ADEPT “It’s simple really. If we place the signifier here in this position, the rest of the cipher solves itself.” — Scholar Gabel Troken, Librarium Centris, Scintilla. The Administratum is a vast, monolithic organization and the largest, most powerful of all the divisions that make up the Adeptus Terra. It is said the Adeptus Terra is the cogs and gears that drive the Imperium, and the Administratum is the grease and oil that smooths and coats the machinery. Without the Administratum, the gears of the Adeptus Terra would grind to a halt and the Imperium would fail. Billions staff the Administratum, the majority of which are adepts of varying grades and specialties. Many are in hereditary positions, the titles passed down from generation to generation. Such is the immense size of the Administratum, it has been known for whole departments to become lost in a sea of complex bureaucracy only to resurface centuries later. Entire divisions have been founded and dogmatically continue to exist, even after their original intent has long since expired. Most adepts laboring within the gargantuan vaults, forgotten archive halls or sitting at ancient, parchment-reading, logic engines are considered to be learned by Imperial standards. They range from studious librarians, who have spent their entire lives within the dusty confines of manuscript-filled archives, to younger, knowledge-hungry scholars ambitious to climb the multitudinous ranks of the Administratum. Inquisitors and their agents frequently have need of such academics, archivists, curators, scribes, logisters, translators, and all manner of specialists in lore. Adepts become involved with an Inquisitor in many ways: some may already be in service within the Inquisition, others may unwittingly cross paths during an Inquisitor’s investigation, but the majority of adepts are seconded from the Administratum. For an ageing scholar, used to a rigid and dogmatic routine, entering the employ of an Inquisitor is an intimidating experience. Some are reluctant, but see it as an important duty that must be fulfilled. Others can become resentful, making it clear they are only in service out of fear and loss of status rather than any idealist sense of saving the Imperium. Not all react negatively: Some, often younger, adepts see it as an opportunity, a rare chance to leave the overbearing structures of the Administratum and quench their thirst for curiosity, and study forbidden knowledge. In the field, adepts are rarely armed with anything more than an autopistol; firepower is someone else’s job. They are present to give sage tactical advice, unlock codes, confirm the existence of STC data or brief on local customs and rituals. Their role may not be in the forefront of a firefight but it is no less pivotal or dangerous. Whilst other Acolytes can secure a heavily defended data-crypt with firepower and psychic force, someone needs to download and decipher the data from the terminal in the midst of the combat. Adepts may be thought of as meek when compared to other Acolytes, but they have access to one of the most powerful weapons in the 41st Millennium—knowledge.

Adept Starting Skills & Talents Skills Speak Language – Low Gothic Literacy Trade – Copyist or Trade – Valet Common Lore – Imperium Scholastic Lore – Legend or Common Lore – Tech Talents Melee Weapon Training – Primitive or Pistol Training – Solid Projectile Light Sleeper or Resistance – Cold Sprint or Unremarkable

Adept Ranks

Rank No. Rank Name Minimum XP Maximum XP 1 Archivist 0 499 2 Scrivener 500 999 3 Scribe 1000 1999 4a Inditor 2000 2999 4b Chirurgeon 2000 2999 5 Scholar 3000 5999 6a Lexographer 6000 7999 6b Comptroller 6000 7999 7a Loremaster 8000 9999 7b Logister 8000 9999 8a Magister 10000 12999 8b Sage 10000 12999

From Rank 6 on, an Adept must choose the A or B career path and may not switch between them. Adepts that choose to Ascend to the Inquisitor, Interrogator, or Sage career path at Rank 9 are freed from this division.

Adept Background Packages

Munitorium Quastor Cost: 100 XP The Departmento Munitorium is a vast and unforgiving organization with the relentless task of keeping the Imperium’s armed forces supplied with everything from starship plasmacores to bootlaces and bullets. This, as can be imagined, requires a great deal of unimaginably complex logistical effort and administration. Thus the role of the quastor in this is one of unblinking oversight and ruthless control. Such individuals must also see that harsh discipline and work quotas are rigidly enforced, and remain vigilant for signs of rebellion or malcontent. Regularly targeted by criminals and even cultists who seek to plunder arms and equipment, not to mention by the vengeance of aggrieved laborers and prisoners, quastors have a justified reputation as being dour, humourless and a justly paranoid lot. The quastor’s life is neither safe nor pleasant, but the attention to detail and arbitrary judgment it engenders are of obvious use in a servant of the Holy Ordos. Any quastor inducted into the ranks of the Inquisition is likely to find they have simply swapped one set of familiar dangers for far larger and even more terrible perils. Apply all of the following changes to your character: Characteristics: Reduce your starting Willpower and Fellowship each by –5. Skills: You gain Command, Common Lore – Imperial Guard, Inquiry, Search, and Security as additional starting Skills. Talents: You begin play with Paranoia as an additional starting Talent.

Scholar of the Colleges Hetaireia Lexis Home World: Imperial World or Noble Cost: 100 XP The Hetaireia Lexis is a loose organization of academic and private institutes, devoted to learning and the higher arts, with a strange and checkered history. Established by Lord Sector Caracalla some six centuries ago, their independence and rights are protected by a binding legal charter granting them rare autonomy despite being outside the control of the Adepta. Over the years, the Hetaireia has survived numerous changes in sector governorship, Ecclesiarchy opposition, scandals, murders, heresy trials, blasphemous rumors and even a full Inquisitorial purge of one of its contributing bodies, and yet continues to operate to this day. There are perhaps a dozen separate institutions operating under the Hetaireia’s umbrella and scattered across the sector. They range from small cloistered scriptoriums with no more than a few score students to the Lexis Maxima—a labyrinthine complex housing over a thousand scholars in the shadow of the Lucid Palace itself in Hive Sibellus. Many Inquisitors regard the Hetaireia as a breeding ground for dangerous ideas and freethinkers. Others see the learned men and women it produces as a potentially valuable resource to be exploited. For such a scholar coming to the Inquisition’s notice, life as an Acolyte is usually a far more preferable fate to the potential alternatives. Apply all of the following changes to your character:

Characteristics: Increase your Intelligence by +3. Reduce your Weapon Skill and Strength each by –5. Skills: You gain Ciphers – Secret Society (Hetaireia), Forbidden Lore (any one), and Scholastic Lore (any one) as additional starting Skills. Talents: You begin the game with Peer - Academics. Void Commercia Home World: Void Born Cost: 200 XP The Calixis Sector thrives on trade for without it, it would wither and die. Maintaining this trade is no easy task as interstellar travel is a dangerous, disturbing and esoteric business, and usually best left to those born to its vagaries. So in order to protect their interests, the various planetary based guilds, corporations and noble houses that make up this vast economic network each maintain a staff of highly trained and specialized adepts to act as their agents and administer their cargos as they make passage between the stars. These specialized adepts—the Void Commercia as they are known—are usually recruited and trained under contract from the Administratum itself, although some larger organizations are more than able to draw them entirely from their own ranks. Unlike most adepts, Void Commercia are usually quite familiar with the experience of star-travel and delight in their pampered life, serving as a mouthpiece for a distant master. Now suborned or cashiered into the Inquisition’s service for their skills and specialized knowledge, the demands on them are far different and they are expected to leave old loyalties behind. No one will watch out for them now, leaving them to fend for themselves. Apply all of the following changes to your character: Characteristics: Reduce your Weapon Skill and Toughness each by -5. Skills: You gain Barter, Charm, Common Lore - Imperium, Common Lore - Mercantile, Evaluate, Scrutiny, and Secret Tongue - Your former master’s organization† as additional starting Skills. †For example, you might choose Goldentongue for the trade guilds of Hive Tarsus or Cordcordia for the DeVayne Corporation.

Adept Characteristic Advances

Characteristic Simple Intermediate Trained Expert Weapon Skill 500 XP 750 XP 1000 XP 2500 XP Ballistic Skill 250 XP 500 XP 750 XP 1000 XP

Strength 500 XP 750 XP 1000 XP 2500 XP Toughness 500 XP 750 XP 1000 XP 2500 XP

Agility 250 XP 500 XP 750 XP 1000 XP Intelligence 100 XP 250 XP 500 XP 750 XP Perception 100 XP 250 XP 500 XP 750 XP Willpower 100 XP 250 XP 500 XP 750 XP Fellowship 250 XP 500 XP 750 XP 1000 XP

Each purchase adds +5 to the associated characteristic (maximum of +20). Purchases must be made in order and costs are cumulative.

Archivist (Rank 1) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Common Lore – Tech 100 XP None Drive – Ground Vehicle 100 XP None Drive – Hover Vehicle 100 XP None Pilot – Civilian Craft 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Legend 100 XP None Trade – Cook 100 XP None Trade – Copyist 100 XP None Trade – Valet 100 XP None Swim 200 XP None

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Light Sleeper 100 XP None Resistance - Cold 100 XP None Sound Constitution 100 XP None Sprint 100 XP None Unremarkable 100 XP None Melee Weapon Training – Primitive 200 XP None Pistol Training - Primitive 200 XP None Pistol Training – Las 200 XP None Pistol Training – Solid Projectile 200 XP None Thrown Weapon Training - Primitive 200 XP None

Scrivener (Rank 2) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Awareness 100 XP None Ciphers – Acolyte 100 XP None Common Lore - Administratum 100 XP None Common Lore – Imperium +10 100 XP Common Lore - Imperium Drive – Ground Vehicle +10 100 XP Drive – Ground Vehicle Drive – Hover Vehicle +10 100 XP Drive – Hover Vehicle Forbidden Lore - Cults 100 XP None Inquiry 100 XP None Literacy +10 100 XP Literacy Logic 100 XP None Pilot – Civilian Craft +10 100 XP Pilot – Civilian Craft Scholastic Lore – Legend +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore - Legend Speak Language – High Gothic 100 XP None Trade – Artist 100 XP None Trade – Cartographer 100 XP None Blather 200 XP None

All previously un-purchased skills from Rank 1 are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Basic Weapon Training – Primitive 100 XP None Peer – Academics 100 XP Fellowship 30 Peer – Administratum 200 XP Fellowship 30

All previously un-purchased talents from Rank 1 are also available.

Scribe (Rank 3) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Awareness +10 100 XP Awareness Ciphers – Acolyte +10 100 XP Ciphers – Acolyte Common Lore – Administratum +10 100 XP Common Lore – Administratum Common Lore – Ecclesiarchy 100 XP None Common Lore – Imperium +20 100 XP Common Lore – Imperium +10 Drive – Ground Vehicle +20 100 XP Drive – Ground Vehicle +10 Drive – Hover Vehicle +20 100 XP Drive – Hover Vehicle +10 Forbidden Lore – Cults +10 100 XP Forbidden Lore - Cults Forbidden Lore – Heresy 100 XP None Literacy +20 100 XP Literacy +10 Pilot – Civilian Craft +20 100 XP Pilot – Civilian Craft +10 Scholastic Lore – Bureaucracy 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Legend +20 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Legend +10 Scholastic Lore – Occult 100 XP None Secret Tongue – Acolyte 100 XP None Secret Tongue – Administratum 100 XP None Blather +10 200 XP Blather

All previously un-purchased skills from Rank 1 and 2 are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Basic Weapon Training – Las 100 XP None Basic Weapon Training – Solid Projectile 100 XP None Flagellant 100 XP None Resistance – Poisons 100 XP None Electro Graft Use 200 XP None Sound Constitution 200 XP None Ambidextrous 300 XP Agility 30

All previously un-purchased talents from Rank 1 and 2 are also available.

Inditor (Rank 4a) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Awareness +20 100 XP Awareness +10 Common Lore – Tech +10 100 XP Common Lore – Tech Common Lore – Machine Cult 100 XP None Evaluate 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Mutants 100 XP None Forbidden Lore - Inquisition 100 XP None Inquiry +10 100 XP Inquiry Logic +10 100 XP Logic Scholastic Lore - Chymistry 100 XP None Scholastic Lore - Numerology 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Occult +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Occult Secret Tongue – Acolyte +10 100 XP Secret Tongue - Acolyte Secret Tongue – Administratum +10 100 XP Secret Tongue - Administratum Tech-Use 100 XP None Barter 200 XP None Blather +20 200 XP Blather +10 Navigation - Stellar 200 XP None

All previously un-purchased skills from Ranks 1 - 3 are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Total Recall 100 XP Intelligence 30 Swift Attack 100 XP Weapon Skill 35 Melee Weapon Training - Shock 200 XP None Arms Master 200 XP Ballistic Skill 30, Basic Weapon Training (any two) Marksman 300 XP Ballistic Skill 35

All previously un-purchased talents from Ranks 1 - 3 are also available.

Chirurgeon (Rank 4b) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Awareness +20 100 XP Awareness +10 Common Lore – Imperial Creed 100 XP None Deceive 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Mutants 100 XP None Forbidden Lore - Inquisition 100 XP None Inquiry +10 100 XP Inquiry Medicae 100 XP None Medicae +10 100 XP Medicae Secret Tongue – Acolyte +10 100 XP Secret Tongue – Acolyte Carouse 200 XP None Carouse +10 200 XP Carouse Charm 300 XP None Sleight of Hand 300 XP None

All previously un-purchased skills from Ranks 1 - 3 are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Master Chirurgeon 100 XP Medicae +10 Talented – Blather 100 XP Blather Talented – Medicae 100 XP Medicae Peer – The Insane 100 XP Fellowship 30 Decadence 200 XP Toughness 30 Heightened Senses – Sight 200 XP None Heightened Senses – Smell 200 XP None Heightened Senses – Touch 200 XP None Melee Weapon Training – Chain 200 XP None

All previously un-purchased talents from Ranks 1 - 3 are also available.

Scholar (Rank 5) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Common Lore – Adeptus Arbites 100 XP None Common Lore – Administratum +20 100 XP Common Lore – Administratum +10 Common Lore – Ecclesiarchy +10 100 XP Common Lore – Ecclesiarchy Common Lore – Tech +20 100 XP Common Lore – Tech +10 Deceive 100 XP None Dodge 100 XP None Drive – Walker 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Heresy +10 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Heresy Forbidden Lore – Inquisition +10 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Inquisition Forbidden Lore – Mutants +10 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Mutants Scholastic Lore - Astromancy 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Bureaucracy +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Bureaucracy Scholastic Lore – Heraldry 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Imperial Creed 100 XP None Scrutiny 100 XP None Speak Language – High Gothic +10 100 XP Speak Language – High Gothic Navigation – Stellar +10 200 XP Navigation - Stellar Forbidden Lore – The Black Library 300 XP None

All previously un-purchased skills from Ranks 1 - 3 and Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen) are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Armour of Contempt 100 XP Willpower 40 Binary Chatter 100 XP None Basic Weapon Training – Bolt 200 XP None Die Hard 200 XP Willpower 40 Pistol Training – Bolt 200 XP None Sound Constitution 200 XP None Step Aside 200 XP Agility 40, Dodge

All previously un-purchased talents from Ranks 1 - 3 and Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen) are also available.

Lexographer (Rank 6a) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Ciphers – Acolyte +20 100 XP Ciphers – Acolyte +10 Forbidden Lore – Cults +20 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Cults +10 Forbidden Lore – Heresy +20 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Heresy +10 Forbidden Lore – Inquisition +20 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Inquisition +10 Forbidden Lore – Mutants +20 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Mutants +10 Secret Tongue – Acolyte +20 100 XP Secret Tongue – Acolyte +10 Speak Language – High Gothic +20 100 XP Speak Language – High Gothic +10 Lip Reading 300 XP None

All previously un-purchased skills from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), and Rank 5 are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Paranoia 100 XP None Resistance – Fear 100 XP None Blind Fighting 200 XP Perception 30 Good Reputation – Administratum 200 XP Fellowship 50, Peer - Administratum Pistol Training – Flame 200 XP None Quick Draw 200 XP None

All previously un-purchased talents from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), and Rank 5 are also available.

Comptroller (Rank 6b) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Command 100 XP None Common Lore – Machine Cult 100 XP None Common Lore – Machine Cult +10 100 XP Common Lore – Machine Cult Deceive +10 100 XP Deceive Evaluate 100 XP None Evaluate +10 100 XP Evaluate Inquiry +20 100 XP Inquiry Scholastic Lore – Astromancy +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Astromancy Scholastic Lore – Bureaucracy +20 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Bureaucracy +10 Scholastic Lore – Chymistry 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Chymistry +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Chymistry Scholastic Lore – Cryptology 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Heraldry +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Heraldry Scholastic Lore – Imperial Creed +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Imperial Creed Scholastic Lore – Judgment 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Numerology 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Numerology +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Numerology Scholastic Lore – Tactica Imperialis 100 XP None Search 100 XP None Secret Tongue – Acolyte +20 100 XP Secret Tongue – Acolyte +10 Secret Tongue – Administratum +10 100 XP Secret Tongue – Administratum Secret Tongue – Administratum +20 100 XP Secret Tongue – Administratum +10 Interrogation 200 XP None Tech-Use 200 XP None Tech-Use +10 200 XP Tech-Use

All previously un-purchased skills from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), and Rank 5 are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Chem Geld 100 XP None Disturbing Voice 100 XP None Resistance – Psychic Powers 100 XP None Blind Fighting 200 XP Perception 30 Deadeye Shot 200 XP Ballistic Skill 30 Jaded 300 XP Willpower 30

All previously un-purchased talents from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), and Rank 5 are also available.

Loremaster (Rank 7a) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Scholastic Lore – Occult +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore - Occult Lip Reading +10 200 XP Lip Reading Psyniscience 300 XP Psy Rating 1

All previously un-purchased skills from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), Rank 5, and Rank 6a are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Minor Psychic Power 200 XP None Minor Psychic Power 200 XP None Minor Psychic Power 200 XP None Peer – Astropaths 200 XP Fellowship 30 Sound Constitution 200 XP None Exotic Weapon Training – Needle Pistol 300 XP None Peer – Inquisition 300 XP Fellowship 30 Psy Rating 1 300 XP None Unshakeable Faith 300 XP None Pistol Training – Plasma 400 XP None

All previously un-purchased talents from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), Rank 5, and Rank 6a are also available.

Logister (Rank 7b) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Common Lore – Adeptus Arbites +10 100 XP Common Lore – Adeptus Arbites Common Lore – Ecclesiarchy +20 100 XP Common Lore – Ecclesiarchy +10 Logic +10 100 XP Logic Logic +20 100 XP Logic +10 Scholastic Lore – Cryptology +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Cryptology Scholastic Lore – Imperial Creed +20 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Imperial Creed +10 Scholastic Lore – Judgment +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Judgment Scholastic Lore – Tactica Imperialis +10 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Tactica Imperialis Search +10 100 XP Search Command +10 200 XP Command Interrogation +10 200 XP Interrogation Tech-Use +20 200 XP Tech-Use +10 Forbidden Lore – Archeotech 300 XP Tech-Use +20

All previously un-purchased skills from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), Rank 5, and Rank 6b are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Air of Authority 100 XP Fellowship 30 Othroproxy 100 XP None Peer – Government 100 XP Fellowship 30 Pistol Training – Flame 100 XP None Resistance – Fear 100 XP None Strong Minded 100 XP Willpower 30, Resistance – Psychic Powers Talented – Logic 100 XP Logic Peer – Inquisition 200 XP Fellowship 30 Nerves of Steel 300 XP None Peer – Adeptus Mechanicus 300 XP Fellowship 30 Peer – Ecclesiarchy 300 XP Fellowship 30 Sound Constitution 300 XP None

All previously un-purchased talents from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), Rank 5, and Rank 6b are also available.

Magister (Rank 8a) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Interrogation 200 XP None Psyniscience +10 200 XP Psyniscience Tech-Use +10 200 XP Tech-Use

All previously un-purchased skills from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), Rank 5, Rank 6a, and Rank 7a are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Catfall 100 XP Agility 30 Exotic Weapon Training – Needle Rifle 200 XP None Minor Psychic Power 200 XP None Minor Psychic Power 200 XP None Minor Psychic Power 200 XP None Sound Constitution 200 XP None Psy Rating 2 300 XP Psy Rating 1 Melee Weapon Training – Power 400 XP None Pistol Training – Melta 400 XP None Psy Rating 3 500 XP Psy Rating 2

All previously un-purchased talents from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), Rank 5, Rank 6a, and Rank 7a are also available.

Sage (Rank 8b) Advances

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Common Lore – Adeptus Arbites +20 100 XP Common Lore – Adeptus Arbites +10 Forbidden Lore – Cults +20 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Cults +10 Forbidden Lore – Heresy +20 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Heresy +10 Forbidden Lore – Inquisition +20 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Inquisition +10 Forbidden Lore – Mutants +20 100 XP Forbidden Lore – Mutants +10 Scholastic Lore – Tactica Imperialis +20 100 XP Scholastic Lore – Tactica Imperialis +10 Command +20 200 XP Command +10 Concealment 300 XP None Forbidden Lore – Archeotech +10 300 XP Forbidden Lore – Archeotech Forbidden Lore – The Black Library +10 300 XP Forbidden Lore – The Black Library

All previously un-purchased skills from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), Rank 5, Rank 6b, and Rank 7b are also available.

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Mental Fortress 100 XP Willpower 50, Strong Minded Peer - Nobility 100 XP Fellowship 30 Exotic Weapon Training – Web Pistol 200 XP None Quick Draw 200 XP None Rapid Reload 200 XP None Talented – Command 200 XP Command Peer – Adeptus Arbites 300 XP Fellowship 30 Sound Constitution 300 XP None Unnatural Intelligence 500 XP None

All previously un-purchased talents from Ranks 1 – 3, Rank 4a or 4b (depending upon the career path chosen), Rank 5, Rank 6b, and Rank 7b are also available.

Bonded Emissary (Alt. Rank 4+) Advances

Alternate Rank: 4 or higher (2,000+ XP). Other requirements: Intelligence 30 and Fellowship 30 Travel is a hazardous business, and foolish is the man or woman who steps unwary of the dangers away from the safety of their own, let alone seeks to travel the cold and merciless darkness between the stars. Such travel in some ways is an even more dangerous business for the powerful and wealthy of the Calixis Sector’s elites, because, although insulated by their power and their followers from commonplace hardships, they often have many enemies and much to lose. The Imperium of man is a grim and deadly place; the great and the powerful must always fear the assassin’s hand, as well as the intrigues, plots and machinations of their rivals. It is unsurprising that many choose to remain at the centre of their domains and, when matters of import arise that do not require their personal presence, they send others out in their stead. The Bonded Emissary is just such a person. Emissaries are, by their nature, powerful individuals, no mere messenger, trade factor or errand-runner. An Emissary speaks with their master’s voice and carries with them their master’s authority (to a point). Such a trusted and delicate position requires much from the individual involved, as they must be above all, clever, socially adept and strong-willed. They must also have a mastery of the facts at hand and be aware of the subtle interplay of politics, while being wary always for the maneuvering and plotting of their master’s rivals. Some Emissaries focus on the skills of the diplomat and the negotiator, while others act mainly as agents to evaluate and acquire objects, opportunities and even people who their masters might wish to recruit. Successful Emissaries soon become recognized and valued, and win favor and power in their own right. Those that fail their employers abjectly or cause them to lose face seldom get a second chance. In the Calixis Sector, as in much of the Imperium, Emissaries go by numerous names and titles depending on their task and their master. The Administratum has a labyrinthine series of titles and designations, from the Quastor Maximus who sits in attendance at the Lucid Palace, to the grey ranks of reeves, delagators, potentates and the innumerable sub-consuls, consuls lesser and peripatetic that shuttle between its concerns and the other branches of the Adeptus Terra and Commercia. The great trade guilds and trans-stellar cartels, such as the Skaelen-Har Hegemony and the DeVayne Corporation, have their brokers, agents and procurators to represent them. The noble houses of Scintilla, Malfi and the other major worlds have their own heralds and nuncios, and up and coming scions that provide them with ambassadors and who maintain their presence at court. Inquisitors have need of skilled individuals other than trained killers, mind-bending psykers, and dogged investigators. They often need liars and dissemblers, individuals whose perception allows them to read the subtle ebb and flow of the interplay of a noble’s court, and men and women who can detect the subtle taint of madness beneath a genial façade. Emissaries are perfect for such tasks, and an Acolyte with these skills can be confidently relied upon to act as the cornerstone of any covert investigation, often with the backing of false identities and cover provided by the Holy Ordos. Those that meet them, while in one of their cover identities, rarely guess their true master unless they decide to reveal it.

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Barter 100 XP None Barter +10 100 XP Barter Charm 100 XP None Charm +10 100 XP Charm Common Lore - Administratum 100 XP None Deceive 100 XP None Deceive +10 100 XP Deceive Disguise 100 XP None Dodge 100 XP None Evaluate 100 XP None Evaluate +10 100 XP Evaluate Inquiry 100 XP None Inquiry +10 100 XP Inquiry Medicae 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Heraldry 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Legends 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Mercantile 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Philosophy 100 XP None Scrutiny 100 XP None Survival 100 XP None Barter +20 200 XP Barter +10 Carouse 200 XP None Carouse +10 200 XP Carouse Common Lore – Underworld 200 XP None Deceive +20 200 XP Deceive +10 Forbidden Lore – Inquisition 200 XP None Forbidden Lore – Mutants 200 XP None Forbidden Lore – Xenos 200 XP None Inquiry +20 200 XP Inquiry +10 Scholastic Lore – Mercantile +10 200 XP Scholastic Lore – Mercantile Scrutiny +10 200 XP Scrutiny Tech-Use 200 XP None Forbidden Lore – Archeotech 300 XP None Sleight of Hand 300 XP None

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Sound Constitution 100 XP None Talented – Barter 100 XP Barter Talented – Deceive 100 XP Deceive Decadence 200 XP Toughness 30 Quick Draw 200 XP None Peer – Nobility 300 XP Fellowship 30 Peer – Underworld 300 XP Fellowship 30

Calixian Xeno-Arcanist (Alt. Rank 4+) Advances

Alternate Rank: 4 or higher (2,000+ XP). Other requirements: Intelligence 40 A specialized scholar in both a privileged and a dangerous position, a Xeno-Arcanist specializes in obscure lore and knowledge concerning the works of the alien. There are few sources for such knowledge, but among them are the Rogue Trader families, the explorators, and the annals of Imperial History itself, which are rife with stories of war against the aliens that have surrounded and beset mankind since time immemorial. The most exhaustive and prohibited records, however, reside in the archive of the Holy Inquisition itself and the vaults of Ordo Xenos Calixis, whose remit extends out to the very edge of explored space. These contain a veritable treasure trove of terrible knowledge and perilous artifacts from alien races known, unknown and, in some cases, deemed to be so dangerous that even use of their names is forbidden on pain of death. Such a vast wealth of fragmentary, disparate and often contradictory knowledge requires both skill and vast insight to organize and apply. For this reason, Xeno-Arcanists Acolytes are considered a necessary evil by Ordo Xenos, although, always the subject of the closest scrutiny less they succumb to the foul temptations of the alien. Some serve as cloistered academics and savants, while others are utilized as agents in the field to put their skills to more practical (if perilous) applications. Outside the Holy Inquisition, Xeno-Arcanists hold a far more precarious position and must often conceal their knowledge to avoid persecution. Many are driven academics whose lust for knowledge outstrips any misgivings about their ultimate fate, while other Radicals believe that by studying the alien they can better learn to defeat it, or even replicate alien technology and achievements for their own ends. Some, blinded by the potential discoveries and benefits involved, are foolish enough to secretly disbelieve the Imperial doctrine that the xenos and their works are fundamentally evil. Some even live long enough to regret this misplaced conceit. The Calixis Sector, bounded as it is by the vast and terrifying expanse of unknown space, is a place where knowledge of the alien is in high (if secret) demand, with many mercantile guilds, explorers and even noble houses, quietly circumventing the Imperium’s ban on such knowledge either through desire for profit, power, out of fear or simple, damnable curiosity. To the chagrin of Ordo Xenos, by simple virtue of the sector’s location, time and exposure, many private libraries and collections on Scintilla, Malfi and other established worlds are known to hold their own xenos artifacts and secret lore—although often useless or forgotten without the knowledge of how to interpret them. The Hetaireia Lexis’s collections have been the source of several scandals and even a few armed raids in the past. Unsurprisingly then, a rogue Xeno-Arcanist can charge a high price for their expertise if they are willing to enter such a dangerous game. Many do so with their own agendas, some not realizing until too late the true nature of those they find themselves working for. Becoming a Xeno-Arcanist is more a matter of inclination and opportunity than anything else. Conceivably any adept in the service of the Inquisition could be tasked or driven to study the alien, particularly if, in the past, they have encountered the xenos themselves or acted as curator for xeno-lore or artifacts. This is particularly the case of adepts in the service of Inquisitors from Ordo Xenos, for whom the pursuit of the alien and the destruction of those who have truck with their works is their central quest.

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Awareness +20 100 XP Awareness +10 Deceive 100 XP None Dodge 100 XP None Forbidden Lore - Mutants 100 XP None Forbidden Lore - Inquisition 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Xenos 100 XP None Inquiry +10 100 XP Inquiry Medicae 100 XP None Carouse 200 XP None Carouse +10 200 XP Carouse Forbidden Lore – Xenos +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore – Xenos Navigation – Stellar +10 200 XP Navigation – Stellar Scholastic Lore – Cryptology 200 XP None Tech-Use 200 XP None Charm 300 XP None Pilot – Space Craft 300 XP None Sleight of Hand 300 XP None Secret Tongue – Xenos (any) May be taken multiple times 400 XP None

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Sound Constitution 100 XP None Decadence 200 XP Toughness 30 Heightened Senses – Sight 200 XP None Pistol Training – Needle 200 XP None Talented – Forbidden Lore – Xenos 200 XP Forbidden Lore - Xenos Peer – Ordo Xenos 300 XP Fellowship 30

Legate Investigator (Alt. Rank 4+) Advances

Alternate Rank: 4 or higher (2,000+ XP) Other Requirements: You must have the Literacy skill. In addition, you can only select this Alternate Rank if your Inquisitor offers it to you. Heresy is most skilled at hiding its face from those who would find it out and persecute it. Conspiracies, cults and false creeds hide themselves behind layers of petty crime, local prejudices, crude fakery, false rumor and seeming foolishness, as well as more labyrinthine plots and intricate layers of well-crafted lies and deceit. Cutting through these distractions to find the truth, no matter how deeply buried, is the trade of the Legate Investigator. Fully ranked Inquisitors of the Holy Ordos are rare individuals, and in large inquiries or full-scale purges they must often delegate the minutiae of sifting through detail, and the questioning under duress of hundreds, sometimes thousands of suspects to others in their retinue—tasks for which the Legate is exhaustively trained. Gifted with a special seal of authority for the duration of a particular enquiry, these Legates are variously called “cult breakers”, “hounds”, and “brothers of question” by their fellows in the Ordos Calixis. If an Acolyte makes a particular success of their time as a legate, it is popularly viewed as a sign that the recipient may be headed for an Inquisitorial rosette themselves one day. The use of Legate Investigators is common amongst Inquisitors, a tradition within the Ordos Calixis since before its formal foundation. To be invested as a Legate is to receive a portion of the power of an Inquisitor, though in a strictly limited and defined form based upon the enquiry they are involved in and for a very limited duration. Such powers usually extend to command authority over local law enforcement, detention, requisition and question, but rarely much further. When an investigation is complete, the authority of the Legates involved is formally ended. Despite the potential for advancement in the role, some Acolytes see Legates as unfortunate drudges used by their master to plough through tedious months of interrogations and mountains of interminable records, only to find that there is nothing beyond the most minor criminal activity present. Other unfortunates are left to clean up endless loose threads after the main thrust of their Inquisitor’s wrath has been expended and they themselves have moved on. This view does have some basis as the Ordos Calixis do invest and dispatch Legates where Inquisitorial involvement is being demanded, but thought largely unnecessary by the higher authority. Some Inquisitors invest Legates and dispatch them on an investigation simply to stir up what may be lurking beneath the mud, using them as literal and open bait to draw heresy and dark forces out into the open—obviously, this last task is far from popular with the Acolytes in question. More subtle Inquisitors use legates to give formal weight to a largely covert operation, knowing that their Acolytes will have access to greater resource without having to wait on petitions to local authority or constantly having to refer back to higher powers. The granting of even a fraction of the absolute authority of an Inquisitor, even closely defined as in this case, is a very serious matter indeed, only ever entrusted to the most promising and able of Acolytes, and often to candidates who have successfully performed such a role before. Failure or misuse of such an office also holds the distinct prospect of censure and harsh punishment. All Legate Investigators bear a formal carta of inquiry (their Legature) and a Sigil of Question that demonstrates their remit and authority under the Ordos Calixis. These two things are proof of their authority and status. The first is a document that states the locale of investigation and the focus of concern, granting the bearer the absolute right to question and examine who or whatsoever they wish on presentation and corroboration of a Sigil of Inquiry. The Sigil of Inquiry is an icon made of silver

featuring the sign of a chalice engraved with the symbol of the Inquisition. It may be worn as a medallion, carried in a wallet or worn on the finger as a ring, and contains within it a code-key system for verification and secure data-access if needed. Becoming a Legate Investigator is as much about acknowledgement of capability and potential by an Acolyte’s Inquisitorial masters as it is a willingness or want on the part of the player or character. The opening up of this Career Rank to one or more members of a group of Acolytes may be a form of reward by the GM for a deftly accomplished mission or successful campaign, or some similar accomplishment. Chiefly, this career shows that a character is both trusted and viewed as capable by their superiors. Whether they live up to such trust is in the player’s hands. Once this Rank has been taken, the character has permanent access to its Advance Scheme, although the Legate’s authority only applies for the length of a particular enquiry or mission within the game.

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Command 100 XP None Forbidden Lore - Cults 100 XP None Forbidden Lore - Heresy 100 XP None Forbidden Lore - Mutants 100 XP None Forbidden Lore - Psykers 100 XP None Inquiry 100 XP None Inquiry +10 100 XP Inquiry Interrogate 100 XP None Interrogate +10 100 XP Interrogate Scrutiny 100 XP None Scrutiny +10 100 XP Scrutiny Ciphers – Inquisition 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Cults +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore – Cults Forbidden Lore – Heresy +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore – Heresy Forbidden Lore – Mutants +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore – Mutants Forbidden Lore – Psykers +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore - Psykers Inquiry +20 200 XP Inquiry +10 Interrogate +20 200 XP Interrogate +10 Scholastic Lore – Judgment 200 XP None Scrutiny +20 200 XP Scrutiny +10

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Air of Authority 200 XP Fellowship 30 Talented – Inquiry 200 XP Inquiry Talented – Interrogation 200 XP Interrogation

Tyrantine Shadow Agent (Alt. Rank 5+) Advances

Alternate Rank: 5 or higher (3,000+ XP) The Inquisition, some say, is an empire of secrets. To outsiders, this is certainly the case, for in stern judgment and shrouded in mystery the Holy Ordos sit above them like wrathful gods, little understood and rightly feared. But what is not so widely known by outsiders is that there are many secrets the Inquisition keeps from its own, either because it is expedient to do so, or because they are simply too dangerous even for some members of the Ordos to know. These secrets are often held through invisible webs of patronage, fealty and alliance, but sometimes manifest themselves though shadow empires: whole organizations hidden under the wider umbrella of the Holy Ordos whose nature and concerns remain mysterious even to other Inquisitors and Acolytes. Within the Calixis Sector one such group is the Tyrantine Cabal. Inside the Calixian Conclave, there is no greater divider than the Hereticus Tenebrae, the Tyrant Star. The supreme danger of the Star is not known to all even within the Inquisition’s own ranks. Within the Calixian conclave, even those who do know something rarely have anything but a piece of the puzzle. In no small part, the Tyrantine Cabal is responsible for maintaining this ignorance, just as much as it is investigating what the Hereticus Tenebrae represents and how to combat it. As the years have progressed, this web of secrecy and control has taken on a life almost of its own, and methods and agencies have sprung up to support it and its master’s goals. One such powerful agency is the Tenebrae Collegium—a shadow empire all of its own founded by the genius of the renowned Inquisitor Cassilda Cognos. The Collegium takes the most promising and suitable of Acolytes and transforms them into subtle and lethal instruments of deception, whose true allegiances can remain secret even from the Inquisitors they serve. These Acolytes are perfectly suited to keeping the Tyrantine Cabals purposes hidden and enacting its will without remorse or apprehension. The existence of the Collegium and its so-called “shadow agents” is a matter officially denied by the Cabal and the source of much secret debate and suspicion within the Conclave Calixis as a whole. How far does its reach stretch? How many agents does it have? And what darkness might go undiscovered lurking at the heart of such a strange and hidden power? Few know, but many outside the Cabal have grave misgivings, and some even have fashioned secret networks of their own in response. It is said Cassilda Cognos once quipped in a rare moment of levity that the Collegium “took outstanding dissemblers and accomplished liars and then began their work”. Certainly, the results of the Collegium’s conditioning do produce agents more than capable of moving through the Imperium in a carefully woven fog of falsity and misdirection. Using tiny gestures, key words and cadences, two agents can communicate vital information in the presence of others who remain none the wiser. Furthermore, using psychic and mental conditioning, a graduate of the Collegium can close his mind to all but the most destructive psychic probing, concealing his deepest secrets around a labyrinth of half truths and falsity to confuse, making them not only extraordinarily proficient spies and agents, but near-impregnable living vaults for the secrets of the Cabal. The ultimate purpose of these Tyrantine agents is to firstly hold the Cabal above all other masters, to pursue knowledge of the Tyrant Star and to keep that knowledge safe from all outside the Cabal’s jealous circle. In most cases, these goals coincide with the agent’s duties as Acolytes of the Ordos Calixis. However, where their true loyalties have come into conflict with the Adepta or even immediate superiors outside of the Cabal, this has led to cold and brutal conflict with those the agent would ordinarily call their lords, comrades, or even friends. So far, the Cabal has managed to keep all such “difficulties” from wider knowledge. The time may come, though, when the fate of all is at stake and they will have to act no matter what the cost. Perhaps a civil war will erupt within the Ordos

Calixis as a result. This is a nightmare, however, that this secret empire, this order within an order, must bear, for their own fearful secrets are as nothing to the dangers of the Hereticus Tenebrae, and some must be sacrificed lest its truth devour us all. Taking this Alternate Career Path is not just a matter of passing the XP requirements, it means that you have been singled-out by the Tyrantine Cabal. You must secure your GMs approval before taking this Alternate Rank, since advancing into this Career makes you a conspirator and subject to the Tyrantine Cabal’s secret orders and goals. So take care to hide your allegiance from others or face the consequences!

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Ciphers – Tenebrae Collegium 100 XP None Ciphers – Tenebrae Collegium +10 100 XP Ciphers – Tenebrae Collegium Ciphers – Tenebrae Collegium +20 100 XP Ciphers – Tenebrae Collegium +10 Deceive 100 XP None Deceive +10 100 XP Deceive Disguise 100 XP None Disguise +10 100 XP Disguise Inquiry 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Legend 100 XP None Secret Tongue – Tenebrae Collegium 100 XP None Secret Tongue – Tenebrae Collegium +10 100 XP Secret Tongue – Tenebrae Collegium Secret Tongue – Tenebrae Collegium +20 100 XP Secret Tongue – Tenebrae Collegium +10 Deceive +20 200 XP Deceive +10 Disguise +20 200 XP Disguise +10 Forbidden Lore – Cults 200 XP None Forbidden Lore – Cults +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore - Cults Forbidden Lore – Inquisition 200 XP None Forbidden Lore – Inquisition +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore - Inquisition Inquiry +10 200 XP Inquiry Inquiry +20 200 XP Inquiry +10 Scholastic Lore – Legend +10 200 XP Scholastic Lore - Legend

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Labyrinth Conditioning 100 XP Intelligence 30 Mimic 100 XP None Resistance – Psychic Powers 100 XP None Unremarkable 100 XP None Strong Minded 200 XP Willpower 30, Resistance – Psychic Powers Mental Fortress 300 XP Willpower 50, Strong Minded

Demagogue (Alt. Rank 3+) Advances

Alternate Rank: 3 or higher (1,000+ XP) “You have been forsaken! You have been enslaved by lies, beaten by injustice, and bled by greed, but you have not bowed your heads or bent your knees. If it takes a thousand years and a river of blood, then so be it, but we will be free!” – Unidentified heretic on Tranch prior to the rising of the Pale Throng Demagogues are rabble rousers and agitators who can sway great crowds with their words. These fiery orators may be cult leaders, idealists, madmen, fanatics, or subtle manipulators and agent provocateurs. All, however, have the skill to draw crowds together with words, bind them with rhetoric, and loose them on a target like a pack of dogs. Worlds have burned because of the actions of such men and women. Some wish for nothing more than to see the world around them torn down and set aflame, to stoke the fires of anger and dissent to the point of an all-consuming inferno. Some demagogues are created by the injustices done to them or those around them, injustices that push the demagogue past the confines of society and into open insurrection against all in authority. Many Demagogues within the Imperium are touched with such conviction and faith that they use their skills to build crusades of the credulous and desperate. Of these renegade preachers, many profess faith in the God-Emperor of Mankind in some form, but a few are spurred by the touch of Chaos and the lure of false gods. To the Imperium, demagogues are, for the most part, a menace whose activities must be controlled—and if necessary curtailed—with force. This can be more easily said than done, for many demagogues are adept at slipping through the Imperium unseen and unaccounted for. It is common for recidivist demagogues to appear long enough to create a brushfire rebellion or riot, only to melt away when the authorities move against them and replicate the destruction they have unleashed somewhere else. These elusive agitators are the most dangerous and hunted variety of demagogue, and many are counted amongst the most notorious of recidivists and heretics. Some demagogues are not the crazed fanatics or simple rebels they appear, but servants of the Inquisition acting as provocateurs and instigators for reasons hidden from all but the most subtle investigator. Most of these tame agents of hatred serve Inquisitors of a Radical disposition—and those who follow the Recongregator philosophy or Istvaanian doctrine in particular. Unlike true demagogues, these secret provocateurs choose their causes and targets with the dispassionate consideration of a master surgeon choosing the proper blade. One moment, they are calling for the overthrow of a mining cartel on Sepheris Secundus, and the next, they are rousing the mutants of Scintilla to frenzied revolt. For this most dangerous breed of demagogue, the effect their mission requires is all, and how it is masked is of no consequence. Demagogues who serve Radical Inquisitors usually assume the role through necessity. When you are charged with bringing blood and destruction or instigating fundamental changes in the structure of Imperial authority, the ability to create a riot, instigate a mutiny, and foment rebellion is useful indeed. Talented orators and socially adept Acolytes may embrace this role and dedicate themselves to perfecting its finer points, while some are thrust towards it by their master.

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Charm 100 XP None Charm +10 100 XP Charm Command 100 XP None Deceive 100 XP None Deceive +10 100 XP Deceive Disguise 100 XP None Command +10 200 XP Command Deceive +20 200 XP Deceive +10 Disguise +10 200 XP Disguise

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Unremarkable 100 XP None Air of Authority 200 XP Fellowship 30 Master Orator 200 XP Fellowship 30 Inspire Wrath 200 XP Fellowship 30

Infil-traitor (Alt. Rank 4+) Advances

Alternate Rank: 4 or higher (2,000+ XP) “Maxil, Maxil, what’s wrong, your eyes man! What are you doing with that…no!” – Last words of Adept Acolyte Danvers An Infil-traitor is an unwilling assassin, a living weapon turned against former friends and allies to sow terror and death. Infil-traitors are disposable weapons whose chief effectiveness lies in their ability to be rapidly converted from captives or abductees and turned unexpectedly against their erstwhile comrades. Captured, tortured, and mentally rewired, either by the dark arts of the witch or sorcerer or through the application of ancient and sinister technologies, Infil-traitors have no idea of what has happened to them until their programming is triggered—and then they become blank-eyed killers. Although the processes of creating an Infil-traitor are much the same as that of creating one of the Mind-Cleansed, the process is performed with much greater speed and nowhere near as thoroughly. The mental programming overlays rather than replaces the subject’s original thought patterns, instilling a set of pre-programmed commands and mimetic knowledge crudely and brutally on the subject’s mind. The use of Infil-traitors is a long-established practice both by the Inquisition itself (which uses them often to infiltrate heretical sects) and by some of its enemies, such as the Logicians and the Brotherhood of the Horned Darkness within the Calixis Sector (although the means by which these two organizations create their living weapons differs greatly). It is also far from unknown, though it is considered a particularly odious tactic, for certain Inquisitors and Radical factions to employ Acolytes and agents turned Infil-traitors against their rivals within the Holy Ordos. The first criteria for a character to become an Infil-traitor is to run afoul, in secret, of some agency, enemy, or cult with the means and motive to abduct and modify him accordingly. The character suffers 2d5 Insanity Points and gains the Trait Flawed Conditioning and may choose advances from this career rank representing his conditioning. The Infil-traitor should receive a specific task (such as an assassination, act of sabotage or particular bit of theft or spy work) that he must carry out at the behest of the agency that has programmed him, as well a trigger event or code word, both of which must be secretly agreed between the player and the GM in advance. The Acolyte will then carry on behaving as normal until his conditioning is triggered, at which point he must try to carry it out to the best of his ability until he accomplishes his mission, his conditioning breaks down, or he dies trying. The mental conditioning and mimetic programming that makes an Infil-traitor is far from perfect, and if he is subjected to sufficiently powerful trauma, his mind can shatter or regress and the conditioning unravel. If an Infil-traitor fails a Fear Test by more than three degrees, suffers mental trauma, suffers Critical Damage, a psychic attack on his mind, or is called on to perform a self-destructive act by his programming, this conditioning may break down. If any of these factors occur, the Infil-traitor may try and pass a Hard (–20) Willpower Test to break free of the conditioning. If successful, the Infil-Traitor falls catatonic for 1d5 hours (or until roused by medical attention), after which time he is free of the conditioning and this Trait. If he fails, the conditioning holds and he suffers 1d5 Insanity Points. Alternatively, the character may spend 200 XP to automatically pass the Willpower Test.

WARNING This career option is intended to provide experienced players with an opportunity to be a ‘double agent’ of sorts—at least for a while. As such, it may well result in their character eventually being eliminated from play, quite possibly at the hands of their comrades once their treachery comes to light! There is, however, a ‘way back’ if their conditioning can be broken, which can provide the chance for some great roleplaying experiences and memorable events on the way, to say nothing of the later adventure where characters get revenge on their former puppet master. This option should only be taken in full cooperation between the player(s) and the GM, and with a mind to how it may affect an ongoing campaign.

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Common Lore – Tech 100 XP None Deceive 100 XP None Intimidate 100 XP None Survival 100 XP None Deceive +10 200 XP Deceive Intimidate +10 200 XP Intimidate

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Arms Master 100 XP Ballistic Skill 30, Basic Weapon Training (any two) Combat Master 100 XP Weapon Skill 30 Concealed Cavity 100 XP None Disarm 100 XP Agility 30 Sprint 100 XP None Lightning Reflexes 200 XP None Logis Implant 200 XP None Quick Draw 200 XP None Swift Attack 300 XP Weapon Skill 35

Malefic Scholar (Alt. Rank 4+) Advances

Alternate Rank: 4 or higher (2,000+ XP) “If you wish him dead I can oblige, though you may be able to affect such an end yourself without recourse to my arts. My specialty is the manipulation of events to violent ends by malign artifice; chiefly war, tragedy and rebellion. If that is not what you desire then perhaps it is not I that you seek.” – Corwainious Tare A Malefic Scholar studies and acquires proscribed knowledge concerning the nature of the warp, the power and nature of daemons, and the manipulation of warp by the arts of ritual and sorcery. These are the wizened masters of warp craft who can summon daemons, open portals into the ether, see things far off and days remote, and create artifacts of occult and unclean power. Such dedication is motivated by an obsession with knowing what should not be known, or by the desire to wield unnatural power that is beyond that open to most humans. The power of a Malefic Scholar has potential that is only bound by the weakness of the human mind when confronted with truths greater than it can cope with. Forbidden knowledge is bought with unspeakable acts, obsessive pursuit of foul tomes, occult artifacts, incunabula, and long study. Given the fragmentary and often contradictory nature of the Dismal Texts, the practice of warp craft requires long experimentation and a considerable intellect. The effects of such study and practice are corrosive to body and soul. Most Malefic Scholars go mad and are slowly eaten by the cancerous nature of the things they know. Many succumb to daemonic influence and possession or become monstrous things ruled by their malignancy and dwindle into darkness and a life lived in nightmares. Some simply vanish and are lost to an eternity of suffering at the hands of the forces they sought to understand and control. Most Malefic Scholars are an obvious threat to the fabric and security of the Imperium; their pursuit of forbidden knowledge can unleash warp entities, provide a point of incursion for daemons and may corrupt all they touch. For Inquisitors of Radical factions which embrace the use of warp craft, a Malefic Scholar is a valuable servant and weapon to be used to fight the enemies of mankind. In the service of a Radical Inquisitor a Malefic Scholar will find undreamt of access to sources of forbidden lore and endless opportunities to expand their knowledge. Becoming a Malefic Scholar is a conscious choice on the part of an Adept who wishes to pursue forbidden knowledge and sorcery. Beyond this the character must have in-game access to a source of Forbidden Lore – Daemonology and or Scholastic Lore – Occult, such as a tome containing arcane writings, or contact with an individual who has such knowledge. On entering this career, an Adept gains 1d10 Corruption Points and 1d10 Insanity Points.

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Ciphers – Occult 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Daemonology 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Warp 100 XP None Invocation 100 XP None Psyniscience 100 XP None Scholastic Lore – Occult 100 XP None Ciphers – Occult +10 200 XP Ciphers – Occult Forbidden Lore – Daemonology +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore – Daemonology Forbidden Lore – Warp +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore – Warp Invocation +10 200 XP Invocation Psyniscience +10 200 XP Psyniscience Scholastic Lore – Occult +10 200 XP Scholastic Lore – Occult Ciphers – Occult +20 300 XP Ciphers – Occult +10 Forbidden Lore – Daemonology +20 300 XP Forbidden Lore – Daemonology +10 Forbidden Lore – Warp +20 300 XP Forbidden Lore – Warp +10 Invocation +20 300 XP Invocation +10 Psyniscience +20 300 XP Psyniscience +10 Scholastic Lore – Occult +20 300 XP Scholastic Lore – Occult +10

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Favoured by the Warp 100 XP Willpower 35 Minor Arcana 100 XP Sorcerer Minor Arcana 100 XP Sorcerer Minor Arcana 100 XP Sorcerer Minor Arcana 100 XP Sorcerer Minor Arcana 100 XP Sorcerer Major Arcana 200 XP Willpower 45, Sorcerer Major Arcana 200 XP Willpower 45, Sorcerer Major Arcana 200 XP Willpower 45, Sorcerer Major Arcana 200 XP Willpower 45, Sorcerer Major Arcana 200 XP Willpower 45, Sorcerer

Sorcerer 200 XP Intelligence 35, Willpower 35, Forbidden Lore – Daemonology +10 OR Forbidden Lore – Warp +10

Sublime Arts 300 XP Perception 40, Intelligence 45, Sorcerer

Master Sorcerer 400 XP Intelligence 40, Willpower 50, Sorcerer, Forbidden Lore – Daemonology +20 OR Forbidden Lore – Warp +20

Saboteur (Alt. Rank 3+) Advances

Alternate Rank: 3 or higher (1,000+ XP) “Terror and the application of atrocity; that is my art.” –Attributed to a nameless warlord of ancient Terra Saboteurs are craftsmen of panic, destruction, and downfall. They are the loosed dogs of secret wars of destabilization and terror that rage in the shadows of the Imperium of Mankind. Trained to move unseen amongst the great flocks of humanity, the Saboteur is a faceless agent of fear, mayhem, and death that attacks the physical and psychological fabric that binds the Imperium together. It is said by some in the Administratum that everything within the Imperium is connected by endless invisible threads of interdependence that bind the whole together. From the astropathic messages brought to the table of a lord to the food eaten by the lowest worker in a forge; all depends on something else to exist, and those in turn on other things. These threads of reliance form a vast web of power and stability on which order, faith, and survival depend. It is the destruction of these threads that is the Saboteur’s purpose and their most beloved art. Why such cold monsters of terror should be found in the service of the Inquisition can only be answered by those who understand the Radical philosophies and creeds of the type of enemy who might see a need to create conflict and destabilize the fabric of the Imperium. To Inquisitors of the Recongregator and Istvaanian factions, Saboteurs are the fundamental tools with which they forge their ends. Trained by the defenders of mankind, Saboteur Acolytes are unleashed against Imperial worlds to cause the anarchy their masters demand. From demolishing a symbol of Imperial authority to wrecking a key manufactorum supplying a warzone, the targets and actions of a trained Saboteur are designed to always create a particular effect or reaction; whether it is simply fear or preventing a greater danger from coming to pass. Becoming a Saboteur is a matter of willingness and requirement; the service which an Acolyte does for his Inquisitor may be of such a Radical nature that skills in destroying bridges and crippling cities with fear are necessary. In this case, an Acolyte may elect to undergo training in the shadowy arts of sabotage.

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Chem-Use 100 XP None Concealment 100 XP None Demolition 100 XP None Disguise 100 XP None Security 100 XP None Chem-Use +10 200 XP Chem-Use Concealment +10 200 XP Concealment Demolition +10 200 XP Demolition Disguise +10 200 XP Disguise Security +10 200 XP Security Tech-Use 200 XP None Chem-Use +20 300 XP Chem-Use +10 Concealment +20 300 XP Concealment +10 Demolition +20 300 XP Demolition +10 Disguise +20 300 XP Disguise +10 Security +20 300 XP Security +10

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Unremarkable 100 XP None Concealed Cavity 100 XP None

Warp Dabbler (Alt. Rank 6+) Advances

Alternate Rank: 6 or higher (6,000+ XP) “She would have been just a petty recidivist and peddler of harm, but then the warp found her and she became a true monster. I am just grateful that she is a monster loyal to me.” – Inquisitor Soldevan, spoken of his Acolyte Lotus Zan Warp Dabblers, sometimes referred to as warplocks and petty sorcerers, are individuals tampering often blindly with the malignant arts of the warp sorcery. Whether cultists, non-compliants, recidivists or even servants of the Inquisition, these individuals have had contact with forbidden knowledge and have decided to succumb to the possibilities it can offer. These are not true sorcerers or savants of the forbidden, but instead are dark-hearted warriors, soiled enforcers, spiteful adepts, and twisted killers who have acquired a degree of warp lore and have made the perilous decision to put it into use. Although they may never achieve the terrible heights of occult power and knowledge that the true masters of sorcery can, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. This knowledge, in particular, makes most Warp Dabblers very dangerous indeed. Warp Dabblers may have walked almost any path before they begin their dalliance with warp craft. In the case of recidivist heretics, they may be cultists, criminals, smugglers or even gang bosses. The intelligence and strength of will to study the forbidden is not something that all can do, but should one with the potential be presented with forbidden power, he will often seize it and put it to imaginative and horrible use. The trick for the would-be Warp Dabbler, of course, is to find information on the immaterium, daemons, and warp craft in the first place. The Imperium is in general a closed and ignorant society—in fact, one of the Inquisition’s vital tasks is to censor and limit the spread of information deemed ‘dangerous’ or ‘corrupting.’ Meanwhile, the Ecclesiarchy constantly preaches rhetoric designed to inspire dogmatic obedience and abject abhorrence of the heretical in equal measure. To the average Imperial citizen, an education is an unobtainable luxury, daemons are distant horrors portrayed in morality plays, and the warp does not exist. In this social climate, it is onerous to the extreme to obtain texts or information about daemonology, the occult, and the immaterium. However, it is by no means impossible. There are few things more consistent in human nature than the desire to possess the forbidden and unobtainable. In the darkest corners of Imperial society (and all too often, its loftiest heights), proscribed texts, forbidden tomes, and other instructions in warp craft can be bought, traded, and stolen by someone with the right connections or resources. The sad irony of this is that due to the Imperium’s tireless efforts to suppress forbidden malefic knowledge, those who do manage to obtain such information often have no understanding of just how dangerous it can be. To them, the rituals and incantations are just another tool to obtain their goals, or worse, an amusing dalliance. Only when it is far, far too late, does the average Warp Dabbler realize how his actions have doomed him. That is not to say, however, that Warp Dabblers are not formidable foes. On the contrary, the combination of low skill, resourcefulness, and ruthless cunning they need to obtain the forbidden knowledge in the first place makes them competent adversaries. In addition, the warp-fueled powers and daemonic allies they can draw on makes them even more dangerous. Warp Dabbling crime bosses may take down rivals with warp entities, while assassins may use sorcery to pass unseen and so eliminate the most heavily guarded of targets. Cultists may attract their followers with forbidden pleasures and dark rewards, while protecting their secrecy with hexes and malefic curses.

All this makes a Warp Dabbler an all-too-common quarry of the servants of the Inquisition. However, it also makes such an individual extremely useful to those Inquisitors willing to use the warp to their own ends. Warp dabbling Acolytes can call on their knowledge to bend the powers of the warp to pursue and defeat their targets, or use it to gain a better understanding of the motives and operations of their adversaries. There are few truer examples of the very nature of Radicalism than a Warp Dabbler Acolyte. Becoming a Warp Dabbler requires both motive and opportunity; the Acolyte must have a source from which he could acquire Forbidden Lore – Warp, Forbidden Lore – Daemonology, or Scholastic Lore – Occult. The Acolyte’s Inquisitor might be a source of such possibility, while contact with warp cults or forbidden tomes might be other possible routes. Once a character chooses to dabble in warp lore, he must spend an amount of time studying or being tutored, at the end of which he enters this rank and gains 2d10 Corruption Points.

Skill Name Cost Prerequisites Ciphers – Occult 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Daemonology 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Warp 100 XP None Invocation 100 XP None Invocation +10 100 XP Invocation Scholastic Lore – Occult 100 XP None Forbidden Lore – Daemonology +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore – Daemonology Forbidden Lore – Warp +10 200 XP Forbidden Lore – Warp Psyniscience 200 XP None Scholastic Lore – Occult +10 200 XP Scholastic Lore – Occult

Talent Name Cost Prerequisites Decadence 100 XP Toughness 30 Fueled by Flesh 200 XP Sorcerer Minor Arcana 200 XP Sorcerer Minor Arcana 200 XP Sorcerer

Sorcerer 200 XP Intelligence 35, Willpower 35,

Forbidden Lore – Daemonology +10 OR Forbidden Lore – Warp +10

Major Arcana 300 XP Willpower 45, Sorcerer Dark Soul 400 XP None Favoured by the Warp 400 XP Willpower 35

Adept Skills

Awareness (Basic) Perception Easily one of the most important Skills to an investigator, as without this Skill, he is doomed to forever stumble into ambushes and traps, and to overlook vital clues. The Awareness skill reflects your ability to perceive hidden dangers and to notice small details about your physical surroundings. You use the Awareness skill to notice ambushes, spot traps and discern other threats to you and your allies. Awareness is not tied to any one sense; it encompasses them all. When using Awareness to detect a hidden enemy, the Test is always Opposed. Otherwise, the thing you are trying to detect applies a Difficulty based on how cunningly concealed it is. Particularly perceptive Acolytes are trained to take in every aspect of a scene with just a quick scan, later recalling the subtlest of details that turn out to be critical to the investigation. Awareness cannot be used as an Investigation Skill in its own right, but it can be used to assist an Investigation Skill. When examining a crime scene, you may make an Awareness Test to attempt to notice any clues. Every degree of success reduces the Difficulty of a subsequent investigation Test by one-step. An Awareness Test is usually a Free Action made in reaction to something.

Barter (Basic) Fellowship Whether conducting menial chores in the marketplace before setting off on a mission, bribing guards to let you slip in the back door un-noticed, or negotiating for a choice piece of information, the

Barter skill is always handy for minimizing the impact to an Inquisitor’s cred-stick. You can use the Barter skill to negotiate deals and get better prices on goods and services. When dealing with day-to-day affairs, like haggling in a bazaar over the price of a fine set of tarot cards, or trading lho-sticks for food in an arbitrator cell block, a single Test is sufficient. However, for important deals, such as those entailing risk to one side, carried out under dangerous circumstances or involving a large amount of Thrones (negotiating the bounty on the head of a dangerous alien, for instance), the GM may call for an Opposed Test, with both sides using their Barter skill. As a rough guide, a success will reduce the price of an item by 10%, with each additional success reducing it by a further 5%. By first making a Barter Test, you can increase your chances of success with a subsequent Interaction Test by offering goods, services or cold, hard Thrones. A successful Barter Test and each degree of success beyond, grants you a +5 bonus on your next Interaction Test against your target made within a number of days equal to your Fellowship Bonus. The Difficulty of the Barter Test depends on the nature of the bribe as determined by the GM, who will take into account the value of the bribe and the target’s honesty and motivations. A typical Barter Test takes about five minutes, but delicate dealings and intricate negotiations may require more time, as decided by the GM.

Blather (Advanced, Interaction) Fellowship Whilst unable to spin elaborate webs of lies as with Charm or Deceit, Blather is useful for baffling a guard long enough to

escape, creating a distraction or stalling for time... or for coming up with a good excuse to feed your Inquisitor. When you make a Blather Test, you stall for time by running off at the mouth, spewing a stream of words and nonsense in an attempt to confuse and distract others. A Blather Test is always Opposed by your target’s Willpower (or Scrutiny). If you succeed and the target fails, the target is distracted by you and can do nothing for one Round, staring dumbfounded and wondering if you are drunk, crazy or both. For every degree of success, you dumbfound the target for an additional Round. If your target succeeds the Test and you fail, or if you both fail the Test, then your attempt at verbal acrobatics fails and the target may act normally. In the case where you both succeed, the character that had the most degrees of success determines the outcome. You can also use Blather against multiple opponents. For similar opponents—those that have the same general Characteristics—make a Blather Test as normal, but the GM rolls just one Willpower Test. If you win the Opposed Test, you affect a number of targets equal to your Fellowship Bonus. You may spew inane and nonsensical banter to create a distraction to divert attention from some other ally or event. If you have allies nearby who might benefit from the distraction—sneaking past a guard or picking their pocket, you may make a Blather Test to help them out. You make a Blather Test as normal and, if successful, use your Blather skill to assist your ally. Your opponent is dumbfounded as normal, although if your ally fails their own Test then the opponent may realize what is going on. You can attempt to distract your opponent and conceal your hostile intentions. So long as you are not in combat and have not exhibited any hostile or overly confrontational actions towards

your opponent, you may make a Blather Test opposed by your opponent’s Willpower or Scrutiny. If you are successful you distract your opponent as though you had successfully feinted in combat, and so long as your next Action is a standard attack, it cannot be Dodged or Parried. If your next Action is anything other than a standard attack then this advantage is lost. You may only use this function of Blather once per encounter. NPCs, while confused by your banter, are unaffected by your words if they are in obvious danger or if it is clear there are preparations being made to harm them. The target must understand the language you are speaking or the Test automatically fails—you cannot, for instance, use this Skill against animals. A Blather Test is a Full Action.

Carouse (Basic) Toughness Whilst excessive drinking is hardly encouraged by the Inquisition, only the most puritanical of Inquisitors would begrudge their Acolytes a drink or two. In addition to its primary use for relaxing, many an important clue or tip-off has been gained whilst carousing in a none too salubrious establishment, and only Acolytes who can hold their amasec stand any chance of remembering it come the morning. Whether consuming the finest amasec brandy or the cheapest stomach-stripping hive juices, you use the Carouse skill to resist the effects of alcohol and narcotics. Experienced carousers can build up quite a tolerance and remain clear-headed and lucid while those around them succumb to the effects of their amusements. Use this Skill whenever you must resist the effects of alcohol or similar intoxicants. Each time you take a drink or some other form of intoxicant, make a Carouse Test. Failure indicates you have gained a

level of Fatigue. Should you pass out as a result, you become unconscious for a number of hours equal to 1d10 minus your Toughness Bonus (minimum one hour). Your GM may incur further Test penalties as a result of intoxicant use as they see fit. A drinking contest, whether in the form of a competition to drink alcohol the fastest or to be the last man standing, is simply an Opposed Carouse Test. The consequences for failure are usually embarrassing rather than harmful, although this does depend on the drink consumed. Acolytes who spend a great deal of time ingesting drugs and alcohol find that they develop a tolerance for a whole host of toxins. Whenever you knowingly consume something that is poisonous or toxic, you may make a Carouse Test in place of the Toughness Test. This use does not apply to poisons or toxins that have been injected, applied to weapons or delivered by any other non-oral methods. A Carouse Test is a Free Action. You use this Skill whenever you imbibe.

Charm (Basic, Interaction) Fellowship One of the more vital tools available to Acolytes in their pursuit of the witch and heretic, Charm allows you to instill feeling of kinship and companionability in those you meet. A successful Test can make friends out of foes, bank the fires of anger and get you into places where the bullet would otherwise fail. The Charm skill is used to befriend others. You make Charm Tests whenever you want to change the minds of individuals or small groups, to beg, or seduce. You need not make a Charm Test every time you talk to an NPC; only when you want to change their opinions of you or convince them to do something for you, such as giving you a tip, a dance or a kiss.

A Charm Test can affect a number of targets equal to your Fellowship Bonus and your targets must be able to see and hear you clearly, and understand what you say. You can convince a target to do something they otherwise might not do by laying it on thick with flattery or encouragement. You can compel the target, effectively improving his Disposition by two-steps instead of the normal one-step, by accepting a –20 penalty to your Charm Test. The target does as you ask, but afterwards he is entitled to an Intelligence Test to realize he has been used. If he succeeds, his Disposition worsens by three steps. On a failed Charm Test to compel, the target’s Disposition drops by one-step. First impressions last, as the old Imperial adage goes, and it will do you well to keep this in mind as you make your way through the universe. When you first encounter a character, you may make a Charm Test to leave them with a positive impression, making subsequent Interaction Skill Tests one step easier until you fail a Skill Test or commit some breach of etiquette or social blunder. Of course, if you fail this Test your attempt has the opposite effect, making Interaction Skill Tests one-step more difficult. A Charm Test typically takes one minute, although more intricate flattery may take longer.

Chem-Use (Advanced, Crafting, Investigation) Intelligence The life of an Acolyte is one fraught with peril, with hidden dangers everywhere as enemies of the Imperium do their best to survive under the oppressive weight of the Inquisition. Since many foes lack the firepower to mount significant opposition against the agents of the Inquisition, many resort to cowardly tactics in the forms of poisons, toxins and other

vile substances to confuse, injure or kill their enemies. Chem-Use, then, can serve as the first line of defense against these vile weapons, while also giving the Acolyte the tools to concoct filthy brews of his own. You can use the Chem-Use skill to handle and prepare chemicals safely, especially toxins, poisons and drugs. Chem-Use covers the use and manufacture of toxins and it can also be used to identify a variety of chemicals (Investigation use). From the unholy cocktails imbued with the warp by Chaos cultists to the strange and lethal venom of the Tyranids, the galaxy brims with an appalling assortment of xeno venoms and poisons, all of which are available if you know the right place to look. Normally, when you encounter a toxin, you may Test Chem-Use to identify it. If you fail this Test, you may still use the toxin, but the Difficulty worsens by two-steps. To prepare or apply a chemical, you must succeed at a Chem-Use Test, with modifiers determined by the GM. On a failed test the chemical is wasted. If you fail by five or more degrees, you accidentally poison yourself or overdose. Whenever you want to introduce a toxin into a target’s food, drink or air and want to conceal your activity, you may make a Difficult (–10) Chem-Use Test to administer the chemical in a way the victim may not detect. On a success, you apply the poison normally. However, for each degree of success, you worsen the Difficulty of the Chem-Use Test made later to identify the toxin from the victim’s remains. You may use Chem-Use when analyzing the remains of a victim to detect toxins and chemicals buried in the flesh. Provided you have a toxin wand or a chymistry lab, a successful Chem-Use Test reveals the absence or presence of such a substance. Each degree of success reveals one more component of the substance, including such things as what it is, its method of

delivery, and the most likely places where it can be procured. If you lack proper equipment, you take a –20 penalty on your Chem-Use Test. Other factors can modify the Difficulty, including the quality of the remains, attempts to mask the substance chemically, or even the nature of the substance itself. When using a toxin wand or administering an antidote, the time taken to do so is halved with a successful Chem-Use Test. A Chem-Use Test to administer a chemical is a Full Action. Using Chem-Use to manufacture toxins utilizes the rules for Crafting items.

Ciphers (Advanced) Intelligence The Ciphers skill represents the ability to communicate in a specific code, a language developed by a group to conceal the contents of their conversations. Many Inquisitors develop their own Ciphers to communicate their instructions to their Acolytes, while also giving a vital tool for use between their servants while on missions. Whilst the Skill Groups for this Skill are quite broad, you can make them more specific, effectively creating sub-groups for each sub-skill. The Ciphers skill reflects an understanding of shorthand codes employed by certain groups to confer basic ideas, warnings, and information about a given area. This can be in the form of hand signals or as physical symbols inscribed on a surface, usually in a subtle place. Ciphers are not very sophisticated, mostly used to warn of danger, mark a target or indicate protection. Skill Tests are not required to read basic messages but may be necessary to decipher complicated communications or worn or damaged signs. When using the Ciphers skill to discern or translate the meaning of the code of

which you do not actually know, but is within a Skill Group for which you are trained, you may Test Ciphers normally, but at a –20 penalty. When a cipher is cracked by the enemy, it usually means bad news for those groups who rely on it, leading to misinformation and signs laid by the enemy that lead them into traps. If you suspect that your cipher has been cracked or that someone is using it to feed you bad information, you may make a Cipher Test opposed by your opponent’s Cipher Test. Success indicates that you have worked out that something is wrong, giving you the opportunity to turn the tables on your opponent. Failure indicates that you are none the wiser to the subterfuge. The GM always rolls both sides of the Opposed Test in secret to avoid tipping you off that something is up. Once you have identified a cipher, the meaning remains hidden unless it can first be deciphered. The easiest way to decipher a cipher is to capture someone who already knows its meaning and then persuade them to reveal its secrets. Otherwise, the task becomes a lot harder, requiring days of painstaking code cracking and number crunching, and even then you may only be able to decipher this particular message and not crack the entire cipher. Cracking a cipher is an Investigation Test with a Hard benchmark, meaning that Tests to overcome it are at a –20 penalty. The process takes one month. You may use raw Intelligence, or your Logic or Scholastic Lore (Cryptology) as the Investigation Skill. Successfully interrogating or bribing someone who knows the code may reduce the benchmark of the investigation or negate the need for a roll at all. A typical Ciphers Test usually takes a Full Action to give or inscribe the sign, and a Free Action to comprehend it. Ciphers – Acolyte is used to communicate using a private and prearranged code between given members of an Acolyte’s

cell. Note that this code is unique to each cell of Acolytes Ciphers – Inquisition is used by members of the Holy Ordos to identify one another and convey simple messages. Note that this code is unique to the Inquisition. Ciphers – Occult consists of mystical gestures used to focus the mind during incantation, to identify fellow sorcerers and to supplicate or castigate Daemons. Ciphers – Secret Society (Hetaireia) is used by members of Hetaireia Lexis to identify one another and convey simple messages. Note that this code is unique to Hetaireia Lexis. Ciphers – Tenebrae Collegium is used by members of Tenebrae Collegium to identify one another and convey simple messages. Note that this code is unique to the Tenebrae Collegium.

Command (Basic) Fellowship As you rise in Ranks and esteem in the eyes of your Inquisitor, you ought to invest in Command so that when the day comes that you attain the Rank of Inquisitor yourself, you will be better able to lead your own Acolytes. Even before this distant and unlikely day of glory, Command has its uses, allowing you the ability to exert your influence over citizens, soldiers and more. Command is used to make subordinates follow your orders. You may only use this Skill on those who are under your authority. A successful Command Test indicates that those whom you direct follow your instructions. On a failed Test, they either misinterpret the command or do nothing at all, or if you fail by five or more degrees, contradict your orders entirely.

A Command Test can affect a number of targets equal to your Fellowship Bonus and your targets must be able to see and hear you clearly, and understand what you say. You can convince a target to do something they otherwise might not do by exercising your command authority. You can compel the target, effectively improving his Disposition by two-steps instead of the normal one-step, by accepting a –20 penalty to your Command Test. The target does as you ask, but afterwards he is entitled to an Intelligence Test to realize he has been used. If he succeeds, his Disposition worsens by three steps. On a failed Command Test to compel, the target’s Disposition drops by one-step. Whenever you succeed on a Command Test to issue an order to an NPC who is Devoted or Fanatical, you grant a +5 bonus to the target for a single Test related to that order for every degree of success attained. Multiple successful Tests are not cumulative and the benefits of a successful Test remain for a number of hours equal to your Fellowship Bonus. The greater the respect that your minions have for you, the greater your influence over them. You can improve the Disposition of your followers by making a Command Test while giving them a rousing speech, handing out medals or offering them encouragement. This Test takes a few minutes and a successful Test improves the target’s Disposition by one-step. The improved Disposition remains until circumstances or your behavior gives them cause to change. A typical Command Test is a Half Action for simple commands and a Full Action for more involved instructions.

Common Lore (Advanced, Investigation) Intelligence Much as its name suggests, the Common Lore skill is possessed by every Acolyte in some capacity, representing the little snippets of local knowledge and information picked up when growing up in a place or inside an organization. Such knowledge, whilst overshadowed by more scholarly Skills, should never be underestimated, as knowing just the right thing to say, place to hide or contact to meet can be the difference between success and failure, life and death. Use the Common Lore skill to recall the habits, institutions, traditions, public figures and superstitions of a particular world, cultural group, organization or race. This Skill does not represent scholarly learning (that is Scholastic Lore), nor obscure forbidden knowledge (that is Forbidden Lore), but rather the basics you learn by growing up or traveling extensively through the Imperium of Man. When making a Common Lore Test, you recall basic information about the subject. Each degree of success reveals a bit more information as determined by the GM. For all a navigator’s charts and maps, sometimes nothing beats local knowledge. You may make a Common Lore – Imperium (or other related lore) Test to see if you know anything useful about the local area. If successful you gain a +10 bonus to the next Navigation or Survival Test made in the same locale. A little knowledge about an organization’s practices and procedures goes a long way to smoothing things over when dealing with them. You may make a relevant Common Lore Test prior to dealing with members of an organization. If successful, you gain a +10 bonus to Interaction Tests made when dealing with them. Knowledge of the inside workings of the Administratum can give you the means to

cut through endless layers of bureaucracy. When requesting information or assistance from the Administratum as part of an investigation, you may make a Common Lore - Administratum or Scholastic Lore - Bureaucracy Test. If successful, you may reduce the time taken by a further two hours for every degree of success. Alternatively, you can attempt to delay an attempt to get information by an enemy, increasing the time taken by two hours for every degree of success. On a failed Test, you increase the time taken by two hours plus two hours for every degree of failure, or if delaying an enemy, decrease the time taken by two hours plus two hours for every degree of failure. Using Common Lore normally takes no time at all. You either know something or you do not. Common Lore – Adeptus Arbites pertains to your knowledge of the various arms and sub-sects of the Arbites, including such things as their ranking structure and common procedures. Common Lore – Administratum pertains to your broad knowledge of the inner workings, rules and regulations of the Administratum. Common Lore – Ecclesiarchy pertains to your understanding of the hierarchy of the Cult of the Emperor, its rankings, greetings and general practices. Common Lore – Imperial Creed pertains to your knowledge of the rites and practices of the Imperial Cult, the most common observances to the Emperor and the most well-known saints. Common Lore – Imperial Guard pertains to basic information about the ranking systems, logistics and structure of the Imperial Guard as well as such things as their common practices, both tactical and strategic.

Common Lore – Imperium pertains to knowledge of the sectors, segmentums and most well known worlds of the Imperium. Common Lore – Machine Cult pertains to a general understanding of the symbols and practices of the Mechanicus, as well as such things as formal greetings and identifying rankings. Common Lore – Tech pertains to an understanding of simple litanies and rituals used to sooth and appease the Machine Spirits. Common Lore – Underworld pertains to an understanding of organized crime and sedition within the Imperium.

Concealment (Basic) Agility Sometimes there’s no better option than to just hide from your enemies, whether it be from a rampaging Chaos Titan, a unit of corrupt Arbitrators, or the guards of a townhouse that you have just violated. A successful Concealment Test may allow you to slip away, unseen and unnoticed, to continue your service to the God-Emperor. Concealment is used whenever you want to hide from sight. To use this Skill, there must be appropriate terrain (trees, walls, buildings or some other obstacle) or some concealing effect like fog or darkness. Otherwise, the test automatically fails. Concealment is always an Opposed Test, in which you pit your Concealment Test against your opponent’s Awareness Test (or half their Perception if they do not have the Awareness skill). You need not Test Concealment when you hide, only when someone is looking for you. If you succeed, you remain unseen. If you remain perfectly still, you gain a +10 bonus to your Test. Whenever you would attempt to conceal another character, you can Test

Concealment and apply the results of your Test for that character. The effects of a successful Test remain only so long as that character has the benefit of cover, reduced visibility (fog, foliage, etc.), and does not move. If the concealed character moves, he is no longer concealed. Whenever you attack an enemy while successfully hidden, you automatically reveal your presence. You can attempt a Concealment Test as a Half Action to duck back under cover, but your opponents gain a +20 bonus to their Awareness Tests. Normally a Concealment Test is a Half Action, representing you ducking behind cover or out of sight. However, if you take longer to conceal yourself, you have a better chance of remaining hidden. For every additional five minutes you take to hide yourself (or another), you gain a +10 bonus to the Concealment Test, to a maximum of +30 for taking 15 minutes to hide.

Deceive (Basic, Interaction) Fellowship Unlike the quick-fire distraction of Blather, Deceit is far subtler and more useful in the long term. It can be used to convince an enemy that you are there to help, a guard that you really have just found the corpse in the room, or a merchant to invest his hard-earned Thrones into your “scheme”. The Deceive skill is used to lie and con others. You make Deceive Tests whenever you would convince others of something that is not necessarily true, want to dupe them or otherwise swindle and mislead them. You need not make a Deceive Test every time you lie to an NPC; only when you want to change their opinions of you or convince them of something. A Deceive Test can affect a number of targets equal to your Fellowship Bonus and your targets must be able to see and hear you clearly, and understand what you

say. Deceive is typically opposed by Scrutiny. A Deceive Test typically takes one minute. When pretending to be someone other than who you are, such as when you use the Disguise skill, you may Test Deceive to enhance your disguise. A successful Test Opposed by your opponent’s Scrutiny grants you a +10 bonus to all Disguise Tests made for a number of minutes equal to your Fellowship Bonus. You may only use this feature if you are communicating with someone and you must make a successful Deceive Test before Testing Disguise. You can convince a target to do something they otherwise might not do through the use of deception. You can compel the target, effectively improving his Disposition by two-steps instead of the normal one-step, by accepting a –20 penalty to your Deceive Test. The target does as you ask, but afterwards he is entitled to an Intelligence Test to realize he has been used. If he succeeds, his Disposition worsens by three steps. On a failed Deceive Test to compel, the target’s Disposition drops by one-step. The Deceive skill can be used to “con” a victim. When conning—that is, misleading him for any length of time for your own gain—you may make a Deceive Test in place of another Interaction Skill, such as Charm. Not all lies are bad, and sometimes a tactful white lie here or there can smooth the way. You may make a Deceive Test to convince another character of some falsehood, whether in the form of a compliment or a plain deception. If you succeed on an Opposed Deceive Test against your opponent’s Scrutiny Test, you gain a +10 bonus on Interaction Tests against that target for a number of minutes equal to your Fellowship Bonus.

Demolition (Advanced, Crafting) Intelligence Despite the constant drilling to be cautious and subtle by their masters, most Acolytes love to blow things up. The Demolition skill is useful for making sure it’s not themselves. You use the Demolition skill to blow things up without blowing yourself up at the same time! It is used to plant explosive devices and defuse bombs, as well as for the safe handling and manufacture of explosives. Demolition involves explosive devices that are planted or set, rather than those that are simply lobbed at the enemy. Given enough time and resources you may use the Demolition skill to make an explosive device from scratch, or rig an otherwise normal device to explode. The Difficulty of the Test varies according to what ingredients you have available and how long you have to manufacture it. Rigging a frag grenade to explode when primed is a simple matter, but building a melta bomb from scratch is considerably harder. In general terms, manufacturing explosives uses the rules for Crafting items. Explosive devices such as demolition charges, melta bombs and krak grenades are far more effective when planted on a target. To plant an explosive make a Demolition Test. Success indicates that you have successfully planted the explosive, with a trigger mechanism and condition of your choice. Possible triggers include timers, fuses, proximity sensors or remote controls. Failure indicates that you believe the explosives to be planted properly, but when triggered they fail to go off. If you fail by five or more degrees, you accidentally set the explosives off yourself! Boom! You may voluntarily make the Test more difficult, for example increasing the time to plant a bomb in a more vulnerable location. By doing so, the Damage dealt is increased by +2 for each level of Difficulty

increased or additional minute spent setting the explosive. A booby-trap is an explosive device intended as a trap. It is planted as a normal explosive, but typically with a proximity trigger designed to go off when a door or package is opened. An Awareness Test Opposed by the Demolition Test to plant the booby-trap may be made to notice it before it goes off. For every degree of success on the Demolition Test, the explosive is harder to detect and to defuse. Note the number of degrees of success down when you plant an explosive—it will be used in any Opposed Demolition Tests made to defuse or discover the bomb. Normally an explosive device is located using the Awareness skill (to physically notice the device) or Security skill (to detect it using sensors). You may use the Demolition skill to find an explosive device (if you are using your own knowledge of planting explosives to find the most logical place where it could be placed). In all cases, the Test to detect the explosive is Opposed by the Demolition Test made to plant the explosive. A character can also use the Demolition skill to defuse a bomb. To defuse a bomb before it explodes requires you to make an Opposed Demolition Test against the Demolition Test of the character who set the bomb in the first place. Success means that the bomb has been defused in time. Failure means that you have not disarmed the bomb yet, although in all but a catastrophic failure you can try again next Round, if you still have the time. Failing by five or more degrees indicates that you have accidentally set the bomb off by mistake! Sometimes, when there isn’t enough time to bypass a lock manually or a doorway proves too much of an obstacle, only a well-placed explosive charge will do. If you have a small amount of explosive, either in the form of a shaped charge or a carefully placed grenade, you

may make a Demolition Test instead of a Security Test to bypass a lock. Success indicates that the lock or door is destroyed, allowing access but probably alerting any guards. Failure indicates that the lock is destroyed but the door remains sealed, the explosives failed to detonate, or that the explosion emanates outwards instead of inwards, catching anyone nearby in the blast. Whenever you successfully locate a bomb or some other explosive device, you can alter its trigger mechanism so that it detonates when you want it to rather than when the original demolitionist wanted. Resolve this as an Opposed Demolitions Test, with a success on your part allowing you to reset the bomb as if you had planted it, thereby allowing you to make all decisions about the explosive as normal. A failed Test indicates that you are unable to alter the explosive without first defusing it. A catastrophic failure by five or more degrees indicates that the bomb goes off. A Demolition Test to plant or defuse an explosive is usually a Full Action. A test made to manufacture an explosive takes at least one minute, and usually considerably longer, depending on the complexity of the device.

Disguise (Basic) Fellowship Whether pretending to be the servant of a corrupt noble, infiltrating a sinister cult or lying low in a vile dive, the Disguise skill is handy for helping you be someone you’re not. Of course there is more to a good disguise than appearances, but this Skill goes a long way to giving you the best possible chance of remaining undetected. The Disguise skill is used to mask your true appearance. Appropriate clothing, props, make-up and prosthetics are often key to a successful disguise, as are more radical accoutrements such as plastic

surgery, bionic implants or polymorphine. It is also possible to masquerade as a member of the opposite sex, a different race or a specific person, though these are more difficult to pull off. Often, Disguise is an Opposed Skill Test against your foes’ Scrutiny. You can use the Disguise skill to alter your voice so that you sound like someone else. If you simply want to change the tone of your voice in a way that you are unrecognizable, simply Test Disguise as normal. If you want to alter your voice so that it matches someone else, you must spend at least a week (minus your Intelligence Bonus in days) training your voice by listening to and replicating recordings of the specific voice. Impersonating another’s voice is always a Difficult (–10) Test or Hard (–20) if the person is particularly well known. Generally, a Disguise Test allows you to pretend to be a nameless, faceless individual, someone that may fit with expectations for a particular location or area. Such anonymity is useful in getting into places where ordinarily you couldn’t, but sometimes even a good disguise is not enough. Sometimes you must become someone else. You may use Disguise to impersonate another person. You must have prosthetics, a pict or holo-pict of the person’s likeness, and other useful tools. Impersonating a specific person is always a Hard (–20) Test or even a Very Hard (–30) if the person is particularly famous. With an appropriate disguise, you can make your lies easier to digest, such as disguising yourself as a messenger when trying to bluff your way past the guards on the front door. If you make a successful Disguise Test you may gain a +10 bonus to any related Deceive Tests, so long as the disguise makes the deceit all the more believable. The time it takes to create a disguise varies greatly depending on its complexity, but it usually requires a minimum of one minute to don a simple disguise

Dodge (Basic, Combat) Agility Who doesn’t like to be able to leap out of the way of lasfire or flying punches? Since Dodge enables you to avoid injury, negating attacks of just about any sort, it is a vital Skill for your survival. You may use the Dodge skill once per Round to negate a successful hand-to-hand or ranged attack. On a successful Test, the attack deals no Damage. A Dodge Test is a Reaction. Whenever you are allowed to make a Dodge Test to negate an attack, you may instead make a Difficult (–10) Dodge Test to dive behind cover. To use this feature, the cover must be within two meters of you. If the Test succeeds, you not only negate the attack, but also move behind the covering obstacle. You may also use Dodge to put yourself in the path of an attack made against an ally. Whenever you are adjacent to an ally and that ally is attacked, you may make a Difficult (–10) Dodge Test to swap your position with that of your ally. If the Test succeeds, you are attacked instead.

Drive (Advanced, Operator) Agility Only those Acolytes from the most technologically backward of worlds are incapable of driving a vehicle, but those with the skills to drive under pressure are altogether rarer. The ability to shake off pursuers through traffic or give chase in a speeder through dangerously built-up streets comes in very handy indeed. The Drive skill is used to control autos, trucks, landspeeders and other land-based or hover vehicles. Driving under normal conditions does not require a Test. However, Tests may be called for when navigating treacherous terrain, going at excessive speed or attempting dangerous maneuvers. Opposed Drive Tests are made

between pursuers and pursued during a chase. Sometimes, when you’re being pursued in a vehicle, the easiest place to lose pursuers is to hide in plain sight—in traffic. So long as there are lots of other similar vehicles to hide amongst, you may make a Drive Test in place of a Concealment Test to Oppose your pursuers’ Awareness Test to spot you, driving casually and blending in with the traffic. If you are close to another vehicle that is the same size or smaller, and you are both going at the same speed, you may make an Opposed Drive Test to force the other vehicle to a halt. If you succeed, the other driver must brake to avoid hitting you, is forced off the road or brought to a halt by virtue of colliding with your own vehicle. This may inflict Damage on one or both vehicles, but either way the vehicle is stopped. If you fail, it is your vehicle that is brought to sudden halt, letting the other vehicle escape unhindered. You may make a Difficult (–10) Drive Test instead of a Shadowing Test when following another creature or vehicle in your own vehicle. Success does not necessarily mean your vehicle goes unnoticed, but it does mean that it appears inconspicuous. A Drive Test is typically a Half Action, but certain maneuvers may require more or less time. Drive – Ground Vehicle covers autos, trucks, and other wheeled or tracked vehicles. Drive – Hover Vehicle covers landspeeders and other hover vehicles. Drive – Walker cover Sentinels and other walker type vehicles.

Evaluate (Basic, Investigation) Intelligence Knowing the true worth of an item puts an Acolyte at an advantage when bartering for goods or services. You can use Evaluate to determine the approximate value of everyday objects, as well as valuables such as archeotech and other objects d’art. A successful Test reveals the item’s market price and possibly a little bit about the item itself. Since a failed Test may result in the miscalculation of an item’s true value, it is recommended that the GM rolls Evaluate Tests in secret and tells the player what his character believes to be true. If you first successfully Evaluate an item, every degree of success grants you a +10 bonus on a subsequent Barter Test made to acquire or sell that item. Evaluating an item usually takes at least one minute, although the GM may decide to give a bonus if the character takes more time or a penalty if he simply gives it a quick once over.

Forbidden Lore (Advanced, Investigation) Intelligence For all an Inquisitor might try to school his Acolytes in treating Forbidden Lore with fear and caution, few listen and often find out more than they probably should. The wariest of Acolytes keep this knowledge safe for times of great need—the more foolhardy are likely to find themselves in trouble indeed. Forbidden Lore skills represent dangerous and often heretical knowledge gleaned from the myriad of unconventional sources an Acolyte often finds in his possession. This Skill represents a combination of scholarly learning and knowledge gained through practical experience. Simply possessing the Forbidden Lore skill is often sufficient to warrant termination at the hands of the

Inquisition, and a character must tread carefully when revealing such knowledge. When making a Forbidden Lore Test, you recall basic information about the subject. Each degree of success reveals a bit more information as determined by the GM. A character that learns the Forbidden Lore skill in play, or who uses it to gain some insight into the mysteries of the galaxy, may also gain a number of Corruption or Insanity Points, depending on the danger the knowledge represents, at the GM’s discretion. You may make a Forbidden Lore Test instead of an Evaluate Test, to calculate the (often priceless) value of a forbidden artifact or try to learn something about its history or purpose. Of course, peddling forbidden artifacts is often treated as a worse crime than simply possessing them, usually ending in execution... or worse. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing when dealing with forbidden lore, but can still ingratiate you with an organization all the quicker. You may make a relevant Forbidden Lore Test prior to dealing with members of an organization. If successful you gain a +10 bonus to Interaction Tests made when dealing with them. Using Forbidden Lore takes no time at all. You either know something or you do not, although the consequences for knowing such things can last a lifetime…. Forbidden Lore - Adeptus Mechanicus represents an understanding of the followers of the Machine God, including such things as their observances, common beliefs and core philosophies. Forbidden Lore – Archeotech represents knowledge of the great tech devices of ancient times and clues to their function and purpose Forbidden Lore – The Black Library represents secret knowledge of the Black

Library, its forbidden contents, strange industries and the unspeakable pale, hairless things that toil within its walls Forbidden Lore – Cults represents knowledge of the most notorious Imperial Cults and some of their sub-sects and splinter cabals. Forbidden Lore – Daemonology represents a terrible comprehension of some of the recorded warp entities and their various manifestations. Forbidden Lore – Heresy represents an unpleasant appreciation for those acts and practices deemed heretical by the Imperium. Forbidden Lore – Inquisition represents a general understanding (often based on hearsay and rumor) of that most terrible and secret of organizations known as the Inquisition. Forbidden Lore – Mutants represents the study of both stable and unstable mutations and some of their more unfortunate results. Forbidden Lore – Ordos (either Malleus, Hereticus or Xenos) represents some slightly more specialized knowledge of that particular Ordo’s practices. Forbidden Lore – Psykers represents skill in identifying the signs of psykers as well as the results of their powers and the extent of their capabilities. Forbidden Lore – Warp represents an understanding of the ways of the warp, especially its interaction with realspace and how its tides and eddies can affect travel between the stars. Forbidden Lore – Xenos represents knowledge of the most commonly

encountered species of aliens within the Imperium.

Inquiry (Basic, Investigation) Fellowship As an agent of the Inquisition, your principle responsibility is investigation, seeking out the heretic and witch and bringing them to justice. Inquiry is a vital tool regardless of your career since it enables you to get a sense of the environment, learn clues and aid you in your ongoing search for enemies of the Imperium. The Inquiry skill is your ability to pick up rumors, secrets and guarded information by asking questions, buying drinks and generally watching and listening for anything of interest that might bubble up. Inquiry can be used in one of two ways. The first and most common way is to pick up general information about local developments. A successful Test reveals basic information, with additional and higher-quality intelligence with each degree of success. Inquiry can also be used as an Investigation skill, wherein you might be chasing after a particular fact or secret. You may make an Inquiry Test to find out if anyone has been asking questions about you, your colleagues or anything else you might be on the hunt for. This is Opposed by the Inquiry Test of anyone asking such questions. Just as you rely on rumors to find answers, so to can you plant false rumors to throw an enemy off your trail. You may make an Inquiry Test to plant such rumors for others to discover. A successful Test increases the Difficulty of your opponent’s Inquiry Test by one plus one-step for each degree of success. You can use Inquiry as a very light form of interrogation, attempting to find information by asking seemingly innocent questions of the subject. In place of an

Interrogation Test, you may instead make a Hard (–20) Inquiry Test. You are never at risk of inflicting Fatigue or Damage with this Test. Making an Inquiry Test usually represents an hour or so of activity, but may represent a much longer or shorter period as circumstances dictate.

Interrogation (Advanced, Investigation) Willpower The key tool in an Inquisitor’s arsenal is interrogation—the ability to extract quality information from an unwilling subject. There is a fine line between interrogation and crude torture. In the case of the latter, subjects tend to reveal whatever their tormenter wishes to hear, but in the case of the former, a skilled interrogator can tease out the darkest secrets by utilizing a variety of devices, serums and techniques. Gear, environmental conditions and circumstances can all apply additional modifiers at the GM’s discretion. Make an Opposed Test, pitting your Interrogation skill against your opponent’s Willpower. If you beat your opponent, you get one answer plus one other answer for each degree of success. If your opponent wins the Opposed Test, you get nothing of worth. On a serious failure, you botch the procedure and inflict 1d10 plus your Willpower Bonus in Damage. If you fail by five or more degrees, you deal Damage as before but your subject gains a +30 bonus to Willpower Tests made to resist Interrogation. Each Interrogation Test inflicts one level of Fatigue on the target. An Interrogation Test consumes 1d5 hours of time.

Invocation (Advanced) Willpower An Invocation Test allows you to boost your Power Roll when using Psychic

Powers by an amount equal to your Willpower Bonus. An Invocation Test is a Full Action. During this time, you clear your mind through various means, such as muttering mantras, meditating, fingering psychic-foci and so on. A successful Test indicates that your mind is well prepared to touch the warp. On the next Round, you may add your Willpower Bonus in addition to any other bonus you add to your Power Roll. Failure on an Invocation Test indicates that you are not composed enough to gain any benefits from your preparations. If you make a successful Invocation Test and then do not take the Focus Power Action on the following Turn, there are no side effects (aside from you possibly looking a little foolish).

Lip Reading (Advanced) Perception Although far less technical than a surveillance auspex, the Lip Reading skill is a relatively foolproof way of “listening” in to the conversations of others, useful for undercover Acolytes or those caught unprepared. Use the Lip Reading skill to “listen in” on conversations that take place out of earshot. To use this Skill, you must have an unobstructed view of the speaker’s mouth and you must also be able to understand the language spoken. Distance is the biggest factor. The further away the subject is, the harder the Test. The base Difficulty is Challenging (+0), but it worsens by one step for every ten meters of distance. Note that equipment that magnifies vision can be used to offset this penalty and even provide bonuses. A successful Test reveals the general gist of the conversation, such as the person is talking about the weather, new tariffs at the space dock, and so on. Each degree of success reveals more specific details.

You may use your Lip Reading skill to communicate discretely with another person in your line of sight, either hiding coded messages in regular conversation or mouthing a message to them. You only need to make a Lip Reading Test to hide words in normal conversation, not to simply mouth a message, but the recipient must make a Lip Reading Test either way to successfully interpret the message. If either Test is failed then the message is not conveyed properly. A Lip Reading Test is a Full Action, though it lasts as long as the target speaks.

Literacy (Advanced) Intelligence Literacy is another vital tool for those in service of the Inquisition, since any investigation that requires research into ancient texts, communication by discrete means or even reading instructions left by the Inquisitor, makes Literacy more than just a quaint option but a requirement for the job. The Literacy skill enables you to read any language you can speak. You normally do not need to Test Literacy for everyday instances of reading or writing, but the GM may call for a Literacy Test when you attempt to read a challenging dialect, poor penmanship, decipher obscure phraseology, archaic usage or unusual idioms. To read one page of text (approximately 750 words), a Literacy Test takes about one minute. Sometimes you might not have the luxury of time to spend an hour flicking through a tome to find the proper warding rituals. In such hurried cases, you may make a Difficult (–10) Literacy Test to skim through the text to find what you are looking for, allowing you to read a page of text in a Round. However, you are unable to get more than a sense of meaning or

find a specific phrase or section by doing this.

Logic (Basic, Investigation) Intelligence Inquisitors value servants with the ability to crack mathematical formulae, codes and other puzzles, and those with extensive training in Logic can rise far, provided they keep their keen minds where they belong and do not dabble into the forbidden. Logic represents your proficiency at mathematics and your ability at problem solving. Logic Tests might be made to decipher a code or to solve a particularly troublesome equation. Logic is also used by Tech-Priests to incant mathematical rituals on machinery. Note that Logic is a purely theoretical Skill—Tech-Use is its practical counterpart. Late in an investigation, once the clues are all in place, you may use your Logic skill to try to put it all together and bring the investigation to a conclusion. You may use Logic as an Investigation Skill, making a Logic Test alongside another Investigation Skill Test. If both are successful, you may roll an additional 1d10 and subtract the roll from the amount of time taken to carry out the investigation. You may use Logic as an Investigation Skill when attempting to decipher a cipher. See the Cipher skill for more information on how to do this. Once per game session, when you are stumped at an impasse or otherwise confronted with a problem you can’t quite overcome, you may make a Very Hard (–30) Logic Test to conjure up an idea from the depths of your mind. On a success, the GM may grant you a hint, nudge you in the right direction or offer some other previously overlooked clue to aid you in your investigation.

Tech-priests know the mathemechanical formulae to coax a machine-spirit into behaving itself. You may make a Logic Test to recall the correct rituals and incantations, and, if successful, gain +10 to a Tech-Use Test made at the same time. Alternatively, you may use your Logic to assist another Acolyte’s Tech-Use skill. You know the rites and rituals to placate an angry machine-spirit, coaxing it to cooperate. In the event of a weapon or equipment malfunction or Jamming, you may make a Difficult (–10) Logic Test to coax the machine-spirit into behaving itself. If the Test is successful, the weapon does not Jam or the piece of equipment does not malfunction. A Logic Test usually takes one minute of pondering and thinking, although especially difficult problems might require much longer.

Medicae (Advanced) Intelligence Injury comes with the job of being an Acolyte and, for this reason, most teams include at least one member with some familiarity with Medicae, or at least have access to someone who does. Medicae enables you to patch up comrades, pull an ally from the brink of death, administer drugs and point out the best place to stick a needle to cause optimum pain. You can diagnose what’s wrong with a patient by succeeding on a Medicae Test. The GM rolls for you in secret. A success reveals the most basic trouble, with each degree of success revealing an additional useful fact. A failure reveals nothing, while a failure by three or more degrees results in a misdiagnosis with often spectacularly awful results if the physician is allowed to treat the patient. Examples include poisoning, lopping off the incorrect limb, replacing organs unnecessarily and so on.

The Medicae skill is used to treat and repair injuries by closing wounds and restoring the balance of the body’s humors. There are two general methods for using Medicae: First Aid and Extended Care. You can use the former to attend fallen or injured comrades, while the latter serves to hasten the removal of damage. First Aid Using the Medicae skill to perform First Aid offers a quick fix for injured or dying characters. A successful Medicae Test removes Damage equal to your Intelligence Bonus to Lightly Wounded characters, one (1) Damage from Heavily Wounded characters and one (1) point of Critical Damage from Critically Wounded characters. On a failure, the patient is not adversely affected and simply removes Damage at the natural healing rate. However, a failure by three or more degrees indicates that Lightly or Heavily Wounded take a point of Damage, whilst a character on 0 Wounds must make a Toughness Test or die. First Aid may only be applied to each Wound once and is a Full Action by you and your patient. Generally, a Medicae Test to provide First Aid is Challenging (+0), but the severity as well as the type of injury can also have an effect. As an optional rule, you can use the following Difficulties for performing First Aid on injured characters. This method requires players to keep track of the type of Damage they’ve taken. As well, a Medicae Test is made to repair a specific set of injuries, each Test attending to a particular type of injuries. The Injury Level applies to total Damage taken, so even if the target only took 1 point of Energy Damage and 6 points of Explosive Damage, that same target would still count as Heavily Injured.

Energy Light Challenging (+0) Heavy Difficult (-10) Critical Difficult (-10) Explosive Light Difficult (-10) Heavy Hard (-20) Critical Very Hard (-30) Impact Light Ordinary (+10) Heavy Challenging (+0) Critical Difficult (-10) Rending Light Challenging (+0) Heavy Difficult (-10) Critical Hard (-20) If you’re not using the optional rules described here, a character can benefit from First Aid just once per combat encounter, even when attended by multiple healers. If you’re using the optional rules, a character can receive First Aid for each type of Damage taken. So a character who has taken only Explosive Damage can only receive First Aid once, while a character who has taken Energy and Explosive Damage could receive two uses of First Aid, one for each set of injuries. Extended Care Extended Care speeds the healing process. You can attend a number of patients equal to your Intelligence Bonus. Each patient above this number imposes a cumulative –10 penalty to your Medicae Tests to provide extended care. For Lightly Wounded patients make one Test at the end of each day. For Heavily or Critically Wounded patients, Test once at the end of each week. On a success, your patient removes twice the normal Damage (removing Critical Damage first then normal Damage), plus one (1) Damage for each degree of success. On a failure, your patients are not adversely affected,

removing Damage at the normal rates. A failure by three or more degrees indicates that all Lightly Wounded or Heavily Wounded characters take one (1) Damage—use Sudden Death to resolve Critical Damage. Failing by five or more degrees indicates that all patients take 1d10 Damage—again, use Sudden Death to resolve Critical Damage. If you are using the optional rules described under First Aid, the type of injury can affect the Medicae Test to treat patients. Use the predominant Damage type to determine the base Difficulty (e.g. the type of Damage that affects the target the most). In the case of two equal Damage types, use the worst modifier. Next, for each Damage type that afflicts the target beyond the first, reduce the Difficulty by one-step. This determines the base Difficulty of the Test. Unlike the basic system, you must Test separately for each patient. Energy Challenging (+0) Explosive Difficult (–10) Impact Challenging (+0) Rending Difficult (–10) Other Uses A person trained in Medicae can also attend to other injuries beyond Damage. Blood Loss: A Difficult (–10) Medicae Test halts Blood Loss. If the subject is still fighting or has moved while suffering from Blood Loss, the Test is Very Hard (–30) instead. Broken Limbs: A Difficult (–10) Medicae Test is required to safely remove a necrotized limb (which results from a failed Toughness Test made to resist limb loss from a broken limb). A failed Test deals 1d10 points of Damage to the limb location, ignoring Armor. Note that a failed Test also results in Blood Loss. Pharmacy: When administering a drug or treating a poison with Chem-Use, you may first make a Difficult (–10) Medicae Test to bring to bear your Medicae knowledge.

On a success, you gain a +5 bonus to the Chem-Use Test. On a failure by three or more degrees you take a –5 penalty instead. Install Implants and Bionic Components The Medicae skill also allows you the ability to install replacement limbs and organs. To do so, you must have the implant or bionic device handy. The Test Difficulty depends on the unit, its quality and the facilities available. The process of implantation always takes 2d10 days minus one day per point of the patient’s Toughness Bonus (to a minimum of one day). The following table describes the Test Difficulties for this procedure. All Difficulties are cumulative. If you have also have the Tech-Use skill, you gain a +10 bonus on Medicae Tests to install implants and bionic components. Device Type Bionic Arm Challenging (+0) Bionic Locomotion Difficult (–10) Bionic Respiratory System Hard (–20) Chem Gland Difficult (–10) Concealed Weapon Challenging (+0) Hermetic Infusion Very Hard (–30) Augur Array Challenging (+0) Ballistic Mechadendrite Difficult (–10) Cortex Implant Hard (–20) Cybernetic Senses Difficult (–10) Man. Mechadendrite Challenging (+0) Medicae Mechadendrite Difficult (–10) Mind Impulse Unit Challenging (+0) Optical Mechadendrite Challenging (+0) Utility Mechadendrite Challenging (+0) Injector Rig Ordinary (+10) Mining Helot Augmetics Routine (+20) Rite of Setesh Very Hard (–30) Vehicle Interface Circuitry Ordinary (+10) Device Quality Poor Difficult (-10) Common Challenging (+0) Good Ordinary (+10)

Facility Type Dreadful (in the field) Hard (–20) Poor (field medicae tent, Rogue Trader) Difficult (–10) Common (hospital) Challenging (+0) Good (quality hospital) Ordinary (+10) Excellent (Inquisitor’s personal hospital) Routine (+20) A failed Medicae Test to install an implant or bionic unit can have nasty consequences. A simple failure reduces the quality of the unit by one-step. If the unit was poor to begin with, the unit doesn’t work at all and could, in the case of a vital system, kill the patient. A failure by three or more degrees means that the limb breaks and the procedure seriously injures the patient, dealing 2d10 points of Rending Damage to the affected location (ignoring Armor Points). A failure by five or more degrees results in the death of the patient, the ruin of the device and 1d10 Insanity Points to all who witness the appalling mishap. Special: The Master Chirurgeon talent expands your options with the Medicae skill, Navigation – Stellar (Advanced) Intelligence Whether using a simple map and archeocompass, an innate knowledge of the landscape or the stars themselves, an Acolyte with the Navigation skill is rarely lost. You employ the Navigation skill whenever you want to use maps, technical readouts, innate knowledge and landmarks to chart a proper course and avoid becoming lost. A successful Navigation Test can also estimate travel times based on geography, cosmography, time of year, weather and so on. Under normal circumstances, a single successful Test each day is sufficient to keep you on track,

though the GM may call for additional Tests if there are unusual conditions, such as fluctuating landmasses, swirling eddies of plasma or violent storms. Knowledge of the landscape coupled with careful planning allows you to plot a route designed to lose any pursuers. You may make a Navigation Test to assist a Tracking or Concealment Test made to lose a pursuer. By using stellar cartography, calculating ship velocity and headings, and analyzing recent disturbances, you can attempt to track the movements of a spacecraft. You may make a Difficult (–10) Navigation - Stellar Test to track a spacecraft in the same way you would use the Tracking skill to track a creature over land. Stellar Navigation is used to navigate in space between planets, using star charts and cartomantic rituals. A Navigation Test usually represents several hours of charting courses, consulting maps and making heading corrections, but it may take one minute or less if its purpose is just to find out where you are.

Pilot (Advanced, Operator) Agility Whether snaking a lander through a hail of lasfire, or expertly piloting a guncutter in pursuit of a renegade ship, a skilled pilot is a vital component of nearly every Inquisitor’s retinue. The Pilot skill is used to fly anything from small atmospheric craft such as ornithopters and landers, all the way up to spaceship-sized vessels. Piloting a ship under normal conditions does not require a Test. However, Tests may be called for when flying in conditions such as storms, going at excessive speed or attempting dangerous maneuvers. A popular maneuver for when a ship has unwelcome intruders onboard is for the pilot to jolt or jar the craft in such a way as to force all unsecured passengers to lose

their footing. If the defenders can be forewarned somehow, this can give them an advantage in a fight. You make a Pilot Test, opposed by an Agility Test by everyone caught unawares. If successful, the hapless victim is knocked over and must spend his next Round getting up again. You may make a Difficult (–10) Pilot Test instead of a Shadowing Test when following another creature or vehicle in your own vehicle. Success does not necessarily mean your vehicle goes unnoticed, but it does mean that it appears inconspicuous. A Pilot Test is typically a Half Action, but certain maneuvers may require more or less time. Pilot – Civilian Craft is used to fly small atmospheric craft and landers. Pilot – Space Craft is used to fly interplanetary craft. Psyniscience (Advanced) Perception The Psyniscience skill is to psykers what Awareness is to mundane Acolytes. It allows them to detect nearby psychic disturbances and such forewarning allows them to avoid being surprised by a Daemon or psyker. You can use the Psyniscience skill to become attuned with the ebb and flow of the warp and the immaterium. The most common application of this Skill is to detect the presence or absence of Daemons or other psykers. To do so, make a Psyniscience Test. On a success, you extend your senses out to a number of meters equal to your Perception Bonus plus 1d10. Each degree of success allows you to add 1d10+PB meters to your roll. You can also Test to detect unusual psychic phenomena, areas where realspace has been “disrupted”, areas where the

immaterium seems to be blocked (or shielded against), and so on. The GM may wish to make the Test in secret depending on just what it is that the psyker may detect. The results of any Psyniscience Test are summarized on the following chart: Standard Success - Awareness that the immaterium is being disrupted. Level One - General location from where the phenomena emanates. Level Two(+) - Exact location of the individual channeling or blocking the immaterium. Instead of merely detecting the number of locations or individuals causing a disruption in the immaterium, you may focus your senses to glean a little more information about them as follows. You may split your degrees of success between this chart and the above chart; Level One - The general strength of the phenomena (more or less powerful than you). Level Two(+) - The precise strength, nature and origin of the phenomena. Psyniscience allows you to perceive the intricate weaves of power involved in the manifestation of a Psychic Power. Whenever you are the target of a Psychic Power, you may make a Very Hard (–30) Psyniscience Test. If you succeed, you negate the effects of any of the power’s Overbleed. Every living creature leaves a psychic signature in the warp, and careful use of Psyniscience can allow you to detect the presence or absence of normal creatures. You may make a Difficult (–10) Psyniscience Test in place of an Awareness Test. Using Psyniscience is a Full Action.

Security (Advanced) Agility Many an Acolyte has saved himself the indignity of breaking down a door with judicious use of the Security skill. Security is used to bypass locks of all types and circumvent tough security systems to get into well-protected locations. You can also use Security to take control of security systems so they work for you instead of the original owner. You can use the Security skill to bypass locks and other security systems. Using this skill without proper tools is extremely difficult. The Difficulty of the Test depends on the quality of the defense. Generally one Test is sufficient, but more complicated systems may require additional Tests or degrees of success. Any attempt to bypass a lock or other security system without using a mutlikey or other set of appropriate tools suffers from a –20 penalty. Sometimes it won’t be a person looking for you, but a sensor, such as an auspex. Unless the sensor relies on physical input, the Concealment skill is of no use. Instead you may use the Security skill in place of Concealment, if you have the means to disrupt or deceive the sensor. You can make a Security Test to set up and install a security system. Each degree of success increases the difficulty of any Test made to breach it by one. A Security Test to setup a security device takes one hour. When using handheld scanners or larger security monitors, you may use Security instead of Awareness. A typical Security Test takes one minute, with each degree of success reducing this time by ten seconds.

Scholastic Lore (Advanced, Investigation) Intelligence Many Acolytes spend a great deal of their life studying and researching, becoming experts in their field, from psykers with their knowledge of the occult and the warp, arbitrators with their fanatical knowledge of Imperial justice, and officers with their understanding of the minutiae of the Tactica Imperialis. It is precisely for this expertise that Inquisitors surround themselves with such adept Acolytes. The Scholastic Lore skill grants you knowledge of a particular scholarly subject. A successful Test enables you to recall pertinent facts and—if you have access to the proper facilities or resources—to do research. Scholastic Lore represents a depth of learning far beyond Common Lore and it requires extensive study. You make Scholastic Lore Tests to identify an object, creature or place that falls under your particular area of expertise. A successful Test about a subject related to your specialty reveals the basic information. Each degree of success reveals more information as follows:

Standard Success - Reveals basic Information known to people of your training. Level One - Reveals uncommonly known information, even among your peers.

Level Two - Reveals obscure information about the subject. Such information is known to but a few scholars.

Level Three(+) - Reveals extremely obscure information, known only to a handful of experts.

In some areas, Scholastic Lore overlaps with Common Lore and Forbidden Lore, but almost always represents a far greater—and more academic—level of study. To recall a fact or tidbit about the subject, a Scholastic Lore Test takes no time at all. You either know the fact or not. Researching, assuming you are in the proper environment to do so, takes far longer. You may make one Scholastic Lore Test every 1d10 hours. Whilst Scholastic Lore mainly concerns the theoretical, quite often it is applicable to more practical pursuits. You may make a Scholastic Lore Test to gain a +10 bonus to a related Skill Test, or to assist another Acolyte using a related Skill. However, doing so greatly increases the time taken to carry out the Skill Test as no scholarly knowledge is recalled hurriedly. The related Skill Test increases in time from Rounds to minutes, minutes to hours and hours to days. If the time taken is already in days, then this is increased by a further 1d10 days. Scholastic Lore – Archaic grants you an understanding of the murky past of the Imperium and how the long millennia have changed the face of mankind. Scholastic Lore – Astromancy grants you knowledge of stars, heavenly bodies and the nature of worlds, as well as theoretical understanding of how to use telescopes, astrolabes and so on. This Skill may be used to assist with Navigation Tests. Scholastic Lore – Beasts grants an understanding of the classification of animals and familiarity with the properties of many types of semi-sentient creatures. This Skill may be used to assist with Survival and Wrangling Tests. Scholastic Lore - Bureaucracy grants you an understanding of how to deal with governments, particularly the

Administratum, and their many and varied departments, forms and policies. Scholastic Lore - Chymistry grants you knowledge of chemicals, their alchemical applications and their use throughout the Imperium. This Skill may be used to assist with Chem Use Tests. Scholastic Lore - Cryptology grants you an understanding of codes, ciphers, secret languages and numerical keys. This may be used to either crack a code or create one. This Skill may be used to assist with Ciphers Tests. Scholastic Lore - Heraldry grants you a grasp of the principles of heraldry, as well as knowledge of the most common liveries, seals and heraldic devices used in the Imperium. Scholastic Lore – Imperial Creed grants you an understanding of the rituals of the Ecclesiarchy, the construction of their temples and the finer points of liturgy. It may be used to conduct rituals for others. This Skill may be used to assist with Invocation Tests. Scholastic Lore – Judgment grants you knowledge of the proper punishments for the myriad of crimes and heresies punishable by Imperial law. This Skill may be used to assist with Interrogate and Intimidate Tests. Scholastic Lore - Legend grants you knowledge of the great histories of old, such as the terrible Horus Heresy and the Dark Age of Technology. Scholastic Lore - Mercantile grants you knowledge of the trade guilds and their practices across the sector. Scholastic Lore - Numerology grants you an understanding of the mysterious properties of numbers, from Catastrophe

theory to the Sadleirian litany. This Skill may be used to assist with Barter, Evaluate, and Logic Skill Tests. Scholastic Lore - Occult grants you an understanding of occult ritual, theories and superstitions, as well as the better known mystical uses of occult items. This Skill may be used to assist with Invocation Tests. Scholastic Lore – Philosophy grants you knowledge of the theories of thought, belief and criticism. It may be used for debate and for creating philosophical works. Scholastic Lore – Tactica Imperialis grants you an understanding of the Tactica Imperialis, as well as other theories of war, troop deployment and battle techniques. It may be used to plan a battle or deduce the likely flow of war. This Skill may be used to assist with Command Tests.

Scrutiny (Basic) Perception Whilst some would argue that an Inquisitor’s default frame of mind is to be suspicious, those Acolytes with the Scrutiny skill are better able to judge when a suspect genuinely warrants that suspicion. Use the Scrutiny skill to make assessments about people you encounter, to determine if someone is lying to you, to sense ulterior motives and generally appraise the worth of another being. When trying to perceive a falsehood, or some other form of deception, you make an Opposed Test, pitting your Scrutiny against the target’s Deceive. If you beat your opponent by achieving more degrees of success, you get a hunch that something is not right. A successful Scrutiny Test allows you to discern a target’s disposition. This Test is

Opposed by the target’s Deceive Test if he has something to hide. You may use your knowledge of lying to help make your own lies all the more difficult to detect. If you first make a successful Scrutiny Test you gain a +10 bonus to a subsequent Deceive Test. Note that Scrutiny does not confer telepathy and cannot be used to reveal all the secrets about a target. Rather, this Skill serves to counteract attempts to manipulate you through Interaction skills such as Charm, Deceive and Intimidate.

Search (Basic) Perception Search is a useful Skill for Acolytes conducting investigations, helping turn up valuable clues or hidden evidence. Search differs from Awareness in that it involves a great deal of exploration, turning over items, opening doors and letting your instincts guide you as you toss a room. Use the Search skill whenever you want to examine an area for concealed objects, clues and anything else that might be hidden. Search differs from Awareness in that you Test Awareness passively, Testing whenever some hidden danger might appear or to notice a small detail as you move past it. Search, on the other hand, represents an active effort to check an area. A single Search Test is sufficient to cover a small room or area. When an object or individual is deliberately hidden, a Search Test is resolved as an Opposed Test, pitting your Search Test against your target’s Concealment Test. Search cannot be used as an Investigation Skill in its own right, but it can be used to assist an Investigation Skill. When investigating a crime scene, you may make a Search Test to attempt to notice any clues. Every degree of success reduces the Difficulty of a subsequent Investigation Test by one-step.

A Search Test takes a minimum of five minutes, dependent on the area being examined. You may opt to take longer over a search, meticulously going over every square meter to find what you are looking for. For every additional five minutes you spend searching an area, you gain a +10 bonus on your Search Test (to a maximum of +30).

Secret Tongue (Advanced) Intelligence Just as with a cipher, many Acolytes use of Secret Tongues to quickly and discretely convey messages between one another. An Inquisitorial team who all know the same tongue are able to speak freely during battle or in other open situations without fear of being overheard or understood. Secret Tongue is used to speak and comprehend a particularly obscure and arcane language known to only those of a specific profession, organization or class. Secret tongues are more like codes than real languages. By the use of signifiers, body language and code words, users can speak in one tongue but use a secret language to impart deeper meaning or to relay a lot of information quickly. Although much of the meaning of a secret tongue requires body language and verbal intonations, it can be conveyed as part of a crude cipher. You may make a Difficult (–10) Secret Tongue Test instead of a Cipher Test. Alternatively, if you first make a Secret Tongue Test you gain +10 to a subsequent related Cipher Test, representing the multiple layers of meaning and code hidden within the message. Under normal circumstances, Skill Tests are unnecessary if all speakers know the secret language. They may be required in adverse conditions such as communicating in a noisy venue, or during the chaos of battle.

Secret Tongue – Acolyte consists of a pre-arranged series of code phrases and inflections intelligible only to a fellow cell member. Note that each cell of Acolytes has a unique version of this language. Secret Tongue – Administratum consists of a collection of acronyms, jargon and procedural formalities used by the Administratum. Note that this is an exceedingly longwinded language. Secret Tongue – Tenebrae Collegium consists of a pre-arranged series of code phrases and inflections intelligible only to a fellow member of the Tenebrae Collegium. Secret Tongue – Xenos consists of the language of a particular xenos race. Each xenos race has a peculiar language and requires an additional skill to learn.

Security (Advanced) Agility Many an Acolyte has saved himself the indignity of breaking down a door with judicious use of the Security skill. Security is used to bypass locks of all types and circumvent tough security systems to get into well-protected locations. You can also use Security to take control of security systems so they work for you instead of the original owner. You can use the Security skill to bypass locks and other security systems. Using this skill without proper tools is extremely difficult. The Difficulty of the Test depends on the quality of the defense. Generally one Test is sufficient, but more complicated systems may require additional Tests or degrees of success. Any attempt to bypass a lock or other security system without using a mutlikey or other set of appropriate tools suffers from a –20 penalty.

Sometimes it won’t be a person looking for you, but a sensor, such as an auspex. Unless the sensor relies on physical input, the Concealment skill is of no use. Instead you may use the Security skill in place of Concealment, if you have the means to disrupt or deceive the sensor. You can make a Security Test to set up and install a security system. Each degree of success increases the difficulty of any Test made to breach it by one. A Security Test to setup a security device takes one hour. When using handheld scanners or larger security monitors, you may use Security instead of Awareness. A typical Security Test takes one minute, with each degree of success reducing this time by ten seconds. Sleight of Hand (Advanced) Agility Although derided as common street subterfuge, Sleight of Hand has many practical applications for the Acolyte, ranging from the ability to palm a small but useful object at a crime scene, to slipping your Inquisitorial rosette away when apprehended by heretics, or even pulling a pistol from a concealed holster unseen by your enemies. The Sleight of Hand skill is used to palm objects, pick pockets or perform tricks with small items like coins and cards. The smaller the object, the easier it is to pick up, which is reflected in the task’s Difficulty as set by the GM. In most cases, a Sleight of Hand Test is an Opposed Test, pitting your Skill against your opponent’s Awareness skill (or half their Perception if they do not have the Awareness skill). You may also opt to use Sleight of Hand instead of Gamble to hide cards up your sleeve or palm dice. See the Gamble skill for more information. You may make a Sleight of Hand Test to dazzle audiences with tricks of the hand

with cards, marbles, or whatever other prop you happen to have. Any allies nearby who can take advantage of the distraction may benefit from your successful Test as if you were assisting them. Sleight of Hand is usually a Half Action. You may make a Sleight of Hand Test as a Free Action, but you worsen the Difficulty by –10.

Speak Language (Advanced) Intelligence Knowledge of a variety of languages can broaden your ability to deal with the indigenous peoples of the worlds you explore, allowing you to communicate easily without having to resort to pantomime. The Speak Language skill is used to communicate with others using a common tongue. Although the people of the Imperium are widely scattered, they are united by an official tongue—that of Low Gothic. However, every world has its own local dialects and peculiarities, and sometimes even its own language. Even if you are not familiar with a particular language or dialect, you may make a Hard (–20) Speak Language Test to attempt to understand a sense of the meaning or intent. If you speak a related language or dialect (such as High Gothic to Low Gothic, Hive Dialect to Low Gothic, and so on) the Difficulty decreases to Difficult (–10). You can make a Speak Language Test to improvise a crude cipher, a sort of pidgin tongue intended to convey a coded message. If successful, you manage to make a message that makes sense and a Speak Language Test, or an Easy (+10) Logic or Scholastic Lore - Cryptography Test translates it. Under normal circumstances, Tests are unnecessary if all speakers know the

language. A Speak Language Test is usually a Free Action. High Gothic is the language of nobility, the law, and Ecclesiarchy liturgies. Low Gothic is the common tongue of the Imperium.

Survival (Advanced) Intelligence Whether lying in wait for Nurgle cultists in the foetid jungle of a death world or searching for shelter from a sandstorm on a desert planet, the Survival skill can be a lifesaver. You use the Survival skill to subsist in the wild. This Skill encompasses such activities as fishing, game hunting, making fires, finding edible food, constructing improvised shelters, finding safe resting places, and so on. The Difficulty of the Test depends on the environment, with death worlds being much more difficult to survive on than an agri-world. Failing a Survival Test usually indicates that you have failed to find what you are looking for, either because you are inept or because it is simply not there to be found. Failing by five or more degrees indicates that you fail spectacularly, usually by bringing trouble down on your head—perhaps by triggering a rockslide, or stirring up a den of angry silt-bears or foolishly consuming poisoned berries. You may use the Survival skill in place of Tracking when hunting for animals in the wild. The Difficulty, however, worsens by one-step. It may not be used in urban areas or to track human or alien prey. You can use the Survival skill to construct simple snares and traps to catch animals and other prey. To set the trap, you must succeed on Survival Test. The base Difficulty is Ordinary (+0), but you may increase the Difficulty in order to

make it harder to disable or escape the snare. A typical snare triggers by location, meaning that the target steps into the area and is affected by the trap. Snares affect just one target at a time and can be made large enough to ensnare a man sized creature. Once sprung, the trap must be manually reset to work again. An intelligent creature may notice the trap before springing it by succeeding on an Awareness or Search Test. The Difficulty of this Test is Routine (+20), but if you also succeed on a Concealment Test, you can increase the Difficulty by one-step plus one-step for each degree of success. You may not retry the Concealment Test when constructing the snare. If the target locates the snare, it can either go around it or attempt to neutralize it. In the case of the latter, the target must succeed on a Survival Test against the same Difficulty made to set the snare. On a success, the snare is dismantled. Should the target spring the trap, it may make an Agility Test against the same Difficulty you faced to set the trap. On a success, the creature avoids the snare. On a failure, it is firmly caught and held until released. A caught creature can attempt a Contortionist Test once each hour to escape. Again, the Difficulty is the same as the one you beat to set the snare in the first place. A Survival Test takes one hour, with each degree of success reducing this time by ten minutes. Under certain circumstances, like trying to find a crude shelter from a meteor storm, the Difficulty can be increased and the time taken reduced to one minute.

Swim (Basic, Movement) Strength Opportunities for swimming in the 41st Millennium are often rare, but on occasion,

this is a useful Skill to have, especially when exploring water worlds, tramping through sewers or escaping a wreck that landed in a large body of water. The Swim skill is used to swim and dive. Swimming under normal conditions does not require a Test. However, Tests may be called for when waters are rough or when swimming for an extended period is required. The Swim skill assumes a character is attempting to swim in water, but on alien worlds a character might encounter unusual substances such as lakes of sulphuric acid. The Difficulty of the Test might be increased to represent particular conditions. The Swim skill does not protect a character from harm when swimming in toxic or otherwise dangerous liquids, nor does it negate the need for protective clothing. Whenever you fight while submerged in water, all Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests take a –20 penalty. As well, you must succeed on a Swim Test to move in this environment. When you Test your Swim skill, and you get two or more degrees of success, you reduce the Difficulty of your attack Tests to Difficult (–10). You can hide from a pursuer on land by diving into a body of water and waiting below the surface until they have passed by. If you do this you may use your Swim skill instead of Concealment. When another character gets into trouble in the water, you can dive in to help him out. If you reach the struggling character, you can pull him to safety by succeeding on a Swim Test, but the Difficulty worsens by one-step for the added bulk. A Swim test is a Free Action made as part of a Move Action.

Tech-Use (Advanced) Intelligence Gear and equipment in the 41st Millennium is tricky to use, the machine spirits unruly and restless. Tech-Use allows you to placate these entities and make them more cooperative when working with devices of all kinds. A character may use Tech-Use to repair mechanical items and to work out how unusual technical artifacts work. When using a basic, simple piece of mechanical equipment under normal circumstances, such as a vox or auspex, no Test is required. A Tech-Use Test is needed if the item is unusual, malfunctioning or conditions are especially troublesome, such as attempting to use an auspex during an electrical storm, or trying to get an ancient warp engine to start up after a thousand years’ disuse. Tech-Use may also be used to repair faulty or damaged items, the difficulty depending on the complexity of the item and the damage dealt to it. Tech-Use might sometimes be used to build an item from scratch, although a relevant Trade skill is more commonly used. You may use your Tech-Use instead of Wrangling, but only when dealing with machines designed to look and act like beasts, such as a cyber-mastiff. When another character’s Skill Test involves a piece of equipment, you may assist them using your Tech-Use skill, even if they are using a different Skill. A Tech-Use Test to figure out how an item works usually takes one minute, but might take less or more time depending on the complexity. A Test made to repair an item can take much longer, usually one hour but reduced by ten minutes for every degree of success.

Trade (Advanced, Crafting) Varies Many Acolytes possess exceptional skills, either acquired before their service to the Inquisition or picked up during their employment. Of these, Trade skills are some of the most fascinating. If they possess the appropriate Skill, they can create unique gear and equipment, anything from a customized speeder to an illuminated manuscript, as well as countless other items far more interesting than a simple entry from the equipment lists. After all, would your players prefer to have infra-red goggles or enhanced “phaeton-pattern multi-goggles” that combine the abilities of the basic item plus that of a photo-visor? While the answer should be obvious, these items have a price in labor and cost, even to the trained tech-priest. Trade Skills do far more than allow for simple Skill Tests; they represent the skill set necessary to modify or create things. If an Acolyte wants an armored body glove, a long range vox-caster or a two-handed shock mace, he needs the appropriate Trade Skill, or the Thrones to pay someone who does. Players use the Crafting rules to create these kinds of items. Possession of these Skills also grants other advantages. An Acolyte with Trade skills is considered a member of the Trading Class for purposes of determining monthly income. This status may allow for interaction with citizens of a social status far beyond—or below—their means, along with the gratitude or ill-will that goes along with it! Cunning GMs can use these Skills as springboards for entire campaigns or as short, one-off adventures. Having a Trade skill indicates that you know how to practice a trade or craft. With this Skill, you can make a living or create items suited to your trade. You can also make a Trade Test to identify the

handiwork of a particular craftsman, or to know something about a particular item. A Trade Test for Crafting normally represents a day’s hard work. A Trade Test made to identify an item or craftsman is usually a Full Action, during which time the tradesman sucks his teeth and sighs before making his prognosis. Trade – Artist Agility or Intelligence An artist can produce objects or experiences of profound beauty or emotion, inspiring the senses, mind and spirit. The Performer Skill Group covers the execution of many art forms—dance, recital or storytelling—but Trade - Artist deals with the creation of the material performed— the poem, play or song. The Skill also covers the composition of physical art: sculpture, paintings and hololiths. Agility is the default characteristic for the Trade (artist) skill, but GMs may optionally allow the player to use Intelligence for the creation of more scholarly works, such as plays, music, poems and novels. This Skill also gives the Acolyte the ability to observe works of art and potentially recall information about the school or style of the piece, and possibly even the name of the artist. The Craftsmanship of a piece of art can make its performance easier or harder. A play or poem of Poor Craftsmanship would impose a –10 penalty to its performance. A song of Good Craftsmanship would impart a +10 bonus to the Test of the performer, and a tale of Best Craftsmanship grants a +20 bonus to its presentation. These bonuses also apply to the Charming Performance and Enthralling Performance rules. Art can affect the mood of those observing it in many ways, including inspiration, sadness, anger and others. If the artist wants his work to affect the audience in a particular way, this should be

defined in Step One: Defining the Task of the Crafting rules. The GM assigns a different Difficulty to creating a mural that inspires a positive reaction to the Adeptus Mechanicus than one without additional effects. Keep in mind, however, that these are moderate effects. While the viewer may feel inspired by the art, it will not cause him to change or act against firmly held beliefs. The creation of an inspirational art piece is Hard (–20) for concepts coinciding with local culture, such as veneration of the Emperor within the Imperium, but is Very Hard (–30) for anything going against such conventions, such as fostering a more positive reaction to xenos when viewed in the Imperium. Trade - Cartographer Agility You can produce maps and charts of high quality from information gathered first hand or by others. The Craftsmanship of these documents can affect the Navigation Tests of those using them. Likewise, you are able to read maps made by others more easily, obtaining hidden or obscure information left by other cartographers. The cartographer must use observation or research to gain adequate information to create a map. The GM should keep this in mind when assigning the duration of a task, as large maps require lengthy examination and groundwork. The Heightened Senses - Vision Talent can reduce the Difficulty of the task by one level if gathering data personally, so the Difficulty of creating a map of a labyrinthine Ecclesiarchy cathedral would be reduced from Difficult (–10) to Challenging (+0). When creating maps from research, existing sources or second-hand information, the final Craftsmanship of the map can be no greater than that of the

source material, no matter how good your rolls during the Crafting process. Trade - Cook Intelligence An Acolyte with this Skill can create meals not only pleasing to the palate, but also ones of desired nutritional content—or lack thereof. The results of this Skill can also be combined with Carouse, Chem-Use, or Trade – Apothecary in making drinks or medicines that taste better, or the creation of foods that mask certain flavors from those ingesting them. The GM should set the Difficulty of the task in accordance with the traits desired. Creating a simple but nutritious meal for fellow Acolytes might be Ordinary (+10); cooking a dish to mask a bland-tasting drug for a noble’s entourage would be Difficult (–10); or devising a meal nutritious for a xenos creature could be Very Hard (–30). Acolytes can also use this Skill to determine the ingredients or origins of foods they consume, or notice out of the ordinary tastes, using the following table: Standard success: Basic facts about an item, its name and properties. One degree: Process and materials used to create the item, its classification or group, or stellar region where created. Two degrees: Origin of components used in construction, detailed information about its characteristics, or planet of creation. Three degrees: Substitutes for the item, means of amplifying its effects, or more or name of its creator. Acolytes can also make an Opposed Skill Test against the subject’s Perception to either hide or reveal hidden substances within a dish or drink. Meals or drinks of exceptional quality can affect Blather or Charm Tests. Refreshments of Poor Craftsmanship result

in a penalty of –10 to these Tests, but a banquet of Good quality gives a +10 bonus and those of Best Craftsmanship grant a +20 bonus. Trade - Copyist Intelligence Copyists in the 41st Millennium are far more than mindless scribes scratching out data sheets with an electro-quill. Though certainly capable of this task, an Acolyte with the Copyist skill creates illuminated manuscripts of great beauty, containing anything from family histories to epic ballads. In addition to penning words, copyists can create ink and other writing implements, including pigments that can only be read in certain types of light, ones that disappear after a specific period of time, or types capable of marking or etching pages of metal, ceramic or hide. Pigments of this variety allow for very advanced codes and provide a +10 bonus to Cipher Tests when using written materials. Each Trade – Copyist Skill Mastery confers an additional bonus equal to the level of mastery. Copyists can also create paper—as well as other writing mediums—and bindings. Pages can consist of sources as exotic as woven metal or alien animal hide, but could also be as simple as compressed plant fiber. Trade - Valet Fellowship You have the ability to shrewdly provide for the needs of another for a range of requirements, including administrative and personal needs, and can even supervise a staff administering to these needs on a larger scale. Individuals with this Skill often use the title “major domo” or “chief of staff ”. At the most trivial level, this Skill addresses immediate concerns, such as selection of appropriate apparel for a

meeting with an Imperial Governor or picking a suitable refreshment for a Clan Lord of Tallarn. Successful use of this Skill grants a +10 bonus on a single Interaction Skill Test for either the valet or host, representing the favorable impression generated by these thoughtful touches. It may not be immediately apparent how to reconcile this Skill with the Crafting rules, but there are a number of Extended Tests that qualify: • Maintaining a schedule of appointments and duties for a lengthy period of time. • Assembling a proper wardrobe for a specific culture or Imperial region. • Making arrangements for a large conclave of Inquisitorial representatives. For these long-term Tests, the resultant Craftsmanship may impart certain bonuses at the GMs discretion.

Adept Talents

Air of Authority Prerequisite: Fellowship 30 You exude a natural aura of command, instilling subservience in all around you. On a successful Command Test, you may affect a number of targets equal to 1d10 plus your Fellowship Bonus. Such is the authority in your voice that even those who are not in your service jump to attention when you speak. You may attempt to get non-servants to follow your commands by making a Command Test with a –10 penalty. This talent has no effect on hostile targets, and only affects NPCs.

Ambidextrous Prerequisite: Agility 30 You can use either hand equally well. You do not take the normal –20 penalty for making attacks with your secondary hand. Special: If you have the Two-Weapon Wielder talent, the penalty for making attacks with both weapons in the same Turn drops to –10.

Armour of Contempt Prerequisite: Willpower 40 You drape yourself in the armour of scorn and hatred. Whenever you would gain Corruption Points, reduce the amount you would earn by 1. In addition, you may Test Willpower as a Free Action to ignore the effects of your accumulated Corruption for one Round.

Arms Master Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 30 plus Basic Weapon Training in at least two groups of weapons. Such is your skill with a gun that you are able to pick up an unfamiliar weapon and use it as though you had trained with

it for years. You can use ranged weapons you do not have training in at –10 rather than –20. Basic Weapon Training You have received Basic Weapon Training in a group of weapons, and can use them without penalty. Bolt – Angelus, Boltgun, Godwyn-De’az Pattern Bolter, Godwyn-De’az Stormbolter, Ryza Pattern Stormbolter, Scourge Boltgun Las – Death Light, Drusus Prime, Hellgun, Las Carbine, Lasgun, Laslock, Long Las, Mark III, Minerva-Aegis, Roth Pattern, Stormfront, Twin Lasgun Primitive – Blunderbuss, Bow, Catechist, Composite Bow, Crossbow, Drive Nailer, Heavy Crossbow, Longbow, Musket, Siskan Musket, Sling Solid Projectile – Alcher Mark IV, Armageddon, Autogun, Blackhammer, Combat Shotgun, Creed-9, Hunting Rifle, Meat Hammer, Ironclaw, Nomad, Pump Action Shotgun, Shotgun, Slayer, Spectre, Steadholder

Binary Chatter You are adept at controlling servitors. Gain a +10 bonus to any attempt to instruct, program or question servitors.

Blind Fighting Prerequisite: Perception 30 Through years of practice and heightening your senses, you no longer need to be able to see your opponents to be able to hit them. You take half the usual penalties when fighting in environments that obscure your vision, such as fog, smoke and darkness.

Catfall Prerequisite: Agility 30 You are nimble and balanced, like a cat, and are able to fall much greater distances unharmed than others might. Whenever you fall, you may Test Agility as a Free Action. On a success, and for every degree of success, reduce the distance fallen by a number of meters equal to your Agility Bonus for the purposes of determining the Damage dealt by the fall.

Chem Geld A variety of chemical and surgical treatments have rendered you immune to the temptations of the flesh. Seduction attempts against you automatically fail, and the Difficulty of all Charm Tests made against you increase by one step (a Challenging (+0) Test becomes Difficult (–10) and so on). When you take this Talent you gain one Insanity Point.

Concealed Cavity You have a small compartment hidden upon your person. This might be a pouch within your flesh, or a chamber fitted into one of your cybernetic implants. You may conceal one small item, no bigger than the palm of your hand, within this cavity. The compartment may be discovered on a Difficult (–10) Search Test. If the searcher employs additional technology, such as a medicae scanner or chem-sniffer, this difficulty is reduced to Ordinary (+10).

Dark Soul Your soul is darkly stained, making you resilient to the effects of Corruption. Whenever you are called to make a Malignancy Test, you take half the normal penalty.

Deadeye Shot Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 30 You always hit an opponent right between the eyes… or wherever else you

intended to hit him. When making a Called Shot, you take only a –10 penalty instead of the normal –20.

Decadence Prerequisite: Toughness 30 Either through mental and physical conditioning or long years of abuse, your body has built up a tolerance to chemicals. When drinking alcohol or similar beverages, you do not pass out until you have failed a number of Toughness Tests equal to twice your Toughness Bonus. You also gain a +10 bonus to tests made to continue using drugs within 24 hours.

Die Hard Prerequisite: Willpower 40 It takes more than most to finish you off. When you suffer from Blood Loss, you may roll twice to avoid death.

Disarm Prerequisite: Agility 30 You are able to knock your opponent’s weapons from their hands. When engaged with an opponent wielding a melee weapon, you may use a Full Action to disarm your foe by making an Opposed Weapon Skill Test. If you beat your opponent, he drops his weapon to his feet. Should you get three or more degrees of success, you not only disarm him but also take his weapon from him!

Disturbing Voice You have a sinister and upsetting voice. This may be due to infrasonic cadences produced by a vox synthesizer, interrogation training or just an inborn air of malice. You gain +10 bonus to all Intimidate or Interrogation Tests when you use your voice. You take a –10 penalty to Fellowship Tests when dealing with persons who are likely to be off put by your manner (psykers, small children, nervous Grox and so on).

Electro Graft Use You have the ability to use an electro graft to access data points and commune with machine spirits. This grants you a +10 bonus to Common Lore, Inquiry or Tech-Use Tests whilst connected to a data point.

Exotic Weapon Training You have received Exotic Weapon Training in a single exotic weapon, and can use it without penalty. Needle Pistol Needle Rifle Web Pistol Favoured by the Warp Prerequisite: Willpower 35 Whenever a Power Roll triggers Psychic Phenomena, you may roll two dice on that table and take the more favorable result. Flagellant You have dedicated your pain to the service of the Emperor. Each day, you must spend twenty minutes praying and inflicting 1 point of Damage upon yourself. You may not treat this Damage or allow it to be healed. Once you have castigated your flesh, you gain a +10 bonus to Willpower Tests made to resist mind control or Malignancy. Additionally, if you have the Frenzy talent, you may enter a frenzied state as a Free Action. Should you fail to flagellate yourself on any given day, you take a –5 penalty to all Tests due to shame and guilt.

Fueled By Flesh Prerequisite: Sorcerer In manifesting their powers, many sorcerers practice some form of self-mutilation in order to further augment and empower their incantations with their own suffering and bodily sacrifice. Each time an arcana is unsuccessfully manifested, the

sorcerer with this talent can opt to re-roll the dice at the cost of inflicting 1d5 Damage on themselves (Armor, Toughness Bonus, and other protections do not apply to this Damage). An unfortunate side-effect is that it leaves the sorcerer’s flesh a mangled mess of cuts and wounds in a state of constant recovery and open to infection. As a result, the sorcerer suffers –20 to resist the effects of diseases and poisons, and if wounded by a Toxic weapon, he suffers an additional 1d10 points of damage with no reduction from his Armor or Toughness Bonus.

Good Reputation – Administratum Prerequisites: Fellowship 50 and Peer - Administratum You are well respected within the Administratum. You gain an additional +10 bonus to Fellowship Tests when dealing with fellow members of this group. This Talent is cumulative with the Peer talent, for a total of a +20 bonus. Heightened Senses One of your senses is better than average. You gain a +10 bonus to any Tests involving this sense. Note that Heightened Senses – Sight does not add its bonus to Ballistic Skill tests. Sight Smell Touch

Inspire Wrath Prerequisite: Fellowship 30 Your words are capable of making individuals and crowds turn to violent anger. You gain +20 to Interaction Skill Tests when trying to inspire hate or anger against a particular object of your venomous words. Under these circumstances, you double the number of

individuals you affect within a group. When combined with the Master Orator Talent, this results in you being able to affect 20 times the normal number of people.

Jaded Prerequisite: Willpower 30 You have seen the worst the galaxy has to throw at you to the point that you are acclimatized to the worst horrors. You never gain Insanity Points from the sight of blood, death or violence, or indeed any mundane horror. Supernatural terrors still affect you as normal, however.

Labyrinth Conditioning Your mind is a carefully constructed maze of shut-outs and thought-dams designed to thwart the attempts of others who would learn what you wish to keep secret. You gain a +10 bonus on Deceive Tests when being questioned and to resist anyone using the Intimidate skill on you. You also have a +10 bonus to Willpower to resist Interrogation and mind reading effects such as Mind Scan. In the case of a Psychic Power effect, this bonus can be combined with bonuses to resist Psychic Powers from other Talents. Light Sleeper Prerequisite: Perception 30 You are a light sleeper and remain alert when most would be fast asleep. You are always assumed to be awake, even if you are asleep, for the purposes of making Awareness Tests, being Surprised or getting up in a hurry. The downside is that you often feel tired during the day and as a result are grumpy or distracted.

Lightning Reflexes You react like a flash of lightning. When rolling for Initiative, you add twice your Agility Bonus to the roll of 1d10.

Logis Implant You may utilize analytical circuits to calculate trajectory and reactions to a preternatural extent. Your ability to read possible outcomes lets you anticipate the movement of your opponents. As a Reaction you may make a Tech-Use Test to activate your Logis Implant. Note that this uses up your Reaction for the Round. Until the end of your next Turn, you gain a +10 bonus to all Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests. Each successful use of this Talent causes one level of Fatigue.

Major Arcana Prerequisites: Willpower 45, Sorcerer The sorcerer has acquired an additional Major Arcana Power over the amount usually allowed; this must be learned or researched as normal.

Marksman Prerequisite: Ballistic Skill 35 Distance is no object with a gun in your hand, and you are just as adept at picking off far away targets as those nearby. You suffer no penalties for shooting at Long or Extended range. Master Chirurgeon Prerequisite: Medicae +10 You are trained in the most advanced medical techniques known to man. You gain a +10 bonus on all Medicae Tests. If you are treating a Heavily or Critically Wounded patient, a successful Test heals 2 Wounds instead of the normal 1. If this character is in danger of losing a limb from a Critical Hit, you also provide the patient with a +20 bonus to the Toughness Test to resist limb loss.

Master Orator Prerequisite: Fellowship 30 You are skilled at speaking to large audiences. Your Fellowship Tests and

Fellowship-based Skill Tests can affect 10 times the normal number of people.

Master Sorcerer Prerequisites: Intelligence 40, Willpower 50, Sorcerer, Forbidden Lore – Demonology +20 or Forbidden Lore – Warp +20 The Acolyte’s mastery of the dark arts is great, and he has learned to avoid the pitfalls that beset lesser practitioners of the craft. He may channel far more raw power than most and counts as having an effective Psy Rating of 4, a +10 bonus to Daemonic Mastery Tests, and is immune to the effects of Daemonic Presence. Master sorcerers are extraordinarily rare, and with good reason. Few possess the dedication and strength of mind to enact their will on the warp in this way, and most are destroyed before they attain such skill. Melee Weapon Training You have received basic training in a group of hand-to-hand weaponry, and can use them without penalty. Chain – Chain Axe, Chain Knife, Chainsword, Eviscerator Power – Daemonhammer, Power Blade, Power Fist, Power Longsword, Power Maul, Power Stake, Power Sword, Serpentine, Witch Lance Primitive – Armored Gauntlet, Axe, Bastard Sword, Boarding Pike, Bolo Knife, Brass Knuckles, Buckler, Chimera Pistol Sword, Club, Combat Knife, Cutlass, Devil’s Kiss, Emperor’s Whisper, Flail, Great Weapon, Guard Shield, Hammer, Improvised Weapon, Kineblades, Knife, Kraken Tooth Dagger, Long-Sabre, Man Catcher, Mirror Shield, Moon Blade, Naval Shield, Punch Dagger, Punisher Baton, Render, Sabre, Scythe, Shield, Short Sword, Sigilite, Spear, Spetum, Staff,

Steam Drill, Stiletto, Sword, Throwing Star/Knife, Tower Shield, Trophy Knife Shock – Electro-Flail, Neural Whip. Officer’s Cutlass, Shock Maul, Shock Staff, Suppression Shield

Mental Fortress Prerequisite: Willpower 50 and Strong Minded. You are trained to aggressively resist psychic attacks. Whenever you are the target of a psychic attack, you force the psyker to make a Willpower Test. On a failure, the psyker takes 1d10 points of Damage plus 1 Damage per point of your Willpower Bonus. This Damage is considered Impact Damage, directed at the head (more specifically, the face). The psyker can reduce this Damage by an amount equal to his Willpower Bonus. This Damage bypasses armor and any Toughness Bonus.

Mimic You have an extraordinary ability to copy another person’s voice patterns. This may be due to implanted vox synthesizers, training or natural Talent. You must have listened to your target for at least one hour in order to study their voice properly. You must also understand their language and be of the same race (a human, for example, cannot convincingly copy an Ork). Listeners must succeed on a Difficult (–10) Scrutiny Test to realize that you are not the person you are mimicking. If you have based your voice patterns on anything other than “live” conversations where you are in the same room as your target (for example vox recordings, or commlink conversations), the Difficulty of this Scrutiny Test is reduced to Challenging (+0). Note this does not make you look like your target; you merely sound like them. If a listener can clearly see you are not the person you are copying, your deception automatically fails.

Minor Arcana Prerequisite: Sorcerer The sorcerer has acquired an additional Minor Arcana Power over the amount usually allowed; this must be learned or researched as normal.

Minor Psychic Power You have acquired an additional psychic ability. You gain one Minor Psychic Power.

Nerves of Steel You are able to remain calm, even when bullets fly past and bombs fall around you. You may re-roll a failed Willpower Test to avoid or recover from Pinning.

Orthoproxy You have learnt to draw mental fortitude from a liturgical circuit buried deep within your skull. You may “tune out” mind control attempts by concentrating on the prayers recited by the proxy unit. This grants you a +20 bonus to Willpower Tests made to resist mind control or interrogation.

Paranoia You are always on the look out for danger and secretly know that the galaxy is out to get you. You gain a +2 bonus on Initiative rolls. In addition, the GM may secretly Test your Perception to see if you notice hidden threats. Others, however, may find your constant muttering and twitchy looks unnerving.

Peer Prerequisite: Fellowship 30 You know how to deal with a particular social group or organization. You gain a +10 bonus to all Fellowship Tests when interacting with your chosen group. Academics – Scholars and instructors at universities and other institutions

Adeptus Arbites – Arbitrators and the enforcers of Imperial Law Adeptus Mechanicus – Followers of the Omnissiah or Machine God and inhabitants of Forge Worlds Administratum – Fellow members of the Administratun Astropaths – Pskyers responsible for long range communications throughout the Imperium Ecclesiarchy – Priests, acolytes, and attendants that are responsible for the spread of the Imperial Creed. Government – Members of the ruling class and/or the governing body of a world Inquisition – Inquisitors, Interrogators, and other members of the Ordos. The Insane – Folks that have faired poorly on sanity checks. Nobility – Individuals of high birth status and the elite of society Ordo Xenos – Members of the Inquisition that are part of Ordo Xenos. Underworld – members of the organized crime world throughout the Imperium

Pistol Training You have received training in a group of pistols and can use them without penalty. Bolt – Bolt Pistol, Garm Pattern, Mauler, Sacristan Bolter, Spitfire Flame – Destroyer, Hand Flamer, Seraphim Hand Flamer Las – Civitas, Dueling Las, Fury, Hellpistol, Laspistol, Mark IV, Palatine, Series-S Venom, Steel Burner

Melta – Hellax Infernus, Inferno Pistol, Seaphim Inferno Pistol Plasma – Plasma Pistol, Ryza Pattern Plasma Pistol Primitive – Deuce Pistol, Flick Bow, Hand Bow Solid Projectile – 54 Tranter, Armsman-10, Autopistol, Carnodon, Dorcas Pattern, Encarmine, Fate Bringer, Flametongue, Hack Shotgun, Hand Cannon, Hecuter, Irontalon, Mariette, Mercy Killer, Orthlak Mark IV, Phobos Stubber, Puritan-14, Ripper Clip, Salvation, Scalptaker, Shotgun Pistol, Stormchild, Stub Automatic, Stub Revolver, Talon Mark 3

Psy Rating 1 You have unlocked your Psychic Powers. Select a number of Minor Psychic Powers equal to one-half your Willpower Bonus (round up). You gain a Psy Rating of 1 and roll one die and add your Willpower Bonus when manifesting Psychic Powers. Special: If your Willpower Bonus later increases, you do not retroactively gain additional powers.

Psy Rating 2 Prerequisite: Psy Rating 1 You have advanced knowledge of Psychic Power. Select a number of Minor Psychic Powers equal to half your Willpower Bonus (round up). You now have a Psy Rating of 2 and may roll up to two dice and add your Willpower bonus when manifesting Psychic Powers. Special: If your Willpower Bonus later increases, you do not retroactively gain additional powers.

Psy Rating 3 Prerequisite: Psy Rating 2 Your psychic abilities grow in power and proficiency. Select one Discipline.

Gain one power from this Discipline. You also gain a number of Minor Psychic Powers equal to one-half your Willpower Bonus (round up). You now have a Psy Rating of 3 and may roll up to three dice and add your Willpower bonus when manifesting Psychic Powers. Special: If your Willpower Bonus later increases, you do not retroactively gain additional powers.

Quick Draw You are quick to the draw, able to have a weapon in your hand and ready for combat in the blink of an eye. You can Ready as a Free Action when you are armed with a Pistol or Basic class ranged weapon, or a Melee weapon that can be wielded in one hand.

Rapid Reload You have spent so long practicing weapons drills that you can reload a gun in an instant. All reload times are reduced by half (round down)—so a Half Action reload become a Free Action, a Full Action reload becomes a Half Action and so on.

Resistance Whether through past exposure, grueling physical training or luck of genetics, you are highly resistant to a particular thing. When you pick this Talent select a group to be resistant to. Cold - You gain a +10 bonus when making a test to resist the effects of extreme cold. Fear - You gain a +10 bonus when making a test to resist the effects of creatures or events that require Fear Tests. Poisons - You gain a +10 bonus when making a test to resist the effects of poisons or toxins of any kind.

Psychic Powers - You gain a +10 bonus when making a test to resist the effects of psychic powers.

Sorcerer Prerequisites: Intelligence 35, Willpower 35, Forbidden Lore – Demonology +10 or Forbidden Lore – Warp +10 The Acolyte may use the powers of sorcery to channel the warp through a combination of esoteric lore, skill and focused will. He counts as having an effective Psy Rating of 2 and may learn a number of Arcana powers equal to three times his WP Bonus. Major powers count as two powers when determining the amount of powers a sorcerer can learn. When choosing Arcana powers, the sorcerer is not bound by a particular type of power (such as the psyker’s Discipline framework), as sorcery is a fragmented and contradictory business. Characters, however, can only fill these power slots by seeking and mastering the rituals independently, either by dangerous experimentation, ancient lore, or dark bargains, and cannot be develop them naturally.

Sound Constitution You are able to absorb more damage before you die. You gain an additional Wound. If your advance scheme allows it, you may purchase this Talent multiple times.

Sprint You are able to put on a burst of speed to get out of—or into—trouble fast. When taking the Full Move action, you may move an extra number of meters equal to your Agility Bonus. When taking the Run action, you may double your Movement for one Round. If you use this Talent two turns in a row, you gain one level of Fatigue.

Step Aside Prerequisites: Agility 40 and Dodge You are quick at getting out of the way of attacks. You may make an additional Dodge once per Round. In effect this gives a character a second Reaction that may only be used to Dodge, thus allowing them to make two Dodges in a Turn. Note they may still only attempt a single Dodge against any one attack.

Strong Minded Prerequisites: Willpower 30 and Resistance - Psychic Powers Your mind is like a fortress guarded against psychic attack. You may re-roll failed Willpower Tests to resist any Psychic Powers that affect your mind. Psychic Powers that have a physical effect, such as Telekinesis, are unaffected by this Talent.

Sublime Arts Prerequisites: Perception 40, Intelligence 45, Sorcerer The sorcerer may use his powers without the usual need for obvious vocalizations, gestures, and the like, simply enacting the patterns needed mentally by sheer dint of concentration and unyielding mental strength. However, the Threshold of Arcana Powers used this way is increased by an additional +2.

Swift Attack Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 35 As a Full Action, you may make two melee attacks on your Turn. If you have the Two-Weapon Wielder talent and are wielding two Melee weapons, you get the advantage of Swift Attack with only one of the weapons, and a single attack with the other. If you have the Two-Weapon Wielder talent and are wielding a Melee weapon in one hand and a Pistol in the other, you get the advantage of Swift Attack with the Melee weapon and a single attack with the Pistol.

Talented Choose any one of these Skills. You gain a +10 bonus to Tests when using this Skill. Blather Command Forbidden Lore – Xenos Inquiry Interrogation Logic Medicae

Thrown Weapon Training You have received basic training in a group of thrown weaponry, and can use such weapons without penalty. Primitive – Bolas, Emperor’s Whisper, Javelin, Kraken Tooth Dagger, Moon Blade, Throwing Star/Knife, Vibe Spear, Volonx Bone Bolas

Total Recall Prerequisite: Intelligence 30 Through long years of mental conditioning and practice, your mind is like an archive, able to record and recall great amounts of information. You can automatically remember any trivial fact or piece of information that you might feasibly have picked up in the past. When trying to recall more detailed or obscure facts, such as the precise layout of a crime scene or a page you read in an ancient grimoire five years ago, the GM may require you to make an Intelligence Test. Unnatural Intelligence Your Intelligence Bonus is doubled for purposes of all Intelligence based tests. If you are successful during an Opposed Intelligence Characteristic Test, then a +2 is added to the degrees of success obtained.

Unremarkable You have a forgettable face and are able to blend in with a crowd. Attempts to notice you when amongst other people or anyone attempting to describe you or recall details about you incur a –20 penalty.

Unshakeable Faith Your faith that the Emperor will preserve you is so strong that you are unafraid of stepping into danger. You may re-roll any failed Willpower Tests to avoid the effects of Fear.