Traits Glossary

This weapon feeds from a magazine and must be reloaded.

A Magazine weapon carries a listed capacity — the rounds in its magazine, cell, canister, or belt. Each attack consumes 1 round; Burst fire and Suppression consume 3.

When the magazine is empty, the weapon cannot attack until reloaded.

Reloading is a Bonus Action

Detachable magazines, packs, cells, and canisters swap whole; internal magazines and single-load weapons are fed by hand — either way, one Bonus Action. Spare magazines are gear: carry them or run dry.

A conduit that steadies psychic manifestation.

While a Psyker or Librarian wields this item, they gain +1 to Psychic Tests (Psychic Attack rolls and Psychic Save DC).

The bonus never stacks: carrying more than one focus grants +1, not more. A character without the Psyker or Librarian designation gains no benefit — to them it is only a weapon.

Channel a manifested power into the next strike.

When the wielder successfully manifests a psychic power, they may channel the residue into this weapon. Their next successful melee hit with it deals an additional:

+1d6 Warp damage

The charge empowers only this weapon, expires after one successful hit, and fades at the end of the wielder's next turn if unused. A failed manifestation grants nothing.

Earth the Warp before it earths you.

Once per scene, after the wielder suffers Perils, Psychic Backlash, or an equivalent consequence of a Psychic Test, they may reduce that consequence's severity by one step.

The staff may crack, spark, or discharge as it grounds the manifestation — dramatic, but not destroyed unless the GM rules otherwise. Resets when the scene ends.

Feeds from rechargeable power packs.

Recharge weapons, usually las-based, feed from power packs like any Magazine weapon — listed capacity, rounds consumed per shot, and Reloading (swapping packs) as a Bonus Action.

Their advantage is the pack itself: expended packs can be restored from heat, power cells, vehicle ports, battlefield generators, or a safe short rest near a reasonable power source. Recharge weapons are reliable, which is why they are common issue across Imperial forces.

If a Recharge weapon is used for Suppression, its pack runs hot: it cannot be used for Reactive Fire until the start of the user's next turn.

This weapon can unleash rapid fire into an area.

When you take the Attack action with a Burst weapon, you may unload into a 10-foot area within normal range. Creatures in the area make an Agility Save.

DC 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Agility modifier

On a failure, a creature takes the weapon's normal damage. On a success, it takes half damage.

Using Burst consumes 3 rounds from the magazine. Recharge weapons with Burst may use the effect only if a rule or item specifically allows it.

Especially dangerous at close range, unreliable at distance.

When attacking a target within 15 feet, you have Advantage on the attack roll.

When attacking beyond normal range, you have Disadvantage as normal, and you cannot benefit from Aim.

Spread weapons are ideal for boarding actions, hive corridors, trench breaches, and moments where subtlety has already died.

Built for precision at range.

If you have not moved this turn, attacks with this weapon ignore Disadvantage from long range.

If you use the Aim bonus action with a Scoped weapon and have not moved this turn, the GM may also allow you to ignore minor visual interference such as light smoke, poor lighting, or battlefield clutter.

Scoped does not ignore Total Cover.

Fires explosive or internally detonating ammunition.

On a Critical Hit, add +2d6 damage.

If the target suffers Massive Damage from a Detonator weapon, the GM may impose Disadvantage on the Massive Damage Save if the hit was especially direct, brutal, or narratively appropriate.

Detonator weapons are loud, destructive, and politically difficult to explain in polite company.

Difficult to control without strength, bracing, or enhanced physiology.

Requires Strength 11 or higher to wield without penalty.

If the character does not meet this requirement, attacks with the weapon have Disadvantage.

Astartes ignore Heavy Recoil. The GM may also allow bracing, mounted firing positions, bipods, powered armor, or special features to ignore this penalty.

Designed to defeat armor.

Reduce the target's Defense bonus from armor by 2 for that attack.

Armor-Cutting does not reduce Defense gained from cover, shields, psychic powers, reactions, or other non-armor sources unless a rule says otherwise.

Especially common on weapons designed for elite infantry, vehicles, monsters, or sealed warplate.

Floods an area with flame, gas, acid, radiation, or similar destructive force.

Torrent weapons do not make attack rolls. Choose the listed area, such as a cone, line, or zone. Creatures in the area make an Agility Save.

DC 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Agility modifier

On a failure, a creature takes full damage. On a success, it takes half damage.

Torrent ignores Light Cover and Heavy Cover, but not Total Cover. If the weapon deals fire or burning damage, a creature that fails the save may catch fire or suffer an ongoing effect if the weapon says so.

This weapon can vent, rupture, overload, or burn its user.

On a natural 1 on an attack roll, the weapon overheats:

• The user takes the listed overheat damage, or 2d8 fire damage if no value is listed.
• The weapon cannot be fired again until the end of the user's next turn.
• The GM may add smoke, venting plasma, warning runes, or machine-spirit complaints.

Some weapons may allow Supercharge, declared before rolling:

Supercharge: +2 damage dice · Overheat triggers on a natural 1–3

Too large, awkward, or powerful for casual use.

A Heavy Weapon usually requires one of the following: a class feature, a race/path trait, Astartes physiology, power armor, a mounted position, a braced firing setup, or GM-approved mission issue.

If a character lacks permission or training to use a Heavy Weapon, attacks with it have Disadvantage, and the GM may impose movement or setup limits.

Heavy Weapons can usually be used for Suppression. The GM may require a Heavy Weapon to be braced before firing if the situation calls for it.

Roaring teeth, rotating blades, brutal mechanical cutting surfaces.

Critical Hit on a natural 19–20

On a Critical Hit against an unarmored, lightly armored, or exposed target, add +1 additional weapon damage die.

Chain weapons are loud. Very loud. A Chain weapon may make stealth impossible while active, and the GM may rule that revving or using one alerts nearby enemies.

Surrounded by a disruptive energy field.

• Ignores resistance to the weapon's damage types.
• Ignores Defense bonuses granted by physical shields.
• Deals full damage to most mundane objects and barriers, at the GM's discretion.

Power Field does not automatically ignore cover, psychic protection, force fields, or Total Cover unless a rule says otherwise.

Power Field weapons are usually Rare Issue, Relics, or tightly restricted.

Powerful but cumbersome.

Only one attack per turn with this weapon.

This applies regardless of features that would normally grant additional attacks. Astartes and certain features may ignore Slow.

Slow weapons often hit like industrial machinery and swing like industrial machinery.

A sidearm that works at knife distance.

A Pistol can be fired while an enemy is within melee reach without suffering the normal Disadvantage for ranged attacks in melee.

Easy to carry — or it lights the way.

On a weapon: small and easy to carry. Future dual-wielding or quick-draw rules may reference this trait.

On field kit: the item creates illumination.

Usable in one hand.

This weapon can be used in one hand.

Requires both hands.

This weapon requires two hands to use properly.

Needs time to reload or ready between shots.

Only one shot per turn unless a feature says otherwise.

This weapon requires time to reload or ready between shots.

Affects an area or is used as a thrown explosive.

The item entry defines its radius, save, and effect.

Creates obscuring smoke.

This item creates smoke, obscuring vision in the listed area. Full concealment and visibility rules will be finalized later.

Overloads nerves and dignity.

On a Critical Hit: Toughness Save or Stunned until the end of its next turn.

Rewards precision as much as muscle.

A Finesse melee weapon may use either Strength or Agility for attack and damage rolls.

Built for transhuman war.

This item is built for transhuman physiology, Astartes armor systems, or Chapter doctrine.

Works through the warplate.

This item is installed in, connected to, or designed to work through armor systems.

Time, suspended for the fragile.

This item preserves biological samples, relic tissue, gene-seed, or other fragile matter.

Recovers what must not be lost.

This item removes, recovers, or preserves vital biological, mechanical, or mission-critical material.

Issued, counted, and expected back.

This item is issued, controlled, or sanctioned by an Astartes Chapter.

Marks the condemned.

This item helps mark, identify, designate, or improve attacks against a target.

Arrival without apology.

This item interacts with teleportation, teleport beacons, or future deep-strike systems.

A placeholder for later rules.

This item is not active in v0.1 and exists only as a placeholder for later rules.

A general-use field item.

Tools usually enable checks, grant Advantage in specific situations, or make certain actions possible.

Limited uses, expended when used.

The item has limited uses and is expended when used.

Keeps people alive, or tries.

The item supports stabilization, treatment, surgery, toxins, trauma, or wound care.

Carries voices through static.

The item supports communication, signals, command traffic, or linked squad coordination.

Finds what hides.

The item helps detect threats, motion, life signs, chemicals, heat, radiation, hidden objects, or other battlefield information.

Stores and reads information.

The item stores, reads, records, transmits, or analyzes information.

Remembers what witnesses deny.

The item helps preserve, prove, record, or reconstruct events.

Turns terrain into a plan.

The item helps with climbing, crossing gaps, vertical terrain, repositioning, or movement through difficult environments.

Doors are a suggestion.

The item helps open, destroy, jam, seal, or bypass doors, barriers, locks, barricades, or bulkheads.

Resists hostile environments.

The item helps resist hostile environments, toxic air, vacuum, smoke, heat, cold, ash, radiation, or exposure.

The first prayer is always air.

The item protects breathing or filters hazardous atmosphere.

Makes a problem portable.

The item restrains, binds, locks, or immobilizes a target.

Keeps gear working past its right to.

The item supports field repair of weapons, armor, vehicles, machines, or wargear.

Feeds the guns.

The item resupplies, restores, or modifies ammunition — magazines, power packs, cells, belts, or canisters.

Procedure as devotion.

The item supports rites, blessings, machine appeasement, religious procedure, or specialized ceremonial use.

For where there is no air.

The item supports vacuum, voidship, decompression, or sealed-environment survival.

The bill arrives later.

The item has a cost, drawback, complication, addiction risk, side effect, or dangerous failure mode.

Mobility and concealment over plate.

Armor designed for mobility and concealment. Usually allows full Agility modifier to Defense.

The trade between protection and movement.

Armor that balances protection and movement. Usually limits how much Agility modifier can improve Defense.

Protection over mobility.

Armor that prioritizes protection over mobility. Usually provides a fixed Defense value and may impose stealth or movement drawbacks.

Powered warplate — strength, protection, and presence.

Powered armor enhances strength, protection, sealed survival, and battlefield presence. Power Armor is usually restricted by class, race/path, authority, or story access.

Closed against the environment.

This armor protects against vacuum, toxins, smoke, disease exposure, or hostile atmospheres for a limited duration. Final durations will be defined later.

Functions in vacuum.

This armor can function in vacuum or voidship breach conditions for a limited duration.

Awkward, heavy, hard to hide.

This armor or shield is awkward, heavy, or difficult to conceal. It may impose Disadvantage on Stealth, Guile, or certain Agility checks when relevant.

Everyone hears you coming.

This armor is loud enough that stealth is difficult without special features or circumstances.

Passes for clothing.

This armor can be hidden under clothing or passed off as ordinary attire in many environments.

Built for stealth.

This armor is designed for stealth and does not impose noise-based penalties.

Resists gear damage.

This armor resists gear damage. When an effect would damage this armor, the GM may allow Advantage on repair checks or require a more severe hit to damage it.

Built against shrapnel and shock.

This armor is designed to reduce shrapnel and explosive shock. The final mechanical effect will be defined with explosives, but it may grant bonuses against grenades, Burst, or area damage.

Made for doorways and frontal assaults.

This armor or shield is designed for doorways, corridors, and frontal assaults. It may interact with Take Cover, Suppression, or shield rules later.

A wall you carry.

This item grants bonus Defense while held and actively used.

An energy or faith-based protective field.

This item creates an energy or faith-based protective field. It usually has limited uses and may require a Reaction.

Holy, blessed, and watched over.

This item is holy, blessed, ritually maintained, or spiritually significant. Losing or misusing it can have story consequences.

Built for a specific physiology.

This item is built for a specific physiology, gene-code, or transhuman interface. It cannot normally be used by characters who do not meet the requirement.

Rigged for the work.

This armor includes clips, braces, holsters, ports, mounts, or support rigging for tools, cables, or battlefield equipment.

Plays nicely with the sensors.

This armor is designed to work with sensors, optics, or scanning systems and does not interfere with friendly tech use.

Keeps the worst of it outside.

This armor protects against radiation, contamination, fallout, or low-grade forge exposure.

Draft: Advantage on Toughness Saves against radiation, contamination, or environmental exposure when relevant

Carries the current on purpose.

This armor is designed to carry, survive, or channel electrical charge in controlled ways.

The charge stays where it belongs.

This armor protects against electrical backlash, shock, or dangerous conduction.

Draft: Advantage on Toughness Saves against incidental Lightning damage or electrical hazards

Protects the thinking parts.

This armor protects sensitive data ports, cognition systems, or cranial interfaces from damage or interference.

Oversight, worn.

This armor integrates command relays, control feeds, or battlefield oversight systems.

Faster than its plating suggests.

This armor is unusually responsive for its protection level.

Built for the charge.

This armor is built around rapid assault, impact delivery, or high-speed close engagement.

The atmosphere is a hazard category.

This armor protects against ash, toxins, heat, cold, chemical vapor, dust, or hostile industrial conditions.

Hardpoints for the trade.

This armor includes integrated ports, magnetic seals, clips, servo brackets, or hardpoints for tools and utility gear.

Anchored for the big guns.

This armor is designed to support heavy weapon posture, recoil handling, and anchored firing.

Restrained for its class.

This armor is unusually restrained in sound output, servo noise, or battlefield profile for its class.

Adapted for the healer's duty.

This armor is adapted for battlefield treatment, triage, or biological extraction duties.

Room for more machinery.

This armor is built to support servo-harnesses, mechadendrites, or other integrated mechanical systems.

Shielding for a sanctioned mind.

This armor includes psychic shielding, focusing systems, or warp-regulating wargear.

Sanctified against the unclean.

This item is protected by anti-psychic, anti-daemonic, or sanctified defensive measures.

Terror as uniform.

This armor carries visual, symbolic, or doctrinal terror value in addition to protection.

Built for the charge and the drop.

This armor or system is designed around speed, jump insertion, charge pressure, or aggressive mobility.

The armor watches with you.

This armor includes enhanced sensory systems. Final mechanics will be defined later, but may grant bonuses to Awareness, detection, darkness, smoke, or targeting.

Weight becomes theology.

This weapon crushes the target under localized gravity distortion.

Draft: vs armored, heavily armored, or bulky targets → extra damage = attacker's Proficiency Bonus

The GM may also impose reduced movement or disadvantage on movement-based checks for the target until the start of the attacker's next turn.

Comes as a matched set.

This weapon is designed to be used as a matched pair or as part of a dual set. Future dual-wielding or specialist combat rules may reference this trait.

Answers thought with murder.

On a weapon: channels psychic force, warp energy, or the will of its wielder. Usually restricted to psykers or characters with specific training.

On an augmetic: interacts with psychic power, Perils, warding, or mental defense.

The grip does not negotiate.

This augmetic supports grip, recoil handling, disarm resistance, or weapon retention.

Impossible to overlook.

This augmetic is obvious and may affect social interactions.

The wound keeps working after the shot.

This weapon contaminates the target with lingering radiation. When a creature takes damage from a Radium weapon, the GM may apply additional effects against fragile, unarmored, biological, or repeatedly exposed targets.

Draft: twice in one scene → Toughness Save or extra Energy damage = attacker's Proficiency Bonus

Radium weapons may create environmental, medical, or story complications.

Charged impact through sacred conductive rounds.

This weapon channels charged impact through conductive ammunition or sacred firing mechanisms.

Draft: Aim + hit → add your Proficiency Bonus to the damage

Galvanic weapons reward patient, disciplined fire.

Electrical, machine-disruptive damage.

This weapon deals electrical or machine-disruptive damage. Arc weapons often interact with Haywire.

Machines regret obedience.

This weapon disrupts machines, augmetics, armor systems, vehicles, drones, servitors, and other mechanical targets.

Draft: damage a mechanical/cybernetic/heavily augmented target → Toughness Save or lose Reactions until the start of its next turn

The GM may also apply Haywire to doors, locks, shields, cogitators, and machinery.

Marks targets in burning light.

This weapon marks targets with burning light or alchemical fire.

Draft: a damaged target cannot benefit from being hidden or invisible until the start of the attacker's next turn

The next attack against that target before the start of the attacker's next turn may ignore Light Cover.

Obedience by seizure.

This weapon overloads nerves and muscles with electrical shock.

Draft: on a Critical Hit → Toughness Save or Stunned until the end of its next turn

If the weapon also has Stun, the GM may impose Disadvantage on that save against biological targets.

Bound to the rites of the Machine Cult.

This item is tied to Mechanicus rites, maintenance, access, or doctrine. Characters without Mechanicus access or Tech familiarity may have difficulty repairing, understanding, or justifying the item.

The distinction is doctrinally inconvenient.

This item is both a tool and a weapon. It may be used for relevant Tech, repair, breaching, cutting, or machinery tasks at the GM's discretion.

Braced, deployed, and unforgiving.

This weapon requires setup, bracing, deployment, or a stationary firing position. A weapon with Setup normally cannot be fired on the same turn the character moves, unless a feature says otherwise.

Built for tight spaces and quiet draws.

This weapon is small enough for tight spaces, concealed carry, or close-quarters use. The GM may allow Advantage on checks to conceal or draw the weapon quickly.

Mounts to steel, not flesh.

This weapon can be built into, mounted onto, or used through certain augmetics, servo-arms, mechadendrites, or weapon mounts.

Sacred, ancient, unique, politically important, or irreplaceable.

Relics are not normally purchased. They are earned, issued, inherited, recovered, stolen, or entrusted.

A Relic should usually have at least one of the following: a story condition, a restriction, a duty attached to it, a consequence if lost, a faction that claims ownership, or a history that matters.

Losing, breaking, selling, or misusing a Relic should create story consequences.

Built into the body.

This item is implanted, grafted, surgically installed, or built into the body.

Steel where flesh was lost.

This augmetic replaces a lost, ruined, or removed body part.

Beneath the skin.

This augmetic is installed beneath the skin or inside the body.

Better witnesses than the originals.

This augmetic improves sight, hearing, targeting, scanning, or perception.

Thought, upgraded.

This augmetic improves memory, logic, calculation, analysis, or data handling.

Wired into the nerves.

This augmetic interacts with nerves, reflexes, pain, perception, or thought.

Reinforced load-bearing systems.

This augmetic reinforces bones, spine, joints, or load-bearing body systems.

Practical function over glory.

This item provides practical tools, interfaces, or minor mechanical functions.

Orders that carry.

This item supports orders, projection, authority, or battlefield communication.

Deception, engineered.

This item supports deception, infiltration, identity masking, or covert action.

Hears the machine-script.

This augmetic interacts with machine-data, tactical feeds, binharic communication, or noospheric signals.

Communion requires contact.

This augmetic physically or digitally connects the user to compatible machines, ports, systems, or tools.

A heavy third limb.

This augmetic is a heavy mechanical arm used for lifting, repair, restraint, or combat.

A tendril with a job.

This augmetic is a flexible mechanical tendril fitted with tools, sensors, weapons, or medical instruments.

The battlefield, scored and ranked.

This augmetic processes battlefield threats, firing vectors, target priority, or combat positioning.

Discipline, installed.

This augmetic supports discipline, fear resistance, mental control, or emotional suppression.

From a century no one survived.

This item comes from ancient technology, lost patterns, or forgotten science. It is powerful, poorly understood, and difficult to repair.

Opens what argues back.

This item helps open, bypass, authorize, unlock, override, or negotiate with machines and secured systems.

Energy, held and redirected.

This item stores, redirects, restores, or manipulates energy.

Procedure as prayer.

This item functions through ritualized technical procedure, sacred maintenance, or Mechanicus doctrine.

The dead, still serving.

This item is or interacts with servo-skulls, skull-servitors, or similar machine assistants.

Obedience is a protocol.

This item can influence, command, pause, override, or interfere with servitors, drones, turrets, or simple machine systems.

Failure, prevented or postponed.

This item prevents, reduces, downgrades, or reacts to damage, disruption, or failure.

Long service, worn openly.

This item is tied to long service, honors, battlefield history, or elite status.

History with a name attached.

This item belongs to an Astartes Chapter and carries political, spiritual, or historical weight.

The Chapter's biological legacy.

This item interacts with gene-seed, transhuman biology, or Chapter biological legacy.

Warding traditions of the sanctioned mind.

This item is tied to psychic records, warding traditions, or Librarian duties.

The keeping of memory and wrath.

This item is tied to Chaplain duties, spiritual authority, penance, or Chapter memory.

Carried because of the role.

This item is carried because of role or office, such as Chaplain, Librarian, Apothecary, Techmarine, or officer.

The weight of an institution.

This item carries institutional authority. It may grant social leverage, access, or command in specific contexts.

Holds the stain at bay.

This item helps resist, reduce, detect, or interact with Corruption.

Courage, borrowed or commanded.

This item affects fear, Pinned, courage, command, or battlefield resolve.

Must be seen to matter.

This item must be raised, planted, displayed, or carried openly to function.

Leverage over people.

This item affects interaction, command, intimidation, investigation, authority, or reputation.

Terror as a tool.

This item can frighten enemies, resist fear, or interact with morale effects.

Killing as an example.

This item is tied to punishment, discipline, command, or killing as an example.

Absolution through story action.

This item interacts with confession, absolution, sacrifice, or removing Corruption through story action.

A line the Warp must cross.

This item protects against psychic, daemonic, corrupting, or supernatural influence.

Interferes with witchcraft.

This item interferes with psychic powers, psychic attacks, or Warp influence.

One more turn on your feet.

This item interacts with dropping to 0 Vitality, holding position, or acting before collapse.

Illegal, heretical, spiritually dangerous, or impossible to justify under Imperial law.

A Forbidden item can be used, but doing so may trigger: Corruption gain, suspicion, faction consequences, Inquisitorial attention, Ecclesiarchy hostility, Mechanicus censure, social penalties, Temptation, or worse things noticing.

Forbidden is not an automatic “no.” Forbidden means “yes, and now there is a problem.”

Carries Warp taint, daemonic influence, psychic residue, or cursed history.

When a character uses a Corrupted item, the GM may require one of the following:

• Gain 1 Corruption
• Make a Willpower Save
• Trigger Temptation
• Trigger Perils if the item is psychic or warp-active
• Reveal a Taint
• Attract daemonic attention

A Corrupted item may be powerful, useful, and exactly what the party needs. That is how it gets you.

A prisoner shaped like a possession.

This item contains, channels, bargains with, or is inhabited by a daemonic entity or warp intelligence.

The body, briefly better at being wrong.

This item can cause bodily alteration, instability, or uncontrolled biological change.

Answers from the wrong direction.

This item reveals hidden, future, symbolic, psychic, or forbidden information.

Small, bound, and watching.

This item is or contains a small bound entity, parasite, machine-spirit, daemon-echo, or living tool.

Someone will ask about this.

This item is the kind of object that draws investigation, seizure, interrogation, or execution if discovered.

The forge wants it back, or destroyed.

This item may draw Mechanicus recovery teams, censure, study, destruction, or quiet theft.

Devotion in the wrong direction.

This item is tied to cult practice, religious treason, blasphemy, or forbidden devotion.

Touched, but not yet claimed.

This item is touched by the Warp but may not be fully daemonic or corrupted enough to count as Daemon-Bound.

Violates accepted machine doctrine.

It may be illegal technology, unsanctioned modification, corrupted machinery, forbidden research, tech-heresy, or a device the Mechanicus would rather destroy than explain.

Using a Heretek item may cause: Mechanicus hostility, repair complications, machine-spirit instability, Corruption risk if warp-tainted, suspicion from Imperial authorities, or Disadvantage on Tech checks unless the user understands the item.

Forge-Bound characters may recognize Heretek danger more easily, but that does not make the item safe.

Alien in origin or design.

Xenos items are usually Forbidden under Imperial law. A Xenos item may require special training, adaptation, or study before it can be used properly. If a character lacks appropriate familiarity, attacks or checks using a Xenos item may have Disadvantage.

Using or carrying Xenos wargear can create: Inquisitorial suspicion, Ecclesiarchy outrage, Mechanicus interest, black market attention, faction consequences, and Corruption risk if the item is also Corrupted.

Xenos does not automatically mean Corrupted. Alien is not the same as Warp-tainted. Imperial authorities may not care about the distinction.