So, I finally got my copy of Only War, and having not had the beta, it is nice to finally get to see what's all in the book. Two little things I see "missing", though (the Valkyrie's block should be a third, but not relevant to this entry) are both attached to the Tech-Priest Enginseer. First, I notice that they don't get The Flesh is Weak, and it doesn't seem to exist. This game is more in the DH power level, so one supposes that, since DH Tech-Priests didn't see Machine (X) Trait until Ascension, that would be a similar absence here. Accurate? I know that, in many cases, the Flesh is Weak made for silly-powerful Tech-Priests and Techmarines. Does this all explain the absence, or is there a Tier 3 way, likely, to get it, and I just missed it?

Second, and considerably less important, though humorously similar, I see that the game does not include Power Armor, AT ALL. At first, this didn't surprise me, as NO IG I am aware of can field in Power Armor, but then I remembered that Tech-Priests in the Table Top field in Power Armor, probably as a reflection of their machine-like nature. While these games certainly deviate from the "established" rules of the TT when appropriate, and it might be gone in a similar way, and for a similar reason, as The Flesh is Weak, being just too much AP value compared to everyone else, and the operation window on the batteries could impede them, unless one of their TP powers can recharge the cell, or link it to their potentia coil, blah, blah, it still seems weird to deny the Tech-Priest BOTH ways his tech would give him armor.

So we now have Tech-Priests who are not garbed in their tech, either sheathed in it, or slowly becoming it. Accurate? Not saying either is bad, really, and I can see motivations for the choices, but just wondering if I missed anything, in my new book, or other's feelings on the matter.

I imagine that in future suplements we will see rules for high-rank or high-experienced characters.

Veterans, officers, techpriests in power armour, high-rank comissars/ecclesiarchs and stuff like that.

Power armour and Flesh Is Weak are as you said high powered options which just don't sit well in a setting where Flak armour is the defacto armour and a lasgun is meant to be a viable threat to said armour. Allowing an 'arms race' between armour ratings and weapon penetration is exactly why Deathwatch and Black Crusades stats were all over the place.

Also to factor in, anyone can obtain Subskin Armour/Cranial Armour implants and a suit of Best Craftsmanship Storm Trooper Carapace which in total rivals power armour for protection and without any penalties. A techpriest can then obtain the Armour Monger talent which adds an extra point of AP on top of all this, so they can still technically tank better than others via their armour, but Ogryns will be the best at tanking through their Unnatural Toughness and higher base wound count.

Overall though the options i outlined above are incredibly expensive and not game breaking as by the time they are introduces youll be playing platoon or even company command squad members and will have hordes of infantry or vehicle squadrons at your disposal - at that point its less about how awesome your characters are in personal combat and more about how effective they are at tactics, leadership and macro scale warfare.

1d10+3E is a tough one to call a threat against TB3+AP4, but anyways: It might work out a little better if there were a small amount of progression-based damage increases, rather than direct weapon upgrades. A Comrade order that grants extra Felling/Penetration could also be a great boon.

As things are, a Lasgun can't actually hope to harm Astartes [or their spiky versions]. Causing a single wound [of 16 or more] requires, of what's left if any after accuracy and dodging, Righteous Fury. An order for all lasguns in the squad to fire as a single 'horde/undodgable' volley at +1d10+3 or something might be a good Sergeant order though.

This way, "it takes massed fire to take a marine down with lasguns" at least allows the massed fire a chance to take a marine down with lasguns, as opposed to giving him a good 20 or so rounds to wipe out the entire squad, of which he might need only six.

I'm thinking that a 'Hero of The Imperium' system similar to Legacy Weapons, but rather applied in part to the character. Certain abilities might only affect standard/specialist kit, while other bonuses are generic [besides, Assail would appreciate it against not-a-naked-cultist]. This could go a long way towards remedying the entire weapons-race problem, and gives a way to get those special old unit abilities like "Tank Hunters".

Kiton said:

Good ideas all round. In fact i am amazed that Only War doesn't include the Horde rules - they'd have been perfect to represent masses of infantry vs imperial armour assets or even an elite guard squad.