Medusa V

Playing Inquisitor games in this summers 40K campaign.

By Bob McFarlane
As the War for Medusa V rages across cities, forests, seas and the
voids of space, shadowy figures move in the darkness far from
the din of battle. While the major stratagems of the War will be
what makes the names of heroes, many will operate thanklessly
and ceaselessly beyond the auspices of those who they strive to
protect, and though their names may never be remembered on
memorial or statue, their efforts are as valuable as those of
bellowing captains who make their name on the fields of death.
As the war for Medusa proceeds, Inquisitor players will doubtless
feel the need to flex their arms in defence (or otherwise) of the
Imperium. These scenarios will allow them to be part of the war
being fought from the shadows while Medusa burns.

BACKGROUND
The fate of the Medusa system has long been tied closely to the
machinations of the Inquisition.
During the Medusa IV Schism over two hundred years ago,
heretical cults rose up in an attempt to overthrow those loyal to
the Emperor. While the bold efforts of the planetary defence
forces kept the enemy at bay on the streets, agents of the Ordo
Hereticus operated in deep cover among the cultist ranks. In
attempts to sow seeds of despair among their numbers, these
agents orchestrated sabotage of their efforts, ensuring orders
never reached their destinations and supplies were diverted from
areas where they were needed most. Many cult leaders were also
found dead, their killers undetected, long having escaped or
disappeared back deep undercover.
Despite these valiant efforts, and despite the eventual arrival of
the Astartes of the Ultramarines chapter, the Ordos were forced
to admit that their efforts had failed. The cults had grown too
widespread, too influential, and too deep-rooted. Conclave was
held on the neighbouring planet of Medusa V, chaired by
Annabella Baptiste, a young Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus, to
decide the fate of the planet.
The Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus were adamant that they
should be allowed to complete their work, that headway was
being made and with the assistance of the Ultramarines, they
might yet prevail in the face of overwhelming odds. Though they
argued fervently for four days and four nights, Baptiste
eventually called an end to the proceedings. Proclaiming that the
enemy's strength grew with every day, and the loyalists' strength
weakened, the declared that she would adjourn from the
conclave and deliver the Ultimate Sanction to Medusa IV by
means of Atmospheric Incineration. A hundred heads hung in
union, for among them, none were willing to deny that Medusa
IV lay in the direst of straits.
Though she granted refugees a one week stay of execution,
Inquisitor Baptiste made good on her promise, destroying the
world of Medusa IV in a conflagration of Righteous Flame. There
were many who called her coward for abandoning the world,
who claimed there was no challenge to great for the noble
Astartes to overcome, who claimed it was a fusion of her own
inexperience and incompetence that led to her rashly deciding to
condemn the souls of billions of the Emperor's loyal servants.

Baptiste cared not. Her reputation was secured, and Medusa IV

was delivered from the taint of heresy.
All appeared well for over two centuries. The refugee question in
the wake of Medusa IV's destruction was answered simply by the
Inquisition - gargantuan camps were built on Medusa V, the
nearest suitable world. As the Ordo Hereticus attempted to atone
for their failure on Medusa IV, testing and screening was enforced
rigorously and thousands were sent to the pyres. Once again, the
Inquisition believed the problem solved.
As the decades passed, little changed on Medusa V. All was
thought safe until the day when the Observatoria declared that
Van Grothe's Rapidity was growing dangerously close to the
planet, and that its days were numbered. As the mysterious
phenomenon pulsed with light and energy in the skies above the
planet, dark truths revealed themselves. Factions among the
refugees, descended from those betrayed by the Inquisition on
Medusa IV, rose up to strike a desperate blow against the
Imperial Governor. Cults that had been simmering beneath the
placid surface of Medusa V's society saw the great rift in the sky
as a sign that their time had come.
Rioting began in the cities. The streets became a morass of battles
and conflicts, whilst the Adeptus Arbites carried out mass riotbreakings and summary executions. The Imperial forces knew
nothing of the grim fate awaiting their planet, and fought on with
bravery, valiance and faith in the Emperor's deliverance.
Whilst all fighting broke out across the planet, the pattern from
Medusa IV began to repeat itself. Inquisitors of the Ordo
Hereticus, under the guidance of Inquisitor Maximilian
Sturmann, attempted to infiltrate the cultist cells and break them
from the inside. Initial efforts were a success, with hundreds of
small cells sundered from within by the heroic efforts of
undercover Inquisitorial agents.
Imperial resistance had met initially with success.
Counterinsurgency by the Inquisitors and lawkeeping by the
Adeptus Arbites put paid to early attempts to overthrow the
government. However, even as the authorities became confident
of victory, hell broke loose.
The incursions of the many and varied alien factions across the
planet was unexpected, even by the Inquisition. The Tau, the
Necrons, the Eldar, the Orks all had gained a foothold on the
doomed world in the midst of the confusion set in motion by the
rebellions. Even as the Imperial forces turned their efforts
outward to combat these new threats, they were beset from all
sides. Stretched to their limits by the spread of hostile activity, it
was time for the Inquisition to spring into action.
Their tasks would be many, varied, and challenging. But in the
battle beneath the surfaces for the Soul of Medusa V, they were to
be the final hope.

THE SCENARIOS

SCENARIO 2 INDUSTRIAL SABOTAGE

The scenarios in this pack are examples of actions the Inquisition

and their agents would embark upon during the upcoming war
for the planet of Medusa V. You can add your own specifics to
them, such as their locations and the parties involved, so that you
can weave the fate of your own parties into the dark background
of this Doomed Planet.

Hostile Factions have infiltrated key facilities in the IndustrialMilitary Complexes of Medusa V. These include the massive
refinery complexes of Johannes Island, and the routing stations
and supply depots of the Machavian fuel relays supplying vital
promethium to Hive Machavius and the Imperial front lines.
Adeptus Mechanicus Personnel have with the intention of
disrupting Medusa's ability to make war, defend itself, and supply
vital resources to its defenders. Obviously, they cannot be
allowed to do this.

SCENARIO 1 TOMB LANDING

A Necron Landing Vessel has landed on Medusa at close to the
ancient city of Hive Machavius, with the intent of staging an
assault upon its people. The players' factions must investigate the
unusual craft. While the Necrons on board are still in slumber,
time is a crucial factor - they may awake at any moment
jeopardising the operation!
Possible Antagonists
Looters and Assailants There are those to whom the prospect
of a Necron ship carries either the promise of trinkets and spoils,
or portents of darkness and peril. Tau search parties, for
example, may be keen to send a Stealth Operative to investigate
the potential of liberating some Necron technology; whereas the
Eldar, contrastingly, would see the importance of destroying the
vessel at the earliest opportunity. Additionally, there may be selfinterested parties, such as archeoxeneans and Rogue Traders,
who have the intention of investigating the crashed ship,
unwitting of the horrors they may unleash.
Possible Protagonists
Suppressors An Inquisitor will be first on the scene, and will do
all he can to seal the Tomb or facilitate its destruction. He may be
a fervent Puritan, with fire and destruction on his mind, or he
may be an open-minded Ordo Xenos Inquisitor with the
intention of capturing some of the powerful ancient technology
to use for his own ends. Most importantly, however, regardless of
their own personal agendas, their goal will be to prevent an
outbreak of Necrons in the area.
Scenario Suggestions
The game should be played on a board with a large portal at one
end, open yet apparently undefended. Of course, if players
attempt to enter without making efforts to determine the nature
of the location, they will be caught by surprise as the Necrons'
defensive devices begin to activate. It falls to each of the parties
to carry out their objectives in the light of this - each party will
either need to find a way to get around the defences or prevent
the other side from doing so! Inquisitors, other suitably wellinformed characters, will be well aware of the nature of the
portal and may take extra care in exploring the area.

Possible Antagonists
Saboteurs the Sabotage teams may be from a variety of sources.
The Saboteurs will all share a common goal - to damage
machinery and disrupt the Industrial-Military Complex, but it
may be by various means. The Saboteurs may be a pair of Eldar
Rangers, whose abilities are well-suited to sabotage and
espionage, whose intention it is to steal vital data regarding the
Imperial War Effort. Alternatively, a Tau Stealth Operative may
have infiltrated the facilities to place strategically-located charges
to detonate from a distance after escaping the facilities. It could
be as simple a matter as a band of Chaos Cultists or Mutants
breaking into the facility and smashing up machines with
wooden clubs.
Possible Protagonists
Defenders the Facilities are likely to be guarded. The guards
may simply be a few low-ranking Guard soldiers or Planetary
Guardsmen, or hired goons or mercenaries. In this event, their
knowledge of what they are facing will be scant at best, and their
ability to combat the threat limited in the extreme.
Alternatively, an Inquisitor may have got wind of the situation
and brought his retinue to combat the danger. This is a matter of
judgment Inquisitors will not appear if the antagonists are a
low-level 'threat', such as rebel guardsmen or cultists, but some
of the more exotic adversaries, such as Eldar or Tau, might justify
the presence of an Inquisitor.
Scenario Suggestions
The scenario should be played on a square board, with one or
more pieces of technological scenery as the objectives. It will be
the role of the Saboteurs to achieve their objectives, be they to
destroy the equipment or to interact with it in some other way,
and the role of the Defenders to prevent them doing so.

SCENARIO 3 VALUABLE DISCOVERY

Deep in the Hole, the abandoned Adeptus Mechanicus
excavation site that has lay dormant for almost 130 years, a
discovery of ancient significance has been made. Due to the fact
that the area is considered Quarantine Extremis by the Ordo
Xenos, and is well-guarded by Planetary defence forces and the
Skitarii, its true nature is unclear, though several of the factions,
for reasons that remain their own, are keen to take possession of
the find. There are also elements among the Inquisition keen to
ensure that the find remains, for whatever reason, out of the
hands of those who would use it against the Imperium.
Possible Antagonists
Scavengers Once again, the promises of outlandish and exotic
prizes may draw all manner of folk to the area in expectation of
walking off with some thing of worth. These folk may well be
greedy and unscrupulous humans, such as Rogue Traders, peon
scavengers or even powerful criminal kingpins; though they may
just as well be aliens or worshippers of the ruinous powers, who,
in knowledge of the peril that awaits Medusa as a world, hope to
liberate these valuable trinkets before it is too late. The item may
even be of great enough import to pique the interest of an
Inquisitor in search of some talisman or bauble he might bend to
his own whims.
Possible Protagonists
Bulwarks the item, whatever its nature, is considered of
suitable importance for the Imperial Authorities to deem it
worthy of retrieval. Whether it be some saintly relic from
Imperial History, a weapon of ancient and deadly origin, or
merely some proscribed item deemed unsuitable for the public
domain, the government of Medusa sees fit to impound it. This
may culminate in an Arbites presence, the intervention of the
local PDF or Enforcer agents, or even a level-headed Inquisitor
keen to suppress an item that may, in the wrong hands, prove
dangerous to all around it.
Scenario Suggestions
The scenario should be played around a central point, which will
be the resting place for the item. The mission will revolve around
one party attempting to retrieve the item, while the other
attempts to suppress it by any means. This may mean that they
are called upon to destroy it. The Gamesmaster may wish to
decide on the nature of the item, and give players the
opportunity to make use of it in the scenario, or, if they choose,
they may roll on the Random Archeotech table at the back of the
booklet.

D100
1-20

Archeotech
The rumours were a hoax and the item is merely some
worthless trinket, of no use to any one except tinkers
and collectors of trivia.

21-40

The item is Orkish in origin, and takes the form of a

random, crudely crafted close-combat weapon, which
may be randomly generated from the rulebook.

41-50

The item is extremely unusual, and may prove to be of

some use the Inquisitor. Randomly generate one Exotic
item from the rulebook.

51-60

The item is Eldar in origin, and takes the form of a

wraithbone glove, which gives the bearer the power of
Telekinesis. The wearer gains the Telekinesis psychic
ability, with an assumed Willpower of 75 (on behalf of
the glove).

61-70

The item is Necron in origin and takes the form of a

flaying device. It may be used as a weapon with the
characteristics of a Gauss Flayer from the Alien Weapons
section of the Armoury from the Inquisitor rulebook.

71-80

The item is merely a trinket, but its true nature is more

sinister a Daemon has been bound inside it by some
dark magicks. The item, while in the possession of a
character, will try to exert its will over him. The item
counts as having a Willpower of 60. At the start of each
turn, the character must roll a d20 and add his
willpower if the character scores higher than the
item's willpower, he acts normally. If not, he becomes
enthralled, and in his next turn will count as having a
Speed of 1, and may only move randomly at walking
pace.

81-90

The item is a Tau device, designed to reflect incoming

damage. It acts as armour for the entire body, with a
value of 5, and if it successfully deflects a shot, it pulses
with bright light as the energy of the shot is dissipated.
Any further shots fired at the character wearing the field
by the character who fired the shot have a further -40
penalty due to the blinding nature of the discharge.

91-100 The item is a device of truly terrible power. Whether it

be an Exterminatus Device, a manifestation of Purgatus
Annihilatum, or some other weapon of massdestruction, its importance is not lost on its finders. The
item confers no in-game benefits, but the finders should
strive their utmost to protect it lest it fall into the hands
of their adversaries.

SCENARIO 4 COUNTER-INSURGENCY
As in any conflict, it is a well-respected fact that in order to
cripple a war effort, cutting off a forces' head is one of the surest
ways to do it. There is no shortage of high-ranking officers on
Medusa for the War, ranging from Graf Harazahn, Elarique
Swiftblade and Ygethmor the Deceiver right down to the lowliest
Imperial Colonel or Eldar Warlock. Those who wish to foil such
diabolical plots will have to be on their guard and well-prepared,
since an attack could strike at any time, and often from the most
unexpected of quarters.
Possible Antagonists
Assassins one or more of the parties will be assassins, intent
upon eliminating some key figure. It does not necessarily have to
be a partisan figure, such as an overtly Imperial or Xenotic
character - it may be, for example, an Imperial citizen acting as an
informant for the Tau Empire, or a citizen impregnated with a
genestealer larva being compelled to commit acts against his will
by the Hivemind.
Possible Protagonists
Bodyguards of course, for every assassin, there will be those
who wish to foil the plot and protect their targets. These may be
an Inquisitor seeking to protect an Imperial General from an
assassin, or even an Eldar operative seeking to protect a deepcover informant from agents who have blown his cover.
Scenario Suggestions
The game should be played on a relatively small board to keep
the pace high and to ensure that the bodyguards have to work
hard to protect their quarry. The players should strive to develop
a convincing setting for the assassination attempt, while deciding
who the target will be - it is always possible to make the target an
Imperial dignitary, but players should attempt to tailor the
character to fit the goals of their warband. For example, if two
Inquisitors are involved, it may be the case that one Inquisitor
plans to make use of some talent the target possesses, and the
other Inquisitor intends to prevent him doing so for
philosophical reasons!

SCENARIO 5 INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

Medusa V. Of course, it can deal a crippling blow to an army for
such intel to fall into enemy hands, and it will go to any lengths
to prevent it from doing so. Facilities such as the Madrigales
Monastery deal with a good deal of sensitive information that
hostile factions will do everything they can to acquire.
Possible Antagonists
Interlopers to most races, intelligence-gathering is a vital part
of warfare, and this can take many forms. It may consist of
stealing vital papers, assessing military strength, or even
surveying enemy positions and facilities to expedite future
military operations. The protagonists could be Earth-caste dataminers who have been inserted into a facility to gain data to
further the cause of the Greater Good; an advance guard from
the Chaos armies seeking to gain tactical data about military
capabilities and potential resistance; or even treacherous
humans keen to sell their loyalty to some dark power or merely
for the promise of reward.
Possible Protagonists
Protectors in response to the efforts of the interlopers, the
protectors assigned to protect whatever vital data is at stake must
do whatever is necessary to stop their adversaries. In some cases
this may be simple - such as protecting a data-bank or astropathic
relay from being accessed by hostile agents - but in other
situations it may be more complex. They may be forced to stop a
spy, whose responsibility it is to take crucial pict-records of a vital
piece of technology or strategic data, from escaping with the
information.

Scenario Suggestions
The options for this scenario are extremely broad. The scenario
can be as simple as finding some vital documents, right the way
through to breaking into a computer system, Astropathic Net or
psy-relay. They might also include surveillance of a target, or
gathering blueprints or pict-links of a top secret project or
installation. The key is that for the scenario, there should be one
or more crucial pieces of intel that must be gathered by the
interlopers and it falls to the Protectors to prevent this
happening.

SCENARIO 6 BIOLOGICAL INFECTION

Many factions are willing to use dishonourable means to gain the
upper hand in their struggle for supremacy, and often this takes
the form of a major infection caused by the spreading of
biological agents. For such an agent to be set loose among the
population of one of Medusa's gigantic Hive Cities, such as the
massively populated Hive Amphion, the underground nature of
which would make evacuation difficult and maximise casualties;
or among the massively overpopulated refugee camps of
Baptiste's Wrath or Camp Alpha, would be catastrophic to say the
very least. Worse still, the saboteurs may infect some facility such
as the Euryales Water Purification plant, spreading their deadly
plagues across the entire region...
Possible Antagonists
The agents attempting to deliver the toxins may be acting on
behalf of any of the factions, but it is clear that they have only one
goal in mind to cause chaos and death. They may be Tau
sympathisers, nascent Chaos cult worshippers, or agents keen to
build a life for themselves in the Tau Empire, working on behalf
of the Earth caste to prove their devotion to the Greater Good.
Possible Protagonists
The parties interested in preventing the outbreak of the toxins
will almost certainly be Imperial agents or peacekeepers. They
may be Arbites enforcers tasked with stopping a major disaster,
or Inquisitorial agents who have been tracking the progress of
the antagonists and aim to catch up with them before they can
carry their plan through. Of course, the protagonists may well be
concerned citizens, or even lowly guards or local security forces
in the right place at the right time to stop a key blow against the
Imperium.
Scenario Suggestions
This scenario presents several options for the antagonists. There
are several ways they can deploy the toxin - for example, they
may choose to place it in the water supply, allowing it to spread
quickly through water. They may prefer to place it in a chimney
flue and let it spread via airborne means. Better still, they may
choose to infect several subjects and release them, making them
unwitting pawns in their fiendish plot.
Of course, the key factor in any outbreak is the nature of the
infection and how it might affect the scenario. Players can either
come up with their own disgusting illnesses or randomly
generate one by consulting the biological outbreak table, which
can be found at the end of the booklet.

BIOLOGICAL OUTBREAK TABLE

61-70

If you need to generate a random biological outbreak for the

purposes of Scenario 5, you can use this chart. First of all,
establish the method of infection by rolling a D6 and consulting
the first table; then the nature of the outbreak, by rolling a D100
and consulting the Biological Agent chart.
To establish if a character is infected by contact with the agent, he
must take a Toughness test. The Contagion Factor of each
infection represents how easily it communicates the number
shown must be subtracted from the characters Toughness when
testing to see if they become infected.
D6
1-2

Method of Infection
Bloodborne infection the infection can only be spread
directly into the bloodstream. It may be contracted
through open wounds, subdermal injections or by
weapons coated in the agent.

3-4

Waterborne infection the infection is in liquid form,

and can be spread through contact with the skin, or
through drinking.

5-6

Airborne infection the infection is in a gaseous form

and can be contracted through direct skin contact,
inhalation, open wounds by any method, literally.

D100
1-20

Biological Agent
Common Cold whether due to poor planning or lack
of knowledge or resources, the agent the saboteurs
intend to deploy is rather less dangerous than they
might have hoped. Highly infectious, yet shows no
short-term effects. Within several days, all but the
hardiest characters will be coughing, sneezing and
dribbling at the nose. However, for the purposes of this
scenario, the infection has no effect.
Contagion Factor: -80%

21-40

Necromundan Pox the Pox constricts the subject's

lungs, making them unable to breathe correctly. The
affected character may not run, jump or sprint; their
Speed is reduced by 1 and any damage they take to their
chest area counts as if it were a critical hit.
Contagion factor: -30%

41-50

Rigor Incapacitum while believed among the masses

to be caused the Emperor crippling those of weak faith,
this is actually a nerve sedative. The body part touched
by the agent is made useless, as if it had received a
'Crippled' damage result. If the agent is airborne and
the subject is not wearing a respirator, the character is
knocked unconscious for the rest of the scenario.
Contagion Factor: -20%

51-60

Influenza Telepathica a virulent, common, yet little

feared infection, made so because it only affects
psykers. If contracted, it leads to headaches, and a
gradual deterioration of the constitution until the
subject begins to feel extremely fragile. If a psykers
contracts the disease, they lose d10 Toughness and
Willpower every turn unless they manage to find a cure
or fall unconscious. There is no long-term effect, and all
characters will recover for the next scenario.

Agitatus Furior, a.k.a. 'Rage' originally developed as a

biological weapon, Rage drives subjects into an intense,
unrelenting fury. Infected characters must always
attempt to move into melee combat with the nearest
enemy model they are aware of, and must always move
at a sprint, jumping over obstacles if necessary. If there
are no enemy models they are aware of, they must
attempt to engage friendly models. If there are no
friendly models they are aware of, they simply stand still
bellowing and foaming at the mouth.
Contagion Factor: -20%

71-90

Medusan Phage the Phage was originally used as an

inoculation for workers in lethal bacterial
environments. However, gradually the phage mutated
so that instead of aiding the body's natural immunity, it
destroyed it. Subjects end up without an immune
system and even the slightest infection can prove lethal.
Characters who contract the phage take d10 damage
from bleeding, and their system shock value is halved.
They also halve their Toughness value when rolling to
test to see if they are affected by toxin or gas weapons.
Contagion Factor: -30%

91-100 Nurgle's Rot The most feared of all diseases. The Rot
first causes a high fever, and the subject then loses
control of their bodily functions. Their skin necrotises
and falls off in clumps. Death is slow and painful, and
from the foetid corpse emerges one of the Plague God's
servants, a Plague bearer of Nurgle. The character loses
10 from their Toughness value every turn until they fall
unconscious. Their agonised screaming causes all
friendly characters within earshot -20 to their Nerve
characteristic.
Contagion Factor: -30%

THE FATE OF MEDUSA V

The Fate of this doomed planet may be sealed, but the efforts of
the Inquisitors will decide if the planet's end is one of glory and
honour, or one of ignominy and defeat.
Though the fate of Medusa V will be determined on the
battlefields, the efforts made in accomplishing the missions in
this booklet are just as vital as the sacrifices of the soldier on the
field of war.
Every tale played out through the game of Inquisitor is a story
waiting to be told, and it is these stories that we want to hear.
If you play a game of Inquisitor using one of these scenarios over
the summer period, please write a report of it and send it in
(fanaticsubmissions@games-workshop.co.uk). We will compile a
selection of the stories, and present them at the end of the
campaign to reveal some of the unheard-of exploits that go on
behind the curtain on Medusa V during the war.
So go Forth, and do the Emperor's Work!
The best reports will be forwarded to Adam Troke who will
then include them in a summarised form in the final
Medusa V conclusion.

Contagion Factor: -30%

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rob Macfarlane is a seasoned Inquisitor player, Gamesmaster and savant, and a Medusa V historian and chronicler. He can be
found moderating The Conclave, the internet's foremost source of Inquisitor-related fiction.