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Mostly this bit:

In this design, you can clearly see the exposed plug ports that would normally enable a Battle Sister’s muscles to work in tandem with the enhanced fibre bundle network within her power armour. The power armour worn by the Adepta Sororitas (and other agents of the Imperium, such as Inquisitors) doesn’t require the full interface of an Adeptus Astartes black carapace.

Referring to the plugs present here (warning: large image):


So it looks like Sisters and the Inquisition, plus other elements that use power armor, use cybernetic "plugs" to help them make better use of power armor. It's interesting that GW is going this route. They look almost like something out of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, or Shadowrun, or Cyberpunk 20XX.

I dont know that anything in the past was explicit, mainly because I dont feel like going and looking, however all I recall is that non-Astartes power armour isnt as effective or easy to use because they arent linked so intimately via the black carapace.

Logic would suggest that some sort of connection was required, actuating based on body movement doesnt seem like something the Imperium would use when there are more painful and invasive procedures available.

That's an interesting tidbit. It might have made more sense to have plugs along the spine, but I guess you couldn't see them on the models, then. The one on her calf looks a little weirdly placed to me, though. Like it was just jabbed inside the muscle...

I'm pretty sure it was. The idea, I'm guessing, is to transfer brain signals that are being sent to particular muscle groups in to the armor through the plugs. It's primitive compared to Black Carapace, but not too much so-- there's planets in 40k where such implants are pretty common, to the point of being passed down from parent to child.

yeah it makes sense. the black carapiece is just a refined high end version of something common much like most marine implants TBH

 Melissia wrote:
I'm pretty sure it was. The idea, I'm guessing, is to transfer brain signals that are being sent to particular muscle groups in to the armor through the plugs. It's primitive compared to Black Carapace, but not too much so-- there's planets in 40k where such implants are pretty common, to the point of being passed down from parent to child.

That's why it would be more natural to have the plugs go into the spine. All nervous signals in the body go through it, might as well tap them directly at the source. But I suppose the Mechanicus either finds this more efficient for some reason or had to reverse-engineer the black carapace for non marines and this was the best they could do.

Yep, makes sense.

I thought this was always the case, no?

Tiennos wrote:

 Melissia wrote:
I'm pretty sure it was. The idea, I'm guessing, is to transfer brain signals that are being sent to particular muscle groups in to the armor through the plugs. It's primitive compared to Black Carapace, but not too much so-- there's planets in 40k where such implants are pretty common, to the point of being passed down from parent to child.

That's why it would be more natural to have the plugs go into the spine. All nervous signals in the body go through it, might as well tap them directly at the source. But I suppose the Mechanicus either finds this more efficient for some reason or had to reverse-engineer the black carapace for non marines and this was the best they could do.

it's also possiable that a large implant in the spine might have a much higher failure rate. and thus not be deemed worthwhile

BrianDavion wrote:
yeah it makes sense. the black carapiece is just a refined high end version of something common much like most marine implants TBH

Relative to the plug type interface for power armor the black carapace is probably grabbing way more sensor readings and probably has to respond that much faster with more redundancy. The black carapace is like a big torso prosthetic, space marines are supposed to be faster and more precise in their movements, I imagine while the power armor system is still taking inputs at the limbs, its also taking inputs for those limb movements before it gets to the marines hand... either using those millisecond to better synchronize servos to the marine and/or as a layer of redundancy.

It's worth considering maintenance and the effect of those ports on health. Even Astartes are described as having flesh irritated by their ports. It's probably time-consuming and difficult to maintain them, keeping them clean and free of infections. Having a plug into one's spine, for example, can be pretty debilitating if some of that spinal fluid leaks out.

Knights/titans pilots have neural ports basically going straight into their brains, don't they? Maybe there's some in-universe explanation for why that type of interface wouldn't work with power armour... I guess I'll just chalk it to "the techpriests don't really get what they're doing."

Tiennos wrote:
Knights/titans pilots have neural ports basically going straight into their brains, don't they? Maybe there's some in-universe explanation for why that type of interface wouldn't work with power armour... I guess I'll just chalk it to "the techpriests don't really get what they're doing."

kngiht and titan pilots have a Mind interface unit which is differant. they also sit in a comfortable cockpit.

I always inagined that something like this must exist. I can't really see a power armour being functional otherwise.

Even with this revelation about SoB power armor, the galaxy being what it is there are probably really-really rare suits that don't require any plugs by relying on archeotech.

 aka_mythos wrote:
Even with this revelation about SoB power armor, the galaxy being what it is there are probably really-really rare suits that don't require any plugs by relying on archeotech.

I'd Imagine that's how most inquisition suits work. Hard to do any kind of undercover work when you have access ports in your skin.

 aka_mythos wrote:
Even with this revelation about SoB power armor, the galaxy being what it is there are probably really-really rare suits that don't require any plugs by relying on archeotech.

Way back when, a 'civilian' could use a suit of power armour, by using a 'Power Harness' to interface with it. I don't recall an explanation for what the harness is, but I imagine its some fancy body glove that eliminates the need for the plugs - though you'd not get anywhere near the level of response from the power armor as a Space Marine would.

A fancy body glove is how Inquisitor Amberly Vail was interfacing with her power armor in the Ciaphas Cain book.

That said, Inquisitorial power armor is much, much higher quality than even Astartes armor, each one of them a custom-made engineering marvel and irreplaceable.

THIS IS AWFUL AND IT IS THE END OF EVERYTHING GOOD AND SWEET IN LIFE

Well, maybe not that bad.

But it is definitely, stridently lame. As I have argued in the N&R thread, there is no in-setting reason for this retcon. Seems to me the issue is, the designers wanted to visually indicate that these are Sisters not wearing PA (as opposed to some other type of unit) and PA interface implants, a concept ripped off completely from Black Carapace, was the laziest, most obvious way to do it, considering making nekkid Sisters ain’t gonna fly.

I’d prefer that the existing fluff drove the design decisions rather than design decisions drive the fluff — not just for Sisters, mind. IMO the dumbest thing to happen to 40k, probably ever, has been Primaris Marines, another case of the background having to cash checks written by the toys. Now the once-mighty Astartes are relegated to a visual gag about height insecurity.

EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE YOU DAMN KIDS TODAY

Having actually researched a bit what has been said in this topic in the past codices, I don't think that it even is a retcon, merely new information. They just never specified before how non-Astartes PA can follow its wearers movements, but now they have.

Repentia did not previously have surgically implanted plugs. This is certainly a retcon.

 Manchu wrote:
Repentia did not previously have surgically implanted plugs. This is certainly a retcon.

They're just visible the first time because the new models are of higher quality and more detailed. They could have had them back on their necks, connected directly to their brainstem or just covered under the rags.

And I thought I was posting tongue in cheek.

In a way it would also make a certain amount of sense as to why astartes PA and custodes armour is much faster and fluid in movement than "human powerarmour"

As the interfaces being of a different design will have different input, processing and reaction times.

 Melissia wrote:
A fancy body glove is how Inquisitor Amberly Vail was interfacing with her power armor in the Ciaphas Cain book.

That said, Inquisitorial power armor is much, much higher quality than even Astartes armor, each one of them a custom-made engineering marvel and irreplaceable.

Indeed hers is super shiny gold plated artifcer armour with a power fist and heavy bolter - although apparently when inside it it still smells of centuries of old sweat and flatulance.....

For what it's worth - visual references of sisters out of their armour (GW/black library, rather than fan-art) include:

-The cover of Codex:Witch Hunters
-The Great Ecclesiarchy (Karl Kopinski, C:WH and reused 5e codex)
-The daemonifuge series

A.T. wrote:
For what it's worth - visual references of sisters out of their armour (GW/black library, rather than fan-art) include:

-The cover of Codex:Witch Hunters

The repentia has huge cables coming out from the side of her torso.

-The Great Ecclesiarchy (Karl Kopinski, C:WH and reused 5e codex)

The middle Repentia has two of these sort of plugs visible, one on her head, one on her back. There is all sort of cables too, though it is hard to say whether they're directly connected to their bodies or to their equipment. not that there is much equipment. One Repentia has a bionic eye.

 Crimson wrote:
There is all sort of cables too, though it is hard to say whether they're directly connected to their bodies or to their equipment. not that there is much equipment. One Repentia has a bionic eye.

Pretty standard for 40k art of the period - look at the guys on pages 8 and 9 of the WH codex, or in the same image the penitent engine pilot.

It's not that no sisters ever have any kind of cybernatic/interface port, but rather that with the retcon every sister ever suddenly has a uniform set of marine-style armour interface plugs on their limbs. The images posted are simply to establish that yes - it is a retcon, rather than something that has simply been vague and unspecified in the past.

These images establish that the plugs existed in the past, thus it is not a retcon.

 Crimson wrote:
These images establish that the plugs existed in the past, thus it is not a retcon.

So everyone with plugs in 40k art is now a power armour user?

I mean, you are equating any old cybernetic port with being a power armour interface at this point.