Supposed power level of acolytes

By player320064, in Dark Heresy Second Edition Beta

Posted at
whereas the Deathwatch is no longer part of the Ordo Xenos

Wait, what, did I miss something important?

They aren't, and never were, part of Ordo Xenos per say but have always been marines assigned to Ordo Xenos.

As far as I understood.

Was tha t co nn ecti on somehow cut while I wasn't looking?

Posted at

Temple Assassins

I read somewhere that Temple Assassins recruit from Death Cults, some of which they are secretly backing. Death Cults tend to recruit skilled killers and their most promising recruits, who may well have had to prove themselves in action, are considered by a Temple.

It should also be noted that only the High Lords of Terra can sanction the use of a Temple Assassin; and only when a known bad guy (or political rival ;) ) needs to be taken out.

Space Marines

Some implants need to be implanted ideally before they're twelve. But the earliest they can be implanted is ten. Even so, the Space Marines recruit from among the finest of young warriors. These children may be able to survive the wild outdoors with nothing but his wits, hunt down a fierce beast and either kill or capture it, or just be able to fight against enemy tribes/gangs. That's before they're even recruited!

Upon being recruited, they then have to prove their worthy of the Space Marines by various trials. This can even involve being put in an arena with other recruits and fighting to the death. Last boy standing advances.

Frankly a Space Marine Scout should be better in a fight, be it ranged firefights or up close and bloody, than most Imperial Guard. I say most as there are planets out there that breed deadly humans...cough...Catachan...cough

Deathwatch

This is not a chapter recruiting for itself boys to become Space Marines. It is an intergalactic special forces specialising in hunting down and eliminating Xenos threats. It's members are already Space Marines, drawn from the many chapters in the galaxy to fulfil ancient oaths, and that is why it doesn't need to recruit. Deathwatch are the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, like the Sisters of Battle are the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Hereticus, like the Grey Knights are the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Malleus.

Posted at

like the Sisters of Battle are the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Hereticus

This hasn't been canon for quite some time, as far as I know. There's absolutely no mention of it in the last few SoB codexes.

Posted at

Wait, what, did I miss something important?

They aren't, and never were, part of Ordo Xenos per say but have always been marines assigned to Ordo Xenos.

As far as I understood.

Was tha t co nn ecti on somehow cut while I wasn't looking?

"It is clear then that wherever possible it is best if the Inquisition can deal with a threat using its own resources, avoiding the dangerous entanglements that may result from involving other agencies and military forces. It is for this reason that the Inquisition maintains its own fighting formations, foremost amongst them being the Kill-teams of the Deathwatch Space Marines and the daemon-hunting Grey Knights Space Marines."
"The Deathwatch forms the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, the branch of the Inquisition tasked with the study, containment and, in most cases, extermination of alien races."
And even in a supplement from this very year:
"In battle, each team normally comes under the authority of an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor, but, in some exceptional cases, a Deathwatch Captain or Librarian may assume command if circumstances dictate."
And from GW's current website:
"These formations are trained to utterly destroy their target, and are equipped by the extensive armouries of the Ordo Xenos."
Compared to FFG's RPG:
"In this mission, the Ordo Xenos and the Deathwatch are equals, the Inquisitors rooting out the foes for the Deathwatch to eradicate. While neither party is subject to the command of the other, both work in concert towards their common goal, according to those oaths made centuries ago. [...] The Inquisitor is more of an ambassador than an overseer, and has no direct control over the Watch Commander or his forces. Rather, he provides a link between the two organisations, ensuring that the ancient pact between the two bodies remains in place, for the defence of all of Mankind."

- Deathwatch RPG : Core Rulebook

So, in GW's version of 40k the Deathwatch is an integral part of the Ordo Xenos, its Kill-teams "recruited, trained and equipped" by Inquisitorial fortresses (WD #306), whereas in FFG's interpretation it is more like a partnership, an alliance between equals. Compared to GW's continuing focus of small strike squads of power-armoured Marines, FFG's Deathwatch also has its own armoured columns, even its own fleet of independent starships - fitted with stealth generators, running on autopilot and armed with world-destroying Exterminatus munitions, because apparently nobody in the Imperium has a problem with the Adeptus Astartes building up such a powerbase.

Funnily enough, for the artwork they've kept the sigil of the Ordo Xenos on the armour. Probably an oversight as the artists were not informed of this modification to the original background.

There's a lot more deviations from the original material in these books, if you just look careful enough. Female Vostroyan Firstborn in Only War, the "+1" Astartes weapon class, SoB and Tech-Priests being turned into space magicians, ...

I read somewhere that Temple Assassins recruit from Death Cults, some of which they are secretly backing. Death Cults tend to recruit skilled killers and their most promising recruits, who may well have had to prove themselves in action, are considered by a Temple.

Well, the Codex Imperialis stated that "Assassins are recruited from the orphans of Imperial servants in the Schola Progenium. They have no family and are adopted instead into the hard and unforgiving structure of the Assassin Temples."

However, there can apparently be exceptions, for in the background for Inquisitor , one particular Assassin - Asaid Virenus - was given to the Temple by an Inquisitor who basically recruited her off the streets.

Then again, doubts about her loyalties and a subsequent kill-order probably explain why the Temples prefer recruiting kids who are still malleable, or rather, have already been brainwashed by Schola indoctrination.

I would not be surprised if this doctrine was simply discarded for the RPGs, however - just like they discarded the necessity for the High Lords sanctioning every single deployment. In FFG's version of 40k, not even the Sororitas insists on a Schola background. And how else would a character be able to take the "Vindicare" advanced class from Ascension with an already existing character?

Edited by Lynata