Suffer Not the Witch to Live

Leontina Cavalcanti is a moderate puritan who does not particularly identify with any of the larger factions within the Inquisition, though she associates closely with a small group of like-minded inquisitors. For the most part, she has concerned herself with theological matters within the Ecclesiarchy, putting her time in the Ecclesiarchy to good use. While errors in the interpretation of the Imperial Creed are gravely serious matters they do not require a cadre of acolytes. Of late, the inquisitor has taken a more active and direct interest in battling the corruption and heresy endemic to the Imperium. Often she will travel as a pilgrim or a wandering cleric, integrating into a community and gaining respect and local knowledge before beginning restrained trials for heresy with a minimum of hysteria and false accusations. Still, it is better safe than sorry, and the inquisitor would rather condemn an innocent than let a heretic live. She is also willing to investigate matters personally, though it is a job that she would rather leave to her acolytes. Cavalcanti’s strong sense of justice, idealism, and strong distrust of the Imperium’s nobility and ruling elite lead her to use her rosette liberally to right many wrongs. However in the 41st millennium idealists fall the hardest and the road to Hell is paved with good intentions…

I am sensitive to the possibility of an NPC overshadowing the players' accomplishments and breaking them out whenever they get into trouble. As such, I will take a number of steps to prevent this. For one, your inquisitor isn't significantly more powerful than you—at the very beginning of 9th rank in Ascension (that is, 8th rank in DH plus a few extras). Also, your inquisitor’s to tendency to delegate, and the fact that she has many other issues to attend to will allow players the independence necessary to shine on their own.

Your inquisitor is also not infallible--she will make tactical errors due to her own biases and ideologies (and due to her lack of relevant experience). It falls to the acolytes to persuade her to take a path that's more likely to lead to all of your continued survival without being insubordinate. Your inquisitor also follows all the rules you do--like you they'll have to deal with a bad roll in an important stat, an unfortunate divination, corruption, or a lost limb. This is Dark Heresy--I won't fudge the dice, because that's the greatest strength of the system. It makes something like Adept Grendel's (if you don't know who Adept Grendel is, shame on you! He's been canonized!) Impossible successes really stand out, and those moments make the best stories. I will also make sure players get satisfaction out of defeating the foes they really grow to hate--these may not always be the BBEGs. Regardless, you'll get your chance at revenge, and your boss won’t take that away.

Players will strongly drive this campaign. While your inquisitor is a walking plot hook, and things will come your way regardless, that villain you all really hated or the friendly contact you made... They'll probably be reappearing several times. Likewise, your own characters' problems and past histories will figure prominently in the story. Because this game is focused strongly on investigation I want well developed characters and players who enjoy writing--this isn't a monster hunt--there will be mystery, politics, and enough witch-burning and Daemon purging to keep you on your toes.

Because it’s what I do, and because the stuff in this section is very resistant to neat paragraphs it is bulleted for yours and my convenience. Expect things to be added here as you ask questions.

-I will except all material from Inquistor’s Handbook and Core. Run anything else (including possible homebrewed backgrounds, homeworlds, etc. past me first.)

-Note also that I would prefer to deviate slightly from 40k's cannon. I think that the grim darkness of the far future is more soul crushing when it's turned back down to 10--I get that 40k according to cannon is meant as a joke, but I'm taking it seriously. This means that I don't want caricatures! your emperor-bothering cleric who is frothing at the mouth crazy can also have a sense of humor, for example. I'm also not so keen on the adept who is a member of the department of redundancy department. Real humans in 40k makes the setting so much more compelling. I also aim to make the setting a bit more logical (it's no longer at 11, remember)--the Gaurd does not line up in silly Napoleonic fashion to die, and space marines wear camouflage. Tanks don't have (as much) golden bling, and the pauldrons are reasonably sized. These slight cannon changes also give me a bit more freedom and avoids any obsessive harping over what is and isn't cannon in the setting. It's still 40k, mind, I'm just not keen on enforcing cannon excessively (or having the same done to me)

-This game is set in 397 M41. This is before the 13th Black Crusade, the war for Armagedon, and the Discovery of the Tyranids. It is 11 years after the end of the Eisenhorn Trilogy—which I felt made a good backdrop since it took place in a neighboring sector. Use everything in the DH books as-is (it’s independent of time)

-Roll 2d10+x for all stats. There are no rerolls, but you may switch any 2 pairs of stats (i.e. you could switch ST and FEL and WP and BS, one, both, or decline to switch at all)
-All rolls should take place in the game thread labeled as such.
-Calculate your current monthly income factoring in all increases. Multiply this figure by 10 to get your starting income.
-All characters are 6th rank with 6400 XP (400 XP into 6th rank) For every 400 XP above your starting value add another month’s worth of income according to the rules.
-Characters will receive 4d5 points of insanity -1 for every point of willpower your bonus (so someone with a WP of 30 who rolled 10 would gain 8 IP)
-Characters will receive 2d5 points of corruption -2 per point of WP bonus
-Corruption and insanity gained in this way can be bought down at double cost (200 XP) and can reduce your insanity or corruption down a step if they pushed you over.


What I want in an app:
-I want a writing sample of your character. This should be the primary focus of your app.
-A history of your character. What did they do before this, did they serve annother Inquisitor, etc?
-A description
-Your limits--what are you prepared to do in the name of the emperor. Where will you stop? Do you have a personal code?
-I will accept 5-8 characters