You are an agent of the Inquisition: the holder of a warrant, a sworn retainer, or one of the specialists who makes authority real. The default campaign begins with the newly minted Inquisitor Saul and his veteran Ivahn already aboard the Cruel Arrogance. Use their existing sheets unchanged, or follow this procedure to introduce another playable character.
1. Choose a concept and class
Write a name, ancestry, background, personality, and a reason the Inquisition trusts—or merely tolerates—you. Then choose a class.
| Class | Role |
|---|
| Soldier | Mobile firepower, battlefield discipline, vehicles and military arms. |
| Tech-Adept | Hacking, repairs, investigation and the mysteries of the Machine Cult. |
| Sister of Battle | Armoured assault, unbreakable faith, bolt, chain and flame. |
| Sanctioned Psyker | Warp-born power balanced against the constant risk of Perils. |
Your class supplies its listed talents and proficiencies. Copy only the talents that represent your starting training. A Sanctioned Psyker begins with Psy-rating 1, not every Psy-rating listed on the class reference.
2. Assign attributes
Assign these seven scores as you choose:
5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3
Place one score in each of Strength, Dexterity, Toughness, Willpower, Perception, Intelligence, and Charisma.
- Movement: 10 metres.
- Maximum Wounds: 3.
- Current Wounds: 3.
- All skill-success counters and Psychic Successes begin at 0.
- All direct skill bonuses begin at 0 unless a talent or starting item explicitly grants one.
A score of 3 is trained human capability. A 4 marks a veteran. A 5 is exceptional and should express the character's defining strength.
3. Take talents and proficiencies
Record the talents and proficiencies granted by your class. A proficiency is required only when the item itself lists one. Las weapons, shotguns, combat knives and flak armour require no special proficiency unless a specific item says otherwise.
Talents that grant a numeric skill bonus must also be reflected in the relevant Skill Bonus on the sheet. Do not count the same bonus twice.
4. Choose starting equipment
Choose one suit of armour, one ranged weapon and one melee weapon appropriate to the character's class and proficiencies. Add up to two suitable tools or pieces of worn gear with GM approval. Relic, master-crafted and unique named items are campaign rewards, not normal starting choices.
Recommended packages:
| Class | Armour | Ranged | Melee | Tools or gear |
|---|
| Soldier | Carapace Armour | Hellgun | Combat Knife | Medpack and Sapper Tools |
| Tech-Adept | Flak Armour | Laspistol | Combat Knife | Auspex and Surgery Tools |
| Sister of Battle | Power Armour | Boltgun | Chainsword | Medpack |
| Sanctioned Psyker | Sanctioned Psyker Carapace | Laspistol | Force Sword | Psychic Hood |
Every carried item's weight counts against Carrying Capacity. Carrying Capacity is effective Strength ×10 kg, including Strength bonuses from worn equipment.
5. Choose psychic powers
A starting Sanctioned Psyker selects three psychic powers. Smite, Banishment and one utility or defensive power form a reliable first discipline. Record Psy-rating 1, zero Psychic Successes, and read Psychic Powers & the Warp before play.
Non-psykers have Psy-rating 0 and cannot select psychic powers.
6. Ready your weapons
Your sheet has an Equipped Ranged and Equipped Melee slot. Each is marked Active or Sheathed.
- Only one weapon may be Active at a time.
- You may attack only with the Active weapon.
- The Active weapon's Initiative modifier applies to your Initiative.
- At the end of your turn, you may activate the other equipped weapon for free; the current weapon becomes Sheathed.
- At the beginning of each round, roll Initiative again using the weapon currently Active.
Initiative is d6 + Dexterity + gear Dexterity bonus + Active weapon Initiative + other Initiative modifiers.
Before the first scene, choose which weapon is Active. A character expecting trouble at range normally begins with the ranged weapon Active.
Final check
Before play, confirm that your character has:
- a background and reason to serve the Inquisition;
- all seven attributes, Movement 10, and 3/3 Wounds;
- one class with its starting talents and proficiencies;
- legal armour and two equipped weapons;
- no more than two approved tools or pieces of gear;
- all progression counters at zero;
- exactly three powers and Psy-rating 1 if a Psyker;
- one Active weapon and one Sheathed weapon.
There are no levels. Your character improves by succeeding under pressure, surviving the consequences, and mastering the skills they actually use.
