accepted Zorael Eludian - Blood Angel Sanguinary Priest (Apothecary)

[Ayeba]

"A glorious death can only be earned once. If you stay alive, you have the chance to earn many times the glory that a single death would gain you."

Excerpt from one of Zoriel's sermons.

Name: Zorael Eludian	Legion: Blood Angels	Rank: I
Specialty: Apothecary	Legion Demeanour: The Red Thirst	Personal Demeanour: ProtectiveThis is a demeanor I came up with myself; he seeks to preserve the life of all his fellow Space Marines if possible, to the point where he might deviate from his missions objectives to do so.

Characteristics

Weapon Skill: 43 (+4)	Ballistic Skill: 39 (+3)	Strength: 40 (+10After accounting for Unnatural Strength and bonus from the power armor.)
Toughness: 46 (+8After accounting for Unnatural Toughness)	Agility: 44 (+4)	Intelligence: 50 (+5)
Perception: 44 (+4)	Willpower: 47 (+4)	Fellowship: 42 (+4)

Other Attributes

Wounds: 19/19

Fate Points: 3/3

Movement: 5/10/15/30

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Special Abilities

Enhance Healing: The Apothecary may restore 1d5 additional Wounds with any successful Medicae Test for First Aid.

Solo Mode

Blood Frenzy: Reroll melee damage dice & Righteous Fury on 9-10. Lasts Rank/2 rounds. Lasts 1/combat.

Burst of Speed: +2 Agility bonus for Rank rounds, 1/session.

Feat of Strength: Gain Unnatural Strength x3 for Rank rounds, 1/day.

Squad Mode

Attack modes

Fury of Sanguinius (Free Action. 3 Cohesion): +10 Weapon Skill, Strength, Toughness until start of next turn.

Crimson Tide (Full Action. 3 Cohesion. Sustained): When Charging, gain Fear (1) trait, or increase by 1.

Defensive Stances

Feel No Pain (Free Action. 3 Cohesion): Halve (round up) all damage after AP and Toughness soak, until start of next turn. May not Parry or Dodge while active, must use Action with Attack subtype.

Conviction (Free Action. 2 Cohesion. Sustained): Battle brother moves to the fore (?). Enemy ranged attacks against other members of kill-team suffer -20 penalty.

Skills

• Awareness
• Ciphers (Legion Runes)
• Climb
• Common Lore (Legiones Astartes, Imperium, War)
• Concealment
• Dodge
• Drive (Ground Vehicles)
• Forbidden Lore (Xenos)
• Intimidate
• Literacy
• Medicae
• Navigation (Surface)
• Scholastic Lore (Chymistry, Principia Belicosa)
• Silent Move
• Speak Language (High Gothic, Low Gothic)
• Tactics (Assault Doctrine)
• Tracking

Talents

• Ambidextrous
• Astartes Weapon Training
• Bulging Biceps
• Heightened Senses (Hearing, Sight)
• Killing Strike
• Nerves of Steel
• Quick Draw
• Resistance (Psychic Powers)
• Talented (Medicae)
• True Grit
• Unarmed Master

Traits

Unnatural Strength x2Each time this trait is gained, select a Characteristic, and double its bonus.

Unnatural Toughness x2Each time this trait is gained, select a Characteristic, and double its bonus.

Astartes Implants

Secondary HeartThis organ has no in-game effect besides contributing to the Space Marine’s Unnatural Strength and Toughness Traits.

OssmodulaThis implant, in conjunction with several others, grants the Space Marine the Unnatural Toughness (x2) Trait.

BiscopeaThis implant, in conjunction with several others, grants the Space Marine the Unnatural Strength (x2) Trait.

HaemastamenThis organ has no in-game effect besides contributing to the Space Marine’s Unnatural Strength and Toughness Traits.

Larraman's OrganSpace Marines do not normally suffer from Blood Loss. In addition, the Space Marine gains the True Grit Talent. However, attacks with the Warp Weapon Quality may still inflict Blood Loss as normal.

Catalepsean NodeA Space Marine suffers no penalties to Perception-based Tests (such as Awareness) when awake for long periods of time.

PreomnorThe Space Marine gains a +20 bonus to any Toughness Test against ingested poisons.

OmophageaBy devouring a portion of an enemy, a Space Marine can gain access to certain information (such as the whereabouts of a cult’s hidden lair, access codes, and so forth). The information he can access is at the GM’s discretion, keeping in mind what may have been known by the enemy in the first place. In addition, a Space Marine can temporarily gain access to a Skill or Skill Group (such as Pilot, Lore, Ciphers, and so forth) that he did not already possess. The Skills he may gain are at the GM’s discretion, depending on the Skills originally possessed by the enemy. The Space Marine may access this acquired Skill or Skill Group as an untrained Basic Skill for a number of hours equal to his Intelligence Bonus. After this time, the information begins to fade and the Skill is no longer useable by the Space Marine (until he devours another portion of an enemy, of course).

Multi-LungThe Space Marine may re-roll any failed Toughness Tests for drowning or asphyxiation. In addition, the Space Marine gains a +30 bonus to Toughness Tests made to resist the effects of gases, and may re-roll failed results. The Space Marine may also breathe water through his multi-lung.

OcculobeThis implants grants the Space Marine the Heightened Senses (Sight) Talent.

Lyman's EarThis implant grants the Space Marine the Heightened Senses (Hearing) Talent.

Sus-an MembraneThe Space Marine may voluntarily enter a form of suspended animation. To do so, the Space Marine must meditate for 1d5 Rounds. This organ also automatically activates if the Space Marine is knocked unconscious by Critical Damage. While in suspended animation, the Space Marine’s wounds will not deteriorate or heal. It requires chemical therapy, auto-suggestion techniques, and a successful Hard (–20) Medicae Test to revive a Space Marine in suspended animation.

Melanchromic OrganThis organ has no in-game effect besides contributing to the Space Marine’s Unnatural Toughness (x2) Trait. At the GM’s discretion, the Space Marine may ignore or be resistant to exposure to radiation, depending on the severity.

Oolitic KidneyThis implant gives the Space Marine the ability to re-roll any failed Toughness Test to resist poisons and toxins, including attacks with the Toxic Quality.

NeuroglottisThe Space Marine may detect any poison or toxins by taste with a successful Challenging (+0) Awareness Test. He may also detect poisons or toxins by smell with a successful Hard (–20) Awareness Test. The Space Marine gains the Tracking Skill as a basic trained Skill, and may (at the GM’s discretion) gain a +10 bonus to any Tracking Tests against an opponent he has tasted.

MucranoidThe Space Marine may re-roll any failed Toughness Tests caused by temperature extremes, such as desert heat or the cold of outer space.

Betcher's GlandThe Space Marine may spit acid at his foes. This acts as a ranged weapon with the following profile: (Range: 3m; Damage: 1d5; Pen: 4; Toxic). If the Space Marine gains three or more Degrees of Success on his Ballistic Skill Test, he may also blind the opponent for 1d5 Rounds. At the GM’s discretion, the Space Marine may also slowly chew his way through nearly any non-living substance. The rate at which he does so is at the GM’s discretion (one example includes chewing through iron bars this would be roughly at a rate of 4 kg per minute).

ProgenoidsRemoving a Space Marine’s progenoids requires a Difficult (–10) Medicae Test. This Test becomes Arduous (–40) if performed without the narthecium, and adds 2 Rounds to the time required. Taking out the progenoids takes 1 Round, adding 1 Round for every Degree of Failure on the Medicae Test. Space Marines go to great lengths to recover a fallen Battle-Brother’s gene-seed, and the GM may require a Willpower Test to leave the progenoids behind.

Black CarapaceThis implant gives the Space Marine exceptional control over his power armour. Although a Space Marine in power armour has the Size (Hulking) Trait, his enemies gain no bonus to hit him thanks to the Black Carapace.

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Equipment

Chapter trapping: Purity Focus, -1 corruption gain

• Mark IV "Maximus" Power Armor
• Bolt Pistol
• Frag Grenade x3
• Krak Grenade x3
• Combat Knife
• Repair Cement
• Chain Sword
• Exsanguinator
• Reductor

 

Edited March 23 by Ayeba
(Added First Founding squad modes) (see edit history)

[Trish_the_Nugg_Queen]

Hey there! I've put up a thread detailing character creation & another for discussing it, but I haven't used the new MW site before so I'm not sure they're necessarily visible.
 

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1. Warhammer 40k is traditionally a grimdark setting. Do you know if you plan to go more heroic or grimdark, or some other direction?

The 30k setting tends to be more mythical & heroic than 40k; there are still major grimdark elements for sure, and it's still going to very much be a Space Marines game. But this era of the setting is the height of the Imperium, from which the grimdark 40k setting has fallen.

 

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2. Can I ask how heavily the game will focus on combat vs other aspects? I assume it's somewhat balanced, but correct me if I'm wrong.

It'll be fairly balanced, Deathwatch does have a mechanical focus on combat but I do like to have a balance of themes in my games.

 

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3. Do we use the standard rules in the Deathwatch book for character creation?

4. I only have access to the core Deathwatch book at the moment. Are there other books you would recommend for players?

I've listed the changes to the character creation process in the thread 'Character Creation Guidelines'. If you don't have any other books, you can choose any of the chapters in the core rulebook except the Black Templars or Storm Wardens, or one of the homebrew ones in that thread

 

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5. Do you want a balanced team when it comes to specialties?

I'm not too fussed about party balance, people playing characters they find engaging & fun is far more important to me

[Ayeba]

Experience Points

Total Experience Points: 1,000

Experience Points Remaining: 0

Sanguinary Priest: 500

Protector of the Chapter: 400

Forbidden Lore (Xenos): 100

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Power Armour

Mark: IV, "Maximus"

Terror be thy friend: Fear (1) against enemies in melee.

Edited March 23 by Ayeba
(Purchased Forbidden Lore (Xenos)) (see edit history)

[Trish_the_Nugg_Queen]

No worries! The homebrew content I extrapolated the other nine legions from didn't have any specific psychic powers for them, only a general list of Chaos-related powers (which aren't available for this game, none of the space marines have fallen to Chaos yet or even know that it exists). I could be convinced to reflavour chapter-specific powers from the official Deathwatch material, it's something we'd need to sort out together. The Thousand Sons are a solid choice for a librarian, as they start with an extra point of psy rating, but you're welcome to choose whatever you'd like 😄

[Ayeba]

Background: Zorael Eludian is not the first one to bear that name, nor the second, or even the third. He's at least the fourth Blood Angel to bear that name, after he consumed the brain of the previous one when he fell on the surface of Anahktor. He bears little memory of who he was before that, only minor fragments remain.

While he assumed the previous Zorael's name and mantle, he is also different from him. His previous namesake charged into battle driven by hatred towards Iron Bulls after their treachery killed hundreds of their brethren. He was single-handedly responsible for killing the five bulls that mortally wounded him. The next Zorael gave him the Emperor's Peace and removed his glands, and later consumed his brain.

While Zorael was strongly affected by the betrayal and death of his comrades, he took a different lesson from the campaign. Rather than avenge his fallen brethren, he saw the need to save as many as possible. Leagues of their kin had died during the ninth legion's brutal campaign. This was a price the legion had to pay for the Empire's sake, but the cost had been high.

Fragments of his previous life colored his perception differently from most other Blood Angels. His fellow angels were not only his companions, they were his family. He could vaguely recall the loss of his mortal family before he ascended. His new family was a gift from Sanguinius, one he would cherish and protect. He was a proud member of the Blood Angel and a servant of the empire, and death among his family was inevitable. But whenever possible, he would seek to save his brethren rather just give them the Emperor's Peace.

He has served other campaigns after the burning of Anahktor, but not taken up any frontline duties... until now.

Personality: Zorael is uncharacteristically optimistic for a space marine. He encourages his brethren to not only fight well, but focus on their own survival, for the Empire would rather see a battle lost at minimal loss than a battle won at a catastrophic cost. Not only the empire; their chapter and friends.

Excerpts from his sermons:

"A glorious death can only be earned once. If you keep living, you have the chance to earn many times the glory than a single death would gain you."

"There is no honor lost in retreating against a strong foe. Throwing your life away without good reason is neither honorable or glorious."

"There are some lines that can't be crossed, and sometimes the ultimate sacrifice must be made. But if you are not in such a critical position, remember your own survival is also important. For you, for your chapter, and for the Empire."

"The empire shall live forever. You will serve the empire for as long as you live. Seeking a quick death is betraying the empire. Only by living can you continue to serve it."

Edited March 23 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[Ayeba]

I have two different concepts for a character. I've started making both, but I'm not sure I'll finish both. They both use the same stats rolled. I'd like some GM input @Trish_the_Nugg_Queen to confirm that these concepts work with the setting. I'm pulling material from the 40k side, and not all of it is appropriate to 30k.

1. A White Scars Apothecary (or so he claims) that struggles with visions of the future. They are not always bad, but they will not hesitate to show him the worst possible outcomes, often at inappropriate times. This may or may not be the result of a gene deviation, which he tries to keep hidden.

He works and passes himself up as an apothecary. His connection to the warp is not hard to deduce and he does not deny it if someone asks him about it, but if no one else mentions it, neither will he.

Mechanically, he's a White Scars Librarian (Stormseer) with Gene-Seed Anomaly (Rites of Battle p87) that grants him Medicae as an advanced skill. I as a player (or you as a GM) choose when his powers manifest, but in-character he has little to no control over it. I'll take only powers that makes sense with this concept (unless he learns to embrace the warp more actively). His starting powers will be Reading, Short-Range Telepathy and either Inspire or Augury. Augury as written does not work with the concept -- it is a very deliberate act -- but if the GM allow some refluffing it could work. Inspire can be reinterpreted as a vision of the future where things work out, or the bad things that can happen if they succumb to pinning and fear, and thus helps his comrades to overcome their current situation. Heck, both are better fits than Short-Range telepathy, so if you allow refluffing of both, I'll take it.

The power that really shines with this concept is Possibility Shield, which I will take at first chance and probably have running for most of the fights. It costs 1000 xp, so I won't start with that, but I'll get it as soon as reasonably possible.

I also want to take the We Are All One deed (rites of Battle p85). He does not seek leadership for the power or because he is suited, but because he wants to avoid the negative outcomes he can see if he doesn't put his finger on the scale.

He's very much built to fulfill a support role in a group. While he is a space marine and no stranger to fighting, he's built to help his kill-team shine, not personally hog all the glory. He'll requisition reductor and narhecium at the start of every mission, which makes him a decent medic (50 int, +20 skill from narthecium --> 10 wounds healed on a lightly damaged subject).

2. A Blood Angel Apothecary who failed to protect his mortal family before he was turned into a space marine and later recruited into the Deathwatch. He views his duties in the Deathwatch as a second chance, a God-given opportunity to prove his ability to protect his family. That's how he views his kill-team and comrades; not as allies of convenience or even friends. They are his new family, his brothers, cousins and relatives, and he will give it all to protect them. His duty is not a burden, it is a blessing, and he embraces it. As part of his duty, he also needs to retrieve any fallen family's gene-seed and return them to their chapters, but he'd rather keep them all alive than see a single member of his family die.

Mechanically he is a Blood Angel Sanguinary Priest (500xp, First Founding p43) with Protector of the Chapter (400xp, Rites of Battle p84). He is an excellent healer and will only become better. His priorities are always to protect his kill-team first, and if he is ever forced to choose between saving a teammate and fulfilling his mission, he will prefer to keep everyone alive. He might even deviate from his mission in order to save space marines that are not members of the Deathwatch.

I've tried to include some flaws you as a GMs can use as flavor, story hooks or even distractions if you want to.

 

 

Edited March 17 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[Trish_the_Nugg_Queen]

No worries! I'm gonna do a lore writeup soon with some of the differences from the standard 40k setting.

So the White Scars are quite a psyker-heavy legion; the culture of Chogoris, their homeworld, puts a lot of importance into spirituality. This game is taking place a couple years before the Council of Nikaea, where the Emperor and the Primarchs gathered to discuss the future of psykers, and the White Scars were firmly in the pro-psyker camp. However, working alongside members of other legions, and/or having these potentially dangerous premonitions, it is possible your character would want to hide those abilities from others.

Additionally, although we're using the Deathwatch game system, the Deathwatch itself (and even the Inquisition) don't exist yet in-universe. The Ullanor Crusade was the largest joint campaign of the entire Great Crusade, so the party will be a squad operating on its own made up of members of different legions, like a Deathwatch kill-team

Overall, I love the thought you've put into both of these and especially in making their mechanics match their fluff!

[Ayeba]

@Trish_the_Nugg_Queen Didn't notice you posting the 30k thread. I'll look at the videos for the relevant chapters tomorrow.

I have some more questions, if you don't mind. If you've answered these elsewhere, I'll give you my apologies in advance.

1. Why would space marines from different chapters be gathered together into kill-teams rather than just create kill-teams consisting of only members from single chapters?
2. The Astartes are unaware of the existence of Xenos. Does that apply to us player characters too? If so, should we remove Forbidden Lore (Xenos)?
3. Even if the emperor is not worshipped, do (many) space marines still view him as a father figure? Or more of a military leader, or some other role?

Edit: I realize these questions might be better posed in the general OOC thread. Feel free to answer them there instead if they are relevant to others.

Edited March 20 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[Ayeba]

@Trish_the_Nugg_Queen Fixed up the major choices, need to write the backstory etc. I'll try to learn a bit more 30k lore first, to make the story more appropriate. I've already had to significantly reduce his age, as it doesn't seem that the Blood Angels recruits middle-aged people. Or did they do so in 30k? I have yet to find an answer to that question.

[Harding]

12 minutes ago, Ayeba said:

@Trish_the_Nugg_Queen Fixed up the major choices, need to write the backstory etc. I'll try to learn a bit more 30k lore first, to make the story more appropriate. I've already had to significantly reduce his age, as it doesn't seem that the Blood Angels recruits middle-aged people. Or did they do so in 30k? I have yet to find an answer to that question.

It is very rare that the Space Marine recruit adult because more than often, it make the gene-seed development and implanted organs fail. But there are some cases like Erebus of the World Bearers who became one as an young adult (though, it is unspecified which age it happened in the lore). Successfully becoming an Astartes post puberty is not really a total success in the end though: most likely, your genetic advantages would be less strong than the common Astartes, on top of possible malfunction of the implanted organs or mutations.

[Ayeba]

10 minutes ago, Harding said:

It is very rare that the Space Marine recruit adult because more than often, it make the gene-seed development and implanted organs fail. But there are some cases like Erebus of the World Bearers who became one as an young adult (though, it is unspecified which age it happened in the lore). Successfully becoming an Astartes post puberty is not really a total success in the end though: most likely, your genetic advantages would be less strong than the common Astartes, on top of possible malfunction of the implanted organs or mutations.

Not far into the lore, obviously. How quickly do space marines age after the implantation of the gene seed? Normal speed until adulthood?

[Maester1216]

I'd say so, then the aging process slows to a crawl.

The Blood Angel Dante - he's from the main series of events in M41 - is over 1,500 years old during the current metaplot. He looks to be somewhere in his 60's? Mind you most Space Marines don't live nearly that long, but you get the idea.

Edited March 22 by Maester1216 (see edit history)

[Ayeba]

@Trish_the_Nugg_Queen I think I'm ready for a review. Is there something significant I've forgotten? Does the backstory make sense?

I have spent about 3-4 hours reading and listening to 30k & 40k lore, but there is so much of it and I'm still a beginner. The guy you linked was genuinely interesting to listen to, so I've delved into a lot more topics than necessary.

Edited March 25 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[Trish_the_Nugg_Queen]

Looks good! I like the backstory. Just something to think about, not mechanically but just in terms of RP, if he has Forbidden Lore (Xenos) has he faced orks before? Or is the Ullanor Crusade his first time actively fighting them?

[Ayeba]

I figure he absorbed that from his predecessor, but he can just as easily have participated in other smaller campaigns against the orcs. There weren't many specific detailed in the wiki I looked through.