EzeKK wrote:I'm sure that Grey Knights and Sisters will be MUCH more "Elite like" in the new Inquisition book. Like Kyoto said Grey Knights are insainly powerful and shouldn't just be running around.
To be honest, I don't know if the Sisters should be 'that' elite. Sure,t hey're scary
to Guardsmen but the way
40k is, individual Guardsmen are probably scared of mutant hamsters (
the hamsters are, of course, bald and covered in skulls.)
To me, defining the role of the Sisters is an interesting exercise into the 'realpolitik' of the
40k setting.
The first concept is 'balance of power.' A lot of the Imperial forces have near-unlimited power within a specific domain. The Space Marines answer to no one but the Primarchs and the Emperor, but are expected to help if asked by a planetary governor, High Lord of Terra, etc. They generally do the 'right thing' (I.E. purge the unclean, etc.) because
that's what they want to do anyway. They're kept in line by the other major power blocks, including:
The Inquisition gives out Exterminatus authority to it's trusted leaders. High-ranking Inquisitors can order entire planets burned with no appeal. However, if they do this too much or to the wrong parties, they'll find themselves cut off. So the Inquisitors need to be careful when and where they use this. For example, if a Space Marine world is under attack by Tyranids, an Inquisiotr might be justified in ordering it torched to prevent a larger problem. However, if the Chapter controlling the world wants to keep it, they can work out a deal. The Space Marines keep their world (albeit with 'guests' ) and the Inquisitor now is owed some favors by
some of the best purveyors of violence available in the Imperium.
Add other groups in and it's much the same. If any major power bloc (High Lords, Adeptus Mechanicus, even the
IG) steps out of line, they'll get smacked down by the other blocks. It's also a good thing there's external threats to give them something to focus on. Even various Chapters have grudges that keep them from acting in concer.
It all reminds me of a scene from a Discworld novel where taxing the wizard's school Unseen University is discussed. The Patriarch (a tyrant) and the Arcchancelor (a PHB) agree that the University will not pay taxes (as such would cause an uproar among the well-armed wizards) but will, of course, make a small
completely voluntary monetary donation to aid in the upkeep of the streets outside the university. This is, I find, similar to how the real world works, if not as fun.
Anyway, the Sisters are a relatively minor player in this, but they're a much more 'surgical' method of dealing with rogue Space Marine chapters or elements than Exterminatus.
I'd guess a small (less than a company) of Space Marines going rogue is not unknown. They're either possessed by chaos, decide they should be in charge of the Imperium (in the Emperor's name, of course) or find some other reason to start annoying people. Maybe they just curb-stomped Inquisitor Muffy's dog. Eventually, they probably end up being discovered and someone needs to deal with them. Sending in
more Space Marines is a bad idea: What if they talk and it's agreed that Chaos is nifty, or the Imperium does need some strong leadership, or that Inquisitor Muffy's dog was one of those annoying 'teacup chihuahuas' and had it coming?
Someone is needed that can fight Space Marines, assaulting as necessary, and wants to prove themselves. Guardsmen, even Stormtroopers, aren't really suitable. Too squishy, not built for the assault, and (more importantly) they're generally taught to think Space Marines are really, really cool. There's already lots of Guardsmen wondering why they were assigned all this 'gently used' gear and vehicles after the previous owners were 'sent off for reeducation' after coming into contact with Chaos forces, we don't need more.
Send in the Adepta Sororitas! Sure, they'll lose 10 for every Space Marine killed, but it's worth it. They've got armor that at least gives them a chance, numbers, and they probably have a chip on their soldier. The Space Marines are the 'emperor's children' (
No, not those Emperor's Children) and the
SoB are probably a bit jealous that they're a couple more steps removed, as they really only knew him as '
old husk-in-the-chair' instead of having stories going back to him walking around and actually doing stuff. This attitude is encouraged as long as they stay on their chain, and any rogue
SoB groups can be dealt with in reverse, by asking the Space Marines to assault in force.
But I'm a huge heretic, so what do I know?
Automatically Appended Next Post: Purge the Heretic wrote:Repentia have a strong fluff basis...the models are great...the rules suck.
The Citadel Journal version was much cooler, albeit with goofy, not-really-workable rules.
That version of Repentia was, essentially, a Sister that had messed up somehow and was going into combat without full armor as a last chance to earn some forgiveness. She was assigned to a squad and was an extra wound of dubious value.
I thought the way to handle this would have been to assign the character to a squad and allow the squad to fall back somehow, but leave the Repentia there. In the unlikely event she survives the combat, maybe give her some sort of boon. Otherwise, she gives her life to stop a squad's assault and give the squad a chance to fire before being assaulted again.
The main differences from the Repentias int he book is no one is keeping a rack full of special swords around for the prisoners to take into battle, or designating a specialist Sister as a 'minder' for an entire pack of screw-ups. The 'old' Repentias were armed with stuff that is apparently common enough in the Imperium: Bolt pistols and flak, or something like that.
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