Black Crusade (RPG)

Black Crusade
RPG published by Fantasy Flight Games
Rule System	d%
No. of Players	3+
Session Time	10+ minutes
Authors	Owen Barnes, Kate Flack, Mike Mason
First Publication	2011
Essential Books	Black Crusade Core Rulebook The Game Master's Kit The Hand of Corruption The Tome of Fate The Tome of Blood The Tome of Excess'

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This is for the RPG, not the apocalypse-style crusades by Chaos.

Black Crusade is the fourth Fantasy Flight Games Warhammer 40,000 Role-Playing Game, and it's main focus is the forces of Chaos, like cultists and the Traitor Legions.

This is the exact opposite of the earlier books in every way. Even the Human characters in Black Crusade are considerably more powerful than those from previous games, able to receive powerful mutations and game changing blessings. The Chaos Space Marines are even more powerful, having the benefits available to human heretics as well as the ridiculous abilities of space marines, with weaponry ranging from rune swords to daemonic bolters and reaper autocannons. Alignment often leads to extremely interesting role-playing as well.

One of its greatest features is encouraging competition between players, often by making the personal goals of their characters mutually exclusive, thus mirroring the climate of a chaos warband. This can go very right, or oh so wrong.

Classes

• Champion - CSM. The all rounder/commander, good for any situation but not exceptional at any, barring command. Fellowship, intelligence and willpower are this class's bread and butter, and it generally does well unaligned, or aligned with khorne or slaanesh (bonuses to intimidate and charm).

• Chosen - CSM. The duellist/hero killer, they specialize in straight up strength of arms, and can be made into any type of combat monster: Ranged, melee or heavy. Khorne often works best for them, though unaligned is always a fair choice.

• Forsaken - CSM. The survivor, essentially a Black Crusade version of a black shield. Practically built for extended operations, this one is a natural fit for nurgle alignment.

• Sorcerer - CSM. The auto-include magic user, combines the deadliness of a psyker with the massive physical power of a space marine. Always go Tzeentch.

• Apostate -Human. The manipulator, the schemer. This guy is probably the least combat-oriented class, but is probably the class with the greatest utility, being able to have an army of minions, and make others pretty much do whatever they want. Unaligned allows you to be friendly to all chaos factions, but if you are going to be dedicated, avoid nurgle. Khorne, Slaanesh and Tzeentch can be great for your command, charm and deception, respectively, while nurgle doesn't do much.

• Heretek - Human. Dark Mechanicum adept, the obligatory tech character. Probably the toughest human race, bionics can make him a real bitch to put down. Alignment probably has the least effect on these out of all the classes, except that khorne and slaanesh make for weird role playing. Take mechanicus assimilation, skinhidden armour and grab some terminator plate for a character with more armour than a soulgrinder.

• Renegade - Human. The people who think they're tough enough to be combat monsters like teh spess mehreens, they focus on high WS/BS characteristics, awesome combat skills and merciful GMs. They do well with Slaanesh, Khorne and Nurgle.

• Psyker - Human. They are even more psychically powerful than sorcerers, but are otherwise frail and incompetent in combat. Always Tzeentch.

From the Splatbooks

Tome of Blood

• Khorne Berserker - CSM. "Blood for the Blood God" everyone knows how great these guys are in combat. Begins aligned to Khorne, if allegiance changes he permanently looses his close combat rules and a full 8 points from every characteristic. Always take the two Chainaxes.
• Night Lords Chaos Marine - CSM. Stealth and Shock Marine, not chaos-ey enough, don't use.
• Xurunt Frost Father - Human. Experienced fighters with great leadership, technically alien but classified as human to make the rules easier. Great close combat weapons but still using a bow and arrow. Plays well as Khorne, and starts that way.
• Chem-Hunter of Messia - Human. Great character for those who are addicted to drugs, these guys gain +10 to any skill test bonuses and +1 to any characteristic in addition to the effects of any drug, and can find the higher quantities easily. also any drug gives them unnatural Strength and Toughness (+1) for 2D10 in-game minutes. Khorne or Nurgle.

Tome of Fate

• Thousand Sun Sorcerer - CSM. Sorcerer that starts aligned to Tzeentch, has higher starting Willpower, warpflame bolt pistol, can take powers from Tzeentch at the start and for 500 points can take a Rubric Marine as a familiar before the game starts.
• Alpha Legion Marine - CSM. What it says on the tin, a member of the Alpha Legion, great at deceiving people and starting insurrections. Play as Tzeentch, Unaligned or Slaanesh.
• Q'Sal Magister Immaterial - Human(in the loosest form possible). Technically an alien, are the most powerful Psykers, beside a Daemon Prince or a Lord of Change, Has a Psy Rating of 4 of the bat, (Sorcerer has 1, Renegade Psyker and Thousand Son have 2) oh and can direct their perils of the warp onto any visible target (friend or foe) at the cost of 1 infamy point. Play as Tzeentch.
• Idoliterx Magos of Forge Polix - Human. Advanced Heretek, with greater quality augmentations and a Psy rating of 1... That's Right a Psychic Heretek. Play as Tzeentch.

Splatbooks

• Core Rulebook - The main book, required for all the others to make sense.
• The Game Master's Kit - Standard game master kit; comes with a GM screen with rules on one side, and art on the other, as well as a pre-written adventure.
• Hand of Corruption - A pre-written adventure book in three acts, it tells the tale of an Imperial penal world being targeted by Chaos, and it's up to you to bring the whole planet into Chaos' writhing, angry, slimy, paranoid embrace.
• The Tome of Fate - The first of four books, this one is centered wholly on Tzeentch, and gives all kind of info on him, his servants, and playing Tzeentchian heretic archetypes. Introduces the rapetastic Thousand Son Sorcerer.
• The Tome of Blood - The second "tome", belonging to Khorne this time. It lists all new weapons and ways to wage & rage war in Khorne's name. Introduces the overtly broken Khorne Berzerker class, daemonic mounts, daemon engines, large scale battles and all new summoning rites. Ever wanted to summon a greater daemon? This is your tome!
• The Tome of Excess - Slaanesh's tome. Has options for playing a Noise Marine and Dark Apostle, and has all kinds of small rites to perform to appease specific gods, the khorne ones are literally the most amazing things ever. Rip the spine+skull of a still living enemy out intact and scream your allegiance to the blood god will grant you some corruption and infamy. Also has more in-depth rules for social interactions.

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Warhammer 40,000 Role-playing games made by Fantasy Flight Games
Dark Heresy - Rogue Trader - Deathwatch - Black Crusade - Only War - Dark Heresy Second Edition