Labourers who spend generations devoted to study and gathering data; they shed little light upon the ignorance that dominates the Imperium, but still aid in its survival.
“Send the last tonnages of recordings from batch four to Adept Gaffner
for transcription, reconsecrate and re-anoint the scanners, and then begin
recording batch five immediately.”
–Subaltern Hieronymous Molg, Datascribe
Characteristic modifiers
Intelligence, + Perception, – Fellowship
Fate threshold
3 (Emperor’s Blessing 8+)
Home world bonus
Pursuit of Data: Whenever a research station character reaches Rank 2 (Trained) in a Scholastic Lore skill, he also gains Rank 1 (Known) in one related or identical Forbidden Lore skill specialisation of his choice.
The GM is the final arbiter of whether the two specialisations are related.
Home world aptitude
Knowledge
Wounds
A research station character starts with 8+1d5 wounds.
Recommended backgrounds
Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Adeptus Mechanicus, Mutant
The Imperium and the Adeptus Mechanicus have many
research stations across the stars to collect data in an often
vain attempt to better control Mankind’s surroundings.
The aims of such stations vary, with researchers studying planetary
storm patterns, dissecting captured xenos corpses, charting the
stability of Warp entry locations, or probing the remains of ancient
civilisations. Research stations provide a stable base of operations
to Tech-Priests, scribes, adepts, servitors, and the small armies
sometimes necessary to support them in these often remote
locations. Most researchers never live to see any conclusive results.
Once committed to a station, few ever leave, and their tasks are
passed on through generations without end. Useful results might
never occur, or be lost in the impossible depths of Imperial
bureaucracies, but sometimes glimmers do emerge and catch the
eye of those looking for aids in defending Mankind.
l ife aT a research sTaTion
Research stations are found throughout the Imperium in almost
every situation, locale, or environment. Though many are on
otherwise inhabited planets, they are invariably isolated or secluded
from the general population, making contact only to restock
supplies or take on replacement staff. Most social interactions at
any given facility are bound with scripted and rote language, the
original meanings of which might be long lost.
Control and predictability govern daily life at a research
station, which can include extended families of expert fabricators
who spin and polish massive crystalline lenses, or of brute haulers
transferring the vats of ink necessary to transcribe daily findings.
All understand that the security and the progress of the station’s
research program require very strict scheduling to ensure optimal
results. Time not spent on duty, such as for meals or sleep, is
measured and monitored. Sites like these are very similar to
manufactorums or forges, in that the master timetable dictates
every quality of life. While this can vary considerably, there is
generally one constant: regardless of individuals’ wants and needs,
the research always takes priority over them.
Whatever the project is, everyone—from the lead Tech-Priests
and administrators down to the lowliest scribes and indentured
labourers—believes that their efforts contribute to the continued
greatness of the Imperium. They believe this despite the fact
that, unknown to most working at them, some stations dance
precariously on the thin line between sanctioned research and
abominable tech-heresy.
r esearch sTaTion c haracTers
Though Tech-Priests and scholars are often the core of these
stations, there are also guards, codifiers, and support staff who
make sure that the station as a whole runs smoothly. Regardless
of what a person’s role is within the strata of the facility, virtually
everyone claims understanding of the basic nature of the work.
This comprehension is often poor at best, however, with little or
no bearing on any real functions within, due to the gossip and
hearsay prevalent on any world or merely mirroring the stagnating
technological understanding across the Imperium. Information is
commonly mangled and distorted not only from one generation
to the next, but also from one research assignment to the next.
Instilled in all of them is a drive to make sure that the work
continues; they are all in a perpetual state of analysis regarding
their tasks and the time it takes to accomplish them. As a result,
they are incredibly focused and punctual, and largely dispassionate
about anything save their own specific assignments. This
segmentation of tasks, however, often makes the project as a whole
largely undecipherable, as those who began the experiments are
often long dead and the purpose of the research has either been
diffused or lost entirely. In its stead is a misplaced reverence for
the hypothesised outcome, and researchers eliminate anything that
contradicts that desired result, regardless of what is actually found.
While the Machine Cult and the Imperial Guard both have
significant numbers on many stations, other agencies provide staff
and also draw personnel from them. The Adeptus Astra Telepathica
operates many facilities to study the tides of the Warp, and no
matter the type of research, the massive transcription and data
sorting required can lead many to positions within the Adeptus
Administratum. The dark and remote locations, as well as some of
the highly dangerous researches, also generate the deformed and
shunned mutant. Some of these might in turn become subjects for
research, a future only slightly better than the torch.
sample r esearch sTaTion : delTa-beTa-Tau -3
Delta-Beta-Tau-3 is a mobile station located in the Thule Sub-
Sector. Nominally, it is a jointly run facility of the Navis Nobilite
and the Adeptus Astronomica, officially tasked with studying the
Pandemonium and the Warp routes of Askellon. Since its inception,
no one other than the Navigator houses and those of the Adeptus
Astronomica have been allowed aboard, but numerous unmarked
ships have been seen providing cargo of some sort to the station
outside of the usual supply drops. Attempts to follow these craft
have resulted in numerous missing ships and fatal accidents for
the pursuers.
Ignis Aeternus WH 40K campaign notes 