Holding the dregs of society and the most dangerous of criminals; these planets serve as little more than holding pens for bitterness, hatred, and violence, but stand ready as future tools for the Imperium’s hands.
“Welcome to Allegro! You are here because you have failed in the eyes of the Emperor. Any chance for redemption starts now!”
–Warden Abel D’Arce’s announcement to new inmates
Characteristic modifiers
+Toughness, + Perception, – Influence
Fate threshold
3 (Emperor’s Blessing 8+)
Home world bonus
Finger on the Pulse: One survives a penal colony by instinctively knowing who is in charge and who is a threat. A penal colony character begins with one Rank in the Common Lore (Underworld) and Scrutiny skills, and starts with the Peer (Criminal Cartels) talent.
Aptitude
Toughness
Wounds
A penal colony character starts with 10+1d5 wounds.
Recommended backgrounds
Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Ministorum, Imperial Guard, Outcast
Random selection
If using Table 2–1: Random Home World from page 31of the Dark H eresy Core Rulebook, a penal colony can be generated on any roll where the results of the two d10 dice add to a sum of 13.
Where most world classifications stem from the types of terrain or lifeforms found there, penal colonies are defined by strict Imperial Law. In every expansion, there are recidivists, looters, murderers, and thieves who appear in its wake. The most violent or persistent offenders, if not granted summary execution at the time of apprehension, may be shipped off-world to facilities designed to house them permanently. These purgatories made real are often ruined worlds left forgotten due to their lack of strategic importance or natural resources. Buildings are repurposed and retrofitted to accommodate massive numbers of inmates, and automated defences are brought in to keep the new residents in line. It is here that the lawbreakers are left to wither and die—though some survive to escape their sentence, and fight for the Emperor on other fronts.
Life on a penal colony
Life on many penal colonies is extremely regimented and heavily monitored. Daily menial labour maintaining the grounds—or more rarely, mining or extracting resources—is designed to tax even the heartiest individual’s energy levels, thereby reducing the incidence of violent encounters. Food is largely bland and heavily processed to inhibit muscle growth and dull the senses. Constant lockdown when not working or eating all but eliminates the ability to hope for a better day. These calculated practices break the wills of the inmates, but even with all of that working against them, human nature knows no limit to its baser instincts.
When the demand for expendable soldiers is highest, Lord Generals send word back along the worlds they have conquered and request additional troops from all planets capable of sendingthem. Penal colonies are often able to send viable troops who seek little more than a final taste of freedom and redemption in service to the Golden Throne. Founding Tithes for war efforts are rare on these planets, for such penal legions are difficult to control, but the flood of inmate volunteers continually feeds the insatiable, unending Imperial war machine on fronts across the galaxy.
While this represents the majority of these “colonies,” others are so far removed from the rest of the Imperium that they are merely dumping grounds for what the sector or sub-sector governments consider human refuse. On these worlds, transport fleets often arrive in the system festooned with one-way drop pods filled with convicts. Once in orbit they fire off all the pods and then depart for a hasty transition back to the Warp, leaving the accused to fend for themselves. On some of these worlds, a single established bastion provides updates or provides the basis for rounding up and honouring a Founding Tithe. In others, those who survive form their own tribal groupings and struggle to exist with the remains of their pods and any gear they were given.
Penal colony characters
Those hailing from a penal colony fall mostly into one of two camps: either inmates or their progeny. A few others come from the ranks of guards, gaolers, and wardens who oversee thesewretches. Regardless of which group they fall into, those living on a penal colony develop survival strategies to inure themselves to the horrors around them. Many prisoners band together in gangs to provide support, protection, and strength; some rely on intimidation or reputation to keep potential threats at bay. Those unable to cope find their way to their graves, or end up more deeply imprisoned by servitude to fellow inmates. The few able to survive and emerge from this environment stronger and more defined are often the kind needed by both Inquisitors and the Imperial Guard.
Individuals who have skills and talent outside the norm are often noticed by those with a keen eye for such abilities. Wardens are tasked with readying prison recruits for duty in penal legionsas required. At times, an Inquisitor might seek out those with the capacity to move in the world of shadows and depravity, and there are few better places to find those with the resolve and ability than in prison. Working for an Inquisitor brings significantly more freedom, but infinitely more danger than even the highly terminal nature of their service in the Imperial Guard. Still, very few reject an offer made by someone who can make a warden cower.
Penal colonies hold all kinds of criminals and therefore also all kinds of hidden talents. While most doomed to such a world are rough thugs or insane killers, some inmates are gifted thinkers, skilled procurers, rousing orators, or budding technomats who were captured and incarcerated for activities that local rulers deemed heretical or revolutionary (or simply bothersome). Once imprisoned with others of their ilk, they might hone their skills or develop new ones. If ever unleashed upon the Imperium, most are eager to share their new abilities with unsuspecting enemies on the direction of their Inquisitorial masters.
Sample penal colony: Jubilus
Toward the Spinward side of the Asphodel Depths lies the prison planet of Jubilus. Originally designated as a barren dumping ground for the worst specimens of humanity, the reclamation of the planet has seen it become a recruiting ground for one of the most infamous penal legions in Askellon: the Jubilan Sandrats.
The Sandrats are known for determination and grit, completing any task set before them even at the cost of every man available. This often leads generals to call on Jubilus to muster troops for particularly deadly missions. Colonel Brigit Venskul is the current commander, instilling in her troops the drive to achieve one final deed to right their previous wrongs. Their distinctive discipline collars also provide a filtration mask that covers the nose and mouth, giving rise to the regiment’s name. To this date, the Sandrats have saved more battles single-handedly than any other current penal regiment in the sector.
Ignis Aeternus WH 40K campaign notes 