arming my canoness...

[chaplain belisarius]

I have been looking at my sisters of battle codex and planning out my 1k list. Ive decided my canoness is getting a mastercrafted plasma pistol and a powerweapon. She will have a bodyguard of 9 celestians, one of whom is a veteran sister superior and one sister has a meltagun and another sister has a heavy flamer.

 

The plan is to avoid close combat for as long as possible but if any of my squads get into close combat it will be my canoness and her celestian bodyguard.

 

I was thinking of giving my canoness a bolter/melta and a powerweapon but im thinking the mastercrafted plasma pistol and powerweapon is a better choice(it makes the best use of my canonesses high ballistic skill but also gives her more attacks in close combat)

 

Any thoughts on this? (apart from-give her a blessed weapon! i dont have the points to get this....)

[Chengar Qordath]

A master-crafted plasma pistol costs way too much for what it provides. I would suggest swapping it out for an Inferno Pistol, and using the points you've saved to buy a Blessed Weapon or an Eviscerator.

[Bishoujo]

I don't like the master crafted plasma pistol at all. I'm not a fan of a power weapon on her either. I would really have to suggest giving her an eviscerator, and possibly even giving the veteran sister superior one too.

 

I suspect that this is going to be the most expensive unit in your army, yet if someone gets a dreadnought into combat with you before you can blow it up with your meltagun - then you are officially tar-pitted for the rest of the game. A 100ish point 1-armed dreadnought can tie up your 300ish point HQ+retinue for the rest of the game if he can get into close combat with you - which is always depressing.

 

Just a thought!

 

Edit: Typos

[calypso2ts]

I would not run her in a 10 man retinue, I run them in a 5 man Ret so she fits in an Immolator with 2x Meltas on the Celetians. Throw a Cloak, Mantle if you want on her with an Eviscerator and you have a '8 wound' model runnign around with an invuln on demand. If I feel she needs more tank killing, I throw an Inferno Pistol onto her.

 

Edit: Plasma pistols in this edition are way overpriced imo, one shot at S 7? give me a break, I'll spend that 15 points on an Inferno and who ares about MC, she hits on a 2+ and the odds of her missing and the other two Meltas are pretty low (1 in 54 I think?)

[chaplain belisarius]

only thing that puts me off the inferno pistol is its lack of range-i want my sisters to get to 12" range and destroy the enemy with the holy trinity of boltgun, flamer and melta (helped out by divine guidance of course!)

 

Is a bolter/melta combi weapon and mastercrafted powersword a better choice? this way i still get a melta shot but this time its got a 12" rather than a 6" range. Plus because the powersword is mastercrafted my canoness technically gets an extra attack?

 

Is this a better option?

 

Thank you for all the feedback-its helping!;)

[Lady_Canoness]

Call me crazy, but I always fancy putting a Palatine with the Celestian retinue in an Immolator, while keeping the Canoness with a jump pack and Seraphim. Plus, the Celestine model looks great - and even greater with a jump pack ;)

[chaplain belisarius]

I will give the "flying nun of doom" a go in bigger battles but not in my 1k list...;)

[calypso2ts]

Power weapons on s3 characters are a waste, Eviscerator all the way or none at all imo.

 

Celestians are not there to unload with DG into units, they are there to fire out of Immolators with meltas (for about 180 points). Adding a Canoness makes them a little more of an assault machine, but DG with Celestians is a waste, normal SoB do it better imo and for cheaper.

 

A Jump Pack Nun comes in at a cool 145, which is doable in 1k point games as well and is a monster on the table. I like fielding one of her with a Cloak, Mantle, Inferno, Eviscerator, and JP.

[chaplain belisarius]

hmmm...id like to avoid close combat if i can but the powerweapon is there just in case...

 

is it better to take a bolter/melta or a plasma pistol?

 

thanks for the reply...(i dont like inferno pistols because of their short range and i dont really have the points spare to get the blessed weapon..ill take it in bigger battles though!)

[Chengar Qordath]

If you have the points for a mastercrafted power sword, you have the points for an eviscerator or a blessed weapon.

[Obliterator]

I will give the "flying nun of doom" a go in bigger battles but not in my 1k list...:rolleyes:

My completely kitted out FNoD is way less points then my Canoness with retinue and Rhino. And I kept the latter cheap on purpose (no VSS upgrade, only meltagun and heavy flamer).

 

I agree about the master-crafted plasma pistol. When she's in a retinue, I usually don't even bother with the Inferno pistol (range issues, if you can get within 3", you can get within Eviscarator range in most cases) unless I can spare the points. A bolt pistol or brazier of Holy Fire usually work good enough. As a CC weapon, you want to give her either an Eviscarator (Chainfist against vehicles or instant death against a lot of characters) or a Blessed Weapon (for striking on initiative against infantry units).

 

I've also been known to include a Priest with an Eviscarator in my HQ Rhino. Re-rolls on the charge is yummy ;)

[chaplain belisarius]

Thanks guys!

 

@obliterator-thank you for your advice mate. Which should i give my canoness- bolter/melta and a mastercrafted powersword OR a mastercrafted plasma pistol and a pwpn?

 

My canoness leads a mission so i imagine she doesnt get oodles of holy relics/rare equipment (this would go to any canonesses that are higher up the hierachy)?

[Obliterator]

Which should i give my canoness- bolter/melta and a mastercrafted powersword OR a mastercrafted plasma pistol and a pwpn?

Neither. If you don't want to give her a Blessed Weapon for fluff reasons, at least give her an Eviscarator. Eviscarators aren't reallly ancient relics, heck, even hordes of sinners (Repentia) are kitted out with them. As a pistol I either give her an Inferno Pistol if I can spare the points, or a humble Bolt Pistol. If you really want to give her a Plasma Pistol, there's no need to mastercraft it. She's WS 5 and has a 2+ save, if you roll a 1 and fail your save, it's because the God-Emperor Himself wants you dead, and as a SOB, you really need to comply...

 

At S3, a power weapon (master-crafted or not) hardly kills something. The problem isn't hitting the enemy, it's hurting it with a puny S3. Seeing SOB also have a rather low initiative, there's really no loss in taking an Eviscarator and swinging at I1.

[ArmouredWing]

Just a little addition to the loadout, I usually give my FNoD bionics if I've got the 10pts to spare as this gives her an additional 6+ Sv should she be cut down in her prime.

 

When I run a canoness she tends to look something like this.

 

Canoness

Inferno Pistol

Blessed Weapon

Melta Bombs

Jump Pack

CoSA

Mantle of Ophelia

Rosarius

Frags

Bionics

 

Now, this is a big points sink (can't remember if this fall in line with the 100pts wargear limit, if not I do adjust to accommodate, i.e. drop the rosarius) but generally I've found that this loadout is more than a match for the special characters & vehicles that I face. Additionally the bionics have saved her bacon on more than one occaision and it can even work to force your opponent to think twice about risking leaving her unchecked should she come back into play. For the layout that 6+ 'save' can be a good insurance for what amounts to a large chunk of your total army.

[chaplain belisarius]

thanks mate! i may try to give my canoness a blessed weapon and a plasma pistol but will have to tweak my 1k list a bit(i dont like inferno pistols because of their poor range!)

 

Is this a better load out for my canoness?

 

@obliterator-good point regarding plasma pistol overheats-its the will of the emperor!:lol:

[ArmouredWing]

The one thing I would say is that the IP range isn't so much of an issue when used in conjunction with the JP. The PP's additional 6" is quite attractive (after all, an extra 6" can make all the difference...ooh er missus!!! ;) ) but the trade off is the potential for her to sustain damage in the event of a misfire (MC can reduce this but the chance still remains), the ruduciotn in 1 point of strength and no additional dice for being within 3".

 

Even coming in at a hefty 180+ pts she can make her points back in 1 go when facing off against a LR or similar and there's been times when she's adequately seen off the unwanted advances of SM chaplains, Nid MC's and various special characters.

[chaplain belisarius]

thanks armouredwing! (apparently you are the guy to ask for advice on sob...). After obliterator made that great point regarding plasmagun overheats-im a lot more comfortable with it (its the will of the emperor).

 

I will run the flying nun of doom in larger battles but for my 1k list i want to use her as a shooting/support character..

[Inquisitor Fox]

I will point out I used a variant of the Flying Nun of Doom in the staff Duel to the Death, and was going toe to toe with a Space Marine Captain with Relic Blade and Stormshield without anyone noticing a lack of power levels. This implies that it's still a VERY viable character on the tabletop where you have access to more than her own 2 Faith Points. The loadout I used was as follows:

 

Canoness w/ Blessed Weapon, Bolt Pistol, Book of St Lucius, Cloak of St Aspira, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Mantle of Ophelia, Rosarius (144 points)

 

Technically she lost by a single blow, but that was after multiple rounds of essentially neck and neck battle I am given to understand, during which she had an advantage initially before the Faith Points ran out!

 

EDIT: naturally this didn't include her Jump Pack, as that wasn't allowed in that particular Duel to the Death. This would have to be added back in, raising her points cost. Likewise you could swap the bolt pistol for an inferno pistol for a more effective character, I had to stay under the 145 point ceiling for the event.

[chaplain belisarius]

ill give the flying nun of doom a go in bigger battles...im too scared to try it in my 1k list just in case she dies! :)

 

Fear denies Faith! (but is understandable, especially when first starting out :) Just have fun with it and it's all good, ya know?)

[chaplain belisarius]

good point...:)

 

ever since what obliterator said regarding plasmagun overheats i feel much more comfortable with them...(its the will of the emperor!:)

[calypso2ts]

Also with a Mantle of Ophelia on her they need to get through two 2++ saves to instant death her and at that point she has usually taken such a weight of fire that she was worth it. If you play her, go all out tank hunting. I try to smash as many expensive annoying vehicles as possible, or use her to take down Elite units. Go big or go home, I charge her into warbosses, Terminators and command squads regularly. She does not always need to 'make her points back' to be worth every one.

[WAR]

Don't take the MC power weapon her s3 is really a hindrance in melée. If you want a shooty support canoness the combi melta BoSL meltabombs frag and cloak is all she will need. Just keep her out of melée with anything that is not a tank. I run a shooty nun sometimes and she hangs near my retributors with heavy bolters giving them the benefit of her 10 ld. A nun of doom is a great build out mine is only 122 pts due to no mantle but my friends always expect her. Another great use of a shooty Canoness is attach her to a dominion squad with 5 stormbolters (4 in the squad and one on the VSS) in an immolator with twin hvy flamers and run them at a unit disembark and shoot whatever is left after the immolator is done firing this works great against hordes.

[ArmouredWing]

Another great use of a shooty Canoness is attach her to a dominion squad with 5 stormbolters (4 in the squad and one on the VSS) in an immolator with twin hvy flamers and run them at a unit disembark and shoot whatever is left after the immolator is done firing this works great against hordes.

Wouldn't the Doms be better equipped with flamers? Same S as a bolter, you don't need to roll to hit and you'd get a huge coverage with those 4 templates (5 if you went with a combi flamer/brazier) and no cover saves to boot.

[Obliterator]

Another great use of a shooty Canoness is attach her to a dominion squad with 5 stormbolters (4 in the squad and one on the VSS) in an immolator with twin hvy flamers and run them at a unit disembark and shoot whatever is left after the immolator is done firing this works great against hordes.

Wouldn't the Doms be better equipped with flamers? Same S as a bolter, you don't need to roll to hit and you'd get a huge coverage with those 4 templates (5 if you went with a combi flamer/brazier) and no cover saves to boot.

I couldn't agree more with ArmouredWing. If you're going up close and personal, take the flamers. 5 flamer templates and a heavy flamer template (Immolator) is usually enough to discourage any horde from coming near you. The only time I would take stormbolters, I'd use them to stay back and take advantage of their 2 shots at 24" range.

[WAR]

For the most part yes the flamers would do more damage but the only time I have fielded this unit I shoot a 45 man platoon led by a commissar lord and the immolator killed 44 dudes (I warned my friend not to bunch them up) leaving the commissar lord buy himself to eat 12 bolter rounds. Plus I have three squads of dominions with flamers and one with stormbolters they sit more on shelf or case than the table. And sometimes being able to reach out and touch someone with a stormbolter is better than a template.