Codex Sisters of Battle : Deliverance Assault Gunship

(I tried to find some art, but I really do love the model too)

I'm back! Without further ado, I present one of the last handful of my new Adepta Sororitas units in the form of a dedicated Sororitas flier.

--------------------

Deliverance Assault Gunship :

Built around a venerable design dating from the earliest years of the Imperium, the Deliverance Assault Gunship is a powerful, well armoured flier almost exclusively operated by the Orders Millitant of the Adepta Sororitas. Despite being a part of the Sisterhood's arsenal these powerful craft are not crewed by battle sisters, instead being piloted by pious and devoted women seconded from the Imperial Navy's attack craft wings.

Sturdily built and propelled by a powerful vectored thrust engines it is capable of both considerable speed and impressive manoeuvrability, though it is incapable of operating outside of an atmosphere. The primary armament of the Deliverance is a pair of twin linked heavy bolters mounted in armoured turrets flanking the gunships fuselage, both of which are operated by linked Gun Martyrs with the pilot designating preferred targets for these weapons. Additionally the Deliverance has four ordnance mounts set beneath its wings, each of which usually mounts a single Purgation Incendiary Missile, though when necessary these can be replaced with modified Exorcist missiles for the elimination of armoured targets.

When deployed alongside a Commandery of battle sisters the Deliverance is capable of serving in a number of battlefield roles. As well as providing close range fire support with it's heavy bolters the Deliverance is also a capable tank hunter and fortification cracker, whether by blasting them open with Exorcist missiles or burning them clean with Purgation bombardments. The Deliverance is also fast and manoeuvrable enough to act as both an armed scout and rapid response vehicle, with the first sign of the Sororitas' arrival heard by many a heretic being the scream of its engines before the world around them is engulfed in flame.

Deliverance Assault Gunship (Fast Attack) : 140pts

	BS	Front	Side	Rear	HP
Deliverance Gunship	4	12	11	10	3

Unit Composition : 1 Deliverance Assault Gunship
Unit Type : Flier, Hover
Wargear : Two Twin Linked Heavy Bolters, Four Purgation Incendiary Missiles
Special Rules : Gun Martyrs, Shield of Faith, Strafing Run
Options :

• May replace all Purgation Incendiary Missiles with four Exorcist Missiles : 20pts

Special Rules and Equipment :

Gun Martyrs (Special Rule) : Instead of being controlled directly by the crafts pilot, the heavy bolter mounts on the Deliverance are instead fired by a pair of integrated pseudo-servitors known as Gun Martyrs. Gun Martyrs are sinners and blasphemers who undergo a process similar to arco flagellation that transforms them into living, barely sentient weapon control systems. When in combat the Gun Martyrs focus their complete attention on the destruction of enemy targets leaving the pilot free to concentrate on manouvering and the use of the Deliverance's missile armament.

So long as the Deliverance is eligible to fire a weapon in the shooting phase each of its Twin Linked Heavy Bolters may fire at a target of its own, with neither counting towards the number of weapons the gunship may fire each turn.

Exorcist Missiles (Weapon) : Modified versions of the ordnance used by the Exorcist battle tank, these missiles are adapted for launch from an aerial platform. Their warheads blessed with sacred oils and their casings inscribed with prayers of sure striking these munitions are loaded whenever Deliverance pilots expect to face heavily armoured opposition such as heretic battle tanks, xenos war machines, or powerful daemonic entities.

Exorcist Missile : Range : 48", Strength : 8, AP 1, Special : One Use Only

Purgation Incendiary Missiles (Weapon) : These missiles are designed to purge the enemies of mankind with blessed fire, burning them from their refuges and fortifications where they think themselves safe from His wrath. Filled with thrice blessed promethium these missiles are loaded onto the Deliverance to the singing of hymns of wrath, vengeance and detestation that their aim may be true and their wrath irresistible.

Purgation Incendiary Missile : Range : 48", Strength : 6, AP : 4, Special : Ignores Cover, Large Blast, One Use Only

Design Notes :

There we go, a flier for the Sororitas. Since the advent of fliers in 6th edition it's become all but a necessity for any army to either have its own fliers or be capable of fielding weapons that can deal with them, neither of which the Adepta Sororitas are currently capable of. The Deliverance offers a fairly durable flier, being almost as tough as a Valkyrie, with a basic armament capable of dealing with light vehicles and medium infantry as well as missile options that can be tailored to eliminate either massed infantry or harder targets.

As for the fluff I think that the refurbishment of an Age of Apostasy era gunship of proven but outdated providence is something that the Adepta Sororitas would get away with. It gives them aerial combat options without allowing them access to void capable attack craft or aerial transports, though in all honestly I think they should have some access to the latter. I did toy briefly with the idea of leaving the pilots as normal battle sisters, but I think having them as seconded Naval personnel both makes more sense with regards to both the training of a Battle Sister and the restrictions of the Degree Passive.

With the Deliverance done I've got two more units left in this series, a new Heavy Support choice and a Lord of War, after which I'll be moving on to something different.

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael