Hi!

I want to get a RT session kicking. The players know only little about WH40k, but are adaptable. As a GM I'd like to know how fragile are the PCs in the beginning and are they much more powerful after several sessions and 4000XP under the belt. I don't want to kill them off. At least not yet

From reading I can more or less guess what the different classes do and which classes might be fun for my players (as they don't know the system or the universe that well, yet)... but I can't put my finger on the missionary. The "Faith" powers seem rather nifty, but the whole faith talent system is rather underdeveloped. Is the missionary fun - from a "gamist" point of view? I.e., are his schticks worth it?

Same goes for the Navigator. He looks cool and spooky, but what style of play is best suited for a navigator? Travelling thorugh the warp and rolling dices to do so is not something that sounds that exciting.

So please, tell me about those classes in play and about the development of the power level.

Thanks!

Navigator powers can get into some extremes, in what you can do; Navigators get (imo) some of the most fun things, next to Explorator. Want to sear the minds of those who gaze into your limited window into the Warp? Instantly kill them with a glimpse of it's horror? Or actually see into the future, to get 'secrets' onto how to succeed (and potentially make things worse)?

You're part course-plotter, part walking alternate Psyker. And some of the Into the Storm stuff expands on this even more. And like all characters, you'll have enough training and gear that at later levels, you'll also be flinging around inferno pistols and power cutlasses.

I've never been particularly keen on Missionary; part of the reason I avoid Dark Heresy and Deathwatch is the horribly Emperor-loving focus. ;D Heck, even more Explorator is a weak in faith, honourable pirate with free-thinking and xenophilic tendencies... But it does have some nifty stuff. Burning Fate points to bring recently deceased back to life, quite literal faith healing and laying on of hands, and a healthy does of blessed prometheum.

Edit: Forgot the entire point of fragility. ;D I personally find characters a bit more squishy; characters have, at a glance to me, slightly less Sound Constitutions than DH. To match DH's beginning Wounds, you'll need 40+ Toughness on 2d10+25 (Death Worlders being TBx2+1d5+2, rather than... I think it's 9+1d5 in DH? My Toughness 40 Explorator Imperial Worlder got lucky, and got 13 Wounds, which is the max he could have got. Compared to my DH Psyker, with 13 Wounds who didn't even roll max if I recall). Characters will begin better equipped (Explorators are at Enforcer carapace to begin) and equipment accrues much faster with Profit Factor. But some xeno stuff can help that, and force fields are fully available.

Combat in the FFG 40k RPG's can be quite brutal. Many opponents can get lucky and seriously mess up a character. But remember:

Characters can dodge & parry attacks. Don't forget this, both as a GM and a player. (NPC's want to live too... for a while). Buying the dodge skill is highly advised.

Cover can give very good bonuses. Shooting from behind cover is a Very Good idea. (For instance, the best armour in the game is 9 Armour Points. Cover goes from 4 to 16 Armour, and they add up. Though if you shoot, you expose part of yourself (No 100% clear rules, but in my game, you expose head+arms)).

PC's can burn (permanently lose) a Fate Point in order to survive a killing blow. This means that as long as the battle is won (or if you can evacuate), the occassional death is not that big a deal.

Weapons make the difference. If you are unsure what your players can handle, start off by facing NPC's with lacklustre weapons. Say an Autopistol, which is a pretty decent weapon against lowlife scum, but just can't do a lot of hurt on your average RT NPC (who will mitigate the first 7-10 damage on each 1d10+2 from the shot). Don't start with NPC's with Heavy Bolters and Man-Portable lascannons, unless you want to see some gruesome deaths.

The Missionary usually fills the role of limiting the groups lawlessness. They should check their groups deeds against the Imperial Creed, and such advocate to not treat with Aliens but kill them, try to convert (or burn) any people who do not follow the scripture (more common in the Koronus expanse, because it's not part of the Empire proper, and many worlds have been cut off for centuries, or even millenia). On the other hand, when dealing with Imperium Officials he is hard to ignore. The Church may not be liked by many, but almost all respect it's power, and many fear it. Playstyle wise, they focus on getting relatively close, and then either burning down whole swats of enemies (A fully talented and geared up Missionary with a Heavy Flamer with improved fuel is a terror), and hitting hard in combat.

A Navigator is one of the three "outsider" classes in RT (Together with Astropath (Psyker / mutant) and Explorator(follows a religion that is secretive, and seen by mainstream Imperium as a Cult)). It's shunned by many because of it's inherent mutations, yet all know that without them, the Empire would crumble. So they're treated with grudging respect. Many people will fear any visible mutation though, having been taught from birth that it is a mark of the Enemies of the Imperium. Higher placed people will probably deal with him better then the common folk. Navigator Powers can become quite powerful.

The 4500 (+500) xp of a RT starting character is there because it's relative to Dark Heresy, another RPG that is (mostly) compatible with RT. It represents that RT characters are powerful high nobility, the very top of the civilian foodchain.

Thanks for your replies. Have any of you first hand experiences on the missionary's faith powers? In comparison to the faith powers from "blood of martyrs" they seem somewhat underdeveloped. ot powerless, but bleak.

Einbauschrank said:

Some of them are weaker, but I'd have to point out The Emperor Protects as being an awesome combat booster.