Hi there,

I'm quite new to DH2 and have yet to play (or run) it. Having read the rules, everything seems rather clear to me... aside from the psykers. I'm not entirely sure how to create such a character?

My problem is that there are three separate character creation bits tied to psykers: the Astra Telepathica background, the Mystic role and the Psyker elite advance. And it's not clear to me how are they all connected? For example: are all characters with the AT background psykers or not? Can there be psykers with roles other than Mystic and backgrounds other than the AT? Finally, which psykers are Sanctioned? Is it okay to, say, create a character with Adeptus Arbites background and consider him Sanctioned?

Also, what is the relationship between psykers and sorcerers? Can only psykers do things like summon daemons or cast spells, or can it be done with ordinary humans with access to some mystical tomes etc.?

They're all independent options. You can make an AAT character who is not a psyker and thus still Sanctioned, or a psyker who is not from AAT and thus not Sanctioned. You could also make a character who becomes a psyker either at chargen, or after several sessions, by purchasing the Psyker elite advance. And it's completely up to you how these different cases are handled. You are limited only by your creativity (and the impact on XP expenditure of the chargen choices you make).

Sorcerors do not yet exist in DH2, but were explained in DH1 as people who controlled the powers of the warp not through an innate mental capacity, but through the study and practice of arcane, profane rituals. So some ordinary shmuck with a magic tome and some chalk (and a fair amount of luck) could magic up a spell. Rules-wise they were treated as separate powers that used the same rules. Think of them as two different roads to the same tainted source of magical power.

As long as there ain't any way to do sorcery in DH2, I would say that you could by Psyker later to represent this sorcery, but I don't know if FFG will do something else until then. Otherwise, CPS said everything there was to say.

Sorcery deals more in mystical (And profane) ceremonies than the direct channeling of the warp as a true psyker does it. Also, the mere performance of such a ritual is heresy by definition and will likely result in many corruption points!

The upside (?) is that Arcane rituals are capable of achieving effects far beyond what a basic Psyker can do! Thinks like summoning hordes of demons and sucking whole worlds into the warp are all possible!

If you want the most current rules for chaos rites and rituals, they are found on pg. 225 of the Black crusade core rulebook.

The downside of rituals is that they are extremely hard and extremely costly to perform! They're generally not something you want to attempt in the middle of combat! They take a long time and usually involve a number of ritual sacrifices to make it happen.

CPS actually did a very good job of explaining the relationship between the Astra telepathica background and being a Psyker. (Did I really just say that? )For instance, a non Psychic warrior or seeker from AAT would probably be a psyker's "handler". While an Outcaste psyker is a witch!

Thank you for explaining the sorcerers to me

As for psykers: so, there *are* people with AAT background that aren't psykers? I was wondering about that. But, if I understand the setting correctly, any Sanctioned psyker would have to have this background? And everyone else are rogue psykers?

BTW. A character with a Mystic role has to buy the Psyker advance at chargen, is that correct?

Thank you for explaining the sorcerers to me

As for psykers: so, there *are* people with AAT background that aren't psykers? I was wondering about that. But, if I understand the setting correctly, any Sanctioned psyker would have to have this background? And everyone else are rogue psykers?

BTW. A character with a Mystic role has to buy the Psyker advance at chargen, is that correct?

Yes, Any Psyker not from the AAT is considered a rogue psyker.

No, A Mystic from the AAT gets the Psyker elite advance for free.

Quoting is hard. Short answers to your questions, as a recap:

-- For example: are all characters with the AT background psykers or not?

Not all characters with the AAT background are psykers.

-- Can there be psykers with roles other than Mystic and backgrounds other than the AT?

Yes.

-- Finally, which psykers are Sanctioned?

Only characters with the AAT background and taking (or receiving via e.g. Mystic) the Psyker Elite Advance receive the Sanctioned trait.

-- Is it okay to, say, create a character with Adeptus Arbites background and consider him Sanctioned?

Not per Rules as Writen.

-- Also, what is the relationship between psykers and sorcerers? Can only psykers do things like summon daemons or cast spells, or can it be done with ordinary humans with access to some mystical tomes etc.?

Some other people have answered this better than I can. Unsanctioned psykers are not sorcerers. Sorcerers and "ordinary humans" can definitely perform rituals and summon demons (but it's not easy).

Note: If receiving the Sanctioned trait and the Psyker Elite Advance at character creation, the characters starting Psy Rating will be 2.

Okay, I think that clarifies matters to me. Thank you again, guys

Yeah, most people in the astra telepathica who are not psychers are generally those who work the black ships and hunt down psychers for them.

They're also a good background for untouchables, as the psycher advance contributes to needed willpower advances and it makes sense that the astra telepathica would want those immune to the warp to be handling untrained psychers as they reduce the likelyhood of random psychic phenomenon, and make combating belligerent psychers far easier. Considering the untrained may have no idea of the difference between a psycher and an untouchable, the black ships would most likely round up both, although the untouchables in far smaller numbers.

As said above you do not need to be a psycher to be astra telepa, but you would need to be somehow tied (Witch hunter maybe, a handler, someone who works with them, maybe even an adept who studies them)

I add that while it is general that sorcerers are for the most part not spitting dozens of doombolts around the battlefield in the narrative. And they mostly engage in cool little rituals that can't be instantly deployed in a fight. The rules for previous editions assumed that sorcerers could indeed still cast all the powers that a psyker could. Just that they weren't born with that innate talent, and had to bargain with some Warp entity to gain it. That further they had a higher price to pay when it came to learning new disciplines by eating a ton of extra corruption points for each ability trained.

So while normally I'd say they play around with symbols and such. You can still have them shoot purple fire if you want under the current psyker rules. Then see if they add marginally different rules for them down the road, likely involving how they push and what happens when they roll on the perils table.

As said above you do not need to be a psycher to be astra telepa, but you would need to be somehow tied (Witch hunter maybe, a handler, someone who works with them, maybe even an adept who studies them)

Exactly. The Black Sentinals are a sort of specialised half Adeptus Arbites/half Astra Militarum force responsible for Telepathica security - an Adeptus Astra Telepathica Warrior would be just so.

I add that while it is general that sorcerers are for the most part not spitting dozens of doombolts around the battlefield in the narrative. And they mostly engage in cool little rituals that can't be instantly deployed in a fight. The rules for previous editions assumed that sorcerers could indeed still cast all the powers that a psyker could. Just that they weren't born with that innate talent, and had to bargain with some Warp entity to gain it. That further they had a higher price to pay when it came to learning new disciplines by eating a ton of extra corruption points for each ability trained.

So while normally I'd say they play around with symbols and such. You can still have them shoot purple fire if you want under the current psyker rules. Then see if they add marginally different rules for them down the road, likely involving how they push and what happens when they roll on the perils table.

Also considering any character can get turned into a psycher via corruption mutation, sorcerors who sell their soul to demons can probably become full psychers, albeit with usual soulbinding, corruption, and insanity costs. Thats more of a Black Crusade thing than a Dark heresy thing though, unless you're making nemesis NPCs or something.

If you're not selling your soul for magic powers in every campaign you're not playing Dark Heresy correctly.