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So what exactly is the main role of the Adepta Sororitas? I remember something i read that they have multiple sects, like the sisters of battle, the healers, and others. However what i want to know is what role do they play in a battle? If an Imperial General was planning a battle what role would he put them in?


Something i read in the Ciaphis Cain fluff [the only fluff i'd read with SoB] is that they are a bit too quick to rush in. and tend to muck up battle lines.

Sorry if this post is a bit convoluted, at home on lunch.

Essentially the Sisters of Battle are the chambers militant of the Ecclesiarchy. Essentially, it is their job to police the temples
as well as frequently being ordered to assist the Ordo Hereticus in their investigations. I do not believe just some Imperial
Guard General would be able to command them. Someone higher up the chain, may be able to request assistance
from them, but wouldn't be able to command them outright.

As for the different orders of the sisters, there are the Battle Sisters, the Sisters that act as nurses and doctors, as well as
Sisters who are essentially librarians (Not the space marine versions either). Pretty much, since the Age Apostasy the
church has not been permitted to field armies, or have male soldiers serving them. That is the reason the Sisters were
tasked with this.

Also, I know my fluff may not be 100% accurate, but at least it is a general idea as to how they fit into the command
structure of the Imperium.

ObliviousBlueCaboose wrote:So what exactly is the main role of the Adepta Sororitas? I remember something i read that they have multiple sects, like the sisters of battle, the healers, and others. However what i want to know is what role do they play in a battle? If an Imperial General was planning a battle what role would he put them in?

He wouldn't, they don't obey him/her.


Sisters of Battle are defenders of the faith and the faithful, prosecuting the Imperial Church's wars of faith and destroying the Emperor's enemies.

Ideally, the Sisters of Battle are the tip of the spear in a mechanized assault, or as an assault team in urban warfare or other close combat situations.


There are the following:

Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas (both the six major orders and the minor ones)
Sisters Hospitaller (meidcal, interrogation, checking for genetic purity, etc)
Sisters Dialogous (keepers of language, from all Imperial languages to xenos and even daemonic languages)
Sisters Famulous (maintain the household of nobility, governors, etc, as well as keeping tabs on them)

And plenty of minor non-militant orders.


NOTE: Even the non-militant orders of Sisters are merciless soldiers with many long years of training in the Schola Progenium's classes on both arms and tactics.

Operationally the Sororitas are independant of the Imperial Guard in the same way as the Astartes. They will co-ordinate their actions with the Guard and may choose to defer to the tactical expertise of Guard commanders but they are an independant force and act based on their own goals and aims. In a War of Faith they take a much more active role in leading engagements where often those Guard forces that have heded the call of the Ministorum take a less active operational role.

In a few of the novels you get mention of Sisters Hospitaller administering to the wounded and they have a much more frequent interaction with Guard forces although again, they are independant but generally they are relegated to pure nursing roles in the books and hardly, if ever, get much of a mention beyond the fact that they are around.

Oh, there was mention in Dark Heresy about Sisters Hospitaller taking up the guns of the soldiers they were tending and fending off (with amazing ease I should note) attacking enemies...

When did DH become official cannon?

Since the start. Andy Hoare works on DH, amongst other GW luminaries such as Dan Abnett, Ben Counter, John Blanche, etc.

So?
It still isn't published by gw=non-cannon

Melissia wrote:Oh, there was mention in Dark Heresy about Sisters Hospitaller taking up the guns of the soldiers they were tending and fending off (with amazing ease I should note) attacking enemies...

Like most 40k the competance in military matters of non Militant Orders tends to vary from author to author - It probably depends on the age and experience of the sister in question, but I would think they would all be familair at the very least with basic battle drills.

I really must get the new FFG book on the Sisters and see if it fills in any gaps............

Devastator wrote:So?
It still isn't published by gw=non-cannon

I think that if GW sanctions the cannon it becomes official.

Otherwise we would be very limited in actual knowledge of the official 40K lore.

It has GW's staff working on it, it has GW's name on all of its products, it has GW's endorsement, etc etc etc.

The Sisters of Battle are both the Chambers Militant of the Ministorum as well as the sword of the Ordo Hereticus of the Inquisition at the throat of the Imperial Cult, to prevent the possibility of another Age of Apostasy.

Their primary functions are to defend the places of faith and worship, whether this is an entire Shrine World or simply the local temple, persecute the heretic, the psyker, and the mutant, and defend the faithful of the Emperor. Those most commonly seen in battle with bolter and flamer are the Ordos Militant, while those who attend to the wounded (either their own, IG or common citizens) are the Ordo Hospitaler. When texts of dangerous, xeno, or profane, origins are found, it is the charge of the Ordo Diolguous to safeguard these works and, through the shield of their faith, assist the Inquisition in gleaning valuable information from such texts. The Ordo Famulous acts as diplomats, emissaries, and advisors to Imperial nobility, and maintain a watchful eye for signs of heresy and taint.

First of all, a cannon is a big gun.

Second of all, DH has always been canon.

I always find it amusing how the Ecclesiarchy managed to exploit a loophole and create the SoB. Those cheeky zealots.

The Sorotitas are under the control of the Ecclesiarchy, with the Sisters of Battle being its standing army. As the Ecclesiarchy is independent of the Adeptus Terra, the SoB are independent of the Departmento Munitorum and Imperial Guard/Navy.

The main duties of the Adepta Sororitas ordo militant (aka Sisters of Battle) are:

A.) Protecting Ecclesiarchy installations such as major shrines, officials, and so on.
B.) Monitoring the Ecclesiarchy from within and purging it of those who violate the Imperial Cult. An Ecclesiarchy Priest who violates Imperial Cult dogma or goes against the Ecclesiarchy's body, the Holy Synod, will be dealt with by the SoB
C.) Enforcing and spreading the Imperial Cult. This includes dealing with enemies of the faith (heretics/mutants/psykers), waging wars of faith, and so on.

Because of C., the SoB's duties often overlap with the Inquisitions Ordo Hereticus, whose own mission is to safeguard the Imperium's from internal enemies. Because church and state are inseparable in the Imperium and because the Imperial Cult is the only unifying factor of all the Imperiums worlds, the two missions go hand and hand. This is why they're the ordo militant of the Ordo Hereticus.

They're main role is political assassination of anyone the Ecclesiarchy thinks specifically needs to be culled.

Their secondary role is kill entire societies as an example of what happens to those who don't blindly follow the Ecclesiarchy.

Their tertiary role is oppress the population of the Imperium.

Devastator wrote:So?
It still isn't published by gw=non-cannon

Of course it's not a cannon.
It is, however, accepted as canon by GW itself, and ergo is most irrefutably canon.

I like Cains attitude towards deploying the Sororitas, which essentially boils down to, find something of importance to the enemy, point at it, shout heretic and le tthe sisters loose and hope they do a lot of damage.

Like I said, a spearhead to a mechanized assault, or an urban warfare campaign.

Both of which they are ideally equipped to excel at.

I don't really know much about bout the sisters of battle, but as to the whole "is it canon" argument here is my two cents.

I have personally talked with the lead designer of the most recent DH book, which is entirely about the ordo, and his enthusiasm and desire to do justice to the 40k universe then by that merit alone I would consider it canon.

And Fantasy Flight Games is a GW partner, so as far as being approved by GW id say that pretty much makes it Canon then.

Right, FFG's DH/RT/DW series has is written by GW authors, with GW art in it, GW's name stamped on it, and it's officially endorsed by GW.

It might be outsourcing, but it's still canon.