Yes, I know, the Priest only costs 25 points and gets both Hymns of War and a rosarius, but that seems undercosted. Besides, the Canoness and Palatine are significantly more survivable, so they're more likely to live long enough to use the Hymns multiple times.

It only makes sense that the combat leaders of the Sororitas should be at least as inspiring as a non-militant Dialogus or a recorded message playing on a tank. It also lets us get rid of that hideous Dialogus model.

Directly lifted from Codex:Space Marines.

(E.g. a unit with a Book but no Simulacrum Imperialis can use either its Act from the Codex or an Act from the Book, but not both. A unit with a Book and a Simulacrum can use its Codex Act twice, an Act from the Book twice, two different Acts from the Book, or its Codex Act and one Act from the Book.)

Divine Wind: Borne as on eagles' wings, the Sisters rush forward firing with uncanny speed, accuracy, and grace.
This Act may be used in the Shooting Phase. If successful, the unit may both Run and shoot in this phase, in either order (i.e. shoot, then run; or run, then shoot).
A unit cannot use this Act and fire any Heavy weapons in the same phase unless it is also Relentless.

Hail of Fire: Their lips moving in prayer and their fingers moving on triggers, the Sisters blaze away with uncanny precision.
This Act may be used in the Shooting Phase. If successful, all the unit's weapons count as Twin-Linked for the rest of the phase.

Prophetic Warning:As if forewarned, the Sisters calmly turn their weapons on charging foes and cut them down.
This Act may be used whenever an enemy declares a charge against the unit with the book, immediately before resolving Overwatch.* If successful, the unit may fire overwatch at its normal Ballistic Skill. A unit that cannot fire Overwatch cannot attempt this Act.

The Whole Armour of Faith: The Sisters steel themselves both spiritually and physically against the unbelievers' blows.
This Act may be used whenever an enemy attacks the unit with the Book, immediately before the enemy rolls to hit.* If successful, all models in the unit gain an invulnerable save equal to their normal armour save for the remainder of the phase.

The Quick and the Dead: The Sisters slice through their enemies with miraculous speed.
This Act may be used in your Assault Phase, immediately before a unit charges.* If successful, every model in the unit adds +2 to its Initiative.

* These Acts are exceptions to the normal rule that units can only attempt Acts before they move, shoot, run, or strike blows.

Costing is rough, but I figured getting to pick one of six Acts instead of being stuck with one is at least as useful as a Simulacrum Imperialis and probably more so.
Divine Wind is the same as Eldar Battle Focus.
Hail of Fire is the same as the White Dwarf Codex ’s version of Holy Fusillade.
Prophetic Warning is similar to the psychic power Foreboding.
Whole Armour of Faith is the C:WH version of Spirit of the Martyr.
The Quick and the Dead is similar to the C:WH version of the Passion.

Anathema: With a single savage gesture, the Canoness focuses her Sisters' fury against the greatest threat.
The Canoness may use this Litany at the beginning of her side's Shooting Phase or of either side's Assault Phase. Designate a single enemy model within the Canoness's line of sight to be anathematized.
All affected units automatically pass any Fear tests caused by the anathematized model. In addition:
- If the anathematized model is a character, then when any affected unit attacks the anathematized character's unit, all to-hit rolls of 6 count as Precision Shots or Precision Strikes.
- If the anathematized model is a monstrous creature, then any affected unit attacking it or its unit gains the Monster Hunters special rule.
- If the anathematized model is both a monstrous creature and a character, both of the above apply.

Fear No Evil: The Canoness's inspiring song of hate revives her Sisters' courage.
The Canoness may use this Litany at the beginning of any phase. All affected units gain the Fearless special rule. Any affected unit that was Falling Back immediately regroups, regardless of what phase it is, and may move, shoot (or run), and charge normally this turn.

The Fear of the Lord: The Sisters take up their Canoness's cry for vengeance and assault with a fury that gives pause to even the most cold-blooded foes.
The Canoness may use this Litany at the beginning of either player's Assault phase. Every affected unit gains the Fear special rule and is immune from Fear itself. In addition, any enemy unit that passes its test against Fear still loses -1 from its Initiative -- even if the unit passes the Fear test automatically thanks to a special rule such as Fearless.

How Thou Art Fallen From Heaven: The Canoness points a single finger skyward and her Sisters ’ fire scours the heavens.
The Canoness may use this Litany at the beginning of the Shooting Phase. Any affected unit gains the Interceptor and Skyfire rules.

Thy Sisters' Keeper: Filled with love for their Sisters and hatred for the enemy, the Sororitas squads protect each other with withering crossfire.
The Canoness may use this Litany at the beginning of the enemy's Assault Phase. If any affected unit is charged, any other affected units may fire Overwatch just as if they were the targets of the charge themselves. Remember that no unit can fire Overwatch more than once per turn.

These are very roughly costed on (1) the Ovion's rule of thumb that adding one special rule to one unit is worth 10 points and (2) the assumption that you'll probably be able to to get 3-4 units within 6" of the Canoness so the Litany will affect them, but (3) each Litany only works once and has a small chance of not working at all, so they deserve a slight discount.

"Thy Sisters' Keeper" is essentially a version of Tau "Supporting Fire," which seemed fitting for a shooty army. The other Litanies fill various gaps in the Sisters' lineup, such as the lack of ATSKNF, dedicated anti-air, snipers, or monster-slayers. I pondered a Tank Hunters litany but decided the Sisters had enough anti-tank weaponry already....

WS:5 BS:5 S:3 T:3 W:2 I:4 A:2 Ld:10 Sv:3+/6++
Unit Composition:
1 Palatine

Unit Type:
Infantry (character)

Wargear:
Power armour
Bolt pistol
Chainsword
Frag grenades
Krak grenades

Special Rules:
Acts of Faith
Shield of Faith
Independent Character

Act of Faith: Yield Not
The Palatine inspires her comrades to stand their ground, soaked with their Sisters' blood though it may be.
One use only. This Act of Faith may be attempted in either player's Assault phase. If successful, the Palatine and all models in her unit gain the Stubborn special rule until the end of the current phase.

Options:
- may replace bolt pistol with boltgun: free
- may take melta bombs: 5 points
- may take a War Hymnal: 25 points
- may take a Jump Pack: 15 points
- may take a Book of Acts: 10 points
A Palatine may take items from the Melee Weapons and Ranged Weapons lists.
A Palatine who does not take a Jump Pack may take one of the following:
- Blessed Standard: 15 points
- Sacred Banner of the Order Militant (one per army): 40 points

Flaming Killamajig is referring to this thread where he and others offered some great ideas, thoroughly trashing my original proposal (as it deserved to be) and forcing me to rethink it.

I'm still rethinking, and I've got a notebook of ideas for "Order Relics" that the Canoness can take, each giving her, her unit, and nearby units of a particular type various buffs appropriate to one of the six Major Orders. For example, the Sacred Rose relic is the Auspex of Arabella and steadies both the aim and the nerve of its wielder, her command squad, and Retributors within 6".

But I don't have all six Relics ready to post for comment yet.... maybe later this thread, maybe the next.

Based on everyone's input, I'm going to go back to my original, more modest draft for the "Book of Acts" and let it give the user access to ONE alternative Act of Faith instead of a whole list. Or I could follow xalvissx's advice and make it grant an extra use of an Act.... that might honestly be simpler to write.

For both the Book of Acts and the Litanies, I'm tempted to have it be something like "at the beginning of the game, immediately after rolling for Warlord Traits, select one and only one Act/Litany from the following list...." That would let you tailor your Acts & Litanies to the situation without giving you complete freedom to pick at the moment of use. Is there other wargear that works like that, though -- pick an option after you see what the enemy army and both sides Warlord Traits are?

BoomWolf wrote:
Litanies of Command:
I'll address each ability in separate, my opinion of each is different.
Anathema" should force the precision shots/strikes to target the model you chose to be thematic.
"Fear No Evil" and "The Fear of the Lord" both play on the fear mechanic, and seems nice.
"How Thou Art Fallen From Heaven", not sure it really fit thematically.
"Thy Sisters' Keeper" is the tau's signature mechanic, and giving it to another army, even as a 1-time boost is rather....off...especially with an ability that only really matters once..

I agree on the first four. I'll rewrite "Anathema" and ponder "How Thou Art Fallen...." -- though the Sisters' lack of Skyfire makes me think it's probably necessary.

As for borrowing other army's trademark mechanics -- Tau Supporting Fire as "Thy Sisters' Keeper" and Eldar Battle Focus as "Divine Wind" -- I don't feel particularly guilty. It's not like I'm giving the Sisters frickin' markerlights, and since the Sisters are tactically (a) shooty and (b) cooperative, like the Tau (albeit much shorter-ranged and lower-tech), I think it's thematically fitting.

 Mr Morden wrote:

Palatine - hell yeah but drop the free aspect - I think its a legitimate HQ choice
Maybe make Yield not - Fearless.

BoomWolf wrote:Palatine: except the option to take them as a mandatory HQ, they seem fine. they are not on the same level as your everyday HQ.

xalvissx wrote:
- Why the Palatine doesn't have both boltgun and bolt pistol by default ?
- The Palatine is as skilled as the Canoness. I think that WS 4 and Ld 9 for 35-40 points would be fine.

The Palatine statline is lifted pretty straight from the old Codex:Witch Hunters, except I did up her Ld from 9 to 10. I wanted to make her a better leader than even Celestians or Veteran Superiors, but xalvissx is right that should probably come down. WS and BS equal to the Canoness's doesn't bother me, but only the true leader of an Order should have Ld10. Although Space Marine Chaplains and Librarians get Ld10 just like Captains and Chapter Masters..... Hmmmm. What do other folks think?

I already deliberately toned down the Palatine by giving her "Stubborn" only as an Act of Faith rather than as a permanent ability, which is what the Canoness has. I'd hate to give the Palatine a "Fearless" act when her boss's Act is just "Hatred." (Although giving the Canoness a Book of Acts helps her overcome the stupid AOF that GW saddled her with).

The Palatine doesn't get the boltgun standard because the Canoness doesn't, either. Both of them get access to Ranged Weapons that are far nastier.

And I think having a small force HQ'd by a lone Palatine is perfectly legit. She's about the same price as a Tau Ethereal -- she lacks his special powers but can kick his ass in either shooting or melee -- and significantly more expensive & potent than an Inquisitor without upgrades.

The War Hymnal wargear is my attempt to make Priests redundant so we can get these ugly male models out of our lovely female army -- the Priests aren't even wearing power armor, how terribly gauche -- but I realize that the Zealot trait is at least a big a deal as War Hymns. People have talked about female proxies for the priests, but here's an alternative that replaces them with something that has a distinctly Sisterly feel -- and can replace the hideous Dialogus as our walking Laud Hailer as well.

So what do folks think about

Sisters Chorister
All Sisters of Battle are trained to sing hymns to the God-Emperor. Only those with the purest voices, hearts, and hatred, however, are selected for the intense choral training and indoctrination that earns them the title of "Sister Chorister." While less tactically sophisticated than those selected for the rank of Sister Superior, the Choristers complement the Superiors' military experience with their religious zeal. Their pure, sweet voices carry high above the roar of battle, inspiring their Sisters to kill and die in the Emperor's name.
You may upgrade any Ministorum Priest to a Sister Chorister for 10 points.
Like Priests, Choristers do not take up a Force Organization slot and do not qualify as a mandatory HQ choice.
Unlike Priests, taking a Chorister does not not allow you to take a Battle Conclave as well.

Sister Chorister: 35 points
WS:4 BS:4 S:3 T:3 W:1 I:3 A:2 Ld:9 Sv:3+/5++

Unit type: Infantry (character)
Unit composition: 1 Sister Chorister

Wargear:
Power Armour
Bolt Pistol
Chainsword
Frag and Krak grenades

Special Rules:
Independent Character
Shield of Faith
War Hymns
Zealot

Options:
- May take melta bombs: 5 points
- May take a laud hailer: 10 points
- May replace her bolt pistol and chainsword with an item from the Special Weapon list.
A Sister Chorister may take items from the Melee Weapons, Ranged Weapons, and Ecclesiarchy Relics lists.

Design notes:
The Chorister uses the Celestian statline. So compared to the Priest, the Chorister gets +1 WS, +1 BS, and, most crucially, +2 Ld, which means her War Hymns are much more likely to work. That's worth, at a guess, 20 points, 5 for each +1. (A multi-wound character would pay more for the same stat boosts, but she's just W:1).
On the other hand, she doesn't have a Rosarius, just Power Armour and Shield of Faith, so her invulnerable save is 1 worse. Adding a Rosarius to PA & SoF cost a Canoness 15 points, but Choristers and Priests are less powerful characters, so let's say losing the Rosarius is a 10 point downgrade.
Hence my guesstimate that the Chorister nets out at +10 points more than the Priest, i.e. 35 points: Still affordable for key units, but not an obvious and easy choice to spam.

May replace boltgun and/or bolt pistol with
Chainsword free
Storm Bolter 3pts
Power axe, Power sword, Power maul, Combi-flamer,-melta, or plasma 10pts
Condemnor Boltgun, Plasma, Inferno Pistol or Storm Shield 15pts
Eviscerator or Preasidium Protectiva 25pts
Blessed Weapon 30pts
May take Melta Bombs 5pts
May take Roserius 25pts
May take Jump Pack 25pts
May take psyocculum 25pts

Praesidium Protectiva: Confers a 3+ invulnerable save and a +1 bonus to the bearers WS. The bearer of this important symbol of faith will fight with increased fury and fervour.
Psyococulum: The bearer of a psyocculum (and her unit) count as being Ballistic Skill 10 if shooting at a psyker or a unit containing one or more psykers.

ORDER RELICS
One Canoness in a detachment may take one and only one of the Order Relics below, in addition to any other Relics she may take from other lists.

*

Gauntlet of Dominica: 60 points
Keepers of the Sororitas' most ancient secrets, the Order of the Ebon Chalice preserves both the relics of the Sisterhood's founding saint, Alicia Dominica, and the traditions of the original Daughters of the Emperor. It took Dominica years to reconcile the martial arts of primitive San Leor with high-tech heavy armour, but when she did, she passed the technique on to her successors. When a Canoness of the Ebon Chalice -- or, on extraordinary occasions, of one of its daughter Orders Minor -- wears Saint Dominica's own battle-scarred black gauntlet, she and the elite Celestians beside her fight hand-to-hand with preternatural speed and fury.
A Canoness wearing the Gauntlet of Dominica and her Sororitas Command Squad gain the Furious Charge and Rage special rules. All Celestian squads within 6" of the Canoness gain the Rage special rule.

[Design notes: The SCS's oddest flaw is that it loses the Furious Charge act of faith that regular Celestians have; this relic fixes that and boosts all regular Celestians in range as well, representing the inspirational and/or miraculous effect on the Sisterhood's elite hand-to-hand troops in its most prestigious order. Note that (unlike all the subsequent Order Relics) that the Canoness does not have to be with her SCS for them to get the benefit.
Costing: Two SRs for the Canoness = 20 points; 2 SRs for her SCS = 20 pts; 1 SR for, on average, 2 Celestian Squads in range = 20 points. Total = 60.]

*

Scourge of Lucia: 50 points
Of all the Sisterhood's founding saints, it was Lucia who felt most bitterly the guilt of having served the monster Vandire, and the Sisters she led joined her in her painful penances. Ever since both Lucia's own Order of the Valorous Heart and its daughter Orders have been remarkable in the number of Sisters who self-exile themselves as Repentia. When the Canoness of such an Order -- often one of the rare redeemed Repentia herself -- carries Lucia's own instrument of self-punishment, it drives both her and her Sisters to desperate deeds of self-sacrifice.
The Canoness wielding the Scourge of Lucia gains the Fearless special rule. She, her squad, and all Repentia within 6" gain Feel No Pain.

[Design notes: The biggest complaint about Repentia in the current codex is that their permanent 5+ FNP has turned into a one-time 3+ FNP; this relic fixes that and makes the Canoness and the squad she joins, whatever its type, as Fearless as Repentia.
Costing: Two SRs for the Canoness: 20. One SR for her squad (since her Fearless covers them, they don't need to buy it separately) and for (on average) two Repentia squads in range: 3x10 = 30. Total: 50.]

*

Wings of Silvana: 60 points
Martyred in her youth, Saint Silvana has become the paragon of selfless purity for the Adepta Sororitas, above all for the Seraphim for her Order of the Argent Shroud is famous. In times of great need, a Canoness of the Argent Shroud or even one of its daughter Orders wears Silvana's own jump pack, an ancient design beyond today's technology to reproduce. The sight of its gleaming silver wings inspires the Canoness and her Sisters, especially Seraphim, to display courage and skill extraordinary even for the Sororitas.
The Wings of Silvana count as a Jump Pack. Its wearer gains the Fearless special rule. She and any squad she joins do not scatter when they Deep Strike. In addition, the wearer of the wings and any Seraphim squad within 6" may reroll failed Leadership tests, including both Morale and Acts of Faith tests.

[Design notes: This gives Seraphim back something of the old Angelic Visage rule and makes the Canoness an unfailing Deep Strike leader (You are Deep Striking your Seraphim if you take this, aren't you? Fluff says the Silver Shroud is famous for Seraphim and Celestians, but I don't want to give any Order a bonus to two troop types, and, as the uber-Sisters, Celestians seemed the best fit for the uber-Order, Dominica's own Ebon Chalice.
Costing: Fearless and no scatter for the Canoness: 20. No scatter for her squad: 10. Reroll Ld for the Canoness (which covers her squad) and (on average) two Seraphim squads within range: 30 points. Total: 60.]

*

Halo of Saint Katharine: 55 points
The fiercest of the Sisterhood's founders, Katharine ripped the iron halo from a Space Marine champion she slew in the battle for the Ecclesiarchal palace and slew several of his comrades with its spikes. Even after the Sisters made peace, Katharine refused to return her bloody trophy. Her Order of Our Martyred Lady and its offshoots are infamous even among Sisters for the determined fury of even their rank and file. While the halo's force field has never functioned since Katharine tore it loose as her trophy, its spikes inflict gaping wounds, and its mere presence on the battlefield makes the Battle Sisters more unyielding than ever.
The Halo of Saint Katharine counts as a power axe. Its wielder gains the Fearless special rule and all Battle Sister Squads within 6" gain And They Shall Know No Fear.

[Design notes: I love this bit of backstory I made up for Katharine.... She's such a raging bitch, and all of us deserve her wrath. The fluff for her Order speaks of their determination but, unlike any of the other Big Six, doesn't suggest a buff for any particular unit type - so Furyou Miko suggested the rank-and-file Battle Sisters.
Costing: Power axe: 15 points. Fearless for Canoness: 10 pts. ATSKNF for the Canoness and (on average) two BSS within 6": 30 points. Total: 55 points.]

*

Armour of Saint Mina: 50 points
None of the other founding saints equaled Mina in sheer headlong aggressiveness, and Dominions in particular take her as their inspiration. At some point in her bloody career, she acquired a superb suit of power armour ideally suited to her fighting style, every bit as protective as the Sororitas standard model but lighter, more agile, and better suited to swift strikes. When her successors in the Order of the Bloody Rose or its offshoots don her armour, they move with Mina's furious swiftness and inspire their subordinates to keep up the punishing pace -- punishing, that is, both for themselves and for the targets of their attacks.
The wearer of the Armour of Saint Mina gains the Scout special rule. She, her squad, and all Dominion squads within 6" of her may both run and shoot in the Shooting Phase, in either order (i.e. run, then shoot; or shoot, then run). However, they may not run after firing a Heavy weapon or fire a Heavy weapon after running.

[Design notes: Mina's character and her Order's connection to Dominions are established in fluff. I wanted something that make the Canoness and Dominions even faster to plunge into combat than regular Dominions, so Scout for her and Eldar Battle Focus seemed a good model.
Costing: Scout for the Canoness (which covers her squad too): 10 points. Battle Focus for her, her squad, and (on average) two Dominion squads in range: 40 points. Total: 50]

*

Targeter of Arabella: 55 points
Ardent in faith but calm in crises, Arabella was the most level-headed of the Sisterhood's founding saints. Retributors in particular still pray for her spirit to steady their nerves and their aim. Arabella wielded a wide variety of shooting weapons in her many battles, but she always affixed to them an arcane targeting scope of unknown origin. This relic remains in the possession of her Order of the Sacred Rose, used by its Canonesses and on rare occasions by those of its daughter Orders. Whether by its ancient technology or some lingering blessing of the God-Emperor, the targeter grants Arabella's heirs some of her famous steadiness in battle.
The Canoness bearing the Targeter of Arabella may take weapons from the Heavy weapons list. One and only one of her shooting weapons, chosen at the start of the game, counts as Twin-Linked. Her squad and all Retributor squads within 6" count one shooting weapon per model, chosen at the start of the game, as Master-Crafted. The Canoness and all Retributors within 6" may reroll failed Leadership tests, including Acts of Faith and Morale tests.

[Design notes: Twin-Linked for the Canoness: 10 points. Master-crafted is less valuable than SRs such as twin-linked, so I value it at 5 points a unit for three units: the Canoness's squad and (on average) two Retributor squads within range, i.e. 15 points. Rerolling LD for the Canoness (which covers her squad) and (on average) two Retributor squads within 6": 30 points. Total points: 55]