Combat Support Traits

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Scum

Those who have lived at the fringes of Imperial civilization, outsiders and criminals who know the desperation that it is to survive in the Underhive, Scum are often considered the worst of civilization by their fellow Agents, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have a value to the Inquisition;

Design Note: If your social status in background is anything other than absolutely lowest of the low scrabbling for survival and despised by all, this trait is not suitable for your social background; people should expect having this trait and being seen to use it to result in significant class prejudice

You gain the Arbites Discipline with the Criminals and Criminal Organisations specialism;

  • Vulture: After a combat you may search the bodies of the dead, providing your foes were human, and were using firearms or obviously using chems. You must do a Power Test with a 75% chance of failure - if you succeed you find a Mission Supply of your choice on their body. Daemons or Xenos leave no useful supplies behind - you may not use this trait again until after you Recuperate.
  • Rat: You are good at avoiding being seen and as such may resist a call of SCAN (by not reacting) you cannot use this again until you have Recuperated and this has no effect against calls of WARP SCAN. In addition in a situation where you are being searched by another character they will find nothing that you do not wish them to find.
  • Weasel: Your life of surviving at the fringes of society have taught you how to keep your head down. you may call Deflect to the first three ranged calls while in cover rather than just the first two. Having the matching effect from Vigilator or Adept Mortis is not cumulative.
  • Born at the Bottom: Due to the environments they grew up in Scum characters are more vulnerable to developing minor mutations at the discretion of the Game Team.
  • Mutie (Optional): This trait is highly appropriate for characters who are looking to play the lowest of the low in the Imperium - Mutants - you may choose to add cosmetic mutations to your costume - this has no mechanical aspects unless interacting with certain environmental effects.

Ammo-jack

Be they Mechanicus artisans working on weaponry in workshops or underhive scum skirting the laws of the Machine Cult by producing unsanctioned ammunition, Ammo-jacks are technically competent individuals often found in the armouries of the Inquisition preparing all manner of esoteric weapons rounds for use against the horrors that the Inquisition faces in its hidden war.

Be aware if you choose to use this trait and are not a Tech-Priest then you should be careful to observe the rituals of the Machine Cult while doing your work. Though the Inquisition might turn a blind eye to a useful Heretek they are not in the position to defend such individuals from the Machine Cults wrath should it be aroused.

You begin an event with Five Ammunition, you MAY trade ALL of this if you wish.

  • I've got one of those: Providing you are carrying a backpack that appears to be laden with ammo, then you may expend an Ammunition to enable up to three individuals with ranged weapons who have run out of Ammunition to to use their weapon until they would normally have to reload. This effect lasts until used. You may not use this again until after you Recuperate.
  • Special Issue Ammunition: You can expend Ammunition to issue special issue ammunition to a character with the Special Weapons Training trait who has taken a Bolter or a Combat Shotgun or an equivalent Unique Trait to grant them one of the following effects:
    • Kraken Rounds: They may make up to three calls of Bolt.
    • Dragonfire Rounds: They may make up to three calls of Burn.
    • Metal Storm Round: They may make a single call of Boom.
  • In addition, there are several rounds available to Ammo-Jacks with specific traits:
    • Tempest Rounds (Tech-Priest): They may make up to three calls of Haywire.
    • Hellfire Rounds (Alchemists): They may make up to three calls of Weaken.
    • Hellhammer Bolts (Daemonhunter): They may make up to three calls of Sanctic Bolt.

Daemonhunter

(Cannot be Combined With: Savant, Alienhunter or Witchhunter) Agents of the Ordo Malleus, or those that have received training from them, Daemonhunters are often gathered from those who have experienced encounters with the manifestations of the warp and have lived to tell the tale - a Daemonhunter does not focus on ways to kill daemons as they do not work like living breathing enemies in that way but rather in surviving long enough to do enough damage to them that their forms decorporealise.

You begin an event with Five Esoterica

You gain the Malleus Discipline with the Daemonology specialism.

  • Sacred Warding: When wearing warded clothing, you may call Sanctic Deflect to a single call with Warp attached, with the exception of Sunder, from a Daemonic creature. This ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate.
    • Phys Rep: Warded clothing is marked with decagrams over its surface, this could be etched into armour or on a stole. Agents are strongly discouraged by the Ordo Malleus from wearing such symbols anywhere they might attract comment from innocent Imperial minds.
  • Silver for Monsters: Most Daemonhunters carry, in addition to their other equipment some form of simple melee weapon (uncalled damage), hammers and swords are most common but some favour spears and halberds. This is carried in addition to any of their normal equipment, and as such you may carry a 1-handed or 2-handed simple melee weapon in addition to what you are allowed to carry laid out in the Wargear rules. Edged with truesilver and marked with various warding runes, by coating the weapon in holy oils and unguents at the cost of an Esoterica you may call Sanctic in melee with this weapon (this may not be combined with other calls) - this lasts for the duration of the combat it was applied in. This cannot be given to another character.

Witchhunter

(Cannot be Combined With: Savant, Alienhunter or Daemonhunter)

You begin an event with Five Esoterica

You gain the Hereticus Discipline with the The Hunting of the Witch and the Mutant specialism;

  • Null Warding: When wearing warded clothing, you may call Sanctic Deflect to a single call with Warp attached, with the exception of Sunder, from a Psyker. This ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate.
    • Phys Rep: Warded clothing is marked with decagrams over its surface, this could be etched into armour or on a stole. Agents are strongly discouraged by the Ordo Hereticus from wearing such symbols anywhere they might attract comment from innocent Imperial minds.
  • Witchbane: You know how to target major nerve clusters or arteries, what toxins best assail a witch’s nerves, or other ways to weaponize your understanding. You may expend a Esoterica to call Weaken up to three times against a positively identified Psyker at range or in melee.

Alien Hunter

(Cannot be Combined With: Savant, Daemonhunter or Witchhunter) Agents of the Ordo Xenos, or those who have trained with them, these agents are faced with a daunting task of facing a myriad of vastly different bioforms and threats in the execution of their work. Overspecialising in their line of work is a fool’s decision, leaving one unprepared against another threat. An Alien Hunter must adapt to the situation, altering their tactics and learning to fight a foe on their own terms.

You begin an event with Five Esoterica of Xenos origin.

You gain the Xenos Discipline with the Current Xenos Threats specialism;

  • Hunter’s Eye: You have possession of an Auspex used to track foes and may use the SCAN call at vocal range once before needing to Recuperate and appease the machine spirit.
    • Physrep Requirement: A handheld scanner (auspex) or an eyepiece of some kind.
  • If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It: Once you have positively identified a species of Xenos you are up against, when you Recuperate you can prepare to face it: adapting your tactics, changing rounds in your weapons, and priming the array of technology that the Ordo Xenos relies on. This preparation only affects the Xenos species you have prepared to face.
    • You may expend a Esoterica to call Haywire up to 3 times against members of your targeted species.
    • You may expend a Esoterica to call Weaken up to 3 times against members of your targeted species.
    • You may spend 15s not moving and aiming at a member of your targeted species, if you lose sight of them before you finish your count you must restart again, if you reach the end of your count you may expend a Esoterica to call Sunder. The call Sunder may only be used once, regardless of how many sources of it you have, before you have to Recuperate.This ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate.

Armour of Contempt

Preparation is the Armour of Contempt, to face a foe one knows and is prepared for, to prepare oneself and the field of battle favourably to increase one's chances of winning the fight against the foes of the Imperium who often have the upper hand in physical, technological or esoteric strength.

This trait activates only when you select a foe you have encountered before, either at the same event or previously. They must be a ‘named’ foe, even if you do not know their name, a distinct foe who is clearly present. This is your Hated Foe for the event (you can always check with the Game Team if you are ever uncertain a NPC is valid) - when you encounter your Hated Foe in battle you gain the following advantages;

  • You gain +2 Endurance for that Combat
  • You reduce any Rend calls from your Hated Foe to 1 Damage
  • You may call Deflect against one call from your Hated Foe - including Warp but not Sunder
  • Once if you are reduced to Bloodied in a combat where your Hated Foe is present you may use Get it Together on yourself, however, unlike normal - this call affects you even if you have suffered a condition that would normally prevent you from using it. This ability cannot be used again until you Recuperate.
  • Should you defeat your Hated Foe then you can select a new one.

Kill Team Leader

While the Inquisition might favour individualistic Agents, there are things a bonded team of warriors can accomplish that an Agent of the Throne could not accomplish solo - squads from the Imperial Guard or Imperial Navy are commonly inducted though occasionally tight-knit underhive gangs are brought in for the same reason. Elite amongst these other than the power armoured Astartes of the Death Watch, are the Inquisitorial Stormtroopers in their black carapace armour.

Requirements: To form a Kill Team you must have 2-4 other characters who are members of the Kill Team - all the members of the Kill Team must have matching costumes that clearly identify them as being part of the same united team. No PC can benefit from the commands of more than one Kill Team Leader at an event. If a Kill Team Leader dies during an event, their chosen successor may benefit from the effects of this trait for the remainder of the event. However, should they wish to use it in future they must buy it.

  • Orders: Your Kill Team should agree to a set of IC commands, these are cues that allow your group to benefit from any of the following effects. Once you have used one of these commands, you must Recuperate before using it again.
    • Team! Take Aim! - If members of the Kill Team are in Cover then any ranged calls of Blam become Rend - this does not count as calling something other than Blam for the purpose of the Abundant Ammunition rule.
    • Team! Go! Go! Go! - The team must charge their foe with the intent to engage them at melee range -, they may not make calls or attacks while charging but may call Deflect up to four times. These Deflects cannot be used against Sunder or calls with Warp attached. These are lost once they enter melee reach of a foe.
    • Team! Gun Them Down! - The team must stand still, they can make up to 3 calls of Dakka before Reloading and expending an Ammunition.
  • The Price of Service: If a member of the Kill Team disobeys a direct order from the Kill Team Leader then they cannot benefit from orders until they have suffered an IC appropriate consequence for their disobedience.

Note: Example commands are provided - however, you are encouraged to come up with your own IC commands, which should ideally include a reference to your group (e.g. "Raivans, follow me!" or "31st Armored, leave none alive!").

Savant

(Requires: Scribe) (Cannot be Combined With: Alien Hunter, Daemonhunter or Witchhunter) Not all scribes hide away in dusty libraries, some take to battlefields alongside Inquisitorial parties advising them from their vast arrays of tomes, scrolls and dataslate archives that they drag into battle.

Requirements: While using this trait you cannot hold a weapon in your hands or make any offensive actions. You’ll need a prop book or dataslate for your character to read though while you’re standing on the sideline of a fight, your skill is in ducking and dodging while you frantically leaf through your books looking for answers. You can do this only for foes your character has encountered or their Lores permit them to know about, so long as you do this you can;

  • Duck!: You’re used to ducking in and out of fights as you consult the tomes, you may call Deflect once - you cannot use this against Sunder or calls with Warp attached. You cannot use this ability again until you Recuperate.
  • Hit the Weak Point!: After spending ten seconds studying an enemy NPC that falls into your speciality you may aid an ally to strike at a weak point or make some modification to their equipment to allow them to call Weaken against that foe. You cannot use this again against the same individual until you Recuperate. For example: ‘There’s a small weak point between the second and third secondary ribs, strike there’ or ‘here, take this they’re deathly allergic to it’.
  • You’re going to need this…: With thirty seconds of research of a specific type of foe (‘genestealer’ or ‘aeldari psyker’ for example), in combat or out (if you’re willing to predict a particular foe) you may hand something to three companions to protect them. They gain one use of Deflect against the specified foe. This may be used against calls of Warp if you prepare them for a foe that is likely to use the call, but may not be used against calls of Sunder. You cannot use this ability again until you Recuperate.
  • Hit the Books…: If you encounter a recurring foe or a foe with a distinct ability that you need to find a counter for you may with ref assistance, throw yourself into researching it to prepare for another encounter. Using evidence (name, pictures, tissue samples, etc..) as appropriate you can enable an ally to negate that ability, this can include calls of Sunder if appropriate. The ref will advise you of what abilities it has and allow you to forewarn others as well as preparing your chosen target to be resistant to them.
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