Vigilator Cadre

Bend over Magnus, I am going in dry.

A Vigilator Mistress posing for the next mission on 'which Sorceror will have his ass carved out.'

As the most senior of the mainstay of the Silent Sisterhood's tactical formations, the Vigilator Cadres are often deployed in battle in order to identify and excise the key components of an enemy force at close quarters. Whether their quarry is a single rogue psyker among a civilian hab-block or a resistance movement thousands strong, they serve to root out the command centers responsible and remove them, allowing the other units deployed in tangent to destroy the scattered resistance.

Overview

As their nature proceeds, almost all Vigilators are equipped with an Executioner's Greatblade or a Neuro-Lash weapon as well as a Hand Flamer, Needle Pistol and Plasma Pistol for range, making their role and function the complete opposite of the Prosecutor Cadre, with the Null Maiden Cadre being in-between. For non-combat purposes, they can be armed with a Snare Gun for the capturing of targets.

In larger detachments, the Vigilator Cadres also provide a greater level of versatility to the front-line assault, and the effect of their sweeping blades on the ranks of a cult rabble or rebel militia is as much a psychological weapon as a direct tool of war. Nor is the weapon itself idly chosen, as since time immemorial beheading ever considered a sure proof of death against the witch and those accursed by dark forces, and often has this in practice proved true, even against those riven with the power of the Empyrean.

As their name implies, the Vigilators' charge outside of direct militant action is often to oversee the collection of the Great Tithe and the escorting, under threat of death, of individuals to the Black Ships.

Crunch

Crunchwise, on 40k, they are a squad of silent sisters armed with a greatblade; two girls put out the same damage as a single custodian with a sentinel blade for less than half his price, but they're relative glass cannons. This squad has the potential to do some remarkable damage to high-value targets, and not necessarily only Psykers, though the Daughters of the Abyss rule comes into its own with this unit. This means they are capable of wounding even Magnus on a 4+. Bear in mind that multiple wounds do not carry over from slain models, so going charging into an Ork mob is still going to get you murdered. The big problem, though, is that they do not have any guns to speak of despite the fluff indicating that they can arm themselves with sidearms. That means no overwatch, no pistols for melee, and no way to strike at opponents at any distance, aside from the psyk-out grenade stratagem.

On the Horus Heresy, they are slightly improved Sisters, they all get an Execution Blade and Pistol. If you take them, then before the game starts you must mark a single Infantry unit or Character. They and all other Vigilators get Preferred Enemy on that one target. They can be used for the exact same way as Prosecutors, they're better at being bubble-wrap (due to being able to kill a few of whoever charges them) while being worse at going after objective holders (due to having worse guns and relatively low melee output). The neuro-lash is situational, if you know you're up against huge assault squads or the like then it can do you well. If you're blocking TEQ's then you need to get practically the entire squad in range to do the same damage your execution blade would normally do. If you're up against anything worse than MEQ's however, then it becomes a lot better, but if you expect the squad to die then it's still a good idea not to put that many points into them.