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Now would be a very bad time to start Sisters. They have a lame codex and limited model support.

My wife wants me to paint her some Sisters of Battle.

If I were to start a Sisters of Battle army (which I'm not! Promise!) this is the list I'd go with. What do you think?

HQ

* Canoness w/Boltgun, Power Sword, Rosarius
* Command Squad w/Simulacrum Imperialis, 2 Meltaguns, 1 Flamer
* Immolator w/Heavy Flamers

Elites

* 3 Ecclesiarchy Priests w/Laspistols, Power Swords

* 9 Sisters Repentia and Mistress of Repentence

Troops

* 10 Battle Sisters, 2 Flamers, 1 Simulacrum Imperialis
* Rhino

* 10 Battle Sisters, 2 Meltaguns, 1 Simulacrum Imperialis
* Rhino

Fast Attack

* 5 Seraphim, 2 Hand Flamers, Sister Superior w/Eviscerator

* 5 Seraphim, 2 Infernus Pistols, Sister Superior w/Eviscerator

Heavy Support

* Penitent Engine

The basic idea is pretty simple: drive forward, kill stuff. One ecclesiarchy priest goes with each of the Repentia Squad and the Battle Sister Squads. The Penitent Engine is a great big distraction - either my opponent dedicates something to kiting it around or killing it - and then that something isn't bothering me for a while - or he ignores it and it gets to tear up his infantry. The Seraphim Deep Strike up in my opponent's business. As you can see, one each of my Seraphim and Battle Sister Squads is designed as anti-tank, the other as anti-infantry.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Since a Rhino can only hold 10 models, you can't attach a priest to a Battle Sister Squad and ride in a Rhino. But that's ok because you don't want to do that anyway. Battle Sisters are pretty lousy at HtH, so a priest's skills would be pretty much wasted on them.

The Sisters' HQ choices are a bit strange. The Canoness is inexplicably overpriced and her Command Squad might be one of the worst units in the game. (40% of the unit doesn't even have weapons!) If you want to make a SoB assault unit you'd be better off buying a proper Celestian Squad and attaching the Canoness and one of your priests. That squad will cost less than the Command Squad and you'll get to make your faith checks on a 3+ instead of 4+. The real HtH unit in the Sisters list is the Battle Conclave.

The Penitent Engine isn't going to provide the distraction you're hoping for. What will actually happen is your opponent will ignore it for a turn or two until it gets close and then just pop it with whatever heavy weapon they care to use.

ElectricPaladin wrote:Now would be a very bad time to start Sisters. They have a lame codex and limited model support.

My wife wants me to paint her some Sisters of Battle.

If I were to start a Sisters of Battle army (which I'm not! Promise!) this is the list I'd go with. What do you think?

It's a very good thing you aren't going to do it. The only units I would use out of your list are the two Battle Sisters squads. Really. Moreover, I would change the options on the Battle Sisters squads.

The codex is reasonably competitive but the good choices are few. The bad choices seem to abound.

I believe every unit has available models but many (most? all?) are direct-only and they are expensive.

As a sisters player, i can say your best units are going to be:
uriah and his conclave
Celestine
exorcists
serephim, usually with celestine
dominions for outflanking melta
retributors for rending hbs

You need to take sisters squads, but most other squads are sub-par

androcles138 wrote:As a sisters player, i can say your best units are going to be:

uriah and his conclave

Check.

androcles138 wrote:Celestine

Check

androcles138 wrote:exorcists

Check

androcles138 wrote:serephim, usually with celestine

Based on my experience, Celestine is better off alone. Seraphim suffer from a couple of problems, the worst of these being that they use fast attack slots that are better used for Dominion squads.

androcles138 wrote:dominions for outflanking melta

Check. The Immolator should have the twin-linked multi-melta option. The Dominions themselves are effective with flamers.

androcles138 wrote:retributors for rending hbs

I haven't yet had the urge to replace an Exorcist with Retributors but some feel that they are a good choice, especially when taken with an Immolaror.

androcles138 wrote:You need to take sisters squads, but most other squads are sub-par

Check.

As for serephim, ive had a lot of success. The two hand flamers tear through hordes, esp when added to celestines flamer, and she gives them an easier time gettin faith off, plus a viable cc threat against the inevitable charge, but as always, ymmv.

Rets are amazing, giving you 12 rending shots for few points, able to transport bust or gak meqs, only 85 pts for the squad. I usually run 2 exos 1 ret

pzbw7z wrote:

androcles138 wrote:serephim, usually with celestine

Based on my experience, Celestine is better off alone. Seraphim suffer from a couple of problems, the worst of these being that they use fast attack slots that are better used for Dominion squads.

androcles138 wrote:dominions for outflanking melta

Check. The Immolator should have the twin-linked multi-melta option. The Dominions themselves are effective with flamers.

I think the conventional wisdom is to run min-sized Dominion squads in MM Immolators. I think it's up for debate whether to take flamers or meltas on the Dominions. Personally, I prefer to take maxed out squads with 4 meltas and a combi-plasma on the VSS. The threat range out of the Rhino is a little shorter than from the Immolator but the Dominion squad is little more resilient than a single Rhino chassis. I'm currently experimenting with 3 meltas, 1 flamer on Dominion squads.

My counter to that squad is a full sized squad of Seraphim with hand flamers. I think Dominions do melta better but Seras with flamers are deadly. The real bonus to the Seraphim squad is that they can double tap their pistols and still charge. In an average round of shooting followed by an assault, Seras will wipe out a 10 man Tac Marine unit. I like to take 2 maxed out Dominion squads and 1 max Seraphim.

pzbw7z wrote:

androcles138 wrote:retributors for rending hbs

I haven't yet had the urge to replace an Exorcist with Retributors but some feel that they are a good choice, especially when taken with an Immolaror.

It's all about the points cost. Rets are 85pts so are very attractive choices in lower point games. At 1500 I like either 2 Exorcists, 1 Ret or 1 Exorcist, 2 Rets. Exorcists are more important at higher points levels since Retributors will likely be sucking up faith points.