A Lethal Proposal for Injuries (Updated and Edited 12/26/13) WIP

     The remainder of the engagement is no more than a blurred haze to me. I don't remember taking the blow to my head, but I do remember thinking "Oh shit..."  
     ~Commissar Alekzanter Kurn, Assigned to the Horan XLVII Heavy Assault

     EDIT "Update" is an understatement. I've had some time to read through this proposal, rebuilding and refining it around the original framework. I've also included the mechanics for Healing & Recovery. It's really not as complicated as it looks, although it does require a fresh look at weapons and Special Weapon Qualities (which are currently in the works).
     As of 10/3/13 I've expanded Tables 1-2 and 1-8 to include TB7, 8, and 9 (the highest possible TB).
     As of 12/10/13 play testing continues. /EDIT

     So, back to it then...

     The DH2e Beta is "on hold" EDIT scrapped. /EDIT In the meantime, forumites are speculating about its Injury mechanic, myself included. While enjoying a cigarette on the front stoop in this beautiful Autumn weather, I sat reading the Injury mechanics of the venerable GW table-top "RPG", Inquisitor. What follows is the product of seven minute's musing.

     When a PC is hit by an attack that causes Damage, he/she reduces the Defensive Value (DV) of any personal Armour and/or Cover by the attack's Penetration value (Pen), then reduces the Damage by the remaining DV. 
     Toughness Bonus no longer reduces Damage (excepting Daemonic creatures; see below). Instead, it determines how much Damage a PC can withstand before suffering Fatigue and Injury.

     This proposal completely disregards the mechanic of numeric Wounds and their tracking.

     Any amount of Damage that bypasses DV is compared to the PC's Injury Threshold.

     TABLE 1-1: Injury Threshold

• Category Zero- Damage </= 1x the PC's TB: No Test; No Fatigue, No Injury
• Category 1- Damage > 1x the PC's TB: No Fatigue, Light Injury
• Category 2- Damage > 2x the PC's TB: No Fatigue, Heavy Injury
• Category 3- Damage > 3x the PC's TB: +1 Fatigue, Serious Injury
• Category 4- Damage > 4x the PC's TB: +2 Fatigue, Acute Injury
• Category 5- Damage > 5x the PC's TB: +3 Fatigue, Crippling Injury
• Category 6- Damage > 6x the PC's TB: Lethal Injury (Instant Death)

     Mooks/Goons/Thugs are automatically "taken out" when they suffer a Light, Heavy, or Serious Injury (their general resilience chosen by the GM), Elites when they have suffered an Acute Injury, and Master-level opponents use the Injury rules in their entirety.

     Regarding Righteous Fury: When rolling Damage, any unmodified die result of 10 results in Righteous Fury- add the DoS generated on the to-hit roll to the total Damage calculation. Note that this rule for Righteous Fury applies to all PCs, NPC, and adversaries.

     Regarding Daemonic Creatures: Creatures possessing the Daemonic Trait are immune to the [W] Damage Type- they cannot suffer [PCD]. Additionally, unless the weapon/ammunition used to attack them is Imperium-Blessed/Sanctified or possesses Special Weapon Quality: Flame*, any Damage calculations are reduced by their TB before making comparisons to Table 1-1: Injury Threshold.
     * Daemonic creatures dedicated to Khorne are completely immune to Special Weapon Quality: Flame unless the fuel is Imperium-Bless/Sanctified.
     Imperium-Blessed/Sanctified weapons inflict Injuries on Daemonic creatures as normal.
     Daemonic creatures are extremely resilient, however they do suffer Warp Instability, their mercifully tenuous grasp on reality often equalizing their extreme physical resilience.

     Once you have determined the Category of the Injury inflicted, the target makes a Resist Injury Test (which is a Toughness-based Test)- find the PC's TB in the top row and reference it downward to the appropriate Injury Category to determine the Resist Injury Test +/- modifier- unless otherwise specified, an unmodified result of 96+ automatically fails.

     TABLE 1-2: Resisting Injury (The left-most vertical column represents the Injury Category.)

                      0           1          2          3          4          5         6         7         8          9

                      1          -5       +/-0      +5       +10      +15     +20      96+      R        R
                                         
                      2        -10        -5       +/-0       +5       +10     +15     +20       R        R   

                      3        -15       -10        -5       +/-0       +5      +10     +15      96+      R

                      4        =][=      -15       -10        -5      +/-0      +5      +10     +15     1/96+            

                      5        =][=      -20       -15       -10      -5       +/-0      +5      +10     2/96+

                      6        =][=     =][=      =][=     =][=     =][=     =][=     =][=     =][=     =][=

     The Resist Injury Test is further modified (+) DV- compare the Damage Type of the attack with the corresponding DV; any DV greater than zero results in a positive modifier to the PC's Resist Injury Test.

     The target reduces the Injury Category sustained -1 for each DoS on the Resist Injury Test as follows:

• If the PC's current Injury Status is Uninjured he/she may, with enough DoS, altogether avoid sustaining an Injury. 
• If the PC's current Injury Status is anything other than Uninjured he/she is limited to reducing his/her Injury Status to a minimum of Category 1.
• Notation 96+: Only a result of 96+ on the Resist Injury Test fails.
• Notation R: Creatures with TB8 and TB9 automatically Resist these Injuries.
• Notations 1 and 2: Creatures with TB9 treat Acute Injuries as Light Injuries, and Crippling Injuries and Heavy Injuries. The amount of Damage required to inflict these Injuries remains unchanged.
• =][= represents Lethal Injury/Instant Death- the Injury is too severe to Resist.

     TB7, 8, and 9 represent very resilient opponents such as Veteran Space Marines, Ork Mega-Nobs, Wraithlords, and Daemon Princes (to name a few).

     Next, whether multiple injuries are inflicted in the same Round or in subsequent Rounds, each Injury inflicted will stack. As an example, Evan (a Warden of the Divisio Immoralis, TB3) was previously hit in his Head, luckily taking only a Category 1 Injury (a Light Injury). Should Evan happen to suffer another Injury, say to his Groin, he must add the Injury Category he is already suffering (1) to the the Category of the next Injury he sustains. Ex: if the next attack inflicted Damage > 2x Evan's modified TB (7-9 points, Category 2), his Resist Injury Test is +5, and if he fails he adds his current Injury Category (1) to the newest Injury's Category (2), and suffers a Serious Injury to his Groin. However, if instead his Resist Injury Test results in 1+ DoS he only suffers a Heavy Injury.

     The Hit Location Chart will have [Damage Type] boxes set aside for DV by Location. Additionally, there will be an Injury Status track nearby with seven boxes, ranging from Uninjured (Category Zero) to Lethal Injury (Category 6)- this will allow the Player to track the Injury Status of a PC more easily (note that marking the Lethal Injury box is a superfluous detail). This track will also have space for recording Injury effects.

     As stated previously, when a PC is hit any Damage that bypasses Armour is compared to the PC's Injury Threshold to determine the Injury Category of the hit. The PC then makes a Resist Injury Test- if when hit the PC is currently Uninjured he/she may completely shrug off the attack, and if the PC is currently Injured he/she lowers the Category of the Injury sustained by -1 per DoS on the Resist Injury Test.
     Once the Injury Category is determined, the amount of Damage that bypassed Armour is recorded alongside the PC's Current Injury Status.

     Example:

     Evan, a Warden of the Divisio Immoralis, has TB3 (T34) and is wearing Clothing (field uniform and cap), a Hardened Bodyglove, and a Blast Coat. He is also carrying a Riot-pattern Shield on his Left Arm.

     His DV by Locations are:

• Head   [E] Zero [I] 2 [R] 1 [X] 2
• Arms   [E] 3 [I] 5 [R] 4 [X] 5
• Torso   [E] 3 [I] 5 [R] 4 [X] 5
• Groin   [E] 3 [I] 5 [R] 4 [X] 5
• Legs   [E] 3 [I] 3 [R] 4 [X] 3
• Shield (L/R) DV: 3 (Riot-pattern)

     Evan's Injury Threshold (TB3) looks like this:

• Category 0 1-3 Damage- Uninjured/No Injury
• Category 1 4-6 Damage- Light Injury +5
• Category 2 7-9 Damage- Heavy Injury +/-0
• Category 3 10-12 Damage- Serious Injury -5
• Category 4 13-15 Damage- Acute Injury -10
• Category 5 16-18 Damage- Crippling Injury -15
• Category 6 19+ Damage- Lethal Injury, Instant Death

     Evan is hit in the Torso by the blast of a Frag Grenade. After reducing Damage- d10+10[X]=13- by the appropriate [Damage Type] DV- [X] 5 in this example, +3 for his Shield- Evan takes 5 Damage. Comparing 5 Damage to Evan's Injury Threshold, we see he has been hit with a Light Injury. The Player makes a Resist Injury Test, which is modified by comparing the Injury Category (2) to Evan's TB (3)- Evan's Resist Injury Test is +/-0*, which he fails, resulting in Evan sustaining a Light Injury.
     After marking Evan's current Injury Status (Injury Category 1, Light Injury), the Player records 5 Damage alongside, then applies any effects of the Injury that has been sustained- Evan is Dazed for 1 Turn (-10 to all Tests until the end of his next Turn).

     Evan's Injury Status Track would then look like this:

IC S  Damage  Effect
 0
 1  X  5              Dazed 1 Turn
 2
 3
 4
 5
 Lethal Injury

     As the confrontation continues (two Rounds later), Evan is hit twice- first in the Right Leg, then in the Torso- by a Semi-Auto burst from a Stubber. The first hit does 8[I] Damage, reduced for Armour is 5, Injury Category 1 (Light Injury). A successful Resist Injury Test cannot shrug off the Injury (because Evan is currently Injured), so the Injury Category of this recent Injury (1) "stacks" (is cumulative) with his current Injury Status (1), resulting in Evan sustaining a Heavy Injury (Category 2).
     The second hit results in Righteous Fury- Damage is calculated as normal (d10+1+RCB=10), with the DoS that resulted from the Ranged Combat Test (3) being added as bonus Damage (Righteous Fury), for a total Damage 13[I].
     After reducing Damage by DV, we see he again takes 8 Damage- a Heavy Injury. Again, a successful Resist Injury Test cannot shrug off the Injury, so the Injury Category of this recent Injury (2) "stacks" (is cumulative) with his current Injury Status (2), resulting in Evan sustaining an Acute Injury (Category 4).
     After marking Evan's new current Injury Status (Injury Category 4, Acute Injury), the Player records 8 Damage alongside, then applies any effects of the Injury that has been sustained- +2 Fatigue, [TCD2] S and T, Stunned for 2 Turns (cannot spend AP until the beginning of his third Turn after sustaining this Injury).
     Note: If using the "fast and furious" Condition Deterioration rules, the [I] DV of Evan's Torso Armour is also reduced to 3 (see below).

      Evan's Injury Status Track would then look like this:
   
IC S  Damage  Effect
 0
 1  X  8            
 2  X  5              Stunned for 2 Turns
 3             
 4  X  8              +2 Fatigue, [TCD2] S and T, Stunned for 2 Turns            
 5
 Lethal Injury

     A single, separate letter-sized sheet detailing the specific effects of Injury Categories by Location will accompany each Character Sheet, and each time a PC sustains an Injury its effects are noted on the PC's Character Sheet and applied in game-play until Healed/Recovered- below is a simple version (no special layout or graphics) of this detailed sheet:

     Note: Wherein the following Tables it says "Reduce [Damage Type] DV" the effect is the result of sustaining a hit, whether the PC sustains an Injury or not, and are cumulative- a PC hit in the Head may ignore a Critical Injury, but the [Damage Type] DV would be reduced -3 (-1 for Acute and -2 for Critical). Additionally, wherein the Tables it says "All DV reduced to Zero" the attack and/or its result has completely destroyed all Armour on that Location. This rule is a "fast and furious" alternative to 'Armour/Weapon Craftsmanship & Condition'.
     Also see Special Weapon Quality: Destructive. 

     TABLE 1-3: Head (1) 

• Category Zero- Uninjured: No effects.
• Category 1- Light Injury: The PC receives a minor burn, contusion or cut, and is Dazed for 1 Turn.
• Category 2- Heavy Injury: The PC receives a flash burn or jarring blow and is Stunned for 1 Turn.
• Category 3- Serious Injury: The PC receives a scorching blast or savage blow- if the PC is not wearing a Helmet, or is wearing an open-faced Helmet, the Injury damages one of his/her senses (roll d5)- 1-2: smell- [TCD1] Per and Fel; 3-4: hearing- [TCD1] Per and Fel; 5: sight- [TCD2] Per and [TCD1] Fel. Helmet or no, the PC is Stunned for 1 Turn, and if the Injury is caused by [E] or [X] the PC also suffers +1 Fatigue.
• Category 4- Acute Injury: The PC receives a blistering burn or monstrous blow that cooks flesh or fractures/splits his/her skull. Unless caused by [E] this is a Bleeding 2 Injury. The PC also suffers [TCD1] Int, Per, WP, and Fel, and is Stunned for 2 Turns. If the Injury is caused by [E] replace Bleeding 2 with +1 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -1.
• Category 5- Crippling Injury: The PC receives a horrific burn or blow that (roll d10): 1-5 severely damages his/her frontal lobe or 6-10 destroys his/her larynx. Unless caused by [E] this is a Bleeding 3 Injury. The PC either suffers [PCD2] Int, Per, and Fel, or cannot speak until fitted with a tracheal vox-emitter, suffering [PCD3] Fel. The PC is also Stunned for d5 Turns. If the Injury is caused by [E] replace Bleeding 3 with +2 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -2.
• Category 6- Lethal Injury: The PC's Head is completely immolated, smashed, or severed from his/her neck, resulting in Instant Death. Unless Death was caused by [E] a messy pool of blood spills 1-meter radius around the deceased- movement through this area that is faster than a Walk requires a Difficult (-10) Agility Test, with failure resulting in falling Prone. If Death was caused by [E] a foul cloud smelling of cooked flesh and blood billows 2-meter radius about the deceased- Ranged Combat Tests made into, through, or out of this cloud are Hard (-20). Anyone witnessing the PC's Death must make a Challenging (+/-0) Willpower Test or suffer 2 Moral Corruption (1 if Jaded). All DV reduced to Zero.

 Table 1-4: Arm (2-3)

• Category Zero- Uninjured: No effects.
• Category 1- Light Injury: The PC receives a minor burn, contusion or cut and must make a Routine (+20) Agility Test or drop any item held in the hand- the item Scatters d5-1 meters (to a minimum of zero meters). If the Injury is caused by [X] the PC is also Dazed for 1 Turn.
• Category 2- Heavy Injury: The PC receives a flash burn or jarring blow and must make an Ordinary (+10) Agility Test or drop any item held in the hand (which Scatters per Category 1, above). The PC is also Dazed for 1 Turns. If the Injury is caused by [E] or [X] the PC also suffers +1 Fatigue.
• Category 3- Serious Injury: The PC receives a scorching blast or savage blow that removes several of  his/her fingers, suffering [TCD2] CC and RC, and automatically dropping any item held in the hand- the item Scatters d5 meters. The PC is also Stunned for 1 Turn. If the Injury is caused by [E] or [X] the PC also suffers +1 Fatigue.
• Category 4- Acute Injury: The PC receives a blistering burn or monstrous blow that fuses or fractures his/her wrist, elbow, or shoulder. The PC is Stunned for 1 Turn, automatically drops any item held in the hand (Scattering per Category 3, above), and suffers [TCD2] CC, RC, and S. If the Injury is caused by [E] or [X] the PC also suffers +1 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -1.
• Category 5- Crippling Injury: The PC receives a horrific burn or blow that destroys his/her Arm- it is completely useless and must be amputated, but may be replaced with a bionic/cybernetic. The PC is Stunned for 2 Turns, immediately drops any item held in the hand- the item Scatters d5+2 meters- suffers [TCD3] S, and unless caused by [E] this is a Bleeding 2 Injury. If the Injury is caused by [E] replace Bleeding 2 with +2 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -2.
• Category 6- Lethal Injury: The PC's Arm is completely immolated, torn, or severed from his/her body, resulting in Instant Death due to shock and blood loss. Any item held in the hand Scatters d5+2 meters. Unless Death was caused by [E] a messy pool of blood spills across an area 1-meter radius around the deceased- movement through this area that is faster than a Walk requires a Difficult (-10) Agility Test, with failure resulting in falling Prone. If Death was caused by [E] a foul cloud smelling of cooked flesh and blood billows 2-meter radius about the deceased- Ranged Combat Tests made into, through, or out of this cloud are Hard (-20). Anyone witnessing the PC's Death must make a Challenging (+/-0) Willpower Test or suffer 2 Moral Corruption (1 if Jaded). All DV reduced to Zero.

     Table 1-5: Torso (4-7)

• Category Zero- Uninjured: No effects.
• Category 1- Light Injury: The PC receives a minor burn, contusion or cut, but otherwise suffers no effects unless the Injury is caused by [E] or [X]- if so the PC is Dazed for 1 Turn.
• Category 2- Heavy Injury: The PC receives a flash burn or jarring blow that winds him/her, but otherwise suffers no effects unless the Injury is caused by [E] or [X]- if so the PC is Stunned for 1 Turn. 
• Category 3- Serious Injury: The PC receives a scorching blast or savage blow to the abdomen or chest, momentarily depriving him of oxygen or fracturing ribs and smashing the breath from him/her. The PC suffers [TCD2] S and T. If the Injury is caused by [E] or [X] he/she is also Stunned for 1 Turn. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -1.
• Category 4- Acute Injury: The PC receives a blistering burn or monstrous blow that cooks muscle and fat or splinters ribs and bruises organs. The PC is Stunned for 1 Turn and suffers [TCD2] S and T. If the Injury is caused by [E] or [X] he/she also suffers +1 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -1.
• Category 5- Crippling Injury: The PC receives a horrific burn or blow that ruptures organs and/or causes internal bleeding. Unless caused by [E] this is a Bleeding 2 Injury. The PC is also Stunned for 1 Turn, immediately drops any items held in hand- the items Scatter d5 meters- and also suffers [TCD3] S and T. If the Injury is caused by [E] replace Bleeding 2 with +2 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -2.
• Category 6- Lethal Injury: The PC's torso is completely immolated, his/her ribs are shattered and lungs punctured, or he/she is eviscerated at the abdomen, resulting in Instant Death due to shock and profuse blood loss. Unless Death was caused by [E] a messy pool of blood and viscera spills across an area 2-meter radius around the deceased- movement through this area that is faster than a Walk requires a Difficult (-10) Agility Test, with failure resulting in falling Prone. If Death was caused by [E] a foul cloud smelling of cooked flesh and blood billows 2-meter radius about the deceased- Ranged Combat Tests made into, through, or out of this cloud are Hard (-20). Anyone witnessing the PC's Death must make a Challenging (+/-0) Willpower Test or suffer 2 Moral Corruption (1 if Jaded). All DV reduced to Zero.

     Table 1-6: Groin (8)

• Category Zero- Uninjured: >wince< No effects.
• Category 1- Light Injury: The PC receives a minor burn, contusion or cut, and is knocked to the Kneeling Stance and Dazed for 1 Turn.
• Category 2- Heavy Injury: The PC receives a flash burn or jarring blow and is knocked to the Kneeling Stance and Dazed for 2 Turns. 
• Category 3- Serious Injury: The PC receives a scorching blast or savage blow to the genitals and is knocked to the Prone Stance. The PC also suffers [TCD2] WP and is Stunned for 1 Turn. If the Injury is caused by [E] or [X] the PC also suffers +1 Fatigue.
• Category 4- Acute Injury: The PC receives a blistering burn or monstrous blow that damages his/her genitals. The PC must use a prosthetic to participate in procreation intercourse, and his/her chances of conceiving a child are 50% without using a surrogate. The PC is also bleeding profusely- Bleeding 2- is Stunned for 1 Turn, knocked to the Kneeling Stance, and suffers [TCD3] WP and Fel. If the Injury is caused by [E] replace Bleeding 2 with +1 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -1.
• Category 5- Crippling Injury: The PC receives a horrific burn or blow that cooks or messily tears open the PC's Groin, completely destroying his/her genitals and causing massive bleeding. The PC must use a prosthetic to participate in procreation intercourse, and his/her chances of conceiving a child are 0% without using a surrogate. Unless caused by [E] this is a Bleeding 3 Injury. The PC is also Stunned for 2 Turns, knocked to the Prone Stance, immediately drops any items held in hand (the items Scatter d5 meters), and suffers [TCD3] WP and Fel. If the Injury is caused by [E] replace Bleeding 3 with +2 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -2.
• Category 6- Lethal Injury: The PC's Groin and Torso are completely immolated, or he/she is split open and eviscerated through his/her pelvic bone, resulting in Instant Death due to shock and profuse blood loss. Unless Death was caused by [E] a messy pool of blood and viscera spills across an area 2-meter radius around the deceased- movement through this area that is faster than a Walk requires a Difficult (-10) Agility Test, with failure resulting in falling Prone. If Death was caused by [E] a foul cloud smelling of cooked flesh and blood billows 2-meter radius about the deceased- Ranged Combat Tests made into, through, or out of this cloud are Hard (-20). Anyone witnessing the PC's Death must make a Challenging (+/-0) Willpower Test or suffer 2 Moral Corruption (1 if Jaded). All DV reduced to Zero.

     Table 1-7: Leg (9-10)

• Category Zero- Uninjured: -sidestep- No effects.
• Category 1- Light Injury: The PC receives a minor burn, contusion or cut but otherwise suffers no effects unless the Injury is caused by [X]- if so the PC is Dazed for 1 Turn.  
• Category 2- Heavy Injury: The PC receives a flash burn or jarring blow that partially fuses or dislocates his/her patella (kneecap). The PC must make a Challenging (+/-0) Agility Test or be knocked to the Kneeling Stance. The PC is also Dazed for 1 Turn.
• Category 3- Serious Injury: The PC receives a scorching blast or savage blow to his/her ankle, knee or hip, suffering [TCD2] Ag and is Dazed for 1 Turn. If the Injury is caused by [E] or [X] the PC also suffers +1 Fatigue.
• Category 4- Acute Injury: The PC receives a blistering burn or monstrous blow that fuses or fractures his/her hip. The PC is Stunned for 1 Turn and knocked to the Kneeling Stance, suffers [TCD3] T and Ag, and is unable to Charge/Run or Sprint/Flee until after Healing/Recovery. If the Injury is caused by [E] or [X] he/she also suffers +1 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -1.
• Category 5- Crippling Injury: The PC receives a horrific burn or blow that destroys his/her Leg- it is completely useless and must be amputated, but may be replaced with a bionic/cybernetic. The PC is knocked to the Prone Stance and Stunned for 1 Turn. Additionally, he/she may only assume the Prone or Kneeling Stance and move at a Crawl until after Healing and Cybernetic implantation. The PC also suffers [TCD4] Ag, and unless caused by [E] this is a Bleeding 2 Injury. If the Injury is caused by [E] replace Bleeding 2 with +2 Fatigue. Reduce [Damage Type] DV -1.
• Category 6- Lethal Injury: The PC's Leg is completely immolated, torn, or severed from his/her body, resulting in Instant Death due to shock and blood loss. Unless Death was caused by [E] a messy pool of blood spills across an area 1-meter radius around the deceased- movement through this area that is faster than a Walk requires a Difficult (-10) Agility Test, with failure resulting in falling Prone. If Death was caused by [E] a foul cloud smelling of cooked flesh and blood billows 2-meter radius about the deceased- Ranged Combat Tests made into, through, or out of this cloud are Hard (-20). Anyone witnessing the PC's Death must make a Challenging (+/-0) Willpower Test or suffer 2 Moral Corruption (1 if Jaded). All DV reduced to Zero.

      DAMAGE TYPES

     The Damage Types and their effects on Injuries are as follows:

• [E]nergy- [E] Injuries increase any [TCD] by +1. Other effects of [E] Injuries are listed in the Injury Categories- some [E] weapons cause Burning (see Special Weapon Quality: Flame). 
• [I]mpact- [I] Injuries increase the duration of Dazed and Stunned by +1 Turn.
• [R]ending- [R] Injuries add +1 to any Bleeding effects (ex: Bleeding 1 becomes Bleeding 2).
• E[X]plosive- [X] Injuries increase [TCD] by +1 and add +1 to any Bleeding effects.
• [W]arp- In addition to the normal effects, [W] Injuries result in Physical Corruption equal to the Category # of the Injury sustained (+1 to +5).

     BLEEDING X (Effect) Abbr: Bld

     When a PC suffers a Bleeding Injury he/she has little time left before bleeding to Death. Bleeding may be staunched with a successful Difficult (-10) Medicae Test. Bleeding is a form of Fatigue, which is tracked at the end of each Round- Bleeding 1 is +1 Fatigue, Bleeding 2 is +2 Fatigue, and so on.
     The effects of Bleeding and Burning stack (see below).

     BURNING X (Effect) Abbr: Brn

     As indicated above, some [E] weapons cause Burning- flame is a primordial slayer, extremely lethal if not quickly doused. Burning (like Bleeding) is a form of Fatigue, which is tracked at the end of each Round. Burning lasts for d5+1 Rounds- at the end of each Round the PC suffers +1 Fatigue.
     During his/her Turn, a PC suffering the Burning condition may do nothing but attempt to douse the flames (while screaming and running d5+1 meters in a random direction)- the PC must spend his/her entire Turn and succeed on a Challenging (+/-0) Agility Test.to douse Burning.
     High winds impose a -10 penalty to the Agility Test, chemical accelerates (Weapon Special Quality: Flame) a -20 penalty, while use of loose dirt to smother the flames provides a bonus +10 to the Agility Test, +20 for a heavy blanket/bedroll, or up to +30 (GM's discretion) for a sufficient quantity of water.   

     Allies may also attempt to douse Burning during their Turns, requiring a Challenging (+/-0) Agility Test.
     Anyone aware of a close ally suffering the Burning condition must make a Challenging (+/-0) Willpower Test or suffer 1 Moral Corruption (0 if Jaded).
     The effects of Burning and Bleeding stack.

      

     DAZED (Effect)

     Dazed PCs suffer a -10 penalty to all Characteristic-based Tests.

     STUNNED (Effect)

     PCs that are Stunned may not spend AP and their Evasion Tests suffer a -20 penalty.

     FATIGUE (Effect) Abbr: Ftg

     Toughness represents the body's ability to continue through exhaustion/exertion (Ftg), extreme exposure (Brn; includes sub-zero temperatures/the void), and/or exsanguination (Bld). A PC's Fatigue Threshold (aka FT) equals his/her TB+3. A PC suffering Fatigue (from any source) that is in excess of his/her FT will become Unconscious, remaining so for d5+1 Rounds (Structured Time), or 1 minute (Narrative Time) per point of Fatigue in excess of their FT- ex: Evan has T36 (TB3); with FT6 he will become Unconscious when his level of Fatigue is 7+.
     While Fatigued, all Tests suffer a cumulative -5 penalty for each point of Fatigue.
     A PC suffering Fatigue in excess of 3x his/her Fatigue Threshold dies- ex: Evan will die when the combined effects of Bleeding and/or Burning and/or Fatigue is 19+.
     Fatigue, including Bleeding and Burning, are recovered as follows:

• Ftg: -1 per half hour of rest.
• Bld: -1 per full day (20 hours) of rest, and/or a blood transfusion- requires a successful Hard (-20) Medicae Test, restoring IntB+DoS. Regarding Blood Donors: Human to Human is okay. Human to Ab-Human is okay. Ab-Human to Human is not okay. Any Xenos to Human/Ab-Human (and vice versa) is not okay.
• Brn: -1 per full day (20 hours) of rest, and/or a skin graft- requires a successful Hard (-20) Medicae Test, restoring IntB+DoS (should the Test result in failure, by any number of degrees, the burn victim will suffer [PCD] Fel equal to his/her Brn. Regarding Graft Donors: Human to Human is okay. Human to Ab-Human is okay. Ab-Human to Human is not okay. Any Xenos to Human/Ab-Human (and vice versa) is not okay. 

     HEALING & RECOVERY

     Abbreviations:

1. [TCD]- Temporary Characteristic Damage.
2. [PCD]- Permanent Characteristic Damage.

     Healing represents a PC either receiving medical treatment for his/her Injuries or spending considerable down-time on Natural Healing (see further), while Recovery is the restoration of [TCD] through Characteristic Upkeep Advancements. Healing is based on the Damage a PC has sustained at each Injury Status (see below).

     A PC must receive medical treatment (Healing) and be returned to the Uninjured Status before he/she may begin Recovery. In game terms, medical treatment is the application of the Medicae Skill, which may be attempted as follows:

• Crippling Injury (Category 5)- Once every 5 days, restoring IntB-5+DoS Damage.
• Acute Injury (Category 4)- Once every 4 days, restoring, IntB-4+DoS Damage.
• Serious Injury (Category 3)- Once every 3 days, restoring, IntB-3+DoS Damage.
• Heavy Injury (Category 2)- Once every 2 days, restoring, IntB-2+DoS Damage.
• Light Injury (Category 1)- Once per day, restoring, IntB-1+DoS Damage.

     For the purposes of tracking time, one (1) Standard Imperial Day is 20 hours.
     All Healing must treat the most severe Injury first- ex: Crippling, then Acute, then Serious, and so on. 

     Note: Should a Medicae Test fail on an unmodified result of 96+ the Injured PC will contract a Combat-related Infection doing [TCD1] S, T, and WP per day for d5 days. Treating a Combat-related Infection requires a Difficult (-10) Medicae Test, with the number of days being reduced by -1 per DoS on the Test. Any Combat-related Infection may be treated only once.
     PCs suffering from a Combat-related Infection cannot be Healed or Test for Natural Healing (see below) until the Infection has been treated or run its course.

     A PC may also benefit from Natural Healing, his/her body repairing itself over time. This is based on the PC's TB and his/her current Injury Category. Find the Injury Category # that currently represents the PC's current Injury Status (the left-most column) of Table 1-8: Natural Healing, and reference it across to the PC's current TB to determine the Toughness Test modifier. Note that Category 6 is Death.

     Table 1-8: Natural Healing 

                      0          1          2          3          4          5          6          7          8          9

                      1       +/-0       +5      +10      +15      +20      +25        A          A         A

                      2         -5        +/-0     +5       +10      +15      +20      +25         A         A           

                      3        -10        -5       +/-0      +5       +10      +15      +20        96+       A   

                      4        =][=      -10       -5       +/-0       +5       +10      +15        96+      96+   

                      5        =][=      -15      -10       -5        +/-0       +5       +10      +15        96+    

                      6        =][=      =][=     =][=    =][=      =][=     =][=      =][=     =][=      =][=

     The PC's current Injury Category # also equals the number of days that must pass before he/she may attempt to Heal naturally (exactly as per receiving medical treatment). If the Toughness Test is successful, the PC reduces the Damage sustained at each Injury Category, as follows:

• Crippling Injury (Category 5)- Once every 5 days, restoring TB-5+DoS Damage.
• Acute Injury (Category 4)- Once every 4 days, restoring, TB-4+DoS Damage.
• Serious Injury (Category 3)- Once every 3 days, restoring, TB-3+DoS Damage.
• Heavy Injury (Category 2)- Once every 2 days, restoring, TB-2+DoS Damage.
• Light Injury (Category 1)- Once per day, restoring, TB-1+DoS Damage.

     Regarding Table 1-8: Natural Healing-

1. If the modifier result is =][= the PC may not Test for Natural Healing- the PC is dead.
2. 96+: If the PC makes a successful Test and rolls =/< 95, his/her Injury Status improves by 1 Category. However, if the PC rolls 96+ he/she has acquired a Combat-related Infection.
3. A: The PC automatically improves his/her Injury Status by 1 Category.

     Recovery is the physical and mental rehabilitation that follows Healing. Once a PC has returned to the Uninjured Status he/she may begin this process of rehabilitation by spending earned XP on restoring [TCD] through Characteristic Upkeep Advances, as detailed in the post titled 'Characteristics and Skills (Advancement)'.

     [PCD] cannot be Recovered.

     The Emperor Protects.
     This blog page is completely unofficial and is in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Ltd or Fantasy Flight Publishing- all content is not-for-profit. 

Enuncia, the Primordial Language of Creation

     Once again, I bring you the fantastic efforts of JediMike 42.
     As is usual when displaying the efforts of other forumites, I have taken the liberty of cleaning up sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and subject clarification identifiers, but left the core body of the work untouched. Italicized words indicate said liberties.

     EDIT: I have also taken the liberty of adding Intelligence and Linguistic Prerequisites to Susurro, Peritus, and Magister Voca. I am quite familiar with the characters of Toros Revoke and Zigmunt Molotch; both received highly specialized education and training, and both were supremely intelligent.

     Enuncia (v1.2)

     The primordial language of creation, Enuncia, is divided into three main types: Nouns, which conjure the physical energies of existence; Adjectives, which give those energies form; and Verbs, which effect the minds and spirits occupying reality. Each type of word is associated with a different characteristic for the purposes of Focus Power Tests; Agility, Perception and Fellowship, respectively. 

     These words are extremely powerful and all across the universe only a few are known to mortals, be they human or xenos. These few are known within rarefied circles as Voca.

     A fundamental force of the most primal sort, Enuncia can easily damage those uttering the sounds. Whenever attempting to use a word of Enuncia, the Voca must decide how forcefully they wish to speak it - this determines the Drain Value range- 0 to < TB for Whispers, TB </= TB x 2 for Reports, or TB x 2 for Shouts-  and has three levels of severity (similar to Psychic Powers):

Whispers: A Challenging (+0) Test to pronounce with a Drain Value below their Toughness Bonus. No roll on the Psychic Phenomena Table.

Reports: A Difficult (-10) Test to pronounce with a Drain Value equal to or above their Toughness Bonus. Roll on the Psychic Phenomena Table, adding +10 to the roll for every point of Drain Value above their Toughness Bonus.

Shouts: A Hard (-20) Test to pronounce with a Drain Value equal to twice their Toughness Bonus (the maximum).  Roll on Perils of the Warp*.

*Note: In the event of Possession, re-roll results.

         If the Focus Power Test is successful, the Voca must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test. For each success on their Toughness Test they reduce the Drain Value by 1, and for each failure increase the Drain Value by 1 (for Opposed Tests, Drain Value is equal to the target's Willpower Bonus regardless of forcefulness). If the Drain Value becomes lower than their Toughness Bonus, the Voca takes no Damage and suffers no Corruption, otherwise the remaining Drain Value is treated as Type Impact Damage to the Head Location, and half the Drain Value in Corruption (rounded up).

     In addition, for every 4 points of Damage suffered from Drain Value while vocalizing Enuncia, increase the Difficulty modifier of all Enuncia Focus Power and Drain Tests by an additional -10 (non-cumulative) to represent the Voca's mouth being ripped apart by the forces unleashed. Even on successful Toughness Tests they will lose their teeth and bleed from the mouth, but this has no in game effects aside from a lumpy smile.

     If a Heretek learns Enuncia via sourced machine code (such as decryption through the use of cogitators), its use is more arduous, takes longer, and all Focus Power Tests are made with an additional -10 Difficulty modifier. This condition of artifice cannot be overcome, though more mundane methods of learning Enuncia may be explored. 

     Enuncia can never be acquired through Infamy Acquisition Tests for any characters, but information leading to it can.
  

Enuncia Whisperer (Susurro Voca)

Tier: 1, Unaligned

Prerequisite: Intelligence 35, Linguistics (Enuncia)

The character has through guile, luck or fate, obtained a fragment of the primordial language, Enuncia, and has managed to pronounce some fragments of it. This gives them access to buy one of the Words of Enuncia (although in-game exposition must occur for their gaining the information):  Expletive, Past or Nothing. When using Enuncia they suffer a -10 to all tests (non-cumulative) until they receive some sort of healing to represent the unavoidable damage done to their mouths.

Enuncia Expert (Peritus Voca)

Tier 2, Unaligned

Prerequisite: Intelligence 40, Enuncia Whisperer

After intense and painful training, often from the upper echelons of cults or through tomes of the darkest lore, the character has gained some mastery over Enuncia and no longer suffers a -10 to all tests when using the primordial words (although they still suffer considerable superficial damage) and are susceptible to damage from failed Drain Value Tests. They gain access to the following Words of Enuncia: Conjugation, Past, Do and Unknown (provided they know the pre-requisite words).

Enuncia Master (Magister Voca)

Tier 3, Unaligned

Prerequisite: Intelligence 45, Enuncia Whisperer, Enuncia Expert 

Few in the history of the galaxy have attained this level of control over the primordial language, and they are to be greatly feared for the very powers of creation are quite literally on the tips of their tongues. They only suffer superficial damage from Whispers and Reports and always reduce any damage suffered from failed Drain Value Tests by 1. They have access to all the Words of Enuncia (provided they know the prerequisite words).

NOUNS

Expletive

Value: 100 xp

Focus Power Test: Agility

Range: 10m x Drain Value

The Voca can conjure a bolt of pure force directed at a single  opponent; a Challenging (+/-0) Ballistic Skill Test is required to hit the target. Expletive deals 1d10 Impact Damage with a bonus of +2 Damage per Drain Value.

Conjugation

Value: 200 xp

Prerequisites: Expletive

Focus Power Test: Opposed Agility

Range: 10m (Whisper), 20m (Report), 30m (Shout)

The Voca can wrap a target in crushing bands of force. Make an Opposed Test, pitting the Voca's Agility against the target’s Willpower. If the Voca wins the Opposed Test, he may inflict 1d10 Impact Damage with a bonus of +1 Damage per Drain Value. The Voca may also Grapple the target (see page 240, Black Crusade Core Rules), substituting his Agility bonus for his Strength bonus. Sustaining the Conjugation is a Half Action that requires an additional Opposed Test and Drain Test.

Wrought

Value: 500 xp

Prerequisites: Expletive, Conjugation

Focus Power Test: Agility

Range: 5m x Drain Value radius

The Voca has developed his diction to the furthest reaches humanly possible. He can generate a rain of force bolts that can smash his enemies in a savage storm of primordial fury. The Voca can pick out a number of targets equal to his Drain Value for each Round that he maintains Wrought. The Voca must make a Challenging (+/-0) Ballistic Skill Test to hit each of the targets, and deals 2d10 Impact Damage with a bonus of +2 Damage per Drain Value. No target may be hit more than once per Round. Sustaining Wrought is a Half Action that requires an additional Agility Test and Drain Test.

ADJECTIVES

Present

Value: 100 xp

Focus Power Test: Perception 

Range: Personal

Uttering Present allows the Voca to briefly peer into the near future and see possible outcomes and potential dangers. Until the end of his next Turn, the Voca gains a +30 bonus to one Skill Test. Wrought may not be attempted at a Drain Value below the Voca's Toughness Bonus.

Past

Value: 200 xp

Prerequisites: Present

Focus Power Test: Perception

Range: 1m x Drain Value radius

The use of Past allows the Voca to learn more about others from the crude traces of warp and aether they leave behind on objects and places in the world around them. In its simplest form, the Voca can gain rough impressions from an object or a general area by maintaining physical contact and making a Perception Test.

More information beyond the strongest emotions requires time, and the longer the Voca stays in a given area, the more information he can ascertain. These times are reduced by the Voca's Awareness Bonus. Example: A Voca with Awareness Bonus of 4 will get the first result in 6 Rounds, the second result in 16, etc.

10 Rounds: The Voca can detect the strongest emotion associated with the area or object. 

20 Rounds: The Voca can see the general features of the person who experienced the emotion

30 Rounds: The Voca gets a clear image of the person who experienced the emotion

40 Rounds: The Voca is able to identify the person’s race or Archetype (GM's choice)

50 Rounds: The Voca can now determine the name of the person

+10 Rounds: The Voca discovers one additional fact (determined by the GM)

Future

Value: 300 xp

Prerequisites: Past, Present

Focus Power Test: Perception 

Range: Personal (2m x Drain Value radius)

At this level of skill, the Voca has learned how to explore multiple outcomes to different choices and actions, and is able to sort through them in less than a heartbeat. The Voca must succeed at a Focus Power Test. If successful, the speaker gains a +10 bonus to all Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests, and Ballistic Skill Tests against him are at a –20 penalty—these benefits apply until the end of the Voca's next Turn, unless Future is Sustained. 

Additionally, he can see glimpses of the dangers in his immediate vicinity and shout warnings to his comrades within 2m x Drain Value radius to warn them of incoming attacks. Allies beyond this range are outside the scope of his power to foresee. All Ballistic Skill Tests against those so warned suffer a –5 penalty. Future may not be attempted with a Drain Value below the Voca's Toughness Bonus.

VERBS

Nothing

Value: 100 xp

Focus Power Test: Opposed Fellowship

Range: 10m (Whisper), 30m (Report), 50m (Shout)

The Voca has learned how to block the sensory perception of the target. The Voca makes an Opposed Fellowship Test against the target's Willpower, and if the Voca wins the Opposed Test the target is struck deaf, blind, and is unable to scent or taste for as long as the Voca sustains the power plus 1d5 rounds.

Nothing can also be used as a crude form of effective ‘invisibility’ which allows the Voca to pass unnoticed to sight or sound. The Voca selects a number of targets equal to his Fellowship Bonus and selects which single sense he wishes to suppress. This must be the same sense for each target. Each target must make an Opposed Willpower Test (the Drain Value is equal to the highest Willpower Bonus + 1 for each additional two targets). Those that fail notice nothing out of the ordinary, and the sensory information is successfully masked by the speaker until he stops sustaining the power. Sustaining Nothing is a Half Action that requires an additional Fellowship Test and Drain Value Test.

Do

Value: 200 xp

Prerequisites: Nothing (see above)

Focus Power Test: Opposed Fellowship

Range: 5m (Whisper), 15m (Report), 30m (Shout)

Do allows the Voca to force others to briefly act against their will. The Voca makes an Opposed Fellowship Test against the target's Willpower, and if the Voca wins the Opposed Test the target must follow his commands. The commands must be simple and achievable in one Round. Some examples include “Flee,” “Fall,” “Attack the closest target,” and so forth. If the command is a potentially suicidal act, the target receives a +20 to his Opposed Fellowship Test. 

Unknown

Value: 200 xp

Prerequisites: Nothing (see above)

Focus Power Test: Fellowship

Range: 5m x Drain Value

The true word for that which is unknown is so terrifying that it drives the most stalwart mortals to flee for their lives. If the Voca succeeds at the Focus Power Test, the target is affected as if the speaker possessed the Fear (1) Trait. The speaker may increase the level of the Fear Trait by 1 for every 3 Drain Value he uses in the Focus Power Test.

Stop

Value: 300 xp

Prerequisites: Nothing, Do or Unknown (see above)

Focus Power Test: Fellowship

Range: 5m x Drain Value

Uttering Stop pulls at the very conduits of consciousness and the Voca can injure or stun an opponent out to a range of 5m x Drain Value. The Voca must pass a Focus Power Test to hit his target, and deals 1d10 Impact Damage (with a bonus of +1 per Drain Value) with the Shocking Quality (see page 116, Black Crusade Core Rules). The target suffers a penalty to his Toughness Test to resist Stunning equal to –5 times the speaker's Drain Value. If the target fails the Toughness Test, he is stunned for a number of Rounds equal to half the Drain Value used (rounding up).

  

GM Note: Enuncia is mechanically a very powerful ability and should be doled out carefully and slowly, whether it be through a Daemon that is slowly feeding their worshiper knowledge or through the collection of esoteric artifacts and lore. Knowing a few words of Enuncia would be a very powerful boost to any character, but knowing many or all of them would be devastating. Heretics with altered vocal cords of any kind cannot take this feat, as the natural connection between their voice and soul has been severed (Sorry, Space Marines). Avoid allowing players to use it without restraint as it opens up the potential for accruing Corruption Points very quickly (which in some cases could unbalance their characters in terms of power, making this a very dangerous ability for Psykers in particular).

     Example: Grimes the Rogue Trader is cornered by a two Ork pirates during a raid. Fortunately he's got an ace up his sleeve, some ancient lore from long before the Great Crusade. 

     Grimes Whispers the primordial word for Do towards one of the Orks, with an inflection of treason overlaying the small explosion of power that erupts from his lips. He rolls an Opposed Fellowship Test against the Ork's Willpower. His Fellowship is a 46; a Whisper is a Challenging (+0) Focus Power Test to pronounce. He rolls a 25 (3 DoS). The Ork's Willpower is a 34 and he rolls a 45 (2 DoF). Grimes has succeeded in controlling the Ork's actions, ordering it to kill its ally (how the Ork chooses to do this is entirely up to the Ork, but for now it has been removed from the confrontation). 

     Now Grimes must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test to resist Damage. With a Toughness of 42, he rolls a 41- 1 DoS, which is just enough to resist the Drain Value of 3 (the Ork's Willpower Bonus). Had he rolled a 53, the Drain Value would have increased to 5- one over his Toughness Bonus, inflicting one point of Impact Damage and one point of Corruption. On a 43-52 he would have suffered zero Damage and the Drain Value would have been absorbed by her Toughness Bonus. On a 63 it would inflict 2 Damage and 1 Corruption, 73 would inflict 3 Damage and 2 Corruption, etc. With the Enuncia Expert Talent he would not suffer -10 to Enuncia Focus Power and Drain Tests due to Damage resulting from Enuncia usage.

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Time Keeps on Slippin', Slippin', Slippin'...

     ...into the future. Onward, to the 41st Millennium!

     A little something from the Black Crusade forums- Hereteks in the spotlight. All credit to JediMike42.

     Below are expansions upon the main rule set intended to give your technology oriented characters greater versatility within the game world, as well as some generalization of technology's prevalence on the worlds of the Screaming Vortex.

     Included are:

1. Broad summaries for the precedence of technology on a given world.
2. Additional modifiers for the acquisition of Mechanicus-related items given the technological advancement of the trading location
3. Advanced rules for Hacking (Tech-Use and Security), covering long, short and direct intrusions as well as a series of rules to outline detection.

     Technology in Black Crusade

Primitive worlds are devoid of any real technology more advanced than the wheel. Be it through environmental demands or perhaps just an apocalyptic warzone, there are virtually no vox transmissions, cogitators or servitors to speak of on the surface outside of tombs or ancient alien sites.

Examples: Death Worlds, Khurse (surface)

Moderate planets have rudimentary technology available. Motorized vehicles, electricity, running water, the occassional food distribution machine and cogitator with perhaps some public address systems. Very basic turrets, gun servitors and servo-skulls are unlikely on these worlds but not unheard of. There may be one poorly maintained long-range vox frequency used to coordinate with ships in orbit.

Examples: Sacgrave (I realize the book says Sacgrave is on par with Q'sal in Tech but I decided I don't dig that - dude is freaking stuck on the surface) , Harvest Worlds

Advanced civilizations have technology commonly distributed among the populace and although advanced items are worn by perhaps the elite of society, they remain rare. Servitors of varying kinds, automated defenses and alarms, servo-skulls and cogitators are commonplace however. There are two constant main-stream vox frequencies used for distribution of information across the planet (one military, one public) but it is a closed system, much like virtually every kind of cybernetic system to be found on these planets.

Examples: Poorly supplied and maintained Forge Worlds, Forge-run trading outposts - Khurse (Orbit), militarized planets

Peak worlds are as rare as they are wondrous. Technology abounds and if it is not freely traded among the society those who have access to it are ubiquitous. Servitors of every kind are as common as the populace, state of the art automated defenses and alarms protect some of the most beautifully constructed infrastructure ever crafted and cogitators that can calculate Warp jumps within minutes are commonplace. Multiple main-stream vox frequencies are a constant, many for private use, some for entertainment, and some that have a use beyond understanding.

Examples: Well supplied and maintained Forge Worlds, Terra, Q'sal, Mars

Availability for Technology Acquisition Tests

Primitive   -30

Moderate +0

Advanced +10

Peak +30

   
     Standard Closed Systems, be they for alarms, automated defenses or security, typically follow the same structure. There are multiple redundancies and firewalls which makes hacking into the system extremely difficult depending on the approach taken. Three ways are available to the prospective hacker. 

     The first is long-range intrusion, which is an extremely difficult attempt to subvert the system through any vox frequencies it uses (most systems maintain a tight band to communicate between objects). It requires a -20 Tech-Use test to locate the frequency using a long-range vox-caster and because you are encountering every firewall in the system a -30 Security test to compromise. Even once inside, the routines required to give commands make changing the programming from afar a -10 Tech-Use test.

     The second is short-range intrusion which follows the same rules as a long-range intrusion, but uses a closer satellite to affect the system (typically a servo-skull with a vox-caster, although the clever Heretek may devise other suitable satellites). Finding the frequency is a -10 Tech-Use test, and being so close allows the hacker to pick and choose their targets, lowering the difficulty of the task to a -10 Security test. Once inside the routines required to give commands makes changing programming a +0 Tech-Use Test. 

     The last is a direct intrusion, the hacker being physically adjacent to a node in the system. No Tech-Use test is required to locate a vox frequency or change command routines and unless otherwise noted (the effective Security score of the target system as per the skill table or stat block), the test to compromise the system is a +0 Security test. 

     On any failed Security test to compromise a system there is a chance of detection that becomes more likely the more sophisticated the system is. A defending system with an effective -30 Security check (as per the Security skill difficulty table) detects an intruder on a failed test to compromise when the hacker has two or more degrees of failure. A system that incurs a -20 check has a chance to detect with three or more degrees of failure. A system that has a -10  to the security check has a chance to detect with four or more degrees of failure. A system with a +0 security check modifier has a chance to detect with five or more degrees of failure.

     Additional Special Rules: The +10 Loyalty from Technological Minions applies to the Heretek's Fellowship score for meeting the prerequisites of Minion Skills, Talents, and/or Traits so long as the minion is a cybernetic of some kind (Servo Skull, Servitor, etc). The Heretek may also grant a number of additional Skills, Talents, and/or Traits equal to his intelligence Bonus in personal upgrades to Technological Minions (although all other restrictions apply to these upgrades). 

The Orthoproxy talent may be taken for Technological Minions to increase the effective difficulty to hack their systems.

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RoF

     My apologies for having been away for such a stretch. Between a chaotically undulating work schedule and the demands I place upon myself when preparing my own games, I've not made the time to post or update.
     A little back-and-forth on the FFG forums resulted in my latest look at revising the 40K RPG combat rules into a common set. I present to you...

Single Shot (Half Action)- +10 to BS Tests, may benefit from Aim Actions (Half and Full), may benefit from any and all targeting/sighting devices, any Success equals one (1) hit (The benefit of +10 for the Single Shot representing not hurrying the shot; with a Single Shot, a Half Action Aim, a Red-Dot sight, and Short Range there is then a +40 to BS Tests, which I feel is acceptable for the return of only one shot…that still might miss, or do crap Damage).

Semi-Auto (Half Action)- +/-0 to BS Tests, may not benefit from Aim Actions, may benefit from targeting/sighting* devices up to the weapon's maximum Short Range (so up to 50m with an M36 Lasgun…not shabby), one (1) hit per 2 DoS up to the weapon's Semi-Auto RoF (*This allows for the Red-dot sight to remain somewhat effective; if GMs are running extensive crossover games this rule does not affect the operational value of Spore Targeters; Without the benefit of +10 for the Single Shot or Half Action Aim there is still a +20 to BS Tests at Short Range, which I feel is still a considerable advantage considering the myriad other factors such as Personal and Cover AP, Fatigue, etc). Chances are still good for scoring more than one hit.

Full Auto (Full Action)- -10 to BS Tests, may not benefit from Aim Actions, may not benefit from targeting/sighting devices (aside from Spore Targeters and Motion Predictors), Standard Success (aka 1 DoS) is one (1) hit, changing to two (2) hits per 2 DoS up to the weapon's Full Auto RoF¹ (Consider that a person firing on Full Auto is likely either A- attempting to hit multiple targets in a hurry, without regard to accuracy, or B- attempting to suppress; at Short Range there is +/-0 to BS Tests, and the number of hits steps up a bit more gradually than the Full Auto RAW: ¹ With 1 DoS on Full Auto you receive one (1) hit, 2-3 DoS results in two (2) hits, 4-5 DoS results in four (4) hits, and so on. By "skipping" a DoS before awarding the weapon's full RoF it protrays the inaccuracy of the "spray and pray" mentality, but higher DoS (gained from higher BS scores) still result in more hits. If GMs are using Horde Rules from Deathwatch this Full Auto fire receives a very generous bonus to hit based on the Horde Magnitude, and even if GMs are instead using the Advanced Horde Rules from Tome of Blood (Black Crusade) the shooter still receives (at most) +10 to BS Tests.

These House Rules do the same as yours- encourage higher BS scores. Also, they are not intended to interact with or be cumulative with the rules for Suppressing Fire/Overwatch (two completely different balls of wax).

² I'd be inclined to further modify BS Tests for Full Auto in the event a firefight suddenly errupted within a relatively small and enclosed environment that was free of obstruction (say +10 if within a 15'x15' bedroom, +20 within an 3'-4'-wide hallway or average bathroom, and +30 if shooting at fish in a barrel). 

Speaking personally, I think the Full Auto House Rules (above) are acceptable. I don't think Full Auto was ever really meant to be game-breaking, it just worked out that way and the developers reacted by swinging the pendulum too far in the other direction…then a little back, again.

I feel Full Auto should be reserved for larger individual targets, massed targets (such as Hordes), and Suppressing Fire/Overwatch. Popping off a mess of shots on a guy little better than yourself is wasteful overkill and indicative of a panicky soldier.

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