I really love the Alternate Ranks system in Dark Heresy, with a special place in my heart for Rank 0 alternatives. What are all of your favorites?

The Cyber-Mastiff Handler (Tech-Priest, Book of Judgment) is my favorite, though the Verispex Adept is also pretty amazing. Something that completely changes your style of play and adds a fun level of character complexity. The Maletek Stalker is also super cool; nothing quite like a heretical tech-assassin powered by a Warp reactor.

I’m partial to the Sister Hospitaller and the Ordo Sicarius operative, but the one I like the most we’ll have to wait a few weeks before I’m allowed to talk about it.

BYE

Warden of the Divisio Immoralis (IH) has some great options

Metallican Gunslinger is a cool one as well for pistol folks

Mortiurge always sounded cool, but taking it in place of Arbitrator (or higher) seems a bit pointless

Cymbel mentioned it. Mortiurge.

Makes me feel like Dirty Harry.

Demagogue and Malefic Scholar, applied to a cleric (works best combined with a Heretical Sect background). Doesn't makes you an outright heretic, but allows a great deal of 'creative' approach to any problem

I love the fluff of the Mechanicus Secutor, though it's advances are kinda silly.

The Mech-Assassin from the Lathe Worlds teaser looks **** nice, too. What can I say, I'm a sucker for all things related to Mechanicum.

The Cult Stalker, i think its called, from Daemon Hunters. I love the idea of infiltrators, and this guy is amazing at it.

Templar Calixis - cheap WS for battle psyker. Also Secutor, Metallican Gunslinger, Penal Legionnaire and Malefic Scholar.

I'm biased, but I absolutely love the Transubstantial Initiate as a Rank 1 alt. It completely changes the way the character plays, and gives them an early boost to psychic abilities. There are really no drawbacks or things you miss out on at all. It's awesome.

I really liked the Metallican Gunslinger, but as I am doomed to be a Gamemaster for the rest of my life, I won't ever play one…

In my group I have a Mortiurge of the Divisio Immoralis (Warden instead of Regulator and Mortiurge instead of Intelligencer), a Telepath Psyker as Legate Investigator (rank 4) and Agent of Reliquary 26 (rank 6), a Techsorcist (on Magos Errant path) a pure Assassin and a Guardsman that thought about Feral Warrior and Malfian Bloodsworn and hoped for viable alternative ranks in Only War as a supplement for DH…

The Heretek from Radical's hand-book is my personal favorite, followed by the Maltek Stalker.

I mostly have Luthor's problem, so I won't ever get a chance to play either- then again, I can always throw them VS the players

The Heretek is great seeing as he has that Scarecrow vibe- an original way you can keep the Tech-priest viable in a fight without going Secutor

Sister Oblatia, all the fun of a repentia but with 100% less purity seals on your tongue and 100% more hair on your head.

There's just something evocative in the thought of taking on the sins of others to repent for (especially when it goes to like, planetary size sin) and being this lone warrior outside your cult actively honored and mourned, because your path ultimately will lead to your death.

I mostly prefer the alt ranks that represent broad archetypes, like Penal Legionarre or Hive Ganger, rather than narrowly specific options. I was really hoping that Only War - back when that was supposed to be a DH supplement- was going to include a 'scout' option for Guardsmen that gave them some stealth skills at low levels, but alas…

Reaper

Sin Eater

Oh yeah, Templar Calix, Penal Legionarre and the Reaper (but is more a continuation of Moritat tbh)

Where is the Transubstantial Initiate?

Also. Verminspeaker is a neat way to do a "warg" psyker

Cymbel said:

It's in Rogue Trader: Into the Storm.

I'd have to say my favourite is the Saboteur from Salvation Demands Sacrifice. It remains equally useful to the character, whether one goes Charlatan or Gang Lord. It helps having been a sucker for the scum career from day 1

Other than that, I'd have to say Verispex and Malifixer. Verispex because it simply oozes AWESOME from every orifice, and Malifixer because… really? How can you not love a career that gets Talented(Blather)?

-Nearyn

All of them. I love especialy those with some unique talent or rule, my top 3 are probably Mortiurge, Sin Eater and Magistrate (c´mon, real lawyer! Innocence proves nothing!)

Cymbel said:

Yeah, as Cymbel pointed out it's one of the basics from ItS. Sorry, I should have mentioned that was cross-game. I honestly forget sometimes since I've played both for ages.

No worries, some RT stuff (specially the equipment upgrades/add-ons, primitive simple weapons (like the combat shield) and the cheaper ammo) just gets BEGGED to be used in DH.

I mean, who doesn't want non primitive plate armor and a mighty hammer?

Personally i have played and generated so many characters over the years i have touched upon almost all 'builds' for each character class but some of my favourites include:

Scum/Metallican Gunslinger - these bad boys can pump out crazy variety of firepower by taking the combat webbing options from the War section of IH and then taking up to a dozen different pistols. I at one point had, and i kid you not, 2x stub revolvers, 2x autopistols, 2x handcannon, 1x bolt pistol, 1x needle pistol, 1x crossbow pistol, 1x duelling las pistol and a pair of Poor craftsmanship stub pistols i looted from my first kill in the game. With Quick Draw, Target Selection and a whole bevvy of range combat Talents i was regularly headshotting mooks at up to 200m with a single shot and didn't suffer from being rubbish up close like a sniper would.

Adept/Malefic Scholar - this guy was a complete tool. He started off as a disgraced young noble man barely out of his teens, and far too eager to impress his peers and work for the Inquisition. As our investigations turned towards the heretical and demonic he started hitting up some dodgy contacts he had from his days at the Heteria Lexis college (background package), which in turn led to him developing some socerous talent. The campaign continue for over a year and by the end we had a radical sub-cell, a puritan sub-cell and an ignorant-to-the-bigger-picture-around-them sub-cell within our group. He was pivotal in aiding his Inquisition in summoning a big gribbly daemon prince onto Scintilla and ruining EVERYTHING.
N.B. he wasn't aware of his master planning the daemon summoning untill it was too late.

Assassin/Moritat Reaper - completely dumb brute from Dust (Feral World) who was introduced later into one of our campaigns. Despite being part of the Moritat death cult, and thus favouring blades with cutting edges, he also wielded a power fist. Of course he did his darndest not to use it but kept getting stuck behind bulkheads and security doors so was using it more as a masterkey than a weapon!

Techpriest/Mechanicus Secutor - only got to play this combination briefly but this guy was half a metric ton of badass. Lugging around a lascannon, armed with assorted hellpistol equipped mechadendrites and shielded by some hefty power armour he was a walking tank. I liked the penalties of not being able to run or swim, and his social demeanour took a massive hit too (i think his Fellowship got as low as under 10).

I think i would love to play one of the alternate Cleric ranks at some point, maybe a Saboteur - fanatical cleric bomber who infiltrates other organizations of the imperium to blow up heathen unbelievers.

Adeptus-B said:

Where is the Hive Ganger alt. rank? Or are you referring to the background in the Book of Judgement? I would love a alt. rank Hive Ganger!

I only have seen a background package, but with Moritat included, I suppose it makes sense to include some of the special BGs,

I really like the Calix Templar as well, probably my favorite from DH.

From RT I love the Manhunter, hands down my favorite level 0 alt rank in any of the games. "I'm going to pummel you senseless with shock guantles now citizen!!" So good.

People have mentioned Level 0 alternate ranks. Well now that the book's out I can say that the Crimson Guard and Lathesmaster alternate ranks from The Lathe Worlds are Level 0 alternate ranks, the former for the Guardsman, and the latter for the Scum. They've got everything from alternate rank names as you progress right through to their own Characteristic Advance tables. The Crimson Guard even has an skill/talent advance table that's similar in size to the Templar Calix' advance table.

I love the Crimson Guard. First chance I get to play Dark Heresy (rather than GM it), that's the character I'm going to be.


BYE