I'm playibg a Rank 5 Tech-Priest ( Divine Light of Sollex), and I'm thinking of taking the Secutor path. I'm worried though, that this will prevent me from any sort of undercover work or subterfuge. Has anyone taken the Secutor path and found this to be the case? Will weighing 3 times the size of a normal man and being Hulking be a serious drawback to investigations? Right now I have no extra cybernetics, but would certainly like to get some, and I worry that, although very fluffy, this too will hurt any chance of secrecy.

Opinions?

Magos Haxtes said:

Subterfuge isn't a Tech-Priest's strongest area at the best of times. Their array of standard implants make it difficult for them to pass as someone other than a Tech-Priest in many situations, and social skills are rarely a priority for them.

Generally speaking, though, being a Tech-Priest is sufficient to make people shy away from you and let you get on with your work - the secrets of the machine are not theirs to know, afterall. Further the 'heavily robed and bristling with augmetics' look tends to distract people from little things like what you actually look like, meaning that it's not exactly easy to tell two Tech-Priests apart if they're not demonstrating anything particularly distinctive in terms of appearance. Consequently, given the relative ubiquity of Tech-Priests (everywhere there is technology, a Tech-Priest is likely to be around somewhere), and the above-mentioned difficulty people have distinguishing between them, Tech-Priests tend to have a fairly easy job going about without being remarked upon so long as they don't draw too much (or the wrong kind of) attention to themselves. People expect a Tech-Priest to be odd, distant and covered in bionics, lacking normal human social graces and dabbling in the workings of arcane machinery.

Being a Secutor adds a difficulty - you're large, imposing and probably quite heavily armed and armoured - but you are still a Tech-Priest, a member of the Priesthood of Mars, and not someone likely to be questioned about his movements and activities by the common man. You'll draw more attention, but so long as you're careful it shouldn't be too much bother.

And, if all else fails, you don't actually need to be in the field directly during undercover work. The Secutor in my group, along with the group's Psyker, tended to stay out of the way during many investigations, using their intellects and knowledge to assist from afar through research, the use of cogitators, and feeding info to the field agents using a vox or telepathy, rather than being in the thick of it (where the Arbitrator and Scum were most useful).

Those are good points. But my character is also the pilot/driver of the group, will being so big prevent me from driving normal cars? We have not, nor are likely ever to, see Rhinos or real Millitary Eqp. But I'm petitioning for an Aquilla Lander.

I thought this might be as good a thread as any to ask my question, as it pertains to Tech-Priests. I am having a hard time, fluff wise, determining how ubiqitous tech priests are and how strong of a monopoly they have on tech knowledge. Are they the only ones able to repair machinery, or are their other technicians in the setting that can do that? If they are the only ones capable of making repairs, their order must by absolutely enormous. The imperium would need members on every planet with even a low level of technology.

How do you view the Tech Priests in your campaigns? Are they the only ones making repairs? Are they seen everywhere tech is in common usage?

There haven't been any in my game, save me. I'd imagine if Trade: Technomat ( and a few others) is/are offered they aren't the only ones fixing things.

@OP: While the Machinator Array is one of the main attractions of becoming a Secutor, it is by no means the only benefit of becoming one. Cheap and wide ranging weapons training is a huge bonus, not to mention the fun fluff of being a Secutor and the doors it opens. The only real problem is that depending on the rank at which you become Secutor, you can miss out on some awesome talents (Maglev Grace). So, really, it's entirely possible to become a Secutor without going all the way to being a walking weapons platform.

@amertes: Generally speaking, where Tech Priests dominate is high technology, mundane repairs can be handled by ordinary technicians. Anything big and complicated, like a factory complex, star ship, advanced weapons manufactorium, large data vault etc, will have at least a small team of Tech Priest overseeing things. I also see them as being common fixtures of star ports and any sort of place that involves orbit-surface shipping, or just where a lot of loading servitors might be used. Gun smiths, auto-mechanics and the like probably have some form of mild tech priest sanctioning (probably no more than a stamp on some papers and a stern talking to about not trying to build a nuclear reactor in their back yard) but oversight wouldn't be too intense on most worlds.

Regarding driving; the Machinator Array advance doesn't actually increase your size, only your weight. The vehicle might struggle a bit under your greater mass, but you shouldn't have that much trouble fitting into the cockpit of any vehicle intended for human use.

amertes said:

In my campaigns, the Mechanicus ruthlessly and cunningly enforce their monopoly on advanced science and technology, condemning as heretics those who would use, create or alter sophisticated devices without their blessing (while simultaneously examining the methods used by the now-condemned individuals to see if there's anything worthwhile to their 'blasphemous' theories; knowledge is, afterall, power).

Every planet with technology comparable to or more advanced than that on modern Earth has a Mechanicus presence of some kind, as does every single registered starship within the Imperium and every significant military force the Imperium deploys, particularly those who make extensive use of vehicles. In some cases, such as an agri-world using STC-derived farming vehicles (the ubiquitous Land Crawler, discovered by legendary Archaeotechnologist Magos Arkhan Land during the Great Crusade; he's better known for discovering the Land Raider and Land Speeder STCs), this might only be a handful of Enginseers, roaming the planet and advising on technical matters. On a Hive World where mass-produced machinery is the primary tithe, there may be tens or hundreds of thousands of Tech-Priests of different ranks and specialisations, consecrating manufactorum facilities and inspecting work crews at stardocks (generally tasks for the lower-ranking members of the Martian Priesthood; the higher ones will be considering matters of greater import), along with maintaining and replacing Servitors (which are frequently made from captured Hereteks and criminals) and a number of other crucial tasks in addition to their own personal studies and investigations into the Secrets of the Machine (in the Adeptus Mechanicus, knowledge brings greater status and greater status brings access to greater knowledge in return).

All legitimate repair and manufacture of sufficiently-advanced technology must be performed with the blessing of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but a Tech-Priest does not necessarily have to perform the task himself. Lay-technicians exist in all walks of life, normal men and women from amongst the common mass of the population who have attended the proper sermons and been taught the appropriate rites and rituals of manufacture and repair needed to perform their duties. These rites and rituals are deliberately engineered to give no technical knowledge, merely the practical skills to, say, assemble a lasgun on a Manufactory production line, or to perform routine maintenance and repairs on a broken tractor (in game terms, this is what the Trade (Technomat) skill covers).

Magos Haxtes said:

In one of the campaigns I run the party tech-priest was considering taking this path and I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with it, as the party does a lot of stealth and undercover work. Being a huge mass of machinery and weapons tends to make you... stick out. Not much that could be done about the stealth aspect, but I figured that for undercover work he could probably pass as a combat-servitor or just an over-enhanced warrior, basically allowing him to play a bodyguard-type. Not perfect in every situation, but TPs tend to stick out anyway.

Thankfully he decided to go another route, so the issue didn't really come up.

Our former Tech Priest, when he drove or was forced to ride in a car, had a tendency to cut the roofs off of cars so he could be more comfortable.

If there is technology, there are Tech Priests. Think of them as the big scary wizards in a low magic fantasy world, except they and their minions are everywhere. Most menial workers will be owned by the Mechanicus, those that aren't will have been trained by and overseen by them. A general rule of thumb is that almost everyone with the Tech Use skill has at one time or other been through a Mechanicus training facility of some sort. If they haven't and the Mechanicus finds out they will be labeled Heretek and hunted down by the Mechanicus.

Keep in mind however that there are varying levels of heresy. On most planets least tech heresy is ignored. Least is basically doing things that would be non heretical if a tech priest did them. Done without the right rites . Or making modifications that aren't in line with the "right way" for a given item to be built/maintained. On the other hand on a forge world any tech heresy is punished.

As far as a tech priest going Secutor. It is a big deal, and people in the know are going to recognize a Secutor fairly readily by the Mach(whatever) Array. Sure you can try to make yourself look like a normal tech priest or a servitor, but a good roll on the part of the side and your cover is blown. Really the question I have is Have You Talked to Your GM? Maybe he/she is planning adventures where this will be a big issue. Maybe not. Also maybe you could get a lay assistant to take on your duties in under cover work. Say a scum 2 levels lower with the reclaimer starting package.

The thing to keep in mind regarding when a Tech Priest gets involved with a repair can be easily distilled into this simple question:

Can the maintenace or repair in question be done by rote procedure or does it require actual knowledge of how the device works?

To use a modern analogy: You have a gadget of some sort and it is malfunctioning. You call tech support and get some guy in India or Pakistan in a call center. They read a script and you respond, they then ritually read back the pre-ordained steps that should in theory (but most likely not) fix your problem. This is where an Automat or Mechanicus menial is at. They have NO clue as to what they are actually working with, but they know how to follow the flowchart in some service manual. Eventually if following the official procedure fails for the 14th time then you will be transfered to someone in the engineering department. After listening to some dreadful recordings for a while you get the Engineer on the line. This guy probably DOES have a decent understanding of how your device works and can more proactively troubleshoot what is wrong with your device and will eventually figure out how to effect suitable repairs or declare the item's machine spirit to be dead and suggest replacement. This guy is a Techpriest.

There are CRAPLOADS of Techpriests all over the Imperium, each one likely overseeing large numbers of menials. Techpriest Magos are far more rare. These are the guys who step in when the ordinary Techpriests are stumped. Beneath true Techpriests are the Tech Adepts, essentially Techpriests in training. There are countless numbers of these guys out there too, and they get the more menial tasks that still require an educated touch.

The Imperial Guard and Navy simply cannot function without their Adeptus Mechanicus auxilia. Same goes for anything that has a motor, power supply or moving parts more complicated than a lever and button. They are unsubtle and omnipresent within the Imperium.

The Techpriest in my game will either hide somewhere with cogitators and network access or go undercover.... as a TECHPRIEST! Basically the "hide in plain sight" method. So instead of "Hi, I'm a bad-ass Techpriest in service to He Who Sits on the Throne's most Holy Inquisition." his story (should someone actually bother to ask) is more like "Well if you MUST know, the master of the house has hired me to reconsecrate his generatoria and insisted that I attend this social function as a guest. To be honest I would preffer to return to my work." If that does not work he can always stab the offender through an eye with a BIG screwdriver and hide the body in a closet somewhere....

If you are familiar with the Star Wars universe: Think of the Mecahnicus like droids. They are bloody well EVERYWHERE and scurrying off on all manner of obscure tasks that you probably could care less about. Only when one does something suspicious or stands out in some way do they warrant attention.

ZillaPrime said:

I'm still surprised he hasn't resorted to this yet. It'd be hilarious.

But then I'd have to be cleaning my Utility Mech every few hours, and even a Tech-Priest can only carry so much lube. And while the eyes of the heretic scream out for stabbing, an axe to the face works really well too.

ZillaPrime said:

Just wanted to say that this is really helpful. I was wondering how techpriests would work in an infiltration game, and this answers every question I have. Cheers!

The Eisenhorn and Ravenor books mention powerful commercial combines who have production licenses from the Adeptus Mechanicus and independent universities that study science and technology. The Mechanicus clearly exerts a high degree of influence and control over the Imperium's high technology but there is also considerable body of technological and scientific knowledge outside of their organization.

Can I assume that since this thread got hijacked, no one has played a Secutor?

Cynical Cat said:

That is rather important to note in my opinion, because I think it is really difficult to have an intriguing plot where some bigger house, cartel or syndicate does something prohibited (like doing research into xeno-stuff for example) without always getting the AM involved to do the most mundane sort of techological stuff for them like fixing a broken cogitator. And I do not always want to include so called Hereteks just because a weapon producing forge tries to improve the output of their weapon producing manufactoria for example. Just because something prohibited is done (like excavating a xeno structure found on a moon), it has not always also be done in a prohibited way and with the help of a prohibited method (like using Hereteks).