Hello FFG forums! Sometime reader, first time writer, 40K veteran Tias here.

1st Question: Can you take Peer (Imperial Guard) as a Sergeant or Rifleman?

The player of the sergeant in my OW game wants to take Peer (Imperial Guard). I think it seems a bit odd that you can take Peer for a group that you are a part of.

On one hand, anyway. On the other, I could see it as representing that this particular Guardsman is a good comrade, showing solid field performance and embracing the virtues of the guard to a degree that he is regarded as a cut above his fellow troopers.

Anyway, just making sure there are no rules I missed saying you can't, because I need to know if..

2nd Question: Does Peer (Imperial Guard) Provide +10 per talent to Sweeping Orders?

The sergeant in question has it figured out, that since every member of his squad, save perhaps the Enginseer, are imperial guardsmen, they fall under the +10 to fellowship checks interacting with members of chosen group, detailed in the description of the Peer talent.

While it seems like a very cheap way indeed to gain a respectable bonus to command checks of all sorts, I might let it slide - they are, after all, not in the worlds easiest job

Has this come up before, and does anyone know which interpretation of the rules to apply?

Thanks!
-Tias.

Welcome to the forums!

1) As far as I know, there is nothing preventing this. And as far as I'm concerned, were I the GM, I'd definitely allow it. Peer represents exactly what you describe in your post. Now, again, if I were the GM, I'd underline the fact that I'd want them to actually earn this to some degree, and that they can potentially lose this Talent, with no refund, if they choose to be very.. not-Peer-y.

But generally speaking, Peer represents the fact that you're recognized as a good contact, with friends in the right places, that have garnered some measurement of fame or notority, or at least you know how to say the right words in the right places, you know some names that are important, and you can simply carry yourself as someone that embodies the ideals of the organization.

So I'd argue that you could be Peer (Mechanicus) without being part of the Mechanicus, simply because you know how to do the AdMech greeting (I forget it's name, you fold your hands together like a cog), you happen to know that Magos Toronos is the resident Magos of the location you're at (Port Wander in the case of Toronos), you give out the impression that you're a friend of the Mechanicus, or maybe even a Forge Worlder yourself.

So Peer (Imperial Guard) could be you knowing the right officers, do some namedropping, and carrying yourself in the appropriate manner expected by the higher-ups and lower-downs both. You know to salute properly when meeting with an officer, you know the Uplifting Primer back to front, you give a good impression at the Quartermaster and manage to have those requisition forms filled out perfectly every time, leaving him with a smile when you exit the armoury. You know what palms to grease and who to threaten, and you know that what goes on in the barracks stays in the barracks.

And so on.

At least that's my interpretation, and by RAW, I don't think there's any prereqs. at all, and there's certainly nothing stopping anyone from taking a Peer Talent of an organization to which they belong.

2) At first, I was going to say no, based on the fact that in my memory, Peer affected Interaction Tests with the chosen group. Since Sweeping Orders doesn't specifically target anyone and it specifically says what the test is, not describing it as an interaction test, it wouldn't apply.

However, I was wrong. What the text specifically says is:

"The character gains a +10 bonus to all Fellowship Tests when interacting with this chosen group and at the GM’s discretion may call upon them for favours from time to time."

So I think that your player is technically right. It's a +10 bonus to Fellowship Tests, and at least some of the Sweeping Order are Fellowship Tests, and they do interact with the chosen group, the Imperial Guard. Even the Enginseer is technically part of the Imperial Guard, attached to it as he is, or at least that's my interpretation.

At your discretion, however, seeing as how these people now him, you may fully decide that it doesn't apply, since these are people that may know him as a person. As per the aforementioned interpretation of Peer, we all know that the impression friends have of you often do not mesh with the public's eye. It doesn't matter if my brother becomes the president, he'll still be the asshat that tied me up and egged me as a child.

You are the GM, and you'll have to make a call. All in all, however, being given a +10 to most Sweeping Orders isn't too bad.

+10 per rank of Peer, mind you. But yeah, it's only cheap and nifty for -sergeants- and others with the exact right combination of aptitudes, and other specialties have their own cheap bonuses. I think I'll allow it.

+10 per rank of Peer, mind you. But yeah, it's only cheap and nifty for -sergeants- and others with the exact right combination of aptitudes, and other specialties have their own cheap bonuses. I think I'll allow it.

Ah, very true. I come from earlier rulebooks, where there only were two Talents, Peer and Good Reputation. Both of them gave +10 each, but that's it. You couldn't take multiple of them, and they were either given as reward from the GM, as an Elite Advancement, or as part of a Career's regular advances.

I would not allow someone to stack up Peer Talents. By RAW, he can, but RAW is sometimes stupid.

+10 per rank of Peer, mind you. But yeah, it's only cheap and nifty for -sergeants- and others with the exact right combination of aptitudes, and other specialties have their own cheap bonuses. I think I'll allow it.

Agreed. Though I'd probably limit extra purchases of Peer levels.

+10 per rank of Peer, mind you. But yeah, it's only cheap and nifty for -sergeants- and others with the exact right combination of aptitudes, and other specialties have their own cheap bonuses. I think I'll allow it.

Agreed. Though I'd probably limit extra purchases of Peer levels.

When I get around to it, when I'm writing my custom Talent list, I'll just bring back Good Reputation and Peer, as well as Rival and Enemy.

I get what they wanted to do with Peer and such, and since Good Reputation had the Prereq. of Peer before, it was essentially a duplicate Talent, so it made sense to just make it Peer 1 and Peer 2, Peer 3, etc.

But I don't think that Good Reputation and Peer should necessarily relate to eachother, and I'll add the stipulation that buying it is at the GM's discretion and at the very least a flimsy rationale is necessary. This will actually go for a lot of skills and Talents.

I'd like to point out that for a Sergeant it still cost 300xp, as he only has one of the aptitudes.

Well, of course, but I already restrict Peer to characters whose in-game performance merit respect from the respective organizations.

Straight from the RAW to your eyes:

The GM and player may agree to award this Talent when appropriate to adventure or campaing, though the character must still pay the experience cost for the Talent as normal.

So here we have it, the valve to limit the abuse is installed from the beggining.

As for the questions, I agree with people before me, peer in IG is someone that just knows how to speak with guardsmeat in general or is known/liked, people from that group trust him and his commands, orders should be augmented by this. Heh, in this way my PC sergant/commander (1st luitenent as now) would have better chances to lead a group of commisars than his own guardsman (romancing a commisar helps) but that's just the fun of RAW in work sometimes