Before this post goes anywhere there’s two things folks should know–I’m not actually “in the office” right now and I won’t be for more than a week, so there isn’t a post going up next Friday (come back on 11/24).

The second thing is that Dan Abnett is fucking spectacular. He is far and away the person most responsible for getting me addicted to the grimdark future and I can’t say enough good things about his work. If for some awful reason nobody has exposed you to it yet, please, please go find a copy of one of the (many amazing) Gaunt’s Ghosts novels or something from Eisenhorn or (if you want what I felt was arguably a more compelling series because who doesn’t want a psychic casket protagonist?!) Ravenor or any of the anthologies with his work. You will not be disappointed.

PS: If last week you were like “wow Mists of Akuma Roll20 modules!” check it out because there are now 6 (including one that has versions in D&D 5E and Shadow of the Demon Lord) over on their marketplace. 😀

ON TO THE HACK!

First post general rules, the Corruption ability score, new skills, a hit selection system, races, character backgrounds, the psyker feat.
Second post the (shared) Resources party attribute, the Lucky Bastard feat, new martial weapons, new ranged weapons, new extremis weapons, power armor
Third post Apothecary monk archetype, Chaplains, and the Imperial Guard Veteran archetype
Fourth post Assault space marine barbarian archetype and the Imperial Commissar fighter archetype
Fifth post Psyker sorcerer archetype, Grey Knight warlock archetype, and Sisters of Battle monk archetype
Sixth post ASSASSINORUM CLADES! My favorite. ❤
Seventh post Inquisitors (warlock archetype) and Grey Knight space marines (paladin archetype)
Eighth post Sneaky space marines (I am Alpharius) and Rogue Trader bards!
Last post Techmarine mad scientists and Tech-Priest scrappers (both are classes with free PDFs)
TODAY’S POST We’re getting into one of the underappreciated bits of Abnett’s work (Enuncia; note that I took a few liberties here) and doling out the chaos template before the monster statblock posts begin. 😀

FEAT: Enuncia

Prerequisites: Intelligence 16, evil alignment
You know a number of Enuncia equal to half your proficiency bonus, selected from the list below. After uttering an Enuncia, any more uses of that Enuncia in the next 24 hours double their negative effects. Once you have learned one type of Enuncia, you may not select from that type again until you have learned at least one Enuncia from all other types. This feat may be selected multiple times.

Noun: Admordeo. As a reaction after you hit a living creature with a weapon attack that deals piercing or slashing damage, you hiss a word of bloodlust, dealing 6 points of damage to yourself. Your attack deals an additional amount of damage equal to half your proficiency bonus

Noun: Explivas. As a bonus action you spit out a word of primal malice that manifests into a wave of force, dealing 4 points of damage to yourself. Make a ranged attack roll against a creature within 30 feet. On a hit you deal 1d12 thunder damage plus your Strength modifier. On a critical hit, the creature is knocked prone.

Adjective: Anteactus. As an action, you utter a jibbering of syllables that pluck along the chords of fate, dealing 12 points of damage to yourself and bringing the energies of moments in the past to your senses. As long as you remain motionless, the events of the past reveal themselves to you:

• After 1 minute you can sense the strongest emotion associated with an area or object you are touching.
• After 2 minutes you can glean the general features of the creature the emotion belongs to.
• After 3 minutes you have a clear mental image of the creature the emotion belongs to.
• After 4 minutes you learn the person’s basic details (in what city they live, what their job is, and so on).
• After 5 minutes you learn the person’s name.

Remaining motionless requires a concentration check every 30 seconds (DC 5 + 1 per previous check). If a creature is in combat within 30 feet, you have disadvantage on the concentration check.

Adjective: Praesens. As a bonus action, you whisper a questioning word from the void, dealing 10 points of damage to yourself, but in return you are gifted with glimpses of possible futures and likely outcomes. You have advantage on your next d20 roll.

Verb: Excaeco. As an action and bonus action, you pulverize your mouth to shout a potent word of command, dealin 20 points of damage to yourself. Choose a creature within 60 feet and make a Strength saving throw opposed by the target’s Charisma saving throw. On a success, you paralyze the creature until the beginning of your next turn.

Verb: Nilum. As an action, you utter a baffling word that muddles the senses, dealing 8 points of damage to yourself. Choose a creature within 30 feet and make a Wisdom saving throw opposed by the target’s Wisdom saving throw. On a success, you make the creature blind and deaf until the end of your next turn. By spending a bonus action and dealing 4 points of damage to yourself to continue uttering, you may extend the duration of the creature’s blindness and deafness by 1 round.

Ran into this picture and SUPER MAD PROPS on your amazing costume!
EMBRACE THE CANIS HELIX AND DESTROY YOUR ENEMIES!

Chaos Template

The chaos template can be added to any living creature (in particular the space marine that appears in the next post!) It should be noted that this template means a creature has completely and irredeemably fallen, drinking deep from the Warp–a typical traitor space marine doesn’t need this, but if they’re a Veteran of the Long War it is definitely appropriate.

Alignment. Chaos creatures are chaotic evil.
Armor Class. Chaos creatures gain a natural armor of 2.
Speed. Chaos creatures increase all of their movement speeds by 10 feet.
Ability Scores. Chaos creatures choose two physical or mental attributes to increase by 2. They choose one of their opposite attributes (mental is opposite physical) to decrease by 4.
Resistances. Chaos creatures have resistance to necrotic and poison damage.
Poison Resistant. Chaos creatures have advantage on saving throws against disease and poison.
Senses. Chaos creatures gain darkvision 120 feet.
Vulnerabilities. Chaos creatures are vulnerable to radiant damage.
Languages. Chaos creatures speak and understand Warpspeech.
Magical Attacks. Chaos creatures weapon attacks are magical and they gain a +1 bonus on weapon attack rolls and damage rolls.
Challenge Rating. Chaos creatures increase their CR by 1. Do not recalculate proficiency bonus.