Hello every one, I recently purchases the core rule and we began a camping. However I do not have extensive experience being a GM or with the Lore of Warhammer 40k although i did play the table top game extensively. I would like to ask a few question about how our first mission went to see if i did everything correctly.

We are on the mission in the core rule book "into the maw" so far we are on part one because of some complications. Right now the explorers are onPort Wander and the astro-telepath has used his powers very recklessly in the initial combat. He has pushed it to max psy rating every time (even though i have warned him of the dangers of doing this, and explained in the world of 40k magic is very deadly) As a result he has rolled on the perils of the warp table 2 times and a mass posseson took place in the court of the dead on Port wander. During this mass possession the Arch militant of the group was possed and while under GM control shot and killed the astropath (with his hellgun using Burst fire) THe telepath burned a fate point to live. As this was late in the initial combat most people had already fled the court of the dead however 6 other NPCs were possed and kill by the guardsmen who were responding to the intial combat. I made the PCs make (0) Fear checks because of the mass possession and the arch-militant (-10) fear check because he was actually possed. After combat was over the rouge trader attempted to pin the mass possession on Lady Ash as he was aware she was present before the possession and was a psyker.

My question is, is there any way for the players to stop the inquisition for investigating this? would they likely kill and capture the arch telepath? Is port Wander big enough that there may even be an Inquisition ship docked at the time?

... Wow. Just, wow.

Ok, now that the shock's over, on to your questions. There's no real way to activly 'prevent' the inquasition from investigating this. Inquisitors have the athority and the mandate to look into activity of this nature, and the Warrent of Trade isn't going to change that. That being said, Rogue Traders are very powerful individuals, and not good people to piss off, so it's unlikely an Inquisitor would actualy do anything unless they had reason to beleave the problem was systemic. Even still, being on the Inquasition's watch list doesn't make getting profit any easier.

Really, the best thing your players can do is, essentialy, what the Rogue Trader already tried to do. Plant some false information, try and muck up the waters enough that nobody can pin any real evidence on the Astropath and get the hell out of Dodge. Inquisitors are fairly few and far between, and Port Wander, while a fairly big station, is nothing compared to the population of a civilized planet. The presense of one is, of course, up the the GM, but i'd be unlikely (though by no means unfeasable) that any more then a minor acolyte would just happen to be on the station at the time. Inquisitorial informants, however, are quite likely, and the Rogue Trader might want to try to find a way to silence or confuse them first.

It sounds to me like your party just got a really, really good reason to set sail for the Expanse and stay out of the Calexus sector for a long time.

Quicksilver said:

I'll second this one - run.

I agree - Run to the Hills!

Holy Demon horde Batman!

FUBAR

Run and never go back to Port Wander.

The Tau Empire should be your ultimate destination but see if Calixis can hide you for a few years.

Hahaha! That is fantastic . I've been light-heartedly nudging my group's Astropath to be a little more brazen with his mental abilities in order to have something like this happen. Even if you're worried about where the game will go from here, that is the sort of thing that legendary sessions are made out of.

As everyone else has stated, this gives your party a good reason to get off Port Wander and make there way into the Expanse. More than that, it should give your Astropath a good idea of how dangerous it is to go throwing his powers around with reckless abandon. I'd say that if he doesn't tone it down a bit, then there might be some cool roleplaying opportunities for an Inquisitor or (more likely) his agents to start showing up to ask questions about the incident. This is the sort of material that a GM can keep in his back pocket for a rainy day.

Thanks every one, I think what i will do is have an Inquisitor check his cargo when he returns to this sector. Depending on how good or bad the investigation goes and what cargo is found at the time they may lose profit factor.

If I were your group, I'd ditch both the Calixis Sector and the Koronus Expanse and find a new home in some new sector far, far away. Hopefully the local authorities will consider the mayhem too minor to try arduously hunting them down all across the galaxy.

If they run into the Inquisition, though, the best way to save themselves is to give away the Astropath and cooperate fully. Unless the Inquisitor in question is a real douchebag, they should get away with it. The Astropath, on the other hand, might not, but it's better to roll one new character than start the campaign from scratch.

Well, your PCs now have trouble with the Inquisition and they learned a valuable lesson about Psykers (that the safe distance from a Psyker is one solar system away). I'd say your campaign starts on the right path.

Also remember that due to travel times and beurocratic red tape it may be months, or years, before the inquisition can mount an investigation. You could just leave this subplot be for any amount of time and bring it back in a few months. Having non-immediate consequences to actions can really up the immersion level of a campaign.

I differ in view slightly.

The pc should get the hell out of the port and/or try to pin it to somebody else. But I do not see it as a "never come back" situation. Give the things some time, let´s say a year. The first view month, Investigation teams will be abuzz an people will get burned, tortured, scanned and questioned (not in this order, so!) so it is ensured that no daemons are left.

Perhaps the =I= catches wind and investigates as well. But if the RT already left port wander and set out for the open void, will they really follow? The =I= has (unlikey other organizations) good founded Forbidden Lore (Psykers/Warp/Damens). I always asume them that they now that things like this could and will happen sooner or later.
I suppose they will investigate this, get the picture and will try to find out who the psyker actually was. As soon as they find out it was sanctioned psyker they might give it to the records that this one shall be "questioned when encounted next", but I do not think they will hunt him.

... unless this happens again on a different imperial world and is tagged to him. Their is a difference between "**** happens, no lets clean the mess" and "this guy is shitting where we eat", so to speak.

First of all: You are the GM: you decide if the Inquistion decides to investigate this or not, if an investigation would disturb the flow of your adventure, just let it be... and perhaps keep the idea up your sleeve for later use.

I personally don´t see why the Inquisition would put al lot of effort in examining this event:

The Astropath is a Psyker sanctioned by the Imperium and not some renegade sorcerer wreaking random havoc.

Even sanctioned Psykers are affected by the dangers of tapping the powers of the Warp -thats just the way it is and the Inquisition knows this very well.

It was a single accidental incident which caused the death of a couple of unimportant citizens - what is this in comparison to the true dangers the thin stretched forces of the Inquisition have to face?

If the inquisition would make a case out of every "misfire" a sanctioned psyker has caused - they would have time for little else as thy would have to hunt down nearly every sanctioned Psyker in the Imperium.

As long as the explorers don´t boast about this incident or constantly provoke these things to happen I would see no big problem, though it might be possible that an Inquisitor with an unusual hatred for Psykers (even sanctioned ones) or Rogue Traders in general might take this incident as an excuse for harrasing the Psyker or the Rogue Trader.

But rather than intervention from the Inquisition I would deem it more likely, that an enraged mob, made out of Port-Wander-inhabitants, agitated by raving demagogues seeks to revenge against the psyker and the Rogue Trader.

Flee!

It happened on Port Wander? Within the borders of the Imperium? You'd be perfectly justified in having the Ordo Hereticus leap into action. Your Astropath has been soul-bound to the Emperor - the various Adeptus, to varying degrees, should probably consider this a reasonable assurance of dependability. Failing to live up to that expectation would fill many with paranoia, and panic them into coming down hard on the deviant psyker scum - thus crushing all doubt.

"My name is Jon Krytonn, an Astropath. A wave of possessions hit, and I had to leg it thought a hole in the warp. Now I'm lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship, and when "Into the Storm" arrives, it'll be full of strange alien life forms. Help me. Listen, please - Is there anybody out there who can hear me? I'm being hunted by an insane Inquisitor. Doing everything I can. I'm just looking for a way home..."

umm, the inquasition will investagate, most likely but you could try to bribe the inquitor or stock up on suplise and other important theings such as ships and other such things and flee the imperium and just explore, so good luck with the campain.

Benjamin Beerg

I agree with the others that say that this is potential plot hook for the future. Perhaps you could use this to drag your characters into the adventure Whispers on the Storm from the Gamemaster's kit. Perhaps the inquisitor shows up in the lunar class cruiser searching for the characters, and makes them a deal that they cannot refuse since he has them in a vice. He knows how unpredictable that psykers can be, he has put down several of his own servants in his day for just such a reason. But is the Rogue Trader will volunteer to help him with this potential threat he is investigating he will forget about the incursion. Oh, of course he would also like a percentage of the profits garnered as well, How does a 60/40 split sound?

Salcor

It would seem VERY unlikely that the Inquisition would even care about a warp mishap by a sanctioned psyker in service of a Rogue Trader, as the Inquisitor in question probably would like to keep his job and his life.

jellyfish21 said:

It's a powerful Rogue Trader indeed that can ignore the demands of an Inquisitor, and no man save another Inquisitor can strip an Inquisitor of his status, authority and title. Rogue Traders are, broadly speaking, amongst the few men who can deal with an Inquisitor on equal terms (and vice versa)... but neither possesses inherently greater status or power than the other. The biggest difference is that an Inquisitor has theoretically unlimited authority within the Imperium, while a Rogue Trader has virtually unlimited authority outside of the Imperium.

You did great, and the game sounds like a blast. I agree with leaving this as a plot hook.

IF this keeps happening, then that plot hook gets turned on faster. You might want to check out Ascension for the powers of an Inquisitor and his troupe.

For more plot hooks, consider other forces who might take notice. A chaos cult with cultists on Port Wander might take an interest. Perhaps they pass the word to Footfall, where agents try and turn this promising psyker to the dark side. Perhaps an item of great power somehow drops into his hands. One that slowly corrupts him.

And criminals that use psykers could try to pin the rap of *their* misdeeds onto your psyker.

The Eldar are seldom amused by human psykers, and if this one gets a reputation, they might take an interest. He might make a nice slave on a Dark Eldar ship. Or Eldar may save him for unknown reasons, perhaps tampering with his genetic makeup...

N0-1_H3r3 said:

An inquisitor speaks in the name of the Inquisition *officially*, but the RT usually comes from influential(sometimes noble) dynasties that has served the Imperium throughout generations, not to mention the power the Warrant of Trade brings. They have contacts and influence where even the Inquisition falls short, even within the Inquisition itself. I think it's the Xenology book that features a letter-exchange between an inquisitor and a noble, where the inquisitor had used his rank to get his will through, to which the noble replies that he will overlook the affront and that if he ever tried to pull his rank on him again, the repercussions would be dire. This is how imperial politics work behind the scenes.

If the RT in question has just recently recieved his writ, then yes, by all means they are(or at least can be) equal. However, it seems rather unlikely that the Inquisition in our case would ask for(note: not demand) anything except MAYBE a small report, but that would be supplied by the local authorities. Again, a small psyker mishap by the RTs astropath is a small price to pay considering what the RT brings in return.

jellyfish21 said:

Well, I wonder if said noble could put his threats trough execution or if he was just making empty claims. It seems to me nobles often are diluded about their importance and their clout, especially when dealing with 'plebeian' institutions such as the Adepta. Maybe a scion of one of the more powerful noble houses could make things difficult for an Inquisitor (and even then they should proceed with subtlety, as hampering the work of the Inquisition brings death penalty) but this is most probably not the case of the majority of the nobles.

As an example of how things are between RTs and =I=, in the first Ravenor book, Ravenor and his troupe cross paths with a Rogue Trader and wish to interrogate him. This seems to be more of a might-makes-right situation as the RT tries to take the Inquisitor hostage and Ravenor retaliates by having his muscle kneecap the RT's Arch-Militant. Ravenor finally releases the RT after interrogation but it doesn't seem he's concerned about possible repercussions.

Then again, it would depend on the personnality of the Inquisitor the group is dealing with. If the guy has political ambitions and cares about keeping a good relationship with the local power groups, it probably isn't much of a problem. If they're dealing with a crusader-type who doesn't give a **** about the possible consequences for him as long as the guilty (and a fair share of the innocent, just to be sure) burns, they'd better run for the hills.

Kyorou said:

This is also similar to what happened in the Eisenhorn novels when Eisenhorn was captured by the noble that was a heretic. Just because they had some influence didn't mean anything... the Inquisition rolled over them as soon as it was confirmed that they were suspected heretics.

I'm sure it wouldn't take much for an Inquisitor to "dig up" past heresies of a Rogue Traders dynasty. True or not.

The Imperium is all about balance of power. You are correct that any individual inquisitor could 'dig up' incriminating information on a RT...or a SM chapter, Lord Govenor, or even fellow Inquisitor. Why don't they do that more often? The same reason the Space Wolves and Black Templar are still around, and the same reason they can't just execute Rogue Traders willy nilly. The delicate balance of power in the Imperium and the difference between 'positional' authority and 'personal' authority.

First: 'positional' power is that which you have on paper. A manager has positional power over his department. 'personal' authority is that which you have off of paper: how necessary you are, the respect people have for your oppinion, friends and allies, etc. We have a programmer where I work with no positional power, but he is so well respected and so essential to our continued operation he could probably boss around our manager.

Why are the Space Wolves still around, when so many Inquisitors hate them? Because, due to balance of power, they cannot be excommunicated. They have allies, both within and without the inquisition. They have a lot of popular support, both among civilians and in the military. SM chapters technically don't have as much positional power as inquisitors, but the SWs have enough personal power that their authority easily outstrips that of any individual inquisitor. Excommunicating them would split the inquisition, the military, and many civilian worlds.

Similarly, inquisitors can't just go after RT. Even though an individual may be weak, as a group they are more powerful than almost any faction outside of the Guard and Navy, and many of them would side with the traitors.

A single inquisitor muscling around an 'innocent' RT (who he technically has no authority over) doesn't only threaten the individual RT, but all RTs. That single Inquisitor could quickly find himself the target of numerous RT fleets, as well as their allies, including other inquisitors, SM chapters, factions of the ecclesiarchy, factions of the Adeptus Mechanus, IG regimens, and Naval contingents. Similarly a RT who targets an inquisitor risks a similar situation.

Which is NOT to say an Inquisitor CAN'T target a RT, but a successful excommunication comes down to a contest of power, both positional and personal.

Evidence of heresy can greatly damage the defenders position, causing one to lose respect and drive away allies. Similarly, evidence suspected of being FALSE (rightly or wrongly) harms the accusor's position, so just digging up information for the sake of attacking is dangerous, as if an inquisitor is caught they will likely lose influence, both in the short and the long term.

Favors owed and allies also have a huge effect. The thing that makes Inquisitor Lords and Inquisitorial factions so powerful is their power network. Conversely a brand new inquisitor, or one who has lost a great deal of respect in the Imperium with no track record, no favors, and no allies will have a hard time excersizing his authority over factions (like the space wolves) who are more powerful than them.

Only the most powerful of inquisitors, or one with irrefutable evidence will have any chance of attacking a random Rogue Trader without bringing major reprisals down on their head. The Rogue Traders may compete and war amongst themselves, but you can guarentee that if they were threatened as a group by an obvious attempt by the Inquisition to exert authority over them they would quickly become a very unified and very dangerous opponent.

jellyfish21 said:

No, an Inquisitor speaks with the full authority of the Emperor at all times. That's pretty much the job description. The Inquisition is little more than the collective name for all Inquisitors, but every single Inquisitor bears the same absolute authority to act as he or she chooses in the name of the safety and security of the Imperium of Man, tempered only by the labyrinthine politics of the Inquisition.

jellyfish21 said:

That depends on the Rogue Trader - more than a few have gained their status through illicit means rather than, say, long service or prestigious lineage.

The power the Warrant of Trade brings is, broadly speaking, limited to outside the Imperium (while an Inquisitor's power, by dint of being authority over the structures of the Imperium, is limited to within the Imperium). That's not to say that they're powerless within the Imperium, but they can't rely on the full force of the Warrant when dealing with the Adeptus Terra or any other Imperial organisation.

jellyfish21 said:

Any Inquisitor worth the title will have extensive networks of contacts, allies and supporters, built over years and decades.

jellyfish21 said:

Sometimes. We don't have any specific context to that; the relative power and influence of that Noble compared to the status and backing of that particular Inquisitor. Many nobles also like to protest and proclaim their power and status even in situations where it actually has no bearing or relevance, preferring to believe that they are untouchable by what they deem as petty outside influences... yet such individuals still fold when subjected to the harsh scrutiny of the Adeptus Arbites (nobody is above the law... except Inquisitors) or the Inquisition when it really matters.

Even the High Lords of Terra are not beyond Inquisitorial attention... why should Rogue Traders (who are, except in the absolute rarest of cases appointed by the High Lords or their subordinates) be immune?

To quote the Inquisitor rulebook:

"Rogue Traders usually return to Imperial space every few years, to unload their exotic wares and resupply, recruit and rest until their next foray into the darkness. During these periods they may have encounters with members of the Inquisition. Any Inquisitor who hears news of a Rogue Trader in his locality will more than likely seek him out to find out what he has discovered. Rogue Traders wield incredible power and it is easy for them to forget that once back within the Imperium they do not have free rein to act as they wish, and this will also draw attention from the Inquisition. Many Rogue Traders dispute the right of the Inquisition to persecute them, as they see it. As men who have wandered amongst alien stars and conversed with all manner of cultures, Rogue Traders are susceptible to all kinds of heresies, from wayward philosophies to infection by alien creatures or possession by warp entities that live in the darkness between stars. All these factors can lead to violent confrontation, particularly if the Rogue Trader has knowledge or an artefact that an Inquisitor is keen to get his hands on."

N0-1_H3r3 said:

I'd say that this particular section mentioned clears this "issue" up.

The Inquisitor only answers to the God Emperor of Mankind. That is also true that even the High Lords of Terra are not immune to the Inquisition and must submit to any queries made by the Inquisition.

If the High Lords of Terra have to "pay attention" when the Inquisition asks them a question, then I'd imagine that a servant of those same High Lords (ie. a Rogue Trader) would also have to pay heed to them.

Refusing to submit to an Inquisitors demand draws attention... why would a servant of the Emperor not submit to a minor request / question? This can put a big bullseye on anyone, Rogue Traders included.

I can tell you this much... an Inquisitor can destroy an entire inhabited Imperial world if necessary, no questions asked if in the line of duty. A Rogue Trader has the ability to do the same... the big difference being that the Rogue Trader would be hunted down and and questioned relentlessly about their decision to do so... usually by an Inquisitor.

@maggoth

I personally don´t see why the Inquisition would put al lot of effort in examining this event:

The Astropath is a Psyker sanctioned by the Imperium and not some renegade sorcerer wreaking random havoc.

Even sanctioned Psykers are affected by the dangers of tapping the powers of the Warp -thats just the way it is and the Inquisition knows this very well.

It was a single accidental incident which caused the death of a couple of unimportant citizens - what is this in comparison to the true dangers the thin stretched forces of the Inquisition have to face?

If the inquisition would make a case out of every "misfire" a sanctioned psyker has caused - they would have time for little else as thy would have to hunt down nearly every sanctioned Psyker in the Imperium.

As long as the explorers don´t boast about this incident or constantly provoke these things to happen I would see no big problem, though it might be possible that an Inquisitor with an unusual hatred for Psykers (even sanctioned ones) or Rogue Traders in general might take this incident as an excuse for harrasing the Psyker or the Rogue Trader.

But rather than intervention from the Inquisition I would deem it more likely, that an enraged mob, made out of Port-Wander-inhabitants, agitated by raving demagogues seeks to revenge against the psyker and the Rogue Trader.

I vehemently disagree. This is precisely the sort of event an Inquisitor would investigate. A highranking psyker (Astropath Transcendent ) has unleashed daemons, the Great Enemy, upon the Materium. Was it an accident, even though Astropaths are generally noted for having great control over their abilities? If so, can he be trusted with his powers in the future? Was it perhaps on purpose? Guard psykers who so much as twitch at the wrong moment generally receive a Commissar's bolt between the eyes and you think an Inquisitor would ignore mass possession of loyal imperial subjects? We seem to be playing in different universes indeed.

@jellyfish

It would seem VERY unlikely that the Inquisition would even care about a warp mishap by a sanctioned psyker in service of a Rogue Trader, as the Inquisitor in question probably would like to keep his job and his life.

When taking a look at Ascension, you'll notice that there are both Inquisitors more and less influencial than a common Rogue Trader. Newly-minted rank-8 Inquisitors with a mere 40 influence may not be a danger to a high-profit dynasty, but an established Influence-70 Inquisitor is certainly noone to laugh at...

A Rogue Trader who counts another (preferably radical) Inquisitor among his contacts may have a chance here, but after pulling a stunt like that (and choosing to protect his Astropath) he'll likely have to do some weighty favours to retain his protection.