Expanding my imperial forces to sisters!

[War Angel]

Greetings fellow imperial commanders,

 

I have been buying a few sister boxes here and there since the large box released.... 2 years ago? I haven’t yet built anything yet due to prior projects, and not yet knowing what kind of force I want to build. Or how I want to paint them.

 

I’m thinking of doing a white armor and yellow robe look, maybe a splash of red somewhere, perhaps the weapons?

 

What I haven’t figured out yet is what kind of force I want to do, I can’t just collect everything because I’ll be over extending my budget as is. I hear that sisters can do it all, so I want something to compliment my current armies, or contrast? My guard army is a pure infantry horde, and my space marine collection is a full force imperial fist successors, multiple companies to chose from, complete with support elements.

 

So what would you guys suggest for an army type/ style? I have no real understanding of how sisters play yet.

[ThePenitentOne]

Well, that's not a lot to go on; as you've pointed out, our range offers quite a few options, and there are more on the way- which is kind of an important point: with the previews, there's some speculation that our dex might come soon, and when it does, it could shake things up a bit.

 

So a few things to keep in mind: Battle Sisters are our only troops choice, so it's usually good to pack a few of those. Beyond that, you may want to think about whether you prefer the pristine, holy look of the sisters or the ragged fanatical look of the repentia and Ecclesiarchy battle conclaves. The former have a higher concentration of shootiness, while the latter are heavy on close combat. Perhaps you want a mix of both...

 

From a fluff point of view, it's sometimes helpful to think of what your collection will represent. You mentioned that you've got a budget, so your model count may be modest, but it does make a difference whether your force represents a Mission, which is the smallest organizational grouping of sisters, or a Commandery, which is a Company level battle group. The former are less likely to have access to the rarest units than the later. In terms of narrative, unit selection can vary based on whether you see your army as defenders of a shrine or Crusaders of the Faith.

 

Despite having a diverse pool of units, our weapon options are still limited; our shooters are still best at 12".

 

Heavy bolters are good at putting down enemy marines, and we've got lots of options to take them- retributors, mortifiers; the upcoming tank sports three, and we don't know if there's an alternate load out. You could put them on an immolator too, but why?

 

Multimeltas are hot right now too, but you can't take those on mortifiers (Paragons are more likely to have melta access- they are not fallen sisters like mortifiers).

 

It'll be easier to offer advice once you get a few of the big questions out of the way.

Edited March 27, 2021 by ThePenitentOne

[War Angel]

I like the cleaner look of the battle sisters, but I was thinking that seeing as Marines aren’t specifically stabby, that it would be nice to have a more stabby army. While I do have a budget, I’m willing to buy a lot of models for my army, I’m just not looking to buy everything, and have a large amount over 2000 points to switch out with. Obviously as points change I’ll have to tweak things, but baring that I hope to have 2000 points in the collection. For that reason I’ll have to wait until the new codex is out, but I wanted to get a rough idea first. So I guess I want a commandery, as every model in my collection ties in with my Marine army, my rough idea for the fluff is that they will be crusading along side the battle brothers.

 

So far, I’ve got the big start collecting box they did at the relaunch a few years ago, a box of battle sisters, the special one who came with a dark eldar, the special one who looks like the artwork, and I've purchased piety and pain.

 

My Marines can more or less do everything, armored, infantry, company, strike force, whatever. While they have CC, I’m still of the mindset that it’s an option, but not their strong suit, mostly because I haven’t gotten into CC proper since initiative was a thing, and back then other factions would go first and kill your entire squad before you got a chance even after you charged.

 

My guard on the other hand swarm the board, drown the enemy in blood, las fire, and bayonets. Again, not a melee army, but damn if they don’t end up in it from time to time.

 

So what can sisters do to round my crusade out? While still mostly looking like sisters in power armor and less like the fanatics.

[ThePenitentOne]

Excellent. Okay, so you'll have a Cannoness and a Palatine- enough HQ for your Brigade. You'l also have your Immo and Rets! That's a good core.

 

The Seraphim are nice too. If you get another box of Seraphim, build them as Zephyrim so that you can give the Inferno pistols to your Seras from the box set. Dropping to sky strike with the Burning Descent strat on Seras to extent the range of those inferno pistols for tank hunting is pretty baller, and since you want stabby, you'll want Bloody Rose Zephyrim.

 

You'll want to think about how hard you're going to play faith. It's our unique schtick- the stuff no one else gets. If you don't build for it, it'll end up being a cool little bonus every now and again. But if you build to maximize it, you can really make your sisters feel like a holy choir. If you want to do that, make sure someone in your army has the beacon of Faith WL trait and take Incensor Cherubs and Simulacra in every unit that will let you. If you decide to Include Celestine, she's a Beacon of Faith.

 

Given your fluff, the Battle Sanctum doesn't suit your army, but the Triumph of Saint Katherine might- it will bump up your faith game too. It's quite the Centerpiece model though.

 

When you ally with Guard, remember Preachers are as good for them as they are for Ministorum units. Also, because your guard are footsloggers, I like the idea of exorcists and Immos as focuses of Faith- rallying points for the faithful soldiers who will sacrifice themselves to see the Emperor's will made manifest.

[War Angel]

Alright! That’s quite an extensive run down, thanks! What ratio of battle sisters to other stuff do I want?

[ThePenitentOne]

Tough to say; because you'll likely run them as an allied detachment, you may choose to handle all the Obsec with the rest of the force. Obviously though, Sisters are more equipped to hold an objective than guard. But Space Marines are probably better at it than Sisters, and some chapters and units have fun Obsec shenanigans. 

[War Angel]

Oh I plan to also use them as their own force. 2000 points at least

[War Angel]

I’ve decided on bloody rose

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

Greetings fellow imperial commanders,

 

I have been buying a few sister boxes here and there since the large box released.... 2 years ago? I haven’t yet built anything yet due to prior projects, and not yet knowing what kind of force I want to build. Or how I want to paint them.

 

I’m thinking of doing a white armor and yellow robe look, maybe a splash of red somewhere, perhaps the weapons?

 

What I haven’t figured out yet is what kind of force I want to do, I can’t just collect everything because I’ll be over extending my budget as is. I hear that sisters can do it all, so I want something to compliment my current armies, or contrast? My guard army is a pure infantry horde, and my space marine collection is a full force imperial fist successors, multiple companies to chose from, complete with support elements.

 

So what would you guys suggest for an army type/ style? I have no real understanding of how sisters play yet.

are you a patient painter?

my guard and marines both use white as a major color, and painting whit is so freaking annoying, i hear yellow is about the same.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

I like the cleaner look of the battle sisters, but I was thinking that seeing as Marines aren’t specifically stabby, that it would be nice to have a more stabby army. While I do have a budget, I’m willing to buy a lot of models for my army, I’m just not looking to buy everything, and have a large amount over 2000 points to switch out with. Obviously as points change I’ll have to tweak things, but baring that I hope to have 2000 points in the collection. For that reason I’ll have to wait until the new codex is out, but I wanted to get a rough idea first. So I guess I want a commandery, as every model in my collection ties in with my Marine army, my rough idea for the fluff is that they will be crusading along side the battle brothers.

 

So far, I’ve got the big start collecting box they did at the relaunch a few years ago, a box of battle sisters, the special one who came with a dark eldar, the special one who looks like the artwork, and I've purchased piety and pain.

 

My Marines can more or less do everything, armored, infantry, company, strike force, whatever. While they have CC, I’m still of the mindset that it’s an option, but not their strong suit, mostly because I haven’t gotten into CC proper since initiative was a thing, and back then other factions would go first and kill your entire squad before you got a chance even after you charged.

 

My guard on the other hand swarm the board, drown the enemy in blood, las fire, and bayonets. Again, not a melee army, but damn if they don’t end up in it from time to time.

 

So what can sisters do to round my crusade out? While still mostly looking like sisters in power armor and less like the fanatics.

heresy brother! heresy i say!

The Sons of Sanguinius are very stabby!

[War Angel]

 

I like the cleaner look of the battle sisters, but I was thinking that seeing as Marines aren’t specifically stabby, that it would be nice to have a more stabby army. While I do have a budget, I’m willing to buy a lot of models for my army, I’m just not looking to buy everything, and have a large amount over 2000 points to switch out with. Obviously as points change I’ll have to tweak things, but baring that I hope to have 2000 points in the collection. For that reason I’ll have to wait until the new codex is out, but I wanted to get a rough idea first. So I guess I want a commandery, as every model in my collection ties in with my Marine army, my rough idea for the fluff is that they will be crusading along side the battle brothers.

So far, I’ve got the big start collecting box they did at the relaunch a few years ago, a box of battle sisters, the special one who came with a dark eldar, the special one who looks like the artwork, and I've purchased piety and pain.

My Marines can more or less do everything, armored, infantry, company, strike force, whatever. While they have CC, I’m still of the mindset that it’s an option, but not their strong suit, mostly because I haven’t gotten into CC proper since initiative was a thing, and back then other factions would go first and kill your entire squad before you got a chance even after you charged.

My guard on the other hand swarm the board, drown the enemy in blood, las fire, and bayonets. Again, not a melee army, but damn if they don’t end up in it from time to time.

So what can sisters do to round my crusade out? While still mostly looking like sisters in power armor and less like the fanatics.

 

heresy brother! heresy i say!

The Sons of Sanguinius are very stabby!

My space marines are sons of Dorn, and while they can win in a fight, I want something that will blend in a fight.

 

As for painting white, my Marines use a fair bit of white. For these girls, I’ll be priming them white.

[Purifying Tempest]

Hmm... a Bloody Rose augmentation?

 

I may advocate something a bit different.  I think Bloody Rose as an augmentation force really thrives in Vanguard detachments.

 

Normally, you're going to start with a Canoness with Beneficience - she is a blender all on her own.

 

Now for the elites, things get a bit trickier.  If you want to stay a bit more on the pious side, look at Zephyrim.  They're jump sisters with power swords who can really make a mess with their pennant (free re-rolls on charges), and crusade rules favor them with Fleet of Foot I believe it is to trim that 9+ down to 8+ charge from reserve.  Tear Them Down is also a really good stratagem with Zephyrim (and the Power Sword change to get their S from 3 to 4 is also amazing), especially with their innate re-rolling wound rolls.  I normally use the Zephyrim to threatened weakened/exposed flanks, applying pressure to character models who may be unprotected from the rear, etc.  Drop one squad per turn, though, as you'll likely be able to use Miracle Dice to assist with the charge and you'll likely want to use the Stratagem, both of which are impossible if both squads land on the same turn.  If you hit right, you'll likely lose the squad the following turn anyways.  Aside from that, you'll probably want to look at Repentia, who are almost defining Adepta Sororitas armies right now.  A little less on the "clean" side, Repentia are a bit grittier and shows off the darker side of the Sororitas without getting into the Penitent Engines and Flagellants.  Get like 8 of them in a Rhino with the Canoness and any form of priest, or just 9 repentia + Canoness and let the HQ wander off one direction while the Repentia go another.  I've had varying results with Repentia support, and I think just the models alone are good enough, especially if they're not the cornerstone of your army and just an enhancement.

 

All together, look at something like this:

 

Adepta Sororitas Vanguard Detachment (-3 CP)

Canoness with Chainsword and Brazier of Holy Fire (brazier optional, but I like having it), spend 1 CP to upgrade Chainsword to Beneficience

 

5x Zephyrim Squad with Pennant

5x Zephyrim Squad with Pennant

9x Sisters Repentia

 

1x Sororitas Rhino

 

Comes out just under 400 points for Matched Play.  17 PL for Crusade.  Will also take 1-2 Requisition points for the Canoness to get her a Warlord Trait (Righteous Rage or Blazing Ire, though I'd favor Righteous Rage) and the relic.  So all-in-all, can be done for about 5 RP including Supply increases.  Not sure if you were referring to Crusade as in whatever Crusade your Astartes pretend to be on, or the narrative system for 9th :D  So I included the crunch for that, too.

 

If you want to expand from there, definitely Battle Sister squads to get your troops hammered out.  Celestine is a really good addition with a decent melee pop.  Can never go wrong with an Exorcist.  And if you wait a bit, no timetable yet, the Paragon warsuits look like they can take the army in a totally new direction with having what I view as baby Nemesis Dreadknights at our disposal now... and they may even squad.

 

Though at the end of it... maybe sitting on the idea for a bit to see how this new wave of models is going to affect the range.  I imagine it'll either be delivered with one of the setting books; or, more likely, in a 9th edition codex.  Though, I don't think you can really go wrong with the units mentioned above in the list or the suggestions for further expansion.  They're all pretty solid right now.

 

My two cents, there :)  And definitely like the idea of more Sororitas keeping those wayward Astartes in line.  Make sure they keep the... proper level of faithfulness in their daily lives (read as: maximum faith!)...

[War Angel]

Yeah, my Marines are a salty bunch. Thanks for the input, I’m definitely going to be waiting before I go too far with this. I do have the sisters starter box from a few years ago, and Thursday I should have the piety and pain box. I also have a box of battle sisters and Saturday I picked up a box of repentia. I plan on doing a little green stuff and some filing to get them to look a little more like the older repentia, covered in scriptures and prayer. Was thinking two units in rhinos was a good for redundancy, and pulling off dismounting charges twice as much. Also really liking the idea of two squads of zephyrim and two of sephyrim, to drop one each on two turns. I had been thinking of celestians but my opponent Friday said they weren’t that great for bloody rose.

 

I was also thinking about using dominions because of their shoot twice strat, and heavy bolters being so good right now, but the new warsuits might be a more righteous choice. And seeing as I’ll have it, an immolator, possibly to put a squad of retributors in, seeing as they can shoot full BS after moving, so it would effectively be able to increase their threat range.

 

I do worry about my foot print though, even though much of my army is only T3, it’s still not much bigger than my space marine army at the same point level.

[Danosborne]

Your opponent saying that celestians weren’t best as bloody rose seems incorrect to me. In my opinion bloody rose is one of the best ways to run them, it makes the most of their extra attack and weapon skill 3.

[ThePenitentOne]

Your opponent saying that celestians weren’t best as bloody rose seems incorrect to me. In my opinion bloody rose is one of the best ways to run them, it makes the most of their extra attack and weapon skill 3.

 

I agree.

 

Also: Celestians are bodyguards, so if you're up against someone with a lot of weapons that ignore "Look out Sir!" they are good for keeping characters alive- no one wants Beneficence to end up in hand to hand.

[War Angel]

Alright! Awesome. I’ll look back at putting them into my list.

 

Speaking of which, I did post a list in the army list section sometime the other day