Codex Sisters of Battle : Elohim

In my last post in this series I detailed the Frateris Militia, a unit long established in the fluff of the Adepta Sororitas. Today on the other hand I'm working on something a little more original, in the form of a variation on the Seraphim unit.

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Elohim :
Whilst the Seraphim are the skirmishers and raiders of the Adepta Sororitas, their sisters amongst the Elohim are experts in the brutal arts of melee combat. Leaping into battle on wings of fire the Elohim seek out the most valuable enemy targets, ending their lives in a storm of singing blades before taking back to the skies to seek out their next victim.

Those sisters chosen to join the Elohim are those must consumed by holy rage, who yearn to unleash their sacred fury against those that would dare defile the realms of Mankind. Many of these women are considered ill disciplined by their sisters, prone to succumbing to their fury when restraint and patience would better serve their commandery, and are often in danger of joining the Sisters Repentia. Amongst the Elohim these women learn to control their anger, to hone it into a holy instrument of His will.

Uniquely amongst the Sororitas the Elohim always go into battle with their faces hidden, usually behind the visors of their helmets though sometimes they will instead wear heavy cowls or beautifully sculpted death masks. Some of them even go so far as to keep their faces concealed outside of battle, claiming that the isolation of their masks helps them to control their holy fury.

Elohim Squad (Fast Attack) : 80pts

	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD	SV
Elohim	4	4	3	3	1	3	1	8	3+
Elohim Superior	4	4	3	3	1	3	2	9	3+

Unit Composition : 5 Elohim
Unit Type : Jump Infantry (Elohim Only), Jump Infantry [Character] (Elohim Superior Only)
Wargear : Sacral Blades, Power Armour, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Jump Pack
Special Rules : Act of Faith, Aegis of Angels, Furious Charge, Shield of Faith
Act of Faith : Transcendant Fury
Options :

• May include up to 5 additional Elohim : 16pts per model.
• 2 Elohim may replace their Sacral Blades with a pair of Power Swords or Power Axes : 20pts per model.
• Or a Power Lance : 15pts per model.
• Or an Eviscerator : 30pts per model.
• 1 Elohim may be upgraded to an Elohim Superior : 10pts.
• The Elohim Superior may replace her Sacral Blades with a pair of Power Swords or Power Axes : 20pts.
• The Elohim Superior may replace her Sacral Blades with a Power Lance : 15pts.
• The Elohim Superior may replace her Sacral Blades with a pair of Lightning Claws : 30pts
• The Elohim Superior may replace her Sacral Blades with an Eviscerator : 30pts
• The Elohim Superior may take a Martyrs Deathmask : 20pts
• The Elohim Superior may take Melta Bombs : 5pts

Special Rules and Equipment : 

Aegis of Wrath: When the Elohim charge into battle their fury is as much their armour as the sacred plate they wear, turning aside even the mightiest of their enemies blows.

Elohim improve the Invulnerable Save from their Shield of Faith to 5+ against Melee attacks.

Transcendant Fury (Act Of Faith) : The Elohim unleash their divine rage against the enemies of mankind, tempering their fury with utter faith in their sisters and the God Emperor.

One use Only. This Act of Faith can be used in the Assault phase. If successful all melee attacks made by the Elohim unit may re-roll failed rolls To Hit and To Wound.

Martyrs Deathmask : The most respected and skilful Elohim go into battle wearing death masks of gold, silver and ivory modelled on the features of deceased Sororitas. In the fires of combat these Masks seem to shimmer and distort, eyes blazing with holy light and filling the Elohim's foes with the dread certainty that the Emperors angelic executioners have come to put and end to them.

A model equipped with a Martyrs Deathmask causes Fear.

Sacral Blades (Weapon) : Elohim go into battle wielding beautifully crafted melee weapons forged from blessed metals and inscribed with litanies of accuracy and sure striking. These sacred armaments take many forms but are universally bladed weapons, brought forth from the Orders armouries to bring death to the enemies of the God Emperor.

Each model equipped with Sacral Blades is equipped with a pair of Silversteel swords, an Auric Axe, or a Platinite Lance.

Aurumite Axe : Range : Melee, Strength : As User +2, AP : 4, Special Rules : Two Handed, Unwieldy
Paladinum Lance : Range : Melee, Strength : As User, AP : 4, Special Rules : Two Handed, +2 Strength when Charging.
Silversteel Sword : Range : Melee, Strength : As User, AP : 4, Special Rules : None

Design Notes : The Elohim are designed to fulfil the role of a heavy melee unit for the Adepta Sororitas. Though the Sisters Repentia have the potential to hit like a very angry truck full of chainsaws, they lack in both the mobility and survivability. Battle Conclaves suffer from the same lack of mobility, and equipping a Canoness and Celestian Command Squad for close combat gets very expensive very quickly.

Compared to those units the Elohim are more mobile and cost effective, though they lack the raw power of the Repentia, Conclave or Celestians. Hopefully their gear options and special rules are sufficiently interesting to make them worth consideration, and to make them flavourful additions to the 40k universe. I especially like the idea of them being faceless, terrifying killers as compared to the beautiful and inspiring Seraphim.

So, that's the first "New" unit for this series. I think I've done a reasonably good job of balancing them with regards to rules and points cost, but as always I'd love to hear some feedback from other 40k players. I'll hopefully have another of these written in the next week or so as I'm away on holiday in a week and I'm trying to get a backlog written up first.

We shall see, we shall see...

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael