Action_Carl said:

Is this because of the rules or because that is the way they wanted the background? One of my reasons for wanting navigators to be psykers is because it sounds logical. If the Astronmicon sends out a psykic signal then you have to be a psyker to hear it. Psykers are psykers. The other reason is because of the rules. With psykic powers a navigator has another asset when it comes to regular adventuring and a place to fill in a party.

I can agree that it sounds risky to have the navigator to tag along if there is only one on the ship but I am sure that can be solved. Military vessels also have one navigator and the risk of dying on the ground can't be that much bigger compared to die in a spacebattle. Anywat even if it is, then military vessels must have a backup plan.

I can agree that it sounds risky to have the navigator to tag along if there is only one on the ship but I am sure that can be solved. Military vessels also have one navigator and the risk of dying on the ground can't be that much bigger compared to die in a spacebattle. Anywat even if it is, then military vessels must have a backup plan.

I assume that a navigator's place during a space battle will be somewhere deep within the guts of the biggest ship of the fleet (assuming configurations with one flagship navigating for the entire fleet are possible), for precisely that reason. The back-up plan would likely consist of the short controlled jumps chartist merchant vessels are forced to make which most likely makes the fleet unuseable for the war they're engaged in.

Cifer said:

Ok, deep within the ship, but what happens if the navigator is killed? You can get out of the battle but can you get home? I know I am streching it here but if the navigator is going to be a playable character, then he has to get out of the ship. I suggest that every navigator should have a couple of juniors, from his own house, in training. Not full fledged navigators but skilled enough to use the safest routs. You could always argue that it has not been heard of but on the other hand, no one had heard about the stuff in RT or this subjective thing called "canon" either before it was written. Otherwise the navigators must remain on the ship. Meaning you would loosing parts of the setting. Sure, the NPC-navigator could hire the Captain for a mission concerning his house but that can't compare by having the character in the group.

Im pretty sure that in several of the novels converning ships (such as Relentless, Rogue Star and Star of Damocles) the Navigator was not alone or isolated. He was surrounded by servants, assistants and others. Its not a major stretch of the imagination to see them as having younger members of their guilds/familes/clans onboard with them to receive training and experience in the art of the jump. They are probably allowed to navigate the ship on minor jumps or to help "steer" the ship.

But knowing that one day they will be ravaged by mutation to the point that they will never leave their chambers/section of the ship, the senior navigators probably encourage their juniors to get off ship as often as possible, or to take up lesser charters on smaller ships to see the universe and live life a bit before being imprisoned by their own mutant bodies.

So larger ships probably have several "experienced" navigators and even more juniors (a la the PCs).

I stil think the game will start fairly low powered, a Serenity level with an Astropath and a Navigator added.

Well, trying my best not to be smug but according to the latest designer diary, I pretty much nailed the set up with navigators right on.

Robban-O said:

I think most people did see that variation coming.

Peacekeeper_b said:

Really? Well, I said it first

In a few of the novels it's mentioned (off camera) tha Navigators can get possessed, though it's a rare event. When it does happen though it's very very bad. If it happens whilst traversing the Immaterium the result can be ... unpleaseant. For this reason their are lots of failsafes in place.

The Warp Eye offers some protection, as does experience and skill (presumably Will Power). Some routes are inherently riskier than others, know thy limitations. The Geller Field of the ship offers lots of protection (whilst traversing the Warp). Each Navigator sits in a heavilly shielded cell (they can leave if not too mutated, but not whilst Navigating). Each Navigator undergoes intensive psycho-hypnotic conditioning to improve willpower and control and should cause an artificial allergic suicide if in danger of being possessed (this sometimes works, sometimes doesn't the Emperean is fickle and daemons tricksy). Finally, if all goes haywire each ship is geared to automatcally dump out of the Warp and into realspace in the event of the (guiding) Navigators death, something the Captain can do in some circumstances. The maneuover is very risky (it can happen or be induced in other circumstances too) but occassionally saves a ship, sometimes its crew. The results (location, timeframe, damage) are pretty random though.

Ship (and Navigators) are valuable and te Imperium goes to alot of trouble to preserve them when they can. Besides, after being rip-tided through the Emperean for a while, Hulks can be trouble.