Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So is there any information floating around about what kind of air support the Sisters have or would use?

The basic point of this thread is that I want to add air support into my SOB army for apocalypse level games, and I want to make sure what I choose is in line with anything they might have available or might actually use in fluff.

So far, I'm thinking their best fluff choice would be Imperial flyers (Valks, Vendettas, and the various FW flyers whose names I don't remember immediate) as conscripted flyers. I suppose there is also a case for Space Marine flyers, but at the same time, I don't really see them being big into Stormravers, but there may be some fluff or story out there that completely contradicts me.

The SoB, from what has been said, face the same restrictions as the Guard; they have no organic air support, and must call on the Imperial Navy for air support.

However, the new Avenger from FW is said to be their preferred form of air support, something to do with its rediscovery and development being auspicious or some such emperor-bothering piety which dominates their decision making process.

However, as with the guard, they never have direct operational control over them; they remain entirely under the auspices of the Imperial Navy. The Ecclesiarchy may be able to pull that legal cheat with having women under arms, but battlefleets are hard to sneak around wording.

Are the Avengers from one of the IA books? It seems strange to see FW mentioning Sororitas like that ... oh no, I am starting to get my hopes up.

The Avengers haven't had their "own" entry in an IA book yet, save for brief mention in IA1 2nd ed as a heavy support choice, but the actual unit fluff on the FW website mentions its Sororitas connection.

And to be fair, a number of IA books have mentioned sisters....they just tend to have horrible things happen to them during the campaign in question.

I'm not overly familier with the SoB codex or their fluff but in Dawn of War: Soulstorm the Sisters use the Imperial Lightning Fighter as their air support.

It might not be exactly right but its a start non the less.

Nuff said

Snrub wrote:I'm not overly familier with the SoB codex or their fluff but in Dawn of War: Soulstorm the Sisters use the Imperial Lightning Fighter as their air support.

Oh yes, I remember that unit. "Protecting the Emperor's skies!"
One of the things from non-studio sources that I had hoped would be carried over into a Codex at some point in time. Also, wtb Valkyrie.

MajorStoffer wrote:The SoB, from what has been said, face the same restrictions as the Guard; they have no organic air support, and must call on the Imperial Navy for air support.
However, the new Avenger from FW is said to be their preferred form of air support, something to do with its rediscovery and development being auspicious or some such emperor-bothering piety which dominates their decision making process.
However, as with the guard, they never have direct operational control over them; they remain entirely under the auspices of the Imperial Navy. The Ecclesiarchy may be able to pull that legal cheat with having women under arms, but battlefleets are hard to sneak around wording.

Actually ...

"Each Convent has its own fleets and runs its own affairs in much the same way as the Space Marine Chapters."
- Codex Imperialis

Which also explains how they (the Major Orders) can get around so fast, or may occasionally attack other Imperial forces. Unless you assume that the Imperial Navy was privy to the assault on Fenris and other such operations.

The Adepta Sororitas were entirely spared from disarming, and I would not be surprised if a number of the ships left over from the disbanded Frateris Templar have switched ownership as Thor set out to reorganise the Ecclesiarchy. The Inquisition had its doubts regarding the Sisters (for specifically the "wording" reason you noted), but was appeased by the Convocation of Nephilim, which allies the Sororitas to the fledgling Ordo Hereticus as their Chamber Militant. Keep in mind that one of the Sisters' primary tasks is also to police the Ministorum, and since the Navy is in much closer contact with the Ecclesiarchy (due to having Ecclesiarchal Confessors on the ship etc) - and thus likely to be influenced (which happens all the time with things like an entire regiment of Imperial Guard conveniently just "happening" to be in the same system as a Frateris Militia purge) - it could seriously obstruct the Sororitas' mission if they'd have to rely on the ones they keep an eye on to get around. Granted, there are a lot of things in the Imperium that don't work all that well together, but still ...

Anyways, it has never actually been said (at least in a GW source) that the Sisters are in any way restricted. Unfortunately, fleets of starships also say little to nothing about close air support for ground forces, but it's a start. In the end, we all have to decide for ourselves how to interpret the available material, at least in part also influenced by our individual preferences.

I'm afraid the Codex Imperialis is a wee bit before my time, so I never read that particular statement.

It certainly doesn't help that as far as modern fluff goes, Sisters are there to die in a dramatic fashion. It seems GW doesn't really know what they want to do with them.

Avenger Strike Fighter from Forgeworld more or less fulfills that role by this point. The SoB still lack dedicated air support in fluff, (which makes no sense) but they "frequently" make requests to Imperial Navy wings with Avengers.

MajorStoffer wrote:I'm afraid the Codex Imperialis is a wee bit before my time, so I never read that particular statement.

That's really no surprise - the vast majority of SoB fluff is from around 2E and 3E, I think. The Codex Imperialis is almost twenty years old by now! GW keeps reposting some bits here and there (as they do with other stuff, such as the High Lords' descriptions in the 6E rulebook, which were originally from the CI as well), but of course there's just so much material by now ...

Plus, todays White Dwarf doesn't contain as much fluff as it used to back in the days. :(

MajorStoffer wrote:It certainly doesn't help that as far as modern fluff goes, Sisters are there to die in a dramatic fashion. It seems GW doesn't really know what they want to do with them.

Hmm, it depends! For some reason, the general description makes them sound a lot more capable than individual incidents - we get to hear of armies liberating worlds, several rogue Astartes Chapters wiped out, of training and equipment rivaled only by the Space Marines...

With the individual stories, I suppose they really want to drive the whole "martyr" theme home. Although there are a couple high points there as well, such as Canoness Jasmine fighting side by side with Black Templars Marshal Ludoldus against a Daemon of Khorne, of Saint Praxedes bashing in the head of a Hive Tyrant with her power mace in single combat, or of Sister Martika singlehandedly infiltrating an Ork camp to recover a looted Rhino with a holy relic. It's just that this stuff is all over the place, so few people usually are aware of it. For example, the three aforementioned stories are from the 2E Codex, the Black Templars' dex and a White Dwarf story that accompanied their great article on the background of Rhinos.

I've made it a hobby to seek out any and all snippets of GW SoB fluff, regardless how small, and have begun ordering old back issues of WD that might contain something interesting. It's very rewarding when you find something new, especially because these days the people who are aware of the old stuff aren't many.

Would you be so kind and share these sources (eg. list) ? I guess me and quite few others would be interested to learn something "new" and forgotten about SoB.

Of course! At least as far as I can remember off the top of my head.

Obviously, the most important things are the rulebooks and codices:
- 1E Rulebook: short intro on the Sororitas in the "Advanced Gamer" chapter
- 2E Codex Sisters of Battle: detailed description of the Ecclesiarchy and the Orders Militant, their origins, recruitment and organisation
- 2E Codex Imperialis: short description of the Sisters of Battle
- 3E Rulebook: interesting short story about Sororitas "masochism"
- 3E Codex Witch Hunters: short description of the Adepta Sororitas, some new characters and events, newly added link to the Inquisition
- 4E Rulebook: short description of Ophelia VII, the "main world" of the Ecclesiarchy
- 4E Codex Black Templars: snippet about the Vinculus Crusade, a Black Templars Marshal and a Sororitas Canoness teaming up and kicking ass
- 5E Codex Space Wolves: SoB attempt to invade Fenris in response to the Wolves murdering a bunch of priests

The stuff is fairly old, especially Rogue Trader - but when the WH Codex was released, the designer's notes specifically pointed out that the writers went back all the way to 1st Edition Rogue Trader, intending to build upon what had already been established there and "not contradicting anything already published".

Now, onto GW's magazines, namely White Dwarf and Citadel Journal:
- WD #211: short description of the Sisters of Battle, first rules ever for fielding them as minis on the tabletop (Battle Sister squads as allies to Space Marines or Imperial Guard)
- WD #251: Results of the Armageddon 3 worldwide campaign, includes bits about how the Battle Sisters fared here and there
- WD #269: huge article on the Rhino APC, also mentions SoB having their own tech specialists to tend to their vehicles, short story about one Sister Martika saving a relic from Orks
- WD #292: 3E Codex Designer's Notes, SoB painting guide, Liber Sororitas (<- pretty much a must-have; 6 pages of Sisters background with lots of fluff on the Non-Militant Orders as well)
- WD #293: Eye of Terror campaign info with bits of fluff about the Battle Sisters active during the 13th Black Crusade, including this chart, short story with an Inquisitor
- WD #303: Index Astartes article on rogue Space Marine Chapters, mentions Adepta Sororitas intervention responsibility to deal with "doctrinal heresy"
- WD #380/#381: 5E SoB Codex, not a lot of new stuff in here but nice to have I guess
- WD #382: Actually not that much info in here, just mentions that entire Space Marine Chapters have been exterminated by the Sisters in the past
- WD #383: SoB painting guide with some new fluff on the Major Orders
- CJ #49: Andy Hoare's Strike Force army list; dedicated Battle Sister kill-teams with drop pods for purging rogue Astartes Chapters by disabling them from the top down

Lastly, we also have a few website resources:
- Armageddon 3 worldwide campaign website: Order of the Argent Shroud
- Armageddon 3 worldwide campaign website: Order of Our Martyred Lady
- Armageddon 3 worldwide campaign website: Message from Canoness Carmina
- Inquisitor website: Sisters of Battle in the Inquisitor RPG
- Inquisitor website: Sister Anastasia special character / short story

This stuff is half from memory, especially the WD issues. I may have missed a few things. Most should be right, tho. Hope that helps - it certainly is interesting material!