Eldar Rangers could have their own agenda to operate with the inquisition.
And Dark Eldar being too evil for a radical inquisitor ? Really ?
Seing other radicals work with Daemon hosts, Dark Eldar should really not be the problem
Dark Eldar may be sick, selfish and evil, but I still would rather cooperate with them then to rely on a bound daemon...
The thing with a daemonhost is you've got very significant contingencies in place to stop them ******* you over. Unless you convince your Dark Eldar buddy to put on a bomb collar, you don't have the same peace of mind when dealing with one.
I don't really see xeno as viable allies, at least not for investigations. I could see Inquisitors using them outside the Imperium to track down enemies or information. But how low would your subtlety be if your group happens to have a Tau or Eldar in it? Sanctioned or no. "Well, we heard that a local acolyte cell has an eldar with them. Oh look, an eldar!"
And, I've never felt xeno characters are very interesting, they are never ever alien. They end up as humans in behaviour, yet very inhuman stats and weapons. Apart from orks, I've actually seen people manage to stay in character as orks.
It is not impossible at all to go subtle with an eldar or tau. With clothes that are rather concealing, it is no more difficult than to hide someone who has some mutations.
Of course, hiding an Ork might be a different...challenge.
But Eldar and tau, whose shape is roughly human can go easily, if not checked closely.
Just wear some wide coat, a deep hat, maybe even a sort of face mask and you are fine.
Considering, that the Imperium consist of million worlds, where even humans can look quite different, I do not think the average citizen will be suspicious too quickly.
You have to keep in mind, that the average citizen NEVER meets xenos at all. So he might very well mistake an Eldar with a little disguise for a human from a foreign planet with a strange accent.
Or he thinks it is one of these strange void born he heard so much about...
As I already said - this goes only for roughly human-shaped xenos. No way an Ork might be mistaken, or a Kroot.
Considering, that the Imperium consist of million worlds, where even humans can look quite different, I do not think the average citizen will be suspicious too quickly.
You have to keep in mind, that the average citizen NEVER meets xenos at all. So he might very well mistake an Eldar with a little disguise for a human from a foreign planet with a strange accent.
Or he thinks it is one of these strange void born he heard so much about...
Or the average Imperial just consider all of these types you have mentioned to be foul mutants that must be killed for the glory of the Emperor?
The average Imperial subject (I HATE the term "citizen" for inhabitants of the Imperium) is ignorant, reactionary and xenophobe in the extreme and motivated by blind hate and blind faith. When confronted with things he don't understand or is familiar with, the usual answer is lots of violence on the offending subject. Travel between worlds are after all not at all common and the Imperium makes a grand virtue of intolerance and bigotery.
I think you seriously underestimate how violent Imperial culture is and how willfully ignorant and hateful the average human is.
Yeah, the only ones who could maybe pass are Eldar, and even their features are pretty removed from your typical human.
I'm honestly not a huge fan of playable Xenos. I'd much rather see rules for requisitioning the services of Corsairs and other alien mercs as, say, temporary bodyguards, or a useful distraction. They shouldn't be permanent fixtures.
I xtill think for the average citizen can easily be fooled by a Tau or Eldar in disguise.
He might hate xenos from the bottom of his heart and he also might tend to violence towards them.
But he also is quite ignorant, didnt ever see any xenos in resl life and has a picture in his mind how a xenos looks like, which differs very much from the holy human shape.
As Dark Eldar, Kroot and orks were covered in RT, I think it would especially indeed be nice to add in a possible Ordo Xenos book both Tau and Eldar characters.
Some old material from GW's Inquisitor RPG:
There's more like this in the "characters" section of their website, if you're curious and/or are looking for inspiration, also featuring mutants as part of an Inquisitor's retinue. The article on Eldar Renegades also briefly deals with why and how an Inquisitor may come to take one or more aliens into their service.
Was looking through the fluff today on Lexicanum and discovered that there is indeed a radical faction of Inquisitors called Xeno Hybris.
If something has been printed in a FFG book, it should have an entry in Lexicanum. This wiki collects background information from all manner of studio and licensed sources, regardless of whether they contradict each other or are in harmony. As such, whilst I'd never recommend it as a sort of "primer" by itself, I do recommend it as an index to track down the original source and study its contents to avoid misquotes, unsourced claims or editor interpretation.
The Xeno Hybris is in the Lexicanum. In fact it's original source was Dark Heresy: The Radical's Handbook pg. 128
From Lexicanum:
There seems to be a misunderstanding. I did not doubt that it was in the wiki - I merely voiced surprise at
your
surprise to that fact, so to say.
Tom Cruise already mentioned this "Xeno Hybris" coming from Dark Heresy on page 1 of this thread.
The page on the Ordo Xenos in the DH Core Rulebook contains a mention of Inquisitors using xenos as allies- but those who do so are looked at as Radicals. I'm not in the camp wanting of Xeno-PCs, but it's hard to argue that they would be worse than Daemonhosts... Worst case scenario, tell the peasant rabble that your Eldar buddy is actually an Abhuman from the other side of the Sector- how would they know otherwise? People may be prejudiced against Abhumans in the Imperium, but rarely to the point of openly attacking one. With Orks... well, you are on your own...
The issue with Tau PCs, if they were to be included, is that they'd have to cover up every inch of skin to maintain cover. Considering they're, you know, blue. And have hooves.
Technically speaking, that's not an issue. Personally, I would expect consequences for such choices, though - both in regards to what other characters can be members of the party, as well as the political ramifications, meaning how this Inquisitor is perceived by his or her colleagues or how well contacts respond to requests for support. Overtly undermining the Imperial Creed and the spiritual purity of the populace may well see the Inquisitor be dragged before a Conclave or at least hamper the investigation ...
Edited by LynataI imagine it'd be the sort of thing you wouldn't tell the rest of the Inquisition about at all. Similar to bound daemonhosts.
It probably depends on the reputation and fearsomeness of the Inquisitor also. Take Eisenhorn for example. The guy was a complete and utter outcast as far as the Inquisition was concerned but yet nobody had the stones to hunt him down. Not even Ravenor felt the need to do so despite their friendship.
We don't necessarily need to have xeno PCs but it would be cool to have them as mercs. With this new sub-sector though, I'm not so sure that there wouldn't be a few radical Inquisitor's working with xenos especially since the Imperium has no good footholds on the area.
The issue with Tau PCs, if they were to be included, is that they'd have to cover up every inch of skin to maintain cover. Considering they're, you know, blue. And have hooves.
Not that hard to conceal - wearing a armour that covers most body parts conceals quite well. If you add a helmet, you are fine as long as you stay armoured.
In situations where armour is a no-go you need to be more creative.
But wearing clothes that cover your body is not unusual at all, hiding the face could be the only issue which could create "strange looks".
But with a good reason fielded, this is also no problem ("his face is so awfully scared, that he needs to hide his face to protect others from going insane").
Yeah, because that defineatly doesn't sound like a mutant at all? I just see alot of contrived changes to make it work and it just ends up looking and feeling forced with no real gain. Why would an eldar EVER go to a city filled with xenofobic humans who'd kill him at the slightest chance? What could an eldar do, investigation wise, that a human couldn't? Last I checked most eldar viewed us as little more then shaved monkeys so why risk his/her own life to help humanity? I just don't get it.
If it's something alot of people want by all means. I've just always had the impression the inquisitors who employed xeno did so outside the imperium and mostly for a specific job, or using their technology.
Because: the Eldar has some mysterious own agenda to get into the danger zone.
He does not work FOR the inquisition, but WITH the inquisition, as he also has his benefit from this cooperation.
One of the inquisitors I played as back at Dark Heresy 1.0 had used Rogue Trader kroots. Mainly the stealthy ones that disappear on sight. I gave them some long range and high pen weapons. They actually pretty well and avoided detection by normal subjects of imperium. In other words they were just as good as vindicare assassins, but work for me. Though I am smart enough to make the kroots sign a contract in not eating human and chaotic flesh. The former to cover my ass and the later for just the same reason. In exchange they get access to equipment they would had other wise never have and easier access to battlefields to gain more genes from other xeno life form. Having a vessel which allows me to collect xenos to enhance the genes that made the kroots so stealthy also help.
A bigger problem with xeno-PCs than hiding them from the peasants, in my opinion, is how to avoid the D&D demihuman trap of making non-human characters defined by a very narrow set of human characteristics (dwarves are dour miners, elves are aloof nature-lovers, etc). My RPG experience is that non-human PCs usually end up being far less colorful than their human counterparts, who have to rely on true individuality to stand out, rather than cosmetic features.
An alien culture is not a cosmetic feature, though visuals certainly help as a "filler".
Anyways, in my experience, the very same problem applies to any non-standard humans. Temple Assassins, Battle Sisters, Commissars, Space Marines, Storm Troopers are all much harder to play due to background constrictions, and few people hit the sweet spot between "too human/normal" and "cliché cardboard cutout". Someone who can play those characters should have little problem with a xeno PC.
I suppose in this case if an inquisitor has xeno affiliations, they should be NPCs. Does anyone know of any instances in the fluff where an Inquisitor even enlisted a xeno as a partner? I'm sure they have worked together against a mutual greater foe but i'm referring to a more permanent relationship similar to a radical inquisitor and a daemonic ally.
Howdy,
Inquisitor Jericho had Kroot and some unidentifed Xenos working for her. THAT said, I don't think that they walked around with her on inhabited worlds - they seemd to join her retinue for assaults and investigations on stations and dead worlds.
Some Eldar have involved themselves in the affairs of Inquisitors and Rogue Traders, but they seem to disguise themselves (goggles and cloaks) or only hang around on non-Imperial worlds with their human "allies".
Cheers,
Ken
I think it should be an option for players who like it and if their GM agrees.
But I would definitely like some rules for it in a Ordo Xenos supplement.
I figure that because players are allowed to play xeno armies in the TT game, they would also probably be interested in playing their favorite xeno in DH2. Not all types of xenos are practical to play but it would make a profitable supplement in my opinion.
In Rogue Trader they did a pretty well job in including Orks, Kroot and Dark Eldar.
It was mich fun - and there is no reason why something similar shouldnt be possible for the Ordo Xenos.
For the Ordo, even sanctioning them is a lot easier.