I just found this wonderful piece of armour only available to Tech-Priests in the Inquisitor's Handbook for Dark Heresy. Since it's a REALLY COOL item (plus one of the Best Power Armours available for non-Astartes), it seems like an interesting adquisition for the group's Explorator.

1) How should de Availability be? I'm inclined to Very Rare since:

a) It's a Tech-Priest Only item.

b) Can only be purchased in a Forge World (which means the players must travel to the Calixis, since there are no FW in the Koronus)

c) Costs half as much as a Light Power Armour (since it doesn't need a power source, the tech-priest supplies the power himself)

2) Are there any pictures of how does the armour look like?

I'd be inclined towards "very rare" for Tech-Priests/Explorators only. My Magos Militant took a BC suit of Dragonscale as his starting acquisition and never regretted it. Solid protection and no hulking.

I think I settled on Extremely Rare for my Game. It is one of the best PAs for non-Astartes, and as it's Mechanus specific, I ruled that he'd just get a bigger set of robes.

My Explorator is 7'6" and something around 500kilos or so, before gear... :-

Unique, in my games. Decidedly not simply an acquisition.

Given that it seems to be the standard issue armour for militant tech-priests assigned to front line duty I'd not put it above Very or Extremely Rare. Unique seems more than a tad overkill to me.

Darth Fanboy said:

+1

Unique doesn't make sense because it's not a difficult to get Armour. In Dark Heresy you can automatically purchase it as long as you are in a Forge World, are a Tech-Priest and have the money. From the armour's fluff, I think it's clear that it's an armour they give to most militant tech-priests who serve in the Imperial Guard.

If it's that easy for a DH character to get the Armour, I don't see why it should be more difficult for a Tech-Priest who is part of a Dynasty with enough wealth to purchase entire planets.

I granted it to the Explorator in my campaign, along with the machine trait and an impossibly high Toughness it made him nigh indestructable.
He tended to attract melta, plasma and krak blasts.

in my game I let the explorator acquire the template and the materials for its construction as two very rare acquisitions and then let him build it as part of a bit of fluff to give some color to a long warp voyage. This also let him create a best quality version and incorporate some other gadgets into it, and himself, as he assembled it. Of course the ship was originally a mechanicus vessel and had facilities for making servitors, murder servitors, and vehicles on board so YMMV.