If you polled a 100 people and asked them which human character type defined Warhammer 40k, I guess most would plump for Space Marines. Some might go for Imperial Guard; others might pick Inquisitors. For me, the key to the Warhammer 40,000 universe is the humble member of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica - more commonly known as Astropaths.
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Astropath illustration from the Rogue Trader rulebook |
An Astropath will tell you everything you need to know about Age of the Imperium in the 41st Millennium - his or her hooded robe tells epitomises the idea of the Middle Ages in space. You can understand psykers, the risk of daemonic possession, and the Terran-bound Emperor to which they are soul-bound. You get the sense of the vastness and fragility of humankind - a million, million worlds linked by warp-space travel and psychic voices communicating with each other across the void.