Rogue Heresy Death Crusade Skills

Skill Descriptions

A note on acquiring skills

Since Rogue Heresy Death Crusade was conceived as a universal system that allows you to customize your characters any way you want, we intentionally place no limits on the skills available for your character. However, you might find that roleplaying as a believable, not self-contradictory character is significantly more fun. That requires certain caution when choosing skills: while anyone in good health can have high Athletics or Awareness, it makes little sense for a character to have Common Lore: Deathwatch unless he's a chapter serf or a marine himself, or Forbidden Lore: Xenos unless he's a Rogue Trader or an adept Inquisitional xenologist. Same reasoning applies for other skills besides the ones already mentioned, such as Ciphers or Linguistics. Players take care and GMs beware: such rare and hard to access skills require a good explanation in terms of character background and biography to appear in a character sheet.

Acrobatics (Agility)

Acrobatics covers feats of agile movement, graceful motion, and mastery of balance and form. With this Skill characters can leap nimbly across yawing chasms, maintain their balance on the pitching ship deck or fall gracefully to the ground without snapping their limbs. In combat a skilled acrobat can somersault, flip or cartwheel away from foes, twisting his body out of reach of their enemy or slipping past them in a blur of motion.

The GM may call on players to use the Acrobatics Skill when:

• They must avoid falling over on unstable ground.

• They wish to jump down from a height and land well.

• They want to move over or around a foe or obstacle in their path without breaking their stride.

Example Modifiers

+30	Moving in an open environment with Earth-like gravity, or completely unarmoured.
+20	Moving through an open forest or tall grass field, or with hands free of weapons or other objects.
+10	Moving in a low gravity environment, wearing armour only on torso.
+0	Moving across rubble or debris, or in loose and shifting sand.
–10	Moving in obstructed terrain, or in heavy armour.
–20	Moving in zero gravity or with both hands tied behind one’s back.
–30	Moving in an environment with gravity three times Terran standard.

Skill Use: Full Action unless otherwise noted.

Special Uses

Contortionist

A character can use his Acrobatics Skill to escape from bonds or the grip of a foe by twisting and turning his body. As a Full Action a character may make an Acrobatics Skill Test to free themselves from bonds, such as rope, manacles or the like. This test may only be attempted once to escape restraints; if he fails to free themselves the first time then he is simply too tightly bound and unable to contort his way free. The GM may modify this test depending on the quality of the bonds the character is trying to escape from. Characters may also use Acrobatics to escape from a grapple by using their Acrobatics Skill instead of their Agility or Strength when grappling.

Manoeuvring

In combat, a character capable of acrobatics can more easily avoid foes or retreat from combat without harm. The character may make a Disengage Action as a Half Action (rather than a Full Action) if he makes an Acrobatics Skill Test.

Jumping

A well-trained acrobat excels at jumping, leaping, and lessening the effect of falls by folding their body as they hit the ground. When jumping or leaping (see page 40) a character may use his Acrobatics Skill in the place of Agility and Strength tests. When falling a character can make an Acrobatics Skill Test to reduce the distance fallen by a number of metres equal to their Agility Bonus.

Hiding in Odd Spaces

You may make a Acrobatics Test in place of a Concealment Test if you use the Skill to hide in an odd place, such as an air vent or oil drum.

Hot Pursuit

Normally, chasing after an opponent or fleeing from a pursuer is an Opposed Agility Test. To the acrobatic character, however, the environment can be a valuable tool, an advantage that allows the character to leap over railings, run along aerial walkways, jump across rooftops and careen down staircases. Whenever you are engaged in a pursuit through a congested area—crowds, difficult terrain, and so on, you may make an Acrobatics Test (in place of your Agility Test) for the Opposed Test.

Negotiating Obstacles

To a skilled acrobat, every obstacle is an opportunity, and every obstruction a challenge instead of a barrier. Whenever you Charge or Run through treacherous terrain or through an area containing an obstacle, you may make an Acrobatics Test in place of an Agility Test to avoid falling Prone. You may also attempt an Acrobatics Test as a Free Action prior to moving at your normal rate through treacherous environments (but not environments made treacherous because of poor visibility).

Slippier than a Greased Kroot

The contortionist’s life is made all the more easier with the help of grease, helping him to slip out of hitherto impossible bonds. If you can first grease your body in some way, such as with oil, you gain a +10 bonus to all Acrobatics Tests to slip out of bonds, grapples or to fit into tight spaces.

Athletics (Strength)

Athletics is the ability to run long distances, climb sheer surfaces ,and swim strongly without tiring or faltering. It encompasses all manner of strength and brawn based tasks that a character may undertake; a skilled athlete can run for miles, heft mighty loads, or cross fast-flowing rivers with relative ease. Athletics also allows a character to push themselves to greater levels of endurance and shrug off the effects of fatigue when running, swimming, or climbing. The GM may call on players to use the Athletics Skill when:

• They must swim across a body of water or try to stay afl oat.

• They wish to push themselves beyond their limits and keep going even when exhausted.

• They want to climb a cliff or cross extremely rough ground.

A character’s background may dispose him more towards certain types of athletics. Not all skilled climbers make excellent swimmers, though both may have similar upper body strength. A GM can keep this in mind when determining the difficulty of a Test. For example, a character from a desert world or one with extensive augmentic parts could be required to make more difficult Athletics Tests to swim across a river than a character who grew up on an aquatic hive world.

Example Modifiers

+30	Climbing a ladder in a hurry or swimming in perfectly calm water.
+20	Climbing across a gantry or swimming with some method of staying afloat.
+10	Climbing the outside of a hive or swimming with specialised gear (i.e. flippers).
+0	Climbing a rough rock wall with protruding stones, or swimming across a deep lake.
–10	Climbing a brick wall or swimming a slow river.
–20	Climbing a ferrocrete wall without climbing aids or swimming against a current.
–30	Climbing up a slick plasteel bulkhead or swimming in a storm.

Skill Use: Full Action unless otherwise noted.

Special uses

Endurance

Trained athletes are extremely fit and can push themselves far beyond the ability of normal people. As a Free Action, a character with the Athletics Skill may make an Athletics Skill Test at –10 whenever they suffer a level of Fatigue as a result of running, swimming, or climbing to ignore its effects. The character may continue to take tests and ignore Fatigue gained in this way indefinitely; however as soon as he fails a test he must rest for at least 4 hours and cannot use his Athletics Skill again during that time.

Heft

Athletes are also known for their strength and can lift great weights for short periods of time. As a Free Action, a character may make an Athletics Skill Test to increase their carrying capability for a single Encounter. For every Degree of Success the character achieves his Strength is increased by 10 for the purposes of how much weight they can carry, lift, or drag to a maximum of modified Strength of 100. Hefting may only be attempted once, and if the character fails the test he may not try again until the next Encounter.

Helping Others Climb

You may help novice climbers climb by setting up guide ropes for them, pointing out good hand holds or physically helping them up. You may assist another person with a Athletics Test, even if they don’t have the Skill themselves.

Rappelling

You can descend more quickly when rappelling ropes are in place. When using ropes to rappel, you may Test Athletics to safely descend at a speed of three times your normal Move Rate. A failed Test means you make no progress. A failed Test by one or more degrees means that you have become tangled up in the rope and must succeed on a Athletics Test on the following Round to free yourself. A failed Test by three or more degrees means that a dreadful mishap has occurred and you fall, taking Damage as normal.

Speed Climbing

You may climb more quickly by taking an additional penalty on your Athletics Test. By worsening the Test’s Difficulty by –20, you can ascend or descend at your normal Move Rate instead of half your Move rate.

Awareness (Perception)

Awareness is a character’s ability to understand and be aware of his surroundings and is vital to all characters who wish to see danger coming. A character skilled in Awareness is able to notice small details, sounds or smells before others and interpret what they might be and where they might be coming from. Awareness is most often used when trying to spot hidden foes or ambushes, though it can also be used to find hidden objects.

In general, Awareness is used when trying to spot items or individuals that are either hidden or difficult to notice. Scrutiny is used to interpret hidden emotions, motivations, or other undercurrents. So while spotting someone hidden utilises Awareness, telling when someone lies requires Scrutiny.

When Awareness is used against an opponent (such as to spot an ambush) it is an Opposed Test. Awareness opposes and is opposed by Stealth.

The GM may call players to use the Awareness Skill when:

• They are walking into an ambush or being spied upon by a hidden foe.

• They want to search an area for clues or find a hidden item.

Example Modifiers

+30	Detecting the approach of a tank, or spotting a jungle clearing containing a Marauder bomber from the air.
+20	Detecting a Hulking creature’s passage or noticing a vehicle behind rubble.
+10	Detecting a small object in the open or spying a camouflaged artillery piece.
+0	Spotting someone in a crowd or searching a room.
–10	Detecting a well-laid ambush or searching a building for a specific document.
–20	Finding a specific spent bolt round on a battlefield.
–30	Noticing an assassin in a darkened room or searching through planetary records for a shipping manifest.

Skill use: Free Action made in reaction to something.

Special Uses

Eye for Detail

Particularly perceptive Acolytes are trained to take in every aspect of a scene with just a quick scan, later recalling the subtlest of details that turn out to be critical to the investigation. Awareness cannot be used as an Investigation Skill in its own right, but it can be used to assist an Investigation Skill. When examining a crime scene, you may make an Awareness Test to attempt to notice any clues. Every degree of success reduces the Difficulty of a subsequent Investigation Test by one-step.

Lip Reading

Lip reading allows a character to effectively understand a conversation even though he cannot hear it. The character must have a clear view of the speaker’s mouth and understand the language used by the target. The difficulty of this test is modified by –10 for every 10 metres of distance between the character and the speaker. The GM may assign other penalties for darkness, fog, or other factors affecting vision. However, magnoculars or other vision enhancing devices may offset this penalty or provide a bonus. A successful Awareness Skill Test reveals the general gist of the conversation. Additional Degrees of Success reveal correspondingly more information. One successful Test is enough to follow the conversation for the span of roughly one topic.

Charm (Fellowship)

Charm is the ability to sway the reactions of others or impress people with a smile and kind word. A character with the Charm Skill can turn a hostile situation into a friendly one or ingratiate their way into secure places past suspicious guards. Charm need not be used whenever a character speaks to someone in a pleasant manner, but should be used whenever he wishes to modify a character’s disposition and opinions, or persuade them to do something they may not have any interest or reason to do. When Charm is used against an opponent (such as to change their mood) it is an Opposed Test. Charm is opposed by Willpower.

The GM may call on players to use the Charm Skill when:

• They want to make someone like them.

• They wish to distract someone by drawing their focus away from others.

• They are gathering information from locals or strangers.

Example Modifiers

+30	Subject is already very friendly or loyal or the character is obviously harmless.
+20	Subject is friendly, or the character adds incentive such as a bribe.
+10	Subject is naturally talkative or the character is of a favoured gender or social class.
+0	Subject is ambivalent to the character, or has no prior reason to do what the character suggests.
–10	Subject doesn’t wants to be bothered, or the character is rude or aggressive.
–20	Subject is suspicious of the character, or the character heavily armed.
–30	Subject is actively hostile, or the character has wronged the subject previously.

Skill Use: One minute or more (the length of a conversation, though brief interactions may provide opportunities as well).

Special Use

Disarm

The character is able to convince others of his honesty and sincerity, paving the way for later lies and betrayal. Various forms of deception become easier after captivating an audience with his charms.

A successful Charm Test reduces the Test Difficulty of a subsequent Deceive or Disguise Test by one level. Failure on the roll increases the difficulty by one level. You may also attempt to gain a reduction of two levels by accepting a –20 modifier to your Charm test, but with an appropriate GM-dictated outrage if they discover the deception.

Ciphers (Intelligence)

Many groups and organisations employ ciphers as a secret shorthand code in communicating basic ideas, warnings, or information rapidly. The character can use and understand the signals, physical markings, or other subtle signs employed to express these concepts. Ciphers tend to express simple concepts or messages, such as warning of danger, marking a target, or indicating ownership. Skill Tests are not required to either leave or read basic messages but are necessary to communicate or decipher complicated meanings, similar ciphers, or signs obscured by the passage of time.

Unlike other Skills, Ciphers has multiple Specialisations. Note that each time you acquire the skill with a particular Specialisation, it only applies to a particular entity of the type described, such as Eldar Xenos Markings or Deathwatch Chapter Runes. The example Specialisations for this Skill are as follows:

Chaos Marks: There are countless symbols and signs used by followers of the various Dark Powers, each with its own subtle meaning or specific purpose.

Chapter Runes: Each Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes has its own form of ciphers used to communicate between its Battle-Brothers. These closely guarded secrets are almost never taught to those outside the Chapter and constitute a reliable way for those within the Chapter to quickly identify each other.

Imperial Codes: Both the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Guard employ a battle language which comprises mostly of numbers and acronyms. Incomprehensible to those who do not know its meaning, it allows them to quickly signal for reinforcements, identify enemies, and call down fire support.

Inquisition: Used to communicate a private and prearranged code between given agents of the Inquisition. Note that these codes are unique to specific Ordos within the Inquisition. This Skill Group applies to all ciphers used by acolytes and throne agents of the Inquisition.

Mercenary Cant: Many mercenary companies operate in the Imperium, and each has an abbreviated, clipped battle language for orders and commands. Though there are some commonalities, each is essentially unique.

Underworld: Crime lords have used ciphers since before the time of the Emperor, and their sophistication has only increased over time. Each organisation uses its own to deter competition.

Xenos Markings: Many aliens, such as Orks, make extensive use of symbolism and icons. Understanding these markings allows a broad understanding of their meaning, such as where a tribe has marked its boundaries or areas they have marked as dangerous.

The GM may call on a player to use the Navigate (Warp) Skill when:

• They want to understand the markings left behind by a marauding ork gang.

• They wish to decipher the writings on the crystal walls of the abandoned cities of a civilization long dead.

• They want to correctly decode an Inquisitional order garbled during astropathic transmission.

Example Modifiers

+30	Understanding a closely related cipher, such as deciphering combat cant used by one Forge World Skitarii Regiment when you know the one used by another.
+20	Understanding a cipher's subdialect, such as the one young gangers use in the hive when you know the underworld talk of that hive.
+10	Understanding a related cipher, such as one used by one Ork tribe when you know the markings of another.
+0	Understanding outdated dialects or complex subjects.
–10	Understanding a remotely related cipher, such as one Imperial Guard's regiment's when you know another's.
–20	Understanding a very remotely related cipher, such as one Inquisition Ordos uses when you know the one used by another, or one that particular Adeptus uses when you know the one used by another; or truly ancient dialects; or complicated very specific topics.
–30	Figuring out the gist of meaning written down using a completely unfamiliar symbolic system.

Skill Use: Full Action

Special Use

Countermeasures

When a cipher is cracked by the enemy, it usually means bad news for those groups who rely on it, leading to misinformation and signs laid by the enemy that lead them into traps. If you suspect that your cipher has been cracked or that someone is using it to feed you bad information, you may make a Cipher Test opposed by your opponent’s Cipher Test (both opponents might also substitute Scholastic Lore (Cryptology) for this Test). Success indicates that you have worked out that something is wrong, giving you the opportunity to turn the tables on your opponent. Failure indicates that you are none the wiser to the subterfuge. The GM always rolls both sides of the Opposed Test in secret to avoid tipping you off that something is up.

Command (Fellowship)

Command is the ability to effectively lead men into combat and direct their actions against the enemy. This Skill allows a character to control the actions of his followers or change their standing orders in a combat situation quickly and accurately without the chance for misinterpretation or mistake. Command can also be used to inspire men to greater feats of courage or bloodthirstiness as well as to counter the effects of fear through the threat of violence.

The GM may call a player to use the Command Skill when:

• They wish to take control of an NPC under their command in combat.

• They need to rally their followers or organise them in the face of a surprise attack.

• They want their followers to execute a battlefield tactic such as “hold,” “attack” or “retreat.”

Example Modifiers

+30	Followers have high morale or commands are very simple to follow.
+20	Followers are performing well known tasks or commands can be followed out quickly.
+10	Followers outnumber their foes or commands are familiar to the followers.
+0	Commands are complex or the commander is newly in charge of the subjects.
–10	Followers are outnumbered by their foes.
–20	Followers are performing unfamiliar tasks or commands need to be interpreted.
–30	Followers have very low morale or commands are very complex or hazardous.

Skill use: Half Action for simple commands, Full Action for more involved direction.

Commerce (Intelligence)

Commerce is an understanding of wealth, value, and exchange and how to use it to either make coin or procure goods and services for the best price possible. This Skill covers everything to do with deal making and business from bartering over chickens in a Feral world market to engineering interstellar trade agreements and ensuring a healthy profit. Commerce also includes an understanding of the value of things and can be used to appraise items or evaluate something potential worth. When Commerce is used against an opponent (such as to broker a trade deal or haggle over a piece of gear) it is always an Opposed Test. Commerce opposes and is opposed by either Commerce or Willpower.

The GM may call a player to use the Commerce Skill when:

• They want to get a good price for something.

• They wish to start a lucrative business venture.

• They are trying to figure out how much an item or raw material might be worth.

Example Modifiers

+30	Dealing with a highly-trusted merchant.
+20	Dealing with a trusted merchant.
+10	Dealing with a merchant who owes the character a favour.
+0	Dealing with an unknown individual.
–10	Dealing with a merchant which is suspicious of the character.
–20	Dealing with an alien merchant.
–30	Dealing with an openly hostile merchant.

Skill use: One minute on average, longer for complex deals.

Special uses

Barter

Commerce can be used by a character to barter for personal items and gain a better than normal price. As part of buying an item a character may make a Commerce Skill Test opposed by either the seller’s Commerce or Willpower (whichever is better). For every Degree of Success a character achieves he makes the subsequent Acquisition Test to buy the item one step easier, or reduces the price of the item by 10%. A character may only use barter when they are buying items for themselves face to face with the seller.

Evaluate

A character can use the Commerce Skill to determine the worth of an item or commodity. The GM should make this roll in secret, modifying the result depending on the Availability of the item or commodity in question (see above for example modifiers). A success tells the player the Availability and cost of the item they are evaluating, while a failure tells them nothing. If they fail by more than three Degrees of Failure the GM should give them a false evaluation.

Common Lore (Intelligence)

All Common Lore Skills represent the common knowledge an individual might know about general information, procedures, divisions, traditions, famed individuals, and superstitions of a particular world, group, organisation, or race. This Skill differs from Scholastic Lore, which represents scholarly learning one might gain through study and research, and Forbidden Lore, which involves hidden or proscribed knowledge. Common Lore deals with basic information gained from prolonged exposure to a culture or area.

Unlike other Skills, Common Lore has multiple Specialisations. Note that each time you acquire the skill with a particular Specialisation, it usually applies to a particular entity of the type described, such as Calixis Sector or Grey Knights Chapter. The example Specialisations for this Skill are as follows:

Adeptus Arbites: Knowledge of the various arms and sub-sects of the Arbites, including details of rank structure, common procedures, and the basic tenets of Imperial Justice.

Adeptus Astartes: An understanding of the role, function, and nature of the famed Imperial Space Marines, as well as a knowledge of the commonly known Chapters and their practices and areas of operation.

Adeptus Astra Telepathica: Knowledge of how psykers are recruited and trained for the Adeptus Terra, including how Astropaths are used throughout the Imperium, and the basics of sending and receiving astro-telepathic messages.

Adeptus Mechanicus: A general understanding of the symbols and practices of the Adeptus Mechanicus. For servants of Chaos, this also includes a general understanding of those who left the hidebound strictures of the Mechanicus to strike out on their own.

Administratum: Broad knowledge of the labyrinthine workings, rules, traditions, and dictates of the Adeptus Administratum.

Chapter: Knowledge of the function and organisation of a particular Space Marine Chapter, including its primary mandates and favoured practices.

Ecclesiarchy: Understanding of the structure of the Adeptus Ministorum and its role in the worship of the Emperor.

Imperial Creed: Knowledge of the rites, practices, and personages of the Imperial Cult, the most common observances, festivals, and holidays in honour of the Emperor.

Imperial Guard: Basic information about the ranking system, logistics, structure, and basic tactical and strategic practices of the Imperial Guard, as well as particularly famed regiments.

Imperial Navy: Basic information about the ranks, customs, uniforms, and particular traditions of the Imperial Navy, as well as famous admirals and ships.

Imperium: Knowledge of the segmenta, sectors, and well known worlds of the Imperium, including the Calixis Sector.

Planet: Knowledge of a particular planet's geography, culture and well-known history, as well as the outstanding current local events.

Sector: Information concerning the basic layout of a particular sector and the events taking place there.

Segmentum: Information concerning the general astrography of the Segmentum, including widely known sectors, famous planets, and legends of what may be found there.

Tech: An understanding of simple litanies and rituals to soothe and appease machine spirits.

War: Knowledge of great battles, notable commanders, heroes, and famous stratagems employed by those who fight for or against the Imperium.

The GM may call a player to use a Common Lore Skill when:

• The GM feels the player’s character may know something about a current situation, location, or individual.

• The character wants to know a specific detail about a common subject.

Example Modifiers (for Common Lore: Sector)

+30	Remembering the name of a broad region.
+20	Remembering generally known facts about a region.
+10	Learning general information about a specific planet.
+0	Remembering specific information about a specific planet or well-known location on a planet.
–10	Learning information about a large city.
–20	Learning information about a town.
–30	Remembering information learned about a specific individual known only to people with a specific set of interests.

Skill Use: Free Action.

Special Uses

Local Knowledge

For all a navigator’s charts and maps, sometimes nothing beats local knowledge. You may make a Common Lore (Imperium, or other related lore) to see if you know anything useful about the local area. If successful you gain a +10 bonus to the next Navigation or Survival Test made in the same locale.

Practices and Procedures

A little knowledge about an organisation’s practises and procedures goes a long way to smoothing things over when dealing with them. You may make a relevant Common Lore Test prior to dealing with members of an organisation. If successful, you gain a +10 bonus to Interaction Tests made when dealing with them.

Red Tape

Knowledge of the inside workings of the Imperial Adepta can give you the means to cut through endless layers of bureaucracy. When requesting information or assistance from the Adepta, you may make a Common Lore (related) or Scholastic Lore (Bureaucracy) Test. If successful, you may reduce the time taken by a further two hours for every degree of success. Alternatively, you can attempt to delay an attempt to get information by an enemy, increasing the time taken by two hours for every degree of success. On a failed Test, you increase the time taken by two hours plus two hours for every degree of failure, or if delaying an enemy, decrease the time taken by two hours plus two hours for every degree of failure.

Deceive (Fellowship)

Deceive is the art of lying or fooling others into believing something which is not true. A character skilled in Deceive is adept at convincing others of falsehoods, hiding their true intent from those around them or concealing some of the truth. Deceive can also be used to create a disguise, given the proper time and materials, which can be used to either hide their own appearance or even impersonate the appearance of another. When Deceive is used against an opponent (such as to convince someone of a lie or fool them with a disguise) it is always an Opposed Test. Deceive opposes and is opposed by Awareness.

The GM may call players to use the Deceive Skill when:

• They want to tell a convincing lie.

• They wish to distract someone with rambling nonsense.

• They are trying to disguise themselves.

Example Modifiers

+30	Telling a lie that is supported by what a person can see, creating a simple disguise meant to fool a stranger.
+20	Telling a lie which is partially true or only very slightly false.
+10	Telling a lie to someone who wants to believe it.
+0	Telling a lie to someone unknown to the character or creating a complex disguise with aid of props or kits.
–10	Telling a lie to someone who is already suspicious of the character.
–20	Telling a lie to someone who has been deceived by the character before.
–30	Telling a lie that contradicts what a person can see or disguising oneself as a close friend or loved one.

Skill use: One minute, longer for complex deceptions.

Special use

Disguise

A character with the Deception Skill can create a disguise for themselves, given enough time and a few raw materials. The time taken depends greatly on the complexity of the disguise; simply putting on an enemy’s uniform or covering the character’s face with filth may take minutes, while trying to change gender, race, or mimic a specific individual may take hours, days, or longer. The GM decides how long formulating a disguise takes and if the character has the materials at hand. Once the disguise is donned the GM then secretly tests for the player (using his Deception Skill and any appropriate modifiers) whenever the disguise comes under scrutiny (an opposed test against the Awareness of whoever is trying to see through the disguise). If a disguise passes this first test then it need not test again unless something changes (suspicion is cast on the character or a more observant NPC arrives).

Long-Term Impersonation

There may be times when a character must maintain a deception for day, weeks, or even months. While astonishingly difficult, it can yield amazing rewards for the bold or foolhardy.

The GM assigns Deception Tests at difficulties and intervals appropriate to the situation. Use tests varying between once a day for a recluse or once an hour for a very public persona, no easier than Challenging (+0). The individuals encountered may still have their individual reactions to the test, but the GM should keep track of the accumulated total of degrees of success and degrees of failure. Should the total degrees of failure ever exceed the degrees of success by more than five, the character’s cover has been blown.

Until that time, individuals bested by individual Deception Tests will treat the character as if they were the individual being mimicked.

Demolitions (Intelligence)

The character can use the Demolitions Skill to employ explosives in the proper quantity to achieve a desired effect, from cutting through the hatch of a Land Raider to destroying a plasma conduit without significantly damaging the reactor behind it. It can also be used to defuse explosives left by others or to manufacture demolition materials, from slow fuses to blasting caps to the explosives themselves. This Skill pertains to set charges rather than grenades and other devices intended for use against the enemy in combat.

Demolitions Skill may also be used to manufacture explosives, both in lab and field conditions.

The GM may call on a player to use the Demolitions Skill when:

• They wish to blow up something carefully.

• They wish to blow up someone in a timely manner.

• They wish to blow up everything spectacularly.

Example Modifiers

+30	Stuffing explosives into a vest and setting it to explode when the wearer pushes a button.
+20	Defusing a grenade rigged with a tripwire.
+10	Setting a charge to breach a thin hab block wall.
+0	Setting or defusing a standard-issue IG breaching charge.
–10	Setting charges to severe a plasma conduit without breaching the surrounding bulkheads.
–20	Setting charges to destruct a bridge just when the head of the enemy column reaches across it.
–30	Setting charges to bring down the entirety of a heretical cathedral at once upon the heads of an unholy sermon going on inside.

Skill Use: Full Action, unless otherwise noted.

Special Uses

Place explosives

The effectiveness of explosive devices is greatly dependent upon the skill with which they are placed. Success on a Demolitions Test indicates the character has successfully planted the explosive charge, set with his trigger of choice. Possible triggers are only limited by the imagination, and can include trip wires, timers, proximity sensors, or remote activators. Failure indicates that the explosives fail to go off when triggered, though the character will not know this until the time of activation. Four or more Degrees of Failure indicate the device explodes as the character is manipulating it, with suitably lethal results.

Some tasks, such as rigging a building for demolition or bringing down a massive suspension bridge, require an Extended Test. The GM sets difficulty and duration depending on the extent of the undertaking. When placing explosives, make sure to note the total Degrees of Success and the die roll, as it may be used in an Opposed Test if someone attempts to defuse the character’s hard work.

Noticing a planted and armed explosive intended to act as a booby trap requires an Awareness Test made by the possible victim against the Demolition rolled when planting the device. A Scrutiny Test may be made instead if the explosive is being detected with a technical sensor.

The Demolition skill can also be used to find an explosive device, when a character is using his own knowledge of planting explosives to find the most logical place where it could be placed.

Defuse explosives

Defusing charges also falls under the Demolition Skill. Make an Opposed Test against the Demolition Skill of the individual who sets the explosives. Winning the test indicates that the bomb has been defused. Alternatively, you can repurpose it, replacing the trigger with one of your choosing. Simple failure means that while the charge has not been disarmed, neither has it gone off. Four or more Degrees of Failure indicate the character has set off the device, suffering the consequences of the explosion. Defusing multiple charges or complex trigger mechanisms may require an Extended Test as determined by the GM.

Explosive Entry

Sometimes, when there isn’t enough time to bypass a lock manually or a doorway proves too much of an obstacle, only a well-placed explosive charge will do. If you have a small amount of explosive, either in the form of a shaped charge or a carefully placed grenade, you may make a Demolition Test instead of a Security Test to bypass a lock. Success indicates that the lock or door is destroyed, allowing access but probably alerting any guards. Failure indicates that the lock is destroyed but the door remains sealed, the explosives failed to detonate, or that the explosion emanates outwards instead of inwards, catching anyone nearby in the blast.

Dodge (Agility)

Dodge is the ability to avoid blows in melee, duck incoming fire or leap out of the way of falling debris. It combines nimbleness of movement with trained refl exes and an awareness of all kinds of danger. A character can use his Dodge Skill to dodge either melee attacks or ranged attacks. Dodging attacks is a made in response to a foe’s successful attack. A success indicates that the attack has been avoided and it does not hit the character. In the case of attacks which cause multiple hits (such as automatic fire) each Degree of Success a character achieves on his Dodge Test discounts one hit from the attack. Any excess hits not discounted by dodging are then applied to the character as normal.

The GM may call on a player to use the Dodge Skill when:

• They are attacked in melee.

• They are attacked with a ranged weapon.

• They need to avoid hazards such as falling wreckage or leap from a collapsing bridge.

Example Modifiers

+30	Character can easily detect the attack and has at least a round to avoid it.
+20	Character has full cover between him and an attack.
+10	Character has half cover between him and an attack.
+0	Character is avoiding an attack in the open. This is the default modifier for Dodge in combat.
–10	Character is on loose ground, mud, or knee-deep water.
–20	Character is in waist-deep water.
–30	Character is unable to see the source of the attack.

Skill Use: Reaction.

Special Uses

Dive for Cover

Whenever you are allowed to make a Dodge Test to negate an attack, you may instead make a Difficult (–10) Dodge Test to dive behind cover. To use this feature, the cover must be within your Agility Bonus in metres of you. If the Test succeeds, you not only negate the attack, but also move behind the covering obstacle.

Protect Ally

You may also use Dodge to put yourself in the path of an attack made against an ally. Whenever you are adjacent to an ally and that ally is attacked, you may make a Difficult (–10) Dodge Test to swap your position with that of your ally. If the Test succeeds, you are attacked instead.

Forbidden Lore (Intelligence)

All Forbidden Lore Skills represent knowledge forbidden or hidden to the average citizen of the Imperium of Man. In many cases, it is a heinous crime to even possess such knowledge. More often than not, such knowledge is forbidden for a reason, and is often highly dangerous. In other cases, those within the group in question wish to keep such knowledge secret, and may go great lengths to ensure this.

Forbidden Lore has several different Specialisations. The example Specialisations are as follows:

Adeptus Astartes: Knowledge of the practices, organisation, and homeworlds of the Imperial Space Marines and their Chapters including blasphemous knowledge of their rites, rituals, and beliefs.

Adeptus Mechanicus: An in-depth understanding of followers of the Machine God, including such things as their rituals, observances, common beliefs, core philosophies, and specific knowledge of the Universal Laws.

Archeotech: Knowledge of the great, lost tech devices of past times and clues to their mysterious functions and purposes.

The Black Library: Secret knowledge concerning the Black Library, its forbidden contents, horrific guardians, and the unspeakable xenos that toil within its confines.

Chapter: Knowledge of the deepest, darkest secrets of a Space Marine Chapter, such as the real history of the Destruction of Caliban.

Codex Astartes: Understanding and interpreting the Codex Astartes and how it relates to the organisation, deployment, and tactics of the Space Marine Chapters.

Cults: Knowledge of the most notorious Imperial Cults and some of their sub-sects and splinter cabals.

Daemonology: Lore about some of the most infamous warp entities and their twisted physical manifestations.

Heresy: Wisdom concerning acts and practices deemed heretical by the Imperium, the most contemptible heretics of history, and their acts.

The Horus Heresy and Long War: The origins and history of the 10,000-year-long war between the forces of the Ruinous Powers and the Imperium of Man.

The Inquisition: Understanding the secretive organisation of the Imperium, its common tenets, and famous Inquisitors.

Mutants: The study of stable and unstable mutations within humanity, their cancerous influence and mutagenic development over time, and some of the studies and books on the topic.

Navigators: Secret knowledge about the Navis Nobilite families, their breeding programs, common mutations, and prominent patriarchs.

Ordos: Specialised knowledge of a particular Inquisitional Ordo’s practices, deeds and stories.

Pirates: Knowledge of the scourge of the warp lanes, their tactics, infamous vessels, and inhuman captains.

Psykers: Skill in identifying psykers, the physical effects of their powers, the danger they cause, and the general extent of their capabilities.

The Traitor Legions: The secrets of the lost Space Marine Legions, their names, sad tales of their fall from grace, and their current status.

The Warp: An understanding of the energy of the warp, its interaction and interrelation with realspace, and how its tides and eddies affect travel between the stars.

Xenos: Knowledge of the minor and major alien species known to the Imperium, the threat they pose, and their general appearance.

A successful Forbidden Lore Test imparts information from the GM to the player. The GM may impart more information if the Test scores additional Degrees of Success.

The GM can require a player to make a Forbidden Lore Test when he:

• Seeks information about potential cults active on an Imperial world.

• Wishes to learn about the dangers the Inquisition may pose to a heretical undertaking.

• Wishes to learn more about the mysterious monoliths on a desert world.

• Seeks information on the operations of the dreaded Eldar or their dark kin.

• Desires to learn the True Name of a powerful daemon.

• Seeks the proper procedure to summon a warp-spawn.

• Wishes to know more about psykers and psychic abilities, or the powers they can bring to bear.

• Must recall information about the Traitor Legions and their ongoing war against the Imperium.

Example Modifiers

+30	Learning of the existence of xenos races such as the Orks or Tyranids.
+20	Learning of the warp and what it is.
+10	Remembering the existence of a heretical sect.
+0	Learning of the nature and events of the Horus Heresy.
–10	Remembering obscure xenos races in local regions of space such as the Rak’Gol.
–20	Understanding details of the nature and motives of Daemons and warp entities.
–30	Learning a Daemon’s True Name.

Skill use: Free Action; but consequences of such knowledge may last a lifetime.

Special Uses

Forbidden Goods

You may make a Forbidden Lore Test instead of an Commerce Test, to calculate the (often priceless) value of a forbidden artefact or try to learn something about its history or purpose. Of course, peddling forbidden artefacts is often treated as a worse crime than simply possessing them, usually ending in execution... or worse.

Forbidden Procedures

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing when dealing with forbidden lore, but can still ingratiate you with an organisation all the quicker by revealing their hidden goals and motivations. You may make a relevant Forbidden Lore Test prior to dealing with members of an organisation. If successful you gain a +10 bonus to Interaction Tests made when dealing with them.

Inquiry (Fellowship)

Inquiry is used to gain information by asking questions, stimulating conversation, or simply eavesdropping. Unlike Charm or Intimidate, which focus on changing a character’s disposition or influencing specific individuals, Inquiry focuses on gaining information from large groups, and may involve a great deal of time and effort. One or two Degrees of Success may reveal basic information about an area, population group, or individuals, while additional Degrees of Success on a successful Inquiry Test may allow the GM to impart more valuable or secretive information to his players.

The GM can require a player to make an Inquiry Test when he:

• Is trying to track down a local crime lord in a hive.

• Attempts to learn the attitudes of the local populace towards their leaders.

• Seeks a specific type of location such as a shop or tavern.

Example Modifiers

+30	Subject is already very friendly or loyal or answering the questions works towards the subject’s best interests.
+20	Subject is friendly, or the character adds incentive such as a bribe.
+10	Subject is naturally talkative or the character is of a favoured gender or social class.
+0	Subject is ambivalent to the character, or has no prior reason to interact with the character.
–10	Subject doesn’t wants to be bothered, or the character is rude or aggressive.
–20	Subject is suspicious of the character, or the character is inquiring about information the subject wants secret.
–30	Subject is actively hostile or answering questions likely results in serious problems for the subject.

Skill use: One hour or more, depending on the nature of the inquiries, the size of the group targeted, and information sought.

Special Uses

Asking Around

You may make an Inquiry Test to find out if anyone has been asking questions about you, your colleagues or anything else you might be on the hunt for. This is Opposed by the Inquiry Test of anyone asking such questions.

False Rumours

Just as you rely on rumours to find answers, so to can you plant false rumours to throw an enemy off your trail. You may make an Inquiry Test to plant such rumours for others to discover. A successful Test increases the Difficulty of your opponent’s Inquiry Test by one plus one-step for each degree of success.

Lines of Inquiry

You can use Inquiry as a very light form of interrogation, attempting to find information by asking seemingly innocent questions of the subject. In place of an Interrogation Test, you may instead make a Hard (–20) Inquiry Test. You are never at risk of inflicting Fatigue or Damage with this Test.

Interrogation (Willpower)

Interrogation allows a character to extract information from an unwilling subject. The application differs from torture, where a subject often says anything to stop the ordeal. Rather, it represents skilled application of psychology, various devices, serums, and other techniques. The GM may modify the difficulty of the test according to the availability of tools, facilities, and other conditions.

Interrogation is always an Opposed Test, pitting the character’s Intimidation Skill against an opponent’s Willpower. If the character wins the Opposed Test, he gets one answer for each Degree of Success. If his opponent wins the Opposed Test, he gets nothing of worth. Two or more Degrees of Failure inflict 1d10 plus the character’s Willpower Bonus in Damage to the subject, and prevents any further interrogation for 1d5 days. If the character suffers four or more Degrees of Failure, he deals the same Damage and the subject gains a +30 bonus to Willpower Tests made to resist Interrogation at the character’s hands or his allies. Each Interrogation Test inflicts one level of fatigue on the target.

The GM can require a player to make an Interrogation Test when he:

• Attempts to force an Imperial Adept to reveal information about his superiors.

• Is attempting to learn about battle plans from an Traitor Guard captain.

Example Modifiers

+30	Subject has no reason to resist the interrogator, and actively cooperates.
+20	Subject is terrified of interrogator.
+10	Subject is frightened of the interrogator.
+0	Subject has a good reason to resist, or sees himself as the interrogator’s equal.
–10	Subject feels he is the interrogator’s better.
–20	Subject is confident in an impending rescue.
–30	Subject would suffer far worse fate than what the interrogator would do if he answered questions.

Skill use: One hour or more, depending on the invasiveness of the interrogation and the subject.

Special Use

Long-Term Questioning

Interrogation need not always be a short process, taking days instead of hours, and also can employ far more subtle methods than chirurgical instruments. If an interrogator has the luxury of time on their side, they can utilize subtle psychological tools to help their quest for information, controlling all access to the outside world and the subject’s perception of reality. If the interrogator changes the time necessary for each test from an hour to 1d5 days, decrease the level of difficulty by one step. The consequences for failure, however, remain the same.

Intimidate (Strength)

Intimidate is a character’s ability to frighten others into either doing what he tells them or giving up information. A character skilled in Intimidation can bully their way past guards, terrify locals into giving up their secrets, or even force foes to back down from a fi ght for fear of the consequences. When Intimidation is used against an opponent (such as to scare them into doing the character’s bidding or make them back down from a fight) it is an Opposed Test. Intimidation is opposed by Willpower.

Intimidate is a Skill that is particularly likely to benefit from the use of Alternate Characteristics, as characters may use many creative means to scare their opponents. For example, a character may threaten an individual with his powerful allies or dire retribution, which may allow him to use Intelligence to see how inventive the character can be with his threats, or Fellowship to see how convincing he can be.

The GM may call a player to use the Intimidation Skill when:

• They want someone to get out of their way.

• They wish to extract information from a hostile or resisting NPC.

• They are trying to make an opponent back down from a fight.

Example Modifiers

+30	Opponent is obviously inferior to the character (i.e. grot, slave, etc.).
+20	Opponent is at a disadvantage to the character, such as being outnumbered or wounded.
+10	Opponent is weaker than the character (either in physical stature or social status).
+0	Opponent is the physical or social equal of the character.
–10	Opponent is stronger than the character (either in physical stature or social status).
–20	Opponent has an obvious advantage over the character, such as better weapons or more men.
–30	Opponent is considerably more powerful than the character, such as a planetary ruler or warlord.

Skill use: Full Action

Special Uses

Fearsome Glare

Normally, using Intimidate is a Full Action, but sometimes you need to cow your opponent quickly to keep the target in place while attending to a more significant threat. You may Test Intimidate as a Half Action, but the Difficulty worsens by one-step. Furthermore, if you succeed, the effects of the Test last for just 1 Round.

Scare Factor

Whilst Intimidate normally requires you to be able to make yourself understood, you can attempt to scare or cow a group of people or creatures who do not speak your language (or any language) by the power of gesture and shouting alone. Using Intimidate in this way makes the Test one step harder.

Invocation (Willpower)

The character clears his mind of external influence and focuses his will more intently. This may be through recitation of mantras, use of psychic foci, or meditation. A successful test indicates that the character’s mind is ready to channel a greater amount of the warp than usual, while still limiting his exposure. On the next Round, the character adds +1 to the final Psy Rating of any Fettered Power Test.

Failure on the Invocation Test indicates that the character’s attempts to focus have backfired, and he must take a –1 penalty to the final Psy Rating of a Fettered Power Test. If this reduces the Psy Rating to zero, the power fails to activate.

Invocation may also be used to draw all kinds of sigils and wards, from protective to much more ominous.

The GM may call on a player to use the Invocation Skill when:

• They are focusing before manifesting a Psychic Power.

• They are drawing protective wards.

• They are summoning a daemon using a summoning circle.

Example Modifiers

+30	Character is focusing in complete silence and loneliness.
+20	Character is focusing in a relatively quiet place.
+10	Character is focusing among friends and comrades.
+0	Character is focusing in ranged combat.
–10	Character is focusing amid loud noises: explosives going off, plasma guns firing, and such.
–20	Character is in heavily wounded.
–30	Character is in melee combat.

Skill Use: Full Action to focus, longer times to reproduce complex sigils.

Special Uses

Protective Wards

You may use Invocation to draw psychic wards and sigils about you, summon up your mental energies and fortify your will against attack. Doing so requires a Full Action Invocation Test, and if successful you gain a +10 bonus for every degree of success to the next Willpower Test made to resist a Psychic Power. A failure by three or more degrees indicates you have botched the wards in a significant way, imposing a –10 penalty to your next Test instead. For every degree of failure above three, the penalty worsens by an additional –10.

Protective wards drawn with more than one DoS are visible as faintly glowing outlines of the wards in the air around you; the more DoS, the brighter they glow.

Hexagrammatic Wards

While inscribing permanent wards requires blessed unguents and long hard work, it is possible to protect a character with a simple temporary ward drawn in cheaper mundane materials. Doing so requires a Hard (–20) Scholastic Lore (Occult), Scholastic Lore (Imperial Creed) Test or Invocation Test for each armour location thus protected. All armour locations must be inscribed, and each one takes 10 minutes. Failure means the runes and litanies must be cleaned off and started again. Any character who is warded gains a +20 bonus to Tests to resist Fear from Daemonic entities and +10 to all Willpower Tests to resist psychic powers. Wards last for one day, though their benefits may be removed earlier at the GM’s discretion (if the character is set on fire, doused in water, or other effect that would remove the inscriptions).

Linguistics (Intelligence)

Linguistics covers all kinds of spoken and written languages. A character with the Linguistics Skill has learnt to speak, read, and write (if it has a written form) a particular language. No test is normally required to use Linguistics as it pertains to normal speaking, reading, or writing. Any character who has Linguistics as a Skill knows how to read and write in a language, unless specifically stated to be illiterate for some reason, like coming from a primitive world where literacy is unknown.

Linguistics is a Specialist Skill and requires a player to choose a speciality when first taken (for most humans it is Low Gothic). The Linguistics Skill may be taken more than once, each time with a new speciality. The example Specialisations for this Skill are as follows:

Eldar: Though no human can hope to capture the subtle nuances and sub-tones of this extremely complex and ancient language, it is enough to make one’s meaning clear.

High Gothic: The official language of the Imperium, used by Imperial officials, nobility, members of the Ecclesiarchy, and those involved in high-level negotiations.

Kroot: The native chirping language of the Kroot is almost impossible for a human to emulate, however with training and a good ear it can be understood.

Low Gothic: The common tongue of the Vortex (and most places humans are found), used by countless humans.

Ork: More grunts and physical violence than an actual language, it is possible for humans to speak and understand it, though it is doubtful they would be able to survive a conversation.

Planetary Dialect: One of the multitude of the languages the worlds of humans use, either descended from Low Gothic and changed over millenia of isolation, or completely unrelated to it.

Techna-Lingua: The offi cial language of the Adeptus Mechanicus (and its dark counterpart), this binary language has been optimised for rapid communication of technical data and servitor commands.

Tau: The language of the Tau Empire, spoken by the Tau themselves and shared by their multitude of alien subjects.

The GM may call on players to use the Linguistics Skill when: • They must decipher an old or archaic version of their language.

• They wish to write a moving or particularly disturbing piece of prose.

• They are trying to convey a message using subtext or a limited vocabulary.

Example Modifiers

+30	Deciphering a language with the aid of a lexicon.
+20	Deciphering a primitive language based on a known language.
+10	Deciphering a code in Low Gothic.
+0	Deciphering a code in High Gothic.
–10	Deciphering a code in a local language.
–20	Deciphering an ancient or forgotten language (i.e. ancient Terran)/Understanding a language unknown to the character, but based on human language.
–30	Deciphering a completely alien language (i.e. Eldar)/Understanding a language both unknown to the character and without any relationship to known languages.

Skill use: Free Action

Special Use

Speed Reading

Sometimes you might not have the luxury of time to spend an hour flicking through a tome to find the proper warding rituals. In such hurried cases, you may make a Difficult (–10) Linguistics Test to skim through the text to find what you are looking for, allowing you to read your Intelligence Bonus in pages of text in a Round. However, you are unable to get more than a sense of meaning or find a specific phrase or section by doing this.

Logic (Intelligence)

Logic is the ability to think logically, solve puzzles and dissect information rationally and quickly. A character skilled in Logic can detect patterns where others cannot, see how each piece fits together into a whole and gather meaning from chaos. In addition to finding clues, solving riddles, or completing puzzles, Logic can also be used to help a character in games and endeavours where chance plays a large part such as gambling.

The GM may call on players to use the Logic Skill when:

• They must solve a riddle or puzzle.

• They are looking for clue in a vast amount of unrelated information.

• They are trying to win at a game of chance.

Example Modifiers

+30	Puzzle or riddle is very basic with few possible solutions.
+20	Puzzle or riddle is already partially complete.
+10	Puzzle or riddle is similar to one the character has solved before.
+0	A straightforward but new puzzle.
–10	Puzzle or riddle is long or buried in excessive meaningless information.
–20	Puzzle or riddle is incomplete and requires the character to fill in the blanks.
–30	Puzzle or riddle is of alien origin or created by a completely inhuman mind.

Skill use: One minute, or longer for particularly complex problems.

Special uses

Epiphany

Once per game session, when you are stumped at an impasse or otherwise confronted with a problem you can’t quite overcome, you may make a Very Hard (–30) Logic Test to conjure up an idea from the depths of your mind. On a success you must spend a Fate Point, and the GM may grant you a hint, nudge you in the right direction or offer some other previously overlooked clue to aid you in your investigation.

Gambling

A character can use Logic when participating in games of chance rather than simply relying on blind luck. Each participant wagers an amount, though these are typically the same, and makes an Opposed Test with the Logic Skill. The character with the most Degrees of Success or fewest Degrees of Failure wins the pot. However, this only covers Gambling if the character is attempting to win by playing the game correctly— analysing the odds and playing intelligently. Gamblers often can use bluffing, deception, and outright cheating in order to win. In this case, Deceive may be used to bluff or trick an opponent, while Sleight of Hand may be used to palm cards or alter results. These would be opposed by Scrutiny and Awareness, respectively.

Creating or Deciphering a Cipher

New secret languages and cipher systems can be created (and indeed they often are) with Logic using the Crafting rules.

A character can also use the Logic Skill to decode ciphers and codes. This usually takes a great deal of time (days or weeks of prolonged work) and the difficulty depends greatly on whether the character has a key or the number of examples of the cipher available. In general, these Tests should be Difficult (–0) at the easiest, unless the cipher is already partially decoded or the character has a key available.

Mathemechanica Rituals

Tech-priests know the mathemechanical formulae to coax a machine-spirit into behaving itself. You may make a Logic Test to recall the correct rituals and incantations, and, if successful, gain +10 to a Tech-Use Test made at the same time. Alternatively, you may use your Logic to assist another character’s Tech-Use skill.

Sooth Machine-Spirits

You know the rites and rituals to placate an angry machine-spirit, coaxing it to cooperate. In the event of a weapon or equipment malfunction or Jamming, you may make a Difficult (–10) Logic Test to coax the machine-spirit into behaving itself. If the Test is successful, the weapon does not Jam or the piece of equipment does not malfunction. This attempt spends your next Full Action.

Medicae (Intelligence)

Medicae is an understanding of the biologis sciences and how to set broken bones, heal wounds, or even perform complicated surgery such as attaching a bionic limb. A character with the Medicae Skill can apply first aid to his comrades, diagnose an illness, or remove an organ (and keep the patient alive given the right equipment). The Medicae Skill also relies heavily on certain tools for more complex procedures, and even a simple medikit can make a significant difference to the effects of this Skill.

Medicae can be used to make all kinds of drugs and poisons from animal venom and healing unguents to Stimm and Spook. The time, difficulty, and materials it takes to create these items is greatly dependant on their complexity, the kind of lab the character has and their access to recipes or assistance.

The GM may call on players to use the Medicae Skill when:

• They want to apply first aid to a wounded comrade.

• They wish to diagnose an affliction and work out a suitable treatment.

• They are trying to perform a surgical procedure such as the removal of a limb or organ.

Example Modifiers

+30	Healing a critical wound in a fully-stocked facility with the aid of medical servitors.
+20	Healing a critical wound in a hive med-lab with well-trained assistants.
+10	Healing a critical wound in a field hospital with trained assistants.
+0	Healing a non-critical injury in the field.
–10	Healing a critical wound without assistance.
–20	Healing a critical wound exposed to the elements.
–30	Healing a critical wound in the midst of a combat or battle.

Skill use: Full Action.

Special uses

First Aid

Heretics can use the Medicae Skill to perform first aid for the injured, removing a small amount of Damage by suturing lacerations, bandaging abrasions, and plugging punctures. A successful Medicae Test removes Damage equal to your Intelligence Bonus on Lightly Damaged Characters or one Damage Point from Heavily or Critically Damaged Characters (unless you or the character healed possess the talents to change that).

Extended Care

Using the Medicae Skill for extended care speeds the healing process. A character can properly treat a number of patients equal to their Intelligence Bonus. For every assistant the character has add an additional one to this number or the character’s Intelligence Bonus again if the assistant also have the Medicae Skill (regardless of their ability). Each additional patient imposes a cumulative –10 penalty to the character’s Medicae Tests to provide extended care. For Lightly Damaged patients, make one test at the end of each day. For heavily or Critically Damaged patients, test once at the end of each week. Success allows a patient to remove twice the normal Damage—removing Critical Damage first—plus one point for each Degree of Success. Failure does not adversely affect patients, who heal at the normal rate. Two or three Degrees of Failure indicates that all Lightly and Heavily Damaged patients take one Damage each, using sudden death to resolve any Critical Damage. Four or more Degrees of Failure indicates all patients take 1d10 Damage, using sudden death to resolve Critical Damage.

Diagnose

The Medicae Skill can also be used to diagnose disease and other ailments, both on one’s fellow characters and also on large groups. On individuals, a successful Skill test yields the name of the ailment and basic treatments. When used on groups, a successful Skill test can prevents the spread of disease or mitigate the effects of malnutrition as determined by the GM and dependant on the nature (and virulence) of the disease.

Chem Use

The Medicae Skill can be used to cover a character’s understanding of drugs, poisons, chemicals, and toxins. A skilled chymist can both create and identify such compounds as well as know how best to use them either for medicinal effects or in combat against their enemies. Chem-Use is also useful in diagnosing those suffering from toxins and poisons or finding antidotes to treat them.

Antidotes

A chymist may manufacture an antidote if they can identify the poison or toxin and have the right material to hand. To create an antidote the character must have a sample of the poison in question or a sample of blood from the person he is trying to treat. The character must also have at least a basic medkit. He then makes an Extended Test requiring a number of Degrees of Success set by the GM depending on the strength of the poison; as a guideline this can be four for weak poisons, seven for average poisons and 10 for strong poisons. Success nets 2d10 doses of antidote for that specific poison. Creating an antidote takes 1d10 hours. The GM can modify these tests depending on the materials available (granting bonuses for labs and assistants).

Applying Poisons and Chemicals

Particularly virulent or dangerous chemicals may require a Medicae Test to administer or apply to a weapon. This Test is usually Challenging, and failure by four or more degrees may indicate that something has gone seriously wrong with the dosage or application and the applicant suffers the adverse affects of the chemical or poison.

Chemical Interrogation

With a suitable supply of truth serums and other drugs, character can significantly increase their chances of success with an interrogation. Various substances can skew a subject’s perspective and sap his will.

An character that makes a successful Medicae Test as part of an investigation may grant himself or a character of his choosing a +10 bonus to his WP for the following Opposed Interrogation Test. This bonus does stack with the use of specific drugs, such as Explicator Serum.

Concealing Poisons

Whenever you want to introduce a toxin into a target’s food, drink or air and want to conceal your activity, you may make a Difficult (–10) Medicae Test to administer the chemical in a way the victim may not detect. On a success, you apply the poison normally. However, for each degree of success, you worsen the Difficulty of the Medicae Test made later to identify the toxin from the victim’s remains.

Detecting Poisons

You may use Medicae when analysing the remains of a victim to detect toxins and chemicals buried in the flesh. Provided you have a toxin wand or a chymistry lab, a successful Medicae Test reveals the absence or presence of such a substance. Each degree of success reveals one more component of the substance, including such things as what it is, its method of delivery, and the most likely places where it can be procured.

If you lack proper equipment, you take a –20 penalty on your Medicae Test. Other factors can modify the Difficulty, including the quality of the remains, attempts to mask the substance chemically, or even the nature of the substance itself.

False Façade

A skilled chymist can produce cosmetics and other materials to enhance disguises—anything from a paste that raises actual boils and lesions to skins that enhance prosthetics for mimicking mutations. Many such cosmetics include custom paints that perfectly match the surrounding environment. These concoctions can also provide an advantage in societies that see specific makeup or skin tones as more comely. Given sufficient raw materials, success in a Medicae Test will enhance Stealth and Deceive Tests by +10. In situations deemed appropriate by the GM, this could result in +10 to Charm Tests instead.

Prosthetic Deception

With your advanced knowledge of anatomy and physiology, you have the ability to make uncannily lifelike prosthetics to assist in disguises. While truly advanced deceptions, such as additional limbs or motive tentacles would require the appropriate use of the Crafting rules, you can help craft a convincing disguise. Of course it always helps if you possess the correct (often proscribed) knowledge to make the deception truly authentic.

A successful Medicae test, along with 1d5 hours of labour, will create appropriate prosthetics—such as dental caps, dermal adhesions, and the like—to give the subject a +10 bonus to their Deceive tests. If the subject of the disguise is a mutant or Xeno, the GM may require that the medicae has the associated Forbidden Lore skill.

Torment

Medicae also have advanced knowledge of pressure points, nerve clusters, and other techniques that can greatly aid in interrogations. These techniques need not involve pain or harm to the victim; waking to find yourself completely paralyzed or unable to feel any sensation can be infinitely more disturbing than more “traditional” methods, and skilled physicians can induce these states and much more. Of course, using their skills in such a manner violates the oaths of the Officio Medicae and potentially their conscience.

As with Prosthetic Deception, advanced knowledge may be required for particularly strange or alien specimens, but success in a Medicae roll will grant a +10 bonus to an Interrogation Test. This task requires 1d5 hours, causes a level of Fatigue in the target, and carries the same consequences of failure as interrogation in terms of damage and WP test bonuses against future attempts.

Navigate (Intelligence)

Navigate is the ability to plot a course from one point to another, either on the surface of a planet or across the stars. A character with the Navigate Skill is able to find their way quickly and efficiently even when far from familiar landmarks.

Navigate is a Specialist skill, and has the following three Specialisations:

Surface covers the ability to Navigate across terrestrial environments from frozen tundra to sweltering jungles as well as navigating man made environments such as hive cities or subterranean complexes.

Stellar is the ability to plot a course across real space using stars, planets and other celestial phenomena. This ability is primarily used aboard voidships by pilots.

Warp is the rare ability to navigate not reality, but the shifting and ever-changing vista of the warp. This is most commonly used by those who must guide voidships with a warp engine through the Immaterium, such as the voidships' Navigators.

The GM may call a player to use the Navigate Skill when:

• They want to make a journey across unfamiliar terrain.

• They wish to find the quickest route from one star system to another.

• They must guide a starship through the warp.

Example Modifiers

+30	Navigating familiar or well travelled routes.
+20	Navigating with the aid of extensive charts, maps or a guide, or using the Astronomicon to traverse the Warp.
+10	Navigating open spaces with clear landmarks, such as established roads.
+0	Navigating in normal conditions: in a forest during the day, in an open star system.
–10	Navigating in moderately conditions: at night or during bad weather, around stellar anomalies such as a pulsar, in the Warp off established routes.
–20	Navigating in bad conditions: without the aid of any equipment or maps on surface or in the Warp, through an asteroid field or ice field in space.
–30	Navigating in terrible conditions: in a constantly-changing environment, such as shifting sand dunes, or a binary star system with a black hole and fractured planets, or a Warp storm.

Skill use: One minute for simple location; 1d5 hours for plotting courses or routes.

Operate (Agility)

Operate encompasses the ability to control and direct all manner of vehicles and heavy equipment. This can include everything from void ships the size of cities or macro batteries to land speeders or jump packs. A character with this Skill is adept at piloting, driving, or operating a particular type of vehicle or machine. No test is normally required to pilot or drive a vehicle unless it is in a combat situation or other unusual circumstances (i.e. extremely rough terrain, high speed, etc.).

Operate is a Specialist skill and has the following three Specialisations:

Surface covers the ability to pilot any vehicle that primarily operates on the surface of a planet. Groundcars, walkers, treaded vehicles, boats, and skimmers (hovering or flying vehicles that must remain very low the ground) can all be piloted using Operate (Surface).

Aeronautica' covers the ability to pilot any vehicle that operates in three dimensions. This primarily covers atmospheric fliers such as the Imperial Navy Thunderbolt or Chaos Hell Blade and Hell Talon, but also includes small manoeuvrable voidcraft such as landers, shuttles, starfighters, and bombers. Piloting jump packs is also covered by this ability.

Voidship' covers the ability to pilot large voidfaring vessels, often kilometres long. Any space-going vessel that requires a captain and large crew and cannot be conceivably piloted by a single individual is operated by Operate (Voidship). Operate (Voidship) typically uses Intelligence as its base stat.

The GM may call players to use the Operate Skill when:

• They are piloting or driving a vehicle in combat situation.

• They wish to push their vehicle or machine beyond its normal limits.

• They are directing fire from the turrets on a vehicle in an adverse situation.

• They want to perform a particularly complex maneuver.

• They are manoeuvring a voidship.

• They are overseeing the use of a massive weapon such as a macrobattery or orbital laser.

Example Modifiers

+30	Operating in situation outside of combat and in otherwise good conditions.
+20	Operating a vehicle with the aid of a dedicated cogitator/machine spirit, piloting a voidship in clear space around a moon.
+10	Driving quickly but on a decent road, flying with a copilot or navigator, piloting a voidship in a cluttered orbit around a large planet.
+0	Moving in combat but in an open area, piloting a voidship in formation with other vessels.
–10	Moving at excessive speeds, performing fast or stressful manoeuvres.
–20	Controlling a vehicle in bad weather such as storms or high winds, piloting a voidship through an asteroid belt.
–30	Driving while also fighting in close combat, flying in a damaged aircraft while in combat, performing high-gee manoeuvres while flying through a canyon, saving a vessel from being caught in a warp rift.

Skill use: Half Action; or Strategic Turn for complex vessel maneuvers.

Special Use

Shake Down

A popular manoeuvre for when a ship has unwelcome intruders onboard is for the pilot to jolt or jar the craft in such a way as to force all unsecured passengers to lose their footing. If the defenders can be forewarned somehow, this can give them an advantage in a fight. You make a Operate Test, opposed by an Agility Test by everyone caught unawares. If successful, the hapless victim is knocked over and must spend his next Round getting up again.

Parry (Weapon Skill)

Parry is the ability to avoid blows in melee, either deflecting them using one’s hands or weapons, or evading them entirely through quick refl exes. A character targeted by melee attacks can parry these attacks using Parry. Parrying is a Reaction (and as such can usually only be attempted once each turn) and can only be used against close combat attacks from foes engaged with the character in melee. A success indicates that the attack has been parried and does not hit the character. In the case of attacks which cause multiple hits (such as those from a foe with the Lightning Attack Talent) each Degree of Success a character achieves on his Parry test discounts one hit from the attack. Any excess hits not discounted by parrying are then applied to the character as normal.

The GM may call on players to use the Parry Skill when:

• They are attacked in melee.

Example Modifiers

+30	Character can easily detect the attack and has at least a round to avoid it.
+20	Character has a large obstruction between him and the attack.
+10	Character has partial cover between him and the attack.
+0	Character is avoiding an attack in the open. This is the default modifier for Parry in combat.
–10	Character is on unstable ground, or calf deep water.
–20	Character is in waist deep water.
–30	Character is unable to see the source of the attack.

Skill use: Reaction

Perform (Fellowship)

The character can use the Performer Skill to entertain and enthral groups of spectators. The Perform Skill may also be used to earn money and wealth, much like the Trade Skills. Performer Tests take an amount of time dependent on the art form involved.

Perform is a Specialist Skill and requires a player to choose a speciality when taking it. Examples of available specialities include Dancer, Musician, Singer, Storyteller, Artist, but there are many more available at GM's discretion.

Example Modifiers

+30	Performing for a very small and benevolent audience with low expectations, such as singing in a shower.
+20	Performing as a part of a large group, for example, singing as a part of a large chorus.
+10	Performing before a very benevolent audience.
+0	Giving a successful professional performance.
–10	Performing complex feats, such as singing the opera solos.
–20	Performing before hostile audience, booing and throwing tomatoes at any chance.
–30	Performing before violently hostile audience, such as an Ork gathering, or producing truly soul-twisting results worthy of a genius.

Skill Use: Variable

Special Uses

Charming Performance

A character may make a Difficult (–10) Perform (Storyteller) or Perform (Singer) Test instead of a Charm test, to win round an audience, causing their disposition to improve by one level.

Enthralling Performance

A character may make a Difficult (–10) Perform (Musician) or Perform (Singer) Test, utterly enthralling and distracting an audience for a moment. When used in this way, the skill uses the same modifiers as Charm Skill would have used had it been used in its stead.

Innuendo

You may convey secret messages in your stories and songs. You may make a Difficult (–10) Perform (Singer or Storyteller) Test instead of a Cipher or Linguistics Test. The recipient of the message must have the correct Skill to comprehend the meaning as normal.

Rousing Tale

A character may make a Challenging (+0) Perform (Storyteller) or Perform (Singer) Test instead of a Command test to raise the moral of troops under his command or get them to undertake a difficult duty, such as making a last stand.

Psyniscience (Perception)

Those with the Psyniscience Skill sense the currents and eddies of the Warp and Immaterium. Characters can use the Skill to detect the presence or absence of daemons, the use of psychic powers, psychic phenomena, disturbances, or areas where the flow of the Immaterium has been unsettled or disrupted. Unless otherwise noted a character can use the Psyniscience Skill to detect entities, locales, and events up to a number of kilometres away equal to their Perception Bonus. A GM may increase this range for particularly powerful events or creatures. The general results of Psyniscience tests are summarised on Table: Psyniscience.

Table: Psyniscience

DoS	Result
One	Awareness of Immaterium disruption or number of entities present.
Two	Approximate direction of the phenomena or creatures.
Three	Rough location of the Warp creatures or beings affecting the Immaterium.
Four	Exact position of the creatures or psykers present.

The GM may call a player to use the Psyniscience Skill when:

• They are hunting for the location of a daemon.

• They wish to determine whether a psyker has used his powers recently in the area.

• They are trying to find a weak point between the Materium and the Immaterium.

Example Modifiers

+30	Detecting the presence of a Greater Daemon.
+20	Detecting the presence of a major daemonic incursion.
+10	Detecting the presence of a minor daemonic incursion.
+0	Detecting the presence of a nearby warp entity.
–10	Detecting the presence of a daemon among a large group of psykers.
–20	Detecting the presence of a daemon several kilometres away.
–30	Detecting the presence of a daemon somewhere in the midst of a hive city.

Skill use: Full Action

Scholastic Lore (Intelligence)

All Scholastic Lore Skills represent information that a character would need to learn in a formal setting or institution of learning, whether from a knowledgeable mentor, an organisation, or even the careful study of rare tomes. Unlike Common Lore, this information is not readily available to the average inhabitant of a planet, but unlike Forbidden Lore, it is not forbidden or proscribed.

Scholastic Lore has multiple Specialisations. Examples of these Specialisations are as follows:

Archaic: An understanding of the Imperium’s dark past, its proscribed eras, and how the long millennia have changed the face of mankind.

Astromancy: A knowledge of stars, singularities, and the worlds around them, as well as theoretical understanding of how to use telescopes, astrolithic charts, and the like.

Beasts: An understanding of the genus and families of animals and familiarity with the characteristics and appearance of many semi-sentient creatures.

Bureaucracy: A familiarity with the rules and regulations involved with governments, particularly the Adeptus Administratum and their many and varied departments, bureaus, and policies.

Chymistry: A knowledge of chemicals, their alchemical applications in a number of uses, and their prevalence or scarcity throughout the Imperium.

Codex Astartes: Understanding and interpreting the sacred Codex Astartes and how it relates to the organisation, deployment, and tactics of the Space Marine Chapters.

Cryptology: An understanding of codes, ciphers, cryptographs, secret languages, and numerical keys. This may be used to either create or decipher encryption in conjunction with Logic.

Heraldry: A grasp of the principles and devices of Heraldry, as well as a knowledge of the most common seals and heraldic devices used by the Imperium’s most noble houses and families.

Imperial Warrants: Information concerning the establishment, legal scope, and use of the warrants used to by Rogue Traders, as well as the most well known and dynastic warrants of the Imperium.

Imperial Creed: An understanding of the specific rituals and practices of the Ecclesiarchy, from the traditional construction of their temples to specific points from its texts. This information may be used to conduct the rituals for others.

Judgement: Knowledge of the proper punishments for the myriad of crimes and heresies punishable by Imperial law.

Legend: Going beyond archaic knowledge, this encompasses most secretive portions of Imperial history, such as the Dark Age of Technology, the Age of Strife, the Great Crusade, and the Horus Heresy.

Navis Nobilite: Lore concerning the family trees, contracts, and histories of the great houses of the Navigators.

Numerology: An understanding of the mysterious link between numbers and the physical universe, from Catastrophe theory to the Sadleirian litany.

Occult: An understanding of occult rituals and theories, as well as the better-known mystical uses of occult items.

Philosophy: Knowledge concerning the theories of thought, belief, existence, and other intangibles. As it also includes logic and debate, it may be used for argument or creating philosophical works.

Tactica Imperialis: The theories of the Tactica Imperialis, as well as other systems of troop deployment and battle techniques used by the Imperium. This knowledge may be used to devise a battle plan or deduce the likely flow of war fought by Imperial forces.

The GM may call on a player to make a Scholastic Lore Test when:

• He wishes to recount legends from mankind’s past.

• He wishes to know what a Standard Template Construct is.

• He wishes to understand an obscure ruling made by a Judge of the Adeptus Arbites.

• Decipher the complex legal relationship between an Imperial Governor and the local Administratum representative.

• Decipher the workings of a complex piece of technology.

• He seeks to identify a rare beast.

• He is making a philosophical argument.

Example Modifiers

+30	Studying a broad history of the Imperium, focusing only on “approved” topics.
+20	Conducting research in a well-stocked library.
+10	Learning the particulars of the Imperial Creed.
+0	Researching a specific philosophical point.
–10	Studying occult rituals.
–20	Breaking down a particular complex chemical formula.
–30	Compiling a complete history of the Horus Heresy.

Skill use: Free Action.

Scrutiny (Perception)

The Scrutiny Skill helps assess the people or objects a character encounters. The Heretic can use Scrutiny to gauge an individual’s truthfulness, determine his motives, and appraise his personality and temperament. It can also be used to analyse an object or display in detail, determining information that may be hidden or simply not readily apparent. In general, Scrutiny is used to interpret hidden emotions, motivations, or details unnoticeable unless subjected to a detailed analysis. Awareness is used when trying to spot items or individuals. So while spotting someone hidden would be Awareness, telling when someone lying would be Scrutiny.

The GM might call a player to use the Scrutiny Skill when:

• His character wants to tell if someone’s lying.

• His character wants to discern information and conclusions from a report.

• He is interpreting augur or auspex readings and determining what they mean.

Example Modifiers

+30	Judging the mood of a close friend.
+20	Judging a comrade’s mood.
+10	Judging the mood of someone you have met before.
+0	Reading an Augur or Auspex readout.
–10	Judging a Tech-Priest’s mood.
–20	Judging an alien’s mood.
–30	Judging a servitor’s mood.

Skill use: Half Action.

Security (Intelligence)

Security deals with overcoming locks and safeguards, breaking into secure places or protecting them from intrusion. A character with the Security Skill is trained bypass locks or hack codes, whether using cogitators and tech or simple mechanical devices. Characters with Security are also able to safeguard systems and locals by making their passive defences more secure, even setting traps for unwary intruders and thieves.

The GM may call players to use the Security Skill when:

• They want to open a locked door.

• They wish to hack a cogitator and discover its secrets.

• They are laying traps for an ambush or to protect a camp.

Example Modifiers

+30	Picking a lock that is very crude or simple in design.
+20	Hacking a simple cogitator security system with a powerful machine-spirit.
+10	Picking a lock that is poorly maintained or parts are not working.
+0	Deactivating a standard security system with basic but required tools.
–10	Picking a lock that is well made and maintained.
–20	Picking a lock that is well made and of a complex design with multiple parts.
–30	Picking a lock that is of alien manufacture or fiendishly complex.

Skill use: Full Action or longer, depending on complexity of lock or security system.

Special Use

Traps

A character with the Security Skill can fashion and set traps given enough time and raw resources. Traps can range from hiding a live grenade under a corpse (set to explode when rolled over) to elaborate spiked pits, dead falls or rigged shotguns. The time, resources, and Damage caused by these kinds of traps depends on the GMs discretion and the materials involved. The chance that a trap goes off as planned or that the character avoids detection by its victims depends on the character’s Security Skill. This is either a Skill Test (modified depending on circumstance or the complexity of the trap) made secretly by the GM to see it works, or an opposed test against the victims Awareness to spot the trap (before it goes off).

Sleight of Hand (Agility)

Characters use Sleight of Hand for any task that requires a combination of deception and dexterity. Examples include palming small objects, picking pockets, or performing tricks. The GM sets the Difficulty of the Test based on the size of the object and the intensity of observation. This is always an Opposed Test against the opponent’s Awareness or Scrutiny.

The GM may call on a player to use the Sleight of Hand Skill when:

• He attempts to steal something from the target’s pocket.

• He must palm something so nobody notices.

Example Modifiers

+30	Stealing from a sleeping Ogryn.
+20	Picking an Ork’s pocket.
+10	Palming a key on a table while others are not paying attention to you.
+0	Picking a human’s pocket.
–10	Taking a data slate while speaking to someone.
–20	Stealing from the King of Eyes.
–30	Taking a knife from a Kroot’s belt.

Skill use: Half Action, or Free Action with an additional –10 penalty.

Stealth (Agility)

Stealth is the ability to remain unseen, either while moving through a crowd or the open markets of an Agri-world. A character with the Stealth Skill can move silently or conceal themselves from others, either to escape from their foes or take them by surprise. Stealth also allows a character follow opponents while moving through crowds, following them while not appearing to do so. Finally, Stealth can be used to move quietly. When Stealth is used against an opponent (such as to hide from a foe or shadow a target) it is an Opposed Test. Stealth opposes and is opposed by Awareness.

The GM may call on players to use the Stealth Skill when:

• They are trying to scout an enemy force.

• They want to sneak up on a foe and kill him quietly.

• They wish to follow someone without arousing suspicion.

Example Modifiers

+30	Sneaking past a sleeping enemy without waking them.
+20	Sneaking past a foe with the aid of pitch darkness and plenty of cover.
+10	Sneaking past a tired or distracted foe.
+0	Sneaking past a competent guard who has no reason to be suspicious.
–10	Sneaking past a suspicious or alert foe.
–20	Sneaking past a foe with no cover available.
–30	Sneaking past a suspicious foe with no cover in broad daylight.

Skill use: Free Action as part of Movement, Half Action to hide and conceal presence.

Special Uses

Camouflage=

Whenever you would attempt to conceal another character, you can Test Stealth and apply the results of your Test for that character. The effects of a successful Test remain only so long as that character has the benefit of cover, reduced visibility (fog, foliage, etc.), and does not move. If the concealed character moves, he is no longer concealed.

Concealing Objects

In addition to concealing others you can also use Stealth to hide objects, such as caches, dead drops or secret messages. You can also use it in conjunction with Traps to enhance their camouflage.

When hiding objects, signs, and messages in association with the Ciphers skills, you use the results of the Stealth Test to oppose any Awareness or Scrutiny tests made to see or find the material. The truly paranoid often leave a series of hidden, ciphered directions that eventually lead to a dead drop.

If used to hide booby-traps or other snares, use the Stealth Test in place of the Demolitions Test results. Note that if the result is worse, it still replaces the previous roll!

Shadowing

Stealth can be used to shadow others and follow them unseen, either on foot, in vehicles or even in shuttles and starships. On foot it might involve using physical cover or the press of bodies coming off mid-shift; in a vehicle techniques might include false turns or using a Cargo-8 as cover; aboard ships it can entail the use of asteroids or other stellar objects or busy space lanes around major systems. Stealth Skill Tests for shadowing are always Opposed Tests against the opponent’s Awareness. A single Stealth Skill Test is sufficient to follow the opponent unseen for five minutes for each Degree of Success.

Sniping

Whenever you attack an enemy while successfully hidden, you automatically reveal your presence. You can attempt a Stealth Test as a Half Action to duck back under cover, but your opponents gain a +20 bonus to their Awareness Tests.

Taking Time to Hide

Normally a Stealth Test to hide is a Half Action, representing you ducking behind cover or out of sight. However, if you take longer to conceal yourself, you have a better chance of remaining hidden. For every additional five minutes you take to hide yourself (or another, or object), you gain a +10 bonus to the Stealth Test, to a maximum of +30 for taking 15 minutes to hide.

Survival (Perception)

Survival is the mastery of ones environment away from the protection of dwellings, villages or cities. A character with the Survival Skill can live off the land, ride beasts, and predict weather with only a minimum of equipment and without the need for resupply or support. Survival can be used to create primitive items such as bows or blades as well as basic clothing. Survival is also used to track prey (human or otherwise) across all kinds of terrain by following the telltale signs they leave on the environment around them.

Survival can also be used to make all kinds of primitive devices from cloaks and stone buildings to spears and traps. The time, difficulty and materials it takes to create these items is greatly dependant on their complexity, the kind of workshop the character has and their access to designs or assistance.

The GM may call on a player to use the Survival Skill when:

• They want to find food or water in a hostile environment.

• They wish to start a fire with no tools.

• They are trying to track a foe through the underhive.

Example Modifiers

+30	Tracking a bleeding foe or a Massive foe, or foraging on an Agri-world.
+20	Tracking a foe across soft dirt, ash or mud.
+10	Tracking a foe only minutes after his passing.
+0	Tracking a foe through a forest or foraging in a forested area.
–10	Tracking a foe while moving rapidly (i.e. running or force marching) or riding a bad-tempered beast.
–20	Tracking a foe at night or during a storm or staying in the saddle in combat.
–30	Tracking a foe days after their passing over hard rock or across shallow waterways, or foraging in a desert.

Skill use: Full Action.

Special Uses

Tracking

A character can use the Survival Skill to follow the signs left by his quarry, allowing him to hunt them down. Following obvious tracks does not require a Skill Test, and is considered part of a character’s movement. In instances where the time or elements have eroded the signs or where the very environment makes seeing them difficult, such as darkness or fog, Survival Skill Tests are required. The modifiers for this test depend on the condition of the traces and the tracker’s surroundings. A cunning or devious quarry may attempt to conceal or erase their tracks. In any case where an opponent has attempted to do this, make an Opposed Test made against the prey’s Stealth.

Wrangling

Characters can tame, train, and potentially ride animals they encounter in their travels, from Spine-Hounds to the noble warhorse breeds. Both taming and training beasts are Extended Tests, the duration of which is determined by the nature and temper of the creature involved. Once an animal has been broken to its master’s will—or at least formed a partnership for particularly strongwilled beasts—directing it or issuing commands is a Half Action. Wild animals, or those trained for hostility and aggression, can have their Disposition changed by one level for every two Degrees of Success, up to a maximum of three levels by a Full Action use of this Skill. GMs may impose penalties for animals that have been well trained or those with uncommon Willpower and Intelligence. Wrangling is of no use against cyber or psy-bonded animals, or against any xenos with true sentience. Optional more detailed rules for taming wild beasts and teaching them tricks can be found in DH Radical's Handbook, p.140.

Tactics (Intelligence)

Tactics is the practical application of military knowledge in the field of battle. It differs from the various Lore Skills in that it relates directly to on the ground combat manoeuvres and actions rather than a broad theoretical or strategic view of warfare. It also differs from the Command Skill in that Command allows the direction of troops but does not grant any special knowledge in how best to use them. A character can use Tactics at any time when he wants to determine the best military course of action in a combat. This could be anything from the best position to suppress an entrenched enemy before an assault to picking a good landing zone when coming in under fire. Failing a Tactics (Assault) Test, for example, might mean facing a concentration of a defending force or hitting a stronger line of fortifications.

Tactics for different kinds of warfare differ immensely, so the Tactics Skill has several Specialisations, listed below.

Air Combat: Covers atmosphere and near-orbit engagements with air superiority fighters as well as close support and bombing with ground attack aircraft.

Armoured Tactics: An understanding of armoured warfare, how best to use armour, as well as how best to exploit the weaknesses of such vehicles.

Assault Doctrine: Covers all kinds of assaults, from charging a bunker to opposed amphibious landings.

Defensive Doctrine: How to set up a good defensive line, including layering units, creating areas of enfilading fire, and good clear kill zones.

Orbital Drop Procedures: A knowledge of orbital drop doctrine and how to use it to maximise troop concentration and ensure shock and awe in the enemy.

Recon and Stealth: An understanding of the best methods of recon and stealth, such as how to approach a defensive position unseen or quietly destroy sentry positions. This Specialisation may be used instead of Stealth to set up an ambush with a squad-sized force.

Void Combat: Covers starship combat between anything from lightly armoured escorts up to battle barges and space hulks. It is also includes knowledge of high orbit fire support doctrines and the best way to use ships in orbit to aid ground troops.

The GM may call a player to use the Tech-Use Skill when:

• They want to avoid an enemy assault or set up their own.

• They wish to choose the optimal landing place for their guncutter squadron.

• They are planning a planetary invasion.

Example Modifiers

+30	Performing a Tactica Imperialis or Codex Astartes maneuver by the book in ideal conditions.
+20	Planning an orbital bombardment with absolute space superiority.
+10	Using a Tactica Imperialis or Codex Astartes maneuver to control a battalion-sized force.
+0	Planning an ambush with a squad-based force.
–10	Planning defense layout for a regiment-sized force.
–20	Planning a fleet engagement.
–30	Planning a full-scale planetary invasion with multiple military arms involved.

Skill use: Half Action for group-size tactics; 1d10 hours for complex planning

Tech-Use

Tech-Use is the ability to use and interact with all manner of mysterious technological devices as well as create them. A character with Tech-Use can expertly operate common equipment such as vox or pict-casters though they might not understand the inner working of such things. Tech-Use can also be used to build basic or complex technical devices with the right amount of time and materials. Tech-Use is more an understanding of the Blessing of the Omnissiah and the rites of the Machine Cult than it is an actual knowledge of the science behind technology — in the 41st Millennium, however, this amounts to the same thing.

Tech-Use can also be used to make all kinds of technical devices from simple clockwork and steam engines to advanced weaponry and armour. The time, difficulty and materials it takes to create these items is greatly dependant on their complexity, the kind of workshop the character has, and their access to designs or Adeptus Mechanicus knowledge.

The GM may call a player to use the Tech-Use Skill when:

• They want to repair a broken weapon or vehicle.

• They wish to push a device beyond its normal capabilities.

• Trying to figure out how a piece of unknown tech works.

Example Modifiers

+30	Repairing a common device with ample parts available (i.e. changing the barrel of a lasgun).
+20	Repairing a device with few fine moving parts (i.e. carapace armour).
+10	Repairing a device with the aid of a Tech-priest or Mech-Servitor.
+0	Performing work on complicated devices.
–10	Repairing a severely damaged device with complex parts (i.e. a data slate with a bullet hole).
–20	Repairing an ancient device or fixing a device without all the pieces available.
–30	Repairing an alien device or one with a complex machine spirit (i.e. a cogitator).

Skill use: One minute, or more for more complex systems.

Trade (Intelligence)

Trade Skills allow the characters to create things, from contracts to starships. That can be rather profitable , at the GM’s discretion. The skill also allows characters to identify the work of particularly famous or infamous craftsmen, or recall information concerning items of their trade. Most non-player characters possess the Trade Skill.

Trade Tests can represent the work of hours, weeks, or months depending on the complexity of the task at hand. However, Tests that involve the examination of an item to recall information require a Full Action.

Agri: Used to grow, care and harvest crops and animals.

Apothecary: Used to blend and prepare herbal remedies.

Archaeologist: Used to locate, examine, and analyze ancient ruins and artefacts.

Armourer: Used to design, upgrade, and forge weaponry, from personal arms to starship batteries.

Astrographer: Used to create two and three-dimensional representations of stellar locations and warp routes.

Bureaucrat: Used to daily navigate the labyrinths of red tape typical for Imperial agencies.

Cook: Used to create and identify food.

Copyist: Used to swiftly copy text, illuminate manuscripts and forge written material.

Chymist: Used to create poisons, drugs, and a wide variety of other compounds.

Cryptographer: Used to create or decode ciphers, codes and other puzzles.

Embalmer: Used to prepare and preserve corpses.

Explorator: Used in the exploration of unknown stellar regions, knowledge of procedures, supplies needed, and so-forth.

Linguist: Used to learn or decipher new languages, both spoken and written.

Mason: Used to assess and construct buildings.

Merchant: Used to find, bargain and sell trade goods.

Miner: Used to extract minerals, maintain mines and identify common hazards.

Prospector: Used to find and identify valuable materials.

Remembrancer: Used to recount events in a variety of art forms, from sculpture to poetry.

Scrimshawer: Used to inscribe patterns, text, and art onto a variety of materials.

Shipwright: Used to design, upgrade, and create voidcapable vessels.

Smith: Used to forge metals into shape.

Soothsayer: Used to “foretell” the future by a number of interpretative arts, though its effectiveness is suspect.

Tanner: Used to prepare and tan hides.

Technomat: Used to maintain and repair technological devices, but through rote memorization rather than true understanding.

Valet: Used to refine the appearance, give droll asides and tend to the needs of superiors in a gentlemanly fashion.

Voidfarer: Used in the day-to-day operation, logistics, and defence of starships.

Wright: Used to assess, design and construct buildings, vehicles and the like.

Example Modifiers

+30	Making a simple product with plentiful tools.
+20	Making a more complex product, such as a scrimshawed design, but with good tools and plenty of time.
+10	Doing mediocre work quickly.
+0	Brewing a somewhat complex poison with basic supplies under a time limit.
–10	Constructing Good-Craftsmanship carapace armour.
–20	Constructing Good-Craftsmanship Power Armour.
–30	Constructing or working on ancient tech-relics, such as Terminator armour.

Skill use: Variable depending on task and complexity.