Dark Heresy

[FuryOfMetal]

Can anybody tell me about the Dark Heresy system? I'm interested

What type of system does it use? Is it well written and balanced? Is it simple or complicated? Is there any sort of SRD? As i can't find one

[Kaun]

I like it,

It is all d10's and it works off percentiles for skills and attacks ect.

The system is good but not perfect.

The fluff is really good especially if your a 40k fan.

The books are fairly expensive tho but you can play with just the one book.

[Lycan 01]

How much do you know about Warhammer 40K, specifically the Inquisition? This is not a game I'd suggest for a 40K newbie. If you don't know much about the setting, this game will go waaaaay over your head at first.

Its an awesome system, though, and probably my favorite RPG. Characters can be really customized and developed, and you can have amazing character interaction between party members with different attitudes and stances on heresy and treason. A party of Radicals with one Puritan, for example, is usually fun to watch and be part of. I've been that one Radical in a party of hardcore Puritans. It was awesome.

The system is D10 and D100 centric. Its a bit complicated at first, especially with all the modifiers. But once you get the hang of it, you'll quickly be able to remember statistics and stuff from memory, and it gets reeeeeally simple.

Leveling up is fun. You get about 200 XP per session on average, and you use that to buy skills from your current occupation level. If you've spent 900 XP and are Rank 2, then you spend another 200 XP to get a new skill, you go up to 1100 XP spent and become Rank 3 - you can now spend XP on Rank 3 stuff, as well as previous ranks. It leads to a more customized and fun leveling process, rather than a "Okay, level 3, you get +5 HP, 2 new skills, and a combat power" sort of thing.


Its hard. You can get killed very easily by being an idiot, or falling into a trap, or just rolling badly. If you're a Psyker, just using a minor psychic ability can make your head explode if you roll badly enough. Or your friends may just shoot you out of paranoia. But, you have Dodge and Parry abilities, and Fate Points to give you bonuses or to save you from certain death in some situations.


Also, who doesn't love driving a van through a crowd of Genestealer Hybrids while blasting out the window with your bolt pistol and listening to crazy polka music on the radio as you attempt to rescue your Techpriest comrade, who originally hated your weaselly black Radical Adept guts before hardcore roleplaying and several close calls made them into friends?

[D Knight]

if you are new to 40k but have friends that are well acquainted with it play with them. BUT if you get attached to your inquisitor perpair to have him or her lose all of their limbs and then died. and yes this did happen to me 2 times before i detached myself from my inquisitor.

[Lycan 01]

I always attach myself to my Acolytes, and I never have that problem. They tend to be too smart to get killed, or at least know how strategically place NPCs between them and the thrashing Daemon tendrils and stray bolts.

[king.com]

One thing i truly love about the system is the way characters advance through their careers. Level 1 Acolytes are truly, truly incompetent. They will almost certainly fail at just about anything, they simply shouldnt ever be a part of the inquisition. The fun is that should these characters survive they can slowly become skilled in their field eventually to the point where they succeed more than they fail and it becomes a surprise when they actually do fail. These characters are evolving mechanically along with the campaign and personally.

Exploring the grim darkness of the far future is in itself a whole load of fun. Expect mortality to be a more prevelant topic.

[Talkkno]

Rogue Trader and Deathwatch is better written systems, if those themes of those game appeal to you, i would recommend those over Dark Heresy.

[Kobold-Bard]

I loved the Dark Heresy campaign we ran.

Admittedly that was because no-one but the GM knew anything about WH40K so we were a bit rubbish (my first character survived fighting an inquisitor just long enough for my team-mate who tried to run her over to fail a drive skill check and kill me instead).

After that it kind of got a bit weird, and by the end (in a feat that proves once an for all: if it has stats, you can kill it) we had overthrown the Emperor and turned him onto a monkey or something.

To answer the OP: all d10's, it's very easy to learn and use, and works pretty nicely. I'm not a big fan of settings like 40k where you have to fit into a specific setting with loads of imutable fluff, but if you like 40k it does a very nice job.

[darkpuppy]

Looking at it, it seems to be quite simple to get into, good fluff (what else would you expect from 40K?) , and quite a few amusing little in-jokes (good example is the Psyker sanctioning side effect "Pain through Nerve Induction" , where the psyker gets very uncomfortable around bald, robed women, and presumably around small gold and black boxes with just enough room for a hand, and thumb-caps with long spiky bits... xD )

[FelixG]

Its a great game, but i would also second Rogue Trader, i enjoy the freedom of that game more.

But on Dark heresy... takes me back... :D

Pro Tip: If you see a psyker, you shoot it, then burn it with fire, even ESPECIALLY if its on your own team :P

I have honestly seen more havoc wrecked on a group of Acolytes by their own psyker pal than an enemy psyker

[Oslecamo]

I loved the Dark Heresy campaign we ran.

Admittedly that was because no-one but the GM knew anything about WH40K so we were a bit rubbish (my first character survived fighting an inquisitor just long enough for my team-mate who tried to run her over to fail a drive skill check and kill me instead).

After that it kind of got a bit weird, and by the end (in a feat that proves once an for all: if it has stats, you can kill it) we had overthrown the Emperor and turned him onto a monkey or something.

Best 40K game evar.

Altough I must tell you that there's no "oficial" stats for the emprah, and depending on who you ask it's something between a comatose body and greater deity.

What did it take for you to kill it?

[FelixG]

Best 40K game evar.

Altough I must tell you that there's no "oficial" stats for the emprah, and depending on who you ask it's something between a comatose body and greater deity.

What did it take for you to kill it?

If you need stats for a pile of bones...

Spoiler

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...your doing it wrong! :P

all hail dah emprah man!

[Oslecamo]

If you need stats for a pile of bones...

...your doing it wrong! :P

all hail dah emprah man!

I prefer this one:

Spoiler

Show

Well, he could have turned himself into a lich, wich does have stats! Or perhaps it went horribly wrong and he turned himself into a simple mindless skeleton that claws at anything that gets too close!

Also, if he isn't a pile of bones you can do this

Spoiler

Show

[king.com]

Its a great game, but i would also second Rogue Trader, i enjoy the freedom of that game more.

But on Dark heresy... takes me back... :D

Pro Tip: If you see a psyker, you shoot it, then burn it with fire, even ESPECIALLY if its on your own team :P

I have honestly seen more havoc wrecked on a group of Acolytes by their own psyker pal than an enemy psyker

Definitely a fun game too but Dark Heresy can be a little easier on people not overly familiar with the universe. It helps them explore it in a controlled matter.

[Kobold-Bard]

Best 40K game evar.

Altough I must tell you that there's no "oficial" stats for the emprah, and depending on who you ask it's something between a comatose body and greater deity.

What did it take for you to kill it?

We asked the GM what the Emprah's Psker Rating (or something to that effect) was, and to shut us up he said 101. Dice my Psyker had a rating of 4, this was very impressive and satisfied us.

The next session, through an impossibly bad series of rolls a Psyker set the entire planet we were on on fire. I forget how we did it but we managed to merge three characters (mine an two NPCs) together, which the GM flipantly gave a Psyker Rating of 120 because assumed it wouldn't matter since it would end and we'd never have it again.

We then reminded him what he had said the week before and proceeded to rearrange he cosmos with the Emprah as our pet monkey.

The GM was not pleased with our shenanigans and refuse to run it he next week, so we moved onto d20Modern instead.

[Oslecamo]

The GM was not pleased with our shenanigans and refuse to run it he next week, so we moved onto d20Modern instead.

Your shenigans? He was the one making your power level OVER 9000 101! I would say he was the one at fault!

[Shenanigans]

Definitely a fun game too but Dark Heresy can be a little easier on people not overly familiar with the universe. It helps them explore it in a controlled matter.

I agree. I enjoy the system a lot, but I think if the players are too familiar with the fluff (as my group tends to be) then it can get a little out of hand. I'm not really talking about metagaming, but more so overthinking of things.

That said, it's a lot of fun. I especially enjoy my cleric. Chainswords are fun!

[Kobold-Bard]

Your shenigans? He was the one making your power level OVER 9000 101! I would say he was the one at fault!

It was meant to be a get out of jail free card after we tried (and failed) to extinguish the planet. It was just too perfect an opportunity to turn down. Much like my armoured-cow companion

[Psyx]

Can anybody tell me about the Dark Heresy system? I'm interested

What type of system does it use? Is it well written and balanced? Is it simple or complicated? Is there any sort of SRD? As i can't find one

It's a great game that needs a few houserules to make it a fantastic game.

It's not really suitable unless the GM knows the background well, and most of the PCs do, too.

It's a horror game, not a killing-stuff-grabbing-lewts-and-getting-hard game. If you don't play it as a horror game, it's kind of missing the point and not too great.

The Psykers aren't balanced. At all. Well... they are in that they are obscenely powerful, and then they die due to warp incursions. They need toning down and made less likely to get sucked into the warp.

[king.com]

It's a great game that needs a few houserules to make it a fantastic game.

It's not really suitable unless the GM knows the background well, and most of the PCs do, too.

It's a horror game, not a killing-stuff-grabbing-lewts-and-getting-hard game. If you don't play it as a horror game, it's kind of missing the point and not too great.

The Psykers aren't balanced. At all. Well... they are in that they are obscenely powerful, and then they die due to warp incursions. They need toning down and made less likely to get sucked into the warp.

Thats true, though i think then entire concept of the psyker require the GM do something secretive. Their power is all they really get and thus needs to be a big risk/reward. A GM gave me a great idea and that was to roll all pschic rolls behind the screen. That way you can control whats going on and perils of the warp can be used to your advantage (i.e. you hold them off until you feel it is appropriate).

[FuryOfMetal]

First off, i read alot of 40k fiction and have a big pile of the books (yay Dan Abnett ).

So it does sound pretty easy to get into and i love the setting. There's a game near me that has a friend of mine in it, i just wanted to know what the system is like so that if a space comes up (which i think will happen soon) i could jump in

What's effective in the game? I read a thread a while back that said shooting is inferior to melee, but that was melle with a power fist and tech priest (i belive a power fist doubles your melle skill in DH?)

Also King.com is that an Eisenhorn avatar? That's possibly my favourite book ever.

[dsmiles]

So, I thought about buying this stuff, but I'm not sure yet. Can I play a filthy xeno? That would be the deciding factor for me. SMs and IG just don't do it for me. CSM or DE would be fun to play as, and Tau or Eldar would also be interesting.

[Shenanigans]

First off, i read alot of 40k fiction and have a big pile of the books (yay Dan Abnett ).

So it does sound pretty easy to get into and i love the setting. There's a game near me that has a friend of mine in it, i just wanted to know what the system is like so that if a space comes up (which i think will happen soon) i could jump in

What's effective in the game?

Dan Abnett is a great writer...he's about the only 40K writer I really like.

The group I play with has found that melee does top out better, especially once you start getting some of the better advancements (blademaster springs to mind) and equipment (chainswords and power weapons) but it doesn't completely outstrip shooting, especially depending on the kind of weaponry (bolters and plasma weapons being some of our favorites)

Like I mentioned before, my Cleric is a lot of fun. Decent social skills, excellent close combat, and high Willpower add up for a fun, effective, and survivable character.

Whatever you do, don't neglect Willpower...it comes into play an awful lot.

[hamishspence]

CSM or DE would be fun to play as, and Tau or Eldar would also be interesting.

I think there's rumours that Chaos Space Marine stats will be provided in Deathwatch.

While the games tend to assume you will be playing Imperials, it might not require all that much customization to play a xenos.

[Iku Rex]

So, I thought about buying this stuff, but I'm not sure yet. Can I play a filthy xeno? That would be the deciding factor for me. SMs and IG just don't do it for me. CSM or DE would be fun to play as, and Tau or Eldar would also be interesting.

The only published xeno PC races are orks and kroot, from Into the Storm (Rogue Trader supplement).

[dsmiles]

The only published xeno PC races are orks and kroot, from Into the Storm (Rogue Trader supplement).

Interesting, but Orks and Orcs are pretty much the same, and Kroot are, well, 'technologically deficient' is the word that springs to mind here...

[Yuki Akuma]

Interesting, but Orks and Orcs are pretty much the same, and Kroot are, well, 'technologically deficient' is the word that springs to mind here...

The Kroot have the Ork ability to produce any type of technology they damn well please - they just don't, 'cause it goes against their philosophy.

[a_humble_lich]

The thing about melee is it is powerful, but there are some big disadvantages. For example, do you really want to charge the guy firing a machine gun at you? Or is it really a good idea to go into melee with the 4m tall greater daemon? In many cases it is much safer to get behind cover and shoot at the bad guys. (A lesson I have failed to learn many times.)

[Jinn Master]

I played a guardsman who crushed in a demon's skull with a hammer, so I like the melee weapons.


Of course, that was after I shot a full clip into it from my Autogun, tossed two grenades at it, and my teammate dropped a rock on it's head.



But melee weapons have so much cooler descriptions for criticals than other weapons do.

[Kiranvonstrom]

Many of them just sound cooler, as well. you could either have an rocket propelled grenade, or a gigantic fist filled with (I assume) pneumatic pumps and sheathed in some sort of disintegrator field. Of course, the rocket might have a bit more capacity to kill you (in certain cirumstances) but still...
Aside from that, the ruleset also benefits having a good sense of self preservation.