Dark Heresy FOR THE EMPEROR!!! OOC thread - always recruiting, give a shout

[jkason]

@ jkason : Nice. I can work with that.
What force?

Well, Harrigan is Voidborn from an orbital station, so local wouldn't really work. My original thought was that he grew up on a supply station for military vessels, and eventually signed up. Given his weapons skills, he didn't do very well at the training, and was actually probably lucky he manifested, since he'd have likely just had his head blown off instead.

So, since his 'training' is in las pistol and melee primitive, I guess something like the kilt-folk is probably best. Clanfolk would probably have a more developed sense of honor vis-a-vis being honorbound to spare the life of the Dirty Psyker who saved the commander?

In the long term it's really better to spend your XP on advancing your willpower rather than on buying minor powers, as you get enough of them for free when you level up. And you really want a high willpower when you're a psyker.

Thanks for the advice. I thought that might be the case, especially when I realized that each new psy ranking level comes with a handful of powers. But since I already took the simple advance, I'd need 250 to get the next advance. I'll hang onto that last 100 until the next xp award, then.

 

[Shayuri]

My background for Kestrel is a bit brief at the moment. Her family was originally a 'noble' family of the inner Imperial worlds, but it was broken by an alliance of enemies who conspired to make sure they did not gain too much power. In the chaos, Kestrel...Avia back then...was 'donated' as a child to one of the Assassin Orders, as being one of the few places that, ironically, assassins would find her a hard target. Not the least of which because her identity was not given. She took on a new name and never strayed from it.

Kestrel doesn't remember much of her past before the Order. She doesn't really care about it much either, at least on the surface. There may be some echo of the little girl who's life was torn apart deep inside, but she's learned to silence those sobs long ago.

 

[DrZombie]

Well, Harrigan is Voidborn from an orbital station, so local wouldn't really work. My original thought was that he grew up on a supply station for military vessels, and eventually signed up. Given his weapons skills, he didn't do very well at the training, and was actually probably lucky he manifested, since he'd have likely just had his head blown off instead.

So, since his 'training' is in las pistol and melee primitive, I guess something like the kilt-folk is probably best. Clanfolk would probably have a more developed sense of honor vis-a-vis being honorbound to spare the life of the Dirty Psyker who saved the commander?

There's the Battlefleet Calixis which is a lineage of Navy Voidborn. They specialize in close-combat battle. They are proud families with lineages going back millennia and have blood ties to a lot of planetary governors. They are very clannish but are widely recognised as the heroes they are, and, unlike other voidborn, are quite popular. They would turn one of their own in in a second if they knew he was a psyker, because they know how dangerous a rogue psyker can get. You could have been manning one of their orbital stations.

Then there's the voidborn marines, the soldiers of the battlefleets, the crews of navy orbital stations, the odd semi- or private docking stations, the trained crewmember of one of the multitude of huge spaceships that travel the imperium.. They are trained to fight with melee and las because it is unlikely to penetrate the hull. They are a suspicious lot, typical of the voidborn. The come in as varied traditions as there are spaceships and orbital platforms. The crews are clannish and form extended families in each spaceship.

Then there's the darkholders. They come from the lowest hold of ships with a terrible reputation, the slaughter ships, the slave ships, the ill-omened vessels. Strange things happen in the forbidden,the forgotten hallways of some of the gigantic spaceships or orbital stations. The Darkholders are considered ill-omened and untrustworthy even by voidborn-standards.

The first and the last option would require some character-alteration though.

 

[DrZombie]

My background for Kestrel is a bit brief at the moment. Her family was originally a 'noble' family of the inner Imperial worlds, but it was broken by an alliance of enemies who conspired to make sure they did not gain too much power. In the chaos, Kestrel...Avia back then...was 'donated' as a child to one of the Assassin Orders, as being one of the few places that, ironically, assassins would find her a hard target. Not the least of which because her identity was not given. She took on a new name and never strayed from it.

Kestrel doesn't remember much of her past before the Order. She doesn't really care about it much either, at least on the surface. There may be some echo of the little girl who's life was torn apart deep inside, but she's learned to silence those sobs long ago.

Any specifics on your old family? What kind of background? Traders? Planet-gouvernors?
Any name? General cultural background? Yakuza-backed Trade Cartel or Incredebly rich heads of multisystem corporations surrounded by the oldest in high-technology. Diplomats at the court of a subsector-governor? Limitless possibilities

 

[Shayuri]

Heh. Like I said...a bit brief at the moment.

These are good questions though. That helps shape my thoughts. Thanks!

 

[DrZombie]

Heh. Like I said...a bit brief at the moment.

These are good questions though. That helps shape my thoughts. Thanks!

Take your time, there's no rush . But if your char ever gets to be an inquisitor herself she can go back to her past with a red hot poker and prod some buttock

 

[jkason]

the odd semi- or private docking stations, the trained crewmember of one of the multitude of huge spaceships that travel the imperium.. They are trained to fight with melee and las because it is unlikely to penetrate the hull. They are a suspicious lot, typical of the voidborn. The come in as varied traditions as there are spaceships and orbital platforms. The crews are clannish and form extended families in each spaceship.

I think some combination of these seems like a good option. My thought was always that Zhent grew up on a station, then eventually signed on with a group who frequented the station as a means of 'getting out of Dodge,' as it were. If the platform was privately-owned by the same group funding the spaceship in question, there would be a kind of tenuous clan link. I thought perhaps one or more of the regular troops on the ship had come to think of him as a sort of mascot for the group during their supply and repair stops. Add in subconscious warp manipulation by Zhent, and that might be enough to get him on as crew for the ship.

From there the script reads the same: during an attack, Zhent manifested in a way that was unmistakable, closing up a gushing, bloody wound on the captain. From there to the brig, and then to sactioning.

 

[DrZombie]

I think some combination of these seems like a good option. My thought was always that Zhent grew up on a station, then eventually signed on with a group who frequented the station as a means of 'getting out of Dodge,' as it were. If the platform was privately-owned by the same group funding the spaceship in question, there would be a kind of tenuous clan link. I thought perhaps one or more of the regular troops on the ship had come to think of him as a sort of mascot for the group during their supply and repair stops. Add in subconscious warp manipulation by Zhent, and that might be enough to get him on as crew for the ship.

From there the script reads the same: during an attack, Zhent manifested in a way that was unmistakable, closing up a gushing, bloody wound on the captain. From there to the brig, and then to sactioning.

So you grew up in a docking station : military/trade/ecclesiarchy/private? Then you signed on as a guard/junior crewman/stowaway? on a military/trading? ship. The ship was boarded by rebellingcrewmen/heretics/Xenos/passengers gone mad/thingsfromthewarp? and you spontaniously channeled the warp to save your captain/commander/sarge/important passenger? and were then imprisoned and sent off to the black ships.

 

[jkason]

Ack! The options!

Okay, let's see...

So you grew up in a docking station : military/trade/ecclesiarchy/private?

Let's say military. Private military, actually, if they have that in this setting? My idea was always that he had some minimal military training, but from what I'm gathering of the Imperial groups, I'm pretty sure he'd have been killed no matter what.

Then you signed on as a guard/junior crewman/stowaway?

Definitely not a stowaway. Until they found out what he really was, the crew was fine with having him aboard. His skills don't point to especially intensive combat training, so junior crewman might be better than guard, and might put him near the captain even at a low rank, if he were, say, helping man the helm.

on a military/trading? ship.

See above. (private?) military, though it's fully possible if they had a regular route for Zhent to have gotten to know them from, that they were a military supply ship rather than a battle vessel.

The ship was boarded by rebellingcrewmen/heretics/Xenos/passengers gone mad/thingsfromthewarp?

Definitely not things from the warp. I think manifesting as the things were attacking would have lead to the not-entirely-illogical conclusion that Zhent had (intentionally or un-) summoned the critters, and he'd be dead. Passengers gone mad might lead folks to a similar conclusion. He was fairly friendly with crew, so I'm not sure a rebellion feels right.

So, heretics or xenos. In that case, despite his own 'alien-ness,' once it was over, Zhent could benefit from the relative goodwill of 'he may be a psyker, but he's a believer / human,' (i.e., he's evil, but less than whatever just invaded). Pick whichever flavor you like best, since I could work with either.

and you spontaniously channeled the warp to save your captain/commander/sarge/important passenger?

Captain looks like it fits the scenario best. On-station at the helm when some small contingent of the invaders broke in, the captain took what should have been a mortal wound. Zhent spontaneously manifested, sealing the wound with a touch, possibly with concomitant 'psychic phenomena' to spook the invaders and give the crew a chance to turn the tide.

 

[Jemal]

Hey, been a bit sick lately, but did spend some of McClane's XP:

Gain 500XP:
Agility Advance - 250
*level up to Guard*
Skill training: Dodge - 100

Still have 150, thinking I'll save it.