Scum, Subs, and Muties

“Dere ain't a soul 'ere who won't fleece ya for everyting ya have on ya. Gimme twenty
Thrones and I'll see ya troo' dis scumville in one piece.” - Madigan One-Look

A look at the less than noble populace of the Imperium within the Inquisitor game by Ruaridh
Dall.

A Realm of Deviants The environmental and genetic factors faced

The Imperium of man has within its borders
worlds of shimmering spires, wealth and
prosperity where man thrives free from ill-
health, war and worry. These blessed few
know nothing of the hardships faced by the
vast majority of their fellow men. Their lives
couldn't be further apart from those countless
billions that barely scrape an existence in the
depths of hives; those voidborn unfortunates
that gasp for air in the depths of spacecraft
holds; those scarred ferals that are hunted
from birth in carnivorous jungles; and those
deep space miners that are one punctured
voidsuit away from oblivion. These desperate
men cheat, steal and kill to survive, but even
this gutter scum is not the lowest of the low.
by man have wreaked havoc on the holy
human form over the 30 millennia since he
walked the stars in the Golden Age, and now
the race of men is no longer one glorious
whole. Cosmetic differences in build,
complexion and hair colour vary almost
between every world and ship, but in many
places the changes are far more disturbing.
On some worlds men long ago grew into
giants and on others became diminutive.
These Ogryns and Ratlings are tolerated
subspecies, but even these are not the most
outlandish of creatures that were once men.
Not even the shrunken, saucer-eyed
troglodytes of the darkest caverns of the
galaxy, nor the horned and hooved beastmen
that gene-splicing once breathed life into are
the most despicable of the once-men. It is
the true mutants, those of hunched form and
skewed features that populate the rad-zones
and the underhives of the Imperium that bear
this dubious honour. The worst of the galaxy
has written itself into their genes and
imprinted its darkness onto their very visages
and implanted evil within their souls.

As the galaxy becomes an ever more

dangerous place for the human race,
muddying its gene pool and wreaking
catastrophe, the descent of man will only gain
in speed.
Scum: The Downtrodden,
Destitute, and Desperate
“First things first – I will cut you unless you
do exactly as I say. Throw down your gun
and then your coin purse. In that order” -
Gentleman Garrotte
Even the finest Garden Worlds of the
Imperium are home to shadowy figures keen
to make a quick buck by whatever means.
On most Imperial worlds one will find men
who wouldn't think twice about turning to
crime to better their lot in life, and on the
worst hiveworlds one would be hard-pressed
to find even one single honest worker.
Pickpockets, hatchet-men, fences, confidence
tricksters, dealers, stick-up crews – there's no
end to the variety of scum that lurk in the
Imperium, preying on the weak. Most are
career criminals, in it for the money, but
rogues from noble families seeking thrills
outwith the rigid structures of their family life
are not unheard of. Indeed, some Inquisitors
would say it is the politicians and rulers of
this realm that are the worst of all. Whatever
their origin, scum present a useful resource
for an Inquisitor whose investigation has
taken him to the less savoury communities of
the galaxy. Oftentimes a local guide is
needed, as well as cheap muscle. Amoral
companions are of use when a target needs a
knife in the back, or an artefact needs stolen.
No one is likely to miss them either...
Author's note: This archetype is a sweeping
generalisation of a myriad of ne’er-do-wells
from all facets of Imperial society, and
players and GMs should feel free to alter
profiles as they like, keeping in mind the
guide to appropriate values at the start of the
LRB. Most Scum are weak-willed, quick on
their feet and far more inclined to stab
someone in the back than face them down in
a straight up fight, and the stats above reflect
this. Scum are unlikely to be armed with
anything other than common equipment,
unless they come from an affluent
background.

WS BS S T I Wp Sg Nv Ld
Scum 55 55 50 50 60 45 40 50 35
Random 45+2D10 45+2D10 40+2D10 40+2D10 50+2D10 35+2D10 35+D10 40+2D10 30+D10

New Equipment
Blunderbuss (Common): Special: The maximum range of a
Little more than a metal tube with a flared blunderbuss is 20 yards. A character hit end
strapped to a wooden stock, there is by a blunderbuss takes damage to D3+1
little skill needed to construct a blunderbuss. locations.
Even the ammunition can be collected from
the hive floor, provided one has gunpowder
on hand to expel the resultant mix of nails,
stones and glass.

Type Range Mode Accuracy Damage Shots Reload Weight

Blunderbuss Basic A Single 10 D6+1 1 4 30

Chain Knife (Rare): Compact Pistol (Scarcity as per original

In the close confines of the hive, there is weapon):
often little room for fighting with anything Concealed weapons provide for ease of
larger than a knife. Anyone who carries avoiding unwanted attention, and the scum of
something other than a mundane blade is at a this galaxy thrive on stick ups with an easily
distinct advantage, and many scum aspire to pocketable pistol. A compact pistol uses the
owning a chain knife. They practice their profile of the weapon it is a miniaturised
blade work endlessly for a chance of claiming version of, but has half the shots and half the
one... weight (rounding up). A compact laspistol
would therefore have 15 shots and a weight
Reach Damage Parry Penalty of 8.
Chainknife 1 D10+2 -30.00%
Scrap Armour (Common):Scavenged boiler
doors, tank tracks and the general metal
detritus of underhives the galaxy over provide
durable, if heavy, armour to those that can't
afford a fitted suit of carapace. Scrap armour
provides 5 points of protection to each
location, plus an additional +1 point of
armour against primitive weapons, mundane
hand to hand weapons, and solid projectile
weapons such as stubbers, autoguns and
shotguns (not bolt, las, or other energy
weapons). Characters wearing scrap armour
suffer -2 yards of movement per action (to a
minimum of 1).
Thief
Why pay for something when you can take it
for free? Countless billions live by that
mantra, but amongst the petty thieves and
bullies can be found talented individuals that
excel at robbery. These pickpockets, cat
burglars and tithe robbers pull off feats of
legend that leave local enforcer cadres
stumped. Every juve on Othello worth his
shiv knows how Dalton Vebb lifted the Crown
Prince's sceptre from above his bed while he
slept, and the Tithemasters of Trem begin
WS BS S T
Thief 50 45 45 45
Random 45+D10 40+D10 40+D10 40+D10
New Special Abilities
Create A Scene:
The fast-talking character makes a
commotion, drawing the attention of those
around him. Those that are close enough to
hear the character talking must pass a
Willpower test or be at -1 Speed the following
turn as they struggle to ignore the distraction
in front of them.
Street Fighter:
Years of scrapping in alleys has taught the
fighter all sorts of dirty tricks to gain the
upper hand. Any unarmed hit the character
makes counts as a critical hit.
their morning prayers cursing the name of
Yves Urthault, the man who stole a decade's
produce from their ancestors.
Author's note: Thieves are quick-witted
characters, happier to skulk in the shadows
than engage in combat. They are unlikely to
be armed with anything bigger than a pistol,
though equipment to help them evade
detection such as smoke grenades would be
appropriate. Special Abilities such as Catfall
and Scale Terrain would fit a cat burglar.
Other equipment and skills useful for a Thief
character can be found below.
I Wp Sg Nv Ld
70 50 50 45 40
60+2D10 35+2D10 45+D10 40+D10 35+D10
New Equipment
Coolskin (Exotic):
A Coolskin is a membrane layer, or
refrigerated, hooded bodyglove, that removes
a users heat signature, effectively making
them invisible to infrared vision and
infrascopes.
Grapnel Gun (Rare):
This launcher shoots a claw-like grapnel
attached to a line into almost any material
and then pulls the bearer to that location with
a powerful reel. A grapnel gun counts as a
Pistol with range band A, 1 shot, a reload
value of 1, and a weight of 15 (in desperate
circumstances the grapnel gun may be used
as an offensive weapon, and inflicts D6
damage). Characters may aim before firing
the grapnel gun, and suffer a -30% penalty to
hit any specific terrain features they wish to
hit (such as a pipe between two buildings).
Missing with the shot results in the grapnel
scattering as per a grenade. Once the resting
place of the grapnel is determined, the
character may reel himself towards it at a
speed of 4 yards per action. The line may be
detached and reeled in for a single action.
Stummers (Rare):
Stummers deaden sounds as an individual
moves, allowing him to move quietly and
safely. A character equipped with Stummers
may force other characters to re-roll sound
based Awareness tests focussed on the
character.
Vox Scrambler (Rare):
Whether ordained by tech priests to prevent
spying on military planning or cobbled
together by hereteks to stop guards
communicating, these devices block all vox
signals within a given radius. Average quality
devices have an active range of ten yards.
Poor quality versions have an active range of
five yards, but are Common. Good quality
devices have an active range of twenty five
yards, and are considered Exotic.

Lock Breaker (Rare):

A catch all term for a number of devices used
to aid the opening of locked doors and safes.
Some use acid to dissolve lock mechanisms,
others contain small explosive charges, some
commune with the machine spirits of cogi-
locks, and some are little more than hairpins.
Lock Breakers give a +10% bonus to opening
locked doors and safes (GMs may increase or
decrease the bonus at their discretion
depending on how secure the door is – simple
padlocks are easier to bypass than gene-
locked stasis fields).

New Special Abilities
Pickpocket:
The character is adept at lifting possessions
from the person of another. If the character
manages to successfully sneak up on another
character (get within 1 yard undetected), he
may attempt to pickpocket a single piece of
equipment from the other character (or place
an item on the target). Both characters take
an opposed Initiative test – if the pickpocket
wins he adds the piece of equipment to his
character sheet. If his opponent wins, he
becomes aware of the attempted theft and
receives one free action. Note: drawn
weapons, bionics and clothing/armour cannot
be removed by pickpocketing!
Reclaimator different from the arch-hereteks that design
blasphemous AI constructs, infuse their
The mysteries of the machine are a closely weapons with warpstuff and converse with
guarded secret, known only to that select daemons. Those caught disrespecting the
band of individuals that make up the Adeptus tenets of the Adeptus Mechanicus are one and
Mechanicus. While there are technomats and the same in the eyes of the Omnissiah.
laymen shown how to operate machinery, the
average man of the Imperium has no clue as
to the workings of the engines and technology
around him, and knows that attempting to
understand will bring him the enmity of the
techpriests. Reclaimators are an unusual
exception – their role is to reclaim scrap and
put it into working order, and to fashion
repairs aboard ship or in manufactoria, tasks
which inevitably require an understanding of
the machine. Some come to worship the
Machine God, but a significant minority take
the knowledge they have acquired and put it
to use for personal gain. Serious money can
be made on the black market selling
archeotech, and ever there are arms dealers
after new ways of dealing death. Going down
this path can be ill-advised for the average
Reclaimator, is it can draw the enmity of Author's Note: Reclaimators present groups
those that trusted them with their machines of less than noble bent an alternative to using
and equipment. Any that have attempted the a Techpriest for matters of the machine.
mastery of machines without the prescribed Conversely, they make for appropriate
rituals are known to the Adepts of Mars as enemies of the Adeptus Mechanicus,
hereteks, and they are hunted ruthlessly. especially if they are accompanied by
Though the Reclaimators on this path may constructs of their own design. Reclaimators
have done nothing more than adapt have access to common and rare equipment,
machinery to suit their purpose or have and possibly even exotic and legendary
recovered pieces of tech and combined them equipment, though the latter will undoubtedly
into new designs, they are not considered any draw the ire of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

WS BS S T I Wp Sg Nv Ld
Reclaimator 45 45 45 45 55 55 60 45 40
Random 45+D10 45+D10 40+D10 40+D10 50+D10 45+2D10 50+2D10 40+D10 35+D10

New Equipment
Haywire Wand (Exotic):
Commonly a 3 foot long copper rod with an
insulated grip, a Haywire Wand is used to
deliver debilitating electro-magnetic pulses to
machinery to allow the Reclaimator to tear
them apart all the easier. The technique is
also surprisingly effective against augmetic
parts, and many a Techpriest has been taken
by surprise by a cornered heretek and found
himself immobilised momentarily. The
Haywire Wand is an improvised close combat
weapon that effects targets as per a Haywire
grenade for a single turn.
Tractor Field Generator (Exotic):
Used for moving large pieces of scrap, a
tractor field generator is a man-portable
device occasionally found in the hands of
archeotech prospectors and reclaimators. A
character with a tractor field generator counts
as having the Telekinesis psychic power,
though tests his Sagacity rather than
Willpower when attempting to activate the
power.
New Special Abilities rudimentary, though still abhorred, artificial
intelligence. Few Reclaimators would let a
Tech Aware: member of the Adeptus Mechanicus examine
The character has more than a rudimentary their construct too closely for fear of reprisal.
understanding of the mysteries of the
machine. Unusual outside of the natives of
Forgeworlds, this dangerous knowledge allows
them to interact with machinery that would
leave the average man baffled. The character
receives a +10% bonus to any tests involving
interaction with machines (such as
programming a cogitator).

Servitor Construct

The pride and joy of many a Reclaimator,

these creations tread a fine line between
Mechanicus orthodoxy and techno-heresy.
Built from reclaimed parts, the most skilful
(or heretical) Reclaimators can do away with
the need for biological components almost
entirely, gifting their creations with

WS BS S T I Wp Sg Nv Ld
Construct 40 30 80 80 35 90 5 90 10
Random 30+2D10 20+2D10 70+2D10 70+2D10 30+D10 80+2D10 D10 80+2D10 2D10

Servitor Constructs are largely mechanical, quality.

and are likely to have an armour value of 6
on all locations. Though slow and lumbering,
they have an independence of thought
greater than the average servitor, but are
unlikely to be able to undertake even simple
problem solving. They are unlikely to have
any equipment greater than common in
Exotic Abilities: Blunt
As they are essentially all machine, Servitor
Constructs will be shut down by Haywire
Grenades and weapons with similar effects
while in their area of effect.