aka_mythos wrote:Do you mean antagonists?

endtransmission wrote:
Hope you feel a bit better soon. As for the book question... in short which 40K book doesn't contain Chaos bits to some degree?

Edge of the Abyss has a few pages on Chaos reavers, sorcery rules/talents/powers as well as stats for a few chaos things (Sorcerer, Blade-thing and Greater Daemon).

H.B.M.C. wrote:
Can you imagine this thing firing on Full Auto??? With each hit doing an average higher than 23 damage with a Pen value that simply ignores most armour in the game... scary. I have 8 Tomb Spyders... I wonder if my players can handle them all at once?

H.B.M.C. wrote:Can you imagine this thing firing on Full Auto??? With each hit doing an average higher than 23 damage with a Pen value that simply ignores most armour in the game... scary. I have 8 Tomb Spyders... I wonder if my players can handle them all at once?

“I’ve never seen anything like Space Marines in action. Anyone who sees them knows in his soul they are the God-Emperor’s creations. More than that, you know that through them He is still watching over us."
–Corporal Drayle after a Kill-team rescue on Baraban

The Emperor Protects, an adventure book for the Deathwatch roleplaying game, is now available for download from drivethrurpg.com and rpgnow.com!

On the savage Feral World of Aurum, a proud colony of warriors resists the pull of the Imperium, and their assistance is vital in the face of new foes. Meanwhile, a city beneath the sea might hold the answers needed to uncover the mystery behind a missing Inquisitor. The Deathwatch is needed.

The Emperor Protects contains three separate adventures for the Deathwatch roleplaying game set among the war-torn front lines of an Imperial crusade. Can your imposing Space Marines convince the warrior colony of the Feral World Aurum to join the Imperium? Or will they meet their demise upon the surface of a corrupted Forge World?

Featuring three new adventures, The Emperor Protects is a great way to begin your campaigns in the Deathwatch.

The Price of Hubris—The Kill-team travels to the Feral World of Aurum to win over a fierce and proud warrior culture to join the Imperium. However, alien forces stand between the Space Marines and any hope of victory.

A Stony Sleep—On the hunt for a missing Inquisitor, the Kill-team faces dark enemies and a mysterious city beneath the sea. Can the Kill-team solve the riddle in time to save the heart of the Crusade itself?

The Vigilant Sword—The Deathwatch has discovered a sinister conspiracy with dire consequences for the Jericho Reach. Now, they must prevail upon a corrupted Forge World!

Check out our previews of The Emperor Protects: This Looks Like a Job for the Deathwatch! and A Vigilant Sword. Then, visit drivethrurpg.com or rpgnow.com to download your copy and begin your adventures in the Deathwatch today!

H.B.M.C. wrote:Holy gak... is Blood of Martyrs out? I just got Emperor Protects in the mail last week... or the week before. Anyway, it wasn't long ago.

And if Blood of Martyrs is out, that means Rites of War should be out at pretty much the same time, right?

One specific question for you though endtransmission, once you've had a chance to look through it with a bit more detail:

Does the book have additional ranks/etc. for Ascension level characters? I'm not asking if it's an Ascension-level book, but if it has options/rules/etc. for both levels of play.

I felt that Ascension dropped the ball in a few areas - specifically the Sisters, who were almost all but completely forgotten ("Uhh... yeah... you Sisters can be a Crusader or a Hierophant or something...") and I'm hoping that we'll finally get a bit of Ascension expansion for the one area of Dark Heresy FFG have so far neglected.

endtransmission wrote:There's also an interesting addition to the system, currently only tailored towards Ecclisiarcy teams. The Group can gain access to some common skills through a thing called Cell Directives. Each directive has it's entry requirements and each member must pay the entry price (100-250xp depending), which opens up another set of skills they can purchase from. For example the Hereticus Retinue allows any of the players to also select any of the following skills to buy : Awareness, Common lore (Imperial creed), Dodge, Inquiry, Hatred (Heretics/psykers), Paranoia, Forbidden lore (cults/heresy/inquisition/ordo hereticus/psykers) or Armour of Contempt.

I also asked about Rites of War. They haven't heard anything about a release date from their distributor, so they are expecting sometime in January/February time as those months are also covered by "Winter" as far as their distribution channels are concerned.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Thanks for the answer, even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear.

H.B.M.C. wrote:That's a pretty nifty idea. I really like that actually. I hope we get that in the Malleus book for Daemonhunter cells. Now if only they'd to an AdMech book and give us AdMech themed retinues.

Rogue Trader | Published 14 December 2010 Rating 3 votes
Edge of the Abyss, a detailed guide to the Koronus Expanse for Rogue Trader, has been on sale for more than a month. But for those who have yet to explore the dread mysteries beyond The Maw, we’re pleased to present a guest designer diary from Benn Williams, one of the writers assigned to this remarkable supplement!

Greetings Rogue Trader Fans! Beyond the light of the Astronomicon, the Koronus Expanse is home to many star systems and ancient evils that are far older than mankind. It’s the perfect place for the myriad of Rogue Traders to explore, conquer, and exploit.

Aside from worlds and locations, this book expands on races unique to the Koronus Expanse: the savage Rak’gol and the enigmatic Stryxis. These races help shape and define the Expanse as a place of danger and sinister intrigue, and both GMs and players should find encounters with them to be memorable ones.

Brutal Savages

The Rak’Gol are a brutal race who haunt the darker reaches of the Koronus Expanse. Those who dare speak about them do so in hushed tones; making the sign of the Aquila for protection, as if the mere mention of them draws the attention of these monsters. The Rak’Gol are remorseless killers and hunters, but are all the more terrifying because of their voidships and other relatively advanced technology—while not at the Imperium’s levels, it still makes them a match for most Rogue Traders.

The Rak’Gol are intended to be a “boogie-man” race, something that lurks in the darkness and strikes without warning. One thing that reinforces this is their utter lack of communication. They don’t bargain, they don’t deal, they don’t even acknowledge when someone tries to communicate with them. All this makes them that much more alien; players can’t relate to them on any level. Their vissage—large, eight-limbed creatures covered in pebbly scales and crude armour bolted directly to their flesh—only reinforces this. The Rak’Gol are tough and strong as well. Getting into melee with one is something to be avoided.

Their methods of combat also help reinforce this. The Rak’Gol strike without warning or announcement, their ships springing from asteroid fields or their landers screaming in over a helpless colony to disgorge hordes of bloodthirsty marauders. GMs can use the combination of surprise and sudden, “in your face” brutality to give their players adversaries they won’t forget in a hurry!

Edge of the Abyss also contains interesting information about their society and caste structure, gleaned at great expense by those who have barely survived Rak’Gol assaults. All in all, it provides enough for a GM to craft adventures about a dangerous foe.

Strange Travellers

The Stryxis are a race of nomadic traders who ply the space lanes in caravan-like vessels scavenged from other races. Traversing the Expanse in these ramshackle ships, these xenos ply their wares and peddle secrets and lies. These robed, four-eyed and vaguely canine creatures are shunned by most Emperor-fearing travellers. However, they have travelled the Koronus Expanse long before the coming of the Imperium, and if it’s one thing they will always do, it’s bargain and trade.

The Stryxis fulfil a role almost exactly opposite from the Rak’Gol. Where the latter are brutal, bloodthirsty warriors with whom one cannot negotiate or deal, the Stryxis prefer to do nothing but bargain. They help fill an important role in the Koronus Expanse, a race players can interact with outside of combat. In addition, they can provide players with valuable items, information, and secrets they might have trouble finding elsewhere. Many adventures involving smuggling xenostech could begin with encountering a Stryxis caravan.

However, in their own way, the Stryxis are just as dangerous as the Rak’Gol. They lie and dissimulate endlessly, and are canny and cunning negotiators. If one makes a deal or purchase from the Stryxis, he should never be sure that the obsequious aliens haven’t secretly come out on top. In addition, while they fear strength, they are ever vigilant for weakness. More than a few of their erstwhile trading partners have found themselves suddenly attacked, robbed, or even sold into slavery when they inadvertently made themselves vulnerable. The Stryxis use esoteric weaponry backed up by vat-grown servitor slaves in combat, and many a Rogue Trader’s last mistake was underestimating them.

Thanks Benn! With adventure ideas, location guides, and much more, Edge of the Abyss is an invaluable resource for GMs and players alike. Head to your local retailer or our webstore, then profit from the secrets of the Koronus Expanse!

Alpharius wrote:Dispatch Kill Team to endtransmission's location...

aka_mythos wrote:I tend to agree that FFG didn't like aspects of Black Industries rules, hence the changes. I think the lack acension level SoB, is largely holding out for another book down the line... though I thought for the longest time this was going to be "that" book.

BrookM wrote:This isn't turning into a tin foil hat zone now is it?

H.B.M.C. wrote:For those of you with more money than sense, they're on their way.

FFG wrote:"War is the natural state of man, for it is in battle that he has made his greatest achievements. It is at the heart of every endeavour, and those who claim otherwise are doomed to die on the same swords they decry." - Attributed to St. Drusus.



Beyond the gates of the Maw, savage enemies raise arms against the Imperium. Rogue Traders, backed by the might of the Imperial Navy, must arm their vessels to wrest fortunes from their enemies in bloody warfare!

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Battlefleet Koronus, an upcoming supplement for Rogue Trader! As we first announced in Profit and Plunder, Battlefleet Koronus is an extensive sourcebook about the starships that traverse the Koronus Expanse. With new rules on Nova Cannons, torpedoes, attack crafts, and squadrons, plus new options for outfitting player ships, this book is perfect for players and GMs alike. Battlefleet Koronus also provides a host of enemy starships to challenge Explorers, and it delves into the rich history of the Imperial Navy and Battlefleet Calixis.

In the great darkness beyond the Emperor's light, the enemies of humanity swarm and multiply like vermin. Pirates, renegades and aliens raid from wilderness space and think themselves safe from retribution. They are wrong. The fiery sword of Imperial wrath can descend upon them at any time in the shape of the Imperial Navy, a monumental organisation with the power to shatter star systems and destroy entire civilisations. The innumerable ships and crews of the Imperial Navy, from lumbering battleships to nimble destroyers, are the Imperium’s sword and shield in the war between the stars. Now, that sword and shield turns to face the Koronus Expanse.

For Rogue Traders, the Imperial Navy promises both opportunity and danger. Those who would exploit the Imperium or who seek the lawless frontier for its distance from Imperial eyes see the Navy as a threat. However, for all its titanic power the demands on the fleet are equally vast. Often it falls to just a handful of brave captains on the Imperium frontier's to play a key role in the unending battle for the fate of mankind. For those Rogue Traders willing to ally themselves with the Imperial Navy, vast opportunities for warfare and profit await.

With Battlefleet Koronus, new rules and components allow Explorers to man some of the Expanse's most powerful warships! Take the helm of grand cruisers and battlecruisers and decimate your foes with torpedo salvoes, attack craft wings, and fearsome Nova Cannons. Learn of the Imperial Navy and its squadrons in the Koronus Expanse, the famed Battlefleet Koronus; their ships can prove useful allies, or powerful enemies. Then study the dread warships of vile xenos races and villainous Chaos reavers, the better to know and destroy your foes! Rules for NPC starships and squadron operations make space combat easier to run than ever before; plus, rules for waging ground wars allow you to fight entire campaigns to the final blows!

Later this winter, wage war in the name of profit!

H.B.M.C. wrote:'Bout time they announced this:

FFG wrote:"War is the natural state of man, for it is in battle that he has made his greatest achievements. It is at the heart of every endeavour, and those who claim otherwise are doomed to die on the same swords they decry." - Attributed to St. Drusus.



Beyond the gates of the Maw, savage enemies raise arms against the Imperium. Rogue Traders, backed by the might of the Imperial Navy, must arm their vessels to wrest fortunes from their enemies in bloody warfare!

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Battlefleet Koronus, an upcoming supplement for Rogue Trader! As we first announced in Profit and Plunder, Battlefleet Koronus is an extensive sourcebook about the starships that traverse the Koronus Expanse. With new rules on Nova Cannons, torpedoes, attack crafts, and squadrons, plus new options for outfitting player ships, this book is perfect for players and GMs alike. Battlefleet Koronus also provides a host of enemy starships to challenge Explorers, and it delves into the rich history of the Imperial Navy and Battlefleet Calixis.

In the great darkness beyond the Emperor's light, the enemies of humanity swarm and multiply like vermin. Pirates, renegades and aliens raid from wilderness space and think themselves safe from retribution. They are wrong. The fiery sword of Imperial wrath can descend upon them at any time in the shape of the Imperial Navy, a monumental organisation with the power to shatter star systems and destroy entire civilisations. The innumerable ships and crews of the Imperial Navy, from lumbering battleships to nimble destroyers, are the Imperium’s sword and shield in the war between the stars. Now, that sword and shield turns to face the Koronus Expanse.

For Rogue Traders, the Imperial Navy promises both opportunity and danger. Those who would exploit the Imperium or who seek the lawless frontier for its distance from Imperial eyes see the Navy as a threat. However, for all its titanic power the demands on the fleet are equally vast. Often it falls to just a handful of brave captains on the Imperium frontier's to play a key role in the unending battle for the fate of mankind. For those Rogue Traders willing to ally themselves with the Imperial Navy, vast opportunities for warfare and profit await.

With Battlefleet Koronus, new rules and components allow Explorers to man some of the Expanse's most powerful warships! Take the helm of grand cruisers and battlecruisers and decimate your foes with torpedo salvoes, attack craft wings, and fearsome Nova Cannons. Learn of the Imperial Navy and its squadrons in the Koronus Expanse, the famed Battlefleet Koronus; their ships can prove useful allies, or powerful enemies. Then study the dread warships of vile xenos races and villainous Chaos reavers, the better to know and destroy your foes! Rules for NPC starships and squadron operations make space combat easier to run than ever before; plus, rules for waging ground wars allow you to fight entire campaigns to the final blows!

Later this winter, wage war in the name of profit!

Yay!