That’s right – it’s time to start looking at the new Sisters of Battle rules! In fact, the Sisters of Battle Army Set that’s available to pre-order this weekend includes a full codex, so we’ll be taking a look at what lies within throughout the week. Today, we’re investigating their army-wide rules…
This article was originally published on the Warhammer-community page.
In the new codex, the Sisters of Battle are more powerful, more flexible and have greater thematic depth than ever before. Elite, power-armoured troops, they utilise sacred rites, holy rituals and the power of their faith to go toe to toe with the greatest horrors the galaxy has to offer.
Meanwhile, rampaging hordes of penitents, flagellants and biomechanical horrors tear bloody swathes through the foe. These are the Adepta Sororitas, and they’re better equipped than ever to face the horrors of these dark times.
Acts of Faith
The Adepta Sororitas are renowned for performing feats on the battlefield that appear nothing short of miraculous. The thing is, they actually ARE miraculous!
In our unboxing of the Sisters of Battle Army Set, we mentioned the inclusion of 12 Miracle dice. These dice are kept to one side and accrued over the course of the battle as certain circumstances are met, and they’re expended to channel the Acts of Faith for which the Sisters of Battle are renowned. Here’s how you generate them…
Each time you earn a Miracle dice, you roll it and add it to your pool, while retaining its score. You can then expend these dice in place of certain rolls (hit and wound rolls, saving throws, and more) later in the battle to ensure you get the exact result you need, when you need it. How about that for your own divine intervention?!
Picture the scene – you’ve just struck a high-value enemy target with an attack that inflicts D6 Damage and it has 6 Wounds left. You could trust to fate, or even a Command Re-roll, and hope for the best… or nonchalantly burn a 6 from your pool of Miracle Dice to score a 6 automatically! What about if you’re facing a tough Morale test? Use a 1 from your Miracle Dice pool and pass it with ease!
Anyone who’s played with or against the Disciples of Tzeentch in a game of Warhammer Age of Sigmar will be acutely aware of how powerful this kind of mechanic can be. Enemies of the Emperor, beware!
Sacred Rites
When the Sisters of Battle take to the battlefield, they do so having performed holy rituals to prepare themselves mentally and spiritually for the bloody task ahead.
Sacred Rites offer powerful in-game advantages and are earned by ‘keeping the faith’ – otherwise known as fielding an army made exclusively of Adepta Sororitas and Adeptus Ministorum units. At the start of the battle, you can either pick one of the six Sacred Rites to activate – whichever is most advantageous for the mission or enemy army at hand – or sacrifice your choice to generate two at random to benefit from both!
If you’re expecting to be in for a tough fight, you may want to consider Spirit of the Martyr to ensure that if your Sisters fall in battle, they’ll die hard.
Alternatively, if you’re facing large numbers of aggressive enemies such as Tyranids or Orks, The Passion may give you the edge you need in combat.
And There’s More…
Many of the Sisters of Battle units have the Shield of Faith ability, offering them an invulnerable save – which is always handy!* – and a chance to Deny the Witch. They’re really not fans of witches, after all…
In addition to your tactically versatile, Emperor-blessed Battle Sisters, you’ll also have access to some wild and incredibly dangerous auxiliary units such as Death Cult Assassins and Penitent Engines. What’s more, these units have the Zealot ability, making them deadlier still once combat is joined.
Arco-flagellants are dangerous enough as it is, but when they’re re-rolling hit rolls too, that’s a whole new world of pain!
That’s the army-wide rules covered, but we’ll have more on the Warlord Traits, Relics, Stratagems and Order Convictions of the Sisters of Battle later in the week.
Let us know which of the new rules you’re looking forward to trying out in our comments on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page. If you haven’t read James Swallows’ Sisters of Battle Omnibus, grab a copy to inspire you while you wait to pre-order your army set this weekend!
* OK, so not against mortal wounds, but it’s always nice to have the chance to emerge unscathed from an attack that would normally punch straight through your armour – and the soft, squishy bits underneath!
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
