I am just starting to run a Dark Heresy game and I have one player that wants to play a Guardsman. Now, his character idea was for someone who had seen some fighting at a front line somewhere. However to match up to the rather inexperienced level of starting Dark Heresy characters he decided that the character was going to have suffered an injury which led to him being cashiered out of the Guard early in his career. I was going to make up a background package for this, but the problem I am having is deciding the game effects of the injury and the pricing it (ie, what can he get in compensation).

Now, I was happy enough with him having a common quality cybernetic knee joint (small enough that it doesn't give him the toughness bonus to the leg for cybernetics, and doesn't hinder him in any way game wise). However, he feels that it should have some negative effect to justify his character being dropped from the guard. If he just had his knee replaced with something equally as effective then presumably he would have ended up back with his unit. We have looked at a poor quality cybernetic leg (or knee, in order to ignore the extra TB on the relevant leg), but frankly I find the effects a bit too negative. Now, halving Agility Bonus for movement was not too bad (at the moment) as with Agility Bonus of 3 it ends up rounding up to 2. However, in the future he will increasingly get left behind when others improve their agility (with what he has even if he gets all the agility upgrades he would have a maximum Half Move of 3). What was the real killer was the agility test when running to see if they fall over. I just felt that was too bad. If they were really that lame they probably would never have been recruited by the Inquisition (you don't hire a Guardsman for his investigative skills).

So, I was trying to think of ways for the wound and less than common quality cybernetic implant (but not poor) to have some game effect. One possibility I had thought about was saying that he was not bothered by it when walking, but when trying to run at higher speeds it caused some problem for him. This would mean it would have no effect on Half Move or Full Move, but his Charge speed and Run speed would be lower than normal. I was thinking his Charge Move might just be reduced to being the same as his Full Move (ie 2xAB rather than 3) and that he could only Run at 4XAB rather than 6.

So I was just wanting advice on 1) whether people think that is an ok game effect and 2) how much xp (in this case negative in order to reduce the cost of other elements) that might be worth in a background package? Is it worth as much as 100, or is it worth less or more?

Any other suggestions on how to game this are also welcome.

Well, if all you want is justification...you could justify it by saying that the Guardsman's system didn't accept the first augmentation they tried to fit him with.

So they shipped him to a specialist somewhere that needed to check him over, and while that was all getting worked out he got picked for "special assignment" with the Inquisition.

So in return for keeping a decent augmetic, he might have to spend a few extra thrones in the future for any cybernetics he picks up (not enough to be crippling, since he probably has the info from the specialist and can give that info on to any new chop doc he hires) and a reasonable backstory.

Just use the following like on of the Background packages from the IH.

Unfit for Service (200xp)
You fought for the Emperor and suffered greatly, you are scarred and retired from service, perhaps you were bed ridden for months.
You received an implant to function but not well enough to still be able to serve.

Effect:
Gain 1d5 insanity points and a Poor Quality Cybernetic Limb , for 200xp this implant can be upgraded to normal quality.
Also gain the Light Sleeper talent because of the nightmares you suffer

Thank you for the responses. However, it isn't justification I was really seeking. I have come up with ideas already, but the player would prefer it if the war wound had an actual in-game effect, ie he was at some sort of minor physical disadvantage compared to other player's characters.

On the suggested background package: As I said I didn't want the character to have a poor quality cybernetic (as a starting character), and truthfully that package seems a bit harsh. Basically you get Light Sleeper but it costs you 200xp, 1d5 Insanity points and a poor quality cybernetic (which is a disadvantage, unlike a good or best quality one. ok, the TB to the affected region is a plus, but the rest is all bad, often significantly so). Looking at it as is I would cost that as 0xp (and I would even consider adding some minor skill and still costing it at 0). Thanks for the suggestion, but the character concept doesn't really having him being significantly scarred by events either. Meant to have been invalided out before that even had a changce to have effect.

In that case, just say the augmetic replacement is glitchy, giving him -1 to his Agility Bonus anytime he's moving faster then a walk.

Not as harsh as a Poor Quality, still with a definite in-game effect and probably causing him to move with a slight but obvious limp at other times.

Failed Drop Trooper Training - 100xp

Grav-Chute (Ag), Prosthetic Ankles or knees (ordinary quality) and replace starting flak armour with a lightweight (6kg) pattern

A few guys I knew who did para ended up bombing out early due to knee and ankle injuries, all it takes is one bad landing on something uncomfortable or not landing properly. Course, its better than a chute malfunction!