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Character creation inWarhammer 40,000: Rogue Traderis a fairly simple process of picking the traits you like best. However, each choice includes a lot of information, especially for new players. Once you’ve defined your appearance and selected a Homeworld, it’s time to pick your Origin.
This is possibly the most important choice for building your character, since it determines important combat abilities and can never be changed. Whether you’re making your selection for roleplaying purposes or want to create a min-maxed build, read on to learn everything you need to know about Origins.
What Is A Character’s Origin In Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader?
Every party member in the game has an Origin, which outlineswhat their life was like before they entered the service of the Von Valancius Dynasty.Your character, the Lord Captain, can choose fromone of seven available Originsat the start of the campaign. Most of your recruitable companions will have one of these Origins as well, but a few unique individualshave Origins that are not available to the main character.
Think of your Origin as your character’s class, to borrow a term from more traditional fantasy RPGs.
Your Origin grantsminor bonuses to two Characteristics and two Skills, as well as a combat ability. As your character levels up, you’ll be able to enhance that ability to further specialize it and make it more useful.
The Commander was once an officer in the Imperial Guard, leading thousands of troops and surviving planetwide battles. Their signature ability isRegimental Tactics, which can be used once per battle.
When activated, Regimental Tactics causes every ally to dealtwenty percent more damageto any enemy that is adjacent to a friendly character. It alsoprevents allies from suffering friendly fire.
The damage bonus is increased bytwo percentage points for every ten Perceptionthat the Commander has.
Regimental Tactics lasts until the Commander’s next turn, and can be used torescue beleagured teammatesfrom afar or toenhance damage in melee.It’s especially useful if your retinue contains several characters with the Warrior Archetype, ormakes heavy use of area attacks and burst fire.
Like the Commander, the Commissar once served in the Imperial military, but their role was maintaining discipline in the ranks. Commissars have a well-earned reputation fordemanding perfection from the troops,and will not hesitate to shoot a fleeing soldier to keep the others in line.
The Commissar’s ability,At All Costs, can be used once per combat to enhance a single attack that they make. If the attack hits an enemy, thenwhichever ally kills that enemygets an extra turn after doing so.
If the Commissar chooses instead to strike an ally with At All Costs, every member of the retinue getsone additional Action Pointandthree additional Movementon their next turn.
At All Costs only affects attacks that have a single target, so don’t try to use it with burst fire, sweep, or similar attacks.
Since the Commissar is slightly better in melee than at range, it’s best toequip them with a powerful close combat weaponbut a weak sidearm like a laspistol. That way, you can give a nearby ally a quick zap that won’t deal too much damage, but still get the benefit of At All Costs.
Whether they were a mostly-benevolent Robin Hood type or a heartless gangster, the Crime Lord spent much of their life violating Imperial law for their own ends. Evading the Imperium’s harsh justice requires quick thinking, which is where the Crime Lord’sSure-Fire Planability comes in.
The Crime Lord can activate Sure-Fire Planonce per combat for every ten points of Intelligence they have.The next action that they take after using Sure-Fire Plan will have an additional effect:
Sure-Fire Plan gives the Crime Lord an edge in nearly any situation, but unlike many other Origin abilities, it does little to help allies. It’s also easy to forget, so use it often to make it a habit!
The Imperium’s most zealous preachers will gladly go to war for their faith; Ministorum Priests can be found on battlefields across the galaxy, fighting on the front lines as well as ministering to common soldiers. Characters with this origin enjoy bonuses to their defensive characteristics, which is good because they’re at their best in the thick of fighting.
The Priest’sWar Hymnability increases the team’s Momentum once per battle, helping make a Heroic Act available sooner. The bonus is based on the Priest’sWillpower, and increases for each enemy that is within five spaces of the Priest or that was hit by one of the Priest’s attack on the same turn.
Equipping a Priest with a burst-fire weapon can help get more hits on foes further than five spaces away.
An Officer of the Imperial Navy has faced the terrors that lurk among the stars and lived to tell the tale. Their survival instincts and commanding presence help ensure that everyone makes it out of a battle in one piece.
The Officer’s ability,Brace For Impact, buffs all allies within three spaces totake two less damage from all attacksfor one round. The buff increases as the Officer levels up and unlocks new Archetypes.
Whether you prefer an unbreakable melee line or to devastate your enemies from behind cover with gunfire,keeping your team close togetheris the best way to make use of Brace For Impact.
Nobles are used to being in charge, and they expect obedience and efficiency from their lessers - which includes just about everyone. Each battle, the Noble can useYou Serve Medesignate one companion to be theirservant.For the remainder of the fight, the servant gets anincreased critical hit chanceagainst enemies that the Noble hit on their last turn. They also got+5 to all Characteristicsfor one round when the Noble targets them with an ability.
If the servant falls in battle, you can’t choose another one! Choose early to get the most out of You Serve Me, but choose wisely.
The Noble also hasexcellent social skills, which can help open up useful dialogue options.
Psykers command incredible sorcery, but at a risk to their mind, their life, and their soul. A Sanctioned Psyker has been deemed competent and stable enough to serve the Imperium, but even the most skilled Psyker can cause unintended effects with their powers.
Psykers canchoose one Psychic Disciplineat character creation, and can learn more as the game progresses. Alternately, they can focus on their main Discipline and master it at the expense of all others. Every Psyker has aPsy Ratingfrom zero to four; the higher it is, the more powers they can access and the more potent they will be. The Disciplines that you can choose are:
Idira, one of your initial companions, and Heinrix, who joins early in the game, are both Psykers. Idira is a Diviner and Telepath, while Heinrix is a Biomancer. If you choosePyromancyorSanctic Power, you won’t overlap with any of their existing Disciplines.
