There was a passing line — easily missed — in the original Rogue Trader Rulebook published in 1987. This easily overlooked sentence referred to possibly the most awesome character in the history of the game.



In this article, I’m finally giving rules to the coolest of all Inquisitors — Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau.

Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau is a tireless exposer of psychic misdeeds and genetic deviance. As you can see from his description, Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau is equipped for just about anything — but then he has to be — he’s an Inquisitor.

Here’s his description from page 144 of the 1987 Rogue Trader Rules:

Here’s how I would play him in 5th Edition.

OBIWAN SHERLOCK CLOUSSEAU………………………………………………….230 points

WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv Obiwan 5 5 3 3 3 5 3 10 3+

Composition: Wargear: Special Rules: * 1 (Unique) * Jokaero Weapons * Psyker * Energy Field * Iron Will Unit Type: * Force sword * Veteran Retinue * Infantry * Bolt pistol * Three Steps Ahead * Frag and krak grenades

Note: Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau is an Independent Character and may be taken as an HQ choice for a Witch Hunters army. He must be used exactly as described below and may not be given any additional equipment.

SPECIAL RULES

Jokaero Digital Weapons: Obiwan is armed with three Jokaero digital weapons which fit onto his fingers. Each of these weapons can be fired once per game. They are simple to use so they can be used in addition to firing his bolt pistol and they can be used one at a time, several at a time or all at once. The laspistol digital weapon counts as a normal laspistol. The needle pistol digital weapon counts as a laspistol that always wounds on a 4+. The hand flamer digital weapon counts as a flamer that is S3 AP6.

Energy Field: Obiwan’s powerful energy field gives him a 3+ Invulnerable save.

Psyker: Clousseau is a potent psyker with unparalleled skill in precognition and telepathy. He has the Nowhere to Hide psychic power.

Nowhere to Hide: No enemy can hide from Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau’s mighty psychic powers.

This power is used during Obiwan’s Shooting phase. Choose one friendly unit within 12″ and line of sight to Obiwan. For the remainder of the Shooting phase, the chosen unit may target any enemy unit within range regardless of whether there is line of sight or not.

Three Steps Ahead: Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau always wins the dice roll to determine deployment zone. Additionally, his opponent may never attempt to Seize the Initiative.

Veteran Retinue: Obiwan always travels with three veteran henchmen. His henchmen count as wargear and cannot operate independently. Obiwan (and his attached retinue) may join and leave squads and embark on vehicles (as long as there’s room for all models) as a typical Independent Charcter. If Obiwan is removed as a casualty for any reason, any remaining members of his retinue are also removed.

WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv Retinue 4 4 3 3 1 4 2 10 4+

Note: Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau’s retinue consists of Chirugeon Watson, Arbitrator Dreyfus and Inquisitor Anakin. Unless otherwise noted, all henchmen are armed with close combat weapon, laspistol and frag and krak grenades.



Chirugeon Watson: Watson is an expert physician and has dedicated his life to serving Obiwan. As long as Watson is still alive, Obiwan (and attached unit) have the Feel No Pain special rule.

Arbitrator Dreyfus: Dreyfus serves Obiwan out of a sense of duty, but has no real love for the Inquisitor Lord. Dreyful has the You Clumsy Fool! special rule.

You Clumsy Fool!: Each time Obiwan’s unit is wounded by the enemy, up to three wounds allocated to Obiwan or his retinue may be instead resolved against Arbitrator Dreyfus. Dreyfus is armed with a Plasma Gun.

Inquisitor Anakin: Anakin is a brash and impulsive Inquisitor with an incredibly powerful psychic potential. However, his inability to control his anger often gets him into trouble. As long as Anakin is alive, Obiwan (and attached unit) has the Furious Charge and Rage special rules. Anakin is armed with a Force Weapon.

I’d love your thoughts and feedback! If you actually play a game with Obiwan Sherlock Clousseu, please let me know what happened. You can leave comments here or email me at [email protected].