Can we please get a clear ruling on force weapons, saying if the Psyker has to roll on the phenomenon table on a double dice result for invoking the warp in a melee attack?

It says that the psyker has to invoke a "Force Power action", which for other psyhic powers has the chance to result in a peril of the warp roll, but it is unclear if this is also true for invoking the warp powers through a melee attack.

The "Force" property is described on page 113.

Jeez, this is really poorly laid out in the rules. Force is described on 113, the Focus Power action on 178, which refers to 155. The last sentence of the Focus Power description on pg 155:

Note that even if the psyker loses the Opposed test and does not activate the power, he still can generate a disturbance in the Warp if using the power at Unfettered or Push level.

I feel like having a power roll for Force weapons is kinda cumbersome. Can't we just go back to having them do +PR damage and Pen, and maybe have it that doubles on the attack roll dice triggers perils?

While it is an interesting idea to have perils of the warp on a double on the weapon skill roll, I think it will suffice to have it on the will power roll when invoking the "Force Power action".

I would consider the pen/dam bonus as the "fettered" usage, and the invoking the "Force Power action" as "unfettered" use.

Also notice that the "Force Power action" is a half action, so it can only be invoked once in a round, and only if the psyker has a half action left.

Question: Will psy focus items apply on this "Force Power action"? Any reason why it should not?

I just don't see the need to make using a Force weapon an actual manifestation roll, It's not an overly interesting mechanic, so I feel like flat damage and pen works fine, and allowing for Perils stops Force weapons being an objectively superior option.

Why not just reimagine force weapons? They don't have to have anything to do with the warp. They could just have a device that produces a field of energy around the weapon similar to a force field except with the opposite effect.

Because that's totally going against the fluff that's been well established for over a decade? Force weapons are Psyker weapons. That's their thing.

In that case, I have been corrected ;-)

It would be pretty simple to give every psyker access to a "Soul Kill" power that only works after having dealt damage with a Force Weapon. They could just rip it from tabletop like the rest of their powers too. Instead of bonus damage its just a super hard test to insta-kill. Makes force weapons as scary as they should be. Players will want one and give the space demanded to hostile npc's sporting the item in question.

It would be pretty simple to give every psyker access to a "Soul Kill" power that only works after having dealt damage with a Force Weapon. They could just rip it from tabletop like the rest of their powers too. Instead of bonus damage its just a super hard test to insta-kill. Makes force weapons as scary as they should be. Players will want one and give the space demanded to hostile npc's sporting the item in question.

That's certainly powerful, but I fear it will cause immense frustration for PCs. If my mighty warrior Acolyte dies because a rogue psyker hits me in melee and passes a 1/10 chance WP check, I guarantee I will not be happy

I wouldn't be happy either. However, that is what force weapons do, why they're rare, and why they should be feared/respected. That said, it would perhaps be more fun for it to be an opposed wp test, like the old Eldar mind duel.

Instant death is possibly the most fun killing effect in any tabletop game, I'd rather avoid it.

Instant death is possibly the most fun killing effect in any tabletop game, I'd rather avoid it.

so agreed.