Having read up on the Sacrifice talent recently, it struck me that there's no actual limitation set as to when you have to use the prepared sacrifice; beyond it taking a Full-Round action to kill them, once the preparations have been made, provided nothing would occur that would counter the previous efforts made on the part of the sorcerer, there seems to be no indication that they must be used right away.

While I'm sure most right-thinking GM's would quickly put the kibosh on players who stroll around with a wagon full of pre-prepped sacrifices for when they want to use psychic powers, it does introduce some potential combos that may occur between the preparation of a sacrifice and the use of the psychic power that will utilize them. For example, a sorcerer could potentially set up a sacrifice ready to go, then use Boon of Tzeentch for extra Psy rating, Protean Form for a boost to Unnatural Willpower etc., THEN kick off some hideous Pushed power with a grossly inflated Psy rating that they would largely avoid the drawbacks of, since the sacrifice is the one taking the brunt of it (you'd still suffer the effects from Boon of Tzeentch though).

Do you guys feel I'm misreading the talent, or interpret it in another way?

Do you guys feel I'm misreading the talent, or interpret it in another way?

Yes. It's a Path to Power, which means it's a step in the process which using a Psychic Power is.

Step 1. Choose a Power Level.

Step 2. Choose a Path to Power, if you want.

Step 3. Make a Focus Power Test.

Step 4. Apply the Effects.

Utilizing the Sacrifice talent is all done during Step 2, which means you can't "prepare" sacrifices for use whenever you feel like getting the benefits of it.

The thought of using the sacrifice as a target of the Phenomena or Peril seems to be the only real use of the Sacrifice Talent and the Sacrifice Path to Power, which other than that only really seems to give +5 to the Focus Power Test - essentially nothing, in the grand scheme of things.

I see absolutely no reason why you wouldn't be able to do what you suggest, and I'm not really seeing BrotharTearer's point, either.

As far as I read the rules, there shouldn't be anything preventing doing this, except perhaps an over-literal interpretation of the "target" being "anoint a bound and helpless sacrificial victim"; however, it doesn't state that the target has to be such when later, "in the field".

I can think of several ways to do this.

Do the anointing and such in advance, and have a minion cart the sacrifice around - why not get a big, great, lumbering and lobotomized Ogryn as a Minion of Chaos, and have him carry several sacrifices for you?

Get a small group of Lesser Minions of Chaos. Humans, weak, gaunt - servants of you, their great leader. Cultists and so on. Have them willingly submit to the sacrifice (give them the Sycophant and Fanatic Traits to reflect this). If I were the GM, since Turns are supposed to take place in roughly the same timeframe, I'd even allow you to tell them to run naked into the enemy lines as you sacrifice them, making them go up in flames. Replace them as they die.

Thirdly, if you're allowing cross-system powers, Dominate someone with Telepathy. Force them to do your bidding and sacrifice themselves on your command. Cart them around dominated and half-bound.

I see absolutely no reason why you wouldn't be able to do what you suggest, and I'm not really seeing BrotharTearer's point, either.

The point being it's ritualistic. It's all done from beginning to end as a ritual, as a part of manifesting the power. First you decide to manifest a power and at what power it should be (Unfettered, for example), then you start your ritual sacrifice as your chosen Path to Power (i.e. preparing the victim and sacrificing him). Step 1 and then Step 2, as I previously described. You can't prepare a sacrifice for later use if you need to do it ritually (that means you do stuff in a certain order) after you've decided to manifest a power. It will take 2d5 minutes + 1 Full Round every time you choose to utilize that Path to Power. No getting around it.

Or you could ignore common sense, logic, rational thought, reading comprehension, definitions and what I said and buy immunity to Phenomena/Perils as a Full Action for 500 xp. Not broken at all.

The point being it's ritualistic. It's all done from beginning to end as a ritual, as a part of manifesting the power. First you decide to manifest a power and at what power it should be (Unfettered, for example), then you start your ritual sacrifice as your chosen Path to Power (i.e. preparing the victim and sacrificing him). Step 1 and then Step 2, as I previously described. You can't prepare a sacrifice for later use if you need to do it ritually (that means you do stuff in a certain order) after you've decided to manifest a power. It will take 2d5 minutes + 1 Full Round every time you choose to utilize that Path to Power. No getting around it.

Or you could ignore common sense, logic, rational thought, reading comprehension, definitions and what I said and buy immunity to Phenomena/Perils as a Full Action for 500 xp. Not broken at all.

Except what you say need not apply at all. I suggest you read the Sacrifice Talent, rather than the Paths to Power entry. It clearly separates between the two actions, the anointing and preparation taking 2d5 minutes, and "once prepared", an additional Full Action to slay the victim. In the subsequent turn , the benefits are reaped. The Paths to Power description of the same action almost entirely supports this as well.

The acts of the Sacrifice Talent is clearly outside the regular flow of the "step-by-step"-process detailed on pg. 206. In fact, it even merely say, and I quote; "... the psyker applies the benefits of any of these additional methods of gaining power. "

It doesn't say whether the acts supporting a Paths of Power are all within this order, it merely details that any benefits from any such Paths of Power are to be applied at this stage in the process.

I always find it funny that people failing basic English are some of the first to harp on "reading comprehension" when challenged. As a general rule, I'm not a fan of rules-lawyering other than strictly to settle disputes as to what is RAW, so that there can be a fruitful argument as to the merits of hitting it vigorously with a wrench in any one specific way, but it does as it's own charm.

And it's not "immunity to Phenomena/Perils as a Full Action for 500xp". It's an incredibly fluffy way to cart off the ire of the warp onto someone else for 500xp, that even requires you to stand still and perform a sacrifice in the middle of combat (if used in combat at all; imagine a social situation - the look on the priest's face, oh my..) for a full round of combat, a round of combat after which the sacrifice, if he is used as a font, will pretty much go up in flames and set fire to most things around him.

Personally, I think that's awesome, and pretty far from being broken.

Edit: In fact, the Sacrifice Talent itself makes no reference whatsoever to it being a Path to Power at all. Which is odd, but doesn't change anything except further supporting my reading of the rules.