The Factions of Inquisitor
There are numerous different types of characters you can use for your Inquisitorial (or not) warband, but there are no pre-set armylists or codeces. Essentially you can pick whatever you like. The best way to build a force is to work to a theme or goal, and the starting point is to build your leader first and decide what he believes.
The Inquisition
The Inquisition is split into 6 different belief groups (though there are numerous minor conspiracies, sub-groups and splinter factions if you want to create your own). Three of these are classed as Puritans and three as Radicals. All of them are working to protect the Imperium in their own way. Though the Radical factions are more likely to cross the line into the kind of behaviour that gets you declared a heretic, they aren't traitors by default.
Puritans
*Amalthians - The Amalthians believe that everything is going according to the Emperor's grand plan and so seek to maintain the status quo at all costs.
*Thorians - The Thorians believe that one day the Emperor will be reincarnated, and are actively working towards this end.
*Monodominants - The Monodominants believe that while the Imperium is good, a lot of it is corrupt and needs to be thoroughly purged.
Radicals
*Xanthites - The Xanthites believe that the solution to most problems is to use the enemy's weapons against them. As such, they happily wield Xeno-tech and warp-spawned powers against aliens and daemons alike.
*Istvaanians - Named for the first battles of the Horus Heresy, the Istvaanians believe that only through overcoming adversity can the Imperium truly grow stronger. So they create the adversity, sparking wars and uprisings to create a stronger breed of survivors.
*Recongregators - The Recongregators believe that the Imperium is weak, so they work to knock it down and rebuild it. Ruling families, trading guilds, and the Administratum itself all need pruning back or replacing entirely.
Other Imperial Factions
The Ecclisiarchy - Fighting for the souls of the people will sometimes lead the church to assemble their own investigation/assassination teams.
The Mechanicum - All that rare technology and forbidden lore isn't going to collect itself.
The Arbites - Not every conspiracy is a sector spanning problem. Sometimes the local cops will get involved.
Rogue Traders - Motivated more by turning a profit than actually saving the Imperium, Rogue Traders have a lot of unusual resources to draw upon.
Black Ships - Tasked with hunting down Psykers to transport back to Terra, the Black Ships have a very wide remit to search wherever they see fit.
][ Inquisitor ][ The Battle for the Emperor's Soul
Re: ][ Inquisitor ][ The Battle for the Emperor's Soul
Painted Minis in 2014: 510, in 2015: 300, in 2016 :369, in 2019: 417, in 2020: 450
Re: ][ Inquisitor ][ The Battle for the Emperor's Soul
The Factions of Inquisitor (continued)
Non-Imperial Factions
Traitors and Heretics
The Inquisition - Yup, you can definitely play these guys as the baddies as well. Maybe years of dealing with warp-spawned monstrosities and forbidden artifacts have finally pushed your inquisitor a bit too far down that slippery slope. Maybe summoning and binding a daemonhost in the middle of a cathedral wasn't the smartest choice. For whatever reason, Inquisitors do sometimes wind up becoming the very thing they were once sworn to defeat.
Cultists - While lacking in the resources of the larger Imperial groups, worshippers of the dark gods can count on a certain level of enthusiasm and hopefully some boons from their extradimensional patrons.
Renegades - A fallen priest, a member of the Dark Mechanicus or other rogue Imperials may well be out for redemption or revenge.
Saboteurs - The Alpha Legion and the Word Bearers make regular use of human operatives to stir up trouble. While full marines may be a bit overpowered for Inquisitor, they can still work behind the scenes.
Xenos
Eldar - When a Farseer predicts the future, sometimes having a team in the right place to help nudge things along one way or another is necessary.
Dark Eldar - While not usually the type to get heavily involved in human affairs, the temptation to procure sone new weapon or unleash mayhem before a raid may be a good motivation to the right sorts.
Tau - Sometimes the Greater Good may require subtle infiltration and covert actions.
Genestealers - Cults? Plots? Working to undermine society? A magos and a bunch of cultists are very much a viable choice. Purestrains are a bit beyond the abilities of most opponents though.
Others - The Imperium is a big place with all sorts of wierd and terrifying xenos breeds. There's nothing stopping you from statting up your own unique band of aliens, heretics or ne'er-do-wells if you want to. That said...
What doesn't work for Inquisitor.
At it's core Inquisitor is an RPG/Skirmish crossbreed. It is not really a wargame. There are no points values (the rough guidelines in the book are useless and even the author suggests ignoring them), players can take whatever characters they like and give them any equipment or skills take their fancy. The system only works if every player takes responsibility for making it work. As such some things just outright break the game. Other things just don't fit thematically. Of course, there are exceptions, but in general it's best to avoid:
Marines - They really aren't fun to play with or against. They are nigh on unstoppable unless you come loaded for them, and the game dissolves down to "Can my 5 man squad of lascannon wielding guardsmen hit the marine before he reaches melee?" Marine on marine games are better suited to Kill Team. There are circumstances when having a marine on the table can work. The end boss in a campaign perhaps, or hunting a paticularly dangerous xenos perhaps. Thematically marines don't really fit with the whole spy/investigation/under-cover style of the game either.
Orks - A lone Blood-Axe as muscle in a radical retinue could be cool, but like marines, Orks don't really fit the theme. Infiltrating an underhive bar to gather clues about a secret cult doesn't seem to be a natural fit for a mob of greenskinz.
Necrons - With the weaker examples lacking any personality, and those who do demonstrate a character being incredibly powerful, Necrons can be difficult to fit into a game. As NPCs as two rival teams navigate a Necron tomb is a more realistic option.
Tyranids - It's hard to imagine a bunch of gaunts on an espionage mission really. Sadly the gribbly bugs are better suited to KT and 40K.
Daemons - Even a single daemon should be a significant challenge for most warbands, so a bunch of them won't make for a fun game.
Others - Anything in 40K with S and/or T of 4+ is going to be a challenge to work in mechanically. Models like that should be the exception, not the rule.
Non-Imperial Factions
Traitors and Heretics
The Inquisition - Yup, you can definitely play these guys as the baddies as well. Maybe years of dealing with warp-spawned monstrosities and forbidden artifacts have finally pushed your inquisitor a bit too far down that slippery slope. Maybe summoning and binding a daemonhost in the middle of a cathedral wasn't the smartest choice. For whatever reason, Inquisitors do sometimes wind up becoming the very thing they were once sworn to defeat.
Cultists - While lacking in the resources of the larger Imperial groups, worshippers of the dark gods can count on a certain level of enthusiasm and hopefully some boons from their extradimensional patrons.
Renegades - A fallen priest, a member of the Dark Mechanicus or other rogue Imperials may well be out for redemption or revenge.
Saboteurs - The Alpha Legion and the Word Bearers make regular use of human operatives to stir up trouble. While full marines may be a bit overpowered for Inquisitor, they can still work behind the scenes.
Xenos
Eldar - When a Farseer predicts the future, sometimes having a team in the right place to help nudge things along one way or another is necessary.
Dark Eldar - While not usually the type to get heavily involved in human affairs, the temptation to procure sone new weapon or unleash mayhem before a raid may be a good motivation to the right sorts.
Tau - Sometimes the Greater Good may require subtle infiltration and covert actions.
Genestealers - Cults? Plots? Working to undermine society? A magos and a bunch of cultists are very much a viable choice. Purestrains are a bit beyond the abilities of most opponents though.
Others - The Imperium is a big place with all sorts of wierd and terrifying xenos breeds. There's nothing stopping you from statting up your own unique band of aliens, heretics or ne'er-do-wells if you want to. That said...
What doesn't work for Inquisitor.
At it's core Inquisitor is an RPG/Skirmish crossbreed. It is not really a wargame. There are no points values (the rough guidelines in the book are useless and even the author suggests ignoring them), players can take whatever characters they like and give them any equipment or skills take their fancy. The system only works if every player takes responsibility for making it work. As such some things just outright break the game. Other things just don't fit thematically. Of course, there are exceptions, but in general it's best to avoid:
Marines - They really aren't fun to play with or against. They are nigh on unstoppable unless you come loaded for them, and the game dissolves down to "Can my 5 man squad of lascannon wielding guardsmen hit the marine before he reaches melee?" Marine on marine games are better suited to Kill Team. There are circumstances when having a marine on the table can work. The end boss in a campaign perhaps, or hunting a paticularly dangerous xenos perhaps. Thematically marines don't really fit with the whole spy/investigation/under-cover style of the game either.
Orks - A lone Blood-Axe as muscle in a radical retinue could be cool, but like marines, Orks don't really fit the theme. Infiltrating an underhive bar to gather clues about a secret cult doesn't seem to be a natural fit for a mob of greenskinz.
Necrons - With the weaker examples lacking any personality, and those who do demonstrate a character being incredibly powerful, Necrons can be difficult to fit into a game. As NPCs as two rival teams navigate a Necron tomb is a more realistic option.
Tyranids - It's hard to imagine a bunch of gaunts on an espionage mission really. Sadly the gribbly bugs are better suited to KT and 40K.
Daemons - Even a single daemon should be a significant challenge for most warbands, so a bunch of them won't make for a fun game.
Others - Anything in 40K with S and/or T of 4+ is going to be a challenge to work in mechanically. Models like that should be the exception, not the rule.
Painted Minis in 2014: 510, in 2015: 300, in 2016 :369, in 2019: 417, in 2020: 450