Deathwatch Mentor Legion
Past (1d5)
1- Service with the Hellforged Legion: The Mentor Legion values tactics, leadership, and discipline, and strive to bring those lessons throughout the Imperium. You were not sent to the Hellforged Legion to teach, but to learn and collaborate. With the combined expertise of your Battle Brothers and the Commanders of the Legion, you brought ruination to those that would oppose the Imperium.
2- Last Chances: You assisted the efforts of a Last Chancers Squad through numerous harrowing missions, acting as the support for their suicidal operations. Though many of the team are scum, they serve the Emperor and did so well, willingly or not.
3- Fleet Operations: Attached to Battlefleet Mortanos, you engaged in many Void Battles. from advising Fleets and Groups, to acting as elite hit and run commandos, you and your Battle Brothers served with distinction and aided the Imperium in annihilating several threats among the stars.
4- Chapter Assistance: You were assigned to another chapter, roll randomly or choose any other past experience from any other table.
5- The Siege of Dorann: You served with the Imperial Guard during the Siege of Dorann, a brutal battle in a war wherein humanity shed its own blood. Your squad was distributed between an entire regiment. The men you fought with rallied to you, fighting to the death against overwhelming odds, and using your instruction to kill scores of foes before falling themselves. Due to your efforts, the defenses lasted long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Demeanor
The Strength of Many: The Strength of Many is a Demeanor (pg 32 DW) unique to the Mentor Legion Chapter.
The Mentor Legion sees the use of all things in battle, from the mighty Titan to the lowly Guardsman, and everything in between. Mentor Legion Marines often feel that failure stems from not knowing how to use these assets properly, and so will often instruct those they feel ignorant. They also encourage cooperation within the Imperium, for if all face the threats to the Imperium together, nothing can stand against the might of Man. When dealing with loners, a Mentor Legion Marine will attempt to subtly influence them towards doing what needs to be done through some deception or coercion, and failing that, threats as needed.
As many Mentor Legion Marines have been sent to the far reaches of the Imperium, they are used to the sight of abhumans in military functions and some stranger practices of other worlds. While they keep a close eye out for heresy, they are more accepting of using what tools as are available in the service of the Emperor.
Whenever meeting someone of great tactical or strategic skill, they stay close, learning what they can from the individual so that they might improve their own skills and pass on the lessons to others.
While a Mentor Legion Marine may reference the Codex Astartes or his own tomes from time to time, great pride is put on the Marine’s ability to innovate, especially in times of need. Creativity is a highly valued trait within the Chapter. This attitude can put them at odds with other Chapters that adhere stringently to the Codex Astartes, such as the Ultramarines, who commonly view the chapter as a bunch of upstarts with no respect for tradition.
Attribute Bonus
+5 Int, +5 Fel
Restrictions
None
Chapter Trappings
Sigils of Service:
The Sigils of the Mentor Legion are granted to those Marines who have proven worthy of bearing them into combat. The Sigils are added to the armor of the Marine, commonly upon the shoulderpads. Three examples are shown below.
*Sigil of the Mechanicus: +3 to all Tech-Use checks
*Sigil of Command: +3 to all Command Tests
*Sigil of Death: +3 BS vs. Pinned Foes
Tactica Mentoris:
This data slate contains the personal experiences of the Mentor Legion Marine through his many battles. It contains lessons learned fighting every type of foe, and alongside many different allies. When faced with difficult odds or decisions, the Marine will consult the tome for guidance and to enter new tactical data and observations. Before and after every mission, the data is backed up at a safe location, so that the Marine’s insights may never be lost. This item gives a +3 to a Tactics skill (chosen by the player).
Relic
The Rod of Macharius: Said to be the baton the great Lord Commander Solar held in battle throughout his glorious campaign, this relic is revered among the Mentor Legion. As their mandate has been to aid and instruct the forces of the Emperor, the legacy of Macharius is one that they solemnly revere. While not a Primarch or a Space Marine, Macharius is seen as a symbol of what greatness mankind is capable of, and what men can do under proper leadership.
The relic gives the wielder access to some of the most powerful communications tools to lead troops available, giving a +1 to cohesion, a bonus +1 to cohesion for each Primary or Secondary Objective completed in a Mission. It contains a holographic display unit which can alternate between displaying whatever symbol the holder wishes when held aloft, or can provide accurate information of the battlefield, allowing the wielder to better make grand tactical decisions. The rod itself also counts as an Auspex, but with four times the range of normal units.
Carrying the Rod of Macharius grants an automatic +10 to all command rolls and all interaction rolls with loyal members of the Imperium.
Solo Mode
Instruction of Fear:
Rank 1: +10 to hit targets, additional negative on the pinning test equal to Int Bonus, pinned foes are considered under fire for one additional round.
Rank 3: Any enemies pinned by the Mentor Legion Marine’s fire suffers a negative to all dodge checks to avoid fire from other sources equal to the Mentor Legion Marine’s Int Bonus, and all attacks made from other sources get a bonus equal to the Marine’s Fel Bonus.
Rank 5: Area of Suppression Fire increases to 90 degrees, bonuses double
Rank 7: Pinned foes are considered under fire for rounds equal to Fel Bonus
Squad Mode Attack
Action: Full Action
Sustained: Yes
Cost: 3
Strike as One: When the squad is attacking an enemy, ranged fire takes no penalty when firing into melee, as the Kill Team works together to avoid friendly fire. Base ganging up bonuses apply for the entire kill team for melee and ranged attacks, the bonuses for ranged attacks giving the appropriate number to BS instead of WS.
Improvement: At Rank 4 all appropriate bonuses from ganging up granted by talents can now be applied. All members of the Kill team also get a +5 bonus to dodge or parry attacks made by the target.
Squad Mode Defense
Action: Full Action
Sustained: Yes
Cost: 2
Weather the Storm: When in this stance, the Commander is able to make all tests to avoid cohesion damage at +10. If the cohesion damage is avoided, the commander may nominated one member of the Kill Team to make a free standard attack against the source of the cohesion loss, as long as it is within range and visible to the nominated Marine.
Improvement: Bonus doubles at Rank 4, target gets a negative to dodge the snap attack based on the leader’s INT
Psychic Powers
Strength of Character (750)
Action: Full
Opposed: No
Range: 5m Radius x PR
Sustained: Yes
Effect: Allies equal to PR within range gain a bonus to Per, Fel, and Wil equal to PR.
Heavy Gaze (500)
Action: Half
Opposed: Yes
Range: 10m x PR
Sustained: Yes
Effect: For a radius equal to 1m x PR, all enemies have their AB reduced by PR for purposes of calculating movement. If the movement of the target is reduced to 0 or less the target gains a level of fatigue. A successful toughness test vs. the Librarian’s WP will resist the movement effects.
Spirit of the Emperor (1000)
Action: Half
Opposed: No
Range: 10m radius x PR
Sustained: Yes
Effect: Allies equal to PR within range are immune to the effects of stun, ignore fatigue, and may re-roll all fear and pinning checks so long as they are close to the Librarian and the power is sustained. Any negative effects present before the power was activated return when it is not, and must be resolved in normal ways.
Veiled Assault (1000)
Action: Full
Opposed: Yes
Range: 10m x PR
Sustained: Yes
Effect: A number of enemies equal to PR must make an opposed willpower check or become unable to parry or dodge incoming attacks. Any successful willpower check will end the effect and the target may act as normal, though each target must make the check separately.
Black Eagle (1500 Pre-Req Rank 3 WP 40+)
Action: Full
Opposed: Yes
Range: 5m radius x PR
Sustained: Yes
Effect: A number of allies within range equal to the PR of the Librarian seem to disappear from sight. Any enemies wishing to detect the squad must beat an opposed willpower check with the Librarian in order to do so. Any attacks from a shrouded character will expose that character, but not the rest of the squad.
Emperor’s Will (2000) (Pre-Req Rank 5, WP 50+)
Action: Half
Opposed: No
Range: 10m radius x PR
Sustained: Yes
Effect: A number of allies equal to the PR of the psyker in the radius are affected by this power. All enemies fired at are considered to be at point blank range from the affected characters, though the weapon must actually be in range to fire. The affected characters, however, are considered to be at one range increment longer and obscured by fog to all ranged attacks. Melee attacks are unaffected.
Chapter Advances
Skills:
Command (400)
Command +10 (400)
Command +20 (400)
Lore: Common (Any): (200)
Lore: Common (Any) +10 (200)
Lore: Scholastic (Any) (400)
Lore: Forbidden: (Archeotech) (400)
Tactics (Any) (400)
Tactics (Any) +10 (400)
Tactics (Any) +20 (400)
Tech-Use (400)
Talents:
Combat Formation (800)
Good Reputation (Imperial Guard) (800)
Good Reputation (PDF) (800)
Good Reputation (Imperial Navy) (800)
Good Reputation (Adeptus Mechanicus) (800)
Infused Knowledge (1000)
Peer (Imperial Guard) (500)
Peer (PDF) (500)
Peer (Imperial Navy) (500)
Peer (Adeptus Mechanicus) (500)
Talented (Command) (500)
Signature Wargear (500)
Technical Knock (500)
Insanity
Drive to Perfection
The Mentor Legion demands excellence not only of themselves, but of those they see under their tutelage. Sometimes this can lead to them seeming to be relentless taskmasters by those under them, unaware of what drives them.
Level 1 (The Plan is Sound): So driven to victory, a Mentor Legion Marine will use any tool at their disposal, any stratagem or tactic, no matter the cost. When set to a course of action, no matter how dangerous or damning, the Mentor Legion Marine must make a Challenging (+0) Willpower check to consider another plan, convinced that this must be the only way.
Level 2 (No Tool Withheld): In every mission, the Marine must have at least one item with a minimum renown requirement of respected for his tier (with each grade up counting as an additional tier’s requirement). If he enters the mission without this requirement or loses the item(s) during the course of the mission (not counting using ammunition or grenades), he is distracted and upset, and suffers from a rank of persistent fatigue.
Level 3 (No Work Undone): In any mission, the Mentor Legion Marine must attempt to complete every objective, no matter how difficult or trivial. To attempt to avoid an objective requires a Hard (-20) Willpower Test, which may be modified based on the importance of the objective by the GM. If the test is failed, the squad’s cohesion is reduced by 1 for each failed test.