Eumerin wrote:The problem is - what if you want to play a particularly devout scholar who happens to be something other than a member of the Sororitas?

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Eumerin wrote:The problem is - what if you want to play a particularly devout scholar who happens to be something other than a member of the Sororitas?

Why do you need rules for that? It's a role playing game. You get out what you put in. If you want to play a devout scholar... then do so! The Adept is a pretty broad character as far as what he can study from Scholastic/Common/Forbidden Lores, and if you want Faith-based abilities well that's what Elite Advances are for.

Eumerin wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Eumerin wrote:The problem is - what if you want to play a particularly devout scholar who happens to be something other than a member of the Sororitas?

Why do you need rules for that? It's a role playing game. You get out what you put in. If you want to play a devout scholar... then do so! The Adept is a pretty broad character as far as what he can study from Scholastic/Common/Forbidden Lores, and if you want Faith-based abilities well that's what Elite Advances are for.

The same can be said for the "heretical" tech-priest and the guardsman with Faith abilities.

Given the importance of devout scholarship throughout history - as I mentioned above - I would have expected at least a nod toward the concept. But the book seems to completely ignore the concept - except as you've already noted on the part of the Sororitas.

andrewm9 wrote:Faith as in what he Sororitas have is pretty dang rare outside of the Sororitas. Not every faithful person will have those abilities. Sisters have no doubts; it’s what makes them a little crazy. Their faith is absolute and it makes them virtually incorruptible. It’s why blasphemous tomes can be given to the Dialogous to study and they won't join the Archenemy. I'm not saying it can't be found amongst other people, but Sisters get more than a little brainwashing I think. For every actual Sister there are probably a dozen or more who didn't make the cut and were sent to some other area of Imperial service. Faith abilities are by no means common amongst the general population of the Imperium. That said what other posters have said is correct. There is nothing stopping you from giving (or taking) those abilities as elite advances for exceptional candidates. In the Inquisitor's Handbook there is even a Cleric alternate advance called the Black Priest of Maccabeus that grants access to some of them. Hierophants in Ascension also get access to them as well.

What I'm saying is that it is very rare and that faith abilities outside of those things should be bought as elite advances as a result. They shouldn't be commonplace. Its one of the reasons why the IH cautions people about using the Sororitas career as it is powerful.

Jaon wrote:Ok sorry to be SLIIGHTLY off topic, but Im finding it really hard to follow this thread, what exactly is this 40k rpg, is it a table top game or? or video game or do you play by yourself? Can someone give me like a rundown on what its all about? Do you have a single character to buy or?! so conused D:!

Jaon wrote:Ok sorry to be SLIIGHTLY off topic, but Im finding it really hard to follow this thread, what exactly is this 40k rpg, is it a table top game or? or video game or do you play by yourself? Can someone give me like a rundown on what its all about? Do you have a single character to buy or?! so conused D:!

BaronIveagh wrote:

Jaon wrote:Ok sorry to be SLIIGHTLY off topic, but Im finding it really hard to follow this thread, what exactly is this 40k rpg, is it a table top game or? or video game or do you play by yourself? Can someone give me like a rundown on what its all about? Do you have a single character to buy or?! so conused D:!

Wow, someone who's never heard of pencil and paper gaming, and yet plays a tabletop wargame...

You, my friend, are a rarity.

Look up Dungeons and Dragons for the more or less Ur example of this type of gaming. (except for 4e. it's an abomination against gaming)

This week I’d like to take a moment to talk about the recently released adventure for Rogue Trader - The Frozen Reaches.



The Frozen Reaches is the first of a three-part adventure series - The Warpstorm Trilogy. As befits a game like Rogue Trader, The Warpstorm Trilogy is an epic series of adventures that sees Rogue Traders and their crews undertaking actions that have dire ramifications for the Koronus Expanse and all who live there.

The adventure begins on the prosperous world of Damaris, a rare gem of civilization amongst the Expanse’s wilderness. A flourishing colony world with strong ties to the Imperium, Damaris falls under the threat of invasion from a massive Ork fleet. With their own planetary defence forces insufficient to defeat the threat, Damaris calls for aid from Rogue Traders and others across the Expanse. Should the Explorers answer the call, they will need to take command of the disparate defenders and lead them to victory, while ensuring a rich return on investment.

The Frozen Reaches illustrates many different aspects of a Rogue Trader game, but two primary focuses are diplomacy and leadership. In this adventure, the Explorers are the equals of each other major player on Damaris. They shouldn’t expect to show up in orbit and receive clear and unequivocal orders telling them what to do. Instead, they’ll be confronted by squabbling factions driven by rivalry and conflicting goals. If Damaris is to have any chance of success, the Explorers are going to have to broker deals, play the peacemaker, and likely assume a leadership role in the planet’s defence.



As the adventure continues, the Explorers may well find themselves in command of an entire planet’s defensive forces, required to deploy and lead them in battle against the Ork menace. Again, the Explorers are the ones in charge, and it’ll ultimately be up to them whether Damaris lives or dies. Their actions determine whether they’ll be known as heroes, the saviors of Damaris, or if they’ll slink into the void, their holds loaded with a doomed planet’s spoils as the world burns behind them.

Of course, even if they manage to wipe out the Ork threat, that’s by no means the end of the adventure. In the final act, new allies and enemies reveal themselves, setting the stage for Part II, the Citadel of Skulls.

Aids to Profit
As an addition to this designer diary, we’d like to provide some additional downloads.

First are the Expanded Origin Path (pdf, 392 KB) and Ship and Warrant Path (pdf, 380 KB) from Into the Storm, provided as a pdf for easy use and printout. In addition, you’ll find The Frozen Reach‘s Achievement Point Tracker (pdf, 300 KB), a useful tool for determining the success of this endeavor.

And tune in next time, when we discuss the next exciting supplement coming out for Rogue Trader, Battlefleet Koronus!

reds8n wrote:New from FFG :

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/deathwatch/minisite/support/deathwatch-errata-v1.pdf

chaplaingrabthar wrote:Liking the look of Deathwatch and the supplements. Might have to accost someone and look at their copy. Much more excited about Frozen Reaches and the Rogue Trader stuff though, especially the forthcoming Battlefleet book. I want an RPG I can tie into BFG campaigns.

Warships and Warfare


Hello Rogue Traders!

This week we’d like to take a minute to talk about the upcoming Rogue Trader book, Battlefleet Koronus.

Battlefleet Koronus is Rogue Trader’s comprehensive source for information on voidships and more. From new components and rules, to new adversaries, to rules for waging wars and running NPC starships, Battlefleet Koronus is an essential addition to any Rogue Trader’s library.

We’ll be talking about each aspect of this book in depth in the coming weeks. However, this week let’s start by looking at three new types of components incredibly useful for warships—torpedo tubes, launch bays, and Nova Cannons.

Torpedoes

While the “go-to” weapons of voidships in the 41st Millennium are macro-batteries and lances, warships often carry more potent firepower. For example, Imperial Navy warships often rely on salvos of torpedoes to destroy their opponents. Roughly sixty metres long and equipped with a powerful plasma warhead able to punch through the toughest warship armour, torpedoes are guided by a crude and murderous machine-spirit. Ships often launch them in salvos of up to half a dozen, and once launched they use a variety of sensors to locate potential targets and alter course for interception (and destruction). Though they are technically guided, their limited augur range means in stellar terms, they are line of effect weapons. However, even the threat of a torpedo salvo is enough to scatter opposing squadrons and throw battle lines into disarray.

In Rogue Trader, torpedoes are far more costly than macrocannon shells or lance generators, which is why fewer Rogue Traders use them. In game terms, they occupy the distinction of being one of the few starship weapons for which ammo (individual torpedo tubes) must be purchased and accounted for. However, this also allows for additional customization—as there are multiple types of torpedo warheads and guidance systems. Explorers can utilize plasma torpedoes, melta torpedoes, virus torpedoes, or even the dreaded vortex torpedoes.



Attack Craft

Like torpedoes, attack craft are often limited to the Imperial Navy, due to the considerable costs of maintaining large squadrons of starfighters and bombers. However, for those Rogue Traders able to afford it, attack craft prove a potent weapon in one’s arsenal.

The principle advantage of attack craft is their versatility. Their range means they can strike targets well out of reach of a macrobattery or lance, and their independence means they can pursue targets on their own volition. Once launched, their carrier can pursue other targets, while the attack craft hunt down their chosen foe.

However, attack craft do have one significant trade-off. The space required for hanger bays is often immense—starships find they often have to sacrifice the options for other weapons in order to carry them. Often, this makes a carrier without its attack craft a tempting target.

There are three main types of attack craft: fighters, bombers, and assault boats. Fighters, such as the Imperial Fury, are relatively small space-going craft, with a small crew and anti-attack craft weaponry. Multiple banks of lascannons and triple-linked plasma cannons can do little to harm a voidship, but can tear through other attack craft. Thus, a starfighter’s job is two-fold, intercepting enemy attack craft and escorting friendly bombers and assault boats to their target.

Bombers such as the Imperial Starhawk are slow and lumbering, with a large payload of anti-ship krak bombs and plasma missiles. Their weapons are too cumbersome to be used against starfighters, but can do immense damage to larger warships. Thus, bombers are almost exclusively deployed against voidships.

Assault boats such as the Imperial Shark also attack voidships, but their payload is raiders and soldiers, rather than bombs. These attack craft affix themselves to the hull of an enemy voidship and disgorge hordes of crack troops into its vitals. They do as much damage as possible with bombs and sabotage before fleeing back to the assault boats and escaping.

Nova Cannons

One of the most fearsome weapons in a voidship’s arsenal is the dreaded Nova Cannon. Unwieldy, slow to fire, and expensive to utilize, they are nevertheless sought avidly by those Rogue Traders wealthy enough to afford one. The reason is simply because even a near miss by a Nova Cannon can cripple a ship. A direct hit can crack a voidship’s hull in half.

Using gravimetric impellers, Nova Cannons fire potent warheads at near-relativistic speeds over immense distances. The target has almost no time to react—the warhead can detonate only seconds after they detect the firing. However, the detonation of the warhead must be carefully timed. Too soon or too late, and the warhead explodes harmlessly far from the target.

Even more so than torpedoes, Nova Cannon ammunition is hideously expensive, and requires purchase. In addition, the weapons fire slowly and have a fixed minimum range (too close and they could easily destroy their own ship). However, when one has enough firepower to scour the face of a planet, one tends to see such concerns as trivial.

While these weapons are certainly powerful, they are merely tools, and it takes a clever Explorer to use them to full effect. But what other ships, weapons, and tactics will complete.

H.B.M.C. wrote:The fleet's almost here:

Warships and Warfare


Hello Rogue Traders!

This week we’d like to take a minute to talk about the upcoming Rogue Trader book, Battlefleet Koronus.quote]

H.B.M.C. wrote:More like let slip the Nova Cannons of war. I really hope this one gives us lots of stats for the bigger ships. Once we have those the game can expand outwards from 'Rogue Trader' and you can easily play a came as a Fleet Admiral.

Cross the Stars and fight for glory
But 'ware the heaven's wrath.
Take yer salt and hear a shipmen's story.
Listen to the tales of the gulf,
Of stars that sing and worlds that lie
Beyond the ghosts of the rim.
But remember, lads, there aint no words
For every void-born thing.

Miss Dee wrote:I like "What does god want with a starship?"