Campaign starting this weekend and I'm pondering over my choices for a Sigmarite battle-priest.

I'm having alot of trouble figuring out how to put together one as it seems the requirements pull me in a number of different directions. For example a good strength and toughness seem imperative to stand on the front lines and handle hits, while at the same time priestly duties demand wp and flw. Also there is a derth of appropriate training (no fortune advances to relevant combat stats, and no training in weapon skill among other things).

Has anyone had any success playing a Sigmarite priest long term? And if so, do you have any suggestions for a longer term advance use strategy, or career advancement?

I haven't played a Priest of Sigmar, but have thought a bit on how to make one that feels right but also not a total pushover in combat. The priest is a bit similar to some other careers in that it has to spread advances all over the place (also true for careers like the Wardancer). To get a character playable from rank 1 you should probably aim at buying high characteristic scores and let actions/talents/skills take the back seat in creation. These are all easily bought once you start adventuring since they only cost 1 advance. Weapon skill is of course a problem, and should probably be bought as a non-career advance at the first possible chance (you will however be quite good also without Weapon skill but with a ST of 4).

In principle you have to make a choice on what to focus in at the start of the game, either you go the combat route, that means that your blessings and chance at getting them to work will be weak, or you do the opposite. You cannot do both. Note that some of the Sigmar blessings are pure combat actions, making strong attacks using blessing power rather than combat strength, so it may very well work to go the blessing route already at start.

If I were to create a combat-focused initiate I would do something like this:

St: 4, Ag: 3, T: 4, Int: 2, WP: 4, Fel: 3
1 creation point in wealth, 2 in skills, and 1 in actions (or start with 3 WP and 3 Int for a more rounded character). Get Blessings as actions, you won't have any talents at start, just make sure that someone in your group puts some combat talents in the party sheet slot.

I am not sure completely about WFRP 3E or how it may work. I have mainly a passing familiarity with it (read some of the PDFs, played a few games). But in other RPGs in the past, when I wanted to play a specific type of character, I found at times it was easier to use an alternate class/career/background to mimic what I wanted to do.

In one AD&D 2E campaign I wanted to play the English monk Cadfael character from the popular mystery book and TV series. Instead of rolling up a cleric and playing the monk that way (ie, a religious character or priest in D&D must be a cleric right?) I rolled up and played a Rogue (AD&D 2E terminology for Thief) and put my thief skill points into hear noise, read languages, move silently, climb walls and other "investigative/Batman" style skills and proficiencies. I always introduced myself as "Brother Cadfael, monk of god" or whatever. And went on my merry way. Course after one particular grueling combat, when anotehr PC was badly damaged I was asked to "heal" him. At which I had to reply "uhm Im not that kind of priest."

If I were to do a Sigmar Priest in WFRP 2E I would start with some sort of militant career (Thug maybe, Soldier etc) and after buying a few essential advances there (WS, S, T, W) pay the 200XP fee to go to Initiate. In later books (Tome of Salvation I believe) you had different types of Initiates I believe.

In theory I think that way would work for 3E.

Well, there's no way to play one successfully it seems. It never ends well for the priest of Sigmar (beware, there are Gyrocopters in these videos..if true warhammerisms offend thee, though mighteth needeth a wet nurse):

It's sad really. One must spend an inordinate amount of advances to gain the links and plates of armour, only to be taken down by ...well, lets just say that his opponents weren't /that/ tough

jh

I was going to suggest the same thing. If you want to be a militant member of the Church of Sigmar then start out as a Soldier or Mercenary possibly. They would be the rank/file members of the churches army. The Priest class aren't the front line core fighter types - yes they are militant but they aren't fighters they are the priests and spell casting types later on.

Emirikol said:

My friend, that is EXACTLY what I'm looking to make (all about the badass plate and 2-handed hammer). But as any good priest of Sigmar can tell you a horrible death is no obstacle. To quote the tenents - "It is better to die for the Empire, than to live for yourself."

Also thanks for the tips Grunt - why do you go for a Toughness 4 rather than a felowship 4? And what do you think the stance is for career-ing into something other than the priest progression? I know mages becoming non-order are hunted down and witch-hunter tried more often than not, but would a priest joining the army receive the same treatment?

Skip swapping careers to militant ones. Just spend 2 points on WEAPON SKILL. I'm creating one of these just for you for the upcoming Liber Fanatica btw

I'd make agility the dump stat as it serves ZERO purpose in combat for you. You'll need your intelligence for real skill checks instead.

As initiates do not begin with piety and invocation acquired, you'll need to spend points there as well (whereas the wizard gets two bonus starting skill points by beginning with these already acquired).

jh

Agility is useful for Dodge and initiative. Most notably, Ag must be at least 3 to get the Dodge action at creation.

I made A sigmarite priest nemesis character, he was terrifying, In one blow he dropped the scholar to 1 wound and inflicted 3 crits, if the cholsr hadn't of dodged he would of died.

High Strength, toughness, willpower, passable everything else. 2 ranks in weapon skill, used berzerkers rage and sigmars hammer.

He was a dangerous adversary, but I have a hard time imagining him being effective before rank 2.

I think I'll stick with the Agi 3 (good point Dvang). I'm currently debating keeping the Toughness of 4 (leaving me more mobile in combat because I can pick up fatigue, giving me an extra effective soak, and allowing me to buy improved block if I go hammer'n'board) or picking up the Fellowship 4, but since I can push fortune advances into FWL i'll probably take the higher toughness at creation.

Also:

Emirikol said:

you're my hero make sure to post a link to the new Liber Fanatica, as I know I at least will be looking forward to it.

I'm definitely looking at training weapon skill whenever possible by rank, and probably getting int up to 3 with non-career advances. So many good non-career skills to train though >_< Discipline, Resilience, Athletics, Coordination ... I'll find the points somehow! ^_~

I imagine Priest careers being more versatile than Mage ones, as far as progression goes. Priests have influence in much more diverse aspects of life. So an Initiate of Sigmar could go ahead and become a Soldier, I don't see any problem in that: he wuold be a Priest in the army. I would consider him being at the same rank of a Priest, even if he wasn't in that exactly career, and he would focus in combat, thus getting less blessings, but that shouldn't mean he would be less pietous...

dvang said:

Dvang's right. It will cost you more in advances later if you dont start with the 3 in Agility (giving you dodge). You can always bump intelligence later, but it's a waste to not start with the gift of a free dodge action card.

The same goes for not MAXING your Action Cards and skills. You get a free one if you max them right off the bat, whereas talents and abilities are always 1:1 with creation pts.anyways.

Also don't forget that AGI is non-career, costing a +1 (albeit INT also is), but moreso it uses up a valuable 'non career advance' skill slot.

Talents are sadly also kind of a waste on a priest who has to use up one 'faith' slot. They start with only focus, and don't get a second slot till advanced career (which isn't even out yet). I know you can pick up a few, or even some for the 'party card' (which in itself changes). But overall the 'required' talent advances are already plenty more than I need (and probably not as useful as the skills and actions - aka spells). I just wish the class had more 'skill, action and fortune' advances (in that order). Particularly once you graduate out of Initiate.

dvang said:

That is exactly the reason why I opted for Ag 3 instead of Int 3. If you're planning to be the combat kind of priest, both Dodge and higher initiative (for the group) will be more useful than a high Int. Of course, it depends a bit on the rest of the group, if you have no other high-Int character in the group I could see myself getting that Int 3 and First aid training.

Getting T of 4 is for the same reason, any character that plan on standing toe-to-toe with enemies need to have high T, there is a marked difference between 3 and 4 for toughness because of both Soak and the fact that you get one additional wound at character creation if you go with T 4. Having S and T of four will also enable you to get both Improved Parry and Improved Block later on. Active defenses are great to have.

Starting as a different career will work, but you will have to buy all minor blessing cards at one advance each, instead of getting them for free. That will be more expensive (I think) in the end than buying Weapon skill as a non-career skill.

However, Peacekeeper_b is correct in that the system allows you to make an initiate of Sigmar (or perhaps a apprentice templar more like it) of another career like Zealot, Soldier, Mercenary or even Thug and then play him as a priest. I might be wrong, but I don't think there is anything stopping you from acquiring blessings (both minor and rank 1) and using them without being a priest? I know spells can only be bought by wizards but is there a similar rule for priests? You may not be able to Curry Favor without the skills (buying Invocation/Piety as non-career advances will be very very expensive, 4 for each to acquire the skills, then 4 more to train), but many blessings can be cast from equilibrium (and then you'd have to wait for Favor to return by itself, one per turn), some do not even recquire an Invocation check.