I hope like hell that none of my players are skulking around here, reading this. I'm just going to have to take my chances

Hokay, so last night I was chatting with the player of my RT's Senechal, and he said he'd like to look at hiring some "specialists" to keep in his employ for covert "wetwork" - professionals who he can contact on the QT if ever anything needs doing, and he wants to get a job done without getting his (and by extension his Lord-Captain's) hands dirty. We chatted about it for a bit, I told him to tell me what sort of specialists he'd like so that I can work out if it's feasible or not, and then I'd let him know if he can acquire them or what he'd have to do to get to the point where he could.

So anyways, I was on the bus in to work this morning and had what I thought was a brilliant stroke of brilliant genius - I've already tied threads to the Inquisition up into the adventure we finished last session and the one that I'll be running over the next few sessions, so why not let him have a "specialist" or two, and use that as a handy inroad for one or more Inquisitorial agents to infiltrate the crew?

And at that point a character popped fully-formed into my head. I will admit there's certain aspects of her that are based on Kara Swole from the Ravenor series, but tell me what you think:

Jaspar Dewitt
Appearance -at first glance appears to be a juvenile male, young to mid teens. Perpetually
grimy face, dirty ash-blonde hair, dark brown eyes. Wears scrappy, worn but well-mended
clothing. Closer inspection reveals lines around his eyes and mouth, scars and rough skin on
his hands -possible giveaways that he's undergone juvenat treatments.
"He" is actually a woman. Previously a gymnast, indentured to a travelling carnival. Came to the
attention of the inquisition when the carnival was revealed to be a front for recruiting for a cult of
the ruinous powers and she escaped an attempt by the cult to sacrifice her to their foul patrons,
leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. Became an operative of the Ordo Hereticus -has been
tasked with securing a position within the crew of a rogue trader for her Master's own nefarious purposes...

My thinking is that she's actually been in the employ of (faceless Inquisitor) for a few years now, and has become trusted enough to have been granted augmetics and certain other benefits. So whilst looking like a pubescent boy, she's actually quite a skilled and dangerous fighter. I was considering but I don't know if she might even have some training in assassination techniques or something similar? And/or maybe has some sort of recording bionics or other implants of the same as well, so she can report back to her handler things she's seen/heard?

I have no definite plans at the moment beyond getting her into the crew and leaving her there kind of as a sleeper agent for future adventure/plot twists. But tell me your ideas, tell me what you think, what could be improved, what seems stupid?

It sounds like a nice plan, especially the infiltration bit. It will allow for some interesting plottwists. I've also had implied Inquisitorial involvement yank my players' chain once in a while, and it does bring home the 'there is always a bigger fish' paradigm that I like to keep up to make sure the Rogue Trader remembers that not even he is beyond Imperial Justice.

As a basis, it is pretty solid. More then one 'specialist' ended up in an Inquisitors' retinue or extended contact list after certain classified operations, and it is said in the Dark Heresy books that Inquisitors actually look for such individuals to fill up their ranks. Perhaps a tad more backstory with the Inquisitor? Also, i don't know if you have ever red the Eisenhorn trilogy, but it features a working relationship between an Inquisitor and a Rogue Trader-esque character. Always good for inspiration.

Allow him to recruit from the crew of the RT vessel 'under the table'. He can then train these recruits and send them on missions. The ones that survive will be worth detailing and the Seneschal will develop a bond with them over time. This kind of player investment in the crew and his own abilities to help the RT make a game worth playing. I avoid screwing over players with infiltrators unless they are particularly lacking in caution. Recruiting outside the crew of a RTs ship can be considered incautious. Find out how he wants to 'select' these agents.

Great character, if she is working for an Inqusitor, some more history on that past. And to add a little twist, she could be tainted from her experience in the traveling company thing. Tat is up to your descreshion, if she is an assasin then give her a favorite weapon of choice for her killigs an puta story behind it.

Good luck with your campain.

another idea is that you allow him to bring a Death Cult on Board.

From a DH game as part of a back history my Moritat had some of his training done on A Rogue Trader Vessal where they held a mobile training center in a cargo hold.

Hi!

For a really really twisted game you could have the PCs play the Acolytes/Agents infiltrating the RT vessel, if you have DH too. Just change the RT PC's names & voilá!

HtH

L