Research and Development (R&D)

Flavour Text Here.

Acolytes want an item or for something to be more available, even certain trainings to be easier.

This requires a lot of time to research and sometimes even a mastery of the abilities to begin.

But somethings just don't exist in the 42nd millennium and the Acolytes have to take it into their own hands to ensure that this thing can be created.

Depending on the R&D that is completed by the acolyte tangible benefits may be available to all acolytes with whom the research is shared (This will usually be all acolytes under the same inquisitor)

Preparation
There are several steps that an Acolyte must take before beginning any R&D. Unlike a simple skill check to determine whether or not the Acolyte can do/already knows something, R&D represents pulling information from a plethora of sources and testing in a variety of different ways in numerous different circumstances, with the intention of discovering something (cool but a word they would use in a 40k text). Before beginning, Participating members must come up with ideas, define those ideas, test the ideas, and finally implement the ideas.

Synthesize and Theorize
The first thing that the aspiring acolytes must do is figure out what they would like to R&D. While this step often times takes place in character on missions (or out of character through discussions with the DM) it is still an option for Acolytes that would rather devote their mastery of a skill into research rather than learning a new skill.

Synthesize
Synthesizing is the process of defining "simple fixes" to not so simple problems.

Such "simple fixes" are referenced below

Figuring out the area that most needs development is imperative to an efficient Imperium.

Theorize
Now that the Research team has Synthesized their problem they need to start theorizing actual ways to implement their "simple fix". These can be broken down into a couple of broad categories that pertain to the idea that was Synthesized.

examples are referenced below


 * 1) Increasing availability of Items/trinkets/etc
 * 2) * developing trade ties
 * 3) * developing more efficient production of said item
 * 4) * developing better ways to obtain/refine certain materials (this may apply a benefit on many different weapons)
 * 5) Developing an weapon/item/trinket/etc
 * 6) * Defining the weapon/item/trinket
 * 7) Enhancing training methods
 * 8) * Better references for learning
 * 9) * More rigorous gym
 * 10) * Better organization system in the Libraries
 * 11) Reducing the amount of time it takes to complete a task
 * 12) * Innovate on current methods
 * 13) * Develop new methods for completing the task

Explore, Hypothesize and Clarify
After the Acolytes come up with an idea of what they'd like to improve they must set a development goal for their R&D endeavors. Increasing availability of an item by +1 or an entire degree of availability, creating your own personal weapon or developing a way to mass produce and monetize the weapon, creating a training regime for close allies or making a textbook that could help the whole of the Imperium. (It would be wise to note in this stage that many Research and Development efforts compound on themselves, a single Acolyte can't hope to create his own empire selling specialty weapons unless they develop their network alongside their knowledge).

It is at this point after the Acolytes have determined what they are going to begin R&Ding and before they actually begin R&Ding it that the GM will decide who on the team is actually capable of performing the research and what the complexity will be (refer to Explication Complexity). Because members that were deemed incapable of performing research on the topic were shunted from the group all rolls made by Acolytes for this R&D will be counted as Known rather than +modifier.

Make a hidden dice roll modified by the R&Ds base difficulty for each Acolyte that is participating in the research team. This is the Clarification Roll.

Degrees of success make the idea better, degrees of failure make the idea worse. (the numeric value of the final bonus would change or the quality of the craftsmanship would change on a weapon)

Design Develop and Test
Now the Research team of Acolytes can make tests at whatever time interval that the DM set up at the difficulty of whatever the research would be, and follow very similar rules to the Explication in the real book.

(Breakthroughs add a degree of success to the hidden Clarification roll)

Because there is no lead researcher the total degrees of success would need to be higher.

researchers get bonuses in their research if they have willing participants for testing their equipment. The first 10 test subjects will provide a +10, the next 90 will provide an additional +8, the next 900 an additional +6, so on until you have a total of 100,000 participants and +30 total to the research efforts (if I did the math correctly).

Implement and Improve
After the Research team reaches the degrees of success that the DM decided, the research is completed and the modified benefit (after the clarification roll) is revealed to the researchers.

Sharing the knowledge with more people allows the benefits from larger networks of people

(Most research would be done on the Faith Adamantium and thus the availability benefits or the training benefits would only be available on the Faith Adamantium. However if the research was done with a specific planet in mind and shared with an agency that had the authority to utilize the research produced by your team, the availability benefits would be available to them as well.)