I have started mapping out my lastest campaign (as I have a feeling my GM is starting to become overwhelmed, poor chap), and after reading the chapter on Big Bads in DotDG I have decided on an immortality crazed cultest. Similer to Zugmunt Molotch from the Ravenor Novels (in appearance and personality with a few changes). I wanted his true power to come from the Halo Device that he tracks down in the acolytes shadow (more on this later). More importantly, I had some questions about Halo Devices.

1) Judgeing from the section on Halo Devices, would it be possable that one could become tainted by chaos (hence a tainted Xenos artifact)? The idea came from the Eisenhorn novels, as an entire xenos spicies was tainted by the possession of ONE warp artifact (albet a very powerful one). This would allow me to keep him as a cultest of Chaos, but have the immortality powers of a Halo Device. Which may also lead to a conflict of interests with an inquisitor or group of acolytes employed by the Ordos Xenos.

2) This is more a question on I, the GM, being a bit of a power-gamer. And the qustion is, if such a device was tainted by the warp, could afformentioned Molotch-wanabe have the ability to use psychic powers and/or sorcerery? I would imagine with the Big Bad's neer-immortality, giving him psychic powers or sorcery may be a tad extreme, something even high-level acolytes would have a serious delema confronting. As I intend for him to spare them on their early enounters, later in the campaign, when they eventually corner him, I want them to kill him through skill and sacrifice, not just because I let them to fit in with the story. I want them to earn his death, but make it earn-able.

I do love the idea of Xenos taint in the idea of a Halo Device, and intend to use it (or them ) in the campaign reguardless of chaos taint. But working with a lone cultest is so much easier then a lone xenophile. Ideas? Comments? Thoughts?

-Ira-

Well they took that power gaming aspect into account. On page 99 of DotDG it says that no one the is in a dark pact, possesed, or has physic powers can bond to a halo device. There fore I wouldn't see how a halo device can be warp touched or influenced by dark gods. It is a piece of xeno tech that greatly enhances the body.

If you want your NPC to already be pretty badass then I would have it already bonded to him as it takes a number of years for the effects of the halo device to take hold. As they don't get the resurrection trait until the secondary stage which is "after several years of contact".

I would think as to why this person has such a device...either through luck, stolen, or bought....But once they reach that second stage they may already begin to believe that they are becoming a god....that is also thanks to the inasanity points that you amass while wearing it.

hopefully this helps and hopefully your players will be smart enough to figure out how to stop this monster.

My big bad was (heh, and still is *evil cackle*) an immortality-crazed, Halo fanboy, part of a cult/pyramid scheme devoted to eternal life. Your players will love it. But I wouldn't give someone with a halo device a dark pact or psychic powers or anything. Imagine instead a drug addict with a new, more alluring fix. ("I've got something so much better now.... a high like you wouldn't believe")

Have them start inventing or exhuming old tech, or if they're in the secondary or tertiary phase, manifesting frightening abuman abilities.... just not psychic ones. Having him walk up a wall will be a little bit more hair-raising if a nearby psyker can confirm he's absolutely not using psychic powers.

I didnt want him to have major psychic powers, just the ability to bind daemonhosts.

A halo device buy its self should be more than enough to scare a team.

Again you can't have both physic powers and the halo device. One or the other should be enough but in one person would be more than over kill. That is why the rules won't allow it. Now if you really do want to have both than just have the halo device guy have a powerful physic underling and then there you go. Even I as a GM would hate to run into something like that be ready for a probable party death.

I'll second the "have two bad guys" idea. I'd also suggest that the psyker be less of an underling and more of an equal. However, since both are unstable psychos...

Two Big Bads eh.....

I like that, my "Zugmunt Molotch" can be the halo-device user, and perhapps a psyker he 'saved' from the cult workings in Rejoice for you are True. (I was going to have my big bad behind that). It really works out well so I can have the best of both worlds.

Thanks,

-Ira-