Daemonology

 DAEMONHOSTS AND DAEMON WEAPONS

DAEMONHOSTS

A Daemonhost is an unholy creation of foul and dangerous rituals in which a powerful daemon of Chaos is bound into a living human or other mortal host body and enslaved to its creator's will. An utterly foul act, the creation of a Daemonhost condemns the soul of the host body to eternal torment and provides a lasting home in the material universe for a daemon to work its malignant evil.

Despite the horror of their creation, there are those within the Inquisition itself, it is said, who have dared to replicate the act, hoping to turn their creations against enemies of the Imperium. Unfortunately, Daemonhosts are not only the preserve of a handful of Radical Inquisitors. Insane dabblers in proscribed knowledge and the most powerful of Chaos Cults have also been known to create Daemonhosts to serve them in their designs.

Daemons do not rest easily under the will of any mortal, and to earn the enmity of such a creature is to gain an immortal enemy. A Daemonhost's creator is faced with a dangerous conundrum: the more powerful the Daemonhost created, the weaker the bindings of the daemon.

A warband may include a Daemonhost, should they choose to travel the Radical road. An Inquisitor dabbling with forbidden powers, a Chaos Cult or particularly foolish Imperial Noble may seek the power of the Daemonhost, but they should not be chosen without consideration - an Adeptus Arbites warband, for example, will probably not have access to a Daemonhost without consulting the GM first. 

MAKING THE BARGAIN

A Daemonhost may be included in a warband for the cost listed below, and their origin is up to the player. They may have been created in a cursed ritual before the campaign began, or inherited from a defeated foe. Inquisitors or other individuals may also wish to create a Daemonhost later in the campaign - this will be a special process and scenario that the GM would want to develop with you. It is no easy task!  

One model in the warband, usually the Leader, must be defined as the "Master" of the Daemonhost. If the Master is not present during an encounter, another model must be defined as the acting Master for the duration of the game, and is treated as the Master in all circumstances. 

If the original Master is slain, another model in the warband may try to wrest control of the Daemonhost and bind it to themselves - this is a complex and highly dangerous procedure, and deserves an encounter of its own! Consult with the GM how the new Master will bind the Daemonhost. 

Daemonhosts may not lead warbands - their daemonic psychology is beyond understanding and they make for better antagonists than playable characters. 

BINDING

The Daemonhost uses the same rules as the Possessed Hiver from the Necromunda sourcebook Book of Ruin, p98-99. 

For the purpose of certain abilities and weapons, they are considered to have the Daemonic Trait.

The player must choose what "level" of Daemonhost they are creating - Minoris, Secundus or Extremis. The higher the level, the more powerful but also more dangerous the creature is! 

In terms of Rating, each Daemonhost costs as follows - 

MINORIS - Psychic Mastery Level 1 - 300 credits

SECUNDUS - Psychic Mastery Level 2 - 400 credits

EXTREMIS - Psychic Mastery Level 3 - 500 credits

PSYCHIC POWERS

Ignore the Wyrd Powers section of the Book of Ruin. Instead, a Daemonhost automatically counts as having Psychic Mastery Level as listed above, and their first power is always Levitation.They may increase their Mastery Level with upgrades as shown below.

Daemonhosts can still suffer Perils of the Warp, but treat any roll of 12 as 2-3 instead.

LOOSENING THE SHACKLES

Daemonhosts may be upgraded with additional Stats and Skills as any other fighter before the campaign begins. For every 100 credits (rounding to the nearest 100) spent on upgrades, the player will suffer an additional negative -1 to their Willpower test when testing to control the Daemonhost, discussed below.

They may not be equipped with weapons and wargear.

THE PRICE OF CORRUPTION

Regardless of source, utilising a Daemonhost gives the leader of the warband an immediate Corruption Point, and a further Corruption Point for every encounter the Daemonhost is fielded. 

BREAKING THE CHAINS

During an encounter, a Daemonhost may attempt to break free from the control of its master. The Master of the Daemonhost must pass a Willpower test on 2D6 whenever the following scenarios occur, with modifiers listed below. If the Master has been taken Out of Action, you should still make the test using their Willpower.

• The Master of the Daemonhost is Seriously Injured, Out of Action or otherwise subject to a debilitating condition at the discretion of the GM.  
• Every time the Daemonhost wishes to activate and the Master is currently Seriously Injured, Out of Action or otherwise subject to a debilitating condition at the discretion of the GM.  
• Other specific situations as defined by the GM, such as encountering an unbound daemon - these will be discussed during the encounter.

Modifiers to the Willpower Test are as follows - 

-1 for Secundus-level Daemonhost

-2 for Extremis-level Daemonhost

-1 for every enemy fighter the Daemonhost has taken Out of Action during this encounter

-1 for every 100 credits (rounded to the nearest 100) spent on upgrading the Daemonhost

-1 if the Master is currently Out of Action. 

+1 per Psychic Power Dice expended - if the character is a Psyker they may expend unused Power Dice to aid their roll. 

+/- dependant on special wargear and boons - the model may carry certain wargear or have Skills that specifically affect the control of Daemonhosts. These could be rewards gifted during the campaign at the discretion of the GM, or purchased over the campaign. 

If the test is passed, the Daemonhost continues to act as normal. If failed, roll on the table below...

DAEMONHOST RESISTANCE TABLE

2-3 Unbound

In a blinding flash of light and multi-coloured explosion, the Daemonhost escapes the mortal host body and plunges back into the Immaterium, laughing all the while.

The Daemonhost is removed and replaced with a 5" Blast Template. All models under ot partially touched by the template suffer D3 S6 D1 hits with no armour saves allowed, and are Pinned and Prone. The Daemonhost is removed from the player's warband roster permanently. The Daemon is now free and returns to the Warp.

4-5 Dark Humour

The Daemonhost briefly slips the control of its master, deliberately mistinterpreting commands or twisting their wishes.

During its next activation, the Daemonhost is placed under the control of an opposing player, and may treat any friendly fighters as enemies for that activation. If Engaged, the Daemonhost and its foes are immediately moved out of combat. Once the activation is completed, the Daemonhost returns under the control of the owning player. 

6-8 Resistance

The Daemonhost becomes unresponsive, sulkily refusing commands or ignoring them to feed on the corpses around it

The Daemonhost may only make a single Move action during its next activation, and may not cast any Psychic Powers. It may still maintain any Continuous powers and Disrupt enemy powers. . 

9-10 Unravelling

The bindings of the Daemonhost loosen, and power begins to seep out of the creature.

The Daemonhost immediately suffers one wound, which cannot be saved by any armour or invulnerable saves. 

11-12 Breaker of Chains

Hexagrammic Wards fade, chains shatter and bindings fall loose. The Daemon is still bound to the mortal plane, but no longer has to follow commands of mere mortals...

The Daemonhost has broken free! The Daemonhost now falls to the control of the GM, and is removed from the player's warband roster permanently. The Daemon is now loose - can it be recaptured? 

BANISHING THE DAEMON

The mortal vessel of a Daemonhost is surprisingly resilient, and the creature will use its unnatural power to regenerate and reknit the host form quickly. If the Daemonhost is taken Out of Action during a game, it is best to consult with the GM - depending on the way the Daemonhost was removed, long-lasting effects may appear far differently from a mortal being. 

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DAEMONIC WEAPONS

A Daemon Weapon is a mighty artefact of Chaos, a blasphemous union of the Materium's matter and the Immaterium's spirit. It is most often given as a gift from the Ruinous Powers to their favoured mortal servants.

As the name implies, a Daemon Weapon is a weapon into which has been bound the essence of a daemon. They are most often a close quarters weapon, although daemonic ranged weapons have been encountered.

Characters may choose to carry accursed blades and daemonically infused weapons for a variety of purposes. It is the hubris of the Radical to use the power of the weapon to destroy the forces of Chaos, believing they have turned the weapons of the Enemy against them. 

Characters may choose from the Corrupted Items found in the Book of Judgement, for the price listed there. Purchasing or owning a Daemon Weapon gives the fighter using it one Corruption Point. 

You may wish to also create your own Daemon Weapon - this can be discussed with the GM, but a quick guide would be taking as existing weapon from the Trading Post and enhancing it with a particular Weapon Trait such as Rad-Phage to simulate a draining, vampiric quality, or Blaze to signify a burning, fiery blade. Each Weapon Trait "upgrade" increases the cost of the weapon by 15 credits. 

Aside from the Corruption Points, a Daemon Weapon may turn on its wielder if they do not have the discipline to resist its power. 

Every time a Daemon Weapon inflicts an Out of Action result on an enemy fighter, the wielder must pass a Willpower Test or suffer an immediate wound with no saves of any kind allowed.