Where are Astropaths in Imperial society?

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.

**Kid_Kyoto**

So Navigators are a form of sanctioned mutants who've formed houses and have vast wealth, independence and power in the Imperium.

What about Astrophaths? Are they little more than valued slaves? Property of the Imperial agency or trading house that employs them? Or do they have some freedom and independence?

Or does it get a big ole, it depends?

**Hunterindarkness**

I guess it depends upon the sector or the guy writing the fluff. I myself think they are a bit to valuable to treat awful, they are at best tolerated, but do you really want to overly mistreat the guys who must delver your secret or important messages?

I do not think they have any real independence, any more then most pyskers. They are tools of the admin and by default both property and employes of the admin.

**Harriticus**

Astropaths are different from Navigators in that preforming their roles quickly kills them. Most astropaths only last a few years, many that are sent to the Emperor only last a day. Because they're such a short-lived class, they can't develop wealth or influence.

**Psienesis**

Astropaths are the weakest form of the "viable psykers" who are sent to Terra aboard the Black Ships. Anything weaker and you're fed to the God-Emperor of Mankind, to the tune of a thousand of you a day.

Once their sanctioning is complete, the Astropath is sent to where he or she would be best used. Though their lives are generally short, they can last several to many years as part of an Astropathic Choir, where they all share the burden of sending and receiving the messages, and so suffer burn-out at a much less rapid pace. Still, because they're psykers, and kept around because they're intergalactic telegraph stations, you won't find one become wealthy, or mingling with Imperial society in general, as most average Imperial citizens hate and fear psykers.

**Kanluwen**

Psienesis wrote:Astropaths are the weakest form of the "viable psykers" who are sent to Terra aboard the Black Ships. Anything weaker and you're fed to the God-Emperor of Mankind, to the tune of a thousand of you a day.

No. Astropaths--like any form of psyker--are varying in their "power" levels.

The Astropathic Choirs, etc are fairly important to the Imperium. Without Astropaths, there would be no reliable communication between the distant parts of the Imperium--and even with Astropaths it's fairly unreliable.
But yeah. They're fairly important. Not Navigator important, but not discarded carelessly or treated poorly.

**Kid_Kyoto**

So something like slaves in gilded cages then?

**Hunterindarkness**

Astropaths are created from strong psykers who lack the ability to control it. Not as powerful as those that become sanctioned psykers but not weak by any means. After binding they can also grow in power, like most psykers.

**Kanluwen**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:So something like slaves in gilded cages then?

Pretty much.

The more powerful and reliable the Astropath's abilities--the more status they(and their owner) would likely be able to garner.

**Hunterindarkness**

Well the more powerful, normally the more powerful/deadly the master is, yes. You would really, really have to call in some chips or thrones to have a super powerful astropath and have a need for such.

After all, a Powerful Astropath is as dangerous as any other powerful Psyker. The only difference is they are more likely to feth over your mind then simply melt you.

**Kaldor**

Kanluwen wrote:They're fairly important. Not Navigator important, but not discarded carelessly or treated poorly.

I'd say they are at least as important as Navigators. Without astropaths there could be no interstellar communication, and without any communication the entire Imperium would collapse in a matter of weeks.

**Hunterindarkness**

Yeah you can actually do warp runs without a nav. short, short ones, but it can and has been done.

**shamroll**

From the book "Battle of the Fang" there is a small section describing part of an Astropaths day just before they are all killed by Magnus. It appears that Astropaths that survive seeing the light of the Emperor, which is what blinds their physical eyes, are sent off to serve on whatever planet needs them. They live and sleep like normal workers for the most part but being an Astropath does make them die rather quickly because of the energy it takes to do what they do.

It also appears that their can be Servitor like astropaths. In the Ultramarines book "Killing Ground" the Grey Knights intercept an astropath transmission with what sounded like a servitor astropath attached to another servitor that wrote down everything the first one said, and a third gun servitor watched them both in case they became possessed.

This is all from 2 books so it could not be representative of all astropaths.

**Hunterindarkness**

Although its not GW, some of the FFG books cover Astropaths nicely.

**Spetulhu**

shamroll wrote:This is all from 2 books so it could not be representative of all astropaths.

The third book in the Enforcer series takes place entirely within the Hydraphur system astropath base.

Spoiler:

**SagesStone**

Kanluwen wrote:
Psienesis wrote:Astropaths are the weakest form of the "viable psykers" who are sent to Terra aboard the Black Ships. Anything weaker and you're fed to the God-Emperor of Mankind, to the tune of a thousand of you a day.

No. Astropaths--like any form of psyker--are varying in their "power" levels.

The Astropathic Choirs, etc are fairly important to the Imperium. Without Astropaths, there would be no reliable communication between the distant parts of the Imperium--and even with Astropaths it's fairly unreliable.
But yeah. They're fairly important. Not Navigator important, but not discarded carelessly or treated poorly.

Varying in their own range really, if they are strong enough to be able to fight with their powers they go to a different role so as not to waste them. Thus they are still the weakest form of viable psykers, even though they do vary in power which will mostly come in the form of how long they can last before it kills them.

I think they'd be treated like guests of the governor or whoever owns them. In the case of the Inquisition War I remember one having their own room within the Governor's palace. They may be slaves of sorts, but they are useful and valuable ones. More or less they are probably a member of staff and treated with some respect.

**warrior lord**

as physics the are at the top of the bottom if you get my jist

**KamikazeCanuck**

Astropaths are valuable but not anywhere as valuable as Navigators. Only members of the Navigator subspecies can be Navigators. Theoretically any Psyker can be an Astropath. Though in practice a certain aptitude is required and the fortitude to survive the soul binding.

**Yori**

Most of them indeed die rather quickly as mentioned above, however the more powerful and influential ones do get rejuvenating procedures and can live quite a bit serving as acolytes and personal advisers or savants to inquisitors, rogue traders, military officers, politicians and so on.
And on some places they are treated with a lot of respect as they have visited Holy Terra and having seen the light of the Emperor.

**d-usa**

The Eisenhorn books also give some good insight in the relationships with Astropaths.