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  Does anyone know of any stats (in any GW game system) for Illuminati?  They're described in some detail in Ian Watson's Inquisition War trilogy, but I wondered if there are rules anywhere (even for Inquisitor or older versions of 40K).  Thanks. 

to my knowledge there are no rules for the illuminati.

i also believe they were "written off" in the newer fluff. or at least not mentioned...

If you can get your hands on the Realms of Chaos books, ther may be something in there.

Can any RoC owners illuminate (heh) us?

Posted By jlmb_123 on 05/20/2007 7:43 AM
If you can get your hands on the Realms of Chaos books, ther may be something in there.

Can any RoC owners illuminate (heh) us?

  Nah, the first one has rules for World Eaters, Emperor's Children, Black Legion, and Ordo Malleus.  The second one has rules for Death Guard, Thousand Sons, and Sensei Adventurer Bands. 

There were never rules for the Illuminati.

Two basic plot threads though. Both have been casually hand waved away for conveneience when the 40K fluff writers moved to a brain-in-neutral policy.

1. The Sensei. These are descendants of the Emperor, his actual physical children. They all hold two things in common first clinical immortality and secondly they have a total psychic immunity, and therefore no psychic powers of their own. Their opsychic null statyus has some of the advantages of a Culexus assassin but none of the social impairments. They are all very striking people. Sensei tend towards quiet independant leadership roles and try to shut themslves and their well governed followrs away. Theyare found amongst high in the Inquisition, some are noted ship captains, or Rogue Traders, occasionally planetary governors. Only one is labelled by title if not by name Captain Eternal, a Space Marine Captain who has his own company and his own cruiser and travels the galaxy 'boldly going'.
Bercause of their psycic bnull nature the Emperor is unaware of them. he Illuminati are not.

2. The Illuminati. hese are a specific subset of Inquisitors and Inquisitorialm allies, who are ultimately answerable only to each other. No matter their status within the Imperial heirarchy a less Illuminmati will defer to thr senior. Hence Inquisitors, despite having more defacto power, do not run the orgnisation.
There is only ONE way to join the Illuminati, and that is to be possessed by a greater daemon, and ordeinary daemon wont do, and then be promptly exorcised before the body is corrupted. The principle being that once a greater daemon has personally marked you you can only be possessed by that daemon, no other can influence you. Also the momentary (or at most brief) bonding of minds gives the inductee a whole new insight into the cosmic balance, and thereby a lasting urgency and commitment to fight the forces of chaos.
In one of the books Jaq Draco was inducted into this order, as normal he wasn't told what the procedures were, or even what he could be entitled to join afterwards. Consequently he resisted even after he 'qualified'. This is a rare case, most are overwhelmed by the revelation of chaos that they sign up and aghree to fight it.
The Illuminati is a 'by all means necessary' body, not just in its recruitment techniques. Hence their interest in the Sensei. The Illuminati are identifying tracking and befriending Sensei, but this is a ruse. When (they dont conasider it an if) the will or the Emperor fails before he has completed his great work they intend to sacrifice all the Sensei in a single ritual to renew the Emperor as a Sensei-Emperor.
The Illuminati have also identified and quantified the Emperors great work too. Which is to hang on until enough humans are stable psykers, Librarian or Inquisitor levels of power in the bulk of humanity as a whole. Then the human race will be strong enough to survive and resist the warp and will enter the state the Eldar occupied before the rise of Slaanesh. The number of Librarian worthy psykers is growing staedily, but not at sufficient rate to count as a new evolution in humanity. Once this is so the Emperor will let go and allow himself to fade into the warp.
The renewal of the Emperor as Sensei-Emperor when the time comes is one of the central goals of the Illuminati, their own contribution to ensuring that the Emperors great work is completed.

I hope you can read that, speed typing leads to awful errors.

Oh, I can read it. I'm pretty well-aquainted with the fluff. I was just wondering if they ever did any rules. I suppose that posting in the "Fluff for Nutters" sections might not have been the best place for that, but somehow I figured the Sensei/Illuminati fans would congregate here, which seems to be the case.

you know in all the two years of 40k books (sereously for two years other then my english books all iv read is 40k) iv niever herd this sounds intersting what book did you find this... i must read it.

thanks for posting that Orlanth, saved me asking who the illuminati were. Very helpful. Never heard of it before now. Serves me right for refusing to read any 40K material that does not have space marines in it

This all comes from the Rogue Trader days (Ist generation 40k). It has been omitted from the current fluff. That's why its not so comonly known these days.

I'm prettty sure I've still got one of the Realms of chaos books somewhere - need to dig it out.

The main source is Ian Watson's "Inquisition War" trilogy (Inquisitor/Draco, Harlequin, and Chaos Child). I don't think there's anything in the Realm of Chaos books, but I'm not positive about that.

I believe that there is a Marine chapter that, though not labeled as Illuminati byb GW, are in fact Illuminati in that they have all been possessed by daemons and fought them off.  The Exorcists, they were called.  Hmmmm, were there ever rules for the Exorcists?

There were brief descriptions in the Realm of Chaos books. I don't think there were ever rules.

IIRC there was something about them in the Sensei Warbands, sensei could get rewards like chaos rewards and I think one was joining the Illuminati. Maybe it let them take Eldar allies? But all this is hazy...

They could always take Eldar as members of their adventuring band, IIRC. Squats, too (of course!). I'll double-check it when I get home, though.

There were "limited" rules in the Realms of Chaos books.  The one that detailed Nurgle.  His picture is on the cover.  I remember, because I loved the idea at the time.  You could only build a "warband" of them, but could include almost any miniature from any race.  They were natural leaders, so they could attract any followers.

The Illuminati were just "rogue" Inquisitors that were hunting the children of the Emperor so they could kill them all at once.  They are mentioned in the Inquisitor game, but they don't have special rules.  They just have a unique doctirne.

I really wish GW had not done away with the fluff.  I really liked the idea of good Deamons, as well as children of the Emperor.

The Illuminati want to sacrifice all the Sensei at once in order to kick start the Emperor's regeneration. In the meantime the Sensei are running around fighting the good fight, according to the fluff in the Lost and the Damned, even at times causing hardened chaos heroes to renounce chaos and join their band in the battle against their former patrons.

If some of the better writers for Black Library elaborated on the Sensei/Illuminati story, it would be a great set of books.

Okay, I checked the Slaves to Darkness, and there is indeed some additional fluff on the Illuminati there, but alas, no rules. It also mentions Grey Sensei, Sensei who have turned to Chaos!
Illuminati aren't necessarily members of the Inquisition (though some are), they are simply people who have fought off daemonic possession.
The www.armageddon3.com/English/Campaign/Troops/exorcists.html page over at the Armageddon3 site indicate that Space Marine Illuminati's "adrenal production more than tripled and levels of the neurotransmitter Serotonin dropped drastically, resulting in heightened states of aggression and combat effectiveness."
Of course, psykers are more likely to be possessed than other folks, so here is the direction I'm leaning:
The typical Illuminati will be a psyker, but with some sort of skill representing his aggression. Something along the lines of +1 WS and, if in WH40K, the Furious Charge skill. If in Necromunda or similar system, perhaps they could simply havce access to Ferocity skills. Or perhaps hatred / preferred enemy towards daemons?

The Marines of the Exorcists underwent a process known as Daemonic Possession Therapy. Each Marine was, under very tight security, subject to posession by a minor denizen of the Warp. The creature was allowed to remain within the host body for twelve hours until they were cast out by a Daemon Hunter. Some of the Marines were so damaged physically and psycologically that they had to be terminated. Most however survived and needed only minor reconstructive surger

Posted By Sgt.Roadkill on 05/25/2007 2:16 AM
The Marines of the Exorcists underwent a process known as Daemonic Possession Therapy. Each Marine was, under very tight security, subject to posession by a minor denizen of the Warp. The creature was allowed to remain within the host body for twelve hours until they were cast out by a Daemon Hunter. Some of the Marines were so damaged physically and psycologically that they had to be terminated. Most however survived and needed only minor reconstructive surger

Hahahaha!!!  I know that this is the fluff, but every time I read the "minor reconstructive surgery", it just makes me laugh.  Can you imagine? 

"Well, he survived the process.  He is much stronger for it.  However....there is the small....um......problem.....with his eyes being where his mouth should be."

"Don't concern yourself my Lord Inquisitor, we can fix it............right doctor?"

"Um...........we will try....."

Poor guys.  Can you imagine the how they pitch the deal to prospective candidates?

"Your geneseed transformation has been successful.  Your training has been completed.  You are now part of the Empire's elite.  There is but one more step."

"My Lord?  What last step?

"Well.......you have to be possessed by a Daemon, but it's OK.  We can fix any damage that may be caused, like your ears moving to the top of your head and such.  If you survive, that is..."