How do you fight the feeding frenzy of the encroaching Tyranids? With fire and faith! Thanks to their ironclad belief in the great and gracious God-Emperor, the devout warriors of the Adepta Sororitas perform literal miracles on the battlefield. The Battle Sisters are clad in the finest armour and bear the holy trinity of weapons – the bolter, the flamer, and the meltagun. As the God-Emperor guides their aim, their battle hymns reach a crescendo.
Leading an army of hardened zealots and crazed penitents, the Adepta Sororitas bring the God-Emperor’s light to the galaxy’s darkest corners. Using their faith as a shield, they drive back the alien, the traitor, the witch, and anything else that may stand in their way.*
Overview
The Orders Militant have many weapons for spreading faith throughout the galaxy, from the humble Battle Sisters squad to the mighty Paragon Warsuits. Unleash the young recruits of the Novitiates, the heavily-armoured sinners of the Mortifiers, or the tougher-than-ever-before Castigator.
Faction Rules
The benediction of the God-Emperor shines down upon those warriors that fight in His name. On the tabletop, His power is revealed in miraculous deeds of fortitude and divine strength, known as Acts of Faith. Each unit can perform one Act per phase – but first, your army will have to earn Miracle dice.
Once you’ve rolled your Miracle dice and built up a nice pool, it’s time to perform some Acts of Faith.
With the right Miracle dice in reserve, even the most unlikely roll can become a surefire thing. Is it really an Act of Faith if, by definition, you know exactly what the result will be? The Sororitas certainly think so, and they have very big guns, so that’s good enough for us.
All your warriors are happy to die for the Emperor – and if not, some psycho-stimulants and invasive conditioning will surely change their minds – but those of the Hallowed Martyrs Detachment are particularly overjoyed to join the Golden Throne. As each squad takes casualties, The Blood of Martyrs sends them into a fervent frenzy.
This works great for all of the units in your army, from infantry to tanks – but just imagine how hard Saint Celestine will hit once a foolish enemy takes out her two Geminae Superia.**
Unit Spotlight
It’s great having mighty leaders like Roboute Guilliman or Abaddon the Despoiler in your army, but these living relics are nothing compared to the blessed remains of a fallen Imperial Saint, carried into battle by the truly faithful. The Triumph of Saint Katherine brings a veritable museum exhibit of holy trinkets to bear upon the battlefield, each with their own effects.
Choose Censer of the Sacred Rose to keep your Battle Sisters steady under the heaviest fire, and combine it with Icon of the Valorous Heart to help them stay alive… or The Fiery Heart to get a juicy 6 on your Miracle dice when they finally do die. Such is the path of martyrdom!
Speaking of Battle Sisters, they’re the BATTLELINE backbone of every Adepta Sororitas army, with abilities that help you make the most of Miracle dice and Acts of Faith.
Obviously you can park these Defenders of the Faith on an objective to gain a Miracle dice every round, but it gets better. Use an Act of Faith to help blast your foes off it and you’ll gain a Miracle dice from your creepy little Cherub, plus one for destroying an enemy unit with a Simulacrum Imperialis in tow.
By our reckoning, that’s three Miracle dice for the price of one. Divine efficiency in action!
Weapon Spotlight
The Adepta Sororitas are pretty well equipped with their favourite weapons*** but sometimes you need more than handheld firearms to spread the God-Emperor’s righteous word. What if you could bring deadly firepower and a church organ to battle… at the same time? Thanks to the Exorcist, you can rain down one of two different munitions, all while having a rousing sing-song in the name of the Golden Throne.
If you’re expecting swarms of alien creatures, Exorcist conflagration rockets will help thin out their numbers – or if you’re concerned by enemy armour, load up with the Exorcist missile launcher to punch through plating. Either way, your foes can’t hide from fiery judgement or off-tune karaoke – the Indirect Fire ability makes certain of that.
What if a bunch of enemy warriors try to get up close and personal with your giant keytar? Well, you can unleash the power of a High Lord of Terra with Morvenn Vahl and her lance of illumination.
With profiles suited to taking on hordes and elites alike, it’s safe to say your foes will see the light. Very briefly. Before they die.
Stratagem Spotlight
The Adepta Sororitas are great at spreading their faith in close combat, courtesy of units such as Celestian Sacresants, but they truly excel at medium range, where they can unleash the full power of the bolter, flamer, and meltagun. The Hallowed Martyrs Detachment even offers a Stratagem that lets them fire in your opponent’s Shooting phase.
Rejoice the Fallen works great for standard Battle Sisters, but if you really want to punish your foe for their blasphemy, use it on a Retributor Squad to reply by unleashing a barrage of heavy weapons. Remember, every slain warrior brings you closer to benefiting from The Blood of Martyrs…
The Word from the Studio
“The Adepta Sororitas are holy warriors who use their wellspring of faith to perform miraculous feats on the battlefield,” explains Robin. “This is represented by Acts of Faith, a rule to manipulate dice rolls just when you need them the most, and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
“We wanted to capture the themes of self-sacrifice with the Hallowed Martyrs Detachment, and so as casualties rise their resolve strengthens, and the Battle Sisters become increasingly more powerful. With a plethora of heroes and supporting characters – some of whom can join units even if another character is already leading them – Adepta Sororitas players will have lots of combinations to consider when it comes to forging their army.”
