Pretty much well summed up! Saves me doing it

Theres also a certain narrative to it. 40k in general thrives on certain level of tragedy. Sacrifice and martyrdom are held up as virtues by the entirety of the Astartes, far more so than chapter pride. And not all sacrifice is found on the battlefield, after all.

All in all, the idea of a mighty warrior separated from his brothers, fighting insidious threats half way across the galaxy and never able to return home sounds like just the sort of Greek tragedy 40k is built on

ItsUncertainWho said:

Unless I've missed a very big part of the fluff, in which case shame on me, the two 'unknown legions' almost certainly had Primarchs of their own. The modern Imperium just can't remember who they are. Or, of course, doesn't want to.

Imperial book-keeping. Just can't get the staff...

Seraphael said:

No, you haven´t. The "missing two" were already MIA during the Great Crusade. There is a scene in one the first Horus Heresy novels between Rogal Dorn and Malcador the Sigillite where the question is briefly touched.

I would still say, after reading all post that Deathwacth is not a Chapter and thus no Dreads.

When a marines joins the Chamber Militant of Ordo Xenos it is for a tour of Duty that can be from few years to hundred if so but in the end they will always return home. When they join DW they will take with em the equipment the used in their Chapters. Exempel: A Devastator is asked to make a your of duty then he takes with him the weapon his is best trained at being it a Heavy bolter or Plasma Cannon.

But I can be wrong

having played the table top games for longer than i care to remmember. I am sure that in one of the early books it tells of marines doing back-to-back tours and that there is a small cadre that is permanatly a part of the deathwatch. I can see there being deathwatch dread's though not that many as many have said i'd see them more in a NPC role as fire support or advisor. For example, the team is going up against the eldar (**** pointy ears) who better to advise them than say an aincent DW dreadnought who fought against them in a major battle on a craftworld say.

Still think that they dont them self have dreads but they may ask their parent chapter for help.

Meaning with deatwatch is to be fast and mobile and dreads are not fast not mobile. in the Table top game there is a rule book "Chapter approved 03" i think and there they come with rules for DW Kill teams and there is not meation of the honored Old ones.

But as a GM i would use them as NPC but not that they are part of Deathwatch, for in the end a deard is bad ass and many have enough skill and firepower to is equal or more than a full Astartes squad. I hope that the book will answer all these questions

they DO have one active mentioned Dreaddy...

Brother Cyron from the story, Head Hunted, as already mentioned.

Ohhh okey I stnad corrected brother but when i looked it up in the Warhammer 40k wiki there was no mention of Dreads...... If the chapters that provide Marines to serve in the DW then maybe they will provide with members that have returned to their chapter and then by fate by installed into a dread then they might be sent back to serve as heavy assist to the DW.

Nvester said:

That is one reasonable possibility you've presented there, Nvester. There's also the possibility that those who are serving with the Deathwatch if/when their home chapter suffer catastrophic losses will likely be left within the ranks of the Deathwatch . One example of this might be an Astral Knight who was seconded to the Deathwatch prior to that chapter's dissolution against the Necron World Engine. Or, even a Fire Hawk who was in service to the Deathwatch prior to the chapter's disappearance. Such an "orphaned" Space Marine might live long enough to find himself in need of interment with the armored sarcophagus of a Dreadnought.

-=Brother Praetus=-

Dreadnoughts are all heroes of their chapter and are respected for their knowledge and combat science. A lot of post down here talk about them as vulgar wargear. I must protest! lol

Most of the time, they tend to be more or less sleepy when not in battle, still lost in the unnatural sleep techmarines put them beetwen two fights. But not always. Iron Hands chapter is known to have a lot more dreadnought with them and sometimes even as commander(just a "souvenir"). That means that they could speack well and clearly. True is the fact than their nature and history make them quite familliar with the mechanical aspect of the dreadnought life (and happy with it).

Then why not have PC or NPC dreadnought in a DW campaign. Why a dreadnought would be denied the right to fight the evil Xenos side by side with other SM brothers? If an ancient one ask to leave to join the deathwatch I can not imagine the chapter master saying no. Of course if the chapter need the service of this ancient right now the chapter needs will come first.

Maybe this ancient can not be request by the DW and only those asking for a tour goes in DW service.

But after all, they are loyal servant warrior of the imperium not just machine that can be bought, **** they are heroes of the past, legend among heroes. AN dyes, I think they can sign for deathwatch tour in the same way the SM does.

It may already have been mentioned but looks like there's a dread on the cover of the Rites of Battle book, that seems to be painted in the deathwatch colours... black with an Imperial Fists badge picked out in yellow.

Talk about threadromancy.

Deathwatch Dreads exist. So says the upcoming book.

BYE

A little tidbit more, again I don't know if it already been mentioned and it is a bit off topic but here goes. In the Litany of war pdf right beside the pic of Rites of Battle there's a SM journal entry in which the marine speaks about visiting the chaplain. Aparently this chaplain has a knack to talk to battle-brothers of differing chapters....

I know it says Bjorn is only woken up every so often. But that begs the question, are all dreadnoughts left to slumber for a while between battles, and if so, where do they sleep as (to my knowledge) the DW has no home planet. As far as RP I think it would be ripe with opportunity.

A dreadnought in downtime attempting to play a game of chess with his battle brother...

*snaps the queen.* Oh for Frack's sake, Brother Abicus, I broke another one, bring me another Emperor-blessed chess set!

Hi Aenir,

DW are not the only chapter without planet.... Emperor fist got a space base like the star wars death star, Dark Angel are also wandering into space on something you can no more call a planet, surely there's other chapters.

Dreadnought are just sleeping in the armory under the watch of the techmarines. No need of planet, just space and qualified people.

maybe got to think about a dreadnought designed chess game... 20'' tall adamantium chess pieces and a mechanical lifter for the oppenent.

H.B.M.C. said:

If I read the rulebook right, it says that there are three (yes you can count them) dreadnoughts sleeping in WF Erioch.

Alex

ak-73 said:

And if people are worried about how a large heav dreadnought can keep up with the Kill Team I have but 2 words: 'Dreadnought Drop Pod'. Otherwise they can go most places that a Space Marine can go and you wouldn't normally be able to take a tank.

And yes... I know you Blood Angels can deep strike Land Raiders (darn Blood Angels, think they're sooo good.)

"We are all out of C-4 and cant make a door."

"Stand aside." came the voice of the dreadnaught over the vox.

The marines moved as the dred fired one of its crack missiles. .......

When DW was first mentioned, a lot of people claimed space marines were totally unsuitable as player characters. Just because someone else decide they can't possible roleplay a dreadnought, doesn't mean that I can't. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'd do a pretty good job of it too.

Ancient Defender said:

If I can roleplay a Glitterboy or Dragon Hatchling in Rifts, I can do a Dreadnought too.

Alex

Yup. Or a suped-up, genetically enhanced, super-soldier-saint on steroids who worship a psychic zombie and fight against space elves. I *really* hate being told what I can and can't roleplay.

What would be nice is, when they do the rules for Dreadnoughts, it both has a Starship/power armour style Armour history 'quirk' and a table of psychology traits have been associated with dreadnoughts to give the roleplaying that slightly morbid edge rather than just, i'm the guy with a dreadnought.

I would expect nothing less:-)

Atheosis said:

I think given that his wounds would be so grievious that he wouldn't survive anyway without the dreadnaught armour, the original chapter would cede the rest of his service to the Deathwatch, since the marine would have been lost to them anyway.