Dark Heresy Revamped : Chapter IIc - Character Creation Part 3

Today we're moving onto Backgrounds, my issues with those that have been released and how I'm going about adjusting / remedying them.

Adepta Sororitas (Enemies Within p.30)

• Starting Skills : Replace Common Lore [Adepta Sororitas] with Lore [Adepta Sororitas]

Adeptus Administratum (Core Rulebook p.46) :

• Starting Skills : Replace Common Lore [Adeptus Administratum] and Scholastic Lore [Pick One] with Lore [Adeptus Administratum and any one other]
• Starting Equipment :  Replace Medikit with Tomes of Lore.
• Background Bonus "Master of Paperwork" : An Administratum Adept character may re-roll any Logic or Lore tests once, and may substitute their Intelligence bonus for the degrees of success on these rolls.

Adeptus Arbites (Core Rulebook p.48) :

• Starting Skills :  Replace Common Lore [Adeptus Arbites] and Common Lore [Underworld] with Lore [Adeptus Arbites or Enforcers] and Lore [Underworld]
  
• Starting Talents : Weapon Training [Any two from Low Tech, Shock and Solid Projectile]
• Starting Equipment : Shotgun or Shock Maul, Carapace Chestplate or Light Carapace, Manacles, Uniform, 3 doses of Stimm with Injector or 12 Lho Sticks or Abridged copy of the Lex Imperialis.

Adeptus Astra Telepathica (Core Rulebook p.50) :

• Starting Skills :Replace Common Lore [Adeptus Astra Telepathica] and Forbidden Lore [The Warp] with Lore [Adeptus Astra Telepathica] and Lore [Psykers or Warp]

Adeptus Mechanicus (Core Rulebook p.52) :

• Starting Skills : Replace Security with Lore [Technology]
• Starting Talents : May take Weapon Training [Las] instead of Weapon Training [Solid Projectile]
• Starting Equipment :  Autogun or Hand Cannon or Laspistol, Monotask Servo Skull or Augmetic with an availability of Very Rare or better, Mechanicus Robes, 2 vials of Sacred Unguents.
• Background Bonus "Designs of the Omnissiah" : An Adeptus Mechanicus character begins play with either two Trade skills of their choice at rank 0 (Known), or one Trade skill and their choice of Scrutiny or Security at rank 0 (Known).

Adeptus Ministorum (Core Rulebook p.54) :

• Starting Skills : Replace Common Lore [Adeptus Ministorum] with Lore [Adeptus Ministorum].

Exorcised (Enemies Beyond p.32) :

• Starting Skills : Replace Forbidden Lore [Daemonology] with Lore [Daemonology].
• Background Bonus "Touched By A Daemon" : Replace "Additionally, he can never again become possessed by the same Daemon that once possessed him." with "Additionally, they can never become possessed, being functionally immune to Daemonic Possession save in truly exceptional circumstances such as the direct intervention of a Daemon Prince or other extremely powerful Daemonic entity."

Heretek (Enemies Without p.32) :

• Starting Skills :  Replace Forbidden Lore [Pick One] with Lore [Pick One]
  
• Background Bonus "Master of Hidden Lores" : When a Heretek makes a Tech Use or Trade test to comprehend, use, repair or modify an unfamiliar device they gain a +20 bonus if they have one or more relevant Lore skill specialisations as Rank 2 [Trained] or higher.

Imperial Navy (Enemies Without p.34)

• Starting Skills : Replace Common Lore [Imperial Navy] with Lore [Imperial Navy]

Imperial Guard (Core Rulebook p.56) :

• Starting Skills : Replace Common Lore [Imperial Guard] with Lore [Imperial Guard].
  
• Starting Equipment : Replace Grapnel and Line with one Tool with an availability of Common or better (at the GM's discretion).

Mutant (Enemies Within p.32) :

• Starting Skills : Replace Forbidden Lore [Mutants] with Lore [Mutants or Underworld]
• Starting Equipment : Replace Grapnel and Line with one Tool with an availability of Common or better (at the GM's discretion).

Outcast (Core Rulebook p.56) :

• Starting Skills : Replace Common Lore [Underworld] with Lore [Underworld].

Rogue Trader Fleet (Enemies Without p.36) :

• Starting Skills : Replace Common Lore [Rogue Traders] with Lore [Rogue Traders]
• Starting Talents : Weapon Training [Las or Solid Projectile, Low Tech or Shock]
• Background Bonus "For Gold And Glory!" : A Rogue Trader Fleet character may re-roll any Command or Commerce tests once, and may substitute their Fellowship bonus for the degrees of success on these rolls.

Design Notes :

Let's start explaining what I've changed, and why. All of the Backgrounds that grant access to Lore skills have had them altered in the descriptions above.

The Administratum Adept has lost their Medikit, simply because it's not a piece of equipment that makes sense for a quill pusher, especially one who doesn't even begin play with the Medicae skill. Instead they can take a selection of tomes that may at the GM's discretion give them a bonus to the appropriate Lore tests. To me that simply makes a lot more sense. As for their Background Bonus, I'm trying to eliminate bonuses based on Acquisition entirely, as they can very easily be abused and it doesn't make sense to me that an Administratum Adept is better at getting their hands on heavy weapons, power armour and the like when they've spent their life collating tithe records or ensuring that the local Administratum data-shrine has the collect allotments of tea and synth-milk. Instead I've given them a bonus based around Lore and Logic tests that works in the same manner as the Arbites “Face Of The Law” bonus. To my mind it reflects the background a lot more accurately.

I have some issues with the Arbites background for fluff reasons, the most prominent one being that going by the established lore all Arbites are drawn from the Schola Progenium. To me this is less an "Arbites" background and more an "Enforcer" background, reflecting the law enforcement organisations of worlds across the Imperium. I was tempted to change the Background name but...we'll see. At some point I'll write up a Schola Progenium Origin, which could then be used in concert with the existing background to create proper Arbitrators. This split between types of law enforcement is why I've given them the option to take Lore [Enforcers] instead of Adeptus Arbites, and altered the "cosmetic" elements of their starting equipment. I've also noticed that the Arbites background has a very limited selection of Weapon Training talents when compared to the other martial backgrounds, even the Adeptus Ministorum background gives more options, which is why I've increased their number of starting talents and broadened the selection of talents they can choose from.

Adeptus Astra Telepathica, as a Background, is mostly unchanged apart from Lore alterations right now. I've given them the option of taking Lore [Psykers] purely due to my belief that they'd learn about their own kind as well as about the mysteries of the Immaterium, so I want to give them the option to take whichever Lore is more appropriate. This background will undergo further change as I'm going to be undergoing a re-write of the Psychic Power rules as part of this project. For now though I've left them as they are as I'm still working on the final details of that particular system.

The Adeptus Mechanicus background has undergone quite a few changes. The replacement of Security with Lore [Technology] simply seems more appropriate to me, I can't imagine an Enginseer crouched in a corner with a lockpick after all. Not that it's an inappropriate skill with regards to digital security, but I'd say that members of the Cult Mechanicus would have a better grounding in Technology than in overcoming locks and breaching data-vaults. The fact that these skills stack with those from the Forge World origin is very much deliberate, as such characters would in my mind have a very good education with regards to both the organisation they're devoted to and to the mysteries of the machine. The addition of Las weaponry to their weapon training options is simply due to the fact that the Mechanicus produce basically everything, and a simple, easily maintained weapon that can be powered by their potentia coil would appeal to many of them. I've also modified their starting equipment both to allow them to take a Lasweapon and so that that they're not forced to take a Skull or Mechadendrite if they want to be more subtle, or want to take an Augmetic that better fits the players character concept. As for their background bonus, as already stated I am removing Acquisition based character abilities from the game, and for the Adeptus Mechanicus after pondering I decided that giving them a selection of technical skills to choose from would be an appropriate replacement for their improved access to cybernetics.

The Adeptus Ministorum background is currently unchanged, however I will be altering how Fate Points work going forwards, so I'll be coming back to this particular background in the future.

The only thing I've altered about the Exorcised background is how their immunity to Possession works. Back in the old days of Slaves to Darkness and the Lost and the Damned exorcised individuals were stated to be immune to future Daemonic Possession. In fact, that's one of the core concepts behind the Exorcists space marine chapter and I massively disagree with Fantasy Flights alteration to that little snippet of lore. So I've changed it back.

The Heretek has been slightly altered to bring them in line with my alteration to how Skills work, which I'll go into more details about when we get to that section of this project.

The Imperial Guard, Mutant and Outcast backgrounds have been altered slightly, both to accomodate the Skill alterations and to give a bit more variety to their starting equipment. I'm not, for example, entirely sure why a member of an Artillery regiment or a mutant from the dark holds of a void ship would be carrying a grapnel and line with them... Likewise I've given Mutants the ability to take Lore [Underworld] intead of Lore [Mutants] seeing as just being a mutant doesn't mean you understand what you are, and for such individuals knowledge of how to survive amongst the outcasts and pariahs of an Imperial world would be far more useful than scholastic knowledge of their condition.

The Rogue Trader Fleet background is an odd one. Whilst I know what they were going for with it, it doesn't really represent the bulk of a fleets membership, who would be better represented by other backgrounds such as Imperial Navy our Outcast. Rather it is a Rogue Trader "Dynasty" background, that would suit the leaders of such a fleet, the members of the dynasty, and their closest advisors. Anyway, mechanically my major alteration to this class is the adjustment to their Background Bonus with the rationale that just because someone is a member of a Rogue Trader fleet, it doesn't mean they interract with Xenos in any way other than down the barrel of a gun, if they do so at all. Indeed I think that a re-roll based ability that gives them advantages to both making a profit from their findings and commanding the servants of their dynasty makes more sense. This is one that I'm not entirely happy with, so I'll probably come back to this one in the future once I've let it percolate around in my head a bit more.

Anyway, that's all for this section, feel free to let me know what you think and next time we'll be moving on to Roles.

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael