I'm still at a loss to what gear is appropriate for what rank of acolytes. I know it's not a D&D game where every hero should sooner or later have a sword + 1, but still I am wondering whether or not my acolytes have too few equipment and weapons.

Here's what they have:

guardsman - autogun with red dot laser sight, good quality mono-sword, hunting rifle, chain axe, just acquired a bolt pistol, guard flak armour
techpriest - longlas rifle with red dot laser sight, good quality mono-sword, frag grenades, guard flak armour, bionic arm and leg (normal craftmanship, acquired due to necessity)
cleric - hand cannon, hammer, autopistol, frag and krak grenades
adept - stub revolver with red dot laser sight, good quality mono-sword, flak armour
psyker - Mars Pattern Mk IV overcharge laspistol with red dot laser sight, good quality mono-sword, flak jacket

Does it sound normal? Or tight-fisted?

I kind of think it might be a little too sparse, compared with what most NPCs in the Haarlock's Legacy adventure are toting around.

The Laughing God said:

My players are also all Rank 5 and I think the equipment you mentioned is ok, if a little ‘tight-fisted’ maybe. Though, I am not the best to decide this as I am rather restrictive myself (e.g. giving max. about 100 XP per session).
A good hint in my opinion is often the Skills they have. If one can gets 'Basic Weapon (Plasma)' for example, I would give him sort of access to the most mundane plasma weapon.

My PCs have the following equipment and weapons (or they had for that matter (TF…)):

Arbitrator (Warden of the Divisio Immoralis)
• Good Quality Flak Greatcoat (gave it a preference to a Light Enforcer Carapace due to being more suited to undercover operations (also protects legs in my game))
• Mesh Cowl
• Respirator
• Photo-Visor
• Manacles
• Micro-Bead
• Shock Maul
• Mono Knife
• Brass Knuckles
• Creed-9 Autogun + Silencer + Man-Stopper Ammo
• Combat Shotgun + Detachable Mono Melee Attachement + Ammo
• Carnodon Hand Cannon + Red-Dot Laser Sight + Silencer + Ammo
• Orthlak Mark IV Thollos Autopistol + Ammo
• Puritan-14 Execution Pistol + Ammo
• 3x Choke Gas Grenade
• Recoil Glove
• Uniform
• Arbitrator ID
• Divisio Immoralis ID
• Coblast Assay Cognomen
• Stimm (3 doses)
• Injector
• Chrono

Assassin
• Xeno Mesh (got it before the errata regarding the Mesh Cobat Cloak came out)
• Mesh Cowl
• Respirator
• Infra Red Goggles
• Clip Harness
• Grapnel
• Magnocular
• Multikey
• Micro-Bead
• Stummer
• Mono Knife
• Hunting Rifle + Telescopic Sight + Man-Stopper Bullets
• 2x Fate Bringer Long Pistol + Red-Dot Laser Sight + Ammo
• Black Bodyglove
• Coblast Assay Cognomen
• Stimm (3 doses)
• Chrono
• Charm

Guardsman
• Guard Flak Armour
• Respirator
• Photo-Visor
• Micro-Bead
• Mono Knife
• Chain Sword
• Creed-9 Autogun + Man-Stopper Ammo
• Long Las + Overcharge Pack
• Fury Assault Laspistol + Overcharge Pack
• Talon Mark III Short Autopistol + Man-Stopper Ammo
• Splinter Pistol
• 2x Blind Grenades
• 2x Frag Grenades
• Uniform
• Imperial Guard ID
• Coblast Assay Cognomen
• Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer

Imperial Psyker (Legate Investigator)
• Mesh Combat Cloak
• Best Quality Quilted Vest
• Photo-Visor
• Re-Breather
• Micro-Bead
• Psy-Focus
• Good Quality Mono Bastard Sword
• Mono Knife
• Takara Palatine Compact Laspistol + Ammo
• Steel Burner Heavy Laspistol + Red-Dot Laser Sight + Ammo
• Good Quality Robe
• Sanctioning Brand
• Mercy Blade
• Carta of Inquiry
• Sigil of Questioning
• Coblast Assay Cognomen
• Cybernetic Eye
• Aquila

Tech-Priest
• Mesh Combat Cloak
• Re-Breather
• Combi-Tool
• Lascutter
• Medikit
• Micro-Bead
• Data-Slate
• Cressin Pattern Limpet Mine
• Good Quality Mono Axe
• Mono Knife
• Minerva Aegis Las-Carbine + Overcharge Pack
• Bolt Pistol + Ammo
• Blind Grenade
• Medicae Mecadendrite + 5 doses of Stimm from the Medikit
• Optical Mechadendrite
• Sacred Machine Oil (1 vial)
• Good Quality Robe
• Coblast Assay Cognomen
• Chrono

Hi Laughing God,

I am siding with what already have been said, while wondering why so many wear full guard flakk armour but I do not see any mesh vest. My group prefer a little more stealthy approach (besides the guardsman who is constantly hiding behind his bodyguard licence), so armored body gloves and hidden mesh vest (see the Amaranthine Syndicate Agent in DotdG. I made this an alternative for the standard mesh vest while having same price and availabilty.

My group is about rank five, one sports a boltgun and the other one a boltpistole. A little man-stopper for the rest. While I regret the two bolters (they teared a thrice-bound apart with not to much of a problem!), the rest is quit okay.

My other group (around rank 5 as well) is all mesh and guard flakk as well. They picked up bolters (again, story provided) as well.

Remember that heavy weapons and heavy armour aren´t that much of a problem if

a) they get minor (or major) penalties for wearing them on EVERY occasion
b) the coming fights boot enemies with equal firepower and armor.

I normaly make sure that I do not beef up ALL of the enemies (after all... why should my player purchase gear in the first place if I take care that it is not making any difference at all?) but try to make them face somebody or something they need to fear. Like other guy with bolt pistoles

Gregorius21778 said:

Well, Guard Flak Armour is rather cheap for the amount of protection it gives. Though, the Flak Cloak for a mere 80 Thrones is probably best in regard to protection per Cost since the errata and the Mesh Combat Cloak comes near the Guard Flak Armour as well. My PCs indeed mostly prefer Mesh armour, because it is kind of easier to hide (i.e. harder to take note of). My Guardsman player still prefers his Guard Flak Armour since the beginning out of nostalgia and because I told him it is also easy enough to hide benaeath a bulbous cloak, at least if around in the lower hive or even the darker areas of the mid-hive.

As I said, the groups Arbitrator prefers a Flak Greatcoat (also protects legs in my game) instead a Light Enforcer Carapace due to it being more suited to undercover operations. The riggid flak plates are clearly visible in this coat, but often have some sort of intimidating factor and this armour is in my view okay for bounty hunters and such martially inclined characters without having some sort of 'government'- or 'adeptus'-like appearance (as Carapace armour often has in my opinion).

The groups Assassin on the other hand still has his Xeno Mesh (from before the errata that made Mesh Combat Cloak more interesting (though I discount the head AP)) and I am wondering why he haven't taken interest in an armoured body-glove and cameleoline cloak yet (as he is the sneaker and sniper type of assassin). Though these are most probably his next purchases, if he survives Quaddis for that matter...

Well, there's always the option of loaning/granting them items from the Inquisitor's armories. Presumably he does not send his cells to fail. So if they need carapace armor to have a chance in hell...well, they get some. Of course, if you think they only need it for the big fight, they happen to get some that is traditionally used as Inquisition Ceremonial

My rank 6 Adept has for his equipment the following:

General Gear:

• Good-quality Street Clothing
• Good-quality Munitorum Officers Uniform
• Backpack
• Gear and Weapon Storage
• Environmental Body Glove
• Encrypted Microbead
• Filtration Plugs
• Medical Kit
• Magnoculars

Weapons:

• Combat Knife, mono-edged
• Saber, mono-edged
• Autopistol with 5 Magazines Manstopper Rounds
• Best-quality Bolt Pistol with 4 Magazines of Standard Rounds, 1 Magazine of Hellfire Rounds
• Combat Shotgun with 4 magazines of Shells

Armor:

• Flak Helmet
• Armored Overcoat (treated as Flak Jacket)
• Best-quality Mesh-lined Administratum Robes (treated as Best-quality Mesh Combat Cloak)

There are some thing missing there, but that's most of my character's stuff. There were several very nice things I had prior to Tattered Fates , but I mostly came out of it with about the same stuff overall.

-=Brother Praetus=-

I think a good rule of thumb is to take a look at the rank chart. Generally, if a character can purchase the required weapon proficiencies, they should be able to access the gear within a rank or two.

Obviously item quality can really ratchet this up (or down if they go for the cheap stuff), but it seems appropriate to me. Essentially, bolt guns and chain weapons are mid-level (4-7) and plasma/inferno + power weapons are late game stuff, with quality being an appropriate modifier.

Good general rule of thumb from Bladehate I feel; my players are rank 7-8 and only started to get some better gear. perhaps because the forst part of my campaign I marooned them on a remote planet infested with Orks so they only marginally scrounged together gear.

I would say the equipment may be a little sparse but I've found players will usually tell you if your being a bit tight fisted. One often overlooked thing of being a little bit more restrictive with equipment is the feelings player then invest in bit of gear that they feel they have actually earned through sweat, blood and hard work. I have one player who has a plasma pistol (taken from a vanquished foe) that he cherishes, at one point when going to meet a Bishop on Samson the characters were asked to relinquish their weapons, my player wanted personal assurances from me as the GM that he would get it back after the meeting. The fact that his character is also a bit paranoid makes this work really well. As mentioned by others maybe provide equipment for one off occasions to give the group a taste for it, example if after an investigation you have found out where a cult leader sleeps and you want to storm the place why not give the characters some carapace armour for the job that has to be turned back in after the mission is finished.

Hear! Hear! Equipment earned through blood, sweat & tears always tastes better than just 'here's your max, shop what you want'.

All the above posts are on target. One thing to keep in mind is "appropriate" gear depends a great deal on the team's style and what types of missions they undertake. A Hereticus team working long term in the underhive to root out heresy amongst the hive gangers are going to have very different gear requirements (and desires!) than a Malleus team participating in a purge. Likewise a Xenos field team is far more likely to sink major amounts of their funding into acclectic and "just in case" survival gear. If your players seem to be leaning far too much on their gear then send them on a mission where they must wear tux and gown or otherwise deny them use of the toys for a while. If they seem to be struggling with solid plans due to lack of quality gear then surely the Inquisitor or Interrogator will see fit to slip them a few choice pieces of equipment when an opportunity presents itself: Can't have a mission fail because the sniper could not afford ammo!

I have run missions that have characters anywhere from literally naked to decked out in heavy carapace and power armour and everything in between. I rather like the variety and it requires my players to think about their tactics and teamwork more.

The most popular equipment in my game so far: Encrypted micro-beads and mesh bodygloves.

I think Bladehate hit the nail on the head, Your PC's career ranks are the best guide to what they should or shouldn't be able to acquire.

I remember being so happy when my Mordant Guardsman (Rank 6) managed to acquire a boltgun out of the boot of an Arbites patrol car and a set of carapace armour (off a dead Arbite) during a car chase (note: I didn't equip said armour till after the chase).
Cut to next session on a war world in my newly (badly) repainted black armour with a painted on red Inquisition symbol on the chest tipping boltshells out of a chimera's stormbolter magazine into a sack (I only had one clip for the boltgun).

His inventory was:
Boltgun with single clip and about 30 spare rounds in a sack
Gorge grenade launcher with a couple of frag grenades and a smoke grenade
Machete with mono and a knife.
Scavenged Enforcer Light Carapace
Encarmine with a couple spare clips. (Honestly, my favourite gun in DH. Its discreet and a great point blank back up).
Water bottle and some ration packs.

The rest of the party were just as lightky equipped yet we never felt like we didn't have enough gear. TBH I love 'low-gear' and its something that I've carried across with my new Ascension level Interrogator (Rank 11) for the Deathwatch campaign I'm in. Malach Von Reinhart has a couple of pistols (Best quality Carnadons with Reddots and Fire selctors loaded with Amputator Rounds), Armour (Best quality Flak and some Synthskin), Best quality Mono Sword (Yeah that’s right; a normal sword), A Mariette (His 'way out' gun if captured) and a Cameleoline cloak.

His only real expense was his cyber senses incorporating a Holo visor, Photovisor, Magoculars and Auspex to create a kind of H.U.D in combat. His party memebers are a Space Wolf Tactical Marine and a Blood Angel Assault Marine toting enough scavenged Eldar kit to make a Autarch jealous let alone the Signature war gear they have.

IMO Dark Heresy, and to a lesser extent Rogue Trader/Deathwatch lend themselves to a more realistic slanted role-play so I tend, as a matter of choice, to think about what the character could carry and obtain as well as the impression said equipment gives of them (i.e. Don't walk into a enforcer prescient with a heavy stubber)

Mark