Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squad

Provided below are the house rules we use for Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squad.

The Adeptus Arbites are the police force of the Adeptus Terra, devoted to enforcing Imperial law throughout the entire Imperium. Utterly dedicated and without mercy, the Arbites are feared throughout the galaxy, for they are the agents of a harsh law, where failure and incompetence are crimes, and the only punishment is death.

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Arbites are empowered to act as judge, jury and executioner. Citizens have no rights, and only members of the Priesthood of Terra or the Inquisition could claim anything so elaborate as a trial.

The Adeptus Arbites maintains a presence on almost every Imperial world headquartered in fortified Precinct-Fortresses, also known as Courthouses, that are equipped to be self-sufficient and highly defensible. They consist of armouries, dungeons, barracks, firing ranges, scriptories, archives, warehouses, kitchens, gymnasia and garages. Courthouses are sometimes a world's only connection with the rest of the Imperium.

The Adeptus Arbites enforce the Lex Imperialis, embodied within the great Book of Judgement. Their organisation represents the soldiers and police of the Adeptus Terra. However each of the Imperium's worlds have their own government, laws, and enforcement. The Arbites concern themselves only with the broader laws to which the entire Imperium is subject. But if local law enforcement is lax in their duties and allow lawlessness to fester the Arbites will brutally intervene to restore order as they deem necessary.

Well armored and provisioned with powerful combat shotguns and bolters, Arbitrator patrols are a force to be reckoned with in the dirty sprawl of the underhive.

Gang Composition

An Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squad must follow these rules when it is founded, and when new fighters are added to the squad.

  • As a nod to concept, Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squads are referred to as a "squad" instead of as a "gang". However, more general rules that use the term gang apply to Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squads unless stated otherwise.
  • There must be one Leader. If the Leader is killed you may promote a Regulator on your roster to become the new Leader. If there are no Regulators but there are Specialists, you may first promote a Specialist to become a Regulator and then immediately promote them again to become the Leader. If there are no available Regulators and no available Specialists to promote, the squad disbands.
  • You may have no more than two Champions on your roster, plus one for every full 10 Reputation the squad has. If your Reputation is decreased during campaign play to the extent that you have more Champions than your Reputation would allow, you may retain your current complement of Champions but may not gain any more until your Reputation is restored.
  • A fighter may be equipped with a maximum of three weapons. Weapons with the Unweildy trait take up the space of two weapons.
  • Grenades do not count against the number of weapons a fighter may carry, but a fighter may carry no more than two different kinds of Grenades.
  • All Arbites wear Arbites Carapace Armor, the cost of which (and impact to their Movement characteristic) is included in the fighter profiles.
  • A fighter can carry any amount of Wargear.
  • Arbites are an elite force and do not have Juves or Prospects on their roster.
  • Arbites cannot hire Mercs or Bounty Hunters, but may hire some types of Hangers-On.
  • If using the Bounty optional rules, the Guilders will not issue a Bounty on an Arbites fighter. Thus the Post Bounty action cannot be used against a member of an Arbites squad.
  • Arbites cannot spend XP to choose Savant Skills under any circumstances.

Fighters

A starting Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squad is made up of the following fighters.

Leader

An Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squad is led by a Proctor.

Arbites Proctor (1)
220 credits

Arbites Proctors are singularly focused lifelong Imperial servants with years of bringing law to the lawless behind them. Some have served their entire careers on Necromunda, others were assigned here from elsewhere, all of them are intimidating enforcers of the Lex Imperialis.

Champions

Some Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squads are accompanied by deadly Regulators, or a stalwart Cybermastiff Handler.

Arbites Regulator (0-2); + 1 per 10 Reputation (rounded down)
175 credits

Arbites Regulators are specifically trained to impose Imperial judgement against the criminal underworld of a planet, able to hold their own against any who challenge the Emperor's law.

Arbites Handler (0-1)
130 credits

Arbites Handlers lead cybernetically enhanced or entirely robotic 'dogs' controlled by verbal commands and keyed to their master to prevent enemies from giving them counter commands. Cybermastiffs are very effective, as are their Handlers, and not to be taken lightly by those attempting to evade justice.

Gang Fighters

The backbone of most Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squads are dedicated Troopers.

Arbites Trooper (unlimited)
100 credits

Arbites Troopers are the most junior rank within the Adeptus Arbites hierarchy, drilled in combat, stout of heart, and eager to enforce the Emperor's law.

Hangers-on

A starting Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squads may only hire up to one of the following hangers-on, but in campaign play the gang gains an additional hangers-on slot for every 5 full points of Reputation the gang has. If the gang loses Reputation they may keep any hangers-on they purchased previously.

Exclusive Hangers-on

Arbites Suppressor (0-3)
150 credits

Arbites Suppressors specialize in keeping order in the most desperate situations, such as riots and other civil disturbances. Adept at close quarters combat, they are heavily armored and merciless. If a squad has an Arbites Suppressor on their roster who is not in Recovery or Captured, the squad's player gains a Steeled Nerves Tactics Card to use in the battle in addition to any other Tactics Cards available to them. This benefit is gained even if the Arbites Suppressor is not part of the squad's Crew for the battle.

Standard Hangers-on

Informant (0-2)
50 credits

Informants are snitches who dig up and sell information to interested parties, blending in with the general populace or employing stealth to get in and out of places to acquire valuable secrets and objects. If a gang has an Informant on their roster who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player gains a Seize the Initiative Tactics Card to use in the battle in addition to any other Tactics Cards available to them. This benefit is gained even if the Informant is not part of the gang's Crew for the battle.

Tactics Cards

An Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squad may select Tactics Cards from the Arbites Tactics Cards list by default, though campaign and / or scenario specific guidelines may modify this.

Campaign

An Adeptus Arbites Patrol Squad is available on a case by case basis depending upon the type of campaign, and when they are available campaign specific rules nearly always apply due to the special nature of Arbites within the setting. Consult the Arbitrator or campaign write up to determine if a player may run an Arbites Squad and what restrictions, exceptions, or guidelines might apply.