I setting up my adventures one of the things I have been wondering is would it be heresy for an independant company or guild to research a xenos ruin or xenos technology. Now rogue traders can probably get away with this because of their mandate, but would non-rogue traders?

Salcor

Salcor said:

Yes, yes it is. If no one really knows what they are dealing with, then the chances of xenos taint would be far to great and, as such, citizens should not go anywhere near such things (that's what the ordo Xenos is here for after all ;-) ). It dosn't mean that folks wont try and do such on the down low, but they run the very real risk of get a big ol' flammer slap-down for their troubles.

What Graver said. Rogue Traders can get away with it, because of their mandate. The Inquisition can get away, especially if they're a radical, but all Inquisitors can get away with it. Some of the Administorium can probably get away with it.. see Xenos Archeologist in the Inquisitors Handbook, but those are probably either being watched very carefully, working for a Trader or the Inquisition, or doing it on the sly and got caught. Probably a Space Marine Chapter with a Librarian could get away with it, since Space Marines answer to a slightly different rule set as well. And obviously if they work for the Ordo Xenos then a Space Marine is encouraged to reseach it.

But other then that... unless you like ending up as a birthday candle on someone Inquisitors Birthday, stay away from the researching of xenos tech and ruins.

Xathess Wolfe said:

Don't forget the Adeptus Mechanicum. If it's technological, and it's ancient, they'rwe addicted to it. Archeotech is their holy grail. Hence why so often it's their fault that Necrons wake up under Imperial watch.

Milova said:

True, but according to their Omnissah its Golden Age of Technology HUMAN tech that is pure.. .Xenos tech... is still heretical.

Now I'm pretty **** sure that the Adeptus Mechanicum has someone working on certain aspects of Xenotech, but then its a) deniable or be a Heretek that's doing it.

Though trying to explain the Golden Throne since if I remember right is partly Xenos Tech can be a fun exercise.

Long Answer;

Yes, with an "if".

Short Answer:

No,with a "but".

Thought for the Day:

It's not heresy until someone complains.

Pneumonica said:

I can just see some Inquisitor who used to be an Adept with a Dark Sense of humor now coming up with a Flamer named "Complaint Department"

Xathess Wolfe said:

*Yoink* I'm stealing that for my game if you don't mind

drseuss620 said:

Stealing it for a game? I am going to paint it on the barrel of a Commisarate Baneblade!

Nah, the Baneblade gets labeled "Department of Corrections".

True, but according to their Omnissah its Golden Age of Technology HUMAN tech that is pure.. .Xenos tech... is still heretical.

Now I'm pretty **** sure that the Adeptus Mechanicum has someone working on certain aspects of Xenotech, but then its a) deniable or be a Heretek that's doing it.

More or less... the tech is heretical. The ones researching it better don't use or recreate it, but pure research can certainly be sanctioned by the Ad Mech and the Imperial authorities as the knowledge about their weapons can be used to better fight the xeno scum and is usually less corrupting than e.g. researching chaos tech.

The acolytes in my game recovered some Slaught technology and handed it over to a techpriest to get it examined as they didn't have a clue what it was. There was a fairly long debate amongst the players as to whether they would need to execute the techpriest afterwards for knowing too much. Fortunately for the techpriest he was totally unable to fathom any of its workings and basically handed it back to them with a dataslate full of "Unknown" answers to all his investigations so he could hardly be accused of knowing too much!

That would have been an interesting situation. They execute the 'allied' techpriest, then a month later another priest with some servitors turns up looking for the now dead techpriest. "excuse me gentle-beings. I am looking for brother !@#!$ , his transmissions to the Magos of Lathes Prime stopped exactly 35 days, 10 hours, 18 miuntes and 5 seconds ago. All of his communiques refer to the work that he is conducting along side your group for Inquisitor *&^*^, could you please enlighten me on what happened to the Child of the Gears?"

Salcor

Whoever researches Xeno ruins is bound to attract unwanted attention. Even inquisitors. Though, I think Inquisitors can get away with it, possibly the Mechanicus, doubtfully the Administratium and possibly the Ecclessiarch, though the research would have to involve a lot of purifying flame

But, regardless of who's researching what, it's heresy in someones book, and they'll dig up the dirt on you A malleus inquisitor probing xenos ruins will get done in by Orde Xenos for enroaching on their land so to speak, then they'll assign someone, maybe from Hereticus to investigate what caused said malleus =I= to investigate. And Hereticus will find something....

Morollan said:

Now that is too funny.

'Here - we want to find out what this is. But if you do you we will have to kill you.'

'But Boss, if I do find out what it is then tell you wouldn't the rest of the party have to kill you then as well?'

'Never mind then. Who has the explosives?'

Kind of puts a damper on the R&D department. Archaotech mantra - there is no problem we cannot solve without a suitable application of high explosive.

Still though some may say it is OK to research such things - various members of the Mechanicus might give some of their shiny bits to be on such an endeavor. However it is what you do with such tech that can cause problems and most would probably just blow the stuff up if at all possible, or perhaps figure out how to sell it... Dark Gods gives several examples of various factions who might deal with such things - for good or ill.

There is always someone that is exempt from the rules, and a lot of acolytes working for inquisitors fit into a lot of exemptions. You just have to make sure that no one looking over your shoulder is exempterer (copyright on that word pending).

I would have to say the answer is .... ... wait for it..... depends (not the diaper kind).

The imperium is a feudal society, and the "do as I say not as I do" rule is SEVERELY enforced.

So basically it all depends on what the bigwigs say. If you want to play with the xenos tech get your Inquisitor or other personage high up in the food chain to ok it. A arch magos is another good bet. Then as Callidon said all you have to worry about is a bigger fish naysaying the whole thing. Of course the bigger fish probably just wants to horn in on the action so you might be able to work something out.