Character A Day, Day Twenty Six(ish)

Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Wrath And Glory

“Wrath and Glory” Sounds Like A Cop Show On TBS

“Can Maverick Detective Jason Wrath And By-The-Books CSI Gloria “Glory” Kowalksi Solve The Case Of The Pickled Puritan?”

(And How Many Seasons Will It Be Until Then Inevitably Bump Uglies?)

Today’s game, chosen because I moved it out of the way while looking for something else I didn’t find, is a new Warhammer RPG (well “new” in that it’s “newer than the FFG series I have a shelf-buckling collection of”).  Based on copious flipping through it, it looks like a pretty straightforward attribute + skill dice pool system, with a few of the usual mods to such a system like “Wrath” dice and the “Glory” pool. But I’m not here to play, I’m here to create a character. I did determine the core rules wouldn’t let me go with Ork Mekaniak (at least, that didn’t seem to be an option), so I’m going to go for a hive city juveganger. (I could also go for a Commissar, but that’s a “Tier 3” character, and as usual, I’m lazy, so I’m going for the low-tier options.

(Apparently, there’s a “Wrath Deck” you use when you score critical hits. I didn’t get that when I grabbed the core rules. So it goes.)

The first step in creating a character is to have a concept that fits with the expected tier and setting. You can’t have an Ork Nobb palling around with an Eldar, a Commissar, and a Marine Librarian. (Note: Marine Librarians do not wear glasses and go “Shush!”. Marine Librarians wear oversized — even for marines — power armor and go “Die, xeno scum!”) Since I want to be a juveganger, but not necessarily stuck in a hive world, I’ll say the campaign is of mercenaries/pirates in some of the more chaos-infested regions of the Imperium, so, he’s someone who managed to get off-world and is useful to a group.

So, yet once more, a visit to a name generator, found one for “Hiver” names for WH40K, and I like “Willibrord van Overbeek“. Yes, that’s clearly some upper class name, but I like the idea of some undercity ganger who fancies himself a momentarily displaced nobleman. That’s a great concept I could have some fun with, since his accent, body language, skills, and gear should all bespeak a life lived at the literal and figurative bottom of the heap.

Being human, more-or-less, costs me no build points. Oh, I have 100 of them.

The archetype of “Hive Ganger” also costs me no points.

I now pick attributes. I have a maximum of 4 points due to being Tier 1. For perspective, normal human maximum is 8; Space Marine maximums can be 10-12. I like that the game reflects the wide disparity in individual power inherent in the setting; it is tempting to try to “balance” character concepts so “everyone can play what they want”. This tends to be an issue in Star Wars games, where, if played straight, would have a serious “Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit” problem with Jedi and Moisture Farmers Who Weren’t Jedi. The WEG game did well by starting all Jedi as untrained and weak, and requiring a lot of XP to raise Force skills compared to more mundane abilities. But I am digressing.

Strength: 3 (10)
Agility: 4 (18)
Toughness: 3 (10)
Intellect: 2 (4)
Willpower: 2 (4)
Fellowship: 3 (10)
Initative: 2 (4)

That’s 60 of my 100 points.

(I also noticed being a Ganger does give me a few pre-built benefits)

Skill: Cunning (1)
Influence Bonus +1
Keywords: Scum

Skills

The rules recommend a pre-built array of skills; for Tier 1, that’s one at 4, three at 3, and one at 2, which will cost me 31 points, so I’d have nine for other stuff. Sure. Why not?

Ballistic Skill: 4
Weapon Skill: 3
Intimidation: 3
Stealth: 3
Persuasion: 2
Cunning: 1 (free from background)

There is no freakin’ way I can afford a Talent; they start at 20 points!

I get 1d3 “trinkets”: Small items useful for RP. I roll a one. Another few rolls, and I own the signed second volume of the memoirs of a great Imperial hero. Tying this in to my chosen background, it will be the autobiography of Admiral Gustavas von Overbeek, whose holo-image on the cover vaguely resembles me; I became convinced in my youth I was his rightful heir.

My wargear consists of a laspistol, a knife, a bedroll, canteen, and clothing in my gang colors. With 9 points left and nothing to spend it on, I will add Pilot 3 and Survival 2 to my skills — that’s 9 points.

The final tally looks like this:

Willibrord van Overbeek

Strength: 3
Agility: 4
Toughness: 3
Intellect: 2
Willpower: 2
Fellowship: 3
Initative: 2

Defence: 1
Resilience: 4
Soak: 3
Shock: 3
Wounds: 4
Conviction: 2
Corruption: 0
Passive Awareness:1
Resolve: 1
Influence: 3
Wealth: 1

Ballistic Skill: 4
Weapon Skill: 3
Intimidation: 3
Stealth: 3
Persuasion: 2
Cunning: 1
Pilot 3
Survival 2

And with that, Willibrord is ready to enter the grim future of the 41st millennia where there is only war!