CHARACTER CREATION Tunnels, on the other hand, were an environment I felt right at home in, and I could match

my fighting skills in a dark confined space with anything we might find down there, And it wasnt like I was going in alone either. Caves of Ice, the memoires of Commissar Ciaphas Cain Every individual is unique. No matter how many billions of souls inhabit the Imperium, no two match each other. Not in a single hive, not on a single planet, not in a system and not in a sector. Everyone is made up of their upbringing, civilisation, experiences, homes, schools and training. While an individuals key occupation and livelihood will affect his or her life more then anything else, the basic events of their history will be reflected in their abilities, potential and skills. Those who ran with gangs at a young age will be more familiar with urban combat, while those who were raised in the Imperiums huge and overcrowding orphanages will have developed kinships and independent thoughts others are unfamiliar with. Commissar Cains early life in a hive city, give him an amazing edge in close quarters combat that the Valhallans of the 597th do not have. But the Valhallans in turn have a greater resistance to the cold. In this section you will see how to add depth and individuality to your character based on background, age, traits and prior experience. These rules are Apocrypha in nature and are meant to add to, not entirely replace, the preexisting character generation rules found in Dark Heresy. GMs are encouraged to use these rules as they are written, extract what they like or use them as a basis for new character creation modifiers. AGE With age there comes experience and wisdom, but also pain, suffering and loss. The older on gets the more disillusioned and defeated a soul becomes. Working twenty years in a factory will have an astounding effect on ones skill and talent with manufacturing and knowledge of his or her job, but the tedious nature and dependency on the work will break down a persons sanity and faith. To reflect this, each age category has four new modifiers. These are Experience Points (XP), Fate Points (FP), Insanity Points (IP), and Corruption Points (CP). As a character is aged he or she receives more Experience Points (added to the 400 initial XP) but also loses Fate Points and gains Insanity and Corruption Points. These bonus Experience Points can be used to either gain additional Background Traits (see below) or buy Career Advances as normal. Experience Points spent on Background Traits do not count toward a characters Rank advancements, but those spent on normal Career Advances do. To determine the modifiers to XP, FP, IP and CP requires a little extra dice rolling and time, but adds flavor and colour to the character. Determine these modifiers by consulting the table below. The D100 roll used is the same as rolled to determine the characters age. AGING A CHARACTER Perhaps you are unhappy with the youth of your Acolyte? Or perhaps you just want more of the bonus XP to be gained at older ages so you can nab a few extra talents or skills? Players have the option to age their characters to their desired age, but doing so goes against the initial will of the Emperor (that and the roll of the dice). For each age category you increase your Acolyte, he or she suffers a reduction to his or her characteristics, and while initial loss may seem tolerable, the points lost tend to add up. There are two categories of age reduction, slight and intense. Slight age reduction loses 2 from the listed characteristics for every two levels of increased age category, while intense age reduction suffers a penalty of 2 for every level of increased age category. The characteristics are aligned in the following categories.

Slight: Intelligence, Will Power, Fellowship, Toughness, and Perception. Intense: Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Strength, and Agility. As one can see, no characteristic escapes unaltered by voluntarily aging a character beyond the years the Emperor has deemed for them. However, they do receive all other modifiers to XP, IP, CP and FP!

PLANETARY BACKGROUND The specific planet you are from will greatly affect your starting outlook and knowledge. Natives of Catachan and natives of Krieg have different styles of survival skills, despite them both being from death worlds. Catachans would have the Survival Skill while those who hail from Krieg would have Resistance (Radiation). Cadians are naturally more disciplined and would be considered to have the Insanely Faithful talent at character generation, while Armageddon Ork Fighters would start with Hatred (Orks) as their background talent. These are just some broad examples of starting bonus talents and skills based on a particular world. GMs and players are encouraged to discuss together the type of world the character is from and to determine the bonus skill or talent the character receives. At the GMs option a character may receive a second bonus background skill or talent, but the character will suffer a 5 reduction to one of his or her characteristics as a drawback. On the same note the bonus skill or talent could be a +1D5 to a given characteristic (or two, but the -5 to another characteristic is required). Several imperial worlds are listed in the appendix with their recommended bonus background skills and/or talents and characteristic modifiers. While these may seem conflicting with some of the options and entries for Personal Backgrounds, and completely contrary to the nature of Void Born, the two options work together well. Players and GMs are encouraged to use common sense and imagination when mixing these two options together. A Cadian Guardsman could logically be of the Planetary Background of Cadia, the Imperial World: Birth Planet of Agri-World or War Zone or even a Hive Worlder if he or she lived in a one of the mega cities on Cadia. Likewise he or she could have been raised in a resort city or church monastery for the Paradise Planet or Shrine World options. Void born are a little different as they do not really have a home world per see, and therefore GMs and Players should just use the rules above to pick a background skill or talent as normal.

BACKGROUND TRAITS The bonus XP gained from age (and experience, see below) can be used to purchase any skill or talent that a player wishes, as well as purchasing the same skill more then once for the +10 or +20 modifier. As a general rule, advance skills cost 200 XP while basic skills and talents cost 100XP. Requirements must still be met as normal. When buying Background Traits that are not available at the 2 characters starting rank, the XPs spent do not count toward his or her advancement to the next rank.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND Your parents, family, home and education as a youth will shape your mind and goals as well as hone you reflexes and muscles. Anything from the food you eat to the books you read and the pets you raise will affect the final outcome of who you are. While this system of modifications will not analyze every year, moment or event of you childhood and young adult days, the basic pasts determined in character generation from the core Dark Heresy rules (found on pages 31-33) will add modifiers as follows. FERAL WORLD: TRIBAL TABOOS Dirt Ward Unlucky Colour Hunters Oath Thirsty Blade Spirit Shackle Warrior Death Power of Names Lonely Dead Living Record Nemesis MODIFER Talent: Resistance (Psychic Powers) +1Will Power +1Agility +1Weapon Skill Regain 1 Fate Point immediately after combat if you take a trophy from a foe you defeated in battle. Does not flee if failed Fear test in combat instead continues to fight at -15 to WS/BS. The character may choose to flee but burns 1 Fate Point. +5 to resist daemon fear/powers as long as true name is secret or if he or she knows the daemons true name. +1Perception +1Weapon Skill +3Weapon Skill, +3Ballistic Skill, cannot use Fate Points to escape certain death. MODIFER Skill: Survival Talent: Street Fighting Skill: Trade (Any) +2Fellowship, +1Will Power Talent: Talented (Non Combat) +2Fellowship, double starting money and income. MODIFER +1Toughness +2Toughness +1Weapon Skill, +1Strength +D5Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill Talent: Resistance (Choice) Talent: Unshakeable Faith +D5Fellowship MODIFER +1Ballistic Skill, +1Agility, +1Will Power +3Intelligence, +1Will Power Skill: Common Lore (Trading) Talent: Peers (Naval Crew) Skill: Charm, +1Fellowship

HIVE WORLD: HIVE CLASS Dross Hound Ganger Scum Factory Dregs Middle Hive Specialist Hive Noble IMPERIAL WORLD: BIRTH WORLD Agri-World Backwater Feudal World War Zone Dead Planet Shrine World Paradise Planet VOID BORN: SHIP TRADITION Space Hulk Orbital Chartist Vessel War Ship Rogue Trader 3

WHY ME? Excellent question, the following table and entries will give a brief synopsis as to why this particular individual was taken into the Inquisition as an Acolyte. While these are recommended for play and character backgrounds, they are not hard and fast rules. Whatever benefit or drawback is generated should be kept, but the individual reasons and background fluff may be changed with GMs permission.

Talented: You are gifted at what you do. For some reason the Inquisition needed your skill at that moment and then either forgot you were with them or decided to keep you along for the ride. Now you are stranded, far from home with a bunch of people you hardly know. Choose any of your skills and treat it as if you had it an additional time for +10. Untapped Potential: One of you characteristics can grow far more then others and the Inquisitor you met instantly knew there was more to you then was easily glimpsed. Dragging you to the testing facility of his order, the Inquisitor quickly indoctrinated you in your new job, whether you liked it or not. Choose any one of your advance schemes for you characteristics, you can gain up to +25 in this characteristic now, but the first advance is 100XP, the rest are shifted over one column so the fee for +10 is the normal fee for +5 and the +15 fee is the +10 fee and so on. Therefore +25 is the price that +20 would normally be. Blank: Due to a fluke of nature you are untouchable by the immaterium and the warp. After showing up as a blip on your new Masters psychic radar you found yourself newly employed with the inquisition. Congratulations. You are virtually immune to mind control and influence from psykers granting you a +20% to resist their effects. However your real value is that you add +5% to the resistance rolls of anyone within 5 meters of you. Family & Friends: Either you are direct family of the Inquisitor you work for or friends of the family. Either way, it got you involved in the deeps of rooting out terror, evil and betrayal. Due to your deeper connection to your Master you receive 150% your starting money and 15% more income monthly. Unique Experience: You saw something you shouldnt, did something that you were not suppose to do and got caught up in affairs beyond your means. Whether you became a witness or a whistle blower, your involvement in the incident has left you with some experience that is now too valuable to the inquisition, and your new master likes it that way. Add 1D5x40 XP to your character immediately. Unique Knowledge: Much like Unique Experience, but you have learned more then was intended, be it from accidentally overhearing a conversation, getting out of a cult before it was too late or reading ancient books not meant for mortal eyes. Know your knowledge is wanted by the Inquisition. You receive the Forbidden Lore (Choice) skill at +10. Pious: Your religious devotion and faith has set you aside from your peers and that has made you noticeable to the local Ecclessiarchy and in turn they have turned you over to the Inquisition for further training as they see fit. Add +5 to your Will Power and +D5 to your Fellowship. Gift: You were given to the Inquisitor Master you serve as either a present or to pay off a debt or as part of a punishment mandated by local authorities or the Inquisition itself. You are considered a luck charm to the Inquisitor you serve (see Dark Heresy page 146) and in all situations you are considered to also have a charm on your person, even when you dont.

Rescued: You were in a lot of danger. There were mutants, demons, cultists or maybe only gangers gunning for your hide. Luckily out of nowhere the dark clad Inquisitor and his team came to the rescue and saved your skin. Now you are stuck following him around hoping to gain further protection, or perhaps a ride off this world. But from now on you have the talent Hatred for whatever it was you were rescued from. Arrested & Reformed: You are a rare case. Once one the side of darkness, be it by choice, stupidity or accident, you were cornered, arrested, judged and punished. Now you are reformed. Bearing the brand of the Inquisition and forced to work off you sentence as part of your arresting Inquisitors retinue you still manage to keep up with the dealings of the wrong side of Imperium Law. You are considered to have the Peer talent with one subgroup of gangers, cultists or other neer-do-wells. Guilty: You have done some bad things in your time, and somehow over the years you have finally begun to forgive yourself. However, the God Emperor and the tower Inquisitor in black your confessor turned you over to are far less forgiving. Now in order to not suffer judgment and the worst kind of fate your imagination can, well, imagine, you are forced to right your wrongs with deeds, not words. Due to you past nature and experience you have the Dark Soul talent. Heart of Gold: The Inquisitor you met has taken a fondness to you and likes you very much. You are easily his or her favorite Acolyte and the fawn over you on a regular basis. All interactions with him or her that are respectful and courteous are at +10, furthermore he or she will help you repair equipment and find new equipment reducing the cost of such tasks by 5% and using his or her connections to better the availability of equipment for you (and no one else on the team) by 1. Reflection: The towering agent of the Emperor in shiny armour says you remind him of him when he was younger, somehow you doubt it. After being very persistent, insistent and violent he finally managed to convince you to join his team. Course, near the end of the discussion it was either join or to be judged a heretic. Now the Inquisitor seems to reliving his youth vicariously through you. Pick any characteristic and both you and the GM roll 2D10, take the higher of these two rolls and if it is higher then the original roll of the characteristic you may replace it with the new roll. The Inquisitor will always be challenging this characteristic whenever possible to remind him of his youth. Hereditary: Someone before you in your family served the Inquisition distinctly and now it is your turn. While you do not have their experience, know how or luck you do have one advantage, they left you their tools of the trade. You begin play with a bolt pistol and chainsword as well as Guard Flak Armour. 5

From Birth: You are a luck breed, from birth you have been raised by the Inquisition or in a school program for the Inquisition. It is your destiny to become an Inquisitor. As a side effect Forbidden Lore is a basic skill for you and it is available at every rank as a skill for one of the following: Xenos, Cultists, Mutations or Daemons (choose which is available when you reach a new rank). At different ranks it can a specific category can be picked again for +10 (and later +20) as long as no more then one category is picked at each rank. Slave: Life isnt easy for a slave, especially one serving an Inquisitor. Be you a purchased slave, an indentured servant, a prisoner released for limited service or otherwise acquired you have none of the standard freedoms (such as they are) of the other Acolytes. In exchange for +D5 to Toughness and +D5 to Will Power, you receive no month income and are completely at the mercy of your owner for food, money and equipment, which he owns not you. Hunted: You have made many enemies in your past, some of which are so nasty the Inquisition has taken a noticed. Either the Inquisition has taken you in for your protection or they are using you to lure out their targets. Choose any type of enemy you wish, but remember your power level and abilities when you do so. Every adventure you can take from 1 to 4 bonus Fate Points. For each bonus Fate Point you take roll 1D10. For each 9 you roll one of your enemies will show up during the course of the adventure. If you roll more then 1D10 and roll doubles then the number that was doubled will be the number of enemies that will arrive. If you roll triples, then double the normal amount and if you roll four of a kind, triple the number. In addition, whenever you use one a bonus Fate Point roll 1D10 and on a roll of 9 the enemies will again be available to harass you. Emperors Blessing: You have long been blessed and graced by the Emperors mercy. To that effect the Ecclessiarchy has insisted you make yourself available to the Inquisition who have greatly accepted you as a token of the Emperors favor and have added you to one of their Acolyte teams. A character with Emperors Blessing gains 1-2 bonus Fate Points (Roll 1D10. 1-5 1 Fate Point, 6-10 2 Fate Points). Just a Job: And thats all it is to you, another contract, another target, another paycheck. You are a mercenary who is in it for the money as much as the salvation and justice. After all, thats why we all work, to live off the money and finances we earn. These characters have special mercenary contracts with their Inquisitor master and receive bonus money for the risks they take. They begin play with 1D5x75 additional Throne Gelt and receive 1D5x10 additional monthly.

Do I know you?: A case of mistaken identity has lead the character to meet up with foes of the Inquisitor. And the surprise was had on both sides as the Inquisitor and you look almost like twins, despite him being older and more self aware. Seeing the potential of a body double and trying to reduce the risk to you, the Inquisitor has taken you under his wing, even if you didnt like the idea of it. Add +1D5 to your Fellowship. In addition you can try to pass yourself off as the Inquisitor by making a Fellowship test (modified based on the situation and people involved) and when doing so successfully you are treated as if you had Intimidate, Interrogation and Inquiry all at +20. However, if you fail you face the risk of being charged with the crime of posing as an Imperial Inquisitor. Further more if you roll doubles (successful or not) the target is infuriated at the Inquisitor and will usually attack. PSYKER POWERS It is possible to take Psychic powers as part of your Background Traits. This is highly advised against as any character that possesses these abilities that is not an Imperial Psyker will be considered to unsanctioned and will most likely be involuntarily retired. Still, players should still be given the option as in the end it is their character that it affects, but they should be duly reminded that rogue Psykers tend to be hunted down and exterminated by Inquisitors and that they generally see a member of the Inquisition on a regular basis. But then again, perhaps the players are eager to have a free tour of one of the Inquisitions Black Ships and an all expenses paid trip to Holy Terra?

SAMPLE BACKGROUND WORLDS Here is a list of some of the common worlds known throughout the Warhammer 40K universe. GMs and players can use these as basis for their own ideas, worlds and other locations. World Cadia Valhalla Modifier Resistance (Fear) Resistance (Cold). Guardsmen, Assassins and Arbites may also take Hatred (Orks) but lose 5 from Fellowship. Resistance (Heat) Blind Fighting Resistance (Toxins). Guardsmen, Assassins and Arbites may also take Hatred (Orks) but lose 5 from Fellowship. Jaded. Survival (Jungle), +D5 Weapon Skill, -5 Fellowship. Hatred (Orks), Chem-Use, -5 Willpower. Unshakable Faith, +D5 Willpower, -D5 Perception. Drive (Hover Vehicle) Resistance (Radiation) +D5 Toughness, +D5 Strength, -5 Intelligence.

Tallarn Mordia Armageddon

Tanith Catacha Savlar Terrax Harakon Krieg Kanak