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.

A pretty straightforward idea, really.

Currently in Codex: Inquisition, Inquisitorial Warband Acolytes have BS: 3 and while they have lots of weapon options at their disposal, they can't increase their mediocre BS. I get that they are meant to represent everything from regular Guardsmen to Inquisitorial Storm Troopers to Junior-Inquisitors-In-Training. However, in my opinion, I think Acolytes should be able to get BS: 4; be it by default with an appropriate point increase or as a veterancy bonus (perhaps 2 ppm?). It makes no sense that a rank-and-file Veteran would be able to shoot better than a soldier under the employ of an Inquisitor. While an Inquisitor may/is able to requisition Imperial Guardsmen into his retinue, the Inquisitor would almost certainly pick/demand for the cream of the crop; as opposed to some scrub fresh off his home planet who'd never held a gun before. Especially not when entrusting him with equipment like Power Armour and Melta Bombs!

Incidentally, it also gives the Acolyte a role other than ablative wound; by being the ones able to provide reliable shots.

It is certainly daft that they can't. It should be all Acolytes in the unit require BS4 upgrade or none, no just BS4 for the plasma/melta gunners only.
However, when you consider that plasma guns are only 10pts for acolytes it could get a bit dicey. 16pts for a bs4 plasma gunner is very cheap, even if everything aside from bs and ld is IG equivalent.

Agreed; even if only to simplify bookkeeping never mind to the above trickery. As for cost, there would be two ways to do it - either tie it with another trait and raise the overall cost (e.g. 6 ppm, to boost to BS: 4 and Ld: 9) or to set it at a flat rate (e.g. 18 points to boost all Acolytes to BS: 4). The former provides a second role for the unit to provide better Leadership tests (and thus flexibility to the unit's use) while the latter would force the player to carefully weigh the upgrade up as s/he would need to fully commit to using Acolytes in the unit to make the upgrade worthwhile.