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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