon that shoots out 
  a sheet of ﬁre. Rather than using the weapon as normal, the 
  shooter may use the exterminator cartridge, working out the 
  effects as if he was armed with a ﬂamer. Exterminators are one-
  shot weapons and must be replaced once used.
  Upgrades: Any non-Low-Tech weapon.
  EXTRA GRIP
  Also known as a pistol grip, this allows the weapon to be wielded 
  in one hand without the usual –20 penalty. However, it becomes 
  more difﬁcult to aim accurately and thus its Range is halved.
  Upgrades: Any Basic ranged weapon.
  FOREARM WEAPON MOUNTING
  This heavy bracing allows a single ranged weapon to be 
  mounted along the arm, with speciﬁc hand movements 
  triggering the weapon. It allows the user to keep both hands 
  free and can have a strong visual impression on their foes 
  as ﬁre seems to appear from the user’s outstretched arms. 
  This upgrade reduces the Weapon’s range by one-third.
  Upgrades: Any Pistol Las, Low-Tech Solid 
  Projectile, Bolt, or Melta weapon.
  Table 6-13: Weapon Upgrades
  Name
  Weight
  Availability
  Auxiliary Grenade 
  Launcher
  +2.5kg
  Rare
  Compact
  x1/2
  Average
  Exterminator
  +1kg
  Common
  Extra Grip
  x1/3
  Common
  Forearm Weapon 
  Mounting
  +1kg
  Scarce
  Melee Attachment
  +2kg
  Plentiful
  Mono
  +0kg
  Scarce
  Motion Predictor
  +0.5kg
  Very Rare
  Omni-Scope
  +2kg
  Near Unique
  Overcharge Pack
  +0.5kg
  Common
  Photo Sight
  +0.5kg
  Very Rare
  Preysense Sight
  +0.5kg
  Very Rare
  Red-Dot Laser Sight
  +0.5kg
  Scarce
  Silencer
  +0.5kg
  Plentiful
  Suspensors
  x1/2
  Extremely Rare
  Targeter
  +1.5kg
  Rare
  Telescopic Sight
  +1kg
  Average
  Tox Dispenser
  +0.75kg
  Rare
  Tripod and Bipod
  +2kg
  Average
  Vox-Operated
  +0.5kg
  Rare
  
  189
  VI: Armoury
  SILENCER 
  Silencers lower the noise from a weapon’s discharge, preventing 
  detection of the shot. Awareness Tests to hear shots made with 
  a silenced weapon suffer an additional –20 penalty and can 
  only be attempted at half the normal distance.
  Upgrades: Autopistol, stub automatic, hand cannon, autogun, 
  needle pistol, and needle riﬂe.
  SUSPENSORS
  These anti-grav plates and studs attach to a weapon or 
  equipment, making the use of heavy or cumbersome devices 
  much easier by offsetting some of their weight. They are 
  often used by elite troops on their heavy weapons. Suspensors 
  reduce the weight of a weapon by one-half. When ﬁring a 
  weapon with suspensors, the operator counts as having the 
  Auto-stabilised Trait—he always counts as Braced.
  Upgrade: Any Heavy weapon.
  TARGETER
  Expensive, heavy, and rarely used except by elite forces, a 
  targeter uses a variety of guidance cogitators and omni-sights 
  to improve accuracy. These upgrades are normally hard-wired 
  into a speciﬁc weapon for maximum efﬁciency. Commonly 
  viewed as adding to the weapon’s machine-spirit, they create 
  an even closer bond between gunner and gun. A targeter 
  reduces all penalties on Ballistic Skill Tests by ten. Thus, a 
  Very Hard (–30) penalty to hit becomes Hard (–20).
  Upgrade: Any Las, Solid Projectile, Bolt, or Heavy weapon.
  TELESCOPIC SIGHT
  Telescopic sights magnify the 
  target’s image, making it easy to 
  see. This is especially useful for 
  long-range shots that need to hit 
  a very speciﬁc target location. A 
  weapon with a telescopic sight 
  ignores penalties for long and 
  extreme range, as long as the shooter takes a Full Action to Aim.
  Upgrades: Any Basic Las, Solid Projectile, Bolt, Low-Tech 
  or Plasma weapon. A gun can only have one sight.
  TOX DISPENSER
  The custom of lining a blade with deadly toxins has been 
  with humanity since the dawn of recorded time. Although 
  smearing a poison on the blade has the advantage of 
  simplicity, technology has since provided a better solution. A 
  series of micro-dispensers allow a wielder to coat his weapon 
  with poisons by simply pushing a button. As a Free Action, 
  a character with a weapon equipped with a tox dispenser 
  may cause his weapon to gain the Toxic (2) Quality for one 
  Round. Most Tox Dispensers may be used 10 times before 
  requiring reﬁlling. 
  Upgrades: Any Low-Tech or Chain Melee weapon.
  MOTION PREDICTOR
  A complex target-tracking cogitator in this device is activated 
  once the user has sighted the desired target. The predictor 
  then tracks the target and, when the trigger is pulled, chases 
  the target with all the rounds in a clip in one long burst. A 
  motion predictor adds a +10 to Ballistic Skill Tests, but only 
  functions when the weapon is ﬁred as part of a Semi-Auto 
  Burst or Full-Auto Burst Action.
  Upgrades: Any non-Low-Tech ranged weapon capable of 
  Semi-Auto or Full Auto ﬁre.
  OMNI-SCOPE
  A vastly expensive and rare device normally found only 
  in the hands of legendary assassins or bounty hunters, the 
  omni-scope is a cluster of ﬁnely-tuned sensor wands linked 
  to a precision lens. Some of these scopes plug directly into a 
  bionic cranial port, allowing the user to shoot around corners 
  without exposing himself—the scope becomes a “third eye.”
  The omni-scope combines the beneﬁts of a Preysense 
  Sight, Red-Dot-Laser Sight, and Telescopic Sight.
  Upgrades: Any Basic Las, Solid Projectile, Bolt, Low-Tech, 
  or Plasma weapon. An omni-scope counts as a sight and a 
  gun can only have one sight.
  OVERCHARGE PACK
  This is an enhanced power pack for a las weapon that 
  increases the strength of its ﬁre. An overcharge pack adds 1 
  to the weapon’s Damage. Unfortunately, the increased output 
  of Damage reduces the number of shots and so the Clip Size 
  is halved.
  Upgrades: Any Pistol or Basic Las weapon.
  PHOTO SIGHT
  This is a weapon sight that enhances ambient light levels, 
  improving the user’s vision and ability to see in the dark. A 
  character using a photo sight suffers no penalties due to darkness.
  Upgrades: Any Basic ranged Las, Solid Projectile, Bolt, Low-
  Tech, or Plasma weapon. A gun may only have one sight.
  PREYSENSE SIGHT
  This is a weapon sight that shows thermal images and reveals 
  the hiding places of enemies who lurk in the darkness. A 
  character using a preysense sight suffers no penalties due to 
  darkness and gains a +20 bonus to vision-based Perception 
  Tests in the dark.
  Upgrades: Any Basic ranged Las, Solid Projectile, Bolt, Low-
  Tech, or Plasma weapon. A gun can only have one sight.
  RED-DOT LASER SIGHT
  This is a laser sight that grants a +10 bonus to Ballistic Skill 
  Tests when the weapon is ﬁred on single shot.
  Upgrades: Any Pistol or Basic class Las, Solid Projectile, Bolt, 
  Low-Tech, or Plasma weapon. A gun may only have one sight.
  IGHT
  Telescopic sights magnify the 
  target’s image, making it easy to 
  see. This is especially useful for 
  long-range shots that need to hit 
  a very speciﬁc target location. A 
  weapon with a telescopic sight 
  ignores penalties for long and 
  extreme range, as long as the shooter takes a Full Action to Aim.
   Any Basic Las, Solid Projectile, Bolt, Low-Tech 
  
  190
  VI: Armoury
  implements the modiﬁcation. Characters who suffer two or 
  more Degrees of Failure damage their weapons, requiring 
  that it be returned to the supply depot for replacement. If 
  customisations are attempted in the ﬁeld when the supply 
  depot is unavailable, such failure causes the weapon to 
  become Unreliable. If the weapon was previously Reliable, 
  it instead loses that Trait. Naturally, if the character loses 
  or replaces a customised weapon, he also loses all of his 
  customisations. A weapon newly issued from the supply 
  depot is delivered in stock conditions. 
  Characters do not have to perform customisations for 
  themselves. Instead, another more ably skilled character may 
  make these changes for them. However, the character who 
  performs the procedure might want some form of repayment 
  for his services. Such compensation is entirely subject to the 
  whim of the acting player or Game Master.
  CUSTOM GRIP
  The weapon’s hilt, under-barrel grip, or handle is modiﬁed to 
  better ﬁt the character’s hands. The grip might be textured, 
  changed in size, or grooves might be added that align 
  perfectly with the character’s ﬁngers. As a consequence of 
  these changes, the character for whom the customisation was 
  performed receives a +5 to Ballistic Skill or Weapon Skill 
  when wielding the weapon. Any other character wielding the 
  weapon receives a –5 penalty, as the weapon feels slightly out 
  of alignment when they attempt to use it.
  Applies to: Any weapon.
  DEACTIVATE SAFETY FEATURES
  The weapon has been modiﬁed so that its volatile nature 
  is always at the forefront. A weapon with this modiﬁcation 
  is always ready to be ﬁred or wielded in an instant. When 
  using a Ready Action to prepare a weapon with this 
  modiﬁcation, a character may Ready another weapon or 
  draw another item as part of the same action. However, 
  any time a character who is carrying a weapon with this 
  modiﬁcation suffers four or more Degrees of Failure on a 
  Movement Skill Test, this weapon ﬁres, activates, or cuts 
  itself free as a result of the jostling. 
  Applies to: Any weapon.
  FLUID ACTION
  The weapon’s internal mechanisms have been thoroughly 
  lubricated and carefully maintained down to the ﬁnest detail. 
  When the character uses the weapon as part of a Semi-Auto 
  Burst Action, he counts as scoring one additional Degree of 
  Success than actually rolled for purposes of determining the 
  number of rounds that hit the target. Note that this modiﬁer 
  does not affect whether the initial attack hits the target, only 
  whether additional rounds strike home. Weapons with this 
  customisation are trickier to load as the ammunition feed 
  must be more carefully engaged. Reload time is increased by 
  an additional Half Action. 
  Applies to: Any ranged weapon capable of Semi-Automatic ﬁre.
  TRIPOD AND BIPOD
  These attachments are for heavier weapons or those using 
  integral ammunition canisters rather than a backpack-
  mounted source (such as plasma guns or meltaguns). Resting 
  the weapon on the ground increases accuracy but sacriﬁces 
  mobility, thus making them more common in static defence 
  lines. Bipods and tripods allow a weapon to be braced 
  anywhere there is a reasonably ﬂat surface. A weapon braced 
  on a bipod has a 90-degree ﬁre arc, while one on a tripod has 
  a 180-degree arc.
  Upgrades: Any Basic or Heavy weapon. 
  VOX-OPERATED
  Specially coded vox receivers are integrated into the weapon’s 
  trigger mechanisms, so that they user can operate it by voice if 
  needed. Users can also switch ﬁring modes where applicable 
  merely by speaking the appropriate command. For security 
  reasons, each receiver is usually keyed to just one voice 
  pattern. Additionally, if the weapon is equipped with a ﬁre 
  selector, the operation of that upgrade may also be controlled 
  simply by speaking aloud.
  Upgrade: Any non-Low-Tech Pistol, Basic, Launcher, or 
  Heavy weapon.
  WEAPON CUSTOMISATION
  Through training and deployment, a soldier of the Imperial 
  Guard spends virtually every moment with his trusted 
  weapons within easy reach. Over time, his primary weapon 
  becomes an extension of his body. As each soldier becomes 
  increasingly familiar with his armaments, he may opt to 
  make minor changes to the weapon. Extensive changes 
  would invariably violate standard doctrine and draw the ire 
  of superior ofﬁcers. However, most ofﬁcers choose to turn 
  a blind eye to minor tweaks of the weapon. In this way, a 
  character may ﬁnd solutions to offset bad habits in the way 
  they carry and wield the weapon, but also adjust it so that 
  they may operate at their peak efﬁciency.
  Keep in mind that the changes associated with customisation 
  are invariably minor adjustments. To the casual observer, most 
  of these changes are hardly noticeable. It is the very subtlety of 
  these customisations that enable the Imperial ofﬁcers to turn a 
  blind eye to the tweaks. However, one or more of these minor 
  changes may ultimately instil conﬁdence in the soldier and 
  increase his overall combat performance. 
  Weapon customisations may only be applied to a piece of 
  equipment that is part of the Standard Regimental Kit or a 
  favoured weapon of the soldier’s Regiment. Guardsmen never 
  have sufﬁcient exposure or training to safely customise more 
  specialised weapons. Similarly, regimental ofﬁcers are well 
  versed with the various customisations that their men make. 
  When they spot a soldier wielding a weapon with which they 
  are less familiar, they are far more prone to issue punishments 
  for unauthorised customisations of such armaments.
  Each character may install up to four customisations 
  to any of his Standard Regimental Kit weapons. 
  All customisations require a Routine (+20) 
  Trade (Armourer) Test. Success on the Test 
  
  191
  191
  VI: Armoury
  REINFORCED
  Additional support brackets are afﬁxed to the weapon so 
  that it can better handle the stresses of battleﬁeld abuse. 
  These brackets could be scavenged from other equipment, 
  custom fabricated from alternative components, or simply 
  be from alternative patterns of comparable weapons. With 
  the additional reinforcement, the weapon is better suited to 
  melee combat. If the customised arm is a ranged weapon, it 
  receives an additional +1 bonus to Damage when used as 
  an improvised weapon. If the base item is a Melee weapon, 
  when parried by a weapon with a power ﬁeld, its chance 
  of destruction is reduced to 60%. In any case, the weapon’s 
  weight is increased by 20%.
  Applies to: Any weapon.
  SACRED INSCRIPTION
  The character inscribes a sacred script from the Imperial Creed 
  upon the weapon. These inscriptions are generally etched 
  into the weapon’s surface and might be lavishly illuminated 
  with valuable metals, jewels, and embedded relics, medals, or 
  talismans from members of the Ecclesiarchy. Characters who 
  wield these weapons are held in high regard by any priests 
  or missionaries with whom they work but are also held to 
  the highest standards by these same individuals. The constant 
  reminder of their faith serves to instil additional courage in 
  the weapon’s wielder when his faith is tested. The weapon 
  provides a +10 bonus to any Pinning Test.
  Applies to: Any weapon.
  TRIGGER ADJUSTMENT
  Through precise adjustments, the weapon is modiﬁed so that 
  its trigger pull better ﬁts with the length of the character’s 
  ﬁngers and the way they grip the weapon. This is a very 
  precise adjustment that requires careful workmanship to not 
  disrupt the ﬁring mechanism, safety features, and the travel 
  length of the trigger. When wielding a weapon with a ﬁnely 
  adjusted trigger, the character is able to aim the weapon and 
  snap off the ﬁrst shot much more quickly. During the ﬁrst 
  Round of combat, a character wielding a weapon with this 
  modiﬁcation receives a +1 bonus to Initiative. However, due 
  to the variation, if any other individual uses the weapon, he 
  suffers a –5 penalty to Ballistic Skill Tests made with it.
  Applies to: Any ranged weapon.
  HOME MATERIALS
  Some of the weapon’s components—typically stock, grip, 
  hilt, or shaft—is constructed of materials manufactured or 
  grown upon his regiment’s home planet. This serves as a 
  powerful reminder of the Guardsman’s home and a constant 
  reminder of his duty to serve and protect the Imperium 
  of Man. Characters who wield a weapon that features this 
  modiﬁcation receive a +5 bonus to any Fear Test.
  Applies to: Any weapon.
  MODIFIED STOCK
  When the character holds a weapon with a modiﬁed stock 
  up to aim, its contours perfectly align with his shoulder and 
  cheek. The weapon ﬁts his body perfectly and there is no 
  moment of hesitation. As the character takes aim with the 
  weapon, it feels like a natural extension of his body. When a 
  character takes an Aim Action with weapons modiﬁed in this 
  way, he receives an additional +2 bonus on a Half Action or 
  an additional +4 bonus for a Full Action. This customisation 
  is compatible with any other devices that modify Aim Actions. 
  This customisation is most commonly applied to the stock of 
  a Basic ranged weapon, but comparable changes may be made 
  to virtually any weapon.
  Applies to: Any weapon.
  QUICK-RELEASE
  The mechanism for removing a magazine is carefully modiﬁed 
  so that it may be ejected forcibly and rapidly, reducing the 
  amount of time required for inserting fresh ammunition. 
  The mechanism could be more thoroughly lubricated, might 
  have springs or magnets installed, or might use some more 
  sophisticated system. As a consequence of these changes, the 
  weapon’s Reload time is reduced by a Half Action, down to 
  a minimum of a Half Action. For example, a weapon that 
  normally took 2 Full Actions to reload can be reloaded with 
  one Full and one Half Action.
  Applies to: Any ranged weapon.
  REDUCED WEIGHT
  This customisation involves shaving off excess parts, boring 
  holes through non-structural solid features, and generally 
  replacing as many parts of the weapon as possible with 
  alternative components made of lighter weight materials. In 
  some cases, these materials can be obtained from the stores of 
  other regiments, while in others, they must be fabricated from 
  whatever materials are available on the base. Regardless of 
  how the changes are implemented, weapons that undergo this 
  customisation decrease their weight by 20%, or a minimum of 
  a 0.5 kg loss. However, the resulting weapon is substantially 
  more fragile. If it is used in melee—either as intended or as an 
  improvised weapon—it may crumple under an impact. Any 
  unmodiﬁed roll of 90–100 results in the weapon shattering 
  and becoming irreparably damaged. 
  Applies to: Any weapon.
  
  192
  VI: Armoury
  BACKPACK AMMO PACK /POWER PACK
  Many weapons require larger ammunition sources to function 
  during large battles or when the wearer is away from an 
  extended supply line. A backpack power pack is worn like a 
  normal backpack. For energy weapons, it is a portable source 
  of power in the form of a massive battery or charge-unit. For 
  ﬂame weapons, it is composed of tanks of volatile promethium.
  Other ammunition packs are simply stacks of regular 
  stubber or bolt rounds with a feeder line that links into the 
  weapon itself. These items hold 80 rounds of ammunition for 
  Plasma, Melta, and Las weapons, 200 rounds of ammunition 
  for Solid Projectile or Bolt weapons, and 60 shots for Flame 
  weapons. A weapon connected to a backpack power pack uses 
  the power pack for its ammunition and ignores its normal clip 
  size. Backpack ammo packs or power packs weigh 25 kg.
  Used With: Any ranged weapon.
  CHARGE CELL
  Not every world within the Imperium maintains the capacity to 
  generate a charge pack capable of releasing a limited charge at a 
  time. Some must make do with individual cells that expend their 
  entire capacity in a single rapid burst. These have sufﬁcient energy 
  for a single las shot and must be changed after every ﬁring.
  Used With: Laslocks
  CHARGE PACK
  Charge packs are powerful batteries used almost exclusively 
  by las weapons. The cost of a charge pack varies depending 
  on the class of the weapon. In all cases, it provides shots equal 
  to the weapon’s full clip value.
  Used With: All las weapons.
  AMMUNITION
  Without ammunition, a gun is just a gloriﬁed club. Presented 
  here is a selection of ammunition, including a variety of 
  special types. Each type of ammo can only be used with 
  certain weapons as detailed in its description. Ammo weight 
  is not listed; however, should it be important to know how 
  much ammunition weighs, consider a weapon’s full clip to 
  weigh 10% of the weight of the weapon itself.
  ARROWS/QUARRELS
  Arrows and quarrels come in a variety of shapes, sizes and 
  materials ranging from crude wooden shafts with ﬂint tips to 
  steel darts with razor points.
  Used With: Bows, crossbows, and hand bows.
  SHOT
  Shot is solid lead or stone balls used with a powder charge in 
  primitive blackpowder weapons.
  Used With: Flintlock pistol and musket.
  BULLETS
  Hard rounds are common for many weapons within the 
  Imperium and vary greatly in calibre and design. Bullets 
  from one kind of ﬁrearm cannot be used in another unless 
  they are very similar in make. So, for example, you could use 
  bullets bought for a stub revolver in a stub automatic, but 
  not in an autogun.
  Used With: Autopistols, stub revolvers, stub automatics, 
  hand cannons, autoguns, sniper riﬂes, and heavy stubbers.
  CARTRIDGE
  Cartridges contain dozens of tiny balls and are designed to 
  scatter over a wide area when ﬁred, making them ideal for 
  close-in work where accuracy is less important.
  Used With: Any shotgun.
  RECHARGING POWER PACKS
  A reason for the large number of las weapons in the 
  Imperium is the relative abundance of ammunition. 
  Las power packs can be charged in the ﬁeld from 
  most power sources. Characters may make a Tech-Use 
  Test to successfully charge any power pack if there is 
  a suitable power source available. The time the pack 
  takes to charge is determined by the power output of 
  the source and is ultimately up to the GM, but typically 
  takes several hours. Alternatively, power packs can 
  be charged by placing them in an open ﬂame. This, 
  however, takes at least a day and permanently reduces 
  the Clip Size by half (this only occurs the ﬁrst time it is 
  charged in this way) as well as removing a las weapon’s 
  Reliable Special Quality, or giving it the Unreliable 
  Special Quality if it was not Reliable to start. Each 
  time a pack is recharged in this way there is a 30% 
  chance it will be permanently rendered useless.
  Table 6–14: Ammunition
  Name
  Availability
  Arrows/Quarrels
  Common
  Shot
  Common
  Bullets
  Plentiful
  Cartridge
  Common
  Backpack Power Pack 
  Rare
  Charge Cell
  Common
  Charge Pack (pistol)
  Common
  Charge Pack (basic)
  Common
  Charge Pack (heavy) 
  Rare
  Fuel (pistol) 
  Scarce
  Fuel (basic) 
  Scarce
  Fuel (heavy) 
  Scarce
  Bolt Shells 
  Rare
  Melta Canister (pistol) 
  Very Rare
  Melta Canister (basic) 
  Very Rare
  Melta Canister (heavy) 
  Very Rare
  Plasma Flask (pistol) 
  Rare
  Plasma Flask (basic) 
  Rare
  Plasma Flask (heavy) 
  Very Rare
  Exotic 
  Very Rare
  Artillery
  Very Rare
  
  193
  VI: Armoury
  UNUSUAL AMMUNITION
  Not all munitions are created equal and there are many 
  enhanced or unusual choices beyond the standard fare 
  issued to Guardsmen—a modest variety are presented here. 
  Each type of unusual ammo can only be used with certain 
  weapons as detailed in its description, and only one kind of 
  ammunition can be used at a time (i.e. their effects cannot be 
  combined). Ammo weight is not listed; should it be important 
  to know how much ammunition weighs, consider a weapon’s 
  full clip to weigh 10% of the weight of the weapon itself.
  AMPUTATOR SHELL
  Filled with explosive micro-shrapnel, these bullets are 
  designed to shear ﬂesh and shatter bone, causing limbs to be 
  blown away.
  Effects: Amputator Shells add 2 to the weapon’s Damage.
  Used With: Stub revolvers, stub automatics, shotguns (all 
  types), sniper riﬂes, hand cannons, autopistols, and autoguns.
  BLEEDER ROUND
  This ammunition is treated with toxins to prevent coagulation 
  and keep wounds bleeding freely. These shells are designed to 
  burst on penetration and spread the anti-coagulants quickly.
  Effect: If a target takes Damage from Bleeder Rounds, it 
  begins to gush blood. All subsequent attacks against the target 
  deal +2 Damage until the end of combat. This effect does not 
  stack with other Bleeder Rounds, and does not affect targets 
  with the Daemonic or Machine Traits.
  Used With: Stub revolvers, stub automatics, hand cannons, 
  autopistols, and autoguns.
  DUMDUM BULLET
  These heavy, blunt bullets are designed to cause maximum 
  tissue damage and can tear apart soft targets, though they are 
  less effective against armour.
  Effect: Dumdum bullets add +2 to the weapon’s Damage, 
  but Armour Points count double against them.
  Used With: Stub revolvers, stub automatics, sniper riﬂes, and 
  hand cannons.
  EXPANDER ROUND
  Vicious and outlawed on some worlds, these dense shells are 
  designed to shred open after impact, creating huge exit wounds.
  Effect: Shots ﬁred with these rounds add 1 to both Damage 
  and Penetration.
  Used With: Stub revolvers, stub automatics, sniper riﬂes, 
  autopistols, and autoguns.
  EXPLOSIVE ARROWS/QUARREL
  Explosive arrows and quarrels might be crudely tipped with 
  shells or treated with one of a variety of unstable alchemical 
  compounds.
  Effects: Attacks are made with a –10 penalty, the weapon’s 
  Damage type becomes Explosive, and the weapon loses 
  the Primitive quality.
  Used With: Bows, crossbows, and hand bows.
  FUEL
  Flame weapons use liquid fuel, which can vary greatly in 
  composition and quality from purest promethium to crude 
  ﬂammable alcohols. The cost of fuel varies depending on the 
  class of the weapon. In all cases, it provides shots equal to the 
  weapon’s full clip value.
  Used With: Hand ﬂamers, ﬂamers, and heavy ﬂamers.
  BOLT SHELLS
  The mass-reactive explosive bolt shell is one of the deadliest 
  rounds in the Imperial arsenal. However, the difﬁculty and 
  cost of its manufacture restricts its use to all but the most 
  wealthy or well connected.
  Used With: Bolt pistols, bolters, and heavy bolters.
  MELTA CANISTER
  Meltaguns use specially reﬁned chemicals injected into highly 
  pressurised canisters. The cost of a melta canister varies 
  depending on the class of the weapon. In all cases, it provides 
  shots equal to the weapon’s full clip value.
  Used With: Inferno pistols, meltaguns, and multi-meltas.
  PLASMA FLASK
  Raw plasma weapon fuel consists of highly dangerous and 
  volatile photonic hydrogen, compressed and contained 
  within reinforced ﬂasks. In all cases, it provides shots equal to 
  the weapon’s full clip value.
  Used With: Plasma pistols, plasma guns, and plasma cannons.
  EXOTIC
  There are many kinds of weapons in the Imperium that 
  use unusual types of ammunition, from the viscous gel of a 
  webber to the ﬁnely crafted darts of a needle pistol.
  Used With: Needle pistols, needle riﬂes, and any other exotic 
  ranged weapons.
  ARTILLERY
  These massive shells are proprietary to the weapons with 
  which they are associated. Individual rounds weigh at least 
  twenty kilograms and often substantially more than that. 
  These volatile shells may be extremely unstable and require 
  careful and expert handling when loading and transporting.
  Used With: Any Vehicle-class cannon.
  Table 6–15: Unusual Ammunition
  Name
  Availability
  Amputator Shell
  Extremely Rare
  Bleeder Round
  Rare
  Dumdum Bullets
  Scarce
  Expander Rounds
  Scarce
  Explosive Arrows/Quarrels
  Scarce
  Hot-Shot Charge Pack 
  Scarce
  Inferno Shell
  Rare
  Man-Stopper Bullets
  Scarce
  Tempest Bolt Shell
  Near Unique
  
  194
  VI: Armoury
  ANTI-TANK SHELL
  These shells typically sacriﬁce explosive capacity for a 
  hardened core and an increase in propellant to accelerate 
  muzzle velocity. The proportionate increase in kinetic energy 
  adds to the chance of these shells blasting through even the 
  strongest of armours.
  Effects: An Anti-Tank shell has a Penetration of 12. Note 
  that these shells may not be ﬁred Indirectly.
  HIGH EXPLOSIVE SHELL
  These shells are more commonly available than the specialized 
  shells used in some artillery weapons and are the standard 
  ammunition for a Leman Russ battle cannon. They use a 
  generalised explosive core that sends a blast of shrapnel and a 
  potent wave of concussive force through the target area. 
  Effects: When ﬁred, the weapon proﬁle changes (Damage 
  3d10+10 X; Pen 8; Blast (10), Concussive (3)). Any other 
  Qualities intrinsic to the weapon are unmodiﬁed.
  ILLUMINATION SHELL
  Essentially a massive ﬂare, these shells are ﬁred to light up 
  battleﬁelds under even the darkest of conditions. At the 
  zenith of their ﬁre arc, the shell deploys a massive parachute 
  and ignites an enormous ﬂare. Unless shot down, these shells 
  fully illuminate more than a square kilometre for up to ten 
  minutes. Much rarer than the Starﬂare round commonly used 
  in mortars, the Illumination Shell is typically only deployed 
  for armoured units operating without access to such support.
  Effects: Once ﬁred, the region beneath the descending ﬂare 
  is considered fully illuminated.
  INFERNUS SHELL
  These shells replace the standard high explosive contents of 
  a normal artillery shell with incendiary material, commonly 
  phosphorine or thermite. While the initial blast is substantially 
  less damaging than a normal artillery shell, its victims are 
  almost invariably set aﬂame.
  Effects: The weapon’s stat line changes as follows: Damage 
  2d10+10 E, Pen 6. It loses the Concussive Quality but gains 
  the Flame Quality. 
  SMOKE SHELL
  While most Imperial vehicles are equipped with short range 
  smoke launchers, sometimes a tank commander wishes to 
  shut down visibility some distance away from the vehicle. For 
  such circumstances, these shells, loaded with thermal smoke 
  and electromagnetic chaff, are ideal for eliminating visibility 
  within a region for several minutes.
  Effects: Smoke shells do no Damage. Instead, their dense 
  smoke blocks all natural, thermographic, and electronic 
  visual devices within a 10-metre radius hemisphere for up 
  to 10 Rounds. This duration is subject to the Game Master’s 
  judgement based upon weather conditions.
  HOT-SHOT CHARGE PACK
  This is a powerful charge pack for a las weapon, favoured 
  by snipers in some Imperial Guard regiments. Each hot-shot 
  charge pack is good for only a single shot.
  Effects: A weapon using a hot-shot charge adds 1 to its 
  Damage, gains the Tearing Quality, and gains a Penetration 
  of 4. However, the weapon loses its Reliable Quality, and its 
  Clip Size is reduced to 1.
  Used With: Laspistols, lascarbines, lasguns, and long-las.
  INFERNO SHELL
  These shells contain a volatile, clinging gel that ignites on 
  contact with the target.
  Effects: A weapon using inferno shells gains the Flame Quality.
  Used With: Shotguns, pump-action shotguns, combat 
  shotguns, and all bolt weapons.
  MAN-STOPPER BULLET
  These densely tipped bullets are designed to punch through 
  many forms of personal armour.
  Effects: A weapon using man-stopper rounds increases its 
  Penetration by 3.
  Used With: Stub revolvers, stub automatics, sniper riﬂes, 
  hand cannons, sniper riﬂes, autopistols, and autoguns.
  TEMPEST BOLT SHELL 
  Tempest bolt shells are perhaps the rarest variety, manufactured 
  only in the temples of Mars. They contain a powerful miniaturised 
  plasma-shock generator that releases a pulse of electromagnetic 
  and thermal energy as the shell detonates. They are particularly 
  effective against machine targets, but obtaining them from the 
  Machine Cult is a nigh-impossible task.
  Effect: Change the weapon’s Damage class to Energy and 
  the weapon gains the Shock Quality. The weapon adds 3 
  Damage when used against a target with the Machine Trait.
  Used With: Bolt pistols, boltguns, and heavy bolters. 
  ARTILLERY SHELLS
  Units with access to extraordinary resources within the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus are sometimes able to requisition less 
  common types of artillery shells. All of these shells are 
  compatible with the battle cannon, Demolisher cannon, 
  Vanquisher battle cannon, and Earthshaker cannon. Effects 
  of each artillery variation are detailed within the description. 
  Note that, while it is uncommon, a single tank may be 
  supplied with multiple types of shells.
  Table 6–16: Artillery Shells
  Name
  Availability
  Anti-Tank Shell
  Extremely Rare
  High Explosive Shell
  Rare
  Illumination Shell
  Very Rare
  Infernus Shell 
  Extremely Rare
  Smoke Shell 
  Rare
  
  195
  VI: Armoury
  MIXING ARMOUR
  You can mix pieces of armour. However, their protective qualities 
  do not “stack.” When an area covered by multiple pieces of armour 
  is struck, use only the highest AP value. For example, if a Catachan 
  Guardsman wearing ﬂak armour beneath a heavy leather pelt is hit 
  in the body, the lower value of the heavy leathers (AP 2) is ignored 
  and the Armour Points of the Flak Armour (AP 4) are used for the 
  purposes of calculating Damage.
  PRIMITIVE ARMOUR
  Primitive Armour is the norm on many feudal or feral planets, 
  the lower levels of some hives where technology is unreliable 
  or too expensive, and many alien worlds. Protection at this level 
  often consists of reinforced animal hides, metal plating worn over 
  the chest, chainmail, or combinations of these and other crude 
  methods. Primitive armour will rarely stop a lasgun hit outright, 
  but can turn a blade and is better than no protection at all. 
  FLAK ARMOUR
  The most common type of armour in the galaxy is Flak 
  Armour, as it is standard issue to the countless millions of 
  Imperial Guardsmen. Many layers of ablative and impact 
  absorbent material go into making each suit, enough to 
  deﬂect or negate most low-level attacks such as small arms, 
  shrapnel, and proximity blasts. Solid hits from high impact 
  weapons can generally negate it, but given that it is relatively 
  lightweight, cheap to produce, and dependable in most 
  combat situations, many veterans keep using it even when 
  offered better. As long as the wearer is not on the target 
  spot of the blast, Flak Armour counts as 1 AP higher against 
  Damage from weapons with the Blast Quality. 
  Armour
  “Tighten that helmet, soldier! You don’t want to ﬁnd yourself bare-
  headed with the air full of lead and ﬁre! ”
  –Sergeant Hestus of the 12th Telian Line Infantry
  T
  he 41st Millennium is not only ﬁlled with dangerous 
  enemies, but also dangerous weapons, any of which can 
  maim or kill in a heartbeat. Nearly every race in the galaxy 
  has developed protective measures, ranging from simple animal 
  skins to highly sophisticated powered shells and protective 
  energy ﬁelds. Depending on the society, even civilians may wear 
  armour in their daily routine. When one routinely operates in the 
  warzones of the Imperium, this is even more essential.
  Armour provides Armour Points (AP) to various locations 
  on a character’s body. In addition, some kinds of armour have 
  special properties noted in their description.
  Armour Type: The type of armour it is.
  Location(s) Covered: What locations the armour covers, 
  a combination of arms, legs, body, and head. Some armour 
  covers all four locations and is noted as covering “All.”
  AP (Armour Points): How many Armour Points the armour 
  provides for the locations covered. Any armour that provides 7 
  or more APs inﬂicts a –30 penalty on the wearer’s Stealth Tests.
  Wt (Weight): Represents how much the armour weighs. 
  For information on how much a character can carry, refer to 
  Chapter I: Playing the Game (see page 36).
  Availability: This identiﬁes the armour’s availability, and is 
  used when making Logistics Tests to acquire the armour (see 
  page 161).
  Table 6-17: Armour
  Primitive Armour
  Name
  Locations Covered
  AP
  Weight
  Availability
  Locations Covered
  AP
  Weight
  Availability
  Heavy Leathers
  Arms, Body
  1
  5
  Common
  Chainmail Suit
  Arms, Body, Legs
  3
  15
  Common
  Feudal World Plate
  All
  5
  30
  Scarce
  Death World Beast Hide Vest
  Body
  6
  20
  Very Rare
  Flak Armour
  Name
  Locations Covered
  AP
  Weight
  Availability
  Locations Covered
  AP
  Weight
  Availability
  Flak Helmet
  Head
  2
  2
  Average
  Flak Gauntlets
  Arms
  2
  1
  Average
  Light Flak Cloak
  Arms, Body, Legs
  2
  4
  Scarce
  Flak Vest
  Body
  3
  5
  Average
  Flak Cloak
  Arms, Body, Legs
  3
  8
  Scarce
  Flak Coat
  Arms, Body
  3
  5
  Average
  Imperial Guard Flak Armour
  All
  4
  11
  Scarce
  Carapace Armour
  Name
  Locations Covered
  AP
  Weight
  Availability
  Carapace Helm
  Head
  4
  2
  Rare
  Carapace Gauntlets
  Arms
  5
  2
  Rare
  Carapace Greaves
  Legs
  5
  3
  Rare
  Light Carapace
  All
  5
  15
  Rare
  Carapace Chestplate
  Body
  6
  7
  Rare
  Storm Trooper Carapace
  All
  6
  15
  Very Rare
  
  196
  VI: Armoury
  CONVERSION FIELD
  Also known as Flare Fields, these work by converting the energy 
  of an attack into blinding light, allowing them to negate much 
  higher forces and delivering a disorientating visual blast as well. 
  If the ﬁeld blocks more than 12 points of Damage from a single 
  attack, the release of light is strong enough to act as a photon 
  ﬂash grenade burst centred on the wearer (see page 183). The 
  character wearing the conversion ﬁeld is unaffected by this burst.
  DISPLACER FIELD
  Displacer ﬁelds are very powerful but also more risky than 
  other ﬁelds. Instead of absorbing or shunting away the energy 
  of an attack, they instead shift the wearer away from the attack 
  using miniature Warp-jump technologies. This action is usually 
  automatically triggered by the attack through unfathomable 
  sensors, though a user can manually activate the device if 
  desired. This ﬂickering into and then back from the dangers of 
  the Empyrean is often as hazardous as the actual attack, however. 
  Roll 3d10 for the number of metres travelled—the wearer 
  always emerges on solid footing and in a suitable empty space. 
  If all three dice come up with the same number (e.g. three 
  sevens), then the user does not re-emerge for 1d5 Rounds and 
  gains 1 Corruption Point from exposure to strange energies. If 
  the activation is unexpected, then the wearer cannot act for one 
  Round while he regains his sense of place.
  POWER FIELD
  While most ﬁeld devices are small enough to be easily disguised 
  or concealed, power ﬁelds, though highly effective, are also the 
  most obtrusive and overt. The smallest are heavy backpack-sized 
  affairs, while larger models are the size of sentry weapons. The 
  force wall they project can deﬂect away the strongest of attacks, 
  but sustained use drains energy very quickly. Personal units can 
  only be active for an hour before depletion and are so large that 
  users are automatically Encumbered. Larger units can protect 
  entire vehicles or emplacements and are too big to be carried. 
  A power ﬁeld causes the air to visibly ripple and crackle 
  with static discharge, imposing a –20 penalty on all Stealth 
  Tests. It also does not defend against ranged attacks made 
  within 1 metre or attacks in melee.
  CARAPACE ARMOUR
  Carapace Armour is generally a sign of status and is mostly worn 
  by Imperial ofﬁcers and agents. Made from moulded plates of 
  armaplas, ceramite, or other strong materials, it can cover the entire 
  body or just sections depending on the desired level of protection. 
  Storm Troopers, for example, wear full body suits including a 
  helmet, while most soldiers are lucky to gain access to just a simple 
  chestplate to wear over more comfortable mesh or ﬂakweave suits.
  Some bodysuits have slots designed for simple carapace 
  plates to be inserted in, so that the overall suits can be 
  rapidly conﬁgured for as much or little protection as desired. 
  Damaged plates can be more easily replaced without requiring 
  the purchase of an entire new suit.
  Force Fields
  T
  here are many situations in which wearing overt 
  armour is either impractical or impossible and a more 
  subtle means of protection is necessary. Defensive 
  force ﬁelds are one solution, as they are generally easily 
  concealable and very effective. Each is often a rare antique 
  that may date back to the Great Crusade, and no grunt 
  Guardsman would be trusted with such a priceless relic. In 
  the Imperial Guard, Force Fields are reserved for those who 
  have proven themselves in many campaigns. 
  A character may only beneﬁt from one ﬁeld at a time, 
  regardless of how many different ﬁelds he may have equipped. 
  When a character wearing an active ﬁeld is attacked, roll 
  1d100. If the result is lower than or equal to the ﬁeld’s 
  protection rating, the attack is nulliﬁed and has no effect 
  on the protected character (although the attack might have 
  an impact on the character’s surroundings or other nearby 
  characters, such as weapons with the Blast Quality). 
  Fields can also overload. Compare the 1d100 roll to 
  avoid Damage to Table 6–18: Field Overload Chance. 
  If the result is lower than or equal to the listed number, the 
  ﬁeld overloads and ceases to function until it is recharged or 
  repaired (requiring the Mechanism Replenishment upgrade 
  or a successful Very Hard (–30) Tech-Use Test).
  REFRACTOR FIELD
  Refractor ﬁelds are generally the size of an eyepiece and can 
  easily be worn as a disguised ornamentation. When active, 
  they disperse an attack through the wide area of the ﬁeld, 
  effectively negating it. When active, though, they surround 
  the wearer with a soft haze of light, making them easily 
  noticeable in low lighting or darkness. They impose a –10 
  penalty on all Stealth Tests. 
  Table 6-19: Force Fields
  Name
  Protection Rating
  Weight kg
  Availability
  Refractor Field
  30
  2
  Very Rare
  Conversion Field
  50
  1
  Extremely Rare
  Displacer Field
  55
  2
  Near Unique
  Power Field (Personal)
  80
  50
  Near Unique
  Power Field (Vehicle/Emplacement)
  80
  500
  Very Rare
  Table 6—18: Field Overload Chance
  Field Craftsmanship
  Overload Roll
  Poor
  01-15
  Common
  Common
  01-10
  01-10
  Good
  01-05
  Best
  1
  
  197
  VI: Armoury
  FILTRATION PLUGS
  These simple plugs of porous ﬁbres are worn in each nostril 
  to screen out most pollutants and harmful gases. A character 
  wearing ﬁltration plugs gains a +20 bonus to any Toughness 
  Test made to resist the effects of damaging gases. Good 
  Craftsmanship models add another +10 bonus, while Poor 
  models must be replaced after ﬁve hours usage as the ﬁlter 
  becomes clogged and unusable. 
  PHOTO-VISORS/CONTACTS
  These advanced lenses are designed to enhance low-level 
  light so that even in the darkest nights users can see almost as 
  well as in daylight. Characters wearing these gain the Dark-
  Sight Trait (see page 155). Good Craftsmanship visors also 
  dampen the effects of photon ﬂash grenades, making the 
  wearer immune to their effects.
  PREYSENSE GOGGLES
  Preysense goggles allow the wearer to see thermal images in 
  low lighting, revealing hidden bodies (and other heat sources) 
  against the coolness surrounding them. Poor Craftsmanship 
  models cannot belie their true nature and are bulky goggles 
  with glowing lenses; Good and Best Craftsmanship models 
  are disguised as normal (if elaborate) eyeglasses. A character 
  wearing these goggles suffers no penalties due to darkness and 
  gains a +20 bonus to vision-based Perception Tests at night. 
  REBREATHER
  Rebreathers are designed to keep the wearer alive in even the 
  most toxic atmospheres. Consisting of a mask or helmet, each 
  contains an air supply and a character wearing a rebreather 
  is immune to the effects of gases and can even survive 
  underwater at limited depths. The air canisters last only for 
  about one hour and then must be replaced, which takes a 
  full action. Good Craftsmanship models last two hours, while 
  Poor ones take two Full Actions to replace the canister. 
  Replacement canisters are Scarce.
  Wargear
  “Always prepare yourself for the worst. These foul Orks we ﬁght? 
  They are savage and highly unprepared. The Emperor shows us 
  mercy for we are his children. Use what he has given us to succeed!”
  –Sergeant Jordan Nabuu of the planet Kulth
  I
  t takes more than the ubiquitous lasgun to protect the 
  Imperium from the threats that bear down on it from all 
  sides. During his time in the ﬁeld, a Guardsman and his 
  squad will face a myriad of challenges in their missions and 
  require a wide variety of specialized gear to complete them. 
  Due to Departmento Munitorum restrictions and the lack 
  of space for an individual Guardsman on board an Imperial 
  Navy vessel, very few personal items outside of standard kit 
  are commonly allowed. Any specialized equipment required 
  for a particular mission is provided by the Departmento 
  Munitorum and (hopefully) shipped to the battlefront the 
  regiment is operating in.
  CLOTHING AND  
  WORN GEAR
  From the weathered, sleeveless shirts of the Catachan Jungle 
  Fighters to the perfectly pressed dress uniforms of the Mordian 
  Iron Guard, the uniforms of the Imperial Guard are as varied as 
  the thousands of planets that they are drawn from. Small, generic 
  items (better than Common Availability) are assumed to be 
  readily available whether it be in trade from a cunning Ratling, 
  or obtained from the abandoned buildings of the battleﬁeld. For 
  rarer gear and clothing, consult the following entries.
  CHAMELEOLINE CLOAK
  Chameleoline material is made up of mimic ﬁbres that 
  blend the coloration of the wearer into their surroundings 
  and are the garb of choice for snipers. A character wearing a 
  chameleoline cloak gains a +20 bonus to Stealth Tests. If the 
  wearer remains stationary, any Ballistic Skill Tests to target 
  him suffer a –30 penalty. 
  CLIP/DROP HARNESS
  These are useful when operating on rooftops or rappelling 
  down buildings and consist of a coiled safety line with a 
  stout magnetic or hook ﬁxture, all attached to a belt or torso 
  harness. A character using a clip harness to descend a vertical 
  surface gains a +30 bonus to Climb Tests and cannot fall if 
  he fails. Common quality harnesses can hold 150kg, while 
  Good quality harnesses can support 200 kg.
  DEADSPACE EARPIECE
  Each of these devices can limit high-volume sonic disturbances 
  such as explosions by automatically detecting and dampening 
  the excessive noise down to a tolerable level. Users make any 
  Toughness Tests against sonic effects or against the auditory 
  effects of a Concussive weapon with a +20 bonus. 
  Table 6-20: Clothing and Worn Gear
  Name
  Weight
  Availability
  Chameleoline Cloak
  0.5 kg
  Rare
  Clip/Drop Harness
  Clip/Drop Harness
  2 kg
  2 kg
  Common
  Common
  Deadspace Earpiece
  –
  Very Rare
  Filtration Plugs
  –
  Common
  Photo-Visors/Contacts
  0.5 kg
  Scarce
  Preysense Goggles
  0.5 kg
  Very Rare
  Rebreather
  1 kg
  Scarce
  Recoil Gloves
  0.5 kg
  Common
  Respirator/Gas Mask
  0.5 kg
  Average
  Survival Suit
  –
  Average
  Synskin
  2 kg
  Very Rare
  Void Suit
  8 kg
  Scarce
  
  198
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  VI: Armoury
  DRUGS AND 
  CONSUMABLES
  Ingesting mind, mood, or constitution-modifying substances 
  into the body has been a habit of humanity since time 
  immemorial. Now, in the 41st Millennium, there is an 
  entire galaxy of drugs to choose from. The Imperial Guard 
  heavily regulates such substances and, with the exception of 
  a few Departmento Munitorum sanctioned consumables, a 
  Guardsman can ﬁnd himself facing a ﬁring squad if caught in 
  possession of such drugs.
  AMASEC
  Amasec is a popular alcoholic drink that is distilled from 
  wine. It can range from lesser quality brews that are barely 
  ﬁt for ﬁrebombs to well-aged and ﬂavourful brands that have 
  the tendency to get conﬁscated by higher ranked ofﬁcers due 
  to the fact that they are suitable for only the ﬁnest of the 
  Emperor’s servants.
  DE-TOX
  A common drug distributed by the Departmento Munitorum 
  to squads likely to face chemical warfare, this drug can negate 
  the effects of most dangerous gases and toxins if administered 
  quickly enough. A dose of de-tox immediately ends the 
  ongoing effects of both positive and negative drugs, toxins, 
  or gases affecting the character (unless the description states 
  that de-tox is not effective against them).
  Using de-tox, however, is both painful and debilitating, 
  and can cause several unpleasant side effects such as vomiting, 
  nose bleeds, and a great voiding of the bowels. Upon taking 
  this drug, a character is Stunned for a number of Rounds 
  equal to 1d10 minus his Toughness Bonus. A result of 0 or 
  less means that the character suffers no ill effects.
  FRENZON
  A generic name for a variety of combat drugs most often used with 
  Penal Legions. Once administered, the subject becomes fanatical 
  and fearless. A character using Frenzon gains the Frenzy Talent 
  and becomes immune to the effects of Fear for the duration of the 
  drug. A single dose of Frenzon lasts for 1d10 minutes.
  RECOIL GLOVES
  These specialised gauntlets use interlocking plates connected 
  with memory wire so that when the user grips a weapon, it 
  locks together into a rigid strut around the hand and wrist and 
  prevents wrist or arm damage when the weapon discharges. 
  A character using a recoil glove can ﬁre a Basic weapon 
  with one hand without the normal –20 penalty and pistol 
  weapons that require two hands can be used one-handed 
  without penalty. Note that specialised weapon training is 
  still required to use the weapon properly, without which the 
  untrained penalty of –20 still applies.
  RESPIRATOR/GAS MASK
  A simple breathing mask that covers the nose and mouth or 
  entire face, these offer much better protection than ﬁltration 
  plugs. A character wearing a respirator gains a +30 bonus to 
  Toughness Tests made to resist the effects of gas and may re-
  roll failed results. Good Craftsmanship models add another 
  +10 bonus, while poor models must be replaced after 10 
  hours usage as the ﬁlter becomes clogged and unusable.
  SURVIVAL SUIT
  When working in harsh and extreme conditions (especially 
  when it is not known in advance what they will be), survival 
  suits are a must. No matter if it is too hot or too cold, the 
  suit can maintain proper body temperature and hydration 
  via excellent insulation capabilities. Using the differential 
  between body temperature and outside temperature to drive 
  thermoelectric power cells, it also has reclamation systems for 
  turning sweat into drinking water. Most suits come complete 
  with a hood, as well as goggles to protect the head and 
  face. While it does not protect forever, for medium duration 
  emergencies it can help sustain life until a rescue. 
  The suit grants a +20 bonus to any Tests against the effects 
  of extreme environments. Good and Best Craftsmanship suits 
  grant a +25 and +30 bonus, respectively, while Poor outﬁts 
  only last three days before their internal mechanisms falter and 
  need removal from the extreme temperatures to recharge. 
  SYNSKIN
  Synskin is a bio-reactive body glove with an inert non-reﬂective 
  surface that moulds itself to the wearers form. It grants 2 Armour 
  Points to all locations not already armoured and the wearer gains 
  a +10 bonus to Stealth Tests. It also renders the wearer invisible 
  to the use of infra-red goggles and Dark Sight. 
  VOID SUIT
  Void suits are clumsy affairs designed to protect a user against 
  vacuum. A Common Craftsmanship void suit has 12 hours 
  of air and imposes a –10 penalty to Agility Tests. Poor 
  Craftsmanship versions have six hours of air, while Good and 
  Best Craftsmanship versions eliminate the Agility penalty. 
  Table 6-21: Drugs
  Name
  Weight
  Availability
  Amasec
  –
  Scarce
  De-Tox
  –
  Rare
  Frenzon
  –
  Very Rare
  Lho-Sticks
  –
  Common
  Obscura
  –
  Rare
  Recaf
  –
  Abundant
  Sacred Unguents
  –
  Very Rare
  Slaught
  –
  Scarce
  Spook
  –
  Rare
  Stimm
  –
  Average
  Tranq
  –
  Abundant
  
  199
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  VI: Armoury
  LHO-STICKS
  Lho-sticks are common with Imperial Guard troopers and 
  many menial workers. Each rolled paper tube contains 
  a scented, mildly narcotic (and addictive) plant-derived 
  substance, which is then lit, and the resulting smoke is inhaled 
  through the tube.
  OBSCURA
  Though this drug is prohibited and the subject of widespread 
  crackdowns in the ranks of the Imperial Guard, obscura remains 
  a widely used narcotic among Imperial subjects. Smugglers can 
  make a good living importing and selling the drug to all classes 
  of civilians and military personnel. Obscura-users enter a dream-
  like state for 1d5 hours (if required to engage in combat, consider 
  them under the effects of a hallucinogen grenade). For 1d10 
  hours after the effects wear off, they enter a deep depression, 
  unless another dose of obscura is taken.
  RECAF
  Recaf is a popular hot beverage that is made from crushed 
  and brewed leaves. The composition can vary from planet to 
  planet, but most blends incorporate some form of stimulant 
  such as caffeine or detoxiﬁed pharamoxine compounds. The 
  perfect companion for a sentry’s long watch at night.
  SACRED UNGUENTS
  Sacred unguents blessed by the Omnissiah are much sought 
  after for their mystical properties when applied to machines. 
  If applied to a weapon—which requires a Full Action—the 
  weapon becomes immune to jamming (see page 255) for 
  a number of shots equal to its Clip Size. If the unguent is 
  applied to an already jammed weapon, it immediately unjams, 
  but there is no further effect.
  SLAUGHT
  Also known as “onslaught,” this drug heightens awareness and 
  improves reaction time, literally speeding up the user but causing 
  Fatigue and neural damage with prolonged use. Taking a dose 
  increases the user’s Agility Bonus and Perception Bonus by 3 for 
  2d10 minutes. When the drug runs its course, the user must pass 
  a  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer a –20 penalty 
  to Agility Tests and Perception Tests for 1d5 hours.
  SPOOK
  This drug can augment and even produce short-term psychic 
  abilities in the user. If a character without any Psy Rating takes 
  a dose of spook, he must successfully make a Challenging 
  (+0) Willpower Test or gain 1d5 Insanity Points due to his 
  mind being ﬁlled with terrifying visions of the Warp. If he 
  succeeds, the user gains a Psychic Power from Table 6–22: 
  Spook Effects (see descriptions in the chapter on Psychic 
  Powers). The power lasts for 1d5 hours and the user makes 
  all Focus Power Tests as if he has a Psy Rating of 1.
  If a character with a Psy Rating of 1 or more uses spook, he 
  must make a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test. If he fails, he 
  gain 1 Insanity Point and the drug has no further effects. If he 
  passes, he adds 1 to his Psy Rating for the next hour. However, 
  add +25 to any rolls made on Table 7–2: Psychic Phenomena.
  Saying that foreign drugs such as spook are frowned upon 
  is a grave understatement. Anyone caught with this drug 
  EXCESSIVE DRUG USE  
  AND ADDICTION
  When the same drug is used too often in a short period 
  of time, there is a chance for it to have a diminished 
  effect as the user builds up an immunity or tolerance. 
  A character using more than one dose of a drug in a 24 
  hour period must make a Toughness Test for each use 
  after the ﬁrst, with a cumulative –10 penalty. Should 
  the Test fail the drug has no useful effect and further 
  doses have no useful effect for a full 24 hours 
  Excessive drug use can also lead to Addiction. Every 
  time the effects of one of the drugs indicated below wears 
  off, the user must take a Routine (+20) Willpower 
  Test with a –5 modiﬁer for every dose taken in the last 
  week. Failure means the user is Addicted and will suffer 
  one level of Fatigue unless he gets another dose (should 
  this dose trigger the Excessive Drug Use Test above, 
  it must be successfully passed for it to overcome the 
  Fatigue loss). The character (should he so choose) can 
  overcome the Addiction by passing Very Hard (–30) 
  Tests for both Willpower and Toughness. 
  Table 6-22: Spook Effects
  1d100 Roll
  Power Gained
  1-4
  Assail
  5-8
  Crush
  9-12
  Dominate
  13-16
  Endurance
  17-20
  Enfeeble
  21-24
  Fire Shield
  25-28
  Flame Breath
  29-32
  Foreboding
  33-36
  Hallucination
  37-40
  Mental Fortitude
  41-44
  Misfortune
  45-48
  Objuration Mechanicum
  49-52
  Perfect Timing
  53-56
  Prescience
  57-60
  Psychic Shriek
  61-64
  Scrier’s Gaze
  65-68
  Shockwave
  69-72
  Smite
  73-76
  Spontaneous Combustion
  77-80
  Telekine Dome
  81-84
  Vortex of Doom
  85-88
  Roll twice, gaining both powers.
  89-92
  Pick any one power.
  93-96
  Gain 1 Insanity Point and roll again.
  97-100
  Gain 3 Insanity Points.
  
  200
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  VI: Armoury
  AUTO QUILL
  These scribing devices seem arcane in appearance, but allow 
  the user to copy text at an impressive rate with great accuracy. 
  A character with the Trade Skill can use an auto quill to gain 
  a +10 to their Tests involving this Skill.
  CALIXIAN INFANTRYMAN’S  
  PORTABLE COMMUNICATIONS 
  TRANSCRIPTION DEVICE
  While the construction of the Calixian Infantryman’s Portable 
  Communications Transcription Device varies greatly from 
  planet to planet, its function is vital. Every Guardsman tithed 
  from a world within the Calixis Sector is expected to have a 
  rudimentary understanding of its operating procedures so that 
  he may communicate when Vox-operators are not available.
  Typically a gripped cylinder with a reservoir or staining 
  liquid, the device has also been manufactured successfully on 
  primitive worlds such as Iocanthos using soft breaking metal 
  or ﬁssionable residue encased in a strain resistant substance, 
  usually milled on site. When a staining liquid is used, it can be 
  manufactured from a variety of substances found throughout 
  the Calixis Sector including, but not limited to, ﬂora/fauna 
  compression, animal excretion harvesting, or synthetic means. 
  This source can often affect the hue of the staining liquid.
  The “por-com,” as many Scintillan regiments have come 
  to call it, is typically issued with locally rendered Calixian 
  Infantryman’s Portable Communications Notation Devices. 
  These can be harvested from fauna rendering processes or 
  created synthetically.
  A Poor Craftsmanship Calixian Infantryman’s Portable 
  Communications Transcription Device is unreliable. Whenever 
  a Guardsman wishes to make use of one, he must roll 1d10,; 
  on a 1 or 2, the device fails to function. An Ordinary (+10) 
  Tech-Use Test will allow the Guardsman to perform the 
  Drusian Litany of Gesticulation, calling on the power Saint 
  Drusus to restore the device to working order.
  A Best Craftsmanship Calixian Infantryman’s Portable 
  Communications Transcription Device functions even in 
  locations without gravity and has multiple reservoirs that 
  hold different pigments of staining liquid.
  COMBI-TOOL
  Commonly found in the hands of members of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, combi-tools are versatile, if somewhat bizarre, 
  mechanical devices. A character using a combi-tool gains a 
  +10 bonus to Tech-Use Tests.
  DATA-SLATE
  Data-slates are common in the Imperium and are the primary 
  means of storing and reading printed text and other media 
  such as video or audio recordings. They are cheap and easy to 
  make, and many contain a single media recording, such as text, 
  and can only play that single ﬁle. Others can re-record new 
  information or transmit and receive data from other devices.
  would ﬁnd themselves on the wrong end of a Commissar’s 
  bolt pistol, but addicts will be addicts and it is not uncommon 
  to hear tales of a Guardsman ﬁghting under the inﬂuence of 
  spook. The only question he has to ask himself is if the risk 
  of being caught is worth the beneﬁts?
  STIMM
  Stimm is a powerful drug that works to mask pain and drive 
  ﬁghters on when their bodies would otherwise give up. A 
  dose of stimm works for 3d10 Rounds. During this time, a 
  character ignores any negative effects to their Characteristics 
  from Damage or Critical Damage and cannot be Stunned. 
  When the stimm wears off, the character suffers a –20 penalty 
  to Strength, Toughness, and Agility Tests for one hour.
  TRANQ
  The term tranq covers an array of artiﬁcial, alcoholic chem-
  distillates made by the low-hive masses of the Golgenna 
  Reach. The techniques for producing tranq have been carried 
  throughout the Calixis Sector by crew-scum, criminals, and 
  most importantly Guardsmen. Drinking tranq numbs the 
  body and mind, which provides a very different feeling than 
  being drunk on amasec, rotgut, or other spirits. Though 
  similar in the end result, the effects of tranq are unpleasant, 
  depressive, and require an acquired taste. 
  TOOLS
  The labyrinthine bureaucracy of the Departmento Munitorum 
  is constantly processing and transporting a dizzying array 
  of weapons, tools, and equipment to warzones all across 
  the Imperium. So far reaching is their inﬂuence that any 
  specialised tool a Guardsman squad could need for a mission, 
  the Departmento can acquire it.
  ACCORDION WIRE
  A staple of trench warfare, accordion wire comes in wickedly 
  barbed metal spools that can be quickly stretched out and 
  deployed to defend trenches or buildings from an infantry 
  assault. Any character attempting to cross deployed accordion 
  wire must make a Hard (–20) Acrobatics Test or suffer 1d5 
  Rending Damage plus 1 extra Damage for each Degree of 
  Failure on the Test. 
  AUSPEX/SCANNER
  The standard Imperial detection device, these are used to 
  detect energy emissions, motion, biological life-signs, and 
  other information. A character using an auspex gains a +20 
  bonus to Awareness Tests and may make a Tech-Use Test 
  to use it to spot things not normally possible with human 
  senses, such as invisible gases, nearby signs of life, non-visible 
  radiation, or other things as appropriate. The standard range 
  for an auspex is 50m, though walls more than 50cm thick 
  and certain shielding materials can block the scanner. 
  Good Craftsmanship models increase the bonus to +30, 
  but Poor Craftsmanship models can only penetrate 
  20cm of material.
  
  201
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  VI: Armoury
  DEMOLITION CHARGE
  A demolition charge is a simple explosive device, commonly used 
  for blowing open doors, breaching bulkheads, and destroying 
  infrastructure. The listed weight for a demolition charge represents 
  1kg of explosives, though it is possible to rig charges together, 
  thus increasing their destructive potential. When a demolition 
  charge explodes, anything caught within its blast suffers 3d10 
  Explosive Damage plus 2 Damage for every kilogram used. The 
  blast radius is 5 meters for each kilogram used. For setting and 
  defusing explosives, see the Tech-Use Skill on (see page 133).
  DIAGNOSTOR
  The diagnostor is a sophisticated medical device used across the 
  galaxy. It can detect and diagnose almost every ailment known to 
  the Imperium, and can be incorporated into medical kits, servo-
  skulls, and other dedicated servitors. Any individual trained in 
  medical knowledge in the Imperial Guard understands its use.
  A diagnostor provides +20 to Medicae or Perception Tests to 
  determine an ailment. A success indicates the proper treatment.
  GLOW-GLOBE/LAMP PACK
  Sturdy and reliable, glow-globes illuminate many an Imperial 
  paveway and cathedral. Most portable ones are roughly the 
  size of a clenched ﬁst and can shine strong, yellowish light a 
  dozen or so metres in width, lasting roughly ﬁve hours before 
  their power pack needs recharging or replacing.
  FIELD SUTURE
  Common implements found on battleﬁelds across the 
  Imperium, ﬁeld sutures are used to quickly sew shut wounds to 
  prevent blood loss. They can vary in form, from a simple needle 
  and thread to archaic devices which staple shut the injury. Field 
  sutures provide +30 to Medicae Tests to staunch Blood Loss. 
  GRAPNEL & LINE
  Grapnels use a small launcher or gas-gun to ﬁre a hooked or 
  magnetic grapnel, connected to the launcher with a coiled 
  100m length of thin but strong line. Once the grapnel attaches 
  to the desired spot such as a rooftop, a Guardsman can manually 
  climb the line or activate a powered winch. Common sets can 
  hold 150kg, while Good or Best can support 200 kg. 
  GRAV CHUTE
  A smaller version of a jump pack, these rely on suspensor 
  ﬁelds to counter gravity to slow descent. Two small jets on 
  either side above the shoulders offer extra braking as well. 
  Unlike a jetpack, Grav Chutes are designed only to allow the 
  user to land safely from a long fall—such as combat drop 
  from a transport—rather than leap into the air.
  If the character passes a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or 
  Routine (+20) Operate (Aeronautica) Test, the grav chute 
  allows for a safe, guided fall from any height, otherwise the 
  character counts as having fallen two metres for each Degree of 
  Failure (see Falling on page 267 in Chapter VIII: Combat).
  INJECTOR
  Most specialised drugs require injectors. These can take many 
  forms, from low-tech, disposable syringes up to sophisticated 
  hypo-sprays. An injector can hold one dose of any drug, 
  which a character may administer as a Half Action.
  LASCUTTER
  Ideal for slicing open doors and bulkheads, lascutters were 
  originally designed for mining where their short range but 
  intense cutting beam could chop apart even the toughest rock. 
  Most models can cut or weld around 10cm of metal depending 
  on the thickness involved. They are large and cumbersome 
  to use, however, precluding their effectiveness in combat 
  situations. It can be used as a weapon (Heavy; 2m; 2d10+16 
  E; Pen 10; Clip 5; Rld 2 Full) but only on stationary targets.
  LAUD HAILER
  Whether belting orders over the ferocious roar of combat 
  or addressing a crowd of thousands of men, Imperial 
  Commanders often require great volume, and a laud hailer 
  is the perfect tool. A laud hailer can amplify normal speech 
  levels such that an entire crowd can hear it clearly.
  Table 6-23: Tools
  Name
  Weight
  Availability
  Accordion Wire
  0.5 kg
  Common
  Auspex/Scanner
  0.5 kg
  Scarce
  Auto Quill
  –
  Scarce
  Calixian Infantryman’s PCTD
  –
  Plentiful
  Combi-tool
  1 kg
  Rare
  Data-slate
  0.5 kg
  Common
  Demolition Charge
  Demolition Charge
  1 kg
  1 kg
  Scarce
  Scarce
  Diagnostor
  4 kg
  Rare
  Field Suture
  0.5 kg
  Average
  Glow-globe/Lamp Pack
  0.5 kg
  Abundant
  Grapnel & Line
  2 kg
  Common
  Grav Chute
  15 kg
  Rare
  Injector
  0.5 kg
  Common
  Lascutter
  4 kg
  Average
  Laud Hailer
  4 kg
  Scarce
  Magboots
  2 kg
  Rare
  Magnoculars
  0.5 kg
  Average
  Manacles
  1 kg
  Plentiful
  Mantrap
  2 kg
  Plentiful
  Medi-kit
  2kg
  Common
  Melta Bomb
  12 kg
  Very Rare
  Micro-bead
  –
  Average
  Multicompass
  4 kg
  Near Unique
  Multikey
  –
  Scarce
  Munitorum Manual
  0.5 kg
  Plentiful
  Pict Recorder
  1 kg
  Average
  Psy Focus
  –
  Average
  Screamer
  2 kg
  Scarce
  Signal Jammer
  2 kg
  Rare
  Static Generator
  3 kg
  Very Rare
  Stummer
  2 kg
  Average
  Hand-Held Targeter
  0.5 kg
  Scarce
  Uplifting Primer
  –
  Plentiful
  Vox-caster
  4 kg
  Scarce
  
  202
  VI: Armoury
  MELTA BOMB
  Perhaps the most powerful portable explosive in existence, 
  melta bombs use magna-adhesives to adhere to metallic 
  surfaces where they detonate with a lethal shaped charge of 
  intense heat, similar in effect to a melta weapon. They are 
  ideal for destroying bulkheads, vehicle hulls, and other heavily 
  armoured targets. The common Imperial variety is roughly 
  domed in shape but heavy and unwieldy. Handles on the casing 
  allow the user to heft the bomb and slap it into place against 
  the target surface, but it is not practical to throw (especially 
  should the explosive side be facing the user when it detonates). 
  A melta bomb explodes for 6d10 E Damage, Penetration 12, 
  with a range of two metres and the Flame and Melta Qualities.
  MICRO-BEAD
  A micro-bead or comm-bead is a short 
  range communication device worn in 
  the ear, good for communication out 
  to about one kilometre (depending on 
  weather conditions and intervening terrain). 
  Each ﬁts discretely in the ear, with higher 
  Craftsmanship models nearly undetectable in casual inspection.
  MULTICOMPASS
  When exploring new worlds, a device of this ancient 
  tech-pattern is indispensable—but few have the means or 
  inﬂuence to acquire one. After a few seconds of analyzing 
  planetary data, a multicompass can display directions, show 
  topographical maps, point out compass bearings, indicate 
  altitude, and much more. Even the Mechanicus Calixis do 
  not fully understand all of the capabilities of such a rare and 
  hallowed device. Possessing a multicompass adds a +20 
  bonus to all Survival and Navigation (Surface) Tests.
  MULTIKEY
  As it can open most standard Imperial locks, the multikey is not 
  a standard item for most honest Imperial citizens. For the same 
  reason, though, they are widely sought after by criminals and 
  other disreputable elements. A character with a multikey gains 
  a +30 bonus to any Security Test when trying to open locks.
  MUNITORUM MANUAL
  A mandatory item that is required of all Guardsmen to have 
  on them at all times. This item details information about 
  weaponry, supplies, and kits that the Guard and the Imperium 
  utilize. Written by the Departmento Munitorum, it is a key 
  staple in all Guardsmen’s gear. If this item is lost or not on the 
  person, there are severe consequences.
  PICT RECORDER
  Pict recorders (or sometimes referred to as picters) are relatively 
  simple live-media recording devices, and some have holographic 
  capabilities. Most also allow for playback as well as recording, 
  and some are even built into dedicated pict-servitors so that 
  they can capture important archaeological quests, weapon tests, 
  alien interrogations, and other dangerous events.
  MAGBOOTS
  Heavy 
  and 
  bulky, 
  these 
  oversized 
  boots 
  contain 
  electromagnets that allow the wearer to adhere to metallic 
  surfaces such as exterior hull plating and are often found in 
  void-ship emergency lockers. Magboots reduce the character’s 
  Agility Bonus by 2 when used, but otherwise allow normal 
  movement in low- or zero-gravity areas, provided there is a 
  suitable surface to walk upon.
  MAGNOCULARS
  These are powerful vision aids that magnify distant objects. 
  More advanced, high quality magnoculars can also do such 
  things as give range read-outs, detect heat sources, calculate 
  target location positioning, and take pict-captures of a view 
  for later analysis.
  MANACLES
  These are solid restraints often used by bounty hunters and 
  enforcers—and can also be found in the hands of more 
  nefarious individuals or used for darker purposes. An Imperial 
  Guardsman might be issued these to capture a hostile civilian 
  or to restrain a very valuable target for questioning.
  MANTRAP
  A portable hinged jaw device that has become popular in 
  the Spinward Front, being used against the Orks of Waaagh! 
  Grimtoof. It was designed as a lightweight tool that the 
  Guardsmen could place as a trap or to protect an area from 
  outside enemies. Most Orks, not being of the highest level 
  of intelligence, tend not to notice them. It was developed 
  primarily for ﬁghting in cities such as Kulth, to slow the 
  Orks down without sacriﬁcing the city’s buildings. If a 
  character steps on the clutch inside the trap, it snaps shut 
  on their leg dealing 1d10 Rending Damage, and rendering 
  him Immobilized. The individual must pass a Difﬁcult 
  (–10) Strength Test to free themselves from the clutches 
  of the trap.
  MEDI-KIT
  Small, compact, and 
  reliable, medi-kits are 
  essential gear for every 
  Imperial Guard Squad. 
  Each has a diagnostic 
  cogitator complete with 
  bio-scanner and probes, 
  along with chemicals, 
  drugs, and other means to 
  treat a variety of injuries 
  and ailments and grant a +20 to those using it in conjunction 
  with the Medicae Skill. Advanced models include such items 
  as tox wands, synth-skin applicators, and other aids usually 
  available only to the wealthiest of the Imperial elite. These 
  grant the +20 bonus to the Medicae Test even if the user 
  does not possess the Medicae Skill, but weight an extra 
  3 kg and are Rare instead of Common. 
  Small, compact, and 
  reliable, medi-kits are 
  essential gear for every 
  Imperial Guard Squad. 
  Each has a diagnostic 
  cogitator complete with 
  bio-scanner and probes, 
  along with chemicals, 
  drugs, and other means to 
  treat a variety of injuries 
  A melta bomb explodes for 6d10 E Damage, Penetration 12, 
  with a range of two metres and the Flame and Melta Qualities.
  A micro-bead or comm-bead is a short 
  range communication device worn in 
  the ear, good for communication out 
  to about one kilometre (depending on 
  weather conditions and intervening terrain). 
  Each ﬁts discretely in the ear, with higher 
  Craftsmanship models nearly undetectable in casual inspection.
  
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  VI: Armoury
  STATIC GENERATOR
  Simple but obvious, this emits a powerful sphere of white 
  noise across commonly used transmission frequencies 
  within 30 metres. Comm devices do not function, but it is 
  also clear to all users that they are being disrupted and the 
  device can be easily located. Still, when set on a timer and 
  placed next to a transmission tower, they are effective for 
  short-duration sabotage. 
  STUMMER
  The reverse of a screamer, stummers generate sound waves 
  to cancel out ambient sounds and noises made by moving 
  personnel in a small area. A character carrying an active 
  stummer gains a +30 bonus to Stealth Tests. A stummer 
  typically has enough power for 20 minutes of continuous use 
  before needing to be recharged—a process that takes about 
  one hour.
  HAND-HELD TARGETER
  A hand-held targeter is a small, hand-held device that is used 
  by most forces of the Imperium. It is capable of detecting 
  ranges to targets using optical sights for zooming, prediction 
  systems for ﬁring, and so on. It is commonly used by spotters 
  assisting with artillery ﬁre. A Guardsman with a hand-held 
  targeter may spend a Half Action to grant another character 
  +20 to his next Ballistic Skill Test when ﬁring a weapon with 
  the Indirect Quality.
  UPLIFTING PRIMER
  A staple piece of gear that Guardsmen are required to have 
  on them at all times—this piece of kit is never to fall into the 
  hands of the enemies of the Imperium. It details everything a 
  Guardsman needs to know: principles and regulations of the 
  Imperial Guard, issued arms, attire, apparatus, and equipment, 
  basic battleﬁeld policy and Imperial Guard organisation and 
  structure, elementary battleﬁeld medical instructions, and a 
  detailed guide on the foes of the Imperium. No Guardsman 
  should ever be found without possession of a copy of the 
  Uplifting Primer—the punishment is severe.
  VOX-CASTER
  A vox is a standard and reliable 
  communication device used to 
  transmit over long distances, 
  including 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  orbiting vessels. This allows 
  communications with other 
  who have vox-casters. Standard 
  ranges are 100 kilometres, 
  though 
  higher 
  Craftsmanship 
  versions have longer ranges.
  PSY FOCUS
  Psykers often use devices to help them focus their powers. A 
  psy-focus could be a sacred bone, carved wytch stave, or chain of 
  crystals. When a Psyker with a psy-focus makes a Focus Power 
  Test (see Chapter VII: Psychic Powers) he gains a +10 bonus.
  SCREAMER
  These proximity alarms alert their users to incoming dangers 
  by setting off a horrendous noise. To activate, the player must 
  succeed on a Challenging (+0) Tech-Use Test, but the GM 
  rolls this Test in secret; players will not know how well the device 
  is working until later on. Once set, a screamer has a Perception of 
  75 for the purposes of detecting sounds or motions. If it detects 
  an intruder, it sounds its alarm, which can be heard anywhere out 
  to one kilometre. Doors, walls, and other barriers may reduce the 
  alarm’s range. Simple models (Poor Craftsmanship) only detect 
  loud noises or fast movements nearby while more advanced 
  models (Good Craftsmanship) can detect speciﬁc sound, 
  movement, or even odour ranges and can also have more subtle 
  warning methods (such as screaming only into vox channels). 
  SIGNAL JAMMER
  As the name suggests, this device acts to overpower local vox, 
  data, or other transmissions. Basic models are overt and obvious, 
  such that the transmitting agencies know they are being jammed. 
  Sophisticated versions emit precisely-tuned frequencies that 
  dampen out transmissions without anyone detecting the action. 
  A vox is a standard and reliable 
  communication device used to 
  transmit over long distances, 
  including 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  orbiting vessels. This allows 
  communications with other 
  who have vox-casters. Standard 
  ranges are 100 kilometres, 
  though 
  higher 
  Craftsmanship 
  versions have longer ranges.
  
  204
  VI: Armoury
  BIONIC ARM
  One of the more common replacement limbs to be found, 
  Common Craftsmanship versions ape a normal hand and arm 
  exactly, retaining strength, dexterity and sense of touch. 
  •	 Poor Craftsmanship versions are more cumbersome and 
  visibly artiﬁcial; halve the owner’s Agility score where 
  matters of ﬁne dexterity are involved. In addition, 
  Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests made when using 
  the limb take a –5 penalty. 
  •	 Good Craftsmanship bionic arms improve on natural 
  design and provide a +10 bonus on Agility Tests 
  requiring delicate manipulation. 
  •	 Best Craftsmanship arms add a +10 bonus to Strength 
  Tests using the arm and can be used to store small 
  items such as pistol ammo clips inside concealed 
  interior compartments. 
  Cybernetics
  B
  ionic implants and cybernetic augmentation are a 
  fact of life in the Imperium. They are blessings of the 
  Machine God, enabling damaged or diseased parts 
  of the body to be replaced, improving on the abilities and 
  powers of the human body and, in certain cases, extending 
  life. There is a price to be paid for such improvements, 
  however, and that cost is measured not simply in ﬂesh but, it 
  can be argued, in humanity.
  While it is expected for all members of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus to replace their impure ﬂesh with holy technology, 
  for most others a bionic replacement or upgrade is more often 
  a necessity due to injury or occupation. Guardsmen often view 
  this as an opportunity, however, as some mechanical substitutes 
  are far superior to the natural limb or organ they replace. While 
  few bionics are as advanced as those granted to the Priesthood 
  of Mars, more common forms rarely require the extensive body 
  modiﬁcations espoused by adepts of the Machine Cult.
  Due to superstition and the uneven availability of 
  technology across the Imperium, the sophistication and use 
  of bionics varies widely, as does the reaction to those who 
  display augmentations. Each different kind of cybernetic 
  grants the user different beneﬁts (and sometimes penalties) 
  depending on Craftsmanship (see page 166). The exception 
  to this is Best Craftsmanship cybernetics, which rarely provide 
  additional beneﬁts beyond those of Good Craftsmanship, but 
  are far more impressive in the construction and design. The 
  availability listed below represents Common cybernetics. All 
  mechadendrite cybernetics are considered to be of Good 
  Craftsmanship unless otherwise noted.
  BIONIC REPLACEMENT 
  LIMBS AND BODY PARTS
  Bionic replacement limbs are assumed to operate at the same 
  level of strength and dexterity as the body they are attached 
  to—rather than risk ripping themselves out of their host 
  through overpressure—though their robust construction does 
  add 2 to the owner’s Toughness Bonus against hits scored to 
  that particular location. Damage taken to these locations counts 
  towards Damage to the character, and Critical Damage dealt 
  to these locations functions as normal. Any result that causes 
  bleeding or some other inappropriate result instead renders the 
  bionic limb useless. Critical Damage to a limb that results in 
  death has the full effect, as it can be assumed that the limb 
  explodes into shrapnel, incinerates, or discharges stored energy 
  through its owner with lethal effect.
  Replacement 
  and 
  additional 
  limbs—such 
  as 
  mechadendrites—can only be used to perform tasks that the 
  owner already knows how to do. So, for example, a character 
  with a medicae mechadendrite must have the Medicae Skill in 
  order to take advantage of the extra abilities the limb grants.
  Note that the bonuses and penalties relate only to Tests 
  made using the bionic limb, and characters who possess 
  two bionic limbs do not gain double the bonus, but 
  rather they may apply the bonus regardless of 
  which bionic limb they are using.
  Table 6-24: Cybernetics
  Name
  Availability
  Augur Array
  Rare
  Autosanguine
  Very Rare
  Baleful Eye
  Near Unique
  Ballistic Mechadendrite
  Very Rare†
  Bionic Arm
  Scarce
  Bionic Legs
  Scarce
  Bionic Respiratory System
  Rare
  Bionic Heart
  Very Rare
  Calculus Logi Upgrade
  Very Rare
  Cerebral Implants
  Very Rare
  Cranial Armour
  Scarce
  Cybernetic Senses
  Rare
  Ferric Lure Implants
  Very Rare
  Interface Port
  Rare
  Internal Reservoir
  Rare
  Locator Matrix
  Rare
  Luminen Capacitor
  Very Rare
  Maglev Coils
  Very Rare
  Manipulator Mechadendrite
  Very Rare†
  Medicae Mechadendrite
  Very Rare†
  Memorance Implant
  Rare
  Mind Impulse Unit
  Rare
  MIU Weapon Interface
  Rare
  Optical Mechadendrite
  Very Rare†
  Respiratory Filter Implant
  Rare
  Subskin Armour
  Very Rare
  Synthmuscle
  Rare
  Utility Mechadendrite
  Very Rare†
  Vocal Implant
  Scarce
  Volitor Implant
  Rare
  † Some cybernetic systems are only provided to tech-adepts of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus, though it is possible that skilled hereteks 
  might risk the Machine Cult’s wrath by implanting crude 
  versions of these systems in anyone willing to pay their price.
  
  205
  VI: Armoury
  heat, radiation, electromagnetics, or very rarely Daemonic taint) 
  and have the limited range of 20 metres. If the augur is set to 
  detect Daemonic taint, it has the possibility to be overwhelmed 
  and malfunction should a Daemon get too close.
  Good systems function as a full auspex but also allow re-
  rolls on all Perception-based Tests when using its functions. 
  In regards to the Daemonic taint detection, as opposed to the 
  Poor system augur, a Good system cannot be overwhelmed 
  and seems to almost ﬁlter out any taint it detects instead of 
  getting backed up by it.
  AUTOSANGUINE
  This ancient and blessed technology of the Mechanicus ﬂows 
  through the character’s blood. These miniscule machines repair 
  minor injuries and speed healing. When applying healing, the 
  character is always considered Lightly Damaged, and heals at 
  an increased rate, removing 2 points of Damage per day.
  BALEFUL EYE
  A baleful eye is a legendary archaeotech bionic eye pattern that 
  incorporates a tiny las weapon, which sacriﬁces some of the 
  normal abilities of a cybernetic vision implant in order for this 
  device to be included. Each baleful eye has been passed from 
  recipient to recipient across centuries or millennia, reclaimed by 
  the Machine Cult whenever its owner dies. As might be imagined, 
  it is very intimidating when used as a part of negotiations with 
  primitive societies. A character with this implant has a weapon 
  equal to a hot-shot pistol in his eye with a Range of 10m. The 
  baleful eye can be ﬁred even if the character’s hands are full and 
  can be used as a Pistol in melee. It also has no Clip Size, however 
  a Jam result causes the character to lose sight in the eye for a 
  number of Rounds equal to the Degrees of Failure on the attack.
  BALLISTIC MECHADENDRITE
  This solid, shoulder-mounted mechadendrite is designed for self-
  defence. This two metre limb may be armed with any Pistol-class 
  weapon with the Compact Upgrade. The character can attack 
  with this weapon as his Reaction. A character must have the 
  appropriate Mechadendrite Use Talent to operate this implant.
  CALCULUS LOGI UPGRADE
  These bionics are internal cogitator implants which aid in 
  data retention and processing. The user can rapidly sift 
  through stacked data-slates and parchments, applying 
  intuition to vast reams of data far beyond the capabilities 
  of a normal man. This implant grants the user a +10 
  bonus to Literacy, Logic, or Scholastic Lore Tests.
  BIONIC HEART 
  The paranoid (or the prepared) are ever willing to replace 
  crude ﬂesh with more durable, armoured materials—the 
  light armour shielding of a bionic heart provides a last line 
  of defence. Superior models can be triggered to pump more 
  rapidly to increase physical capacity, though this risks stroke 
  or other catastrophe as the rest of the circulatory system is 
  put under pressure. A character with this implant gains +1 
  Armour to the Body location—this bonus stacks with any 
  armour worn—and gains the Sprint Talent.
  BIONIC LEGS
  In the basic Common version, locomotion bionics are 
  fully integrated into the hip with a spinal link and allow a 
  Guardsman to walk, run, and climb at normal human levels. 
  •	 Poor Craftsmanship models, however, are lumbering 
  affairs that reduce a character’s movement rate by one, 
  and when running the user must succeed on an Ordinary 
  (+10) Agility Test or fall at the end of his movement. 
  •	 Good Craftsmanship level artiﬁcial legs grant the owner 
  the Sprint Talent and add a +20 bonus to Athletics Tests 
  made to jump or leap.
  BIONIC RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
  Common bionic lungs and implanted respiratory systems 
  mimic the action of human lungs and keep the body supplied 
  with oxygen. Such characters gain a +20 bonus to Toughness 
  Tests made to resist airborne toxins and gas weapons.
  •	 Poor bionic lungs offer the same beneﬁts as the Common 
  system. However, they are raucously loud affairs and 
  characters suffer a –20 penalty to Stealth Tests. A 
  generally poor oxygen supply to the body means that 
  the character suffers a –10 penalty on all Tests involving 
  strenuous physical activity.
  •	 Good bionic lungs count as a full life support system—
  thus if for any reason the user’s own respiratory system 
  fails, his bionic lungs keep his blood oxygenated—
  and their presence can be unnoticeable if designed to 
  be so.
  IMPLANT SYSTEMS
  What follows are of the more widely used bionic and cybernetic 
  implants designed to improve or salvage the human body. 
  Implants usually serve to grant a human some ability he did 
  not already possess, or integrate external devices into his body.
  Note: Mechadendrites are cybernetic limbs that are usually 
  mounted on the back or shoulder. The maximum number of 
  mechadendrites a character may have mounted upon his body 
  is equal to his Toughness Bonus.
  AUGUR ARRAY
  These implanted devices duplicate the effects of sensor 
  systems that go beyond normal human senses. In all cases, 
  their use requires concentration and a Half Action.
  Common systems function identically to a standard hand-
  held auspex device (see page 200).
  Poor systems possess only a single detection ability (either 
  
  206
  VI: Armoury
  CYBERNETIC SENSES
  Sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste can be duplicated 
  artiﬁcially, and more esoteric senses may be added.
  Common systems, while usually very obviously artiﬁcial 
  and often oversized, manage to more or less duplicate the 
  approximate human range of senses adequately and have no 
  further game effects.
  Poor cybernetic senses are problem-ridden imitations of the 
  real thing (hearing may be troubled by static, vision rendered 
  in low-resolution monochrome, and so on). A character with 
  this system suffers a –20 penalty to Tests made involving the 
  cybernetic sense.
  Good cybernetic senses grant the Heightened Senses Talent 
  for that particular sense and a +20 bonus to Tests made to 
  resist attacks on the sense itself, such as deafening noises and 
  blinding ﬂashes. Basic and advanced cybernetic eyes can also 
  incorporate magnifying lenses, a full photo-visor, and/or a 
  system granting the Dark-Sight Trait (see page 155). Basic 
  or advanced cybernetic hearing can also include an internal 
  micro-bead system.
  CEREBRAL 
  IMPLANTS
  Commonly 
  used 
  to 
  repair a severely damaged 
  brain or hopefully augment its abilities, 
  these often risky implant systems represent a major 
  step from simply replacing a limb, to altering a character from 
  human to mechanism. 
  Common-level implants can restore paralysed and brain-
  damaged users to a semblance of normality, but with a permanent 
  loss of 1d10 points from the character’s Weapon Skill, Ballistic 
  Skill, Agility, Intelligence and Fellowship Characteristics. 
  Poor versions restore brain function but destroy the personality 
  and memories of the subject, rendering them no better than a 
  servitor, and as such are unsuitable for Player Characters. 
  Good cerebral implants are very rare even among the high 
  ranking ofﬁcers of the Guard, and are exceedingly difﬁcult to 
  arrange, becoming Near Unique in availability. These grant 
  the user the Unnatural Intelligence (2) Trait (see page 158) 
  and a +20 bonus to Logic and Lore Tests, thanks to the 
  superior mental capabilities he now enjoys.
  CRANIAL ARMOUR
  This augmentation covers or replaces most of the skull 
  with layers of plasteel and gel padding to better prevent 
  concussion and other brain injuries. This implant 
  adds +1 Armour to the Head location—this bonus 
  stacks with any worn Armour.
  VI: Armoury
  CEREB
  REB
  R
  RAL
  RAL
  R
  IMPLANTS
  Commonly 
  used 
  to 
  repair a severely damaged 
  brain or hopefully augment its abilities, 
  
  207
  VI: Armoury
  The device can also be used offensively, however it 
  requires Talents to use properly (see page 136). Only a 
  Player Character with Mechanicus Implants Trait (see page 
  156) may use this device.
  Poor Craftsmanship variants impose a –10 penalty to all 
  Toughness Tests made to use them. Good Craftsmanship 
  variants grant a +10 bonus to all Toughness Tests made to 
  use them. 
  MAGLEV COILS
  Archaeotech systems of powerful gravimetric coils are 
  implanted in the body, allowing the user to become unshackled 
  from gravity’s grasp for short periods. Using a Half Action, the 
  user may hover 20-30 centimetres off the ground for a number 
  of minutes equal to 1d10 plus the character’s Toughness 
  Bonus. The character must employ a Half Action each Round 
  to concentrate on operating this implant and may use the other 
  Action to move normally. The character can slow his rate of 
  descent when falling so long as this implant is active when the 
  character reaches the ground, reducing all falling Damage to 
  1d10+3 Impact Damage. Each time the character activates the 
  coils, it drains the stored power and cannot be used again until 
  recharged (which takes 24 hours). 
  MANIPULATOR MECHADENDRITE
  Possibly the most common form of mechadendrite, this 
  artiﬁcial limb is a great aid to Enginseers working to repair 
  vehicles in the heat of battle, allowing them to lift greater 
  weights and more easily operate industrial gear. It can extend 
  out to 1.5m and grants the user +20 to Strength-based Tests; 
  the vicious gripping and crushing pincers can also tether the 
  user to gantries or suitably heavy objects as a Free Action. The 
  heavy metal pincers can be used in combat to make melee 
  attacks. The character can strike with it as his Reaction for 
  the Round or use it to make a Standard Attack (so long as it is 
  only used once per Round). The manipulator mechadendrite 
  deals 1d10+2 I Damage. 
  While powerful, the manipulator is not subtle, and 
  attempts to use it for such tasks as data-slate typing, inscribing 
  sacriﬁcial etchings, handling delicate objects, or the like only 
  ends with equipment being dropped, smashed, or otherwise 
  ruined. A character must have the appropriate Mechadendrite 
  Use Talent to operate this implant.
  FERRIC LURE IMPLANTS
  Powerful electromagnets are implanted in the Guardsman, 
  allowing him to cast forth a net of invisible energy as a Full 
  Action (requiring a successful Challenging (+0) Willpower 
  Test), to call an unsecured metal object into his hand. The 
  object cannot mass more than 1 kg per point of Willpower 
  Bonus and must be within 20 metres, and the user must 
  already have Mechanicus Implants Trait (see page 156) for 
  this system to function. This implant can be improved by 
  certain Talents (see page 136). 
  INTERFACE PORT
  The Guardsman now has a mechanical port implanted in his 
  body, commonly in the rear of the neck, which can be connected 
  to machines via a data cable. This allows the user faster and 
  smoother access to the valuable information within and grants a 
  +10 bonus to Common Lore, Inquiry, or Tech-Use Tests whilst 
  connected to a relevant mechanism or data spool. 
  INTERNAL RESERVOIR 
  This implant acts as a powerful battery, storing energy for 
  various implants and especially for functions that require energy 
  to be expelled in rapid or violent fashions. When fully charged, 
  the user will no longer gain Fatigue from using Luminen 
  Capacitors either to recharge something or offensively, but 
  each use of those implants drains the reservoir by half. The 
  battery fully recharges after one day of resting. 
  LOCATOR MATRIX
  Micro-cogitators implanted at the base of the skull allow 
  the user to be aware of the direction of the planetary poles, 
  present location to within a few meters, relative velocity, 
  altitude, time of day, and other valuable information. The user 
  must still have access to maps and other planetary data in 
  order to beneﬁt from this information, however—knowing 
  you are at a speciﬁc location on a planetary surface has little 
  meaning if you have no idea what is over the next rise, or 
  what direction you must travel to reach a given destination.
  LUMINEN CAPACITORS
  The Guardsman’s internal energies, either through biological 
  or artiﬁcial sources, are channeled into capacitors buried in 
  the ﬂesh, where they can be tapped to recharge items or even 
  released in devastating attacks. 
  With a successful Toughness Test, the character may 
  recharge or power machinery. This requires one minute of 
  mental focus and meditation. The difﬁculty of the Toughness 
  Test varies depending on the nature of the powered system.
  •	 Ordinary (+10): Simple Power Cell, Illuminator
  •	 Challenging (+0): Weapon Charge Pack, Data-Slate, 
  Bridge Terminal
  •	 Difﬁcult (–10): Shuttle electronics, Servo-Skull
  •	 Hard (–20): Lascannon Charge Pack, Servitor, Bridge 
  Hololith
  •	 Very Hard (–30): Cogitator Core, Reactor Machine 
  Spirit, Xenos Technology
  F
  Powerful electromagnets are implanted in the Guardsman, 
  allowing him to cast forth a net of invisible energy as a Full 
  Action (requiring a successful 
  Test
  object cannot mass more than 1 kg per point of Willpower 
  Bonus and must be within 20 metres, and the user must 
  already have Mechanicus Implants Trait (see page 156) for 
  this system to function. This implant can be improved by 
  certain Talents (see page 136). 
  I
  The Guardsman now has a mechanical port implanted in his 
  body, commonly in the rear of the neck, which can be connected 
  to machines via a data cable. This allows the user faster and 
  smoother access to the valuable information within and grants a 
  +10 bonus to Common Lore, Inquiry, or Tech-Use Tests whilst 
  connected to a relevant mechanism or data spool. 
  I
  This implant acts as a powerful battery, storing energy for 
  various implants and especially for functions that require energy 
  to be expelled in rapid or violent fashions. When fully charged, 
  the user will no longer gain Fatigue from using Luminen 
  Capacitors either to recharge something or offensively, but 
  each use of those implants drains the reservoir by half. The 
  battery fully recharges after one day of resting. 
  L
  Micro-cogitators implanted at the base of the skull allow 
  the user to be aware of the direction of the planetary poles, 
  present location to within a few meters, relative velocity, 
  altitude, time of day, and other valuable information. The user 
  must still have access to maps and other planetary data in 
  
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  MIND IMPULSE UNIT (MIU)
  These devices, also known as sense-links, allow the owner 
  to interface directly with a machine or technological device. 
  MIUs see widespread use among the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  who regard them as objects of divine communion. A basic 
  MIU implant involves a single spinal or cortex connector, while 
  advanced variants include wrist connector probes—and possibly 
  mechadendrite connectors—in addition to the spinal plug.
  Common models impose no modiﬁers to machine spirit 
  communication and add a +10 bonus to Tech-Use or Operate 
  Tests used in conjunction with devices capable of MIU linking.
  Poor MIU systems require a Willpower Test to use and impose 
  a –10 penalty when attempting to interface with a device.
  Good models grant a +10 bonus to communicate with machine 
  spirits and for Tech-Use, Operate, Logic, Inquiry, and Ballistic Skill 
  Tests made as part of interfacing with the MIU systems.
  MIU WEAPON INTERFACE
  Unlike the more advanced version normally only granted to 
  priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, this version is more simpliﬁed, 
  allowing the user to remotely operate a single weapon which is 
  normally attached to the shoulder. While not as elaborate, it is 
  easier to use and a favourite of many militant professions.
  This system allows the user to ﬁre the linked ranged 
  weapon as a Free Action during his Turn. Note that he can 
  still only take a single Action with the Attack Subtype during 
  his Turn. This additional weapon must be connected to the 
  user via the MIU wepaon interface, and is often equipped as 
  a shoulder mount.
  OPTICAL MECHADENDRITE
  This highly ﬂexible mechadendrite, set with pict-capture 
  and sensor devices, is designed to assist in inspection and 
  detection. This mechadendrite extends to a length of 3 
  metres and can reduce its width to pencil thickness. It grants 
  a +10 bonus to all Perception-based Tests. The pict-devices 
  mounted on the mechadendrite allow the user to examine 
  surfaces at a microscopic level or may be used as telescopic 
  sight. This mechadendrite is also mounted with an infra-
  red torch and sensors. A character using this mechadendrite 
  suffers no penalties due to darkness and gains a +20 bonus 
  to Vision-based Perception Tests at night. Finally, the 
  mechadendrite is ﬁtted with a light that may be tinted a variety 
  of different colours depending on the controller’s whim. 
  This mechadendrite may be shoulder or sternum-mounted. 
  A character must have the appropriate Mechadendrite Use 
  Talent to operate this implant.
  MEDICAE MECHADENDRITE 
  This two metre long, ﬂexible limb is designed to provide 
  medical and surgical assistance in the ﬁeld. It grants a +10 
  bonus to Medicae Tests. The mechadendrite houses six 
  injector pistons, each of which may be ﬁlled with one dose 
  of a drug. These may be supplied separately. In addition 
  to providing ﬁrst aid, the mechadendrite’s ﬂesh staplers 
  may be used to staunch Blood Loss as a Half Action. A 
  small chainscalpel attachment reduces the difﬁculty of limb 
  amputation to Challenging (+0). This blade can be used 
  as an improvised weapon and on a hit it deals 1d5 Rending 
  Damage. Finally, the medicae mechadendrite grants a +10 
  bonus to Interrogation Tests. This mechadendrite may be 
  shoulder or sternum mounted. A character must have the 
  appropriate Mechadendrite Use Talent to operate this implant.
  MEMORANCE IMPLANT
  A neurally linked datavault and pict-capture array, often 
  incorporating augmetic replacement of one or both eyes, that 
  records information on people or scenes viewed. It can then 
  later replay that information, or overlay the present view with 
  additional data on people and objects viewed. It is a tool 
  of chroniclers, remembrancers, and masters of ceremonies, as 
  well as factors or nobles who like to see the secrets of their 
  rivals overlaid upon their view of the negotiating table. It can 
  provide a +10 bonus to Trade (Remembrancer) Tests or other 
  Tests in social situations where the recorded information 
  provides leverage or value. The implant also grants the user 
  the Total Recall Talent if he does not already possess it.
  ATTACHING BIONICS AND IMPLANTS
  Implants and bionics are only available if the character 
  has access to both the resources and the skilled labour 
  to have them installed; commonly this is only available 
  in substantial medicae facilities and worlds with a very 
  high technological base.
  If a character can ﬁnd a chirurgeon willing to 
  install a bionic or implant then the process takes no 
  less than 2d10 days, minus one day for each point of 
  his Toughness Bonus—to a minimum of one day. How 
  difﬁcult it is to attach a bionic or implant is up to the 
  GM. He might decide that given enough time, and in 
  an advanced enough facility, it is automatic, or he can 
  call on the chirurgeon to make a series of Medicae or 
  even Tech-Use Tests that could lead to such things as 
  permanent crippling or Blood Loss (see page 266).
  Talent to operate this implant.
  
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  VI: Armoury
  SYNTHMUSCLE 
  Ropey strands of vat-grown muscle tissue, thick with slurried 
  nutrients and laced with ﬂakweave, are woven into existing muscle 
  groups, granting increased strength of varying levels. Characters 
  gain Unnatural Strength (1); Best Craftsmanship grafts grant 
  Unnatural Strength (4) but also impose a –10 to any Agility Tests 
  due to the newly misshapen and unnatural body shape.
  UTILITY MECHADENDRITE
  This two-metre long limb houses a variety of tools and 
  attachments designed to assist a Tech-Priest in the course of 
  his holy duties. The mechadendrite counts as a combi-tool, 
  granting a +10 bonus to all Tech-Use Tests. The limb also 
  houses six injector pistons, each of which may be ﬁlled with 
  one dose of sacred unguent. These can be supplied separately. 
  In addition to this, the limb contains an electrically powered 
  censer, which can gust incense fumes over particularly 
  troublesome faults. The censer generates one “blast” of smoke 
  every ﬁfteen minutes. This can be employed in melee combat 
  to distract and choke, imposing a –5 penalty to Weapon Skill 
  Tests made by all living creatures within a two-metre radius 
  for one Round. This is a Half Action. Unless the censer is 
  deactivated, all Perception Tests made to detect the Tech-
  Priest that rely on a sense of smell gain a +10 bonus. Finally, 
  the mechadendrite contains a cutting blade. This counts as 
  a knife with the Defensive Quality and Mono upgrade. A 
  character must have the appropriate Mechadendrite Use 
  Talent to operate this implant.
  VOCAL IMPLANT 
  This implant is usually reserved for Commissars or soldiers 
  who use their voice to project commands or statements. This 
  implant works to amplify the vocal chords to an inhuman range 
  in order to shout commands over the noise of a raging battle.  
  VOLITOR IMPLANT
  The subject has cranial surgery to implant neural receptors 
  and artiﬁcial nerve routing, and can be compelled not to 
  reveal a certain item of information, remain within a set 
  area, or perform a speciﬁc task. If the subject attempts—or 
  is forced—to counter this compulsion, his brain shuts down 
  into unconsciousness—or even death for some severe volitor 
  patterns. Typically, Guardsmen are not trusted with valuable 
  enough information to warrant such an extreme implant. 
  However, the Departmento Munitorum has been known to 
  use the volitor implant on squads of Guardsmen that are 
  told valuable secrets in order to operate behind enemy 
  lines in the Severan Dominate.
  RESPIRATORY FILTER IMPLANT
  These are implanted inside the lungs and can sift out most 
  toxic gases. Inhaled particulate matter is also ﬁltered, making 
  breathing easier in heavily polluted atmospheres. This 
  implant allows the user to ignore any inhaled toxic gases or 
  atmospheric contaminants.
  SUBSKIN ARMOUR
  Thin carapace plating is inserted under the skin in various 
  locations, giving the user added protection against damage. 
  While not as impressive as most augmentations and 
  sometimes uncomfortable, subskin armour is very reliable. 
  This implant adds +2 Armour Points to the Arms, Body, 
  and Legs locations. The bonus is added to any other Armour 
  Points for these locations.
  BIONICS AND CRAFTSMANSHIP
  The Craftsmanship of individual bionic parts should 
  have an impact on roleplaying as well as in-game 
  mechanics. For instance, Poor Craftsmanship bionics 
  might be crude, obvious augmetics that creak, grind, 
  squeal, or constantly leak ﬂuids. On the other hand, 
  Good Craftsmanship bionics could be so unobtrusive 
  that they are mostly invisible to the naked eye. Best 
  Craftsmanship bionics should be gold- and brass-inlaid 
  works of art to reﬂect an advanced and reﬁned design.
  
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  VI: Armoury
  •	 Spacecraft: The term spacecraft covers a wide variety of 
  vehicle types that operate outside of a planet’s atmosphere. 
  For the most part, they are beyond the scope of the ONLY 
  WAR rules and are not covered in this Core Rulebook.
  VEHICLE SPEEDS
  In ONLY WAR, vehicles have two different modes of movement:
  •	 Cruising Speed: A vehicle’s Cruising Speed represents 
  how fast a vehicle moves when it is travelling long distances 
  and is therefore mostly relevant to Narrative Time. This 
  speed is also used for high-speed situations, such as chases.
  •	 Tactical Speed: A vehicle’s Tactical Speed represents 
  how fast a vehicle moves in situations that require skilful 
  handling, or when the vehicle is operating in a limited 
  or speciﬁc area such as a narrow canyon or small ﬁeld. 
  This is not the vehicle’s full speed, but an abstraction 
  of the distance it can move taking into account turns, 
  acceleration, driver distractions, and terrain. Tactical Speed 
  is what a vehicle uses during Structured Time.
  MANOEUVRABILITY
  A Dark Eldar Raider is extremely fast and nimble, able to 
  duck and weave between hab blocks as its crew search for 
  victims, whereas a Leman Russ Demolisher is a ponderous 
  leviathan of armour and guns, and is more likely to plough 
  straight through a hab block rather than go around it. 
  Much of a vehicle’s manoeuvring depends on the 
  skill of the driver, but some vehicles are innately more 
  manoeuvrable than others. A vehicle’s Manoeuvrability 
  is a representation of how well a vehicle responds to the 
  commands of its driver or crew. This is represented by the 
  vehicle’s Manoeuvrability Value, which provides a modiﬁer 
  (either positive or negative) to the driver’s Operate Skill 
  while operating said vehicle. The vehicle’s Type can also 
  play a part in how manoeuvrable a vehicle is, as can some 
  Vehicle Traits. These will be noted where applicable.
  CREW AND CARRYING CAPACITY
  The Imperial Guard make extensive use of transport vehicles, 
  and thus these types of vehicles usually dedicate most of their 
  structure to open spaces for squads of Guardsmen (or sometimes 
  whole platoons!). Even non-transport vehicles can have large 
  crew compliments, such as the Leman Russ, a battle tank that 
  can have up to six crew at any given time. Other vehicles, such 
  as the nimble Sentinel scout walker, only have room for one.
  All vehicles have a crew rating that lists both how many 
  crew a vehicle may have at its maximum, as well as what 
  positions those crew must ﬁll (e.g. driver, gunner, sponson 
  gunner, etc.). Some vehicles also have a Carrying Capacity 
  to represent their ability to transport additional personnel 
  outside of their regular crew compliment. Carrying Capacity 
  is always looked at in terms of standard sized humans, and 
  the GM should be sure to keep the vehicle’s total Carrying 
  Capacity in mind should larger beings (like Ogryn) or 
  smaller constructs (like Servo-Skulls) ﬁnd themselves needing 
  transport. The Chimera armoured transport, for example, has 
  a Carrying Capacity of 12, indicating that twelve standard 
  human-sized people can be transported within the vehicle.
  Imperial Guard 
  Vehicles
  “There is no situation that cannot be solved with the liberal 
  application of artillery.”
  –Captain Albrecht of the Mordian 8th Artillery Battalion
  T
  he myriad of vehicles and their variant patterns available 
  to the Imperial Guard could ﬁll volumes, and since the 
  times of the Great Crusade, vehicles for almost every 
  situation have been discovered and rediscovered. From the 
  nimble Tauros scout car to the mighty Crassus Armoured 
  Assault Transport, there is a vehicle for almost every job within 
  the Imperial Guard. The vehicles included in this section cover 
  only the most common or famous—the types of vehicles that 
  have brought glory to the Imperium for thousands of years!
  VEHICLE TYPES
  Within ONLY WAR, there are six different vehicle types:
  •	 Tracked Vehicles: More commonly referred to as 
  “tanks,” tracked vehicles make up the vast bulk of all 
  the Imperial Guard’s armoured formations. Slower than 
  most other forms of ground transport, tracked vehicles 
  make up for this with thicker armour and their ability to 
  traverse more terrain types than wheeled vehicles.
  •	 Wheeled Vehicles: More commonly used in scouting 
  roles within the Imperial Guard, wheeled vehicles eschew 
  cross-country terrain abilities for greater speed and 
  manoeuvrability. Numerous other races, especially the 
  Orks, make extensive use of wheeled vehicles, preferring 
  their rapid and dextrous movement to heavier and slower 
  tracked vehicles. 
  •	 Skimmers: Ancient, arcane, and almost impossible to 
  reproduce on a large scale, skimmer vehicles are able to 
  glide above the ground, ignoring any and all obstacles. 
  Skimmers are often faster and more manoeuvrable than 
  other types of vehicles but usually at the expense of 
  armour and durability. Virtually unheard of within the 
  Imperial Guard, skimmers are seen mostly within the 
  ranks of the Tau as well as the Eldar and their dark kin. 
  •	 Walkers: Mostly bipedal in form, walkers often act as 
  scouts and infantry support units where they use their 
  heavy frames to bring otherwise immobile heavy weapons 
  into the thick of combat. Not much faster than a man 
  on foot, walkers sacriﬁce speed for the ability to traverse 
  terrain that would be perilous for even tracked vehicles. 
  •	 Aircraft: Aircraft use the aerodynamic principles of lift 
  and powerful engines to remain aloft. Their applications 
  are wide and varied, from air superiority ﬁghters like the 
  Thunderbolt, to close-support gunships like the Vulture 
  and even the ramshackle “Deffkopta” attack craft 
  favoured by the Orks. Aircraft are more the purview 
  of the Imperial Navy than they are the Imperial 
  Guard, and thus their rules will not be covered 
  in this Core Rulebook.
  
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  VI: Armoury
  its Fire Arc. Each type of Weapon Mounting may also have 
  additional rules. 
  Within ONLY WAR there are six types of Weapon Mountings:
  •	 Fixed: Fixed weapons are embedded within the hull of a 
  vehicle and do not possess the ability to turn. They might 
  have a limited vertical traversal ability, but otherwise 
  only ﬁre in a direct straight line from the Facing the 
  weapon is mounted. To turn the gun from left to right 
  the vehicle must move. A Basilisk’s earthshaker cannon is 
  an example of a Fixed Weapon Mounting.
  •	 Hull: Hull weapons are similar to Fixed weapons in 
  that they have a limited range of movement, but beneﬁt 
  from being able to move from left to right as well as 
  up and down. A Hull weapon has a 45-degree Fire Arc 
  from the Facing the weapon is mounted. A Baneblade’s 
  demolisher cannon is an example of a Hull Weapon 
  Mounting in the Front Facing.
  •	 Turret: Turret-mounted weapons are often placed high 
  on a vehicle on top of its hull to give them the greatest 
  line of sight in as many directions as possible. They give 
  the greatest tactical ﬂexibility in their ability to point in 
  almost every direction. A Turret weapon has a 360-degree 
  Fire Arc, and only the vehicle itself can block this arc (e.g. 
  a vehicle with multiple turrets would ﬁnd that the Fire 
  Arc of one turret blocks the other turret, or the vehicle 
  itself, if the turret is mounted low enough, such as the 
  lascannon turrets on a Baneblade). Turrets cannot turn to 
  face directions instantaneously, and thus it takes a Half 
  Action for every full 180-degrees that a turret needs to 
  turn. The GM and the players should always be aware 
  of which direction their turrets are facing, as this can be 
  important for Critical Damage. Additionally, due to their 
  heavier armour, turrets treat all hits as hits to the Front 
  Facing, regardless of the direction the attack came from 
  in relation to the turret’s current facing (see Table 8–24 
  Vehicle Hit Locations on page 275). A Leman Russ’ 
  battle cannon is an example of a Turret Weapon Mounting.
  •	 Sponson: Sponson-mounted weapons are often used 
  defensively on the ﬂanks and sometimes even the rear 
  of a vehicle, whilst the vehicle’s main weapon continues 
  its assault upon the enemy. A Sponson weapon has 
  a 180-degree Fire Arc from the Facing the weapon is 
  mounted (e.g. a Sponson-mounted Weapon on a vehicle’s 
  Left Side Facing has a 180 degree Fire Arc to the left 
  of the vehicle). Walkers, unless speciﬁed otherwise, treat 
  all their weapons as Sponson-mounted, speciﬁcally a 
  Sponson mounting that gives them a 180 degree Fire 
  Arc to the Walker’s Front Facing. This is to represent 
  the fact that most Walkers have the ability to twist their 
  torsos or even move their arms independently of the 
  Walker’s main body in much the same way as a regular 
  infantryman. A Leman Russ’ left and right heavy bolters 
  and a Sentinel’s multi-laser are examples of Sponson 
  Weapon Mountings.
  •	 Co-Axial: Co-Axial weapons are specially designed to 
  be linked with other (usually larger) weapons. This is 
  done for a variety of reasons, but most commonly 
  to act as a guide (via tracer rounds) for the other 
  gun. A Co-Axial weapon has the same Fire Arc 
  FACINGS
  All vehicles have what are called Facings and these are used to 
  determine how much Armour an attacker must overcome, as 
  well as the Firing Arcs of some weapons, especially Fixed and 
  Hull-Mounted weaponry. There are four Facings:
  •	 Front: Represented by a 90-degree arc to the front of 
  the vehicle, any attacks made within this arc strike a 
  vehicle’s Front Facing Armour Value.
  •	 Rear: Represented by a 90-degree arc to the Rear of the 
  vehicle, any attacks made within this arc strike a vehicle’s 
  Rear Facing Armour Value.
  •	 Left Side/Right Side: Both of these locations are 
  represented by 90-degree arcs, and while most vehicles 
  have the same Armour value on their left and right side, 
  it is important to distinguish between the two. A vehicle 
  that has a weapon on its Right Side Facing but not its 
  Left Side Facing cannot suffer damage to that weapon if 
  attacked from the opposite Facing.
  WEAPONS, WEAPON MOUNTING,  
  AND FIRING ARCS
  Many vehicles in the Imperium are armed, ranging from the 
  heavy ﬂamers on Hellhound Flame Tanks to the massive 
  volcano cannons mounted on Shadowswords. All vehicle 
  weapon entries include the statistics for the weapon, which 
  crew member controls the weapon, and also what Weapon 
  Mounting the weapon has. A weapon’s mounting determines 
  
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  VI: Armoury
  COMMAND AND CONTROL
  Vehicles are often designated as a command vehicle to ensure 
  there is a central point for all orders and instructions. This is 
  often done via enhanced communication systems, but can be 
  just as easily achieved with large banners, racks of trophies and 
  totems, or burning symbols of devotion. The commander (or 
  driver if there is no designated commander) of a vehicle with 
  the Command and Control Vehicle Trait may use his Command 
  Skill to affect a number of squads or units (such as a Leman Russ 
  or Chimera), in any combination, equal to his Fellowship bonus. 
  This effect combines with Fellowship-based Talents such as Iron 
  Discipline, Master Orator, and the like. Any character using this 
  equipment also gains a +10 bonus to Command Skill Tests.
  DAEMONIC POSSESSION
  Thanks to the bound Daemonic essence that drives it, a 
  vehicle with the Daemonic Possession Trait does not require 
  a pilot or gunners to function. Instead, the vehicle uses its 
  own Characteristics proﬁle on all necessary tests. Essentially, 
  a vehicle with this Trait is its own pilot and gunner. This Trait 
  allows a vehicle to ﬁre all of its weapons as a part of a single 
  Attack Action as though each weapon had its own gunner. A 
  vehicle with this Trait may make melee attacks if it is armed with 
  a melee weapon and adjacent to a viable target. In addition, a 
  Possessed vehicle that suffers any Critical Damage that results 
  in Damage to the crew will ignore these effects. The vehicle 
  itself can still suffer critical effects from these results, but any 
  Damage that would be inﬂicted upon the crew is ignored.
  as the weapon it is attached to and, as an exception to 
  the standard rules for making attacks, a Co-Axial weapon 
  may be ﬁred at the same time as the gun it is linked to 
  as a Full Action. The player ﬁrst works out the shot from 
  the Co-Axial weapon, as well as any Damage. If the Co-
  Axial weapon missed, then the other weapon just ﬁres 
  as normal. If the Co-Axial weapon hit with any shots, 
  then the other weapon it is linked to gains a further 
  +20 to the Ballistic Skill Test (but only for that shot, 
  not subsequent shots unless the Co-Axial weapon is used 
  again). A Baneblade’s autocannon is an example of a Co-
  Axial Weapon mounting.
  •	 Pintle: Pintle weapons are usually optional or additional 
  weapons bolted onto turret rings or placed in areas 
  where spare crew or even passengers can use them. 
  They are usually comparatively light weapons, such as 
  heavy stubbers, and are used to defend the vehicle in 
  much the same way as sponson weaponry. Unlike the 
  other weaponry mounted on a vehicle, Pintle weapons 
  do not automatically have a crew member assigned to 
  them. Instead, they may be ﬁred by anyone who can 
  realistically reach one during his Turn, or who reached 
  one in a previous Turn. Even passengers may ﬁre a Pintle 
  weapon if they are able. Pintle weapons usually have a 
  360 degree Fire Arc, as they are often mounted on the 
  highest point of a vehicle, but there are exceptions to 
  this and the GM should be aware of what might block a 
  Pintle weapon’s Fire Arc.
  VEHICLE TRAITS
  Just like Traits on people and creatures, Vehicles have their 
  own speciﬁc set of innate or inherent abilities that are mostly 
  derived from standardised construction techniques. All 
  vehicles have Traits that determine their most basic functions, 
  as well as any speciﬁc quirks that distinguish them from other 
  vehicles. Most vehicles have a set amount of Vehicle Traits, 
  but the GM can always add more if wanted.
  AMPHIBIOUS
  The vehicle has additional waterprooﬁng, sealed fuel lines, 
  or is just simply resistant to water. Amphibious vehicles treat 
  bodies of water as open ground.
  BIKE
  The smallest sub-type of vehicles, bikes take many different 
  forms from the iron steeds ridden by the Adeptus Astartes, 
  to the nimble darts of the Eldar, right through to the smoke-
  belching contraptions favoured by the Orks. Bikes follow all 
  the standard rules for vehicles and are treated as having the 
  Open-Topped Vehicle Trait. However, due to their size and 
  lower proﬁles, in Melee those attacking a vehicle with the Bike 
  Vehicle Trait can choose between the rider and the vehicle 
  without needing to make a Called Shot. Additionally, Bikes 
  may make the specialist Hit & Run Action, as described 
  on page 273, but may never make Ram! Actions. Bikes 
  are usually Wheeled Vehicles, but can be Skimmers 
  and, in some rare circumstances, Tracked Vehicles.
  
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  IMMOBILE
  Some vehicles, such as drop pods, are deployed via types of motive 
  systems that do not operate on the ground. An Immobile vehicle 
  cannot move under its own power, has a default Manoeuvrability 
  Value of +0, and cannot make use of the Jink Action. Immobile 
  vehicles often have some other method of movement (such as large 
  engines to bring them in via orbital drop), and Motive Systems 
  Critical Damage applies to these methods.
  IMPROVED COMMAND AND CONTROL
  Vehicles that are in command of larger formations often have even 
  greater command and control systems than low-level command 
  vehicles. Further enhanced communication systems and scanning 
  equipment are a good way to achieve this, but more primitive races, 
  such as the Orks, can achieve much the same result with massive 
  “Shoutin’ Tubes” or even groups of Grots enthusiastically waving 
  large banners and glyphs. The commander (or driver if there is no 
  designated commander) of a vehicle with the Improved Command 
  and Control Vehicle Trait may use his Command Skill to affect a 
  number of squads or units (such as a Leman Russ or Chimera), 
  in any combination, equal to his Fellowship bonus. This effect 
  combines with Fellowship-based Talents such as Iron Discipline, 
  Master Orator, and the like. Any character using this equipment 
  also gains a +20 bonus to Command Skill Tests and may re-roll 
  any failed Command Skill Tests. These systems are often used to 
  coordinate the actions of large forces, up to the size of an Imperial 
  Guard Company or Super-Heavy Tank Regiment.
  OPEN-TOPPED
  The vehicle’s passenger or crew compartments are not sealed and 
  are instead exposed to the open air around them. This limits their 
  protection, but it does allow transported troops to ﬁre their own 
  weapons as the vehicle moves. Crew and passengers mounted 
  on an Open-topped vehicle can be speciﬁcally targeted by 
  those outside the vehicle via the use of the Called Shot Action. 
  Additionally, passengers mounted in Open-Topped vehicles are 
  struck by any Blast or Spray attacks which they would be in 
  range of. Crew and passengers within an Open-topped may 
  attack targets with their own personal weaponry. 
  ORBITAL DEPLOYMENT
  Some vehicles possess the ability to be deployed from orbit, 
  allowing for rapid movements of troops and other vital materiel. 
  The most famous of this type of vehicle is the Drop Pod used 
  by the Adeptus Astartes, but there are a number of other vehicle 
  types that are capable of orbital insertion, including Ork Roks, 
  which are little more than hollowed out asteroids hurled at a 
  planet in vast numbers in the hope that some will survive the 
  impact! A vehicle with the Orbital Deployment Vehicle Trait 
  can choose a location on the battleﬁeld to land rather than 
  moving to that location like other vehicles. After choosing 
  a location, the vehicle scatters 2d10 metres in a random 
  direction. All shooting at a vehicle undergoing an Orbital 
  Deployment suffers a –30 to hit whilst it is in ﬂight. If the 
  vehicle is capable of moving after that, it may do so during 
  the next Round. Any weapons the vehicle possesses and 
  any passengers that were transported by the vehicle 
  must wait a full Round before they ﬁre or disembark.
  DAMAGE CONTROL
  The vehicle possesses some limited form of self-repair. This could 
  be an ancient machine spirit, slaved servitors, quick-growing 
  Wraithbone, or even a team of Grots scurrying across the hull 
  hammering at loose armour plates and holding wires together. 
  When a vehicle with the Damage Control Vehicle Trait suffers 
  Critical Damage due to Righteous Fury, the vehicle’s commander 
  (or driver if there is no designated commander) may force the 
  1d5 to be re-rolled. The second result must be accepted even if it 
  is worse than the ﬁrst. Additionally, if a vehicle with the Damage 
  Control Vehicle Trait ever catches ﬁre, then attempting to put out 
  that ﬁre is a Free Action for whichever member of the crew or 
  passengers makes the attempt.
  ENCLOSED
  The greater majority of vehicles are completely enclosed, 
  keeping their crew and passengers safe from the outside 
  elements with thick slabs of armour, bulky hatchways and 
  heavy ramps. Crew and passengers within an Enclosed vehicle 
  may not attack targets with their own personal weapons unless 
  they have some way of getting outside of the vehicle, be it 
  through a hatch, doorway, or ﬁring slit. Within an Enclosed 
  vehicle, crew and passengers cannot be speciﬁcally targeted by 
  those outside the vehicle (unless there is a particularly good 
  reason, such as a mind-based Psychic Attack).
  ENHANCED MOTIVE SYSTEMS
  The vehicle has some way of gaining extra speed out of its 
  engines, either via an enhanced form of promethium, ancient 
  xeno-technology, or even a squig fuel injector! Vehicles with the 
  Enhanced Motive Systems Vehicle Trait may move twice their 
  Tactical Speed as a Half-Action rather than a Full Action, and 
  may move three times their Tactical Speed as a Full Action. This 
  applies to the Floor It! Action as well, where vehicles with the 
  Enhanced Motive Systems Vehicle Trait move triple rather than 
  double their Tactical Speed and the Operate Test for this Action 
  is treated as Ordinary (+10) rather than Difﬁcult (–10). If a 
  vehicle has both the Enhanced Motive Systems Vehicle Trait and 
  the Ponderous Vehicle Trait, then these two Traits cancel each 
  other out and it may move as a regular vehicle.
  ENVIRONMENTALLY SEALED
  The vehicle is sealed off from the outside world completely, 
  allowing it to function in almost any environment. It will also 
  have its own life support system. Vehicles that become exposed 
  due to Critical Damage results lose this ability until their 
  armour is repaired. Passengers and crew cannot ﬁre their own 
  personal weaponry from a vehicle with the Environmentally 
  Sealed Vehicle Trait without ﬁrst breaching those seals.
  EXTREMELY VOLATILE
  The vehicle possesses an unstable power plant, large 
  ammunition bays, or great quantities of explosive fuel. 
  Extremely Volatile vehicles double their chance of exploding 
  whenever they catch ﬁre. Additionally, when an Extremely 
  Volatile vehicle explodes, all those caught in the blast must 
  make a Difﬁcult (–10) Agility Test or catch ﬁre.
  
  214
  VI: Armoury
  •	 Skimmers can make use of the Ram Action (see Vehicle 
  Movement, page 272), but if the Operate Test is failed 
  they are treated as having Crashed into their target. This 
  is usually a bad thing. See page 280 for the full rules 
  for Crashing.  
  •	 Skimmers are often far more difﬁcult to hit in melee 
  combat than their ground-based counterparts and thus 
  all Weapon Skill Tests made to attack a skimmer in Melee 
  suffer a –10 penalty.
  •	 Vehicles with the Skimmer Vehicle Trait may turn as 
  many times as they like when moving, regardless of how 
  far they move.
  SUPER-HEAVY
  Enormous leviathans that dominate the battleﬁeld, super-
  heavy vehicles are often used to take on entire troop and tank 
  formations by themselves, or to take on massive targets such as 
  Titans and Ork Gargants. Heavily armed and armoured, super-
  heavy vehicles suffer from few of the trivial problems that 
  plague their smaller cousins. A vehicle with the Super-Heavy 
  Trait is able to ignore penalties for moving through difﬁcult 
  terrain and can negotiate obstacles such as rockslides, tank 
  traps, fallen trees, and shattered buildings without penalty. 
  Walkers with the Super-Heavy Vehicle Trait can walk over 
  obstacles 5 metres high, or simply bulldoze through walls, 
  forests, or medium-sized buildings without suffering negative 
  effects. Vehicles with the Super-Heavy Trait automatically 
  gain the Ponderous Vehicle Trait.
  TRACKED VEHICLE
  The following rules apply to Tracked Vehicles:
  •	 Vehicles with the Tracked Vehicle Trait suffer a –10 
  penalty to all Tests involving Manoeuvrability.
  •	 Vehicles with the Tracked Vehicle Trait gain a +10 bonus to 
  all Tests involving Difﬁcult Terrain.
  •	 To represent their more robust nature, whenever a vehicle 
  with the Tracked Vehicle Trait suffers Critical Damage 
  to its Motive Systems that results in the vehicle being 
  slowed, the result of the roll to determine how much 
  Tactical Speed is lost is halved (rounded down).
  •	 The motive systems of vehicles with the Tracked 
  Vehicle Trait are often far more complex than simple 
  wheeled mechanisms, and therefore repairing Critical 
  Damage to the vehicle’s Motive Systems, as well as any 
  lasting Motive System damage (such as Motive Systems 
  Damaged, Motive Systems Crippled, etc.) takes twice as 
  long as normal (see Repairing Vehicles on page 281).
  WHEELED VEHICLE
  The following rules apply to Wheeled Vehicles:
  •	 Vehicles with the Wheeled Vehicle suffer a –20 penalty to 
  all Tests involving Difﬁcult Terrain.
  •	 Vehicles with the Wheeled Vehicle Trait gain a +10 bonus 
  to all Tests involving Manoeuvrability.
  •	 Wheeled Vehicles become extremely difﬁcult to control 
  once they start suffering serious damage to their motive 
  systems, and the loss of even one wheel can make even 
  the most experienced of drivers struggle to keep the 
  PONDEROUS
  Some vehicles are so massive and so bulky that their ability to 
  move at any signiﬁcant speed is greatly reduced. A Ponderous 
  Vehicle may not use the Floor It! Action and moving its 
  Tactical Speed requires a Full Action (therefore it can never 
  move twice its Tactical Speed). If a vehicle has both the 
  Ponderous Vehicle Trait and the Enhanced Motive Systems 
  Vehicle Trait, then these two Traits cancel each other out and 
  it may move as a regular vehicle.
  RAMSHACKLE
  The vehicle’s construction methods are so haphazard that it is 
  both more fragile than regular vehicles, yet at the same time 
  has many more redundant and jury rigged systems, making the 
  vehicle easier to repair. When rolling Righteous Fury against a 
  vehicle with the Ramshackle Vehicle Trait, the player rolls 1d10 
  rather than 1d5. The vehicle takes twice the rolled Damage 
  against itself when attempting a Ram Action against another 
  vehicle, building, or something equally solid. Repairing a vehicle 
  with the Ramshackle Vehicle Trait takes half the listed time, and 
  Tests to implement these repairs gain a +20 bonus. Damaged 
  vehicles with the Ramshackle Vehicle Trait are always treated as 
  Lightly Damaged unless they have taken Critical Damage.
  REINFORCED ARMOUR
  The vehicle’s armour and vital locations have been internally 
  reinforced with additional layers or ceramite and adamantine. 
  Vehicles with the Reinforced Armour Vehicle Trait that 
  receive Critical Damage halve the total (rounding up) and 
  then apply the result. This ability does not affect rolls on the 
  Vehicle Critical Hit Charts caused by Righteous Fury.
  RUGGED
  Robust power systems, modular armour plates, and redundant fuel 
  systems can make a vehicle far easier to repair, saving time and 
  resources and allowing the vehicle to be put back into the ﬁeld far 
  quicker than more specialised designs. All Repair Tests made to 
  repair a vehicle with the Rugged Vehicle Trait gain a +20 bonus.
  SKIMMER
  The following rules apply to Skimmer Vehicles:
  •	 Skimmers move roughly 2 metres above the ground at all 
  times, in much the same way as people and creatures with 
  the Hoverer Trait, but can adjust that height slightly when 
  moving over ground-based obstacles. Skimmers can also 
  move to Low Altitude, as described in the rules for Flying 
  in Chapter I: Playing the Game (see page 38).
  •	 Skimmers ignore all forms of Difﬁcult Terrain (except 
  those deemed appropriate by the GM). 
  •	 Skimmers gain a +10 bonus on all Tests involving 
  Manoeuvrability.
  •	 Skimmers are not true aircraft and therefore cannot ﬂy at 
  any signiﬁcant altitude. Nevertheless, a sudden loss in 
  motive power can be catastrophic to a skimmer as it 
  ploughs into the ground, often at great speed. All 
  Skimmers are subject to the rules for Crashing 
  (see page 280). 
  
  215
  VI: Armoury
  IMPERIAL GUARD 
  VEHICLES
  While far from exhaustive, the following represents a sample 
  of the most ubiquitous vehicles found amongst the ranks 
  of the Imperial Guard. Many of these vehicles are not only 
  deadly, but relatively easy to produce, since the Departmento 
  Munitorum must ship countless numbers of these machines 
  to every corner of the galaxy to wage the Imperium’s wars.
  LEMAN RUSS BATTLE TANK
  The Leman Russ is the workhorse of the Imperial Guard’s 
  armoured companies. Deployed to virtually every warzone 
  across the galaxy for thousands of years, there is no other 
  type of tank that sees more combat than the Leman Russ.
  A robust and rugged design, the Leman Russ actually 
  beneﬁts from its unsophisticated construction techniques that 
  allow it to traverse all sorts of terrain types and ensure that it 
  can operate in almost any local conditions. Its heavy armour, 
  mostly concentrated towards the front, provides a level of 
  protection that outweighs all but the greatest tanks of the 
  Adeptus Astartes, and its weapon conﬁguration allows it to 
  take on a varied range of targets.
  The Leman Russ is slow and bulky, yet adaptable, forming 
  the basis for several variants such as the Executioner and the 
  Annihilator. It is one of the most recognisable silhouettes on 
  the battleﬁeld and the sound the Leman Russ’ battle cannon 
  makes as it ﬁres high explosive rounds towards the enemies 
  of the Imperium can be as inspirational as a Ministorum 
  Priest’s battle hymn or the shouts of a Commissar.
  Type: Tracked Vehicle 
  Tactical Speed: 12 m
  Cruising Speed: 35 kph  
  Manoeuvrability: –10
  Structural Integrity: 55 
  Size: Massive
  Armour: Front 40, Side 32, Rear 20
  Vehicle Traits: Enclosed, Reinforced Armour, Rugged, 
  Tracked Vehicle
  Crew: 1 Commander (Turret), 1 Driver, 1 Gunner (Turret), 1 
  Loader/Gunner (Turret/Hull Weapon), 2 additional Gunners 
  (Sponsons; if taken)
  Carrying Capacity: None
  Weapons
  Turret-mounted Battle Cannon (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+10 X; Pen 
  8; Clip 12; Reload 3 Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3], Reliable)
  Hull-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Bolter (Front Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 
  X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	
  Lascannon (Front Facing; 300m; 
  S/–/–; 5d10+10 E; Pen 10; Clip 
  30; Reload 2 Full; Proven [3])
  •	 Heavy Flamer (Front Facing; 30m; 
  S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; Pen 4; Clip 20; 
  Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  vehicle moving in a straight line, especially in the heat of 
  combat. Vehicles with the Wheeled Vehicle Trait suffer 
  Motive Systems Critical Damage as normal, but once 
  any such Damage has been taken, all forms of movement 
  require Operate Tests, and all Tests related to the vehicle’s 
  Manoeuvrability are made at a –10 penalty.
  •	 Wheeled mechanisms are far less complex than those 
  belonging to tracked vehicles, and therefore repairing 
  Critical Damage to the vehicle’s Motive Systems, as well 
  as any lasting Motive System damage (such as Motive 
  Systems Damaged, Motive Systems Crippled, etc.) takes 
  half as long as normal (see page 282).
  WALKER
  The following rules apply to a vehicle with the Walker Trait:
  •	 Vehicles with the Walker Trait are able to ignore many 
  types of Difﬁcult Terrain due to their large feet and 
  heavy legs. Vehicles with the Walker Vehicle Trait treat 
  conditions such as rockslides, tank traps, fallen trees, 
  and basic rubble and ruins as Open Ground. It is up 
  to the GM to determine what other types of terrain a 
  walker can ignore.
  •	 Vehicles with the Walker Trait cannot make use of the 
  Ram Action. They make a standard Charge Action instead. 
  •	 Far more combat capable than most other vehicle types, 
  walkers (or rather their pilots) are better able to turn to 
  face their opponents in the midst of a melee. A vehicle 
  with the Walker Trait has Armour and Facings just 
  like all vehicles and when engaged in melee combat 
  it should always be clear to the GM and the players 
  which direction it is facing for the purposes of working 
  out which armour value its opponents must attempt to 
  penetrate, as well as which direction the walker may 
  make its attacks. Any vehicle with the Walker Trait 
  may turn to face its melee opponents at the end of its 
  Turn as a Free Action. This does not count as a form 
  of movement and it may in fact put other attackers 
  in a better position if the Walker is ﬁghting multiple 
  opponents in melee.
  •	 Vehicles with the Walker Trait may turn as many times as 
  they like when moving, regardless of how far they move.
  Weapons
  Turret-mounted Battle Cannon (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+10 X; Pen 
  8; Clip 12; Reload 3 Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3], Reliable)
  Hull-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Bolter (Front Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 
  X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	
  Lascannon (Front Facing; 300m; 
  S/–/–; 5d10+10 E; Pen 10; Clip 
  30; Reload 2 Full; Proven [3])
  •	•	 Heavy Flamer (Front Facing; 30m; 
  Heavy Flamer (Front Facing; 30m; 
  S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; Pen 4; Clip 20; 
  Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  
  216
  216
  VI: Armoury
  Weapons
  Turret-mounted Demolisher Cannon (50m; S/–/–; 4d10+20 
  X; Pen 10; Clip 2; Reload Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3])
  Hull-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Bolter (Front Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 X; 
  Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	 Lascannon (Front Facing; 300m; S/–/–; 5d10+10 E; 
  Pen 10; Clip 30; Reload 2 Full; Proven [3])
  •	 Heavy Flamer (Front Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; 
  Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  Options
  The Demolisher may take two Sponson-mounted weapons 
  (choose one of the following):
  •	 2 Heavy Bolters (Left Facing/Right Facing; 150m; –/–
  /6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	 2 Heavy Flamers (Left Facing/Right Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 
  1d10+5 E; Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  •	 2 Plasma Cannons (Left Facing/Right Facing; 120m; 
  S/–/–; 2d10+10 E; Pen 8; Clip 32; Reload 5 Full; Blast 
  [1], Maximal, Overheat)
  •	 2 Multi-meltas (Left Facing/Right Facing; 60m; S/–/–; 
  2d10+16 E; Pen 12; Clip 24; Reload Full; Blast (1), Melta)
  The Demolisher may take one Pintle-mounted weapon 
  mounted atop the turret (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8; 1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 
  80; Reload 2 Full)
  •	 Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 X; Pen 4; Clip 60; 
  Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)
  LEMAN RUSS VANQUISHER
  An extremely sophisticated and rare variant of the basic 
  Leman Russ, the Vanquisher is a dedicated vehicle destroyer 
  and command tank. Equipped with the exceptionally long-
  barrelled vanquisher cannon, a Vanquisher is capable of 
  sending specialist anti-tank shells that far outclass standard 
  anti-tank munitions. Their built-in command and control 
  systems also make them natural choices for squadron and 
  company command vehicles, and Vanquisher crews are 
  usually hand-picked from the best within any given regiment.
  The unfortunate reality when it comes to the Vanquisher 
  is that they are in short supply. Very few Forge Worlds now 
  possess the ability to make vanquisher cannons and the 
  specialist ammunition they use, and many Vanquishers have 
  to make do with standard types of ammunition when their 
  namesake rounds are unavailable.
  Vanquishers are usually kept towards the middle of an 
  armoured advance as to not expose them to enemy ﬁre too 
  early into a confrontation and to ensure that they can keep 
  an eye on the battle around them, putting their command 
  and control systems to better use. The extra range their 
  vanquisher cannons afford mean they can often snipe enemy 
  vehicles from afar before moving in closer to use their 
  secondary weapons. Tank commanders privileged enough to 
  ﬁnd themselves leading the crew of a Vanquisher often have 
  good prospects for rank advancement, and their tanks are 
  often afforded much glory in the name of the God-Emperor.
  Options
  The Leman Russ may take two Sponson-mounted weapons 
  (choose one of the following):
  •	 2 Heavy Bolters (Left Facing/Right Facing; 150m; –/–
  /6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	 2 Heavy Flamers (Left Facing/Right Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 
  1d10+5 E; Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  •	 2 Plasma Cannons (Left Facing/Right Facing; 120m; 
  S/–/–; 2d10+10 E; Pen 8; Clip 32; Reload 5 Full; Blast 
  [1], Maximal, Overheat)
  The Leman Russ may take one Pintle-mounted weapon 
  mounted atop the turret (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8; 1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 
  80; Reload 2 Full)
  •	 Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 X; Pen 4; Clip 60; 
  Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)
  LEMAN RUSS DEMOLISHER
  The Demolisher gets its name from the enormous siege 
  cannon that sits within its turret. This demolisher cannon 
  ﬁres massive shells that can level buildings, annihilate heavily 
  armoured infantry, and obliterate vehicles in a single hit. 
  However, the main cannon is not the only thing that makes 
  the Demolisher so dangerous and so popular amongst the 
  infantry of the Imperial Guard.
  Based on the venerable chassis and construction 
  techniques of the Leman Russ, the Demolisher strains its 
  engine by adding even more armour to its rear quarters and 
  thickening the armour in all other locations. This makes it 
  one of the slower vehicles in the Imperial Guard arsenal, 
  almost as slow as some of the colossal super-heavy tanks, 
  but also one of the most resilient. Demolishers can form 
  bulwarks in defensive actions, and a line of these tanks can 
  hold off a determined attacker for hours, if not days, when 
  properly supplied with ammunition.
  On the offensive, the Demolisher acts as a siege tank, 
  spearheading attacks against the most hardened points of 
  enemy resistance. Often equipped with hull lascannons and 
  exceptionally dangerous sponson weaponry such as plasma 
  cannons and multi-meltas, these siege tanks can blast holes 
  in enemy formations, allowing for faster elements to move 
  in and claim their objectives. The Demolisher is a vital and 
  powerful element of any Armoured Company.
  Type: Tracked Vehicle 
  Tactical Speed: 10 m
  Cruising Speed: 28 kph  
  Manoeuvrability: –15
  Structural Integrity: 60 
   
  Size: Massive
  Armour: Front 40, Side 35, Rear 22
  Vehicle Traits: Enclosed, Reinforced Armour, Ponderous, 
  Tracked Vehicle
  Crew: 1 Commander (Turret), 1 Driver, 1 Gunner (Turret), 1 
  Loader/Gunner (Turret/Hull Weapon), 2 additional Gunners 
  (Sponsons; if taken)
  Carrying Capacity: None
  
  217
  217
  VI: Armoury
  CHIMERA ARMOURED TRANSPORT
  More than a simple armoured personnel carrier, the Chimera 
  is both a transport vehicle and light tank, and its dependable 
  frame and universal design forms the backbone of the 
  Imperial Guard’s armoured might.
  The Chimera is designed to transport a full squad 
  of Guardsmen into the thick of the ﬁghting, whilst still 
  providing support in the form of heavy ﬁrepower. The 
  Chimera’s heavily armoured front makes it ideal for head-on 
  assaults where lines of Chimeras can form an exceptionally 
  effective spearhead, backed up by the infantry within them.
  The Chimera’s success is also down to its versatility. More 
  vehicles are based upon the Chimera design than any other, 
  from command tanks like the Salamander to self-propelled 
  artillery like the Medusa. Even the basic Chimera itself has many 
  variants, and its modular turret and hull mounts can be adapted 
  to a number of different weapon conﬁgurations to ensure a level 
  of tactical ﬂexibility not normally achievable with other Guard 
  vehicles. The Chimera’s adaptability is such that many other 
  organisations, such as the Inquisition and the Adeptus Arbites, 
  also employ the vehicle, making it one of the most ubiquitous 
  designs in the galaxy.
  Type: Tracked Vehicle 
  Tactical Speed: 15 m
  Cruising Speed: 70 kph  
  Manoeuvrability: +0
  Structural Integrity: 35 
  Size: Massive
  Armour: Front 30, Side 22, Rear 16
  Vehicle Traits: Amphibious, Enclosed, Rugged, Tracked Vehicle
  Crew: 1 Commander (Turret), 1 Driver, 1 Gunner (Hull Weapon)
  Carrying Capacity: 12 Imperial Guardsmen plus wargear
  Weapons
  Turret-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Multi-laser (150m; –/–/5; 2d10+10 E; Pen 2; Clip 
  100; Reload 2 Full; Reliable)
  •	 Heavy Bolter (150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 
  60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	 Heavy Flamer (30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; Pen 4; Clip 20; 
  Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  •	 Autocannon (300m; S/3/–; 3d10+8 I; Pen 6; Clip 40; 
  Reload 2 Full; Reliable)
  Hull-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Bolter (Front Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 X; 
  Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	 Heavy Flamer (Front Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; 
  Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  Options
  The Chimera may take one Pintle-mounted weapon mounted 
  atop the turret (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8; 1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 
  80; Reload 2 Full)
  •	 Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 X; Pen 4; Clip 60; 
  Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)
  Type: Tracked Vehicle 
  Tactical Speed: 12 m
  Cruising Speed: 35 kph  
  Manoeuvrability: –10
  Structural Integrity: 55 
  Size: Massive
  Armour: Front 40, Side 32, Rear 20
  Vehicle Traits: Command and Control, Enclosed, Reinforced 
  Armour, Tracked Vehicle
  Crew: 1 Commander (Turret), 1 Driver, 1 Gunner (Turret), 1 
  Loader/Gunner (Turret/Hull Weapon), 2 additional Gunners 
  (Sponsons; if taken)
  Carrying Capacity: None
  Weapons
  Turret-mounted Vanquisher Cannon (900m; S/–/–; 3d10+5 
  X; Pen 16; Clip 6; Reload 2 Full; Accurate)
  Hull-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Bolter (Front Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 X; 
  Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	 Lascannon (Front Facing; 300m; S/–/–; 5d10+10 E; 
  Pen 10; Clip 30; Reload 2 Full; Proven [3])
  •	 Heavy Flamer (Front Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; 
  Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  Options
  The Leman Russ Vanquisher may take two Sponson-mounted 
  weapons (choose one of the following):
  •	 2 Heavy Bolters (Left Facing/Right Facing; 150m; –/–
  /6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	 2 Heavy Flamers (Left Facing/Right Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 
  1d10+5 E; Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  •	 2 Plasma Cannons (Left Facing/Right Facing; 120m; 
  S/–/–; 2d10+10 E; Pen 8; Clip 32; Reload 5 Full; Blast 
  [1], Maximal, Overheat)
  The Leman Russ Vanquisher may take one Pintle-mounted 
  weapon mounted atop the turret (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8; 1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 
  80; Reload 2 Full)
  •	 Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 X; Pen 4; Clip 60; 
  Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)
  Special Rules
  There are very few forge worlds that still produce Leman 
  Russ Vanquishers. As a result, each Vanquisher tends to 
  be identiﬁable from the perspective of which Forge World 
  it originated from, including those that produce slightly 
  different versions to the norm. At the GM’s discretion, a 
  Vanquisher may be changed to a Gryphonne-pattern or 
  Stygies-pattern Vanquisher. These types of Vanquishers are 
  functionally the same, but their turrets also feature a Co-Axial 
  storm bolter (Co-Axial Mount; 90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 X; Pen 
  4; Clip 60; Reload Full; Storm, Tearing).
  
  218
  VI: Armoury
  Weapons
  Earthshaker Cannon on a Fixed weapon mounting (3,500m; 
  S/–/–; 4d10+10 X; Pen 8; Clip 1; Reload Full; Blast [20], 
  Concussive [3], Indirect [5])
  Hull-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Bolter (Front Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 X; 
  Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	 Heavy Flamer (Front Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; 
  Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  Options
  The Basilisk may take one Pintle-mounted weapon, mounted 
  at the front of the vehicle (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8; 1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 
  80; Reload 2Full)
  •	 Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 X; Pen 4; Clip 60; 
  Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)
  Special Rules
  A number of variants of the Basilisk exist, including several that 
  fully enclose the main gun and the gun’s operators. At the GM’s 
  discretion, a Basilisk may be given the Enclosed Vehicle Trait, 
  losing the Open-Topped Vehicle Trait. Additionally, unlike a 
  many artillery platforms, the Basilisk is capable of being used 
  as a direct ﬁre siege gun. By spending a Full Action, the crew 
  of Basilisk can remove (or add) the Indirect Quality to the 
  Earthshaker Cannon mounted on their vehicle. All the usual 
  requirements for Standard Attack Actions apply, such as Line of 
  Sight, when ﬁring the earthshaker cannon without this Quality.
  HELLHOUND FLAME TANK
  One of the more specialist variants of the Chimera chassis, 
  the Hellhound Flame Tank is a dedicated anti-infantry tank 
  designed to clear out masses of troops with its fearsome inferno 
  cannon. Watching a Hellhound in action is a frightening 
  prospect, as great gouts of ﬁery promethium spray outwards in 
  a large arc. The effect is short lived, but the roar of its scorching 
  payload is soon replaced by the tortured screams of those 
  unfortunate enough to be caught in the wave of ﬁre.
  Hellhounds are suited to the more reckless and cavalier of 
  vehicle crews, as while they may have increased armour across 
  their ﬂanks, they do carry vast amounts of highly explosive 
  promethium fuel. Every hit could spell potential disaster for a 
  Hellhound and its crew, and exposed infantry tend to give the 
  tank a wide berth in case a well-aimed shot from an enemy 
  turns the tank into a raging ﬁreball of titanic proportions.
  Despite these obvious drawbacks, the Hellhound itself has 
  a good reputation as a quick strike vehicle, moving ahead of 
  the main line to torch dug-in enemy positions and burn away 
  obstructions for the slower and heavier vehicles that follow behind 
  it. The enemies of Mankind know to fear the Hellhound and their 
  crews exploit this well-deserved dread at every opportunity.
  Type: Tracked Vehicle 
  Tactical Speed: 18 m
  Cruising Speed: 70 kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +10
  Structural Integrity: 30 
  Size: Massive
  Armour: Front 30, Side 28, Rear 18
  Vehicle Traits: Enclosed, Enhanced Motive Systems, 
  Extremely Volatile, Reinforced Armour, Tracked Vehicle
  Special Rules
  There are a wide variety of Chimera conﬁgurations and it is 
  fairly common to see specialist command Chimeras leading 
  mechanised infantry platoons. At the GM’s discretion, a 
  Chimera may be given the Command and Control Vehicle 
  Trait. Additionally, most Chimeras have several ﬁring ports 
  running along their ﬂanks (3 per side). Sometimes these 
  are taken up by hull-mounted lasguns to be controlled by 
  transported troops, but if not, they may be used as ﬁring 
  ports by passengers. The Chimera also has a hatch on top 
  of the hull that can be used by passengers as a method of 
  embarkation/disembarkation as well as a ﬁring point.
  BASILISK
  Showing just how multi-purpose the basic Chimera chassis is, 
  the Basilisk is not a transport vehicle at all but is instead the 
  premiere artillery unit of the Imperial Guard. Entire sectors 
  have had their fates decided by the power and roar of the 
  Basilisk’s mighty earthshaker cannon, and, true to its basic 
  construction, it remains one of the more versatile artillery 
  units available to Guard commanders.
  Basilisk batteries are capable of ﬂattening entire cities, 
  decimating tank formations and cutting a swathe through 
  massed ranks of advancing infantry. This ability stems from 
  the earthshaker artillery shell, a type of ordnance so potent 
  and so powerful that it tends to literally shake its targets 
  apart. Destroying the enemies of the God-Emperor is not the 
  only thing a Basilisk can do, as its main gun can ﬁre a variety 
  of shells in order to support its fellow infantry. Illumination 
  shells can carpet battleﬁelds in daylight, forcing heretics 
  and xenos alike out of the darkness, and smoke shells can 
  keep Imperial Guard infantry and tanks safe as they advance 
  towards their targets. With abilities like these, the Basilisk 
  becomes more than just another artillery piece—it becomes a 
  vital part of the Imperial Guard war machine.
  Type: Tracked Vehicle 
  Tactical Speed: 12 m
  Cruising Speed: 35 kph  
  Manoeuvrability: –5
  Structural Integrity: 40 
  Size: Massive
  Armour: Front 30, Side 18, Rear 16
  Vehicle Traits: Open-Topped, Tracked Vehicle
  Crew: 1 Commander (main gun), 1 Driver, 1 Gunner (Hull 
  Weapon), 1 Loader (main gun)
  Carrying Capacity: None
  
  219
  VI: Armoury
  Type: Walker 
   
  Tactical Speed: 10 m
  Cruising Speed: 45 kph  
  Manoeuvrability: +10
  Structural Integrity: 20 
  Size: Enormous
  Armour: Front 25, Side 15, Rear 15
  Vehicle Traits: Enhanced Motive Systems, Open-Topped, 
  Walker
  Crew: 1 Driver
  Carrying Capacity: None
  Weapons
  One weapon chosen from the following:
  •	 Multi-laser (150m; –/–/5; 2d10+10 E; Pen 2; Clip 
  100; Reload 2 Full; Reliable)
  •	 Heavy Flamer (30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; Pen 4; Clip 20; 
  Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  •	 Autocannon (300m; S/3/–; 3d10+8 I; Pen 6; Clip 40; 
  Reload 2 Full; Reliable)
  •	 Lascannon (300m; S/–/–; 5d10+10 E; Pen 10; Clip 30; 
  Reload 2 Full; Proven [3])
  Special Rules
  Some Sentinels are used to clear out large areas of forest and 
  jungle using a specially adapted chainblade. Ostensibly, these 
  blades are not designed for melee combat, but that doesn’t 
  stop Sentinel pilots from using them against the enemy should 
  they get too close. At the GM’s discretion, a Sentinel may be 
  given a large chainblade (Melee; 2d10+4; Pen 4; Tearing, 
  Unwieldy) that may be used like any other Melee weapon. 
  The chainblade gains no Strength Bonus from the pilot and it 
  does not replace the standard shooting weapon. Alternatively, 
  the GM can choose to replace the Sentinel’s Enhanced Motive 
  Systems Vehicle Trait with the Reinforced Armour and/or 
  Enclosed Vehicle Traits. If given the Enclosed Vehicle Trait, 
  the Sentinel loses its Open-Topped Vehicle Trait. Finally, in 
  very rare circumstances, the GM may agree to give a Sentinel 
  the Orbital Deployment Vehicle Trait as a way of representing 
  the Sentinel being deployed via grav chute. However, this sort 
  of deployment method should be considerably uncommon 
  outside of Elysian units.
  BANEBLADE
  The Baneblade is easily one of the most dangerous vehicles 
  on the battleﬁelds of the 41st Millennium. Colossal vehicles, 
  Baneblades make Leman Russ battle tanks look tiny and 
  pathetic in comparison, and the morale boost from seeing 
  one of these metal leviathans can never be underestimated. 
  Baneblades are bristling with weapons and can engage more 
  targets by themselves than most vehicle squadrons. Their 
  armour is nigh on impenetrable to small arms ﬁre and they can 
  shrug off hits that would core even a Leman Russ Demolisher.
  A Baneblade’s main weapon is the huge baneblade cannon. 
  Firing a specially designed rocket-propelled warhead, it 
  can remove entire chunks of the battleﬁeld in ﬁery plumes 
  of death and destruction. An autocannon is slaved to the 
  main cannon in a co-axial mount, mainly used to guide 
  the larger gun’s shots. However, unlike some super-
  heavy vehicles, the Baneblade’s arsenal does not end 
  with its primary weapon. A hull-mounted demolisher 
  Crew: 1 Commander (main gun), 1 Driver, 1 Gunner (Hull 
  Weapon)
  Carrying Capacity: None
  Weapons
  Turret-mounted Inferno Cannon (50m; S/–/–; 2d10+15 E; 
  Pen 8; Clip 100; Reload  —; Flame, Spray)
  Hull-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Bolter (Front Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 X; 
  Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
  •	 Heavy Flamer (Front Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; 
  Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
  Options
  The Hellhound may take one Pintle-mounted weapon, 
  mounted atop the turret (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8; 1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 
  80; Reload 2 Full)
  •	 Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 X; Pen 4; Clip 60; 
  Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)
  Special Rules
  The vast quantity of promethium fuel carried by a Hellhound 
  gives it a considerable amount of staying power in prolonged 
  engagements. The inferno cannon carried by the Hellhound 
  doubles its Clip Size to 100 rather than 50 (this has been 
  included in the proﬁle above). Additionally, once the Hellhound 
  has used all the ammunition for its inferno cannon, it loses the 
  Extremely Volatile Vehicle Trait until the fuel has been reloaded.
  SENTINEL SCOUT WALKER
  Small and lightly built, the Sentinel is mostly employed as a 
  reconnaissance walker, ranging far ahead of the main advance 
  in order to ﬁnd areas where the enemy is concentrated the most 
  or to launch ambushes upon the enemy’s own forward elements. 
  They also make excellent close support weapon platforms, 
  especially in tight quarters where their exceptional mobility and 
  capacity to move and ﬁre heavy weapons comes into its own.
  Sentinels have very little armour, and most variants leave 
  their single pilot exposed to the elements. This makes them ill-
  suited to drawn-out conﬂicts or front line action. Sentinel pilots 
  often have to be very careful about the targets they choose, 
  and learn to value their small walker’s quick ground speeds. 
  Variants with enclosed cockpits and even heavy armour do 
  exist, but these are rarely used for reconnaissance roles.
  Sentinels can be equipped with a wide variety of weapon 
  systems that give Guard commanders a decent amount of 
  options as to what types of targets they want their Sentinel 
  squadrons to attack. The multi-laser is the most frequently used, 
  but long-ranged autocannons and powerful lascannons are also 
  quite common. There are even some specialist designs, such 
  as the Elysian Drop Sentinel, that make use of very powerful 
  weapons such as the multi-melta, a weapon not usually seen 
  outside of the heaviest Imperial Guard Armoured Companies. 
  This level of tactical ability, along with their capacity for 
  traversing more terrain types than heavier vehicles, makes the 
  Sentinel a valuable asset to the Imperial Guard and gives Guard 
  commanders a higher level of strategic ﬂexibility.
  
  220
  VI: Armoury
  Special Rules
  Baneblades have weapon mountings across their entire 
  hull. To further clarify the weapons listed above, each of 
  the Turret-mounted lascannons are located on top of the 
  Sponson-mounted twin-linked heavy bolters, and the Turret-
  mounted twin-linked heavy bolter is mounted far forward on 
  the Baneblade’s hull, to the right of the demolisher cannon. 
  Remember that whilst turrets have a 360-degree Fire Arc, 
  the vehicle itself blocks this and limits the smaller turrets’ 
  Fire Arcs (especially the twin-linked heavy bolter turret). 
  Additionally, the sophisticated machine spirits slaved to 
  the Baneblade’s lascannons mean they can be ﬁred at the 
  same time and at different targets, as the vehicle’s sponson-
  mounted twin-linked heavy bolters by the same gunner as a 
  Full Action. 
  Baneblades are often used as more than just command 
  tanks, but command and control fortresses that can coordinate 
  the attacks of multiple vehicle squadrons at once. At the GM’s 
  discretion, a Baneblade may be given the Improved Command 
  and Control Vehicle Trait in place of its standard Command 
  and Control Vehicle Trait. Additionally, the Baneblade may be 
  given the Environmentally Sealed Vehicle Trait. If an Enginseer 
  is part of a Baneblade’s crew, its own Damage Control systems 
  are enhanced. In these instances, the vehicle’s Reinforced 
  Armour Vehicle Trait counts against Righteous Fury rolls and 
  all Tests to put out ﬁres gain a +20 bonus.
    
  cannon gives the Baneblade added punch at shorter ranges 
  and a trio of twin-linked heavy bolters give it the defensive 
  ﬁrepower of an entire squadron of Leman Russ. Finally, two 
  strategically placed lascannon turrets give the Baneblade 
  protection against ﬂanking vehicles, especially walkers, who 
  can often turn the Baneblade’s sluggish speed against it.
  To be the commander of a Baneblade is to be a god among 
  other tank crews. Baneblades are always in high demand and 
  most Imperial Guard armies will be lucky to have one in 
  their service, let alone a full squadron. However, even one 
  Baneblade can turn the tide of a losing battle, or make the 
  break in a vital siege—there is almost nothing that can stand 
  in a Baneblade’s way.
  Type: Tracked Vehicle 
  Tactical Speed: 8 m
  Cruising Speed: 25 kph  
  Manoeuvrability: –30
  Structural Integrity: 120 
  Size: Monumental
  Armour: Front 45, Side 38, Rear 30
  Vehicle Traits: Command and Control, Damage Control, 
  Enclosed, Ponderous, Reinforced Armour, Super-Heavy, 
  Tracked Vehicle
  Crew: 1 Commander (Turret), 1 Driver, 5 Gunners (Turret/
  Demolisher cannon/Hull heavy bolter turret/both sponsons), 
  2 Loaders (Turret/Demolisher cannon). Baneblades usually 
  have a dedicated comms-operator and sometimes have an 
  Enginseer as part of their crew.
  Carrying Capacity: None
  Weapons
  Turret-mounted 
  Baneblade 
  Cannon 
  (750m; 
  S/–/–; 
  3d10+15 X; Pen 10; Clip 12; 3 Full; Blast [12], Concussive 
  [3], Reliable) with Co-Axial mounted M34 Auto-cannon 
  (300m; S/3/–; 3d10+8 I; Pen 6; Clip 20; 2 Full; Ogryn-
  Proof, Reliable)
  Hull-mounted Demolisher Cannon (Front Facing; 50m; 
  S/–/–; 4d10+20 X; Pen 10; Clip 2; Reload Full; Blast 
  [10], Concussive [3])
  Turret-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolter (150m;–
  /–/6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; 
  Tearing, Twin-Linked)
  2 Sponson-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 
  (Left Facing/Right Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 
  1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing, 
  Twin-Linked)
  2 Turret-mounted Lascannons (300m; S/–/–; 
  5d10+10 E; Pen 10; Clip 30; Reload 2 
  Full; Proven [3]) 
  Options
  The Baneblade may take one Pintle-
  mounted weapon mounted atop the 
  turret (choose one of the following):
  •	 Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8; 
  1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 80; 
  Reload 2 Full)
  •	 Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 
  X; Pen 4; Clip 60; Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)
  all Tests to put out ﬁres gain a +20 bonus.
    
  Turret-mounted 
  Baneblade 
  Cannon 
  (750m; 
  S/–/–; 
  3d10+15 X; Pen 10; Clip 12; 3 Full; Blast [12], Concussive 
  [3], Reliable) with Co-Axial mounted M34 Auto-cannon 
  (300m; S/3/–; 3d10+8 I; Pen 6; Clip 20; 2 Full; Ogryn-
  Hull-mounted Demolisher Cannon (Front Facing; 50m; 
  S/–/–; 4d10+20 X; Pen 10; Clip 2; Reload Full; Blast 
  Turret-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolter (150m;–
  /–/6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; 
  2 Sponson-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 
  (Left Facing/Right Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 
  1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing, 
  2 Turret-mounted Lascannons (300m; S/–/–; 
  5d10+10 E; Pen 10; Clip 30; Reload 2 
  The Baneblade may take one Pintle-
  mounted weapon mounted atop the 
  turret (choose one of the following):
  Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8; 
  1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 80; 
  Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 
  X; Pen 4; Clip 60; Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)
  
  USING PSYCHIC 
  POWERS
  •
  BIOMANCY
  •
  DIVINATION
  •
  PYROMANCY
  •
  TELEKINESIS
  •
  TELEPATHY
  
  advice pulled from the Aether. Particularly wily and talented 
  psykers may be called in to serve in one of the Inquisition. 
  Many psykers are branded and marked, ensuring that they 
  may be easily identiﬁed and punished for any unusual activity, 
  wherever they may be.
  PSYKERS IN THE  
  IMPERIAL GUARD
  Psykers play an important role amongst the ranks of the 
  Imperial Guard. Gathered into large psychic choirs, a group 
  of psykers can weave their power together to perform 
  extraordinary feats. As they gain experience, psykers can 
  even ascend to the rank of Primaris Psyker, accompanying 
  Imperial commanders into battle and summoning incredibly 
  destructive powers to turn the tides of battle. These potent 
  individuals are viewed with a mix of fear and awe by the 
  general ranks of Guardsmen, and having a psyker attached 
  to an Imperial Guard squad can raise tensions considerably.
  SCHOLASTICA PSYKANA
  The Imperium needs psykers, but only those who can use the 
  unstable powers of the Warp for the good of Mankind. When 
  the seed of power is found on any Imperial world, they are 
  gathered, sedated and sent away on board the dreaded Black 
  Ships. They are tested, and those found worthy are selected 
  to attend the revered Scholastica Psykana, where they may 
  learn to control their power. Out of these countless psykers, 
  Chapter 
  VII: Psychic 
  Powers
  “We’re told not to speak to them. Truth is, that’s the easiest order we 
  could hope to follow. I don’t even think they can talk. The only one 
  I ever seen, they keep back with the Captain and his unit; all doped 
  up and stashed away. They call it our ‘Secret Weapon.’ Never seen it 
  do nothin’, though. They said it got used in Krytos, but, if it did, I 
  didn’t see it. Might have done something during that freak ﬁrestorm 
  that tore through the enemy. What? Caused the storm? Shut it! 
  Nothin’ can do that.”
  –Scuttlebutt on board the Wounds of Redemption.
  R
  uinous power. Highly destructive capabilities. A wild 
  card, capable of turning the tides of war. These are 
  the thoughts of many in the Departmento Munitorum 
  when the idea of psykers comes into their minds. For the 
  troops that must serve alongside these beings, they are 
  enigmatic monsters drawing upon eldritch forces, kept in 
  check only by the steady shot of a Commissar’s bolt-pistol. 
  Psykers are feared throughout the Imperium with good 
  reason. On Feral worlds, witches conjure demonic power and 
  break all laws of nature. On more civilized worlds, those who 
  are shown to by psychically active rarely have the time to 
  even realise the power they hold before they are captured 
  and taken to the dreaded Black Ships. From there, they either 
  prove themselves useful enough to serve where needed, or 
  prove too wild and dangerous to be allowed to live; those that 
  come up wanting are taken to Holy Terra. Once there, they 
  will join tens of thousands more psykers in giving their souls 
  to sustain the Emperor for another day.
  While psykers are feared and distrusted throughout the 
  Imperium, the empire of man could not function without 
  them. Psykers are the links that hold Mankind together—
  psychic communication is the only means the Imperium has 
  to communicate over the vast distances of space. Astropaths 
  relay orders, allowing the sweeping force of the Imperial 
  armies to spread across the galaxy. Without psykers, the 
  Imperium would fall apart, with all of the many worlds Man 
  has claimed being unable to communicate with even the 
  lords of their sector. However, every psyker is also a grave 
  danger to those around them. Each psyker is a gateway 
  through which the daemons of the Warp may enter the 
  material world and bring destruction to Mankind. Thus, 
  the collection and training of those who show signs of 
  this power is a serious—and often brutal—undertaking. 
  Those who brandish the power of the Warp in the hopes 
  of building cultish power often meet very swift ends at the 
  hands of dreaded Inquisitors. 
  However, those who prove useful may be put to work 
  for the beneﬁt of man. Clever and competent Psykers 
  may be put to use by the Imperial Guard, or ﬁnd a 
  place in the Imperial Navy, giving Commanders 
  222
  VII: Psychic Powers
  
  223
  223
  VII: Psychic Powers
  USING PSYCHIC POWERS
  When a psyker, such as Sanctioned Psyker, wishes to use a 
  psychic power, he must ﬁrst choose how much power he is 
  pouring into the ability, and any other methods he is using 
  to draw upon and focus the power of the Warp. Then he 
  must make a Focus Power Test (typically, but not always, a 
  Willpower Test, modiﬁed by the difﬁculty of the power and 
  the character’s effective Psy Rating), to see if it manifests. 
  Finally, if the Test is successful, the power will take effect.
  Depending on how much energy the psyker used and 
  what methods he used to bolster his efforts, there may be 
  additional consequences. The step-by-step process for using 
  a psychic power is described below:
  •	Choose the power level (Fettered, Unfettered or Push): 
  The power level at which the psyker uses his power 
  (reﬂecting how deeply he is drawing from the Warp) 
  inﬂuences the likelihood of the psyker successfully 
  manifesting the power, and also determines whether 
  there are any unwanted side effects such as Psychic 
  Phenomena.
  •	 Make a Focus Power Test: In most cases, this is a Willpower 
  Test (though there are some exceptions), the difﬁculty 
  of which depends on the power, and which is modiﬁed 
  further based on the power level chosen. In some cases, 
  determined by the speciﬁc power, the target may Oppose 
  this Test (see page 31 for Opposed Tests).
  •	 Apply the Effects: Depending on the psyker’s ﬁnal Psy 
  Rating (as determined by the power level he has chosen), 
  the power will have variable effects, such as increased 
  range, area of effect, or Damage. Depending on the 
  factors described above, the power may also generate 
  Psychic Phenomena or even Perils of the Warp.
  PSYCHIC STRENGTH
  Whenever a psyker uses a power, he is drawing energy from 
  the Warp and channelling it into physical effects. However, 
  opening such a conduit to the Warp is always dangerous, 
  and the psyker incurs a chance of causing disturbances 
  in the Warp that have undesired side-effects. In extreme 
  cases, these disturbances may even lead to the opening of 
  an uncontrolled rift between reality and the Warp, with 
  potentially fatal consequences. By minimising the amount 
  of power he draws, a psyker can reduce or eliminate the 
  chances of side-effects such as Psychic Phenomena or Perils 
  of the Warp (see page 227). 
  Alternatively, he can draw deeper from the well of the 
  Warp to boost his powers beyond his normal capabilities. 
  Of course, such power always comes with greater risk 
  of unleashing unintended effects or even summoning 
  unwanted visitors from beyond. The precise effects of 
  Psychic Phenomena vary based on the nature of the psyker: 
  The Sanctioned Psykers of the Imperium, the Librarians of 
  the Space Marines, and the traitorous Sorcerers of the Chaos 
  Space Marines draw on less power but may use it more 
  safely, while unsanctioned witches and mortal wyrds are 
  subject to harsher effects, but can draw more deeply 
  in return, and those who are not mortal (that is, 
  only a very small percentage will leave alive. Most meet their 
  end in the deadly training, or are executed by the overseers 
  when their power exceeds their control. If they are to control 
  the energies of the Warp, they must ﬁrst learn its true nature. 
  Many are driven mad when they ﬁrst look into the roiling 
  energies of the Warp, and see it staring back at them. Those 
  who survive their trials may become Sanctioned Psykers. 
  Once sanctioned, a psyker may be approached by certain 
  powerful individuals, if they have shown exceptional power 
  and control. For most Sanctioned Psykers, they will get their 
  chance to serve the Imperium and prove their loyalty to the 
  Emperor amongst the ranks of the Imperial Guard. 
  THE ENEMY
  Unfortunately for the Guardsmen ﬁghting the Imperium’s 
  wars, the psykers of the Imperium are not the only beings in 
  the galaxy who can wield the foul powers of the Warp. From 
  mysterious Eldar Farseers and vicious Chaos Sorcerers, to 
  unpredictable Ork Weirdboyz and the ominous Zoanthropes 
  of the Tyranid Hive Fleets, powerful psychic individuals 
  stand amongst the ranks of almost all of the enemies of man. 
  Simply seeing the destruction that can be wrought by these 
  individuals can drive a Guardsman mad. 
  Psychic Powers 
  in Only War
  P
  sychic powers are the physical manifestation of a 
  psyker’s abilities, and mark him as distinct from any 
  other kind of character. In ONLY WAR, psychic powers 
  are only available to Player Characters who are Sanctioned 
  Psykers. Over the course of their adventures, troops may 
  encounter other beings that manifest powers using Warp 
  energies. In all cases, the GM and players should use the rules 
  presented here to represent a psyker’s deadly gifts.
  PSY RATINGS
  Psy Rating (PR) is a raw measure of a psyker’s power and his 
  ability to draw power from the Warp. The higher a psyker’s 
  PR, the more powerful he will be. PR usually ranges from 
  1 (a novice Imperial psyker or petty Warp-witch) to 10 (a 
  monstrous Greater Daemon or masterful Eldar Farseer), 
  though in some extremely special cases it may go higher still. 
  PR is used to determine the potency of all psychic powers, 
  such as range, area effect, or Damage. To have any access to 
  psychic powers, a character must have a PR of at least 1. 
  A starting Sanctioned Psyker has a Psy Rating of 2. Unlike 
  other characteristics, however, Psy Rating is increased by 
  spending Experience Points in a similar manner to gaining 
  Talents. This represents the character’s natural potential, 
  his training, and his growing connection to the Warp (see 
  Chapter III: Character Creation).
  
  and must roll on Table 7–2: Psychic Phenomena. 
  Note that it is possible for a psyker to successfully pass 
  his Focus Power Test (thus successfully activating the 
  power) and still suffer Psychic Phenomena. 
  •	 Push: The psyker draws deeply and greedily from the 
  Warp, and hurls as much power forth as he possibly can 
  in an attempt to manifest truly wondrous and terrifying 
  effects. When using a power at the Push level, he must 
  make a Focus Power Test (see below) to manifest the 
  power. As the psyker is drawing deeply and recklessly 
  from the Warp, he may add +1 to +3 (or more 
  depending on the type of the psyker; this is detailed on 
  Table 7–1: Psychic Strength) to his Psy Rating when 
  determining the bonus applied to his Focus Power Test 
  and any effects the power has. However, regardless of 
  the Test’s result, the psyker will automatically generate 
  a signiﬁcant disturbance in the Warp and must roll on 
  Table 7–2: Psychic Phenomena and modify the 
  result depending on the psyker’s nature as described in 
  Table 7–1: Psychic Strength. Additionally, Pushing 
  a power is taxing—if a psyker using this level of power 
  rolls a double on his Focus Power Tests, he suffers a 
  level of Fatigue from the effort.
  those with the Daemonic Trait) remain largely unperturbed 
  by such trivial ﬂuctuations of the Warp, and suffer far less 
  severe effects. These varying effects are described on Table 
  7–1: Psychic Strength.
  When a psyker uses a power, he has a choice of using it at 
  one of three different levels:
  •	 Fettered: The psyker holds back his full power and 
  carefully channels energy from the Warp, hopefully 
  using just enough to manifest the power but not 
  enough to trigger unnatural or dangerous effects. 
  When any psyker uses a power at the Fettered level, 
  he must make a Focus Power Test (see below) to 
  manifest the power. The limited power involved 
  means that the psyker must halve his PR (rounding 
  up) when determining the bonus applied to the Focus 
  Power Test and any effects the power has. However, 
  regardless of the results of the Focus Power Test, there 
  is no risk of triggering Psychic Phenomena.
  •	 Unfettered: The psyker puts the full weight of his 
  ability into the power and embraces the raging powers 
  of the Warp. When a Psyker uses a power at the 
  Unfettered level, he must make a Focus Power Test (see 
  below) to manifest the power. As he is using his full 
  natural ability, he uses his full PR when determining 
  the bonus applied to his Focus Power Test and any 
  effects the power has. However, should he roll a 
  double (that is, both the tens dice and the units 
  dice come up with the same number), he will 
  suffer from an unexpected surge in the Warp 
  Table 7–1: Psychic Strength
  Class of Psyker
  Fettered (Psy
  Rating/2)
  Unfettered (Psy
  Rating)
  Push (Psy Rating +1
  to +3/+4/+5)
  Sustaining Powers
  Bound: Sanctioned 
  Psykers and 
  Astropaths, sorcerers, 
  Librarians, and 
  Chaos Space 
  Marines
  Make a Focus Power 
  Test, counting 
  Psy Rating as half 
  normal. No chance
  to manifest Psychic
  Phenomena.
  If the psyker rolls doubles 
  during a Focus Power 
  Test, roll on the Psychic 
  Phenomena Table (see 
  page 227).
  May add up to +3 
  to Psy Rating when 
  Pushing. Roll on the 
  Psychic Phenomena 
  Table, adding +10 to 
  the total.
  +10 to all rolls 
  on the Psychic 
  Phenomena Table, 
  decrease Psy Rating 
  by 1 per power.
  Unbound: Wyrds,
  renegade psykers
  and mortal sorcerers
  Make a Focus Power 
  Test, counting 
  Psy Rating as half 
  normal. No chance
  to manifest Psychic
  Phenomena.
  If the psyker rolls doubles 
  during a Focus Power 
  Test, roll on the Psychic 
  Phenomena Table (see 
  page 227), adding +10 
  to the total.
  May add up to +5 to 
  Psy Rating. Roll on the 
  Psychic Phenomena 
  Table at +5 per +1 
  PR added, up to a 
  maximum of +25.
  +10 to all rolls 
  on the Psychic 
  Phenomena Table, 
  decrease Psy Rating 
  by 1 per power.
  Daemonic:
  psychic daemons, 
  Daemonhosts, and 
  daemon princes
  May not use powers 
  at the Fettered level.
  If the psyker rolls doubles 
  during a Focus Power 
  Test, roll on the Psychic 
  Phenomena Table (see 
  page 227), adding +10 
  to the total. The psyker is 
  not affected by the result 
  unless the result causes 
  Perils of the Warp, though 
  those around him may be.
  May add up to +4 to
  Psy Rating. Roll on the 
  Psychic Phenomena 
  Table at +10 per +1 
  PR added, up to a 
  maximum of +40. The 
  psyker is not affected 
  by the result unless the 
  result causes Perils of 
  the Warp, though those 
  around him may be.
  +10 to all rolls 
  on the Psychic 
  Phenomena Table, 
  decrease Psy Rating 
  by 1 per power. The 
  psyker is not affected 
  by the result unless 
  the result causes 
  Perils of the Warp, 
  though those around 
  him may be.
  224
  VII: Psychic Powers
  
  225
  VII: Psychic Powers
  SUSTAINING PSYCHIC POWERS
  Some psychic powers can be sustained for a prolonged period 
  of time, as noted in their description. A psyker may sustain 
  such powers without the need to make further rolls, taking 
  only a small amount of effort to sustain a single power. 
  However, attempting to maintain multiple powers at once 
  becomes increasingly taxing, dividing the psyker’s attention 
  between several simultaneous effects and requiring ever 
  greater amounts of concentration.
  Any power that can be sustained has a listed Action which 
  deﬁnes how much effort the power requires to sustain—for 
  example, a power with a Sustain Requirement of Half Action 
  requires a Half Action each Turn to sustain its effects. If the 
  psyker is only attempting to sustain a single power, this is 
  enough to maintain the effects. Any power that does not have 
  the required Action spent to sustain it ends at the end of the 
  psyker’s Turn.
  Sustaining multiple powers is more difﬁcult and more 
  tiring. Any character attempting to sustain two or more 
  powers at once must spend the longest Action from the 
  Sustain Requirements of all the powers being sustained, 
  and reduces the effective Psy Rating for each power by the 
  number of powers being sustained. More perilous still, the 
  amount of energy the psyker is attempting to wield becomes 
  unstable, swiftly going out of control at the most minor slip of 
  concentration. Should the psyker cause Psychic Phenomena 
  while sustaining more than one power, then he must add +10 
  to the result rolled on Table 7–2: Psychic Phenomena for 
  every power after the ﬁrst being sustained.
  CUMULATIVE EFFECTS
  Modiﬁers, Characteristic increases, and other beneﬁts generated 
  by psychic powers do not stack with each other—only the 
  highest applies. They do stack with non-psychic bonuses, such 
  as those granted by equipment and environment.
  RANGE AND LINE OF SIGHT
  Unless noted in its description, a psychic power that directly 
  targets an individual or thing requires a psyker to have line 
  of sight toward (or otherwise be “aware” of ) the target. The 
  target must also be within the power’s stated range.
  DETECTING PSYCHIC POWERS
  Psykers are attuned to the Warp around them, able to sense 
  the currents and eddies caused by other psykers dipping into 
  the ﬂow of the Immaterium. When psychic powers are in 
  effect in a psyker’s presence, he can make a Psyniscience Test 
  in order to determine their source (see page 129 for details 
  on the Psyniscience Skill and its uses).
  FOCUS POWER TEST
  Any use of a psychic power begins with a Focus Power 
  Action (see page 245), which requires a Focus Power Test 
  to determine whether or not the power manifests successfully, 
  and how potent its effects are. The amount of time this action 
  takes is determined by the power being used, and may be a 
  Free Action, Half Action, Full Action, or Reaction. In most 
  cases, a Focus Power Test is a Willpower Test, modiﬁed by the 
  difﬁculty of the power being used, and the Psy Rating of the 
  psyker, which grants a +5 bonus to the Test for every point of 
  Psy Rating the psyker uses for that power. If this Test is passed, 
  the power has manifested, while failing the Test means that 
  the power does not manifest and nothing happens, though the 
  Action is still used regardless of whether the power takes effect. 
  A result of 91 or higher always indicates failure, regardless of 
  any other factors. In many cases, the number of Degrees of 
  Success scored when passing the Focus Power Test determines 
  some of the effects of the power—when this is the case, it will 
  be noted in the power’s description.
  Many powers also indicate an Opposed Test, especially 
  when used against an unwilling foe. If the Focus Power Test 
  is an Opposed Test, the psyker must successfully pass the Test 
  and gain more Degrees of Success than at least one of his 
  opponents to activate the power. Note that even if the psyker 
  loses the Opposed Test and does not activate the power, he 
  still can generate a disturbance in the Warp if using the power 
  at Unfettered or Push level. 
  EXAMPLE
  Chalse Bishopstead is a neophyte Sanctioned Psyker with a 
  Willpower of 32 and a Psy Rating of 2. When using his psychic 
  powers at the Push power level, Chalse’s Focus Power Tests (before 
  being modiﬁed by the power) that use Willpower will succeed on 
  47, 52, 57 or less (Willpower 32, + Psy Rating 3, 4, or 5 x 5).
  RESISTING ENEMY PSYCHIC POWERS
  If they are attacked by enemy psychic powers, psykers have 
  far better mental defences than “normal” people, using the 
  power of the Warp to ﬁght back. When making an Opposed 
  Focus Power Test to resist a psychic attack, a psyker may select 
  a power level (Fettered, Unfettered or Push), and add his 
  resultant Psy Rating to the Willpower Test to resist the enemy 
  power. However, if resisting at Unfettered or Push level and 
  his roll is a double, this generates Psychic Phenomena, in just 
  the same way as the attacker.
  PSY RATING IN PSYCHIC POWERS
  Unless speciﬁcally stated otherwise, all modiﬁers in a 
  power equal to Psy Rating are based on the Psy Rating 
  used when manifesting the power. This means that if 
  the psyker manifests a power at the Fettered Level, a 
  power that has effects based on Psy Rating is going to 
  do less than if he Pushes.
  
  Psychic 
  Phenomena
  W
  hen a psyker reaches deeper into the Warp to 
  power his abilities, there is always the chance of the 
  Empyrean bleeding into reality, a factor which is at 
  the very least disturbing and disconcerting, and which may be 
  destructive or disruptive to the very fabric of reality. Sometimes 
  this manifestation of the Warp is unique to the Psyker, but in 
  general it is as unpredictable as the Warp itself. Some effects 
  can include a dramatic drop in temperature, ghostly voices, 
  feelings of unease, or nearby vegetation shrivelling and dying. 
  In rare instances, full-scale Warp breaches can 
  occur with the direst of consequences.
  When a psyker uses his power at the 
  Unfettered level or Push level, he risks 
  generating such a disturbance in the Warp. 
  Any Unfettered Focus Power Test that results 
  in a double on the dice, or any power used 
  at the Push level, means that the psyker 
  must roll on Table 7–2: Psychic 
  Phenomena. Particularly high 
  rolls on this table can result 
  in the psyker having to 
  roll on Table 7–3: 
  Perils of the Warp. 
  A few powers, as noted 
  in their descriptions, cause 
  other effects upon the 
  material world when 
  they manifest.
  PSYCHIC BOLTS
  A number of powers produce blasts or bolts of energy that 
  inﬂict direct harm in a manner not dissimilar to a weapon. 
  Powers of this type all follow the same basic rules. The psyker 
  must nominate a single target within range and line of sight; 
  if the Focus Power Test is successful, then the target has been 
  successfully hit. There are three further variations on this: 
  Psychic Barrages, Psychic Storms, and Psychic Blasts.
  Psychic Bolts of all kinds may be dodged as if they were 
  any other kind of ranged attack. A successful Dodge Test is 
  sufﬁcient to avoid a normal Psychic Bolt. Dodging a Psychic 
  Storm or Psychic Blast is resolved in the same way as dodging 
  Auto-Fire or Area Effect Attacks (see page 244).
  PYSCHIC BARRAGE
  A Psychic Barrage is a cluster of bolts of energy, similar to 
  a semi-automatic weapon. If the Focus Power Test succeeds, 
  then the psyker produces one psychic bolt for the initial 
  Degree of Success, plus one for every two additional Degrees 
  of Success. The number of hits scored in this manner may 
  not exceed the psyker’s effective Psy Rating when using this 
  power. The ﬁrst hit must strike the initially chosen target, 
  while any subsequent hits may strike either the initial target 
  or any other targets within two metres, providing all of the 
  targets are within range and line of sight.
  PSYCHIC STORM
  A Psychic Storm is many bolts of energy, similar to an 
  automatic weapon. If the Focus Power Test succeeds, then 
  the psyker produces a number of psychic bolts equal to the 
  number of Degrees of Success. The number of hits scored 
  in this manner may not exceed the psyker’s effective Psy 
  Rating when using this power. The ﬁrst hit must strike the 
  initially chosen target, while any subsequent hits may strike 
  either the initial target or any other targets within two metres, 
  providing all of the targets are within range and line of sight.
  PSYCHIC BLAST
  A Psychic Blast detonates to cover a wide area, affecting 
  multiple targets simultaneously. The psyker must nominate a 
  single point in space anywhere within range and line of sight. 
  If the Focus Power Test is successful, then every target within 
  the radius of the Psychic Blast is hit by the power. 
  In rare instances, full-scale Warp breaches can 
  occur with the direst of consequences.
  When a psyker uses his power at the 
  Unfettered level or Push level, he risks 
  generating such a disturbance in the Warp. 
  Any Unfettered Focus Power Test that results 
  in a double on the dice, or any power used 
  at the Push level, means that the psyker 
  must roll on Table 7–2: Psychic 
  Phenomena. Particularly high 
  rolls on this table can result 
  in the psyker having to 
  roll on Table 7–3: 
  Perils of the Warp. 
  A few powers, as noted 
  in their descriptions, cause 
  other effects upon the 
  material world when 
  they manifest.
  A Psychic Barrage is a cluster of bolts of energy, similar to 
  a semi-automatic weapon. If the Focus Power Test succeeds, 
  then the psyker produces one psychic bolt for the initial 
  Degree of Success, plus one for every two additional Degrees 
  of Success. The number of hits scored in this manner may 
  not exceed the psyker’s effective Psy Rating when using this 
  power. The ﬁrst hit must strike the initially chosen target, 
  while any subsequent hits may strike either the initial target 
  or any other targets within two metres, providing all of the 
  A Psychic Storm is many bolts of energy, similar to an 
  automatic weapon. If the Focus Power Test succeeds, then 
  the psyker produces a number of psychic bolts equal to the 
  number of Degrees of Success. The number of hits scored 
  in this manner may not exceed the psyker’s effective Psy 
  Rating when using this power. The ﬁrst hit must strike the 
  initially chosen target, while any subsequent hits may strike 
  either the initial target or any other targets within two metres, 
  providing all of the targets are within range and line of sight.
  A Psychic Blast detonates to cover a wide area, affecting 
  multiple targets simultaneously. The psyker must nominate a 
  single point in space anywhere within range and line of sight. 
  If the Focus Power Test is successful, then every target within 
  the radius of the Psychic Blast is hit by the power. 
  226
  VII: Psychic Powers
  
  227
  VII: Psychic Powers
  Table 7–2: Psychic Phenomena
  Roll
  Effect
  01-03
  Dark Foreboding: A faint breeze blows past the psyker and those near him, and everyone gets the feeling that 
  somewhere in the galaxy something unfortunate just happened.
  04-05
  Warp Echo: For a few moments, all noises cause echoes, regardless of the surroundings.
  06-08
  Unholy Stench: The air around the psyker becomes permeated with a bizarre and foul smell.
  09-11
  Mind Warp: The psyker suffers a –5 penalty to Willpower Tests until the start of his next turn as his own 
  inherent phobias, suspicions, and hatreds surge to the surface of his mind in a wave of unbound emotion.
  inherent phobias, suspicions, and hatreds surge to the surface of his mind in a wave of unbound emotion.
  12-14
  Hoarfrost: The temperature plummets for an instant, and a thin coating of frost forms to cover everything within 
  The temperature plummets for an instant, and a thin coating of frost forms to cover everything within 
  3d10 metres.
  15-17
  Aura of Taint: All animals within 1d100 metres become spooked and agitated; characters with Psyniscience can 
   All animals within 1d100 metres become spooked and agitated; characters with Psyniscience can 
  pinpoint the psyker as the cause.
  18-20
  Memory Worm: All people within line of sight of the psyker forget something trivial.
  21-23
  Spoilage: Food and drink go bad in a 5d10 metre radius.
  24-26
  Haunting Breeze: Winds whip up around the psyker for a few moments, blowing light objects around and 
   Winds whip up around the psyker for a few moments, blowing light objects around and 
  guttering ﬁres within 3d10 metres.
  27-29
  Veil of Darkness: For a brief moment (effectively the remainder of the Round), the area within 3d10 metres is 
   For a brief moment (effectively the remainder of the Round), the area within 3d10 metres is 
  plunged into immediate darkness.
  30-32
  Distorted Reﬂections: Mirrors and other reﬂective surfaces within a radius of 5d10 metres distort or shatter.
   Mirrors and other reﬂective surfaces within a radius of 5d10 metres distort or shatter.
  33-35
  Breath Leech: Everyone (including the psyker) within a 3d10 metre radius becomes short of breath for one round 
   Everyone (including the psyker) within a 3d10 metre radius becomes short of breath for one round 
  and cannot make any Run or Charge Actions.
  36-38
  Daemonic Mask: For a ﬂeeting moment, the psyker takes on a daemonic appearance and gains a Fear rating of 1 
   For a ﬂeeting moment, the psyker takes on a daemonic appearance and gains a Fear rating of 1 
  until the start of the next turn. However, he also gains one Corruption Point.
  39-41
  Unnatural Decay: All plant life within 3d10 metres of the psyker withers and dies.
  42-44
  Spectral Gale: Howling winds erupt around the psyker, requiring him and everyone within 4d10 metres to make 
   Howling winds erupt around the psyker, requiring him and everyone within 4d10 metres to make 
  an Easy (+30) Agility or Strength Test to avoid being knocked to the ground.
  45-47
  Bloody Tears: Blood weeps from stone and wood within 3d10 metres of the psyker. If there are any pictures or 
  Blood weeps from stone and wood within 3d10 metres of the psyker. If there are any pictures or 
  statues of people inside this area, they appear to be crying blood.
  48-50
  The Earth Protests: The ground suddenly shakes, and everyone (including the psyker) within a 5d10 metre 
  The ground suddenly shakes, and everyone (including the psyker) within a 5d10 metre 
  radius must make a Routine (+10) Agility Test or be knocked down.
  51-53
  Actinic Discharge: Static electricity ﬁlls the air within 5d10 metres causing hair to stand on end and unprotected 
   Static electricity ﬁlls the air within 5d10 metres causing hair to stand on end and unprotected 
  electronics to short out, while the psyker is wreathed in eldritch lightning.
  54-56
  Warp Ghosts: Ghostly apparitions ﬁll the air within 3d10 metres around the psyker, ﬂying about and howling in 
   Ghostly apparitions ﬁll the air within 3d10 metres around the psyker, ﬂying about and howling in 
  pain for a few brief moments. Everyone in the radius (except the psyker himself ) must test against a Fear rating of 1.
  pain for a few brief moments. Everyone in the radius (except the psyker himself ) must test against a Fear rating of 1.
  57-59
  Falling Upwards: Everything within 2d10 metres of the psyker (including the psyker himself ) rises 1d10 
   Everything within 2d10 metres of the psyker (including the psyker himself ) rises 1d10 
  metres into the air as gravity brieﬂy ceases. Almost immediately, everything crashes back to earth, suffering falling 
  metres into the air as gravity brieﬂy ceases. Almost immediately, everything crashes back to earth, suffering falling 
  Damage as appropriate for the distances fallen.
  60-62
  Banshee Howl: A shrill keening rings out across the immediate area, shattering glass and forcing every 
   A shrill keening rings out across the immediate area, shattering glass and forcing every 
  mortal creature able to hear it (including the psyker) to pass a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be 
   or be 
  deafened for 1d10 rounds.
  63-65
  The Furies: The Psyker is assailed by unseen horrors. He is slammed to the ground and suffers 1d5 Damage 
  The Psyker is assailed by unseen horrors. He is slammed to the ground and suffers 1d5 Damage 
  (ignoring Armour, but not Toughness Bonus) and he must test against Fear (2).
  66-68
  Shadow of the Warp: For a split second, the world changes in appearance, and everyone within 1d100 metres 
   For a split second, the world changes in appearance, and everyone within 1d100 metres 
  has brief but horriﬁc glimpse of the shadow of the Warp. Everyone in the area (including the psyker) must make a 
  has brief but horriﬁc glimpse of the shadow of the Warp. Everyone in the area (including the psyker) must make a 
  Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test or gain 1d5 Corruption Points.
  69-71
  Tech Scorn: The machine spirits reject your unnatural ways. All un-warded technology within 5d10 metres 
   The machine spirits reject your unnatural ways. All un-warded technology within 5d10 metres 
  malfunctions momentarily, and all ranged weapons Jam (see page 255), whilst characters with cybernetic implants 
  malfunctions momentarily, and all ranged weapons Jam (see page 255), whilst characters with cybernetic implants 
  must pass a Routine (+10) Toughness Test or suffer 1d5 Damage, ignoring Toughness Bonus and Armour.
   or suffer 1d5 Damage, ignoring Toughness Bonus and Armour.
  72-74
  Warp Madness: A violent ripple of tainted discord causes all creatures within 2d10 metres (with the exception 
   A violent ripple of tainted discord causes all creatures within 2d10 metres (with the exception 
  of the psyker) to become Frenzied for a Round and suffer 1d5 Corruption Points unless they can pass a Difﬁcult 
  (–10) Willpower Test.
  75+
  Perils of the Warp: The Warp opens in a maelstrom of energy. Roll on Table 7–3: Perils of the Warp
  Table 7–3: Perils of the Warp, (see 
  page 228) instead.
  24-26
  27-29
  30-32
  33-35
  36-38
  39-41
  42-44
  45-47
  48-50
  51-53
  54-56
  57-59
  60-62
  63-65
  66-68
  69-71
  72-74
  75+
  
  Table 7–3: Perils of the Warp
  Roll
  Effect
  01-05
  The Gibbering: The psyker screams in pain as uncontrolled Warp energies surge through his unprepared mind. He must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Willpower Test or be stunned for 1d5 Rounds.
  06-09
  Warp Burn: A violent burst of energy from the Warp smashes into the psyker’s mind, sending him reeling. He suffers 2d5 
  Damage, ignoring Toughness Bonus and Armour, and is stunned for 1d5 Rounds.
  10-13
  Psychic Concussion: With a crack of energy, the psyker is knocked unconscious for 1d5 Rounds, and everyone within 3d10 
  metres must make a Routine (+10) Willpower Test or be Stunned for one Round.
  14-18
  Psy Blast: There is an explosion of power and the psyker is thrown 3d10 metres into the air, falling to the ground moments later 
  (see page 267 for Falling Damage).
  19-24
  Soul Sear: Warp power courses through the psyker’s body, scorching his soul. The psyker cannot use any powers for the next hour 
  and gains 2d5 Corruption Points.
  25-30
  Locked In: The power cages the psyker’s mind in an ethereal prison, tormented by visions of the Warp. The psyker falls to the 
  ground in a catatonic state. Each Round thereafter, he must spend a Full Action to make a Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test. On a 
  success, his mind is freed and restored to his body, haunted by his experiences but otherwise unharmed.
  31-38
  Chronological Incontinence: Time warps around the psyker. He winks out of existence and reappears in 1d10 Rounds (or one 
  minute in narrative time) in the exact location. He suffers one point of permanent Toughness and Intelligence damage as his body 
  and mind rebel against the experience, and gains 1d5 Corruption Points.
  39-46
  Psychic Mirror:
  Psychic Mirror: The psyker’s power is turned back on him. Resolve the power’s effects, but the power targets the psyker instead. If 
   The psyker’s power is turned back on him. Resolve the power’s effects, but the power targets the psyker instead. If 
  the power is beneﬁcial, it deals 1d10+5 Energy Damage (ignoring Armour) to the psyker instead of its normal effect.
  47-55
  Warp Whispers: The voices of daemons ﬁll the air within 4d10 metres of the psyker, whispering terrible secrets and shocking 
  truths. Everyone in the area (including the psyker ) must make a Hard (–20) Willpower Test or suffer 1d5 Corruption Points and 
  an equal amount of Willpower damage. In addition, whether or not the psyker passes the Willpower Test, he suffers an additional 
  1d5+5 Willpower damage.
  56-58
  Vice Versa: The psyker’s mind is thrown out of his body and into another nearby creature or person. The psyker and a random 
  being (note, this cannot be a daemon, mindless xenos, or other “soulless” creature) within 50 metres swap consciousness for 1d10 
  rounds. This may be an ally or enemy. Each creature retains its Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Intelligence, Perception, Willpower, 
  and Fellowship during the swap, but all other Characteristics are of the new host body. If either body is slain, the effect ends 
  immediately and both parties return to their original bodies. Both suffer 1d5 Intelligence damage from the experience. If there 
  are no creatures within range, the psyker becomes catatonic for 1d5 rounds while his mind wanders the Warp. This journey causes 
  1d10 Willpower Damage, 1d10 Intelligence Damage and 1d10 Corruption Points.
  59-67
  Dark Summoning: The Empyrean buckles and tears at the arrogance of the psyker, and a Bloodletter rips its way into existence. 
  (see Chapter XI: Adversaries). The ﬁend appears within 3d10 metres of the psyker, for a number of Rounds equal to 1d5 plus the 
  psyker’s Toughness Bonus. The psyker’s turn immediately ends, and the Daemon may take its turn immediately. It detests the psyker 
  and focuses all of its attacks upon the fool that unwittingly summoned it. It will not attack anyone else, even if others attack it.
  68-72
  Rending the Veil: The air vibrates with images of cackling daemons and the kaleidoscopic taint of the Warp is rendered visible. 
  All sentient creatures (any creature with an Intelligence characteristic) within 1d100 metres must test against Fear (2). The psyker 
  must Test against Fear (4) instead. This effect lasts for 1d5 Rounds.
  73-78
  Blood Rain: A psychic storm erupts, covering an area of 5d10 metres in which everyone must pass a Challenging (+0) Strength 
  Test or be knocked to the ground. In addition to howling winds and the skies raining blood, any psychic powers used in the area 
  for 1d5 Rounds automatically invoke Perils of the Warp, in addition to any Psychic Phenomena those powers cause. The psyker 
  gains 1d5+1 Corruption Points.
  79-82
  Cataclysmic Blast: The psyker’s power overloads, arcing out in great bolts of Warp energy. Anyone within 1d10 metres (including 
  the psyker) takes 1d10 Energy Damage with a Pen of 5. The psyker may not Dodge this, or stop the attack with a Field Save (see 
  page 196). In addition, all of the psyker’s clothing and gear is destroyed, leaving him naked and smoking on the ground. The 
  psyker may use no further powers for 1d5 hours after the event.
  83-86
  Mass Possession: Daemons ravage the mind of every living thing within 1d100 metres. Every character in the area must resist 
  a possession attack (see the Possession Trait in Chapter V: Talents and Traits; the attacker is a random Lesser Daemon). This 
  possession will last for no more than 2d10 Rounds, after which the daemons are cast back into the Warp.
  87-90
  Reality Quake: Reality buckles around the psyker, and an area radiating out 3d10 metres from him is sundered: solid objects
  alternately rot, burn, and freeze, and everyone and everything in the area takes 2d10 Rending Damage, ignoring Armour (and 
  unable to be dodged). Warded objects, daemons, and untouchables halve the Damage rolled.
  91-99
  Grand Possession: A grand and terrible Warp entity takes interest in the psyker’s soul, descending from the Warp to seize the 
  mortal’s body for its own purposes. A powerful Daemon attempts to possess the psyker (see the Possession Trait in Chapter IV: 
  Talents and Traits). Use the Bloodletter from page 354, but increase all of its Characteristics by +20 and give it Fear 4. Even if 
  the daemon fails, the psyker still suffers 2d10 Toughness Damage, and will forever add +10 to all rolls on the Psychic Phenomena 
  and Perils of the Warp tables as his body now serves as a conduit to the power of the Warp. If the character dies while possessed, 
  the daemon manifests in the real world for a number of days equal to its Toughness Bonus or until it is destroyed.
  00
  Annihilation: The psyker is immediately and irrevocably destroyed, burned to nothing by the screaming ﬁres of the Immaterium 
  or dragged into the deepest maelstrom of the Warp. The psyker may not spend Fate to recover from this death, he is irrevocably 
  destroyed. There is a chance that a daemonic entity of some sort appears in the psyker’s place—the type of daemon that appears 
  is determined by the GM, based on how powerful the psyker was—more powerful psykers draw more powerful daemons. The 
  percentage chance that the daemon appears is equal to the psyker’s Willpower characteristic (roll a d100, if the result is equal to or 
  under the characteristic, the daemon appears).
  228
  VII: Psychic Powers
  
  229
  229
  VII: Psychic Powers
  POWER FORMAT
  Each psychic power is presented using the following format:
  Name: The power’s name.
  Value: This number represents the amount of Experience 
  required to learn the power. Psychic powers may be purchased 
  with Experience Points.
  Prerequisites: Some techniques require the psyker to 
  have ﬁrst learnt other ways to use his abilities. The psyker 
  must possess the powers (or other prerequisites) listed in 
  order to learn the power.
  Action: The Focus Power Action (see page 245) required 
  to activate the power. This is usually a Free Action, Half 
  Action, Full Action, Reaction or an Extended Action.
  Focus Power: This states the Characteristic used in Focus 
  Power Tests to activate this power (normally Willpower, but 
  occasionally other characteristics are used), and whether the 
  Focus Power Test is Opposed. The difﬁculty of the power is 
  also noted here.
  Range: The range at which the power can be used is 
  usually expressed in metres or kilometres multiplied by the 
  PR at which the power was used. If the range is a radius, this 
  is always measured with the psyker at its centre. Radius is also 
  applies to a sphere around the psyker and so will extend up, 
  down and in every other direction.
  Sustained: This states whether the power can be sustained 
  (see page 225), and what Action is required to sustain the 
  power. This entry will always be one of the following: No, 
  Free Action, Half Action, or Full Action.
  Subtype: This denotes the speciﬁc Action Subtypes for 
  the Focus Power Test of each individual power. For more 
  information on Action Subtypes see page 242.
  Description: This details the power’s effects, including 
  variable effects that the psyker’s Psy Rating, or the Degrees 
  of Success from the Focus Power Test, have on the power’s 
  ﬁnal strength. Whenever a power’s description refers to the 
  psyker’s Psy Rating, it means the PR at which he manifests 
  the power, modiﬁed by the power level (Fettered, Unfettered, 
  or Push) he chose.
  Psychic Phenomena: Some powers cause alternate or 
  additional Psychic Phenomena. If the power uses only the 
  normal Psychic Phenomena rules, this section will be absent.
  Psychic Powers
  “Right after we secured the structure, that’s when he panicked and 
  told me it was a trap. The xenos didn’t want to be sieged, they 
  wanted to besiege us!”
  –From the journal of Captain Karsgard, Vostroyan XXI
  P
  sychic powers work in much the same way as Skills 
  and allow a psyker character to manifest effects 
  and abilities. Psykers access their profound (some 
  say blasphemous) power from the Warp, using an innate 
  connection to this wellspring of energy to create effects 
  capable of incredible greatness or ruinous destruction. 
  Sanctioned Psykers receive their training from the 
  Scholastica Psykana on board the dreaded Black Ships. Here, 
  those that are judged not to be too insane are examined and 
  tested to see what use they can be to the Emperor. Those 
  with great telepathic ability are taken by the Adeptus Astra 
  Telepathica to be trained as Astropaths. Although they are 
  important beyond imagining to the war effort, as well as 
  Imperial civilisation, these psykers will never see combat.
  Sanctioned Psykers, on the other hand, are given specialised 
  combat training, meant to emphasise teamwork and adaption, 
  though sacriﬁce and devastation are also mainstays of their 
  education. They learn to ingratiate themselves into whichever 
  unit in whichever army on whichever world in whichever 
  sector in whichever area of the galaxy the Black Ship may 
  expel them. They are taught a few sanctioned powers, though 
  they may develop more, as they gain more experience.
  The following section contains several disciplines of psychic 
  powers. The rigid training of Sanctioned Psykers over several 
  millennia has categorised these powers and, though psykers 
  usually specialize in one discipline, they are free to pick and 
  choose any powers, assuming they meet the requisite level of 
  power and training. Psykers may only gain powers between 
  missions, as they must be trained by a more powerful psyker, 
  for now. A psyker may, at the GM’s discretion, purchase powers 
  while on an extended mission (by receiving tutelage from the 
  Warp), but that psyker will have a great deal of very quick 
  explaining to do once the squad returns to HQ. The importance 
  of the mission will dictate the level of punishment for reaching 
  out to the Ruinous Powers for more capabilities, but trucking 
  with the powers of Chaos is seldom an easily forgivable offense. 
  MINOR MANIFESTATIONS
  The psychic powers presented in this chapter represent some of the more powerful abilities that psykers in the Imperial 
  Guard can summon on the battleﬁeld. However, as psykers are trained in the bellies of the Black Ships, they learn to use 
  the power of the Warp in many more subtle ways. In ONLY WAR, these small uses of psychic power are represented as 
  Minor Manifestations, and are divided up by the different disciplines.
  Characters with the Psyker Aptitude may purchase Minor Manifestations from any psychic discipline in which they 
  already know a psychic power, and each individual Minor Manifestation costs 50 Experience Points. What an individual 
  Minor Manifestation does is up to the game master and the player making the purchase, however these powers must be 
  simple, small manifestations of power, and may not have any concrete in-game effects (such as causing signiﬁcant Damage 
  or removing a status effect). Examples of appropriate Minor Manifestations are listed at the beginning of each discipline.
  To use a Minor Manifestation, the psyker must spend a Half Action and make an Easy (+30) Willpower Test. This 
  Test has no chance to trigger a roll of the Psychic Phenomenon Table.
  
  power, it is Stunned for one Round. In addition, as long as this 
  power remains in effect, if the target rolls doubles on any Test 
  it makes, it gains a number of levels of Fatigue equal to half the 
  psyker’s Psy Rating rounded down. A single target can only be 
  affected by one instance of the Enfeeble power at a time. 
  ENDURANCE
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: Toughness 30+
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test
  Range: 3 metres x Psy Rating radius
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: Extending his will over his allies, the psyker reaches 
  into their bodies to mend their ﬂesh and reinvigorate their will 
  to ﬁght by ridding their bodies of fatigue. Psykers trained in this 
  power have been known to turn the tides of entire battles.
  A number of allies in range equal to the psyker’s Psy 
  Rating, plus the psyker himself, recover Wounds equal to 
  half the psyker’s Psy Rating, rounded up. They also may 
  immediately overcome the effects of Pinning.
  This power is incredibly taxing and requires at least 12 
  hours of recovery before it may be used again.
  LIFE LEECH
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Enfeeble, Toughness 40+
  Action: Full Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Opposed Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: The psyker latches on to his target’s life force and 
  tears it from the hapless victim’s body. The psyker absorbs this 
  stolen essence, using it to reinvigorate and bolster his own ﬂesh.
  The psyker nominates a single target in range and line of sight 
  who opposes this power with a Toughness Test. If the target fails to 
  resist the power, he suffers 1d10 + Psy Rating Toughness Damage, 
  and the psyker gains Unnatural Toughness (1), +1 for every full 
  5 points of Toughness damage the power inﬂicts. This Unnatural 
  Toughness remains for as long as the power’s effect persists.
  WARP SPEED
  Value: 500xp
  Prerequisites: Psy Rating 5
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test
  Range: Self
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The immaterium ﬂows through the psyker, allowing 
  him the means to defy the limits of time, hastening his movements 
  and reﬂexes far beyond the range of any human. He becomes but 
  a blur to his enemies, striking out with lightning speed.
  The psyker gains the Unnatural Weapon Skill, Unnatural 
  Ballistic Skill, and Unnatural Agility Traits, all at values equal 
  to his Psy Rating.
  BIOMANCY
  Those psykers who specialise in Biomancy have learned to 
  inﬂuence the biological energies of living beings. They have 
  learned to manipulate not just their own ﬂesh, but that of 
  their allies and enemies.
  Example Minor Manifestations: Slightly alter the 
  psyker’s physical appearance for a short time. Sense the pulse 
  rate of another character nearby.
  SMITE
  Value: 200xp
  Prerequisites: None
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: 20 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: Called by many names, Smite is a common 
  destructive power used throughout the galaxy by many different 
  psykers. The psyker conjures up bio-energy from deep within 
  himself, summoning lethal bolts of lightning which leap from 
  his ﬁngertips to burn and blast his enemies to ash.
  Smite is a Psychic Barrage that deals 1d10 + Psy Rating 
  Energy Damage with a Pen of 4.
  IRON ARM
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Endurance, Strength 35+, Toughness 35+
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Hard (–20) Willpower Test
  Range: Self
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker’s ﬂesh transforms, hardening into 
  a slick, living metal, weighing him down but also rendering 
  him incredibly resistant. His new form allows him to shrug 
  off small arms ﬁre and crush his enemies with his bare hands.
  While this power is in effect, the psyker gains the Unnatural 
  Toughness and Unnatural Strength Traits with ratings equal to 
  half his Psy Rating, rounded up. However, his ﬂesh’s more sturdy 
  form weighs the psyker down, causing him to suffer a –10 penalty 
  to his Agility characteristic while the power is in effect.
  ENFEEBLE
  Value: 100xp
  Prerequisites: Toughness 35+
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Opposed Willpower Test
  Range: 20 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: Half Action
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: The psyker lashes at his target with tendrils of 
  Warp energy. The vile power quickly strips the victim of  
  vitality, draining its spirit with every caress.
  The psyker nominates a single target in range 
  and line of sight who opposes this power with a 
  Toughness Test. If the target fails to resist the 
  230
  VII: Psychic Powers
  
  231
  VII: Psychic Powers
  DIVINATION
  Diviners seek to discern the hidden past and know the course 
  of future events. Their abilities allow them to look into the 
  Immaterium to ﬁnd the answers they seek. However, to look upon 
  the Warp is taxing and even dangerous, often leading to insanity 
  for those not fully prepared to embrace the glory of the aethyr.
  Example Minor Manifestations: Gain a vague feeling 
  about future events. Cause a small event of fortune or 
  misfortune to befall a nearby character (ﬁnding a lho-stick on 
  the ground, tripping on a root).
  PRESCIENCE
  Value: 200xp
  Prerequisites: Psyniscience Rank 1
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Psyniscience Test
  Range: 3 metres x Psy Rating radius
  Sustained: Half Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker taps into the immaterium, using 
  its energies to spread his senses over the battle, seeing what 
  is, what has been, and what will be. By focussing this Warp-
  sight to a razor’s edge he can guide his allies’ aims, directing 
  their attacks to strike home.
  For the duration of this power, a number of allies within 
  range equal to the Psyker’s Psy Rating, plus the psyker himself, 
  gain a bonus to their Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill equal 
  to twice the psyker’s Psy Rating. Allies affected by this 
  power lose its beneﬁt as soon as they move out of range.
  FOREBODING
  Value: 200xp
  Prerequisites: Psyniscience Rank 1
  Action: Reaction
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Perception Test
  Range: Self
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker’s awareness 
  of the Warp grants him the 
  means to elude his opponents’ 
  attacks without needing to 
  rely on mortal reﬂexes. He 
  walks through the battleﬁeld 
  unscathed, dodging incoming 
  ﬁre with a simple ease.
  In any situation where the 
  psyker would be called upon 
  to make an Evasion Test, he may 
  instead attempt to use this power. If the power 
  is successful, the psyker avoids the attack exactly as 
  if he has passed an Evasion Test.
  HAEMORRHAGE
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Psy Rating 4, Smite
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Opposed Willpoower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: Bypassing exterior defences, the psyker 
  reaches his mind out into the body of his adversary, using 
  the writhing power of the Warp to set a ﬁre deep within his 
  victim’s ﬂesh. Boiling blood begins bursting from every pore 
  as the target’s body tears itself apart from the inside.
  The psyker nominates a single target in range and line of 
  sight who opposes this power with a Toughness Test. If the 
  target fails to resist the power, it suffers Energy Damage equal 
  to the psyker’s Psy Rating plus one additional Damage per 
  Degree of Failure on its Toughness Test; this Damage ignores 
  Toughness Bonus and Armour. If this Damage successfully 
  kills the target, the psyker may immediately recast this 
  Psychic Power as a Free Action on any legal target within 5 
  metres of the original target.
  
  the psyker himself, ignore the effects of cover when ﬁring on 
  a target. If their attacks would hit a location on the enemy 
  that would beneﬁt from cover, that beneﬁt is ignored. Allies 
  affected by this power lose its beneﬁts as soon as they move 
  out of range.
  PRECOGNITION
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Perfect Timing
  Action: Full Action
  Focus Power: Hard (–20) Psyniscience Test
  Range: 5 metres x Psy Rating radius
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: Such is the psyker’s power that he has 
  witnessed every action, every decision, that will bring his 
  Squad to victory. With tremendous focus he uses his power to 
  impart this incredible knowledge to his allies, guiding them 
  along the true path to victory.
  The psyker gains a number of re-rolls equal to his Psy 
  Rating that last until the beginning of the his next Turn. For 
  the duration of that Round, whenever an ally in range, or the 
  psyker himself, rolls a Test or Damage Roll, the psyker may 
  spend one of these re-rolls to allow that ally to re-roll all dice 
  involved in that Test or Damage Roll. If the psyker is killed or 
  rendered unconscious before the beginning of his next Turn, 
  all remaining re-rolls are lost.
  SCRIER’S GAZE
  Value: 200xp
  Prerequisites: Psyniscience Rank 2
  Action: Special
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Psyniscience Test
  Range: Self
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker’s gaze is cast upon the inﬁnite 
  tides of the Warp, seeing the entire battleﬁeld clearly in 
  his mind’s eye. This rush of information is too much for 
  weaker psyker’s to handle, often casting them into madness. 
  But those who can focus are able to divine information 
  regarding them battle with astounding precision, capturing 
  every movement of troops and war machines under their 
  omniscient gaze.
  To begin the ritual, the psyker must spend at least thirty 
  minutes using assorted psychic foci to concentrate his vision—
  drawing Tarot cards, casting runes, gazing deep into ﬁre, the 
  methods to this are as varied as the stars of the Imperium. 
  At the end of this thirty minutes, the psyker makes his Focus 
  Power Test to project his vision over the battleﬁeld. Each 
  Degree of Success reveals more information, as explained on 
  Table 7–4: Scrier’s Gaze Results.
  FOREWARNING
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Foreboding
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Psyniscience Test
  Range: 3 metres x Psy Rating radius
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker’s mind skims the Warp for glimpses 
  of the immediate future, seeking to prepare himself and his 
  allies for any incoming threats. His insight keeps them ahead 
  of the battle, making them aware of incoming attacks before 
  their enemies even ﬁre a shot.
  For the duration of this power, a number of allies within 
  range equal to the Psyker’s Psy Rating, plus the psyker 
  himself, gain a bonus to all Evasion Tests equal to twice the 
  psyker’s Psy Rating. Allies affected by this power lose its 
  beneﬁts as soon as they move out of range.
  MISFORTUNE
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: 
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test
  Range: 20 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: Staring down his unfortunate victim, the psyker 
  simply snaps his ﬁngers, twisting the strands of his target’s 
  fate. Suddenly, everything around the psyker’s opponent 
  begins to fail. His vision blurs, his weapons jam, and every 
  bullet ﬂying his way easily ﬁnds its way into the weakest 
  points of his armour.
  The psyker nominates a single target in range and line of 
  sight who opposes this power with a Willpower Test. If the 
  target fails to resist the power, misfortune follows it wherever it 
  goes. For the duration of this power, the target’s Armour points 
  are reduced in all locations by half the psyker’s Psy Rating, 
  rounded up. Additionally, the target’s weapons jam on any 
  Attack in which they fail to hit their target.
  PERFECT TIMING
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: Prescience
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Psyniscience Test
  Range: 3 metres x Psy Rating Radius
  Sustained: Half Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: Tearing through the boundary to the Warp 
  with his consciousness, the psyker begins to see vivid images 
  of his foes’ future actions with an unnatural precision. 
  Empowered by this information, the psyker and his allies 
  can predict exactly when their foes will peer from cover, 
  allowing them to place their shots perfectly.
  For the duration of this power, a number of allies 
  within range equal to the Psyker’s Psy Rating, plus 
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  VII: Psychic Powers
  
  233
  233
  VII: Psychic Powers
  FIERY FORM
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Fire Shield, Psy Rating 4
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test
  Range: Self
  Sustained: Half Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker engulfs his own body in the ﬁre of 
  the Warp. It spreads over every inch of his skin, transforming 
  his very ﬂesh into living Warpﬁre. Reborn a being of living 
  ﬂame, the psyker burns everything he touches, transforming 
  his surrounding into a burning hellscape with every step 
  he takes.
  While this power is in effect, all of the psyker’s melee 
  attacks deal addition Energy Damage equal to his Psy Rating 
  and gain the Flame Quality. In addition, at the end of each of 
  the psyker’s Turns in which he sustains this power he emits 
  a Psychic Blast centred on himself with a radius equal to his 
  Psy Rating. All creatures within the area of effect, with the 
  exception of the psyker, suffer 1d10 + Psy Rating Energy 
  Damage with a Pen of 0 and the Flame Quality.
  FIRE SHIELD
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: None
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: 20 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: With a sweep of his hand, the psyker surrounds 
  himself with a wall of writhing ﬂame. The living ﬁre lashes 
  out at his attackers, sending tendrils of ﬂame lashing at any 
  foolish enough to take him on.
  While this power is in effect, any creatures in range and 
  line of sight that successfully hit the Psyker with an Attack 
  immediately suffer Energy Damage equal to the psyker’s Psy 
  Rating, this Damage is not reduced by Armour or Toughness.
  INFERNO
  Value: 500xp
  Prerequisites: Molten Beam, Psy Rating 5, Sunburst
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: Channelling his rage into the ﬁres of the 
  Warp, the psyker calls down a pillar of ﬂame upon his 
  enemies. The whirling blast sets the very air aﬂame as it 
  smashes into his foes.
  This power is a Psychic Blast with a radius equal to the 
  psyker’s Psy Rating. All creatures caught in the blast suffer 
  2d10 Energy Damage, +3 per point of Psy Rating, with a 
  Pen of 0 and the Flame Quality.
  PYROMANCY
  The righteous ﬂames will burn away the wickedness, both 
  without and within. Pyromancers are feared by all whom 
  serve with them. They are exactly what the Generals want 
  from their psykers: utter destruction in the most visually 
  potent manner. 
  Example Minor Manifestations: Create a small ﬂame in 
  the palm of the psyker’s hand. Cause all of the candles in a 
  room to simultaneously go out.
  FLAME BREATH
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: Psy Rating 3, Spontaneous Combustion
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: 20 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack
  Description: A truly horrifying sight, the psyker faces 
  his enemy, opening his eyes and mouth wide as torrents of 
  psychic ﬂame spew forth from them at his target.
  This power is a Psychic Barrage that deals 1d10+2 Energy 
  Damage, +2 per point of Psy Rating, with a Pen of 0 and the 
  Flame Quality.
  Table 7–4: Scrier’s Gaze Results
  DoS Result
  1
  Single Threat: The psyker manages to focus his 
  view on a single key manoeuvre the enemy is either 
  planning, or currently enacting. This could be an 
  ambush, an all out assault, or a ﬂanking manoeuvre, 
  ambush, an all out assault, or a ﬂanking manoeuvre, 
  but regardless of its nature, it is a key manoeuvre to 
  the enemy’s plans.
  2
  Troop Movements: The psyker’s visions stretches 
  over the entire battleﬁeld, able to see the movement 
  of all allied and enemy troops. However, he is unable 
  to focus his vision enough to see the exact number 
  and makeup of each unit.
  3
  Troop Numbers: The psyker controls the focus of 
  his vision, he is aware of all previous effects and is 
  also able to discern the number and makeup of each 
  individual unit.
  4+
  Commander’s Plans: The psyker breaks through 
  the veil of time, seeing the battle and its countless 
  different outcomes. He is aware of all previous 
  effects, and also knows details of the enemy 
  commanders’ battle plans.
  Range:
  Sustained:
  Subtype:
  Description:
  Warp, the psyker calls down a pillar of ﬂame upon his 
  enemies. The whirling blast sets the very air aﬂame as it 
  smashes into his foes.
  This power is a Psychic Blast with a radius equal to the 
  psyker’s Psy Rating. All creatures caught in the blast suffer 
  2d10 Energy Damage, +3 per point of Psy Rating, with a 
  Pen of 0 and the Flame Quality.
  Damage, +2 per point of Psy Rating, with a Pen of 0 and the 
  Flame Quality.
  
  TELEKINESIS
  Those psykers who focus on telekinesis use mental energy 
  to directly inﬂuence the material world around them. 
  These Telekines are capable using the sheer force of their 
  mind to shield themselves from attacks, strike out at their 
  foes with invisible energy, and even shred the thick armour 
  of enemy vehicles.
  Example Minor Manifestations: Cause a small object 
  to ﬂoat or move across a room. Tap a squad-mate on the 
  shoulder from across the room.
  ASSAIL
  Value: 200xp
  Prerequisites: None
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Ordinary (+10) Willpower Test
  Range: 20 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: With nothing but the power of his own mind, 
  the psyker picks up a nearby object; lifting a plasteel barrel, 
  ripping a metal pipe from a wall, or even tearing a boulder 
  from the earth. He then pushes the object through the air, 
  hurling it at his opponent with startling speed.
  This power is a Psychic Bolt that deals 1d10 + Psy Rating 
  Impact Damage with a Pen of 2. If the psyker scores at least 
  three Degrees of Success on the Focus Power Test, the target 
  is also thrown 1d5 metres away and knocked prone (certain 
  especially large targets such as battle tanks, Greater Daemons, 
  and Titans are immune to this at the GM’s discretion).
  CRUSH
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: Assail
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Opposed Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: The psyker extends his hand towards his foe 
  and clenches his ﬁst. As he presses his ﬁnger tighter and 
  tighter together, invisible forces push in on his target from all 
  sides, crushing ﬂesh, armour, and bone alike. 
  The psyker nominates a single target in range and line of 
  sight who opposes this power with a Toughness Test. If the 
  target fails to resist the power, it suffers 1d10 + Psy Rating 
  Impact Damage with a Pen of 2 to the Body Location and 
  counts as being affected by the Snare Quality with a value 
  equal to half the psyker’s Psy Rating rounded down.
  SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
  Value: 200xp
  Prerequisites: None
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Ordinary (+10) Willpower Test
  Range: 20 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack
  Description: The psyker reaches into the body of his foe, 
  pooling his anger into his victim and igniting his rage with 
  the powers of the Warp. The target’s blood boils and ﬂesh 
  smoulders, and as the psyker rage reaches its pinnacle, the 
  target’s body begins to explode in blasts of ash and ﬂame.
  This power is a Psychic Bolt that deals 1d10+2 Energy 
  Damage, +2 per point of Psy Rating, with a Pen of 0 and the 
  Flame Quality. 
  SUNBURST
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Flame Breath, Psy Rating 4
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: 20 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack
  Description: The psyker pools his hate inside himself, 
  channelling it into the power of the Warp. As he collects his 
  rage he begins to glow with energy until he surrounded by 
  a blinding globe of light that dulls out the very light of the 
  sun. As he opens his eyes he unleashes this pent-up energy 
  on his unfortunate target, assailing them with an unending 
  barrage of ﬂame.
  This power is a Psychic Storm that deals 1d10+2 Energy 
  Damage, +2 per point of Psy Rating, with a Pen of 0 and the 
  Flame Quality.
  MOLTEN BEAM
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Flame Breath, Psy Rating 4
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: 5 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack
  Description: The psyker extend his palm towards his enemy 
  and unleashes a concentrated, white-hot beam of energy. 
  Such is the heat of the focused beam of Warpﬁre that armour 
  melts to slag and ﬂesh simply vaporises as it effortlessly cuts 
  through them.
  This power is a Psychic Bolt that deals 1d10+5 Energy 
  Damage, +3 per point of Psy Rating, with a Pen equal to 
  twice the psyker’s Psy Rating, and the Melta quality.
  234
  VII: Psychic Powers
  
  235
  235
  VII: Psychic Powers
  OBJURATION MECHANICUM
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: Assail
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker releases the havoc of the Warp 
  into the orderly inner workings of nearby machines. The 
  maligned energy twists and deforms the machines spirits, 
  causing weapons to jam and engines to seize up.
  The psyker chooses a point anywhere within range and 
  line of sight. This power creates a Haywire Field (see page 
  170) centred at this point with a radius in metres equal to 
  the psyker’s Psy Rating.
  SHOCKWAVE
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: Assail
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: Self
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: The psyker slams his palms together and uses 
  his considerable power to amplify the noise exponentially, 
  creating a torrential shockwave. The energy batters any 
  unfortunate enough to be nearby, throwing them away from 
  the psyker in a barrage of force.
  This power is a Psychic Blast centred on the psyker with a 
  radius equal to the psyker’s Psy Rating. Any creature within 
  the area of effect, with the exception of the psyker, suffers 
  1d10 + Psy Rating Explosive Damage with Pen 0 and is 
  pushed directly away from the Psyker a number of metres 
  equal to the psyker’s Psy Rating.
  TELEKINE DOME
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: Psy Rating 4
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: 5 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: Extending his power over his allies, the psyker 
  creates a shimmering dome of energy around them that 
  deﬂects enemy ﬁre as effectively as any bunker. Despite its 
  sturdy protection, the dome feels no different than thin air, 
  and allies and enemies alike can pass through it unheeded.
  The psyker chooses a point in range and line of sight, and 
  creates a dome of invisible energy centred on that point with 
  a radius equal to half the psyker’s Psy Rating, rounded up. All 
  allies standing inside the dome gain a number of Armour 
  Points equal to the psyker’s Psy Rating to all Locations 
  against any attack that originated outside of the dome’s 
  radius. However, enemies may still physically pass 
  through the dome at no penalty.
  GATE OF INFINITY
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Psy Rating 5
  Action: Extended Action (3)
  Focus Power: Hard (–20) Willpower Test
  Range: 1 kilometres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: Controlling the roiling nature of time and 
  space in the Warp, the psyker can open a hole through the 
  immaterium, bending the fabric of reality to his will. Using 
  this gateway, the psyker and his allies can cross great distances 
  in a blink of the eye, travelling miles in naught but a few steps.
  The psyker chooses a point anywhere within 5 metres 
  times his Psy Rating, and opens a gate to the immaterium 
  at that point. He then chooses a point within range of the 
  power, and opens an exit to the gate at that location. The 
  psyker must be aware of the location in which he is opening 
  the exit to the gate, either having visited it before, seen it 
  from afar, or simply studied it on a map.
  The gate last for a number of Rounds equal to the psyker’s 
  Psy Rating, and has a radius in metres equal to the psyker’s 
  Psy Rating as well. For the duration of the power, the two 
  sides of the gate are linked, and any person or objects may pass 
  between them freely provided they can ﬁt through the gate.
  This power is incredibly taxing and requires at least 12 
  hours of recovery before it may be used again.
  
  •	 Increase the vortex’s radius by one metre.
  •	 Decrease the vortex’s radius by one metre.
  •	 Move the vortex any direction a number of metres equal 
  to the psyker’s Psy Rating.
  If the psyker fails the Willpower Test to sustain the vortex, 
  or if he is unable to make the Test due to other circumstances, 
  its radius increases by one metre and it moves a number of 
  metres equal to the psyker’s Psy Rating in a random direction 
  (see the Scatter Diagram on page 255).
  If the vortex’s radius ever decreases to zero metres, 
  the power ends and the vortex disappears. If the vortex’s 
  radius ever grows larger than the psyker’s Psy Rating, it 
  explodes, ending the power, destroying the vortex, and 
  dealing 2d10 Energy Damage, +4 per point of Psy Rating, 
  with a Pen equal to the vortex’s current radius is metres, 
  to anyone with a number of metres of the centre of the 
  vortex equal to twice the Psy Rating of the psyker. The 
  psyker is hit by this Damage regardless of his proximity 
  to the exploding vortex as the energy of the Warp he was 
  channelling lashes back into him.
  VORTEX OF DOOM
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Crush, Objuration Mechanicum, Psy Rating 
  5, Shockwave
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test
  Range: 5 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: Half Action
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration
  Description: Playing with impossible energies of the 
  immaterium, the psyker uses his power to punch a hole in 
  reality, opening a tear to the Warp. Roiling energies pour 
  into reality, tearing apart anything unlucky enough to be 
  close to the unstable rift. The psyker struggles to keep the 
  volatile torrent of energy in check, pouring all his energy into 
  constraining the vortex, lest it break out of control and cause 
  untold destruction.
  The psyker chooses a point in range and line of sight, 
  and creates a vortex of energy centred on that point that 
  starts with a radius of 2 metres. Anyone who is touching 
  the vortex at the end of the psyker’s Turn must take 2d10 
  Energy Damage, +2 per point of Psy Rating, with a Pen 
  equal to the vortex’s current radius in metres. The psyker 
  may not voluntarily stop sustaining this power. Instead, at 
  the beginning of each Turn the Psyker is sustaining the 
  vortex, he must take a Challenging (+0) Willpower 
  Test with a –5 penalty for each metre in the vortex’s 
  current radius. If he passes the Test he may perform 
  one of the following actions:
  236
  VII: Psychic Powers
  
  237
  VII: Psychic Powers
  MENTAL FORTITUDE
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: Fearless
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test
  Range: 3 metres x Psy Rating radius
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker uses his mastery of the human 
  mind to bolster his allies in battle. He extends his power 
  over them, projecting inspirational thoughts into their 
  minds and banishing fear, moving even the greatest cowards 
  to acts of heroism. 
  For the duration of this power, a number of allies 
  within range equal to the Psyker’s Psy Rating, plus the 
  psyker himself, count as having the Fearless Talent. Allies 
  affected by this power lose its beneﬁts as soon as they 
  move out of range.
  PUPPET MASTER
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Dominate
  Action: Full Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Opposed Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: Special
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: Focussing his telepathic ability, the psyker is 
  able to fully extend his mind into the will of another. He 
  wraps his inﬂuence around their mind, controlling not only 
  their thoughts, but their physical actions as well. He gains 
  full command over his victim’s body, controlling them like a 
  puppet under his grasp.
  The psyker nominates a single target in range and line of 
  sight with total Wounds no greater than 3 times the psyker’s 
  Psy Rating, who opposes this power with a Willpower 
  Test. If the target fails to resist the power, it is controlled 
  by the psyker like a puppet. For the duration of the power, 
  the psyker may divide his Actions between himself and the 
  target. The dominated target uses its own Characteristics, 
  but at –10 due to the crudity of the control. If at any point 
  the psyker would make the target perform a potentially 
  suicidal action, the target may attempt a Challenging (+0) 
  Opposed Willpower Test to try and break free of the 
  power. Additionally, the power breaks as soon as the target 
  moves out of range.
  TELEPATHY
  Telepathy is one of the most important psychic disciplines in 
  the Imperium. It allows millions upon millions of worlds to 
  stay connected. In addition to their unparalleled powers of 
  communication, telepaths posses the capability to manipulate 
  the minds of others. They can tear away the sanity of their 
  target, mould their thoughts like clay and bend their will.
  Example Minor Manifestations: Gain ﬂeeting glimpses 
  into a nearby character’s thoughts. Cause a nearby character 
  to hear whispering voices.
  PSYCHIC SHRIEK
  Value: 300xp
  Prerequisites: Psy Rating 3
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Attack
  Description: The psyker draws in a deep breath, pulling 
  the power of the Warp inside of his body. He unleashes the 
  energy in an other-worldly howl focussed with pinpoint 
  accuracy on an enemy. The psyker’s screech of psychic energy 
  shreds the mind and body of his victim, tearing them apart 
  with barrages of vicious resonance.
  This power is a Psychic Bolt that deals 1d10+2 Explosive 
  Damage, +2 per point of Psy Rating, with a Pen of 0 and the 
  Concussive (1) Quality.
  DOMINATE
  Value: 200xp
  Prerequisites: Willpower 40+
  Action: Full Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Opposed Willpower Test
  Range: 5 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker extends his will into the mind 
  of his enemies, twisting around their thoughts and beating 
  down their mental defences. With their protection down, the 
  psyker can plant ideas into their heads, making them perform 
  his bidding as if it were their own idea.
  The psyker nominates a number targets in range and line 
  of sight up to half his Psy Rating (rounded up) who opposes 
  this power with a Willpower Test. Those targets that fail to 
  resist the power must follow a simple command given by the 
  psyker. Some example orders include “Flee,” “Fall,” or “Attack 
  your friend.” If the command is a potentially suicidal act, the 
  targets receive a +20 to their Willpower Tests. In all cases the 
  command must be achievable in a single Round.
  237
  suicidal action, the target may attempt a Challenging (+0) 
  Opposed Willpower Test to try and break free of the 
  power. Additionally, the power breaks as soon as the target 
  moves out of range.
  The psyker nominates a number targets in range and line 
  of sight up to half his Psy Rating (rounded up) who opposes 
  this power with a Willpower Test. Those targets that fail to 
  resist the power must follow a simple command given by the 
  psyker. Some example orders include “Flee,” “Fall,” or “Attack 
  your friend.” If the command is a potentially suicidal act, the 
  targets receive a +20 to their Willpower Tests. In all cases the 
  
  INVISIBILITY
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Agility 30, Psy Rating 4
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker worms his way into his opponents’ 
  senses, causing even their sight to betray them. Using this 
  control he can bend their vision around a target, rendering it 
  all but invisible to their eyes.
  The psyker nominates a single target within range and line 
  of sight, this could be the psyker himself. For the duration of 
  the power, the target counts as being Trained in the Stealth 
  Skill, and gains a bonus to Stealth Tests equal to +5 times 
  the psyker’s Psy Rating. Additionally, all ranged attacks 
  made against the target suffer a penalty equal to –5 times the 
  psyker’s Psy Rating. The target loses this power’s beneﬁts as 
  soon as it moves out of range.
  HALLUCINATION
  Value: 200xp
  Prerequisites: None
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Opposed Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: As with many things, the mind is much 
  easier to break than it is to control. The psyker 
  reaches into his victim’s mind, snapping the fragile 
  controls over its own paranoia, confusion, and 
  panic that roil beneath the surface. Once freed, 
  these violent mental energies do the psyker’s 
  work for him, tearing through his opponent’s 
  mind, bending the hapless victim’s very 
  perception of reality.
  The psyker nominates a single target 
  in range and line of sight who opposes 
  this power with a Willpower Test. If the 
  target fails to resist the power, it must roll 
  on Table 6–7: Hallucinogenic Effects 
  on page 170, and immediately apply the 
  effects. The effect rolled on the table lasts for a 
  number of Rounds equal to half the psyker’s Psy 
  Rating, rounded up.
  TERRIFY
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Hallucination
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Opposed Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: Slithering deep into the mind of his victim, the 
  psyker unearths their greatest failings, greatest weaknesses, 
  and greatest fears. Using these as tools against his opponent, 
  the psyker can turn even the most courageous warriors into 
  pathetic, whimpering cowards before him.
  The psyker nominates a single target in range and line 
  of sight who opposes this power with a Willpower Test. 
  If the target fails to resist the power, it must roll on Table 
  9–5: Shock on page 304, adding +10 times the psyker’s 
  Psy Rating to the roll in place of the normally addition for 
  Degrees of Failure, and immediately 
  apply the effects.
  INVISIBILITY
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Agility 30, Psy Rating 4
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: Free Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: The psyker worms his way into his opponents’ 
  senses, causing even their sight to betray them. Using this 
  control he can bend their vision around a target, rendering it 
  all but invisible to their eyes.
  The psyker nominates a single target within range and line 
  of sight, this could be the psyker himself. For the duration of 
  the power, the target counts as being Trained in the Stealth 
  Skill, and gains a bonus to Stealth Tests equal to +5 times 
  the psyker’s Psy Rating. Additionally, all ranged attacks 
  made against the target suffer a penalty equal to –5 times the 
  psyker’s Psy Rating. The target loses this power’s beneﬁts as 
  soon as it moves out of range.
  CINATION
   None
   Half Action
   Challenging (+0) Opposed Willpower Test
   10 metres x Psy Rating
   Concentration
  Description: As with many things, the mind is much 
  easier to break than it is to control. The psyker 
  reaches into his victim’s mind, snapping the fragile 
  controls over its own paranoia, confusion, and 
  panic that roil beneath the surface. Once freed, 
  these violent mental energies do the psyker’s 
  work for him, tearing through his opponent’s 
  mind, bending the hapless victim’s very 
  perception of reality.
  The psyker nominates a single target 
  in range and line of sight who opposes 
  this power with a Willpower Test. If the 
  target fails to resist the power, it must roll 
  on Table 6–7: Hallucinogenic Effects
  on page 170, and immediately apply the 
  effects. The effect rolled on the table lasts for a 
  number of Rounds equal to half the psyker’s Psy 
  Rating, rounded up.
  TERRIFY
  TERRIFY
  T
  Value: 400xp
  Prerequisites: Hallucination
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Difﬁcult (–10) Opposed Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description: Slithering deep into the mind of his victim, the 
  psyker unearths their greatest failings, greatest weaknesses, 
  and greatest fears. Using these as tools against his opponent, 
  the psyker can turn even the most courageous warriors into 
  pathetic, whimpering cowards before him.
  The psyker nominates a single target in range and line 
  of sight who opposes this power with a Willpower Test. 
  If the target fails to resist the power, it must roll on Table 
  9–5: Shock on page 304, adding +10 times the psyker’s 
  Psy Rating to the roll in place of the normally addition for 
  made against the target suffer a penalty equal to –5 times the 
  psyker’s Psy Rating. The target loses this power’s beneﬁts as 
  soon as it moves out of range.
  HALLU
  ALLU
  ALL CINATION
  Value: 200xp
  Prerequisites: None
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Opposed Willpower Test
  Range: 10 metres x Psy Rating
  Sustained: No
  Subtype: Concentration
  Description:
  easier to break than it is to control. The psyker 
  reaches into his victim’s mind, snapping the fragile 
  controls over its own paranoia, confusion, and 
  panic that roil beneath the surface. Once freed, 
  these violent mental energies do the psyker’s 
  work for him, tearing through his opponent’s 
  mind, bending the hapless victim’s very 
  perception of reality.
  on page 170, and immediately apply the 
  effects. The effect rolled on the table lasts for a 
  number of Rounds equal to half the psyker’s Psy 
  Rating, rounded up.
  Psy Rating to the roll in place of the normally addition for 
  Degrees of Failure, and immediately 
  apply the effects.
  238
  VII: Psychic Powers
  
  COMBAT
  •
  INJURY
  •
  CRITICAL HITS
  •
  SPECIAL 
  CONDITIONS
  •
  HEALING
  •
  VEHICLE COMBAT
  
  240
  240
  VIII: Combat
  ACTIONS
  A character can perform one or more Actions during his Turn. 
  If a character is performing multiple Actions during his Turn, 
  the order in which they are resolved may or may not matter. 
  For example, a character could draw his pistol and then move 
  a few metres, or he could move ﬁrst and then draw his pistol, 
  but either way the end result is the same. However, if the same 
  character wants to shoot his pistol, he obviously needs to draw 
  it ﬁrst! Actions are described in detail on page 242. 
  COMBAT OVERVIEW
  Combat is usually resolved using Structured Time divided 
  into Rounds, Turns, and Actions. Each character, including 
  NPCs, takes one Turn each Round. The order in which Turns 
  are resolved depends on Initiative Order. When a new combat 
  begins, follow these steps to determine what happens.
  STEP 1: SURPRISE
  At the beginning of a combat, the GM determines if any 
  characters are Surprised. This can only happen once at the 
  beginning of a combat, and there will be many combats 
  wherein nobody is Surprised. During the ﬁrst Round of 
  combat, a Surprised character loses his Turn and cannot use 
  Reactions because he has been caught unawares by his enemies. 
  If no one is Surprised, move immediately to Step Two.
  Chapter VIII: 
  Combat
  “Fix bayonets, lads—this is about to get interesting…”
  –Major Lucius Sharpe of the 444th Cadian Mechanised
  W
  ar is life for the men and women of the Imperial 
  Guard. Trillions of Guardsmen across countless 
  battleﬁelds ﬁght against the God-Emperor’s enemies 
  on a daily basis, and all of them must know how to ﬁght lest 
  they be brought to ruin by the blasphemous and heretical foes 
  that stand against them. Unsurprisingly, combat is an essential 
  component to a game of ONLY WAR, and all characters must be 
  ready to repel whatever evil the galaxy has thrown their way. 
  NARRATIVE TIME VS 
  STRUCTURED TIME
  The passage of time is ﬂexible in a game of ONLY WAR and 
  subject to the GM’s discretion, based on the needs of the 
  story and the choices the players make. Sometimes the GM 
  only needs to convey a very loose sense of time, which is 
  known as Narrative Time. In other situations, especially 
  combats, more precise time keeping is necessary, and the GM 
  should adopt what is known as Structured Time.
  NARRATIVE TIME
  Many situations in a game of ONLY WAR do not require 
  precise time keeping. It is usually enough to know if a certain 
  action takes a few minutes, about an hour, several weeks, 
  or anything in between. Narrative Time is most often used 
  outside of combat and other situations where the precise 
  order of actions is unimportant.
  STRUCTURED TIME
  In contrast to the abstract approach of Narrative Time, 
  Structured Time is important for resolving complex 
  encounters, such as combat, when every second counts and 
  the order in which things happen is crucial. Structured Time 
  is divided into Rounds, Turns, and Actions.
  ROUNDS
  A Round consists of every character participating in the 
  encounter taking one Turn each. It is assumed that characters 
  act more or less simultaneously in an encounter, so a Round 
  is approximately ﬁve seconds long, regardless of how many 
  characters are involved.
  TURNS
  Each character in an encounter gets one Turn each Round. 
  During a character’s Turn, he can perform one or more 
  Actions. While characters’ Turns actually overlap each 
  other slightly, Turns are resolved in a speciﬁc order 
  known as Initiative Order (see page 241).
  
  241
  241
  VIII: Combat
  INITIATIVE
  Initiative determines the order in which participants act 
  during each Round. To determine Initiative, roll 1d10 and 
  add the result to the character’s or NPC’s Agility Bonus. The 
  GM rolls the Initiative for any NPCs and creatures present. 
  To keep things simpler, it is recommended that the GM make 
  one Initiative roll for an entire group of similar enemies. After 
  each combatant (or group of combatants) has determined 
  his Initiative, the GM makes a list and places them in order, 
  from highest to lowest. This is known as the Initiative Order, 
  which is the order the combatants act in each Round, until 
  the combat is over. 
  If more than one character has the same Initiative, they act 
  in order from the highest Agility to the lowest. If they also 
  have the same Agility, then each should roll a die, with the 
  highest going ﬁrst. Most combats last for multiple Rounds, 
  but each combatant’s Initiative is only determined once at 
  the start of the combat. Once the Initiative Order has been 
  established, it usually remains the same from Round to 
  Round. If new combatants join in the middle of the ﬁght, 
  simply determine their Initiatives normally and insert them 
  into the Initiative Order. The GM can choose to re-do the 
  Initiative Order during an Encounter if the events of the story 
  demand it, and this can involve additional Surprised Rounds. 
  Generally speaking though, events such as this should be 
  rare, and should be used to heighten tension and introduce 
  unique or interesting new elements to the combat rather than 
  just when more enemy forces show up.
  STEP 2: ROLL INITIATIVE
  At the start of the ﬁrst Round, each character rolls for 
  Initiative. Each character rolls 1d10 and adds his Agility 
  Bonus (the tens digit of his Agility characteristic). The result 
  of the roll applies to all successive Rounds in the combat.
  STEP 3: DETERMINE INITIATIVE ORDER
  The GM ranks all the Initiative rolls, including those of the 
  NPCs, from highest to lowest. This is the order in which the 
  characters take their Turns during each Round of combat.
  STEP 4: COMBATANTS TAKE TURNS
  Starting with the character at the top of the Initiative Order, 
  each character takes a Turn. The character currently taking 
  his Turn is known as the active character. During his Turn, 
  the active character can perform one or more Actions. Once 
  his Actions have been resolved, the next character in the 
  Initiative Order becomes the active character and takes his 
  Turn, and so forth.
  STEP 5: ROUND ENDS
  Once each character has taken a Turn, the Round is over. Any 
  lingering effects that specify a duration of “until the end of 
  the Round” now end.
  STEP 6: REPEAT STEPS 4–5 AS NEEDED
  Continue to play successive Rounds until the combat is 
  complete or until the event that triggered the switch from 
  Narrative Time to Structured Time is resolved.
  SURPRISE 
  Surprise only affects the beginning of a new combat. It is up to the GM to decide if any of the combatants are Surprised.
  Ultimately, this comes down to a judgement call on the GM’s part, based on the circumstances and the Actions of the various 
  combatants leading up to the encounter. The GM should take the following into account when determining Surprise: 
  •	 Is anyone hiding? Successful use of the Concealment Skill before the combat may mean that some combatants are 
  hidden. Extremely wary characters may oppose this with an Awareness Test.
  •	 Is anyone sneaky? Successful use of the Silent Move Skill may have positioned some characters for an ambush. Again, 
  wary opponents may oppose this with an Awareness Test.
  •	 Are there any unusual circumstances that would mask the approach of attackers? This can cover nearly anything, from 
  pouring rain to whining engines to nearby explosions.
  •	 Are there any distractions? It is possible that something quite distracting is going on. A group of Orks may be so 
  ﬁxated on ﬁghting one another that they fail to hear a group of Guardsmen approaching.
  Bearing all of this in mind, the GM must decide which combatants are Surprised. While it’s often the case that one entire 
  side or the other is Surprised, there can be individual exceptions. If no one is Surprised, proceed with the combat as normal. 
  If there are one or more Surprised combatants, the ﬁrst Round of combat is referred to as a Surprised Round. During a 
  Surprised Round, all combatants roll for Initiative as per the standard rules detailed [above], but any Surprised combatant 
  loses their Turn during the Surprised Round. All the non-Surprised combatants take Actions using the standard Initiative 
  Order. The Surprised combatant (or group of combatants) can do nothing except remain in whatever state they were when 
  combat started (which in most cases means they will just stand still) either because they are in shock or because they 
  are simply unaware that they are under attack. Surprised combatants cannot use Reactions during a Surprised Round. 
  Furthermore, a non-Surprised attacker receives a +30 bonus to Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests made to attack a 
  Surprised target. After the Surprise Round completely resolves, all Surprised characters recover their wits and can act 
  normally, joining the Initiative Order at whatever place they rolled at the start of the Surprised Round.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  USING ACTIONS
  During his Turn, a character may perform one Full Action or 
  two different Half Actions. A character could, for example, 
  make a Charge Action (Full Action) or make an Aim Action 
  and a Standard Attack Action, such as shooting (two Half 
  Actions). It is important to remember that a Round is only a 
  few seconds long, so the character’s Turn within that Round 
  is but a few moments. 
  Any Action can be combined with talking, banter, battle 
  cries, and other short verbal expressions—these are considered 
  Free Actions—but it is left to the GM to decide what a player 
  might be able to say in that amount of time. A wry aside to a 
  companion or a terse insult of an enemy is always reasonable, 
  but recounting the intimate details of one’s seven duels to 
  the death between swings of a power sword should probably 
  count as something more than just a Free Action. 
  Most Actions are started and completed within the active 
  character’s same Turn. For example, a character does not 
  begin a Charge on one Turn and ﬁnish it on a later Turn 
  or a later Round; he performs the entire Charge (which is a 
  Full Action) at once during his Turn. However, there are two 
  broad exceptions: Reactions are always performed when it 
  is not the reacting character’s Turn, and Extended Actions 
  always take more than one Round to complete.
  In addition, characters in ONLY WAR may only take one 
  Action with the Attack subtype and one Action with the 
  Concentration subtype during their Turn. They may still take 
  Reactions with the Concentration or Attack subtype during the 
  same Round, since this does not happen during their Turn. 
  Note that sustaining psychic powers (most of which have the 
  Concentration subtype) does not count as taking Actions. 
  ACTION DESCRIPTIONS
  These Actions provide players with options in combat.
  Aim
  Type: Half Action or Full Action
  Subtype: Concentration
  The active character takes extra time to make a more precise 
  attack. Aiming as a Half Action grants a +10 bonus to the 
  character’s next attack, while aiming as a Full Action grants 
  a +20 bonus to the character’s next attack. The next Action 
  the Aiming character performs must be an attack (Standard, 
  Semi-Auto, Lightning Attack, and so on) or the beneﬁts of 
  Aiming are lost. Aiming beneﬁts are also lost if the character 
  performs a Reaction before making his attack. Aiming can be 
  used with both melee and ranged attacks.
  All Out Attack
  Type: Full Action
  Subtypes: Attack, Melee. 
  The character makes a furious melee attack at the expense of 
  personal safety. He makes one melee attack with a +30 to his 
  Weapon Skill, but he cannot make Dodge or Parry attempts 
  until the start of his next Turn. A character cannot combine 
  an Aim Action with an All Out Attack. 
  ACTIONS
  During each normal Round, every character gets a Turn to 
  act. On his Turn, a character can take one or more Actions. 
  There are ﬁve types of Actions in Only War, and every action 
  also has one or more subtypes.
  Full Actions
  A Full Action requires a character’s complete attention to 
  accomplish. A character can take one Full Action on his Turn 
  and cannot take any Half Actions. Grappling an opponent is 
  an example of a Full Action.
  Half Actions
  A Half Action is fairly simple; it requires some effort or 
  concentration, but not so much that it consumes a character’s 
  entire Turn. A character can take two different Half Actions 
  on his Turn instead of taking one Full Action. Readying a 
  weapon or making a Standard Attack are both examples of 
  Half Actions.
  Reactions
  A Reaction is a special Action made in response to some 
  event, such as an attack. A character receives one Reaction 
  each Round, which may only be used when it is not his Turn. 
  Examples include making an Evasion Test to avoid an attack.
  Free Actions
  A Free Action takes only a moment and requires no real effort 
  by the character. Free Actions may be performed in addition to 
  any other Actions on a character’s Turn, and there is no formal 
  limit to the number of Free Actions one character can take. 
  The GM should use common sense to set reasonable limits on 
  what can be done in a few seconds. Examples of Free Actions 
  include dropping an item or speaking a few words.
  Extended Actions
  Some Actions take more time than a single Round to 
  complete. Once a character commits to an Extended Action, 
  he is considered to be working towards completing it for as 
  long as necessary. If the character abandons the Extended 
  Action, or is interrupted, all progress towards completing the 
  Extended Action is lost.
  Action Subtypes
  In addition to its type, every Action is also categorised into one 
  or more subtypes. Action subtypes don’t do anything in and of 
  themselves, but they are used to clarify what a character is and 
  is not allowed to do in a variety of special circumstances. For 
  example, a character that is Immobilised cannot perform any 
  Actions with the Movement subtype.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  his weapon 45 degrees (or sometimes more) depending on 
  the type of bracing. For example, a weapon braced in the 
  notch of a broken wall would have a limited traverse, while 
  a weapon with a full tripod could potentially traverse up to 
  180 degrees. Note that a character can leave a braced weapon 
  behind, assuming that the character was bracing the weapon 
  against something other than himself—the weapon will only 
  cease being braced once the weapon has been moved from its 
  current location.
  Brace Heavy Weapon
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Miscellaneous
  Heavy weapons must be braced before they can be ﬁred 
  accurately. Bracing a heavy weapon can involve using a 
  bipod or tripod, propping the weapon up on a windowsill 
  or sandbags, or simply assuming a wide stance or kneeling. 
  When a heavy weapon is ﬁred without being braced, the 
  attacker suffers a –30 to his Ballistic Skill Test (in addition to 
  any other penalties). Once this Action is made, the weapon is 
  braced, and remains braced until it is moved. Once a heavy 
  weapon has been braced, the ﬁrer cannot move without losing 
  the beneﬁts of bracing. However, the user can still traverse 
  Table 8-1: Combat Actions
  Action
  Type
  Subtype(s)
  Description
  Aim
  Half/Full
  Concentration
  +10 (Half ) or +20 (Full) to character’s next attack.
  All Out Attack
  Full
  Attack, Melee
  Give up that Round’s Evasion Reaction to gain +30 WS.
  Brace Heavy 
  Weapon
  Half
  Miscellaneous
  Ready a Heavy weapon to ﬁre.
  Called Shot
  Full
  Attack, Concentration, 
  Ranged or Melee
  Attack a speciﬁc location on a target with a –20 to WS or BS.
  Charge
  Full
  Attack, Melee, 
  Movement
  Must move at least 4 metres, +20 to WS.
  Defensive Stance
  Full
  Concentration, Melee
  Gain an additional Reaction. Opponents suffer –20 WS.
  Delay
  Half
  Miscellaneous
  May take any Half Action before character’s next Turn.
  Disengage
  Full
  Movement
  Break from melee without incurring a free attack.
  Evasion
  Reaction
  Movement/Melee
  Used with either the Dodge (Movement) or Parry (Melee) Skill 
  to avoid incoming attacks.
  Feint
  Half
  Melee
  Opposed WS Test, if character wins his next attack cannot be 
  Dodged or Parried.
  Focus Power
  Varies
  Varies
  Use a Psychic Power.
  Full Auto Burst
  Half
  Attack, Ranged
  –10 BS, one hit for every Degree of Success.
  Grapple
  Half/Full
  Attack, Melee
  Affect a Grappled opponent or escape from a Grapple.
  Guarded Action
  Half
  Concentration, Melee/
  Ranged
  –10 to WS or BS, +10 to all Evasion Tests until start of next Turn.
  Jump or Leap
  Full
  Movement
  Jump vertically or leap horizontally.
  Knock Down
  Half
  Attack, Melee
  Try to knock an opponent to the ground.
  Lightning Attack
  Half
  Attack, Melee
  –10 WS, one hit for every Degree of Success.
  Manoeuvre
  Half
  Melee, Movement
  Opposed Test, if character wins move enemy 1 metre.
  Move
  Half/Full
  Movement
  Move up to Ag Bonus as Half Action or twice Ag Bonus as Full Action.
  Overwatch
  Full
  Attack, Concentration, 
  Ranged
  Shoot a target coming into a set kill zone.
  Ready
  Half
  Miscellaneous
  Ready a weapon or an item.
  Reload
  Varies
  Miscellaneous
  Reload a ranged weapon.
  Run
  Full
  Movement
  Move six times Ag Bonus, enemies get –20 BS and +20 WS to 
  hit character whilst running.
  Semi-Auto Burst
  Half
  Attack, Ranged
  +0 BS, additional hit for every two additional Degrees of Success.
  Stand
  Half
  Movement
  To stand up from being knocked over/prone.
  Standard Attack
  Half
  Attack, Melee or Ranged +10 to WS or BS, make one melee or ranged attack.
  Stun
  Full
  Attack, Melee
  Try to Stun an opponent.
  Suppressing Fire
  Full
  Attack, Ranged
  Force opponents to take cover, –20 BS.
  Swift Attack
  Half
  Attack, Melee
  +0 WS, additional hit for every two additional Degrees of Success.
  Tactical Advance
  Full
  Concentration, 
  Movement
  Move from cover to cover.
  Use a Skill
  Varies
  Miscellaneous
  Character may use a skill.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  Defensive Stance
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Concentration, Melee
  The character makes no attacks and instead concentrates 
  entirely on self-defence. Until the start of his next Turn, the 
  character may only use his Reactions to make the Evasion 
  Reaction, but may make one additional Reaction, and all 
  opponents suffer a –20 penalty to Weapon Skill Tests made 
  to attack him.
  Delay
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Miscellaneous
  Instead of acting immediately, the character waits for an 
  opportunity. When a character chooses Delay, his Turn 
  immediately ends. Any time before the start of his next Turn, 
  the character can perform a Half Action of his choice—even 
  though it is not currently his Turn. If this Half Action is not 
  used before the start of the character’s next Turn, it is lost. 
  If two or more characters both attempt to perform a Half 
  Action gained from Delay at the same time, they must make 
  an Opposed Agility Test to see who acts ﬁrst.
  Disengage
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Movement
  The character breaks off from melee combat and may take a Half 
  Move. Opponents that were engaged with the character do not 
  gain any free attacks. See the Fleeing sidebar for more details.
  Evasion
  Type: Reaction
  Subtype: Movement (Dodge) or Melee (Parry)
  After a character is hit, but before Damage is rolled, the 
  character may attempt to avoid the attack by making a 
  Dodge or Parry Test. A character must be aware of the attack 
  in order to make the Test (and cannot be Surprised). If the 
  Test succeeds, the character gets out of the way at the last 
  moment and the attack is considered to have missed (and 
  thus no Damage is rolled). If the Evasion Test fails, the attack 
  connects and deals Damage normally. If the attack is a Ranged 
  Attack, the character must Test his Dodge Skill. If the attack 
  is a Melee Attack, he may Test either his Dodge or his Parry 
  Skill. The default difﬁculty for this Test is Challenging (+0) 
  before any applicable modiﬁers. Keep in mind that Reactions 
  cannot be used during the character’s own Turn, so a character 
  cannot Dodge/Parry attacks made via Overwatch, when they 
  ﬂee from combat during their own Turn, and so on.
  Evading Auto-Fire, Multiple Attacks,  
  and Area Effect Attacks
  Some attacks—such as those made with grenades, ﬂamers, 
  or guns ﬁring semi-automatic or fully-automatic bursts—are 
  especially difﬁcult to avoid. When Dodging an area effect 
  weapon (such as a weapon with the Blast or Spray Qualities), 
  a successful Dodge Test moves the character to the edge of 
  the area of effect, as long as it is no further away than the 
  character’s Agility Bonus in metres. If the character would need 
  to move further than this to avoid the attack, or is unable to 
  Called Shot
  Type: Full Action
  Subtypes: Attack, Concentration, Melee or Ranged
  The active character attempts to attack a speciﬁc or vulnerable 
  area on his target. The attacker declares a location on his 
  target (e.g. Head, Body, Left Arm, Right Arm, Left Leg, or 
  Right Leg) and makes an attack following all the rules for 
  Standard Attacks, except the Test is either a Hard (–20) 
  Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill Test (depending on whether 
  the attack is melee or ranged). If he succeeds, he skips the 
  Determine Hit Location step of the attack and instead hits 
  the declared location. At the GM’s discretion, this attack may 
  be used to aim at speciﬁc locations on monsters or within the 
  environment, such as shooting a door lock from across the 
  room or disabling a wall-mounted vid-recorder. This attack 
  does not gain the usual +10 bonus for Standard Attacks.
  Charge
  Type: Full Action
  Subtypes: Attack, Melee, Movement
  The character rushes at his target and delivers a single melee 
  attack. The target must be at least four metres away, but still 
  within the attacker’s Charge Move (see Table 1–4: Structured 
  Time Movement). The last four metres of the Charge must 
  be in a straight line so the attacker can build speed and line 
  up with his target. Once the attacker reaches his target, he 
  makes a single melee attack by making a Routine (+20) 
  Weapon Skill Test. Success inﬂicts one hit on the target. For 
  more information on making an Attack, see page 249. If the 
  Charging character has no weapons or others items currently 
  readied, he can attempt to Grapple his opponent instead of 
  inﬂicting Damage. See Grappling, page 251.
  FLEEING AND LEAVING MELEE
  Sometimes the best course of action in combat is to get 
  away from danger by any means necessary. A character 
  can voluntarily ﬂee from an opponent or be forced to 
  ﬂee because of Fear, a psychic power, or some other 
  effect. When a character ﬂees under his own control, 
  he may take any of the following Actions: Disengage, 
  Move, or Run. When a character ﬂees against his will, 
  he must Run. 
  LEAVING MELEE
  If a character is engaged in melee with one or more 
  opponents and he leaves combat with them (such as 
  ﬂeeing or moving to another target) without using the 
  Disengage Action, each of his opponents gets a free 
  Standard Attack against the ﬂeeing character. Such a 
  free attack is made in addition to any other attacks the 
  combatant receives during his Turn.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  Full Auto Burst
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Attack, Ranged
  The character grips his gun tightly and unleashes a furious 
  burst of fully automatic gunﬁre at his enemies. The attacker 
  must be wielding a ranged weapon capable of fully automatic 
  ﬁre to take this Action. If the character has a pistol in each 
  hand, both capable of fully automatic ﬁre, he may ﬁre both 
  with this Action (see Two-Weapon Fighting, page 252). 
  The attacker makes a Ballistic Skill Test with a –10 penalty 
  to his attack. A dice result of 94 to 00 indicates the weapon 
  has Jammed (see Weapon Jams, page 255). If he succeeds, 
  he scores one hit with his weapon per Degree of Success. The 
  number of extra hits scored in this manner cannot exceed the 
  weapon’s fully automatic rate of ﬁre. Extra hits can either be 
  allocated to the original target or any other targets within 
  two metres, provided none of the new targets would have 
  been harder to hit than the original target. If extra hits are 
  allocated to the same target, use Table 8–2: Multiple Hits 
  to determine the extra Hit Locations. Remember, the ﬁrst hit 
  is always determined by reversing the numbers of the dice 
  result made to perform the Test (see The Attack, page 249).
  If the character is armed with two weapons, and has the 
  appropriate Talents, he may make a secondary attack with 
  his other weapon as part of this Action. See Two-Weapon 
  Fighting on page 252.
  Grapple
  Type: Half or Full Action
  Subtype: Attack, Melee
  This Action is only used when a character is already engaged 
  in a Grapple. See Grappling, page 251, for full rules on 
  starting a Grapple. If the active character is controlling the 
  Grapple, the ﬁrst thing he must do on his Turn is declare 
  Grapple as a Full Action in order to maintain the Grapple; if 
  he does not declare Grapple as his Full Action, the Grapple 
  immediately ends. After that, he can choose one of the 
  following Controller Grapple Options:
  Controller Grapple Options
  •	 Damage Opponent: The controller of the Grapple can 
  attempt to Damage his opponent with brute force by 
  making an Opposed Strength Test with the Grappled 
  opponent. If the active character wins, he inﬂicts unarmed 
  Damage (1d5–3+SB) to his opponent’s body location 
  and one level of Fatigue. If the grappled opponent wins 
  the Opposed Strength Test, no Damage is dealt, but 
  he remains Grappled. This Action can beneﬁt from 
  Assistance. There are certain Talents and Traits that may 
  modify these numbers.
  •	 Throw Down Opponent: The controller of the Grapple 
  can attempt to wrestle his Grappled opponent to the 
  ground by making an Opposed Strength Test. This Test 
  can beneﬁt from Assistance. If the active character wins, 
  the Grappled opponent becomes Prone. The character 
  controlling the Grapple can choose to end the Grapple 
  at this point as a Free Action, or may continue to 
  Grapple the Prone opponent, gaining a +10 to all 
  further Opposed Tests made during this Grapple 
  be moved out of the way due to an obstruction of some sort 
  (such as when they are within the conﬁnes of a tight corridor), 
  then the Dodge Test automatically fails. When Evading Swift 
  Attacks, Lightning Attacks, Full Auto Bursts, Semi-Auto Bursts, 
  or any weapon with the Twin-Linked Quality, each Degree of 
  Success on the Dodge Test negates one additional hit. When 
  Evading weapons with the Storm Quality, each Degree of 
  Success on the Dodge Test negates two hits.
  Feint
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Melee
  The character attempts to use guile and combat training 
  to trick his opponent into a mistake. The character and his 
  target make an Opposed Weapon Skill Test. If the active 
  character wins, his next Melee Standard Attack Action against 
  that same target during this Turn cannot be Evaded. If the 
  active character’s next Action is anything other than a Melee 
  Standard Attack Action, the advantage of Feinting is lost.
  Focus Power
  Type: Varies by Power
  Subtype: Varies by Power
  This Action is used to manifest psychic powers in combat. Every 
  psychic power speciﬁes an Action type and one or more subtypes. 
  For more information, see Chapter VII: Psychic Powers.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  Grappling Size Differences
  If one participating Grappler is larger than the other (see 
  Size, page 157), the larger Grappler counts an extra Degree 
  of Success per size category difference on all successful 
  Opposed Tests performed within the Grapple.
  Guarded Action
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Concentration, Melee (Parry), Ranged (Dodge)
  The character’s next actions are careful and guarded, making 
  sure he remains well poised to defend himself. The character 
  suffers a –10 penalty to any Weapon Skill Tests or Ballistic 
  Skill Tests made this Turn, but he gains a +10 bonus to all 
  Evasion Tests until the start of his next Turn.
  Jump or Leap
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Movement
  The character can Jump vertically, or Leap horizontally. If the 
  character is engaged in melee, each opponent he is engaged 
  with can make a free Standard Attack against the character. See 
  Movement, page 33, for details on Jumping and Leaping.
  Knock Down
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Attack, Melee
  The attacker smashes his opponent in the hopes of knocking him 
  off his feet. Make an Opposed Strength Test. If the attacker 
  wins, the target is knocked Prone and must use a Stand Action 
  in his Turn to regain his feet. If the attacker succeeds by two or 
  more Degrees of Success, he may choose to inﬂict 1d5–3+SB 
  Damage and one level of Fatigue on the target. If the target wins 
  the Test, he keeps his footing. If the target wins by two or more 
  Degrees of Success, the attacker is knocked Prone instead. If 
  the attacker spent a Half Action to move before performing the 
  Knock Down Attack or combined the Knock Down Action with 
  a Charge Action, he gains a +10 bonus to the Test.
  Lightning Attack
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Attack, Melee
  This Action may only be taken if the attacker has the Lightning 
  Attack Talent. With fury and precision, the attacker strikes 
  his target multiple times in close combat. The attacker must 
  be armed with a melee weapon or be able to make unarmed 
  attacks to take this Action. If he is armed with two melee 
  weapons, he may attack with both as per the rules for Two-
  Weapon Fighting. Unbalanced or Unwieldy melee weapons 
  cannot be used to make a Lightning Attack. 
  until the Prone opponent manages to stand (assuming they 
  are able to). This bonus is in addition to the standard +10 
  gained when attacking Prone opponents.
  •	 Push Opponent: The controller of the Grapple can 
  attempt to force his Grappled opponent to move. This 
  is resolved with an Opposed Strength Test, which can 
  beneﬁt from Assistance. If the active character succeeds, 
  he pushes his opponent one metre in a direction of his 
  choice, plus one additional metre for each Degree of 
  Success. This pushed distance cannot exceed the active 
  character’s Half Move distance. The active character must 
  move with his Grappled opponent in order to maintain 
  the Grapple, or he can choose to let go of his opponent 
  as a Free Action, which ends the Grapple, but allows the 
  active character to keep his ground.
  •	 Ready: The controller of the Grapple can ready one of 
  his own items. Or if the GM allows, he can use the Ready 
  Action to grab an item belonging to his Grappled opponent.
  •	 Stand: If both Grappling participants are on the ground, 
  the controller of the Grapple can regain his feet with this 
  Action. He can also attempt to drag his Grappled opponent 
  up with him by making an Opposed Strength Test. This 
  Test can beneﬁt from Assistance. If the controller of the 
  Grapple wins, both participants stand.
  •	 Use Item: The controller of the Grapple can use a 
  readied item.
  Grappled Target Options
  If the active character is the target of the Grapple, the ﬁrst thing 
  he must do on his Turn is declare Grapple as a Half Action—
  this is part of the penalty for being Grappled. After that, he can 
  choose one of the following Grappled Target Options:
  •	 Break Free: The Grappled target can attempt to break 
  free of the Grapple by making an Opposed Strength 
  Test against the controller of the Grapple. This Test can 
  beneﬁt from Assistance. If the active character wins, he 
  breaks free and may perform any Half Action.
  •	 Slip Free: The Grappled target can attempt to wriggle 
  out of the Grapple by making a Challenging (+0) 
  Acrobatics Test. If he succeeds, he slips free and may 
  perform any Half Action.
  •	 Take Control: The Grappled target can attempt to 
  take control of the Grapple by making an Opposed 
  Strength Test against his Grappling opponent. This 
  Test can beneﬁt from Assistance. If the active character 
  wins, he becomes the controller of the Grapple and 
  his opponent becomes the Grappled target. The 
  active character may then immediately perform 
  one of the Controller Grapple Options, but he 
  cannot take any other Half Actions.
  Table 8-2: Multiple Hits
  First Hit
  Second Hit
  Third Hit
  Fourth Hit
  Fifth Hit
  Each Additional Hit
  Head
  Head
  Head
  Head
  Arm
  Arm
  Body
  Body
  Arm
  Arm
  Body
  Body
  Arm
  Arm
  Body
  Head
  Body
  Arm
  Body
  Body
  Arm
  Head
  Arm
  Body
  Leg
  Leg
  Body
  Arm
  Head
  Body
  
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  Ready
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Miscellaneous
  The active character draws a weapon or retrieves an object 
  stowed in a pouch or pocket. A weapon or item can also be 
  properly stowed away with this Action (but note that simply 
  dropping an item is considered a Free Action). This Action 
  can also be used to do things such as apply a medi-patch, 
  inject stimm or some other kind of drug, coat a blade with 
  poison, and so forth. Ready can be declared twice in the same 
  Turn if it is used on two different weapons or items.
  Reload
  Type: Half, Full, or Extended Action (Varies by Weapon)
  Subtype: Miscellaneous
  The active character can reload a ranged weapon. The amount 
  of time the Reload Action takes depends on the weapon. See 
  Chapter VI: Armoury for details. Note that any Reload 
  Action that is spread across more than one Round is an 
  Extended Action.
  Run
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Movement
  The active character runs, covering a distance equal to his Run 
  Movement (see Table 1–4: Structured Time Movement). 
  This makes the character harder to hit with ranged weapons, 
  but easier prey for melee attacks. Until the beginning of the 
  character’s next Turn, ranged attack made against him suffer 
  a –20 penalty to Ballistic Skill Tests, but melee attacks gain a 
  +20 bonus to Weapon Skill Tests.
  Semi-Auto Burst
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Attack, Ranged
  With precision and discipline, the active character ﬁres a short, 
  controlled burst of semi-automatic gunﬁre at his enemies. The 
  attacker must be wielding a ranged weapon capable of semi-
  automatic ﬁre to take this Action. If the character has a pistol in 
  each hand, both capable of semi-automatic ﬁre, he may ﬁre both 
  with this Action (see Two-Weapon Fighting, page 252). 
  The attacker makes a Challenging (+0) Ballistic Skill 
  Test. A dice result of 94 to 00 indicates the weapon has 
  Jammed (see Weapon Jams, page 255). If he hits, he scores 
  a hit for the initial Degree of Success plus an additional hit 
  for every two additional Degrees of Success. The number of 
  extra hits scored in this manner cannot exceed the weapon’s 
  semi-automatic rate of ﬁre. Extra hits can either be allocated 
  to the original target or any other targets within two metres, 
  provided none of the new targets would have been harder 
  to hit than the original target. If extra hits are allocated to 
  the same target, use Table 8–2: Multiple Hits to determine 
  the extra Hit Locations. Remember, the ﬁrst hit is always 
  determined by reversing the numbers of the dice result made 
  to perform the Test (see The Attack, page 249). 
  If the character is armed with two weapons, and has 
  the appropriate Talents, he may make a secondary attack 
  with his other weapon as part of this Action. See Two-
  Weapon Fighting on page 252.
  The attacker makes a Difﬁcult (–10) Weapon Skill Test. 
  Success indicates he has hit his target with his melee weapon 
  once for every Degree of Success. The number of hits scored 
  cannot exceed the attacker’s Weapon Skill Bonus. Extra hits can 
  either be allocated to the original target or any other targets the 
  character is in melee with, provided none of the new targets 
  would have been harder to hit than the original target. If extra 
  hits are allocated to the same target, use Table 8–2: Multiple 
  Hits to determine the extra Hit Locations. Remember, the ﬁrst 
  hit is always determined by reversing the numbers of the dice 
  result made to perform the Test (see The Attack, page 249).
  If the character is armed with two weapons, and has the 
  appropriate Talents, he may make a secondary attack with 
  his other weapon as part of this Action. See Two-Weapon 
  Fighting on page 252.
  Manoeuvre
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Melee, Movement
  By using superior footwork and aggression, the attacker can 
  force his opponent to move by making an Opposed Weapon 
  Skill with his opponent. If he succeeds, the opponent must 
  move one metre in the direction of the attacker’s choice. If 
  desired, the attacker can advance one metre as well. The 
  opponent cannot be forced into another character or some 
  other obstacle (such as wall), but can be pushed off ledges.
  Move
  Type: Half or Full Action
  Subtype: Movement
  The active character can spend a Half Action to move a 
  number of metres equal to his Agility Bonus. As a Full Action, 
  he may move twice that distance, see Table 1–4: Structure 
  Time Movement on page 33. If the active character ends 
  his movement adjacent to an opponent, he may engage that 
  opponent in melee. If the active character moves away from 
  an opponent with whom his in engaged, that opponent may 
  make a free Standard Attack against the active character.
  Overwatch
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Attack, Concentration, Ranged
  The active character guards a speciﬁc area or target, poised to shoot 
  at an opportune moment. When Overwatch is declared, the active 
  character establishes a kill zone consisting of any general area, such 
  as a corridor or tree line, that encompasses a 45-degree arc in the 
  direction that the active character is facing. The active character 
  then speciﬁes Standard Attack, Full Auto Burst, or Semi-Auto 
  Burst, along with the conditions under which he will perform the 
  chosen attack. At any time the speciﬁed conditions are met before 
  the start of the character’s next Turn, he can perform that attack. 
  If this attack occurs at the same time as another character’s Action, 
  the character with the higher Agility acts ﬁrst. If both characters 
  have the same Agility, they make an Opposed Agility Test to see 
  who acts ﬁrst. Additionally, targets caught in the kill zone must 
  make a Challenging (+0) Pinning Test or become Pinned (see 
  Pinning on page 254). If a character on Overwatch performs any 
  Actions or Reactions, such as Evasion, his Overwatch immediately 
  ends. Note this does not include Free Actions, such as speech.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  255). If the Ballistic Skill Test succeeds, the GM assigns the 
  hit to a random target within the kill zone. Furthermore, every 
  two Degrees of Success scores an extra hit against another 
  random victim. Use of the Suppressing Fire Action does not 
  affect the defensive beneﬁts of Armour or cover. The number 
  of hits scored may not exceed the weapon’s semi-automatic or 
  fully automatic Rate of Fire. Use Table 8–2: Multiple Hits 
  to determine Hit Locations against the same target. The active 
  character cannot choose to fail this Ballistic Skill Test.
  Swift Attack
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Attack, Melee
  This Action may only be taken if the attacker has the Swift Attack 
  Talent. With fury and precision the attacker strikes his target 
  multiple times in close combat. The attacker must be armed with 
  a melee weapon or be able to make unarmed attacks to take this 
  Action. If he is armed with two melee weapons, he may attack 
  with both as per the rules for Two-Weapon Fighting. 
  The attacker makes a Challenging (+0) Weapon Skill 
  Test. Success indicates he has hit his target with his melee 
  weapon once for the initial Degree of Success, plus once for 
  every two additional Degrees of Success. The number of hits 
  scored cannot exceed the attacker’s Weapon Skill Bonus. Extra 
  hits can either be allocated to the original target or any other 
  targets the character is in melee with, provided none of the new 
  targets would have been harder to hit than the original target. 
  If extra hits are allocated to the same target, use Table 8–2: 
  Multiple Hits to determine the extra Hit Locations. Remember, 
  the ﬁrst hit is always determined by reversing the numbers of the 
  dice result made to perform the Test (see The Attack below). 
  If the character is armed with two weapons, and has the 
  appropriate Talents, he may make a secondary attack with 
  his other weapon as part of this Action. See Two-Weapon 
  Fighting on page 252.
  Tactical Advance
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Concentration, Movement
  The active character moves from one position of cover 
  to another position of cover. In so doing, he may move a 
  distance up to his Full Move. For the duration of the move, he 
  is considered to beneﬁt from the cover he left, even though he 
  is moving in the open for a brief time. 
  Use a Skill
  Type: Half, Full, or Extended Action (Varies by circumstance)
  Subtypes: Concentration, Miscellaneous
  The active character may use a Skill. This usually involves 
  making a Skill Test. This can be an Extended Action, 
  depending on the Skill and the circumstances.
  Other Actions
  If a player wants to do something not covered by the Actions 
  described here, the GM should make a judgement 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: a Characteristic Test, Skill Test, or Opposed Test. 
  Keep in mind that a Round is only around ﬁve seconds long.
  Stand/Mount/Dismount
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Movement
  If the active character is lying or sitting on the ground, he 
  can stand. If he is already standing, he can mount a riding 
  beast or enter a vehicle. If he is already atop a riding beast or 
  is already within a vehicle, he may dismount the riding beast 
  or leave the vehicle and end the Dismount Action standing.
  Standard Attack
  Type: Half Action
  Subtype: Attack, Melee or Ranged
  The active character makes either one melee attack by making an 
  Ordinary (+10) Weapon Skill Test or one ranged attack by 
  making an Ordinary (+10) Ballistic Skill Test. Success inﬂicts 
  one hit on the target. For more information on making a Standard 
  Attack, see page 249. If the attacking character is unarmed and 
  engaged in melee, he can attempt to Grapple his opponent instead 
  of inﬂicting Damage. See Grappling, page 251.
  If the character is armed with two weapons, and has the 
  appropriate Talents, he may make a secondary attack with 
  his other weapon as part of this Action. See Two-Weapon 
  Fighting on page 252. 
  Stun
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Attack, Melee
  If the active character is unarmed or armed with a melee 
  weapon, he can strike to Stun instead of attempting to land 
  a killing blow. The attacker makes a Hard (–20) Weapon 
  Skill Test. If the attack succeeds, roll 1d10 and add the 
  attacker’s Strength Bonus. This result is compared to the 
  targets total of his Toughness Bonus +1 per Armour Point 
  protecting his head. If the attacker’s roll is equal or higher, 
  the target is Stunned for a number of Rounds equal to the 
  difference between the rolls, and gains one level of Fatigue.
  Suppressing Fire
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Attack, Ranged
  The active character unleashes a devastating hail of ﬁrepower 
  to force his opponents to take cover. This Action requires a 
  weapon capable of semi-automatic or fully automatic ﬁre (see 
  Rate of Fire, page 168). When Suppressing Fire is declared, 
  the active character establishes a kill zone, which is any 
  general area, such as a corridor or tree line, that encompasses 
  a 45-degree arc in the direction the active character is facing. 
  Then, as part of the Action the character ﬁres a Full Auto 
  or Semi-Auto Burst (as per the Full Auto and Semi-Auto 
  Burst Actions) and expends the appropriate ammo. All targets 
  within the kill zone must make a Difﬁcult (–10) Pinning 
  Test or become Pinned (see page 254). If the attacker ﬁred 
  a Full Auto burst, the Pinning Test is Hard (–20) instead. 
  The character does not roll to hit following the usual 
  penalties or bonuses of the Full Auto and Semi-Auto 
  Burst Actions. Instead the character makes a Hard 
  (–20) Ballistic Skill Test to see if his gunﬁre has hit 
  anything. A roll of 94–100 on the Test indicates 
  the weapon has Jammed (see Weapon Jams, page 
  
  249
  VIII: Combat
  the attack is melee or ranged. The GM may also impose 
  additional penalties or bonuses to the Test if the situation 
  warrants it. If a situation calls for two or more bonuses or 
  penalties, simply combine all modiﬁers together and apply 
  the total to the appropriate Characteristic. The maximum 
  total bonus that can be applied to a Test is +60. Conversely, 
  the maximum total penalty that can be applied to a Test is 
  –60. When adjudicating difﬁculty, common sense should 
  prevail. Regardless of the usual limits on Test penalties, some 
  actions are simply impossible.
  EXAMPLE
  Sergeant Johansson wants to use a Standard Attack action to shoot 
  his lasgun at a vile Chaos Cultist. Johansson’s Ballistic Skill is 45 
  and he is at Short Range, which grants him a +10 bonus. Johansson 
  spends a Half Action to Aim, granting him another +10 bonus. In 
  addition, the Standard Attack confers a +10 bonus to the attack 
  roll as well. However, there is a lot of heavy mist in the area so 
  Johansson suffers a –20 penalty as he tries to spot his target through 
  the fog. After all bonuses and penalties have been combined, Sergeant 
  Johansson needs to roll 55 or less on his Ballistic Skill Test to hit the 
  Cultist (45 + 10 + 10 + 10 – 20 = 55).
  STEP TWO: ATTACKER MAKES A TEST
  After the modiﬁed Characteristic has been determined, the 
  attacker makes a Weapon Skill Test if he is performing a 
  melee attack or a Ballistic Skill Test if performing a ranged 
  attack. Both of these are resolved like any other Test. If the 
  roll is equal to or less than the modiﬁed Characteristic, the 
  attack hits. If the attack roll is a double (both the tens dice 
  and the unit dice come up with the same number), and the 
  target of the attack has a Comrade in Cohesion, the attack 
  hits the Comrade instead (see page 271).
  EXAMPLE
  Sergeant Johansson makes a Ballistic Skill Test by rolling percentile 
  dice and gets 14, which is less than his modiﬁed Ballistic Skill of 
  55. His attack hits the despicable Cultist!
  Evasion Reactions
  When a target is hit by an attack, it may have a chance 
  to negate the hit with an Evasion Reaction. See Action 
  Descriptions, page 242 for details on resolving each of 
  these Reactions. If the Evasion Reaction is successful, the 
  attack is negated and no Damage is dealt.
  EXAMPLE
  After Sergeant Johansson’s las shot hits the Cultist, the GM rules 
  that the traitor will attempt to Dodge the attack. The Cultists’ 
  Agility is 30, and has Dodge as a trained Skill, so he must roll 
  under a 30 to avoid the burning hot las shot. The GM rolls for the 
  Cultist and gets a 56. The Chaos Gods are not with him, and the 
  Cultist fails to evade the attack!
  THE ATTACK
  The most common Action in combat is the attack—the 
  characters are ﬁghting, after all. Whether armed with a melee 
  or ranged weapon, the process is the same. Before an attack 
  is made, the GM should verify that the attack is even possible 
  by checking the basic requirements for the attack. Melee 
  attacks require the attacker to be engaged in melee combat 
  with his target. Ranged attacks cannot be made if the attacker 
  is engaged in melee, unless he is ﬁring a pistol-class weapon. 
  In either case, the attacker must be aware of his target. See the 
  Spray and Pray sidebar for additional information. Assuming 
  the attack is possible, follow these steps:
  •	 Step One: Apply Modiﬁers to Attacker’s Characteristic
  •	 Step Two: Attacker Makes a Test
  •	 Step Three: Attacker Determines Hit Location
  •	 Step Four: Attacker Determines Damage
  •	 Step Five: Target Applies Damage
  STEP ONE: APPLY MODIFIERS TO 
  ATTACKER’S CHARACTERISTIC
  A melee attack requires the attacker to make a Weapon Skill 
  Test. A ranged attack requires the attacker to make a Ballistic 
  Skill Test. There are many instances where one or more 
  factors make performing an attack easier or more difﬁcult 
  than normal. For example, using the Full Auto Burst attack 
  action imposes a –10 penalty on the attacker’s Ballistic Skill 
  Test, whereas a Standard Attack grants a +10 bonus whether 
  
  250
  VIII: Combat
  RIGHTEOUS FURY
  When rolling Damage after a successful attack, if any die rolled 
  results in a natural 10 (rolling the 10 result on a 10 sided die), 
  a particularly bloody and spectacular hit may be inﬂicted (this 
  also includes a result of 10 when rolling 1d5 for Damage). After 
  resolving the effects of the hit, one of two things may happen. 
  If the attack dealt Damage after being reduced by Armour and 
  Toughness Bonus (see Step Five, below), then the shot becomes 
  more severe. The attacker then rolls 1d5 and consults the Critical 
  Hit Table appropriate to the Damage type and location of the 
  original attack. The target suffers all effects listed. However, the 
  target does not count as having suffered a Critical Hit. In other 
  words, if he takes Damage during later Turns it will affect his 
  Wounds, not directly stack onto worsening critical effects. Talents 
  that modify Critical Damage (such as Crack Shot and True Grit) 
  do not modify the critical effects generated by Righteous Fury, and 
  these critical effects do not stack if a target suffers Righteous Fury 
  multiple times. Each roll is applied as a separate effect. 
  Alternatively, if the attack does not do any Damage once 
  reduced by Armour and Toughness Bonus, then the attack Deals 
  1 point of Damage, not reduced by Armour or Toughness. This is 
  the extent of the Righteous Fury effect for this attack; the victim 
  does not suffer a roll on a Critical Hit Table. This represents some 
  weapons simply not being potent enough to deal major Damage, 
  but still able to do harm through a “lucky hit.” 
  Righteous Fury for Player Characters and NPCs
  In ONLY WAR, Righteous Fury is something that both Player 
  Characters and NPCs can inﬂict and suffer from. This means 
  if a Chaos Cultist shoots a Player Character and rolls a 10 for 
  Damage, then the Player Character suffers a 1d5 Critical result. 
  This makes combat gritty, dangerous, and more dynamic, as the 
  characters can suffer from ﬂavourful (and often awful) Critical 
  effects, and may leave combat with interesting new scars. 
  However, in order to ensure that combat does not bog down 
  too much, when a low level NPC (a faceless soldier or minion, 
  usually an unnamed NPC not central to the story plot) suffers 
  Righteous Fury, he is simply slain instead. This allows for faster 
  paced combat, and also “lucky shots” on the part of the PCs.
   Finally, if the GM desires, he can choose to reserve Righteous 
  Fury for Player Characters and high level NPCs only (so only 
  named, important NPCs can inﬂict it on the characters). This 
  makes for a faster-paced, more “epic” game as the PCs may 
  easily shrug off most attacks. It also ensures that combat moves 
  more quickly. However, the GM should probably refrain from 
  doing this unless he ﬁnds his combat bogging down excessively. 
  After all, it’s not Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay if the player 
  characters don’t suffer a few scars along the way!
  EXAMPLE
  Sergeant Johansson has hit the Cultist with his lasgun and proceeds to 
  make his Damage roll. A lasgun deals 1d10+3 points of Damage. 
  Johansson rolls 1d10 and gets an 8, a good hit! He adds this to the 3 
  for a total of 11 Damage dealt to the unlucky Cultist. If Johansson 
  had been lucky enough to roll a 10 instead of the 8, he would have 
  also been able to roll 1d5 on Table 8–8: Energy Critical Effects: 
  Body, and applied those effects to the hapless Cultist as well.
  STEP THREE: ATTACKER  
  DETERMINES HIT LOCATION
  On a successful hit, the attacker needs to determine where the 
  hit landed. Using the percentile dice result from the attacker’s 
  Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill Test, reverse the order of the digits 
  (e.g. a roll of 32 becomes 23, a roll of 20 becomes 02, and so on) 
  and compare this number to Table 8–3: Hit Locations. 
  EXAMPLE
  Sergeant Johansson’s Ballistic Skill Test to hit the Cultist resulted in a 
  percentile dice roll of 14. He reverses these digits and gets 41. Consulting 
  Table 8–3: Hit Locations, he sees he has hit the Cultists’ body.
  STEP FOUR: ATTACKER  
  DETERMINES DAMAGE
  After the hit location has been determined, the attacker 
  determines the Damage dealt by his attack. Each weapon has 
  a Damage listing, which is usually a die roll, plus or minus 
  a number. Roll the appropriate die and apply any indicated 
  modiﬁers. Finally, if the attack involved a melee weapon, add 
  the attacker’s Strength Bonus. The result is the Damage total. 
  For all attack rolls, count the Degrees of Success. The attacker 
  may choose to replace the result on a single Damage die with the 
  number of Degrees of Success from his attack roll. If the attack 
  inﬂicts more than one die of Damage, the attacker may replace 
  the result on one die of his choice with the Degrees of Success 
  from the attack roll. If a natural 10 is rolled on any Damage die, 
  there is a chance of Righteous Fury.
  Table 8-3: Hit Locations
  Roll
  Location
  01-10
  Head
  11-20
  Right Arm
  21-30
  Left Arm
  31-70
  Body
  71-85
  Right Leg
  86-00
  Left Leg
  SPRAY AND PRAY
  One of the basic requirements for making an attack is 
  that the attacker needs to be aware of his target. But 
  why can’t someone just blast away into the darkness in 
  the hopes of hitting something that might be hiding 
  there? This is possible of course, but it shouldn’t be 
  treated as a normal attack. Instead, the GM should 
  simply decide the likely outcome of such an action, 
  taking all appropriate factors into consideration. For 
  example, if the GM knows there is a hulking xenos 
  monstrosity lurking in the darkness, it makes sense 
  that it would be hit by a random volley of gunﬁre shot 
  in its general direction.
  
  251
  VIII: Combat
  UNARMED COMBAT
  Not every ﬁght in Only War requires lasguns and 
  chainswords. Some conﬂicts can be settled the old-fashioned 
  way with ﬁsts (not to mention feet and, if you’re a sneaky 
  Ratling, teeth). To make an unarmed attack, the attacker must 
  be engaged in melee with his opponent. The attacker then 
  makes a Challenging (+0) Weapon Skill Test, or if his 
  opponent is armed with a melee or pistol weapon, a Hard 
  (–20) Weapon Skill Test. If the unarmed attack hits, it deals 
  1d5-3 Impact Damage, plus the character’s Strength Bonus. 
  In addition, a successful hit that inﬂicts Damage equal to or 
  greater than the target’s Toughness Bonus also inﬂicts one 
  level of Fatigue. During unarmed combat, if a 10 is rolled on 
  a die for Damage, the rules for Righteous Fury apply with 
  10s counting as 5s in terms of Damage caused. As with most 
  melee attacks, an Unarmed attack can be Parried. 
  GRAPPLING
  Instead of inﬂicting Damage with an unarmed attack, a 
  character can attempt to Grapple his opponent. Attempting a 
  Grapple is a melee attack that uses either a Charge Action or 
  a Standard Attack Action. The attacker makes a Weapon Skill 
  Test as normal. The target of the Grapple may use a Reaction, 
  if able, to avoid the attack. If the attack is successful, the 
  attacker and the target start to Grapple, with the attacker 
  controlling the Grapple. The controller of the Grapple can 
  end it any time as a Free Action. 
  In a Grapple, all of the following apply:
  •	 Participants in a Grapple cannot use Reactions.
  •	 Participants in a Grapple are considered to be engaged 
  in melee combat.
  •	 Participants in a Grapple can only use the Grapple Action.
  •	 The controller of the Grapple can voluntarily end the 
  Grapple at any point during his Turn as a Free Action.
  •	 Other attackers gain a +20 bonus to Weapon Skill Tests 
  to hit any target engaged in a Grapple.
  •	 Only two characters can be engaged in the same Grapple, 
  but up to two other characters can lend Assistance to 
  each Grappler in certain situations. See the Grapple 
  Action on page 245 for details.
  STEP FIVE: TARGET APPLIES DAMAGE
  From the Damage total, the target subtracts his Toughness 
  Bonus and any Armour Points that protect the location hit 
  by the attack. If this reduces the Damage to zero or less, 
  the target shrugs off the attack. The target records any 
  remaining Damage, adding it any previously suffered, and 
  then compares this total to his total amount of Wounds. If the 
  target’s Damage equals or exceeds his Wounds, he notes any 
  excess Damage as Critical Damage and the GM consults the 
  appropriate table based on the type of Damage, the location 
  hit, and the amount of Critical Damage accumulated. See 
  Critical Damage on page 256 for more information.
  EXAMPLE
  Sergeant Johansson’s lasgun shot has struck the Cultists’ body for 
  11 total Damage. The GM notes the target’s Toughness Bonus 
  is 3 and he is wearing a Mesh Combat Cloak, which provides 4 
  points of Armour. The lasgun has no AP, so the Cultist can apply 
  7 total Damage reduction to the attack. This means he suffers only 
  4 Damage, and since he has 10 Wounds, he could suffer 6 more 
  Damage before he’s in trouble. The Cultist chants a chaotic curse 
  and takes aim at Johansson, who’d better be ready to dodge!
  TACTICAL COMBAT MAPS 
  (OPTIONAL)
  During large combats, some players may want visual 
  references to help keep track of enemy positions, as well 
  as their own. The GM can accomplish this by sketching 
  out simple overhead maps on paper. Many game stores 
  also sell large game mats that you can draw on with 
  wet-erase markers. These mats are usually pre-printed 
  with squares grids or hex patterns to make measuring 
  distances quick and easy. Tactical combat maps can 
  be drawn to any scale, and some role-players like to 
  combine large-scale maps with miniatures where a one-
  inch square represents one square metre. While tactical 
  combat maps can be very useful, they are not necessary 
  to play Only War. Many role-players prefer to use rich 
  narrative descriptions to allow fellow players to simply 
  imagine all the action. This requires players to keep a 
  snapshot of the relative positions of all combatants in 
  their heads, but it also allows for greater freedom in 
  detailing the events of a combat.
  and takes aim at Johansson, who’d better be ready to dodge!
  
  252
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  VIII: Combat
  •	 When ﬁring a ranged weapon with each hand, the 
  character may ﬁre each weapon on a different mode, 
  for example, one on full automatic and one on semi-
  automatic. When ﬁring a full automatic weapon in each 
  hand, the character may only lay down one area of 
  suppressive ﬁre.
  •	 If a character with the Two-Weapon Wielder (Melee) 
  and Two Weapon Wielder (Ballistic) Talent is armed 
  with a melee weapon in one hand and a pistol in the 
  other, he may perform a melee Attack Action (either a 
  Standard Attack, Swift Attack, or Lightning Attack) or 
  ranged Attack Action (such as Standard Attack, Semi-
  Auto Burst, or Full-Auto Burst) with one weapon. He 
  may then make a second melee Attack Action or ranged 
  Attack Action with his secondary weapon. Any pistol 
  hits must be against targets in melee. Resolve each attack 
  separately by Testing Weapon Skill for the melee weapon 
  and Ballistic Skill for the pistol.
  •	 The character may ﬁre two weapons at different 
  targets, though the targets must be within 10 metres 
  of each other.
  TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING
  Many warriors ﬁght with a weapon in either hand, and there 
  are advantages and disadvantages to this style of ﬁghting. 
  While it offers some improved opportunities to make attacks 
  it also reduces the chances of successfully striking a target. 
  Unless the two-weapon ﬁghter has the Ambidextrous talent, 
  it is important to consider which hand is his primary hand 
  and which is his secondary hand; players should have these 
  details noted on their character sheets. Two-weapon ﬁghting 
  can be quite complex, so the following applies when ﬁghting 
  with two weapons:
  •	 The character may use any melee weapons or ranged 
  weapons that can be reasonably used in one hand. These 
  are generally pistol-class ranged weapons (though 
  some Basic-class weapons may have modiﬁcations 
  that allow them to be used with one hand), and melee 
  weapons that note they are one-handed weapons in 
  their descriptions.
  •	 The character may use either hand to make an attack. 
  Attacks made using the character’s secondary hand suffer 
  a –20 penalty to Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill Tests.
  •	 If the character has the Two-Weapon Wielder Talent, he 
  may attack with both weapons, but each attack suffers a 
  –20 penalty to the Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill Test, 
  plus an additional –20 penalty for attacks made with 
  his secondary hand (this means that the primary hand 
  will suffer a –20 penalty, and the secondary hand will 
  suffer a –40 penalty).
  •	 If the character has the Ambidextrous Talent, the 
  penalty to the attack made by his secondary hand 
  disappears completely, and the penalty for ﬁghting with 
  two weapons drops to –10 (note that other Talents or 
  situational modiﬁers may further affect these modiﬁers).
  •	 If the character is wielding at least one melee weapon, 
  he may use the Parry Skill to perform an Evasion 
  Reaction once each Round as normal with this weapon, 
  though he still may not Evade more than once in a 
  Round. This Weapon Skill Test is not an attack, and 
  therefore it does not suffer the standard penalty for 
  attacks made using a secondary hand.
  •	 If a character with the Two-Weapon Wielder (Melee) 
  Talent is armed with two melee weapons, he may perform 
  a melee Attack Action (either a Standard Attack, Swift 
  Attack, or Lightning Attack) with one of these weapons. 
  He may then perform a melee Attack Action (either a 
  Standard Attack, Swift Attack, or Lightning Attack) with 
  the other weapon, with any applicable modiﬁers to the 
  Test. These attacks may be against any target in melee.
  •	 If a character with the Two-Weapon Wielder (Ballistic) 
  Talent is armed with two pistols (or two other ranged 
  weapons that can reasonably be wielded in one hand), he 
  may perform a ranged Attack Action (either a Standard 
  Attack, Semi-Auto Burst, or Full-Auto Burst) with one 
  of these weapons. If he does so, he may perform 
  another ranged Attack Action (either a Standard 
  Attack, Semi-Auto Burst, or Full Auto Burst) with 
  his second weapon.
  
  253
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  VIII: Combat
  DARKNESS
  Weapon Skill Tests made in darkness are regarded as Hard 
  (–20), while Ballistic Skill Tests are regarded as Very 
  Hard (–30). While a character is concealed by darkness, 
  Concealment Skill Tests are Routine (+20).
  DIFFICULT TERRAIN
  Weapon Skill and Evasion Tests made whilst standing in 
  difﬁcult terrain, such as mud, are Difﬁcult (–10). Tests made 
  whilst standing in arduous terrain, such as deep snow or slick 
  ice, are Very Hard (–30). 
  ENGAGED IN MELEE
  If an attacking character is adjacent to his target, both the 
  character and his target are considered to be engaged in melee. 
  Shooting into Melee Combat
  Ballistic Skill Tests made to hit a target engaged in melee combat 
  are Hard (–20). If one or more characters engaged in the melee 
  are Stunned, Helpless, or Unaware, this penalty is ignored.
  EXTREME RANGE
  Targets that are at a distance of more than three times the range 
  of a character’s weapon are at Extreme Range. Ballistic Skill Tests 
  made to hit targets at Extreme Range are Very Hard (–30).
  FATIGUED
  When a character is Fatigued, all his Tests, including any 
  Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests, suffer a –10 penalty. 
  FOG, MIST, SHADOW, OR SMOKE
  Ballistic Skill Tests made to attack targets concealed by fog, 
  mist, shadow, or smoke are Hard (–20). While a character is 
  concealed by fog, mist, or shadow, Concealment Skill Tests 
  are Ordinary (+10).
  GANGING UP
  A character has an advantage when he and his allies engage the 
  same foe in melee combat. If a group of characters outnumber 
  their opponent two to one, their Weapon Skill Tests are 
  Ordinary (+10). If a group of characters outnumber their 
  opponent by three to one or more, their Weapon Skill Tests 
  are Routine (+20). 
  HELPLESS TARGETS
  Weapon Skill Tests made to hit a sleeping, unconscious, or 
  otherwise helpless target automatically succeed. When rolling 
  Damage against such a target, roll twice and add the results 
  (note that Prone and Stunned targets are not automatically 
  considered Helpless Targets).
  HIGHER GROUND
  Characters standing on higher ground, such as on a table, 
  hill, or atop of a mound of dead squad mates, have an 
  advantage in melee. Weapon Skill Tests made by these 
  characters are Ordinary (+10).
  COMBAT CIRCUMSTANCES
  Only War offers endless potential for gripping, dramatic, 
  white-knuckle action. Combat is an essential element for 
  such action, and each combat, from simple corridor shoot-
  outs to titanic civilisation-crushing battles, should offer 
  unique experiences. The combat circumstances described 
  in this section offer many ways to help make every combat 
  exciting, varied, and dangerous. Combat circumstances can 
  be used to reﬂect the effects of terrain, the weather, tactical 
  situations, and a variety of other factors. Many circumstances 
  alter the difﬁculty of tasks by providing bonuses or penalties 
  to Tests, while others provide opportunities for characters 
  to leverage good fortune, or exploit misfortunes that befall 
  their enemies. Player Characters should make as much use 
  of beneﬁcial circumstances as possible. A good plan, suitable 
  equipment or skilful use of tactics can often make the 
  difference between life and death for an Imperial Guardsman. 
  The following circumstances are some of the most common 
  ones encountered in combat. For situations not covered here, 
  use these as a guide. Remember, the GM has the ﬁnal say 
  about the Difﬁculty of any particular Test, or the outcome of 
  any unusual situation.
  COVER
  Cover is a vital part of surviving a ﬁreﬁght and a good 
  Guardsman knows that it is best to ﬁnd cover ﬁrst and then 
  draw your gun (no matter what the Commissar might say!). 
  There are no penalties to Ballistic Skill Tests made to attack 
  targets standing partly behind cover. However, there is a chance 
  that the shot may hit the cover rather than the target. It is up to 
  the Guardsman to decide which parts of his body he is exposing 
  when behind cover, but as a general rule, a character ﬁring 
  around or over cover will have his body and legs concealed. 
  If the shot would hit a body location that is concealed behind 
  cover, work out the Damage against the Armour Points of the 
  cover instead, with any excess being applied to the target as 
  normal (see Table 8–4: Cover Examples for a guide to the 
  Armour Points of different kinds of cover). 
  Damaging Cover
  Cover is not invulnerable. Attacks can Damage or destroy the 
  protection afforded by cover. Each successful hit against cover 
  that deals any amount of Damage in excess of the Armour 
  Points it provides reduces the cover’s Armour Points by 1.
  Table 8-4: Cover Examples
  Cover Type
  Armour Points
  Armour-glass, genatorium pipes, 
  thin metal, wooden planks
  4
  Flakboard, storage crates, sandbags, 
  ice, trees
  8
  Cogitator banks, stasis pods, 
  standard barricades
  12
  Rockcrete, hatchways, thick iron, 
  stone
  16
  Armaplas, bulkheads, plasteel
  32
  
  254
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  VIII: Combat
  MISSING AND SCATTERING
  Sometimes, when ﬂinging a thrown weapon, it’s important 
  to know where the weapon lands should the attacker fail his 
  Ballistic Skill Test. On a failed roll, the GM rolls 1d10 and 
  consults the Scatter Diagram on page 255. Roll 1d5 to 
  determine the number of metres the weapon travels in the 
  indicated direction. This is also used with weapons with the 
  Blast Quality. They affect a wide enough area that if the shot 
  goes awry, it may still Damage something, even if it’s not the 
  original target. 
  SCATTERING IN ZERO GRAVITY
  The consequences of throwing dangerous objects in a zero 
  gravity environment can be both amusing and deadly. One way 
  of determining exactly where that errant krak grenade ﬂoats 
  after it bounces off the bulkhead is to roll twice on the Scatter 
  Diagram, once for the X-axis and once for the Y-axis.
  LONG RANGE
  Targets that are at a distance of more than double the range of 
  a character’s weapon are at Long Range. Ballistic Skill Tests 
  made to hit targets at Long Range are Difﬁcult (–10).
  Table 8-5: Combat Difﬁculty Summary
  Difﬁculty Skill Modiﬁer Example
  Easy +30
  Attacking a Surprised or Unaware target.
  Shooting at a Massive target.
  Shooting a target at Point Blank Range.
  Routine +20
  Melee Attacks against a foe that is outnumbered three to one or more.
  Attacking a Stunned opponent.
  Shooting an Enormous target.
  Ordinary +10
  Ordinary +10
  A Standard Attack.
  A Standard Attack.
  Attacking a Prone opponent with a melee weapon.
  Attacking from higher ground.
  Shooting a Hulking target.
  Shooting a target at Short Range.
  Melee Attacks against a foe who is outnumbered two to one.
  Challenging +0
  Challenging +0
  Making a Swift Attack Action in melee.
  Making a Semi-Auto ranged Action.
  Difﬁcult –10
  Difﬁcult –10
  Any Test whilst Fatigued.
  Shooting at a target at Long Range.
  Shooting a Prone target.
  Shooting a Scrawny Target.
  Making a Lightning Attack Action in melee.
  Making a Full-Auto ranged Action.
  Hard –20
  Hard –20
  Shooting into melee combat.
  Dodging whilst Prone.
  Making an unarmed attack against an armed opponent.
  Melee attacks in the darkness.
  Shooting at a target in fog, mist or shadow.
  Shooting a Puny target.
  Using a weapon without the correct Weapon Training Talent.
  Very Hard –30
  Very Hard –30
  Attacking or Dodging in deep snow.
  Firing a heavy weapon that has not been Braced.
  Shooting a Minuscule target.
  Shooting at Extreme range.
  Shooting a completely concealed target.
  Shooting at a target in darkness.
  STRAY SHOTS (OPTIONAL RULE)
  GMs keen on reinforcing the merciless nature of the 
  41st Millennium may rule that if a character shooting 
  into a melee combat misses his target by a small margin 
  (one Degree of Failure), the attack instead hits another 
  target engaged in the same melee. The GM might also 
  rule that anyone shooting into a melee combat with 
  a Semi-Auto Burst or Full Auto Burst must allocate 
  multiple hits to different targets engaged in the melee.
  
  255
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  VIII: Combat
  PRONE
  A character is considered Prone any time he is lying on the 
  ground. Weapon Skill Tests made to attack Prone targets are 
  Ordinary (+10), but Ballistic Skill Tests made to hit Prone 
  targets are Difﬁcult (–10) unless the attacker is at Point 
  Blank Range. A character who is Prone suffers a –10 penalty 
  to Weapon Skill Tests and a –20 penalty to Evasion Tests.
  SHORT RANGE
  Targets that are at a distance of less than half the Range of 
  a character’s weapon are at Short Range. Ballistic Skill Tests 
  made to attack targets at Short Range are Ordinary (+10).
  SIZE
  Size is an important factor when shooting ranged weapons 
  because it’s usually easier to hit a larger target. All characters and 
  creatures in Only War have a deﬁned size category, and it should 
  be relatively easy for the GM to assign appropriate size categories 
  to objects as needed. Use Table 5–6: Size (see page 157) for 
  determining bonuses and penalties based on a target’s size.
  STUNNED TARGETS
  Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests to attack Stunned targets 
  are Routine (+20).
  UNAWARE TARGETS
  When a character has no idea that he about to be attacked, 
  he is considered an Unaware Target. Usually, this happens 
  at the beginning of a combat when one or more characters 
  are Surprised (see page 240). Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill 
  Tests made to attack Unaware Targets are Easy (+30).
  WEAPON JAMS
  Weapons may jam either through extreme age, maltreatment 
  of their machine spirit, or just plain poor design. An 
  unmodiﬁed result of 96 to 00 on a Ranged attack, in addition 
  to being an automatic miss, also indicates the weapon has 
  jammed. A jammed weapon cannot be ﬁred until it is cleared. 
  Clearing a jam is a Full Action that requires a Ballistic Skill 
  Test. If the Test is successful then the jam has been cleared, 
  though the weapon needs to be reloaded and any ammo in it 
  is lost. If the Test is failed, the weapon is still jammed, though 
  the character can attempt to clear it again next Round. 
  Note: Some weapons, such as plasma guns, grenades, and 
  missiles, are particularly dangerous to use. For these weapons, refer 
  to their descriptions and Weapon Special Qualities (see Chapter 
  VI: Armoury). Semi-automatic and fully automatic ﬁre also 
  increases the likelihood of jamming. This is described within the 
  Semi-Auto Burst, Full Auto Burst and Suppressing Fire Actions.
  WEATHER AND UNNATURAL CONDITIONS
  Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests made to attack whilst 
  enduring harsh weather or unnatural conditions, such as 
  heavy rain, an ash storm, or standing knee-deep in waves 
  of fungus, are considered Hard (–20), unless stated 
  otherwise (see Chapter I: Playing the Game).
  PINNING
  Being shot at is a terrifying experience at the best of times, 
  and even the most inexperienced Guardsmen know to keep 
  their heads down when the bullets and bolt shells start ﬂying. 
  Pinning represents a character’s survival instincts telling him 
  to stay in cover. Certain combat actions or other circumstances 
  call on their targets to make a Pinning Test (Challenging 
  [+0] Willpower Test). On a success, the character may act 
  normally. On a failure, the character becomes Pinned.
  Being Pinned
  A Pinned character is busy trying to avoid getting shot, so 
  may only take a single Half Action each Turn, though he can 
  take Free Actions and Reactions as normal. Additionally, he 
  suffers a –20 penalty to all Ballistic Skill Tests. If a Pinned 
  character is in cover relative to the attacker that Pinned him, 
  he may not leave it except to retreat (provided he can remain 
  in cover while doing so). If he is not in cover when Pinned, 
  he must use his next Turn to reach cover. If there is no cover 
  nearby, he must move away from the attacker that Pinned 
  him. A character can make a Challenging (+0) Willpower 
  Test at the end of his Turn to escape Pinning, in which case 
  he may act as normal on his next Turn. This Test is Easy 
  (+30) if the character has not been shot at since his last 
  Turn or is under cover. A character engaged in melee combat 
  automatically escapes Pinning. Characters cannot initiate 
  melee combat in an attempt to escape Pinning.
  POINT-BLANK RANGE
  When a character makes a ranged attack against a target 
  that is two metres away or closer, that target is at Point-
  Blank Range. Ballistic Skill Tests made to attack a target at 
  Point Blank Range are Easy (+30). This bonus does not 
  apply when the attacker and the target are engaged in melee 
  combat with each other. For weapons with a short range of 
  less than three metres, Point-Blank Range is one metre less 
  than the weapon’s short range.
  Scatter Diagram
  Target
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  8
  6–7
  9-0
  
  256
  VIII: Combat
  DAMAGE TYPES 
  All Damage is divided up into four types:
  •	 Energy (lasers, ﬁre, plasma)
  •	 Explosive (grenades, bolt rounds)
  •	 Impact (clubs, bullets, falling)
  •	 Rending (swords, blades, claws)
  If a source of Damage does not specify a type, treat 
  it as Impact. The type of Damage inﬂicted is usually only 
  important for determining Critical Effects resulting from 
  Critical Damage.
  CRITICAL DAMAGE
  Whenever a character’s total Damage exceeds his Wounds, 
  he begins to take Critical Damage. Each time a character 
  suffers Critical Damage he also suffers one or more 
  Critical Effects. These are determined by consulting the 
  appropriate Critical Effect Table based on the affected body 
  location (Arm, Body, Head, or Leg) and the Damage type 
  (Energy, Explosive, Impact, or Rending). As with normal 
  Damage, Critical Damage is cumulative and remains with 
  the character until he either heals naturally over time or 
  receives medical attention (see page 268). Each Critical 
  Effect also has its own duration (including permanent). If 
  a Critically Damaged character suffers more Damage, the 
  amount is added to his existing Critical Damage and a 
  new set of Critical Effects are applied based on his total 
  Critical Damage (assuming he is still alive). Note that 
  Injury
  “Stop complaining corporal; you still have one perfectly functional eye!”
  –Medic Yammer, Catachan 63rd Infantry Battalion,  
  “The Shadow Snakes”
  C
  ommon physical injuries to Only War characters are 
  represented by Damage and Fatigue. Additionally, 
  characters can also experience several types of 
  Conditions and Special Damage such as ﬁre, suffocation, and 
  limb loss. It is important to know how much physical abuse 
  a character can take and a key measurement of this is how 
  many Wounds he possesses.
  WOUNDS
  Wounds are a measurement of how much punishment a 
  character can take before suffering debilitating effects and 
  ultimately death. Every character in Only War has a speciﬁed 
  number of Wounds. Wounds do not normally deplete. Even 
  when a character is injured, that injury does not decrease 
  his Wounds. Instead, a character’s Wounds simply serve as a 
  threshold, and the injury is recorded on his character sheet 
  as Damage. When a character’s Damage exceeds his Wounds, 
  he is in real trouble. 
  DAMAGE
  Damage is physical trauma dealt to a character. Characters 
  can suffer Damage a number ways, including being shot by a 
  lasgun, cleaved by an Ork choppa, being run over by a tank, 
  exposure to the hard vacuum of space, and so forth. When 
  a Player Character suffers Damage, record the amount on 
  his character sheet. That Damage remains with the character 
  until it is removed over time by natural healing, or the 
  character receives medical attention (see page 268). Damage 
  is cumulative; each time a character suffers Damage, the 
  amount is added to any previous Damage he had. Each time 
  a character is dealt Damage, there may be an opportunity for 
  him to reduce it before it is applied to his total. By default, a 
  character reduces incoming Damage by an amount equal to 
  his Toughness Bonus. Armour can also help further reduce 
  Damage. If the source of the Damage struck a body location 
  protected by armour, the incoming Damage is reduced by an 
  amount equal to the Armour Points provided by the armour. 
  It is important to note that some sources of Damage ignore 
  armour and/or Toughness; such cases are always detailed in 
  the description of the Damage source. As long as a character’s 
  total Damage is equal to or less than his Wounds, his body 
  still functions normally. If a character’s Damage ever exceeds 
  his Wounds, he begins to take Critical Damage.
  
  257
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  VIII: Combat
  CHARACTERISTIC DAMAGE
  Some Psychic Powers, poisons, diseases and other hazards 
  circumvent a character’s Wounds and deal Damage directly 
  to a Characteristic. Characteristic Damage cannot reduce a 
  Characteristic below zero. Characteristic Damage may also 
  affect the corresponding Characteristic Bonus. Table 8–6: 
  Effects of Zero Characteristic summarises what happens 
  when a particular Characteristic is reduced to zero.
  REMOVING CHARACTERISTIC DAMAGE
  Unless otherwise speciﬁed, Characteristic Damage is never 
  permanent. A character automatically recovers one point of 
  Characteristic Damage each hour, regardless of his activity 
  level. The GM may allow certain types of medical attention 
  to remove Characteristic Damage at a faster rate.
  this new Critical Damage does not override or negate the 
  previous Critical Damage Effects unless the two Effects 
  are mutually exclusive, in which case, use the most recent 
  Critical Damage Effect.
  REMOVING DAMAGE
  Characters automatically remove Damage (both ordinary and 
  Critical Damage) over time through natural healing. Medical 
  attention and some psychic powers can also remove Damage. 
  The rate of Damage removal depends on several factors and is 
  fully explained in Healing, page 268.
  FATIGUE
  Not all injuries in Only War are lethal. Exhaustion, combat 
  trauma, or swapping licks with bare ﬁsts can all leave a 
  character battered but more or less intact. Fatigue measures 
  the amount of non-lethal injury a character can take over the 
  course of game play. Characters gain Fatigue from certain 
  types of attacks, Grappling, some Critical Effects, and other 
  Actions that push them beyond safe limits. Fatigue is measured 
  in levels. A character can take a number of levels of Fatigue 
  equal to his Toughness Bonus and still function, albeit with 
  some side effects. Should a character take a number of levels 
  of Fatigue in excess of his Toughness Bonus, he collapses, 
  unconscious for 10–TB minutes; after the character awakens, 
  his levels of Fatigue revert to a number equal to his Toughness 
  Bonus. Characters suffering from any level of Fatigue suffer a 
  –10 penalty to all Tests. 
  REMOVING FATIGUE
  Fatigue goes away with time. Each hour of normal rest 
  (not counting states of unconsciousness) that includes no 
  combat, no Psychic Powers, and no other strenuous activity, 
  removes one level of Fatigue. Six consecutive hours of rest 
  removes all Fatigue.
  Table 8–6: Effects of Zero Characteristic
  Characteristic
  Effect
  Zero Weapon Skill
  The character may not make Tests 
  based on this Characteristic.
  Zero Ballistic Skill
  The character may not make Tests 
  based on this Characteristic.
  Zero Strength
  The character collapses into 
  unconsciousness.
  Zero Toughness
  The character dies.
  Zero Agility
  The character is paralysed, helpless, 
  and can take no Actions.
  Zero Intelligence
  The character slips into a dreamless 
  coma and is treated as helpless.
  Zero Perception
  The character is bereft of his senses 
  and suffers a –30 penalty to all Tests 
  (except Toughness) until he recovers.
  Zero Willpower
  The character collapses into a 
  nightmare-ﬁlled sleep.
  Zero Fellowship
  The character withdraws into a 
  catatonic state. He may not speak or 
  take Tests based on this Characteristic.
  
  258
  VIII: Combat
  Table 8-7: Energy Critical Effects – Arm
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The attack grazes the target’s arm, causing it to spasm uncontrollably. All Tests involving that arm suffer a 
  –30 penalty for 1d5 Rounds.
  2
  The attack smashes into the arm, sending currents of energy crackling down to the ﬁngers and up to the 
  shoulder. The arm is useless for 1d5 Rounds and the target takes 1 level of Fatigue.
  3
  The arm suffers superﬁcial burns inﬂicting no small amount of pain on the target. The target may only take a 
  Half Action in his next Round and he suffers 1d5 levels of Fatigue.
  4
  The shock of the attack causes the character to temporarily lose control of his autonomous functions. He is 
  Stunned for 1 Round and is knocked Prone. The arm is useless for 1d10 Rounds.
  5
  The attack causes energy to course through the target’s arm leaving him Stunned for 1 Round, and the arm is 
  useless until the target receives medical treatment.
  6
  The attack wreathes the arm in ﬂame, scorching clothing and armour, and temporarily fusing together the 
  target’s ﬁngers. The target suffers 1d5 Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Damage, suffers 1d5 levels of Fatigue, 
  and must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or lose the use of the hand permanently.
  7
  With a terrible snapping sound, the heat of the attack boils the marrow in the target’s arm, causing it to crack 
  or even shatter. The target’s arm is broken and, until it is repaired, the target counts as only having one arm. 
  The target is Stunned for 1 Round and suffers 1d5 levels of Fatigue.
  8
  Energy ripples across the target’s arm, causing skin and muscle to slough disgustingly from the target’s limb, revealing 
  a sticky red mess of sinew and bone. The target must take a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or become Stunned 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or become Stunned 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test
  for 1d5 Rounds. In addition, the target suffers 1d10 levels of Fatigue. The target now only has one arm.
  9
  Fire consumes the target’s arm, burning the ﬂesh to a crisp right down to the bone. The target must make an 
  immediate Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or die from shock. If he survives, however, the target suffers 
  1d10 levels of Fatigue and is Stunned for 1 Round. The target now only has one arm.
  10+
  The attack reduces the arm to a cloud of ash and sends the target crumbling to the ground where he 
  immediately dies from shock, clutching his smoking stump.
  Table 8-8: Energy Critical Effects – Body
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  A blow to the target’s body steals the air from his lungs. The target can take only a Half Action on his next Turn.
  2
  The blast punches the air from the target’s body. The target must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness 
  Test or be knocked Prone.
  3
  The attack cooks the ﬂesh on the chest and abdomen, inﬂicting 2 levels of Fatigue and 1d5 Toughness Damage.
  4
  The energy ripples all over the character, scorching his body with horrid third-degree burns and inﬂicting 
  1d10 levels of Fatigue. The target may only take a Half Action on his next Round.
  5
  The fury of the attack forces the target to the ground, helplessly covering his face and keening in agony. The 
  target is knocked Prone and must make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or catch ﬁre (see Special Damage). 
  The Target must also make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be Stunned for 1 Round.
  6
  Struck by the full force of the attack, the target is sent reeling to the ground; smoke spiralling out from 
  the wound. The target is knocked Prone, Stunned for 1d10 Rounds, and suffers 1d5 levels of Fatigue. In 
  addition, he must make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or catch ﬁre (see Special Damage on page 266).
  7
  The intense power of the energy attack cooks the target’s organs, burning his lungs and heart with intense 
  heat. The target is Stunned for 2d10 Rounds and suffers 1d10 permanent Toughness Damage.
  8
  As the attack washes over the target, his skin turns black and peels off while melted fat seeps from his clothing 
  and armour. The target is Stunned for 2d10 Rounds and the attack halves his Strength, Toughness and Agility 
  until he receives medical treatment. The extensive scarring deals 2d5 permanent Fellowship Damage.
  9
  The target is completely encased in ﬁre, melting his skin and popping his eyes like superheated eggs. He falls 
  to the ground a blackened corpse.
  10+
  As above, except in addition, if the target is carrying any ammunition, there is a 50% chance it explodes. 
  Unless they can make a successful Evasion Test, all creatures within 1d5 metres take 1d10+5 Explosive 
  Damage. If the target carried any grenades or missiles, one Round after the Damage was dealt, they detonate 
  where the target’s body lies with the normal effects.
  
  259
  VIII: Combat
  Table 8-9: Energy Critical Effects – Head
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  A grazing blow to the head disorientates the target, imposing a –10 penalty to all Tests (except Toughness) 
  for 1 Round.
  2
  The blast of energy dazzles the target, leaving him Blinded for 1 Round.
  3
  The attack cooks off the target’s ear, leaving him with a partially burned stump of cartilage and deafened 
  until he receives ﬁrst aid or waits for 1d5 hours.
  4
  The energy attack burns away all of the hairs on the target’s head as well as leaving him reeling from the 
  injury. The attack deals 2 levels of Fatigue and the target is blinded for 1d5 Rounds.
  5
  A blast of energy envelops the target’s head, burning his face and hair, crisping his skin, and causing him to 
  scream like a stuck Grox. In addition to losing his hair, he is blinded for 1d10 Rounds, Stunned for 1 Round, 
  and takes 1 permanent Fellowship Damage.
  6
  The attack cooks the target’s face, melting his features and damaging his eyes. The target is blinded for the 
  next 1d10 hours and suffers 1d5 permanent Fellowship Damage and 1d5 permanent Perception Damage. 
  The target also suffers 1d5 levels of Fatigue.
  7
  In a gruesome display, the ﬂesh is burned from the target’s head, exposing charred bone and muscle 
  underneath. The target is blinded permanently and suffers 1d10 levels of Fatigue. Also, roll 1d10. This is the 
  target’s new Fellowship, unless their Fellowship is already 10 or less, in which case don’t bother rolling, as 
  nobody really notices the difference.
  8
  The target’s head is destroyed in a conﬂagration of ﬁery death. He does not survive.
  9
  Superheated by the attack, the target’s brain explodes, tearing apart his skull and sending ﬂaming chunks of 
  meat ﬂying at those nearby. The target is very dead!
  10+
  As above, except the target’s entire body catches ﬁre and runs off headless 2d10 metres in a random direction 
  (use the Scatter Diagram on page 255). Anything ﬂammable it passes, including characters, must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test or catch ﬁre (see Special Damage, page 266).
  Table 8-10: Energy Critical Effects – Leg
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The blast of energy sears the ﬂesh and bone of the target’s leg, leaving a nasty burn scar. The target may not 
  Run or Charge for 2 Rounds.
  2
  The attack ﬂash-fries the target’s leg, cooking chunks of ﬂesh into char. The target must pass a Challenging 
  (+0) Toughness Test or suffer 1 level of Fatigue.
  3
  A solid blow to the leg sends currents of agony coursing through the target. The target suffers 1 level of 
  Fatigue and reduces his Movement by half (rounding up) for 1d10 Rounds. The Target is knocked Prone.
  4
  The blast causes a nasty compound fracture in the target’s leg. The target reduces his Movement by half 
  (rounding up), and the target may not Run or Charge. The effects to the target’s Movement persist until the 
  target receives medical attention.
  5
  The target’s leg endures horriﬁc burn Damage, fusing clothing and armour with ﬂesh and bone. The target suffers 
  1 level of Fatigue and reduces his movement by half (rounding up) for 2d10 Rounds. The target is knocked Prone.
  6
  The attack burns the target’s foot, charring the ﬂesh and emitting a foul aroma. The target must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or lose the foot. On a success, the target reduces his movement by 1/2 
  (rounding up) until he receives medical attention. In addition, the target suffers 2 levels of Fatigue.
  7
  The energy attack fries the leg, leaving it a mess of blackened ﬂesh. The leg is broken and until repaired, the 
  target counts as having lost the leg. The target must take a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or become 
  Stunned for 1 Round. In addition, the target suffers 1d5 levels of Fatigue. The target now only has one leg.
  8
  Energy sears through the bone, causing the leg to be severed. The target must take a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test or become Stunned for 1 Round. In addition, the target suffers 1d10 levels of Fatigue and 
  is suffering from Blood Loss. The target now only has one leg.
  9
  The force of the attack reduces the leg to little more than a chunk of sizzling gristle. The target makes a 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or die from shock. The leg is utterly lost.
  10+
  In a terrifying display of power, the leg immolates and ﬁre consumes the target completely. The target dies in 
  a matter of agonising seconds.
  
  260
  VIII: Combat
  Table 8-11: Explosive Critical Effects – Arm
  Table 8-11: Explosive Critical Effects – Arm
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The attack throws the limb backwards, painfully jerking it away from the body, inﬂicting 1 level of Fatigue.
  2
  The force of the blast snaps the bones of the arm in half. The target drops anything held in the hand and 
  must pass a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or become Stunned for 1 Round.
  3
  The explosion removes 1 ﬁnger (and the tips from up to 1d5 others) from the target’s hand. The target 
  suffers 1d10 WS and 1d10 BS Damage, and anything carried in the hand is destroyed. If this is an explosive 
  such as a hand grenade, it goes off—messy (use result 9 instead).
  4
  The blast rips the sinew of the arm straight from the bone. He is Stunned for 1 Round, and the limb is useless until 
  medical attention is received. The target must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer Blood Loss.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer Blood Loss.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test
  5
  Fragments from the explosion tear into the target’s hand, ripping away ﬂesh and muscle alike. He must 
  immediately make an Ordinary (+10) Toughness Test or lose his hand. If he succeeds, he suffers 1 
  permanent Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Damage from the Damaged nerves.
  6
  The explosive attack shatters the bone and mangles the ﬂesh, turning the target’s arm into a red ruin, 
  inﬂicting 1d5 levels of Fatigue. The target’s arm is broken and, until repaired, the target counts as having 
  only one arm. In addition, the horrendous nature of the wound means that he now suffers from Blood Loss.
  7
  In a violent hail of ﬂesh, the arm is blown apart. The target must immediately make a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test or die from shock. On a success, the target is Stunned for 1d10 Rounds, suffers 1d10 levels 
  of Fatigue, and suffers Blood Loss. He now only has one arm.
  8
  The arm disintegrates under the force of the explosion taking a good portion of the shoulder and chest with 
  it. The target is sent screaming to the ground, where he dies in a pool of his own blood and organs.
  9
  With a mighty bang the arm is blasted from the target’s body, killing the target instantly in a rain of blood 
  droplets. In addition, if the target was carrying a weapon with a power source in his hand (such as a power 
  sword or chainsword) then it explodes, dealing 1d10+5 Impact Damage to anyone within two metres.
  10+
  As above, except if the target is carrying any ammunition it explodes dealing 1d10+5 Impact Damage 
  to anyone within 1d10 metres (this is in addition to Damage caused by exploding power weapons noted 
  above). If the target is carrying any grenades or missiles, these detonate immediately.
  Table 8-12: Explosive Critical Effects – Body
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The explosion ﬂings the target backwards 1d5 metres. The target is knocked Prone.
  2
  The target is blown backwards 1d5 metres by a terriﬁc explosion, taking 1 level of Fatigue per metre 
  travelled. The target is knocked Prone.
  3
  The force of the blast sends the target sprawling to the ground. The target is knocked backwards 1d5 
  metres, Stunned for 1 Round, and is knocked Prone.
  4
  The power of the explosion rends ﬂesh and bone with horriﬁc results. The target must make a Challenging 
  (+0) Toughness Test or suffer from Blood Loss and be Stunned for 1 Round.
  5
  Concussion from the explosion knocks the target to the ground and turns his innards into so much ground 
  meat. The target must immediately make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer Blood Loss and 1 
  permanent Toughness Damage. The target then suffers 1d5 levels of Fatigue and is knocked prone.
  6
  Chunks of the target’s ﬂesh are ripped free by the force of the attack leaving large, weeping wounds. The target 
  is Stunned for 1 Round, may only take a Half Action in his next Round, and is now suffering Blood Loss.
  7
  The explosive force of the attack ruptures the target’s ﬂesh and scrambles his nervous system, knocking him 
  to the ground. The target suffers Blood Loss, is knocked Prone, is Stunned for 1d10 Rounds, and must make 
  a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or fall unconscious.
  8
  The target’s chest explodes outward, disgorging a river of partially cooked organs onto the ground, killing 
  him instantly.
  9
  Pieces of the target’s body ﬂy in all directions as he is torn into bloody gobbets by the attack. In addition, if 
  the target is carrying any ammunition, it explodes dealing 1d10+5 Impact Damage to anyone within 1d10 
  metres. If the target is carrying any grenades or missiles, these too detonate immediately.
  10+
  As above, except anyone within 1d10 metres of the target is drenched in gore and must make a Challenging (+0) 
  Agility Test or suffer a –10 penalty to Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests for 1 Round as blood fouls their sight.
  Agility Test or suffer a –10 penalty to Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests for 1 Round as blood fouls their sight.
  Agility Test
  
  261
  VIII: Combat
  Table 8-13: Explosive Critical Effects – Head
  Table 8-13: Explosive Critical Effects – Head
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The explosion leaves the target confused. He can take only a Half Action on his next Turn.
  2
  The ﬂash and noise leaves the target Blinded and Deafened for 1 Round.
  3
  The detonation leaves the target’s face a bloody ruin from scores of small cuts. Permanent scarring is very 
  likely. The target suffers 2 levels of Fatigue and must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer 
  1d10 points of Perception and Fellowship Damage.
  4
  The force of the blast knocks the target to the ground and leaves him senseless. The target suffers 1d10 
  Intelligence Damage and is knocked Prone. He must also pass a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or 
  suffer 1 permanent Intelligence Damage and be Stunned for 2 Rounds.
  5
  The explosion ﬂays the ﬂesh from the target’s face and bursts his eardrums with its force. The target is 
  Stunned for 1d10 Rounds and is permanently deafened. Finally, the target gains hideous scars—he suffers 
  1d5 points of permanent Fellowship Damage.
  6
  The target’s head explodes under the force of the attack, leaving his headless corpse to spurt blood from the 
  neck for the next few minutes. Needless to say this is instantly fatal.
  7
  Both head and body are blown into a mangled mess, instantly killing the target. In addition, if the target is 
  carrying any ammunition it explodes dealing 1d10+5 Impact Damage to any creatures within 1d5 metres. If 
  the target was carrying grenades or missiles, these too explode immediately.
  8
  In a series of unpleasant explosions the target’s head and torso peel apart, leaving a gory mess on the ground. For 
  the rest of the ﬁght, anyone moving over this spot must make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or fall Prone.
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test or fall Prone.
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test
  9
  The target ceases to exist in any tangible way, entirely turning into a kind of crimson mist. You don’t get 
  much deader than this, except…
  10+
  As above, except such is the unspeakably appalling manner in which the target was killed, that any of the 
  target’s allies who are within two metres of where the target stood, must make an immediate Challenging 
  (+0) Willpower Test or spend their next Turn ﬂeeing from the attacker.
  Table 8-14: Explosive Critical Effects – Leg
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  A glancing blast sends the character backwards one metre. The target must make a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test or be knocked Prone.
  2
  The force of the explosion takes the target’s feet out from under him. He is knocked Prone and may only take 
  Half Move movement Actions for 1d5 Rounds.
  3
  The concussion causes the target’s leg to fracture, inﬂicting 2d10 Agility Damage.
  4
  The explosion sends the target spinning through the air. The target is ﬂung 1d5 metres away from the 
  explosion. It takes the target a Full Action to regain his feet, and his Movement is reduced by half (rounding 
  up) for 1d10 Rounds.
  5
  Explosive force removes the target’s foot and scatters the ragged remnants over a wide area. The target suffers 1d5 
  permanent Agility Damage. The target must make a Difﬁcult (–10) Toughness Test or suffer 1d5 levels of Fatigue.
  Difﬁcult (–10) Toughness Test or suffer 1d5 levels of Fatigue.
  Difﬁcult (–10) Toughness Test
  6
  The concussive force of the blast shatters the target’s leg bones and splits apart his ﬂesh, inﬂicting 1d10 levels 
  of Fatigue. The leg is broken and, until repaired, the target counts as having only one leg. The target must 
  also make an immediate Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or permanently lose his foot.
  7
  The explosion reduces the target’s leg into a hunk of smoking meat. The target must immediately make a 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or die from shock. On a successful Test, the target is still Stunned for 
  1d10 Rounds, suffers 1d10 levels of Fatigue, and suffers Blood Loss. He now has only one leg.
  8
  The blast tears the leg from the body in a geyser of gore, sending him crashing to the ground, blood pumping 
  from the ragged stump: instantly fatal.
  9
  The leg explodes in an eruption of blood, killing the target immediately and sending tiny fragments of bone, 
  clothing, and armour hurtling off in all directions. Anyone within two metres suffers 1d10+2 Impact Damage.
  10+
  As above, except in addition, if the target is carrying any ammunition, it explodes dealing 1d10+5 Impact Damage 
  to anyone within 1d10 metres. If the target is carrying any grenades or missiles, these detonate immediately.
  
  262
  262
  VIII: Combat
  Table 8-15: Impact Critical Effects – Arm
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The attack strikes the target’s limb, with a powerful blow, causing him to drop anything held in that hand.
  2
  The strike leaves a deep bruise, possibly causing minor fractures in the arm. The target suffers 1 level of Fatigue.
  3
  The impact smashes into the arm or whatever the target is holding, ripping it away and leaving the target reeling 
  from the pain. The target is Stunned for 1 Round and drops whatever he was holding in his arm. There is a %10 
  chance that anything the target was holding in that hand is Damaged and unusable until repaired.
  4
  The impact crushes ﬂesh and bone. The target drops whatever was held in that hand, and must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer 1d10 WS and 1d10 BS Damage.
  5
  Muscle and bone take a pounding as the attack rips into the arm. The limb is useless until the target receives 
  medical attention.
  medical attention.
  6
  The attack pulverises the target’s hand, crushing and breaking 1d5 ﬁngers. The target suffers 1 level of Fatigue 
  and must immediately make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer 2 permanent WS and BS Damage.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer 2 permanent WS and BS Damage.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test
  7
  With a loud snap, the arm bone is shattered and left hanging limply at the target’s side, dribbling blood 
  onto the ground. The arm is broken and, until repaired, the target counts as having only one arm. The target 
  suffers from Blood Loss.
  8
  The force of the attack takes the arm off just below the shoulder, showering blood and gore across the 
  ground. The target must immediately make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or die from shock. If he 
  passes the Test, he is still Stunned for 1d10 Rounds, suffers 1d5 levels of Fatigue, and suffers from Blood 
  Loss. He now only has one arm.
  9
  In a rain of blood, gore, and meat, the target’s arm is removed from his body. Screaming incoherently, he 
  twists about in agony for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground and dying.
  10+
  As above, except as the arm is removed by the force of the attack, bone, clothing, and armour fragments 
  ﬂy about like shrapnel. Anyone within 2 metres of the target suffers 1d5–3 Impact Damage to a random 
  location (see Table 8–3: Hit Locations on page 250).
  Table 8-16: Impact Critical Effects – Body
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  A blow to the target’s body steals the breath from his lungs. The target can take only a Half Action on his next Turn.
  2
  The impact punches the air from the target’s body, inﬂicting 1 level of Fatigue and knocking the target Prone.
  3
  The attack breaks a rib and the target is knocked Prone. The target is also Stunned for 1 Round.
  4
  The blow batters the target, shattering a rib. The target suffers 1d10 Toughness Damage and must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test or be knocked Prone.
  5
  A solid blow to the chest pulverises the target’s innards, and he momentary doubles over in pain, clutching 
  himself and crying in agony. The target is Stunned for 2 Rounds and must make a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test or suffer 1d5 levels of Fatigue.
  6
  The attack knocks the target sprawling on the ground. The target is ﬂung 1d5 metres away from the attacker 
  and falls Prone (if the target strikes a wall or other solid object, he stops). The target suffers 1d5 levels of 
  Fatigue and is Stunned for 2 Rounds.
  7
  With an audible crack, 1d5 of the target’s ribs break. The target can either lie down and stay still awaiting 
  medical attention (a successful Medicae Test sets the ribs) or continue to take Actions, though each Round 
  there is a 20% chance that a jagged rib pierces a vital organ and kills the character instantly. The target 
  suffers 1d5 permanent Toughness Damage.
  8
  The force of the attack ruptures several of the target’s organs and knocks him down, gasping in wretched 
  pain. The target suffers Blood Loss and suffers 1d10 permanent Toughness Damage.
  9
  The target jerks back from the force of the attack, throwing back his head and spewing out a jet of blood 
  before crumpling to the ground dead.
  10+
  As above, except the target is thrown 1d10 metres away from the attack. Anyone in the target’s path must 
  make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or be knocked Prone.
  
  263
  263
  VIII: Combat
  Table 8-17: Impact Critical Effects – Head
  Critical 
  Damage
  Critical Effect
  1
  The impact ﬁlls the target’s head with a terrible ringing noise. The target must make a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test or suffer 1 level of Fatigue.
  2
  The attack causes the target to see stars. The target suffers a –10 penalty to any Perception or Intelligence 
  Tests for 1d5 Rounds.
  3
  The target’s nose breaks in a torrent of blood, blinding him for 1 Round. The target must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be Stunned for 1 Round.
  4
  The concussive strike staggers the target. The target must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be 
  Stunned for 1 Round and knocked Prone.
  5
  The force of the blow sends the target reeling in pain. The target is Stunned for 1 Round, gains 1 level of 
  The force of the blow sends the target reeling in pain. The target is Stunned for 1 Round, gains 1 level of 
  Fatigue, and staggers backwards 1d5 metres. He suffers 1 permanent Intelligence Damage.
  6
  The target’s head is snapped back by the attack leaving him staggering around trying to control mind-
  numbing pain. The target is Stunned for 1d5 Rounds, knocked backwards 1d5 metres, must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test or be knocked Prone.
  7
  The attack slams into the target’s head, fracturing his skull and opening a long tear in his scalp. The target is 
  Stunned for 1d10 Rounds and halves all movement for 1d10 hours.
  8
  With a sickening crunch the target’s head snaps around to face the opposite direction. The twisted vertebrae 
  immediately sever every connection within the target’s neck. Death is instantaneous.
  9
  The target’s head bursts like an overripe fruit and sprays blood, bone, and brains in all directions. Anyone 
  within 4 metres of the target must make an Agility Test or suffer a –10 penalty to their WS and BS on their 
  next Turn as gore gets in their eyes or on their visors.
  10+
  As above, except that the attack was so powerful that it passes through the target and may hit another target 
  nearby. If the hit was from a melee weapon, the attacker may immediately make another attack (with the 
  same weapon) against any other target they can reach without moving. If the hit was from a ranged weapon 
  they may immediately make another attack (with the same weapon) against any target standing directly 
  behind the original target and still within range of their weapon.
  Table 8-18: Impact Critical Effects – Leg
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  A blow to the leg results in deep bruises and teeth-clenching pain. The target suffers 1 level of Fatigue.
  2
  A grazing strike against the leg slows the target. The target’s Movement is reduced by half (rounding up) for 1 
  Round, and he must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be Stunned for 1 Round and fall Prone.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be Stunned for 1 Round and fall Prone.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test
  3
  A solid blow to the leg sends lightning agony coursing through the target. The target suffers 1d10 Agility 
  Damage and is knocked Prone.
  4
  A powerful impact causes micro-fractures in the target’s bones, inﬂicting considerable agony. The target 
  suffers 2d10 Agility Damage, and is knocked Prone.
  5
  The blow breaks the target’s leg, leaving him Stunned for 1 Round and reducing his movement to 1 metre 
  until he receives medical attention. The target is also knocked Prone.
  6
  With a sharp cracking noise, several of the tiny bones in the target’s foot snap like twigs. The target must make an 
  immediate Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or permanently lose the use of his foot. The target’s Movement is 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or permanently lose the use of his foot. The target’s Movement is 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test
  reduced by 1/2 (rounding up) until he recieves medical attention. The target suffers 2 levels of Fatigue.
  7
  With a nasty crunch, the leg is broken and the target is left mewling in pain. The target falls Prone with a 
  broken leg and, until it is repaired, he counts as only having one leg. The target is Stunned for 2 Rounds.
  8
  The force of the attack rips the lower half of the leg away in a stream of blood. The target must immediately 
  make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or die from shock. The target suffers from Blood Loss and 
  suffers 1d5 permanent Agility Damage. He now only has one leg.
  9
  The hit rips apart the ﬂesh of the leg, causing blood to spray out in all directions. Even as the target tries 
  futilely to stop the sudden ﬂood of vital ﬂuid, he falls to the ground and dies in a spreading pool of gore.
  10+
  As above, but such is the agony of the target’s death that his piteous screams drown out all conversation 
  within 2d10 metres for the rest of the Round.
  
  264
  264
  VIII: Combat
  Table 8-19: Rending Critical Effects – Arm
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The slashing attack tears free anything that was held in this arm.
  2
  Deep cuts cause the target to drop whatever was held and inﬂicts 1 level of Fatigue.
  Deep cuts cause the target to drop whatever was held and inﬂicts 1 level of Fatigue.
  3
  The attack shreds the target’s arm into ribbons, causing the target to scream in pain. The target drops whatever 
  was held in that hand and must make a successful Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer Blood Loss.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer Blood Loss.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test
  4
  The attack ﬂays the skin from the limb, ﬁlling the air with blood and the sounds of his screaming. The 
  target falls Prone from the agony and takes 2 levels of Fatigue. The limb is useless for 1d10 Rounds.
  5
  A bloody and very painful looking furrow is opened up in the target’s arm. The target suffers from Blood Loss 
  and vomits all over the place in agony. He drops anything held and the limb is useless without medical attention.
  6
  The blow mangles ﬂesh and muscle as it hacks into the target’s hand, liberating 1d5 ﬁngers in the process 
  (a roll of a 5 means that the thumb has been sheared off too). The target is Stunned for 1 Round and must 
  immediately make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or lose the use of his hand.
  7
  The attack rips apart skin, muscle, bone, and sinew with ease, turning the target’s arm into a dangling ruin. The 
  target suffers 1d10 Strength Damage. The arm is broken and, until repaired, the target counts as having only 
  one arm. In addition, numerous veins have been severed and the target is now suffering from Blood Loss.
  8
  With an assortment of unnatural, wet, ripping sounds, the arm ﬂies free of the body trailing blood behind it 
  in a crimson arc. The target must immediately make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or die from shock. 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or die from shock. 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test
  If he passes the Test, he is Stunned for 1d10 Rounds and suffers Blood Loss. He now has only one arm.
  9
  The attack slices clean through the arm and into the torso, drenching the ground in blood and gore and 
  killing the target instantly.
  10+
  10+
  As above. However, as the arm falls to the ground its ﬁngers spasm uncontrollably, pulling the trigger of any held 
  weapon. If the target was carrying a ranged weapon there is a 5% chance that a single randomly determined target 
  within 2d10 metres is hit by these shots, in which case resolve a single hit from the target’s weapon.
  Table 8-20: Rending Critical Effects – Body
  Table 8-20: Rending Critical Effects – Body
  Critical 
  Critical 
  Damage
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  If the target is not wearing armour on this location, he takes 1 level of Fatigue from a painful laceration. If he 
  is wearing armour, there is no effect. Phew!
  2
  A powerful slash opens a painful rent in the target’s body. He suffers 1 level of Fatigue and must make a 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or becomes Stunned for 1 Round.
  3
  The attack rips a large patch of skin from the target’s torso, leaving him gasping in pain. The target is 
  Stunned for 1 Round and must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer from Blood Loss.
  4
  The blow opens up a long wound in the target’s torso, causing him to double over in terrible pain. The target 
  suffers from Blood Loss and is Stunned for 1 Round.
  5
  A torrent of blood spills from the deep cuts, making the ground slick with gore. All characters attempting 
  to move through this pool of blood must make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or fall Prone. The target 
  suffers 1d10 Toughness Damage and also suffers Blood Loss.
  6
  The mighty attack takes a sizeable chunk out of the target and knocks him to the ground as he clutches the oozing 
  wound, shrieking in pain. The target is knocked Prone and suffers 1d10 Toughness Damage and Blood Loss.
  7
  The attack cuts open the target’s abdomen. The target can either choose to use one arm to hold his guts in (until 
  a medic can bind them in place with a successful Medicae Test), or ﬁght on regardless and risk a 20% chance 
  each Round that his middle splits open, spilling his intestines all over the ground, causing an additional 2d10 
  Damage. In either case, the target suffers 1d5 permanent Toughness Damage and is now suffering Blood Loss.
  8
  With a vile tearing noise, the skin on the target’s chest comes away revealing a red ruin of muscle. The target 
  must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or die. If he passes, he suffers 1d10 permanent Toughness 
  Damage, is Stunned for 1 Round, and now suffers Blood Loss.
  9
  The powerful blow cleaves the target from gullet to groin, revealing his internal organs and spilling them on 
  to the ground before him. The target is now quite dead.
  10+
  10+
  As above, except that the area and the target are awash with gore. For the rest of the ﬁght, anyone moving 
  within four metres of the target’s corpse must make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or fall Prone.
  
  265
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  VIII: Combat
  Table 8-21: Rending Critical Effects – Head
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The attack tears a painful rent in the target’s face. They suffer 1 level of Fatigue. If the target is wearing a 
  helmet, there is no effect. Lucky!
  helmet, there is no effect. Lucky!
  2
  The attack slices open the target’s scalp, which immediately begins to bleed profusely. Due to blood pouring 
  into the target’s eyes, he suffers a –10 penalty to both Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill for the next 1d10 
  Turns. The target must pass a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer from Blood Loss.
  3
  The attack rips open the target’s face, leaving him Stunned for 1d5 Rounds. If the target is wearing a helmet, 
  the helmet is torn off. The target suffers Blood Loss.
  4
  The attack slices across one of the target’s eye sockets, possibly scooping out the eye. He must make a Routine 
  (+20) Toughness Test or lose the eye (augmetics can repair this). He also suffers 1d10 Perception Damage.
  (+20) Toughness Test or lose the eye (augmetics can repair this). He also suffers 1d10 Perception Damage.
  (+20) Toughness Test
  5
  The attack tears the target’s helmet from his head. If wearing no helmet, the target loses an ear instead, becoming 
  Deafened until he receives medical attention. If he loses an ear, he must also must pass a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test or suffer 1 point of permanent Fellowship Damage. The target is Stunned for 1d5 Rounds.
  Toughness Test or suffer 1 point of permanent Fellowship Damage. The target is Stunned for 1d5 Rounds.
  Toughness Test
  6
  As the blow rips violently across the target’s face it takes with it an important feature. Roll 1d10 to see what 
  the target has lost. 1–3: Eye (see Conditions and Special Damage on page 266), 4–7: Nose (the target 
  suffers 1d10 permanent Fellowship Damage), 8–10: Ear (the target Deafened until he receives medical 
  attention). In addition, the target is now suffering Blood Loss and suffers 1d5 levels of Fatigue.
  7
  In a splatter of skin and teeth, the attack removes most of the target’s face. He is permanently blinded and 
  has his Fellowship permanently reduced to 1d10, and also now has trouble speaking without slurring his 
  words. In addition, the target is suffering from Blood Loss and is Stunned for 1 Round.
  8
  The blow slices into the side of the target’s head causing his eyes to pop out and his brain to ooze down his 
  cheek like spilled jelly. He’s dead before he hits the ground.
  9
  With a sound not unlike a wet sponge being torn in half, the target’s head ﬂies free of its body and sails 
  through the air, landing harmlessly 2d10 metres away with a soggy thud. The target is instantly slain.
  10+
  As above, except the target’s neck spews blood in a torrent, drenching all those nearby and forcing them to 
  make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test. Anyone who fails the Test suffers a –10 penalty to his Weapon Skill 
  and Ballistic Skill Tests for 1 Round as gore ﬁlls his eyes or fouls his visor.
  Table 8-22: Rending Critical Effects – Leg
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The attack knocks the limb backwards, painfully twisting it awkwardly. The target suffers 1 level of Fatigue.
  2
  The target’s kneecap splits open. He must make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or fall Prone and suffer 
  from Blood Loss as the already Damaged extremity hits the ground.
  3
  The attack rips a length of ﬂesh from the leg. The target suffers 1d5 Agility Damage and suffers Blood Loss.
  4
  The attack rips the kneecap free from the target’s leg, causing it to collapse out from under him. The target’s 
  Movement is reduced by 1/2 (rounding up) until medical attention is received. In addition, he is knocked 
  Prone and suffers 1d10 Agility Damage.
  5
  In a spray of blood, the target’s leg is deeply slashed, exposing bone, sinew, and muscle. The target suffers Blood 
  Loss, and must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer 1 point of permanent Agility Damage.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or suffer 1 point of permanent Agility Damage.
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test
  6
  The blow slices a couple of centimetres off the end of the target’s foot. The target must make an immediate 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or permanently lose the use of his foot. On a success the target’s 
  Movement is reduced by half (rounding up). In either case, the target suffers Blood Loss.
  7
  The force of the blow cuts deep into the leg, grinding against bone and tearing ligaments apart. The leg is 
  broken and, until repaired, the target counts as having only one leg. In addition, the level of maiming is such 
  that the target is now suffering from Blood Loss. He also is Stunned for 1 Round and is knocked Prone.
  8
  In a single bloody hack the target’s leg is lopped off, spurting its vital ﬂuids across the ground. The target 
  must immediately make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or die from shock. On a success, the target is 
  Stunned for 1d10 Rounds, and suffers Blood Loss. He now has only one leg.
  9
  With a meaty chop, the leg comes away at the hip. The target pitches to the ground howling in agony before dying.
  10+
  As above, except that the tide of blood is so intense that, for the remainder of the battle, anyone making a Run or 
  Charge Action within six metres of the target must make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or be knocked Prone.
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test or be knocked Prone.
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test
  
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  VIII: Combat
  Lost Leg
  Treat this as a lost foot, but the character cannot use the 
  Dodge Skill. Losing both legs means the character cannot 
  walk, but if they are lucky they might be able to secure a 
  replacement that is made out of something other than wood.
  BLINDED
  A blind character automatically fails all Tests based on vision 
  and automatically fails all Ballistic Skill Tests (and, when you 
  think about it, they probably shouldn’t be handling ﬁrearms 
  in the ﬁrst place!). He also suffers a –30 penalty to Weapon 
  Skill Tests and most other Tests that ordinarily beneﬁt from 
  vision. Needless to say, blindness is a bad thing in the Imperial 
  Guard, but most Commissars don’t care as long as you can be 
  pushed in the direction of the enemy.
  BLOOD LOSS
  Blood Loss is a Critical Effect that can result from Critical 
  Damage. Characters suffering from Blood Loss have a 10% 
  chance of dying each Round unless treated in some way. If the 
  suffering character is conscious, he may attempt a Difﬁcult 
  (–10) Medicae Test each Round to staunch the bleeding. 
  If the character is also trying to simultaneously engage in 
  strenuous activity, such as running away from whatever caused 
  the Blood Loss, attempts to staunch the bleeding instead 
  require a Very Hard (–30) Medicae Test. If the suffering 
  character is not conscious, or gets freaked out by the sight of 
  his own blood, another character may attempt the Test.
  DEAFENED
  The character cannot hear at all, or at least not well enough 
  to communicate with others. Until the character recovers or 
  has the Damage repaired, he automatically fails any Skill or 
  Characteristic Test that relies on hearing. Apart from having 
  trouble communicating with his fellow Guardsmen, the GM 
  is free to decide what effects a deaf character will have on 
  the game.
  FIRE
  A character suffers Damage from ﬁre each Round he is 
  exposed to it. At the beginning of each Round after the ﬁrst 
  in which a character is exposed to the same source of ﬂames 
  (or if he is hit by a weapon with the Flame Quality or suffers 
  certain Energy Critical Effects), he must make a Challenging 
  (+0) Agility Test or catch on ﬁre. Once a character is on 
  ﬁre, he suffers 1d10 Damage (ignoring Armour) and takes 
  1 level of Fatigue each Round until the ﬁre is extinguished. 
  All Damage from ﬁre is Energy Damage and if the location is 
  not otherwise speciﬁed, use the body location. While on ﬁre, 
  a character must make a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test 
  at the beginning of each of his Turns in order to be able to 
  take Actions normally; otherwise, he may only run around 
  and scream, which counts as a Full Action. A character who 
  is on ﬁre may try to extinguish the ﬂames by dropping prone 
  and making a Hard (–20) Agility Test as a Full Action. 
  The GM can make this Test easier or harder depending on 
  environmental conditions and whether the blazing character 
  is able to receive any help from nearby allies.
  CONDITIONS AND  
  SPECIAL DAMAGE
  Common injuries are far from the only forms of bodily harm 
  facing those who brave the battleﬁelds of the galaxy. Soldiers 
  may ﬁnd themselves set on ﬁre, suffering from massive loss of 
  blood, broken bones, or facing a permanent amputation. All 
  of these, and more, are collectively known as Conditions and 
  Special Damage.
  AMPUTATED LIMBS
  A character that loses body parts (except for his head, which 
  almost certainly means death) is also affected by Blood Loss 
  and must be treated for it quickly. If the character lives, 
  someone with the Medicae Skill must be found to adequately 
  treat the stump to ensure that it heals well. If no medic is 
  available, there is only a 20% chance that the stump will heal 
  over. If it does not, the amputee dies a horrible death from 
  infection after 1d10 days. Whether or not it heals naturally 
  or a medic treats it, the character does not start removing 
  Damage for 1d10+2 days. Assuming the character survives 
  all of the above, he’ll also have to cope with the disagreeable 
  side effects of the lost limb, which are explained below.
  Lost Hand
  The character suffers a –20 penalty on all Skill and 
  Characteristic Tests that rely on the use of two hands and he 
  cannot wield two-handed weapons. A shield can be strapped 
  to the injured arm, however. Should this be the character’s 
  primary hand, he must cope with the customary –20 penalty 
  to Weapon Skill Tests made to attack with weapons using his 
  secondary hand. For every 100 xp he spends, he can reduce 
  this penalty by 10. If a character loses both hands, he should 
  either secure at least one replacement or learn how to ﬁre a 
  lasgun using his feet.
  Lost Arm
  As with a lost hand, but a character cannot strap a shield to 
  the arm since he no longer has it. Losing both arms is worse. 
  You can’t even dig trenches, so what use are you?
  Lost Eye
  Losing one eye permanently reduces a character’s Ballistic 
  Skill by –10. In addition, he suffers a –20 penalty to all 
  Skill and Characteristics Tests that rely on sight. Should 
  a character have the misfortune to lose both eyes, he 
  becomes Blinded.
  Lost Foot
  The character permanently reduces all his movement by half 
  (round up) and suffers a –20 penalty to all movement Actions 
  as well as Skill and Characteristic Tests that rely on mobility, 
  such as Stealth. Losing both feet makes it hard to walk, but if 
  the Guardsman can learn to walk on his hands this might 
  not be a problem…
  
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  VIII: Combat
  hold his breath for a number of Rounds equal to twice his 
  Toughness Bonus. While holding his breath, a character 
  must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test each 
  minute (if conserving oxygen) or each Round (if engaged in 
  strenuous activity). If he fails, he suffers one level of Fatigue. 
  Remember, any amount of Fatigue imposes a –10 penalty 
  to all Tests, and if a character ever has a number of levels of 
  Fatigue in excess of his Toughness Bonus, he immediately 
  falls unconscious for 10 minutes. If the character has not 
  gained a fresh source of oxygen by the end of the allotted 
  time, he automatically falls unconscious regardless of his 
  levels of Fatigue. If a character is both unconscious and 
  deprived of a fresh source of oxygen, he dies after a number 
  or Rounds equal to his Toughness Bonus.
  UNCONSCIOUSNESS
  Unconsciousness is usually a temporary state that typically 
  results from excessive levels of Fatigue or Critical Damage. 
  The duration of a state of unconsciousness is usually 
  included in the description of the effect that caused it, 
  but if no other duration is given, unconsciousness lasts 
  for 10 minutes. An unconscious character is completely 
  unaware of his surroundings and cannot take any actions. 
  He is also treated as a Helpless Target (see page 253). 
  If a character falls into unconsciousness due to excessive 
  levels of Fatigue, he recovers some of that Fatigue when he 
  awakens. See Fatigue, page 257.
  FALLING
  Characters can fall off things for all manner of reasons, 
  though the results are usually the same. To work out Damage 
  from falling, simply roll 1d10 and add +1 per metre the 
  character fell. Use Table 8–3: Hit Locations on page 250 
  to determine which part of the body hits the ground ﬁrst. 
  Armour offers no protection against falls. Damage from 
  falling is Impact Damage. The GM may adjust the Damage 
  depending on the type of surface landed upon as well 
  abnormal gravity conditions, and so forth.
  STUNNED
  In addition to Damage and Fatigue, characters may also 
  become Stunned due to certain attacks or effects. Weapon 
  Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests to hit Stunned characters are 
  considered Routine (+20). In addition, Stunned characters 
  cannot take Actions or Reactions such as Evasion. A Stunned 
  character is not considered a Helpless or Unaware Target.
  SUFFOCATION
  There are many ways to suffocate, including drowning, 
  smoke inhalation, and exposure to certain toxins. The 
  rate of suffocation depends on the character’s activity 
  level. If a character is actively trying to conserve oxygen, 
  he can hold his breath for a number of minutes equal to 
  his Toughness Bonus. If a character is instead engaged in 
  strenuous activity (combat, swimming, and so forth) he may 
  
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  VIII: Combat
  HEAVILY DAMAGED
  A character is Heavily Damaged whenever he has taken 
  more Damage than twice his Toughness Bonus. A Heavily 
  Damaged character does not removed Damage unless he 
  devotes himself to complete rest (such as when receiving 
  extended care, as per the Medicae Skill on page 125). If he 
  does so, the character removes 1 point of Damage at the end 
  of each 24-hour period. Once a Heavily Damaged character’s 
  Damage is equal to or less than his Toughness Bonus, he 
  becomes Lightly Damaged. 
  CRITICALLY DAMAGED
  A character is Critically Damaged whenever he has taken 
  Damage in excess of his Wounds. A Critically Damaged 
  character does not removed Damage unless he devotes himself 
  to complete rest (such as when receiving extended care, as per 
  the Medicae Skill on page 125). If he does so, the character 
  makes a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test at the end of 
  each 24-hour period. If he succeeds, he removes 1 point of 
  Critical Damage. Once all Critical Damage has been removed, 
  a character becomes Heavily Damaged instead.
  MEDICAL ATTENTION
  Medical attention can range from the application of healing 
  drugs to a successful Medicae Test. Medical attention can 
  provide immediate recovery or can speed the process of 
  natural healing. For additional information, see the Medicae 
  Skill on page 125. Medical attention can also be something 
  granted between game sessions by the GM, and would not 
  necessarily be tied to Medicae Tests or other Skills that any 
  character might have. This is up to the GM to establish, would 
  usually involve the passage of time via Narrative Time (see the 
  start of this Chapter), although this should be done to help 
  speed the game along. Try not to leave players in a situation 
  where they have a Heavily or Critically Damaged character 
  and due to this are unable to participate in the game.
  CYBERNETIC AND  
  BIONIC REPLACEMENTS
  It is possible—and often a good idea—to restore lost limbs 
  with bionic replacements. In fact, sometimes a character may 
  prefer to lop off a perfectly good arm to gain the beneﬁts 
  of having a cybernetic replacement. Of course, life in the 
  Imperial Guard isn’t easy, and access to such technological 
  wonders may not be as simple as the character wishes. See 
  Chapter VI: Armoury for how cybernetic and bionic 
  replacements work as well as the process for obtaining them.
  USELESS LIMBS
  Certain Critical Effects indicate a risk of permanently losing 
  the use of a limb unless the affected character succeeds at a 
  Challenging (+0) Toughness Test. Should a character with 
  the Medicae Skill assist the injured character, the victim gains 
  a +20 bonus to such a Test. Even if the Test is successful, 
  the limb must be held in a sling or cast for 1d5+1 weeks 
  and is useless during this time. Should the Toughness Test 
  fail, the limb must be removed, requiring a character with 
  the Medicae Skill to succeed at a Difﬁcult (–10) Medicae 
  Test. Should this fail, the limb still comes off, but the surgery 
  inﬂicts 1d10 Damage to the limb’s Location—almost always 
  Critical Damage. Should the amputee live, the limb comes 
  off, but he suffers Blood Loss and must be treated for it. Once 
  this has been dealt with, the chirurgeon must treat the wound 
  as if it were an amputated limb.
  VACUUM
  There is nothing good about being exposed to vacuum. There 
  are two main ways this unfortunate event could occur: 
  •	 A character can be suddenly thrust into an airless, 
  pressureless environment (such as being expelled from 
  an airlock).
  •	 A character can be slowly affected (such as being on a 
  star ship as atmosphere is vented into space). 
  If exposed to vacuum, a character may survive unharmed for 
  a number of Rounds equal to his Toughness Bonus. Unless he 
  has an oxygen source, he will begin to suffer from the effects 
  of Suffocation. At the end of each Round after this, he suffers 
  1d10 Explosive Damage from depressurisation. If he is in the 
  vacuum of space, at the end of each Round make a Challenging 
  (+0) Toughness Test or suffer 1d10 Energy Damage from the 
  extreme cold. Both ignore Armour and Toughness Bonus. If a 
  character dies in space, it takes ﬁve Rounds for his corpse to 
  freeze. If a frozen corpse suffers any Damage, it shatters into 
  thousands of blood-red ice shards. If a character is trapped in 
  a gradually worsening atmosphere, he may survive unharmed 
  for a number of Rounds equal to twice his Toughness Bonus. 
  At the end of this time, he begins to experience suffocation and 
  depressurisation as detailed previously. However, the Damage is 
  only 1d5 instead of 1d10.
  HEALING
  A character will inevitably suffer Damage during his wars in 
  the name of the God-Emperor. As a character accumulates 
  Damage, he progresses through three different states: Lightly 
  Damaged, Heavily Damaged, and Critically Damaged.
  LIGHTLY DAMAGED
  A character is considered Lightly Damaged if he has taken 
  Damage equal to or less than twice his Toughness Bonus. 
  A Lightly Damaged character removes one Damage per day 
  through natural healing. If a Lightly Damaged character 
  devotes an entire day to bed rest, he removes an amount 
  of Damage equal to his Toughness Bonus.
  replacements work as well as the process for obtaining them.
  
  269
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  VIII: Combat
  COHESION
  The battleﬁelds of the 41st Millennia are dangerous places, 
  and a lone Guardsman has a very small chance of surviving 
  them by himself. To avoid this danger, Comrades stick close 
  to their controlling Player Character. The two Guardsmen 
  work closely together on battleﬁeld, coordinating their 
  actions to great effect and keeping each other safe.
  A Comrade is considered to be in Cohesion as long as he is 
  within 5 metres of his controlling Player Character, and they are 
  not separated by a solid barrier, such as if the Player Character is 
  inside a sealed bunker while the Comrade is trapped in the open 
  outside. While in Cohesion, a Comrade is considerably safer from 
  the dangers of the battleﬁeld (see Comrades Being Attacked), 
  and is able to perform supporting tasks. Unless otherwise stated, 
  Player Characters only receive the beneﬁts of an Order if their 
  Comrade is in Cohesion with them.
  MAINTAINING COHESION
  Once the Player Character and his Comrade are close 
  together it is much easier for them to coordinate and stick 
  together amongst the chaos of combat. Whenever the Player 
  Character has his Comrade in Cohesion and uses an Action 
  to move, his Comrade may spend a single Half Action to 
  maintain Cohesion. This represents the Comrade tagging 
  behind the Player Character and following him close on his 
  heels. By spending this Half Action, the Comrade performs 
  the same movement as the Player Character—regardless of 
  how large an action the player spent—and must end his 
  movement within 5 metres of the Player Character.
  In this way, unless they split up or are separated by other 
  events, the Player Character and his Comrade act as a single 
  entity, moving around the battleﬁeld as a pair.
  BREAKING COHESION
  Occasionally, a Player Character and his Comrade become 
  split up, whether by a hail of disorienting artillery ﬁre or 
  simply the necessity of the mission. When this happens, 
  the Player Character no longer beneﬁts from any Orders or 
  Special Abilities that require his Comrade to be in Cohesion. 
  Additionally, the Comrade becomes increasingly vulnerable 
  to enemy ﬁre (see Comrades Being Attacked).
  Once out of Cohesion, the Comrade may no longer spend 
  a Half Action to duplicate his Player Character’s 
  move, and must move independently of the Player 
  Character. The Comrade may use any of the 
  following move actions as Ordered by his 
  Player Character:
  Disengage: Full Action (page 244)
  Move: Half/Full Action (page 247)
  Run: Full Action (page 247)
  Stand/Mount: Half Action 
  (page 248)
  Tactical 
  Advance: 
  Full Action (page 248)
  Comrades in 
  Combat
  O
  ne of the Player Character’s biggest assets when they 
  charge into combat are their Comrades. With a few 
  exceptions, each Player Character is accompanied 
  by a single Comrade that he has direct control over through 
  the use of a series of Orders. These vary from simple combat 
  actions to special abilities granted by a character’s Speciality. 
  For more information on Comrades see page 110 of 
  Chapter III: Character Creation.
  In combat, a Comrade is treated differently than a usual 
  NPC. He doesn’t take independent actions around the 
  battleﬁeld or make attacks, he instead is issued Orders and 
  acts as an extension of his partnered Player Character. Because 
  of this, neither the Comrade nor his controlling player make 
  Tests when he performs Action. Instead, he performs actions 
  that beneﬁt his controlling Player Character passively.
  A Comrade acts during the same Turn as his controlling 
  Player Character each Round, either before or after the 
  character performs his Actions at the player’s discretion. 
  During this Turn, the Comrade, like any other NPC, is 
  limited to two Half Actions or one Full Action per Turn 
  (however, the Comrade may never perform a Reaction). He 
  uses these actions to perform Orders issued by his controlling 
  Player Character. If he is ever out of communication range 
  with his controlling Player Character his actions are dictated 
  narratively by the GM until the Comrade is back in contact 
  with his Squad.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  ORDERS
  There are two basic types of Orders. The ﬁrst are the generic 
  orders all Guardsmen can give to their Comrades. The 
  second are Orders unique to each Speciality, these can be 
  bought as advances using XP and are found in Chapter III: 
  Character Creation.
  Generic Orders
  The following are the generic orders that any Player Character 
  can issue to his Comrade. Unless otherwise stated by an Order, 
  the Comrade must be in Cohesion for the Player Character to 
  gain beneﬁts from an Order.
  Move Actions
  In addition to their ability to maintain Cohesion, Comrades 
  have access to a majority of the normal Move Actions available 
  to player characters:
  Disengage: Full Action (page 244)
  Move: Half or Full Action (page 247)
  Run: Full Action (page 247)
  Stand/Mount: Half Action (page 248)
  Tactical Advance: Full Action (page 248)
  Ranged Volley (Comrade Half Action)
  The Comrade lines up with the Player Character and ﬁres 
  upon his target. The Player Character gains an additional +5 
  to all Ballistics Skill Tests this Turn.
  PERFORMING ORDERS
  A Comrade’s primary role is to support the actions of 
  his controlling Player Character in combat. At any point 
  during a Player Character’s Turn, he may give an Order 
  to his Comrade. To give this Order, the Guardsman must 
  have some way of communicating with his Comrade. In 
  general, this means his Comrade must be within hearing 
  distance of the Guardsman. However, the Guardsman 
  could also communicate via hand signals or with a micro-
  bead communications device. This is primarily a narrative 
  requirement, and the GM is the ﬁnal arbitrator over whether 
  a Guardsman can communicate with his Comrade. 
  Unless stated otherwise in the Order’s description, giving 
  an Order is a Free Action that does not require a Test from 
  the Player Character. Once an Order has been issued, the 
  Comrade enacts it immediately, performing an Action based 
  on what Order has been used. Each Order has an Action 
  type listed with it, the Comrade enacting the Order spend 
  that Action to perform the order (Full or Half Action). Once 
  a Comrade has used all of his Actions for the Turn, all 
  additional Orders issued to him have no effect as he is too 
  busy performing other tasks.
  Certain Specialities—such as the Sergeant—have the 
  ability to issue Sweeping Orders, which affect all Comrades 
  in the Squad. These Orders work differently than individual 
  Orders issued by the Player Characters, and don’t require the 
  Comrade to expend Actions. Instead, Sweeping Orders act as 
  passive bonuses that affect the Comrade for an entire Round 
  of Combat. See the Sergeant Speciality on page 82 for 
  more details. 
  SPECIAL SITUATIONS
  The following are special situations that could affect Comrades, and how to resolve them.
  FEAR TESTS
  Comrades do not take Fear Tests. If their controlling Player Character passes his Fear Test, they pass as well. If their 
  controlling Player Character fails his Fear Test, they fail as well. Comrades always count as rolling a 81-100 result on 
  Table 9–5: Shock on page 304 (meaning they always ﬂee the source of their fear as quickly as possible). They remain 
  affected until the end of combat, or until they receive an order that allows them to recover from Fear.
  If the Comrade is beneﬁting from ability that makes him immune to Fear, he does not fail Fear Tests, and may act even 
  if his controlling Player Character is under the effects of Fear (though his options may be fairly limited).
  PINNING TESTS
  Comrades do not take Pinning Tests. If their controlling Player Character passes his Pinning Test, they pass as well. If 
  their controlling Player Character fails his Pinning Test, they fail as well. They must move to cover, and may not take 
  Actions until they receive an order that allows them to recover from Pinning. 
  If the Comrade is beneﬁting from ability that makes him immune to Pinning, he does not fail Pinning tests, and may 
  act even if his controlling Player Character is under the effects of Pinning (though his options may be fairly limited).
  INSANITY AND CORRUPTION
  Comrades do not track Insanity or Corruption. If they ever receive either for any reason, they do not track it unless they 
  would suffer 10 Insanity or 10 Corruption in a single Round. If this occurs, the Comrade dies. 
  OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES
  Many circumstances concerning a Comrade may arise that aren’t covered in these rules. In these cases it is recommended that 
  the GM uses his best judgement to resolve the situation. If anything ever happens to a Comrade that requires information 
  from a proﬁle, refer to the Imperial Guardsman proﬁle on page 371 of Chapter XI: Adversaries & NPCs.
  
  271
  VIII: Combat
  out of the way of incoming ﬁre, or stepping in the way of an 
  incoming melee swing, deftly deﬂecting it away.
  Blast and Spray weapons, due to their unique means of 
  attack, automatically hit any targets in their area of affect. This 
  includes Comrades, and makes these weapons particularly 
  dangerous for a Squad. 
  These are the only means that attacks can hit a Comrade 
  while he is in Cohesion. Otherwise, the game assumes that they 
  are doing their best to avoid being killed, and that any enemies 
  are far more concerned with what the Player Characters are 
  doing to be worried about the actions of a few NPCs. 
  Of course, whether or not a potential hit can actually be 
  transferred to a Comrade relies a bit on common sense. If, 
  for example, the Comrade is sheltering behind a metre-thick 
  rockcrete wall while the Guardsman is standing in the open on 
  the other side, then any attacks at the Guardsman should hit 
  the Guardsman, no matter how many times doubles are rolled.
  If a Comrade is ever out of Cohesion with his controlling 
  Player Character, he can be targeted by enemies as normal.
  COMRADES TAKING DAMAGE
  Comrades do not track wounds as normal NPCs do. Instead, 
  Comrades have three states; unharmed, wounded, and dead. 
  Unharmed is the Comrade’s default state. If an unharmed 
  Comrade suffers a hit from a weapon, he becomes wounded. 
  If a Comrade is wounded he cannot Run, but is otherwise 
  ﬁne. If a wounded Comrade suffers another hit from a 
  weapon, he dies. Players should record his manner of death 
  on the Squad Sheet and cross off his name. At the next 
  available opportunity (such as when the Squad returns 
  to camp for reﬁtting and rearming) they can request and 
  receive a replacement. 
  At the GM’s discretion, some particularly potent weapons 
  (such as point blank shots from heavy artillery, Titan-grade 
  weapons, or orbital bombardments) can kill Comrades 
  outright, rather than wounding them. However, the GM 
  should exercise this option sparingly. The idea is to give 
  the GM leeway in order to better represent particularly 
  catastrophic events, not punitively kill of Comrades.
  Healing Comrades
  If a Comrade becomes wounded, it can take a long time for 
  him to fully recover from his injuries. A wounded Comrade 
  will return to the unharmed state seven days after receiving 
  the original injury. A Player Character may speed this process 
  up by making a single Difﬁcult (–10) Medicae Test at 
  any point during the recovery. If he succeeds, reduce the 
  Comrade’s recovery time by a number of days equal to 
  the Degrees of Success on the Medicae Test.
  Close Quarters (Comrade Half Action)
  The Comrade joins the Player Character in close combat, 
  striking out with bayonet, lasgun stock, knife, or his M9 
  Entrenching Tool. The Comrade moves to ﬂank one of the 
  opponents the Player Character is engaged with, granting the 
  Player Character the beneﬁt of Ganging Up (see page 253), 
  even if the two of them do not outnumber their opponents.
  Take Cover! (Comrade Full Action)
  If the Comrade has suitable cover in his immediate vicinity, 
  he immediately hunkers down, trying to avoid incoming ﬁre. 
  For the next Round, all attacks that hit the Comrade must roll 
  Damage. If the Damage of the attack does not exceed the 3 + 
  the AP of the Comrade’s cover (see page 253 for cover APs), 
  the Comrade is not Wounded by the attack.
  OTHER ACTIONS
  In certain cases, Player Characters might want their Comrades 
  to perform actions not on this list, such as helping to clear a 
  section of barbed wire while the Players pin down the enemy, 
  or using a winch to pull a Chimera clear of the mud while 
  the Players drive off waves of attackers. In cases such as this, 
  the GM should determine the number of Rounds it would 
  take to perform this task (assuming one character is doing 
  it). A Comrade can be assigned to perform this task, and 
  automatically completes it after the predetermined number of 
  Rounds have passed. 
  Other Guardsmen can assign their Comrades to help. Each 
  additional Comrade reduces the total number of Rounds it 
  takes to perform the task by one, to a minimum of one. 
  These tasks should be fairly simple; jobs that anyone 
  could accomplish given enough time. Any task that requires 
  a Challenging (+0) or harder Skill Test should not be 
  assigned to a Comrade.
  COMRADES BEING 
  ATTACKED
  As noted earlier in this section, Comrades do not have the 
  option to perform Reactions. This is to simplify a Comrade’s 
  Turn; since the controlling player also has his own character 
  to control, managing his Comrade should not require 
  excessive Testing. The game assumes that a Comrade does 
  his best to stay alive and out of trouble, letting the Player 
  Character Guardsmen perform the heroics. 
  However, it is always possible that a Comrade might 
  draw an enemy’s ire, or simply be hit by an errant las-blast. 
  To represent this, as long as his Comrade is in Cohesion, 
  attacks against a Player Character have a chance of hitting his 
  Comrade instead. If a successful to hit roll against a Player 
  Character also result in doubles, (say, a roll of 33 or 11), the 
  hit strikes the Comrade instead. If the attack roll is being 
  made for a weapon that may generate multiple hits (such 
  as a Full Auto Attack or Lightning Attack), only one of the 
  hits strikes the Comrade; the rest hit their intended target. 
  The player may still use his Reaction as normal to attempt to 
  Dodge or Parry an attack that would hit his Comrade, this 
  represents the Player Character quickly pulling his Comrade 
  COMRADES AND COVER
  Comrades do not have the battleﬁeld expertise, training, or 
  survival instincts of the Player Characters, and do not take 
  full advantage of cover unless speciﬁcally ordered to. If a 
  character wants his Comrade to take cover from incoming 
  ﬁre, he must use the Take Cover! Order on page 271.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  VEHICLE MOVEMENT
  The following Actions are available to vehicle crew. These 
  Actions only apply to Tracked Vehicles, Wheeled Vehicles, 
  Skimmers and Walkers (plus Aircraft or Spacecraft operating 
  as Skimmers).
  Evasive Manoeuvring
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Concentration, Movement
  The vehicle weaves and dodges, presenting a hard target. The 
  vehicle must move its Tactical Speed (following the limitations 
  given for Tactical Manoeuvring below, however it is assumed 
  the vehicle is moving more erratically to get to the same 
  location). While doing so, the driver makes a Challenging (+0) 
  Operate Test. On a success, and for every additional Degree 
  of Success, the vehicle imposes a –10 penalty on all attacks 
  against it until the beginning of its next Turn. Any shooting 
  the vehicle performs during the Turn suffers the same penalty 
  in addition to the standard penalties for vehicle movement. If 
  the driver fails the Test by ﬁve or more Degrees of Failure, 
  the vehicle goes out of control (Tracked and Wheeled Vehicles 
  only), or crashes (Skimmers only) or falls over (Walkers only).
  Floor It!
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Concentration, Movement
  The vehicle moves twice its Tactical Speed, and can only turn 
  once. The driver makes a Difﬁcult (–10) Operate Test. If 
  he succeeds, at the end of his move he can move an additional 
  ﬁve metres, plus ﬁve metres for every additional Degree of 
  Success. If he fails, the vehicle does not gain any additional 
  movement. In either case, all shooting at or from the vehicle 
  suffers a –20 penalty until the beginning of its next Turn. If 
  the driver fails the Test by ﬁve or more Degrees, the vehicle 
  goes out of control (Tracked and Wheeled Vehicles only) or 
  crashes (Skimmers only). Walkers cannot use this Action.
  Vehicles
  “Load your weapons and prepare to move out! It is time to bring the 
  hammer of the God-Emperor down upon our foes!”
  –Colonel Hashim Abraham of the 47th Tallarn Armoured
  T
  here are a wide range of vehicles in the 41st millennium, 
  from the average citizen’s ground vehicle and noble’s 
  speeder, to the advanced tanks of the Adeptus Astartes 
  and the ﬂyers and spacecraft of the grand Imperial Navy. 
  Vehicles are an utterly vital part of Only War; Leman Russ 
  battle tanks, Chimera infantry ﬁghting vehicles, and Basilisk 
  self-propelled artillery pieces are the hammer to the Imperial 
  Guard infantry’s anvil. On foot, the soldiers of the Imperial 
  Guard are an impressive ﬁghting force, but when backed up 
  by legions of tanks and batteries of artillery, they are nearly 
  unstoppable. The enemies of the God-Emperor also possess 
  their own ﬁghting machines, ancient ﬂoating wonders of 
  blasphemous xenos creation, rickety Ork constructs that are 
  often as much of a danger to their crew as they are to anyone 
  else, and even vehicles that once served the Imperium, now 
  corrupted by the vile powers of chaos. This section provides 
  rules for using the many different types of vehicles that inhabit 
  the battleﬁelds of the dark millennium, from movement to 
  combat, as well as full rules for ﬁxing and repairing Damage.
  DRIVING A VEHICLE
  To drive a vehicle, a player must have the relevant Operate 
  Skill. Players may be able to drive a simple ground vehicle 
  untrained at the GM’s discretion (with a suitable penalty to 
  their Skill Tests, of course!) but driving a walker or piloting a 
  skimmer would be beyond them. 
  When driving a vehicle, a player with the correct Skills 
  will not have to make Skill Tests to perform routine driving. 
  The player is assumed to know how to start the vehicle, steer, 
  and obey the rules of the road. 
  Skill Tests come in when the player is attempting something 
  particularly challenging, or is trying to operate the vehicle during 
  combat or a similar high stress situation. Ramming your vehicle 
  into another one during a high-speed chase would require a Skill 
  Test, for example. Deftly weaving a captured Dark Eldar Venom 
  between the falling spires of a crumbling Hive as it undergoes an 
  orbital bombardment can require several. 
  These Skill Tests can be standard or Opposed Tests, 
  depending on the situation. For instance, the ramming 
  example above would require an Opposed Test against the 
  other drivers involved whereas the latter example would 
  require standard Skill Tests. Just like other forms of Skill Test, 
  Operate Tests can be modiﬁed due to circumstances. 
  Table 8–23: Difﬁcult Terrain & Other Hazards sums 
  up some of the different types of conditions a vehicle can 
  travel through, and the penalties such conditions imposes 
  on any Operate Tests. These penalties are cumulative with 
  any other penalties or bonuses the vehicle or driver 
  can be subject to, such as the Vehicle Type or any 
  applicable Vehicle Traits.
  Table 8–23: Difﬁcult Terrain & Other 
  Hazards
  Modiﬁer Types of Terrain
  +0
  Clear, open ground, paved roadway.
  –5
  Rough graven road, cleared dry ﬁeld.
  –10
  Deep mud or standing water less than 20 
  cm deep, drifting sand, dense undergrowth 
  and brush.
  –15
  Flowing water approximately 1 metre deep, 
  rocky and unstable terrain, thick forests 
  or ruined cityscapes (in addition, failing 
  an Operate Test by four or more degrees 
  results in the vehicle becoming bogged 
  down and stuck, and it must be pried free 
  before continuing).
  
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  VIII: Combat
  (and cannot be Surprised). The driver makes an Operate Test, 
  with a penalty equal to the vehicle’s size modiﬁer (someone 
  attempting to jink with a Demolisher, which grants opponents 
  +30 to hit due to size, would suffer a –30 to his Operate Test). 
  For each Degree of Success, he avoids one shot from a single 
  source, as with an Evasion Reaction. If the driver fails the 
  Test by ﬁve or more Degrees, the vehicle goes out of control 
  (Tracked and Wheeled Vehicles only), or crashes (Skimmers 
  only) or falls over (Walkers only).
  Ram!
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Attack, Melee, Movement 
  The vehicle attempts to ram a person or another vehicle. The 
  vehicle must move at least its Tactical Speed in a straight line, 
  and the driver must make a Challenging (+0) Operate Test. 
  If he succeeds, his vehicle hits his target, doing Damage equal to 
  the AP on the vehicle’s facing that hit plus 1d10. If the vehicle 
  moved twice its Tactical Speed, it gains an extra 1d10 Damage 
  for every 10 additional metres moved. If the vehicle is ramming 
  another vehicle (or something equally large and solid, such as a 
  plascrete wall or promethium storage tank), it also takes Damage 
  equal to the AP of the vehicle it hit plus 1d5. For every point of 
  Damage the ramming vehicle inﬂicts, it also moves its target 1 
  metre. This attack can be Dodged, but it cannot be Parried. Force 
  Fields can protect the wearer from any Damage caused, but they 
  can still be pushed back by the attack.
  Tactical Manoeuvring
  Type: Half Action/Full Action (see below)
  Subtype: Movement
  This is a Vehicle’s basic move action. The Vehicle moves 
  either its Tactical Speed (Half Action) or twice its Tactical 
  Speed (Full Action). A vehicle must move directly forward or 
  back at least its own length before turning 90 degrees in any 
  direction (it can turn more than once, provided it makes the 
  move each time).
  Hit & Run
  Type: Full Action
  Subtype: Attack, Melee, Movement
  Some vehicles are small enough that they act more as personal 
  transports than proper APCs or tanks—Ork Bikers and Dark 
  Eldar Reavers are both good examples of this. The drivers of 
  these specially adapted vehicles often coast past their enemies 
  at high speed, slashing them with whatever weapons they 
  happen to have as they move past. The attack is quick and 
  brutal, with the driver often leaving his opponent in bloody 
  ruin behind him. Characters operating Open-Topped vehicles 
  that carry only themselves and up to 1 other passenger or 
  crewmember can make a Hit & Run Action in the same way 
  as someone on foot would make a Charge Action. 
  The vehicle’s operator can move the vehicle up to its Tactical 
  Speed and then make a Difﬁcult (–10) Weapon Skill Test. 
  If the Test is successful the driver scores a single hit with an 
  appropriate melee weapon. Once the attack has been resolved, 
  the vehicle’s operator can choose to stay in combat or can make 
  a second move up to their Tactical Speed directly away from 
  the target of their Hit & Run Action. If the Weapon Skill Test 
  is failed by three or more Degrees the vehicle either goes out 
  of control (Tracked and Wheeled Vehicles only) or crashes 
  (Skimmers only). Walkers can not attempt Hit & Run Actions. 
  No other combat actions (such as Lightning Attack) can be 
  combined with this action, and the victims of this attack do 
  not gain a free attack against the driver or vehicle as they leave 
  melee combat—there simply isn’t time.
  Jink
  Type: Reaction
  Subtype: Movement
  The driver sees a threat and jinks suddenly, hopefully throwing 
  his vehicle out of the line of ﬁre. This action can only be taken 
  if the vehicle has moved at least its Tactical Speed during its 
  previous Turn (Walkers can attempt this regardless of speed). 
  The driver must be aware of the attack in order to make the Test 
  HIGH SPEED CHASES
  Although Combat rules could be used to represent high speed chases and pursuits, they do not accurately portray the 
  tension and excitement of driving through a treacherous mountain pass to cut off a retreating enemy patrol, or trying to 
  shoot down an Ork Rok before it ploughs into a vital power complex below.
  Instead, high-speed chases can be represented by a series of opposed Operate Tests. When the chase begins, the GM 
  determines how many metres separate the pursuer and the pursued. Then the two players roll opposed Operate Tests 
  (depending on the vehicles involved). If the pursuer wins, he decreases the distance between the vehicles by 10 metres 
  for each success. If the pursued wins, he increases the distance by the same amount (10 metres for each success). This 
  continues once per Round until the distance between the vehicles drops to zero or increases to 300 metres. At this point, 
  the two sides make another opposed Operate Test. If the pursuer wins, he forces his quarry to pull over and stop. If the 
  pursued wins, he increases the distance as deﬁned above.
  Faster vehicles add a bonus to this Test. Compare the Cruising Speeds of the vehicles and for every full 10 kph the 
  faster vehicle has over the slower vehicle, that vehicle’s driver gains +10 to his Operate Tests.
  Of course, high-speed chases are anything but safe. Besides exchanges of gunﬁre (which should take place following normal 
  and vehicle combat rules), there is the constant risk of spinning out of control, or even running into other trafﬁc. When making 
  Operate Tests during a high-speed chase, any rolls of 99–100 mean that the vehicle ﬂips out of control or crashes into an obstacle 
  and explodes (see the 10+ result on Table 8–28: Hull Critical Hit Chart,  page 279). The “danger zone” can be increased 
  depending on the circumstances of the chase. Chases along a crowded roadway may mean that crashes occur on a roll of 97–100, 
  while chases proceeding against trafﬁc may modify that to 92–100. As always, the GM should be the ﬁnal arbitrator. 
  
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  VIII: Combat
  ATTACKING VEHICLES
  Attacking a vehicle follows a very similar process to 
  standard attacks, and follows many of the procedures and 
  rules that govern attacks (see page 249). There are a few 
  key differences, such as Facing and different Hit Locations, 
  and these are described below. As with standard attacks, no 
  one can attack a vehicle until the GM has veriﬁed that the 
  attack is even possible by checking the requirements of the 
  attack. Melee attacks against vehicles require the attacker to 
  be engaged in melee combat with his target. Ranged attacks 
  cannot be made if the attacker is engaged in melee unless he 
  is ﬁring a pistol-class weapon. In either case, the attacker must 
  be aware of his target (the Spray & Pray sidebar on page 
  250 applies to attacks made against vehicles as well).
  Assuming the attack is possible, follow these steps:
  •	 Step One: Apply Modiﬁers to Attack
  •	 Step Two: Attacker Determines Facing 
  •	 Step Three: Attacker Makes a Test
  •	 Step Four: Attacker Determine Hit Location
  •	 Step Five: Attacker Determines Damage
  •	 Step Six: Target Applies Damage
  VEHICLE COMBAT
  Players operating vehicles can take Actions as normal during 
  Structured Time. These Actions vary from those available 
  to players not operating vehicles, but still fall into the same 
  basic categories: Half Actions, Full Actions, Reactions, Free 
  Actions, and Extended Actions, and have the same action 
  sub-types (Movement, Concentration, etc.). 
  Some vehicles have multiple crewmembers. In this case, 
  the vehicle’s commander’s Initiative roll will determine the 
  Initiative of the remaining crew (if there is no commander, 
  use the driver’s Initiative). The order of Initiative should 
  be rearranged so the crewmember that rolled the highest 
  Initiative takes his Turn immediately after the commander (or 
  driver), then the crewmember with the next highest Initiative, 
  and so forth. Each crewmember can take a different Action. 
  For example, a driver can move the vehicle, while the gunners 
  spray their targets with shots. Each crewmember can only 
  take up to one full Action, however, and some Actions can 
  be precluded by others. If two potential Actions conﬂict, the 
  commander’s (or driver’s) Action has priority. Crew changing 
  positions within a vehicle (eg. moving from the driver’s 
  position to a sponson gunner’s position) is treated as a Half 
  Action with the Movement subtype.
  VEHICLE ATTACKS
  Any Attack Actions a vehicle’s gunner or passenger can take 
  are the same as those listed on Table 8–1: Combat Actions 
  (see page 243), with the following notes:
  •	 Any shooting from the vehicle suffers a –10 to hit if the 
  vehicle moved its Tactical Speed in its previous Turn. 
  •	 Any shooting from a vehicle suffers a –20 to hit if the 
  vehicle moved twice its Tactical Speed in its previous Turn.
  •	 Gunners or passengers can take Full Actions even if the 
  vehicle has moved. 
  •	 Passengers can only ﬁre from a vehicle if they are in a 
  position to do so (eg. the vehicle is Open-Topped, or 
  has hatches or vision slits that could be used as ﬁring 
  positions). The type of vehicle they are shooting from 
  will determine what Facing passengers have when ﬁring 
  their own weapons.
  •	 Critical effects that hamper the crew’s ability to make 
  attacks hamper passengers in exactly the same manner.
  •	 A driver can take an Attack Action only if he has not 
  used his entire Action to move the vehicle. 
  •	 A character with the appropriate Operate Skill for a 
  vehicle does not need speciﬁc weapon proﬁciencies 
  to ﬁre any weapons mounted on that type of vehicle 
  without penalty. It is assumed that his expertise covers 
  weapon use as well.
  •	 All weapons mounted on a vehicle, including Pintle 
  Mounted weapons, are automatically assumed to be 
  braced. Weapons ﬁred by passengers that require bracing 
  must be braced normally before being used.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  degree angle. The angle to the front of the vehicle is the Front 
  Facing. The two angles to the left and right of the vehicle are 
  the Left Side and Right Side Facings. The angle to the rear of 
  the vehicle is the Rear Facing (see Diagram 8–1).
  The Facing the attack hits determines how much armour 
  the attack has to defeat in order to cause Damage to the 
  vehicle’s Structural Integrity, as well as what weapons and 
  important systems can be damaged and can be destroyed 
  through Critical Damage. Any attack that hits the top or the 
  bottom of the vehicle counts as having hit the rear facing.
  Step Three: Attacker Makes a Test
  After the modiﬁed Characteristic and the Facing have 
  been determined, the attacker makes a Weapon Skill Test if 
  he is performing a melee attack or a Ballistic Skill Test if 
  performing a ranged attack. If the roll is equal to or less than 
  the modiﬁed Characteristic, the attack hits.
  Step One: Apply Modiﬁers to Attack
  Melee and Ranged attacks made against vehicles follow the 
  same methods for determining modiﬁers as regular attacks 
  (see page 253). What players should always remember 
  though is that almost every vehicle has a size modiﬁer which 
  will most likely provide a bonus to hit.
  Step Two: Attacker Determines Facing
  Unlike most standard characters, creatures and NPCs, the 
  direction a vehicle is attacked from matters quite a bit. Vehicles 
  are protected by thick armour plating, but this plating tends 
  to be thicker or thinner depending on where on the vehicle 
  it is. Generally speaking thicker armour is placed upon a 
  vehicle’s front and, if it has one, its turret. Weaker armour is 
  often placed on a vehicle’s rear quarters. These different areas 
  of a vehicle are referred to as Facings.
  When making any type of attack against a vehicle the 
  attacker will need to know what Facing their attack will hit. 
  A vehicle is divided roughly into four quarters, each of a 90 
  Table 8–24: Vehicle Hit Locations
  Roll
  Location
  Description
  01-20
  Motive 
  Systems
  These could be tracks, wheels, leg actuators, grav-plates, engines, power relays and so on. These systems are 
  often quite fragile, regardless of the type of vehicle, and as such most vehicles ﬁnd themselves immobilised 
  rather than suffering outright destruction.
  21-60
  Hull
  The attack has hit the vehicle’s main hull. Powerful hits here could kill crewmembers or detonate fuel and 
  ammunition stores.
  61-80
  Weapon
  The attack has hit one of the weapons mounted on the vehicle’s hull. It could be a sponson, or a ﬁxed weapon 
  protruding from the vehicle’s front armour. If there are multiple weapons in this location, the GM should 
  randomise which one is hit. If a vehicle has no Weapon on that particular Facing, treat it as a hit to the Hull. 
  These attacks often destroy the weapon system, but some attacks can translate back to the main hull of the 
  vehicle causing secondary damage.
  81-00
  Turret
  The attack has hit the vehicle’s turret. If a vehicle has more than one turret then the turret closest to the 
  attacker is the turret affected by the attack. If there are multiple weapons in this location, the GM should 
  randomise which one is hit. If a vehicle has no Turret, treat it as a hit to the Hull. Turret destruction is just as 
  dangerous as hits that penetrate the hull, as volatile ammunition is often stored within the turret, and a lot of 
  tank commanders sit inside the turret as well.
  FRONT
  FRONT
  FRONT
  REAR
  REAR
  REAR
  RIGHT
  LEFT
  LEFT
  LEFT
  RIGHT
  RIGHT
  DIAGRAM 8–1
  DIAGRAM 8–2
  DIAGRAM 8–3
  
  276
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  VIII: Combat
  As mentioned previously whenever the location hit is the Turret 
  the attack is treated as if it hit the vehicle’s Front Facing, even if the 
  shot originated in the Rear Facing.
  Step Five: Attacker Determines Damage
  This process functions in exactly the same way as with regular 
  attacks with the exception of how Righteous Fury works against 
  vehicles. See page 250 for the full rules for determining Damage.
  Righteous Fury vs. Vehicles
  Attacks against vehicles also beneﬁt from the Righteous Fury 
  rules. Righteous Fury against vehicles is generated in the same 
  manner as against individuals—if a character rolls a ten on a 
  Damage die against the vehicle, then he generates Righteous 
  Fury (it is important to note that this attack must actually 
  Damage the vehicle—Righteous Fury is not gained if the 
  initial attack was unable to cause any Damage to the vehicle). 
  Evasion Reactions
  As noted in the previous section, vehicles have access to the 
  Jink Action that can be used as an Evasive Reaction. Vehicles 
  cannot Dodge, and only Walkers can Parry (and then only if 
  they have arms with which to Parry). See the Jink Action on 
  page 273 for more details on how this Reaction operates.
  Step Four: Attacker Determines Hit Location
  The attacker will already know which Facing they have hit by 
  determining the direction their attack is coming from in relation 
  to the vehicles current orientation, but on a successful hit they 
  must now determine where their attack has hit exactly. Using 
  the percentile dice result from the attacker’s Weapon Skill or 
  Ballistic Skill Test, reverse the order of the digits (e.g. a 
  roll of 32 becomes 23, a roll of 20 becomes 02, and so 
  on) and compare this number to Table 8–24: Vehicle 
  Hit Locations. 
  Table 8–25: Weapon Critical Hit Chart
  Critical 
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  A strong concussive hit leaves the gun intact, but knocks the gunner away from his station. The gunner is Stunned 
  for 1 Round.
  2
  A glancing blow knocks the gun about, dislodging an ammo linkage, buckling a breach door or shorting out a 
  power system. It is a minor issue, but will take time to ﬁx. The weapon immediately Jams. The Jam can be cleared 
  via the normal method.
  3
  The hit frazzles the gun’s targeting system, blocks a vision slit or causes internal armour to ﬂake away and strike 
  the gunner in the eyes. All shots made with the weapon suffer a –10 penalty for 1d5 Rounds.
  4
  With the sound of grinding metal, the gun locks in place. The gun gains Weapon/Turret Locked Damage 
  Condition (see page 286). The weapon is now only capable of ﬁring in a direct straight line in whatever direction 
  it happened to ﬁre at last (or directly forward if it had not ﬁred yet). If the weapon was a Fixed Weapon, treat this 
  as the result 5 on this table.
  5
  The gun’s ammo-hopper or power control system is destroyed, leaving the weapon incapable of loading 
  ammunition. The weapon itself is otherwise undamaged as it is the power or ammunition linkage that is damaged, 
  but to represent this result the weapon still gains the Weapon Disabled Damage Condition (see page 286) until it 
  has been repaired.
  6
  The weapon’s targeting systems are annihilated by the blast. The weapon gains the Targeting Systems Destroyed 
  Damage Condition (see page 285). 
  7
  The gun’s ammo-hopper or power control systems are severely damaged, or perhaps the weapon’s barrel is cracked 
  from a heavy impact. The weapon can still ﬁre, but with a risk of causing an ammunition explosion. The weapon 
  can continue to be used as normal, but every time the weapon is used there is a 30% chance of the currently 
  loaded ammunition cooking off. If it does so, roll Damage against the vehicle and any gunners manning the 
  weapon as if the destroyed weapon had hit them, halving all Damage rolled. If this happens the weapon gains the 
  Weapon Destroyed Damage Condition (see page 286), and all the remaining ammunition in that clip is destroyed.
  8
  The weapon explodes and is torn from its housing. Damage from the explosion rips further into the vehicle’s hull, 
  possibly injuring the weapon’s gunner. Any gunner operating this weapon has a 20% chance of being hit by the 
  same shot and taking one quarter (rounding up) of the rolled Damage.
  9
  As above, except the explosion rips through the entire crew compartment. Every member of the crew suffer 
  1d10+6 Explosive Damage to the body, suffer one level of Fatigue and must make a Challenging (+0) Agility 
  Test or catch ﬁre. If this occurs, refer to the On Fire! sidebar on page 284. Anyone who catches ﬁre can attempt 
  to put themselves out as described in the rules for Fire on page 266.
  10+
  The force of the attack destroys the weapon and continues through into the vehicle’s hull, detonating the ammunition 
  store or power supply for the weapon. The vehicle explodes immediately. It cannot be repaired and no equipment 
  from within the vehicle can be salvaged. Anyone inside takes 2d10+18 Explosive damage. Anyone within 2d10 
  metres of the vehicle suffers 1d10+6 Explosive damage from the blast. If the Vehicle has the Open-Topped or Bike 
  Vehicle Trait, passengers or crew may make an Evasion Test using the Dodge Skill to bail out at the last second. 
  Anyone who succeeds at the Evasion Test suffers 1d10+6 Damage from the vehicle’s explosion. Note: Depending on 
  the contents of the vehicle, the GM may enhance the explosion’s radius and/or Damage as he sees ﬁt.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  Step Six: Target Applies Damage
  Vehicles have two primary defensive characteristics: Armour 
  (also referred to as AP or Armour Points) and Structural 
  Integrity (also referred to as SI or Integrity). 
  Armour represents both the innate hardness of the materials 
  used to construct a vehicle, as well as the physical protection 
  built into a vehicle to defend against attacks. The thick 
  ceramite hull of a Leman Russ Demolisher, for example, 
  has extremely good Armour, while the ramshackle hull 
  of an Ork Trukk has extremely poor Armour. Vehicles 
  may also have different Armour Points depending 
  The player then rolls 1d5 on the appropriate Vehicle Critical 
  Hit Chart, depending on where the player hit the vehicle, 
  and applies the result to the vehicle. Note, that although the 
  vehicle suffers the results of the roll, it does not count as 
  having sustained a Critical Hit. Future Damage is still applied 
  to the vehicle’s remaining Structural Integrity, and rolls on the 
  Vehicle Critical Hit Charts generated by Righteous Fury are 
  not cumulative with actual Critical Hits. 
  Table 8–26: Motive Systems Critical Hit Chart
  Critical 
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  A savage blow to the vehicle’s drive mechanism or engine intakes forces the operator to wrestle with the controls 
  in order to keep it pointed in the right direction. The vehicle’s operator must take an immediate Challenging 
  (+0) Operate Test. If the Test is failed use the Scatter Diagram to determine the vehicle’s new facing. The 
  operator takes one level of Fatigue from the effort.
  2
  The vehicle is knocked violently from its current position, but otherwise no major damage is caused. The vehicle 
  may only move up to its Tactical Speed next Turn.
  3
  One of the vehicle’s tracks, a rear axle or ankle joint, or perhaps a vital fuel link has taken a major hit, and now 
  one side of the vehicle’s drive mechanism is responding more slowly than the other. The vehicle gains the Motive 
  Systems Impaired Damage Condition (see page 284).
  4
  The vehicle’s fuel or drive power systems have taken a glancing hit. The vehicle is in no danger of exploding, but 
  coaxing speed out of the engine is far more difﬁcult now. If the vehicle’s operator ever wants to move faster than the 
  vehicle’s Tactical Speed they must ﬁrst pass a Difﬁcult (–10) Operate Test. If the Test is failed by three or more 
  degrees the vehicle’s engine stalls and the vehicle cannot move at all this Turn. Skimmers that suffer this result crash.
  5
  The driver ﬁnds that the vehicle’s control systems are completely unresponsive… but the vehicle is still moving! 
  Tracked and Wheeled vehicles go out of control, Skimmers crash and Walkers move forward half their Tactical 
  Speed and before falling over. If the vehicle did not move last Turn, then this result has no effect (other than 
  Skimmers, who still crash).
  6
  The hit tears off a tread, damages a knee joint, or tears into the grav-generator housing doing severe damage. The 
  vehicle gains the Motive Systems Crippled Damage Condition (see page 285). If this brings the Tactical Speed to 
  0, the vehicle is treated as having suffered the Motive Systems Destroyed Damage Condition instead. If this occurs 
  Tracked and Wheeled Vehicles coast to a quick stop, Walkers grind to a halt where they stand, and Skimmers crash 
  into the ground.
  7
  The small internal explosion causes a loose bolt to ricochet around the driver’s controls at breakneck speed, or 
  perhaps a control panel explodes in the driver’s face. The vehicle’s operator immediately suffers 1d10 Impact 
  damage to the head, suffers one level of Fatigue, and must make a Difﬁcult (–10) Operate Test in order to move 
  the vehicle next Turn. If the vehicle was already moving when this result occurred and the vehicle’s operator is 
  unable to regain control then the vehicle goes out of control if it is a Tracked or Wheeled Vehicle, crashes if it is a 
  Skimmer, or moves forward half its Tactical Speed and before falling over if it is a Walker.
  8
  The vehicle’s motive systems are ripped apart in an explosion that immediately stops the vehicle from moving. The 
  vehicle gains the Motive Systems Destroyed Damage Condition (see page 285). Skimmers that suffer this result 
  crash into the ground.
  9
  The vehicle’s power systems or fuel tanks are penetrated. The vehicle grinds to a halt and immediately catches 
  alight. The vehicle gains the Motive Systems Destroyed Damage Condition (see page 285) and is now On Fire 
  (see the On Fire! sidebar on page 284). Skimmers that suffer this result crash into the ground.
  10+
  The hit smashes the vehicle’s drive shaft or sends a surge through its power systems. The vehicle immediately 
  lurches forward before ﬂipping over completely! Tracked Vehicles, Wheeled Vehicles and Skimmers immediately 
  move forward half their Tactical Speed and then ﬂip over. This is treated as a crash in all respects. Walkers move 
  forward half their Tactical Speed and before falling over. Anything mounted on the top of the vehicle (turrets, 
  specialist equipment weapons, especially pintle mounted weapons) is destroyed. Exposed crew and passengers may 
  be thrown or crushed. Other weapons mounted on a vehicle’s hull may still be used assuming there are any crew 
  left to use them. The vehicle is completely immobilised (and upside down!), and will not be able to move under 
  its own power until recovered and repaired (treat this as a Motive Systems Destroyed Damage Condition (see page 
  285) that cannot be repaired until the vehicle has been turned ride side up again).
  
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  VIII: Combat
  exploding in a ball of ﬁre. A vehicle’s Structural Integrity can 
  be affected by any number of things, from the sturdiness of 
  the materials used to construct the vehicle to the amount of 
  redundancy built into critical systems. After Damage has been 
  reduced via the Vehicle’s Armour, the remaining Damage 
  is applied to the vehicle’s Structural Integrity. Structural 
  Integrity functions in the same manner as Wounds do for a 
  person or creature. 
  on their Facing. The front of a Leman Russ battle tank is 
  nigh invulnerable, for example, but a shot to the weaker 
  rear armour may have a devastating effect. Armour works 
  in the same manner as the armour of a person or creature. 
  When shooting at a vehicle, roll Damage then subtract 
  the number of Armour Points (AP). Be sure to take the 
  weapon’s Penetration value into account as well.
  Structural Integrity is a representation of how 
  much Damage a vehicle can sustain before 
  Table 8–27: Turret Critical Hit Chart
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  A strong concussive hit leaves the gun intact, but knocks those within the turret around. Anyone within the 
  vehicle’s turret is Stunned for 1 Round.
  2
  A heavy blow knocks the turret aside, but it is not immediately apparent how much damage the gun has taken. 
  The crew cannot risk ﬁring the weapon until they have made sure that the shell won’t explode in the barrel or that 
  the weapon’s power systems won’t overload. Treat the weapon as if it had Jammed.
  3
  The hit frazzles the gun’s targeting system, blocks a vision slit or causes internal armour to ﬂake away and strike 
  the gunner in the eyes. All shots made with the weapon suffer a –10 penalty for 1d5 Rounds.
  4
  With the sound of grinding metal, the turret locks in place. The gun gains Weapon/Turret Locked Damage 
  Condition (see page 286). The weapon is now only capable of ﬁring in a direct straight line in whatever direction 
  it happened to ﬁre at last (or directly forward if it had not ﬁred yet). It is possible for Pintle Weapons to maintain 
  their Fire Arcs even if a turret has jammed in place.
  5
  The turret’s loses power, and everything stops working. The turret and the weapons contained within are 
  undamaged, but nothing has any power and thus no weapons other than pintle weapons can be ﬁred, the turret 
  itself cannot rotate until the power systems are repaired. If the turret had any other equipment linked to it 
  (such as additional searchlights, communications equipment and so on) these cease to operate. For the purposes 
  (such as additional searchlights, communications equipment and so on) these cease to operate. For the purposes 
  of repairing damage, treat this as a Weapon Destroyed Damage Condition, but the weapons within the turret 
  do not need to be replaced before the Repair Test is made (unless of course the weapons had already been 
  destroyed by previous critical effects).
  6
  The turret’s targeting systems are annihilated by the blast. Every weapon within the turret other than any Pintle 
  Weapons mounted atop the turret gain the Targeting Systems Destroyed Damage Condition (see page 285).
  7
  The hit tears through the turret’s armour, leaving only useless shards of metal. All further hits to the vehicle’s 
  turret now roll against the vehicle’s Rear Facing Armour Value rather than the Front Facing Armour Value 
  regardless of which direction the shot hit the turret from. Treat the vehicle has having lost 2d10 AP for the 
  purposes of repairing the Armour (see Reduced Armour, page 285). If the attack was a ranged weapon, the 
  shot rips through the interior of the turret as well. Each crewmember within the turret has a 20% chance of being 
  hit by the same shot and taking one quarter (rounding up) of the rolled Damage. In addition, the vehicle gains the 
  Open Topped Vehicle Trait, which could be a problem if the vehicle is in a poisonous atmosphere, underwater, or 
  in a vacuum.
  8
  Several areas of the turret are blasted away and the entire turret catches ﬁre. Any weapons mounted in or on the 
  turret gain the Weapon Destroyed Damage Condition. Any equipment on or in the turret is destroyed, and the 
  turret itself gains the Weapon/Turret Locked Damage Condition. Additionally the turret is set alight. Refer to On 
  Fire! sidebar on page 284.
  9
  As above, except the ﬁre pours into the main hull of the vehicle, setting everything alight. Every member 
  of the crew, plus any passengers if they are not somehow separated from the crew compartment must take a 
  Challenging (+0) Agility Test or catch ﬁre. Refer to the On Fire! sidebar on page 284. Anyone who catches 
  ﬁre can attempt to put themselves out as described in the rules for Fire on 266.
  10+
  A colossal explosion tears the turret away from the vehicle, the twisted wreckage ﬂying into the air as the vehicle 
  itself is ripped apart by secondary explosions. The vehicle is destroyed. It cannot be repaired and no equipment 
  from within the vehicle can be salvaged. Anyone inside takes 2d10+18 Explosive Damage. Anyone within 2d10 
  metres of the vehicle suffers 1d10+6 Explosive Damage from the blast. If the Vehicle has the Open-Topped 
  or Bike Vehicle Trait, passengers or crew may make an Evasion Test using the Dodge Skill to bail out at the 
  last second. Anyone who succeeds at the Evasion Test suffers 1d10+6 E Damage from the vehicle’s explosion. 
  Additionally the turret ﬂies 3d10 metres in a random direction, and anyone directly under the turret when it lands 
  suffers Damage as if they had just been Rammed by the vehicle moving its Tactical Speed. Any crew who were 
  stationed within the turret are automatically killed—there’s no way they’d have time to bail out! Note: Depending 
  on the contents of the vehicle, the GM may enhance the explosion’s radius and/or Damage as he sees ﬁt.
  
  279
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  VIII: Combat
  already sustaining Damage equal to its Structural Integrity 
  and was hit in the Hull, it suffers the “2” result on the Hull 
  Critical Hit Chart. If in a later Turn, the vehicle takes four 
  more Damage and was hit in its Motive Systems, it suffers a 
  “6” result on the Motive Systems Critical Hit Chart.
  Vehicle Critical Damage
  When a vehicle has sustained an amount of Damage equal 
  to its Structural Integrity, all additional Damage is treated 
  as Critical Damage in the same manner as Critical Damage 
  is applied to people and creatures. Consult the appropriate 
  Vehicle Critical Hit Chart (dependant on where the vehicle 
  was hit by the attack that caused the Critical Damage) and 
  apply the result. Like the standard Critical Hit Charts for 
  individuals, results on the Vehicle Critical Hit Charts are 
  cumulative. For example, if a vehicle takes two Damage after 
  Table 8–28: Hull Critical Hit Chart
  Critical 
  Damage Critical Effect
  1
  The vehicle jolts to one side with the force of a strong hit, forcing everyone aboard to grab onto something to stay 
  in their seats. Any crew who are not strapped in or otherwise secured must make an Ordinary (+10) Toughness 
  Test or be Stunned for one Round.
  2
  An internal gas line bursts, unleashing an opaque but non-lethal cloud within the crew compartment. One member 
  of the crew (or a passenger) must dedicate their entire next Round to closing the leak (no Test is required, they 
  just spend a Full Action to do this). All Actions taken within the vehicle by any crew suffer a –20 penalty until the 
  leak has been sealed.
  3
  A jarring blow tosses the vehicle around, throwing things about the interior. Any crew or passengers who are 
  not strapped in or otherwise secured must make an Ordinary (+10) Toughness Test or be Stunned for 1d5 
  Rounds. All shooting from the vehicle during the next Round suffers –10 to hit as aims are knocked askew and 
  shots go wide.
  4
  Some electrical cabling or power coupling is blasted loose by the impact, raining a sudden shower of sparks down 
  on a member of the crew. The GM randomly selects one member of the vehicle’s crew. This crewman immediately 
  suffers 1d10+6 Impact Damage to the body and suffers one level of Fatigue.
  5
  Several hull plates buckle and fall away, weakening the vehicle. The Facing where the attack hit reduces its AP by 
  Several hull plates buckle and fall away, weakening the vehicle. The Facing where the attack hit reduces its AP by 
  1d10 (eg. if the attack hit the vehicle’s Rear Facing the vehicle’s rear Armour would be reduced by 1d10 and all 
  subsequent attacks that hit the Rear Facing would only need to penetrate this reduced Armour value).
  6
  A small explosion rips through the crew compartment, damaging internal systems and wounding the crew. If 
  the vehicle’s crew are housed separately from the passengers, the GM should determine randomly whether this 
  affects the crew or the passengers. In either case those that suffer from this result take 1d10+6 Explosive damage 
  to the body, suffer one level of Fatigue and must make a Challenging (+0) Agility Test or catch ﬁre. If this 
  occurs, refer to the On Fire! sidebar on page 284. Anyone who catches ﬁre can attempt to put themselves out as 
  described in the rules for Fire on 266.
  7
  The hit tears through the vehicle’s armour, leaving only useless shards of metal. The Facing where the attack hit 
  reduces its Facing’s AP by half (eg. if the attack hit the vehicle’s Rear Facing the vehicle’s rear Armour would be 
  reduced by half and all subsequent attacks that hit the Rear Facing would only need to penetrate this reduced 
  Armour value). If the attack was a ranged weapon, the shot rips through the interior of the vehicle as well. Each 
  crewmember has a 20% chance of being hit by the same shot and taking one quarter (rounding up) of the rolled 
  damage. In addition, the vehicle gains the Open Topped Vehicle Trait, which could be a problem if the vehicle is 
  in a poisonous atmosphere, underwater, or in a vacuum.
  8
  As above, but the vehicle also catches ﬁre! Refer to On Fire! sidebar on page 284.
  9
  A short, sharp explosion ﬂares outward from the vehicle. Armour panels fall off, weapons are blasted free, and the 
  vehicle’s drive mechanisms are ruined causing it to stop dead. The vehicle is now a shattered hulk and gains the 
  Vehicle Destroyed Damage Condition (see page 285). If the vehicle had any remaining weapons each one has 
  a 50% chance of gaining the Weapon Destroyed Damage Condition. Anyone inside the vehicle takes 1d10+6 
  Explosive damage, and must make a Difﬁcult (–10) Toughness Test or become Stunned for 1d10 Rounds. 
  Skimmers automatically crash.
  10+
  The vehicle’s ammo supply, reactor or fuel supply takes a direct hit and the vehicle erupts from within. Shards 
  of molten metal are sent ﬂying in every direction as the vehicle is reduced to a smoking crater. The vehicle is 
  destroyed and cannot be repaired. No equipment from within the vehicle can be salvaged. Anyone inside takes 
  2d10+18 Explosive damage. Anyone within 2d10 metres of the vehicle suffers 1d10+6 Explosive damage from 
  the blast. If the Vehicle has the Open-Topped or Bike Vehicle Trait, passengers or crew may make an Evasion Test 
  using the Dodge Skill to bail out at the last second. Anyone who succeeds at the Evasion Test suffers the 1d10+6 
  damage from the vehicle’s explosion. Note: Depending on the contents of the vehicle, the GM may enhance the 
  explosion’s radius and/or damage as he sees ﬁt.
  
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  OUT OF CONTROL, CRASHING AND FALLING OVER
  There are many instances where the movements of a vehicle will be beyond a driver’s ability to control. Critical Damage 
  may send a vehicle swerving off course, a sudden loss of anti-grav propulsion may see a skimmer plough into the ground 
  at high speed, or a particularly jarring hit may send a walker toppling backwards.
  OUT OF CONTROL (WHEELED & TRACKED VEHICLES)
  Whenever a vehicle goes Out of Control, either due to circumstance or due to Critical Damage, the vehicle must move 
  during its next Round (the operator has no choice in this). To determine the direction the operator rolls a 1d5 on Table 
  8-29: Out of Control Direction:
  Table 8–29: Out of Control Direction
  Roll
  Direction
  1-2
  45 degrees to the vehicle’s left.
  3
  Straight ahead.
  4-5
  45 degrees to the vehicle’s right.
  Once the direction has been determined the vehicle moves its Tactical Speed +d10 metres in that direction. Anything 
  hit by the Out of Control vehicle counts as being hit by a Ram Action. If the vehicle hits anything solid enough to stop it 
  moving (another vehicle, a building) it comes to an immediate halt and suffers the usual Damage from conducting a Ram 
  Action against that type of target, but takes the full Damage rather than half the Damage. The crew/passengers must 
  take a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be Stunned for one Round if the vehicle hits something in this manner.
  CRASHING (SKIMMERS)
  One of the chief drawbacks to skimmers is how fragile their propulsion systems tend to be. When a tank gets immobilised 
  it usually grinds to a halt or at worst rams into something. A skimmer on the other hand can ﬁnd itself crashing directly 
  into the ground and exploding in a ﬁreball that kills everyone on board.
  A Skimmer moving 10 metres or lower above the ground that crashes suffers the following effects:
  •	 If the distance the vehicle moved (or was attempting to move) during the Turn it crashed was as equal to its Tactical Speed 
  or less, the vehicle moves half the distance it was attempting to travel in the direction it is currently facing (the GM can chose 
  a different direction if he chooses, based on the momentum or actions of the vehicle). The vehicle then comes to a complete 
  stop. Roll 1d5 on the Hull Critical Hit Chart—the vehicle suffers that Critical Hit. If the vehicle hits an object with AP, 
  such as a wall, tree or other vehicle, the vehicle behaves as though it has rammed them while moving at its Tactical Speed 
  (this may cause an additional Critical Hit). At the GM’s discretion, the object may arrest the vehicle’s forward movement.
  •	 If the distance the vehicle moved (or was attempting to move) is more than its Tactical Speed, the GM determines the 
  direction the vehicle is travelling, measures a distance in that direction equal to its Tactical Speed then scatters 1d10 
  metres in a random direction (see the Scatter Diagram on page 255). This is the spot the vehicle ends up after it 
  crashes. The vehicle comes to a complete stop. Roll 1d10 on Table 8–28 Hull Critical Hit Chart on page 279—the 
  vehicle suffers that Critical Hit. If the vehicle hits an object with AP, such as a wall, tree, or other vehicle, the vehicle 
  behaves as having rammed them while moving at twice its Tactical Speed (this may cause an additional Critical Hit) but 
  suffers the full Damage rather than half. At the GM’s discretion, the object may arrest the vehicle’s forward movement.
  •	 If a vehicle crashes while moving at its Tactical Speed or faster, there is a chance that the vehicle rolls. In this case, 
  roll 1d10. On a 6 or higher, the vehicle rolls onto its roof (or if moving fast enough, cartwheels end over end). When 
  rolling for the Critical Hit, add +4 to the roll. If the vehicle survives, it loses half its Structural Integrity, and must 
  be repaired before it can be used again. At the GM’s discretion, it may be completely wrecked and unusable instead.
  If a Skimmer moving over 10 metres above the ground crashes, the results are far worse. The pilot has time to 
  make a single Very Hard (–30) Operate Test. If successful, the vehicle crash-lands, ploughing a gaping furrow into 
  the ground. The vehicle is destroyed, and anyone inside takes 2d10 I Damage ignoring Armour, and is Stunned for a 
  number of Rounds equal to the Damage sustained. If the operator fails the Test, the vehicle ploughs into the ground and 
  explodes, as per the 10+ result on the Hull Critical Hit Chart. Individuals may bail out at the last second according to 
  the rules, although they will count as falling from whatever altitude the vehicle was at the Turn before it crashed.
  FALLING OVER (WALKERS)
  Whenever a walker Falls Over, either due to circumstance or due to Critical Damage, the driver rolls on the Scatter 
  Diagram to determine which direction it falls (this also determines what Facing it lands on). The walker takes 1d10 
  Damage to that Facing. If the walker falls off of something it takes 1d10 Damage plus however many metres if fell. In 
  both cases this Damage ignores Armour. The crew must take a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be Stunned for 
  one Round. Assuming the walker is capable of moving, it can stand up as a Full Action.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  THE REPAIR TEST
  To repair any of the different damage types a vehicle can 
  sustain (see Damage Conditions later in this section) the 
  players must take a Repair Test. A Repair Test is a standard 
  Skill Test (see Chapter I: Playing the Game page 30) 
  with the exception that players attempting a Repair Test 
  can use a number of different Skills for the Test rather than 
  one speciﬁc Skill (such as Tech-Use). The Repair Test is 
  conducted in this manner to give most players the chance 
  to repair minor damage, yet at the same time more crippling 
  damage requires signiﬁcant technical skill (such as Forbidden 
  Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus) and Tech-Use).
  Any character attempting a Repair Tests must have at least 
  one of the following Skills:
  •	 Common Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus)
  •	 Common Lore (Tech)
  •	 Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus)
  Collectively these three Skills are referred to as Essential 
  Repair Skills, and they are the bare minimum required for 
  even the most simple Repair Test. A character need not 
  possess all three Skills in order to attempt a Repair Test, but 
  they must have at least one. Due to their complexity a number 
  of Repair Tests will require additional Skills before they can 
  be attempted and any additional Skill prerequisites will be 
  listed in each individual Damage Condition.
  A successful Repair Test reverses the Damage Condition 
  or repairs the Structural Integrity or Critical Damage the 
  character attempted to negate.
  Damage & 
  Repair
  “Everything is ﬁne, nothing is broken!”
  –Tech-Adept Arturo Dey’towa
  J
  ust as injuries take time to heal, vehicles take time to repair. 
  A thrown track link or broken ammo feed might take no 
  more than a few hours to replace, whereas a crippled turret 
  or burnt-out interior might see the vehicle languishing in a 
  repair bay for weeks. As players care for their own characters, 
  so too will they need to keep track of how damaged their 
  vehicles are in order to keep them in peak working condition. 
  REPAIRING VEHICLES
  Unlike living beings vehicles do not heal naturally over time 
  and must be repaired by the players manually. Some repairs 
  are easier than others, some repairs require more time, and 
  sometimes battleﬁeld conditions might make repairs next 
  to impossible. The rules below cover the types of damage a 
  vehicle can suffer from, what Skills are required to repair a 
  vehicle, how difﬁcult the repairs are and  how long repairing 
  a vehicle takes.
  Table 8-30: Repair Location & Conditions
  Repair Test 
  Difﬁculty
  Example
  Easy +30
  Pristine Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World.
  Well-stocked fortress or voidship repair facility.
  Routine +20
  Field base or encampment with ample supplies.
  Hive World with signiﬁcant manufacturing capabilities.
  Ordinary +10
  Well behind the front lines and free from artillery/air strike concerns.
  Field base or encampment with basic repair supplies.
  Hive World with standard manufacturing capabilities.
  Challenging +0 Required (but not excessive) tools and supplies.
  Calm conditions away from the enemy or adverse weather.
  Difﬁcult –10
  Rudimentary or faulty repair equipment/tools.
  Close to the front lines/constant danger of incoming enemy ﬁre.
  Abandoned or run-down Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World.
  In the open without access to a proper repair facility or a ﬁeld base.
  Disruptive inclement weather.
  Hard –20
  Ruined Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World.
  Monsoonal storms, blizzards or sandstorms.
  Pervasive and endless insect swarms.
  Under artillery or air bombardment.
  Local area contains primitive cultures incapable of supplying the required materiels for repairs.
  Very Hard –30
  A featureless sun-scorched desert/endless ice sheet.
  Dense (and possibly carnivorous) jungle.
  Poorly supplied ﬁeld base or encampment.
  In the thick of an ongoing battle.
  Under orbital bombardment.
  Behind enemy lines.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  Repair Success & Failure Time Modiﬁers lists the basic 
  ways additional Degrees of Success and Degrees of Failure 
  can decrease or extend the Repair Time for any Repair Test.
  Rush Jobs
  The players can elect to speed up their Repair Time by 
  declaring that their repair will be a Rush Job. A Rush Job 
  halves the time required to make the repair (e.g. a repair that 
  would normally take 12 hours will take 6 hours), but the 
  Repair Test suffers a –30 penalty.
  Careful Repairs
  The players can elect to spend more time competing their repairs 
  than is normally required by declaring that they are making 
  Careful Repairs. Careful Repairs increase the required Repair 
  Time by 50% (e.g. a repair that would normally take 12 hours 
  will take 18 hours), but the Repair Test gains a +30 bonus.
  Very Long Repair Times
  There can be times when the players need to complete extremely 
  complex or time consuming repairs, tasks that could have their 
  characters spending months (in Narrative Time) conducting 
  a series of repairs. In these situations the GM and the players 
  can work out how many Repair Tests they would need to make 
  over this time, or simplify the various required Repair Tests into 
  a series or Repair Tests or even a single Repair Test taken at 
  the very end of the Repair Time. For extended Repair Times 
  the GM will need to determine the beneﬁts and penalties for 
  additional Degrees of Success and Degrees of Failure, perhaps 
  by extrapolating the table above and the time scales used there.
  DAMAGE CONDITIONS
  Burnt panels and dents in the bodywork are relatively 
  minor issues that can be ﬁxed in very little time. More 
  substantial damage though can have some very speciﬁc 
  effects upon a vehicle, and these are referred to as Damage 
  Conditions. In all instances the proper equipment and 
  replacement parts are required for these types of repairs. 
  The players cannot ﬁx missing armour or a destroyed 
  weapon if they do not possess replacements. The GM has 
  ﬁnal say on whom may attempt the repairs, if the players 
  are in a position to make the repair and whether or not the 
  repair is possible in the ﬁrst place.
  Some Repair Tests will have Skills prerequisites, but 
  the character need not take the Repair Test using that 
  particular Skill. For example, repairing a Critically Damaged 
  vehicle requires the character to possess Tech-Use or Trade 
  (Armourer) as a Trained Skill, but if the character had 
  Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus) +20 and that Skill 
  would provide a better chance of succeeding the Repair Test, 
  then the character can make the Repair Test using that Skill. 
  This represents the character putting their best foot forward 
  and using their accumulated knowledge in making the most 
  efﬁcient choices during the repairs.
  REPAIR DIFFICULTY
  The Difﬁculty of a Repair Test depends on the complexity of the 
  repair and what the local conditions are, such as access to repair 
  facilities, environmental problems like storms or blizzards, and so 
  on. It is also possible to decrease the Difﬁculty of a Repair Test 
  by having more advanced Skills than the minimum requirements. 
  Each Damage Condition has its own associated base Difﬁculty 
  Rating, but in addition to this Table 8-30: Repair Location 
  & Conditions contains a set of general modiﬁers that can both 
  help and hinder Repair Tests.
  REPAIR TIME
  Another important element to a Repair Test is how long it 
  takes for the players to repair the damage. Repairing a thrown 
  track link, banging the dents out of armour plating or ﬁxing 
  a weapon that has been locked in position usually takes a 
  lot less time than replacing a weapon’s targeting system or 
  installing a new grav-engine. Each Damage Condition has 
  an associated Repair Time rated in hours, days, weeks or 
  even months, and players will need to determine whether 
  they have enough time to make the required repairs before 
  attempting the Repair Test.
  Gaining additional Degrees of Success on the Repair Test 
  can reduces the Repair Time, but additional Degrees of Failure 
  can add to the Repair Time. It is possible for multiple Degrees 
  of Failure to result in failed Repair Test, which might mean 
  that the Repair Test must be reattempted (and the time 
  already used is wasted) or, in some cases, further damage 
  can be caused to the component the character had 
  attempted to repair. Each Damage Condition will 
  list any speciﬁc additional rules, but Table 8-31: 
  Table 8-31: Repair Success & Failure Time Modiﬁers
  Repair Time Required
  Degrees of Success
  (each additional)
  Degrees of Failure
  (each additional)
  Up to 4 hours.
  –10 minutes.
  +10 minutes.
  Over 4 hours and up to 8 hours.
  –20 minutes.
  +20 minutes.
  Over 8 hours and up to 16 hours.
  –30 minutes.
  +30 minutes.
  Over 16 hours and up to 48 hours.
  –1 hour.
  +1 hour.
  Over 2 days and up to 7 days.
  –4 hours.
  +4 hours.
  Over 1 week and up to 2 weeks.
  –12 hours.
  +12 hours.
  Over 2 weeks and up to 4 weeks.
  –1 day.
  +1 day.
  Over four weeks and up to 2 months.
  –4 days.
  +4 days.
  Over 2 months and up to 4 months.
  –12 days.
  +12 days.
  
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  VIII: Combat
  Heavily Damaged
  Skill Requirements: Essential Repair Skill.
  Repair Difﬁculty: Arduous (–40). Hard (–20) if the character 
  has Trade (Technomat). Challenging (+0) if the character has 
  Tech-Use or Trade (Armourer).
  Repair Time: Varies/4 hour per point of Structural 
  Integrity repaired.
  Heavily Damaged vehicles take a substantial amount of 
  time and effort to repair, and only those who know the ways 
  of the Adeptus Mechanicus are qualiﬁed to restore these 
  vehicles to their former glory. Heavily Damaged vehicles 
  become greater liabilities the longer they go without repairs. 
  If a vehicle has suffered more Damage than half its total 
  Structural Integrity (rounding up), but has not yet suffered 
  any Critical Damage (other than those caused by Righteous 
  Fury), it is said to be Heavily Damaged. Heavily Damaged 
  vehicles suffer a –10 penalty to all Operate Tests in addition 
  to any other penalties or bonuses it may already have. 
  Repairing all the Structural Integrity on a Heavily 
  Damaged vehicle requires one Repair Test for every 5 points 
  of Structural Integrity Damage (or part thereof ). Once a 
  Heavily Damaged vehicle’s Structural Integrity is repaired 
  to half its starting value the vehicle is then considered 
  Lightly Damaged.
  Critically Damaged
  Skill Requirements: Tech-Use or Trade (Armourer).
  Repair Difﬁculty: Challenging (+0). Ordinary (+10) if the 
  character has both Tech-Use and Trade (Armourer).
  Repair Time: Varies/1 day per point of Critical Damage repaired.
  Critically Damaged vehicles take an exceptionally long 
  time to repair, and only rare individuals steeped in the 
  forbidden knowledge of the Omnissiah are truly capable of 
  soothing the machine’s wounded spirit and coaxing life into 
  it once again. If a vehicle has suffered any Critical Damage 
  (not including Critical Damage caused by Righteous Fury) it 
  is said to be Critically Damaged. It is rare for a commander 
  to send a vehicle so heavily damaged into combat, but if a 
  Critically Damaged vehicle is ever forced to ﬁght it suffers 
  a –20 penalty to all Operate Tests in addition to any other 
  penalties or bonuses it may already have. 
  Critical Damage must be repaired before any repairs can 
  be made to Structural Integrity and each point of Critical 
  Damage on a Critically Damaged vehicle must be repaired 
  individually. Once a Critically Damaged vehicle’s has had 
  every point of Critical Damage repaired the vehicle is then 
  said to be Heavily Damaged.
  Repairing Critical Damage does not reverse any lingering 
  Damage Conditions, such as destroyed weapons or vehicle 
  immobilisation.
  This section contains both the rules for what happens to 
  a vehicle as it suffers various lingering Damage Conditions 
  as well as how to repair them. Each section contains the 
  Skill Requirements (i.e. over and above the Essential Repair 
  Skills) plus the Difﬁculty of the Repair Test and the Repair 
  Time (both of which can vary depending on what Skills the 
  character attempting the Repair Test possesses). If there are 
  any additional bonuses or penalties for additional Degrees 
  of Success or Degrees of Failure on the Repair Test they are 
  included here as well.
  Lightly Damaged:
  Skill Requirements: Essential Repair Skill.
  Repair Difﬁculty: Challenging (+0). Ordinary (+10) if the 
  character has Tech-Use, Trade (Armourer) or Trade (Technomat).
  Repair Time: Varies/1 hour per point of Structural 
  Integrity repaired.
  Lightly Damaged vehicles are easier to repair, and can 
  generally be repaired by vehicle crews and operators with 
  a basic working knowledge of technology. If a vehicle has 
  suffered Damage up to half its total Structural Integrity 
  (rounding up), it is said to be Lightly Damaged. A Lightly 
  Damaged vehicle can ﬁght without any penalties. 
  Repairing all the Structural Integrity on a Lightly Damaged 
  vehicle requires only a single Repair Test and not one Test per 
  point of Structural Integrity.
  
  284
  VIII: Combat
  Motive Systems Impaired
  Skill Requirements: Essential Repair Skill.
  Repair Difﬁculty: Challenging (+0). Ordinary (+10) if the 
  character has Tech-Use, Trade (Armourer) or Trade (Technomat).
  Repair Time: 4 hours (this time can be extended or decreased 
  due to speciﬁc Vehicle Traits, see page 212) 
  A vehicle that suffers a Motive Systems Impaired result on 
  the Critical Hit Charts reduces its Tactical Speed by 1d10 
  and the driver must pass a Challenging (+0) Operate Test 
  at the start of their Round if they want to take more than a 
  single turn during when moving their vehicle. If the Repair 
  Test fails by three or more Degrees then something has gone 
  wrong during the repairs and the vehicle is now treated as 
  having suffered a Motive Systems Crippled Result.
  Fire Damaged
  Skill Requirements: Essential Repair Skill.
  Repair Difﬁculty: Routine (+20)
  Repair Time: Varies/1 hour for every 6 Rounds/30 seconds 
  (or part thereof ) the vehicle spent alight or had a crewmember 
  or passenger within it who was on ﬁre.
  Fires are understandably just as dangerous for vehicles as 
  they are people. Exposed wires and cabling can melt, fuel 
  systems can explode, and even something simple like seat or 
  a control panel can be destroyed by ﬁre, making operating 
  the vehicle difﬁcult if not impossible. Vehicles that have spent 
  any amount of time on ﬁre due to Critical Damage or have 
  contained crew or passengers that have been set on ﬁre, are 
  said to be Fire Damaged. All Tests taken to Operate a Fire 
  Damaged vehicle suffer a –10 penalty. See the On Fire 
  sidebar for details on what happens to a vehicle that has 
  been set on ﬁre.
  ON FIRE!
  A vehicle catching ﬁre is very bad for everyone involved. Unlike living creatures that tend to run around screaming 
  before falling over dead, vehicles have a nasty habit of exploding if they remain alight for too long, as fuel tanks, reactor 
  cores and ammunition bays detonate. When this happens there is often little left of the vehicle (or the crew) to salvage.
  VEHICLES ON FIRE
  Each second a vehicle remains on ﬁre is another moment in time where something unstable could ignite and explode. If a 
  vehicle ever catches ﬁre the GM should roll a single d10 for it at the end of each Round and consult the following chart:
  TABLE 8-32: VEHICLE FIRE
  D10 Result
  Effect
  1-9
  Roll again at the end of next Round.
  10
  Something explosive catches ﬁre and the vehicle suffers 8 Critical Damage (ignoring Armour).
  The chance of exploding increases every Round. For every Round after the ﬁrst that a vehicle remains on ﬁre, the 
  GM should add +1 to the roll (eg. at the end of the fourth Round that a vehicle has been on ﬁre, the GM would add 
  +3 to the Roll).
  CREW INSIDE A FLAMING VEHICLE
  If being near a vehicle that is on ﬁre is bad, then being inside a ﬂaming vehicle is much worse. Vehicle crews and 
  passengers have limited time to extinguish ﬂames before vital (and explosive) equipment is destroyed. At the start of 
  any crewmember or passenger’s Turn they can attempt to put out the ﬁre by using internal ﬁre suppressant systems, ﬁre 
  extinguishers or whatever they happen to have on hand. This is done as a Full Action via a Hard (–20) Agility Test. 
  If the Test is successful the ﬂames are put out and the crew can breathe a sigh of relief (although the vehicle can still be 
  set on ﬁre again). If the Test is failed the vehicle remains on ﬁre, and will remain on ﬁre until the ﬁre is put out or the 
  vehicle explodes. 
  The GM can increase or decrease the Difﬁculty of this Test due to special conditions (putting a ﬁre out in the pouring 
  rain is easier than putting a ﬁre out in the middle of the scorching desert). Crew inside a ﬂaming vehicle suffer a –20 
  penalty to any and all Tests they have to make (the –20 is included in the Agility Test above, not in addition to it).
  If the ﬁre is successfully put out the crew and the passengers may act normally from that point on without suffering 
  the –20 penalty. The vehicle itself gains the Fire Damaged Damage Condition (see page 284).
  FLAMING CREW INSIDE VEHICLE
  As noted in a number of results on the Vehicle Critical Hit Charts, it is possible for crewmembers and passengers to also be 
  set alight even when the vehicle itself is not on ﬁre. When a crewmember or passenger is set alight they follow the standard 
  rules for being set on ﬁre (see page 266). At the end of each Round where a vehicle has one or more ﬂaming crewmembers 
  or passengers inside it the GM should roll 1d10. On a 10 the vehicle also catches ﬁre. On any other result the vehicle does 
  not catch ﬁre. The GM should roll for each crewmember or passenger on ﬁre, not just once for all of them.
  
  285
  VIII: Combat
  targeting system results in the machine spirit rejecting its new 
  home and the Repair Test must be reattempted. Additionally, 
  the character that attempted the repair must spend one day 
  in silent meditation and reﬂection on the Great Works of the 
  Omnissiah for every Degree of Failure on the Repair Test. 
  They can reattempt the Repair Test once they have ﬁnished 
  contemplating how they might have offended the machine 
  spirit they were attempting to install. 
  Vehicle Destroyed
  Skill Requirements: N/A
  Repair Difﬁculty: N/A
  Repair Time: N/A
  A number of results on the Vehicle Critical Damage Charts 
  indicate that a vehicle has been destroyed without having 
  exploded from within. This condition cannot be repaired, but 
  items from within the vehicle can still be salvaged. In the case 
  of personal items and items that are not part of the vehicle, 
  these can be taken by players as they see ﬁt (this includes 
  any unused ammunition for any of the vehicle’s weapons). 
  Weapon mounted on the vehicle that have not been destroyed 
  can be removed and this requires the characters to make a 
  Repair Test as if they were attempting to repair a Weapon 
  Destroyed result (see above). The difference is that rather 
  than replacing the weapon on a successful Repair Test, they 
  instead successfully remove the weapon from the destroyed 
  vehicle and may do whatever they wish with it. Players 
  should always take into account the weapon’s weight and 
  Motive Systems Crippled
  Skill Requirements: Trade (Technomat).
  Repair Difﬁculty: Very Hard (–30). Hard (–20) if the 
  character has Tech-Use or Trade (Armourer).
  Repair Time: 16 hours (this time can be extended or 
  decreased due to speciﬁc Vehicle Traits, see page 212).
  A vehicle that suffers a Motive Systems Crippled result on 
  the Critical Hit Charts reduces its Tactical Speed by 2d10 and 
  its Cruising Speed by half. If the Repair Test fails by three or 
  more Degrees then something has gone wrong during the 
  repairs and the vehicle is now treated as having suffered a 
  Motive Systems Destroyed Result.
  Motive Systems Destroyed
  Skill Requirements: Tech-Use or Trade (Armourer).
  Repair Difﬁculty: Arduous (–40). Hard (–20) if the character 
  has both Tech-Use and Trade (Armourer).
  Repair Time: 2 days (this time can be extended or decreased 
  due to speciﬁc Vehicle Traits, see page 212).
  A vehicle that suffers a Motive Systems Destroyed result 
  on the Critical Hit Charts cannot move under its own 
  power. If the Repair Test fails by three or more Degrees then 
  something has gone wrong during the repairs and they must 
  be reattempted from scratch, and the time used to repair the 
  vehicle’s motive systems, including any additional time due to 
  the Degrees of Failure, is wasted.
  Reduced Armour
  Skill Requirements: Essential Repair Skill.
  Repair Difﬁculty: Hard (–20). Challenging (+0) if he 
  character has Trade (Armourer).
  Repair Time: Varies/4 hours for every 5 points (or part 
  thereof ) of AP repaired.
  Whenever a vehicle suffers a reduction in Armour due 
  to Critical Damage this can be repaired by dividing the 
  missing armour up into groups of 5 AP and taking a Repair 
  Test for each individual grouping. If the Repair Test fails by 
  three or more Degrees then the armour has been installed 
  incorrectly and the Repair Test for that speciﬁc grouping of 
  AP must be reattempted.
  Targeting Systems Destroyed
  Skill Requirements: Tech-Use or Trade (Armourer) and 
  either Common Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus) or Forbidden 
  Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus).
  Repair Difﬁculty: Very Hard (–30).
  Repair Time: 1 week (2 weeks if the vehicle has the Super 
  Heavy Vehicle Trait).
  Whenever a weapon suffers a Targeting System Destroyed 
  result on the Critical Hit Charts it suffers a –20 penalty to all 
  shots taken with that weapon (or location, such as a turret, 
  if it is the location’s targeting systems that are destroyed). 
  Repairing a weapon’s targeting system is often a complex and 
  time consuming process involving the installation of targeting 
  cogitators and the appeasement of hallowed machine spirits, 
  and thus only those well versed in the laws and rituals of the 
  Machine God possess the required knowledge to undertake 
  such a difﬁcult task. Failing the Repair Test to restore a vehicle’s 
  
  286
  VIII: Combat
  Weapon Disabled
  Skill Requirements: Essential Repair Skill.
  Repair Difﬁculty: Ordinary (+10) for Sponson/Pintle 
  mounted weapons. Hard (–20) for Fixed/Hull/Turret 
  mounted weapons. A +10 bonus if the character has Tech-
  Use or Trade (Armourer). The Repair Difﬁculty for Co-Axial 
  Weapons depends on what the weapon is linked to (e.g. a 
  Co-Axial weapon linked to a Turret-Mounted weapon will be 
  Hard (–20) to repair).
  Repair Time: 4 hours for Sponson/Pintle mounted weapons. 
  8 hours for Fixed/Hull/Turret mounted weapons. The Repair 
  Time for Co-Axial Weapons depends on what the weapon is 
  linked to (e.g. a Co-Axial weapon linked to a Turret-Mounted 
  weapon will take 8 hours to repair).
  A weapon that suffers a Weapon Disabled result on the 
  Critical Hit Charts cannot make Ranged Attacks (or in rare 
  cases, Melee Attacks) until it has been repaired via a Repair 
  Test. If the Repair Test is failed by two or more Degrees 
  something has gone wrong and the weapon is now too 
  badly damaged to repair and must be replaced (see Weapon 
  Destroyed above).
  size before they attempt to salvage it as some weapons, such 
  as a Basilisk’s earthshaker cannon, could be very hard to 
  move once removed. In all instances, the GM has ﬁnal say on 
  what can be salvaged and what, if any, special equipment the 
  players require before they can salvage any extraordinarily 
  heavy or cumbersome weapons.
  Weapon/Turret Locked
  Skill Requirements: Trade (Technomat).
  Repair Difﬁculty: Challenging (+0) for non-Turret-Mounted 
  weapons. Hard (–20) for Turret-Mounted weapons. A +10 
  bonus if the character has Tech-Use or Trade (Armourer)
  Repair Time: 16 hours for non-Turret-Mounted weapons. 
  48 hours for Turret-Mounted weapons.
  Sometimes a weapon’s mounting can be damaged even if 
  the weapon itself remains untouched. Weapons that suffer 
  a Weapon/Turret Locked result can make Ranged Attacks, 
  but lose their Fire Arcs and are treated as Fixed Weapons 
  until the this Damage Condition has been repaired. If 
  the Repair Test fails by three or more Degrees then the 
  weapon’s mounting has been repaired incorrectly and the 
  Repair Test must be reattempted.
  Weapon Destroyed
  Skill Requirements: Essential Repair Skill.
  Repair Difﬁculty: Challenging (+0) for Sponson/Pintle 
  mounted weapons. Hard (–20) for Fixed/Hull/Turret 
  mounted weapons. A +10 bonus if the character has Tech-
  Use or Trade (Armourer). The Repair Difﬁculty for Co-Axial 
  Weapons depends on what the weapon is linked to (e.g. a 
  Co-Axial weapon linked to a Turret-Mounted weapon will be 
  Hard (–20) to replace).
  Repair Time: 8 hours for Sponson/Pintle mounted 
  weapons. 16 hours for Fixed/Hull/Turret mounted weapons. 
  The Repair Time for Co-Axial Weapons depends on what 
  the weapon is linked to (e.g. a Co-Axial weapon linked to a 
  Turret-Mounted weapon will take 16 hours to replace).
  Weapons that have suffered a Weapon Destroyed result 
  cannot be repaired and must instead be replaced. The players 
  must ﬁrst obtain a new weapon to replace the destroyed one 
  (see Logistics on page 161). Once a replacement weapon 
  has been acquired the Repair Test is taken in order to install 
  the new weapon. If the Repair Test is failed by two or more 
  Degrees the weapon has been installed incorrectly and must 
  be reattempted.
  CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
  Each race builds their weapons of war from a 
  different technology base, and there are many vehicle 
  types that have extremely simple or highly complex 
  construction techniques. Primitive wagons, civilian 
  ground craft right and most Ork vehicles are often 
  quite straightforward when compared to the ﬁghting 
  vehicles of the Imperial Guard. Vehicles of these types 
  often have crude iron sights rather than machine spirit-
  driven targeting systems, axels and track-links with 
  additional redundancy and armour plating that amounts 
  more to whatever the builder had on hand at the time 
  of construction rather than specially cast interlocking 
  plates of ceramite. Additionally, there are some vehicle 
  types, especially the heretical xeno-tech of the Eldar, 
  that are so advanced that they make even the most 
  sophisticated Imperial Guard vehicle look a child’s 
  wind-up toy. In these cases the GM should modify the 
  Skill Requirements, Repair Difﬁculty and Repair Times 
  to better reﬂect the alternative construction techniques 
  that go into these types of vehicles.
  
  ROLE OF THE GM
  •
  REWARDS
  •
  MISSIONS AND 
  CAMPAIGNS
  •
  INTERACTION
  •
  FEAR AND 
  DAMNATION
  •
  CONVERSION RULES
  
  288
  288
  IX: The Game Master
  to both support and oppose them. The Game Master is 
  responsible for conveying the tone of the game, bringing 
  the setting to life, and weaving the adventures and plots the 
  Player Characters ﬁnd themselves embroiled in.
  THE ROLE OF THE GM
  In ONLY WAR, as in many roleplaying games, one of the 
  players takes on the role of Game Master (GM). The GM’s 
  role is a vital one, as he is charged with creating, maintaining, 
  and describing the world in which the Player Characters 
  (PCs) live. It is the role of the GM to set the scene, guide the 
  plot, and decide the outcome of the characters’ actions. In 
  many ways, the GM is like the director of a ﬁlm, describing 
  the scene and telling the players (who are like the lead 
  actors) where they are and what they are doing. Unlike a 
  ﬁlm, however, a roleplaying game is a collaborative effort 
  between players and Game Master, and while the GM may 
  set the scene, it then falls to the players to decide the actions 
  of their characters. 
  This is where the other key role of the GM comes into play. 
  In addition to being the director and storyteller of the game, he 
  is also its referee. As a game, ONLY WAR uses rules to adjudicate 
  the actions of the characters and determine their success in 
  many of their endeavours. The GM helps to decide when and 
  where these rules are used, and also how they are interpreted, 
  making sure that the game runs as smoothly as possible. It is 
  the Game Master’s job to be fair and impartial, like any referee, 
  and to ensure that everyone is having a good time.
  Chapter IX: 
  The Game 
  Master
  “The thing I love most about them is that you can kill as many as 
  you like. They just keep sending more!”
  –K’retth Surath, Chosen of Slaanesh
  I
  n ONLY WAR, players assume the role of the Imperium’s 
  front-line soldiery, the ﬁghting men and women of the 
  Imperial Guard. They are the ﬁrst, and sometimes only, 
  line of defence against the hordes of enemies arrayed against 
  Mankind, and unlike the Imperium’s other heroes, they 
  are armed not with secret knowledge, vast starships, or 
  superhuman vigour, but with grit, determination, a lasgun, 
  and faith in the Emperor. They will struggle across the stars 
  as a vital part of a military force gigantic beyond reckoning, 
  against armies of uncountable foes that seek to destroy 
  everything they hold dear.
  Bringing these titanic battles to life is the Game 
  Master, who sets the stage and guides the players 
  through their missions, creating adventures and plot 
  points and spawning a whole host of characters 
  
  289
  289
  IX: The Game Master
  the men and women of the Imperial Guard, and they will 
  give their last breath for the God-Emperor and the Imperium. 
  As stated earlier, the GM controls the group’s enemies and 
  allies, and keeps track of all the little details that immerse the 
  players in the story. While roleplaying is largely a collaborative 
  process, the GM is under no obligation to tell players everything 
  that happens. Rather, he simply sets the scene and responds to 
  the players’ actions. This means that the GM isn’t required to 
  know every detail of the scenario, but he should know at least 
  where it starts and where it’s headed. 
  A more detailed plot tends to make the GM’s life easier. If 
  he has done all of his work on the front-end, creating NPCs, 
  detailing locations, preparing various in-game rewards for 
  the players, and plotting out a few contingency scenarios, he 
  won’t need to create things from whole cloth in the middle of 
  a game session, therefore keeping the game running smoothly 
  and at a good pace. Whether a scenario is complex or basic, 
  however, preparation done by a Game Master rarely goes to 
  waste. Game Masters can also use pre-designed and published 
  adventures, such as the one featured in Chapter XII of this 
  book. The advantage of these pre-generated adventures is 
  that the GM’s work is largely done already.
  Be Flexible: It’s a well-known fact that every plan is a 
  good one up until ﬁrst contact, and this certainly applies to 
  roleplaying games. No matter how much time and effort a 
  Game Master puts into his game, players will largely do as 
  they please. This usually means chasing off after red herrings 
  and spurious leads, killing important NPCs at inopportune 
  times, ignoring the plot altogether, and generally running 
  roughshod over the GM’s careful work. While it is certainly 
  their right to do so, and always enjoyable to test the limits of 
  the Game Master’s story, it can be quite difﬁcult to handle for 
  inexperienced or inﬂexible GMs. To deal with the vagaries 
  of strong-willed players, Game Masters should always be 
  ﬂexible when it comes to their stories, ready to alter or even 
  scrap a story or plot point if the players prove uninterested.
  Be Prepared: It often falls to the Game Master to make 
  sure that the group has access to the various materials (in 
  addition to this book) needed for an evening of gaming. This 
  usually means having on hand a supply of dice, pencils, spare 
  paper, and perhaps some miniatures for helping work out 
  locations during combat. Some GMs also like to keep each 
  player’s character sheet between sessions, lest they go astray. 
  Because the GM sets the scene and describes the action, 
  he also creates the story or plot that the players follow. In 
  roleplaying games these plots are commonly known as 
  adventures or scenarios. Everything the players know or want 
  to know about their world is described by the GM, and he 
  also takes the part of the other inhabitants of the universe, 
  from the lowliest agri-world peasant to the most powerful 
  Lord Commander, deciding how they react to the characters 
  and the actions they take within the adventure.
  While at ﬁrst glance, the GM has a lot more work than the 
  players, his job can also be one of the most rewarding, as he 
  gets the satisfaction of bringing enjoyment to the players and 
  seeing his stories come to life.
  THE BASICS
  As it is the Game Master’s responsibility to shape and guide 
  the story for the enjoyment of the players, he needs to be 
  more prepared than the rest of the group. Before the GM 
  takes on the responsibility of running a game, there are a few 
  key things he should consider.
  Know the Rules: The GM must know at least as much 
  about the rules as the players, if not more. This means that 
  the GM should read as much of this book as possible before 
  running his ﬁrst game. Chapter I: Playing the Game is 
  particularly relevant as it contains the core mechanics of 
  the game, which are fundamental to its workings. Knowing 
  the rules is also important to the GM in his role as ﬁnal 
  arbiter in all rules and mechanics questions. While a 
  starting GM need not concern himself with complete 
  mastery of the rules (this book is always here as a reference, 
  after all), familiarity with the rules allows the GM to speak 
  with authority on the subject and can reduce out-of-game 
  discussions of rules minutiae.
  Know the Plot: In an ONLY WAR game, the players and 
  their characters are a stoic line of defence against the darkness 
  that threatens the Imperium of Man. They are the focus of 
  tales of heroism and sacriﬁce, using the full might of the 
  Imperium to keep its subjects safe for another day. They are 
  CHOOSING THE GM
  When organising a game of ONLY WAR, one player 
  must take on the role of the Game Master. While this 
  person can be nominated by his peers, it is better if the 
  Game Master takes on this job of his own volition. A 
  game run by a volunteer Game Master is usually better 
  as the GM is more enthusiastic about the job at hand. 
  Typically, the Game Master is chosen well beforehand, 
  as it is usually the Game Master who ﬁrst owns the Core 
  Rulebook and who organises the game in the ﬁrst place, 
  creating a story and drawing together his players. It is 
  also common that over time, other players may want to 
  try their hand at GMing, sharing the work and creating 
  adventures that are all their own. This allows players 
  more creative control over a game, and can be very 
  rewarding as GM tag-team adventures can lead to plots 
  and campaigns with more depth and detail.
  RULE ZERO
  One of the most important rules for the GM is Rule Zero. 
  Simply put, Rule Zero says that the GM is expected 
  to exercise common sense and good judgement in his 
  game. He is allowed to supersede the game rules in the 
  interest of ensuring that the game runs smoothly, the 
  stories are interesting, and everyone has a good time.
  The GM should also remember that excessive or 
  arbitrary use of Rule Zero usually results in an empty 
  gaming table. Simply put, don’t abuse it!
  
  290
  IX: The Game Master
  THEMES IN ONLY WAR
  To better evoke what it feels like to be a member of the 
  Imperial Guard, the GM should keep the following themes 
  in mind.
  BROTHERHOOD
  In ONLY WAR, the Player Characters must learn to act as a 
  team if they are to have any hope of survival. They must learn 
  to shore up each other’s weaknesses and play to each other’s 
  strengths. They have to interact with and rely on their Squad 
  as a whole in order to be successful in combat, and must work 
  together to come up with creative and solid battle plans just to 
  see another day. A character group without a sense of teamwork 
  and camaraderie, that doesn’t have a good command of the 
  battleﬁeld and a sense of tactical acumen, will be made short 
  work of by the enemy. Through such trials these soldiers will 
  grow to trust each other. The camaraderie of these men, those 
  whose bonds have been tested in the heat of battle, is one of 
  the primary themes of a game of ONLY WAR.
  HEROISM
  The Guardsmen of ONLY WAR do not have any of the 
  protections afforded many of the other characters in the 
  Warhammer 40,000 universe. They have no Inquisitorial 
  authority; no genetically-enhanced battle prowess or ancient, 
  nigh-impenetrable suits of mechanized armour; no colossal 
  starships or fantastic wealth to get them out of a difﬁcult 
  situation. They have a suit of ﬂak armour and a lasgun, and 
  they are told it is their duty to take a hill from the enemy or 
  die trying. They may ﬂee, they may go insane, or they may 
  die, but they will try. They are simply men and women, asked 
  to do the impossible, because they value the lives of others 
  over their own. The men of the Imperial Guard are heroes in 
  the grandest sense of the word.
  SACRIFICE
  The soldiers of the Imperial Guard are asked to do one thing 
  above all others, and that is sacriﬁce. It is the lot in life of an 
  Imperial Guardsmen to die, but it is his duty to make sure his 
  life is bought at great expense to the enemy. On the eve of 
  every great battle, a Guardsman looks around his encampment 
  and knows that some of his close friends are guaranteed to 
  die. When a character becomes a commander, he will have 
  to send good soldiers to their deaths, balancing the needs of 
  the mission and the greater good of the Imperium against the 
  grim certainty of casualties. Being an Imperial Guardsmen is 
  difﬁcult. Great things are asked of a Guardsman on a constant 
  basis. Sometimes it is a command decision made in the heat 
  of battle, with hundreds or thousands of lives hanging in the 
  balance. Other times it may be the conﬂict between pressing 
  forward with their duty and just trying to survive another 
  day. The players themselves will likely watch some of their 
  favourite characters die in this way, as ONLY WAR has the one 
  of the highest Player Character attrition rates of any of the 
  games in the WARHAMMER 40,000 ROLEPLAY line.
  Running an 
  Only War 
  Game
  O
  NLY WAR is a game of heroism, sacriﬁce, survival, 
  and glory. It takes place in the dark future of the 
  Warhammer 40,000 universe, a harsh place where 
  the millions of planets and trillions of citizens of the 
  Imperium toil in obscurity. The galaxy is unimaginably vast, 
  and each system is but a beacon in the dark void, beset on all 
  sides by horrendous, nightmarish forces. Many times, all that 
  stands between these planets and their ultimate destruction 
  are the men and women of the Imperial Guard.
  As soldiers of the Imperial Guard, the players are charged 
  with some of the most dangerous and glorious work in the 
  Imperium: the defending, conquering, or retaking of entire 
  planets from the forces arrayed against Mankind. It is the 
  task of the Game Master to bring this universe to life for 
  his players, to offer them the chance to make a name for 
  themselves in battle and win glory for their regiment and for 
  the Emperor. Part of achieving this, and adding the spark of 
  life to a game of ONLY WAR, is understanding the themes and 
  details that make this setting unique.
  GAME MASTERING IMPERIAL 
  GUARD SQUADS
  The story of ONLY WAR is bigger than any one soldier. 
  It is the story of men and women of the Imperial Guard 
  ﬁghting alongside one another, living and dying in 
  its defence and the defence of one another. It is vital 
  that the GM encourages the characters to form a bond 
  with the men and women they serve alongside. As 
  withering enemy ﬁre pours down upon their Squad, 
  the players should recognize that they stand shoulder 
  to shoulder with loyal comrades-in-arms, those with 
  whom they share a bond of brotherhood. The Squad 
  is not just an extension of the players’ character sheets: 
  the characters’ Comrades are a host of supporting 
  characters, each with their own lives, quirks, hopes, 
  and stories. Some of the most important NPCs in an 
  ONLY WAR campaign are the characters’ brothers-in-
  arms, the soldiers they ﬁght alongside in their Squad. 
  Characterizing NPCs within the character’s unit, even 
  those who are likely to die in the coming conﬂict, is 
  vital, for in the universe of Warhammer 40,000 there 
  is no heroism without sacriﬁce.
  Additionally, portraying the traditions, character, 
  and culture of the Squad and regiment is as important 
  as portraying the characters’ Comrades themselves. It 
  may be helpful to think of the regiment as a whole as 
  its own sort of NPC. Portraying its uniqueness is vital 
  to bringing an ONLY WAR campaign to life.
  
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  THE FIELD OF BATTLE
  Much of ONLY WAR centres on endless conﬂict in a galaxy 
  of war. Warfare is the lot of the Imperial Guardsman, and 
  much of any adventure will take place in the pitched conﬂict 
  of raging battles. The battleﬁeld is where the soldiers of the 
  Imperial Guard ﬁnd their true purpose, standing stalwart 
  against the host of enemies arrayed against Mankind. Of 
  course, the types of conﬂicts that a Guardsman will ﬁnd 
  himself in may vary greatly, but one thing is certain, the 
  Guardsmen will be asked to ﬁght.
  THE BURDEN OF COMMAND
  As the characters rise through the ranks, more and more 
  responsibility will be theirs to shoulder. The characters may 
  ﬁnd themselves spending as much of their time politicking 
  as ﬁnding glory on the battleﬁeld. Keeping up the morale 
  of their men, negotiating the support of the Departmento 
  Munitorum, keeping their commanders happy, and dealing 
  with the rivalry of equally ranked ofﬁcers (in their regiment 
  or another) will start to consume more and more of their 
  time. The Imperial Guard can be a labyrinthine, bureaucratic 
  nightmare of policies, procedure, and protocol, and many 
  of its members are more concerned with glory and personal 
  power than they are with the good of the Imperium as a 
  whole. A commander who does not have the support of 
  allies runs the risk of being stranded when he needs help 
  the most.
  SIMPLE SURVIVAL
  Guardsmen must often expend great effort on mere survival. 
  When a campaign is not going well, or when an army’s 
  supply line has been disrupted, making sure that his 
  unit will get its next meal is often a major concern 
  for a commanding ofﬁcer. If the campaign is going 
  STYLES OF PLAY
  The focus, in ONLY WAR, on combat and the battleﬁeld may 
  seem limiting, but one of the great strengths of ONLY WAR is 
  the diversity found within the Imperial Guard. The Imperial 
  Guard draws its soldiers from millions upon millions of worlds, 
  to ﬁght throughout the vast galaxy. The Player Characters may 
  be a regiment from a world with a tradition of military service 
  going back thousands of years, marching in perfect formation, 
  wearing uniforms without a single medal out of place, or they 
  may be a savage bunch of feral worlders, their armour covered 
  in furs and grisly battleﬁeld trophies, with little realization that 
  they have even left their home planet. Their battleﬁelds are as 
  varied as the Warhammer 40,000 universe itself. They might be 
  stationed in the clear air of a pristine agri-world, or they may be 
  foot-slogging on the grim, dust-choked surface of a hive world.
  The scale of an ONLY WAR game, and the types of missions 
  that characters may be sent on, is also very diverse. A group 
  of players may just as easily represent a taciturn, standofﬁsh 
  sniper squad, known for doing the impossible; a heroic, 
  medal-bedecked command unit leading thousands from the 
  front, making tough battleﬁeld decisions with millions of 
  lives hanging in the balance; or a faithful tank unit on a desert 
  planet surviving as best they can while operating far behind 
  enemy lines, cut-off from the main force and barely escaping 
  each encounter with their lives, a prayer to the God-Emperor 
  always on their lips. The focus of an ONLY WAR game may be 
  on combat, interacting with other troops, or simple survival, 
  though often it is a combination of all three.
  DELEGATING TO PLAYERS
  There is little doubt that the lion’s share of the work of 
  running a roleplaying game falls to the Game Master. He 
  does not need to go it alone, however, when it comes to 
  organising the adventure and gathering the ingredients 
  for a successful game. This is where players can help out, 
  doing things like bringing miniatures, dice, pencils and 
  paper, snacks, and handling any of the other little details 
  that make a night of gaming truly enjoyable.
  One of the most important contributions a player 
  can make to a game is in helping the GM add detail 
  and depth to his setting. For example, rather than the 
  GM creating the background for Corporal Eiten, an 
  important part of a PC’s details, the GM can ask the 
  player to write up a brief description of this background. 
  This means that the player is adding to the world, and 
  gives the GM some extra detail that he can work into 
  the story at a later date. By allowing players to create 
  these kinds of background details, they become more 
  invested in the story while making the GM’s job easier 
  and the group’s playing experience richer.
  
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  IX: The Game Master
  expertise). Others refuse to ﬁght to the death, surrendering 
  to the characters’ mercy, or ﬂeeing rather than face certain 
  annihilation. Even foes who are committed to dying, such 
  as fanatical followers of Chaos or alien thralls, may choose 
  carefully when to sell their lives. 
  Don’t steal the limelight from the PCs: While it may be 
  important at times for an NPC to step in and save or help the 
  Player Characters, in general the players should be the ones 
  who determine the success of failure of their own missions. 
  NPCs can play very important roles in the story as supporting 
  characters, or they may occasionally act as saviours when 
  the situation looks hopeless, but having a powerful NPC 
  constantly bailing the PCs out usually leads to trouble. The 
  players may begin to feel that their efforts are meaningless, 
  or they may start to over-rely on such NPCs, calling in the 
  cavalry every time the going gets tough. Players should feel 
  that the achievements of their characters are a result of their 
  own actions and choices. It is important to remember that the 
  Player Characters are the stars of the story, not the NPCs.
  What’s in a name?: Finally having a list of generic names 
  on hand can be a great help. Any gaming world is populated 
  with scores of lesser NPCs that the players may come into 
  contact with, and having a name handy can make all the 
  difference in bringing these supporting characters to life.
  Rewards
  “For those who lived. For those who died.”
  –Inscription on the Shield of Sacrous
  A
  s a Player Character slowly rises from raw recruit 
  to jaded veteran, both his abilities and the esteem 
  in which the Imperial Guard holds him with begin 
  to increase. Rewards are a way for the GM to track this 
  progression, to give the players something tangible for their 
  achievements, and are also something for the players to aspire 
  to with their characters and squad. There are a number of 
  different kinds of rewards that the players may receive 
  through game play, including Experience Points, Fate, and 
  Medals and Honours.
  EXPERIENCE POINTS
  The most common kind of reward is Experience Points (xp). 
  More than anything else, xp measures a character’s personal 
  power. Players use Experience Points to buy new Skills and 
  Talents as well as Advances. The more xp a character possesses, 
  the better he is at dealing with challenges in play, such as 
  overcoming foes in combat, solving problems, or dominating 
  social encounters. Because xp relates directly to a character’s 
  power, how much and how often the GM awards Experience 
  Points to his players determines how quickly their characters 
  rise through the ranks and how able they are to defeat any 
  challenges he should throw at them. 
  There are two main ways for the GM to award experience to 
  his players: the Abstract Method and the Detailed Method.
  well for the Imperium, such things are trivial concerns, but 
  in lean times, scrounging for supplies or making sure that 
  equipment is in good repair with limited resources can be 
  major undertakings of vital importance to the very survival of 
  a squad. Sometimes resource management will be a function 
  of the mission itself, such as when an objective takes the 
  players far behind enemy lines with no hope of support.
  NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
  As part of his role in bringing the setting to life and 
  adjudicating the actions of the players, the GM is also 
  charged with controlling the actions of anyone the PCs come 
  into contact with. These non-player characters (NPCs) form 
  a vital part of any game. NPCs can include close and trusted 
  allies, such as commanding ofﬁcers within their regiment or 
  the PCs’ Comrades in their Squad, as well as obvious and 
  belligerent enemies such as screaming, bloodthirsty Ork 
  hordes or tainted Chaos worshippers. Enemies are fairly 
  straight forward to run, as they are often encountered in 
  combat situations where the combat rules adequately cover 
  their reactions. Details on common enemies and their tactics 
  and capabilities can be found in Chapter XI: Adversaries.
  While the players will typically encounter more than their 
  share of enemies during a game of ONLY WAR, not everyone 
  they meet will be in violent opposition to them. Some will 
  be friends, some simply contacts or allies of convenience, and 
  some will fall into that dangerous grey area between friend 
  and foe. It is in situations like these that the Game Master 
  must think more carefully about how the NPCs will react to 
  the players, and how the PCs’ actions can affect the NPC’s 
  reactions either positively or negatively. For more information 
  on NPC Dispositions and how the characters can inﬂuence 
  the reactions of NPCs, see Interaction on page 303.
  GUIDELINES FOR RUNNING NPCS
  While every NPC will be different and can be played with 
  his own unique style and ﬂavour, there are a few guidelines 
  that the GM should bear in mind. These are intended to 
  help the GM in situations where he is unsure what an NPC 
  would do or how he would react to the actions or words of 
  the player characters.
  What are their motivations?: The most important 
  aspect of running any NPC is knowing what motivates him. 
  An Inquisitor working with the Imperial Guard will react 
  very differently to the group’s actions if he is in fact an agent 
  of the Ruinous Powers plotting their destruction. An Imperial 
  commander, driven by his own lust for glory (at the cost of his 
  men), may issue orders or make reckless decisions that could 
  place the entire squad in peril. For most NPCs, motivations 
  do not need to be too complex and usually centre on some 
  selﬁsh (or selﬂess) goal, such as personal wealth and glory or 
  loyalty to allies or faith in the Emperor. The important thing 
  is that it gives the GM a clear guide for how the NPC reacts 
  when things get messy (as they always do).
  Not everyone wants to die: Just as in the real life, 
  the majority of people in the 41st Millennium do 
  not want to die. This means many foes run away 
  (especially those without a great deal of combat 
  
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  IX: The Game Master
  obstacles, lest the players embark on campaigns of wholesale 
  destruction simply for the “experience.” Likewise, as the Player 
  Characters gain in power, some challengers will be so easily 
  overcome as to be worth little or no Experience Points.
  ROLEPLAYING AWARDS
  Game Masters may also offer Experience Points to players 
  for exceptional roleplaying. The amount of these awards is 
  left up to the Game Master’s discretion, and typically range 
  from between 100 and 500 xp. The GM should be careful, 
  however, only to give out those awards when he feels that a 
  player particularly deserves it, and usually only when the 
  player has done something extraordinary such as taking 
  an action that puts his character in mortal danger 
  because it is “what his character would do.”
  ABSTRACT METHOD
  This is the easiest and recommended (certainly for beginning 
  GMs) way to award Experience Points. It relies simply on the 
  amount of time spent gaming and ensures a steady and smooth 
  rise in power for the characters. For each game session, each 
  player should receive 400 xp. This method assumes a game 
  session lasts about 4 hours; for longer or shorter sessions, the 
  GM can adjust the xp rewards accordingly.
  DETAILED METHOD
  A more detailed method of awarding Experience Points is 
  also possible, in which each reward is awarded on a case-by-
  case basis, and players gain Experience Points for completing 
  speciﬁc tasks. For this method to work, however, the GM must 
  assign a value to each encounter. For example the GM might 
  have a session that includes a seemingly innocuous patrol 
  mission, a battle against a mob of Orks in an area otherwise 
  thought unoccupied, and a tense return to Imperial-held 
  territory as the squad realizes they are vastly outnumbered. In 
  this case, each of the three encounters would be worth a set 
  amount of xp that would be awarded to the players when the 
  encounters were completed or overcome.
  Table 9–1: Encounter Difﬁculty gives examples of 
  encounters based on difﬁculty. To work out the difﬁculty of 
  an encounter, consider how much it taxes the resources of the 
  group and what it costs them in wounds, equipment, or time.
  When using this method, it is important to remember to 
  award Experience Points for only meaningful encounters and 
  Table 9-1: Encounter Difﬁculty
  Difﬁculty
  XP Award
  Easy
  50
  Routine
  70
  Ordinary
  100
  Average
  130
  Challenging
  170
  Hard
  200
  Very Hard
  250
  
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  Ribbon Intrinsic
  The Ribbon Intrinsic is awarded to a unit as a whole for 
  being the lynchpin in a large battle, for having held the line 
  and turned defeat into victory by determination alone.
  Description: Usually presented as an etched brass strip with 
  tripartite ribbon.
  Awarded for: Being a part of a massive battle (see Running 
  Massive Battles, page 301) that the Imperium would 
  otherwise have lost, save for the heroic actions of the Squad.
  Squad Bonus: +10 to any Battleﬁeld Awareness and 
  Battleﬁeld Manoeuvring Tests (see page 301).
  Triple Skull
  The Triple Skull is awarded to the units who have taken 
  massive casualties in a single action. Its sister honour, the 
  Golden Skull, is awarded posthumously to those who have 
  fallen in battle.
  Description: Usually presented as a row of three skulls.
  Awarded for: Awarded to the remainder of any unit that 
  survives a battle after having taken over 66% casualties.
  Squad Bonus: +5 to all Dodge and Parry Tests.
  Winged Skull
  The Winged Skull is an ancient commendation awarded to ofﬁcers 
  who have shown extraordinary and inspirational leadership.
  Description: Usually presented as a skull ﬂanked by wings, 
  it is often accompanied by a stencil on a commanding ofﬁcer’s 
  shoulder guards.
  Awarded for: Inspirational leadership leading to righteous 
  victory. In game terms, this honour is awarded to any 
  character who’s leadership single-handedly brought his 
  troops to victory.
  Squad Bonus: +10 to all Command Tests.
  Macharian Cross
  The Macharian Cross is rewarded for 
  successful and intelligent application 
  of the Tactica Imperialis. Bearers of 
  this medal are often recruited into 
  the general staff of future crusades or 
  campaigns, and their tactical advice 
  is given a great deal of merit by ﬁeld 
  commanders purely by virtue of having 
  been awarded it.
  Description: Usually presented as a large 
  cross pattée, with a centre ﬂanked by 
  laurel leaves.
  Awarded for: The Macharian Cross 
  is never bestowed for courage alone. 
  It should be awarded after any 
  combat where the characters were 
  victorious primarily because of their 
  tactical acumen; where they succeeded by 
  virtue of quick thinking, strong strategy, 
  judicious risk-taking, and battleﬁeld awareness.
  Squad Bonus: +10 to all Logic or Scholastic Lore (Tactica 
  Imperialis) Tests made in the heat of battle.
  FATE POINTS
  The Game Master may reward players with a permanent 
  Fate Point for truly remarkable deeds. The GM should 
  use such rewards sparingly, and only award them for 
  accomplishments that are truly incredible. Keep in mind 
  that the maximum number of Fate Points that any character 
  may have at one time is 5.
  MEDALS AND HONOURS
  Another reward for the players, and one that has effects on 
  the Squad as a whole, is the awarding of Medals and Honours. 
  These awards are given for in-game acts of heroism and 
  bravery, and there are three broad types. There are Imperial 
  Honours, which are found throughout the Imperial Guard; 
  Campaign Honours, which are given out for meritorious 
  action in a given crusade or planetary action; and Regimental 
  Awards, which are unique to each regiment and are often 
  given out for speciﬁc rank awards and engagements. 
  While medals and commendations are awarded to 
  individual Squad-members, their mechanical beneﬁts affect 
  the Squad as a whole. Medals and commendations are 
  presented in the following format:
  Description: A physical description of the medal.
  Awarded for: An explanation of the feat that a given Player 
  Character or Squad must achieve to qualify for the medal. 
  The medal prerequisites are guidelines, and whether or not 
  they have been fulﬁlled is always subject to GM approval.
  Squad Bonus: The mechanical bonus a Squad receives for 
  having (or having had) the medal bearer within its ranks.
  IMPERIAL HONOURS
  Imperial Honours are commendations that are recognised, 
  in one form or another, throughout the Imperium. There 
  are many different commendation systems that vary by 
  segmentum, sector, crusade, campaign, regiment, and 
  company, some with traditions dating back thousands of 
  years, however, the honours presented in this section are 
  some of the most commonly used and widely recognized 
  throughout the Imperium.
  Medallion Crimson
  The Medallion Crimson is awarded to 
  Imperial Guardsmen who continue ﬁghting 
  even after sustaining grievous injury.
  Description: Varies, but is usually 
  presented as a skull with three stylized 
  red gems inset beneath it. 
  Awarded for: Continuing to ﬁght the 
  enemies of the Imperium after having 
  suffered a Critical Wound (see page 256).
  Squad Bonus: When the wearer of this 
  medal takes Damage for the ﬁrst time in a 
  combat encounter, reduce that Damage 
  by 1 to a minimum of 0.
  campaigns, and their tactical advice 
  is given a great deal of merit by ﬁeld 
  commanders purely by virtue of having 
  been awarded it.
  Description:
  cross pattée, with a centre ﬂanked by 
  laurel leaves.
  Awarded for: 
  is never bestowed for courage alone. 
  It should be awarded after any 
  combat where the characters were 
  victorious primarily because of their 
  tactical acumen; where they succeeded by 
  virtue of quick thinking, strong strategy, 
  judicious risk-taking, and battleﬁeld awareness.
  Squad Bonus:
  Imperialis) Tests made in the heat of battle.
  The Medallion Crimson is awarded to 
  Imperial Guardsmen who continue ﬁghting 
  Varies, but is usually 
  presented as a skull with three stylized 
  Continuing to ﬁght the 
  enemies of the Imperium after having 
  suffered a Critical Wound (see page 256).
   When the wearer of this 
  medal takes Damage for the ﬁrst time in a 
  combat encounter, reduce that Damage 
  
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  Drusian Laurels
  Drusian Laurels are awarded for defending high-ranking 
  members of the Ecclesiarchy of the Calixis Sector, or 
  participating in actions to protect particularly valuable or 
  venerated shrines or artefacts.
  Description: A gold-etched Aquila ﬂanked by laurels.
  Awarded for: Defending the personnel and property of the 
  Adeptus Ministorum.
  Squad Bonus: +10 to Fellowship Tests when interacting 
  with agents of the Ecclesiarchy of the Calixis Sector.
  Cog of Het
  The Cog of Het is an example of one of the very rare 
  Calixis Sector Adeptus Mechanicus commendations, given 
  by representatives of the masters of the Lathe Worlds for 
  properly venerating the machine spirits of vehicles and 
  equipment being used on the ﬁeld of battle.
  Description: A Mechanicus Cog, with three circles worked 
  into the design above the skull.
  Awarded for: Effective supplication under ﬁre. This 
  commendation is awarded for a successful Tech-Use Test to 
  repair a vehicle or equipment that was vital to the success of 
  the unit later in the conﬂict.
  Squad Bonus: +10 on all Tech-Use Tests made in battle.
  Honoriﬁca Imperialis 
  The Honoriﬁca Imperialis is a 
  broad class of gallantry medals. 
  The medal is titled according to 
  the sector it was awarded, so a 
  Guardsman awarded this honour on 
  the Eastern Fringe would receive an 
  Ultima Honoriﬁca. Such awards are 
  sometimes further subdivided into 
  specialities, such as the Honoriﬁca 
  Imperialis Armourum, so a Tank 
  Commander who was receiving this 
  medal for valour in the ﬁeld within 
  the Calixis Sector would receive the 
  Obscurus Honoriﬁca Armourum.
  Description: Usually presented as 
  a skull ﬂanked by laurel leaves.
  Awarded for: Outstanding heroism in battle.
  Squad Bonus: +10 to all Fear Tests.
  CAMPAIGN HONOURS
  The Imperial Guard is unimaginably vast, and many awards 
  and citations are unique to a given region of space or a 
  given crusade or campaign. The following are a sampling of 
  Imperial Guard Honours used in the campaigns and crusades 
  of the Spinward Front:
  Trenchman’s Long Service Medal
  The Trenchman’s Long Service Medal was a commendation 
  ﬁrst given to veterans of the Third Burgs’ War, a conﬂict that 
  saw vicious trench ﬁghting and lasted for over 150 years. 
  Only the hardiest and most tenacious Guardsmen survived 
  that conﬂict for any length of time. As many Burgs’ War 
  veterans became commanders in their own right, these medals 
  eventually saw widespread usage throughout the subsector.
  Description: Two crossed spades, hanging from a triangular 
  grey ribbon.
  Awarded for: For participating in a single trench deployment 
  lasting two months or more.
  Squad Bonus: +5 to Ballistic Skill Tests made while the 
  Squad is ﬁring from cover.
  The Order of St. Kark
  This is a Commissariat Commendation, awarded for maintaining 
  discipline above and beyond the call of duty. This medal honours 
  St. Kark, a particularly brutal and effective Commissar of the 
  Angevin Crusade, venerated throughout the Calixis Sector. 
  Description: A brass medal in the shape of a bolter shell 
  hanging from a crimson ribbon.
  Awarded for: Unhesitating dedication to the maintenance of 
  discipline. This commendation is awarded to Commissars for 
  ﬁeld executing two or more members of the unit to prevent a 
  rout while engaged with the enemy.
  Squad Bonus: +10 to any Intimidate Tests.
  CREATING REGIMENTAL AWARDS
  There are countless medals pinned to the uniforms 
  of Imperial Guardsmen across the galaxy, and the 
  examples here do not even begin to scratch the surface. 
  Many honours are created for speciﬁc Crusades and 
  engagements, and GMs are encouraged to create 
  unique awards based on the engagements in which the 
  players have fought. Below is an example of an award 
  created for a speciﬁc engagement:
  THE SHIELD OF SACROUS
  The Shield of Sacrous is a regimental award for the 
  19th Brontian Longknives for having seen service on 
  the planet Sacrous.
  Description: A shield with a planet etched in its centre.
  Awarded for: Victory in a major engagement on the 
  planet Sacrous.
  Squad Bonus: +10 to all Fellowship Tests when 
  interacting with other Sacrous veterans.
  The Honoriﬁca Imperialis is a 
  broad class of gallantry medals. 
  broad class of gallantry medals. 
  The medal is titled according to 
  the sector it was awarded, so a 
  Guardsman awarded this honour on 
  the Eastern Fringe would receive an 
  Ultima Honoriﬁca. Such awards are 
  sometimes further subdivided into 
  specialities, such as the Honoriﬁca 
  Imperialis Armourum, so a Tank 
  Commander who was receiving this 
  medal for valour in the ﬁeld within 
  the Calixis Sector would receive the 
  Obscurus Honoriﬁca Armourum.
  Usually presented as 
  
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  STANDING ORDERS
  Standing orders are usually more nebulous in nature. While 
  standing orders are occasionally results-oriented, they are 
  usually not, and they are always open ended. If a unit 
  receives a standing order to patrol a certain location or 
  defend a given fortiﬁcation, it may be for an indeterminate 
  amount of time. Standing orders may last months, years, or 
  sometimes even decades.
  Common Standing Order Archetypes: Clearing Patrol, 
  Guard Duty, Fortiﬁcation, Rest and Reﬁt.
  GENERAL ORDERS
  General Orders are directives, procedures, and protocols 
  mandated by command. General orders may be things as 
  simple as the order to minimize civilian casualties (a rarity) 
  or utilize certain established code-phrases in ofﬁcial military 
  communication, or as complex as precise chemical earth-
  salting directives the unit is expected to abide by as it makes 
  a tactical withdrawal on an agri-world.
  OBJECTIVES
  All Active Missions and most Standing Orders have one or 
  more objectives that the players must achieve in order for the 
  Mission to be completed. An objective is a way of quantifying 
  the success of an Active Mission, giving the players a set of 
  clear goals for their characters to achieve. In keeping with 
  the military nature of ONLY WAR, objectives are typically set 
  by the GM when the Mission is created and passed on to the 
  characters during the Mission brieﬁng. However, such is the 
  ﬁckle nature of war that objectives can often change during 
  the course of a Mission. There are three kinds of objectives, 
  some or all of which may be present in an Active Mission:
  PRIMARY OBJECTIVES
  These are the key objectives to the Mission that are vital for 
  its completion. If the players do not complete their primary 
  objectives, then the Mission is considered a failure. For this 
  reason, when the GM sets the Mission’s primary objectives, 
  he should keep them as simple and as broad as possible. For 
  instance, a primary objective could be to destroy an enemy 
  base, leaving the method of its destruction up to the players. 
  The players should be aware that to complete their Mission 
  they must complete their primary objectives.
  SECONDARY OBJECTIVES
  Most Missions have additional objectives attached to the 
  primary objective, which reinforce the Mission’s success. For 
  instance, if the primary objective is to destroy an enemy base, 
  it might also come with a secondary objective to destroy 
  the nearby enemy landing platform. Typically, secondary 
  objectives are smaller and easier to complete than primary 
  objectives, though they nonetheless require a degree of 
  daring and effort on the part of the players. While completing 
  secondary objectives does not govern the success or failure of 
  the Mission in the same way as primary objectives do, their 
  completion reinforces the Mission’s success.
  Missions
  “New orders, sir. We’re to abandon this position and build a new 
  trench three klicks south.”
  –Unnamed vox operator
  I
  n ONLY WAR, mission parameters exist to aid the GM 
  in fashioning scenarios and encounters for his players. 
  While missions can be extremely varied in terms of details, 
  adversaries and location, most missions fall under a few very 
  broad categories. These missions are the heart of an Imperial 
  Guardsman’s duty, and the penalties for ignoring or failing 
  these orders can be dire.
  BRIEFING
  The main duty of the soldiers of the Imperial Guard is a 
  simple one: follow orders. The reality of following this 
  directive, unfortunately, can be very complicated. There are 
  a wide variety of orders, some of which are very speciﬁc, 
  and some of which are vague. Some commanding ofﬁcers 
  are controlling, while others prefer to give their subordinates 
  looser directives.
  The method through which a unit receives its commands 
  varies by regiment, by rank, and by the state of the campaign 
  and the whim of its commanding ofﬁcers. The chain-of-
  command may send the Squad its next mission by vox, 
  courier, or the Player Characters may be briefed directly by 
  high command (usually necessitating an intimidating visit 
  to headquarters, which could be anything from a tent to a 
  fortiﬁed bunker to an orbiting starship). The orders may be 
  standing orders, telling the unit to engage in a given action 
  until told otherwise, or they might be active orders, directing 
  the unit to accomplish a given objective or objectives.
  Sometimes orders are nebulous, and sometimes conﬂicting 
  orders are given. Many times orders will be handed out with 
  incorrect or incomplete intel. Orders also sometimes come 
  from outside the normal chain-of-command, such as when a 
  unit in the ﬁeld is requisitioned by an Inquisitor or fall under 
  the control of another pillar of the Imperium. Navigating 
  these choices can be tense, and deciding who to trust and 
  when, may lead to some very tense moments for the players.
  ACTIVE MISSIONS
  Active Missions usually revolve around speciﬁc objectives 
  handed down to the squad by command, and they are 
  normally offensive in nature. Every Active Mission will have 
  a primary objective that the squad is required to complete, 
  and many will have secondary and even tertiary objectives 
  assigned to them. These missions have a clear goal and 
  ending that the squad can work towards.
  Common Active Mission Archetypes: Recon, Escort, 
  Assault, Search and Destroy, Special Ops, Open Warfare.
  
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  SPECIAL OPS
  Special Operations missions are usually done behind enemy 
  lines, and usually place stealth as a high priority. Assassination 
  missions and sabotage missions fall under this archetype, 
  which may have a small team of squad veterans sneak into an 
  enemy encampment and kill their commander, or rig a bridge 
  with explosives ahead of an oncoming transport convoy.
  REST AND REFIT
  Rest and Reﬁt is the duty everyone wants to pull. Usually 
  involves light guard duty far from the front, as well as vehicle 
  maintenance and repair. 
  OPEN WARFARE
  An open warfare mission involves epic-scale front-line ﬁghting 
  on one of the campaign’s main battlefronts. These battles may 
  have kilometre-long battle lines, thousands or millions of 
  combatants, and may last days or even years. See Running 
  Massive Battles on page 301 for further information.
  MISSION COMPLICATIONS
  These Mission complications are ways in which the GM can 
  keep the players off balance and make the mission more 
  interesting by adding the “fog of war”:
  BAD INTEL
  Frequently the Imperium’s intelligence about its foes is just plain 
  wrong. Commanders base decisions on unfounded information 
  and send common soldiers to pay for their ignorance. The 
  players will notice something off or contradictory to the 
  intelligence they received in their brieﬁng. Sometimes 
  this incorrect information is merely inconvenient, such as 
  discovering a mountain pass is snowed in or a bridge on the 
  map has been destroyed. Sometimes this is disastrous, such as 
  when enemy forces are far more numerous and powerful than 
  the unit was previously led to believe. In this instance, a tactical 
  withdrawal may be in order.
  FRIENDLY FIRE 
  During a mission, the squad may be mistaken for an enemy 
  unit, or ﬁnd itself subject to Imperial ordnance ﬁre. This is 
  especially troublesome if communication channels are down. 
  The players need to ﬁnd some way to rectify the situation 
  without causing too much damage to their fellow soldiers.
  THEY KNEW WE WERE COMING...
  The enemy has been forewarned of the squad’s arrival, 
  perhaps because of superior reconnaissance, but perhaps 
  there is a traitor in the Imperial Guard’s ranks.
  CUT OFF
  The battle-lines shift, and the unit ﬁnds itself cut off from 
  the main Imperial force. It is unlikely that they’ll be able 
  to vox in for support, and they may have to travel quite a 
  way to regroup if they don’t have the strength to break 
  back through the enemy’s lines and return to safety.
  TERTIARY OBJECTIVES—TARGETS OF 
  OPPORTUNITY
  After primary and secondary objectives come tertiary 
  objectives, also known as targets of opportunity. These are not 
  objectives in the strictest sense and do not directly inﬂuence 
  the completion of the core Mission. They do, however, present 
  the Squad with a chance to earn more glory for themselves 
  and further enhance their standing with command by proving 
  their skill on the battleﬁeld. A typical target of opportunity 
  could be eliminating an enemy commander, destroying a 
  munitions supply dump, or liberating Imperial captives. 
  The GM should give limited information or hints about the 
  Mission’s targets of opportunity during the mission brieﬁng, 
  leaving it up to the players to identify them during the game.
  MISSION ARCHETYPES
  Listed below are some Mission archetypes for an Imperial 
  Guard Squad that the GM can use as the basis for creating 
  his own Missions:
  RECONNAISSANCE
  Recon missions favour fast-moving vehicles and sharp-eyed 
  soldiers. Intelligence gathering is a vital part of the war 
  effort, and often times the subject of a recon mission will be 
  the subject of a search and destroy mission down the line. 
  An example of a reconnaissance mission would be locating 
  an enemy war machine, or getting the rough count of an 
  approaching Ork horde.
  CLEARING PATROL
  Clearing patrol missions involve the unit investigating a given 
  area, often proceeding in a set pattern, and eliminating any 
  enemy forces they ﬁnd there. If given as a standing order, a 
  clearing patrol will usually set a given unit a swathe of territory 
  that must be kept under that unit’s sphere of inﬂuence. 
  A variation on this theme with a given target already in 
  mind is a Search and Destroy mission.
  ESCORT
  An escort mission has the unit protecting a target or targets 
  while on the move. Escort missions often involve securing 
  supply lines, bodyguard missions for high-ranking ofﬁcers, or 
  protecting slower moving support vehicles.
  ASSAULT 
  An assault mission is an order to take an objective, which 
  could be a bunker, a hill, a cluster of buildings, or a simple 
  patch of ground. An assault mission against a well-entrenched 
  foe is extremely dangerous, some of the highest casualties are 
  incurred from assaulting a fortiﬁed enemy position.
  DEFENCE
  A defence mission is an order to defend an objective. These 
  missions will sometimes have the Guardsmen fortifying the 
  objective, by building trenches and sandbagging entrances, 
  though sometimes the mission may be simple Guard Duty.
  
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  IX: The Game Master
  can usually expect to have their unit thoroughly inspected, 
  to have most of their command decisions critiqued, to 
  experience relatively hostile interrogations, and be expected 
  to ﬁle detailed after-action reports. Veteran Squads or Squads 
  who have successfully gained the respect of the campaign’s 
  commanding ofﬁcers (or who have successfully bootlicked 
  their way into little or no oversight) are usually given much 
  greater autonomy, with a cursory inspection and with 
  command only intervening in the case of gross misconduct, 
  disobeying orders, or abuse of command (real or perceived).
  It is at this time that medals and honours are awarded, 
  disciplinary actions noted, reports ﬁled, any necessary 
  executions carried out, and new orders given.
  RIVALRY
  The unit is working in close proximity to another Imperial 
  Guard unit with which they have knowingly or unknowingly 
  developed a rivalry. That unit may be attempting to accomplish 
  the same or a similar objective, and may be looking at the 
  Squad’s objective as their own potential target of opportunity.
  DEBRIEFING
  The ﬁrst order of business after any major engagement is 
  damage assessment and burial (if the unit has time for it). 
  Burial Procedures are handled by regimental tradition, and 
  are as diverse as the planets from where the Imperial Guard 
  claims its tithe. Guardsmen from a regiment composed of 
  primitive warriors may hold elaborate ceremonies, burning 
  their fallen comrades on funeral pyres and singing dirges 
  about their ancestors well into the night, while Guardsmen 
  from a particularly brutal Death World may do little more 
  than grab their dead brothers’ dog tags and any boots in 
  good repair before moving on. Damage Assessment is 
  handled by the unit’s quartermaster, though some larger units 
  (or units that are composed primarily of illiterate soldiers) 
  may have a Departmento Munitorum adjutant that handles 
  this paperwork for them. 
  Once the unit has returned to their lines or base camp 
  and met up with the rest of the army, they can expect 
  to be fully debriefed. A Squad of lower rank, one 
  that has habitually upset command, or one has 
  simply gained the enmity of the wrong people, 
  
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  IX: The Game Master
  religious relics, with the invading force arriving, taking what 
  they desired, and then disappearing overnight. A nonstandard 
  objective may be the result of the machinations of a given 
  Imperial general or noble house, and as such they are often 
  tied to the interests of a commander instead of the Imperium 
  as a whole. Figuring out what they are doing on a planet can 
  sometimes be an excellent mystery for the Player Characters.
  Planetary Invasion
  When a world has gone rogue, turned its eye from the God-
  Emperor, and declared itself independent from the Imperium 
  of Mankind, retribution is harsh and swift. Likewise, when 
  a barbarian planet that has been cut-off from the Imperium 
  fails to show the proper deference to Imperial envoys, its 
  population must be shown the might of the Imperium. If a 
  xenos held world has some particular signiﬁcance to Imperial 
  agents, or if it is simply on the path of a crusade, it must 
  be taken for the Imperium. The main ﬁghting force in such 
  an engagement will be the soldiers of the Imperial Guard— 
  glorious invaders laying waste to the planet’s defences.
  An Offensive Campaign usually has three primary phases:
  Phase One: Landing
  Dropping into a hostile landing zone is a harrowing experience. 
  The Imperial Guard’s preferred strategy is to overwhelm the 
  enemy whenever possible, so the sky will often be ﬁlled with 
  landing craft, shuttles, and Valkyries. The landing phase of 
  an invasion often occurs simultaneously with a pitched naval 
  battle, with gigantic starships unloading their cargo only to be 
  engulfed in ﬂames and destroyed moments later.
  Heavy losses are incurred when attacking an entrenched 
  enemy, and if the orbital defence platforms and support 
  batteries don’t damage the ship, the pitched battle on the 
  landing zone may give them pause. Scores of Guardsmen 
  are killed in these engagements while charging out of their 
  transports, attempting to overwhelm the opposing forces 
  with sheer numbers and tenacity.
  If this battle is won, and the Imperial Guard forces are able 
  to successfully establish a beachhead, command will move on 
  to the second phase of the operation.
  Phase Two: Pacification
  If the landing phase has gone smoothly, with landing 
  points established, and the Imperial forces are not forced to 
  withdraw, the Imperial forces will wage a war of paciﬁcation 
  on the planet. Usually the campaign’s command will have 
  a few high priority targets, depending on the nature of 
  the planet. The governor’s palace is a common ﬁrst target, 
  depending on the planet’s level of fortiﬁcation, as are various 
  defensive arrays and support structures. On a hive world, the 
  ﬁghting may move from hive to hive, as rebellious forces are 
  divided and then crushed.
  Some planets, especially those with access to a source of 
  fresh troops, may ﬁght the Imperial Guard to a stalemate. 
  These planets often become war worlds, and such conﬂicts 
  have been known to last many decades or even centuries, 
  as each side of the conﬂict continually sends troops to 
  the front lines.
  Campaigns
  “Alright, shift the reserves to the left ﬂank, set charges at the base of 
  the north wall, and have our heavy weapon teams fall back. We may 
  be outnumbered, but we are far from beaten.”
  –Sergeant Tourmas Greabin at the Siege of Hive Hax
  C
  ampaigns are missions tied together to form an 
  overarching narrative. In ONLY WAR, campaigns 
  usually involve the taking or defending of a planet, 
  from harrowing planetfall to glorious victory (or ignominious 
  retreat). Individual missions should feel like part of an 
  overarching war effort, and pre-planning some of the narrative 
  of a campaign allows a GM to do just that.
  DESIGNING A CAMPAIGN
  Battles may be won or lost, but it is the successful prosecution 
  of a long campaign that wins the war. Campaigns are a way for 
  the GM to string missions together. The GM should keep the 
  following in mind when designing an ONLY WAR campaign.
  THE SETTING
  ONLY WAR is unique in that a given setting is often the 
  objective in a large conﬂict. A campaign usually plays out on a 
  single planet, and revolves around claiming that planet for the 
  Imperium or defending the planet from some outside threat. 
  The Warhammer 40,000 universe is immense and varied, so 
  the details of a particular world are only limited by the GM’s 
  imagination. While there are a few planets in the galaxy that 
  have certain features that deﬁne them, (i.e. lava planets or desert 
  worlds), there are numerous others with varied topographies. 
  In a given planet a unit might see action in a frigid mountain 
  zone one month and an arid temperate zone the next. There are 
  numerous planets in the Spinward Front (see page 330) that 
  have already been created with this sort of campaign in mind, 
  and there are plenty more in the Calixis Sector as a whole and 
  other parts of the galaxy that are useable for an ONLY WAR 
  campaign with a minimum amount of GM adaptation (see 
  Using ONLY WAR with Other Games, on page 310, for 
  setting ideas from some of the other games in the WARHAMMER 
  40,000 ROLEPLAY line).
  When the GM creates or adopts a planet for his own 
  unique ONLY WAR adventures, he may want to draw up a 
  rough map with noteworthy geographic features, cities and 
  spaceports, and troop starting locations in order to keep the 
  campaign’s main details straight.
  THE OBJECTIVE
  Another thing the GM should determine when planning an 
  ONLY WAR campaign is what the Imperial Guard’s purpose is for 
  being on the planet. Most campaigns focus around two things, 
  either planetary invasion or planetary defence. A Guardsman’s 
  duty is, more often than not, to return a world to the bosom of 
  the Imperium or keep a world out of enemy hands.
  Occasionally, however, the objective of a given campaign is 
  less clear. Whole wars have been fought over artefacts, ruins, or 
  
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  be blotted out by their sheer numbers. The Guardsmen must 
  look to their faith in the Emperor, and hold fast.
  The ﬁghting itself is usually ﬁerce. The numberless enemy 
  will be looking for any hole in the Imperial defences, and 
  it will be up to the loyal Guardsmen to make sure that 
  emplacements are functioning and breaches are manned. The 
  ﬁghting usually becomes close-quarters and chaotic, and as 
  casualties mount on both side it can be difﬁcult to see a clear 
  victor. Eventually the dust settles, and one side or the other is 
  triumphant. One of the best scenarios that a Guardsman can 
  hope for in situations like these is to see his regimental ﬂag 
  still ﬂying high in the aftermath of a full-scale attack from 
  humanity’s treacherous foes.
  Phase Three: Counter-offensive
  After a brief rest, if any, the Imperial Guard will be expected 
  to go on the offensive. Any remaining opponents on the planet 
  must be routed and eliminated, and the Guardsmen will be 
  expected to head out of their fortiﬁed areas and clear them 
  out, making the planet safe again for citizens of the Imperium.
  When this task has been accomplished, the unit will likely 
  gather their belongings and be shipped out to the next warzone.
  Tactical Withdrawal
  Then there are the battles that don’t go as well for the heroes 
  of the Imperium. When an Imperial force is routed, and does 
  not look like it will recover; when the campaign is lost, the 
  Imperial Guard will begin evacuation protocols. There is often 
  very little time between evacuation orders and departure, so the 
  Guardsmen must hurriedly secure their equipment and make 
  haste to an evacuation zone. Evacuation prioritizes soldiers and 
  command ﬁrst and civilians often not at all. Many Guardsmen 
  are still haunted by those they left behind—plaintive eyes 
  begging not to be abandoned to the ministrations of whatever 
  enemy of the Imperium has successfully sacked their planet.
  All is not lost for those elements of the army that cannot 
  make it to an evacuation point. They will be expected to 
  ﬁght the long war, to continue as guerrillas and insurgents 
  until Imperial forces return to the planet yet again. It may 
  be years, decades, or it may be centuries, but the Imperial 
  Guard ﬁghts on. There have been instances where a regiment 
  or battlegroup was cut-off from the main ﬁghting force after 
  a full retreat, and when the forces of the Imperium returned 
  hundreds of years later, they encountered the descendants 
  of these soldiers, generations later, still ﬁghting for the 
  Imperium. Only in death does a Guardsman’s duty end.
  THREATS
  The enemies of the Imperium are varied, and they can be 
  obvious or insidious. See Chapter XI: Adversaries for further 
  information on opponents common to the Spinward Front (or 
  see Using ONLY WAR with Other Games, on page 310, for 
  adversaries and NPCs common to other parts of the galaxy). 
  The nature of the enemy, their strength, numbers, and tactics, 
  will decide the nature of the campaign.
  Sometimes there will be multiple sides in a given campaign. 
  It is not unheard of for a single planet to be home to three, 
  four, or more opposing factions, all hostile to one another.
  Phase Three: Compliance
  Once victory has been secured, the Imperial forces must 
  clean up any last pockets of resistance left on the planet. 
  Guerrilla warfare may occur for decades following initial 
  paciﬁcation, and mass executions or large-scale re-education 
  camps are the norm for this phase of the operation. An 
  Imperial Guard cohort, especially one that has acquitted 
  itself well, is no longer viable as a ﬁghting force because 
  of casualties, or is nearing the ﬁnal phases of a successful 
  crusade, may occasionally be asked to stay on the planet as 
  governors or as the ofﬁcers of its planetary defence force. 
  In this way, heroes of the Imperium throughout the ages 
  have received a quiet and digniﬁed retirement, serving at the 
  upper echelons of the government of a planet newly brought 
  into the Imperium’s fold.
  More likely, however, the Guardsmen will pack their equipment 
  and move on to the next conﬂict, many light-years away.
  Planetary Defence
  When a world of the Imperium discovers that it is in the 
  path of a great threat, such as a Tyranid Hive Fleet or an 
  Ork Waaagh!, their ﬁrst course of action is often to try to 
  make contact with the Imperial Guard. Many times the call 
  will go unheeded for years or even centuries, and by the 
  time an exploratory battlegroup has been dispatched, the 
  planet has become a charred husk or has fallen completely 
  into barbarism. Other times, however, and especially when a 
  planet is considered to be of tactical importance, the Imperial 
  Guard will arrive ahead of the threat, to fortify the defending 
  forces and protect the citizens of the Imperium from whatever 
  monstrous peril threatens to engulf their world.
  A Defensive Action usually has three primary phases:
  Phase One: Fortification
  If the Imperial force arrives ahead of the vanguard of the 
  invading army, they will immediately begin setting up their 
  defences. Often the Imperial Guard will drop pre-made 
  fortiﬁcations from orbiting starships, and Guardsmen will 
  set to work building trenches and setting out sandbags and 
  razor wire. A once relatively peaceful planet can become fully 
  militarized in matter of days.
  Guardsmen may be set out to clear any forerunners of 
  the invading army. Tyranids, for example, will infest a planet 
  about to be invaded with their Genestealer progeny, and Ork 
  hordes will sometimes have one or two space hulks or Rokks 
  hit before the main force. A few units will be taken off of 
  fortiﬁcation and guard duty to deal with these threats before 
  they become disruptive.
  Phase Two: Defence
  The types of threats to a planet that necessitate intervention 
  by the Imperial Guard are terrible indeed. Mere raiders would 
  usually be left to a planet’s garrison. When the enemy arrives, 
  the ensuing ﬁghting is guaranteed to be of epic scale. The 
  ﬁghting will usually begin in orbit, with those on the 
  ground watching the combat in the stars, preparing for 
  the carnage of the inevitable battle. Sometimes, such 
  as with the terrible Tyranid menace, the sun will 
  
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  millions strong, collide, the results can be chaotic, deadly, and 
  disorienting. It takes skilled commanders, well-versed in tactics 
  and battleﬁeld command, to lead their side to victory.
  The Battle Event system is a set of rules that functions as 
  an abstract method for determining the players’ actions in 
  such battles narratively, but as the players gain more and more 
  command experience and responsibility, they will be in charge 
  of larger and larger forces, until they are heading up an entire 
  regiment, battlegroup, or even eventually prosecuting their 
  own full-scale campaigns. Rules for that level of battleﬁeld 
  command will be presented in future ONLY WAR supplements. 
  The massive battle rules in a basic ONLY WAR campaign focus 
  on the valour and heroism of a single Squad.
  BATTLE EVENTS
  Battle Events are narrative situations that focus on the player’s 
  actions when they are part of a much larger battle. They 
  are windows of opportunity in a battle that can be taken 
  advantage of by a wise and judicious commander. Fighting 
  in a pitched battle is different to ﬁghting in other encounters, 
  and involves certain considerations to account for the 
  difﬁculty of adjusting for enemy tactics and efﬁcient troop 
  movement while negotiating a raging battleﬁeld.
  To account for this, there are two Tests that are used 
  exclusively during massive battles in an ONLY WAR game:
  BATTLEFIELD AWARENESS AND 
  BATTLEFIELD MANOEUVRES
  In the heat of a pitched battle, an Imperial Guardsman will 
  be confronted with chaos and confusion. Multiple units on 
  multiple fronts will be engaging one another, and depending 
  on the enemy it may be difﬁcult to tell friend from foe. In 
  order to navigate in such a treacherous environment, the 
  commanding ofﬁcers must have two things: an understanding 
  of tactics and the ﬂow of battle to recognize the opportunities 
  available, and a grasp of command and coordination to get 
  his troops to a place where they can take advantage of these 
  opportunities. These two abilities manifest themselves as 
  Battleﬁeld Awareness and Battleﬁeld Manoeuvres.
  Battleﬁeld Awareness
  In order to recognize the best place to strike, an ofﬁcer must 
  have an intuitive understanding of the ﬂow of battle. Being 
  able to second-guess the enemy commander, or to successfully 
  predict the tactic that a given enemy is likely to utilise in a 
  given situation, is vital to putting a Squad in a position to 
  take advantage of a battle event. This manifests as a Logic or 
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) Test to notice the Battle 
  OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
  There are a handful of other considerations to make when 
  rounding out your campaign:
  Supply Levels
  During the opening days of a campaign there may be plenty of 
  food, water, and equipment for the troops, but as the campaign 
  progresses this will likely not be the case for long. Imperial 
  supplies are dependent on the Imperial supply line, and if a 
  campaign is not going well for the Imperium (if the planet has 
  been blockaded, if supply lines have been particularly heavily 
  hit, if supplies have been requisitioned away to a different 
  campaign) then the unit’s supplies of rations and equipment may 
  get dangerously low. The Squad may be expected to forage for 
  themselves, or they may be ordered to requisition what they need 
  from the native population, sometimes with violent results.
  Length of Campaign
  One way that ONLY WAR differs from other games in the 
  WARHAMMER 40,000 ROLEPLAY line is the scope of time. 
  Missions that would take days or months in other games may 
  take months or years to play out for the Imperial Guard. The 
  characters may wait weeks or months between engagements. 
  The bureaucracy of the Imperium’s forces is vast, and it often 
  takes months or years of travel time to get from one section of 
  the planet to another if the tangle of administration ensnares a 
  unit. The GM doesn’t have to make his players experience the 
  monotony that sometimes rules a Guardsman’s life, but he should 
  give its existence a subtle nod occasionally, to remind the players 
  that war in Warhammer 40,000 universe is a slow process.
  Command HQ
  Personalizing NPCs in the chain of command is another way 
  to give a campaign a character all its own. The way the Player 
  Characters interact with their commanding ofﬁcers will 
  greatly inﬂuence how they view the conﬂict. Whether their 
  commanding ofﬁcer is a buttoned down Mordian who invites 
  battleﬁeld heroes to his personal mess for stately dinners, or a 
  gruff Catachan who the PCs only ever hear about in whispers, 
  personalizing the commanding ofﬁcer of a campaign is an 
  excellent way to make that campaign unforgettable.
  RUNNING MASSIVE 
  BATTLES
  Imperial history is rife with legendary conﬂicts that have been 
  truly epic in scope, with hundred kilometre-long battle lines and 
  throngs of units on either side. When two armies, thousands or 
  Table 9-2: Battleﬁeld Awareness Difﬁculty
  Roll
  Difﬁculty Opposing Tactical Acumen Examples
  1-20
  +10
  Mindless
  Rampaging Ork horde, Termagants cut off from the Hive Mind
  21-40
  +0
  Unthinking
  Bloodthirsty Warriors of Khorne, “cunning” Ork attack
  41-60
  –10
  Skilled
  Imperial Guard Commander
  61-80
  –20
  Expert
  Chaos Space Marines
  81-00
  –30
  Transcendent
  Ancient Sorcerer of Tzeentch, Eldar Farseer
  
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  IX: The Game Master
  Surprise Attack
  Flanking and surrounding enemy forces is an important 
  battleﬁeld advantage, and this archetype has the unit either 
  making such a manoeuvre or defending against one.
  Charge!
  Sometimes the best course of action on the battleﬁeld is to 
  charge straight at the enemy line and break it. This Battle 
  Event is one of the most harrowing and heroic battleﬁeld 
  actions a Squad can take, as they press straight into the enemy 
  forces. Against a truly overwhelming force, a charge may 
  require a Command Test.
  Support
  This Battle Event has the Player Characters either defending 
  or attacking a given support unit. Support units are any units 
  not directly engaged in ﬁghting. They may be defending or 
  attacking a communication station or a triage unit, but most 
  likely they are either guarding Imperial, or attempting to 
  destroy the enemy’s, ordnance-scale weaponry, such as tanks 
  or artillery.
  High Ground
  This archetype has the characters attempting to secure, or 
  defend, an important battleﬁeld objective. This could be a 
  certain building on the battleﬁeld, a high tower, an enemy 
  bunker, or something as simple as a hill.
  Face Off
  A Face Off Battleﬁeld Event occurs when the unit is facing an 
  equal force without much backup, such as when the leader of 
  an opposing unit challenges a member of the Squad to a duel. 
  This Battle Event archetype may involve the characters facing 
  off against some central component of the opposing army, 
  and as such lends itself to the culmination of a campaign 
  revolving around a central adversarial character.
   VICTORY AND DEFEAT
  The GM may wish to reach the end result of the battle 
  completely narratively, with the ultimate victor on the 
  battleﬁeld being determined by the dictates of the story. 
  However, the players will feel more involved if the GM sets 
  up a massive battle with the Player Characters ultimately 
  determining the winner. If the GM wishes to have the players 
  be the deciding factor in a major battle, he should determine 
  a set number of Battle Events (usually between three and ﬁve 
  such events). If the PCs are able to recognize, get to, and win 
  the majority of the Battle Events available to them, they have 
  swayed the battle towards victory for the Imperium. If they 
  have not, their adversaries have won the battle, and they must 
  now deal with the consequences.
  Event. To determine the difﬁculty of a Battleﬁeld Awareness 
  Test, the GM may use his own judgement, based on the ability 
  of the opposing battleﬁeld commander, or choose from or 
  roll on Table 9–2: Battleﬁeld Awareness Difﬁculty. In 
  some cases, such as when the opposing force is being led by a 
  known enemy commander, it may be appropriate to make the 
  Logic or Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) Test an Opposed 
  Test with that adversary.
  A Battleﬁeld Awareness Test should only be necessary 
  when the characters are attempting to take initiative in a 
  battle, so the GM may use his discretion if he doesn’t believe 
  that the situation warrants a Test, such as when the unit is 
  being attacked by the enemy force.
  A Battleﬁeld Awareness Test can also be used to mitigate 
  or instigate a surprise attack, and may be used in place of 
  both the Stealth and Awareness Skills when in a Massive 
  Battle, at the GM’s discretion.
  Battleﬁeld Manoeuvres 
  Coordinating a unit in a pitched battle, and getting them 
  safely from where they are to where they need to be, is an 
  exercise in organisation and management that begins long 
  before a battle has begun. It is instilled in every Guardsman 
  during his training, to move and function as a unit. The 
  battleﬁeld, however, can be a terrifying and disorganized 
  place, so it is up to the unit commander to make sure his 
  troops are synchronized and prepared for battle, even as one 
  rages around them. This requires a successful Command Test. 
  The difﬁculty of a Battleﬁeld Manoeuvre should be based off 
  of prevailing battleﬁeld conditions. The GM may choose from 
  or roll on Table 9–3: Battleﬁeld Manoeuvre Difﬁculty.
  BATTLE EVENTS ARCHETYPES
  Anything that may conceivably happen in a large scale battle is 
  suitable as the basis for a Battle Event. The Player Characters 
  may notice a weakness in an enemy fortiﬁcation and attempt 
  to blow it up with explosives, or they may see an adversary 
  from earlier in the campaign and try to take him out for 
  revenge. Below are a few archetypes useful in creating 
  unique Battle Events for a given campaign.
  Table 9-3: 
  Battleﬁeld Manoeuvre Difﬁculty
  Roll
  Difﬁculty
  Battlefield 
  Conditions Examples
  1-20
  +10
  Clear
  Open Ground, No 
  Enemy in Sight
  21-40
  +0
  Difﬁcult
  Broken Ground, 
  Ruins
  41-60
  –10
  Rough
  Thick Foliage, Heavy 
  Fighting
  61-80
  –20
  Gruelling
  Fortiﬁed Bunkers, 
  Elite Military Units
  81-00
  –30
  Dangerous
  Lava Flows, 
  Sandstorms, Millions 
  Strong Armies
  
  303
  303
  IX: The Game Master
  up a murder. Ultimately, when a player does or does not need 
  to make a Skill Test is up to the Game Master’s discretion, and 
  he has ﬁnal say on the outcome of the encounter.
  EXAMPLE
  Sergeant Rechtar is yelling into his vox, trying desperately to get some 
  ﬁre support for his pinned-down men. The junior ofﬁcer on the other 
  end has just been told by his superiors that Sergeant Rechtar’s sector 
  of the battleﬁeld is considered a lost cause, and that no extra support 
  is to be sent. Based on the vicious expletives that Sergeant Rechtar is 
  screaming into his vox, the GM decides that Rechtar can make an 
  Intimidate Test to see if he can convince the young ofﬁcer to send out 
  one ﬁnal ﬂight of Valkyries.
  DISPOSITIONS
  When making an Interaction Skill Test, there are a number 
  of variables that dictate the ﬁnal difﬁculty of the Test. Such 
  situations can include atmosphere, situation, and an NPC’s 
  particular circumstances. Most important, however, is how 
  the NPC is disposed toward the Player Characters—how 
  the NPC regards the squad-mates and what feelings (or 
  lack thereof ) he displays. The NPC’s disposition, which is 
  always set by the GM, determines the base difﬁculty of any 
  Test. Other factors can adjust the difﬁculty up or down as 
  the situation demands and as the GM sees ﬁt. Table 9–4: 
  Dispositions provides sample dispositions based on speciﬁc 
  Tests and their corresponding difﬁculty.
  With an Interaction Test, the target’s disposition improves 
  one step per Degree of Success. Likewise, the target’s 
  disposition worsens one step per Degree of Failure. Generally, 
  a target’s disposition must be Indifferent toward the players 
  to do as requested. Even then, the target will only do what 
  the players ask about 50% of the time if left unsupervised. 
  Each step above Indifferent improves that chance by 10%. 
  Under close supervision, the base chance increases by 20%.
  INTERACTION AND GROUPS
  When a player uses an Interaction Skill against a group, such 
  as commanding a unit, he resolves the Test as described 
  earlier, with the disposition of the group set by the GM based 
  on the group’s overall attitude toward the Player Character. 
  The player makes the Test as normal, and with one Degree 
  of Success he affects a number of individuals in the group 
  equal to his Fellowship Bonus. Note that certain Talents can 
  increase the number of individual targets a player can affect.
  Interaction
  “And when they witness us in battle, they cannot help but lose all 
  hope. They will tremble at the glory of the God-Emperor, the 
  grandeur of his Imperium, and the magniﬁcence of his armies. They 
  will see that we are their ruin, their scourge, their condemnation, and 
  their doom. They will know that we are their righteous destruction.”
  – Colonel Verkan at the Fourth Battle of the Gondive River
  N
  ot every encounter an Imperial Guardsman faces in 
  his career is found on the battleﬁeld. In their daily 
  struggle for the good of the Imperium, as lynchpins 
  of their units and later as commanders, the players will come 
  face-to-face with a host of Imperial personalities. Gaining the 
  hard-won respect of a jaded Space Marine Battle-Brother or 
  convincing a superior ofﬁcer that the Squad’s battle tactics 
  are sound is a function of a character’s Interaction Skills. 
  Knowing how best to deal with these individuals can mean 
  the difference between the success and failure of a Mission, 
  and for a Guardsman, more often than not, that’s the difference 
  between a long and glorious career in service to the Emperor 
  or an ignominious death in the mud on some backwater planet.
  INTERACTION SKILLS
  Chapter IV: Skills presents a number of Interaction Skills 
  such as Charm, Command, Deceive, and Intimidate. To make 
  a good impression, a character would use Charm, to issue 
  orders he would use Command, to cheat or lie he would use 
  Deceive, and to frighten he would use Intimidate. Together, 
  these Skills offer Player Characters tools for interacting with 
  the people of the Imperium.
  USING INTERACTION SKILLS
  During a game session, a player doesn’t need to make 
  Interaction Tests every time he has a conversation or makes a 
  transaction. For simple actions that carry little or no jeopardy, 
  the player just plays the role of his character. The outcome 
  of these interactions between the character and the NPCs 
  are then determined by the Game Master. However, a player 
  should make an appropriate Skill Test if there are consequences 
  for failure or if success would serve to advance the plot in a 
  considerable way. Examples that would require a Skill Test 
  include attempting to convince an NPC to do something that 
  is dangerous to them in some way, or in direct violation of that 
  NPC’s morality or honour, such as accepting a bribe or covering 
  Table 9-4: Dispositions
  Difﬁculty
  Modiﬁer
  Charm
  Command
  Deception
  Intimidate
  Easy
  +30
  Infatuated
  Fanatical
  Gullible
  Terriﬁed
  Routine
  +20
  Affectionate
  Devoted
  Trusting
  Frightened
  Ordinary
  +10
  Favourable
  Loyal
  Accepting
  Startled
  Challenging
  +0
  Indifferent
  Indifferent
  Indifferent
  Indifferent
  Difﬁcult
  –10
  Disdainful
  Resentful
  Suspicious
  Brave
  Hard
  –20
  Contemptuous
  Disloyal
  Sceptical
  Courageous
  Very Hard
  –30
  Disgusted
  Mutinous
  Disbelieving
  Foolhardy
  
  304
  IX: The Game Master
  INSANITY AND 
  CORRUPTION POINTS
  Insanity Points (IP) and Corruption Points (CP) are 
  Characteristics that Player Characters gain during play. Both 
  of these scores begin at 0 when a PC begins the game and 
  increase over time as damage is done to a character’s state of 
  mind (as demonstrated by Insanity Points) and the purity of 
  his soul (as demonstrated by Corruption Points). The higher 
  these scores, the more tainted, damaged, and debilitated a 
  character becomes, and should either of these scores ever 
  reach 100, the character is either slain by his Commissar for 
  his own good or falls from grace and becomes an enemy of 
  the Imperium. In either case, he can no longer serve in the 
  Imperial Guard—he is lost in the eyes of the Emperor and 
  must be retired from play. 
  Fear and 
  Damnation
  “...and that’s when I realized they were dead, all dead. Now their 
  faces are the only thing I see when I close my eyes.”
  –Sergeant Grortron Fel, last words before execution
  T
  he rules presented here reﬂect many threats to the 
  mind and soul, and how the Player Characters interact 
  with them. They are separated into three distinct, but 
  interlinking sections: Fear covers a character’s immediate 
  reaction to frightening events and creatures, Insanity deals 
  with the long-term effects of mental trauma on a character, 
  while Corruption deals with the insidious inﬂuence of Chaos 
  and forbidden knowledge. During combat encounters, only 
  the rules for Fear are generally used. The effects of Insanity 
  and Corruption are dealt with in the aftermath of a battle 
  rather than during it.
  Table 9-5: Shock
  Roll d100 and add 10 for every Degree of Failure.
  Roll
  Result
  1-20
  The character is badly startled. He may only take a single Half Action during his next Turn, but afterward 
  he may act normally.
  21-40
  Fear grips the character and he begins to shake and tremble. He suffers a –10 penalty on all Tests for the 
  rest of the encounter unless he can recover his wits (see Shock and Snapping Out of It, page 305).
  41-60
  Reeling with shock, the character backs away from the source of his Fear. The character cannot willingly 
  approach the object of his Fear, but may otherwise act normally, with a –10 penalty on all Tests until the 
  end of the encounter.
  61-80
  The character is frozen by terror. He may take no Actions until he Snaps Out of It (see Shock and 
  Snapping Out of It, page 305). After snapping out of it, the character makes all Tests with a �10 penalty 
  for the rest of the encounter.
  81-100
  Panic grips the character. He must ﬂee the source of his fear, if able, as fast as he can, and if prevented from 
  doing so, may only take Half Actions and is at a –20 penalty to all Tests. Once away from the danger, he 
  must successfully Snap Out of It (see Shock and Snapping Out of It, page 305) to regain control.
  101-120
  Fainting dead away, the character keels over and remains unconscious for 1d5 Rounds. Once he regains 
  consciousness, he is still shaken and takes all Tests with a –10 penalty until the end of the encounter.
  121-130
  Totally overcome, the character screams and vomits uncontrollably for 1d5 Rounds. During this time he 
  may do nothing, and drops anything he is holding. Afterward, until the end of the encounter, the character 
  may only take a single Half Action each Turn until he has a chance to rest.
  131-140
  The character laughs hysterically and randomly attacks anything near him in a manic frenzy, ﬁring wildly 
  or attacking with whatever he has at hand. This effect lasts until the character Snaps Out of It (see Shock 
  and Snapping Out of It, page 305), or until he is knocked unconscious.
  141-160
  The character crumples to the ground for 1d5+1 Rounds and begins sobbing, babbling, and tearing at his 
  own ﬂesh, and may do nothing else. Even after he returns to his senses, he is a complete mess, and suffers a 
  –20 penalty on all Tests until the end of the encounter.
  161-170
  The character’s mind snaps. He becomes catatonic for 1d5 hours and may not be roused.
  171+
  The character is so overcome with terror that his heart immediately stops. He must make a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test or die. If the Test is successful the character still falls catatonic for 1d5 hours as above.
  Toughness Test or die. If the Test is successful the character still falls catatonic for 1d5 hours as above.
  Toughness Test
  
  305
  IX: The Game Master
  INSANITY
  Life on the battleﬁeld is harsh, and a soldier of the Imperial 
  Guard can expect to be amidst constant death and horror 
  as he acquits himself of his duty to the Imperium. For even 
  the most stalwart of the Imperium’s heroes, a slow slide into 
  insanity is a constant threat. No human mind, not even one 
  hardened by the harsh rigours of a life of constant warfare, 
  is immune to the slow erosion of sanity by the horrors of the 
  41st Millennium, and Guardsmen are no exception.
  In ONLY WAR these dangers are represented by Insanity 
  Points. Insanity Points represent the strain put on a character’s 
  mind by his experiences; the more Insanity Points a character 
  has, the more fragile his mind has become. The cumulative 
  effects of gaining Insanity Points are divided into Traumas, 
  which represent the short term after-effects of particularly 
  terrible experiences, and Disorders, which are permanent mental 
  afﬂictions that mark a character’s slide into total madness.
  DEGREES OF MADNESS  
  A character is classiﬁed as having a certain Degree of 
  Madness depending on how many Insanity Points he has 
  accumulated. This classiﬁcation gives a player a broad idea 
  of the state of a character’s mind and how close to the 
  edge he has become. A character’s Degree of Madness 
  also determines the modiﬁer that will apply to Tests 
  taken to avoid Mental Trauma.
  FEAR
  Fear comes into effect when a soldier faces unnatural horrors 
  and mind-bending foes, or when he is called on to battle against 
  terrifying aliens, insane perversions of science, or nightmarish 
  entities from the warp. When a PC is confronted by such a 
  frightening event or adversary, he must make a Fear Test; this is 
  a Willpower Test, modiﬁed by how frightening the horror he 
  faces is. If the PC passes this Test, then he may continue to act 
  as normal. If he fails, however, he succumbs to Fear.
  DEGREES OF FEAR
  Fear can come in many forms, but some things are clearly 
  more frightening than others. A single daemon may well break 
  the morale of an Imperial Guardsman, while a Bloodthirster 
  may completely break his mind. Table 9–6: Fear Test 
  Difﬁculties shows the penalties to Fear Tests based on the 
  Fear Level of the source of Fear.
  FAILING THE FEAR TEST
  If, in a combat situation, a character fails a Fear Test, he must 
  immediately roll on Table 9-5: Shock, adding +10 to the 
  result for each Degree of Failure. The effects listed are applied 
  immediately to the character. If the character fails a Fear Test 
  in a non-combat situation, he becomes unnerved and suffers 
  a –10 penalty to any Skill or Test that requires concentration. 
  This penalty lasts while the character remains in the vicinity 
  of the source of his Fear (simply leaving and coming back 
  again doesn’t stop this). In addition, if a non-combat Fear 
  Test is failed by 3 or more Degrees of Failure, the character 
  also gains +1d5 Insanity Points.
  SHOCK AND SNAPPING OUT OF IT
  Characters may be able to shake off some of the effects of 
  Fear after the initial shock has worn off. Where speciﬁed on 
  Table 9–5: Shock that a character may “snap out of it,” he 
  can make a Willpower Test in his next Turn. If successful, he 
  regains his senses, shrugs off the effects, and may act normally. 
  If he fails, the effect continues and the character may try to 
  snap out of it again in the following Turn, and so on.
  VERY BAD THINGS
  Fear Tests in non-combat situations are very much the 
  GM’s call as to when and where they occur, and should 
  not be considered automatic. They can be best used to 
  bring home the horriﬁc nature of the battleﬁeld, or of a 
  particularly hellish location or dark artefact. The following 
  are some guidelines for setting Degrees of Fear outside of 
  combat, and examples of situations that would cause a Fear 
  Test other than those triggered by an enemy’s Fear Trait:
  •	 Fear 1–Disturbing (0): Viewing the scene of 
  a gruesome murder, or seeing minor unknown 
  supernatural or psychic phenomena—strange 
  lights, spectral voices, weeping statues, etc.
  •	 Fear 2–Frightening (–10): Meeting someone 
  you know to be dead, being buried alive, or 
  encountering major supernatural or psychic 
  phenomena—the skies raining blood, a painting 
  forming shrieking mouths, etc.
  •	 Fear 3–Horrifying (–20): Sudden, shocking, and 
  inexplicable death (the man next to you on the 
  shuttle suddenly dies, vomiting maggots), hideous 
  moments of revelation (ﬁnding yourself covered in 
  blood, surrounded by bodies with a hot lasgun in 
  your hand and no memory of how you got there), 
  the dead rising across a whole planet, etc.
  •	 Fear 4–Terrifying (–30): Experiencing a full-
  scale daemonic incursion, discovering your failure 
  is responsible for the deaths of millions, staring 
  unprotected into the Warp.
  Table 9-6: Fear Test Difﬁculties
  Degree of Fear
  Test Modiﬁer
  Fear (1) Disturbing
  0
  Fear (2) Frightening
  –10
  Fear (3) Horrifying
  –20
  Fear (4) Terrifying
  –30
  
  306
  306
  IX: The Game Master
  Disorders and Their Severity
  The effect a mental disorder has on a character is left largely 
  up to the GM, though the descriptions presented below 
  provide some guidelines. If a character ﬁnds himself in a 
  situation or encounter where his disorder will be immediately 
  or dangerously detrimental, he may make a Willpower Test. 
  Success means that he is able to ignore the effects of the 
  disorder for the remainder of the encounter.
  All disorders are rated as Minor, Severe, or Acute, in 
  ascending order of effect.
  •	 Minor Disorder: The effects of the disorder manifest 
  rarely or exhibit a fairly weak compulsion. Any Test to 
  overcome the effects of the disorder gains a +10 bonus.
  •	 Severe Disorder: The effects of the disorder are stronger 
  and may manifest regularly. There is no modiﬁer to Tests 
  made to overcome the effects of the disorder.
  •	 Acute Disorder: The effects of the disorder are very strong 
  and will trigger at the slightest stimulation. Any Tests to 
  overcome the effects of the disorder are made a –10 penalty.
  Types of Mental Disorders
  The range and scale of unpleasant disorders that might afﬂict 
  a character is potentially limitless, and a few examples are 
  presented here. GMs should also feel free to invent their own 
  to suit individual characters and the terrible trials they’ve 
  undergone. Below are a few examples of common battleﬁeld 
  disorders, any of which may progress during a character’s 
  development from Minor to Acute:
  Phobia
  The character has a deep fear of a particular thing or 
  circumstance. A phobic character must succeed on a Willpower 
  Test to interact with the sources of his phobia. Enforced or 
  gratuitous exposure to the source of his disorder may incur 
  Fear Tests. Examples of this disorder include:
  Fear of the Dead: The character has an abiding fear 
  and loathing of corpses and the dead, and can’t stand to be 
  around them for any length of time. Perhaps this is because 
  sometimes they don’t stay dead...
  Fear of Insects: Scuttling, carapaced things with many 
  legs are the stuff of this character’s waking nightmares: 
  faceless, numberless, and hungry, forever hungry...
  MENTAL TRAUMA
  Mental Trauma represents the relatively short-term damage to 
  a character’s state of mind that he suffers after experiencing a 
  particularly horriﬁc event. Each time the character’s Insanity 
  Point total rises by another 10 points he must make a Trauma 
  Test. This is a Willpower Test, modiﬁed in difﬁculty by 
  how many Insanity Points the character has accrued in total 
  (see Table 9–7: Insanity Track). If the Test is passed, the 
  character manages to cope with his experience without any 
  ill effect. If the Test is failed, roll on Table 9–8: Mental 
  Traumas, adding 10 to the roll for every Degree of Failure. 
  This result is applied in the aftermath of any encounter that 
  inﬂicted the Insanity Points.
  GAINING MENTAL DISORDERS
  Mental disorders reﬂect the permanent, long-term effects 
  on a character’s mind of the horrors of the battleﬁeld. A 
  character automatically gains a new disorder (or a more 
  severe version of an existing disorder) each time he acquires 
  a certain number of Insanity Points. A character gains one 
  Minor Disorder when he gains 40 Insanity Points, one Severe 
  Disorder when he gains 60 Insanity Points, and one Acute 
  Disorder when he gains 80 Insanity Points (this corresponds 
  to becoming “Disturbed,” “Unhinged,” and “Deranged” on 
  Table 9–7: The Insanity Track).
  Disorders can be selected by the GM, or the GM can allow 
  the player to select one if he prefers. A character must have 
  the preceding severity of a disorder for it to get worse, so for 
  a disorder to become “Severe” the character must have the 
  “Minor” version of the disorder ﬁrst.
  ONLY THE INSANE SHALL PROSPER...
  The more insane a character becomes, the less 
  horriﬁc things seem. After all, what are the terrors 
  of the battleﬁeld compared to the horrors a soldier 
  sees when he closes his eyes? If the tens digit of a 
  character’s Insanity Point total is double (or more) a 
  thing’s Fear Rating (see page 305), the character is 
  unaffected by that source of Fear and does not need 
  to make a Fear Test.
  Table 9-7: Insanity Track
  Total Insanity Points
  Total Insanity Points
  Degree of Madness
  Degree of Madness
  Trauma Modiﬁer
  Trauma Modiﬁer
  Disorder
  Disorder
  0-9
  Stable
  N/A
  None
  10-19
  Unsettled
  +10
  —
  20-29
  Unsettled
  +10
  —
  30-39
  Unsettled
  +10
  —
  40-49
  Disturbed
  +0
  1st–Minor
  50-59
  Disturbed
  +0
  —
  60-69
  Unhinged
  –10
  2nd–Severe
  70-79
  Unhinged
  –10
  —
  80-89
  Deranged
  –20
  3rd–Acute
  90-99
  Deranged
  –20
  —
  100+
  Terminally Insane—Character retires from play
  
  307
  307
  IX: The Game Master
  REMOVING INSANITY POINTS  
  FROM A CHARACTER
  With the GMs permission, a character may use xp to remove 
  Insanity Points. It costs 100 xp to remove a single Insanity 
  Point. A character may never go down a Degree of Madness, 
  and so will never lose one of their disorders through this 
  method. The removal of Insanity Points should be properly 
  represented as time and effort spent by the character in 
  game (long-term palliative care, prayer, fasting, penance, 
  recuperation in quiet and pleasant surroundings, etc.).
  Obsession/Compulsion
  The character has a compulsion to perform a particular 
  action or is obsessed with a particular thing. A character 
  must make a Willpower Test not to act in a compulsive 
  way or pursue his obsession when the opportunity arises. 
  Examples of this disorder:
  Kleptomania: A character compulsively steals small 
  objects if he has the opportunity. Often the character attaches 
  no value to the items, he just feels the need to steal them. 
  This one can be particularly dangerous for a Guardsman, as 
  stealing from the unit in war time is often a capital offence.
  Self-Mortiﬁcation: The character feels the need to 
  scourge and whip his ﬂesh on a regular basis (though this 
  may be tied to a particular event, such as killing or thinking 
  impure thoughts), in order to purge away the sin of his actions 
  through pain.
  The Flesh is Weak: The character blames the limitations of his 
  own body for his failures and problems. He becomes increasingly 
  obsessed with surgical modiﬁcation and bionic replacement.
  Visions and Voices
  The character sees things that are not there and hears things 
  that others do not. Acute sufferers may experience visions 
  into which they are totally immersed.
  Dead Comrade: The character hears the voice of an old 
  friend now long-dead, perhaps a close comrade that he was 
  unable to save or a brother-in-arms that sacriﬁced his life for 
  the character. At a Severe level he may even have visions of his 
  friend, or converse with him if his condition becomes Acute.
  Flashbacks: The character relives traumatic moments from his 
  life, often harkening back to a particularly vicious or harrowing 
  battleﬁeld encounter. The length and vividness of these episodes 
  varies according to the seriousness of his condition.
  Delusion
  The character suffers from a particular false belief that he must 
  act on as if it were the truth, despite his better judgement or 
  any evidence to the contrary.
  Invulnerability: The character believes that he will 
  never get severely injured, possibly through luck or divine 
  providence. Such a character would have to pass a Willpower 
  Test to avoid taking on a vastly superior force instead of 
  exercising due caution.
  Righteousness: The character believes that his choices 
  are right and justiﬁed, no matter the cost. Such a character 
  may callously and needlessly send troops to their death in the 
  pursuit of a failing battle plan, even when the evidence that a 
  change in tactics is necessary becomes overwhelming.
  Horrific Nightmares
  The character suffers from vivid and recurring nightmares; 
  like being imprisoned in an endless machine, or being 
  vivisected by masked men while paralyzed and helpless. After 
  any stressful day, the character must pass a Willpower Test in 
  order to not succumb to his terrors while asleep. If he fails, 
  the character will suffer from a single level of Fatigue (see 
  Fatigue, page 257) on the following day.
  Table 9-8: Mental Traumas
  Roll 1d100 and add +10 for every 
  Roll 1d100 and add +10 for every 
  Degree of Failure
  Roll
  Result
  01-40
  The character becomes withdrawn and quiet. 
  The character is at a –10 to all Fellowship-
  based Tests for 3d10 hours.
  41-70
  The character must compulsively perform an 
  action (such as fevered praying, frantically 
  cleaning a weapon, etc.) and pays little 
  attention to anything else. All Tests that 
  are based on Intelligence, Fellowship, or 
  Perception suffer a –10 penalty. This effect 
  lasts for 3d10 hours.
  71-100
  The character is constantly fearful, seeing 
  danger everywhere, and is extremely jumpy. 
  The character gains a +10 bonus to all 
  Perception-based Tests and is at a –10 penalty 
  to his Willpower for the next 1d5 days.
  101-120 
  The character suffers from a temporary Severe 
  phobia (see Disorders, page 306). This 
  effect lasts for 1d5 days.
  131-140
  The character suffers vivid and extreme 
  nightmares whenever they try to sleep. The 
  next day, and for a further 1d10 days, the 
  character will be exhausted by a lack of sleep 
  and gains a level of Fatigue.
  141-150
  The character is struck dumb and is unable to 
  speak. This lasts for 1d5 days.
  151-160 
  Extremely distressed and unfocused, the 
  character refuses to eat or drink, and looks 
  to be in a terrible state. The character takes a 
  –10 penalty to all Characteristics (though no 
  Characteristic will be reduced below 1 by this 
  effect) for 1d10 days.
  161-170
  The character temporarily becomes 
  hysterically blind or deaf. This effect lasts for 
  1d10 days.
  171+
  The character becomes completely 
  traumatised and virtually unresponsive. He 
  can’t initiate actions, but may be gently led. 
  This effect lasts for 1d10 days.
  
  308
  IX: The Game Master
  a doom to be avoided at all costs, but some, once they ﬁnd 
  themselves walking the path to damnation, will seek to 
  embrace the darkness.
  CORRUPTION POINTS
  Corruption Points (CP) operate much like Insanity Points, 
  except they are gained through exposure to the warp, dark 
  rituals, cursed artefacts, and daemonic inﬂuence. The more 
  Corruption Points a character has, the more afﬂicted he 
  becomes; this is reﬂected in the rules by the risk of Malignancies 
  and Mutation on Table 9–10: The Corruption Track.
  CORRUPTION
  The corrupting taint of Chaos is ever-present in the galaxy, 
  and the stalwart soldiers of the Imperial Guard are not 
  immune to its insidious touch. Encounters with daemons, 
  dark rituals, and even the knowledge that such things are 
  possible are all paths to corruption. The swirling tempest 
  of psychoactive energies and pseudo-matter that makes up 
  the fabric of warp-space is more deadly than any radiation. 
  It can instantly destroy, but it can also effect hideous 
  transformations on material, body, and mind, far beyond 
  anything found in a sane universe. To most, corruption is 
  Table 9-9: Malignancies
  Roll
  Effect
  1–10
  Palsy: The character suffers from numerous minor tics, shakes, and tremors with no medical cause. Reduce his 
  Agility by 1d10.
  11–15
  Dark-hearted: The character grows increasingly cruel, callous, and vindictive. Reduce his Fellowship by 1d10.
  16–20
  Ill-fortuned: Whenever a character uses a Fate Point, roll 1d10. On a result of 7–10, the Fate Point has no 
  effect but is spent anyway.
  21–22
  Skin Afﬂictions: The character is plagued by boils, scabs, weeping sores and the like. He takes a –20 penalty 
  to all Charm Tests.
  26–30
  Night Eyes: Light pains the character, and unless he shields his eyes he suffers a –10 penalty on all Tests 
  made in an area of bright light.
  31–33
  Morbid: The character ﬁnds it hard to concentrate as his mind turns increasingly macabre and he becomes 
  prone to tortured, gloom-ﬁlled trains of thought. The character’s Intelligence is reduced by 1d10.
  34–45
  Witch-mark: The character develops some minor physical deformity or easily concealable mutation. It is 
  small, but perhaps enough to consign him to death if found out by a fanatical witch hunter or a particularly 
  vigilant Commissar. It’s in his best interests to hide it well.
  46–50
  Fell Obsession: This functions like the Obsession Disorder (see page 307), but in this case the character is 
  obsessed by something sinister or malign (such as collecting ﬁnger-bone trophies, ritual scariﬁcation, carrying 
  out meaningless vivisections, etc.).
  51–55
  Irrational Nausea: The character feels sick at the sight, sound, or smell of something otherwise innocuous 
  (such as prayer books and holy items, bare ﬂesh, human laughter, fresh food, etc.). When he encounters 
  an object of his revulsion he must make a Toughness Test or suffer a –10 penalty to all Tests as long as he 
  remains in its presence.
  56–60
  Wasted Frame: The character’s pallor becomes corpse-like and his muscles waste away. The character’s 
  Strength is reduced by 1d10.
  61–63
  Night Terrors: The character is plagued by daemonic visions in his sleep. This functions identically to the 
  Horriﬁc Nightmares Disorder (see page 307).
  64–70
  Poor Health: The character constantly suffers petty illnesses and phantom pains, and his wounds never seem 
  to fully heal. The character’s Toughness is reduced by 1d10.
  71–75
  Distrustful: The character cannot conceal the distrust and antipathy he has for others. He must take a –10 
  penalty to Fellowship Tests when dealing with strangers.
  76–80
  Malign Sight: The world seems to darken, tarnish, and rot if the character looks at anything too long. The 
  character’s Perception is reduced by 1d10.
  81–83
  Ashen Taste: Food and drink are taste foul and provide little sustenance to the character, and he can barely 
  stomach eating. The character doubles the negative effects for levels of Fatigue.
  84–90
  Bloodlust:
  Bloodlust: Murderous rage is never far from the character’s mind. After being wounded in combat, he must 
   Murderous rage is never far from the character’s mind. After being wounded in combat, he must 
  succeed at a Willpower Test to allow his enemies to ﬂee, be captured, or incapacitated, rather than killing 
  them outright, even if his intent is otherwise.
  91–93
  Blackouts: The character suffers from inexplicable blackouts. When they occur and what happens during 
  them is up to the GM.
  94–00
  Strange Addiction: The character is addicted to some bizarre and unnatural substance (such as eating rose 
  petals, drinking blood, the taste of widows’ tears, etc.). This acts like a Minor Compulsion Disorder (see page 
  307), but is freakish enough to cause serious suspicion if discovered.
  
  309
  IX: The Game Master
  THE MALIGNANCY TEST
  For every 10 total Corruption Points a character gains, he must 
  make a Willpower Test to see if his Corruption has manifested 
  as literal damage to his body and soul. This roll is modiﬁed 
  depending on the number of CP the character already 
  possesses as noted on Table 9–10: Corruption Track. If the 
  Test is failed, the character’s Corruption is given form. These 
  metaphysical and psychosomatic scars are called Malignancies, 
  and are randomly rolled on Table 9–9: Malignancies. If a 
  player rolls a result that he has previously suffered for failing a 
  previous Malignancy Test, he must roll again.
  MUTATION
  A character’s Corruption Points total is also used to determine 
  the warping effects of Chaos upon his body. As his Corruption 
  builds, his ﬂesh may revolt, twisted by the power of dark 
  gods. For every 30 Corruption Points a character gains, he 
  must make a Test against two Characteristics of his choice or 
  suffer a Minor Mutation (in the form of a Trait). He may not 
  Test against the same Characteristic twice to resist mutation. 
  A player should make a note on his Character Sheet of the 
  Characteristics he has already Tested to resist mutation.
   Traits that are recommended to inﬂict on a character as his 
  Minor Mutation include: Blind, Burrower, Dark-sight, Fear 
  (1) Disturbing, Multiple Arms, Natural Armour (4), Natural 
  Weapons, Quadruped, Regeneration, Size (either Hulking or 
  Weedy), Sonar Sense, or Toxic. These Traits can be found on 
  page 154 of Chapter V: Talents and Traits, and the exact 
  cosmetic form they take is left up to the GM.
  MORAL THREATS
  The exact level of Corruption Points inﬂicted by a particular 
  event, revelation, or encounter is determined by the GM. 
  Following are some guidelines:
  Warp Shock: If the character suffers Insanity Points 
  resulting from a failed Fear Test involving entities form the 
  warp, the number of Corruption Points inﬂicted on him are 
  equal to the being’s Fear Rating (i.e. Fear [2] equals 2 CP).
  Rending the Veil: Characters caught in a full-blown 
  intrusion of the warp into corporeal reality gain Corruption 
  Points from the experience. The amount awarded depends 
  on what occurs and the severity of the breach. This may be 
  anywhere from a single point to several d10s in value.
  Sorcery: Practicing sorcery, witnessing dread rituals, or 
  invoking daemons are all causes of Corruption. Minor rituals 
  cause 1d10 Corruption Points, and major ceremonies can 
  cause many more.
  Blasphemous Lore: Knowledge itself can corrupt, and 
  the study of certain tomes or pict-logs can cause Corruption 
  in the viewer.
  Dark Deeds: Evil acts done in the furtherance of a 
  malignancy, in pursuit of forbidden lore, or done to appease a 
  daemon always cause Corruption Points.
  Vile Persuasion: Many daemons and cult leaders are 
  masters of insidious temptation and of sowing the seeds of 
  doubt in a faithful heart. Their words and arguments can 
  corrupt where force alone would fail.
  PURGE THE UNCLEAN
  Commissars, though they are not granted insight into 
  the workings of the Ruinous Powers, are specially 
  trained to look for signs of corruption, Chaos-worship, 
  and mutation. Any member of the squad who is 
  exhibiting the tell-tale signs of Chaos-taint can expect 
  summary ﬁeld execution from a vigilant Commissar.
  Additionally, if rumours persist that a unit has been 
  tainted or that its commanding ofﬁcers have become 
  corrupt, the Guardsmen can expect a visit from any 
  Witch Hunters in the area, regardless of how well they 
  acquit themselves on the battleﬁeld. The more high 
  proﬁle a unit is, the more likely it is that they will 
  receive a visit from Acolytes of the Inquisition...
  Table 9-10: Corruption Track
  CP Total
  Degree of 
  Corruption
  Malignancy 
  Test
  Mutation
  01–30
  Tainted
  +0
  —
  31–60
  Soiled
  –10
  First Test
  61-90
  Debased
  –20
  Second Test
  91-99
  Profane
  –30
  Third Test
  100+
  Damned—Character is removed from play
  The exact level of Corruption Points inﬂicted by a particular 
   If the character suffers Insanity Points 
  resulting from a failed Fear Test involving entities form the 
  warp, the number of Corruption Points inﬂicted on him are 
  
  310
  310
  IX: The Game Master
  also has plenty of extra details on what life is like inside 
  an Imperial starship, something the Guardsmen of ONLY 
  WAR will undoubtedly experience as they are ferried from 
  campaign to campaign in service to the Emperor.
  While the Koronus Expanse has very little Imperial Guard 
  presence, there are plenty of threats that snake their dark tentacles 
  into other parts of the galaxy, and large-scale Imperial military 
  operations, though rare, do occasionally happen there. Many of 
  the dread xenos threats that make that dark frontier their home can 
  just as easily rear their ugly head in the Calixis Sector. Inquisitors 
  and high level Rogue Traders are completely capable of diverting 
  the interests of the Imperial Guard to whatever sector of space they 
  so choose, so it is not without precedent that a few regiments would 
  be called to ﬁght in the Koronus Expanse, without reinforcement 
  and far from the safety of the Imperium as a whole.
  DEATHWATCH
  Bringing a DEATHWATCH game into an ONLY WAR game 
  might, at ﬁrst glance, seem like one of the easiest campaigns to 
  combine, but it is actually one of the trickiest. It’s very difﬁcult 
  to reconcile the disparate power levels of Space Marines 
  and Imperial Guardsmen, and the genetic super-soldiers of 
  the Adeptus Astartes can easily overshadow Imperial Guard 
  characters. Space Marines in an ONLY WAR campaign are 
  best used sparingly, and will always be a source of shock and 
  reverence for any Imperial Guard characters they encounter.
  The Jericho Reach setting, however, is an extremely rich 
  place for a Guardsman to be. The Achilus Crusade is seeing 
  some of the most desperate and pitched battles in the galaxy, 
  and any Imperial Guard regiment would be right at home 
  ﬁghting in any of the three battlefronts of that massive conﬂict.
  Using Only 
  War with 
  Other Games
  “They are not my most subtle tool, but they are my favourite.”
  –Inquisitor Galdred York, on the Imperial Guard
  T
  he ONLY WAR roleplaying game is a game of battleﬁeld 
  heroism, and as such a host of NPCs, suitable for use 
  as both allies and adversaries, can be found within the 
  character creation guidelines and adversary sections of BLACK 
  CRUSADE, DEATHWATCH, ROGUE TRADER, and DARK HERESY. 
  A wealth of setting information can likewise be found in the 
  other books of the WARHAMMER 40,000 ROLEPLAY line.
  BRINGING OTHER GAMES 
  INTO ONLY WAR
  The things a Guardsman can run into on the battleﬁelds of the 
  41st Millennium are wide and varied. The other books of the 
  WARHAMMER 40,000 ROLEPLAY line offer great resources for 
  allies and enemies of all kinds.
  DARK HERESY
  DARK HERESY presents a wealth of knowledge about the day-
  to-day operations of the Imperium as a whole, and what life 
  is like for its common citizens, as well as speciﬁc information 
  about the operations of the Inquisition. Any number of 
  missions might bring an ONLY WAR group face-to-face with 
  an Inquisitor, or at least his Acolytes, and an Inquisitor has the 
  authority to swoop in and commandeer a squad, regiment, or 
  entire campaign for whatever arcane and inscrutable reasons 
  he desires. Inquisitors themselves are strange and aloof—the 
  nature of their service to the Emperor often keeps them at arm’s 
  length from other members of the Imperium. Entire adventures 
  or campaigns can be set around such a central ﬁgure.
  DARK HERESY also has a whole host of adversaries that an 
  Imperial Guard squad could theoretically ﬁnd itself in combat 
  against. The pages of the DARK HERESY books are ﬁlled with 
  cults, servants of the Ruinous Powers, strange xenos threats, 
  daemons, and Imperial traitors.
  The Calixis Sector is a rich and varied place to set any 
  ONLY WAR campaign. In fact, two of the sample regiments, the 
  Maccabian Janissaries and the Brontian Longknives, hail from 
  that sector of the galaxy, and the Spinward Front is merely its 
  subsector. Any campaign that prominently features either of 
  these regiments would beneﬁt greatly from a more nuanced 
  understanding of the sector of space they call home.
  ROGUE TRADER
  ROGUE TRADER has ship-to-ship combat rules that 
  are as well-suited to simulating high-level Imperial 
  Navy engagements as they are to the operations of 
  any given Rogue Trader vessel. ROGUE TRADER 
  Table 9-11: Skill Changes
  Only War Skill
  Previous Warhammer 40,000 
  Previous Warhammer 40,000 
  Roleplay Skill
  Acrobatics
  Acrobatics, Contortionist
  Athletics
  Climb, Swim
  Awareness
  Awareness, Lip Reading, Search
  Charm
  Charm, Performer
  Commerce
  Barter, Commerce, Evaluate (with 
  regard to an item’s worth only)
  Logic
  Logic, Gambling, Tactics
  Linguistics
  Ciphers, Literacy, Secret Tongue, 
  Speak Language
  Medicae
  Chem-Use, Medicae
  Operate
  Drive, Pilot
  Parry
  Not previously a Skill; any character 
  with WS advances or a WS 50+ 
  should have the Parry Skill
  Stealth
  Concealment, Silent Move, 
  Shadowing
  Survival
  Survival, Tracking, Wrangling
  Tech-Use
  Demolitions, Tech-Use
  Toughness†
  Carouse
  †Carouse has been removed and should now be resolved with a 
  Toughness Characteristic Test.
  
  311
  311
  IX: The Game Master
  Fighting alongside the campaigns of the Spinward Front 
  is also a viable option for any Inquisitor and his retinue, as 
  there are plenty of xenos and daemonic threats in the area, 
  and hordes of heretics to root out. 
  ROGUE TRADER
  Each Rogue Trader already has an army unto himself, the loyal 
  men and women of the ship’s crew. The massive battle rules work 
  equally well for a Trader’s private armies and personal defence 
  forces as they do for the Imperial Guard, with the ship’s Arch-
  Militant or even the Rogue Trader himself acting as the army’s 
  commander as they pacify a belligerent planet. A Rogue Trader 
  may easily prosecute an entire campaign for his own personal 
  proﬁt and pleasure, either against one of the fringe worlds 
  outside of Imperial authority or against one of his rivals.
  The Spinward Front also has the potential for of proﬁt. 
  A clever or desperate Rogue Trader may also hitch his cause 
  to the any of the many Imperial Guard campaigns being 
  prosecuted in the area: blockade running, acting as a troop 
  transport, and privateering to his heart’s content, and getting 
  paid twice; once in plunder and again by the Imperium. 
  DEATHWATCH
  DEATHWATCH has a host of options for requisitioning Imperial 
  allies, and RITES OF BATTLE introduces the Imperial Assets 
  component of the requisition rules. With ONLY WAR players 
  can make more detailed Imperial allies, and lead them to 
  battle with a host of vehicle and regimental rules that can 
  easily be adapted to a DEATHWATCH campaign.
  BLACK CRUSADE
  BLACK CRUSADE has a host of enemy options for the heroes of 
  the Imperial Guard. The character creation system of BLACK 
  CRUSADE can just as easily be used to create epic villains as 
  PCs, whether the GM wants an Apostate and his army of 
  Chaos-worshippers or a small but terrifying squad of Chaos 
  Space Marines. BLACK CRUSADE characters make excellent 
  antagonists for the Imperial Guard, especially as enemy 
  commanders or recurring villains.
  Ships are lost in the warp all the time, and though chances 
  are unlikely that a regiment of the Imperial Guard would 
  survive for any length of time in the Screaming Vortex, 
  that could be the basis for a very interesting (if harrowing) 
  campaign, as the regiment literally has to ﬁght its way 
  through hell and back.
  BRINGING ONLY WAR INTO 
  OTHER GAMES
  Being the largest military organisation in the entire galaxy, the 
  Imperial Guard affects every corner of the Imperium in some 
  way. This makes ONLY WAR a great resource for use with any 
  of the other books of the WARHAMMER 40,000 ROLEPLAY line.
  DARK HERESY
  The Guardsman career can easily be ﬁtted into a position of 
  battleﬁeld command. Massive battles can easily be integrated 
  into a DARK HERESY campaign, either for a session or as part 
  of a grand campaign.
  Table 9-12: Talent Changes
  Only War Talent
  Only War Talent
  Changes from Previous Systems
  Changes from Previous Systems
  Weapon Training
  Pistol Weapon Training, Basic Weapon Training, Heavy Weapon Training; individual Weapon 
  Training Talents in ONLY WAR cover a different range of weapons than those in previous games.
  Table 9-13: Trait Changes
  Only War Trait
  Changes from Previous Systems
  Brutal Charge (X)
  This Trait, rather than giving a ﬂat +3 bonus to Damage, adds (X) Damage to attacks made in 
  the same Round as the charge.
  Daemonic
  This Trait no longer multiplies Toughness Bonus, but rather increases the Toughness Bonus by a 
  static value. A good rule of thumb is that a 3-5 point increase to Toughness Bonus is functionally 
  equivalent to doubling the Characteristic Bonus.
  Deadly Natural 
  Weapons
  Previously named Improved Natural Weapons.
  Multiple Limbs (X)
  Previously known as Multiple Arms, this gave a ﬂat modiﬁer. Now it varies depending on how 
  many additional arms the creature possesses.
  Quadruped
  This Trait, rather than multiplying movement rates, adds a ﬂat bonus of +2 for every pair of legs 
  beyond the ﬁrst. The movement values of creatures should be recalculated to take this into account.
  Toxic (X)
  This Trait now deals Damage to anyone who successfully attacks the creature, and the Toughness 
  Test suffers a penalty equal to ten times (X). 
  Unnatural 
  Characteristics
  These Traits no longer multiply Characteristic Bonuses, but rather increase them by a ﬂat value. 
  A good rule of thumb is that a 3-5 point increase to a Characteristic Bonus is functionally 
  equivalent to the level of the ‘old’ Unnatural Characteristics values.
  Unnatural Speed
  This Trait no longer exists. Unnatural Agility now increases movement values where it did not 
  before, rendering Unnatural Speed redundant.
  
  312
  IX: The Game Master
  was passed or failed. ONLY WAR instead begins at 1 Degree 
  for the most basic level of success, adding an additional 
  Degree of Success or Failure for every 10 as above. The 
  overall difference is of one Degree in either direction, and 
  elements converted from other games should be adjusted to 
  account for this change.
  Skills: A number of skills present in previous games have been 
  consolidated into a smaller number of broad skills in ONLY WAR. 
  In addition, the system for Skill Mastery has changed slightly, 
  adding an additional level of mastery that didn’t exist previously. 
  Table 9–11: Skill Changes summarizes these changes.
  With regards to Skill Mastery, any character with a +20 in a 
  given Skill and the Talented Talent for that Skill, should be 
  considered to have it at the Veteran Skill Rank in ONLY WAR 
  terms. Players should notice that, in turn, there is no longer a 
  “Talented” Talent that provides +10 to a chosen Skill.
  In addition, the Invocation skill has been removed.
  Talents: A number of Talents presented in previous games 
  have been changed or renamed in ONLY WAR, the main details 
  of which are summarised in Table 9–12: Talent Changes. 
  In addition, a number of abilities that were previously Talents 
  have now been redeﬁned as bionic implants augmented by 
  Talents, though the effects have largely remained the same.
  Traits: A number of Traits presented in previous games have 
  been changed or renamed in ONLY WAR, the main details of 
  which have been summarised in Table 9–13: Trait Changes.
  The change to Unnatural Characteristics is particularly 
  signiﬁcant when dealing with Player Characters, speciﬁcally 
  Ascension-level DARK HERESY characters, all DEATHWATCH 
  characters, and xenos characters from ROGUE TRADER. The 
  Characteristic Bonuses of all such characters should be 
  recalculated when transferring them into ONLY WAR.
  Weapon Qualities: A number of weapon qualities presented 
  in previous games have been changed or renamed in ONLY 
  WAR, the main details of which have been summarised in 
  Table 9–14: Weapon Quality Changes.
  BLACK CRUSADE
  Normally, when a PC or a squad reaches 100 on the corruption 
  track, the game is over. In BLACK CRUSADE, however, that’s 
  where the game begins. If the GM and his players are interested 
  in the further adventures of a squad that has turned traitor, 
  he may convert them over to BLACK CRUSADE characters. The 
  massive battle rules are excellent for depicting the internecine 
  squabbling of the servants of Chaos, and the Imperial Guard-
  speciﬁc character creation rules could easily be used to create a 
  dreaded regiment of the damned.
  CONVERSION RULES
  Some of the most common mechanical questions for 
  integrating characters from different games are covered here, 
  although this discussion is by no means exhaustive, and the 
  ﬁner points must always be up to the GM’s judgement. When 
  running a game using characters or other elements from more 
  than one WARHAMMER 40,000 ROLEPLAY game, the GM 
  should select a primary game, and the game is then run under 
  the mechanics of the primary game. All game play follows the 
  Playing the Game and Combat Chapters of the primary game 
  and that system’s rules for Psychic Powers.
  Characters from games other than the primary game 
  use their own system’s rules for character creation and 
  progression. The characters’ access to Skills and Talents is 
  therefore also based on their own system, though with any 
  differences in a Skill or Talent’s wording or rules, the primary 
  game takes priority. Many Skills, Talents, Traits, and Weapon 
  Qualities have changed in small but signiﬁcant ways from 
  the versions found in previous games. The remainder of this 
  section covers in broad and simple terms some the biggest 
  differences that may affect characters created from games 
  other than ONLY WAR:
  Degrees of Success and Failure: Degrees of 
  Success and Failure in the previous games begin at 
  0, for succeeding or failing by less than 10, with a 
  single Degree for every full 10 by which the Test 
  Table 9-14: Weapon Quality Changes
  Only War 
  Weapon Quality
  Changes from Previous Systems
  Concussive (X)
  Concussive previously had no variable value; Concussive weapons from previous books should 
  be treated as Concussive (1).
  Felling (X)
  Felling weapons no longer simply remove levels of Unnatural Toughness. The change to 
  Unnatural Characteristics means that a value of 3-5 is appropriate for a weapon from a previous 
  game with Felling (1).
  Flame, Spray
  The old Flame Quality has now been split into two qualities—one covering the chance of 
  igniting a target, the other covering the manner of attack. All weapons that had a chance of 
  setting a target alight have the new Flame quality, while all weapons that previously had the 
  Flame Quality should now have both Flame and Spray.
  Primitive
  Primitive has changed from a weapon type to a Quality (Primitive weapons are now Low-tech 
  weapons). Old Primitive weapons should, as a rule of thumb, gain Primitive (8) instead, unless 
  there is some compelling reason to have a higher or lower value.
  Reliable
  Reliable weapons now jam on an unmodiﬁed roll of 00.
  Scatter
  The change to this quality can be applied without difﬁculty to weapons from the previous games.
  Unbalanced, Unwieldy
  Weapons with these properties can no longer be used to make Lighting Attacks.
  
  THE IMPERIUM  
  OF MAN
  •
  THE SPINWARD 
  FRONT
  •
  WAAAGH! 
  GRIMTOOF
  •
  THE SEVERAN 
  DOMINATE
  
  314
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  to one single orb—Earth, or Holy Terra. Forty thousand years 
  after his escape from the bloody crucible of his birth world, 
  Man has carried war in all its forms to the very stars. From 
  one extent of the galaxy to the other, countless worlds have 
  known the tread of men. Most have come as settlers, many as 
  conquerors, but no world has been untouched by the ﬁres of 
  devastation. Entire planets have burned at mankind’s passing, 
  whole species cast upon the ﬁery pyres of extinction.
  Yet, it would be a heretic, or a fool of the very worst kind, 
  who condemned mankind as wanton or unjust in his bloody 
  ways. Even before he broke the shackles of Old Earth, Man 
  was engaged in a war for his very survival. At once both driven 
  and haunted by his own dark passions, Man ever strove for 
  the very survival of his species. For countless aeons the species 
  existed on the precipice, until, that is, mankind dragged 
  himself from the dark pit of barbarism and clad himself in 
  the trappings of civilisation. Soon he found that civilisation 
  brought with it progress, and the ﬁeld that beneﬁted most 
  was not philosophy or art, but science, which soon begat 
  technology. With the ability to harness the very elements of 
  creation came an undreamed of capacity for destruction and 
  it was for a time as if mankind had regressed to its basest state 
  and stood upon the verge of racial extinction once more.
  In time, however, humanity mastered technology and 
  turned its eyes upon the distant stars. The bitter struggle from 
  cave to skyscraper had taken mankind countless ages, but 
  the journey that saw his horizons expand exponentially was 
  achieved in what amounted to the blink of an eye. Though 
  Chapter X:  
  A Galaxy  
  of War
  “The Age of Battle is begun. The ﬁres of war burn brightly from star 
  to star. Everywhere, the fortresses of Man are steeped in blood, and 
  ancient enemies appear from the darkness. Sensing weakness they gather 
  for the kill. They know, as we know, that as night approaches, all 
  mortal life shall be extinguished. We know, as they cannot, that there 
  shall be a new dawn and a new day when we will rise and they shall 
  be driven into the darkness forever. The Age of Battle is begun...”
  –Sermon the First, Inquisitorium Unicus
  F
  or countless thousands of years, mankind has known 
  nothing other than war. Since time immemorial, brother 
  has slain brother in the name of justice, progress, liberty, 
  or any of a thousand other fallacious creeds. Yet, at no time 
  in Man’s ceaseless struggle for survival have his hands been 
  so blood soaked, his heart so consumed with hatred, or his 
  mind ﬁlled with such ﬁendishly murderous stratagems as 
  they are at the close of the 41st Millennium. For the 
  vast majority of humanity’s existence, its wars and 
  the destruction they have unleashed were conﬁned 
  
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  X: A Galaxy of War
  were tolerated and allowed their continued existence, most 
  were found to be too horriﬁc in nature to be treated with. 
  For two centuries, the Emperor led his glorious armies until, 
  ﬁnally, the re-conquered worlds could be bound together as 
  a whole. Returning to Earth to prepare for this next stage in 
  the building of the greatest stellar empire ever conceived, the 
  Emperor turned over command of his crusading hosts to his 
  most favoured scion, the Space Marine Primarch Horus.
  But Horus was oathed to forces other than the Emperor, 
  his soul bound over to the Ruinous Powers—the fell gods of 
  Chaos. Horus corrupted fully half of the Emperor’s armies, 
  and his machinations plunged the nascent Imperium into a 
  war the like of which the galaxy had never before seen. For 
  the best part of a decade, the galaxy burned and all that the 
  Emperor had achieved was cast upon the funereal pyres of 
  galactic civil war. At the last, Horus laid siege to Terra, the 
  last bastion of mankind, and humanity’s light guttered as 
  the darkness closed in about it. With the fate of his entire 
  species hanging in the balance, the Emperor confronted 
  his son and the two fought the battle that would decide 
  the next ten thousand years of mankind’s history. Though 
  it cost him mortal wounds from which he would never 
  recover, father slew son, and the Emperor’s broken body 
  was enthroned within the life-sustaining machineries of the 
  Golden Throne. There it remains to this day, a desiccated 
  and shrivelled prison for the most potent and wondrous 
  mind ever born to mankind.
  What remained of the Imperium in the wake of the Horus 
  Heresy was slowly rebuilt, yet it was cursed never to attain 
  the heights of glory the Emperor had envisioned. The Great 
  Crusade had been an endeavour founded on hope, reason, and 
  cooperation, in which benighted superstition and barbarism 
  were to be driven from the hearts and minds of humanity. 
  With the destruction heaped upon the worlds of men by the 
  all-consuming galactic civil war, such notions were proven 
  misplaced at best, and criminally negligent at worst. Hope ﬂed 
  in the face of mankind’s propensity to destroy all that had been 
  achieved. Reason was vanquished by the daemonic powers 
  unleashed during the conﬂict. Cooperation was by brutal 
  necessity transformed into enslavement, for nothing short of 
  total acquiescence to authority would facilitate survival in the 
  face of the horrors that still confronted mankind.
  In the wake of total civil war, those horrors closed in upon 
  the shattered Imperium from every quarter. With its worlds 
  clustered into scattered sectors, which were themselves spread 
  throughout the vastness of the galaxy, the Imperium had no 
  external borders that could be defended by a strong military 
  presence. Instead, every sector was a potential target for the 
  aliens, outcasts, and other, still worse things that haunted 
  the uncharted depths between each sector. The Imperium’s 
  fortunes waxed and waned as the centuries turned to 
  millennia, but somehow it endured every possible disaster, 
  from alien invasion to schism and far, far worse. 
  The one constant throughout the long ages has been war, 
  and not a single one of the million and more worlds of the 
  Imperium is untouched by it. The Imperium is so vast it is 
  impossible to govern centrally, and so each world must 
  look ﬁrst to itself when faced with threats, whether 
  internal or external. In the ruler of each world is 
  initially faltering, humanity stepped beyond the bounds of 
  his home system and set about the conquering of the entire 
  galaxy, heralding an age all but unknown to the scholars of 
  the 41st Millennium. What wars were fought, what terrors 
  were defeated and what glories were won may never be 
  known, except perhaps in dimly recalled and much distorted 
  folk memory and legend. Certainly, mankind must have faced 
  and defeated alien civilisations at least as ancient as itself, 
  perhaps many times older. That ﬁrst stellar empire must 
  surely have been built upon the ashes of other civilisations, 
  the barest traces of which remain to crumble underfoot today.
  But whatever heights were attained during this lost age, all 
  were cast down during the epoch that followed. Some say that 
  technology itself turned against its creator, the machines that 
  man had come to rely upon and the anima that infused them 
  turning traitor and blasting all to dust. Others claim that some 
  previously undetected alien species unleashed unknowable 
  technologies upon mankind, who in its hubris believed itself 
  to have reached the apex of progress. Others whisper that 
  humanity woke long-slumbering powers, who in an instant 
  unravelled countless thousands of years of achievement and 
  blasted humanity back into its own ice age, albeit one that 
  would be endured beneath the wan light of cruel, alien suns.
  Having been laid so low, it would be many long centuries 
  before humanity turned its attentions to anything more 
  ambitious than base subsistence. Those worlds upon which 
  mankind still survived were cast adrift in the endless night, 
  and soon the populations of each forgot that they were part 
  of a once mighty stellar empire. Each came to believe itself 
  the last, only, or original of its species, enduring an age of 
  unprecedented barbarism and superstition.
  Then one day, a man who had walked the Earth since time 
  before time set about the gargantuan task of re-uniting the 
  scattered tribes of Terra, and then of the galaxy. The being 
  who would one day be called Emperor, then in time God-
  Emperor, began the Great Crusade, and built the foundations 
  of the largest, and perhaps the last, stellar empire in mankind’s 
  long, bloody history.
  The Imperium 
  of Man
  “The Imperium! How mighty its aspect! How far-reaching its 
  boundaries! As one world dies, ten more are brought into the fold. 
  Fear us, for we count the lives of planets, not men!”
  –Cardinal Morius Blate, Ecclesiarch Primus
  T
  he galaxy-spanning Imperium was founded when the 
  Warp storms, which had for countless thousands of 
  years isolated so much of the scattered remnants of 
  humanity, dispersed, and the Emperor, the greatest man ever 
  to have lived, led his armies outwards from Earth to reunite 
  the long lost worlds. Most populations welcomed their 
  saviour, though some did not and had to be brought to heel 
  by the Emperor’s crusading hosts. Other worlds were found 
  to be in the sway of aliens, and while some xenos cultures 
  
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  X: A Galaxy of War 
  THE MASTERS  
  OF MANKIND
  “A man may die, yet still endure if his work enters the greater work, for 
  time is carried upon a current of forgotten deeds, and events of great 
  import are but the culmination of a single carefully placed thought. As 
  all men must thank progenitors obscured by the past, so must we endure 
  the present so that those who follow may continue the endeavour.”
  –The Chime of Eons
  Cruel necessity dictates that the teeming masses of humanity 
  be divided into numerous castes and tiers, and while many 
  exist in the cracks between, the vast majority are forced into 
  one of these rigidly controlled classes. Such a structure must 
  be brutally imposed, for were it to collapse then anarchy and 
  death would soon follow. 
  At the very apex of power sits the Emperor, who for 
  centuries has been revered by most of his subjects as a god. 
  Yet, since his interment in the Golden Throne at the dawn 
  of the Age of Imperium, the Emperor has remained silent, 
  his puissant mind undoubtedly active yet no external signs 
  of his survival presenting themselves to the millions-strong 
  cadre that attends him. Not since the ﬁnal days of the Horus 
  Heresy has the Emperor been anything but a ﬁgurehead, 
  and in his stead another body has risen to rule in his name. 
  The Senatorum Imperialis—more commonly called the 
  High Lords of Terra—is responsible for the governance, 
  vested total power, his only duties to the larger stellar empire 
  being the regular culling of those born with dangerous 
  psychic powers and the provision of at least one tenth of 
  his military might for the numerous wars of the Imperium. 
  Though no two worlds of the Imperium are exactly alike, 
  ranging from barbarous jungle-dwellers to reﬁned hive-
  dwelling elites, each is required to defend itself and the 
  greater mass of humanity. Those who do not toil ceaselessly 
  to manufacture the weapons and stocks of war must serve at 
  the front line, whether it be on the world of their birth of 
  light years away beneath an unfamiliar sun. The Imperium 
  is an impossibly vast and, in places, crumbling ediﬁce, its 
  every effort turned towards the daily struggle for the survival 
  of the entire human race. It is a barely functioning system 
  capable only of consuming itself in its own death throes, each 
  thrashing outburst capable of destroying entire worlds and 
  whole alien empires. Despite its decrepitude, the Imperium 
  endures, for humanity has so embraced its fate that no effort 
  is beyond it, no deed below it. There is no length to which 
  the masters of mankind will not go to ensure the survival of 
  the species for but one more day, though the stars themselves 
  might be extinguished in the process. 
  In such a battle for survival, there can be no individuals. 
  Each man and woman is but a brief tally mark upon the 
  ceaseless roll of life and death that counts inevitably 
  towards the end time, the ﬁnal battle that will decide 
  not only the fate of the human race, but of the entire 
  galaxy it lays claim to.
  THE WARP
  So vast is the Imperium that travel between its worlds and sectors is only possible at all because mankind is able to 
  voyage between the stars by setting sail upon the so-called Sea of Souls, the Empyrean, or simply the Warp. An unreal 
  dimension of pure energy, the Warp is a boiling ocean inextricably linked to the material universe. It is populated, so 
  mystics and madmen claim, by the unformed, insensate souls of mortals, and because of this, it resounds with the passions 
  unleashed in the material realm. When war rages in the galaxy of man, the Warp too seethes and boils with hatred. 
  When mortals scheme and plot one another’s downfall, so the Warp churns with malicious intent. When desecration and 
  blasphemy rule, so the Warp echoes with shrieks of pain and pleasure. When all that mortals have created is torn down 
  for nothing more than the joy of destruction, so too does the Empyrean boil over with death and rebirth. 
  These unreal stirrings form currents of emotion, which conjoin to become raging storms. From these congeal 
  unknowable intelligences, beings created by the passions of mortals. Having awoken, the nascent gods both feed upon 
  the emotions that birthed them and in turn inspire them, completing a circle that has existed as long as the mortal races. 
  While many of these nascent beings fade or die stillborn, several have risen to such power that nothing may now undo 
  them. These are the four Gods of Chaos, the Ruinous Powers—Khorne, the Blood God; Tzeentch, the Changer of 
  Ways; Slaanesh, the Darkling Prince; and Nurgle, Father of Decay. Though the desires and passions that drive these fell 
  beings are beyond mere mortals, they are worshipped and beseeched across the galaxy by those sufﬁciently deluded or 
  desperate to seek and harness but a fraction of their power. A few do so successfully, their dark ambitions realised to the 
  detriment of the entire galaxy. Most are unable to withstand the raw power of the Warp, their souls seared to ashes and 
  their bodies mutated into gibbering, writhing masses of tentacles and bubbling ﬂesh.
  It is hardly surprising that the prospect of traversing such a realm as gave birth to these beings is a fearful prospect for 
  most, yet without Warp travel the Imperium would cease to exist as a coherent whole. Voyages that would take centuries 
  by conventional means can be achieved in days by Warp travel. Only by enveloping itself in a bubble of reality created 
  by a ship’s Gellar Field can it hold at bay the hungry ﬁends that populate the Warp through which it sails. The Warp is 
  at once essential to the Imperium’s survival, and likely the source of its ultimate doom.
  The common vassal of the Imperium knows very little of interstellar travel and in all probability will never set foot 
  on alien soil. However, each year countless millions are swept up from the drudgery of everyday existence and drafted 
  into the Imperial Guard to be shipped out to a warzone light years away. For many, the Warp-spawned nightmares that 
  haunt them day and night are made all the more terrifying for never having known that such a voyage was possible. 
  
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  X: A Galaxy of War
  well as a staging area for ﬂeets and armies shipping out to 
  distant warzones. Each Segmentum fortress is an impregnable 
  bastion able to withstand the most concerted assault and they 
  are to all intents and purposes the penultimate defences at 
  the Imperium’s disposal. Should they fall, then Terra would 
  be next, and that is beyond the comprehension of any who 
  serve in them.
  At the very pinnacle of military power sits the High Lord 
  responsible for the Imperial Guard—the Lord Commander 
  Militant—yet this is not a permanent seat and so such an 
  ofﬁce may not always be ﬁlled. In reality, power is devolved 
  to the Lords Militant, senior Imperial Guard generals, and 
  Imperial Navy admirals based at the Segmentum fortresses 
  and granted control over vast bodies of warriors and warships. 
  When the High Lords issue a mandate to launch a crusade 
  or defend a region, one of these individuals is given the 
  solemn duty of enacting their will. Very occasionally, an 
  undertaking will be of such gravitas that a special ofﬁce is 
  required, an appointment only made in the most extreme 
  circumstances and by one incumbent at a time. This is the 
  appointment of Warmaster, a rank that encompasses such 
  such as is possible, of the Imperium. In reality, this august 
  body concerns itself only with strategic concerns affecting 
  the entire Imperium, for anything lower is impossible for 
  them to implement. To the High Lords falls responsibility 
  not for planets, or even sectors, but entire regions. Their 
  primary concern is war and the movement of warriors and 
  materiel from one part of the galaxy to another. The taking 
  of individual worlds and systems is below their notice, but 
  to them falls the fate of entire alien empires and warzones 
  that encompass vast reaches of space. They have the power to 
  mobilise the industrial capacity of entire sectors or to drain 
  them of men and women of ﬁghting age, that a region lost to 
  the Imperium might be recovered. Should an external threat 
  present itself, as it has on the Eastern Fringe with the arrival 
  of the Tyranid Hive Fleets, the High Lords have sufﬁcient 
  perspective to set in motion defensive plans that encompass 
  huge regions of the Imperium and might take decades, even 
  centuries, to reach fruition.
  The Senatorum Imperialis is only able to make its lofty 
  pronouncements because it is supported by an unimaginably 
  vast army of bureaucrats, administrators, and scribes 
  known as the Priesthood of Terra, or the Administratum. 
  This sprawling organisation is divided and sub-divided 
  into countless divisions, some of them billions strong 
  and ubiquitous, others all but unknown and damnably 
  esoteric. The Administratum concerns itself not with the 
  running of individual worlds, for that is the business 
  of their governors, but with the galactic machinery of 
  which each world is but a small component. Tithes 
  and quotas must be managed and sustained so 
  that the Imperium is rendered its due and its 
  wars may continue, and interstellar trade 
  must be regulated. Hive worlds capable of 
  staggering output yet unable to feed their own 
  populations must be fed by nearby agri-worlds, 
  and it is the Administratum that ensures such 
  requirements are met. Populations must be 
  maintained over countless generations so that 
  the ranks of armies yet to be constituted can 
  be ﬁlled. Imperial Navy warships must be laid down 
  decades before they are required, and so vast armies 
  of scribes and prognosticators dedicate their lives to 
  predicting the ebb and ﬂow of war on a galactic scale. 
  Though war is never far from the thoughts of all 
  divisions of the Administratum, for one part it is the 
  sole concern. The Departmento Munitorum provides 
  the infrastructure that maintains the Imperium’s 
  innumerable wars, implementing the dictates of the 
  Senatorum Imperialis as they relate to war in all its 
  myriad forms. It is from the ranks of the Munitorum’s 
  military administrators that the generals and staff corps 
  of the Imperium’s military machine are drawn, and such 
  men and women are utterly dedicated to the defence of 
  the Emperor’s domains.
  The Imperium is divided into ﬁve primary zones, 
  called Segmentum, each encompassing an impossibly 
  huge region of space. Each of these Segmentae is 
  served by a Segmentum fortress, which serves as the 
  base of the highest echelons of military power as 
  317
  solemn duty of enacting their will. Very occasionally, an 
  undertaking will be of such gravitas that a special ofﬁce is 
  required, an appointment only made in the most extreme 
  circumstances and by one incumbent at a time. This is the 
  appointment of Warmaster, a rank that encompasses such 
  huge regions of the Imperium and might take decades, even 
  The Senatorum Imperialis is only able to make its lofty 
  pronouncements because it is supported by an unimaginably 
  vast army of bureaucrats, administrators, and scribes 
  known as the Priesthood of Terra, or the Administratum. 
  This sprawling organisation is divided and sub-divided 
  into countless divisions, some of them billions strong 
  and ubiquitous, others all but unknown and damnably 
  esoteric. The Administratum concerns itself not with the 
  running of individual worlds, for that is the business 
  of their governors, but with the galactic machinery of 
  which each world is but a small component. Tithes 
  and quotas must be managed and sustained so 
  that the Imperium is rendered its due and its 
  wars may continue, and interstellar trade 
  must be regulated. Hive worlds capable of 
  staggering output yet unable to feed their own 
  populations must be fed by nearby agri-worlds, 
  and it is the Administratum that ensures such 
  requirements are met. Populations must be 
  maintained over countless generations so that 
  the ranks of armies yet to be constituted can 
  be ﬁlled. Imperial Navy warships must be laid down 
  decades before they are required, and so vast armies 
  of scribes and prognosticators dedicate their lives to 
  predicting the ebb and ﬂow of war on a galactic scale. 
  Though war is never far from the thoughts of all 
  divisions of the Administratum, for one part it is the 
  sole concern. The Departmento Munitorum provides 
  the infrastructure that maintains the Imperium’s 
  innumerable wars, implementing the dictates of the 
  Senatorum Imperialis as they relate to war in all its 
  myriad forms. It is from the ranks of the Munitorum’s 
  military administrators that the generals and staff corps 
  of the Imperium’s military machine are drawn, and such 
  men and women are utterly dedicated to the defence of 
  The Imperium is divided into ﬁve primary zones, 
  called Segmentum, each encompassing an impossibly 
  huge region of space. Each of these Segmentae is 
  served by a Segmentum fortress, which serves as the 
  base of the highest echelons of military power as 
  
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  X: A Galaxy of War 
  THE EMPEROR’S WARS
  “Each alien destroyed is a soul freed from eternal bondage. Each 
  mortal alien life extinguished is a human soul raised to glory. Thus 
  our eternal destiny is written in the blood of the alien. With sword 
  and spear, destroy the alien. With cannon shot and gun blast, smash 
  the alien. With lasers and searing plasma, scatter the alien to the 
  stars. With tooth and ﬁst and hammer blows, with axe and shell and 
  poison-bombs, with virus-charge and thermal mines… Kill them… 
  Kill them… Kill them all!
  –A Litany of Disgust
  By decree as ancient as the Imperium itself, each of the million 
  and more worlds of the Emperor’s domains is required to look 
  to its own defence. Each must raise what ﬁghting forces are 
  required to defend against threats both internal and external, 
  according to its own needs and circumstances. On densely 
  populated worlds, millions of warriors may be under arms 
  serving in standing armies. Less populated worlds may only 
  be able to sustain small bodies of ﬁghting men and women, 
  which at times of crisis can be bolstered by the mustering 
  of irregular or reserve forces. Frontier worlds might have 
  no standing forces at all and be entirely reliant on a poorly 
  equipped and barely trained militia. Whichever is the case on 
  any given world, whenever war comes, as it so often does in 
  the 41st Millennium, it is the world’s own forces that must 
  face it, more often than not alone.
  Planetary defence forces are not generally expected to ﬁght 
  anywhere other than on their own home soil. In practice, 
  a planetary lord’s domains might extend beyond his home 
  world to include other planets in his system. Such worlds are 
  rarely any more than subsidiaries to the lord’s own world, 
  and they generally contain no more than scattered mining 
  facilities, outposts, and sentinel stations. Local forces might 
  have rudimentary intra-system vessels, but are very unlikely 
  to have access to Warp-capable vessels. 
  When trouble ﬂares, it can take almost any form. Rebels 
  might rise up from within even the most rigidly controlled 
  society, necessitating the mobilisation of entire armies to 
  suppress such activity and cull the insurrectionists. Raiders, 
  pirates, or slavers might attack from the wild darkness 
  between inhabited systems, and these are just as likely to be 
  treacherous humans as they are slavering xenos. Sometimes, 
  rival planetary lords go to war against one another, perhaps 
  jealous of natural resources over which each believes he has 
  a valid claim. In such circumstances, planetary defence forces 
  are used as private armies to further the ambitions of their 
  masters, and millions are mobilised in the effort to capture 
  desirable worlds. In the main, the Imperium at large ignores 
  such brushﬁre wars so long as they do not interfere with 
  the rulers’ ability to meet their tithes and they do not lead 
  to wider anarchy. Should they spread to encompass other 
  regions or otherwise disrupt the business of the Imperium as a 
  whole, then the response is likely to be swift and brutal, with 
  all parties involved crushed and the wayward lords replaced.
  If a threat is too large or challenging to be contained by a 
  world’s own forces, its ruler is both entitled and expected to 
  call for aid. The astropathic signal rings out and, because of 
  the nature of astro-telepathy, is likely to be received by every 
  unsurpassed power that it is almost as if one of the High 
  Lords were leading the armies of the Imperium in person. 
  Because it was an individual with the same title who brought 
  the Imperium to its knees ten thousand years ago, many prefer 
  to use an alternative, the most popular of which is Lord Solar. 
  Those who bear such rank are truly the greatest of leaders and 
  their power is unsurpassed. They lead crusades against alien 
  empires and into benighted regions of the galaxy, taking vast 
  swathes of space for the Imperium or re-capturing regions 
  long since lost to humanity. 
  While huge power is vested in the Lords Militant in the 
  Segmentum fortresses, even these individuals are often unable 
  to comprehend the military situation at the sector level. This 
  falls to the local divisions of the Departmento Munitorum, 
  who provide the infrastructure that allows for the raising and 
  support of armies within a sector. While each sector has an 
  Administratum representative known as a Sector Lord acting 
  as its ﬁgurehead and master in all matters of sector-wide 
  coordination, it is in the planetary lords that most power at 
  this level resides. These so-called Peers of the Imperium are 
  required to maintain their own forces at appropriate levels 
  of readiness and skill, and to turn portions of these forces 
  over to the Departmento Munitorum upon demand. The 
  planetary governors are plagued by numerous concerns, not 
  least of which are rebellion within their own populations and 
  external attack from pirates or aliens. Perhaps because of the 
  travails each world faces and the unique manner in which 
  each has developed its armed forces, each is able to produce 
  regiments of prodigious skill, uniquely suited to the speciﬁcs 
  of warfare on their home world. Many are highly specialised, 
  while others are blessed with countless generations of noble 
  service from which to draw inspiration, and a planetary 
  governor that squanders such an inheritance is likely to face 
  the most extreme kind of censure. Should the Administratum 
  judge a governor lacking in the prosecution of his duties to 
  the wider Imperium, he may be called upon to step down, 
  and if he does not, a punitive expedition raised to force 
  the matter. Such is the endless cycle of war on which 
  the Imperium is founded.
  THE ADEPTUS CUSTODES
  A cadre of puissant warriors said to be every bit 
  as stoic and super-human as the Space Marines, 
  the Adeptus Custodes are the grim sentinels of the 
  Emperor’s throne room. Clad in suits of golden 
  armour, each as ancient as the Imperium itself, and 
  forged by the hands of master artisans, the Adeptus 
  Custodes stand eternal vigil over the wizened form 
  of the God-Emperor of Mankind. It is said that 
  none may even set foot upon the sacred ground of 
  Holy Terra if they mean the Emperor ill without the 
  Adeptus Custodes knowing of it. Certainly, none 
  may approach the Golden Throne without passing 
  beneath their unblinking gaze, nor that of the Titan 
  god-machines said to watch over the throne room 
  with weapons mighty enough to slay entire armies.
  
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  X: A Galaxy of War
  are raised in response to each crisis, for the nature of Warp 
  travel makes predicting when, or even if, they will arrive all 
  but impossible. It is not uncommon for entire armies to arrive 
  decades, or even centuries after setting forth for a warzone. On 
  several occasions one has arrived ready for war only to discover 
  the world it was despatched to liberate a barren waste, or even 
  worse, entirely in the thrall of some alien empire.
  Having arrived at its destination, the new regiment is 
  invariably pitched directly into the churning cauldron of war. 
  Initial casualties can be so high that the regiment ceases to 
  function within days or even hours of its ﬁrst deployment. 
  Those that survive the initial shock, however, might go 
  on to become veterans trusted by their commanders to 
  carry the day no matter the odds. Invariably, the regiment 
  becomes a rag-tag shadow of its former self, with new and 
  sometimes unfamiliar equipment replacing that with which 
  the regiment was initially equipped. New items of uniform 
  replace old, worn out ones, and soon the regiment shows 
  scant resemblance to how it started out.
  Inevitably, regiments suffer casualties and so they are 
  often merged together with similarly reduced formations. 
  Where possible, regiments from the same home world are 
  joined in this way, but this is not always an option. Great care 
  must be taken in such circumstances, for a badly considered 
  regimental merger might result in an ill-coordinated ﬁghting 
  body consisting of warriors barely able to understand one 
  another’s dialects and sharing very few traditions. Sometimes 
  elements of a regiment are seconded to other formations, such 
  as an infantry company tasked with providing close support 
  for a heavy artillery regiment, and simply never returned. 
  Such pairings often become permanent as the tides of war 
  carry units far away and all contact is lost.
  Very occasionally, a regiment survives or even prospers in 
  the ﬁeld for signiﬁcant lengths of time. Where possible, these 
  long-service veterans are assigned to crusade forces where their 
  great experience can be harnessed to push forth the borders of 
  the Imperium. As an incentive, some regiments are promised 
  settlement rights on those planets they conquer. If successful 
  in their endeavour, the regiment’s troops and their ramshackle 
  train of followers become the core of a new population, the 
  ofﬁcers the basis of the ruling class. In generations to come, 
  the world may be able to support regimental foundings of its 
  own. Thus, there are worlds scattered about the entire galaxy 
  founded on the half-remembered traditions of far older 
  societies. One Departmento Munitorum historator database 
  claims to record over three dozen frontier worlds named 
  “Nova Cadia” or some variation on that theme, and that the 
  two most distant are separated by 77,000 light years of space. 
  Such a claim cannot be veriﬁed within the lifetime of any one 
  scribe, but few would doubt that it is very possibly true.
  world within a broadly spherical region centred on the source. 
  However, the nature of Warp communication is far from stable, 
  and so it is quite possible that worlds much further away will 
  receive the transmission ﬁrst, or that it will be garbled and all 
  but unintelligible to those who receive it. In addition, Warp 
  travel relies upon more or less stable routes along which vessels 
  may sail, but if there is no such route between two worlds, 
  they might as well be on the other side of the galaxy from one 
  another for all the help that can be offered. 
  When such a plea is received, it is acted upon by the 
  Departmento Munitorum mission present upon that world, 
  which sets in motion a well-established chain of events. 
  Depending on the nature of the threat communicated, 
  anything up to ten per cent of the local planetary governor’s 
  forces, and sometimes much more, can be immediately “tithed” 
  into the Imperial Guard. Defence forces previously under 
  the direct control of the local planetary lord are mustered on 
  the founding ﬁelds and in a ceremony of great honour and 
  gravitas, granted a numeral, which may have been borne many 
  times by other regiments from that world. Then, the regiments 
  board the Imperial Navy troop transports and ship out to the 
  ﬂashpoint, though the journey might take days, weeks, or even 
  months, depending on prevailing conditions in the Warp.
  Once on board the mighty troop conveyance ships, the 
  newly raised regiments are subjected to a demanding regime 
  of assessment, training, and indoctrination. Local variants of 
  equipment not used anywhere other than the regiment’s home 
  world are often discarded, for there can be no logistics train 
  leading back to that world once the regiment is committed, 
  and so maintaining rare marks of weapons or vehicles will be 
  impossible. Where needed, regiments are re-equipped with 
  standard models of common equipment and trained in its 
  use without respite. In truth, however, most regiments retain 
  their own equipment and uniforms, however outlandish or 
  anachronistic, and by the time they arrive at the warzone they 
  are thoroughly prepared for the conﬂict ahead.
  Sometimes, these newly raised forces are not actually the 
  ﬁrst to reach the trouble spot. Fastest of all the Imperium’s 
  forces are the super-human Space Marines of the Adeptus 
  Astartes, these elite warriors equipped with vessels so fast 
  and with such range that their force can be projected almost 
  anywhere in the galaxy. As potent a force as such mighty 
  warriors are, though, they are few, and to commit them 
  against anything other than the very centre of the enemy’s 
  mass would be a criminal waste of resources. Space Marines 
  never become embroiled in wars of attrition—that is the task 
  of the Imperial Guard. 
  Other forces that might answer a beleaguered world’s call for 
  aid include the Imperial Navy, its mighty warships able to unleash 
  a fearsome barrage of orbit-to-ground ordnance from which no 
  foe is safe, yet its ground forces not suited for prolonged or massed 
  actions. Companies of mercenaries might rush to the warzone 
  too, eager to sell their services to the desperate defenders, as 
  might the forces of the Ecclesiarchy, the private armies of Rogue 
  Trader or Navigator Houses, or even the indentured troops of 
  powerful and martially-minded Inquisitors.
  But ultimately, unless such forces can achieve a rapid and 
  overwhelming victory, it is the Imperial Guard that must 
  prosecute the Emperor’s wars. Large numbers of regiments 
  
  REQ. PLANET: 
  Kulth
  SECTOR: 
   
  Calixis
  SUB-SECTOR: 
  The Periphery
  ORB. DISTANCE:  
  4.55 AU
  0.87G/ TEMP: 24 C
  PLANET GRADE: 
  War World
  TITHE GRADE: 
  Aptus Non
  GEOGRAPHY: 
  Temperate
  CURRENT CONTROL: 
  Larius Sans
  H
  A
  L
  O
  S
  T
  A
  R
  S
  S E G M E N T U M
  P A C I F I C U S
  S E G M E N T U M
  S O L A R
  S E G M E N T U M
  T E M P E S T U S
  S E G M E N T U M
  O B S C U R U S
  H E L L - S T A R S  O F  T H E  G A R O 
  N E B U L A
  O C U L A R I S
  T E R R I B U S
  Cypra Mundi
  Holy Terra
  Ruins of Caliban
  Cadia
  Nemesis Tessera
  Mordian
  Valhalla
  Port Maw
  Chiros
  Joura
  Medrengard
  Ryza
  Luther Mcintyre
   Krieg
  Elysia
   
  Imperial World 
  Inquisition Stronghold 
  Space Marine Homeworld 
  Cardinal World 
  URRENT C
  T C
  T
  ONTROL:
  Larius Sans
  Avitohol
  Kulth
  Karacallia
  Sleef
  Deluge
  
  “All of the worlds of the Imperium shall look to their own 
  defence. They shall also look to the defence of the Impe-
  rium, and the prosecution of such wars as the Emperor in his 
  wisdom shall decree, according to such requirements as shall 
  be imposed by the Administratum. To this end each populated 
  planet shall raise and maintain forces for its defence and, from 
  its ranks, shall it provide the best of its troops for recruitment 
  into the largetst of the Imperium’s armies—the Imperal Guard.
  Each Imperial Commander shall swear that such men as are 
  given over to the defence of realms other than his own shall 
  bear arms and be equipped to ﬁght as beﬁts an Imperial 
  soldier, and that his domain shall stand readu with such mighty 
  engines of war and machineries as are needed by his armies to 
  crush the Imperium’s enemies.”
  –From the Introit to the Codex Exercitus
  U L T I M A
  S E G M E N T U M
  G A T E S 
  O F  V A R L
  D O M I N I O N 
  O F  S T O R M S
  M O R D A N T 
  Z O N E
  G
  H
  O
  U
  L
   
  S
  T
  A
  R S
  Baal
  Maelstrom
  Gryphone IV
  Bakka
  Dimmamar
  Attila
  Blackreach
  Angelis
  Desperation
  Sable
   N 
  Imperial Navy 
  Imperial Guard Homeworld 
  Forge World 
  Daemon World
  “For the Warp is a strange and terrible place. You might as 
  well throw a traveller into a sea of sharks and tell him to swim 
  home as send him through the Warp unprotected. Better it is 
  not to let common man travel through the stars. Better still, let 
  him not know such a thing is feasible.”
  –Fra Safrane. 5th aide to Navigator Da’el
  
  322
  322
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  sector and even beyond. The Ordos Calixis come together in 
  the Calixian Conclave, the ﬁgurehead of which is the Lord 
  Inquisitor Caidin, an inveterate master of intrigue whose 
  face is ever obscured behind a mask and who is said to walk 
  amongst the populace at will. Despite the outwardly formal 
  nature of the Calixian Conclave, the Inquisitors of the Calixis 
  Sector are as riven with disagreement and schism as those of 
  any other region. Individuals harbour factional and doctrinal 
  beliefs that cause them to clash bitterly across the ﬂoor of the 
  Tricorn Palace’s debating chamber, while outside it, they or 
  their proxies engage in deadly wars.
  Like all sectors, Calixis has its own central government 
  in the form of the Adeptus Terra Sector Lord Marius Hax. 
  This patrician veteran of galactic intrigue and conspiracy is 
  concerned only that each world in his realm meets its tithe, 
  having little or no concern how this is achieved. As with most 
  worlds on the Imperium, the details of planetary governance 
  are left to the Imperial Commanders on the ground. Hax is 
  the head of a mighty infrastructure responsible for raising and 
  coordinating the tithes of hundreds of worlds, a gargantuan 
  task only made possible by the legions of scribes, factors, and 
  assayers that toil ceaselessly beneath him.
  Possibly the most demanding challenge faced by the 
  sector authorities is the massive, decades-long crusade taking 
  place in the distant region called the Jericho Reach. Though 
  situated on the opposite side of the galaxy to Calixis, the 
  two are linked by a Warp gate, through which vessels travel 
  in the blink of an eye a distance that would normally take 
  The Calixis 
  Sector
  “It is a place that breeds recidivism and conspiracy, and deserves no 
  less than the pyre…”
  –Lord General Malkius Renk
  T
  he Imperium of Man is spread impossibly thin across 
  an estimated two-thirds of the entire galaxy. The 
  volume of space claimed in the name of the Emperor 
  contains hundreds of millions of stars, many host to their 
  own planetary systems, and yet there are only an estimated 
  million or so planetary governors occupying the thrones of 
  the Imperium’s worlds. While it is true that some governors 
  rule not just a single planet but an entire system, and that 
  other worlds have no governor at all, the fact is that the 
  Imperium is stretched so thinly across the void that an 
  interstellar traveller could make his way from one edge to the 
  other, traversing a hundred thousand light years of space, and 
  not once cross paths with a human being.
  Instead of being scattered at random, the worlds of the 
  Imperium are clustered around areas settled during the lost 
  age of mankind’s ﬁrst great wave of expansion into the galaxy. 
  Worlds once colonised because of their location or some 
  desirable natural resource have developed into the cores of 
  sectors, many of which have swollen to include two hundred 
  or more systems. These sectors are connected to one another 
  by relatively stable, if still hazardous, inter-sector Warp routes 
  and the vast, uncharted reaches between each are referred 
  to as Wilderness Space. These unexplored depths harbour 
  all many of terrors, from ravening pirates to unknown alien 
  empires, as well as untold riches, from long lost colonies to 
  worlds strewn with the wealth of long extinct species.
  The Calixis Sector exists on the verges of the Imperium’s 
  spinward reaches. The sector is relatively young, having 
  been hewn from the xenos-haunted Calyx Expanse around a 
  thousand years ago by the blood and toil of the armies of Lord 
  Militant Angevin. The Calixis Sector is at once blessed and 
  cursed by its location. It is fortunate in that it exists far from 
  the Imperium’s most bloody war zones, yet other characteristics 
  of the region have brought their own woes. The Calixis Sector 
  might not be cursed by total, all-consuming sector-wide 
  conﬂict as so many other regions are, but it is nonetheless 
  cursed. Countless heresies and conspiracies afﬂict the sector’s 
  worlds, many of them in some way tied to a darkness that stains 
  the region. Others relate to the mysterious “Tyrant Star”, an 
  esoteric stellar phenomenon that appears at random and brings 
  planet-wide insanity with each manifestation. Because of such 
  heresies, the sector is host to a high number of Inquisitors, 
  drawn by the conspiracies and mysteries that afﬂict it. 
  So many Inquisitors are active in the Calixis Sector 
  that a degree of formalisation has developed over the 
  centuries. The so-called Ordos Calixis are based in 
  the threatening and awe-inspiring Tricorn Palace 
  on the sector’s capital world of Scintilla, and they 
  maintain numerous other facilities across the 
  
  323
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  X: A Galaxy of War
  Untold numbers of troops and limitless resources are being 
  channelled through the Jericho-Maw Warp gate, drawn 
  from the Calixis Sector and beyond, and countless millions 
  of troops have already given their lives ﬁghting on the other 
  side of the galaxy to capture a region steeped in blood and 
  darkness. Few, if any, of the sector’s masters other than Lord 
  Hax and his inner circle know that the countless thousands 
  of troops raised from the worlds of Calixis are bound not 
  to defend their own worlds from alien invasion or rebel 
  insurrection, but to conquer a benighted region of space 
  tens of thousands of light years distant. 
  months, if not years, of perilous Warp navigation. The so-
  called Jericho-Maw Warp gate remains a jealously guarded 
  secret and travel through it is very often one-way. The 
  Jericho Reach is at once a region rich in resources and a 
  potential curse upon the Imperium. With the vast Hive 
  Fleets of the xenos Tyranids assaulting the galaxy from the 
  region’s outer edges, the Warp gate could, were the Tyranids 
  to capture it, offer them a means of striking into parts of the 
  Emperor’s domains rarely subject by such external threats. 
  To capture the vast wealth of the Jericho Reach and to ensure 
  the Warp gate remains secure, the Imperium has committed 
  vast resources of men and materiel into the Achilus Crusade. 
  THE ADEPTUS ASTRA TELEPATHICA
  For countless centuries, mankind has been evolving inexorably towards a new state of being, one in which the mind is 
  attuned to a state of psychic perfection, the greatest of deeds but a thought away. Sadly, this evolutionary process is as 
  likely to damn humanity as it is to deliver it, for it comes at an almost unbearable price. It is only by manipulating the 
  link with the otherworldly dimension of the Warp that one born into psychic power can utilise his natural abilities. 
  Yet, there are things swarming in the Empyrean to which the soul of a “psyker” is a beacon which attracts them like 
  oceanic predators drawn to a drop of blood in the water. If such a soul is not sufﬁciently strong or properly protected, 
  it will be devoured by the daemons of the Warp and they will use the mortal’s empty shell as a means of entering the 
  material universe. In the worst of cases, a daemonic incursion may bring about the doom of an entire world, as countless 
  gibbering ﬁends spill forth through the portal that was once the psyker’s body. It is because of the threat of such 
  outbreaks that planetary lords are required to conduct regular culls, seeking out those suspected of harbouring psychic 
  powers. These are either slain outright or, if possible, held until the Black Ships arrive to carry them off to distant Terra. 
  There they are delivered into the hands of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica.
  It is the responsibility of this body to judge which of those born into psychic powers are worthy to live and which 
  must die. The strongest are taught how to wield their powers for the good of humanity, some going on to serve as battle 
  psykers in the service of the Imperial Guard or perhaps even the Inquisition. Others are judged worthy of life only by 
  undertaking the ritual soul binding, where they are brought before the Emperor upon his Golden Throne and exposed 
  to but a portion of his godly power. Though the experience blasts the senses and leaves most blind, it wards the soul 
  against the predations of Daemons. These psykers are then trained as Astropaths, using their prodigious abilities to cast 
  their mind-voices across light years of space and in so doing bind the Imperium together.
  The vast majority, however, are found wanting and too weak of soul to be allowed to live. These are prepared for 
  glorious martyrdom. They are turned over to the Adeptus Astronomica, the body that maintains the psychic beacon, 
  the light of the Emperor, which shines out from Terra and lights the way through the turbulent Warp for those able to 
  perceive it. The Astronomicon is powered by the souls of those psykers judged too weak to continue living. They are 
  offered up to the God-Emperor as living sacriﬁces, their bodies and souls consumed to power both the Golden Throne 
  and the Astronomicon itself.
  Each year, ever more psykers are born, and so the culls must be ever more stringently enforced. Mankind will either 
  ascend to a glorious future, or it will descend into a hell of its own making as the Warp spews forth through the un-
  warded soul-gates of countless millions of latent psykers…
  THE HOLY ORDOS OF THE EMPEROR’S INQUISITION
  The Imperium of Man is governed by a staggering range of bodies, each with nigh limitless powers within their own 
  sphere of inﬂuence but often paralysed by feudalism, internecine rivalries, and by grinding inefﬁciencies magniﬁed 
  by ten thousand years of entropy and superstition to such a degree that it is a wonder the entire ediﬁce has not 
  come crashing down millennia ago. There is one, organisation, however that has the power to do whatever must be 
  done, no matter how extreme, to ensure the survival of the Imperium, that body is known as the Holy Ordos of the 
  Emperor’s Inquisition.
  The agents of the Inquisition are answerable only to the High Lords of Terra and, in theory, they can requisition any 
  resource and exert command over any subject of the Imperium. In practice, there are limits to an Inquisitor’s power, not 
  least the judgement and potential censure of his peers. Each Inquisitor pursues his mission as he sees ﬁt, and while many 
  are drawn to conclaves, factions, or formal convocations, others go about their business in complete secrecy. Most folk 
  never see an Inquisitor, but all know and fear the appearance of one upon their home world, for in his wake must surely 
  follow the funeral pyres of those judged traitors to the Imperium of Man.
  
  324
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  X: A Galaxy of War 
  hearsay. Beyond the furthest, unexplored systems are the Rifts 
  of Hecaton, a vast swathe of the void riven with unknowable 
  energies by some ancient disaster.
  The Koronus Expanse is a realm not just of opportunity, 
  but of damnation. Its depths are haunted by pirates, slavers, 
  and reavers, many of them in thrall to the Dark Gods of 
  Chaos. Numerous alien monstrosities stalk the region too, 
  including barbarous Ork raiders and the utterly belligerent 
  Rak’Gol. Other aliens are less overtly hostile, but nonetheless 
  represent a pernicious threat to a man’s soul. The inscrutable 
  Eldar are said to travel the stars of the Koronus Expanse, as 
  likely to unleash a deadly ambush as to engage in all but 
  undecipherable dialogue. Unpredictable Stryxis void-traders 
  offer unwary explorers their dubious wares, trading all manner 
  of goods in exchange for anything from slaves to seemingly 
  worthless trinkets. Itinerant bands of Kroot mercenaries sell 
  their fearsome skills to the highest bidders, while numerous 
  other xenos species await the unwary in the dark reaches. 
  Perhaps most dangerous of all the threats present in the 
  Koronus Expanse are not the obvious, living dangers, but 
  the lingering revenants of those supposedly long extinct. 
  Traces of several dead civilisations are known to be scattered 
  across the entire expanse, some as dusty relics far beneath 
  the ground, others as rearing, abandoned cities apparently 
  untouched by the ravages of aeons. Countless Rogue Traders 
  have secured artefacts recovered from such sites, only to ﬁnd 
  themselves damned,  body and soul, by the resurgent doom 
  of species long fallen to disaster and ruin.
  The Koronus 
  Expanse
  “Following our victories in the Morbid Rift campaign, my regiment 
  was rewarded with service in the indentured forces of a Rogue 
  Trader house. For over a decade, subjective, we cut a swathe through 
  reaches of the void no man had ever visited. I felt the heat of alien 
  stars and trod ground no human foot had ever marked with its 
  passing. I saw the ruins of ancient races that had fallen before we’d 
  even formed our ﬁrst words and I heard the whispers of dead gods on 
  the stellar winds. But most of all, we conquered. We took it all, in 
  the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind.”
  –Colonel Ghib, 188th Cadian
  B
  eyond the borders of the Calixis Sector, past Port 
  Wander, the last bastion of the Imperium’s authority 
  before the Halo Stars, lies a roiling mass of Warp 
  storms that made passage all but impossible for countless 
  generations. Yet, throughout the ages, Rogue Traders and 
  others who travelled beyond the Emperor’s light told tales of 
  a realm of unbounded treasure waiting for any bold enough 
  to risk those storms. As the Calixis Sector rose from the ruins 
  of conquest, ever more adventurers and fools were lured by 
  such tales, countless numbers of them disappearing into the 
  void in search of their fortunes, never to return to the Calixis 
  Sector. Until that is, one did return, having discovered a 
  navigable passage through the storms to the region beyond. 
  That passage became known as the Maw and the region 
  beyond the Koronus Expanse.
  Drawn by accounts of a region strewn with the treasures 
  of long extinct civilisations, of lost human colonies ripe for 
  conquest and of alien craftsmen offering the most exquisite 
  of goods, rogues and scoundrels of every type ﬂooded 
  through the Maw to exploit the newly opened expanse. 
  The Imperium’s control ended at Port Wander, but this naval 
  station became a wayward port for the desperate and the 
  hopeful setting out in search of their fortunes and those 
  recently returned from the expanse. On the other side of 
  the Maw is to be found Footfall, a lawless port built and 
  controlled by shadowy interests with stakes in almost every 
  endeavour that is undertaken in the trackless voids of the 
  Koronus Expanse. Here, merchants, mercenaries, bounty 
  hunters, slavers, and treasure hunters mingle; human, mutant 
  and alien abiding by a mutual compact not to blast one 
  another on sight, as would happen within the boundaries 
  of the Imperium. In amongst the bustling crowds stalk 
  hooded strangers, agents of the Imperium and of other 
  interests conducting their own murderous wars in deserted 
  companionways and airless cargo chambers.
  Beyond Footfall lies a region of unbounded opportunity 
  for those with the will and the strength to grasp it. The 
  systems neighbouring Footfall are relatively well charted, 
  though even those long ago claimed by powerful Rogue 
  Trader lines are often places of peril and dread. 
  Further out, the charts grow increasingly unreliable, 
  based not on observation but on rumour and 
  
  325
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  X: A Galaxy of War
  ROGUE TRADERS
  It is the lot of the vast majority of the Emperor’s subjects to be born, to serve, and to die according to a brutally enforced 
  regimen set down generations ago according to arcane and often obsolete quotas and predictions. Most never escape the 
  fate assigned them at birth, except perhaps by falling through the cracks into recidivism or heresy. However, there is a 
  special caste that enjoys all but unique freedom to travel beyond the borders of the Imperium, to treat with aliens, and to 
  carve their names in the very stars. These are the space-faring merchant princes known as “Rogue Traders.”
  Those granted the Warrant of Trade are the scions of powerful merchant houses feted to conquer vast stretches of 
  the void, pushing back the darkness and claiming all for the Emperor and humanity. Beyond the Imperium, the Rogue 
  Traders are a law unto themselves, subject to no restrictions other than those imposed by their own conscience and the 
  resources they have available. Such men and women are truly individual, and while some are masterful diplomats and 
  merchants, others are psychopathic tyrants. In truth, the High Lords of Terra care not one iota how the Rogue Traders 
  comport themselves in their duty, only that the Imperium’s holdings are ever expanded. This task is vital, not only to 
  the continued existence of the most ancient of Rogue Trader lines, but that of the Imperium itself. So many worlds are 
  lost each year to rebellion, alien invasion, or decay, that without constant expansion, the Imperium would surely wither 
  away to nothing, beset upon all quarters by traitors, ﬁends, and voracious things from beyond.
  Rogue Traders wield the power to demand goods and services from almost any servant of the Imperium. Some even 
  command entire armies of seconded Imperial Guardsmen, forces granted to them that they might better prosecute their 
  duty. The Guardsmen themselves might be entirely ignorant that the wars they are engaged in are being fought far 
  beyond the borders of the Imperium, for the glory of a Rogue Trader lord of whom they may never have heard.
  THE IMPERIAL NAVY
  The Imperium of Man is a vast stellar realm, its systems scattered across the trackless void. Countless other species lurk 
  in the black depths between human-held sectors, and it is only by the never-ending guardianship of the mighty and 
  proud Imperial Navy that such horrors are kept at bay. Without the Imperial Navy, the Imperium would be nothing more 
  than a scattered collection of lonely worlds, each easy prey to covetous xenos ambition.
  The vessels of the Imperial Navy are truly ancient, sometimes as old as the Imperium itself, and occasionally even 
  older still. Even the smallest rely on crews hundreds strong, for automated systems have been proved fallible in the heat 
  of battle, while human blood and toil, driven by faith in the God-Emperor of Mankind, never fails. The largest Imperial 
  Navy war ships have crews numbering tens of thousands, stratiﬁed into tiers as diverse as any planet-bound society. 
  Such warships carry the largest weapons ever wrought by human hands, guns capable of destroying entire cities, sinking 
  continents, and shattering a planet’s crust with a single broadside. 
  As powerful as the Imperial Navy is, it is comparatively rare for its warships to be gathered together into a single 
  ﬂeet. Instead, most are engaged in endless sweeps of hostile space or tenuously held borders. For many frontier planets, 
  a once-in-a-generation layover by an Imperial Navy warship is the only contact its people will ever have with the 
  Imperium at large. 
  Only when a threat of a truly massive scale appears does the Imperial Navy muster its warships into ﬂeets under the 
  command of the lord admirals. When that occurs, the fate of the stars themselves is decided, and even the victor pays a 
  butcher’s bill of many hundreds of thousands of souls.
  THE NAVIGATOR HOUSES
  Warp space, the extra-dimensional Sea of Souls through which vessels must voyage to travel between the stars, is 
  all but impossible to traverse except under the guidance of a special strain of human called a “Navigator.” These 
  individuals are blessed of a third eye and are often afﬂicted by numerous other, far less stable mutations. Through the 
  third (or Warp) eye, the Navigators can look upon the surging, impossible depths of the Warp and, unlike all others, 
  not be driven utterly insane by that which looks back at them. By reference to the ever-shining psychic beacon of 
  the Astronomicon on Terra, Navigators plot their course between the stars and ride the unreal tides of the Empyrean. 
  When crossing the Warp, a vessel’s captain battens down the Warp shutters, turns his ship over to his Navigator, and 
  prays for the souls of every man on board.
  The Navigators are so essential to the existence of the Imperium that they form a highly inﬂuential power base 
  amongst its most powerful institutions. Each of the highly clannish Navigator Houses is a powerful mercantile concern 
  with interests from one end of the Imperium to the other. Navigators are bonded to the Imperial Navy, the Chartist 
  Captains, and to Rogue Trader lines in return for wealth, power, and inﬂuence unheard of in any other quarter.
  
  326
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  The Jericho Reach at the end of the 41st Millennium is 
  a realm of total war. Upon securing the so called “Well of 
  Night,” the dark space about the Jericho Reach terminus of 
  the Warp gate, the Imperium launched a mighty crusade, 
  with the blessings of the High Lords of Terra themselves. 
  Countless millions of warriors were committed in an effort to 
  reclaim the lost worlds of the old Jericho Sector and beyond, 
  to wrest control from the forces of darkness, and to shine 
  the light of the Emperor upon a region too long benighted. 
  Yet, the Imperium found not just the servants of the Ruinous 
  Powers ensconced amongst the worlds of the Jericho Reach, 
  but numerous aliens too, and the most powerful of these 
  were the collectivist Tau. The Achilus Crusade stalled and 
  disaster was only barely avoided until, with the death of its 
  original leader and the appointment of a new Lord Militant, 
  the crusade was divided into three salients, the better to face 
  the numerous threats of the region.
  Soon, however, the crusade came to face another foe still, 
  for the xenos Tyranids of Hive Fleet Dagon have pushed the 
  northern-most salient back almost as far as its starting point. 
  Confronted by intransigent servants of Chaos, determined 
  Tau, and ravening Tyranids, the Achilus Crusade stands on 
  a knife edge, with countless thousands of soldiers dying for 
  the cause every single day. None can see an end to this age 
  of total war and, all the while, the Deathwatch maintains its 
  vigil, ever guarding against a foe that might still bring about 
  the doom of the entire region.
  The Jericho 
  Reach
  “I don’t know where it is and I don’t really care. All I know about 
  the Jericho Reach is that no unit I ever heard of being posted there 
  ever came back…”
  –Sergeant Olz, 17th Fenksworld Riﬂes
  T
  here are few worlds in the vast, scattered Imperium 
  of Man that do not lie within the boundaries of one 
  warzone or another, for truly it is said of the 41st 
  Millennium that there is “only war.” For some planets, war 
  is a passing thing, conducted in brief but intense bursts as 
  invasions or insurrections are desperately fought off or put 
  down. For others, it is a continual state of being, a meat 
  grinder into which entire generations are fed. Thus it is in the 
  warzone known as the Jericho Reach.
  Once a powerful and prosperous region of the Imperium, 
  the old Jericho Sector succumbed to darkness with the onset of 
  its Age of Shadow. Worlds, once shining examples of all that 
  mankind can be, collapsed in anarchy, while ﬂocks, once united 
  in their worship of the God-Emperor, turned their adoration 
  to the dark gods of the Warp. One world at a time, the entire 
  region slipped into recidivism and dread, until all vestiges of 
  order ceased to exist. This descent into ruin coincided with 
  the galaxy-spanning disaster that was the Age of Apostasy, yet 
  while the Imperium recovered from the travails of that time, 
  the Jericho Reach never did. Beset on numerous fronts by 
  uncounted foes, the Imperium abandoned the Jericho Reach 
  to its fate and, in time, the Warp itself embraced this cursed 
  realm, cutting it off from the greater Imperium with storms of 
  unprecedented magnitude.
  Throughout its dreadful Age of Shadow, the Jericho Reach 
  was the domain of heretics and daemons. The followers of 
  Chaos descended upon those worlds that could not defend 
  themselves and the only authority was that which could 
  be enforced by blade and by bullet. The capital of the old 
  Jericho Sector—one proud Verronus—was consumed by the 
  Warp phenomena known as the Hadex Anomaly, a churning 
  cauldron of unknowable energies that some claim bleeds time 
  and is blessed of some vast, alien sentience. Though some 
  worlds still cleaved to their half-remembered heritage, for 
  most, the Emperor became little more than a distant myth, at 
  best a cruel god who had turned his face from his children.
  Yet, while the Imperium at large abandoned the Jericho 
  Reach to its fate, one force remained. The Deathwatch, a 
  unique Space Marine Chapter created to serve the interests 
  of the Inquisition, maintained its secret Watch-Stations as it 
  stood its lonely, so-called “Long Watch.” The exact mission 
  of the Deathwatch remains a secret known only to the most 
  highly placed of the Imperium’s masters, for certainly they 
  were too few to prevent the region’s descent into darkness. 
  Yet, they never left, and when ﬁnally the Imperium 
  discovered the Jericho-Maw Warp gate, its advance 
  forces found a region still watched by the relentless, 
  black-clad Chapter.
  
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  X: A Galaxy of War
  THE ADEPTUS MECHANICUS
  Technology in the Imperium of Man is the exclusive preserve of the Cult Mechanicus—the Adepts of the Machine 
  God, or the Omnissiah. The age when machines served mankind has long gone, all but forgotten in the ﬁres of a 
  galaxy-wide calamity when technology, so it is said, turned upon its creators. Following this age, many worlds were 
  cast into the benighted depths of primitivism, men reduced to savages grubbing about for sustenance in the ruins of 
  once-glittering cities. Since then, the recovery of lost technology has been the responsibility of the Adeptus Mechanicus, 
  whose Tech-Priests seek out and examine ancient “archaeotech” and who maintain those machines the Imperium cannot 
  exist without. Entire planets—called forge worlds—churn out everything from lasguns to super-heavy tanks and, 
  without them, the guns of the Imperium’s armies would fall silent and the enemies of mankind would surely prevail.
  The Adeptus Mechanicus is connected to the Imperium by a complex web of fealty and obligation, providing Tech-Priests to 
  all of the Imperium’s numerous institutions. When the Emperor’s generals have need of the most potent war machines ever created, 
  it is to the Adeptus Mechanicus that they turn. The mightiest weapons available are the god machines of the Legio Titanicus and 
  self-propelled ordnance of the Centurio Ordinatus. Each of these arcane war machines is capable of levelling whole cities.
  The average subject or soldier of the Imperium is almost entirely ignorant of the workings of technology. While some 
  are gifted with the secrets of the operation and basic maintenance of crude machines, most are fearful of invoking the 
  wrath of the spirits that animate technology. Tinkering with such devices is a crime punishable by death, especially in 
  the Imperial Guard, where victory or defeat might turn upon the correct use of barely understood weaponry.
  THE MINISTORUM
  It was not always the case that the Emperor was worshipped as a god, and there are a few branches of the Imperium, such 
  as the Space Marines, that recall a time when he was considered a man. The Emperor himself is said to have railed against 
  superstition and irrationality, resisting attempts by the adoring masses to deify him. Yet, after his death, it was perhaps 
  inevitable that he should come to be regarded in this light. For the ﬁrst few millennia of the Imperium’s history, there was 
  no central or common religion, with numerous cults and sects competing for dominance. Each world came to adore the 
  Emperor in its own way, according to its own culture and beliefs, and this is still the case in the 41st Millennium. Yet, just 
  as planetary governors rule their worlds however they see ﬁt, but must abide by the dictates of the High Lords of Terra, so 
  the countless religions are overseen by the Ministorum, the galaxy-spanning church of the Imperial Creed.
  The teachings of the Imperial Creed are many and varied, yet there are several key tenets that bind its worshippers 
  together across the vastness of the Imperium. Notably, they the hold that Emperor is a god and that he and he alone is 
  the deliverer of mankind. They hold that humanity is fated to rule the entire galaxy and that any species that opposes 
  this manifest destiny must be cast down without mercy.
  THE SPACE MARINES OF THE ADEPTUS ASTARTES
  At the very dawn of the Age of Imperium, the Emperor set into motion the greatest endeavour mankind had ever undertaken. 
  For millennia, the worlds settled by humans in ages past had been scattered by war and isolated by galaxy-wide Warp storms, 
  yet the Emperor was gifted of godlike prescience and knew that a time would come when the worlds of Man would be reunited. 
  In preparation for his Great Crusade, the Emperor created twenty sons, wrought from his own prodigious heritage. Each of 
  these “Primarchs” was as a god amongst men, gifted with powers of body and intellect that made them appear the supreme 
  evolution of mankind. Each of the Primarchs was to lead a mighty Legion of Space Marines, yet the entire undertaking was 
  almost undermined at the very outset when disaster struck and the infant Primarchs were scattered to the ends of the galaxy.
  It was only later, with the Great Crusade well and truly underway, that the Primarchs were reunited with their gene-father 
  and with the Legions that bore their own inheritance. For a short span of years, the Emperor and his progeny fought side by 
  side to reunify the worlds of man and to destroy utterly those that would oppose humanity’s fate. Yet, when calamity struck, it 
  was not by the hand of some alien oppressor, but by treachery within the ranks. Warmaster Horus, greatest and most favoured 
  son of the Emperor, had made compacts with the vile things of the Warp. Brother turned upon brother and the entire Imperium 
  was cast to the ﬁres of a galactic civil war that only ended when Horus was dead at his father’s hand, and the Emperor was so 
  wounded that only his ascension to the life-sustaining Golden Throne would keep his death at bay.
  Gifted of the blood of the Primarchs, the Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes are the very ﬁnest warriors humanity 
  can ﬁeld. They are utterly dedicated to the defence of mankind, surrendering much of their own humanity in the eternal 
  war against the heretic, the alien, and the daemon. They are selected from the most warlike societies, notably the savages of 
  barbarous Feral Worlds and the ultra-violent gangers of the hive city bottoms. Few survive the selection process, let alone 
  the years of trials that follow. Bodies already ﬁt beyond compare are implanted with gene-engineered organs that boost the 
  recipient’s prowess immeasurably. Mind, body, and soul are developed to the very pinnacle of human capability and beyond, 
  the result is a warrior capable of facing any threat imaginable in the defence of mankind. Blessed with the most destructive 
  weaponry and protected by the best armour available, the Space Marines are the champions of mankind, without whom 
  disaster would have befallen the Imperium countless times throughout the long, bloody millennia.
  
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  X: A Galaxy of War 
  The Screaming Vortex long ago consumed a vast region 
  of space and some say it was created at the same time as 
  the Eye of Terror. Numerous dark legends exist among those 
  who ply the void, some claiming the storm was created by 
  the death-scream of an entire species, others that it was the 
  Emperor’s curse upon some xenos abomination. Whatever the 
  truth, those possessed of psychic powers report that the entire 
  region surrounding the vortex is afﬂicted by the tortuous 
  wailing of those long dead and, when the storm waxes, even 
  those without the psyker’s gift can perceive it and are often 
  driven to bitter insanity by the experience.
  What is known only to the most highly placed within 
  the Ordos Calixis, is that the interior of the Screaming 
  Vortex is host to numerous worlds. Those at its edges 
  exist in a half-life between the real and unreal dimensions 
  while those further in are dread daemon worlds entirely in 
  thrall to Chaos. The Vortex is broadly divided into three 
  regions. The outermost ring is the Gloaming Worlds, where 
  numerous petty warlords battle one another for dominance 
  and the favour of their daemonic patrons, seeking to raise 
  armies of mutants and heretics to launch against their rivals. 
  Beyond the Gloaming Worlds is the Inner Ring, a region 
  host to a number of daemon worlds of ever more insane 
  nature, where only those well along the so-called “Path to 
  Glory” dare pass. At the eye of the storm is the Lower Vortex, 
  a region so steeped in the fell power of the Warp that only 
  the very strongest dare enter it and few of these ever return. 
  When they do, however, they are possessed of such power 
  and privy to such secrets that all their dreams of dominance 
  The Screaming 
  Vortex
  “Whatever’s inside that vast, swirling mass of raw hell, pray with all 
  your soul that it stays exactly where it is…”
  –Durma Ven, Second Assistant Representative of House Caleb
  T
  he galaxy across which the worlds of the Imperium are 
  scattered is a perilous region afﬂicted with uncounted 
  threats to those who would travel from one system 
  to the next. Navigators know these perils well and avoid 
  space touched by the scathing radiation of dead or dying 
  stars, steeped in drifting banks of esoteric matter, or haunted 
  by ravenous black holes. Ultimately, however, most of these 
  phenomena are the products of the material universe and, to 
  a degree at least, predictable. An order of magnitude more 
  dangerous is the phenomenon of Warp storms, vast regions 
  where the raw stuff of Chaos bursts through the thin skein 
  between reality and the Immaterium.
  It is said that for vast stretches of mankind’s history, the 
  galaxy was swathed in Warp storms so large they swallowed 
  not just planets, but systems, sectors, and entire reaches of the 
  void. Indeed, the vast stellar Empire of Man, to which the 
  Imperium is successor, is believed to have been laid low in 
  part by the onset of so many Warp storms that its systems 
  became isolated and unable to function as part of a wider 
  whole. Those steeped in forbidden knowledge claim that 
  these galaxy-wide storms were essentially blown out when the 
  fourth great Chaos God, Slaanesh, was created at the moment 
  of the Fall of the Eldar race, precipitating the Emperor’s Great 
  Crusade to reclaim the galaxy for humanity.
  Areas afﬂicted by Warp storms are infernal regions where 
  the laws of the physical universe are stretched to, and often 
  beyond, breaking point. Space itself boils with unknowable 
  energies, and to pass into the storm is to pass beyond the 
  material realm and into one conjured into being by the 
  denizens of the Warp and the unknowable will of mad gods. 
  Time has no meaning in such places; here the landscape can 
  take any form imaginable, from oceans of bubbling viscera 
  stretching as far as the eye can perceive, to impossible 
  intersections of unreal geometry. In some places, the will 
  of one of the four great powers of Chaos is ascendant, the 
  surroundings shaped according to that god’s drives and 
  desires. Others are formless or ever changing, or they respond 
  to the subconscious impulses of any who look upon them.
  The greatest of Warp storms are those that have become 
  permanent, if the word can ever truly apply to such a phenomenon. 
  The Eye of Terror, for example, is a massive scar upon the void, 
  afﬂicting a vast region that once contained countless millions of 
  systems and comprised the densest concentration of the Eldar 
  race before it fell. Other regions include the Maelstrom, a 
  region haunted by renegades and aliens who plague Imperial 
  shipping for hundreds of light years in every direction. 
  Another great storm, lying between the Calixis Sector 
  and the Koronus Expanse, is known to Navigators as 
  the Screaming Vortex.
  
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  X: A Galaxy of War
  so-called 13th Station of Passage, a point within the Maw 
  that intersects in some manner with the vortex. Perhaps the 
  secret masters of the Ordo Malleus anticipate a full scale 
  Black Crusade and are ﬁghting a desperate, secret war to 
  avert it. Perhaps, however, the very nature of Chaos keeps 
  the threat at bay as its servants expend their energies in 
  eternal, internecine warfare in the vain hope of earning 
  their patrons’ notice and ascending to Daemonhood.
  are ﬁnally within their grasp. When such individuals rise 
  to prominence within the Screaming Vortex, the regions 
  beyond fall under the shadow of a Black Crusade—an 
  unstoppable invasion of countless millions of servants of the 
  Ruinous Powers.
  It remains unknown if any amongst the Calixis Sector’s 
  rulers are fully aware of the dire threat posed by the denizens 
  of the Screaming Vortex. Certainly, those Inquisitors of the 
  Daemon-hunting Ordo Malleus maintain a vigil near the 
  THE ADEPTUS ARBITES
  All planetary governments maintain their own standing police forces, commonly referred to as Enforcers, though there 
  are as many actual titles as there are planets in the Imperial fold. Above this level, however, there exists a higher body, 
  called the Adeptus Arbites, responsible for enforcing the Emperor’s law the galaxy over. The Adeptus Arbites care 
  nothing for local mores, regulations, or codes. Instead, they brutally enforce those codes that remain constant across the 
  entire Imperium and, in the 41st Millennium, there are entire libraries, sometimes the size of continents, dedicated to 
  maintaining this vast body of statute. The Adeptus Arbites maintain a presence on all but the most isolated worlds. In the 
  teeming hive cities there may be many thousands of Adeptus Arbites personnel, ever watchful for sedition, recidivism, 
  and other such crimes, while less populated worlds might be home to but a single bastion-precinct. 
  Aside from ruthlessly enforcing the Pax Imperialis, the Adeptus Arbites often play one other crucial role. Should 
  rebellion or invasion overtake a planet, it is not uncommon for the fortiﬁed precincts of the Adeptus Arbites to be the 
  sole remaining outpost of order. As such, they are charged with holding out long enough for an astropathic transmission 
  to be broadcast and aid called in. In all likelihood, none of these bold defenders will be alive when liberation ﬁnally 
  arrives, but their sacriﬁce will never be forgotten.
  THE GREY KNIGHTS
  The Grey Knights are the secret defenders of mankind against the denizens of the Warp. They are the unseen and 
  unheralded champions who, unknown to the teeming masses, have averted disaster on a galactic scale on countless 
  occasions. The Grey Knights are a highly specialised Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, serving under the Daemonhunters 
  of the Ordo Malleus. Each is a warrior-psyker of prodigious skill and potency and his faith is so strong that not a single 
  Battle Brother has turned to the Ruinous Powers in the ten thousand years of the Chapter’s existence. Clad in armour 
  inscribed with the mightiest sigils of warding and wielding arms of arcane, sometimes even alien manufacture, the Grey 
  Knights face daemonic enemies that no others could, or would, stand against.
  DAEMON WORLDS AND MERCIFUL EXTERMINATUS
  Chaos is a threat to mankind not just in a military sense, but in a spiritual one too. Just the knowledge that beings of 
  immense power exist but a thought away, feeding on and feeding back into the passions of mortals, is considered too 
  dangerous for all but the most trusted to bear. The common subject of the Imperium lives in a perpetual state of fear, 
  ignorance and subjugation that is imposed not out of cruelty, but for the good of the Imperium as a whole.
  Yet, it is unavoidable that the Imperial Guard and other ﬁghting arms must face the servants of Chaos on the ﬁeld 
  of battle. When they do so, they are bolstered by numerous preachers and confessors, for faith in the God-Emperor is 
  the only true armour against the diabolic truth of the enemy. Facing even the mortal followers of the Ruinous Powers 
  is known to tax most Imperial Guard units to the point where morale and spiritual well-being are tragically degraded. 
  When facing those beings of Chaos native to the Warp—Daemons and those who wield their gifts, even the boldest 
  Imperial Guard veteran is likely to be driven insane or corrupted beyond salvation.
  When entire worlds are overrun by the Daemons of Chaos, all hope of ever reclaiming them must be abandoned. 
  When the blood offered to the Ruinous Powers by the slaying of the Emperor’s servants seeps into the very bedrock, the 
  taint of Chaos is so ingrained it may never be cleansed. The world becomes the domain of ﬁends and daemons and, in 
  time, the stuff of reality may become so compromised that the planet is transformed into a daemon world. In such cases, 
  the Inquisition or similarly placed authorities might have no option but to declare Exterminatus and destroy it utterly.
  Exterminatus is a term used to describe a range of sanctions that can be brought against a condemned world, but 
  all of them have the same end result. Every trace of life is utterly scoured from the world, right down to the cellular 
  level, so that it is reduced to a barren rock as if life had never existed there at all. Shorn of the anchor of living souls, 
  the daemons must retreat back to the Warp, or so it is hoped. In truth, some worlds are never exorcised of the taint 
  of the Warp and remain charnel houses dedicated to the eternal suffering of those souls who fell in the defence of 
  the Emperor’s realms. 
  
  330
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  from the dead grip of nameless xenos ﬁends. It was one of 
  these militant trader princes that led some of the boldest 
  thrusts, so deep into the Calyx Expanse that he all but broke 
  through into the Wilderness Zones beyond. That man was 
  Duke Severus the First, the bearer of a Warrant of Trade 
  granted to his line by the High Lords of Terra themselves. 
  Yet, his name is all but unknown in the Calixis Sector, while 
  those of lesser men are celebrated across a hundred systems 
  and more.
  The deeds of Severus the First and his companions were 
  so heroic that they should be known and celebrated across 
  not just the Calixis Sector, but the entire Imperium. It was 
  Duke Severus who unlocked the Markayn Marches by 
  plasma-boiling the hideous xenos spawning seas of Cantus 
  Extremis, breaking a deadlock that had stalled the advance 
  of three million troops. It was Severus who discovered and 
  charted the Warp route between Dreah and Iocanthos, when 
  the ﬂeet-masters of the Imperial Navy were convinced the 
  path spinward must surely lie between the Prol system and 
  Fedrid. It is even said that a mighty Warp beast assailed the 
  Duke’s ﬂagship as he closed on Ganf Magna, the creature’s 
  vast tentacles wrapping about the vessel so that when Severus 
  ordered an emergency translation into real space, the thing 
  was dragged through too. Weakened by exposure to the laws 
  of the material realm, the beast was eventually defeated. But 
  before it faded from existence, Duke Severus himself hacked 
  out a single, crystalline eye several metres in diameter and 
  worth the ransom of a High Lord of Terra.
  The Spinward 
  Front
  “Out here, beyond the Periphery, the void itself burns. Some say it’s 
  the ﬂames of dying stars, others that it’s the ﬁres of war that consume 
  the entire region. Me, I know it’s the ﬂames of hell that burn on the 
  Spinward Front, and they’ll take us all before they’re extinguished.”
  –Gunnery Sergeant First Class Maull, 86th Cadian 
  G
  ames of ONLY WAR can be set in any of the regions 
  presented so far, from the planetwide killing zones 
  of the Jericho Reach to the perilous depths of the 
  Koronus Expanse. What follows is a setting especially 
  designed for the game and its central theme of total war—
  the Spinward Front. A warzone encompassing dozens of star 
  systems, the Spinward Front is consumed by conﬂict between 
  diametrically opposed factions. It is centred on a sub-sector 
  of the Calixis Sector called the Periphery and some of its 
  worlds will be familiar to those that have played the DARK 
  HERESY game. But the bulk of the Spinward Front warzone is 
  “off the map.” It encompasses a region that lies directly in the 
  path of a massive Ork invasion, a region plagued by secession 
  and alien incursion. The battleﬁelds of the Spinward Front 
  are many and varied, and offer as many opportunities for 
  glory as they do ways to die. Only the strongest will rise to 
  take command of the Emperor’s armies in such a place, the 
  weak falling prey to Orks, rebels, Dark Eldar, or even the 
  dread forces of the Ruinous Powers.
  What follows is a brief history of the events leading up to the 
  “present day” of the ONLY WAR game, along with a description 
  of a number of key locations, factions, and characters. Sufﬁcient 
  detail is provided for Game Masters to use the setting straight 
  away, and more will be presented in future supplements. Most 
  Player Characters would know only a small amount of what 
  follows, so GMs might prefer their players to skip ahead and 
  allow these details to be revealed as and when appropriate. If in 
  any doubt, the GM should be consulted.
  SINS OF THE FATHERS
  A thousand years ago, the Calixis Sector was hewn from the 
  xenos-haunted depths of the Calyx Expanse by the blood, 
  sweat, and tears of the countless thousands of martyrs who 
  prosecuted the Angevin Crusade. The endeavour was a 
  mighty one indeed and only made possible by the combined 
  efforts of numerous arms of the Imperium’s military machine. 
  Hundreds of regiments of the Imperial Guard fought across 
  worlds boiling with xenos corruption, millions-strong 
  advances spearheaded by the elite Adeptus Astartes. The 
  skies were darkened by the massed ﬁghter wings of the 
  Imperial Navy while warships as numerous as the stars 
  themselves burned across the void. The war machines 
  of the Adeptus Titanicus bestrode the battleﬁelds like 
  armoured gods while the private armies of the most 
  ambitious of Rogue Trader houses fought in the 
  hope of one day ruling those worlds wrested 
  
  331
  X: A Galaxy of War
  generations later. This might have been the case with 
  Severus, were it not for the simultaneous rise of a man who 
  regarded him as a vainglorious and self-interested robber-
  baron interested only in expanding his own domains off of 
  the blood, sweat, and tears of millions of the God-Emperor’s 
  faithful servants. This man was General Drusus and, while 
  Severus had been conquering the Periphery for his own ends, 
  Drusus had been leading the armies of the Imperial Guard in 
  a series of victories every bit as glorious as the duke’s. While 
  Severus set about consolidating his power after the Second 
  Battle of Kulth, Drusus fought on, claiming untold worlds for 
  the God-Emperor of Mankind. Following his apparent death 
  at the hands of the agents of rivals (which may, or may not 
  have included Severus) and subsequent resurrection, Drusus 
  was beatiﬁed and is celebrated to this day as the patron saint 
  of the Calixis Sector.
  Duke Severus was soon eclipsed by Saint Drusus and his 
  plans to establish his own realm cast to ashes. With every 
  one of the leading lights of the Angevin Crusade openly 
  worshipping Drusus, none would support Severus in his 
  own ambitions. For a time, Severus turned his back upon his 
  former peers amongst the crusade, eventually only speaking 
  with the famous Rogue Trader Sibylline Haarlock. What 
  passed between the two remains unrecorded and some 
  believe that Haarlock denounced Severus upon learning 
  of his intentions to establish his own private realm. By the 
  time Drusus was pronounced the ﬁrst Lord Sector of Calixis, 
  Severus was a broken man. He died in 417.M39, less than a 
  month before Drusus himself passed away. To the last, he was 
  a resentful, bitter man, turned by the cruelty of fate from a 
  noble merchant-admiral to a paranoid recluse.
  As great as his numerous victories were, it was the duke’s 
  deeds in forging the Periphery that earned him true glory, 
  for a short time at least. Of the heretic and xenos ﬁends 
  the duke’s ﬂeet confronted as it ranged ahead of the main 
  crusade between Sepheris Secundus and Sinophia, the few 
  extant archives are all but silent—the Inquisition and other 
  bodies having determined such truths unﬁt for dissemination. 
  In most cases, only the names of otherwise unknown battles 
  remain. The Scouring of Cyclopea Nine; the Kulth Landings; 
  the Retreat from Avitohol, closely followed by the Avitohol 
  Reprisals; the War of Ash, in which a thousand xenos vessels 
  are said to have been sent plummeting through the upper 
  atmosphere of Sisk, the survivors ruthlessly hunted down by 
  vengeful human natives. It was at the Second Battle of Kulth 
  that the duke’s greatest moment came, his armies counter-
  attacked by a millions-strong horde of slavering xenos 
  monstrosities. Little is known beyond a faded entry in a 
  crumbling tome, locked in the stasis vaults beneath the Lucid 
  Palace on Scintilla, stating that the duke rallied his armies in 
  person, even as the xenos horde closed in on all quarters and 
  all seemed lost. The unknown scribe goes on to claim that 
  Duke Severus faced a xenos being of such monstrous nature 
  that his greatest champions were struck down by madness, 
  but that he was not, delivering the killing blow with his own 
  hand and turning the battle and the entire campaign in an 
  instant. The xenos hordes were put to rout and with them, 
  those human-held worlds that had resisted the Imperium’s 
  advance capitulated. The region that would one day become 
  known as the Periphery Sub-Sector was opened up and a 
  Warp route discovered that connected the region to the 
  distant Scarus Sector, ensuring its fortunes as shipping hubs 
  sprung up along its length.
  Why then, are these deeds unknown to the peoples of 
  the Calixis Sector? The answer is simple and lies in the most 
  base of human ﬂaws—the sin of hubris. Duke Severus the 
  First had been promised much by the terms of his Warrant 
  of Trade, but in truth the High Lords had never expected 
  him to survive the terrors that lurked in the Calyx Expanse. 
  Before being granted his title, the duke was a senior courtier 
  of the Senatorum Imperialis and his political trajectory was 
  carrying him towards a seat on that highest of councils. 
  His numerous rivals found this greatly disconcerting for 
  they believed Severus to have murdered numerous of his 
  compatriots during his rise to power. These rivals engineered 
  the granting of the Warrant of Trade, forcing Severus to 
  embark on a crusade they hoped would end his ambitions, his 
  career, and his life. Severus was fully aware of the High Lords’ 
  intentions and when he succeeded in carving the Periphery 
  from the darkness of the Calyx Expanse, he interpreted the 
  terms of his warrant to justify him claiming it as his personal 
  realm, exempt from the laws and demands placed on the rest 
  of the Imperium. In essence, Severus installed himself as the 
  exclusive ruler of his own private empire, which in his eyes he 
  had earned by the spilling of his blood and that of countless 
  thousands of his followers.
  In other circumstances, Severus the First might have 
  been allowed to realise his ambition, for the frontiers of 
  the Imperium are often expanded by men with similar 
  dreams, only to be absorbed into the greater mass of sectors 
  GM GUIDANCE: THE RETURN OF 
  SAINT DRUSUS
  THE APOSTASY GAMBIT is an adventure trilogy for the 
  DARK HERESY game in which Saint Drusus returns to 
  pass judgement on the sinners of the Calixis Sector 
  and war erupts across the entire region. ONLY WAR 
  Game Masters might like to consider whether their 
  campaign is set before, during, or after these events. 
  If the so-called Dei-Phage has yet to rise, then the 
  sector-wide anarchy that ensues when he does can 
  form a part of the story later in the campaign, perhaps 
  with the Player Characters being swept along on one 
  side or the other. If and when Saint Drusus returns, 
  Severan the Thirteenth denounces him as an imposter, 
  not even knowing that he is in fact correct. Perhaps 
  by the time this occurs, the PCs have gained higher 
  rank and might be able to decide for themselves which 
  side to join, bringing up some intriguing questions of 
  loyalty. Lastly, if the Dei-Phage has been defeated, it 
  is quite possible there will be remnants of his deluded 
  followers still ﬁghting on, and many would have ﬂed 
  to the Periphery and beyond. Game Masters wishing 
  to explore this element of the setting further will ﬁnd 
  plenty of detail in the APOSTASY GAMBIT series.
  
  Orbiana
  Maesa
  Skrynne
  Poina 
  Nox
  Sleef
  Letum
  Warzone Epsilon
  Iris
  Augury
  Pertinax
  Melqart
  KW-9
  XD-777
  Deluge
  Telias
  The Severan Do
  Hive World
  Shrine World
  Agri-World
  Feudal World
  Feral World
  Pleasure World
  Penal World
  Mining World
  Forge World
  Cemetary World
  Frontier World
  Special
  Forbidden World
  Dead World
  Gas Giant
  Death World
  War World
  Unclassiﬁed
  The 
  Spinward 
  Front
  
  Hervara
  Sabriel
  Thrax
  Lukius
  Karacallia
  Serena
  Oriad
  Asterion
  Virbius
  Janus
  Kulth
  Ashen
  Lolita
  Manus Cenita
  Sickle
  Horizon
  Avitohol
  Kalf
  Sinophia
  Dune
  Sisk
  Cyclopea
  Orcus
  Ganf Magna
  Voluptua
  e
   77
  Tethys
  inate
  The Stygies 
  Deeps
  The Periphery
  
  334
  334
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  his entire life, the position from which he might ﬁnally realise 
  the dreams of his entire line. He ascended to Lord Sub-Sector, 
  the Administratum prefect of the region his eponymous 
  forebear had founded—the Periphery.
  His ambitions echoing those of his progenitor, Severus 
  the Thirteenth believed that the Periphery should be his, yet 
  he knew that overtly declaring secession would cause the 
  planetary governors to rise up against him and bring the force 
  of the Imperium crushing down upon his head. Instead, he 
  sought allies in the darkness spinward of the Periphery, his 
  spies seeking out any who might lend him aid, no matter 
  their price. Waiting in the darkness, his spies discovered the 
  Dark Eldar of the outcast Children of Thorns kabal, and vile 
  pacts were made in exchange for the aliens’ lethal services. 
  Severus the Thirteenth consigned entire frontier worlds to the 
  Dark Eldar’s cruel mercies, ensuring that when realspace raids 
  occurred, the sub-sector’s reserves were always too distant 
  to intervene. Xenos chattel-barques swollen with slaves 
  delivered hundreds of thousands to their doom in the pits 
  of Commorragh, while Severus the Thirteenth’s court gained 
  veiled courtiers and black-eyed assassins.
  For over a decade, Severus and his cruel agent-allies 
  worked tirelessly to cut the ties between the Periphery and 
  the sector at large, one at a time, so that none even noticed as 
  it was slowly transformed into his personal realm. Planetary 
  governors resistant to corruption or subversion were quietly 
  removed, but always the eight worlds closest to the border 
  with the Malﬁan sub-sector were maintained in a state of 
  outward normality. The worlds spinward of them were 
  entirely in the sway of the noble, who had at last attained his 
  ancestor’s dream in all but name.
  But Duke Severus the First did not die the last of his line. 
  Before he passed, he recounted his sad tale to his ﬁrst-born 
  son, and in the telling it must surely have been distilled into a 
  hateful story of lesser men allying against one of whom they 
  were jealous. The son passed the tale on to his son, and again 
  the story was ﬁltered in the telling until all that remained was 
  a twisted kernel, only barely resembling the truth. Generation 
  after generation heard, and then repeated, this tale of doom, 
  until in 779.M41 Duke Severus the Thirteenth assumed 
  power over what little remained of his house. Unlike his 
  predecessors, Severus the Thirteenth had managed to claw 
  his way up the rungs of power in the Calixis Sector, drawing 
  upon methods and means yet to be fully revealed. In 799.
  M41, he assumed the appointment to which he had worked 
  GM GUIDANCE: SPACE MARINES ON THE SPINWARD FRONT
  ONLY WAR is a game that focuses on the Imperial Guard—men and women possessed of unquenchable faith in the God 
  Emperor of Mankind, but ultimately mortals of ﬂesh and blood. To the common troopers, the super-human Space Marines 
  of the Adeptus Astartes are as gods walking amongst men and, while some are present on the Spinward Front, they are a 
  rare sight indeed. Most Imperial Guard troopers will never see a Space Marine, let alone ﬁght alongside one, and as such 
  they are the subjects of all manner of legends, myths, and superstitions. Different cultures, and the regiments drawn from 
  them, have their own beliefs about Space Marines. Some hold them in awe as the literal sons of the Emperor, while others 
  fear them as the deliverers of the Emperor’s divine judgement. While it is true that a Space Marine can spit acid, in their 
  ignorance many claim they can also kill with a glance or rout an army with a single word. Tales abound of small groups 
  of Space Marines conquering entire planets or holding off wave after wave of slavering xenos ﬁends. Some chapters, in 
  particular the Ultramarines, are lionised across the Imperium. Others, such as the Blood Drinkers, inspire dread. 
  Any trooper ﬁnding himself in the presence of a Space Marine is likely to drop to his knees in abject supplication, so 
  potent is the martial bearing of a Battle Brother of the Adeptus Astartes. Even senior Imperial Guard ofﬁcers might ﬁnd 
  themselves stammering like newly commissioned subalterns when conversing with a Space Marine. In the main, most 
  Space Marines barely notice mere mortals and it takes a great and rare man indeed to earn their respect.
  Game Masters are advised to keep Space Marines as a very distant presence in their campaigns. Rumours of their presence 
  in a war zone should cause great excitement amongst the PCs, but often prove to be false. Perhaps once the campaign has 
  progressed to a higher level, an encounter with a single squad of Space Marines could form the climax of a mighty battle 
  and prove the subject of numerous tales told around the tables of the ofﬁcers’ mess for many years to come.
  THE CHILDREN OF THORNS
  Severus the Thirteenth could never have gained 
  ascendancy over his peers without the aid of the Dark 
  Eldar group known as the Children of Thorns. This 
  outcast kabal is made up of the dregs of the Dark Eldar 
  society—escaped slaves, disgraced nobles, and defeated 
  champions—and its members are ever watchful for 
  opportunities to gain weapons and slaves they can 
  use to fuel their bid for power in Commorragh. In 
  aiding Severus the Thirteenth, the Children of Thorns 
  kabal has gained easy access to a region in which the 
  Imperium’s forces are unable to oppose their realspace 
  raids. Thousands are dragged screaming back to the 
  dark sub-reality sinks of the Dark City, yet there are 
  those that question whether the kabal’s involvement 
  in the wars of the Spinward Front might be more 
  pernicious still. Some fear that the Dark Eldar might 
  be working towards another agenda entirely—one 
  that can only bring more doom and disaster upon the 
  war torn worlds of the Periphery and beyond.
  
  335
  335
  X: A Galaxy of War
  war zone. Drawn by the near total collapse of the Imperium’s 
  power in the region, the servants of Chaos, in particular the 
  warband of Sektoth the False Whisperer, launched a series of 
  brutal assaults, pursuing their own blasphemous missions. 
  Beset upon all quarters, Severus the Thirteenth announced 
  his annexing of the zone beyond the Periphery into what he 
  termed the “Severan Dominate” until the crisis had passed. Hax 
  was incensed, declaring Severus a secessionist and a traitor, and 
  the war escalated to a previously unseen pitch. The servants of 
  Chaos now walk openly upon the war torn worlds, doing the 
  unknowable bidding of their masters, while the Dark Eldar 
  raid where they will, their pact with Severus all but torn up. 
  The Orks have now entered the second phase of their Waaagh!, 
  the focus shifting from slaughter to enslavement. The Ork 
  warlord has established his own bastion world at Avitohol 
  and enslaved its populace so that countless millions of tons 
  of ramshackle war materiel are being churned out to feed the 
  species’ incessant hunger for weapons and munitions. The lines 
  are drawn and the pressure on the front is increasing, and it is 
  only the far more pressing needs of the Jericho Reach fronts 
  that keep the Imperium from ﬂooding the Spinward Front with 
  so many regiments that all resistance is crushed. Each year that 
  the Severan Dominate is not brought to heel is another year it 
  spends reinforcing its core worlds, and another year the Orks’ 
  strength becomes ever more established. And all the while, 
  the forces of Chaos move unchecked through the region, 
  and mad prophets whisper of an imminent manifestation 
  of the dreaded Tyrant Star… 
  THE GREEN TIDE RISES
  None can tell what might have come of Severus’ ﬁefdom had 
  events continued unchecked. Perhaps he would have grown 
  so bold as to risk openly declaring secession, or perhaps his 
  shadowy allies would have turned upon him in his hubris. 
  Instead, it was another xenos species that decided the matter. 
  An Ork invasion under the warlord Ghenghiz Grimtoof, the 
  self-titled “Git-Slaver,” came crashing out of the darkness and 
  fell upon the outermost fringes of Severus’ pocket empire, 
  slaying millions in a few short months. The defence forces 
  of these worlds were geared largely towards the suppression 
  of their own populations, or else for blustering parades 
  honouring their master, and few were able to mount anything 
  like a capable resistance. World after world slipped from 
  Severus’s grasp as the Git-Slaver’s Orks rampaged all but 
  unchecked through his realm. There was nothing either he or 
  his sinister allies could do to halt them.
  Severus the Thirteenth brooded upon his granite throne as 
  millions perished. His closest advisors counselled him to beseech 
  the Imperium for aid, yet all were silenced by the executioner’s 
  blow. At the last, his counsellors all dead or ﬂed, Severus was left 
  alone and his empire all but fallen. In a moment of grim revelation 
  he saw they had all been correct. He dispatched his own kin to the 
  court of Lord Sector Hax to beg for aid against the Ork invasion. 
  Though most of the messengers were intercepted by unknown 
  assassins or fell prey to other, equally deadly fates, one got 
  through. Severus’s own granddaughter went before Sector Lord 
  Hax and delivered the plea for aid. Hax simply laughed at her.
  The patrician sector lord had been watching the Periphery 
  from afar for years and knew well the treachery of Severus, 
  though how much he was aware of its origins, he did not 
  reveal. Later hearsay implied that some link between Severus 
  and Hax, some dark tie, perhaps even a blood tie, stayed his 
  hand as Severus built his own private realm. Yet, when the 
  Orks attacked, it was to Hax’s own beneﬁt, for it humbled 
  Severus and forced him out of the wilderness in a very public 
  manner. At length, Hax agreed that the Orks must be checked 
  and the sector’s reserves were mobilised.
  Kulth, the capital of the sub-sector, was relieved, though 
  in truth the Imperium never committed sufﬁcient force to 
  truly turn the tide against the Orks. The worlds beyond the 
  Periphery descended into a churning cauldron of total war, yet 
  so many troops were being committed to the secret war in the 
  Jericho Reach that to many the endeavour seemed to have little 
  hope of success. Some whispered that those who prosecuted 
  that distant crusade had need of a war closer to home to mask 
  the huge drain on resources, and so a deadlock in the Periphery 
  was at best convenient, and at worst deliberately maintained.
  TOTAL WAR
  While the situation on Kulth was stabilised, the war beyond the 
  Periphery was going badly for Severus the Thirteenth. While 
  the Orks plundered the worlds of Deluge, KW-9, Pertinax, and 
  a score of lesser systems, a myriad of other threats rose up. 
  Despite the pacts he believed he had secured with the Dark 
  Eldar, the pernicious children of Commorragh launched ever 
  more audacious raids against those worlds on the verges of the 
  
  336
  336
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  For most of those assigned to the Spinward Front, it is clear 
  that the Imperium is ﬁghting not to defend some valuable 
  resource or strategically vital location, but to prosecute a 
  bitterly hated enemy. Of those worlds considered part of the 
  sub-sector proper, Kulth is entirely consumed by war, while 
  several others lie close enough to hostilities that they too may 
  soon be plunged into the bloodshed. The Imperium is ﬁghting 
  a war on two fronts though, simultaneously seeking to repel 
  Waaagh! Grimtoof and   suppressing the Severan Dominate. 
  The front line has largely stabilised at the spinward border 
  of the Periphery, and standard military doctrine calls for the 
  fortiﬁcation and reinforcement of its core worlds in order to 
  conduct a “defence in depth” against the invading Orks. No 
  such reinforcement or fortiﬁcation has yet been instigated, 
  the ongoing crusade in the Jericho Reach drawing away any 
  forces that might be employed to do so. 
  KULTH
  Kulth is the strategic lynchpin of the Spinward Front, for it 
  occupies a unique position in relation to the numerous factions 
  intent upon conquering the Periphery. Kulth bestrides the 
  Calixis-Scarus Warp conduit and is the last Imperial planet 
  within the borders of the sub-sector before the route plunges 
  into the lawless voids of inter-sector Wilderness Space. Its 
  orbit is strewn with countless void-docks constructed to 
  accommodate Warp vessels laying over on their way to or 
  from the Scarus Sector. Yet with the coming of the war, most 
  of these have fallen silent and cold, while others have become 
  low gravity, vacuum-haunted warzones in their own right.
  The surface of Kulth was once considered an arcadia, 
  its rolling hills and fertile, grassy plains ripe for different 
  types of exploitation. It was Duke Severus the First’s dream 
  that the world would become a haven for the nobles of the 
  nascent Calixis Sector, and it was to that end that he built 
  his own soaring palace on the glittering coast of the primary 
  continent. This formidable pile was wrought from marble of 
  deep crimson, and so became known as the Sanguine Palace. 
  He issued invitations to those military leaders that had served 
  under him to come to Kulth and receive his patent of nobility, 
  hoping to establish a hierarchical order with himself at the 
  apex and numerous vassal lordlings owing him fealty. For 
  several years, it appeared that Duke Severus’s dream might be 
  realised. Then, Drusus was elevated to the rank of ﬁrst Lord 
  Sector, and one of his ﬁrst deeds was to create a stable and 
  prosperous region out of the war torn ruin left in the wake of 
  the Angevin Crusade. The Calyx Expanse became the Calixis 
  Sector and it was carved up into sub-sectors, each with its own 
  praefect and capital world. Kulth was declared the capital of 
  the Periphery, a term Severus perceived straight away as an 
  insult to all his achievements during the crusade. Despite the 
  terms of his Warrant of Trade, Severus’s world was prised from 
  him by Drusus’s servants. A massive Administratum mission 
  descended upon the verdant grasslands and set in motion the 
  process by which Kulth was turned into the administrative 
  centre of the new sub-sector. 
  Severus lived out his days in the faded glory of his 
  coastal palace, closing its shutters to block the sight of the 
  Adeptus presence sprawling across the land. Within a few 
  Worlds of 
  the Spinward 
  Front
  “For an age, no one cared about the Periphery or the cold reaches 
  beyond its borders. The light of the Emperor just never really shone 
  this far. Now the Orks want it, the secessionists want it, the Eldar 
  want it, and even those powers we don’t name want it. Stands without 
  reason that after all this time, after centuries of not caring, the 
  Imperium should decide it wants the Periphery after all...”
  –Evidence submitted in the court martial of San Durra
  C
  onfronted with the combined crisis of xenos invasion, 
  traitor secession, Dark Eldar raids, Chaos assaults, and 
  religious-inspired anarchy, the Imperium has declared 
  the Periphery and its spinward marches a war zone. The 
  entire area is designated the Spinward Front and it falls into 
  three broadly deﬁned partitions. 
  The ﬁrst is the Periphery Sub-Sector itself, a region that has 
  been crumbling from within for many generations and is likely 
  to be sent into terminal decline with the recent upheavals. Most 
  of the planets in the Periphery are frontier worlds, existing on 
  the lawless fringes of Imperial space where life is especially 
  brutal and short. The laws the Adeptus Arbites enforce across 
  the sector appear distant and irrelevant codes to those who 
  ﬁght just to survive on the decrepit frontiers.
  The second part of the Spinward Front is that area invaded 
  by Waaagh! Grimtoof. Most of the worlds captured by Warlord 
  Git-Slaver’s invasion previously fell under the rule of Severus, 
  but now look well and truly lost to the Imperium.
  The third part of the Spinward Front is the Severan 
  Dominate, a cluster of worlds beyond the spinward border 
  of the Calixis Sector that Severus the Thirteenth has declared 
  under his direct rule, effectively seceding from the rule of 
  the Imperium. The planets of the Severan Dominate are in 
  the main barren wastes, but their position along the Calixis-
  Scarus Warp conduit renders them strategically essential to 
  the security of the entire segmentum. The majority of the area 
  is fast becoming a cauldron of war, as ever greater numbers of 
  troops are committed there.
  THE PERIPHERY  
  SUB-SECTOR
  The Periphery is aptly named, and not simply because of its 
  position at the verges of the Calixis Sector. Its worlds have been 
  slowly decaying for almost as long as the sector has been in 
  existence, side-lined by those areas with more valuable natural 
  resources, better developed infrastructure, and more prosperous 
  mercantile concerns. In many ways, the sub-sector has always 
  served as a buffer against any enemy that might emerge from 
  the vast gulfs of Wilderness Space separating the Calixis 
  and Scarus sectors, and with the arrival of Waaagh! 
  Grimtoof that is exactly what has occurred. 
  
  337
  337
  X: A Galaxy of War
  It is to 
  Kulth 
  that 
  the majority of 
  newly raised Imperial 
  Guard regiments are likely to 
  be sent, for its savage battle zones chew through men and 
  machines at a rapacious rate. The world is a war zone in 
  its own right, the Imperium’s forces commanded by Lord 
  General Ghanzorik in person. Kulth High Command is well 
  established in a formidable chain of bastions and fortresses 
  near the world’s north pole, known as Fort Drusus (a title 
  Severus the Thirteenth believes a deliberate insult), and this 
  nigh impregnable ring of ceramite and plasteel is tested 
  daily by the relentless frontal assaults of the Orks. Those 
  Guardsmen that survive more than a few days soon learn that 
  very little on Kulth is permanent, the front line shifting miles 
  each and every day. No sooner is a position carried than it 
  is lost to counter-attack; no sooner is a garrison established 
  than the defenders are shipped out to bolster another assault. 
  Ghanzorik is the most dogged of leaders, and those serving 
  beneath him hold him in a mixture of respect and fear. Most 
  know that he will do anything to fulﬁl his duty, but that 
  this includes sacriﬁcing countless numbers of his own troops 
  should he deem it necessary. Not for nothing is Ghanzorik 
  known by many on the front line as “Old Steel and Blood,” a 
  title the dour old general is said to secretly revel in.
  IMPERIAL FORCES ON KULTH
  Lord General Ghanzorik’s forces represent the greatest 
  operational concentration of the Imperium’s military resources 
  in the entire Calixis Sector, but still they are insufﬁcient to 
  strike the decisive blow that will take the world once and for 
  all. At the last estimate, they numbered at least ﬁve million 
  troops, around two thirds serving in front line combat units 
  and the remainder committed to second line reserve and 
  support formations. In addition to these, countless more 
  are engaged in the ceaseless logistical duties by which 
  decades, Severus was dead, though his line clung on 
  to possession of his palace and a scant few other 
  holdings. Meanwhile, a huge workforce raised 
  up the labyrinthine administration necessary to 
  oversee an entire sub-sector. The orbital void-
  docks were constructed and Kulth became a 
  busy shipping hub, its wealth founded not 
  on patents of nobility, but on levies placed 
  on shipping passing to and from Scarus.
  Despite the bitter fate of the line’s sire, 
  the scions of Duke Severus remained on 
  Kulth, stoking their hatred of Drusus 
  and all his works yet forced to hide it 
  from all around them. The line’s palace 
  grew ever more tumbledown, yet the 
  family retained sufﬁcient income from 
  its off-world concerns to cling on to a 
  vestige of nobility, if not true power. 
  When at last Severus the Thirteenth 
  ﬁnally clawed his way to the rank 
  of Lord Sub-Sector, he retained his 
  line’s palace as his court as an act of 
  remembrance to his long dead forebear. 
  Over the course of several years, Severus carried out 
  a ruthless, yet largely unseen, purge of Kulth’s Adeptus 
  presence until ultimately, only those loyal to him and his line 
  occupied positions of true power. The Severus line’s palace 
  became a bustling court frequented by a curious mixture of 
  sycophants and murderers, those who would do anything to 
  remain in favour and those willing to kill anyone for a fee. 
  Beneath the outward displays of fealty boiled a heady mix 
  of decadence and heresy, epicurean dilatants competing for 
  favour with xenos assassins in the dusty, decrepit halls.
  Then came Waaagh! Grimtoof. Initially, it was only those 
  worlds beyond the Periphery’s borders that suffered the Orks’ 
  predations and it was many months before the full extent of 
  the crisis was realised on Kulth. Even then, Severus believed he 
  could hold the barbarous xenos at bay using the forces under his 
  command, without compromising his ambitions by beseeching 
  the Lord Sector for assistance. He was proved wrong in short 
  order and saw no alternative but to declare the secession of 
  the Severan Dominate. Kulth is now a scorched, corpse-strewn 
  wasteland, its continents carved up into the ever-shifting 
  territories of whichever army has most recently committed the 
  most resources to taking it. The Sanguine Palace still stands, 
  protected from orbital strike by multiple void domes thought 
  to have been acquired by pacts with outcast factions of the Cult 
  Mechanicus. The palace is surrounded on all quarters by the most 
  formidable defences on all of Kulth and has never fallen, though 
  both the Imperium and the Orks have come close to taking its 
  outer precincts on several occasions. The battle for Kulth has 
  been raging for 83 years, the fates of each faction waxing and 
  waning as entire armies are fed into the meat grinder. At times, 
  one party has all but crushed another, only to be counter-attacked 
  by the third. At present, the Dominate is conﬁned to one part of 
  the world’s primary continent, while the vast bulk of the ﬁghting 
  rages between the Imperium and the Orks. How long this state 
  might last is a question beyond even the most gifted of strategic 
  precognosticators, however, and it could switch at any moment. 
  X: A Galaxy of War
  It is to 
  Kulth 
  that 
  Kulth 
  that 
  the majority of 
  the majority of 
  newly raised Imperial 
  Guard regiments are likely to 
  be sent, for its savage battle zones chew through men and 
  machines at a rapacious rate. The world is a war zone in 
  its own right, the Imperium’s forces commanded by Lord 
  decades, Severus was dead, though his line clung on 
  to possession of his palace and a scant few other 
  holdings. Meanwhile, a huge workforce raised 
  up the labyrinthine administration necessary to 
  oversee an entire sub-sector. The orbital void-
  docks were constructed and Kulth became a 
  busy shipping hub, its wealth founded not 
  on patents of nobility, but on levies placed 
  on shipping passing to and from Scarus.
  Despite the bitter fate of the line’s sire, 
  the scions of Duke Severus remained on 
  Kulth, stoking their hatred of Drusus 
  and all his works yet forced to hide it 
  from all around them. The line’s palace 
  grew ever more tumbledown, yet the 
  family retained sufﬁcient income from 
  its off-world concerns to cling on to a 
  vestige of nobility, if not true power. 
  When at last Severus the Thirteenth 
  line’s palace as his court as an act of 
  remembrance to his long dead forebear. 
  Over the course of several years, Severus carried out 
  a ruthless, yet largely unseen, purge of Kulth’s Adeptus 
  presence until ultimately, only those loyal to him and his line 
  occupied positions of true power. The Severus line’s palace 
  became a bustling court frequented by a curious mixture of 
  sycophants and murderers, those who would do anything to 
  remain in favour and those willing to kill anyone for a fee. 
  Beneath the outward displays of fealty boiled a heady mix 
  
  338
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  ORK FORCES ON KULTH
  The forces of Grimtoof Git-Slaver are even more varied 
  than those of the Imperial Guard, so much so that Imperial 
  intelligence cells have long since abandoned hope of tracking 
  their composition. Instead, the Imperium focuses on estimating 
  the numbers of warbands present and the numbers of Ork 
  “Boyz” that make up each one. At present, it is estimated that 
  the Git-Slaver has committed at least ten million Ork Boyz 
  to Kulth, with countless more of the slave creatures known 
  as Gretchin (or sometimes Grots) being herded into battle 
  alongside, or often in front of them. 
  Of more use to the Imperium than crude numbers are 
  details of what types of war machine the enemy can ﬁeld. 
  Ork forces tend to be a ramshackle riot of troops either 
  swarming forward on foot or riding a range of mechanically 
  improbable vehicles from light bikes to heavy battlewagons. 
  Some ﬁeld large amounts of artillery, partly looted from a 
  range of enemies but much of it patched together from scrap. 
  Some ﬁeld walkers of varying sizes and conﬁgurations, while 
  others equip their foremost warriors with armour as heavy as 
  the Space Marines’ formidable Terminator suits. 
  While there appears to be little in the way of logic or 
  pattern to the composition of most Ork warbands, there are 
  some that eschew any hint of balance and focus entirely on 
  one type of force, often for no obvious reason other than 
  the crudely expressed tastes of whichever leader has risen 
  to power. Some warbands ride to war packed into fast but 
  lightly armoured transports, those that reach the Imperial 
  Guard lines leaping out directly into the defenders’ midst 
  to unleash bloody mayhem. Others ﬁeld only huge mobs of 
  walkers, from light Killa Kans to Stompas almost the size of 
  a scout Titan.
  It is rare for Orks to invest much in static defence, 
  though they often “upgrade” those Imperial fortiﬁcations 
  they capture. The species is so bloodthirsty and violent that 
  the Git-Slaver’s forces are far more likely to operate on the 
  offensive. Frontal assaults so large the landscape seethes 
  with alien bodies from one horizon to the next are not 
  uncommon, the mighty Gargants stomping forward with 
  their characteristic gait, unleashing ﬁrepower sufﬁcient to 
  ﬂatten entire fortresses. The Orks revel in such displays 
  of crude power, every one bellowing the praises of their 
  primitive gods. To an Imperial Guard trooper manning the 
  trench line for the ﬁrst time, such a spectacle is sufﬁcient to 
  shatter the mind. Often the only thing more intimidating is 
  the gaping muzzle of a Commissar’s bolt pistol, held ready 
  to gun down any who should ﬂee.
  While the Imperium’s presence on Kulth is subject to the 
  rigid command structure of the Imperial Guard and other 
  military bodies, the Orks control their massive armies by way 
  of the timeless principle of “might makes right.” Grimtoof 
  Git-Slaver has ultimate control over his forces on Kulth and 
  every other world in the region, and although he is most 
  often to be found at his “kapital” of Avitohol, he makes 
  regular appearances at the very front line of his armies on 
  Kulth. The Boyz need a regular reminder, it seems, of just 
  who is in charge. When Grimtoof is not on Kulth, command 
  is delegated in typically Orkish fashion to whichever of the 
  warlords is strongest. At present, a particularly psychopathic 
  such a large force is maintained. Regiments are drawn from 
  all over the Calixis Sector and every world able to raise a 
  tithe is represented in Ghanzorik’s armies. With the events 
  surrounding the rise of the Dei-Phage, numerous regiments 
  have been drafted in from sectors much further aﬁeld, at least 
  in part to ensure their loyalty cannot be called into question. 
  These include regiments from Cadia, Tallarn, Vostroya and 
  many other famed Imperial Guard home worlds. Rather than 
  being raised speciﬁcally for the war on Kulth, these regiments 
  have been drawn from segmentum reserves or re-tasked and 
  diverted from whatever operations they were initially raised 
  to undertake. Some are long service veterans with more than 
  a decade of experience at the front line, but they will be 
  bitterly disappointed if they expect to be assigned to ﬁght a 
  battle from which victory might derive settlement rights. The 
  war on Kulth is expected to grind on for decades to come.
  Amongst the Imperium’s forces on Kulth can be found 
  every type and variation of ﬁghting force. The Imperial Guard 
  is an incredibly varied organisation and so even the main line 
  infantry regiments range from small bodies of heavily armed 
  and armoured grenadiers to massive formations equipped 
  only with the crudest mass-produced weaponry. Supporting 
  these infantry forces are artillery regiments ﬁelding every 
  imaginable form of heavy gun from massed mortars to super-
  heavy self-propelled artillery. Leading the infantry in their 
  massed assaults are the tank companies, most equipped 
  with the ubiquitous workhorse of Imperial Guard armoured 
  forces—the venerable Leman Russ battle tank. Others go to 
  war in the fearsome Baneblade or one of its variants, each 
  so heavily armed it can slaughter hundreds of foes or even 
  strike down the lumbering Gargants the Orks use as titans. 
  Mechanised infantry regiments ride to war in Chimera 
  armoured carriers, while numerous other regiments utilise all 
  manner of riding beasts in the mode of classic cavalry. A small 
  number of regiments operate as drop troopers, and “Old Steel 
  and Blood” is fortunate to have a corps of Elysian regiments 
  at his disposal, for these are amongst the ﬁnest exponents of 
  aerial and orbital assault in the entire Imperial Guard. 
  The majority of these forces are stationed at Fort Drusus, 
  or at least mustered there before being assigned to one of the 
  numerous front lines stretching across millions of kilometres 
  of Kulth’s surface. Fort Drusus is a sprawling base the size 
  of a city, its landing ﬁelds never silent as millions of tonnes 
  of materiel are shipped in each and every day along with 
  fresh meat for the front lines. Newly drafted regiments are 
  lucky to be granted more than a day to acclimatise to Kulth’s 
  atmosphere, which most note tastes like ash and smells of 
  ballistic propellant—a sensation they soon grow used to 
  if they live long enough. Having marched or ridden out 
  of Fort Drusus’s mighty Aquila Gate, few ever return alive 
  unless their regiment has suffered such a mauling it is forced 
  to withdraw for reconstitution. Most only make the return 
  journey through the Aquila Gate in a Munitorum body-bag, 
  having given all for the God-Emperor of Man.
  
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  invested with a righteous zeal rarely faced by the Imperium. 
  They truly believe that Kulth is sacred ground granted to 
  them by the Emperor himself and that the distant High 
  Lords of Terra have broken faith with them and their lord by 
  gifting it to weak puppets such as Lord Sector Hax. Nothing 
  makes this more obvious than the spectacle of the Imperial 
  Aquila scoured from uniforms and the ﬂanks of vehicles to be 
  replaced with the proud proﬁle of Severus the Thirteenth, his 
  head crowned with a wreath of laurels. Despite their rejection 
  of the High Lords, the defenders of Kulth regard themselves 
  as faithful subjects of the God-Emperor and so many bear a 
  wide variety of religious icons and personal relics. Of course, 
  none know what vile pacts their master has undertaken in the 
  pursuit of power.
  Since the coming of Waaagh! Grimtoof to Kulth, the armies 
  of the Dominate have seen both huge gains and enormous 
  setbacks. When the Orks ﬁrst invaded, the defenders were 
  horribly outmatched—within weeks of the ﬁrst enemy drops, 
  those of Severus the Thirteenth’s forces not slain were falling 
  back on the Sanguine Palace. When the Imperium came to 
  Kulth’s aid, the Orks were thrown back in disarray, but it was 
  not long before events drove Severus to declare his secession 
  and the liberators became the enemy too. On three separate 
  occasions, the armies of the Dominate have come within a 
  hair’s breadth of expelling the Imperium from Kulth, yet each 
  time the Orks have counter-attacked, on Kulth or a nearby 
  system, necessitating a desperate redeployment to avoid total 
  collapse. The bones of Severus the Thirteenth’s soldiers are 
  now scattered across every square mile of Kulth’s surface, but 
  so too are those of their enemies, whether Imperial, Ork, or 
  any other foe that would contest their Emperor-given right 
  to their world.
  warlord known as “Zog the ‘Zerker” is acting as Grimtoof ’s 
  second. It remains to be seen if Zog will overstep the bounds 
  of his authority and suffer Grimtoof ’s wrath or actually 
  become strong enough to challenge his overlord. It goes 
  without saying that several Imperial bodies, not least the 
  Ordo Xenos, are watching the situation closely.
  SEVERAN DOMINATE FORCES ON KULTH
  The armies of Severus the Thirteenth are nowhere near as 
  varied as those of the Imperium or the Orks, the Dominate 
  having far fewer resources to draw upon in the appointment 
  of their troops. The majority are infantry equipped with 
  whatever weapons the defence forces of their home world 
  were issued, and while some Dominate units appear almost 
  indistinguishable from Imperial Guard units, others look more 
  like a scrofulous mob. Despite the relative lack of resources 
  compared to the Imperium, the armies of the Dominate still 
  make use of the more common marks of Imperial war machines, 
  including the Leman Russ battle tank and the Chimera armour 
  carrier. While the Imperial Guard makes only minimum use 
  of locally produced vehicles, the logistics train required to 
  support such items being untenable over interstellar distances, 
  the armies of the Dominate make extensive use of vehicle 
  types rarely seen outside of the Periphery. These include light 
  tanks, ambulatory gun platforms, and a number of crude but 
  remarkably tough ground attack aircraft. 
  What the armies of the Dominate lack in advanced 
  equipment, however, they more than make up for in quantity. 
  Though the worlds within the Dominate are not hugely 
  populated, they are close at hand. While the Imperium must 
  ship troops in from further away, the Dominate’s worlds are 
  close by and its lines of communication correspondingly 
  short. In addition, Severus the Thirteenth has proved 
  remarkably adept at manipulating the hearts and minds of 
  his peoples, such that those ﬁghting to defend Kulth are 
  LORD MARSHAL GHANZORIK – “OLD STEEL AND BLOOD”
  Supreme commander of the Imperium’s forces on the Spinward Front, General Ghanzorik is an ofﬁcer with a fearsome 
  reputation, as much amongst his own staff as his enemies. He was commissioned into the 61st Maccabian Janissaries 
  in 775.M41, and in 780 his regiment was dispatched through the Jericho-Maw Warp gate to serve in the hellish war 
  zones of the Jericho Reach. Over two decades, Ghanzorik proved himself an able leader, his regiment primarily engaged 
  prosecuting the wars of the Orpheus Salient. Of the sights he witnessed during those bloody years, Ghanzorik rarely 
  speaks, but he is known to have sustained a number of grievous wounds while commanding his troops from the very 
  front. Upon receiving one such wound that almost proved fatal, Ghanzorik was informed of his ascension to the general 
  staff and, while he initially protested what he saw as the loss of his regiment, he soon found himself commanding entire 
  army groups, where his courage, tactical skill, and determination found an entirely new expression. 
  With the secession of the Severan Dominate and the establishment of the Spinward Front, Ghanzorik was raised 
  up still higher, granted the title Lord Marshal and given the grave responsibility of repulsing an Ork invasion, putting 
  down a pernicious rebellion, and bringing order to a region of space long known for its lawlessness. Ghanzorik soon 
  earned his nickname, committing countless troops to the Relief of Kulth. Yet, despite his initial success in holding the 
  Orks at the sub sector’s capital, Ghanzorik appears to be operating with one hand tied behind his back. The situation 
  in the Spinward Front is dire indeed, and seemingly warrants far more military resources than have been assigned to it. 
  While the most highly placed in the sector’s military authorities understand there is a grave need to send forces through 
  the Jericho-Maw Warp gate and to use the Spinward Front as a cover for the high levels of recruitment, others believe 
  that a deliberate policy exists to ensure that the Severan Dominate and the Orks of Waaagh! Grimtoof grind each other 
  to mutual destruction. How complicit “Old Steel and Blood” might be in such a conspiracy, none can say, nor can they 
  predict how he might react if he himself discovers the truth.
  
  340
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  of the Commissariat and the regimental provosts. These grim-
  faced men and women prowl the ramshackle, neon-lit streets, 
  stun mauls ready to use against any wayward troopers that 
  take their brief period of liberty for granted and overstep 
  what few limits are placed upon them.
  SISK
  The Sisk system lies close to the rimward ﬂank of Waaagh! 
  Grimtoof ’s main advance and, as such, is preparing for 
  imminent invasion. The Spinward Front’s military authorities 
  are drawing up plans for the ﬁrst regimental founding in the 
  world’s history.
  Sisk is classed as a feudal world, meaning it is ruled 
  by a land-owning noble caste and that its general level of 
  technology is barely more advanced than gunpowder. Sisk 
  has very little contact with the Calixis Sector or with the 
  Imperium at large and this has been the case since its earliest 
  days. Communication with the institutions of the Calixis 
  GANF MAGNA
  The Ganf System occupies a position of minor strategic 
  importance within the Calixis Sector, serving as a hub and 
  layover point on the Warp routes that connect the world 
  of Vaxanide and Sepheris Secundus. Ganf Magna, the 
  major world of the system, is a dusty frontier crawling 
  with recidivists, heretics, and outcasts, yet it is also the 
  sole producer of polygum, a naturally occurring substance 
  with applications in bionic limb grafting, industrial grade 
  nutritional synthesis, and parasite infestation control. This 
  single export draws chartist captains to Ganf Magna, where 
  those with the right trade warrants can earn themselves 
  a respectable proﬁt selling it on to the forge worlds and 
  manufacturing centres of the sector.
  Ganf Magna is host to a sizable population of Feral Orks, 
  as are several other worlds in the system, a fact that has 
  drawn investigation by the alien-hunting Ordo Xenos. Orks 
  are known to reproduce by the unconscious dissemination 
  of microscopic spoors, a process accelerated by conditions 
  of warfare. Thus, any battleﬁeld over which the Orks ﬁght 
  is tainted with billions of spoors. A proportion will in time 
  develop into more of the warlike creatures, unless the land 
  is thoroughly scoured. The fact that the authorities on Ganf 
  Magna, such as they are, have been ﬁghting a losing war 
  against an infestation of so-called “Feral Orks”—Orks that 
  have spawned independently and have yet to make contact 
  with others of their kind—suggests that either a large war 
  was once fought there or that the planet has been deliberately 
  “sown” with spores. No extant archive exists that describes 
  such a prior war, while the theory of deliberate infestation 
  is too far-fetched for most to accept. Those that advance the 
  theory point to the fact that Ganf Magna appears to lie in the 
  path of Waaagh! Grimtoof and as its leading edge gets closer, 
  the Feral Ork population becomes ever more aggressive.
  Numerous wars have been fought on Ganf Magna in an 
  effort to cleanse its surface of the Feral Orks once and for all, 
  with Imperial Guard regiments drafted in from other worlds 
  in the sector to bolster locally raised forces. Such “cleansings” 
  must be carried out with ever greater frequency, for each time 
  one is concluded, even more spoors are released and even 
  more Feral Orks brought into being by the species’ bizarre 
  reproductive cycle. 
  Ganf Magna is host to a large Departmento Munitorum 
  depot facility able to accommodate numerous regiments in 
  a vast barrack complex not far from the settlement of Gulch. 
  The depot is a staging post for regiments charged with 
  cleansing operations against the Feral Orks and, while at 
  least one regiment is to be found training and acclimatising, 
  several more might be recovering from losses suffered out 
  in the Greenskin-infested wastes. Gulch provides numerous 
  distractions for troopers weary of battle, though whether 
  or not they are able to avail themselves depends on their 
  regiment’s Commissars. Gulch is host to numerous bars, 
  gambling dens, black markets, bordellos, ﬂophouses, and 
  even less salubrious dens of recidivism, most of which 
  are essential to the morale of a body of troops recently 
  returned from the front line. It is said that there is 
  no vice not catered to in Gulch, despite the efforts 
  
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  SINOPHIA
  Of all the worlds of the Periphery, Sinophia came the closest 
  to carving its place in the annals of the Calixis Sector. Long 
  ago, Sinophia was a distant outpost of the Ixaniad Sector, but 
  with the coming of the Angevin Crusade, it suddenly became 
  the jumping off point in the conquest of the Calyx Expanse. 
  For a generation, Sinophia was the staging world and the 
  mustering ground for vast armies and ﬂeets of the faithful, 
  who came from light years in all directions to cast the horrors 
  of the Expanse back into the darkness of the Halo Stars and 
  conquer the region for the God-Emperor of Mankind. 
  But Sinophia’s glory was brief and the rot soon set in. 
  Now, its once mighty cities are crumbling piles of decay, 
  its population a mere fraction of its former density. As if to 
  rub salt into the wounds, the world has been afﬂicted by 
  Tech-Heresy, its numerous Cult Mechanicum shrines bolting 
  their portals as if to deny the horrible truths stalking the 
  thoroughfares without. Many are those who dream of service 
  in the Imperial Guard, seeing it as a means of escaping their 
  misery, yet Sinophia’s planetary forces are rated sub-par and 
  no such tithing is likely to occur.
  Despite its condition, Sinophia is still of some strategic 
  importance to the sub-sector, for it bestrides the Calixis-
  Scarus Warp conduit. Imperial ﬂeets destined for Kulth 
  and the contested worlds of the Severan Dominate beyond 
  it have been staging at Sinophia with increasing frequency. 
  Perhaps the world might resurrect its all-but forgotten role of 
  mustering ground for forces of conquest, reprising its former 
  glories at the dawn of the Angevin Crusade. 
  Sector is deliberately limited, the small Adeptus presence 
  assigned to the world operating in or from a number of void 
  stations in orbit. The reason for this restriction is long lost 
  to most, but the highest-placed know that it is a holdover 
  from the days before the Angevin Crusade conquered the 
  benighted depths of the Calyx Expanse. Though few are now 
  aware of it, the native peoples of Sisk resisted the crusade’s 
  advance and it was only the actions of Duke Severus the First 
  that eventually forced them into compliance. Since that time, 
  a pall of sullen bitterness has hung over the population, as if 
  the shame of that distant age is seeped into the very stones of 
  its walled cities. 
  There is another reason why Sisk has remained isolated, 
  however, and why it has yet to be subjected to a regimental 
  tithe. The population seems more prone than others to 
  genetic deviancy, instances of mutation running at higher 
  levels than in other worlds in the region. These mutations 
  appear relatively stable and one of the tasks of the Adeptus 
  presence has been to ascertain if they constitute a classiﬁable 
  abhuman strain. Most of Sisk’s sizable mutant population are 
  possessed of additional joints in their arms, legs, hands and 
  feet, giving them a distinctive and disturbing, loping gait 
  when they move. Where there are mutants, of course, there are 
  frequently psykers, and herein lies the reason for the Adeptus 
  presence remaining in orbit. As the governor of Sisk, it falls 
  to Lord Gavvit to monitor the rate of psyker manifestation 
  and conduct regular purges to hunt down those not rendered 
  to his enforcers by the population itself. Countless times 
  throughout its history, some rogue psyker has risen to power 
  on Sisk, perhaps even gaining dominance over an army of his 
  people, before the authorities have conducted a brutal witch 
  hunt in which thousands must be thrown to the pyre.
  The surface of the world is a bleak and unforgiving land of 
  windswept moors, foul swamps, and deep, brooding forests of 
  twisted and malformed trees. The people live in high-walled 
  cities, protected, so they hope, from mutant bands that roam 
  the wilderness that are often driven to cannibalism and worse 
  by the harshness of their existence. Very few outsiders live 
  openly on the surface, though Lord Gavvit does maintain a 
  number of hidden monitoring stations from which he can spy 
  upon his subjects. 
  Imperial Guard troopers operating on Sisk are likely to 
  be taking part in one of the periodic mutant purges, but they 
  might be unfortunate enough to be taking part in a witch 
  hunt, perhaps drafted into an Ordo Hereticus operation 
  or supporting an Adepta Sororitas mission. They will be 
  garrisoned on one of the orbital stations, but not likely the 
  gilded palace that is Lord Gavvit’s personal domain. All 
  too soon, they will be ﬁghting across the mutant-haunted 
  wilderness, cursing the relentless wind and rain and the 
  shrieking, multiple-jointed cannibals that attack seemingly 
  out of the mists themselves.
  SABRIEL
  Spinward of the region claimed by the Severan 
  Dominate, bestriding the Calixis-Scarus Warp route, 
  lies a system once claimed by the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  but long thought abandoned by the followers of the 
  Cult Mechanicus. Orbiting Sabriel is a vast artiﬁcial 
  body, its original purpose long forgotten. The Spinward 
  Front high command are currently drafting plans to 
  reconnoitre Sabriel in the hope that an Imperial Guard 
  presence could be established there and a new front 
  opened up against the Orks as well as the Secessionists. 
  Such a mission would be highly perilous, however, for 
  reinforcing and supplying it in the face of counter-
  attack would be all but impossible. Nonetheless, 
  several ambitious regimental commanders have already 
  volunteered their units to take the artiﬁcial planet of 
  Sabriel, ignorant of what perils may lurk there… 
  
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  KALF 
  A frontier world spinward of Sinophia, Kalf is host to a planet-
  wide desert of shifting sand seas that harbour a number of 
  highly aggressive autochthonic life forms, including the 
  notorious Kalﬁan Sand Devil. Of late, Kalf has served as a 
  staging ground for Imperial Guard regiments deploying to 
  Kulth, yet the activities of another enemy has caused several to 
  remain there to guard against a new threat. A Dark Eldar force 
  identiﬁed as the retinue of the Haemonculous Tevriel Vektesh 
  has launched numerous realspace raids into the system, and in 
  particular into the deeps of the Kalﬁan sand seas, to unknown 
  ends. Imperial Guard units tasked with engaging the Dark 
  Eldar have found the environment and its native life forms 
  every bit as deadly an enemy as the Haemonculous and her 
  cruel followers, and several entire companies have failed to 
  return from search and engage missions.
  CYCLOPEA
  The eponymous capital of the Cyclopea system is a world of 
  ruin, decay, and bitter curses, sharing something of the cruel 
  malaise, yet nothing of the former glory, of its neighbour 
  Sinophia. Cyclopea is a world of dust and debris, its barren 
  surface strewn with the faded remnants of some long 
  extinct civilisation. These relics take the form of megalithic 
  monuments raised by unknown masons in ages long past, 
  and no one can tell whether the builders were even human, 
  though no taint of the xenos is known to linger. Many of 
  Cyclopea’s settlements are built using the ruined megaliths as 
  foundations or pilings, while others cling to the sheer sides of 
  the very largest. The tallest soar so high into the dismal skies 
  that they pierce the very clouds, human habitations clinging 
  precariously to their crumbling surfaces in search of some 
  hint of untainted sunlight. 
  The people of Cyclopea are known to be every bit 
  as morbid as the world of their birth, as if touched by 
  some aeons-old soul-curse. They are grim and dour and 
  they shun even those few pleasures others might cleave 
  to in a universe of oppression and war. As with Sinophia, 
  numerous tech-heresies have sprung into being, nurtured 
  by the tinker-witches who skulk in the deep shadows of 
  the towering megaliths. 
  Few regimental tithings have ever been raised from 
  Cyclopea, its dues rendered by other means such as base 
  manufacturing and the processing of a variety of bulk ores. 
  With the recent upheavals in the Spinward Front, however, 
  the Departmento Munitorum has despatched several 
  Imperial Guard regiments to Cyclopea to prepare it for a 
  full scale, enforced regimental tithe. Very soon, hundreds 
  of thousands are to be offered the choice of service in the 
  Imperial Guard or death.
  THE CTHULGHA NEBULA
  Beyond the spinward marches of the Periphery, the 
  void seethes with the nucleonic ﬁres of dozens of 
  slain stars. What processes led to the creation of this 
  burning nebula are unknown, and the region is the 
  subject of cautionary tales told by those few void farers 
  who have traversed its outer fringes. At the heart of the 
  region lies a zone of relative calm sometimes referred 
  to as the Heart of Cthulgha, about which countless 
  superstitious stories are uttered. Something is said to 
  lie deep in the heart of the Cthulgha Nebula. A silent, 
  tomblike structure is said to drift through the raging 
  ﬁres, protected by the most potent of void shields and 
  the most holy of wards. Some claim it is some manner 
  of sentinel and that it watches over the infernal nebula, 
  ever vigilant for the return of some ancient nightmare 
  that even the Orks, who hold no fear of death, ﬂee 
  from in abject horror.
  SLEEF 
  Classiﬁed as a Dead World, Sleef has long been 
  forbidden space to the void farers of the Calixis Sector. 
  With the Ork invasion of nearby Letum and Pertinax 
  ,however, there are those amongst the Spinward Front 
  high command who are calling for Sleef to be opened 
  up for fortiﬁcation lest the xenos utilise it as a means 
  of striking further into the Calixis Sector. To date, 
  such proposals have been overruled on the advice of 
  various highly ranked members of the Ordos Calixis. 
  What secrets might await any Imperial Guard regiment 
  dispatched to reinforce Sleef remains to be seen, for 
  thus far the Inquisition’s counsel has been heeded.
  cruel followers, and several entire companies have failed to 
  return from search and engage missions.
  
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  xenos. The fate of the servants of the Cult Mechanicus 
  remains unknown. Of late, Imperial Navy long range sweeps 
  have detected stray signals suggesting some remnant of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus forces still exist, though in what form 
  none can say. Perhaps it is no more than an automated beacon 
  cycling endlessly into the void, but perhaps it represents a 
  small group that somehow continues to hold out.
  Between Porphyry and the leading edge of the Ork 
  invasion lies a cluster of worlds linked by minor, barely 
  known and highly unstable Warp routes. Even the largest of 
  these are unexplored and as such have only astrocartographic 
  identiﬁers, including KW-9 and XD-777. Closest to the 
  border with the Severan Dominate is the world of Augury, 
  a planet long shunned even by the pirates and outcasts that 
  haunt such regions. The Orks took Augury six months into 
  their invasion, but they seem unwilling to commit sufﬁcient 
  forces to keep hold of it and the Severan Dominate has 
  retaken it on several occasions. Currently, Dominate forces 
  have been compelled to vacate Augury by the need to bolster 
  nearby Lukius, and so it nominally falls under those worlds in 
  the thrall of Grimtoof Git-Slaver. 
  Trailing Augury is a line of systems once claimed by the 
  Severan Dominate but currently ﬁghting desperately for 
  their own survival in the face of the xenos invasion. The 
  Imperium is largely unaware and uncaring of their fate and 
  the Dominate is unable to project forces much further 
  than Lukius and Augury. The worlds of Pertinax, Letum, 
  Melqart, and Iris form a lost front, the peoples of each 
  ﬁghting alone to keep the Orks at bay. 
  Waaagh! 
  Grimtoof
  T
  he green-skinned, barbarous Orks have plagued 
  humanity for as long as he has traversed space and it 
  is probable they are mankind’s oldest xenos foe. The 
  Emperor himself is said to have fought, and defeated, one 
  of the species’ mightiest leaders during the Great Crusade, 
  averting the rise of an Ork empire that might have grown 
  so powerful as to threaten the Imperium’s manifest destiny 
  to rule the stars. No sector of space is free of their anarchic 
  presence, for they infest the entire galaxy. Ork society, such as 
  it is, is focused on continuing strife, the process of powerful 
  individuals rising to command their own stellar empires 
  pushing the species ever onward. Through ceaseless conﬂict 
  with themselves and with other species, the Orks spread 
  across entire sectors of space. Once established, they are all 
  but impossible to repulse and so the anarchic, ramshackle 
  Greenskin empires expand across the void, staining vast tracts 
  of the stellar charts with their presence.
  The coming of Waaagh! Grimtoof was a huge shock to 
  the military of the Calixis Sector, for it came from a quadrant 
  of Wilderness Space beyond the Periphery Sub-Sector not 
  known to host any such force. The systems in that region were 
  only partially catalogued and all-but unexplored, but the long 
  range patrols of Battleﬂeet Calixis should have picked up any 
  nascent threat. If these patrols did detect any such sign, then 
  the intelligence was certainly not acted upon. The Periphery 
  found itself the target of a massive Ork invasion and Severus 
  felt compelled to declare the secession of his worlds and the 
  creation of his Dominate. Some have whispered that Lord 
  Sector Hax was, in fact, informed of the oncoming storm, 
  yet chose to withhold the information from Severus, perhaps 
  anticipating, or precipitating in, the sub-sector praefect’s 
  treachery. Whatever the truth of the matter, it is certain that 
  when Waaagh! Grimtoof smashed into the worlds beyond 
  the Periphery’s spinward borders, none were in the slightest 
  bit prepared or able to repulse them. Four entire systems fell 
  in as many months and over a dozen more are now in the 
  grip of total war as the forces of humanity, whether loyal to 
  the Imperium or to the beleaguered Severan Dominate, ﬁght 
  desperately to hold the anarchic xenos foe at bay.
  Of the ﬁrst worlds to have fallen to Waaagh! Grimtoof, 
  very little is known and, while they were ostensibly within 
  the borders of the Dominate, Severus had little or no real 
  power over them. Most exist as names or codes on the 
  stellar charts of the Imperial Navy and may not have known 
  the tread of outsiders for many millennia. The outermost is 
  a dismal world named Deluge, which was host to a small 
  community of mendicant aesthetes thought to have settled 
  there in the aftermath of the Angevin Crusade. Of the 
  monks’ fate nothing is known, but Deluge has been under 
  the hobnailed heel of Grimtoof Git-Slaver for so long that 
  it is unlikely any are still alive.
  The world of Porphyry was the second settled planet to 
  fall to Waaagh! Grimtoof, the Adeptus Mechanicus strip-
  mining facility making it a tempting target to the avaricious 
  
  344
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  AVITOHOL
  The world of Avitohol lies within the borders of the Periphery 
  Sub-Sector, and has been part of the region’s infrastructure 
  since the founding of the Calixis Sector a thousand years ago. 
  When the Angevin Crusade ﬁrst made planetfall there under 
  the command of Duke Severus the First, they found a fertile, 
  windswept land ruled by primitive and warlike nomads. 
  This barbaric culture lived and died by the possession of the 
  vast herds of gargantuan bovine creatures thought to have 
  been genetically engineered from the yaks of Old Earth and 
  brought to Avitohol at some point during the Dark Age of 
  Technology. These beasts have such prodigious appetites that 
  they must continually migrate across the endless plains and 
  they are so massive and stubborn that all the nomad tribes 
  could do was follow along in their wake or on their backs. 
  This mode of existence led to the Imperium drawing upon 
  the herds of Avitohol as a food source, but it also meant that the 
  tribes would never be able to settle and enjoy the fruits of their 
  world’s integration into the greater empire of Man. Instead, the 
  tribes maintained their aeons-old ways and the Chartist Captains 
  of the Calixis Sector came once each season to purchase a share 
  of Avitohol’s mighty herds to feed the teeming masses on the 
  distant Hive Worlds. This way of life continued almost without 
  interruption until, one day, the skies turned black with the 
  contrails of countless thousands of drop vessels and soon the 
  grasslands were set alight in a raging inferno that swept from one 
  horizon to the next. Waaagh! Grimtoof had come to Avitohol 
  and nothing would ever be the same again.
  On Avitohol, Grimtoof Git-Slaver found a world teeming 
  with humans and ripe for exploitation. Despite being 
  fearsome warriors, the natives were tragically outgunned and, 
  though the tribes came together for the ﬁrst time in recorded 
  history, they could not defeat the overwhelming numbers 
  of bloodthirsty rampaging Orks. Within three months the 
  steppes were reduced to a smoking, corpse-strewn wasteland. 
  Those nomad warriors that could not ﬂee to the deepest 
  wilderness regions were enslaved. Grimtoof informed the 
  captured natives that they would be allowed to live, so long as 
  they worked to build what he believed would be his greatest 
  work—a world of foundries, ruled over by a palace as great, 
  in his mind, as any the Imperium had ever built.
  The invasion of Avitohol caused great consternation within 
  the ranks of the Spinward Front High Command, for no 
  stable Warp route exists between it and the nearest Ork held 
  system. This is not to say that a route could not be forged, 
  but traversing the uncharted currents of the Warp in such a 
  manner is generally beyond all but the most experienced or 
  desperate Navigators. Not anticipating an assault from that 
  vector, the Imperium had failed to reinforce Avitohol, and so 
  when the Orks came they were unopposed. To make matters 
  worse, Avitohol represents the apex of a new salient, the 
  tip of Waaagh! Grimtoof plunged deep into the Periphery. 
  When Avitohol fell, heads rolled amongst the general staff, 
  several veteran commanders losing their stars or their lives as 
  punishment for the unforgivable dereliction in duty. 
  Its upper echelons drastically re-ordered, Spinward Front 
  High Command ordered a hasty counter-attack on Avitohol 
  before the Git-Slaver could fully consolidate his gains. The 
  Several amongst the Spinward Front’s high command 
  have proposed sending Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy 
  units to bolster the defence of these beleaguered worlds and 
  in so doing draw Ork forces away from more valuable war 
  zones. Such proposals have met with dogmatic intransigence, 
  for the worlds lie beyond the effective rule of the Imperium. 
  A number of missions have been launched to ascertain how 
  effective such operations might be, but to date they have 
  all met with such overwhelming Ork forces that none have 
  returned with any useful intelligence. 
  UNDER THE HEEL
  Those worlds that have suffered the presence of the Git-
  Slaver’s invasion fall under several types. Those that fell in the 
  opening phase of the invasion are now largely desolate wastes 
  reduced to ashes by the unleashing of total war. Several of 
  these have now spawned populations of Feral Orks, which are 
  likely to be unaware that they were “seeded” by the passage 
  of a mighty Waaagh! Even now they are struggling to gain 
  power and momentum of their own, so that the greatest of 
  their leaders might launch their own migration.
  The second type is where the forces of humanity, whether 
  the Imperium, Dominate, or native, are holding on and all-
  consuming war rages. Such planetary war zones are the 
  scenes of epic, meat grinder battles consuming thousands 
  of warriors of all sides each day. There are at least a dozen 
  primary worlds of this type in the Spinward Front, and 
  countless more planets and systems where war waxes and 
  wanes as the embittered foes launch massive salients or 
  counter-attacks.
  The last type is relatively new and its appearance heralds a 
  new phase in Grimtoof Git-Slaver’s invasion. Several of those 
  worlds the warlord’s forces have captured have not been razed 
  to ashes, nor their populations slaughtered for food or for 
  sport. Rather, they have been taken largely intact and their 
  populations have been enslaved in sprawling, forced labour 
  camps and slave-foundries, forced at gunpoint to manufacture 
  the crude arms and ammunition used by the barbarous 
  Orks. This turn of events signals a failure on the part of 
  the Imperium, for it means the Orks have been allowed to 
  consolidate their gains to such an extent that their migration 
  is becoming an occupation. History teaches that if the Orks 
  are allowed to establish a new empire, their inexorable pattern 
  of strife and migration will make a new invasion inevitable. 
  With the source just beyond the Calixis Sector’s borders it 
  will prove a hundred times more challenging to halt. Some 
  whisper that the Spinward Front’s high command has been 
  negligent in allowing this state of affairs to develop, for with a 
  full commitment of forces, the Orks could have been defeated 
  decades ago and the Severan Dominate would never have come 
  into being. With the drain on resources by the Jericho Reach 
  and the upheavals caused by the appearance of the Dei-Phage, 
  however, it is hard to see how events could have proceeded 
  differently. The situation is a perfect example of the perils 
  that beset the Imperium at every turn, with entire systems 
  falling, or being ceded, as forces are deployed in other, 
  more important regions despite the potential loss of 
  millions of the Emperor’s loyal subjects.
  
  345
  X: A Galaxy of War
  gone away. Some of the most organised of these guerrillas 
  have made contact with those surviving nomad tribes that 
  still exist in the deepest wildernesses and have launched a 
  number of highly effective joint attacks.
  THE LAIR OF GHENGHIZ  
  GRIMTOOF THE GIT-SLAVER
  Several years after his invasion of Avitohol and the enslavement 
  of its native peoples, Grimtoof Git-Slaver has constructed for 
  himself a formidable empire. That empire has as its capital a 
  structure now rivalling the average Imperial hive city, a teetering 
  spire so tall its peak skewers the clouds and constructed from 
  the scrap of an entire sub-sector at war. At the very summit 
  of this grim, rusted ediﬁce, which Grimtoof has dubbed Iron 
  Mountain, is the lair of the Git-Slaver, a huge throne room with 
  one face open to the skies, the walls bedecked with trophies 
  from a hundred battleﬁelds and more. Opposite the open 
  wall is Grimtoof ’s throne, a massive seat constructed from the 
  weapons and armour of the greatest of his foes.
  Seated upon his throne, the Git-Slaver glowers out across 
  the ashen steppes of Avitohol, brooding sullenly on the next 
  stage of his conquest. By his side are his most trusted Nobz, 
  those with more to gain in protecting his life than betraying 
  him. About the dais are chained numerous captives, for 
  Grimtoof delights in laying low the champions of his enemies 
  in such a way. It is said that Imperial Guard marshals have 
  suffered such treatment, as well as aliens, including a Succubus 
  of a Dark Eldar Wych Cult, though she escaped within days 
  of her capture leaving a trail of dead Nobz behind her. By day, 
  the vast expanse of the chamber ﬂoor is ﬁlled with Orks of all 
  stations, some receiving their orders to conquer distant worlds, 
  others seeking some favour from their dread overlord. Several 
  hundred of the diminutive Gretchin slave race scamper to and 
  fro, running errands and attending to their master’s every need. 
  On occasion, Grimtoof has even ordered the largest of his 
  gargants to attend his throne by crossing the steppes far below 
  to stand before the Iron Mountain. From his throne, the Git-
  Slaver looks down at even the mightiest of his race’s creations, 
  and with a grunt orders the destruction of countless foes.
  Yet, even though his nascent empire is by far the 
  most powerful of its type in the region, perhaps even the 
  segmentum, Grimtoof the Git-Slaver is entirely unsatisﬁed. 
  Like all successful Ork Warlords, he is prone to ﬁts of violent 
  rage, but of late, Grimtoof has been known to enter protracted 
  periods of dour brooding. With no warning, he dismisses his 
  entire court and sits alone upon his throne, his brow furrowed 
  and his red eyes glowering out across the blasted steppes of 
  Avitohol. What thoughts of doom and bloodshed cross his 
  blunt consciousness none can say. Perhaps with his Waaagh! 
  entering its new stage, Grimtoof expects a challenger greater 
  than any he has faced before to appear before him. Or 
  perhaps he ponders the next stage of his endeavour, when 
  his great work is complete and the entire Calixis Sector will 
  tremble before him, his armies fuelled by the toil of scores of 
  enslaved worlds. The Orkish mind is a tiny thing, capable 
  of little more than thoughts of violence, yet the scope 
  of that violence in the mind of one such as Ghenghiz 
  Grimtoof the Git-Slaver must be limitless.
  Imperium launched the largest planetstrike operation of the 
  war—twenty entire regiments landing in three successive 
  waves and striking out for Grimtoof ’s half-built “kapital.” The 
  battles that followed have entered into the consciousness of 
  the Spinward Front staff corps, or at least those allowed to live 
  following the massive defeat that ensued. Despite initial gains, 
  the Imperial Guard soon found their advances surrounded on 
  all sides by far larger numbers of Orks than any had prepared 
  for. In days, the assault ground down into a bloody slog to win 
  every metre, before stalling entirely and becoming a bitter war 
  of attrition. Lord Marshal Ghanzorik was faced with the choice 
  of committing still more resources to a battle it was clear to all 
  he could not hope to win. Vowing to return to Avitohol at the 
  head of an army ten times the size of that committed to the 
  operation, Ghanzorik ordered those troops who could leave 
  to do so. It is estimated that less than thirty per cent of the 
  units on Avitohol when the withdrawal order was given made 
  it off world. The remainder either died glorious but unheralded 
  deaths, refusing to surrender to impossible odds, or they were 
  captured and set to work in Grimtoof ’s foundries. 
  In the aftermath of the failed assault on Avitohol, Lord 
  Marshal Ghanzorik unleashed a ferocious purge of his 
  intelligence units, who he blamed for multiple failures. Not 
  a single intelligence ofﬁcer between the rank of General and 
  Major is said to have survived Ghanzorik’s purge, further 
  reinforcing his reputation and his nickname of “Old Steel and 
  Blood.” In so doing, Ghanzorik became something of a folk 
  hero amongst the rank and ﬁle, whose ire was shifted from 
  the command corps to the intelligence advisors.
  With the decapitation of the Spinward Front’s intelligence 
  infrastructure came another purging, one that could only be 
  instigated with the express aid of the Ordos Calixis. Avitohol 
  was declared a forbidden world and all reference to what 
  had occurred there was struck from the records. Lethal data-
  slayers were released into cogitation networks across the 
  entire sector and, while many physical or isolated records 
  no doubt survive, almost all mention of the fate of Avitohol 
  and its would-be liberators is now destroyed. So far as those 
  that ply the Warp routes of the Calixis Sector are concerned, 
  Avitohol is simply out of bounds, none having any notion 
  that it is, in fact, the capital world of a nascent xenos empire 
  on the very edges of the Calixis Sector, nor that millions 
  of natives and Imperial Guardsmen labour there under the 
  yoke of Ghenghiz Grimtoof the Git-Slaver’s despotic regime, 
  forced to manufacture arms and ammunition for the Orks.
  WAR UNENDING
  Though the Imperium has withdrawn its forces from Avitohol, 
  the world is far from free of war. Firstly, numerous Imperial 
  Guardsmen escaped the initial encirclements that slaughtered 
  so many of their fellows and even years later many of these 
  still ﬁght on, organised into ad hoc units and striking the Orks 
  wherever they can. The object of these attacks is two-fold—if 
  sufﬁcient damage can be done to the Orks’ war effort, then 
  perhaps the Imperium will consider a return to Avitohol, but 
  they also hope to free as many as possible of the hundreds of 
  thousands of their fellows captured during the withdrawal. 
  Ork hunter-killer-eater mobs roam the blasted steppes in 
  search of insurgents and, to many, it is as if war has never 
  
  346
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  KARACALLIA
  The Karacallia system contains an unusually high number of 
  gas giants, many of which harbour resources of use to the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus in the construction of Warp drives. 
  Though logged, the system’s resources have never been 
  properly exploited, its location some distance from the nearest 
  forge world making it a perilous undertaking and the war 
  making it all but impossible. The population of the Karacallia 
  system is scattered across three-dozen and more satellites 
  of the various gas giants and represents the descendants of 
  a ﬁrst wave of colonists dispatched there ﬁve centuries ago 
  to populate the system and thus provide the raw manpower 
  needed to exploit its resources in future generations. But the 
  scheme never reached fruition and, though the population 
  has thrived numerically, it has suffered greatly from its 
  isolation. Thus it was not difﬁcult for Severus to stoke the 
  ﬁres of rebellion on Karacallia, and the densely populated 
  worlds are ripe recruiting grounds for the Dominates.
  Of the dozens of populated worlds in the Karacallia 
  system, not one is untouched by war. The Imperium has 
  launched over thirty separate assaults since the beginning 
  of the war and the Orks at least the same number. To date, 
  none of these assaults has dislodged Severus’ forces, which 
  ﬁght with almost unholy zeal. Numerous Imperial Guard 
  regiments have been committed to the system and, while 
  substantial gains have been made in the past, most have 
  been at the expense of losses elsewhere. While one satellite 
  might be taken, another will fall, and so war ebbs and ﬂows 
  The Severan 
  Dominate
  As a political entity, the Severan Dominate exists only in 
  the head of its titular ﬁgurehead Severus, and in the hearts 
  of those of his followers who ﬁght to maintain its tenuous 
  borders. As far as the Imperium is concerned, it is nothing 
  more than a collection of rebel worlds dominated by an 
  arrogant secessionist, its peoples having betrayed their very 
  humanity. Despite the Imperium’s refusal to acknowledge the 
  entity’s existence, its troops on the ground have come to refer 
  to the rebels as “dominates,” investing them with an identity 
  and a cause, against which the Guardsmen can rally.
  The core worlds of the Severan Dominate lie along the 
  Calixis-Scarus Warp conduit, while a number of subsidiary 
  worlds are located on lesser spurs of this great route. None 
  of the core worlds are untouched by war. At various times, 
  they are being attacked by the forces of the Imperium or 
  those of Grimtoof Git-Slaver, while numerous other foes take 
  advantage of the general anarchy that has gripped the region. 
  The Dark Eldar launch massive realspace raids wherever they 
  will, their agreements with Severus only barely holding, 
  while the followers of various Chaos warlords operate openly 
  and according to their own unknowable agendas.
  The nature of Warp travel is such that war can, and 
  frequently does, ignite almost anywhere within the Severan 
  Dominate. Imperial vessels can drop out of Warp space at 
  any point along the Calixis-Scarus conduit, making defence 
  against such assaults all but impossible to coordinate in any 
  meaningful way. As disruptive as these attacks are, they are 
  difﬁcult to maintain over extended periods, and so they tend 
  to be prosecuted by the elite of the Imperium’s forces such as 
  veteran Imperial Guard forces, Storm Trooper detachments or 
  even the superhuman Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes. 
  The bulk of long term operations on the Spinward Front are 
  concentrated on those worlds nearer to the Calixis Sector’s 
  borders, where countless thousands of troops are fed into the 
  meat grinder of total war each day. 
  The Severan Dominate faces enemies at all quarters, yet 
  somehow, it continues to withstand them all, if only tenuously. 
  Its populations still rally to the cause of their despotic master 
  and willingly renounce the rule of the Imperium. Severus and 
  his agents have been able to separate the rule of the High 
  Lords of Terra from devotion to the Emperor in the hearts 
  and minds of the people of the Dominate, supplanting the 
  High Lords with Severus while maintaining worship of the 
  God-Emperor of Mankind. Thus, Severus’s agents preach 
  that the High Lords are the traitors to the Emperor and to 
  mankind, while Severus is the rightful leader. The Imperium’s 
  brutal suppression of this notion is held up as evidence of 
  Severus’s creed, evidence that can scarcely be denied.
  
  347
  X: A Galaxy of War
  MAESA
  Maesa is a world in utter ruin. At one time it was classed as a 
  frontier world, its population existing in a subsistence state 
  in a number of scattered cities. When Waaagh! Grimtoof 
  descended upon Maesa, its people fought valiantly to defend 
  their world, but ultimately had no chance of repulsing the 
  overwhelming invasion. Within six months, the world had 
  fallen, the surviving populace rounded up by the Orks in 
  slave pens holding thousands in the grimmest conditions 
  imaginable. Though Imperial forces were too far distant to 
  intervene, a small inﬁltration mission had been launched 
  to observe the invasion, and it was this team who were 
  the ﬁrst to observe a change in the Orks’ strategy. Instead 
  of slaughtering the defeated natives as they so often did, 
  the Orks rounded them up and set them to work in vast, 
  ramshackle labour camps producing arms and armaments 
  for the warlord Git-Slaver’s vast armies. This event marked 
  a turning point in the invasion and its signiﬁcance was so 
  great that the team set off on the perilous return to the 
  Spinward Front high command immediately. 
  Though only a few members of the inﬁltration team made 
  it back, those that did carried such important intelligence that 
  the Imperial Navy mustered a scratch task force of long range 
  cruisers and escort squadrons, and set out for Maesa without 
  delay. When they reached the planet, almost three months 
  after its fall, they found a world transformed. The cities 
  had become huge, ramshackled manufacturing centres and 
  countless Ork vessels teemed in orbit as they loaded hundreds 
  of thousands of tonnes of materiel every day. The task force’s 
  orders were clear and, with a prayer upon his lips, the admiral 
  across the war torn moons and planetoids. The surfaces of the 
  worlds are cratered, corpse- and debris-strewn wastelands, 
  poisoned by the lethal gases Severus’ forces have unleashed 
  and scoured lifeless by the weapons of the Imperium. The war 
  there has been likened to an “island-hopping” campaign, with 
  forces ﬁghting for possession of the countless satellites and 
  planetoids. It is rare for any single world to be held by one 
  side for more than a few months before the enemy dislodges 
  it, but still the war grinds ever on, the system’s location along 
  the Calixis-Scarus Warp conduit making its possession vital.
  THRAX
  Thrax is a frontier world located on the Calixis-Scarus Warp 
  route, its once tranquil, now war torn plains host to an array of 
  weird fungus forests. Thrax has suffered greatly at the hands 
  of Grimtoof Git-Slaver’s forces, yet Severus has managed 
  to cling tenuously to possession of the system. The world 
  of Thrax and several of its moons are densely populated, 
  though technology is rarely more advanced than the black 
  powder stage thanks to the system’s isolation. It is likely that 
  Thrax was settled by human colonists long before the Age 
  of Imperium and never really integrated into the Emperor’s 
  domains, even over the course of the ten thousand years since 
  the Great Crusade. Rather, Thrax’s society has continued its 
  lurching climb towards civilisation, the war on the Spinward 
  Front setting it back millennia in one fell swoop.
  The war has brought twofold suffering to the people 
  of Thrax. On one hand, the advance of Waaagh! Grimtoof 
  has drawn numerous Ork warbands in search of slaves, and 
  hundreds of thousands have been dragged off to serve in the 
  Git-Slaver’s foundries. In response, Severus has drawn equally 
  heavily upon the world, forcing hundreds of thousands more 
  to join the ranks of his own forces in the defence of the 
  Severan Dominate. To make things worse still, the Imperium 
  has launched a number of long-range strikes against 
  Severus’ bases on Thrax, though given the distance from the 
  Imperium’s lines, these attacks are invariably short-lived and 
  highly focused, designed to cause strategic disruption to the 
  secessionists’ operations. The largest and most recent was 
  in 815, when the Imperial Guard launched a planetstrike 
  against Thrax. Nine entire regiments were committed to an 
  operation in the world’s southern hemisphere, the intention 
  being to gain a lodgement which could be supplied by orbital 
  drop as needed. The landings were contested by a native 
  force of roughly equal size, but the Imperial Guard should 
  have been able to prevail given the time and space to bring 
  their superior ﬁrepower to bear. Tragically, the landings 
  coincided with a massive Ork slave raid and the landing 
  force’s orbital support was forced to withdraw in the face 
  of the far larger enemy ﬂeet. Cut off, the Guardsmen fought 
  on, though under attack by two enemies. Exactly how many 
  were slain is impossible to ascertain, though it is believed 
  that the Orks captured thousands of troopers and dragged 
  off to serve in Grimtoof ’s foundries. A force of regimental 
  size is believed to have broken out, however, the survivors 
  vanishing into the wastes where they continue to operate 
  as guerrillas, launching punishing attacks on Severus’ forces 
  and living off of the alien land.
  THE WAGES OF DAMNATION
  One of the greatest threats to the continued existence 
  of mankind is the ever-increasing number of psykers 
  being born each year, for most prove too weak to resist 
  the attentions of the creatures of the Warp. Within the 
  Imperium, those born with or coming into psychic 
  powers are swept up in regular psyker purges and those 
  that survive are shipped off to Terra by the League 
  of Black Ships. Those worlds beyond the Emperor’s 
  light must conduct their own purges and witch hunts, 
  slaying any that display the dread powers of the wyrd. 
  As a consequence of Severus the Thirteenth’s secession 
  from the Imperium, the systems by which psykers are 
  detected and dealt with have all but collapsed and 
  rates of psychic manifestation and outright daemonic 
  possession have escalated by an order of magnitude. 
  To date, the Dominate’s forces have contained the 
  worst outbreaks, but it is surely only a matter of time 
  before a Rogue Psyker emerges whose powers are too 
  great for Severus’s troops to put down. Such beings are 
  capable of turning entire armies into meat puppets or 
  incinerating whole cities with a baleful glance. Some 
  within the Ordo Malleus consider it a real danger that 
  Severus may attempt to harness the power of such 
  Rogue Psykers, if he has not done so already… 
  
  348
  X: A Galaxy of War 
  LUKIUS
  Lukius is a system entirely devoured by war, for it represents 
  the line in the sand across which Severus has vowed the Orks 
  shall not advance. When it comes to the Dominate’s war 
  against Waaagh! Grimtoof, Lukius is far and away the most 
  vital battleground and the one to which Severus has committed 
  the bulk of his forces. It is probable that the Imperium’s high 
  command are not even aware of the world’s fate, for it lies on 
  a trunk of the Calixis-Scarus Warp conduit and is, in effect, 
  beyond the reach of the Imperium’s conventional forces. The 
  native population of Lukius existed as primitive, tribal savages 
  for many thousands of years, but with the establishment of 
  the Severan Dominate they have been dragged kicking and 
  screaming into the 41st Millennium. Iron-age barbarians used 
  to conducting war with little more than sharp spears have been 
  drafted en masse into the armies of the Dominate, equipped 
  with mass-produced autoguns and clad in ill-wrought battle 
  dress. Many have suffered a form of combat psychosis as a 
  result of this drastic change, while others have taken to the 
  war with apparent relish. These ramshackle armies go to war 
  against the Orks of Waaagh! Grimtoof and, from a distance, 
  an observer might have difﬁculty determining which is which. 
  Certainly, both sides are brutal and bloodthirsty, preferring to 
  establish the victor in the anarchy of close combat.
  But it is not only the natives of Lukius that ﬁght there for the 
  Severan Dominate. Forces drafted from across Severus’s realm 
  are shipped to the continent-sized battle zones, sometimes 
  travelling for weeks only to be scythed down within minutes 
  of setting foot on the surface. The Dominate’s forces lack the 
  long established infrastructure of the Departmento Munitorum, 
  and so the armies might go hungry one month and run out of 
  ammunition the next. Entire phalanxes of tanks might grind 
  into action in majestic armoured assaults, only to run out of 
  fuel before the battle is concluded. Some of the more primitive 
  amongst the Dominate’s front line troopers have reached 
  depths of savagery that would see them censured in the ranks 
  of the Imperial Guard, gruesome trophy taking being the least 
  of their crimes. It is whispered that some of the native Lukians 
  have turned to the eating of the ﬂesh of their enemies when 
  their own supplies have run low, and perhaps found it to their 
  liking. What consequences the vile habit of eating Ork ﬂesh 
  might have remains to be seen, as does what might ensue if and 
  when Imperial forces face these savage warriors.
  commanding ordered the cities razed to the ground by a 
  massive orbital bombardment. The Ork slave labour camps 
  were destroyed in a single night, their manufacturing capacity 
  utterly ruined, along with hundreds of thousands of enslaved 
  Maesans, whose souls were commended to the Emperor.
  Since the so-called “Scouring of Maesa,” the world 
  has been transformed into a warzone. The Imperium has 
  launched several planetstrike operations there, but the bulk 
  of the ﬁght has been undertaken by the natives themselves. 
  Those not slain in the Scouring rose up against their alien 
  overlords and now ﬁght the bitterest of wars through the 
  ruins of their former homes. The cities are blackened shells 
  while the land all about is cratered and dead, yet still the 
  Maesans ﬁght on against the Orks. Grimtoof was outraged 
  by the Scouring, for he views the numbers of slaves in his 
  service as a measure of his power and he has ordered them 
  all recaptured or slain. Though distant from the Imperium’s 
  front lines, the battle for Maesa looks set to rage on until 
  one side or the other is defeated.
  ORBIANA
  The world of Orbiana lies at the spinward extent of the Severan 
  Dominate, representing the last human settled world along 
  the Calixis-Scarus Warp conduit before that twisting route 
  plunges into the benighted depths of inter-sector Wilderness 
  Space. Orbiana itself is a wild, savage world of raging storms 
  and unpredictable weather fronts, its native population 
  existing in a feral, nigh atavistic state. Orbiting the world is 
  a massive defence platform, its plasma generators cold and 
  its capital-scale weapons staring unblinking in the deep void. 
  Though unconﬁrmed, it is thought that the platform must 
  have been towed out past the Periphery in centuries gone by 
  as a long forgotten plan to defend the Calixis Sector against 
  some now extinct threat. Perhaps it was forgotten or deemed 
  that towing it back was not worth the vast effort it would 
  surely require, but whatever the truth, it has orbited Orbiana 
  ever since. Recently, Severus has ordered the station restored, 
  though those few Tech-Adepts that still serve him have yet to 
  succeed in doing so.
  Orbiana has seen numerous Ork attacks throughout 
  the course of the war, but it is too far from the Imperium’s 
  territory to come under direct assault from that quarter. 
  Nevertheless, several highly placed members of the Spinward 
  Front High Command have expressed the opinion that an 
  assault from the Dominate’s spinward ﬂanks might crush the 
  secession once and for all. It is probable that these planners 
  have no knowledge of the Orbiana defence platform and, 
  were it to be restored to operational status before an assault 
  was launched, the attackers might ﬁnd themselves facing a 
  well prepared and potent defence where they least expected 
  to discover it.
  when Imperial forces face these savage warriors.
  Nevertheless, several highly placed members of the Spinward 
  Front High Command have expressed the opinion that an 
  assault from the Dominate’s spinward ﬂanks might crush the 
  secession once and for all. It is probable that these planners 
  have no knowledge of the Orbiana defence platform and, 
  were it to be restored to operational status before an assault 
  was launched, the attackers might ﬁnd themselves facing a 
  well prepared and potent defence where they least expected 
  
  CHAOS
  •
  DARK ELDAR
  •
  ORKS
  •
  NPCS
  
  350
  350
  XI: Adversaries  
  Chaos
  “It is the folly of the tattered Imperium of Man that has led you here. 
  Your generals and armourers provide you with only a weapon and 
  a fragile carapace to guard you against the horrors of the galaxy. I 
  offer you another option. Wield those same horrors against the lords 
  who so willingly cast you against the darkness and take your ﬁrst step 
  toward your own apotheosis!”
  –Sektoth the False Whisperer
  M
  an has long faced temptation and damnation from 
  the things which lurk in the darkness. The majority 
  of Mankind has either never faced such horrors 
  or only just survived the encounter. A few worthy men and 
  women of the Imperium have faced that darkness and crushed 
  it by strength of will alone, but most who look into the abyss 
  are overcome by its madness and seduction. Others are lured to 
  the will of Chaos by much subtler means; slowly turned from 
  righteousness to utter corruption by delicate manipulation, ever 
  certain that, truly, theirs is a path of unﬂinching virtue. The 
  servants of the Chaos Gods are often devoted and possessed of 
  a fanatic’s willingness to die for his goals. Indeed, many carry 
  the taint of the Warp, bearing its mutation and corruption upon 
  their very ﬂesh. Many traitors to the Imperium simply abandon 
  their duties and disappear among the teaming hordes of their 
  new fellows, while others seek to corrupt their fellows and 
  collapse the titanic institutions of Mankind. Some, such as the 
  Chapter XI: 
  Adversaries 
  & NPCs
  “The foes of Man might be vast and terrible, lads, but don’t let that 
  discourage you, the Emperor and our friends at the Munitorum have 
  given us all the tools we need to deal with them! Weapons ready!”
  –Sergeant Vladovar of the 85th Ganf Riﬂes
  M
  ankind stands on the brink. Yet, stable and sturdy 
  beneath him lie the foundations of the Imperium; 
  strength, faith, and the indomitable march of destiny 
  all give Mankind the will and means to stand and ﬁght against the 
  horrors which threaten on all sides. From his lofty promontory, 
  Mankind looks down upon the tide of foes stretching out before 
  him, the teeming hordes of xenos who seek only to devour or 
  crush the heart of Humanity, and the foul corruption of Chaos, 
  spewing from the Warp to temp and corrupt the very soul of 
  Mankind. As each foe could be the threat which strikes the 
  killing blow, Mankind must not only remain vigilant against 
  them all, but is best served by an aggressive opposition to their 
  very existence. Not until every foul alien and every servant of the 
  Dark Gods is exterminated and wiped clean from the book of 
  history, will Humanity be truly safe in the galaxy. 
  In ONLY WAR, adversaries are divided into ﬁve broad types:
  Troops: Basic soldiers and minor combatants. Alone they 
  are not incredibly dangerous, but in larger groups they are a 
  threat. A Guardsman and his Comrade can usually handle one 
  Troop, and Troops generally only threaten an entire squad of 
  Guardsmen when attacking them with equivalent numbers.
  Elites: More powerful foes, dangerous adversaries who 
  can be a real threat to a single Guardsman. It should take 
  roughly two to three Guardsmen with their Comrades to kill 
  an Elite unless the characters are particularly well armed or 
  skilled combatants. Some particularly dangerous Elites may 
  require an entire squad of Guardsmen to slay.
  Masters: Incredibly dangerous individuals, powerful foes 
  for an entire squad. They are either incredibly formidable 
  combatants, consummate leaders who enhance the abilities of 
  their fellows, or in some cases both. A Master is a challenge 
  for even an entire Squad to defeat. 
  Handlers (and Minions): A special type of adversary, one 
  who represents a wrangler, an inspiring ofﬁcer, or a powerful 
  manipulator of weak minds. A Handler’s entry presents the 
  normal background and proﬁle for an adversary, but also 
  includes additional proﬁles for the Minions that accompany 
  the Handler into battle. Handlers each have speciﬁc abilities 
  which they can use to enhance the abilities of their Minions, 
  co-ordinate their actions, or even make use of them to protect 
  themselves from incoming attack. A Handler and his 
  Minions is an equivalent challenge to an Elite adversary.  
  Vehicles: Powerful war machines driven into battle 
  by the enemies of the Imperium. These use the rules 
  outlined for Vehicles on page 272
  
  351
  351
  XI: Adversaries  
  SISK CUR
  The feudal world of Sisk is a wretched place of fetid bogs, 
  shadowy forests and stagnant moors, home to a hardy and 
  fearful folk. For some unknown reason, the people of Sisk 
  show a remarkably high rate of mutation, and roving bands 
  of craven mutants are a common sight on the miserable world. 
  Those citizens whose bodies are not ravaged by mutation 
  live in walled city-fortresses, hopefully protected against the 
  cannibalistic gangs of mutant marauders. Loping alongside 
  their mutant masters, packs of foul hound-like creatures have 
  been seen. It is said, by the people of Sisk, that the mysterious 
  force which warps and twists the bodies of their people has 
  done the same to the moor-hounds which roam the wildlands 
  outside their walled cities. The result is a large, feral beast 
  similar in build to a wolf-hound, with long, twisted legs 
  and a gaping maw full of wicked, barbed teeth. From their 
  rheumy eyes, slack jowls, and the raw sores which cover their 
  bodies, they weep black ichor, stinking of corruption. The 
  Curs of Sisk are incredibly fast and vicious mongrels, each 
  capable of felling a full grown man in a matter of moments. 
  Movement: 8/16/24/48  
   
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: Mutated Chitin (2 All). 
   
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Stealth (Ag) +10. 
  Talents: Heightened Senses (Smell), Sprint, Takedown. 
  Traits: Bestial, Natural Weapon (Slavering Maw), Quadruped, 
  Unnatural Strength (2).
  Weapons: Slavering maw (Melee; 1d10+6 R; Pen 0).
  CHAOS RENEGADE PSYKER
  By their very nature, psykers are beings intimately familiar 
  with the horrors of the Warp. When sanctioned and controlled 
  by the Inquisition within the Imperium, psykers are guarded, 
  as best they can be, from the madness and temptation offered 
  by the eldritch ﬁends of the Immaterium. When a psyker is 
  born beyond Imperial control—either outside of Imperial 
  space or hidden from the watchful gaze of the Inquisition—
  their mind is raked and ravaged by the twisted things which 
  drift through the Warp. Most such psykers are overwhelmed 
  and driven mad, but a rare few are turned by the whispers of 
  power and the promise of mastery over their abilities. Rarely 
  do they ever receive such gifts. Rather, in the act of giving 
  themselves over to the Chaos powers, they open their soul to 
  a festering darkness; a grotesque mockery of power or will. 
  Entirely enslaved to their every whim or ﬁt of human pique, 
  these psykers become walking manifestations of the dark 
  sorcery ﬂowing through them. 
  At ﬁrst, these sorcerers cannot help but use their 
  power to annihilate those who would stand between 
  them and whatever they desire. As time goes on, 
  however, it has been known for a psyker who 
  Traitor Space Marines, build armies of ignorant followers and 
  wield them as a weapon against their former comrades. Most 
  terrifying of all is the prospect that an Admiral of the Imperial 
  Navy or a General of the Imperial Guard would be tempted 
  by the offers of the Dark Powers and could utilize the vast 
  resources at his command to cripple an entire swathe of the 
  Galaxy. In the actions of Severus the Thirteenth, the Spinward 
  Front has seen what base treachery and rebellion can cost, and 
  that without the added corruption of Chaos. Now the intrepid 
  soldiers sent to combat the evils there ﬁnd themselves facing 
  the results of those who would turn from the Imperium for their 
  own gain. But had Severus the Thirteenth’s secession come on 
  daemonic wings, the Front would be in even greater peril. 
  CHAOS RENEGADE MILITIA
  When a rebellious Commander turns from the light of the Emperor 
  and embraces the will of Chaos, he rarely does so alone. Preying 
  on the unﬂinching loyalty that the men and women serving 
  beneath him bear, it takes but a little to turn those same men and 
  women to the service of the Dark Gods. Of course, there are those 
  who walk the path of darkness for their own twisted gain, needing 
  no one to deceive them into blasphemy. Violent and zealous, these 
  sorts off renegades seek the favour of their dark masters and are 
  willing to perform any atrocity to earn it. In truth, both sorts are 
  equally vile—a danger to all righteous men. 
  Acting against the Imperium that once supplied them, 
  most Chaos Renegades possess shabby equipment of poor 
  design. As they have little logistical support, they must often 
  make do with what equipment they had at the time of their 
  betrayal or what they can scavenge from the dead. What they 
  lack in materiel they make up for in zeal and in what gifts 
  they receive from their foul gods. Chaos Renegades often 
  possess a fearsome lust for bloodshed and a desperate need 
  to please their new master, a dangerous combination which 
  makes them all but fearless when under the watchful gaze of 
  a servant of their chosen god. Some Chaos Renegades possess 
  minor mutations, more often the result of their proximity to 
  the twisting effects of Chaos than earned for their foul piety. 
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: Guard Flak Armour (4 All).  
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Athletics (S), Awareness (Per), Common Lore (War) 
  (Int), Dodge (Ag), Forbidden Lore (Heresy) (Int), Operate 
  (Surface) (Ag), Speak Language (Low Gothic). 
  Talents: Enemy (Imperium), Hatred (Imperium), Nerves of 
  Steel, Rapid Reload. 
  Weapons: Lasgun (Basic; 100m; S/3/–; 1d10+3 E; Pen 0; 
  Clip 60; Reload Full), combat knife (Melee; 1d5+3 R; Pen 0), 
  3 frag grenades (Thrown; 9m; S/–/–; 2d10 X; Pen 0; Clip 1; 
  Reload –; Blast [3]). 
  Gear: Desecrated guard uniform, respirator, 4 clips for 
  lasgun, chaos icon. 
  Chaos Renegade Militia (Troop)
  35
  35
  35
  35
  35
  28
  31
  25
  25
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Sisk Cur (Troop)
  6
  40
  ––
  42
  33
  44
  18
  45
  30
  ––
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  352
  352
  XI: Adversaries  
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: None.  
    
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Athletics (S), Awareness (Per). 
  Talents: Take Down. 
  Traits: None. 
  Weapons: Autopistol (Pistol; 30m; S/–/6; 1d10+2 I; Pen 0; 
  Clip 18; Reload Full), truncheon (Melee; 1d10+3 I; Pen 0; 
  Primitive [7]). 
  Subjugate Cherubim (Minion)
  The tiny cherub creatures that ﬂit about the halls and ships of 
  the Imperium are all but harmless, being vat-grown simulacra 
  of actual life, similar in many ways to servitors or servo-
  skulls in their lack of deﬁned self. They possess nothing 
  resembling free will, blindly following the orders of their 
  controllers. Given their tiny size, they are useful for little 
  else beyond bearing messages, carrying minor burdens, and 
  observation. In great numbers, if somehow controlled to act 
  as one, a swarm of Cherubim can prove a great nuisance or 
  even a threat to the unwary. Unfortunately for the agents of 
  the Imperium, it is in this way that rogue psykers have been 
  known to employ the little creatures. Taking advantage of 
  survives their own sorcerous outbursts to begin to temper 
  their rages and, indeed, gain some true control over their 
  abilities. Those that do are, without exception, a fearsome 
  foe. No longer relying entirely on gouts of Warp-ﬂame 
  or coruscating bolts of Empyrean lightning to achieve 
  their every goal, they make use of much subtler, far more 
  insidious methods. Taking control of the weak-willed and 
  the easily manipulated, these sorcerers gather to them a host 
  of mind-slaved puppets. Most feel no remorse towards their 
  victims and use them for all manner of tasks, regardless of 
  the danger. Indeed, when in combat, the psyker will often 
  attempt to overwhelm his foes with wave after wave of his 
  pawns, caring little for the harm done to them. 
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 16
  Armour: None.   
   
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Command (Fel), Dodge (Ag), Forbidden Lore 
  (Daemonology, Heresy) (Int), Intimidate (S), Psyniscience 
  (WP) +20. 
  Talents: Air of Authority, Psy Rating 3, Strong Minded, 
  Warp Sense. 
  Traits: Psyker.
  Weapons: Las pistol (Pistol; 30m; S/2/–; 1d10+2 E; Pen 0; 
  Clip 30; Reload Half; Reliable), staff (Melee; 1d10+3 I; Pen 
  0; Balanced, Primitive [7]). 
  Psychic Powers: Enfeeble, Life Leech, Psychic Shriek, Terrify.
  Unwavering Control: The control a Renegade Psyker holds 
  over his pawns is powerful but volatile. While the Chaos 
  Renegade Psyker is alive and conscious, his Minion gains the 
  beneﬁts of the Fearless Talent. 
  Handler: As a Handler, the Chaos Renegade Psyker may 
  be accompanied by either a single Sorcerous Pawn or 
  Subjugate Cherubim.
  Sorcerous Pawn (Minion)
  Twisted by the foul magics of a renegade psyker, Sorcerous 
  Pawns are little more than tools in the hands of their master. 
  They are weapons to be wielded and a bulwark against 
  harm, each in their own turn. Few can resist the psychic 
  compunctions of a true sorcerer, but where an obdurate man 
  would ﬁnd himself urged to actions contrary to his nature, 
  a yielding soul is easily made subject to the sorcerer’s every 
  whim. It is believed that beings dominated in this way are 
  still aware of their actions, yet remain entirely unable to 
  act on their own behalf; driven mad by the guilt of their 
  atrocities, yet lacking the will to resist. With little more than 
  a thought, a sorcerer can send his pawns into a maniacal 
  rage or send them hurtling towards certain death. Indeed, 
  while under their master’s control, such puppets seem 
  entirely unaffected by fear or remorse, save for the 
  gleam of horriﬁed awareness in their eyes. 
  Chaos Renegade Psyker (Handler)
  30
  36
  35
  37
  37
  43
  36
  48
  36
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Sorcerous Pawn (Minion)
  30
  30
  30
  35
  30
  30
  30
  25
  35
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  353
  353
  XI: Adversaries  
  Talents: Berserk Charge, Frenzy. 
  Traits: Natural Weapons, Natural Armour (2 All), Unnatural 
  Toughness (2). 
  Weapons: Chitinous appendage (Melee; 1d10+6 I; Pen 0; 
  Primitive [7]) or venomous barb (Melee; 1d10+4 R; Pen 3; 
  Primitive [7]; Toxic), shoddy shotgun (Basic; 20m; S/–/–; 
  1d10+4 I; Pen 0; Clip 6, Reload Full; Inaccurate, Scatter, 
  Unreliable).
  Gear: Foul meat, fouled clothing, rope belt, 2d10 shotgun shells. 
  HULKING CHAOS MUTANT
  The classiﬁcation of mutation within the Imperium is quite 
  simple. Either one is a mutant, or one is not. Any sign of 
  mutation, from a single twisted limb to a third eye, is a death 
  sentence for the one who has been so tainted. But there are 
  those who bear more than a little physical corruption. It has 
  been known for the mutating winds of Chaos to heap their 
  malevolent gifts atop the shoulders of men until they are little 
  more than a slavering, mindless engine of destruction in the 
  service of the Chaos gods. Likewise, it is not unknown for the 
  mighty Ogryn to bear the marks of the Dark Powers, their 
  enormous bodies and simple minds capable of withstanding far 
  more corruption than those of a regular man. In either case, the 
  result is a towering hulk of ﬂesh and bone, home to all manner of 
  mutation, from lashing tentacles to a snapping maw protruding 
  from its ﬂesh; from a thick armoured carapace to a blazing 
  aura of Warp-ﬁre. Such abominations are terrifying opponents, 
  combining the strength to rip a man limb from limb, with the 
  supernatural resilience to take several las-rounds to the chest 
  before even slowing to consider its injuries. These creatures live 
  a life of pain and death; ever wracked with the agony of their 
  mutations. These Mutants rarely wield sophisticated weaponry 
  or armour, preferring instead to pummel their victims to death 
  or, at the very least, to rely on the gifts given to them by the 
  dark beings of Warp space. When they do feel the urge to carry 
  more advanced weaponry, however, they tend toward loud, 
  vulgar displays of violent power, wielding enormous weapons 
  usually reserved for teams of soldiers or mounted on vehicles. 
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
   
  Wounds: 26 
  Armour: Natural Armour (3 All) 
   
  Total TB: 7
  Skills: Athletics (S) +10, Awareness (Per), Dodge (Ag) +10, 
  Intimidate (S) +10. 
  Talents: Berserk Charge, Fearless, Frenzy, Furious Assault. 
  Traits: Auto-Stabilised, Clumsy, Deadly Natural Weapons, 
  Fear (2), Natural Armour (3), Size (Hulking), Unnatural 
  Strength (2), Unnatural Toughness (2). 
  Weapons: Huge ﬁst (Melee; 1d10+7 I; Pen 0) or heavy 
  stubber (Heavy; 100m; –/–/8; 1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 80; 
  Reload 2 Full; Ogryn-Proof ). 
  their exceedingly simple minds, Chaos Renegade Psykers 
  with powers of mental manipulation and control can utterly 
  dominate large numbers of these creatures with little more 
  than a thought, directing them to act as a single, frantic entity. 
  Movement: 6/12/18/36  
   
  Wounds: 5
  Armour: Machine Trait (1 All).  
   
  Total TB: 2
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +20, Dodge (Ag) +10, Stealth (Ag) +20. 
  Talents: Lightning Reﬂexes. 
  Traits: Flyer (6), Machine (1), Natural Weapons, Size (Puny).
  Weapons: Sharp objects (Melee; 1d10+1 R; Pen 0).
  CHAOS MUTANT
  The winds of the Warp blow through the galaxy, carrying 
  mutation and corruption as surely on their blustering gales as 
  their faint breezes. Though the Inquisition is ever vigilant for 
  signs of mutation and taint among the teeming populations of 
  the Imperium, there are always those who slip by undetected. 
  Given the sheer magnitude of Imperial populations, if even 
  a minuscule fraction of those born with Warp-taint were to 
  escape their notice and band together across an entire sector, 
  they would be a force to be reckoned with. Dispossessed, 
  despised, and reviled, mutants harbour no love for the men 
  and women who would kill them out of fear and loathing. It 
  is for that reason, that those who would wage war against the 
  servants of the God-Emperor have found the mutant outcasts 
  of mankind to be a formidable weapon. 
  Gathered into great hordes, mutants swarm the battleﬁeld; a 
  ruinous mass of twisted ﬂesh, writhing tentacles, and gnashing 
  mouths; teeming hosts, disorderly and undisciplined, yet 
  dangerous in the extreme. Often seen as cannon-fodder by 
  their superiors, mutants are just as abused and manipulated as 
  they would have been had they stayed in the shadows of the 
  Imperium, yet their loyalty to those dark forces that would make 
  use of them is nearly limitless, unshaken by horriﬁc losses or 
  personal injuries. Given shabby, if any, armour and unreliable 
  weapons, hordes of mutants are often commanded to lope, limp, 
  and bound directly into the waiting guns of enemy forces; their 
  commanders using them as little more than a screen of living 
  ﬂesh behind which they can advance their more valuable troops. 
  Movement: 2/4/6/12 
   
   
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: Natural Armour (2 All). 
   
  Total TB: 5
  Skills: Forbidden Lore (Daemonology, Heresy) (Int), 
  Intimidate (S), Parry (WS), Survival (Int). 
  Chaos Mutant (Troop)
  5
  36
  33
  36
  34
  21
  18
  23
  22
  13
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Hulking Chaos Mutant (Elite)
  7
  7
  44
  21
  52
  53
  31
  22
  27
  25
  15
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Subjugate Cherubim (Minion)
  25
  05
  12
  20
  30
  03
  24
  11
  07
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  354
  354
  XI: Adversaries  
  CHAOS VEHICLES
  Deep in the swirling depths of the Immaterium, forges 
  manned by malevolent daemons and insane hereteks produce 
  countless engines of war, each one a new nightmare from 
  the mind of a madman. The war machines crafted in the 
  daemon-forges of the Warp are as much beast as they are 
  machine. Their frames are constructed of steel and daemon-
  bone, their hulls sculpted from ceramite and chitin, and their 
  motive force powered by muscle and sinew as often as by 
  springs, gears, and crankshafts. Through foul rituals and dark 
  rites, Empyrean spirits are bound into the very heart of the 
  machines, giving them life and will. Their engines require 
  fuel, like any other war engine, yet they hunger for blood and 
  torment where others demand promethium and plasma. 
  BLOOD SLAUGHTERER
  Blood Slaughterers are machines infused with the pure rage 
  of a daemon of the Blood God. Utter killing machines fuelled 
  by blood and glutted on hate, these horrors of brass and steel 
  twitch and thrash with barely contained fury. Their hardened 
  metal carapace houses a daemon’s twisted heart which beats a 
  thunderous cacophony of violence. Blood Slaughterers scrabble 
  about on four insectoid legs, their huge, hunched frames free to 
  turn this way and that in search of fresh prey. Each arm bears a 
  massive blade equally capable of rending a battle-tank asunder 
  as a man in twain. Dedicated to the Lord of the Skull Throne by 
  savage blood rites, each Blood Slaughterer is a walking shrine 
  to the Blood God, and each new victim an offering. 
  Type: Walker 
   
  Tactical Speed: 15m
  Cruising Speed: 35kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +0
  Structural Integrity: 40 
  Size: Enormous
  Armour: Front 32, Side 26, Rear 20
  Vehicle Traits: Daemonic Possession, Enclosed, Extremely 
  Volatile, Walker.
  Crew: Daemonic Essence. 
  Carry Capacity: None. 
  Weapons: Two thrashing claws (Melee; 2d10+12 R; Pen 8; 
  Tearing, Unwieldy). 
  Special Rules: The Blood Slaughterer has the Berserk 
  Charge and Lightning Attack Talents, as well as the Sturdy 
  and Unnatural Strength (6) Traits.  
  BLOODLETTER
  Bloodletters are the servants of the Blood God, forming the core 
  of his vast Daemonic Legions. Peerless and deadly ﬁghters, they 
  are amongst the most skilled warriors in the galaxy. Armed with 
  dreaded Hellblades, great two-handed weapons said to be as 
  sharp as Khorne’s own hatred, they can hew apart the stroutest 
  adversary in a shower of steaming gore. 
  Bloodletters are stained a deep gore-red and their 
  humanoid bodies are topped with bestial snarling faces, 
  burning pupil-less eyes, and horned elongated craniums that 
  seem reminiscent of great war-helms. Their long, sinewy 
  limbs possess an infamous strength, as renowned as the 
  ferocity of their charges and the grim battle lust with which 
  they tear apart anyone who opposes them. Everywhere they 
  go, the stench of blood surrounds them.
  Unlike other daemons, Bloodletters march to war in 
  regimented formations, for their creator is the Lord of Battle. 
  Lines of the daemons manoeuvre in ranks with supernatural 
  precision, advancing in disciplined maniples. However, these 
  echelons quickly break up after contact with the enemy, as each 
  Bloodletter competes to slay as many of the foe as possible. 
  Movement: 5/10/15/30  
   
  Wounds: 22
  Armour: None 
   
   
   
  Total TB: 8
  Skills: Athletics (S), Awareness (Per), Dodge (Ag), Forbidden 
  Lore (Daemonology) (Int), Intimidate (S) +10, Parry (WS) 
  +20, Survival (Per). 
  Talents: Battle Rage, Berserk Charge, Blademaster, Combat 
  Master, Crippling Strike, Crushing Blow, Frenzy, Furious 
  Assault, Swift Attack. 
  Traits: Daemonic (4), Fear (2), From Beyond, Size (Hulking), 
  Unnatural Strength (3), Warp Instability.
  Weapons:  Hellblade (Melee; 1d10 + 15 R; Pen 10; Balanced, 
  Power Field, weapon deals +2 Damage for every foe it kills).
  Daemonic Presence: All enemies within 10 metres of a 
  Bloodletter suffer –10 penalty to Willpower Tests.
  Blood for the Blood God: Creatures of Khorne suffer 
  no penalties from gore and blood—all critical hit effects 
  involving gore and blood (such as requiring an Agility Test 
  not to fall over) do not apply to creatures of Khorne.
  Bloodletter (Elite)
  7
  8
  50
  12
  42
  42
  40
  30
  30
  34
  14
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  to the Blood God, and each new victim an offering. 
  Blood Slaughterer (Vehicle)
  12
  35
  15
  65
  ––
  35
  10
  40
  40
  01
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  355
  XI: Adversaries  
  Crew: Daemonic Essence.
  Carry Capacity: None.
  Weapons: Crushing claw (Melee; 2d10+10 R; Pen 8; Tearing, 
  Unwieldy), reaper autocannon (Front Facing; 300m; S/3/–; 
  3d10+8 I; Pen 6; Clip –; Reload –; Twin-linked), havoc 
  launcher (Front Facing; 100m; S/2/–; 2d10 X; Pen 2; Clip 8; 
  Blast [4], Concussive [0]), deﬁler battle cannon (Front Facing; 
  750m; S/–/– ; 3d10+10 X; Pen 8; Clip 40, Blast [10], 
  Concussive [3]).
  Special Rules: While adjacent to an enemy a Deﬁler can 
  make attacks with its ranged weapons in addition to its melee 
  weapons, though it cannot target adjacent creatures with 
  ranged attacks. Additionally the Deﬁler has the Swift Attack 
  and Two-Weapon Wielder (Melee) Talents, as well as the 
  Unnatural Strength (7) Trait.
  SOUL GRINDER
  While the smiths of the hell-forges throughout the Immaterium 
  blend mechanical art with arcane science and daemon-ﬂeshcraft 
  to create horriﬁc engines of war powered by Warp-ﬁre and 
  fuelled by blood, few have ever dared to meld daemon and 
  machine into a single cohesive whole so completely as did the 
  mad creator of the ﬁrst Soul Grinder. The utter wrongness of its 
  existence is enough to drive mad those who would stand before 
  them. Six mechanical legs, bent outward from the central body 
  like those of a hell-spawned spider, hold aloft the towering 
  torso of a rampaging daemon, malevolent and terrible. Where 
  other war engines of Chaos are machines given daemonic 
  life, the Soul Grinder is truly a daemon given material form 
  through machinery and artiﬁce. One daemonic claw terminates 
  in a cluster of vicious cannons, the other combines daemonic 
  sinew and vice-like pistons. From deep within its muscled belly, 
  the Daemonic beast can vomit forth great blasts of consuming, 
  mutating Warp-ﬁre. 
  Type: Walker 
   
  Tactical Speed: 15m
  Cruising Speed: 25kph 
  Manoeuvrability: N/A
  Structural Integrity: 50 
  Size: Enormous
  Armour: Front 35, Side 32, Rear 22
  Vehicle Traits: Daemonic Possession, Enclosed, Reinforced 
  Armour, Walker. 
  Crew: Daemonic Essence.
  Carry Capacity: None. 
  Weapons: Crushing claws (2) (Melee; 2d10+10 R; Pen 8; 
  Tearing, Unwieldy), harvester (Front Facing; 75m; –/–/15; 
  1d10+6 I; Pen 4; Clip –; Reload –; Storm), mawcannon 
  (Front Facing; 20m; S/–/–; 2d10+10 E; Pen 6; Clip –; 
  Reload –; Corrosive, Spray). 
  Special Rules: Soul Grinders have the Fear (3) trait. 
  Additionally Soul Grinders have the Lightning Attack 
  and Two-Weapon Wielder (Melee) talents, as well as 
  the Unnatural Strength (7) Trait. 
  DEFILER
  It is a sign of dire times that the war machine known as a 
  Deﬁler has been seen on several battleﬁelds across the Calixis 
  Sector. Scuttling behemoths of total war, Deﬁlers are feared 
  as much for their devastating armament as for their incredible 
  resilience. Covered in thick armour-plating, these six-legged 
  engines are capable of withstanding blows from all but the 
  most impressive Imperial weapons as they stalk forward, raining 
  ordnance of their own all the while. Powered by the essence of 
  only the most vile, warmongering daemons, Deﬁlers’ thirst for 
  destruction is unmatched. With shells from its battle cannon, 
  it obliterates its foes; with roaring ﬁre from its autocannons, it 
  rends those who would stand against it; with its massive claws, 
  it crushes those who draw too near. Few weapons of war can 
  match the Deﬁler in its sheer versatility of violence. 
  Type: Walker 
  Tactical Speed: 10m
  Cruising Speed: 15kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +0
  Structural Integrity: 50 
  Size: Enormous
  Armour: Front 30, Side 28, Rear 18 
  Vehicle Traits: Daemonic Possession, Enclosed, Walker.
  Deﬁler (Vehicle)
  14
  25
  25
  75
  ––
  35
  10
  40
  40
  01
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Soul Grinder (Vehicle)
  14
  35
  15
  75
  ––
  35
  10
  40
  40
  01
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  356
  XI: Adversaries  
  quarters kill. Few can match the sheer lust for the kill or the 
  murderous grace of the Wyches. The Hekatarii are almost 
  exclusively female, though the males amongst their number 
  are as vicious and deadly as their female counterparts. While 
  it is exceedingly rare for male Wyches to rise to prominence, 
  they are valued nonetheless for their ability to provide the 
  cult with strong offspring. 
  Lightly armoured and lithe, the Wyches specialise in a wide 
  variety of combat styles, the better to display their martial 
  prowess to the bloodthirsty crowds of Commorragh. That is 
  to say nothing of the sheer practicality of ensuring that each 
  warrior always knows one more way to kill than their victims 
  know to defend against. As such, the Hekatarii are masters of 
  numerous weapons, from wickedly barbed combat knives to 
  long-bladed punch daggers, from elegant chain-ﬂails to slender 
  splinter pistols. Three styles in particular, known for their 
  iconic weapon selections, have become particular favourites 
  among the cults of the Dark City. The Lacerai use cruel swords 
  which separate and extend into long bladed ﬂails capable of 
  lashing past any defences. The Hydrae wear crystal gauntlets 
  of unknown origin, which sprout long vicious spines at the 
  mental commands of their wielder. The Yraqnai employ split-
  bladed impaler spears and shardnets which electrify those 
  they ensnare. Regardless of their speciality, Wyches imbibe 
  potent combat drugs to increase their strength and agility and 
  to sharpen their senses on the battleﬁeld. 
  Given their prowess and their dedication to the art of slaughter, 
  Wyches are often found ﬁghting alongside their Kabalite 
  counterparts, darting into the thick of combat to cut down their 
  foes and bounding from one foe to the next with ease. 
  Movement: 8/16/24/48  
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: Wych Suit (3 All).  
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Athletics (S) +10, Awareness 
  (Per) +10, Dodge (Ag) +20, Intimidate (S), Parry (WS) +10, 
  Sleight of Hand (Ag), Stealth (Ag) +10. 
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Assassin Strike, Leap Up, Sprint, 
  Swift Attack, Two-Weapon Wielder (Melee and Ranged). 
  Traits: Dark-Sight, Unnatural Agility (3).
  Weapons: Splinter pistol (Pistol; 30m; S/3/5; 1d10+2 R; Pen 
  3; Clip 50; Reload 2 full; Toxic [1]), wych knife (Melee; 1d5+5 
  R; Pen 0; Balanced); or two razorﬂails (Melee; 1d10+5 R; Pen 
  2; Flexible); or two hydra gauntlets (Melee; 1d10+3; Pen 2; 
  Threshing†); or impaler (Melee; 1d10+3 R; Pen 0; Toxic [2]), 
  shardnet (Melee; 1d5+3 R; Pen 0; Snare [2]). 
  Gear: 4 doses of Dark Eldar combat drugs (use the rules for 
  Slaught on page 199). 
  †Threshing: A weapon with the Threshing Quality doubles 
  the amount of hits inﬂicted on the target. For example, when 
  attacking with a weapon with the Threshing Quality during 
  a Swift Attack, the initial success and every two Degrees of 
  Success will yield two hits.
  Dark Eldar
  “Your ﬂesh is mine to do with what I wish, frail human, your pain 
  mine to savour, your despair mine to call triumph. Do not ask for 
  an explanation of why I inﬂict this torment upon you, for you have 
  no more right to the answer than the stone under the hands of the 
  sculptor. Be silent now, save for your screams. My, they are delicious, 
  aren’t they? 
  –Tevriel Vektesh, Haemonculus Ancient
  T
  he Dark Eldar are a mysterious and sadistic species, 
  known to strike without warning and leave few 
  survivors. They are an inscrutable race, their methods 
  as unfathomable as their goals. Through the mastery of dark 
  sciences and technology as near to magic as any the Imperium 
  has ever seen, the Dark Eldar are able to manipulate foul 
  energies and access the veiled passages of the Eldar Webway. 
  Split after the Fall, the distinction between the Eldar of the 
  Craftworlds and Dark Eldar of Commorragh is lost on all 
  save the most learned Inquisitorial agents, as few can tell the 
  difference between those xenos who sought to ﬁght their 
  darker instincts and those who chose to embrace them. The 
  Dark Eldar are inclined to exploit the general ignorance of 
  mankind to their advantage; they often abuse the rare stories 
  of Eldar warriors joining the forces of the Imperium against 
  the agents of Chaos to catch their prey off guard. For this 
  is how the Dark Eldar see the members of all other races: 
  prey. To them, all sentient creatures are little more than an 
  opportunity to inﬂict pain and suffering. It is this torment 
  which characterizes the true difference between the Dark 
  Eldar and their less sadistic cousins, though it is not simply 
  a matter of cruelty. It was after the Fall, during which the 
  Dark God Slaanesh was born and the Eye of Terror rent in 
  the fabric of reality, both by the decadence and indulgence of 
  the Eldar, that that doomed race became the several distinct 
  peoples it is today. The Eldar of the Craftworlds shield their 
  decadent nature, restraining their desires with strict codes of 
  discipline and control, while the Dark Eldar proudly refused 
  to acknowledge the part they played in the horror they 
  created. Now, while their disciplined kin guard their souls 
  against the predations of the Lord of Dark Delights with 
  arcane technologies and soul-stones, the Dark Eldar suffer a 
  diminishing and wasting of their spirit until they are either 
  entirely consumed or they replenish their dark essence by 
  indulging in the twisted delights which were the harbinger 
  of this self-same plight. 
  WYCH
  For a people as depraved and long-lived as the Dark Eldar, 
  nearly all avenues of entertainment have long-since been 
  explored and exhausted. As such the Dark Eldar are ever 
  scheming, dreaming up new ways to inﬂict pain, to feel 
  pleasure, or to simply experience something entirely new. 
  One thrill seems never to grow old for the denizens of 
  the Commorragh: combat and murder. The Kabals 
  of the Dark Eldar sponsor cults of Hekatarii, or 
  Wyches, ﬁerce gladiators and masters of the close-
  Wych (Troop)
  8
  46
  41
  33
  38
  59
  34
  46
  32
  45
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  357
  XI: Adversaries  
  BEASTMASTER
  The Beastmasters of Commorragh are the undisputed 
  champions of their craft. They adorn themselves in the 
  trophies and fetishes of their charges—skulls, bones, skins, 
  and talons—each a symbol of their supreme skill at hunting 
  and capturing the most dangerous predators of the void. 
  Using precision sonic emitters and pheromone replicators, in 
  addition to their own natural talents, Beastmasters are able to 
  subdue their charges or drive them into a killing frenzy with 
  little more than a thought and a ﬂick of their wrist. 
  As they are technically members of the Wych cults, 
  Beastmasters most often make use of their talents for the 
  spectators of the Commorrite arenas. Wrangling great packs 
  of bestial aliens and Warp-spawn, the Beastmasters compete 
  against their Wych cult brethren in beast hunts, pitting the 
  savagery of their charges against the grace and ﬁghting skill 
  of the Hekatarii. Given that the majority of Beastmasters are 
  male, it is no coincidence that most Wyches remain remote 
  from their Beastmaster comrades. This seems to make the 
  beast hunts all the more savage, though when faced with a 
  common foe or a raid victim, their animosity is set aside for a 
  more pleasurable target. 
  Beastmasters employ a number of devices for commanding 
  and driving their creatures. Besides the sonic emitters and 
  pheromone replicators built into their fetishes and artefacts, 
  many Beastmasters use cruelly barbed whips and agonizers to 
  both drive their charges and keep them at bay. Though they 
  are inhumanly quick, the Dark Eldar are not as fast as many 
  of the beasts they make use of. For this reason, Beastmasters 
  make use of Hellion Skyboards, giving them the speed and 
  agility to keep pace with their charges, to make no mention 
  of the protection a position four metres in air affords.  
  Movement: 8/16/24/48  
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: Wych Suit (3 All) 
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Athletics (S) +10, Awareness (Per) 
  +10, Dodge (Ag) +10, Forbidden Lore (Xenos) (Int) +20, 
  Operate (Surface [Hover]) (Ag) +10, Parry (WS), Scholastic 
  Lore (Beasts) (Int) +20, Stealth (Ag) +10, Survival (Int) +20. 
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Catfall, Two-Weapon Wielder (Melee). 
  Traits: Dark-Sight, Unnatural Agility (3).
  Weapons: Impaler (Melee; 1d10+3 R; Pen 0; Toxic [2]), 
  neural whip (3m; 1d10+4 R; Pen 0; Flexible, Shocking). 
  Gear: 4 doses of Dark Eldar combat drugs (use the rules for 
  Slaught on page 199). 
  Life Among the Beasts: Dark Eldar Beastmasters are peerless 
  in their craft. Their control of their charges is so complete that 
  they fearlessly walk alongside the vicious monsters under 
  their command. A Dark Eldar Beastmaster never suffers the 
  threat of being attacked by the creatures he controls. In 
  addition, so long as the Beastmaster is alive and present 
  KABALITE WARRIOR
  The nature of Dark Eldar existence is one of pain, suffering, 
  and debased pleasures. That the denizens of the Dark City of 
  Commorragh actually require the torment of others to survive 
  has had drastic effects on their culture. Prior to the Fall they 
  had long been a cruel and violent people, but their base desires 
  were little more than play and certainly not necessary. Now 
  that the Dark Eldar cannot survive without the sustaining 
  energy of mortal souls in the throes of agony, their use for 
  mortal victims has become much more than merely a decadent 
  whim. Now the Dark Eldar send raids from the depths of 
  the Webway into real space, so that they might return with 
  hundreds of captives; grist for their spiritual mill. 
  The chief soldiers of these raids are the Warriors of the 
  Kabals. Few beings can boast the sheer breadth of experience 
  a Dark Eldar Warrior can; few can match the martial prowess 
  accumulated over millennia of murder, enslavement, and 
  torture. The Kabalite Warriors supplement their prowess with 
  some of the most nefarious weapons of war known in the 
  galaxy. The splinter riﬂe is the weapon of choice for most 
  Warriors, ﬁring shards of envenomed crystal, potent enough 
  to kill a grox in seconds. They gird themselves in lightweight, 
  ﬂexible armour made from barbed, bladed plates, held in 
  place with sharp hooks which tear into the ﬂesh of the wearer 
  himself. Oftentimes, Kabals will equip their Warriors with 
  extra weapons necessary for upcoming raids. Heavy splinter 
  cannons are quite common, while dark-light weapons are 
  used when necessary, to cut through heavily armoured tanks 
  or bunkers or to consume enemy warriors whole in stygian 
  blasts of un-light. 
  Movement: 8/16/24/48  
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: Kabalite Armour (4 All). 
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Awareness (Per) +10, Command 
  (Fel), Deceive (Fel), Dodge (Ag)+10, Intimidate (S) +20, 
  Parry (WS), Scrutiny (Per), Sleight of Hand (Ag), Stealth (Ag). 
  Talents: Combat Master, Hard Target, Leap Up, Lightning 
  Reﬂexes.
  Traits: Dark-Sight, Unnatural Agility (3).
  Weapons: Splinter riﬂe (Basic; 100m; S/3/5; 1d10+2 R; Pen 
  3; Clip 200; Reload 2 Full; Toxic [2]), poisoned blade (Melee; 
  1d5+3 R; Pen 2; Toxic [2]), or splinter cannon (Heavy; 150m; 
  –/5/10; 2d10+2 R; Pen 4; Clip 300; Reload 2 Full; Toxic 
  [4]), or dark lance (Heavy; 200m; S/–/–; 4d10+7 E; Pen 5; 
  Clip 9; Reload 2 Full; Lance). 
  Gear: Grisly trophies, 4 clips for splinter riﬂe. 
  Kabalite Warrior (Troop)
  8
  41
  46
  34
  39
  57
  33
  45
  31
  44
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Beastmaster (Handler)
  8
  43
  41
  38
  36
  55
  44
  44
  32
  35
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  358
  358
  XI: Adversaries  
  Movement: 15/30/45/90  
   
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: None. 
   
   
   
  Total TB: 6
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Stealth (Ag), Survival (Int).
  Talents: Furious Assault, Hard Target, Heightened Senses 
  (all), Swift Attack.
  Traits: Bestial, Daemonic (TB 6), Daemonic Presence†, 
  Dark Sight, Fear (3), From Beyond, Multiple Arms, Natural 
  Weapons, Phase, Quadruped, Size (Hulking), Unnatural 
  Agility (2), Unnatural Toughness (3), Warp Instability.
  Weapons: Teeth and claws (Melee; 1d10+4 R Pen 0, 
  Tearing), raptorial arms (Melee; 1d10+4 I, Pen 1, Tearing).
  †Daemonic Presence: All creatures within 20 metres take a 
  –10 penalty to Willpower Tests.
  Razorwing Flock
  In the arenas of Commorragh, the spectators desire more 
  than the expert displays of ﬁghting prowess; they desire, 
  nay lust for, blood. To accommodate this, Beastmasters have 
  taken to using ﬂocks of vicious, ossivorous birds known as 
  Razorwings. These vicious aliens are roughly the same size 
  and shape as typical avians, but possess razor-sharp beaks 
  and wings edged in lacerating feathers. Flocks of these 
  ferocious, predatory birds hunt as one, darting and swooping 
  in coordinated strikes, disorienting their prey, ﬂaying them 
  alive, then devouring the skeletal morsels they desire. The 
  spectacle they make when their shining metallic wings are 
  covered in a thick, wet coat of crimson blood is rarely met 
  with anything other than cruel, uproarious applause. 
  Movement: 8/16/24/48 (Flyer) 
   
  Wounds: 32
  Armour: Toughened Feathers (All 2). 
   Total TB: 3
  Skills: Dodge (Ag), Stealth (Ag).
  Talents: Frenzy, Furious Assault, Lightning Attack, Lightning 
  Reﬂexes, Step Aside, Swift Attack.
  Traits: Bestial, Flyer (8), Natural Armour, Natural Weapons, 
  Size (Scrawny).
  Weapons: Beak (Melee; 1d10+3 R; Pen 2; Tearing), wings 
  (Melee; 1d10+2 R; Pen 0; Razor Sharp, Tearing).
  on the battleﬁeld, the beasts under his command act as though 
  they have the Fearless Talent. 
  Bestial Frenzy: The Beastmaster may make a Difﬁcult 
  (–10) Survival Test as a Half Action to drive his beasts into 
  a killing rage. For each Degree of Success the Beastmaster 
  achieves, he may apply the Frenzy and Berserk Charge 
  Talents to one of the beasts under his control. The effects 
  of a successful Survival Test last for a single Combat Round. 
  Clawed Fiend
  Well over two metres tall, and with enough muscle to rip an 
  Ogryn limb from limb, the Claw Fiends are the highlight 
  of most Commorrite beast hunts. Their long arms and 
  powerfully muscled legs grant them a loping charge that 
  can overtake a Chimera APC at full throttle. Clawed Fiends 
  possess the ability to see in several spectrums at once, giving 
  them unparalleled capacities for tracking and ferreting out 
  prey. A sign of their predatory nature, they react with a bestial 
  fury to the scent of their own blood, plunging into a mindless 
  frenzy whenever they are injured. This, combined with their 
  long reach, incredible speed, and hearty resilience makes 
  them a fearsome foe, in and out of the arenas. 
  Movement: 5/10/15/30  
   
  Wounds: 38
  Armour: Toughened Skin (All 4). 
   
  Total TB: 8
  Skills: Athletics (Str) +10.
  Talents: Berserk Charge, Blind Fighting, Combat Master, 
  Crushing Blow, Iron Jaw, Nerves of Steel, Swift Attack, Takedown.
  Traits: Bestial, Brutal Charge (3), Dark-Sight, Fear 
  (2), Natural Armour, Natural Weapons, Size (Hulking), 
  Sturdy, Unnatural Strength (3), Unnatural Toughness (4), 
  Unnatural Sight (25 metres).
  Weapons: Claws (Melee; 1d10+7 R, Pen 1; Tearing), tail 
  claw (Melee; 1D10+6 R; Tearing).
  Blood Fury: If injured in a previous Round, the Fiend gains 
  the Frenzy and Furious Assault Talents.
  Khymera
  Looking like nothing so much as an alien panther with 
  its hide skinned off, leaving muscle and bone visible, the 
  Khymera is a creature of shadow coalesced. Ripped from 
  the empyrean by Dark Eldar Beastmasters, Khymera are 
  spirit creatures who form around terror and nightmares the 
  way a cyst forms around a mis-healed injury. They are vile 
  and wholly unnatural creatures who forever live between 
  real space and the Warp, but never fully in both. When in 
  real space, their form is merely a reﬂection of the fear all 
  sentient beings have of predators and things that stalk in 
  the night. Khymera seek to hunt, to kill, and to utterly 
  devour the souls of their victims. 
  Clawed Fiend (Minion)
  6
  8
  38
  ––
  35
  43
  47
  20
  28
  23
  ––
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Khymera (Minion)
  6
  7
  45
  ––
  40
  35
  50
  15
  40
  35
  10
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Razorwing Flock (Minion)
  47
  ––
  31
  33
  52
  22
  38
  23
  ––
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  359
  359
  XI: Adversaries 
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
  Wounds: 16
  Armour: Gnarlskin (3 All). 
  Total TB: 5
  Skills: Athletics (S), Awareness (Per), Dodge (Ag) +10, 
  Interrogation (WP) +10, Medicae (Int) +20, Parry 
  (WS), Scholastic Lore (Chymistry) (Int), Tech-Use 
  (Int) +10, Trade (Chymist) (Int). 
  Talents: Jaded, Nerves of Steel. 
  Traits: Dark-Sight, Natural Armour (3), See 
  Horriﬁc Experiments†. 
  Weapons: 2 poisoned blades (Melee; 
  1d5+3 R; Pen 2; Toxic [2]), or agoniser 
  (Melee; 1d10+3 E; Pen 6; Toxic [3]), or 
  mindphase gauntlet (Melee; 1d10+3 E; Pen 
  3; Shocking), or liqueﬁer gun (Basic; 20m; 
  S/–/–; 1d10+2 E; Pen 2d5; Clip 6; Reload 2 
  Full; Spray, Corrosive).
  Gear: Grisly trophies, 6 doses of Dark Eldar combat 
  drugs (use the rules for Slaught on page 199).
  †Horriﬁc 
  Experiments: Wracks are twisted 
  abominations created by the dark science of their 
  Haemonculus master. As a reﬂection of the twisted 
  nightmares of their Master, each Wrack is a unique 
  creation and no two Wracks share the same form. 
  To add variety, a Game Master may select from 
  the following list of Traits and apply them to 
  the Wracks he wishes to include in his 
  adventures. Possible Traits are: Fear (1), 
  Multiple Arms (4), Natural Armour (4), 
  Toxic (2). 
  GROTESQUE
  Grotesques, like Wracks, are hulking monstrosities of ﬂesh 
  and bone, muscle and sinew. Here, the resemblance ends, 
  however, for while Wracks retain some semblance of their 
  previous form as a Dark Eldar, Grotesques are wholly removed 
  from what they once were. Likewise, Grotesques and Wracks 
  differ in the intention of their creation. Where Wracks are the 
  willing subjects of Haemonculus ﬂesh-craft, Grotesques are 
  victims of it. Should a Dark Eldar be rash or foolish enough 
  to give insult to one of the Haemonculi, or fail to pay a debt, 
  or simply pique the ﬂesh-crafter’s twisted curiosity, there is 
  little to be done to avoid a truly horriﬁc fate. 
  Dark Eldar are a vain people by their very nature, and while 
  experimentation and body modiﬁcation is quite common 
  among the Commorrites, the sadistic experiments enacted 
  upon those who become Grotesques defy comparison. First 
  the unfortunate Dark Eldar is force-fed macrosteroids and 
  muscle stimulants, causing their lithe willowy forms to 
  become thick, bulky masses of twitching, strained muscle. 
  Then, through the injection of osseovirals, bone growth 
  is accelerated to uncontrolled hyperactivity, causing 
  WRACK
  There are no other 
  beings in the galaxy who 
  understand the arts of ﬂeshcraft and 
  torture as well the Haemonculi of the Dark 
  Eldar. Their talent is bred from both a sadistic drive to inﬂict 
  pain and a narcissistic urge to one day use their accumulated 
  knowledge to create the ultimate weapon. Nowhere are the 
  twisted talents of the Haemonculi more apparent than in the 
  Wracks that often accompany them onto the battleﬁeld. Wracks, 
  as abominable as it may seem, are the aftermath of terrible 
  experiments performed on completely willing subjects. Wracks 
  are the servants, orderlies, and assistants of the Haemonculi; 
  fawning sycophants who have ﬂocked to the side of their 
  masters so that they might know the sharp kiss of his knife, or 
  taste the sweet sickness of his potions. 
  To better serve their master, Wracks are mutilated and 
  dismembered, then rebuilt; stronger, inured to pain, and half mad 
  from the process. Wracks are each uniquely hideous, transformed 
  bodily into incarnations of pain and dark science. Beyond their 
  chemical and surgical enhancements, many Haemonculi equip 
  their servants with fell weapons built directly into their ﬂesh—
  wicked electro-corrosive Agonisers, acid-spewing Liqueﬁer 
  Guns, and will-sapping Mindphase Gauntlets. On the battleﬁeld, 
  Wracks often form the retinue of their Haemonculus master, 
  slavishly defending him from harm and using their armaments 
  to eviscerate any who pose a threat.  
  Wrack (Elite)
  4
  44
  41
  33
  36
  40
  24
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Movement: 4/8/12/24
  Armour: Gnarlskin (3 All).
  Skills: Athletics (S), Awareness (Per), Dodge (Ag) +10, 
  Interrogation (WP) +10, Medicae (Int) +20, Parry 
  (WS), Scholastic Lore (Chymistry) (Int), Tech-Use 
  (Int) +10, Trade (Chymist) (Int). 
  Talents:
  Traits:
  Horriﬁc Experiments†. 
  Weapons:
  (Melee; 1d10+3 E; Pen 6; Toxic [3]),
  mindphase gauntlet (Melee; 1d10+3 E; Pen 
  3; Shocking),
  S/–/–; 1d10+2 E; Pen 2d5; Clip 6; Reload 2 
  Full; Spray, Corrosive).
  Gear: Grisly trophies, 6 doses of Dark Eldar combat 
  drugs (use the rules for Slaught on page 199).
  †Horriﬁc 
  Experiments:
  abominations created by the dark science of their 
  Haemonculus master. As a reﬂection of the twisted 
  nightmares of their Master, each Wrack is a unique 
  creation and no two Wracks share the same form. 
  To add variety, a Game Master may select from 
  the following list of Traits and apply them to 
  the Wracks he wishes to include in his 
  Toxic (2). 
  WRACK
  There are no other 
  beings in the galaxy who 
  understand the arts of ﬂeshcraft and 
  torture as well the Haemonculi of the Dark 
  Wrack (Elite)
  4
  WS
  BS
  S
  
  360
  360
  XI: Adversaries  
  is a master work of the Haemonculus’ art; a machine of war 
  and mobile torture device combined in a single, blasphemous 
  entity. Propelled weightlessly by the sophisticated anti-
  gravity technology of the Commorrites, Pain Engines are 
  constructed to withstand a great deal of punishment; their 
  thick armour plating turning aside all but the most harmful 
  attacks. Two different versions of the Pain Engine have been 
  seen on the battleﬁelds of the Spinward Front: the Talos and 
  the Chronos. 
  The Talos is a hunched monstrosity, its humanoid torso buried 
  beneath layers of glossy black armour, its face hidden behind a 
  featureless mask, and its legs replaced with an anti-grav disc of 
  bizarre xenos design. Its arms terminate in manipulators tipped 
  with razor-sharp scalpels, poison-dripping barbs, and chain-ﬂails 
  attached to wicked meat hooks. It has a long tail which curves 
  above it like that of a scorpion. This limb houses a pair of vicious 
  splinter weapons. In combat the Talos uses its manipulators to 
  ensnare hapless victims, dissecting them wholly within seconds 
  with the multitude of tools replacing its ﬁngers. As it performs 
  this gruesome 
  display, 
  the 
  Talos devours 
  the ﬂayed portions of 
  its prey, reinvigorating itself as it 
  entertains its hideous master. 
  huge bone spurs and long bone spines to burst through the 
  ﬂesh of the victim. Once these processes are over, the subject 
  is ﬁtted with a faceless black helmet, to remove any trace of 
  personal identity or dignity. To add yet further insult, the 
  Haemonculus will often remove whole limbs from the victim 
  and replace them with cruel and bizarre weapons of his own 
  design. Given that this process often takes years of unspeakable 
  tortures and scientiﬁc experimentation, the subject is usually 
  driven completely insane by the experience. To keep control 
  of this madness, most Grotesques are then lobotomised, 
  however many Haemonculi leave a ﬂicker of awareness in their 
  unfortunate subjects, just enough so that they stay aware of the 
  horrible fate that has befallen them. The ﬁnal insult comes when 
  the Haemonculus exerts his control over the newly created 
  Grotesque and reminds the creature that it was not always thus. 
  Enormous monstrosities of muscle and bone, utterly immune 
  to any notion of self-preservation, the Grotesques of the Dark 
  Eldar are fearsome opponents on the ﬁeld of battle.  
  Movement: 5/10/15/30  
  Wounds: 40
  Armour: Gnarlhide (3 All). 
  Total TB: 8
  Skills: Athletics (S) +10, Awareness (Per), Dodge (Ag) 
  +10, Parry (WS) +10. 
  Talents: Berserk Charge, Counter-Attack, Fearless, 
  Frenzy, Furious Assault, Swift Attack.
  Traits: Dark-Sight, Fear (2), Natural Armour (3), Size 
  (Hulking), Unnatural Strength (3), Unnatural Toughness 
  (3). See Horriﬁc Experiments†. 
  Weapons: Implanted blades (Melee; 1d10+8; Pen 3; 
  Tearing), or liqueﬁer gun (Basic; 20m; S/–/–; 1d10+2 
  E; Pen 2d5; Clip 6; Reload 2 Full; Spray, Corrosive).
  †Horriﬁc Experiments: Grotesques are twisted 
  abominations created by the dark science of 
  their Haemonculus master. As a reﬂection of 
  their twisted nightmares of their Master, each 
  Grotesque is a unique creation and no two Grotesques 
  share the same form. To add variety, a Game Master 
  may select from the following list of Traits and apply 
  them to the Grotesques he wishes to include in his 
  adventures. Possible Traits are: Multiple Arms (4), 
  Natural Armour (5), Toxic (2). 
  TALOS PAIN ENGINE AND  
  CRONOS PARASITE ENGINE
  Representing the culmination of the dark science of the 
  Haemonculi Covens, the Pain Engines are part living 
  thing, part machine, and wholly neither. Like the other 
  constructs of the Haemonculi, Pain Engines are the 
  result of lengthy processes performed on a 
  sentient creature, which result in a creature 
  of twisted form and shattered mind. Each 
  Grotesque (Elite)
  8
  8
  46
  31
  52
  54
  41
  32
  3
  8
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  with the multitude of tools replacing its ﬁngers. As it performs 
  this gruesome 
  display, 
  the 
  Talos devours 
  the ﬂayed portions of 
  its prey, reinvigorating itself as it 
  entertains its hideous master. 
  Wounds: 40
  Total TB: 8
   Athletics (S) +10, Awareness (Per), Dodge (Ag) 
   Berserk Charge, Counter-Attack, Fearless, 
   Dark-Sight, Fear (2), Natural Armour (3), Size 
  (Hulking), Unnatural Strength (3), Unnatural Toughness 
   Implanted blades (Melee; 1d10+8; Pen 3; 
  liqueﬁer gun (Basic; 20m; S/–/–; 1d10+2 
  E; Pen 2d5; Clip 6; Reload 2 Full; Spray, Corrosive).
   Grotesques are twisted 
  abominations created by the dark science of 
  their Haemonculus master. As a reﬂection of 
  their twisted nightmares of their Master, each 
  Grotesque is a unique creation and no two Grotesques 
  share the same form. To add variety, a Game Master 
  may select from the following list of Traits and apply 
  them to the Grotesques he wishes to include in his 
  adventures. Possible Traits are: Multiple Arms (4), 
  Representing the culmination of the dark science of the 
  Haemonculi Covens, the Pain Engines are part living 
  thing, part machine, and wholly neither. Like the other 
  constructs of the Haemonculi, Pain Engines are the 
  result of lengthy processes performed on a 
  sentient creature, which result in a creature 
  of twisted form and shattered mind. Each 
  8
  WP
  Fel
  
  361
  361
  XI: Adversaries  
  DARK ELDAR VEHICLES
  As graceful and swift as the beings who pilot them, the 
  vehicles of the Dark Eldar are near miracles of xenos 
  technology. Light and lithe, they dart about the battleﬁeld, 
  the skill and conﬁdence of their pilot obvious to all who bear 
  witness. The Dark Eldar are masters of anti-grav technology, 
  harnessing arcane energies into elegant ribbing mounted on 
  the undersides of their transports and attack craft. As such, 
  all of the Dark Eldar vehicles skim just off the ground or 
  ﬂat-out ﬂy through the atmosphere; many are even capable 
  of entering the void itself. Many Dark Eldar vehicles are 
  bedecked with trophies of past kills and strung with wickedly 
  hooked chains and snares, the better to snag prisoners for 
  their pilots’ dark torments. The Dark Eldar also possess a 
  devilish defence system called a ﬂicker ﬁeld, which distorts 
  light and gives viewers the impression that the vehicle itself 
  is blinking into and out of existence. 
  HELLION SKYBOARD 
  Popular among a class of misanthropes and reprobates known 
  as Hellions, skyboards are thin, single-manned wings, held 
  aloft by anti-grav ribbing and propelled at great speeds by 
  screaming engines. Skyboards are immensely sensitive to 
  every shift of weight and application of pressure from their 
  riders, making them dangerous in the extreme for any pilot 
  save the superhumanly agile Dark Eldar. Skyboards mount 
  a single, under-slung weapon known as a splinterpod. This 
  weapon, similar to the ubiquitous splinter riﬂe, is ﬁred with 
  the depression of a pressure-plate under the heel of the pilot. 
  Type: Skimmer 
   
   
  Tactical Speed: 18m
  Cruising Speed: 70kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +25
  Structural Integrity: 10 
   
  Size: Hulking
  Armour: Front 12, Side 12, Rear 10
  Vehicle Traits: Bike, Enhanced Motive System, Open-
  Topped, Skimmer.
  Crew: 1 pilot. 
  Carry Capacity: None.
  Weapons: Fixed splinter pod (Front-Facing; 75m; S/5/7; 
  1d10+2 R; Pen 3; Clip 200; Reload 2 Full; Toxic [1]). 
  REAVER JETBIKE
  Reaver jetbikes are the technological peak of speed and 
  handling, the height of craftsmanship and engineering for 
  those seeking speed for the sheer exhilarating joy of it. Only 
  the most skilled, daring, and possibly suicidal pilot would ever 
  consider riding a Dark Eldar jetbike. Their unmatched power, 
  hair-sensitive controls, and minimal protection all combine to 
  make Reaver jetbikes one of the most dangerous vehicles in 
  the known galaxy. These single-manned vehicles consist of a 
  powerful engine encased by a single seat for the pilot above 
  and a streamlined frame of anti-grav ribs below. The bike 
  itself is directed with delicate keel-blades, which the riders 
  often use as weapons when darting about the battleﬁeld at 
  blinding speeds; blurring past their targets and banking for 
  just an instant, just long enough to let the razor-edged 
  keel slice through armour, ﬂesh, and bone. 
  The Chronos looks much like its counterpart, though its arms 
  end in writhing tentacle-spines which twitch spasmodically 
  and lash out at foes with blinding speed. Protruding from the 
  smooth mask of the construct’s head is a long proboscis which 
  the Chronos uses to syphon the life energy from nearby living 
  creatures. Consuming the living force from its victims, the 
  Chronos leaves behind only desiccated husks. Then, by some 
  arcane process, the Chronos can vomit forth the soul-energy of 
  its victims to invigorate its Dark Eldar allies. 
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
  Wounds: 45
  Armour: Machine (4 All).  
  Total TB: 9
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Intimidate (S) +10, Parry (WS). 
  Talents: Fearless, Frenzy, Lightning Attack. 
  Traits: 
  Auto-Stabilised, 
  Dark-Sight, 
  Deadly 
  Natural 
  Weapons, Hoverer (4), Machine (4), Size (Enormous), 
  Unnatural Strength (4), Unnatural Toughness (4). 
  Weapons: Gruesome claws and chain ﬂails† (Melee; 
  1d10+11 R; Pen 3; Tearing), stinger pod (Heavy; 40m; 
  S/2/–; 1d10+4; Pen 2; Clip –; Reload –; Blast [3]). 
  †Hideous Display: Whenever a Talos Pain Engine kills 
  a target with an attack from its Gruesome Claws or Chain 
  Flails, it immediately gains the Fear (4) Trait for the remainder 
  of the combat. 
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
  Wounds: 45
  Armour: Machine (4 All).  
  Total TB: 9
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Dodge (Ag).
  Talents: Fearless, Independent Targeting. 
  Traits: 
  Auto-Stabilised, 
  Dark-Sight, 
  Deadly 
  Natural 
  Weapons, Hoverer (4), Machine (4), Size (Enormous), 
  Unnatural Toughness (4). 
  Weapons: Spirit probe (Melee; 1d10+6 R; Pen 2), spirit 
  syphon (Heavy; 20m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; Pen 7; Clip –; 
  Reload –; Spray), spirit vortex (Heavy; 40m; S/–/–; 1d10+2 
  E; Pen 7; Clip –; Reload –; Blast [5]). 
  Soul Syphon: Whenever a Chronos Parasite Engine kills 
  a target with an attack with either its Spirit Probe, Spirit 
  Syphon, or Spirit Vortex, all Dark Eldar—including the 
  Parasite Engine itself—within 20 metres of the attacker 
  immediately regain 1d5 lost Wounds and receive a +10 
  bonus to Willpower Tests to overcome Fear or Pinning for 
  the remainder of the combat. A single Dark Eldar may only 
  gain the bonus to Willpower Tests once, but can regain lost 
  Wounds as a result of this ability multiple times. 
  Talos Pain Engine (Elite)
  9
  9
  52
  34
  56
  55
  41
  22
  35
  29
  18
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Chronos Parasite Engine (Elite)
  9
  32
  34
  56
  55
  41
  22
  35
  29
  18
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  362
  362
  XI: Adversaries  
  RAIDER
  Ubiquitous among Dark Eldar raiding parties, the Raider 
  is the favoured transport of the denizens of the Dark City. 
  Lightly armoured and with exposed decks, the Raider might 
  seem a dangerous carrier for any sort of soldier, but few of the 
  Commorrites who ride in them seem to see it that way. Their 
  speed more than making up for their lack of armour, Raiders 
  jink and bank comfortably out of the way of incoming ﬁre, 
  their passengers deftly keeping their feet despite the jarring 
  motion. Employing aethersails to harness the energies 
  which pour from their webway portals, Raiders are much 
  more fast and agile than most troop transports. Besides the 
  passengers they carry, Raiders mount a single ﬁxed weapon, 
  at the prow of the deck. This mounting can hold a variety of 
  weapons, though dark lances and disintegrator cannons are 
  most common, the better to clear away vehicle or infantry 
  obstructions, respectively. 
  Type: Skimmer 
   
  Tactical Speed: 21m
  Cruising Speed: 130kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +15
  Structural Integrity: 35 
  Size: Enormous
  Armour: Front 24, Side 24, Rear 20
  Vehicle Traits: Enhanced Motive System, Open-Topped, Skimmer.
  Carry Capacity: 10 Dark Eldar and their spoils of war. 
  Crew: 1 Pilot and 1 Gunner (Turret Weapon). 
  Weapons: Sponson-mounted weapon (choose one of the 
  following): 
  •	 Dark lance (Front Facing; 200m; S/–/–; 4d10+7 E; Pen 
  5; Clip –; Reload –; Lance)
  •	 Disintegrator (Front Facing; 200m; –/–/10; 2d10+6 E; 
  Pen 9; Clip –; Reload –)
  Special Rules: Dark Eldar vehicles are often equipped with 
  advanced optic shielding known as Flicker Fields that cause 
  them to appear as though they are ﬂickering in and out of 
  existence. All ranged attacks against the vehicle are Hard 
  (–20) Ballistic Skill Tests. 
  Type: Skimmer 
   
  Tactical Speed: 21m
  Cruising Speed: 130kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +20
  Structural Integrity: 15 
  Size: Hulking
  Armour: Front 16, Side 16, Rear 12
  Vehicle Traits: Bike, Enhanced Motive System, Open-
  Topped, Skimmer.
  Crew: 1 rider.
  Carry Capacity: None. 
  Weapons: 
  Fixed weapon (choose one from the following):
  •	 Splinter rﬂe (Front-Facing; 100m; S/3/5; 1d10+2 R; 
  Pen 3; Clip 200; Reload 2 Full; Toxic [2])
  •	 Blaster (Front-Facing; 75m; S/–/–; 3d10+7 E; Pen 4; 
  Clip –; Reload –; Lance)
  Special Rules: The vanes on the underside of a Reaver jetbike 
  are wickedly curved and barbed blades, which the Dark Eldar 
  use to devastating effect. For the purposes of making hit-
  and-run attacks, the rider of a Reaver jetbike is considered to 
  be armed with a melee weapon with the following proﬁle: 
  Blade-Vanes (Melee; 1d10+7 R; Pen 4; Unwieldy). Note 
  that, due to the nature of the weapon, the rider does not add 
  its Strength Bonus to the Damage of such attacks. 
  VENOM
  Used as carrier craft for small cliques of Dark Eldar warriors 
  or as a lavish transport for Commorrite Lords, the Venom is 
  as deadly and swift as its passengers. A small craft by most 
  standards, the Venom utilises the anti-grav technology of other 
  Dark Eldar vehicles, though its undercarriage is more densely 
  ribbed than other vehicles. This added anti-grav power allows 
  the Venom to carry more weight than would be expected on its 
  slender frame while maintaining the speed and manoeuvrability 
  that is the hallmark of Dark Eldar technology. Commonly 
  bearing an under-slung splinter cannon, the Venom is capable 
  of laying down a hail of poisoned splinter ﬁre to cover its 
  passengers during disembarkation. 
  Type: Skimmer 
   
  Tactical Speed: 21m
  Cruising Speed: 130kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +20
  Structural Integrity: 25 
  Size: Enormous
  Armour: Front 22, Side 22, Rear 18
  Vehicle Traits: Enhanced Motive System, Open-Topped, 
  Skimmer.
  Crew: 1 Pilot. 
  Carry Capacity: 5 Dark Eldar and their spoils of war. 
  Weapons: Fixed splinter cannon (Front Facing; 150m; 
  –/5/10; 2d10+2 R; Pen 4; Clip 300; Reload 2 Full; Toxic 
  [4]), pintle-mounted splinter cannon (150m; –/5/10; 
  2d10+2 R; Pen 4; Clip 300; Reload 2 Full; Toxic [4])
  Special Rules: Dark Eldar vehicles are often equipped with 
  advanced optic shielding known as Flicker Fields that cause 
  them to appear as though they are ﬂickering in and out of 
  existence. All ranged attacks against the vehicle are Hard 
  (–20) Ballistic Skill Tests. 
  
  363
  XI: Adversaries  
  Similar to Shoota Boyz are the Lootaz, though these Orks 
  take a much larger approach to their preferred tools of war. 
  Lootaz possess a truly remarkable talent for machinery and 
  mek-craft. With their skills they fashion their own weapons 
  from the discarded technology of their fallen foes. Cobbling 
  together the broken pieces of Imperial, traitor, and alien 
  weaponry, Lootaz craft enormous weapons built onto full-
  body harnesses. It is unknown just how they are able to meld 
  these technologies into a working whole, but the resulting 
  ﬁrearms are truly terrifying, transforming the wielder into a 
  walking artillery platform. 
  Or course, as one might expect from a species obsessed 
  with war and devastation, there are those Orks who delight 
  in ﬁre. The pure, unfocused destruction of an inferno is too 
  great a temptation for many Orks. These sorts of Orks form 
  up into great mobs of Burna Boyz. Bearing their smoke-
  belching, dirty-fuelled ﬂame-throwers, Burna Boyz carve out 
  huge swathes of the battleﬁeld with their gouts of greasy ﬁre. 
  On the ﬁeld of battle, or off, Burna 
  Boyz are never without 
  some source of ﬁre and 
  smoke. Smoking thick, 
  Orks
  “Waaaaaagh!” 
  –Opening statement and closing remarks of 
  Grimtoof Git-Slaver’s negotiations for peace
  F
  ew beings pose a greater threat to Mankind than the 
  Orks. While each Ork is a dangerous combatant is its own 
  right, they are rarely encountered alone. Orks gravitate 
  toward one another, gathering in tribes and clans under the 
  brutal leadership of the strongest Ork present, the Boss. These 
  smaller mobs of “Greenskins” are dangerous enough, quite 
  capable of threatening an Imperial planetary defence force, but 
  it is the collected might of a true Waaagh! that Mankind must 
  truly fear. When a particularly savage Boss unites several clans 
  together under his Waaagh! banner, the resulting mass of Orks 
  is a nearly unstoppable threat, a surging tide of green-skinned 
  warriors desiring only battle, bloodshed and war. The Orks 
  of the Spinward Front possess inﬁnite variety, though they 
  all share one common trait: an 
  unquenchable thirst for violence. 
  BOYZ
  Orks are an unruly, savage, and 
  generally witless bunch, but there is one thing 
  that they do exceedingly well—wage war. An 
  Ork by himself is a dangerous foe, but ﬁfteen, 
  sixty, or ten-score is a truly terrifying force. 
  Orks “Boyz” have a natural instinct to mob 
  up, to gather into massive gangs and strike out 
  violently at whoever or whatever happens to get 
  in their way. These mobs tend to consist of like-
  minded Orks, and in time each mob begins to reﬂect 
  the character of its members. As all Orks have a great drive 
  to inﬂict harm on other sentient beings and to crush, destroy 
  and conquer the foundations of civilization wherever they 
  ﬁnd them, each Mob is a testament to a particular way in 
  which Orks wage war. 
  By far, the most numerous Orks are those who delight in the 
  pure ferocity and savagery of hand-to-hand combat, wielding 
  their heavy-bladed choppas and thick-barrelled sluggas in the 
  frenzy of melee. These Slugga Boyz exalt in the feeling of the 
  hot blood of their foes spraying across their green skin and 
  the satisfying crunch of bones with each swing. 
  While all Orks appreciate the press of melee and the 
  fury of hand-to-hand combat, there are those who crave 
  the thunder of gunﬁre, who wholly embrace the simple 
  pleasure of watching their foes fall to a hail of shells. These 
  Shoota Boyz wield the ﬁrearm that is their namesake with 
  glorious abandon, bellowing wordless roars of pleasure as 
  they unleash hell in the form of large-bore shells. The shoota 
  they carry is an effective, yet ﬁendishly simple weapon, little 
  more than a barrel, a trigger and a shoddy, yet strangely 
  reliable ﬁring mechanism. Some Shoota Boyz may add 
  embellishments like sights and scopes, but they are largely 
  for show, as Orks have little to no understanding of their 
  actual purpose or function. 
  XI: Adversaries 
  up into great mobs of Burna Boyz. Bearing their smoke-
  up into great mobs of Burna Boyz. Bearing their smoke-
  belching, dirty-fuelled ﬂame-throwers, Burna Boyz carve out 
  belching, dirty-fuelled ﬂame-throwers, Burna Boyz carve out 
  huge swathes of the battleﬁeld with their gouts of greasy ﬁre. 
  huge swathes of the battleﬁeld with their gouts of greasy ﬁre. 
  On the ﬁeld of battle, or off, Burna 
  Boyz are never without 
  some source of ﬁre and 
  smoke. Smoking thick, 
  it is the collected might of a true Waaagh! that Mankind must 
  truly fear. When a particularly savage Boss unites several clans 
  together under his Waaagh! banner, the resulting mass of Orks 
  is a nearly unstoppable threat, a surging tide of green-skinned 
  warriors desiring only battle, bloodshed and war. The Orks 
  of the Spinward Front possess inﬁnite variety, though they 
  all share one common trait: an 
  unquenchable thirst for violence. 
  Orks are an unruly, savage, and 
  generally witless bunch, but there is one thing 
  that they do exceedingly well—wage war. An 
  Ork by himself is a dangerous foe, but ﬁfteen, 
  sixty, or ten-score is a truly terrifying force. 
  Orks “Boyz” have a natural instinct to mob 
  up, to gather into massive gangs and strike out 
  violently at whoever or whatever happens to get 
  in their way. These mobs tend to consist of like-
  minded Orks, and in time each mob begins to reﬂect 
  the character of its members. As all Orks have a great drive 
  to inﬂict harm on other sentient beings and to crush, destroy 
  and conquer the foundations of civilization wherever they 
  ﬁnd them, each Mob is a testament to a particular way in 
  By far, the most numerous Orks are those who delight in the 
  pure ferocity and savagery of hand-to-hand combat, wielding 
  their heavy-bladed choppas and thick-barrelled sluggas in the 
  frenzy of melee. These Slugga Boyz exalt in the feeling of the 
  hot blood of their foes spraying across their green skin and 
  the satisfying crunch of bones with each swing. 
  While all Orks appreciate the press of melee and the 
  fury of hand-to-hand combat, there are those who crave 
  the thunder of gunﬁre, who wholly embrace the simple 
  pleasure of watching their foes fall to a hail of shells. These 
  Shoota Boyz wield the ﬁrearm that is their namesake with 
  glorious abandon, bellowing wordless roars of pleasure as 
  they unleash hell in the form of large-bore shells. The shoota 
  they carry is an effective, yet ﬁendishly simple weapon, little 
  more than a barrel, a trigger and a shoddy, yet strangely 
  reliable ﬁring mechanism. Some Shoota Boyz may add 
  embellishments like sights and scopes, but they are largely 
  for show, as Orks have little to no understanding of their 
  
  364
  XI: Adversaries  
  Weapons: See below†. 
  Gear: Shiny bitz, Ork teeth, used as currency (“teef ”).
  †Slugga Boy: Slugga (Pistol; 20m; S/3/–; 1d10+4 I; Pen 0; 
  Clip 18; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable), choppa (Melee; 
  1d10+6 R; Pen 2; Tearing, Unbalanced).
  †Shoota Boy: Shoota (Basic; 60m; –/3/10; 1d10+4I; Pen 
  0; Clip 30; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable) or big shoota 
  (Heavy; 120m; –/–/10; 2d10+5 I; Pen 2; Clip 120; Reload 
  Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable). 
  †Loota Boy: Deffgun (Heavy 200m; –/–/10; 2d10+3 X; 
  Pen 6; Clip 80; Reload Full; Tearing, Inaccurate). 
  †Burna Boy: Burna (Basic; 20m; S/–/–; 1d10+4 E; Pen 2; 
  Clip 6; Reload Full; Flame, Spray, Unreliable), or burna (Melee; 
  1d10+5 E; Pen 5; Power Field, Unwieldy). 
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
   
  Wounds: 25
  Armour: Flak armour (Body 2). 
   
  Total TB: 9 
  Skills: Athletics (S), Command (Fel) +10, Intimidate +10 (S).
  Talents: Air of Authority, Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, 
  Furious Assault, Hardy, Iron Discipline, Iron Jaw, Lightning 
  Reﬂexes, Street Fighting, True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge (3), Fear (1), Size (Hulking), Make 
  it Work, Might Makes Right, Mob Rule, Sturdy, Unnatural 
  Strength (4), Unnatural Toughness (5).
  Weapons: Snazzgun (100m; S/2/–; 2d10 I or E; Pen 1d10; 
  Inaccurate, Overheats, Unreliable) or slugga (20m; S/3/–; 
  1d10+4 I; Pen 0; Clip 18; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable) 
  or shoota (60m; S/3/10; 1d10+4I; Pen 0; Clip 30; Reload 
  Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable), choppa (Melee; 1d10+11R; Pen 
  2; Tearing, Unbalanced).
  Gear: Ork teeth (“teef ”), shiny bitz, pet attack Squig.
  acrid cigars or simply leaving the pilots lit on their burnas, 
  one can always smell when a Burna Boy is close. 
  Since they are, at heart, a competitive species, Orks can be 
  counted on to spur each other on to greater feats of villainy 
  and violence, each competing with the next, all striving to be 
  the Ork with the loudest Shoota, the most scars, or to simply 
  be the biggest, meanest, and greenest Ork in their mob. When 
  a clear winner of this constant competition is made apparent, 
  he inﬂicts his will on the rest of the mob, holding true the 
  Orkish notion, that might makes right and the biggest Ork 
  is da boss. These leaders, who, by deﬁnition, are the largest 
  and most brutal of their kind, are known as Nobz. Most often 
  Nobz force their way into a command position among their 
  mob, but, every so often, a gang of Nobz will band together 
  into a mob of their own. These Nobz mobs are unparalleled 
  in their lust for war and their skill at bloodshed. It is not 
  uncommon for a mob of Nobz to form the elite bodyguard 
  of their Warboss, accompanying their leader into the thickest, 
  heart of battle, crushing all before them and leaving a wake of 
  bloody foes and battered machinery.
  Movement: 3/6/12/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: Flak armour (Body 2). 
   
  Total TB: 6
  Skills: Athletics (S), Intimidate (S).
  Talents: Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Furious Assault, 
  Hardy, Iron Jaw, Street Fighting, True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge (1), Make it Work, Mob Rule, Sturdy, 
  Unnatural Toughness (2).
  ORK TRAITS
  Many Orks beneﬁt from a number of unique abilities, 
  listed below. 
  MAKE IT WORK (TRAIT)
  Unreliable Ork weapons are not Unreliable in an Ork’s 
  hands. 
  MIGHT MAKES RIGHT (TRAIT)
  An Ork may use the Intimidate Skill to perform the actions 
  listed under the Command Skill, when commanding 
  other Orks, Gretchin, Squigs, or Snotlings. 
  MOB RULE (TRAIT)
  All Orks and Gretchin are latently psychic—an ability 
  which increases in strength the more of them there are in 
  one place. This bolsters their conﬁdence and courage to 
  near-fearless levels when they gather en masse. For every 
  additional Ork within 10m, an Ork gains a +10 bonus to 
  Willpower Tests to resist the effects of Fear and Pinning. 
  This Trait works identically for Gretchin, thought they 
  gain the bonus from other nearby Gretchin, not Orks. 
  “FERAL” ORKS
  Waaagh! Grimtoof has swept through the Spinward 
  Front, leaving whole systems as no more than desolate, 
  smouldering battleﬁelds in its wake. As the hordes of 
  Orks that make up Grimtoof’s forces rage their bloody 
  war across the front, they inadvertently release their 
  spores into the air, “seeding” planets with the Ork-taint 
  as they carve their warpath across the stars. After the 
  Waaagh! moves on, these seeded planets begin to spawn 
  new populations of Orks. Not part of the thrumming 
  energy of the Waaagh!, these tribes of “Feral” Orks 
  develop only rudimentary technology and ﬁght for 
  control over small sections of these ravaged worlds.
  To represent Feral Orks, use the proﬁles presented 
  for Ork Boys, Nobs, and Runtherds, but only equip 
  them with the most basic of weaponry such as Choppas 
  and the occasional Slugga.
  Ork Boy (Troop)
  6
  37
  24
  46
  44
  30
  24
  32
  26
  21
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Ork Nob (Elite)
  8
  9
  46
  19
  49
  47
  39
  29
  34
  32
  34
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  365
  XI: Adversaries  
  Talents: Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Furious Assault, 
  Hardy, Iron Jaw, Nerves of Steel, Street Fighting, True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge (2), Make it Work, Might Makes Right, 
  Mob Rule, Sturdy, Unnatural Toughness (2).
  Weapons: Slugga (Pistol; 20m; S/3/–; 1d10+4 I; Pen 0; 
  Clip 18; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable), choppa (Melee; 
  1d10+7 R; Pen 2; Tearing, Unbalanced).
  Gear: Rokkit Pack†, Shiny bitz, Ork teeth (“teef ”).
  †Rokkit Pack: A Rokkit Pack allows a Stormboy to hurtle 
  into the air and crash down a short distance away. Such 
  jumps allow the Stormboy to double his Base Movement and 
  travel in any direction without regard for obstacles. For all 
  other purposes, he counts as having taken the appropriate 
  Movement Action. He must be on the ground by the end of 
  his Turn. Each time the Stormboy uses this movement, he 
  must make a Challenging (+0) Operate (Surface [Rokkit 
  Pack]) Test. If the Test is a success, the Stormboy moves 
  as described above. If the Stormboy fails the Test, he takes 
  1d10 Impact Damage for every two Degrees of Failure. This 
  Damage is not reduced by Armour, but is reduced by the 
  Stormboy’s Toughness as normal. 
  RUNTHERD
  All Orks possess the instinct to bully those smaller than 
  themselves and while Ork culture, if one chooses to call it 
  that, is based around this fact, Runtherds take special pride 
  in their talents for bullying. A rare member of Ork society, 
  the Runtherd possesses remarkable patience and foresight, 
  often able to plan weeks in advance, a capacity almost unheard 
  of in the rest of their kin. Runtherds use these rare talents to 
  breed the ﬁercest Gretchin, Snotlings, and Squigs, providing 
  their clans with runts capable of several tasks both in and out 
  of combat. While many Orks would grow bored tormenting 
  weedy runts like grots and snots, Runtherds delight in their 
  work, taking great pride in their charges. This notion of pride 
  does not go so far as to become sentimentality or leniency, 
  indeed, Runtherds can often be some of the most brutal and 
  cruel bullies within Ork society, seeing each and every thump 
  of their grabba stick as one more step towards the perfect runt. 
  Traditionally, Runtherds goad their charges into battle from 
  the rear, armed with either a grabba stick or a grot-prod. The 
  former is a long pole topped by a vice-like pincer, oftentimes 
  embellished with spikes and other nasty accoutrements. This 
  weapon-tool is used to restrain errant runts while inﬂicting 
  enough pain to discourage future mistakes. The grot-prod is a 
  devious device built by an ingenious Mek consisting of long 
  pole topped with a shock-prod, which combines the reach 
  of a grabba stikk with the painful and incapacitating effects 
  of a shock maul. Progressive Runtherds take nearly as much 
  delight in the ﬂash of voltaic light as they do the twitching 
  forms of their charges after the liberal application of this 
  device. Few can deny the effectiveness of the Runtherds’ 
  methods, as they are able to drive the cowardly Gretchin 
  into the very heart of battle, focus the bumbling swarms of 
  Snotlings to overwhelm the mightiest foe, and even direct 
  the mindless hunger of their Squigs. 
  STORMBOY
  The Ork race as a whole really only values one thing—
  strength. Strength determines who ought to lead, who owns 
  what, and most importantly, who is da best. Those who 
  would argue with the strongest deserve no less than to be 
  crushed. To a lesser degree, Orks value cunnin.’ If an Ork is 
  cunnin,’ he can out-fox his enemies and crush them before 
  they crush him. The ability to out-think one’s opponent is not 
  as greatly feared as the ability to pound them, but those who 
  possess both strength and cunnin’ make the most successful 
  and long-lived Warbosses. What few Orks understand and 
  even fewer fear is discipline. In war, each Ork seeks his own 
  entertainment and victory. Certainly, Orks are driven by 
  the impetus of the mob, but this is purely instinctual, not 
  something learned through drills or reinforced through 
  battleﬁeld experience. 
  In this way, Stormboyz are unique among the Ork 
  species. For some unknown reason, a very few Orks are 
  drawn to a life of coordinated and disciplined war, not the 
  furore and chaos of the mob. These Orks gather together 
  in great bands of fearsome warriors and become known as 
  Stormboyz. Similar, in many ways, to the shock troopers 
  of other species, Stormboyz often far more organised than 
  the other Ork troops. Wearing primitive uniforms and 
  wielding standardized wargear, at least by Orky standards, 
  the Stormboyz are an enigma to regular Orks, who cannot 
  understand what would drive a warrior to work closely with 
  another Ork, when competing with one would be much more 
  enjoyable. The Stormboyz themselves do little to dissuade 
  their fellows of this notion, and indeed only confuse them 
  further by strapping enormous, fuel-ﬁlled rokkit packs to 
  their backs, that they might reach the thick of the ﬁghting 
  more quickly once battle is joined. Storm Boyz tend to be 
  much younger than the average Ork. Sick of being told that 
  they can do whatever they want, many young Orks run off to 
  join the Stormboy camps so that they can rebel by living their 
  lives with more focus and direction. 
  The rockets Stormboys employ are an potent threat on 
  the battleﬁeld, but Stormboyz appear to value the speed and 
  manoeuvrability they afford more greatly than they value 
  their own lives. Using the great bursts of propulsion from 
  their rokkit packs, the Stormboyz leap high into the air; then, 
  once they have reached the apex of their jump, their engines 
  sputter and cut out, and with a roaring battle cry of “‘Ere we 
  go!” they come crashing down amongst the enemy. Certainly, 
  the occasional Stormboy is killed or crippled by their descent, 
  but they consider this a perfectly acceptable risk if it gets 
  them to grips with their enemies more quickly. 
  Movement: 3/6/12/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 14
  Armour: Flak armour (Body 2). 
   
  Total TB: 6
  Skills: Intimidate (S), Operate (Surface [Rokkit Pack]) (Ag)+10.
  Stormboy (Elite)
  6
  43
  23
  46
  44
  30
  24
  32
  32
  29
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  366
  366
  XI: Adversaries  
  Gretchin
  Save for the stupid little Snotlings, Gretchin truly are the lowest 
  form of life amongst the Ork hordes of the galaxy. Even the 
  mindless eating machines known as Squigs receive more respect 
  from their Orkish masters on account of their ferocity. Also known 
  as Grots, Gretchin possess a cruel sense of mischief and a clever 
  notion of self-preservation, collectively known as cunnin’, but these 
  talents are entirely lost on their massive green-skinned cousins. 
  Utter cowards, Grots never enter combat willingly, but they ﬁght 
  like cornered underhive rats when caught unawares or forced into 
  battle. To this end, Orks will often gather the little blighters into 
  huge mobs, kept in line by the lash of a skilled Runtherd. They 
  are often sent into combat entirely unarmed, though the foraging 
  skills possessed by the Gretchin are not a thing to be overlooked, 
  and it is quite common for them to be armed with small slug-
  throwers and energy weapons. Individually these weapons are 
  nearly harmless, but in numbers they can ﬁll the air with enough 
  projectiles to ﬁnd chinks in even the ﬁnest suits of armour. 
  Movement: 2/4/6/12  
  Wounds: 7
  Armour: None. 
   
   
  Total TB: 2
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Dodge (Ag), Stealth (Ag).
  Talents: Heightened Senses (Hearing).
  Traits: Mob Rule, Size (Weedy), Unnatural 
  Toughness (1).
  Weapons: Grot blasta (30m; S/–/–; 1d10+2 
  I; Pen 0; Clip 5; Reload 2 Full; Inaccurate, 
  Unreliable), slugga (Pistol; 20m; S/3/–; 1d10+4 I; 
  Pen 0; Clip 18; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable), 
  sneaky boot knife (Melee; 1d5+1 R; Primitive).
  Gear: Shiny bitz, Ork teeth (“teef ”).
  Snotling Swarm
  While the greenskins are savagery deﬁned, they do have 
  one law which they follow without deviation: the biggest 
  and the meanest call the shots. The Orks truly exemplify 
  the notion that might makes right. It is small wonder, then, 
  that the diminutive pests known as Snotlings exist entirely 
  outside Orkish society, not even serving the minor roles as 
  menials as their Gretchin cousins do. Snotlings are base, 
  nearly animalistic creatures, incapable of higher functions, 
  strategising, or even the use of relatively simply machinery. 
  In combat, Runtherds will gather thousands of the minuscule 
  Snotlings and send them at the enemy in great waves of 
  tiny green-skinned bodies. Unlike their self-preserving 
  kin, Snotlings are too dim to possess much in the way of 
  an instinct for self-preservation, and while it’s uncommon, 
  a swarm of Snotlings has been known to overwhelm vastly 
  superior foes—Grots, for example—thanks to its sheer mass 
  of numbers. 
  Movement: 3/6/12/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 15
  Armour: Flak armour (Body 2). 
   
  Total TB: 7
  Skills: Intimidate (S), Survival (Int) +10.
  Talents: Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Furious Assault, 
  Hardy, Iron Jaw, Street Fighting, True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge (2), Make it Work, Might Makes Right, 
  Mob Rule, Sturdy, Unnatural Toughness (3).
  Weapons: Slugga (Pistol; 20m; S/3/-; 1d10+4 I; Pen 0; 
  Clip 18; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable), choppa (Melee; 
  1d10+6 R; Pen 2; Tearing, Unbalanced), grot prod (Melee; 
  1d5+5 I; Pen 0; Shocking).
  Gear: Shiny bitz, Ork teeth (“teef ”), Squig hound.
  Runtherd (Handler)
  7
  37
  19
  46
  44
  30
  24
  32
  26
  21
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Gretchin (Minion)
  2
  18
  19
  36
  33
  37
  22
  24
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Movement: 2/4/6/12
  Armour:
  Skills
  Talents:
  Traits:
  Toughness (1).
  Weapons:
  I; Pen 0; Clip 5; Reload 2 Full; Inaccurate, 
  Unreliable), slugga (Pistol; 20m; S/3/–; 1d10+4 I; 
  Pen 0; Clip 18; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable), 
  sneaky boot knife (Melee; 1d5+1 R; Primitive).
  Gear: Shiny bitz, Ork teeth (“teef ”).
  Snotling Swarm
  While the greenskins are savagery deﬁned, they do have 
  one law which they follow without deviation: the biggest 
  and the meanest call the shots. The Orks truly exemplify 
  the notion that might makes right. It is small wonder, then, 
  that the diminutive pests known as Snotlings exist entirely 
  outside Orkish society, not even serving the minor roles as 
  menials as their Gretchin cousins do. Snotlings are base, 
  nearly animalistic creatures, incapable of higher functions, 
  strategising, or even the use of relatively simply machinery. 
  In combat, Runtherds will gather thousands of the minuscule 
  Snotlings and send them at the enemy in great waves of 
  tiny green-skinned bodies. Unlike their self-preserving 
  kin, Snotlings are too dim to possess much in the way of 
  an instinct for self-preservation, and while it’s uncommon, 
  a swarm of Snotlings has been known to overwhelm vastly 
  superior foes—Grots, for example—thanks to its sheer mass 
  of numbers. 
   Shiny bitz, Ork teeth (“teef ”), Squig hound.
  Gretchin (Minion)
  WS
  BS
  
  367
  367
  XI: Adversaries  
  greenskins would have little to no working knowledge of 
  their own anatomy or medical doctrine. In fact, this couldn’t 
  be further from the truth. Despite, or perhaps because of, 
  these factors, there are those among the Ork species who are 
  fascinated by the notion of modiﬁcation and augmentation 
  through surgery. Indeed, the natural resilience of the Orks 
  appears to lend itself to physical modiﬁcation at the hands 
  of these Mad Doks, or Painboyz. Their ability to withstand 
  injury and their capacity for accelerated recovery makes Orks 
  the perfect subjects for surgical experimentation. 
  Oftentimes, a Mad Dok will begin his career mending the 
  sorts of injuries that do not kill an Ork, but would, in the 
  long run, remove him from the battleﬁeld. Severed limbs and 
  brain damage are the two most common of such injuries, and 
  in many such cases, extreme measures are required for a full 
  recovery, or are at least entertaining to the Painboy. As a result, 
  many Orks fear Doks, if not the little Gretchin assistants who 
  accompany them, and most Orks avoid them entirely unless 
  there is no other choice. When Doks do get their hands on 
  a new patient, they will often need to apply anaesthesia to 
  sedate their frenzied charges. This usually involves a large, 
  heavy object applied with a great deal of force to the head of 
  the patient. Once this is done, the patient is at the mercy of the 
  Dok and his Grot orderlies. The most common augmentation is 
  the replacement of limbs and other body parts with mechanical 
  prosthetics such as the ubiquitous Power Klaw. Some daring 
  Painboyz have gone so far as to replace even more vital 
  anatomy with machinery, anatomy such as the entire head 
  of an unconscious Ork. It is a testament to the resilience of 
  Ork physiology that even such a horriﬁc procedure can be 
  a success. Those Orks who survive extensive surgeries at the 
  hands of the insane Painboyz are often better for the ordeal, 
  but driven slightly mad themselves. Sometimes referred to as 
  Cyborks, these sorts of Orks are even more sturdy than their 
  mundane counterparts, mixing natural Ork hardiness with the 
  ramshackle resilience of Orkish technology. 
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
  Wounds: 30
  Armour: Flak armour (Body 2). 
              Total TB: 9 
  Skills: Command (Fel) +10, Intimidate +10 (S), Medicae 
  +10 (Int).
  Talents: Air of Authority, Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, 
  Furious Assault, Hardy, Iron Discipline, Iron Jaw, Lightning 
  Reﬂexes, Master Chirurgeon, Street Fighting, True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge (3), Fear (1), Size (Hulking), Make it 
  Work, Mob Rule, Sturdy, Unnatural Strength (5), Unnatural 
  Toughness (4).
  Weapons: Slugga (Pistol; 20m; S/3/–; 1d10+4 I; Pen 0; Clip 
  18; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable) or shoota (Basic; 60m; 
  S/3/10; 1d10+4I; Pen 0; Clip 30; Reload Full; Inaccurate, 
  Unreliable), Dok’s tools (Melee; 1d10+11 I; Pen 2; 
  Tearing), ‘urty syringe (1d10+4 R; Pen 3; Tearing, Toxic). 
  Movement: 1/2/3/6 
   
   
  Wounds: 5
  Armour: None. 
   
   
   
  Total TB: 2
  Skills: Athletics (S), Stealth (Ag).
  Talents: Fearless.
  Traits: Bestial, Natural Weapons (Bite), Size (Puny), 
  Unnatural Toughness (1).
  Weapons: Bite, claws, tiny knives (Melee; 1d5 R; Pen 0).
  Squig
  Perhaps one of the most bizarre members of Orkoid life is the 
  Squig, a broad catch-all term for any of a number of squiggly 
  beasts found to exist in Ork settlements. Each sort of Squig fulﬁls 
  some functionary role from Eatin’ Squigs, to Oily Squigs, to 
  Attack Squigs. The variety most commonly encountered on the 
  battleﬁeld is this last type, the Attack Squig. Little more than a 
  gnashing mouth full of sharp teeth, supported on a pair of strong 
  legs, the Attack Squig is a fearsome, if unreliable, predator. Ork 
  Runtherds breed, raise and wrangle hordes of these voracious 
  monstrosities to unleash on the battleﬁeld in a tide of bouncing 
  terror and death. Given their relatively simple physiology, Squigs 
  are notoriously hard to put down, as they possess no truly vital 
  organs and have brains little larger than a stub round. Combined 
  with their ability to tear a man nearly in half with their enormous 
  maws and their reputation for bounding all but the highest 
  fortiﬁcations with their powerful leaps, Squigs are altogether 
  terrifying opponents on the ﬁeld of battle. 
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 8
  Armour: None. 
   
   
   
  Total TB: 4
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Survival (Int) +10.
  Talents: Furious Assault.
  Traits: Bestial, Natural Weapons (Bite), Size (Weedy), 
  Unnatural Toughness (2).
  Weapons: Bite (Melee; 1d10+6 R; Primitive (8), Tearing). 
  MAD DOK AND CYBORK
  The physiology of the Orks is as impressive as it is hardy. 
  Capable of shrugging off horriﬁc injuries and recovering 
  from wounds that would surely have killed a man outright, 
  Orks seem, by turns, to either relish pain or to be entirely 
  unaware its existence. One might think that among such a 
  resilient species, the notion of medicine would be entirely 
  foreign. One might also think that a species as warlike as the 
  Snotling (Minion)
  2
  15
  ––
  08
  12
  35
  10
  20
  25
  ––
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Squig (Minion)
  4
  35
  ––
  34
  22
  43
  10
  32
  28
  ––
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Mad Dok (Elite)
  9
  9
  40
  19
  49
  50
  39
  29
  34
  32
  34
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  368
  368
  XI: Adversaries  
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
  Wounds: 34
  Armour: None.   
   
  Total TB: 8
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Dodge (Ag), Psyniscience (WP) 
  +10, Survival (Int), Intimidate (S). 
  Talents: Furious Assault, Iron Jaw, Paranoia, Psy Rating 
  (variable; see Waaagh!-monger†). 
  Traits: Make it Work, Might Makes Right, Mob Rule, 
  Psyker (See Perils of the Waaagh!††), Size (Hulking), Sturdy, 
  Unnatural Strength (3), Unnatural Toughness (4). 
  Weapons: Copper thumpin’ staff (Melee; 1d10+7 I; Pen 
  (variable, see Lightning Rod†††); Balanced, Primitive [7]). 
  Gear: Ork teeth (“teef ”), unlucky grounding Squig. 
  Psychic Powers: Frazzle, Zzap, and Warpath. 
  †Waaagh!-monger: Ork Weirdboyz have no control over 
  the amount of Waaagh! energy which pours through them. 
  Their powers are at the mercy of the sheer excitement of the 
  Orks around them. When an Ork Weirdboy is not engaged in 
  combat or within the proximity of a number of other Orks, 
  he counts as having Psy Rating (0). When on the battleﬁeld, 
  the Weirdboy’s Psy Rating increases by 1 for every ﬁve 
  individual Orks included in the combat, to a maximum of a 
  Psy Rating (6) when encountered with thirty individual Orks. 
  Thus a Weirdboy accompanied by 20 individual Orks would 
  have a Psy Rating of (4). In addition, the Weirdboy receives 
  the usual +5 bonus to Focus Power Tests for each point of 
  Psy Rating he receives from the Waaagh!-Monger ability. 
  Gretchin, Squigs, and Snotlings do not add to the Psy Rating 
  of a Weirdboy, as they are too puny to produce sufﬁcient 
  Waaagh! energy to make a difference. 
  ††Perils of the Waaagh!: As Orks do not manipulate the 
  Warp the same way as other Psykers, Weirdboyz may not 
  use their Psychic Powers at the Fettered or Push Strength. 
  When a Weirdboy rolls a Perils of the Warp result on Table 
  7–2: Psychic Phenomena, he does not roll on Table 7–3: 
  Perils of the Warp, but instead rolls on Table 11–1: Perils 
  of the Waaagh!. 
  †††Lightning Rod: The Waaagh! energy a Weirdboy 
  naturally channels seems to want to ground itself in violence. 
  When engaged in melee, a Weirdboy’s melee attacks have a 
  Penetration value equal to his current Psy Rating. 
  Gear: Ork teeth (“teef ”), Grot orderly (adds +5 to any 
  Medicae Skill Tests).
  †Cyborks: Ork Boyz accompanying a Mad Dok into combat 
  are often enhanced by his maniacal science. These Cyborks 
  use the proﬁle for Ork Boyz of any variety, with the following 
  modiﬁcations: +5 Wounds, +5 Strength, +10 Toughness, the 
  Machine (2) Trait, and the Nerves of Steel Talent. 
  WEIRDBOY
  Anyone who has seen the living tide of greenskins that is 
  an Ork horde in battle knows, without question, that there 
  is a power to such a force. Any large force of ﬁghting men 
  or xenos has power, but not in the same way that Orks do. 
  While men have strength of arms and ordnance, Orks possess 
  a strength of purpose. Each and every Ork on a battleﬁeld is 
  uniﬁed into one singular purpose: war. As men gather in war, 
  there is dissension, personal interest, and honour, which tug 
  at each man individually. When Orks gather into a Waaagh!, 
  the very air thrums with the power of their excitement, their 
  enthusiasm, and their sheer lust for battle. The more Orks, the 
  greater the power they generate. The Orks themselves seem 
  almost unaware of the existence of this phenomenon, all the 
  while swept along by the tide of it. However, a few rare Orks 
  are keenly aware of this Waaagh! energy. These Orks, known 
  as Weirdboyz, seem to act as lightning rods for the power 
  of the Waaagh! drawing it to themselves unconsciously, 
  and unleashing it with devastating effect. Hurling bolts of 
  crackling green energy, impelling their allies along with the 
  force of the Waaagh!, or crushing their foes bodily with their 
  telekinetic might, a Weirdboy is a terrifying display of Orkish 
  power. 
  These rare Orks do not relish their power, rather they 
  fear it. It is an uncontrollable and dangerous thing, and 
  most are driven mad by it long before they learn to channel 
  it with any measure of safety. Yet, still, not even the most 
  capable Weirdboy can ever truly hope to control the power 
  of a Waaagh! in full force. In such instances, the Weirdboyz 
  are simply incapable of containing the overwhelming mass 
  of coruscating energy produced by their fellows. Most are 
  able to hurl a bolt or two of green lightning towards their 
  enemies before they are overcome, their heads bursting in 
  a ball of green ﬂame, or vanishing altogether with a clap of 
  otherworldly thunder. When such a great Waaagh! gathers, 
  most Weirdboyz either ﬂee altogether or get caught up in the 
  mob enthusiasm of it all and are driven into a suicidal frenzy, 
  becoming terrifying ﬁgures with the destructive power of 
  a battle tank. The more cunnin’ Ork Warbosses have been 
  known to enslave Weirdboyz and to force them onto the 
  battleﬁeld against their will, knowing full well the danger 
  they represent. 
  Weirdboy  (Master)
  7
  8
  42
  23
  45
  48
  36
  29
  34
  39
  33
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  369
  369
  XI: Adversaries  
  WEIRDBOY PSYCHIC POWERS
  Ork Weirdboyz manifest hugely destructive psychic powers as they channel the Waaagh! energy which courses through 
  them. Oftentimes, their Psychic Powers are simply the violent energy pouring through them into their enemies like 
  lightning grounding out onto the surface of a planet. 
  FRAZZLE
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Challenging (+0) Willpower Test
  Range: 100m
  Sustained: No
  Description: Thunderbolts of crackling green energy arc into the ranks of the Weirdboy’s enemies, scorching their 
  ﬂesh and boiling their blood. 
  Treat this power as a Psychic Barrage. An enemy struck by this power takes 1d10+5 Energy Damage with a Penetration 
  of 8. This attack has the Shocking Quality. 
  WARPATH
  Action: Full Action
  Focus Power: Hard (–20) Willpower Test
  Range: 20m Radius
  Sustained: Half Action
  Description: Brilliant bolts of green lightning arc from the Weirdboy to the Orks around him, invigorating and 
  enlivening them with a frantic need for violence and savagery. 
  While this power is active, all Orks within the radius gain the beneﬁt of the Lightning Attack Talent. 
  ZZAP
  Action: Half Action
  Focus Power: Very Hard (–30) Willpower Test
  Range: 150m
  Sustained: No
  Description: A beam of incandescent green Waaagh! energy erupts from the eyes of the Weirdboy, reducing those in 
  its wake to a smouldering heap and liquefying even the hardest armour. 
  Treat this power as a Psychic Bolt. An enemy struck by this attack takes 1d10 Energy Damage +3 per point of Psy 
  Rating with a Penetration of 3 per Psy Rating. This attack has the Melta Quality. 
  Table 11–1: Perils of the Waaagh!
  Roll
  Effect
  01–30
  Vessel of Waaagh!: Overcome with the amassed Waaagh! energy, the Weirdboy convulses as bolts of green 
  lightning crawl across his body. The Weirdboy must make a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test or take 
  2d5 Energy Damage which is not reduced by Armour or Toughness. 
  31–55
  Thump’d: The gathering Waaagh! energy is too much for the even the Weirdboy’s thick skull to handle. 
  With a sharp crack, the Weirdboy falls to the ground, unconscious for 1d5 Rounds. All Orks within 3d10 
  metres must make a Routine (+10) Willpower Test or be Stunned for one Round.
  56–75
  Were’d ya go?: With a crack of thunder and a small mushroom cloud of green smoke, the Weirdboy is 
  thrown 3d10 meters into the air, falling to the ground moments later (see page 267 for Falling Damage). 
  76–90
  Waaagh! Eruption: The Weirdboy’s brain overloads on Waaagh! Energy, bolts of green lightning arcing 
  out at those nearby. Anyone within 1d10 metres (including the Weirdboy) takes 1d10+5 Energy Damage 
  with a Penetration value of 5. The Weirdboy may not Dodge this effect. In addition, all of the Weirdboy’s 
  clothing and gear is destroyed, leaving him naked on the ground with green smoke pouring from his ears 
  and mouth. 
  91–100 Ead Bang: The Weirdboy’s head is consumed in a brilliant gout of emerald ﬁre, killing the Weirdboy 
  outright—though it takes his body a moment or two to realise it. 
  
  370
  370
  XI: Adversaries  
  Type: Wheeled Vehicle. 
  Tactical Speed: 18m
  Cruising Speed: 75kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +10
  Structural Integrity: 15 
  Size: Hulking
  Armour: Front 18, Side 18, Rear 14
  Vehicle Traits: Bike, Open-Topped, Ramshackle, Wheeled.
  Crew: 1 Rider. 
  Carry Capacity: None.
  Weapons: Fixed dakkagun (Front Facing; 75m; –/3/5; 2d10+4 
  I; Pen 4; Clip 80; Reload 2 Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable). 
  Special Rules: Ork Warbikes spew thick clouds of acrid 
  black smoke which obscure the bikers and choke those 
  caught in the cloud. Melee and Ranged Attacks made against 
  an Ork Warbike or its rider are Hard (–10) Weapon Skill 
  and Ballistic Skill Tests, respectively. 
  ORK WARBUGGY
  Those Orks who desire a fair bit more ﬁre-power than a bike can 
  carry, yet still wish to remain more mobile and manoeuvrable 
  than the larger tanks and transports, build two-Ork vehicles 
  known as Warbuggies (or the similarly functioning Wartrakk). 
  These mobile gun platforms are piloted by a single driver, 
  while a second Ork operates the weaponry mounted in the 
  bed behind him. Nearly any weapon can be mounted on a 
  Warbuggy (or a Wartrakk), but those that build them seem to 
  prefer big shootas, rokkit launchas, and skorchas.
  Type: Tracked or Wheeled Vehicle. 
  Tactical Speed: 18m
  Cruising Speed: 75kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +5
  Structural Integrity: 25 
  Size: Enormous
  Armour: Front 22, Side 20, Rear 18
  Vehicle Traits: Open-Topped, Ramshackle, Tracked or Wheeled.
  Carry Capacity: None. 
  Crew: 1 Driver and 1 Gunner (Turret Weapon).
  Weapons:
  Pintle-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Big shootas (Front Facing; 120m; –/–/10; 2d10+5 I; 
  Pen 2; Clip 120; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable, 
  Twin-Linked). 
  •	 Rokkit launcha (Front Facing; 150m; S/–/–; 3d10+6 X; 
  Pen 9; Clip 1; Reload Half; Inaccurate, Unreliable, Twin-
  Linked). 
  •	 Skorcha (Front Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+7 E; Pen 3; 
  Clip –; Reload –; Flame, Spray, Unreliable). 
  ORK TRUKK
  The most commonly encountered Orkish vehicle is the Trukk, 
  a multi-wheeled hauler consisting of a driver’s cab pulling a 
  large load-bearing bed. Usually driven by one or two Orks, 
  the Trukk is built for one purpose: to transport large mobs 
  of Orks into the thick of battle. The bed of a Trukk is large 
  enough to ﬁt a dozen Orks or more, depending on how eager 
  the passengers are to get to grips with the enemy. Trukks are 
  by no means a safe means of transport, as their ﬂat-beds are 
  usually entirely open to weapons ﬁre, to say nothing of the 
  wisdom of standing on a ﬂat platform while it hurtles along 
  across rough ground at break-neck speeds; among the Orks, 
  enthusiasm always outweighs concerns of safety.
  ORK VEHICLES
  All Orks possess an uncanny, some say impossible, knack for 
  the technology of war. Those among them who excel at such 
  things are known as Meks, and their creations are so sought 
  after by the Orkish hordes that they often become powerful 
  leaders in their own rights. But even the lowliest Ork Boy has 
  a general understanding of mechanics and machinery, enough 
  to construct rudimentary weapons and vehicles, anything to 
  most quickly propel them into battle or with which to smash 
  their foes once they get there. Ork vehicles are universally, 
  ramshackle and crude devices, built from slabs of heavy steel, 
  bolted together with thick, protruding rivets, and powered 
  by loud, smoke-belching engines capable of burning nearly 
  any substance for fuel. While many members of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, learned in the mysteries of their order as they 
  are, would decry these machines as rickety, patchwork 
  blasphemies, their simple, if brutish, design actually makes 
  them notoriously difﬁcult to destroy. Repairs are ﬁendishly 
  easy and getting a crippled Ork vehicle up and running again 
  is no great difﬁculty, even for the common Ork Boy. There is 
  no such concept as the Imperial Standard Template Construct 
  for the Orks and, therefore, each vehicle is an entirely unique 
  creation—yet another fact that makes Ork vehicles hard to 
  bring down, as one never knows exactly where the vital 
  components might be. Despite this uniqueness of design, 
  nearly all Ork vehicles can be classiﬁed into a handful of 
  categories: Warbikes, Warbuggies & Wartrakks, Trukks, and 
  Battle Wagons. 
  Through a quirk of Ork psychology or instinct, there 
  are those engines of war that once belonged to other races, 
  which have been captured and re-appropriated for use by the 
  very Orks which brought them low. Nearly any construct of 
  any race in the galaxy can and has been captured, stripped 
  and rebuilt by the Orks. Great amalgams of their original 
  design and Orkish technology, these looted vehicles are 
  readily identiﬁable as once having been something other than 
  they are now. Such war machines are usually less sturdy than 
  their original design might be, though they often make up 
  for it with a new host of weaponry, bolted to every available 
  position on the rebuilt chassis. 
  ORK WARBIKE
  Single-rider, two-wheeled creations, Ork Warbikes are capable 
  of incredible speeds and feats of manoeuvrability. Never the 
  sorts to pass up the opportunity to add weapons of war to their 
  creations, most Orks mount massive dakkaguns somewhere on 
  their bikes, that they might mow down their foes while tearing 
  around the battleﬁeld at break-neck speeds. As Ork engines 
  tend to be dirty, smoky things, a mob of Ork Warbikes is 
  often accompanied by a massive cloud of thick, greasy smoke, 
  obscuring vision and burning the lungs with acrid, sulphurous 
  fumes. Orks themselves appear to be untroubled by this smog 
  and use its debilitating effects to their advantage.
  
  371
  371
  XI: Adversaries  
  NPCs
  “Just have to hold the line a little longer, men! We’ve got 
  reinforcements en route.”
  –Captain Holmes of the 21st Mordian Artillery
  B
  elow are listed a handful of the sorts of soldiers and 
  ofﬁcers that are likely to ﬁght alongside the Player 
  Characters in an ONLY WAR campaign. Game Masters 
  are encouraged to modify the information contained in the 
  entries below to appropriately reﬂect the regiment, armament, 
  and assignment of the troops and ofﬁcers in his campaign. 
  IMPERIAL GUARDSMAN
  The men and women of the Imperial Guard form the backbone 
  of the Imperium’s impressive military might. Collected from 
  the populations of a million worlds, equipped by the forges 
  of thousands more, the Imperial Guard represents one of the 
  greatest achievements of Mankind’s uniﬁed will. Even the 
  adepts of the Administratum are entirely at a loss to tally 
  the sheer magnitude of the Imperial Guard. And yet, each 
  man, alone, is an example of dedication and loyalty, courage 
  and discipline. 
  Type: Wheeled Vehicle.  
  Tactical Speed: 15m
  Cruising Speed: 60kph 
  Manoeuvrability: +0
  Structural Integrity: 35 
   
  Size: Enormous
  Armour: Front 24, Side 22, Rear 20
  Vehicle Traits: Open-Topped, Ramshackle, Rugged, Wheeled. 
  Crew: 1 Driver and 1 Gunner (Turret Weapon).
  Carry Capacity: 12 Orks plus gear and loot.
  Weapons: 
  Pintle-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
  •	 Big shoota (Front Facing; 120m; –/–/10; 2d10+5 I; 
  Pen 2; Clip 120; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable)
  •	 Rokkit launcha (Front Facing; 150m; S/–/–; 3d10+6 X; 
  Pen 9; Clip 1; Reload Half; Inaccurate, Unreliable)
  ORK BATTLE WAGON
  The most massive of the Orkish vehicles commonly seen 
  on the battleﬁeld are the Battlewagons. The Battlewagon 
  serves as both a transport and a heavy tank. Bristling with 
  weaponry, each is a mobile fortress of sorts. While its armour 
  is not as heavy as an Imperial battle tank, it makes up for this 
  in scale and the sheer number of Orks and weapons it can 
  bring to bear. More so than any other Orkish vehicle, there 
  is no standard Battlewagon, and the category can be used to 
  describe any sort of massive armoured transport. Some are 
  capable of carrying several dozen Orks, while others possess 
  enormous battle-kannons and other artillery. Truly as unique 
  as their creators, each Battlewagon is a sign that the Orks 
  aboard it have committed ﬁrmly to the ﬁght. 
  Type: Tracked Vehicle.  
  Tactical Speed: 12m
  Cruising Speed: 45kph 
  Manoeuvrability: –10
  Structural Integrity: 60 
  Size: Enormous
  Armour: Front 36, Side 28, Rear 24
  Vehicle Traits: Open-Topped, Ramshackle, Rugged, Tracked.
  Crew: 1 Driver, 4 Gunners (Sponson Weapons), 2 additional 
  gunner/loaders (1 Hull Weapon, 1 Turret Weapon if taken).
  Carry Capacity: 20 Orks plus gear and loot.  
  Weapons: (choose from one of the following)
  •	 Pintle-mounted big shoota (Front Facing; 120m; –/–
  /10; 2d10+5 I; Pen 2; Clip 120; Reload Full; Inaccurate, 
  Unreliable)
  •	 Pintle-mounted rokkit launcha (Front Facing; 150m; S/–
  /–; 3d10+6 X; Pen 9; Clip 1; Reload Half; Inaccurate, 
  Unreliable)
  •	 Fixed kannon (Front-Facing; 200m; S/–/–; 3d10+6 
  X; Pen 6; Clip 1; Reload Full; Blast [4], Concussive [2], 
  Inaccurate, Unreliable) 
  •	 Fixed lobba (Front-Facing; 30-200m; S/–/–; 2d10 X; 
  Pen 1; Clip 1; Reload Full; Blast [6], Concussive [4], 
  Inaccurate, Indirect [2], Unreliable)
  Options: The Ork Battlewagon may take up to two sponson 
  mounted Big Shootas (Left Facing/Right Facing; 120m; –/–/10; 
  2d10+5 I; Pen 2; Clip 120; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable). 
  If the Battlewagon has the Enclosed vehicle trait, it may sacriﬁce 
  half its Carrying Capacity to take a turret mounted Kill Kannon 
  (100m; S/–/–; 3d10+8 X; Pen 8; Clip 1; Reload Full; Blast [8], 
  Concussive [3], Inaccurate, Unreliable). If the Battlewagon mounts 
  a Kill Kannon, it can mount a pintle-mounted Big Shoota (120m; 
  –/–/10; 2d10+5 I; Pen 2; Clip 120; Reload Full; Inaccurate, 
  Unreliable) on top of the Kill Kannon turret.
  SECESSIONISTS
  The treachery of Severus the Thirteenth has put the 
  Imperium at odds with those who once served it. 
  Utilizing his xenos allies, Severus was able to excise his 
  domain from the rule of Terra bit by bit. In so doing, 
  however, he has made traitors of those who serve their 
  lord faithfully. When the day ﬁnally came that Severus 
  the Thirteenth declared his annexation, it was under 
  the pretext of turning inward to defend against the 
  myriad threats to his holdings—vicious Ork slavers, 
  the black-hearted minions of Chaos, and even his one-
  time Dark Eldar allies. To be certain, however, these all 
  served as little more than a convenient excuse to claim 
  independent control, once and for all, of the realm he 
  had always considered to be his alone. 
  It is likely that during the course of an ONLY WAR 
  campaign, the Game Master may wish to include 
  missions and battles against the forces of Severus 
  the Thirteenth. While these soldiers are traitors and 
  rebels, they are not related to the forces of Chaos, 
  which have been covered above. Those Guardsmen in 
  service to the powers of Chaos are known as Renegade 
  Guardsmen. However, the men and women who serve 
  under Severus the Thirteenth are much like any other 
  Guardsman of the Imperium, despite their traitorous 
  allegiance. When building encounters in which the 
  Player Characters will face the forces of Severus the 
  Thirteenth, the Game Master should use the entries for 
  Imperial Guardsmen, Ogryn, Ratlings, Storm Troopers, 
  and Imperial Ofﬁcers listed here in the NPCs section 
  of this Chapter. 
  
  372
  XI: Adversaries  
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: Guard Flak Armour (4 All). 
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Athletics (S), Awareness (Per), Common Lore (Imperium, 
  War) (Int), Dodge (Ag), Linguistics (Low Gothic), Operate 
  (Ground) (Ag), Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis), Stealth (Ag). 
  Talents: Nerves of Steel, Rapid Reload, Takedown. 
  Weapons: M36 lasgun (Basic; 100m; S/3/–; 1d10+3 E; 
  Pen 0; Clip 60; Reload Full; Reliable), combat knife (Melee; 
  1d5+3; Pen 0), 3 frag grenades (Thrown; 9m; S/–/–; 2d10 
  X; Pen 0; Clip 1; Reload –; Blast [3]). 
  Gear: Imperial Guard uniform, micro-bead, respirator, 4 clips 
  for lasgun, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer. 
  SERVITOR
  Servitors are fusions of ﬂesh and machine made from culture-
  grown organics, harvested corpses, or mind-wiped human 
  bodies. Millions of these cyborg creations are found throughout 
  the battleﬁelds of the galaxy, used to perform monotonous and 
  dangerous functions without deviation or question. Servitor 
  technology is said to predate the Imperium itself and is the 
  exclusive purview of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
  Movement: 2/4/6/12 
   
   
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: Machine (All 4).  
   
  Total TB: 4
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Trade (any one) +10. 
  Talents: None.
  Traits: Machine (4), Natural Weapon (Servo-arm), Sturdy, 
  Unnatural Strength (2).
  Weapons: Servo ﬁst (Melee; 1d5+6 I; Pen 0). 
  Gear: Internal micro-bead.
  OGRYN
  The Imperial Guard makes use of whatever resources are available 
  to it, be that manpower, technology, or sheer Imperial fervour. 
  As such, it is to be expected that the Departmento Munitorum 
  would make use of any and all members of the Imperium who 
  were available for conscription, enlistment, or tithe. Dim-witted, 
  strong as a Space Marine, and ponderous as a Leman Russ 
  battle tank, Ogryns were once thought of as a dangerous 
  strain of human mutation. After rigorous Inquisitorial 
  interrogation and testing, it was deemed that Ogryns were 
  a true-bred subspecies of abhuman. With that decision, the 
  Departmento Munitorum acquired a new and fearsome weapon. 
  Given the disparate and nearly countless cultures from 
  which the men and women of the Imperial Guard are drawn, 
  each regiment bears a history and traditions which make 
  them utterly unique. Often this uniqueness is most apparent 
  in the speciﬁcs of a regiment’s combat doctrines. Some prefer 
  guerrilla tactics, others heavy-artillery sieges; some prefer 
  offensive hit-and-run engagements, others defensive take-
  and-hold strategies. 
  Despite their varied histories and traditions, the soldiers 
  of the Imperial Guard all share certain uniformities of 
  equipment and structure. The Guardsmen themselves are, 
  most often, equipped with the ubiquitous lasgun. Crafted 
  on forge worlds beyond counting, the lasgun is the perfect 
  weapon for a Guardsman—reliable, durable, simple and 
  direct. The Departmento Munitorum outﬁts their soldiers 
  with lightweight ﬂak armour designed to protect the wearer 
  from small arms ﬁre and shrapnel. Whether participating in 
  a speciﬁc operational 
  mission or acting as 
  support for their unit, 
  Guardsmen are often 
  given mission-speciﬁc 
  special issue wargear 
  and weaponry. From 
  man-portable ﬂamers 
  and 
  grenade 
  launchers 
  to 
  tripod-mounted 
  lascannons 
  and 
  heavy 
  bolters, 
  each 
  unit 
  is 
  equipped 
  as 
  beﬁts 
  their 
  orders. 
  Weapons: M36 lasgun (Basic; 100m; S/3/–; 1d10+3 E; 
  Pen 0; Clip 60; Reload Full; Reliable), combat knife (Melee; 
  1d5+3; Pen 0), 3 frag grenades (Thrown; 9m; S/–/–; 2d10 
  X; Pen 0; Clip 1; Reload –; Blast [3]). 
  Gear: Imperial Guard uniform, micro-bead, respirator, 4 clips 
  for lasgun, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer. 
  SERVITOR
  Servitors are fusions of ﬂesh and machine made from culture-
  grown organics, harvested corpses, or mind-wiped human 
  bodies. Millions of these cyborg creations are found throughout 
  the battleﬁelds of the galaxy, used to perform monotonous and 
  dangerous functions without deviation or question. Servitor 
  technology is said to predate the Imperium itself and is the 
  exclusive purview of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
  Movement: 2/4/6/12
  Armour: Machine (All 4).
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Trade (any one) +10. 
  Talents: None.
  Traits: Machine (4), Natural Weapon (Servo-arm), Sturdy, 
  Unnatural Strength (2).
  Weapons: Servo ﬁst (Melee; 1d5+6 I; Pen 0). 
  Gear: Internal micro-bead.
  OGRYN
  GRYN
  GRY
  The Imperial Guard makes use of whatever resources are available 
  to it, be that manpower, technology, or sheer Imperial fervour. 
  As such, it is to be expected that the Departmento Munitorum 
  would make use of any and all members of the Imperium who 
  were available for conscription, enlistment, or tithe. Dim-witted, 
  strong as a Space Marine, and ponderous as a Leman Russ 
  battle tank, Ogryns were once thought of as a dangerous 
  strain of human mutation. After rigorous Inquisitorial 
  interrogation and testing, it was deemed that Ogryns were 
  a true-bred subspecies of abhuman. With that decision, the 
  Departmento Munitorum acquired a new and fearsome weapon. 
  direct. The Departmento Munitorum outﬁts their soldiers 
  with lightweight ﬂak armour designed to protect the wearer 
  from small arms ﬁre and shrapnel. Whether participating in 
  a speciﬁc operational 
  mission or acting as 
  support for their unit, 
  Guardsmen are often 
  given mission-speciﬁc 
  special issue wargear 
  and weaponry. From 
  man-portable ﬂamers 
  and 
  grenade 
  launchers 
  to 
  tripod-mounted 
  lascannons 
  and 
  heavy 
  bolters, 
  each 
  unit 
  is 
  equipped 
  as 
  beﬁts 
  their 
  orders. 
  Imperial Guardsman (Troop)
  35
  35
  35
  35
  35
  28
  31
  25
  25
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Servitor (Troop)
  7
  15
  15
  50
  40
  20
  10
  20
  30
  05
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  373
  XI: Adversaries  
  detestably cowardly as the Ratlings can be trusted to accept, 
  indeed excel at, such missions.
  In addition to their battleﬁeld talents, Ratlings are known 
  to have an incredibly love of food. This is beneﬁcial to any 
  unit that happens to have a Ratling deployed with them, as 
  many Ratlings often take up the duty of cooking. However, 
  their love of food can also get them into trouble, as they can 
  eat easily twice their allotment in rations, and will often go 
  to any means to acquire extra food. Luckily for the Ratlings, 
  their small size and inﬁltration abilities aid them well in 
  avoiding the watchful eye of the Commissars. 
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 8
  Armour: Flak Vest (Chest 3). 
  Total TB: 2
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag), Awareness (Per), Commerce (Int), 
  Common Lore (Imperial Guard) (Int), Deceive (Fel), Dodge 
  (Ag), Linguistics (Low Gothic), Sleight of Hand (Ag), Stealth 
  (Ag), Survival (Int), Trade (Cook). 
  Talents: Deadeye Shot, Marksman, Mighty Shot, Rapid Reload. 
  Traits: Size (Weedy). 
  Weapons: Long las (Basic; 150m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; Pen 
  1; Clip 40; Reload Full; Accurate, Reliable, Felling [4]), knife 
  (Melee; 1d5+2; Pen 0). 
  Gear: Field uniform, micro-bead, 4 clips for long las, pocket-
  full of tasty treats. 
  STORM TROOPER
  Few warriors among the Imperial Guard can match the 
  discipline, the dedication, or the training of the members of 
  the Storm Troopers. The sight of a squad of Storm Troopers 
  joining the ﬁght is often enough to rally even the most 
  demoralized soldier, their allies rejoicing at the presence of 
  such formidable warriors. Often, however, Storm Troopers 
  are deployed in secret, making use of their training in 
  inﬁltration and elimination, in order that they might turn 
  the tide of battle by removing key personnel and attaining 
  necessary objectives. 
  These elite warriors are paragons of the Imperial martial 
  tradition; trained from childhood to make war in the name 
  of the God-Emperor. The Storm Trooper regiment recruits 
  exclusively from the ranks of the Schola Progenium. 
  Drafting only the most dedicated, ﬁerce and devout children 
  from the Schola Progenium, the Departmento Munitorum 
  ensures that the Storm Troopers are all of the highest 
  calibre. Once under the guidance of the Departmento 
  Munitorum, the recruits are subjected to a rigorous training 
  regimen of military training exercises that push them to 
  the limits of their physical and mental capacity. By the 
  end, each wave of recruits is forged into a ﬁghting force 
  to be reckoned with. 
  To match their formidable training, the Departmento 
  Munitorum outﬁts their Storm Troopers with the best 
  Ogryns are put to work by the Imperial Guard as front-line 
  shock troopers; brutal close-combat specialists capable tearing 
  a man limb from limb or even pummelling a small tank to scrap 
  with their bare hands. Standing between two and three metres 
  tall and thickly-muscled, Ogryns are capable of withstanding 
  huge amounts of punishment. Their natural strength and vigour 
  makes them ideal for any engagement where the ﬁghting is 
  sure to be bloody and Ogryns are often deployed in ﬁrst-wave 
  assaults. Given their size and ferocity, it is not uncommon for 
  Ogryns to break the morale of their foes before they even 
  come to grips with one another. This is not to say that the 
  Imperial Guard doesn’t utilize the Ogryns’ strength for other 
  things as well. Traditionally equipped with enormous Ripper 
  Guns, the huge abhumans wade into combat behind a storm of 
  heavy-calibre shells, only to arrive swinging the weapons hard 
  enough to buckle a plasteel bulkhead. 
  What Ogryns lack in intellect, they more than make up 
  for in fervour and faith in the Emperor. They will go to 
  any length given to them by a trusted ﬁgure such as their 
  commander or Commissar; and there are few things harder 
  to stop than a determined Ogryn!
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
  Wounds: 26
  Armour: Flak Vest (Chest 3). 
  Total TB: 7
  Skills: Athletics (S), Intimidate (S) +10, Parry (WS). 
  Talents: Berserk Charge, Furious Assault. 
  Traits: Clumsy, Size (Hulking), Unnatural Strength (2), 
  Unnatural Toughness (2). 
  Weapons: Ripper gun (Basic; 30m; S/–/6; 1d10+8 I; Pen 
  –; Clip 48; Reload 2 Full; Ogryn-Proof, Scatter), ripper gun 
  (melee) (Melee; 1d10+9 I; Pen 1; Ogryn-Proof, Primitive [8]). 
  Gear: Lucky dog tags, 3 clips for ripper gun. 
  RATLING
  Ratlings are a particular species of abhuman, descended from 
  the ancient ancestors of humanity, that have evolved into small, 
  rotund little creatures, no taller than one metre. Due to their 
  small stature, Ratlings are all but useless as warriors on the 
  front lines of combat, but this makes them no less useful to 
  the Imperial Guard. Their small size makes them excellent for 
  inﬁltration, allowing them to easily sneak by enemy forces, and 
  their amazing eyesight makes them natural marksmen. Many 
  an engagement has been saved from disaster with the well 
  placed round between the eyes of the enemy commander. 
  Ratlings are often deployed ahead of the main force 
  to which they are attached, acting as ranging scouts and 
  vanguard. Squads of Ratlings are also known to have been 
  deployed alone, inﬁltrating behind enemy lines. There, 
  they act clandestinely; stalking throughout enemy territory, 
  removing enemy ofﬁcers, key support elements, and generally 
  sowing confusion and fear. It is a sign of the efﬁcacy of 
  Imperial training and indoctrination that a subspecies as 
  Ogryn (Elite)
  7
  7
  40
  25
  52
  53
  33
  22
  28
  25
  25
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Ratling (Troop)
  20
  40
  29
  20
  40
  32
  33
  28
  30
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  374
  XI: Adversaries  
  COMMISSAR
  Within the ranks of the countless billions who make up the Imperial 
  Guard, one threat stands before all others: Chaos. This is not the 
  taint of the Warp, but the simple disorganization and dissidence of 
  anarchy. The force of Mankind in unwavering purpose is without 
  equal, yet, when turned against one another, nothing can be more 
  dangerous to itself. It is the duty of the Commissariat to ensure 
  that the men and women of the Imperial Guard do not forget 
  this; to ensure that they not be overcome with thoughts of selﬁsh 
  preservation or vain notions of insubordination or revolt. It is 
  the duty of each Commissar to root out moral decline amongst 
  the soldiers of his detail and excise the taint before it spreads 
  throughout. Commissars are invested with the power of life and 
  death over each and every member of the Imperial Guard, from the 
  lowliest cadet to the members of the Ofﬁcer Corps itself. 
  Given the scope of their power, members of the 
  Commissariat are, themselves, subject to the most rigorous 
  tests of ﬁdelity and dedication in the whole of the Imperium. 
  Recruited from the ranks of the Schola Progenium, would-
  be Commissars are indoctrinated in the Imperial Creed at an 
  incredibly young age. They are trained to be ever-watchful 
  for signs of cowardice, incompetence, sedition or impurity. 
  Once deployed, should they ﬁnd any such signs, it is their 
  duty and their right to execute the offender. In this way, the 
  Commissars not only remove present threats, they also gird 
  the remaining soldiers with the greatest protection one can 
  have against doubt or insubordination: fear. 
  To remind the men and women of the Imperial Guard 
  that the Commissariat is ever vigilant, their agents make 
  themselves known by wearing distinctive black and red 
  uniforms, embellished with peaked caps and long black coats. 
  Each Commissar is outﬁtted individually, but many prefer 
  close-combat weapons and pistols, the better to lead their 
  men headlong into the fray, the better to execute a coward 
  with a single bolt-round to the head. 
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 18
  Armour: Carapace Chestplate (Body 6). 
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Athletics (S), Awareness (Per) +10, Charm (Fel) 
  +10, Command (Fel) +10, Common Lore (Imperium, 
  Imperial Guard, War) (Int), Dodge (Ag), Inquiry (Fel) +10, 
  Interrogation (WP) +10, Intimidate (S) +10, Linguistics 
  (High Gothic, Low Gothic), Scholastic Lore (Judgement, 
  Tactica Imperialis) (Int) +10, Scrutiny (Per) +10. 
  Talents: Air of Authority, Cold Hearted Nerves of Steel, 
  Summary Execution, Unshakeable Faith. 
  Traits: Touched by the Fates (1).
  Weapons: Power ﬁst (Melee; 2d10+6 E; Pen 9; Power Field, 
  Unwieldy), bolt pistol (Pistol; 30m; S/2/–; 1d10+5 X; Pen 
  4; Clip 8; Reload Full; Tearing).
  Gear: Commissar’s uniform, personal encrypted comm-link, 
  refractor ﬁeld, 4 clips for Bolt Pistol. 
  equipment available. The heavy carapace armour worn by 
  Storm Troopers can withstand all but the heaviest weapons 
  of the enemies of Man. Their helmets are equipped with 
  precision optics and sophisticated rebreather masks, allowing 
  those wearing them to ﬁght with full combat effectiveness in 
  all but the worst conditions. Most impressive, though, is the 
  weapon of choice of the Storm Trooper regiment, the powerful 
  hot-shot lasgun. These weapons resemble their namesake, yet 
  bear signiﬁcant modiﬁcation, primarily to their power supply. 
  Utilizing “hot-shot” power packs, the lasguns of the Storm 
  Troopers are capable of felling even the most heavily armoured 
  opponents; the focused darts of high-energy las ﬁre punching 
  through all but the thickest ceramite.  
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: Storm Trooper Carapace (6 All). 
  Total TB: 3
  Skills: Athletics (S) +10, Awareness (Per) +10, Common 
  Lore (Imperium, War) (Int), Dodge (Ag) +10, Linguistics 
  (Low Gothic), Operate (Ground) (Ag), Parry (WS), Scholastic 
  Lore (Tactica Imperialis) (Int) +10, Stealth (Ag) +10. 
  Talents: Nerves of Steel, Rapid Reload, Takedown. 
  Weapons: Hot-shot lasgun (Basic; 60m; S/3/–; 1d10+4 E; 
  Pen 7; Clip 30; Reload 2 Full), knife (Melee; 1d5+3; Pen 0), 
  3 frag grenades (Thrown; 9m; S/–/–; 2d10 X; Pen 0; Clip 1; 
  Reload –; Blast [3]), 3 krak grenades (Thrown; 9m; S/–/–; 
  2d10+4 X; Pen 6; Clip 1; Reload –; Concussive [0]). 
  Gear: Imperial Guard uniform, micro-bead, respirator, 4 clips 
  for hot-shot lasgun, Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer. 
  Storm Trooper (Elite)
  39
  44
  35
  35
  35
  28
  38
  32
  30
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Commissar (Elite)
  35
  35
  30
  35
  35
  40
  40
  45
  45
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  BACKGROUND AND 
  SUMMARY
  •
  SKRYNNE 
  GAZETTEER
  •
  THE ADVENTURE
  •
  NPC APPENDIX
  
  376
  376
  XII: Against the 
  Savages
  northern continent were cleansed with ﬁre and radiation. The 
  poor colony spent virtually all of their reserves with the goal 
  of eliminating the threat once and for all. In the decades since 
  that time, the colony has grown to a world with a population 
  of nearly ten million human souls. Never a rich planet, they 
  successfully tamed portions of the death world’s jungles and 
  managed to stabilise enough agrarian resources that they 
  ﬁnally attained self-sufﬁciency.
  In the last ten years, two major events substantially changed 
  the planet’s stability and outlook. The ﬁrst of these was during 
  a visit from a scion of Rogue Trader House Gibrahan. The 
  planetary governor permitted the visitors to send a routine 
  mining exploration team on an expedition to test for valuable 
  mineral resources. Much to the governor and the explorers’ 
  mutual surprise, they found vast promethium reserves. The 
  reserves were so vast, in fact, that an attending Explorator 
  estimated the reserves as sufﬁcient to fuel the core worlds of 
  the sector for the next century. 
  Unfortunately, the initial celebrations were terminated 
  when all but one of the members of the mining expedition 
  were slain by an Ork assault. Additional research soon 
  revealed that hundreds of thousands of the savage xenos 
  were thriving among the jungles that had recovered on the 
  northern continent. The visitors from House Gibrahan soon 
  began working in conjunction with the planet’s garrison to 
  eliminate the new threat.
  Between orbital bombardments and carefully coordinated 
  tactical strikes, the planet’s human defenders once more 
  Chapter XII: 
  Against the 
  Savages
  “While the Ork is a brutal xenos, do not dismiss its combat 
  capability or tactical cunning. These primitive wretches represent a 
  signiﬁcant threat to the Imperium—far more than one might expect 
  from their savage and unsophisticated ways.”
  –Lord Inquisitor Nihilis
  A
  gainst the Savages is a brief adventure that serves to 
  introduce a new Squad of soldiers to the Spinward 
  Front. Through this scenario, the players and the 
  Game Master should all have an opportunity to learn ﬁrst-
  hand about the dangers of life as an Imperial Guardsman and 
  the horrors of the Spinward Front. This scenario is intended 
  to present an opportunity to use a variety of different game 
  mechanics as well as present a broad overview of the setting. 
  While it may be used to launch a larger campaign, it could 
  also serve as an opportunity to test the game system prior to 
  embarking upon a grander campaign.
  Players are expected to prepare their characters and—if 
  they so choose—create their regiment prior to embarking 
  upon this scenario. This adventure follows a relatively 
  standard format for ONLY WAR. As part of the adventure, the 
  characters are expected to refresh their Standard Regimental 
  Kit and to receive Mission Assignment Gear.
  The scenario begins with the characters arriving on the 
  planet Skrynne and interacting with the existing Imperial 
  Guardsmen. Only once they have had an opportunity to 
  become somewhat familiar with the world do they receive 
  new orders and embark upon their ﬁrst assignment. While 
  that mission begins in accordance with their expectations, 
  as is all too often the case, the situation quickly degrades. 
  Reinforcements take some time to arrive and the characters 
  must be prepared to ﬁght under less than ideal conditions 
  against a numerically superior xenos foe. 
  ADVENTURE 
  BACKGROUND
  The colonial death world of Skrynne in the Spinward Front 
  has long struggled with Ork infestation. When humanity ﬁrst 
  discovered the world, there was a substantial Ork presence. 
  After repeated requests for aid, Space Marines of the Storm 
  Wardens Chapter landed upon the planet and performed 
  a thorough cleansing of the xenos population. During the 
  intervening centuries, the Orks have reappeared several times. 
  Each time, the planet’s meagre garrison has overcome the 
  Greenskins and attempted, once more, to completely 
  eliminate the alien threat.
  The last of these incursions and cleansings 
  occurred 145 years ago. After the climactic battle 
  and triumph for humanity, huge portions of the 
  
  377
  377
  XII: Against the 
  Savages
  faltering. The Orks are penetrating deeply into and behind 
  the Imperial lines of battle. As the characters assist in this 
  defence, they may also come to realise that their regiment 
  plays a crucial role in repelling the xenos invasion.
  Only after Imperial forces repel the Orks and secure the 
  base can the newly arrived regiment begin to unload their 
  supplies. This tedious process takes several days, as landers 
  return to transports to bring down additional loads of troops 
  and supplies. During this time, the Player Characters have an 
  opportunity to interact with Imperial Guardsmen who have 
  been stationed on Skrynne for years. This provides a chance 
  to learn more of the planet’s environs and to hear what the 
  rumour mill has to say about the local command structure. 
  The characters may also interact with a few surviving 
  members of Skrynne’s garrison, barter for local supplies, and 
  begin the process of establishing local connections. While 
  not combat focused, this portion of the scenario offers an 
  opportunity for the characters to learn the lay of the land. It 
  may be a focal point for strategic roleplaying or it might be 
  background narrative, depending upon a group’s play style.
  Soon, the characters are called into a meeting with their 
  command ofﬁcer and briefed on a mission assignment. 
  Imperial forces have lost contact with a promethium reﬁnery 
  located several hundred kilometres from the base. Due to 
  their performance during the earlier attack, their squad has 
  been tasked with travelling to the reﬁnery and re-establishing 
  contact. As part of their Mission Assignment Gear, they are 
  issued a powerful vox system with sufﬁcient range to provide 
  any necessary updates. However, due to current conditions, 
  they are tasked with using land-based transportation to reach 
  the reﬁnery. They are expected to operate on their own, 
  provide whatever assistance is necessary, and at the very least 
  make certain that the reﬁnery is kept from xenos hands.
  Skrynne is a death world, so the journey through the 
  jungle to the reﬁnery is eventful. They may encounter savage 
  native xenos specimens, desperate human survivors, and even 
  Imperial Guardsmen that need their assistance. The characters 
  must carefully choose whether to aid, ﬁght, or ignore each 
  of these encounters. All require resources that should be 
  committed to completing their mission. Choosing how to 
  use those resources is a vital decision that the characters must 
  make carefully or the remaining encounters may become 
  signiﬁcantly more challenging.
  When the characters reach the reﬁnery, they discover 
  that the human workers have been slain and the reﬁnery’s 
  defences have been badly damaged. A relatively small force 
  of xenos has captured the facility. They are currently engaged 
  in “improving” its defences as well as preparing some of the 
  reﬁned promethium for transport back to their nearest base. 
  The characters must defeat the Orks, repair the reﬁnery’s 
  defences, and establish contact with regiment command. 
  Once they have begun the repairs and established 
  contact, they receive a new set of orders. The Squad is 
  tasked with holding the reﬁnery until reinforcements can 
  be dispatched. High command does not offer a time 
  frame for the replacements, but they are insistent that 
  the characters continue to hold the facility in the 
  face of alien resistance. Searching the outpost, the 
  characters ﬁnd a variety of different items that could 
  pushed the Ork infestation to the brink of annihilation. Even 
  as battles against the few surviving xenos continued, the 
  planetary government and House Gibrahan negotiated ﬁnal 
  terms for control of the promethium mining and distribution 
  rights. Once more, the planet’s population prepared to 
  celebrate their freedom from the xenos presence along with 
  their newfound wealth. 
  Soon, however, new events dashed the world’s hopes for 
  salvation. Unexpectedly, an armada of Ork ships arrived in 
  system. The tables were abruptly turned as House Gibrahan’s 
  vessel ﬂed the system, leaving Skrynne with no effective 
  orbital support. Grimmsnikk Tufgob, a prominent Warboss 
  in Waaagh! Grimtoof, delivered a proclamation that his forces 
  were seizing the world and looked forward to destroying 
  all traces of human civilisation. Within a few short months, 
  the surviving colonists were ﬁghting a losing battle against 
  overwhelming xenos forces.
  Fortunately, all was not lost. House Gibrahan pleaded for the 
  assistance from the Departmento Munitorum High Command 
  within the Calixis Sector. They bartered away a large portion 
  of the planet’s promethium reserves in exchange for a priority 
  reassignment of the 4th Brontian Longknives light infantry 
  regiment. In less than six months, the Imperial Guardsmen 
  landed upon the planet to engage Warboss Tufgob’s forces. At 
  the same time, a small squadron of Imperial Cruisers engaged 
  the Ork ﬂeet. During the intervening time, the planet’s human 
  population was decimated. There are now believed to be only 
  a few hundred thousand survivors. Many of those who still 
  live are permanently mentally and physically scarred by the 
  brutal attacks that raged in the absence of outside support.
  Over the next seven years, the Imperial forces waged a brutal 
  stalemate with the Orks. Both sides have suffered signiﬁcant 
  losses, but neither has faltered. Regimental command has sent 
  repeated requests for Imperial reinforcements. All have been 
  stonewalled, though the reason for the lack of response is 
  unclear at this time. There are certainly other worlds within 
  the Spinward Front that are in desperate need of assistance, 
  but the promethium reserves that Skrynne offers represent a 
  substantial resource that could be of tremendous value to the 
  Imperial forces. 
  Recently, High Command ﬁnally agreed to commit 
  additional forces to Skrynne. The Player Characters’ regiment 
  represents the majority of those forces. They are tasked with 
  assisting the planet’s survivors as well as the 4th Brontian 
  Longknives with repelling and eliminating the Ork threat.
  ADVENTURE SUMMARY
  The adventure opens as the Player Characters’ regiment 
  arrives upon Skrynne. As they disembark, they come under 
  immediate attack. Ork forces are currently assaulting the 
  spaceport, an attack which the incoming Imperial Guard 
  landing craft are attempting to disrupt. The PCs must take 
  immediate action to aid in repelling the attack. Otherwise, 
  some of their landers containing vital gear—as well as their 
  comrades in arms—could be destroyed by the attack. This 
  scene presents an immediate opportunity for the Player 
  Characters to engage in a battle, but it also illustrates the 
  current situation. Imperial forces are on the defence and 
  
  378
  XII: Against the 
  Savages
  PLANETARY RESOURCES
  Prior to the discovery of promethium, Skrynne paid its Imperial 
  tithes through excess food production and with a variety of 
  rare products isolated from the ﬂora and fauna of the world’s 
  jungles. While the world’s reﬁneries and manufactories are 
  limited, the process of isolating rare compounds and toxins 
  from these organisms was sufﬁciently simple that substantial 
  quantities could be created and prepared for shipment on a 
  biannual basis. Some of these compounds provide medical 
  beneﬁts, while others are useful as toxins that are sufﬁciently 
  rare as to escape most screenings.
  Because of the limited population, Skrynne has been 
  historically incapable of tithing soldiers for the war effort. As 
  their numbers have risen and fallen, subsector command has 
  consistently spared it of fulﬁlling this responsibility. Given 
  the state of their current losses, raising a regiment on Skrynne 
  in the near future is unlikely. Only once the population 
  returns to a level of self-sufﬁciency would the Departmento 
  Munitorum reconsider this issue.
  Historically, the planet’s manufacturing base has been 
  very small. With the exception of the recently discovered 
  promethium, the world’s mineral resources are limited. The 
  few metals that Skrynne’s inhabitants could extract from its 
  crust invariably went towards the manufacture of weapons to 
  combat the planet’s more aggressive species. Most synthetic 
  materials are either imported at tremendous cost or replaced 
  with alternative materials created from plant extracts. 
  Consequently, the few surviving buildings are almost all of 
  stone and brick construction. 
  The citizens of Skrynne had developed a polite and 
  artistically creative society that seemed sharply at odds with 
  the savage nature of their world. Countless works of art 
  have been destroyed during the Ork invasion. Even among 
  the ruins of Skrynne’s buildings, beautiful murals—many 
  showing expressions of devotion to the God-Emperor—lay 
  shattered like jigsaw puzzles. A few of the world’s artists 
  have had work exported to the more populous worlds of the 
  Calixis Sector, but it is unlikely for any further pieces to leave 
  the world for many years to come.
  PLANETARY CULTURE
  When colonists ﬁrst arrived upon Skrynne, they attempted 
  to establish a democratic system that remained consistent 
  with the teachings of the Ecclesiarchy and acceptable to the 
  Imperium. However, the combination of constant attacks 
  by indigenous creatures, occasional Ork assaults, and their 
  limited resources kept them from long-term success. Several 
  alternatives were attempted before the political structure 
  devolved into a merit-based oligarchy.
  Those who were successful in combating the death world’s 
  native predators were promoted to positions of authority. Among 
  this ruling class, individuals were often granted additional 
  authority based upon their creative endeavours. The halls of 
  the planet’s government buildings were once ﬁlled with statues, 
  paintings, and libraries of poetry ﬁlled with the works of those 
  who had ruled. While the rulers were not all compassionate to 
  their people, they were almost universally respected for their 
  combination of artistic and military talents.
  be useful in a defence and must decide how best to utilise 
  their resources. Any characters with basic tactical skills as 
  well as others with Trade (Armourer) play crucial roles in 
  establishing new defences. 
  After a few days pass in isolation, another Ork force, 
  led by Big Mek Gargmek Zagwizza, attempts to recapture 
  the reﬁnery. The attackers are substantially better equipped 
  than the xenos that the characters encountered previously. 
  The Orks are savage and relentless in their attack. The Player 
  Characters can only survive this onslaught if they carefully 
  employ their wits, resources, and skills in the most effective 
  possible ways. Those who survive are eventually relieved by 
  reinforcements, concluding the adventure.
  SKRYNNE GAZETTEER
  “This world represents a strategic resource that could be vital to the 
  war effort and that must not be allowed to fall into xenos hands. I 
  implore you, for the sake of the Sector and the Imperium, to recover 
  control of this world so that it may be used to serve the God-
  Emperor to its full potential.”
  –Captain Jacoby Hollander of House Gibrahan, 
  in a letter to Sector High Command.
  Humanity discovered Skrynne several thousand years ago, 
  during routine expeditions through the portion of the 
  Calixis Sector that would eventually become known as the 
  Spinward Front. Several early attempts at colonisation were 
  universal failures. Though all of these initial forays were well 
  equipped for either a death world or to overcome an Ork 
  infestation, none were adequately supplied for both. This 
  lethal combination consistently prevented humanity from 
  gaining a foothold. 
  Eventually, sector government requested that the 
  Departmento Munitorum take a direct hand in the matter. 
  The fourth company of the Storm Wardens Space Marine 
  Chapter accepted the assignment to cleanse the world so that 
  it might be put to Imperial use. Even those stalwarts required 
  more than ten years to complete their task. Most reports of 
  the war have been lost to the ages, but when the colonists 
  arrived they were fervent in their gratitude to the Space 
  Marine Chapter. To this day, Storm Warden iconography 
  remains ensconced within every Ecclesiarchy chapel upon 
  the planet as a reminder of the debt their world owes to the 
  Adeptus Astartes.
  Over the centuries since their arrival, humanity gradually 
  took control of the planet. The population grew from 
  tens of thousands of colonists to a population of several 
  million souls. The expanding human population cut down 
  huge swaths of the world’s native jungles and eliminated 
  countless members of the death world’s savage predators. As 
  their agrarian interests expanded, the population continued 
  to grow and expand their holding upon Skrynne’s southern 
  continent. As the human society grew and increased in its 
  sophistication, the largest recurring challenge became 
  the regular outbreaks of Orks upon the world’s 
  northern continent. 
  
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  SKRYNNE’S DEFENCES
  The military garrison on Skrynne, known locally as the 
  Skrynne-guard, was once a capable organisation that 
  performed regular cleansings of the northern continent’s 
  Ork population. Though they have had little cause to defend 
  the world against invaders, the ongoing struggle against 
  the xenos and incursions from the planet’s wildlife led to 
  a well-trained and competent combat force. All adults were 
  obligated to perform a four year term of service, from age 
  18 to 22. Many remained in service beyond this obligation, 
  with veterans typically joining the world’s military ofﬁcer 
  corps. In this way, the garrison remained a capable force that 
  helped to establish a population of citizen soldiers.
  Since the arrival of Warboss Tufgob, the Skrynn garrison 
  has been devastated by the war against the Orks. A force 
  that numbered more than twenty thousand members has 
  suffered more than eighty per cent losses. The majority of 
  those casualties were fatal. Among those who survived their 
  wounds, well over half are no longer capable of achieving 
  any reasonable standard of combat effectiveness. 
  The Skrynne garrison force has traditionally been armed 
  with autoguns and equipped with armour sewn from the hides 
  of the world’s predators. Since the invasion, few have had an 
  opportunity to hunt a predator to replace their armour and 
  their available ammunition has dwindled sharply. Currently, 
  many are reduced to using their bayonets or making do with 
  gear scavenged from fallen Orks or Imperial Guardsmen. 
  While these defenders are willing to work closely with 
  Imperial Guard forces, High Command has had a hard time 
  placing them into existing units of the Brontian Longknives. 
  There are clear differences in cultural values between the 
  two organisations, which has led to some conﬂict. While the 
  intent has been for the local troops to serve as guides on 
  expeditions that extend into the jungle, there are a number of 
  instances where the garrison troopers were the only losses on 
  such expeditions. Currently, this program has been suspended 
  as High Command considers alternative approaches to using 
  the surviving members.
  THE BRONTIAN LONGKNIVES 
  The 4th Brontian Longknives are a veteran regiment that has 
  served the Imperium across multiple battlefronts over the past 
  twenty-ﬁve years. During that time, they have proven themselves 
  repeatedly against xenos and heretic forces. Their preferred 
  heavy weapon is the autocannon, while their favoured assault 
  weapon is the meltagun. 
  Only their command squads are ofﬁcially assigned 
  Chimera transports. Platoons are disciplined to maintain 
  daily marches of 30 kilometres or more under conditions 
  of light resistance for weeks at a time. Only in situations 
  where troopers need to travel more than a week’s march 
  are they assigned transport. Due to the harsh conditions 
  on Skrynne and the limits to support from the Imperial 
  Navy, the regiment has been forced to convert civilian 
  vehicles for extended troop transits on several occasions. 
  Once pressed into service, the regiment assumes 
  full responsibility for keeping these vehicles fully 
  functional over an extended period.
  From the time of the ﬁrst landing, the Ecclesiarchy has always 
  been a strong inﬂuence upon Skrynne’s culture. The citizens have 
  always been guided by priests whose teachings remain consistent 
  with those of the Calixis Sector at large. There are no Inquisitorial 
  reports of religious heresy on Skrynne, though there is no record 
  of substantial Inquisitorial investigation on the planet.
  Since the arrival of Warboss Tufgob, the planet’s human 
  population has struggled to survive. Many have ﬂed the cities 
  and built tribal bunkers deep in the planet’s jungles. These 
  rugged individualists survive only through their wilderness skills 
  and effective isolation from the invaders. Others have latched 
  on to the Imperial Guard presence and built shanty towns near 
  any fortiﬁcations. They live as camp followers, providing various 
  small luxuries to the soldiers in exchange for the bare necessities 
  for life. In many cases, these individuals are led by surviving 
  members of the Ecclesiarchy who continue to tend their ﬂock.
  As the resident human population has been devastated, 
  it is unclear what might happen after the Ork incursion is 
  overcome. The natives are certainly capable of surviving 
  among the death world’s threats, but they lack the resources 
  to rebuild to their past stature in a reasonable amount of time. 
  It is likely that the Calixis Sector government might choose to 
  emigrate additional settlers to Skrynne so that the planet can 
  rebuild in a more reasonable timeframe. Alternatively, if an 
  Imperial Guard regiment sustained sufﬁcient losses through 
  the course of the campaign, its survivors might be permitted 
  to retire upon the world as new colonists. In either situation, a 
  revived Skrynne might have a very different political structure 
  and cultural attitude to the one which existed previously.
  
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  Simply allowing their vessels to remain idle within a single 
  system for years has undoubtedly cost them a fortune in lost 
  trade. Because of this, many strongly suspect that the house 
  either expects a substantial repayment from the promethium 
  trade or discovered something else of interest during their 
  earlier planetary sweeps. Either of these options suggests that 
  their continued presence could have long term ramiﬁcations 
  for Skrynne’s citizens. A few members of the Longknives 
  have been so disparaging as to suggest that they are only 
  ﬁghting a war to bring greater ﬁnancial success to this Rogue 
  Trader house.
  THE ORKS
  Orks have contaminated Skrynne since long before humanity 
  discovered the world. There is little to indicate how they ﬁrst 
  arrived and even less to suggest why they have continued to 
  stay. A few ancient records suggest that the Ork presence is the 
  reason for the planet’s poor mineral reserves. If these are true, 
  then millennia ago many Orks left the world aboard a motley 
  ﬂeet of Roks and Kroozers assembled on Skrynne. As they 
  embarked, every xenos capable of cramming into the newly 
  constructed vessels assembled a huge arsenal of weapons, 
  armour, and vehicles to take with them on an expedition to 
  ﬁnd the biggest Waaagh! they could. As the legends go, they 
  only ceased construction on their war ﬂeet when they had 
  virtually exhausted Skrynne’s mineral riches. 
  Those who were left behind formed the core of the Ork 
  population that were eventually devastated by the Storm 
  As a light infantry regiment, the 4th Brontian Longknives 
  are well suited to combat the native Ork population. Due to 
  the planet’s relatively low mineral content, those Orks are 
  relatively poorly armed and have few examples of the race’s 
  characteristic vehicles. Sending them to combat such a foe may 
  have been a deliberate choice based upon High Command’s 
  historic knowledge of Skrynne. Unfortunately, the Orks 
  associated with Warboss Tufgob are capable of ﬁelding a 
  substantially higher number of vehicles, most of which they 
  brought with them aboard their Roks. This has led to many 
  situations where the regiment has had to depend upon the 
  efﬁciency of their meltaguns against the Ork vehicles. 
  Culturally, the Brontians are extremely disciplined during 
  military situations but tend to cut loose when on leave or 
  even just off duty. They are generally a garrulous lot, who 
  are friendly towards outsiders as long as the outsiders 
  give the appearance of being capable warriors. They look 
  down on those who lack the necessary discipline or talent 
  to be effective warriors. This regiment is also a particularly 
  superstitious lot, as they have seen a number of unholy and 
  unnatural events during past battles against heretical foes. A 
  less proven regiment might even have been disbanded or sent 
  on a suicide mission, as the mere knowledge of some of these 
  events could lead to heresy.
  HOUSE GIBRAHAN
  A Rogue Trader house that extends its inﬂuence through 
  multiple sectors, House Gibrahan has taken a particular 
  ﬁnancial interest in the affairs of the Spinward Front. The 
  origins of the lineage are lost to the ages, but it is believed 
  to be at least 5,000 years old. Over the millennia, they have 
  gathered a substantial commerce ﬂeet, but they also lay claim 
  to signiﬁcant military assets. According to ofﬁcial records, 
  they have several light cruisers and transports actively 
  conducting operations within the Calixis Sector, primarily 
  in the region of the Spinward Front. However, some suspect 
  that these estimates may be low. It is entirely possible that 
  the house has further assets active that they are unwilling to 
  disclose to Imperial authorities.
  Captain Jacoby Hollander is the representative of the house 
  active within the Skrynne system. By his own admission, he 
  is the single person most responsible for the reassignment of 
  the 4th Brontian Longknives, as well as the Player Characters’ 
  regiment, to the system. He has maintained a friendly 
  relationship with the remaining planetary government as 
  well as the Imperial Navy and Imperial Guard command. 
  One major reason for this positive relationship is that 
  House Gibrahan has fully committed two of its light cruisers, 
  a Leman Russ battalion, and 500 of the house’s armsmen 
  to the war effort in Skrynne. The armsmen have seen only 
  light service, but the Land Raiders have played a major role 
  in supporting the Imperial Guard units. They represent the 
  most substantial Imperial armoured presence upon the planet. 
  Without their aid, Ork forces might well have managed 
  several additional victories.
  While House Gibrahan persuaded sector High 
  Command to respond to Skrynne’s call for aid, it is 
  unclear what motivates the house to continue their 
  involvement. Clearly, they are sustaining losses. 
  
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  Assuming the characters survive their initial conﬂict, 
  they then have their ﬁrst interactions with the 4th Brontian 
  Longknives—the regiment already active upon Skrynne. As 
  they assist with cleaning and repairing the damages from the 
  assault, they gain an opportunity to learn more about the 
  ongoing war. Through their interactions with the locals, they 
  are likely to form strong opinions about the situation. This 
  may also colour their attitudes and their future decisions as 
  they serve the God-Emperor upon Skrynne.
  DESCENT
  The adventure begins with the characters strapped into the 
  crash seats on a landing shuttle. The massive vessel is large 
  enough to carry two full platoons—plus support elements—
  of their regiment. All of the passenger seats are arranged 
  in rows that run parallel to the trans-atmospheric shuttle’s 
  outer walls across two interior decks. There are no exterior 
  viewports within the passenger compartment, nor is there 
  any viewscreen to provide information about the ﬂight status. 
  A series of red lights illuminate the interior of the shuttle 
  during ﬂight, casting everything in an eerie glow. The roar of 
  the engines overshadows all other sound, save the occasional 
  worried laugh or gasp from their fellows during ﬂight. 
  It is virtually impossible to carry on a conversation during 
  ﬂight. A whispered conversation would be all but impossible 
  to hear over the engines. The platoons’ Commissars walk 
  through the compartment using handholds hanging from 
  the ceiling as they sway through the aisles. They issue 
  regular reminders that this is a time for silent recitation of 
  their devotions to the God-Emperor as the soldiers prepare 
  to enforce his will. Anyone who makes too much of a 
  disruption quickly faces their wrath.
  Each of the characters wears their standard armour and 
  carries their weapons. Other standard equipment is stored in 
  a rucksack or comparable bag stored in a bin over their seat, 
  with the exception of equipment that they might not normally 
  carry. Heavy weapons and similar bulky items that remain 
  vital to a Player Character’s core focus are partly disassembled 
  and stowed beneath the seats. The Player Characters’ Squad 
  was the last one to enter the vessel. Because of that, they are 
  seated closest to the shuttle’s primary hatch. 
  Wardens. In the centuries since that cleansing, outbreaks have 
  been an ongoing concern. Short of a complete Exterminatus, 
  cleansing their taint from the world is virtually impossible. 
  Massive populations can grow from just a few specimens, 
  if left in isolation for just a few decades. While the Storm 
  Wardens surely did a thorough initial job, the number of 
  forays necessary to keep the infestation from recurring far 
  exceeded the capacity of the colony world’s garrison. 
  Every time that a new population emerges, they appear 
  wielding hastily constructed weapons made from whatever 
  scraps of metal the Greenskins can recover. Because of these 
  limited resources, the Orks have never been able to take full 
  advantage of their intrinsic technology. This has been fortunate 
  for the often outnumbered garrison, as it has greatly increased 
  the efﬁcacy of their armaments. It may be that this limitation 
  is the only reason for the planet’s continued survival in the 
  face of such a threat.
  Warboss Tufgob
  In spite of their limitations, the planet’s nascent Ork population 
  somehow managed to get a message to Warboss Tufgob 
  about ten years ago. Analysts from House Gibrahan have 
  suggested that the continued Imperial presence represented a 
  powerful opponent for the Orks—more than enough to draw 
  the interest of an Ork Warboss seeking an enjoyable battle. 
  When the Warboss and his ﬂeet ﬁrst arrived, the desperately 
  outnumbered humans had little hope for survival.
  As the Warboss began his assault, his ﬂeet became an 
  overwhelming presence to Skrynne’s human defenders. His 
  forces were better equipped than those of the native Ork 
  population. They also had limited access to air and orbital 
  support. These support elements are limited largely due to 
  the fact that most of the ﬂeet’s Orks have already descended 
  to the surface to join in the ongoing conﬂict. Even with the 
  arrival of the Player Characters’ regiment, Warboss Tufgob’s 
  Waaagh! still outnumbers the Imperial forces. While largely 
  undisciplined, their savagery and constant thirst for battle 
  seem to more than offset that limitation.
  ARRIVAL
  “On every world that I have visited, I have found some measure of 
  the Emperor’s benevolence. In some places, that manifestation was 
  harder to ﬁnd that others, but here it is clear. The Emperor has 
  granted us a worthy foe as an opportunity to express our fervour.”
  –Lord Captain Inquisitor Kobras Aquairre
  This scene provides the characters with their ﬁrst impression 
  of Skrynne. It opens as they make initial landing and are 
  immediately attacked by Ork forces. The characters should 
  feel as though they have just stepped into the middle of 
  something huge. Throughout much of this scene, uncertainty 
  should rule the day. Because of the nature of their landing, 
  the chain of command is brieﬂy disrupted. This forces the 
  Player Characters to act upon their own initiative—an action 
  which often has dangerous consequences. These sorts of 
  actions bring the attention of commanding ofﬁcers, which is 
  far more often a bad thing than a good thing.
  VEHICLE SQUADRONS
  This scenario assumes that the characters belong to 
  an infantry regiment. If the characters are part of a 
  vehicular squadron, a number of changes are necessary. 
  Suggestions are included in sidebars such as this one, 
  to offer alternative approaches.
  In this scene, the landing shuttle should be changed 
  to include two squadrons of three vehicles of whatever 
  type the Player Characters crew. The Player Characters’ 
  vehicle is the one mounted closest to the exit ramp. 
  The vehicle is fully armed and prepared for battle. 
  
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  on the rear of the craft, on the same side as their hatch, is 
  visibly aﬂame. Looking towards the front of the craft, they 
  can also see that the cockpit has been badly compressed in 
  the crash. Fortunately, the shuttle is relatively ﬂat and the 
  hatch has an internal, extending ramp which easily descends 
  the ten feet to ground level.
  As the Player Characters prepare to disembark, they may 
  make a Routine (+20) Awareness Test. On success they 
  notice that their crash has drawn the attention of some of 
  the attackers. Two Runtherds accompanied by two Gretchin 
  each (see page 365) are rapidly approaching the shuttle’s 
  wreckage. Behind them, a group of Ork Slugga Boys (see 
  page 363) equal to the number of Player Characters is also 
  moving through cover towards the shuttle. The Runtherds 
  and their Gretchin begin at a range of 90 metres from the 
  shuttle and are advancing across an open landing ﬁeld. The 
  Slugga Boys are at an initial range of 150 metres. They are 
  using ruined buildings, including warehouses, hangars, and 
  assorted bivouacs as cover during their advance. The Brontian 
  Longknives ignore both of these units, concentrating instead 
  on Orks that pose a more immediate threat. The Player 
  Characters and their platoon must dispatch these xenos 
  without other assistance. 
  Other than the bulk of their shuttle, the closest cover 
  is the ruined buildings 30 metres towards the Ork mob 
  and the furrows that their shuttle created in the plasticrete 
  runway—50 metres away from either group—as it crashed. 
  Neither represent substantial defences, but either is better 
  than standing in the open or attempting to defend the shuttle 
  from a narrow doorway. Only two defenders or one heavy 
  weapon may ﬁre from the doorway. 
  Any characters that disembark and look at the shuttle’s 
  engines may make an Ordinary (+10) Tech-Use Test. 
  Success on this Test indicates that the craft’s engines may 
  explode if something is not done. With two or more Degrees 
  of Success, the character knows that this explosion is likely to 
  happen within about 5 minutes (roughly 60 Rounds). Venting 
  the engines to isolate the fuel from the ﬂames requires four 
  Rounds and a Difﬁcult (–10) Tech-Use Test. Four or more 
  Degrees of Failure on this Test instead triggers an immediately 
  explosion. All characters within 100 metres of a shuttle engine 
  explosion immediately suffer Damage as if struck by a ﬂamer 
  (see page 181), including a Test to be caught on ﬁre. Any 
  characters still inside of the shuttle when the explosion occurs 
  count as if struck by a heavy ﬂamer (see page 181) instead. 
  Note that the results of this explosion are the same whether 
  the engines ignited due to lack of action or a badly failed Test.
  It takes ﬁfteen minutes for all of the Imperial Guardsmen 
  in both platoons to disembark from the shuttle. Every 
  ten Rounds, another squad can join the ﬁght against the 
  The craft is currently on ﬁnal approach to one of Skrynne’s 
  Imperial fortiﬁcations, located on the Southern continent. 
  While far from the regions that once represented the planet’s 
  largest human populations, the area was once sparsely 
  inhabited. Their initial brieﬁngs have so far indicated that 
  they are being assigned near front lines. The nature and 
  number of the xenos in this region has not yet been clariﬁed. 
  Rumours have circulated about the front, but nothing has 
  been conﬁrmed. 
  As the shuttle descends through the atmosphere, it 
  frequently bumps and shakes. Game Masters may choose to 
  use this opportunity to leave the players wondering if the 
  disruptions are turbulence, an unskilled pilot, or incoming 
  enemy ﬁre. As the vehicle prepares for its ﬁnal approach, the 
  ship’s speakers crackle and a voice mumbles something almost 
  indistinguishable over the sound of the engines and the static 
  of the speakers. A Difﬁcult (–10) Awareness Test allows 
  the characters to understand it. The ship’s pilot informs the 
  passengers that they are entering a hot landing zone. Orks 
  are currently attacking the depot’s spaceport. The squads 
  should be prepared to engage in combat immediately upon 
  disembarking. Landing should be in less than 10 minutes.
  Unless one of the characters succeeds at the Test, no one 
  in the passenger compartment is capable of interpreting it. If 
  the characters are able to understand the message, they may 
  take whatever measures they wish to prepare for combat, 
  including assembling heavy weapons or informing their 
  ofﬁcers of the upcoming conﬂict. Note, however, that the 
  shuttle is shifting substantially and the engines are roaring 
  as it prepares to make a hurried landing while under enemy 
  ﬁre. Any actions that require the characters to unstrap and 
  work with tools suffer an additional –20 penalty due to the 
  shuttle’s abrupt changes in altitude and direction. 
  INTO THE FRAY
  The shuttle lands with a violent lurch. Any characters 
  not strapped into their seats must make a Difﬁcult (–10) 
  Athletics Test or be thrown about. Those who fail the Test 
  suffer 1d5 Impact Damage. This Damage may be reduced by 
  armour and should serve more to alarm the characters about 
  the violence of the landing than actually inﬂict serious injury. 
  Unsecured equipment may also be hurled around the passenger 
  compartment, but this should serve more to set the scene. 
  NPCs may be injured by the debris and Player Characters 
  may suffer near misses. However, nothing should be rendered 
  inoperable. As the ship ﬁnally stops moving, the compartment 
  lights switch from red to white and a green light illuminates 
  the hatch, indicating that it is unlocked and may be opened.
  The Player Characters should be the ones closest to the 
  hatch. From the moment it is opened, they can immediately hear 
  the sounds of battle and see Ork forces engaged with members 
  of the 4th Brontian Longknives regiment. An Ordinary (+10) 
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) Test immediately reveals 
  that the Orks have a substantial numerical advantage, which 
  offsets the Imperial defences. Unless the Player Characters 
  take action, the defenders are likely to be overrun.
  A second complication is also immediately 
  noticeable. Their shuttle took serious damage to 
  one of its engines prior to its landing. An engine 
  VEHICLE SQUADRONS
  Leave the Runtherds, but replace the Slugga Boys with 
  a squadron of 3 Warbuggies (see page 370) for light 
  vehicles. If the Player Characters are associated with a 
  Leman Russ, change the opposition to a Battle Wagon 
  and 2 Warbuggies.
  
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  MEETINGS AND 
  ASSIGNMENT
  “Always look busy. The ofﬁcers ﬁgure idle hands are up to no good. 
  If you’re on a break, either take it where you can’t be seen or spend 
  your time polishing something.”
  –Gunny Sergeant Petersen
  This section of the scenario offers the characters an opportunity 
  to explore their new home before they are issued their ﬁrst 
  assignment to leave it. Depending upon their outlook, the 
  4th Brontian Longknives may soon become fast friends 
  or simply tolerated allies. They may also quickly learn the 
  encampment’s culture so that they can exploit it or they may 
  be continually mystiﬁed by the counter-intuitive nature of 
  military life. These different attitudes should build off of the 
  Player Characters’ personalities and be consistent with your 
  group’s preferred style of play. The camp is unquestionably 
  an unpleasant place to be, but this aspect could reinforce the 
  grim nature of their lives or might have humorous elements 
  that contrast sharply with other aspects of the storyline.
  SUPPLY DEPOT GAMMA 29
  Regimental command has assigned the characters’ battalion to 
  a supply depot located near the front lines as their primary 
  base of operations. The depot is reasonably well equipped 
  and defended, but Ork forces have launched regular attacks 
  against it, which has begun to deplete its resources. While their 
  primary mission is to assist in the defence of the base, they are 
  also expected to engage in assignments to cleanse the xenos 
  encroachment, so that the stalemate can ﬁnally be broken.
  In addition to the characters, there is a single light 
  infantry battalion of the 4th Brontian Longknives assigned 
  to the base. That unit has suffered heavy casualties over the 
  course of their deployment. The entire unit consists of only 
  four platoons and a few additional support elements. Many 
  of the defenders are walking wounded. Most of the veteran 
  Guardsmen that the characters see wear stained bandages, 
  casts, or cybernetic limb replacements. Their uniforms are 
  well worn and often ragged or stained, suggestive of a unit 
  active in a warzone for a sustained period.
  About twenty-ﬁve members of Skrynne’s garrison soldiers 
  are also assigned to the base. These troopers are distinguished 
  by their armour composed of native hides and the autoguns 
  that they carry at all times. The garrison soldiers wear a haunted 
  expression, which contrasts sharply with the grim determination 
  of the Longknives Guardsmen. It is clear that these natives realise 
  that their world has been lost. They recognise the newcomers 
  as their hope for salvation, but they also acknowledge that the 
  Skrynne they knew can never be restored.
  In spite of brutalities of war, morale is surprisingly good. 
  Unless the characters have done things to betray the veterans’ 
  expectations, they are upbeat about their chances against the 
  Orks, now that reinforcements have arrived. This jovial mood 
  is reﬂected in the sharing of vices as well. If the characters 
  performed adequately in defending against the earlier 
  attack, word has spread and the veterans are willing 
  to share whatever small luxuries they have with the 
  approaching Orks and Grots. If the Player Characters 
  manage to eliminate both xenos mobs prior to another squad 
  disembarking, have another mob of Shoota Boys equal to 
  the number of Player Characters approach. Otherwise, the 
  additional squads should enable the Player Characters to 
  make reasonably short work of their foes.
  Moments after the Player Characters defeat their foes, the 
  battleﬁeld becomes much quieter. The sounds of slugga and 
  lasgun ﬁre fades largely into the distance. Lieutenant Garven 
  Schrilblut (use Imperial Guardsman from page 371), but 
  increase all of his Characteristics by +10, and give him the Air 
  of Authority Talent of the Brontian Longknives approaches. 
  He grufﬂy expresses his thanks for their assistance. He also 
  points out the danger posed by the ship’s engines if they 
  have not yet exploded or been dealt with. He then asks to 
  be directed to their platoon’s commanding ofﬁcer so that he 
  can express his gratitude and assist with the unloading effort. 
  If the characters choose to eavesdrop, have them make 
  an Opposed Ordinary (+10) Stealth Test against their 
  lieutenant. If he notices, they are reprimanded and told to 
  mind their own business. If they succeed, they overhear that 
  the war effort has gone poorly in this area and that the relief 
  is appreciated. From the conversation, they can quickly deduce 
  that the existing regiments have been exhausted by their 
  ongoing efforts and need relief. The characters’ regiment is 
  likely to be engaged in extensive ﬁghting in very short order.
  CLEAN-UP
  With the Orks defeated, the characters are assigned duties 
  to assist with unloading their shuttle and any shuttles that 
  land later. They may also be tasked with helping the Brontian 
  Longknives clean away debris and rebuild or replace some of 
  the damaged structures. Agents of the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  are primarily responsible for construction, but manually 
  removing the rubble and collapsed structure is backbreaking 
  work well suited to Imperial Guardsmen.
  In the course of the recovery effort, the Player Characters 
  should have an opportunity to interact with members of 
  the 4th Brontian Longknives Regiment (use the Imperial 
  Guardsman proﬁle, page 371). They may use this opportunity 
  to learn of the war effort and to make contacts that might aid 
  them in gaining access to alternative supplies. This should 
  be handled through appropriate Interaction Tests, depending 
  upon how the characters choose to present themselves. While 
  they are a proud regiment, the Brontian soldiers appreciate 
  the assistance that the characters offered during the battle. 
  They do not, however, tolerate arrogance well.
  The scene should conclude when the characters are 
  assigned quarters for the night. When their assignments are 
  fulﬁlled and they have an opportunity to explore the camp, 
  proceed to the next scene.
  
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  Barracks
  Each platoon is assigned a basic hut structure as their barracks. 
  Rather than metal construction, these are built from native 
  woods. The interior of the barracks have a musty odour, but 
  they are largely waterproof. The bunks fold out from the 
  walls. The mattresses are made of a natural fabric, which has 
  an elastic quality and is surprisingly comfortable. The front 
  three quarters of each barracks is a single open room with 
  enough fold out bunks to accommodate a full platoon. There 
  are no lockers. Soldiers either bring a footlocker or live out of 
  their packs, using the hooks mounted in the walls.
  Each structure has the luxury of running water, complete with 
  full showers and toilets making up the back of each barracks. A 
  narrow hallway between the restrooms and the sleeping quarters 
  has two doors. One leads to a tiny private room for the platoon’s 
  commanding ofﬁcer. The other holds a small meeting room with 
  a table that can accommodate up to twelve individuals. 
  The Hole
  A square tent—roughly 25 metres per side—bears a badly 
  painted sign proclaiming it “The Hole.” This is the recreation 
  tent for enlisted guardsmen. It is only open from one hour 
  before sunset until four hours past sunset. All enlisted soldiers 
  are provided with weekly chits that offer them one drink per 
  night at The Hole. Ofﬁcers seldom enter the establishment, 
  but when it is open, a Commissar (see page 374) always 
  stands watch outside to make certain that anyone who enters 
  has a valid chit and that nothing too rowdy happens inside.
  newcomers. Even if the characters performed poorly, some of 
  the senior NCOs may approach them to offer friendly advice 
  for how best to survive in this particular warzone.
  Due to their ongoing casualties, the supply depot is better 
  equipped than might otherwise be expected. The characters 
  receive a +10 bonus to any Logistics checks for gear of 
  Average or better Availability. 
  Administrative Ofﬁces
  All of the ofﬁcers on site share the facilities located within 
  the Administrative Ofﬁces building. This fortiﬁed stone 
  structure was once a Skrynne garrison outpost. While it bears 
  numerous scars from the ongoing war effort, it is the most 
  structurally sound construction within the depot. It is clearly 
  hundreds of years old and has endured throughout.
  The interior walls are elaborately sculpted gothic stone. 
  There are more than two dozen ofﬁces within, though due 
  to the number of ofﬁcers on site, most house several desks, 
  some of which are shared by ofﬁcers who work different 
  shifts. The building’s basement serves as a bomb shelter and 
  a brieﬁng room. The room contains theatre seating that can 
  accommodate up to a hundred individuals. 
  Two guards stand constant duty before this structure. With 
  the exception of individuals assigned clerical duties, enlisted 
  soldiers are only permitted access in the company of an 
  ofﬁcer or when they have been ordered to do so. One 
  of the guards always holds a clipboard with a listing 
  of any soldiers currently expected to report.
  
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  The Motor Pool
  A corrugated steel building near the landing strip, the motor 
  pool services and stores all of the depot’s vehicles. This large 
  structure has facilities capable of performing maintenance 
  on up to forty vehicles at a time, though it is seldom fully 
  utilised. The steel walls bear countless scars from battle 
  damage. Many of these show signs of hasty repairs and 
  mismatched paint work. Others are open to the exterior. The 
  sounds of metal hitting metal, active welding, and the whir 
  of pneumatic tools loudly echoes through the structure.
  Functioning vehicles wait outside in a cordoned off area. 
  Guards are always on duty to make certain that only those 
  authorised for vehicle use are able to take them. Several 
  promethium storage tanks for refuelling are also located 
  near the motor pool. However, these are cordoned off and 
  nothing is stored too close—there have been instances where 
  an Ork attack struck the storage. The casualties and losses 
  reached unacceptable levels.
  Ofﬁcers Club
  This freestanding, small wooden building is open at all hours, 
  but access is strictly limited to ofﬁcers and the serving staff. 
  There are countless rumours of the vast luxuries available 
  within, but one-way windows and an uncannily silent serving 
  staff leaves them unconﬁrmed. Smoke rises from its attached 
  stone chimney and provision trucks make regular deliveries. 
  With few exceptions, the depot’s ofﬁcers always dine here.
  The Quartermaster
  A ceramite bunker with a reinforced, double width metal hatch 
  represents the above ground entrance to the Quartermaster’s 
  station. Servitors, guardsmen, and automated weapons 
  fervently guard the hatch at all times. Upon entry, a hydraulic 
  lift occupies the entirety of the bunker. Passengers can use 
  it to descend 25 metres below ground to the heart of the 
  supply depot’s stores. 
  The below ground portion is a sprawling complex that 
  is almost certainly larger than the remainder of the above 
  ground base. The hum of the air circulation system, the whir 
  of forklifts, and the clank of servitors echo constantly through 
  spacious warehouses. Unless assigned duty to work with stores, 
  Guardsmen are only permitted entry to the Quartermaster’s 
  ofﬁce. Black and yellow chevrons clearly delimits this region 
  and servo skulls actively monitor the section for offenders.
  The atmosphere in The Hole is generally friendly. The 
  available drinks are well-watered, but there remains a steady 
  market in chits—particularly from those who are on duty 
  during the club’s operating hours. Inside, there are typically 
  amateur musicians playing and at least two tables engaged 
  in illicit games of chance. The depot’s rumour mill ﬂows 
  through The Hole. This is always the place to ﬁnd out the 
  latest information on upcoming deployments and to hear of 
  recent mission successes and failures.
  The Chapel
  A standalone wooden structure, the chapel represents the 
  Ecclesiarchy’s primary inﬂuence upon the depot. Two 
  missionaries and a priest live within the building and services 
  are held twice daily—an hour before dawn and at sunset—
  for any who wish to attend. 
  The exterior of the structure is not ornate, but the interior 
  is clean, well-maintained, and bears dozens of devotional 
  paintings and quotes painted in ﬂowing script upon the walls. 
  There are no seats, but the open space can crowd up to two 
  hundred individuals. One of the members of the Ecclesiarchy 
  is on duty at all times to offer counsel and support to any 
  soldiers who choose to visit the chapel for prayer.
  The Medicium
  Two of the same style huts as the barracks combine to make 
  up the Medicium. Its hundred beds for injured Guardsmen 
  are tightly packed and the moans of those in pain counter 
  the sound of the life support devices that keep the comatose 
  from receiving the God-Emperor’s ﬁnal blessing. The front 
  portion of one side is cordoned off as a surgical area, where 
  two surgeons struggle to keep up with the constant stream of 
  new patients. Outside, tents offer cover for the injured who 
  wait their turn for treatment. 
  A small pharmacia is adjacent to the building’s other 
  entrance. Soldiers who have prescriptions for ongoing 
  treatments are expected to make daily visits to receive 
  their therapeutic drugs. Other than the medical staff, only 
  members of the Ecclesiarchy are permitted to visit injured 
  patients. There are far too many virulent strains active within 
  Skrynne’s environs to risk further contamination of the sick.
  The Mess Hall
  The Mess Hall is always open to accommodate the constant 
  duty shifts required of soldiers. However, calling it a building 
  exaggerates its structural integrity. Camp meals are taken in an 
  environ that is poorly suited to Skrynne’s humid climate. The 
  kitchen area is contained by a waxed canvas tent. The front 
  of the tent is open to the air, where the serving line is set 
  up. Dozens of tables with attached benches are arrayed in an 
  orderly manner in front of the food tent. However, the tables 
  have no protection from the elements or from enemy ﬁre. 
  If the characters ask, they can discover that the previous 
  mess hall was destroyed by an Ork incursion two years 
  previously. Since that time, there have been no resources 
  available to replace the structure. Complaints have been 
  loudest during the rainy season, as eating off of a tray during 
  a downpour is virtually impossible.
  and servo skulls actively monitor the section for offenders.
  
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  He then issues them a requisition form with their Mission 
  Assignment Gear to deliver to the Quartermaster. After that, 
  he gives them leave to ask any additional questions, which he 
  or Captain Thruel then attempt to answer.
  THROUGH THE JUNGLE
  “This place is crawling with things that want to eat you. That riﬂe 
  doesn’t put you on top of the food chain. It just gives you a chance to 
  not be at the bottom. Remember that.”
  –Visitor’s Guide to Catachan, overleaf
  Travel through a death world’s jungles is a danger under 
  even the most ideal of circumstances. Considering that the 
  planet’s Ork infestation offers an additional threat, the Player 
  Characters should not approach this trip lightly. While a 
  Chimera’s armoured hull should offer adequate protection 
  against most predators, it also offers a loud and tempting 
  target to the xenos. The characters need to measure the risks 
  and rewards every step along the way, while maintaining a 
  constant state of preparedness for unanticipated dangers.
  Even with an armoured transport, travelling through 
  Skrynne’s wilderness is treacherous. Because of the dense trees 
  THE ASSIGNMENT
  Permit the characters as much time as feels appropriate for 
  them to become familiar with the depot. No one is going 
  to offer them a guided tour, but guard duty, clean-up, and 
  maintenance assignments are given before the squad can even 
  ﬁnish unloading the landers and unpacking their kit. The 
  characters should have some off duty time and some of that 
  may be spent interacting with the locals and investigating 
  their new home. This might work best if it spans a few days, 
  but for groups more focused on getting to the heart of the 
  scenario it might only require a few hours of narrative time.
  Soon enough, the characters are called into a brieﬁng with 
  their platoon’s commanding ofﬁcer for a mission assignment. 
  The brieﬁng is held in the meeting room of their barracks. Only 
  the Squad, their lieutenant, and Captain Thruel (see sidebar) are 
  in attendance. After all arrive, read or paraphrase the following, 
  varying the lieutenant’s tone dependent upon whether they were 
  successful or failed during their conﬂict with Orks at landing:
  “Your performance during the landing has drawn quite a bit of 
  attention to your squad. Now, it seems I need to do something about 
  it. You know how I feel about that. You’re being sent on a brief 
  detached assignment. It involves a trip several hours away from the 
  base and I need you to look sharp and do your best. Remember who 
  you’re representing and be diligent. I’m not sure how long this is 
  going to take, but don’t dawdle. You’re needed back here as quickly 
  as possible. Any questions before I delve into the details?”
  The ofﬁcer gives the characters a moment to ask questions 
  and then gets into the thorough details of the brieﬁng. 
  As he explains the objectives, Captain Thruel regularly 
  interjects with background information on the death 
  world’s environment and dangers. The lieutenant begins by 
  explaining that a promethium reﬁnery is located roughly 
  250 kilometres through the jungle from the depot. As he 
  says this, he slides a rough map onto the table, which shows 
  the direction and intervening terrain. Six days ago, Imperial 
  forces lost contact with the reﬁnery. The circumstances of the 
  loss are unknown, but Ork involvement is assumed. 
  Their ofﬁcer charges the Squad with travelling to the 
  reﬁnery, retaking it if necessary, and reporting status. Because 
  of the current planetary conditions, no air support or transit 
  is available. They must travel overland to reach the reﬁnery. 
  He expects that they are likely to be charged with holding it 
  until reinforcements can arrive, which may take some time. 
  OBJECTIVES
  Primary Objective: Discover the fate of the promethium reﬁnery, and clear out any hostile forces in the area.
  Primary Objective: Hold the reﬁnery until Imperial reinforcements arrive.
  Secondary Objective: Re-establish contact with Imperial Forces in the region.
  MISSION ASSIGNMENT GEAR
  •	 Chimera Armoured Transport with long-range voxcaster
  •	 Heavy bolter and 300 rounds ammunition
  •	 Six demolition charges
  •	 Field rations for two weeks
  •	 Damp weather gear
  LIAISON OFFICER THRUEL
  As a member of Skrynne’s garrison, Captain Mortimer 
  Thruel is the depot’s expert on Skrynne’s climate 
  and ecology. He also serves as the coordinator for 
  any interactions between the surviving members of 
  the planetary garrison and Imperial Guardsmen. He 
  appreciates the Imperial presence on his world but remains 
  frustrated over the losses his people have suffered. 
  Thruel is gruff in his discussions and dismissive 
  of anyone who claims to appreciate the dangers of 
  Skrynne’s jungles. He has already seen too many 
  people die in this war and hates to see others perish 
  needlessly. Throughout the discussions, he focuses 
  on reminding the characters of the danger’s from the 
  death world’s inhabitants. He warns them to assume 
  that any plant is toxic, any shadow hides a predator, 
  and that if the path seems clear it is likely a trap.
  If game statistics are needed for Thruel, use the 
  Imperial Guardsman Proﬁle (see page 371). 
  
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  DARK HUNTERS
  This scene offers the characters an opportunity for an up 
  close experience with the native fauna. It is best used if the 
  Squad chooses to exit their transport for some reason—or if 
  they lost the Chimera due to a poor Logistics roll at the start 
  of the mission. If one or more of the characters already has 
  an interest in the jungle’s wildlife, a view of some particularly 
  attractive ﬂowers, trees, or small animals might tempt them to 
  stop and investigate. Alternatively, a stop could be motivated 
  due to a series of bad navigation rolls, a problem with the 
  Chimera’s vox, or simply a need to take care of bodily 
  functions. Note that if a native survivalist accompanies the 
  Squad, he advises them quite insistently to avoid exiting the 
  vehicle—there are simply too many hazards.
  Once one or more characters are out of the vehicle, a 
  group of Terror Cats (see page 393) equal to the number of 
  Player Characters drops from the trees to attack. Prior to the 
  attack, the predators make an Ordinary (+10) Opposed 
  Stealth Test against the Player Characters. If the Terror Cats 
  win, then the characters who failed the Test are Surprised. 
  The predators are not defending their habitat, they are 
  simply seeking an easy meal. If the characters successfully kill 
  one or more of the cats, the remaining quickly ﬂee through 
  the jungle. Note that if the characters attempt to give chase 
  on foot, the Terror Cats may ﬂee into the trees and launch 
  new attacks against any individuals who have separated from 
  the rest of the Squad.
  DOWNED VALKYRIE
  As the squad travels through the jungle, suddenly they hear 
  the sounds of gunﬁre from the air and the roar of engines. 
  As they look up, a Valkyrie Assault Carrier goes streaking 
  by overhead, trailing smoke behind it as it rapidly descends 
  towards earth. The crashing aircraft dips below the treeline 
  and the Squad hears a distant crashing sound. Following 
  the trail of smoke to the downed Valkyrie requires an Easy 
  (+30) Navigation Test as the Squad attempts to track it 
  through the jungle. As they search, they discover a sizeable 
  piece of the Valkyrie’s wing. Based upon its markings, they 
  immediately recognise it as belonging to the transport that 
  carried their regiment into the system.
  Any characters who exit the vehicle and inspect the 
  wreckage more closely may make an Ordinary (+10) 
  Awareness Test to notice a trail of additional tree damage 
  heading in the same direction as the wing piece impacted the 
  trees and the ground. The trail extends over two kilometres 
  through the jungle, but terminates with the wreckage of the 
  Valkyrie Assault Carrier.
  When they reach the craft, they ﬁnd four surviving members 
  of a Storm Trooper squad (see page 373) that had been assigned 
  to their regiment. The vehicle’s crew and the remaining squad 
  members all died in the crash or due to complications since then. 
  The survivors have no means of communicating with the outside 
  world—there was no surviving vox with sufﬁcient power to 
  reach an Imperial base. They were also concerned that any 
  less speciﬁc sign of distress might draw the attention of the 
  planet’s Ork population.
  and undergrowth, the characters are seldom capable of travelling 
  a direct route, nor are they able to drive the vehicle at anywhere 
  near its maximum speed. The trip should take roughly 12 hours. 
  Every ﬁve hours, or after every encounter if used, have a character 
  make a Challenging (+0) Navigation Test. On a success, the 
  trip continues without event. On a failure, add an hour to the 
  total travel time. With three or more Degrees of Success, reduce 
  the travel time by an hour. With three or more Degrees of 
  Failure, the characters go off track for two hours, then must make 
  a Difﬁcult (–10) Navigation Test to get back on track.
  This section presents several optional encounters for the 
  trip through the jungle. Game Masters may use as many or as 
  few of these as they feel appropriate, based upon their group’s 
  preferred play style and time requirements during game 
  sessions. These scenes are intended to break up the tension of 
  the trip through the jungle, but also to remind the characters 
  of the ramiﬁcations of the war in which they ﬁght.
  NATIVE COMPOUND
  As the characters travel through the jungle, they come upon 
  a small community of Skrynne’s human population, dwelling 
  within a fortiﬁed structure mounted high among the jungle’s 
  trees. It is well camouﬂaged against casual visual inspection, 
  as well as aerial imaging. However, anyone travelling across 
  the jungle ﬂoor in the area cannot help but notice it. The 
  structure completely blocks out sunlight on the ground in a 
  more thorough fashion than even the jungle canopy. From 
  the ground, it is mostly visible as a single, massive wooden 
  platform that links together more than twenty trees. Vines 
  and tendrils cover much of the platform, offering some 
  concealment, but not enough to effectively hide it.
  When the characters come near it, six Skrynn autochthons 
  (see page 393) descend from the trees. They attempt to halt 
  the character’s advance, demanding the payment of a toll to 
  travel through their territory. The characters may choose to 
  assist them, ignore them, run them down, or simply attack 
  them for interfering in an Imperial mission. Any ﬁght should 
  be short, especially considering that the autochthons have no 
  effective way of damaging a Chimera. 
  If the characters offer some form of assistance, the natives’ 
  stance abruptly changes from threatening to appreciative. 
  Their community has managed to survive against most of the 
  environment’s threats but is ill-suited to dealing with Ork 
  incursions. Their most effective strategy to date has been to stay 
  as well-hidden as possible. In spite of that, they have suffered 
  losses and several members of their small community are 
  wounded. Any character may make a Routine (+20) Medicae 
  Test to notice several hallmarks of malnutrition among the 
  survivalists. It is immediately clear that they need additional 
  food as well as medical assistance more than anything else.
  One of the autochthons will offer to come along with the 
  squad to serve as a native guide as recompense for any services 
  that the Player Characters render. In this case, the guide’s 
  planetary expertise assists them with any other encounters 
  they might suffer as they travel through the jungle. At the 
  conclusion of the scenario, the guide would prefer to return 
  to his compound if the Player Characters are capable of 
  providing him with transportation.
  
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  fuel can serve vehicles that they have constructed using their 
  Orky Know-Whats or scavenged from Imperial wrecks, just 
  as well as it can those in the service of the God-Emperor.
  Some characters may choose to launch a direct assault 
  against the Ork fortiﬁcations with little preparation. While 
  their Chimera offers a substantial advantage, it is hardly 
  invulnerable. As their squad is initially outnumbered and 
  potentially outgunned, such an assault is most likely not 
  in their best interest. If they choose to initially follow this 
  approach, have all of the players make an Easy (+30) 
  Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis) Test. On success, it 
  occurs to them that they should attempt to perform some 
  reconnaissance prior to launching their attack.
  RECONNAISSANCE
  If one or more of the characters have Talents, Skills, or gear that 
  enable them to be exceptionally sneaky, then they may wish to 
  inﬁltrate the reﬁnery as a ﬁrst step. This might be to establish 
  the lay of the land or, if the majority of the characters have these 
  abilities, this might constitute their primary assault. In either 
  case, this section presents the general layout of the facility as 
  well as presenting the general disposition of the xenos forces.
  If trying to inﬁltrate, the characters likely need to make 
  a signiﬁcant number of Opposed Ordinary (+10) Stealth 
  Tests as they encounter different Orks. The GM should make 
  it clear that it may be extremely hard for the entire Squad to 
  stay concealed. However, if they are set on this course, they 
  should have a ﬁghting chance as long as they take sensible 
  precautions such as sending the most stealthy character 
  ahead to scout the way. The GM can be creative about the 
  effects of failed Tests, with results such as knocking over an 
  empty oil barrel or a burst of static issuing from the vox at an 
  inopportune moment, making the Greenskins suspicious (and 
  subsequent Tests harder) but not necessarily raising the alarm 
  straight away. The players should also remember that they 
  can use Fate Points to re-roll critical Tests.
  Alternatively, the characters may attempt to perform their 
  reconnaissance from outside the reﬁnery. In order to see over 
  the walls, they must attain a vantage point that is substantially 
  higher than those walls. The only functional option is to scale 
  one of the jungle’s many trees. This requires a Challenging 
  (+0) Athletics Test, some form of vision enhancement, and 
  an Opposed Routine (+20) Stealth Test to avoid notice 
  from any of the sentries. 
  Defenders
  There are twelve Ork Slugga Boys (see page 363) led by a Nob 
  (see page 363) and ﬁve Gretchin led by a Runtherd (see page 
  365) defending the facility. One Ork is assigned to each of the 
  nine watchtowers at all times. The remaining Slugga Boys are 
  either resting in the Living Quarters, brawling in the ﬁeld, or 
  continuing to investigate the facility in a destructive fashion. The 
  Nob rests in the Living Quarters at night and bosses around on 
  the remaining Orks during the day time.
  The Gretchin spend most of their time tampering with 
  the reﬁnery. When they are not doing that, they attempt to 
  stay out of the way of the Orks by hiding under the Living 
  Quarters. None of the Gretchin are guarding the compound. 
  The survivors need a way out, or at least some supplies to 
  keep them going until a rescue team could arrive. How the 
  characters might choose to help them is up to their own 
  judgement. Note that all of these survivors are wounded and 
  less than fully battle capable. While the characters could attempt 
  to recover a few weapons from the dead squad members, their 
  mates do not look kindly upon this, unless the characters render 
  some signiﬁcant assistance. The only surviving heavy weapon 
  is a melta gun. Only a single cell still holds a charge, but the 
  Storm Troopers have been keeping that weapon in reserve as a 
  way to generate a makeshift ﬂare.
  AT THE REFINERY
  “I believe that the Orks are scattered throughout the galaxy as a 
  test of humanity’s resilience. There is no rhyme or reason to their 
  senseless consumption and destruction. We eliminate their folly as a 
  sign of our faith in the God-Emperor, so that the planets they would 
  wantonly devour can fulﬁl His expectations.”
  –Missionary Oliver Merquad, Cult of the Flayed Martyr
  The promethium reﬁnery fell to a small Ork force six days 
  before the characters were given their assignment. Since that 
  time, the Orks have performed their own characteristic 
  upgrades on the facility. They are now focused on 
  holding it against any Imperial attackers while they 
  wait for their allies to come and begin siphoning 
  off the promethium for their own purposes. The 
  
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  Promethium Wells
  Two pumping stations cap boreholes that extend deep into 
  the earth. These are both located near the northernmost wall 
  of the reﬁnery. Pipes that are more than a metre in diameter 
  extend from each of the pumps to the reﬁnery. Both of these 
  pumps seem to be operating normally. The Orks have only 
  defaced them with glyphs and paint. They have not tampered 
  with the mechanical elements.
  Living Quarters
  This stone structure abuts against the western interior wall of 
  the complex. Its single ﬂoor slept the entire twenty members of 
  the crew that kept the reﬁnery operational. After the Orks killed 
  all of the human workers, they thoroughly looted this building 
  and then began rebuilding it in a fashion more in keeping with 
  their own aesthetic. The interior is no longer recognisable. A 
  warren has been dug under the building, which is being used 
  as living quarters for the Gretchin. Additional stone and wood 
  rooms have been added to create an upper level, which is only 
  accessible by climbing a ladder now mounted on the side of the 
  structure. The building’s layout is virtually incomprehensible and 
  there is little of value contained within it.
  Reﬁnery
  The entire eastern wall of the complex is dominated by the 
  still functional promethium reﬁning machines. The machinery 
  is not enclosed. A seemingly endless series of metal and resin 
  pipes—ranging in size from over a metre down to a few 
  Exterior Walls
  The facility’s exterior walls form a square 250 metres per side. 
  They are 5 metres in height and made of rockcrete (AP 16). The 
  jungle is cleared to a distance of 50 metres from the walls in all 
  directions. A 10 metre tall guard tower is located at each corner 
  of the facility and half way down the three sides that do not 
  have the main gate. An additional two guard towers ﬂank the 
  main entrance. Each tower mounts an autocannon and an Ork 
  sentry. If a viewing character succeeds at a Very Hard (–30) 
  Awareness Test, he realises from the way they are unloaded 
  and pushed aside that the Orks have not deduced how to ﬁre 
  the Imperial weapons. No replacement heavy weapons are in 
  place as the xenos lack the necessary equipment. Climbing 
  the walls without appropriate gear requires a Difﬁcult (–10) 
  Athletics Test. With a grapple and line or other appropriate 
  gear, this difﬁculty becomes Ordinary (+10).
  Gate
  The main gate to the reﬁnery is the only entrance to the 
  complex. Originally, it was 10 metres wide and sealed by a pair 
  of double doors made of native hardwoods. The Orks destroyed 
  the doors by the simple act of driving several war trukks into 
  them at high speed until the doors ﬁnally splintered. Currently, 
  the crumpled remains of those trukks serve as the only barrier 
  to the entrance. They serve as AP10 cover and, turned on their 
  side, are 2 metres in height. Because of the angles at which they 
  are arrayed, a person on foot can easily squeeze between them. 
  The gate is located in the middle of the southern facing wall.
  
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  REPAIR AND REFIT
  After defeating the xenos, the Player Characters have an 
  opportunity to explore and secure the reﬁnery. They are 
  most likely to attempt to investigate the facility ﬁrst, to make 
  certain that it has been cleansed of Orks, and then establish 
  some sort of defensive measures. They may also attempt to 
  use their voxcaster to report in regarding the status of the 
  reﬁnery and to ask for additional orders.
  The protocol for establishing a defensive perimeter is 
  subject to player discretion. A single squad of ten Guardsmen 
  may be hard pressed to adequately maintain a watch from all 
  of the reﬁnery’s nine towers. There is no automated system 
  in place, though each does mount a functional autocannon 
  with a supply of hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The 
  weakest point in the defence remains the gate that the Orks 
  destroyed. The living quarters may be dismantled to assemble 
  a barricade of stone and wood. This requires a Routine 
  (+20) Tech-Use Test and six hours of work. The resulting 
  blockade provides AP 14 cover. Alternatively, the characters 
  may attempt to scavenge other materials or set up a different 
  defensive structures.
  The characters also have the full resources of the jungle 
  and the huge vats of reﬁned promethium to use in establishing 
  defensive measures. This may take the form of traps, jury-
  rigged weapons, or simple barricades. The variety of potential 
  player approaches is too vast to adequately address. However, 
  keep in mind that Skrynne’s jungles are dangerous. If the 
  characters spend a signiﬁcant amount of time harvesting 
  them, have a pack of Terror Cats (see page 393) attack. 
  If the characters search through the Ork bodies they come 
  across a dying Nob, too wounded to move from the spot. As 
  they approach, the Ork pointlessly attempts to swipe at them, 
  trying to slay his foes even with his dying breaths. Once it 
  becomes clear to the Nob that he can’t hope to even reach the 
  characters, let alone ﬁght them, he begins yelling at them:
  “You humies aint gonna win, Da Big Mek’s coming ‘ere wiv ‘is 
  ladz, and he is gonna stomp you proper!”
  Characters who use their vox-caster to check back with 
  regimental command are congratulated for their success and 
  instructed to hold the facility until further notice. There are 
  not currently resources available to reinforce or replace them. 
  The ofﬁcers are unable to commit to a time frame regarding 
  when such replacements might be available, as the depot has 
  been attacked again in their absence. Securing the depot is a 
  much higher priority at this time.
  centimetres in diameter—jut in every direction around a core 
  wooden framing structure. A distillation tower, roughly 20 
  metres in diameter extends 50 metres vertically, and is the 
  tallest structure within the complex. 
  The entire reﬁnery bears the workmanship of Ork design. 
  While they have not disassembled or completely broken 
  the equipment, they have performed some modiﬁcations. 
  In addition to adding glyphs and repainting, they have also 
  adjusted the ﬂow rate on many of the valves and modiﬁed 
  most of the safety mechanisms. Every few hours, a huge plume 
  of ﬂame and smoke jets upward from the distillation tower. 
  Many of the valves belch huge clouds of smoke in an irregular 
  fashion. There are countless slick patches throughout the 
  complex from new leaks of promethium at various stages of 
  reﬁnement. Some of these are immediately below the leaking 
  valve, while others are more than a hundred metres away as 
  partly reﬁned ore jetted at high pressure from the valves.
  Storage Tanks
  The centre portion of the complex is dominated by four 
  massive storage tanks. Each is made from reinforced plasteel 
  (AP 50), 25 metres in height, and sixty metres in diameter. If 
  the characters check the gauges, an Ordinary (+10) Tech-
  Use Test reveals that all of the tanks are nearly full. This 
  yields a volume in each tank of roughly 70,000 kilolitres 
  of promethium. The tanks are designed to be resistant to 
  explosions, but there remains a tremendous potential for 
  disaster in the face of heavy weapon ﬁre. If the tanks were 
  to rupture, the resulting explosion would level the whole 
  facility, as well as acres of surrounding forest.
  ASSAULT!
  Depending upon the strategy that the Player Characters use, 
  their attack upon the base could go in a myriad of directions. 
  It should not be hard to overcome the defenders tactically. 
  While they do have guards posted, the guards are far more 
  interested in attacking any opponent in melee than in standing 
  back and shooting from range. If the characters create some 
  type of diversion, the Orks in the towers are likely to leave 
  their assigned locations to investigate. Depending on the type 
  of distraction, they might even leave the complex. Treat such 
  attempts as an Opposed Ordinary (+0) Deceive Test, but 
  apply modiﬁers based upon the nature of the deception.
  When the defenders realise that they are under attack, 
  their strategy is as follows:
  •	 The Runtherd ﬁrst attempts to rally the Gretchin to him. 
  This takes 4 Combat Rounds.
  •	 The Orks in the nearest towers descend from their posts 
  and attempt to charge into combat. Depending on the 
  direction of the attack, this could be two to four Orks.
  •	 The remaining Orks take roughly 3 Combat Rounds to 
  reach the combat.
  •	The Nob joins the combat only after the Grot Horde 
  has assembled.
  •	 Strategically, the Greenskins all just attempt to 
  charge into melee, shooting their sluggas as 
  they advance. 
  VEHICLE SQUADRONS
  Replace the second wave of Orks with a Battle Wagon 
  (see page 371). It still takes 3 combat Rounds to 
  reach the combat.
  
  391
  XII: Against the 
  Savages
  Game Masters should use their own discretion to decide what 
  information Big Mek Zagwizza can accurately decipher from 
  the Grots prior to launching his attack. 
  The inﬁltration serves two purposes. The ﬁrst is to provide 
  information to the Big Mek about how the defenders are 
  organised. The second is to provide the Player Characters 
  with some warning of the upcoming attack. Ideally, at least a 
  few of the Gretchin should be identiﬁed, while a few should 
  return with some sort of report.
  DECEPTION
  The Big Mek appreciates a cunnin’ plan and may use a 
  distraction to give his forces an opportunity to advance. 
  Once he receives a report, he establishes a set of tactics to 
  best deal with the defenders. The attack comes shortly after 
  dawn on the morning following the Gretchin inﬁltration. He 
  most likely sends any surviving Grots to advance through 
  the thickest defences. His intent is that the reasonably sturdy 
  tank and the sacriﬁcial Grots draw the full attention of the 
  Imperial forces.
  Well in advance of that attack, Big Mek Zagwizza leads 
  the remaining forces through the jungle around the reﬁnery. 
  They then attempt to lie quietly in wait within the jungle, 200 
  metres away from the reﬁnery’s opposite wall. Once he hears 
  the sound of gunﬁre, he launches an all-out assault against 
  the reﬁnery. Unless there are compelling strategic reasons to 
  use a different strategy, the Warbuggies begin the assault by 
  attempting to blast a hole through the outer wall (AP 16). His 
  two mobs of Orks begin a charge towards the wall at the same 
  time as the Warbuggies launch their ﬁrst salvo.
  If the wall falls, the Lootaz and Burna Boyz then 
  charge in through the opening. Otherwise, they attempt to 
  coordinate efforts to scale the 5 metre wall. Note that if the 
  defenders maintain their post on this wall, it could represent 
  a signiﬁcant opportunity to quickly reduce the number of 
  attackers. While they advance using a Run action, there is 
  no cover available for the last 50 metres of their advance. 
  The Ork mobs advance in closely packed mobs, presenting 
  an ideal target for any blast weapons.
  The Big Mek rides on the back of one of the Warbuggies 
  into the battle. He waits for the wall to fall—unless all of the 
  other Orks successfully climb it ﬁrst—prior to ordering the 
  vehicles to advance. Once that happens, the vehicles drive the 
  200 metres forward to join in the fray. Upon his arrival, the 
  Big Mek dismounts and engages in combat.
  All of the Orks have speciﬁc orders to avoid damaging 
  any of the structures within the compound. The Big Mek has 
  used dire threats to thoroughly impress upon them the value 
  of the facility and the dangers of igniting the promethium. 
  If the Player Characters attempt to take cover among the 
  storage tanks or the reﬁnery proper, none of the Orks use 
  ranged attacks. Instead, they charge forward to engage the 
  Player Characters in melee combat. If the characters are using 
  other structures for defence, both mobs of Orks attempt to 
  engage the characters in an extended short range ﬁre ﬁght, 
  using any cover available. 
  Big Mek Zagwizza desperately wants to take the 
  facility, but he is not suicidal. If his forces suffer 
  greater than 30% losses or two of his vehicles are 
  HOLDING THE FACILITY
  “This place is ours. It was granted to us by the grace of the God-
  Emperor. If we allow it to fall, we betray his trust and consign our 
  souls to eternal damnation. I will not be damned by your failures!”
  –Lieutenant Commander Graves
  Begin this scene after the characters have completed their 
  improvements upon the reﬁnery. Feel free to delay the arrival 
  of the Big Mek and his forces. The Orks have a signiﬁcant 
  advantage in terms of both numbers and armament in this 
  scene, but the jungle can easily cause transit delays. Give the 
  Player Characters the time they need to construct any sort of 
  reasonable defences. Such may be necessary for their survival.
  Big Mek Zagwizza leads the approaching Ork force. These 
  Orks are members of Warboss Tufgob’s Waaagh! and are 
  equipped with gear that they brought with them to the planet 
  or looted from Imperial forces. His forces include the following:
  •	 Five Lootaz (see page 363) led by a Nob (see page 363).
  •	 Five Burna Boyz  (see page 363) led by a Nob (see 
  page 363).
  •	 Two Warbuggies with Rokkit Launchas (see page 370).
  •	 One Wierdboy (see page 368).
  •	 Ten Gretchin
  INFILTRATION 
  Big Mek Zagwizza uses his Gretchin as a scouting element. 
  During his advance, they consistently travel about three 
  kilometres ahead of the rest of his forces. Skrynne’s jungles, 
  as well as the Grots’ own ineptitude, tend to exhaust his 
  supply of scouts when he uses this strategy, which is why 
  he is down to ten of the diminutive Greenskins. When the 
  Gretchin ﬁrst reach the reﬁnery, they return to Zagwizza 
  and he stops his advance. Unless the Player Characters 
  have somehow established powerful spotlights, Big Mek 
  Zagwizza decides to hold his forces back so that the Grots 
  can split up and scout the reﬁnery after the fall of night. 
  If Zagwizza does send his Gretchin out, they do not attempt 
  to engage the Imperial defenders. Gretchin, however, are easily 
  distracted and mischievous, and the Player Characters should 
  have plenty of opportunities to spot the Grots as they tramp 
  around the exterior of the reﬁnery. However, if seen, they try 
  desperately to escape, and catching the diminutive creatures can 
  be very tricky. If captured, the Player Characters cannot discern 
  anything from the Gretchin’s unintelligible blathering. However, 
  if released, the Gretchin immediately attempt to return to their 
  master and an Ordinary (+10) Survival Test allows the Player 
  Characters to track them back to Zagwizza’s camp.
  Note that while the Gretchin are small and hard to spot, 
  they are not particularly intelligent. These xenos may not 
  recognise particularly complex defensive structures and might 
  completely miss any traps that the characters have placed. 
  VEHICLE SQUADRONS
  Replace the Burna Boys and their Nob with a Battle 
  Wagon (see page 371). 
  
  392
  392
  XII: Against the 
  Savages
  the base under their own power. In this case, the sergeant 
  approaches the squad and assures them that he will repay 
  their “kindness” at his next opportunity.
  If the characters assisted the native survivalists, word 
  spreads to the garrison contingent and to the camp followers. 
  Both of these groups suddenly hold the squad in higher 
  esteem and do not hesitate to express their gratitude. For the 
  following month, the Player Characters gain a +10 bonus to 
  all Interaction Tests with either of these groups.
  REWARDS
  For surviving the adventure, all characters receive an award 
  of 1,000 experience points. If they were able to successfully 
  hold the reﬁnery against Big Mek Zagwizza’s forces, they 
  earn an additional 150 XP. If the characters participated in 
  any of the optional encounters in Through the Jungle, Game 
  Masters may award an additional 100 XP per encounter. 
  These awards require the characters to have completed 
  those encounters successfully. However, due to the ﬂexible 
  nature of the encounters with the Storm Troopers and the 
  Survivalists, the deﬁnition of successful is subject to the 
  Game Master’s discretion. 
  In addition to XP awards, the Player Characters may merit a 
  change to their Logistics Rating. If they successfully recaptured 
  the base and then held it against the Big Mek’s assault, word 
  of their effective defence soon spreads. The characters receive 
  a +4 bonus to their Logistics Rating. If they recaptured the 
  reﬁnery but were unable to hold it against the superior Ork 
  forces, tales of their valour travel through the supply depot 
  and they receive a +2 bonus to their Logistics Rating. If they 
  failed to even reach the reﬁnery, due to problems en route, they 
  become the camp laughing-stocks for the next month. They 
  suffer a –3 penalty to their Logistics Rating.
  destroyed, he orders the survivors to retreat. Even under 
  these circumstances, he does not attempt to destroy the 
  reﬁnery. Instead, the Big Mek realises that he can always get 
  additional mobs to help out in a future attempt to secure the 
  vital promethium. 
  WRAP-UP
  The scenario concludes when the characters either successfully 
  defend the base against the Big Mek’s forces or are forced 
  to ﬂee from the facility. In either instance, the characters 
  have had their ﬁrst major conﬂict against Skrynne’s Ork 
  encroachment and may have dealt with an Ork who could 
  become a recurring opponent. The Guardsmen may now lick 
  their wounds, reinforce their defences, and once more contact 
  regimental command for additional support.
  At this point, the characters may use their vox-caster to 
  contact the supply depot. If they successfully defended the 
  facility and recount the opposition they faced, regimental 
  command suddenly ﬁnds the resources to commit additional 
  troops to defending the facility. A full platoon is dispatched 
  to their location along with several members of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus. These forces have the luxury of travelling via 
  Valkyrie Assault Carriers that are abruptly made available 
  from reserves. They arrive with a far greater supply of Mission 
  Assignment Gear, including a squadron of Sentinels and a 
  broad-reaching array of heavy weapons.
  Unless the characters want to drive their Chimera 
  Armoured Transport back through the jungle, they are offered 
  a trip back to the supply depot via one of the Valkyries. Upon 
  their return, they are debriefed ﬁrst by their commanding 
  ofﬁcer and then by battalion command. The debrieﬁng is 
  unpleasantly thorough, but—unless the Imperial Guardsmen 
  admit to acts of treason or heresy—ultimately rewarding. The 
  squad is granted double rations and double chits to The Hole 
  for the following month.
  If the characters assisted the Storm Troopers in escaping 
  from their Valkyrie crash, they also are granted a minor 
  accolade for assisting in that recovery. The sergeant in 
  charge of the squad also approaches them and promises 
  to fulﬁl a favour to the squad at some future date. 
  Alternatively, if the characters did not assist them, 
  the Storm Troopers have since made it back to 
  FUTURE HOOKS
  The regiment’s arrival on Skrynne could be a brief visit or could become the basis for an extended campaign. Depending 
  upon how this initial mission progressed, the characters might desperately wish to visit a new world or they might 
  wish to revel in their new status as heroes. Here are a few possible follow-up scenarios for Game Masters that choose to 
  continue to use Skrynne as a setting:
  A native outpost has pleaded with battalion command for assistance against ongoing Ork attacks. Since the squad 
  has already earned their adulation, they are assigned to train a few of the defenders and help establish a better defence. 
  They are not issued any additional gear and, while assisting, are attacked by Ork forces.
  The characters are charged with cleansing a portion of jungle near the depot of all of Skrynne’s native predators. As 
  the ﬁerce creatures are eliminated, additional predators encroach.
  Because of their past experience with Big Mek Zagwizza, the Player Characters are charged with coordinating their 
  battalion in an offensive aimed at eliminating the Ork and his forces. The Big Mek has a substantial encampment well-
  equipped with looted Imperial vehicles.
  become the camp laughing-stocks for the next month. They 
  suffer a –3 penalty to their Logistics Rating.
  
  393
  XII: Against the 
  Savages
  BIG MEK GARGMEK ZAGWIZZA
  One of Warboss Tufgob’s ﬁercest combatants, Gargmek 
  Zagwizza has decided to lead the taking of the reﬁnery himself.
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 20
  Armour: Looted (Arms 4; Body 5; Legs 4). 
  Total TB: 6
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Command (Fel), Common Lore 
  (Ork) (Int) +10, Intimidate (S) +20. 
  Talents: Air of Authority, Basic Weapon Training (Low-
  tech, Solid Projectile), Combat Master, Crushing Blow, Iron 
  Jaw, Lightning Reﬂexes, Melee Weapon Training (Low-tech, 
  Power), Speak Language (Low Gothic, Ork).
  Traits: Brutal Charge, Resistance (Cold, Heat, Radiation), 
  Sturdy, Unnatural Toughness (3).
  Weapons: Shokk Choppa (1d10 +8 R; Pen 2; Shocking, Tearing), 
  Kustom Blasta (Basic; 100m; S/2/–; 
  2d10+5E; Pen 6; Clip 10; Reload 1 
  Full; Inaccurate, Scatter, Tearing).
  Gear: 
  Goggles, 
  power 
  cells, 
  mekboy’s 
  tools, 35 Ork 
  Teef.
  NPC Appendix
  T
  he following is an Appendix of the notable NPCs 
  and Adversaries found in the adventure Against the 
  Savages. Certain NPCs are also found in Chapter XI: 
  Adversaries and NPCs.
  SKRYNNE AUTOCHTHON
  Skrynne’s human population has struggled to survive. 
  Many have ﬂed the cities and built tribal bunkers deep in 
  the planet’s jungles. These rugged individualists survive 
  only through their wilderness skills and effective isolation 
  from the invaders. 
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: Heavy Leathers (Arms 1, Body 1). 
  Total TB: 2
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Climb (S), Speak Language (Low 
  Gothic) (Int), Survival (Int).
  Talents: Basic Weapon Training (Solid Projectile), Melee 
  Weapon Training (Low-tech).
  Weapons: Autogun (100m; S/3/10; 1d10+3 I; Pen 0; Clip 
  30; Rld Full), Knife (1d5+2 R; Pen 0).
  Gear: 2 extra autogun clips.
  TERROR CAT
  These massive eight-limbed, cat-like creatures 
  are pack predators within the jungles of 
  Skrynne. Their native pelts share a common 
  colouration with jungle trees, where they 
  often wait for prey. In spite of their size, they 
  are capable of moving extremely quickly as 
  they jump from their perches onto virtually 
  any prey. They most often use pack tactics to 
  isolate an animal from the safety of its herd 
  and then overwhelm it. 
  Movement: 16/32/64/128 
   
  Wounds: 20
  Armour: Thick Pelt (All 2).  
  Total TB: 6
  Skills: Awareness +10 (Per), Stealth +10 (Ag). 
  Talents: None.
  Traits: Bestial, Dark-Sight, Natural Weapons, Quadruped (x4), Size 
  (Hulking), Unnatural Strength (+3), Unnatural Toughness (+2).
  Weapons: Claws (1d10 +6 R; Pen –).
  Skrynn Autochthon (Troop)
  25
  20
  25
  25
  22
  20
  30
  20
  20
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  393
  Weapons: Shokk Choppa (1d10 +8 R; Pen 2; Shocking, Tearing), 
  Kustom Blasta (Basic; 100m; S/2/–; 
  2d10+5E; Pen 6; Clip 10; Reload 1 
  Full; Inaccurate, Scatter, Tearing).
  Gear: 
  Goggles, 
  power 
  cells, 
  mekboy’s 
  tools, 35 Ork 
  Teef.
  Wounds: 10
  Total TB: 2
   Awareness (Per), Climb (S), Speak Language (Low 
   Basic Weapon Training (Solid Projectile), Melee 
   Autogun (100m; S/3/10; 1d10+3 I; Pen 0; Clip 
  These massive eight-limbed, cat-like creatures 
  are pack predators within the jungles of 
  any prey. They most often use pack tactics to 
  isolate an animal from the safety of its herd 
  Wounds: 20
  Total TB: 6
   Awareness +10 (Per), Stealth +10 (Ag). 
   Bestial, Dark-Sight, Natural Weapons, Quadruped (x4), Size 
  (Hulking), Unnatural Strength (+3), Unnatural Toughness (+2).
  Terror Cat (Elite)
  6
  6
  45
  ––
  32
  40
  30
  15
  37
  10
  ––
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  Big Mek Garmek Zagwizza (Master)
  6
  45
  25
  45
  35
  30
  34
  30
  28
  25
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int
  Per
  WP
  Fel
  
  394
  Index
  A
  Accurate (Quality) .....................................169
  Acrobatics (Skill) .......................................116
  Actions ..............................................240, 242
  Types ......................................................242
  Adeptus Arbites .........................................329
  Adeptus Astartes ..............................327, 334
  Adeptus Astra Telepathica .......................323
  Adeptus Custodes .....................................318
  Adeptus Mechanicus ......................... 22, 327
  Adeptus Ministorum ......................... 21, 327
  Adversaries .................................................350
  Aim (Action) ..............................................242
  Air of Authority (Talent) ..........................140
  All Out Attack (Action) ............................242
  Ambidextrous (Talent) ..............................140
  Ammunition ...............................................192
  Artillery Shells ......................................194
  Rounds ...................................................182
  Amorphous (Trait) .....................................154
  Amphibious (Trait) ....................................154
  Amphibious (Vehicle Trait) ......................212
  Aptitudes ....................................................100
  Armour .......................................................195
  Craftsmanship .......................................167
  Armour-Monger (Talent) ..........................140
  Arms Master (Talent) ................................140
  Assassin Strike (Talent) .............................140
  Athletics (Skill) ..........................................117
  Auto-stabilised (Trait) ...............................154
  Availability .................................................162
  Avitohol ......................................................344
  Awareness (Skill) .......................................118
  B
  Balanced (Quality) ....................................169
  Baneblade ...................................................219
  Bastion of Iron Will (Talent) ...................140
  Battleﬁeld Awareness ................................301
  Battleﬁeld Manoeuvres .............................302
  Battle Rage (Talent) ..................................141
  Battle Wagon .............................................371
  Berserk Charge (Talent) ...........................141
  Bestial (Trait) .............................................154
  Big Mek Gargmek Zagwizza ..................393
  Bike (Vehicle Trait) ...................................212
  Black Crusade..................................311, 328
  Blade Dancer (Talent) ...............................141
  Blademaster (Talent) .................................141
  Blast (Quality) ...........................................169
  Blinded .......................................................266
  Blind Fighting (Talent) .............................141
  Blind (Trait) ...............................................154
  Bloodletter .................................................354
  Blood Loss ................................................266
  Blood Slaughterer ................................354
  Brace Heavy Weapon (Action) ........243
  Brutal Charge (Trait) ....................155
  Bulging Biceps (Talent) ............141
  Burna Boy ...............................364
  Burrower (Trait) ..................155
  C
  Cadian Shock Troops ..................................42
  Calixis Sector ......................................13, 322
  Called Shot (Action) ................................. 244
  Campaigns ................................................. 299
  Carrying ........................................................36
  Catachan Jungle Fighters ............................44
  Catfall (Talent) ........................................... 141
  Chaos .......................................................... 350
  Chaos Mutant ............................................ 353
  Chaos Renegade Militia ........................... 351
  Chaos Renegade Psyker ........................... 351
  Character Creation .......................................72
  Characteristics ..............................................28
  Advancing .............................................. 102
  Aptitudes ................................................ 102
  Bonuses ............................................. 29, 74
  Damage .................................................. 257
  Generating Characteristics ......................74
  Character Sheet ......................................... 399
  Charge (Action) ......................................... 244
  Charm (Skill) ............................................. 118
  Chem Use (Medicae) ................................ 126
  Children of Thorns ................................... 334
  Chimera ...................................................... 217
  Ciphers (Logic) .......................................... 125
  Clawed Fiend ............................................. 358
  Climbing .......................................................34
  Clothing ..................................................... 197
  Cohesion .................................................... 269
  Cold Hearted (Talent)............................... 141
  Combat ....................................................... 240
  Circumstances ....................................... 253
  The Attack ............................................. 249
  Combat Formation (Talent) ..................... 141
  Combat Master (Talent) ........................... 141
  Combat Sense (Talent).............................. 142
  Command and Control (Vehicle Trait) ... 212
  Improved ................................................ 213
  Commanding Ofﬁcers .................................63
  Command (Skill) ....................................... 119
  Commerce (Skill)....................................... 119
  Commissar ...................................17, 86, 374
  Common Lore (Skill) ................................ 120
  Company .......................................................26
  Comrades ................................................... 269
  Cohesion ................................................ 269
  Creating ................................................. 110
  In Combat.............................................. 269
  Orders .................................................... 270
  Replacing ............................................... 110
  Concussive (Quality) ................................. 169
  Conditions ................................................. 266
  Consumables .............................................. 198
  Contortionist (Acrobatics) ........................ 116
  Conversion Rules ............................ 109, 312
  Corrosive (Quality) ................................... 169
  Corruption ....................................... 304, 308
  Counter Attack (Talent) ............................ 142
  Cover .......................................................... 253
  Crack Shot (Talent) ................................... 142
  Crafting ...................................................... 115
  (Survival) ................................................ 132
  (Tech-Use) .............................................. 133
  Craftsmanship ............................................ 166
  Crawler (Trait) ........................................... 155
  Crippling (Quality) ................................... 169
  Crippling Strike (Talent) .......................... 142
  Critical Damage ........................................ 256
  Cronos Parasite Engine ............................ 360
  Crushing Blow (Talent) ............................ 142
  Cthulgha Nebula....................................... 342
  Cybernetics ................................................ 204
  Attaching ............................................... 208
  Craftsmanship ....................................... 209
  Cybork ....................................................... 367
  Cyclopea ..................................................... 342
  D
  Daemonic Possession (Vehicle Trait) ...... 212
  Daemonic (Trait) ....................................... 155
  Damage .........................168, 250, 251, 256
  Special Damage ..................................... 266
  Damage Control (Vehicle Trait) .............. 213
  Dark Eldar ................................................. 356
  Dark Eldar Beastmaster ............................ 357
  Dark Heresy ..................................... 310, 322
  Dark-sight (Trait) ...................................... 155
  Deadeye Shot (Talent) .............................. 142
  Deadly Natural Weapons (Trait) .............. 155
  Deafened .................................................... 266
  Death Korps of Krieg ..................................46
  Deathwatch ...................................... 311, 326
  Deceive (Skill) ............................................ 120
  Decoding (Logic) ...................................... 125
  Defensive (Quality) ................................... 169
  Defensive Stance (Action) ........................ 244
  Deﬁler ......................................................... 355
  Deﬂect Shot (Talent) ................................. 142
  Degrees of Failure ........................................30
  Degrees of Success .......................................30
  Delay (Action) ........................................... 244
  Demeanours ............................................... 107
  Demeanours (Cont) ................................... 108
  Demolitions (Tech-Use) ........................... 133
  Diagnose (Medicae) .................................. 126
  Dice ................................................................28
  Die Hard (Talent) ...................................... 142
  Difﬁcult Terrain ......................................... 253
  Disarm (Talent) .......................................... 142
  Disengage (Action) .................................... 244
  Disguise (Deceive) ..................................... 121
  Dismount (Action) .................................... 248
  Disorders .................................................... 306
  Disturbing Voice (Talent) ......................... 142
  Doctrines .......................................................64
  Special Equipment ...................................67
  Training.....................................................66
  Dodge (Skill) ............................................. 121
  Double Team (Talent) ............................... 143
  Drugs .......................................................... 198
  Index
  
  395
  Index
  E
  Elysian Drop Troops ....................................48
  Enclosed (Vehicle Trait) ............................ 213
  Encumberance ..............................................37
  Endurance (Athletics) ................................ 116
  Enemy (Talent) .......................................... 143
  Enhanced Motive Systems (Vehicle Trait) . 213
  Environmentally Sealed (Vehicle Trait) .. 213
  Evaluate (Commerce) ................................ 119
  Evasion (Action) ........................................ 244
  Exotic Weapon Training (Talent) ............ 143
  Experience ....................................... 100, 292
  Spending ................................................ 100
  Starting .................................................. 100
  Extended Care (Medicae) ......................... 126
  Extremely Volatile (Vehicle Trait) ........... 213
  Eye of Vengeance (Talent) ........................ 144
  F
  Falling......................................................... 267
  Fate Points ..........................................33, 294
  Burning .....................................................33
  Gaining .....................................................33
  Starting .................................................. 100
  Using .........................................................33
  Fatigue .............................................. 253, 257
  Favoured by the Warp (Talent) ................ 144
  Fear ............................................................. 304
  Fearless (Talent) ......................................... 144
  Fear (Trait).................................................. 155
  Feint (Action) ............................................. 245
  Felling (Quality) ........................................ 169
  Ferric Summons (Talent) .......................... 144
  Fire .............................................................. 266
  Vehicles .................................................. 284
  First Aid (Medicae) ................................... 126
  Flame (Quality) .......................................... 169
  Flexible (Quality) ...................................... 169
  Flyer (Trait) ................................................ 155
  Flying ............................................................38
  Focus Power Test ...................................... 225
  Action ..................................................... 245
  Fog .............................................................. 253
  Forbidden Lore (Skill) .............................. 121
  Force Fields ................................................ 196
  Force (Quality)........................................... 170
  Foresight (Talent) ...................................... 144
  Frenzy (Talent) .......................................... 144
  From Beyond (Trait) ................................. 155
  Full Auto Burst (Action) ........................... 245
  Furious Assault (Talent) ............................ 144
  G
  Galaxy Map ............................................... 320
  Gambling (Logic) ...................................... 125
  Game Master.............................................. 288
  Ganf Magna ............................................... 340
  Ganging Up ............................................... 253
  Grapple ............................................. 245, 251
  Gravity ...........................................................38
  Grenades .................................................... 182
  Gretchin ..................................................... 366
  Grey Knights ............................................. 329
  Grotesque ................................................... 359
  Guarded Action (Action) .......................... 246
  Guardsmen ....................................................75
  Gunslinger (Talent) ................................... 144
  H
  Hallucinogenic (Quality) .......................... 170
  Hammer Blow (Talent) ............................. 145
  Hard Target (Talent) ................................. 145
  Hardy (Talent) ........................................... 145
  Hatred (Talent) .......................................... 145
  Haywire (Quality) ..................................... 170
  Healing ....................................................... 268
  Heavy Gunner ..............................................76
  Heft (Athletics) .......................................... 116
  Heightened Senses (Talent) ..................... 145
  Helion Skyboard ....................................... 361
  Hellhound .................................................. 218
  Helpless Targets ........................................ 253
  Higher Ground .......................................... 253
  Hip Shooting (Talent) .............................. 145
  Hit Locations ............................................. 250
  Home Worlds................................................59
  Death World .............................................59
  Fortress World ..........................................59
  Highborn ..................................................60
  Hive World ...............................................60
  Imperial World .........................................61
  Penal Colony ............................................61
  Penitent .....................................................62
  Schola Progenium ....................................62
  Hotshot Pilot (Talent) ............................... 146
  Hoverer (Trait) ........................................... 155
  Hovering .......................................................38
  Hulking Chaos Mutant ............................ 353
  I
  Immobile (Vehicle Trait) ........................... 213
  Imperial Guardsman ................................. 371
  Imperial Navy ............................................ 325
  Imperium .................................................... 315
  Inaccurate (Quality) .................................. 171
  Incorporeal (Trait) ..................................... 155
  Independent Targeting (Talent)............... 146
  Indirect (Quality) ...................................... 171
  Infused Knowledge (Talent) .................... 146
  Initiative ..................................................... 241
  Inquiry (Skill) ............................................ 122
  Insanity ....................................................... 305
  Inspire (Command) ................................... 119
  Inspire Wrath (Talent) ............................... 146
  Interaction .................................................. 303
  Skills ....................................................... 114
  Interrogation (Skill)................................... 122
  Intimidate (Skill) ....................................... 123
  Into the Jaws of Hell (Talent) .................. 146
  Iron Discipline (Talent) ............................ 146
  Iron Jaw (Talent)........................................ 146
  J
  Jaded (Talent) ............................................. 146
  Jericho Reach ............................................. 326
  Jumping .........................................................35
  (Acrobatics) ............................................ 116
  Action ..................................................... 246
  K
  Kabalite Warrior ........................................ 357
  Kalf ............................................................. 342
  Karacallia ................................................... 346
  Khymera ..................................................... 358
  Killing Strike (Talent) ............................... 146
  Knock Down (Action) .............................. 246
  Koronus Expanse ...................................... 324
  Kulth ........................................................... 336
  L
  Lance (Quality) .......................................... 171
  Languages .................................................. 124
  Lasgun Barrage (Talent) ........................... 147
  Leap Up (Talent)........................................ 147
  Leman Russ ................................................ 215
  Demolisher ............................................ 216
  Vanquisher ............................................. 216
  Lifting ............................................................36
  Lighting.........................................................37
  Darkness ................................................ 253
  Lightning Attack (Action) ........................ 246
  Lightning Attack (Talent)......................... 147
  Lightning Reﬂexes (Talent) ...................... 147
  Light Sleeper (Talent) ............................... 147
  Linguistics (Skill) ....................................... 124
  Lip Reading (Awareness) .......................... 118
  Logic (Skill) ............................................... 125
  Logistics ..................................................... 161
  Loota Boy .................................................. 364
  Lost Limbs ................................................. 266
  Lukius ......................................................... 348
  Luminen Blast (Talent) ............................. 147
  Luminen Shock (Talent) ........................... 147
  M
  Maccabian Janissaries...................................50
  Machine (Trait) .......................................... 156
  Mad Dok .................................................... 367
  Maesa .......................................................... 347
  Maglev Transcendence (Talent) ............... 147
  Manoeuvre (Action) .................................. 247
  Manoeuvring (Acrobatics) ........................ 116
  Marksman (Talent) .................................... 147
  Massive Battles .......................................... 301
  Master Chirurgeon (Talent) ..................... 148
  Master Enginseer (Talent) ........................ 148
  Master Orator (Talent) .............................. 148
  Mastery (Talent) ........................................ 148
  Maximal (Quality) ..................................... 171
  Mechadendrite Use (Talent) ..................... 148
  Mechanicus Implants (Trait) .................... 156
  Medals and Honours ................................ 294
  Medic .............................................................78
  Medicae (Skill) ........................................... 125
  Meditation (Talent) ................................... 148
  Melta (Quality) .......................................... 171
  Mighty Shot (Talent) ...............................148
  Mimic (Talent) .......................................148
  Ministorum Priest ................................88
  Missing ............................................254
  Mission Assignment Gear ..........165
  
  396
  Index
  Missions .....................................................296
  Archetypes .............................................297
  Complications .......................................297
  Mist .............................................................253
  Mordian Iron Guard ................................... 52
  Mount (Action) ..........................................248
  Move (Action) ............................................247
  Movement .................................................... 33
  Multiple Arms (Trait) ................................156
  Munitorum Inﬂuence (Talent) .................149
  Mutation .....................................................309
  N
  Names .........................................................104
  Female ....................................................105
  Male ........................................................104
  Narrative Time ....................................33, 240
  Natural Armour (Trait) .............................156
  Natural Weapons (Trait) ...........................156
  Navigate (Skill) ..........................................127
  Navigator Houses ......................................325
  Nerves of Steel (Talent) ............................149
  Never Die (Talent) ....................................149
  Non-Player Characters ...................292, 371
  O
  Ogryn .......................................... 23, 90, 372
  Ogryn-Proof (Quality) .............................172
  Open-topped (Vehicle Trait) ....................213
  Operate (Skill) ...........................................128
  Operator ....................................................... 80
  Orbiana ......................................................348
  Orbital Deployment (Vehicle Trait) ........213
  Orders .........................................................270
  Ork Boyz ...................................................363
  Ork Nob.....................................................364
  Orks ............................................................363
  Traits .......................................................364
  Orthoproxy (Talent) ..................................149
  Overheats (Quality)...................................172
  Overwatch (Action) ...................................247
  P
  Paranoia (Talent) .......................................149
  Parry (Skill) ................................................129
  Peer (Talent) ...............................................149
  Penetration .................................................168
  Perils of the Waaagh! ................................369
  Perils of the Warp .....................................228
  Phase (Trait) ...............................................156
  Pinning .......................................................255
  Planetary Defence Force ............................ 18
  Platoon ......................................................... 26
  Polyglot (Talent) ........................................150
  Ponderous (Vehicle Trait) .........................214
  Possession (Trait) .......................................157
  Power Field (Quality) ...............................172
  Precise Blow (Talent) ..............................150
  Preternatural Speed (Talent) ...............150
  Primitive (Quality) ............................172
  Prone ..............................................255
  Prosanguine (Talent) ..................150
  Proven (Quality) .....................172
  Psychic Phenomena ............227
  Psychic Powers ................................ 222, 229
  Biomancy ............................................... 230
  Divination .............................................. 231
  Focus Power Test .................................. 225
  Psychic Bolts ......................................... 226
  Psychic Strength ................................... 223
  Pyromancy ............................................. 233
  Sustaining .............................................. 225
  Telekinesis ............................................. 234
  Telepathy ............................................... 237
  Weirdboy ............................................... 369
  Psychic Power (Talent) ............................. 150
  Psyker (Trait) ............................................. 157
  Psyniscience (Skill) ................................... 129
  Psy Rating.................................................. 223
  Pushing .........................................................36
  Q
  Quadruped (Trait) ..................................... 157
  Quick Draw (Talent) ................................. 150
  R
  Radiant Presence (Talent) ........................ 150
  Raider ......................................................... 362
  Ramshackle (Vehicle Trait) ...................... 214
  Range ......................................................... 168
  Extreme .................................................. 253
  Long ....................................................... 254
  Point-Blank ........................................... 255
  Short ....................................................... 255
  Rapid Reaction (Talent) ........................... 150
  Rapid Reload (Talent)............................... 150
  Rate of Fire ................................................ 168
  Ratling ..........................................23, 92, 373
  Razorwing Flock ....................................... 358
  Ready (Action) ........................................... 247
  Reaver Jetbike ............................................ 361
  Recharge (Quality) .................................... 172
  Regeneration (Trait) .................................. 157
  Regiment
  Anatomy ....................................................40
  Creation ....................................................58
  Founding ...................................................23
  Standard Kit .............................................68
  Regiment Sheet ......................................... 398
  Regiment Types ............................................64
  Reinforced Armour (Vehicle Trait) .......... 214
  Reliable (Quality) ...................................... 172
  Reload ........................................................ 169
  Reload (Action) ......................................... 247
  Repairing Vehicles .................................... 281
  Resistance (Talent) .................................... 150
  Righteous Fury .......................................... 250
  Rogue Trader ..........................310, 324, 325
  Rounds ....................................................... 240
  Rugged (Vehicle Trait) .............................. 214
  Rule Zero ................................................... 289
  Run (Action) .............................................. 247
  Running ........................................................34
  Runtherd .................................................... 365
  S
  Sabriel ......................................................... 341
  Saint Drusus ............................................... 331
  Sanctiﬁed (Quality) ................................... 172
  Sanctioned Psyker ................................ 24, 94
  Scattering ................................................... 254
  Scatter (Quality) ........................................ 173
  Scholastica Psykana .................................. 222
  Scholastic Lore (Skill) ............................... 130
  Screaming Vortex ...................................... 328
  Scrutiny (Skill) ........................................... 131
  Security (Skill) ........................................... 131
  Semi-Auto Burst (Action) ......................... 247
  Sentinel ....................................................... 219
  Sergeant .........................................................82
  Servitor ....................................................... 372
  Severan Dominate ........................... 346, 371
  Shadow....................................................... 253
  Shadowing (Stealth) ................................. 132
  Sharpshooter (Talent) ............................... 151
  Shocking (Quality) .................................... 173
  Shoota Boy ................................................ 364
  Sidearm (Talent) ........................................ 151
  Sinophia ..................................................... 341
  Sisk ............................................................. 340
  Sisk Cur ...................................................... 351
  Size ............................................................. 255
  Size (Trait) .................................................. 157
  Skills ........................................................... 112
  Advancing .................................... 102, 114
  Aptitudes ................................................ 103
  Crafting .................................................. 115
  Descriptors ............................................ 114
  Specialisations ....................................... 113
  Tests ........................................................ 112
  Untrained ............................................... 113
  Skimmer (Vehicle Trait) ............................ 214
  Skrynn Autochthon .................................. 393
  Skrynne ...................................................... 378
  Sleef ............................................................ 342
  Sleight of Hand (Skill) ............................. 131
  Slugga Boy ................................................. 364
  Smoke ......................................................... 253
  Smoke (Quality) ........................................ 173
  Snare (Quality) .......................................... 173
  Snotling Swarm ......................................... 366
  Sonar Sense (Trait) .................................... 158
  Sorcerous Pawn ......................................... 352
  Soul-bound (Trait) .................................... 158
  Soul Grinder .............................................. 355
  Sound Constitution (Talent) .................... 151
  Specialities ....................................................75
  Spinward Front .........................13, 330, 336
  Map ........................................................ 332
  Spray (Quality) .......................................... 173
  Sprint (Talent) ............................................ 151
  Squad .............................................................25
  Squig ........................................................... 367
  Stampede (Trait) ........................................ 158
  Stand (Action) ............................................ 248
  Standard Attack (Action) .......................... 248
  Standard Guardman Kit ....................68, 163
  Stealth (Skill) ............................................. 132
  Step Aside (Talent) .................................... 151
  Stormboy.................................................... 365
  
  397
  Index
  Storm of Iron (Talent)............................... 151
  Storm (Quality).......................................... 173
  Storm Trooper ....................................96, 373
  Street Fighting (Talent) ............................ 151
  Strong Minded (Talent) ............................ 151
  Structured Time ..................................33, 240
  Stuff of Nightmares (Trait) ...................... 158
  Stun (Action) .............................................. 248
  Stunned ...................................................... 267
  Stunned Targets .................................... 255
  Sturdy (Trait).............................................. 158
  Subjugate Cherubim ................................. 352
  Suffocation ................................................. 267
  Super-Heavy (Vehicle Trait) ..................... 214
  Support Specialists .......................................75
  Suppressing Fire (Action) ......................... 248
  Sure Strike (Talent) ................................... 151
  Surprise ....................................................... 241
  Survival (Skill) ........................................... 132
  Swift Attack (Action) ................................ 248
  Swift Attack (Talent) ................................. 151
  Swimming .....................................................36
  T
  Tactical Advance (Action) ........................ 248
  Takedown (Talent) .................................... 152
  Talents ........................................................ 136
  Advancing .................................... 103, 136
  Aptitudes ................................................ 137
  Tier 1 ...................................................... 137
  Tier 2 ...................................................... 138
  Tier 3 ...................................................... 139
  Tallarn Desert Raiders .................................54
  Talos Pain Engine ..................................... 360
  Target Selection (Talent) .......................... 152
  Tearing (Quality) ....................................... 173
  Technical Knock (Talent) ......................... 152
  Tech-Priest Enginseer ..................................98
  Tech-Use (Skill) ......................................... 133
  Terrify (Command) ................................... 119
  Terror Cat ................................................... 393
  Tests ...............................................................29
  Assistance ..................................................32
  Characteristic............................................30
  Difﬁculty ...................................................32
  Extended ...................................................31
  Opposed ...................................................31
  Skill .................................................30, 112
  Themes in Only War ................................ 290
  Thrax .......................................................... 347
  Throwing Objects ........................................37
  Thunder Charge (Talent) .......................... 152
  Tools ........................................................... 200
  Total Recall (Talent) .................................. 152
  Touched by the Fates (Trait) .................... 158
  Toxic (Quality) .......................................... 173
  Toxic (Trait) ............................................... 158
  Tracked (Vehicle Trait) ............................. 214
  Tracking (Survival) .................................... 132
  Trade (Skill) ............................................... 134
  Traits ........................................................... 154
  Traps (Security) .......................................... 131
  True Grit (Talent) ...................................... 152
  Trukk .......................................................... 370
  Turns ........................................................... 240
  Twin-Linked (Quality).............................. 173
  Two-Weapon Fighting ............................. 252
  Two-Weapon Wielder (Talent) ................ 152
  U
  Unarmed Combat ...................................... 251
  Unarmed Master (Talent) ......................... 152
  Unarmed Warrior (Talent) ........................ 153
  Unaware Targets ........................................ 255
  Unbalanced (Quality) ............................... 173
  Unconsciousness ....................................... 267
  Undying (Trait).......................................... 158
  Unnatural Characteristic (Trait) ............... 158
  Unnatural Senses (Trait) ........................... 158
  Unreliable (Quality) .................................. 173
  Unremarkable (Talent) .............................. 153
  Unshakeable Faith (Talent) ...................... 153
  Unwieldy (Quality) ................................... 173
  Useless Limbs ............................................ 268
  V
  Vehicles ............................................ 210, 272
  Chaos ..................................................... 354
  Combat .................................................. 274
  Crashing................................................. 280
  Damage Conditions .............................. 282
  Dark Eldar ............................................. 361
  Fire .......................................................... 284
  Imperial Guard ...................................... 215
  Movement .............................................. 272
  Ork ......................................................... 370
  Repair ..................................................... 281
  Traits ....................................................... 212
  Types ...................................................... 210
  Venom ........................................................ 362
  Vostroyan Firstborn .....................................56
  W
  Waaagh! Grimtoof .................................... 343
  Walker (Vehicle Trait) ............................... 215
  Warbike ...................................................... 370
  Warbuggy ................................................... 370
  Wargear ...................................................... 197
  Warp ........................................................... 316
  Warp Conduit (Talent).............................. 153
  Warp Instability (Trait) ............................. 158
  Warp Lock (Talent) ................................... 153
  Warp Sense (Talent) .................................. 153
  Warp Weapons (Trait) ............................... 158
  Weapon Jams ............................................. 255
  Weapons ..................................................... 168
  Bolt ......................................................... 179
  Chain ...................................................... 185
  Class ....................................................... 168
  Customisation ....................................... 190
  Exotic ..................................................... 184
  Flame ...................................................... 180
  Force ....................................................... 186
  Grenades and Missiles .......................... 182
  Las........................................................... 175
  Launchers ............................................... 182
  Low-Tech ......................................181, 187
  Melee Craftsmanship ............................ 167
  Melta ...................................................... 179
  Plasma .................................................... 180
  Power ..................................................... 186
  Ranged Craftsmanship ......................... 167
  Solid Projectile ...................................... 177
  Special Qualities ................................... 169
  Upgrades ................................................ 188
  Weapon Specialist ........................................84
  Weapon-Tech (Talent) .............................. 153
  Weapon Training (Talent) ........................ 153
  Weather ...................................................... 255
  Weirdboy .................................................... 368
  Wheeled (Vehicle Trait) ............................ 214
  Whirlwind of Death (Talent) ................... 153
  Worn Gear.................................................. 197
  Wounds ............................................ 100, 256
  Wrack .......................................................... 359
  Wrangling (Survival) ................................. 132
  Wych ........................................................... 356
  ONLY WAR PLAYTESTERS
  Fantasy Flight Games would like to thank the following people for their hard work playtesting ONLY WAR:
  Playtest Coordinator Ron DeValk. “The Bolter and Chainsword Playtest Group” Ryan Powell with Matt Bogart, Richard 
  Sanders, and Max Hardenbrook. “No Guts, No Glory!” Sean Connor with Stephen Pitson, Adam Lloyd, Ben Newman, 
  Simon Butler, Michael Thompson. “The Librarians” Pim Mauve with Keesjan Kleef, Jan-Cees Voogd, Joris Voogd, and 
  Gerlof Woudstra. “Veterans of a Psychic War” Benn Williams with Chris Lancaster, Scott Philips, Aric Wieder, Rebecca 
  Williams, and Eric Young. “You Bid Babies?!?” Jordan Millward with Keri Harthoorn, Kyle Harthoorn-Burton, Kieren 
  Smith, and Julia Smith. “Unrepentant” Lachlan “Raith” Conley with Fiona Coath, Jordan Dixon, Mark Mclaughlin and 
  Brad Twaddell. Damon Wilson.
  Special thanks to all of the Beta Testers who helped make ONLY WAR the best game it can be.
  
  Name
  Demeanour
  Status
  Cause of Death
  Regiment Name:
  Information:
  Squad Designation:
  Logistics Rating:
  
  CHARACTER NAME _____________________________________ PLAYER NAME _________________________________
  REGIMENT _____________________________________________ SPECIALITY ____________________________________
  DEMEANOUR ________________________________________________ DESCRIPTION ____________________________________ ___
  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  CHARACTERISTICS
  WEAPON SKILL 
  (WS)
  BALLISTIC SKILL 
  (BS)
  STRENGTH 
  (S)
  TOUGHNESS 
  (T)
  AGILITY 
  (AG)
  INTELLIGENCE 
  (INT)
   PERCEPTION 
  (PER)
  WILLPOWER 
  (WP)
  FELLOWSHIP 
  (FEL)
  Permission granted to photocopy for personal use. © Games Workshop Ltd 2012.  
  Character sheet also available for download at www.FantasyFlightGames.com
  WOUNDS:
  〔      〕 
  〔      〕
  〔      〕
  TOTAL 
  CURRENT 
  FATIGUE
  CRITICAL DAMAGE ________________________
  ______________________________________
  INSANITY:
  〔      〕 
  POINTS 
  MOVEMENT:
  〔      〕 
  〔      〕
  HALF 
  FULL
  〔      〕 
  〔      〕
  CHARGE 
  RUN
  SKILLS
  Acrobatics (Ag)
  o o o o
  Athletics (S)
  o o o o
  Awareness (Per)
  o o o o
  Charm (Fel)
  o o o o
  Command (Fel)
  o o o o
  Commerce (Int)
  o o o o
  Common Lore† (Int)
  o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  Deceive (Fel)
  o o o o
  Dodge (Ag)
  o o o o
  Forbidden Lore† (Int)
  o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  Inquiry (Fel)
  o o o o
  Interrogation (WP)
  o o o o
  Intimidate (S)
  o o o o
  Linguistics† (Int)
  o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  Logic (Int)
  o o o o
  Medicae (Int)
  o o o o
  Navigate (Surface) (Int)
  o o o o
  Navigate (Stellar) (Int)
  o o o o
  Navigate (Warp) (Int)
  o o o o
  Operate (Aeronautica) (Ag)
  o o o o
  Operate (Surface) (Ag)
  o o o o
  Operate (Voidship) (Ag)
  o o o o
  Parry (WS)
  o o o o
  Psyniscience (Per)
  o o o o
  Scholastic Lore† (Int)
  o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  Scrutiny (Per)
  o o o o
  Security (Int)
  o o o o
  Sleight of Hand (Ag)
  o o o o
  Stealth (Ag)
  o o o o
  Survival (Per)
  o o o o
  Tech-Use (Int)
  o o o o
  Trade† (Int)
  o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  _______________________ o o o o
  Trained 
  +10 
  +20 
  +30
  Trained 
  +10 
  +20 
  +30
  †denotes Skill Group
  TALENTS & TRAITS
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  ____________________________
  MENTAL DISORDERS ______________________
  ______________________________________
  ______________________________________
  MALIGNANCIES ___________________________
  ______________________________________
  ______________________________________
  MUTATIONS _____________________________
  ______________________________________
  ______________________________________
  CORRUPTION:
  〔      〕 
  POINTS 
  FATE POINTS:
  〔      〕 
  TOTAL 
  〔      〕 
  CURRENT 
  TM
  
  CHARACTERISTICS
  WEAPON SKILL 
  (WS)
  BALLISTIC SKILL 
  (BS)
  STRENGTH 
  (S)
  TOUGHNESS 
  (T)
  AGILITY 
  (AG)
  INTELLIGENCE 
  (INT)
   PERCEPTION 
  (PER)
  WILLPOWER 
  (WP)
  FELLOWSHIP 
  (FEL)
  PSYCHIC POWERS
  Psy Rating:    〔 _____ 〕              
  ___________________________
  ___________________________ 
  ___________________________ 
  ___________________________ 
  ___________________________ 
  ___________________________ 
  ___________________________ 
  ___________________________ 
  ___________________________ 
  ___________________________ 
  ___________________________
  ARMOUR
  HEAD
  (1-10)
  Type:
  BODY
  (31-70)
  Type:
  LEFT ARM
  (21-30)
  Type:
  RIGHT ARM
  (11-20)
  Type:
  RIGHT LEG
  (71-85)
  Type:
  LEFT LEG
  (86-00)
  Type:
  GEAR
  ____________________________ ____________________________
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  COMRADE
  NAME______________________
  STATUS_____________________ 
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
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  EXPERIENCE:
  〔 ___________ 〕
  〔 ___________ 〕
  XP TO SPEND  
  TOTAL XP SPENT
  Permission granted to photocopy for personal use. © Games Workshop Ltd 2012.  
  Character sheet also available for download at www.FantasyFlightGames.com
  NAME
  CLASS
  DAMAGE  
  TYPE
  PEN
  RANGE 
   
  ROF
  CLIP
  RLD
  SPECIAL RULES
  NAME
  CLASS
  DAMAGE  
  TYPE
  PEN
  RANGE 
   
  ROF
  CLIP
  RLD
  SPECIAL RULES
  NAME
  CLASS
  DAMAGE  
  TYPE
  PEN
  RANGE 
   
  ROF
  CLIP
  RLD
  SPECIAL RULES
  NAME
  CLASS
  DAMAGE  
  TYPE
  PEN
  RANGE 
   
  ROF
  CLIP
  RLD
  SPECIAL RULES
  WEAPON
  WEAPON
  WEAPON
  WEAPON
  APTITUDES
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  TM
  
  TM
  You are a Guardsman, tithed from your 
  homeworld alongside countless others 
  to wage the God-Emperor’s war across 
  the endless battlefields of the galaxy. It 
  is your duty to drive back the horrors 
  that threaten humanity from all sides.
  Despite the overwhelming odds stacked 
  against your squad, you stand together, 
  bound by a code of brotherhood and 
  honour. You are the thin line that 
  protects the Imperium from complete 
  destruction. You are the Imperial Guard.
  ROLEPLAYING IN THE GRIM DARKNESS 
  OF THE 41ST MILLENNIUM
  Play as one of twelve different Specialities, 
  from the devastating Heavy Gunner and skillful 
  Medic to the ruthless Commissar and brutish 
  Ogryn. Then wade into battle alongside your 
  squad of trusty comrades as you bring the God 
  Emperor’s war to all who would oppose you.
  Dynamic rules for all eventualities let you 
  handle everything from social interaction 
  to wading into battle alongside the deadly 
  war machines of the Imperial Guard.
  Comprehensive background on the 
  Imperium, the Imperial Guard, and the war 
  raging in the Spinward Front, written by 
  Warhammer 40,000 Novelist Andy Hoare.
  Plunge your players into the chaos of war 
  with an introductory adventure that puts 
  them right in the heart of the action.
  The Only War core rulebook contains 
  everything you need to start your adventure 
  in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. 
  www.FantasyFlightGames.com
  ™
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/Game books/Only War/Rulebooks/Only War - Core Rulebook.pdf