The Imperial weisenheimer

I still haven’t finished any of the remaining Aberrant books. I started on Underworld just to see if it was any easier than Player’s Guide, and it was, a little, but not enough to let me get through more than a third of it. I am so done with this game, I kid you not…

I have, on the other hand, started sketching out my next Dark Heresy port in a little more detail. I give you, The Adept! I think here I have come up with a reasonably workable way of presenting someone whose superpower is to know a lot of stuff without having to turn each one into a separate move, Corruption has also been personalised so that each Career moves towards a different tragic end, but in a way that hopefully feels cool and flavourful instead of being a chore.

We’ll see how the rest turn out – I’m sketching on The Arbitrator now.

THE ADEPT

Origins:

[ ] Forge World
The hyper-competitive environment fostered by the Tech-Priests taught you that academia is just another form of war. You can spend 1 Righteous Fury to get +1 forward to any Analytical roll.

[ ] Imperial World
As a scribe for the Administratum, you have a thorough understanding of the logistical underpinnings of the eternal war effort. You gain the Subject: War for your Common Lore move.

[ ] Schola Progenium
At the Schola, you were submitted to the rigours of a classical education. You gain the Subject: Philosophy for your Common Lore move.

Starting moves:

[X] Common Lore
Choose 1 Subject from the list below, and also gain Imperium as a Subject. When you encounter one of your Subjects (your decide), tell the GM which weighty tome you once read something related to the situation in, and in what way the author of said volume was biased, sloppy, or otherwise not entirely reliable. Then ask the GM a question pertaining to the Subject and situation. The GM tells you the answer insofar as you would reasonably know it, keeping in mind the flaws of your source.

• Adeptus Arbites
• Administratum
• Astromancy
• Bureaucracy
• Chymistry
• Ecclesiarchy
• Imperial Creed
• Heraldry
• Legend
• Machine Cult
• Occult
• Tech

[X] Researcher
When you can use a library to research a topic, you are considered to have access to every Subject the library covers for purposes of using the Common Lore move. However, searching a library takes a while – the GM decides exactly how much, but certainly more than the mere seconds to recall something you already know.

Basic moves:

[ ] Attentive
No detail, however insignificant, is beneath the notice of a true bureaucrat. Increase Intuitive by 1.

[ ] Brilliant
Your rational mind is honed to perfection. Increase Analytical with 1.

[ ] Common Lore: Well-Read
Requires Common Lore. Choose 2 additional Subjects for your Common Lore move.

[ ] Common Lore: Scholar
Requires Common Lore: Well-Read. Choose 2 additional Subjects for your Common Lore move.

[ ] Contempt for the Flesh
When you endure the effects of heat, cold or fatigue, roll +Disciplined instead of +Unyielding.

[ ] Delver Into Forbidden Lore
Requires Forbidden Lore. When you can use a library to research a topic, you are considered to have access to every Subject the library covers for purposes of using the Forbidden Lore move.

[ ] Forbidden Lore
Choose 1 Subject from the list below. When you ask a question about one of your Subjects, you gain 1 Corruption Point and the GM tells you what you might reasonably know. She then asks you what tale of horror you encountered this blasphemous fact in.

• Cults
• Heresy
• Inquisition
• Mutants

[ ] Gopher
When you fearlessly advance on the direct orders of a theoretical superior, roll +Disciplined instead of +Fierce.

[ ] Logical Extrapolation
When you assess the available facts, roll +Analytical. 10-14, you make an educated deduction about something interesting that has previously happened in this place,. 15+, the same, and the GM also tells you where and how you might try to learn more about it.

[ ] Medicae
When you provide medical care, roll +Analytical. 9-, you clean the injuries, but that’s all you can do without more expert help or more advanced facilities. 10-14, the patient immediately heals 1d5 Wounds. No further uses of this move is possible on the patient until they have either taken or healed at least 1 Wound. 15+, the same, but the patient heals 1d10 Wounds.

[ ] Mind Like a Fortress
Increase your Corruption Limit by 3.

[ ] The Men of the Mind
When you command their respect towards scribes, bureaucrats or scholars, roll +Analytical instead of +Charismatic.

[ ] Speak Language
When you hear a strange tongue for the first time, roll +Analytical. 9-, the language or dialect is unknown to you. 10-14, thanks to your studies, you can communicate a bit awkwardly in the language or dialect. 15+, you speak the language or dialect like you were born to it.

[ ] Stickler
You are a slave to proper procedure. Increase Disciplined by 1.

[ ] Unremarkable
When you stay beneath notice by mindlessly carrying out dreary, time-consuming tasks, roll +Disciplined. 7-9, clear an Exposure box, but without something to occupy your mind with, it strays to dangerous topics. Gain 1 Corruption Point. 10+, the same, but you fill your mind with nothing but servile piety and escape Corruption.

Advanced moves:

[ ] Armour of Contempt
When you roll to gain Corruption Points (NOT when you gain a fixed number of them), reduce the result by 2.

[ ] The Art of War
You line up a shot with the same care that you apply proper punctuation. Increase Precise by 1.

[ ] Common Lore: Walking Encyclopedia
Requires Common Lore: Scholar. Choose 2 additional Subjects for your Common Lore move.

[ ] Common Lore: Savantus Supremus
Requires Common Lore: Walking Encyclopedia. Choose 2 additional Subjects for your Common Lore move.

[ ] Cross-Disciplinary
Select an Advance from another Career.

[ ] Forbidden Lore: Dangerous Obsession
Requires Forbidden Lore: Unhealthy Interest. Choose 1 additional Subject for your Forbidden Lore move.

[ ] Forbidden Lore: Unhealthy Interest
Requires Forbidden Lore. Choose 1 additional Subject for your Forbidden Lore move.

[ ] Its Gates Locked and Barred
Requires Mind Like a Fortress. Increase your Corruption Limit by 3.

[ ] Lecturer
You have learned that people are more likely to listen to your rants if you make them interesting. Increase Charismatic by 1.

[ ] Master Chirurgeon
Requires Medicae. When you provide medical care, the patient heals 2 Wounds more than indicated.

[ ] Practical Application
Select an Advance from another Career.

[ ] Pragmatic
A rational person takes whatever path promises the greatest probability of success. Increase Treacherous by 1.

[ ] Scurrying Rat
Requires Gopher. When you circumvent a threat by staying out of sight and relying on little-used paths, roll +Analytical instead of +Treacherous.

[ ] Sound Constitution
Increase your Wound Limit by 3.

[ ] Total Recall
Requires Brilliant. You can perfectly memorise large swaths of information. You can always ask the GM for any detail of your past life experience, no matter how seemingly trivial or irrelevant at the time. If given a few moments, you can completely memorise maps, lists, documents, etc, and later examine them at your leisure from memory.

Corruption moves:

[ ] Blasphemous Insight. Your thoughts have escaped the safe confines of Imperial thought, proving you with flexibility of thought at the cost of growing corruption. When you apply your intellect, you may choose to take +1 forward to the roll at the cost of gaining 1 Corruption Point.

[ ] Powerful Secrets. Your study into esoteric knowledge has allowed you to kindle the natural psychic ability of all humans. Choose 2 Minor Psychic Powers from the Imperial Psyker’s list. You can activate them at the cost of gaining 1 Corruption Point per activation. When doing so, you must chant and gesture in a way that anyone even slightly knowledgeable will recognise as sorcerous.

[ ] Thirst for the Unholy. Every taste of the terrible truths of the world renews your will to go on even as it damns your soul. When you roll to gain Corruption Points (not when you gain a fixed amount of them), hold Righteous Fury.

[ ] You can no longer resist the temptation to use the secrets you have learned. You immediately attempt an ill-fated sorcerous invokation that gets out of control and rips open a hole into the Warp, into which you disappear screaming never to be seen again. Make a new character.