The Darker Path to Power Sorcery can be a powerful tool, allowing mundane humans and xenos alike to manifest psychic powers through use of arcane and profane symbols and gestures. However such power comes at a price and even the smallest slip of the tongue or incorrect gesture can lead to damnation for the individual foolish enough to toy with such power. – Inquisition Archives, Unknown Sorcery Game Mechanics Sorcery allows a character to manifest psychic powers without the Psyker advance. The mechanics are treated the same (sorcerers may even, at the GMs discretion, purchase psyker talents and the psyniscience skill to represent their seeming control of the warp) with the following exceptions: The sorcerer must be able to gesture and speak freely as they invoke profane symbols and phrase to shape the power of the warp.

Sorcerers suffer -10 on all tests to manifest powers to represent the additional complexity.

Sorcerers suffer a +20 on all Psychic Phenomenon results.

Every time a sorcerer successful uses a power they suffer a number of corruption points equal to 1d10 minus their Willpower Bonus.

Sorcerers are treated as unsanctioned psykers for purposes such as pushing powers etc. Note that due to the forbidden and profane nature of sorcery characters may be restricted in when and how they can learn related talents based on their access to knowledge of these arts. As always those wishing to pursue this route should discuss it with their GM. Alternatively sorcery may be learned by someone who already possesses the Psyker advance – in which case it empowers their skills to higher levels. When manifesting powers they may choose either to use them normally as a psyker (using the normal mechanics and rules for psychic powers) or to increase their potency by utilising their knowledge of sorcery. When doing the latter they treat their psy-rating as the sum of both their psyker psy-rating and their sorcerer effective psy-rating. The following exceptions, similar to most sorcerers apply: The sorcerer must be able to gesture and speak freely as they invoke profane symbols and phrase to shape the power of the warp.

Sorcerers suffer a +20 on all Psychic Phenomenon results.

Every time a sorcerer successful uses a Dark Power they suffer a number of corruption points equal to 1d10 minus their Willpower Bonus. Talents Sorcerer Tier: 3

3 Aptitudes: Willpower, Knowledge or Psyker

Willpower, Knowledge or Psyker Prerequisite: Int 35+, Will 35+, Forbidden Lore (Daemonology or Warp) +10. Become a sorcerer with an effective psy-rating of 1. You may learn and purchase psychic powers normally. Advanced Sorcerer Tier: 3

3 Aptitudes: Willpower, Knowledge

Willpower, Knowledge Prerequisite: Sorcerer, cannot be taken by psykers. Gain +1 effective psy-rating; can be taken up to twice. Master Sorcerer Tier: 3

3 Aptitudes: Willpower, Knowledge

Willpower, Knowledge Prerequisite: Int 40+, Will 50+, Forbidden Lore (Daemonology or Warp) +20, Sorcerer, Advanced Sorcerer (2) or Psyker. Gain +1 effective psy-rating, a +10 bonus to daemonic mastery tests and become immune to the effects of Daemon Presence. Sublime Arts Tier: 1

1 Aptitudes: Willpower, Knowledge

Willpower, Knowledge Prerequisite: Int 40+, Per 25+, Sorcerer. The sorcerer no longer needs to gesture or speak to invoke psychic powers however doing so increases the complexity further and they suffer an additional -10 on tests to manifest. Fuelled by Flesh Tier: 3

3 Aptitudes: Willpower, General

Willpower, General Prerequisite: Sorcerer. When failing to manifest a power the sorcerer may choose to inflict 1d5 points of damage to themselves on any location to re-roll the test to manifest. The damage is not reduced by armour or toughness. If they causes psychic phenomena on the intial failed test roll for that as usual, this may result in 2 sets of perils or psychic phenomena. The downside of this practice is that the sorcerer tends to have a mess of open cuts and wounds – as a result the sorcerer suffers -20 to resist disease and poisons and if wounded by a toxic weapon they suffer at additional 1d10 damage with no reduction from armour of toughness bonus. 1

Dark Powers Create Door The sorcerer summons a burning doorway from thin air that can be used to travel anywhere the sorcerer can clearly recall. Value: 400xp

400xp Prerequisite: Intelligence 30+, Perception 25+, Psy Rating 3+

Intelligence 30+, Perception 25+, Psy Rating 3+ Action: Full Action

Full Action Focus Power: -30 Willpower Test

-30 Willpower Test Range: 10 metres x psy rating

10 metres x psy rating Sustained: Free Action

Free Action Subtype: Concentration Effect: A doorway is summoned anywhere within range of the psyker leading to any location the sorcerer can clearly recall. The player must tell the GM where they would like the door to lead and the GM will then set an appropriate Difficulty rating based on when the sorcerer was last in that place, their state of mind, circumstances and concentration. The sorcerer can then step through the doorway and make an Intelligence Test based on that Difficulty. If passed, all is well. If not, the GM will determine a suitable alternate destination – typically one the sorcerer would prefer to avoid. Max. Distance Difficulty Min. Psy Rating 100m +20 1 10km +10 2 Planet +0 3 System -10 4 Subsector -20 5 Sector -30 6 Travelling through such a blasphemous portal brings users closer to the warp than is safe. Anyone passing through must pass a -20 Willpower Test or they must roll on the Perils of the Warp table. Disease With a flick of their hand the sorcerer invokes plague upon their target, who begins to vomit bile and blood as their skin forms into bulbous pustules. Value: 200xp

200xp Prerequisite: Toughness 35+, Corruption 30+

Toughness 35+, Corruption 30+ Action: Half Action

Half Action Focus Power: Opposed -10 Willpower Test

Opposed -10 Willpower Test Range: 5m

5m Sustained: No

No Subtype: Attack Effect: Must be cast on a target within range and line of sight who resists with a Toughness test. The disease lasts for a number of rounds equal to your degrees of success on the opposed test plus the psy rating minus the targets toughness bonus (to a minimum of 1) and for the duration of they are affected the characters characteristics are reduced by 10 each. If this reduces the targets toughness to zero or below they die and their soul is forfeit to Nurgle. Their corpse will decay further and arise as a Plaguebearer 5 rounds later. It will immediately attack anyone nearby not aligned to Nurgle. Flail of Skulls Using strands of warp energy, the sorcerer binds together the skulls of the fallen, creating a flail of skulls that burns with malice. Value: 200xp

200xp Prerequisite: Weapon Skill 30+

Weapon Skill 30+ Action: Half Action

Half Action Focus Power: +0 Willpower Test

+0 Willpower Test Range: You

You Sustained: Free Action

Free Action Subtype: Concentration Effect: Using one or more skulls in your possession you create a Flail of Skulls counting as a melee weapon doing 1d10 impact damage and having the Flexible and Warp Weapon quality. The sorcerer is considered trained in this weapons use. Any target suffering damage from a Flail of Skulls gains 1d10 insanity points and an addition point for each skulls used in the creation of the flail after the first. Immunity By swallowing a solid round of ammunition, the sorcerer fortifies their body against projectiles and crude weapons. Value: 300xp

300xp Prerequisite: Toughness 40+

Toughness 40+ Action: Half Action

Half Action Focus Power: -20 Willpower Test

-20 Willpower Test Range: You

You Sustained: Free Action

Free Action Subtype: Concentration Effect: The sorcerer must pass a Toughness Test, if successful for psy rating number of turns the sorcerer becomes immune to all Impact damage. 2

Living Weapon The sorcerer carves a foul symbol of Chaos into their flesh, calling on the warp to remake their flesh for war. Value: 300xp

300xp Prerequisite: Strength 30+, Toughness 30+, Corruption 30+

Strength 30+, Toughness 30+, Corruption 30+ Action: Full Action

Full Action Focus Power: -20 Willpower Test

-20 Willpower Test Range: You

You Sustained: Free Action

Free Action Subtype: Concentration Effect: Whilst this power is in effect, the sorcerer gains +20 WS, +20 S, +10 T, +10 Ag, a +3 bonus to Initiative and the Natural Weapons trait. If cast at a psy rating of 3 or higher the sorcerers Natural Weapons also gain the Tearing quality, if cast at 5 or higher they also gain the Razor Sharp quality, if cast at 8 they gain the Warp Weapon quality. Whilst in this state the sorcerer’s fellowship is reduced by 10. The sorcerer must roll twice for corruption when manifesting this power and pick the highest value as they willingly allow chaos to reshape their body, if only for a time. Open Using their own blood, the sorcerer traces a blasphemous rune across a sealed portal or object, dissolving the essence of the locking mechanism. Value: 300xp

300xp Prerequisite: Int 30+

Int 30+ Action: Full Action

Full Action Focus Power: +0 Willpower Test

+0 Willpower Test Range: Touch

Touch Sustained: No

No Subtype: Attack Effect: This power can be used on any object regardless of how it was originally sealed. The sorcerer suffers 1d5 damage for a small object, 1d10 for a medium, 2d10 for large which is not reduced by Toughness or Armour. The GM should feel free to alter the amount of damage taken to better represent a given object. Abhorrent Ward With a finger dipped in blood, the sorcerer draws a burning rune in the air which then burns the minds of those nearby with fear and confusion. Value: 200xp

200xp Prerequisite: Corruption 10+

Corruption 10+ Action: Full Action

Full Action Focus Power: -10 Willpower Test

-10 Willpower Test Range: Touch

Touch Sustained: No

No Subtype: None Effect: Anyone wishing to advance towards the rune, other than the sorcerer, must pass a +20 Willpower Test or become rooted to the spot in fear and become unable to do anything further that turn. If created with psy rating of 2 the test is only at a +10, at rating 3 +0, rating 5 -10, rating 7 it becomes immune to rending and impact damage and rating 9 it invokes Fear (1). Transfix Flicking the blood of the recently deceased into the target’s face and muttering a guttural curse, the sorcerer inflicts horrible hallucinations on the target as they witness horrific images of darkness and despair. Value: 400xp

400xp Prerequisite: Willpower 50+, Psy Rating 2+

Willpower 50+, Psy Rating 2+ Action: Half Action

Half Action Focus Power: -10 Willpower Test

-10 Willpower Test Range: 3m

3m Sustained: No

No Subtype: Attack Effect: The target becomes totally transfixed and unable to do anything for an hour unless they pass a +20 Willpower Test with a penalty of -10 for each point of rating used to cast this power after the first. The victim also gains psy-rating insanity points. The sorcerer needs blood of a fresh corpse, should this not be available regular blood or old blood may be used but the focus test becomes a -20 Willpower Test, alternatively no blood can be used but as a minus -30 Willpower Test. Wall of Souls The sorcerer draws from the power of the warp and calls forth a wall of leering, aetheric faces to bar the path of their adversaries. Value: 100xp

100xp Prerequisite: Psyniscience rank 1

Psyniscience rank 1 Action: Full Action

Full Action Focus Power: -20 Willpower Test

-20 Willpower Test Range: 5m x psy rating

5m x psy rating Sustained: Free Action

Free Action Subtype: Concentration Effect: A 5m wide by 5m high wall of souls summoned which can be crossed with ease – but comes at a price. Any person hit by the wall as it manifests, crossing the wall, or stumbling into it suffers 2d10 insanity points and must pass a +10 Toughness Test of become stunned for 1 round. Casting this power at higher psy ratings than 1 allows you to add either 5m to the height or width per point of rating beyond the first. If the sorcerer fails to manifest this power by more than 2 degrees of failure the energies are unleashed on them and they suffer 1d10 insanity points and are unable to take any further actions of any kind until their next turn. 3