I have to admit, I've gotten a tiny little bit bored with the ways of my super Lawful Good kill-team. As a result, last time I've sent them on a clandestine mission which culminated in battling Ork mechas in a secret AdMech facility and, incidentally, making off with the research documentation. After the current adventure arc culminates (we got sidetracked, so I never finished The Emperor Protects with them until now - Samech, here we come), I plan to use that info as a plot hook to thrust them into a conflict with a fringe group of the Cult Mechanicus researching proscribed xenotech, and maybe to slowly introduce the Necrons, too.

By a lucky coincidence, yesterday I got my hands on David Guymer's BL short story, Infinite Circuit, where a DW Kill-Team is pitted against a cult of electro-priests guarding the relic the KT is after, and they seem to be **** fine opponents. So, did anyone try to stat anything up from the new AdMech 'dexes?

I've been checking the other 40k lines, and there's an Electro-Priest player advancement scheme in the DH Core, which is weird - I didn't even try looking for it there, because I was fairly sure the Electro-Priests were a new invention in the 7E Cult Mechanicus 'dex, published in what, 2015? Huhh. Looks like I was wrong. Old lore guys (looking at you, Lynata ), is this really something that ancient?

Anyway, it looks like I just have to prepare a Techpriest and add the Luminen Blast Talent to have the bad guy shooting lightnings from his palm, but there's a problem with this: the damage of the Luminen Blast is 1d10+WP bonus, which will be laughed off by my rank 4 and 5 Marines. Similarly, the Shocking quality won't do much as it needs at least one point of Damage, and, on top of that, each Armour point on the affected location adds +10 to the subsequent Toughness test. Imagine Space Marines getting a +80 to a Toughness test. I know, it's a +60, because the modifiers cannot climb higher, but still. Pfff.

There are a few methods to remedy this, but each appears to be a bit problematic:

1) Simply raise the damage. I'm reluctant to do that, because I have a rank 5 Techmarine, and he'll be able to get this Talent at rank 6, so if I set a precedent, he'll just try to improve on his own later. Now, believe me, he really doesn't need any of that - with his insane Toughness and high damage output, sometimes I have trouble hurting him as it is.

2) Add Pen or have it ignore Armour or something similar. Cons are the same a above.

3) Have the electricity mess with the Power Armour systems or power cell (maybe add Haywire?). I like this one the best, but it still requires some hand-waving when my Techie asks for this ability later. I can always tell it's a heretical modification, and so on, but I'm afraid it will come across as pettiness.

4) Add Unnatural WP to the Techpriest. This just feels wrong, Willpower doesn't feel like an ability which could conceivably be improved with cybernetics.

I can always use the rank-and-file baddies in Hordes to have a chance of hurting the PCs, but I want to have a memorable boss-fight, and lightnings zipping around would be a spectacular addition. So what I humbly ask for is advice in two things: a) how to make the ability of the bad guys more dangerous, and b) how to avoid handing the previous improvement over to the Techmarine on a silver plate. Wat do?

As for going for an Electro-Priest, DH: The Lathes Worlds introduces certain new talents and a cybernetic that would be most useful.

The Talents are: Luminem Shield=>Barrier (generate a field based off of Willpower), Luminem Surge (upgrade Luminem Shock to 2d10+3 E), and Luminem Flare (upgrade Luminem Blast to 20m range and Blast(X) where X is Willpower Bonus). They're on pages 56 and 57.

The cybernetic is the Enhanced Potentia Coil, page 66, improves a lot of the Mechanicus Implants talents/abilities. It gives +1d10 damage and Pen equal to Willpower Bonus and the Shocking quality to Luminem Blast/Flare, and Pen equal to Willpower Bonus and the Shocking and Tearing Qualities to Luminem Shock/Surge.

There's a Paragon Talent in DH: Ascension that boosts the all the Luminem talents, don't remember exactly what it's called or what it does.

And the Arch-Heretek in Rogue Trader Hostile Acquisitions has the Luminem Desecration talent, which is a BS test to completely shut down any electrical devices worn/carried/etc by a single target for 1d5 rounds, and can screw up vehicles as well. It can be dodged, but Fields or other protective devices are worthless. It doesn't do any damage, but it'd functionally take a Marine out of action (unpowered armor) for those 1d5 rounds. If you describe it similarly to the Luminem talents, they won't know which it is until/unless it hits.

As for not handing all of this out on a silver platter ... it is spread across multiple advances plus a cybernetic. And, to be fair, it's all short ranged stuff - with a hard range limit. Anybody within 10m or 20m of a high-level Kill-Team is likely screwed anyways - or is tough enough to stand up to that kind of punishment. Besides, 2d10+WPB E Pen WPB for a half action at a 20m isn't that much compared to the kinds of weapons a Rank 5/6+ Kill-team can have. It's certainly better than a bolt pistol shot, but then, it could also be a plasma or melta pistol shot - or a heavy weapon, or a semi or full-auto burst of fire. And in melee, it's still just a single attack - at rank 5/6+, melee is often multiple attacks, and run off of Strength Bonus, which if mostly ignored is probably close to a focused Willpower Bonus, thanks to Unnatural Strength.

Or, a grenade - a good grenade, admittedly, but a grenade.

Hey, thanks, just what I needed! You just pointed me to a gold mine, my players will be eternally grateful (hopefully while chilling in the light of the Golden Throne ).

As for the effectiveness of the Luminen talents - while I want to have the chance to hurt the players, it's more of a flavour element. Rule of Cool, if you will. It's going to be a very different enemy, and after battling Hereteks and daemonic tech-monstrosities at Samech, it'll be nice to showcase the diversity of the AdMech - and to catch the players with their pants down with innocent-looking, unarmed "pilgrims" suddenly shooting lightnings from their hands.

The Lathes Worlds also has the Coil-Whip, as an integrated weapon. "Often seen in the hands of the Venator Decanii, and sometimes even the fabled Electro-Priests, Coil-Whips are long, segmented chains that glow brightly with electrical energy." 1d10+5 E pen 4, Flexible, Shocking.

Only War: Shield of Humanity might also have some Tech-priest talents/abilities worth looking at as well.

As for the effectiveness of the Luminem talents, I was mainly pointing out that while they're handy, and flavorful, and situationally powerful, they're not exactly going to be an unbalancing game element, even if your Tech-Marine goes to max them out, which will take a while. Or at least, they probably won't really cause anything difficult to adjust for.

If you need I could easily write up some Skitarii stats, and work out some Legio Cybernetica for you. On the Only War page I converted some of the Skitarii stuff into a player character set up and I had been since 2012 trying to implement non-PC related non-servitor admech stuff into my games. There is also a really good fan made Thallaxi book somewhere.

Hey, man, thanks! I'd absolutely love that. As I have a longer campaign in the works centred around different AdMech factions, anything Mars-related would be immensely helpful, so bring it on, if it's no bother.

Well here is the link to the only Skitarii thing.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/196137-mechanicum-only-skitarii/

That's got a bit to use and work with in it. Obviously I got just about all the gear and their vehicles for the Skitarii. I'll start on making some NPC's of the Skitarii. And then depending on what you want/need i'll either get started on some of the Legio Cybernetica or on the Taghmata vehicles and myrmillian's (though those are in question due to GW and their views on 30k from Forgeworld)

I can also share the link for the Thallaxi fan book.

I have to admit, I've gotten a tiny little bit bored with the ways of my super Lawful Good kill-team. As a result, last time I've sent them on a clandestine mission which culminated in battling Ork mechas in a secret AdMech facility and, incidentally, making off with the research documentation. After the current adventure arc culminates (we got sidetracked, so I never finished The Emperor Protects with them until now - Samech, here we come), I plan to use that info as a plot hook to thrust them into a conflict with a fringe group of the Cult Mechanicus researching proscribed xenotech, and maybe to slowly introduce the Necrons, too.

By a lucky coincidence, yesterday I got my hands on David Guymer's BL short story, Infinite Circuit, where a DW Kill-Team is pitted against a cult of electro-priests guarding the relic the KT is after, and they seem to be **** fine opponents. So, did anyone try to stat anything up from the new AdMech 'dexes?

super 'Lawful Good' Kill Team? how did that happen?

super 'Lawful Good' Kill Team? how did that happen?

Well, in a nutshell: at the beginning most of my players were new to 40k, and following orders to kill big things in spectacular ways satisfied them perfectly. Nowadays they managed to develop some sort of a personality, but most of them picked goody-two-shoes Chapters like Salamanders and Ultramarine successors, and the possibly deviant ones are frequently absent or are keen to follow orders and minimize collateral damage.

I am also to blame as I started GMing with this group and system, and initially I didn't mind them being a bit passive off the field as it simplified my life. As I grew more comfortable running the basic stuff, I started to introduce various motives of internal conflict, ambiguity and moral grey zones, but as most of us are working already, the best we can manage is a once-in-a-month-Saturday-afternoon gaming schedule, which makes introducing these changes and storylines very slow and gradual. The AdMech project is my ham-fisted way to set them against nominal allies in order to provoke more active roleplay.

Well here is the link to the only Skitarii thing.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/196137-mechanicum-only-skitarii/

[...]

I can also share the link for the Thallaxi fan book.

Mate, that's fantastic. I still have a few months until we get to the AdMech adventure (sadly we play only once in a month), but, thanks to you, the gears are already turning in my head. And yes, I'm absolutely interested in the Thallaxi fan supplement.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/125639-developing-rules-for-using-the-thallax/

There is the thallax, and given a little time I can dig up and patch my Vorax Automata, and up/downgrade my Castellax into a Kastelan, then Generate the datasmith.

You might want to look at some old threads like https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/18856-skitarii/ or https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/18285-need-implantsbionic-ideas/ - while some ideas ahve been published in The Lathe Worlds and The Lost Dataslate, not all of them have been included.

Here is the thallax supplement. https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/125639-developing-rules-for-using-the-thallax/

I'll work on digging up and updating my Cybernetica.

Guys, give me some time to process this veritable cornucopia of information, but know in advance that I'm immensely grateful.

Just in case you suddenly have too much free time: in Rogue Trader books you can find some nice non-standard cybernetics and traits/talents. I think your Kill-team will be really happy when enemy tech-priest shut off their power armor with single gesture and Luminen Desecration talent

Edit:oops, javcs already mentioned Arch-Heretek. But the point about cybernetics remains valid