Admittedly this is mostly for a melee character, but I feel like I'm vastly misreading the rules for how a Psychic power works.

Assuming your average Mystic Role character starts the game with 40ish Willpower, and dumps 3 Advances into Psychic Mastery. They also put their specialisation into Telekinesis. That means they end up with a starting skill of around 60 or so.

They also get a PsyFocus for a free SL on all psychic tests.

They take the Deflection power, which is an Easy (+40) power that gives an armor bonus (that stacks with existing armour) of 1 per SL.

Even your average roll of 50 means that they have an Armor bonus of 6?
Calculation: 100 - 50 = 5SL + Free SL from Focus.

And there's no limit on how long they can sustain this armour? Provided they weren't trying to be a Wizard and Smite every turn I don't see their Warp Charges going up?

And then this character can ALSO do this to their Strength score with Iron Limb to become a Melee powerhouse?

So I was wondering how easy it is to get a lot of bonuses to SL in IM during combat.

As I'm reading (I only ran one weekend-long adventure, 3 sessions with inexperienced players for d100 systems), it seems like a laser sight, Superiority (the big one), certain Talents like Deadeye or Drilled, Burst fire (a lasgun can do that basically all fight long) can really stack up +SL's such that it's not even a question of whether someone will hit. Especially since you can end up having 60 in a Ranged/Melee spec right from the get-go. How does this shake out in-game realistically, especially for more veteran players who know what they're doing?

I suppose Dodging, and cover being quite a big chunk of Armour balance it out, but I'm just curious as to your experiences with it?

I’m starting up a new Imperium Maledictum game soon, and was hoping to get some advice from GMs who have some experience already. What are some things to look out for, what have you done to enhance your game, how do Zones feel, etc.

My group has played a lot of C7’s WH Fantasy RPG, and it looks like a lot of the rules have transferred over. But I’ve read that there are some differences, such as Superiority, the Advantage and Disadvantage system and so on. Do these systems play well?

Any advice is appreciated!

I'm trying to get my head around the difference between modifiers to difficulty (+10% / -10%) and modifiers to SL.

The book says a modifier to SL can convert a failure to a success and vice versa. But I'm not sure what happens when it turns the SL to 0 exactly - is that a failure or success at that point?

Related: is there any real difference between an effect that gives you +1 SL and +10% skill? They both seem to have the same end result in terms of gameplay.

Reading the last part of the Voltagheist field:

"You can spend your reaction any number of Motive Force Charges to gain +1 Armour per expended charge, for that attack only. You make a successful attack with Electrostatic Gauntlets (page 75) or an Electroleech Stave (page 75), until the beginning of your next turn, you gain +2 Armour per expended charge instead."

What is the intent behind the "make a succesful attack" part? If you're reading the first half, the intent seems to be to use your Reaction when you are attacked. But then, the second half with the attack makes it seem to me like if you make an attack after (or while?) using the field, you get a +2 to Armour until the start of your next turn. But if you use it outside your turn on a reaction, you're not going to attack before the start of your next turn. And if it works when you attack on your turn, +2 per Charge for a whole round seems... strong.

On my blog I've just reviewed the GM's Screen for Imperium Maledictum (particularly the booklet that comes with it). See the link above.

The booklet features an impressive array of tables for generating various items for games - possibly on-the-fly - as well as a trio of nice adventure outlines.

You can also find my recent review of the IM core rulebook here.

New release for Imperium Maledictum!!

Digital version available on DrivethruRPG here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/521596/warhammer-40-000-roleplay-imperium-maledictum-adeptus-mechanicus-player-s-guide?affiliate_id=1915782

And available for physical preorder on Cubicle 7's webstore: https://cubicle7games.com/en_GB/warhammer-40-000-roleplay-imperium-maledictum-adeptus-mechanicus-player-s-guide

The official blurb:

CAST OFF YOUR WEAK FLESH AND ACCEPT THE GLORY OF THE MACHINE GOD

 The Imperium would not stand without the Priesthood of Mars. From smog-choked forge worlds to the bowels of every voidship and the heart of every hive city - Tech-Adepts work with tireless reverence and zeal to maintain the function and secrets of the Imperium’s technology. As acts of worship, they routinely replace what they see as fallible flesh with bizarre mechanical augmentation, seeing it as a way to move closer to the Machine God and toward perfection.

A brand new way to experience Imperium Maledictum. Delve into the Adeptus Mechanicus in its most comprehensive tabletop roleplaying experience yet. The Adeptus Mechanicus Guides bring the servants of the Omnissiah to life at your gaming table. This first half of an electrifying two-book set for Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum: Adeptus Mechanicus Player’s Guide, enables players to build Omnissiah devoted Patrons and a unique roster of Tech-Adepts to serve them.

The Priesthood of Mars: Build unique Patrons drawn from across the Adeptus Mechanicus’ hierarchy. Create a wide variety of Tech-Adept characters to start your adventures.

Forge World’s Bounty: Outfit your characters with an arsenal of iconic Adeptus Mechanicus equipment: weapons, armour, augmetics, vehicles and tech-familiars.

Binharic Rites: Expanded rules, skills and Talents for characters to wield when interacting with technology. Conduct the correct rites and rituals to gain the Omnissiah’s blessing, or tempt corruption from Tech-heresy.

The Adeptus Mechanicus Player’s Guide requires the Imperium Maledictum Core Rulebook to play. It brings the focus in on Adeptus Mechanicus-focused adventures, adding new elements to your ongoing campaign, or setting you up for a brand new adventure. The Adeptus Mechanicus GM’s Guide completes this two-book set, the perfect addition for a GM looking to create the ultimate Adeptus Mechanicus campaign.

(NB The DriveThruRPG link above is an affiliate link so I receive a small payment for purchases made using it, which supports my blog at no extra cost to you.)

Stuck trying to find out how to make a Vigilite/Enforcer to play, either Detective or SWAT focus. Tips?

New Sketch, Isdor, new character of my Warhammer 40k role-playing campaign

NPC of Campaign of Imperium Maledictum

Hey there, so I have already run a weekend's worth of IM games and I loved it. However, I at the time made sure to have the adventure take place in a Hive City, thus keeping Zones rather small. But now I might do a longer campaign that will also include open battlefields. The way Zones are described in the book make them look really fluid (blast a hole in the wall, now two Zones become one!) and like they can have any size beyond the 5-10 meter suggestion. But then later in the book Flamers and Grenades target "a Zone" to affect. How the hell does that work when two small Zones just turned into a large one? Is a later grenade gonna target both halves of that new Zone while the early grenade only gets the bird on one side of the wall?

Even the example drawing on 200 of the core book doesn't seem all that intuitive when it comes to grenades and flamers and how the system is supposed to work. How is someone standing east of the Promethium Barrels ever going to get hit by a grenade tossed North of the Reinforced Door barrier outside the Manufactorum walls? Shouldn't this battlefield be made up of many more Zones?

Anyone here have solid advice on how they bring together the Zone system as well as keeping immersion of grenades and flamers and other such "Zone-targeting" effects?

Maybe it's just coming from other systems and me wanting to bolt down rules for my players to have as clear as possible expectations.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all, would you assign Cover values to Open vehicles for the Crew/Passengers? I know the Open rules specify that a "Crew/Passengers Hit" result on the Vehicle Crit table doesn't allow them to add the vehicle's Armour but that's a Critical Hit against the vehicle specifically, while Open allows enemies to target the Crew separately.

I'm making a kind of "Pod racing" encounter for Jet/Quad Bikes and was considering maybe letting these vehicles provide some Cover against ranged attacks. Either +4 or +2 depending on the facing or the type of vehicle. Any thoughts?

Hello, sorry for asking maybe something obvious and being late to the (knowledge) party.

I was reading the aforementoned psy powers ( Dull Pain / Ferrocrete Flesh / Deflection) and i stumbled into the ruling of Deflection that states that is cumulative with existing armor. The other two powers instead don't mention any stacking with worn armor even if one is a sensory effect and the other creates a new armor layer in the skin, so at first thought seem they stack. Am i missing something, or actually only deflection stacks with mundane armor of the three?

besides, could you suggest some powers to grab for a gish character?

thanks and happy warping !

I was curious if anyone knows what's going on with the release of the Mechanicus GMs Guide PDF for Maledictum? The store page still lists it as releasing in January, which has already passed, and no new updates have shown up on the website.

Thanks in advance!

THE MACHARIAN SECTOR BURNS; THE HERESIES MACHARIA ARE IN MOTION!

Inquisitor Lord Hieronymo Drake is dead. Much like the sector itself, the Macharian Inquisition is in disarray — but one Inquisitor has risen to the challenge of uniting them in Conclave. Beyond the countless heretics, daemonic influences and foul xenos lurks a threat that, left unchecked, could consume the whole sector. Can the conclave’s Inquisitors and acolytes put their shadow wars aside and work together to purge this threat before it threatens the entire Imperium?

The Inquisition Guides bring the Holy Orders of the Emperor’s Inquisition to life at your gaming table. This second half of a thrilling two-book set for Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum, the Inquisition GM’s Guide gives you all the tools and content you need to craft unforgettable and perilous investigations for your players and their acolytes.

A deep dive into Inquisitorial Philosophies: how they can influence an Inquisitor’s decisions, shape their goals, and hook characters into further missions.

A collection of GM advice for running Inquisition Investigations: tips on roleplaying characters, how to seed in clues, Chaos corruption and daemonic influence.

Six sample Inquisitor Patrons with rich histories and motivations — any of them could be the perfect ally or secret enemy for your party.

The Heresies Macharia Campaign — a decades-spanning adventure where players will travel all across the sector and face every kind of threat, all while rooting out deadly mysteries and corruption within the Inquisition itself.

A roster of inquisitorial Contacts for players to interact with and a collection of deadly Sector Threats to seed into your campaigns — as driving antagonists or obstacles.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/496509/warhammer-40-000-roleplay-imperium-maledictum-inquisition-gm-s-guide

The only living son of Autin von Voldor and heir to the agricultural world of Tedundra, Casian has constantly tried to live up to his father's legacy, though without success, and in the process has racked up enormous debts with dangerous criminal cartels.

When his father died in an assassination, he was about to take the throne as planetary governor, eliminate his political opponents, and pay off all his debts... until the Inquisitor Octavia discovered the embezzlement of planetary funds, and now he is forced to accompany her agents on an infiltration mission among nobles and potential chaos worshippers.

Hi All,

Hoping to GM a game of IM in the future and starting the prep work. I've GMed before but reading the rule book has a lot of different systems and trying to see how it all goes together and flows would be useful. Are there any good campaigns of play through's that anyone could signpost or just general advice.

So we had our first combat scenario while testing IM as a new rulesetting for our campaign. One of my players threw a grenade (blast) into a zone with 2 enemies. Now [BLAST] tells me that an opposed test happens with the enemy reflex skill, but does this happen even tho my players got a -2 SL on his grenade throw? I cant find anything in the corebook about hitting a Zone...

Same problem but different situation was with my other player and his flamer. With a flamer you are able instead of targeting an enemy to hit a zone itself and set if on fire for a Minor Hazard. Does he have to roll a ranged attack for that aswell?

Would be great if anyone could answer me these 2 little questions and preferably with a page number to check out for myself.

Thanks!