Adventures in Dark Heresy Character Creation!

Snow on the ground means I can use one of my weather days and not go into work. As I have been highly emo the last few weeks I don't have the excitement to play a videogame at this moment. (Though I am in the midst of Wizardry 7 and Warhammer 40K Squad Command on the PSP I will probably talk about some other time.)

So.. why not experiment with the character creation rules in Warhammer 40K Dark Heresy?

To make it more interesting I am not actually gonna READ the chargen rules, merely skim as needed. I have read its sister game's rules (that being Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and that being its chargen chapter), so I have a basic idea of things.

For those not in the know, in Dark Heresy you play a member of an Inquisitor's retinue, investigating things for the Inquisitor who is dealing with other, usually more important things elsewhere in the galaxy. The Charlie to your Angels so to speak. Except he generally doesn't give you much money, help, or assistance. Helping the Emperor is it's own reward dontchankow?

Let's see how I do?

Ok, 2d10, character sheet, rulebook, and pencil? CHECK.

Open the book to page 13 and away we go!

Step 1: Pick a homeworld. As I am being silly, I will let the dice choose everything for me. It will be more interesting to see what I get that way. I'd prefer the book to not have all these random bits in it and it be more choose what you want, but it gives you the option for either or in most cases.

The choices are Feral, Hive, Imperial, or Void Born.

I roll a 95, Void Born. I was born on a space station, starship, or something of that ilk. The hardest result to roll.

For skills I get Speak Language (Ship Dialect). Not something very useful IMHO. I suppose my budding Inquisitorial Acolyte could be friendlier with spacefaring types. It could help see when some miscreant is trying to smuggle Genestealers onto a planet or something.

Lots of traits for my dude! I get Charmed, which gives me a 10% chance when using a Fate point (basically a don't die horribly thing all Warhammer RPG characters have.) to not actually lose it. Ill Omened, which gives me a -5 on Fellowship tests with non Void Born Humans. Bummer. Shipwise lets me take Stellar Navigation and Pilot Spacecraft as Basic Skills whatever that means. Guess it'll be easier for him to fly the ship. Its like he can be the Howlin Mad Murdock of the A Team except in space!

Step 2: Generate Characteristics. Ok, I now roll 2d10 9 times, and add it to a preset stat number that starts from 15 to 25. If I were to shoehorn in WHFRP races so I could play Squats (Dwarves), Ratlings (Hobbits), and Eldar (Elves) it could be a wider variation. (Another reason to buy the Fantasy Warhammer RPG. Not only is it a well regarded game in its own right, it makes it easier for me to put in all the stuff they didn't bother to do for the 40K game.)

I get one reroll in here too.
SURVEY SAYS:
Weapon Skill 34 A little above average. I can actually fight off your average Cultist.
Ballistic Skill 37 High! 3 points from the maximum score. I shoot like your average Imperial Guardsman.
Strength 25 For Void Born, Strength is our low stat. Pure average is acceptable I guess. I suppose I won't be headbutting an Orc.
Toughness 28 A little below average. I clearly haven't been eating my Imperial Wheaties. (Now fortified by the screams of a 1000 burning heretics!)
Agility 29 A tad below average. If videogames weren't heresy I would probably have trouble playing Dance Dance Revolution.
Intelligence 39 1 point from maximum! I clearly am a braniac. The problem is thinking is a BAD THING in the 40K universe.
Perception 27 Below average. I guess I spent more time looking at books than I did paying attention to how miserable life in the Imperium is. On the upside my dude can probably spout off a lot of Space Marine chapter heroes.
Willpower 31. Below average for a Void Born. Hmm. I may use my reroll here..
Fellowship 31. Above average. I'm a generally agreeable sort.

I decide to keep 31 Willpower since it is above average for a normal character. I have to keep a reroll if I use it, so I go for Toughness as its my 2nd worst rolled stat. And I roll a 7, giving me a 27 instead of 28. Damn.

STEP 3: Career Path.
I really want Techpriest as my stats support it. But again, the dice are deciding my class. 30! I'm a... Cleric. The Emperor has seen my braininess and decided I should teach people the ways of his enduring Emperorness. I wouldn't have made a very good Psyker anyhow, and that was the class I was most likely to roll. I have a couple Imperial Cleric type miniatures so its pretty fortuitous I guess.

I gain the Common Lore Imperial Creed, Literacy, Trade (Copyist), and Trade (Valet) skills. I could have taken Trade (Cook), and Performer (Singer) over the 2 Trade skills I took, but given my stats and class, a smart guy who writes down books and is a Valet makes more sense. Probably how the Inquisitor took notice of him. Maybe his ship was visited or something.

For Starting Talents I get Primitive Melee Weapon Training, Pistol Training SP, and I choose Basic Weapon Training (Primitive) over Primitive Thrown Weapons Training. My guy is a bit wussy and I doubt a thrown dagger would do more than bounce off a Noise Marine. Who would then laugh and force me to have carnal relations with my own spleen.

I get to select some weapons. A check of the equipment section to see what fits my skills gives me:
I choose a sword for close combat. Does less damage than my other option, a hammer, but its balanced, which gives me a bonus to parries, something the hammer, an unbalanced weapon does not.

Hmm.. Autopistols or Stub Revolvers? The Autopistol has more ammo, reloads faster, but the Stubber hits a little harder and is Reliable, meaning it Jams less. I'm a good shot so Stub Revolver and 6 bullets it is. A cheaper gun, but its basically a .38 Special. I can dig it.

I also get a Crossbow since I can't use Throwing Knifes very well anyhow,a Flak Vest for armor over the more coverage but heavier weight chain coat, an Aquila Necklace, Ecclesiarchy Robes (Good Quality Clothing), Charm (skull), and a Backpack. Yay.

STAGE 4: SPEND XP. BUY STUFF.

But that's not all! I get more stats to roll.
First up is Wounds. I have 10. A bit better than average, but Void Borns have low Wounds anyhow.
Next is those Fate Points to keep me alive a bit longer. I get 2, the lowest I can have. 3 is the highest for Void Borns. Typical luck for me.
Movement is based off of my Agility bonus. Or 2. Meh. A bit weedy in a running contest. I'm easy fodder for a Genestealer. I could probably keep pace with a Squat though.
Wealth is what Clerics have best. Good to know fleecing people is something the Imperial Cult keeps going. 317 out of a possible 350. Poor rolls, but its a ton of money compared to most classes, which can't get past 160 or so! I doubt its enough to "pray" with the Adeptus Sororitas or anything, but I guess that sort of tithe would allow my dude to sniff their Power Armor after a long weekend of torching the unbeliever with cleansing Meltagun...

Now I have 400XP with which to buy initial advances. I turn to Chapter 2's Cleric section to check things out. I'm currently a Novice, and am 100XP from being an Initiate. I spend 100 XP to increase my BS by 5%. Its now 42%, meaning I shoot better than your average Guardsman. I can only upgrade it 3 more times, for increasing XP costs. (All your stats can only be boosted 4 times.) While 250XP for the next rank is tempting, I would then have no other upgrades until I start doing stuff. Willpower and Fellowship both only cost 100XP for their first upgrade, while everything else is 250. I am a man of the cloth, so 100XP for my Fellowship is a good choice too. Its now 36%. It will help with my whole being born in space thing.

I decide the next 200XP will be spent on new skills and talents. Inquiry lets me find out stuff in a casual way which could be good for investigating things. Are those holes in the Guardsmen's bathroom stalls merely a hole to be used inappropriately for passing generally harmless (only 300 whippings for owning) contraband or entrance into a foul pleasure cult? I can find that information out with a little friendly wining and dining. I spend my last 100XP and take Awareness. I need help paying attention anyhow, and being able to see when a heretic wants to stab me to death for finding out about his collection of Daemonettes Gone Wild videos can only be a good thing.

When I get more XP Swim, Laspistol Training, and Sound Constitution look like possible buys.

I'll buy stuff later on, but I check my income and I make a whopping 200 a month.

DAMN, IT FEELS GOOD TO BE A GANGSTA.

Who knew religion paid so damned good?

STEP 5: ROLEPLAY THINGIES
I now roll for stuff to make my character more than a statline. I'm stunted, standing a mere 1.65 meters tall. I'm mature, a 23 year old. I have bluish skin, ginger hair, and blue eyes. Now I know why I have that minus to my Fellowship to most people, I look damned wierd! I roll Hairless as a quirk, but since I like my character's hair clashing with his skin and eyes I reroll and get the result of a large head. I'm ICKY. This game sure as hell isn't Final Fantasy and its hordes of pretty boys and pretty girls, that's for sure. Apparently I was born on a Rogue Trader ship. Hmm.. maybe mom or dad got it on with some really wierd people on some unknown planet. And to make up for my wierdness I took up the cause of the Emperor, bringing light to the unwashed masses on planet after planet. Kinda cool!

Now for my Imperial Divination: Balls. I get one of the few bad ones. "Dark Dreams Lie Upon the Heart". I start play with 2 Corruption Points. My guy probably DID sniff some Sororitas Powered armor in the past. Or has had some lustful feelings for a Tau or Eldar or something. He really IS a member of the Clergy isn't he?

Now I roll for a name. I choose to give his first name as a male high roll, and his last name as a female primitive roll. Fits being on a Rogue Trader crew. I get Raltus Graki. Sounds neat!

Outside of buying him some more ammo and other goodies he is pretty much set to go. The rules were rather self explanatory, and I didn't need to read all that much to get him on the path to smiting the Emperor's foes. Whenever (hopefully!) I get a campaign going, getting other people's characters made shouldn't take long.

I personally found rolling for everything to be a lot of fun! I made an interesting character and roleplaying him will prove interesting. Now I just need to find people who play the game!