Home Brew Sisters Decurion

[Drider]

My mind was wandering at work today and I got to thinking about, how could Sisters be given an edge in the current 40k environment without a completely new codex? After a bit of pondering on the matter, I thought without giving them 300+ points of free stuff the next best thing would be to give them a new force organisation option and a bunch of free rules,  you know the type of thing that could be published in a White Dwarf rather than a full on supplement.

 

So here's a shot at a Sisters Decurion. (work in progress) 

 

1+ Core

0-1 Command per Core

1-10 Auxiliary per Core

 

Core

1 Canoness

0-2 Units of Celestians

1-4 Units of Retributors

2-8 Units of Battle Sisters

1-3 Units of Dominions

0-3 Units of Exorcists

Special Rules: While the Canoness from this formation is alive all units gain from this formation gain Objective Secure.

 

(Barebones tax: 310 points)

(Minimum effective setup: ~550 points)

--------------

Command 1

1 Canoness

1 Sororitas Command Squad

Special Rules: While the Canoness from this formation is alive all units can attempt to use their Act of Faith twice during a battle instead of just once, regardless of whether or not the first attempt resulted in a passed or failed Leadership test.

If the Canoness from this Formation is chosen as your Warlord, you can re-roll the result when rolling on the Warlord Traits table in Codex: Adepta Sororitas.

 

(Barebones tax: 130 points)

(Realistic cost: 210+ points)

 

--------------

Auxiliary 1 (Unique)

1 Saint Celestine

Special Rules:

If Saint Celestine is attached to a unit from Auxiliary 2, she gains the benefit of their Formation special rules.

Saint Celestine and any unit of which she is a part of does not scatter when they Deep Strike.

--------------

Auxiliary 2

2-3 Units of Seraphim

Special Rules:

Fearless

Victory Or Martyrdom (all Models in this formation Re-roll Failed Invulnerability Saving throws)

Winged Deliverance (if the unit is held in strategic Reserve, they can Deep Strike at the start of any Friendly Turn.

All Weapons in the formation have the Shred Special Rule on the turn they Deep Strike.

--------------

Auxiliary 3

1-3 Units of Penitent Engines

1-3 Units of Repentia

Special Rules:

Fleet

Rampage

It will not die,

Only In Death Does Duty End (all models in this formation can re-roll failed Feel no pain rolls).

--------------

Auxiliary 4

1-3 Units of Retributors

Requirement: Each unit of Retributors must take an Immolator as a Dedicated Transport.

Special Rules:

Relentless

Fire and Faith (If a unit makes a successful Divine Guidance Act of Faith Roll, all other units in this formation shooting at the same target will gain Rending against the target)

--------------

Auxiliary 5

2-3 Units of Exorcist

Special Rules:

All Units in this formation can re-roll the result when rolling the number of shots fired in the shooting phase.

--------------

Auxiliary 6 (Unique) 

0-1 Uriah Jacobus

2-5 Ministorum Priest

0-1 per Priest (up to a maximum of 6), Ecclesiarchy Battle Conclave

Special Rules: Fleet

 

 

Edit: Added a few more Special rules.

I'm not sure if the Core formation special rules should be watered down to only be the BSS are obsec.

I'm also not sure if the Command formation special rules should have the prerequisite that the Canoness should be the warlord in order to give the army wide simulacrum buff.

Not sure if the Celestine + attached unit does not scatter from deep strike needs to be there or if its to much and i should just take it out.

 

Edit: Adjusted several mandatory units and requirements to better tax formation bonus rules.

[Irbis]

So... if you want to take command squad, you need 2 canonesses? That doesn't make much sense.

[Drider]

In relation to the codex pre req of the Command Squad being unlocked by taking a Canoness, then no it doesn't make much sence. How ever i was thinking of it being more like a points sink for a really cool and potentially very powerful army wide rule.

 

Although a lot of the time the reason folk take a Command Squad is because they can't take Rets. With easier access to heavy support units i figured it would be a fluff way to add a points tax.

[Warsmith Aznable]

I would play this, and I'd be OK with GW giving us something like it.

[Drider]

I'm thinking about a possible alternative for the Core formation, swaping the numbers on the celestians and retributors. i think celestians despite being lack luster might not be to bad as a manditory unit if they have obsec. 

 

1 Canoness

1-4 Units of Celestians

0-2 Units of Retributors

2-8 Units of Battle Sisters

1-3 Units of Dominions

0-3 Units of Exorcists

Special Rules: While the Canoness from this formation is alive all units gain from this formation gain Objective Secure.

[dracpanzer]

I for one wouldn't mind it if our formations were just focused on the parts of our Codex that are weak.

 

I like your PE/Repentia formation.  Fix those and the only thing I see that struggles in the Dex are Celestians.  ObjSec doesn't IMO make Celestians a need to take this unit even if only once in a while.  BSS are ObjSec, cheaper, and work better with Priests. 

 

Not saying I know the best route to fix Celestians, but I think some form of formation buff is the most likely way GW could do it.  Anti-invuln as a special rule or anything half way useful that no other unit in the Dex gets would be a good start.

 

Only other thing I could think of is rather than a Canoness in each formation, perhaps a Palatine (2W baby canoness?) instead of the big boss lady everywhere.

[CaptainHelion]

The Core is strictly worse than the Space Marine's Gladius Strike Force, with the Gladius getting ObSec on every unit with no restrictions. While it's fluffy and cool to only have ObSec whilst the Canoness is still alive, there needs to be more benefits than just that and the Trait rerol, imo.

[sedibear]

The Seraphim already get rerollable Invul Saves from Angelic Visage, the Victory or Martyrdom rule is redundant.

[Drider]

It's the special rules from the Angelic Host apoc formation. I left it like that and gave Celestine the ability to join the unit and benefit from their special rules so she'd get a re-rollable 4++ while also being able to take her on her own as a slightly less powerful version of if she was attached to the Seraphim. 

[CaptainHelion]

I think you'd be better off making Celestine a 0-1 option in Formation 2 rather than that. You can still have a Celestine only formation as well, if you want.

[Drider]

it's definitely an option to do it that way. At first glance it feels a bit of a messy way to go about it, having a celestine only formation and also having a celestine in a formation... more thinking is required.

 

There's more than few people that seem to have already had similar ideas for fan 'dex or formations. I haven't had time to do more than skim these so far but when i get enough time and motivation i'm going to have a good look.

 

Fan 'dex including Ducurion. The presentation on this one could just about pass muster as a legit publication

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/687084.page

 

Ducurion

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/652203.page#7907930

 

Ducurion

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/656440.page#7983969

 

Ducurion

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/692166.page#8682181

 

The people seem to really want sisters to have a ducurion at the very least... In all honestly a couple of data slates tagged onto a supplement or a white dwarf would be the most cost effective way for GW to bring Sisters up to speed without redoing the codex which has all the core tools, just no flashy bits.

[Servant of Dante]

it's definitely an option to do it that way. At first glance it feels a bit of a messy way to go about it, having a celestine only formation and also having a celestine in a formation... more thinking is required.

 

There's more than few people that seem to have already had similar ideas for fan 'dex or formations. I haven't had time to do more than skim these so far but when i get enough time and motivation i'm going to have a good look.

 

Fan 'dex including Ducurion. The presentation on this one could just about pass muster as a legit publication

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/687084.page

 

Ducurion

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/652203.page#7907930

 

Ducurion

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/656440.page#7983969

 

Ducurion

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/692166.page#8682181

 

The people seem to really want sisters to have a ducurion at the very least... In all honestly a couple of data slates tagged onto a supplement or a white dwarf would be the most cost effective way for GW to bring Sisters up to speed without redoing the codex which has all the core tools, just no flashy bits.

I honestly dislike the concept of formations. You bring certain units, and suddenly they get extra rules FOR. NO. REASON.

 

Almost a TTS reference. (ex. the Tau exist for no reason)

 

I can deal with Detachments that give a few extra rules, but I could not care less about all of the formations and formations made out of smaller formations that have proliferated across 40k.

 

That being said, I could see sisters needing such a formation to remain viable.

[Drider]

I know what you mean in terms of bring these exact units and you get a bunch of rules/units/wargear for free, but that's what 40k is turning into.

 

Lets not talk about the Tau, they just shoot at you from a distance and don't even have the decency to pick up a broken glass and try to shank you with it.

 

Yes detachments are one thing, a CAD is a detachment and having thematic FOC that for example gives more fast attack slots to a fast attack oriented army are one thing, but GW have chosen to escalate it well past that. I don't really agree with you on the formations and formations made of smaller formations. I think it's a really cool idea for creating options, people like options. The problem is that when options are created and it's clear that one of them is the best by a margin then options haven't really been created at all, just the illusion of them and really all that's happened is that a bunch of free stuff has been handed out for little to no down side. Free stuff is cool, but it should not be completely free, in order to get it you should have to take something you wouldn't otherwise normally take. Use the example of the normal sisters CAD, most people would go for an hq, a few BSS, a bunch of domions and a few exorcists, maybe celestine and a few seraphim to meat shield. Nobody would take celestians in their current itteration over a normal BSS and nobody would take a HB command squad over HB rets if they had the choice(well maybe the command squad if you mathhammer hard enough). the problem that most fan formations and some of the most notably complained about GW ones have is the stuff they give out for free is way better than the tax for taking them to the extent that it becomes a no brainer. 

 

As i said, it seems to be the way 40k is going and people are impatient for a level playing field where everyone has access to free stuff, rather than the state of affairs we have now where some have and some have not. it also seems kind of ironic that those that have are typically the ones that don't need it as much as the ones that don't have it.

[Servant of Dante]

Yes. I guess the options are good, I just can't stand the getting extra rules for using a formation, even if, say, formations where to cost points.

 

But you are right that it is unfair when some armies have awesome formations while others have mediocre ones or none

[Drider]

The Long War we're talking about something like that the other week.

 

Are free unit's bad for the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xiUULf_BtU

 

IMO yes, no and GW.

Yes, they are bad for the game unless everyone has them then it doesn't matter because when everyone is over powered then no one is.

No, It helps bad units preform better and create an opportunity for people to play the army they want to play.

GW £$£$£$£$£$£$£$$£ 

 

if you told me i could give the bad/average/under used unit i want to take and i can give them the little bit extra they need to be good on the table but i have to pay a tax, like having to take 2 of them instead of just the 1 that i wanted or if i had to take another unit that i wouldn't normally pick. then i'd probably do it to take the unit i wanted.

 

the main offender to this is the free transports the gladius gets, but that exists because people were only taking scouts or scouts on bikes and nobody was taking squads of Tac marines. 

[Servant of Dante]

GW £$£$£$£$£$£$£$$£ 

I mean, it's not like it's a secret. Although, I'm sure the rules writers care about the game.