Calls (Advanced Reference)

SINGLE TARGET DAMAGE CALLS

These calls cause damage as per the Combat Rules.

BLAM

PC: Lose a point of Endurance as you have been shot at with a firearm.

Cultist: As Above

Ork: As Above

REND

If you have Endurance, spend a point of Endurance to soak this but suffer the Grisly Injury condition. Should you already have the Grisly Injury condition or cannot soak this call you will become Grievously Wounded unless your traits say otherwise. If striking the leg or arm, this call disables that limb until the Grisly Injury condition has been cleared.

SHOCK

Does not affect endurance unless accompanied with a damaging call. Roleplay as if being shocked by a high-voltage current for 5s during which you cannot move.

You cannot be affected by Shock again for the rest of the combat scene (call ‘Ineffective’ in response).

If you are already under the 5s Shock effect when you take another Shock call, you collapse unconscious to the ground until someone spends 5s bringing you around or the scene ends.

NULL

If you have Endurance, spend a point of Endurance to soak this. If you cannot soak this you will become Shaken unless your traits say otherwise. This has special effects on things of the Warp (such as daemons and psykers) but these can vary.

WARP

This call demonstrates that a call is coming from a power drawn from the Warp. It is normally attached to another call.

Warp [Call] calls mean that the attached call effect cannot be soaked with Endurance if it could be normally but otherwise simply helps characters with certain abilities and traits to know how to react.

WARP BOLT

A bolt of energy from the Warp, this cannot be soaked with endurance, you become Shaken.

SUNDER

You become Grievously Wounded. This call ignores Cover and Shields and cannot be resisted unless an ability specifically says it can be used to resist this call. If you parry a Sunder and are not carrying a Power Weapon or Relic, your weapon/shield is destroyed and unusable (you do not have to drop it, but you can’t use it in the fight).

I AM A KNIFE IN THE DARK [Optional addition: NONLETHAL]

Fall to the ground as silently as possible and become Grievously Wounded (this usually instantly kills most NPCs). If ‘NONLETHAL’ is tagged on, collapse unconscious to the ground until someone spends 5s bringing you around or the scene ends.

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CONE DAMAGE CALLS

These calls represent damaging effects that ‘spray’ in a cone from the source of damage affecting all targets within a given distance from the source who are reasonably within a 90 degree cone.

BURN

This call affects all characters (including friends) within 5m in a 90 degree cone in front of the user. This call ignores Cover and Shields. If you have Endurance, spend a point of Endurance to soak this, but you must back away from the source 5 steps while patting out the flames. If for some reason you cannot retreat you suffer the Grisly Injury condition.

Should you already have the Grisly Injury condition and cannot retreat or cannot soak this call you become Grievously Wounded unless your traits say otherwise, rather than immediately dropping to the ground you should roleplay as if on fire for 10s up to and including (if you choose) running around flailing. A character who has already suffered a Grisly Injury condition to the leg, disabling it, cannot retreat fast enough to avoid this.

DAKKA

Affects all characters (including friends) within range of hearing in a 90 degree cone in front of the user. You have three seconds to take cover (place a piece of cover between you and the shooter) after hearing this call; if you fail to do so you become Shaken. If you attempt to exit this cover into the direction of fire while the fire is still calling this call, you become Shaken. Characters with Aegis Training can use their shields to ignore this call, characters with Adept Mortis and Vigilator cannot use their cover abilities against this call.

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MASS DAMAGE CALLS

These calls represent those which cause area of effect damage, hitting all foes within 5m of the called target or a specific point.

MASS

Applied to a Single Target or Cone call this changes the area of effect to ‘hits all characters within five meters of the target or source of this call (if a target isn’t called).’

BOOM

A blastwave hits all characters within five meters of the target or source of this call (if a target isn’t called). Characters have three seconds to dramatically throw themselves prone as best as their mobility allows or place a piece of cover between themselves and the source of the call - if they fail to do this then if they have Endurance, they can spend a point of Endurance to soak this but suffer the Grisly Injury condition and should roleplay being thrown by the force of the blast. Should you already have the Grisly Injury condition or cannot soak this call you will become Grievously Wounded unless your traits say otherwise.

If the source of a Boom call is a Grenade (accompanied by a call of Frag Out!), you may throw yourself atop of the phys rep and call Covering Grenade you immediately become Grievously Wounded but no one else takes the effect.

BLIND

A flash of light bursts in the eyes of all characters within five meters of the target or source of this call (if a target isn’t called). They must roleplay as if blinded or stunned by it for five seconds.

HAYWIRE

A burst of electrostatic energy roils across all characters within five meters of the target or source of this call (if a target isn’t called). All characters experience a painful electrical shock however certain traits and items cease function;

• Wargear Traits including Basic Weapons and cease to function for ten seconds before a few seconds should be spent getting them to function again - uncalled melee attacks may still be made.

Characters with traits from the Bionics section of the Traits list suffer ten seconds of painful bionic glitches and spasms before they can recover from the call.

Power Armour and any other technological items provided by non-wargear traits or free items such as radios/dataslates they cease to function until attended to by a character with at least Mechanicus Lore or in specific cases (stated in traits) a Tech Priest for a few seconds of roleplaying a ‘rituals of repair’.

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CALLS WITH STATUS EFFECTS

These calls do not cause damage but instead force a specific reaction or impose a mechanical or roleplaying effect on the target.

GET IT TOGETHER

If you are not Shaken or Grievously Wounded you regain your Endurance pool.

If you are Shaken you may get back to your feet at Fine with half your Endurance (round up).

If you are Grievously Wounded this has no effect.

DRAG

Indicates you have been grasped by a powerful force, you are dragged towards the source for 3s if you hit an object or a person, then roleplay a painful jarring impact and the effect ends. If you are already in melee range of the source then you must remain in melee range of them for 3s.

REPEL

Indicates being hit by a powerful force you move away from the source for 3s if you hit an object or person then roleplay a painful jarring impact and the effect ends.

QUAKE

Indicates a powerful earth-shifting disturbance, this call effects anyone who hears it, for the next 10s characters must roleplay as if the earth was shifting beneath them, falling to the ground, or staggering wildly around knocking into objects like the best low-budget sci-fi heroes ever.

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ROLEPLAYING CUES

These calls have no immediate damaging effects but do have a direct influence on a characters roleplay as they cue appropriate reactions to their use.

DREAD

If you can see the source of this call when it is called you are filled with complete and utter dread as supernatural terror overtakes your mind. You increase your Madness one step, and must either flee or roleplay quaking in terror, so long as you can see the source of the call, you cannot use traits except to call Blam at 1 meter or strike poorly executed melee blows.

Characters with traits to resist this call increase their Madness one step but are able to use their traits as normal.

DEFLECT

Called in reaction to a call to indicate that it has been defended against by some form of Defence.

INEFFECTIVE

Indicates that a call did not have its usual effect on the character, perhaps because the foe is immune to the call or simply because of some innate ability.

SCAN [life/heat/material/etc]

If you think this would detect you, respond with PING.

WOULD YOU KINDLY?

You are not aware that this has been used on you unless you resist it. If affected, you must obey the command that will follow this cue either to completion of the task issued or for 30s (whichever is shorter).

COMMAND OVERRIDE

Your mechanical components are being hacked. If affected you must obey the command that will follow this cue as if your interfaced bionics force you to either to completion of the task issued or for 30s (whichever is shorter).

I TEST THEE!

If you have Willpower you must spend a point to resist this, if you do not then your will fails you, you become Staggered and your Corruption/Faith and Fire track increases one step.

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NPC CUES

These cues have no real effect on player characters unless they are specifically briefed to take them, and are presented here purely for awareness of their effects for crew and players with access to them.

[KEYWORD] I BANISH THEE!

By using a keyword associated with a warp entity (such as ‘greed’ for a hoarding demon) or its true name (all of which will be on its NPC sheet) this call does significant damage to warp entities. It has no effect on players, unless they are briefed otherwise.

AVAUNT!

Only takes effect while brandishing a holy symbol. This causes unholy things to retreat from the bearer of the symbol recoiling in fear of it. In some cases it may have other significant effects.

THIS IS MY FINAL STAND!

The caller has 30s to complete a task. During a final stand they may soak all damage as if they had spent Endurance or Willpower to resist it (and must therefore continue to roleplay as if doing so). All NPCs present should try to direct their attention towards the caller and allow other PCs to escape.

I CALL UPON THE LIGHT!

The individual calling this glows briefly with light, this isn’t blinding but it is appropriate for PCs to react to this. It has far more significant effects on unholy things and worshippers of the dark gods.