Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
You can get the source books you need here or here.
General information on the d20 Traveller game O ther W arham m er R PG s
mechanics here. You can also pick up a free "lite"
version here. You will, of course, need access to the A the bottom of this page you will see a link to the
original dnd 3e handbooks. More information about Warhammer and alternate Warhammer 40k RPG. The
that can be found here. alternate W40k RPG is based on the original
Warhammer Fantasy RPG, its quite good also.
If you are a Traveller die hard you may also be
interested in the reprints of the original source material I use 1 custom font through out these pages, Astigma.
at Far Future Enterprises. As well as the TAS journal Feel free to download it if you wish.
maintained by Steve Jackson Games.
DO M INATIO N O F M AN
by MICHAEL MIFSUD
IN TR O D U C TIO N
SEA R C H
Background Information
TH E G A LA XY
G overnm ent
Game Information
R acialInform ation
N ew Feats
N ew Skills
N ew Psionic Sphere
W argear
C om bat
Vehicles
Prestige C lasses
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R evised:M ay 02,2003
M ostofyou w illknow w hatroleplay is (and ifyou've com e forthatsortofroleplay you're going to be sadly
disappointed!),so skip this section.Ifyou're a new com er,you are probably used to the idea ofbattles betw een arm ies
ofm iniatures,like those used in W arham m er40,000.Im agine w hatitw ould be like to actually be one ofthe w arriors,to
take partin his everyday actions and travelfrom place to place as ifyou w ere him i.e.you are taking overhis role:this
is roleplay.
In roleplay gam es you and a group offriends (yes,I'm afraid you need friends,so throw outthatblow -up doll)get
togetherand actyourpartin an adventure underthe guidance ofa G am es M aster(G M ).You determ ine w hatyou w ant
yourcharacterto do and rollthe appropriate dice,butw here this differs from a table top battle is thatyou getto interact
w ith the inhabitants ofa tow n and solve clues to ultim ately rescue the princess,ornot(O K,bring back thatblow -up
doll).
Sources:Iused a lotofdifferentC odex forW arham m er40k,lots ofdifferentTravellerm aterialas w ellas the follow ing
com putergam es:R ites ofW ar,C haos G ate and FinalLiberation.
G A M E M EC H A N IC S
The game uses the T20 system. This source book lists changes and additions to the Traveller's Handbook.
Please bear in mind this is a WORK in PROGRESS. So its not perfect - yet.
W H A T D O IN EED TO STA R T?
To play the pen and paperR PG you need the T20 Traveller's H andbook m inim um . A copy ofthe 3e dnd Players
H andbook (PH B)and D ungeon M asters G uide (D M G )w ould also be useful. O ptionalbooks include the various
M onsterM anuals (M M ),Savage Species (SS),O rientalAdventures (O A)and the Psionics H andbook (PH ). Ialso m ake
som e reference to the W arham m erFantasy R oleplay (W FR P). W FR P is totally optionaland is m ore forreference then
anything else.
SEARC H
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search engine w illdisplay a w eighted listofm atching docum ents,w ith betterm atches show n first.Each listitem is a link
to a m atching docum ent;ifthe docum enthas a title itw illbe show n,otherw ise only the docum ent's file nam e is
displayed.A briefexplanation ofthe query language is available,along w ith exam ples.
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w 40k G ALAXY
N ew hum an w orlds are being discovered allthe tim e,and there rem ains an unknow n num berw hich have been isolated
and forgotten forhundreds,ifnotthousands,ofyears.Allofthis only represents a tiny proportion ofthe stellarsystem s
in the galaxy.M any w orlds benefitfrom m utualcontactand a com parable leveloftechnology.O thers have becom e
prim itive and barbarous,often as a resultoflong periods ofisolation.
A m ajorfactorin the social,econom ic and technicaldevelopm entofhum an and alien w orlds is the relative isolation of
each solarsystem .Interstellartravelis notrare,butthe vastness ofthe galaxy m eans thatm ostw orlds are distantand
som etim es difficultto reach.The continualoutbreaks ofw arp storm s som etim es resultin w orlds being cutofffor
indeterm inate periods oftim e and som etim es forgood.
TH E EYE O F TER R O R
This is a sw irling eye-shaped clusterofstars and is the largestintrusion ofw arp space in the galaxy.Itis here thatthe
fabric ofthe m aterialuniverse has broken dow n and been consum ed by the w arp.Itcan be plainly seen as a sw irlof
stars in the form ofa vastunblinking eye spanning overten thousand lightyears ofspace.The Eye ofTerroris the
largestknow n zone ofw arp/realspace overlap.There are m any othersuch zones scattered throughoutthe galaxy,but
they are m uch sm allerand m uch less significant.Atthe centre ofthe Eye ofTerroris a hole in the fabric ofspace like a
puncture in the skin ofa balloon.The raw energy ofC haos pours through this hole and m ixes w ith the m aterial
universe.As a resultofthis interm ixture,the Eye ofTerroris notw holly subjectto the law s oftim e orspace.Its
boundaries effectively m ark an end to norm alhabitable space.
There are stars and w orlds w ithin the Eye ofTerror,butthey are unlike the fam iliarstars,solarsystem s,and planets
thatpopulate the restofthe galaxy.Each w orld is a self-contained m anifestation ofa unique nightm arish sub-reality,a
vision ofhellform ed w ithoutregard forthe logic ofeitherastrophysics ornature.The energy ofthe w arp saturates these
places and sustains a cosm ology based on the inhum an perceptions ofthe Pow ers ofC haos.Thus there are w orlds
w hich are flatlike dinnerplates,w orlds surrounded by circling fireballs w hich provide lightand w arm th,and tiered
w orlds like gigantic w edding cakes rising step-by-step on supporting pillars.N o-one can say exactly how m any ofthese
realities existinside the Eye ofTerror.There m ustbe m any thousands ifnottens ofthousands.Indeed,theirnum ber
and even theirvery form are probably inconstantand unpredictable.
D A EM O N W O R LD S
The Eye ofTerrorcontains the D aem on W orlds ofC haos;bizarre sub-realities ruled by terrible D aem on Princes.O n
these w orlds C haos reigns trium phant.The fourG reatPow ers continuously com pete to posses the D aem on W orlds.
Arm ies ofdaem ons and theirliving allies fighthuge and bloody battles to determ ine w hich ofthe C haos Pow ers w ill
posses them .These battles often lastforhundreds ofyears,so thatthe entire w orld becom es little m ore than a gigantic
arena w here the opposing forces are pitched againsteach other.The C haos Pow ers do not,ofcourse,appearin
person to lead theirarm ies -they are spectators to events notparticipants.Theirgenerals are G reaterD aem ons and
favoured D aem on Princes w ho,because they w ere once alive,understand the nature ofboth the m aterialuniverse and
the im m aterialR ealm ofC haos.O nce a D aem on Prince has conquered a w orld,his gratefulPatron gives itto him as a
giftto rule overas he w ishes.
W hen a D aem on Prince takes controlofhis hard-w on w orld he uses his m ighty pow ers to reshape itto a form w hich
pleases him .Because ofthis,every w orld is differentand allare equally spectacularin theirow n w ay.The m ost
pow erfulpsykers in the Im perium have reported dream s orvisions in w hich w orlds ofthe Eye ofTerrorhave been
revealed to them .O n one w orld a black sun stands in a w hite sky and sm oky threads pourfrom itonto a tangled black
city -this is said to be the hom ew orld ofthe D aem on Prince Perturbo,form erly the Space M arine Prim arch ofthe Iron
W arriors.Anotherw orld has boiling lakes ofblood from w hich spheres offire floatinto the sky and spread theirlight
across the firm am ent-the rulerofthis w orld is the D aem on Prince Bubonicus,form erly a m ortalC ham pion ofN urgle on
one ofthe m yriad lostw orlds in the galaxy.Visions ofsuch places disturb the psychically sensitive throughoutthe entire
galaxy.
G am eplay N ote:Any m onsterlisted in the M onsterM anual,M onsterM anualIIand Fiend Folio as an EvilO utsider,in
particularthe denizens ofthe low erplanes,are considered D aem ons in the W arham m er40k d20 w orld.
FLO R A A N D FA U N A
Theirare a m ultitude ofintelligentand sem i-intelligentlife in the galaxy. M ostofitis outside the Im perium .Those w ithin
are eitherofanim alintelligence and thus pose no threatto H um anities destiny ofruling the galaxy orhave been
converted. Any m onsterthatyou find in a norm aldnd gam e can be found in W arham m er40k. Forinstance a rem ote
planets m ain sentinentlife form are TL 0 G nolls forexam ple. O ran eden like w orld is dom inated by Treants. Feelfree
to use any m onsterin any dnd supplem entto populate the galaxy ofm an. Ihave listed som e specific (dangerous)plant
life native to the W arham m er40k universe here as exam ples.
PLANTLIFE
Plants are stilla partofthe w ar-ridden 41stm illennium .H ow ever,these m agnificentspecim ens listed here are m ore
com m on on w orlds w ith little orno intelligentlife.It's as ifthe plants try to protecttheirplanets from settlers like an
im m une system attacking the germ s attacking a healthy anim al.
N otallthe plants are carnivorous killing m achines.Som e are subtle in how they reactto being disturbed w hereas others
are even beneficialw hen m ade into a serum and injected ordrunk.
Itgoes w ithoutsaying,the galaxy is a m assive place and only realexperts can possibly hintata guess atthe w eird and
w onderfulw orld ofalien plants.In orderto be able to identify a planta characterm usthave the
Know ledge(Xenobiology)skillin orderto identify the plantin question.
A N A C LEA TA LU D EN SIS
The shiny black flow ers ofthis plantem itan invisible field akin to radiation.D irectcontacthas no effect,butprolonged
exposure (w ithin 5-10 m etres,regardless ofany shielding betw een the plants the subject)w illcause physicaldam age.
Foreach hourspentw ithin the area effectofthese plants an individualw illcontinue to sustain d4 w ounds autom atically.
O nly a sealed orpow erarm oursuitw illgrantcom plete im m unity (Aspect/R une arm ouralso grants im m unity).These
flow ers can also scram ble com m unications technology.
A R TISIA
The slim y,pulpy surface ofthe curling w hite-grey-m ottled fronds ofthis fern-like plantis repulsive,and causes a skin
irritation on contact.Touching the fronds w illresultin a nasty rash appearing.This has the effectofthe individuallosing
2 points from W IS,C H A ,and IN T ford6 hours.Applying a disinfectantw illim m ediately neutralise the acids,thus
restoring any lostcharacteristics.
C A M PO R A N A
Tiny hairs on the thick leaves ofthis plantare covered w ith a highly-toxic oilthatacts as a single dose ofM anbane (see
W FR P rulebook page 82).M any feraltribes use this plantto poison theirblow pipe darts and arrow s.
G am eplay N ote:TreatM anbane as Bloodrootpoison perthe D M G butdouble the secondary dam age ifthe characteris
a hum an orhum an sub-type.
C U M B U M B R A G ER M IN A N TS
These parasites are transm itted to the hostplantby spores w hich tunnelinto the plant's surface then bloom ,sending
A serum m ade from a plantinfected by these parasites is actually an effective sleeping drug.Itcan be m ixed into m ost
beverages and is extrem ely difficultto detect(-10 to chance).W hen drunk itcauses sleep exactly as ifthe Sleep spell
w as castupon the drinker.
The dedliocus m anicus,or'm an-eater',is probably the bestknow n ofalldangerous plantlife and has been the source
ofm any entertaining film s.This m an-eating plantis carnivorous and has a ferocious appetite.Itseem s to particularly
enjoy the flesh ofIm perialgenetors w ho com e to such death w orlds in orderto chartthe unusualflora and fauna.
W hatm akes the dedliocus m anicus such a dangerous plantis thatitappears atfirstto be a perfectly norm alflow er,
albeita big flow er.The stem only appears to be a few feetlong,hidden from view by the flow erhead and a few spindly
stalks,butas soon as anything thatlooks like a m ealcom es too close the inside ofthe flow er'breaks free'to becom e
an ugly head ofrazorsharp teeth and engulfs the m ealin the blink ofan eye.W hatused to be a plantofonly a few feet
now has extended to as tallas a tree gleefully chew ing every lastm orselofits m eal.
U nusually fora plant,the dedliocus can m ove,albeitextrem ely slow ly,butthis is a bonus ratherthan a disadvantage.It
allow s the plantto m ove to otherareas,areas w hich are richerin m eatparticularly.
G am eplay N ote:U se the physicalstatistics ofa Treantin the M onsterM anualbutrem ove allspelllike abilities and
reduce the m onsters Intelligence and W isdom to 4. The dedliocus has a rudim entary intelligence butdoes not
understand fearofany kind and so is im m une to allpsychologicaleffects;The m an-eater's only fearis fire,itm ustm ake
a W illsave vs.a D C ofthe fire dam age inflicted every tim e a fire w eapon is used againstit(includes flam ers,plasm a
w eapons,and m elta bom bs);In hand-to-hand com batthe dedliocus. The m an-eateralw ays attacks w ith the elem entof
surprise unless itcan be identified first;Itcan attack in a fullcircle atany targets w ithin a radius of10 feet;Any creature
thatsuffers is killed orfalls unconscious resulting from the dedliocus'bite attacks,is taken into the plant's m outh and
slow ly consum ed -ifthe creature is leftin this w ay form ore than 2D 4 rounds itis killed instantly in the plant's acidic
juices even ifthe 'm eal'is protected by pow erarm ourora force field device.
G IR A LU N A M IN O R
These pulpy,grey,fungoid cylinders have clusters ofpea-sized,jelly-coated spores in a shallow depression atthe top
ofthe cylinder.Skin contactw ith these spores causes a nerve-poison to seep through the skin,entering the
bloodstream and affecting the w hole body (Fortitude save vs.D C 30 ordevelop C ackle Fever,see D M G page 79).
The prepared serum is a thick,clearliquid w ith a slightscentofrotting plantm atter.The drinkerbecom es subjectto
R age as ifhe w as an equallevelBarbarian from the PH B.
PO LIO STIC O IU S
This is one ofthe m ostdangerous ofallspecies ofplant.Itm ay look like a norm alm edium -sized bush butsurrounding
the base ofthe plantis a thick,colourless sap.This sap seeps continuously w eek afterw eek,constantly renew ing itself,
overa 6 m etre diam eter.Any creature thatgets stuck in the sap,and rem ains stuck,w illbegin to be slow ly desiccated
by the sap and the juices from the creature is absorbed by the plant.O vera m atteroftim e the trapped creature w ill
becom e nothing buta skeleton.
Forevery foottrod in the 6 m etre area ofthe sap there is a 50% chance thatthe individualw illgetstuck.The effectis
instantand the only w ay to getoutis by leaving the character's footw earbehind and hopefully leaping out.The sap is
only very slightly acidic and w illovertim e eataw ay atany footw earto getatthe firm m eatinside.Anyone staying
trapped w illlose 1 Stam ina orLifeblood forevery hourthatpasses.
Ifthere are m ore than tw o such plants,and theirsap crosses,then the sap has a 75% chance oftrapping any character
thatw alks w ithin its area.
PR O TU R B IS M IN O R
C ontactw ith these delicate m ushroom -like vegetables releases a show eroftiny spores.In contactw ith m outh ornasal
tissues,the spores release an oily,toxic substance w hich causes im m ediate and profound depression ofthe nervous
system ,leading the victim to contracta fungaldisease (random ,D M s discretion).
SIG U R YA N A TA N S
W hen disturbed,these bulbous yellow floating plants yield fine spores,w hich,ifthey are inhaled orare in skin contact,
cause a strong allergic reaction (Fortitude save vs.D C 20 orallabilities halved untild6x10 rounds afterexposure
ceases).
Any serum prepared from this plantbecom es a thick,soupy green substance.W hen drunk itgrants a +2 bonus to all
W illsaves.The effectlasts ford6x10 m inutes.
C ontactcauses the delicate,curling tendrils ofthis plantto w rap around nearby objects (C onstriction attack -M M ).In
the process ofrem oving the tendrils,the subjectm ay (R eflex testvs.D C 15)prick him selfon the poisonous spines
hidden in the hairs coating the tendrils.The poison causes depression.
The prepared serum is a w atery,odorless fluid.Taking this grants im m unity to allpsychologicaleffects.This lasts for
d6x10 m inutes.
This planthas the ability to m im ic rocks.Visualinspection cannotdistinguish betw een the plantand neighboring rocks,
butthe plants are softand pliable like sponges.The surface ofthe plants is covered w ith a highly volatile oilthatbursts
into flam e on contact(treatas burning oil).The flam e does no harm to the plant,and disappears in seconds.After
flam ing,a plantrequires 7-10 days to build up the necessary reservoirofoilto flam e again.
An expertgenetorcan extractthe oilfrom this volatile plantand use the contacts to,in effect,m ake a bom b.
TU B O LA R A
The tubolara plantis m oderately com m on on death and feralw orlds.In particular,on feralw orlds com m unities are
centred nearoraround w here the plants grow .
D rinking the fluid,thatcollects in the bottom ofthe tubularstem s ofthese rubbery w hite plants,heals the drinkerofd4-1
w ounds.O thercontactw ith the planthas no effect.
Additionaleffects ofthe tubolara offera usefulprotection againstskin rashes from m osttypes ofplant.Bathing in a
com bination ofw aterand a generous am ountoftubolara fluid w illgive an individualcom plete im m unity to
infections/poisons from otherplanttypes for2d6x10 m inutes.Too m uch drinking ofthe tubolara fluid,after6 w ounds
has been healed orm ore,induces drow siness (as ifa sleep spellw as caston the characterw ith no H D orlevellim it).
THE IM PERIUM O F M AN
M ore than 25 M illennia ago,hum anity firstlooked to the stars and began the greatexploration ofnearby space.Lim ited
atfirstto sublighttravel,colonisation and conquestproceeded ata snail's pace. G enerations could live and die on the
greatinterstellarvoyages w ithouteverseeing theirdestinations.C olonies w ere forced into independence;aid took
centuries to arrive,ifitcam e atall.
W ith the discovery ofthe w arp drive cam e the greatexpansion.M ankind w as freed from the need to spend generations
travelling betw een the stars.The subsequentdiscovery and refinem entofthe navigatorgene,w hich allow ed pilots to
m ake longerand m ore accurate w arp jum ps,m erely confirm ed the trend.W ithin centuries,ratherthan the m illennia,
hum anity burstfrom its confining system s and spread outinto the galaxy.
As hum anity m oved into the galaxy,the D ark Age ofTechnology broughtseem ingly unstoppable progress.H um anity's
m achines achieved incredible levels ofsophistication.There seem ed nothing thatm an could notdo,even as hum anity
began to splinterinto sm allergroups.Som e w ere cutoffin rem ote parts ofthe galaxy;others,deliberately isolated
them selves,using theirpow erand know ledge to m ake w aron theirenem ies,hum an and alien alike.
Itw as atthis tim e thatthe "psykers" -hum ans capable ofusing pow ers such as telekinesis and telepathy -firstarose in
the m idstofhum anity.the triggerforthis em ergence has neverbeen determ ined,butpsykers w ere recorded on alm ost
every planetknow n to m an.U ntrained and unprotected,m any w entm ad orfellto non-psychic m en;uncounted m illions
w ere burntas w itches,destroyed by ignorance.M ore fellto creatures -D aem ons -from w arp space,beings w hich fed
upon theirm inds and bodies.C ivilisation crum bled as ignorance and m adness replaced enlightenm entand technology.
The D ark Age ofTechnology ended;the Age ofStrife w as born.
Form ore than five thousand years w arfare tore hum anity apart.Alien and hum an,allenem ies w ere as one. The loose
confederation ofhum an space w as shattered by localw ars on every scale;nation battled nation,planetfoughtplanet,
system laid w aste system . O utspacers and aliens plundered the ruined w orlds.Abandoned orcutoffby w arp storm s,
hum an colonies fellvictim to localconditions. Tereaform ed w orlds reverted to theirnaturalcondition and as they did so,
hum anity suffered. Through chance and depleted gene-pools,som e colonies underw enta forced evolution,producing
new successorspecies;the stocky Squats,the dim inutive R atlings and the pow erfulO gryns. O thercolonies sim ply
reverted to savagery underthe com bined pressures ofalien raids,ecologicaldisaster,psychic m adness and
technologicalfailure.
O nly the w orlds w here psykers w ere rigoursly repressed survived intact. The retrenchm entofM an w as alm osttotal.
Atlast,as so often happens,a single m an,a conqueror,em erged from the darkness. The Age ofStrife and its bloody
w ars w ere broughtto an end. The Im perium ofM an w as founded as hum an system s w ere re-conquered and returned
to the m ainstream ofhum anity oftheirow n accord. The Em perorreunited hum anity underhis banner.
O verten thousand years ago the G reatEm perorofM ankind ascended to the G olden Throne ofEarth.O fthe w ars he
w aged to getthere,ofthe countless agonies ofbattling w orlds,there is no record.only the Em perorrem em bers -if
indeed even thatstrange and ancientcreature can recallthose distanttim es.
The ascentofthe Em perorm arked the end ofa long era ofhum an history,an age typified by inter-hum an w arfare and a
gradualdecline ofthe accum ulated know ledge ofm illennia.This w as the Age ofStrife.The high pointofscientific
achievem enthad occurred thousands ofyears before,in the yetolderage know n now as the D ark Age ofTechnology.
Through the D ark Age ofTechnology and the Age ofStrife,m ankind has com e to the presentage -thatofthe
Im perium .
In m any respects itis a tim e ofsuperstition,in w hich a greatand unfathom able technology has been enslaved to the
forces ofm ysticism and m adness.To the ordinary hum ans ofthese tim es,the peasants in the fields and the w arriors
am ongstthe stars,scientific thoughtrepresents an abhorrentperversity;a corruption ofhonourand religious virtue.
Even to those few hum ans w ho dealw ith the m aterialoftechnology,the science and the m agic have becom e largely
inseparable;the w arp engine m usthave runes upon its side,the lasergun requires the blessing ofthe G od ofBattle.
This is a universe in w hich the gods,m ysticism and m agic are real.Forthis is a tim e ofgreatchange w ithin hum anity
itself,a tim e w hen m ore and m ore hum ans are developing pow ers and a vision farbeyond those oftheirancestors.
H um ans developing these abilities are know n as psychics,orpsykers,and by m any less flattering nam es -the m ost
com m on being thatofw itch.Psykers are m en and w om en w ho have the ability to transcend the norm allaw s ofspace,
placing them in touch w ith greatuniversalforces w hich lie farbeyond the understanding oftheirkin.Theirgifts defy
explanation;telepathy,telekinesis,illusion,and countless others.M any ordinary hum ans attribute these pow ers to a
divine origin.Som e psykers claim theirpow ers enable them to tap forces w hich is underthe controlofentities existing
outside ofthe realuniverse -beyond norm altim e and space.O thers seek a rationalexplanation forthese phenom ena -
butthis is nota rationalage and they are few and theirvoice is w eak.
Years A ge
The Present
I
M
H um anity is bound w ithin the organisations and societies
P ofthe Im perialadm inistration.The Em perorhas now
reached the end ofhis naturallife,his existence is
m aintained only by artificialm eans and hum an sacrifice.
E Im perialservants w ork forthe furtherance ofhum anity and
its survivalagainstthe m yriad perils thatthreaten to destroy
it.Psykers and the horrors ofW arp Space are controlled by
R the vigilance ofInquisitors,planetary governors and other
im perialservants.Psykers continue to em erge in grow ing
num bers,anarchic,anti-governm entaland predatory
I
groups associated w ith w arp creature dom ination are
steadily gaining ground in spite ofthe bestefforts ofthe
U Em peror.
R
20 m illennia
K
before present
O
D iscovery ofw arp drives accelerates the colonisation
process,early independentorcorporate colonies becom e
F federated to Earth.The firstalien races encountered.The
firstalien w ars begin.
25 m illennium
H um anity begins to colonise nearby solarsystem s using
before present conventionalsub-lightspacecraft.Atfirstprogress is slow
and the new colonies m ustsurvive as independentunits
isolated from the m otherw orld by up to ten generations of
travel.
0500996.M 2
0 -This can be one of9 check codes.0 m eans exact,9 m eans approx.
500 -This is the yearfraction (of1000).In this case,exactly halfw ay through.
So this is the year1996. The Im perialdating system starts atyear1 AD ofoursystem (BC /AD ).
W hatscientific know ledge persists from the D ark Age ofTechnology is farabove and beyond anything w e can im agine
from the perspective ofthe Tw entieth C entury.Thatunderstanding lies only w ith a selectfew -the Adeptus M echanicus
-the Tech-priests ofthe Im perium .Even theirknow ledge is som ew hatdebased,and the popularim age oftechnology
can be com pared w ith thatofw itchcraftin m edievaltim es.Those w ho com e into contactw ith technology use itw ith
reservations and a reverence thatare alm ostreligious.The Space M arines,forexam ple,treattheirequipm entand
arm ouras ifitw ere im bued w ith a w illofits ow n -a fine chest-plate,w elllooked afterand constantly m aintained m ay
rew ard its w earerby saving his fife;w hereas a M arine w ho neglects his equipm entm ay be struck dow n by a leaking
suitorm alfunctioning w eapons.Such is the w illofthe M achine G ods.
W hatthis m eans in gam e term s is thata T20 cam paign setin this period w illhave an average TL of13 w ith som e TL14
item s available to selectfew ,item s of<12 are com m on and easily found. TL 13 item s are rare and only available to
G overnm entInstitutions like Adeptus Terra,Inquisition. TL 13 item s are expensive to m anufacture so are reserved for
Adeptus agents only. TL 14 item s are ultra-rare,these item s are both expensive and difficultto m ake,they are
reserved forthe Adeptus Astartes (Space M arines)w ho are the Elite Arm ofthe Im perialforces.
The Im perium is also dom inated by slug-throw ers,and energy w eapons ofany TL are rare.The only personalenergy
w eapons the Adeptus M echanicus can actually m anufacture are those thatfallunderthe Laserskill. These are bulky
and require backpack size energy packs to fire them (as standard T20 rules). O therenergy item s thatfallw ithin TL10
to 15 (plasm a and fusion based w eapons forexam ple)are allnon-m anufactured one ofa kind item s. Som e are as old
as 10'000 years and require constantm aintenance to keep going.
This is notto say none ofthe hyper-technologies ofthe D ark Age ofTechnology do notstillexist,exam ples ofm ans
scientific pre-em inence can be found through outthe know n galaxy,like the D yson Sphere atR oss 614 and the charred
rem ains ofthe R osetta planets atC C 658.Also,M ars can in effectbe considered a TL 15 planetforresearch purposes.
The Adeptus M echanicus w ho live there have atleastone exam ple ofany W eapon orEquipm entfrom TL 1 to 16 that
appears in any d20 orT20 Supplem ent. The secrets ofthese item s have stillnotbeen unlocked,m aybe they neverw ill
be.Som e like the ship size energy shield are reserved w holly forIm perialuse only.
O therexam ples ofhyper-science leveltechnology can be found outside ofthe Im perium . In its continuing w arofre-
unification,the Im perium has com e across isolated hum an w orlds ofhigh technology.So farallthese w orlds have
refused to join the Im perium w illingly and have been destroyed outright,to the lam antations ofthe Tech-Priests
R obots are also uncom m on w ithin the Im perium ,and sentientrobots are illegalbeyond the jurisdiction ofM ars. This is
m ainly because one ofthe contributing factorto m ans fallduring the D ark Age w as an overreliance on robots,w hich
m ade hum anity com placentand lazy. So robots w illstillbe found doing certain tasks,oras servants to the rich,but
they w illbe obviously artificial(steelskin forinstance)and non-sentient.
LA N G U A G E & C U LTU R E
There are m any differentcultures and civilizations spread across the Im perium and each has its ow n custom s,traditions
and variations in language.This section serves as an introduction to highlightsom e ofthe differences.As the Im perium
spraw ls across innum erable starsystem s,w e cannothope to covera sm allfraction ofthe peculiarities and oddities in
the generalpopulation.H ow ever,the players and the D M should liven up theirrole-play sessions and bring som e
individuality to characters by the use ofsom e ofthese dialects and custom s.N othing can be m ore infuriating than trying
to restock yourcharacter's dw indling supplies w hen no one can understand you.
A N O TE O N LA N G U A G E
Ifcharacters resortto very sim ple sentences using basic w ords they w illbe understood m ostofthe tim e.In the role-play
environm ent,the D M should rule w hen a differentdialectis in operation and w hetheritcan easily be understood.A few
Intiligence orW isdom ltests should suffice.N o hard rules can be presented here,it's justto add a bitofcolourto the
proceedings.Failure ofany testby a sm allm argin m eans thatthere are problem s getting the m essage across.Failure
by a largeram ountcould lead to anim osity and even racialdiscrim ination.
On my travels, perhaps the hardest form of Low Gothic to understand is on the Planet Cock-Nee.
The planet and its people are harmless enough: they mainly trade with one another in their chirpy,
fast-speaking manner, but what I find difficult to understand is their rhyming slang. Instead of
referring to an object by its correct name they twist it around and use another name that rhymes
with the original, thus leading to widespread confusion.
On my first day in the space port at Lundun I was told to "take a butcher's" at a cheap home
appliance. Did this peddler mean that I had to taker a butcher's cleaver and destroy his worthless
goods? Or did he merely want me to don a butcher's apron to fit in? On further questioning I was
informed that "butcher's" was short for "butcher's hook...look, gerrit!" What a confusing
expression. One citizen then turned to another and said, "look at that geezer's whistle." But I didn't
even possess one, I am not some common entertainer sent from the Ministorum to keep these
people occupied.
It will take some time to educate these heathens in the correct tongue of our beneficent Emperor. I
am sending for immediate aid from a member of the Orders Dialogus of the Sisterhood to help me
with my quest.
Low G othic is often debased even furtherin som e cultures,w here slang m arks one outas belonging to a gang orto an
organisation.Forexam ple,itis very hard to understand a H ive W orld gangsteras the slang is partoftheirculture and
differs depending on the H ive they grew up in and even on the floorthey inhabit.Therefore itis virtually im possible to
understand gangsters unless the characterhas been som e form ofR ogue.Asteroid m iners also form anotherclique
thatuses colloquialism s.Som e w arriorsects also em ploy secretdialects.Ifa charactercan understand these groups
then they m aybe able to gain usefulinform ation as they are partofthe 'brotherhood'.
The usualgreeting is to shake som eone's righthand.C haracters w illcom e across races thatbow (particularly on
H asaka),salute,w ave,kiss and so on.The PC s could really be putin an em barrassing situation ifthe greeting is
againsttheirculture -I'm sure D M s can think ofsom e good ideas.
O ften the lefthand is seen as unsanitary and ifa characterw aves itin a friendly fashion to a localhe w illbe m etw ith
open hostility.O n these w orlds m oney should notbe exchanged using the lefthand.
O n som e w orlds,m ainly those w ith low ertechnology,m artialprow ess is very im portant:this is m arked outby scars,
tattoos,and 'trophies'taken from a victim .C haracters w ho are scarred w illgain +1 orm ore to D iplom acy tests,butlose
this bonus on m ore civilised w orlds and w illoften get-1 to D iplom acy tests.Ifa duelorsim ilarengagem entis fought
and the PC s w in then they w illgain respecton the planet,butthey'd betterbe carefulofthe loserand his associates.
The PC s should also be aw are ofthe use oftechnology on FeudalorFeralw orlds,oreven on som e civilised planets as
technology is seen as w itchcraftand the population is very w ary ofpractitioners ofthe D ark Arts.The G M could setup
som e interesting encounters w here the PC s are driven outoftow n forspeaking to evilspirits on theircom m -links.
M aybe one ofthe PC s is captured and tried forbeing a w itch and the restofthe party have to rescue him (ordo they!).
C onversely,the characters could be w orshipped as dem i-gods by savages afterthey w itness the PC s perform ing som e
m iracles w ith theirequipm ent.
Alloverthe Im perium there are shrines and tem ples to the Em peror.The prayers,hym ns and cerem onies are usually
overseen by priests ofthe M inistorum .These priests,in the guise ofm issionaries,are responsible forbringing the
divine Lightofthe Em perorto faroffw orlds recently em braced by the Im perium .M any m issionaries have given their
lives to spread the w ord and m any w illbecom e m artyrs in the future to turn hum anity to the True Path ofW isdom .
N eedless to say,the brave PC s could be called upon to spread the W ord,orm aybe they are sentto rescue a group of
m issionaries from a heathen planet.
G am eplay N otes:In m y cam paign the Em peroris the equivalentin pow erand holiness as a m edievalPope,Saintand
Em perorofthe H oly R om an Em pire. The officialstate religion is C atholicism w ith the Em peroras head ofthe C hurch
as w ellas chiefm ilitary com m anderand head ofgovernm ent. H e is alm osta god,and to som e prim itives,he w illbe
w orshipped as such,butofficially G othic style C atholicism (and associated beliefs)are the officialstate religion.
Thought for the Pious: Carry the Emperor's will as your torch, with it destroy the shadows.
IM PERIALHISTO RY
The Emperor
The M asterofM ankind,the Em perorofthe Im perium ,has satupon the G olden Throne ofEarth forten m illennia.H is
body is keptalive by m eans ofancienttechnology and sheereffortofw ill,forthe Em peroris the greatestpsykerofall,
an alm ostbottom less repository ofpsychic energy.H e is no ordinary m an -in m any respects he is a god,and is
w orshipped as such by untold billions.U ltim ately,the Em perorhas absolute pow erw ithin the Im perium .
The Emperor of the Imperium, Master of Mankind, Lord of Humanity and god of the human race, has ruled his vast spacial realm
for longer than any living man can remember. Countless millennia ago he was born to mortal parents, growing into manhood little
realising the fate awaiting him. As a youth he began to manifest strange powers, powers which intensified and multiplied as he grew
older. Not least amongst these powers was that of longevity - a virtual immortality that gave him time to develop his abilities fully.
For long ages he lived secretly amongst mankind, as empires grew and fell, and mankind discovered how to control and exploit the
Earth. As his powers evolved he learned of the dangers beyond his own world, of the psychically attuned creatures that roamed the
voids inbetween space, hungering and clawing for the life-stuff of living creatures. For countless ages he hid within humanity,
nurturing his powers and waiting. At last, over ten thousand years ago he began his struggle, for he knew that humanity was on the
verge of a revolution, a genetic revolution which would create a new psychically aware race, a race of which he was the first and
most powerful. Without his guidance he realised the emerging race of psychics would fall prey to the dangers he had already faced,
the perils of entities that fed upon psychic energy, or who used that energy for their own horrific purposes. So, the Emperor
emerged from long hiding, creating the Age of the Imperium over ten millennia ago in a series of wars now remembered by none
save their victor. His rule has been a long and harsh one, for there is much at stake - the life of humanity itself. The strain of his
constant vigilance has taken a heavy toll upon the man that was once human, for now his body can no longer support life, and his
shattered carcass remains intact only because it is held by a spirit itself sustained by the strangest of machinery - ancient artifacts
constructed by the Emperor in an elder age.
It is ironic that this creature, whose will extends to over a million worlds, is now unable to leave the life-giving machinery of his
imperial throne, unable to so much as lift a shrivelled finger or twitch a shrunken eye. The living carcass of the Emperor is
immobile, held fast within the bio-machine that sustains his spirit. The mass of this machine is contained within the imperial palace;
room upon room of twisted technology, pulsing with a life and will of its own - living, breathing, reproducing and writhing like a
giant, mindless organism. Held within this perversion of science lies the Emperor himself, or rather what now remains of his
carcass, the seat of his omnipotent will.
The Emperor understands the dangers that face his race, and has assumed the role which seems preordained for him, that of its
guardian. Perhaps he is a freak, or perhaps nature created him as the protector of her metamorphosis. Either way, the Emperor is
now the custodian of his race, and he alone bears the knowledge of its fate. To this end the Emperor maintains strict control over the
development of humanity and contributes directly to its survival by utilising his powers. He plays a vital role in space travel within
the Imperium. in order to steer a craft over great distances, a human navigator uses a mental homing signal, a sort of psychic beacon
to guide him through warp space. To provide a mental signal throughout human controlled space would not be possible to any
ordinary psyker. However, the Emperor is no ordinary psyker - his powers go beyond those of mortals. Even so, the strain of
transmitting a continuous signal would prove far too strenuous, and he merely concentrates his powers on directing a signal created
by others. These are the imperial servants known as the Adeptus Astronomica, psykers whose bodies and souls are leeched of
energy. This energy is projected by the mind of the Emperor in the form of the psychic beacon known as the Astronomican. The
sheer quantity of mental energy is vast, and only the mind of the Emperor is sufficient to handle so much raw power.
The fate of the Adeptus Astronomica is a sad one, for their efforts soon reduce them to empty husks of bone and dry flesh. Many
die every day. They are not the only psykers who are asked to make the ultimate sacrifice, for the Emperor cannot eat as men eat, or
drink fluids or breathe air. His life has passed beyond a point where such things can sustain him. For the Emperor the only viable
sustenance is human life-force - soul - and he has a great and insatiable appetite. Nor will just any human suffice for this purpose,
for the soul-donor must be a very special person in their own right, someone with psychic powers. The Inquisition scours the
Imperium in a tireless search for emergent psykers, individuals too vulnerable to be left alone. Some of these men and women will
be recruited into the Adeptus Terra (especially the Adeptus Astronomica and Adeptus Astra Telepathica) but many more will serve
their Emperor in a more gruesome way. Given up to the weird machinery that surrounds the Master of Mankind, their souls will be
graduary leeched from their bodies to feed the Emperor's spirit. Hundreds must die in this way every day if the Emperor, the
Imperium and humanity are to survive.
It would be simple to think of the Emperor as an evil corruption of nature. Yet, as the Adeptus Terra teach, the sorrow and slaughter
that feeds his divine corpse is a trifling price to pay for the survival of the race. Without the Emperor there would be little space
travel and no protection in a hostile universe. Left uncontrolled, the emerging race of psychic humans would become the unwitting
vehicle of humarnity's destruction. For there are many foul aliens which not only feed upon the life-force of other races, but which
use that life-force as a means of opening portals in warp space, infiltrating populated planets via the poorly protected minds of
inexperienced psykers. The master of Mankind knows that to protect his race he must survive, must live forever if necessary, or
until such time as psychic humans have evolved sufficient strength to withstand the dangers they face. If thousands much endure
pain and death for his sake, how considerable must be the agony of a creature whose body is all but destroyed, whose mind is
encased inside a rotting shell and whose every thought is enslaved to the task of serving his race.
As the grip of the Ecclesiarchy grew, elements of the Imperium railed against such control. In the High Lords' councils the
Fabricator General of the Adeptus Mechanicus opposed the will of the Ecclesiarchy, and the Chapter Masters of the Space Marines
also viewed Imperial orders with doubt. Following their lead, the Administratum began to fight against the pervasive force of the
Ecclesiarchy.
Angered by their loss of control, the Administratum began to re-establish itself as the commanding, binding power within the
Imperium. So began a feud that has lasted 7,000 years to the present. The Administratum exercised its influence in a number of
ways, undermining the authority of the Ecclesiarch, influencing votes in the council of the High Lords and positioning its own loyal
followers in powerful posts. From the late 34th to the early 35th millennium, the power of the Ecclesiarchy waned. Following the
election of a series of disastrously weak and incompetent Ecclesiarchs, the Administratum managed to wrest much of its control
back from the Ministorum. As time passed the Administratum gained dominance once more. To the populace at large the
Ecclesiarchy was as mighty, all-seeing and powerful as ever, but behind the scenes the Administraum was dictating the agenda of
the Holy Synod.
In an attempt to escape the clutches of the High Lord of the Administratum, Ecclesiarch Benedin IV moved the Holy Synod and the
upper echelons of the Adeptus Ministorum to the planet of Ophelia VII in the Segmentum Tempestus. This had been Benedin's
diocese as a Cardinal and was possibly the richest planet after Terra and Mars.
The Ecclesiarchal palaces on Ophelia covered nearly 90,000 square miles and soared 4,000 metres into the sky.They were only
rivalled by the Imperial palace on Earth. Separated from the designs of the Administratum by sheer distance, the power of the
Ecclesiarchy grew again. With a succession of punishing increases in tithes, the resources of the Ministorum reached its height. The
Cardinals of different dioceses competed with each other to erect the most magnificent monuments, to build the largest and most
ostentatious temples and cathedrals. The purges of so-called heretical cults increased singnificantly, as any opposition to the word
of the Ecclesiarch was ruthlessly crushed.
Separated from the Administratum, the Ecclesiarchy began to form its own fleet of interstellar ships and armies. The Frateris
Templars, as these forces came to be known, numbered many commercial transports and warships, and dozens of fighting armies
each of which rivalled an Imperial Guard regiment in strength. All the while, the Ministorum buildings on Earth were left to ruin
and crumble.
In the middle of the 35th millennium, nearly three hundred years after the move to Ophelia VII, Greigor XI was elected to the
position of Ecclesiarch. A deeply spirtual man, Greigor was seen as the next step in the Ecclesiarchy's growth: a fresh outlook to
spur on what had increasingly become a stagnant Holy Synod. However, the Cardinals were totally unprepared for what would
come next. Greigor announced that the Adeptus Ministorum would return to Earth. Although this was vigorously opposed both
within and outside the Ecclesiarchy, Greigor felt that the true centre of the Faith should be Terra, the home world of humanity.
None could dissuade him from this course, and though it took him twelve years to organise the return, with the time needed for
marshalling his resources and the physical requirements of warp travel, the doors of the Ecclesiarchal palaces on Earth were finally
opened once more. The refurbishment of the palaces took a heavy toll on the already thinly stretched resources of the Ecclesiarchy.
Their funds depleted by the extremely expensive business of relocating to Terra, the Ecclesiarchy had to increase tithes even further
to balance the costs of the rebuilding.
As the rebuilding progressed, Greigor XI began laying the groundwork for other changes within the structure of the Adeptus
Ministorum, changes that were seen as radical by many of his peers within the Holy Synod. Again, he refused to bow to opinion,
but before his innovations could be put into action, Greigor died of food poisoning. Tears were wept at his funeral (it is said that six
million followers filed past his open-topped casket) and the Cardinals spoke of a great man that had been taken from them too soon.
However, no sooner had the tears dried and Greigor's body been interned in the great Mausoleum of Remembrance than a new,
more conservative Ecclesiarch was elected and the Ministorum continued as it had done before.
The Ecclesiarchy responded with a vengeance, sending its armies to crush any sign of revolt and executing higher officials as
heretics. Alexis XXI used the Officio Assassinorum to eliminate several Governors who redirected their tithes to pay for their own
Planetary Defence Forces, and is quoted as saying, ''They had forsworn the Emperor's protection for their own worldly gains.'' The
tithes were used to build ever larger temples, to line the highways of planets with statues of past Ecclesiarchs and to decorate the
Ecclesiarchal palaces with the rarest metals and gems.The unrest continued, massive uprisings spreading across the Imperium, only
for the Frateris Templars of the Ecclesiarchy to arrive and quell any insurgencies. All those who defied the rights of the
Ecclesiarchy were decried as heretics and suitably punished. Some thought the Ecclesiarchy's bloody methods of control were
excessive, but it was nothing compared to what was to come.
Even as the Imperium struggled to survive amidst bushfire wars and a lack of true leadership from Earth, further disasters befell
humanity. In the early 36th millennium the incidence of warp storms started increasing. Travel between all but the warp soon
became a tumultuous mass of roiling tempests and storms. Navigation became difficult everywhere and hundreds of systems were
totally isolated. With the resources of the Administratum and Ecclesiarchy turned towards their power struggle, much of the
Imperium devolved into anarchy. In those few worlds still accessible by starships, the power of the Ecclesiarchy was brutally
enforced by the Frateris Templars and any slight deviation from the holy decrees was marked as heretical, with the burnings and
hangings which attend that crime.
Seeing the turmoil wracking the Imperium, Chaos raiders poured forth from the Eye of Terror to attack and despoil their ancient
foes. Ork Warlords rampaged across vast tracts of the galaxy and there was nobody who could halt them. On the planets cut off
from Terra, Chaos and Genestealer cults rose in rebellion and overthrew their governments, damning entire worlds to slavery and
slaughter. Those worlds are not overun by alien attackers strove to retain what they could. As time passed even the most advanced
worlds were brought to their knees. As before, with no central guidance from the Adeptus Ministoeum even the worship of the
Emperor began to devolve into a series of cults and sects, and in the trying times of those centuries those who were once brothers
under the light of the Emperor fought against each other to assert their religious ideals.
Much of the Imperium was under the malaise of a preapocalyptic gloom. Crazed zealots denounced the Ecclesiarchy and claimed
the Emperor was displeased with their greed and excesses- sending the warp storms as a test to judge the truly faithful and set them
apart from heretics and sinners. Spurred on by these statements, citizens turned to flagellation and self-mutilation to prove their
belief and faith. Whole populations became seething masses of despair-laden cults, each trying to outdo the other in their tortuous
devotion to the Emperor. Strange splinter groups grew in power, preaching extreme causes. Bloodthirsty pogroms eradicated many
innocents as the populace tried to stem the wrath of the God-Emperor. In some communities any small deviation from what deemed
normal brought instant death to a child and its family. Whole populations were enslaved or slaughtered, deemed heathens for some
real or suspected deviancy.
ascendancy to the vaulted rank of High Lord, Vandire was instrumental in the election of Ecclesiarch Paulis III, a degenerate
inccompetent who was easily controlled by Vandire and his followers.
Once he had established his position within the Administratum Vandire moved in to take over the Ecclesiarchy. While other High
Lords had manipulated the Adeptus Ministorum covertly, Vandire personally led a handpicked contingent of Imperial Guard
officers into the Ecclesiarchal palace and overthrew Paulis III in what can only be called a military coup. Declaring Paulis to be a
traitor to humanity he had the Ecclesiarch summarily shot and took upon himself the dual role of High Lord of the Administratum
and Ecclesiarch.
Shaken and terrified, the Holy Synod could do nothing to oppose Vandire as he set about eradicating any within the Ministorum
who opposed him. As Vandire's wrath fell upon the Cardinals all those not already fleeing elected to return to Ophelia VII to escape
the High Lord's clutches. However, fate thwarted them and as their ship entered the warp it was engulfed by a huge storm and they
were never seen again. Vandire claimed it was the will of the Emperor; evidence of his divine right to reign over the Imerium in the
Emeror's name.
Vandire elected Cardinals of his own choosing to fill the mahogany benches of the Holy Synod chambers. He chose a calculated
mix of weak-willed fools and brilliant geniuses with just the right amount of cruelty to ensure they would enforce his will without
any qualms. The High Lord now had total, unopposed control of both the Ecclesiarchy and the Administratum. The Imperium was
about to face its darkest time since the Horus Heresy.
Vandire would often fall into a trance-like state, during which he would argue with himself in a mumbling voice and on other
occasions he would shout out loud for no apparent reason. He claimed he was receiving messages from the Emperor. These
meditative periods would always be followed by bouts of excessive violence. He had a huge tri-d map of the Imperium installed in
is audience chamber, with a constant relay of current warp strom activity. As soon as a world was reachable, he would dispatch a
war fleet to establish control.
The Reign of Blood affected the whole Imperium. Sycophantic Army and Navy officers were only too ready to execute Vandire's
orders: virus bombing the hive world of Calana VII without reason; invading the farmlands of Boras Minor and enslaving every
female child under twelve years of age; using the orbital batteries of Jhanna to melt the planet's ice caps, drowning nearly 4 billion
people in the resultant floods. The list goes on and on, meticulously recorded by Vandire's scribes. Vandire would dictate long
speeches bemoaning the wretched state of the Imerium, demanding justice object of hate.
With an entourage of nearly a hundred thousand servants and soldiers, Vandire on San Leor. As the miles-long procession made its
way to the temple of the Daughters of the Emperor, Vandire's agents moved ahead of the Ecclesiarchal train, forcing the meager
population of the farms and towns to line the streets and show due respect. Those who failed to cooperate were executed as heretics,
regardless of their reasons. Even newly-born babes and ancient elders were dragged from their homes to witness the arrival of the
Ecclesiarch. The crowds were supplied with laurels and gifts to present to Vandire, showering him with scented flowers and crying
their praise at gun point. Holo-vids of the various creemonies performed by Vandire were spread throughout the accessible
Imperium and the propaganda was used to further enforce the power of the Ecclesiarch.
Upon reaching the temple, Vandire found the gates barred against him and was informed by a young Daughter of the Empecting
that the order did not recognise his authority. Expecting the customary explosion of rage and destruction, Vandire's terrified
functionaries feared for their lives. However, Vandire had anticipated such an insolent response and had already considered the
solution. He ordered the Daughters of the Emperor to witness a feat that would prove he had the favour of the Emperor.With a small
bodyguard of men, Vandire entered the temple and was conducted to the main hall. Before the assembled order Vandire knelt in
supplication to the Emperor, praying for his protection, clutching the Ecclesiarch's Rosarius in both hands. Standing again, he
ordered one of his guards to shoot him with his laspistol. The officer refused at first, begging with Vandire not to endanger himself.
Vandire's response is quoted as, ''there is no danger, I have the Emperor's protection. Do you doubt that?'' The officer had no answer
to such a question, loaded as it was subtle malice and the threat of punishment. He duly raised his pistol, aimed at the Ecclesiarch's
chest and pulled the trigger.
As the bolt of energy struk Vandire there was an explosion of light, blinding all who stood in the hall. As they recovered their
senses, they saw Vandire standing totally unharmed in the centre of the chamber, leaning on his bone walking cane. Almost as one,
the Guardsmen and Daughters of the Emperor fell to their knees in worship. As he later boasted to his scribes, Vandire had gambled
that the isolated Daughters of the Emperor would have never heard of a Rosarius or the conversion field generator it contained.
Taking oaths of fealty from the Daughters of the Emperor, Vandire elevated the sect to the position of Ecclesiarchal bodyguard and
took them back to Terra with him. From then on, the warrior women became his personal retinue of soldiers and companions, and
Vandire renamed them the Brides of the Emperor. They were trained by the best teachers in the Imperial Guard to combine their
own skills with the modern weapons of war and world of their dedication to the protection of Vandire spread through the Imperium.
They were his constant guardians and his silent executioners, who would kill with a word from their lord.
The Brides not only served as Vandire's bodyguard, but also as servants and companions. They tasted the High Lord's food, fed him
when he fell weak with illness, nursed his frail body and entertained him with singing, dancing and other, more exotic, skills. For all
their gaiety on occasion, the Brides of the Emperor were still hardened fighters, and when the Holy Synod tried to have Vandire
assassinated a few years later, the Brides went into the meeting chambers, locked the doors and emerged an hour later carrying the
severed heads of every Cardinal present.
While the rest of the Imperium glowed with the radiance of gold and platinum and sparkled with the light of millions of rare gems,
Vandire's own domain became a dark lair of shadows and dank, chilling winds. Dust lay knee-deep in places, the ancient relics were
tarnished and stained, tapestries became torn and mildewed and rats and other vermin left their trail across the priceless rugs and
carpets. Occasionally just a single candle would be lit in the enormous expanse of the great hall, with only the odd footfall betraying
the presence of the Brides of the Emperor in the darkness. Even during the day, the patina of grime and filth on the stained glass
windows let through only a trickle of sunlight. When sweeping rains cleaned the outside of the windows a shaft of brighter light
might play about the floor of the great hall, but at these times Vandire would retire to his chambers and sit for days on end in
complete silence. The High Lord fell into long, nightmare-ridden sleeps, crying out in hysterical screams. His ancient body was
pumped full of drugs and elixirs to keep the inevitable diseases and depredations of age at bay. However, with the guns of the
Brides of the Emperor always ready to obey his will, the crippled High Lord still commanded with an iron fist. In his more lucid
moments, the ailing Vandire could be heard muttering about the light, and the writings of his scribes recorded that his fear of light
seemed to grow with every passing day.
It was with trepidation that a young agent appeared on Terra, coming back from the northern reaches of the galaxy, around the
planet Dimmamar. His report was disturbing to the High Lord's advisors and caused Vandire to break into a fit of apoplectic rage.
Dimmamar had denounced the High Lord as a traitor of the Imperium and the ancient rites of the diocese. The name of one man
was heard again and again, all across the Segmentum Obscurus. His name was Sebastian Thor.
None on Terra knew where this man came from or what his ultimate purpose might be. The puppet High Lords raged with debate
for over a mouth as to what course of action to take. After his initial outburst, Vandire withdrew into himself more than ever, and
for most of the council meeting would be seen huddled in the velvet and ebony throne of the Ecclesiarch, surrounded by the ever
vigilant Brides of the Emperor, his eyes staring at nothing. As more news came in of the revolt, it became clear that things would
have to be stopped soon. Within three months another eighty systems had declared their loyalty to the Confederation of Light and
only the Weight of Ministorum armies and fleets in other sectors prevented similar occurrences all across the northern reaches. The
most trusted and loyal of the Frateris Templars were dispatched to deal with the threat, and were ordered to raze Dimmamar and
eradicate every living creature on the world.
The war fleet was duly sent, but shortly after it jumped into warp space outside the Clax system it was smashed asunder by a warp
storm of gigantic proportions. The last astropathic transmission reported white arcs of energy tearing apart the hulls of the ships, the
power of the storm literally twisting men and machines apart, turning soldiers inside out and disintegrating everything. The Clax
system has been cut off ever since by the swirling tempest, and it is clamed that those who pass close by can still hear the screams
of the dying and feel the panicked last thoughts of the Astropaths echoing through the whole region. It is an area of ill omen now
known as the Storm of the Emperor's Wrath.
With this huge blow to the Ecclesiarchy's military power, the whole of the Segmentum Obscurus erupted into rebellion. The
Cardinal palaces were stormed by frenzied converts who tore down the hangings, burned the icons and smashed the ornate stained
glass windows. Through all the madness, the name of Sebastian Thor still kept appearing. Who was this shadowy figure who
seemed intent on the destruction of the Ecclesiarchy and with that, the Imperrium itself? Perhaps he was some from of vessel for the
gods of Chaos, another Horus attempting to enslave humanity once more. Or maybe some other alien influence controlled him, one
of the many creatures of the warp or one of the immensely powerful elder races, hitherto undetected. As more information was
relayed back by the Ministorum's agents, the High Lords were stunned by the news.
Thor was no daemonic entity intent on corrupting the Imperium, he was just a man, born in a Dimmamar Schola Progenium habitat.
Interrogations of old companions revealed that he had been a devout, if somewhat introverted, follower in his early life. However,
Thor recently claimed to have visions of the Emperor, and warned that disaster was befalling mankind. It was claimed that Thor had
cast an old Preacher from the pulpit in the middle of a prayer session and denounced the ways of the Ecclesiarchy. With an
eloquence and charisma the informants could not explain, Thor spoke to those present, reaching into their hearts and minds with his
words.
News of the incident spread and soon thousands travelled to hear Thor's sermons and went away with a new religious zeal burning
in their souls, spreading the message even further. Members of the heretic Confederation of Light approached declared his loyalty
to the sect. Thor was brought before the Imperial Commander, Gaius Welkonnen, and spoke of his visions and dreams, and of his
ambition to rid the Imperium of Vandire's tyranny. No one could explain what rare power was held in Thor's voice, but the
Governor immediately swore his loyalty to Sebastian Thor and placed Dimmamar's army at his disposal, as the adept had requested.
As word spread, anarchy embroiled the Segmentum Obscurus, and descration, looting and wanton destruction erupted. Although
Vandire'sspies were exposed and driven out with startling efficiency, it became clear that Sebastian Thor's 'army' had grown to over
5 million followers within the space of a year, and the huge entourage was slowly making its way through the Imperium towards
Terra. Even some of the surviving Frateris Templars joined his forces.
Many legends sprang up around Thor and his long journey, and miraculous events were attributed to his presence. Some of this can
be explained by the oratory skills of the young adept, such as the way the population of the planets he passed through would gather
their resources to feed and house his immense following. Others remain true mysteries, like the Navigator's tales of the utter
calmness of the warp as they journeyed from system to system. Though the rest of the galaxy was still embroiled in the raging
tempests that had engulfed the Imperium for many hundreds of years, the massive fleet of the Confedertion of Light passed through
the warp without hindrance. The Paternova of the Navigators dubbed him Abstracta Preomnis, Master of the Warp.
News of Sebastian Thor spread from the Segmentum Obscurus to other parts of the Imperium. Distance exaggerated the message
and soon Thor was being hailed as a god-like being. With much of its armed might destroyed at Clax, the Adeptus Ministorum
could do little to stop system after system, diocese from swearing loyalty to the new wave of belief centred around Thor. Despite
fierce opposition from many Cardinals and Confessors who saw their power, traditions and whole way of life being destroyed,
Thor's creed converted millions of followers. Co-operation and sacrifice became the doctrine of those who heard Thor's
impassioned speeches, delivered from different planets along the route to Terra. Although many opposed Thor, all across the
Imperium the tide had changed against Vandire. The masses had been pushed too far, and this time they had a leader to unite
behind.
anarchy. These organisations were on the defensive, protecting the few systems they could from the ravages of the Age of Apostasy
and the carnage of Vandire's Reign of Blood. Of all the Imperium, it was these small empire-like enclaves which survived the whole
epoch with the least harm inflicted, the guardianship of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Space Marines protecting them from the worst
events of that terrible era.
With news of Sebastian Thor and the spread of the Confederation of Light, many Space Marine Chapter Masters in the Segmentum
Solar and the nearest sectors of the rest of the Imperium began voicing their support for this movement. The Adeptus Mechanicus
issued a summons for the High Lords to account for themselves and to indict and execute Vandire as a traitor. Vandire's response
was to dissolve the Council of High Lords and order his remaining armies and fleets to attack the rebellious Space Marines and Cult
Mechanicus. Many officers refused such a suicidal endeavour, only to be burned or hanged as heretics. They were replaced with
more tractable commanders, but by this time Vandire's treachery was revealed. Enraged by what he saw Gastaph Hedriatix, the
Fabricator General of the Adeptus Mechanicus, ordered regiments of the Martian Tech-Guard to transport to Earth. These regiments
were joined by the Imperial Fists, Fire Hawks, Soul Drinkers and Black Templars Chapters.
Although much of the Ecclesiarchal palace had fallen into ruin, the central complex which housed Vandire's throne room still
remained an almost impregnable fortress. For months the combined forces of the Tech-Guard and Space Marines tried to breach its
walls, only to be constantly thwarted by the Brides of the Emperor, who numbered some 10,000 fighters by this time. As the huge
cannons of the Adeptus Mechanicus pounded on the walls of the palace and the Space Marine assault squads fought down mile-long
corridors littered with dead, the attention of the High Lords and Vandire was turned outwards. But it was from within that the
greatest threat was to come.
The defences of the Ecclesiarchal palace were no obstacle to the Adeptus Custodes, with their lifelong knowledge of the Imperial
palace and its thousands of miles of hidden conduits and secret corridors. A small contingent of Custodians, led by a Centurion of
the Companions, made its way into the very heart of Vandire's domain. Surfacing not far from Vandire's audience chamber, they
were confronted by the Brides of the Emperor. Calling for a truce and a parley, the Centurion laid down his weapons and walked
unarmed to meet the guardians of Vandire. For an hour he made an impassioned plea for the Brides to revoke their oaths, striving to
convince them that they were fighting for evil, not the Emperor. However, they were not to be swayed by his arguments, and the
nameless Centurion had only one option left. Leaving his men as hostages, the Centurion guided their leader and a bodyguard of
five female warriors back into the tunnels.
The Reformation
The Ecclesiarchy Reborn Although Vandire's Reign of Blood
ended with the death of the High Lord, the Age of Apostasy was to continue for many centuries. Much of the Imperium was still
wracked by warp storms and all manner of small empires and kingdoms were being carved by Imperial Commanders and Cardinals.
The Sebastian Thor had begun his pilgrimage to Earth. However, with no Council of High Lords and no Ecclesiarch there was little
hope that the rest of the Imperium could be swiftly restored to its former power.
The Space Marine Chapter Masters and the Fabricator General of the Adeptus Mechanicus set about resurrecting what remained of
the High Lords of Terra. The copious notes of Vandire's scribes provided damning evidence against many of those who had profited
from the Reign of Blood, and Hedriatix was adamant that all those implicated would face a trail for their conduct, sooner or later.
Many of the organisations were encouraged to purge their own ranks, such as the Navigators and Chartist Captains, Imperial
Commanders were promoted from within the ranks of those who had opposed Vandire, while other High Lords were vindicated by
their peers and duly kept their seats in the Council. However, there was still no Ecclesiarch.
The galleries of the huge courtroom were filled with thousands of Thor's supporters, watching the proceedings with tense
anticipation. The poor and wealthy alike travelled from all across the Imperium to witness the trail of the Imperium's latest saviour.
The Judicium Terran became a focal point for the faithful and the end of long pilgrimages. Many of those who set out arrived
months or even years after the trial had finished, but were determined to complete their journeys and show their support for Thor.
The prosecution of Thor was vigorously pursued by certain members of the High Lords, their pride affronted by Thor's dismissive
refusals. However, for every charge, there was clear and concise evidence of Thor's innocence. He had not incited the people to
smash the temples of the Ministorum, there were documented accounts of his sermons decrying such behaviour. He had not fought
against the soldiers of the Imperium, and many of those who had been sent against him were now numbered amongst his most loyal
followers. Finally, after two months, the trial came to its end. The High Lords consulted each other for three days, debating what to
do with this charismatic young man.
It was Captain-General Excelsor of the Adeptus Custodes who delivered their verdict. After explaining that Thor was found
innocent of all charges brought against him, Excelsor explained the dire need of the Imperium for a new Ecclesiarch. Since Thor
had been proved totally innocent of even the most petty crime, he was an obvious candidate to fill the post in such a time of spiritual
need. The crowds roared their approval, thanking the Emperor in his divine wisdom for sending Thor to deliver them. Speaking
quietly, Thor declined the offer and the Council erupted into chaos. While the other High Lords ranted at one another and at Thor's
impudence, and the watching supporters gasped in despair and disbelief, Excelsor took Thor aside and spoke to him. Although no
one truly knows what the Captain-General said to Thor, it is widely believed to have been, " You will leave Terra as an Ecclesiarch,
or you will not leave Terra at all..."
As the fell silent once more,Thor announced that he would take on the mantle of Ecclesiarch, but only on certain conditions. He was
to have the full backing of the High Lords whenever he needed it. He would make changes to the organisation of the Ecclesiarchy
and they would trust him in his actions. He also wanted to continue as he had been, moving across the Imperium, preaching to the
people directly. It was as an orator that the Emperor had guided him, and with his sermons and prayers he would unite the Imperium
under the Emperor once more. Naturally, the High Lords agreed Thor I was the 292nd Ecclesiarch.
The first change executed by Thor was the formation of the Synod Ministra on Ophelia VII. Although the Holy Synod remains on
Terra and Cardinals from all over the Imperium are free to gather there and discuss the issues concerning the Ecclesiarchy, the
Synod Ministra acts as a secondary governing body further from Terra. This has a two-fold effect. Firstly, the Synod Ministra relays
and disseminates the dictates of the Ecclesiarch and the Holy Synod, enforcing the laws of the Ecclesiarchy. Secondly, it provides a
defence against the manipulation of the Ecclesiarchy by other organisations or even a single individual within the ranks of the
Ministorum itself. Never again will a High Lord or Ecclesiarch have total power over the Adeptus Ministorum.
In a similar vein, each of the dioceses was broken down into smaller areas. Again, this had two effects. Each Cardinal had less
personal power and controlled fewer men and resources. Secondly, with more Cardinals within the Holy Synod there would be
more opposition to radical changes and plans and so further diluted the power held by any one individual.
Other transformations were at the order of the High Lords of Terra. The most important of these was the Decree Passive
0001288/M36. Amongst other prohibitions on military activity, the Decree Passive forbade the Ecclesiarchy from controlling any
'Men under arm'. Sebastian Thor was ordered to disband the Frateris Templars of Vandire and any armies and fleets assembled by
other members of the Ministorum while separated from Terra. This was duly done, but for one exception. Seeing that some military
force would be needed, and not wishing the Ecclesiarchy to be totally subservient to the will of the Adeptus Terra and the Imperial
Guard, Sebastian Thor kept the one army he was allowed under the Decree Passive. Due to the archaic wording of the law, the
Daughters of the Emperor did not break the ban.
Incorporating the sect fully into the Ecclesiarchy was difficult, but eventually they were renamed the Orders Militant of the Adepta
Sororitas. Although the High Lords were uncomforable with this development, they had no legal standing to oppose Thor and his
argument that the Adepta Sororitas would regulate the Ecclesiarchy as much as enforce its will did not fall on deaf ears.
Even with these major changes, there were hundreds of other details to be seen to: the Schola Progenium needed organising again,
the tithes would have to flow into Ministorum vaults once more, there were shrines to be refurbished and temples to be rebuilt.
However, after spending a wearisome decade on Terra, Thor departed the Ecclesiarchal palace and left the bulk of the work to the
Arch-Deacons and Cardinals. He journeyed all across the Imperium for the next eighty years, quelling heresy and apostasy
wherever he came across it.
At the age of 112 Sebastian Thor returned to Terra. He was to live for another six months before finally the Emperor claimed his
soul. A massive wing was built onto the Mausoleum of Remembrance to contain his sarcophagus. The week after his death was
declared a period of mouning and over seventy million pilgrims filed past his tomb within the first year. Huge murals
commemorating his life and works adorn the three-mile long passageway leading up to his burial chamber, and the people of the
Imperium still travel to Terra to gaze upon the face of the Emperor's most faithful servant.
In 901.M41, as a result of Lufgt Huron's apparent mental destabilisation, the Master of the Tiger Claws and Lord of Badab attacked
and destroyed an Imperial investigation fleet as it entered orbit around Badab. Huron's action can be understood with the benefit of
hindsight. The Adeptus Mechanicus had long complained of the Tiger Claws' tardiness in submitting gene-seed for routine analysis,
whilst the chapter had amassed a huge debt in planetary tithes stretching back over a hundred and fifty years. And when the
Imperium moved against its wayward chapter, a full scale rebellion was initiated, the most serious of its kind since the end of the
Fourth Quadrant Rebellion in 780.M41.
The Tyrant of Badab, as Commander Huron Is known in Imperial histories, was a power-hungry and ambitious individual who
should never have risen to power within a Marine Chapter. He was plainly a dangerous individual, able in many respects but
lacking the absolute dedication to humanity vital in a Lord of the Imperium. It will never be known for sure, but current hypotheses
suggest that the Commander was either an alien shapechanger, or otherwise subject to alien domination of a most unnatural kind. A
sudden and unexpected manifestation of psychic powers may lie at the heart of the matter.
By 903 three other chapters, the Mantis Warriors, Executioners and Lamenters had joined the rebellion. Imperial shipping was
attacked, and a ship belonging to the Fire Hawks Chapter was captured by the Mantis Warriors in 904. The Fire Hawks immediately
retaliated, and soon five whole chapters were involved in the fighting. The Emperor recalled the Marines Errant from the Eastern
Fringes, but they quickly found themselves fally occupied protecting Imperial ships in transit.
In 906 two more loyal Marine units, the Red Scorpions and the Minotaurs, had been brought in, and the threat to Imperial shipping
was more or less quashed. In 907 the Red Scorpions and Fire Hawks were recalled to their normal service duties in the galactic east,
and two more chapters, the Novamarines and Howling Griffons were committed to space-lane duties.
Meanwhile, the Star Phantoms began the task of besieging Badab whilst two other chapters were drafred in to investigate the worlds
occupied by the Mantis Warriors and Executioners. The Lamenters were caught in an ambush by the Minotaurs in 908 and
eventually surrendered after bloody ship-to-ship fighting. This came as a great blow to the Tyrant, and the rest of the war consisted
almost entirely of close sieges. The uprising came to an end in 912 with the fall of Badab and final defeat of the Tiger Claws.
Before the war was over, The Exorcists, Fire Angels, Salamanders, Space Sharks and Sons of Medusa all became involved for short
periods of time, chapters replacing other chapters as pressures elsewhere necessitated their re-deployment.
With the rebellion over, The Mantis Legion, Executioners and Lamenters were granted the Emperor's forgiveness, subject to
undertaking a hundred year crusade. The homeworlds of the Mantis Legion and Executioners were forfeited to the Space Sharks
and Star Phantoms for their part in the war. The other legions received salvage rights to spacecraft and a proportion of the booty.
The Tiger Claws were all but destroyed. Only a contingent of about two hundred fought their way through the Exorcists' blockade
and escaped into deep space. They have not been heard of since. Of the fate of Imperial Commander Lufgt Huron, Master of the
Tiger Claws and Tyrant of Badab, nothing is known.
The worlds of the galaxy, and most notably of the Imperium, can be categorised into several broad
classifications. The following list is for cursory details only, and a greater depth of detail can be found by
reference to the relevant hyperlinks and each classification below contains examples of such designated planets
which can be used for a strategic analysis of specific political, economic and cultural phenomena and trends of
that category which can be extrapolated to cover most instances of that planetary type. These worlds are listed
for flavour, feel free to add more information or background or make them the centre of your campaign.
G am eplay N ote:These descriptions are the higherlevelgeneralised classifications than the U W P in T20. You can add
the prefix ofthe W arham m er40k w orld type in frontofthe T20 U W P,forexam ple,C 432430-8 becom es η-C 432430-8
signifying a H ive w orld. O ryou can include the w 40k descriptor(e.g.Forge W orld)in the Trade C lassification section.
O rnotuse itatall.
Aggregate: 1,400:
Aestimare: B50-E400
Comments: Surface generally inhospitable,even deadly,to hum an life aftercenturies ofprocessing.U rban
conglom erations called H ives,m any m iles in height,are principle population centres.Factory,m ining and
atm osphere processing are m ain industries.H igh im port/exportratio,particularly foodstuffs and fresh w ater
incom ing.
Aggregate: 3,500:
Aestimare: A50-F1000
Comments: This is the w idestcategory com prising any w orld,generally self-sufficient,w ith a contem porary
technology base thatdoes notcom ply w ith otherspecification.Includes m ajorsub-categories C ardinalW orlds
[cc],G arden W orlds [cg],M ining W orlds [cm ].
Aggregate: 2000:
Aestimare: C500-B50
Comments: N o less than 850 parts per1,000 given overto the cultivation ofcrop,hydroponics,anim alfodderor
anim alhusbandry.Few conurbations,population spread w idely across planetsurface.
Aggregate: 800:
Aestimare: F400-G800
Comments: Technicalbase considerably pre-black pow der,even pre-ferrous orlithic state in m ostregressed
cases.Som etim es good source ofarm y and Adeptus Astartes recruits ifculture shock survived.Low tithe due to
unfocussed production processes.Im perialC om m anders often distant,in orbitusually,w ith infrequentsurface
forays to establish purges ofpsychic talentand m utation.
Aggregate: 200:
Aestimare: G500-G1000
Comments: These w orlds have m inim al,even non-existant,life traces.This results from ecologicalcatastrophe,
devastating internecine w ar,Im perialoralien intervention orno attributable cause.
Aggregate: 600:
Aestimare: D500-G50
Comments: Planets w hich are too dangerous to supportw idespread hum an settlem ent.Types m ay vary from
w orld-w ide jungles thatharborcarnivorous plants and anim als to barren rockscapes strew n w ith volcanoes and
w racked by ion storm s.These w orlds are near-im possible to colonise butm ustbe properly explored w hich
necessitates the provision ofoutposts and otherfacilities.Som e harbourrich m ineral,vegetable,anim alor
gaseous resources.
Aggregate: 100:
Aestimare: A760-D45
Comments: Includes w ide variety oflocations,such as orbitalstations,asteroidalem placem ents and otherm ajor
facilities ofdead w orlds,death w orlds oron otherplanets.R esponsible forw ide variety ofresearch,from anim al
breeding and dom estication to w eapons testing and gene engineering.Also listening and w atch posts for
planetary and system defence ofm ajorplanets [Aest.B200 orgreater].
Aggregate: 400:
Aestimare: C750-F1000
Aggregate: 1,000:
Aestimare: A1-C500
Comments: Sovereign D om ains ofAdeptus M echanicus,these are planet-w ide factories.A forge w orld often
serves as a base ofoperations forone ofthe Titan Legions.Forge w orlds are essentialforthe supply ofarm s
and arm ourto the Im perium 's com batforces.
HIVE W O RLDS
Hive W orlds are planets w hich,in allbuta few cases,w ere settled thousands ofyears ago,often before the tim e ofthe
Im perium ,during the D ark Age ofTechnology w hen m ankind firstspread throughoutthe galaxy.
A H ive W orld has a population w hich faroutw eighs its ow n ability to feed orsupportit,often exceeding a thousand
billion people on a planetthe size ofEarth.Such vastnum bers ofpeople exertsuch pressure upon the environm ent
thatfew hive w orlds can sustain life naturally.M any have no free ground surface leftbecause they are entirely built
over,to the extentthatthe planetis no m ore than a huge urban conglom eration.
H ive W orlds are tough places:little value is attached to hum an life and air,lightand food are often precious and rare
com m odities.Because the populations ofH ive W orlds are so large they are alm ostim possible to control.As a
consequence itis generally the case thathive societies are extrem ely brutaland dangerous.Violence is often
institutionalised and accepted,and upholding the law is com m only a m atterofexerting personalpow erand influence.In
such a situation a m an depends upon his friends and fam ily,those w hose livelihoods depend on him and those to
w hom he can prom ise support.Every hive w orld has its unique environm ent,history,and circum stances.
LA N D SC A PE
H ive w orlds are planets devoid ofany rem nantoftheiroriginalnaturalbeauty,the surfaces reduced to a w asteland of
w indblow n ash and accum ulated industrialw aste.Throughoutthis w asteland lie the hive cities w hich give such planets
theirdistinctive characterand theircollective nam e ofhive w orlds.
The hives are grouped into clusters com prising up to a dozen orso individualhives alllinked by a netw ork ofover
ground traveltubes and subterranean passages.These clusters are scattered overthe cloud-strew n surface ofthe
planet.From the top ofany hive itis possible to see the tips ofdistanthive clusters projecting from the seas ofpoison
m ists like far-flung islands.
H ive clusters are connected togetherby roads across the w astes and transportation tubes supported on pylons and
suspended on cables.W ith its forestoftow ering hives interconnected in a netw ork oftubes,the landscape resem bles a
petrified forestentangled in the w eb ofsom e enorm ous spider.O n the notorious hive w orld ofN ecrom unda this is a
very pow erfulsym bol.
The hives are the resultofthousands ofyears ofconstantdem olition and rebuilding.Any ofthe planet's originalcities lie
underneath the hives,m any hundreds ofyards below the currentsurface ofthe planet's ash w astes.
Each hive takes the form ofm any huge spires w hich rise from the base ofthe city.From a distance,a hive resem bles a
m ass ofstalagm ites rising from the cloud strew n w astes.Each hive covers an approxim ately circulararea som e fifty to
a hundred m iles in diam eter.The tops ofthe spires can rise to a dozen orm ore m iles above the ground surface,
piercing the festering clouds thatsurround the low erlevels ofthe hive.The spires usually m erge into each otherattheir
bases,and sm allerspires w illsom etim es grow outand upw ards from justabove the base,branching like a cactus and
form ing m ultiple spires.
The spires are only the top partofthe hive,com prising the upperhab zones w ith factory layers on orabove the current
ground surface.The olderand partially ruined factory and hab layers stillexist,although they are buried beneath the
ash w astes.Though they are hidden,factories and habs are rarely abandoned untilthey are utterly derelictorpolluted
beyond use even by hive w orld standards.
TH E A SH W A STES
Ash w astes are areas ofland covered in an abrasive and highly corrosive ash,the end productofthousands ofyeas of
industry.This desertcovers every inch ofm osthive w orlds thatis notprotected w ithin a hive.In densely populated
parts ofa hive w orld,hives m ay be separated by only fifty ora hundred m iles ofw aste.Som e hives m ay be separated
by a stretch ofa thousand m iles ofw aste.
In som e places the ash is m iles deep,form ing shifting ranges ofdustdunes w hich can bury roads and transporttubes,
and erode the base ofa hive w hen sw eptalong in the frequentduststorm s.The funnel-shape ofthe hive spires is
designed to strengthen the hive againstthe w orstravages ofthe dust,buteven so they are often buried to halftheir
heightorm ore by ash.This is stabilised and held in place by the fresh w astes w hich pourfrom the drains ofthe hive
factories.
The ash w astes are m ostly com posed ofm etaloxides,pow dered plastics and inorganic chem icals w hich take m illennia
to reduce.The w astes are an inhospitable environm ent.The ash corrodes equipm entand poisons organic life,although
a surprisingly variety ofcreatures do survive.N o unpolluted air,food orw atercan be found in these dead lands,
although there are fungi,algae and bacteria w hich live on the w aste itself.These are believed to be responsible forthe
lim ited free oxygen on the atm osphere ofm osthive w orlds.
The ash w astes are a striking and colourfulifsom ew hatlurid environm ent.The nom ads ofthe w aste and even m ost
hive-dw ellers w ho see them w ould callthem beautiful.The ash occurs in m any different,often vivid hues such as
sulphuryellow ,citric green,cobaltblue,pink,m auve,as w ellas various shades ofgrey,and itvaries in texture from fine
dustto crystalline clinker.The creatures and nom ads thatlive there are equally colourful,the betterto blend into their
surroundings.
A sh Storm s
The m ostdangerous hazard ofthe w astes is the ash storm s.These terrible storm s can blow theirpayload oftoxic ash
from the equatorto the poles.A m oderate ash storm w illstrip an unprotected m an to the bone in seconds,and then
reduce his bones to a handfulofdust.A serious storm is som ething thatallhive-dw ellers fear.These can be so strong
thatthey have been know n to destroy entire hives.R uined spires are occasionally revealed in the w ake ofone storm
only to be covered overagain by shifting w aste in the next.In som e areas,ash has been blow n aw ay to revealthe
scarred bedrock ofthe planet.D uring the calm erseasons,w hich coincides w ith an extinctsum m er,liquid pollutants rise
to the surface,form ing slick-lakes and short-lived blind-rivers.Stream s m eanderacross the land,vanishing into sink-
holes in the dustonly to rise elsew here.Im perialscholars w ho have studied dustecologies believe thatthere m ay be
currents and tides w ithin the ash surface.
These transientrivers and lakes can dry out,form ing a hard pan on the surface ofthe dust.These dangerous areas
concealdeep seas offine dustbeneath them .The nom ads w ho travelthe w astes avoid such places,because to fall
through the crustofa pan is certain death.Anyone w ho does so is suffocated and then corroded to nothing by the ash.
In hotterw eather,w hen the sun breaks through the hive w orld's cloud cover,noxious vapours rise up and form
poisonous m ists and fogs.M ists are invariably follow ed by toxic rain storm s,laden w ith particles ofdeadly ash dustand
othercontam inants.
H ow ever,despite theirperils,the ash w astes concealtreasures.M uch rem ains hidden beneath the surface,ready to be
reclaim ed and used:derelictspires from losthives;buried convoys;w recked stratoplanes,aircraftand spaceships;long-
abandoned m ine w orkings;and even,in places,raw m aterials from the bedrock ofthe planet.There are a few places
w here,thanks to som e m ysterious naturalsorting ofthe w ind and ash itself,veins ofpure oxides and chem icals have
accum ulated.Such concentrations,orash pockets,are w orth m ining in them selves.They are a rich raw m aterialw hich
can be reprocessed.
Sludge Seas
M ost,ifnotall,hive w orlds no longerhave large expanses ofopen w ater.Any such seas and oceans have been filled
w ith liquid chem icalw aste,choked w ith ash and thick w ith chem icals poisoned by heavy m etals.The consistency ofthe
sludge varies from a thin,chem icalsoup to a viscous polluted m ud.Sea surfaces have solidified so m uch thatonly
flyers orhovervehicles can cross.Som e m utants even live in these areas,utterly isolated from the restofthe planet.
The sludge seas,how ever,also supporttheirquota ofhives.Som e are builton m assive piles,driven deep into the sea
floor.O ther,relatively sm allhives have been constructed on m assive floating islands w hich are anchored in position.
O n m ore than one occasion a floating hive has broken free during an ash storm and sunk orcapsized.Survivors of
such a disasterare rare.
A N A TO M Y O F A H IVE
The Spires
From a distance,w hen the clouds liftfrom around a hive,its spires look like a clusteroftall,tapering term ite m ounds.
They rise from a broad base ofoutlying structures to near-verticaltow ers.Theirgigantic scale is such thatitalm ost
defies hum an involvem entin theirconstruction and they look as though they m ighthave sprouted up outofthe ground
by them selves,like som e greatorganic grow th.Few hum an constructions can rivaltheiraw esom e size.Although no
tw o spires are exactly the sam e,they allshare com m on characteristics and are constructed in a sim ilarfashion.
A section cutthrough a spire is nota w hole circle.A spire is divided into a series ofsegm ents,like w edges ofa cheese,
w hich are joined atthe centre.D eep gullies orslits in the spire,crossed by com m unications tubes,separate the
segm ents.These gullies are supposed to adm itlightand airto the spire,buttheirsize m akes this im practical.Every
added com m unications tube also adds its shadow to the darkness ofthe interior.
The areas close to the core are farrem oved from the outside w orld.Theironly illum ination is provided by glow globes
and m assive cables offibre orflexible glass,w hich run dow n into the core ofthe hive from the sunlitpinnacles ofthe
spires.These create w eak shafts oflightthatpenetrate the dim catacom bs ofthe hive and lightin the sam e w ay as the
nave ofa G othic cathedral.
Fresh airenters the innerrecesses ofthe hive via greatducts from the upperlayers.Itis draw n in through huge w ind
intake fans and filtered through dozens ofpurification plants to rem ove the fum es accum ulated as itpasses dow n the
heightofthe spire.In the deepestparts ofthe hive and especially in the old factories and undercity layers,the airducts
no longerfunction.H ere fum es and stale airaccum ulate and personalrespirators m ustbe w orn atalltim es.
The m any airducts and vents are infested by strange creatures called caryatids.These sm all,blue,w inged hum anoids,
w hich existin greatnum bers on the hive w orld ofN ecrom unda particularly,are seen as lucky charm s and often attach
them selves to successfulindividuals.C onversely,the departure ofa petcaryatid is seen as an om en ofdoom -its
form ercom panion is then regarded as a m an w aiting fordeath. Treatthese sm allcreatures as Pixies from the M M .
The Shell
The outershellofa hive is its skin and defence.Though the cliff-like shellofa spire appears to be quite solid,its
surface is pierced w ith deep verticaland angled shafts.These shafts are sm allcom pared to the bulk ofthe spire,but
are im portantbecause they adm itadditionallightand airinto the core ofthe hive.They are allprotected by a series of
m assive covers w hich can be m oved into place w hen required.
The shellis w here the m ajority ofthe inter-spire traveltunnels and tubes begin and end.Tunnelstations and gatew ay
fortresses,convoy parks and garrison blocks are alllocated in it,w here they can contribute to the regulation and
defence oftraffic betw een and w ithin the hives.
The shellis also the firstline ofa hive's active defences againstplanetary invasion.G iantdefence lasers,each capable
ofhitting an orbiting target,are m ounted atm any points.These are used to defend the hive againsthum an oralien
spacecraft.H ow ever,againstthe fierce ash storm s,the shell's surface form s its only defence.
Although som e people do live w ithin the hive shells,the storm s are an excellentreason to find accom m odation deeper
w ithin the spire.Being able to experience directsunlightorfeela fresh draftofairfrom the ductis a status sym bol
alm ostas im portantas having a good diet,buta single ash storm can m ake such status sym bols m eaningless.
A heavy storm is quite capable ofstripping offthe shell's outerlayers,including a spire's laserdefences,travelfacilities
and shell-dw ellers.Shells m ustbe constantly refurbished by w ork-gangs,otherw ise the nextash storm could easily
penetrate the tunnels,shafts and catacom bs ofthe m ain spire and rip itapart.
H eatSinks
Atthe heartofevery spire there is a single verticalshaftknow n as the heatsink.From the topm ostlevels ofthe spire
the heatsink reaches farbelow the low estlevels ofthe hive,dow n through the geologicalcrustofthe planetitself.A
heatsink can be severalm iles across.Itis a vast,hollow ,sealed tube m ade from dense plasteel.Along the length ofits
thick plasteelw alls there are buildings,cham bers,shafts and service tunnels.
The sink takes heatfrom the planet's core and turns itinto pow erforthe spire.Atintervals throughoutthe length ofthe
heatsink there are generatorstations w hich convertthe raw heatinto usable energy.The pow eris then transm itted to
the factories and hab layers around the core.There are no pow erstations in the low erlevels.The heatsink passes
through these levels and provides only a constantw arm th.This,how ever,is infinitely preferable to the dam p chillofthe
rem ainderofthe low erhive.
O n m osthive w orlds,the pow ergeneration system s are controlled by clans w hose territory they fallinto.These clans
receive a considerable incom e from allw ho use theirpow er,so possession ofthe heatsinks is one ofthe chiefm arks of
a pow erfulclan ofthe innercore.O therclans m ightcontrolterritory betw een the pow erstations and the users,and they
often extracttheirow n tolls from both factories and pow erproducers to protecttransm ission lines.In this w ay the feudal
clans operate as producers,suppliers and consum ers in a thriving econom y.O nly in the upperhab layers ofthe spires
is there a regulated service.There,pow eris draw n from stations controlled by the hive w orld's governm ent,i.e.troops
belonging to the planetary governor.
Access to the heatsink is usually very difficult.M any levels have no access atall,and on others access ports are
sealed and guarded.O n som e ofthe olderlevels,how ever,m any seals are ruined orinsecure and access is possible
although dangerous.
H ab Layers
The upperlayers ofeach spire are called habitation areas orhab layers.H ere the bulk ofthe population live in
conditions w hich range from relative luxury to dism alsqualor.
W here a fam ily lives in a spire reflects its socialstanding and im portance.The topm ostlayers ofthe spire are populated
by the elite households ofthe hive.This hive nobility live in relative com fortenjoying the luxury ofnaturallight,fresh air
and realfood im ported from nearby agriculturalw orlds.Below lie the tw ilightlevels,inhabited by the restofthe
population.C onditions on the tw ilighthab layers are considerably less pleasantthan in the habs above.N aturaldaylight
is dim ,fresh airis unknow n,and m ostofthe food has been eaten and recycled m any tim es before.
Below the tw ilightlayers is the darkness ofthe undercity.H ere,the only lightcom es from the artificialglow globes.
Everything,even the air,on these levels has been used before and reprocessed severaltim es.The proteins and
m inerals in the universalsynthdietis reclaim ed from hum an bodies thatno longerhave need ofit.O n hive w orlds,
everything thatcan be recycled is recycled,including the people them selves.
The industrialcom plexes builtinto the spires produce allkinds ofdifferentitem s w hich are traded to otherplanets in
return forthe food w hich hive w orlds so desperately needs to feed the teem ing m illions.
In the hives,the factory levels extend from below the low erhabs dow n to the surface ofthe ash w astes and beyond.
O verthe m illennia,the w aste exuded from the factories has solidified around the base ofthe hives,effecting the ever-
rising layerofash w aste w hich covers the surface ofthe planet.As the levelofthe ash w astes rises,so the low er
factories find them selves buried below the ground.So long as itrem ains possible to pum p effluentup to the surface,
these factories can stillcontinue to function.
The new factory levels are a netw ork ofw aste pipes,gutter-shafts and gas-drains w hich bleed poisons and noxious
w astes aw ay from w orking areas.These drains stick outofthe low erflanks ofthe hives,flaring offdangerous gas,
belching outfum es into the filth-ridden air,orpouring poisonous liquids and solid w aste onto the polluted ash below .
Industrialproduction is controlled by the m any clans.Each producerfits into a pattern offeudalobligation -supplying
otherclans and taking raw m aterials,com ponents and pow erfrom others.Large,pow erfulclans actas clearing houses
forthe goods and services provided by theirfeudalinferiors.This industrialfeudalism ofa hive w orld regulates dem and
and supply in a thoroughly efficientm anner.
C lans w illoften rise in pow erand im portance,as lesserclans in related industries com e togetherin uneasy alliances.
Som etim es conflictofinterests,territorialrights and clan rivalry lead to inter-clan feuds.
W orkers usually live in orvery nearthe factories w here they w ork,and are as m uch a resource as the m achines they
tend.In som e cases,w orkers,especially Techs,are surgically adapted to perform specialistfunctions.Such physical
and m entalenhancem ents are expensive to finance,w hich m akes such w orkers very valuable.
O ld Factories
As the surface ofthe w astes rises itbecom es increasingly difficultto service the factories on the buried levels.H uge
vacuum pum ps liftcountless tons offilth up above surface levelforventing outside the hive,buteven these have their
lim its.There is a pointin each spire below w hich disposing ofthe factories'rubbish is im practical.W hen the costof
disposing ofa factory's w aste is no longeroutw eighed by the value ofits output,itis closed dow n and abandoned.
As the low erlevels fallbelow the levelofthe ash w astes and are abandoned to low -life scum ,low erhab layers are
converted into new factories,and the upperhab levels are extended upw ards.In this w ay the spires ofa hive w orld are
being continually renew ed.
The old factory layers are filled w ith abandoned m achinery and hab levels and often reach as farbelow ground as the
spires stretch above it.The low estparts ofthe old factory levels are little m ore than rubble,having collapsed underthe
w eightofthe hive,orbeen deliberately filled in to m ake foundations forlaterbuilding w ork.The abandoned factories
and hab layers are infested by scavvies,gangs w ho roam the dead layers ofthe hive scavenging foranything they can
use ortrade.
TH E U N D ER C ITY
Below the hive's foundations lies a honeycom b ofancienttunnels,ruins,and buildings from a long-dead past.These
ruins lie atthe very bottom ofeach spire,farbelow any factories and the ash w astes:they are the undercities,the
oldestand deepestparts ofany hives.
U ndercity zones predate the hives by m any centuries,even m illennia.They are the rem nants ofthe firstcities,built
before the planet's naturalecology w as destroyed,w hen there w ere no encroaching ash w astes.Itis quite possible that
the rem ains ofthe colony barges thatfirstbroughtm ankind to the planetstilllie beneath som e hives.
The undercities are infested w ith fugitives,outcasts and m utants w ho are regarded by the upperhive-dw ellers as little
betterthan the anim alverm in w hich are also found there.Life in the undercity is even m ore violentand difficultthan life
in the spires above.M any ofthe m ostruthless hive gangs have origins in the undercity.Atthe bottom ofthe hive,
upw ard m obility is m ore than an abstractconcept.The strong,the lucky and ruthless can rise to the top,in term s of
actuallocation in the hive as w ellas in status.Itis notunknow n forsurvivors ofthe undercity to reach high status as
officers in the Im perialArm y,schooled and tem pered by the terrible necessities ofsurvival.
TH E FO R B ID D EN C ITIES
The m ilitary tunnels,w hich link m osthives,run deep beneath the ash w astes,cutinto the very bedrock ofthe planet.
This travelnetw ork is constructed to allow m ilitary units to m ove quickly around the planet.
Access to the hive is via greatram p-shafts guarded by gatehouses,butunauthorised persons are able to gain entry
through the heatsinks and air-vents.U nderthe hives,and linked to this underground tunnelnetw ork,are cavernous
storage depots and bunkers,used forstockpiles ofsynthetic food and raw m aterials in the anticipation ofw arorsom e
otherdisaster.
The tunnelsystem and its associated bunkers are usually very ancient,dating to a tim e before the hives had grow n to
the m assive sizes thatare com m on today.As the system is continually being renovated orenlarged,m any tunnels and
bunkers have been bypassed ordisused and sealed up.O verthe m illennia,these unused tunnels and bunkers have
been forgotten and lost.
M osthive w orlds have these 'forbidden cities'.N ecrom unda's forbidden cities,forexam ple,are hom e to deposits ofthe
psychic drug 'spook'.N ecrom unda's cavernous vaults oftheirforbidden cities are extended and em bellished w ith the
w ealth broughtin by this drug.Pillared halls are cutfrom the rock,polished stones and m osaics adorn the floors,
ceilings and w alls.These places have becom e palaces ofarchaic decadence and splendour.
M ostofthese forbidden cities are populated from the scum ofthe undercity,supervised and guarded by savage
undercity gangs.Ifthey cannotfind enough w illing w orkers they w illincite undercity gangs to m ake slave raids into the
low erhab layers orofferto buy captives from nom ad slavers.O nce introduced to the decadentlife w ithin the Forbidden
C ity,m ostslaves are reluctantto everbe free again.
Spook exploitation brings in incredible w ealth.This w ealth helps to m aintain the privileged lifestyle ofthose noble
fam ilies secretly involved in its m anufacture and trade.These are the so called Lords ofthe Forbidden C ities.Som e are
ofnoble origin,others are adventurers ofobscure origin w ho have connections w ith the nobility.Frequently they are
m em bers ofnoble households w ho have gone into exile because they are suspected psykers orw ish to escape from
politicalenem ies.They sim ply disappearfrom the upperspires,setting up courtin the hidden bunkers w here the spook
is processed.
Spook
W hile there are m any decaying foodstuffs dow n in the bunkers,only a certain type degenerates into the spook lode;the
vestigialrem ains ofthe oldestkind ofsynthdiet.The decayed synthdietdeposits are now nothing m ore than a lurid
green pow der,having been acted on by m utantfungiforthousands ofyears.Itcontained a high proportion ofrecycled
hum an protein and itis this hum an essence w hich is likely to accountforits dram atic effects on the hum an psyche.
The drug spook is taken in liquid form -the ultim ate m agic potion.W hen drunk in sm allam ounts,itaw akens the
im biber's psychic abilities.W hen drunk in quantity itopens the channelbetw een a person's physicalbody and theirsoul
in the w arp.Ifthe individualhas strong soul,itw illbe draw n into his m aterialbody;ifhe has a w eak soul,allpsychic
energy w illbe instantly sucked outofhim and lostin the void.Itis forthis reason thatspook is a very dangerous
substance,and its use viciously repressed by the Im perium .
In hive w orld society,people are constantly seeking w ays to exploitanything they discover.The people w ho stum bled
on the unusualgreen deposits investigated w ays ofturning them into w ealth,as they w ould have done w ith any
substance,and in the process discovered spook.Being ignorantofm atters ofthe hum an souland the dangerinherent
in m ankind's m etam orphosis into a psychic race,spook w as seen as justanothersubstance to be recycled and
exploited forprofit.
There has alw ays been a m assive dem and fordrugs in hive society,m ainly to supplem entthe dietand w ard off
sickness.Spook becam e popularam ong the nobility w ho revelled in its exotic effects and ithas slow ly filtered dow n
throughouthive society.
The noble households w hich exploited this resource naturally keptthe trade secretand continued to grow rich.The
household ofthe Lord ofN ecrom unda him selfw as involved in the business and w as able to organise offplanettrade of
spook.This had to be accom plished using sm ugglers,since the Im perialfleetconductalllegaltrade in space.
N o-one know s orcan predictw here the spook deposits are to be found,butw heneverone com es to light,the 'right
people'are inform ed,and m ining and processing can begin.Trusted noble households w ith a close connection to the
Sm allquantities ofspook are also found and traded by scavvies w ho stum ble on eroded deposits during theirdelvings.
This accounts fora sm allam ountofw ild spook thatis traded in the undercity and shanties.Im perialagents trying to
track the spook to its source usually end up follow ing the scavvy spook and thereby m iss the m ain source.There is
nothing thatconnects the nobility to this scavvy spook.
The m ostsignificantoutletforspook is the secretcults thatlurk in m any hives.These cultists need a regularsupply of
this psychic-enhancing substance.The Im m ortals in particularrequire vastquantities fortheirrites and the expansion of
the this cultis certainly the single greatestfactorin the grow th ofthe spook trade.M ostofthe spook lords w ho rule the
Forbidden C ities are probably already m em bers ofthis cult.
Spook is easily distributed via the various undercity,scavvy ornom ad gangs w ho ask no questions and only know of
the nextlink in the chain.
TH E SH A N TIES
Shanty tow ns are builtoutside the hives,clustered atthe outeredge ofthe shells ofthe spires.They are inhabited by all
kinds ofhive w orld scum w ho cannotcope w ith life w ithin the hives.The spires,atleast,offera lim ited protection
againstthe poisoned rains and corrosive ash.The bestsheltera shanty dw ellercan hope foris one ortw o layers of
packing m aterial,oran abandoned vehicle.To m ake m atters w orse,m uch ofthe factories'toxic effluentpours directly
dow n onto the shanties.
Ifa shanty rem ains in existence forany length oftim e and som ehow escapes being sw eptaw ay by a storm ,the
inhabitants w illexcavate caves and cellars into the solidified sludge and com pacted dust.These dw ellings can be
reinforced by sludge baked by the sun into crude bricks.By retreating into these refuges,som e shanty dw ellers survive
the ash storm s thatsw eep aw ay the m ore flim sy parts oftheirhom es.W hen the storm abates,they force theirw ay
through the w ind-blow n dustto the surface and attem ptto rebuild the shanty outofthe w reckage ofthe old one.
C onditions in the shanties are w orse than anything in the hives,yetform ostshanty-dw ellers even theircrude hom e is
preferable to w andering the ash w astes,w here they w ould fallvictim to the creatures and nom ads ifthe heat,corrosive
dustand freak storm s did notgetthem first.
N o-one from the hives bothers shanty-dw ellers very m uch -they have little w orth taking.Furtherm ore,the spraw ling
settlem ents are hom e to vicious gangs ofshanty-dw ellers,scavvies and nom ad bandits thathave com e to the shanty to
trade.
H IVE W O R LD FA C ILITIES
H ive w orlds have the largestm ix ofluxury and squalorofany Im perialw orlds.The m assive populations ofhives do not
benefitfrom the bestlife can offerand only the relatively w ell-offcan afford even education.Palatine hive on
N ecrom unda,forexam ple,has facilities in the 'excellent'category,butnotallbenefitfrom this.Because ofthis,hive
w orlds have a differentfacility m ake up than norm alIm perialw orlds w ould otherw ise have.O nce m ore,hive w orlds are
polluted,filthy,planets w ith billions densely packed into individualhives and spires.The distribution ofbeneficialliving
can only be offered to those living higherup a hive.The sam e goes forw eapons and equipm ent.
The availability ofgoods is considerably less the low erdow n a hive an individualgoes.The populations thatbenefit
from the bestare those living in the 'upper'hab levels.Forexam ple,in the Palatine hive they w illbenefitfrom 'excellent'
facilities.In the 'tw ilight'levels,w here the bulk ofthe population live,they w illbenefitfrom facilities a fulltw o grades
dow n from the overallgrade,i.e.in the Palatine hive the tw ilightlevels offer'average'facilities.U ndercity/factory levels
alw ays offer'very poor'facilities on w hateverhive w orld an individualis on. In gam e term s drop the TL rating as you go
dow n the hive by 2. So on a TL 14 H ive W orld the U pperlevels are TL 14,the Tw ilightLevels are 12 and anything
low eris TL 10.
M O RDIA
N am e H ex # UW P Bases Trade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
M ordia A79109B0-D S,N N on Agri,D esert G 900 Im perium M S-O range
In the long and sinisterannals ofthe Inquisition there are m any tales oftreachery and horror,ofthe destruction of
w orlds and the trium ph ofm an's greed and foolishness.Yetam ongstthatrecord oflostplanets and m ortaldefeatthere
are a few stories ofhum an victory.O ne such place is M ordian -the W orld ofEternalN ight.
The M ordian day is the sam e length as the M ordian year,the sm allplanetturning upon its axis once each tim e it
com pletes a circle ofits sun.As a consequence,one side ofM ordian is constantly burned by the fierce heatofthe sun,
w hilstthe otherside lies in eternaldarkness.The scorched side is lifeless and barren,a desertofsplintered rock and
canyons w here arm ies clashed during the Age ofApostasy m any years ago.O n M ordia,alllife is on the the dark side.
The slow revolution ofM ordia does little to stirits thick atm osphere,so the w eatheris constantly hotand stillw ith no
naturalbreezes to m ove the oppressive air.In the sultry darkness the M ordians go abouttheirdaily lives.Ancientand
ruinous cities spraw lacross the planet's dark surface.Pyram idal,m ulti-levelled tow ers reach forthe sky and rise like
m ountains tow ards space.H undreds ofm illions ofpeople existupon a land surface barely one tenth the size ofEarth.
Allfood,allclothing,allessentialresources and supplies are strictly controlled,rationed and recycled.
Such harsh and dem anding conditions naturally breed discontent.Few people really understand the predicam entthey
ortheirplanetis in.O thers care nothing fortheirfellow m en and seek only to accrue personalw ealth and pow er
regardless ofconsequences.In the decaying,m ulti-levelled cities crim e is rife.G angsters and crim inalw arlords rule an
underw orld w here life is cheap and w here the desperate are m erely paw ns to be expended as theirm asters please.
D efence:M edium .
N otable H istory:The Battle ofM ordia.C haos forces alm osttook overthe planetbutthe Iron G uard ofM ordia just
m anaged to turn the tide.
NEC RO M UNDA
N am e H ex # UW P Bases Trade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
N ecrom unda A78109B0-D S,N Industrial G 911 Im perium R ed D w arf
N ecrom unda is a w orld ofm ines,factories,refineries and processing plants.The planetis a vastpow erhouse of
industry,m aking thousands upon thousands ofdifferentitem s foruse throughoutnearby planetary system s.N othing
w hich can contribute to the planet's outputhas been leftuntouched.M ountains have been reduced to rubble forthe ore
they contain.O ceans have been turned into little m ore than chem icalsludge ponds.The once fertile plains have
disappeared underhuge urban developm ents ofgreathousing and factory blocks,form ing new ranges ofm an-m ade
m ountains every bitas tallas the long-since flattened naturalland features.
D efence:Substantial..
N otable H istory:N ecrom unda has had its fairshare ofbattles.O rks actually occupied the hive know n as 'the Skull',but
they have since been dealtw ith.W hatw as m ore w orrying forthe position ofLord H elm aw r,w as the G enestealer
infestation thatsuddenly struck the N autilus spire ofthe Acropolis hive.R evolution broke outand there w as totalchaos.
Lord H elm aw rcalled on the services ofthe residentSpace M arines ofthe U ltram arine C hapterstationed atthe Palatine
hive.These troops curtailed the G enestealerinfestation thus saving the lives ofm illions ofN ecrom undans.
The Palatine
The largestand oldestsurviving hive on N ecrom unda is the dynastic hom e ofLord H elm aw r,Im perialC om m anderof
N ecrom unda,know n across the planetas the Palatine.The clusteritbelongs to is know n as the Palatine C luster.The
centraland tallestspire ofthe Palatine hive form s the palace ofthe Im perialC om m anderLord H elm aw r.
The Palatine boasts som e ofthe m ostgrandiose and m agnificentarchitecture on N ecrom unda,and also has the only
shipyard and landing field large enough to take orbitalcarriers.Itis thus the planet's only spaceport,a physical
expression ofH elm aw r's m onopoly in offplanettrade.The fortress m onastery ofthe Adeptus Astartes contingentand
the headquarters ofthe Adeptus Arbites on N ecrom unda are also located in the Palatine hive.
O n the edge ofthe hive is a specialspire setaside forthe aliens and hum an sub-types w ho com e to N ecrom unda from
tim e to tim e to trade.Squats are am ongstthese visitors and they are housed on separate levels ofthis spire.The
Palatine is thus by farthe m ostcosm opolitan ofallthe hives ofN ecrom unda.
Trazior H ive
Traziorm eans 'Three Sisters'in the localN ecrom undan dialect.Itis also called because ithas three huge spires w hich
can be seen from a long w ay offby any travellercom ing across the w astes from the south.Trazioris located on the
edge ofthe G reatEquatorialW aste and is the southernm ost'frontier'hive ofthe greatPalatine C luster.
M any im portantm erchantclans are based in this hive and itis the m ain trading depotforconvoys going to orarriving
from the southern hive clusters.The nom ads w ho live outin the w astes and raid the convoys are a constantsource of
annoyance to its inhabitants.
A cropolis H ive
This is anotherold and elaborate hive in the Palatine C luster.Itis located ata very im portantintersection ofseveral
greatroad tunnels and has alw ays been a m ajorcentre oftrade on N ecrom unda.The Acropolis hive is hom e territory
forsom e ofthe m ostpow erfulm erchantclans,w hose w idespread trading netw ork extends across m any ofthe hives of
N ecrom unda.The Acropolis hive attracts a num beroflarge and spraw ling shanties clustered around its base.
This is anotherhive in the Palatine C luster.O ne spire form s the headquarters ofthe Ecclesiarchy on N ecrom unda,
w hile anotherspire form s The Tem ple ofthe Em perorD eified.C olleges,libraries and chapels occupy parts ofthe other
spires.A priory ofthe Adepta Sororita is located in one ofthe outerspires.This spire is often called the Sisters Tow er
as a consequence.
The population ofTem enos hive are am ongstthe m ostpious and devoutfollow ers ofthe Im perialC ult.M any ofthe
residentclans m anufacture ritualitem s forthe priesthood w hile others w ork in the scriptorium ,translating the w isdom of
the priesthood into the m any dialects ofN ecrom unda.
The Tem ple spire is an architecturalw onder:its interioris a w arren ofnaves,chapels and crypts,vaulted ceilings and
pillared halls.The diffused lightis stained by refraction through crystal.Incense and the sound ofchanting driftacross
the cham bers.H ere and there statues and hologram s ofthe Em perorreside in secluded shrines.From here C onfessors
and m issionaries are sentoffto frontierw orlds in the nearby system s.
Q uinspirus C luster
The Q uinspirus C lusteris situated on the edge ofa virtually solidified sludge sea called the W orldsum p O cean.Atone
tim e,w hen the sea w as stillnavigable,the area included vastdockyards.These now rem ain buried deep w ithin the
undercity ofthe centrally located Q uinspirus H ive.This hive has five greatspires.The cavernous w arehouses ofthe
ancientw aterfronts have been the scene ofm any savage gang w ars.
The Skull
This derelicthive is the largestofa clusterofthree rem ote ruined hives.Itis pierced by greatholes and from a distance
looks like a greatskulllying in the w astes.Itis a fam ous landm ark and perhaps even w orshipped by the localnom ads.
These three gigantic ruins are allthatrem ains ofthe hives thatw ere captured and occupied fora tim e by O rk raiders.
Allcontactw ith the clusterw as lostforseveralyears before the restofN ecrom unda realised w hathad happened.In the
end a cam paign w as m ounted to clearthem .This w as the originalreason fordespatching a Space M arine contingentto
N ecrom unda,w hich has since becom e a perm anentestablishm ent.
The hives w ere besieged and destroyed during the cam paign.N ow the tops have caved in and they lie abandoned and
choked w ith dust.N o one know s w hatfearfulthings have m ade theirhom e am id the ruins,and even the nom ads and
scavvies fearto go nearthem .
The day shall not save them. And we own the night
TALLARN
N am e H ex # UW P Bases Trade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
Tallarn B6764A3-13 S,N Industrial G 903 Im perial M S-O range
The w orld ofTallarn w as once a fertile planetbathed in the gentle orange lightofits tw in suns.O ceans,plains and lush
jungles covered its surface,and its people prospered.Allofthis ended in the H orus H eresy.The planetw as attacked by
C haos forces,the Iron W arriorC haos Space M arines.Thousands ofvirus bom bs rained dow n on Tallarn and allw ho
could ran to the enviro-shelters deep beneath the surface.As they hid,safe from the devastating bio-infestation,the
deadly coils ofD N A m utated as they w ere program m ed to do.Anim als,plants,even insects died as the virus did its
w ork,destroying the plant's ecosystem and leaving an em pty shell.
The Battle ofTallarn raged form any m onths and w as the largestarm oured conflictofthe H orus H eresy.O utbreaks of
viralinfection from rogue D N A residue m ade italm ostim possible forinfantry to operate outside theirprotective shelters.
The battle w as finally decided by arm ies oftanks.W hen the fighting ended the em pty,putrid w astes ofTallarn w ere
littered w ith the w reckage ofm ore than a m illion shattered vehicles.
D efence:M edium .
N otable H istory:Substantial.The Tallarns notonly foughtthe forces ofC haos during the H orus H eresy,they also had
to fightan Eldarhost.The Tallarns had unw ittingly found the C ursus ofAlganar,a relic ofunim aginable pow erthatw as
a focus forthe G ods ofC haos.The Eldaratttacked Tallarn,thinking thatthe inhabitants there w ere C haos cultists.But
eventually a truce w as called and both foughtto repelthe C haos invaders.
N otable Settlem ents:Allareas ofhabitation ofTallarn are encased in dom es in orderthatthe settlem ents w ould be
protected from the vicious duststorm s.
VALHALLA
The planetofValhalla w as once a tem perate paradise offorests and broad fertile plains.There is no record ofits
settlem ent,butlegends recalla w orld ripe forcolonisation and developm ent.Its people spread across the w orld and
prospered.The planet's m ain land m asses w ere distributed m ore orless evenly,one centred atthe northern pole and
the otheratthe south.The equatorialregions them selves w ere dom inated by a huge w arm ocean eleven thousand
m iles w ide.
Approxim ately ten thousand years ago Valhalla w as struck by a com etofim m ense size and w eight.The planet's
defence lasers poured shotaftershotinto the com et.This did nothing m ore than break offseveralsm allerfragm ents of
w hatproved to be virtually iron.A m ile w ide fragm entstruck the northern continentcausing m assive earthquakes and
destruction,butthe m ain com etbody landed in the sea.
Atfirstthe confusion and devastation m ade ithard to gauge the fulleffectofthe strike.The boiling seas,clouds of
vapourand pallofdustcutoffthe light.Tem peratures plunged to freezing overthe w hole planet.Even m ore
significantly,the im pacthad knocked the w hole w orld from its orbit.Forten years Valhalla spun eccentrically untilit
finally settled som e fifteen m illion m iles furtherfrom its sun.By then the planetw as a very differentplace indeed.
Valhalla had becom e a frozen w orld ofice.The survivors ofthe disasterfound them selves pushed furtherand further
tow ards the equatorialoceans as glaciers engulfed the polarcontinents.Eventually,there w as no m ore land left,and
they w ere forced to live upon the ice itself.Though 99% ofalllife had been destroyed the people struggled through,
building theircities deep inside the ice.W hatlittle life rem ained they carefully cultivated,grow ing nutrientslim es and
algae's in vats heated by therm alstills.
D efence:M edium .
N otable settlem ents:W hatsettlem ents there are,are builtunderthe ice ofValhalla's inhospitable surface.
ZARO NA
N am e H ex # U W P Bases Trade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
Zarona B761530-A S D esert G 912 Im perium R ed D w arf
Settlem ents
The settlem ents ofZarona are few and farbetw een and are m ainly based
around the oilextraction fields.The largesturban area and possibly the
only place on the planetthatcould be deem ed a city (although an
extrem ely sm allone atthat)is G uiles Port,even ifitis justan extension
ofthe planets only space port.Although itis notofficially designated as
such G uiles Portis considered the capital.This is m ainly due to the only
noticeable Im perialpresence on the planetconsisting ofa sm allArbites
precinct,courthouse and adm inistrative building.
G uiles Portalso serves as the m ain trading postw here the oilfield and
extraction station ow ners com e to m eetthe fuelbarons and cartels.
These deals take place in the m any seedy bars and inns scattered
around the districtknow n as The M arketin centralG uiles Port.
The largestbuyers orZaronian O ilis the G lave C artel.A large conglom erate ofw ealthy nobles,H igh R anking
Im perialH ouses and,itis rum oured,prom inentfam ilies ofthe N avis N obilitaialso have substantialshares.As
w ellas oilbuyers the C artelalso ow n a large proportion ofthe extraction fields,C artelow ned extraction fields
are generally betterprotected than the sm allerconglom erate and privately ow ned station.The chiefbuyerand
representative ofthe G lave C artelon Zarona is an extrem ely obese bureaucratcalled O barFlynn.Itis Flynn
w ho,w ith the aid ofhis agents,strike the deals w ith the extraction station ow ners,look afterthe C artel’s assets
on Zarona and avoid paying the Im perium ’s high extraction and purchasing taxes through cleveraccounting and
otherdevious m eans.
The self-titled D ark Voiders a constantproblem forthe localauthorities.Zarona,w ith its rich oilreserves and
desolate,unpopulated landscape is a constanttargetand hideoutforthem .W ith the exception ofG uiles Port
and its im m ediate surrounding area,the pirates have,to allintents,a free reign ofthe planet,often raiding the
isolated shantytow ns and forcibly taking controlofpoorly defended extraction stations.The G lave C artelhas a
particularhatred ofthe pirates as C artelshipping and property is constantly attacked.W hile the pirates are still
too sm alla threatto bring in the Im perialN avy,the constantpressure from the pow erfulC artelm eans thatitis
only a m atteroftim e before the localauthorities have to dealw ith the increasingly defiantD ark Voiders.
Sm uggling
Perhaps an even greatthreatthan the D ark Voiders is thatofthe sm ugglers.W hile the Pirates raid,destroy and
even stealthe oilforthem selves the sm ugglers w illtake greatquantities off-w orld w ithoutpaying Im perialtithes
and exporttaxes thereby notonly robbing the Im perium precious fuelbutalso substantialfinanciallosses.There
is no one m ajorsm uggling group butlots ofsm allfactions dotted around the planet.Arbites regularly patrolw ell-
know n sm uggling routes butw hen raiding usually rely on tip offs thatoften com e from rivalsm uggling factions.
Even large organisations such as the G lave C artelhave been know n as opportunistsm ugglers,fortunately for
the C artelthey have enough cloutso thaton the rare occasions they have been caughtthey have gotoffw ith a
m inorfine.
D esertPredators
Being a barren desertplanetw ith a hostile clim ate Zarona has very little native life.H ow everitdoes have a few
creatures w orthy ofnote.The Sand Jackals are the largestbeasts,standing five footoffthe ground.They have
been know n to attack hum ans ifthey are in a large enough pack although such occurrences have been rare as
the Jackals,being m ildly intelligent,quickly becam e aw are thathum ans w ere often arm ed and notw orth the
effort.Itis notunknow n forextraction field ow ners to have captured and tam ed the offspring ofSand Jackals
and then using them as G uard creatures,patrolling the oilfields.Even then they are stillvicious creatures that
w illhappily take a bite outofits m asteras w ellas an intruder.
Lashw orm s are notindigenous – believed to have arrived in spore form am ong textile cargoes from the Jubilon
sector.Lashw orm s live in crevices w here they w ait,tightly coiled untila victim approaches close to them .The
sensitive tip ofthe Lashw orm s tailprotrudes alm ostinvisibly from the creatures hiding place.Any vibration,such
as a person m oving,by w illtriggerthe Lashw orm to attack w hich itdoes by w hipping outits long,flexible tailand
slashing offa m orselofflesh offits victim .The Lashw orm s tailcoils round its catch and pulls itback into its lair
to be digested.The w orm s them selves are sm all,coiling up to the size ofa m an’s fist.Lashw orm s are alm ost
im possible to killbecause they are usually so deeply em bedded in cracks and crevices.
Possibly the m ostdangerous,certainly ithas been responsible fora large am ountofdeaths,is the D uneclaw .
The D uneclaw is a large crustacean-like creature justovera footlong.The D uneclaw hides undera shallow
layerofsand,w aiting foranything unfortunate enough to stand on ornearit.As soon as prey com es w ithin
reach a large claw shoots outfrom the sand grabbing the hapless foe.The creature w illthen rise from its
m akeshiftbarrow and attach the rem aining claw before dragging the prey into the sand to eatatits leisure.
Zarona is vast,arid desert,only interrupted by the occasionalnaturalw elland the large pum ps ofthe extraction
stations.H ow ever,itis notentirely a ballofsand floating in space.There are a couple ofnoticeable exceptions
such as the BasaltC anyons and SkullM ountain,one such place is the Sullite Stones.Itis a rocky,craggy area
w here greatboulders the size ofLand R aiders have been stacked on top ofeach otherto create tallcolum ns –
as ifa gianthas com e along and placed them on top ofeach other.This has created a forestofstone that
spreads outforleagues.The Sullite Stones have been extensively studied butitrem ains a place ofm ystery,
theirorigins unknow n.
IM PO R TA N T C H A R A C TER S
O barFlynn is arguably the m ostpow erfulm an on Zarona.H e controls the large C artelow ned oilfields and buys
a large proportion oilfrom the m any otherextraction stations.Although he is pow erfulon Zarona he exerts very
little,ifany,influence off-w orld.The dictates ofthe C artelare stringently follow ed by Flynn forhe know s ifw as to
do anything else he w ould be stripped ofhis vocation.
Flynn rarely w anders outside ofG uiles Portand even w hile roam ing the city he is constantly flanked by tw o thug-
like bodyguards.H e spends m uch ofhis day dealing w ith buyers and oilbarons in The M arketdistrictofG uiles
Port.A m an ofam ple girth he is know n to be cunning and calculating butan abjectcow ard.H e constantly tries
to avoid paying the high tithes the Im perium places on oilpurchasing and exporting;som e schem es are m ore
successfulthan others.R ecently he has been extrem ely vocal,som e say w ith good reason,regarding the D ark
Voiders w ho constantly raid C artelinstallations and attack C artelshipping w hilstin Zarona’s system .
Along w ith the Adm inistratum the Arbites Precinctin G uiles Portis the only evidence ofIm perialpresence on
Zarona.W hile the Precincttow ers overthe pre-fab and shanty buildings ofthe city,com parably to otherw orlds it
is sm all.H eading the precinctis Judge G arrison,a pious m an getting on in years butstillpow erfully builtand
im m ensely strong forhis age.Togetherw ith his sm allforce ofArbites,Judge G arrison is tasked w ith upholding
Im perialLaw ,a tough job on a frontierw orld.As w ellas keeping law and orderhe has been tasked w ith dealing
w ith the Pirate threatand stam ping outthe ever-increasing sm uggling.H e is constantly pestered by O barFlynn
overthe D ark Voiders butG arrison despises Flynn w ho he considers to be a fat,corrupted bureaucrat.Itis
G arrisons dream to catch Flynn sm uggling and so be able to convictand sentence him !
Very little is know n ofN arson the M asked,itis allpure rum our.Som e say he is a disillusioned N avy O fficerw ho
m anaged to galvanise allthe localpirate population into one force,som e say he sim ply w orked his aw ay up
through the ranks.Allagree he is ofslim build,stillquite young and thathe w ears a m etallic m ask – thatofa
stern-faced cherub.The reasons he w ears a m ask is uncleara num berofrum ours circulate the bars ofG uiles
Port,one is thathe leads a double-life and is highly placed in the localIm perialhierarchy others purportthathe
w as hideously w ounded in a raid.The latestrum ours say thatN arson and his m osttrusted m en are currently
holed up in the BasaltC anyons.W hateverthe truth N arson’s D ark Voiders rem ain a constantthreatto Zarona.
C HIRO S
N am e H ex # U W P Bases Trade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
C hiros C 573370-4 S Agri G 113 Im perium R ed D w arf
C hiros is an agriculturalplanetw ith a grow ing reputation.W hilstitis very beautiful,like m ostagri-planets,its tranquil
farm s and sparsely populated settlem ents can be suddenly torn asunderby m arauding bandits.W hole herds ofgrazing
cattle can be suddenly stolen w ithin the blink ofan eye.C attle rustlers are particularly a constantm enace and the
Im perialC om m ander,Leroy Jackson,cannotcontrolthem .
The arrivalofthese bandits can often be seen from a m ile offas huge dustclouds can be seen across the horizon.
U ncharacteristically forthe technologicalage,m ostC hiros bandits preferto utilise the m ostancienttransportknow n to
m an:the horse.Vehicles are expensive to m aintain in such a dusty environm entas C hiros.W ith horses the rocky
deserts are easily navigable.Because ofthis,certain units ofthe Adeptus Arbites have to becom e expertriders in order
thatthey can counterthis threat;hovervehicles can only go so farand few settlem ents on C hiros can afford them .
PlanetType:AgriculturalW orld.
R egim e:O ld-fashioned butfair.Justice usually sw iftw ith serious crim es punishable by death from hanging orfiring
squad.
D efence:Sm all.
N otable H istory:The saga ofD ick the Q uick is am ongstthe bestloved stories butthe bestloved is probably the story
ofJosey Eastw ood.This outlaw w as hounded fora crim e he didn'tcom m it.M uch ofthe tale w as fancifulstuffbutw hat
is know n is thathe w as the fastestdraw erofa laspistolin the W est.
N otable Settlem ents:These are am ongstthe m ostpopulous settlem ents on C hiros.N earto these tow ns are a few
quaintvillages num bering,atm ost,a population ofa few hundred.An average village w illhave a population ofroughly
150.
FENRIS
N am e H ex # U W P Bases Trade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
Fenris E4724B0-1 S N on Agri, G 124 Im perium M S-Yellow
The ice cold planetofFenris is hom e to the Space W olves C hapter.M ostofthe planetis nothing butdeep ocean w ith
huge sea m onsters traversing its depths.The M arines ofthe Space W olfC hapterlive on the polarisland ofAsaheim .It
is separated from the restofFenris by its huge and foreboding cliffs w hich are thousands offeethigh.W ithin this island
live m any dangerous life-form s from gigantic bears,m assive herbivores,to the fantastic greatW olves ofFenris
them selves.
The Space W olves keep a w atchfuleye overthe restofthe Fenrisians as they provide the C hapter’s source ofnew
recruits.Fenrisians are barbarous by nature,m uch like the N orse used to be ofourw orld.To the Fenrisians the Space
W olves are the w arriors ofthe gods,glim psed occasionally from afar.The lands ofAsaheim are the forbidden realm s of
the divine,w here native legend forbids m an to go.O nly a w arriorchosen by the gods can enterAsaheim ,and only the
bestofthe brave are everchosen.
The people ofFenris have no know ledge ofadvanced technology norofthe w orld beyond theirow n.They are w arriors,
w hose survivaldepends on theirskillw ith sw ord and spear.Because theirw orld is alm ostentirely covered w ith w ater
they are m asters ofthe sea.They build long-ships from the bone and hide ofthe sea m onsters they hunt.They also
harvestsom e tim berfrom lands old enough to grow m ature trees.Fortunately the vegetation ofFenris has evolved to
grow quickly,and the volcanic sea-soilofthe new lands is rich and fertile.The Fenrisians endure a savage existence
w hich often ends in battle againstthe m onstrous creatures ofthe deep.The com petition forfood is great,and the tribes
are often draw n into conflictoverthe planet’s precious resources.
The m ostvaluable resource ofallis land.N o m an know s how m uch the land w illchange atthe turning ofthe year.
Som etim es old islands survive the changing ofthe seasons,and good fortune m ay preserve a tribe’s territory intactfor
m any years,butitis m ore likely thatthey w illbe broken and destroyed,subm erged beneath the ocean by the
upheavals ofFenris’s fragile crust.M any islands w illbe reduced ordevastated so thatonly a few can live w here before
there w ere m any.W hen this happens there w illbe w arm ,and only those w ho succeed in finding new land and
establishing them selves w illsurvive.
W hen the G reatYearcom es round and the pale sun ofFenris sw ells in the sky,w hole populations take to the long-
ships to escape the inundation oftheirislands.They m ustsettle the new ly form ed lands quickly,forsoon theirsupplies
w illrun outand they w illhave to consum e theirstock anim als and seed.Ifthey can find no new land they m ustfightto
take the territories ofothertribes.This continualm igration results in constant,bitterw arfare as each tribe attem pts to
take possession of,and establish suprem acy over,the new ly form ed lands.
PlanetType:FeralW orld.
D efence:Form idable.
N otable H istory:The only history w hich is tied in w ith this barbarous planetis thatofthe Space W olfC hapteritself.
N otable Settlem ents:M ountFang is the only settlem entofnote on Fenris.Itis located in the north pole ofthe planet
on the forboding island ofAsaheim .The barbarians ofFenris m ustconstantly rebuild theirhom es due to the
unpredictable urges ofthe planet.
C ANAK
N am e H ex # U W P Bases Trade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
C anak X967000-0 - - R 011 Im perium R ed D w arf
N otonly is C anak rich in plantlife,itis also rich in anim allife.M ostofthese anim als are vegetarian and quite harm less
despite theirenorm ous size.H ow ever,there are som e species thatare incredibly vicious and enjoy eating m eat.
G enetors,thathave survived the rigours ofthe oppressive heatin the jungles ofC anak,have reported thatthe m an-
eating plants pose m ore ofa threatthan the carnivorous C anakosaurin thatsom e ofthem can actually m ove and
sw allow entire parties ofm en w hole.
M assive volcanoes and unpredictable destructive earthquakes ensure thatC anak w illrem ain untouched from hum an
settlers forsom e tim e.
D efence:N /A.
N otable Settlem ents:N one.Im perialparties visitfrom tim e to tim e and rarely stay forvery long.
Thought for the Pious: Carry the Emperor's will as your torch, with it destroy the shadows.
C ATAC HAN
N am e H ex # U W P BasesTrade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
C atachan X464000-0 S,N - R 031 Im perium M S-R ed
M an has lived upon C atachan longerthan Im perialrecords can recall.The scoutprobes ofthe firstcolonists found a
planetw hich looked deceptively green and fertile from the safety oforbit.W hen the giantcolony ships crash landed the
pioneers inside aw oke from cryogenic slum berto find them selves m arooned upon on ofthe m ostinhospitable places in
the galaxy.C atachan is a D eath W orld,perhaps the m ostnotorious and dangerous ofallthe D eath W orlds in the
Im perium .Its jungles are hom e to som e ofthe m ostpredatory anim als and plants encountered by m an.The firstsettlers
survived by the m erestchance,holed-up inside the w reckage oftheirspacecraft,besieged by the living jungle around
them .O nly the hardiest,quickestand luckiesteversurvive on the D eath W orld.
The planet's few scattered settlem ents are fortresses surrounded by barren bedrock w here the soilhas been blasted
bare to provide clearlines offire.Even so,buildings neverlastlong on C atachan.Lichens soon take rootupon any
surface,secreting a potentacid w hich crum bles even the m ostsolidly constructed defences.Strange vines creep a
hundred m etres in a single night,and theirconstricting grip can crush a plasteelbunkerorsm ash a tank like an
eggshell.The people ofC atachan m ustconstantly build and rebuild.W hereverthey constructtheirsettlem ents the
jungles grow m ore densely and becom e increasingly aggressive.The w ild creatures ofC atachan gatherto repelthe
invaders.Itis as ifthe w hole planetw ere determ ined to rid itselfofhum an intrusion.
The people ofthis unique w orld are m oulded by a life ofconstantbattle.C hildren learn to shootbefore they can w alk.
O nly those w ho can shootfastand straighteverreach adulthood.O utside the fragile dom es a w orld w ars againstthe
hum an inhabitants,vicious creatures like the C atachan D evillie w aiting forthe unw ary.Every plantand every anim alon
C atachan is inim icalto hum an life.Every creature is a carnivore.Every plantis poisonous.Som e plants secrete a
deadly pollen w hich saturates the airand invades filtersystem s.O thertypes ofvegetation release sticky sap w hich
holds a creature fastand slow ly dissolves its flesh.
Planetary G overnor:There is no governoras such,only an overseer.The overseeris the Im perialC olonelH erm ann
Schw arz.H e is in charge ofthe Im perium 's recruitm entdrive on C atachan.
D efence:M edium .
N otable H istory:none.
N otable Settlem ents:There are no realsettlem ents as such.The Im perialG uard alw ays keep a presence here,
usually in the form ofvery big and heavily arm oured tanks orgigantic m obile bases.
Thought for the Pious: Carry the Emperor's will as your torch, with it destroy the shadows.
Attila
N am e H ex # U W P Bases Trade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
Fenris X4752B0-1 S - G 213 Im perium R ed D w arf
The w orld ofAttila is som ew hatsm allerthan Earth and has a single continentw hich covers alm osthalfits surface.The
centre ofthis m m assive land m ass is prone to such extrem es oftem perature thatitrem ains uninhabited,a baking
desertin the sum m erw hich becom es a sub-zero sea ofsand and snow overw inter.Betw een the D eath Lands ofthe
continentalcentre and the coasts is a beltofrich savannah thousands ofm iles deep and punctuated w ith m ountain
chains,m ighty inland lakes,and vastrivers.O nly tow ards the coastaledges does the grassland give w ay to verdant
forests,encircling the entire continentw ith a thin arborealband.
H um ans colonised Attila m any thousands ofyears ago and m usthave adopted the nom adic life alm ostim m ediately.
The originallanding site ofKhanasan has grow n into the only city on the w hole planet.The bustling m etropolis is a
gathering place forthe tribes ofAttila and the centre ofits governm ent.As forthe bulk ofthe population,they are
nom ads w ho subsistfrom theirherds ofO vigors.These are gigantic shaggy and savage anim als native to the w orld of
Attila.Theirrich flesh and dark blood form the basic subsistence dietofthe tribes.W hen the sum m ercom es,the
Attilans drive theirherds tow ards the heartofthe continent,follow ing the spring thaw and new grow n pasture.In w inter,
they retreattow ards the outergrasslands abutting the coasts,and here theiranim als find enough grazing to keep them
alive untilthe year's turn.
Attilans tend to w eartheirhairin long,unkem ptbraids,orlong and m atted.They do notw ash them selves orclean their
clothes,believing thatto do so w ould affrontthe spirits ofw aterw ith w hich they superstitiously people theirland.This
tradition has proven hard to break,despite considerable efforton the partofthe Adeptus M inistorum preachers in the
barely tolerated m ission in Khanasan.
Planetary G overnor:M ogulKam ir,Im perialC om m ander.In his earlieryears M ogulw as possibly the greatestw arrior
on Attila.
PlanetType:FeudalW orld.
R egim e:Feudal.
D efence:Sm all.
N otable H istory:none.
M ARS
N am e H ex # UW P Bases Trade C lassification Zone PBG Allegiance StellarD ata
M ars 1827 A6617E4-G S,N Ind,N a. G 914 Im perium VG
Planetary G overnor:The FabricatorG eneralofthe Adeptus M echanicus,one ofthe H igh Lords ofTerra.
PlanetType:Forge W orld.
N otable H istory:M ars is the planetary realm ofthe Adeptus M echanicus,the hom e and dom ain ofthe Tech-Priests of
the C ultM echanicus.The R ed Planetis acclaim ed as one ofthe w onders ofthe galaxy,the w orkshop ofthe Im perium ,
the forge-w orld,the m akerofships,and the guardian ofsecrets.Itis the Adeptus M echanicus w ho furnish the technical
know ledge ofthe Im perium ,preserve the scientific secrets ofform ertim es,and w ho explore the new sciences ofthe
41stm illennium .
The follow ing is a reprintofthe battle betw een the Em perorand H orus,w hich occurred atthe end ofthe H orus H eresy.
Itw as w ritten by W illiam King,and originally published in W H ITE D W AR F #131 dated N ovem ber1990. Igotthis from
C aptain Sterns Im perialD atabase,one ofthe bestresources for40k on the w eb. Ihave included ithere forsom e
flavour.
Even through the shields the im pactm akes the Im perialPalace shake.W ith a Screech oftortured stone an angel
topples from its alcove high on the throne room w alland crashes to the m arble floora kilom eterbelow .Itshatters into a
m illion pieces.Splinters ofstone flash across the halllike shrapnel.
From his throne the Em perorw atches his w arriors m illaround in confusion.This hallholds ten thousand m en,
seasoned veterans,and allare now panicking.H e know s they are m ore frightened by his silence than by the enem y.
They look to him forleadership and he can give them none.
Forthe firsttim e in his m illennia-long life the Em perorknow s despair.The m agnitude ofhis defeatstuns him .The lunar
bases have fallen.M ostofthe Earth is underthe W arm aster's heel.R ebelTitans surround the palace and are held at
bay only by the desperate efforts ofa few loyalists.Itis only a m atteroftim e before the palace's defenses failand the
lastbastions ofresistance fall.
"Sire,w hatare yourorders?" asks R ogalD orn,m assive dark-haired Prim arch ofthe Im perialFists.H is golden arm our
has lostits lustre,is dented in a dozen places by boltershells.The Em perordoesn'tansw er.H e is lostw ithin him self
seeking answ ers to his ow n questions.
H e has com e atlastto the dark place,the tim e oftesting,the era hidden from his precognitive vision and beyond w hich
he cannotsee.The m om enthe has alw ays dreaded has arrived.Is m y tim e over,he w onders? Is this w here itallends?
Is this w hy Ihave reached the lim its ofm y prophetic pow ers.Is this w here Idie?
H e feels bew ildered.Even now ,w ith the TraitorW arm aster's forces battering atthe gate,he finds itdifficultto believe
thathe has been betrayed.
H orus w as m ore than a trusted com rade,m ore like a favoured son.O fallthe Prim archs the Em perorrelied on him
m ost.N otfora second had the Em perordoubted him ,noteven w hen w ord had com e from the Savage W orlds thatthe
W arm asterw as gathering forces.H e had deluded him selfthatH orus m usthave good reason to do so w ithout
consulting him .Ishould have been w arned by the failure ofm y precognition,he thinks.
"Sire,w hatare yourorders?" asks Kane,acting Fabricator-G eneralofthe Adeptus M echanicus.H e stares atthe
Em peror,a trick ofthe lightturning the glass slits ofhis brass m ask into accusing eyes.O nce m ore the Em perordoes
notreply.Kane's presence rem inds him thatnoteven the head ofthe Adeptus is to be trusted.H is superior,the form er
Fabricator-G eneral,has chosen to side w ith H orus.
O n M ars civilw arrages betw een factions ofTech-Priests.Ancient,forbidden w eapons are being deployed.Viral
plagues killm illions.Fusion bom bs scarthe earth.
So m uch w illbe lost.H e thinks ofthe slow piecing togetherofthe old science.The Librarium Technologicus is in flam e
now ,ancientcore data system s in m eltdow n.The G reatC rusade,as m uch a questforknow ledge as a w arto reclaim
the hum an w orlds,is ended.The W arm aster's treachery has seen to that.
"Sire,w hatare yourorders?" Asks Sanguinius,angelw inged Prim arch ofthe Blood Angels.H e gazes atthe Em peror
w ith blazing eyes,his face a m ask ofterrible beauty.
The Em perorknow s they rely on him forguidance.They stillbelieve in him .They think he can lead them from this trap.
They are w rong.
H orus is the greatestgeneralthe galaxy has everknow n.W ho should know betterthan his creator? H e is schooled by a
century ofw arfare.There w illbe no w ay out,no loopholes,no flaw s in the plan.The W arm asterw ould have to be m ad
to leave one.
The Em perorlooks dow n on the faces ofhis follow ers,sees the trustw ritten there,feels the w eightofresponsibility it
brings.H e know s thatfortheirsake he m usttry,even ifitis hopeless.
H e casts forth his clairvoyantsight,lets his m ind driftbeyond the ruined gardens ofthe palace,overfields w here
colossalTitans battle by the tw isted lightofthe sculpted m oon.H e sees the w hole w arspread outbeneath him ,his
pitifully outnum bered legions being m ow ed dow n by the traitorhordes.H e reaches up to the sky,w here he senses the
fleetofbattle barges thatrain orbitaldoom upon the tortured Earth.Am id those thousand glittering points he finds the
W arm aster.
H ope flickers w ithin him .The shields ofH orus's ship are dow n.Briefly he w onders w hy.Is the traitor's confidence so
overw helm ing? D oes he w ish to w itness the battle him self.O ris ita trap? The Em perortouches the ship and recoils
from w hathe senses w ithin.H ow could H orus have done this,m ake a pactw ith the ultim ate abom ination?
The Em perorcom es to a decision.Trap ornot,this is the only opportunity he w illget.H e has no option butto seize it;
the position is so desperate.Even as his spiritreturns to his body,the om inous thoughtstrikes him thatthe W arm aster
m ustknow this.
"W hatare yourorders,Sire?" Sanguinius asks again.The Em perors eyes snap open.H is voice is fullofauthority.
The m en sm ile confidently.They now have a purpose.W hile he reels offthe teleportco-ordinates they m ove,w ithout
question,to obey.
A flash oflight,a feeling ofcoldness.They have teleported into the W arm aster's ship.The Em perortakes an instantto
reorientate him selfand realises thatsom ething has gone w rong.H e stands in a vast,w arped cham berw ith only a few
m arines in attendance.The Term inators and the Prim archs are notpresent.H ow is this possible he w onders.C ould
H orus have disrupted the teleportation beam ? Is he so pow erful?
Insane voices gibberm adly inside his skull.There are figures trapped in the stone w alls ofthe vastroom .H ands reach
outforhim ,grasp athim w ith rock-like strength.H e shrugs them offeasily.H is com rades are notso lucky.Bolters
chatterand flash as the m arines attem ptto fightofftheirdaem onic assailants.
A m an scream s as he is draw n into the dark and slim y w alls.As he vanishes,ripples spread from his pointof
disappearance.The Em peror's sw ord lashes out,severing lim bs,freeing trapped m arines.H e sum m ons his psychic
energies.A nim bus flickers around his head as he unleashes his pow er.A tidalw ave ofdestruction rips through the
daem ons,leaving his ow n m en unscathed.
H e scans abouthim ,seeing the Prim archs butthe w alls ofthe W arm aster's Battle Barge are resistantto his m indsight.
H e gestures forthe surviving M arines to follow him .
They w onderthrough a ship distorted beyond allrecognition by the w arping pow erofC haos.G reatsphincter-doors
distend from w alls offlesh-like stone.Transparentveins bearrivers ofblood along conduits in the floor.C arpets of
m ucous covera road oftongues.
W inged and distorted things thatm ightonce have been hum an flitthrough archw ays ofbone and perch on ledges ofrib.
The m arines gasp in horror.H e exerts him selfto calm them ,psychically soothing theirfearofthis dreadfulplace.Allthe
w hile he scans the area looking forthe spoorofH orus.H e know s now the nature ofthe pactthe W arm asterhas m ade
and the dreadfulconsequences ofhis victory.
They pass pits thatgape like glistening gullets in the floorand echo the beats ofa distantgiantheart.They are
show ered by w aterfalls ofstinking yellow ish liquid thatcascades dow n cliffs ofcarved cartilage.Som etim es they hear
w eapons fire butw hen they arrive atthe source they find nothing.
M ists ofrainbow vapourdriftacross theirfield ofvision obscuring corridors ofcarnivorous stone.C louds ofinsects
sw arm overtheirfaceplates and choke the extractors oftheirairpipes.They sw itch overto internaloxygen supply.
They are am bushed by scuttling skull-faced things in the arm ourofm arines.They fighthordes ofm utated beasts.O ne
by one they die.In the end the Em perorstands alone.Then and only then is he allow ed to enterthe presence ofH orus.
The W arm asterbestrides the body ofa broken angel.Behind him the tortured Earth fills the view port,a bauble for
H orus to seize w ith one claw ed hand.C orpses ofm assacred m arines lie everyw here.
Face glow ing w ith internalbloodlight,H orus speaks."PoorSanguinius.Ioffered him a position ofpow erin the new
order.H e could have a seatatthe righthand ofa god.Alas he chose to align him selfw ith the losing side."
The Em perorstands transfixed,trying to force frozen w ords from his tongue.In the end he can only w hisper;"W hy?"
M ad laughterrings out."W hy? You ask m e w hy? H ave allthose m illennia thoughtyou nothing? W eak fool,yourtim idity
prevented you from binding the forces ofC haos.You shied aw ay from the ultim ate pow er.Ihave bound itto m y w illand
w illlead hum anity into a new age.I,H orus,M asterO fC haos."
D esperately the Em perorsum m ons his pow erand lashes out.Lightning flickerbetw een the com batants.The stench of
ozone fills the air.The Em perorleaps forw ard,sw ord raised.W eapons clash as the battle is joined on every level:
physical,spiritual,psychic.
Bolts offorce flickeras m ortalgods clash,balancing the fate ofthe galaxy on every blow .R unesw ord and lightning claw
ring againsteach otherw ith a sound like thunder.Energies potentenough to levelplanets are unleashed.
A backhand buffetfrom H orus knocks the Em perorthrough a stone bulkhead.The counterstroke tears a supporting
colum n outofthe ceiling as the W arm asterducks.
In the w arp the Em perorhears the C haos Pow ers how las they feed theirpaw n m ore pow er.The Lord ofH um anity
stands alone againsttheirm assed m ightand know s thathe is losing.Som ehow he cannotbring his fullforce to bearon
the W arm aster.H orus show s no such restraint.
A lightning claw cuts the Em peror's arm ouras ifitw ere cloth,sheers through flesh and bone.The Em perorripostes w ith
a psychic stroke intended to disruptthe W arm aster's nervous system .H orus laughs as he deflects it.
H is claw s take the Em peroracross the throat,opening w indpipe and jugular.Anotherblow severs the tendons ofhis
w rist,causing the sw ord to drop from nerveless fingers.
Insane laughterechoes round the cham ber.H orus breaks severalribs w ith an alm ostplayfulpunch.A surge ofenergy
seers the Em peror's face,m elting the flesh tillitruns,bursting an eyeball,sets the hairalight.The Em perorstifles a
w him per,w onders how he can be losing.Blackness threatens to engulfhim .
H orus grasps his w rist,splintering bones.Blood pum ps from the Em peror's throat.H orus lifts his foe above his head
and brings him dow n across his knee,breaking his spine.
Fora second the Em perorknow s only darkness then a flare ofagony brings him back to consciousness as H orus rips
his arm from its socket.The W arm asterhow ls w ith bestialtrium ph.
Suddenly the battering stops.Through his good eye the Em perorsees a solitary Term inatorhas entered the room .The
m arine charges tow ard the W arm aster,storm bolterblazing.H orus looks athim and laughs.Fora m om enthe stands
trium phant,allow ing the m arine to see w hathe has done to his Em peror.
The Em perorknow w hatis going to happen next,sees the gloating trium ph on H orus'face.There is no trace ofhis
friend leftthere.There is only a daem on driven by insane destructive fury.
H orus turns his burning gaze on the Term inatorand the m arine's flesh flakes aw ay to revealhis skeleton then even that
is gone,reduced to dust.
The Em perorsees the trap thathas been setforhim .H e has been restraining him self,trying notto hurtone w ho has
been as a son to him .N ow he sees thatthere is no trace ofhis trusted com rade left.H e know s thathe m uststop this
sem blance ofhis form erfriend and avenge the fallen Term inator.H e m uststrike one deadly blow .H e w illgetno other
chance.
H e gathers every particle ofhis pow er,focuses itinto a m ighty boltofpure force,m ore coherentthan a laser,m ore
destructive than an exploding sun.H e aim s itatH orus,a lance ofpow erdestined forthe m adm an's heart.H orus
senses the upsurge ofenergy and turns to face the Em peror,a look ofhorroron his face.
The Em perorlets fly.Itstrikes the W arm aster.H orus scream s as destruction rains dow n on him ,tw isting and w rithing in
titanic agony.H e strives frantically to counterthe Em peror's deathblow buthis struggles becom e everm ore feeble as
D riven by allthe force ofhis rage and pain and hatred the Em perorw ills H orus's death.H e senses the forces ofC haos
retreat,disengaging them selves from theirpaw n.As they do so sanity returns to the W arm aster.The Em perorsees
realisation ofthe atrocities he has com m itted flickeracross H orus'face.Tears glisten there.
H orus is free butthe Em perorknow s he him selfis dieing and thatthe Pow ers O fC haos m ay once again posses the
W arm asterand he w illnotbe there to stop them .H e cannottake thatrisk.H orus m ustdie.Yetfora second,looking
into his old friends face,he hesitates,unable to do the deed.Then he thinks ofthe slaughterthatstillgoes on outside,
m ay go on forever.R esolve hardens w ithin him .
H e forces allm ercy and allcom passion from his m ind,em pties itofallknow ledge offriendship and cam araderie and
love.H is eyes lock w ith H orus and see understanding there.Then w ith fullcold know ledge ofw hathe is doing the
Em perordestroys the W arm aster.
R ogalD orn enters the cham ber.H orrorfills him as he sees the m utilated form ofthe Em perorand the shriveled husk
inside the w arm aster's arm our.H e curses him selffortaking so long to fightthrough the C haotic hordes.H e know s now
w hy theirattacks ceased and w hy the ship is reverting to norm al.
H e rushes to the Em peror's side,detecting the faintpulse oflife.Perhaps there is yethope.Perhaps the rulerofthe
Im perium m ay live.D orn w illdo his bestto ensure it.
The m ajor(and only recom m ended playable)races thatare dealtw ith atthe m om entare H um ans. There are various
sub-races ofhum an,these include yourstandard hum an (like m e and you),O gryns,Sqauts and R atlings and the super-
hum an M arines. M arines are unplayable as w ell(fornow ). Essentially the w orld ofW arham m er40,000 R oleplay is
tailored specifically forhum an characters.This is because the Im perium is the m ajorpow erofthe universe thatthe PC s
w illbe a partof.
Eldar,D ark Eldarand O rk characters can also be chosen as a playable race. This w ould lead to a very different
cam paign as m ore often then notthese races w ould be atodds w ith the Im perium . Fora beginnercam paign Isuggest
you use H um ans orone ofthe accepted sub-types. O therw ise,Iw ould recom m end a 1 race party so the D M can m ore
easily tailorthe cam paign to thatspecific races goals.
Feelfree to also use the H alf-O rc orH alf-Elfrace from the 3e dnd Players H andbook to representdifferentkinds of
O rks and Eldars. Allnon-hum an race choices available in T20 like the Vargr,Aslan etc.are considered to be uplifted
Terran anim als and generally term ed Beastm en. These are allplayable races in w 40k d20 as w ell. Since they are all
native to Earth and w ere uplifted by H um ans during the D ark Age ofTechnology they are notconsidered M utants. In
factany race the D M cares to use w hich could conceivably have had a m odern Earth anim alas its base can be used as
an acceptable race.
The Fates:Allplayercharacters startw ith a Fate C ard,m uch like those in W FR P. These cards can be played atAN Y
tim e and allow the characterto void any dice rollorcom plete any specific task thatrequires a dice roll. Forexam ple,an
O rk hits Jane,the SisterofBattle for20 points w hich w ould killheroutright. She decides to play the fate card -instead
the blow glances offherarm ourharm lessly. C haracterm ay only everhave 1 Fate C ard ata tim e butm ay earn a new
one (atthe D M 's discretion)afterthey use theircurrentone.
U se the statistics and class progression forO gres orthe racialtem plate ofH alf-O gres found in the 3e dnd Savage
Species m anual.
The fortuitous combination of genes the Sensei have inherited from the Emperor makes them very special. Their most important
trait is their immortality. Although they can be killed they do not age, and possess amazing powers of recovery. They are also
protected from the Chaos Powers, and the untainted flow of the warp can move through them unimpeded. A Sensei cannot
experience hate, bitterness, or irrational anger, because these things are part of the disharmony of the Chaos Powers. They radiate
natural confidence and harmony, and can even draw upon the energies of the warp to use their psychic powers. Sensei do not risk
attracting daemons or other malicious psychic forces by using their powers. Being untainted by Chaos Powers they are utterly
invulnerable to the predations of the Chaos Powers. In fact because they harbour no trace trace of the emotions and concepts
embodied by the Chaos powers they are largely invisible to them.
Sensei are heroes who wander throughout the galaxy, sometimes in the company of a select band of other powerful heroes. The
psychic powers of a Sensei make him dangerous heretic in the eyes of the Imperium, so that he and his followers risk capture and
death at the hands of the Inquisition or other Imperial forces. They are not so much the enemies of the Imperium as of Repression
and injustice in all their guises. Repression exists throughout the Imperium, much of which is justified, but not all by any means.
Wherever a Sensei appears he can be sure of huge popular support, while the forces of oppressive goverment recognise him as an
implacable foe.
All over the Imperium, forces are deployed to chase groups of Sensei, and in their turn the Sensei are forced to operate as outlaws.
However the conflict does not weaken the resolve of either side. The Imperium is strengthened by the resolve of the Imperial forces,
while the Sensei are spurred by their battle against cruelty and oppression.
Sensei outlaw bands are known as Adventurer Bands. They occur all over the Imperium as the champions of underdogs and scourge
of authority. They hide in underground caverns, or deep inside cities, or lead freedom fighters from the forest and mountains. Some
sail the seas as pirates and operate from secret islands and coves. Others sail space itself as pirates of a different kind, boarding and
robbing Imperial cargo vessels as they move ponderously between planets. Everywhere they champion the poor against the rich, the
oppressed against the oppressors. They are brave, they are popular, and they see themselves as the enemies of both Chaos and
oppression.
G am eplay N otes:The Senseim ay pick any characterclass labeled C elestialin the Savage Species H andbook w ith the
one change thatthe Senseialw ays look hum an (no w ings,no dog face,no m issing pupils etc.). They also m ustbe
good (any ofLaw ful,N eutralorC haotic)as listed in the Savage Species H andbook.
These are the non-playerraces (som e are notraces,justm odified hum ans)characters can m eetw ithin the 40k
U niverse.This is notto say these are the O N LY types ofN PC encounters,these are in addition to the thousands of
hum ans and anim allife in the know n galaxy.Tem plates included,som e races deserve greaterdetailso justfollow the
hyperlinks..
bestguns,equipm entand arm ourthe Im perium can afford.As faras Space M arine PC s are concerned they are N O T
allow ed in the gam e.Space M arines need specially tailored cam paigns w hich is beyond the scope ofthis gam e.This is
because,as they are the finesthum an w arriors and probably the bestin the entire universe,they are quickly dispatched
againstthe deadliestofenem ies,notagainstsom e gang from a scum m y hive w orld.W hen there is a Tyranid invasion
ora renegade Im perialC om m anderora troublesom e O rk w arlord to getrid off,the Space M arines w illbe dispatched to
dealw ith them w ith ruthless speed and efficiency.Space M arines have theirow n unique specialadvantages. See
A deptus A startes fordetails. Space M arines are D EAD LY enem ies,fortunately only heretics,traitors and m utants
need fearthem . The Prestige C lass in the above link is forALL space m arines,certain specialcharacters getextra
advantages.
HUM ANITY
Hum ans com prise a m ultitude ofdifferentraces,cultures and careers,and to help you w ith yourcam paigns there are
severalsub-categories to reflectthis from the highly trained and super-hum an Adeptus Astartes to the low scum that
inhabitthe factory levels ofhive w orlds. Ihave notgiven specific tem plate inform ation foreach profession,since your
basic hum an is the sam e w here everyou go,only theirskills,training and equipm entare different,and w ithin each
profession,there are differentlevels ofthese. I'llleave the fine tuning to you.
H um anity has spread thousands oflightyears across the galaxy,com prising countless cultures and custom s.They are
am ongstthe m ostpopulous ofraces and the bulk ofthem fallunderthe Im perium ;the G reatEm pire thatstands against
allofm ankind's enem ies,and there are m any.
The Im perium is directly ruled by the sixteen H igh Lords ofTerra,butthey rule in the Em peror's nam e.The Em peror
used to be a greatw arrior,butten m illennia ago he w as consigned to the G olden Throne afterhis battle againstthe
W arm asterH orus;the G olden Throne now keeps his fragile body alive.In the H orus R ebellion,the Im perium w as
throw n into civilw ar,halfofhum anity foughtforthe Em perorand the otherhalffoughtforthe forces ofC haos and
H orus.
Butthe hum an race is possibly the m ostresilientofallraces,as thatdam aging w arhas notprevented m ankind from
overcom ing its m any enem ies.H ow ever,the Im perium is spread thinly across space and som e w orlds have been lost
eitherthrough w ars orthe volatile w arp storm s thatsom etim es m aterialise.The protectors ofm ankind,the arm y w hich
keeps the Im perium together,is the Im perialArm y com prising the Im perialG uard and Im perialFleet.
H um ans are am ongstthe m ostversatile ofraces and can inhabitalm ostany w orld in the galaxy.
Physique:H um ans vary trem endously in appearance largely because ofthe m any hum an populated w orlds in the
Im perium .W here in ourw orld countries have theirow n unique cultures,the Im perium has entire planets thatcom prise
these cultures instead.
PsychologicalProfile:N othing special.Som e hum ans are eviland tyrannical,som e are fairand just,w hereas m ostdo
notcare foreitherofthese concepts and justw antto live.Som e hum ans are honesthardw orking folk w hilstothers are
deceitful,conniving vagabonds.
A D EPTU S A R B ITES
The Adeptus Arbites are the keepers ofthe greatBook ofJudgem ent,the legalcode ofthe Im perium ,painstakingly
collated overthe centuries and em bodying every decree everpassed by the H igh Lords ofTerra.As the m illennia pass
the Book ofJudgem entgrow s everheavier.Indeed ithas long since grow n beyond the confines ofa single literal
volum e.Its m ostancientdecrees are w ritten upon parchm ents ofhum an skin,inscribed in unknow n tongues by the
nam eless functionaries ofa forgotten age.
Every day a hundred new volum es ofencoded holoscriptare added to its num ber.Volum e upon leather-bound volum e
sits upon row s ofiron shelves thatfillthe w alls ofthe H allofJudgem ent.Every row is hom e to ten thousand tom es.
Shelves are stacked a hundred m etres above the tim e-w orn floorofantique m arble.U pon narrow gantries and ladders
craw lthe tiny ant-like figures oflegalassistants as they search am idstthe debris ofjudgem ent.
JU D G ES
The Judges com m and theirow n forces ofretribution,m assive arm ies spread throughoutthe galaxy and evervigilantto
answ erthe callforjustice.The Judges can also callupon the fullresources ofthe Im perium ,adding theirow n strength
to the im m easurable m ightofthe Im perium 's arm ies and fleets.O ften itis the Judges w ho find them selves fighting the
firstflam es ofrebellion,w hile m obile Space M arine forces rush to supportthem .The very presence ofthe Arbitrators is
the greatestdeterrentto treachery.
Judges are a feared sightin the Im perium ,forthey are relentless in theirpursuitofretribution.Theirattire echoes the
flow ing robes ofa m ore ancienttim e and m ark's them outas the m ighty lords ofjustice thatthey are.
A R B ITR A TO R S
An Arbitratoris a m em berofthe Adeptus Arbites,the m ilitantarm ofthe H igh Lords ofTerra.They notonly form
aw esom e judicialarm ies w hen needed butthey also police the w orlds ofthe Im perium .They are w ell-arm ed and are
fanatically loyalto theircause.They w eara dark uniform and the sinisterreflective visoroftheirhelm ethides its
w earer's all-seeing gaze.
A G EN TS
The highly skilled and professionalagents ofthe Adeptus Arbites provide a crucialrole forthe Im perium .The lesser
agents som etim es accom pany patrols ofArbitrators w hen there is a need fora detective presence.The experienced
agents are senton dangerous m issions to uncoversecretfiles orcrucialevidence fora courtcase and w illoften be in
touch w ith the Adeptus Arbites directly via a cleverly concealed com -link.Agents w illalso infiltrate the planetofa
corruptIm perialC om m ander,eitherto incite a rebellion orto even killhim .The latterm ission is only everundertaken by
Agents w hen Im perialAssassins aren'tavailable.
"Ithink you haven'tbeen telling us the fullstory.Y ou've been telling porkies.
N ow w ould you m ind telling m e the fullstory?"
A gentFrost.
There are fourspecialised types ofSpace M arine w hich are:Techm arines,Librarians,Apothecaries,and C haplains.
SPA C E M A R IN ES
Space M arines are the finesthum an w arriors ofthem all.G enetically tailored and utterly loyalto the Em peror,the
Space M arine C hapters representm ankind's greatesthope ofvictory in the neverending w ars forsurvival.A Space
M arine's im plants have fully grow n and m atured to create a super-hum an soldiercapable ofw ithstanding terrible
w ounds and breathing in poisons thatw ould killa lesserm an.Space M arines are also am ongstthe bestequipped
troops in the universe w earing pow erarm oured suits as standard and having access to the m ostadvanced equipm ent
the Im perium has to offer.The greatestSpace M arines ofa C haptercom e from the FirstC hapter.These are the
veterans ofcountless cam paigns and only they have the honourofw earing Term inatorTacticalD readnoughtarm our.
Physique:Space M arines are literally very big m en,very few are undersix feet.W hen in fullbattlegearthey look like
giants and are no less form idable.
PsychologicalProfile:Space M arines are m ore akin to m onks than soldiers,indeed they live in huge fortified
m onasteries ratherthan barracks.They are highly disciplined,fearless,and utterly loyalto the Em peror.
A typicalsquad consists of10 battle brothers:1 Sergeant,1 brotherarm ed w ith a specialw eapon (Flam er,Plasm a
G un,Therm alG un typically),1 brotherarm ed w ith a heavy w eapon (M issile launcherorH eavy Boltertypically). See
the A deptus A startes section form ore inform ation.
The Adeptus Astra Telepathica is dedicated to the recruitm entand training ofpsykers forservice throughoutthe
Im perium .The headquarters ofthe organisation are on Earth,butits spaceships travelthe Im perium and its offices
extend overm ostofhum an space.Its chiefresponsibility is to train psykers to serve as Astropaths.
H IVE G A N G STER S
The m ostvicious gangs com e from the hive w orlds,the huge conglom erations sited on polluted and often infertile
planets.M any ofthese gangs are entirely brutaland totally anarchistic.Thankfully they are only concerned w ith their
ow n petty squabbles and territorialargum ents to pose a significantthreatto a planet.The term 'G ang Banger'is given
to a m em berofone ofthese gangs ofw hich there are m any differenttypes,each one w ith varying degrees of
technologicalw eaponry.
The Tech gangs have the m ostadvanced equipm entand ofallthe gangs they have access to the 'real'w eaponry.
There are those gangs,how ever,called Brats.These Bratgangs are actually com prised ofyoung sons and daughters
ofrich parents.They sportelaborate hairstyles and are alw ays atthe forefrontoffashion.
anim al. Forgam e play purposes Anim ists are lycanthropes w ho are perm anently setin the hybrid form . This is nota
disease buta choice. U se the stats forw hateverrepresentative lycanthrope is used from the various M onsterM anuals.
IM PER IA L G U A R D
IM PER IA L G U A R D SM EN
Im perialG uardsm en are the rank and file ofthe Im perium ;there are billions ofthese soldiers stretched across the
galaxy.They are recruited from the arm ed forces ofw orlds throughoutthe Im perium .The fighting ability ofeach
Im perialG uard regim entreflects the w orld and society itcom es from .The m any H ivew orlds throughoutthe Im perium
breed vicious gang m em bers thatare idealforrecruitm ent,w hereas the m ore prim itive w orlds offerm edievalsoldiers or
savages.D epending on the traditions oftheirhom e w orlds G uardsm en m ay bearfacialtattoos,ritualscars,orother
testam ents to theirinitiation as w arriors.In tim e,regardless ofbackground,new recruits into the Im perialArm y com e to
respectone anotherand serve the Em peroras he should be served;the saviourofM ankind.
"Two heads are better than one...for our troops to shoot at."
Sergeant 'Mudbone' at the mutant insurgence, Planet Ross V.
A typicalbattle unitw illconsistof10 G uardsm en:1 Sergeant(typically a Veteran),2 H ardened G uardsm en (1 typically
carries a lascannon,the othercarries a specialw eapon),and 7 norm alG uardsm en.Entire units could be m ade up of
'hardened'types ifyou w ish,oreven 'veterans'-a realtough squad ifeverthere w as one!
Sergeants
Sergeants are equipped differently to the restofthe squad.In addition to any otherequipm entthey are arm ed w ith a
Las pistoland sw ord.Any H ardened orVeteran guardsm an m ustsubstitute his SpecialW eapon,ifany,forthese extra
w eapons.Please note thatnotalw ays the bestG uardsm an w illbe the Sergeant,such is the w ay ofthe m odern arm y.
IM PER IA L O FFIC ER S
Im perialO fficers are chosen from the intelligentm em bers ofthe Im perialArm y,ratherthan the guardsm en them selves.
This is because strictexam inations have to be passed before the candidate becom es an O fficer.Itisn'talw ays the case
thatan officeris m ore experienced and accom plished a soldierthan the m em bers ofthe rank and file,justbecause he
is ofhigherrank.Even though Im perialO fficers are m ostly dedicated to the cause,itisn'tunknow n forthe w eakerones
to lose theircooland flee in a shuttle leaving any troops to die on som e doom ed planet.Butsuch an incidentis very
rare and on the w hole Im perialO fficers are very fine leaders indeed.
IM PER IA L O G R YN S
The Im perium m akes greatuse ofthese m assive,and ugly,hum anoids.O gryns com e from harsh often cold w orlds w ith
high gravity and little naturallife.They have adapted by increasing theirbodyw eightto survive the cold,and theirbodies
have becom e accustom ed to long periods ofstarvation and protracted darkness.Togetherw ith an increase in size
O gryns have undergone a steady decrease in intelligence and m entalagility.The Technom agiand G eneticists ofthe
Adeptus M echanicus have increased the Im perialO gryns intellectso thatthey can atleastobey orders and use som e
technologicalw eapons;som ething thatw ould be im possible fortheirm uch biggercousins back on theirhom e planets.
W ith this increase in intellectIm perialO gryns are som ew hatsm allerthan norm alcreatures oftheirtype butare stillvery
big and justas strong.
C O M M ISSA R S
C om m issars are very special,high-ranking,officers.They keep arm y discipline and ensure thatthe w heels ofthe
Im perialG uard do notveeroff.N otonly are they skilled tacticians they are very fine soldiers and the m ere sightofone
ofthese m en is enough form any a G uardsm an to fightw ith renew ed vigour.C om m issars are utterly dedicated to the
Em peror.
TEC H N O -M A G ES
R enegade Techno-Priests w ho are fascinated w ith the conceptof"m agic". They use high (som etim es stolen)
technology to sim ulate the affects ofm agic. Technically nothereticalin nature,they w illgenerally be burned as w itches
and w arlocks by youraverage Im perialcitizen,the few thatare notlive in seclusion underthe w atchfuleye ofthe
Inquisition. See the Techo-M age Prestige C lass form ore Inform ation. The characterdoes notactually w ield any m agic
ability,butuses an equivalenttechnologicaldevice.
TH E IN Q U ISITIO N
The Inquisition is som etim es seen as the lefthand ofthe Em peror.Itis a secretive organisation w hose m em bers are
bound by no Im periallaw orauthority excepttheirow n.The soulpurpose ofthe Inquisition is to investigate any potential
threatto the hum an race,and then take w hateverm easures to annihilate it.Aggressive aliens,serious genetic
deviation,politicalcorruption,the m achinations ofplanetary governors,and gross incom petence are enough to keep the
Inquisition perm anently occupied.
IN Q U ISITO R S
The Inquisitoris like an avenging shadow ,m oving am ongstm ankind on a m ission to destroy its enem ies.Each
Inquisitoris unique concerning his m ethods,som e w illbe cautious w hilstsom e w illstrike dow n m ankind's enem ies w ith
ruthlessness.M ostInquisitors w ork alone covertly in hum an populations,searching and seeking fordeviants and
possible daem onic possession.W hatm annerofm an can see into the hearts ofthe dam ned? In truth there are few w ho
can confrontthe secretevils ofthe hum an soul,forcom passion blinds m ostm en to the indescribable horrors ofheresy
and betrayal.The Inquisitorm ustovercom e these terrors and rootthem out. M any Inquisitors w illhave psychic pow ers
as w ell.
You are not free whose liberty is won by the rigour of other, more righteous
souls. You are merely protected.
M U TA N TS
A ftercenturies ofisolation and due to living on alien environm ents the hum an genom e began to drift. D ue to
this an increase in m utants w ho grow to adulthood began to appear. The H oly See believes thatthe genetic drift
is due to the affectofChaos (and they m ay w ellbe right,butperhaps fordifferentreasons than scientific).
Regardless m utants ofm any kinds have been on the increase. The exterm ination ofm utants from the gene pool
is one ofthe duties ofthe Inquisition.
To add som e interestand random ness to the creation ofm utants Irecom m end using the system (and classes)in
the O m ega W orld m ini-gam e available in D ungeon Issue #94.
TH E C H A PTER S
Every Space M arine belongs to a C hapter,w hich is effectively the arm y he belongs to,and to w hich he devotes his
entire life.There are a thousand ofthese C hapters scattered throughoutthe galaxy.Each C hapterconsists ofa
thousand Space M arines w hich also consists often C om panies each num bering a hundred Space M arines.
The M asterofeach Space M arine C hapteris its leaderand spiritualhead.A Space M arine M asternotonly leads his
troops into battle,buthe also has to actas the figurehead forthe entire C hapter.As som e C hapters rule entire planets,
a Space M arine M asterm ay actas the head ofa governm entas w ell-effectively as the Im perialC om m anderofa
w hole planet.
A Space M arine C hapterincludes a substantialorganisation designed to provide everything needed by the Space
M arine squads.This includes arm ouries and w eapon shops,space fleet,vehicle construction and m aintenance sites,
research laboratories,inform ation repositories,com m unication offices and cultchapels.These organisations em ploy
m any m ore people than squads,butonly a sm allproportion are actually Space M arines.The m ajority are hereditary
slaves ofthe C hapter.These slaves are born to serve the C hapter.They are w elltreated,receive a fine education,and
fulfila vitalrole w ithin the C hapter.Slaves regard them selves as partofthe C hapter,and theirloyalty is beyond doubt.
The m ostfam ous ofthe C hapters ofthe Im perium are:D ark Angels,Space W olves,Im perialFists,U ltram arines,Blood
Angels,W hite Scars,Iron H ands,R aven G uard and Salam anders.These w ere am ongstthe originalC hapters ofthe
FirstFounding thatw eren'tseduced by H orus to fightforthe forces ofC haos in the Prim arch's doom ed heresy.M ore
details can be found in W arham m er40,000,the Space M arine C odex and W hite D w arf.
The Tenth C om pany form s a training com pany.Its sergeants are older
veterans butits fighting Space M arines are the C hapter's leastexperienced
w arriors.These w illcom m only be Space M arine Scouts.Aftera period in
the training com pany,Space M arines are allotted to othercom panies to
replace battle casualties.
Advantages: The 19 Implants (+302). Combat Reflexes (+15). Double jointed (+5). High Pain Threshold (+10).
Impertubable (+10). Longevity (+5). Military Rank (Varies). Patron (Space Marine Chapter Grandmaster +50).
Disadvantages: Enemy (Chaos Space Marines -80). Enemy (Orks -60). Enemy (Tyranids -40). Enemy
(Heretics, Mutants and Traitors -20). Code of honour (-15). Bloodlust (against enemies only) -10.
Quirks: none
A Space M arine begins his training w hen he is little m ore than a boy,ora girlifshe is training forthe Adepta Sororitas.
Although battle-sisters have less im plants than the Space M arines w ho are entirely m ale.W hen the boy is so young
the im plants can continue to grow as partofhis body's naturalgrow th process.The boy also undergoes hypnotherapy
and physicaltraining to harness the im plants.Ithas to be said thatthese im plants w illnotfully w ork in a fully grow n
adult.
W ith organ im plantation com es a routine ofphysicaland spiritualtraining.This is achieved by m eans ofhypnotic
suggestion,prolonged m editation,vigorous spiritualtests and gradualinitiation into the cultrites ofthe C hapter.Allof
this serves to increase a M arine's m entalpow ers and sharpen his senses.
Below I've listed allnineteen ofthe im plants togetherw ith any bonuses they give a Space M arine.There are so m any
circum stances in w hich they can be used so you'llhave to im provise in som e cases,like w hen should the Sus-an
M em brane be putinto action?
Secondary H eart-Phase 1
The sim plestand m ostselfsufficientim plant.The secondary heartis capable ofboosting the blood supply or
m aintaining fulllife functions even w ith the destruction ofthe recipient's originalheart.This also enables M arines to
survive low oxygen concentrations and traum atic injury.
This is the bone strengthener.Itis a sm allim plantputinto the low erpartofthe brain and affects bone grow th.Space
M arines have incredibly strong bones and theirrib cage is fused into a solid protective shell.
B iscopea -Phase 3
This organ is im planted into the chestcavity.Itis sm all,approxim ately circularand,like the O ssm odula,it's prim ary
action is horm onal.The presence ofthe Biscopea stim ulates m uscle grow th throughoutthe body.
This tiny organ is im planted into a m ain blood vessel.Itm akes a M arine's blood m ore efficientthan ordinary hum an
blood.
Properties:(+10)N o Blood (The m arine does have blood,butthe affects are the sam e as this advantage)ans
Sanitised m etabolism (pg.C 65).
W hen a Space M arine is w ounded the blood form s an instantlayerofscar-like tissue,staunching blood flow and
protecting the w ound.This organ is responsible forproducing the specialblood cells called Larram an cells w hich m ake
this possible.
Properties:(+25)This is a perm anentTim e R elease Toxin:H ypercoagulin (H T pg97/108)drug w ith the follow ing
changes. The M arine suffers no negative side affects from the drug. The im plantdoes notneed to be refilled (im plant
m anufacturers drug from the M arines body chem istry). W hen the M arine is injured the im plantautom atically injects a
H ypercoagulin into his system . The H ypercoagulin stops bleeding w ithin 1d+4 seconds and restores 1 H ealth (H T).
The M arine has no controloverw hen the injection occurs and suffers N O SID E EFFEC TS from m ultiple injections.
Space M arines can resthalfoftheirbrain atonce,and thus stay aw ake fordays ata tim e.The C atalepsean N ode
w hich m akes this possible is im planted into the brain w here itcontrols rhythm s ofsleep and the response to sleep
deprivation.
This is a second stom ach w hich allow s a M arine to eatotherw ise poisonous orindigestible m aterials.D eadly poisons
are eitherneutralised orisolated from the digestive tract.
Properties:(+15)C astIron Stom ach (pg.C 51). This w orks in conjunction w ith the O olitic Kidney.
O m ophagea -Phase 8
Space M arines can gain partofa person orcreature's m em ory by eating its flesh.This specialorgan is im planted
betw een the thoraic vertebrae and the stom ach w all.Itw orks by absorbing genetic m aterialfrom the m ealitself.
Properties:in the gam ing environm entInttests should be m ade to gatherany inform ation from a dead creature and
M ulti-Lung -Phase 9
Space M arines have three lungs and can close offtheirnorm allungs in favourofthe bio-engineered m ulti-lung.The
m ulti-lung allow s the M arine to breath poisonous atm ospheres oreven in w ater.Itis one ofthe largestim plants.
Properties:(+32)Effects ofBionic G ill(pg U T107),R educing R espirator,R espirator(U T pg26),FilterLung (pg.C 56)
and Breath H olding I(pgC 21).. D oes notrequire U B (energy taken from body)buteffects only last12 hours before the
M arine needs to getback to a norm alatm osphere.
O cculobe -Phase 10
This sm allslug-like organ sits atthe base ofthe brain.Itprovides the horm onaland genetic stim uliw hich enable a
M arine's eyes to respond to optic-therapy.The O cculobe itselfdoesn'thelp to im prove the M arine's eyesight,butit
allow s technicians to m ake adjustm ents to the grow th patterns ofthe eye and the light-receptive retinalcells.An adult
M arine has farbettereyesightthan a norm alhum an,and can see in low lightconditions alm ostas w ellas in daylight.
Space M arines do nothave the norm alinternalorgans ofa hum an ear.These are rem oved and replaced by the
Lym ans Ear.Theirhearing notonly becom es sharper,butthey can filteroutorenhance specific sounds.The organ
also affects balance,so a M arine is unlikely to becom e dizzy ordisorientated as a resultofm otion.
Properties:(+10)Acute H earing V.
This flat,circularorgan is im planted overthe top ofthe exposed brain.Itthen grow s into brain tissue untilcom pletely
m erged.This allow s a properly tutored M arine to entera state ofsuspended anim ation and survive forcenturies if
necessary.Som etim es this organ can be triggered by subjection to extrem e physicaltraum a.O nly appropriate
chem icaltherapy and auto-suggestion can revive a M arine from suspended anim ation -a M arine cannotrevive
him self.
M elanchrom e -Phase 13
This is a hem isphericalorgan and is black.Itreacts alm ostinstantly to the strength ofsunlightand protects the skin
from radiation fora lim ited tim e.
This is an extra kidney w hich filters outany harm fulsubstances from the blood.Itenables the M arine to survive
poisons and toxins thatotherw ise even the m ulti-lung couldn'tcope w ith.
Properties:(+15)Im m unity to Poison (pg.C 58).AgainstTyranid orotherunknow n poisons ortoxins,a M arine gains a
+5 bonus to allskilltests.
N euroglottis -Phase 15
By chew ing,tasting orsm elling a substance a Space M arine w illbe able to testitfortoxicity and nutrition content.The
organ also allow s the Space M arine to identify subtle odours in the sam e w ay as a trackerdog.
Properties:(+15)Acute Taste and Sm ellV (pg.B19).Allow s the Space M arine to follow any trailas long as theiris
sufficientodourto sniffalong the w ay.Inttests should be m ade depending on the circum stances.R em em berthe
Space M arine is as effective as a trackerdog!Ifthe space m arine has the tracking (pg.B57)ability he gets a skillbonus
of+5 to his skillroles. H e gets no bonus on w indy planets/clim es.
M ucranoid -Phase 16
This sm allorgan is im planted in the low erintestine w here its horm onalsecretions are absorbed by the colon.These
secretions initiate a m odification ofthe sw eatglands.This m odification norm ally m akes no difference to the M arine
untilactivated by appropriate chem o-therapy.As a resultofthis treatm entthe M arine sw eats an oily,naturally
cleansing substance w hich coats the skin.This protects the M arine againstextrem es oftem perature and even offers a
slightdegree ofprotection in vacuum .M ucranoid therapy is standard procedure on long space voyages and w hen
fighting in vacuum ornearvacuum .
Properties:(+27)Vacuum Adaption (pg.C 69). This is N O T in constantaffect. The M arine m ustturn iton,ittakes 10
R L m inutes ofnotm oving forthis im plantto take affect.
Tw o ofthese identicalglands are im planted,eitherinto the low erlip,alongside the salivary glands orinto the hard
palette.Itallow s the Space M arine to synthesise a poison w hich is highly acidic.N otonly does this m ake a M arine able
to spitpoison butalso allow s him to eatthrough m etaloreven gradually burn through strong m etals.
Properties:(+20) allow s recipientto spitpoison (ViralSolvent,pg.U T84)up to 12 m etres aw ay againsta single target.
A recipientcan only spitpoison up to 4 tim es a day.
Progenoids -Phase 18
These are the gene-seeds thatare eitherim planted in the neck orchest.The organ responds to the presence ofother
im plants in the body by creating germ cells corresponding to those im plants.These germ cells grow and are stored in
the Progenoid organs.M ature Proganoid organs can be rem oved,and new im plants artificially cultured from them .This
is the only w ay new im plants can be created,so a C hapterdepends upon its Space M arines to create otherSpace
M arines.
Interface -Phase 19
This is the lastim plantw hich covers the hardened shell-like rib cage ofthe Space M arine w ith a stiffm em brane.
N eurone connectors from the m em brane penetrate the Space M arine's spine and connecthis m otornervous system to
the interface.C onnectors on the interface link up to the M arine's pow erarm oursuit,orto othertypes ofarm our,
equipm entcontrols orm onitors.This allow s the Space M arine to controlan arm oured suitjustas ifitw ere his ow n
body.Italso allow s the Space M arine's heartrate and othervital-signs to be read offfrom a connectorpointon his
arm our.
Properties:(+20)D erm alArm our(pg.U T108)and N euralInterface Im plant(Pow erArm our)(pg.U T109).
VETER A N SPA C E M A R IN E
O nce a Space M arine has foughtand survived m any cam paigns his
reputation steadily grow s w ithin the C hapter.W hen a Space M arine
gets his firstservice stud,often im planted above the tem ple,itis
evidence of20 years experience and so autom atic acceptance into
the C hapter's coveted FirstC om pany.But,as allSpace M arines are
brilliantfighters,there are alw ays a handfulofM arines thatcontinue
to distinguish them selves in m issions and battles and,regardless of
theirage,they join the FirstC om pany oftheirC hapter.Itis a great
honourfora Space M arine to be accepted into the FirstC om pany for
its m em bers are allow ed to w earthe ancientsuits ofTerm inator
arm ourand carry the deadly Storm bolter.H ow ever,itis the squads
ofthe FirstC om pany thatundergo the m ostdifficultofcam paigns,
even fora Space M arine.They are often teleported into the heartof
battle taking the enem y by surprise orthey teleportonto greatspace
hulks to dealw ith G enestealerinfestation.
Veteran Space M arines are also chosen to lead squads ofotherM arines into the com batzone and they often have the
rank ofSergeantto com plem entthis.Som e ofthe m uch olderveterans,those overthree centuries old,lead sm all
squads ofSpace M arine Scouts into battle.
Skills/A dvantages/D isadvantages:Apartfrom an increase in M ilitary R ank the characterrecieves no extra skills that
he has notpaid forhim self.
A PO TH EC A R Y
Apothecaries are extrem ely im portantto a Space M arine C hapteras they rescue the gene-seeds from fallen Brothers.
W ithoutthese highly trained M arine m edics allthe C hapters ofthe Adeptus Astartes w ould surely die.Space M arines
rarely go into battle w ithoutan Apothecary notleastfortheircom batskills and bravery.They w illstorm a position to
rescue a seriously injured Brotherorifthatis notpossible the Apothecary w illadm inistera quick death forhim ,but
even a dead Brothercan live on through his gene-seed.
Trappings:com plete suitofPow erArm ourw ith C om m unicator,R espirator& Auto-Senses;Infra-R ed Visor;Boltpistol;
C hainsw ord;Frag grenades;Boltgun;M edi-pack;R ad C ounter;Scanner;W eb Solvent.
TEC H M A R IN E
Every C haptersends a proportion ofits young recruits to M ars w here they are trained by the Tech-Priests ofthe
Adeptus M echanicus.
Trappings:com plete suitofPow erArm ourw ith C om m unicator,R espirator& Auto-Senses;Infra-R ed Visor;Boltpistol;
C hainsw ord;Frag grenades;Boltgun;M edi-pack;R ad C ounter;Scanner;W eb Solvent.
C H A PLA IN
C haplains form the priesthood ofthe Space M arine C hapters.There are m any religious practises in each C hapterand
each one is m ore orless unique and itis a C haplain thatw illpreside them .They adm inisterthe rites oftheirC hapter,
perform ing the ancientcerem onies ofInitiation and Vindication,as w ellas leading theirbrethren through the prayers of
faith and sacred psalm s ofthe Em peror.They are inspirationalSpace M arines as they lead theirbrothers into battle.
Skills/A dvantages/D isadvantages:C lericalInvestm ent(+5).Pious (+5).Extrem e Fanaticim s (-15).D iscipline ofFaith
(M onasticism -10).TrivialVow (Tithe -1).M ajorVow (O nly use "blunt" hand-to-hand w eapons -10).G reatVow ("to kill
the traitor,to burn the m utant,to absolve the heretic").
Trappings:com plete suitofPow erArm ourw ith C om m unicator,R espirator& Auto-Senses;Infra-R ed Visor;Boltpistol;
C hainsw ord;R osarius;Frag grenades;Boltgun;M edi-pack.
LIB R A R IA N
The Librarian is a gifted psionic m arine. Any m arine found to have psitalentis inducted
into the librarian arm ofthe C hapterand given extensive training.
The Adeptus Astra Telepathica are commonly known as Astropaths - their role within the Imperium is one of
communication. As the Imperium is so vast the only practical means of communication is by telepathy, and
telepathy over interstellar distances can be achieved only by the Astropath.
Psykers are vigorously controlled by the Imperium, some may escape detection, but the vast majority are fated to
serve the Imperium in one way or another. Many are given up to the Emperor as sustenance, whilst countless
others are executed because they are too dangerous to live. The remainder are recruited into the imperial
organisation in some way, but only a tiny proportion of the very best are judged strong enough to survive without
some form of psychic protection. So psykers can be found throughout the Adeptus Terra, the Inquisition, the
Legiones Astartes, the army and the fleet. However, over 90% of psykers in imperial service are members of the
Adeptus Astra Telepathica, known commonly as Astropaths. Astropaths are created from those psykers who
have considerable powers, but who are not mentally strong enough to withstand the attentions of psychically
attuned warp creatures. Were they simply allowed to develop without interference they would quickly find
themselves in serious trouble, endangering the rest of humanity as well as themselves. However, the Imperium
has a use for them. An Astropath is an Astro-telepath, an individual capable of communicating with others of his
kind over vast interstellar distances. In the Age of the Imperium, where worlds are light-years apart, this is the
only practical means of communication. For this reason the network of Astropaths is very important to the
Imperium, and every spacecraft, research station, outpost, etc, has its own Astropath. Even small planets need
hundreds of these useful servants, while large worlds may have thousands and Earth itself is home to tens of
thousands.
All Astropaths undergo a special process which moulds their powers and at the same time strengthens them
against pyschic danger. This is called the soul-binding ritual and only the Emperor has the power to perform it. It
takes place in the great palace, where the psykers are led before the Emperor one hundred at a time. Knelt before
the Emperor they must endure several hours of agony whilst the Emperor uses his powers to reshape their minds -
mingling a little of his immeasurable power with their own. Unfortunately, the Emperor's mind is so powerful
that not all candidates survive the ritual. Some are driven insane, and all have their personalities altered to some
extent. The raw energy of the Emperor's will also has another effect, so powerful are the forces involved that
many of the more delicate nerves can be damaged, especially the optic nerves. Consequently all Astropaths are
blind, whilst many may also lack any sense of smell, touch or hearing.
Organisation
The Adeptus Astra Telepathica is a vast organisation whose central administrative core is based upon Earth. It
exists purely to serve the needs of the Imperium, its leaders have no task to perform other than ensuring the
network operates as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Because of their very nature, Astropaths often work in
cooperation with the other branches of the Adeptus Terra, the Inquisition, fleet, army and Imperial Commanders.
Every priesthood temple would have its own staff of Astropaths, relaying and receiving the messages of their
masters, gathering and disseminating information throughout the galaxy.
Uniforms
Astropaths wear a hooded robe or habit, belted at the waist. Personal possessions are kept in a sling bag,
often omamented with religious motifs. The colour adopted by Astropaths as a symbol of their status is
green, although a robe will often incorporate several shades of the colour, ranging from pale near-grey to
almost black
Thought for the Pious: Carry the Emperor's will as your torch, with it destroy the shadows.
The Squats
In the earliest days of space colonization, the worlds toward the galactic core were
settled. At that time the mineral resources of the galactic core worlds were a rich prize
and thousands of huge specially adapted mining spacecraft and colony ships set off to
harvest the vast wealth of these inner planets. The manufacturing corporations, making
heavy machinery, vehicles, and weapons, also established thousands of plants on these
worlds to be near the source of raw materials.
The galactic core is characterised by ancient suns which are dim in comparison with
the stars of the spiral arms. Around these ancient stars orbit huge rock worlds rich in
minerals, but in most other respects, barren and lifeless. With low levels of daylight sand extremely high gravity,
these worlds are inhospitable to most life forms.
The original settlers were miners, engineers, and technicians, and they built their homes deep underground or
carved out of the rocky cliffs and hillsides of the world, creating self-contained communities out of exhausted
mines. To feed themselves, they constructed huge hydroponic tanks to grow nutrious algae which could then be
processed and eaten by the settlers and the communities quickly became self-sufficient.
The high gravity and harsh environment gradually changed the humansd that lived there. They grew tougher,
more resilient, and they became shorter and squatter. This process took thousands of years, and during that time
the new race began to develop its own cultural identity, based upon fuedal and guild ideals. When the galactic
core was temporarily cut off from the rest of human society by warp storms, the inhabitants banded together into
an independent confederation which they called the Homeworlds.
It was during this time that the race became generally known as Squats, though they are also called Dwarfs, and
many of them prefer this term. During this period of isolation, the Homeworlds withstood many trials from Ork
invasions to rampages of Chaos, environmental disasters, and even internal war between the Squats themselves.
The early settlements have been enlarged many times and fortified to turn them into impregnable, self-sufficient
strongholds.
With Earth and other sources of technology denied to them, the Squats had to develop their own alternative
technologies, using local materials and the vast sources of energy and resources they found their worlds to
contain. As they invented and reinvented machines to keep them alive, the Squats acquired considerable
expertise. This gatherin of knowledge led to the creation of the Engineers Guild, a body of individuals whose
technical expertise would provide future Squat armies with many powerful and high tech weapons of war that
were unique to the Squats alone.
The Squat Homeworlds have remained independent, and have their own wars against Orks and Chaos, and on
occasions, Squats have also fought the Imperium and the Eldar, but by the large, the Squats have allied with
humans, and they have no particular source of discord with the Eldar.
The Squats need to trade in order to acquire items not readily available on their own worlds, and so they prefer to
remain as neutral as possible. Sometimes Squat strongholds will fight each other over points of honour, or
valuable mining rights, but such wars are usually short-lived, being brought to a halt by ancient laws or the
intercession of the Council of Strongholds. The Homeworlds rely on the Imperium for most of their trade, but
they also trade with the Eldar and even with Orks on occasion.
Generally, the Squats have hated Orks with a passion ever since the ravages of Ork Warlord Grunhag the Flayer,
whose surprise invasion cost many Squat lives and wiped out several ancient strongholds. Even today, thousands
of years after the invasion, the Squats send out expeditions to try and uncover lost remnants of strongholds
believed destroyed by Grunhag's horde. An epic ballad called The Fall of Imbach reminds younger generations
of Squat warriors of the heroism of the Squats in those dark times and of the foul treachery of the Ork invaders.
The deeds of treachery by the Orks have been recorded in the Book of Grudges for all generations of Squats to
read.
The Squats are a hard working and tenascious race, with a strong strubborn streak. They are honourable, and take
great pride in paying their debts and in keeping their word. This means they are reliable allies but extremely
dangerous foes. If a Squat gives its word to do something, he will do it, even if it takes his life in the attempt.
Squats have two characteristics which are hard for humans to understand.
First, they are very materialistic. Squats work hard to acquire money and possessions, and the more important a
Squat is, the greater his treasure horde will be. When he dies, his possessions are divided amongst his closest
relatives and so pass from generation to generation. A family's treasure is held very dear, it is both a source of
wealth and a direct link to its honoured ancestors.
The second quality that humans find hard to understand is the Squats' overriding obsession with vengeance and
honour. Should a Squat be slain, his whole family is honour-bound to avenge his death, while any harm done to
one family member by an unrelated Squat will bring the whole family together to exact vengeance. A harm done
by a none-Squat will bring down the vengeance of the whole stronghold. Squats stick together and never forget a
slight, no matter how trivial or unintentional. Each Squat maintains his own personal Book of Grudges. Legends
abound with examples of lone warriors battling to the death against overwhelming odds for their family's honour,
and of individuals returning from apparent death or dishonour to exact lasting and bloody revenge on their foes.
The stronghold is the basis of Squat civilization. A planet may have several strongholds, but rarely more than
half a dozen. The warriors from a stronghold are its Brotherhoods, so called because of their close blood
relationship and ties of vengeance rights. Strongholds sometimes band together into leagues.
The leader of the stronghold is called the Lord. The leaders of the stronghold's Brotherhoods are called Warlords,
and they are usually close relations of the Lord. In battle each Warlord leads a Brotherhood as well as his own
personal Hearthguard.
When several strongholds from a league fight together, a Grand Warlord is chosen to lead the combined forces
for the duration of the campaign. Election as a Grand Warlord is one of the ultimate accolades for a Squat
warrior, and is normally bestowed on the most honoured and revered of Warlords. The Grand Warlord leads a
disciplined and well armed force made up of Brotherhood warriors and fearsome weapons of war developed by
the Engineer's Guild.
The Engineer's Guild is a powerful part of Squat society. Its knowledge and expertise is legendary and its leaders
hold many engineering secrets. Many of the techno-magi of the Adeptus Mechanicus believe that the Squats
have already learned the secrets of stable Warp fission, by which the energy of Warp space is siphoned off to
produce limitless supplies of energy.
The Guild has already developed and produced the most advanced form of propulsion for spacecraft: a neo-
plasma reactor powered by a Warp core held in thrall by a containment field of zero energy. No other race has
ever duplicated this drive mechanism, the Adeptus Mechanicus have given up their experiments with Warp core
technology ever since the infamous Contagion of Ganymede.
The Squats produce many more conventional machines also, including airships, gyrocopters, and gigantic
armoured crawlers. All of these machines reflect the landscape of the Squat Homeworlds, where isolated
strongholds are separated by hundreds of miles of hostile territory. Shale deserts and chromium drifts, soaring
rocky penacles, and sheer glass sided crevasses are typical topography on the Homeworlds. To cross this tortured
landscape, the Squats have huge Land Trains.
All of these Land Trains are armoured to survive meteor showers, and violent electrical storms. They carry
powerful weapons and are used by the Squats as armoured battlestations, mobile versions of their strongholds,
able to survive in isolation on a hostile world. The largest of these
vast machines is the Collossus, which is also made for the Imperium
in a version called the Leviathan. These are huge war machines with
extrememly thick armour, carrying a large number of powerful
weapons and hundreds of troops, and protected by layers of void
shields.
The Squats use many armoured vehicles, fast Guild Bikes, and
flying machines on the battlefield. They use fast, heavily armed
Gyrocopters for scouting and making flanking and hit and run
attacks. The sight of a Guild Bike squadron roaring down on the
enemy has been known to break the enemy's resolve and create
panic among the enemy troops, such is their reputation.
The SistersofBattle
Founded by the fanatical Fatidicus, the Adeptus Ministorum continues to preach the
edicts and ideals of the Imperial Creed wherever Imperial citizens may thrive.
Transgressions against the church are considered heresy and no sin is too small to be
punished in the dark future of the 41st Millennium.
For nearly ten thousand years, the Ecclesiarchy has guided and focused the faith of countless billions of Imperial
citizens. Through the efforts of its Missionaries, Preachers, and Confessors, it has ensured the continued
veneration of the Emperor as a divine being which holds the very fabric of Imperial society together. See the
Sisters of Battle Prestige Class for more information.
TH E SISTER H O O D
The Battle Sisters of the Orders Militant make up the military arm of the Ecclesiarchy. Made up entirely of
warrior women, the Sisters of Battle are utterly dedicated to the protection of the Imperium from any threat.
Trained from birth and equipped to the highest standards, these zealous servants of the Ministorum can be found
fighting alongside other Imperial armies or pursuing their own Wars of Faith across the galaxy.
Below are listed the six im plants togetherw ith any bonuses they give a sister.O ne ortw o are unique to the Sisterhood,
the Sisterhood concentrates on m echanicalenhancem ents as opposed to biological(like the m arines). G am e affects
are listed on the N ew Feats page,
C A N O N ESS The
C anoness ofany Sorirty gets an extra advantage:R acialM em ory.
PRESTIG E C LASSES
Presented here is the basic Prestige C lass fora generic Space M arine. Each C hapterw illhave thierow n bonuses
related to thatC hapter. Ilistsom e suggestions below . This is an N PC prestige class unless the D M allow s otherw ise
orhas a tailored cam paign.
Space M arines are the finesthum an w arriors ofthem all.G enetically tailored and utterly loyalto the Em peror,the
Space M arine C hapters representm ankind's greatesthope ofvictory in the neverending w ars forsurvival.A Space
M arine's im plants have fully grow n and m atured to create a super-hum an soldiercapable ofw ithstanding terrible
w ounds and breathing in poisons thatw ould killa lesserm an.Space M arines are also am ongstthe bestequipped
troops in the universe w earing pow erarm oured suits as standard and having access to the m ostadvanced equipm ent
the Im perium has to offer.The greatestSpace M arines ofa C haptercom e from the FirstC hapter.These are the
veterans ofcountless cam paigns and only they have the honourofw earing Term inatorTacticalD readnoughtarm our.
R equirem ents
Special:Space M arines are literally very big m en,very few are undersix feet.W hen in fullbattlegearthey look like
giants and are no less form idable (m usthave a heightof185cm +). M ostSpace M arines are born Space M arines.
Som e few w ho are knighted are inducted into the fold ofa particularchapter. Also the characters loyalty to the Em peror
m ustbe beyond im peachm ent.
C rux Term inatus:This aw ard allow s the Space M arine to pilota D readnaughtTerm inatorSuite.
The Librarian is a gifted psionic m arine. Any m arine found to have psitalentis inducted into the librarian arm ofthe
C hapterand given extensive training.
R equirem ents
Skills:Any
B enefits:
Psionic Pow er:Foreach levelin this class the characterm ay pick any one psionic pow erfrom the Psionicistor
Psychic W arriorspelllistofequalspelllevelorlow er(see the PH forpsionic pow ers). Forexam ple,atlevel1 the
characterm ay pick any 1 level1 or0 PsioncistorPsychic W arriorpsipow er. They m ay use theirhighestm entalstat
(W is,IntorC ha)to determ ine bonus pow ers.
W eapon Specialisation:The Librarian is a legendary figure w ith any m elee w eapon. The characterm ay use the
The bulk ofthe Sisters ofBattle arm y is form ed ofBattle Sisters squads w hose deep faith in the Im perialC ultprovides
them w ith the steadfastdeterm ination they need to com batany foes w hetherthey be alien heathens orapostate
hum ans
R equirem ents
Feats:Any
B enefits:
5 +5 +4 +1 +1 8 O olitic Kidney
6 +6/+1 +5 +2 +2 11 Interface
7 +7/+2 +5 +2 +2 16 D ivine G race
8 +8/+3 +6 +2 +2 21 Aura ofC ourage
9 +9/+4 +6 +3 +3 26 Sacred R ites
10 +9/+5 +7 +3 +3 33 R acialM em ory
The 6 Implants: See the Feats section for information on the 6 Implants.
Divine Grace: The character applies her Charisma modifier as a bonus to all saving throws
Aura of Courage: The character is now immune to fear and fear like effects. She also bestows a +4 morale
bonus to her allies within 5 metres on saving throws against fear effects.
Sacred Rites: Before the fighting begins, the Sisters of Battle kneel in prayer, offering their thanks to the
Emperor and God and asking for His protection and guidance. The Battle Sisters are invigorated and emboldened
by their prayers, instilled with grim courage and determination to overcome their foes. Roll 1d6 to determine the
affect.
*NB: All effects are for 1 single combat and affect the character and her allies for the duration of the battle. A
level 10 Sister of Battle receives a +1 to her roll.
Racial Memory: The Sister has access to all the memories of all the Sister to have ever lived through the
millenniums. All skills are now considered class skills. Also, if the Sister makes an Intelligence test vs. DC 20
she can use untrained skills as if she had 1 point in that skill. She can do this once a day.
Atthe very birth ofthe Im perium ofM an,fully halfofthe Em peror's m osttrusted Space M arines Legions turned against
him in a bittercivilw ar.Brotherfoughtbrother,and M ankind stood upon the very brink ofextinction.Ten thousand years
aftertheirdefeat,those sam e traitors stilllaunch theirBlack C rusades outofthe Eye ofTerror,intentupon nothing less
than the utterdestruction ofthe Im perium and the death ofits w eakling Em peror.
N ow and foreverthey had becom e C haos Space M arines,despised and feared as traitors and heretics throughoutthe
galaxy.
W orse still,the path to im m ortality offered by the C haos gods led through a hellofdeath,m utation and m adness.
D aem onhood aw aited them atthe end ofthe road,follow ed by an eternity as slaves to darkness.
R equirem ents
Special:The C haos Space M arine m usthave atleastone levelin the Space M arine Prestige C lass. Also,they m ustof
w illingly m ade peacefulcontactw ith a w arp entity.
B enefits: The playerm ay now becom e a Black G uard as detailed in the D M G on pg.31. H e m ay replace D etectG ood
w ith D etectSpace M arine. This w orks the sam e w ay butonly detects Space M arines. Sm ite G ood m ay also be
replaced w ith Sm ite Space M arine.
Trained to develop theirm ind as a w eapon,the Psyker(also know n as a Librarian ifalso a Space M arine orplane old
Psifornon-M arines)can m anifestm entalcapabilities beyond the norm ofa naturaltalent.
R equirem ents
SkillPoints:Special(see Benefits).
Special:M ustofpassed the Adeptus Astra Telepathica Psiexam (T20,pg.186). M ustofm astered atleastone sphere
(T20,pg.186)
B enefits:The playerm ay now becom e a Psionicistora Psychic W arrioras detailed in the Psionic H andbook.H e now
follow s thatclass progression. H e m ustcontinue to seperate his T20 PsiStrength from his Psionic Pow erPoints (PP).
H e can only use PsiStrength forT20 psionics and PP forhis Psionic H andbook class. AllT20 psionic skills now
becom e class skills.
R enegade Techno-Priests w ho are fascinated w ith the conceptof"m agic". They use high (som etim es stolen)
technology to sim ulate the affects ofm agic. Technically nothereticalin nature,they w illgenerally be burned as w itches
and w arlocks by youraverage Im perialcitizen,the few thatare notlive in seclusion underthe w atchfuleye ofthe
Inquisition. The characterdoes notactually w ield any m agic ability,butuses an equivalenttechnologicaldevice.
R equirem ents
SkillPoints:Special(see Benefits).
Special:M ustow n an AIlevelhand-held com puter(ifw izard). M ustofstudied the N ecronam icon orhave a copy (R P
event/adventure).
B enefits:The characterm ay now advance as eithera W izard orSorcererperthe PH B. H e m ustadhere to the sam e
lim itations as the chosen class. H e m ay replace his spellbook fora hand-held com puterw ith AIlevelintiligence. All
com ponents require the equivelentlisted in the PH B in credits w orth of"gadgetry" to "cast" the spells. The character
m im ics the abilities ofthe M agic-U serbutdoes notactually castany m agic.
The characterm ay now also take any m agic-userassociated prestige class allow ed by the D M .
The Inquisition is som etim es seen as the lefthand ofthe Em peror.Itis a secretive organisation w hose m em bers are
bound by no Im periallaw orauthority excepttheirow n.The soulpurpose ofthe Inquisition is to investigate any potential
threatto the hum an race,and then take w hateverm easures to annihilate it.Aggressive aliens,serious genetic
deviation,politicalcorruption,the m achinations ofplanetary governors,and gross incom petence are enough to keep the
Inquisition perm anently occupied.
N o reason to re-inventthe w heel,you can use the prestige class created by Jefferey Keow n. You can find ithere.
ADEPTUS ASTARTES
TH E C H A PTER S
Every Space M arine belongs to a C hapter,w hich is effectively the arm y he belongs to,and to w hich he devotes his
entire life.There are a thousand ofthese C hapters scattered throughoutthe galaxy.Each C hapterconsists ofa
thousand Space M arines w hich also consists often C om panies each num bering a hundred Space M arines.
The M asterofeach Space M arine C hapteris its leaderand spiritualhead.A Space M arine M asternotonly leads his
troops into battle,buthe also has to actas the figurehead forthe entire C hapter.As som e C hapters rule entire planets,
a Space M arine M asterm ay actas the head ofa governm entas w ell-effectively as the Im perialC om m anderofa
w hole planet.
A Space M arine C hapterincludes a substantialorganisation designed to provide everything needed by the Space
M arine squads.This includes arm ouries and w eapon shops,space fleet,vehicle construction and m aintenance sites,
research laboratories,inform ation repositories,com m unication offices and cultchapels.These organisations em ploy
m any m ore people than squads,butonly a sm allproportion are actually Space M arines.The m ajority are hereditary
slaves ofthe C hapter.These slaves are born to serve the C hapter.They are w elltreated,receive a fine education,and
fulfila vitalrole w ithin the C hapter.Slaves regard them selves as partofthe C hapter,and theirloyalty is beyond doubt.
The m ostfam ous ofthe C hapters ofthe Im perium are:D ark Angels,Space W olves,Im perialFists,U ltram arines,Blood
Angels,W hite Scars,Iron H ands,R aven G uard and Salam anders.These w ere am ongstthe originalC hapters ofthe
FirstFounding thatw eren'tseduced by H orus to fightforthe forces ofC haos in the Prim arch's doom ed heresy.M ore
details can be found in W arham m er40,000,the Space M arine C odex and W hite D w arf.
The Tenth C om pany form s a training com pany.Its sergeants are older
veterans butits fighting Space M arines are the C hapter's leastexperienced
w arriors.These w illcom m only be Space M arine Scouts.Aftera period in
the training com pany,Space M arines are allotted to othercom panies to
replace battle casualties.
W ith organ im plantation com es a routine ofphysicaland spiritualtraining.This is achieved by m eans ofhypnotic
suggestion,prolonged m editation,vigorous spiritualtests and gradualinitiation into the cultrites ofthe C hapter.Allof
this serves to increase a M arine's m entalpow ers and sharpen his senses.
In the Feats section Ihave listed allnineteen ofthe im plants togetherw ith any bonuses they give a Space M arine.
There are so m any circum stances in w hich they can be used so you'llhave to im provise in som e cases,like w hen
should the Sus-an M em brane be putinto action?
VETER A N SPA C E M A R IN E
O nce a Space M arine has foughtand survived m any cam paigns his
reputation steadily grow s w ithin the C hapter.W hen a Space M arine
gets his firstservice stud,often im planted above the tem ple,itis
evidence of20 years experience and so autom atic acceptance into
the C hapter's coveted FirstC om pany.But,as allSpace M arines are
brilliantfighters,there are alw ays a handfulofM arines thatcontinue
to distinguish them selves in m issions and battles and,regardless of
theirage,they join the FirstC om pany oftheirC hapter.Itis a great
honourfora Space M arine to be accepted into the FirstC om pany for
its m em bers are allow ed to w earthe ancientsuits ofTerm inator
arm ourand carry the deadly Storm bolter.H ow ever,itis the squads
ofthe FirstC om pany thatundergo the m ostdifficultofcam paigns,
even fora Space M arine.They are often teleported into the heartof
battle taking the enem y by surprise orthey teleportonto greatspace
hulks to dealw ith G enestealerinfestation.
Veteran Space M arines are also chosen to lead squads ofotherM arines into the com batzone and they often have the
rank ofSergeantto com plem entthis.Som e ofthe m uch olderveterans,those overthree centuries old,lead sm all
squads ofSpace M arine Scouts into battle.
A PO TH EC A R Y
Apothecaries are extrem ely im portantto a Space M arine C hapteras they rescue the gene-seeds from fallen Brothers.
W ithoutthese highly trained M arine m edics allthe C hapters ofthe Adeptus Astartes w ould surely die.Space M arines
rarely go into battle w ithoutan Apothecary notleastfortheircom batskills and bravery.They w illstorm a position to
rescue a seriously injured Brotherorifthatis notpossible the Apothecary w illadm inistera quick death forhim ,buteven
a dead Brothercan live on through his gene-seed.
TEC H M A R IN E
Every C haptersends a proportion ofits young recruits to M ars w here they are trained by the Tech-Priests ofthe
Adeptus M echanicus. They essentially becom e w arrior-m echanics forthe C hapter. Building and m aintaining the
C hapters W argear.
C haplains form the priesthood ofthe Space M arine C hapters.There are m any religious practises in each C hapterand
each one is m ore orless unique and itis a C haplain thatw illpreside them .They adm inisterthe rites oftheirC hapter,
perform ing the ancientcerem onies ofInitiation and Vindication,as w ellas leading theirbrethren through the prayers of
faith and sacred psalm s ofthe Em peror.They are inspirationalSpace M arines as they lead theirbrothers into battle.
LIB R A R IA N
The Librarian is a gifted psionic m arine. Any m arine found to have psitalentis inducted
into the librarian arm ofthe C hapterand given extensive training. You can check the
prestige class forLibrarian here.
FEATS
These are new Feats for the T20 system specific to w40k.
G un-Fu Y ou have
m eshed m aritalarts w ith gunplay and can perform am azing stunts ofdueling w ith firearm s.Prerequisite:M artial
Training,G unfighter,Tum ble 4+ B enefits:W hen m aking an attack using
only hand-guns,you m ay m ake a single Tum ble check as a free action.
G unfighter A characterw ho
is a gunfighterhad greatcoordination and reflexes. B enefits:The characterm ay
fire tw o w eapons atonce w ithoutpenalty,one in each hang,although norm alm odifiers forusing a w eapon in the off
hand apply.This is the equivalentofTw o-H anded Fighting for guns.
SPA C E M A R IN E IM PLA N TS
These im plants can notbe chosen as starting advantages. They can be added in gam e once (if)a players faction is
high enough w ith a particularSpace M arine C hapterthatthey deem him orherw orthy ofthe im plants. Ifthe im plants
are used on an adultthen theirstatistic affectis halved to a m inim um of1.They m ay also be obtained on the black
m arketgenerally atexorbitantrates (500k C r+).
Properties:C O N +5
B iscopea This
organ is im planted into the chestcavity.Itis sm all,approxim ately circularand,like the O ssm odula,it's prim ary action is
horm onal.The presence ofthe Biscopea stim ulates m uscle grow th throughoutthe body.
Properties:STR +5.
Properties: Perm anentBroad Spectrum Anti-Toxin (T20,pg.219).The im plantdoes notneed to be refilled (im plant
m anufacturers drug from the M arines body chem istry).
Properties:The charactergains the Eldar(Elven)like ability to only need 4 hours of"trance" tim e each night. N o
longerneeds sleep in the hum an sense.
Properties:C astIron Stom ach,+5 bonus to any Fortitude saving throw due to ingested poisons.
O m ophagea Space
M arines can gain partofa person orcreature's m em ory by eating its flesh.This specialorgan is im planted betw een the
thoraic vertebrae and the stom ach w all.Itw orks by absorbing genetic m aterialfrom the m ealitself.
Properties:In the gam ing environm entthe characteressentially recieves the spelllike aiblity to Speak w ith D ead as a
C leric ofthe sam e levelonce a day.
M ulti-Lung Space
M arines have three lungs and can close offtheirnorm allungs in favourofthe bio-engineered m ulti-lung.The m ulti-lung
allow s the M arine to breath poisonous atm ospheres oreven in w ater.Itis one ofthe largestim plants.
Properties:C haractercan survive in zero-oxygen environem ents foruptp 12 hours before the M arine needs to get
O cculobe This
sm allslug-like organ sits atthe base ofthe brain.Itprovides the horm onaland genetic stim uliw hich enable a M arine's
eyes to respond to optic-therapy.The O cculobe itselfdoesn'thelp to im prove the M arine's eyesight,butitallow s
technicians to m ake adjustm ents to the grow th patterns ofthe eye and the light-receptive retinalcells.An adultM arine
has farbettereyesightthan a norm alhum an,and can see in low lightconditions alm ostas w ellas in daylight.
Properties:EquivalentofM edicalSlow D rug butonly triggers w hen characterbegins dying. The im plantdoes notneed
to be refilled (im plantm anufacturers drug from the M arines body chem istry).
M elanchrom e This is a
hem isphericalorgan and is black.Itreacts alm ostinstantly to the strength ofsunlightand protects the skin from
radiation fora lim ited tim e.
Properties:C haractercan endure high levels ofradiation forshortam ounts oftim e. C haracterm akes Fortitude save
vs.D C 20. The num berabove 20 is how long in hours the charactercan surivive in a radiated environem ntbefore
suffering any ill-affects.
N euroglottis By
chew ing,tasting orsm elling a substance a Space M arine w illbe able to testitfortoxicity and nutrition content.The
organ also allow s the Space M arine to identify subtle odours in the sam e w ay as a trackerdog.
M ucranoid This
sm allorgan is im planted in the low erintestine w here its horm onalsecretions are absorbed by the colon.These
secretions initiate a m odification ofthe sw eatglands.This m odification norm ally m akes no difference to the M arine until
activated by appropriate chem o-therapy.As a resultofthis treatm entthe M arine sw eats an oily,naturally cleansing
substance w hich coats the skin.This protects the M arine againstextrem es oftem perature and even offers a slight
degree ofprotection in vacuum .M ucranoid therapy is standard procedure on long space voyages and w hen fighting in
vacuum ornearvacuum .
B etchers G land Tw o of
these identicalglands are im planted,eitherinto the low erlip,alongside the salivary glands orinto the hard palette.It
allow s the Space M arine to synthesise a poison w hich is highly acidic.N otonly does this m ake a M arine able to spit
poison butalso allow s him to eatthrough m etaloreven gradually burn through strong m etals.
Properties:Allow s recipientto spitpoison (as a XXX in M onsterM anualI)up to 12 m etres aw ay againsta single target.
A recipientcan only spitpoison up to 4 tim es a day.
Interface This is
the lastim plantw hich covers the hardened shell-like rib cage ofthe Space M arine w ith a stiffm em brane.N eurone
connectors from the m em brane penetrate the Space M arine's spine and connecthis m otornervous system to the
interface.C onnectors on the interface link up to the M arine's pow erarm oursuit,orto othertypes ofarm our,equipm ent
controls orm onitors.This allow s the Space M arine to controlan arm oured suitjustas ifitw ere his ow n body.Italso
allow s the Space M arine's heartrate and othervital-signs to be read offfrom a connectorpointon his arm our.
IM PERIALARM O UR
The arm ourlisted on this page is in addition to the arm ourfound in the T20 handbook. O nly the Sisters ofBattle and
Inquisition have access to TL 12~13 technology and only the Adeptus Astartes (Space M arines)have access to TL 14
technology. R elic arm ourto the 40k U niverse are listed here.
IM PER IA L
M ax Arm our
Arm our D ex C heck C ost
Im perial R ating Bonus Penalty (C r) W eight TL Speed
Term inatorArm our special special special special special 15 6m
ErrantArm our 8 +6 0 60,000 6kg 14 6m
Eagle Arm our 7 +5 -1 30,000 10kg 13 6m
C orvus Arm our 7 +3 -4 20,000 18kg 13 6m
H eresy Arm our 7 +2 -2 special 20kg 13 6m
Im perialM axim us Suite 6 +1 -5 15,000 21kg 13 6m
Iron Arm our 6 +0 -5 10,000 23kg 13 6m
C rusade Arm our 6 +0 -4 8,000 25kg 13 9m
ThunderSuite 6 +0 -3 5,000 30kg 12 9m
C arapace Arm our 5 +1 -2 special 4kg 11 9m
* Note armour above Mark 3 can have jet packs added (jet packs are equivalent to 5 hour limited Grave Belts)
Special:This seem s to be the nature ofTyranid hides. You m usthave the Tyranid hides to create this arm our.
Although this arm oris considered Pow ered Arm or,itis in reality only partly
pow ered.The m ain portion ofthe arm oris contained w ithin the torso.U nderthe
chestplate lie synthetic fiberbundles thattransm itpow erto the w earers upper
extrem ities.This had the effectofincreasing his fighting abilities by 300 to 400
percent.The suits legs receive no pow eratall,instead consisting ofsim ple
padded breeches covered w ith arm ored grieves and boots.O n the M arines
back,he w ears a backpack w hich is the suits pow er
source.Its bulk is considerable because ofthe necessary cooling equipm ent
needed to keep the pow erunitfrom overheating.
As you can see,M k.1 arm oris notenclosed.Life supportfunctions w ere not
necessary in the early days ofthe Im perium w hen fighting w as restricted to Earth,Luna and M ars since allhave
breathable atm ospheres.The thunder-boltand lightning decoration on the chestand legs ofthis suitw as the personal
em blem ofthe Em peroratthe tim e,giving itits othernam e -"ThunderArm or".
Special:The arm ouronly protects the chestand arm s. Forthe legs itgives AR equivalentto Flak.
C rusade Arm or(as itw ould laterbe know n,)is the firstfully enclosed Pow ered Arm or.And is capable ofcom batin
hostile environm ents such as space.The arm orconsists ofa num berofconcentric bands w hich now coverthe entire
body and yetallow form ore freedom ofm ovem entforthe w earer.
M ore efficientcoolers allow the design to coverm ostofthe chestcables,w hile the addition ofpow ered leg arm or
necessitates the exposed cabling on the suits upperleg area.The M arine w ears a backpack w hich looks sim ilarto the
earlierdesign.H ow everitis now m uch m ore efficientand allow s forthe
inclusion oflife-supportand otherrelated functions.
In addition,the new helm etdesign includes autom ated sensory devices w hich registeraudio and visualstim uliin a w ay
thatm im ics hearing and sight.By buffering the sensors through a m icroprocessordirectly to the M arines m ind via a
neuralconnector,he is able to see and hearnorm ally.Also,the helm etallow s forvision into the ultra-violetand infra-
red range,and hearing into extrem ely high and low frequencies.
M k.3 arm orw as designed w ith an assaultrole in m ind,and w as notintended as a replacem entforM k.2 arm or.
D esigners sim ply increased the frontalarm orprotection ofthe M k.2 and reduced the rearprotection to com pensate.
The H elm etw as also slightly reshaped,giving ita m ore w edge shaped front
intended to deflectincom ing shots.
Know ledge gained from conquering innum erable w orlds enabled the Tech-Priests ofM ars to increase this suits
protection w hile atthe sam e tim e reduce its w eight.And increased arm orto the pow ercables allow ed forthe placem ent
ofthe m ain chestand arm supplies outside the chestplate once again.N ew
m aterials and recovered technology allow ed fora decrease in the size and num berofexposed cables.The M k.4 suit
w as designed as the ultim ate type ofM arine arm or,and the M artian factories w ere dedicated to its production.
Such a large scale conflictas the H eresy w as notexpected,and the high need forspares had notbeen anticipated.The
new arm orquickly becam e unusable,even w ith m inorbattle dam age.This w as partly caused by the factthatthe new ,
exotic m aterials thatw ere used to m ake the M k.4 w ere unavailable to C hapters.W ith this problem identified,
production ofM k.4 arm orw as halted and alm ostover-nighta new suitw as designed to replace it.
The M ark 5 arm orw as designed w ith the battlefields ofthe H eresy in m ind.Itw ould use as m any pre-M k.4
com ponents as w as possible,since allofthe LoyalistC hapters stillhad large stock-piles ofthem and w ere fam iliarw ith
theiruse.The chestplate is ofthe new style forexam ple,butthe chest,arm and leg cables are ofthe olderdesign.
Since the oldercables w ere larger,they did notfitunderthe new chestplate and had to be placed on the exteriorofthe
arm or.These cables w ere to prove a m ajorw eakness in the design,w hich led to the addition ofim provised arm or
plates added overthem on the battlefield.
O ne ofthe m ostnoticeable features ofM k.5 suits is its studded arm orplates.This w as an extra skin plate m olecularly
bonded to the arm oras reinforcem ent.D ue to the addition ofso m uch w eight,especially ifan extra chestplate w as
added,the energy consum ption w as beyond thatforw hich the pow erpack w as rated.As a result,the w earercould turn
up the packs pow erleveland sufferintolerable heat,orleave the pow erlevelas itw as and acceptreduced
perform ance.The helm etdesign is taken from the Term inatordevelopm entprogram ,w hich had been recently
com pleted.Itcontains the sam e type ofauto-senses as contem porary Term inatorarm or.
Although the M k.5 w as rushed into service,itproved to be rem arkably durable and easy to fabricate and m aintain.
D uring the H eresy vastnum bers ofthe suitw ere shipped outto M arine C hapters.M any ofthe shipm ents w ere captured
by traitors fortheiruse,as w ellas the scavenging ofthe arm orfrom fallen enem ies.
The M ark 6 suit,com pared to it's predecessors,has a very clean appearance.This is m ainly due to the once again
rehousing ofthe chestcabling underthe arm orplates.In addition,the visible chestand arm cables are duplicated
inside the torso ofthe arm oras a secondary back-up system .Ifthe m ain system w ere dam aged,this isolated setw ould
autom atically take overfunctionality.
A distinguishing feature ofthe M k.6 suitis the studded leftshoulderarm our.This pad w as the sam e as the right
shoulderpad w ith an extra skin plate m olecularly bonded to the arm oras reinforcem ent.This w as done foreconom ical
purposes,since the M arines leftside w ould need to be betterprotected as he fired his w eapon,the rightside could be
m ore easily replaced w ith slightly less effective plates.Atthe tim e,econom izing in this w ay w as necessary.Afterthe
H eresy the studded pad becam e associated w ith the Siege ofTerra,and the extraordinary heroism displayed by
LoyalistM arines.And so itbecam e a traditionalem blem ofthose days.
The helm etis based on the M k.4 version,w ith suitable upgrades taken from both Term inatorresearch and the M k.5
production run.Early low erleg designs consisted ofa single shin/knee plate w ith basic jointarticulation.Afterthe
H eresy,the Adeptus w entback and refined the knee joint,separating the knee pad arm orfrom the restofthe low erleg
arm or.
M ark 7 Pow ered Arm orrepresents a furtherrefinem entofthe design started w ith the M k
6.The greatestchange in the arm oris the new chestplastron,w hich w as designed to
encase m ostofthe arm and chestcabling w ithin the torso.This piece com m only bears a
version ofthe Im perialEagle,giving itits alternate nam e ofEagle Arm or.The only
exposed cables on the body ofthe arm ornow w ere those located in the abdom inalarea,
w hich received heavy reinforcem ent.In addition,im proved pow erusage via a
redesigned back pack allow ed forboth shoulderpads to be replaced w ith larger(and
uniform )pieces forincreased protection.Im provem ents m ade in laterM k 6 knee joints
w ere officially incorporated into the M k 7 design.And the M k 7 helm etdesign is based on the earlierM k 5 helm et,
how everitcan freely be exchanged w ith the M k 6 helm et.Indeed,parts from M k 6 and M k 7 arm orare readily
interchangeable w ith each other.
M ark 7 M arine Arm ouris the standard issue arm ouram oung the Sisters ofBattle.
The addition ofan arm ored collaralso fixed the vulnerability ofthe neck joint.O n rare occasions the chestand helm et
ofthe olderstyles w ould actas a shelltrap.Som etim es a round w ould hitthe arm orin such a w ay as to cause itto skim
the surface ofthe arm orupw ard,underthe helm etand into the neck joint.The collarprecipitated a change to the
helm et,and unfortunately this caused a lack ofbackw ard com patibility w ith the earlierhelm ets.M k 7 helm ets could be
used,how everconsiderable m odification w ould be required.
M ark 8 arm orhas only seen lim ited production thus far,and is seen in lim ited num bers on the battlefields ofthe 41st
In gam e play term s,Term inatorArm ouris equivalentto T20 Battle D ress.
FO R C E FIELD S
W earing a force field is a definite
bonus to an individualas itoffers a second layerofprotection before a shothits any physicalarm our.A force field's
arm ourvalue can neverbe altered by a w eapon,unless stated otherw ise.Italso leaves the characterthe option ofnot
w earing cum bersom e physicalarm our. Force fields can notbe stacked w ith each other. Force fields w ork sim ilarto
Black G lobe G enerators exceptthey are transparent. They effectively actas hitpointsoakers. R ollthe specified die to
determ ine how m uch dam age is absorbed. Ifthe am ountis everdouble w hatis rolled the force field fails untilthe next
fight. Exceptforthe PersonalShield,no force field protects from m elee w eapons as fields ofa standard shield project
outw ard to farto protectfrom such shortranged attacks.
PersonalShield
The PersonalShield is generally fitted in to the beltbuckle ofthe characters cloths. O ne press encases the characterin
a blockish looking purple translucentshield (think D une). This shield m akes the character
IM M U N E to allranged attacks (arrow s,bullets,lasers etc). Butoffers the norm alrandom D R protection in hand-to-
hand com bat. This is cutting edge technology and is ultra rare and ultra expensive. In the private sectoronly M erchant
Princes orthose ofsim ilarw ealth have such item s.
R efractor Field A
refractorfield is an energy field projected by a sm allgeneratorno largerthan a pistolholster.Itoperates by dispersing
the energy ofincom ing shots and blow s overthe totalarea ofthe field.U nfortunately the field produces a haze oflight
w hich m akes itratherdifficultforthe w earerto hide (+2 to spot). R efractorarm ouris the force field equivalentof
ablative arm our(AR 2/5). W hen a w eapon hits the R efractorField itlosses som e energy stopping the w eapon. For
every hitsuffered by the R efractorD R is reduced by one once D R is reduced to zero,the field w illauto-sw itch off,and
the battery w illbe totally drained requiruing the userto buy a new battery forC r1,000.
D isplacer Field A
displacerfield contains a m iniature w arp drive m echanism w ith a proxim ity detectorw hich picks up incom ing shots or
psychic attacks.Ifthe shotfails to penetrate the field then the w earerofthe field is instantly shifted d6 m etres in a
random direction.A safety m echanism prevents a characterfrom transporting into a solid object.
Special:Since this uses the w arp theiris a cum ulative 1% chance perjum p thata W arp Entity notices and com es to
investigate.
R osarius A
R osarius is an am uletw orn by som e Adeptus officials.Itbears the sym bolofan Im perialeagle ora Term inatorcross.
The R osarius contains a conversion field,as above. These can notbe bought,they are Im perialgifts.
SKILLS
W arham m er40k uses the sam e skills as those listed in the T20 H andbook. U nique skills thatare 40k only are listed
below .M ysticalorm agicalskills/advantages/disadvantages are available only to certain C haos Servants and Techno-
m ages.
Feelfree to allow characters w ho truly w anta M artialArtstyle ofcharacterto take PH B M onk levels. Allm onks are
Ecclesiarch M onks and belong to a religious orderso m usthave 5+ ranks in the Theology,Ecclesiarch skill.
Psionics(Astropath)
Using the T20 rules you can add another Sphere Affinity called Astropath which has a DC of 1. The Astropath
Sphere has the following disciplines. The major disadvantage of gaining this discipline is the requirement to be
marked by the Emperor. This mark blinds the telepath but also bestows the feat Blind Fighting. See the Adeptus
Astra Telepathica for more information.
If you have access to the Psionic Handbook I recommend discarding the T20 psionic system and using the
system listed in that handbook as it suites w40k universe better. The following entries have assumed you are
only using T20 Psionics. You will need to modify these disciplines yourself if you wish to use the Psionic
Handbook.
Once placed the homer lasts for 5-10 days and its signal can be detected within 1000 kilometres by the
Astropath. If during this time the ship makes a warp jump the Astropath will be able to sense its destination. Of
course, to successfully trail a ship through warp space the trailing craft must remain within 1000 kilometres in
real space, otherwise the signal will be too weak to follow.
The equipment listed here is in addition to any items you may wish to add from any w40k or T20 supplement.
Bear in mind that the average tech level in nearly all fields is TL 8. TL 9 and 10 items are rare, but obtainable.
TL 11~15 items are unique artifacts from by gone era's that can not be reproduced by the Techno-Priests of Mars
(but can generally still be maintained).
IM PERIALW EAPO NS
Forallyou psychopaths outthere,this section describes the deadly w eapons ofthe farfuture.These w eapons are in
addition to w eapons found in T20 source books. W eapons belonging to TL 12 orbelow can be purchased readily anyw here
in the Im perium ,TL 13 and TL 14 are only available from the black m arket,as lootofaliens oras gifts from the various
Im perialO rganisations (Space M arines,Battle Sisters,H igh Lord ofTerra etc.)
Additionally any kind ofenergy based w eapon (laserforinstance)are VER Y rare in the Im perium . The few thatdo existare
irreplaceable (butthey are fixable by the tech-priests ofM ars). Any w eapon thatis an energy based w eapon in any T20
com pendium costs quadruple the listed price and can only be found on the black m arket,M ars oras a giftfrom one ofthe
Im perialO rganisations (Inquisition,H igh Lords etc.etc.).
There is a lotofvariety in the Im perium on the w ay w eapons look,a 9m m from C atcham an can look differentthen one from
Terra. Feelfree to add ornate orunique looks to individualw eapons (G old Plated w eapons,W eapons w ith Arcane runes
etc.). Im perialN obles w illnearly alw ays carry an ancientslug throw erand a ancientsw ord atthere side atcerem onies,
these w eapons are nearly alw ays ornate and m aster-crafted.
The furtherback orforw ard a w eapon is in TL from TL 13 (i.e.the olderorm ore advanced the w eapon is)double its cost.
This is cum ulative w ith M aster-crafted w eapon cost,ifw eapon is m aster-crafted.
N ecron,Eldarand D ark Eldarw eapons are usable by hum ans butdifficultto getdue to there rarity. O rk w eapons are fairly
com m on on the black m arket. Tyranid w eapons are usable by hum ans butultra-rare,m ostpeople prefernotto use them
even ifthey could due to there repulsiveness. Also,since som e ofthe Tyranid w eapons are sym biotic w eapons,hum ans can
take dam age from there use.
W eapon Am m o
C ost(C r)TLR oFR ange (M )D M G (C rit) Size TypeR ecoil R nd W t. C ost(C r)
BoltPistol 400 12 3 40 M P No 15 1kg 5
BoltG un 800 12 3 50 M P No 15 1kg 5
H eavy Bolter 1600 12 3 50 M P No 30 3kg 10
Laspistol - - *As T20 Laser Pistol* - - - - -
Las G un - - *As T20 Laser C arbine* - - - - -
Lascannon - - *As T20 Laser R ifle* - - - - -
M eltagun 2000 13 1 20 M E No 10 500g 10
M ulti-M elta 4000 13 1 20 L E No 5 500g 10
N eedle Pistol 500 13 3~ 60 S P N o 100 100g100+toxin
N eedle G un 1000 14 3~ 60 S P N o 100 100g100+toxin
Plasm a Pistol - - *As T20 PG M P-14* - - - - - -
Plasm a G un - - *As T20 PG M P-12* - - - - - -
H eavy Plasm a G un - - *As T20 PG M P-13* - - - - - -
H and Flam er 900 10 1 20 M E No 5 5kg 40
Flam er 1200 9 1 30 L E No 10 10kg 90
W eb G un 500 12 1 20 Special M * Yes 2 10kg 25
H eavy W ebber 1000 13 1 20 Special L * Yes 5 12kg 35
B olter A m m o Bolt
w eapons have som e non-standard am m o available to them . They m ay also use standard T20 am m unition as w ell;
Hellfire: Damage as listed +2d6 (acid) damage. + 100Cr per Clip. Inferno: Ignites on
impact for +2d6 (fire) damage. + 200Cr per Clip.
Kraken Penetrator: As standard AP ammo from T20.
Metal Storm: This frag shell explodes over a 5 metre radius for 2d10 AOE damage. + 500Cr per Clip.
Stalker: Silenced. As T20 rules.
Bolters may also be magazine or drum fed. This increases the ammo cache by 30 and 45 respectively (including
associated weight and cost +10% Cr). These drum or magazine fed bolters jam on a 1-3 and take an entire round to
unjam.
LA S W EA PO N S Laserw eapons em it
a beam offocussed light.As a shotstrikes solid m atterits energy is released,causing an explosive reaction atits surface.
The m ostnotable feature ofthe laseris its inability to pierce thick arm our.They do a lotm ore dam age to unprotected flesh
than solid projectiles w ould.H ow ever,they do have one advantage,laseram m unition takes the form ofa pow erpack and it
can be recharged.
Laspistol The
Laspistolis the standard arm am entam ongstthe Im perialG uard and is used w idely by Eldar.Itis a reliable w eapon that
shoots laser,orlasershells,w hich can searthrough flesh.The lasershells how ever,tend to disperse slightly atlonger
ranges.
pow erpacks.
Triplex Modification: Laser weapons maybe purchased with the Triplex modification for a price increase of 150%.
This modification allows the weapon to shoot double or triple the normal strength lasers. Increase the die of damage
by double or triple depending which setting us used. Ammo usage is triple and quadruple, respectively. It takes a
move equivalent action to switch from standard, double or triple power.
M ulti-
M elta M ulti-m elta ortherm al
cannons,take the extrem es ofheatto a new extrem e.They are double-barrelled Therm alG uns in alm ostevery sense but
generate m ore heatas a resultofextra pow erpacks.Anyone (oranything)killed by a M ulti-M elta leaves no rem ains (i.e.no
loot).
poison listed in the D M G on pg.80. C onvertthe gp costdirectly to the C rcostperdose. Forexam ple Sm allcentipede
poison costs 90gp. This w ould becom e C r90. Ifyou w anted to filla N eedle G uns up to its m axim um of100 shots of
C entipede poison then itw ould costyou C r9000. Itis possible to only filla needle gun partially (forinstance just10 rounds
instead ofthe full100)and you m ay also m ix and m atch poisons in the needle gun. Forexam ple you m ay have 50 rounds of
G reenblood oiland 50 rounds w orth ofBloodroot. Som e custom w 40k toxins include;
Bloodfire:FortSave (D C 20)orthe targetbecom es Stunned untilhe passes the save. Each round,the victim takes 1d6
dam age (AR does notapply). H allucinogen:Targetbecom es confused
for10-rounds oruntila FortSave (D C 23)is m ade.The D M should describe the actualvisions in detailand the playershould
acton them ! Ifyou have access to Inquisitoruse the hallucination table on
pg.89. C hoke:Fort(D C 23)each turn. 5 failures leaves
the characterunconscious.
Stun:C haracteris stunned for20-C on bonus rounds.
passed to avoid itatthe lastm inute -exceptforthe target.Ifthe shotm isses,itautom atically deviates d6 m etres from the
targetin a random direction. O therw ise,this w eapon is identicalto the spellW eb as ifcastby a level6th levelW izard (pg.
271 ofthe PH B).
Pow er:Pow erw eapons are surrounded by a disruptive force field thatallow s the userto slice through the thickestarm our
and lop offlim bs w ith a single blow .They are highly prized and are often a badge ofoffice forseniorIm perialservants.
Pow erw eapons add +2d10 to the dam age ofthe base w eapon. They also add the ability Keen perD M G pg.187.
C ostis x150 the base w eapon. Exam ple ofcom m on pow erw eapons include the Lightning C law s orThunderH am m ers.
Tw o handed varieties ofpow erw eapons generally have the prefix Vindicator,forexam ple,VindicatorTw o-H anded Sw ord.
Force:These w eapons channelthe m entalenergies ofPsykers (i.e.anyone w ith any Psionic ability).A successfulW illSave
(D C 20)by the Psykerallow s herto add an extra 1d12 to the dam age ofthe w eapon. Additionally,the touch ofthe w eapon
counts as the touch ofthe Psykerherself. This allow s the Psykerto delivertouch attacks as by landing a hitw ith a force
w eapon. A subclass ofForce W eapon is the R unic W eapon.A successfulW illSave (D C 20)by the Psykerallow s herto add
an extra 1d20 to the dam age ofthe w eapon.W arp Entities (any m onsternative to the W arp orw ith the labelO utsiderin the
M M )takes double dam age from force w eapons.
Each strike uses 1 PP. C ostis x75 forForce and x 150 forR unic the base w eapon. Tw o handed varieties offorce w eapons
generally have the prefix R ighteous,forexam ple,R ighteous Tw o-H anded Sw ord. Exam ple ofcom m on pow erw eapons
include C rozius Arcanum (Force Axe).
C hain:C hain w eapons are a chainsaw like w eapon thathave a setofm otorised biting teeth thatsaw and slash through the
enem y,and a blow can cause terrible dam age. Add +1d10 to the dam age ofthe base w eapon and add the W ounding per
the D M G pg.187.assum ing the opponentas no AR rating orthe AR has been penetrated. C ostis x100 the base w eapon.
Tw o handed varieties ofchain w eapons generally have the prefix Vindicator,forexam ple,VindicatorD aiKatana.
AllPow er,Force and C hain w eapons m ay increase theirdam age dice pertech-levelofm anufacture overtech level10. The
costis also increm ented by x C r10,000 perstep. Forexam ple,a tech level15 Force Blade does 6d6 ofdam age butw ould
costC r40,000 + 100 x the base cost.
The Im perium D efaultTL form elee w eapons is 14. Im perialtechnology is m uch m ore advanced in hand-to-hand w eapons
then otherfields. So TL 9~12 is com m on,TL 13 is available only to Im perialO rganistaions (Adeptus Terra,Adeptus
M inistorum etc),TL 14 is only available to Space M arines.Eldar/Alien Tech.are only available rarely on the m arketoras loot
offaliens.
M aster-crafted w eapons have a dam age and to-hitbonus of+1 added to w hateverthatw eapons norm aldam age/to-itis.
Som e truly ancientdevices are also m ade ofliving m etal. Living m etalw eapons/item s are ultra rare,and fetch an extrem ely
high price on the m arket. Standard m aster-crafted w eapon generally costtriple the listed price,w hen (if)they can be found
atall. C ostis doubled forM asterC rafted w eapons.
C O M B I-W EA PO N S
C om bi-W eapons are com bination oftw o distinctguns in one w eapon. Som eone w ith the C ustom ise Featcan create these
w eapons. Pick any tw o w eapons and add theircum ulative w eight,abilities and costto calculate theirgam eplay effect.
Exam ple a Bolter-Executioner(BoltPistoland H and Flam er)w ould have the follow ing stats;
W eapon Am m o
C ost(C r)TL R oF R ange (M )D M G (C rit)Size Type R ecoil R nd W t. C ost(C r)
Bolter-Flam er 1300 12 3/1 40/20 19 L P/E N o 15/5 1/5kg 45
Allcom bi-w eapons becom e tw o handed w eapons. Tech levelis alw ays 1 higherthan the highestTL ofone ofthe item (to
accountforsom e m iniaturization)size is alw ays L forLarge. R O F and Am m o is alw ays m aintained separately unless they
use the sam e am m o (exam ple Bolter-H .Bolter(BolterPistoland H eavy Bolter)in w hich case the am m o is tallied togetherand
the R O F is the average ofthe tw o w eapons scores.
A M M U N ITIO N Am m o com es in
differentshapes and sizes.Boltw eapons use Boltam m unition in a 15 shotm agazine,Stub G uns use the m ore readily
available conventionalam m unition in a 20 shotclip,Las G uns use the U niversalBattery (U BA)w hich energise the w eapon
giving itthe pow ernecessary to shootand so on.U niversalBattery are very usefuland can be recharged and slotted back
into the w eapon in the sam e w ay as a norm alam m o clip.U niversalBattery is a m ulti-purpose "one size fits all" pow ersource
forw eapons. Itreplaces the T20 pow erbackpack.
Som e w eapons can be fitted w ith m ore than one m agazine atonce.The heavy boltgun can carry tw o m agazines,for
exam ple. A character,carrying one ofthese m ultiple clipped w eapons,can sw itch from one m agazine to another.To do this
the characterm ustchange the m agazine selectorsw itch on the w eapon (attack equivalentaction unless the playerhas the
Q uick D raw feat).
You can getdigi-versions ofhand flam ers,m elta-pistols,las pistols,slug based pistols and needle pistols. H ow everthey are
1 shotw eapons and theirrange is quartered. The costis the w eapon costx5 and only available on w orlds 2 TL above the
originalTL ofthe w eapon.
SH O U LD ER M O U N TED W EA PO N Shoulder
m ounted m odification can be applied to any grenade orlaserbased w eapon. The characterm usthave som e kind ofcom bat
orpow erarm ourequipped. Also an M IU im plantm ustbe used to fire the w eapon. The R O F ofthe w eapon is reduced to 1
and the costofthe m odification is C rx100 ofthe originalw eapon. Also the shoulderm ounted m odification can only be found
on planets 1 TL above the originalw eapons TL.
G as:There are m any differentkinds oftoxic gasses used in the 41stM illennium . G as w orks like the Stinking C loud spell
from the Players H andbook pg.256. The D C is 20.C ost:C r100.
Stasis:Stasis grenade gives offa cloud of10m . C reatures caughtin the inner5m are frozen and can notdo anything orbe
harm ed by any force. C reatures caughtin the outer5m band are affected by the equivalentofa Slow spell. The stasis cloud
has 25% perround ofdecreasing in size by 5m . C ost:C r1000.
H ayw ire:H ayw ire grenades affectany electricalbased item s.Any electricalitem caughtin the 10m radius m ustm ake a
R eflex save vs.D C 15 orcease functioning. Pow erArm oured units w ho failtheirsave sufferas ifa Slow spellw as caston
them . The stasis cloud has 25% perround ofdecreasing in size by 5m . C ost:C r500.
Psyk-O ut:Any W arp-Entity caughtin the AO E ofthe Psyk-outgrenade im m ediately suffer2d10 ofdam age. Psykers caught
in the blastradius m ustm ake a W illsave vs.D C ofthe TL ofthe grenade orim m ediately lose the ability to use 1 random
psychic-pow erfor1 day. AO E is 10m . C ost:C r150.
M elta Bom b:M elta Bom bs are notgrenade butm ustbe setlike a charge. Ifthey detonate they cause 14d10 w orth of
dam age to the vehicle. They have no AO E. C ost:C r2000.
C ost:C r4,000.
C ostis C r1,000 x H D . An upgrade is the difference betw een the 50% value of
the currentm odeland the new m odel.The costassum es the originalconstructs
robotbrain is transferred to the new body.
The characteralso has the option to add a robotbrain and run various program s
as perT20 rules. These costextra as listed in T20.
G am eplay N otes: Irecom m end notallow ing players to have m ore C yber-
M astiffs in H D than they have levels. Ialso recom m end allow ing players to
upgrade betw een m odels so they can continue to have an effective com panion
athigherlevels. The C yber-M astiffis justan exam ple ofthe type ofrobotics that
suite the W arham m er40k w orld and can be done w ith T20.
Im plant,Electoos
A development of crystal technology is its use for personal ornamentation. Many races apply paint or
tattoos and within the Imperium the practice is common. This is true of all levels of society, from the
lowly city-scum of the hive-worlds to the most sophisticated of the Adeptus Terra. For the average
adventurer these implant (or Skinplants for the hip) can also have practical uses. For example; the
subcutaneous w ristw atch is a standard w ay ofcarrying the tim e -lightpressure on the w ristactivates the digitaldisplay
beneath the skin. A lightem itting patch on the palm w illillum inate a sm allarea w ithin 10 cm and is popularly know n as
the 'thief's light',providing sufficientlightto pick locks,operate sw itches,etc.
G am play N otes:These sortofim plants w illhave to be determ ined by the D M specifically fortheircam paign. The tw o
listed above w ould have the follow ing statistics;W ristw atch 1000C r,unlim ited usage. Tim e zone m aybe resetby
user. Thief's Light,5000C ras LightSpellw ith effective casterlevelofcharacterlevelhalved. W ith the further
lim itation ofonly illum inating a 10cm area (m uch like a m odern pen light).
Im plant,M IU A M ind Im pulse U nit,orM IU ,is a neurallink-up betw een a characterand a piece ofequipm ent,
allow ing him to operate the m achine w ith thoughtalone. M IU s are used in som e types ofvehicles particularly the
gigantic Titans ofAdeptus M echanicus,and are rarely used elsew here. O fthese otheruses,the shoulder-m ount
w eapon is one ofthe m ostpracticalapplications,allow ing the characterto fire a w eapon w hilstkeeping both hands
free. The shoulderm ountw eapon is fired exactly as norm al. An M IU can also be used to controla fam iliar(Servo-
Skull,Psyber-Eagle etc.). Each M IU only perform s one operation. The D M w illhave to determ ine the appropriate uses
and lim itations on a case by case basis.
C ost:C r150,000 C r
Im plant,Psi-booster A Psi-booster
stim ulates the partofthe brain w here psionic activity is controlled. The charactergains +25% PP added to his total.
This item is alw ays in effect.
C ost:C r25,000.
C ost:C r2,000.
Servo-Skull A Servo-Skullis a
drone-like device created by the Adeptus M echanicus from the skulls ofpious Im perial
servants,so thatthey m ay continue to labourin the Em peror's cause,even after
death. They are fitted w ith sm allanti-gravity engines w hich enable them to float,and
each is designed to perform a specific task. They can be G un-Skulls,M ed-skulls,
C om bat-skulletc.
Take the basic costofthe skulland add the costofw hateveryou w ish the skullto do.
Add 20% and this is the costofthe new Servo-Skull. Forinstance,ifyou w anted a
G un-Skullw hich used a revolveras the base w eapon and carried 100 shots w orth of
am m o the costw ould be;
The characteralso has the option to add a robotbrain and run various program s as perT20 rules. These costextra as
listed in T20. Also feelfree to add arm ourplating.
G am eplay N otes:The Servo-Skullis justan exam ple ofthe type ofrobotics thatsuite the W arham m er40k w orld and
can be done w ith T20.
C O M BAT
C om batin w 40k is identicalto thatlisted in T20 w ith the follow ing additions.
A lotofw eapons in the Im perium are hold-overs from the tim e w hen m an ruled the cosm os as a high tech Em pire
(im agine the TravellerIm perium butatTL 16+). Thatm eans a lotofw eapons are justm aintened and are alm ost
irreplacable. Aftercenturies (orlonger)ofw earand tearthey have a chance ofnotw orking.
Ifduring com batthe playerrolls a criticalfailure w hile using a non-slug throw ing w eapon (this excludes the high tech
G auss rifle)the follow ing happens:
G auss based w eapon:The w eapon jam s. Ittakes a m ove equivalentaction to unjam the w eapon.
Plasm a w eapons:These w eapons gethot!Ifthe playerrolls a 1 he m ustm ake a reflex save vs the dam age rollofthe
w eapon ordrop the w eapon and sufferhalfthatdam age. Ifthe charactersaves he only drops the w eapon.
* N O TE:Ifthe playereverrolls a 1 tw ice in a row to hitthe w eapon is breaks. This applies to ALL w eapons,notjust
high-tech ones..
VEHIC LES
V ehicles specifications do notchange from T20,only theircharacter. Forinstance,the T20 Battle D ress becom es
Term inatorArm ourin w 40k d20. M any w 40k vehicles have a distinctW orld W ar2 look to them ,unlike the clean Star
Trek styling ofthe standard T20. N evertheless,despite w hatthey look like they are justas every bitas advanced. I
have included a listofsom e T20 vehicles and theirequivalentw 40k nam e and look as exam ples.
Terminator Armour
Rhino
Venerable Dreadnaught
Landraider
These changes are m inorchanges from the T20 system orfrom the officialW arham m er40k cannon form y ow n
cam paign. Im arked m y ow n personalnon-cannon changes as such.They are too sm allto justify theirow n
section,so here they are.
● Jump Space is referred to as The Warp. Otherwise the system is exactly the same as that listed in T20
with the exception that traveling the Warp without an Astropath (see new Feats) doubles the chance of a
mis-jump. See The Warp page for more detailed information.
● The Imperial Eagle and the Imperial Starburst are both symbols of the Imperium of Man (Personal
Campaign Only).
● With a distrust and hatred of any AI, the highest level legal computer is High Autonomous. The
technology for AI computers and robots still exist on worlds outside the sway of man, but anyone caught
with such technology within the Imperium would be summarily executed.
● Robots are illegal. They can not be used or be owned within the Imperium of Man. Discovery of such
contraband leads to arrest and (mercifully) execution or (worse) being handed of to the Inquisition. This
of course does not mean they don't exist...
● The xenophobia of the w40k universe has been toned down for game play reasons. Minor human races
still exist and worlds of Orks for example fall under the sway of the Imperium. They are not citizens, but
nor have they been exterminated. Exodite Eldars are also tolerated. Both would be generally rare sights
and meet with general prejudice. This allows for the basic 3e dnd player races of Half-Orc, Elf (Eldar)
and Half-Elf (Half Eldar). It even allows for Tyranid, Dark Eldar, Chaos Marines, Neocron and even
Daemon PCs. The only way you can play a non-human race is if the character has a "dispensation" from
an Inquisitor.
● W40k Humans, Orks, Goblins, Ogres, Dwarves and Eldar (and Dark Eldar) are functionally equivalent to
their 3e dnd equivalents (Humans, Orcs, Goblins, Ogres, Dwarfs, Elves and Dark Elves respectively).
● Change the "Something lives in Jumps Space" in the T20 handbook from Wild Idea to ?? on pg. 353.
● Ignore any reference in the T20 book to Aslan, Hivers and other alien races. None of these exist within
the Imperium of Man as major races. They may exist outside the Imperium or as minor races within the
Imperium (DM's discretion).
● The Emperor is no longer a god, but pretty close to it. He is the equivalent in power to the Pope and the
Holy Roman Emperor during the Middle Ages of Earth. He is still immortal (The Everman). The state
religion is Catholicism (Personal Campaign Only).
● The Ancients refers to the Ancient Slaan race (The Old Ones) that initially ruled most of the Galaxy and
achieved supremely high tech levels, but were destroyed in a cataclysmic war against. the Necrons. The
Droynes from T20 or Lizardmen from MM (DM's preference) are the remnants of this race.
● Human names tend to be of Latin/Roman origin and makeup (Valerous, Maximus, Justinium etc.). You
can also use the Inquisitor name generator here.
These pages are not complete and I have not, as yet, provided detailed statistics.
I am more interested in
providing suggestions and background information for now. As you can imagine transcribing the related Codex
into dnd speak would take some time. This whole area is a work in progress and is mostly background
information with little statistical info. The Dark Eldar are the most complete.
Eldar The
Eldar are the most mysterious race of all. Their race has suffered the most at the hands of Chaos, predominantly
by the power of Slaanesh. Eldar are incredibly complex people with a way of life totally unique to themselves.
Use the statistics of Elves found in the 3e dnd Players Handbook.
Tyranids Totally
inhuman, the Tyranids are a deadly race of alien monstrosities that lives to consume all living matter. Encased in
chitinous armor and wielding weapons that are an amalgam of living tissue and synthetic material, Tyranid
broods rip, tear, slash, maim and mutilate everything in their path, their killing frenzy leaving nothing but
dismembered corpses in their wake. Tyranid hybrids use the SS Insectile template from SS.
You can use the statistics for Orcs in the Monster Manual I or Half-Orcs in the Players Handbook for w40k Orks.
N ecrons The
Necrons are a biologically dead race that was wiped out in a galaxy wide catastrophe approximately 60 million
years ago. Faced with extinction the Necrons constructed metal bodies as repositories for their hyper-advanced
minds. To weather the impending galactic bio-meltdown the Necrons constructed huge stasis chambers to
shelter inside. They have been there ever since, resting until such time that the galaxy was safe for them to
emerge.
C H A O S SPA C E M A R IN ES
From outofthe Eye ofTerrorthe forces ofC haos eruptto cause untold dam age
across know n space.Stillfighting after10,000 years,the C haos Space M arine
Legions are joined by C haos C ultists,and even the daem ons ofthe w arp in their
questforvengeance.
Long ago, when the Imperium was young and the Emperor still walked the
earth, Horus, the Emperor's Warmaster and closest friend, was seduced by
the dark gods of Chaos. Horus led nearly half the Space Marine Legions in a
revolt against the Emperor, a bloody civil war which practically destroyed
the fledgling Imperium.
In the aftermath, the Imperium still stood and Horus was destroyed, but the
Emperor was mortally wounded and the remnants of the traitorous Space
Marine Legions fled. They retreated to the Eye of Terror, a section where
warp space and real space collide, forming a truly nightmarish realm where
the laws of nature have been twisted and corrupted.
From the Eye of Terror, the Chaos Space Marines launch their devastating Black Crusades against the Imperium.
Over the years, these vile traitors and heretics have been mutated and changed by the warping influence of the
Chaos powers, but they still carry on their ten thousand year old war against the Imperium!
BLACK CRUSADES
To this day, the Chaos Space Marines still raid the Imperium. Striking from the Eye of Terror, they cause as
much destruction and terror as they possibly can before retreating back to the safety of warp space.
Occassionally, a powerful warlord will gather the many different Chaos Space Marine Legions to his cause and
begin a massive invasion of the Imperium. These Black Crusades have destroyed world after world in the past,
but they have always been stopped. Some say the Chaos Space Marines will never stop, that their raids and Black
Crusades are merely testing the Imperium's defenses, waiting for the day when they can gather enough strength
to smash the Imperium asunder.
The Aspiring Chaos Champion or Lord commands some of the toughest and depraved troops imaginable. Each
Chaos Space Marine Lord is formidable by himself, but there are those that have been truly "blessed" by the
Chaos gods, giving them terrible power and strength.
The Chaos Space Marines are cruel mockeries of the true defenders of humanity - the Space Marines, but every
bit as powerful and determined. Some of the Chaos Space Marines have devoted themselves entirely to their
Primarchs and their new dark masters. In return, these Chaos Space Marines have become much more than they
once were.
Khorne Berzerkers
Chaos Space Marines who have devoted themselves to Khorne, the Chaos god of War, become Khorne
Bezerkers. Their sole purpose is to get into grisly close combat and gather more blood and skulls for the throne
of Khorne! The most infamous devotees are the Chaos Space Marines of the Worldeaters Chapter. They have
become so crazed that they are uncontrollable, more like savage beasts than anything else!
Thousand Sons
The Thousand Sons became disciples of Tzeentch - the Chaos god of magic and change. Most of the Thousand
Sons are psychic in some way, the more powerful of them are granted a boon from Tzeentch and become Chaos
Sorcerers. Long ago, the Thousand Sons' bodies were disintigrated by a vicious spell that also sealed their souls
in their armour. As a result, the only way to defeat these Chaos Space Marines is to totally destroy their armour,
freeing their bodiless souls.
Plague Marines
Nurgle is the Chaos god of decay and pestilence. Chaos Space Marines who worship this foul lord have sworn to
spread his grotesque plagues everywhere. Because of this, the Chaos Space Marines are themselves infected with
all sorts of horrible wasting diseases. The illnesses slowly start to cause them to decay, deadening them to pain.
Unfeeling, they ignore the wounds they suffer on the battlefields, carrying on as if nothing had happened.
Noise Marines
The Noise Marines are former Chaos Space Marines who have succumbed to the promises of Slaanesh - the
Chaos god of sensual pleasure. An eternity of experience has made it so that only the most hideous cacaphony of
screams and moans of the dying can release them from their otherwise emotionless state. Noise Marines are
armed with a bizarre mix of aural weaponry, along with the Chaos Space Marine Havocs (Chaos Space Marine
heavy weapon wielding psychos), they form most of the heavy support for the Chaos Space Marine force.
TWISTED METAL
When the Chaos Space Marine Legions fled to the Eye of Terror, they took all their equipment with them,
including their Terminator Armour, vehicles and dreadnoughts. Of course, the strange warping effects of the
region affect vehicles as well as men.
CHAOS TERMINATORS
Chaos Space Marines with Terminator armour are the most loathsome of all the Chaos Space Marines. Having
fought their way to positions of power within the Chaos Lord's retinue, these Chaos Space Marines are equipped
with the most destructive weapons available. These nearly invulnerable Chaos Terminators stride across the
battlefield, crushing all those who dare to confront them!
CHAOS VEHICLES
When the Chaos Space Marine Legions fled, they took everything they could with them. They have been forced
over the centuries to repair and modify their equipment. Now, they little resemble the vehicles and machinery
they once where.
Chaos Bikers
Chaos Space Marine Bikers have all the advantages of their Space Marine counterparts, except they revel in
being able to attack without warning, causing as much destruction as possible before they retreat.
CHAOS DREADNOUGHT
The Chaos Space Marines have access to most of the equipment, vehicles, and tanks that you might see in a
Space Marine army today, but changed and mutated as well. There are Chaos Rhino transports, Chaos Predator
Tanks and Chaos Land Raiders, but the most changed is the Chaos Dreadnought.
Dreadnoughts are incredible machines of destruction. They carry the most potent of weaponry and their
armoured bodies are practically impenetrable. The Chaos Dreadnought houses the crippled body of a Chaos
Champion, one of those destined for greatness. When they find themselves trapped in the metal tomb of the
dreadnought, many go insane with rage and grief at being confined to slowly rot throughout all eternity.
These are forces best not tampered with, but those seeking quick ways to power often call upon their aid, never
realizing the price until it is much to late. However, the daemons of the Chaos gods are allies, often aiding the
Chaos Space Marines in their battles against the Imperium.
Advantages: The 19 Implants (+302). Combat Reflexes (+15). Double jointed (+5). High Pain Threshold (+10).
Impertubable (+10). Immortality (+140). Military Rank (Varies). Patron (Chaos Space Marine Chapter
Grandmaster +50).
Disadvantages: Enemy (Humanity -100). Enemy (Xenophobe (all aliens) -80). Bloodlust (against enemies
only) -10. Sadism (-15). Self-centered (-10). Appearance: Monstrous (-25). Overconfidence (-10). Paranoia (-
10).
Quirks: none Mysticism List
(Only Chaos Space Marines can pick from these Advantges/Disadvantages); Blessed (+10/20).
Divination Talent (+5). Extra Life (+25). Fugue (+50).
Zealis no excuse.
THE ELDAR
There are fourtypes orkindred's ofEldar:C raftw orld Eldar,Exodites,H arlequins,O utcasts and D ark Eldar. Ifa player
encounters a single Eldarhe orshe w illm ostlikely belong to only tw o ofthese kindreds. Som e inform ation on w eapons
and arm ouris also listed.
W e are the Eldar,am ongstthe oldestofthe races and perhaps once counted
am ongstthe w isest.Butw e are everrem inded ofourgreatFolly and even greater
Fall.N ow w e are butfew in num berand ourtim e leftin this galaxy is short.The
Age ofthe Eldaris over,now is the Tim e ofM an,the upstart,the hairy savage.
H arlequins are w arriortroubadours w hose carefully constructed m asques and im pressive displays ofm im e and
acrobatics tellthe m any strange stories ofEldarm ythology.They w earexotic m ulti-coloured costum es,brightly
patterned to representfigures from the Eldarm yth cycles.
H arlequins are,like the Inquisition,sw orn enem ies ofC haos.They guard the Black Library,the place w here allthe
Eldar's know ledge ofC haos lies,and only allow those ofthe Inquisition and the Illum inatito enter,and even then they
are only allow ed entrance underguard.
There are m any kinds and degrees ofO utcast.They leave theirC raftw orlds and live elsew here,often w andering the
galaxy and visiting the w orlds ofm en orthe Exodites.They are notw elcom e aboard C raftw orlds exceptbriefly,fortheir
m inds are dangerously unbounded and attractpredators from the psychic realm s ofthe w arp.D aem ons orotherw arp
entities can hom e in to the m ind ofan O utcastand lodge in the psycho-supportive environm entofthe C raftw orld's
w raithbone core.O utcasts are also disruptive in anothersense,fortheirpresence can distractthe young and
inexperienced from the Eldarpath by theirrom antic tales oftraveland freedom .
These Eldarare the realists and are often very tough,sinister,individuals;a com plete opposite to the C raftw orld Eldar.
ELDAR W EAPO NS
EldarW eapons
Shuriken Pistol
Shuriken C atapult
Shuriken C annon
D eath Spinner
Fusion G un
R eaperLauncher
ScatterLaser
D -C anon
ELDAR ARM O UR
M ax Arm our
Arm our D ex C heck C ost
Eldar R ating Bonus Penalty (C r) W eight TL Speed
EldarR une Arm our 4 M AX 0 special 0.1 16+ M AX
EldarAspectArm our 3 +6 0 special 0.2 16+ M AX
EldarM esh Arm our 2 +6 0 special 0.5 16+ M AX
Eldar Armour is ultra-rare, and can only be found off the black market, other players or as loot off dead Eldars.
Eldar armour can be worn by any human who is < 5'5" and 135lbs.
Because of there light structure, and the fact they can be worn under cloths,
Eldar armour is highly valued amoung the elite of the Imperium. All Eldar
armour also has inbuilt communication ability via a telepathic link upto
continental range and act as TL16 Vacc Suits.
Eldar R une
Possible Aspectarm ourincludes W arp Spiders,Striking Scorpions and the H ow ling Banshees. Sw ooping H aw k
arm ourhas builtin C ontragravity W ings. These functions as a Anti-G raivity belt,(T20,pg.306)butw ith tw ice the
duration and acceleration. Italso adds 10kg to the arm ours w eight.AllEldarAspectArm ourhave the ablative ability of
the M esh Arm ourlisted below .
DARK ELDAR
Below Ihave listed som e com m on D ark Eldarw eapons. The prices are
allblack m arketprices as attem pting to sellordisplay these w eapons
obviously w ould bring dow n the w rath ofthe Techno-Priests w ho deem all
such w eapons as the propriety ofthe M achine G od.
W eapon Am m o
C ost(C r)TL R oF R ange (M )D M G (C rit)Size Type R ecoil R nd W t.C ost(C r)
C om batD agger 5,000 15 - C lose 3d4 (18) S S - - - -
Punisher KC r10 16 - C lose 2d12 (19) M S - - - -
SplinterR ifle KC r15 16 1 50m 8d10 (18) M P N ** ** **
D ark Lance KC r50 16 2 50m 8d12 (17) L E N ** ** **
Shredder KC r50 16 3 20m Special S E N ** ** **
D estructor KC r100 17 1 50m Special L * N ** ** **
* Special,see description.
** D ark Eldarw eapons com e w ith a lim ited num berofcharges,once these charges are used they can no longerbe
used as energy w eapons. The Im perium does notcurrently have the technology to recharge these w eapons. Assum e
each w eapon has 2d6+10 charges ofuse rem aining.
shock fields (such as the Punisherdepicted below )have also been recovered,and utilise an
energy generation and transference system s as yetbeyond the com prehension ofourTech-
adepts. The costin the w eapon chartassum es an Electro Punisher,halfthe costifthe Punisher
has lostits energy. PunisherD aggers are also available,w ith orw ithoutthe electro pulse. Treat
the electro shock effectas the Shocking G rasp spellcastby a level16 Sorcerer(pg.251 PH B).
Splinter W eapons
w 40k Ranger
This is a basic dnd Ranger modified for w40k. Both Humans and Eldars can be rangers. w40k Rangers reprsent
the pinnacle of bravery: the character whose entire life revolves around investigating new and unfamiliar
territory. Be this as an army scout, an explorer or Eldar outcast, all revel in the glory of discovery and have the
ability to live off the land and spy out enemy positions.
Class skills: As Army from T20 and the Monte Cook Ranger.
Spell Progression: Spell progression for the w40k Ranger is replaced by Pyker Power Progression. The number
of powers per level remain the same and the number of Power Points is slightly inferior to a Psychic Warrior.
Rangers are bound by the same restrictions as Psychic Warriors in terms of taking powers (i.e. they must have
the pre-requisite ability score).
Rangers may continue to progress in the Ranger class after they muster out of the Army. They may choose to
take either Gunslinger or Two-Weapon Fighting at level 1 as their class ability. The same restrictions apply to
both (must be in light armour).
At level 3 the character must take the Psi-Training feat or not receive any psionic abilities until they either
muster out or take the Psi-training feat. If the character musters out he automatically receives these awakened
powers irregardless if he has taken Psi-training or not. The disadvantage of not taking Psi-training means the
Ranger is not a registered Psyker which makes him a wild talent and a target for the Inquisition. Without Psi-
training there is a cumulative 1% chance for every power used within a 1 hour period of the last power being
used of attracting a Warp Entity. This is the least of the Wild Rangers problems, as the Inquisition will make
short work of him if caught.
Eldar Exarchs are the master of a particular form of combat. They personify speed, grace and power. Some
would say they are even a match for the Space Marines.
R equirem ents
A lignm ent:Any.
Feats:D odge,W eapon Proficiency (Any EldarM elee W eapon),Am bidexterity,M obility
B enefits:
C anny D efense:W hen notw earing arm our,the Banshee m ay add herIntelligence bonus to herD EX bonus. Ifdenied
herD EX bonus forany reason,the Banshee also loses herIN T bonus.
Precise Strike:The Banshee gains the supernaturalability to place herslashes and thrusts precisely to find w eak
spots in arm ourand strike criticalareas. W hen using this ability she m ay notuse hersecond arm to attack (though she
m ay defend as norm al). C reatures im m une to criticalhits are also im m une to the Banshees Precise Strike.
Enhanced M obility:W hen unarm oured,the Banshee gains a +4 to AC w hen m oving into oroutofthreatened areas for
attacks ofopportunity.
G race:The Banshee gains a +2 com petence bonus to allR eflex saves. This only w orks w hen the Banshee is w earing
no arm our.
A crobatic A ttack:The Banshee gets +2 to attack and dam age ifthey jum p,sw ing ordrop atleast2.5m (5ft)onto or
into an opponent. M ake a jum p check,ifthe resultis less than 2.5m then the Banshee can notuse this ability. Ifit
greaterthan 2.5m then the Banshee m ay lim itherjum p to 2.5m and use this ability. This is a supernaturalability.
Elaborate Parry:Ifthe Banshee decides to fightdefensively oruse all-outdefense in m elee com bat,she gains an
additional+1 dodge bonus to herAC foreach Banshee level. This is an extraordinary ability.
Im proved R eaction: The Banshee can add +2 to herinitiative rolls. This stacks w ith any otherinitiative bonus.
D read:W hen a Banshee is dressed in herfullbattle attire herim posing look allow s herto generate dread. Any
enem ies engaging the Banshee take a -2 m orale penalty on allto-hitand saving throw s foras long as they are
engaging the Banshee. This is a super-naturalability.
B anshee W ail:The Banshee m ay use W ailofthe Banshee (as perspell,PH B pg.269)once a day. D C is the num ber
ofBanshee levels + Banshee C H A bonus + 10.
R equirem ents
A lignm ent:Any.
Feats:W eapon Proficiency (w ith w eapon ofchoice),D odge,M obility,C om batR eflexes,Expertise,W eapon Focus,
W hirlw ind Attack,D ex 13+
B enefits:
Note: All these Exarch abilities apply to the chosen weapon only.
Scorpion Sting: When you score a hit with your weapon you may decide, before dice are rolled, to
automatically roll the maximum possible damage. Bonus damage from other feats or abilities like Sneak Attack
are not maximised.
Increased Multiplier: You can increase the normal critical threat of your weapon by 1. So, a weapon with a
critical threat of 19~20 maybe increased to 18~20 for one strike. You must declare the use of this power before
any dice are rolled.
Superior Weapon Focus: Stacking with any existing weapon focus or specilisation ability, the Scorpion may
add an additional +1 to-hit and damage with his weapon of choice.
Superior Combat Reflexes: The Scorpion may add his Wisdom and Dexterity bonus together to determine the
maximum number of attack of opportunities in a round.
Scorpion Critical: Gain the Improved Critical feat for free. If the character already has this feat he may add +2
to your weapon of choice's threat range for critical hits.
Scorpion Whirlwind: You can make a Whirlwind attack as a standard action instead of a full round action.
R equirem ents
A lignm ent:Any.
Skills: Any
B enefits: M ay progress as an Arcane Archerw ith the follow ing changes (D M G pg.28).
A m our Piercing: This replaces EnchantArrow from the Arcane Archer. Allshots m ade by the Fire D ragon are
assum ed to have +1 to-hit/dam age.
W raithguard
R equirem ents
B enefits: The charactertakes on the type U ndead. The characterloses allprevious class abilities and skills and has
the sam e statistics as a W raith perM M pg.185 w ith the follow ing changes;M ay notC reate Spaw n,rem ove D aylight
Pow erlessness. Theiralignm entis also changed to N eutral. These creatures fully obey the com m ands ofa Farseeror
W arlock. The W raith progresses as a m onsteruntilitcan satisfy this Prestige C lass pre-requisite.
Recall Feats: The Wraithguard begins to recall memories of her previous life. The Wraithguard regains all her
previous feats from her previous class assuming she can satisfy the pre-requisites.
Recall Class Abilities: The Wraithguard can now use her previous class class abilities at the same level as that
previous class.
Rediscover: At 3rd level the Wraithguard remembers her entire past and is able to once again progress in her
previous class levels. She also gets all the hit points, saving throws and any class abilities of all her previous
class or classes. This applies even if the former class does not allow free-multiclassing.
NB: This is a slight re-working of the Emancipated Spawn Prestige Class from SS.
Exarch leads his squad in the attack. Armed with powerblades he is a formidable
opponent. Warp Spiders are named after the tiny crystalline creatures that roam a
crafworld's infinity matrix, purging it of non-Eldar psychic presences. The Warp
Spiders epitomise the aggressive defense of these creatures, using their warp jump
generators to materialize next to their foes and attack, slipping away again before the
enemy can retaliate. As Warp Spiders use thier jump generators to travel, they are able
to wear bulkier and heavier armour, which could constrict the movements of other eldar.
R equirem ents
A lignm ent:Any.
Feats:Any
Special:M ustbe an Eldar. M ustofconstructed a basic W arp Spidersuite ofarm our. The characterm ustpass a D C
20 arm ourcrafting check and spend C r5000 w orth ofcom ponents. Ifthe charactersucceeds he spends 6 w eeks
creating the arm ourw ith a Basic W arp Spidersuite ofarm our. Basic W arp SpiderSuites are equivalentto bulky TL 12
Vacc Suites. Ifhe fails he loses the C r5000 investm entand 4 w eeks.
B enefits: Ihad to m ake a design decision w ith the W arp Spiders since m ostoftheirabilities are from the arm ourthey
w earand notinnate to the character. So Ihave listed abilities here as ifthey are partofthe characterw ith the one
caveatthatallthese abilities are dependenton the characterw earing w arp arm our. W ithoutithe loses these abilities.
This m akes the arm ourand intergalpartofthis Prestige C lass. Idecided to m ake the creation ofthe arm ouras partof
the class requirem ents. As the characterincreases in this Prestige C lass he im proves his arm ourw ith the abilities
listed below . The charactershould feelfree to add m ore enhancem ents as he sees fit(W raith-bone claw s,firing sites,
com m -unitetc.)
Level Note: At each level the Character must spend another Cr5,000 worth of components and pass a DC20
Armour Crafting check to actually level. Failure means a loss of 4 weeks and the Cr5,000 of components. The
Character may try again as soon as he has the components.
Blink, Expeditious Retrieat, Locate Object, Dimension Door, Find the Path, Dimensional Anchor,
Ethereal Jaunt and Phase Door: As per spells listed in PHB.
Master of Warp: As Teleport without Error with the restriction of being limited to a planetary surface.
TH E H IVE M IN D
W hile Tyranid W arriors and othercreatures function individually,each bio-engineered organism is partofa vastand
alien intellectknow n as the H ive M ind.D riven forw ard by this single consciousness,the Tyranid race forges its w ay
across the galaxy,consum ing allbio-m atterthatitencounters.Entire w orlds fallto the hungerofthe H ive M ind and all
thatis leftw hen the Tyranids pass on is a barren,airless rock,com pletely devoid oflife.
The bulk ofthe Tyranid arm y is m ade up oflegions ofscuttling creatures know n
as Term agants.These vicious creatures fightin groups,m aking up fortheir
com parative lack ofindividualsize orstrength w ith theirvastnum bers.
HO RM AG AUNT
Bred solely to nurture and fire theirliving cargo ofdeadly Spore M ines,Biovores can lay
dow n barrages ofthese acidic and explosive spores.These seem ingly innocent,floating
m ines can cripple orkillthe opposition,w hile Tyranid assaultconstructs close in forthe kill.
assault,and heavy w eapons,Tyranid W arriors are highly intelligentand inhum anly vicious on the battlefield.Like the
H ive Tyrants,Tyranid W arriors can influence the lesserTyranid m onsters and suppress theirnaturalinstincts.This
keeps the Tyranid forces highly organized during the battle.
Lictors are silent,predatory stalkers w hich infiltrate behind enem y lines w ith unequaled
skill.They track dow n allthe usefulgenetic m aterial forthe brood to consum e.O ften they
can be am ongstopposing units before they are even detected and by then itis fartoo late.
The Lictor's m assive m antis-like claw s and arm orpiercing flesh hooks silence enem y
troops before the alarm can even be raised.
G enestealers are com m only encountered in the floating derelictw recks ofspace craftknow n as Space H ulks.
O perations ofthe Adeptus Astartes (Space M arines)are com m only w aged on the Tyranid horrors and the losses to
Space M arine forces are often devastating.This is due to the G enestealers highly specialized adaptations forclose
com bat,a skillw hich they excelatlike no othercreature in the galaxy.The razorsharp talons ofthe G enestealercan
tearthrough bone and arm orw ith staggering ease m aking even the m ostheavily protected troopers a targetforthese
m onstrous shock troops.
The C arnifex is literally violence incarnate on the field as its enorm ous
scythe arm s can destroy even battle tanks in an orgy offrenzied
destruction.Battlefield reports have also filtered in ofC arnifexes w hich
fire gouts ofsuper-heated plasm a from theirfanged m aw s,incinerating
soldiers and vehicles alike.C overed in thick,dense,chitinous arm or,the
C arnifex is alm ostunstoppable,w ithstanding firepow erw hich w ould
instantly disintegrate any othercreature.
TYR A N ID B IO -W EA PO N S Their
w eapons are very unique and w illno doubtbe a lotoffun.Justim agine the look on a player's face w hen som ething
latches onto him and starts to eatinto his body! AllTyranid W eapons require the Exotic W eapon Featto be used. You
m ay also have to talk the w eapon into w orking foryou since they are living creatures them selves. Treatsuch w eapons
as IntelligentSw ords perthe D M G .
B O N ESW O R D
Bonesw ords are principally used by Tyranid W arriors and H ive Tyrants.The blade ofa Bonesw ord is a m assively
enlarged horn,sharply serrated along both edges.The blades are alive and slow ly grow in size.Ifdam aged they are
capable ofrepairing them selves overtim e.The hiltis form ed by the hard,chitinous exo-skeleton ofthe bio-construct.
The creature's sm allbrain is protected deep w ithin the hilt.Itis incapable ofindependentthoughtbutis able to generate
a pow erfulsurge ofpsychic energy w hen stim ulated by the user.
LA SH W H IP
Lash w hips are used by Tyranid W arriors and H ive Tyrants.The lash w hip has a sm allbody thatis protected inside a
bony tube-like shellw hich form s the handle ofthe w hip.The m ajority ofthe creature's body protrudes beyond the tube
and is m ade up ofthree m usculartentacles thatterm inate in serrated bony hooks.The lash w hip gains its sustenance
by using its hooked lim bs to slice gobbets offlesh from its victim s w ith a blindingly faststrike.
SPIN EFIST
A Spinefistis a sym biote w eapon-creature carried by Tyranid W arriors and H ive Tyrants forclose quarterfighting.The
creature clam ps itselfaround its user's w ristw ith hooked extrem ities and w raps its m usculartailaround the user's arm .
The end ofthe tailspreads into a fan oftubes and tendrils w hich connectinto the user's airw ays.The creature's
carapace is form ed into row s ofdiam ond-hard spines coated w ith a lethaltoxin.W hen the userw ishes to fire itinhales
sharply and the sudden increase in airpressure directed through the Spinefistlaunches a salvo ofdeadly projectiles in
a broad pattern.
STR A N G LEW EB
This is a w eird spider-like com posite creature thatfires a m ass ofsticky m ucous-like strands w hich w rap them selves
tightly around the targetand im m obilise it.The hardera victim struggles,the m ore the w eb tightens so ifthe victim
continues to struggle itw illeventually be strangled orcrushed by the m esh ofthreads.Term agants often use these
w eapons to capture victim s fordissection.
D EA TH SPITTER
This w eapon is used frequently by Tyranid W arriors.Itis an organic sym biote form ed from three separate and quite
differentcreatures.D eep inside the quivering innards ofthe D eathspitteris a w arm w etbrood cham berw here the
m aggot-like creatures w hich form the am m unition are nurtured.These have chitinous shells and a fiery m etabolism
based upon theirhighly corrosive and volatile vitalfluids.N extto the brood cham berlies the arm ing orifice in w hich
lurks an oozing,spider-jaw ed creature thatstrips the m aggot-like creature ofits carapace w ith a loud grinding noise
before finally dropping itinto the firing colon.This in turn reacts to the corrosive flesh ofthe m aggot-like creature w ith a
pow erfulspasm w hich fires the m orselofliving flesh outofthe D eathspitter.The stillliving gobbetofflesh shrieks
through the air(w hich is poison to it)untilitreaches its target.There itsplatters overitand kills itw ith a com bination of
velocity,poison and corrosive slim e.
Firing the w eapon:A targethitby a D eathspitterm ay effectothertargets nearby.Any characterw ith 2 m etres ofthe
originaltargetw illbe hitifthey faila R eflex save vs.D C 20.This acidic slim e autom atically penetrates prim itive and
energy protections.Physicalarm ourhas its effective AR halved to determ ine dam age.
FLA M ESPU R T
This sym biote creature m etam orphises its bile into a liquid phosphorous com pound w hich burns on contactw ith air.
G argoyles use this w eapon to burn w hole populations and theirdw ellings.
Firing the w eapon:W hen fired the flam es effecteveryone w ithin a cone of30 m etres.Atits w idestpointthe cone is 5
m etres w ide.
FLESH B O R ER
This w eapon is norm ally used by Term agants.Itis a com pactbrood nestin w hich Borerbeetles lay theireggs,w hich
then hatch and m ature,fed by sticky sap exuded by the gun itself.M ature beetles have long flea-like legs,though they
m ore little exceptto shuffle slow ly into the firing cavity ofthe w eapon.W hen the w eapon is fired,a m assive electro-
chem icalshock surges through the beetle,goading itinto frenzied activity.Its legs push itoutofthe w eapon at
trem endous speed and ithurtles forw ard to strike the firstthing in its path.
FLESH H O O K S
Flesh hooks are partofthe arm oury ofgenetically engineered w eaponry used by Lictors.The hooks are fired by sharp
intercostalm uscle spasm and allow s Lictors to slay orsnare theirvictim s from a distance.The flesh hooks are also
Firing the w eapon:A Lictorcan fire tw o flesh hooks perround exactly like firing a norm alw eapon.A characterhitby a
flesh hook m ustinflictatleast3 w ounds on it,in one hit,orbe dragged 2D 6 m etres tow ards the Lictor.This w illcontinue
to happen foras long as the hook(s)stays attached.If3 orm ore w ounds is caused the hook detaches.
SPIK E R IFLE
This is used alm ostexclusively by Term agants.Itis m ade up ofa bony m uscle-lined tube w hich contains a row of
forw ard-pointing spikes grow ing from its rear.The spikes resem ble harpoons m ore than anything else;they are barbed
and have a razor-sharp edge.W hen the Spike rifle is fired a pow erfulm uscle contraction hurls the firstspike in the row
atthe target.
D EVO U R ER
The D evoureris am ongstthe m osthorrific ofTyranid bio-w eapons.Itresem bles a conicallum p ofrotting flesh
projecting from the jaw s ofa coiled,chitin-covered creature.The fleshy cone is infested by w rithing w orm -like
organism s w ith black,shiny heads.W hen the gun is fired a bio-electricalshock hurls a num berofthese fleshw orm s at
the targetw ith trem endous force.The fleshw orm s w illeithershatteragainstthe target,spraying acidic bile and poisons
overit,orpierce itand startburrow ing inside the victim 's body.A creature infested by fleshw orm s is driven m ad w ith
agony as the w orm s eattheirw ay through its nervous system to the brain and devourit.
Firing the w eapon:W hen itpenetrates arm our,the targetm ustpass a T testorhave the fleshw orm s burrow ing into
him w orking theirw ay tow ards the brain.Ifthe testis failed,the victim m ustdrop everything as he falls to the floorin
agony.Ifno appropriate m edicalhelp can be adm inistered in as m any rounds as the victim 's Toughness characteristic
plus 2,the victim dies im m ediately.
B A R B ED STR A N G LER
The barbed stranglerbegins its grow th cycle as life form contained in a seed pod the size ofa m an's fist.The seed is
fired from a sim ple launcherw hich is little m ore than a m uscled tube.Ifthe seed pod pierces a living hostits
germ ination is triggered by the w arm th ofthe victim 's flesh and body fluids.The seed pod explodes releasing a
concentrated m ass ofw rithing tentacles thatshootthrough the victim 's body and tearitapart.W ithin seconds the
stranglergrow s to m aturity and blood red tendrils lash outfrom the torn corpse;spreading and grow ing in alldirections
w ith blinding speed.The strangleris even pow erfulenough to entrap,ortearapart,a vehicle.
Firing the w eapon:Ifthe seed pod m isses its targetitw illdeviate 2D 3 m etres from the targetin a random direction.
The seed pod effects everyone w ithin a 3 m etre radius,though everyone,apartfrom the target,m ay pass an Itestto
avoid itatthe lastm inute.Afteralldam age has been done,each characterw ithin the 3 m etre radius m ustpass a S test
each round orbe ripped apart.H ow m any rounds a characterhas depends on his T score.Thatis how m any rounds a
victim has to getoutofthe grip ofthe strangler.
VEN O M C A N N O N
The Venom cannon is a long,pow erfulbio-w eapon thatfires salvos ofhighly corrosive poison athigh velocity.The
poison is form ed into crystals w hich are encrusted w ith a m etallic residue.W hen the w eapon fires ituses an
electrostatic charge to accelerate its deadly am m unition to supersonic speeds.The characteristic rapid cracking sound
ofa firing Venom cannon is caused by the crystals breaking the sound barrier.A targetstruck is eitherkilled by the
im pactand blastofelectricalenergy orby corrosive fragm ents ofthe poison crystals w hen they shatter.
Firing the w eapon:The Venom cannon fires a barrage 3 m etres in diam eter.N om inate a targetas norm aland fire.If
the targetis m issed then the shotdeviates 2D 3 m etres in a random direction.Everything w ithin the blastarea is hit.
B IO -PLA SM A
C arnifexes have the capacity to internally energies a form ofbio-plasm a w hich they vom itforth as a ballorboltof
blinding green fire.The plasm a m aterialis held in theirgutand energized by rasping plates in theiresophagus.
O RKS
Itis curious thatofallthe races encountered by M ankind the only one that
can be found throughoutthe galaxy is thatofthe O rks. W hy this should
be is a m ystery.Som e m aintain thatthe O rks are the decayed rem nantof
a vastgalaxy spanning civilisation,others say thatthey spread from w orld
to w orld by interstellarspores.N o one know s the answ erand m ostlikely
no one everw ill.
The O rk's green skin is due to the algae thatflow s through their
blood and also form s partoftheirdigestive system .This algae notonly gives the O rks theirgreen colouration,butitalso
accounts fortheirstrange and extrem ely durable m etabolism .Itis true thatan O rk head w illlive on forsom e tim e,if
severed from its body,and can som etim es be transplanted onto anotherbody altogether.
Physique:O rks are pow erfully built,w ith crooked legs and a sham bling,ape-like gait.Theirarm s are long,so thattheir
huge hands alm ostreach to the ground.Theirfaces are brutalw ith huge teeth and jaw s,and theirsm allpiggy eyes
appearfrom underneath ugly,overhanging bony ridges.Skin is often greenish ora dark olive brow n,and is covered in
w arts,scars and filth.
PsychologicalProfile:M ostO rks are com pletely m ad and love nothing m ore than to fire the biggestand loudestguns.
They despise hum ans and hate Squats m ostofall.
SpecialR ules:As M M .
O R K PR O FILES
The firstprofile is typicalforan O rc,subsequentones are m ore pow erfuland such individuals occupy a high standing in
O rk society.The toughestO rks are m ostlikely going to be Bosses,W arbosses,orW arlords,w hereas the really w ealthy
ones are called N obz.
O rk -Skarboy
Skarboyz som etim es form bands oftough O rks w hen going into battle orsom e w illlead the w eakerO rks into battle.
Especially rich N obz orreputable W arlords w illeven field w hole arm ies ofSkarboyz.
O rk -A rdnut
Ardnutz are am ongstthe 'ardestofallO rks.They alm ostalw ays have the title of'Boss'or'Big Boss'w hereas those that
don'tw illprobably certainly be underthe thrallofa rich N ob orpow erfulW arlord.
O rk -Vetrun
Vetruns have seen italland are the m ostreputable and m ostvicious ofallO rks.Such individuals are alw ays Big
Bosses orW arlords and som etim es rule m ore than one tribe.They alw ays getthe very firstpick from any captured
booty.
O R K C LA N S
B ad M oons
O rks use theirteeth forcurrency,and as O rks from this clan have teeth thatgrow the quickest,they are the richestofall
O rks.Bad M oons like to display theirw ealth w ith expensive technicaland highly decorated w argear.They usually have
the bestw argearand w earthe m ostgaudy clothes preferring a yellow and black pattern.
B lood A xes
The Blood Axes are nottrusted by the otherclans w ho usually referto them as treacherous gits.They w illquite happily
m arch offto w aralongside the otherO rks only to run offw hen things gettough orsw ap sides atthe lastm inute.Blood
Axes w illeven trade w ith hum ans,w hich is considered a sure sign oftheirlack ofproperO rky spirit.Blood Axe boyz
tend to w earthe uniform ofthe Im perialG uard,albeitthe uniform s m ay notproperly fit.
D eathskulls
Aftera battle the D eathskulls descend upon the w reckage to salvage w eapons,equipm ent,clothes and anything else
they can use orsellon.They are trem endously good atscrounging,orstealing,and are equally adeptatselling the
things they find to even the m ostreluctantofcustom ers.They are notoriously superstitious and often painttheirskin
blue to bring them luck.
EvilSunz
The EvilSunz are attracted to loud noise and fastvehicles,especially bikes.Though this is a com m on traitforO rks,the
EvilSunz are affected even m ore so.They constantly tinkerw ith theirvehicles trying to getas m uch speed outofthem
as possible.They firm ly believe thatred vehicles go fasterthan any othertypes.
G offs
The G offs are the fiercestofallthe O rks and the m ostw arlike -w hich is saying som ething.They preferclose quarter
fighting and have little patience forcom plex tactics orsophisticated strategy.They believe them selves to be superiorto
otherO rks because they are betterfighters.
Snakebites
Snakebites use technology only reluctantly and alw ays feelm ore com fortable w ith sim ple m achinery and w ell
established O rky values.They preserve som e practises w hich otherO rks have long since abandoned,and shun certain
aspects ofrecently developed technology.
TH E O D D B O YZ
So-called because these O rks are intelligentbutatthe sam e tim e rathereccentric as they tend to live outside 'norm al'
O rk society.There are fourkinds ofO ddboy:M ekaniaks,Painboyz,R untherdz,and W eirdboyz.
M EK A N IA K
M ekaniaks are naturalm echanics and innovators.They are responsible forinventing and building m ostofthe bizarre
m achinery thatthe O rks use.M ekboyz are obsessed w ith squeezing m ore pow eroutoftheirengines and building
biggerand m ore devastating w eaponry.A M ekboy's experim entalw eapon m ay w ellblow up in his face orbecom e the
m ostdevastating w eapon O rk-kind has everknow n.M ekboyz justlove taking the risks.
PA IN B O Y
Painboyz are also know n as D ocs and theirchiefconcerns are surgery and tooth pulling -the latterto pay theirusually
exorbitantbills as O rks use teeth forcurrency.W hen an O rk is really badly injured,ifhe has lostan arm orleg for
exam ple,then he m ay decide to risk engaging a Painboy to eithergrafton a new one orfita m echanicalsubstitute.
O rks take very w ellto transplants,and no-one asks w here the donors com e from .
Painboyz are com pletely m ad O rks and alm ostalw ays experim enton theirpatientw ithoutthe patientknow ing it.
Som etim es a Painboy m ightchop the w rong lim b offand replace itw ith a m echanicallim b.In this case the patientm ight
be doubly disappointed as M ek boyz are alm ostas m ad as Painboyz and m ay find thathis new m echanicallim b is in
factan experim entalversion,like M ek Blag's M k 1 Exploding Leg forexam ple.
R U N TH ER D Z
R untherdz raise and train the G retchin and Snotlings thatare a vitalpartofO rk society.The G retchin do m ostofthe
actualw ork,especially fetching and carrying,and they outnum berthe O rks m any tim es over,G retchin are also
im portanton the battlefield although the O rks w ould be reluctantto adm itthis.O rks are notespecially brightand are
certainly fartoo im patientto operate heavy artillery pieces and otherm assive engines ofw arso this task is invariably
leftto specially trained team s ofG retchin.
O n the battlefield the R untherdz keep a close eye on the G retchin crew s,helping them outifthey getin trouble and
putting them rightifthey go w rong.G retchin are prone to becom e excited and overenthusiastic,w hich alw ays leads to
accidents in w hich unfortunate loaders are fired outofbarrels orcaughtin w hirring cog w heels.Fortunately R untherdz
take greatpride in theircharges and are alw ays nearby to pullany m iscreants outofa m achine's gubbins ifnecessary.
W EIR D B O YZ
W eirdboyz are the strangestO rks ofall,som e w illsay they are m ore bonkers than the Painboyz w hich is definitely
saying som ething!W eirdboyz are the closestO rks have to psykers excepttheirpow ers com e from large gatherings of
O rk boyz ratherthan from the w arp.
U nsurprisingly,W eirdboyz are reluctantto use theirpow ers and as a resultare som etim es bullied into doing so by the
accom panim entofa few really tough O rks called M inderz.Som etim es these tough O rks w illgrab hold ofthe W eirdboy
and fire him like a cannon to unleash allthe pent-up O rky psychic energy (see W eirdboy W aaagh Pow ers forfuller
descriptions on W eirdboyz,W arpheadz,and W aaagh Pow ers).
and bringing back vitalinform ation.Those w orking forthe Im perium in-turn infiltrate O rk society in orderto learn any
secrets,though they are m ostly concerned w ith O rk navalm ovem ents and potentialattacks.Som etim es only H alf-O rk
agents can infiltrate places thatnoteven those ofthe O fficio Assassinorum can penetrate.Im perialagents use pow er
m etam orphic drugs to transform theirbodies butm any O rk strongholds have sniffersquigs thatcan sniffouteven the
m ostfoolproofdisguises.
Physique:These creatures look like a cross betw een H um ans and O rks.Som e have characteristically O rkish heads,
w hilstothers resem ble H um ans m ore closely,butm aybe have slightly ape-like arm s orcrooked legs.Appearance is
vary variable.Skin and haircolourusually approxim ate to those ofthe creature's progenitors.
PsychologicalProfile:Varies.H alf-O rks thatlive in O rk society behave justas they do,w hilstH alf-O rks in hum an
society actas hum ans.
G R ETC H IN
G retchin are sm allerthan O rks and now here nearas strong and fierce,butthey are very num erous indeed.Their
intense pride in the achievem ents oftheirm asters inspires them to follow O rks to w ar.Although the O rks m ake no
attem ptto arm ortrain the G retchin,they alw ays m anage to scrape togetherenough teeth to buy a few sim ple w eapons
so they can join in the fun.
The O rks have little patience w ith the G retchin as they inevitably getin the w ay ofthe fighting and tend to run aw ay
unless they are w inning.The G retchin's enthusiasm is undim inished by theirm aster's attitude and they band together
into theirow n M obs to em ulate the deeds oftheirbig brothers.
Physique:G retchin are short-m ostbeing around fourfeetin height.Theirbodies are bent,tw isted and unw ashed,and
theirfaces are distorted and leering.Theirskin colourvaries a greatdeal,som e are pale and greenish,others are
alm ostblack.
PsychologicalProfile:G retchin tend to be quite childish in theiroutlook on life.They are cow ardly w hen notin
sufficiently large num bers.O therw ise they are crueland w icked creatures.
O rk A rm our
Arm our
Arm our M ax D ex C heck C ost
O rk R ating Bonus Penalty (C r) W eight TL Speed
M ega-Arm our 7 +0 -6 4,000 50kg 10 6/4m
Eavy Arm our 7 +0 -5 2,000 40kg 10 6/4m
Body Arm our 6 +1 -3 1,000 25kg 9 6/4m
O rk arm ourhas no finesse -its brutish and prim itive,butitdoes the job and provides excellentprotection. O rk arm our
is justarm our,ithas no inbuiltVacc Suite ability forexam ple.
O rk W eapons
G retchin Blasta
Slugga
Shoota
Big Shoota
Rokkit Launcha
NEC RO N
N ecron W arrior
The skeletal form of a Necron warrior is a spine-chilling sight, as bullets and lasblasts bounce harmlessly from
its metallic limbs. The gause flayer which it wields is no less terrifying, as it strips its target atom by atom; in a
heartbeat it dissolves skin, muscle and then disintegrates bone until nothing remains.
This creature looks like a w ithered and desiccated corpse,w ith features hidden beneath centuries-old funereal
w rappings.Itm oves w ith a slow ,sham bling gaitand groans w ith the w eightofthe ages.
These horrid creatures are often m arked w ith sym bols ofthe dire sun-gods they serve.N ecron W arriors attack intruders
w ithoutpause orm ercy.They neverattem ptto com m unicate w ith theirenem ies and neverretreat.An encounterw ith a
w arriorcan end only w ith the destruction ofone com batantorthe other(unless the W arriors'foe elects to retreat).
C om bat
In m elee com bat,a m um m y delivers a pow erfulblow from eitherits fists orits G auss Flayerw hich can also be used as
an axe like w eapon.Even ifithad no otherabilities,its greatstrength and grim determ ination w ould m ake ita
form idable opponent.
D espair (Su):Atthe m ere sightofa N ecron,the view erm ustsucceed on a D C 16 W illsave orbe paralyzed w ith fear
for1d4 rounds.W hetherornotthe save is successful,thatcreature cannotbe affected again by the sam e N ecron's
despairability for24 hours.The save D C is C harism a-based.
G auss Flayer (Su):G auss w eapons are horrifying devices thatcan strip a targetdow n m olecule by m olecule and
reduce itto its constituentatom s in a m atterofseconds. U se the standard G auss R ifle statistics in T20 pg.200.
R egeneration (Ex): Electricity and Acid do norm aldam age to a N ecron and w illno regenerate this dam age. Itm ay re-
attach lostlim bs. U nless killed w ith acid orelectricalbased attack itw illreform in 1d4 m inutes. Itregenerates 5 hp a
round.
Possessions:G auss Flayer(W illhave lim ited num berofcharges leftbefore re-use,usually 1d4. The Im perium does
nothave the technologicalability to recharge these w eapons).
N ecron Im m ortal
The Im m ortals w ere am ong the m ostfavored N ecrontyrservants ofC 'tan,and w ere the firstoftheirkind to
give up theircursed,fleshy bodies,to becom e the soulless N ecrons. Im placable m etalgiants,the lusterof
theirgleam ing bodies has been eroded by the ravages oftim e. Fleshless m etalskulls strike fearinto the
hearts oftheirfoes and the eerie silence oftheiradvance is m ore unnerving than a bloodthirsty battle cry.
G auss B laster (Su): U se the standard G auss R ifle statistics in T20 pg.200 butassum e each shotis Am ourPiercing
+1.
R egeneration (Ex): Electricity and Acid do norm aldam age to a N ecron and w illno regenerate this dam age. Itm ay re-
attach lostlim bs. U nless killed w ith acid orelectricalbased attack itw illreform in 1d4 m inutes. Itregenerates 6 hp a
round.
Possessions:G auss Blaster(W illhave lim ited num berofcharges leftbefore re-use,usually 1d4. The Im perium does
nothave the technologicalability to recharge these w eapons),cloak ofresistance +2, ring ofm inorenergy resistance
(fire),brooch ofshielding.(D ifferentIm m ortals m ay have differentpossessions.)
The TAU
Work in Progress...