Hello again,

I asked a question earlier, and got some really helpful responses. You guys are more an expert than I am at this setting, so I figured I'd use these forums to pick some brains. I have no problems coming up with storylines, quests, etc., but I'm interested in figuring out some of the "blanks" in the setting to better pull my players into the feel of the WH40K universe.

Question 1: What does the warp look like? My players have only embarked on two FTL journeys in the course of the campaign, both times by necessity in chasing down a target they were after. During both of these journeys, I described metal plates sliding over the windows of the titanic ship as the vessel was about to enter the warp. Once inside, all external information is reported by sensor sweeps, and most importantly, through the Navigators. I reasoned that any passanger directly looking directly at warp space would immediately go insane. A cop out, sure, but it seems reasonable. How does the setting treat this?

Question 2: How separate is the Adeptus Mechanicus from the Adeptus Terra? I haven't had characters really pulled into an investigation of this sort, but it may arise in the future. Neither have I had a player character from this faction yet. It seems like this organization is a sister state to the Imperium in many ways, having a different religion, unfathomable practices, and only interacting where necessary. A symbiotic relationship between the two groups, with this uniquely being the only organization that is completely irreplaceable. Although they would likely allow Inquisitors to investigate within their ranks, there may be some oddities in the relationship with this group, perhaps requiring a specialized group of Acolytes.

Question 3: The tasks of the Inquisition seems to run parallel to what is required of the Adeptus Arbites. Do these organizations work together often? Is it likely the Arbitrators would call in the services of the Inquisitors? I imagine that there's enough corruption within the Arbitrators that they would be unnerved by the Inquisition sniffing around, but information they have gathered would seem to make their records and experiences potentially invaluable to a group of Acolytes on a case. To the same degree, this would likely be true of the records of local laws enacted by the planetary justice force (whatever form it takes), although I'm sure the records of the Arbites are far more sensitive, detailing government level persons. As it stands, I treat the Adeptus Arbites as being stand-offish, preferring to quietly go about their own business and reluctantly helping the Inquisitors when so ordered.

Question 4: The Grey Knights - are they part of the Inquisition, the Adeptus Astartes, or both? As I understand it now, this group is like the private hammer of the Ordo Malleus, have the same leeway as Inquisitors, but otherwise act independently, deciding themselves when and where they are needed (though typically alongside the Inquisitors). I would also assume that should they be required in an investigation of the PCs, the Adepts would be best to consider themselves already dead at the hands of some unmentionable horror.

Question 1: What does the warp look like?

- This is difficult. Simplistically put it is whatever the onlooker expects. Since the Warp is basically the reflection of the emotions of sentient beings from realspace, it really depends on who is looking. One person might see a raging inferno and another one experience a crushing dark abyss.

Question 2: How separate is the Adeptus Mechanicus from the Adeptus Terra?

- Technically, at the end of day, the Adeptus Mechanicus is an allied state. Short version: the AdMech provides technical support for the Imperium, produces weapons for its armies and in return has great autonomy plus a virtual monopoly on high technology. This union of Terra and Mars was forged ten millennia ago before the beginning of the Emperors Great Crusade.

Question 3: The tasks of the Inquisition seems to run parallel to what is required of the Adeptus Arbites. Do these organizations work together often? Is it likely the Arbitrators would call in the services of the Inquisitors?

- The Arbites are the FBI. They don´t concern themselves with local concerns or petty crime. They step on the scene if something affecting Imperial Law or interests is violated. The Inquisition is the KGB. They often work in the shadows, doing grey and black operations. Certainly the two organizations often work together. The level of cooperation varies depending on the situation and characters involved. The Inquisitors have technically unlimited authority and the Arbites would defer to them. But problems might arise if the Inquisitors solution to a problem runs afoul of the Arbites sense of justice.

Question 4: The Grey Knights - are they part of the Inquisition, the Adeptus Astartes, or both?

- Both. The GK are a unique Space Marine Chapter that is the military arm of the Ordo Malleus.

Bobby Fett said:

1: You're dead on. While some earlier sources had the warp as being perceiveable as long as their was a gelar field (Inquisition War for one), it seems to have gotten nastier with each iteration of the 40k universe. Now, shutters over the window is how I run it as well blocking out utter and complete madness and a window to corruption. I imagine for an individual gazing into the warp unprepared, they would end up opening themselves to it and become a gate or a mind-dripping conduit real darn quick. As for what it looks like, it looks like an ecstatic burning satin caress violently exploding in a continual undulation through the spectrum of a single red, that is to say, completely unimaginable, ecstatic, filled with energy, and somehow always red.

2: Completely. Again, you are dead on. They are more of an allied empire to the Imperium, but they need the Imperium almost as much as the Imperium needs them. It's a very symbiotic relationship so they try not to damage that, but at the same time, they are also highly secretive people seeing as how their lives revolve around a grandiose mystery-cult. They are always tricky to deal with no matter who's dealing with them though the political possibilities and intrigue to stories told regarding a tech-priests place has a lot of possibilities as dose the ever so fun Inquisitorial missions to Forge worlds to really see how well acolytes can walk on egg-shells.

3: Te tasks of the Inquisition run parallel to a lot of organizations but always go further. Adaptus Arbites is constrained by Imperial Law, the Inquisition as no such restraints. The Adaptus Arbites have a direct hierarchy and procedures which must be gone through for finding and dealing with the enemies of man. The Inquisition has no such formal hierarchy nor any established rules and procedures that must be used for dealing with finding and eliminating threats to mankind. In other words, the Inquisitors are roving trouble-shooters in the massive machine that is the Imperium, who continually oil it's gears, grease the machine, and keep it grinding on despite it's components grinding down. Remember what was said in regards to efficiency and the Administratum. It works in the long run, but if weapons, gear, Imperial Ships, solders, are needed, then the Administratum would be involved to a degree, paperwork would have to be filed, requisitions, items found and sent, procedures checked and double checked, etc. Sometimes, things need to be done in less the 10-100 years time, and for that, there's the Inquisition. That momentum that's still managing to keep the eternally breaking Imperium going forwards despite its self very well might be due to the Inquisition handling the emergencies when they pop up.

However, the Inquisition can't be everywhere all the time (no matter what they'd like you to think before even daring to think some heretical thought). It's Inquisitors are, for the most part, free agents who come and go where they will so any planet would need to be able to at least have a fighting chance of handling most of the problems it could face. An Inquisitors attention can just make it easier (unless it doesn't) or in the worst case situations be the only thing that can respond quick enough to save the planet. But then, many planets are lost to the Imperium every day while new planets are conquered elsewhere.

4: don't know enough about them to say anything at all...

1. the warp is what the person in question thinks it is, although i do allow my players to look upon it as long as the gellar field is up, however they cant look at it too long because it will hurt their eyes...and eventually they start hearing voices hehehe

2. the mechanicus is a completely seperate entity that has a symbiotic relationship with the Imperium nothing more to add then whats been said

Graver said:

thats not necessarily true, the inquisition has plenty of rules and an understood heirarchy its just that its not really like anything the imperium experiences.

the Inquisition's heirarchy is one based on merit and seniority, acolytes are promoted to interrogaters, interrogaters are promoted to inquisitors, inquisitors to inquisitor lords

acolytes and ect... are promoted for plenty of reasons but most of the time promotion is when their higher up feels that said person can handle the added burden of the rank.

the Inquisitions rules are mainly mondominant and puritan and go like this don't do anything that involves choas or xenos or heretics in any way or you will die (if you get the Radical's Handbook this is explained much more in depth) they even have a court system

when someone is accused of a crime they are given a time limit in which to make a defense for themselves, a court of fellow inquisitors are called together to debate on the evidence and the opposser and accused present their cases at the same time much like our court system

once again the Radical's Handbook explains the politics and rules of the Inquisiton much more clearly and descriptively i would highly suggest this book because it gives a much more in depth answer to this part of your question as well as many of the more raical factions of the inquisition and how they fit into it as a whole, something i have a feeling you would be interested in reading about

4. nothing more to add, except that eventually another military arm of the inquisition in the form of Adeptus Astartes is coming in the form of a RolePlaying game as well called DeathWatch they are a militant arm of the Ordos Xenos mainly but they fight everything and i would have to guess that the Grey Knights will be included somewhere in the book as well

No, the Inquisition doesn't really have an official hierarchy. There's an unofficial one, yes, but it is not in any way codified, immutable, and not all inquisitors adhere to it. It's pretty much the same kind of hierarchy that crops up any time a group of peers get together and hen-peck one anouther. The only hierarchy and set procedures for actions are the ones they agree to recognize or are made to recognize by other Inquisitors (lone, cabal, conclave, or ordo). Any and all regulations on their actions is either self imposed or imposed by their peers.

True, there is a standard way pupils are raised to Inquisitor, but it's, likewise, not a hard and fast hierarchy, just the way it's usually done. Not all Inquisitors fallowed the acolyte -> Interrogator -> Inquisitor path and not all Inquisitors raise their pupils along those lines. Further, how individuals even upholding that tradition are viewed by others who work within the Inquisition all depends on the individuals in question and the predominant traditions that they hold to. The only official ranks regarding the inquisition is there's Inquisitors, then theirs Not Inquisitors. Everything else is all just matters of tradition, unspoken (and sometimes spoken) agreements, and good old fashioned convoluted politickings.

There are no real rules either. There's just things that will really ruffle the feathers of most other Inquisitors and, as such, should be avoided least those with ruffled feathers all get-together, decide you can't be in their club any more, say some Latin sounding words, and then go kill you once they're sure noone will go off and kill them for killing you or that they have a contingency plan for handling those who would retaliate for them killing the other one, etc. In other words, none of their traditions are official laws and rules, it's all just the way things tend to be done.

If there were official rules, regulations, procedures, and hierarchy, then they would not only be less effective at their given task and eventually be bound up in as much red-tape as the rest of the over-bloated Imperial institutions, but they would have a harder time policing their own ranks and be more susceptible then they already are to corruption.

Other then that, ya, I agree with ThenDoctor, especialy about the Radicals Handbook. Definitly one of the better sources of info for Dark Heresy.