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Hey everyone!

So I had a background question concerning the life of psykers in the Imperium. Would it be possible for, say, for an Imperial Guard (or PDF or Arbites or whatever) officer to be a psyker? Or conversely, for a psyker to be an Imperial Guard / Arbites / PDF officer? Could a Psyker be a planetary governor? Has there ever been an example of a sanctioned, permitted psyker going about life like a normal human? Or are they mostly restricted to the professions that psykers are expected to perform in the Imperium, and can't go on to become good authors / regimental commanders / planetary governors / cobblers / whathaveyou.

I think if you're caught as a psyker, you're pretty quickly carted off by the Black Ships. If you're hiding your psychic powers, then if you're caught manifesting them, you'll be carted off, or executed.

Once people know you're a psyker, your life is immediately changed. That's why so many people want to hide their talent, because if they're caught with it, they will be carted off.

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:
I think if you're caught as a psyker, you're pretty quickly carted off by the Black Ships. If you're hiding your psychic powers, then if you're caught manifesting them, you'll be carted off, or executed.

Once people know you're a psyker, your life is immediately changed. That's why so many people want to hide their talent, because if they're caught with it, they will be carted off.

I mean post-sanctioning, sorry that wasn't clear.

If you're a sanctioned psyker, and not fed into the Astronomicon, are you henceforth only allowed to do psyker things? Or could you return home and take command of a newly-raised Guard regiment, or become a best-selling author, or a techpriest (if your home is a Forge World) or something.

Psykers are rare enough, valuable enough, and even after the soul binding, Dangerous Enough that only in exceptional circumstances would one be allowed to do something different to serving in the Astropath / Sanctioned Psyker role.

A particularly gifted psyker may be recruited into the inquisition, but even then, that's still the case of going where the Imperium tells you.

That, of course, goes for most people in the Imperium, psyker or not. You serve where you're told.

RFT wrote:
Psykers are rare enough, valuable enough, and even after the soul binding, Dangerous Enough that only in exceptional circumstances would one be allowed to do something different to serving in the Astropath / Sanctioned Psyker role.

A particularly gifted psyker may be recruited into the inquisition, but even then, that's still the case of going where the Imperium tells you.

That, of course, goes for most people in the Imperium, psyker or not. You serve where you're told.

Ok cool. I was thinking of having an officer in one of my IG regiments be a psyker (a legal, sanctioned one). Not a Primaris Psyker attached from elsewhere, mind you, but an officer who was a noble on the world, returned home from his sanctioning, and then joined the IG as an officer (as nobles do).

I will scrap that idea then, though.

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Hey everyone!

So I had a background question concerning the life of psykers in the Imperium. Would it be possible for, say, for an Imperial Guard (or PDF or Arbites or whatever) officer to be a psyker? Or conversely, for a psyker to be an Imperial Guard / Arbites / PDF officer? Could a Psyker be a planetary governor? Has there ever been an example of a sanctioned, permitted psyker going about life like a normal human? Or are they mostly restricted to the professions that psykers are expected to perform in the Imperium, and can't go on to become good authors / regimental commanders / planetary governors / cobblers / whathaveyou.

Life opportunities of a psyker in the Imperium

- Reveal psychic powers, carted off by Black Ships, used as coal for the fire of the Astronomican.
- Reveal psychic powers, carted off by Black Ships, become a sanctioned psyker. Become either an Astropath or battle psyker.
- Reveal psychic powers, become Inquisitor's aide and potentially one day Inquisitor yourself.
- Reveal psychic powers, summary execution.
- Reveal psychic powers, become a Space Marine Librarian. Later turning to Chaos for more power if desired.
- Hide psychic powers, hunted by the Inquisition, executed.
- Hide psychic powers, hunted by Inquisition, experimented on.
- Hide psychic powers, hunted by Inquisition, become aide to a sympathetic Inquisitor.
- Hide psychic powers, turn to Chaos.
- Be a latent psyker, become a space marine, have this discovered, train as their Astropath, or as a Librarian or be executed or lobotomised. Chaos an option down the line.
- Be one of the most gifted and mentally refined psykers in the Imperium, be recruited by the Grey Knights. You will very probably die. But if you are strong enough to become a Grey Knight, be the literal one in a million, you will spend centuries training and fighting against otherworldly Daemons, and die a gruesome, painful, death and receive as much honour as you possibly can as a human.
- Get possessed by a Daemon
- Soul eaten by a Daemon and your body fused with the still writhing bodies of anyone nearby as you are contorted into a single form to host a Daemon.
- Get eaten by a Daemon

Given that every psyker is a conduit to the warp and has the potential to explode into a pile of demons at any moment, why would you want to go home? All you would be doing is badly endangering the lives of your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and fellow city residents.

Even most operational psykers in the Imperium have bomb collars or attendant executioners to make sure things don't get out of hand.

 Groslon wrote:
Given that every psyker is a conduit to the warp and has the potential to explode into a pile of demons at any moment, why would you want to go home? All you would be doing is badly endangering the lives of your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and fellow city residents.

Even most operational psykers in the Imperium have bomb collars or attendant executioners to make sure things don't get out of hand.

Except for Grey Knights, Librarians, Inquisitors... basically every psyker in 40k unless a Commissar is around?

 Unit1126PLL wrote:

 Groslon wrote:
Given that every psyker is a conduit to the warp and has the potential to explode into a pile of demons at any moment, why would you want to go home? All you would be doing is badly endangering the lives of your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and fellow city residents.

Even most operational psykers in the Imperium have bomb collars or attendant executioners to make sure things don't get out of hand.

Except for Grey Knights, Librarians, Inquisitors... basically every psyker in 40k unless a Commissar is around?

Librarians are Space Marines, they don't operate under the Commissar's chain of command. Good luck when you execute a Space Marine and the chapter demands your head on a spike as payment.

Grey Knights don't exist to the rest of the Imperium. They also outrank everyone else except Custodes, Inquisitors and the Emperor. Also, good luck trying to execute any type of Space Marine. ALSO ALSO if they GK are there, you have bigger problems. Namely a full-fledged Daemonic incursion.

Inquisitors can do as they please. They answer only to the Emperor.

Everyone else obeys the chain of command. So yes, everyone else.

 Unit1126PLL wrote:

 Groslon wrote:
Given that every psyker is a conduit to the warp and has the potential to explode into a pile of demons at any moment, why would you want to go home? All you would be doing is badly endangering the lives of your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and fellow city residents.

Even most operational psykers in the Imperium have bomb collars or attendant executioners to make sure things don't get out of hand.

Except for Grey Knights, Librarians, Inquisitors... basically every psyker in 40k unless a Commissar is around?

Pretty sure they're a minority.

 Deadshot wrote:

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Hey everyone!

So I had a background question concerning the life of psykers in the Imperium. Would it be possible for, say, for an Imperial Guard (or PDF or Arbites or whatever) officer to be a psyker? Or conversely, for a psyker to be an Imperial Guard / Arbites / PDF officer? Could a Psyker be a planetary governor? Has there ever been an example of a sanctioned, permitted psyker going about life like a normal human? Or are they mostly restricted to the professions that psykers are expected to perform in the Imperium, and can't go on to become good authors / regimental commanders / planetary governors / cobblers / whathaveyou.

Life opportunities of a psyker in the Imperium

- Reveal psychic powers, carted off by Black Ships, used as coal for the fire of the Astronomican.
- Reveal psychic powers, carted off by Black Ships, become a sanctioned psyker. Become either an Astropath or battle psyker.
- Reveal psychic powers, become Inquisitor's aide and potentially one day Inquisitor yourself.
- Reveal psychic powers, summary execution.
- Reveal psychic powers, become a Space Marine Librarian. Later turning to Chaos for more power if desired.
- Hide psychic powers, hunted by the Inquisition, executed.
- Hide psychic powers, hunted by Inquisition, experimented on.
- Hide psychic powers, hunted by Inquisition, become aide to a sympathetic Inquisitor.
- Hide psychic powers, turn to Chaos.
- Be a latent psyker, become a space marine, have this discovered, train as their Astropath, or as a Librarian or be executed or lobotomised. Chaos an option down the line.
- Be one of the most gifted and mentally refined psykers in the Imperium, be recruited by the Grey Knights. You will very probably die. But if you are strong enough to become a Grey Knight, be the literal one in a million, you will spend centuries training and fighting against otherworldly Daemons, and die a gruesome, painful, death and receive as much honour as you possibly can as a human.
- Get possessed by a Daemon
- Soul eaten by a Daemon and your body fused with the still writhing bodies of anyone nearby as you are contorted into a single form to host a Daemon.
- Get eaten by a Daemon

You forgot 'warped into a horrible flesh-gate to be used as a beachhead for an Enslaver infestation'!

 Unit1126PLL wrote:

 Groslon wrote:
Given that every psyker is a conduit to the warp and has the potential to explode into a pile of demons at any moment, why would you want to go home? All you would be doing is badly endangering the lives of your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and fellow city residents.

Even most operational psykers in the Imperium have bomb collars or attendant executioners to make sure things don't get out of hand.

Except for Grey Knights, Librarians, Inquisitors... basically every psyker in 40k unless a Commissar is around?

Well, all those minority psykers have an immensely strong force of will, and are trained extensively in their arts. For every basic Space Marine Librarian, there's probably a full regiment of lesser Battle Psykers, who are watched day and night for corruption.

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

 Unit1126PLL wrote:

 Groslon wrote:
Given that every psyker is a conduit to the warp and has the potential to explode into a pile of demons at any moment, why would you want to go home? All you would be doing is badly endangering the lives of your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and fellow city residents.

Even most operational psykers in the Imperium have bomb collars or attendant executioners to make sure things don't get out of hand.

Except for Grey Knights, Librarians, Inquisitors... basically every psyker in 40k unless a Commissar is around?

Well, all those minority psykers have an immensely strong force of will, and are trained extensively in their arts. For every basic Space Marine Librarian, there's probably a full regiment of lesser Battle Psykers, who are watched day and night for corruption.

Well... for battle psykers, yes. But a large part of that is because the stress of battle puts extra strain on their already volatile brains.

Astropaths, Navigators, and the like don't seem to have an on duty executioner watching them 24/7 though. Sure, there are Imperial authorities working with them who won't hesitate (if they're smart) to put a bullet in their brains if they start to become a clear threat, but those people aren't dedicated to watching them 100% of the time.

To answer OP: once you get sanctioned the Administratum basically owns you and decides what you're going to do for the rest of your life based on your apparent skills. So no, generally you're not going to become something mundane like an author or a planetary governor. They're going to put you to work shooting mind bullets or sending brain telegrams across the infinite abyss, because you have a very unique skill set that the entire galaxy spanning empire needs to keep functioning.

I believe Kage turned into a psyker whilst a member of the Imperial Guard in the Last Chancers. I also recall a bit from one of Abnett's books where some evildoers are scouring a world to try and locate Ravenor by his psychic spoor, and detect a handful of unsanctioned back alley psykers hidden away in the process.

 Groslon wrote:
Given that every psyker is a conduit to the warp and has the potential to explode into a pile of demons at any moment, why would you want to go home? All you would be doing is badly endangering the lives of your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and fellow city residents.

Even most operational psykers in the Imperium have bomb collars or attendant executioners to make sure things don't get out of hand.

I never got the impression that astropaths were enslaved like that. They seem quite normal in Eisenhorn. He hires several during the course of the series. The ones in the Cain novels are also living relatively normal lives.

Sure they're an astropath and an astropath till they die, but otherwise they're generally living their lives freely.

The answer is always 'it depends' with a million worlds and a 10,000+ year time frame anything is possible.

Very early RT had people rolling to see if their character was a psyker and I'm pretty sure novels and RPGs have had the Adeptus Mech, the Arbites, planetary governments and others with pet psykers.

The Lords of Mars series for example had a Rogue Trader who forged his warrant. It was very, very well forged and he was good at his job, so the tech priest in charge of the mission then altered the records to make his commission legitimate.

So to go back to your character idea, Lord So-and-So learns his son is a psyker and destined to become food/blind/dead so he cuts a deal. His son is given a real or faked sanctioning and returned to him. Then buys him a commission in the PDF or IG. Now you have an interesting character, with political and psychic power and commanding an army but at risk of turning demon at any moment. Maybe he's a noble soul resisting to the last big of his will. Maybe he's an insane inbreed who scares his own men more than the enemy.

Rules wise he's a primaris psyker but fluff wise a lot more interesting.

 Deadshot wrote:
Librarians are Space Marines, they don't operate under the Commissar's chain of command. Grey Knights don't exist to the rest of the Imperium.

Inquisitors can do as they please.

But the reason these cases are allowed is that they're psykers with a strong enough will that they can stave off posession to begin with. Sanctioned psykers, whether in the IG, marines or inquisition, are those strong enough to resist possession according to whatever standards the IoM uses. Their power as psykers isn't necessarily very strong, but they're not going to fall for some obvious corruption ploy. A Librarian/GK is also going to be watched very carefully by his brothers all the time, brothers who will put him down if he shows too many signs of going off the deep end. An Inquisitor is a bit better off, but he too is likely to have a few henchmen specifically tasked with stopping him if he gets possessed. Anything less would be a dereliction of duty (or radical).

You don't become an Astropath because you show an affinity for it but because you're deemed powerful enough for it with too little protection from the Warp, thus soul-binding you to the Emperor to shield you and make you useful.

Spetulhu wrote:

 Deadshot wrote:
Librarians are Space Marines, they don't operate under the Commissar's chain of command. Grey Knights don't exist to the rest of the Imperium.

Inquisitors can do as they please.

But the reason these cases are allowed is that they're psykers with a strong enough will that they can stave off posession to begin with. Sanctioned psykers, whether in the IG, marines or inquisition, are those strong enough to resist possession according to whatever standards the IoM uses. Their power as psykers isn't necessarily very strong, but they're not going to fall for some obvious corruption ploy. A Librarian/GK is also going to be watched very carefully by his brothers all the time, brothers who will put him down if he shows too many signs of going off the deep end. An Inquisitor is a bit better off, but he too is likely to have a few henchmen specifically tasked with stopping him if he gets possessed. Anything less would be a dereliction of duty (or radical).

You don't become an Astropath because you show an affinity for it but because you're deemed powerful enough for it with too little protection from the Warp, thus soul-binding you to the Emperor to shield you and make you useful.

No, the reason these cases are allowed is because of politics and rank.

A sanctioned Astropath or battle psyker could be three times as strong willed or powerful as any given Inquisitor or Librarian. A Librarian or Inq might be barely classable as a psyker, able to get the odd vision of what his rival is having for dinner or the next month's lottery numbers.

A human is sanctioned for their strength of mind and a genuine ability to resist the Warp, to a degree. A Librarian also has that strength and conviction as judged by his mentors and superiors. But Space Marines have brotherhood and personal ties between battle brothers can mean more than duty. Its how you get Sorceror Lords. Librarians are trusted leaders and advisors, and a Librarian isn't going to be quickly put down unless his brothers are damn sure he's lost.

A battle psyker or Astropath just have to have the misfortune of saying the wrong word or having the wrong face, for the right Commissar to declare him a risk and put him down. And no one would care if the Commissar was wrong, because he's always right. As a Guardsman, if the Commissar tells you that Primaris was about to explode or do some other dirty sorceror to besmudge the Emperor's Finest, there is no question there.

Inquisitors are a completely different kettle of fish. They are self-governed and it all depends on whether the Inquisitor in the moment feels like it. If they decide that you're good enough, even if they know, you know, and his pet Jokaero knows, that you aren't, then you are. Likewise, you could be the strongest and most mentally competant psyker there ever was. An ultra-conservative Hereticus Inqusitor is still going to order your death and its going to probably involve literal burning at the stake.


Grey Knights are also a different kettle of fish. You don't even get considered unless you are the top 0.0001% of incorruptible psykers. You don't make it in the front door unless you are the top 0.00000001% of that 0.0001%. And you will never pass the trials and become a Grey Knight unless you are the top 0.0000000000000000000001% of that 0.00000001% of that 0.0001%. Plus then you have all the normal Space Marine mental fortification and physical upgrades. And the whole "no one knows they exist until they get there," thing. No one has the authority to execute a GK except another GK, and if a GK would ever need executing, he would not even last long enough to begin the training.

Inquisitors are a completely different kettle of fish. They are self-governed and it all depends on whether the Inquisitor in the moment feels like it. If they decide that you're good enough, even if they know, you know, and his pet Jokaero knows, that you aren't, then you are. Likewise, you could be the strongest and most mentally competant psyker there ever was. An ultra-conservative Hereticus Inqusitor is still going to order your death and its going to probably involve literal burning at the stake.

Very well said. In the Ravenor books...



Plus how good are the Imperium's tests? Yeah they must be OK since after 10,000 years they're still around. But they can't consistent across a million worlds. Sure on this world they might give you CAT scans and psy probes but on that world...

They check you for devil horns, ask if you renounce the works of daemons and that about covers it. And the other world...

You there, you have green eyes, y'know who else has green eyes? WITCHES! Get me the flame thrower.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
So to go back to your character idea, Lord So-and-So learns his son is a psyker and destined to become food/blind/dead so he cuts a deal. His son is given a real or faked sanctioning and returned to him. Then buys him a commission in the PDF or IG. Now you have an interesting character, with political and psychic power and commanding an army but at risk of turning demon at any moment. Maybe he's a noble soul resisting to the last big of his will. Maybe he's an insane inbreed who scares his own men more than the enemy.

Rules wise he's a primaris psyker but fluff wise a lot more interesting.

Yoink! - if I stick a primaris psyker into my army, I know what fluff I'll be using. My thanks!

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:

You there, you have green eyes, y'know who else has green eyes? WITCHES! Get me the flame thrower.

Quoted because this was a genuine thing during the witch hunting days of the middle ages.

"YOU! You write with your left hand! Y'know who else does that? All the other Witches we burned because you're all devil worshipping Demon-whores! Burn her men, burn her!"

Middle ages?

Something like a 1000 people in India have been killed for witch craft in the last decade...

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Middle ages?

Something like a 1000 people in India have been killed for witch craft in the last decade...

Sorry mate, news of far eastern countries doesn't reach Northern Ireland. We have our own religion based issues to contend with. The only way that news is gonna reach this Puritan hell-hole is if an Arab is the one doing the killing. And by "Arab" I mean ISIS obviously.*


*Disclaimer: Above post is satirical attack on my own country's backward politics and mindsets towards the wider world and current events.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:

So to go back to your character idea, Lord So-and-So learns his son is a psyker and destined to become food/blind/dead so he cuts a deal. His son is given a real or faked sanctioning and returned to him. Then buys him a commission in the PDF or IG. Now you have an interesting character, with political and psychic power and commanding an army but at risk of turning demon at any moment. Maybe he's a noble soul resisting to the last big of his will. Maybe he's an insane inbreed who scares his own men more than the enemy.

Damn that's a cool idea

Kid_Kyoto wrote:The answer is always 'it depends' with a million worlds and a 10,000+ year time frame anything is possible.

Very early RT had people rolling to see if their character was a psyker and I'm pretty sure novels and RPGs have had the Adeptus Mech, the Arbites, planetary governments and others with pet psykers.

The Lords of Mars series for example had a Rogue Trader who forged his warrant. It was very, very well forged and he was good at his job, so the tech priest in charge of the mission then altered the records to make his commission legitimate.

So to go back to your character idea, Lord So-and-So learns his son is a psyker and destined to become food/blind/dead so he cuts a deal. His son is given a real or faked sanctioning and returned to him. Then buys him a commission in the PDF or IG. Now you have an interesting character, with political and psychic power and commanding an army but at risk of turning demon at any moment. Maybe he's a noble soul resisting to the last big of his will. Maybe he's an insane inbreed who scares his own men more than the enemy.

Rules wise he's a primaris psyker but fluff wise a lot more interesting.

Kid_Kyoto wrote:

Inquisitors are a completely different kettle of fish. They are self-governed and it all depends on whether the Inquisitor in the moment feels like it. If they decide that you're good enough, even if they know, you know, and his pet Jokaero knows, that you aren't, then you are. Likewise, you could be the strongest and most mentally competant psyker there ever was. An ultra-conservative Hereticus Inqusitor is still going to order your death and its going to probably involve literal burning at the stake.

Very well said. In the Ravenor books...

Spoiler:

Ravenor is a high end pskyer but his right hand man is LITERALLY possessed by a demon over the course of several books and Ravenor never notices. Or turns a blind eye to it. Meh we all make mistakes amirite?

Plus how good are the Imperium's tests? Yeah they must be OK since after 10,000 years they're still around. But they can't consistent across a million worlds. Sure on this world they might give you CAT scans and psy probes but on that world...

They check you for devil horns, ask if you renounce the works of daemons and that about covers it. And the other world...

You there, you have green eyes, y'know who else has green eyes? WITCHES! Get me the flame thrower.

You may not be the only one to love this idea.

That's a fantastic idea, Kid_Kyoto, but do you think it'd be appropriate to use an Inquisitor psyker?

The only reason I am looking at using an Inquisitor psyker is because nobles on Concordia (my homebrew homeworld :3) have Household Guards, like sworn bodyguards, who have their tongues cut out so they can never question the noble's commands (and it's tradition, nevermind the disadvantages in combat from being unable to communicate!) so I was thinking the Acolyte's bodyguard rules, plus weird wargear and squad numbers, might make excellent Household Guards even if they're not the most points-efficient thing in the game right now.

The story for your officer seems quite plausible, if rare. He does not even need a fake sanctioning. Psykers are quite well spread throughout the Imperium, though they are probably the most monitored minority due to the threat they cause. Let's grab the evidence first:

Ffg rpg DH 1ed page 74:
"The minority (of psykers) who do pass the rigorous sanctioning tests are reprieved and selected to serve the Imperium in some other vocation. Some will serve the Adeptus Astra Telepathica as an astropath. An even smaller minority [...] are sent out to fill numerous roles throughout the Imperium. This could be as indentured servants of high-ranking lords within the Administratum, battlefield psykers..."

Ffg rpg DH 2ed page 50:
"Those (psykers) who do not serve the Adeptus Astra Telepathica directly find themselves fulfilling duties elsewhere, as there is always demand for sanctioned psykers. [...] they might find relative safety ensconced in the palaces of planetary governors, a novelty for the idle nobility"

The schola psykana trains more then primaris psykers and astropaths. Divination and biomancy psykers are of great use in various adeptus institutions. Sector governor hax (Calixis sector) has a telcnetic psyker bodyguard. As stated above some nobility uses private psykers. The above mentioned sources also mentions psykers who becomes teachers, probably to other psykers, but also likely to the schola progetium. Commissars in training should probably encounter a psyker during their education after all, so psyker teachers might be usefull.

So about your idea to have an officer be a psyker I figure it would probably be relatively easy for a noble born psyker who (through briebery or connections) passes the test to make it back and "serve" his family. If they're a military family then he could probably make it to the guards. It might even be the worlds custom to have psykers as military leaders.

Final note though: all sources stresses the scrutiny of psykers. They are constantly watched no matter where they are stationed, and most people are predjudice and feel ill at ease around them. With very good reason. Someone that can read your thoughts, randomly drops the temperature in your room and may or may not increase mutations around him would probably be someone you wouldn't want to hang around. The Imperial Guard and the Imperial navy use Commissar for this purpose. I'm not sure what the other adeptus use, but the Administratum must have a special assigned psyker watcher unit. Keep in mind this is not the Inquisitions field, they're more intrested in rouge or unsanctioned psykers, not routine maintainance. So to counteract the negative emotions the troops must feel about your officer I'd suggest adding a priest and a Commissar to the unit. Just for background purposes. Priests are great for making other people like you more.

Edit: I did try to mention the Inquisition as little as possible in the above post to show possible non Inquisition orientated psyker fates.

Edit 2: Kid_Kyoto exalted