Alternative Sisters

[BitsHammer]

 

 

That said, I've always been more partial to the idea that Sisters should look more like ornate walking tanks than wearing power armor that's thinner than the robes they wear under it.

 

I've always thought that Witch Hunter Tyrus would provide a good model for how Sisters should look (only with a bob cut). His armor is amazingly ornate and looks hulking, with his out of proportion head. It would provide a good model for new Sisters.

 

That said, the current models are pretty solid, with far better shoulder pads than the Astartes.

IIRC he's wearing terminator armour but even applying the effect to power armor would be good. Walking cathedrals for the lot of them.

[Knight of the Raven]

A sister of battle pretty much is a walking cathedral out to burn you and everything you stand for to ashes.

[BitsHammer]

A sister of battle pretty much is a walking cathedral out to burn you and everything you stand for to ashes.

In fluff, yes. In art the armor seems to be almost painted on a lot of the time. Less ceramite and more paintite.

 

Edit: And let's not get started on the model proportions and how many topics have sprung up on how it looks like carapace armor at best instead of power armor and how Sisters shouldn't get a 3+ armor save. Yes we all know it's ignorance and heresy but the fact is the models, being based on that original art from 2nd Edition are too small and weedy for what they should be. I mean why else would we have seen such heavier looking Sisters in the Witch Hunters codex otherwise? Someone realized that Ceramite should be thick and heavy looking and drew it to match that instead of painting a shiny black layer of "armor" onto the Sister.

 

Yes, this is one of my few real nitpicks about the Army. Everyone has that one pet peeve and this one is mine.

[Acebaur]

 

A sister of battle pretty much is a walking cathedral out to burn you and everything you stand for to ashes.

In fluff, yes. In art the armor seems to be almost painted on a lot of the time. Less ceramite and more paintite.

 

Edit: And let's not get started on the model proportions and how many topics have sprung up on how it looks like carapace armor at best instead of power armor and how Sisters shouldn't get a 3+ armor save. Yes we all know it's ignorance and heresy but the fact is the models, being based on that original art from 2nd Edition are too small and weedy for what they should be. I mean why else would we have seen such heavier looking Sisters in the Witch Hunters codex otherwise? Someone realized that Ceramite should be thick and heavy looking and drew it to match that instead of painting a shiny black layer of "armor" onto the Sister.

 

Yes, this is one of my few real nitpicks about the Army. Everyone has that one pet peeve and this one is mine.

 

 

Keep in mind that power armor =/= bulky fully enclosed, environmentally sealed suit. In the case of Astartes, yes it does. But there are plenty of examples in 40K of power armor that is not fully void capable. Even Sisters armor is only able to sustain the individual for a limited time. 

[BitsHammer]

Even ignoring the lack of void sealing Ceramite shouldn't be paper thin.

[*Furyou Miko]

Fulkes is right.

[Teetengee]

I always figured the lack of bulk was because sisters power armour didn't have the same strength enhancers that space marine power armour had.

[*Furyou Miko]

It does have the strength enhancers though. The only thing Space Marine power armour does that Sisters power armour doesn't is provide sensory feedback and vacuum protection.

[Acebaur]

Even ignoring the lack of void sealing Ceramite shouldn't be paper thin.

Why does it have to be super thick? Also SM armor isnt all that thick compared to the bulk of the marine within

[BitsHammer]

 

Even ignoring the lack of void sealing Ceramite shouldn't be paper thin.

Why does it have to be super thick? Also SM armor isnt all that thick compared to the bulk of the marine within

Ceramite seems to be an enhanced form of the ceramic plates we use in ballistic armor these days. Currently to stop up to three 7.62x54mm rounds it's an inch thick. Now imagining that Ceramite could stop even a .75 Cal round mini-missle with the same thickness means there should be at least an inch of armor. Add in strength enhancing fiber bundles and the wiring for power and we're probably at a minimum of two to three inches of material between the outer skin of the armor and the wearer.

 

And that's with me being fairly generous to the level of protection Ceramite has.

 

So yeah, it shouldn't be paper thin. It should look big and heavy and make the user look pretty :cuss: armored and protected. So like I said before: walking church tanks, not body paint.

 

Edit: to put it visually I'm going to how some examples of third edition art that got that armor right versus the second edition look where the armor is either paper thin or she has literally no ankles.

 

3rd:

http://i.imgur.com/uAdgT1G.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/wvo0XAI.jpg

 

2nd:

http://i.imgur.com/atsejxu.jpg

 

I think the differences are a lot clearer this way and illustrate my point better. All current Sisters models are based more on 2nd Edition's design and not 3rd's and I feel it's a shame. If a third party company came out with Sisters that felt more like 3rd edition's heavy armor look I'd actually buy it. But we keep getting paper thin armor I wouldn't issue to a guardsman and that just annoys me.

[Servant of Dante]

I just look past the armour thing, it doesn't bother me much. Of course, I do agree with Fulkes. The thing with 3rd party sculpts is that they aren't going to look exactly like the GW ones except bulkier. Because copyright (or whatever portion of the law you all know I mean). A sculpt would have to be in exactly the same style as gw before I would consider it.

[Teetengee]

It does have the strength enhancers though. The only thing Space Marine power armour does that Sisters power armour doesn't is provide sensory feedback and vacuum protection.

I always figured the marine armour had more because it needed to move the big fat marine around. Sisters don't need as much bulk because they don't have as much to start with. (Considering the size of a marine, the weight of the marine+armour necessary to cover them is probably 3-4 times that of a Sister, before considering the weight of the engines used to move that extra weight...)

 

I'm not saying it should be without bulk, but only that the amount of bulk that is in marine armour is entirely unnecessary for sisters, as it isn't really there for increased performance, just increased load.

[BitsHammer]

 

 

It does have the strength enhancers though. The only thing Space Marine power armour does that Sisters power armour doesn't is provide sensory feedback and vacuum protection.

I always figured the marine armour had more because it needed to move the big fat marine around. Sisters don't need as much bulk because they don't have as much to start with. (Considering the size of a marine, the weight of the marine+armour necessary to cover them is probably 3-4 times that of a Sister, before considering the weight of the engines used to move that extra weight...)

 

I'm not saying it should be without bulk, but only that the amount of bulk that is in marine armour is entirely unnecessary for sisters, as it isn't really there for increased performance, just increased load.

Even if the weight of the armor isn't the same they're still based on the same STC, the Sisters are more closely tied to the Thunder Armor pattern than the current marks (no void sealing, no black carapace). The thickness doesn't really change, and part of that difference in weight is the suit's muscle fibers, as the larger armor would both need more and have more room for more.

[Spacefrisian]

Turns out that the battle sisters are using the japaneses power armour version (yes besides the US the Japanese made one as well now), guess what, its not bulky btw.

 

I think that debunks the general consensus of PA having to be bulky. (i saw it on NHK btw)

[BitsHammer]

Turns out that the battle sisters are using the japaneses power armour version (yes besides the US the Japanese made one as well now), guess what, its not bulky btw.

 

I think that debunks the general consensus of PA having to be bulky. (i saw it on NHK btw)

If I wasn't posting by phone I'd eyeroll right here.

 

So tell me then, where does the STC for Oceania Power armor come from and why does it come with such heavy design influencea from European culture?

[Spacefrisian]

Cause that tends to look no further than Europe. Just like school history books from way back only tended to focus on Europe and America (maybe 1 sentence about China).

 

EG broaden your perspective and a world will open up for you.

[Aqui]

Which has nothing to do with the topic at hand. Alternatives for Sisters are not plentiful, but ultimately what Sisters players are willing to use (or not) is up to them. There is not right or wrong answer, just personal preference

[*Furyou Miko]

Yep.

 

Sexy Sisters are still wrong though on every conceptual level, though, given their in-fluff backstory and RL inspirations.

[Knight of the Raven]

Yeah, they'd probably rather die than pretend they're the Emperor's brides instead of His daughters after what Vandire did to them.

 

How I would love to see a scene where his rosarius rolls a one when he asks a soldier to shoot him in front of the future Sisters of Battle.

 

To be on topic, I thought the demigryph knights had good Sabbat-looking helmets, but I was apparently wrong. Guess there are still skitarii!

[Teetengee]

Yep.

 

Sexy Sisters are still wrong though on every conceptual level, though, given their in-fluff backstory and RL inspirations.

Just to be clear, I am in no way advocating Sexy sisters, because that would be dumb.

I was just saying that sense the sister's armour has no need to move around the bulk of a space marine it doesn't need to accommodate the space to incorporate the extra motors and such. Still needs to be fairly thick though (I would guess at least 3-4 inches).

[BitsHammer]

 

 

Yep.

 

Sexy Sisters are still wrong though on every conceptual level, though, given their in-fluff backstory and RL inspirations.

Just to be clear, I am in no way advocating Sexy sisters, because that would be dumb.

I was just saying that sense the sister's armour has no need to move around the bulk of a space marine it doesn't need to accommodate the space to incorporate the extra motors and such. Still needs to be fairly thick though (I would guess at least 3-4 inches).

Yes, Sisters don't need as much in terms of the motive fibers to move their armor, which is good because assuming it to be roughly as thick as Marine armor it doesn't have the space. If they were wearing something akin to Terminator armor then we could argue it'd be thick enough to be strength enhancing beyond compensating for combat loads.

 

Sisters have less fibers and less total armor because it's for a smaller person not because it's less bulky. It needs less volume is the real difference. Just like power armor on any regular human versus Marine armor really.

[Servant of Dante]

 

 

Yep.

 

Sexy Sisters are still wrong though on every conceptual level, though, given their in-fluff backstory and RL inspirations.

Just to be clear, I am in no way advocating Sexy sisters, because that would be dumb.

I was just saying that sense the sister's armour has no need to move around the bulk of a space marine it doesn't need to accommodate the space to incorporate the extra motors and such. Still needs to be fairly thick though (I would guess at least 3-4 inches).

Yes, Sisters don't need as much in terms of the motive fibers to move their armor, which is good because assuming it to be roughly as thick as Marine armor it doesn't have the space. If they were wearing something akin to Terminator armor then we could argue it'd be thick enough to be strength enhancing beyond compensating for combat loads.

 

Sisters have less fibers and less total armor because it's for a smaller person not because it's less bulky. It needs less volume is the real difference. Just like power armor on any regular human versus Marine armor really.

 

Yes, but I would say the current models aren't quite bulky enough, even though the armour isn't SM thick.

[BitsHammer]

I too think the current models aren't bulky enough though I disagree and say that Marines and Sisters have the same armor thickness, the difference is not in thickness (which would decrease protection if it was thinner, good-bye 3+) but in the extra secondary systems (food/drug injectors, black carapace connections, extra feedback sensors), lack of void sealing and the amount of extra muscle fiber needed to compensate for the extra girth of the Marine armor.

[Teetengee]

I too think the current models aren't bulky enough though I disagree and say that Marines and Sisters have the same armor thickness, the difference is not in thickness (which would decrease protection if it was thinner, good-bye 3+) but in the extra secondary systems (food/drug injectors, black carapace connections, extra feedback sensors), lack of void sealing and the amount of extra muscle fiber needed to compensate for the extra girth of the Marine armor.

In a sense that contributes to the armour thickness though, doesn't it? It depends on whether by armour you mean the whole suit or just the ceramite plating.

 

Yeah, the current sisters models could also do with a bit of a bulking up.

[Servant of Dante]

I could go either way. Same or slightly less thick. I lean toward slightly less thick dye to the lack of certain support systems. To be clear, I would definitely argue that both boast the same thickness of actual ceramite.