So my group's kill-team consists of an Assault Marine, a Devastator, an Apothecary and a Librarian. Now, we're running into issues that no one is even remotely technologically competent, so my Devastator asked about basically cross classing into Tech-Marine because he's the group member who's already got a fair bit of bionics in him. Now, initially I love the idea because it opens up possibilities in my game, but I wanted some input as to the canon setting views on someone picking up training in Tech-Use and Speak Language (Techna-Lingua) and gaining the Mechanus Implants trait? Now obviously this might require some downtime spent away from the team, but is it possible? Or more important, is it not completely inconceivable?*

*And yes I do think it means, what I think it means.

I don't think a SM who had already been seconded to the Deathwatch would be allowed to travel all the way to Mars to be Tech-Priestified. It just doesn't seem like the DW, they're more of a "scrounge what we can from the Chapters" than a "create and train our own soldiers, who will then leave in a few years".

A better option would be so simply allow the character to take Tech-Use and perhaps a few Lores as Elite Advances. Just say he's spent a ton of time in the Watch Armory discussing these things with the Tech Marines to the point that he's picked up the basics of their operation.

You could also simply run adventures where Tech Use isn't necessary. It's good to cater to your party's strengths and weaknesses.

I would lean toward elite advances or servo skulls to fill the tech gap. Maybe come up with an advanced specialty that covers some tech skills but doesn't grant the implants.

To be teached as Techmarine need 30 years at least, so it's imposible for anyone to "take a break between misions" and be educated in that way. IMO it should be impossible to pick Tech-Use as and Advancement, as it includes knowledge that only Ad-Mech has. Maybe you could improve it to basic ability by spending XP.

Instead of adding servo-skulls (the best option in my opinion) you can add to the team a NPC Techmarine as Auxiliary Support for the KT

In Dark Heresy, Adepts, Arbitrators, Assassins, Scum, and Guardsmen all get Tech Use... and I think Imperial Psykers. So clearly it's not exclusive Mechanicus knowledge.

Just go for the Elite Advances.

Yeah, but in favour of Techmarine and Ad-mech people, I consider that Tech-Use of Guardsmen and Acolytes people like like that phrase said about guardsmen:

"A guardsmen can dismount his rifle in 30 seconds, but cannot say to you what is each component and what does it do"

If not, what is the good thing of learning in Ad-Mech?

General Marine rank one can get Tech Use for 800, Aptho at rank 3 for 500 and Dev at rank 5 for 500 just grandfather in +10 and +20 every two or three ranks. Althought I wouldn't allow such since it would make playing a Techmarine kinda pointless. Just let them get the first Tech Use with a multi-tool or servo skull they can get some plus anyhow, unless the class gets the skill again maybe let them take the +10 but increase the cost. They should never be able to be better then or even the equal to a full Techmarine, IMO.

Tech Use isn't defined that way in the book- you can look at it differently if it fits your view of 40k, but the book defines it as a pretty general skill. You get to use and repair some stuff. That's not soley the domain of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Tech preists/Techmarines useless aside from tech use? What?

Techmarines get sweet special abilities, tech only talents and abilities, so unless you consider things like Armor Monger, Weapon Tech, and the various rites as useless abilities playing a techmarine is not pointless. They also get skills that are harder to get or more expensive for other classes.

This is also ignoring the GM here as well, who is more than likley going to give greater penalties on a non-Adeptus Mechanicus member when dealing with certain tech.

To the OP: I wouldn't allow someone to becoe a TechMarine in the middle of a deployment to the DW unless the campaign had lengthy spans of down time - long enough to justify a DW tour ending and starting again.

Charmander said:

Sorry didn't mean they were useless but the higher and cheaper tech-use skill is one reason to have a Tech-marine. Other then the horde of cyber parts, beable to tank like mad, and buffing weapons and armor, hmm ok they still are pretty specal, but I still feel the higher secrets of the Machine God should stay with the Techmarine/priests.

But I do see your point about give more of a penalty while still allowing them to have the chance to succeed (like hitting the right button on a educated guess).

BeyondFandom said:

If it serves your campaign, simply allow it and don't wast too much thoughts on the canonical background. If your group loves the idea, you should implement it.

But get sure that this double-class marine doesn't get too much advantages...

I agree with the consensus to go for elite advances. They are implemented in the game to offer an amount of flexibility, so make use of this flexibility.

Without the background, W40k wouldn't be W40k anymore. Especially the Techmarines are a highly specialized kind of marine who don't form up a kind of separate grouping within each chapter for nothing. Making that training easily accessible would degrade the TM significantly, I think.

I can only support the Tech-Use skill option mentioned by former posters, a reasonably high Tech-Use skill (including the corresponding characteristic) should be sufficient to deal with every tech-related situation a Space Marine who is NOT a Techmarine should be able to deal with. When you want to be a tech-professional and master the arts of technology then don't play Devastator or Assault Marine, choose a Techmarine from the beginning.

Arkhan said:

40k background is a myriad of interpretations, and allowing one player to become a techmarine won't break your game or 40k so long as you keep balance in mind.

That said, it's not within 'canon', which I think was what BeyondFandom was asking about, and as you say allowing tech use is probably the best solution for their problem.

The Heavy weapons specialist (read: Devastator speciality) in the Deathwatch short stories written by Steve Parker (see the "Heroes of the Space Marines" and "Victories of the Space Marines" anthologies) he's obviously not a Tech-marine but he does seems to fill a "technical" role in the squad where necessary and I'd see it as perfectly in keeping for a Devastator to be able to pick up some "on the job" technical skill.

I'd agree with Tech-Use as an Elite Advance.

Charmander said:

No of course it won't break your game, but it will chop away quite a bit off the mythical nimbus of one of the specializations you can choose in Deathwatch RPG, turning the secretive and elite group of Techmarines into something one can just pick up on the go.

For instance, it would also not break your game if you decided that a Space Marine can be created out of fully grown adults in about 6 months, but here again you would take away quite a portion from what makes a Space Marine what he is - and isn't the cool image of the elite superhuman soldier the very reason we play Deathwatch?

But you are quite right saying that if a gaming group can agree on such things it is absolutely ok, in the end it's about having fun playing and not about simulating a pre-defined universe without room for flexibility.

I agree. While Techmarines have a lot going for them, Tech-Use is one of their 'things'. That said, they shouldn't have sole ownership of the skill, other Marines should have a certain knack for technology (especially Devastators and Apothecaries, since they regularly use complex equipment).

But buying +10 or +20 should still be pretty expensive, if an option at all, for the other Specialties.

Arkhan said:

I'm just saying the way the skill was written means that without it you can't use an auspex while being shot at, and has been that way since DH. Without it your marines couldn't use a vox caster in bad weather or patch that hole in your armor with super glue. That's why it's available for purchase at rank 1 for all Space Marines, who can bump it to +10 at rank 7.

Things like Forbidden Lore Mechanicus or Archeotech, or Master Enginseer, Mechanicus Implants, etc., are all things other folks would have more trouble getting (given many have a requirement of mechanicus implants/techmarine) and do more to make a tech marine a techmarine. And that's all hard written rules, not to mention any of the RP that would come with being a techmarine.

And then the question that the OP has about this- what to do for a group of folks in the RPG that do not have a player playing a tech marine, what do you do then when you have a bit of tech that an otherwise simple roll should be able to handle? Bring in an NPC? Write all missions without the need for understanding any tech? Make the techmarine a 'required' class like a cleric/healer in a D&D campaign?

Arkhan said:

As you see, I support the idea of enabling non-techmarine characters to be somewhat proficient in handling technology via the tech-use skill. My point was just that really BECOMING a techmarine mid-game (this is what the OP asked about) would be inappropriate because of the reasons mentioned in earlier posts.

Arkhan said:

Ah, I blame the internet and my talent to derail threads for misinterpreting you- in this case we are in agreement