Imperial Vanguard: New class

By The Glen, in Rogue Trader House Rules

This is the beginning of a new character class for review, this is just the opening and first level. Concept is the planetary scout, combat skills are moderate, high on survival skills. Whether a Noble hunter, Underhive Ratskin, or Deathworld native, they are the first guy on the planet. Constructive criticism welcome, as well as suggestions on how to progress. The more experienced Vanguard will have tons of survival skills, very hard to kill (lots of wounds, damage reducing traits, and lots of resistances against environmental factors), speak a variety of languages (including various xenos), and have long ranged combat traits. He will lack any ship skills, low on fellowship (not absent, just not focused on them), and no mass leadership skills.

Imperial Vanguard
When a hostile planet needs to be explored, the first person on the planet is frequently is the Vanguard. Charged with scouting the planet and keeping landing parties safe, the Vanguard are some of the toughest individuals in the Imperium. While not as combat savvy as some of their charges, Vanguard tend to avoid combat through stealth and knowledge of the terrain. Whether feral world scouts, underhive scummers, or even Noble hunters, Vanguards can come from all parts of Imperial culture.

Special Abilities:

Feel For the Land: When a Vanguard enters a new non-civilized area he may make a Challenging (+0) Survival check. If successful the Vanguard may reroll any failed Exploration or Movement skills while he is in that environment. He may attempt to make another roll if the first fails every 12 hours. The Vanguard loses this ability if he leaves the environment for more than 72 hours.

Sixth Sense: When in a wilderness environment, a Vanguard may spend a fate point to automatically pass an Awareness or Search check.

WS: 500/750/1000/2500

BS: 250/500/750/1000

S: 500/750/1000/2500

T: 100/250/500/750

AG:250/500/750/1000

INT: 100/250/500/750

PER: 100/250/500/750

WP: 250/500/750/1000

FEL: 500/750/1000/2500

Starting gear: Good Quality bolt pistol or best quality laspistol. Best quality hunting rifle with customized trait and telescopic scope. Best Quality Mono Primitive Weapon or Good Quality Chain Sword, Good Quality Magnoculars, Cameleoline Cloak, Good Quality Guard Flak, Micro-bead, Vox Caster, Medikit.

Starting Traits: Melee Weapon Universal, Basic Weapon Universal

Starting Skills: Awareness, Survival, Navigation (Ground), Tracking, Climb, Swim, Search, Concealment, Silent Move, Speak: Low Gothic

Level 1:

Awareness 100pts

Navigation (Ground) 100pts

Search 100pts

Concealment 100pts

Silent Move 100pts

Survival 100pts

Tech Use 200pts

Trade: Explorator 100pts

Speak: Low Gothic 100pts

Speak (Local Dialect) 100pts (x3)

Literacy 200pts

Scholastic Lore (Beasts): 200pts

Trade (Explorator)

Sound Constitution 100pts

Light Sleeper 100pts

Common Lore (Imperium)

Hardy 200pts

Rapid Reaction 200pts

Basic Weapon Training Universal 500pts

Melee Weapon Training Universal 500pts

Lvl 2

Awareness +10 200pts

Navigation (Ground) +10 200pts

Search +10 200pts

Security +10 200pts

Concealment +10 200pts

Silent Move +10 200pts

Survival +10 200pts

Tech Use +10 200pts

Tracking +10pts

Scholastic Lore: Beasts +10 200pts

Climb 200pts

Swim 200pts

Acrobatics 200pts

Common Lore (Koronus Expanse) 200pts

Secret Tongue (Rogue Trader) 200pts

Pilot (Ground Vehicles) 200pts

Trade (Explorator) +10 200pts

Sprint 200pts

Leap Up 200pts

Pistol Weapon Training (Universal) 500pts

I can see a use for this. What are it's advancements like?

**EDIT**

THough it's special ability, though realistic, seems a little underpowered. Maybe a little tweeking is in order. Though it's your call. And I'd play a Vanguard as it is.

Get my notes...

He's extremely skill heavy, his advancements include all heightened senses, sniper traits, and traits that make him harder to kill (True Grit, Nerves of Steel, Hardy, etc.) He gets quite a bit of Xenos related skills mid-late levels, including 3 Speak Language (xenos), and Forbidden Lore Xenos and Archeotech. He gets Sound Constitution at every single level (x2 at odd levels). Trades he gets archeologist, explorator (though on vague description only, no real detail on what this actually entails).

Any suggestions on how to pump up his SA?

Upgraded his SA to just a flat +10 to trained skills when he's in his chosen environment.

I think that a +10 to ALL trained skills is too much. I also think that limiting it to a specific type of environment is too great of a limit.

I'd switch the SA to be a +10 to all Exploration skills (Awareness, Navigation, Search, Security, Survival, Tech-Use, Tracking, and Trade) when attuned to the local planetary environment. Attuning is a Challenging (+0) Perception Test first made 12 hours after entering the environment. If the Test is failed, the character may retest every 12 hours with a cumulative +10 for each previously failed test. In general, attuning to the environment should take a day or two at most.

I would remove the Sound Constitution x2 and replace it with x1, you see this with all classes save the Seneschal which is most obviously an Eratta since they do not have it at rank 2..just compare to all other classes.

But if the Arch Militant doesn't have it the Vanguard shouldn't have it either.

For the Special Ability, you might want to change it to a re roll since the +10% doesn't realy matter on higher levels.


But all in all, good work, looks cool...

As for Equipment:
Good Quality Bolt Pistol or Best Quality Long Las, Best Quality Mono Primitive Weapon or Good Quality Chain Sword, Good Quality Magnoculars, Cameleoline Cloak, Good Quality Guard Flak, Micro-bead, Vox Caster, Medikit.

Santiago said:

But if the Arch Militant doesn't have it the Vanguard shouldn't have it either.

Leogun_91 said:

Santiago said:

But if the Arch Militant doesn't have it the Vanguard shouldn't have it either.

To be fiar the arch militant gets one for free as a starting talent anf therefore gets two such advances, in a way.

But that is his only one...so I would say Sound Constitution x1

HappyDaze said:

I think that a +10 to ALL trained skills is too much. I also think that limiting it to a specific type of environment is too great of a limit.

I'd switch the SA to be a +10 to all Exploration skills (Awareness, Navigation, Search, Security, Survival, Tech-Use, Tracking, and Trade) when attuned to the local planetary environment. Attuning is a Challenging (+0) Perception Test first made 12 hours after entering the environment. If the Test is failed, the character may retest every 12 hours with a cumulative +10 for each previously failed test. In general, attuning to the environment should take a day or two at most.

Okay, that makes sense. I'll do a version of an exploration bonus.

Let me ammend my previous suggestion to follow the example given by the Nomadic House package for Navigagtors. Instead of the +10 on Exploration skills, allow the character to spend a Fate Point to automatically succeed when using any Exploration skill that he is Trained to use. He will succeed with 0-4 degrees of success (1d5 treating a result of "5" as "0") when using this ability. Since this is now limited by Fate Points, remove the restriction on attuning to the environment, but keep the restriction that this can only be used when planetside (not when shipboard or on void habitats), and possibly further restrict planetside use to only when outside of major habs (like hive cities). These restrictions will keep the character in the Crocodile Dundee role, rather than the urban sleuth.

Okay, new look. Taking advice given. See how you guys like the changes, then post up the extra levels. Again, going for the outdoors types.

Special Abilities:

Feel For the Land: When a Vanguard enters a new non-civilized area he may make a Challenging (+0) Survival check. If successful the Vanguard may reroll any failed Exploration or Movement skills while he is in that environment. He may attempt to make another roll if the first fails every 12 hours. The Vanguard loses this ability if he leaves the environment for more than 72 hours.

Sixth Sense: When in a wilderness environment, a Vanguard may spend a fate point to automatically pass an Awareness or Search check.

WS: 500/750/1000/2500

BS: 250/500/750/1000

S: 500/750/1000/2500

T: 100/250/500/750

AG:250/500/750/1000

INT: 100/250/500/750

PER: 100/250/500/750

WP: 250/500/750/1000

FEL: 500/750/1000/2500

Starting gear: Good Quality bolt pistol or best quality laspistol. Best quality hunting rifle with customized trait and telescopic scope. Best Quality Mono Primitive Weapon or Good Quality Chain Sword, Good Quality Magnoculars, Cameleoline Cloak, Good Quality Guard Flak, Micro-bead, Vox Caster, Medikit.

Starting Traits: Melee Weapon Universal, Pistol Universal, Basic Weapon Universal

Starting Skills: Awareness, Survival, Navigation (Ground), Tracking, Climb, Swim, Search, Concealment, Silent Move, Speak: Low Gothic

Level 1:

Awareness 100pts

Climb 100pts

Navigation (Ground) 100pts

Search 100pts

Concealment 100pts

Silent Move 100pts

Survival 100pts

Swim 100pts

Tracking 100pts

Tech Use 200pts

Trade: Explorator 100pts

Speak: Low Gothic 100pts

Speak (Local Dialect) 100pts (x3)

Literacy 200pts

Scholastic Lore (Beasts): 200pts

Sound Constitution 100pts

Basic Weapon Training Universal 500pts

Pistol Weapon Training Universal 500pts

Melee Weapon Training Universal 500pts

I'd consider dropping the Pistol Weapon Training (Universal) from the starting package. In this guy's role a basic weapon is readily available and (IMO) only the Archmilitant should start out with all three Weapon Trainings. I'd suggest Pistol Weapon Training (Universal) as a Rank 2 or 3 option.

I'll swap it with a lvl 2 option, Secret Tongue: Rogue Trader. Now how do I edit my posts?

Click 'edit' on them. Also hes severely lacking in available talents, give him a few of those, and pick 2 weapon proficiencies not 3 and hes improved.

Moved some skills around with some traits. Trying to do this nice and slow so people will actually try it.

so far looking good ...in level 3 you can put chem-use and carouse as skill he can develop the 1st to increase is capacity to survive and threat local disease, poison or toxins comming from food, animals or plant by making antidote, medicals or to make new poison for himself. the second to increase he resistance vs local alcool and drug.

resistance vs cold and heat probably may come at level 3 to and resistance vs poison and fear later (4 or 5 level)

keep going on this that look very interesting

Level 3

Awareness +20 200pts

Navigation (Ground) +20 200pts

Search +20 200pts

Security +20 200pts

Concealment +20 200pts

Silent Move +20 200pts

Survival +20 200pts

Tech Use +20 200pts

Tracking +20pts

Scholastic Lore: Beasts +20 200pts

Trade (Explorator) +20 200pts

Climb +10 200pts

Swim +10 200pts

Acrobatics+10 200pts

Chem Use 200pts

Heightened Sense (Hearing) 200pts

Resistance (Heat) 200pts

Resistance (Cold) 200pts

Sound Constitution 200pts

Rapid Reaction 500pts

Level 4

Scrutiny 200pts

Acrobatics +20 200pts

Climb +20 200pts

Swim +20 200pts

Medicae +10 200pts

Common Lore (Imperium) +10 200pts

Common Lore (Koronus Expanse) +10 200pts

Trade (Archeology) 200pts

Forbidden Lore (Xenos) 200pts

Scholastic Lore (Legend) 200pts

Speak Language (Xenos) 500pts

Cat Fall 200pts

Jaded 200pts

Talent (Survival) 200pts

Heightened Senses (Sight) 200pts

Lightning Reflexes 200pts

Exotic Weapon Training 200pts

Marksman 500pts

Step Aside 500pts

Guardian 500pts

Level 5

Chem Use 200pts

Trade (Linguist) 200pts

Trade (Cryptographer) 200pts

Gamble 200pts

Wrangling 200pts

Scrutiny +10 200pts

Medicae +10 200pts

Trade (Archeology) +10 200pts

Forbidden Lore (Xenos) +10 200pts

Scholastic Lore (Legend) +10 200pts

Deadeye Shot 200pts

Combat Sense 200pts

Heightened Sense (Smell) 200pts

Paranoia 200pts

Talented (Tracking) 200pts

Polyglot 200pts

Sound Constitution 200pts

Peer (Feral Worlders) 500pts

Thrown Weapon Training 500pts

Combat Formation 500pts

Level 6

Chem Use +10 200pts

Wrangling +10 200pts

Gamble +10 200pts

Medicae +20 200pts

Trade (Archeology) +20 200pts

Forbidden Lore (Xenos) + 20 200pts

Scrutiny +20 200pts

Scholastic Lore (Legend) +20 200pts

Pilot (Walker) 200pts

Speak Language (Xenos) 500pts

Die Hard 200pts

Blind Fight 200pts

Talent (Awareness) 200pts

True Grit 200pts

Resistance (Poison) 200pts

Iron Jaw 200pts

Heightened Sense (Taste) 200pts

Rapid Reload 200pts

Autosanguine 500pts

Flame Weapon Training 500pts

Level 7

Chem Use +20 200pts

Wrangling +20 200pts

Gamble +20 200pts

Trade (Linguist) +10 200pts

Logic 200pts

Intimidate 200pts

Carouse 200pts

Scholastic Lore (Archaic) 200pts

Resistance (Poison) 200pts

Resistance (Fear) 200pts

Crack Shot 200pts

Mighty Shot 200pts

Mimic 200pts

Talent (Search) 200pts

Heighten Sense (Touch) 200pts

Heavy Weapon Training (SP) 500pts

Bulging Biceps 500pts

Foresight 500pts

Decadence 500pts

Dark Soul 500pts

Level 8

Carouse +10 200pts

Logic +10 200pts

Intimidate +10 200pts

Trade (Linguist) 200pts

Trade (Scrimshaw) 200pts

Trade (Armourer) 200pts

Trade (Cook) 200pts

Shadowing 200pts

Evaluate 200pts

Demolition 200pts

Speak (Xenos) 500pts

Blood Tracker 200pts

Disturbing Voice 200pts

Duty Unto Death 200pts

Last Man Standing 200pts

Concealed Cavity 200pts

Hip Shooting 200pts

Prosanguine 500pts

Master Chirurgeon 500pts

Exotic Weapon Training 500pts

That's the initial skill set, lemme know what needs to be changed.