Chapter III: Deathwatch

Chapter III: Deathwatch “How many have given their lives in service to Humanity, their names never to be recorded, their deeds never to be celebrated? The Deathwatch seek not laurels; it is sufficient that the Emperor knows our names and our deeds.” – Deathwatch Brother Sergeant Ghalis The Deathwatch is a Space Marine Chapter, but en terrible oaths to provide their most experienced one quite different from every other Chapter alien-fighters whenever called upon to do so. Such known to exist. There are many things that set the an honour is afforded to a Space Marine that has Deathwatch apart from their fellow Battle-Broth- served in the Deathwatch that many continue to ers, the first of which is the fact that the Chapter’s bear the Chapter’s distinctive heraldic shoulder brethren are not permanent members, but second- plate even once they have returned to their parent ed from other Chapters for a specific mission or a Chapter. set period of time. Not all Chapters dispatch their Creating Space Marines of the Deathwatch fol- Battle-Brothers to serve in the Deathwatch, but lows a slightly different process to the one followed for those who do, the service does great honour to then creating a mundane Acolyte in Dark Heresy. both the individual Brother and to the Chapter as This chapter provides an overview of the character a whole. The origins of this practice are lost to his- creation process for Deathwatch Marines. tory, but certainly many Chapters have undertak- 10 Chapter III - Deathwatch Creating a Deathwatch Marine largely follows some thought as to what factors were involved the same process described in the Genesys Core with that choice. Rulebook and the Dark Heresy Core Rulebook. Perhaps they accomplished some particularly This is broken up into eight steps, which are ex- difficult task, or defeated an especially dangerous plained across the following pages. enemy. Perhaps they survived a nigh-unstoppable As outlined in Chapter I: Elite Level Play, it's assault, or were wounded defending an important important to be aware that creating a Deathwatch objective... perhaps even a luminary of the Imperi- Marine requires 280 experience points be invested um, such as an Inquisitor or Imperial Command- into a mandatory Elite Advance, or 330 for a Pri- er. It is also possible that you have been sent to the maris Marine. This means that Deathwatch char- Deathwatch as a form of exile, perhaps to teach acters typically cannot join a Dark Heresy party you humility or atone for some failure, real or per- at the start of a campaign, unless the campaign is ceived. Whatever the case, the circumstances of starting at a higher XP level that usual. your selection to join the Deathwatch will likely colour your opinions and beliefs for some time to Step I - Determine come. Background What does the Deathwatch The Deathwatch is no traditional Space Ma- mean to your Marine? rine chapter. Its numbers are not recruited from The Deathwatch is an elite force gathered from a single home world, nor from trusted source Space Marine Chapters across the galaxy. Its pur- planets rich in quality genetic stock. Instead pose is to hunt the alien forces that threaten the the organisation is comprised of Space Marines Imperium of man, operate in small Kill-teams in from Chapters that have pledged to tithe a por- special missions that often taken them behind en- tion of their strength to the war against the alien. emy lines, and venture into dark, secret places at Its ranks number only heroes, and each of them the bequest of the Inquisition. Were it not for the had already proven himself an expert alien hunter Deathwatch, the Imperium would have long since even before his training as a Deathwatch opera- crumbled into oblivion at the hands of heretics, tive began. Every Deathwatch Marine has his own Chaos renegades, and foul xenos. unique story which lead to his secondment to the Deathwatch. There are a few important questions However, the performance of these duties is to think about when creating a Deathwatch Ma- often done in contravention of the Codex As- rine, to help inform choices made later in charac- tartes, and involves Chapters who may be rivals ter creation. (or even enemies) of one another. How does your Space Marine reconcile the differences between Why was your Marine how the Deathwatch operates and the values of selected for the his home Chapter? Does he believe in the purpose Deathwatch? of the Deathwatch, or does he consider his assign- For many Chapters, the selection of a Space Ma- ment a dangerous distraction from the efforts of rine to join the Deathwatch is an honour. Some his Chapter? Is his role in the Deathwatch a step Chapters consider it to be a very high honour, down from the authority and rank he enjoyed in whilst others believe that service with the Death- his home Chapter, or is it a humble reminder of watch is little more than a diversion of his true his place in the Emperor’s plan for the universe? Is duties amongst his Battle-Brothers. Your Space service in the Deathwatch an opportunity to gain Marine was specially chosen, and you should give great glory, or is it a chance to atone for past sins? Chapter III - Deathwatch 11 tered across the Imperium. So desperate was the Step II - Marine Type hour that nearly every Watch Master accepted While Elite Advances are typically purchased at these untested new recruits without question. the end of character creation, this step has been Soon enough the Primaris Marines’ might was placed earlier as it involves an important decision; proven, and put to good use. what type of Marine you are creating. Elite Advance During the Ultima Founding in 999.M41, Pri- Two elite advances exist for Deathwatch Marines; maris Space Marines were revealed to the world, one for Primaris Marines, and one for their tradi- a new legion of transhuman warriors developed tional Firstborn brethren. These are detailed over and perfected over ten thousand years as the re- the following pages. sult of a pact formed between Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines, and Archmagos You must decide on one of these Elite Advances Dominus Belisarius Cawl of Mars. before progressing to selecting a Home Chapter, as this decision will influence some of your char- The Deathwatch themselves were in desperate acter's derived characteristics and character traits. need of reinforcement. In some places, the Great Rift had cut watch fortresses off from any support. Obviously, if your campaign is set before 999. In others, furious warp storms drove desperate M41, you may only create a standard Deathwatch xenos migrations before them, leaving the Death- Marine. watch embattled against waves of displaced enemies that had nothing left to lose. Foreseeing that Humanity's shield would soon be sundered without aid, Guilliman issued the Ultimaris Decree. This order bound every newly founded Primaris Space Marine Chapter to the tithe of the Deathwatch in perpetuity. It also seconded several Chapters’ worth of the newly awakened Primaris battle-brothers and deployed them – along with all their supporting materiel – directly to the watch fortresses scat- 12 Chapter III - Deathwatch Elite Advance: Deathwatch Space Marine An Astartes stands head and shoulders above • And They Shall Know No Fear: Space Ma- a human, and they are almost twice as wide in rines reduce the difficulty of all Fear checks their blessed Power Armour. Their genetically once. enhanced bodies are stronger, faster, and tough- • Implanted Organs: Space Marines gain a er than a mortal could hope to be. Their thoughts variety of effects from their implanted organs. race with unfathomable swiftness, with a purpose, See page 15 for a full list of Space Marine willpower, and incorruptibility that undeniably organs. These organs provide the following marks them as the greatest defenders of humanity. gameplay advantages - Deathwatch Space Marine • Space Marines add s to any skill checks Abilities relating to one of their 19 implants, if the GM agrees it is appropriate. They may Cost: 280 XP spend 2 strain to add a further s. Restrictions: Must be taken during character creation when creating a Space Marine. • The Poison Bite: Space Marines have a Ranged (Light) attack with a range of En- • Unnatural Strength: Space Marines increase gaged, a damage of 3, Pierce 2 and Toxic 2. their Brawn by 2 and Agility by 1, which is re- aaa or t on a successful check can be flected in their Home Chapter statistics. spent to blind the target for one round. • Inhuman Resistance: Space Marines receive • The Imbiber: Space Marines have the Am- +5 to their wound threshold, and +3 to their phibious trait. strain threshold; this is reflected in their Home Chapter statistics. • Hypno-Indoctrination Training: Space Ma- rines gain one rank in Athletics, Cool, Gun- nery, Melee (Light), Ranged (Light), Ranged (Heavy) and Vigilance. This may result in their skills being elevated beyond rank 2 during character creation. • Xeno-Hunter: A Deathwatch warrior's mind is filled with every detail the Deathwatch has gleaned about the nature of its xenos nemeses. Deathwatch Marines decrease the difficulty of Forbidden Lore checks made to learn about xenos by 1. Deathwatch Marines may spend a maneu- ver and suffer 2 strain to add damage equal to their ranks in Intellect to one hit of the next combat check they make this round, as long as that attack targets an alien. Chapter III - Deathwatch 13 Elite Advance: Primaris Deathwatch Marine Nearly every Space Marine created since the First • And They Shall Know No Fear: Space Ma- Founding possesses nineteen specialised organs rines reduce the difficulty of all Fear checks derived from their geneseed.

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