Year is 700M30. As Terra is on the verge of being unified under the hold of the Emperor, the Age of Strife enters in its final years.
After 10 milleniums of devastating warp storms, which ended the Dark Age of Technology and scattered the human colonies through the Milky Way, the stars are once again reachable. Plans are on motion for one of the most glorious era of Humanity.
But will it be short-lived?
So, some years ago, there was a game called
Sindari: Immortals. Which was basically a game following half-gods, fighting other half-gods in a fantasy Antiquity, as the game spanned through the years. I liked the idea.
So this game has the same principles and core mechanics, just a different universe, the one of Warhammer 40k.
As it turns out, the lore has precisely characters corresponding to the Sindari:
the Perpetuals. So let's shamelessy steal the existing rules of the Sindari and apply them for the 40k universe!
What this game is about?It's a sandbox game in the 31st millenium of Warhammer 40k, where you go through the late Age of Strife, the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy as a Perpetual: a human with the power of immortality. Sort of.
Depending of your starting place and allegiance, you may do your own things in your corner, or quickly get carry away in the events of the galaxy. As you grow in power, you may with time play a bigger and bigger role.
A Perpetual is a baseline human, born with a few extraordinary capabilities.
General Perpetuals' abilities:
Immortality: Immunity to aging and natural diseases
Cellular Regeneration: Given enough time, able to regenerate from any wounds, major or minor, including dismemberment
Rebirth: When killed, comes back to life within ten years, even after a decapitation, suffocation or disintegration
Logokine: Able to understand and speak any langages from the galaxy (supposed to be a psychic power but for simplicity sake it's a general ability)
Creating a characterName / Surname:
Appearance: Default appearance of the Perpetual, cannot be changed except through surgery or if you are a Morpho
Allegeance:
Location:
Special Ability:
Attributes: Strength: Ability: Intelligence: Willpower: Charisma:
Relations:
Groups:
Individuals:
Family:
Skills:
Psychic Powers: (If a psyker)
Equipment:
Name and
Appearance are self-explanatory.
At the beginning of the game, you have four
Allegiance available:
-
The Emperor, only available if you start on Terra
-
The Cabal, a secret society of xenos and human trying to fight Chaos through the galaxy
-
The Mechanicum, the Clergy of Mars, pursuing its own goals of knowledge and technology. Only available if starting on Mars or one of it forge worlds
-
Unaligned, if you are just a Perpetual wondering why it is immortal, or have other greater motives...
As the game advances, more Allegiances may unlock.
Location is where you indicate on which planet you are on, and the continent/city if the lore is deep enough for that. Update it through the game, to make it easier to understand. You can start literaly anywhere at the beginning.
For the galaxy map, check the awesome
Warhammer 40k Interactive MapFor the
Special Ability, you can choose one amongst those 5:
Psyker: You are able to use psychic powers, drawing energy from the extradimensional realm of the Warp. You can create and use psychic abilities, and detect other psykers from afar. Beware, as you are easily detectable without precautions, and using your powers might attract undesired attention...
Blank: The opposite of the Psyker, the Blank, or Pariah, has no psychic presence. It is souless in the eyes of the Warp, makes them immune to psychic powers. Depending of the distance, their nullifying aura can temporarily weaken or suppress nearby Psykers' powers. Blank's presence are painful, and with some times lethal to psychic-sensitive species (like Eldars or Demons). For standard humans, Blanks' presence generates uneasiness.
Shapeshifter: You regenerate way quicker than most Perpetuals, recovering from the most grievous wounds within a few hours, and taking only a year to resurrect after your death. You are also able, by taking a year, to mold your body and shift your appearance, making it a lot easier to change your identity.
Forge Master: An exceptional crafter, you are able to create masterworks with your hands. The total amount of crafting points you have per turn is doubled. You can also craft stuff with one level of tech / availability above your place existing level, and make artifacts of Unique category.
Perpetual-Maker: You have the rare and precious power to create other Perpetuals, through a complex ritual taking ten years. Your children are also more likely to have a stronger Perpetual Genes.
The
attributes come in five flavours, starting at the human average of 5. They will especially be useful in rolls, which mostly happen in events.
Strength: Your raw power, how much you are able to support and how strong you punch
Ability: How quick, agile and precise you are
Intelligence: How smart you are. Especially important for psykers
Willpower: How strong is your resolve. The higher, the better you are able to withstand the power. of the Warp. Important for blanks and psykers
Charisma: How smooth-talker you are, able to convince both individuals and crowds
When creating your character, you have 5 additional attribute points to distribute as you wish.When creating your character, you have 5 additional attributes points, plus the dozens number of the years since the game has run (so if the game has run for 100 years, you get 5+10 attributes points).The
Relations describe both the important characters in your story and environment, and the influence you have in groups and places. They come in three types:
Groups is where you put the organizations where you have a part in. In bullet points, you should explain the
motives of the group, their rough
size and the
influence you have inside it (on a scale from 1 to 100). If it's a group you created and / or who is under your orders, specify it.
Individuals is where you place the important characters you met. You should put in a few bullet points their
role and
location, the
groups they are part of if you know it, why they are
significant to you, and the
influence you have on them (from 1 to 100).
Family is a subcategory of Individuals, where you put your partner(s?) and children. No need for explanation besides their filiation, except if they start having a role in your adventures.
When a Perpetual has a child, a dice is rolled:
1-5: Fully human
6-10: Quarter-blood Perpetual, live 50 to 100 years longer than average human. Mild regeneratives ability
11-15: Half-blood Perpetual, live 100 to 200 years longer than average human. Noticeable regenerative ability
16-20: Three-quarters-blood Perpertual, live 200 to 400 years longer than average human. Strong regenerative ability
If the parent has the Perpetual-Maker ability, the child got a '+1' level of Genes, meaning they are a quarter-blood on a 1-5, etc... On 16-20, the child is a full biological Perpetual.
If both parents are Perpetual, also give a '+1' level on the Genes
Skills represent your knowledge and techniques in various themes. Like attributes, they will be useful in rolls (which are explained below). Skills are capped to 20 (or 30 using a 20+ pass, see infos about this in Turns and Actions).
Example skills: Weapon skill, Power Armor user, Tactician, Navigator, Leadership, Biologist, Techno-Crafter, Power-Armour Maker...
You start with 4 skills of your choice, at level 5 each.You start with a number of skill points equivalent to the number of years that has passed since the beginning of the game, that you can distribute as you wish, with a maximum of 20 levels in one skill (if the game has run for 100 years, you get 100 skill points to distribute).Psychic Powers catalogs the powers you can use if you are a Psyker. This is where you list the ones you master, and can use anytime.
Each time you use a power, a 1d20 dice is rolled. On 20, it's a critical failure, causing the Warp to react badly on and around you... (the effects of failure are still scaled to the power level of the spell)
Spells have three criterias:
Effect, which is the size, damage and raw power of the spell. In case of mental spells, it represents how strong-willed the victim must be to resist it (standard meaning most humans will succumb to it). If the spell launches another effect on landing (such as shockwave for a fireball, or launching a fog on a distance), the range of that secondary effect depends of this criteria. Minor is a meter or less, standard is up to 10m, massive is 30m.
Scale represents the number of targets that can be hit at once, OR the number of projectiles casted, depending of the description of the spell.
Range is the reach a spell can be launched to, or a projectile can fly to, from the caster.
The core stat for the creation of Psychic Powers is Intelligence. You can only create and use powers which require less or equivalent amount of the Intelligence you own. The scale goes by:
-Effects:
-Minor +1
-Small +2
-Standard +3
-Large +4
-Massive +5
-Scale:
-Single +1
-2-4 +2
-5-10 +3
-10-30 +4
-30-100 +5
-100-500 +6
-500- 1000: +7
-1000-10,000 +8
-Range:
-Touch/self +1
-5m +2
-25m +3
-100m +4
-250m +5
-1000m +6
The Blanks have a passive, unique power called the Blank Aura. The Blank Aura extends by one meter per Willpower point (meaning your aura is of 5m at the beginning of the game).
Equipment is where you put your artifacts and other creations. Crafting has its specific system.
Crafting cost
First is the cost of the object. By default, a craft costs 10 points.
Then we add modifiers.
First, the size:
- Trinket: x0.5
- Small object (dagger, pistol, small cybernetics…): x1.0
- Medium object (lasgun, energy gauntlet, helmet, most cybernetics…): x1.5
- Large object (bolter, heavy bolter, small furnitures, breastplate, large cybernetics…): x3
- Human-sized (power-armor, tech-priest dorsal bionics, large furnitures…): x5
- Small structures (light vehicles, cars, speeders, bikes, tent-sized buildings): x10
- Medium structures (tanks, prefabs): x20
- Large structures (super heavy tanks, large buildings, space fighters): x50
- Great structured (bases, space ships): x100
- Megaprojects: See with GM
For gameplay reasons, the size gives a sense of scale to the object's power. So while you can make powerful objects with small or trinket stuff (like the Imperial elites hidden shield jewelry and such), it cannot have powers you would usually expect from full-on guns or staffs).
Then the availability:
- Abundant (pre-industrial low-tech): x0.1
- Common (post-industrial low-tech, mass-produced space-era goods): x0.2
- Average (mid-tech / more general space era stuff): x1.0
- Scarce (high-quality mid-tech / space era goods, like most elite imperial military equipment): x2
- Rare (high-tech goods, Space Marines related equipment): x5
- Very Rare (exotic and / or Xenos high-tech: Eldar, Kinebrach, Inquisition-only stuff, psychic equipment): x10
- Extremely Rare (Dark Age of Technology tech: STC, non-psychic teleportation, archeotech): x20
- Unique: x50 (only available for Forge Masters)
Note that you must be on a world / system with the according tech-level infrastructure. So you can’t craft high-tech stuff on a tribal world with few infrastructure (unless you spend time building a base of according tech level!)
Once taking into account the modifiers, the total is the object’s cost.
So the formula is: 10 x Size x Availability
Crafting Points
To know how many points you can make and spend per turn, you can take into account your crafting skills, equipment and organizations.
When a crafting skill is related to the object you are making, you gain per Action a number of points equivalent to the level of the skill. If multiple skills are usable, the points add up.
There are two types of crafting skills:
- The general ones, designating thematics (ground military crafting, mid-tech crafter, spaceship builder, tank designer, psychic artisan…).
- The speciality ones, linked to a specific category of objects (power armour maker, bolter maker, swordsmith, Rhino builder…). For the points sum, the skill level is doubled
In short, it’s flexibility versus specialization. In case of doubts as to which type a skill is part of, ask the GM
Crafting equipments also count. While the game assumes you have basic craft tools when creating stuff, you can obtain more advanced ones to get more crafting points per turn. Depending of the equipment, it can go from a +5 points per turn (modern crafting tools) to a +10 or +15 (crafting bionics) to the +30 or further with dedicated personal factories.
Organizations can also be used to help your crafting projects. You however need to control the group (or otherwise convinced those in charge to help you in your project).
Organizations will help you in the form of industrial base. It will act as multiplier to your skills.
By default, most organizations start without any industrial base. You’ll have to spend time building and upgrading it within your organization to use it for your projects.
No industrial base: x1.0
Artisans (max level for low-tech, pre-industrial places): x1.1
Small factory (max level for small organizations): x1.3
Big factory: (max level for post-industrial places): x1.4
Industrial complexe (max level for medium organizations): x1.5
Mid-tech industrial base: x2.0
High-tech industrial base: x3.0
STC-equivalent industrial base (only available through events or megaprojects): x5.0
The formula is: ( Level of General Crafting Skills* + (level of Specialized Crafting Skills* x2) + Bonus from equipment ) x Organization's Industrial Base
*The skills have to be related to the object you are creating.
i.e. for power armor, armorsmith is a general skill, power armor maker is a specialized one. Being a energy-sword maker is irrelevant in this case.
For psychic-related crafting, you need to be or work with a psyker (wether it is willingly or not).
About death. Your character is immortal, only losing 10 years to recover and go back on track. Perpetuals, however, can be killed on very specific circumstances (mainly involving Fulgurite). Also remember, as we are in 40k and messing with the Warp, that there are
fates worse than death...
Turns and actionsTurns go through 10 or 50 years (it will be specified at the beginning of the turn). In your turn, you have one action per year, where you put the focus on something or someone. Most actions will not require a roll, allowing you to planify your rise in power.
Alongside your actions, you also gain +1 point in an attribute of your choice per 10 years.
Sway and Training are specific actions, as they are "half-actions". You can do one of each or twice of one in one Action. Meaning you can Sway or Train twice within a year, or Sway and Train in the same year, giving you Influence and a skill progression in one go.
About Sway:
The numbers of Influence points gained in one Sway action = Charisma + two charisma-related skills. One point of Influence per Charisma point and per skill points.
Than adding a multiplier.
For organizations:
- Small organizations (less than 100 individuals) : x1.5
- Medium organizations (100 - 1 000) : x1.0
- Important organizations (1 000 - 100 000) : x0.5
- Major organizations (100 000 - 1 000 000) : x0.3
- Huge organizations (more than 1 000 000 individuals) : x0.1
For individuals:
- Normal: x1.0
- Important (people of power, leaders, powerful beings): x0.5
- Major characters (namely the Primarchs and other main actors of Great Crusade / Horus Heresy): x0.2
In case of decimal points issue, round up.
The spirit is to make it difficult to hijack an existing powerful organization only through swaying, unless your character is specialized for it. Another paths are to create an organization, or take a small one, take control of it and make it grow under your command. Or use some shenanigans like usurping leaders’ identities or making it a puppet through psychic control or blackmail.
Also, some indications on what you can do according to your influence level:
- 100 is being the leader of the organization, or being an important advisor / very influential friend
- 75-100 is the advisor / right hand. You have not full autonomy, but you already have some within the organization and can heavily shape the decisions of the ones under and above you. For individuals, it’s the advisor / trusted friend / professional (75 is the max influence level you can go for major characters)
- 50-75 is a big job of responsibility within the organization, but only in a more or less specific sector. Your corner of power exists, but it’s marked out and you’re not the only one vying for power. For individuals, it’s the equivalent of a friend / good colleague
- 25-50 is a the level under, a relatively small leader post within the group. For individuals, it’s someone you known after some meetings, and you have sympathy too
- From 1 to 25, is from bystander to follower / specialized job / minor leader, depending of the scale of the organization. For individuals, it’s an acquaintance
About Skills and Training
- From 0 to 10 in a skill, 1 training action = 1 skill point (so up to 2 skill points if doing a training only activity in a year), OR 1 year of activity = 1 skill point (+ the other thing, like crafting results, any other results that are not indicated in actions examples...)
- From 11 to 20, 1 training action = 0.5 skill point, activities don’t grant skill point anymore
- Going to 21 and beyond = locked unless using a 20+ pass
- From 21 to 30, 1 training action = 0.25 skill point
About 20+ pass
20+ pass are gameplay items that allow the player to go beyond usual human restrictions, and train some of their skills beyond 20, and up to 30 levels.
A 20+ pass can only be applied to only one skill, although several 20+ passes can be acquired through the game. The pass can be applied at any point during a turn.
There are several means to obtain a 20+ pass:
- One is granted to the player at the beginning of the game
- Reaching 20 on an attribute (not a skill) grants you another pass (so up to 5 passes through the game)
- "Narrative" pass, that can be given by the GM for an indicated skill as a reward during an event, for an high feat
Sway charm a target individual or group, adding the equivalent of your Charisma in Influence on it or them.
Training makes you practice a specific skill, adding one point of skill in it.
Sway and Training are particular actions, as you can do one of each or twice of one in one Action. See above for more explanations.
Family Focus, to find a partner, have a child...
Travel, to move around the planet or system you are on, if you are on a low-tech system. Depending of the available technology, it may be acceptable to skip this part (most Imperial and technology advanced worlds making travel a matter of days, or less than a few months).
Warp Travel, taking a year to go through the Warp on a ship to other systems (no distance calculation for simplicity sake). Warp travel will only become available at the end of the Age of Strife.
Recruiting, to grow one of the organizations you are part of. It an half-action, and works like a Sway action (Charisma + two related skills). Instead of getting Influence points, you get new members. If you want less new members than what you can recruit, you can choose a lower number.
Recruiting psykers, works like a recruiting action, with a /20 (x0.05) modifier, rounded down in case of decimal
Recruiting blanks, works like a recruiting action, with a /50 (x0.02) modifier, rounded down in case of decimal
Create a psychic power, if you are a psyker
Change form, if you are a Shapeshifter
Create a Perpetual, if you are a Perpetual-Maker. Remember it takes 10 years!
Lead / Revolt / Fight, or any violent actions in the same spirit (it's Warhammer after all)
Craft, to create an artifact. Crafting has it own specificities, explained above.
Not an exhaustive list, as it's by nature a sandbox game.
Organizations you control (100 influence) can now do "
subactions" during your turn, following your orders. Amongst the possibilities are:
- Recruiting more members. Set a goal to the number of adherents and they will try to reach it. No hard-system for it, but a sense of scale is to consider: a dozen of members will be able to recruit a few thousands of people over 10 years, but not millions.
- Helping you in your crafting projects. Already explained in the crafting system, so it integrates nicely
- Supporting you in activities that require numerous and more or less organized people, like controling a territory, leading an insurgency, creating a state, leading a fleet...
- Developing their own activities (by default, following the purpose of the organization), like networking, running the business, developing a spy network, training people into militia, spreading a religion...
Events and rollsEvents will happen through the course of the game. It will be small scenarios that will happen on your character during turns, when having important decisions or moments, which will break the usual rythm of decades. You will have to take decisions, and may go through tense situations which will ask for rolls. The turn will resume after the end of the event.
A roll happen when you face some opposition, in the form of combat, environment or other challenges.
Two relevant skills are picked (if more than two, the highest are chosen). 1D6 are rolled per skill point
Two relevant attributes are picked (if more than two, the highest are chosen). +5 per attribute point
Equipment, if artifacts have corresponding effects
The GM will shuffle through the players so they live some form of events from time to time. Obviously, players closer to main characters (the Emperor, Horus, the Cabale, Primarchs...) may have greater chances of having events. I'll try to balance it out though.
You can also volunteer for one if you feel you have been neglected.
Objectives of the gameThe game goes through the events of the late Age of Strife, going through the Great Crusade and ending with the Horus Heresy. If you want a narrative-driven game, start on Terra and stay around the main characters. If you want a quieter or more personal experience, pick some place in the galaxy and try to make your hole (although in time, be sure the Imperium or some Xenos will come knocking at your door).
For the rest, it's a sandbox, so the galaxy is your oyster!
Player's turn structureIdeally, I would like a structure along this:
- First, the character's sheet, updated from previous turn
- The actions you takes for the 10 / 50 years
- The consequences you expect from it, and the rolls you need if so
My schedule and motivation are both fickle, so I won't promise a very regular game, but we can at least give a try.
Oh, and if you catch the game after it started, feel free to join anyway!
I will create an IC thread once we have some players here.