TEXT: (Dis)Honour Is Everything
  Foul play and dirty tricks in Inquisitor
  By Cameron Swarbrick
  In the grim darkness of the far future, there are a surprisingly large number of people who would baulk at the idea of  
  attempting to gouge an opponent’s eyes out, or kicking them in the groin, or using any tactic necessary to gain an  
  advantage. They believe that fights should be conducted with some form of honour; they follow moral codes that they  
  believe everyone else follows too.
  They are, of course, somewhat wrong-footed when they encounter people who will do whatever it takes to win. The idea  
  that mercenaries and the like do have lines which they will not cross is often reinforced by them for this very purpose; to  
  quote The Sniper from Team Fortress 2: “Professionals have standards. Be polite; be efficient; have a plan to kill  
  everyone you meet.”
  Not once does he say: “Do not kick a man when he’s down” or “Hands only”.
  Those hired from the lower elements of the Imperium’s 
  society often follow this ideal; in the eyes of their employer, 
  they are polite, efficient and deadly. What the employers 
  don’t  see  is  the  bloody scrum  in  an  underhive  tavern, 
  where their employee takes a wall to their prey’s head, 
  employs knees, elbows and teeth more often than fists, 
  and, if all else fails, simply shoots anyone who looks like 
  they might protest.
  These tactics, in my opinion, exemplify all that is wonderful 
  about the Warhammer 40000 universe; they are nitty, they 
  are gritty, and to be honest, they’d probably be pretty damn 
  fun in a game of  Inquisitor. So here are some ideas for 
  dirty tactics for use by dishonourable survivalists; including 
  equipment, tactics, and a couple of abilities. Go forth and 
  be mentored by Davros Shiel, Bounty Killer Supreme!
  The two men, one a hunched retainer, the other hired 
  muscle, stepped into the mid-hive pub. Harsh, angry music 
  blared from a set of speakers that covered an entire wall. 
  The  strobe  lights  gave  flashing  glimpses  of  writhing 
  dancers, men making deals and playing card games over  
  small tables. Men garbed in mismatched armour carrying a 
  variety of weapons watched  from the  edge  of  the  bar.
  “Who is the best here?” asked the retainer, looking at each  
  of them in turn. The muscle-man shifted uneasily as the 
  retainer’s  question,  spoken  unwittingly  loudly,  drew  the 
  attention of several of the bounty hunters.
  “I  –  I  would  go  for  Galthort  or  Briggs,  sir,”  he  said, 
  indicating a short man carrying a shotgun and a tall, lithe  
  woman carrying a brace of pistols. The retainer looked  
  them over, but his attention became caught by a cold blue  
  gleam from a corner.
  “What about him?” he asked. The muscle-man flinched 
  when  he  saw  the  object  of  his  employer’s  attention.  
  “No, sir,” he said, attempting to draw the retainer away.  
  “You do not want to hire him.”
  “And why would that be?” asked a cold voice from behind  
  the pair. They turned around, and both of them jumped 
  simultaneously. Behind them was a tall, thin man garbed in 
  a leather storm-coat. A pistol was nestled at his hip, a  
  submachine gun was swung over his shoulder and a knife 
  was  strapped  to  his  leg.  His  close-cropped  blond  hair 
  framed a weather-beaten, scarred face with a gleaming  
  blue bionic eye in it.
  “D-d-Davros  .  .  .”  muttered  the  muscle-man.  “F-fancy 
  meeting you here. Actually, we were just going-”
  “Nowhere,”  interrupted  the  retainer.  “Davros,  is  your 
  name? What is your reputation?”
  “I  am  the  finest  man-hunter  this  side  of  the  Eastern 
  Fringe,” said Davros. “I can find any target, anywhere. I’ll  
  take it, anyway I can. Then I’ll take proof of the kill back to  
  you.” The muscle-man pulled the retainer aside, muttering  
  furiously.
  Dark Magenta is an unofficial fanzine and is not endorsed by Games Workshop Group Plc in anyway. Text and layouts are © Dark Magenta and its proprietor. Artwork and characters are the property of 
  their respective owners. No part of this magazine should be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Dark Magenta is a non-profit-making organization and with the 
  aim of promoting the Inquisitor game, products and hobby.
  Sometimes, getting up-close and personal with a knife is preferable to 
  blazing away with your firearm...
  
  Page 2 of 5
  “Sir, Davros is not safe. He has no sense of honour, no 
  loyalty above his coin. He is a loose cannon. You might as 
  well try to hire the Mariner-” The muscle-man froze. The 
  barrel of a surprisingly large pistol was pressed against the 
  back of his head.
  “Don’t try to lose me a job, boy,” said Davros, his tone 
  laden with menace. “I’ll gut you like the spineless pig you  
  are, and then make you lick your blood off the floor as you  
  die. Understood?”
  The  muscle-man  whimpered  slightly,  indicating  his 
  understanding.
   
  “Good,” said Davros. “Now, sir, what can I do for you?” . . . 
  * * *
  Davros struggled backwards, holding his pistol to the head 
  of  his  target  as  he  dragged  the  man  backwards.  A 
  bloodthirsty grin covered his face as he raised his voice. 
  “Alright! Nobody move, or your little buddy here gets it!” 
  The gangers surrounding him backed away. He shuffled 
  out the door of their hide-out, and they followed him out. 
  He moved through the dust. The gangers moved like a  
  pack of warp-wolves, slowly surrounding them. Suddenly, 
  Davros pulled his trigger.
  The side of the ganger’s head exploded, and Davros ran  
  backwards, one hand keeping the pistol raised, the other  
  holding the ganger’s corpse as a shield. As the bullets 
  ripped up the earth around him, he dropped his opponents  
  one-by-one, bullets bursting skulls and vital organs. A stray 
  shot  entered  his left  arm,  and he dropped his corpse-
  shield.
   
  Cursing,  Davros dropped  to  the ground,  pulled  out his 
  submachine  gun.  A  hail  of  perfect  shots  dropped  the 
  second to last ganger, and Davros rolled forwards. With 
  one hand, he threw a lump of earth at his last opponent’s  
  face, and as the bloodied soil blinded the ganger, a storm  
  of bullets took him down.
  Davros stood up, brushed himself down and walked over 
  to his target’s corpse. He took a small vial and filled it with  
  blood, then stuck a hank of hair and a piece of skin in a  
  vacuum-seal  bag.  Finally,  Davros  took  a  pictograph-
  machine and snapped a few shots of the target’s body.
  “Should be good enough,” he muttered, and walked away, 
  fee earned.
  Equipment
  Well, on your way to becoming a top-notch honour-less 
  bastard, you need a few things, and the first thing you’re 
  going to need is the right equipment. Apart from the usual 
  guns and blades, there are a few specialty pieces that’ll 
  definitely  get  the  upper  edge.  For  example,  if  your 
  opponent is utterly convinced that you aren’t going to hurt 
  them, they’re going to be somewhat surprised when a knife 
  springs into your hand and carves its way across their 
  throat . . . 
  Pheromone Mister (Rare) -  Often mistaken for perfume 
  canister,  these  devices  frequently  expel  a  hugely 
  concentrated cloud of mind-altering substances, wreathing 
  their  owner  in  an  undetectable  cloud  of  powerful 
  pheromones  and  psychoactive  drugs.  These  will  often 
  cause nearby people to react in a certain way to a person’s  
  presence. Coming in several varieties, the effects can vary. 
  +++ Post-Mortem Report +++
  Examiner: Dr Bellton Miles 
  Subject:  Name  unknown.  Male,  167  cm  in 
  height,  well-muscled,  brown  hair,  blue 
  eyes. Gang tattoo across left shoulder.  
  Cause of death: Large cut across throat; 
  thin  but  deep.  Blade  severed  both  the 
  jugular and the carotid arteries. Windpipe 
  also  severely  damaged.  Suffocation  and 
  loss of blood would have led to death. 
  Anomalies: Sinuses and lungs show a high 
  concentration of artificial pheromones and 
  a number of psychoactive drugs. Testing on 
  servitor revealed that the effect of these 
  airborne particles was to put the victim 
  into  a  highly  relaxed  state,  triggering 
  both  the  release  of  endorphins  and  some 
  dopamine. It is possible that the victim 
  was  influenced  to  feel  trust  and 
  attraction towards his killer.
  Signed: Bellton Miles
  Everyone has to be willing to throw in the odd low-blow to survive the 
  cut-and-thrust of any level of Imperial society.
  
  Page 3 of 5
  However,  the  mister’s  cloud  is  designed  for  use  on  
  humans, and so has a lesser effect on aliens. The misters  
  are often supplied with a set of nasal-plugs to prevent their  
  users from falling under their effects.
  Nasal plugs give a +10% bonus to resisting airborne toxins 
  and allow a character to ignore the effects of a pheromone 
  mister.  Characters  with  equipment  that  gives  them 
  bonuses to resisting airborne toxins get their usual bonus 
  when  taking  any  tests  forced  by  a  pheromone  mister. 
  However, bonuses from bionic lungs will not apply, as the 
  pheromones  and  drugs  affect  nerve  centres  inside  the 
  nostrils  and  sinuses.  Non-humans  (not  including 
  abhumans and mutants) gain a +20% bonus for all tests 
  caused by a pheromone mister. 
  Love: The mister emits a cloud of substances that give 
  people nearby a sudden and overwhelming sense of trust  
  and affection towards the user.
  Characters  within  6  yards  of  a  character  using  a 
  pheromone mister loaded with Love cannot perform hostile 
  actions against that character without first passing a Wp 
  test. If this test is failed, their action is counted as a Pause 
  for Breath action instead. The character using the mister 
  gains a +30% bonus when Persuading a character affected 
  by
   
  Love.
  Darkness: The pheromones emitted by this canister cause 
  a powerful and sudden mental reaction in anyone nearby. 
  The user appears to be shrouded in an aura of dread and  
  despair, making them difficult to face. This feeling often 
  lingers even if the mister ceases to function.
  Characters within 6 yards of a character using Darkness 
  must pass a Nerve test at -20% or count that character as 
  Fearsome for the rest of the game. They only make this 
  test once per game, when they are within 6 yards of the 
  character for the first time.
  Death: The user is shrouded in pheromones that provoke 
  an instinctive reaction. Most people will instantly begin to  
  back away, their subconscious screaming out that the user 
  is deadly. The pheromones and drugs used activate fear  
  centres in the brain, and often trigger an adrenal surge in  
  those  nearby,  regardless  of  whether  or  not  they  can 
  overcome  the  fear  that  grips  them.  However,  the 
  concentration of the mist is so great that it often has a mild 
  effect on the user too.
  Characters  within  6  yards  of  a  character  using  Death 
  immediately count that character as Fearsome. They must 
  then  pass  a  Nv  test  or  count  all  other  characters  as 
  Fearsome for D6 turns. However, if they fail this test, they 
  will gain +D10% to their S, T and I for the rest of the game. 
  The character using the pheromone mister is not immune 
  to  the  effects  of  Fearsome  or  Terrifying  characters.  
  Spring-loaded  Stiletto  (Rare) -  Mounted  on  a  steel 
  vambrace, this needle-like blade is loaded into a small tube 
  with a spring at the bottom. Once fixed in place, the spring 
  can be released with a flex of the wearer’s wrist, flinging 
  the  stiletto  into  their  hand.  This  can  turn  a  seemingly 
  harmless punch into a deadly attack, as the razor-sharp 
  blade severs arteries and major nerve clusters. 
  If the stiletto is loaded into the vambrace, it can be used 
  instead of an unarmed close-combat attack. Test to hit as 
  normal. This attack may be parried, but using the opposing 
  character’s  Initiative  instead  of  their  Weapon  Skill,  to 
  represent  them  reacting  to  a  sudden  and  unexpected 
  danger (Parry Penalties still apply). The stiletto counts as a 
  knife  for  the  purposes  of  Blademaster  and  uses  the 
  following profile: 
  Reach= 1 Damage= D6 PP= -50%
  If a critical hit is inflicted with a stiletto, the location hit 
  immediately  starts  bleeding  (assuming  damage  was 
  inflicted after armour). If the stiletto inflicts a critical hit to an 
  opponent’s head, it is assumed that their throat has been 
  slit.  The  character  immediately  suffers  life-threatening 
  bleeding. They lose D6+1 Injury Points from their Injury 
  Total  at  the  beginning  of  each  turn.  Because  of  their 
  delicate nature, stilettos do not get Damage bonuses if 
  used by a character with a Strength of 60 or more. In 
  addition, if a stiletto is parried with or parried, it has a 25% 
  chance of breaking.
  Note: This is obviously quite a deadly weapon if used with  
  the Blademaster skill. However, I feel that the combination  
  of Blademaster and a spring-loaded stiletto would be very 
  evocative  of  an  assassin  similar  to  the  ones  from  the  
  Assassin’s Creed series.
  Caltrops  (Common) - Originally  designed  to  cripple 
  warhorses during the early ages of Terran society, caltrops 
  have  existed  in  some  forms throughout  the intervening 
  millennia.  They  are  particularly  effective  at  stopping  a 
  Transcript from Compromised Vox-Channel
  ++Sir?++ 
  “What is it now, Damien? I pay you to keep 
  my house secure, not to pester me!” 
  ++It’s the men, sir. They . . . they 
  aren’t comfortable with you hiring that 
  bounty hunter. They’ve heard all sorts of 
  tales about him++ 
  “He’s the best! And I’m paying them to 
  stand around in my garden and make sure 
  I’m not robbed! They don’t even have to 
  talk to the man.” 
  ++They don’t trust him sir. They think 
  he’s after you++ 
  “What?” 
  ++There is that bounty on you in Spicaa 
  Maxim, sir++ 
  “That’s nothing compared to what I’m 
  paying him.” 
  ++Yes, si-++ 
  “Damien? Damien! What’s happened, man!”
  ++Hello, sir++ 
  “Who . . . who is this?”
  ++I’m the man who’s going to earn ten 
  thousand crowns when I bring your head to 
  Spicaa Maxim, sir. Stay where you are. 
  Don’t make me chase you . . .++ 
  End of Transcript
  
  Page 4 of 5
  target  from  getting  away,  as  people’s  feet  are  very  
  receptive  to  pain,  and  thus  caltrops  see  much  use  by 
  bounty hunters.
  Caltrops can be spread in a square of up to 4 yards by 4 
  yards. It takes one Action per number of yards on one side 
  of the square to spread caltrops; eg, it takes 3 Actions to 
  spread caltrops over a square area of side length 3 yards. 
  Moving  through  an  area  containing  caltrops is a  Risky 
  Action; if failed the character takes D6 damage to both 
  legs. If this penetrates their armour, they take a further D3 
  damage  to  each  leg.  They  must  immediately  take  a 
  Toughness  test  with  a  negative  modifier  equal  to  the 
  amount of damage taken. If the test is failed, the character 
  will fall prone and take D3 hits from the caltrops to random 
  locations.
   
  Caltrops  are  assumed  to  remain  embedded  in  a 
  character’s flesh if they cause damage after modifiers for 
  armour, can be Barbed and can also be coated in the 
  Bloodfire toxin (should only be done by particularly nasty 
  characters).  Barbed  caltrops  cause  D6  damage  when 
  removed, ignoring any armour. Caltrops that are Barbed or 
  coated in Bloodfire are somewhat harder to create and 
  more difficult to acquire, and so become Uncommon items. 
  It takes one Action to remove D3 caltrops.
  Abilities 
  Okay, you’ve got the basic equipment plus a few special 
  extras. But all of this will only give you a slight advantage if 
  you don’t have the right mindset: you have to be ready to 
  get down and dirty, you have to be brutal enough to be 
  feared, and you have to be completely focused on your 
  goals. If you don’t stick by these rules, you’re probably 
  going to get distracted and then get smeared all over the 
  floor by a ganger you didn’t even have to fight.
  Brawler: The character is not above getting his hands (and 
  knees and elbows) dirty, and is an experienced brawler. If 
  he  is  fighting  in  close-combat  without  a  close-combat 
  weapon, he counts as having an Improvised Weapon he 
  cannot  parry with.  He  will also  do such  things  as bite 
  opponents, knee them in the groin, throw sand in their 
  faces or attempt to gouge out their eyes. 
  Bad  Reputation: The  character  is  known  all  over  the 
  Eastern Fringe and in many other places, and it isn’t for his 
  friendliness.  Gangers,  bounty  hunters  and  other 
  underworld-related characters are likely to know of him and 
  will count him as Fearsome. They will usually refuse to 
  work with him, and will generally attempt to persuade their 
  employers that he is not a good prospect (campaign use). 
  Fee Earned (bounty hunters only): The character will 
  continue to fight only as long as he is in danger or his 
  target is still alive. Once his target has been taken out, he 
  will  collect  evidence  of  their  demise  and  return  to  his 
  employer. If his target is taken out of action, assuming 
  there are no other enemies that could potentially attack 
  him, he will move towards his target. When he reaches 
  them, if they are still alive he will execute them, and once 
  they  are  dead  he  will  collect  evidence  such  as  blood 
  samples and pictographs. Doing this takes a full turn. The 
  character  will  then  attempt  to  leave  the  board  unless 
  attacked.
  The man crawled along the ground, his body wracked with  
  pain. What he had thought was an honourable duel had 
  swiftly turned into a degenerate brawl as his opponent first  
  pushed him to the floor and then – and then...
  He raised a hand to the ruins of his face and shuddered as 
  he felt the thick, warm gel that had once filled his eyes spill 
  over his fingers. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.  
  He tried to turn, but before he could move, steely arms  
  wrapped around his throat.
  He struggled weakly against the man’s iron grip, feeling 
  the strength quickly draining from his limbs. Everything 
  was already black, so when the fire in his lungs ceased  
  burning and he could no longer feel the pain coursing 
  through his body, he did not know he was dead...
  Tactics and Attacks 
  Alright  then.  You’ve  got  the  equipment,  you’ve  got  the 
  mind-set, now you need the moves. These are the kind of 
  things no honourable man would do. No honourable man 
  would strangle another man to death, or kick him in the 
  groin (it works on women too), and they almost definitely 
  wouldn’t attempt to blind him by gouging out his eyes. Still, 
  if you’re still along for the ride, you’ve probably realised 
  that this kind of thing, although risky, can be very effective. 
  The attacks presented here a very small sample of what 
  can be done, so feel free to try and make up your own. 
  Stranglehold: This is an Unarmed close-combat attack 
  that allows an opponent to make an automatic counter-
  attack if it misses. If it hits, the two characters immediately 
  make an opposed Strength test with the character being 
  choked having a -20% penalty to the test. This test is also 
  made in each Recovery phase after the Stranglehold is 
  initiated. If the character being choked wins, they break out 
  of the Stranglehold. If the choker wins, the character being 
  choked immediately adds 2D6 to their Injury Total. If the 
  character  continues  to  be  choked  after  they  lose 
  For those who live at the lowest rungs of society, survival is a constant 
  battle, and there are few rules.
  
  Page 5 of 5
  consciousness,  the  choker  automatically  passes  his 
  Strength test. All attacks being made on the choker by the 
  character being choked have -10% to Hit for each point of 
  Reach  the  weapon  being  used  has.  In  addition,  they 
  cannot cause Critical Hits against the choker. If this attack 
  is used as part of a Back Stab move and successfully hits, 
  the  character  being  choked  automatically  fails  the  first 
  Strength test.
  Knee  to the  Groin: This is  an  unarmed  close-combat 
  attack,  but  the  character  using  it  gains  double  their 
  Strength bonus for the attack and automatically hits their 
  opponent’s groin. If a character wears rigid armour over 
  their groin (metal or ceramite plates, for example), any 
  character using this attack takes damage to their preferred 
  leg equal to their Strength Bonus plus the value of the 
  armour on their opponent’s groin. This attack can only be 
  used when in base-to-base contact with an opponent.
  Eye-Gouger: This is an unarmed close-combat attack that 
  can only be performed when in base-to-base contact with 
  an  opponent.  If  this  attack  fails  to  hit,  the  opposing 
  character may make a free counterattack. If it does hit, the 
  character  suffers  D6+Strength  bonus  damage  to  their 
  head, ignoring armour.  If  this attack causes 4 or more 
  damage, the opponent will temporarily (game-length) or 
  even permanently lose the use of one of their eyes (the 
  character’s controller may choose which eye). If this attack 
  causes  a  Critical  Hit,  the  victim’s  other  eye  is  also 
  damaged. If a character loses the use of one eye, they 
  treat all weapons they use as having Reach 0 for close 
  combat modifiers. If they lose the use of both eyes, they 
  must subtract their Ballistic Skill from their Initiative for the 
  remainder of the game, unless they are healed. Characters 
  may only heal damaged eyes in-game if they have the 
  Regeneration  ability  or  have  the  Regeneration  psychic 
  power used on them. In both cases, all damage to the 
  head must be healed before the character regains their 
  sight. Bionic eyes and eyes covered by a visor are immune 
  to being Gouged.
  About the Author
  Cameron  Swarbrick hails  from the  distant  and  unusual 
  land of Australia, where he enjoys the rich and intense 
  version  of  the  40k  universe  provided  by  Inquisitor.  He 
  should definitely go and produce some models now, giving 
  tangible evidence of his existence and thus discounting  
  rumours that he is an Abominal Intelligence programmed 
  to destroy Earth.
  Miniatures modelled and painted by Nick Garrett.  Nick 
  likes nothing more than modelling and painting miniatures  
  for use in Inquisitor. The size and range of his collection is 
  legendary...
  Even more professional killers aren’t beyond a dirty trick – the end, after 
  all, justifies the means...
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/Inquisitor Skirmish/Articles/dishonour is everything.pdf