Existing on the edges of the Imperium with little governance
or law; far from the blessings of civilised society, there is little
of the Emperor’s Light to illuminate these shadowy planets.
“I’m sure this fancy windup chrono does indeed mean you’re wealthy—
somewhere else. On this world, you’ll be needing to use that pretty
laspistol of yours instead if you’re wanting to impress anyone.”
–Tildi Galloph, trading post dealer
Characteristic modifiers
+Ballistic Skill, + Perception, –Fellowship
Fate threshold
3 (Emperor’s Blessing 7+)
Home world bonus
Rely on None but Yourself: A frontier world character gains a +20 bonus to Tech-Use tests when applying personal weapon modifications, and a +10 bonus when repairing damaged items.
Home world aptitude
Ballistic Skill
Wounds
A frontier world character starts with 7+1d5 wounds.
Recommended backgrounds
Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Mutant, Outcast
Random selection
If using Table 2–1: Random Home World from
page 31 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook,
a frontier world can be generated on a roll of
34–44 with an even result.
Frontier worlds occupy the desperate, lawless fringes of
the Imperium. Inhabitants quickly learn self-reliance by
necessity, knowing that they cannot expect outside aid
against marauding humans or ravenous aliens. As always, where
there is little Imperial attention, heresy and mutation festers
unchecked. Frontier worlds swarm with the violent dregs of
humanity, with pirates, bandits, outlaws, and worse ruling many
areas. These planets easily become breeding grounds for rogue
psykers, misguided heresies, and vile cults, and can threaten
Mankind across the wider Imperium should their contagion
spread.
Life on a frontier world
Whereas life on any Imperial world is harsh and unrelenting,
except perhaps for those of high birth who endure more subtle or
insidious burdens, frontier worlders often stand apart. Frequently,
there is no Adeptus Arbites presence on their planets, and
planetary governors might only rule from orbit or from another
system altogether. As such, frontier denizens must face many
threats on their own, from xenos raiders to natural hazards to
hostile native species or tectonic instability. These worlds are often
newly-discovered, distant from regular traic or trade routes, and
settled with incomplete or poor analysis of the planet’s dangers.
Many were found by accident, uncovered from ancient Warp
charts, or mentioned in the margins of a Rogue Trader’s logs.
Frontier worlds might instead be locations previously inhabited;
many reveal signs of earlier civilisations, ranging from ancient
human societies to long-dead alien empires. These remnants
of the past might even be the reason for some settlements,
or drive explorations to uncover relics from ancient times.
While other citizens of the Imperium might have domestic
resources or imports to support themselves, frontier worlders are
forced to scrape and scrounge for survival. Many are dependent
on, or at least familiar with, Imperial technology, and thus
their societies become a mix of refurbished devices and native
constructions. This can lead to near-barbaric existences, with tribes
of chainaxe wielding renegades attacking settlements for precious
promethium or lasgun sentry arrays guarding isolated homesteads
from predatory creatures. Still, frontier worlds always seem to
attract new settlers.
Many come to the borders of the Imperium seeking escape
from local religious authorities. Some might wish to worship the
Emperor through means thought heretical or deviant; on a frontier
world, they might be able to establish their own sect, and in time
perhaps make it the world’s version of the Imperial Creed. Those
whose worship of dark entities would rightfully earn them burning
pyres and tortuous deaths also seek their version of religious
freedom. Escaping to a world where there are fewer prying eyes
or torch-wielding mobs, these cults might conduct their foul rites
openly or even establish control over a settlement. Many also
might seek out frontier worlds for the lucrative possibilities they
ofer. There might not be any signs of obvious riches, but there
could be xenos relics, useful native species, or even wonders from
the Dark Age of Technology all waiting to be uncovered.
Not all frontier worlders have chosen their homes willingly, in
search of a better life. Hive populations can be tithed to populate a
newly-established world, and entire hab blocks might be stripped
bare to begin new lives away from comforting crowds and metal
cities. Penal legions could also be used to establish footholds on
empty planets, all understanding that their new lives might be grim
but still better than certain death on the battleield.
Existing on the far edges of Imperial Law and often outside
the commandments of the Imperial Creed, frontier worlders
can develop a heretically relaxed attitude towards aliens. Locals
wielding xenos weaponry, living in habitats crafted for non-human
entities, are common. Some frontier outposts even openly trade
with travelling xenos, thus spreading the taint of the alien. This
acceptance of the impure can also extend to mutated humans or
unholy witches. For frontier worlders, survival requires terrible
alliances, with lives saved at the cost of souls. To live on the fringes
is to exist in shadows, and in these shadows heresy breeds.
Frontier world characters
Living on a frontier world is often an exercise in daily survival: an
existence not as extreme as that on a death world, but still fraught
with peril. Those who do survive learn to rely on themselves, but
can still go on to act as part of a wider society in the Imperium.
Given the scarcity of any clearly worthwhile resources, even raw
manpower, most of these planets are tithed at a relatively low
grade. Raising new Imperial Guard regiments might only happen
once a generation. For many, the only regular contact with the
Imperium might be visitations from the Adeptus Astra Telepathica
and its League of Black Ships. Where proper Imperial oversight
or societal watchfulness is lax, unculled psykers can exist or breed
with impunity for years before discovery, giving them time to
increase in power and danger. This also is true for those twisted in
body as well as mind, with physical mutants both subtle and gross
untamed, especially in wilderness areas.
Combatting these deviations, missionaries of the Ecclesiarchy
often lock to these worlds to bring the faith and ire of the
Emperor to those who have strayed. Many become martyrs to
their holy causes, and their ofspring may perhaps be called to
the Schola Progenium and become excellent Arbitrators on other
worlds across the Imperium. Others natives, though, retain their
sense of self-reliance and refrain from becoming part of any
organisation, living for themselves according to their own code as
countless other frontier worlders do each day.
Sample frontier world: Marnine
Isolated along a rough Warp-route at Thule’s far rimward edges,
Marnine has few resources or other appealing features. It had
attracted only desultory settlement eforts, but ofworld traic has
increased recently from a group obsessed with the deep caves
that puncture the surface. Despite Eldar raids, the rumours of
spectacular discoveries underground have attracted growing
attention. It is only a matter of time before an oicial Adeptus
Administratum presence is established and Imperial Law enforced,
but until then there are few limits to what might be achieved here.
Ignis Aeternus WH 40K campaign notes 