How do Sisters "actually" play?

[Montford]

Arm two your Seraphim with Inferno Pistols: the job of the other 8 in the Squad are to keep those two Sisters alive by taking wounds. You'll need that when you move them within 3" of an enemy target you want to destroy. ;)

[ThePenitentOne]

There was a very interesting build sisters could do previously, that I'm interested in trying again at some point.

It was a list based on our unhinged units (Arcos, PE, and priests), so not technically sisters.

 

Could be fun to run as a Spearhead detachment.

 

1 Missionary

2 Priest

3 x 4 Penitent Engines

2 x 4 Mortifiers

10 x 5 Arco Flagellants

 

That should be close to 100 power and 2000 points.

 

And nothing over 5 man units, so no blast shenanigans.

 

Very similar to my Penitent Legion. Mortifiers are technically Sororitas units- they don't get <Order> traits or sacred rites, but they can use Sororitas only strats (Holy Rage!).   For that reason, I'd switch one of your Pennies to Morts. I'd also arm all 12 morts with HB to give the army some shooting. If you're playing Matched, remember Ro3 is baked into missions now, so 10 units of Arcos isn't happening.

 

 

I'm liking the idea of Retributors with heavy flamers. That fits the idea of a Purgation operation that fits my head with what Sisters are all about. 

 

Dominions with 4x storm bolters as chaff clearers/dedicated dakka deliverers. 

 

Then.......Celestians with meltas? AT seems lacking beyond the exorcist. 

 

I'm less drawn to Repentia from a personal taste perspective, and as a BA guy Zeraphim/Seraphim are a bit been-there-done-that to me, but I know they are potentially vital to a Sisters army. 

 

Doms with 4x Storm Bolters are still gross with the Blessed Bolts strat; if you can sneak them into RF, that's 16 AP-2 D2 shots- you're not just clearing chaff.

 

Even 8 of those shots are still good if you're outside RF.

[ValourousHeart]

 

There was a very interesting build sisters could do previously, that I'm interested in trying again at some point.

It was a list based on our unhinged units (Arcos, PE, and priests), so not technically sisters.

 

Could be fun to run as a Spearhead detachment.

 

1 Missionary

2 Priest

3 x 4 Penitent Engines

2 x 4 Mortifiers

10 x 5 Arco Flagellants

 

That should be close to 100 power and 2000 points.

 

And nothing over 5 man units, so no blast shenanigans.

 

Very similar to my Penitent Legion. Mortifiers are technically Sororitas units- they don't get <Order> traits or sacred rites, but they can use Sororitas only strats (Holy Rage!).   For that reason, I'd switch one of your Pennies to Morts. I'd also arm all 12 morts with HB to give the army some shooting. If you're playing Matched, remember Ro3 is baked into missions now, so 10 units of Arcos isn't happening.

 

The list is a powered up version of a 1000 point list I ran with the Witch Hunters codex.  The list was mostly Arcos, Penitent Engines and a Lance Strike. After deployment the only unit I had control over was the Inquisitor and his 3 gun servitors.  Everything else had to drive as fast as it could toward the enemy... except the Lance Strike which was hopefully driving my opponent out of his base.  Anything you could drop behind my lines was overkill for that Inquisitor, and would have been better served trying to slow down that destruction the Arcos and Penitent Engines were causing.

 

This list is under the current points, I haven't bothered trying to update the CA20 points yet, I'll do that when I get my books.  I put in 12 PE and 8 Mort because I had the same idea that you were suggesting, but the points are so close that I don't think there are enough left over points to switch it around to 12 Morts and 8 PE.

[Indefragable]

Went to my FLGS for the first time months due to lockdown, living further away now, reduced funds, and all the other 2020 factors, they had Seraphims, a Hospitalier, Sisters Repentia, and Retributors. I came close to buying the Retributors since that seemed like just the spark I need to get my hobby juices flowing, but I decided against it as I’d rather start with normal Sisters, or a Cannonnes to settle on a paint scheme first.

[ThePenitentOne]

I've only ever painted OoOML, so now I have to learn Bloody Rose and Sacred Rose.

 

My Bloody Rose Crusade is figured out; I can play it using my painted metal OoOML until I finish the real thing in plastic. I just hear they're tweaking points now, so I'm not sure whether it's going to remain valid. I used a lot of slotless options to just pack a 25 PL combat patrol with way more elite MSU than it had any right to expect. Haven't spent the initial 5 RP, but I know I don't want to increase the model count yet.

 

I have so much building and painting to do...

[Indefragable]

Query:

 

Retributors with multi-meltas. Get 36” range, 18” for melta rule, and ignore penalty to move+shoot heavy weapons...

 

...can you give the Superior in the squad a combi-flamer for it to count as both bolter+flamer for Holy Trinity? Alternatively, give the Superior combi-flamer (can she take a hand flamer?) And then have some ablative bolter sisters to qualify for HT?

[dracpanzer]

It has to be different models firing each type of weapon for trinity to work. Combi-flamer on the superior and an extra bolter girl at the least.

[Lemondish]

It has to be different models firing each type of weapon for trinity to work. Combi-flamer on the superior and an extra bolter girl at the least.

I don't think that's true. Even if it's the same model firing two of the weapon types it still counts. The printed codex has a minor change from the beta codex version in which they removed the requirement that it be other models used to trigger it.

[dracpanzer]

Guess so. Hopefully its more useful in 9ed.

[Indefragable]

Ablative wounds are rarely a bad thing, t wouldn’t be a huge deal either way. In fact, my,mental image for a force is shaping up to be min size Troops squads and perhaps max size Retributors to protect the big guns and split Fire bolters onto things...when not using Holy Trinity. Even, I see HT as  something to have up your sleeve when you want that edge to killing something more than a strategy to build around. 

[Charlo]

Yeah, HT is a very incidental stratagem - when it works it will be ace, but it's far too situational to build around outside of perhaps some Retributors/ Dominions jumping out of a transport at close range.