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Interaction

Interacting With The Imperium

The role of the GM is to make the Warhammer 40,000 universe real to the players, to give their characters somewhere to exist. It’s not as simple as being incredibly colourful and evocative in your descriptions (although this is vital to good GMing). Sometimes guidelines are needed to determine whether the PCs can do something or not.

The PCs can’t complete an adventure simply by shooting and hacking at everything they see. The combat system in Imperium is unforgiving enough to leave most PCs who try that gasping on the floor in an expanding pool of blood.

There are many other ways of getting around the Imperium, the most common of which are detailed below. Obviously, on a million Imperial planets and beyond, the PCs are bound to come across a situation not covered in this section. It’s up to the GM to work out house rules to cover these situations.

Also, none of the rules here are immutable. They’re more like guidelines. Change them as you will, if it’s appropriate to the exact situation.

This is used to determine the success of any particular endeavour, by comparing a character’s competence in a given field (represented by an appropriate characteristic) with the task at hand.

Basically, a D100 is rolled. If the score is equal to or less than the characteristic being tested, then the action is a success. If it is greater than the tested characteristic, the action is a failure. The GM should judge the outcome of a successful or failed action.

Sometimes, more than one characteristic needs testing at a time. For example, when cutting gemstones, a jeweller will rely on both his knowledge of gemstones (Sagacity) and his own dexterity and skill (Initiative).

In situations like this, the two (or more, but this is incredibly rare) characteristics are tested simultaneously by calculating the mean average, and rolling equal to or under that average on a D100.

Awareness takes into account some or all of a character’s senses to determine exactly how much of the surrounding world he is aware of.

It can safely be assumed that a healthy character is as aware of his surroundings as any normal person in the real world. However, does he notice the forbidden book on the bookshelf, or the bloodstain on the NPC’s shirt cuff? Does he hear the assassin stealthily creeping over the rooftop, or smell the decomposing body beneath the floorboards? This is where Awareness comes in.

All Awareness tests are based on Initiative, with slight variations depending on which sense is being tested. The GM should call on players to take Awareness tests whenever there is something specific to be detected.

Awareness is largely discretionary, and the GM may decide that no test is required to detect certain things – if the body has been under the floorboards in moist conditions for a week, it will probably stink out the entire room, so no test is necessary. Tracking down the exact source of the stench is another matter, and may require a test.

If a subject is clearly visible, in reasonable light, don’t roll dice. That would just be silly. If it was dark, or the subject is hidden amongst other similar subjects (a face in a crowd, a book on a shelf), or the subject is obscured (a bandit preparing for ambush, a soldier crouching behind sandbags), then a visual Awareness test is required.

Normally only one test is required, although if the circumstances change (such as the character gets closer to the subject, or spends time looking in the appropriate direction), another test may be permitted.

Modifiers can be imposed to visual Awareness tests if the subject stands out in some way (is moving, is illuminated or reflecting light etc.) or if it is difficult to see (obscured, a long way away, in thick fog or darkness etc.). The GM should decide on the severity of these modifiers.

There is also a +10 bonus for having the Excellent Vision ability. Wearing an open helmet imposes a –15 penalty on visual Awareness test, increasing to –25 for closed helmets.

Visual Awareness tests can also be used when searching for concealed items or characters, in which case there will usually be a +20 bonus.

Loud noises (such as music, gunfire, loud splashes, explosions or shouting) will normally be heard without a test being necessary.

Medium noises (such as vehicle engines, an active chainsword, normal conversation, swimming, someone running or a window breaking) require an auditory Awareness test, but gain a +30 modifier.

Quiet noises (such as whispering, silenced gunshots, walking or stealthy movement over land or through water) require an Awareness test to be heard.

If there is other noise that could potentially drown something out, modifiers should be imposed (typically in the range of –10 to –30). It may, if background noise is high enough, be necessary to test to hear a loud noise – it is possible to shoot someone in a crowded club, without a silencer, and walk out without anyone noticing.

Intervening obstacles like walls, doors and undergrowth act as absorbers of sound, and the GM should apply additional modifiers in the range of –10 to –30 if an Awareness test is interfered with in this way.

If a character is asleep, Initiative is halved and if the sound wakes the character, he or she must take a Sagacity test to identify the sound and its source, if it is not immediately obvious.

It is very rare that the senses of smell, touch and taste come into play, except as narrative description from the GM to players. If it becomes necessary to test one of these characteristics (the body under the floorboards, for example, or feeling for a coin in the sewage beneath a grate), use an Initiative test with whatever modifiers the GM deems appropriate.

Offering a bribe to an NPC requires a successful Leadership test on the part of the briber. This test is modified depending on the amount of money offered and the severity of the act being requested. The GM should decide if the bribe offered is of the appropriate value.

Depending on the local attitude to bribery, the actual situation, and the honesty and wealth of the NPC, between 5 and 20 sestertii is a reasonable amount to persuade someone to overlook a minor criminal offence (parking tickets, not having appropriate documentation), to reveal apparently harmless information (such as a person’s name, background or medical history) or to ‘forget’ that the briber was here.

More serious bribes, such as persuading someone to commit a minor criminal offence, to reveal a person’s address or daily routine, or any of the earlier examples in a more serious context (overlooking an assault or robbery, for example), would require anything up to 100 sestertii to an average Imperial citizen.

Persuading someone to commit an act of violence or to betray an important position of trust will require more than this.

If the NPC is willing to accept bribes, a successful Leadership test is all that is needed for the bribe to be taken.

If the NPC is normally unwilling to be bribed, then he or she must take a Willpower test, with a penalty equal to the Leadership test’s margin of success. If the test is passed, the bribe attempt has failed and the NPC may report the briber.

A matched failure on a Leadership test results in the NPC reporting the bribe attempt. Alternatively, the NPC may take the bribe money and then betray the briber in some way.

Street entertainment is alive and well on many worlds (although on others it is a criminal offence – the PCs may find this out the hard way). Characters may wish to try their hand at busking, provided they have an appropriate ability that they can use to entertain passers by. In certain circumstances, even proficiency in combat or shooting can be used to impress the public, although much of the time, anyone pulling out a gun is liable to arrest or worse at the hands of law enforcement officers, unless prior arrangements have been made. Demonstrating (or secretly using) psychic powers is even more likely to cause trouble on any Imperial world, and may even result in a character being lynched. The GM should adjudicate over any unusual attempts at busking.

Busking requires a Leadership test every hour, with the PC gaining a number of denarii equal to the margin of success.

On a matched success, or if the PC is busking in a properly organised event (such as juggling at a fair, performing in a play or playing at a concert hall), this amount is increased to sestertii.

A matched failure means that something has gone badly wrong – the character may have been arrested for performing without a license, the crowd may demand its money back, the PC may get robbed, and so on.

PCs can normally communicate with non-hostile NPCs without too much difficulty, and these interactions can be roleplayed without having to resort to characteristic tests. Sometimes, the situation may be a bit more complex – either because a character is trying to get information out of an NPC, trying to lie to or mislead him, or because the NPC isn’t overly friendly and would probably prefer to shoot the PC rather than speak to him.

In particularly friendly or unfriendly situations, the GM can apply additional bonuses to communication tests.

A character can attempt to get a reduction on the price of any goods or services on sale by taking a Leadership test, with a penalty of half of the trader’s Leadership characteristic. Abilities like Charm, Haggle, Seduction and so on can be used if the GM allows it. If the test is passed, the price of the item is reduced by a percentage equal to the margin of success.

A matched failure means that the trader has been offended by the character’s incompetent haggling and increases the price by a percentage equal to the margin of failure.

Many shops, bars and eateries, particularly the larger ones that are part of a chain, will not give discount under any circumstances.

However, some cultures may see haggling over prices as part of the normal purchasing process, and become offended if a customer does not attempt to get a lower price from a trader.

Misleading or lying to other characters is likely to be a common event in Imperium. PCs wishing to bluff a character should come up with a plausible story for the bluff before taking a Leadership test. The GM can apply modifiers to this test depending on how convincing the PC’s story was, in the circumstances. For example, saying, "I didn’t do it," while holding a smoking revolver over the body of your business rival is not a good story – claiming self defence might be, if there is evidence to back the story up.

If the test is a success, the victim will believe the story and behave accordingly.

Some characters may react angrily to a failed bluff attempt, and on a matched failure, such characters may resort to immediate violence.

It is possible to try and repeat a failed bluff, although this is tested on the character’s Nerve characteristic, rather than Leadership, as the character is merely restating his bluff while trying to stay cool and not look guilty. If this test is passed, the victim is finally convinced and may even apologise for not believing the story the first time around.

This is the simplest and safest form of communication, taking the form of simple conversation between a PC and one or more NPCs. If a Leadership test is successful, the PC is able to strike up a friendly conversation, possibly resulting in useful snippets of information being given about local affairs, current events and any strange goings on. Much of this will be relevant only to the speaker and his or her own life, but some may be useful. If direct questions are asked, friendly NPCs will usually answer truthfully, although they cannot pass on information that they do not know.

Additionally, making friends with strangers often gives a PC the opportunity to ask for favours or assistance at a later date.

PCs who fail the Leadership test will be unable to strike up a conversation, either because the NPC is busy, unwilling to talk or they just don’t click. A matched failure will result in a negative reaction, ranging from polite refusal, through rudeness, up to aggression.

Eventually, most technically minded characters will want to build or repair something, whether it is a putting a barricade of tree trunks across a road, building a homemade firearm, repairing damaged armour, or constructing an entire fortress. The GM may also allow the programming of a cogitation engine to be treated as a Construction test in a virtual sense.

The character tests against an average of Sagacity and one of either Initiative or Strength, depending on the nature of the task to be performed. Physical activities, like building a wall, will require the Strength characteristic, while more complex, skill-based activities will use Initiative.

The GM can apply modifiers to this test as he deems appropriate – depending on the possession (or not) of appropriate abilities, the number of people working on the project (and possibly their loyalty and competence), the suitability of the ground upon which foundations are laid, the quality of materials, if the appropriate tools/machinery are being used, the usefulness (or existence) of any plans being followed, and so on.

The GM can also split large projects into several stages, each requiring a separate characteristic test to complete. For example, building a house may require the preparation of ground and laying of foundations (stage one, a Strength/Sagacity test), basic construction of the shell and installation of exterior doors and windows (stage two, a Strength/Sagacity test), installation of electrical systems and water supply (stage three, a Strength/Initiative test), fitting out of furnishings (stage four, a Strength/Initiative test). Failure of one test may impact on subsequent tests, although it is possible for some stages to be carried out simultaneous to others.

A successful Construction test means that the project (or that stage of it) is a success and the construction will stand up to whatever it was intended for.

Failure means that something has gone wrong. The construction may look sound, but will not work as intended, or at all. Perhaps it falls apart within a period of days or hours, or is potentially dangerous to anyone who attempts to use it.

A matched failure means that the project is an utter botch job – the weapon being made explodes, the barricade collapses as the final log is dragged into place, the carapace armour shatters as it is being beaten back into shape and skewers a splinter through the character’s hand, or the roof of the fortress keep caves in and kills hundreds of workers.

Construction tests are not intended as a licence for characters to build whatever they wish. The GM may decide that a particular project is beyond a character’s means and either refuse to allow the project to succeed, even if a 01-05 is rolled on the test.

Manufacturing an item requires materials equal in value to 50% of its cost on the Trading Charts, while repairing an item requires parts equal to 5% of its cost.

From time to time, the characters may want to earn a bit of extra cash between adventures or infiltrate an organisation for some reason.

There are five broad categories of employment open to a character:

Any career involving brute strength, from nightclub bouncer to hired gun. This category does not involve any formal military organisation (except possibly as a ‘native scout’ or an out-sourced specialist to an army).

Wage rates are generally 5-15 sestertii for a one-day hiring, or 3 sestertii per day for regular work. Illegal activity may command a wage several times higher, depending on the level of criminality and the risk involved.

Dockers, starship crew, building labourers, factory workers, warehouse workers, farmhands and so on. With the exception of starships and factories, where casual labour is either impossible (due to journey times) or impractical (due to business regimes), labourers tend to be hired for a day’s work, and then let go, only to be rehired the day after, if they are needed. Wage rates tend to be around 2 sestertii per day, although accommodation costs will be deducted from this, if supplied.

The qualified (craftsmen, lawyers, surgeons etc., but not academics) can expect to earn between 30-100 sestertii per week. They may be paid monthly, and may have bonuses for complex or prestigious work.

Usually private tutors in an academic field, or as experts-for-hire, academics are normally paid by the hour (3 sestertii an hour), unless employed fulltime, in which case they earn 50-80 sestertii per week, although fulltime wages are generally paid as a monthly salary. Fulltime or retained academics probably have access to facilities that a part-timer would not have. Generally speaking, job opportunities for academics are rare within the Imperium, and job security is poor, employment lasting as long as is required, and no longer. Poor performance is not normally tolerated either.

This is the kind of job that almost anyone can be recruited for – less physical than labour and requiring a minimal level of qualifications. Clerical work, public services and retail are the most common areas for grunt work, while the entertainment industry frequently requires people with (some) talent but not necessarily any brains. Overseers for jobs that would otherwise be classed as being in the Labourer category are also included in this category. Wages tend to vary, but 2-5 sestertii per day is about average, with wages generally paid weekly or monthly.

There are two common methods of gaining employment in the Imperium. The first is the time-honoured ‘job pole’, while the second is by interview. As a general guideline, the more qualifications are necessary for the job, the more likely it is that the second method is employed.

This tradition relies on the existence of an area in each town or city district in which the unemployed working class gather to be offered work, while prospective employers come to pick whoever looks the most suitable for the jobs on offer that day. The prospective employees, meanwhile, tend to loudly boast about the qualities that would make them the ideal employee, in an attempt to increase their chances of employment. The work is rarely skilled to any great degree, and is never long-term – a few days at the most, but most commonly a single shift. The name for the practice comes from the ancient tradition of officially marking the area with a tree or a wooden pole, but the name has stuck, even where the ‘pole’ is a sign bolted to a wall, a fenced enclosure or a painted rectangle on a patch of waste ground.

Those who are taken for employment leave immediately with the employer and are paid at the end of the day. The next morning, they, and those who failed to gain employment the previous day, return to the job pole and hope for one of the employers to pick them for another day’s work.

Often, the job pole is the only way for mutants and less socially acceptable abhumans (beastmen and ogryns, more rarely squats and ratlings) to gain any form of work to put food on the table. Discrimination at the job pole often goes unchecked, even when (unenforceable) planetary law grants rights to the groups in question.

Both the Labourer and Freelance job categories normally hire at the job pole, but occasionally, the Semi-Skilled sector picks people here, usually as overseers for other work. Freelance employers tend to take fewer workers at a time, although occasionally recruitment drives are run for crime syndicates, mercenary groups, and even terrorist groups.

There is a flat 50% chance of being employed at a job pole, since employers usually just grab the nearest healthy-looking individuals.

This chance is increased by +5 per ability relevant to the jobs being asked for, or if the character has the Public Speaking or Bluff abilities.

The health of the local and planetary economy may raise or lower the chances of employment, as will the number of people looking for work.

The chance should be lowered somewhat if the character is of poor health or from an undesirable social group (mutants, abhumans, offworlders, women, and so on, depending on the planetary culture).

The Professional and Academic job categories always recruit via (sometimes lengthy and tedious) interviews, while the more prestigious or well-paid Semi-Skilled positions are often opened up to interviews, rather than merely grabbing someone at the job pole.

A character with a job interview should make a successful Leadership test, with bonuses of +10 for each of the following abilities used at the interview: Bluff, Charm and Wit. The GM may allow a character to use the Seduction ability to be used as well, should circumstances allow it. An excellent CV (genuine or fake) also gives a +10 bonus. Be aware that if it is discovered that a character used a false CV, or lied at the job interview, there is a very good chance that disciplinary action will result and, if the character has infiltrated an evil corporation to bring it down from within, that suspicions may be raised. Lying at an interview, particularly for an Imperial or planetary government position, may also be a criminal offence.

The GM may wish for characters to roleplay a job interview, although this is rarely necessary.

If a character wants to estimate a number, such as the size of an oncoming army, the value of a particular item in a market, the distance between two points, the GM should secretly test the character’s Sagacity.

If successful, the estimate will be accurate to within +/-10%. A matched success reduces this margin to +/-1%. A failed test indicates that the character’s estimate is out by more than 10%. Matched failures result in an utterly wild guess that may present the character with bogus information.

There are many forms of gambling, but most forms of tabletop gambling can be decided by a simple dice roll. The GM may wish to have players act out some games, but this may take too much time out of a roleplaying session to be worthwhile.

Each character bets an equal amount of money and then rolls a D100. The winner is the character with the highest roll. Successful characters win a sum equal to the initial stake from each of the other players.

If gambling in an organised casino game, the house adds D3x10 to its roll, depending on how honest the management is. In such games, a player’s winnings will be doubled, to compensate for the additional risk.

In rigged games, the house may add D6x10 to its roll, but rarely does so all the time. Winnings may or may not be increased in this situation.

Characters with the Gamble ability receive a bonus to their roll equal to half of their Sagacity score.

If the game is a draw, then nobody wins. In organised games, the house claims all the stakes.

Characters attempting to cheat receive a bonus to their roll equal to their Sagacity score, but stand a likely chance of being caught out. After the results of a round of betting have been declared, the GM should secretly make an Initiative test for each participant to see if they spotted any cheating. This test is made with a penalty of –10, unless the participant has the Gamble ability, in which case there is a bonus of +10 instead – professional gamblers know all the tricks.

Although some cultures view cheating as the mark of a good gambler, getting caught is always frowned upon. Most legal systems treat cheating as a form of fraud, and the seedier gambling dens mete out their own form of (occasionally terminal) justice.

When outnumbered, outgunned or simply not wanting to get spotted, a character can attempt to hide, provided there is sufficient time and cover in which to do so.

A hiding character must take an Initiative test in order to do so, with a +10 bonus if using camouflage, +20 if concealed by smoke, fog or darkness, or any other cumulative bonuses approved by the GM. If hiding in less than optimum conditions, or when leaving evidence of the character’s presence (blood, footprints etc.), appropriate penalties should be applied.

A character with the appropriate Concealment ability for the environment gains a further +20 bonus.

A successfully hidden character can only be spotted if a character passes a visual Awareness test with a penalty equal to the Hide test’s margin of success. Characters deliberately searching gain a +20 bonus, as described in the Awareness section.

If characters attack from hiding (either charging or firing from cover), their opponents count as being surprised for the first round of combat.

Sometimes, it may be necessary to gain information from someone who is determined not to talk. On these occasions, threatening to break their legs often assists negotiation.

An interrogation session must involve the threat of violence, torture, imprisonment or some other form of intimidation (violence against relatives or loved ones normally has a satisfactory effect).

The victim of the interrogation must take a Willpower test, with a penalty equal to half of the interrogator’s Willpower. If the victim is compelled to remain silent for some reason (fear of self-incrimination or having been offered protection or threatened by a third party, for example), he or she gains a +20 bonus to the test. Prolonged imprisonment or the use of psychological torture (for strobe lighting, white noise or psychic torment) may cause penalties of between –10 and -30.

If the test is successful, the victim has withstood this bout of questioning. A matched success means that the character will never talk, and only torture will glean any information.

If the test is failed, the victim reveals a single item of information for every ten points or part of the margin of failure. A matched failure means that he has completely broken down and admitted everything – in fact, it might be difficult to shut him up as he admits to everything he has ever done and has no relevance to the questions asked of him.

If the interrogation goes through to another attempt, the same procedure is followed, except that the victim loses 10 points of Willpower for each subsequent round of interrogation as the continual questioning and threats wear him down. If the interrogation is halted for some reason, later sessions begin again at the subject’s initial Willpower, unless the victim is kept on edge through psychological torture.

Rather than merely threaten to cause harm to the victim of interrogation, characters may decided to torture the victim. This is generally more effective than a standard interrogation, although untrained torturers risk causing victims serious injuries, and perhaps even killing them.

The most important part of running a torture session where the PCs are the torturers is to have the players explain exactly what their characters are doing to the victim, where they’re inserting electrodes, which body parts they’re removing, what exactly the victim is being forced to eat, and so on. If the players are uncomfortable with this, then they’re getting it right – torture is an incredibly inhuman act, and should never be taken lightly, even by Inquisitors (although they, like most torturers, do become desensitised to a greater or lesser degree).

A session of torture works in the same way as standard interrogation, with the difference that the victim suffers an additional –20 penalty to his or her Willpower. Additionally, D6 points of damage are done to the victim for each attempt of the session, whether the test is passed or failed. This damage does not cause location injuries unless the result of the D6 roll is a 6. If this occurs, a level of location injury is done to a part of the body determined by the GM (depending on the exact torture – pulling teeth affects the head, being beaten and kicked affects the body or arms, and so on). This level of location injury is in addition to the non-location damage of the torture.

People very rarely come out of a torture chamber unchanged.

The victim of torture gains 1 Insanity point per successful Willpower test of the torture, and D3 points whenever a test is failed.

Torturers don’t necessarily get away unscathed, either. Ripping out someone’s toenails is something that only the most zealous fanatic or psychopathic scumbag can do without feeling some kind of self-disgust, guilty or empathy – self-justification can only go so far. At the end of each torture attempt, the torturer must take a Willpower test. A failure results in the torturer needing a rest for D6 hours before being able to continue with the torture. A matching failure means that the torturer needs time out (or may refuse to continue at all) and gains an Insanity point. Characters with the Torture ability receive a +20 modifier to this test, as do those of either a Radical or Puritan mindset (extremists are more able to justify the suffering of others if it supports their beliefs).

Characters can use improvised tools or specially designed multi-keys to open locks for which they don’t have the keys.

Normally, a character is only allowed one attempt to pick a lock, but characters with the Pick Lock ability can try a number of times up to their Initiative characteristic divided by 20.

Locks have a Lock Rating of between 0 and 100, with 0 being the cheapest, lowest quality lock on the market, and 100 being the kind used on the Inquisition’s evidence vaults. Most conventional locks will be between the ranges of 20-50, while most electronic locks will nestle in the 30-70 range.

It takes an Initiative test to open a lock, with a penalty equal to the lock’s Lock Rating. Characters with the Pick Lock ability gain a +10 bonus to this test.

Using improvised lock-picks, rather than a professional multi-key, on a conventional lock imposes a –20 penalty. Electronic locks cannot be picked with improvised lock-pick, although knocking out the power supply may cause the lock to disengage (or it may trigger a failsafe that fuses the lock completely…).

A matched failure when picking a conventional lock means that the lock-pick has broken in the keyhole, thus rendering the lock unusable and unpickable unless someone manages to retrieve the pieces of broken lockpick.

A character may attempt to surreptitiously steal items from another character (PC or NPC) without being noticed. The aim of the act may be to remove a specific item, such as a purse from a belt, or pistol from a holster, or it may be to dip a hand into a pocket or backpack and take whatever comes to hand.

Picking a pocket requires a successful Initiative test (with a +20 bonus if the victim is asleep). A character with the Pick Pocket ability has a +10 Initiative bonus when picking pockets, but a character without it has a –30 penalty.

The GM may also impose additional penalties depending on how many other people are present. The sparser the crowd, the more likely it is that someone will notice the pickpocket.

Success indicates that the dip has been successful. If the pickpocket was going for a specific item, this has been stolen. If fishing randomly, a number of items, equal to the margin of success divided by 10, are taken from the pocket or backpack (treating coins as individual items). The GM should determine these items randomly.

If the pickpocket does not have the Pick Pocket ability, all failed attempts result in the character being spotted, but a character with the ability is only spotted on a matched failure – skilled dippers know how to look subtle to witnesses and when to cut their losses and pull out.

Characters can attempt to earn money by picking pockets by taking a Pick Pocket test once per day. A successful test indicates goods or cash to the value of D10+1 sestertii have been obtained. Failure means that the character has failed to obtain anything, or has spent the day being chased by angry victims. A matched failure indicates that the character has been captured, usually by the authorities but perhaps some less legal form of law enforcement – the underworld, a vigilante group, a weird cult, and so on.

Characters who spend excessively long periods of time picking pockets suffer a cumulative penalty of –10 Initiative per day above one, as locals and law enforcement become aware of a mini crime spree.

Note that the same modifiers apply to daily pickpocketing as to individual attempts, although the circumstances will be more generalised.

This is the most basic use of a character’s Initiative characteristic outside of combat – his reaction times to sudden events like a trap going off, an ambush, or a car speeding towards him.

Simply take an Initiative test to determine if the character reacts to the event in time by dodging, ducking, stepping back or otherwise managing to avoid the danger.

Characters behaving in a gung ho fashion, or who are distracted, encumbered or otherwise slowed down, should have penalties to their Initiative. Conversely, any character specifically expecting trouble (e.g. was watching that particular door, waiting for the ambushers to pour in) may benefit from Initiative bonuses.

Sneak

Creeping around without being spotted requires a successful Initiative test. There is a +10 bonus for having the Silent Move ability appropriate to the environment, but other modifiers can be applied to account for background noise, thick carpets, walking on loose shale, and so on.

Some dull-witted creatures (and occasionally characters) cannot be relied upon to act appropriately in any given situation. These creatures should take a Sagacity test in any situation where the GM deems it appropriate – when confronted with an obstacle, in a fight, when frustrated, and so on.

If there is someone coaxing the creature into a particular response, there is a +20 bonus to the test.

If the test is passed, the creature is able to work out a logical reaction to the situation – fighting, fleeing, turning a door handle, pulling a lever and so on.

If the test is failed, the creature is confused and behaves instinctively at best. In a fight, it will lash out at anything it deems to be a threat – this is usually an enemy, but friends may become targets as well, particularly if they accidentally endanger the creature. It won’t think tactically, or seek out targets that don’t directly pose a threat. In other situations, it may try to solve problems by prodding them, hitting them, wandering off, or simply by giving up and sitting down until something happens.

The Imperium is a vast realm comprising one million worlds. Each of these worlds has its own dialects of Low Imperial Gothic, some of which are so far apart, both culturally and linguistically, that they should really be counted as separate languages.

Similarly, communicating with aliens requires an understanding of the language and cultural references of the species in question.

Understanding a language for which the character does not have the appropriate Speak Additional Dialect, Speak Alien Language, Secret Language or Arcane Language ability requires the character to take a Sagacity test.

The Linguistics ability confers a +10 bonus to this test. Alien languages impose a –30 penalty, unless the character has the appropriate Xenology ability.

Spoken language is far harder to interpret than writing, imposing a –20 penalty. However, if a speaker wishes to be understood, and is making efforts to speak slowly, use simple words and so on, this penalty is removed.

The GM can also add a discretionary bonus when the character is trying to understand another dialect of a language that is already known. This is most commonly the case with Low Imperial Gothic. Two near-standard dialects from cosmopolitan civilised worlds will offer a bonus as high as +30, but no bonus would be applied when translating between two feral dialects from opposite ends of the galaxy, as there will be very little in common between the two dialects.

If the Sagacity test is failed, the character is unable to understand the language in question. If speech is repeated or if writing is studied for a further time, an additional test may be taken. A character is allowed a number of attempts to understand a language equal to his Sagacity divided by twenty.

A matched failure can still be re-attempted, but the character probably won’t try, since he mistakenly believes he has worked out what the text or speech means. This can be potentially dangerous, depending on the context.

Because of the risks of mistranslation, it is advisable to learn the local language whenever spending time on a new planet.