Hello folks.

I'm starting some brainstorming work on a potential Dark Heresy campaign that I will likely run in the near future. I do not yet own the book. The campaign's purpose will be to test out the rules and see how things work.

I am somewhat acquainted with the lore of the 40k universe, but I am by no means an expert.

One of the questions that came up while I've been perusing 40k lore was the subject of the psyker. I know that people with psychic potential are somehow detected and rounded up for interment in the black ships before being shipped off to holy terra for.... things...

One thing I was wondering; how exactly are potential psykers or emperor treats found? I've been perusing old forum entries as well, but I couldn't find anything too definitive.

Finally, would rounding up people with psychic potential be something an inquisitor might get involved in typically? I mean I can dream up weird circumstances, but I mean normally.

I've always found it to be a case of the Clerics or local enforcement agency are made aware of the supposed Wytch, they investigate, sometimes they kill them, or some times they capture them, they're put "to the question" ie examined in some manner, think if suitably horrific middle ages type things then they get shipped off to a higher authority on the planet who them ship them off the the Black Ships or some one passing that way.

Lots of people get called Wytch, sorcerer and the like but only a few of those that get called so Are actually so, some of them are dangerous, others of them can be "tamed" and put through the very length process of sanctioning (check out the age modifiers Psykers get to start with).

Those that essentially Fail the sanctioning are either killed by the process or get fed to the Golden Throne as psionic power cookies (nom nom).

Those that pass are assessed, and either put out on the battle field or go about their lives normally as imperial agents in some manner or other.

Or atleast thats how i've always come across it as and thats how its been portrayed in all the games i've run or played.

Hope thats a help.

LegendofOld said:

And the answer to your primary question, drum roll please... iiit depends.

The tithing of psykers is the responsibility of the Planetary Governor as turning the psykers over to the Black Ships is a part of a planet's Imperial Tithe. As such, different planets will round up their psykers in different manners depending on the planets circumstances. The Imperium doesn't care how they're rounded up, just that they are and it's in the Governors best interest to see that they are rounded up or it'll be his head on an Arbiter Judge's pike.

That said, there are many different ways of rounding the willy witches up. The first psyker net available to most any planet is good old fashioned propaganda and fear. People know that if someone starts acting wiggy or strange, they need to be turned over to the authorities. This can range from good old fashioned 1600's witch hunting hysteria preached from the pulpit to wonderful four color lithographs urging the populace to be ever vigilant and turn over any pink-o witch they see or even Imperial Cults and institutions that convince the populace that those with the psyker's curse are also gifted for they are destined for the most glorious of honors of being able to meet the Emperor himself -those with such a curse should turn themselves over to the authorities so that their spiritual journey and pilgrimage to Holly Terra may begin: Ava Imperiator!

The second net would be what ever forces the Governor has set up to hunt witches, those that don't turn themselves over or resist when others turn them in. This can range from grungy bounty-hunters to The Exorcist styled preaches and even the Adaptis Arbites on planets incapable or unable to round up their psykers (such as Iocanthus). To find the psyker, one can employ a verity of methods from simple detective work and observation (they do tend to make wiggy things happen around them), sophisticated devices such as the Psi-Tracker found in the IH which can read disturbances in the warp and track the disturbance to it's source, to using other psykers, most all of whom can sense when the warp is being channeled and track it to it's source. The Adaptus Astratelepathica might even have dedicated witch-finders in it's ranks who patrol space ports, are stationed on ships for purity control, and other important institutions continuously running psyniscience scans on all who pass them by looking for any who have the psyker curse but not the brands marking them as sanctioned.

To your final question, yes, yes they do. The Inquisitors of Ordo Hereticus aren't called Witch Hunters for nothing you know ;-) Though they tend to step in say when the projected psyker tithe for a planet is a bit low indicating that potentially not all the psykers are being rounded up. Since the numbers of psykers produced each generation almost always increase and rarely if ever decrease or stabilise, a shortage in the tithe could indicate a foul incompetence in the governing body of a planet or something even more insidious and dangerous.

from france

in all likelihood to pick up the idea of propaganda from graver, they mus be some word where psycker are valued. and to be selected by the blackships is an honour. instead of capture the witch you wil be reward. you will have if you are a psycker you will be reward ethier as serving for the emperor, the mepire of man or the plant. it can be possible to have a culture that run around psycker in high place be it guild, noble or sacred guardian.

In Gaunt's Ghosts voll. 6 and 7 the latent Psyker Agun Soric is very afraid of getting picked up by the black ships, also his comrades from Tanith and Verghast fear for him.

So at least the inhabitants of these two worlds know it's nothing desirable to be a passenger aboard the black ships.

Another way of a psyker getting found. Is it's quite possible that your Inquisitor happens to be a psyker, and stumbled across another during a mission. 'Causing them to capture and either train/interrogate/execute them.

Case in point, that's how Eisenhorn stumbled across one of his oldest and best Acolytes. Everyone's favorite little Anti-Psyker.