Sisters in an slow grow setting.

[Banjulhu]

So my friends and I have have started a small campaign/league in which we start at 500pts and expand every through weeks by adding 250pts to the game size.

 

For the games I decided to shelve my Grey Knights and work on my Battle Sisters and see what I can and cant do with them.

 

Currently the armies involved are Space Marines (Iron Hand), Chaos Marines (Khorne) and Eldar.

 

For 500pts I ran

 

Canoness

• Storm Bolter

Battle Sisters (5)

• Veteran Sister
• Storm Bolter
• Heavy Bolter

Battle Sisters (5)

• Veteran Sister
• Storm Bolter
• Heavy Bolter

Exorcist

 

Exorcist

 

At 500 points I was very confident my army would work well because basically the exorcists are scary as hell when there is little to opose them.

 

My first game was against Iron Hands (Master of the Forge, 2 Las Dreads, 2 Five Marine Tactical Squads). This turned into a fight across the table between deads and exorcists. In the first turn I blew up a building one of the five man squads had deployed in killing three in total thanks to the subsequent explosion and putting a wound on the master of the forge that was hiding behind it when it blew up.

 

From there I started to have a go at the dreads and they had a go at me, with shots on both sides failing to hit, pen, geting voided by cover saves or when they did fail to get more than a crew stuned or shaken. All in all the shooting went in my favour eventually and I was able to knock out the 2 remaining marines hiding in cover to deny him holding the objective that was befind the destroyed building and one of the dreads who blew up and took the master of the forge with him. This left him with only a hurt dread and a 5 man squad with a melta gun that could not get to the objective whilst I held my own, had first blood and slay the warlord.

 

The second game was against the eldar (Farseer, 10 Guardians with a brightlance, 3 jetbikes and 3 war walkers). His list was a worry for mine as he held the walkers which could put out 8 shots each able to outflank. The game started with me killing a guardian at the back of the table whilst I moved my tanks. His guardians then ran for cover taking a bright lance shot on the way that did nothing in his turn whilst his bikes turbo boosted and tried to reach  LoS blocking cover in the asault phase but did not make in. In my next turn I smoked the 3 bikes with one exorcist and shot at a guardian that had not quite got all the way to safety. In the eldar turn two the walkers turned up and shot an exorcist in the side from the table edge only taking two hull points thanks to a few good cover saves. The rest of the game was hide and seek with my tanks slowly dropping war walkers whilst his guardians stayed out of range of my boltguns with their shoot and scoot ability. The game ended with me loosing an exorcist in the last turn after being unable to kill the last walker off with 6 exorcist shots. I won the game on first blood but it was a close run thing

 

Game three was against the Khorne army (Lord with Axe of Blind Fury, 8 Berzerkers, 10 cultists and a Plasma Dread) The chaos marines went first running up the board as night fighting was in effect in my sturn my both sister sqauds activated their acts of faith and along with the exprcists downed the berzerkers leaving just the lord. In turn 2 the lord and his berzerker charged, the berzerker died from overwatch and the Lord took a wound from his axe backfiring, unfortunately for me as he was in combat with sisters I did bugger all when it became my turn to strike even with the canoness passing out hatred. With the combat on going I had my tank get away from it because I did not want it to be near by if the fight ended in my turn. Shooting was brief, I downed the dread hiding at the back with the exorcists and removed a few cultists from the center of the board that has picked up the objective and were trying to get away with it.. In combat the chaos lord asked for a one one one, I refused and he killed 3 sisters but I was fortunate and did not run away thans to stubborn. We called the game after that becaiuse the handful of cultists that remained were not going to be able to get to safety and the lord was about to free himself from a combat only to face my strength 8 ap 1 missiles.

 

All in all Sisters work at 500pts because exorcists bring a lot of bang for their buck at this game size. However I'm not keen on having to hide my relatively week sisters and not have them take part in the game but I really cant see anyother way to ensure they survive long enough to capture objectives as they are just too weak and generally to few to survive being shot at.

 

At the end of the day I went 3-0 but I can see that being reversed as the game size grows becuase I have little esle to bring to the table that can make it's presence felt.

 

As I designed the army and its expansion over the course of the campaign I did figure out what annoys me so much about the Sisters. It's not that they cost almost as much as marines for so much less, nor the lackluster nature of their special abilities as when used properly and in tandem with other abilities mediocre can become good. Its the lack of special abilities because I as I went throught

the codex I realised that there most of the stuff the sisters have is replicated on something else.

 

So next is 750 pts, anyone got any suggestions on what to add?

[WarriorFish]

I think the answer is obvious: more Sisters! You can't rely on your Exos as your opponents will only get more and better AT is the points value increases, plus as I love saying you can never have enough

Bulk their numbers up and start giving them the holy trinity, thanks to your Exos you can probably concentrate on flamers more than melta for 750 though it does seem that your games aren't intending to pull many punches. Will you be looking to mechanise your Sisters?

I'm currently in an escalation league too and it's a great way to build up an army and learn how it works along with how to build lists, but you've got to be play the long game if you want supreme victory. In your case that will almost certainly be getting the most out of your basic trooper as soon as possible, otherwise your glorious victories may be short lived!

[Banjulhu]

Parking lot sisters is what I was considering. I have 5 Rhino/Immolators waiting to be used.

[Fibonacci]

As I designed the army and its expansion over the course of the campaign I did figure out what annoys me so much about the Sisters. It's not that they cost almost as much as marines for so much less, nor the lackluster nature of their special abilities as when used properly and in tandem with other abilities mediocre can become good. Its the lack of special abilities because I as I went throught

the codex I realised that there most of the stuff the sisters have is replicated on something else.

I mentioned this just a few days ago.  Sisters of Battle are a fundimentalist type of army.  No need for unlocks, chapter tactics, special rule supliments, grav or lance weapons, deep striking teminators, none of that matters.  Bolter, flamer and  melta applied in mass quantanties. 

 

 

So next is 750 pts, anyone got any suggestions on what to add?

Dominions with meltaguns in a Repressor.  If Repressors are not allowed put them in a rhino and buy your friends a Greenday cd since they seem to be stuck in the 90's ...

just kidding about the last.

but only a little.

 

With left over points, I would put one BSS in an Immolator with Multimelta and change the squads weapons to flamers.  I would also drop the other storm bolters.  But that's me.

[WarriorFish]

Parking lot is so very much the wrong term for it - mechanisation is the word you want, there will be no parking! Parking on the charred corpses of your enemy is acceptable though, but there's a maximum stay of one turn.

Sisters of Battle are a fundimentalist type of army.

Oh, you!

[Banjulhu]

The problem with meltas and flamers for me is that they require something that the army just cant really cope with, being in charge range of an enemy.

 

I'm ever concious of my marine like prices next to my non-marine capabilities. I will never be able to do a thing about my melee potential and resiliance but I can get around the leadership thing with priests however like icons in chaos lists they can be picked off. This is why I went for SB and HB in both squads, they work at a decent range so dying in melee against things like the marines units, hell as far as I can tell even the eldar guardians would likely beat me up in a fist fight.

 

I've been pondering dominions but the repressor is out because I a) dont own one and b) dont have the rules.

 

I considered a 3rd exorcist and upping the sister squads to 10 girls each but that would just result in me trying not to play 40k and instead hide my army until end game and pick off units with my tanks when the chance presents itself. And although that can work well I think it results in a bit of a naff game

[MoreMelta]

I think 2 big blocks of battle sisters with 2 MGs and the extra simulacrum imperialis is fun to run. You can pay for the priests to them fearless and much cooler in combat. I would seriously consider taking Saint Celestine. She can really kill a lot for her points. You can even hide her in the blob and then she confers HIt and Run as well. This is much more survivable and the girls really hit hard in squads of 15 to 20.

[*Furyou Miko]

You're too timid, is the problem.

Sisters are very much an 'in-your-face' army. You need to stop thinking of them as 'weaker Marines' and start realising that the place you can do the most damage against the enemy is when you're in charge range, but still shooting.

Eldar Guardians are no match for a Sisters unit with a Priest in CC - you have a rerollable 3+/6++ save, and hit/wound on a 4+. Since you're striking last anyway, there's no reason not to use a Power Axe on the superior, and an Eviscerator on the priest (well, other than points).

Eldar Guardians also fold in the face of flamers. You hit automatically, wound on a 3+ and ignore their armour and cover. The same thing applies to everything except characters, Scorpions and jetbikes against Heavy Flamers.

Repressor is pretty easy to convert. But I too need the most recent rules.

[WarriorFish]

Agreed, Sisters are all about getting in your opponent's face and then removing it with righteous application of the holy trinity. Sisters dominate within 12" which is exactly where they want to be, the trick is positioning your units for getting the best out of them. Manoeuvre well (mechanisation helps greatly) and bully your opponent's units; block his actions and gang up so if they charge their reduced number is easy pickings for some reaction fire and face punching.

 

If you're not going to take melta and flamer then you're going to have a difficult time with Sisters as you won't be playing to their strengths. Be aggressive and show no mercy as the Sisters themselves would and you will find victory follows :)

[thade]

No other army presents the loving, steadfast embrace of the Emperor's Holy Rapid Fire like the Sisters can.

[Banjulhu]

750 is sill a little limiting if I want to keep the two exorcists which I think I do given they are my only real threat early on

 

I could up the troops to 6 and 9 models each and give them a Immolator and Rhino and swap for some flame weapons and use what is left to make my canoness a little more survivable but is that enough feet on the ground for 750 pts (2 squads in Rhinos is possible).

 

Beyond that if I go the mech route how to I survive getting across the board because 80 to 100 pts of transport just screams "Take First Blood".

[*Furyou Miko]

Repressors. FAV13.

[Naminé]

I agree with the sentiments above, don't be timid with Sisters.  You need to be eager to deliver overwhelming fire at your enemy, where every single unit is a threat.  People really don't like it when you have 3 different ways to slaughter that unit next turn, and they can only focus on one.

 

Transports are not an easy killpoint for your opponent; they are mobility for an army that has very little.  Use them and be on your enemy before he can deal with it.

If he can deal with it, then at least your exorcists didn't get shot.  Or maybe they did, well at least your troops didn't get shot and are now right in his face.

 

At 750 points I would look less into exorcists and more into melta doms in transports.  They will give you greater raw killing power and are less likely to get punked early on, in addition to being more mobile and reliable.

 

Just remember what Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku said: "Be aggressive.  Be, be aggressive."

[Banjulhu]

I ended up choosing the exorcists over the melta dominions in an immolator due the the cost difference (175 vs 125 is a sizeable difference). I'll have a play withe the list and see how I can fit som dominions in.

[Banjulhu]

I think i have a workable list

 

Cannoness

• Rosarius
• Storm Bolter
• Evisorator
• Mantle of Ophelia

Priest

• Litanies of Faith

Battle Sisters Squad (8)

• Veteran Sister
• Flamer
• Heavy Flamer
• Rhino

Battle Sisters Squad (6)

• Veteran Sister
• Storm Bolter (possibly flamer)
• Heavy Bolter (possibly heavy flamer)
• Immolator (Multi-melta)

Exorcist

 

Exorcist

 

Turn one will be a mad dash up the board by the transports followed by the sisters getting out the rhino sqaud up front and the immolator squad a little behind unless I go the all flamer route .

 

One other thing I was considering was dropping the rhino and an exorcist in favour of an inquisitor with the Libre Heresius, Divination and the special grenades and more sisters to have a blob of 14 sisters, a priest an Inquisitor and the canoness which would hopefully scout up the board and be a surprisingly effective melee unit in combat due to save rerolls and rerolls to hit from divination ect with a canoness who although is not point effeciant can dish out the hurting on characters in round 1 thanks to the reduced toughness from rad grenades.

[Banjulhu]

So we jumped to 750pts yesterday.

 

The rules of the campaign require you to keep every unit you field (although you can change its upgrades etc) so my plan to drop a tank fell flat before it even got off the ground.

 

In the end I added two priests (one naked, one with the Litinies of faith), 5 sisters to both sister squads, swapped one units special and heavy weapon for a flamer and heavy flamer and used the points left to make my cannoness be able to survive a light breeeze.

 

Timing wise we could only fit in two games so I ended up playing the Eldar and Iron Hands.

 

The first game against the eldar had a diagonal deployment and the 3 objectives to control (one was hidden behind a bunker in my half, one in the eldar half and the third in the middle). The Eldar player had used his extra 250 points to add a wave serpent and 10 more guardians. The Eldar deployed first but I stole the initiative. My heavy bolter wielding sisters took up residence in fortification, whilst my flamer sisters headed for the centre of table. The exorcists moved out from behind the building to take up firing positions.

 

One blew up the building in my opponents half he was hiding behind wounding the farseer and killing 3 guardians in the resulting explosion, the second went for the war walkers killing on.

 

From that point on the game went downhill, the eldar war walkers let loose 18 shots with re-rolls to hit at my sisters moving up the board whilst the guardians behind the now ruin jumped one man into LoS of the sisters, shot the heavy weapon and then ran it back out of LoS. 4 sisters died, canoness lost a wound

 

The next turn started, one tank could not get a Los on the war walkers so moved up and popped smoke, the other fired 5 shots nit with 3 and failed to get even a glance, the sister squad then shot all their bolters and did nothing, the backfield unit could do nothing.

 

In the Eldar turn 2, the reserved jet bikes arrived, shot at my sisters in the centre then hid, the war walkers and the platform did the same, 4 more sisters died canoness lost another wound

 

In turn 3 my sisters headed for cover, one exorcist killed the bikers getting me first blood and the 2nd fired a single missile and hit and failed to glance again.

 

In turn 3 the eldar wave sperpent moved down the board, the war walkers got LoS through a building to the last of the sisters and the priests killing the unit and my warlord, the wave serpent then fired everything at the side of one of my exorcists and blew it up.

 

In turn 4 my remaining exorcist moved and this time failed to do anything to the wave serpent just to mix things up a little from doing :cuss all to a unit of war walkers.

 

The wave serpent moved up to the middle maker in the Eldar turn 4 and shot my occupied building, reducing its armor by one but not hurting any sisters

 

In turn 5 the sisters got out of the building the exorcist finally did something useful and blew up the wave sperpent pinning the guardians inside and killing a few for goog measure. The sisters then accounted for a few more leaving 2 on the objective. The eldar response did not kill anything for a change.

 

In the last turn I killed the las to guardians with the sisters and pulled a draw thanks to first blood.

 

In the second game we had big guns never tire on a diagonal set up. The Iron Hands player has used his extra points to add a lascanon razorback, and a full tactical squad to his list.

 

There were 5 counters in total to capture, 2 in each deployment zone and one in near the centre of the board. Iron Hands set up first but I got first turn again. Both sister sqauds ran for an objective each (the center one and the one on the edge of my deployment zone) and my exorcists hung back on the other objective in my half. One exorcist got a good set of shots off on a lascanon dread and blew it up whilst my sisters shot some single bolter shots into a 5 man combat squad on the edge of the Iron hands deployment zone killing one.

 

In response the Iron hands were able to immobilise an exorcist but nothing else.

 

In turn 2 the 2nd dread lost its lascanon and the razorback blew up but the combat squad with a flamer got out unhurt. The previously injured marine combat squad got focus fired by sisters and were wiped out.

 

The Iron hands responded by moving the dread towrards the forge master, killing a couple of sisters in holding the center objective and not doing anymore to the tanks at the back.

 

Turn 3 started with the sister quads getting better position on the objectives and the exorcists blowing up a couple of marines from the combat squad that was previously in the razorback that were heading deeper into my deployment zone.

 

The Iron Hand turn 3 saw another sister die and the dread have its arm fixed by the forge master. Unfortunately its new position next to the master meant it could not see the undamaged tank leaving leaving it to fire ineffectively at the immobile tank.

 

Turn 4 saw the razorback combat squad get blown away by exorcists, and a marine from another combat sqaud get splatted by the sister sqaud in the centre.

 

Iron hands in turn 4 were unable to do any damage thankfully due to some unlucky rolling for him.

 

In turn 5 my sisters killed two more marines and my exorcists failed to hit anything.

 

The 2 forward iron hands attempted a charge on the unit in cover but only the sergeant survived the over-watch on the way in and met a canoness, with rerolls to hit, to wound and to her save who subsequently introduced him to the business end of her eviserator.

 

Random Game length stopped the game at the end of turn 5 leaving me with first blood and three objectives to the Iron Hand's 1.

 

So my suspicions that my strength would not grow quite as well as the Eldar was correct, I'm dreading 1000pts and higher when he starts using 2 farseers. I was a bit foolish in trying to get my sisters up close but the range advantage on the war walkers and the bikes, wave serpent and bikes would mean they could still get to me even if I hid and tried to jump the middle objective late game. I'm finding that the exorcists are at times far to hit and miss, a couple of turns of rolling 1 on the D6 for number of hits makes them struggle to earn their points back.

 

The 2nd game went better because the Iron Hands player is very static and he holds back hoping his missiles and lascannons can do the trick, meaning I have a lot of choice targets for my exorcists and can take better board position to pick on what I want.

 

So a couple of 1000 pts games is the next level. I'm looking at adding an Inquisitor with libre heresius and grenades to my canoness' unit and a 5 man dominion sqaud with meltas and an immolator so that I can close on the enemy very early on. Although this may change if the new Imperial Guard provide a decent unit in carapce armour to stand in for Imperial Stormtroopers.

 

Beyond that is a 1500 set of games for which I am thinking adding a Knight to threaten power armour squads.

[Da Taz]

You could try and arm your squads with a meltagun and a heavy flamer. You never know when a tank shot can happen and they work well on marines. The heavy flamer is so much better then the regular flamer so go the extra points. You may want to add another exorcist so you field the most power you can! They work so well on so much. If you can get repessors and place your sisters in there! Heavy Flamer, Storm Bolter, Front armor of 13 and six sisters can shoot out of it from under cover! So if you go for Domm's place them in it! More armor, longer range and the sisters are able to shoot under cover! So by putting 5 or 6 domm's with meltaguns in one means that they can all shoot while under cover and then still hit almost anything hard! Well worth their points! You can also look at getting some Death Cults. They make a really great counter attack unit and if you put one of your priests in it they get some nice rerolls and war hymms!

[thade]

You never know when a tank shot shock can happen....

Well, I know one time a tank shock will happen for certain: if I have even a single Rhino still alive at the top of turn 3. It's a tank shock party!

[oreaper84]

You need some mobility ma friend, the sisters need to get to grips and that is double against elveses. Repressors are choice but if not rhinos will work in a pinch. Thing is if you have other AV targets something well get where it needs to be. Thats how i roll, throw everything at the enemy and what dies.... well it died in the name of teh emperor, what lives will drown the enemy in holy trinity. Prioritise targets and destroy :)

[WarriorFish]

Agreed, the trick with eldars is to accept you won't be as mobile as them but you should never surrender your own mobility because of this.

[Banjulhu]

Mobility is my current concern. I can't afford to go out and buy a repressor and its rules so am stuck with rhinos and immolators. Due to the unit size of the heavy flamer sister squad once the priests and canoness are in there a transport is out which is why the scouting inquisitor was going to be added to give them a boost (also a Divination psyker helps big time). A mounted dominion unit seems the most logical next step, one forward tank that gets a 12 inch redeploy before turn one should be easy enough to hide out of the way so as to not give up an easy first blood if my opponent goes first.

 

The melta and heavy flamer mix I am not to keen on, I've tried it before and found the squad to be too split on its purpose, on top of that I currently only have 5 meltagun sisters 4 of which are usually in a dominion sqaud, but I might give it another run out in my canoness' unit.

[oreaper84]

Current little trick is to have a div Inquisitor in a transport with the girls, cast precience before they move, move and disembark the girls leaving the inquisitor in the car that way they are then elig in the shooting phase for thier AoF. Works with any squad. Did it once with a large Ret squad in a Rhino :)

[Banjulhu]

Shame the Inquisitor is a battle brother ally so cant get into a vehicle with the sisters

[Naminé]

Penitent Engines rip wave serpents apart... Just run them down the middle of the board in with power maul priest/repentia support. Combine with outflanking doms and it forces him into the middle of the board and in the way of your assault forces. Meanwhile exorcists deal with warwalkers very well.

 

Your experience with exorcists is not uncommon and a prime reason why they cannot be relied upon to do all of the heavy lifting. They are better for taking opportunities and support fire to mop up.