Alternatively, for an entirely "black" approach using unregistered, unmarked and possibly undetectable ships, they might just use a teleporter -- stuff like this is rare tech, but considering the crazy weapons the operative is equipped with, it's actually pretty tame! The graphic novel Daemonifuge could be an example for such an incident.

To be honest, teleportation also makes sense specifically for a Culexus - after all, the usual problem is protecting the teleportee during a shunt through the warp; which is why it's usually restricted to those in terminator warplate and the super-psychic warded Grey Knights. A Culexus is not exactly going to care about being shunted through the warp either; in fact he's the only vaguely human individual for whom the experience could ever be described as 'boring'.

The Nemesis covert kill-ship did have a navigator, I believe, but the navigator was itself servitor-ized - something the Navis Nobilite wouldn't take kindly to, but it's not like the Assassinorium is noted for (a) following the rules or (b) being nice .

Huh. I still think lobotomised Navigators are a silly idea, but that's a discussion for another thread I suppose.

Also, good point about the Culexus teleportation! I haven't seen a lot of material discussing how teleportation works, though it does sound like a good explanation. Will have to keep this in mind for the future.

I'd wonder if a Culexus COULD be teleported. Not sure if their null bubble would cancel...whatever it is that makes a teleporter work, in 40k. At the least, I'd agree, that it should protect him/her from anything on the way, and the telportarium is, at least partially, a mechanical apparatus, rather than a purely psychic effect, but there is some arcane cheesery in there, and the anti-psychic powers of a Culexus might interfere with porting them down, from orbit. Sort of like the idea of dropping a pod down, and having him phase out, right before landing, and then, when the people who inspect the pod find no one inside, they'll wonder what's up, while he silently slinks into the darkness, seeking their psychic/sorcerous leader, or Ethereal.

It's always been described as warp-related (Emperor's Gift, assorted Grey Knight short stories, etc).

The one time I recall it being explained in any degree of length, it's described as "essentially creating a point-to-point Gellar field and shunting you through the warp along it" by a techmarine. It's emphatically not a pleasant experience!

The comment about the culexus comes from the fact that whenever we see a Pariah teleported you see the Pariah come out of the teleport far more 'combat ready' than is normal - there's no dissociative 'teleport shock' or momentary confusion you tend to see even with veteran astartes; indeed, after an emergency 'teleport out in The Emperor's Finest', Jurgen is standing on the pad fairly nonchalantly whilst Caine is on the floor busy vomiting and ends up in the apothecarion for several days from the systemic shock.

Please forgive a slight case of thread necromancy. Reading the above posts inspired me to share the moment when I used a Callidus against the character group to create one of the strongest scenes I’ve ever GMed and convey plot-central information.

Background: The group have gone rogue together with their closest Interrogator and is acting in direct opposition to Inquisitor Tivendar because they believe she is mind controlled by the tyranids or just crazy. That is certainly not the case, but rather she has a Grand Plan that uses carefully placed and nurtured Genestealer Cults to lure a huge Tyranid fleet into a trap. During the previous chapter the team have received hints that suggests they are missing vital information, and that maybe they are not exactly acting in the best interests of the Imperium. They are getting nervous over this, but keep pushing. In this chapter I wanted to make it absolutely clear that they messed up and are in deep trouble. So I sent a Callidus.

Because I wanted to leave some hints for the group, I decided she has a team to help with recon and support. That team arrive on planet and spend a month mapping out the character group and their activities. During this time I let the players roll random Awareness-checks now and then, and on exceptional results they actually notice alarming things: An advanced, unmarked and very well hidden camera overlooking their home (no one ever retrieves it after it is found), a street kid hired to spy on them that they threaten, beat up and force to disclose the contact point (no one shows up into the ambush they prepared), and so on. All this adds up to "competent opposition" and plenty of nerves.

While the group goes along with the obvious part of the chapter the Callidus arrives. She studies, kills, and takes the identity of the most trusted contact to the character group: a local enforcer officer. She even meets once with the team in this disguise to study her targets. As the group finally kills an Interrogator that is loyal to Inquisitor Tivendar, they believe they are pretty much done with this chapter. As part of the loot they receive a half written letter from the Interrogator to the Inquisitor, where she claims that that she has things perfectly under control and that the rogue agents (aka the character group) will be taken care of Soon . - As the players read this part they laughed and jeered over their victory. The letter continues with the Interrogator claiming that the Inquisitors request of assistance from the Assassin Temples to solve the same problem will surely prove to be a waste of the Imperium’s resources. - As the players read this part they alternately turned pale and shouted rude things at me.

At this moment, I was very glad over the reputation of the Temples. One of the characters managed a good lore-check so he could inform the other characters. And the more lore-savvy players explained the seriousness of the situation to the other players. This lead to the actual players panicking. Still high on adrenalin after the boss-fight and the bad news, they wanted to arrange transport off-world, asap. And where better to do that, than with the help of their most trusted contact, the local enforcer officer! So they commandeer a Valkyrie and fly there.

After they have told a not too detailed version of their bad situation to the Callidus-in-disguise-as-enforcer, she agrees to help and lays out a plan where she will disguise them as prisoners and transport them into the space-port. They gladly accept, stash their weapons and armor into the storage container she provides them with and let out a collective sigh of relief. Then she instructs them to “play along” and escorts them one by one into the cells where she C’than phaseblade stabs them. The look on my players face as I describe this and roll the absurd attack and damage dice was priceless. After the first character goes down, the Callidus retracts the blade and returns to pick up the next character. And the players know exactly what is waiting, and the characters know nothing. That was a glorious moment.

My expectation for this scene was that it was going to cost them a permanent fatepoint each, acted out by the competent medicae team of the enforcer station finding them just as the Callidus leaves the building, believing her job well done. Then I would use the potential threat of a Callidus to keep the characters moving and nervous for the rest of the campaign. Indeed, the two first targets go down like wet paperbags. I did give them the option to spend a permanent fatepoint to keep standing at 1D5 HP and fight back, no one accepted. But it turns out the third character (our blessed mechanic that once one-shotted a Genestealer using only a plastic table leg), she rolls a heroic string of dice rolls! First an opposed awareness to even see the stab coming, followed by an excellent series of dodges so in the end she only requires the use of a temporary fatepoint to keep standing. In addition, she has a concealed bolt pistol that she promptly crits with after the Callidus fails a dodge! The likelihood for this string of results is so very slim, and I’m actually feeling a little betrayed by the dice, fearing the story will suffer.

The badly wounded Callidus escapes through the window. I figured, that way I could at least keep the threat alive. The characters gather themselves and takes pursuit in the Valkyrie. They are absolutely terrified to let the Callidus hide, regroup and strike again. I realize then, that this is a golden opportunity to shift the tone of the campaign a big step further away from the heroic and into the grimdark, so I let the Callidus run into the crowded market bazaar district.

As the players rolls their Awareness checks with increasing desperation and negative modifiers I let them have a glimpse of her at a far distance as she shifts her body shape and dons a neutral hat to blend in. The sniper asks for the modifiers of a shot at her right now, and looks absolutely crestfallen at the answer. That’s when I suggest that maybe they can use the Valkyries heavy weapons, as they have better range, hardly require any precision aiming and unarmored human bodies will not provide any significant cover bonuses against the shots. I take a short break to find the classic Ride of the Valkyries music and to give the players time to worry about this. With very bothered expressions, they decide that they will indeed fire heavy weapons towards the general direction of the assassin. So I play the music, and the players shoot heavy bolters and lascannons at a tightly packed crowd of citizens.

They do indeed hit the Callidus as well. As her polymorphine drugs wreak havoc trying to replace chunks of flesh and lost limbs, she crawls into cover. The characters blast the entire building with lascannons, storm the burning ruin with guns blazing, slash her apart with power weapons, and flame the remains. I let them trace her communications equipment because I want them to catch her rapidly withdrawing support-team, just as they are nearly done destroying all traces of the operation. Enough documentation is left to confirm that they were indeed the intended target and that the hit was approved by the Lords of Terra.

There ended that chapter with my players scared and a very different outlook for the rest of the campaign.

Amazing, thanks for sharing!

This sounds like a really well-constructed thematic element, to the point where even unexpected turnarounds (which are, of course, always a risk when dealing with chance and/or player minds) add to the ongoing story.

Yeah, that was awesome. I do wish that the Callidus HAD escaped; it always seems that, when they fail, they die, but I suppose that is typical for real-life assassins, too. Thank you for not being afraid to use these worst, most terrifying, assets the LoT can bring to bear, on your players, and for sharing them with us! Next time, maybe they'll have to learn what happens when all subtlety is lost (they opened fire on civs with heavy weapons), and Deadpool, the Kool-Aid Man (read: Eversor) shows up, maybe in the same Valkyrie, but he crashes it, trying to nail them!

Maybe next time it will be an Eversore!