So my group is a small contingent of traitor marines. And they all seem eager to come to grips with either chaos or loyalist marines… because they want to cannibalize their armor to restore the sub-systems not currently functioning. I was wondering if anyone else has ever had to tackle this problem and if they have a system for allowing traitors to slowly bring their armor up to snuff and also if anyone has thought about a mechanic where from certain actions or situations certain sub-systems failing or degrading until repaired. From reading the Night Lords trilogy it does seem for an autonomous group of marines, keeping their armor running and supplies up is as much of a battle as the warfare. so thoughts?

When my players kill SM they can take parts from their armour - 3 PA are needed to restore 1 sub system, as when they take it from dead bodies of their enemies those armores are quite devastated.

Also they need to pass tech use

I don't think I'd add an 'upgrade' system unless I made the maintenance more of an issue. Such as; Every time the wearer suffers more Wounds than the AP of the location hit, a random sub-system ceases functioning .

I would link sub-system failure to critical hits from Zealous Hatred. Rather than taking a critical result, the player can opt to have an appropriate armour sub-system fail.

I also allow higher craftsmanship armour to have more working subsystems by default - one (two for Legion PA & Terminator armour) additional sub-systems for Good Craftsmanship or two (four for Legion PA & Terminator armour) additional sub-systems for Best Craftsmanship. This is cumulative with the Careful Maintenance result from the random Customizations, making it possible that a Best Craftsmanship suit with Careful Maintenance will have all of its subsystems functioning.

Does the CSM characters have failing subsystems or something? Is there a rule for this somewhere?

Sorry I'm new to this system.

PnPgamer said:

Its more that they don't have all the sub-systems working per automatic from the start due to not being served by the logistics of the Imperial war machine.

Are there actual rules for this somewhere or is this more on the "optional hardcore flufflike houseruling"?

PnPgamer said:

Its official rules. You can find them on the pages 175-176.

(okay looked into the rules and know what's going on)

The subsystems give a lot more power, and having increased amounts should be the good/best quality factors in it. The critical substitution system sounds void, as (at least in DH) only bosses had critical attacks, making enemy do criticals only on rare occasions.

light power armour has three subsystems, but I think they should have fewer. Thoughts?

Why should they? Thay have enough space for them as they are installed either in different armour parts or small enough for two to fit:

Auto-senses - helmet
osmotic gill life sustainer - whole armour
vox link - helmet
magnetised boot soles - boots
sustaineble power source - back

if you tink so because you want to make standard power armour better, then it's your call.



Also, has anybody ever tried to damage sustainable power source on power armour? When would it explode and with what power? Can it be tempered with and turned into a bomb?

well I was thinking this becouse light power armour is way lighter, and one step better availability, at the loss of 1 armor point. Why would anyone take the standard power armour?

1 AP. That is plenty.

if you say so.

I see why you'd think that power armour isn't good enough when comparred to standard power armour, because I though so too when I was given a choice to get one. But there aen't really any in-game reasons to make LPA worse.
You could try to make PA a little better instead (for example give it small power field effect - 10% or sth), but then, Legion PA would also have to be better and CSM would be even more powerful from the start.
I personally just left it as it is.

well, at least its +10 additional to strength and +1 agility bonus regarding movement…

PnPgamer said:

That's a size mod to Movement, not an Agility Bonus.

yes, I meant that. forgot "to".

Zso Sahaal said:

Hi Zo Sashal,

as far as I remember, modifing a given weapon is an Infamy Test with the base availability of the weapon. If a PC wants to salvage the Servoarmour of a given foe I would think about asking for Tech-Use test with a similiar difficulty. One or two steps lower, since the parts do not need to be acquired. Just installed. Servoarmour is acient and not much understood tech, me supposes. Otherwise, they wood be more readily available to begin with.

In regard to "failing systems", how about aksing for a Trade(Technomancer) test now and then? If the test is failed, a sub-system could be put out of use until the test is passed. I would not test at the end of each and every adventure. Only after a plausibel downtime (perhaps after more then a month).

ShadowRay said:

Well, remember that the power sources for Astartes Power Armour are meant to be miniature fusion reactors… so you can assume, I think, that the explosion caused by a catastrophic breach of one would be fairly substantial - at least on the same level as a battle cannon shell, so probably enough, if placed right, to cause a small building to collapse.

MILLANDSON said:

Are they? Do you have a link or source for that (I'm genuinely interested)?

I'd assume somewhere in space marine codexes for the tabletop figure game?

MILLANDSON said:

The breach of a fusion reactor is highly unlikely to result in anything catastrophic. They are quite different from fission reactors.

Apparently not my friend. Plasma weapons are basically channeled fusion reactions and they Get Hot. Also in most forms of sci fi I can remember the breach of fusion bottles is a Bad Thing. So I can make the argument at least in 40k that fusion can go bad.

In the BC core rules, the good power armour's power source is a "stacked atomic pile, or something more esoteric." However, in the DW core rules, the loyalist marines use a fusion generator for their armour. Yes, I suppose a sufficiently talented heretek could devise some interesting alternatives to the orthodox fusion plant.

As for said power supply exploding, well… fusion is very different from fission, and a fusion chain reaction is much harder to initiate. Depending on the type of containment, the quantity and temperature of the plasma involved could vary considerably. So, the real answer is, whatever the GM wants and makes a cool story.

Personally, I've got two words for a catastrophic power supply failure: melta bomb

Cheers,

- V.

I was hoping for something bigger but melta bomb sounds fine. I guess walking with an a-bomb on your back is too much even for hereticks.
Now do you think sending minion on a 'scouting' mission into a building and then remote-detonating him qualifiesfor 'betrayer' talent?