Excessive Comrades

By Karachna Orglaz, in Only War Rules Questions

Ok, looking at the book I can find no reason this wouldn't work, but maybe I'm just blind.

  • Lathe World Regiment.
  • Sergeant.
  • 2500XP, change to Commander, purchase 4 comrades - all servitors.
  • Next 2500XP boundary, swap to Enginseer Prime, purchase N = Intelligence Bonus Servitors.
  • Never take a hit again and hand out servitors like candy.

​Am I missing anything? It seems like overkill, and at high logistic levels you could be packing more plasma cannon praetorian servitors than anyone would know what to do with. Not that I would deny this of course, any player that tried it would quickly be faced with multiple heavily-armoured enemies and narrow escape routes, but still.

I'd probably apply some common sense limitations - or nuke it from orbit. It would depend on how I felt about the player in question. Some of them I would trust. Others less so.

Haha! Nuke it from orbit sounds like a valid option towards such a character :D

I'm not looking at the books right now so I may be wrong, but I believe Enginseer Prime is an Advanced Specialty only available to those who start as Tech-Priest Enginseer. Just as a Tech-Priest can't advance specialize into Sergeant or other Guardsman Advance Specialty, a Sergeant can't advance specialize into a Support Advanced Specialty.

That's why the Lathe-World Homeworld is required. Characters will always count as a Techpriest.

Also, nuke it from orbit sounds like a very viable approach. 11 praetorian servitors take one absolute hell of a beating. Just hope the player isn't lucky enough to take the whole hit on a conversion field.

Edited by Karachna Orglaz

If I recall correctly, Lathe-World Homeworld does not cause a character to count as a Techpriest, it simply implants the character with a potential coil. The requisite for Enginseer prime is not Potentia Coil, it's Techpriest Specialty.

The various advanced specialties are set up so that Guardsmen, Ratlings, Priests, and Techpriests each have an individual means to acquiring further comrades - no two of these advances are meant to exist on the same character.

Lathe World origin counts a character as a techpriest, much like the Ratling and Ogryn world origins.

To bad they are servitors, otherwise (guardsmen or whatever) I'd force him to roleplay all six of them.

But I would allow it,* aslong as he doesn't nickname them after Disney characters (Huey, Dewey, Louie, Etc...)

* Descisions like these are the reason it's probably a good thing I'm not the GM in my group. :)

Well, if the regiment has enough "extra" Servitors to accommodate him, and their integrated weapons, then I guess it works. while I don't like SoH's wording there, that is what it says "always counts as a Tech-Priest and a Guardsman", with a list of jobs they CAN'T take, of which Commander isn't one of them.

Otherwise, and this is purely me being dickish, and stomping on fun of others, I'd rule that it is the same ability, and thus it doesn't stack. You have an ability to gain multiple Comrades. A second ability to gain multiple Comrades would not stack, though with Commander's having a set cap (4), and Redundant Systems having a variable cap (x = Int bonus), I'd say you get the better cap, whether it is 4 (you aren't THAT smart, yet), or 5+ (you are VERY smart). When you have abilities that don't explicitly say they stack, like Sound Con, or some other stuff, I'm a fan of they don't, and don't see why this character should be able to lead 11 Servitors, where others can only lead say 5, and Servitors aren't impressed by your tactical skill, charisma, and such. Again, that's just me, but I'd say the two abilities are the same effect, and thus don't stack, like one that says "this ability replaces X, and they do not stack." You might tell me that they don't say that, but I'll tell you FFG has been, in many cases, as are so many RPG lines, terrible at referencing their own books, for fear you don't have it, yet, and Commander isn't in the main book, but another supplement. Sometimes they do, like RT in Warpstorm Trilogy, referencing Lure, Edge, ItS, and BFK, but Lure didn't, and that's why some of that stuff is crap, as well as "baby's first adventure?" syndrome.

Thanks guys. Especially Venkelos for your elegant solution to my* problem, and Robin Graves for telepathically agreeing with what I would do basically word for word**. Although we have seemed to highlight the fact people are less aware of what the rules actually read than they would like to think. That's one ridiculously powerful combo sorted. I'll make sure to place some more stress on the community's shoulders at a later date.

*Although in most cases I would probably cause this whole problem and then hug the roleplay element for the rest of the game.
**And I AM the GM in my group. Someone pray for the poor saps in my games. They need the support.

TL;DR

Problem solved, I'LL BE BACK.