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Special Rules:
Deathwatch infantry have the stealth special rule
Deathwatch vehichles may only be snap fired at until they shoot or dispense troops
A single deathwatch unit whose chapter tactics are unspecified may adopt any space marine chapter's tactics
Preferred Enemy (Xenos)

HQ:

Captain Alissio Cortez

Captain Artemis

Captain Korvydae

Chaplain Broec

Codicer Lyandro Karras

Watch Commander

Watch Captain

Watch Chaplain

Watch Librarian

Master Of The Forge

Watch Champion

Inquisitor

Elites:

Watch Dreadnought

Kill Marine

Watch Terminator Squad

Watch Veteran Squad

Watch Terminators

Watch Techmarine

Watch Apothecary

Keeper Team

Inquisitorial Henchmen

Assassin

Troops:

Black Shields

Kill Team

Deathwatch Scout Squad

Fast:

Deathwatch Assault Squad

Landspeeder Squadron

Stormtalon

Deathwatch Bikers


Heavy:

Deathwatch Devastator Squad
Predator
Kill Stormraven
Hunter
Stalker
Rapier (Basically a mobile quad/TL weapon that can be attached to a squad)

Dedicated Transport:
Kill Rhino
Razorback
Drop Pod

Codex space marine supplement death watch?

Honestly it needs less space marine copycat and more uniqueness. Less unit types and more customizing on the units. What the hell would a unit of black shields do anyways? They are lifelong members of deathwatch. So I guess vets? But space marines don't really do the vet unit thing. Make the black shields a unique character option.

I would try and find a pdf or copy of the old WD article that gave rules for playing a DW army. Granted it was 3rd ed rules but it will give you a basis to start with.

A while back I had the same idea to make a Deathwatch fandex. Pretty much gave everything special issue ammo and re added in the suspensor field for the heavy bolter. They didnt have access to alot of vehicles nor techmarines.

In the end it boiled down to being a elite army that pretty much used sternguard as a troops choice and lost alot of its tanks but kept the transports.

Also why stealth? Deathwatch are xenos hunters, IMO stealth doesn't fit into the idea of them.

Hmmm...

What I think I'd much prefer to see is a Deathwatch Kill Team which is more akin to the 'Last Chancers' army. They're covert ops special forces, far more than regular marines are.

Theoretically, ten to fifteen marine characters should be a 2000 point army. The trick is making them actually worth that in practice, because marine HQ characters tend to be worth their points in a melee but not a firefight.

Yes, you could pull a 'movie marines' thing, but that's not the point; it's rather a desire to make them more balanced and not have truly ridiculous statlines but still be able to put up a fight against other armies.


As to the army you've listed, I would say it at first glance looks essentially the same as a marine army.

A good start point if you want what's essentially a normal marine army would be the Deathwatch Strike Force apocalypse formation - squads of vanguard and sternguard with Preferred Enemy (Xenos Species of your choice) or the Tyrannic War Veterans.

The way I always saw making a DW army is play them like a heavy special forces style. They are there for a reason, a mission to kill an alien commander or infiltrate into a hive or whatever is key to bugs.

Sternguard units pretty much the troop choices with the added ammo for their heavy bolters and the ability to grant relentless to the weapon as well.

Scout squads would work just like the wolf scouts, outflanking and such. BS4 and WS4.

Some special weapons for the HQ choices. Bolters that would be worth taking.

 Coyote81 wrote:
Codex space marine supplement death watch?

Honestly it needs less space marine copycat and more uniqueness. Less unit types and more customizing on the units. What the hell would a unit of black shields do anyways? They are lifelong members of deathwatch. So I guess vets? But space marines don't really do the vet unit thing. Make the black shields a unique character option.

Make the Black Shield something akin to a Moritat from the HH.

I actually thought of Black Shields in a slightly different light. The are kind of like space marine "Last Chancers" The are Deathwatch for life. Why wouldn't they all be able to specialize, kind of like deathwatch versions of space marine characters.
Ex: 1 model may be upgraded to a Chaplin. Gets Crozius, and Zealot.
1 model may be upgraded to an apothocary. Gets Nathecium (FNP5+)
1 model may be upgraded to a Librarian. ML1 and carries a Force Staff. (All discipline options, including codex disciplines)
1 model may be upgraded to a Duelist. Has a Power weapon and combat shield. WS5 and must accept/declare challenges
1 model may be upgraded to a techmarine. Servoharness
2 models may be upgraded to Tactical Specialist. May take a flamer/melta/plasma or gravgun. Can take meltabombs.
2 models may be upgraded to Combat Specialist. May take a PW/LC or TH. May pay for SS.

This let you make a very unique unit where every model is different and specialized. You can choose to leave some as standard Black Shields (Which would basically be Vets) with BP/CCW/Bolter.