Greetings!

In the Rogue Trader core rulebook there is a text box describing how one could use the rules for psychic powers laid down in RT in DH. Now I am asking you fine ladies and gentlemen about your opinion about actually doing this.

Personally, I like the Unfettered/Fettered/Push concept, but it seems to easy for the psyker to always get away scots-free without regularly suffering Psychic Phenomena.

Anyone have experience with using RT rules in non-Ascended DH games? How did it go? To secure for the Psykers or just fine?

Saibot said:

As I've stated a few times before, a key, but unspoken, element of the Unfettered/Fettered/Push rules is power scaling by Psy Rating.

Consider the two following versions of the same situation involving a Telekine Scholar Medicae with Psy Rating 4, WP Bonus 5 and the Power Well and Discipline Focus (Telekinesis) Talents attempting to use Force Bolt, the first using the power unchanged, the second exchanging all instances of Willpower Bonus with Psy Rating in the power's description.

• The Telekine chooses to use the power Fettered and thus rolls 2d10 and adds 8 (5 from WP Bonus, +1 from Power Well, +2 from Discipline Focus), scoring 19 in total. The Force Bolt deals 1d10+6 damage (1d10 basic, +5 from WP Bonus, +1 from 1 level of Overbleed). Attempting to use the power Unfettered, he rolls a 3, 8, 8 and 9 - triggering Psychic Phenomenon - for a total of 36, manifesting a Force Bolt that deals 1d10+10 damage. Pushing the power (triggering Psychic Phenomena, with a +15 to the roll, automatically), he rolls 7 dice, scoring a total of 48, manifesting a Force Bolt that deals 1d10+12 damage.
• The Telekine chooses to use the power Fettered and thus rolls 2d10 and adds 8 (5 from WP Bonus, +1 from Power Well, +2 from Discipline Focus), scoring 19 in total. The Force Bolt deals 1d10+3 damage (1d10 basic, +2 from the Psy Rating he used, +1 from 1 level of Overbleed). Attempting to use the power Unfettered, he rolls a 3, 8, 8 and 9 - triggering Psychic Phenomenon - for a total of 36, manifesting a Force Bolt that deals 1d10+9 damage. Pushing the power (triggering Psychic Phenomena, with a +15 to the roll, automatically), he rolls 7 dice, scoring a total of 48, manifesting a Force Bolt that deals 1d10+15 damage.

The latter example reduced damage (and, while I didn't specifically mention it, range) as a consequence of using the power Fettered, but similarly gave both damage and range a boost when Pushing the power. The differences become more exaggerated the more powerful characters become, but the key element is that risk and power should be closely linked - the less risk you take, the smaller the effect, the more risk you take, the bigger the payoff if you succeed. A character who continually uses the Fettered level to avoid the consequences of his powers shouldn't get the same kinds of benefits as one who is willing to face the risks.

Saibot said:

my 2 coppers worth (or the ramblings of a tired mind, as I write this before I go to bed)

I like the idea of using my powers without retribution! (LOL)

As a player who runs Psykers a lot, the only real issue I have with the game is the fact that while players have to deal with the horrors of the warp, it seems that the writers who do the books like EISENHORN, regularly have their Psykers who never invoke those issues.

So, OTH, is this because someone like Eisenhorn has actually a Psy rating of 5 or higher, along with the high WP that most Inquisitors seem to have, and as such he can regularly invoke the usage of the warp, at fettered levels, and never have that issue?

With that said, is there anyone out there who knows of a book in the WH40k universe wherein a Psyker uses their power, and invoked the warp on a regular basis?

Although my GM has limited fettered rules to Ascended characters only, it seems that the RT rules for Psykers were more of an evolution of the rules, and that in the distant future, in a new edition that will undoubtably come out, we'll have those Psy rules better defined for all 3 games,instead of the hodgepodge that we seem to be dealing with on a continual basis.

It seems that DH is locked down on the old psyker rules, and the user base is divided into two groups, those that like the dangers of DH rules and those that thinks RT rules are better, because it is not such a loose canon.

So Fantasy Flight Games may want to convert DH rules to RT rules, but they are most likely given pause by changing something that has been around for a long time and has a loyal following.

I like the RT rules better, but I am inclined to let the DH rules stay as they are. But I would like a compendium for RT that gives us a RT version of the psychic disciplines Biomancy and Pyromancy (and Sorcery for the radicals!) so they can be available for a Telepath that has a more traditional psyker attitude to the world. I know some people thinks its great that Telepaths don't have this to differentiate them from sanctioned psyker, but I think the disciplines should be available in RT format.

I know that there are some player made house rules out there that are awesome, like this one:

http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=91371

But house rules are always a little more demanding in play testing and spawns rules discussions every now and then (and I am not sure I am too happy with the Biomancy rules in this one).

In my campaign I have an adept that is considering going the psyker route, and we are currently looking into using RT rules: At rank 7 he would then need to buy a discpline for 500xp, psy rating 2 for 200 xp and up to 2 technies for 100 xp each. And at rank 8 he can buy psy rating 3 for 300 xp, up to two technies for 200xp each and buy one of the 500 xp talents associated with perils of the warp. (Havent thought about Ascension yet... still some way off). And it looks to me as it will work out quite nice.

Alox said:

Rules for Sorcery in Rogue Trader can now be found in Edge of the Abyss.