In the IH on pgs 245-248 it outlines building things in Dark Heresy. But this seems a little too broad somewhat. How would you handle someone who wants to try to build something like a plasma gun or something that is very rare? Now this is given that they have all of the time and money needed to do so.

Now I am to assume that having the appropriate Trade skill would give you the ability to build more common items or gear. But where would you draw the line?

For building something like a plasma gun 1st you need the Standard Template for it. Plasma gun are rare because very few forge worlds have the ST to build them. Remember in 40k "Knowledge is power, hide it well". Just because a PC is a tech priest doesn't mean other tech priests will hand over a rare ST.

hen there is the difficult of making the various part that aren't standard parts. Think about how hard would be to build a modern computer. Sure I can fix a computer, or put one together. But setup a production line to build a cpu?

I would personally not allow someone to build something as rare as a plasmagun as it just dosn't seem to fit really, this is best left to professionals (and yeah you could argue that a techpriest is a professional, but why join the inquisition then?), non-rare items I would ofcause permit if they could come up with the right means and time to build said item.

Cryxx said:

To obtain knowledge, so you can gain a greater understanding and mastery of technology? That is, afterall, the primary focus of most Tech-Priests. If the knowledge a Tech-Priest obtains while in service to the Inquisition is of a lost pattern of plasma gun, and he has the Trade (Armourer) skill, then why shouldn't he study those schematics in order to produce a working sample to further his research?

N0-1_H3r3 said:

I agree. Techpriests have no reason to join the Inquisition other than their selfish goals to obtain knowledge. Even if they hated heresy, the AdMech have their own divisions to hunt down hereteks for a Techpriest to join if there's a "righteous" itch that needs to be scratched, and they normally wouldn't concern themselves with "normal heresy" that the Ordo Hereticus usually root out ("normal heresy" = cults that defy the Emperor etc.)

Also, Techpriests seem to be a lot more harder to "press gang" into Inquisitorial service than other people, simply because the Mechanicus do enjoy certain rights to refuse even the Inquisition of certain things (much to many Inquisitors anger and frustration). You could say that in many respects, the AdMech ejoy a type of diplomatic immunity.

So if a particular Inquisitor wants a techpriest in his cell, then the techpriest would most likely join because he or she sees an opportunity to gain more knowledge that might be hard to get access to the "normal" way (i.e trying to advance within the ranks of the AdMech).

from france

as answer as quick and direct as possible it s a big no.

but there is always one about in my mind: complexe thing require 4 elements to be build. ressources, skill and knowledge, time, and a place to do so. building a simple mercy killer might be made on the fly ( large meaning for it here). a plasma gun no way. so not a techies?. you remove the knowledge, probably the most important element so it is impossible to build. not a techies but the knowledge off it like some necromunda character? why not but then you are heretecks, which mean you have to hide and do dirty dealing. you are a techies? did you inform your master of your trade? if not it s a crime so ...

you have knowledge but no ressources? just a dream or you depend on someone less benefice and someone know of your activities.

you have knowledge, ressources but no time? still a dream no one work as fast as one desire.

you have knowledge ? the ressources? the time? but no place to work? you have a probleme creating a plasma gun whithout the proper place it is a good way to die. it is true for other and complexe creation.

so .... this kind of thing require far more than just a skill. and if the techies are involved it is never free. they trade it be it in currency favor more knowledge and other thing..

Personally I figure most tech priests in the =][= are there for 2 reasons.

1)The Inquisitor asked nicely for a tech priest acolyte. The higher ups assigned the PC in question because they either didn't like him (in the case where the Inquisitor isn't good ally), or they selected the PC based on being a good fit (in the case they like the Inquisitor). After all they get requests all the time for tech priests to crew ships, get assign to tank crews, and what not. One junior tech priest to keep the =][= happy is no big deal.

2)The PC did some thing that the admech would punish the PC for. The Inquisitor is either a radical or the the crime is only really a crime in the eye of the admech. In effect the =][= is either blackmailling the PC or protecting the PC.

Dalnor Surloc said:

Those reasons are pretty much it.

N0-1_H3r3 said:

HERETEK! Traitor to the machine god!

No really, use that as part of the game! Your player wants to build a rare item? Well ok... but you think the Ad Mech is gonna be happy about that? Have them face the consequences.

Mazinkaiser said:

HERETEK! Traitor to the machine god!

To study the sacred STC, to use it to reproduce blessed technology in the Quest for Knowledge is a boon, not a heresy, and one that should be shared with Mars with great celerity.

It would be the greatest blasphemy against the machine to attempt to pervert that blessed knowledge in any way, however...

EDIT: I am a moron and misread the OP.

EDIT 2 (Now with replacement post): Maybe Tech Use, Tech-Use +10, or Tech-Use +20 could be required for varying levels of complex crafting? You can build a Laspistol with just a Trade Skill, a bolt pistol with Tech-Use, and a Plasma Pistol with Tech-Use +20?

In addition some things might not be possible to build without the vast resources of a forge world. In some case a specific forge world.

Others may require componants that cannot be manufactured at all anymore and rely on supplies of blessed relics.

I would say that plasma guns fall into the former category if not the later.

Black Crusade has excellent rules for building things using Tech Use checks. It gives examples on how many checks at what difficulty to make things.

Wow necro'd a two year old thread to promote bc. really...

I would agree thought that the Black crusade book has good rules for building stuff, simply tweak it a little bit so that you don't invoke deamons and place them inside weapons to make it so that you can instead tweak weapons you already have, because it is WAY to difficult to build a brand new weapon without the scemantics (which i never give my players) I simply allow my players to mix and match weapon parts,

for example, my tech priest had a newly aquired hell pisto and his very trusty hellgun, due to the fact that he always fired it on full auto and then would always either miss or only hit once he would quickly run out of ammo and the foe was ussually preety close to death, then someone else would kill it while he reloaded, he wanted to take the hell pistol and add it's power outset and clip into the side of the gun to allow it to fire out a extra burst of energy before requiring a reload, First i informed him that the change he wanted to make would increase the gun weight by 1/2 the weight of a hell pistol, and cause it to lose the reliable quality, the secondary fire as we called it was simply a hellpistol shot -2 (to represent the lack of energy in the gun output), and also fired at 10m less than a regular hell gun, clip size was reduced for the second ammo pack by 1/2. After agreeing to those terms of gun use, i required him to take a difficult Forbidden lore Mechanicus to determine if his actions would be considered tech heresy (just to retain realism) then he took a -20 trade armorer test and used 1 week to build and create the new gun, which i then ruled as he succeded by 3 degrees, that he had not only built the gun to the desired effect he had also retained the reliable quailty in his hellgun....This made my tech priest very happy and worked out very well for me, as the gun was still balanced and didn't require anything super complex in rules

Building new stuff though is way way way to complex for guns, i would say if you want to build a plasma gun you would need to buy all the parts that would then have the same cost as the gun itself and then build it, it would be a unnecesary risk, it's better to buy and then customise.. also for building simple guns i cut the line at a bow and arrow or a crossbow, something i know they could build easily (+10 armorer check), pistols are a maybe (-10 armorer), basic weapons are much more complex (-20) and heavy weapons i just don't want them building (-40 armorer check)... i let my players fashion mele weapons easier though, much less hassle