smoking nightlords

By Cryhavok, in Black Crusade

Nightlord+noxious discharge weapon downgrade seems really sweet to me. Any flaws you all can point oit to me?

Well, if you like not hitting anything or spending a half action each turn to get out of the smoke cloud and thus not getting the bonus you are looking into getting to do this, then yes. Its as hard for you to see enemies outside your cloud of smoke as it is for them to see you (altho I would say that one diameter cloud of smoke isnt enough to fully conceal a Chaos Space Marine…) so you also get the minus to hitting targets.

Actually being a nightlord, everone elses penalty would be 20 worse than yours, for the cost of shooting at them. And how would a one meter radius not cover a marine? A marine fits inside a one meter square, the smoke completely covers a one meter square… it adds up to me, but hey your game your house rules.

They're called downgrades for a reason. They're not supposed to benefit you.

1m around the user, given it should originate from the weapon, should probably be considered enough to block your vision. Chances are its 'hot smoke', otherwise preysense or IR would probably get to ignore it.

Larger weapons though might help; if you've a monosight on the barrel of your autocannon or lascannon, it could be sticking out enough if you're using the sight to avoid a penalty.

Best option though? Use an Optical Dendrite. That explicitly states it can extend to three meters. Discharge also works well for a weapon with recharge, like a Plasma Cannon on maximal: You'd have to be doing something else next round anyways.

Overall, the Noxious Discharge downgrade can be quite helpful, but you have to 'pay' for the usefulness, else its 'neutral' with a two-way penalty.

Boss Gitsmasha said:

They're called downgrades for a reason. They're not supposed to benefit you.

Also, I might be misinterpreting what you are saying, but if you are making house rules to add extra penalties to your players because you think they should have more regardless of RaW, then Im glad my GMs don't.

Precision Telekinesis + Noxius Downgrade = you don't even notice it.

BrotharTearer said:

Precision Telekinesis + Noxius Downgrade = you don't even notice it.

GAH! I can't believe that never came to mind!

I doubt that would work. Telekinetically aiming a weapon you can't even see, let alone use its sights? Sounds less than easy.

On the other hand side, the Noxious Discharge might very well work if you use it with a melee- or mobility-focused Nightlord - smoke your own position with your bolt pistol at the end of your turn. On your next turn, exit your own cloud via jump-pack and either raptor-charge your nearest enemy or hip-shoot another smoke cloud.
Nice find.

Also good thing for a sniper, since you can use the next ound for aiming, or running away if discovered.

ShadowRay said:

Also good thing for a sniper, since you can use the next ound for aiming, or running away if� discovered.

Cifer said:

I doubt that would work. Telekinetically aiming a weapon you can't even see, let alone use its sights? Sounds less than easy.

On the other hand side, the Noxious Discharge might very well work if you use it with a melee- or mobility-focused Nightlord - smoke your own position with your bolt pistol at the end of your turn. On your next turn, exit your own cloud via jump-pack and either raptor-charge your nearest enemy or hip-shoot another smoke cloud.
Nice find.

Just get Blind fighting and you are up to a good start.

Cifer said:

I doubt that would work. Telekinetically aiming a weapon you can't even see, let alone use its sights? Sounds less than easy.

Technically you only "aim" when using the Aim action. The power says you can do anything that you can do with your own hands. Doesn't matter if the weapon happens to be 5m from you. You want the weapon to target something and it does, it's the warp and psychic powers. You can summon daemons, control minds and conjure blasts of hellfire. Why not shoot a weapon somewhat accurately while it's a few meters to your side?

BrotharTearer said:

Cifer said:

I doubt that would work. Telekinetically aiming a weapon you can't even see, let alone use its sights? Sounds less than easy.

Technically you only "aim" when using the Aim action. The power says you can do anything that you can do with your own hands. Doesn't matter if the weapon happens to be 5m from you. You want the weapon to target something and it does, it's the warp and psychic powers. You can summon daemons, control minds and conjure blasts of hellfire. Why not shoot a weapon somewhat accurately while it's a few meters to your side?



@BrotharTearer

I was using the word "aim" not so much in the rules context, but in the "know where you are shooting" sense. Yes, you can use the power to do anything you can do with your hands. However, you don't only need your hands to shoot something - the term 'hand-eye coordination' already implies what other body part is quite useful. What you're trying to do there is not so much shooting, it's spotting for a very short-ranged piece of artillery, with no common reference frame but what you can construct in your mind.

To achieve a similar effect, try the following: Put your gun at some place. Step away from it. Take a look at your target and your gun. Cover your eyes with a blindfold. Have someone lead you back to your gun. Aim and shoot. What do you think are your chances of success? It's certainly easy if your opponent is within point-blank distance, but anything beyond that is essentially blind fire.

You can summon daemons, control minds and conjure blasts of hellfire. Why not shoot a weapon somewhat accurately while it's a few meters to your side?

Because daemon summoning happens via a summoning ritual, mind control is done via telepathy and hellfire blasting uses pyrokinesis, but Precision Telekinesis is a telekinesis power - not a divination one. You do not get back any sensory input from the weapon's position and the power has no "brain" of its own.

@ShadowRay

Certainly, if you have some kind of sensory connection to your weapon, you can use it essentially as a drone. Might still take some practice (like shaving with a mirror - the connection between your vision and your actions is different from the usual), but it sounds doable.

@Cifer

Sure eye-hand coordination plays a part in standard "aiming". But this is the warp we're talking about. Would it be so strange if your telekinesis-controlled weapon would be able to point at whatever you're looking at whilst being a few meters to your side?

It's really up to one's GM on how it to go with it. If you need line of sight to a target you'd still not be able to stand behind a wall and shoot your precision telekinesed weapon around the corner, so I don't see the issue. The boon of using a weapon with precision telekinesis, apart from using WP for the test, is that you'd be able to position the weapon in such a way to avoid potential cover that a target is hinding behind or the noxious downgrade smoke obscuring a target.

Sure eye-hand coordination plays a part in standard "aiming". But this is the warp we're talking about. Would it be so strange if your telekinesis-controlled weapon would be able to point at whatever you're looking at whilst being a few meters to your side?

Well… yes. Because as mentioned the power is part of the telekinesis portfolio. There's no divination involved, no extrasensory perception that might lead you to know where the weapon points or let the weapon know where you want it to point. Otherwise, why not go for a cogitator that is able to just implement, compile and run any program you'd like although the psyker doesn't even have tech-use? A Valkyrie that can be commanded to fly anywhere you'd like (using the power on the controls, obviously)? Because that is the logical outcome of allowing the power to do something you couldn't manually direct it to do: Who needs skills when you've got Precision Omniscience Telekinesis?
And let's be honest there: Psykers are the group that least needs a boost in power.

For shooting without sighting along the barrel, see the hip shooting talent. If they had hip shooting, or some form of sensory connection to the weapon, either one, I would allow it. If they didn't I would treat it like blind fighting personally, still possible, but far more unlikely. As for the possibility of shooting something while not having a down the barrel perspective, It is something that can be trained for and learned, and anyone who has used a remote control gun should know that.

@Cryhavok

I think there's still some difference between shooting from the hip (which generally shares at least one axis with your eyes) and shooting from someplace else entirely. As for the remote control gun, presumably they'd have some kind of camera equipment, wouldn't they?

Cifer said:

@Cryhavok

I think there's still some difference between shooting from the hip (which generally shares at least one axis with your eyes) and shooting from someplace else entirely. As for the remote control gun, presumably they'd have some kind of camera equipment, wouldn't they?

Personally I think if I were to be the gm for someone who was trying to do the precision telekenisis gun thing here is how I would handle it: If they put sufficient work into developing the technique allow them to take an elite advance for it, requiring hipshooting. Without that advance I would apply the blind fighting rules, with the exception being no penalty to suppressive fire.

Everyone in this thread is a goddamn rules lawyer.

Boss Gitsmasha said:

Everyone in this thread is a goddamn rules lawyer.

If you have a problem with people doing all that together and getting other GMs perspective, then you should probably not read thier disscussions. Also you aren't qualified to know wheather or not god has damned any of us.

Cryhavok said:

Boss Gitsmasha said:

Everyone in this thread is a goddamn rules lawyer.

All GMs are rules lawyers. Its part of the job description buddy. You have to know and understand the rules better than your players and make sure everyone has fun within thier structure. You have to know when it is appropriate to alter that structure for your group and you have to know how far to alter that structure before it is to much. You also have to settle any dispute over the rules in a way that satisfies the group.

If you have a problem with people doing all that together and getting other GMs perspective, then you should probably not read thier disscussions. Also you aren't qualified to know wheather or not god has damned any of us.

I thought GMs were supposed to be storytellers first and foremost, to help create an engaging and exciting tale for the players to take part in. Going against the spirit in which the rules were intended is not part of the GM's description, and anyone who does this is not a GM I'd want to play with. Weapon downgrades are not supposed to HELP a player. Like I said, they're called downgrades for a reason. You only take them because it's the only way to get a piece of equipment that otherwise is unavailable to you. If a downgrade becomes beneficial, then it ceases to be a downgrade.

Also, if you want to go down that route, since you're posting on the Black Crusade board, you're certainly damned in the God-Emperor's eyes. And he's the only god that matters to honest, faithful Imperial citizens.

or the player could get a psycic minion with mind link and be able to "see" the target from wherever there minin was- boom a 40kafied camara gun. reir