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Let me explain. This army would never have carried on its perpetual half life (with the bare minimum of prodding from GW lorewise) if it weren't for the fact that they are to all intents and purposes female space marines. A space marine is a gothic warrior from the far future who wears power armor and carries a monstrously huge gun. A sister of battle is a girl...and also a gothic warrior from the far future who wears power armor and carries a monstrously huge gun. Because of this, again despite minimal prodding from GW most fans know what Sisters of Battle are.

So a big part of the look of the army should be that they all wear some form of power armour. In fact rules wise they are the only non space marine army to give 3+ armor to their basic troops (since the change to Necron warriors).

As described above, repentia and pentitent engines do not fit with the general look or underlying theme of sisters of battle. Yes, they're religious fanatics and have the gothic look. But not to that extent and dispensing of armor gets rid of their whole identity as sisters of battle. It is the main distinguishing feature of sisters of battle and differentiates them from imperial guard for example. Whilst the Penitent engine just looks plain stupid with the pilot totally exposed. Standing alongside basic sisters the units look out of place and you wouldn't think they were part of the same army. Unlike for example a marine dread next to a regular marine. I really really hope they cut those units or at least don't bother updating them.

I also dislike the notion that the armies elite units with some of the best equipment should be its rejects...rather than regular sisters of battle. Surely the best equipment and the best trained units would be exemplars of being SoB.

Plus in such a small army, giving two unit slots over to non SoB units is just stupid. Especially because if they did do a plastic release then doing things like repentia and PE in plastic will take away attention from actual SoB units.

While the Repentia and Penitent Engines are probably the ugliest models in the game, with equally ugly rules, both are represented in the background of the Sisters of Battle. Don't get me wrong, I hate them too. It's just that I think they could be so much better in both model and rules, rather than wish to see them removed. Besides, who doesn't like a unit that goes starkers with a chainsaw, armored only in their faith and a their condemnation literally stapled to their bodies? That's as grim dark as it comes!

As to Sisters being Female Marines, the reality is that they were Guard stat models using Marine level gear from the very beginning, with a unique system of rules that let them go toe-to-toe with the Big Boys. Sister are the embodiment of the best there is that humanity can offer without literally losing their humanity. In effect, you could run an entirely male army of humans in Marine gear without changing a single stat-line or special rules, yet being an all female army lends the Sisters a weight not expressed by either the Guard or the Marines. Being female sets them apart from their Guard stat-line and their Marine gear, making them the third leg of the Imperial War Machine in equal standing.

GW really needs to either bring the Sisters in-line with the other 7th Ed armies, or admit they just don't care about the Ladies.

SJ

I don't want to see repentia gone. The idea behind them is so awesome I just can't help but love it. It fits 40K so well somehow!

I really hope GW updates SoB soon. With the technology they have now, the models could look jaw-droppingly good... With updated minis and rules, repentia could be good too.

Repentia and pengines don't fit for the same reasons that Zealots, Redemptionists, Cardinals, and Frateris Militia don't fit: they're not SoB units, they're Ecclesiarchy units. That being said, there's going to be some Ecclesiarchy overlap because there aren't enough Sisters units to make a codex without injecting Marine-lite units. I cringe whenever I hear someone mention we should have bikes or terminators or dreadnoughts.

That's the biggest reason I fear a proper SoB codex! I'm afraid what GW's writers will come up with to fill up all those open slots.

I'm something of the opposite opinion, I'd rather see a diversification of the line rather than just relegating them all to power armor. We already have 6 other armies with are already all or mostly power armored. It'd be interesting to see a more diverse array of units with the Sisters of Battle (or perhaps a more expanded and general "Ecclesiarchy") army than just cutting out everything that isn't in power armor.

I think the bigger issue with units like Repentia and Penitent Engines is that their rules suck and many of their models are either very awkward looking, annoying to built/paint or both, and expensive to boot.

I'd love to see 'redone' repentia models, they are one of my favourite units in the SoB.

Lore wise they have their place in the army and I think if you cut those and the Penitent Engines out you would be losing the 'Ecclesiarch' feel, I like that they overlap as I feel it matches and suits the army.

Also we don't need more units in power armour running around in this game, if anything we need less. I'm not saying that we need to take PA away from SoB, I'm just saying more diverse units would make for a better balance and make them more interesting rather than just 'Female Space Marines'.

 Totalwar1402 wrote:
So a big part of the look of the army should be that they all wear some form of power armour.

Like Space Marine scouts and terminators do?


Having power armour be the primary identifier of the army doesn't mean that everybody in the army needs to wear it.

If repentia weren't horrible looking S&M rejects, I'd likely run tonnes of them. Light armor and huge swords is something I'm a fan of. And the Repentia could look awesome, give them scrolls that are slightly more tasteful than the Raging Heroes 'Not Repentia' (below) and they'd be awesome.


But naked battle nuns is clearly cheesecake, and while attractive women models aren't an issue, ones specifically designed for the male gaze don't really sit well. But the Protectorate of Menoth is basically Warmachine saying 'we can do the Ecclisiarchy better than you' to GW, and right now, they are right. If you look at this model you can see how cool not-cheesecake Repentia could be. Of course they also do death cult assassins better, but that's another model that hasn't been updated in years.

 Vaktathi wrote:
I'm something of the opposite opinion, I'd rather see a diversification of the line rather than just relegating them all to power armor. We already have 6 other armies with are already all or mostly power armored. It'd be interesting to see a more diverse array of units with the Sisters of Battle (or perhaps a more expanded and general "Ecclesiarchy") army than just cutting out everything that isn't in power armor.

I think the bigger issue with units like Repentia and Penitent Engines is that their rules suck and many of their models are either very awkward looking, annoying to built/paint or both, and expensive to boot.

Maybe I'm just old school, but I kinda like the Repentia models. Penitent Engines look ridiculously awkward to build, but it could form the basis of a great plastic kit (plus exposing the pilot is the whole point, it makes way more sense than, say, Centurions or Dreadknights).

 insaniak wrote:

 Totalwar1402 wrote:
So a big part of the look of the army should be that they all wear some form of power armour.

Like Space Marine scouts and terminators do?


Having power armour be the primary identifier of the army doesn't mean that everybody in the army needs to wear it.

When the OP said that Power Armour armies need to be all in PA, Scouts were the first thing that popped to mind. I think that they actually just misunderstand the actual theme of the Sisters. Yes, they're power armoued women, but that's not their real "theme" - it's that they're basically religious fanatics/nuns. Reducing them to Power Armoured women would be like saying that Ultramarines, Dark Angels and Space Wolves are all the same because they're "Power Armoured men". I absolutely adore the fluff for Repentia, even if their rules are horrible.

 Paimon wrote:
If repentia weren't horrible looking S&M rejects, I'd likely run tonnes of them. Light armor and huge swords is something I'm a fan of. And the Repentia could look awesome, give them scrolls that are slightly more tasteful than the Raging Heroes 'Not Repentia' (below) and they'd be awesome.

Spoiler:

But naked battle nuns is clearly cheesecake, and while attractive women models aren't an issue, ones specifically designed for the male gaze don't really sit well. But the Protectorate of Menoth is basically Warmachine saying 'we can do the Ecclisiarchy better than you' to GW, and right now, they are right. If you look at this model you can see how cool not-cheesecake Repentia could be. Of course they also do death cult assassins better, but that's another model that hasn't been updated in years.

Yeah, this would be my biggest problem with Repentia (and some of the Sisters line in general). I bought 9 Repentia and hadn't realized just how unclothed they were (I thought they were fighting in full corsets and long robes, which is pretty cool... but the half corsets and tiny pieces of metal covering their nipples comes across as being kind of creepy). I painted most of them as if they had a full corset when I could get away with it, because it just looks way better. There's also the issue that all of the Repentia are quite well endowed...

In addition, the Mistress of Repentance and Canoness both have ridiculously over-exaggerated boob plates. I have been very tempted to just file those down (if my sculpting skills didn't suck anyway). If GW updates the Sisters line, they need to make sure that they keep things tasteful and not get tempted to tap into the fetishistic market - there are certainly tasteful ways to present repentant battle nuns and even have them exposing some flesh without it going over the top.

SoB are the only other army besides Orks that I collect. I remember the first time my wife viewed a Repentia. She knows the general 40K SoB fluff and just couldn't understand how such a fanatical, conservative, modest nun could become so uninhibited and immodest overnight. I showed her the backstory of the Repentia and she still said she couldn't see it. And her comment about the well endowed nature of alot of the SoB models, was to roll her eyes and say "must be something in the water in the far future".

This was all unfortunate because I almost had her interested in playing 40K.

She did say that a Repentia with high boots, a full corset, and a open front long flowing robe and huge swords would be very cool. So I am going to look for 3rd party models to entice her to play.

I like the penitent engines general concept and fluff, but the model and rules could be so much better. I would love to see a plastic model of the penitent engine, lots of possibilities for modifications. (besides I would loot a couple for my Orks )

... the point of the Repentia being naked (or nearly so) is that they are seeking absolution for sins in the only way that matters in 40K: death.

The Repentia are *not* "Ecclesiarchy" units... they are members of the Sororitas who have been sentenced to, or willingly assigned themselves to, the Repentia in order to atone for some sin or another. The actual severity of that sin will vary to each Sister Repentia.

So, armed with an Eviscerator, and armored only in faith, she seeks her death in battle with the enemies of the Emperor. She will seek to bring as many of them as she can to judgement before Him, and the only way one can be judged is by coming before the Golden Throne in death. Some few who survive their suicide missions are judged absolved of whatever sin brought them to the Repentia, and they are returned to their Order as full Sisters... but this is rare.

The theme with SoB it's not female marines, it's nuns with guns.

The whole eclisiarchy with bishops and the pope wannabe Sebastian Thor.



This is a picture of Penitente, a group of repenting people who wishes to be absolved from their sins, so they joined the order to repent for a set period of time.

So no, the SoB and repentia is basically Grimdark nuns and Grimdark Penitente.

 Psienesis wrote:
... the point of the Repentia being naked (or nearly so) is that they are seeking absolution for sins in the only way that matters in 40K: death.

The Repentia are *not* "Ecclesiarchy" units... they are members of the Sororitas who have been sentenced to, or willingly assigned themselves to, the Repentia in order to atone for some sin or another. The actual severity of that sin will vary to each Sister Repentia.

So, armed with an Eviscerator, and armored only in faith, she seeks her death in battle with the enemies of the Emperor. She will seek to bring as many of them as she can to judgement before Him, and the only way one can be judged is by coming before the Golden Throne in death. Some few who survive their suicide missions are judged absolved of whatever sin brought them to the Repentia, and they are returned to their Order as full Sisters... but this is rare.

See, this is why I'm not even adverse to Repentia showing some skin, since nakedness is symbolic of shame in Christianity at least (which the fanatical elements of the Imperial cult clearly draw on). It sounds like Game of Thrones Season 5 will be representing this quite well. There's a fine line between displaying repentance and fetishization though, which makes a redesign somewhat tricky (for that matter, hopefully GoT doesn't screw up this line... although it's HBO, I imagine they'll default to titillation).

Shaved heads, torn robes, minimal bling, cuts, scars, reasonable (and even varied) endowment and even some exposed flesh to drive home their penitent nature and vulnerability - not with the intent to titillate. There's a lot of potential for some fantastic models in there without it getting distasteful or even throwing away the design aesthetics of the current models (hell, if someone went with my ideas, you could probably put the old and new designs side by side and look like they belong together).

No because I think the mentality that "they can't have anything space marine" tends to translate into "lets not give them anything other than bolters and power armor". Its also especially bad because space marines have access to every type of unit or tank in the game imaginable. Hard to avoid aping space marines. Look at Salamanders. Loads of special rules and buffs regarding using flame weapons. Do you deliberately avoid giving any such bonuses or units to SoB because that's too much of a Salamanders thing?

Its also an attitude that means the designers think lets make similar type units but make them worse than their space marine equivalents. The pentitent engine is a good comparison being bone fragile and worse than a dread in every way even though its essentially an ecclesiarchy dread. Or the "lets not give them close combat weapons and no armour for their close combat units!".

The army already has, intentionally, many similarities to space marines such as using the rhino as the chassis for its tanks and using bolters n power armor. Why wouldn't that carry over into access to heavy battle tanks such as land raiders or dreadnoughts? Lightening claws? Terminator armor? Fundamentally they are still part of the Imperium and essentially this boils down to saying they shouldn't have elite units or good heavy tanks. Which is kind of bad.

The problem with adding more ecclesiarchy units like the repentia and engine is that it detracts from the actual number of sisters of battle units in the army. This is especially true since you really only have regular sisters and seraphim to choose from unit wise. Having two non sisters units really dilutes the army, especially since they are the armies close combat and elite arm.

I really disagree with the "female guard" thing. This army does not exist and was not made because the Ecclesiarchy really needed representing. You could easily represent an army of religious fanatics using either Black Templars or Imperial guard with priests. SoB were created to be female space marines to all intents and purposes. The lore and religious zealot thing is fluff that (while good) was bolted onto that core concept.

Repentia are Battle Sisters, Celestians, Seraphim, Dominions and Retributors who have taken a penitent oath. Please correct your thinking.

Can I disagree anymore with the OP than I do? Perhaps, but I doubt it.

Sorry I have to disagree completely, let's remove even more from an all but squated army.

I can see the point you're trying to make OP, but probably give the background of these units a bit more of a look.

The Repentia are as much the identity of the SoB as the standard SoB is.

I think the repentia should be kept, HOWEVER, I do agree with the OP that it might be an idea to revise their look, the "sisters of bondage" look is silly and just doesn't strike me as right...
the penitilates linked earlier wear simple black robes and hoods. I'd go with something like that (I'd ditch the hood though as it'd look too much like minis of KKK members)

 Totalwar1402 wrote:
Let me explain. This army would never have carried on its perpetual half life (with the bare minimum of prodding from GW lorewise) if it weren't for the fact that they are to all intents and purposes female space marines. A space marine is a gothic warrior from the far future who wears power armor and carries a monstrously huge gun. A sister of battle is a girl...and also a gothic warrior from the far future who wears power armor and carries a monstrously huge gun. Because of this, again despite minimal prodding from GW most fans know what Sisters of Battle are.

So a big part of the look of the army should be that they all wear some form of power armour. In fact rules wise they are the only non space marine army to give 3+ armor to their basic troops (since the change to Necron warriors).

As described above, repentia and pentitent engines do not fit with the general look or underlying theme of sisters of battle. Yes, they're religious fanatics and have the gothic look. But not to that extent and dispensing of armor gets rid of their whole identity as sisters of battle. It is the main distinguishing feature of sisters of battle and differentiates them from imperial guard for example. Whilst the Penitent engine just looks plain stupid with the pilot totally exposed. Standing alongside basic sisters the units look out of place and you wouldn't think they were part of the same army. Unlike for example a marine dread next to a regular marine. I really really hope they cut those units or at least don't bother updating them.

I also dislike the notion that the armies elite units with some of the best equipment should be its rejects...rather than regular sisters of battle. Surely the best equipment and the best trained units would be exemplars of being SoB.

Plus in such a small army, giving two unit slots over to non SoB units is just stupid. Especially because if they did do a plastic release then doing things like repentia and PE in plastic will take away attention from actual SoB units.

Just....wow. There are so many holes in this argument I don't even know what to do. Many other responses in this thread have pointed out that Repentia ARE Battle Sisters and that the "theme" of the SoB is NOT females in power armor but religious zealots! And when you look at an outdated and very small model line and codex and you can only think, "Let's take stuff away" really boggles my mind.

Now, both of the units mentioned are SORELY lacking, I completely agree. Rules wise they need an overhaul and the ALL of the Sisters need some new models ASAP. But this isn't new. The SoB are religious zealots who HAPPEN to wear Power Armor. And both the Repentia and Penitent Engines fit the gothic and grimdark feel of them to a T.

 flamingwalnut wrote:

 Totalwar1402 wrote:
Let me explain. This army would never have carried on its perpetual half life (with the bare minimum of prodding from GW lorewise) if it weren't for the fact that they are to all intents and purposes female space marines. A space marine is a gothic warrior from the far future who wears power armor and carries a monstrously huge gun. A sister of battle is a girl...and also a gothic warrior from the far future who wears power armor and carries a monstrously huge gun. Because of this, again despite minimal prodding from GW most fans know what Sisters of Battle are.

So a big part of the look of the army should be that they all wear some form of power armour. In fact rules wise they are the only non space marine army to give 3+ armor to their basic troops (since the change to Necron warriors).

As described above, repentia and pentitent engines do not fit with the general look or underlying theme of sisters of battle. Yes, they're religious fanatics and have the gothic look. But not to that extent and dispensing of armor gets rid of their whole identity as sisters of battle. It is the main distinguishing feature of sisters of battle and differentiates them from imperial guard for example. Whilst the Penitent engine just looks plain stupid with the pilot totally exposed. Standing alongside basic sisters the units look out of place and you wouldn't think they were part of the same army. Unlike for example a marine dread next to a regular marine. I really really hope they cut those units or at least don't bother updating them.

I also dislike the notion that the armies elite units with some of the best equipment should be its rejects...rather than regular sisters of battle. Surely the best equipment and the best trained units would be exemplars of being SoB.

Plus in such a small army, giving two unit slots over to non SoB units is just stupid. Especially because if they did do a plastic release then doing things like repentia and PE in plastic will take away attention from actual SoB units.

Just....wow. There are so many holes in this argument I don't even know what to do. Many other responses in this thread have pointed out that Repentia ARE Battle Sisters and that the "theme" of the SoB is NOT females in power armor but religious zealots! And when you look at an outdated and very small model line and codex and you can only think, "Let's take stuff away" really boggles my mind.

Now, both of the units mentioned are SORELY lacking, I completely agree. Rules wise they need an overhaul and the ALL of the Sisters need some new models ASAP. But this isn't new. The SoB are religious zealots who HAPPEN to wear Power Armor. And both the Repentia and Penitent Engines fit the gothic and grimdark feel of them to a T.

Um, no you're being really disingenuous, the theme is very much "girls in power armour". Religious zealots exist in other armies such as Word Bearers, Black Templars and even thematic Imperial Guard armies with Priests. If GW wanted to make an army of zealots and focused on a pure Ecclesiarchy army then why on earth would they have chosen to make them all women, wear power armor and carry bolters; essentially making them female space marines? You could easily represent such a force without having them be girls, have power armor or have bolters. No, the core fundamental reason for this armies existence is not because GW wanted to represent the army of the Ecclesiarchy or have a religious zealot army, they exist because they wanted an all girl army in power armor. The religious fanatic theme was simply applied on top of that to try and give the army more of an identity but its an idea which follows from the core concept.

They are girls in power armor models that GW happened to decide to make religious zealots in their fluff. The models design came first, the fluff and backstory second.

Repentia aren't Sisters of Battle. They're flaggleants who are cast out of the order, this is why they have their armor taken off them to symbolise them not being SoB anymore. The problem is that this makes them embarrassingly bad, even with FNP which most guns in the game ignore anyway. Why they can't simply wear armor and just have their robs shredded with eviserators is beyond me. They just don't fit in with the rest of the army because they don't wear armor. I already have an army of half naked wychs, I don't care another one.

My main gripe is the idea of GW redoing kits like the repentia and Penitent Engine rather than make better CC units which are actual sisters of battle.

Repentia are a force within the Orders Militant of the Adeptus Sororitus just like the Battle Sisters, Celestians, Seraphim, etc. The particular outfit they wear is irrelevant even if most of the others forces do wear power armor. They are still sisters of the Adeptus Sororitus. The OP seems confused on the actual structure of the organization. This is kind of like saying Scouts should be removed from Space Marine armies because they are not full Battle Brothers yet. While they are recruits and don't wear power armor, space marine scouts are still members of the space marines.

That said both the model and rules for them leave a lot of room for improvement. However, I don't either of them will be changing any time soon.

the_hanged_man wrote:
Repentia are a force within the Orders Militant of the Adeptus Sororitus just like the Battle Sisters, Celestians, Seraphim, etc. The particular outfit they wear is irrelevant even if most of the others forces do wear power armor. They are still sisters of the Adeptus Sororitus. The OP seems confused on the actual structure of the organization. This is kind of like saying Scouts should be removed from Space Marine armies because they are not full Battle Brothers yet. While they are recruits and don't wear power armor, space marine scouts are still members of the space marines.

That said both the model and rules for them leave a lot of room for improvement. However, I don't either of them will be changing any time soon.

I am fully aware that repentia are disgraced sisters of battle who take on an oath of penitence. They then have their robes torn into tatters and their armor removed. This symbolises them being cast out of the sisterhood.

I am not questioning the lore or the concept.

The problem is that they don't look anything like sisters of battle or remotely fit in due to them not having any armor. Hence why I don't consider them a proper SoB unit, just another crazy ecclesiarchy unit like the Penitent engine that just detracts from the armies central theme "girls in power armor". It also makes their rules appallingly bad. It also means that GW has clearly decided that only the shooty units in the SoB list should have this and the close combat units should all be bereft of it. Which sucks. Scouts fit in because they are a secondary troop choice in a huge and vastly diverse list; plus they are still wearing armor very similar to what regular space marines wear. They are not: the only dedicated SoB close combat choice, look nothing remotely like a sister of battle unlike scouts which fit in perfectly alongside space marines.

I mean why on earth would you take the heavy armor off your shock assault troops and refuse to give powerful close combat weapons to Celestians or seraphim? Its an extremely bizarre and stupid concept. Why GW thought that t3 models that cost as much as a terminator and strike last are viable is beyond me. I mean why do these expendable suicide squads cost more points than a sister of battle? Who surely should be many times more valuable?

 Totalwar1402 wrote:
The models design came first, the fluff and backstory second..

No, it didn't.

Sisters of Battle have been in the 40K backstory since Rogue Trader (they were responsible for the purge of the Rainbow Warriors for Heresy, amongst other things) but didn't get models until towards the end of 2nd edition.

The brief for SoB has always been 'Nuns with Guns'. The power armour was to make them something more than just female guard.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Totalwar1402 wrote:
The problem is that they don't look anything like sisters of battle or remotely fit in due to them not having any armor.

Which brings us once again to the fact that Scouts, Terminators and Dreadnoughts don't look anything like a regular Space Marine, but you don't seem to be arguing that they don't belong...


Again, an army's core theme does not dictate that every single model in that army must include that thematic element.

BrianDavion wrote:
I think the repentia should be kept, HOWEVER, I do agree with the OP that it might be an idea to revise their look, the "sisters of bondage" look is silly and just doesn't strike me as right...
the penitilates linked earlier wear simple black robes and hoods. I'd go with something like that (I'd ditch the hood though as it'd look too much like minis of KKK members)

Ehm... the Sisters are kind of like KKK members in the setting. After all, they're not meant to be Supergirl. They're hardline religious zealots who would much rather burn heretics and unbelievers, mutants and witches, xenos and anyone else who's not on the Imperium4Ever train at the stake, rather than attempt to re-educate them. They defend the faith, they punish the infidel, and they cleanse the Imperium of the genetically impure.

I mean why on earth would you take the heavy armor off your shock assault troops and refuse to give powerful close combat weapons to Celestians or seraphim? Its an extremely bizarre and stupid concept. Why GW thought that t3 models that cost as much as a terminator and strike last are viable is beyond me. I mean why do these expendable suicide squads cost more points than a sister of battle? Who surely should be many times more valuable?

That's a problem with the rules, not the concept of the army or the unit.... but the reason that they get Eviscerators and Celestians don't is because the Eviscerator is not a weapon for use in closed-ranks fighting. It's a weapon for one person to throw their lives away with by jumping into a mob of heretics and laying about with a two-meter-long chainsaw wrapped in a matter-destroying energy field with reckless abandon.

I really like the Penitant Engines and Repentia in the Sisters of Battle. The Demonhunters/Witchhunters were great ranges of models and are probably the last time I was interested in the output of regular 40K. All the inquisitors and their retinues and weird and wonderful support characters like flagellants and priests. Lovely. These pages are always my favourites in any art book about the Imperium. The miniature ranges are mostly all gone now, I regret not buying more of them at the time. Most of the interesting creative stuff in 40K either disappeared with Specialist Games or has been pushed to Black Library and Forge World.

 insaniak wrote:
they were responsible for the purge of the Rainbow Warriors for Heresy, amongst other things

Not exactly true, just a picture showing 'Brother Vermillion' of the Rainbow Warriors being shot by 'Sister Sin'.

What Rogue Trader says about the Sisterhood though is this: 'The Adepta Sororitas is a penitent organisation where constant hardship, deprivation and arduous work are part of an unrelenting devotional regime. The slightest deviation from approved stricture results in the severest chastisement'.

If anything the Repentia are more 'Sistery' that the other Battle Sisters and are the truest expression of what the Sororitas are and represent.

I think what I would personally like to see is a Codex: Ministorum where the Frateris Militia and other civilian fighters form the main body of troops with the Sisters of Battle being the elite of the army which is what they are in the background and should be in the game.

(Then all Games Workshop needs to do is get around to making armies for the Mechanicus and Arbites...)

At first the Repentia and Penitent Engines squicked me out -- especially Repentia in some artwork featuring both nudity and mutilation -- but I learned to stop worrying and love the grimdark. They represent the crazy, brutal, hardly-better-than-Chaos side of the Imperium and the human longing for redemption, both at once. Plus in my mind Repentia are pretty much all River Glau at the climax of Serenity, only with giant chainsaws.

I think the solution to the Sisters' narrow range is the opposite of taking things away, so I've homebrewed 30 new Sisters units. That includes two Repentia characters and Frateris Militia in several flavors, as well as new wargear and upgrades to make regular Repentia and Pengines more survivable; the rest is all power-armored Sisters and vehicles. I'd love folks' comments.

Although I have to admit that the design of the Repentia models wouldn't have been my first choice. I don't have any problem with the models, if you don't like the thought of sororitas who have either been forced into the ranks of the Repentia or volunteered to do so (this is a big part of the SoB fluff, they volunteer to get closer to the Emperor) stripping mostly naked to do so. Don't paint them with bare flesh. Assume they are wearing some form of body glove and paint them in appropriate colors. They could easily be fielded as stand ins for DCA.

Personally I'd like to see their rules get fixed. Larger units would be nice, would love to be able to field a unit of 30 in one unit. A point cut would be nice, or double up their Shield of Faith save to 5++, feel no pain standard, then give them fleet and an extra attack(s?). Would be nice if Spirit of the Martyr still allowed them to get a swing off even if they were cut down in close combat that round. As they are now, they just aren't worth fielding. Unless you field them as stand ins for your DCA.

As far as the Penitent Engine. Unstoppable should be renamed IWND and treated as such. Double up their Shield of Faith as well along with feel no pain standard and fleet. Of course I'd love to see them made monstrous creatures rather than walkers. While you are at it, make the Repentant Host formation available in 40k rather than just Apoc. Open up those slots for Exorcists.

Side note, the sororitas PE pilot is one of my favorite models in the SoB line. I don't see the arco pilot as a sister model but the sororitas one makes the whole PE look really cool.

Personally, I couldn't disagree more with the OP. I think we need to find more unit ideas for the SoB that aren't just rehashed SM units, we don't need to remove any.

Restoring permanent Feel No Pain, the way the Repentia had in the White Dwarf mini-dex, would go a long way to making them viable. So would an assault vehicle.