Dark Angel Rules question for command squad

[tabyrd]

I'm talking about the foot power armored command squad. If you plan on taking an apothecary, can you upgrade that veteran with ranged weapons before swapping out his pistol for a narthecium? usually normal command squads in other marine armies auto come with an apothecary and he can't usually take upgrades, but the way it's written leaves it a bit ambiguous. Obviously, I'd like to take another weapon, but I'm ok not. I'd rather just know what's allowed.

Thanks.

[JMichael]

The entry states you you may upgrade 1 veteran to an apothecary by replacing his bolt pistol with a narthecium.
So you if you upgrade the pistol first, then you don't have the required component (Bolt Pistol) to replace with a narthecium.

But, I'm not sure if you replaced his chainsword with a Storm Bolter for example. Then you would still have the Bolt Pistol to swap out.
Not sure if the order that the Options are listed in matters or not.

good question!

[Nabterayl]

I think that is allowed, yeah. Consider the following parallel situation:

The ork codex says that a nob in a boyz squad can only buy a big choppa or power klaw by replacing his choppa. The entire unit also has the option to replace sluggas and choppas for shootas. The question naturally arose, can you have a unit that replaces sluggas and choppas for shootas and still have a nob with a big choppa or PK?

The ork FAQ says this:


Q. If a Boyz mob exchange sluggas and choppas with shootas, can a Nob take a power klaw or a big choppa? (p100)
A. You may upgrade the Nob to have a big choppa or power klaw before you choose to upgrade the mob to have shootas, in which case the Nob is not affected by the mob’s weapon swap (as he no longer has a choppa to swap), does not receive a shoota and keeps his slugga and power klaw/big choppa instead.

This suggests to me that, as a general rule, you can choose in what order you upgrade a unit. So I think it is totally legal for one veteran to replace his chainsword with a something, then replace his bolt pistol with a narthecium.

[Houghten]

Seems legit to me. Ravenwing Apothecaries with grenade launchers, Deathwing Apothecaries with plasma cannon and greenwing Apothecaries with a meltagun / storm shield combo all work if you upgrade in the right order.

Which makes it all the more infuriating that my Deathwing Apothecary with lightning claws from the last edition has been invalidated.

[RebelGrot]

The most similar reference I can think of with an answer is from the Blood Angel FAQ, although the BA's don't optionally upgrade, he's part of the unit to start off with:

Q: Can the Sanguinary Novitiate in the Honour Guard take the
upgrades that are available to the Honour Guard? (p84)
A: No.

[dreadnoughtguy]

for some reason it seems 6th is designed to make apothicarys a junk unit. In every codex so far when you take that upgrade you loose weapons. Gone are the days when you could take an apothicary give him a thunder hammer and storm bolter and artificer armor and his apothicary gear as a replacement for a standard veteran sargent.

I miss the old buy your war gear sections that allowed for custom build of every part of an army.

[Nabterayl]

I suppose, but I see nothing wrong treating a narthecium as one hand's worth of weapons. That's essentially all the DA codex does. Narthecium + one weapon isn't junk, IMO, when everybody else in the squad gets a max of two special items as well.