Hi, i just started a campaign in Dark Heresy, and currently have 4 players, and 2 more incoming. 2 are imperial guard, my girlfriend is a Sororitas, and the last one is a Adept.

They were complaing saying that all the rolls about the skill that involve knowledge, are very limited since i make them roll at half , because are basic skills for them. I want to know, if for example, all that skill that come for been of a specific planet, are considered as trained or not. I interpret that all the skills are just basic skills for the most part, (for example, Hagiografy, for Imperial World characters), but they complain that they have their options very limited. Did i made it right, or i am wrong and they have all that skills from their planets as trained?

Looking at the homeworld options, most, if not all, just give them as basic skills. Starting acolytes are quite ignorant people, but don't forget some things may be simple to know and give a bonus modifier to the test.

so i was doing it properly. Thanks, just i see that the penalty to the basic skills untrained is harsh, i see i will need to houserule a bit

dosan said:

Most common houserule I see for untrained basic is -10 instead of half characteristic. Falls in line nicely with the way skill mastery works.

-=Brother Praetus=-

dosan said:

So i was doing it properly. Thanks, just i see that the penalty to the basic skills untrained is harsh, i see i will need to houserule a bit

Considering the other option is they don't have them as basic skill and so as an untrained advanced skill they don't get to role at all. I'll take 1/2 attribute over nothing.

dosan said:

You're doing it right, but remember to apply modifiers and that the modifiers are not halved. So, if your Guardsman with Int 30 is making an untrained Common Lore (Imperial Creed) test, he rolls against a base 15, but if it's an Routine (+20) test, he rolls against a 35 not a 25. Don't be afraid to apply modifers generously and often.

Also, don't be afraid to just give them information without making them make a test. Skill tests are for critical actions done under pressure. If the characters have time to think about things and no one is shooting at them, just giving them a basic success without rolling is perfectly fair.