New Sisters Crusade Content Review (WD505)

[ThePenitentOne]

Hey folks- the Orktober issue of White Dwarf (505) contains Sisters specific Crusade content and I wanted to write a bit about it because I think it rocks. 

 

Before we get into the Crusade content itself though, the issue also contains an article about Sisters in the Chalnath sector, so if you're Kill Teaming in Chalnath and you're a Sisters player, the article provides you with some fun background material that you can use to tie your sisters into the setting. Specifically, it details the mobilization of the 5th Preceptory of the Argent Shroud- detailing their response to a Chalnath distress call: they send four battleships, each containing an Invasion Cathedrum and an entire Commandery of Sisters. The Canoness Preceptor and three Canoness Commanders are all named, and their are a few personality quirks assigned to each of these paragons that could help you create them for the table if you were so inclined. The four battleships get separated in the warp; three successfully emerge in various systems of the Chalnath sector, and the article gives you details about the foes each of the three battlegroups encounter. The fourth battleship is missing... But some have had dreams that may foreshadow their re-emergence.

 

The Crusade content isn't specifically linked to this background material.... But obviously, it could easily be used with it.

 

Okay, so with that out of the way, we get to the Crusade content itself. The article provides rules that surround Battle Hymns. Now, when Warcom announced that, I expected these rules to be little more than the previous Battle Hymn rules that existed in 9th... And let's just say GW exceeded my expectations here and knocked it out of the park. In fact, there's so much content that they suggest that you can either combine it with existing content or use it instead of existing content.

 

So basically, before a game, you choose a character to lead the prayers, and she gains the Blessed Orator keyword. Thereafter, once per game any Sororitas character can burn 2 MD at the beginning of the Battle Round to invoke the Battle Hymns. There are six in total, and you can either pick one or randomly generate two. They only last  for the remainder of the round, but they apply to ALL Sororitas characters on the table, and all of them buff the Character's unit. Now, I think it would be a violation of the B&C rules to tell you what all of them do, but they're all pretty cool. I think my favourite increases the value of any Miracle die used by the unit to a max of 6 and if you use a 6, since you can't add the bonus, you get a new MD after you use the 6.

 

There are two new Agendas- one that rewards the use of Hymns and one that allows you to define an objective as Sacred Ground.

 

There are two new requisitions- one which buffs the Hymn rolls if the Blessed Orator is the character you choose to invoke them, and one which allows a Surviving Legendary Character who acted as the Blessed Orator to gain an extra battle trait above and beyond what she would normally be able to take.

 

And then there are 6 new Battle Traits for Characters. Four interact with Battle Hymns in some way, and the other two interact with MD.

 

And then there's the coolest thing: 4 special unique battle traits, each of which can only be assigned to a specific character type- one for an Imagfier, one for a Hospitaller, one for a Dialogus and one for a Dogmata. These do require a Battle Trait slot... Unless you combine them with the Requisition above once the character becomes Legendary, takes their turn leading the pre-battle prayers to become the Bleesed Orator and then survives the battle (which is how I intend to use these... Because after all, if they are unique and special, they deserved to be earned only by the most worthy as the result of a special process).

 

I really like the idea of a a single, specific trait that can only be taken by a specific type of character- I think EVERY faction should have some of these. They remind me of the 9th ed character upgrades like Master Librarian, or Master Haemonculus, and kinda fill the void void left behind when they were removed from 10th. It is perhaps a good thing that unlike 9th, they're Crusade only so we don't have to put up with tourney folk whining about "cognitive burden" because they believe that you have to memorize every rule for every faction cuz that's how to win, or other tourney folk coming for our flavour so they can sacrifice at the altar of "Perfect Balance," which most of us know is an unattainable ideal.

 

Anyway, the TLDR is that that if you're a Crusader who plays Sisters, WD 505 will not disappoint you.

 

[WAR]

Excellent write up @ThePenitentOne! I look forward to picking up this issue now.