Editing Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Agents (section)

====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 and punish anyone who has armour that beats their Heavy Bolters (and with the amount of shots you should get, Rending will come into play decently enough, especially if you ally in an Astropath to give them Prescience). A Simulacrum Imperialis is definitely useful here (extra round of rending), and the rest of the time they'll be 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).

*'''Exorcist:''' Hoo boy, far and away the best choice for HS. With the advent of Hull Points, Exorcists have become one of the most important units in your army, as they're armed with one of the best guns in the game. A single round from one of these will negate Rhino and Chimera class vehicles' armor and they can even shave Hull Points off of 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, though 4 attacks base is still nothing to sneeze at, and it's worth remembering that these attacks come in at S10 AP2.  Granted they're only at I3, 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, and with Exorcists being an option there's little use for them. 
:If you really want to use them, then 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 and 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.