New Relics and other interesting items

[Togath 31]

I had a few requests to share some of the custom wargear and relics I am using in my DW campaign. So the list is below. Fair warning:

1. My campaign is advanced as my Marines are almost rank 6 and have played numerous multiple hour sessions, they have achieved rather high renown and are all taking specialty classes from Rites of Battle.

2. I have rebalanced all of the weapon stats in the game with t he help of my players and kept them in a spreadsheet. We did this before the errata, but have incorporated those changes as well. Some of the big ones include buffing plasma with felling and more damage, adding devastating to flamers, adding fast to lightning claws, and generally tweaking many of the numbers so that they fall where we want them relatively speaking.

3. My players are all power gamers to one degree or another. So am I.

4. We enjoy being big and important to our campaign and we play grand heroes who really matter in our corner of space, even if the galaxy is too big to notice elsewhere.

5. I started during a Dark Heresy campaign adding "machine spirit upgrades" to equipment my players had lovingly used in multiple adventures and achieved great things with. These were often small or specific, but they added up over time and matched the flavor of the setting as we saw it. Some of the gear includes such upgrades, which I have been handing out at the end of major arcs such as the end of the many session long effort to drive the Tyranids from Avalos (I greatly added to the length, difficulty, and number of deployments from the original adventures).

 

Vulkan's Whisper
Used by the Deathwatch Devastator Astramael of the Blood Angels in a desperate assault on a hive ship that proved key to victory in the Avalos campaign, this heavy flamer was relinquished permanently to the deathwatch and seems to constantly hunger for the flesh of xenos to burn. As heavy flamer but toxic and xenos targets set aflame take 2d10 rather than 1d10.

Bulwark of Light
This master quality Storm Shield was borne by battle brother Yarev of the Excorist chapter in the fateful Avalos campaign. During a crucial battle in the synapse chamber of the swarm's primary hive ship the yarev was gravely injured in melee with a fearsome elite warrior bioform. The shield's protection spared Yarev's life as he struck at the center of the hive mind itself. Since then this relic, forever pitted and scarred by the foul beasts acidic weapons and fearsome psychic might, continues to strive to protect its wielder through the gravest of injuries. As master quality Storm Shield but doubles its armor value when its bearer enters crits.

Cowl of Thunder
The arcane psychic hood worn by Brother-Epistolary Alyksander of the Blood Ravens thoughout the Avalos Campaign, this powerful artifact was exposed to fearsome psychic forces when Alyksander used to to do battle with the hive mind in the swarm ship itself. Forcing back the foul influence of the hive mind and its creatures Alyksander channeled untold force through the hood, blasting the enemies of man and slaying the Dagon Overlord in the synapse chamber of the hive ship. Psychic attack techniques used while wearing this hood gain the concussive quality.

Circlet of the Righteous
This Iron Halo relic was the signature wargear of battle brother Felix Flavius of the Gargamel Knights during the Avalos campaign. The machine spirit of this relic imprinted on Brother Flavius's selfless actions of sacrifice during the now famous assault by Flavius and his killteam on the synapse chamber of the swarm ship. This Iron Halo grants a bonus of +10 to place yourself in front of an attack hitting another with a dodge action rather than the usual -10 penalty. The Circlet proves especially effective under such circumstances, when taking a hit for another battle brother while wearing the circlet you may roll twice for the first hit received that round. Taking a hit for a battle brother that inflicts wounds or crits restores one cohesion.

Deathdealer
A relic dating from the time of the heresy, this Stormbolter was recovered by Killteam Purgatus from the vault of the Saint of Scintilla where it had been misplaced and forgotten centuries before. Used by Brother-Librarian Alyksander to finish the severely wounded Dagon Overlord in the heart of the hive ship, this potent weapon seems to have absorbed some of the psychic backlash from the death of such a powerful servant of the hivemind. Stats as per master quality Astartes Storm Bolter but has the volatile trait and gains bonus damage equal to the target's psy rating when targeting xenos psykers. Requires 45 requisition and Famed renown.

Soul Reaper
This ornate master-crafted assault cannon relic was recovered from the Saint of Scintilla's vault just before the death of the Avalos hiveship by Killteam Purgatus. It was once issued to the Salamanders Space marine chapter and ceased by traitor marines when the Salamanders became stranded on a space hulk they had boarded. Once claimed by the Chaos Marines the weapon was inscribed with the name it still bears upon each barrel. The Soul Reaper was reclaimed by a Deathwatch killteam along with many other items of the Salamanders' chapter and was disdained by them as tainted. The weapon was cleansed of taint and declared purified by the forge masters of the deathwatch and has remained in their use ever since. The name could not be removed from the barrels by any artifice however, and has also remained. The weapon's uncertain history reduces squad cohesion by one, but its ruthless machine spirit delights in carnage and adds 1d5 magnitude damage when used against hordes and imposes a -10 penalty on an opponent's dodge roll. Requires 70 requisition and Hero renown.

Flame of Avalos
A plasma pistol carried by one of the members of Killteam Purgatus during the Avalos campaign, this pistol was named for that action. In addition to its own arcane properties (Toxic) this pistol seems to have inherited its wielder's hatred of the xenos and it has the Proven (3) quality when attacking xenos. Rumors suggest that the Flame is actually a part of a matched set, although the other is unknown. Requires 50 Requisition and Famed Renown.

Bringer of Hate
Rumored to be the Heavy Bolter wielded by battle brother Astramael during much of the ground fighting on Avalos, this weapon is credited with thousands of xenos kills. Among these a Trygon Prime that Astramael supposedly slew in a hail of fire before it could even strike at him. This weapon is modified to fire specialized hellfire rounds at full auto but lacking the blast trait, not dissimilar to the .75 rounds fired from other bolt weapons. The Bringer of Hate also has the Proven (3) trait, and imposes a -10 on willpower tests made to avoid breaking or pinning when fired on by the weapon.

Foebreaker
A powerful thunder hammer with a storied history before being sent by the Exorcist chapter to be wielded by Assault Marine Yarev during the Avalos campaign. Wielding Foebreaker, Yarev accounted for countless synapse creatures of the Hive Dagon swarm fleet attacking Avalos, including many of the final blows that destroyed the synapse chamber at the heart of the hive ship. After the battle Deathwatch chaplain Titus Strome personally blessed the weapon, recommitting its war spirit to the Emperor. Foebreaker yearns to reach the enemies of the Imperium and strike them down, and grants a bonus to charge actions of +10 WS. In addition, when charging with Foebreaker, every 2 degrees of success on the attack grants an additional 1d10 damage up to a maximum of 2d10 on the first blow. Foebreaker was rechristened as a full fledged Deamonhammer after it was wielded by Brother Yarev in a critical mission on the Blood Trinity worlds to slay a Bloodthirster lending strength to the enemy there. Yarev twice struck down the Bloodthirster with the hammer, inspiring Chaplain Titus Strome to affix a purity seal on it with an inscription of rebuke against all things daemonic and warp tainted. Foebreaker counts as a sanctified weapon and can stun Daemons with its concussive trait even if they are normally immune to stun effects.

Cage of the Righteous
A suit of Aegis Terminator armor from the vaults of Watch Fortress Erioch, this suit of Terminator armor is fitted with a socket for a psychic hood and power feeds and also has special psyactive crystals mounted in its gloves to allow librarians to bring the strength of their will to the battlefield even while encased in its heavy plates. Like all Aegis armor, this armor is warded against the warp, providing further protection from psychic assaults. The Cage counts as a regular suit of TDA but with psychic wards (+20 to Focus Power tests made to oppose direct psychic attacks, and double armor v. psychic attacks; if the attack would normally ignore armor it instead must penetrate the armor normally). The cage is also accustomed to bring death not by holy bolter, but by fire and lightning upon the foes of Imperium, and allows the Librarian to use his reaction to perform the Avenger or Smite techniques in place of a normal standard attack with a bolter if the Librarian may normally do so (such as when the Bolter Assault squad attack mode is activated). Costs 70 Requisition for the armor alone and requires Hero Renown. The player must still spend 40 requisition to arm the suit.

Deliverance of Hatred
This bolt pistol is the sidearm of Brother Yarev and has been a dependable source of firepower in many battles where the Assault Marine found it needful to deliver the Emperor's wrath from afar. The Deliverance burns with a holy hatred for xenos and has the following profile: Pistol 30m S/4/– 1d10+12X Pen 5; clip 14; reload Full; Tearing. The Deliverance gains the Volatile trait when firing on xenos.

Bellerophon
The trusted blade of Blood Raven Librarian Alyksander Leonatos, this Arcane Force Sword has cut down or burnt out dozens of powerful Tyranid bioforms over the course of the Avalos campaign, granting it a fearsome reputation amongst the genestealers of Lordsholm as the “burning blade.” The blade was used by Alyksander to challenge genestealers and elite warriors to single combat and thirsts for a challenge, disdaining the unworthy and seeking to dispatch them with contemptuous ease to bring it closer to a true challenge. If the target of an attack using Bellerophon does not attempt to dodge or parry the attacker takes a -10 penalty to its willpower to resist psychic energy channeled through the blade. When used to parry or when parried the war spirit of Bellerophon delights in the thrill of a challenge attempts to sunder the opposing weapon, treat as having the power field quality.

Herald of Fire
Borne by Battle-Brother Feygor Magnus, a black-shield of the Deathwatch many suspect to have left the Space Wolves chapter, the autocannon Herald of Fire was his chosen weapon. Serving as a Deathwatch Devastator for many years Feygor is most remembered for a valiant last stand against countless orks on Prima Sorac where he sacrificed himself for his killteam by holding high ground against the coming ork tides and leaving a smoking field of burnt out vehicles and mounds of dead orks before he finally ran out of ammunition. Apothecary Galius of the Blood Ravens who recovered his geneseed days later was astounded to find the body on desecrated and unlooted. The number of xenos slain by Feygor that day amounted to over 700 including dozens of nobz. Galius also reported 17 separate armored vehicles similarly reduced to burned out hulks by Brother Magnus with the Herald. Since that day the Herald of Fire has never ceased to smoke even ever so slightly from its broad muzzle. The Herald is an autocannon with lugs for a combat attachment. The combat attachment has the profile of a power spear and can be used to impale a charging attacker in place of a parry reaction. If successful the attack is considered parried and countered but the counterattack may add twice the user's strength bonus. Only one attack per round may be parried in this way. If the wielder succeeds at impaling a charging foe and wishes he may forgo his next turn to make a full auto ballistic attack on the attacker that counts as point blank range. The Herald has the following profile: Mounted; 300m, S/2/5; 4d10+8 I Pen 8; Clip 20, Reload 1 Full Rnd; Reliable, Proven (3), sets targets on fire on a failed agility test as per flame weapon. Requires 70 Requisition and Famed renown.

Denial's Bite
First seized by brother Astramael as a war trophy from a fallen rebel general, this master-quality Mordian-pattern power sword has served its new master well, allowing the devastator to slay many Tyranid warriors, gene stealer and other powerful bio forms in single combat. So regularly has this blade been used to turn a foe's attack against them, that it gains the razor-sharp trait when used to counterattack.

Purity Seal of the Saviors of Avalos

+10 to Willpower to resist psychic powers by the Tyranid hive mind and its creatures.