Hello! I've grown tired of simply making new Chapters to suppliment the Deathwatch, so I've decided to expand my creative horizon to tackle something bigger. Thus I'm announcing my newest project: The Deathwatch in the Dornian Heresy.

For those unfamiliar, it's an alternate universe created by someone at Bolter and Chainsword where instead of Horus, it's Dorn who betrays the Imperium and presents all the chaos legions as heroes and instead, all the loyalist legions turned traitor. If you haven't heard of it, google it and read the pdf. It's a very good read.

Anyways with the author's permission I've started statting up the legions in the hopes of one day creating alternate rules for players who are interested in trying something different to create a Deathwatch Kill-Team and explore this universe. So far I've gotten the 4 loyalist legions featured in part one converted - the Thousand Sons, World Eaters, Word Bearers and the Emperor's Children. I'll be starting work on the last 5 soon.

Please have a read through what I've done - I'm trying some slightly different things than what is currently presented in Deathwatch: maybe they'll work, maybe they wont. Please let me know what you think.

Document here: docs.google.com/open

I'm looking for help if you are interested - While I'm confident I have the Space Marine stats more or less in hand, I've discovered I'm not all that good at creating custom adversaries, and I was hoping to recruit someone to help me make stats for the heretical legions, such as Vampiric Blood Angels, Iron Hand/Necron hybrids, Speed-Obsessed White Scars, Secessionist Ultramarines armed with Tau tech and more!

Thanks for your time and feedback!

You definitely have my attention. I've always loved the idea of the Dornian Heresy. Not sure if I'll be able to help, but I'll offer any ideas I come up with.

I'm quite a fan of the Dornian Heresy era and even ran a Great Crusade (Rogue Trader/Deathwatch) game that turned into a Dornian Heresy game which really caught the players off guard. I had some stats made up for some of the Utramarine Successors gear like the Mk 16 Damocles armour I can share with you, I tried to avoid making the gear rules heavy and cumbersome as it is tempting to do so but might just bog down the game.

I played a member of the Alpha Legion in Gaius' aforementioned campaign. Off the top of my head, +5 Int and +5 Fel with easier access to various stealth and social skills.

I'm curious to see what you do with this. Best of luck!

Although at an initial first glance all of the loyalist legions seem quite well made I would express concern with regard to the listed damage and peneteration of an astrates chain axe, it appears quite high in my opinion. They have the Legion Chainaxe in Black Crusade doing 1d10+5R Pen 3 damage with tearing and although it's only two points more damage thats often more than enough to make it an attractive offer. I'd be concerned that the ones you have included might be a little too good but that is just my opinion.

I think I found my MK 16 Damocles Power Armour rules, I just treated them as errant armour in all respects except they were 11 AP all over. I was just stating them like this to keep it simple however to show their more advanced technology you could potential improve the auto senses to +15 or even +20.

Gaius said:

Thanks for that. I think I whipped up the chainaxe stats from a pre-errata book - I'll have to go in and fix that. I'm currently debating the best way to do the Ultramarines armour. Your idea is simple and effective, but I had an idea of actually lessening the AP value of the Armour compared to the standard Mk VII and adding a moderately-effective forcefield (rating of 50ish, overload on 10 or something). It adds a few extra dice rolls, but plays up on their technological advances.

Either way I'm not worrying about that too much - I still have loyalist legions to take care of.

Heh, awesome. Always loved the Dornian Heresy fluff... did the author ever finish the second part? I really want to see what happened to the Salamanders and the Iron Hands. Not to mention what he does with the other four "loyalist" chapters.

Gaius said:

On the issue of the chainaxe, there is a precedent for a Chainaxe dealing about the same amount of damage in Deathwatch. The Berzerker Axe in Mark of the Xenos, used by Khornate Berzerkers, deals 4 more damage than the chainsword. That'd come out to 1d10+7, basing off of the standard chainsword. Penetration would be 4, or if you're using errata'd stats for standard weapons, 3.

I like it alot. I hope you'll get the oppertunity to write up for the other legions as well.

Gurkhal said:

Thanks. I'm working on the Iron Warriors right now. It's a bit of a slog since they're not my favourite of the Legions. After them, it's on to the Alpha Legion (real excited about that) and then on to the Night Lords hopefully before the final Legions are released in print.

I have a couple neat ideas for the Night Lords which hopefully will play out.

On a similar note, I'm looking for someone to assist me in creating adversary stats for some of the traitor legions, such as the White Scars Speed Marines and the Blood Angels Vampires and others. If interested, please let me know.

Gaius said:

Love this idea. I'm going to try and do something similar. How did you do the characters? Did each player have both a RT and DW character? How did you handle the intermixing of game styles?

Where did you get the marine painter that does MkIV armor?

The Glen said:

I didn't. I used artwork from the part 1 pdf.

Small update, I've mostly finished the Iron Warriors and have just started working on the Alpha Legion. If anyone wishes to help me out, I'd like someone to work with and create some adversary stats for the Chaos Legions. Think about it: teched-out Ultramarines, speed-obsessed White Scars and their daemon possessed bikes, vampiric Blood Angels, Necrontyr-Iron Hands… sounds like fun to me.

After a brief absence, I'm returning to this project and happy to say that I've finished both the Iron Warriors and the Alpha Legion. I've updated the link in the first post and I'll post it again here. The Night Lords are next, then I'll be up to date with all the Legions that have been posted thus far.

After the Night Lords, I'm going to try my hand at writing up the Chaos Legions, then it's on to writing up Advanced Careers for the Legions. I'm hoping for at least one original career per legion and one that's re-appropriated from existing Deathwatch Material.

Please have a read and let me know what your feedback is. The best way for me to finish this properly is to get feedback from those who will (hopefully) be playing it.

Enjoy! docs.google.com/open

I like it, but a few minor proofing quibbles. Several times you misspell Alpharius as Alpharious. Also, you refer to the Adeptus Mechanicus as an Ordo in the Iron Warriors write-up. I don't believe the AdMech is referred to as such. If you mean the Inquisition, you might wish to make that clear.

If you're interested, I'm more than willing to offer my services as a proof reader for this project.

I registered just to say awesome. My only regret is that it is too difficult to fit these chapters in to a canon/standard Deathwatch game without resorting to the old "frozen in stasis before the Horus Heresy" trope. Keep up the good work!

Vergaul said:

Gotta love the Mary Sues and Super Special Snowflakes. And everyone that makes a character that is "really tall for an Astartes."

Just noticed something when some players in my gaming group wanted to roll up characters. The Iron Hands can get two starting cybernetics but there is no limit on what these can be. Sure bionic arms and legs can give you bonus toughness in locations but I have I did think that the as written option to walk into character creation with a combination of two of the following is a bit much MIU, Auspex Array or Servo Arm. I know in regular 40k they use servo arms outside the tech marines but as I pointed out to a player I have only heard of these being used by War Smith level Iron Warriors. It might do to specify if these options weren't your intent and if they were I'd advise considering it more carefully because many players will take these options nine times out of ten, a free auspex, deadly close combat weapon of destruction or +10 to a bunch of things including BS tests is a bit much. Still great work over all as I've said before, just didn't know if you had realised this rule as written.

As one of Gaius' prospective players, I will suggest that if MIU is intended to be allowed, that MIU interfaces be restricted to the character's own personal and signature wargear and perhaps certain relic weapons. A flat +10 to BS checks with any ranged weapon is very good, probably too much so.

I don't think an augur array or even an MIU is automatically better than a flat increase to toughness bonus which is what comes with a bionic replacement. After refreshing my knowledge of normal 40k Iron Warriors, I'm fine with restricting servo-arms to Warsmiths and techmarines.

A thing to remember. The MIU bonus to shooting still comes from jacking into the weapon. That's not something I'd assume all weapons are made with; so I'd agree with it being an option only for Sig Wargear and vehicle weapons.

Gaius said:

An interesting point and one I should revisit, thanks for bringing it up. I would be very interested to hear more feedback if your group actually starts gaming with these characters!

The Night Lords are nearing completion; only a week or so and then I move on to the next part of the project. I plan on having at least one advanced specialty per legion, Thousand Sons Sehkmet Psyker Terminators, Night Lords Prophets, Iron Warrior Siegelords and more!

It occured to me that a reskinned Deathwing Veteran could work quite well for the Iron Warriors. Both have a reputation for being relentless, callous proponents of using massed fire to bring down enemies.

The Night Lords are done! I'm afraid I may have made them rely a little too much on the ability to generate Fear, but I suppose time and playtesting will tell me for sure.

Rapidshare Link: rapidshare.com/files/706851798/DHDW.pdf

Google Docs Link: docs.google.com/open

Note the version number at the top of the document, I figured that's the best way to do this moving forward. This may be the last you guy s hear from me on this for a while. I want to work on the advancements for a while to make sure I know where I'm going with it.

If anyone wants to help/playtest/provide feedback/brainstorm ideas or wants to be an artist, please reach me by email: [email protected]. I do intend to see this through, but patience may be required.

Hope this is still going well, looking forward to seeing the finished results. I was working on loyalist death guard(though returned them to Dusk Raider origins) rules if I ever finish them up I'll toss them up here, maybe they can help.

Good work, I'd love to see some Death Guard to make a Deathshroud!