Codex - Fallen Sororitas
Overview
Inspired by Miriael Sabathiel, a few of us have gotten together to make a full codex for Sisters of Battle who have fallen to Chaos. Currently this codex is in an "Index" state, which is to say it's playable, but is missing a few key components (e.g. tactical objectives, strategems, relics, etc.). Balance is getting to a good spot, but some rules could still be potentially changed in future updates. If you're interested in helping us playtest and get this army up and running, feel free to leave feedback on the Discussion page. Add this page to your watchlist by clicking the little star on the top-right corner of the page to be notified of any updates! The codex is currently undergoing a big overhaul due to the release of the proper Adepta Sororitas codex; expect big updates soon!
What Does This Codex Include?
A fully playable army with a unique playstyle which will set them apart from both the Adepta Sororitas and other Chaos forces. This isn't just Sisters of Battle with a different coat of paint, these girls are designed to play very differently from their loyalist counterparts. Almost every unit moves faster and has more attacks than standard units of their caliber, which combined with much more access to special weapons, makes this an extremely versatile army, though they tend to be more expensive as well.
Where Can I Get It?
Fluff
Because a lot of these units are rather unique, and the codex doesn't have much in the way of lore yet, this section is here to give you an idea of what everything is as well as the general theme of the codex. The entire army follows Slaanesh due to the fact that the only Sororitas to willingly fall to Chaos (namely Miriael Sabathiel and the Orders Pronatus in Daemonifuge) have fallen to Slaanesh specifically. Admittedly, this could be because Sisters almost never got any attention in the fluff until recently, and Chaos Sisters even less than that. However, it's more likely because Slaanesh is the most subtle of all the Chaos gods, and the most seductive, to the point that even his brother Chaos Gods fear him. Now, it should be noted that, even with all his powers of influence, Sisters of Battle almost never fall to Chaos. Their fanatical devotion combined with the constant vigilance of their peers make them nearly impervious to corruption and it's unlikely that there are ever more than a thousand Fallen Sororitas in the entire galaxy at any given time. However, of all the vices in the world, Slaanesh's favorite is corrupting the incorruptible, and the higher a Sororitas rises in her faith, the further she has the potential to fall. To this end, he saves some of his greatest gifts for Fallen Sisters of Battle, so while they might be outnumbered by their loyalist peers, they're also far more dangerous.
Instead of orders, Fallen Sororitas organize themselves into sects. Each sect is commonly centered around an individual or entity of singular force of personality. Given that Fallen Sororitas almost always abandon their discipline for more hedonistic pursuits, it takes cunning, manipulation, and no small amount of sheer will to keep a sect together. Should the leader fall and a new one fail to take charge, the sect will invariably fall to petty infighting, making them easy pickings for the Inquisition, or worse, their erstwhile sisters of the Adepta Sororitas, who are all too eager to punish wickedness spawned from their own ranks. However, when the full might of a Fallen Sororitas sect marches to war, united in devotion to the Prince of Pleasure, the worlds of their foes fall in quick succession. Fallen Sororitas sects tend to maintain close relationships with both the Dark Mechanicus as well as Slaaneshi Chaos Space Marine warbands, and have access to cruel heretical weaponry to enforce their amoral will on the galaxy.
HQ
- Dark Mistress: Although no Canoness has ever fallen to Chaos worship, the fallen Sororitas are nevertheless led by the strongest, most cunning, and most manipulative of their number. Known as Dark Mistresses, these women control the sect, their sadistic leadership ensuring the survival of the sect and their conquests ensuring a steady supply of slaves to feed their fallen kin's sadistic appetites.
- Siren: Although Slaanesh values Fallen Sororitas from each of the orders, it is the sisters of the Orders Famulous who are most prized, their skills in the social arts giving praise to the Dark Prince in a unique way that their fellows simply aren't capable of. Rechristened as Sirens, these fallen sisters serve as the priestesses of the sect. On the battlefield, they are masters of control, singing beautiful discordant melodies to bolster their sisters and stupefy their enemies.
- Inamorta: The Adepta Sororitas exemplify purity, faith, and duty perhaps more than any of the Emperor's servants. They are the spiritual guardians of mankind, a duty exemplified by their near-invulnerability to corruption at the hands of Chaos. Of course, the highest heroes have the farthest to fall, and those who devote themselves to Slaanesh so fully as to achieve daemonhood are among his favored servants. More than mere daemon princes, Inamorata are Slaanesh's chosen, and it is for these former champions of righteousness that he reserves his greatest gifts.
Named Characters
- Miriael Sabathiel: Has her own article which you should go read.
- Laufey: The leader of the Niflheim Valkyries sect, Laufey is an terrifyingly powerful psyker, capable of summoning freezing blasts to encase her enemies in solid ice, the most striking of these specimens being taken back to her home world of Niflheim to decorate the dark abbeys of her homeworld.
- Kvan: The Siren Queen, leading her Void Naiads on raids, spreading Slaanesh's Song. The songs she sing spread Slaanesh's word to the corpses she leaves behind, the slaves brought into her arms, and invigorate her sisters in arms.
Troops
- Fallen Sisters: Paragons of the Imperial Faith, warriors true of the Ecclesiarchy, they're the shining stars of the Emperor's faithful, fighting for their faith with blessed weapons. These are the inverse; their malefic minds corrupted by the sweet seductions of the prolific Prince of Pleasure. The most holy, pure warriors of the Ecclesiarchy, had the furthest to fall into depravity; their instruments of purity now turned on those they once defended, with Bolter and blade, fire and fury, they purge those enthralled by the Corpse Emperor.
- Slaves: The blessed Sisters serving Slaanesh cannot be expected to do all of the work, enslaving mortals across their dominion to do the menial tasks. These few are blessed with indentured servitude to the Dark Prince and his faithful Fallen Sisters. Each slave knows the sound of a cracking whip better than that of their own voice, some craving it's lashing against their skin, to flay the flesh from their bones whilst others whimper at its sound, cowering into their work and away from the harsh sound. All revel in the excessive debauchery of their new masters, indulging in incomprehensible delight when they get the chance to rest. When called to arms they shamble forth, some with weapons designed to spit shell after shell in unending waves of fire, others with makeshift bludgeons, blades and flails twinned with pistols that would hardly make a dent in their masters armour, yet more still shamble forth with an array of weaponry designed to clear corridors and set buildings ablaze.
- Daemonettes: Have their own article you should check out. Included in this army to give you something to summon.
Elites
- Paramours: Being the center of power in the sect, Dark Mistresses and Sirens inevitably attract any number of lieutenants, lovers, and cronies to their side. Collectively known as Paramours, these women form the inner circle of the sect, giving their undying loyalty to their mistress in exchange for the privileges of power and increased standing within the sect. Although most Paramours are completely infatuated with their mistress and are willing to give anything for them, there are those who possess subtle cunning, feigning loyalty while plotting to take power for themselves.
- Masochists: Horrifically tortured and mutilated in a perverse imitation of sacred corporeal mortification of the Ecclesiarchy, Masochists have given themselves fully to the sensation of pain in the pursuit of greater glory in the eyes of Slaanesh. Unsurprisingly, many of their number are former Repentias, their need for punishment and atonement being manipulated into a need for pain for it's own sake. The longer a Masochist survives, the more extreme her needs become, and many will submit to increasingly violent and invasive surgeries in order to enhance their sensory capabilities and further augment their capabilities on the battlefield.
- Mistress of Sadism: As the Repentia's need for punishment can be turned to Slaanesh's will, so too can a Mistress of Redemption's sense of justice be turned to more sadistic impulses. Mistresses of Sadism play an important role in the sect's hierarchy. In addition to ensuring the sect's masochists are properly motivated, they are also in charge of the sect's slave supply, ensuring that they are properly broken and are fulfilling their duties to the utmost of their capabilities. As befitting their title, these women are ever-vigilant for failings in their charges, and love nothing more than to make an example of any unfortunate soul who catches their eye, whether the punishment is warranted or not.
- Ascended: Desperate for power, some among the Fallen Sororitas willingly allow themselves to be possessed by daemons, with the intent of subjugating the daemon and taking it's power for themselves. Although most fail, becoming horribly mutated chaos spawn, those who succeed find themselves with power beyond imagination. On the battlefield, Ascended are terrifying shock troops, emerging from the warp in the midst of their foes and felling them with shards of daemonic matter before growing blades, claws, and other weapons from their bodies to finish off the survivors.
- Flesh Shaper: Fallen Sisters Hospitaller who have gained the ability to shapeshift themselves and others via warp rituals.
- Lampad: Fallen Sisters Dialogus who have gained psychic powers, their considerable knowledge being put to deadly use in the service of Slaanesh.
- Apostate: Fallen priests, dark shamans, and warp dabblers, Apostates are those who have fully devoted themselves to the ruinous powers. They can be found in every strata of Imperial society, from the darkest underhive mutant cults to the powerful secret societies formed of bored and dissolute nobles to the churches and cathedrals of the Ecclesiarchy itself. Given the opportunity, many Apostates will eagerly join forces with Fallen Sororitas, sacrificing their own accumulated power in exchange for the protection offered in their dark abbeys.
- Pleasure Cult Assassins: Death Cult Assassins who have fallen to Chaos.
Fast Attack
- Harpies: Some of the more gluttonous Fallen Sororitas will find themselves afflicted with a terrible hunger which can only be sated by cannibalism. However, the more they eat, the more corrupt they become, until their minds dulled and became instinctive, their armor fused with their bodies, and their weapons exchanged for a set of fearsome talons. Now, they're little more than unthinking predators, lurking in the warp and waiting for the right moment to strike and consume their prey.
- Scyllans: Fallen Sororitas who ride bikes equipped with lengths of adamantium chains that drag behind them. Seeing themselves as artists of pain and terror, they delight in driving through squads of hapless victims, catching them in the chains and dragging them off. Once a Scyllan has caught a victim, they seek the most creative way to kill them, whether that involves dragging them to death over rough terrain, throwing them back into their luckless comrades, or catching them in a fellow Scyllan's chains and ripping them in two.
- Chaos Spawn: Have their own article which you should check out. Did i just say their name? The curse is over? Guys! The curse is ovOOOMYGODEMPERAAARGHBLARGBLARGBLARGBLARG.
Heavy Support
- Calliope: Without the support of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Exorcists of a Fallen Sororitas sect quickly fall into disrepair. Fortunately, the Dark Mechanicus has devised a unique solution to this problem; the Calliope. Where an Exorcist is beautiful, as much a work of art as it is a weapon of war, a Calliope is a misshapen mass of metal tubes, amplifiers, and desecrated iconography. While an Exorcist plays beautiful hymns to the Emperor, punctuated by volleys of rockets, a Calliope is only capable of producing the most ugly, disconcordant noises, shattering armor and bursting organs with barrages of dissonant sound.
- Tantalus Engines: Among the most horrific weapons utilized by the Fallen Sororitas, Tantalus Engines are penitent engines which have been reconfigured to imprison and torture daemons rather than enemies of the Imperial Creed. For its hellish pilot, this is a fate worse than almost any other. Once a daemon has been successfully bound to the engine, they are subjugated to endless torture, pain which can only be relieved by slaying their mistress' enemies. Controlled by a high-ranking member of the sect through dark pacts and blasphemous rituals, Tantalus Engines must do their mistress' bidding until either they are destroyed, or their mistress is. Command of Tantalus Engines is commonly given to only the most cunning members of the sect, for if the machine is possessed by a particularly canny daemon, they can become just as much of a danger to their mistress as they are to her enemies by creatively interpreting her commands to bring her to an early end.
- Altars of Agony and Excess: Among the most terrifying weapons of the Fallen Sororitas, Altars are mobile shrines to Slaanesh, upon which a Siren will perform powerful rituals that can change the course of battle. Protected by a pair of Paramours, an Altar serves as a powerful reminder of the Dark Prince's power. Think of something like a Bloodwrack Shrine, but dedicated to Slaanesh instead of Khaine.
Fortifications
- Noctilith Crown: That fancy new terrain piece that the Chaos Space Marines just got.
- Fane of Slaanesh: That awesome new terrain piece that Slaanesh got in Age of Sigmar.
Where Can I Get Miniatures For Some Of These Units?
- You could take the new Adepta Sororitas models and add some spikes and horns to make look more like Chaos Space Marines.
- Raging Heroes has a ton of great models for this army, including Corrupted Sisters and Harpies.
- Wargame Exclusive has a bunch of female Chaos models which work well for a variety of Fallen Sororitas units.
- Valkia the Bloody is a decent model for a Dark Mistress with a jump pack. Just make sure to file down or paint over the Khorne symbols.