Warhammer 40,000: Imperium Maledictum — Grimdark d100 intrigue in the 41st Millennium

"Serve a scheming patron and survive the Imperium's rot."

Diced100

Players2–5

Prep~30 min

Foundry VTTOfficial

Complexity

What is this system

Cubicle 7's grimdark sci-fi RPG casts you as expendable agents plucked from the Imperium's ranks to serve a powerful patron in the war-torn Macharian Sector. Built on a refined d100 engine derived from Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition, it leans hard into investigation, betrayal, and slow-burning conspiracy. You roll under a Characteristic plus Skill, count Success Levels, and weigh precious Fate against creeping Corruption. This is the percentile game of the two 40k lines, distinct from the dice-pool Wrath & Glory.

Setting

The Macharian Sector, a thousand worlds conquered by Lord Solar Macharius and now rife with heresy, corruption, and factional scheming. Warbands answer to patrons drawn from the Inquisition, Adeptus Administratum, Ministorum, Astra Militarum, the Navy, or the noble houses, undertaking perilous missions off the books.

What it looks like at the table

Your warband serves a scheming Inquisitor. To bluff a forged writ past a suspicious Administratum adept, the GM calls a Challenging Deception test against your 45. You roll d100 and get 22 — under target, a success with two Success Levels. The clerk waves you through. But your rival patron's agents are watching, and one burnt Fate point later you realise the writ itself was the trap.

Playstyle

Combat Mystery Tactical Space

Key mechanics

d100 Roll-Under

Every test rolls percentile dice against a Characteristic plus Skill total. Roll equal to or under the target and you succeed; difficulty shifts the target up or down.

Success Levels

The margin matters. Each full ten by which you beat or miss the target is a Success Level, comparing degrees of success in opposed tests, combat, and extended tasks.

Fate & Corruption

Fate points reroll dice or cheat death when burnt, while Corruption tracks how deeply Chaos has warped body and soul. Both are far easier to spend than to recover.

Patrons & Factions

Warbands serve a powerful patron from an Imperial faction, gaining Influence and Superiority. Off-the-books missions further inscrutable interests amid betrayal and rival intrigue.

What people say

Imperium Maledictum's mechanics are solid, well-explained, and extremely approachable.— RPGBOT

Cubicle 7 has succeeded in the difficult task of taking a role-playing game that has its mechanics in the 1980s and giving it a current and fresh tone.— Stefano Buonocore, No Dice Unrolled

Art & materials