So, we all know that a Psyker can be a powerful tool, in the hands of the right Commander, Squad, and Player, but in the fluff, they are also much reviled and mistrusted, every one of them a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off at the worst possible moment, and in the most spectacularly bad way possible, while they might also be a window through which the spawn of the warp is listening to everything they hear (Imperial citizens are superstitious, regardless of whether this is possible, or not). Add to that the Imperial Guard already have decent weapons, able to obliterate squads of people, breach thick walls, and what have you, and sensors to find the enemy. I've read of a few GMs here who just disallow them as PCs on principle, so a bit of the good side would be nice. If you had to come up with the positive reasons why Commanders keep these souls around, even if in close prox to a Commissar, what would they be? What uses do they serve in your world, and 40k's?

Also, this is for Psykers, as in the Guard, not Astropaths; their function is a gimme, and not the kind of character a player would likely be playing. I personally like Psykers, and they are my overall favorite character type, so I would love to hear what other people like about them. This is mostly just a talking point. Thanks.

The simplest reason is to counter enemy psykers. Since so many races in the 40k universe have their own form of psyker, there is a strong chance that a given regiment will encounter a foe with psychic powers. Having someone in your army who can detect hostile psychic powers and counter them is an invaluable asset. I don't just mean fire blasts or telekinetic attacks either... I mean enemy telepaths subverting your troops and enemy diviners predicting your deployments.

Psykers are akin to the nuclear weapons of the 40k universe. They are absurdly dangerous and you would rather not have them. But if the enemy has them, you are better off having your own too.

What Lucius said...as well as utility and redundancy. Sure, an auspex can detect the enemy, but a psyker could tell you their plans, or scry on them from a longer distance. Their intimidation value shouldn't be underestimated either; not necessarily against orks or heretics, but for common rebels like the Dominate, watching their buddy get fried by force warp lightning adds that special flavor of terror that a sniper or artillery strike can't replicate.

Also, they act as a handy little canary in the coal mine. When the witch's brain starts oozing out of his ears while he screams about unknowable terrors clawing their way through reality toward your position, you know it's time to run.

The simplest reason is to counter enemy psykers. Since so many races in the 40k universe have their own form of psyker, there is a strong chance that a given regiment will encounter a foe with psychic powers. Having someone in your army who can detect hostile psychic powers and counter them is an invaluable asset. I don't just mean fire blasts or telekinetic attacks either... I mean enemy telepaths subverting your troops and enemy diviners predicting your deployments.

Psykers are akin to the nuclear weapons of the 40k universe. They are absurdly dangerous and you would rather not have them. But if the enemy has them, you are better off having your own too.

This sort of confuses me. I suppose your average Psyker MIGHT be able to detect a meddling Farseer, on a good day, but so much of 40K's psyker-oomph is offense, which you notice when they attack. If Psykers were like Blanks, I could see them as good anti-psyker tools, but I don't remember a rebuke-like negating power in 40K, and psychic hoods are rare (Extremely Rare, before I get called on it ). How else do they counter them?

What Lucius said...as well as utility and redundancy. Sure, an auspex can detect the enemy, but a psyker could tell you their plans, or scry on them from a longer distance. Their intimidation value shouldn't be underestimated either; not necessarily against orks or heretics, but for common rebels like the Dominate, watching their buddy get fried by force warp lightning adds that special flavor of terror that a sniper or artillery strike can't replicate.

Also, they act as a handy little canary in the coal mine. When the witch's brain starts oozing out of his ears while he screams about unknowable terrors clawing their way through reality toward your position, you know it's time to run.

I can see this, I suppose.

Necessary Evil. Time and time again, the Imperium has demonstrated a willingness to bend rules and morale if something seems to promise an edge in the eternal war against the many enemies of mankind. From he daily sacrifices to the Emperor and the slave-based organ harvesting for the creation of new Marine Chapters or the Grey Knights' radical methods to the Ministorum's purges and Exterminatus decrees, taking just another step down the path of darkness to avoid falling off the ledge entirely is a huge thematic element in the background of 40k, specifically the IoM.

- 5E C:IG p.33

The simplest reason is to counter enemy psykers. Since so many races in the 40k universe have their own form of psyker, there is a strong chance that a given regiment will encounter a foe with psychic powers. Having someone in your army who can detect hostile psychic powers and counter them is an invaluable asset. I don't just mean fire blasts or telekinetic attacks either... I mean enemy telepaths subverting your troops and enemy diviners predicting your deployments.

Psykers are akin to the nuclear weapons of the 40k universe. They are absurdly dangerous and you would rather not have them. But if the enemy has them, you are better off having your own too.

This sort of confuses me. I suppose your average Psyker MIGHT be able to detect a meddling Farseer, on a good day, but so much of 40K's psyker-oomph is offense, which you notice when they attack. If Psykers were like Blanks, I could see them as good anti-psyker tools, but I don't remember a rebuke-like negating power in 40K, and psychic hoods are rare (Extremely Rare, before I get called on it ). How else do they counter them?

You're reading "counter" as negate, which isn't it at all. Psykers counter enemy psykers in the same way scouts control enemy troop movements...

You're reading "counter" as negate, which isn't it at all. Psykers counter enemy psykers in the same way scouts control enemy troop movements...

Okay, then I might need a bit more description. My Psyker character might be able to detect the presence of, and maybe even rough location of enemy psykers, but in my imagination, scouts pull off their trick by feeding info back to base, telling me where the enemy is, so that I can counter them, or making them do something in the form of a distraction. While I like my psykers, I don't entirely see how they do this sort of thing.

You're reading "counter" as negate, which isn't it at all. Psykers counter enemy psykers in the same way scouts control enemy troop movements...

Okay, then I might need a bit more description. My Psyker character might be able to detect the presence of, and maybe even rough location of enemy psykers, but in my imagination, scouts pull off their trick by feeding info back to base, telling me where the enemy is, so that I can counter them, or making them do something in the form of a distraction. While I like my psykers, I don't entirely see how they do this sort of thing.

Well, that depends on the psyker and his particular talents, but let's play with the idea...

Following the simple scout example, our Imperial psyker can detect and roughly locate the enemy psyker. He then relies that information to base and a unit is dispatched to take out the enemy psyker.

Another example, the enemy seems to always be one step ahead of us. Our Imperial psyker detects the use of psychic powers after the next strategy session and recognizes odd behavior in several of the junior officers... they have been telepathically influenced into revealing our plans to the enemy.

Another example, our enemy is using Divination to anticipate our troop movements. We use our own Imperial diviner to predict the enemies movements.

That's just a few examples... and the first two don't require much more than Psynisience and Forbidden Lore (psykers) to manage. The ability to hurl boulders or incinerate tanks with their minds are actually the least useful of a psyker's powers, IMO.

The ability to hurl boulders or incinerate tanks with their minds are actually the least useful of a psyker's powers, IMO.

That's my opinion, as well.

Agreeing with Oprheo and LuciusT, the damage abilities of psykers are not their key use. Artillery, tanks, lasguns and the lot can do the same job better, safer and are easier to aquire then psykers. They're used for divination and other such things, which is what I like psykers to be since it's not something that can be duplicated with any equipment.

Makes me wish human psykers could learn Guide in TT. Prescience seems like a nice power in OW to maybe bribe your fellow players into "hating the psyker" less. I might be able to like non-offensive psykers in OW more than I expected I would.