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

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**Alpharius**

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Katie Drake wrote:Anyone even half as excited as me for First Founding? I love the idea of even more Chapters being given rules.

Just to be the odd one out, no, I'm not excited about that book.

Since you've decided to rain on our (my!) parade, can you at least tell me what Legions/Chapters will be in First Founding?

And, if the Alpha Legion are not, where in the 40K RPG books can I go to find more info on them?

**Kid_Kyoto**

HBMC wrote:

Kid_Kyoto wrote:Hey does anyone know if BC has a d1000 mutation table ala the old chaos books?

No D1000 tables, but it does have several D100 tables, one for standard mutations and then four more for more God-specific mutations.

WHAT?!

That's barely 10% of what I wanted!

**warboss**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
WHAT?!

That's barely 10% of what I wanted!

Well, the chaos gods are fickle and you rarely get exactly what you pray for...

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

Alpharius wrote:Since you've decided to rain on our (my!) parade, can you at least tell me what Legions/Chapters will be in First Founding?

You know I can't give specifics about what's in the book, other than it's a book called First Founding and therefore covers those Chapters/Legions relevant to the First Founding (except 2 and 11, as no one's allowed to talk about those).

**Katie Drake**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
Alpharius wrote:Since you've decided to rain on our (my!) parade, can you at least tell me what Legions/Chapters will be in First Founding?

You know I can't give specifics about what's in the book, other than it's a book called First Founding and therefore covers those Chapters/Legions relevant to the First Founding (except 2 and 11, as no one's allowed to talk about those).

You're unexcited about the book.

Does this mean that there's somehow less material than most people may expect from a supplement of its type?

Forgive me if that made no sense, I'm a whiskey drinker.

**warboss**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
Sort of correct. The way attacks are handled as been changed to be consistent between shooting and melee. What you end up with is:

Standard Attack (Ranged & Melee) = 1/2 Action, +10 To Hit.
Semi-Auto/Swift Attack = 1/2 Action, +0 To Hit, for every 2 DOS after the first you get another hit (up to weapon's maximum rate of fire/up to wielder's WS bonus).
Full-Auto/Lightning Attack = 1/2 Action, -10 To Hit, for every DOS after the first you get another hit (up to weapon's maximum rate of fire/up to wielder's WS bonus).

It works wonderfully well.

Thanks for the rundown. I may have to try a variant of that with deathwatch. Since you're a playtester for FFG now, any reason that they're only half actions instead of the more traditional full?

**Eumerin**

warboss wrote:
Kid_Kyoto wrote:
WHAT?!

That's barely 10% of what I wanted!

Well, the chaos gods are fickle and you rarely get exactly what you pray for...

And when you do get what you asked for, you usually wish that you hadn't...

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

warboss wrote:... any reason that they're only half actions instead of the more traditional full?

I'm actually not sure why it was made into a half action. If I had to guess I'd say it would be allow more use of the other combat actions (including things like Aim). For most things getting Lightning Attack means that that's pretty much all you ever do once you have it. Now that it's a 1/2 action you can you can mix it with other things and be more tactical in its use.

Also, changing Swift and Lightning Attack to mirror Semi- and Full-Auto means that evasion works in the same way. A big problem with the previous versions was that someone could only Dodge one out of the three Lightning Attacks (more if they had Step Aside/Wall of Steel, but in general they got three attacks and you only got one dodge). Compare that to Full-Auto, where getting lots of DOS on your Dodge roll meant you could avoid heaps of incoming fire. Now, as both types of attacks follow the same rules, you can Dodge or Parry a bunch of HTH hits with a single roll, rather than avoiding one and then getting ganked by the other two. I like it quite a bit.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
And now for something else...

FFG wrote:An Online Guide to the Jericho Reach
The Achilus Assault, a supplement for Deathwatch, is on sale via download

“All ships, fire at will! Gunner, get me a lock on that hive ship... I want our nova cannon ready to fire the instant we enter optimal range."
–Final received transmission from the Dominator-class Cruiser Ferrum Aeterna

The Achilus Assault, a supplement for Deathwatch, is now available for download at drivethrurpg.com and rpgnow.com!

This detailed sourcebook tells of the Achilus Crusade and the great challenges it faces from both without and within. Living up to the ideals of honor, brotherhood, and duty is a difficult task, and it is the fate of the Deathwatch Space Marines in the Jericho Reach to shoulder this duty head-on—they are the first and last line of defence against a myriad of threats to the Crusade of which some commanders are not even aware.

A massive war front

For more on this invaluable resource, we present a few insights from Deathwatch’s lead developer:

The setting for the Deathwatch RPG is a massive war front—the Achilus Crusade—sweeping across the lost worlds of the Jericho Reach. The front lines of this interstellar conflict are a great backdrop for the adventures of the Deathwatch Space Marines battling alongside the Crusade forces, and The Achilus Assault is a brand-new sourcebook that brings all of this into focus for a Deathwatch campaign. The Achilus Assault provides detailed descriptions for some of the Jericho Reach’s most significant planets and warzones to allow players and GMs alike to plan new Deathwatch Missions.

Each of the three major salients of the Achilus Crusade have their own unique themes and deadly enemies. Some foes may be reasoned with, whilst others must be fought to the bitter end. This book describes the major threats to the Crusade’s advance and describes how the efforts of Deathwatch Kill-teams can tip the balance.

With The Achilus Assault, you can bring your Deathwatch campaign into the front lines of the Crusade, and choose which worlds shall be saved, and which shall burn.

For more on The Achilus Assault, check out our detailed previews: Hive Fleet Dagon, A Diseased Soul, and Know the Man, Know the Mission. Then, visit drivethrurpg.com or rpgnow.com to download your copy today!

**warboss**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
warboss wrote:... any reason that they're only half actions instead of the more traditional full?

I'm actually not sure why it was made into a half action. If I had to guess I'd say it would be allow more use of the other combat actions (including things like Aim). For most things getting Lightning Attack means that that's pretty much all you ever do once you have it. Now that it's a 1/2 action you can you can mix it with other things and be more tactical in its use.

Also, changing Swift and Lightning Attack to mirror Semi- and Full-Auto means that evasion works in the same way. A big problem with the previous versions was that someone could only Dodge one out of the three Lightning Attacks (more if they had Step Aside/Wall of Steel, but in general they got three attacks and you only got one dodge). Compare that to Full-Auto, where getting lots of DOS on your Dodge roll meant you could avoid heaps of incoming fire. Now, as both types of attacks follow the same rules, you can Dodge or Parry a bunch of HTH hits with a single roll, rather than avoiding one and then getting ganked by the other two. I like it quite a bit.

I'll definitely borrow the new swift and lightning attacks for my deathwatch game and possibly the change in the bonuses (I'm 50/50 on that one at the moment) but I'll still keep anything more than a standard attack as a full action though.

juraigamer wrote:

Skill changes:
Acrobatics acts as both acrobatics and contortionist
Athletics acts as climb and swim
Awareness acts as awareness, lip reading and search
Charm acts as charm and preformer
Commerce acts as barter, commerce, evaluate
Logic acts as logic, gambling and tactics
Linguistics acts as ciphers, literacy, secret tongue and speak language
Medicae acts as chem use and medicae
Operate acts as drive and pilot
Parry is now a skill, there is no parry action
Stealth acts as concealment, silent move and shadowing
Survival acts as survival, tracking and wrangling
Tech-use acts as demolitions and tech-use
Toughness test take the place of carouse

A quote from the RPG subforum response. I'm definitely liking the pathfinder-esque consolidation of skills and will definitely incorporate those too. My traditional deathwatch campaign drifted apart and my restart will act more like a convention style game with pregenerated characters that players just choose from a pile of sheets at the center of the table and requisition already done to avoid the hour plus delay before the start of in game activity. Since I'm the one making up the stuff, I at least have the power to tweak the character sheets.

**Alpharius**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
Alpharius wrote:Since you've decided to rain on our (my!) parade, can you at least tell me what Legions/Chapters will be in First Founding?

You know I can't give specifics about what's in the book, other than it's a book called First Founding and therefore covers those Chapters/Legions relevant to the First Founding (except 2 and 11, as no one's allowed to talk about those).

Well, if only 2 and 11 are left out, I'll be a very happy gamer indeed!

**Kanluwen**

I would be very surprised if Deathwatch covered Traitor Legions though.

**warboss**

Kanluwen wrote:I would be very surprised if Deathwatch covered Traitor Legions though.

If they don't, that's going to be a very short book. Half the loyalist legions have already been covered and the backstory, rules, trappings, and tables for the others would only fill up something the size of the booklet that comes with the GM screen. While I agree that its a bit odd (yet welcome) given the history of the deathwatch forming thousands of years after the heresy, it can't hurt to have the traitor legions in an appropriately titled book to be used for NPCs and the odd "i wanna be grimdark drizzt, hurr!" player.

**Kanluwen**

warboss wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:I would be very surprised if Deathwatch covered Traitor Legions though.

If they don't, that's going to be a very short book. Half the loyalist legions have already been covered and the backstory, rules, trappings, and tables for the others would only fill up something the size of the booklet that comes with the GM screen. While I agree that its a bit odd (yet welcome) given the history of the deathwatch forming thousands of years after the heresy, it can't hurt to have the traitor legions in an appropriately titled book to be used for NPCs and the odd "i wanna be grimdark drizzt, hurr!" player.

I retract my post anyways, I had to go back and look at the announcement and they said in black and white that it covers both the 9 Loyalist and 9 Traitor Legions.

The way they word it makes it sound like the Traitor Nine are going to be kind of detailed but not as much as the Loyalists, which suits me just fine.

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

warboss wrote:...and possibly the change in the bonuses (I'm 50/50 on that one at the moment) but I'll still keep anything more than a standard attack as a full action though.

The changes to the bonuses are what makes the system work. Taking this method of combat and combining it with the weapon stats from the Deathwatch errata rebalances DW so that it's not such a damned cakewalk for the Marines.

**warboss**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
warboss wrote:...and possibly the change in the bonuses (I'm 50/50 on that one at the moment) but I'll still keep anything more than a standard attack as a full action though.

The changes to the bonuses are what makes the system work. Taking this method of combat and combining it with the weapon stats from the Deathwatch errata rebalances DW so that it's not such a damned cakewalk for the Marines.

Yeah, I knew there was a problem in one of my first games when the devastator one-burst-killed the Tyrannid Prime behind cover with an OK but nothing special roll...

**PrimarchX**

Since everyone is excited about First Founding, you'll be happy to know FFG now shows it as ON THE BOAT.

**Alpharius**

Kanluwen wrote:I would be very surprised if Deathwatch covered Traitor Legions though.

Kanluwen wrote:
warboss wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:I would be very surprised if Deathwatch covered Traitor Legions though.

If they don't, that's going to be a very short book. Half the loyalist legions have already been covered and the backstory, rules, trappings, and tables for the others would only fill up something the size of the booklet that comes with the GM screen. While I agree that its a bit odd (yet welcome) given the history of the deathwatch forming thousands of years after the heresy, it can't hurt to have the traitor legions in an appropriately titled book to be used for NPCs and the odd "i wanna be grimdark drizzt, hurr!" player.

I retract my post anyways, I had to go back and look at the announcement and they said in black and white that it covers both the 9 Loyalist and 9 Traitor Legions.

The way they word it makes it sound like the Traitor Nine are going to be kind of detailed but not as much as the Loyalists, which suits me just fine.

I'm glad you're young and healthy - you survived that shock to your system admirably well!

Anyway... now, I am even MORE psyched for this book!

**juraigamer**

PrimarchX wrote:Since everyone is excited about First Founding, you'll be happy to know FFG now shows it as ON THE BOAT.

Were do they show this? I can find nothing online for some reason.

**Alpharius**

On the boat?!?

Excellent!

Soon the Founding Legions will be stomping across many a campaign!

**PrimarchX**

juraigamer wrote:
PrimarchX wrote:Since everyone is excited about First Founding, you'll be happy to know FFG now shows it as ON THE BOAT.

Were do they show this? I can find nothing online for some reason.

Start here: http://fantasyflightgames.com/edge_upcoming.asp

**reds8n**

Fallen Suns is also now mine.. all mine !

... certainly looks good and I'm quite intrigued by the brief flick through the NPCS at the back of the book.

.. just got to read part 2 and all the other as yet unfinished books first.

..still.. it's an investment right ? ..... righT ?!

**BrookM**

Ooh, lucky lad, I'm itching to get my hands on Fallen Suns, just to see how it all ties together.

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

Fallen Suns is very cool. Like the bit where a group of Harli's take you through the webway... and you have to fight off a Daemonette attack!

And the next Dark Heresy book is here...

FFG wrote:Conspiracy Becomes Rebellion
Announcing The Chaos Commandment, an adventure for Dark Heresy

“There is no shame in knowledge, and no physical or mental ailment that cannot be treated with the right application of technology. The Priests of Mars have the right of it. Flesh is weak, but their myopic dogma blinds them to the true potential of augmetics. What I have created here doesn’t simply replace or repair flesh; it allows one to transcend humanity itself.”
–Lord Viktor Drajkon

A conspiracy at the highest levels of the Calixian Church has finally come to fruition, and the sector rests on the edge of interstellar upheaval. Can you and your fellow Acolytes prevent this coming apocalypse?

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of The Chaos Commandment, an adventure for Dark Heresy! The final chapter in The Apostasy Gambit trilogy (and also playable as a standalone adventure), this epic story pits a small band of Acolytes against an ancient and powerful threat.

A fight for your lives

For more on this exciting adventure, we turn to Dark Heresy’s lead developer:

Throughout The Apostasy Gambit, Inquisitorial Acolytes have been combating the Maledictor’s Hand, an apocalyptic conspiracy deeply-rooted within the Imperial Church. The goal of this conspiracy is to throw down the ruling nobility and cleanse the Calixis Sector of these “sinners” by fomenting a holy war that will cleanse the debased black heart of the Sector with sacred fire. The Chaos Commandment concludes this trilogy, which began in Black Sepulchre and continued in The Church of the Damned, and the ending will be truly apocalyptic!

This adventure will present challenges of all types and levels to players. They will lead armoured assaults against enemy installations, conduct investigations against powerful individuals, and even fight for their lives out in the cold dark of space. The players will see everything from huge firefights involving masses of troops, to smaller but no less deadly attacks of only handfuls of Acolytes (or even single characters) fighting for their lives against truly horrific foes.

Lasting consequences

All this leads up to the conflict against the true power behind the conspiracy, which has been manipulating events and people across the Sector. As this is the grand finale to the trilogy, players can expect a foe that will exceptionally terrifying and powerful. Will the players find it in time, and even if they do will they have the strength and will to confront it?

Make no mistake, the outcomes of this adventure will send ripples across the Sector and through future Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay books, and players will know their actions either saved the Sector (for awhile at least), or let it collapse. So grab your bolter and Inquisitorial Rosette, and get ready to fight!

Prepare to stand against the greatest threat the Calixis Sector has ever seen! Check back for more on The Chaos Commandment in the coming weeks, and look for it on store shelves in the first quarter of 2012.

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

I hate it when I post news and it just tacks it onto the end of an old post!

**reds8n**

That should be good, the other two have been pretty sweet.

... IIRC anyway.. all the systems and books are starting to blur together a little bit

anyway

“A prison world is no different than any other Imperial world. All are mills that grind human grist for the corpse-god’s wars. Why shouldn’t they grind for me, instead?”
– Magister Khalistim Bhewko

A windswept Imperial penal world silently orbits its dimming sun, perilously close to the dark influence of Chaos. To claim such a prize for the Ruinous Powers would bring great favour and glory to you and your fellow Heretics, and its substantial resources would help lay the foundation for your own Black Crusade. But welcoming this world into the roiling bosom of the Screaming Vortex will be no easy task, and the planet holds its own dangerous secrets. Can you bring the corrupting gifts of Chaos to this forgotten world?

Fantasy Flight Games is excited to announce the upcoming release of Hand of Corruption, an adventure in three acts for Black Crusade! Presented in one comprehensive volume, Hand of Corruption is an epic story that takes you and your fellow Heretics from the swirling depths of the Screaming Vortex to the far reaches of the Calixis Sector, and then to a parched and windswept Imperial penal world called Saint Annard’s Penance. With a host of challenges designed to appeal to a range of group types and play styles, Hand of Corruption offers ample opportunities for both savvy roleplaying and gruelling combat.

To build an army

For more on Hand of Corruption, here’s a word from Black Crusade’s lead developer:

As the first book for the Black Crusade line, Hand of Corruption explores one of the fascinating premises first introduced in the Core Rulebook. For the first time in Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay, the players can play characters completely opposed to the Imperium, and Hand of Corruption brings that theme directly to the fore. The Heretics are pitted against the Imperium from the start, and have to infiltrate, deceive, and ultimately fight Imperial forces head on to get what they want. And what they want is nothing less than control of an entire planet full of psychopathic, dangerous, violent prisoners—perfect fodder for the players’ eventual Black Crusade!

Of course, to get there, the players have to go toe to toe with some of the Imperium’s best and brightest—the types of individuals they might have been playing as characters in another Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay line. Plus, this adventure throws plenty of pitfalls along the players’ route. I wouldn’t want to reveal any spoilers, but it’s an adventure Game Masters should have a lot of fun springing on their players, and players should have a lot of fun playing through.

Keep checking back for more on Hand of Corruption in the coming weeks, and look for it on store shelves in the first quarter of 2012!

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=2736

**Miss Dee**

I remember what I was going to ask, Can I bring an Apoth' from DW into BC?

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

Well... probably? The BC rulebook has conversion rules for the differences between the two systems, but if you're intending to leave your advance scheme behind, I'm not sure how that would work.

reds8n wrote:That should be good, the other two have been pretty sweet.

Can't say much obviously, but testing this one was an interesting experience. Or, to put it another way - I hope you took Willpower advances because by the Emperor are you going to need them!!!

**AJCarrington**

Excellent news - love the cover!

AJC

**the_dunner**

FWIW, I wrote two of the scenarios for Hand of Corruption. I suspect that players may find this one exceptionally challenging.

**Kid_Kyoto**

Alpharius wrote:On the boat?!?

Excellent!

Soon the Founding Legions will be stomping across many a campaign!

Keep in mind they use some very sloooow boats.