I haven't had too much time to read up on the successor chapter rules, but I was hoping to get some clarification. From what I can tell, you make successor characters using the rules of their founding chapter, but with an added bonus based on what the successor is. Where exactly is the downside here? Can they not take the chapter specific advances?

Not all of the successors have mechanical advantage over their founders, but I know what you mean. As printed the -say- Novamarines are just the same as Ultra Marines with an extra +10!

The disadvantage as printed is purely bragging rights, it would seem.

Except that I imagine that Chapter Relics should not be available to Successors.

This is agains RAW -which states that one should generate as per the original Chapter- but as a GM, I would almost certainly prevent Successors from taking Chapter specific Deeds as well. Crimson Fists should not be able to get 'pain glove mastery'!

Yanma said:

Some of the Successors do have a down side mechanics wise, the DA-Consecrators are one, they can only use older Mark 6 power armour. There are also some fluff/rpg aspects as well since some successors are either not trusted or looked down on. As Siranui said you will probably have to make some judgment calls if somone is trying to stack bonuses from the original and determine what is overpowered.

Nimon said:

Actually aspects of the Mk 6 Armour are superoir to the Mk 7 or 8: +10 AG, +15 to Awareness tests at the expense of 1 AP to the body. But the lose of your MC item is a MASSIVE downside.

Prospero_Cade said:

Make the armour MC

BrotharTearer said:

A set of Master-Crafted Mk6 "Corvus" Power Armour was the first thought that crossed my mind when I read about the Consecrators.

On the topic of the consecrators, Mark 6 is the Highest they can wear with even older armours worn, Not only are thier armours old, a lot of thier equipment is old including weapons. The trade off is you get to start with one of those being a master-crafted, but you suffer the penalties of losing a relic should you loose it.

Nimon said:

Yes, but if you select your armour to be Master-Crafted, it's fairly hard to lose it without dying. I'm sure it can happen, but it's not too likely.

HappyDaze said:

Yes, and if my player choose that I would say ok you start with really nice armour, to bad your bolter is so old that it only does 2d10 and has the unreliable trait tacked on.

Nimon said:

You will be ignored.

HappyDaze said:

If you are saying I would be ignored as a GM? I would say no or they would find another game. If you are saying you are going to ignore me then so be it, does not change the fact that what you are suggesting is High Munchkinness with this plus your arguement that Ritual Duel Fighter should give you lightning attack as a DA Assualt marine just leads me to see the type of player you are. No sir if you were in my game you would deffinatly be ignored.

Ritual duel fighter DOES give you lightning attack at the max table result if you already have Swift Attack, as per the game's lead designer...

It's far less of a 'munchkin' thing to do that -say- play a BA assault marine or even -heaven forbid the grimness- a blood drinker AM.

Electing to take their PA as a master crafted item is perfectly reasonable to me. And cool. I'd do it, because I like the idea of having a venerable suit of armour. And it's far less lethal and potentially damaging to the game than handing them a MC heavy bolter, for example, which would statistically put one more bolt shell on target every time they pulled the trigger. If you pulled the 'you get a rubbish bolt gun then, HA!' thing on me as a player, I'd be pretty narked, too. Especially because there's nothing to say that old Asartes bolt guns are in any way inferior.