With even more reveals during Warhammer Fest, there is a ton of new minis and 40k rules coming for the Sisters of Battle Codex!
GW has been adding a bunch of new minis to the line, and we’ve even seen some new datasheets as well, so we have some idea what the rules will look like. But like with all the preview rules, we don’t know how everything will fit together quite yet… so don’t get mad if your favorite units don’t seem as strong.
Everything We Know: New Sisters of Battle 40k Rules
There’s a lot to go over, so get ready for everything we know as of now. And even though we’ve already seen the Palatine, might as well kick it off with her!
Adepta Sororitas Update- Palatine
This is a Palatine – a battlefield commander who works under a Canoness to coordinate Adepta Sororitas forces and smite any heretics who get in her way.
This senior Sororitas is an experienced battlefield commander, equally at home fighting alongside her Order’s Canoness or taking charge in her absence. In addition to offering the Adepta Sororitas a dedicated ‘fighty’ character, the Palatine’s zealous presence will bolster her Battle Sisters thanks to her Fury of the Righteous ability.
Her points were also recently released in an FAQ to 45 (since they weren’t in Piety & Pain), which you can download here.
Sisters of Battle Paragon Warsuit
2021 will see even more reinforcements on the way for the Sisters of Battle. We’ve already unveiled the new Palatine model, now take a look at the Paragon Warsuit.
As you can see, it looks like some Sisters of Battle may be in cahoots with the Grey Knights as they get their own version of a Dreadknight-like mech suit.
They’ve got plenty of style and they will fit right at home in any army list.
There will be multiple weapon options for both CC and shooting. This model has a Spear and heavy bolt rifle, we also saw a flamer option within the video.
Finally the model by its self, it’s wielding a multi melta, but they also revealed at Warhammer Fest it can have a whole host of weapon options. These are sure to hit hard and be decently durable. If they have anything in common with the Dreadknights, they were one of the better models in their lineup, so this might be pretty good on the tabletop.
Paragon Warsuit Rules
Piloted by the most worthy Sisters of the elite Celestians, Paragon Warsuits are deployed wherever the fighting is thickest. Their large, armoured bulk, coupled with surprising agility, allows them to duel with the most fearsome of enemies and emerge victorious. The finely wrought suits are a cut above regular-sized power armour, featuring many of the same systems but in a greatly more durable package.
They have a strong move, decent Strength, save, and Toughness. With only 4 wounds a pop, the damage reduction is really nice, hopefully with the 2+ save they will be able to survive some shooting. Overall, not a bad statline, we’ll just have to wait for points on them to see how effective they will be.
Commonly equipped with one of the holy trinity of Adepta Sororitas heavy weapons – the heavy bolter, Ministorum heavy flamer, and multi-melta – they also wield huge melee weapons crackling with power fields to tear through enemy armour like it was tissue paper.
These weapons are pretty much what we expected in terms of shooting. A set-up with a bunch of flamers will be able to roast all kinds of infantry though! Plus the CC weapons are both pretty sweet.
The Paragon Warblade will give you 5 attacks with S6, -3 AP, and 2 D. Which, if you’re taking on Marines a lot, this will tear through them! The Paragon War Mace gives you 4 attacks at S9, -2 AP, and D 3, but with a -1 to hit. If you need them to cut down vehicles and monsters, this is a perfect choice.
Sisters of Battle Castigator Tank!
Battle Tank
The Adepta Sororitas, like us, are clearly fans of a good tracked tank and have decided it’s high time they had another. Being the pious sorts that they are, it’s called the Castigator, and there’s no doubt someone’s about to get severely reprimanded by that battle cannon on the turret.
That main Castigator Battlecannon is massive! As you may assume, this probably won’t be transporting troops, but dang will that thing pack a punch.
Fans of the Immolator and Exorcist tanks will immediately feel right at home among the baroque stylings of the Castigator, with plenty of ornamental filigree adorning every surface – even the cannon barrel.
With at least one extra barrel option we think was called the Castigaor Autocannon. We can definitely expect the guns to act differently. Perhaps a trade-off of less power for more shots or even range?
Adepta Sororitas Dogmata
In a similar manner to a Chaplain of the Adeptus Astartes, a Dogmata is the personification of righteousness, leading her fellow Sororitas in war hymns as she advances stoically into battle. Yet, she’s more than just a spiritual exemplar. A Dogmata holds the power to condemn any Sister to join the Repentia – or, worse still, be consigned to a Mortifier – to seek atonement or redemption in death.
While all the sisters are dogmatic, a mini called the Dogmata really takes it to the next level! The mini itself is fairly simple but very cool looking and should be a fun addition to the faction.
On the battlefield, while a Dogmata is nearby, your Sisters of Battle will know that their every deed is being watched and judged. So they’ll perform whatever duty has been assigned to them with utmost determination and vigour. If you’re looking to get the most out of your Adepta Sororitas units, a Dogmata will be a crucial addition to your collection, so keep an eye out – she’s coming soon.
They did reveal a little bit of what she will do in Warhammer Fest. She will be able to give buffs similar to how a chaplain does. Meaning depending on what she chooses to chant that phase, she will give different buffs.
The fearsome Dogmatas uphold righteousness among their fellow Sisters, and while we’ve seen just why their allies fear and respect them in equal measure, it’s worth knowing that their enemies have just as much reason to stay away from these exceptional warriors.
Nothing too crazy on the datasheet, but her real benefit comes from the auras and commands she can issue. She can also use the Hymns of Battle which are pretty strong and will really buff up nearby units.
On top of using the Hymns, she also has a great ability for ObSec. Meaning you can either count as double for objectives or give Objective Secured to units without the rule.
Doubling the model count can really make it hard for the enemy to actually take any objectives from you!
Morvenn Vahl
We’ve already seen a whole host of new models for the army, but today they revealed even more! From Morvenn Vahl, a High Lord of Terra, to Agathae Dolan to more Sacresant sculpts! If you wanted some more CC power for your Sisters army, well, this release is full of it!
Upon her recent elevation to Abbess Sanctorum, Morvenn Vahl became the supreme commander of the Adepta Sororitas and guardian of the faith. Yet, unlike many of her predecessors, Morvenn Vahl continues to lead her sisters from the front lines. Clad in Purgator Mirabilis, a Paragon Warsuit of peerless quality, she takes the fight to heretics and the impious wherever they may be found.
This is an interesting mini and will really make a cool centerpiece for your army. While they didn’t give out specific rules for her, they did mention she will have buff powers almost on par with Bobby G and she will have the correct number of wounds so she cannot be targeted.
Statline & Warsuit
Ever a warrior first and administrator second, Vahl strides the battlefields of the 41st Millennium clad in Purgator Mirabilis, the finest warsuit of its kind and an ancient relic restored to glory by the Fabricator General of Mars himself.
Her statline is pretty decent, especially when she sits there with 8 wounds, so she will be very durable but hard to target. Also with S and T 5 she will deal some decent damage and be pretty durable.
Not only does she have a 4+ Invuln, but she also gets a 4+ ignore for Mortals, meaning even things like Smite will be hard to ping off her wounds. On top of all of that, she halves the damage coming in from attacks, so she should be very durable on the battlefield.
Weapons
The suit itself plays host to a destructive missile launcher of the sort usually found only on much larger vehicles, while the Abbess strikes down her enemies with a gigantic relic power spear named the Lance of Illumination.
If you’re up against a big unit of infantry, the sweeping blow will give her ten attacks, hitting on 2’s, at Strength 5, -2 AP. Unfortunately, these only do one damage, but if you’re against things with 1 wound, this can dish out serious damage. When you need to cut through bigger stuff, she will be attacking 5 times at S 8, -3 AP, and D3. Also if you get lucky, you can get through some mortal wounds as well on 6’s.
Again, she has the option to mow down infantry or hit hard against the bigger stuff. This really gives her a ton of uses and lets her be taken in almost any army.
Auras
Despite her preference for getting stuck into the fiercest fights around, Morvenn Vahl is every bit the taciturn commander her position demands. Her fellow Battle Sisters rally around the glorious golden figure of her warsuit and fight with superhuman ferocity, knowing that their supreme commander is every bit as ready to lay down her life for the God-Emperor as they are.
If you’ve played against a reroll to hit and wound, you know how strong that really is! The second buff is cool because you only have to start that unit within the 6″ in the command phase. So you can start a unit close and then move away and still get the buffs.
Agathae Dolan
You may recognize Aestred Thurga from our most recent Battle Sister Bulletin. As the bearer of the banner known as the Auto-Tapestry of the Emperor’s Judgement, Aestred is held in great reverence by all of the Orders Militant. Adepta Sororitas in her presence all fight harder, inspired by the knowledge that the God-Emperor’s gaze is upon them – and that their deeds in battle will be recorded by the Hagiolater, Agathae Dolan, who accompanies her at all times.
It’s a little unclear if you will always have to take these as a pair, but when they both are on the tabletop, it will really buff your units.
Celestian Sacresants
This elite sisterhood is equipped with blessed, heretic-smiting halberds and maces, and they carry large shields for protection in the crucible of battle. Their ability to perform Heroic Interventions makes the Celestian Sacresants bodyguards without peer, helping you keep your prized Characters alive and your army fighting at optimum efficiency.
We already saw the minis with the halberd, but you can take them with maces and a ton of different weapon options. If you spotted the little bolter popping out from the shield, you were right!
They can take bolters, flamers, plasma, and even melta. They are effectively a bodyguard unit that can be equipped similarly to veterans with a ton of options.
Celestian Sacresant
While many members of the Celestians are trained to act as bodyguards for their Canoness and take to the field with the trusty boltgun at their side, others venture out into the galaxy on holy quests. When these Sacresants answer the call to war and return to their Order, they take up thick powered shields and heavy melee weapons to fight at the very forefront of the Adepta Sororitas’ campaigns.
We were kinda hoping for two wounds because we are guessing the points cost for these will be fairly high. We do guess the shield will give them a decent invuln, so hopefully, they will be able to survive the shooting phase.
The Hallowed Mace seems like a winner, just simply because it deals D2 and they would be wounding T4 minis on a 3+. The Halberd can cut through armor much easier, but at only 2 attacks a pop and one damage, the Mace seems like it will be more taken.
Codex Sisters of Battle Hymns of Battle 40k Rules
Every Priest in your army can intone a hymn they know during your Command phase. If it’s inspiring, your army dances to the beat, earning some form of bonus. For example, want to make your bolt weapons sing a song of sweet death that will really get stuck in their head? Chant the Catechism of Repugnance.
Both of the bonuses of this are pretty sweet! Not having to roll a wound can make your normal bolters get through some seriously tough enemies much easier. On top of that, if you’re in half range, you will get to rapid-fire and have an additional AP. This means your bolters can dish out some serious damage.
Alternatively, if you’re up against an army of infernal witches, such as Magnus the Red and his cadre, you might want some protection from their warp-spawned magics. Have your Priests lead a rousing Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude to drown them out.
If you need to keep a certain unit from psychic powers, then this is the way to go. It will remove all debuffs from them and keep them safe through your next turn. Meaning in a sense they could get protected from two powers.
They only showed the two for now, but we assume each model may not be able to know all six. So you will probably have to decide before the game which you need for that each one perhaps?
Character Rules
These blessings are made up of two parts: the first is a persistent effect that applies all battle long, while the second can only be temporarily activated by expending a Miracle die. Using a die with a particularly high number will extend the range at which the effect works, so make sure you weigh up your options against needing a particularly high roll elsewhere.
Instead of upgrading your characters like in the Drukhari book, you can pick a different blessing. They will all have a single-use ability, which you need to make good use of to actually get the points value out of it.
Each blessing can only be used once per battle, so make sure your Canoness or Palatine of choice is geared up to take the best advantage of it before you get started
This is obviously very combat-focused, with the consistent one forcing your enemy to fight last. The single-use is pretty crazy and will be perfect for taking out units with good invuln saves when you have some high AP attacks coming in.
Sisters of Battle Stratagems
Faith and Fury is an old friend, helping your Battle Sisters get the most out of the miracles they perform, and now it’s even cheaper than before at just 1CP. With your precious Miracle dice more in demand than ever, it pays to stretch each one as far as possible.
For one CP this is pretty sweet! You basically can guarantee for one dice and one CP, an automatic wound. Perfect if you need that Melta shot to go through!
As the rank and file of the Adepta Sororitas, it falls to Battle Sister squads to hold the battlefield’s vital points in the face of whatever the enemy might throw at them. Defenders of the Faith makes them incredibly tenacious when guarding an objective, with foes needing to press through a storm of boltgun fire only to find the Battle Sisters shrugging off wounds that would lay any normal human low.
This being both a damage buff and a durability buff really makes this powerful. Not only will you be getting double shots at full range, but you will also be getting super tough.
When an even greater defensive wall is needed, look no further than the shield-carrying Celestian Sacresants and their Ecclesiarchal comrades in the Crusaders. Both blessed with powerful shields and trained to hold the line at any cost, using Inviolate Shieldwall will see bullets, bolts, and las blasts peel off them like rainwater.
Free Sisters of Battle Mini & New Coin From Games Workshop
The newest coin looks pretty sweet, but like with all the other coins, you’ll have to spend $100 to get this. Let’s just hope the new Sister minis are in store by the time this goes live, so you won’t have to spend the money on older releases. If you’re going to spend the $100, might as well get the coin to go with it!
Now for those who have stayed up on the promotion, this will give you enough to grab the binder.
To get the free mini all you have to do is ask. Obviously, this is while supplies last but they usually have enough for a while. Also, this isn’t the model you will get for sure, as they just open the boxes up and build the minis from the box.
Order of Our Martyred Lady Rules
The Sisters of the Order of Our Martyred Lady are, as the name suggests, more than happy to throw themselves into situations where casualties are inevitable, so long as it serves the will of the Emperor. Warlords of the Order of Our Martyred Lady love to deliver violent justice to Mankind’s foes in the deadliest areas of the battlefield. Accordingly, they are often weathered and scarred individuals who can shrug off grievous wounds and generate greater divine power from their deeds.
Order of the Valorous Heart
For the Sisters of the Order of the Valorous Heart, no amount of suffering is too great when endured in the Emperor’s name. Their legendary grit and determination are reflected in the grim, uncompromising manner in which they fight. It can be hard to pinpoint the enemy in the bloody chaos of a battlefield, but some among this Order’s ranks have learned to focus their faith, and they call on the Emperor to guide their aim.
Order of the Valorous Heart
Where the Order of the Valorous Heart is stoic, the Order of the Bloody Rose is incendiary. Blazing with the fire of their hatred towards the aliens, mutants, and heretics that threaten the Imperium, these Sisters dive into battle with an unquenchable desire to slaughter as many foes as they possibly can. Such is their righteous anger that Sisters of the Bloody Rose are wont to charge headlong into melee regardless of the odds, tearing away at the enemy with blades, hands, and whatever else they can get a hold of.
Order of the Ebon Chalice
As the first of the Orders to be created on Holy Terra, the Order of the Ebon Chalice traces its doctrines back to the Daughters of the Emperor, and the Sisters rigidly adhere to the foundations upon which the Adepta Sororitas were forged. So great is their prestige that all other Orders measure themselves by their example. One of the most iconic symbols of the Adepta Sororitas is the cleansing flame, and warriors of the Ebon Chalice carry it with them into battle with devastating results.
Order of the Argent Shroud
The Order of the Argent Shroud is often deployed as the spearhead of an Imperial crusade, taking advantage of speed and boldness to drive a silver bolt through the heart of an enemy force. Their unwavering faith renders Battle Sisters of the Argent Shroud even more resilient against psychic assault than is typical for the Adepta Sororitas. As such, they are frequently able to disregard the cursed sorceries of the Archenemy’s minions.
Order of the Sacred Rose
Even among the din of a raging battlefield, the Order of the Sacred Rose is a calm and collected force of serenity who sing hymns of hope and salvation to the tune of roaring boltguns and blazing promethium. Divine judgment is the domain of the Emperor alone, and while few would consider themselves worthy of judging guilt on His behalf, many stand ready to mete out the inevitable punishment.
Making Your Own Orders
You can create your own Order Minoris by selecting two convictions from a list of sixteen. To demonstrate one of the combinations you can make, we borrowed Warhammer Community’s Scheduling Warlord Darcy’s Order of the Shattered Glass.
New Codex
The Adepta Sororitas are getting their biggest and best codex ever. A whopping 128 pages that bring their lore right up to date. This sacred tome comes complete with over 35 datasheets and a suite of Crusade rules that breathe life into the Sisters of Battle on the tabletop.
The codex also introduces rules for Hymns of Battle. Inspirational verses sung by the Dogmata that venerate the God-Emperor. And Minoris convictions that give you the option to represent an Order Militant of your own creation on the battlefield.
Well, with so many new minis coming, this was a no-brainer. The book will add some new abilities to the faction, along with a ton of new units. Let’s hope they keep acts of faith and just gain new stuff.
You will now also receive benefits for running full Sisters of Battle armies and they really seem to be pushing them to a more CC-heavy army. But, we’ll have to wait and see some rules to really make that judgment.
New Triumph of Saint Katherine Sisters 40k Rules
She got an IKEA-style sheet of rules updates that were spotted on Bolter & Chainsword so let’s compare it to the old sheet and see what’s changed.
Old rules
New Rules
New Bonuses:
- -4 attacks on top bracket, unchanged after (was 14, now 10 attacks)
- Bolt Pistol is now Heavy 1 (was pistol 1)
What we don’t know:
- Martyr’s Sword still locked to 4 attacks max?
- Invulnerable Save?
- Extra Relics rules?
- Morale test rule?
- Targeting rule?
Overall, Triumph of Saint Katherine looks like it is taking a huge hit on paper. -4 attacks sound huge, and it very well might be, but the big weapon, Martyr’s sword was locked to 4 attacks. If that loses the cap, this model actually becomes much deadlier in total.
New Exorcist Sisters 40k Rules
Also spotted on Bolter & Chainsword were new rules for the Exorcist, so let’s compare it to the old sheet and see what’s changed.
Old rules
New Rules
New Bonuses:
- -1 Strength (was 7, now 6)
- -1 Toughness (was 8, now 7)
- One extra Leadership (was 7, now 8)
- -1 Wound (was 12, now 11)
The rockets and missile launcher seem to be flipped in the new sheets labeled images, so we will treat it as an error.
- Exorcist conflagration rockets lose 1 AP and gain 1 damage (was -2, now -1 AP and was 1 damage, now 2)
- Exorcist missile launcher lose 1 AP (was -3, now -2 AP)
What we don’t know:
- Smoke Launchers?
- Unique weapon rules like Blast?
Overall, the Exorcist looks like it is also taking a huge hit on paper. Small nerfs across the board on the statline add up. The toughness change really hurts allowing S8 weapons to wound on 3s instead of 4s. The buff in damage on the rockets is worth the trade of AP, but still, the Exorcist doesn’t look like it will break the meta or anything insane.
Are you excited about the new codex? Do you like the look of the minis revealed?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
