Deathwatch Dreadnought - Role: 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 Deathwatch kill-teams often make it impossible to retrieve a fatally injured battle-brother and inter him within a Dreadnought's cybernetic life-support sarcophagus in time to be transported to a watch 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 parent Chapter so that he may remain with the Deathwatch.Should all these difficulties be overcome, the armoured form 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 Terran centuries until the Deathwatch 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 have been preserved for their unique knowledge of how to combat different xenos species effectively. At other times, Old Ones remain in their sepulchre as bodiless repositories of lore concerning 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 is a matter of great ceremony for a 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 plasma 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 a Chapter's battle-brothers 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 Adeptus Astartes commander bold enough to heed the Old One's 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 body can be painstakingly reconstructed later.The value of an 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 standard centuries apart, making an eyewitness to previous encounters invaluable.On other occasions Warp storms will slacken to reveal whole star systems unseen by Humanity 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, when such testimony can be found at all.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 make use 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 Autocannons for bringing down Aeldari 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 Stunners or other specialist equipment. The local terrain must also be capable of supporting the tremendous weight of the war 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.