Influence Minimum: 60 Influence Cost: 11
Peer (Officio Assassinorum) talent lowers Influence Cost by 2
Members of this temple are devoted to the arts of deception and
specialise in missions of infiltration and disruption. Using falsified
faces and altered flesh, they penetrate enemy organisations until
the perfect moment of assassination is at hand. Mere death is often
only the beginning; using their disguised forms, they can adopt
the persona of their fallen targets and lead armies astray or violent
uprisings to dissolution. This can effectively destroy entire forces
with but a single kill in a manner that might never be known.
Often, their presence is only revealed many months later, when
a carefully murdered corpse is uncovered. The unique disciplines
and drugs used as part of Callidus training have been found to
be most effective on the female form, and thus members of this
temple are almost exclusively women.
Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Athletics (S) +10, Awareness (Per) +20,
Charm (Fel) +20, Deceive (Fel) +20, Dodge (Ag) +20, Intimidate
(S) +10, Parry (WS) +10, Security (Int) +20, Stealth (Ag) +20,
Survival (Per) +10, Trade (Chymist) (Int) +20
Talents: Ambidextrous, Assassin Strike, Blademaster, Catfall,
Combat Master, Constant Vigilance, Counter Attack, Cover-Up,
Deathdealer (Melee), Deny the Witch, Exotic Weapon Training
(Neural Shredder, Phase Sword), Face in a Crowd, Killing Strike,
Temple Assassin, Two-Weapon Master (Melee, Ranged), Two-
Weapon Wielder (Melee, Ranged), Unarmed Specialist
Temple Assassin: A Callidus Assassin has supreme physical and
martial training, allowing her to re-roll any Acrobatics or Athletics
tests. Additionally, she has a number of additional Reactions each
round equal to her Agility bonus (6) that can only be used to
make Evasion tests. She can still only attempt to Evade a given
attack once. At the GM’s discretion, this talent also allows her to
attempt Evasion tests when they might not otherwise be possible,
letting her Dodge massive explosions, a descending Warlord
Titan’s foot, or an invisible psychic attack.
Traits: From Beyond, Unnatural Strength (2), Unnatural
Toughness (2)
Gear: Callidus helmet (includes preysense goggles, micro-bead,
rebreather, and respirator), 4 doses of polymorphine, 4 reloads
for neural shredder, magnoculars, personal medi-kit, pict-recorder,
synskin bodyglove, vox-caster
Fate Points: 2
Polymorphine: This exotic drug, when combined with the
extensive Callidus training, allows the assassin to change her flesh
to adopt the appearance of almost any human or even a humanoid
alien. It can be used to adopt a specific appearance so long as the
user has seen and studied the target, or that of a more general
disguise when detailed change is not necessary.
The drug requires 2 Full Actions (or 5 minutes in narrative
time) to activate and for the transformation to complete. While
a polymorphine transformation is underway, the user gains the
Fear (1) trait. The drug’s effects lasts for 2 hours, but the user can
return to her natural form before then through a Challenging (+0)
Willpower test. Using the drug again within 2 hours of the last
application inflicts 1 Fatigue.
A non-Callidus temple character can only assume shapes that
approximate his own, as he lacks the surgical implants necessary
for radical transformations. He must make a Very Hard (–30)
Willpower test to control the drug’s effects. Failure means the
transformation is botched; the user suffers 1 Fatigue for each degree
of failure and becomes an abhorrent amalgam of his current and
desired form for the next 30 minutes.
Once successfully applied, polymorphine grants the user a
+20 bonus for Opposed Interaction tests in situations where the
adopted appearance would be desirable. For example, the guise of
a renowned Imperial Guard general would be useful for gaining
access to a bunker, while that of a mutant leader would not.
† Damage inflicted from a neural shredder ignores armour, is reduced
by Willpower bonus instead of Toughness bonus, and is always applied
to the Head location. It cannot be applied to vehicles, terrain, or similar
objects lacking a Willpower characteristic.
†† Damage from a phase sword ignores armour and force fields, and
enemies cannot Parry an attack made w
Ignis Aeternus WH 40K campaign notes 