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It ended up being a widely differing unit than the original idea, and the thread died, so I'm posting it here. The idea is a heavy walker which provides an MBT type fire support for the Sisters:



The basic concept for the looks of this this walker is the Battletech Rifleman, but with feet closer to power armor boots, a slightly more rounded surface somewhat mimicking the feel of Sororitas power armor, and no radar dish on top.

The Purgatus Rocket System is on the bumps on either side of the centrally located cockpit, the storm bolter is on the nose of the cockpit (essentially right in front of the sororitas pilot). It is a sort of MBT Walker, a walker dedicated to having large amounts of shooty instead of close combat. In order to enhance this feel, the vehicle does not have any DCCW, although it does have a natural strength of six (I did not see a reason why the vehicle wouldn't be able to do more damage in close combat than, say, a scout sentinel-- if it steps on a human,they're pretty much dead unless their armor holds).

Two current options for the driver fluffwise. A titan-esque description, where only those Sisters of strong enough willpower and sense of self can properly fuse with the machine, and even then it's pretty much permanent. The alternative is a bit milder and closer to battletech in a sense-- a series of implants is required to link up to the machine, and the Sisters essentially wear these large walkers as their second body. Ir is permanent still, but they can disconnect and occasionally are required to do so in order to recieve mental and spiritual evaluations.


Points: 165
Rules: Walker
Armor: F14 S12 R11
Stats: Bs4, Ws4, S6, I4, At1
Equipment: Smoke Launchers, Searchlight, Twin Bolt Cannon, nose-mounted Storm Bolter
-- Twin Bolt Cannon: R60", S7 AP4 Heavy 4 Twin-Linked
May exchange Twin Bolt Cannon for: [Unsure on the price for these two]
-- Two Twin-Linked Melta Cannons (35 pts)
-- Two Twin-Linked Inferno Cannons (25 pts)
May purchase Purgatus Rocket System (30 pts)
-- Purgatus Rocket System: R24", S5 AP5, Heavy 1 Large Blast, Twin-Linked, Ignores Cover Saves, One Use Only
May upgrade nose Storm Bolter to Heavy Flamer or Heavy Bolter for +5 points.

Alternative twin bolt cannon statline:

R60", S8 AP4, Heavy 2 Twin-Linked

I like the idea, however I think the armour values are too high on the front and rear. I appreciate it's meant to be a tank on legs, but the armour values are better than any other walker I can think of, including Bjorn The Fell Handed.

Perhaps a drop of one point on either and a reduction in points too? Or keep the points value the same and give it a rule similar to Venerable, representing their faith in the Emperor's protection?

Why not base it more around a rifleman dread? I like the venerable idea...and the battle tech rifleman already has two TL AC...perhaps weaker than a true rifleman dread? I notice thats a common similarity with a lot of Sister stuff...theirs is just like space marines but weaker =/ I have to agree that AV14 is too much, considering that means it has a decent chance at shrugging off even a railgun shot on the front, and even a venerable dread is only AV13. Perhaps you could give it some faith point based ability? Thus it would regularly be weaker than a true dreadnought but with this ability it could have a "Crowning moment of awesome" or a "Heroic Second Wind"...

The basic Rifleman has four Ultra Autocannon/5s if I remember correctly. The closest equivalent in 40k is probably a particularly long range assault cannon (the lighter cannons in Battletech have the longest range, highest velocity, and highest rate of fire), or giving it a twin-linked long-range punisher cannon. But this particular variant works better, besides, I only based the LOOKS off of that.

Why should I based it off of a dreadnaught? They're Space Marine exclusives. Feth Space Marines, this isn't Space Marines, this is Sisters of Battle.

I really don't want to touch the idea of faith on vehicles. If I were to decrease its armor I'd also notably decrease its price, because the jump from thirteen to fourteen is a rather sizable increase in durability... and lowering it would be a noticable decrease. In the end, I'd rather just keep it well armored. That there isn't a precedent doesn't entirely bother me. By lowering price, I had something like... lowered by thirty points or more in mind. and even then, what's the point of taking this vehicle when you can have an Exorcist, which is also AV13, for the same price, but it's better because it launches D6 (or 2d3 in the fandex this is going into) S8 AP1 shots? Sure, it's not entirely as reliable but it still hits harder and potentially more often.

As for sisters stuff being overpriced for what it does? That's because Sisters use one of the oldest codices in the book. So no, I am not using C:WH as a base for pricing or effectiveness.

I like the idea behind this, a cross between a Leman Russ and Sentinel as far as I can tell, and not something with a current equivalent on the table.

Just out of curiosity, is the Melta Cannon a weapon I just haven't come across, or is that a Multimelta? If the latter then I'll just say while I'd gladly use 165 points on it's basic form, 200 for two 24" strength 8 guns seems less appealing somehow. Especially since any tank is going to be able to outrun and then outgun you. If not then just ignore this!

Also would it be worth splitting the twin Bolt Cannon into two like the other upgrades? It'll make the vehicle less susceptible to weapon destroyed results.

The melta cannon is the weapon on the Devil Dog, a hellhound variant. It's 24" heavy 1 melta blast.

I could make it 2x TL bolt cannons, same with the other upgrades (2x TL melta cannons, 2x TL Inferno Cannons).

Melissia wrote:The melta cannon is the weapon on the Devil Dog, a hellhound variant. It's 24" heavy 1 melta blast.

Okay, never seen that in play to my knowledge, probably why I don't remember it.

One other thing I just noticed though was the nose mounted Storm Bolter, is there a way of making that a cheaper/more appealing option? As for my mind 5pts to upgrade to a Heavy Bolter is just too good to not take: more range, more shots, more strength and better AP!

Incidentally, are you leaning more towards a troop/transport hunter, or heavy infantry/tank hunter for this mech?

I'm basically basing it off of the exterminator as far as its original capabilities go.

Hmm i liked the assault/flamey walker, this however seems a bit odd. I agree sisters would desire something to make them more strong and powerful (I.E battle Harness/ combat armature) but i dont think this walker is right. I dont know where an autocannon heavy dreadnought fits in, why not just a sisters hydra? A sisters walker would be very assault orientated IMO like your paladin or indeed the Dreadknight

If I just gave Sisters a hydra people would be complaining that I ripped off the hydra.

Not that that should stop me because no matter what I do some nut will claim that I ripped something or other off. If I create an AV13 vehicle they'll claim I ripped off a predator, while if I create an AV14 vehicle they'll claim I ripped off a leman russ.

Frankly the only thing I want to rip off is their throats.

Melissia wrote:Why should I based it off of a dreadnaught? They're Space Marine exclusives. Feth Space Marines, this isn't Space Marines, this is Sisters of Battle.

True but you have penitent engines which are heavily based off dreadnoughts but in keeping with SOB fluff. In fact pretty much any walker is compared to or based off the dreadnought (kanz, deff dreads, penitent engines). the alternative is comparisons to the sentinel, the "light walker" idea. But this is a heavy walker and dreadnoughts are the main heavy walker so I just a thought since thats the basis of a lot of the SOB stuff...

Melissia wrote:I really don't want to touch the idea of faith on vehicles.

I was always a fan of pilots (and if the new demonhunters codex is any indicator, so is GW...yay psychic on everything now?). I just think that faith is a defining attribute of the SOB, and really is what makes them still playable at all despite the age of their codex...a little bit SM, a little bit Emperor's champion, a little bit guard. So I think adding that to this thing would really make it "Sisters-y" Just think it'd be cool

Melissia wrote:If I were to decrease its armor I'd also notably decrease its price, because the jump from thirteen to fourteen is a rather sizable increase in durability... and lowering it would be a noticable decrease. In the end, I'd rather just keep it well armored. That there isn't a precedent doesn't entirely bother me.

But there is one lol. AV13 is considered "well armored". AV14 is considered "obscenely well armored" alla the big hulking mostrosities like a LRBT or a Land Raider...which is fine but that doesn't seem to have the rediculous mass necessary to support AV14. Even a venerable dread which has a sickening amount of detail and armor on the front is only Av13 is all I'm saying...Just like, if you made it bulkier on the front, like...compare iron man to warmachine. Warmachine is supposed to be the more heavily armored version...so something like that, take the basic design and add more armor to it. Just an ascetic solution

Melissia wrote:By lowering price, I had something like... lowered by thirty points or more in mind. and even then, what's the point of taking this vehicle when you can have an Exorcist, which is also AV13, for the same price, but it's better because it launches D6 (or 2d3 in the fandex this is going into) S8 AP1 shots? Sure, it's not entirely as reliable but it still hits harder and potentially more often.

See when it's already that well armed I wouldn't mind a 30 point decrese for 1 less AV. Maybe not reliable but, coming from a Tau player, more fire power is always better than more armor

Melissia wrote:As for sisters stuff being overpriced for what it does? That's because Sisters use one of the oldest codices in the book. So no, I am not using C:WH as a base for pricing or effectiveness.

Fair enough but I meant more as thematic...costs for anything not 5th edition are rediculous. I meant take a SM codex and base it off that...no copy or edit to get a SOB codex entry (cause thats not in fluff) but like...SOB are SM lite (cause GOD FORBID GW make an army that's a match for the space marines ) so make it like a lite dreadnought...something big and scary that can blow the pants off you but is still a bit squishy...

dbsamurai wrote:True but you have penitent engines which are heavily based off dreadnoughts

You are not only wrong, but I think I'm just gonna go over there until you agree that you are wrong and we can move on.

yep they do look like they are based off each other, but in a really small way.

in other words, the design for both is 100% imperial

im liking this melissia, av 14 for a walker is a bit much, but hey! i run a AV 14 land speeder

Formosa wrote:yep they do look like they are based off each other, but in a really small way.

in other words, the design for both is 100% imperial

This is what I meant lol XD plus the design...two arms two legs piloted by one person permanantly hooked into it and powered by their mind....but like the rest of the sisters stuff it seems squishier than the space marine dread lol...thats all I'm sayin clearly a penitent engine isnt the same...for one the design is far more open and you'd think it'd make you more vulnerable to incoming fire...

Neither the dread nor the p.engine are powered by the driver's mind. If you mean driven... even that's debatable for the P.Engine as it's supposed to keep going long after the "driver" is dead, as the "driver" is nothing more than a penitent strapped to it and it's instead controlled remotely by a priest (though possibly simply unleashed by a priest like arco-flagellants are), which is why it requires one to unlock it.

Dreads use Mind immpulse units to move and shizzle, dont know about the penintent engine.

but yep niether is "powered" by the pilot, they are powered by engines .. do i get a cookie?

actualy the penintent engine is FMHO and how i understand it is controlled by the guy on the front.
as i see it his psych enters the machine temporalily and procedes to run a short but violent strech of killing everything in its path.
the pain of being shot just adds to its rage and thus makes it even madder. due to its psych being in the machine the guy on the
front can physicaly die but his psych can live on in the machine although only temporaly as without a material anchor point his psych
soon fades a way.
as for the Malachim ide say just reduce the front armour to 12 and give the option of upgrading it to 13. everything else seems to be
quite good and fair to me
the sisters of battle are admitedly sort of overpriced but they are essentialy squishy spacemarines so giving them a walker that out does even
a venerable dread is a bit OTT

I never accused you of ripping off stuff, as alot of codex updates have included equivs of things to balance things out. Sisters do indeed need a hydra type thing (i.e. cheap Medium firepower). I just dont believe sisters would use a 'dreadnought' (just using it as a generic term , don't bite) as a weapon platform. I still think you Paladin is waaaayy more accurate a vision of a Sisters walker.

And more people thought the paladin was too much and too much of a dread clone. So meh.


Really, I should just say "feth people" and go with the ones I like the best for my fandex, because rarely do most people offer any actual assistance aside from saying something sucks or that it's a clone of some other codices' units when it's not.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I think I like the paladin walker better as well. I like the idea of a light walker charging around "wielding" an eviscerator as a chainsword...

I like the Evisicrator chain blade bit. mabey some special rules for a massive dreadnought version...

you could work off of these for your idea, they are around dreadnought size if maybe a little larger.


not very expensive either around 20.00 a walker

Melissia wrote:And more people thought the paladin was too much and too much of a dread clone. So meh.


Really, I should just say "feth people" and go with the ones I like the best for my fandex, because rarely do most people offer any actual assistance aside from saying something sucks or that it's a clone of some other codices' units when it's not.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I think I like the paladin walker better as well. I like the idea of a light walker charging around "wielding" an eviscerator as a chainsword...

+1 to this...but then again you do keep submitting for consideration lol. Personally, go with what you think is fair...it'd be a breath of fresh air compared to how GW usually does it

and yes. I meant piloted. powered in that sense because without the pilot they can't do anything...