Deathwatch Watch Lieutenant

A Deathwatch Watch Lieutenant is a Firstborn or Primaris Space Marine lieutenant who serves as one of the two subsidiary officers of a Watch Company under the command of a watch captain in the Deathwatch Chapter.

History[]

In the wake of the resurrection of Primarch Roboute Guilliman in ca. 999.M41 and his revisions to the Codex Astartes, the rank has been introduced to all the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, including the Deathwatch, since the start of the Indomitus Crusade. A lieutenant normally serves as a demi-company leader, with two assigned per full company of 100 Space Marines. In the Deathwatch, where a Watch Company rarely has more than four kill-teams, each comprising on average 10 or sometimes 15 Astartes, they rarely command more than 50 Astartes.

Watch lieutenants act as the right hands of their watch captains by providing flexibility and helping to direct their battle-brothers in engagements, as well as providing strategic and tactical advice alongside their watch captain in the strategium of their watch fortress' watch commander.

Wargear[]

Lieutenant Wargear[]

• Power Armour (Any Firstborn mark)

• Chainsword

• Master-Crafted Bolter

• Bolt Pistol

• Frag Grenades

• Krak Grenades

• Any Pistol (including Plasma Pistol, Bolt Pistol or Grav-pistol as replacement for Master-Crafted Bolter)

• Any Combi-weapon or Storm Bolter (as replacement for Master-Crafted Bolter)

• Any Melee Weapon (including Chainsword, any Power Weapon, Thunder Hammer or Lightning Claw as replacement for Master-Crafted Bolter)

• Any Melee Weapon (including Chainsword, any Power Weapon, Thunder Hammer or Lightning Claw as replacement for Chainsword)

• Xenophase Blade (Optional replacement for Chainsword)

• Jump Pack (if leading a combat drop)

Primaris Lieutenant Wargear[]

• Mark X Tacticus Power Armour

• Master-crafted Auto Bolt Rifle

• Bolt Pistol

• Frag Grenades

• Krak Grenades

• Power Sword (Optional replacement for Master-Crafted Auto Bolt Rifle)

• Xenophase Blade (Optional replacement for Master-Crafted Auto Bolt Rifle)

• Master-crafted Stalker Bolt Rifle (Optional replacement for Master-Crafted Auto Bolt Rifle)

• Power Fist (Optional replacement for Master-Crafted Auto Bolt Rifle)

If a Primaris Lieutenant is wearing Mark X Phobos Power Armour, the wargear available changes as follows:

• Mark X Phobos Power Armour

• Bolt Pistol

• Master-crafted Occulus Bolt Carbine

• Paired Combat Blades

• Frag Grenades

• Krak Grenades

• Grav-Chute

If a Primaris Lieutenant serves as a Reiver, the wargear available changes as follows:

• Mark X Phobos Power Armour

• Bolt Pistol

• Heavy Bolt Pistol

• Combat Blade

• Frag Grenades

• Krak Grenades

• Smoke Grenades

Notable Watch Lieutenants[]

• Watch Lieutenant Alvor - Alvor was a watch lieutenant of one of the watch fortress of Mortguard's Watch Companies. During the Chalnath Expanse Campaign, the Deathwatch of Mortguard learned that the entire Arrajian System in the Chalnath Expanse was on a war footing. The trade guilds were pouring funds into raising Astra Militarum defence regiments as well as private paramilitaries, from the glacial algae seas on Arrajian II to the mag-trawlers skimming the atmosphere of the gas giant Arrajian IX. Everything pointed to preparation for a system-wide conflict, a laudable precaution given T'au aggression against other systems of the expanse. With a precise teleport strike, a single Proteus Kill-team led by Watch Lieutenant Alvor of Mortguard manifested in the servo-ducts beneath the guildhouse on Arrajian IV. Their aim was to uncover the true reason for the missing assets reported by the elderly Inquisitor Jazad D'ontor in the system. Within solar minutes of their arrival, the kill-team came under attack from "work gangs" of Genestealer hybrids and degenerate Aberrants. Kill-team Alvor pushed through one duct after another, seeking some source to the infection. For two solar days, the kill-team fought higher into the guildhouse's foundation, losing more and more of their number. All the while their signals back to orbit were blocked by psychosqualls of xenos static. By the third solar day, the kill-team had slain dozens of xenos-corrupted guilders, but only Brother Tyvus survived to pull himself to the surface and activate his teleport homer, taking into orbit a tale of widespread alien infection and twisted experimentation. Within solar months the system had fallen to the Genestealer Cult, but Mortguard now knew the truth and would return.

Sources[]

• Codex Supplement: Deathwatch (9th Edition), pp. 16, 18-19
• Codex Adeptus Astartes - Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 12, 62, 147
• Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition) (Revised Codex), pp. 62, 113-115