Greetings! Though I've run my share of DH adventures, I'm new to 'Deathwatch' and even though both games are similar, the concept of solo/squad mode is something difficult to grasp. How exactly does it work? Can someone be bothered to write here a detailed example, starting with oath taking? That would be great! Otherwise these are the main questions that are bothering me:

- During a mission, marines are limited to: their own Squad abilites (chosen at character creation and then acquired with ranks) and to squad abilited provided by the leader (i.e. his chapter ability plus those provided by the oath taken). True? Or only the leader can use the latter?

- How does a marine enter a squad mode? He must be in support range and taken an action, but does he spend cohesion, or rolls cohesion? Or only the leader spends cohesion?

- What happens when cohesion reaches 0?

that's it for now, thanks in advance for help!

Skie said:

1. Kill-team can only make use of the abilities that the oath provides plus chapter abilties. Chapter abilities require 2 marines of the same chapter (or a Tactical marine with Tactical expertise who succeeds in the Command test and has another Marine in Command Range join)

2. He must take an action or if he doesn't want to pass a Cohesion test (1d10 vs current Cohesion). That's switching from Solo to Squad mode. Activating a power is different: you spend an action as detailed by the power itself then the kill-team spends the COhesion from its pool. Note the differences between sustained and non-sustained powers.

3. When it reaches 0 everyone drops back into Solo Mode. No Squad Mode anymore until Cohesion has been regained.

For further reading look at the faq/errata thread (page 6 onwards deals with this topic). There is also a thread called squad mode confusion. Since no official errata has been released you must read through both these threads if you want to understand what FFG intended with these rules.

The Rules-As-Written suck mightily on this issue due to lack of clarity.

Alex

On point 1.

-The statement in the book that its oath abilities + leader is wrong. It has been stated that any individual marine has access to the oath abilities (only one oath is selected per mission, by squad leader), and that marine's personal chapter's ability. Any marine can activate squad mode abilities.

@AK-73

I'm not sure it specifies that there must be 2 members of a chapter, but rather that only members of the same chapter may benefit from a chapter ability (unless a tac marine with tac expertise passes his command check while activating his chapter's squad mode ability). Obviously squad mode abilities become exponentially more useful the more members that can use them, but I wouldn't deny a single dark angels devastator who wants to activate his chapters attack pattern, just to benefit himself (and I see no basis in the rules to prevent them from doing so). It basically turns into a "I get a free shot before combat properly starts because I'm so paranoid" for a marine, which is fairly good, for what, 2 cohesion (which fate points, depending on how you read them, will recover that pretty fast)

KommissarK said:

You're right:

"7. Player A and B are in Squad mode and from different chapters. Neither benefit from Tactical Expertise. Can they both Sustain their relevant Chapter powers? What if one is using a Chapter power and the other a Codex power?

Chapter Squad Mode Abilities can be sustained regardless of who is benefiting from them (with the caveat that there must be at least two Space Marines in Squad Mode!)."

It doesn't always make complete sense though. With Pack Tactics I would require two Space Wolves (or the successful use of Tactical Expertise) as that requires some real coordination, reading it.

As for fate points... hasn't that been clarified still?

Alex

I haven't seen anything official. I just generously say they regain 1 cohesion every time a point is spent (as per whatever page that says its by fate point spent). And then use that as justification for say, upping the broodlord's wounds by 50% just to make sure it can actually put a player character into critical wounds.

EDIT: Ah, yes, saw where you were getting the two marines from. And all thats saying is in squad mode (which makes sense, cant be on your own and in squad mode, unless its a single PC game, in which case that takes some thought). Not two need to be able to benefit from the ability.

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Let me post this as an example of how I understand solo/squad rules - and please do correct me, since I think this ruleset might be great fun, and something new for veteran DH players, but I'd like to understand it right.

So in my example I have a Kill-team of four marines: 2 ultramarines (Tactical and Psyker), Blood Angel Devastator and a Space Wolf Assault. They're all Rank 1 and possess one solo ability based on their chapter plus Burst of Speed and Feat of Strenght.

Squad Abilites: The team chooses the Tactical Ultramarine as their leader for the mission. Thus during it, they will have access to 'Lead by Example'. The oath taken is 'Oath of the Astartes' granting further Squad Advance, Bolter Assault and Tactical Spacing modes.

So in total they'll have 4 squad modes, but Devastator has also Unrelenting devastion. Since the leader is also a tactical marine has may try to grant his chapter squad ability to everyone.

Question: The books says that the team 'may' take an oath - but my understanding is that they really should, otherwise they will have access only to the leader's squad mode ability.

The team's starting cohesion is 3 (leadership bonus) +1 (leader has command skill) +1 (ultramarine as a leader bonus +2 oath = 7

The mission starts. After some time the team must quickly take enemy fortified positions. Initiative is rolled, some initial shots exchanged and then the leader (but it can be any other marine, acting on his initative) decides to enter squad mode and calls for Bolter Assault. Next all marines lose one turn to enter the squad mode (or they could risk a cohesion challenge to do it as a free action). Next the leader spends 3 cohesion points to activate Bolter Assault. Until the end of combat all the marines, once a turn, can take a free action to make a charge and attack with a bolter type weapon. They quickly overcome their opposition.

The combat ends, the mission continues. Am I getting it more or less right?

You're a bit off. The errata has been released, check that out here: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/deathwatch/minisite/support/deathwatch-errata-v1.pdf

At the start of the mission, an oath is selected. You have this correct. And yes, this does mean that only the codex squad mode abilities tied to that oath may be used, by anyone in the squad. What you are messing up on is what codex powers are available. The errata clears this up now.

The way it works, is any individual space marine can activate his own chapter's squad mode abilities. In your game, the blood angel devastator could activate his chapter squad mode ability. Now, as per how chapter abilities work, only he (the blood angel) can benefit from this ability. The wording on page 219 is incorrect (in that you were saying that only the squad leaders chapter abilities may be used).

Also, I am under the impression that at the start of a mission, or even before combat, the players may already choose to be in squad mode, so they don't nessecarily have to make the cohesion test or lose a turn. But yes, if the squad is not in squad mode at start of combat, it takes a test.

As per errata, bolter assault only works for one round.