Deathwatch Dreadnought

"Blessed is he who shall be given unto walls of iron and limbs of steel. Remember his comings and his goings; call upon his holy power only at need. Honour the ancestor for his wisdom and praise the machine for its battle-fury. Mark the passing of his half-life with sorrow, for his like will not be seen again."

- Extract from the Book of Armaments, Verse IX

A Deathwatch Dreadnought is a lethal war machine containing the remains of venerated Space Marine that had been seconded to the Deathwatch. The rarity of a member of a Kill-team being interred within the Adamantium sarcophagus of one these towering engines of destruction is almost unheard of. Preserved within his armoured coffin the Space Marine hero is reborn as one of the Old Ones; a living holy relic that will fight on against the xenos nightmares that assail the realms of Mankind for centuries or even millennia to come.

History
Rare as it is for a Space Marine to be revered enough to become an Old One it is rarer still for a member of the Deathwatch to achieve the same honour. The circumstances of the small unit actions undertaken by Kill-teams often make it impossible to retrieve a fatally injured Battle-Brother and inter them within a Dreadnought's cybernetic life-support sarcophagus in time to be transported to a fortress. Even if such is achieved, the Space Marine must be worthy and willing to remain with the Deathwatch, effectively renewing their vows to serve with the Long Watch in perpetuity. Finally, permission must be sought and received from the Space Marine’s own Chapter that he may remain with the Deathwatch. Should all these difficulties be overcome the sarcophagus of a Deathwatch Old One is placed in a great sepulchre with others of its kind in one of a handful of hidden Watch Fortresses. There the Old One will sleep away the centuries until the Techmarines awaken him to seek his knowledge or send him into battle once more. The Deathwatch possess only a handful of Dreadnoughts in fortresses scattered across the galaxy, and many Old Ones preserved for their unique knowledge of fighting different xenos to occupy them with. At other times Old Ones remain in their sepulchre as effectively bodiless repositories of lore, the ghosts of old campaigns against extinct xenos and Kill-team operations of centuries past.

Thanks to the ferocity and fighting skills of the venerated Space Marine hero that pilots it, a Dreadnought is more than the sum of its weapons and armour. Each Dreadnought bears the remains of one of the Old Ones, a mighty Battle-Brother who had suffered grievous wounds in past battles and been saved by internment in a life-support sarcophagus. Within this armoured coffin the Old Ones' flesh is preserved by amniotic fluid and his mind linked with mechanical senses that allow him to perceive the world around him. When deciding to preserve a fallen Battle-Brother in this way, the decision is not taken lightly, for it is a great honour to be deemed worthy to continue to fight on in the name of the Emperor. The creation of a Dreadnought a matter of great ceremony for the Chapter, marking the rebirth of the Old One to the Emperor’s service once more as a fighting warrior, albeit with metal limbs and a fusion reactor for a heart.

A Chapter’s Dreadnoughts are among its holiest relics of a bygone era, living links in the great chain of history that binds its members together and spans the millennia since its founding. They are walking icons for their Battle-Brothers who will fight more furiously than ever in their presence. Beyond this inspirational effect the wisdom and experience of an Old One is a mighty weapon in its own right. A Dreadnought has learned the enemies’ ways in countless previous engagements such that every trick and stratagem is laid bare. As an icon on the attack or a bulwark on the defence a Dreadnought is of incalculable value to any commander bold enough to heed the Old Ones advice and place it in the forefront of the action. If a Dreadnought should be laid low in combat it is considered a terrible stain on the honour of the Chapter for it not to recapture the wreckage so that the Dreadnought can be painstakingly reconstructed later.

The value of the Old One’s knowledge to the Deathwatch cannot be overestimated. Across the vast volumes of space overseen by the Deathwatch contacts with some species of alien can come centuries apart, making an eyewitness to previous encounters invaluable. On other occasions warp storms will slacken to reveal whole systems unseen by man for millennia but still remembered by the Old Ones that fought there long ago. In the past, xenos thought long extinct have emerged from the dust to assail humankind once more, and the Old Ones have been able to vividly recall every detail of them, every strength and weakness they revealed and each blow struck to lay them low. In all of these circumstances an Old One can bring incredible clarity and sharp-eyed perspective to the dry reports and corrupted records that can be unearthed from musty data-vaults.

It is a rare and valued Kill-team that is accompanied by a Deathwatch Dreadnought into the field. Such a precious resource is only risked at times of greatest peril and on missions that would be doomed to failure without their unique capabilities. Most Deathwatch Dreadnoughts follow of the traditional weapon configurations handed down over uncounted centuries like the Deredo with its Power Claws and Heavy Flamers, or the Furibundus with its twin-linked Lascannon and Cyclone Missile Launcher. At times of special need, however, Deathwatch Forge Masters have created many of their own armament variants based on these sacred designs but more suited to exceptional environments and particular xenos foes. In ages past, Deathwatch Dreadnoughts have been equipped with Siege Hammers expressly for the purpose of overcoming Ork fortifications, outfitted with quad Autocannon for bringing down Eldar raiders and mounted with additional Flamer batteries for clearing Hrud warrens. Such egregious interference with the sacred form of the Dreadnought does little to assuage the concerns of more traditionally-minded Chapters about the practices of the Deathwatch in this field. A Kill-team blessed with Dreadnought support can face some unique challenges. A silent approach, for example, becomes almost impossible without extensive use of Stummers or other specialist equipment. The local terrain must also be capable of supporting the tremendous weight of the machine. In practice a Dreadnought is commonly kept in reserve, coordinating operations from an orbiting vessel. Once the enemy has been located the Dreadnought is normally inserted directly into combat via Drop Pod, Thunderhawk gunship or teleportarium.

Becoming a Deathwatch Dreadnought
When a Battle-Brother is entombed in a Dreadnought’s sarcophagus, he permanently changes and becomes both something more and less than he was. Because of this, the Deathwatch Dreadnought will irrevocably alter the hero interred within. Also, becoming a Dreadnought is not something which occurs lightly or as the result of a whim; only great heroes mortally wounded in battle are given the honour of becoming Dreadnoughts. This means that becoming one of the Old Ones happens only as the result of a Space Marine hero being mortally wounded with little or no chance of recovery. The process is also long and involved and takes an inordinate amount of time, changing the newly created Dreadnought's relationship with the rest of his former Kill-team. Dreadnoughts are both more and less than the Battle-Brothers they once were. The process of becoming a Dreadnought, combined with extended periods of inactivity (when the Dreadnought is keep in a slumbering state between battles), diminishes the characters mind, wearing away memories and jumbling up facts and time.

Wargear
Right Arm:
 * Assault Cannon
 * Heavy Bolter
 * Twin-linked Lascannon
 * Multi-Melta
 * Plasma Cannon
 * Missile Launcher

Left Arm: Different heavy or basic weapons may be mounted and add additional armour plating in special circumstances or for special missions.
 * Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon (comes with under-slung Storm Bolter, Melta Gun, or Heavy Flamer or Missile Launcher)

Optional Deathwatch Dreadnought Wargear

 * Twin-linked Heavy Flamer
 * Twin-linked Heavy Bolter
 * Twin-linked Autocannon
 * Plasma Cannon
 * Assault Cannon
 * '''Close Combat Weapon may be replaced with Twin-linked Autocannon or Missile Launcher
 * Extra Armour

Notable Deathwatch Dreadnoughts

 * Goremann the Eldar - Goremann is a celebrated veteran of the Crimson Fists Chapter that served honourably in the Deathwatch on fifteen occasions prior to his installation into Dreadnought armour. Goremann’s craft and cunning as an Ork fi ghter were legendary and it is said that at the battle of Urkano Rift even the Orks chanted Goremann’s name to honour him after he slew their Warboss in single combat. During Goremann’s last Vigil five centuries ago, he suffered mortal wounds and at his request the Deathwatch petitioned the Crimson Fists for his remains to be kept at Watch Fortress Erioch. Now he rests in the cyborganic web of an armoured sarcophagus so that in time of need he can fight alongside his battle-Brothers once more. Goremann’s favoured Dreadnought armour is the war machine called Furiuosa Rex with its twin Power Fists and underslung Flamers. In battle, Goremann’s devastating charge can level a horde of lesser foes, crushing them beneath a terrifying avalanche of Adamantium fists and steel limbs. Thankfully, such heavyweight support is seldom required in the field and Goremann’s experience more often serves the Deathwatch in tactical analyses and threat assessments. In truth, the old warrior chafes at such mundane work and will seize on any opportunity to see action again.