Hmm...

Why not give AAT characters a Psykana knife to either kill themselves or the party psyker?

Does all Sanctioning go through Terra? I thought that was just Soul-Binding.

All sanctioning is done on Terra, IIRC, however, an Inquisitor can fast track a person through it without going through AAT. This seems to generally take more time to get there and back again than it does to perform.

I would expect that Terra is far too far away to sanction all the Psykers in the universe. I always imagined that the initial Assignment (i.e. gauge of psychic potential) took place on the League of Blackships, and Sanctioning processes take place in isolated sanctums throughout the Imperium, the Schola of the Scholastia Psykana - stopping points for the League of Blackships on their eternal voyage, ever going to and from Terra, delivering those deemed unfit for higher training (becoming Soul-Bound to the Emperor to serve as Astropaths; those on the low end of The Assignment) or witches and so forth (feeding the Astronomican).

Couldn't find much concrete information on it, though. I'd love anyone to chime in with some direct references or something.

Two points to begin my beta-tester career:

To answer our friend Fgdsfg: At first I thought the same as you, that the Black Ships would do the conditioning themselves. However, fluff-wise, all sanctioning is done in Terra. Let's stop a minute to think of the logistic hell this must be...

and to make a second point: I notice we have not even begun discussing Sorcerers. What are your thoughts on that?

I would think we could have Psykers as a role, instead of Mystics, and Sorcerer as a Talent Tree, custom-built for Savants.

Two points to begin my beta-tester career:

To answer our friend Fgdsfg: At first I thought the same as you, that the Black Ships would do the conditioning themselves. However, fluff-wise, all sanctioning is done in Terra. Let's stop a minute to think of the logistic hell this must be...

and to make a second point: I notice we have not even begun discussing Sorcerers. What are your thoughts on that?

I would think we could have Psykers as a role, instead of Mystics, and Sorcerer as a Talent Tree, custom-built for Savants.

With regards to sorcerery, I still think Mystic should remain the role/name of the role. If/when sorcery is fully added, I feel it should be offered as another elite advance (like psyker is), and a note made that the Mystic role now offers access to Psyker or Sorcerer. This allows sorcerer players to get the Mystic xp advancement scheme, while not necisarily being psykers.

Realize the modularity of future books, by merely offering minor replacements to things like background bonsues.

Two points to begin my beta-tester career:

To answer our friend Fgdsfg: At first I thought the same as you, that the Black Ships would do the conditioning themselves. However, fluff-wise, all sanctioning is done in Terra. Let's stop a minute to think of the logistic hell this must be...

I'm fully willing to accept what you say; logistic hell or not, logistic hell is the Status Quo of the Imperium. I'm just a bit hesitant because I'm not sure how it would make *sense* for them to have absolutely all sanctioning - other than Soul-Binding - on Terra. It must sometimes take decades before League Blackships return to Terra, and while I'm sure that the ships are enormous, there's still issues of supplies, maintenance, etc.

and to make a second point: I notice we have not even begun discussing Sorcerers. What are your thoughts on that?

I would think we could have Psykers as a role, instead of Mystics, and Sorcerer as a Talent Tree, custom-built for Savants.

Sorcery is, for most intents and purposes, straight-up chaos magic, independent from psychic potential. While I'm not a fan of how Dark Heresy 2nd Ed. solved it all (and the more I look at it, 2nd Ed. feels like more and more of a trainwreck to me), Sorcery should definitely be it's own Talent-tree, and Sorcery should potentially be open to anyone with above-average intelligence (or below-average Willpower, because daemons will corrupt the **** out of that); anyone can be a Sorcerer, after all.

I have a concept for a Feudal World Pugilist Arch-Militant Sorcerer for Rogue Trader somewhere. But.. I guess that's beside the point. Whatever. *cough*

Fgdsfg (that is a really complicated name to spell, do you know that?), from the WH40K wiki:

"Psykers are too dangerous to remain at liberty on the Imperium's myriad worlds; their minds are susceptible to daemonic possession as their strong presences in the Warp can serve as gateways into the material universe for all kinds of Warp entities if they are weak or undisciplined with their powers. Uncontrolled, they can intentionally or unintentionally cause the destruction of entire worlds and have done so in the pre-Imperium past, such as during the terrible days of the Age of Strife . Humans found to be bearing the psychic mutation, if they are not simply killed, are sent to Terra aboard the infamous Black Ships which endlessly traverse the Imperium. "

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Psyker

"The League of Blac kships consists of a substantial fleet of powerful Imperial starships charged with collecting and transporting human psykers from their various homeworlds across the galaxy to Terra where they will be either trained to become Sanctioned Psykers who can serve the Imperium in a number of important roles or their lives will be sacrificed to the Emperor of Mankind so that He will have the psychic energy necessary to maintain the crucial telepathic navigational beacon of the Astronomican ."

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Ships

I have also read it in a few supplements and novels, if memory serves.

I'm fully willing to accept what you say; logistic hell or not, logistic hell is the Status Quo of the Imperium.

This is preciselly how I feel about it, actually. Many psykers die in dungeons waiting for Black Ships, which take years, sometimes centuries, to arrive. And many of the ones who survive will die in the years the (hellish) journey takes. That is why, I believe, Psykers add so many years to their age in our already missed First Edition.

Fgdsfg (that is a really complicated name to spell, do you know that?), from the WH40K wiki:

"Psykers are too dangerous to remain at liberty on the Imperium's myriad worlds; their minds are susceptible to daemonic possession as their strong presences in the Warp can serve as gateways into the material universe for all kinds of Warp entities if they are weak or undisciplined with their powers. Uncontrolled, they can intentionally or unintentionally cause the destruction of entire worlds and have done so in the pre-Imperium past, such as during the terrible days of the Age of Strife . Humans found to be bearing the psychic mutation, if they are not simply killed, are sent to Terra aboard the infamous Black Ships which endlessly traverse the Imperium. "

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Psyker

"The League of Blac kships consists of a substantial fleet of powerful Imperial starships charged with collecting and transporting human psykers from their various homeworlds across the galaxy to Terra where they will be either trained to become Sanctioned Psykers who can serve the Imperium in a number of important roles or their lives will be sacrificed to the Emperor of Mankind so that He will have the psychic energy necessary to maintain the crucial telepathic navigational beacon of the Astronomican ."

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Ships

I have also read it in a few supplements and novels, if memory serves.

I'm fully willing to accept what you say; logistic hell or not, logistic hell is the Status Quo of the Imperium.

This is preciselly how I feel about it, actually. Many psykers die in dungeons waiting for Black Ships, which take years, sometimes centuries, to arrive. And many of the ones who survive will die in the years the (hellish) journey takes. That is why, I believe, Psykers add so many years to their age in our already missed First Edition.

Why, it's not hard to spell at all, it's just a run of the fingers over the keyboard in an annoyed manner. Fgdsfg!

That said, there's a reason I specifically left out the Warhammer 40k Wikia earlier, in favour of Lexicanum. While Warhammer 40k Wikia is a good source for vast amounts of 40k Trivia - more than Lexicanum - it is also badly cited and under much looser management. I never take anything from there as fact unless the article is properly cited, and it almost never is.

I use the Wikia for quantity, but if you want quality, go for Lexicanum.

I would expect that Terra is far too far away to sanction all the Psykers in the universe.

There's "someone" back on Earth who really enjoy snacking on Psykers, in ridiculous quantities, so they actually do ship every potential Psyker back to Terra to be sanctioned or lunch.

Thank all of you very much for your opinions on Sorcery.

I have thought on the matter and made a little summary on the current status of Warp Powered characters on DH 2.0, and would like your opinion on the matter:

The Adeptus Astra Telepathica origin gives the Sanctioned Trait, as only they have the power to grant Sanctioning to Psykers.

The Mystic Role gives the Psyker Elite Advance. so, Mystics with the AAT background are Sanctioned Psykers and Mystics without the background, or characters that buy the elite advance without the background (like our dear friend Agun Soric) are Witches.

Sorcerers are those who, without the Psyker gene, find other ways to manipulate the Warp, usually through Chaos magic or means like the "unlanguage" from the Ravenor series. This will most likely be an elite advance, which I think is very well suited for the Sage Role, as it was for the Adept class.

Despite my many (MANY) gripes with this new edition, I think this makes a lot of sense, actually. Many players have used the comparison with Rogue Trader. By that comparison, which I think is fair, your origin defines your learning years, usually the 'teens. As you have to go to Terra and return to be Sanctioned, this will encompass much of your previous life before the game.

For this reason, even the Sanctioned Psykers serving the Guard mentioned before will have the AAT as a backgroung. They are Psykers in the Guard, not soldiers with Psychic powers.

And it seems like I will have to create my own Sorcerer advance tree for my personal 2.0 beta...

Why, it's not hard to spell at all, it's just a run of the fingers over the keyboard in an annoyed manner. Fgdsfg!

That said, there's a reason I specifically left out the Warhammer 40k Wikia earlier, in favour of Lexicanum. While Warhammer 40k Wikia is a good source for vast amounts of 40k Trivia - more than Lexicanum - it is also badly cited and under much looser management. I never take anything from there as fact unless the article is properly cited, and it almost never is.

I use the Wikia for quantity, but if you want quality, go for Lexicanum.

Thanks for the spelling tip! And for the tip on the Wiki. However, I actually like it, i must say. In this case in particular, it says the same:

"Reporting directly to the Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica , the Blackships are feared transports filled with mournful psykers held in cavernous, psi-shielded holds to be taken back to Terra to feed the voracious psychic appetite of the Emperor. Only those with the strength of mind to withstand the constant soul-numbing despair that permeates the Blackship may crew it, so mentally traumatic is such duty."

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/League_of_Blackships#.UfgnzNKzego

I would expect that Terra is far too far away to sanction all the Psykers in the universe.

There's "someone" back on Earth who really enjoy snacking on Psykers, in ridiculous quantities, so they actually do ship every potential Psyker back to Terra to be sanctioned or lunch.

And there you go on why the Imperium spends so much of its resource on sending Psykers to Terra.

I actually GMed the origin of the astropath on my old RT campaign, and had her see the mind-boggling number of psykers send to the slaughter like sheep on the Golden Throne, to sate the Emperor.

Why, it's not hard to spell at all, it's just a run of the fingers over the keyboard in an annoyed manner. Fgdsfg!

That said, there's a reason I specifically left out the Warhammer 40k Wikia earlier, in favour of Lexicanum. While Warhammer 40k Wikia is a good source for vast amounts of 40k Trivia - more than Lexicanum - it is also badly cited and under much looser management. I never take anything from there as fact unless the article is properly cited, and it almost never is.

I use the Wikia for quantity, but if you want quality, go for Lexicanum.

Thanks for the spelling tip! And for the tip on the Wiki. However, I actually like it, i must say. In this case in particular, it says the same:

"Reporting directly to the Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica , the Blackships are feared transports filled with mournful psykers held in cavernous, psi-shielded holds to be taken back to Terra to feed the voracious psychic appetite of the Emperor. Only those with the strength of mind to withstand the constant soul-numbing despair that permeates the Blackship may crew it, so mentally traumatic is such duty."

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/League_of_Blackships#.UfgnzNKzego

I would expect that Terra is far too far away to sanction all the Psykers in the universe.

There's "someone" back on Earth who really enjoy snacking on Psykers, in ridiculous quantities, so they actually do ship every potential Psyker back to Terra to be sanctioned or lunch.

And there you go on why the Imperium spends so much of its resource on sending Psykers to Terra.

I actually GMed the origin of the astropath on my old RT campaign, and had her see the mind-boggling number of psykers send to the slaughter like sheep on the Golden Throne, to sate the Emperor.

The vast majority (iirc) of psykers are eaten by the Astronomican, but it's not really about the psykers that are eaten by the Astronomican, but rather about all those that aren't .

And Astropaths-to-be are also definitely taken to Terra; they are the ones that narrowly escaped being sentenced to become Astronomican-chow, and marched before the Light of the Astronomican and/or the Emperor.

From the League of Blackships entry in the Lexicanum:

The Blackship fleet travels constantly throughout the Imperium. Each Imperial world is visited every hundred years or so by a Blackship. When a Blackship nears a planet, its governor is instructed to prepare the customary levy - a tithe of psykers. Once the levy has been collected, the Blackship Captains make an initial evaluation of their cargo before proceeding to the next world in their circuit. When the ships are full they return to Terra and the psykers are transferred to the Scholastia Psykana before the ship leaves again to continue in their eternal search. It is common for Inquisitors to travel on board these ships, as this gives them a good opportunity to investigate a planet's potential for psychically-based corruption.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/League_of_Blackships#.UfhGsY1llOE

From that it appears all psykers collected by the Black Ships are taken to Terra. I suppose it's still possible that the training happens elsewhere, but every Sanctioned Psyker has at least gone to Terra for the initial evaluation.

The process is something like:

1) Blackships collect the psykers

2) At the end of their circuit the Blackships drop off the psykers at Terra

3) Psykers are sorted: strong psykers are sent to the Scholastica Psykana for training, weak ones are fed to the Emperor

4) Scholastica Psykana trains the psykers and sends them off when ready

Psyker recruits are drawn from the levy collected by the Blackships, others are handed over by the Inquisition, the Adeptus Arbites, or through other channels.

The future of each psyker depends on his abilities and character. Initial evaluation divides the levy into several groups depending on their innate psychic power, character and willingness to learn...

Those deemed weak in character or psychic power, too dangerous or old are instead sacrificed to the Emperor, their souls leeched from their bodies to sustain the Father of Mankind.

The first ranking of pskyers (referred to as primary psykers) are those whose powers and strength of character are sufficient to resist possession and daemonic corruption under normal circumstances, and are chosen to serve the Imperium in the highest capacities. After receiving five years of basic training at the Scholastia, they are sent for further training and service in another Imperial organization depending on where their abilities are judged best suited. The very young may be indoctrinated into the Space Marines as Librarians; some may enter the Imperial Guard to begin their training as Primaris battle-psykers; the most talented may become Inquisitors or Grey Knights.

The majority of the discovered psykers form the second ranking of psykers. They are trained for service as Astropaths (i.e. astro-telepaths), psykers specialised in interstellar communication, being able to send and receive telepathic messages over vast distances. The Astropaths perform one of the vital tasks in the Imperium; psychic communications is the only practical means of communications in the galaxy-spanning Imperium. Some primary and secondary ranking psykers are given over to the Adeptus Astronomica, a smaller organization in which the psychic recruits continue their training.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Scholastia_Psykana#.UfhIRI1llOF

From the League of Blackships entry in the Lexicanum:

The Blackship fleet travels constantly throughout the Imperium. Each Imperial world is visited every hundred years or so by a Blackship. When a Blackship nears a planet, its governor is instructed to prepare the customary levy - a tithe of psykers. Once the levy has been collected, the Blackship Captains make an initial evaluation of their cargo before proceeding to the next world in their circuit. When the ships are full they return to Terra and the psykers are transferred to the Scholastia Psykana before the ship leaves again to continue in their eternal search. It is common for Inquisitors to travel on board these ships, as this gives them a good opportunity to investigate a planet's potential for psychically-based corruption.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/League_of_Blackships#.UfhGsY1llOE

From that it appears all psykers collected by the Black Ships are taken to Terra. I suppose it's still possible that the training happens elsewhere, but every Sanctioned Psyker has at least gone to Terra for the initial evaluation.

The process is something like:

1) Blackships collect the psykers

2) At the end of their circuit the Blackships drop off the psykers at Terra

3) Psykers are sorted: strong psykers are sent to the Scholastica Psykana for training, weak ones are fed to the Emperor

4) Scholastica Psykana trains the psykers and sends them off when ready

Psyker recruits are drawn from the levy collected by the Blackships, others are handed over by the Inquisition, the Adeptus Arbites, or through other channels.

The future of each psyker depends on his abilities and character. Initial evaluation divides the levy into several groups depending on their innate psychic power, character and willingness to learn...

Those deemed weak in character or psychic power, too dangerous or old are instead sacrificed to the Emperor, their souls leeched from their bodies to sustain the Father of Mankind.

The first ranking of pskyers (referred to as primary psykers) are those whose powers and strength of character are sufficient to resist possession and daemonic corruption under normal circumstances, and are chosen to serve the Imperium in the highest capacities. After receiving five years of basic training at the Scholastia, they are sent for further training and service in another Imperial organization depending on where their abilities are judged best suited. The very young may be indoctrinated into the Space Marines as Librarians; some may enter the Imperial Guard to begin their training as Primaris battle-psykers; the most talented may become Inquisitors or Grey Knights.

The majority of the discovered psykers form the second ranking of psykers. They are trained for service as Astropaths (i.e. astro-telepaths), psykers specialised in interstellar communication, being able to send and receive telepathic messages over vast distances. The Astropaths perform one of the vital tasks in the Imperium; psychic communications is the only practical means of communications in the galaxy-spanning Imperium. Some primary and secondary ranking psykers are given over to the Adeptus Astronomica, a smaller organization in which the psychic recruits continue their training.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Scholastia_Psykana#.UfhIRI1llOF

One could make the argument that much of the 'sorting' and even some of the initial training is done on the black ships themselves. This might even be a way for a psyker to have met their Inquisitor. Once the sorting is done the psyker is dropped off on terra for their final disposition. The Strongest and most controlled are sanctioned and sent on to their assignments The next tear are sent before the Emperor. Those that survive are Soulbound and go on to become Astropaths. Those that do not feed the astronomicon and are thus honored for their 'contribution' to the Emperor.

Being a sanctioned psyker is indefinably the most important trait this character will ever have. This is far more important than grunt training, learning how to read/write or even how to turn a wrench.

This trait changes how this character is treated for good and bad for the rest of what is left of his poor misable life.

You are not a sanctioned psyker who joins the guard and they run you through basic training with the grunts, they all pat you on the back, then become one of them as they teach you thier secret handshake. You do not become a guardsmen. You get attached to a IG unit where you are cordoned off from the rest for your safety (you are expensive wargear), and half for everyone elses.