The Warhammer 40k Bible

8/14/2019 The Warhammer 40k Bible

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THE WARHAMMER 40.000 BIBLE

>>The Imperium

+++Overview of the Imperium+++The ADEPTU ME!HA"I!Uor Tech-Priest are the guardians of Earth's ancient knowledge. TheAdeptus Mechanicus owns and administrates the factory planet Mars, whose vast oritalworkshops turn out the ma!ority of the weapons, spacecraft and other technologicallysophisiticated machinery used in the "mperium. The Adeptus Mechanicus is as much an arcanecult as a scientific ody, and its knowledge goes eyond mere technology into the realms oftechno-arcana.The ADMI"ITRATUMis responsile for assesing and levying tithes, distriuting "mperialresources, and countless other administrative functions. "t is the largest of all the departments ofthe Adeptus Terra. "ts memers are for the most part scries and petty officials, the hereditaryslaves of a gala#y-spanning ureaucracy. The heart of the organisation lies within the Emperor's

Palace, a vast comple# whose cavernous vaults e#tend far elow ground. The Administratum isproaly the most powerful organisation in the entire "mperium. "t is divided into manydepartments, offices and suordinate organisations.The ADEPTU TERRAis also known as the Priesthood of Earth, or more simply as the Adeptus. "tconsists of many millions of dedicated servants and religious followers whose duty is to interpretand enforce the "mperial will. "t is the Adeptus which actually controls the "mperium, including itsarmies and fleets. The Adeptus Terra is divided into many departments and su-departments,some of which operate so secretly that their e#istence is unknown outside of their ownmemership - only the principal departments are shown here.ADEPTU MI"ITORUM.To countless illions the Emperor is nothing less than a god to whomthey devote their entire lives. $ver the aeons this faith has spawned a vast and powerfulorganisation devoted to his worship - Adeptus Ministorum, more often known as the Ecclesiarchy,after its cheif high priest, the Ecclessiarch. The Adeptus Ministorum is a very powerful

organisation with its own crusading armies in the form of the Adeptus %ororitas and &ratris.ADEPTU !UTODE.The Emperor's uard or (ustodians are the palace guards of theEmperor, and their duty is to protect the "mperial Palace. As the "mperial Palace covers such alarge area of the planet the (ustodians act as a defensive army. $nly a select inner corps of threehundred, called the (ompanions, actually serve the Emperor as personal odyguards.ADEPTU ATRA TELEPATHI!A.The !o of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica is to recruit andtrain psykers for service throughout the Adeptus Terra. The organisation's most important role isto train Astropaths. The title of Astropath is an areviation of Astro-telepath it refers to a psykercapale of sending a telepathic message over interstellar distances. The vast distance etweenthe stars means that technological forms of communication are useless. A psychic message sentthough the warp is not necessarily instantaneous, ut it si sufficiently )uick to e a practicalmeans of communication. $nly Astropaths have the power to send and receive psychic messagesover interstellar distances.

+++The Imperium "ow+++

$ver ten thousand years ago the reat Emperor of Mankind ascended to the olden Throne ofEarth. $f the wars he waged to get there, of the countless agonies of attling worlds, there is norecord. $nly the Emperor rememers - if indeed even that strange and ancient creature canrecall those distant times.The ascent of the Emperor marked the end of a long era of human history, an age typified y


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inter-human warfare and a gradual decline of the acculumated knowledge of millennia. This wasthe Age of %trife. The high point of scientific achievement had occured thousands of years efore,in the yet older age known now as the *ark Age of Technology. Through the *ark Age ofTechnology and the Age of %trife, mankind has come to the present age - that of the "mperium."n many respects it is a time of superstition, in which a great and unfathomale technology haseen enslaved to the forces of mysticism and madness. To the ordinary humans of these times,the peasants in the fields and the warriors amongst the stars, scientific thought represents anahorrent perversity+ a corruption of honour and religious virtue. Even to those few humans whodeal with the material of technology, the science and the magic have ecome largelyinseparale+ the warp engine must have runes upon its side, the laser gun re)uires the lessingof the ods of attle.This is a universe in which the gods, mysticism and magic are real. &or this is a time of greatchange within humanity itself, a time when more and more humans are developing powers and avision far eyond those of their ancestors. umans developing these ailities are known aspsychics, or psykers, and y many less flattering names - the most common eing that of witch.Psykers are men and women who have the aility to transcend the normal laws of space, placingthem in touch with great universal forces which lie far eyond the understanding of their kin.Their gifts defy e#planation+ telepathy, telekinesis, illusion, and countless others. Many ordinaryhumans attriute these powers to a divine origin. %ome psykers claim their powers enale themto tap forces which he under the control of entities e#isting outside of the real universe - eyondnormal time and space. $thers seek a rational e#planation for these phenomena - ut this is nota rational age and they are few and their voice is weak.

+++"OTE O" LA"#UA#E+++The common language of the "mperium is represented y English, proper names have eenrendered in an anglicised form. Many of the titles of ancient institutions and organisations arepresented as atinised English /such as the Adeptus Terra0. This represents an older tongue, itselfa development of Twentieth (entury languages, not necessarily atin as such.This older tongue is known in the "mperium as 1Tech1, eing a version of the language in whichtechnical rituals and ancient works are recorded. This developed during the *ark Age ofTechnology /in fact a golden age from the point of view of science - it is only dark in the minds ofthe men who now fear it0. "t derives from the common tongue of the time, an assimilation of

English, European and Pacific languages which developed over many centuries in theAmerican2Pacific region. This was the universal medium of written record until the Age of %trife,and was spoken as a first language y many and as a second languange y almost everyone. "tsidioms and vocaulary now appear archaic and mystic, many of its words have ac)uired religioussignificance over the years. "t is the language of the Tech-priests and of foridden ooks.The common tongue of the Age of the "mperium is spoken as a first language on almost allcivilised planets, and is accepted as a second language on planets within "mperial control withthe e#ception of some medieval and feral worlds. This is a astardised version of Tech,comining additional elements from several of the oriental languages of ancient Earth. $ver themillennia it has changed greatly, and now ears almost no resemlance to the tongues fromwhich it derived. Although a common language, it varies fiom planet to planet /and even fromregion to region0, so that it is not always easy for two characters to communicate if they are fromdifferent worlds.

Medival, feral and worlds suffering from long periods of isolation may have several indigenouslanguages derived either from Tech or one of the ancient Earth tongues. "t was )uite commonduring the *ark Age of Technology for worlds to e settled y small communities of 'isolationists'.These eccentric groups were often self financed and their !ournals unrecorded, many were ofracial minorities attempting to recreate a sense of national identity away from the overpopulatedEarth. %ome of these groups made a delierate attempt to revive long dead or moriundlanguages, perceiving them as a source of national identity and communal strength.

+++"OTE O" THE TE!H"OLO#$ I" THE A#E O% THE IMPERIUM+++


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E#cept on the occasions where a technical e#planation or description was felt useful to anunderstanding of the rules, such e#planations have generally een avoided. The ook containsfew descriptions of how specific items are used or function - it is enough within the conte#t of thegame that the item has the effects attriuted to it. This has een a delierate policy throughoutthe rules. The main reason for this is simply that the Age of the "mperium is not a technicallyinclined age, to have included descriptions of 'head-up dispays', 'computer links', etc, would havegiven the wtong impression entirely. This is an age where prolems are solved y rute force andignorance, where dangers are either too gross or too unthinkale to elicit any other response. Theother reason why technical description has een avoided is that the Age of the "mperium liesmore than forty thousand years in the future - at a stage in history when those head-up displaysand computers are aout as innovative as storte circles. 3hat scientific knowledge persists fromthe *ark Age of Technology is far aove and eyond anything we can imagine from theperspective of the Twentieth (entury. That understanding lies only with a select few - theAdeptus Mechanicus - the Tech-priests of the "mperium. Even their knowledge is somewhatdeased, and the popular image of technology can e compared with that of witchcraft inmedieval times. Those who come into contact with technology use it with reservations and areveicnce that are almost religious. The %pace Marines, for e#ample, treat their e)uipment andarmour as if if were imued with a will of its own - a fine chest-plate, well looked after andconstandy maintained may reward its wearer y saving his fife+ whereas a Marine who neglectshis e)uipment may e struck down y a leaking suit or malfunctioning weapons. %uch is the willof the ods.3hile it is impossile to speculate with any certainty on the technical developments of the ne#tforty millennia, it has oviously een necessary to make assumptions during the construction ofthis game. The greatest assumption has involved the creation of a road history and a universepopulated y a variety of dangers. The people of the far future are mentally very different fromthose of today - they have a way of looking at things in which twentieth century ideas ofefficiency and morality are irrelevant. Their technology reflects oth their past /an age ofdiscovery and achievement0 with their future /an age of danger and survival0.

+++TRA"MIIO" $TEM+++Electricity formed the single most important form of transmissile energy for a very long time,and still plays a role in the "mperium. "t is one of the primary motivating forces in nature, and has

applications which make it ideal as an interface etween the iological and physical worlds. Themost significant advance in the field of electronics was the development of %tacked Atomic(hains - or 'stacks'. Atoms within a small piece of material are arranged in rows and patterns,forming the asis for molecular level circuitry. 4sing this techni)ue miniaturisation reached itsultimate form - so that few devices have to e any larger than necessitated y controls oraesthetics. %tacks use an e#tremely low voltage, depending on perfect refining techni)ues fortheir raw materials, and perfect simulation during operation. The natural electricity radiated y ahuman would destroy an unprotected stack ased system.Photon lines are an e#tremely refined development of the fire optic principle. &le#ile hair-finestrands made from ceramic ased materials are used to transmit laser light signals to photon-powered actuators. A single strand can handle a lot of information, ut most systems are socomple# they re)uire a undle of cales to function.Phased (rystals use crystal technology to transmit a signal - although they provide no power. The

conductive matenal is crystalline, e#ploiting the way in which a chain of crystals change shapewhen su!ected to varying heat2pressure or energy fields. Phased crystals are the chiefcomponents in monitoring devices, and act as regulators of other systems.ydroplastics transmit power directly y pressure, or activate other systems y the same means.ydroplastic lines of a suitaly small ore are highly efficient, yet technically simple, means ofpowering a system. ore diameters are on the molecular level. ydroplastic actuators /smallmotors which transmit energy into physical movement0 are perhaps the most common type.%ucrosol is the usual areviation for %ucrose ased solution. "t is a synthetic lood designed tofeed cultured io-tissues y means of osmotic pressure. %ucrosol is used y all mechanismsincorporating io-engineered parts, including roots. "t is usually white.5adio signal is essentially the same as in prior ages, although e)uipment now has the aility to


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utilise far narrower wave ands.

+++#E"ERATIO" $TEM+++(rystal atteries are ased on specially engineered crystal structures with the aility to asorenergy modifying thcir crystalline form in the process. The asored energy is released slowly asthe material's structure reverts ack to its original form. 4nits of such crystals may e rechargcd

almost indefinitely. %ome units can e recharged y heating /even e#posure to daylight0, whilstthe most powerful are designed to hold an electric charge and must e recharged from anelectric generator.Plasma is the purest form of energy it is possile to generate - essentially the componentmaterial of stars. "t is completely ioni6ed matter consisting of free su-atomic particlesmaintained at incredily high temperatures. Plasma must e transmitted along armoured coilsand contained within a magnetic field. Plasma is little used in the Age of the "mperium, the safetymargins necessary for its containment are too tight. 5egarded as old fashioned, it is still used topower steam or photon ased generators and is used for space drives.(onventional - on most worlds electric or photon power is generated y wind, tide, photo-cell ory urning something. $n many other remoter worlds machinery is powered directly y wind,steam, comustile fuels or good old animal power. "solated settlements make the est use oflocal resources.

+++MOTOR A"D A!TUATOR+++ydraulic actuators rely on hydroplastic pressure to power components. These are commonlyused in rootic systems and to power su-systems on vehicles, in uildings, etc.Electrically Motivated &ire undles are made from a fire that contracts under the influence ofan electric charge, replicating die actions of living muscles. They form the chief components ofionic parts, and are used in many roots. Powered armour and *readnoughts use thistechnology almost e#clusively, as it is far more efficient and faster than e)uivalent hydrauhc ormechanical systems - ir is also difficult to produce and therefore rare.ravitic 5eactors are powered from a surrounding magnetic field - such as a planet. They havethe aility to counteract gravitational affects, and form the asis for gravity ased motors, andsuspensors. The technology used in their manufacture elongs to the past. &ortunately a vastreserve of raw material still remains on Earth, from which gravitic reactors can e made utilisingconventional technology. $nce this store of material is used up, however, further production wille impossile.

+++!O"TROL $TEM+++The actual appearance of e)uipment is as variale as the populatons of the different planets.3ith over a million worlds in the "mperium, local tastes and materials will inevitale produce ariot of different forms. %ome worlds favour an archaic pattern of instrumentation, elieving thatthe arrangements of uttons and levers form part of a runic pattern itself important to properfunctioning. $ther worlds prefer to mimic the higher technical achievenents of their ancestors,utilising the more advanced /although no more effective0 pure crystal or holographic control

systems. 3hen it comes down to it, all are forms of pushing a utton, and are e)ually effective.$nly if characters encounter a system radically different from one they are used to will prolemsarise.Archaic controls are asically uttons, levers, switches and dials set into a panel and monitoredy video, digital or dial display. This is the sort of thing anyone from the Twentieth (entury couldeasily understand and use.Pure (rystal Technology and stacked atomic chains have no visile components - control panelsoften take the form of either lack slas of material or transparent sheets like glass. eld ysuspensors, an inactive control panel could appear as a floating pane of glass or sla of stone -the same panel could e recessed into fioor or ceilin and might float into position y vocalcommand, radio-signal, pressure sensors, presence detectors, etc. A panel is activated y coded


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radio-signal, voice or simply y touch. An active panel displays information visually like a vid-screen. "ts e)uivalent of uttons are differently coloured lights which are touch or heat sensitive.olographic Pro!ection envelops the user in holographic images somewhat a three-dimensionalwrap-round vid-screen. Activation is usually y presence, or y any of the methods used forcrystal technology - so the operator simply sits in a control seat to activate the 'panel'. Thepro!ection can e manipulated to provide monitoring or control functions. Pro!ectors sense themovement of the user's eyes and lims and translate these into instructions - the user only has topress imaginary uttons7 This is the most specialised type of tactile panel, eing almostimpossile for the uninitiated to use. The slightest gesture will change the entire set-up, anduni)ue arm2hand2finger and eye movements form the asis of the operating procedure.Mind "mpulse dispenses with any sort of panel or control gear, allowing the user to control andmonitor a system y thought alone. These system are technically comple# and producing them isdifficult. (onse)uently they are rare. Their most common appiication is in *readnought suits8some spacecraft employ mind impulse links ut this is not usual. %uch devices re)uireconsiderale training to use at all, and a great deal of practice if they are to e used efficiently.The physical component is a headring which picks up and amplifies the wearer's instructions. Acruder, ut e)ually effective, version is the spinal tap. This is engineered into the wearer's spinalcorte# and works in the same way as the headring ut is difficult to remove without causingphysical or mental damage.

+++&I"PLA"T A"D ELE!TOO+++A development of crystal technology is its use for personal ornamentation. Many races applypaint or tattoos and within the "mperium the practice is common. This is true of all levels ofsociety, from the lowly city-scum of the hive-worlds to the most sophisticated of the AdeptusTerra. Amongst government servants and employees of the 9avigator families these marks serveas identification as well as ornament. *evices are also used as secret signs y governmental andanarchist agents, psychic covens and pirates. Tattooing is commordy achieved using materialsand technology of a very ancient kind - although the inks used can e of any colour /includingflourescent0 and can e removale, temporary or degenerative when e#posed to light, laser light,heat. etc.%kinplants are sophisticated tattoos - very sophisticated. The miniaturisation possile usingcrystal technology makes it possile to create a functioning device etween layers of skin. The

device cannot include mechanical components or utilise large amounts of power. The mostpopular application of this idea is to power and control an electrically sensitive tattoo. %o, anyciti6en with sufficient credit can have a device or logo on their forehead which actually lights upand fiashes7 This can e either controllale, light-sensitive or a permanent fi#ture. Thesucutaneous wristwatch is a standard way of carrying the time - light pressure on the wristactivates the digital display eneath the skin. A character could even go to the lengths of havingan entire lim or his whole ody glow if he wanted7 A light emitting patch on the palm willilluminate a small area within :; cm and is popularly known as the 'thief's light', providingsufficient light to pick locks, operate switches, etc.Electoos also utilise crystal technology, ut involve a lot more work and a great deal of skill tocreate. An inert layer of conductive material is inserted eneath the skin, sometimes it is in!ectedand allowed time to form efore the process can continue. (rystal stacks are uilt up on this filmand waste material is dissoived out. The Electoo can then e programmed to function as any

control or monitoring device. $n Earth everyone carries an electoo containing personal details,credit ratings, security grades and details of social record - these act as police files and automaticcredit facilities. %ensors at uilding entrances read the details of every electoo carrying individualthat passes them - so a constant record can e uild up of anyone's movements. %imilarly whenan individual uys anything, a till-sensor automatically modifies the credit rating of the electooaccordingly. The system is also used throughout the Adeptus Terra and on some imperial worldseither generally or within specific social levels. As electoos are invisile they are ideal for carryingsecret messages - information is coded so as to e almost useless e#cept to the intendedrecipient. A character carrying a Electoo need not e aware of the fact, and certainly wouldn't eaware of its contents. Electoos carrying secret messages can e split etween several people andonly work when !oined.


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Electrografts are a special form of electoo engineered directly onto the recipient's cereellum.This involves cutting away a portion of skull and creating the electoo directiy on the rain tissueefore /usually0 replacing the section of cranium or covering with synthetic material. Anelectrograft reacts with the rain to alter a creature's memory, personality and knowledge. Manyof the "mperium's technollogical secrets are passed on y this means, and it is certainly a )uickand easy way to learn how to speak new languages, operate machinery, etc. $n the other hand,interferance with the mind tends to cause personality disorders, prolems with memory recalland occasionally total mental reakdown. $nce inserted an electrograft can e reprogrammedalmost indefinitely, although repeated re-use accelerates the degenerative process.

+++TA"DARD TEMPLATE !O"TRU!T+++*uring the *ark Age of Technology humanity travelled throughout the gala#y, founding newcolonies and e#ploring new worlds. Many of these colonies failed to estalish themselves, otherswere lost, whilst a few grew into independent civilisations with distinctive cultures. Most however,estalished a susistence economy and simply stopped. "n such an environment the impetus forchange was very low+ everything the citi6ens needed was at hand, their new world supplied themwith food, and the store of knowiedge rought from Earth enaled them to maintain a hightechnological ase without a technological society. "n part this was a result of the %tandardTemplate (onstruct system carried y every colony.

The heart of the %T( system was an evolved computer program designed to provide constructiondetails for the colonists. "ts prime function was to enale the colonists to uild efficient shelters,generators and transports without any prior knowledge and using almost any locally availalematerials. The user simply asked how to uild a house or a tractor and the computer supplied allthe necessary plans - in short it was idiot proof. Many humans attriute the entire $rkishcivilisation to early %T( systems - ut the truth will never e known.The Age of Technology ended in inter-human war and anarchy. The %T( systems that had helpedto uild it either lapsed into disuse or decayed so that they ecame increasingiy unreliale and)uirky. $n some worlds they were maintained, ut most suffered damage y enthusiasticsoftware specialists or suse)uent !ury-rigging. ard copies of the information they containedsurvived much longer, and were fre)uently copied and passed down from generation togeneration. Today, in the Age of the "mperium, the familiar designs of the %T( are stilldiscernale in the shapes of vehicles, spacecraft and uildings. The Adeptus Mechanicus on Earth

make it their usiness to collate and utilise %T( material - it is their e)uivalent to a holy te#t, afont of all knowledge /which is e#actly what it was intended to e0.$ne result of the %T( system and its pivotal place in human development is that many worldsnow utilise designs and machinery of a similar type. $f course, the millennia have wroughtchanges in the asic utilitarian devices proscried y the %T(, ut many humans adherereligiously to the old designs. %T( designs were intended to e ale to cope with anything - ythe standards of the day they were rough and ready, ig and rutish, hard to damage and easy torepair. ecause they were intended for use y un)ualified people their power-plants mere asedaround commonly otainale materials, employing steam power, wind power, water power andcomustion engines. igh-tech material was descried too /although rarely used0 and designswere provided for full-scale nuclear power-grids and fission processors. owever few peopleunderstood these, and the need for power was supplied )uite easily y conventional means.(onse)uently hard copies were rarely taken and gradually written te#ts ecame lost or

hopelessly distorted.The weapons, vehicles and much of the e)uipment descried in this ook have their roots in the%T( system. &ighting vehicles often look like tractors and prime movers ecause that's e#actlywhat they were copied from7 %T( designs can e produced in almost any materal+ wood, plastic,concrete, steel, plastic, etc, and can e replicated on almost any world that has raw materials ofsome kind. 4ncorrupted %T( systems are unknown and after so many years will proaly remainso. 9onetheless, finding such a system is regarded y many Tech-priests as their ultimate goal -a sort of )uest for the holy grail. egends surround the e#istence of lost, functioning %T( systems,ut whether they have any asis in truth is anyone's guess.


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+++The Imperi'( %(eet+++Practically all inter-stellar travel is administered through the priesthood, who sanction routine!ourneys and direct craft to suit their purposes. There are a few independent ships capale ofinterstellar flight ut these are very rare indeed. The fleet moves cargo and personnel fromsystem to system, according to the dictates of imperial need. The fleet also has routine duties to

perform, such as patrolling frontier worlds and scouting for alien intrusion. "n all, the fleetnumers many thousands of ships, and the "mperium has a considerale capacity to uild andoperate spacecraft.

+++IMPERIAL AR!HITE!TURE+++Much of the fighting in the wars of the orus eresy has taken part in and around cities, refinerycomple#es, and similar groups of uildings. Thanks to the %tandard Template (onstruct, uildingsof several common types are constructed on most "mperial worlds using locally availalematerials. 4sing %tandard Template (onstruct means that the appearance of a uilding isdetermined y its function rather than the materials of which it is constructed. According to the

resource ase of the planet in )uestion, this can e stone, rick, wood, coral, volcanic ash,compacted inorganic waste or any of a hundred other materials. Thus, uildings of more or lessidentical appearance may e found throughout the "mperium, regardless of all considerationsother than function.ADMI"ITRATUMThe comple# organi6ation of the Adeptus Ministratum, or Administratum, is responsile for theadministration of the whole of the "mperium+ it manages over a million inhaited worlds.Planetary government uildings, records offices, ta#ation centers, and many more are controlledy the Administratum+ they are usually distinguished y the sign of the "mperial eagle over themain door. Many loody assaults and valiant defenses have take place in and around uran andplanetary government uildings+ they are natural command posts, and the fall of theAdministratum normally indicates the fall of the city. This uilding is often the attacker's primarytarget.

AUDITORIUMMost "mperial cities have at least one auditorium, where the local populace assemle at greatrallies organi6ed y the Administratum and the "n)uisition. A visiting dignitary, such as an"n)uisitor or a %pace Marine commander, will often e re)uested to lead such a ralley. "t iscommon practice to use the main auditorium - if it still stands - to announce the 'lieration' of acity y one side or the other.!ATRA E)ER!ITUAccording to the provisions of the (ode# E#ercitus, every "mperial world has a duty to raise andmaintain its own planetary defense force. Additionally, each city or world forms part of a precinctwhere "mperial laws are enforced y the


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!E"ORIUM(ountless clerks and officials laor on a million worlds for the Administratum, most of themconfined to dark offices in grim, towering administrative locks. These uildings house vast)uantities of information on their worlds+ population, economy, levels of production and ta#ation,resources, industrial and agricultural )uotas - the whole of the world is recorded, filed, inde#edand updated y an army of ureaucrats. The valuale data in the (ensorium can make it a primetarget.#E"ERATORIUM

A city or industrial comple# re)uires vast )uantities of energy, and power supplies are a favoritetarget for attacking forces. The nature of a generator will vary from world to world. &ertile planetsoften use organic or fossil fuels, while fusion grids and plasma reactors are common onindustriali6ed worlds. %olar generators and geothermal energy are also used where localconditions permit. These power sources, and the secrets of their operation, are !ealously guardedy the Adeptus Mechanicus.#E"ETORIUMMost planets in the "mperium maintain a gene-pool of plant and animal species for terraforming,agriculture, resource management and other purposes. 9ative species are studied with a view toassessing their usefulness elsewhere, and introduced species are io-engineered to adapt themfor use in local conditions. The scientists of the Adeptus Mechanicus who run theseestalishments also monitor the genetic purity of the planet's population, and cooperate with the"n)uisition in their task of rooting out mutation and other undesirale traits.LIBRARIUM*uring the terrile wars of the Age of %trife, untold )uantities of knowledge were lost. Andpreserving what was left ecame a holy task shared y the Administratum and the AdeptusMechanicus. "n many of the larger cities of the more advanced "mperial worlds an imposingirarium uilding will house thousands of ooks and records, and make them availale to those"mperial servants and citi6ens whose rank or privilege entitles them to access.MA"U%A!TORIUMAlthough much technology was lost during the fifteen centuries of the Age of %trife, the "mperiumis y no means technically ackward. "ndustrial comple#es across the gala#y produce illions ofitems, from clothing to plasma oms. All of these installations are closely controlled y theAdministratum and the Adeptus Mechanicus, and it is not uncommon for the workers in a factoryto e completely unaware of the end product of their laors. The occupation or destruction aManufactorium or other industrial comple# can deny precious resources to the enemy.MAUOLEUM&or the vast ulk of the citi6ens of the "mperium, death is not the end of their service to theemperor. They are )uickly forgotten y everyone e#cept the record keepers of the Administratumand their odies are recycled into foodstuffs, fertili6ers, and other useful products. Moreprominent memers of society may receive the honor of entomment in an "mperial mausoleum,where the masses may read of their deeds and e inspired y their e#ample. 3ith its halls ofentomed heroes, a Mausoleum can ecome the focus of a fanatical defense, and its destructioncan deal a severe low to the defenders' morale.REIDE"TIALThe population of the "mperium is vast, and only the Administratum has the means to egin toestimate it. The ulk of this population lives in cities, ranging from the huge comple#es of theive 3orlds to the smaller garden cities of the more advanced agricultural worlds and the grimtenements of the industrial worlds. 3hile worlds and cities may differ, the residential locksfollow a limited numer of standard patterns laid down y the %tandard Template (onstruct.iving space in the cities caries widely, according to wealth and social standing. Most people livein residential locks of one kind or another, ut the living space permitted to an individual canrange from a spacious lu#ury apartment to a cramped and filthy cuy-hole with arely room toturn around. According to the type of world on which it is found and the status of its occupants, aresidential lock can house a few do6en or several thousand.

+++Wor(* of the Imperium+++


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There are over one million worlds in the "mperium, all of which are inhaited y humans orhuman descended creatures such as eastmen and s)uats. The imperial administration maychoose to consider these mutations as human or otherwise. "n any case, they are all citi6ens ofthe "mperium - although citi6enship confers no rights, only responsiilities.The worlds of the "mperium are scattered throughout the gala#y+ they are not confined to aspecific area or territory. The distances involved are vast, and many human worlds will einaccessile, or have een so in the past, due to warp storms or governmental apathy. &or thesereasons the "mperium includes a vast variety of cultural and technological levels. Planetarygovernors and other "mperial (ommanders always maintain a fairly high level of personaltechnology, ut the worlds they run may e inhaited y primitive savages, or overrun ymutants and native creatures. The worlds of the "mperium can e classified into the followingroad categories8

Agricultural worldsare little more than farming planets on which a si6ale part of the surface isgiven over to producing food for other, less fertfle, worlds. They tend to e sparsely populated.The "mperial (ommander of such a planet has the added responsilities of protecting his harvestsand meeting his )uotas. "nter-commander rivalry often results in enemies attempting to destroyor steal crops or meat animals, often laming raids on pirates or andits. %uch petty rivalries areof no concern to the Adeptus Terra - who only demand that )uotas are met and conflictcontained.Civilised worldsare y far the most common of all the types of settlement in the "mperium. Thepeople inhaits uran centres supplied y the planet's own natural resources and agriculture.These worlds are self-sufficient, and have reasonale, ut not e#cessive, populations. The socialand technological ase varies from world to world, although access to fully-developed technologyis usually possile. Although these planets are civilised - in that their inhaitants live in cities -the humans that inhait them are as ound y superstition, mysticism and ararism as aremany others in the "mperium. "n the cities, sophisticated uranities pray to the same gods andincant the same rituals as dull peasants in isolated vffiages. &or uran warriors and technologicalararians, rationality and science are as ahorrent as to the most hide-ound rural farmer.Death worldsare planets on which the native flora and fauna has evolved into naturallyaggressive and dangerous forms. These eco-systems are finely alanced etween continualdestruction and lightning-fast reproduction. umans can, and do, live on these worlds, ut it is anever-ending struggle. $n many death worlds it is as if the entire io-mass of the planet wereconsciously motivated against human settlement - concentrating forces against intruders todestroy them. *eath worlds are not usually inhaited unless there is some good reason to do so -such as outstanding mineral wealth.Feral planetsare worlds which have reverted to savagery, either ecause of neglect, a naturallyinade)uate ecosystem, or long isolation. uman groups roam the surface as wandering hunters,using primitive tools and weapons - these people have a araric and aggressive view of life thatmakes them ideal material for the egiones Astartes. "mperial commanders on such worlds tendto live as isolated 'gods', perhaps in a single civilised city inhaited y outsiders, mostly militarystaff and their families. Apart from recruiting for the %pace Marines, and keeping a check onemerging psykers, the (ommander will usually leave his su!ects alone.Hive worldsare distinguished y vast, continent-spanning cities, often uilt high into the sky anddeep elow the ground. Their populations are enormous, and almost all food needs to eimported. A hive world rendered temporarily inaccessile through warp space will suffer adevastating famine within a very short space of time. "t will ecome a vast catacom of lunaticsdriven to e#cesses of anarchic, uran savagery y starvation and claustrophoia. ive worlds aredangerous, eing too large to monitor safely, and their citi6ens are typically unalanced, if notutterly cra6ed. it has een known for the Adeptus Arites to cull these planets in order to ringtheir populations down to manageale levels.Industrialworlds are given over to industrial processes such as manufacturing and mining. Theyare only sparsely poptdated, as most work is carried out y machinery and roots. Most industrialworlds are developed only for mining and, even then, a planet must e e#tremely mineral-rich ifthe effort is to e !ustified. 9ormally, manufacturing of goods takes place on ordinary, inhaitedplanets, ecause the costs and ha6ards of inter-stellar flight are considerale.Medievalworlds are feral planets in which a level of medieval technology has een reached, andthe culture has stailised. "mperial (ommanders of such worlds will often stand aside from their


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su!ects, and may even remain aloof in orital space-stations or on a neary moon. Medievalworlds are self-sufficient, ut are of little use to the "mperium. The true position of their place inthe universe may constitute something of a culture-shock to the inhaitants, a factor whichmakes them poor material for imperial service - although selective recruitment into the %paceMarines is possile. (ontrol of psykers has to e maintained - ut this can e achieved in aclandestine manner+ y infiltrating religious and social odies, or y more latant means such askidnapping and assassination.Paradise planetsare worlds of outstanding natural eauty and aundance. 5ather than developall of these planets, some are retained in an almost completely natural state and used asrecreational ases for imperial servants. $n such planets, warriors may train their minds andodies for war, studying arcane attle-philosophy and practising martial arts.Research stationsare recently inhaited, often newly accessile planets in the process of eingassessed for development and full settlement. To this end, they initially ecome researchstations, small farming centres, e#perimental settlements, test mines, etc. Mostly they are !ustwilderness - a whole planet awaiting e#ploration.

+++The A*eptu Me,h'-i,u+++

Mars is the planetary realm of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the ome and *omain of the Tech priestsof the cult mechanicus. The red planet is acclaomed as one of the wonders of the alacy, the3orkshop of the imperium, the forge world, the maker of ships, and the guardian of secrets. "t isthe Adeptus Mechanicus who furnish the tecnical knowledge of the "mperium, preserve thescientific secrets of former times, and who e#plore the new sciences of the =:st millenium.The !u(t Me,h'-i,uThe (ult mechanicus, or cult of the machine, acknowledges the Emperor as Master of Mankindut *oes not recognise the authority of the "mperial cult or the Ecclesiarcy. "nstead the AdeptusMechanicus follows its own dark and mysterios strictures.According to the adeptus Mechanicus, knowledge is the supreme manefestation of dvinity, and allcreatures and artifacts that emody knowledge are holy ecasue of it. The Emperor is thesupreme o!ect of worship ecause he comprehends so much. Machines which preserveknowledge from ancient timnes are also holy , and machine intelligences are no less divine than

those of fleash and lood. a mans worth is only the sum of his knowledge - his ody is simply anorganic machine capale of preserving intellect.The Adeptus Mechanicus controlls the entire governmental, industrial and relicious affairs ofMars. "n its roadest terms , the population is divided into two parts . The reater mass ofmartians are worker slaves called servitors. %ervitors are not really fully human, ut half man,half machine creatures whose minds have een partially programmed to perform specific duties.The servitors are slaves to the ruling priesthood of tech priests who form a heirarchy oftechnicians, scientists, and religious leaders. Tech priests provide the "mperium with its engineersand technical e#perts.

&aricator eneral5uling (ult Memers the Tech PriestsMagosogosenitorArtisan$rdinary (ult Memers the Tech PriestsElectro Priest5une PriestTransmechanice#mechanic%ervitors

%'ri,'tor #e-er'(The eader of the Adeptus Mechanicus is the &aricator eneral of Mars. e is a igh ord of


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Terra and also the head of the (ult mechanicus in his capacity as the magos mechanicus.M'/oThe Magos is the master of technological achievement. There are many divisions such as MagosTechnicus, Magos Metallugicus, Magos Alchemys, Magos Physic, Magos iologis, etc...Lo/iThe ogis is the logistician, an analist and a statistician. is purpose is to predict future trendsand make forecasts aout e#pediture and needs. They are regarded as prophetic figures.#e-etor

enetors are enetic %cientists. They are very common amongst the Adeptus Mechanicus andoften accompany "mperial &orces incvolved in the E#ploration of new worlds.Arti'-Artisans or (onstructors , design machines, uildings, space craft, weapons and militaryhardware. They controll the vast laour force of the servitors.E(e,tro PrietThe Electro Priests are the fanatical cult warriors of the Adeptus Mechanicus. They travel onoard spacecraft and support th tech priest warriors in attle. The Electro Priest turns himself intoa crackling fount of electrical energy, destroying everything he touches efore he collapses fromthe strain.E-/i-eerEngineers are highly trained agents of the cult Mechanicus and they are often assigned to dutiesin the "mperial uard or other parts of Adeptus TerraRu-e PrietThe 5une Priest scries runes and chants liturgies over machines as part of the (ult ritual ofinitiation. e is trained in the arcane ranches of scientific lore such as intuitive mechanics,speculation, , and improvisation. They are famous for their lateral thinking, which may e calledupon when strict logic and standard procedures fail.Tr'-me,h'-i,These are Technicians or service engineers who specialise in communications tecnology. ike theengineers, they are often assigned duties in other "mperial $rganisations.Leime,h'-i,Their purpose is to compile and rationalise data so it can e entered into a central computerrepository. They can work with computer speed and accuracy, assemling attlefield reports,economic statistics , planetary reports, and so forth, they may e assigned duties throughout theAdeptus Terra.ervitor%ervitors are mindless slave machines of living flesh and metal creatures with no individual mindwho oey their programming without )uestion. %ervitors make up a huge ulk of the Martianpopulation, there are many kinds from heavy mini cyorgs to holomats /holographic recorders0.The most severe punishment for a criminal is to e turned into a servitor8 mind wiped andreprogrammed to perform some rudimetary function. E# wrongdoers wear a rass pla)ue roundtheir necks proclaiming their crime as a warning to all who would cross the tech priests of mars.M'rThe planet Mars has changed enormously since man first set foot upon its arren and aridsurface. "n the earley >>nd century it ecame the first planet to e terraformed. "t was given anatmosphere and its deserts were turned to fertile soil. owever agriculture was never veryimportant to Mars - its main source of wealth lay elow its surface in the form of gems mineralsand metal ores.$nce terraformed, mars was settled y industrial cartels and their workforces, and soon ecamthe first hive world. Mars ecame a centre for industrial production and reserch, and its veryname has ecame synonymous with technical e#pertise and scientific advancement. Marsecame the hu for further space e#ploration throughout the solar system.Today Mars has evolved into the workshop of the Adeptus. "ts factory hives produce the ulk of alltechnical e)uipment used y the "mperium. %pace craft and other large specialised constructsare faricated in orital factories that spin around the e)uatorial elt. %hips of the warfleet %olarare ased in these huge floating docks, and other craft from all over the imperium visit what arethe largest man made o!ects in the entire gala#y.As the first hives ever uilt, the marian factoy hives are ancient and all are at least partially


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ruinious. %ome areas are well maintained, and there are many new areas of uilding. area thatare no longer used are simply left to rot.A !ourney through the internal travel tues would take a person from e#tremes of newconstruction to ancient industrial wastes. The travel lines weave etween shining new uildingpiles with their nets of steel racing like rigging of a sailing ship, passing into older darker 6oneswhere riken condensation traps spill their vapourous contents and enmesh speedindg tueliners in a perpetual fog. 3astelands cover vast parts of the cities , deserts of roken plasteelslas and twisted girders, with the occaisional solitary tower pointing puposelessly towards thepink martian sky.The Tit'- Le/io-Mars endured long centuries of isolation whila anarchy tore at the ancient world of earth. 3henthe Emperor drew mars ack into the fold of the united "mperium, it had long since ecome asociety very different to that of Earth's. $ne of the most impotant and enduring differences wasthe development of huge fighting machines known as Titans. These vast constructions wereunlike anything ever seen on Earth, massive humaniod shaped weapons of destruction poweredy fission reactors and ristling with mighty cannons. $n a world as arren as Mars the titanscould stride effortlessly over the hostile landscape where mere troopers would e engulfed in thepoisenous wastes of the choking dust of the Martian deserts.A titan is a gargantuan land-attleship powered y advanced technology. "ts armored carapace iscapale of withstanding heavy damage whilst its armaments can level whol cities. The titans areone of the most potent weapons in the arsenal of the "mperium. 3ithin each Titan a crew ofdo6ens or even hundereds of individuals scrurry aout their tasks, propelling, refueling andmaintaining the giant machine, manning its mighty weapons and guiding it over the attle field.The !rew of ' Tit'-3hen the Emperor led mankind on the reat (rusade the Titan egions of the AdeptusMechanicus marched alongside he %pace Marines. As the "mperium E#panded the Adeptusmechanicus took many worlds for themselves, planets which they settled and turned intomechanicus forge worlds. These ecame ases for the Titan egions throughout the gala#y, sothat today the Titan egions are spread throughout the "mperium, where they defend thescattered forge worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus.The 1uet %or &-ow(e*/eThe adeptus Mechanicus is driven y the )uest for knowledge. This )uest takes many forms,including research and e#ploration, ut the ultimate emodiment is the search for the ancient%T( systems.%T( systems were created during the scientific high point of *ark Age of Technology. *uring thistime thousands of human colonies were founded on distant worlds. Many of these colonies failedto survive, some were lost, and of those that survived most only achieved a susistence leveleconomy. ?et almost all of these colonies managed to retain a high level of tech nology thanks toa huge ase of computerised imformation carried from Earth. This massive computeriseddataank was known as the %tandard Template (onstruct /%T(0 system.The %T(s are often said to emody the sum total of human knowledge. This is proaly true asfar as technological accomplishment goes . Although most colonists re)uired little more thandesigns for agricultural machinery, programs were included for all sorts of advancedconstructions such as nucleur power grids and fission reactors. owever , the earley colonists'sneeds were simple and were met y conventional energy forms and relitivly low level technology.Today there are no known surviving %T( systems, and only a very few e#amples of firstgeneration print - out on some worlds information aout the ancient %T( is regarded as holy anddesign copies are guarded as secret and sacred te#ts, housed in the inner sanctums of temples.&or thousands of years the Adeptus Mechanicus has pursued all information aout %T( . "t is theirlost ile, holy grail and cup of knowledge. Any scrap of information is eagerly sought out and!ealously hoarded. Any rumour of a functional system is followed up and investigated.y their efforts much information has een retrieved or can e reconstructed y the vigourousanalysis and comparison of copies. ?et the most technically - advanced knowledge eludes theAdeptus Mechanicus, for the early colonists were mostly simple folk whose needs were practical.$nly rarely did anyone other to take copies of the theoretical and advanced work which the %T(contained.


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+++A*eptu !uto*e+++The Adeptus (ustodes forms the Emperor's inner guard whose duties are to serve and protect theMaster of Mankind. A continuous rota ensures that there are always several hundred of theseselect warriors action within the palace, as well as a small elite of guardians who never leave the

Emperor's side. Their uniforms are traditional ut effective, leather reeches and oots with along lack cloak over naked torso. Their helmets are ancient works of art+ all-enclosing and tallthey impart a threatening, impersonal appearance as well as providing a attery of protectivee)uipment and communicators. The weapons carried y these guards look very much like spearsor spear- guns, ut are in fact lasers uild to resemle the traditional and symolic guardian-spear which has long association with the Adeptus (ustodes and which appears on their anners,adges and other regalia. The guards themselves never leave Earth, and only rarely leave theimperial palace where their duties lie - their place is y the Emperor's side.

+++The A*eptu Arite+++

The Adeptus Arites are the keepers of the great ook of


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storms, or pressing usiness elsewhere. As a result planetary government sometimes reaksdown, or a planetary governor may start to think he can do without the protection of the"mperium, sometimes standard anti-psyker routines are allowed to slip, and imperial ta#es areforgotten. ringing wayward planets ack into the imperial fold can e achieved in many ways.$utright war is one /much favoured0 method, e#termination is another. At the other end of thescale it may sometimes e eneficial to court a governor y diplomatic means, perhaps supporthis rivals or infiltrate anti-govemment, pro- imperial organisations. "f a planet can e restored tothe "mperium y clever diplomacy an e#pensive, troulesome and destructive war will eavoided. "mperial agents are fully versed in all the tricks of diplomacy, including clandestine onessuch as riery, popular agitation, economic saotage, terrorism, torture, murder andassassination.The Assassin is one of the most useful of these diplomatic agents. is !o is simple, he is there toeliminate key individuals among the opposition. %ometimes a reellion centres around a singlepersonality, and a planet can e rought to heel y that person's death or disappearance. "f donecleverly, a reel leader can e )uietly slain and replaced y an e#act duplicate. Assassins mayeven provide such a duplicate themselves, as they are ale to change their physical appearanceusing the shape changing drug polymorphine. Assassins are masters of disguise, and can assumealmost any human shape as well as that of some aliens. They are trained to use the protectivelack syn-skin, the synthetic skin layer that protects the Assassin from the environment as mallas feeding sense enhancing chemicals into his ody.Assassins are recruited from the feral worlds as infants and undergo ten years e#tensive trainingat the school of Assassins on Earth, from then on they continue to live at and operate from thesecret head)uarters of the Assassins said to lie somewhere on the imperial planet. This is one ofthe "mperium's etter known 'secret' divisions of the Adeptus Terra. ere the prospectiveAssassin is put through a decade of gruelling tests, receiving psychic implants to heighten sensesand strengthen resolve, as well as su-muscular acoustic surgery to enale him to survive theuse of the shape-altering drug polymorphine. Every Assassin must master the weaponry ande)uipment of his trade, he must know how to drive and maintain all kinds of vehicle from a iketo a spaceship, he must e a technological e#pert, and he must have professorial knowledge ofthe "mperium's history, organisation and languages. This is a tall order y anyody's standards,and not all young recruits survive their training.9avigators are sometimes recruited into the Assassins and there is a @ chance of an Assassineing a 9avigator.$rganisation. The Assassins are ased at their secret head)uarters somewhere on Earth. Theirleader is the Master of Assassins, a mysterious figure, never seen y ordinary memers of thepriesthood, ut rumoured to have personal access to the igh ords of Terra, if not the Emperorhimself. is loyalty to the Emperor must e eyond dout, for he single-handedly controls anorganisation that could feasily topple even the "mperium should he so wish. The organisationincludes a numer of ancillary staff, as well as Astropaths, 9avigators and other servants.Although not Assassins as such, these characters live entirely within the organisation, and haveno contact with the outside world. The Assassins themselws are stratified into ord Assassins whoare no longer involved directly in their work, ut plan, organise, research and watch overmissions for the younger Assassins. The ulk of Assassins are unranked, although some areoviously more e#perienced agents than others.E)uipment. Assassins have access to all e)uipment.


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discovered that a Bampire was on oard and all the crew were under its evil influence. Taking toa life raft only moments efore e#ploding a melta-om, the trio drifted helplessly in space foralmost a month efore eing picked up. $nly self-induced hiernation saved their lives. (amaruis tall, well muscled and, like all Assassins, e#tremely strong and athletic. %he is pictured here asshe appeared efore the reellious ord of $kku, a treacherous "mperial (ommander who wasselling his su!ects to the $rk stellar-slavers for personal wealth. The ord of $kku did not enefitfrom the meeting, his tongue cut from his head, he was the last $kkurian to e sold to the $rkslavers. (amaru wears lack syn-skin, around her waist she has wound a scarlet sash concealinga knife, io-scanner, communicator, sufficient phials of polymorphine for C uses, syn-skin solvent,and a garrotte. %he carries ten


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of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, known commonly as Astropaths. Astropaths are created fromthose psykers who have considerale powers, ut who are not mentally strong enough towithstand the attentions of psychically attuned warp creatures. 3ere they simply allowed todevelop without interference they would )uickly find themselves in serious troule, endangeringthe rest of humanity as well as themselves. owever, the "mperium has a use for them. AnAstropath is an Astro-telepath, an individual capale of communicating with others of his kindover vast interstellar distances. "n the Age of the "mperium, where worlds are light-years apart,this is the only practical means of communication. &or this reason the network of Astropaths isvery important to the "mperium, and every spacecraft, research station, outpost, etc, has its ownAstropath. Even small planets need hundreds of these useful servants, while large worlds mayhave thousands and Earth itself is home to tens of thousands.All Astropaths undergo a special process which moulds their powers and at the same timestrengthens them against pyschic danger. This is called the soul-inding ritual and only theEmperor has the power to perform it. "t takes place in the great palace, where the psykers are ledefore the Emperor one hundred at a time. nelt efore the Emperor they must endure severalhours of agony whilst the Emperor uses his powers to reshape their minds - mingling a little of hisimmeasurale power with their own. 4nfortunately, the Emperor's mind is so powerful that not allcandidates survive the ritual. %ome are driven insane, and all have their personalities altered tosome e#tent. The raw energy of the Emperor's will also has another effect, so powerful are theforces involved that many of the more delicate nerves can e damaged, especially the opticnerves. (onse)uently all Astropaths are lind, whilst many may also lack any sense of smell,touch or hearing.PE!IAL: An Astropath is psychically strengthened to withstand the attentions of warp creatures. Most ofthe psychically parasitic creatures can only warp into normal space through a non-protectedpsyker. This is indicated in the creature's description. Astropaths are psychically protected andthus cannot e utilised y creatures in warp space. They can, however, still e harmed y psychicattacks made from normal space.> Astropaths are lind ut have a form of near-sense which allows them to sense normally visileo!ects within >; metres. 4p to this distance they may shoot, fight etc. normally.Or/'-i'tio-The Adeptus Astra Telepathica is a vast organisation whose central administrative core is asedupon Earth. "t e#ists purely to serve the needs of the "mperium, its leaders have no task toperform other than ensuring the network operates as smoothly and efficiently as possile.ecause of their very nature, Astropaths often work in cooperation with the other ranches of theAdeptus Terra, the "n)uisition, fleet, army and "mperial (ommanders. Every priesthood templewould have its own staff of Astropaths, relaying and receiving the messages of their masters,gathering and disseminating information throughout the gala#y.E5uipme-tAstropaths carry no e)uipment as a rule - their aility to use most types of e)uipment is hinderedy the fact that they are lind, ut they do carry a long white stick or staff. $ne of the ailitiesgained during the soid-inding is near sense - an awareness that allows the Astropath to detectneary o!ects, to sense /if not e#actly see0 the world aout him. %ome Astropaths havemechanical eyes connected directly into their rains, ut this is not common - few Astropathshave the money or influence to restore their sight.U-iformAstropaths wear a hooded roe or hait, elted at the waist. Personal possessions are kept in asling ag, often omamented with religious motifs. The colour adopted y Astropaths as a symolof their status is green, although a roe will often incorporate several shades of the colour,ranging from pale near-grey to almost lack. Atrop'th Ai(ite.Astropaths have psychicailities in e#actly the same way as other psykers. "n addition they have etween : and @ otherailities conferred during the soul-inding. Astropadis always have the Astrotelepathy aility witha @; chance of having :-= other ailities as shown on the following chart. 9ote that many ofthese ailities relate to spacecraft and warp travel. They are given here toillustrate the sort ofpowers availale to these powerful psykers.Atrote(ep'th6This is an e#tremely long-range telepathy that permits Astropaths to receive and transmit


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messages over distances up to @; thousand light years. The use of this aility is successful only@; of the time. Messages are often distorted or lost.Lo,'te W'rp #'te7Port'(This aility allows the Astropath to locate the position of any warp gate2portal within :; lightyears. 3ithin warp space this aility can e used to locate warp portals through to real space:; of the time. $therwise the aility is always successful, assuming a gate2portal is present.P6,hi, Be',o-An Astropath with this aility is ale to roadcast a psychic eacon similar to the Astronomicanut far less powerful. The range of the signal is a :; light year radius around the position of theAstropath. 3ithin this sphere of space a 9avigator can guide a ship even without access to theAstronomican, eyond the gala#y for e#ample. The aility cannot e used from inside warpspace, so an Astropadi on oard a spacecraft is unale to provide a signal /although if two shipswere making alternate !umps it would e possile for each to derive coordinates from the other0.W'rp p',e Tr'i(This aility allows an Astropath to place a psychic homer into the mind of a memer of aspacecraft crew. "t doesn't matter which crewman is affected, the victim wouldn't even e awareof his predicament. The homer can only e placed from a short distance away /up to :;;;kilometres in clear space, ut as little as :; kilometres in a usy spaceport0. $nce placed thehomer lasts for @-:; days and its signal can e detected within :;;; kilometres y the Astropath."f during this time the ship makes a warp !ump the Astropath will e ale to sense its destination.$f course, to successfully trail a ship through warp space the trailing craft must remain within:;;; kilometres in real space, otherwise the signal will e too weak to follow.

+++"'vi/'tor+++9avigators are mutants of a very special kind, and although their appearance can vary a greatdeal they always have the power to navigate through warp space. Although this is a psychicaility, navigators never have other psychic powers and are no more vulnerale to psychicallyattuned warp creatures than any normal human. The origin of navigators goes ack to the *arkAge of Technology, to a time of genetic e#perimentation when many kinds of mutants wereengineered to fulfill roles envisaged y their creators. 3hether navigators were createddelierately or y accident matters little in the Age of the "mperium, they are a fact of life and an

important resource.The mutation is a consistent one and is passed down from generation to generation. The gene isonly transferale when oth parents are navigators, so navigators tend to intermarry, forming anumer of powerful and influential navigator families. These families are mostly resident onEarth. These is no imperial control over navigators, and many pursue civilian careers as traders.Most gravitate into the ranks of the imperial network however, for these families have a longhistory of service to humanity. Many past Masters of the Adeptus Terra have come from theirranks, and they occupy positions throughout the "mperium as memers of the priesthood,"n)uisition, army, fleet, etc. "t is in the fleet that their powers can e put to full use, workingaoard spacecraft as warp pilots.The physical appearance of navigators can vary a great deal, although families tend to resemleeach other. %ome are identical to ordinary humans and cannot e told apart. owever, there is atendency for navigators to e tall and spindly, and their flesh may have a peculiar transparent

)uality which is rather disturing. Eyes may e e#tremely large and may lack the iris, while otherfacial features are often small and under developed. ands and feet can appear ridiculously largeand are fre)uently weed. ody hair is commonly asent altogether. only an e#treme form ofnavigator would e#hiit all of these characteristics, ut most have some traits.As well as the standard personality types, navigators may also e %pace Marines.9avigators never have psychic powers.Or/'-i'tio-.9avigators are more of a su-species than an organisation, and they can e foundthroughout the Adeptus Terra and other imperial odies. owever, each family is very close /andoften very large0, and different families are often allied y marriage. As such the familyorganisation can e very important - and a navigator may feel entitled to call upon a relative to'pull a few strings' where possile. (onversely, some families are deadly rivals and open


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hostilities /away from Earth0 are not infre)uent.E5uipme-t.9avigators are individuals, and the e)uipment they carry will reflect their personalfortune and success as much as anything. 9avigators from the more influential families would eon the whole more wealthy and etter e)uipped. Those in imperial service would e e)uippedaccordingly of course.9avigators wear civilian clothes, ut, as they spend a great deal of time in space, often wear asealed suit. Their weapons reflect their environment too - powerful lasting weapons could easilydamage a spacecraft and are generally avoided. The most convenient weapon to carry, and thusa weapon typically used y the navigator, is the laspistol. 9avigators are not usually fighters yinclination.A T6pi,'( "'vi/'tor.The lot of the independent navigator is typified y our friend ustramocarno. ustram has een travelling the spaceways for a decade. Although only >F he looks farolder /years of deep space travel often causes premature ageing0. ike most spacers he wears asealed suit, the helmet of which is fully e)uipped with auto-senses. e packs a standard laspistolin a conspicuous holster, and another one less oviously tucked into his right oot. is remainingoot is home to a knife. Aside from the communicator uilt into his helmet, he has another in oneof his suit pockets.

+++Ro/ue Tr'*er+++The 5ogue Traders fulfill a vital role within the "mperium as freelance e#plorers, con)uistadorsand merchants. A 5ogue Trader is a trusted imperial servant, he is given a ship, a crew, acontingent of marines and carte lanche to roam the worlds eyond the "mperium.The "mperium is a vast, scattered realm, e#tending over almost the entire gala#y, impinging itselfupon the more compact areas of alien settled space. The "mperium contains a million inhaitedworlds, ut even this is ut a tiny fraction of the galactic whole. Then there is the eastern fringe,the remote area of the gala#y where the Astronomicon does not reach, and where the onlyhuman settlers are renegades or pioneering groups whose ancestors were forgotten millenniaago. Most of the gala#y remains une#plored, unknown and dangerous.The potential of new worlds, alien civilisations and unimaginale resources has stimulated thegrowth of free-ranging imperial agents known as 5ogue Traders. icensed and e)uipped y thepriesthood, the 5ogue Trader is free to e#plore the far regions of the gala#y, the areas where the

Astronomicon does not reach, and those areas within its range as yet unvisited. 5ogue Tradershave even attempted to cross the void of inter-galactic space, ut over such distances even theAstropaths' powers of communication are useless, and whether such missions have succeeded isunknown. $perating in isolation from the central authority of the "mperium, the 5ogue Tradermust decide how to react to alien cultures, new discoveries and threats. "f he !udges a racepotentially dangerous he may attempt to destroy it, or gather as much information aout it as hecan so that others may do so. "f he decides a race may e of use to humanity he may attempt tomake contact and estalish relations. "f merely technologically or minerally rich, a planet may eplundered, and the 5ogue Trader will return to Earth laden with the treasure of space+ alienartifacts, rare and precious minerals and undreamed of technology.9eedless to say, the 5ogue Trader re)uires a fair compliment of spacecraft, troops and other staffif he is to complete his mission. is total responsiility may e#tend to a do6en spacecraft, oftenhuge, lumering cargo vessals crammed with a small army, a full crew of technicians and

volunteer settlers to estalish colonies on new worlds. Most important, however, are the fightingtroops, for it is they who will have to deal with any potential threat.Profile. 5ogue Traders are individuals who have reached a position of power within the imperialhierarchy. They come from the ranks of the Adeptus Terra, the "n)uisition, army or fleet - a feware influential civilians, amongst whom the navigator families are the most famous. Politicssometimes oliges this course, for free of imperial command the 5ogue Trader is alsoconveniently out of the way, eyond the centre of real power. 5ogue Traders have a reputationas outcasts, many are people whom the priesthood deems etter kept at a safe distance+vociferous %pace Marines leaders, influential 9avigators, lieral-minded "n)uisitors and reel"mperial (ommanders. A 5ogue Trader is an e#perienced individual.5ogue Traders are fre)uently possesed of psychic powers, C; are psykers compared to @ of


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normal human characters. 9on-psychic 5ogue Traders may e 9avigators, there eing a @chance of this.Or/'-i'tio-.The 5ogue Trader works under instruction from the priesthood - ut his is a wideone. &urthermore, once contact with Earth has een lost, the 5ogue Trader is effectivelyindependent.E5uipme-t.E)uipment can e of any type, often alien or otherwise unavailale within the"mperium. "n attle a 5ogue Trader would typically appear in powered armour and some sort ofarmour energy field. 3eaponry carried at all times would e at least one pistol weapon, usually aolter, and a power sword or chainsword. *igital weapons are regarded with high favour too.A 5ogue Traders personal e)uipment is likely to e e#tensive. The e)uipment aord ship wouldinclude almost all possile things, including vehicles.A t6pi,'( Ro/ue Tr'*er.


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The "mperium is ruled from $ld Earth. "t is governed y a vast ureaucracy known as the AdeptusTerra sometimes referred to simply as The Priesthood. The Adeptus Terra governs the "mperiumin the name of the Emperor of umanity, the 4ndying Master of Mankind.Most of the information aout spaceships and space travel in this article refers to the fleets of the"mperium. &or more information on the vast, comple# and fascinating Empire of Man, see the3arhammer =;,;;; ruleook.THE EATER" %RI"#EThe Eastern &ringe lies eyond the Astronomican and so eyond the easy reach of "mperialforces. "t is known to contain human planets settled in ancient times as well as many alien worlds.%ome of these planets have populations which are feral or ararous ut many shelter highlyadvanced cultures. Most worlds are self-governing or elong to small independent human or alienempires. Agents of the "mperium are continually e#ploring the Eastern &ringe, spying outdangers, recruiting allies, and fighting wars eyond the orders of the "mperium itself.THE E$E O% TERRORThe Eye of Terror lies on the edge of the gala#y to the north-west of Earth. "t can e plainly seenas a swirl of stars swirling very much like an eye. The Eye of Terror is also the centre of a hugeand dangerous warpstorm. "t is in fact one of file few places in the gala#y where real space andthe warp actually overlap. &ollowing the wars known as the orus eresy which were fought atthe dawn of "mperial history, reel forces allied to 3armaster orus fled into the Eye of Terrorafter their defeat at the hands of the Emperor and loyal human troops. Their descendants stillrule the Eye of Terror. Their prolonged contact with the warp and its inhaitants has changedthem utterly8 they are no longer human nor wholly sane. They remain amongst the most deadlyenemies of the "mperium and humanity.WILDER"E PA!EMost of the stars in the gala#y remain une#plored. 3hole areas of the gala#y are emroiledwithin warpstorms and are therefore inaccessile from other areas. $ther stars are simply remoteand await mapping and codification y the "mperial e#ploration teams. These largely unknown6ones are known as wilderness space or wilderness 6ones. As warpstorms aate, old wildernessareas are e#plored, uncovering ancient human settlements as well as alien races and empires.3ilderness 6ones are spread throughout the gala#y.ALIE" WORLDumanity is ut one of many races in the gala#y. owever, none are so widely distriuted or sonumerous as humans. Most occupy only a single world or a small group of worlds. The ma!ority ofaliens are comparatively primitive, peaceful or powerless, and of little interest to humanity. $nlya few alien races are powerful, aggressive and possess technology which rivals that of the"mperium. $f these, the most common are the $rks, Eldar and Tyranids.OR&The $rks are the degenerate descendants of a once-sophisticated spacefaring race. They arerutal and warlike, ut retain some of the technological knowledge invented y their foreears.$rks are naturally anarchic and aggressive, fighting constantly amongst themselves as well asagainst other races. $rk worlds are spread throughout the gala#y in a similar way to those ofhumans, testifying to a past age of superior technical knowledge.$rk 3arlords represent a constant and dangerous threat to humanity. "ndividually they controlonly a few ships, ut there are so many of these petty tyrants that the "mperium is in constantdanger from their raids. Their craft are crudely designed and constructed ut effective for all thatand easily a match for "mperial ships of a similar si6e.ELDAR

The Eldar are an ancient race that live on giant spacecraft called (raftworlds. These (raftworldsdrift through space at sulight speeds. The Eldar travel through space y means of an intricatesystem of warpgates and tunnels, closed routes through warpspace leading from a (raftworld toeither a point in space or a planet. %ome gates are )uite small and allow an Eldar to literally walkfrom his (raftworld to another part of the gala#y. $ther gates are large, and every (raftworld hasat least one warpgate that is large enough to enale spacecraft to enter. "t is y this means thatEldar ships travel etween the stars - they have no warp drives in the human sense.T$RA"IDThe Tyranid hive mind is an alien entity, a great creature that is formed from countless illions ofcreatures, a mind that is many linked minds. The Tyranids have travelled to the "mperium in a


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hive fleet from an unimaginaly distant gala#y. The hive fleet is a great dark swarm of manymillions of individual spacecraft, each a gigantic living thing, a creature fashioned from organictissue y means of sophisticated genetic manipulation of which the Tyranids are masters.The Tyranid ive Mind hungers for fresh gene-stocks that can e used to create new io-construct creatures and organic machines. Their own gala#y is e#hausted, its creatures longsince asored into the ive Mind, their flesh turned to machine like purposes or discarded asuseless. The "mperium, with its countless illions of humans and other creatures, offers theTyranids an almost ine#haustile supply of flesh and genes which will invigorate the hive mindand enale it to emody itself in new forms.The hive fleet has reached the outer part of the "mperium and the entire south-eastern spiral armof the gala#y now lies under its dominion. A thousand human worlds have already fallen to theinvader, their populations consumed or enslaved y the Tyranids.9ow the "mperium prepares for war. The weapon shops of Mars turn out ever-more potentmachines of death, new spaceships sail from the shipyards of 9ecromunda, %pace Marinechapters muster their fleets and egin the long attle to counter the hive fleet, the vast resourcesof the "mperial uard gradually swing into action as millions of men prepare to emark on a warfor humanity's very survival.I"TERPLA"ETAR$ TRA3ELereditary rulers called "mperial (ommanders govern the worlds of the "mperium. The "mperial(ommander holds his planet on ehalf of the Emperor. "n return for his oath of loyalty andregular planetary tithes, he controls the planet as if it were his own. The "mperial (ommander isfree to administrate and defend his planet as he sees fit. Most worlds maintain fleets ofinterplanetary spacecraft - ships uilt to operate within their home system and lacking the warpengines needed for travel etween stars."nterplanetary ships are common on all technically advanced worlds. Even on medieval and feralworlds the planet's governor and his associated staff and warriors would have access to suchspacecraft - the general population would remain either ignorant of or completely in awe ofspacecraft and technology.The "mperial (ommander of each system administers interplanetary shipping. %ome "mperial(ommanders keep a tight leash on all space travel, others are far more la# and allowindependent odies to organise and maintain spacefleets to serve the system. %imilarly, whilesome "mperial (ommanders police their systems very thoroughly, others find it impossile orimpractical to enforce controls on independent operatives. %ome "mperial (ommandersundoutedly collude with anarchic and piratical organisations, trading off the control of planets orasteroids, mining or transport rights, or even defence and policing concessions, in return forpersonal profit. These "mperial (ommanders may maintain that this is the only way they cancontrol their worlds.Each planet is responsile for its own defence. "mperial (ommanders are oliged to uild ground-ased defences, spaceports, and what defence fleets that can. The numer of weapons and shipsin any individual system will vary, depending on the enthusiasm of its governor as much as thepossile danger. "n addition to ships under the control of the "mperial (ommander, planets lyingin vulnerale positions or having a history of troule may also have an "mperial &leet ase.Although &leet ships are independent of those of the "mperial (ommander, oth would e readyto meet an emergency. &leet ships may also e stationed in one system so that they can patrol anumer of neary star systems.

+++#'(',ti, !ivi(i'tio-+++*espite the use of faster than light warp drives, the enormous si6e of the gala#y means that itremains almost entirely une#plored. Even the "mperium of Man, y far the largest of all stellarempires, contains a very small numer of the gala#y's stars. 9ew star systems are constantlyeing discovered and investigated along with their native creatures, natural resources and aliencivilisations. Even so, there is no possiility of humans e#hausting the gala#y's potential toprovide new worlds for haitation and e#ploitation.


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The spiral arms of the gala#y contain recent stars and gas clouds where new stars are orn. "t iswithin these arms that 'he ma!ority of the gala#y's haitale worlds lie, etween ten and fortythousand light years from the galactic centre. Earth lies appro#imately C; thousand light yearsfrom the galactic core in the main western spiral arm.9ot all human-settled worlds are gloal conurations like the Earth. %ome are relatively sparselysettled. *ifferent worlds have different social structures, different economies, and different levelsof technology. The same is true of alien worlds, although as most aliens are less moile thanhumans their worlds tend to e self-supporting and less specialised.IMPERIAL !OMMA"DER3orlds elonging to the "mperium are ruled y a planetary governor called an "mperial(ommander. The "mperial (ommander may e appointed and replaced y the ruling ody of the"mperium, the Administratum, ut in almost all cases he is a hereditary ruler whose family wasappointed to the governorship hundreds or thousands of years ago. The "mperial (ommander is afeudal ruler. e holds his world for the "mperium - in return he must meet his feudal oligations.These oligations vary from planet to planet depending on the arrangement made when theruling family was installed. (ommon to all these conditions are certain oligations. "mperial(ommanders must always help and co-operate with "mperial officials and "n)uisitors. They mustmaintain the rule of the "mperium over their domain. They must provide troops for the "mperialuard as re)uired y the *epartmento Munitorium. They must control psykers within theirdomain and provide a levy of psykers for the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. And they must pay thetithes set y the Administratum. "n other respects "mperial (ommanders are free to govern theirworlds e#actly as they please.IOLATIO"IMA ma!or factor in the social, economic and technical development of human and alien worlds isthe relative isolation of each solar system. "nterstellar travel is not rare, ut the vastness of thegala#y means that most worlds are distant and sometimes difficult to reach. The continual threatof warpstorms sometimes results in worlds eing cut off for indeterminate periods of time andsometimes for good. "n the "mperium, interstellar shipping remains the preserve of the AdeptusTerra. "mperial (ommanders ultimately rely upon the "mperium for e#ternal contact. *ue to all ofthese factors most settled worlds are insular. Their inhaitants may well acknowledge thee#istence of the "mperium, ut this is hardly apparent in their daily lives.T$PE O% ETTLEME"T!ivi(ie* Wor(*The ma!ority of human and advanced alien worlds may e descried as civilised - although theterm refers to their uran landscapes rather than to any pretence of social decorum. These areworlds with large ut alanced populations centred in large cities. They are self-supportingworlds where factories turn out the ma!ority of their needs, and carefully managed farms producesufficient food to feed the inhaitants.A/ri,u(tur'( Wor(*These are little more than farming planets where most of the world's surface is given over toproducing food. The food they produce is shipped to the hungry hive worlds and thetechnological materials they re)uire are imported in return. These worlds are difficult to protectfrom food pirates and interstellar raiders. "t has een known for rival "mperial (ommanders toraid and steal grain and cattle arges from each other. The resulting skirmishes sometimes reakout into hill-scale war.I-*utri'( Wor(*These are factory planets given over to manufacture or mining. They are sparsely populated asmost functions are accomplished mechanically. $nly worlds possessing )uantities of rarematerial are really worth developing in this way. ike agricultural worlds, they are difficult todefend.Hive Wor(*ives are huge uran conglomerations which can stretch across continents and which may reachmiles into the sky. A planet may comprise many individual hives divided y areas of pollutedwaste - in some cases the world is completely uilt-up forming a single planet-wide hive. iveworlds have huge, unmanageale populations and rely upon constant recycling to produce food.%uch planets are usually rife with anarchic and destructive forces and as a result provide therichest source of fighting men for the "mperial uard.


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Me*iev'( Wor(*Many re-discovered human worlds have regressed to a social and technological status usuallydescried as medieval. 3hen these worlds are asored into the "mperium they do not changemuch. There is little point in ringing technology to a society which is getting on perfectly wellwithout it.%er'( P('-et&eral planets contain long-isolated populations where society has declined into completesavagery. &eral planets have a technological asis which is su-medieval and often stone age.The "mperium regards the populations of such worlds as harmless ut useless. The worlds may ee#plored and e#ploited for mineral wealth or settlement potential, in which case the natives mayhave to e controlled or e#terminated.De'th Wor(*These are planets which are simply too dangerous to support human settlement. They vary agreat deal in type. Typical worlds may e world-wide !ungles which harour man-eating plantsand carnivorous animals, or arren rockscapes strewn with volcanoes and wracked y nuclearstorms. These worlds are impossile to settle ut must e properly e#plored which necessitatesthe provision of outposts and other facilities.Ree'r,h t'tio-3orlds which contain no significant sentient population are often used y research units wheredangerous e#periments can e conducted into new aspects of technology. Perhaps the mostcommon type is a reeding 4nit where local wildlife undergoes domestication and evaluation forfood potential.PLA"ETAR$ DE%E"!EEach planet is responsile for its own defence. "mperial (ommanders are oliged to uild ground-ased defences, spaceports, and what defence fleets that can. The numer of weapons and shipsin any individual system will vary, depending on the enthusiasm of its governor as much aspossile danger."n addition to ships under the control of the "mperial (ommander, planets lying in vulneralepositions or having a history of troule may also have a &leet ase. Although &leet ships areindependent of those of the "mperial (ommander, oth would e ready to meet an emergency.&leet ships may also e stationed in one system so that they can patrol a numer of neary starsystems.%hips uilt y "mperial (ommanders are pure interplanetary craft with no warp drives. &leet patrolships would of course e interstellar ships with warp drives ut they'd also have many smallinterplanetary ships operating from the launch ays uilt into their hulls."n times of war or danger, fleet ships from all over a sector may e diverted from their normalduties to form a attlefleet. 5arely is it necessary to divert ships from other sectors, nor would ite worth moving vast numers of ships !ust to defend a solitary world. A common "mperial ploy isto let a world fall, knowing that it can easily e retaken once sufficient craft can e moilised.This is not a popular tactic with the populations of such planets, ut spacecraft are valuale anddifficult to replace whereas humanity is prolific.UB8TELLAR HIPThe vast ma!ority of spacecraft in the "mperium are su-stellar ships which travel only within theconfines of their own star system. The laws governing the ownership and operating of su-stellarships are the concern of the "mperial (ommander of each system. The "mperial authorities takeno great interest in what happens on this, galactically-speaking, tiny level.%u-stellar ships divide into many kinds, from warships to industrial craft.W'rhipMost space warfare centres around planets, installations and other important targets within asolar system. "t is therefore sensile to maintain su-stellar craft in the pro#imity of vulneralesystems. These craft may e &leet vessels operating out of a fleet ase, or they may e vesselselonging to the "mperial (ommander of the system.!'r/o hip"f a system has several inhaited planets it will need cargo ships of one kind or another. Thesemay e owned and run y the planetary government or y private individuals, cartels orcompanies. Most systems would have oth government-controlled and privately-owned craft.I-*utri'( hip


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These include all manner of ships used for maintenance, manufacture and mining, owned ygovernmental or private groups in the same way as cargo ships.Ree'r,h hipBery few systems are fully e#plored - there are always parts of a solar system which areuninvestigated. The e#act nature of research or e#ploration varies from system to system. Acommon ship of this type is the mineral prospecto which investigates potential mining areas.p',e t'tio-"t is not always possile to uild ases or docking facilities on planets or asteroids, so spacestations may e constructed instead. These are huge craft which provide all the facilities normallyavailale on a planet.Be',o-eacons are small space stations. They serve three functions. &irstly they act as navigationaleacons y roadcasting a local signal. %econdly, they monitor passing spacecraft, sendinginformation regarding si6e, course and registration signal. Thirdly, they act as emergency refugeswhere the crews of crippled ships can survive until they can e rescued. eacons usually have asmall crew, although some are entirely automated. The position and numer of eacons in asystem varies from none at all to hundreds.

+++I-terte(('r Tr've(+++3ithout

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