Irradiated Scholar – an alternate career rank for Dark Heresy

InquisitorThe Adeptus Mechanicus’ sprawling organisation is replete with sub-factions, cults, and sects devoted to the different aspects and wonders of the Machine.

Plasma technology is one of the greatest wonders of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Most forge worlds at least dabble in its lesser aspects, the maintenance rituals and ionizing blessings necessary to keep reactors working and coax fuel in and out of magnetic containment, though few can boast greater expertise than what is necessary to construct such devices as man-portable plasma guns, and only one, Ryza, is considered to still be a master of this most arcane and powerful of mysteries.
Even on mighty Ryza, though, knowledge of plasma-tech is far from complete, and myriads of tech-priests scour ancient data stacks and the very stars to rediscover secrets long lost to the scions of Mars.

This offshoot of the greater quest for knowledge has spawned a sect of tech-priests who seek understanding not merely in poring over ancient schematics but by gazing into the fiery heart of the great reactors themselves, to bear direct witness to the forces they wish to harness and extract the knowledge from its source by the old formula of observation.

Exposure to the raw energies has left many of them crippled, their flesh scoured by radiation, their minds singed by the divine glow of understanding.

Not satisfied with such an initial blast of knowledge, they delve ever deeper into their chosen field, seeking communion with the fiery spirits and bending them to their will just as the spirits melt their flesh from their bones.

Access to the vaults of the Inquisition and the potential of discovering lost tech during clandestine operations make many scions of the sect eager acolytes, while the experience of the hands-on approach of inquisitorial investigations make previously unaligned tech-priest acolytes prime candidates for joining the sect.

Required Career: Tech-Priest
Alternate Rank: 6 or higher
Other Requirements: You must have exposed yourself to the ravages of living plasma to gain insights into its nature, e.g. by staring directly into the core of a reactor with dismantled containment shielding. Such experience has left your face and flesh a mass of burns and scars and you gain 1d10 Insanity Points.

Advance Cost Type Prerequisites
Ciphers (Secret Society) 100 S
Evaluate +20 100 S Evaluate +10
Forbidden Lore (Archaeotech) +10 100 S Forbidden Lore (Archaeotech)
Medicae +10 100 S Medicae
Scholastic Lore (Astromancy) +10 100 S Scholastic Lore (Astromancy)
Scholastic Lore (Legend) 100 S
Scholastic Lore (Philosophy) 100 S
Search 100 S
Basic Weapon Training (Plasma) 100 T
Fearless 100 T WP 30
Foresight 100 T Int 30
Gun Blessing 100 T Tech-Priest
Jaded 100 T
Pistol Training (Plasma) 100 T
Rapid Reload 100 T
Resistance (Heat) 100 T
Heavy Weapon Training (Plasma) 200 T
Sound Constitution 200 T
Talented (Forbidden Lore (Archaeotech)) 200 T Forbidden Lore (Archaeotech)
Eyes of Fire 300 T
Hasten Flow 300 T
Plasma Savant 300 T
Radiation Exposure 300 T

Eyes of Fire (Talent)
Having witnessed the throbbing heart of a plasma reactor, your eyes and augmetics have transcended the mortal fear of brightness. You are immune to the effects of photon-flash flares and other bright lights that would impose penalties to your sight or blind you.

Hasten Flow (Talent)
You have learned to coax the fiery machine spirits of plasma weapons into quickening the pace in which they fill the firing chambers. You may ignore the Recharge quality of a plasma weapon you are firing. If you do so, the weapon is treated as possessing the Overheats quality (if it did not have it before) or the chance of the weapon overheating doubles to 81-100 (if it already possessed this quality). If you also possess the Plasma Savant talent, the weapon retains its normal qualities in regards to overheating (i.e. a normally overheating weapon overheats on a roll of 91-100, while a not-overheating weapon still does not do so).

Plasma Savant (Talent)
Your understanding of the intricacies of plasma weapons has reached a level at which you no longer have to fear the possibility of the weapon’s spirits betraying you by overheating, as they so often do with lesser operators. You may ignore the Overheats quality of a plasma weapon you are firing.

Radiation Exposure (Talent)
Continuously exposing yourself to the energies contained in plasma-tech has left you burned and scarred, but over time has also rendered you exceptionally resistant to the worst of their ravages. You count as possessing the unnatural Toughness (x2) trait, but only for purposes of reducing the damage suffered from extreme heat and radiation (such as hits from plasma, flame, or melta weapons).


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