So, in the gear section of the core rule book you can find the availability of a mono-task servo-skull but what about repair- or even combat-servitors? How difficult are they to acquire? I would guess the availability of a repair-servitor would be at least one below a servo-skull, the one of a battle-servitor two or even three levels below. Also, do people without a Peer AdMech even get servitors? What are your thoughts on that?

Hi there,

back in the days of DH1st, there were rules for the creation of our own little constructs [inquisitor´s Handbook] and the combat skulls were the same rarity as the mono-task skulls. But then again, it was a different system where it was not only „how rare?“ but although „cost in gelt“. One of the elite combat servitors (Praetorian) was listed as „Magos only“, so.

I would advise to think about an Influence requirement (with the „Peer“ adding to the Influence, perhaps, with a +10 bonus) and would do so not only in regard to servitors but although in regard to powered armor. But personally, I gave up upon having a real rules system behind it but handle it more on a “my game/plot can or cannot handle that kind of gear” basis. To me, that though is more important than anything else.

One of my players in my current group is repairing and “adopting” mono-task skulls, and I allow it. I even started to create a little list with possible skulls for him (see PDF ; provide via dropbox)

Thank you, Gregorius21778, I have already had a look at your skulls PDF and I find it very interesting. But here the question really is about servitors (like the ones in the NPC section of the core rule book). Of course in the end I will also handle the issue as to best fit my campaign. I only wanted to have some guidelines to stick to.

So what you are suggesting is to handle the whole thing more in a Reinforcement Character kind of way rather then gear requisition? Or did you mean Influence requirement as in Renown a la Deathwatch, so only a minimum Influence instead of influence cost to pay? If yes, what minimum would you suggest for servitors? You think 40 for a worker-servitor and 50+ for some kind of combat-servitor is enough?

Apart from the rules I'm wondering in general how organizations get their servitors. Can anyone besides the AdMech even build them? If the warband faces servitors in the service of some heretic, have they been built by themselves using some kind of tech-heretical forbidden knowledge, did they steal them, or is there any offical and legal way they could have been bought?

So what you are suggesting is to handle the whole thing more in a Reinforcement Character kind of way rather then gear requisition? Or did you mean Influence requirement as in Renown a la Deathwatch, so only a minimum Influence instead of influence cost to pay? If yes, what minimum would you suggest for servitors? You think 40 for a worker-servitor and 50+ for some kind of combat-servitor is enough?

Apart from the rules I'm wondering in general how organizations get their servitors. Can anyone besides the AdMech even build them? If the warband faces servitors in the service of some heretic, have they been built by themselves using some kind of tech-heretical forbidden knowledge, did they steal them, or is there any offical and legal way they could have been bought?

Hi eltom,

while I am not familiar with the Renown-rules of Deathwatch, I definitively suggest the "only minimum influence instead of reducing influence permanently" approach. This whole rules for reinforcement seem kinda harsh to me, as you have to permanently reduce a stat for a temporary access to something/somebody.

For "regular servitors", I would not demand a minimum influence. After all, we are talking about something that is "Rare" in itself (if memory isn´t betraying me here). The roll should be hard enough already. For combat servitors and their ilk, I would see an requirement of Influence 40 or 45. As far as I remember, some of the "Enemies from..." books already had such options for certain items. Those should be taken as a guideline [the detailed answer will follow over the course of the week].

Talking about heretics (and here-techs) and their servitors, I am normally under the assumption that they do not build their servitors from scratch but rather "steal" servitors and re-program them. As far as I can remember, the "Book of Judgement" (DH1st) had an article about such crimes (so, it was a brief one). Only very powerful or sophisticated cults and recidivists should have the means to build servitors from scratch, as the process of turning a living human being into a biological automaton is something I see as a very techno-arcane thing while re-programing a servitor that was already "broken down" into a thing like that will for sure be less difficult (after all, the groundwork is already laid).

Another tought about "Influence minimum": how about basing the amount of "special things" your players are allowed to have around their individual influence bonus? You could rule that certain items are "special" and that everyone that is already holding onto "special things equal to their Influence bonus times 2" will not be granted more. VERY special things could count as two special things here This way, you would have a bit of fine tuning and could try to base "servitor ownership" versus "I have a plasmagun" or "I kept his eldar xenos weapon from our last raid against the faceless trade".

Alternately, those "ownership of special gear" could lead to a negative penalty for requisition tests regarding the same source of material ("we think we helped you out enough already...")

After all, the problem is not that the characters get gear (in that case, one could disallow it or simply heighten the rarity) but that they shall not HORDE the gear, right?

Oh, i forgot to anser the part about "how do organizations acquire servitors, anyway?"

GOOD QUESTION! As far as I know, DarkHeresy never bothered to answer this fundamental question (same goes for "how do people get Astropats?"). My take that it is a mixture of a privilge and a prize you pay, just like the acquisition of military hardware (tanks, submarines, surface-to-air-missles etc.) is today.

I guess that most servitors are simply sold as long as you have a "clearing" to own such. This clearing will mean that you are not on the bad side of Mechanicus (similiar to "not being on the bad side of the law" when you want to buy a gun in the USA) and you will still need to pay AND agree to see to it that the servitor is undergoing propery treatment (no third-party maintenance or such...kinda like Apple ).

Organizations (rather than individuals) will have a much easier time if they have something they can provide to the Mechanicus. For example, if a planetary ruler offers to turn over 50% of those sentenced to death to the mechanicus (so they can produce servitors), said ruler will for sure have better access to combat servitors (or the working drones) in return.

A trade or fabricator guild that makes arrangements with the Mechanicus in regard to get regular support by Technomants and Tech-Priest (in return for regular blessings of their machines and gear) will find the Mechanicus more willing to listen to their requests for more servitors.

My 2 cents

Thank you very much for your thorough replies! Very interesting. That pretty much matches what I came up with myself but having some confirmation that it makes sense is nice

Concerning the gear HOARDING: Strangely enough this has not been a problem in my current group. They are so afraid of the taint of chaos that most of the time they do not even consider to touch gear from heretics Also my warband likes to operate under high subtlety and since you loose subtlety by acquiring gear with negative availability they don't do that very often. Although they are around 8000XP each they have not really much better gear than when they started out. Okay, the occasional bolt pistol was acquired last game session and the priest has a customized warhammer with custom grip, sacred inscriptions, and mono and finally they managed to get their hands on a disguise kit, but that's more or less it. Maybe it also plays a role that they have two psykers in their ranks, who do only relay on their psychic powers.

Well...I cross-read the mentioned "Enemy..." books..and guess what? The "minimum Influence requirements" only seem to apply to SERVICES. Even something as a stasis cage is not having any such thing. So, why should the comparble mundane servitor have one?

The only limiting factors I found was that certain special gear is only granted to people of a matching background. Thereby, I would say that regular servitors are "Rare" and combat models are "very rare" AND are just provided to those with a Mechanicus Background or the "Inquisitor" elite advance. Perhaps, having a "Peer (Mechanicus)" might work as well.

Jokewise;

My character just goes into various ports and Shanghai's himself servitors left and right LMFAO

(By definition aren't they stupid - I mean like reeeaaaaaaaaal dumb!)