While reading the DH core rule book(only partway through) i got the impression that Acolytes tend to work for only one =][= and that the =][= tends to focus mainly on one "threat to the empire", xnoes, Heritic, or Deomons. It seems to me that this could get boring for my players quickly if all they delt with is , lets say Heritics most of the time.

Having said that, here is my question. Is it unreasonable for Acolytes to work for multipule =][=?

I kind of like the idea, It leave ample room for suspision, possible backstabbing, and many more story hooks . Be it with other cells or one/both of the =][= themselves.

any thoughts?

To work for multiple Inquisitors is pretty much out of the question in the background but there is many ways around the problem. They could turn up expecting to find heretics and descover its aliens causing the problems or the heretic cult is summoning a daemon. Of course you could have them do a job for an allied Inquisitor explained as the Acolytes Inquisitor repaying some sort of dept. There really is alot of ways you can think of to get them fighting an unuasual foe, you should pick an Inquisitor from the Ordo that will represent the most common foe you will send them up against and then find ways to pitch them against unusual opponents.

Kaihlik

Actually, there is a note in the Inquisitor's Handbook (iirc), which says it is more common than you would think for acolytes to work for more than one Inquisitor. The justifications for this are generally left vague, but could include working as part of a taskforce set up by an Inquisitorial cabal, or as deep-cover agents planted by one Inquisitor to keep watch on the acolytes and actions of another, or simply be loaned to another Inquisitor to help with a particular task, or even gifted to him (probably an ideal way to stymie an political rival- gift him a cell of bumbling acolytes!).

It is also worth noting that A) not every Inquisitor works for an Ordo (whether Minoris, like the Ordos Sicarius and Hydra, or one of the three big Ordos Majoris) and B) even those that are members of an Ordo will not merely work fighting only those foes that are their bailiwick; they will deal with whatever is there in front of them, which means that even those with rather esoteric specialities will spend much of their time hunting out heresies.

That said, it is entirely possible for such inter-Inquisitorial co-operative actions to occur because the work of one is outside his his field of expertise, and so he requests the aid of someone from another Ordo. It would make sense, in such situations at the the very least, for those who have the most time and knowledge of a case to work in support of those brought in for their specialist skills and lore.

isn't there some kind of note too in the back of the new Heresy book, that pretty much loans the alcolytes to another Inquisitor?

I think in the group I'm in we've worked with four different inquisitors, but always worked FOR one of them (well two of them one died).

For us it worked that we worked for Inquisitor A always and he or she (depending on the time frame) would always be our primary boss.

After that though we've been loaned out at times as "favors" to other inquisitors who didn't have the proper resources on the ground at the time they needed them, while we were there. Our inquisitor worked as a team with another inquisitor as a team a few times, and us being low people on the totem pole have been moved around as necessary during an investigation and worked with the other Inquisitor as necessary.

But, as far as i can tell, you don't work for the =][= you work for an Inqusitor who works for the =][=, so you're not in a pool of resources that any and all Inquisitors can just access at any given time, but you can be loaned out by one Inquisitor to another if your Inquisitor thinks its in his own best interest to do so. Notice I didn't say the Imperiums best interest, but the Inquisitors best interest.

One of the books mentioned acolytes working for more than one inquisitor would have vastly shortened lifespans if either one found out they were working for the other.

When I said "work for" I meant permanently, it is perfectly acceptable for short term arrangements to allow you to do things for other Inquisitors.

Kaihlik

Kaihlik said:

That is exaclty what i mean. You work for one Inquisitor but sometimes get sub-contracted out to others. for example you work for Inquisitor A and are currently on a Hive world that Inquisito B requires something done on. Either he doesnt have a cell big enough,or the dont' have the appropriate skill set, or might not have a cell in the area at all (if that makes any sense at all ). So inquisitor B cuts a deal with Inquisitor A to use your cell for a short period of time. I think that would be a better story line then always saying "oh! you thought it was a xenos but surprise, its a deamon!!" or something similar. that will work a few times, but after a while, i can see it getting old fast.

Why not look at it a different way? Does the Inquisitor need to be a specialized one for a specific group? Why not a little bit of both xenos and heresy? These are just some ideas to maybe cause you to think in a new direction.