While I love the system we have in place now, I feel characters under this system don't quite stand out as well as they could. Role has very little mechanical impact on a character when they've just started, so a lot of samey characters can easily be produced by this system, even if the overarching concept is very different.

I think a good way to fix this would be to introduce an extra layer to character creation, and I'm clearly not alone in this sentiment; several other people on these forums have said the same thing, in various threads. I just thought I'd make this thread to focus the discussion, instead of letting it take place in random threads.

Personally, I think the best option for another layer would be something to describe how your character found their way into The Inquisition. After all, this is a pretty large step in a character's life; The Inquisition doesn't take average joes, they take exceptional people, or people who've seen exceptional things (and avoided dying in the process). So, representing the nature of the events or circumstances that lead to this would be a great part of character generation.

Any other ideas? Feel free to shoot down the idea of further complicating character creation too, if you want, just try to keep things constructive.

I've wanted this since the original release of DH. There's very little reason for an inexperienced handful of Arbitrators, Guardsmen, street thugs, and bookworms to be doing jobs for an Inquisitor. You had to be noticed somehow, do something to set you apart from the "teeming billions" of folks like you.

I love this idea. Desperately need one or more layers added to character creation.

I fully agree; as I've said in probably 4 different threads by now, the Chargen needs 1 or 2 extra Lure of the Void/Trials and Travails style components to make characters distinctive and give them a reason for having left their day job behind in the pursuit of an untimely death.

Personally, I'd like one related to how they came to be in Inquisitorial service, and one that's simply a distinctive event or characteristic of their lives, sometimes to set otherwise identical characters apart.

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I think it was great how that did it with the RT origin path.

Maybe something like this would also be interesting for DH2

Interesting layers could be:

- Ordo of Service

- Motivation to join the Inquisition

- Level of Purity / Radicalism

- Why you were chosen by the Inquisition

What I think would be interesting would be to introduce the party's Inquisitor as a major component of generation. Something similar to how regiments work in Only War, but with less effect. Say, you could build your Inquisitor based on their Ordo, their position on the radical scale, their faction within the Inquisition, their resources, their temperament, etc. It'd be interesting. The end result would be some extra skills, talents, traits and maybe gear that all acolytes in the party get.

I would rather prefer the Inquisitor to be of pure GM design.

Maybe it would be helpfull to give GMs an Inquisitor generator.

What I think would be interesting would be to introduce the party's Inquisitor as a major component of generation. Something similar to how regiments work in Only War, but with less effect. Say, you could build your Inquisitor based on their Ordo, their position on the radical scale, their faction within the Inquisition, their resources, their temperament, etc. It'd be interesting. The end result would be some extra skills, talents, traits and maybe gear that all acolytes in the party get.

That's a fantastic idea. I always liked the cell directives from the DH1 expansion books and I could see this working in a similar way.

As GauntZero said though, this should be very much a GM construct which then provides the players the choice of skills or talents based on how the inquisitor is constructed.

Only issue with this I could see would be if you wanted to have the inquisitor pretend to be one thing and turn out to be another (although that's pretty easily explained away thinking about it, he/she'd have to be good at lying after all).

Yeah, it'd definitely limit the ability for the GM to make things mysterious, which is an unfortunate thing to lose, but I think a system like this could be a good idea. Who plays the role of making the Inquisitor would be up to the GM. It could be totally up to the GM, who then tells the players all the appropriate stat modifiers etc, or it could be done as a group. Leaving things open for GM choice is the best way to do things.

I think the general thrust is right. Character Generation as-is does not add new spices for DH1 players. I'm not settled on what that should/could/would be, but your idea here sounds fine to me. And maybe there could be 1 or 2 more new things.

Alex

I figure a decent way to split it, if a system like I'm proposing was used, would be like this;

Ordo

Three options here, naturally. Xenos, Hereticus and Malleus. None of them would provide any particular characteristic increase, or any skills, because honestly they're far too broad categories to define how an Inquisitor and his underlings operate. Instead, what's chosen here would define the specifics of the stuff other categories grant. Like, if another choice grants a Speciality, it'd be one relevant to the chosen Ordo.

Methods

Basically the same as the Commanding Officer stage of regiment creation in Only War. The attitudes and methods employed by the Inquisitor. Say, their preference to gather information socially, or study intel, or go in waving their rosette and gunning down anyone who resists. Mechanical benefit is a talent, which suits the preferred method of operation. Talents like Canvasing, Cover-Up and Quick Draw, or an additional Specialty would fit here pretty well, for different Inquisitors with different methods.

Faction

The Inquisitorial faction the Inquisitor's ideals best fit in with. Thorians, Monodominants, Amalthians, Istvaanians, etc. Would provide a skill or two, along with some slight (+3 and -3) modifications to statistics.

The first and last stages would probably come coupled with some unique trait type things too, to make sure not everything you're getting is stuff you can just buy with XP.

This is all a very rough concept though, just throwing ideas out there.

I figure a decent way to split it, if a system like I'm proposing was used, would be like this;

Ordo

Three options here, naturally. Xenos, Hereticus and Malleus. None of them would provide any particular characteristic increase, or any skills, because honestly they're far too broad categories to define how an Inquisitor and his underlings operate. Instead, what's chosen here would define the specifics of the stuff other categories grant. Like, if another choice grants a Speciality, it'd be one relevant to the chosen Ordo.

Methods

Basically the same as the Commanding Officer stage of regiment creation in Only War. The attitudes and methods employed by the Inquisitor. Say, their preference to gather information socially, or study intel, or go in waving their rosette and gunning down anyone who resists. Mechanical benefit is a talent, which suits the preferred method of operation. Talents like Canvasing, Cover-Up and Quick Draw, or an additional Specialty would fit here pretty well, for different Inquisitors with different methods.

Faction

The Inquisitorial faction the Inquisitor's ideals best fit in with. Thorians, Monodominants, Amalthians, Istvaanians, etc. Would provide a skill or two, along with some slight (+3 and -3) modifications to statistics.

The first and last stages would probably come coupled with some unique trait type things too, to make sure not everything you're getting is stuff you can just buy with XP.

This is all a very rough concept though, just throwing ideas out there.

I think another layer or two would be a good add to the Character gen:

• one for transition which would provide modifications to statistics and some interesting Talents/Traits
• second referring to the Inquisitor as per above suggestions but without the stats mods.

The more we discuss about this, the more I would really like to have such an origin path...

It makes a character much more distinctive and unique.

Yeah, on second thought stat mods maybe aren't the best thing for this, I don't want to penalise certain playstyles. I figure two skills and a unique trait for faction, and a talent for methods would be a decent way to handle things. Not sure what Ordo should give, it's hard to find a balance when it comes to not being too pigeonholey.

Ordo should give something matching to specific knowledge maybe...similar to the Deathwatch Training package in DW for Space Marines.