In my campaign we have a group of five DW Marines and one female player playing an Inquisitor/Psyker transplanted in from the Dark Heresy setting.

In DW Genestealers have the Trait "Tyranid" in the Dark Heresy setting they have the Trait "From Beyond". These two traits are essentially the same; just different names for the same benefits. What ever it is called the trait states, in part: "It is immune to Fear, Pinning, Insanity Points and Psychic Powers used to cloud, control or delude its mind." Preceding taken from page 330 of the Dark Heresy Book.

In your opinion would creatures with this Trait be immune to the Telepathic Psychic Power "Psychic Shriek" found on page 180 of the Dark Heresy book?

I probably ought to cross-post this in the Dark Heresy forum as well.

Edsel62 said:

I would say yes but in cases like this there is probably no clear-cut answer. Whenever I meet such a case as a GM, I tell myself that there could be made good argument in both directions and then it becomes a matter of personal preference for me.

So my advice to you is to ask yourself if "your" Genestealers should be immune to such powers or not. I want mine to be bada**, so the answer would be yes.

Alex

... and I would say "No". The shriek isn't a power that controls or clouds the mind.

You wouldn't be able to Compel a genestealer or to Dominate it. Nor would you be able to use See Me Not against it. But the Telepathic Shriek I would allow (unless the characters are under the Hive Fleet's "shadow" ofcourse)

Psychic shriek isn't an attempt to control. It's raw psychic force channeled at an enemy. So I would say yes to it. It's a different method to blow up the xenos brain besides bolt rounds!

The group's Inquisitor is a 9th level Ascended character from the Dark Heresy setting. Since she has a WP bonus of 6, this means that she can inflict 6 Fatigue easily. It is simple to even activate this particular power "fettered" which means that their is no chance of triggering a Psychic Phenomena or Perils of the Warp. Fortunately Genestealers have a Toughness of 60 and to render anything unconscious you have to deal fatigue levels in excess of their Toughness bonus. With a single shot she can put 6 levels of fatigue on any genestealer within 10 meters. If she has two rounds then any of them within 10 meters will be rendered unconscious.

In the Final Sanction game last session they encountered the Genestealers in the throne room at Thorsholt Manor. The Inquisitor took out three Genestealers single handed by using Psychic Shriek in two rounds. However the Space Marines took out the other five in straight combat (mainly because I rolled absolutely terribly for the Genestealers' attacks and dodges). Only the team's Assault Marine took any damage and the Apothecary (another player-character) was easily able to patch him up.

The Inquisitor-Psyker has 500 XP saved up, and as soon as she gets 500 more she can buy Unnatural Willpower. That will put her WP bonus up to 12 which means that any Genestealer that gets too close to her will be rendered unconscious at the speed of thought.

My house rule is going to be that the Psychic Shriek works as normal against the Genestealers as long as they are not in the presence of a synapse creature. If the Genestealers are tied to the Hive Mind by the presence of synapse creature (for instance the Broodlord), then the Hive Minds is far too powerful to be affected by the Psychic Shriek power.

It is not really as bad as it sounds. The Psyker can only be certain of a 10 meter radius with this power fettered. Without pushing a 30 meter radius is about maximum. A Genestealer can charge 36 meters and with their Initiative they can start outside her range and still get an attack before she can react. Even once she buys Unnatural WP it will require an above average Power Roll to extend the radius beyond 30 meters.

Remember that they need to be able to kill-off Genestealers quickly. If they don't and you don't roll absolutely horrible again, they will start ripping marines apart in close combat.

Alex

Edsel62 said:

I'd be amazed if anything could survive two rounds of concentrating while within 10 metres of genestealers.

Don't forget that you get to roll Willpower to resist that power.

Honn said:

Thanks, that was a pretty bad error on my part. Fortunately due to my abysmal die rolling it had little effect this time. I won't make that error again.

" Fortunately due to my abysmal die rolling..."

YOU HERETIC!!! THE EMPEROR WAS WITH US THAT NIGHT!!!

(I am a player in his group, and this was a running joke for the evening. No Flame War intended. Move along.)

What about a flamer war?

Not that effective against Marines I guess...

Edsel62 said:

That's what game shields are for