Does a servo arm or a narthecium prevent a character from using a jump pack or a backpack power supply?

Going solely by common sense + visual impressions:

Servo arm: Yes. Too bulky. Specially modified equipment might be possible, but given that these would be custom-made (as, to my knowledge/interpretation, there is no Chapter where the Techmarines also double as Assault Marines or Devastators) and require a special project by the Adeptus Mechanicus just for one guy, I doubt this would be done.

Narthecium: Nope. This is pretty much just a special "glove" that Apothecaries wear on their arm. They have special backpacks too, but those still largely conform to standard PA power pack designs, so I have a feeling that a jump pack or ammunition backpack could be modified to hold the medical flasks and the (probably optional) floodlight. It's still pretty non-standard , but I see this to be far more possible than the servo arm.

On a sidenote, this is what I found when googling for good images of the minis. Whoever FFG contracted for their artworks really has a lot of humour!

So I can load down my apothecary with a plasma cannon but I can't get my techmarine to soar into combat with a jump pack using his breeching auger as a lance.

On the other hand, since I can not unsee that link you posted, flipping to the techmarine page of the core book now causes me distress and I won't ever be able to play a techmarine again anyway so no great loss.

Lynata has it on the nose. A jump pack, backpack power/ammo supply, and servo arm all generally take up the same spot on a space marine's person. Its not very possible to wear more than one of them at a time.

I probably wouldn't restrict a techmarine from carrying a heavy weapon like a lascannon, but a jump pack would be a no-go.

After having given this some thought, I could imagine a variant servo harness that includes a jump pack. Possibly a Blood Angels successor chapter relic. The servo harness (which ordinarily replaces the standard servo arm, I think? Unless ending up with three servo-arms is intentional) includes two servo-arms, a combi-tool, a fyceline torch and a plasmacutter- at a minimum. That's an important phrase there.

Yeah, a heavy duty servo-harness that incorporates either an ammo supply (probably for a plasma rifle or cannon) or a jump pack? I could see it- at high renown, and be ready to pay through the nose for it. And expect it to be less maneuverable, slower or both than the standard jump pack- that's a lot of mass for inertia to fight.

On the bright side, you have a tech-marine that can jump on top of a titan and tear his way through the hull. That's a heck of a boarding action.

After having given this some thought, I could imagine a variant servo harness that includes a jump pack. Possibly a Blood Angels successor chapter relic. The servo harness (which ordinarily replaces the standard servo arm, I think? Unless ending up with three servo-arms is intentional) includes two servo-arms, a combi-tool, a fyceline torch and a plasmacutter- at a minimum. That's an important phrase there.

Yeah, I think the intent is to replace the basic servo-arm.

On the bright side, you have a tech-marine that can jump on top of a titan and tear his way through the hull. That's a heck of a boarding action.

Personally I think Techmarines are 'ard and OP enough as-is without allowing something like this and I wouldn't allow it. Getting a little too Inspector Gadget for my tastes.

Getting a little too Inspector Gadget for my tastes.

Can't unsee.

... another possible issue I see is probably that ... once you start combining this sort of stuff, where do you stop? Next thing you know someone gets the idea to combine an ammo supply and a jump pack for flying Assault Devastators dual-wielding heavy bolters.

Getting a little too Inspector Gadget for my tastes.

Can't unsee.

... another possible issue I see is probably that ... once you start combining this sort of stuff, where do you stop? Next thing you know someone gets the idea to combine an ammo supply and a jump pack for flying Assault Devastators dual-wielding heavy bolters.

I think common sense precludes your example but I do think that gear-combining allows for power creep and isn't very appropriate even for Techmarines in the technological environment promoted by the Imperium (i.e. even the most avant-garde Techmarines and Mechanicus are pretty conservative by our own frame of reference). This ain't D&D's Magic Item Compendium after all.

The great thing about DW is that you can put a hard limit on power creep by making such options extremely expensive. For example, I would start with the assumption that a servoharness and a jumppack combo would cost as much as the servoharness plus the jumppack all times 1.2 or so.

Because weird relics like that are rare and shouldn't come cheap.

At that point, why not requisition another combat servitor with a plasma cannon or a heavy bolter?

You know, this idea sounds like... innovation. And I'm coming down hard on innovation.

Techmarines with Jump Packs? What an outlandish idea! Go ahead and try to get it sanctioned by Harl Greyweaver! I dare ya to! Basically, while I don't want to completely stifle a player's idea, he'd have to work hard over many downtimes and possible side-quests to realize innovation.

Deathwatch is about tradition and ritual, not about doing things in new ways. Innovation is going to impact how DW Marines will operate 100s or 1000s of years from now. it's an outstanding feat. You can't add or change anything nilly-willy.

Alex

A techmarine can have a jump pack all day long (Blood Angel command squad techies in 3rd did), just not at the same time he's got his servo-arm too (like those same BA techies).

The servo arm requires a very secure connection to the space marine and his armor, It just plain gets in the way of a back-equipped item.

A techmarine can have a jump pack all day long (Blood Angel command squad techies in 3rd did), just not at the same time he's got his servo-arm too (like those same BA techies).

The servo arm requires a very secure connection to the space marine and his armor, It just plain gets in the way of a back-equipped item.

See, I'd normally tend to agree with you- the fluff would seem to suggest that removing the servo-arm (or servo-harness) isn't a problem. The picture of the Techmarine shows that the servo arm is attached to the armour power pack (which seems kind of tenuous to me), and should be removable.

But the rules put these items both in Cybernetics. This throws me for a loop, because normally cybernetics are not plug-and-play or modular. I find this disjunction annoying.

Side note: Blood Angels 3rd- is that the same one that allowed them to assault out of Rhinos after they had moved 12" (or something like that), allowing for ridiculous army-wide 1st turn assaults?

See, I'd normally tend to agree with you- the fluff would seem to suggest that removing the servo-arm (or servo-harness) isn't a problem. The picture of the Techmarine shows that the servo arm is attached to the armour power pack (which seems kind of tenuous to me), and should be removable.

But the rules put these items both in Cybernetics. This throws me for a loop, because normally cybernetics are not plug-and-play or modular. I find this disjunction annoying.

In my interpretation, you're actually both right.

The servo-arm is an attachment. What is cybernetic is the equipment that controls it, an old-fashioned MIU hardwired to the Techmarine's body.

"Techmarines employ a wide variety of esoteric tools and equipment not normally issued to their brethren. Many Techmarines are equipped with a servo-arm, a specialised auxiliary arm grafted to the Techmarine's armour and linked to his neural network . These arms can be fitted with a multitude of lastorches, vibrosaws and power drills or any number of arcane tools that aid the Techmarine in his battlefield role of vehicle maintenance and repair. Their gauntlets are also often heavily modified to include more delicate tools or even a limited form of mechadendrites. Many Techmarines have the organic components of their hands removed and replaced with augmetic prosthetics that allow them a greater connection to whatever machine they are ministering to, some even going as far as to incorporate mechanical interfaces that allow the Techmarine to commune directly with the Machine Spirit."

- White Dwarf #291, Index Astartes : Techmarines