I have an Inquisitor RPG character who is trying to organize an opposition to Imperial forces, as well as set up a stable government in the rebellion's wake and prevent the movement from being corrupted by Chaos or malevolent aliens. These ideas are what I have so far: can you guys criticize these methods, improve them, and add new ones?
Squad-based dispersal of anti-materiel rifles along with APE ammunition (perhaps SLAP for Terminators) will make for effective Marine-killers without investing millions in power armor.
Disperse misinformation to the effect that a planet/continent/jungle/building carries a valuable yet fragile Imperial artifact (lost Chapter banners would be ideal) to prevent scorched-Earth tactics from being used, up to and including Exterminatus.
Invention of taser-dart type ammunition might disrupt a trooper in Power Armor even without penetration.
If auto-senses are wireless (unlikely,) powerful electromagnetic jamming might render infantry as well as vehicles blind. Properly designed taser rounds as above may achieve the same effect.
Engage Marines indirectly whenever possible: artillery, sniping, air power, and other ways that do not involve actually fighting them.
The modern warfare concepts of the Squad Automatic Weapon, the AWACS plane, and the radar-based supersonic missile fighter seem to be lost in WH40K. Their revival could help in the defeat of the Imperium.
What altimeter methods do drop pods use? Their disruption would turn the troops inside to a fine paste.
Just how destroyed is a planet declared Exterminatus and orbitally bombarded? Hiding in a sensor-stealthed, reinforced cavern under a mountain range might possibly escape.
A martial art designed to evade the slow, powerful strikes of a power fist and generally deal with the increased strength and size of Space Marines in power armor would be extremely useful. It would most likely revolve around joint locks, close-in fighting and redirection of excess force, and would likely require some sort of weapon to penetrate the power armor. A good start would combine elements of Wing Chun, Jujitsu and Akido.
Bio-weapons targeted to the Space Marines’ genetic modifications and the extra organs they possess could prove effective.
Many of the Space Marine officers seem too good for a helmet, at least in the models. Snipers again.
Orbital bombardment is imprecise, and Exterminatus comprehensive. Something is needed to fill the tactical niche of the tactical/subtactical nuclear weapon. If the materials could be obtained, perhaps nukes could in fact be used.
The Techmarine in a squad is as vital as the medic for its long-term survival. TWO targets.
Is the trait for the psyker genetic? If so, a retrovirus could remove the Imperium’s most potent weapon and the majority of Chaos’ sustenance at a stroke.
I think I read somewhere that Eldar flowstone conducts psionic energy like metal and electricity. Could a Faraday cage provide immunity to the psyker’s powers? What would you ground it to?
Can animals exhibit psionic powers? If so, can they exhibit the same mutation as the Imperium’s Calidus assassins? Such creatures could be used like Star Wars’ yalsmari, or however they’re spelled, vs. Jedi- even to the point of snuffing out the Astronomican.
If non-psionic FTL travel and communications were developed, or even fast-sublight methods like ion engines paired with hydrogen ramscoops, such methods could then be disrupted with impunity.
The Titan Legions would be difficult, but not impossible, to deal with. They’d make a big honking target for long-range artillery, large-scale traps or even tank guns targeted at the right joints.
The chemical that allows Imperial assassins to assume any form when combined with implants would probably be very easy to test for on any sort of bodily fluids test, or even a metal detector/x-ray, depending on implant composition.
If immunosuppressant drugs are used to help the body tolerate bionics, easily-concocted ‘antidotes’ would cause no end of problems.
Pure and applied research are limited to the priestly caste of the Adeptus Mechanus in the Imperium: a large military R&D base might possibly catch up to and exceed Imperial technology in a few generations, particularly with samples of Tau, Marine, Necron and Eldar tech to reverse-engineer.
The Imperium is extremely factious. Proper exploitation of Imperial factions could weaken the Imperium and delay its response.
Academic acceptance of small-‘c’ chaos as a necessary and inseparable part of man and nature would go a long way to the Imperium’s dissolution. Chaos theory?
Recordings of the young Emperor denying his godhood would be a NUKE.
Introduction of alternative governmental systems in junk sci-fi or fantasy may slip past Imperial censors.
How well does the Imperium really understand its computer systems? A well-designed software worm could well be crippling, especially if disguised as the displeasure of the Machine God for some major tenet of Imperial policy.
The monomolecular wire the Eldar use for nets would make tremendously effective tripwire traps, bolas shotgun rounds, edges for melee weapons, or weighted ‘monowhips’ a la cyberpunk.
Bionics in the Imperium seem to fit into two categories: traditional-13 Space Marine implants, or simple replacements, with an insignificant smattering of other minor bionics thrown in by the Mechanus. Radical enhancement bionics like replacing the nerves with superconducting material to increase reaction time or a blood-borne nanite system to heal mortal injuries in minutes may produce a warrior greater than the Space Marines.
Smoke grenades, foliage, flammable environments, mirrors, and hazy environments would all SUCK for the standard Imperial lasgun.
Land Raider armor is HEAVY. Solutions: Gas, shaped charges, extended use of incendiaries, collapsing structures on them, putting mirrored plugs in the lascannon barrels, armor-piercing fin-stabilized flechette/sabot rounds.
The advent of carapace, mesh and power armor makes the Project SALVO work obsolete, and consequently making the full-auto bolter obsolete. This may well herald the return of the battle rifle and the abandonment of the AR.
Building a power weapon system into each bullet would probably be impossible and certainly impractical and uneconomical- but if it could fit into a 20mm round, the anti-materiel rifle equipped with those may be useful to issue to Special Forces. If still unfeasible, then using the system with MBT rounds and artillery shells may still be possible.
Convict squads use collars that will explode if they desert or disobey, killing them. Finding the frequency would neutralize them.
Nuclear weapons or other WMD-type things could be snuck into Chapter bases with the supplies.
The psyk-out grenade is an explosive that suppresses psionics- if a reliable method for detecting psionic energy could be found, vehicles could utilize psyk-out reactive armor, insulating them against psionics.
Make compounds that appear like supply dumps, command posts, factories, and similar targets from orbit but are actually huge death traps. Once the Drop Pods fall…
Disguise orbiting defense satellites as asteroids or even moons.
Ally with relatively benign enemies of the Imperium, like non-Dark Eldar and Tau, but accept no assistance from Chaos, or the Chaos-tainted.
Just one point to raise for now, as I think it addresses a lot of the flaws in your logic; the Imperium doesn't understand the technology it uses, but neither does any other group. You can't just decide to introduce modern tech, as there's nothing in the 40k universe that would even suggest the possibility, let alone how to make it happen.
The character was originally a linguist engaged in the problem of deciphering the Old Terran language (English,) which he did handily. He has access to a medium-sized electronic library of 1950-2004 vintage books.
Five more ideas added. Help me out here!
The problem with asking for help is that the cache of info your character found goes completely against the 40k fluff. At this point all you can do is test your theories in-game, and hope your GM is reasonable about it, because nobody outside of your group has any experience with that kind of situation.
