I apologize if this has already been brought up before, but I can't seem to find it answered anywhere.

My friend and I have been looking at the Daemon Hunter book, especially at the rules for Grey Knight characters. One thing has bothered us slightly, especially since this book came out AFTER Deathwatch.

Why do Grey Knights start with 1000 LESS Experience points than Deathwatch Space Marines? The Grey Knights seem better off, with the extra wound and free storm bolter, plus the same implants and skills as the Deathwatch starting out. Does anyone know what downside the Grey Knights have that warrants the difference in experience?

Thanks for any help in resolving this, I'm rather curious as to the explanation.

Dark Heresy is a different system that can only be nominally compared to Deathwatch, and characters between the two are not necessarily balanced?

Then why bother even listing starting experience? The same experience system used in several sections of several books on how to balance and combine the systems? And within the same system, why are Ascended characters more powerful? I'm having problems believing a newly minted Inquisitor is somehow more powerful than the strongest forces the Ordo Malleus has to offer, even if slightly. That is the source of my curiosity.

If by "powerful" you mean "more powerful in combat," a Rank 1 Gray Knight will wipe the floor with a starting Ascension character. The fresh Inquisitor and any member of his retinue will be simply annihilated, and will continue to be annihilated all the way up the max rank..

Primaris Psykers excepted.