Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Deathwatch (section)

==Wargear==
===Melee Weapons===
In addition to [[power weapons]], [[power fists]], [[thunder hammers]], [[lightning claws]], [[relic blades]], and [[chainswords]], the Deathwatch have access to rare and powerful melee weapons.

*'''Guardian Spear:''' Watch masters only, [[Blood Ravens|because the Deathwatch somehow have access to Custodes equipment.]]  Aside from functioning as a special ammo using boltgun, it's S+1, AP2, Two-handed and has the Block special rule: Nominate 1 attack allocated to the bearer. Once the enemy rolls their hit you roll a die and if it beats the enemy's hit roll, the enemy's attack is blocked and does nothing. AP2 at initiative is awesome as always, and Block may come in handy to stop Power Fists/Thunderhammers/Decapitating Strikes/Instant Death attacks. Funny to picture the Watch master literally [[Wat|parry the Imperial Knight's reaper chainsword]] with what may as well be a butter knife when compared to that massive D-weapon. By blocking one of their hits, you reduce the chance of getting slapped with ID/a Deathblow, which still is baller.
*'''Xenophase Blade:''' Literally jacking Necron Phase Swords in place of Power Swords. It's a Power Sword that forces all successful invulnerable saves to be re-rolled. Now that's big against those whose only save is an Invuln (like Harlequins and Chaos Daemons) as well as Necrons, Guard, and those whose HQ units at best have 3+ Armor that's ignored by the Xenophase blade and fall back on Invulns. Kill Team Sergeants and Watch Captains can take this.
*'''Heavy Thunderhammer:''' 30 points for an even more rapetastic Thunderhammer. S10 AP2, Melee, Unwieldy, Concussive, Two-Handed and on to wound rolls of 6, you get Instant Death (Pulverize Special Rule)! Costs more than the veteran carrying it by far and makes them a huge target, but the opportunity to one-shot high value commanders, monstrous creatures, and heavy multi-wound thickies like Thunderwolves, Paladins, and Centurions might make it worth it.

===Ranged Weapons===
In addition to Boltguns, Storm Bolters, Combi-weapons, Plasma Pistols, Grav-pistols, Hand Flamers, and Inferno Pistols, the Deathwatch have the following:
*'''Stalker pattern Boltgun:''' The special Deathwatch Boltguns. 5 points each. 30" SX AP5, Heavy 2, Sniper. You'll never use the base profile because Special Ammunition offers direct upgrades. Has its own special-issue ammunition profiles.
**'''Dragonfire Bolt:''' SX AP5 Heavy 2 sniper, ignores cover, 30". Good for taking out Bikes of any kind due to circumventing toughness bonuses, the possibility to rend (ignoring armor) is there too, and this just straight up denies Skilled Rider shenanigans ([[Dark Angels|Ravenwing]] and [[White Scars]], we're looking at you).
**'''Hellfire Round:''' SX AP5 Heavy 2 sniper, Poisoned (2+), 30". Probably the best type to use overall. Snipers wound on 4+ naturally, but Poisoned 2+ means you'll statistically score way more wounds since often a 50/50 shot is too risky.
***The Sniper special rule makes these a real threat for Riptides. Wounding on 2s with AP2 on 6s means a five vet team can troll one into wasting its nova on the shield.
**'''Kraken Bolt:''' SX AP4 Heavy 2 sniper, 36". Another great choice. Straight upgrade from the basic ammo.
**'''Vengeance Round:''' SX AP3 Heavy 2 sniper, gets hot, 24". Actually ideal for dealing with Wraithguard/Greater Daemons/Tyranid Monsters since they always wound on 4+, ignoring a Monstrous Creature's high toughness and ignoring armor saves (the Riptide and the Tyrannofex have 2+ armor, but they're one of the very few MCs that have one). 
*'''Deathwatch Shotgun:''' Special shotgun that fires different rounds, kind of like a Special Ammo shotgun but with different effects.
**'''Cryptclearer Round:''' S4 AP- Assault 2 Shred, 16".
**'''Xenopurge slug:''' S4 AP4 Assault 2, 16".
**'''Wyrmsbreath shell:''' S3 AP6 Assault 1 Template. Note that this gives Wall of Death so arm your guys with this and fire 5d3 overwatch hits. Editorial note: Since this is a free swap-over, and like the Stalkers is not limited by anything but bodies of men in your force, it's possible to take up to ten of these, though it is a very costly investment to have such a short-to-mid range unit at 220 pts...
*'''Auxiliary Meltagun:''' Remember how that one Salamanders guy in Overkill has a meltagun on his Powerfist? Yeah, well now every Terminator can have it. It's the same cost as a normal meltagun, perfect for a suicide termie. Works wonders in a Furor Kill-team, since they re-roll armour penetration against Troops DTs, as you can break open a Metal Box and charge the former occupants without wasting any weapon slots on special weapons.
**'''Modelling Note:''' Brantar is the only model in the range that has it, so unless you have extra Chainfists and Meltaguns lying around, replacing either arm on Branatar model is very easy, or just get Inferno Pistol, cut off the grip, glue to power fist, done, they are very cheap on bits sites since no one was buying them before. Another way to model these auxiliary weapons is to grab the unused melta bits from your Devastator Centurions and attach them to your power fists

===Heavy Weapons===
In addition to Heavy Bolters, Heavy Flamers, and Missile Launchers, 4 Marines per Veteran Squad can take these. Just let that sink in. You could have 4 S5 AP4 templates doing D3 auto-hits on overwatch (so basically if you're Orks, Daemons, Eldar, Nids, or Guard, don't charge at all and just remove the models because they'll get roasted again).
:;Infernus Heavy Bolter
::Yep. It's a [[Awesome|Combi-Heavy-Flamer Heavy-Bolter]], it either fires as an Assault 3 HB or a Heavy Flamer. What makes this thing glorious is that it can repeatedly use either fire mode, and you can assault after firing and/or move and fire at full Ballistic skill. No 1-use only kind of thing. Though, not worth it since just a handful of points more gives you vastly superior...
:;Deathwatch Frag Cannon
::A gun taken from old Furioso Dreadnoughts and upgraded. It has 2 firing modes:
:::{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile|range=Template|strength=6|ap=-|type=Assault|rof=2||rules=Rending}}{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile|range=24|strength=7|ap=3|type=Assault|rof=2|rules=Strength 9, AP 2 when target is within 12".|clear=True}}

===Special-Issue Wargear===
In addition to Auspexes, Combat Shields, Digital Weapons, and Meltabombs, here's some Deathwatch Special Issue Wargear.
*'''Clavis:''' Watch Masters only. Reduces enemy vehicle's WS, BS, and Initiative values by 1 when within 6" of bearer. Fuck enemy walkers.
*'''Special Ammunition:''' Veterans and all units with Bolt guns/Stalker Bolters/pistols/Combi-weapons get this too, and some ammo types can be used by the Heavy Bolters. Essentially, you can choose to fire 1 of 4 types of special rounds instead of the basic 24" S4 AP5 Rapid Fire shot, but all models in a unit must fire the same type of ammo:
**'''Dragonfire bolts:''' S4 AP5, Ignores Cover. Great for taking out cover-camping Orks, Guardians, Kroot, and in a stretch Nurgle Daemons due to the shrouded bonus. Also great for circumventing Tyranid Venomthropes, and denying Jink saves to Eldar/Dark Eldar/Harlequin paper boats. This round will also cripple a Tau player who needs his Pathfinders to stay alive. 
**'''Hellfire rounds:''' The most simple and universal of the special rounds, S1 AP5, Poisoned (2+). Go for it if a target is too tough to be wounded with Vengeance Rounds, or if your target is out in the open and has 5+ or 6+ armor since you'll score a lot more wounds. Said lots of wounds may be worth it against 2+ armored opponents as well. 
***'''Hellfire Shells:''' Heavy Bolters and Infernus Heavy Bolters get Hellfire Shells which are 24" S1 AP- Poisoned 2+ Heavy 1 blasts.
**'''Kraken bolts:''' 30" range (15" on Pistols) with S4 AP4. Great for dealing with Dire Avengers, Tempestus Scions, Carapace Armor guard Veterans, Fire Warriors, and 'Eavy Armored Orks.
**'''Vengeance rounds:''' 18" range (9" on Pistols) with S4 '''AP3''', but Gets Hot! just like Plasma guns. Ideal for disposing with Fire Dragons, Crisis Suits, and in fact is worth it against MEQ in general. (Note, with your mission tactic rerolls you can use this with only a 1/59 (1/108 with 2+ armor) chance of dying from a given shot. Spam them.)
*'''Storm Shield:''' Gives you a 3+ Invulnerable save. No, Chaplains and Librarians can't take it (which is bullshit since the main Space Marine Codex allows them to take both Storm Shields in Terminator Armor and the Relic Shield Eternal) and neither can Watch Masters, but the Captain, Veterans, Vanguard Veterans, and Terminators can take this.
**A Storm Shield is a Veteran squad's best friend when  you need to carry your cover with you to stop the ocean of AP3/2, or need protection in close combat. Otherwise, keep it simple and load up on more marines.

===Vehicle Equipment===
In addition to Extra Armor, Pintle Storm Bolters, Dozer Blades, and Hunter Killer Missiles, Deathwatch vehicles have the following:
*'''Auspex Array:''' Now your ship has Strafing Run!
**'''Opinion:''' Most of your weapons being Twin-Linked at BS4 makes the Halo-Launchers almost always a better option. The Auspex is also more expensive than the Halo Launchers as well. The Array is best utilized for your 72" S8 AP2 Storm Strike missiles. Otherwise, it isn't vital.
*'''Infernum Halo-Launcher:''' Now your ship can re-roll jinks!

===Relics of the Vigilant===
*'''Banebolts of Eryxia:''' (10 points) Specialist ammo that is S5 AP4 as a Pistol or Assault 1 in a regular bolter; if used in a Stalker Boltgun it is SX AP4 Heavy 2 instead (this being said, no ICs can actually have a Stalker RAW, so no sniper HQs for you.) Regardless of the weapon it also inflicts [[Blam|''Instant Death'' on a wound roll of 6]].
**Note that HQs with access to Terminator Armor (Librarian and Watch Captain) Can still use this if they take a Combi-Weapon. giving the ammo greater overall range. 
**A good option to put on the Librarian required in a Purgatus kill team, as it's primary utility would be to kill multi-wound characters that usually inhabit the HQ slot, And those Re-rolled wounds will help pile on the saves, alongside the rest of the killteam. Remember that Force has the same purpose, so between firing this, and charging in after getting force off, the character just has to fail one save your Librarian makes them take.  
*'''The Tome of Ectoclades:''' (10 points) At the beginning of your turn, the bearer may choose one Mission Tactic. When doing so, bearer and his unit gain that mission tactic in addition to the one granted normally. Always use it with a squad equipped with plasmaguns or combi-plasmas, or when you expect to use Vengeance Rounds a lot, since with a bit of pre-planning you can almost completely negate Gets Hot! with this.
*'''Osseus Key:''' (15 points) A super-Clavis, meaning only Watch Masters can use this. In addition to the usual effects of a Clavis, if the bearer attacks a vehicle, after resolving your normal attacks roll a D6. 1 - no effect. 2-3 Vehicle suffers a glancing hit. 4+ Vehicle suffers a penetraing hit. Combined with Melta-bombs if you bought them for the Watch Master, this should be a breeze.
*'''Dominus Aegis:''' (20 points) It's a great big tower shield the user can plant into the ground to create a force field. If the bearer does not move in their movement phase, both he and his unit get a 4++ invulnerable save until the start of their next movement phase. Meaning you can Run or charge, or be in close combat, and still get an invuln.
**This is NOT a Storm Shield, it does not provide a 3++. Despite being described as a tower shield, the Dominus Aegis does not replace any of the users weapons or take up a free hand reducing his attacks, so nothing prevents you from taking this ''and'' a Storm Shield (think of it as a 20 pt upgrade for one of those new big Deathwatch storm shields). It also doesn't provide any other Invulnerable Save improvement on its own, your Captains, Chaplains and Masters all have an inherent 4++ anyway.
**You can join a Deathwatch IC to any Imperial unit, [[Cheese|and this relic will give them an invuln]]. You no longer need Azrael to give a 4++ save to a 50-man Combined Squad, though they lose it if your IC moves. A Librarian or a Chaplain with this is a great force multiplier.
*'''Thief of Secrets:''' (20 points) A slightly cooler power sword. After a model suffers an unsaved wound, the wielder learns all weaknesses of the enemy he just hit. From then on if used to attack a model of that same kind, it wounds on 2+. For example, after a Carnifex suffers an unsaved wound, bearer may wound any Carnifex on a 2+. This means that Monstrous Creatures no longer become a big problem in combat. The problem is that it still starts out as a regular Power Sword, so you still have to face down those Carnifexes/Wraithlords/Daemons before you get any advantage. Furious Charge from the Watch Team formation and/or the psychic power Hammerhand may make up for it.
**This is a non-Specialist Weapon power sword that can absolutely massacre low-T models and characters, especially with to-wound rerolls from the Watch Company formation. It has more in common with a Lightning Claw than a Power Fist. It can be taken by any Deathwatch HQ, replacing their Melee weapon, and it costs just 5 pts more than an ordinary power sword.
***This is the only way to swap the Chaplain's crozius for a better melee weapon.
*'''The Beacon Angelis:''' (30 points) Friendly units do not scatter when Deep Striking within 6" of the bearer, and once per game, at the beginning of your Movement Phase (so ''after'' arriving from Reserves at the start of the turn), you can remove a Deathwatch unit from the battlefield (even if it is in combat) and Deep Strike the unit back within 6" of the bearer, a-la reverse Gate of Infinity or the old Vargard Obyron ability. Note that you DO NOT need to be on the table at the start of your turn to use it, unlike normal Teleport Homers/Locator Beacons (whilst it does not specifically say that you have to be on the board at the start of the turn, its wording says that you may use it at the START of the movement phase, so before bringing in reserves), so feel free to drop in a tight cluster of Drop Pods in otherwise hard-to-reach locations on the first turn. Alternatively, use it as an allied asset for the likes of Deathwing, Nemesis and Talon Strikeforces, and Skyhammer Annihilation Force to completely negate the risk of first-turn DS scatter and mishaps *NOPE GW buttfucked the beacon to require you to be on the table at the start of the turn in the FAQ* . Also, it is perfect for mind games, like baiting or reverse-baiting the enemy with isolated squads that he knows you can easily teleport away or summon help for in your turn. Finally, it does not specify it can only teleport ''Infantry'', so, unless stated otherwise, feel free to summon Land Raiders or Blackstars from the other end of the table. You can't charge out of them on the same turn, though (due to the rules of Deep Strike), so it's still a 2nd turn charge at best. Buying this is actually 5 pt cheaper than buying a drop-pod, so if you want to always drop in a pair of squads/Kill-teams together, buy a single pod and the Beacon instead, provided you have a model who can carry it. Overall, this can be considered one of the most powerful and versatile relics in the game, just because of all the options.