New Idea

[Ecritter]

Okay, let me start off by saying I don't have the Inquistor Codex so I'll need help on this one.

 

Here are the basics.

 

Group Name: (one of the following)

 

The Damned

The Cursed

The Fallen

The Blackwatch

 

Origins:

 

We all know that when a Space Marine is found to be 'tainted' by the Inquisition its a death sentence. But what if a few, yeah a very few, were offered a chance to redeem themselves.

 

With a micro-explosive device placed in their heads, these marines (that still have a death sentence) from different chapters, now form a small (maybe company or two) group that fights for the Inquisition as Shock Troops.

 

I know the Grey Knights fight for the Inquision, but these marines are far more expendable. They are routinely dropped in the middle of a battle via drop pods, with little chance to survive. Very few last more then a couple years.

 

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Thoughts? More will follow if this is workable.

[hve∂rungr]

What makes this different from Deathwatch kill teams (other than standard bolters)?

[gil galed]

What makes this different from Deathwatch kill teams (other than standard bolters)?

 

deathwatch arn't suicide squads?

[hve∂rungr]

What makes this different from Deathwatch kill teams (other than standard bolters)?

 

deathwatch arn't suicide squads?

I understand that, but technically speaking, this sounds much the same as a Deathwatch Kill Team.

Or rather, it sounds a bit like a mix between Death Company, Deathwatch and an IG penal regiment.

 

Group Name: (one of the following)

 

The Damned

The Cursed

The Fallen

The Blackwatch

I would use neither of those. If this was an Inquisitorial unit, something along the lines of "Probates of the Faith" or "Deathbound" seems more fitting. Either way, who would lead the unit? An Inquisitor? A commissar? Another marine sentenced for the same offense? What's to stop a unit like this from deserting after killing the Inquisitor in charge?

 

The idea has merit, I just don't quite see how to make it viable.

[Ecritter]

Units would be watched over by either Grey Knights or Inquisitors .... and what keeps them from running, could be that explosive in their heads.

[hve∂rungr]

Units would be watched over by either Grey Knights or Inquisitors .... and what keeps them from running, could be that explosive in their heads.

You're not reading the entire paragraph. After killing their overseer and getting the detonator, there's nothing stopping them from running.

What I'm trying to say is, flesh out the background more and give the idea a bit more substance. Most of your own questions will answer themselves that way.

[Ecritter]

you're assuming the one with the detonator is with them, which wouldn't make sense. The Grey Knights and Inquisitors aren't expendable, the Damned are.

 

I'll be fleshing them out, I was just looking to see if there were any major flaws in the idea.

[Solid Zaku]

Nothing's wrong with the idea, and it sounds like it could be good for some modelling.

 

By the way, rungr, ever watch Spawn? If you haven't then consider yourself blessed. Joking aside, an aspect of that dreadful movie kind of invalidates your claim. What happened was the villain in the story had a literal 'dead-man' switch attached to his heart that would detonate a bomb in case he died. Same thing would likely go for your intrepid Inquisitor. His heart stops beating...Kaplowey! And also, remember that a casualty could just mean he gets a Black Knight-style 'flesh wound' that incapacitates him, not necessarily killing him, so don't bother about putting in any crazy special rule whereby if he dies, you lose ala 'Phase Out'...although that might be a nifty gameplay mechanic.

 

As for the name? Blackwatch. Have a Sister of Battle walking in slow motion in a bikini....wait, this is about Marines?

[hve∂rungr]

Ecritter: Well, if there's no HQ closeby controlling the 'splodey marines, a savvy Tau or Eldar could duplicate the signal and blow them up that way. Or the detonation signal - when sent from a distance - could be blocked, fail or something else.

I'm just saying, if they're rigged to blow, someone needs to stay close and make sure when, how and whether or not they actually do. At least, that's what I think about it.

 

Zaku: Seen the movie, liked the animated series much better. Either way, the dead man's switch idea would actually make sense. In this case, the "phase out" would probably hold the most merit, since you can allocate wounds and technically "save" the detonator that way.

 

I like the general idea, even if it stretches the fluff a little. But it needs more substance, and a lot of hard thinking about the technicalities.

[Apothete]

I'll be fleshing them out, I was just looking to see if there were any major flaws in the idea.

 

Yes, there are major flaws with the idea.

 

While it's possible that there would be an Inquisitor who could be freed up from their duties to do nothing besides ride shepherd on a bunch of morally bankrupt supermen, I severely doubt that anyone but a truly radical member of that august body would take the risk of allowing a fallen Astartes a chance at "redemption." In a universe where they have the very potent and menacing reminder of Traitor Legions coming back into Imperial space to wreak havoc whenever they get it into their spiky little heads, it just doesn't seem too attractive an option to have that kind of difficult to calculate risk. As noted, there could be problems with transmission of the detonate signal that you haven't resolved, along with some more logistical issues.

 

Why would the Imperium waste resources on what amounts to Space Marine penal legions with an uber-commissar? Those supplies could go to arming and resupplying loyalists who haven't failed or shown some kind of horrible moral deficiency, to the Inquisition itself, or other more worthy recipients. As well, there's not going to be a situation that would demand the attention of a Grey Knight that didn't also require more of them rather than black sheep who have proven their inability to maintain their oaths. It's supremely wasteful of the time, material, training, and personal potential necessary to create a Grey Knight to then shove him into an ad-hoc unit composed of disgraced Astartes who do not share his limited immunity, greater training, and psyker abilities. Contrarily, the Astartes aren't too likely to willingly take orders from anyone who's not amongst their ranks, and especially so if they're a motley band that's been drawn together from the rejects of several different chapters.

 

The Imperial Guard can get away with this kind of thing precisely because a single trooper generally isn't worth much, doesn't take any effort to replace from the teeming trillions of people in the galaxy, and can be executed at a moments' notice when a moral threat presents itself. Even if he did get free and go over to Chaos, he's not that difficult to be rid of. By contrast, a Space Marine is a horrible thing at the best of times, contained only by a strictly ritualized life that emphasizes his duty to a society he can never truly belong to. Without the psycho-doctrination, the rituals and prayer, the years of having his beliefs reinforced by brothers and commanders alike, what you have left is a very clever, adaptable, and efficient killing machine that knows very little else besides the waging of asymmetrical wars. They are better dead than left to run free, which is why the Inquisition can declare Excommunicate Traitorus and similar punishments upon even the Astartes.