The Chaos Space Marine profile in the core rulebook lists "Killing Strike" as one of their talents - with no way to use it since elites don't get fate points. Yet, simply giving each CSM a fate point (or more) seems a bit over the top. And there is also the issue that astartes bolt weapons won't do much to threaten high level Deathwatch killteams. A maximum non-righteous fury damage of 21 (max roll of 10 + 9 + 2 from mighty shot) with penetration 4 will do nothing to a level high techmarine and very little to well equipped members of other specialties. It also makes the volatile quality on plasma weapons pointless.

So I propose a two-fold solution.

1. Each renegade marine gets Touched By The Fates (0). This means they can righteous fury and be a significant threat to killteams of all levels.

2. Each distinct squad-equivalent group of renegade marines has a pool of fate points. Say around half as many as there are marines. Or three. Regardless of the exact number, the GM can use a fate point from the pool as if it was the marine's own.

Example

A squad of eight traitor marines ambush a killteam. They have a pool of four fate points. Halfway through the battle, a marine is in close combat with a killteam member and uses killing strike. Another marine uses a fate point to raise their wounds to survive another attack.

Any thoughts or critiques?

An interesting thought and solution for a problem I didn't even know existed. I like it.

Could this mean the Emperor is with Traitor Marines? That there is still hope for them yet?

By that reckoning, he's with daemon princes and tau commanders, so why not?

Apparently, there is more than one Fate out there.

Touching people.

-K

The alternative is to do what they did with the Tyrant Guard in Jericho Reach: give them Fate Points that can only be used to activate any Talents they have that require such expenditure. Touched by the Fates (0) is a good idea. I'd probably implement it if I weren't two, max three sessions away from ending my campaign.