Hi all. Did a quick search for "inquisition relationship" and nothing popped up. Figured it's kinda specific, so I doubt there'd be many hits anyway.

So, what's the word on how the Inquisition and Deathwatch get along? My understanding is that outsiders view the DW as the arm militant of the Ordo Xenos, though the Ordo Xenos and the DW view themselves more as partners. The Inquisition does all the skulking, the DW gets called in for things that the Ordo Xenos thinks are more appropriate for an Astartes to do.

Do they have any kind of a commander-subordinate relationship? Can an inquisitor pull rank on a DW kill team leader/Captain? I heard that a DW captain is the equivalent of a Chapter Master. Even the latter fear to invoke the ire of the Inquisition without due cause.

In game, I've got a bit of a Mexican standoff between the kill team and an inquisitorial agent from Ordo Hereticus. The Captain told the interrogator to pound sand, we're busy. Can he get away with it? What repercussions could he and the team face from the Inquisition afterwards? Would DW side with the captain and his team or would they let the Inquisition have them?

Like most Astartes, the primary factor regarding their actions are oaths and bonds-very few people can actually pull rank on Astartes from outside their own chain of command. In Deathwatch, the Marines are bound by oaths to serve the Inquisition and thus follow orders-however, they retain their own recognizance about how to carry out their orders, and have some wiggle room at both the tactical and strategic levels that can lead them to refuse orders they genuinely believe are not in the best interest of the mission. Usually not a problem, because by the time an Inquisitor is working with Deathwatch, they should be a grizzled veteran with decades of combat experience and thus unlikely to be giving stupid orders.

Ordo Hereticus has no jurisdiction over Deathwatch, so the only way they should cut across them would be prosecuting a Carta Extremis where the team had been declared Excommunicate Traitoris. They were perfectly justified telling said Inquisitor to pound sand, and if they pushed the issue said Inquisitor is liable to wind up dead at the hands of the Ordo Xenos, all above-board. The only arm that can shanghai Deathwatch Marines would be a Malleus Inquisitor, and then only by invoking the Malleus Remit due to an imminent Daemonic threat.

Ah Tanhauser, we meet again. How's it going?

The Deathwatch is the militant arm of the Ordo Xenos, so they get along amicably as long as the Ordo is directing them to actual alien threats. Same way with the Ordo Malleus and the Grey Knights. They can be partners while the DW is still the militant arm of the organization. One does not stop the other from being true.

As for commander subordinate it really depends on the particular mission. For the most part the Inquisition just feeds targets to the DW and expects them to do what Astartes do. Sometimes and inquisitor will personally accompany a team if they want to get a mission done themselves in a dangerous setting however. In that case the authority of the kill team generally falls on the Inquisitor for anything that isn't directly related to combat.

Can he get away with it? Yes, but there are always consequences to this. The Inquisition can't just say, "Alright well kill this one he bad mouthed me." but the Inquisition can also make sure that astartes gets sent on a few suicide missions. As for sides it really depends on the exact nature of the standoff and the particular chapters the Astartes come from (if they aren't specifically DW marines).

You know, we have a saying in Russian: "I ran after you for two hours, only to say how much you do not interest me"...

5 hours ago, Professor Tanhauser said:

Well your sniping, trolling, harassing then running crying to an idiot mod got me banned twice, which probably makes a pathetic little troll like you happy.

I never reported you before Professor, that was not be the previous times you got banned. You don't have to believe me, but that's the truth of it.

The person who reported spoke about this. But I'm too lazy to give a link, who wants to - can find it itself.

10 minutes ago, Jargal said:

The person who reported spoke about this. But I'm too lazy to give a link, who wants to - can find it itself.

It was Sckoni, but I don't think they're around anymore. Not that Tanhauser seems to remember, care, or believe that.

Yes, I remember that. My sarcasm was addressed to the Tanhauser.

Just now, Jargal said:

Yes, I remember that. My sarcasm was addressed to the Tanhauser.

My bad, sarcasm is difficult on the internet to pick up sometimes.

4 minutes ago, ThenDoctor said:

My bad, sarcasm is difficult on the internet to pick up sometimes.

Well, I'm not too good with sarcasm in English, it's not my native language, after all...

Thanks for the answer. Good points.

I love the quote. Reminds me of my favorite demotivational poster: Persistence. Let her go man, it's over.

I think I'll let this play out and work it in as another subplot down the line. I like the suicide mission thing, but it might be a bit heavy-handed. Perhaps a complication later on. A false flag op or something to make their lives miserable for a bit and add an element of intrigue.

Maybe they go off on some kind of diplomatic escort mission on some primitive planet and their VIP gets a lead injection courtesy of their newest fan. Can't come home empty handed, need to try to catch the culprit, which would only lead to more difficult and nasty scenarios.

There's actually a very relevant section in the Deathwatch core rulebook where it provides backstory on the purpose and origins of the Deathwatch. In particular, this quote from p305 is very helpful in framing the relationship with the Inquisition:

The Battle-Brothers of the Deathwatch take the war against the alien to the very darkest reaches of the void, bringing to bear such force as no individual Inquisitor could hope to muster. In this mission, the Ordo Xenos and the Deathwatch are equals, the Inquisitors rooting out the foes for the Deathwatch to eradicate. While neither party is subject to the command of the other, both work in concert towards their common goal, according to those oaths made centuries ago.