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Primaris Psykers are the most powerful Imperial psykers. Guarded by special wards literally surgically implanted on the inside of their skull, and special clothing which likewise has wards, these psykers are often alpha level or higher, and yet have proven the ability to control their powers to the Scholastica Psykana, and often have strong ties to the Inquisition. They wield bizarre and powerful psychic powers, from stopping time, to banishing daemons, to bolstering the courage of entire armies, to crushing tanks with their mind.

And yet, in 40k tabletop, they suck.

SO!

Some alternate rules and psychic powers for Primaris Psykers.

Psychic Hood
Uses the Psychic Hood from C:SM.

Primaris Warding
Instead of suffering Perils of the Warp, the Primaris Psyker may choose the following if they roll to get Perils of the Warp:
1: The power succeeds, and the psyker takes a wound with no saves of any kind.
2: The power fails automatically, and the psyker takes a wound but may make saves as normal.

Psychic Powers:
The Primaris Psyker may purchase any two of the following psychic powers. All of these are cast in the shooting phase instead of firing the Primaris Psyker's weapon.

Burning Fists: +20 points
The Primaris Psyker loses the use of his/her weapons for one game turn (the primaris Psyker may not fire his/her pistol or use his/her force weapon). Instead, the Primaris Psyker counts as having two power weapons, and gains +2 strength and initiative.

Inspire: +5 points
The Primaris Psyker, and any friendly units with a model within 6", automatically passes morale and pinning checks for one game turn. This does not count as fearless.

Lightning Arc: +0 points
R24", S6, AP5, Assault 2d6

Nightshroud: +0 points
During the opponent's next turn, any unit trying to shoot at the Primaris Psyker (or his unit) must pass a leadership test or be unable to. Vehicles count as LD10 for the purposes of this test.

Telekinetic Shielding: +15 points
For one game turn, the Primaris Psyker gains a 3++ invulnerable save. If the Primaris psyker is joined to a unit, that unit gains a 5++ invulnerable save for one game turn, as well.

Timewarp: +10 points
For one game turn, all attacks made during the assault phase which are directed at the Primaris Psyker or the unit the Primaris Psyker has joined are made at initiative 1.

I like these. These are pretty good.

I'm a little iffy on the Primaris Warding, though. It seems odd and out-of-place.

The Burning Fists is an intense power, it's really cool.

Nice work. Nothing seems all that unbalanced, really.

It's actually based off of Dark Heresy rules for the same thing. Amongst their other bonsues, Primaris Psykers may add or subtract d6 (I think) to try and influence the psychic phenomena/perils of the warp roll.

Melissia wrote:It's actually based off of Dark Heresy rules for the same thing. Amongst their other bonsues, Primaris Psykers may add or subtract d6 (I think) to try and influence the psychic phenomena/perils of the warp roll.

I gotcha.

So does this mean that effectively the Primaris Psyker doesn't have to deal with PotW? Because the whole point of Perils is that you roll a double 1 or a double 6. And if you can add/subtract, then this doesn't happen. Or maybe I'm not understanding it correctly.

Unless I'm mistaken (which is possible, I don't really use psychic units), you get perils of the warp on a double one or double six, and then roll a d6 to determine which peril you get on the table.

Perils of the warp is just take an Invun save.
If you pass it you have to re-roll it.

I like the rules but you have only put the cost of the psyker's powers not the pysker itself.
(Unless i missed it )

Games Workshop just hates Psykers.

I like this quite a bit, I'd use these for house rules.

Nice rules. Would be great if they were like this on tt. Heck, I like it even more because by default Chaos Sorcerers would have to be more uber

Aren't Alpha Psykers the highest ranking that the imperium uses? And that all Alpha Psykers eventually go insane?

Nope. There are levels above Alpha.

And Primaris Psykers are the ones that don't go insane, and are in fact stable enough to be trusted with authority and independence.

Melissia wrote:Nope. There are levels above Alpha.

And Primaris Psykers are the ones that don't go insane, and are in fact stable enough to be trusted with authority and independence.

I hate to turn this into a background discussion but no, there are no higher levels than Alpha as far as I know. Well Alpha plus but I'm not sure if that really counts.

The Emperor is ostensibly an alpha plus level psyker, the Chaos gods (except Khorne) are also supposed to be Alpha plus level.

Vladsimpaler wrote:

Melissia wrote:Nope. There are levels above Alpha.

And Primaris Psykers are the ones that don't go insane, and are in fact stable enough to be trusted with authority and independence.

I hate to turn this into a background discussion but no, there are no higher levels than Alpha as far as I know. Well Alpha plus but I'm not sure if that really counts.

The Emperor is ostensibly an alpha plus level psyker, the Chaos gods (except Khorne) are also supposed to be Alpha plus level.

There are plus rankings from Alpha plus down to Omega Plus (going in reverse of the usual order). The Emperor is suggested to be an Omega Plus.

Melissia wrote:

Vladsimpaler wrote:

Melissia wrote:Nope. There are levels above Alpha.

And Primaris Psykers are the ones that don't go insane, and are in fact stable enough to be trusted with authority and independence.

I hate to turn this into a background discussion but no, there are no higher levels than Alpha as far as I know. Well Alpha plus but I'm not sure if that really counts.

The Emperor is ostensibly an alpha plus level psyker, the Chaos gods (except Khorne) are also supposed to be Alpha plus level.

There are plus rankings from Alpha plus down to Omega Plus (going in reverse of the usual order). The Emperor is suggested to be an Omega Plus.

Weird. Definitely didn't know that. Then again my knowledge of background sorta stops around 2nd edition, haha

Well, admittedly this is somewhat obscure fluff.

There's also ratings BELOW Omega, which are used by Blanks.

Alpha and above still go insane. Therefore, the best your Primaris Psyker could be is beta.

Getting a hood for free seems fairly strong. Maybe 10 to 20 points, or making a hooded psyker focused solely on canceling other's powers. Perhaps a psychic power which neutralizes another psyker for a turn?
Inspire and Telekinetic shield look fun. Burning fists seems to lead to a more warlike focus, which seems somewhat at odds with the whole constrained and bound psyker feel.
Timewarp . . . Run this with a 50 man blob squad and watch it eat just about everything.

Irdiumstern wrote:Alpha and above still go insane.

They have a tendency to dos o, but not all of them do.

For that matter, most Psykers tend to be on the balmy side anyway.

i like this set of rules, and yes the emperor is an omega class psyker just like the chaos gods (except khorne of coarse). nulls have a different classification, but for the life of me it escapes me at the moment

Adjusted the Primaris Warding rule.

Perils of the warp rule should get changed.

Your wording makes it so double 6's can still get the power running which shouldn't happen.
Eldar Runes of Warding would make the power happen in 3-10 and 12-18 at 3D6.

Burning Hands
-5 points
-2 Initiative

Time Warp
+10 points

Lightning Arc
-1 AP
-1 Strength