🎲 The Rules
The 5e ⇄ 40K Reskin Glossary
The Rosetta Stone for Running Pure 5e While Speaking 40K
"In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war."
How to use this document (read this first)
This is the single most important page in the whole kit. Everything else — the monsters, the adventure, the pregens — leans on the one idea written here:
You run the game with the Player's Handbook, by the book (RAW). You only change the words.
Nothing on this page invents a new rule, a new die, a new save, or a new math. A lasgun is just a hand crossbow that someone described differently. A psyker is a sorcerer who calls his spells "powers." When your players are new to 40K and you're new to DMing, that is the gift this approach gives you: you never have to learn two systems. You already trust the 5e math. You're just painting over it.
The contract — repeat it to yourself when you get nervous:
- The dice never change. Damage dice, AC, to-hit, saves, spell slots, CR — all of it stays exactly what the rulebook says.
- Only flavor changes. Names, descriptions, the look of an effect. A fireball still does 8d6 in a 20-ft radius with a Dex save for half — it's just called a plasma burst now.
- When in doubt, find the 5e thing it's "really" is, and run that. Player says "I fire my bolter" → that's the Attack action with the weapon you statted as a bolter → roll to hit, roll the listed damage. Done.
- Damage type is the one number you're allowed to swap (slashing → still slashing, but a lascannon does radiant instead of piercing). This costs nothing in balance and adds a ton of flavor. Everything else stays put.
If a player ever asks "wait, how does that work mechanically?" — the answer is always "it's the 5e [X], just reskinned." That sentence will save your session.
A note on the two community "schools": there are two ways the internet runs 40K-on-5e. The reskin school (keep 5e classes, change the words — Mike Myler's hack) and the custom-class school (build brand-new Space Marine / Tech-Priest classes from scratch). This kit uses the reskin school, full stop, because it's the only one a first-time DM should touch — you inherit all of 5e's tested balance and spend zero prep rebuilding classes. If your table falls in love with 40K later, the custom classes are there to graduate into. Not today.
(A) Classes → 40K Archetypes
Every PHB class maps cleanly to a 40K role. Pick the class whose mechanics match the fantasy the player wants, then hang the 40K name on it. The player builds, levels, and plays a 100% normal 5e character — they just call their Rage "combat-stimms" and their spell slots "Warp-charges."
| 5e Class | 40K Archetype | Why it fits / how to flavor it |
|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Imperial Guardsman / Commissar / Veteran Sergeant | The default human soldier — the backbone of any warband. Battle Master maneuvers = veteran drill and battlefield commands; a Commissar (the pistol-wielding morale officer who shoots cowards) is a Battle Master or Champion with a laspistol. The safest, most beginner-friendly class in the kit. |
| Barbarian | Assault Space Marine / Berzerker / feral-world warrior | Rage = combat-drugs, righteous zeal, or a World Eater's blood-frenzy. The Fast Movement and reckless charging reads perfectly as a jump-pack assault trooper crashing into the line. |
| Paladin | Grey Knight / Black Templar / zealous crusader | Divine Smite = a psychically-warded blade flaring with anti-daemon force; Oaths = the Codex Astartes or a vow to the Emperor. Lay on Hands = battlefield faith-healing. A near-perfect fit for a holy anti-Chaos warrior. |
| Cleric | Ministorum Priest / Confessor / Imperial Preacher | The fire-and-brimstone Imperial Cult preacher who heals and buffs the faithful. Domains map onto the Creed: War (Confessor), Life (Hospitaller), Light (radiant Imperial faith), Tempest (a storm-calling preacher; or, if you want the lightning fantasy, an Adeptus Mechanicus Electro-priest — note that's the Machine Cult, not the Ministorum). Spells = litanies and Acts of Faith. |
| Sorcerer | Psyker / Sanctioned Witch | Innate Warp-power that pours out of them whether they like it or not — exactly the Sorcerer's innate, spontaneous casting. This is the cleaner beginner pick for psykers (vs. Wizard). See the Perils of the Warp optional rule below for the grimdark corruption flavor. |
| Wizard | Librarian (Astartes psyker) / scholar-psyker | If a player wants the spellbook fantasy — a disciplined psyker who studies and prepares his powers from a grimoire of forbidden lore. The book becomes a Liber Daemonica or a Librarian's tome. |
| Warlock | Inquisitor / Inquisitorial Acolyte / Radical | Pact = the Inquisitor's near-unlimited authority (the Inquisitorial Rosette is your patron's "gift"), OR a Radical's dangerous bargain with a bound daemon. Eldritch Blast = a psy-bolt or master-crafted sidearm. Great for an investigator-with-teeth. |
| Rogue | Officio Assassinorum Assassin / Scout / Spy | Sneak Attack = a single perfectly-placed shot or blade. Assassin subclass = Callidus/Vindicare temple killer; Arcane Trickster = a psyker-assassin; Scout = a stealthy recon trooper. |
| Ranger | Catachan Jungle Fighter / Scout Sniper / Kroot tracker | The wilderness survivalist soldier. Beast companion = a cyber-mastiff, a Kroot hound, or a feral-world hunting beast. Hunter's Mark = a target painted for the kill. |
| Monk | Sister of Battle / Astartes Apothecary / death-cult adept | Ki = Acts of Faith (Sister) or rigorous Apothecary discipline. The unarmored, hyper-disciplined martial fantasy fits the militant nun or the cold medic-warrior. Stunning Strike = a faith-empowered or precision strike. |
| Bard | Rogue Trader / charismatic officer / Lord-Commander | Bardic Inspiration = leadership, a Warrant of Trade's authority, or rousing battlefield rhetoric. Spells = gear, gadgets, and sheer force of personality. The face/leader of the warband. |
| Druid | Ork Weirdboy / feral-world shaman / Tech-witch (weak fit) | The least natural fit. Best used for a xenos guest (Ork Weirdboy channeling the WAAAGH!) or a primitive feral-world spirit-talker. Wild Shape is hard to justify in the Imperium — use sparingly, or skip this class for a human-centric table. |
| Artificer (if you have Tasha's) | Tech-Priest (Adeptus Mechanicus) / Techmarine | A near-flawless fit. Battle Smith = a Tech-Priest with a combat servitor (the steel defender = a servo-automaton); Artillerist = a Techmarine with heavy weapons. Infusions = blessing wargear with the Machine Spirit. Magic items = sacred relics of the Omnissiah. |
If two classes both fit a concept, the beginner default is the simpler/more-martial one. A player who says "I want to be a Space Marine" is happiest as a Fighter or Barbarian (no spell management); reserve the half-caster Paladin "Grey Knight" for a player who actively wants spells.
Quick translation cheats for the table:
- Spell slots → "Warp-charge" / "Faith" / "stored power"
- Short rest → regroup / catch your breath in cover
- Long rest → return to the Chimera / fortified billet / ship's barracks
- Inspiration (the meta-currency) → the Emperor's Favor
- Hit Dice → grit / field patch-ups
(B) Weapons → 40K Guns & Melee
The rule for weapons is sacred: keep the 5e weapon's damage dice, type, and properties EXACTLY. Only the name and look change. A player issued a "bolter" is mechanically holding the 5e weapon listed in the row — they roll that weapon's damage. The only thing you may safely re-color is the damage type (the third column), which is free in balance terms.
The cleanest, most beginner-proof approach is to map every 40K weapon onto a weapon that already exists in the PHB. Then there's nothing new to adjudicate — your player is using a Hand Crossbow; it's just called a laspistol. The table below does exactly that.
Ranged weapons (reskin of an existing PHB weapon)
| 40K Weapon | Reskins this PHB weapon | Damage (unchanged) | Type | Properties (unchanged) | Flavor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laspistol | Hand crossbow | 1d6 | radiant | light, ammunition, range 30/120, loading | Standard-issue energy sidearm; a snap of red las-fire |
| Lasgun (lasrifle) | Light crossbow / Crossbow | 1d8 | radiant | two-handed, ammunition, range 80/320, loading | The Guard's iconic "flashlight"; cheap, reliable, billions made |
| Long-las (sniper) | Heavy crossbow | 1d10 | radiant | two-handed, heavy, ammunition, range 100/400, loading | A marksman's long-range las; the "loading" property = a careful aimed shot per turn |
| Autopistol | Hand crossbow / Pistol* | 1d6 (or 1d10*) | piercing | light, ammunition, range 30/120, loading | Slug-thrower sidearm; bullets, not lasers |
| Autogun | Light crossbow / Musket* | 1d8 (or 1d12*) | piercing | two-handed, ammunition, range 80/320, loading | Solid-projectile rifle; gang and PDF standard |
| Shotgun (combat) | Shortbow (or DMG Pistol) | 1d6 | piercing | two-handed, ammunition, range 80/320 | Close-range scatter; flavor a crit as "both barrels" |
| Bolter (boltgun) | Heavy crossbow | 1d10 | piercing | two-handed, heavy, ammunition, range 100/400, loading | The Astartes' mass-reactive .75-caliber rocket-shells — explode inside the target |
| Bolt pistol | Hand crossbow | 1d6 | piercing | light, ammunition, range 30/120, loading | The bolter's sidearm cousin; carried by Marines and officers |
| Frag/Krak grenade | (see Consumables, §D) | — | — | thrown, see below | Reskinned alchemist's fire / acid vial / bomb |
* If you want 40K guns to feel a notch deadlier than fantasy weapons, use the optional firearm bump: autopistol → DMG Pistol (1d10 piercing, range 30/90, reload 6), autogun → DMG Musket (1d12 piercing, range 40/120, reload 1). Pick ONE convention (PHB-clean or firearm-bump) and use it for the whole table. The PHB-clean column is the beginner default — fewer new properties to track.
Heavy & special weapons (use sparingly — these are squad-support / NPC weapons)
These don't have a clean 1:1 PHB match, so they're built as simple custom items. Use them mostly on NPCs and set-pieces, or hand one to a player as a once-per-fight "heavy" toy. Keep the reload (X) property: the weapon fires until its ammo count runs out, then costs an action to reload.
| 40K Weapon | Damage | Type | Properties | Notes for the DM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flamer | 4d6 | fire | 15-ft cone, two-handed, reload (10) | Dex save (DC 13) for half, exactly like burning hands (15-ft cone) but bigger dice. Terrifying vs. mobs. |
| Plasma gun | 3d8 | radiant | two-handed, heavy, range 100/400, reload (8), overheats | Gets Hot! On a natural 1 to hit, the wielder takes the weapon's damage (3d8 radiant) as the plasma coils vent. The iconic 40K risk-reward gun. |
| Meltagun | 6d6 | fire | two-handed, heavy, range 50/150, reload (5) | Short-range tank-melter. Brutal but you must close the distance. |
| Heavy bolter | 2d8 + 1d6 | piercing + fire | two-handed, heavy, reload (24) | A squad support weapon; treat as an emplaced/two-person gun for NPCs. |
| Lascannon | 4d10 | radiant | two-handed, heavy, range 120/480, reload (6) | Anti-vehicle. A single devastating beam. Great as an NPC turret. |
| Autocannon | 2d12 | bludgeoning | two-handed, heavy, reload (12) | Heavy slug-thrower; rattles armor. |
These heavy stats come from the community (Myler) hack and are deliberately swingy. They are not PHB-balanced for a PC to spam — gate them behind reload, limited ammo, or "you found one, it has 2 shots left."
Melee weapons (reskin of an existing PHB weapon)
| 40K Weapon | Reskins this PHB weapon | Damage (unchanged) | Type | Properties (unchanged) | Flavor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat knife | Dagger | 1d4 | slashing | finesse, light, thrown (20/60) | Every soldier's last resort |
| Chainsword | Longsword | 1d8 (1d10 versatile) | slashing | versatile | Roaring monomolecular teeth; the Astartes melee icon. Describe the spray. |
| Chainaxe | Battleaxe | 1d8 (1d10 versatile) | slashing | versatile | A chainsword's brutal cousin; favored by berzerkers |
| Power sword | Longsword (magical) | 1d8 (1d10 versatile) | slashing | versatile, magical | A blade sheathed in a disruptive energy field — counts as magical for overcoming resistance. Optional: +1 to hit/damage if you want it to feel special. |
| Power fist / Thunder hammer | Maul / Warhammer | 2d6 / 1d8 | bludgeoning | heavy (maul) | Optional rider: on a hit, target makes a DC 13 Str save or is knocked prone (the thunderous impact). Magical. |
| Power maul / shock maul | Mace | 1d6 | bludgeoning | — | Arbites/enforcer crowd-control weapon |
| Eviscerator / great chainblade | Greatsword | 2d6 | slashing | heavy, two-handed | A two-handed chain weapon; a Confessor's wrath |
| Bayonet (fixed) | Spear | 1d6 (1d8 versatile) | piercing | thrown (20/60), versatile | A lasgun with a blade; the Guard's "the Emperor's own bayonet" |
Power weapons & "magical" damage: in 40K, power-field weapons and force weapons cut through anything. Mechanically, just mark them magical so they overcome a monster's resistance to nonmagical damage — that's the whole reason "magic weapons" exist in 5e. Don't add bonus dice unless you specifically want that weapon to feel like a +1 reward.
(C) Damage Spells / Cantrips → Psychic Powers & Heavy Wargear
This is the biggest labor-saver in the entire kit. You do not write new spells. You take the 5e spell list — unchanged, every die and save and range identical — and you re-describe what it looks like. A psyker's spells are Warp-powers. A priest's spells are litanies and miracles. A Tech-Priest's are blessings of the Machine God. A device's "spell" is just wargear doing its thing.
The mechanic is the 5e spell. Always. You're only swapping the noun and the visual. Magic Missile still auto-hits for 3×(1d4+1) force, period — it's just called Witchfire now.
Attack cantrips → sidearms & psy-bolts
| 5e Cantrip | Reskin as | Flavor |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Bolt | Laspistol shot / a snapped psy-bolt | A bolt of energy; the most common "I shoot it" cantrip. (Mechanically it's radiant/fire damage either way.) |
| Eldritch Blast | Bolt-pistol crack / Inquisitorial sidearm / focused Warp-lance | The Warlock's "I shoot it again, harder." Reads as a master-crafted gun or a disciplined psy-blast. |
| Ray of Frost | Cryo-las / null-field touch | A chilling Warp-draught; the slow rider = supernatural cold sapping the target |
| Sacred Flame | The Emperor's Wrath / holy fire from above | A column of radiant faith — a Ministorum Priest calling down judgment |
| Toll the Dead | A psyker's death-knell / a daemon-whisper | Necrotic dread; the toll only rings loud for the wounded |
| Shocking Grasp | Electro-priest's touch / shock maul | Crackling Machine-God lightning; the "no reactions" rider = the jolt locks them up |
| Vicious Mockery | Vox-amplified intimidation / litany of hate | Demoralizing battlefield rhetoric; the psychic-damage flavor = words that wound the soul |
| Produce Flame / Fire Bolt | Promethium flare / hand-flamer flicker | A gout of igniting fuel |
Damage spells (leveled) → Warp-powers & heavy weapons
| 5e Spell | Reskin as | Flavor / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Missile | Witchfire / Smite (psyker) / a tracking micro-missile salvo | Auto-hitting darts = unerring Warp-bolts. The 40K answer to "what is magic missile?" — it's Witchfire, the classic psyker auto-hit. |
| Burning Hands | Flamer burst | A 15-ft cone of promethium — literally a hand-flamer |
| Fireball | Plasma burst / Frag detonation / a Tzeentchian firestorm | The big one. 8d6 fire, 20-ft radius, Dex save for half — call it a plasma detonation or a thrown krak charge going off |
| Lightning Bolt | Lascannon beam / arc-lightning | A line of searing energy — the lascannon's signature |
| Scorching Ray | Multi-las / plasma-pistol burst | Three bolts of fire = a rapid-fire energy salvo |
| Shatter | Sonic charge / krak grenade | A thunderous concussive blast (thunder damage) |
| Thunderwave | Concussive shockwave / force-push | A psychic kinetic blast that shoves enemies back |
| Inflict Wounds | Warp-curse / a daemon's touch | Necrotic damage on a touch — great for a Chaos Cultist mini-boss |
| Guiding Bolt | A targeted divine las-strike | Radiant; the "next attack has advantage" = the target is marked/illuminated |
| Spirit Guardians | A cordon of warp-spirits / saintly aura | A swirling field of damaging energy around a Priest or psyker |
| Cloud of Daggers | A whirling field of bolt-shards | Spinning shrapnel in a 5-ft cube |
| Spiritual Weapon | A floating force-blade / animated power weapon | A psychokinetic weapon striking on its own |
Utility / buff / control spells → litanies, powers & gear
| 5e Spell | Reskin as |
|---|---|
| Bless | A Ministorum Priest's litany of battle / the Emperor's blessing |
| Guidance | A whispered prayer / a tactical vox-prompt |
| Shield (reaction) | A refractor field / personal force-barrier flaring up |
| Mage Armor | A flak-field / armored bodyglove humming to life |
| Cure Wounds / Healing Word | An Apothecary's narthecium / a Sister's Act of Faith / a stimm-shot |
| Bless / Heroism | Combat-stimms / inspiring rhetoric |
| Detect Magic | Detect the Warp / psy-sense (sensing daemonic taint or psychic activity) |
| Command | An officer's bark of authority / a psyker's domination |
| Hold Person | A psychic stasis-lock |
| Fear / Cause Fear | A wave of Warp-dread / a Commissar's terror |
| Invisibility | A cameleoline cloak / psychic misdirection |
| Misty Step | A short Warp-jump / teleport |
| Dimension Door / Teleport | Warp-translation / a teleport homer |
| Light / Dancing Lights | A glow-globe / servo-skull lumen |
| Find Familiar | A servo-skull or cyber-cherub companion |
| Counterspell / Dispel Magic | A psychic hood / null-field negating an enemy power |
| Revivify / Raise Dead | An Apothecary's emergency resuscitation (and recovery of the gene-seed) — use a Veil here; resurrection is grim in 40K |
The universal rule, one more time: if a player wants to cast any spell on their sheet, let them — at full RAW effect — and just ask "what does that look like for your character?" Their answer is the reskin. You never have to say no.
(D) Gear & Consumables
Same principle: the item does exactly what the PHB item does. New name, same effect.
| 5e Item | 40K Reskin | Effect (unchanged) |
|---|---|---|
| Potion of Healing | Medi-pack injector / Stimm-shot | Drink/inject as the action/bonus action RAW allows; heal 2d4+2 |
| Greater/Superior Healing Potion | Combat narthecium / Sanguine stimm | The bigger healing tiers, reskinned |
| Antitoxin | Detox pill / anti-rad tablet | Advantage on saves vs. poison (great vs. Nurgle/Poxwalker spores) |
| Healer's Kit | Medikit / Apothecarion field-kit | 10 uses; stabilize a dying ally with no check |
| Thieves' Tools | Multitool / mechadendrite kit / servo-arm | Lockpicking → bypassing a cogitator/maglock; same proficiency & DCs |
| Tinker's / Smith's Tools | Tech-adept's toolkit | Repairs, jury-rigging, blessing the Machine Spirit |
| Holy Symbol | The Aquila (Imperial eagle) / a rosarius / Imperial rosary | A Cleric/Paladin's divine focus; the two-headed eagle worn at the throat |
| Spellbook | Liber Daemonica / a psyker's grimoire / data-slate of forbidden lore | A Wizard/Librarian's book of prepared powers |
| Arcane Focus | Psychic focus / a force weapon / a psyker's staff | A Sorcerer/Warlock's casting focus |
| Component Pouch | Reagent satchel / ritual kit | Material components for litanies/rituals |
| Ring of Protection | Conversion field / displacer field | +1 AC & saves |
| Cloak/Ring of Resistance | Rosarius / icon of the Emperor | Resistance to a damage type (often force/psychic) |
| Bag of Holding | Munitorum supply-cache / a tesseract vault | Extradimensional storage; the Mechanicus made it, don't ask how |
| Torch / Lantern | Glow-globe / stab-light / lumen | Light source |
| Rations | Corpse-starch rations / ration-paste | (Don't ask what's in them. The Emperor provides.) |
| Rope / Grappling Hook | Grav-chute line / mag-grapnel | Climbing gear |
| Climber's Kit / Caltrops / Ball Bearings | Mag-boots / razor-wire / tangle-mines | Same effects, grimdark names |
| Alchemist's Fire (thrown) | Frag grenade / promethium flask | Thrown, 1d4 fire/round until extinguished |
| Acid Vial (thrown) | Krak grenade / melta-charge | Thrown, 2d6 acid → reflavor as armor-melting heat |
| Bomb (DMG, thrown) | Frag/krak grenade | 3d6 fire, Dex save, 5-ft radius — the classic "I throw a grenade" |
| Smokestick / Smoke bomb | Smoke grenade | Heavily obscures a 10-ft area |
| Lho-stick (custom) | A combat-stim cigarette | Optional flavor item: once per 6 hours, regain one spent use of a class feature (Myler's hack) — or just a roleplay prop |
| Spyglass | Magnoculars / auspex scanner | Distance viewing / detecting nearby movement |
Grenades made easy: if a player wants to throw a grenade, use the DMG bomb or alchemist's fire stat (a thrown improvised weapon, Dex save DC 12 for half, ~3d6) and call it a frag (fire) or krak (armor-piercing). You do not need a grenade subsystem — one stat line covers all of them, just change the damage type for flavor.
(E) Currency → Throne Gelt & Requisition
In the Imperium, a lone soldier doesn't carry a coin-purse — they're issued gear by the Departmento Munitorum and answer for every round they spend. You have two clean options; pick one and move on:
Option 1 — The lazy-good default: rename gold 1:1 (RECOMMENDED for beginners)
Keep the entire 5e economy exactly as written. 1 gold piece = 1 Throne Gelt (a.k.a. Thrones, the Imperial credit). Silver = gelt-bits, platinum = a rare high-denomination cred-stick. Nothing about pricing, treasure, or shopping changes — your players just say "I've got 50 Thrones" instead of "50 gold." This is the right call for a one-shot. Zero new rules, full theme.
Option 2 — The thematic upgrade: Requisition (use only if your table loves the flavor)
Abolish coins entirely. The warband doesn't buy gear — it's requisitioned from the Munitorum per mission and must be justified afterward. The community (Myler) rule:
- Requisition Pool = (average party level) + (sum of all party Charisma modifiers).
- At mission start, the party's quartermaster rolls 1d20 + Requisition Pool; the result × ~200 gp-equivalent = the value of temporary, requisitioned wargear issued for the operation (minimum ~300).
- It's loaned, not owned — flavor that anything fancy must be returned or accounted for. "You want to keep the meltagun, trooper? Fill out form 1144-Theta in triplicate."
Beginner verdict: use Option 1 (rename gold). Requisition is a lovely flavor toy but it's one more subsystem on your plate during your first session. Throne Gelt 1:1 gives you 95% of the theme for 0% of the overhead.
(F) Ancestries / Races
40K's playable stories are overwhelmingly human — Guardsmen, Inquisitors, priests, scum, and the genetically-tweaked "abhumans" who are still legally human-ish. That maps beautifully onto 5e, and it keeps your table grounded in the Imperium rather than a xenos zoo. Below is the human-centric default set (all reskins of PHB races — no new mechanics), then optional xenos for a guest player.
The recommended default lineup (human & abhuman)
| 40K Ancestry | Reskins this PHB race | What it covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Citizen (baseline human) | Variant Human | Guardsmen, priests, Inquisitorial agents, scum — the default for nearly every PC | +1 to two stats, a skill, and a feat at level 1 — the most flexible, beginner-friendly choice. Make this your table's "house default." |
| Ogryn (abhuman) | Goliath (or Half-Orc) | The big, loyal, dim-but-devoted brute; "BONE 'ead" tank | Goliath gives Powerful Build + Stone's Endurance — perfect "able to soak a hit" abhuman. Low Int is flavor, not a penalty you must enforce. |
| Ratling (abhuman) | Halfling (Lightfoot) | The small, sneaky, deadeye-sniper abhuman | Halfling's Lucky and Stealth = the Ratling's uncanny marksmanship and skill at vanishing (and pilfering rations). A natural Rogue/Ranger. |
| Squat / Leagues of Votann (abhuman) | Dwarf (1:1) | Stout, gruff, tech-and-grudge-bound mining-clan humans | A clean 1:1 — Dwarven resilience, tool/weapon proficiency, and stubbornness fit the Squats perfectly. Great for a Tech-Priest-flavored PC. |
For a first session, you barely need more than this. Tell your players: "Everyone's a human (Variant Human) unless you specifically want to be a big Ogryn or a little Ratling." That single sentence handles character creation for 90% of tables and keeps the tone unmistakably Imperial.
Optional xenos reskins (for a guest, a mercenary, or a mixed warband)
Use these if a player really wants to be alien — e.g. an Eldar Ranger guiding the humans, or a captured Ork along for the ride. They're still just PHB races reskinned.
| 40K Ancestry | Reskins this PHB race | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aeldari / Eldar | Elf (High or Wood) (1:1) | The arrogant, dying elder race of master psykers — elf maps perfectly: Trance (long-lived), Fey Ancestry → psychic resistance, Dex & speed. A graceful sniper or psyker. |
| Drukhari (Dark Eldar) | Elf / Drow | Their sadistic raider cousins; lean into Drow flavor (cruel, shadowed, fast). |
| Ork | Half-Orc | Big, regenerating (Relentless Endurance = "Orks don't know they're dead yet"), brutal crit. Use Half-Orc → Ork as the natural home for half-orc at the table. A WAAAGH! in person. |
| T'au | Variant Human (no psyker powers) | The idealistic high-tech optimists. Reskin a human but rule they cannot take Sorcerer/psyker powers (the T'au have no Warp presence) — a small, lore-accurate restriction. |
| Kroot | Half-Orc / Tabaxi-ish | Avian mercenary hunters; pair with a Ranger for the tracker fantasy. |
Where does Half-Orc go? The research's open question, settled: Half-Orc's best home is the Ork (or, dialed for loyalty, an Ogryn — though Goliath is the cleaner Ogryn). Don't offer "Half-Orc" as a name at the table; offer Ork or Ogryn and use the half-orc/goliath stats underneath.
Balance flag — Space Marines: you'll be tempted to let someone play a Space Marine race (Large, 40-ft speed, regen). Resist it for a mixed party. A 7-foot transhuman demigod standing next to a normal Guardsman breaks the spotlight and the math — the community uniformly warns against Astartes-as-race in a Guard warband. Better: let the "Space Marine" fantasy be a Fighter or Barbarian (a human pregen who's just described as a Marine), or save a true Astartes for a one-villain NPC. If the whole party is Marines, that's a different (harder) game — not your first one-shot.
The one-page summary (tape this to your DM screen)
| You hear / read… | You run… |
|---|---|
| Space Marine / Guardsman PC | A Fighter or Barbarian (5e, by the book) |
| Psyker | A Sorcerer (spells = Warp-powers) |
| Inquisitor | A Warlock |
| Tech-Priest | An Artificer |
| Priest / Confessor | A Cleric |
| "I fire my lasgun/bolter" | The Attack action with the reskinned crossbow stat |
| "I throw a grenade" | The DMG bomb stat (Dex save, ~3d6) |
| "I cast [any spell]" | That exact 5e spell, full effect — just ask what it looks like |
| Plasma weapon "Gets Hot!" | On a natural 1 to hit, wielder takes the weapon's damage |
| Power/force weapon | The base weapon, marked magical |
| Healing potion | Stimm / medi-pack (2d4+2) |
| Gold | Throne Gelt (1:1) |
| A human PC | Variant Human (the default) |
| A big brute / a little sniper | Goliath (Ogryn) / Halfling (Ratling) |
Sources & lineage
This glossary distills the two canonical community conversions and the standard 5e SRD:
- Mike Myler — Warhammer 40k D&D 5e Hack (classes, races, weapons, Resources currency, Perils/Corruption) — the reskin-school backbone this kit follows.
- Killbodies0313 & fonkinthefunky — GMBinder custom-class conversions (consulted for archetype mapping; not used for mechanics here).
- D&D Wiki Lasgun / Bolter / Imperial Guardsman stat pages (alternate weapon scaling).
- 5e SRD / Player's Handbook for all unchanged mechanics.
Remember the contract: the dice never change; only the words do. Run 5e with confidence — the Emperor (and the rulebook) protects.