Deathwatch 7th Edition
Deathwatch Tactical Summary as of 10-26-16
The Deathwatch are one of the most unique parts of 40k universe. Their background is in one way completely antithetical to the strict codes and hierarchies of the Imperium, but in another way fit perfectly with various Inquisitorial operations. Conceptional, the idea of elite Space Marines tailored to destroy each Xenos threat, along with special weapons and regalia easily tickles many a players fancy. Top that off with members coming from all the Space Marine Chapters working together you have veritable United Nations for the dark future.
The idea of entire codex dedicated to Deathwatch though has always seemed far fetched, but with the release of Deathwatch Overkill board game, the Deathwatch army became a reality. Now we have a codex, a whole bunch of add-on sprues and a nifty Flyer, but the question is are they playable? The jury is still out, on just how effective Deathwatch can be, but if you can imagine an entire army of Sternguard you can get decent idea.
The Deathwatch overall, feel rushed with very little creativity with their Formations or Detachments, while they are fluffy they don’t scream out super competitive. They do have some tricks, and remind me lot of the Grey Knights; an expensive specialized force, which starts to crumble as the game goes on. The real value though in with playing Deathwatch is the cool feature of taking individual models as units. This helps to reduce army costs and spread out your army, forcing opponents to dedicated entire units just to kill one one wound units. Tactically you get Deathwatch Bikers turbo-boosting around the board claiming objectives or Deathwatch Terminators Deep Striking down to eliminate various high-value targets without giving up much.
Finally, you have the Corvus Blackstar, which gives you a cheaper Stormraven with the ability to re-roll jink saves, and great damage output. At worse the Deathwatch make a great ally force for most Armies of the Imperium, still we have to wait to see if creative players can make them really competitive.
Below you find all the quick reference material you need to build an competitive or fluffy Deathwatch army.
- Deathwatch
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Allied Detachment
- Air Superiority Detachment
- Black Spear Strike Force
- Deathwatch Kill Team
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Allied Detachment
- Air Superiority Detachment
- Black Spear Strike Force
- Deathwatch Kill Team
(See tabs for details)
Force Organization
Compulsory: 1 HQ, 2 Troops
Optional: 1 HQ, 4 Troops, 3 Elites, 3 FA, 3 HS, 1 Lord of War, 1 Fortification
Restrictions: All units chosen must have the same Faction (or have no Faction).
Command Benefits:
Ideal Mission Commander: If this Detachment is chosen as your Primary Detachment, you can choose to re-roll the result on the Warlord Trait table.
Objective Secured: All Troops units from this Detachment have the Objective Secured special rule. A unit with this special rule controls objectives even if an enemy scoring unit is within range of the objective marker, unless the enemy unit also has this special rule.
Source: Warhammer 40k 7th ed. Rule Book
Compulsory: 1 HQ, 1 Troop
Optional: 1 Troop, 1 Elite, 1 FA, 1 HS
Restrictions: This Detachment cannot be your Primary Detachment. Your Warlord can never be chosen from this Detachment. All units chosen must have the same Faction (or no Faction). All units chosen must have a different Faction to any of the units in your Primary Detachment (or no Faction).
Command Benefits:
Objective Secured: All Troops units from this Detachment have the Objective Secured special rule. A unit with this special rule controls objectives even if an enemy scoring unit is within range of the objective marker, unless the enemy unit also has this special rule.
Source: Warhammer 40k 7th ed. Rule Book
Force Organization
Compulsory: 1 Flyer Wing
Optional: 2 Flyer Wings
Restrictions: All Units must have the same Faction.
Command Benefits:
Air Commander: Pick a Wing Leader from this Detachment to be its commander. If the commander is in Reserve, you can re-roll the dice in the Interception sub-phase. If you have Air Superiority and the commander is in Reserve, you can add or subtract 2 from your Reserve Rolls, rather than 1, and your opponent must subtract 2 from their Reserve Rolls.
Combined Formation: You can roll once for all of the Wings in this Detachment to see if they arrive from Reserve. If the roll is successful they all arrive. If it fails none of them do. You can roll individually for each Wing if you prefer.
Objective Secured: All Transports from this Detachment which can Hover have the Objective Secured rule. A unit with this special rule which is Hovering controls objectives even if an enemy scoring unit is within range of the Objective Marker, unless the enemy also has this special rule.
Source: Supplement: Death from the Skies
Force Organization
Command: 1 of the following Watch Master, Watch Captain, Chaplain, Librarian, Dreadnought, Venerable Dreadnought
Core: 1+ 1 Veterans unit, Aquila Kill Team Formation, Furor Kill Team Formation, Venator Kill Team Formation, Malleus Kill Team Formation, Dominatus Kill Team Formation, Purgatus Kill Team Formation, Watch Company, Strategium Command Team Formation
Auxiliary: 1+ Corvus Dropship, 1 Dreadnought or Venerable Dreadnought, 1 Land Raider Redeemer, Land Raider, Land Raider Crusader, Dropship Wing Formation.
Restrictions: This Detachment must include a minimum of one Command choice, one Core choice, and one Auxiliary choice. It can optionally include any number of additional Core or Auxiliary choices, in any combination, and up to two more Command choice for any number of additional Core choice or Auxiliary choices. Only the datasheets listed here can be included in this Detachment, and all units in the Detachment must have the Deathwatch Faction.
Command Benefits:
Veteran Master of the Watch: If this Detachment is chosen as your Primary Detachment, you can chose to re-roll the result of the Deathwatch Warlord Traits tables.
Flexible Mission Tactics: If your army contains one or more Black Spear Strike Forces, you ca change the army’s mission tactic one extra time during the mission. Usually this will allow you to change Mission Tactics twice during the game rather than once, but if you Warlord is a Watch Master or has the Vigilance Incarnate Warlord Trait, you are able to change Mission Tactics up to three or four times!
Sudden Onslaught: All non-vehicle models in the Black Spear Strike Force have the Deep Strike Special Rule
Source: Codex: Deathwatch
Compulsory: 1 Troops
Optional: None.
Restrictions: All units from this Detachment must have the Deathwatch Faction.
Command Benefits:
Aqulia Doctrine: Non-vechile models from this Detachment can re-roll any to Wound rolls and armour penetration rolls of 1.
Source: Codex: Imperial Agents
- Relics of the Vigilant
(See tabs for details)
Banebolts of Eryxia 10 pts:
A model equipped with Banebolts of Eryxia has Kill-Shot special ammunition in addition to any other types if can normally use. Kill-Shot: If the wound roll for an attack with this weapon is a 6 it has the Instant Death special rule.
The Beacon Angelis 30 pts:
Friendly units do not scatter when Deep Striking, so long as the first model is placed within 6″ of the model bearing the Beacon Angelis. In addition, once per game, at the start of any friendly Movement phase, the bearer can use the Beacon Angelis to teleport. When he does so, remove one friendly unit that has the Deathwatch Faction, from the board, even if it is locked in combat. They then immediately arrive within 6″ of the bearer, using the rules for Deep Strike
Dominus Aegis 20 pts:
A model equipped with the Dominus Aegis does not move in the Movement phase, its unit gains a 4+ invulnerable save unit the start of your next Movement phase.
The Osseus Key 15 pts:
The Ossesu Key is a Clavis. In addition, attacks against a vehicle or building in the Assault phase, roll a dice after all of its Attacks have been resolved to determine the effects. 1 No effect, 2-3 the target suffers a glancing hit, 4-6 the target suffers a penetrating hit.
The Thief of Secrets 20 pts:
Range -, Str User, Ap 3, Type: Melee, Biophage: Whenever a model suffers an unsaved wound from the Thief of Secrets, any future attacks made using the Thief of Secrets against the same Dataslate will successful wound on a to wound roll of +2. This lasts until the end of the battle.
The Tomb of Ectoclades 10 pts:
At the start of each of your turns you can pick one Mission Tactic. Until the start of your next turn, this tactic applies to the model carrying the Tomb of Ectoclades, and all other models in its unit with the Deathwatch faction. This is in addition to the benefits of any other Mission Tactic that may currently be active and affecting your Deathwatch forces.
As of 10-25-16
The next section features all the various Formations each faction has. Expand each Formation for detailed information for, including (red highlighted) links to shopping lists for each Formation.
Kill Team Cassius Formation
Restrictions: None.
Special Rules:
Kill Team: All of the units in this Formation form a single unit called a Kill Team. This is a single unit for all game purposes; it must be deployed as one unit and cannot split apart during the battle, even if a model within it has the Independent Characters special rule.
Aquila Doctrine: Models from this Formation can re-roll any To Wound rolls and armour penetration rolls of 1.
Source: White Dwarf: #109
Aquila Kill Team Formation
Restrictions: The Formation may not consist of more than ten models (excluding Dedicated Transports).
Special Rules:
Kill Team: All of the non-vehicle units in this Formation form a single unit called a Kill Team. This counts as a single unit for all game purposes, it must deploy as one unit and cannot be broken down into Combat Squads. The Kill Team cannot split up during the battle even if a model within has the Independent Character special rule.
Aquila Doctrine: Non-vehicle models from this Formation can re-roll any to wound rolls and Armour penetration rolls of 1.
Source: Codex Deathwatch
Furor Kill Team Formation
Restrictions: The Formation may not consist of more than ten models (excluding Dedicated Transports). At least one Veteran must be armed with either a Deathwatch Frag cannon or Infernus heavy bolter
Special Rules:
Kill Team: All of the non-vehicle units in this Formation form a single unit called a Kill Team. This counts as a single unit for all game purposes, it must deploy as one unit and cannot be broken down into Combat Squads. The Kill Team cannot split up during the battle even if a model within has the Independent Character special rule.
Furor Doctrine: Re-roll any failed to Wound rolls and Armour penetration rolls for non-vehicle models from this Formation that is targeting a unit with the Troops battlefield role.
Source: Codex Deathwatch
Venator Kill Team Formation
Restrictions: The Formation may not consist of more than ten models (excluding Dedicated Transports). Must include at least two Bikers
Special Rules:
Kill Team: All of the non-vehicle units in this Formation form a single unit called a Kill Team. This counts as a single unit for all game purposes, it must deploy as one unit and cannot be broken down into Combat Squads. The Kill Team cannot split up during the battle even if a model within has the Independent Character special rule.
Venator Doctrine: Re-roll any failed to Wound rolls and Armour penetration rolls for non-vehicle models from this Formation that is targeting a unit with the Fast Attack battlefield role.
Source: Codex Deathwatch
Dominatus Kill Team Formation
Restrictions: The Formation may not consist of more than ten models (excluding Dedicated Transports). Must include at least two Vanguard Veterans
Special Rules:
Kill Team: All of the non-vehicle units in this Formation form a single unit called a Kill Team. This counts as a single unit for all game purposes, it must deploy as one unit and cannot be broken down into Combat Squads. The Kill Team cannot split up during the battle even if a model within has the Independent Character special rule.
Dominatus Doctrine: Re-roll any failed to Wound rolls and Armour penetration rolls for non-vehicle models from this Formation that is targeting a unit with the Elite battlefield role.
Source: Codex Deathwatch
Purgatus Kill Team Formation
Restrictions: The Formation may not consist of more than ten models (excluding Dedicated Transports). At least one Veteran must be equipped with a stalker pattern boltgun
Special Rules: Kill Team: All of the non-vehicle units in this Formation form a single unit called a Kill Team. This counts as a single unit for all game purposes, it must deploy as one unit and cannot be broken down into Combat Squads. The Kill Team cannot split up during the battle even if a model within has the Independent Character special rule.
Purgatus Doctrine: Re-roll any failed to Wound rolls and Armour penetration rolls for non-vehicle models from this Formation that is targeting a unit with the HQ battlefield role.
Source: Codex Deathwatch
Malleus Kill Team Formation
Restrictions: The Formation may not consist of more than ten models (excluding Dedicated Transports). At least two models must be equipped with either Thunder Hammers or Heavy Thunder Hammers.
Special Rules:
Kill Team: All of the non-vehicle units in this Formation form a single unit called a Kill Team. This counts as a single unit for all game purposes, it must deploy as one unit and cannot be broken down into Combat Squads. The Kill Team cannot split up during the battle even if a model within has the Independent Character special rule.
Malleus Doctrine: Re-roll any failed to Wound rolls and Armour penetration rolls for non-vehicle models from this Formation that is targeting a unit with the Heavy Support battlefield role.
Source: Codex Deathwatch
Strategium Command Team Formation
Strategium Command Team Formation
Restrictions: None.
Special Rules:
Fight to the Last Breath: If Strategium Command Team is lead by a Watch Captain, all non-vehicle models have Feel no Pain (+6) special rule as long as he has no been removed as a casualty.
Suffer not the Alien to Live: If Strategium Command Team is lead by a Chaplain, all non-vehicle models have Furious Charge special rule as long as he has no been removed as a casualty.
Pure of Spirit, Strong of Soul: If Strategium Command Team is lead by a Librarian, all non-vehicle models have Stubborn and Adamantium Will special rule as long as he has no been removed as a casualty. Only the Librarian leading counts for this special rule.
Source: Codex Deathwatch
Watch Company Formation
Restrictions: None.
Special Rules:
Decapitation Doctrine: Re-roll any failed To Wound rolls and armour penetration rolls for attacks made by non-vehicle models from this Formation that target an enemy unit that includes a Warlord, psyker, or an Independent Character.
Source: Codex Deathwatch
Corvus Dropship Wing Formation
Corvus Dropship Wing Formation
Requirements: 3 Corvus Blackstars
Restrictions: None.
Special Rules:
Burning Skies Doctrine: When models from this Formation target an enemy Flying Monstrous Creature or Flyer with an attack, re-roll any failed Armour penetration or To Wound Rolls.
Source: Codex Deathwatch
Deathwatch Watchblade Task Force Formation
Deathwatch Watchblade Task Force Formation
Restrictions: None.
Special Rules:
Ceaseless Assault: As long as the Deathwatch Watch Master from this Formation is on the battlefield, units in this Formation have the Hit & Run special rule. In addition, if two more more units from this Formation are locked in combat with the same enemy unit, they automatically past the Initiative test to disengage.
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