Codex Sisters of Battle : Matriarch Battlesuits

(Avaunt from the child, foul witch!)

Wow, over a month without a post. Many apologies but once again real life managed to intervene. I've had a busy June, with me going on holiday to Rome, having some time off with my girlfriend, as well as work and a few other issues and jobs cropping up. With that said I'm back now and have no plans to disappear again anytime soon (as if I ever do...)

So I'm getting back to work today, carrying on with my series on extra units for the Sisters of Battle, with todays addition being the super-heavy infantry of the Adepta Sororitas...

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Matriarch Exemplars / Matriarch Abolishers :

As the warriors of the Adepta Sororitas age they grow in skill, faith and experience, from callow novices fresh to the battlefields of the 41st Millenium to scarred and battle hardened veterans of a hundred holy crusades. However despite their access to bionics, juvenat drugs and the best medical care the Ecclesiarchy can provide their physical abilities do eventually degrade with time, relegating aged sisters to non-combat and training roles.

This rarely sits well with such these veterans, with many requesting to be assigned to high risk or even suicide missions that they may die in the fires of battle rather than waste away behind the lines. However there is still a way for these venerable warriors to take to the field with their sisters with their abilities undiminished, via the ancient mechanisms of the Matriarch Battlesuits. Of a similar pedigree to the Centurion Battlesuits of the Adeptus Astartes these walking behemoths encase their pilots in layers of thick Adamantine and Ceramite armour, augmenting their physical prowess with mighty servo-mechanisms and fibre bundle muscle arrays, allowing them to wield weapons and survive assaults that would tax even their power armoured sisters.

The armament and equipment of these sisters varies depending on their demeanour. Those who's faith and piety has only grown with age, and who see themselves as the guides and protectors of their younger sisters take up the mantle of the Exemplar, wading into glorious melee combat armed with power blades, maces, storm shields and chattering storm bolters, their faith a shining example to their younger sisters. On the other hand those sisters who have become bitter and hateful fight as Abolishers, taking vicious delight in obliterating their foes with heavy weapons fire, purging them to the last man, woman and child.

Matriarch Exemplars (Elite) : 160pts

	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD	SV
Matriarch Exemplar	4	4	5	5	2	2	2	9	2+
Exemplar Superior	4	4	5	5	2	2	2	10	2+

Unit Composition : 2 Matriarch Exemplars, 1 Matriarch Superior
Unit Type : Infantry
Wargear : Pair of Exemplar Power Blades, Twin Linked Exemplar Stormbolter
Special Rules : Act of Faith, Shield of Faith, Slow and Purposeful, Very Bulky
Act of Faith : Beacon of Defiance
Options :

• May include up to 7 additional Matriarch Exemplars : 50pts per model.
• Any model may replace its existing armaments with an Exemplar Power Maul and Storm Shield : 10pts per model.
• Any model armed with a Twin Linked Exemplar Stormbolter may replace it with a Twin Linked Flamer : 5pts per model.
• Any model armed with a Twin Linked Exemplar Stormbolter may replace it with a Twin Linked Meltagun : 10pts per model.

Matriarch Abolishers (Heavy Support) : 160pts

	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD	SV
Matriarch Abolisher	4	4	5	5	2	2	2	9	2+
Abolisher Superior	4	4	5	5	2	2	2	10	2+

Unit Composition : 2 Matriarch Abolishers, 1 Abolisher Superior
Unit Type : Infantry
Wargear : Twin Linked Heavy Bolter
Special Rules : Act of Faith, Rites of Purification, Shield of Faith, Slow and Purposeful, Very Bulky
Act of Faith : Only The Impure Shall Fear
Options :

• May include up to 7 additional Matriarch Abolishers : 50pts per model.
• Any model may replace their Twin Linked Heavy Bolter with a Twin Linked Multi Melta : 20pts per model.
• Any model may replace their Twin Linked Heavy Bolter with a Twin Linked Heavy Flamer : Free.

Special Rules and Equipment :

Beacon of Defiance (Act of Faith) : Chanting hymns of devotion and endurance the Matriarch Examplars stride out of the fire and fury of the battle. In the face of their faith and piety even the most potent of their foes weapons and sorceries are ineffectual, leaving them and their sisters utterly unscathed.

This Act of Faith is declared at the start of the controlling players Assault Phase. Until the start of the next Adepta Sororitas turn either this unit or one unit with the Shield of Faith special rule within 12" gains a +1 bonus to their Invulnerable Saving throw and Deny the Witch rolls (stacking with the bonus from Adamantium Will).

Only The Impure Shall Fear (Act of Faith) : Snarling prayers of hatred and fury the Abolishers unleash their fire indiscriminately upon their foes, heedless of any allies that may be caught in the firestorm. Whether due to their tremendous skill or their utter faith in the God Emperor their allies emerge from the destruction unharmed, the shattered carcasses of their foes lying in ruin around them.

This Act of Faith is declared at the start of the controlling players Shooting Phase. During this shooting phase the Matriarch Abolishers may freely target enemy units that are engaged in melee or that are obscured by friendly units. Enemies targeted gain no cover save from the Abolishers shooting through a friendly unit.

Rites of Purification (Special Rule) : The battlesuits of the Matriarch Abolishers are fitted with enhanced cooling systems and loading mechanisms that greatly enhance the rate of fire of their sacred armaments. Accompanied by the battle hymns of their wielders they unleash torrents of fire capable of sweeping away even the deadliest foes.

Matriarch Abolishers may fire their ranged weapons twice in the Shooting Phase.

Exemplar Weapons (Weapon) : The Matriarch Exemplars of the Adepta Sororitas march to war armed with weapons crafted by the most skilled weapon smiths and blessed by the most devout priests of the Ecclesiarchy. While most wield a pair of power blades and wrist mounted stormbolters, others exchange them for oversized power mauls and sanctified Storm Shields, better to weather the unholy wrath of the Emperors enemies.

Exemplar Power Blades : Range : Melee, Strength : User +1, AP : 3, Special : -
Exemplar Power Maul : Range : Melee, Strength : User x2, AP : 2, Special : Concussive
Exemplar Storm Bolter : Range : 18, Strength : 4, AP : 5, Special : Assault 4

Design Notes :

So...yes, these are blatantly the Adepta Sororitas equivalent to the Space Marines Centurion Battlesuits, not a unit I'm especially fond of (mostly due to their absolutely terrible models) but one that, as many things do, gave me ideas. The concept for these heavily armoured ladies sprang from the Centurions description in the 6th edition Space Marine codex, where it was mentioned that their design was unearthed during the Age of Apostasy... immediately before the formation of the Adepta Sororitas. Obvious inspiration is very, very obvious.

Unlike the Space Marines the Adepta Sororitas lack access to super heavy infantry like Terminators, and it made sense to me that they would have their own exo-suit units to provide them with both mobile fire support and access to heavy melee capability. Likewise unlike the Astartes the Sororitas are subject to the ravages of age, and I really like the idea of the older and less physically capable sisters being made up of both those who's faith has strengthened with age as well as sisters who have become bitter, angry and resentful. Making the difference between the ranged and melee Matriarchs one of personality as much as battle gear.

On the tabletop they have the same advantages and disadvantages as Centurions. They're slow, and the Sororitas have no transports capable of getting them into the fight faster. That said they're tough and well armed, with the Storm Shield equipped Exemplars being incredibly durable at the cost of having no ranged capability whatsoever whilst the Abolishers have a potentially terrifying amount of firepower at their disposal.

I think they're fairly solid in terms of both points cost and tabletop stats, though as with all the units I've written up so far they would need playtesting. As always, if anyone reading this decides to proxy them in and give them a whirl, I'd love to hear how they turn out.

Overall this is another unit that I'm pretty happy with in regards to both fluff and rules. This is however the last full unit in this series (unless I get any more interesting ideas of course), as now I'll be moving on to Vehicles, Independent Characters and the like, after all... don't you  think that the Sororitas need access to a Lord of War?

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael