Only War: 1st Hephaestus Hammerguard
Hephaestus Hammerguard
Homeworld Type: Penal Colony
Characteristic Modifiers: +3 to any two of the following Characteristics: Agility, Strength, Toughness
Skills: Intimidate, Linguistics (Low Gothic)
Traits:
⦁ Honor Amongst Thieves: Penal colonists, whether criminals themselves, or the descendants of the previous generation’s scum, know well the way criminal societies operate, understanding the nuances of deception, loyalty, intimidation, and violence that characterise the criminal classes. Penal colonist characters start with one of the following Talents: Peer (Underworld) or Street Fighting.
⦁ Larcenous: Hailing from worlds where the black market is the only market, penal colonists are skilled at obtaining illicit items, whether to sell, on or for their own purposes. Penal colony characters add a +10 to all Logistics Tests made to acquire illegal or contraband items.
⦁ Scum and Villainy:Penal colonists are ill-regarded by just about everyone else in the Imperial Guard, and tend to be viewed more as expendable fodder than as worthwhile soldiers. As a result, they are seldom afforded more than the most basic of equipment. Penal colony regiments have only 15 points when determining Standard Regimental Kit.
Starting Wounds: +1
Commanding Officer: Maverick
Skills: Resistance (Fear)
Regiment Type: Close Assault Regiment
Characteristics: +3 Weapon Skill, -3 Intelligence
Starting Skills: Dodge or Parry
Starting Talents: Lightning Reflexes
Training Doctrine: Close Order Drill
Starting Talent: Double Team or Combat Formation
Training Doctrine: Close Quarters Combat
Starting Talent: Double Team or Combat Master
5+ to Weapon Skill
Aptitude: Weapon Skill
10+ to ballistic skill tests (on top of existing bonuses) when in point blank range.
(In book definition and this version of Close Quarters Combat varies due to special house rules with this regiment, changes were the following- removal of light carapace armour, lascarbines and 4 charge packs in favour of 5+ weapon skill and aptitude weapon skill)
Special Equipment Doctrines: Scavengers
Standard Regimental Kit:
The regiment may choose to gain a +10 bonus on any Logistics Test. However, on any test where this bonus is used, if any doubles are rolled (22, 33, 44, etc.) whether the Test was a success or a failure, then the scavenging and stealing attracts unwanted attention from higher authorities within the Imperial Guard or the Departmento Munitorum.
Regimental Drawbacks: Condemned, Mistrusted Problems with Johnny Law, The Few, Dead Hard
Talents: Enemy (Adeptus Arbites)
Special:
-Members of this regiment suffer a –20 penalty to all Fellowship-based Skill Tests made when interacting with members of other Imperial Guard regiments, the Departmento Munitorum, and other officials both local and Imperial who would have likely heard of the regiment’s reputation, and the regiment is sent on the most deadly of missions and fronts. Commissars attached to prospect squads or upon GM discretion.
-When a Squad from this regiment requests reinforcements (to replace fallen Comrades), it must make a Hard (–20) Logistics Test if most of the regiment is actively deployed or an Ordinary (+10) Logistics Test if a significant portion of the regiment is not currently in the field (these Tests already include situational modifiers except those added at the GM’s discretion). If it fails, the regiment simply has no reinforcements it can spare for the Squad, and its members must soldier on until its members can put in another request for troop support.
-The Hephaestus Hammerguard are incredibly distrusted by any local law authorities and by the Adeptus Arbites for their rather criminal nature, and the feeling of hostility and disrespect is mutual between the two groups. Any encounter with Arbites tends to be poor (at the GM's discretion) and Arbites are treated as an enemy, resulting in -10 to fellowship tests.
-Members of this regiment suffer a –10 penalty to all Fellowship-based Skill Tests made when interacting with members of other Imperial Guard regiments, the Departmento Munitorum, and other officials both localand Imperial who would have likely heard of the regiment’s reputation. Additionally, its members add 1d5 additional
Degrees of Failure to all failed Logistics and Commerce Tests.
-The Hephaestus Hammerguard have a unique system of recruitment and training. The regiment is divided into two classes of troops; the Hammerguard Guardsmen and the "Prospects" who are simple penal convicts. Characters starting as Hammerguard Guardsmen (which consequentially have the listed gear on this page) start with 1d12 insanity and gain an additional +5 willpower at character creation for the hardship they endured during their time as a prospect.
Meanwhile, characters who are prospects do not roll 1d12 insanity nor do they gain 5+ willpower, but instead start only with the Imperial Guard standard kit (page 68 of the core rulebook) minus the las pistol and flak vest; and get a bomb collar and autogun with 4 magazines instead, and cannot gain any class equipment until they have been pardoned and earned their right to be a guardsman proper, which is at the GM's discretion but should typically be after a few battles or after a noteworthy accomplishment. Players characters who died as Hammerguard guardsmen can re-roll a new character as a prospect.
Regimental Favored Basic Weapon: Flamer
Regimental Favored Heavy Weapon: Missile Launcher
Standard Kit:
⦁ One uniform
⦁ Three frag grenades and two krak grenades
⦁ One Autopistol with 2 magazines
⦁ One autogun with 4 magazines
⦁ One knife
⦁ One metal tower shield- Provides 3 armour to body and the arm equipping it, -1 agility bonus for all skill tests when equipped on arm and if lost, -20 to logistics tests for requisitioning a replacement. 6 kg carry weight.
⦁ One suit of flak armour
⦁ One Good craftsmanship Hephaestus "Tokinep" model Shovel- acts as combi tool, 1d5+3 R | Pen 2 | If fail WS test with more DoF than WS bonus, it travels 1d5 metres in random direction | 2 kg | -20 to acquire via logistics tests.
Total weight for all combat related gear: 25.5 kg
⦁ One rebreather
⦁ One anointed toolkit
⦁ One igniter
⦁ One set of poor weather gear
⦁ One rucksack or sling bag
⦁ One set of basic tools
⦁ One mess kit and one water canteen
⦁ One blanket and one sleep bag
⦁ One rechargeable lamp pack
⦁ One grooming kit
⦁ One set of cognomen tags or equivalent identification
⦁ One primer or instructional handbook
⦁ Combat sustenance rations, two weeks’ supply
Homeworld Type: Penal Colony
Characteristic Modifiers: +3 to any two of the following Characteristics: Agility, Strength, Toughness
Skills: Intimidate, Linguistics (Low Gothic)
Traits:
⦁ Honor Amongst Thieves: Penal colonists, whether criminals themselves, or the descendants of the previous generation’s scum, know well the way criminal societies operate, understanding the nuances of deception, loyalty, intimidation, and violence that characterise the criminal classes. Penal colonist characters start with one of the following Talents: Peer (Underworld) or Street Fighting.
⦁ Larcenous: Hailing from worlds where the black market is the only market, penal colonists are skilled at obtaining illicit items, whether to sell, on or for their own purposes. Penal colony characters add a +10 to all Logistics Tests made to acquire illegal or contraband items.
⦁ Scum and Villainy:Penal colonists are ill-regarded by just about everyone else in the Imperial Guard, and tend to be viewed more as expendable fodder than as worthwhile soldiers. As a result, they are seldom afforded more than the most basic of equipment. Penal colony regiments have only 15 points when determining Standard Regimental Kit.
Starting Wounds: +1
Commanding Officer: Maverick
Skills: Resistance (Fear)
Regiment Type: Close Assault Regiment
Characteristics: +3 Weapon Skill, -3 Intelligence
Starting Skills: Dodge or Parry
Starting Talents: Lightning Reflexes
Training Doctrine: Close Order Drill
Starting Talent: Double Team or Combat Formation
Training Doctrine: Close Quarters Combat
Starting Talent: Double Team or Combat Master
5+ to Weapon Skill
Aptitude: Weapon Skill
10+ to ballistic skill tests (on top of existing bonuses) when in point blank range.
(In book definition and this version of Close Quarters Combat varies due to special house rules with this regiment, changes were the following- removal of light carapace armour, lascarbines and 4 charge packs in favour of 5+ weapon skill and aptitude weapon skill)
Special Equipment Doctrines: Scavengers
Standard Regimental Kit:
The regiment may choose to gain a +10 bonus on any Logistics Test. However, on any test where this bonus is used, if any doubles are rolled (22, 33, 44, etc.) whether the Test was a success or a failure, then the scavenging and stealing attracts unwanted attention from higher authorities within the Imperial Guard or the Departmento Munitorum.
Regimental Drawbacks: Condemned, Mistrusted Problems with Johnny Law, The Few, Dead Hard
Talents: Enemy (Adeptus Arbites)
Special:
-Members of this regiment suffer a –20 penalty to all Fellowship-based Skill Tests made when interacting with members of other Imperial Guard regiments, the Departmento Munitorum, and other officials both local and Imperial who would have likely heard of the regiment’s reputation, and the regiment is sent on the most deadly of missions and fronts. Commissars attached to prospect squads or upon GM discretion.
-When a Squad from this regiment requests reinforcements (to replace fallen Comrades), it must make a Hard (–20) Logistics Test if most of the regiment is actively deployed or an Ordinary (+10) Logistics Test if a significant portion of the regiment is not currently in the field (these Tests already include situational modifiers except those added at the GM’s discretion). If it fails, the regiment simply has no reinforcements it can spare for the Squad, and its members must soldier on until its members can put in another request for troop support.
-The Hephaestus Hammerguard are incredibly distrusted by any local law authorities and by the Adeptus Arbites for their rather criminal nature, and the feeling of hostility and disrespect is mutual between the two groups. Any encounter with Arbites tends to be poor (at the GM's discretion) and Arbites are treated as an enemy, resulting in -10 to fellowship tests.
-Members of this regiment suffer a –10 penalty to all Fellowship-based Skill Tests made when interacting with members of other Imperial Guard regiments, the Departmento Munitorum, and other officials both localand Imperial who would have likely heard of the regiment’s reputation. Additionally, its members add 1d5 additional
Degrees of Failure to all failed Logistics and Commerce Tests.
-The Hephaestus Hammerguard have a unique system of recruitment and training. The regiment is divided into two classes of troops; the Hammerguard Guardsmen and the "Prospects" who are simple penal convicts. Characters starting as Hammerguard Guardsmen (which consequentially have the listed gear on this page) start with 1d12 insanity and gain an additional +5 willpower at character creation for the hardship they endured during their time as a prospect.
Meanwhile, characters who are prospects do not roll 1d12 insanity nor do they gain 5+ willpower, but instead start only with the Imperial Guard standard kit (page 68 of the core rulebook) minus the las pistol and flak vest; and get a bomb collar and autogun with 4 magazines instead, and cannot gain any class equipment until they have been pardoned and earned their right to be a guardsman proper, which is at the GM's discretion but should typically be after a few battles or after a noteworthy accomplishment. Players characters who died as Hammerguard guardsmen can re-roll a new character as a prospect.
Regimental Favored Basic Weapon: Flamer
Regimental Favored Heavy Weapon: Missile Launcher
Standard Kit:
⦁ One uniform
⦁ Three frag grenades and two krak grenades
⦁ One Autopistol with 2 magazines
⦁ One autogun with 4 magazines
⦁ One knife
⦁ One metal tower shield- Provides 3 armour to body and the arm equipping it, -1 agility bonus for all skill tests when equipped on arm and if lost, -20 to logistics tests for requisitioning a replacement. 6 kg carry weight.
⦁ One suit of flak armour
⦁ One Good craftsmanship Hephaestus "Tokinep" model Shovel- acts as combi tool, 1d5+3 R | Pen 2 | If fail WS test with more DoF than WS bonus, it travels 1d5 metres in random direction | 2 kg | -20 to acquire via logistics tests.
Total weight for all combat related gear: 25.5 kg
⦁ One rebreather
⦁ One anointed toolkit
⦁ One igniter
⦁ One set of poor weather gear
⦁ One rucksack or sling bag
⦁ One set of basic tools
⦁ One mess kit and one water canteen
⦁ One blanket and one sleep bag
⦁ One rechargeable lamp pack
⦁ One grooming kit
⦁ One set of cognomen tags or equivalent identification
⦁ One primer or instructional handbook
⦁ Combat sustenance rations, two weeks’ supply