[BC] A Vulgar Display of Power: OOC/Discussion Thread

[Mazer Rackham]

 

You might consider rebuilding him as a chosen, if it's mechanically more in line with what you want. The Forsaken can be a tricky class to get right, and it fills kind of a bizarre niche in the Black Crusade ecosystem.

 

 

Thanks for the steer.

 

I think the trouble is that trying to make him a Medic has placed him too close too Vesalius, and whilst his chapter background lets him be vicious, it just doesn't gel with being a dark character.  I think I've brought the legacy of a character I built for Deathwatch over with me.  The fact he was originally worked up as a Corpsetaker was the driving force behind him, so having him sidestep, but keep the trappings was a mistake.

 

The Forsaken archetype still really appeals.  I've just got to dig deeper and push past the fact I've played Imperium so often and try to be anti-imperial without stepping onto the Alpha Legion's toes.  I'm going to have to invent something more than just a scorned son - I think I'm going to have to invent a warband akin to the Iron Gods, who want to carve out a pocket empire, without being the Iron Gods.

 

I think, even after all the hard work we've done on Iscario, he's going to have to dump the Medicae.

 

I'll keep almost everything else, but I'm going to have to edge more towards the Night Lord persona, and make him a dangerously relatable villain within the scope of the game, a Dark Ronin, free of bounds and ideals, both burned on a fire, yet able to contribute to a Compact and keep a 'team' game going.

 

Hmm.

[Necronaut]

If you want to rework your character entirely, then by all means have at it. I'll be happy to work with you.

 

Edit: I had a similar problem with Vargr in Magellan's Devil's early on. Forsaken made so much sense for the character thematically but after making contact with the game, I began to have doubts. But, I came back around after better rationalizing what he had to do to survive and so on.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Necronaut

[Necronaut]

I have played evil characters before in the vein of Black Crusade, but Vesalius has, at times, been quite challenging/difficult for me to write. It's something beyond darkness, delving into what it would be like to actually be utterly devoid of empathy.

[Mazer Rackham]

If you want to rework your character entirely, then by all means have at it. I'll be happy to work with you.

 

Edit: I had a similar problem with Vargr in Magellan's Devil's early on. Forsaken made so much sense for the character thematically but after making contact with the game, I began to have doubts. But, I came back around after better rationalizing what he had to do to survive and so on.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the understanding. :)

 

Again, Vargr is someone else I have to try and avoid... ;p

 

I think the reason Forsaken is my preferred archetype is because of the distance it puts between the character and the Chaos gods, hence my original Night Lord idea - all creeds are dumb, I'm the captain of my soul, I hold my will.  That isn't going to change.  Unaligned is something I want to start and end with - and the other rub is that I'm prepared to lose Iscario.  Ultimately the PC bad guys can win, but I'm prepared for a cathartic scenario where they don't...

 

I have played evil characters before in the vein of Black Crusade, but Vesalius has, at times, been quite challenging/difficult for me to write. It's something beyond darkness, delving into what it would be like to actually be utterly devoid of empathy.

 

Yes, that's a difficult well to plumb - since really what you're doing there is flirting with psychoses and sociopathy.  The "he doesn't care" character is hard to play, and to write for, because otherwise what drives them on?  I think you've done really well with it TBH.

 

Talking of flirting with the depths of abyss, when the opportunity came round for Noctus Cornix's HH BC game, I got into researching a lot of heavy stuff. It was like that bit of Demolition Man, when they find out Simon Phoenix is action man: Torture methodologies, terrorist tactics, asymmetric warfare, urban survival, etc.  It's then applying that to a mostly collaborative experience...

 

There's an opportunity here for me to try and grow a bit.

 

It won't take too long, I don't think - so it shouldn't affect the launch of the game - I just have to get the character to talk to me...

Edited March 29, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Xin Ceithan]

First off, thanks for clarification - the restriction to common items through in ( a further ) loop as I suddenly thought we‘d be running an even more desolate starting game. 
 

And yeah, the BC classes are somewhat… erratic. I had a similar problem first trying to bring a character from the DW Badab Campaign set up to BC  and when that didn‘t work to get another idea and then make that idea fit the classes.  
 

Along that tangent - I assume  the Badab war already happened in-game since we have characters who had dealings with Huron‘s lot? 

[Necronaut]

It definitely shouldn't affect the launch of the game: Plunder episode 3 is kicking off this weekend (!!!), and I'm not exactly holding people's feet to the fire to firm up their characters. I still have quite a bit of legwork to do, so take your time.

@Xin: you know, I had not actually given it any thought, but sure we can assume the Badab War has come and gone.

[Xin Ceithan]

Well, there are people who have “Red Corsairs” listed  in their former affiliations, no? :) 

 

 Mmh, if the rogue Apothecary is up for grabs, that might give me a bit of a different route to a sorcerer / adept than the iniate to the dark arts already on display…

..unless you are considering using the established Warps its template for this lot’s tech support ( at least then we would  not have to worry about further equipment then    )

[Mazer Rackham]

If that helps you Xin, then by all means, go for it. :)

[Necronaut]

Well, there are people who have “Red Corsairs” listed in their former affiliations, no? :)

 

Mmh, if the rogue Apothecary is up for grabs, that might give me a bit of a different route to a sorcerer / adept than the iniate to the dark arts already on display…

..unless you are considering using the established Warps its template for this lot’s tech support ( at least then we would not have to worry about further equipment then )

Dude, I have wanted to try out a biomancer sorcerer for a long long time in Black Crusade. You have my full support. Spend your experience wisely!

 

Also I will admit I had not looked that closely at our cast of villains' past affiliations.

 

@Mazer, if you're interested in (at least partially) filling the still-vacant tech-support role, you could easily gear your character towards that, but I don't know if that messes with your overall build.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Necronaut

[Mazer Rackham]

Dude, I have wanted to try out a biomancer sorcerer for a long long time in Black Crusade. You have my full support. Spend your experience wisely!

 

I think you may have opened a door best left closed there...! 

 

Iscario has really good Int, so I can sort of cover the tech stuff.  Between security, survival, Tech use, a multikey, and demolitions gear, I think I can open doors...most if not all of that will be unaligned to boot, will help the team, and keep that nice little hook-in to work with Lysi's man.  That tempting - "there's a home for you - if you're good enough, and want it" that the Forsaken kind of needs...

 

It also works for a shotgun breacher build:  Kick it in, Section it Off, Lay them Out.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Necronaut]

Be sure to check out the Tome of Excess for some tasty special ammunition for the ol' shotgun. So many toys to play with, and so little time.

[Mazer Rackham]

I'll take a look, cheers. :)

[Trokair]

NB. I've taken 10 Frags too, so we've got 20 between us already (plus Iscario gets 4 more as Starting Kit). Maybe someone should take Kraks instead and we can all swap around a bit, assuming our GM will allow that…

Not entirely sure what extra starting gear I want/need, so if nothing else comes to mind I was going not default to some Frags and Kraks. Still need to have a second look and maybe get some help.

[Necronaut]

Don't limit yourself solely to weaponry -- there's plenty of other useful things to take like auspex, cameleoline cloaks, combat drugs, medi-kits, etc. Edited March 29, 2022 by Necronaut

[Xin Ceithan]

Stuff breaks, love dies, people disappoint … don’t rely on that :p

[Trokair]

I saw, and an armour upgrade is what I am currently debating/puzzling over. Sakal starts with a set of carapace, and I was thinking that the Vac-sealed upgrade might be a good idea. After all, all the CSM start with Power armour, and that has inbuilt environmental/vacuum protection (assuming it is working).

 

Edit: Equally, dose the carapace helmet come with things like coms, rebreather and possibly some sort of sights, so that I can link into the squad coms, and so on. Obviously not the full set of gear of a power armour helmet, but the basics to function amongst some marines. Or do I need to obtain all of those separately?

Edited March 29, 2022 by Trokair

[Necronaut]

Carapace is not really much different from modern body armor, in principle, so you'd need to supply your own rebreather, comms, etc. separately. You *could* also purchase a set of light power armor and have the carapace as a back-up set, but that's your call.

 

Edit: having done this myself in a game, Astartes most definitely can survive exposure to hard vacuum, just don't tarry as there are limits to the punishment even a super-human can withstand. Mortals on the other hand... You're not married to your character, are you?

Edited March 29, 2022 by Necronaut

[Mazer Rackham]

Could Tro get more kit in the better craftsmanship helmets?

 

On another note, I re-rolled a lot of stuff....and I'm happier with it, although Iscario is now coming through as a 'Destroyer' on the cheap.

[Machine God]

Carapace is not really much different from modern body armor, in principle, so you'd need to supply your own rebreather, comms, etc. separately. You *could* also purchase a set of light power armor and have the carapace as a back-up set, but that's your call.

 

Edit: having done this myself in a game, Astartes most definitely can survive exposure to hard vacuum, just don't tarry as there are limits to the punishment even a super-human can withstand. Mortals on the other hand... You're not married to your character, are you?

He could even trade in the Carapace when acquiring the Light Power Armour.

[Necronaut]

I'll have a look at the Catalogue of Arms and Armaments, M41 Edition, and see what might suit Sakal.

[Necronaut]

@MG things get tricky and kind of weird when trading in your starting equipment, and that presents a bridge best left uncrossed. Your bonus starting gear is supposed to represent equipment that your character has come across, traded for, stolen and taken by force in their travels prior to the start of the campaign to get them to where they are now, so I think it is not really in the spirit of Black Crusade to let people take apart their starting kit piecemeal to get the most optimized load-out.

 

Sorry to have to be the no-fun police in this regard.

[Trokair]

No worries, was a, just trying to get my bearings.

 

What I envision is the local equivalent of the Blood Pact (though undivided rather than Khorne). That is to say a solider from a professionally trained chaos aligned army. With Sakal being from the elite members of such a force, a Kasrkin /Stormtrooper equivalent if you will.

[Mazer Rackham]

Ooh.

 

Glittershells.  Hallucinogenic Shotgun shells.  And we're in the Ragged Helix...so they're Rare (-10), buuut I get (+10) to Rare...

 

Interesting...

[Necronaut]

Ooh.

 

Glittershells. Hallucinogenic Shotgun shells. And we're in the Ragged Helix...so they're Rare (-10), buuut I get (+10) to Rare...

 

Interesting...

This guy gets it.

[Machine God]

Post updated:

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/373663-bc-a-vulgar-display-of-power-data-character-thread/?p=5809173