Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Adepta Sororitas (section)

==Unit Analysis==

===HQ===
Easily the best section of our codex, so don't be afraid to unashamedly drop points here. Both special characters range from modestly useful (Celestine) to borderline mandatory (Jacobus), while even the Canoness -- when kitted right -- has her uses.

*'''Canoness''' - The Canoness is the cheapest base HQ Sisters have which in itself is quite handy, since one can never have too many Bolter Bitches running around. Seeing as how she's still just T3 with a 3+ Armor Save you '''WILL''' give her at least a [[Rosarius]] for the improved invulnerable save. Depending on what you've planned to do with her you can kit her a few different ways, but she's usually used as a supportive meatshield HQ. Generally giving her a combi-weapon or a good supportive relic is a solid option. Her AoF gives Hatred... in the Assault Phase. Decent on the face of it, but Priests/Uriah already have Zealot, so what's the point? She's also Stubborn, which isn't all that important, but good to remember in a pinch (as with the AoF, pretty much only if your priests cark it).
**'''Consider the following:''' Canoness can provide valuable support, while Jacobus / Celestine (usually) steal the warlord spotlight. She's a cheap HQ choice, '''BUT''' she doesn't '''HAVE''' to be cheap. Given that she can have eternal warrior, a 3+/4++ AND an eviscerator, she can become pretty formidable. Don't go up against big-time CC HQs, but she could hold her own against the likes of a <s>Typhus</s> Lucius, for example. Let's face it, Typhus would crump her. Or, alternatively, you could lose the eviscerator, but take the cloak and have her tank wounds (in this instance, she should NOT be your warlord). Retributors ''love'' their mistress, being able to tank up wounds, perhaps manning a quad-gun with her impressive BS 5 and providing a Ld 10 for AoFs. If you run her that way, grab a Storm Bolter for a little extra dakka.
***'''Alternative opinion:''' While still not the best, she could beat models '''FAR''' above her weight in the right squad. Kit her out as mentioned above (with eternal warrior and the eviscerator), but throw her in a battle conclave squad in an inquisitor's land raider with 4-5 crusaders, 5-6 death cult assassins, and 1-2 priests (1 of them having Litanies of Faith). the squad itself will have a re-rollable 3++ in the front of the squad to keep the assassins alive and (if you took a second priest) either shred or more AP2 attacks (depending on your need). As a result, your Canoness' 4++ is now rerollable and she will sometimes have shred. Very strong indeed.
*'''Sororitas Command Squad''' - If you take a Canoness, you can get these ladies. They're a little schizophrenic, with their melee-oriented AoF combined with decent-at-best close combat capability. That said, they are a quite solid option for shooting with the allowance of up to 5 Combi-, Special or Heavy Weapons. A lot cheaper then previous edition (WD) and they can use Heavy Weapons without requiring Retributors (and sucking up a scarce Heavy Support slot). They get access to the Endless Crusade AoF in Assault Phase, which gives them Fleet, Crusader and Move Through Cover. You can use it to get into assault more reliably. They do have access to Power Weapons and the CC relic banner (+1 ATK, reroll pinning, fear, morale) so they can provide melee prowess, but considering that Sisters aren't that great in melee (T3)... Either way, they provide you special weapons, another Immolator or banners to buff your sisters.
**'''Sister Dialogus:''' Adds a laud hailer and can take other Relics. Could possibly be handy if you really need the relic but generally you're better off slapping a Laud Hailer on their transport and taking another shooty Sister.
**'''Sister Hospitaller''' - Adds Feel No Pain. Recommended if you are taking this squad.
***'''Alternate opinion''' - this squad is incredibly versatile and usually worth taking in most games, if you have the spare points. In terms of ranged ability, this squad can simply function as a devastator or shock trooper squad. Sitting back and hitting with the Heavy bolters, or popping out of a cab with heavy flamers/combi-plasmas. As a CC squad, they have the ability to really bring out the hurt and hit way above their number, but you have to prepare for it. Take the Hospitaller and 4 axes with a couple priests and a Canoness, or with Jacobus and another priest. If you manage to charge with them, watch them be able to tank wounds and hit pretty damned hard too. Reroll to hit (zealot) with reroll saves (war Hymns) and potential shred (other war Hymns) followed by FnP makes a tough squad to Crack. And sure, most armies can ignore your FnP by just bringing power mauls, but then they aren't getting through your armour, are they? 
*** Another fun way to use them is as the absolute bane of a psyker or a squad of psykers. Give all 5 condemnor boltguns and perils the living hell out of that farseer/librarian/cheese rerollable 2++ deathstar unit. Fun stuff. Obvious counterpick. But fun stuff.

*'''Priests''' - For only 25 points, these independent characters are your cheap unit buffers. They are Zealots (Fearless and Hatred), they can take relics (litanies anyone?), and they can use War Hymns to additionally augment their unit (reroll to wound, reroll failed saves, or grants the Preacher Smash, which is hilarious, albeit for the most part impractical). Always take them. Even if you are running a single squad of basic Sisters as an allied detachment. I don't care. Take the crazy preachers. The big puzzle with Priests is figuring out what wargear to take, from your rather extensive armory. There are a few stand-out options, however:
**'''Plasma Gun''': Interesting because they're the only thing in your whole army that can take a non-combi plasma. Less interesting because having your source of Fearless burn his fingers and croak is a bummer, and because Rapid Fire is not a good thing in a choppy squad. Take these if your priests are riding with a standard Battle Sister squad, since their AoF gives Preferred Enemy, and because they generally don't want to charge anyway.
**'''Power Weapon''': If the priest is hanging around with a fighty squad - Celestians, Battle Conclaves - a little more armor-chopping power is nice to have. I'd pass on the sword, since priests are only S3, but both the axe and maul are good options. The maul is more interesting than it looks because if you use a War Hymn to gain Smash, it becomes AP2.
**'''Eviscerator''': Add a bit more heavy punch, if you need it. A good bet with Celestians, or maybe with Repentia, but expensive. If you take this, never use Smash.
**'''Combi-Weapon''': Always nice. For the reasons mentioned above, I'd avoid combi-plasma (take it on someone with a 3+ if you really want it, or just take a real plasma gun), but combi-meltas and combi-flamers can both help out in the right circumstances.
**'''Storm Bolter''': No, really. It's cheap, and it's Assault 2 rather than Rapid Fire. A nice option if you're cheaping out or if you're not sure what squad you'll want the priest to run with. Pass on the Shotgun, and definitely pass on the Autogun, but this is handy.

*'''Ecclesiarchy Battle Conclave''' - You can take a battle conclave for each priest (including Jacobus) in your army. Pretty similar to the Inquisition's henchmen, these are cheap(ish) choices to fill in your army's close combat hole. Sisters do not have any assault vehicles, so it takes a lot more work to use these effectively - and remember you have no grenades, so watch the fuck out.
**'''Arco-Flagellant''' - The base option. They have Feel No Pain, highest strength (5) and most attacks (5 on charge) of the three, but have no armor save and no AP. Cheap pack of attacks at I3, but ludicrously squishy.
**'''Crusader''' - The meatier option, but lacking offensively. They aren't as killy as assassins, but you can use them to soak up attacks with their 3++ saves and they have power weapons (only swords in the new codex) if you get to strike back. Worth taking a couple to soak up wounds; just remember to keep them up front.
**'''Death Cult Assassin'''- The strongest option generally speaking. Dual power <i>swords</i>, but 4 attacks on the charge at WS5, STR4, and I6 should allow you to kill most things just on quickness and massed wounds alone.  Remember that 5++ is ''not'' an acceptable substitute for actual toughness, but with a re-roll from a Priest, they can stick around longer than opponents would like. They are what Howling Banshees wished they were.
**'''Consider the following:''' Inquisition has these units as well and they have Land Raiders, so you could just take them as allies from that codex... but what they don't have is priests, relics and Jacobus, which buff close combat units greatly. Get some allies with assault vehicles, stick priests and conclaves (7th edition Battle-brothers) in them and enjoy the show. You should take 3-4+ Assassins with at minimum 2 - 3 Crusaders and 1 - 2 Priests. Priests for their Hymns and Crusaders to tank. A particularly mean version of this teams 3 Crusaders, 6 Assassins and 2 Priests (one could be Jacobus, take along the Litanies of Faith if not) with a Librarian, all mounted in a Stormraven (Iron Hands for that sweet IWND on the transport). Endurance or Iron Arm will make anyone cry, and Warp Speed is pretty nice, too. A similar combo with Space Wolves works too.

====Special Characters====
*'''Saint Celestine''' - Previously known for being '''the''' trolling HQ, the living saint was nerfed in the digital codex. Fortunately for Sisters players her latest incarnation (and reincarnation) has been enormously buffed... I mean Kaldor Drago buffed ... in the latest Gathering Storm module - although at the cost of a major hike in points from 135 to 200!  
**So what to you get? Her digital version was hampered by the fact that for all her high WS, BS, attacks and initiative, she was only T3, so given the amount of plasma, laser cannon, melta and other AP1 stuff around these days, she was going to be insta-killed a lot. But the new codex gives her (...wait for it...) eternal warrior which, with her 2+ save and 5 wounds, returns her to monster status. Her weapon is still S+2 AP3 and a S5 AP4 flamer, so she can consistently rip through hordes (the pre-digital edition she was only wounding on a 4+). The latest update also adds Armourbane, making her dangerous to soft-skinned vehicles too. At I7, she'll strike first against pretty much anything but the big greater Daemons and some of the Dark Eldar HQs. 
**She has some potential as a character killer once again (the Gathering Storm fluff has her kicking Abbadon's ass - with her new stats, entirely possible, if she weren't AP3) and she can still chop up mobs. She still has the ability to come back from the dead (and does so with full Wounds[!]), but she can only do so once per game (and her Martyrdom only comes into effect when she dies for real). And she's likely to given she just needs to pass a Leadership test to revive. She will take a great deal of killing simply to whittle down the 10 wounds she'll get in most games.
**Her Warlord Trait allows all units within 12" of her to use her Ld10 for AoF and War Hymns and she has ability to hit a specific type of unit within 12 inches of her with a special ability (Zealot for HQ, FNP6+ for Troops, Counter Attack and Furious Charge for Elites, Fleet and Crusader for Fast Attack, Relentless for Heavy Support and It Will Not Die for Lord of War (keep in mind that unlike all the other abilities which only last for a turn, IWND affects your Lord of War for the entire game, but since the ability specifically state non-vehicle, no trying to give an Imperial Knight IWND)). These abilities make her a bit schizophrenic in a footslogging list. She should be at the vanguard of your assault, but if you are marching, she's going to outrun her bubble. All of this being said, she is a great unit. Outside of her strength and toughness of 3 (buffed by EW), she has a fantastic statline, wargear, and special abilities. She still hits at strength 5 ap3 with 5 attacks base (with Master crafted) and weapon skill 7, so she is likely to take out nearly half a tactical squad by herself in one round of CC. Just be careful to kill enemy plasma guns early. Oh yeah, she also gets a one-shot S8 AP3 Orbital Bombardment.
**She also gets a couple of personal Seraphim Superiors, called "Geminae Superia" with Power Swords. If they cop it, she can re-animate one once per turn... so that unlimited "watch out sir!" rolls too.
**'''Consider the following:''' A common enough tactic was running her around solo back with her nigh invincible 5E version. This is once more an option. However, with a somewhat-shiny Power Sword she'll generally struggle against most units with a ton of wounds. She has her own (semi-immortal) Seraphim BFFs, but it's still an option to give her a bigger bunch of ordinary Seraphims. She also could be useful marching in a blob of 20 girls, doing some wound tanking and making the most of her WT. Another thought would be Vanguard Veterans, Sanguinary Guard, Death Company(this works very, very well), Assault Marines or Sky Claws from your near-mandatory allies. '''But if she dies before her allies do, no Act of Faith for you.''' The new GW FAQ implies otherwise, since the AoF goes off AFTER she dies and most things don't apply to dead characters she should be fine. No Laud Hailer reroll though...

*'''Uriah Jacobus, Protector of the Faith''' - [[Ollanius Pius|Badass]] old guy who loves to smite heretics with his '''Twin-barreled shotgun.''' For 100 points you get a buffed up priest with a decent assault shotgun (basically an AP4 Storm Bolter). His banner gives Counter-attack and Fearless within 12" and, more importantly, he gives the unit he's attached to an additional AoF. Let's not forget he is still a priest, so Zealot, War Hymns (on LD 9!) and for being a HQ, Martyrdom special rule. Not to pile on, '''BUT''' his Warlord Trait also makes his squad have a 5++ instead of 6++ and under 7th edition, there's no rule stating that your highest LD character has to be your Warlord. The question is not whether or not you take this guy, it's to what squad do you attach him (9/10 woman Repentia? 20 woman Sisters blob? A bunch of assassins?). If you're taking allies, consider buying him and his squad an assault vehicle (Land Raider for example). Either way, he will not disappoint.

*'''Canoness Veridyan''' While a kickass model, Veridyan isn't much different from a standard Canoness stat wise. She carries no unique weapons outside of a bolt pistol and power sword. To top it all off, her act of faith is the same as a regular Canoness. What she does have that is unique is her special ability Clinical Precision. Basically she gives precision shot and strike to ALL sister models. For a cheap 85 pts, she's not that bad of an HQ choice. Park her with some blob sisters and exorcists, and get that sweet precision shot bonus. That being said, avoid putting her in melee, as she has a 6 up invulnerable save at best. Your best bet is to place her in the Command squad with a Hospitaller. Oh, a rather interesting note on Veridyan. According to her rules, she can be used in any formation or detachment that can use a Canoness.

===Elite===
Not the best selection for your army, but they're usable... kinda.

*'''Celestians''' - Good news - Celestians are now only 14 points each (only 2 more than a Battle Sister, for +1 point of WS, +1 Attack and +1 LD) and get Furious Charge as their AoF. If you want to take them, you have to commit to them, and I mean fully. Want a squad of 5? Fuck you, just go get some more basic Sisters. 9 Celestians, Flamer, Heavy flamer, Combi-Flamer and Power Sword/Axe for your Sister Superior and a Priest (with a Combi-Flamer and Power Axe of his own). This is probably not going to be cheap, but it'll make your Celestians a fairly nasty close combat unit, which could easily be used for a downfield push or contesting an objective late game. If you do this, consider putting your Canoness or St. Celestine in that unit too, and if you have a Command Squad with the Sacred Banner of the Orders Militant, keep it nearby too. A bit of a death star, but an opponent that doesn't know how Sisters work will very likely be caught off guard. They're still not a must have, but if you're playing aggressively they will probably suit your playstyle.

*'''Sisters Repentia''' - They are a fragile unit (6++) that pumps out a frightening number of eviscerator swings in close combat. Thanks to Rage they get +2 attacks on the charge instead of +1 and they can take a dedicated transport. Still no assault vehicles on Sisters though. Moreover, if your opponent doesn't shoot them to death after blowing up their limo, he can assault the two you have left, thus negating your awesome charge bonus. If you're not running a Mech list, do what you did before and keep these ladies behind a moving screen of blob cover (suicide IG blob, anyone?) and give a squad Jacobus. Note their FNP is now an AoF (although an incredible 3+); it doesn't come standard. A full squad only costs 155pts. Season to taste with Preachers. You may lose Fleet, but you get Zealot and War Hymns (reroll wounds, reroll saves (for what that 6++ is worth, do note that a re-roll boosts the Save chance from 16.7% to 30.6%, which is close to the 33% chance from a 5++, and if you have Uriah Jacobus or a lucky Canoness with the right Warlord Trait, that rerollable 5++ is better than a 4++)). It might not be a bad idea to invest in Litanies of Faith, either. These bondage babes are a glass cannon and you can't really afford them forgetting their safety word. Depending on whether you gave them the Litanies of Faith or Uriah Jacobus, it might be worthwhile to toss the Mistress of Repentance at the front of the unit, as she might absorb a couple of bolter shots up front that would otherwise cost you a Repentia. Remember that each and every Repentia you keep alive to hit home with a charge will be well worth it.
**'''Consider the following:''' Allies! Assault vehicles! 7th edition Battle-brothers! Get them ladies in a Stormraven or a Landraider. For example, stuffing a Grey Knight Stormraven with Jacobus, a priest and a unit of 10 Repentias gives you:
*** Powerful assault vehicle with [[Rage|psycannons]]
*** 43 Eviscerator attacks on charge ''(Eviscerator on priest)'', extra D6 on penetration ''(Armourbane)'', reroll on the first round hits ''(Zealot)'' and rerolls on wounds ''(War Hymns)''
*** Rerollable ''(War Hymns)'' 5++ ''(Jacobus WT)'' Shield of Faith and 4++ for the preachers in melee
*** 3+ FNP for two assault phases ''(Act of Faith, Protector of Faith)''
*** Counter-attack, Preacher smash, Fearless aura for other nearby Sisters, Litanies for guaranteed hymns / AoFs... and with vehicles getting stronger, you could stick even more into a Landraider. So much hurt.
*** Alternatively, you could drop the second Priest to pick up a Librarian or a Rune Priest (if you're using a Stormwolf or a vanilla or Blood Angels 'Raven, that is - GK libby is in termie armor), and use Sanctic Daemonology, Biomancy or Divination to pour on even more pain. Hammerhand? Sanctuary? Forewarning? Yikes. Or he could use Iron Arm and Force on himself and waste enemy characters with S9 AP2 ID attacks. Double yikes.
*** Problem: While the option is generally still viable, using allied transports now requires quite a bit of setup, since you can't ''deploy'' units from one faction inside another one's transports anymore. So your Repentias will have to spend a turn embarking on an empty Stormraven that is already on the table and hovering near them.
**To minimize that bother, consider ponying up the points for a skyshield landing pad. If the buy in seems a bit excessive, remember you now have a reliable 4++ invuln save for whatever units you have that want to stay put

===Dedicated Transports===
Getting your meltas/flamers into position is priority, so running anything less than full mech infantry is a dangerous gambit, unless of course you run blob squads with Preachers, thereby making them Fearless. On vehicles we get smoke and Shield of Faith standard, so extra armor can be safely ignored. Dozer blades are always welcome point sinks, though by no means mandatory.

*'''Rhino''' - It's a Rhino. You've seen it elsewhere and you know what it does. They've gotten 5 points more expensive, but come with a 6++ Faith save.

*'''Immolator''' - Battle Sisters squads have a basic unit size of 5 models, which means a basic squad can fit inside them. PRAISE THE EMPRAH! Basically this means immo-spam is back; twin-linked multi-meltas add reliable tank-busting, leaving your Sisters to tool up with flamers for the wall of death. Mercifully, they now get a 5-point price drop, searchlights and free multi-meltas now. And the Laud Hailer is a welcome addition, since you'll usually stick Dominions in here. You WANT that AoF to work. The new FAQ also gave it a single fire point: that's not much, but it's better than a sharp stick in the eye, and you never know when that one shot will make the difference. Don't forget it if your Immolator gets charged when there's still a unit inside it.

* '''Repressor (Forge World)''' - Under the latest Imperial Armor, it's a 75 point Rhino with AV 13 front, a free Dozer Blade, a Heavy Flamer and enough room for 8 models to shoot out of. (War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes page 239, "Two models may fire out of the top hatch. '''In addition there are three firing points on either side of the troop compartment, each of which may be fired out of by a single passenger.'''") This is a pretty solid model for units that can fire at full capacity out of it (8 girl Retributor squads, maybe a Dominion squad), if you're willing to put in the points, much less the Pounds. Now has Shield of Faith too. Note that most tournaments won't let you use this, though attitudes toward Forge World do seem to be liberalizing somewhat.(Note: This has not been available for sale since August 2015. They need to redo the mould and who knows when this will be done.)

===Troop===
Troops are troops, you know what they do. You only have 1 option, Battle Sisters, but you have a lot of different variations on that with which to work.

*'''Battle Sisters''' - Basic Bolter Babes. Their AoF gives Preferred Enemy on assault or shooting. Come stock with Bolters, Bolt Pistols and Grenades. They therefore CAN be used as Assault troops, but that's a risky tactic at the best of times, so only use it against really weak CC opponents, or if you sprung for a Priest (which you probably should have). Also one of the few troops choices in the game that can take a Heavy Flamer. They can also take a Heavy Weapon and a Special Weapon (or two Specials) at 5 models, which is a big advantage. With a basic squad size of 5 and a multitude of options, there are a lot of viable builds for how to use them. Here are a few basic setups. Most of these can benefit from a Simulacrum Imperialis and a Priest. If your opponents tend to be very heavy on monstrous creatures and vehicles as opposed to leg infantry, consider trading the usual flamer/heavy flamer duo for a pair of meltaguns.
**'''Dirt Cheap:''' 5 girls with no transport and no upgrades, or at most, a single Heavy Bolter. This option is only useful so that you can spend a huge whack of points elsewhere, for example, if you're taking two Combined Arms Detachments to get a ton of Dominions or the like. Still, five of them castled up behind an Aegis or in a ruin can camp on a backfield objective while providing harassing fire with their Heavy Bolter.
** '''Small:''' 6 girls or one priest and his battle harem in an Immolator with either a Heavy Flamer for improved Infantry burning or a Multi-Melta for emergency tank hunting. This squad will benefit the most from either a pair of Flamers or a Flamer and Heavy Flamer, as their job is to drive the enemy off an objective.
** '''Medium:''' 10 girls in a Rhino. This is best used with a Flamer and Heavy Flamer, as these can be fired out the top hatch without penalty. This squad is quite good at grabbing early game objectives and holding them against opposition. Consider a storm bolter on the Superior for a little extra dakka while you close the gap.
** '''Large:''' 20 girls on foot. What special/heavy weapons you give this squad is dependent on what you want to do with them. Some squads will be good at forcing less numerous enemies off objectives, in which case they should take Flamers and Heavy Flamers, whereas others will be good at hanging back behind an Aegis to hold an objective, in which case you might make good use of Storm Bolters and Heavy Bolters to maximize your fire output. Either way, this squad really benefits from a Priest. A 20 girl squad with a Priest is going to be nigh impossible to shift.

===Fast Attack===
Fast Attack units are the scalpel of a Sisters force. Each of the units is designed to do precisely one thing and do it well. Since they do opposite things, you're going to want one of each (at least) at all but the smallest points levels.

*'''Dominions''' - Super-aggressive Sisters! They have access to Special Weapons (i.e meltas), they have Scout, and their AoF gives them Ignore Cover. So let me get this straight: STR 8 AP1 Armourbane Scouts that Ignore Cover? Seriously?! If you're not giving them 4 meltaguns, punch yourself in the face right now. Eldar Serpent spam? Mmmm... delicious space elf tears. Tau suits sitting in a forest? Bend over, you're getting a lesson in MY Greater Good. Leman Russ line castled up behind an Aegis? You get my point. Give them an Immolator with Multimelta, run 18" up, and melt their favorite toy. Then hop out of your ride and melt another one. You could have a squad of ten in a Rhino or Repressor, but 10 Dominions, 4 meltas, and a Rhino costs 210 points in total; for roughly the same cost you could get 6 Dominions in an Immolator, with 4 meltas, a Veteran Superior with a combi-melta and a Simulacrum Imperialis, plus either a Storm Bolter or Dozer Blades for the Immolator. These death stars are going to be priority target number one for any opponent whose head isn't firmly lodged up his own rear end. You're going to need some soaks. Don't forget that since they can Scout they can also Outflank; if you're deploying first, take advantage of this - an opponent who knows about Dominions can easily counter-deploy his tanks somewhere safe. Outflanking plays hell with that strategy. Any other use of them is essentially a waste, as they're your only source of melta weapons that can reliably get close enough to make proper use of them. It goes without saying that taking Flamers is a legendarily bad idea. Taking a whole pile of Storm Bolters isn't ''quite'' as thunderdumb, but again, it's an expensive way to get them and the cost is loss of a weapon that ends up ignoring both cover and armor. Don't be a bonehead. 

*'''Seraphim''' - Fuck what [[Dawn of War]] thinks, these girls are the rapists instead of the other way around. Jump Pack Sisters, they have Hit & Run, their AoF gives them Shred, and Angelic Visage means they reroll invulnerable saves granted from Shield of Faith. Hand flamers are now half price. Inferno Pistols are the other special weapon option, but at 30 points, half the range of real meltas, and having to get really close to use them effectively (3 inches for melta bonus, max 6 inches) makes them situational at best. That said, even without Armourbane, STR 8 AP1 is nothing to sneeze at. They can also Deep Strike. Hand flamers combined with AoF will be the bane of all horde armies out there as you are able to hop into position from reserves and cover them in templates with rerollable wounds. Just remember, they're still T3, so if you're not taking advantage of LOS cover these girls are as good as dead. They still do some good damage to MEQs through volume of wounds alone. Moreover, between their dual pistols giving them an extra attack and Hammer of Wrath they can be decent at finishing off a unit they just shot at in combat (unless it's a dedicated close combat unit, in which case you should bolt).
**'''Consider the following:''' Hit and Run. Sure, their Initiative kinda sucks, but you're running them with St. Celestine, right? Hers most certainly does not. Most opponents will be hard-pressed to wipe more than a few Seraphim in one assault phase (Angelic Visage and Shield of Faith mean that even power weapons aren't sure-fire), so burn them, jump in, pound them, then rabbit away. Almost nothing can stand up to very much of that, and with Celestine's initiative, you almost certainly won't get swept. Just make sure to take a power weapon on your Superior to take maximum advantage of this.

*'''Aquilla Lander (Forge World)''' - An 110 point transport, which you probably shouldn't bother with. Rhino class armor for a flyer isn't bad at 110 points, but we have an abundance of cheap, reliable transports, and all it has to return fire is a nose mounted Heavy Bolter, which can be replaced with a Multi-Laser for 10 points, or an Autocannon for 15. We have enough kickass transports, what we need is gunships.

*'''Arvus Lighter (Forge World)''' - What the fuck? Who would take this? 75 points for an ugly flying brick, with armor 10 and (get this) NO WEAPONS. Yeah it has 12 transport capacity and can slap a variety of weapons on for semi-reasonable costs (20 for a Twin-Linked Multi-Laser or two Hellstrike Missiles, 25 for a Twin-Linked Autocannon or 2 Twin-Linked Heavy Stubbers) but it has a special rule that means that it always fires Snap Shots. If you desperately need a Forge World flyer, just get an Avenger Strike Fighter, our existing Fast Attack choices are better than these.

===Heavy Support===
If Fast Attack is the scalpel of a Sisters force, then Heavy Support is the sledgehammer. Don't expect subtlety or specialization here, all of these units are designed to just bludgeon the enemy into submission. On the plus side, they're quite versatile and both Retributors and Exorcists can probably find use against any enemy, regardless of their setup.

*'''Retributors''' - Heavy weapons Sisters, they're unfortunately not an Exorcist. Their AoF gives Rending, so they're able to cope with medium vehicles to a degree. Still a 5 Girl squad with Heavy Bolters, a Rhino and a Simulacrum Imperialis can be quite useful under the right circumstances (extra round of rending). The rest of the time they are stuck on chewing up light infantry duty. They are also your only real hope of dealing with Flyers without getting an Aegis, Allies or Forge World (12 Shots can probably cause the odd bit of damage here or there). You can also take 4 multi-meltas and giggle about how they rend, but that's not an exceptionally efficient choice.
** '''Consider the following:''' While still not an Exorcist, a large squad (7-10, possibly with a Priest) in a Rhino with Heavy Flamers can be a truly scary squad in certain playstyles, especially extremely aggressive ones. You could get a lot of mileage out of 4 Rending Heavy Flamers (two can fire out of a Rhino). Against small squads you could often wind up with more hits than there is in the squad and against large ones you can often just flat out ignore their armor saves with the flamers. They'll take careful use, but they can be devastating if used right, especially if they can contest an objective.  Also, if you're looking for a good transport to make full use of those rending Heavy Flamers, try a Taurox, or better yet, a Taurox Prime.  2 fire points on each side, plus a relatively small model size means you can unleash all four flamer templates with relative impunity. Or you could grab a Repressor (if you have the money) and get an extra Heavy Flamer shot (it's unclear if a transport gets the benefits of an Act of Faith).
** '''Consider the following''' Give a 9-sized Retributor squad four heavy bolters and leave the rest with bolters, a Simulacrum Imperialis, and Uriah Jacobus in a Rhino. Dump them as soon as you can near the mid-field in some cover or a ruin. You've effectively established a fire base that covers half the map with enough rending shots to rival Pask in a Punisher tank, that only gets stronger if your opponents dare to close in, especially if this squad is in a higher elevation. Uriah's fearless and invuln buff ensures their staying power, and if he's your warlord, this squad will draw enough fire to allow other units to do their jobs without much hindrance. For added trolling, use the wide end of the leftover Rhino as a mobile roadblock, stopping incoming melee squads, blocking roads and pathways, and generally making it harder for your opponents to close in on your fire base.

*'''Exorcist''' - Hoo boy - a 10 point price drop makes these the best choice for HS. With the advent of Hull Points, Exorcists have become one of the most important units in your army. A single round from one of these will negate Rhino and Chimera class vehicles' armor and they can even shave Hull Points off AV13 and 14(!), especially when taken in pairs and castled up. Aside from vehicle rape, they can find a use against almost every type of army. They knock MEQs and TEQs on their ass (especially if they're counting on FNP to save them), are magnificent at knocking giant T6 monsters down to size, and a single round from them has been known to reduce Nobs/Battlesuits/Tyranid Warriors to tears. Remember to bring your lucky die though, as the gun shoot d6 shots, which is a little random at times. Don't forget that your Exorcist Launcher is turret mounted, meaning it has 360 degree arc of sight, which can be useful if you're trying to avoid exposing your rear/side armor. Taking 3 is ''almost'' mandatory if you want any chance of winning in a competitive game.

*'''Penitent Engines''' - Apart from having quite an interesting looking model, this walker suffers from being stuck in Heavy Support. If it was in Elites they might be an awesome choice (six of these and a squad of Repentia? Good times). The walker has 3 attacks and with 2 CCW and Rage it pumps out 6 on the charge. 4 attacks base is nothing to sneeze at, although the loss of Battle Frenzy (used to get more attacks from unsaved wounds) is a hit to both its damage output and fluff. It's worth remembering that these attacks come in at S10 AP2 - I3, granted, but that's still faster than a power fist. It has two heavy flamers on top of all this (in case some brainiac decides to charge ''you'' first!), but with its slow speed, Rhino-class armor and open top walker status the chances of things going [[Just As Planned]] are virtually non-existent. It's also competing for vital Heavy Support slots. Even with a 5 point decrease in price its not your best option. Target saturation can help get these guys where they need to be. If your opponent focuses on them, everything else gets to do its job. Since no opponent will focus on them (unless he's a moron), you have a decent chance of getting at least one into CC to cause havoc. This is especially the case if you ally in guard. A Leman Russ squadron (or flack tanks) combined with 2 Exorcists will give your opponent enough other things to worry about to potentially justify running some penitents.  Still want to try these? Take nine in a low point game and watch your opponent shit a brick.

*'''[[Repressor|Repressor (Forge World)]]''' - The closest thing the Sisters have to a frontline tank; the Repressor is built for one thing and one thing only: [[Imperial Guard|blitzkrieg]]. For 15 more points than an Immolator, you get a tank with better front armor, better troop capacity, and more fire points (two on the top, and three on each side, allowing you to [[Chimera Transport|broadside]] enemy units). Fill it with Battle Sisters and storm objectives, or Dominions and smoke vehicles and/or [[TEQ|TEQs]] with relative impunity. Unfortunately, unlike the Immolator, it cannot replace its heavy flamer or storm bolter, so it's only situationally useful without infantry to tranport. The Repressor isn't sold by Forge World anymore, but the rules are still active, meaning you can legally field these if you have them. 

*'''[[Avenger Strike Fighter|Avenger Strike Fighter (Forge World)]]''' - What's that? [[Forge World]] made a flyer for the Sisters? Now the Horse(wo)men are riding. 150 points of pain, this thing comes with an hull-mounted Avenger Bolt Cannon (36" S6 AP3 Heavy 7), 2 wing-mounted lascannons and a Defensive heavy stubber (36" S4 AP6 Heavy 3, Skyfire) watching its own back. This guy is pure awesomesauce. Field two against an [[Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Imperial Guard/Elysian Drop Troops|Elysian Drop Troops]] player and watch him cry. It can take six different types of missiles, bombs and guns to deal with any enemy, and the Armoured Cockpit rules lets you shrug off Crew Shaken/Stunned with a 4+. Too bad it comes with a 12-10-10 armor and 2 measly HP.
**'''Weapon Choices:''' The Avenger gets multiple choices for its hardpoint-mounted weapons, and both hardpoints must take the same weapon. Pick the right ones to win big.
***'''Tactical Bombs:''' Six individual one-shot bombs, S6 AP4, Barrage, Blast. Since they're individual, you can drop up to four in one turn as part of a bombing run. Not usually useful except against large hordes, and tied as the most expensive option. Pass, unless you're expecting the Green Tide.
***'''Hellfury Missiles:''' Two one-shot missiles that deliver a bolter-equivalent, cover-ignoring large blast. You know how useful the Tau AFP isn't? Well, this is two shots, albeit with table-wide range. Sisters get flamers. Many, many flamers. Those are better for rooting hordes out of cover. Use them, skip these.
***'''Hellstrike Missiles:''' Two Ordnance hunter-killer missiles with 72" range.  They also cost half what the Missile Launcher does. Huh. These might almost be good on a dedicated tank hunting platform if they didn't make all your other guns snap-shoot. But they do, so they aren't. Pass. Oh, and they're AP3, so no one-hit-kills for you, unless you're facing open-topped stuff (or get turbo-lucky against a flyer). Pass twice. Three times on Sunday.
***'''Two Missile Launchers:''' Same ones Devastator Marines get. Powerful, versatile, long range, great for greasing those annoying T4 multi-wound guys. Alas, it's really expensive in exchange for being only a little better than the other options. Good, but think about whether the autocannon or multi-laser wouldn't do the job better. Unless, that is, you're expecting to see Tyranid medium bugs or Tau battlesuits (other than Riptides): in that case, take it and strafe with krak missiles and lascannons. Collect tears, win.
***'''Two Autocannons:''' It's an autocannon. You know what it does. Great for popping light vehicles with reasonable capability against medium ones. Being mounted on a flyer, it's good AA too. Sisters don't otherwise get autocannons and it's handy for both of the Avenger's main purposes, so it's an all-around good call. A slightly better AA gun in most cases than the multi-laser, though a bit worse against infantry, and surprisingly almost as good for tank-hunting as krak missiles.
***'''Two Multi-lasers:''' Not half bad for AA, since no flyer has better than AV12, and a respectable transport popper. Also puts out enough fire to be a threat to infantry, though AP6 kinda sucks. Generally the gun to pick if you don't have a specific reason to favor one of the others.

===Lords of War===
*'''Saint Celestine, the Living Saint (Imperial Triumvirate):''' Holy hell, this update is awesome. For 200 points versus the 135 point Codex version, she gains Eternal Warrior and 2 of the perfect ablative shields. That's not all. In addition, she has the ''Healing Tears'' rule, where she can immediately revive one slain Geminae per turn, automatically. All of this plus her Codex rules. For an extra 65 points, not too shabby! Keep in mind until GW resolves this via an FAQ or email, keep Celestine's HQ datasheet up as one can opt to use either (but why would you when you see her much better rules set as a Lord of War?) like the [[Space Wolves|Iron Priest.]]
This profile can be used either as a Lord of War, or a HQ for any Army of the Imperium, including Sisters.
**'''Geminae Superior:''' Jump pack infantry Characters with Power Swords and Bolt pistols, and a 3+/4++. They act as bouncers to The Living Saint in that all hits resolved against Celestine are taken on them automatically. Note, they do not hinder Celestine from joining friendly units, just automatically attach and detach with her.

====Super Heavy====

As with all Imperial factions, you may take up to six [[Imperial Knight]]s as a Superheavy detachment. Alternatively, if you're playing Escalation you have a choice of a Marauder Bomber, Marauder Destroyer, Warhound Scout Titan, or Reaver Battle Titan as a Lord of War. However, note that this is only provided for by the Forge World update, so your group may not agree to let you use them.

*'''Knight Paladin''': It's a big walker with a big two-shot anti-MEQ battle cannon, a couple of heavy stubbers, a big D muhfukin chainsword, and a 4+ invuln save on one facing of your choice (chosen at the start of your opponent's shooting phase, you may chance the shield's position each turn). There's really not a lot you can do wrong with this guy, just plop him down and start ripping things up. It's longer range will probably help Sisters out more.

*'''Knight Errant''': Mostly the same as the Paladin, but trades the two-shot battle cannon for a single melta cannon: S9 AP1 large blast Melta. Great for cracking heavy armor and TeQs, but fewer pie plates per turn means it has a ''slightly'' harder time with horde armies. Honestly, you're probably better off with the Paladin. Sisters are pretty fixed for mid-ranged and melta weapons, what they don't have is long range stuff. You also give up a peashooter, which probably doesn't matter. If you take him, consider adding the carapace-mounted meltagun for more AP1 fun.

*'''Knight Warden''': Another variation on a theme, but this one has a massive Avenger Gatling Cannon - S6 AP3 Heavy 12 Rending. Ouch. Shreds hordes, heavy infantry, MCs, well, pretty much anything. It even includes an underslung heavy flamer, just in case that horde didn't get the hint (or, you need more heavy flamers, you pyromaniac). Another good choice, and its high rate of fire makes for decent emergency AA.

*'''Knight Gallant''': The melee-only knight, combines the Reaper Chainsword with another D-weapon. The other is unwieldy in a way that even superheavies care about, but it does let you chuck destroyed vehicles and MCs at another unit. Beating a bunch of Lychguard over the head with a Ghost Ark sounds funny, but isn't exceptionally practical. Skip, probably.

*'''Knight Crusader''': Aah, the big kahuna. Combines the Warden's gatling gun with either the Paladin or Errant's pie-plate launcher, you pick. The battle cannon is better artillery support and gives you another peashooter, in case you need it, but the thermal cannon has range synergy with the gatling gun and turns heavy infantry to ash. You still get the chest-mounted gun, and, because the new codex is awesome, you can take a pod of either of two kinds of missiles (krak or heavy flamer-equivalent upgraded frag that ignore cover) or a skyfiring autocannon too. All the other knights can also take the carapace-mounted missiles or autocannons, and should - the autocannon is a really good call for Sisters, since you critically lack Skyfire. If you take only one Knight, I'd recommend this guy. Yeah, he lacks the Big D, but there's not much that laughs at S10 AP2 and Stomp, which is what the Knight Crusader has in melee. He brings unreasonable amounts of dakka and can turn most scary units into goo in one turn. If you get lucky, he can grease two or three.

*'''Marauder Bomber (Forge World):''' 400 points, comes with 2 Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters, a Twin-Linked Lascannon and the big draw; The bomb. Either 4 S6, AP4 Apocalyptic Barrage 8 or 2 S7, AP3 Ignores Cover Hellstorm. You'll probably want the latter, since it can (and will) wipe out any single wound models that aren't Terminators under it. Unfortunately the sheer size of the blast means you need to get it all the way over the enemy and with 11/11/10 armor, it'll be mighty easy to shoot down before it gets there. Still, easier the cheapest of our Lords of War, so might still be worth a look.

*'''Marauder Destroyer (Forge World):''' 425 points. 9 Hull Points, 3 TL-Autocannons, a TL-Heavy Bolter, a TL-Assault Cannon (rear mounted) and 3 Heavy Bombs (the S6, AP4 Apocalyptic Barrage 8 things from above), plus options for 8 Helstrike Missiles for 80 points. If it weren't for its shitty armor and BS (11/11/10 and 3, respectively) it'd be the most ridiculously broken thing in the world. As is, for the cost (both in pounds and in points) it's easily the most brutal of our (sadly limited) Lord of War choices.

*'''Warhound Scout Titan (Forge World):''' Clocking in at 720, this one is pretty badass overall. With 2 Primary Weapons (Vulcan Mega-Bolter, Double Barreled Turbo-Destructor, Plasma Blastgun or Inferno Gun) 2 layers of Void Shields, the Agile Special rule, AV 14/13/12 and 9 Hull Points, this thing can dish out an inhuman amount of pain and take a lot back. You're best off with the Turbo-Destructor, and whichever else you want, although the Inferno Gun is a little on the useless side for Sisters; Better off with a Plasma Blastgun. Beware though; Unless you take the Vulcan Mega-Bolter, it's powerless against flyers, and with WS2 and I1, plus only one attack, anything S10 can probably fuck it up in close combat (10 Deathwing Knights activating their Smite Mode will knock it down in one hit). Use it well, it'll probably easily wreck equal to its points.

*'''Reaver Battle Titan (Forge World):''' 1450 points of pure pain. You have 1 carapace weapon (Apocalypse Missile Launcher, Double-Barreled Turbo Laser Destructor, Inferno Gun, Plasma Blastgun, Vortex Missile or Vulcan Mega-Bolter) plus 2 Arm Weapons (Gatling Blaster, Laser Blaster, Melta Cannon, Titan Powerfist and Volcano Cannon). Oh and it has 14/14/13, 4 Void Shields and 18 fucking hull points. Don't bother with the Titan Powerfist, yeah it makes you D Strength in Close Combat, but you've still got only 1 attack at WS2. The rest are all good, except for maybe the Inferno Cannon. Oh and get it far away from your army: When it goes up, the ENTIRE BLAST is resolved at D Strength. Aside from costing over 600 dollars, the only reason not to take this is it's sheer cost: 1450 points is the cost of a normal army, so if it dies you're out most of your army. Oh and you'll lose all your friends.