Careers in Deathwatch

By Xalendar, in Deathwatch

Posted at

Jack of Tears said:

Kage2020 said:

And, of course, one must not forget questioning the point or at least the representation of Chaplains in general! :D

Kage

Not quite sure what you're getting at that. In a totalitarian, theocratic, empire the role of a Chaplain should be one of honor, influence and import. Even Space Marines are at times tempted by the deceptions of Chaos and the Xenos and need someone to steer their uncertainty toward the light of the Emperor and his unwavering wisdom. Knights in crusade still speak to priests, pray at temples and ask for guidance, it is what makes a crusading knight different from a run of the mill soldier. (not saying the soldier might not do all those things, but it is an expected part of the knight's life)

A Chaplain of the Deathwatch would also be very valuable in helping Marines overcome some of the differences and frictions between the chapters - acting as a mediator and voice of reason at times. When the Ultramarine feels himself questioning whether he can trust the secretive Blood Angel he should have someone outside the rank structure he can go to and voice his concerns without making the matter an official complaint to a superior or the like.

The Chaplain could also fashion purity seals and similar objects to help cleanse or fight the impurity that comes from mere proximity to chaos and its servants.

Most importantly of all, he'd keep an eye on the lure of the xenos.

Alex

Posted at

Well, some of us don't have the book yet, do I didn't know that regular Marines could invest that much in stealth related skills and talents. But it's certainly nice that you can. So I suppose you'd simply represent a Cyrus-type character by giving him armour and dumping XP in to the right traits.

I can still see Dreadnoughts and Chaplains though. The former because it's possible that your character could be so seriously wounded that it would be a viable alternative to just delivering the Emperor's Mercy. You'd likely need a high Reknown for it though, since it is something they reserve for great heroes. Chaplains I could see too, probably as a whole new career, because of all the reasons stated above and because Chaplains are also great leaders of their fellow Space Marines, inspiring them to great feats of valour and hatred of the Emperor's enemies.

Posted at

Blood Pact said:

Well, some of us don't have the book yet, do I didn't know that regular Marines could invest that much in stealth related skills and talents. But it's certainly nice that you can. So I suppose you'd simply represent a Cyrus-type character by giving him armour and dumping XP in to the right traits.

I can still see Dreadnoughts and Chaplains though. The former because it's possible that your character could be so seriously wounded that it would be a viable alternative to just delivering the Emperor's Mercy. You'd likely need a high Reknown for it though, since it is something they reserve for great heroes. Chaplains I could see too, probably as a whole new career, because of all the reasons stated above and because Chaplains are also great leaders of their fellow Space Marines, inspiring them to great feats of valour and hatred of the Emperor's enemies.

Both DH and RT have an analogon; there surely had to be a reason for not including a Chaplain? Not enough distinguishing features? Probably there are. Not enough space in the rulebook? Saving it for later so that you have more incentive to buy a specific supplement? More likely.

Alex

Posted at

The reason I see it being not included is the same as the Sister of Battle not being in the Dark Heresy core book. It's not really a standard career.

And even with 400 pages to work with, wordcount is always an issue when it comes to writing for rpg books, so something like that can be set off to the side in an optional supplement, instead of taking up space that could be used for more important things. Wanting more time to work on it might have been an issue too.

Posted at

Blood Pact said:

The reason I see it being not included is the same as the Sister of Battle not being in the Dark Heresy core book. It's not really a standard career.

And even with 400 pages to work with, wordcount is always an issue when it comes to writing for rpg books, so something like that can be set off to the side in an optional supplement, instead of taking up space that could be used for more important things. Wanting more time to work on it might have been an issue too.

All legitimate.

Alex