I find it very hard to give my acolytes the oppurtunity to purchase new weapons. They all ways end up on a feral world or something so they have no chance to buy las or chain weapons or anything of the sort. So I thought maybe, like once a month I would have a night where they could by anything out of the armoury regardless of avalabilty much like during character creation. So I wanted to know if any body does anything simaler and if they would advise doing this. All my acolytes have now are SP pistols and maybe one of them has a las carbine, im not sure, but there board of there weapons.

How about simply sending them to a civilized place once in a while for a mission?

Cifer made a pretty good call there, but also realize that even if you do suddenly hand them a Bolt pistol for example, and they're always on a feral world, or some place where the ammo is unreliably found, then they might as well pick up a crossbow or two for the party. If your acolytes are constanty on feral worlds, who are they fighting? Are their encounters only with the indigenous people, or do they encounter large animals or packs of predators? If your villain is using a feral world... Then he's looking for the easy way to do things.

Feral Worlds offer several benefits to Villains:
1) Easily Swayed populace with generally no outside supervision (Who visits a feral world consistently, honestly there's a reason they're rock throwing idjits)

2) Lack of reliable communication makes it easier to escape detection

3)Hard travel is often required to reach anywhere, preventing a person from simply landing their ship next to your villains hideout. And during that travel native predators will expend their resources before they reach your guards.

But then again, unless he's a clever villain that's handy with a bow, most of his servants will be outfitted with at least a las gun, it's a reliable weapon you can charge in a fire, it's cheap, and you can full auto, which is handy when you don't know how to use a gun. And he himself will generally carry a weapon stronger than the people he has subjugated (as villains are won't to have their own particular icon such a Good/best quality Bolt pistol, or a Plasma Pistol).

So you could have your acolytes track down on this feral world, a shipment of goods that will go to this guy's personal army, thereby accomplishing a goal of weaking him whilst adding to your party's armory. Especially when you have Acolytes that use SP weapons, ammo will be dreadfully scarce, this shipment could be their only way to still be packing firepower when they finally reach the end boss. I've had a group of acolytes that cornered my Villain in his base, only to find out that between 5 of them, they had 6 Arrows, 5 Bolt Shells, and a Single Plasma shot. I was laughing at them until I recieved a 38 Damage Plasma shot. **** the emperor **** him and his fury!

Since they are send there (right) how about simply HANDING them some gear (through the Inquisition?). If some-one sends out a squad, it is sended armed, armoured and with ammo.

i don't really see how this is a problem, I'd think the reverse is a much more common problem in DH in general.

But why can't the Acolytes get gear between missions? Why have you decided to only play missions in feral and primitive worlds? I'm not saying that's a bad idea I

I'm just saying it is ultimately your decision as GM.

I have established the Acolytes on Scintilla in my game (how original!), so they can basically get whatever they want. The noble even purchased a contact (with xp, see IH) just to get hold of a Lathe Blade, and they have found the occasional power weapon and bolt pistol on enemies.

Still they mostly use SP weapons, autoguns, shotguns, hand cannons. Ammo is readily available, and they even have the Inquire skills to get manstopper rounds on a general basis.

I advise you to actually keep it as it is. Let the players either find or loot some special weapon or cache of ammo some time, your players should be happy to get a special treat occasionally. Just don't spoil them yet!

Gregorius also have a point in that the Inquisition (or Inquisitor more likely) would allow some gear for the Acolytes if they seem lacking, especially for dangerous missions. You could even let them have items on loan, and of course their master will be very displeased if they lose or damage them.

Well, you could also portray the free armory night as the Acolytes purchasing gear using their back-pay and having it delivered through the Inquisition. Of course, it should arrive with the supplies that were already being sent their way (mostly just ammo, medkits, etc, unless you feel that they deserve further rewards).

...and if all of this isn´t your deal... even on primitive/feudal words a guncutter that "tramp tripped" together with a void ship visiting the system (for a month for reason X) could dash into the hughest settlement (where the pc are near) to sell very modern equipment to the populace...for OUTRAGEOUS prices, of course!

I have the Inquisitor hand out gear as rewards. As they move closer to the Inquisitors inner circle the gear improves but so do the challenges. They are all around level 5 at the moment and are about to meet their Inquisitor for the first time. I will give them access to power armour and some good quality weapons from the Inquisitors own armoury.

The gear that is handed out is always much better than the stuff they can afford or find.

Absolutely not, it's a completely immersion breaking idea, and invalidates one of the chief reasons being on a feral world is interesting. If you want the PC's to have weapons, then send them to a civilised planet for a change.In the meantime, if you want to allow them modern tech, do so. At inflated prices, and only certain weapons (hunting rifles, las weaponry, crossbows with mono bolts etc), stuff likely to be seen and/or function on low tech worlds.

The obvious way is to buy the weapons on the ship they are traveling on. The average 40k ship is huge, 1-6 km long, there s certainly room for a market inside the ship.

Or what you could do is something similar to the Deck of Cards in D&D.

Make a list of benifits and penalties, each one assigned to a different card in a deck.

On a mission set a scenario, where they have a chance of finding the deck of cards. If they do, they have a chance of gaining or losing stuff.

Stuff like, +5 Fel, 500 Thones, A Best Quality Las Carbine, Heal all Wounds for you or a friend, etc. And for penalties, -5 WP, -2 Strength, -500 Thrones, A Daemonhost is chasing you (and only that player), take 3 wounds, etc. I'm sure you can come up with more.

The players can take as many cards as they wish. They can take 1, 2, 3, or none. And whatever happens, happens. And once they finish drawing their cards, and marking down what happens, the cards shatter and dissolve.

Cameron said:

Are you SERIOUSLY advocating recreating the "Deck of Ruined Continuity" from old D&D? Seriously?!

"Oh HELL no!" would not put this strongly enough. If your acolytes are lacking in the gear they need for a particular mission, then consider having their Inquisitor or some other contact provide the needed gear. This also makes things less painful if you feel the need to take it back away again. "Did you honestly believe that the Sacred Blade of Saint Bethany the Chaste was given into the hands of an ex-PDF Sergeant on a permanent basis? Silly, foolish boy!"

So far in my game things have been fairly self-regulating, as the only player who seems to think this is "D&D in space" where the goal is to collect the huge stash of magic loot is also the peniless guardsman who can't manage to keep Gelt in his pockets for more than about 3 days. Sometimes they manage to scrape together enough cash to get something they have wanted for a while, but all of the really choice pieces of kit so far have been either rewards for (as Medicae-Interrogator Sands would describe as) "reasonably adequate performance" or offerings from interested parties that meet Tricorn secret approval. For example: the noble guardsman (we have 2 very different guardsmen) had been dilligently including in her mission reports that the team's techpriest had been mentioning certain implant systems that would be of service to the team as a whole and lamenting his lack of resources to obtain said implants... At the conclusion of a particularly spectacular mission result against the hated Logicians our heroes were surprised (and appropriately shocked) to have a previously unknown Techpriest Magos included in the debriefing sessions. Part of the bargain that allowed the Magos to question Inquisitor Skane's agents about the mission was to have the team's Techpriest fitted with some of the implants he so desired (and the Inquisitor desired, as the implants on his "wish list" were indeed useful to the entire team.). A few other pieces of nice gear have been likewise provided to other acolytes on the team, each with a special description and a few distinctive traits. Trust me when I say these items are considered VERY prescious by their owners, since it is no longer just a generic item from an equipment list, it has deep personal meaning and sentimental value.

The other thing to keep in mind is once you give them a pile of fancy gear, they are going to tend to want to use it. Alot! You will find yourself writing "secret undercover missions of the utmost discretion" from time to time just to throw some variety into the encounters. "Yes, I know you love your twin-linked heavy stubber that you named Betty, but you are going to the Prince's Saints Day Ball. You will wear finery, a formal wig and these rediculous shoes. You will be armed merely with your wits and a spool of mono-wire concealed in this cufflink. Do NOT put it through the laundry, you oaf!"

ZillaPrime do you have anything against DND? lol not meaning to be mean or anything but calm down my man its just a game we are all out for th same thing just a bit of fun, i think its an ok idea but you might want to watch out what you put for the rewards and penalties perhaps there are tiers of Decks like rank 1-3, 4-6, and 7+ that way you dont have a daemonhost chasing a rank 1 adept for no reason.

i think you could have a free armoury night but just watch what they are buying some of the things might not make sense to the story nor a feral world there is a limit like power armour on the feral world? the alcolyte would be venerated as a glowing god for terra's sake lol

Nah, I have largely fond memories of D&D and have generally found many countless hours of entertainment from every version of the game from the old boxed sets all the way through Pathfinder. 4th Ed is really the only one I have no love for in the slightest.

My reaction was because of the single worst idea in gaming history seemed to be poking it's unholy xenos eyes up from the shadows. That of course being the lamentable "Deck of Many Things"

Our stalwart Artherian heroes brave many harrowing adventures through frost-choked mountain passes, did battle with awful black goblins of the Far-deep, then bravely fought on through a blizzard, fever wracking them as infections rage through their frost-shocked bodies. They stagger into a humble but desolate inn that offers shelter from the storm, where they find the innkeeper owns a strange magical deck of cards. Pick a few from the pile if you dare, he said... Then suddenly two of the knights have breasts, one owns a castle from out of nowhere made of solid stone that apparently floats on swamp water without drifting, but that's ok because it is filled with pudding! The paladin no longer rides a white charger, but rather an odd "rubber duckie" that has the stats of an 8,000 year old paisly dragon. Oh, and no one has ever seen the rogue since then, but seers have uttered the cryptic word "Shadowrun".

What this does to a game is worse than if a Dark Eldar offers to host your bachelor party.

I have to paste that last comment into my signature!

As for the idea of the armoury night ...

Well, why not? I usualy give the PCs the minimum of needed tools, but for good work they can get extras.

i would just be careful. My gamers often ask for large amounts of ammo as well.

PC: 'Can i have a few flasks for that new Plasma Gun?'

A(dept): 'Sure, have two.'

PC: 'Just two? I will have to kill a lot of xenos and heretics. I need more.'

A: 'Sorry, but two is all you get. If you need more, buy them yourself.'

PC: 'Buy them myself?! But they are rather expensive!'

A: 'What, did you think WE got them for free? Nope, old contracts, and we also have to pay for them.'

PC: 'But just a measily two flasks?'

A: 'Yeah yeah, i know your kind. If i gave you a full box, you would soon ask for the whole shipment, and in the end even for one of the sacred Atomics.'

PC: 'Ooooooohhh *eyes start to shine* can i have one of those too?'

A: 'Get out of here!'

ZillaPrime said:

Whoa dude, I was just making a suggestion.

Remember, DH is just a game, meant for fun. If someone wants to run a BS game, for kicks and giggles, let em'.

My players head to the Eye of Terror to visit Logan's World, which has a huge black market.