What a time to be alive – the new Sisters of Battle are finally arriving! Its been years over years that we waited patiently (or not …) and now the time is nigh that the first Army Sets arrive at their pious servants (And I’m so happy that I got a preorder myself *.*)
Due to his eternal grace though, we already got a ton of informations about the new codex, the new rules and of course many of the new units – even though there are some new units not yet shown in the codex. But hey, the full release is planned for early 2020 (most likely February) and I’m sure we will see a lot of further previews in upcoming events like the Warhammer 40k Open Day at the end of November! As already mentioned by Games Workshop themselves.
Now, it is time to dive into all the new informations I could gather and get a first look at the overall picture that is the new Adepta Sororitas!
(Sources include: 1d4Chan / Warhammer Community / Bell of lost Souls / Spikey Bits / Guerilla Miniature Games)
Overview
The first image to look at, is the Content-list of the new SoB Codex. It is a nice overview of new units and general rules and of course we will find a lot of background informations in the first part of the book.
So first thing to notice, are 5 completely new units in the Army range. We see two new HQs with the Triumph of Saint Katherine and Junith Eruita and also a new Zephyrim Squad, Mortifiers and a Battle Sanctum. More on their datasheets later, but its worth mentioning, that there are neither stats for Canoness Veridyan, nore a Repressor available via Codex, which makes me quite sad 
The rest of the army is well known and I like the fact that we get our Imagifier back! And it got reworked too. Also missing is good old Uriah Jakobus.
💀 HQ-Choices
The Codex comes with 5 HQ-Options. While the Canoness, Celestine and the Missionary are well known, we get the two new units of Triumph of Saint Katherine and Junith Eruita. Uriah Jacobus seems missing …
Canoness
45 Points – Our main HQ-Unit is still the glorious Canoness, but with a few new wargear options that really make a difference. While she won’t be able to swing an Eviscerator, she can now be equipped with a Blessed Blade – a slightely weaker version of the Blade of Admonition! And of course some pretty mean pistols and other ranged weapons.
Only thing I miss for the Canoness, is a Jumppack …
Saint Celestine
160 Points – There were no changes to Saint Celestine compared to the Beta Codex, beside the new abilities (Acts of Faith, Sacred Rites, Shield of Faith) and the reduction of the maximum invulnerable saves to 4+ instead of 3+.
Nothing important to say, she’s still a very cool and powerful unit 🙂 But I still don’t understand why the Geminae are (somehow) individual units now …
Triumph of Saint Katherine
185 Points – “St. Katherine is one of the strangest new kits in the Sisters of Battle Codex. For one, St. Katherine is dead. The whole model is a funerary procession, which of course, is also a powerful leader on the battlefield, because this is 40K. What else were you expecting? In this procession you’ll find the spirit of the founder of the Order of Our Martyred Lady, but all the other Sisters of Battle Orders MIlitant, whose founders spirits are enshrined in this triumphant space coffin.” Source: BoLS
So we get a unit with nothing less than 18 wounds (T3 though with some protecting abilities) – and which I guess will be absolutely mind-blowing to look at. It comes with 14 Melee-Attacks, from which 4 can be performed with a powerful version of a relic sword and 6 bolt pistols for ranged attacks.
In addition to that, depending on its current wounds, the model can use 5 different relices which will all buff your army in around 6″. Just looking at the stats, I guess it will be an auto-include for most armies.
Junith Eruita
110 Points – The second new HQ unit in the Codex, is Junith Eruita, the new Canoness Superior of the Order of our Martyred Lady. (There seems to be a cool story surrounding her) She has a flying vessel and at least a Thoughness of 4! Halleluja … She has nice stats, two Heavy Flamers and a Mace that is at least not bad, but most importantly she has a stronger aura than a usual Canoness, allowing to re-roll hit and wound rolls of 1. And she has a protective aura, buffing the Shield of Faith for nearby units.
The model looks great, but being limited to a specific order is odd. If there were more HQ options I could see it, but now, if you don’t play the OoOSL (great acronym xD) there’s not much left. If Junith will be a strong choice for the battlefield I can’t say though …
Sidenote: Why is Games Workshop always using different descriptions for weapon abilities and such? “When resolving an attack made with this wepoan, do not make a hit roll; it automatically scores a hit” is a really bad version of “This weapon automatically hits its target.” ôo
Missionary
38 Points (from 35) – Also no changes to the Missionary beside the new shotgun he can equip … which is no game-changer I would say.
As I already mentioned, Uriah Jacobus left the squad for some reason (maybe explained in the codex?)
Bonus: Taddeus the Purifier
Not really a part of the Sisters of Battle, but still an interessting character to add as an HQ. Taddeus was introduced in Blackstone Fortress and can be included to a Ministorum army, being some sort of a better Missionary.
Thoughts
To be honest, I’m a little disappointed by the new HQ Section. I was really hoping for a new “common” HQ choice like the Canoness and not two named characters, from which most Orders can only choose one – even though I love the idea and the rules of the Triumph! But what about Living Saints for example?
Beside that, I woud still love to see a Canoness with a Jumppack … seems like enough potential for some new, homebrewed rules.
► Troop – Choices
Yes, there is still only 1 Troop choice for Sisters of Battle, the Battle Sisters themselves. No Frateris Militia or the likes, but that’s ok I guess!
Battle Sisters
9 Points – The backbone of every SoB army and only slightly changed to the Beta codex. You can take squads of 5-15 sisters and you can still equip them with 1 special weapon and 1 heavy weapon (or special weapon). What really changed is the Simulacrum Imperialis, which now enables the unit to perform an Act of Faith, even though an Act was already performed in this phase.
And the Battle Sisters will come in a Multipart Kit!
“No Adepta Sororitas army would be complete without a healthy core of Battle Sisters. The multipart kit will be PACKED with extras – weapons, shrines, a cherub, and the option to build squads of elite Celestians (with awesome Celestian helmets) or Dominions (the special weapons teams of the Adepta Sororitas).” Source: Games Workshop
In addition to that, you can add a censor cherub, allowing you to once per battle generate a Miracle dice by rolling two D6 and choosing one of the results to use instanly with this unit.
The Battle Sisters are still a curious unit. They are relatively cheap and come with boltguns and power armour, but the T3 makes them quite fragile. Keep them in range of a SoF boost and take the right special weapons and you might get a lot out of them.
╬ Elite – Choices
Once again, the codex is full of elite choices to pick from – in this version, we git 12 of them! Reintroducing the Imagifier and for some reason, renaming the Mistress of Repentance.
Preachers and Geminae Superia
16 Points for Geminae, 30 Points for Preachers – Same rules as in the Beta Codex and no new models yet.
Repentia Superior
35 Points – Not only renamed, but also a bit more powerful than before. She got an extra attack (now 4) and the Neural whips are stronger than before, adding 1 to wound rolls against targets with a Ld of less than 7 (formerly 8). Oh, and she got a bolt pistol!
But most importantly, “Driven Onwards” now let’s you re-roll wound rolls of 1 instead of failed hit rolls.
I really think this model got better. Re-rolling 1s to wound should be better than hits-rolls when you get them in range of a canoness.
Sisters Repentia
13 Points – Just like their Superior, the Repentias got an upgrade, but even more powerful. The Penitent Eviscerator are now Ap -3 and they got 2 new abilites. The can generate Miracle Dice when dying (as far as I understood) and they got a Feel no Pain (Ignore wounds) on 5+, making them much more resilient combined with Shield of Faith.
And they got cheaper by 2 Points also!
Put 7 of them in a Rhino, together with a Repentia Superior, a melee-focused Canoness and an Imagifier and bring havoc upon your enemies! I think they are still glass cannons, but much better than before and bringing much more potential to the table.
Celestian Squad
10 Points – The dedicated bodyguards of the Sisters of Battle and as such they still have their bodyguard rule. As far as I know (but not entirely sure) they have the exact same wargear options as before, they can also take a Simulacrum Imperialis and a Cherub and only get the “Sworn Protectors” rule in addition, letting them re-roll all failed hit-rolls while in 6″ of a Canoness.
This one bothers me a lot, for I really hoped they get some melee-options in the new codex. Maybe I just lack the correct informations, but right now they seem to disappoint once again. The new ability is nice and they are a little bit cheaper (power from 5 to 4, not sure how many points) but is that enough? We’ll see.
But again, since GW announced a few improvements to the unit, I don’t see a lot of it. Maybe they get some nice stratagems …
Zephyrim
13 Points – These girls are another new unit for the Sisters of Battle and just like their cousins – the Seraphim – they have jumppacks to fly across the battlefields. Unfortunately, there are no previews of the models yet, but I guess looking at a Seraphim Superior gives you the idea.
The Zephyrim come with a slightely different wargear though. Instead of a second bolt pistol, they get power swords to wield and an additional attack to power them up in melee combat. They can re-roll failed wound rolls with melee weapons and if the Superior takes a bolt pistol instead of a plasma pistol, she can take a Zephyrim Pennant, allowing all units in 6″ to re-roll charge rolls.
Zephyrim get the angelic visage and sky strike just like the Seraphim and I’m really looking forward to test them. Strength 3 is a bad stat combined with power swords, but due to “Rapturous Blows”, it gets a lot better while keeping the nice AP -3.
The only thing that bothers me, is that the Zephyrim are an Elite choice … why not Fast Attack like the Seraphim? I don’t see any reason for that at all. It just further blows up the Elite section and leaves Fast Attack as empty as before.
Dialogus, Hospitaller, Imagifier
The holy trio is back! And two of them got some upgrades and new abilities. And beside that, some of the coolest minis in the whole range.
► Dialogus
35 Points – The Dialogus gets an extra attack and while her Laud Hailer still buffs the Leadership of surrounding Sisters, she can now manipulate Miracle Dice and change their value by 1 point (not comulative) when a nearby unit performs an Act of Faith. In addition to that, she has a 5+ ignore mortal wounds in the psychic phase, because … she can 🙂
► Hospitaller
35 Points – An additional attack and a bolt pistol is really all that changed. But still a nice support unit.
► Imagifier
45 Points – This one changed quite a lot and in a great way – the got the “Litany of Deeds”. So before the battle begins, you can choose one of three litanies, which are essentially aura effects.
- Tale of the Faithful: Re-roll Deny the Wich tests for units within 6″.
- Tale of the Stoic: units within 6″ ignore AP -1.
- Tale of the Warrior: +1 Strength for units within 6″
All tales make sense in certain situations so you’re really flexible. I also love the flavour of “telling” Tales and combined with a gorgeous model, this is a must have.
Crusader, Death Cult Assassin, Arco-Flagellants
Another trio, but this time we look at the usual Ministorum units that come along with the Sisters.
► Crusader
9 Points (+4 for Power Swords) – Same as before, but ignoring mortal wounds in the Psychic phase by 5+ now, just like the Dialogus. They also lost their Shield of Faith ability and the Acts of Faith and only come in squads of 2-6 now.
► Death Cult Assassins
13 Points – Same as before, but as it seems, the Death Cult power blases were buffed to AP -3 and they are much cheaper than before (?)
► Arco-Flagellants
13 Points – There are some minor changes to the Flagellants. They hit on 4+ now, down from 3+ and now have a squad leader with 3 attacks instead of 2. Got 2 points cheaper though.
I think its correct to remove SoF and Acts from Crusaders to get them on line with the other Ministorum units, but I still miss some flexibility on their wargear. Like power mauls instead of swords for example. And why are Flagellants getting a squad leader but not the crusaders? It would make much more sense the other way round …
The AP- buff to Assassins is nice, while the worse WS for Flagellants could have a big impact. All in all I’m really not sure if we will see more play of these units.
Bonus: Pious Vorne and Gotfret de Montbard
Not a part of the official codex, but some interessting additions from Blackstone Fortress!
⚡ Fast Attack – Choices
Next up, are the two well known Fast Attack options.
Dominian Squads and Seraphim
10 Points for Dominians, 11 Points for Seraphim – Both units didn’t change in the new codex and are still very viable options for an army.
💥 Heavy Support – Choices
Looking at the Sisters Heavy Support, we find a lot of new stuff do dig in. Part of it is the new unit, called “Mortifier”.
Exorcist
90 Points – The cool thing about this battle tank, is the new weapon option. It now has two turrets to choose from. The first is Anti-tank for 70 Points (Exorcist Missles – Heavy 3D6, Strength 8, AP-3, D6 Damage). The other is Anti-infantry for 40 Points (Conflagration rockets – Heavy 3D6, Strength 5, AP-2, 1 Damage) while it benefits from Acts of Faith, Shield of Faith, Convictions, and Sacred Rites.
While I like the new Anti-Infantry missle, it is worth to mention that the Anti-tank option got slightly nerfed with AP- being reduced to -3 and a prize increase at the same time. To compensate, you now have an integrated heavy bolter. We’ll see if it’s worth the price.
The model though, is stunning!
Mortifiers
36 Points for Mortifiers, 42 Points for the Anchorite – The Mortifiers are a new unit, based on the Penitent Engines. An Elite / Shooty version of them so to say. They come at 1-5 per Squad and are equipped with 2 heavy bolters (or heavy flamers) and 2 Penitent Flails (or buzz saws) each and you can upgrade one of your Mortifiers to an Anchorite (Squad Leader) with a better Saving Throw of 3+ insteadof 4+.
Just like the Penitent Engines, they have the “Beserk Killing Machines” rule, ignoring wounds on a 5+.
In addition, they move 9″ instead of 7″ and get some nice rules in form of “Anguish of the Unredeemed”: when they die in combat, the meet out ‘final vengence’ where on a 4+ every enemy unit within 1″ suffers D3 mortal wounds. They also ignore wounds on a 6+ and in addition, up to 4 heavy bolters in the unit can change their type to assault 3, or for their heavy flamers to type pistol D6 until the end of the phase. (Blades of Agony)
I love this unit already. It is flexible, powerful and the general idea of the Penitent Engines is just great and fits the fantasy extremly well! To have the option now between melee focused or range focused engines is really nice.
It is worth mentioning, that the Penitent Engines are cheaper now and got nerfed a little bit, so that is also true for the Mortifiers. (see below)
Penitent Engines
28 Points – The Penitent Engines were nerfed to Toughness 5 and 5 wounds but got a lot cheaper now. They can also change their melee weapons from penitent buzz-blades to penitent flails, just like the Mortifiers.
All in all, the old Penitent Engines were somehow “split” into 2 different versions and that feels pretty well I would say 🙂 It also led to the really imposing model of the Mortifiers! With much more decorations.
Retributor Squad
10 Points – Still 4 Heavy Weapons per squad, a Simulacrum Imperialis and Cherub, but now spiced up with some additional rules, which makes them 1 Points more expensive.
“Faithful Advance” ignores the penalties for firing heavy weapons after moving.
“Rites of Fire” changes the range of heavy flamers tby 4″ (to a total of 12″ !)
1 or 2 “Armorium Cherubs” for additional shots with a single weapon and afterwards removing the Cherub. (so up to 6 shots with heavy weapons in the first round)
⬆ Dedicated Transport – Choices
Just like the Fast Attack section, there’s nothing new to the Sisters Transports. Which is extremely odd, thinking about the good old Repressor that was once again ignored in the Codes (Sad! >.<)
Immolator and Sororitas Rhino
70 Points for the Immolator, 65 Points for a Rhino – Beside getting the army wide rules of Acts of Faith, Sacred Rites and Shield of Faith, these two units stay exactely the same and there was really no need to change them. The new designs are awesome, we will see lots of them on the table and there’s nothing more to add!
Fortress – Choices
Yes you heard right, the Sisters of Battle get their own piece of terrain!
Battle Sanctum
50 Points – Essentially a 50 point terrain piece that your opponent can’t do anything to stop. You get another miracle dice at the start of your turn and as a piece of terrain, it can provide cover. Additionally, +1 Leadership to Ministorum, -1 Leadership to Chaos.
There is no picture previewed yet, but I would assume it will be an eye-catcher and maybe that’s the only reason to take it beside some special mission / campaign play. Even if it’s just 50 points, it is mainly an additional Miracle Die to play with.
Order Convictions
Special rules for the 6 usual orders and some quite heavily changed since the beta codex – which is not surprising since the Act of Faith system also changed.
Order of our Martyred Lady
This conviction is all about getting rewarded when some of your units or models die. While I think that the rules really reflect the temper of the Order, I think this a rather weak conviction. After all I don’t want my sisters dead to perform well and it just feels wrong that way. Also it is quite unpredictable.
Order of the Valorous Heart
This one is pretty interessting and makes your sister much more resilient. You not only get a wound ignore on 6+, but also irgnore a pretty common AP of -1. This buffs your power armours a lot and when you’re one of these people who mourn for every dead unit, it might be the conviction for you!
Order of the Bloody Rose
The clear winner for every melee-centered army. Better AP and more attacks on the charge? Sounds great and if you can utilize all the special rules for melee units and buffs, this might hit pretty hard.
Order of the Econ Chalice
The Daughters of the Emperor ignore mortal wounds on a 5+ and can spend an additional Mircale Dice for an Act of Faith, to automatically use the other one as a 6. I would call it an emergency trade. Spend two Dice instead of one, but get a guaranteed 6. I doubt that this conviction has a huge impact on the game and it sounds rather weal. I haven’t tested the rules yet, but I would assume that Miracle Dice are a precious Ressource and the conviction will only pay off, when you have a lot of bad luck and 1s and 2s in the pool.
Order of the Argent Shroud
Advancing without penalty for shooting. Short rules and in certain situations pretty handy I would guess. Not the big shot after all, but worth considering in certain army builds.
Order of the Sacred Rose
Devout Serenity has 3 effects combined and all of them are pretty sweet. You can fire overwatch on 5+, you gain a Miracle Dice if you roll a 5+ after each Act of Faith and when a unit would flee, only 1 model will eventually flee (and hopefully become a Repentia for she has left the side of her Sisters and the betrayed the faith in the God-Emperor!)
I think this is overall the best conviction per se. In my experience (and playstyle) I get charged quite a lot, so better overwatch is really strong. Reducing the effect of failed morale tests makes the Sisters more resilient and an additional way to generate Miracle Dice sounds pretty useful.
Warlord Traits
In the end, no real changes to the Warlord Traits from the beta codex. Source: 1d4chan
Inspiring Orator: Reroll failed morale test of nearby ADEPTA SORORITAS units and they can use your Warlords LD instead of theirs.
Righteous Rage: re-roll failed charges and when you charge, were charged or perform Heroic Intervention you re-roll to wound for the first round of combat as well.
Executioner of Heretics: -1 to the LD of all enemy units within 6″.
Beacon of Faith: At the start of your turns, if you warlord is on the table you gain a Miracle die.
Indomitable Belief: The Shield of Faith invulnerable is increased by +1 for INNFENTRY Models whilst within 6′ of the Warlord, to a max of 4++.
Pure of will: you can deny one additional Psychic power using the Shield of Faith rules AND enemy PSYKERS subtract 1 from all psychic test if within 12″ of your warlord.
Our Martyred Lady – Shield Bearer: +1 to wound Characteristic & +1 Armour Save – Max 2+.
Valorous Heart – Impervious to Pain: 5+ Feel No Pain.
Ebon Chalice – Terrible Knowledge: As long as your Warlord is alive, the Miracle Dice you gain at the start of the round is a 6. Also, you gain D3 Command Points at the start of the game.
Argent Shroud – Selfless Heroism: 6″ Heroic Intervention, moves 6″ during it, and fights first.
Bloody Rose – Blazing Ire: +1 attack and can Charge & Advance.
Sacred Rose – Light of the Emperor: When you perform an Act of Faith with this Warlord, do not roll for the Devote Serenity Conviction. You automatically gain a Miracle Dice.
Sacred Rites
The new rule-set for Sisters of Battle. Source: 1d4chan
“Similarly to the AdMech’s Canticles of the Omnissiah, an army consisting solely of ADEPTUS MINISTORUM units can grant any unit with this special rule (basically, all the sisters units and none of the non-sister units) a buff of their choice (or if you roll for it, you can take two). Unlike the cogboys, these are picked at the beginning of the game and cannot be changed in mid-battle.
- The Passion: Melee attacks that roll an unmodified 6 to hit score an extra hit.
- Sororitas have plenty of CC attacks to take advantage of this, especially Bloody Rose with a priest nearby.
- Spirit of the Martyr: If a model is killed, it can make one last shooting or melee attack on a 5+.
- A last stand of heavy weapons users around an Ancient is a popular choice for Space Marines, now your sisters get it army-wide.
- Hand of the Emperor: Add 1 to advance and charge rolls.
- Argent Shroud and Bloody Rose will both love this.
- Aegis of the Emperor: When a unit attempts to Deny the Witch using Acts of Faith add 3 to the roll
- Hey that half of the rules no longer require relics to be useful.
- Divine Guidance: Ranged attacks that roll an unmodified 6 to wound improve AP by one.
- Bolt and flame weapons are both weight of fire weapons so plenty of chances for this to happen.
- Light of the Emperor: You can re-roll the dice for morale.
- You get and they shall know no fear because that was so useful in 8th edition. Well it might give you a better chance to fish for those 1s on morale tests to gain acts of faith, so there’s that.”
The Sacred Rites are somehow what the Acts of Faith have been before, even though they are made army-wide rules and you can only choose once at the start of the battle. But I like all of these rites and when going for a specific rite, you can easily build succesful armies around them. Or test your luck and go for a rather balanced army-composition.
When I first heard of the Miracle Dice and the new Act of Faith system I was sceptical, but now, with a look at the Sacred Rites, I’m quite happy with the outcome!
Acts of Faith
Speaking of which … Source: 1d4chan
“Acts of Faith have been completely redone. Rather than using a limited number of points that scale with your army size like in the beta Codex, you now have a pool of Miracle Dice. You gain one per battle round, and earn one more at the end of a phase if at least one of the following conditions is met:
- Destroy an enemy unit using a unit with the Acts of Faith ability.
- A Character with the Act of Faith ability is slain.
- Resist a psychic power with a unit that has the Act of Faith ability (doesn’t count if an AoF was used to do so).
- Roll an unmodified 1 on a morale test with a unit that has the Act of Faith ability (doesn’t count if an AoF was used to do so).
- (remember you will get a chance roll this when a model dies, even if the unit can’t fail)
When you gain a Miracle Die, you roll it and add it to your Miracle Dice Pool. Performing an Act of Faith expends the die, replacing the results of a given roll with whatever you rolled on the Miracle Die when you generated it. Turn a failed invulnerable save into a success, guarantee that a unit’s attacks will wound something it would normally struggle to hurt- this is not something to be underestimated, especially when you account for the CP you’d otherwise spend on Command Re-rolls that would be less reliable.”
As said before, it is a little odd as a stand alone rule, but combined with Sacred Rites it is an interesting approach and I can’t wait to test it!
Stratagems
There are 28 general stratagems in the codex and one specific one for each order. I will not list all of them in this article and hope you understand.
Here is just one preview from GW and a great one! I will definitely test the “new” Retributors …
Relics of the Ecclesiarchy
Went straight up to 8 relics plus 1 relic per order to a total of 14. In the end you will still end up using just 1 or 2 of these, which is really sad. I like a lot of these relics and it always bothers me that most of them will never see play. But that’s a general problem of 8th edition for me. I would rather play around much more with several relices instead of using Stratagems (which I simply don’t like in the intensity of this edition)
Blade of Admonition No changes, Power Sword with S+2 | AP-3 | D3
Brazier of Eternal Flame -2 on Psychic tests in 18″ range
Wrath of the Emperor Got buffed to 18″ Range | Pistol 4 | S5 | AP-2 | D2
Litanies of Faith While on the Battlefield, you can re-roll Miracle Dice once per turn
Mantle of Ophelia Still the 3+ invulnerabel save for a Canoness
Triptych of the Macharian Crusade Ignore wounds on a 5+
Book of Saint Lucius Still increasing auras by 3″
Iron Surplice of Saint Istalia Armour Save of 2+ and unmodified hit rolls of 1, 2 or 3 always fail
Valorous Heart – Casket of Penance -1 Toughness to enemy models within 1″
Our Martyred Lady – Martyrs Vengeance: Replaces a Inferno Pistol. 12″ Inferno Pistol that always rolls 2D6 and picks highest.
Ebon Chalice – Annunciation of the Creed: Replaces a Condemnor Boltgun. 24″, RF1, S5, AP-2, Dd3. It can target characters like a sniper and against Psykers does a flat 3 damage.
Argent Shroud – Quicksilver Veil: -1 to hit a model with this relic
Bloody Rose – Benificence: Replaces a chainsword. S+1, AP-2 D2, make 3 additional attacks instead of 1.
Sacred Rose – Light of St. Agnatha: Replaces a Brazier of Holy Fire. -1 to Leadership of Daemons within 6″. Does the same thing as the Brazier- once when firing Overwatch may roll a dice and on a 2+ it does D3 mortal wounds to target unit, D6 to Daemons- except this one you can discard a Miracle Dice to keep it lit and able to be used again.
Taking a look at the new point values, there are only a few noteworthy changes.
- Handflamers are now 1 Point
- Celestians are 1 Point cheaper
- Death Cult Assassins are 4 Points cheaper now!
- Repentias are 2 Points cheaper
- Geminae Superia are 5 Points cheaper
All other changes go hand in hand with redesigns or buffs/nerfs and are subject to testing.
To get a better understanding of the respective orders, I will summerise all of them below.
Order of Our Martyred Lady
Order Convictions – The Blood of Martyrs: At the end of any phase other than the Morale Phase where a unit with this Conviction was destroyed, earn a Miracle Die (this is in addition to Miracle Dice earned from the death of a Character that could use AoF). Additionally, add 1 to hit for any unit which has lost at least one model, even if the model is later restored.
Warlord Trait – Shield Bearer: +1 to wound Characteristic & +1 Armour Save (Max 2+).
Relics -Martyrs Vengeance: Replaces a Inferno Pistol. 12″ Inferno Pistol that always rolls 2D6 and picks highest.
Stratagems- Honor the Martyrs (1CP): Use when a Martyred Lady character is slain. For the rest of the battle, Order units re-roll 1 ‘s to hit.
Order of the Valorous Heart
Orders Convictions – Stoic Endurance: 6+ FNP to models with this . In addition, ignore AP-1, and ignore AP-2 within 6″ of the Imagifier if the Tale of the Stoic is in effect.
Warlord Trait – Impervious to Pain: 5+ Feel No Pain.
Relics – Casket of Pennance: -1 Toughness to enemy models within 1″ of a model with this relic.
Stratagems – Blind Faith (1 CP): Use at the start of your Shooting Phase. A single unit may ignore to-hit modi
Order of the Ebon Chalice
Orders Convictions – Daughters of the Emperor: 5++ FnP against Mortal Wounds. In addition, you may discard a miracle dice when performing an Act of Faith. If you do so, the dice used for the AoF is a 6.
Warlord Trait – Terrible Knowledge: As long as your Warlord is alive, the Miracle Dice you gain at the start of the round is a 6. Also, you gain D3 Command Points at the start of the game.
Relics – Annunciation of the Creed: Replaces a Condemnor Boltgun. 24″, RF1, S5, AP-2, Dd3. It can target characters like a sniper and against Psykers does a flat 3 damage.
Stratagems – Cleansing Flames (1 CP): Use when Shooting, either in your own Shooting Phase or Overwatch, choose a unit. Do not roll shot generation for that unit’s flamers. They roll max.
Order of the Argent Shroud
Order Convictions – Deeds, Not Words: When a model with this Conviction advances, it can fire its weapons as if moved without Advancing.
Warlord Trait- Selfless Heroism: 6″ Heroic Intervention, moves 6″ during it, and fights first.
Relics – Quicksilver Veil: -1 to hit a model with this relic.
Stratagems – Faith is Our Shield (1CP): 5+ FnP against mortal wounds in the Psychic Phase.
Order of the Bloody Rose
Orders Convictions – Quick to Anger: Units with this gain +1 attack when they charged/charge/perform a heroic intervention. Pistol and melee weapons get additional AP.
Warlord Trait – Blazing Ire: +1 Attack and can Charge & Advance.
Relics – Benificence: Replaces a chainsword. S+1, AP-2 D2, make 3 additional attacks instead of 1.
Stratagems – Tear Them Down (1 CP): Use at the start of the Fight Phase, choose a unit. Attacks made by that Bloody Rose unit get +1 to wound.
Order of the Sacred Rose
Orders Convictions – Devote Serenity: Overwatch on a 5+ and never lose more than 1 model on a failed LD test. Additionally, whenever you use a miracle dice for an act of faith, roll a D6. On a 5+, gain a miracle dice.
Warlord Trait – Light of the Emperor: When you perform an Act of Faith with this Warlord, do not roll for the Devote Serenity Conviction. You automatically gain a Miracle Dice.
Relics – Light of St. Agnatha: Replaces a Brazier of Holy Fire. -1 to Leadership of Daemons within 6″. Does the same thing as the Brazier- once when firing Overwatch may roll a dice and on a 2+ it does D3 mortal wounds to target unit, D6 to Daemons- except this one you can discard a Miracle Dice to keep it lit and able to be used again.
Stratagems – The Emperor’s Judgement (1 CP): Pick a unit that is firing Overwatch. Unmodified hit roll of 6+ for a Bolt weapon gets an additional hit.
Alright … what a mass of informations and visuals. Time to look back and get an overall picture. Please keep in mind – the following part is purely subjective!
I will share my thoughts on the following categories:
★★★★★ New Miniatures
This one is easy – the new miniature range is pure awesomeness made real. All the new models are extremely detailed, dynamic and beside the Army Set, we will get Multipart Kits for all new forces to play around with. Some units we haven’t seen yet, like the Triumph of Saint Katherine or the Zephyrim, but I’m pretty sure they won’t lack quality and detail.
Games Workshop really managed to bring the right esthetics to the battlefield and looking at a new model long enough will let you discover more and more wonderful details. A dream for painters I would argue. In the end, the Sisters of Battle are more than ever churches made army 🙂
I’m only wondering, if some of those Ministorum units will get an overhaul too. Looking at Crusaders, Missionaries, Preachers and Death Cult Assassins, I would really hope for. Especially since we got some really nice “teasers” with the Blackstone Fortress units!
★★★★☆ New Rules (Acts of Faith and so on)
The new ruleset is first and foremost another approach on Acts of Faith (and by that, also Sacred Rites) There is not much to say about the Relics – which are fluffy and cool, Warlord Traits – which are strong and diverse and Convictions – which fit the Orders background. All those are well done and some are stonger, some are weaker, just like with every other army in the Grim Dark.
Acts and Rites though, really distinguish the Sisters from other armies. They give flavour and offer a solid system that was already tested in AoS. I have no worries that we’ll see a lot of balancing issues.
Combined, they offer a lot of flexibility and require some tactical thinking and planing ahead, which is always great and offers a real learning curve! Much better than no-brainer armies.
The only issue I have with these new rules, is that I really miss something like individual decisions for every unit. You choose Rites at the start of the battle for your whole army and can’t change it further on. And Miracle Dice are by themselves extremely boring (though powerful). It’s not a big issue, but before I played a few battles, it feels like there might be something missing … maybe I’m just exaggerating 🙂
★★★☆☆ New Units (Datasheets)
And last but not least, let’s look at the new units and their respective datasheets. At this point, I’m not so happy after all.
The new codex offers 5 new units, from which one is limited to a specific Order, so I won’t count it. The Mortifiers are essentially another version of the Penitent Engine and while they are extremly cool and propably powerful, it doesn’t really fell like a new unit.
The Zephyrim though, while also just another version of the Seraphim, feel more different. I can’t point a finger at the problem, but Zephyrim feel “fresh” and new, Mortifiers don’t. Perhaps due to the fact, that Zephyrim really fulfill a different purpose than their counterparts.
So all in all we have 3 new units for all Orders. The Triumph of St. Katherine, Zephyrim and the Battle Sanctum – but this is a Fortress and stationary. It is a cool idea, don’t get me wrong! But a new unit? Doesn’t feel like. So 2 units after all …
What about other Living Saints? What about a new HQ with Jump Pack? This section feels lonely as ever – even though there are several entries. And not only that, the fact that a Canoness can hardly accompany Zephyrim or Seraphim (Deep Striking), has a real impact and lacks a lot of potential.
Also, where are Uriah and Canoness Veridyan? xD
I’m also really disappointed of the new Celestians. GW promised to change them, but I don’t see any real improvement. Is re-rolling all failed hit-rolls so much better than only 1s (when close to a Canoness) that the Celestians feel great now? Or Special? Not really …
Why not adding melee weapons to choose from? Or Storm Shields? Why not adding one or two special characters like medics or banner bearers? Or giving them all relic armour? There are so many possibilities to differ them more from pure Battle Sisters, but nothing really happened here.
Next thing that bothers me is the missing Repressor. It is part of the game for a long time now (via Forge World) and features in many SoB books from Black Library as a standard vehicle! Its always Rhinos, Immolators and Repressors, supported by Exorcists. And it is a vehicle with rarely seen rules, which could seperate the Sisters even more from Space Marines and the like. A heavily missed opportunity in my mind.
All the other changes made to existing models are comprehensibly I guess. The Retributors got a nice buff, Repentias could be really good now and the three Elites of Dialogus, Imagifier and Hospitaller will have a cool impact on modern SoB armies. And not to mention the new Blessed Blade for the Canoness instead of the good old Eviscerator.
So yeah. I love the new Sisters of Battle deeply, even though I miss some new models and only time will tell of they become competitive. I’m not a master of strategy and don’t attempt tournaments at all, so its good to know that other capable people will take care of that 🙂
I hope you like this very long sum-up and it will help you get an understanding of the new Adepta Sororita. Let me know in the comments and may the Emperor protect you!
Sisters of Saint Nora 
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