Followers

Commanding Followers

• Out of Combat: Followers are controlled by their masters through the use of simple commands. These are generally single words, short sentences or the equivalent, and so giving a command is generally a Free Action when not in combat. Certain actions may also require a successful Leadership, Persuasion, or other appropriate Social Skill Test.

• In Combat: Followers act immediately after your turn in combat, before the next Threat or Agent, and you must use your Combat Action to make a DN 3 Leadership Test to command them to take any Actions other than Movement. If issued no commands, the follower will act according to it's instincts or programming; at GM's discretion, they may undertake additional Actions depending on the situation.

At the GM's discretion, the follower may have to succeed on an Intellect Test to interpret a contradictory or complex order; alternatively, the DN for the Leadership Test may be increased, or an additional Persuasion Test may also be required.

Follower Traits

Beast: Followers with the Beast Trait must succeed at a DN 1 Resolve Test to successfully carry out complex orders from their masters. If within 3 x Rank metres they may add their master's Leadership rating as bonus dice for this Test.

If injured, it must succeed at DN 2 Resolve Test or panic, running 1d6 metres in a random direction (use the scatter template) and suffering from the Fear Condition.

Familiar: Should its master come under attack, a familiar will automatically move to its master’s defence, attacking the assailant unless it receives specific instruction (or possesses an instinct/programming) to the contrary.

Upon completing a task, a familiar will return to its master’s side unless it received prior instructions or some other instinct or programming applies.

Psy-Bonded: A character with the Psyker keyword may gain the following benefits from a Psy-Bonded Familiar;

• They can see and hear through the familiar's senses.

• They can treat the familiar as a psychic focus so long as it is within a number of meters equal to twice their Psychic Mastery Rating. 

• They may choose to use any Psychic Power with a range of Self on the familiar instead of on themselves. 

• They may use their Psychic Powers through the familiar, treating it as the origin point of any power so long as it is within a number of meters equal to the character's Willpower x 5. The psyker is still considered the point of origin for Perils of the Warp.

In addition, every time a Psy-Bonded familiar suffers Wounds, their master suffers 1d3 Shock from the psychic feedback.

Additional Keywords

Followers with the AUTOMATA, DRONE, or SERVITOR keywords recover all spent Shock after a Regroup, but do not recover Wounds naturally.

Automata, Drones, and Servitors can have Wounds restored via a successful Tech Test, using the same rules as Medicae Tests. Combi-tools, or equivalent supplies, may function in the same way as a Medi-Kit for this Test.