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Just a new player looking for some tactics on the witch hunters. I don't really know anything about them, so anything you can tell me will help.
What models should I get first? Are there any strategies you would reccomend for a new player? How competitive can they be? I'm probably going to be playing them in small tournaments.

Wait, as it is possible that GW will redo all the witch hunters in plastic, along with codex, this year, so any advice you get now, may be completely defunct when a new codex comes out

Yeah I want to start a small army of witch hunters but I'm not even thinking about it until the new figs are out. They're probably going to be awesome, like most other recent releases.

No matter what happens you cannot go wrong with some Sisters of Battle troops and an HQ. I would start with 2x SoB squads with 1x Melta, 1x H Flamer, 2x Exorcist and a Canoness with some Celestians (2x melta) in an Immolator.

Also, Immolators are likely to remain good and they come with the right icons to make SoB Rhinos. From there you can convert repressors if they make the next edition pretty easily. Plus if you eventually want to do an Immolator heavy list you can.

Previous post has it about right..

I like running 2x cannoness although I have not settled on if I like jumppack w/ seraphs or the 6 woman softball team in an immolator.

The latest list I have been using uses small IST squads to get chimeras for my bigger battle sister sqds. Still mixed results but wanting to test it more.

What's the best HQ option for witch hunters?

St. Celestine

Celestine is in no way shape or form the best HQ choice she is overpriced for what she does, she eats Faith when she dies, and she doesnt have EW as a T3 model.

Best option is either a Canoness w/ Eviserator, Cloak BoDLand Celestian Retinue or a Canoness w/ Eviserator, IP, Cloak, Mantle, JP and BoSL

I think the Witch Hunters as they are now are really hard to play as an army by themselves as they are because they're a little outdated and they were originally meant to be an allied army -- mostly to the Guard. Currently the units are overpriced for their lack of Toughness and Weapons Skill and they dont come with grenades. If you're gonna buy them, go with the bare-bones essentials -- a Cannoness or an Inquisitor and a box or two of Sisters of Battle.

For anything else you want to use to fill in your army, I'd get the Imperial Guard cause the two armies support each other really well and the fluff goes well too! Oddly enough, that's how I started my Guard army, but with Sisters being all metal and 50.00$ for 10, I put the main focus on my Guard, but use my Sisters to support and fill in weak spots in my lines. I can't wait until the Sisters come out with a new codex and models though so I can get a full force of Sisters, and I'll use my Guard to support them!

Hope this helps! Any questions just let me know!

What would a list with allies look like?

Since you're just starting out I'll give you a basic list with some additional optional choices. Unlike some other people on these forums, I'm not gonna throw a 1000$ army list at you!

Whether you're keeping the Witch Hunters as your main army or the Guard, and using the opposite as your allies, as basic army would probably be as follows:

An HQ -- with Witch Hunters: a Cannoness or an Inquisitor. Or Imperial Guard: A Company Command Squad or a Lord Commissar (or a maximum (including combination) of two -- based on your own style and/or fluff)

Troops Choices. You have to have a minimum of two from either the Witch Hunters or the Guard -- so at first I'd suggest 2 of the one you want to make your main army out of. I use the Guard.

1-2 Battle Sisters Squads
1-2 Imperial Guard Infantry Platoons
(Remember, you have to have 2 Guard or 2 Sisters troops choices minimum -- the other will just count as a 3rd troops choice.)

Fast Attack -- Optional for a starter army.
Elites -- also optional for just starting out.

Heavy Support -- Optional for a starter army but I'd suggest a Leman Russ -- if not right away, then probably fairly soon.

If you have any questions about looking at a larger army list -- with some more Heavy Support, etc., let me know.

Although SoB are not a 'power' army like the new BA, SW, Guard, et cetera they do not need to be allied to be effective.

Avoid the Inquisition elements in the codex, they are over costed and under perform. The same for the Ecclesiastical elements - PE's and Arcos.

Standard SoB should almost never be in assault or assaulting. The lack of grenades does not really matter - you can buy them for 1 point a model I would never, ever do so even if it cost 3 points for a squad. The -1 WS compared to marines is equally as irrelevant. T3 does mean they tend to take more wounds, but they are in Power Armor and 11 points a pop which is dirt cheap.

What do SoB come with? For 5 points a squad they are stubborn (when you want them to be) and immune to ld modification of any type. They have a 3++ save available and can turn their weapons into the equivalent of rending. they come with 2 special weapons in standard squads (2 Meltas) and have access to a Heavy Flamer on those squads. They also have the Exorcist which is one of the most effective tanks in the game for breaking medium to light armor.

That said, they are a hard army to play. Knowing how to manage faith and understanding how to effectively apply it can be a challenge. They do not play like marines at all, anyone assuming they do when they use them will lose badly. So how are they in terms of power?

I played them in a GT a few months ago and went 3-1-1, the tie was some of the worst luck i have ever had and the loss was an extremely bad matchup (I was ahead in victory points I just couldn't secure the objectives due to the mission design). In casual games I win around 75% of my games, I played a DE army with 3x Ravagers last week (2x Wyches, 1x Wracks, 3x Trueborn in Venom w/ blasters, Archon with Incubi in Raider) and nearly tabled him w/o losing a single squad.

If you want to play this army, do it. The models are great, the detail is great and they do not require allying - although if you already have an IG or SM army it is a good way to start using them to get used to them. If you want to paly guard - just play guard and don't bother with SoB.

Moast likley the codex releases will be necron (or chaos? :-p) and then sisters, but it could be a while.

Buy sisters. Put them in rhinos with flamers, heavy flamers, and meltaguns. Put Exorcists behind them. Drive forward and burn things.

Some people say use some Seraphim to pin units after you shoot them, then H&R on their assault phase so you can shoot them more.

But the entire purpose of the army is to shoot things at 12" or less.

One of the biggest factors in the SoB, is something that a lot of people dont even use, or forget about it. Faith Points. Figure out how to use them, and how to get a lot. Thats what the Superiors are for. Sure they are luck, but it couldnt hurt. I agree that Inq Lords are not the best HQs, but reg Inqs with a 6 man retinue can fill in the gap of anything that you might be lacking. For ex, if you have little close combat, get a bunch of Crusaiders. Sisters look boring from the outside, but there is so much uniqueness hidden.... and they light things on FIRE!!!! Hope this helped a little


Automatically Appended Next Post:
And an Exocist will DEFFINATELY help. SoB are kinda lacking in anti-armor :/

I felt really bad using 3 Exorcists in a 1500 pt list against my friend...

However - objectives in the open and good LoS = nothing stays there!!

However - any dedicated anti-armour will take them down, quite quickly if focused. But that leaves your Rhinos to rush forward and flame/melta everything in your path!

I've had three games with my new SoB @ 1500 and won all 3 very convincingly.

Tactic #001: You drive your rhino over 12" to an enemy squad of space marines, have your squad of 10 sisters jump out with a heavy flamer and a flamer and maybe a combi flamer for the veteran superior. They shoot at the marines and get a bunch of hits. Then they use a faith point to try to use Divine Guidance and they succeed most likely, so then every roll to wound on a 6 counts as AP1. And then you roll a bunch of 6's and the rest are 4's and 5's (hopefully) and every single space marine is burned to a crisp.

The cool thing about Sisters of Battle is that their number one tactic is very fluffy! They are burning the heretics with cleansing flame

However, having said this, I was playing against blood angels yesterday and I annihilated about 25 deepstriking assault marines in one turn with tactic #001, BUT the survivors: Dante and a couple sidekicks absolutely slaughtered several sister squads in close combat after that and I lost.

So here is the tragedy: sisters have to get up close to shoot at close range and do a lot of damage, but they stink at close combat. So that assaulty enemy HQ that survives the flames is going to beat you down right after you shoot all his friends.

This is exactly what people say Seraphim are for. Take a small unit, make them have invulnerable saves, charge, then H&R during their turn.

Hopefully 3++ allows a 5 or so woman unit to survive one round of close combat.

Tactic #002: Take 8 seraphim, give 2 of them hand flamers, upgrade superior to a veteran so that the squad can roll 3 dice for faith and choose the 2 it wants. give vet an eviscerator and maybe a brazier of holy fire. use tactic #001 (divine guidance) with seraphim but you can assault after it! and you can use Sprit of the Martyr (unit gains invulnerable save equal to its normal armor save for the phase) if need be. However, spirit of martyr just makes your units get killed more slowly. Divine Guidance is the game winner (at least against 2,3,4 armor saves)

you can also take out a seraphim and include st. celestine. her high cost and dealth penalty rules make her debateable, but she is a real space marine killer. read her entry.

for better or worse I rarely get to hit and run when i have st celestine on board, because between flaming and assaulting I usually wipe the enemy squad out.

Tactics? Drive up and flame or drive up and melta something. Thats really about it.