What Tactics do your Psykers use?

ATM both the Psykers I GM are just Rank 3 (psy raiting 2) so have no major powers yet, but their power sets are very different, one is a Sensitive with lots of Precog like abilities and a few other utility powers (Player intends to go diviner for major power set) and almost always throws up "Precognition" at the start of combat, "Lucky" and Un-natural Aim" are also in regular use.

Where the other is going Telepath with a touch of Pryokenetic throws up "Fearful Aura" and "Inspiring Aura" then posabily a few "Flash Bang" powers when she has no line of fire.

None of my players have wanted to play a psyker yet (all due to a fear of rolling nines...) which has lead to the characters they play being very puritan in outlook. But so far they have encountered two low level "witches".

The first that they encountered used Deja Vu and Hint of Madness on the Acolytes. It was particularly effective as they didn't know he was a psyker and were very confused as to what was real and imaginary.

The second has just been encountered and she is a sanctioned psyker on the run from her employer. She has the powers of Weaken Veil and Fearful aura. Her immediate response to agression is to weaken the veil then attempt to scare off anyone trying to threaten or attack her.

Truth be told the team did encounter a third, more powerful (full blown Pyrokinetic) psyker, but they blindsided her with an exploding air car (you had to be there) before she could summon her infernal powers.

My groups Psyker, Mordeci, is also Rank 3 with a Psy Rating of 2. Normally he uses Inspiring Aura and also Fearful Aura a lot, but since the rest of the group also gets rather unhinged by the later, he only uses it in an emergency. Otherwise he uses Heal and Float once in a while as well as Chameleon mostly in combat situations.

That's why you bring up "Inspiring Aura" first, Let them feel the Emperors Love and the Bravery it awakens within them then it's time for "Fearful Aura" that way they won't (or shouldn't) Freak when they behold the Emperors Fury.

My current group's psyker is currently ranking up (after barely surviving the end of my rewritten version of Rejoice For You Are True!). The player in question has yet to let me know the way he plans to do so, but from what he has said, he's going to go telekine. So far, his strategy has been to stay at the back, firing off his handcannon, using Fearful Aura when appropriate. He's picked up a few uses for Spectral Hands as well (swapping ammo between party members, tossing grenades (unarmed), trying to jog an enemy's aim by knocking their weapon, trying to pull something from their grasp, etc), and has a mono-sword attuned for Call Item. In general, however, he doesn't use his powers much, although that may change once he picks up Catch Projectiles (he's a little paranoid after being torn apart by a military-grade heavy weapon on full auto last session).

Non-combat, he has Suggestion, which, combined with Fearful Aura and physical duress, make a very effective interrogation tool, and a few others, including Healer.

I enjoy(ed) playing a psyker. A lot cool powers for damage and healing. I'm not sure what a party would do without a psyker?

Especially a psyker that could heal...

But, I'm surprised no one mentioned Weapon Jinx?

One of the most powerful minor powers out there. Basically jams up to three weapons per round if a psyker rolls good.

The party will love their friendly party psyker when there are three cultist with shotguns pointing at them point blank.....

The last adventure we played we got jumped by a bunch a Genestealers and a Licter in a space station and I went nuclear with Holocaust. I killed everything within a 6 meter radius before I rolled 100 on the perils of the Warp table and I died in a instant via Warp Feast...... Easy come, easy go....

My Psyker is Rank 7, Biomancer (Master) und Telecine.

He runs around with Flesh like Iron, Telecinetic shield, and uses against enemies either a Force Weapon or Force Barrage. Incoming fire smaller than Autocannon, Lascannon gets ignored. Puny Plasmaweapons are under his perception threshold. Flesh Like Iron sooo needs rewriting...

I'm playing a Psyker atm, and just got Psy rating 3, and the dilemma of picking a power is weighing heavily on me. I'm thinking something a long of Divination then telekine down the road.

But then comes the what powers to pick as you dont get that many and you really dont want to make the wrong choices

The character is currently wielding a force sword, but I have a feeling the Inquisition want that back soon as we finish the second part of Purge the unclean. Backup weapon is a blessed mono edged best quality sword. Going down the templar calix route, providing melee power and some knowledge skills to the party. We are a party of seven with Tech priest, Arbite, 2 Imperial guardsmen, an assassin, and 2 psykers.

I'm thinking maybe to pick the Precognitive powers first.

When I was a psycher I was playing a Telepath (psy rating 5 before we ended the game). Psychic Scream was the only combat ability I really had but it was very effective. We usually used her as a scout with things like Sense Presence. But Weapon Jinx came in handy against some Dark Eldar once.

divine shot, precognitive dodge and precognitive strike for combat. everything else is weird stuff like psychic stench.

The 3 key powers at low level are Weapon Jinx, Spasm, Unnatural Aim.

Spasm- For example can completely disable a single foe if used every round.

Weapon Jinix- Can disable several weapons with a good.

Unnatural Aim- With errata sniper weapons any psyker is sniping monster.

Then there is healer, fearful aura, forget me, chameleon

Healer- Healing is come by.

Fearful Aura- You get a fear rating of 2....

Forget Me- I snipe him, next round I use forget me, and start lining him up....

Chameleon- +30 to hiding, -20 to enemies ranged attacks

My psyker is still a rank 2 so doesnt have any major powers yet, and has been getting by quite happily with Fearful Aura, Float & Inflict pain, along with healthy doses of Spasm if theres mass combat and the Fearful Aura didnt work to well against a particular opponant.

When it comes to solo combat or interaction, his normal route is: Inflict Pain, Fearful Aura (and then triggers this to remain in action for the remainder of the combat), Spasm and then full auto on the auto pistol, normally as close as possible with out it being a melee fight. Float tends to keep himout of Melee, but anyone who keeps passing the fear checks tends to get the special attention of a 2nd auto pistol (with all the associated negetive modifiers) on full auto in the face.

If he's fighting alongside comrades, then he stays to the back and tells them to Not Look Back whilst he starts up the fearful aura.

Whilst i have preplotted his progression, i dont think i've bothered with Inspiring Aura, but i may pick it up when i get Psy Rating 3 as one of my minor powers then.

I play a diviner with a force sword. She just got her eighth divination power, and I have a lot of fun playing up her ever-growing detachment from the real world. The group Investigator came into my quarters in our last session to find me with a dead man's pictures hung on my walls, his personal effects in a circle around me, and wearing his jacket. He was a little surprised, but I acted like it was completely normal. (I was using Psychometry and getting in tune with the subject.)

My GM also does a nice job of working in un-summoned visions and portentious dreams. I have a lot of fun with the "is it now?" aspect. I love divination because it has such a good mix of combat and roleplay/investigative powers.

In combat, as mentioned above, there are lots useful abilities for either melee or ranged, you just need to decide ahead of time which you want to focus on, as picking up a few talents and weapons to pair with the divination augmentations will make you much more effective.

I also have a couple telekinesis powers for when a more direct psychic smash is required.

I just started playing a Psyker and in the first game session , the very first time he used a psychic power, Wall Walk, I rolled a 9 initiating a pshchic phenomenon and also rolled high enough to get a perils of the warp effect. Ended up mind swapping with one of the other characters, who was female which made things even more uncomfortable. Luckily it only lasted a round or two, but ever since then the other characters, and players for that matter, get very nervous when I use my powers. I think a good healty mistrust of the Psyker is esential for the whole theme of the setting, which is that the Warp and its powers is meant to be feared and shrouded in mystery and superstition.

I play my Psyker with the concept that he is pretty much a Psyker Specialist, focusing on psychic powers instead on mundane skills and talents. He has Weapon Jinx, Flash Bang, Inflict pain and Spasm for offensive capapbilities, and Heal ,Wall Walk and sense presence for thier obvious applications. He is only at Neonate rank but when I am high enough in rank to start getting major pshchic powers in the Disciplines, I will most likely focus on Telekinetics, though Pyromancy and Biomancy have thier allure as well, so its a tough decision.

I like to play my Psyker as someone who has a disdain for technology, feeling that the mind is more powerful than any machine ever built. The only high tech equipment he carriers is a las pistol and vox caster.

In the group I GM there are two psykers.

One is a biomancer-Templar who is from Dusk.. Force Sword and melee with Seal Wound and Regenerate. Completely contemptous of wounds. Throws around Chameleon for stealth/ranged attack avoidance, Fearful Aura far too much for the rest of the party's comfort, Sense Presence, and Spasm.

The other is a Void born pyromancer-telepath. Firebolt and Do Not See Me for combat along with Fearful Aura. Likes using Incinerate whenever it's viable and unconventional power use in general.

The rest of the acoyles consider both of them menaces with useful abilities.

Psyker tactics? How about this:

The Psyker in my group is a Biomancer and quite fond of at the start of a fight hanging back for a round casting Hammerhand. Then using Shape Flesh to turn into a Wolf (quadruped) to get a charge rate of 18 and swiftly outpacing everyone else smashing into the enemy. Oh and if they don't die from the charge she's got Swift Attack.

Now while I haven't gotten much time in on my Psyker the tactics are distinctly not on the combat. Imagine Sidney Reilly aka Ace of Spies with Psyker powers and you should be able to get a gist for what sort of tactics he uses. Dark Heresy has enough combat capable classes so they don't need to have to deal with a daemonic incursion from an unlucky moment from me while they are dealing with other daemons, cultists, or simple mooks. Subtlety is the name of the act.

Seeding and reading every possible mind, always being sure of what people are thinking. When entering the lair of the beast, a henchman is usually sent in first as a meat shield, or suicide bomber/decoy.

My psyker has weapon jinx, inflict pain, sense presence and open wounds. Open wounds is great! Check it out if your GM allows it (it's from "Disciples of the Dark Gods").

Do any of you that have commented still play? I have been playing since 08 and I've tried other rpgs, but I always come back to Dark Heresy (and the others 40k rpgs).
The setting works too well for my tastes and interests.

I'm currently in session 65 of my campaign (Tombs and Tendrils (On Youtube).

We have had many crazy experiences with Psykers. I really like the subtle approaches the powers many of you have said, particularly swapping ammo and grenades around the team.

I have taken several liberties with some of the powers and mutations in the game, even gone as far as creating powers to better fit the narrative of the setting.
I find its never so much about what the power is so much as how they decide to use it.