Small Unit Formations - Q. for a Warhammer 40K Fanfic

[Zinegata]

The basic backstory of Brennus is that it used to be a Space Marine fief world that was kept at a Knight & Wizards level of technology (with a minor Ork infestation) - mainly to provide the Space Marines with a recruiting pool for their assault troops (Knights) and Librarians (Wizards).

Brennus was particularly known for producing Librarians, as the world also has an unusally high number of Psykers (legends say it's because of the world's patron saint - who was a powerful psyker/warrior. Mechanicum suspects its just radiation from the star), to the point the Space Marines actually helped set up an actual Wizard training academy on the world to pick out the best Psykers to turn into Librarians (with many others serving as high-grade Chapter serfs, and the rest staying on-world to deal with the Orks).

About a hundred years before present-day 40K however, the Space Marine chapter was wiped out and the world reverted back to Imperial control. By this point it has been ascertained that Brennus had considerable mineral resources, so an Imperial Guard retirement army was sent there to properly colonize the world and stamp out the Orks (whose infestation had gotten big without the Space Marines).

During the colonization, most of the existing institutions had to rapidly adapt (Knights turning in their horses for tanks), among which was the Psyker Academy. There was initially talk of disbanding it and sending everyone to the Black Ships process, but it was eventually decided to just convert it into a full-fledged Psyker Scholastica, as the powers-that-be realized it offered a number of advantages.

Brennus was remote enough in case there were any "accidents", the population still kept producing an unusually high incidence of Psykers (even after Guard colonization), and there were already long-standing cultural traditions on-world regarding how to deal with Psykers (i.e. If they show the signs, send them IMMEDIATELY to the Academy / Schola so they can learn to control it. Don't try to hide it).

Though for the purpose of the story the regiment's Psyker contingent isn't actually the best (the best ones have already been snapped up by the Inquisition), and they're mostly "B Team" battle psykers and non-combat Psykers. They were added mainly because the world's tithe was supposed to produce 12,000 infantry, but they were only able to pick out 3,000-4,500 warm bodies so the Governor had to throw in "Mechanized with Psykers" to meet the tithe.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Ah. If you're going that way, no worries. Astartes train their own psykers; at least, that's what I understand since every major Chapter has different names, roles and powers for its librarians. Converting that academy into a Scholastia Psykana (name according to Lexicanum, so you know it's legit ) should be easy. It should also be a training center for psykers from all around the region, as I have trouble imagining the Imperium keeping a Psykana solely for one world.

Now as far as their power goes, one telepath staying with the commander should be enough. If the guy shoots lightning/fire/whatever, he's mostly useless except as a terror weapon. If he can relay FTL orders to company commanders, he's adequate. If he can do a quick survey and find out enemy locations, he'll be good for artillery. My favourite would be to see someone powerful enough to blast a commander's mind out (preferably from the enemy's point of view, with nosebleed by the liter, eyeballs popping and such niceties). Multiple psykers also make sense in a mechanized unit that moves fast over a large area. The problem is scarcity, you should have three of them or so.

[Cykeisme]

Don't all Sanctioned Psykers need to undergo Soul Binding on Terra?

AFAIK Astartes psykers trained by the Librarium (or equivalent) of an Astartes chapter founded under edict of the High Lords of Terra are the only exception.

[Zinegata]

Re: Soul Binding

Yeah, fluff generally says they all need to go to Terra, and the Brennus Scholatia Psykana also sends their students there for the Soul-Binding thing (it's the one major change in their curriculum). But for the rest of their training they go back to Brennus.

Re: Regimental Psykers

I was actually thinking of adding a choir along the lines of the current IG codex, with only one or two allowed to operate indepedently ala a Psyker Primaris.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Damn Codex. Forgot about it. Yeah, it'd probably be a Primaris or two and a choir of lesser psykers.

[Cykeisme]

Re: Soul Binding

Yeah, fluff generally says they all need to go to Terra, and the Brennus Scholatia Psykana also sends their students there for the Soul-Binding thing (it's the one major change in their curriculum). But for the rest of their training they go back to Brennus.

No other arguments there, then.
The whole setup is certainly a little unorthodox, definitely not commonplace, but it's a big Imperium and I'd say if the in-universe track record has been spotless, then the Scholastica you described is definitely plausible in my opinion.

You mentioned the best candidates tend to get snapped up by the Inquisition, and this will go a long way toward explaining why the Inquisition tolerates the existence of this non-standard facility.
You might also want to explain that there is a resident Inquisitor, or at least frequent Inquisitorial visits.. purportedly to ensure the facility remains pure (which is true), but also to grab all the best candidates for use as henchmen/acolytes, some of whom eventually become Inquisitors, and return to the school as visitors years later to monitor it.

[Zinegata]

I didn't plan to have a resident Inquisitor, but there's always a resident Inquisition representative at the Schola who's around the Interrogator rank. My reason being that the top Inquisitors would be too busy handling actual threats, and picking out candidates would be best handled by an underling.

[Zinegata]

http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic. ... 6#p3728576

Preview Chapter for the Nanowrimo fanfic I'm working on. Also, I think I may end up redoing the TO&E again .

[Imperial Overlord]

Only Astropaths go through soulbinding. Sanctioned Psykers are strong enough to stand on their own and don't go through it (and don't have their optic nerves crisped). Both are trained by the Scholastica Psykana, which has training centers in a some sectors. Astropaths obviously need to get sent to Terra to get soulbound

[Zinegata]

Only Astropaths go through soulbinding. Sanctioned Psykers are strong enough to stand on their own and don't go through it (and don't have their optic nerves crisped). Both are trained by the Scholastica Psykana, which has training centers in a some sectors. Astropaths obviously need to get sent to Terra to get soulbound

LOL, thanks for mentioning. Good thing I haven't gotten to that part yet

[Cykeisme]

Ohhhh.
Imperial Overlord's right, and somehow I didn't know that. Thanks!

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Soul_Binding
The only cited sources I have to check are the main 40k BRBs, but the article sounds legitimate. So Astropaths are actually much more vulnerable to the perils of the warp while sending/receiving messages, compared to psykers that manifest other kinds of powers.. hence the requirement for them to be soulbound.
Makes sense, since they're literally shouting out their presence into the warp.