Is there a way other than basic advances to earn BS/WS? What about agility?

Also, could you offer some tips on how to remember all your character can do? Sometimes I forget about traits I have, advances in a skill, special abilities... It's kinda overwhelming. How do you people remember so many different little attributes? I know it sounds silly.

For your first question, there aren't so may options to increase your raw skill. I know Hive worlders who chose Gunmetal city as a homeworld get a +5 to their BS upon character creation. The main ways a player increases those stats is, like you said, through character development via xp. I suppose a GM might rule that if you say you want to come from a feudal world (knights and shining armor and what have you) you might benefit from a +5 increase to WS in exchange for one of the feral worlders traits, perhaps the staunch blood technique?

To the second problem, you have to think it out logically. Most of the drawbacks (in terms of traits at least) are something unique to your character. My tech priest is from a forge world so it would make sense that he wouldnt know as much, or perhaps knows a twisted version, of the imperial creed, much as he would also not bode well with clerics since (technically) the cult mechanicus is a heretical cult.

If you're talking about talents that your character has, those are ususally beneficial to the point where you wont forget them, or that you're spending xp on them and researching what they do before you take those talents. It all comes down to knowing your character and their strengths and weaknesses.

I use a cheat sheet to go with my character profile. Put all the 'tricky' to remember stuff on a clean page beside your profile sheet so you don't have to flip back an forth. That way you can write out what the talents do, what is required, etc.

That is probably the easiest, and simplest way to go. Even if you use a laptop or something like that, an actual page works wonders.

As for building up ws/bs, there is the random +3 you can get to either from Divination at character creation, as well as the various background packages that usually offer the +5 to either. There are also some side packages in Radicals Handbook, for instance, that could add some points to them. But apart from the basic +20 through profile advances, the next opportunities come with the Ascended careers, and their transition packages.

The previous posters have basically covered it. My only additional comment:

Being a gymnast doesn't make you a good shot or swordsman. Shooting and knife skills are things that can be taught and learned regardless of how fit you are. Fitness and agility can help in some instances but aren't required.

Unfortunately, my character is already created and somewhat advanced, sitting at around 4k XP currently.

Problem is, at creation, I kinda got shafted in both BS/WS (though I have good Int/WP and godly toughness). Most of the combat situations for me involve me rolling very bad numbers (dice hate me) and not chance in hell that my character gets a success, even taking into account bonuses like full auto, close distance, etc. Basically, lots of shooting, and lots of missing (and some hilarious -for the GM and rest of the party- "you fail so miserably that you shoot <somebody/something>)...

Meh, I'll live. I guess I'll have to spend a crap ton of XP on basic advances to get to the last ones then.

Dark Pact is one route, after all this is Dark Heresy. Also good/best craftsmanship melee weapons grant a bonus to WS when using them, certain scopes can provide a bonus to BS and the Logis Implant provides +10 to WS/BS with a successful test. Certain Psychic powers can add to your BS/WS as well.

One of the best things I like about Dark Heresy is, and I use this term loosely, realism. The WS/BS advances allowed by character classes represents your limitation as a human. Ascension allows two more I think, but after that artifical means are the only other option.

The Sororitas Power Armour helm provides +5 to BS and so does an item in the Death Watch Rule Book. Perhaps your character could invest in an items that offers similar function. Or change the way you play your character.

Point Blank and Full Auto (+40) should be more than enough for you to destroy anything in the game. Certain weapons with the right ammo have more then enough power.

Before the errata the Hecutor 9/5 with manstoppers was the cheep solution to mimicing a bolt pistol, granted it's been toned down; It still is a viable alternative that requires less training, slightly less AP, and with the added bonus of suppressing fire/Full Auto/ Over Watch. (For example)

The lowest BS you can have is 22? (For the most part) at point blank you're hitting 52% of the time. Consider the Shotgun. or perhaps an Accurate Weapon.

Or you could consider a different role. An automatic anywhere from Heavy Stubber down to the humble Autopistol can use the Supressing fire ability. **** your enemies ability to fight back by keeping their heads down.

Hell.. get lazy, just use bombs and flame weapons. Who needs BS anyway? Flamers with Cleanse and Purify are awesome, and firebombs should have been nerfed in the errata.

Just something to consider.

Elohiem_Militant said:

PB + FA = +50

Throwing grenades is a BS test, but you don't need any talents like Throwing Weapons (grenades), since that talent doesn't exist.

Three cheers for flame weapons though.

OP: What class are you playing? What's your WS and BS? What weapon do you use?

I second Flail-Bot's motion on flame weapons, as well as his query. I'm pretty sure with the right minds we could find a solution to this predicament.

One of the voidborn paths from IH gives a situational bonus to BS.

Nooooo, flamer weapons are a big big no-no.

I play a secutor, with breecher drill and machinator array. That left me at 16 Agility. No AG advances yet though, but those are hella expensive for me. I already had a bad experience with a molotov cocktail that almost killed me...

I use a Heavy Stubber, gto Bulging Biceps and I can also brace as a free action thanks to some imagination, a specially modified leg implant with a magnetic knee joint, and a GM that's there for fun and not to be a rules nazi.

My WS is 38 after 2 advances, and my BS is 32 (I think) after one advance. Granted, I always fire at full auto, and even then, I'm missing a heck of a lot.

I tell you, the dice hate me, like, really really hate me. It's statistically impossible for me to roll below 75. My dude is a tech priest, and I fail 80% of tech use and other tests lol. Sometimes I think this is the only tech priest ever who doesn't know how to either do combat AND use technology lol

Flail-Bot said:

Oops lol... Yeah, I'll work on proof reading.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but with a BS of 32 you're 3 points shy of making the one of the pre-reqs for secutor

But let's asssume you'r GM does not know that or is ignoring it. Ok i'm going to make 3 suggestions feel free to take em or leave em. I know you're probably really attached to your heavy stubber rigging system.

1: Ditch the stubber for an accurate weapon. Slap on a red dot sight and move in to close range take a half action aim and you're already looking at 70+ chance to hit. granted you're only firing once per round but if you roll low enough you're going to be dishing out damage in the 20's on average.

2: Ditch the stubber for the skitari Vaneheim Shotgun. It's the AA-12's futuristic cousin who just got out of jail for murder 1 and was on a nasty PCP binge now that he's been released. Point Blank and full auto will put you at 80+ to hit. Firing 6 shells WITH scatter. Example: (Since you dont know let's say your BS is 35, for arguments sake) youare at 85% chance to hit and you will hit with each degree of success PLUS every 2 degrees of success from the scatter quality. So if you rolled a 35 you'd hit with all 6 shells and an additional 2 hits from scatter (once at 65 and once at 45). 8 hits with a shotgun doing d10+4? Not too shabby. It's not as much raw firepower as the heavy stubber but i's sure comes close.

A third option is not to be a damage dealer with your stubber but more of the annoying portable MG nest. Lay down suppressive fire and force the enemy into cover, then have your team mates start chucking (or shooting if thats what they're into) grenades into thier cover. Now the enemies have two choices, either stay in cover and get fragged or get turned into swiss cheese by your team mates.

For your WS i would suggest taking the half aim action before you attack with the breacher. That is unless you have swift attack/lightning attack in which case either of those is a better option. Dont rely on dodge but instead go for parry with a shield. It adds +15 to your WS and my GM rules that it provides extra armor to the arm thats holding it and the body. I cant tell you how many times having a guard shield saved my hide from certain destruction, even when the parry failed or had already blocked a blow that round.

As for your tech problems that shouldn't be too hard of a fix either. Get some int upgrades (one of the easiest stats to upgrade as a Tech Priest) and throw in a utility mechadendrite for good measure. A logic test before the tech use test might award you a situational bonus from the GM as you are thinking about the best words to use in order to coo the machine spirits into doing what you ask of them.

Just my two thrones

Low-thirties are more then enough for a full-auto wielder. My Psyker has 32 BS, and his weapon of choice is a Mark IV Command Laspistol (70m, Accurate, Hot Shot for 1d10+4 with 4 Pen) and a Red Dot. Granted, he gets to use Unnatural Aim (and, you know, run rampant with Firebolts and Sculpt Flame - Burn! Burn faster! Now Burn your allies!) but he still gains a +30 to hit for taking a half action to aim and cracking off a single shot and hits quite often, within the 2/3 that the percentage would suggest.

If you really are set on keeping Heavy Weapons, grab an Autocannon for the hefty fee of 1000 Thrones. With a base range of 300, you gain a +10 against anyone within 150m, which means you get better range modifiers then a Long Las, with considerably higher firepower. That or look into a Targeter (Inquisitor's Handbook page 179) which is a very pricey weapon upgrade at 2250 (but since you're a Tech-priest you can probably wire it into your eyes), and Tracer ammunition (actually a Rogue Trader ammunition type, but your GM seems like he'd allow it) which add (off the top of my head) +5 to Full Auto attacks, but grant opponents +5 against him when fighting in darkness. The extra +15 on top of the +20 for firing full auto is going to put you well ahead of most attackers, and really how can you complain about only being better then the things you're fighting?

Flail-Bot said:

Just take grenades whose blast radius is larger than the maximum scatter distance (if you play with this part of the RT rules instead of having missed grenades mysteriously disappear into thin air upon a botched BS roll as per DH RAW). Problem solved.

Lynata said:

Where's that written? Dark Heresy Core Rule Book p.196 "Playing that game" has rules for scattered grenades in the "missing" section.

so it would work like this

0Deg: 1 bullet 1 hit

2deg: 2 bullet 2hits each

4deg: 3 bullet 3hits each

6deg: 3 bullet 4hits each

8deg: 3 bullet 5hits each

10+: PASTE

or

0deg: 1 bullet 1 hit

2deg: 2 bullet 2 hits from 1st 1 hit from 2nd

4deg: 3 bullet 3 hits from 1st 2 hits from 2nd 1 hit from 3rd

6deg: 3 bullet 4 hits from 1st 3 hits from 2nd 2 hits from 3rd

8deg: 3 bullet 5 hits from 1st 4 hits from 2nd 3 hits from 3rd

10+:PASTE

Elohiem_Militant said:

Aye, I was blind and looked at the wrong places. For some reason that rule was neither in the section about grenades nor about throwing weapons nor ranged attacks - no idea if they have changed it in successive prints (I still have the very first Black Industries one), but it was much easier to find in the RT book.

A Combat Shotgun i mean

@Mormoran: It sounds to me that it’s your dice and if so you should check out “game science dice”, it will explain to you the flaws in dice making that results in you getting the same number to come up quite often.
http://www.gamescience.com/