I have never seen anyone so gutted as when I told my Black Templar assault marine that he couldn't eat thing's brains anymore.

He looked so heartbroken.

This after ten insanity points from eating the wrong thing.

Why do so many people feel the need to do this?

The Omophagea isn't overpowered, it isn't a longterm buff, yet everyone here wants to punish the marines for using their Emperor-given gifts in the manner they were intended to be used. I got over powertripping as a GM when I hit about 16, Insanity is really really bad, and to make a PC pay 1000 xp just to undo the effects of using a power he's supposed to use is uncalled for at best.

If GMs feel it's too overpowered, then tone back what it can do, don't essentailly kill off the PCs (10 uses of Omophagea at 10 IP a pop is a dead Marine) don't give the PCs a map of the complex, let them know how to go to the enemy's favorite room, don't give them access codes to the nuclear launch site, give them his personal email password. This isn't a perfect knowledge thing, it lets marines emulate muscle memory and ingrained knowledge, not what the poor xeno just read on his dataslate. A marine who eats a Tau isn't going to get the urge to follow the Greater Good, though he might know it's principles. A marine who eats an Ork isn't going to start talking like one and screaming WAAAAAAAAAGH.

It doesn't replicate opinions or personality, just knowledge, so if you must screw your PCs (and I'd ask why you are GMing if that is the case) then give insanity points for Lore: Xenos, and Lore: Chaos, because those give you knowledge of the enemy too.

i wouldnt have it drive a marine insane but I think its a power that marines shouldnt use at a of a hat , they are supposed to be noble warriors , angels of wrath not cannibaliistic corpse eaters, it should be something a marine can use but finds repulsive and only done when really needed

lets leave eating people to our fallen brethrin

Hardrainfalling said:

Ahem, the emperor wanted them to have this ability. And SM are sth inbetween noble warriors and cannibalistic, psychopathic killers. Depending on which (loaylist) chapter you meet.

Alex

The Souldrinkers utilized their overdeveloped omophagea fairly often. But typically it was the more experienced members of the chapter, and they did things in a very ritualized way. There was a degree of honoring their prey and the knowledge they could gain from it in effort to better serve the Emperor and the Imperium.

And then factions within the Imperium decided to pick a fight against them, lost for the most part and cried foul to the Inquisition.

-=Brother Praetus=-

HappyDaze said:

Deathwatch is a roleplaying game , not a ruleplaying game.

If GM wants, for dramatical reasons, there to be additional effects or risks, then there are.

I'm not personally a great fan of all-random, arbitrary checks to see if you get IPs/CPs. In my games if the characters start to use Omophagea at every turn without even discussing the risks then they are going down the route of the Flesh Eaters Chapter, which the established fluff has seen killed off precisely because they did develop a bit warped taste on flesh...

Honestly, I don't see this becoming a problem in my games. The only time I've seen it used was when players asked an Imperial Assassin to quietly kill off an suspected PDF officer so they could eat his brains and try to figure out if he was corrupt. The player planned the whole thing pretty well and the actual eating was part of a very Space Marine -like ritual. Great role playing on their part so I let them have a few insights into enemy mind (pun intended) without harmfull effects.

Qingtian said:

this topic keeps repeating and getting reguratated

Thats coz when the GM hears for the 1st time a player starts to eat things your like what the **** this can't be right you check the rules and like no so the next stop is the froums

We had a Lib that if we didn't keep stoping him would eat every brain he could just because he through it was funny soon after everything was head shot lol

Hiyas, im Hardrainfallings player that ate the nid brain and the brains of the corpses of the prisoners

I just wanted to point out that it wasnt done just for the sake of it, the prisoners i ate because we were having difficulty getting into a bunker and i wanted to see if i could find out anything bout the nids on the planet we had dropped on. The nid was pretty much for the same reason information on what we were facing.

All in all im pretty certain i got an IP and had a flippin great hang over for a while after and didnt find out what i wanted

On a related side note, the Omophagea was first discovered/heard of back in 1st edition or Rogue Trader, there was a story in which a team of scouts ate the brains of a titan crew and then took it to war and another story of scouts doing a similar thing on a nid hive ship.

And for what its worth i think there should be some kinda price for using this ability, i like the idea earlier of having a nid fleet take an interest in the person that ate part of the hive mind

Apologies for invading the gm section as a player

SithFitz said:

HERETIC!

Charmander said:

INTRUDER ALERT! (Nah, it's alright.)

Alex

I gm other things, honest

Well sometimes

Think we need the heavy flamers

SithFitz said:

LOL, innocence proves nothing.

Alex