Order of the Blue Robe

[Dusktiger]

So this year i decided to make a sisters of battle force. I really liked the look of the army back in 5th edition when i had commission painted the classic pewter line for a local, and had decided if they ever came out in plastic, i'd make a force of my own. Part of the draw to the army is the overall aesthetic, and the iconography for the army is very close to my family's coat of arms. So naturally, i pulled inspiration from that to decide on the army's livery.

To start off, the main battleline sisters will look like this: Silver armor, with blue robes. the lining of the robes will be white. the faceplates are also white. Finally, black gloves, and all weapon casings will be white. the army painter is a little outdated, but, any of the metal garter belt things the models come with will be gold, and the buttons on the robe skirt and sleeves are silver. as some of the chests come with clasps, those will be gold with brown leather where appropriate.

Next is the Sister superiors. all of the Fleurs, and whatever decorative design is on the rebreather, will all be painted gold. and the corsets are painted black. It's a shame only the retributor squad comes with the fancy backpacks for the superiors, as i wouldve liked to use those on all the superiors.

I havent decided yet if i feel like making Dominions different at all or not. I might keep the standard colors so i can mix and match weapons as the collection grows.

However, I did decide top make Celestians differ, since it seems to be the norm in the new codex's artwork. So for these, all the fancy decorations and the backpack trim is gold, and the robes and corsets are black, with blue lining. This design was basically copying how OoOML examples in the codex looked.

Lastly, the Cannoness. So like the Celestians, these get all decorations in gold. The corset and the robe lining will be black.

That's it for now on the livery, i'll post more as i decide on what i want to put in the collection so i have a basis on what to buy first.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Dusktiger

[Aqui]

Good to see you here, Dusktiger ^_^ I'm looking forward to seeing how your army progresses :)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

What is the "blue robe" that is your Order's namesake? Clothing an Ecclesiarch gave the Order's founder when the latter was cold, an act of charity that was never forgotten? An Imperial saint's burial shroud? A poetic term for the ocean over which the Order fought its first battle?

[Dusktiger]

Hmmm, good question. Mainly, I just used an existing order name that GW made that didn't have any artwork examples. At the time, it sounded good enough for the livery scheme, but I haven't thought out any backstory to it yet as creative writing's difficult for me. The best I can manage is study notes style writing, which probably shows in how I describe stuff.

[Aqui]

Perhaps the blue is the death shroud of the Orders' originator and were renamed to reflect this from another name. The colour blue might be something of importance to them (a holy colour, maybe)

 

If its okay with you, I wouldnt mind mulling over a little piece, and see where I go with it :)

[Dusktiger]

Thatd be awesome, I'd appreciate that

[Dusktiger]

+ + + =][= Pic Dump pending =][= + + +

here's a gallery of my WIPs so far:

My Celestine (had to convert her a bit cause i lost a couple bits when we moved.)

here's my Cannoness:

Some celestians:

first battle sister squad:

Edited July 22, 2020 by Dusktiger

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on your Living Saint and Canoness.

 

One proposed reason the Sisters don blue robes: Tau blood is blue. The robes symbolize the Sisters' determination to defend the Imperium from those insidious xenos, by purging the Emperor's realm of their influence.

 

The First Canoness may have had a white robe; she was martyred in the act of carving her way through a Ethereal's battlesuit-clad bodyguards, and killing the Tau leader, to preserve one of the Emperor's worlds for the Imperium. Her robe- stained blue with Tau blood- became the funeral shroud she was buried in.

[Dusktiger]

thats pretty good. my one buddy plays tau, so he might be amused by that; afterall, i often tease him by singling out specific "good" units in his army and proclaiming its existence offends me, before wiping it off the table.

here's the wips of my retributor squad as well.

Retributor squad:

Edited July 22, 2020 by Dusktiger

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the Retributors. How will you decorate their bases?

[Dusktiger]

So, as i mentioned before about the collection, i have been looking at some net lists to get a feel of what's been working well for players so far, and seeing which of the well performing stuff piques my interests for army theme, rule of cool, and personal play-style.
 
so far, the lists that stood out to me were:
 
list A; dubbed "fight before Christmas". i forget the player's name, but i think it was one of the lists that finished 4th overall at one of the Opens or GTs.

+++Valorous Heart Brigade+++
Cannoness - Power Sword, Bolter, Rod of Office, WT: Indomitable Belief. (as per the FAQ, i understand this wargear combo is now invalid?)
Cannoness - Chainsword, Brazier of Holy Fire
St Celestine

Imagifier - Relic: Book of St Lucius
Dialogus - Relic: Litanies of Faith
9 Celestians - Superior, 2x Storm Bolters

5 Battle Sisters - 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - 2x Storm Bolters

7 Seraphim - 2x Pairs of Inferno Pistols
7 Seraphim - 2x Pairs of Inferno Pistols
7 Seraphim - 2x Pairs of Inferno Pistols

Exorcist
Exorcist
Exorcist

+++Bloody Rose Vanguard Detachment+++
Cannoness - Chainsword, Brazier of Holy Fire, Relic: Beneficience

Preacher
Repentia Superior
7 Repentia
10 Zeraphym

Rhino - 2 Storm Bolters (which the codex shows cant be done, so only 1 storm bolter)

Pregame
-1CP for Litanies of Faith relic
-1CP for Beneficience relic

 
 
and then there was List B: this LVO list:

++ Valorous Heart Battalion Detachment ++
 
Canoness - Blessed Blade, Inferno pistol, Relic: Litanies of Faith, Warlord, Warlord Trait: 4. Beacon of Faith
St. Celestine
 
10 Battle Sisters - Superior, 2x Storm bolters
10 Battle Sisters - Superior, 2x Storm bolters
10 Battle Sisters - Superior, 2x Storm bolters
 
Imagifier - Tale of the Stoic
 
Exorcist
Exorcist
Exorcist
 
++ Bloody Rose Battalion Detachment ++
 
Open the Reliquaries [-1CP]: 1 Additional Relics of the Ecclesiarchy
 
Cannoness - Inferno pistol, Chainsword, Relic: Beneficence, Heroine in the Making [-1CP], WT: Righteous Rage
Missionary - Bolt Pistol and Shotgun
 
5 Battle Sisters - Superior, Storm Bolter
5 Battle Sisters - Superior, Storm Bolter
 
5 Battle Sisters - Superior
 
Imagifier - Tale of the Warrior
Repentia Superior
8 Sisters Repentia
8 Sisters Repentia
 
7 Seraphim - Superior, 2x pairs of Hand Flamers
7 Seraphim - Superior, 2x pairs of Hand Flamers
 
2 Penitent Engines - 2x Heavy Flamers, 2x Penitent buzz-blades each
 
Sororitas Rhino - Storm bolter
Sororitas Rhino - Storm bolter

 
both had interesting things in it, so tweaking the lists, i came up with this as my purchasing list for a 2000pt army:

++ Valorous Heart Brigade Detachment [14CP, 1,436pts] ++

+ Configuration +
Battle-forged CP [3CP]
Detachment CP [12CP]

+ Stratagems +
Open the Reliquaries [-1CP]: Additional Relics of the Ecclesiarchy

+ HQ +
Canoness - Blessed Blade, Inferno pistol, Relic: Blade of Admonition, Warlord, WT: 4. Beacon of Faith
Canoness - Chainsword, Inferno pistol
St. Celestine

+ Troops +
5 Battle Sisters - Superior with Chainsword, 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - Superior with Chainsword, 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - Superior with Chainsword, 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - Superior with Chainsword, 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - Superior with Chainsword, 2x Storm Bolters
5 Battle Sisters - Superior with Chainsword, 2x Storm Bolters

+ Elites +
5 Celestians - Superior with Chainsword, 2x Storm Bolters
Dialogus - Relic: Litanies of Faith
Imagifier - Tale of the Stoic

+ Fast Attack +
5 Seraphim - Superior, 2x pairs of Hand Flamers
5 Seraphim - Superior, 2x pairs of Inferno Pistols
5 Seraphim - Superior, 2x pairs of Inferno Pistols

+ Heavy Support +
Exorcist
Exorcist
Exorcist

++ Bloody Rose Vanguard Detachment +1CP [-1CP, 556pts] ++

+ Stratagems +
Open the Reliquaries [-1CP]: Additional Relics of the Ecclesiarchy

+ HQ +
Canoness - Bolt pistol, Chainsword, Relic: Beneficence, Heroine in the Making [-1CP], WT: Righteous Rage

+ Elites +
Preacher - Chainsword, Laspistol
Repentia Superior - Bolt pistol
7 Sisters Repentia
10 Zephyrim - Superior

+ Heavy Support +
Mortifiers
. Anchorite: 2x Heavy bolter, 2x Penitent buzz-blades
. Mortifier: 2x Heavy bolter, Penitent buzz-blade, Penitent Flail

+ Dedicated Transport +
Sororitas Rhino - Storm bolter

++ Total: [13CP, 1,992pts] ++

 

naturally, my Blue Robe will be the Valorous Heart detachment.  And i think i'll paint Bloody Rose in their official scheme, since i do like red anyways, and it will make it easy to tell the detachments apart.

Good job on the Retributors. How will you decorate their bases?

that i really havent decided on yet.  once there's more of them assembled in front of me, i'll make a decision on what i think would work best for the livery

[bkde]

Instead of making the Blade of Admonition Canoness the warlord (because she'll want to be up close stabbing things with her killy sword) which almost guarantees she'll give up Kingslayer, put the warlord on the other canoness in the valourous heart detachment, drop the inferno pistol (as she'll never use it), give her plasma/power sword and rod of office, or just keep her bolt pistol/chainsword and have her beacon of faith/babysit the exorcists.

 

Good job on the paint progress so far.  Are you using contrast paints?

[Bjorn Firewalker]

 

Good job on the Retributors. How will you decorate their bases?

that i really havent decided on yet. once there's more of them assembled in front of me, i'll make a decision on what i think would work best for the livery

My suggestion- admittedly an expensive, and thus, possibly impractical one- is to buy infantry models from armies your own will face, and pile those models at the feet of your own, to represent enemies killed in battle. Naturally, the "enemy" models won't be fully assembled; the bases will be stained with color appropriate for the enemy's blood, e.g., blue for the insidious Tau.

[Dusktiger]

Instead of making the Blade of Admonition Canoness the warlord (because she'll want to be up close stabbing things with her killy sword) which almost guarantees she'll give up Kingslayer, put the warlord on the other canoness in the valourous heart detachment, drop the inferno pistol (as she'll never use it), give her plasma/power sword and rod of office, or just keep her bolt pistol/chainsword and have her beacon of faith/babysit the exorcists.

 

Good job on the paint progress so far. Are you using contrast paints?

I have been mulling that very change over on the cannonesses all day actually.

 

Yes, the paints are contrast with Vallejo liquid gold and silver, and leadbelcher. The rest is all contrast on white primer.

[Dusktiger]

painting progress! i swear, this thing takes way too long to paint. definitely spacing out these exorcists through the paint queue.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Dusktiger

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on the Exorcist.

[Dusktiger]

with the purchase of another 2 boxes of BSS, here's my progress so far, with the first box having been opened:

monday morning:

and today:

Edited July 22, 2020 by Dusktiger

[Sagentus]

great start to the an army ... nice paint scheme too!

[Trokair]

Slightly random, but I came across this today and remembered this thread and your well painted sisters.

 

https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Order_of_the_Blue_Robe
 

It’s not a lot of information, but apparently there is an Order of the Blue Robe.

[Dusktiger]

yep, that's where i got the name from.  Since im bad at making up names, i chose one from the list of minor orders on the lexicanum database.

So reviewing some of the army lists on here this week, and revising what i'm willing to paint (exorcists are bloody tedious), I'm aiming for this for the time being.  but later i think i might add mortifiers to the collection to swap out when i feel like it.

 

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP [41 PL, 8CP, 720pts] ++

+ Configuration +
Battle-forged CP [3CP]
Detachment CP [5CP]
Order Convictions: Order: Valorous Heart

+ HQ +
Canoness [3 PL, 58pts]: Chainsword, Condemnor Boltgun, Null Rod, Relic: Litanies of Faith, Warlord, WT: Beacon of Faith

Missionary [2 PL, 38pts]: Chainsword, Bolt Pistol and Shotgun

+ Troops +
Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 49pts]
. 2x Battle Sister
. 2x Battle Sister w/ Storm bolter
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun

Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 49pts]
. 2x Battle Sister
. 2x Battle Sister w/ Storm bolter
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun

Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 49pts]
. 2x Battle Sister
. 2x Battle Sister w/ Storm bolter
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun

+ Elites +
Celestian Squad [6 PL, 92pts]
. 5x Celestians

. 2x Celestians w/ Flamer

. Celestian Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun

Imagifier [2 PL, 45pts]: Tale of the Stoic

+ Heavy Support +
Exorcist [8 PL, 170pts]: Exorcist Missile Launcher, Heavy bolter

Exorcist [8 PL, 170pts]: Exorcist Missile Launcher, Heavy bolter

 

 

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP [22 PL, 5CP, 393pts] ++

+ Configuration +
Detachment CP [5CP]
Order Convictions: Order: Valorous Heart

+ HQ +
Celestine [8 PL, 160pts]

Missionary [2 PL, 38pts]: Chainsword, Bolt Pistol and Shotgun

+ Troops +

Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 69pts]
. 2x Battle Sister
. Battle Sister w/ Multi-melta
. Battle Sister w/ Storm bolter
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun

Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 69pts]
. 2x Battle Sister
. Battle Sister w/ Multi-melta
. Battle Sister w/ Storm bolter
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun

Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 57pts]
. 2x Battle Sister
. Battle Sister w/ Heavy bolter
. Battle Sister w/ Storm bolter
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun

 

 

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP [47 PL, 3CP, 858pts] ++

+ Configuration +
Detachment CP [5CP]
Order Convictions: Order: Bloody Rose

+ Stratagems +
Open the Reliquaries [-1CP]: 1 Additional Relic of the Ecclesiarchy

+ HQ +

Canoness [3 PL, -1CP, 64pts]: Chainsword, Inferno pistol, Null Rod, Relic: Beneficence, Heroine in the Making, WT: Righteous Rage

Canoness [3 PL, 55pts]: Blessed Blade, Condemnor Boltgun

+ Troops +

Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 49pts]
. 4x Battle Sister
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun, Power sword

Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 49pts]
. 4x Battle Sister
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun, Power sword

Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 49pts]
. 4x Battle Sister
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun, Power sword

+ Elites +

Imagifier [2 PL, 45pts]: Tale of the Warrior

Repentia Superior [2 PL, 35pts]

Sisters Repentia [5 PL, 104pts]: 8x Sisters Repentia

Zephyrim Squad [9 PL, 175pts]
. 9x Zephyrim: 9x Power sword
. Zephyrim Superior: Bolt pistol, Power sword, Zephyrim Pennant

+ Fast Attack +

Seraphim Squad [4 PL, 83pts]
. 2x Seraphim
. Seraphim Superior: Bolt pistol, Bolt pistol
. Seraphim w/ Special Weapons: 2x Inferno Pistols
. Seraphim w/ Special Weapons: 2x Inferno Pistols

Seraphim Squad [4 PL, 83pts]
. 2x Seraphim
. Seraphim Superior: Bolt pistol, Bolt pistol
. Seraphim w/ Special Weapons: 2x Inferno Pistols
. Seraphim w/ Special Weapons: 2x Inferno Pistols

+ Dedicated Transport +

Sororitas Rhino [3 PL, 67pts]: Storm bolter

++ Total: [110 PL, 16CP, 1,971pts] ++

[Trokair]

Fair enough.

 

That is a lot of CP.

 

Also why take the Celestian squad, what exactly is their role in this army?

 

No experiences from actual game play of this but that lone rhino carrying the repentia, I am not sure how far it would get as one of only three tanks in a 2000p list.

[Dusktiger]

with the rhino, im only concerned about it surviving for a turn or two to help move the squad up faster in the event i get a table setup where i need to close distance. (deploying on short edge for example).  playing a T3 army, its no more of an easy kill point than all the units of foot slogging infantry i'll be fielding, and i'm going into any match i play expecting casualties anyways (since itll just give me extra miracle dice anyway).

 

The celestians are there as part modeling and painting opportunity, and part practicality.  so long as they're within 6" of my characters, they're essentially ablative wounds to help deal with snipers trying to take out my warlord.  being able to pass off a wound my beacon of faith/litany of faith warlord suffers from a lucky sniper on a 2+ seems like a good way to deal with snipers to me.  Which is also why i decided to go with 8 of them instead of just 5, so that i can weather a round or two of fire, depending on the type of sniper unit thats shooting.

[Dusktiger]

looks like i've been remiss in posting updates in here, since i've been posting videos of my WIPs on tiktok lately. time to correct this!

some zephyrim:

[Dusktiger]

[Dusktiger]