Ok hears the thing all the other classes get Advanced Specialties so why not the psyker so is there any GMs or Players who have home made psyker Advanced Specialties i would love to see them

Ok hears the thing all the other classes get Advanced Specialties so why not the psyker so is there any GMs or Players who have home made psyker Advanced Specialties i would love to see them

So far, Psykers, Commisars and Storm Troopers do not have advanced specialties available.

We assume they are in the next book.

Thanks to my special snowflake syndrome, Jedi/Psyker/Wizard/etc is my usual favorite character type in RPGs, and if I were getting to play OW with a GM who wasn't "no Specialty Class characters! ), Psyker would definitely be my first option, but even I often say, after they introduced these Advanced Specialty options, "what's a psyker going to get?"

To me, the difference between a Sanctioned Psyker and a Primaris is simply one of skill. I have more experience, survived more BS (a pun, and yet not ), and I have greater psychic power. Also, I might've gotten just enough clout to actually acquire some real gear (moving toward my ideal Primaris kit). None of that is the result of some other thing. Other than building a different themed psyker, such as an Astropath, I'm not sure what different sorts the Imperial Guard actually use.

Some thoughts I like, regardless of their actual value as good options:

• Astropath: trained in the skills of Astrotelepathy, you are a walking comm buoy, able to send and receive critical information at almost any time, to almost any place.
• Illuminated: as one of the rare few who has been possessed by a Daemon, AND driven it out, while surviving, you are now different, as is your connection to the Warp, a thing you now need fear much less, though your allies will fear you much more.

Beyond those sorts of silly, you can really make any kind I can say, just by choosing your specialty; whether you serve as an interrogating telepath, a buff master, or a distant fortune teller, with the Emperor's Tarot. Their powers can already be utilitarian, offensive, or otherwise enough, so I'm not sure what i want an Advanced option to give me. I do look forward to finding out, though.

Fluff wise there are only sanctioned/primaris psykers running around with the IG. So if there is some specialty it will most likely be was uninspired as some of the shield of humanity specialties though these has some actual existing roles to be based upon.

There are some varieties like Astropaths but what do you need them for unless you have to send a special recon team to a location where no regular transmission works at all. And for that you can just bring an NPC VIP style. And an "illuminated" would be such a snowflake that the IG and commissariat would not even realise their worth and shoot them on spot. The only other chance is that someone recognizes them for what they are and they get collected by the Inquisiiton.

The psyker has all he needs for doing psyker stuff. And some updated wargear specialty with some force weapon would just be lame.

Same with commissar, they failed hard to implement such a thing as a junior-commissar and the only "ranking up" for a commissar in terms of rank would be in large scale jurisdiction.

Now, I'm not a fan of the Advanced Speciality system of Only War, but..

[...]

Some thoughts I like, regardless of their actual value as good options:

• Astropath: trained in the skills of Astrotelepathy, you are a walking comm buoy, able to send and receive critical information at almost any time, to almost any place.
• Illuminated: as one of the rare few who has been possessed by a Daemon, AND driven it out, while surviving, you are now different, as is your connection to the Warp, a thing you now need fear much less, though your allies will fear you much more.

[...]

Astropaths wouldn't make sense as an Advanced Speciality. Astropaths are trained from the beginning to be astropaths, and marched before the God-Emperor to receive his "blessing", becoming soul-bound to him. It's not something you just 'become' as a regular psyker. Not only because a Astropaths are those that were not strong enough to become regular Sanctioned Psykers, but because it would be an incredibly involved process involving going to Terra and going through a massive amount of training. In a nutshell, even if a player would be a Sanctioned Psyker that would become an Astropath (which would be a stretch to say the least, due to the aforementioned), he'd basically have to be retired from play, taking possibly years to become one.

Illuminated could work, although I honestly doubt that the Imperial Guard would accept a Santioned Psyker that suffered such a fate. The Inquisition, sure, he'd probably be a good candidate to become an Acolyte of some kind.

Something that comes to mind is the Templar Calyx of the Scholastia Psykana . Those haven't gotten any love at all since the early DH days, and I would love to see them brought back. The Templar Calyx are just adjacent to the warzone, and it stands to reason that a lot of them are participating in the war effort.

Yep, between already having the power, and just hoping for better gear, they really don't need Advanced Specialties. I sort of picked the crap I did to illustrate that; they were the two I could think up, fluff-wise, and they are both silly. Astropaths are Astropaths from day 1, and Sensei-seekers are hyperrare hypercheese. If they decide to crank out some "pyro-specialist" who gets even more bonuses to fire-psykerdom than he can already crank out, I won't see that as necessary, and while I would LOVE the option of getting to snowflake it up by playing Guardsman who happens to be a Blank, that isn't exactly a psyker now, is it, plus other rules for Pariahs already exist, and would easily port into OW (sort of rare for an FFG product ), if the GM took leave of their senses.

Nothing in an Advanced Specialty is likely to give me MORE ease in getting higher PR, or getting the Emperor-fearing masses to realize that Psykers are better humans than Humans, the next step in their evolution, since each one really is a walking invitation to terror undreamed of.

Like I said, just give me the stuff to acquire nice carapace armor, a refractor field (since Human psykers have yet to master Warp Field), a plasma or bolt pistol (I prefer plasma, but whatever floats your boat), a Force weapon, or maybe just a good power weapon, but Force, please, and a psychic hood helmet, I'll be almost unfairly happy, and all of that is just a combination of good RPing, favorable dice rolls, and possibly bribing the GM with...well, whatever you can bribe your GM with. I have no idea what sort of power-rounding I'd expect from an Advanced specialty. Short of weird Chaos-fluffing your power, which isn't mainstream Guard, either, no good ideas. Certainly none better than a free stat boost to their important stats.

You can always have the psychic discipline specialists: the biomancer, the diviner, the telekine, the telepath and the pyromancer.

Imho the Psyker and Commissar are a dead end.

Firstly they are to rare snowflakes to permanently attach them to any squad besides the command one if you play a regular IG regiment. Secondly they come with an already HUGE package of power, both in terms of rp and rules to a degree where they outshine fellow comrades straight - in a system that is made to play the "normal" grunt.

The Stormtrooper at last might get some specialty that tries to display their several doctrine set, though they would most likely be more or less a copy&paste of already existing specialties. Imho the best way to play them is piking Kasrkin/Or something alike and then choosing the regular specialties.

I really don't have that much difficulty visualizing various Psyker specializations. Just look at Dark Heresy for inspiration. There's no shortage of Sanctioned Psyker specializations and frankly there could be all kinds of specialized psykers in the Imperial Guard, from battlefield advisors (diviners) to dedicated soldiers (similar to the Templar Calyx).

Commissars, though... that's a hard one, for me. I can't really think of anything.

Stormtroopers are similarly easy. Stormtroopers can likely specialize in a wide number of ways, whether it be heavy weapons or drop troops. They might end up dogging the regular guardsmen archetypes a bit, but still, easy-peasy to come up with various stormtrooper specializations.

Grenadiers should be it's own Advanced Speciality, though, available to regular guardsmen, mimiking the Stormtrooper..

I really don't have that much difficulty visualizing various Psyker specializations. Just look at Dark Heresy for inspiration. There's no shortage of Sanctioned Psyker specializations and frankly there could be all kinds of specialized psykers in the Imperial Guard, from battlefield advisors (diviners) to dedicated soldiers (similar to the Templar Calyx).

Diviners, if used, would be seen on the operational level of the tactica support. Nothing you would encounter in the field, even less outside of a command squad. And the dedicated support is already covered by the Primaris detachements and these are just the straight upgraded version of a sanctioned pskyer in military service.

Also the Templar Calyx are by FFG background the opposite of those psykers that are trained to accompany the IG. The IG has absolutely no place for a single combat focused specialist in their doctrine, if they get hold of a psyker then they need someone that can support by advice regarding warp/daemons/other stuff, support the troops from the actual front-line without starting some melee mayhem and protection from enemy psykers.

If there is a psyker in the IG on a regimental level his job is pretty much set in concrete. Protect - Advice - Support. And all of that stuff can already perfectly be done by the standard psyker.

Having some melee combat monster would be a waste in two ways: First of there are more appropriate fields of employment where that kind of skill actually matters (i.e. Bodyguard), secondly that psyker would be of more use, if trained in a more traditional rule, hence his potential for that assignment is wasted. Also psykers are mostly used in dedicated psyker-squads unless that fact was changed again.

But maybe it is just my taste, I am not a fan of snowflakes, even less in such a system. If I want a story that is about individualism, special people and what not, then I'd take a look for Dark Heresy or Rogue Trader.

If there is a psyker in the IG on a regimental level his job is pretty much set in concrete. Protect - Advice - Support. And all of that stuff can already perfectly be done by the standard psyker.

Those three tasks actually look promising. We can have a very protecting psyker (special advancements: increased psychic defense in an aura or as a focused counter-spell), a very advising psyker (special advancements: a narrative Divination power-like ability and some sort of astral projection), and a very supporting psyker (special advancements: a buff to his damaging abilities and a buff to his buffing abilities).

Can also create psyker speciailties that specialise for specific tasks;

Examples

1) eliminate/capture other psykers/witches

2) some kind of anti demon version

3) battlefield control ( wide environmantal effects like blizards, fog)

Personally my feeling on this is that the psychic powers from the disciplines they can choose count rather like a specialty in their own right.

A biomancer does different stuff to a diviner, who does different stuff to a pyromancer.

Just my two cents.

Well, why not use something already in Codex, there could be Primaris (we already have Engineseer Prime in SoH, so there is some precedent for same-but-better specialization) and Wyrdwane (brutalised prod with electrostaff at the enemy psychick weapon). Templar Calixis is also no-brainer.

Just want to point this out. This game mostly allows anyone to pick any skill - the cost is determined by aptitudes, making aptitudes very important (and the biggest differentiator between classes, followed by equipment). Any new psyker specialties will likely be distinguished by one or both of those two things. A close quarters psyker with a force weapon and ws aptitude is very much a possibility. I would look to equipment and aptitudes to figure out potential classes, not to power lists.

Just want to point this out. This game mostly allows anyone to pick any skill - the cost is determined by aptitudes, making aptitudes very important (and the biggest differentiator between classes, followed by equipment). Any new psyker specialties will likely be distinguished by one or both of those two things. A close quarters psyker with a force weapon and ws aptitude is very much a possibility. I would look to equipment and aptitudes to figure out potential classes, not to power lists.

Aptitudes changing between Advanced Specializations is probably the chief reason I don't like Advanced Specializations. It leads to a lot of potential meta-gaming balance issues, with holding off Advancements until changing to an Advanced Specialization, and makes the system even wonkier than before.

Also, I always envisioned Aptitudes to be a function of character and intrinsic ability, rather than something malleable that can just up and change. Save severely debilitating diseases, brainwash or massive physical or mental trauma, how could someone ever lose an Aptitude they once had?

The fluff-wise implications due to the mechanics just doesn't make much sense to me.

Aptitudes changing between Advanced Specializations is probably the chief reason I don't like Advanced Specializations. It leads to a lot of potential meta-gaming balance issues, with holding off Advancements until changing to an Advanced Specialization, and makes the system even wonkier than before.

Also, I always envisioned Aptitudes to be a function of character and intrinsic ability, rather than something malleable that can just up and change. Save severely debilitating diseases, brainwash or massive physical or mental trauma, how could someone ever lose an Aptitude they once had?

The fluff-wise implications due to the mechanics just doesn't make much sense to me.

While my previous stance was that the psychic disciplines were effectively advanced specialties for Psykers, now I'm of the opinion that perhaps a Psyker at the head of a Brotherhood of Psykers could make a good 'commander' class for them.

The aforementioned melee psyker sounds good too.

Sanctioned Psykers would have Primaris Psyker as an advanced specialty. Throw in a bunch of new psychic powers for everyone and MAYBE some powers only available to the advanced specialty= Happy community, probably.

Commissar would have the Commissar Lord as an advanced specialty. I have no real ideas for this one.

The Storm Trooper would be allowed to take BASIC specialties.

Throw in some new orders/talents/adventure/vehicles/home world/regiment types and *poof* the new OW book is published.

... Now what to call it?

Srsly don't ignore this post devs

I know they're non-official, but please see "The Tempest" for my homebrew Psyker, Stormtrooper and Commissar advanced specialties. They do need to be field tested, with the exception of the Assault, which has already seen use and has come out with minimal tweaks so far.

Replacing aptitudes opens up new vistas of min-maxing. If I was GMing Only War, I'd look into fair alternatives worth the xp.

I'm a bit surprised that Templar Calyx didn't get added to the books. A militant psyker speciality that's been in print since DH: Inquisitor's Handbook, but not in Only War.

I'm sure it has a little something to do with the tug of war that FFG likes to do between "keeping to the source material" (I swear, some of their decisions used to actually be based on that. Look at Ascension, like it or hate it; almost every word of it, even the dumb ones, was purely to stick to the Daemonhunters Codex, of the time), and "making it a fun, varied game". For all those people who constantly whi...um, comment that the various Specialties don't fit, either because they really don't, or because "they are only in Command Squads", even when that isn't always true, they are hearkening more to the material GW has fed us over the years, where you can have varied squads, but the squads each are NOT so varied, while the rest of us want to play a fun RPG, with more diversity than "I'm a grunt. I'm a grunt, but I have a heavy bolter. I'm a grunt, but I heal people (only Command Squads get medics, by the way). I'm a grunt, but I have a pistol, oh and a sword, so I'm the boss." I accept, and even understand, that some people didn't want this to play like D&D in sphess, again, and so they just want grunts, which is how GW illustrates the Guard as being, but then some of us want our tech-monkey experts, our wizards, or whatever you want to shoehorn the other specialties into, as classes, so the game HAS to give us a Tech-Priest option, a Psyker option, and the rest, and then just try their damnedest to not have it go Star Wars, and just have everyone want to play Jedi, keeping the gun-toting grunts still interesting, and comparable.

Templar Calyx falls off, I think, because the GW stuff does keep Psykers separate, minus that Primaris with IC, so he can be where he is needed, and protected. Were he in a regular group of Guard, he wouldn't do so well, with his melee focus (I'll look in my book later, and make sure that isn't smoke I'm blowing), so he also hurts a bit, in game. I think they could use it, I think they even might use it, and I am actually a bit of a fan of it, since I'm still grumpy RT doesn't have a psyker for players who isn't a frail, ancient, blind man analogue; I know you CAN build an astropath differently, but it can get costly. I wish that they had also given us a combat-psyker, in a game where individuals are so important, but they only ever want one psyker type per line, I suppose; they can be cheese enough, as is. As for OW, I guess I'd ask what does the Templar Calyx get/do that a relatively flexible OW Psyker, trained to function with military, doesn't already do? What are you hoping the AdvSpec will give him?

The Templar Calix is a Calixis-specific order, and is specifically noted to be in high demand by commanders for bodyguards. Hence my surprise that it doesn't even get a mention in Only Warbackground, which is tied heavily to the Calixis Sector.

There's a difference between a psyker who invests a bit in melee, and a specialist who is specifically trained to use those abilities for close combat.

Quite true, but neither may seem the most ideal for a ranged-dedicated Guard unit, of which most Imperial Guard forces are. I'm not saying they can't assault, but if you've played table-top, Assault is something the Guard often try to avoid. You MAY sacrifice a squad in assault to slow the enemy, bogging them down till they can cleave through your huge squad, while you HOPE to roll lucky a few times, and take some foes with you (it works for Nids, so IG can, too), or you can put them in the way of a meatier squad, and slow the advance. You may have a single assault asset, such as a power sword, or even a power fist, and you let the blob absorb hits for the specialty weapon, while it hopefully kills the intended target, but it's really the only attack you were going for; the 10-40 Guard attacks are just extra, and might do something relevant. They just don't usually aim to do it, is all; it's a saver, not usually an intention. While this game line likes to pick and choose what codex/table top material it emulates, and what it makes up to create a good RPG, or just because it can, I feel they made the Guard shooty, and so a specialization, however it is themed, that is planning melee, seems like something that may not work with the rest of the team. The Senior Officer might like, and even have, such a bodyguard, but this is not often what the players are playing.

Again, they certainly COULD, I even think they probably will, if they make the book; I can just see why they might not. When I saw Brawler in Hammer, I had the same thought; "who is this PC running with, that melee combat is frequent? A Sergeant, a Commissar, a Tech-Priest, and an Ogryn? For the most part, the real "Guard" careers are not melee-oriented, as is, and while you certainly CAN, it's a direction you need to choose, and one the rest of the group needs to support, much like I view snipers. If they stay with you, they're only as stealthy as the worst of you all, so they're going to wander off, and not have you as back-up. If you are punching the enemy, they know where you are, and your allies need to shoot past you, or enter melee, too. Heavy? Medic? Operator? Maybe not the best to be throwing fists with Orks, or Dark Eldar they can't hit.