What is the hierarchy of a Telepathic Relay Station? What is the title of the Astropath in charge of the station and are there any ranks beneath him or her beyond just a member of the astropathic choir? How much supervision would a relay station on say Fenksworld get?

And on Astropathy, while normal psykers can't intercept an astropathic message, would an alpha plus level psyker be able to? What about an alpha plus level psyker who doesn't have much in the way of telepathy, just a crazy powerful soul?

Thanks all for any light you might be able to shed on these two rather unknown areas for me.

Graver said:

It's likely to vary based on a number of tiny but apparently-crucial factors known only to the hierarchy of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, but something simple like Astropath-Primus, or perhaps something like Loquator (from Loquacious - talkative) would be appropriate, IMO.

Graver said:

I don't think so, at least not under normal circumstances. Receiving astrotelepathic messages seems to be more about knowing what to look for (and knowing how to interpret it - the messages need to be translated into a form more appropriate for the medium, much as this forum post will become flashes of light down a fibre-optic cable when I send it, which requires the ability to translate them at the other end for them to make sense) rather than a matter of raw power. With the right training or the right focus, a non-Astropath of sufficient skill and power might be able to send such messages himself, and in turn be able to learn how to receive and interpret those of others (Space Marine Librarians of the Epistolary rank and higher are able to do this, though typically over much shorter distances than true, Soul-bound Astropaths), but for the most part it's unlikely that a non-Astropath without any experience of astrotelepathy would be able to intercept an astropath's messages.

This is entirely unofficial. But when my group designed our 40K LARP system, we did come up with titled ranks for most of the factions. The ranks, from lowest to highest, we came up with for Astropaths are as follows:

Page

Aspirant

Viator Redactum

Transorator

Viator Majoris

Viator Senex

Nexus Victus

Blind had a lot of relevant info (not surprising, given that it was set aboard Hydraphur's Bastion Psykana, an astropathic listening/relay station informally known as the 'Witchroost'). It's been a while since I read it, but IIRC, the senior astropath was simply given the title of Master of the Bastion Psykana. There were a number of other ranks/positions mentioned, and a strongly implied system of seniority and much behind-the-scenes politicking. I'll have to dig out my copy and re-read it for more details.