If you missed all the new Sisters rules previews and discussions from the weekend, come see what exactly they are (or are not) getting!
First off the Sisters are back as “new” releases on Games Workshop’s site this week, but they are in fact just the metal models of old:
We collected the rules for the Sisters from THREE different sites that had access to the rules this weekend. Come see this epic summary!
First off here’s the new Table of Contents from Bell of Lost Souls:
Right off the bat, you have 9 Armies in this book. You will note that several of these are very tiny affairs such as the Legion of the Damned (4 pages), Cult Mechanicus (6 pages) and Aeronautica Imperialis (6 pages). Several of the forces in the codex are teensy mini detachments you can easily shoehorn into your existing army for a little flavor. The big forces that you really pay your money for are the Adepta Sororitas (25 pages), and The Inquisition (18 pages).
These both have a decent set of units and some surprises. Easily enough to build an entire standard sized army around if you wish. A key point is the Sisters and Inquisition detachments in this codex are NOT identical to the earlier digital versions out for the past couple of years. These are updated and expanded lists. Finally note that Mechanicus, Deathwatch and Grey Knights are in here with alternative mini-sized detachments for those looking for just a splash of the faction, rather than the full codex version of the force you can build with their existing stand-alone codexes.
The Combat Phase Podcast got their hands the new Codex Imperial Agents and are spilling the beans! Checkout their Sisters rules breakdown:
So yes, the Sisters of Battle (SoB) army features all existing models. That doesn’t mean the promised plastic SoB models mentioned from inside a trash bin on Warhammer TV a few months back aren’t coming soon, but unlike a supplement, this is (at the very least) a placeholder for these nine factions, introducing new detachments which have their own force organization charts (FoC) and command abilities so the odd existing model can legally fit into an army as standard, ally, or whatever you prefer. Finally we have two pages of weapons, vehicle equipment and special issue warmer before the factions begin. It’s not a lot: 2 ranged, 1 melee, 2 vehicle and 5 special issue including psyk-out grenades and a teleport homer.
4. Adepta Sororitas (SoB)
The best way I decided to do this is just list the entries for you to do your own comparison for whatever you may be wondering. We get two new detachments depending on if you want small bodyguard or an entire force. Ministorum Delegation lets you pair a leader with a bodyguard. FLUFFY! As expected, they must be from the Adepta Sororitas faction. This grants Shield of Faith to the detachment making them tougher mentally and physically. The larger army detachment can buff your Army of Faith to prayer for dodging bad save rolls. The army still has the Act of Faith rule, Martyrdom, and 6 unique warlord traits. No new models today (beyond Canoness) but….I wanna see some Sisters on the battlefield! Includes also 7 relics and 6 tactical objectives. My fav is the Mantle of Ophelia granting Eternal Warrior. If you go to the webstore you’ll see these models.
- Canoness
- Ministorum Priest – cool older models looking like zealots, each fight sub phase can get a war hymn
- Uriah Jacobus
- Battle Sister Squad
- Repentia Squad
- Sororitas Command Squad
- Arco-flagellents
- Crusaders – power swords & storm shields can take rhino or immolator as dedicated transport
- Death Cult Assassins
- Celestian Squad
- Dominion Squad
- Seraphim Squad
- Sororitas Rhino
- Immolator
- Retributor Squad
- Exorcist
- Penitent Engines
- Ecclesiarchy Battle Conclave formation – gains shield of faith
Frontline Gaming also put our a review on the new Sisters rules as well:
Adepta Sororitas
The first of two big codices in this book. There is actually some cool stuff in this book, and one very sad thing which I will cover at the end. First off, I noticed that this section is almost a direct reprint of the Sisters of Battle 6th edition book. Which is cool, because I felt like that book was not a terrible base for a faction, and just needed a few more rules and units to really become viable at the competitive-casual level. In this section you will find a detachment that lets you take a single Ministorum priest, as well as a new detachment for the girls in armor called the “Vestal Task Force”. Which has the ability to give all units in the detachment the ability to reroll any saving throws of 1 once in a game.
Awesome! You are forced to take a compulsory elite option, but it isn’t all that bad because GW gave the sisters access to Deathcult Assassins, Crusaders, and Arco-Flagellents. Other then one minor detail, this section is a copy of the Adepta Sororitas codex, with some updated verbage to make rules clearer. Oh, and that minor detail you are wondering about….?
St. Celestine is gone. She is not an HQ choice in this book, and is completely absent from the Adepta Sororitas section of the book. On top of that, if you notice the picture above, which was on GW’s site. That hourglass symbol next to Celestine means that her model is a “last chance buy”. Now, we can only speculate whether this is part of GW’s master plan, or if a beloved character is getting phased out of the game. Let me know in the comment section!
Looks like Sisters WILL be in this book, just in a henchman form and not a full on codex book. Which leaves the door open to them appearing in the future as their own printed codex, OR perhaps this book will be a preview of new rules that may be on the way for them in 2017! Plus looks like the space monkeys are sticking around as well!
What do you think of the Sisters now?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
