Tactics games have a reputation for being complex, so when you combine that with the massive Warhammer universe, even making your character becomes a challenge. Designing the look of your character in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is simple enough, but deciding which homeworld you hail from is more than just a background element for your character. Due to the different cultures and environments of each planet, whichever you pick will determine multiple aspects of your character, including Stats and Talents. This isn’t a decision to be rushed since it is just as impactful on your character’s role and progression as their Archetype. Most people aren’t so lucky to be able to pick where they are born, so let’s make sure you choose wisely.
Which homeworld to choose
There are six unique homeworlds in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader to hail from. These will each have a unique Feature, change up your base stats, and apply different Talents.
Death World
They don’t call it Death World because living there is easy. This world is brutal, with all native life looking to kill you. Since you were strong enough to survive that environment, you are one of the tougher, more resilient people in the universe. Here’s how this homeworld impacts you:
Feature: Survival Instinct lets you turn 20% of your maximum wounds into temporary wounds when you fall below 30% health once per battle. You also gain +20% bonus to dodge and armor if you currently have a temporary wound.
Stats: Strength, Agility, and Toughness all get +5, while Intelligence and Fellowship get -5.
Talents:
Brutal Hunter. +15% critical hit chance against bleeding targets or with 50% or less maximum wounds.
Trusty Weapons – +10% to critical hit chance using axes, hammers, and las weapons.
Wounded Beast – Injuries increase your Agility and Willpower by +5. Trauma counts as three injuries.
Tenacity – Once per combat, if blinded, stunned, or immobilized, that status is ignored and instead you get +20% temporary wounds.
Hellish Life – Take TGH bonus less damage from flame, toxic, and bleeding damage.
Voidborn
Not exactly a homeworld at all, this is a character born on a voidship who has adapted to warp travel and zero-gravity environments.
Feature: Fortune. Lets you reroll any failed attack, dodge, parry, characteristic, or skill test with 20% chance of success.
Stats: +5 to Willpower and Intelligence, and -5 to Strength.
Talents:
Bloody Mess. Any crit has a 10% chance to deal double damage.
Just a Flesh Wound – 20% chance to survive a lethal hit with 1 wound.
Contagious Luck – Using a non-damaging ability on an ally gives them a free reroll on a failed attack, dodge, parry characteristic, or skill test with a 20% chance of success.
Jinx – While at 50% or more wounds, all chances for friendly and enemy creatures within 3 cells are increased by 10%. While at less than 50%, chances are reduced by 10%.
Be Smart – Any ability or talent that uses Fellowship bonuses can instead use Intelligence bonus if it is higher.
Hive World
If you thought of a bee hive, you’re not too far off. This is a critically overpopulated world, but essential for the Emerial economy.
Feature: Strength in Numbers. Grants +((1+FEL bonus)/2) resolve if there are 3 or more units within 3 cells. Suffer -2 resolve if no creatures are within 3 cells.
Stats: +5 to Fellowship and Agility, -5 to Willpower.
Talents:
Comradery – Can use Fellowship stats to pass Willpower tests.
Outnumber – If you have melee superiority (more allies around a target), your effect is given +10, but you suffer -10 if it is lower.
Weapon Personalization – Ranged weapons doing physical damage get +1 to damage and rate of fire, +1% armor penetration, and -5 recoil.
Helping Hand – Get +2MP when starting a tern next to an ally.
Fresh Start – Get +50% bonus to dodge against the first opportunity attack each round.
Forge World
Forge World characters are unique in that you can choose either Subskin Armor or the Analytics system to get either a bonus to armor and movement points (MP) or crit hit chance, respectively, but you don’t get a Feature.
Stats: +5 to Intelligence and Toughness, -5 to Fellowship.
Talents:
Pinnacle of Weaponry – The first attack with plasma, melta, or power weapons deals extra damage based on your INT bonus, but a reduction to your INT bonus/2 for the rest of combat.
Steel of the Forge – Heavy Armor grants +1 MP, deflection, and prevents you from falling prone.
Fires of the Forge – Grants +TGH bonus deflection against burning.
Persistence of the Forge – Lets you stack +10% bonus to hit and dodge reduction each time you hit a target with a single-target attack.
Calculated Relations – Persuasion, Coercion, and Commerce can be based on Intelligence rather than Fellowship stats.
Imperial World
This is a human world made to produce soldiers, plain and simple. This is the most malleable homeworld to pick.
Feature: Humanity’s Finest. Let’s you add +10 to any characteristic except Weapon or Ballistic Skill.
Talents:
Ready to Serve – When receiving a buff, your resolve is increased by (FEL bonus/2) for a round.
Better to Die for the Emperor – If under 40% wounds, get +10 to all characteristics and +2 resolve.
Doing My Part – If you are the only Imperial World character, your first ability costs -1 AP.
Know no Heresy – Get +10% crit chance and armor against xenos or daemonic enemies.
Stronger Together – All non-xeno allies get +5 to whatever stat you buffed with Humanity’s Finest.
Fortress World
Fortress World is like Death World, only for modern wars. There is no peace here, and every man, woman, and child is a soldier trained for battle.
Feature: Never Stop Shooting For each kill, get +10 stack of this feature. Each time a new round starts, you have a percentage chance equal to your number of stacks to make your first attack cost 0 armopur pentration (AP) and reset your stacks.
Stats: +5 Perception and Willpower, -5 Fellowship
Talents:
Get +7 Ballistic Skill, Perception, and Willpower in combat, but -7 Intelligence, Fellowship, Perception, and Willpower out of combat.
Hail of Steel – Gain +1% chance to dodge ranged attacks for every shot taken during a round.
Familiar Kickback – Gain extra Never Stop Shooting Stacks for half as much damage your most damaging weapon did that round.
Spare Magazine – Your first reload costs 0 AP and gives you +10 stacks of Never Stop Shooting.
Never Stop Believing – When Never Stop Shooting stacks would be lost, you get (WP/2) stacks instead.
