Carrying the Emperor’s Divine Will across the stars; they are
the officers, pilots, and crewmen of the Fleet who live and
die in space as the Imperium’s Shield against any who would
threaten its borders.
“First salvo clearing the atmospheric barrier now. The xenos scum will be
dealt with—perhaps even more completely than we had hoped.”
–Master of Ordnance Quinlan Falkirk, during the scouring of Brynlan III
Starting skills
Athletics, Command or Intimidate, Common Lore (Imperial Navy), Navigate (Stellar),
Operate (Aeronautica or Voidship)
Starting TalenTs
Weapon Training (Chain or Shock, Solid Projectile)
Starting equipmenT
Combat shotgun or hand cannon, chainsword or shock whip, flak coat, rebreather, micro-bead
Background bonus
Close Quarters Discipline: An Imperial Navy character scores one additional degree of success on successful Ballistic Skill tests he makes against targets at Point-Blank range, at Short range, and with whom he is engaged in melee.
Background aptitude
Offence or Tech
Recommended roles
Ace, Chirurgeon, Hierophant, Warrior
The Imperium is made of untold of worlds across a vast
galaxy, each separated by more space than it would seem
possible to defend; in truth, it is impossible. It is the job of
the Imperial Navy to fly in the face of this impossibility and carry
the Emperor’s Truth, and His troops, to where they are needed
most. For all living aboard the vessels of the Navy, life is a never-
ending series of wars, broken up only by the horrors of travelling
through the Warp to the next battlezone. Though brutal, it is a
life of duty, filled with a sense of purpose that comparatively few
humans in the galaxy ever have the privilege to know.
role wiThin The Imperium
Without the Imperial Navy, the Emperor’s domain would be
impossible to maintain. It would surely have been reduced to
nothing but a handful of systems, capable of little more than
holding its own against rampaging xenos. With the Navy, Mankind
sails across a sea of stars as one of the most far-reaching, diverse,
and powerful races in the galaxy, its vessels acting as a tangible
extension of the Emperor’s Might.
The ships of the Imperial Navy have a wide range of
functions, from transporting supplies, munitions, and the armies of
the Astra Militarum to acting as purely offensive warships capable
of engaging and destroying entire enemy fleets. Mighty as their
weapons and engines might be, the living heart of each vessel is
its crew. The many officers, ratings, and labourers who fill these
gargantuan vessels guide them to their destinations, keep them in
good repair, deploy their thunderous armaments, and lead them
to victory after victory in the name of the Emperor. As humans
are a more easily acquired and replaceable resource than blessed
technology, Imperial ships featured little or no automation. Even
the smallest Naval vessels thus require crews numbering in the
thousands, all needed to man the colossal weapons, engines, and
other systems that keep their ships combat ready.
Such ships truly are living cities, massive hives surrounded
not only by enemy ships but the remorseless enemy of space itself.
From ragged clans who live amidst the gigantic weapon batteries
they hereditarily clean and load to proud officers commanding
from gleaming bridges, those of the Imperial Navy are battle-ready,
displaying hardened resolve forged on the anvil of conflict.
imperial navy characTers
Even the lowliest crewman aboard a ship in the Imperial Navy is
likely to be exposed to experiences that no planet-bound citizen
would ever have. Daily life revolves around preparing for and
fighting wars, and in many cases, that means combating alien
threats to human worlds. In the blackness of space, gunners and
interceptor pilots engage with enemy starships. In the skies of
a million planets, Thunderbolt fighters and Vulture gunships
dogfight with alien aircraft or strafe ground formations. In landing
bays, underdeck taprooms, and ornate officer’s lounges, stories are
told of the wretches fought in the Emperor’s Name, and of the
villainous menaces from inhuman aliens to unclean rebels.
The relentless losses in combat force naval ships to continually
seek out new crew For this reason, each planetfall includes
skimming from the elite of planetary defences as well as mass
impressments to fill the ranks below decks. Those who survive
combat, both warriors and those skilled in healing the injured,
might dedicate themselves to hunting down and destroying the
foul wretches who have dared stand against their Emperor. This
could include single-minded pursuits—no matter official orders—
against an entire alien species or a specific enemy commander,
until honour and blood are satisfied.
Naval personnel are also more inured to the horrors of space
travel, such as dealing with unexpected hull breaches, leaking
plasma vents, or even daemonic manifestations whilst in the Sea
of Souls. This can include rough familiarity with technological
operations, enough to maintain a crippled system until proper
tech-rites and anointments can be provided. Depending on their
duties, they might also be skilled in operating vehicles from cargo
loaders to elite aerospace fighters, or in navigating routes across
systems or across planetary surfaces.
Imperial Naval crew live within military structures, and though
these vary from sector to sector and even ship to ship, all demand
discipline and duty. Those in command are skilled at ordering and
inspiring those under them, as well as supporting those above. For
some, exhorting their fellows to greater efforts in
the name of the Emperor is an even larger
part of their lives than merely cleaning
dockyards or loading supplies.
Most members of the
Imperial Navy are foremost
combat veterans, though, having
faced bloodthirsty pirates in
frantic boarding raids, long range
bombardments, or more personal
aerial combat. Many have seen and
fought aliens, something few—
if any—Imperial citizens could
imagine happening. Some have
studied the tactics and manners
of these foes, and can provide
valuable insights into localised
threats or even weaknesses of
specific xenos species. Better still,
they have lived through combat,
and stand ready to defend
humanity again—perhaps in
more shadowy wars few can
ever know take place.
sample Imperial navy background : Triumph of Juno
This Sword-class frigate patrols the rimward fringes of the Stygies
Cluster Sub-Sector, and has seen its fair share of combat with Eldar
pirates and Ork raiders. Its armsmen are renowned throughout
Battlefleet Askellon for their skills at repelling boarders, and it even
carries a small complement of attack boats for offensive actions.
Few speak, though, of the mysterious personage who comes
aboard periodically to recruit men and women to her cause. Most
suspect that their captain has some secretive connection to her
organisation, or that the stern-faced individual was herself once
part of the Triumph’s crew.
Ignis Aeternus WH 40K campaign notes 