Codex · Space Marines

Campaign55

Scenarios2

Attackerthe Deathwatch (a hidden-insertion strike mission - declare the prey, set up the whole Kill Team in reserve, teleport or infiltrate in, apply the exact round to the target and be gone; a veteran team betting everything on one concentrated alpha)

Defenderthe opposing gang (holding an objective the Watch has come to eliminate, trying to weather the ambush and outlast a narrow all-veteran team with no cheap bodies to spend)

Deploythe defender deploys normally across the board with its priority target (a chosen fighter or objective) named as the Watch's prey; the Deathwatch set up entirely in hidden/reserve deployment and arrive from round 1 via Infiltrate or teleportarium, more than 6in from enemies

Objectivethe Deathwatch win by eliminating the declared prey - taking the named target fighter Out of Action, or destroying the objective it guards - inside four rounds and then withdrawing surviving veterans off their own board edge; the defender wins by keeping the prey alive through round four

Victorythe Deathwatch win if the declared prey is eliminated by the end of round four AND at least half the Kill Team withdraws off-board; the defender wins if the prey survives round four, or if the Watch eliminates it but loses more than half its veterans doing so (a hunt too costly for a team that cannot replace its dead)

Rewardsa clean Deathwatch win grants bonus Reputation and a Control-Track step for a strike that hit its target and vanished; a veteran that personally took the declared prey Out of Action gains 1 bonus XP toward the requisition armoury; a defender win that held the prey alive grants the defender bonus Reputation for weathering the ambush

Control Tracka clean Deathwatch win advances the Watch's Control-Track claim on the district by one step (the target eliminated, the ground denied to the alien); a defender win holds the marker, and a costly Watch win (prey dead but half the team lost) neither advances nor holds - the strike spent too much for too little

The Watch has come to take one thing and leave. It declares its prey, sets up unseen, and bets the fight on a single concentrated strike; the defender must weather the ambush and outlast a narrow all-veteran team that has no cheap bodies to spend.

ATTACKER AND DEFENDER The Deathwatch are the attacker, a hidden-insertion strike force. The opposing gang is the defender, holding the objective the Watch has come to eliminate.

BATTLEFIELD A dense board with the defender's priority target set near its centre.

CREWS Both players use their full gangs.

DEPLOYMENT The defender deploys normally across the board and names one fighter or objective as the Watch's prey. The Deathwatch set up entirely in hidden or reserve deployment and arrive from round one by Infiltrate or teleportarium, more than 6" from any enemy.

THE DECLARED PREY Against the declared prey, every Deathwatch Veteran adds +1 to Wound and re-rolls a failed Hit — the whole team turned onto the named target.

ENDING THE BATTLE The battle ends when the prey is eliminated and the surviving Watch withdraws, or at the close of round four.

VICTORY The Deathwatch win if the declared prey is eliminated by the end of round four and at least half the Kill Team withdraws off its own board edge. The defender wins if the prey survives round four, or if the Watch kills it but loses more than half its veterans doing so.

REWARDS A clean Deathwatch win grants bonus reputation and a Control-Track step; a Veteran that personally took the prey Out of Action gains 1 bonus experience toward the requisition armoury. A defender that held the prey alive gains bonus reputation for weathering the ambush.

TACTICS The Watch must strike in one concentrated blow and get out; the defender must screen the prey and make the hunt too costly for a team that cannot replace its dead.

Attackerthe Deathwatch (running a tracked xenos quarry to ground across the district - the long hunt made a single battle, chasing a fleeing prey that must not be allowed to escape and breed)

Defenderthe opposing gang as the quarry (a fast or numerous force trying to break contact and flee off the board, spending bodies and distance to get its prized fighters away from a team that out-guns but is out-numbered)

Deploythe defender deploys at the centre with clear routes to three board edges (the escape lines); the Deathwatch deploy around the perimeter, some fighters permitted to start hidden, encircling the quarry

Objectivethe Deathwatch win by running the quarry down - taking Out of Action a named quarry-leader and a set share of the defender's fighters before they escape; the defender wins by getting a set number of its fighters, including the quarry-leader, off any board edge and away

Victorythe Deathwatch win if they eliminate the quarry-leader and at least half the defender's force before round six ends; the defender wins if the quarry-leader and at least a third of its fighters escape off-board - the prey that got away to breed another day

Rewardsa Deathwatch win grants bonus Reputation and a Control-Track step, and adds a permanent mark toward the Long Vigil sub-plot (the quarry run down); a veteran that took the quarry-leader Out of Action gains 2 bonus XP; a defender escape grants the fleeing gang bonus Reputation and denies the Watch its mark

Control Tracka Deathwatch win advances the Watch's Control-Track claim (the quarry ended, the infestation cut off at the root); a defender escape holds the marker and the Watch takes an attrition penalty for a hunt that let its prey slip away to spread

A xenos quarry is running. The Watch means to end it before it slips the district and breeds, and the long hunt comes down to a single battle. The defender spends bodies and distance to get its prized fighters clear. Out-numbered but out-gunning, the Watch closes the ground and runs the quarry to earth.

ATTACKER AND DEFENDER The Deathwatch are the attacker, running a fleeing quarry to ground. The opposing gang is the defender and the quarry both: it wants only to break contact and escape.

BATTLEFIELD An open board. Three edges lie clear — the escape lines.

CREWS Both players use their full gangs.

DEPLOYMENT The defender deploys at the centre, with routes to three board edges. The Deathwatch deploy around the perimeter, encircling the quarry; some fighters may start hidden.

THE FLEEING QUARRY One defender fighter is named the quarry-leader. The defender's aim is to get it, and a set share of its force, off any board edge and away.

ENDING THE BATTLE The battle ends when the quarry-leader escapes or is eliminated, or at the close of round six.

VICTORY The Deathwatch win if they take the quarry-leader and at least half the defender's force Out of Action before round six ends. The defender wins if the quarry-leader and at least a third of its fighters escape off-board.

REWARDS A Deathwatch win grants bonus reputation, a Control-Track step and a permanent mark toward the Long Vigil sub-plot; a Veteran that took the quarry-leader Out of Action gains 2 bonus experience. A defender escape grants the fleeing gang bonus reputation and denies the Watch its mark.

TACTICS Close the escape lines. Force the kill early. The quarry has the opposite work — trade bodies for distance, and get its leader off the board to breed another day.

Favours8

Roll	Favour	Patron
2	The Watch Station. The Watch-Station. A Watch-fortress reissue node opens its stores to you. Before the next battle, one of your Veterans may exchange its special-issue ammunition for any round in the Ordo Xenos catalogue, and carries a second round it may switch to once during that battle — the armoury reaching into the campaign to arm the hunt.	the Watch-Station (a Watch-fortress reissue node - the Ordo Xenos armoury reaching into the campaign)
3	The Ordo Xenos. The Ordo Xenos. An Inquisitor of the Holy Ordos takes an interest in your hunt. Before the next battle you may declare your prey after seeing the enemy's crew, naming the graver of the threats before you — the Inquisition's intelligence pointing the Watch at the true danger before a shot is fired.	the Ordo Xenos (an Inquisitorial patron of the Holy Ordos)
4	A Loyal Chapter. A Loyal Chapter. Brother Astartes who honour the vigil lend you a hand. For the next battle you may add a single Veteran on loan from the lending Chapter to your Kill Team at no cost, returned when the fight is done — proven blood standing the watch beside you.	a loyal Chapter (fellow sons of the Adeptus Astartes who honour the vigil)
5	The Fighting Company. The Fighting Company. The Watch's own reserve of seconded veterans answers the call. Before the next battle you may recall a Veteran currently In Recovery to full readiness, or field one fighter over your usual roster limit — the Fighting Company filling a gap the hunt cannot afford to leave open.	the Fighting Company (the Watch's own seconded reserve veterans)
6	The Forge Of The Watch. The Forge of the Watch. The fortress's Techmarines work through the night on your wargear. Before the next battle, one weapon or piece of wargear in your Kill Team is master-worked for that fight: its bearer may re-roll a single failed Hit or save, whichever suits the tool — the artificers' craft sharpening the hunt's edge.	the Forge of the Watch (the Techmarines and artificers of the Watch-fortress)
7	The Inquisitors Mandate. The Inquisitor's Mandate. A Holy Ordos writ clears every obstacle from your path. For the next battle your whole Kill Team may deploy from hidden or reserve, arriving where the writ commands — the Inquisition's authority opening ground no ordinary force could cross.	the Inquisitor's Mandate (the authority of a Holy Ordos writ)
8	The Allied Armoury. The Allied Armoury. The shared stores of the Imperium's xenos-fighters are opened to you. Before the next battle every Veteran in your Kill Team may load a special-issue round, and one may take a rarer round from beyond the usual catalogue — the whole team armed for the alien from a common war-chest.	the Allied Armoury (the shared stores of the Imperium's xenos-fighters)
9	The Chapters Gene Return. The Chapter's Gene-Return. A brother-Chapter repays a debt of gene-seed and honour. After the next battle you may re-roll one failed Lasting Injury or recovery roll for a Veteran taken Out of Action — the returning Chapter's Apothecaries reclaiming what the Watch cannot afford to lose.	the Chapter's Gene-Return (a brother-Chapter's debt of gene-seed and honour)

Gang Tactics36

Roll	Tactic	Timing
11	Mission Tactics. Play at the start of any round. Re-declare your prey, naming a new enemy type or keyword; for the rest of the battle your Veterans hunt the new target instead — the Watch adapting mid-hunt as a graver threat reveals itself.	Start of round
12	Hunt The Prey. Play at the start of a round. Until the end of the round, your fighters may re-roll a failed Hit and a failed Wound against the declared prey, the whole team bending its fire onto the named alien.	Start of round
13	The Right Round. Play at any time, before one of your fighters shoots a special-issue weapon. Change the round it has loaded to any other in the Ordo Xenos catalogue for that attack — the right answer chambered the instant the target shows itself.	Any time
14	Strike From The Shadows. Play at the start of the battle. Up to three of your fighters that began in hidden or reserve deployment arrive this round instead of waiting, striking before the enemy has set.	Start of battle
15	Teleportarium Strike. Play at the start of a round. One fighter in teleport reserve arrives at once, deep-striking more than 6" from any enemy and able to charge the activation it lands.	Start of round
16	The Long Vigil. Play in the post-battle sequence, after a battle in which you took a declared-prey fighter Out of Action. Gain a bonus point of reputation toward the requisition armoury. One more name struck from the rolls. One more mark on the long vigil.	Post-battle
21	Kraken Round. Play at the start of a round. One Veteran loads a Kraken round; until the round ends its special-issue weapon strikes at +1 Strength and improved AP -2, tearing through armour.	Start of round
22	Hellfire Round. Play at the start of a round. One Veteran loads a Hellfire round; until the round ends its special-issue weapon auto-wounds on a 2 or better regardless of the target's Toughness — the round that kills a monster.	Start of round
23	Dragonfire Round. Play at the start of a round. One Veteran loads a Dragonfire round; until the round ends its special-issue weapon ignores cover entirely, burning the prey out of whatever it hides behind.	Start of round
24	Vengeance Round. Play at the start of a round. One Veteran loads a Vengeance round; until the round ends its special-issue weapon gains Rending, biting deep into an elite target.	Start of round
25	Metalstorm Salvo. Play at the start of a round. One Veteran loads a Metalstorm round; until the round ends its special-issue weapon fires as a Blast, scything down a massed enemy.	Start of round
26	Declared Prey. Play at the start of a round. Until it ends, your fighters add a further +1 to Wound against the declared prey, the hunt narrowed to a single name.	Start of round
31	Suffer Not The Alien. Play when one of your fighters activates within reach of the declared prey. It may make one bonus melee or ranged attack against that prey this activation — the Watch's hatred given one more blow.	During activation
32	Bring It Down. Play at the start of a round. Until it ends, your fighters add +1 Damage to attacks against a single enemy Brute or large model — the team concentrating on bringing the monster down.	Start of round
33	Silent Approach. Play when one of your fighters activates. It may move this activation without being targeted by Overwatch or reaction fire, closing on the prey unseen.	During activation
34	Watch Fortress Discipline. Play at any time. One of your fighters may immediately re-roll a failed Nerve, Cool or Willpower test — the discipline drilled into every Watch veteran holding firm.	Any time
35	Gene Sires Legacy. Play when one of your fighters activates. Drawing on the martial gifts of its parent Chapter, it may re-roll a single failed Hit and a single failed save this activation.	During activation
36	Cold Precision. Play when one of your fighters makes a ranged attack. Add +1 to the Hit roll and re-roll the Ammo roll if it fails — a veteran's shot placed with cold, exact care.	During activation
41	The Perfect Shot. Play when one of your fighters shoots the declared prey. That attack hits automatically and its Wound rolls may be re-rolled — the single perfect shot the whole hunt was set up to take.	During activation
42	No Escape. Play at the start of a round. Until it ends, enemy fighters within 6" of one of your fighters may not Retreat or move away from it — the prey cut off from its escape.	Start of round
43	Ambush Sprung. Play at the start of a round after your fighters arrive from hidden or reserve deployment. Those fighters add +1 to Hit with all attacks this round. The trap is shut before the enemy thinks to look for it.	Start of round
44	Mixed Chapter Mastery. Play at the start of the battle. Nominate one Veteran; for this battle it may use a single skill of your choice from one of its Secondary sets, the mixed Chapters of the Watch each lending their craft.	Start of battle
45	Black Shields Wrath. Play at the start of a round while your Black Shield is on the field. Until the round ends it gains +1 Attack and re-rolls failed Wounds against any enemy — the wildcard's private fury unleashed.	Start of round
46	Purge Protocol. Play at the start of a round. Until it ends, your fighters add +1 to Wound against any enemy sharing the declared prey's keyword, not merely the named model — no alien of that kind is spared.	Start of round
51	Overwatch Doctrine. Play when an enemy moves within line of sight of one of your ready fighters. That fighter may immediately make a free ranged attack against it. The Watch fires as one. Every lane covered, every angle already ranged.	Reaction
52	Reload For The Hunt. Play at any time. One of your fighters immediately makes a free Reload action, clearing a spent special-issue weapon back into the fight.	Any time
53	Terminator Resolve. Play when one of your Terminator-armoured Veterans activates. It ignores the effects of Flesh Wounds and cannot be moved by Knockback this activation — the anvil that will not be shifted.	During activation
54	Xenophase Guard. Play at the start of a round while a fighter carrying the Xenophase field is engaged. Until the round ends its field save improves to 4+ against xenos weapons — the ward flaring bright as the alien closes.	Start of round
55	Beacon Set. Play at the start of a round. Place a teleport-homer point anywhere within 3" of one of your fighters; for the rest of the battle, friendly fighters arriving from teleport reserve within 6" of it do not scatter and may charge.	Start of round
56	Prey Marked. Play at the start of a round. Nominate one enemy fighter of the declared prey's kind; until the round ends every friendly fighter re-rolls failed Hits against it — the mark called on a single alien.	Start of round
61	One Clean Strike. Play when one of your fighters declares a charge against the declared prey. It adds +1 to Hit and +1 Attack for that combat — the whole hunt distilled into one clean strike.	During activation
62	The Vigil Endures. Play in the post-battle sequence. One Veteran taken Out of Action this battle recovers without rolling for a Lasting Injury — the Watch keeps its few, and the vigil endures.	Post-battle
63	Hunters Patience. Play when one of your fighters that did not move this round makes a ranged attack. Add +1 to Hit and +1 to Wound. He held. He waited. The shot was already sure before he took it.	During activation
64	Coordinated Kill. Play at the start of a round. Nominate two of your fighters; until the round ends, when one of them hits the declared prey the other re-rolls its own Hits against that prey — the team killing as one.	Start of round
65	Requisition Granted. Play at the start of the battle. Every Veteran in your Kill Team may swap its special-issue round for any in the Ordo Xenos catalogue — the requisition granted in full for this hunt.	Start of battle
66	The Watch Never Fails. Play at any time. Re-roll any single dice your gang has just rolled — the Watch's cold refusal to let the hunt fail.	Any time

Alliances2

Whothe Ordo Xenos and its Chapters (the Inquisitorial masters the Watch serves and the loyal Space Marine Chapters that second it their veterans - an Inquisition war-cell, a Chapter strike force, any Imperial force sworn to the extermination of the alien and bound to the Watch by the requisition it channels)

Termscampaign-level alliance: while it holds, the Watch is the Ordo Xenos armoury made flesh - the ally may requisition special-issue ammunition options from the Deathwatch (cross-referenced, never duplicated), and once per campaign phase lends the Kill Team a single veteran fighter or a war-cell's worth of intelligence (a free prey pre-declaration before deployment). In return the Watch gains bonus Reputation for a battle won by eliminating a declared xenos prey; the alliance runs until the vigil is called off or the pact is broken

The Deathwatch stand with the Ordo Xenos and the Chapters that second them their veterans — an Inquisitorial war-cell, a loyal Chapter strike force, any Imperial force sworn to the extermination of the alien and bound to the Watch by the requisition it channels.

While the alliance holds, the Watch is the Ordo Xenos armoury made flesh: the ally may requisition special-issue ammunition options from the Deathwatch — cross-referenced, never duplicated — and once per campaign phase lends the Kill Team a single veteran or a war-cell's worth of intelligence, a free reading of the enemy before deployment. In return the Watch gains bonus reputation for any battle won by eliminating a declared xenos prey. The pact runs until the vigil is called off or the bond is broken.

Whothe swarm that trades bodies (an attrition horde built on cheap, numberless fighters - a Tyranid brood, a Genestealer cult's uprising, an Ork mob, any force that wins by spending more bodies than the enemy can kill; the natural prey the Watch out-ammunitions and the single matchup a veteran-only Kill Team most dreads)

Termscampaign-level feud: while it stands, the Deathwatch gain bonus Reputation for a decisive win in which they eliminated the swarm's synapse/leader body and broke the horde, but the swarm gains Reputation for every battle in which it forced the Watch to spend a veteran it cannot replace, whatever the mission's result; the feud runs until one side is driven off the contested world

The natural enemy of a veteran-only Kill Team is the horde that wins by spending more bodies than the Watch can kill — a Tyranid brood, a Genestealer cult's uprising, an Ork mob, any force built on cheap and numberless fighters. It is the prey the Watch out-ammunitions, and the single matchup it most dreads.

This is a feud, not a friendship. While it stands, the Deathwatch gain bonus reputation for a decisive win in which they eliminated the horde's synapse or leader and broke it — but the swarm gains reputation for every battle in which it forced the Watch to spend a veteran it cannot replace, whatever the mission's result. The feud runs until one side is driven off the contested world.

Legendary Names3

XP cost (random): 6

XP cost (chosen): 12

A Champion of the Kill Team. His Chapter is struck from the record, his past with it, and he hunts the alien for a debt he will never name. The title is bought with 6 experience if the name is rolled, or 12 if it is chosen.

Benefit. This fighter gains +1 Attack and re-rolls failed Wounds against the declared prey. He fights each hunt like a man settling a private account — a duellist of no known origin, and the not-knowing is a weapon of its own. The first time he is engaged each battle, the enemy fighter suffers -1 to Hit him that round.

Drawback. He answers to no Chapter. He keeps his own counsel, and he will not stand in another's shadow: this fighter may not benefit from any Leader's aura or command re-roll. And if the Watch Captain is taken Out of Action, the grief goes unspoken and turns reckless — he must, if able, charge the nearest enemy each round thereafter.

XP cost (random): 6

XP cost (chosen): 12

An honour-title earned by any Veteran who has taken the Kill Team's declared prey Out of Action — the Xenos-Bane, the Prey-Taker. The title is bought with 6 experience if the name is rolled, or 12 if it is chosen.

Benefit. This Veteran's special-issue ammunition counts as Hellfire against the declared prey at all times, not merely once per battle, auto-wounding it on a 2 or better regardless of Toughness — a hunter so practised at the kill that the perfect round is always chambered for the named alien.

Drawback. The Prey-Taker hunts to the exclusion of all else. He must target the declared prey whenever it is a legal target in range, and may not voluntarily fire on any other enemy while a prey fighter is available — a fixation a canny foe can exploit by screening its prey behind bodies the Prey-Taker is forbidden to shoot.

XP cost (random): 6

XP cost (chosen): 12

A Leader of legend — a Watch Master, commander of a Watch-fortress, in the tradition of the great masters who bear the Thief of Secrets. The title is bought with 6 experience if the name is rolled, or 12 if it is chosen.

Benefit. While this fighter is on the field, friendly Veterans within 9" re-roll a failed Hit against the declared prey, and once per battle the Watch Master may re-declare the prey for free — the master hunter turning the whole team's attention onto the true threat with a word.

Drawback. The Watch Master carries the fortress's deepest secrets and cannot be allowed to fall. If he is taken Out of Action by the declared prey, the whole gang suffers a reputation penalty for that battle, and a canny foe that guards its prized fighter well can bait the master into over-committing to reach it.

Sub-Plots2

Reward: The vigil is kept: the gang gains a permanent Reputation bonus and its requisition armoury deepens - every Veteran may thereafter load a second special-issue round and switch between the two freely in battle, the rarer rounds of the Ordo Xenos catalogue unlocked by a proven hunt. This sub-plot can be claimed only once per campaign.

Trigger. At the start of the campaign your Kill Team declares a xenos quarry — a specific enemy faction or keyword it will hunt across the season. The sub-plot resolves when you have taken fighters of the declared quarry Out of Action in three separate battles, tracking the prey from world to world until the vigil is kept.

Reward. The vigil is kept, and the requisition armoury deepens. Your gang gains a permanent reputation bonus, and for the rest of the campaign every Veteran may load a second special-issue round and switch between the two freely in battle — the rarer rounds of the Ordo Xenos catalogue unlocked by a proven hunt. This sub-plot can be claimed only once per campaign.

Reward: The debt is answered: the Black Shield earns a free Legendary Name honour, and the gang gains a permanent Reputation bonus as the sector comes to know the black-shielded hunter it will never be able to name. Should the Black Shield fall before the oath is kept, the sub-plot is lost and may not be re-attempted with the same fighter. Claimable once per campaign.

Trigger. Your gang must field a Black Shield and keep it alive across the campaign. The sub-plot resolves when the Black Shield has personally taken a declared prey Out of Action in three separate battles without itself being taken Out of Action in any of them — the unknown veteran proving his worth without ever proving his name.

Reward. The debt is answered. The Black Shield earns a free Legendary Name, and your gang gains a permanent reputation bonus as the sector comes to know the black-shielded hunter it will never be able to name. Should the Black Shield fall before the oath is kept, the sub-plot is lost and may not be re-attempted with the same fighter. Claimable once per campaign.

Terrain2

The Hammerfall Bunker is a Watch-fortress strongpoint dropped onto the battlefield — an armoured redoubt with an automated turret that anchors the Kill Team's firebase and holds the ground the strike withdraws to.

Place it as impassable terrain during set-up, in or beside the Deathwatch deployment zone. It grants full cover and a firing position: fighters inside gain +1 to Hit with ranged attacks and a 4+ save against incoming fire. Once per round, at the start of the Deathwatch turn, the bunker's turret makes a single ranged attack — treat it as a heavy bolter — against the nearest enemy in line of sight, taking the declared prey first if one is in range.

The Teleportarium Beacon is a Watch strike-marker planted on the battlefield — a homing relay that guides the Kill Team's insertion down to an exact point and clears the way for the strike from nowhere.

Before deployment the Deathwatch player places the beacon anywhere in their own deployment zone. For the rest of the battle, friendly fighters arriving from teleport reserve within 6" of it do not scatter and may charge the moment they arrive. The beacon is impassable terrain granting full cover to a fighter in base contact; an enemy that ends its activation in base contact may attempt to disable it, removing it on a passed Intelligence test.