Witch Hunters Tactica Part Three: Sisters of Battle

Sisters of Battle are great. They look marvelous and are rare enough to be a cool army to own. Their background is particularly fascinating. And they're good in the game. If you play them carefully.

Always remember: despite the power armour and bolters, THEY AREN'T SPACE MARINES!

But they aren't Imperial Guard either.

It's a case of recognising their strengths and weaknesses. As far as Battle Sisters shooting goes they are every bit as good as Marines. In defence, apart from being a point down in Toughness, they're just as good again.

It's in close combat where they're low Strength and Toughness brings them down.

Solution, keep them at range and play to their strengths. If you can keep your opponent away from them then you're effectively getting cut-price Marines.

But close combat will happen and it's there that Acts of Faith can come in handy.

For special weapons I'm inclined to go with flamers and stick them in a Repressor. I'll be writing another article about that in due course. Otherwise give them a Heavy Bolter and stand them back, blasting away and playing to the great strengths they have.

Witch Hunters Tactica Part Two: Acts of Faith

Acts of Faith are one of those rules that it's easy to forget. I've used Sisters of Battle in games loads of times and the number of times I've actually remembered to use these things is rather less numerous.

Top tip here: Get some large colourful counters to represent your Faith Points and keep them in front of you during the game. 

 As you know, certain units grant and can use Faith Points: Heroines, Celestians, Battle Sisters with a Veteran Superior and Seraphims. Certain Acts of Faith are easier to perform with smaller squads and some with larger squads.

Now all of the squads mentioned above come in variable sizes and the key thing here is to bear Faith in mind when choosing how big you want your squads to be. A size-10 Battle Sister squad has various benefits and pitfalls in the game anyway compared to a size-20 one but this adds another level to that.

If your pre-game strategy involves use of a certain Act of Faith that requires you to roll under the squad size then it's worth going for the larger squad.

Remember: using an Act of Faith uses up a Faith Point but you get Faith Points back if the unit that gave you them expires.

And also remember, it's better to use your Faith Points than waste them. Get into the habit of using them and try to predict when to use them based on how long you expect your Faithful squads to survive. If a squad's about to get wiped out anyway, use an Act of Faith, even if it isn't otherwise an ideal time.

Let's look at each Act of Faith in turn:

Hand of the Emperor
(Assault)
(Roll under the number of models)

Grants: +2 Strength but Initiative 1

Notes: The larger squad size, the better here giving greater chance of success and more benefit as more models get the bonus.

+2 Strength is okay, depending on your opponent, though an Armour Penetration bonus would have been nice. I tend to think keeping Battle Sisters out of combat is the way to go but once it inevitably happens, this is a nice Act to push the combat their way. Bear in mind though that Initiative 1 means that casualties you've taken won't get a chance to fight, however at Initiative 3, Battle Sisters tend to strike simultaneously or last anyway.

Use: In most assaults

Divine Guidance
(Shooting or Assault)
(Roll under the number of models)

Grants: On wound rolls of 6 gives AP1 for shooting or Power Weapon attacks in close combat

Notes: Again, the larger the squad size, the more likely it'll work and the greater the bonus.

This one's a bit hit and miss as it isn't a guaranteed bonus but against heavy infantry like Terminators AP1 is definitely nice. I can't be bothered to work out which is statistically more useful in combat, this or Hand of the Emperor. Certainly ignoring armour saves is better than +2 Strength against Terminators or the like but only getting it on a wound roll of 6 is a bit of a bummer. Having said that, when striking Toughness 4 opponents (wounding on a 5+), that makes the chance of this working 50/50 if you wound them at all.

Use: When shooting at or assaulting heavy infantry

The Passion
(Assault)
(Roll over the number of models)

Grants: +2 to Initiative

Notes: Now I don't see any of the Faithful Sisters of Battle units as close combat orientated but striking first is a definite bonus as it stops dead enemy models striking back. I see this Act as more of a desperate measure than Hand of the Emperor but part of the trick here is judging which is more likely to work based on your unit size. If the average roll on 2d6 is 7, that's what you've got to consider, generally playing it safe on the likelihood of which effect will work.

Obviously only use any of these Acts of Faith if they're going to give you a benefit against the specific enemy unit.

Use: In assault when number in unit makes Hand of the Emperor or The Passion unlikely to work

Light of the Emperor
(Morale Bonus)
(Roll over the number of models)

Grants: Fearless for one game turn

Notes: Well... Fearless has its own bad side effects (extra models dying if you lose the combat) so I would personally be more inclined not to use this Act, in favour of the more destructive ones. Having said that it is very useful for bringing a fleeing squad back, especially if they have fallen below half strength.

Bear in mind that your squad size is likely to be six or less if this Act is working so you're in trouble any way you look at it.

Use: For rallying understrength squads and keeping squads in combat as a tar pit unit.

Spirit of the Martyr
(Defence)
(Roll over the number of models)

Grants: Invulnerable 3+ armour save

Notes: A normal 3+ armour save is amazing already so you'll only need this if coming under fire from Lascannons, Battle Cannons, Plasmaguns and the like. And also bear in mind that cover generally gives you a 4+ invulnerable anyway. Your 3+ armour save is your most precious possession. This Act of Faith helps keep hold of it.

Bear in mind that at the squad size where this Act is likely to work, staying alive is pretty critical - especially if this particular squad's survival is important for holding an objective or achieving some other goal.

Use: In combat against lots of Power Weapon or Rending attacks or likely to come under fire from armour piercing weapons if expecting heavy losses and the Faith Points won't be more useful later.

Overall Conclusion

1. Know what you want your squads to achieve pre-game and roughly plan use of Faith Points beforehand.
2. Plan squad sizes around your planned Acts of Faith.
3. Look to the squad size before rolling the dice. Is it greater or lower than 7?
4. It's better to use a Faith Point for a quite good reason than never use it.
5. Remember to regain Faith Points when units die and use them while you still have time.

Witch Hunters Tactica Part One: Inquisitor Lord Karamazov

Inquisitor Lord Karamazov is an amazing character. He’s got one of the coolest back-stories of any character in Warhammer 40,000 (it’s hilarious), and he’s also a particularly nice (if expensive) model. In fact Karamazov’s history and personality perfectly represents the crazy darkness of the forty first millennium. This is a completely uncompromising chap who makes life hell for all around him, all in the name of a greater good that will never come.

He is funny in so many different ways, chief of which being what a great target he would make sitting on this throne waddling into the middle of a battlefield. But what the heck! It doesn’t matter: he is pure coolness.

Now Karamazov is a very powerful figure but he’s also a big target (which can be a bonus in itself: drawing fire away from other units). With his move and shoot Multi-Melta, he can pick out vehicles and heavy infantry as he approaches his close combat target. He hits and wounds on a 2+ against most enemies with AP1 so he’s perfect for taking out just about anything: just point and they’re pretty much dead.

But he’s also great in close combat: rerolling one miss per turn, wounding most things on 2+ and ignoring armour saves. He can do a lot of damage, and with his four wounds, 2+ save and Rosarius 4+ Invulnerable, he can take it on the chin without flinching.

If you have close combat units then they should be close to this guy. He’s good, but added support will get him chewing through enemy units that bit quicker; and close by units benefit from rerolls of morale and pinning tests as well as the +1 Attack once per game that his Inquisitorial Mandate provides.

This guy needs to be fighting tough opponents and taking a poke at vehicles but there’s something to be said for hanging back a little bit until the Multi-Melta has done everything it can. Once he has taken out priority targets then get stuck in there!



Spotlight On... The Mammoth

Background

The Mammoth is an integral part of the Crimson Blade’s Deinosus Battle Company – a company of loyalist Space Marines utilising dinosaurs in battle.

Controlled by a Cortex Unit drilled into its skull that goads its aggression up to deadly levels, the Mammoth remains in orbit aboard the Black Scabbard Battle Barge until its Priority Insertion Point is ascertained by one of the veteran squad commanders on the ground.

Once this is determined, the squad commander activates his homer unit and teleports up to the waiting Battle Barge, trading spatial coordinates with the huge and very angry creature that now finds itself in the thick of the fighting.

The Mammoth’s primary role is to function as a line breaker, devastating resistance at the strongest point of the enemy battle line.

Making the Model

The Mammoth is basically a toy mammoth, though a particularly nice one, but I made several changes to bring him in line with my vision for the army. The Cortex Unit drilled into his brain that controls him is made from the bottom half of the teleport homer that comes with the Space Marine Terminator boxed set. To enhance his defence and attack capabilities in assault he has been given armoured shin guards made from thick card bent round and dry brushed Tin Bitz and Dwarf Bronze. I wrapped a bit of razor wire round there to deter enemy attacks.

The seargeant model below has the top half of the teleport homer attached to his back. It's deactivated and black here as he's still on the field but when the reserve roll is made, this would light up (in my imagination) as he was transported up to the Black Scabbard. 

Game Rules

In game, I use the rules for a Summoned Greater Demon for the Mammoth. The whole army uses Chaos Space Marine rules but these represent quite nicely what he can do. The idea is that in the early game the squad leaders are assessing where the best place for him to be is. Then, when the reserve roll is made, they swap places with him and suddenly there’s a huge monstrous creature in the thick of the fighting.

Tactics

The crucial thing here is choosing which squad champion to swap the Mammoth with. Getting the Mammoth into combat and keeping him three will stop him getting blasted and help him do as much damage as possible. He isn’t undefeatable but he is good, however I don’t hesitate to throw and squad in to support him if need be.

He’s scary for the opponent more than anything and the psychological edge that can give wins battles.

An Amusing Story

At a campaign weekend at Warhammer World I wanted to surprise my opponent so when I made my reserve roll I smashed my Mammoth down hard on the table making a resounding clap.

This did indeed surprise my opponent.

It also reverberated across the table, knocking over half the models in both armies.

Suffice to say, my apologies kind of ruined the triumphant moment.