Dark Heresy - Rogue Trader - Death Watch - Black Crusade - Only War news and rumours

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**H.B.M.C.**

The Rosarius is an Ecclesiarchy thing. I'm pretty sure its rules were already in The Inquisitor's Handbook or, failing that, Blood of Martyrs.

**brolthemighty**

Yes, I know that. However, there was a Rosarius in the DH book as well. That's the one I'm asking about.

**Kid_Kyoto**

brolthemighty wrote:Yes, I know that. However, there was a Rosarius in the DH book as well. That's the one I'm asking about.

The one in DH has a protection of 30 and is only rare.

**Ehsteve**

Faith in the Emperor shields the Ecclesiarchy from the many terrors of space!

But a field save never hurt...

Only Rare for a field save? Seriously? I would expect Very Rare at the least but I guess they have GM modifiers for difficult to find (populations, location etc).

**H.B.M.C.**

The original field rules work differently to the more modern field rules. Remember Magos Katakai? I had him using the old field rules, which is why virtually nothing was getting through. That's why Roth had to crash-tackle him in order to bring him down. Energy fields can't stop 90kgs of angry Arbite from dragging you to the ground.

**Ehsteve**

And the fields overload on doubles or something of the sort.

My lucky longlas shot did something like 20 or 30 wounds, not much when looking at a magos' total wounds but the fields are somewhat easier to get through in that aspect.

When you're a space marine however at least you can take the hit. When you're a DH character your godly 12 wounds will not prevent a lucky autogun burst capping the character.

Really looking forward to see how infamy actually works in BC. They didn't have any solid rules in the pre-gen campaign.

**Noisy_Marine**

What are these old and new field rules that you speak of? What do you mean astartes bolters got nerfed? WHATS GOING ON?!

**H.B.M.C.**

You have to remember that Fantasy Flight Games didn’t create the 40K RPG line, at least not originally. The first five products in the line – Dark Heresy Core Rulebook, Dark Heresy GM Kit, The Inquisitor’s Handbook, Purge the Unclean and Disciples of the Dark Gods – were all written by Black Industries. With FFG coming on board to take over the 40K RPG line there were a number of changes as they used their own experience and their own thoughts on game design to change things. This means that the current field rules are different from the field rules that are in The Inquisitor’s Handbook because they were written by two different groups of people.

As for Deathwatch Bolters, and weapons in general, the latest errata includes a set of alternate weapon profiles that rebalances the game and makes the Bolter not the be-all and end-all weapon (and it especially fixed the Heavy Bolter). It’s basically a reduction in rate of fire (S/3/- rather S/2/4) and damage dice (1D10+9 rather than 2D10+5, but that goes a long way. It reduces the instances of Righteous Fury and the Heavy Bolter no longer dominates combat with 10 2D10+10 shots a turn.

**Noisy_Marine**

Oh yeah I remember when BI went under.

So what are the new field rules?

And I have a question about righteous fury that's been bugging me. If I score Righteous Fury with a tearing weapon, when I roll again for damage (after confirming the Fury), do I still get the extra die for tearing?

Oh, and if you are shooting at an opponent in melee with you (with a pistol), do you suffer the -20 penalty to your BS?

**H.B.M.C.**

The new field rules are really simple. A field has a rating (say it’s 35) and you just roll a D100 for every hit you take and if you get equal to or under that number you block the shot completely. Anything over the value gets through. Most fields also have an overload, usually 1-5 or 1-10 or even sometimes 1-15. It means that if you roll that the shot is blocked, but the field is overloaded and burns out (and must be recharged/repaired). The best fields (like a Master-Crafted Storm Shield in Deathwatch) have overload values of 1, meaning they are very hard to short out. It’s been so long since I used the IH rules that I’ve actually forgotten what they are...

For RF, you don’t roll damage again when you roll Righteous Fury, you just roll an extra D10. I know the rulebook says that you roll damage again, but the first errata changed that pretty damned quickly. And no, the -20 BS is when you are firing into melee. So you can’t fire ‘into’ melee when you’re already in melee.

**btemple0**

Can I get a link for a current errata download please?

I hope that bolter nerfing helps the PC's play more creatively.

**Miss Dee**

Like they run out of ammo so they have to use the bolter as a club?

**btemple0**

Miss Dee wrote:Like they run out of ammo so they have to use the bolter as a club?

I play with other people in the military, you would think they could come up with some sort of tactical gameplan before going to fight something, but the guy playing squad leader just runs the others into the meat grinder, and then gripes when the assault marines do what they are supposed to do.

**Noisy_Marine**

Miss Dee wrote:Like they run out of ammo so they have to use the bolter as a club?

True Grit returns!

So when is Black Crusade coming out? I need moar chaos marines, I'm starting to get the shakes.

**H.B.M.C.**

Probably just after Gen-Con (with the first batch going on sale during Gen-Con). It's what happened with Deathwatch and, I think, Rogue Trader, so it stands to reason that they'd do it again.

Deathwatch errata is located here.

**btemple0**

H.B.M.C. wrote:Probably just after Gen-Con (with the first batch going on sale during Gen-Con). It's what happened with Deathwatch and, I think, Rogue Trader, so it stands to reason that they'd do it again.

Deathwatch errata is located here.

Thank you sir, you are a scholar and a gentleman.

**KOS**

Jeez the errata is changing a lot , I have to update myself for my ongoing campaign. At least they have reduced the damage dealt by Bolters.

**warboss**

KOS wrote:Jeez the errata is changing a lot , I have to update myself for my ongoing campaign. At least they have reduced the damage dealt by Bolters.

They did come out with a few books in the meantime. This is only the second version IIRC of the erratta since the game came out so I don't think a review of the problems/mistakes every 6 months is too often. I applaud them for actively trying to fix things instead of burying their heads like their licensor is wont to do.

**Noisy_Marine**

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the version 3 of the DH errata I downloaded awhile back is still the current version.

Is the changed bolter stats supposed to apply to all three games?

**Lynata**

Noisy_Marine wrote:Is the changed bolter stats supposed to apply to all three games?

Deathwatch only. The games all have their own systems that occasionally use different mechanics or different stats, tailored to the respective characters, their "power level" and the campaign style.

However, the new Daemon Hunter supplement for DH features rules for Grey Knights, thus boosting the old Astartes bolter damage from the old 2d10+0 to the current 1d10+9, so you might say that this indeed is the new standard.

The Introductory Adventure for Black Crusade also seems to use these stats, though only for CSM - which is a bit sad, as I was hoping for some more compatibility between character types. Now you really get pushed into a corner.

**Noisy_Marine**

Hm well, I guess you won't really see Astartes bolters in Dark Heresy or Rogue Trader ... right? So that makes the 1d10 + 9 Pen 4 the new standard Astartes bolter. Heck, even Chaos is using it!

**Lynata**

Well, the Inquisitor's Handbook featured a gun shooting Astartes ammunition, and the adventure Purge the Unclean had an Astartes NPC with the appropriate wargear. Both times the damage was 2d10+0 - but that was back when Black Industries still had the license, Deathwatch was made by FFG.

So yeah, given how the new books are circulating these numbers I'd say that is the new standard for the RPG.

**H.B.M.C.**

From the depths of page two I summon thee!!!

FFG wrote: Standing Against The Good Guys
A preview of Black Crusade, the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game

Black Crusade, an upcoming roleplaying game that offers players a new perspective on the conflict between the Imperium of Man and the forces of Chaos, will be on store shelves later this quarter. Today, Black Crusade’s developer presents an overview of some of the enemies you’ll face in service to the Ruinous Powers.

Greetings, Black Crusade fans! One of the reoccurring themes of Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay is that the most dangerous foe the Imperium faces is Chaos and those aligned with the Ruinous Powers. This means the players in games of Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, and Deathwatch often find the forces of Chaos at the heart of whatever mystery or adventures they participate in.

Defenders of the Imperium

Of course, in Black Crusade the players are the forces of Chaos. Now, they are on the other side of that epic rivalry, facing off against the forces of the Imperium. So, what opposition can the Heretics expect?

The Black Crusade Core Rulebook provides adversaries for numerous power levels. For games involving Heretics attempting to worm their way into Imperial societies and corrupt them from within, the book contains several options. The Administratum Adept provides an example of a low-level Imperial functionary, while the cunning Bounty Hunter and dogmatic Ministorum Cleric promise to be more dangerous foes. Of course, Heretics are just as likely to meet the Imperium on the field of battle. There they’ll need to contend with hordes of Imperial Guardsmen led by fire-breathing Confessors, and the elite Space Marines. But the greatest danger to a Heretic lies in the threat of the Imperium’s Holy Inquisition and their elite warriors, the Grey Knight Space Marines. Can you survive combat with a Grey Knight in Terminator Armour, or match wits with the book’s example Inquisitor, Victoria Aldrich of the Ordo Hereticus?

Equal–Opportunity Enemies

However, the Imperium is just one source of adversaries for a Black Crusade warband. Many of the galaxy’s xenos races have no love for the Ruinous Powers, and some are willing to make special effort to see the Dark Gods’ servants dead. Foremost amongst them are the Eldar, specifically the Chaos-hunting warrior-dancers known as the Harlequins. A single Harlequin is the equal of a Chaos Space Marine, but a troupe of them, led by one of the dread psykers known as Shadowseers, can spell the doom of any warband.

But a warband can avoid the Eldar and still find plenty of trouble. The Eldar’s mercurial and capricious cousins, the Dark Eldar, are well acquainted with the Screaming Vortex. To these decadent xenos, the warbands of the Chaos Powers are equal parts uneasy trading partners to be bargained with, foes to be fought, and potential slaves to be culled. When the latter, the Dark Eldar can mobilize hordes of Kabalite Warriors, backed by the warrior elite known as the Incubi and the eldritch and shadowy Mandrakes.

Finally, a warband can unearth enemies beneath their very feet. Long before humans first left Terra, a race of creatures slumbered in their Tomb Worlds for millennia. Now these Necrons are awakening. An unwary warband may be exploring a seemingly deserted world when they are suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of Scarabs, or consumed by a dreaded Tomb Stalker.

With friends like these...

Even with all these enemies, a Heretic cannot forget that those who might nominally share his allegiance often prove to be the most dangerous foes of all. The Disciples of the Dark Gods are a fractious lot, and the horrible warp entities known as Daemons even more so. A Heretic may just as likely end up fighting a daemonic legion of Plaguebearers or a dangerous Tech-Assassin from the corrupted Forges of the Hollows as he is an Imperial Guardsman. One can never let their guard down, especially in the Screaming Vortex.

Grey Knights and Harlequins and Necrons oh my!

**Quintinus**

Fighting Harlequins would be ridiculous, but hilarious and awesome all at the same time.

By the way, how they going to balance a CSM and a renegade human? I haven't read through this entire thread.

**Alpharius**

FFG wrote:Can you survive combat with a Grey Knight in Terminator Armour...

I'm guessing... no!

**Noisy_Marine**

Vladsimpaler wrote:Fighting Harlequins would be ridiculous, but hilarious and awesome all at the same time.

By the way, how they going to balance a CSM and a renegade human? I haven't read through this entire thread.

Humans will have more skills than Astartes, and be better in social situations. Or something like that. Plus humans get an extra bonus that hasn't been revealed yet. Maybe extra infamy?

All CSM get are lousy Astartes implants and power armor!

**Alpharius**

There isn't a social situation in the 40K galaxy that can't be 'solved' via a mass-reactive bolter round to (insert critical organ here)!

**BaronIveagh**

Alpharius wrote:There isn't a social situation in the 40K galaxy that can't be 'solved' via a mass-reactive bolter round to (insert critical organ here)!

Unless the target in question is lacking that organ and/or can regenerate. Always a possibility when dealing with the ruinous powers.

**H.B.M.C.**

No so, my dear Primarch. There are plenty of ways to create very favourable situations without using a Bolter. I am, of course, bound by NDA until the book’s release, but once it’s out I’ll mention some of the cool things we* did that didn’t involve violence (even if they did result in violence).

*Disclaimer: ‘We’ being my group. I do not speak for or on behalf of FFG.

**Alpharius**

I was only kidding guys!

Get it?

Social situations and bolters don't really mix well and...

...ah, forget it!