So, Explorators roll around in a big pile of Willpower tests if you want to use things like Luminen this and Ferric that. Then afterwards they always make toughness tests. What sorts of implants, equipments, alternate ranks, talents, and drugs can I pick up to improve these?

Also, just in general, what is good stuff for an Explorator to have?

Also also, I've gotten my GM to okay Lathe-Worlds for use in our RT game, but converting the powers seems tricky. Does the forum have any opinions on this?

On one hand, they're intended for mid to high level DH characters, and in theory, RT characters start as mid-level DH characters. We have 5000 XP, after all, and a DH character with that much would be rank 5, so my first glance suggests that most of the Lathe Worlds abilities should be available to Explorators pretty much from the get-go.

On the other hand, the talents that they both have in common, Explorators don't get until much later. An explorator has to be rank 3 to get luminen shock (Which is effectively, something like, what, Rank 9 in DH terms?). This suggests that maybe the "You have to be rank 7 to take this" should just be taken at face value (But I'm biased against this suggestion because I rarely see games that make it to maximum level)

Okay, figured out how to convert the materials. Now I'd just like advice on maximizing Tech Use and Armorer checks so I can build stuff for the party.

How to maximize Tech-Use/Trade Armourer

1) Get a Good-Quality Cortex Implant to give yourself Unnatural Intelligence x2

2) Get a Utility Servo-Skull trained in Tech-Use and another in Trade Armourer for a constant +10 bonus

3) Have a Utility Mechadendrite for more Tech-Use bonuses

4) Never let your precious Combi-Tool out of your sight, even apparently during formal dinners.

5) Acquire a Laboratorium for your vessel to give you a +20 bonus to Tech-Use and Trade tests when crafting single ites.

6) Take the Cog Whisperer Elite Advance for your Laboratorium, to gain a further +10 bonus to all tests made there.

7) If you have a Willpower of at least 60 argue that if you mainline Attention Spanner (ITS Page 134) then on average you'll end up with a +10 bonus to Intelligence while you're crafting.

That should do it.

Isn't a utility mechadendrite just a combi-tool? Do they really stack???

They certainly did when I had missed that ruling!

Given that I was allowing my Explorator to use both bonuses, I am going to try to retroactively justify my position. It says it "counts as a combi-tool", without explicitly being one and still doesn't take up a hand spot since it's a limb. Ultimately it's up to you, and saying that it shouldn't qualify would certainly be valid.

As is you should still be able to boost Tech-Use to +50 from those bonuses, with an extra +10 to Intelligence and a bonus shift on on all Intelligence tests.

A great augmetic is a chem gland with dreamjuice, attention spanner, and sandstone. Those three make a great combo. Also bond with a gyrinx. Also buy talented tech use and tech use up to +20 of course, doing elite advances to if you have to. You might also want a manufactorum on the ship to be able to make some checks at all.

Also, Unnatural Intelligence won't really do anything at all for Trade and Tech-Use checks.

Also, Unnatural Intelligence won't really do anything at all for Trade and Tech-Use checks.

Unless you either attempt to re-enact Shadowrunner when accessing an enemy vessel's cogitator or try to impress the King of a Heathen World by challenging his best blacksmith to a competition and the test becomes opposed.

Clearly I should just coerce one of my adepts into constantly attempting to sabotauge my work.

I guess you need to use one of the other books updates to Unnatural Intelligence. I think from Deathwatch on, the rules for it are improved.

Unnaturals are improved from Black Crusade onwards (although the changes between Black Crusade and Only War are extremely small), so you'll need to look there.

Also, Unnatural Intelligence is good for Lore checks and Trade checks, depending on what crafting system you use. My GM has a system where you make an Extended Trade(x) or Tech-Use test where your Degrees of Success matter on time required and results gained, and the extra DoS from Unnatural Intelligence is suddenly useful. Lore checks also typically give you more detailed information the more DoS the test had, so Unnatural Intelligence gives you a boost there as well.

[...]

Also, Unnatural Intelligence is good for Lore checks and Trade checks, depending on what crafting system you use. My GM has a system where you make an Extended Trade(x) or Tech-Use test where your Degrees of Success matter on time required and results gained, and the extra DoS from Unnatural Intelligence is suddenly useful. Lore checks also typically give you more detailed information the more DoS the test had, so Unnatural Intelligence gives you a boost there as well.

In Rogue Trader, the only thing Unnatural Characteristics does is literally multiply the Characteristics Bonus and adds the multiplier (but does not multiply) to the Degrees of Success on an Opposed Skill Check. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less.

Latter versions in latter campaign settings works differently, and are actually more useful, but it also stops doubling the Characteristics Bonus, and simply adds to it, which, if you're going to use the latter rules from DW, BC or OW, calls for a bit of a rebalance.

Working on my own homebrew, I'm going to do what I would've wanted FFG to do from the start:

Inhuman Characteristic (X) :

One or more of the creature's Characteristics is of inhuman or superhuman levels. This is indicated by a number that is then added directly to the relevant Characteristic Bonus. For example, a creature with a Strength of 41 normally has a Strength Bonus of 4; if the creature had Inhuman Characteristic (3) then it's Strength Bonus increases to 7 (4+3).

A creature may have this Trait more than once. Each time, it's applied to a new Characteristic or added to the modifier of a pre-existing Inhuman Characteristic.

In addition, whenever someone with an Inhuman Characteristic succeeds on a Test utilising that Characteristic, they gain a number of bonus Degrees of Success equal to half their Inhuman Characteristics modifier (rounded down).

During Opposed Characteristics Tests that end in a tie, the one with the higher Inhuman Characteristic modifier wins, unless either creature has the Unnatural Characteristic trait, in which case it takes precedence.

Inhuman Characteristics is added after any other modifier to a Characteristics Bonus, such as Unnatural Characteristic (X) .

Unnatural Characteristic (X) :

One or more of the creature's Characteristics have been modified through supernatural or unnatural means. Each time this trait is gained, select a Characteristic, and double it's Characteristic Bonus. For example, a creature with a Strength of 41 normally has a Strength Bonus of 4; if the creature had Unnatural Strength (3), then it's Strength Bonus increases to 12 (4*3).

A creature may have this Trait more than once. Each time, it's applied to a new Characteristic or added to the modifier of a pre-existing Unnatural Characteristic.

In addition, whenever someone with an Unnatural Characteristic succeeds on an Opposed Test utilising that Characteristic, they gain a number of bonus Degrees of Success equal to their Unnatural Characteristics modifier. During Opposed Characteristics Tests that end in a tie, the one with the higher Unnatural Characteristic modifier always wins.

When taking a Skill Test based upon a Characteristic with the Unnatural Characteristic Trait, the base Difficulty of the Test is staged downwards one level for each modifier past 1, to a maximum of -30. For example, a creature with Unnatural Intelligence (3) attempting a Very Hard (-30) Medicae Skill Test would attempt the action at Difficult (-10) instead.

Unnatural Characteristic is added before any other modifier to a Characteristic Bonus, such as Inhuman Characteristic .

This allows to keep the functionality of both kinds of the trait, allowing for a wider range of item, character and creature interaction and interpretations, without breaking cross-functionality, and makes for easier scaling and backwards compatibility between the campaign settings.

Edit: And I realize that I just kinda hikacked the thread.. I'm.. eh.. sorry? ^^;

I guess we've been playing by slightly modified rules then.

Though a First Aid-test restores Int Bonus Wounds, so there's a use for it, I guess.

I guess we've been playing by slightly modified rules then.

Though a First Aid-test restores Int Bonus Wounds, so there's a use for it, I guess.

Sadly, with the Rogue Trader Core rules, several Unnatural Characteristics are near-useless; Unnatural Intelligence being one of them. First-Aid and Medicae overall is the only real use I've found for it.

If the Explorator picks up Combat Formation then the whole retinue could benefit from thier Unnatural Intelligence.

If the Explorator picks up Combat Formation then the whole retinue could benefit from thier Unnatural Intelligence.

That's... that's actually an amazing usage of an increased Intelligence Bonus. I had completely missed that.

Now, Combat Formation might not be the easiest thing to get as a purebred Explorator, but it has the potential to be near-broken. Strangely, the way Combat Formation is worded, it only applies to everyone except the one that actually has it, but with Agility so easily becoming a dump stat for many characters, and an Explorator easily having a base Intelligence of 50, and more likely 70 or more, that's an easy +10 Initiative assuming Unnatural Intelligence (2). For everyone besides the Explorator.

If the Explorator picks up Combat Formation then the whole retinue could benefit from thier Unnatural Intelligence.

+1

Edit:

Or Weapon Tech, should your GM allow it.

Or Weapon Tech, should your GM allow it.

?

I'm not clear what you're referencing here.

Also, as far as I can tell, there's NO way to get combat formation on an Explorator short of an Elite Advance AKA "Ask the GM nicely"

It's a talent from Black Crusade onwards, that lets you increase the potency of a wielded advanced (Melta, Plasma, Power or Exotic) weapon. To be precise, you increase its Damage and Penetration equal to your Intelligence Bonus for one round per combat encounter, signifying that you place the shot exactly where it does damage and optimizes the weapon as well.

(...)but with Agility so easily becoming a dump stat for many characters(...)

Well, that's a new one for me...

(...)but with Agility so easily becoming a dump stat for many characters(...)

Well, that's a new one for me...

Other than that, I see people ending up using Agility as a semi-dump stat all the time, regrettably. Obviously, this is only a "problem" (and not even really a problem, honestly) if you don't roll for stats (and don't use free distribution, etc).

(...)but with Agility so easily becoming a dump stat for many characters(...)

Well, that's a new one for me...

Really? The only ones I see consistently focusing on Agility are melee and/or stealth-focused characters.

Other than that, I see people ending up using Agility as a semi-dump stat all the time, regrettably. Obviously, this is only a "problem" (and not even really a problem, honestly) if you don't roll for stats (and don't use free distribution, etc).

My experience has been quite contrary. most of my group values Dodge and Initiative quite highly, so most of our character have at least moderately high Agility (it's usually 2nd or 3rd hghest stat).

Also, as far as I can tell, there's NO way to get combat formation on an Explorator short of an Elite Advance AKA "Ask the GM nicely"

That may be the only way for an Explorator to get it. I was mostly just showing a use of Unnatural Int to Fgdsfg for any charater.

(...)but with Agility so easily becoming a dump stat for many characters(...)

Well, that's a new one for me...

Really? The only ones I see consistently focusing on Agility are melee and/or stealth-focused characters.

Other than that, I see people ending up using Agility as a semi-dump stat all the time, regrettably. Obviously, this is only a "problem" (and not even really a problem, honestly) if you don't roll for stats (and don't use free distribution, etc).

The only time I've seen Ag as a "dump stat" was with a character I've made myself. He was a Mechanicus Secutor with Machinator Array, so he already took a large hit to Ag, and I preferred to spend my Reaction shooting with my Ballistic Mechadendrite than taking my objectively crap chances with a dodge roll. Fortunately, between fifty-something Toughness and a Carapace armor, and the fact that the rest of the group was really aggressive in advancing towards the enemy, I rarely got seriously injured, but in all honesty, I knew I was playing with fire there.

Generally speaking, the defensive priorities in 40k go like this: Killing the enemy before he can attack > Dodging attacks > Soaking damage. Agility directly helps with the topmost two.

In RT the usefulness of Agility is additionally boosted thanks to piloting being a rather important facet of the system.