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So, enough time has gone by that I can make an article about how the much Maligned Sisters of battle are doing in 6th. I'm going to list their relative strengths and uses and then give a grade of how good the unit is now Vs how good it was in 5th.

And, if I'm feeling plucky, notes on how to improve them.

So, lets start with their army special rules:

Faith Points:
The main problem with mechanic isn't that it's hard to remember. Well, not if you play Sisters, it's your number one surprise weapon against the uninitiated, it's that the mechanic doesn't scale well. If you're playing combat patrol you get 1D6 Faith points a turn. If you're playing a massive 2500 point double force org game you get... 1D6 Faith points per turn. It's not a great way of doing it.

Acts of faith themselves however are very useful for the most part and add a much needed element of character to the army that it otherwise lacks. They've stayed pretty much the same for the most part and remain non-game changing. Which is good for balance but less good for power gamers.

Grade: C+ (Unchanged - except for a few key places)

Notes: It would be fun if the shooting acts of Faith remained in use until the beginning of your next turn. Rending Overwatch Heavy bolters anyone?
Also, the ability to generate 1D3 Faith points per amount of points you're playing so that it scales properly. Maybe 1D3 per 500 points played?

Shield of faith:

EVERYTHING Sisters related in this list has a 6+ Invulnerable, even vehicles. With the changes to cover in 6th a 6++ actual has marginally increased use across the board.
With how hull points work now having ANY save at all for vehicles is great. I played a crazy game against Eldar and believe you me, having that 6++ made a world of difference
Now that everyone has 'Deny the witch' rolls it gives Sisters a modicum of defense against the dark arts, coupled with a 6++ against Witchfire attacks and you have semi- decent stopping power against Witches. Still kind of eh though

Grade: A (Overall increase for vehicles and against Witch powers. Also, any save is a good save.)

Notes: I don't see how you could increase these without making it over powered.

HEADQUARTERS!!!

Canoness:

Ah, the much overlooked Canoness, she's overlooked for good reason. She just doesn't bring enough game to the table to make it worth buying her. The only thing she has is her Act of Faith: The Passion +1 Initiative and Preferred enemy. Which is great for all of the Sisters noted assault units... Oh wait, yeah, we don't have any, not any that would benefit from her powers anyway. Sure, for only 65 points she's dirt cheap but she doesn't come with an invulnerable save. She only has 9!!!! 9 wargear options most of which are useless. Badly done Cruddace, badly done.

Sure, if you're looking to Ally IN Sisters she's a good choice but just spring the extra few and buy the AMAZING living Saint or the very useful Jacobus.

Grade: D (Unchanged)

Notes: If she came with the ability to take unique wargear or mod the way your army works (Scoring Celestian squads?) she'd be useful. If she had that PLUS a SHOOTING based Act of Faith she'd actually be worth taking.

Sororitas Command squad

So, a fairly typical command squad, as far as the Imperium goes. The only squad in the army capable of gaining the more useful in 6th 'Feel no pain.' They're able to take a limited variety of shooting weapons and an Act of Faith that gives them 'Relentless' and 'Move through cover,' they just lack anything special. Where in Marines you can equip them to the gills with guns or close combat weapons, the Sisters WS and I 4 are completely wasted on a Multimelta. They have no way of increasing their Invulnerable save and they can only take 3 special weapons since you're REQUIRED to take a Sister Dialogus. Sure, she has a 16.5% chance of allowing the army to regain a Faith point (For that turn only and within a limited range) I'd rather take more guns. In the Imperial guard a command squad is an amazing force multiplier with their Orders system, this command squad does none of that.

Sure you can take a few guns but you can take other, more useful guns in other parts of the army and it just seems mocking that he gave you this option only to make it terrible.

PLUS, in order to take one you have to take a Canoness and that's a double whammy of bad choices.

Grade: D- (Unchanged)

Notes: If the Sister Dialogus had another ability such as allowing a squad within a certain distance of re-rolling a failed act of faith or something to do with 'Deny the Witch' rolls or 'Overwatch' SOMETHING the squad would be better. If there was a way to take advantage of the squads increased WS and I with close combat weapons like whips and Power swords on it's own the squad would be alright, if they coupled those changes with the suggested changes to the Canoness then this squad has the potential to roll through most troops in the game. This had the potential to become the Sister's 'go-to' close combat squad. Cruddace just missed a perfect opportunity here.

Ecclesiarchy Priests/Confessors:

So, a priest.... He's basically a mini Chaplain with 'Righteous rage' except he lacks the aforementioned Chaplains key ability, making the squad 'Fearless.' Hell, I would've settled for Stubborn. Something, they're supposed to be fiery orators and that's not really present here. So the Confessor has 3 wounds, he's still toughness 3 with a 5+/4++. Not worth it. Priests don't take up space in the FOC which is great for how much you won't be using them. Confessors do which is EVEN BETTER for not using them. You need to take one to unlock the Battle conclaves (more on those later) but both the named characters do that as well and they're WAY, WAY better.

They're pretty much the only way to work shotguns into the army and if that's REALLY, REALLY important to you you'd still probably skip them

Grade: D- (Unchanged)

Notes: Cruddace really dropped the ball on this one too. Even if you could make a squad Fearless/Stubborn there wouldn't be much call to take them since the Sisters wouldn't be able to ride in a Rhino with him attached. I suppose an argument could be made to attach him to a bigger squad and have them sit on an objective but they don't actually GRANT Stubborn so why would you make that argument, fictional person on the internet? They also might have been a cool way to work in Arcane or crazy wargear but they don't do that either. A true strength of this would be to attach them to a massive mob of unruly hooligans with terrible weapons and set them loose on an unsuspecting enemy but the Sisters don't have access to those. Well, not since 2nd edition.

Saint Celestine

So, the lady, the myth, the legend. The immortal living Saint of the Sisters of Battle. I'm not exaggerating here, it's theoretically possible for her to be immortal in a game. Battle cannon, Pfft! Force weapon? PFFFFFT. Thunder hammer? PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT. Clocking in at a little over a 100 points, she's Fearless, WS 7, I 7 with SIX power weapon attacks on the charge. Her Ardent blade comes equipped with a magical Heavy flamer that can be fired in 'Overwatch' and never needs worse than a 4+ to wound. She has a 2+/4++ with the ability to Thriller her way back to life with D3 wounds EVERY turn if you kill her.

She's Faithful so she gains the benefits of any Act of Faith from a squad she's attached to as well. So, that's nice.

She loses some grace in 6th ed but that's only because Power Swords took a hit against 2+ Armour and Assault in general is a little weaker. She's not a great overall addition to the army, she doesn't affect the force org (Scoring Seraphim?) or anything like that (like her OWN Act of Faith Curddace!) but she's a beat stick in an old school way. Still, she's awesome. I'm not joking here, she's not elegant but you should totally go do this.

As mentioned by a poster and I experienced today, Celestine is a great way to deny the opponent the ability to gain 'First blood,' and 'Slay the Warlord.' I had a game against a friend of mine today and he plays bike council eldar with the Baron - as brutal as it sounds - even though we were both almost tabled and he was on the better end of the game, I almost pulled out a tie because she clawed her way off the black earth time after time. She's awesome sauce - the best thing in the codex.

Grade: A (A+ in 5th, see changes to assault rules and power weapons but gained in 'Slay the warlord' and 'First blood' respects. Also, hit and run with her is super fun.)

Notes: For what she is she may actually be UNDER costed but don't tell anyone I said that. I couldn't ask for anything more out of here without being greedy.

Arch-Confessor Kyrinov

So, let me just applaud Cruddace for reaching back into the 2nd edition and bring back this guy. Let me also then say, he's costed really weird. He's got about 70 points of equipment and costs you only about a Marine Sgt more than that. Which is bizarre. Ah well. He may either have a Power Sword or a Power Maul depending on what your opinion of a MACE is so, that's your choice. It does have the 'Concussive' Special rule so that's a nice bonus. As has been pointed out, this is not true. Since it HASN'T been FAQ'd he just has a power weapon that makes people strike at I1 if wounded.

He has all the same abilities of a Chaplain which is okay too, it would be better in another army but whatever. Sisters lack assault He allows whatever squad he's in to re-roll failed 'Acts of Faith' rolls so that's good too.

Here's his big bonus though, me makes ALL friendly units - including allies - within 6'' FEARLESS. Since Fearless is better now that makes this ability better.
He also unlocks Battle conclaves (Again, more on them later) which WAS fairly key in the Sister's battle plan.

Grade: C (Overall unchanged)

Notes: I'm not sure, he's just very plain.

Uriah Jacobus, Protector of the Faith:

So, once again Cruddace reached back into fluff that's older than most of the players to bring this guy out from the darkness. Same cost as Krinov but more useful in different ways. He's Stubborn and grants the squad 'Hatred.' (Basically) He comes equipped with a range 24 Shotgun and an Invulnerable save that's BETTER than his normal save. 5+/4++ (You don't see that often, probably rightfully so as it's half slowed.) He unlocks Battle conclaves and he's more likely to be used with them BECAUSE (Drum rollllllll) He grants his squad +1 Attack and 'Feel no pain' That's great regardless of what it's attached to, but especially good in an assault unit.

His main ability is tied directly into Faith points and how unreliable they are to generate. He allows the Sisters army to RE-ROLL the dice to determine the amount of Faith points you get a turn. This alone is a reason to make him almost a must buy, which is unfortunate since it makes the army kind of same-y. Battle conclaves have dropped in usefulness a few levels so he's not necessarily and auto include

Grade: B (Changes to assault, transports and the Battle conclave all wear away on the old, hunchback - grenade faced - with a shotgun)

Notes: If Acts of Faith weren't so wonky to generate he wouldn't be so necessary to purchase. Still, in smaller games, you can leave him home if you want.

ELITES!!!

Ecclesiarchy battle conclave:

So, I've mentioned these guys and gals before. They're basically a cut and paste of the Grey Knights Inquisitorial henchmen. Now, remember how many options you got with those guys? Remember how truly awesomely customizable that squad was? Remember how great it was to make them Troops and go 'Mwahahahahahaha' Space Monkies and PLASMACANNONS!!! Pew pew pew! GRIMLOCK HUNGRY!

Right? All those things were great. Now, imagine taking ALLLLL those options and removing most of them so you're only left with Crusaders, Death cult assassins and Arco-flagellants. GREAT RIGHT!? With the hit Assault took in 6th, not being able to assault out of a vehicle and how difficult it can be to get into position this squad took a hit. Still, this squad has its uses. Death cult assassins are pretty great. 4 S4 Power weapon attacks on the charge with a 5++ in combat that's going to hurt most things. Crusaders are the armies only access to Storm shields and can be great. If you position them carefully they can be used as a great counter assault unit to secure an objective. They're just not as 'point and click' as they used to be.Jesus, they were so smashy

Acros are still pretty terrible, moving on.

Still, with the new allies rules you'd actually just be better off taking an Inquisitorial henchmen squad from Grey knights and you'd get something more versatile and more fluffy.

Grade: B (A in 5th, mostly due to hits to assault)

Notes: I dunno, the squad is just too limited and lacks versatility.

Celestian squads

So, the elite squad. Eldar have Aspect warriors. Guard have Storm troopers. Space Marines have (For the most part) have awesome Sternguard and sometimes useful vanguard and Sisters have these ladies. They're a few more points than a regular Sister, they have 1 more attack, LD 9, and WS 4. That's not bad, when you think about it. Where this squad really falls down is it's upgrade options. Their Act of Faith increases their Strength in close combat like Hammerhand except they lack any sort of close combat upgrades in their squad.

+1 Strength in close combat, that's great, please take this Multi-melta! What? Why wouldn't that be useful?

That'll help. They have the same shooting upgrades as a regular Sister but a smaller squad size. (5 instead of 10) So they have their place if you want to use MSU and Immolators and cover the field in flame. (Burn heretic!) I'm just not sure how useful that tactic is anymore. They can't CAN'T be made scoring. They really, really want to be a close assault unit but dual storm bolters and a Sister Superior with a Power Sword does not an assault squad make.

Grade: C- (Unchanged)

Notes: They want to be an assault squad, let them be an assault squad. They really seem like they should be scoring. Let that happen too. If not assault, let them be our version of Sternguard and give us access to 'Blessed ammo' and holy flame or something.

Repentia squad

So, if you like grimdark, this is grimdark. How about we strip these nuns naked, replace their tongues with holy scriptures and then give them MASSIVE chainsaws and let them loose to regain their honour? The fluff is great, the unit is okay. Solidly, solidly okay. A squad with no saves and WS 4, Eviscerators and Feel no pain. Fearless, Feel no Pain, Fleet, Rage and a 6++ save. It's a bizarre squad. Rage got a lot better in this edition so this helps the squad. Feel no pain is good but at T3 they're not difficult to double out.

They can't BUY a transport but they can steal one from a friend and really, who would stop them? I wouldn't. They're a bit faster now, thanks to the change to charge range but they're all going to be I1. Their act of faith helps this a lot though. Even if they die they still get 1 counter attack at I1 to try and avenger themselves. Which is good, I think Cruddace deserves some Kudos for how he improved this squad.

Interestingly, this is what makes this squad useful. Not as an assault squad but as a COUNTER-assault squad. If you have these girls parked behind a squad of sisters holding an objective you're going to think twice about charging the sisters because these girls will Texas massacar you in half. And that's pretty cool

Grade: C+ (Up from last edition. Rage is Awesome for them now, so is Fearless. These girls are great to hold the back line but not good for much else.)

Notes: Not sure, they're kind of plain but reliable and fun - crazy grimdark fun time evisceration.

TROOP

Battle sisters

So, the Troop section of Sisters is very limited. So limited in fact that you only get ONE option. The Battle sister squad. People have argued endlessly. I say people, I mean the 5 of us who still care about Sisters have argued about their base cost. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Either way, I think they're costed perfectly. People say they pale in comparison to Grey Hunters but EVERYBODY does, that's a problem with Grey hunters and not Sisters.

Compared to Space marines they're actually pretty good. 4 points cheaper. They lose 1 T, S, WS, I but gain a 6++ invulnerable save and the ability to believe in something SO. DAMN. HARD. that it actually comes true.

Peter pan.. IN SPACE!

Their main issue is the upgrade costs. There's no reason a Flamer in this army should cost 5 points. It's free in Space marines, it should be free for Sisters as well. The upgrades are just a few points higher than they should be. Also, the squad options are lacking but, fortunately thanks to weird wording, I can give my Sister Superior twin-plasma pistols FOR NO GOOD REASON. Sisters lack plasma and this is a good way to get it back into the system. Also, the minimum squad size is 10. Which I guess is fine (It does make transportation with characters a problem) but you get 2 weapons at 10 Sisters. You can go all the way up to 20 Sisters but you don't gain the option to buy more weapons based on squad size so there's no point.

Which is sad, it would've been a cool way to make a hoard of power armour on the table and have it still be effective.

Their Act of Faith took a bit of a hit. It allows you to re-roll ones 'to hit' in the Shooting phase and also allows them to automatically regroup in the movement phase. With the changes to regrouping to 25% it's less impressive than it used to be. It also doesn't stop you from getting swept in assault, which is a key problem with them. Their main problem actually.

Grade: C+ (Broadly unchanged. The low grade is an issue since these are your Troop choices)

Notes: A slight tweak to weapon upgrade cost and the ability to take more weapons based on squad size. Also, a key piece of equipment they lost from last edition was the Saint's Book. Book of St. Lucas, not St. Lucius as I wrote previously. It granted them, and all friendly squads within 6'' Stubborn. If the Superior could buy that as a thing and make the squad Stubborn it would go a LONG way to solving their assault issues. Even just making it easier for them to hold the line against a charge.

If they really want to go crazy, allow their Act of Faith to give them 'Preferred enemy' for the phase so they at least get a bit of a chance in CC.

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS:

Rhino

So, the Rhino, there's nothing to be said about this that hasn't been said before. Well, except that it's a giant man eating banana that used to go to school with Ron Paul in old man crazy Texas high school.

It's a Rhino that costs the same as a regular Rhino except it has a 6++ save all the time. So, it's actually better than a normal Rhino.

Grade: B+ (It's one of the best transports in the game that got a little better. 6th edition isn't super kind to low armor transports which is why a 6++ is so much more important

Notes: None.

Immolator

So, you know Razorbacks? Imagine those with a Twin-linked heavy flamer except it's a little bit more expensive for some unexplained reason. It has the same 6++ that all Sisters have but I don't think it justifies the price. Getting the Free Heavy Bolter upgrade isn't worth it, even a little. The multi-meltas are probably a few points over costed as well although they're still a good option on scouting squads.

Grade: C+

Notes: Mostly just a price break and it would be perfect. If we got our old vehicle upgrades like Laud hailers or Holy promethium and this thing would be solid. As it is, it's merely mediocre.


FAST ATTACK:

[b] Seraphim

Flying, holy, gunslinger bullet angels that come to give you salvation and fire. Sweet, sweet fire. Loving fire, cleansing fire, perfect, beautiful fire.

Coming in at the cost of a Grey hunter these girls are amazing. They have a Jump pack (Hit and Run but only I3, which can be kind of an issue) they get to re-roll their failed 6++ and any failed Act of Faith attempts. They all come with twin bolt pistols that makes them very shooty. More lovingly you can give two sisters in the squad twin hand flamers or twin melta pistols. I think the hand flamers are where it's at, so at, more at than Vanilla ice in late 1991. I think the twin meltas are slightly over costed but that's rich coming from a squad that's under costed overall. The main issue here is that the melta can be better utilized in other squads and the hand flamers are sexy hot like Rosario Dawson or Hallie Berry in 1999. (Were you thinking of someone else? Then you're racist.)

Their act of faith is what brings it all together. It allows you to re-roll all failed 'to-wound' rolls in the shooting phase. It's pretty great. After I unleashed this squad on a group of Deep Striking Blood angel assault marines I was able to force 30 saving throws from the hand flamers alone.

They have an issue with being only T3 and one of the only units whose out and jumping around outside a vehicle. Their I3 makes 'Hit and run' not super great but if you throw Saint Celestine in there then it's not an issue. Nothing is an issue then. Their WS is only 3 so you're going to get mangled in assault and that's where you're going to end up if you don't kill what you've just burned. Then they're assaulting you and ON FIRE, which is probably worse. You're wall of flame is good but not good enough to rely on. If you're worried about getting ripped apart in assault you could just give the Superior an Eviserator to make people think twice before they charge you. You're going last anyway - probably - introduce them to a chainsaw.

Grade: A- (Unchanged from last edition)

Notes: Right now you can buy 2 special weapons for the whole squad. If they allowed you to take an extra set at 10 and then adjusted the squads base cost a little and this would be an almost perfect squad. It's a great Saint Celestine delivery system. They're probably a bit under costed but a little bit odd to use since you're definitely going to get assaulted.

[b] Dominions

So, They're basically Sisters that can Scout and take more special weapons. That's the biggest thing I can say about them. They range from 5-10 and can take 2 special weapons per 5 Sisters. So that's pretty great. Their Act of Faith makes the squad twin-linked for the shooting phase which is super useful if you have 4 melta guns or 4 Flamers. You can also buy them Storm bolters but I, honestly have no idea why you'd do that, that would be like trying to Punch Randy Colture. Sure you CAN do it, but SHOULD you? No.

Mathematically speaking, you'll kill more Marines per point spent with the twin-linked flamers than you will with the twin-linked Meltas but I think the winners here are meltas. The squad can scout and try to take out a vehicle first turn up close. It depends on how you play. If you take 4 Meltas you can give the Superior a combi-flamer or Vise-versa.

They have an issue with the new rules for Scout and disembarking. They get the 12 inch scout but can't pop smoke anymore. Plus, on their first turn the vehicle can only move 6 and then they get out and run six. This puts the vehicle further away from the target and makes it's weapons less useful. Also, you used to be able to position the vehicle to hide behind while you killed something, keeping the Sisters safer. You can't do that anymore, sure you COULD 'flatout' their transport but then you can't shoot it's beautiful weapons which was one of the points of taking them in the first place. A scouting BS 4, twin-linked Multi-melta was nothing to ignore.

There's two ways to play them, either 5 in an Immolator with flamers/meltas that scouts and kills with the Multi-melta on the vehicle or 10 with 5 Flamers/ Melta in a Rhino that outflanks to destroy anything they look at, even a little bit.

I run two of these squads every time I play although I'm not as happy about it as I used to be with the changes to Scout

Grade: B (A in 5th. Big drop with the change to disembarking.)

Notes: None really, I think they're great but it's much more risky to use now. I may just switch over to just 'Outflanking' them more often.

HEAVY SUPPORT:

[b] Retributor squad

Heavy weapon Sisters with a more limited weapon load-out. They can only use bolters of fire based weapons. This makes them short ranged but deadly, it makes them less versatile than a marine Dev squad because of a lack of Las cannons or Missile launchers but they're a solid unit. Their main problem is their cost.

Their Act of Faith gives them 'Rending' which is a waste of time if you take a Multi-melta.

But go for it, totally use a Rending Multi-melta, why wouldn't that be a good idea?

You can take 4 Heavy weapons in the squad so I think the Heavy bolter is where it's at, 12 Rending S5 AP4 shots are nothing to sneeze at. Plus, a squad kitted out like that is cheap. Dirt cheap. It makes the 20 point cost of the Heavy flamer totally unacceptable. The Heavy bolters are also their longest ranged weapon which is good. If the H.Flamers were cheaper I could see using them as an assault unit. I was able to wipe an unlucky and badly place Marine squad with them in the last edition but its not reliable enough.

Equipping them with a Multi-melta Immolator or a Rhino that just rocks back and forth in front of them as they fire and wait is a good buy.

As Pretre mentioned to my original post, putting them in a Bastion or an Aegis defense line is a good buy. The Sister Superior can make the Quad gun rending, which is not something I considered before. If a Eldar Firedragon exarch gives them 'Crackshot' and 'Tank hunter' there's no way our 'Act of Faith' doesn't make this 'Rending.'

Grade: B+ (Up a little bit due to their increased use on the battlefield thanks to new toys you can deploy, not because they themselves got any better.)

Notes: None really, just some points changes in a few areas.

[b] Exorcist

The ever-ready, ever powerful Exorcist. Much like the movie it hasn't changed much since it was first introduced but it's still goodly, god goodly. S: 8 AP: 1 Missiles. Their only downside is that it fires D6 of them per turn. It's on a Predator chasse and has the 6++ save that ALL Sisters have so that makes it much more survivable than a regular Imperial tank. The problem it has is much like the Vindicator, it has a target painted on it so big even a National Guard rifleman could manage to hit it if it needed to.

When it's your only major vehicle it becomes an easy target. It's best to keep it in the back and run interference with other units in Rhinos.

It's main use is that it's the Sisters only long range vehicle. The entire rest of the army lives in the ranges between 6-24 inches so having anything that can put down semi-dependable fire power from beyond that is a great asset. I run two of them a game and that Paladin squad was very upset to get annihilated by them in one turn.

Grade: B+ (Slightly weaker, vehicles are a bit weaker now so - yeah.)

Notes: Not sure, making it reliable makes it less fun.....

The overall grade for Sisters of battle is C/C+.

They have some very good core elements but lack variety and some of their costing is odd. I know the main reason for their lack of Variety is the fact that their model range is over 15 years old and you can only do so much with 18 different types of metal mini's. So, that's something I have to accept. Still, with what he had I still think Cruddace could have done a better job. It wasn't ever going to be an overpowered, unstoppable mess but I think it could've become a solid B-/B if the book had a few tweaks.

Lack of variety in equipment and build is key. I think the banner that allows you to re-roll failed 'Act of Faith' tests is about 5 points too expensive, as are the basic weapons of the Sister squads. The lack of Holy fire and the book of Saint Lucas is a big blow to their damage output and ability to hang around. I'm frankly shocked that Cruddace took out the book. It's a big oversight. I'd be willing to spend a few points to give a squad 'Stubborn.'

Their unmovable, unstoppable Faith doesn't seem to translate well on the battlefield.

They have always been about ladies in Rhinos rolling up to Melta range and melting you from that range and then hoping you don't walk over them after. However, with the changes to vehicle movement and disembarkation mean that this tactic is more risky and less reliable. They don't have any other build available to them really so it is a big blow to them

Honestly, there's a few tweaks here and there to bring this army up to snuff in 6th. Right now it's a little bit under par. A few new special characters, a special, dedicated assault unit, tweak a few points cost and add a few units maybe give us a Cultist type squad for our church fanatics and everything would be pretty great.

I'd really like new models, these ones aren't aging super great. Still, that can take forever but I'm willing to wait.

The army doesn't deserve the hate that it's getting on the internet right now. It's not AMAZING but it's not terrible either, I have better luck with it than I do with my Tau so I think it can stand up to most Codexes but falls against the big boys. Air Guard and Cron air will gut them, gunline guard will blow them off the cracked landscape and Grey Knights in assault will pound them into dust. Those are hard obstacles to overcome but they can be over come with a bit of luck and playing to the mission. This is where their lack of build and variety comes into play the most.

My suggestion for Cruddace for when he really gets a crack at this codex a few years down the line. Give us some special characters and a few more units, Sisters of Silence spring to mind, maybe even our own space police/Judge Dredd. Drop the points costs of our upgrades and give us more of them. Book of St. Lucas and Holy Promethium are an idea. Beef up our Battle conclave. Allow us to mess with our FOC, change how Faith points are generated.

For the love of god, let someone take 'Adamantium will,' that upgrade SCREAMS Sisters of Battle.

Thanks, and let me know what you think.

Nice write-up, it was an enjoyable read thanks to the humorous undertone.

I know the main reason for their lack of Variety is the fact that their model range is over 15 years old and you can only do so much with 18 different types of metal mini's.

I don't know if this is a good excuse ... it just feels as in previous editions, the wargear allowed more customisation, and customisation is a form of variety too. Even if you don't add any new units, you can change the face of the existing ones.
I think taking so much wargear away was one of the worst decisions of the entire Codex, not only because it reduced variety but also because it makes the non-SC HQs so much of a self-pwn to take.

Agree about the Celestians lending themselves to become an Assault unit (with tweaks). It would be cool if we'd be able to buy CC weapons and maybe even the Conclave's Storm Shields for them - especially for the effect they'd have in the Canoness' Command Squad, both in terms of style (bodyguards!) as well as how you'd play her. Would be good to have new minis for this, but you could kitbash them from what we have too.
Seraphim fluff makes them sound like close combat specialists, too, but I'm not sure how to best represent this on the field, especially as it could conflict with the Celestians. Perhaps some sort of hit&run ability.

Also, yeah, bring back the 2E Frateris Militia / 3E Zealots for the crazy Priests to lead!
And maybe Novice squads as a cheap troop choice somewhere between Zealots and basic Battle Sisters. Storm Troopers lite. I just love that idea too much.

I do love the minis we have, though. Perhaps it is a certain sense of apprehension that a "remake" would make them look different in some critical detail, but I see nothing wrong with what we have now.
Aside from the high cost turning away potential new players, of course ... :/

- I would add a caveat to Faith Points. They have changed significantly to one per unit.
- Also, confessors do take up a slot in your force org, but not priests.
- You missed the true benefit of Celestine which keeps her at an A+. If you go second, she gives you a 50% chance of denying any objective in the game. She is the most annoying (to your opponent) objective denial unit there is. Give her hit and run with a Seraphim squad and she is just wrong. Not having AP2 didn't really bring her down from A+.
- Kyrinov may or may not have a a unique power weapon, since he doesn't have concussive but his own unique rule.
- I would drop Jacobus to a B in 6th. He was an A-A+ in 5th with the Uriah-bomb, but definitely dropped down and is no longer 'required'.
- Immolators. I would give Immos a C+ and TL-MM Immos a B.
- Seraphim. They aren't really as good as you have them listed out. With Celestine? A. Without Celestine? B. That's up to the individual though.
- Dominions. I would say that Dominions dropped to B-/C+ with 6th edition and First Blood. They were a solid A in 5th. I also agree with your assessment of Flamers vs Melta.
- Rets. I initially listed them with you at C/B, but having played them in 6th, I would say B+/A. If you can give them a bastion? Solid A. 6 Rending HB from an AV14 platform? Yes, thank you!

Lastly, I would put sisters as a solid B. They have great utility units and most of them are very cost efficient (except BSS). Their lack of variety and wargear is definitely a big problem though.

So far in 6th I have only played one game with them. My SOB made up about 2000 of a 5K side the other two players were GK & DA. We were playing gainst a Necron/chaos team. The SOB were the only thing dishing out pain on a regular basis. From the Exorcist and retributors lighting up the tought stuff and two battle conclaves rolling up a flank we had them on ropes by turn 4. So far I would give them a solid B+, we will see if that changes with a few more games under my belt.

So I updated the entry with key points, input and new experiences.

It changed a few units more than I thought because I didn't think about their issues.

You got Scout wrong for Dominions. Vehicles can scout 12". So scout 12" (stay outside 12" of enemy). Next turn, move and drop out. Shoot two targets.

Other than that, you are good.

Sidenote:

Celtic Strike wrote:If not assault, let them be our version of Sternguard and give us access to 'Blessed ammo' and holy flame or something.

Not sure if want. We already have the Retributors that should be able to cover this role and would benefit from receiving those upgrades. If we really have to look at SM for inspiration, I say Celestians = Vanguard. Amongst other things, they're also supposed to be the Canoness' bodyguard, after all, and properly kitted out (wtb wargear!) I could see the Lady charge into CC accompanied by her squad, brandishing her awesome blessed weapon and dispensing the Emperor's judgment, her cloak warding off many a blow by her tainted foes. Crusader-style. <3 It's how I used to run her with the old 'dex, and I kinda miss that being as strong as it used to be.

Okay, so this is my final update of this Codex review. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think

Deny the Witch is actually a nerf for the Sisters vs psykers. In the WH codex every Faithful unit resisted enemy psykers on a 5+, now they're reduced to a 6+ with no way to improve it. Losing the Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors with Psychic Hoods hurts psychic defenses. And they lost all the cool anti-psyker gear too - all that remains is a mostly worthless combi-weapon (for the price at least).

Excellent review!

Very funny and insightful

Allies do help with the anti-psyker.

Psychic hoods are less useful than they used to be with the new rules and all.

However, yeah, our Anti-psyker system isn't as good.

I would've liked to have kept the Pysocculum (SP) and equivalent gear. In the Grey Knights codex it makes you BS 10 against psykers. So that's cool

I think Laudhailers could be reintroduced and improved.

Something like, 'All Sisters units within 6'' of a unit equipped with a Laud Hailer gain the Special Rule, 'Adamantium will.'

I wouldn't mind Holy Promethium making a come back.
Gives the unit the Special rule; 'Soul Blaze'

Book of St. Lucas needs to be back as well.

Speaking of Celestinan squads. I've changed my mind on wanting them to be an assault unit. In their fluff they talk about them shooting things until they're dead and just always doing that well.

Sisters have another unit in their fluff that is a dedicated assault unit. The Sisters of Silence. They were an assault unit that were immune to psykers and their powers. Killed stuff up close and personal and still run the black ships that feed the Emperor.

Those would be cool to have.

Sisters of Silence disappeared at some undisclosed point during/after the Heresy. It is a big mystery in the fluff what happened to them.

Yeah, they're two separate organisations existing at different points throughout the timeline, one working for the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and the other for the Ecclesiarchy. There is no actual link between them other than the "Sisters" term.

They don't even exist anywhere outside the HH novels and the corresponding artbook / TCG - but if GW ever were to adopt this idea for their own books, it would not be hard to find reasons for their disappearance. Personally, I would say the most likely explanation might be huge losses during the siege of the Imperial Palace on Terra, followed by the subsequent disbanding of the order due to lack of replacements. Blanks are supposed to be incredibly rare, and I would assume the few that are around all go to the Assassins or the Inquisition.

Yeah but they change fluff all the time. That Grey Knight guy ripped open Mortarions chest and carved his name in his heart.

That's MUCH more ridiculous than having the Sisters of Silence come back

SoB fluff has been fairly consistent, actually. Right down to the Rogue Trader era.

I suppose one could argue that just adding something like the SoS isn't much of a change but more of an addition (similar to the Minor Orders or the alliance with the Ordo Hereticus), but personally I do not think it fits to their theme. From what I know, the SoS were working for the Adeptus Telepathica, so to start with you'd have to transfer their allegiance to the Church. It'd actually not be hard to find an explanation for this - something like it being the Ecclesiarchy's job to guard the people against the dangers of the Witch - but they would lose much of their original identity (and thus what I think endears them to their fans) in the process of converting to the faith, and they'd lose their coherence as an independent sorority when they become just a special unit or character within the Adepta Sororitas. Lastly, Blanks are supposed to be incredibly rare, so their numbers would have to be kept very, veeery low (perhaps rendering them independent characters like Preachers or Missionaries, some sort of "Anti-Psyker Priestess", rather than a full squad) to avoid the contradiction.

In the end, although I'll admit there may be ways to pull it off, I just don't see why something that exists only in a single Black Library novel series needs to be shoehorned into an army that has been very characterful on their own. Of course, this too is a huge matter of personal preferences, and I am likely somewhat biased due to my scepticism towards novel ideas, as well as what looks to me some Horus Heresy author thinking the SoB were cool, but they weren't around at that time so he just had to come up with a clone. That they used the "Sisters" term once more just rubs me the wrong way, I guess. It'd be like someone would write up another sort of "Space Marines". The name of an army just loses a certain bit of uniqueness within the IP if you do stuff like that.

Sisters of Silence have been around for far longer than Black Library.

Still Standing wrote:Sisters of Silence have been around for far longer than Black Library.

Source for that? I only know of them in connection to the Horus Heresy novel series and the artbook + TCG.

Horus Rising was published in 2006. Horus Heresy TCG was published in 2003, and I am sure I remember them from publications such as Realms of Chaos et al, however I cannot check that since I am a very long way from my books at the moment.

It seems like they started working for the Inquisition... a lot like the Sisters of battle started to do. Sisters all still have the =I= attached to their shoulders.

Sisters didn't work with the church until they decided in 3rd that they would be a part of the Ecclesiarch. That was actually a pretty big fluff change for them.

Same thing with Sisters of Silence. It would be one of the smallest fluff changes in 5th/6th when you think about it.

Sisters were always part of the church.

"The Adepta Sororitas comes under the auspices of the Ecclesiarch..."

Page 18 of the 2nd Ed Codex being an obvious quote...

The current theory is that the sisters of silence were folded into another part of the inquisition. Last I heard they were the guards for the black ships since as blanks they make the perfect wardens. The sisters of battle are often said to do that exact same role. So something along the lines of the sisters of silence being folded into the ecclesiarchy as their black ship wardens would be a very easy and believable change to the fluff. I am still waiting to see forgeworld release their sisters of silence models. They are probably going to be in the heresy book that covers prospero.

Hopefully we get them from forge world

Still Standing wrote:Horus Rising was published in 2006. Horus Heresy TCG was published in 2003 [...]

That's what I said, though.
Or did you mean "longer than the Black Library novels" instead of "longer than Black Library"? Huge difference there!

IcedAnimals wrote:The current theory is that the sisters of silence were folded into another part of the inquisition. Last I heard they were the guards for the black ships since as blanks they make the perfect wardens.

Black Ship guards are Inquisition Storm Troopers and (occasionally) Battle Sisters, as per the Codex Witch Hunters.

If I were to integrate their existence into the main GW fluff, I'd also go for something like their post-Terran Siege-remnants being absorbed into the Inquisition and the Officio Assassinorum. After all, Blanks are supposed to be rare in the Post-Heresy time - but they'd make excellent Inquisitorial assets, and Culexus Assassins do need to come from somewhere too...

From GW's Codex Assassins:

"This extremely rare defect occurs for no known reason in less than one in a billion individuals, and most find them utterly horrifying. Those who have this defect are known by the name of Pariah, or Untouchable, and meeting one is something that no normal human being can ever forget. Their cold calculating stare draws your attention to their eyes: pools of blackness that seem to suck you into a void of nothingness. It is hardly surprising that Pariahs are often treated like outcasts or lepers, rejected by their parents and banished from settlements. Local superstitions warn about touching them, saying that to do so would bring bad luck. Many Pariahs are resigned to their fate and lead simple lives as loners, leaving heavily populated areas. The Inquisition often find Pariahs that have become hermits, or have been reduced to a squalor and are trying to scrape a living in the depths of a hive city.

For a short period of time, Pariahs were transported back to Terra aboard the Black Ships with other untamed psykers. Once on Earth they would be handed over for experimentation by the Biologis Departmentorium of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It wasn't long before a large number of Pariahs were languishing in the cells at the experimental laboratoriums.

Such a large number of Pariahs began to cast a shadow in the warp, blocking out the Astronomicon, the vital beacon used to guide spaceships to far reaches of the Imperium. This was the first disturbing revelation of their potency.

Other branches of the Administratum, especially those that relied upon psykers, were horrified. Soon several of the High Lords of Terra were making moves towards having Pariahs outlawed, and the Inquisition was given the task of ruthlessly exterminating any more that were found. A number of the High Lords, including the Paternal Envoy of the Navigators, the Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and the Master of the Astronomicon were pushing for the Master of the Administratum to make this an official decree so that they could rid the Imperium of these freaks that threatened their establishments.

This was most unfortunate for the Officio Assassinorum which had secretly been working closely with the Magos Biologis and Genetors of the Adeptus Mechanicus to see if it was possible to use the Pariahs to kill psykers. Their work was almost complete and many years had been spent developing specialist wargear and training techniques. All of this was about to be ruined by a religious witch-hunt...

The decree from the Master of the Administratum never came, it didn't need to. The Adeptus Mechanicus announced that it was ending the project and made a great show of closing down the laboratoriums and executing many of the lab specimens. Satisfied that no further action was needed, the High Lords returned their attentions to other matters.

However, closer study of the records would reveal that the number of executions did not match the number of Pariahs contained within the labs at the time. With the help of the Officio Assassinorum, the Adeptus Mechanicus moved a few of the most promising Pariahs to a secretly constructed fortress on the edge of the galaxy, beyond the reach of the Astronomicon and the more zealous branches of the Adeptus Terra. It was here that the Culexus Temple was created."

Yeah, that's a good idea. They'd have to be an elite squad but I wouldn't want them to be part of an Inquisitorial warband. I like them to be their own squad.

Before the inquisition or battle sisters were even organizations however the black ships were manned by the sisters of silence. There has been no fluff saying what happened to them or stating that this has changed. It is a very easy bit to add to the current fluff

That's what I was saying. It never stated that they left or stopped doing it.

 Celtic Strike wrote:
Allies do help with the anti-psyker.

Sure, a SW Rune Priest (arguably the best anti-psyker defense in the game) and a small squad of GH wouldn't be too costly in points. But if I wanted to play SW I would play SW already. Why should some armies have all they need in their Codex while others are told to get allies (or Forgeworld) or lie down and take it?

Spetulhu wrote:

 Celtic Strike wrote:
Allies do help with the anti-psyker.

Sure, a SW Rune Priest (arguably the best anti-psyker defense in the game) and a small squad of GH wouldn't be too costly in points. But if I wanted to play SW I would play SW already. Why should some armies have all they need in their Codex while others are told to get allies (or Forgeworld) or lie down and take it?

Good question. At what point do I just start playing the other army? Sisters have a lot of holes in their army, but I fill them well with IG so why not just play IG who can do everything that Sisters can do and more.

There's a difference between using complimentary units to make a new force and replacing a force with another army.

Ally rules make things entirely different. Sure, you can play straight SOB or straight SW, but you don't need to now. There is no 'slippery slope' where adding RPs is a gateway drug to replacing your whole army with SW.

If you want to be a purist, go for it.

I think there are a lot of great modelling opportunities in mixing armies but, hey, it may just be me.

 pretre wrote:
There's a difference between using complimentary units to make a new force and replacing a force with another army.

Ally rules make things entirely different. Sure, you can play straight SOB or straight SW, but you don't need to now. There is no 'slippery slope' where adding RPs is a gateway drug to replacing your whole army with SW.

If you want to be a purist, go for it.

I think there are a lot of great modelling opportunities in mixing armies but, hey, it may just be me.

I do play it mixed typically, but its a question I ask myself every time I play, as guard are just more efficient for most scenarios. Perhaps I have some bias that I am holding still about the new codex, but game play tends to bear out my theory. My guard just perform better, but I love the Sisters more as an army. As a mostly one trick pony, my opponents have learned my tricks, and with Guard I can have a lot more variety.