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New Thread: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/609583.page#7102148

A completely scratch built Codex Sisters of Battle. I added in everything a modern army needs Flyers, multiple troop selections, More Special Characters, etc. I tried not to take many liberties with Canon and keep the whole thing Fluffy, but competitive. The Sisters are the main focus even though they now get their Inquisitors back.This Codex still needs a lot of balancing. Any Feedback would be much appreciated.

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/20ja6vvrllsxjhx/Codex%20Sisters%20of%20Battle.pdf

Link to Cover: http://j3fwt.deviantart.com/#/art/Codex-Cover-Sisters-of-Battle-435862113?hf=1
Link to Acts of Faith Cards: http://j3fwt.deviantart.com/art/Acts-of-Faith-Cards-447445803
Link to Psychic Powers Cards: http://j3fwt.deviantart.com/art/Ordo-Hereticus-Psychic-Powers-Cards-447586827

Cover:


Acts of Faith Cards:


Psychic Powers Cards:


Original Thread over at the B&C: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/286511-homebrew-codex-sisters-of-battle-6th-edition/

I can't be a great deal of help with the rules, as I'm inexperienced with those, but I can offer input into the fluff. Here's a few minor things I noticed glancing through it:

For the drop pods I noticed that you've created your own variant for the Sisters. But the Sisters actually had their own variant previously. They were called Dominica Pattern drop pods:

So that's there if you wanted to build off of old stuff.

Also, your Mechanicus Sister sounds a little too close to the teachings of the Mechanicus than the Sisters would be comfortable with. The Sisters being hardline zealots aen't all that approving the the alternate faith that the Mechanicus hold, so they probably wouldn't approve of Sisters bearing "Mechanicus" in their title or having a "Blessing of the Omnissiah". That's not to say that you can't have a tech Sister, though. Fluff has actually suggested that the Sisters have people that have tech training. To quote WD #269:

Besides the Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes, only a select few Imperial organisations now have access to Rhinos, the priceless technology involved in their construction and maintenance is too valuable to be entrusted to any but the most loyal and steadfast bodies of warriors. The Adepta Sororitas and Adeptus Arbites in particular have a number of Rhinos, and they maintain a body of those sanctified and pure of heart to care for them. Years of training go towards achieving this respected position. Aspirants must learn how to divine the runes of engineering, memorise the liturgy of maintenance and constantly study the routine of service. It is a position of great honour to care for these vehicles and those that are carried into battle within one of these armoured transports are mindful of the spirits that inhabit the mechanical functions and blessed bolts that make up each one.

Additionally, if we look at some recent FW fluff, we see reference to "specially trained Battle Sisters" (though these are also noted as being assisted by Mechanicus-provided servitors).

Heh. Went off on a bit of a tangent there, but what I'm recommending is that you make the tech-Sister slightly more removed from the Mechanicus.

I did base the Drop Pod off of the one you showed in your post.

I'm not sure how I would remove the Tech-Sisters from the Mechanicus without making them really generic. As they are right now they're just Battle Sisters with Servo-Arms and Blessing of the Omnisiah.

 J3f wrote:
I'm not sure how I would remove the Tech-Sisters from the Mechanicus without making them really generic. As they are right now they're just Battle Sisters with Servo-Arms and Blessing of the Omnisiah.

Maybe call them something like "Sanctioned Tech-Sisters". Just some name that'd fit in with the other SoB names for ranks.

Basically all I'm getting at is that the Sisters wouldn't like too much of an overt Mechanicus influence within their ranks. "Mechanicus Sister" makes it sound like said Sister is aligned with the Mechanicus.

Sister Mechanicus does fit with SoB names for ranks. Just like the Ordo Hospitaller Ordo Dialogus or Ordo Famulos. The Mechanicus are a minor Order within the ranks of the Sisters of Battle.

The Adeptus Mechanicus is an interesting organization within the Imperium as a whole, because they view the Emperor as the Omnissiah, which is the supposed mortal incarnation of the Machine-God...

... which is in direct opposition to the teachings of the Ecclesiarchy, which teaches that the Emperor is a god, full stop. The Sisters, being the Sisters, go with the teachings of the Ecclesiarchy to the extreme. They, in fact, basically cut out any aspect of the Creed that talks about anything about having a good time, unless that good time is warfare, purging and killing. They're a penitent order, after all.

But a Sister with some kind of Mechanicus teachings would be something of an apostate to either the Machine Cult or to the Ecclesiarchy. She'd either be looking at the Machine Cult's teachings and saying, "Well, learning how to use an air-ratchet is cool, and I can dig these quantum mechanics principles... but you're full of gak if you think the Emperor is just the representation of some kind of 'Machine God'. The machines serve the God-Emperor, who is All. Burn, heretic!" or she'd be the odd-girl-out amongst the Sisterhood for her heretical veneration of a Machine God before her proper adoration and veneration of the God-Emperor.

 J3f wrote:
Sister Mechanicus does fit with SoB names for ranks. Just like the Ordo Hospitaller Ordo Dialogus or Ordo Famulos. The Mechanicus are a minor Order within the ranks of the Sisters of Battle.

But isn't there already a Mechanicus in the Imperium? Having a whole other of Sisters also called the Mechanicus doesn't sound like something the Sisters would really approve of. Hence why I'm suggesting an alternate name. Sure, the Sisters are happy to learn tech stuff from the Mechanicus, but they're still not that keen on the Mechanicus. Anyway, I won't go on about it anymore. I've made my point.

Also, they're not Ordos. That's the Inquisition. What the SoB have is Orders. So, Orders Militant, Orders Dialogus and so on. Furthermore, those others Orders you listed aren't in the Sisters of Battle, but the Adepta Sororitas. See, the Sisters of Battle are the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, their specialisation is fighting. Then there's other Orders, as we've listed before, who have other specialisations.

 Psienesis wrote:
She'd either be looking at the Machine Cult's teachings and saying, "Well, learning how to use an air-ratchet is cool, and I can dig these quantum mechanics principles... but you're full of gak if you think the Emperor is just the representation of some kind of 'Machine God'. The machines serve the God-Emperor, who is All. Burn, heretic!" or she'd be the odd-girl-out amongst the Sisterhood for her heretical veneration of a Machine God before her proper adoration and veneration of the God-Emperor.

The WD fluff refers to it as a "respected position", whilst the FW fluff makes it sound like a fairly common thing. So I think it's the former rather than the latter.

I wouldn't be opposed to calling them something else, but I'm not up on my High Gothic so what would you suggest?

I wouldn't advise adding a Sororitas Mechanicum unit at all. Just let them have Techpriests using the exact same profile as the Guard.

That feels so out of place though, Space Marines don't lug around Guard Tech-Priest, they get their own. The Sisters Mechanicus are limited to HQ anyway, so they won't be very prevalent.

Could call them Sororitas Machina. It's very obvious as to what it means while not being the name of another faction. Or, because the Imperial use of both English and Latin is wonky at best (like "Mechanicus"), could use some purely made-up words like Technologis (which follows the same pattern as "Biologis" and is also, incidentally, French).

Should still call them Tech-Sisters. Mechanicus Marines are just called Tech-Marines, after all.

EDIT: Speaking of Marines, that made me think of a "Sister of the Forge". Not sure if that sounds good or not.

EDIT2: On the point of them getting Techpriests, wouldn't they see Techpriests as heretics? Even if not enough to purge them on sight, still enough to not allow them to put their filthy heretical hands (or servo-claws or whatever else) on their Emperor-blessed weapons and machines. They would be entrusting their lives to a heretic!

How about Sisters Technologus. Because I can't pronounce "Technologis" in my accent for the life of me.

Space Marine units are named very plainly (TechMarines, Assault Marines, etc.), but with the exception of Battle Sisters the Adepta Sororitas all have fancy titles so I don't think they should just be called Tech-Sisters.

I did add a "Sister of the Forge" she's called the Mechanicus(Technologus) Superior.

P.S. I will now be referring to them as Techno-Sisters.

Technologus soudnsd good to me. >< I totally need to get a hold of IA2SE for that fluff about the mechanicum-trained Sisters.

Troike, you mentioned a comment about them in White Dwarf? Which issue was that?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that fluffwise, the Sisters would invert the New Mechanicum belief - the Omnissiah is an aspect of the Emperor, nothing more.

#269. I've quoted the whole thing in my first post ITT.

 Furyou Miko wrote:

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that fluffwise, the Sisters would invert the New Mechanicum belief - the Omnissiah is an aspect of the Emperor, nothing more.

But would that even be enough? Is worship of the Emperor through an aspect or other metaphor acceptable?

EDIT: Plus, you'd have to take a Sister, put her in an AdMech classroom, and then expect her to quietly sit and listen (and form her own take on it later) to the outright blasphemy that the Mechanicus believe.

It's acceptable when it means all your technology doesn't break down leaving you stranded in a feudal world.

 Frozen Ocean wrote:


But would that even be enough? Is worship of the Emperor through an aspect or other metaphor acceptable?

It would have to be. Most of the Imperium works this way - for example, the Sun as Emperor, like on the planet in the opening chapters of Xenos.

EDIT: Plus, you'd have to take a Sister, put her in an AdMech classroom, and then expect her to quietly sit and listen (and form her own take on it later) to the outright blasphemy that the Mechanicus believe.

I think they probably have specific classrooms for teaching adherents to this variant of the New Belief.

There are such things as "Apostate Tech-Priests" that, for whatever reason, cleave to the Ecclesiarchy and not the Machine Cult.

Added a Fast Tank with 2 Hurricane Bolters. Thoughts?

Looks a bit expensive, compare to the Chimera (70 points for a multilaser and a heavy bolter, with 10 transport and 5 fire points) or Predator (80 points for FAV13 and a turreted autocannon)...

I'm assuming this is like a Rhino with sponsons? Trying to put double hurricanes in a turret sounds like a design nightmare. Is the optional heavy weapon supposed to then go on the storm bolter mount?

It puts out firepower equivalent to a 12-strong Sisters squad, so it should cost roughly a similar amount given that its armour means you need Str8 weapons to reliably hurt it, but you only need to kill it once compared to 12 times.

 J3f wrote:
That feels so out of place though, Space Marines don't lug around Guard Tech-Priest, they get their own. The Sisters Mechanicus are limited to HQ anyway, so they won't be very prevalent.

He's not a Guard Tech-Priest, he's a Tech-Priest seconded from the Adeptus Mechanicus. He's not actually part of the Guard.

Very old-school with the Inquisitors, Assassins, the Faith points & the roll under/over # of models Acts of Faith, and all the special characters sadly deleted from the more recent codexes, plus some cool new ones.

Small question: Why "inquisitorial guard" instead of regular Inquisitorial Warbands? In fact, why Inquisitors at all when they've now got their own mini-codex that can ally with anything (which, ok, some people hate hate hate)?

Big question: What's your objective in this fandex? "Get back the cool stuff we lost and have a fuller range of capabilities" seems to be part of it," but I'd love to have a clearer sense of your vision of the Sisters.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
Looks a bit expensive, compare to the Chimera (70 points for a multilaser and a heavy bolter, with 10 transport and 5 fire points) or Predator (80 points for FAV13 and a turreted autocannon)...

I'm assuming this is like a Rhino with sponsons? Trying to put double hurricanes in a turret sounds like a design nightmare. Is the optional heavy weapon supposed to then go on the storm bolter mount?

It puts out firepower equivalent to a 12-strong Sisters squad, so it should cost roughly a similar amount given that its armour means you need Str8 weapons to reliably hurt it, but you only need to kill it once compared to 12 times.

I was using the Blood Angels Codex to price it, which is woefully out of date . I'm thinking of dropping its points cost to 95, still more than a predator, but it's Fast and for 5 points more it can take Blessed Ammunition and have 12 bolters with Shred.

Hurricane Bolter Sponsons and Repressor Weapon Mounts.

 SisterSydney wrote:
Very old-school with the Inquisitors, Assassins, the Faith points & the roll under/over # of models Acts of Faith, and all the special characters sadly deleted from the more recent codexes, plus some cool new ones.

Small question: Why "inquisitorial guard" instead of regular Inquisitorial Warbands? In fact, why Inquisitors at all when they've now got their own mini-codex that can ally with anything (which, ok, some people hate hate hate)?

Big question: What's your objective in this fandex? "Get back the cool stuff we lost and have a fuller range of capabilities" seems to be part of it," but I'd love to have a clearer sense of your vision of the Sisters.

Inquisitorial Guard because of the Crusader's Fluff. They are essentially an escort provide by the Ecclesiarchy or hand picked by the Inquisitor. Also to differentiate them from the Inquistorial Warband.

My vision of the Sisters is a run and gun army, shoots to weaken enemy unit then finishes off the enemy in assault. Acts of Faith is a strategic layer to add options for contingencies and unpredictability. And yes being a competent army that can handle all the new things that got added in 6th edition.

If you can't tell already I'm a big fan of (the Sisters part of) Codex Witch Hunters and Codex Adepta Sororitas proved that 5e Codex Sisters of Battle could be worse, even if C:AS is more competitive.

Codex Inquisition is a joke, a good army should be able to field a competitive list without allies.

Blessed Ammunition for 5 pts is underpriced.

Shred is priced fairly at 5 points when it can only be taken for 2 storm bolters or a TL heavy bolter, but for something with a Hurricane? Definitely needs to be a little more expensive.More like 15-20 points.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
Shred is priced fairly at 5 points when it can only be taken for 2 storm bolters or a TL heavy bolter, but for something with a Hurricane? Definitely needs to be a little more expensive.More like 15-20 points.

Alright repricing the Sanctifier at 90 points and Blessed Ammunition to 15 points

Updated the Codex with a custom Anti-Air tank.

This is the Reverence? I know anti-air is crucial, but lasers aren't a Sisters thing: I'd be tempted just to give the Exorcist an alternative missile that had Skyfire.

 SisterSydney wrote:
This is the Reverence? I know anti-air is crucial, but lasers aren't a Sisters thing: I'd be tempted just to give the Exorcist an alternative missile that had Skyfire.

I don't see missiles as being a Sisters thing either. If it wasn't for how cool the Organ Tank is you wouldn't be touting it so much. Besides I can see the Sisters shooting down planes with the Divine Light of the Emperor. Lascannons aren't totally barred off from the Sisters anyway, the Avenger Strike Fighter can take them.

 J3f wrote:

 SisterSydney wrote:
This is the Reverence? I know anti-air is crucial, but lasers aren't a Sisters thing: I'd be tempted just to give the Exorcist an alternative missile that had Skyfire.

I don't see missiles as being a Sisters thing either. If it wasn't for how cool the Organ Tank is you wouldn't be touting it so much. Besides I can see the Sisters shooting down planes with the Divine Light of the Emperor. Lascannons aren't totally barred off from the Sisters anyway, the Avenger Strike Fighter can take them.

The Avenger is an Imperial Navy fighter that the sisters use/borrow/steal?
Missiles are a sisters thing. Making the exorcist with an alternate skyfire missile or varient seems much more likely.

As for the tech-sister, in my short story and on the gaming table I just make tech priestesses. I explain it that the Order only allows female engine seers in. (much to the confusion of the mechanicum who don't see the purpose of distinguishing between sexes.)
If there is a tech sister, she can't be at all indoctrinated by the mechanicum.