Regimental drawbacks

Here i will list the different regimental drawbacks available. I will omit the lore behind the options, if you want the lore i suggest you read it in their respective rulebook or in other sources.

The different drawbacks come from different sourcebooks, these are. Core Rulebook = Core, Shield of Humanity = SoH, Hammer of the Emperor = HotE.

If a regimental drawback has any special rules regarding regimental command, the headline "Regimental Command" will be added at the end of the regiment followed by any special rules.

Regimental Rivalry: +2 HotE

Dishonoured: +3 HotE

Cloud of Suspicion: +3 HotE

Conscripts: +3 SoH

Cult of Chivalry: +3 HotE

Iconoclasts: +3 SoH

Mistrusted: +3 HotE

Tainted: +3 SoH

Honour Bound: +4 HotE

Poorly Provisioned: +4 HotE

Scarred by Loss: +4 HotE

Warp-Delayed: +4 SoH

The Few: +5 HotE

Incompetent Leadership: +5 HotE

Lost Home World: +5 HotE

Primitive: +5 SoH

Traitors: +5 SoH

Condemned: +6 HotE

Doomed: +7 HotE

''' Regimental Rivalry. '''

Regiment Points: +2

Talents: Hatred (Choose one†) and Enemy (Choose one†)

†When selecting this Regimental Drawback, a single Imperial Guard regiment must be chosen. The Hatred and Enemy choices must be the same regiment, and cannot be another unit from the Player Character’s own regiment.

''' Dishonoured. '''

Regiment Points: +3

Seeking Redemption: While engaged in battle, a member of this regiment must pass a Difficult (–10) Willpower Test when ordered to give ground, withdraw, or otherwise relinquish something of importance to the mission. If the character fails this Test, he can still choose to follow the order to act against his desires, but he gains 1d5–2 (to a minimum of 1) Insanity Points from the mental stress of enduring this further disgrace.

''' Cloud Of Suspicion. '''

Regiment Points: +3

Talents: Enemy (Adeptus Arbites) or Enemy (Inquisition) or Enemy (Other), Paranoia.

Untimely Inquiries: Whenever this regiment fails in an operation or the Squad fails to complete a mission or achieve a critical objective, the power with a worrisome interest in the regiment rears its ugly head, at the Game Master’s discretion. When such an investigation takes place, even on a regimental level, every member of the regiment suffers a –5 penalty to Willpower Tests until the interference concludes due to the stress that it causes.

Regimental Command: This is often a character created using this theme who is under the control of the game builder and usually not a player character. While it would be hilarious to have an inquisitor looking into a regiment also control said regiment, a permanent -5 to willpower gets old quickly. This one takes some more work for the game builder but there usually is ready made NPC's to use somewhere.

''' Conscripts. '''

Regiment Points: +3

Unwilling: This regiment was forcibly conscripted, perhaps at gun point, and its members serve the Imperial Guard only grudgingly. Characters from this regiment suffer a –10 penalty to all Willpower Tests, and all Command Tests to influence members of this regiment (including Comrades) suffer a –10 penalty.

''' Cult Of Chivalry. '''

Regiment Points: +3

Code of Honour: A member of this regiment must pass a Difficult (–10) Willpower Test before attempting to use the Deceive Skill (even on an enemy); if he fails, he must either tell the truth or remain silent. Members of such regiments can still lie by omission, though such tactics are almost invariably frowned upon. Further, due to their tendency to deal honestly with others, members of regiments with this Drawback suffer a –10 penalty to Scrutiny Tests Opposing the Deceive Skill.

''' Iconclasts. '''

Regiment Points: +3

In the Shadows of the Ecclesiarchy’s Light: Rightfully or no, the Ecclesiarchy views this regiment with suspicion, seeing their religious practices (or lack thereof ) as dangerously iconoclastic. Characters from this regiment suffer a –10 penalty to all interaction tests with the representatives of the Ecclesiarchy. For such regiments, it is common for the Adeptus Ministorum to attach additional Priests, Confessors, and other representatives, particularly if they feel the regiment is not yet beyond salvation. However, such forces are sure to experience problems dealing with the regiment. Player Characters with the Ministorum Priest Speciality suffer a –10 penalty when interacting with NPC members of this regiment, including Comrades, but excluding the Ministorum Priest’s own Comrade (it is assumed that his Comrade is either one of the few in the regiment loyal to the Ecclesiarchy’s teachings, or is also an outsider). At his discretion, the GM might additionally apply this penalty to other PCs with ties to the Ecclesiarchy.

The GM is encouraged to introduce additional narrative complications based on the specific nature of the regiment’s relationship with the Adeptus Ministorum.

Regimental Command: On top of their regular specialist, this regiment start with a Priest specialist, this one however is controlled by the game builder and will "make sure that the regiment pray the correct way".

If this priest would happen to disappear or die or similar, the ecclesiarchy will send a new one in a week. However repeated deaths of their priests will further raise suspicion and perhaps lead to other penalties.

The regiment suffer a -10 penalty to its frontline support score when ordering things from the ecclesiarchy.

''' Mistrusted. '''

Regiment Points: +3

Bad Reputation: Members of this regiment suffer a –10 penalty to all Fellowship-based Skill Tests made when interacting with members of other Imperial Guard regiments, the Departmento Munitorum, and other officials both local and Imperial who would have likely heard of the regiment’s reputation. Additionally, its members add 1d5 additional Degrees of Failure to all failed Logistics and Commerce Tests.

Regimental Command: On top of this the game builder and the other characters around this regiment should roleplay this disadvantage, the rest of the regimental command staff will probably learn to trust this character (or not, who knows) but NPC's will be harder to convince of their worth.

As a clarification, the penalty does not confer on requisition tests from these organisations, but on the Commerce tests which are very useful in temporarily raising the frontline support rating to be able to afford certain things. This amount of extra degrees of failure can severely affect a failed roll.

The game builder can at any time say that a certain group is feeling extra mustrusting and the -10 penalty will be applied on requisition tests from their supplies.

''' Tainted. '''

Regiment Points: +3

The Touch of the Warp: For whatever reason, the soldiers of this regiment carry a spiritual and physical corruption, which manifests in horrific ways. Characters from this regiment begin play with 1d10 Corruption Points. In addition, characters from this regiment suffer an additional –10 penalty to Malignancy Tests and Tests to avoid gaining Mutations (see page 309 of the Only War Core Rulebook).

''' Honour Bound. '''

Regiment Points: +4

Pride Over Life: Members of this regiment must pass a Difficult (–10) Willpower Test to refuse any formal challenge or ignore any other major slight to their honour. If a character from this regiment succeeds on the Test, he sees the bigger picture and ignores the challenge or attempt to goad him into action. If he fails on the Test, however, he must engage the individual in question (either in a duel to settle matters in a formal and stylised fashion or simply in a brawl to express himself with his fists) or suffer a –10 penalty to Willpower Tests for the remainder of the session. This penalty is cumulative should he refuse multiple challenges to his dignity over the course of a single session. The Game Master can modify the difficulty of the Test—and the scale of the effects of failing it—as he deems appropriate to the situation.

Regimental command: The penalty will be active for 1D5 days instead of until the end of the session. The game builder can modify the length if the insult was extra heinous or mild.

''' Poorly Provisioned. '''

Regiment Points: +4

Overworked and Underfed: Poorly provisioned units receive half the usual number of clips or charge packs for their main weapons and half the number of rations that their regiment rules would normally provide. If the regiment includes vehicles, its members suffer a –10 Penalty on all Logistics Tests made to acquire fuel, ammunition, and spare parts for their vehicles. If it is a Rough Rider regiment, its members suffer the same penalty to acquire materiel related to the care and feeding of their mounts. In addition, whenever a member of a Poorly Provisioned regiment successfully acquires equipment, the Game Master rolls 1d10; on a result of 4 or lower, the equipment that they receive is of Poor Craftsmanship, regardless of what its Craftsmanship would otherwise have been.

Special: This Drawback cannot be taken by regiments with the Well-Provisioned Doctrine.

Regimental Command: As stated in the main supplement this regiment gets a -5 penalty on its requisition tests. The vehicles get a -10 to their tests instead of the -5, even if another regiment tries to order that type of vehicle it will be assumed it is for that regiment and the suppliers get stingy. The same for that vehicles ammo. The fuel is only penalised if ONLY the poorly provisioned regiment has vehicles, which is not likely.

Getting feed for their mounts is unlike the text above not further penalized, the lower amount of starting food already represents this. However getting more of the regiments type of mounts, riding tacks or such equipment suffer the penalty similarly to vehicles.

When rolling the die to see if the delivered goods is low quality and it's more than one, roll a percentile dice, that amount rounded down of the order is Poor quality.

''' Scarred by loss. '''

Regiment Points: +2

Mental Trauma: Members of this regiment begin play with 1d10 Insanity Points. Any time that a member of this regiment fails a Willpower-based Test by three or more Degrees of Failure, he becomes lost in traumatic recollection, and is Stunned until the end of his next Turn.

''' Warp Delayed. '''

Regiment Points: +4

Officially Nonexistent: Whenever a unit from this regiment rolls doubles on a Logistics Test, the Test counts as failed, even if the score would normally have been successful, as the Departmento Munitorum denies the request from a nonexistent regiment or freezes it in bureaucratic tape. In addition, the GM should include additional Mission Complications in most missions to represent the confusion caused by the regiment’s unusual status.

Lost Time: Arriving at one’s destination to learn that all of one’s relatives and friends beyond the confines of the troop transport are long dead is a traumatic experience, to say nothing of what horrors might confront the soldiers should their destination warzone have fallen to the enemy in the intervening time. Characters from a Warp-delayed regiment begin play with 1d5 Insanity Points.

Regimental Command: The penalty to Officially non-existent applies on tests by this regiment making requisition rolls.

''' The Few. '''

Regiment Points: +5

Limited Numbers: When a Squad from this regiment requests reinforcements (to replace fallen Comrades), it must make a Hard (–20) Logistics Test if most of the regiment is actively deployed or an Ordinary (+10) Logistics Test if a significant portion of the regiment is not currently in the field (these Tests already include situational modifiers except those added at the GM’s discretion). If it fails, the regiment simply has no reinforcements it can spare for the Squad, and its members must soldier on until its members can put in another request for troop support.

Regimental Command: As noted in the main supplement this regiment begins with fewer squads. The regiment also suffers a -20 on tests to requisition new squads.

''' Incompetent Leadership. '''

Regiment Points: +5

Orders of Fools: Members of this regiment suffer a –10 penalty to Command Tests made during combat, either due to they themselves being incompetent or, in the case of most Player Characters, because they are saddled with unruly and sullen subordinates who have grown embittered by the poor decisions raining down from the ranks above. Further, members of this regiment must make a Routine (+20) Command or Intimidate Test as part of any Comrade Order that does not already require a Command Test; if the character fails the Test, the Comrade refuses the order due to a learned distrust for authority or fouls it up. Finally, the foolishness of this regiment’s leaders should have a noticeable effect upon the lives of the Player Characters (hurling them needlessly into danger, deploying unwise tactics against the enemy, falling for obvious traps, mistaking enemies for allies or allies for enemies, and other such blunders) at the Game Master’s discretion.

Regimental Command: Firstly, i'll say that taking this penalty is a fun self quip about being incompetent. However, this might not be the case. Your regimental commander might be taken in as an expert to counteract this regiments abhorrent discipline and leadership. It also applies to every level of command within the regiment so sergeants, lieutenants and majors are all incompetent. Hopefully the heroes aren't.

Instead of giving a mechanical penalty this should be handled with events. Remember to suggest your own or another characters regiment with this penalty getting trouble with incompetent leadership resulting in stalls or catastrophes.

''' Lost Home World. '''

Regiment Points: +5

Talents: Hatred (Choose one†)

†When selecting this Regimental Drawback, the regiment chooses the group responsible for the destruction of its home world. This Talent applies to that group.

Survivor’s Guilt: Being one of a handful of survivors of a disaster that snuffed out the lives of teeming millions or billions has a deleterious effect on the human psyche. Survivors of such a cataclysmic loss tend to suffer numerous grief, loss, and stress-related maladies that complicate the already stressful life of an Imperial Guardsman. Members of this regiment begin play with 2d10 Insanity Points.

Last Survivors: Whenever a member of this regiment falls, it represents an irreplaceable loss to the group, which can no longer pull reinforcements from its annihilated place of origin. The Departmento Munitorum often assigns members of other devastated regiments to join the survivors to bring the regiment back to strength, which can create considerable friction between two groups embittered by loss—of course, this assumes that there are reinforcements to be had at all in the battlefront, and sometimes there are simply no more soldiers to join regiments devastated by such loss.

Each time a Squad from this regiment requests replacement members (to replace lost Comrades), the Game Master rolls 1d10 instead of having the recruits come from the original core of the regiment. On a result of 3–4, the recruits come from the original survivors of the regiment, members of other Squads within the regiment who also lost members.

On a result of 5–10, they come from another regiment that has recently suffered terrible losses and happens to be near enough for the Departmento Munitorum to group the two regiments together. On a result of 1–2, however, the Squad receives no reinforcements at all, and must soldier on until its members can put in another request for troop support.

Depending on how many members of the original regiment remain, the Game Master can decide whether or not replacement Player Characters should be members of the original regiment or generate their characters from the other recruits (using the rules for Mixed Regiments on page 48 in HotE).

Regimental Command: When choosing this drawback, you should realise that you put yourself up for some extra work, it might be worth it, it's a really cool drawback, but know it.

This regiment will begin to get splintered, either you set it up to begin with as a Mixed Regiment as mentioned above, or the munitorum managed to find a similar enough regiment to not warrant that (somehow).

All your starting squads start as original homeworlders, if you created a mixed regiment there are none of them to begin with. If you want you can already have some mixing begun early and up to 40% of your squads may be the alternate regiment. For each squad you requisition you roll the special test under Last Survivors. Either it's your Homeworlders, or it is from the other regiment.

If you do not wish to create a mixed regiment, they are Non-Homeworlders. Non-Homeworlders are mechanically identical to the Homeworlders, with the same gear and doctrines. But instead of having the Lost home world drawback they get -10 on all interactions with the Homeworlders since Non-Homeworlders either can't relate to such trauma, or they try but can't fit into this band of broken men, or they simply don't care.

You do not have to keep track of individuals in the squads alignment but can do so if you wish. In the Heroes squad it is suggested to keep track of every individual.

Needless to say this drawback is a wonderful cause for events.

''' Primitive. '''

Regiment Points: +5

Hopelessly Primitive: No matter how long they fight in the Imperial Guard, the warriors of this regiment just cannot overcome their primitive ways and adapt to the advanced weaponry of the Imperial Guard. Characters from this regiment suffer a –5 penalty to Ballistic Skill and Weapon Skill Tests when using any weapon that is not from the Low-Tech weapons group, even if they possess the proper Talent to wield the weapon.

Waste of Resources: Due to flagrant misuse or neglect of whatever equipment it issues them, the Departmento Munitorum is loathe to assign any but the bare minimum of gear to this regiment. All Logistics Tests other than those made to obtain Low-Tech weapons suffer a –20 penalty.

Special: This Drawback cannot be taken by Mechanised Infantry, Armoured Regiments, or any other Regiment that includes a vehicle in its Standard Regimental Kit.

Regimental Command: The penalty from Waste of Resources applies to requisition tests for vehicles, non-Low-Tech weapons, non-Low-Tech gear and non-Low-Tech armour. What is and what isn't high and low-tech will be up to common sense but if that can't be agreed upon it's the game builders choice.

Normally, the regiment can't use support squads. However some support squads are either simple enough, like Scouts, Construction or Logistics support squads who focus on roads and clearing terrain, that they are workable.

But no other support squads may be fielded, unless it can be redesigned in a way that Low-Tech solutions could do the job. An artillery support squad could be a trebuchet? It would not be as good as a basilisk but certainly allowed. They could also use draft animals instead of vehicles. Or simply be a group of full plate armoured guys with great weapons forming a 'stormtrooper' support squad.

Specialists don't suffer this penalty because they normally originate from outside the regiments homeworld or get enough training to complete their duties.

But support squads may never have vehicles apart from wagons. They may never have high-tech equipment. They may be medics, but should get events due to their backwaters medicinal skills, but don't make it crippling.

''' Traitors. '''

Regiment Points: +5

Enemies of the Imperium: This regiment cannot turn to the Departmento Munitorum for supplies. To represent the added difficulties of scrounging, stealing, or obtaining supplies through whatever treacherous organisation to which the regiment now belongs, the regiment begins with a Logistics Rating of 0 and suffers a –10 penalty to Logistics Tests. The GM may, at his discretion, modify this value to represent the resources of any group to which the regiment has sworn allegiance. In addition, characters from this regiment cannot purchase the Munitorum Influence Talent, although the GM may, at his discretion, make a functionally equivalent Talent available in its place (such as Severan Dominate Influence).

Starting Talents: Enemy (Imperial Guard) plus one Peer Talent appropriate to the regiment’s situation.

Regimental Command: This drawback may not normally be chosen by a player. Either it would be to disruptive for play or the entire group is supposed to be traitors and thus their supply network should be restyled to fit the campaign but use the same values.

However if agreed to by the game builder this drawback may be used. The regiment is planning to go rogue.

The Enemies of the Imperium section above does not apply until the regiment goes rogue, so far it has managed to elude being caught and keep the facade up. Until the regiment goes rogue it will functionally work for the imperium. But being traitors in their hearts they should work towards some hidden objective, perhaps get into certain positions which will cease the means to rebel, perhaps set up an elaborate backstab against the other players, or whisper dark promises of the other side to your allies.

If your plans become known and sent higher up, you will begin to suffer the penalty Enemies of the Imperium.

This Drawback will most likely result in you fighting your ellies, and probably losing. But what a story!

''' Condemned. '''

Regiment Points: +6

Beyond Redemption: Members of this regiment suffer a –20 penalty to all Fellowship-based Tests made when interacting with members of other Imperial Guard regiments, their own commanding officers, the Departmento Munitorum, and other officials both local and Imperial who would have likely heard of the regiment’s reputation. Additionally, its members suffer –20 penalty to all Logistics Tests. Further, this group is always assigned to the most dangerous missions on a given battlefront, and is rarely given respites between its missions to recuperate and reorganise at the Game Master’s discretion.

Finally, at the Game Master’s discretion, any given Squad from a regiment with this Drawback might be assigned an Imperial Guard Commissar (see page 374 of the Only War Core Rulebook) to oversee its actions. At the GM’s discretion, this Drawback can be applied to a regiment or even a single Squad within a regiment after creation, as a punishment for crimes or incompetence. If a regiment or Squad receives this Drawback after creation, it does not receive the additional Regiment Creation Points that it would normally provides, but instead receives the Weapon Skill Aptitude (regiments and Squads that select this Drawback at creation do not gain this Aptitude).

Talents: Choose one of the following: Berserk Charge, Cold Hearted, Frenzy, or Paranoia.

Regimental Command: Remember to have this regiment do all the blood work, all the dangerous charges. As noted above, regimental commanders may also condemn certain squads or members, like Heroes to this penalty. Remember though that even if one gets talents from it this drawback should never be seen as free talents or aptitudes. This should be a crippling penalty when you have been assigned as criminals and incompetents.

The penalty to logistics tests also apply to requisition tests for this regiment if the regiment as a while has this disadvantage. If the regimental commander has this drawback the penalties apply to all requisition tests made by that commander even if the regiment does not have it.

If the regiment has this drawback, it gets a Commissar specialist on top of it's usual specialist, this Commissar is controlled by the game builder and there to assure that "order and discipline is maintained". If this commissar dies or goes missing the regiment will get a new one after a week, but this is highly suspicious and might warrant even more stringent punishments.

''' Doomed. '''

Regiment Points: +7

Dead Soldiers Walking: Members of this regiment cannot Burn Fate Points to survive fatal injuries (see Burning Fate on page 33 of the Only War Core Rulebook). In addition, members of the regiment suffer a –10 penalty on Logistics Tests, and whenever the Squad rolls on Table 6–5: Random Issue Gear (see page 167 of the Only War Core Rulebook), they apply a –20 penalty to the roll. The Game Master should also take this Regimental Drawback into account when designing missions, and he should plan the number of Complications that spring up during the execution of the mission accordingly.

Regimental Command: The logistics and RIG table penalties apply to requisition tests for this regiment, unless the regimental commander is an outsider he also cannot burn fate points to survive fatal injuries.

In every exchange where squads of this regiment suffer casualties, they suffer 1 more. If the enemy scores a critical hit they instead suffer double casualties.

If bad events would happen to a random regiment, this regiment is always the first choice, but do as a game builder mix it up now and again to lull the player into false security. The regiment will suffer unexpected maladies more often, it will have worse luck. They are simply, doomed. But if they persevere through it and come out on top it will be all the more impressive.

If several bad events happen at once, not all of them will happen to the doomed regiment, only the worst one.