Okay, here's the situation: The group are trying to track a cult through the lower hive of (custom hive). To do this, they need to befriend a gang involved in the Cold Trade, who've traded with this cult. In an effort to make friends and influence people, they're planning a heist on the gang's rival in the Cold Trade to steal their shipment and gift it to the guys who have the information they need.

The supply chain for the target is as follows: Eldar Corsairs raid ships. Trade what they don't want to the Dark Eldar (Kabal of the Crimson Doom). Crimson Doom trade anything they have no need for (both from this and their raids) to gangs via webway portal in the underhive, in exchange for slaves, drugs ect. From the DE point of view it's like garbage disposal but with perks. From the Gang POV they get valuable, sometimes alien technology which they can leverage for money and power. Complication: the target gang has recently gotten unknowingly involved with a Slaanesh cult, who're adding/tainting items of value to corrupt the nobles who buy the exotic imports (via intermediaries).

I'm putting in some stuff like a Daemon Weapon (to attempt to corrupt one of the PCs), a book containing some slaaneshi summoning rituals (to try and corrupt the Adept), and a couple of cool toys for the characters (EG a good quality Neural Whip, a broken necron weapon to tempt the tech priest, that sort of thing).

I'm looking for suggestions to help round out the haul with exotic and interesting items that may have found their way into the mix. Does not have to be practical, and can come from anywhere in the galaxy.

I didn't formally flesh the rules out for it, but I built an archeotech "Gravity Cube" for one of my sessions. Essentially it gets thrown like a grenade and all targets within the blast roll against strength, if they fail they are snared and pulled up against the cube. It's basically that gadget that Starlord uses at the start of Guardians of the Galaxy.

The following is an item I provided a long, long time ago in a different topic , for an auction of forbidden curiosities.

["A piece of art given form by unknown hands, presumably made out of material from the fringes of the Imperium."]
A strange man-sized sculpture resembling irregular shaped pseudopods entwined around themselves, all in all poised like a tree that has grown under constant winds. The sculpture is made of a light blue material similar to wax in appearance, but hard and very cold to the touch. If touched with bare hands, the spot that was touched will glow with a light green hue for about a minute.

Put actual junk in there. Stuff that is useless to everyone. Stuff that is only valuable because its rare. Stuff that doesn't do anything.

For example, paintings made by a Dark Eldar who doesn't want to destroy them, but doesn't want other Dark Eldar finding out about them. So he sneaks them into the trade shipments so that they will find their way into the hands of someone who will preserve them.

These are some great ideas. I love the idea of a Dark Eldar artist, it makes sense that in an eternity of searching for sensations some DE would take up something creative, and it makes just as much sense that they'd hide this from their comrades who'd destroy them for kicks.

From my session notes for the upcoming game:

"Art Collection

A set of strange and disturbing landscapes, depicting a view of a black city of blade-sharp buildings that jut from all directions. Alien ships drift among them. These landscapes were painted by a kabalite warrior, depicting the view from his bedroom window. Its vaguely disturbing vistas cause the viewer to take a willpower test at +30 or gain a point of insanity. Jaded Characters are immune. "

I was thinking of artwork that doesn't fit with anyone's stereotypes of Dark Eldar. For example, maybe the DE is trying to paint cute things. He hides the paintings because having a reputation for making cute things would cause other DE to do things to him that he doesn't want. They fail at being cute because it's a DE painting them.

But they don't do anything beyond being creepy. Except maybe start an argument among people who are trying to find the artist. Maybe some think that the artist was* human, others think some other xeno species.

*Due to how long some of the paintings have been around for.

I didn't formally flesh the rules out for it, but I built an archeotech "Gravity Cube" for one of my sessions. Essentially it gets thrown like a grenade and all targets within the blast roll against strength, if they fail they are snared and pulled up against the cube. It's basically that gadget that Starlord uses at the start of Guardians of the Galaxy.

I took inspiration from the same part of the same movie; only in my case, it was the 'time scanner' that he used to find the orb. The PC's still haven't tried to play with it because, the way I described it, they think it's some kind of dangerous weapon.

I have a similar situation in a Rogue Trader campaign where the Dark Eldar have been trading away their "junk" to various pirates and reavers in exchange for slaves. I would go light on actual Dark Eldar (or even other Eldar) stuff in the mix, and mainly keep it tech from other races the DE steal it from (although I like the idea of actual DE junk), because I can't see the DE thinking it a good idea to give their own goodies to lesser species who could easily become targets at any time.

If you do decide to include actual DE tech, I'd make it poor craftsmanship, or even broken, needing to be jury-rigged to even function once more.

I have a similar situation in a Rogue Trader campaign where the Dark Eldar have been trading away their "junk" to various pirates and reavers in exchange for slaves. I would go light on actual Dark Eldar (or even other Eldar) stuff in the mix, and mainly keep it tech from other races the DE steal it from (although I like the idea of actual DE junk), because I can't see the DE thinking it a good idea to give their own goodies to lesser species who could easily become targets at any time.

If you do decide to include actual DE tech, I'd make it poor craftsmanship, or even broken, needing to be jury-rigged to even function once more.

If I'm remembering my Codex: Dark Eldar correctly DE weapons are made by slaves toiling away in the undercity. 99.9% of their products are considered unworthy of wielding by the True Kin themselves.

In my game, that means that any DE supported by any organization at all (Wych cult, Coven, Cabal) is going to have best quality weapons. The dregs of DE society may have to stoop to mere Good quality gear. Standard quality stuff is available to mercenaries and aliens (better stuff is too, it's just harder to find), and a bit of the poor quality stuff is being shipped to these gangs.

It means that DE weaponry, ironically, has a reputation for being powerful but unreliable, and convinces the humans they're getting one over on the stupid xenos. It's still rare, and is held as more or less a status symbol for the wielder.

Put actual junk in there. Stuff that is useless to everyone. Stuff that is only valuable because its rare. Stuff that doesn't do anything.

For example, paintings made by a Dark Eldar who doesn't want to destroy them, but doesn't want other Dark Eldar finding out about them. So he sneaks them into the trade shipments so that they will find their way into the hands of someone who will preserve them.

Second this idea - one of my players has been carrying around a wooden box full of mirror shards for months sure that it's some kind of relic due to a success on a Scholastic Lore: Imperial Creed roll.

Nope...just a busted mirror dude.

I kinda like the idea of starting to give him bonuses on rolls due to his utter certainty that this must have been touched by some Saint...

I would also suggest something powerful and potentially valuable that they can't really use - like Eldar Wraithlord weaponry. As much of a burden as a boon.

If you're feeling really saucy, go for something from an extinct race of xenos - no-one really knows what it is, or what it does; but everyone wants it (a McGuffin).

Man...I'm coming across as a bit of a **** to my players, aren't I.

Man...I'm coming across as a bit of a **** to my players, aren't I.

The lot of GMs everywhere.