Hey all,

As you all know, space wolf scouts are full blown marines, thus they are eligible for service in the Deathwatch. I think that they would also make a really interesting addition to a kill-team (although such a kill-team should probably already be well rounded before a GM allowed it).

With that in mind how would you build this marine? Personally I would choose skills and talents that accentuate the spacewolf's acute senses talent, spend xp on the tracking skill etc.

What would you generally try and requisition for such a character... I really feel that they should be swapping out power armour for astartes scout armour - is there a way of slightly compensating for this? Or if you do it should you just accept it as part of the characters feel and take the hit?

On armour:

Pretty much any marine in the DW RPG can switch between power armour or astartes scout carapace at will (well, during requisition time and what not), so the character would just in general always use carapace, but switch to power armour as needed.

Also, just because long fangs = SW scouts, doesn't mean that they don't have access to power armour, they just choose to not wear it normally.

What I would allow, is for the player to roll an armour history for the scout armour, but then if they wear power armour, it is generic without history.

As far as specialties go, I would say tac marine matches best, but of course, its player preference.

Skill advances are easily represented by the SW table, so just build the character as you want.

I've got a player wanting to run a space wolf scout as well. He is going the tactical marine route, and I am allowing him to swap his power armor for scout armor. He's also going to pick up the signiture wargear talent and a sniper rifle. I'ed warn them that the lower armor will make them more vunerable, but if they are ok with it, let 'em do it, it is a cool concept:)

Astartes Carapace Armor

MC Bolt Pistol

Stalker Pattern Boltgun with Silencer (If those stack you need to be within 1/4 normal distance, and check at -50)

Melta Bombs

Grenades

MC Combat Knife or regular Power Weapon

Cluster mines

Auspex

that would be my off the top of my head shopping list. Though, back in the day, We referred to scouts as "an excuse to Infiltrate and autocannon"

Actually, my original character idea for the Deathwatch game I will be playing in was for a Wolf Scout/Guard type, built as a Space Wolf Tactical Marine and planning on scooping up a Stalker -pattern boltgun and "signaturing" it ASAP. I was also going to look into requisitioning a carapace helm with advanced systems and some carapace greaves eventually to round out the Scout Armor if the GM would allow it. Alas, I fell into the manufacture of an Iron Priest instead, as a Techmarine was the one specialty we didn't have.

Fenrisnorth , a silencer does not work with any kind of bolt weapon; only autoguns/pistols and needle sniper rifles (this last seems odd). However, Stalker rounds in a Stalker -pattern boltgun create neither muzzle flash nor report, and either item by themselves is a -30 to Awareness and halves the distance at which it can be tested; also, the normal reduction of damage for the Stalker rounds does not apply when used in the Stalker -pattern boltgun.

If you want a good loadout for a scout, here's my take;

• Scout Carapace.
• Boltgun; upgrade to Stalker -pattern or Needle Sniper Rifle eventually, shotgun dependent on mission parameters.
• Bolt pistol.
• Combat Knife; maybe upgrade to a chainsword later.
• 3 each Frag and Krak grenades; upgrade to cluster mines, demo charges, or melta-bomb(s) as befits mission.
• Auspex or Cartograph or Vox Caster.

-=Brother Praetus=-

I didn't think they stacked, but a man can dream... oh yes, a man can dream...

By fire be purged

HAVE FAITH IN THE EMPEROR!

The huge mass of bonuses to Marine armour should be mitigated by allowing the scout at least a camo cloak (it's in one of the other core books.) Stummers would also help. That way, your scout is now a proper stealthy sniper. Being unseen is now his armour, whereas the rest of the team is at -30 to stealth in general.

Fenrisnorth said:

But, you don't have to dream. As I pointed out, Stalker -pattern bolt gun firing Stalker rounds makes zero noise, no muzzle flash and the rounds do normal damage instead of suffering their normal reduction.

• Stalker rounds, page 160 of Deathwatch ; " Awareness tests made to hear shots made with Stalker rounds suffer an additional -30 penalty and can only be attempted at half the normal distance. Reduce the weapon's damage by 2. When used in a Stalker-pattern Boltgun this damage does not apply. Additionally in such a weapon the, no Tests to detect the shot are possible (however, depending on the situation, the appropriate Opposed Skill Test may be required for the firer himself to remain hidden."

I'd rather the combination of Stalker -pattern boltgun firing Stalker rounds and the shot being completely undetectable from a meter away rather then imposing a -50 to an awareness test at 1/4 the normal detection range.

Crazy Aido said:

I tend to agree. I was a little surprised that the Cameleoline cloaks were not included in the Deathwatch corebook. Simple thing to include, though. With an availability of Rare they should run from 15-20 Requisition (per table 5-1; Availability and Requisition ). I'd personally say no more than 15 req, based off of their relative ubiquitous nature within the Astartes . May also consider allowing for the Preysense Mask and Cameleoline Coating detailed in the Radical's Handbook from Dark Heresy . Of course, that book has somehow migrated to the bottom of my stack, and I am just not in the mood to dig it out right now to provide further details.

Hope there's some nuggets of worth in there for you all to extract.

-=Brother Praetus=-