Dark Heresy 2e House Rules

Character Creation- Aptitudes:

During Character Creation, characters do not gain the Aptitudes listed in the Home World, Background, and Role that they select. Instead, each character has all of the Characteristic-Based Aptitudes listed on page 79 and selects 2 other Aptitudes on this page (Offence, Finesse, Defence, Psyker, Tech, Knowledge, Leadership, Fieldcraft, or Social).

Reason: This makes character creation much more free-form and character advancement much simpler. In addition, it removes the exorbitant cost that a character would have to pay for purchasing an advance that they do not possess an Aptitude for. As a result, characters will have more of an incentive to purchase advances which would seem atypical for their character, creating more diversified characters while preserving an aspect of specialization.

Subtlety Test Modifiers:

Replace the mechanical description of this section with:

“Whenever a character attempts a test and the outcome depends on how well-known the group is, the player may choose to invoke the cell’s reputation amongst the populace, or namely, their Subtlety rating. First, the GM states whether overtness or subtlety would be beneficial to the character in this test. The character rolls an additional tens die on the test, but must wait for the GM to tell them which of the two results to apply as the result of the test.

The GM then rolls a test using the group’s Subtlety:

If the group wanted to benefit from subtlety, a successful Subtlety test allows the character to select the most favorable result on the tens die. Consequently, a failed test forces the character to accept the least favorable result on the tens die.

Vice versa, if the group wanted to benefit from overtness, a failed Subtlety test allows the character to select the most favorable result on the tens die, while a successful test forces the character to accept the least favorable result on the tens die.

Reason: Turning Subtlety into a tool which can also be used by players makes it much more involved in the game. When players understand that Subtlety is simply another resource they can attempt to benefit from, it will receive more of their attention and see more use during play. Rolling an additional tens die with the test makes this more of a player's action and removes fiddling with modifiers, especially because I would like this to be used frequently in my group without fear of incurring any additional complication at the table. I also feel like the current subtlety system appears to a player as too arbitrary, leaning on the GM's decisions. The idea of Subtlety, as presented, should in fact be the exact opposite.

RE: Aptitudes

wouldnt this mean there are a lot of cheaper skills/talents around seeing as players go from 7 aptitudes to 11?

Re: Subtley

while i get where your going with this, it does sound like a bit more work for the GM, effectively doubling the ammount of dice rolls. do remeber that subtley already modifies a NPCs reactions to the characters depending on their alligences (see page 277)

I didn't want to start a new thread for this, so...

I'm thinking of allowing characters to have two backgrounds at character creation if they spend 1000XP (the entire amount they get at standard creation) and have the backstory to support it.

Most backgrounds give 5 skills (500xp) and two talents (400xp), plus their background talent (100xp?). This still effectively gives them an additional Aptitude for free, but if they are willing to write up a good backstory and sacrifice their choice of additional skills and talents at character creation I don't think that's too outrageous.

Players that take this option will almost definitely have a bonus over those who don't, but how much of a bonus? I don't want things to be unfair, but at the same time I want to give a mechanical benefit to those who have great roleplayed backstories. So is there a better or more elegant solution?

Having an extra Aptitude is worth a lot of XP - much more than just compensating for the additional skills and talents a background gives you. It's, at a minimum, 100 XP for every single advance you ever purchase that uses it.

In my opinion, stick with the RAW 1-background rule. If you want to reward good backgrounds, do it narratively or with the Peer talent. If you want to decrease the amount of XP your players need to spend, give them a free Aptitude or two. Having PCs with mixed Aptitude counts is going to end in a wide capability gap.

Good points. I think I may hand out Peer talents based on their backstories, and universally allow everyone to choose 1 additional Aptitude associated with it. Keeps it simple.

RE: Aptitudes

wouldnt this mean there are a lot of cheaper skills/talents around seeing as players go from 7 aptitudes to 11?

Re: Subtley

while i get where your going with this, it does sound like a bit more work for the GM, effectively doubling the ammount of dice rolls. do remeber that subtley already modifies a NPCs reactions to the characters depending on their alligences (see page 277)

Aptitudes:

That was one of my main motivations for the change, actually. However, it really only negates that excessive penalty for taking skills or talents which you don't have an aptitude for.

Subtlety:

It's effectively the same amount of times that dice are rolled- the player just picks an extra one and keeps the highest or lowest result. I do agree that it is too much calculation. Perhaps using the Subtlety rating in an Opposed test is its best use?