Aside from the tabletop game itself, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader gives you the most control over your character’s life prior to the game than any other game. From which homeworld they come from to their Archetype and appearance, you control it all. One of the most important parts of designing your character comes down to picking their origin. This will obviously create some changes in your stats and Features, but it also is a massive factor in terms of the story and your roleplaying. You have seven to choose from, so let’s make sure you start your life off on the right foot by reviewing each origin in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
Which origin to pick
Astra Militarum Commander
As a member of the Astra Militarum, aka the Imperial Guard, you are a loyal soldier fighting for humanity’s survival in the 40K universe. As the name states, you have worked your way up to a commander after thousands of victories for the Emperor.
Feature: Regimental Tactics — You and all allies deal +(20+2x Perception bonus)% damage to any enemy adjacent to any member of your team until the end of your turn. Can only be used once per combat.
Characteristic and Skill modifiers: Ballistic Skill, Perception, Athletics, and Medicae get +5.
Talents:
- Suppression Fire! – While using Regimental Tactics, your single target and AoE attacks gain +20% dodge, parry, and cover penetration reduction to any enemy adjacent to you or your allies.
- Field of Fire – While using Regimental Tactics, all allies gain +5% rate of fire for their first attack.
- Timely Rescue – While using Regimental Tactics, killing an enemy next to an ally grants that ally +10 momentum.
- Unflinching Heroism – After a successful heroic act, you get +5 to all characteristics until the end of battle.
- Shoulder to Shoulder – While next to an ally you deal +(10+PER bonus)% damage to all enemies adjacent to your allies.
- Commisaar
As a member of the Officio Prefectus, you are a strict, borderline cruel leader who maintains order through force. You once again rose up from one of these lowly servants to become a feared and admired leader.
Feature: At All Costs! – Your next single-target attack applies marked on an enemy, which grants the unit that kills them +2 AP and +4 MP on their next turn, or gives an ally +1 AP and +3 MP on their next turn. Can only be used once per combat and can’t be used on yourself.
Characteristic and Skill Modifiers: Weapon Skill, Fellowship, Coercion, and Athletics get +5.
Talents:
- Duty and Honour! – Any ally under the effect of At All Costs! takes +50% more damage but gets +2 AP and +4 MP instead of +1 and +3, respectively.
- Show Them Contempt! – When next to an enemy, all allies gain +(your Fellowship bonus/2) resolve.
- Motivation – Whenever you give MP to an ally they get +2 extra points.
- Summary Execution – If you kill a target marked with At All Costs! you can use that skill again for free.
- For the Emperor! – If momentum is less than 100, killing a marked enemy or targeting an ally gives +(20+2xFellowship bonus) to momentum.
Crime Lord
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Crime Lords work in the shadows of the Imperium as smugglers, bandits, and thieves. You have no respect for the law, despite the dangers that poses.
Feature: Sure-Fire Plan – When beginning a battle, gain +INT bonus stacks. Activating the ability uses 1 stack and has one of the following effects: deal +10+PER bonus)% more damage on your next attack, gain +(10+Perception bonus)% dodge and parry if you move, or suffer a -(10+Intelligence)% penalty to damage for a round if you use a non-lethal ability on an enemy. This can be used multiple times per turn.
Characteristic and Skill Modifiers: +5 Weapon Skill, Perception, Awareness, and Logic.
Talents:
- Killing Plan – Sure-Fire Plan’s bonus damage is increased by +(2xWeapon Skill Bonus)% and killing an enemy restores 1 stack.
- Escape Plan – Sure-Fire Plan’s dodge and parry bonuses are increased by +(2xAgility bonus)% and dodging or parrying restores 1 stack.
- Disorienting Plan – Enemies affected by Sure-Fire Plan also get a -(10+2xPercecption bonus)% penalty to dodge and parry reduction.
- Contingency Plan – If you have no stacks of Sure-Fire Plan at the start of your turn, you gain 1.
- The Last Plan – Once per battle, while you have one or more stack of Sure-Fire Plan, you will not die when taking a lethal blow and instead heal (5+Sure-Fire Plan stacks)% maximum wounds and lose all stacks and cannot gain more that battle.
Minstorum Priest
The order of the Imperium’s religious institution, you are a former zealot who preached the dangers of heresy and devoted yourself to the divine Emperor.
Feature: War Hymn – Gives momentum equal to (2x Willpower bonus) and an additional WP bonus for any enemy within 5 cells of your priest. Only available once per combat.
Characteristic and Skill Modifiers: +5 Touchness, Willpower, Lore, and Medicae.
Talents:
- Litany of Purification – Any enemy in range of War Hymn get +1 disturbed stack, or +2 if directly beside you. If the enemy is a daemon, they take damage equal to your momentum restored.
- Litanty of Hatred – All allies in War Hymn’s range get +(priest’s Willpower bonus/2) damage for all single shots and opportunity attacks for a round.
- Shield of Faith – You get +(4xWillpower bonus)% armor against daemons and warp damage, plus a permanent increase in resolve of (Willpower bonus/2).
- The Emperor Protects – Get a WP bonus % chance to ignore any enemy attack.
- Flensing Faith – All melee, flame, and melta attacks to daemons and psykers get +(2xWillpower bonus) damage and +(6xWillpower bonus)% armor penetration.
Navy Officer
You are responsible for commanding one of the Imperium’s voidships across the universe to maintain order, with numerous battles and accolades collected over your career.
Feature: Brace for Impact! – For one round, you and your allies within a 3-cell range get +2 deflection for each Archetype you have. Can be used once per battle.
Characteristic and Skill Modifiers: +5 Agility, Fellowship, Commerce, and Demolition.
Talents:
- Do Not Falter! – Allies don’t suffer any negative melee superiority effects while under Brace For Impact!’s effect.
- Scatter! – Allies under Brace For Impact! take only half damage from opportunity attacks.
- Perfect Timing – Allies under Brace for Impact! get +30% to cover penetration, and your character gets a permanent +15%.
- Get off Me! – Brace For Impact! lets you use any ranged weapon in threatened areas, knocks enemies prone, and pushes them one cell back.
- Get Into Cover! – Allies under Brace For Impact! get one additional turn with 3 MP and makes cover +20% better for one round.
- Nobel
Born into luxury, a Nobel expects respect rather than earns it.
Features: You. Serve. Me. – One ally is picked to be a servant for a battle. Whenever you use an ability on a servent, they gain +5 to all characteristics until your next turn, and whenever a servent attacks an enemy you have hit, they gain +(10+ Nobel’s Fellowship bonus)% chance to critical hit.
Characteristic and Skill Modifiers: +5 Intelligence, Fellowship, Coercion, and Persuasion.
Talents:
- You. Do. Something. – Whenever you use an ability on a servant, they gain +1 AP next turn.
- You. Protect. Me. – If you are next to your servant, you both gain temporary wounds equal to the servant’s Toughness bonus or your Fellowship bonus (whichever is higher).
- You. Go On. Servants get +2 MP every turn.
- You. Kill It. – Gain +1 AP if your servant kills an enemy you wounded.
- You. You Are Next. – If your servant is below 30% maximum wounds, you can pick a new servant to replace them.
- Sanctioned Psyker
Finally, Psykers are mysterious and powerful telepaths. Only a few survived the training to become soldiers, but you were one of them.
Features: Sanctioned Psyker – -20% chance to trigger psychic phenomena.
Characteristic and Skill Modifiers: +5 Toughness, Willpower, Lore, and Carouse.
Talents:
- Psy Rating 1,2,3,4 – Every new rating provides new psychic powers and increases their strength.
- Still Mind – Increases resolve by +(Willpower bonus/2) while veil degradation is 10 or lower.
- Inscribed Soul – Deals 25% of your maximum wounds to yourself, but your next power used will not cause a psychic phenomena or perils of the warp.
- Sacred Rituals – Powers have a 25% chance to regain AP spent while vail degradation is 10 or lower.
- Blade of Light – Force weapons attack deal +psy rating extra damage and +(5x Psychic rating)% more armor penetration.
- Enforce Reality – Heroic acts decrease vail degradation by Intelligence bonus.
- Psychic Barrage – Whenever you use a damaging power on a target 6 cells away or more, that target also takes +BS bonus damage.
- Second Sight – Powers with a range of 2 cells or more get an increased range of +Perception bonus.
- Stabilizing Factor – Your first power used each turn increases veil degradation by 2 points less.
- Subtle Manipulation – Allows the use of powers while being threatened in melee range without triggering opportunity attacks.
- Obscured Threat – If your target isn’t in line of sight or you are in cover, the target’s resistances suffer a -(4x psychic rating) penalty.
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