How much can a SM wear?

By Spawn of the Emperor, in Deathwatch Rules Questions

Hello fellow Marines.

Another Question has come up in my mind:

If we have the standard equiment, We have one bolt pistol, one combat knife, six grenades, a pouch with repair cement, and ammunition.(our group has reduced it to six supplemental ammo magazines the player chooses what and whatnot.)

can we assume that this the max that he can carry on his armor.

What about other stuff?

any sugesstions, if they would have to pay req.points for moer carrying space?

How do you handle this?

Space Marines traditionally have belt pouches in which most of the gear can be placed. Some items can be hung directly from the belt. There's basically no restrictions to how much items a marine can wear on his belt. It should be quite a few but use common sense.

Alex

Yeah, really; use what makes sense. There's no hard rule, except his weight restrictions.

It's quite a lot, you just need to find place for it on your armour.

Astartes are so buff, weight is usually not a consideration for their gear.

The single greatest limitation is bulk. There is just only so much stuff a person can carry around, esspecially when you are wearing a rigid set of armor.

Honestly I try not to think about it too much. Some people have proposed certain equipment maximums, I personally feel like magnets and the backpack unit provide ample places to stick things.

Take in account marines wear a COMBAT armor, for they are usually stuck under gunfire.

I would allow my marines to carry like 300 grenades but they would be like walking matchsticks.

So common sense rule - my common sense.

Isn't this why you have Astartes combat webbing as well?

Isn't this why you have Astartes combat webbing as well?

Astartes combat webbing is an air-breathing mermaid: it solves a problem that didn't exist until combat webbing started mentioning where things could be held.

Also, it's largely 3 Req for pure fluff (since there are no carry limit mechanics), and that's bulls***.

And 1 for a Chrono isn't fluffy bull? There's seldom a concept of time and besides most marine helmets likely include a clock :)

And 1 for a Chrono isn't fluffy bull? There's seldom a concept of time and besides most marine helmets likely include a clock :)

I completely agree that that's bull.

I guess the intent of webbing and the like is you could either go with the simple equipment carrying logic of:

You can carry up to your weight allowance.

Or the expanded of:

You can carry up to your weight allowance and what you can reasonably stash on your person.

I mean yes true carry weights for Deathwatch are not scaled properly meaning you can hold several trillion grenades or enough ammo to win an entire Horus Heresy due to weight allowances but the practicality of it is patchy since you wouldnt be able to strap all the belts to yourself therefore the latter would be whatever is allowed on your weight and what you can say "I have this belt/pocket/container to store it in". This would then make use of the webbing...still cant find justification for a Chrono yet, unless it can be used as hypnosis aide.

Well, technically, the entry for Demolition Charges does not state that it would include a timer! :P

(in fairness, though: Scouts don't wear helmets, and timing might be crucial on an infiltration ops)

Edited by Lynata

To me, there's no way in hell some kind of chrono isn't already part of a marine's standard kit. If this was the Imperial Guard, it'd be a completely different matter (but I'd still judge that whomever has the maps and the compass has some kind of timepiece), but it's not - it's the space marines, the masters of tactical advances, special insertions, large-scale demolitions and dynamic entries.

There's just no way I envision them deploying anywhere without fist syncing their clocks.

There's just no way I envision them deploying anywhere without fist syncing their clocks.

Well, that's a matter of interpretation, and contemporary thinking applied to 40k. I've read too much funny stuff to discount the possibility that they are simply missing such equipment by default because it's considered optional. I mean, the starter kit doesn't include a medikit either, yet you could argue that everyone ought to have one...

PS: Considering the personality/culture of some Chapters, this typo is just deliciously ironic. :P

Weight limits are pretty meaningless to a Space Marine, given Unnatural Strength and the bonus from Power Armour, so I think most GMs limit gear to what a PC could visually carry. Usually this comes down to a 'Hands' rule, most often something like "PCs can carry 5 Hands' worth of weapons", counting pistols and melee weapons as 1 Hand, basic weapons and two-handed melee weapons as 2 Hands, and Heavy Weapons as 3 Hands.

I have settled for 3 hands (heavy weapons count for 2, basic weapons for 1) plus combat knife now. Seems to be most accurate, visually.

Alex