SACRED RITES

COMPULSORY1 Troops

OPTIONAL2 HQ

4 more Troops 1 HeavySupport 3 Elites

3 Fast Attack

TROOPSTROOPS FAST

ATTACK

HEAVYSUPPORT

ELITESHQ

COMPULSORY1 HQ

1 Elites

OPTIONAL3 more Elites

6 Troops1 Fast Attack

2 HeavySupport

DEFENDER

FASTATTACK HEAVY

SUPPORT

HQ ELITES

TROOPS TROOPS

The mission on the opposite page has been sent to me by Laurence Sinclair, a puritanical Sisters ofBattle player who also helpfully included a number of threats to try to bring forward the Sisters ofBattle Codex. Acta non verba, Laurence. One of Laurences concerns about not having a Codex forthe Sisters was that they no longer got the benefits of offering their prayers to the Emperor at thestart of the battle. Gav has already been doing some preliminary work for the Sisters, including a newSacred Rites table, which Ive filched from his desk to give you a look.

Sacred Rites TableD6 Effect

1 No effect.

2 The unit never counts as outnumbered in an assault.

3 The unit cannot be pinned.

4 The unit ignores any negative modifiers on Morale checks andPinning tests.

5 The unit may re-roll any failed Morale check.

6 The unit may always attempt to regroup, with no restrictions.

7 The unit never falls back and is automatically assumed to pass any Morale check it is required to make.

8 In close combat, the unit alwayshits on a 3+, regardless of relative Weapon Skills.

9 All models in the unit add +1 to their Attacks for the duration of the battle.

Before the fighting begins, the Sisters of Battle kneelin prayer, offering their thanks to the Emperor andasking for His protection and guidance. The BattleSisters are invigorated and emboldened by their prayers, instilled with grim courage anddetermination to overcome their foes.Any Sisters of Battle infantry units (ie. not vehicles)may take part in these Sacred Rites at the start of abattle. For each unit, roll a dice on the Sacred Ritestable to see what effect their prayers have. Higherranking members of the Adepta Sororitas inspiregreater acts of selfless sacrifice and dedication, andso may add a bonus to the dice roll, as listed below(only apply the highest modifier):

Character Sacred Rites bonusCanoness +3Celestian Superior +2Veteran Sister Superior +1

Note: For a Canoness or Celestian Superior to leada squad in the Sacred Rites, the character must beset up with the squad at the start of the battle.If the character leading the squad in the Sacred Ritessubsequently leaves the unit, any benefit from theSacred Rites is lost for the rest of the battle the unitwill think they are being abandoned by the Emperor!Note that this does not happen if the character iskilled whilst with the unit they become martyrs! Theunit also loses its Sacred Rites if another charactertakes over leadership of the unit.The results of the Sacred Rites apply to all membersof the squad and any characters who start the battlewith them, including the character leading the SacredRites.

ATTACKER

The Assassins mission has unique Force Organisation charts to represent the facts that thedefender would naturally have his best soldiers guarding his commander and that the attacker ismounting a lightning raid.

By Gav Thorpe

74

SINGLE HAND WEAPONSBlade of Admonition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 ptsBolt pistol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ptBrazier of Holy Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 ptsClose combat weapon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ptFlail of Chastisement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 ptsPlasma pistol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 ptsPower fist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 ptsPower weapon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ptsPraesidium Protectiva (i) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts(independent characters only ii)

TWO HANDED WEAPONSAxe of Retribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ptsBolter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ptsCombi-weapons:

bolter-flamer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts*bolter-grenade launcher . . . . . . . 10 pts*bolter-plasma gun . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts*bolter-meltagun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts*

SISTERS OF BATTLEVEHICLE UPGRADES

Any Sisters of Battle vehicles may be fitted with theadditional equipment listed here. Any upgrades mustbe shown on the vehicle model. No duplicates may betaken for the same vehicle. Rules for upgrades markedwith a * can be found in Codex Space Marines.

Dozer blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 pts*Extra armour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 pts*Holy Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 ptsHunter-killer missile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts*Pintle-mounted storm bolter. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts*Searchlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 pt*Smoke launchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 pts*

SISTERS OF BATTLE ARMOURYCharacters may have up to two single-handed weapons, or one single-handed weapon and one two-handedweapon. In addition you may pick 100 points worth of items of Wargear. You may not take duplicate items for thesame model. The rules for items marked with a * can be found in Codex Space Marines.

WARGEARBionics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts*Book of Saint Lucius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ptsCloak of Saint Aspira . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 pts(independent characters only ii) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frag grenades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ptRosarius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 pts*(independent characters only ii)Jump pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts(independent characters only ii)Krak grenades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ptsLitanies of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 ptsMaster-crafted weapon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts*Melta bombs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ptsPurity seals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 pts*Sacred Banner of the Order Militant (iii) . . . . 60 pts(Banner Bearer only)Sacred Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 pts(Banner Bearer only)Simulacrum Imperialis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts(Banner Bearer or independent characters only ii)

Notesi - Although not a weapon as such, a Praesidium Protectivamust be carried in one hand.ii - Note that Veteran Sister Superiors and Banner Bearersare not independent characters.iii - Only armies of 2,000 points or more may take a SacredBanner of the Order.

SISTERS OF BATTLETo further offset the abominable machinations of Chaos, here is a further sneak preview for the Sisters ofBattle, penned by the just and pure (ish) Gav Thorpe. You may recall we previously published the SistersSacred Rites. This time were going to take a trip to their armoury and take a peek at the specialist gear theyhave for bashing aliens, traitors and heretics.

80

Axe of RetributionAn Axe of Retribution is modelled upon theAxe of Chalcydon that was carried by SaintJason when he crushed the Eldar on Huale.It has a massive double-bladed head that isstudded with jewels which rend at the fleshof those it strikes. An Axe of Retributionmust be wielded in both hands, and so maynot be combined with an additional closecombat weapon for +1 Attack. An Axe ofRetribution doubles the users Strengthwhen rolling to wound in an assault.

Blade of AdmonitionThe Blade of Admonition is made from thefinest metals and is polished to a mirrorfinish. Those who look into its blade are saidto see their true selves. The Blade ofAdmonition is treated as a power weapon.In addition, any models in base contact orwithin 2" of the bearer at the end of theassault phase are not counted when seeingif one side outnumbers the other.

Book of Saint LuciusThis great tome contains the many writingsand sermons of St. Lucius of Agatha, azealous and renowned Confessor. Certainpassages can be read aloud from the book,inspiring those nearby to great acts ofheroism. Any unit with a model within 12" ofthe bearer of the Book of St. Lucius mayuse the bearers Leadership value for anyMorale checks or Pinning tests they arerequired to take.

Brazier of Holy FireThis holy artefact is said to light the faces ofthe faithful and leave the impure shroudedin darkness. In battle the Brazier can bewielded like a weapon in close combat andcontains enough fuel to spray a jet of flamesat the enemy. The Brazier of Holy Firecounts as a close combat weapon. Inaddition, it may be used once per battle likea heavy flamer. All of the normal rules for aheavy flamer apply.

Cloak of Saint AspiraCanoness St. Aspira of the Order of theBloody Rose led her Battle Sisters in a Warof Faith that liberated nearly a hundredworlds from the grip of the blasphemoustyrant Denescura. She wore a magnificentcloak of velvet and fur, that was blessed in

the Ecclesiarchal palaces on Terra andwarded away the blows of her enemies. Amodel wearing the Cloak of St. Aspira adds+1 to their armour save (giving a Sisters ofBattle character a 2+ save instead of 3+).

Flail of ChastisementA Flail of Chastisement is barbed with manyhooks, which constrict around its victims asthey struggle, ripping skin and tearing flesh.The Flail of Chastisement counts as a closecombat weapon. In addition, if a target is hitby the Flail but not killed, it loses its next D3Attacks (rolled immediately).

Litanies of FaithThe Litanies of Faith contain the entireteachings of the Ecclesiarchy, since itsfounding at the birth of the Imperium. Ittakes a scribe his entire life to copy andilluminate the Litanies of Faith, and thehymnals and chants they contain fills theEmperors servants with burning faith. TheLitanies of Faith allow the character to leada squad in more Sacred Rites, once perbattle. The character and squad may donothing for a whole turn and the unit mustnot be engaged in close combat. You mayroll again on the Sacred Rites table at theend of the turn and apply the resultimmediately. This is in addition to anySacred Rites result generated at the start ofthe battle. If you roll a duplicate result, youmay re-roll the dice. All other rules for theSacred Rites apply.

Praesidium ProtectivaBelieved to contain shards of the armourworn by the Emperor himself, thePraesidium Protectiva can be used todefend against enemies assaulting thebearer. A model equipped with a PraesidiumProtectiva may take a 4+ invulnerable savein close combat, instead of its normalarmour save. The save may only be usedagainst one opponent per turn (thedefender chooses which), and may not becombined with a rosarius save. In addition,if a 6 is rolled for the saving throw, the blowis reflected back on theattacker roll to woundand make armour savesas if the enemy model hadhit itself!

Sacred Banner of the Order MilitantEach of the six Orders Militant has itsSacred Banner, which is only carried by themost faithful and trusted Sisters of Battle.They are ancient artefacts that date back tothe creation of the Order and are a sourceof inspiration to all the Adepta Sororitas. ASisters of Battle unit with a model within 12"of the Sacred Banner of the Order Militantmay roll three dice for any Morale check orPinning test they have to take, and discardthe highest dice.

Simulacrum ImperialisThese icons of the Ecclesiarchy were oftencarried by one of the Imperiums manySaints, or may even be wrought from theirbones. Any Sisters of Battle unit with a lineof sight to the Simulacrum Imperialisautomatically passes the first morale checkor pinning test it is required to take.

Sacred StandardAdd +1 to the Battle Sisters combatresolution score of any assault that takesplace within 6" of the Sacred Standard.However, if the model bearing the standardis slain in close combat, then the enemymodel that slew her captures the standard,and the enemy gets the bonus from thenon. It is possible for a standard to changehands several times in a single battle, aslong as the model holding the standard isslain in close combat each time.

SISTERS OF BATTLE WARGEARThe rules below describe how all of the specialised equipment used by the Sisters of Battle works in the game. Any items not listed herefunction as described in Codex Space Marines or the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook.

VEHICLEUPGRADES

Holy IconThe vehicle mounts a suitably largeand impressive symbol of theEcclesiarchy. Any Sisters of Battleunit within 6" of the vehicle may rollthree D6 for all Leadership testsand use the lowest two rolls as their score.

A Canoness bearing the Simulacrum Imperialis leads her Celestian squad in the defence of the monastery. 81