I'm going to be running House of Dust and Ash this weekend and we are creating Rank 4 Acolytes for the adventure. Any advice on how much money and/or equipment to give? I want them to have decent gear, but noting too outrageous.

I think the guideline is one month's pay per 400xp. If someone in the lower pay brackets ends up really short, you might give them some extra, though you can generally buy pretty decent stuff on the cheap (melee weapons = best quality + mono upgrade, ranged = most basic SP guns + manstopper rounds).

If I remember correctly, that module is intended for 6 players rank 4-6 though, so maybe make them rank 5 and/or let them each take one peice of "shiny" gear in the 1500-2000 throne range?

Thanks for the reply. Six players, wow. I've only got three. I think I'll run something else. I was wanting to run it as a prequel to Tattered Fates, but it doesn't look like that's feasible.

Hmm, well, the adventure also has a sidebar on scaling it down. All the encounters that I can recall are very scalable (with lots of combat-worthy NPCs on hand and variable numbers of foes). And the adventure has a lot of socializing and puzzle-solving. Just make sure the group has it's bases fairly well covered- some social and investigative skills, some way to heal, and overall combat-readiness.

Also, the adventure includes an auction for rare and powerful artifacts which their Inquisitor has provided them with funds to participate in. So you'll have a chance to offer them some powerful items right before things get really nasty (and an excuse to take them away afterwords if they're a little too much).

Always remember, that the inner greed demon shines forth the brightest when you have no idea how pimped out something "should be". Consider what you think is expensive and actually worth the money. I remember spending more money when i played my cleric on looking good, than actual equipment. But most players don't do what i did.

1st) Do you like the character salaries listed in the book? Do you really think that the inquisition truly pays on rates like that?

2) At 4th advancement, most characters can buy either weapon training (bolt, or Chain) So they should at least have enough money for a bolt Pistol and a clip of bolts, AT LEAST.

3) You can reduce the amount of money you need to give them if you can bulk up their starting equipment. In combat heavy missions, it wouldn't be surprising to send your acolytes in with a piece of carapace (generally a chest, it's pretty vital and easier to hit than the head), rather than throwing them gelts that they could waste on something frivolous, that does you (the inquisitor) no good if they die!

4) If they're just starting out as acolytes, what have they done to deserve this much gear? Wouldnt' it be easier to simply have your enemys drop items of value as the game progresses, letting the acolytes greed and appreciation of each other's work sort out the hassle of who gets what? And saving you time during character creation, by just handing out some simple light armor (like bodygloves, or a few pieces of mesh/flak) and a few pistols, long arms. Then letting them get to the nitty gritty of sorting out bullets. I find that players are rather fair with most things they consider necessary, People will realize that the guy who's hitting with his shots all the time, needs less bullets to be just as effective as the guy who misses constantly and is always burst/ full auto firing. Even if a character might be a terrible shot, they'll generally find themselves just as geared as everyone else, a gun in the hand of a fool, is just as destructive as a gun in the hands of a genius.

SPOILER ALERT

Do not forget however that your Acolytes CAN buy some shiny stuff at the auction, and they have been given a nice amount of Thrones as well. Let each of them buy something special ... but don't make it a set of 3 power armours.

My acolytes survived Dust and Ash...they were rank 4 at the time...but at the end they were falling apart.
All save 1 had critical damage and several fate points were burned.

With only 3 players make sure the Slaught Overseer is a background horror, give them hints he is inhuman and massively overpowering, if they attack him and you play him/it right, it will be a party wipeout (my party of 5 decided to flee after the 2nd fatepoint was burned).

The Ashen Tear Assissin should be deleted with 3 players because he can also wipe out the party.

The Hunter can also be very dangerous...actually, most of the NPC's can wipe the part from the map at that level.

But what you need to do to run Dust and Ash:

* Make cool aliases for the pc's
* Make sure they have above average equipment (Auspex, Bolt Pistol, Carapace Chest Piece)
* Make Marr very scary (My pc's double crossed him in the end, punishment is due)
* Be cruel, the final part is survival horror, but keep it fun for the players and put the Acolytes through Hell

GrtZ,

Santiago...

Thanks for all the of advice everyone, it's been very helpful.

Here is another question. Tattered Fates deals with the Haarlock Legacy as well. Seeing that House of Dust and Ash is such a deadly adventure, and my players are fairly new to Dark Heresy (thought not to the world or the game system, having played WFRP 2E for years) do you think just skipping it and running Tattered Fates I would be a better idea?

I don't mind stating characters off with good equipment or in dangerous situations, but I'd hate to put them off from the game with something so overwhelming, so soon.

Well, can't help you with TF as I don't have it but perhaps starting strait out with Dust and Ash might not be the best idea. Perhaps you can craft a few sessions to lead up to it that are a bit tamer and allow Dust and Ash to be a bit of a mid arch climax to end the tranquil parts and begin the deadly phase of the game. Just a though.

As for the scenario its self, I ran it with just two players (rank 5 and 6) and it went rather well. The key is all the other NPC's. My players did a lot of hob-knobbing and socializing and had won a couple of friends from their lot through simnple debate and engaging their interests as well as some grudging respect after a duel to first blood with the "Rogue Trader", etc. Before the auction, they had realized that things were probably going to go south and managed to get an audience with Bland and tried to get him to cancel the auction. Bland, of course, couldn't, but in telling them this and why, they learned some valuable things about Greel and begin looking at him more closely which helped. Likewise, their conference with Bland had won him over to their side of things, though as their affiliation wasn't reveled to him, not completely but enough they they got two PDF solders assigned to watch over them.

When all hell eventually broke, their former association with Bland as well as the Adepts veiled association with the munitorium won the remaining PDF solders over to them. The solders easily took control of half the entrance hall and in their zone of control, the adept set up a triage routing anyone injured in the garden over to him (more brownie points for the team from the NPC's). Command checks were used to get the bulk of the auction-goers calmed and working together in getting the main doors open and find a way out. All in all, they were able to set up a island of calm order in the first stages of the chaos and gained a lot of temporary allies. It kind of fell apart when the servitors began waking up, but it still earned them a lot of help.

In the end, the PC's are not alone in this unless they decide through their former actions that they are. In the end, it's very possible for all present to reap what they have sewn...

I would wait, 1 st run Dust and Ash and then Tattered Fates...it should be even more deadly...