Getting started with Astra Militarum
Today we are talking about Sisters of Battle tactics. If you’re interested in starting a Sisters of Battle army you will learn everything you need to know below! We will talk a little bit about who the Sisters of Battle are, their play style, and end with a solid 1,000 pt army list.
Who are the Sisters of Battle
The Sisters of battle are the military arm of the ecclesiarchy (the sole religious institution of the imperium) that happens to be exclusively female. As such, these holy warriors are clad in power armor and unshakeable faith in the Emperor. Also, they happen to have lots of bolters, meltaguns, and flame weapons. In essence, the sisters of battle are nuns with guns and powered suits of armor. Because in the grim darkness of the 42nd millennium, the local sister superior will discipline you with a flamethrower as opposed to a ruler.
As a result of being part of the ecclesiarchy, they usually guard shrine worlds and various other places of worship. Additionally, they are often seen working alongside Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors, usually burning heretics. However, the Sisters of Battle are not just a military organization, and in fact, run hospitals, and even do humanitarian work to aid the faithful. Just make sure that you count yourself among the faithful, otherwise, there is a bolter round to the forehead with your name on it.
Sisters of Battle Playstyle
These themes thusly translate to their playstyle, in particular their themes of faith and miracles. First, is their acts of faith, which is a list of several actions the army can take, such as destroying an enemy unit or having one of your characters killed. When any of these happen, you will gain a Miracle dice, which can be used to replace the result of a single dice of your choice. For Example, if you know you absolutely need a weapon to hit its target, you can trade out the hit roll dice for one of your miracle dice, instead of rolling it. As a result, SOB armies can be one of the most consistent armies in the entire game.
Secondly, they can choose a Sacred Rite at the start of the battle or they can roll for two. These will benefit any and all of your Sisters of Battle units, but only if you’re playing a pure Sisters army. You can get anything from a +3 to deny the witch tests, to having exploding melee attacks on 6’s. Which means you can tailor it towards your army composition, or your opponents.
Shield of faith
Lastly, they also have the ability known as Shield of Faith, which gives all sisters some static bonuses that can be really handy. One of the components of the shield of faith is a 6++ save, and while this may sound underwhelming at first there are a few ways we can increase it. Also, all your sisters gain the ability to deny psychic powers, but only on one D6. However, you can choose the sacred rite that gives you +3 to the roll if you’re up against a lot of Psykers. Additionally, the Sisters of battle have access to a ton of melta, flamer, and bolter weapons, allowing them to tackle any target.
The List
++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium – Adepta Sororitas) [65 PL, 1,000pts, 7CP] ++
+ Configuration +
Battle-forged CP [3CP]
Detachment CP [5CP]
Order Convictions: Order: Our Martyred Lady
+ HQ +
Canoness [3 PL, 50pts, -1CP]: Condemnor Boltgun, Heroine in the Making, Power sword, Relic: Book of St. Lucius, Warlord Trait: 5. Indomitable Belief
Junith Eruita [6 PL, 110pts]: Warlord, Warlord Trait: 1. Inspiring Orator
+ Troops +
Battle Sister Squad [6 PL, 66pts]
. 3x Battle Sister
. Battle Sister w/ Special or Heavy Weapon: Heavy bolter
. Battle Sister w/ Special Weapon: Storm bolter
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
Battle Sister Squad [6 PL, 66pts]
. 3x Battle Sister
. Battle Sister w/ Special or Heavy Weapon: Heavy bolter
. Battle Sister w/ Special Weapon: Storm bolter
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
Battle Sister Squad [4 PL, 57pts]
. 2x Battle Sister
. Battle Sister w/ Special or Heavy Weapon: Heavy bolter
. Battle Sister w/ Special Weapon: Storm bolter
. Sister Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
+ Elites +
Imagifier [2 PL, 45pts]: Tale of the Stoic
+ Fast Attack +
Dominion Squad [7 PL, 78pts]
. 2x Dominion
. Dominion Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. 3x Dominion w/ Special Weapon: Storm bolter
Dominion Squad [7 PL, 78pts]
. 2x Dominion
. Dominion Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
.x3 Dominion w/ Special. Weapon: Storm bolter
+ Heavy Support +
Exorcist [8 PL, 170pts]: Exorcist Missile Launcher, Heavy bolter
Exorcist [8 PL, 170pts]: Exorcist Missile Launcher, Heavy bolter
Retributor Squad [8 PL, 110pts]
. 2x Retributor
. Retributor Superior: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. x3 Retributor w/ Heavy Weapon: Heavy bolter
.
++ Total: [65 PL, 7CP, 1,000pts] ++
Sisters of Battle Tactics Breakdown
So, while this army list is very straight forward, there are a couple of key strategies and synergies worth mentioning. First, we have our two HQ choices of Judith and a Cannoness, both of which provide important aura abilities. Judith provides everyone nearby with a +1 to their invulnerable save and also allows them to re-roll hit rolls and wound rolls of a 1. Additionally, Judith gives all of our sisters within 6” LD10, which will keep up from losing models to moral tests.
Next, we have our cannoness, who has the warlord trait, “Indomitable Belief”, giving nearby sisters another +1 to their invulnerable save up to a 4++. Also, we went ahead and gave her a relic that boosts the range of all her Auras by 3”. To top things off we added an Imagifier with the Tale of the stoic to let nearby units ignore AP-1.
In Summary, this combination gives our nearby sister units a 4++ save, and the Ability to ignore AP-1, making them incredibly durable. Yet, the real icing on the cake is the fact that this combo also affects our Exorcist tanks, making them nigh impossible to kill.
Convictions and Exorcists for the Win
Another key part of the army build is that we have included a few extra sisters to the squads to take advantage of their Order Conviction. What this will allow us to do is protect our heavy and special weapons, while still getting the +1 to hit befit when we lose models in a squad. Forcing our opponent to kill the entire squad, which will be hard to do with all the buffs our units will have.
Lastly, we have our Two Exorcist tanks armed with Exorcist missile launchers. These vehicles are some of the best tank and monster killers in the game. Boasting 3D3 Strenght 8 -3AP damage D6 weapons. These are really awesome, and that’s before you even factor in the ability to use miracle dice to alter dice rolls for it. These Two Exorcists have the important job of blowing up your opponent’s big important stuff, and they will never disappoint you.
In Conclusion
So that wraps up today’s Sisters of Battle tactics and army list. This Army is Obscenely strong at 1,000 points and can take on whatever your opponent throws at you. Also, if you liked this article and want to see another about sisters of battle click here. Plus, if you want to include an inquisitor in your army you should check out this article
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