To Cut Off The Head: Part Two - Unexpected Friends

Grey Knights & Sisters of Battle vs Valorax Guard & Crimson Blades | Tim v Gill | 40k | 64 | 109.997.M41 

Whatever happened now, it didn't matter. The war was lost.

Ivan Chord, planetary governor, hero of the Manticore War, was dead. Assassinated.

And all Able Standent knew - trooper first class of fourth squad, eight company of the standing Qualitat Defence Force of the Valorax Guard - was that even if his life and the lives of everyone he knew were soon to end; he would die fighting for retribution. Fighting for revenge! 

His squad had been posted in defence of the governor's headquarters when the attack hit and he and all his battle brothers had failed in their duty, fighting off the attacking Adeptus Sororitas and Grey Knights.

As he and his squad took up firing positions in one of the still smoking ruins, Able saw where their enemy were headed: a pair of empty landing pads. Their assassination mission accomplished, the Sisters of Battle had swiftly withdrawn. They were trying to get out of the city before the full force of the Valorax Guard could mobilise and trap them!

They were already in the square below the landing pads!

A column of Leman Russ Battle Tanks rolled down the street beside Abel's position as he blasted the power armoured women with his lasgun, hoping for a lucky strike, but their armour was too good, the cover provided by the ruins too complete.

There was no way to catch them before they escaped!

"Bringer of death," he whispered to his weapon as he blasted away, "speak your name, for you are my life and the foe's death."

Then from the sky came a sound of falling doom and something struck the upper landing pad like a missile.

Able thought it was the enemy retrieval boat... then he saw it crack open and his prayers to the beneficient Emperor were answered. From the smoking drop pod strode the Crimson Blades, already letting fly with bolter shells into the square below and immediately tearing apart the Adeptus Sororitas as they scrambled into cover.

The square was a shooting gallery. The Sisters were trapped. And before they could find a defensive base from the pincer they found themselves in, a second Drop pod came down on the other landing pad, blocking their escape completely.

The Valorax Guardsmen cheered and Able cheered with them. The planetary governor was lost but now the Space Marines were here, fighting alongside them against the greater Imperium. As a line trooper, Able scarce understood the ramifications of this but he knew something momentous had happened.

He knew these new allies made every difference.

But he had no time to savour this change.

The air split and tore in the ruins before them and through the gap in reality strode a towering construct Able had no name for. He saw the silver armoured Terminator strapped to the front of it and saw the weapons turn their way and suddenly knew that this new alliance would mean nothing to him if he were dead.

Morale squads through out massive amounts of fire at the Grey Knights as they appeared, as did the infantry, but as squad after squad of the elite warriors materialised their weapons fire started to falter.

With only two squads of Crimson Blades to help them, surely their was no way to defeat this new enemy!

Then Damien Gord, gigantic company captain of the Crimson Blades appeared in a snapping of reality down in the square beside the Sisters of Battle and let fire his storm bolters.The Sisters of Battle were fleeing for the bunkers next to the landing pads but the crossfire was wiping them out.

The mighty Throne of Judgement fell,m trapping Inquisitor Lord Karamazov beneath it.

And still Abel fired, dropping to his knees, pausing only long enough to rip out his lasgun's steaming power pack and reload.

All around him his squad was dying from storm bolter fire. The Grey Knights strode through the rubble, moving away from the Crimson Blades, out of their range. The Adeptus Sororitas were lost. Able was sure of that. From his position it looked like only a couple of the women still survived; but the Grey Knights were undeterred by this. They calmly hosed down the Valorax Guardsmen, consolidating their position so that they could strike back at the Crimson Blades from a position of strength.

Rocket blasts thundered overhead and Able saw a boxey landing craft blot out the sky as it swooped across the ruins. It was a Stormraven Gunship! More Grey Knights and a Dreadnought!

The magnetic docking clamp at the back released the Dreadnought in mid-swoop and it crashed into the building next to Able's where his commanding officer bellowed into his vox, directing the losing combat.

The Crimson Blades were increasingly cut off from where the battle was moving. They had defeated the Sisters of Battle but they were in no position to redeploy closer to the Grey Knights.

Able could see where this was going.

He muttered the litany of protection. "Mighty Emperor, spread Your divine light to protect me from the darkness."

Grey Knight Terminators ripped the command squad apart as the Dreadnought tore open the armour of the Battle Tanks. The Stormraven slowed and hovered, preparing to disgorge its final cargo.

Then Grey Knight Purifiers fell from its open doors, firing their incinerators into the few remaining guardsmen before them.

Able clambered down from the upper level of his ruins and ran to help but he wasn't fast enough. As the Dreadnought crashed through the remaining tanks, the Purifiers hacked his remaining battle brothers apart.

In a moment of divine panic, Able Standent realised he was the last remaining guardsmen of his company alive.

And he realised that almost four hundred yards separated him from the Crimson Blades who might otherwise have saved him.

Then the Purifiers turned their humming falchion blades on him as well and sliced his flesh and bones to pulp.

With Ivan Chord dead and the Crimson Blades laying their gauntlets in the Valorax camp, the entire planet-wide theatre of battle had shifted immensley.

But all it did was point to an escalating conflict growing further and further out of control!

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.

To Cut Off The Head: Part One - A Dark Light in the Sky

Inquisition vs Valorax Guard | Gill v Tim | 40k | 53 | 109.997.M41

Planetary Governor Ivan Chord felt his feet leave the ground as the explosion hit, tossing him up and back at sixty degrees.

Where he’d been standing, the floor cracked and flame licked through but he was still being hurled backwards. The backs of his legs struck something – one of his aides – and he tumbled, revolving: head going down; legs going up. Until a secondary explosion hit and he flew suddenly sideways, changing direction in mid blast. Except this time he caught a twirling glimpse of his secretary, screaming as she caught the brunt of the blast instead of him.

This must have been what it was like for the normal people, he thought, when I ordered the Immolation.

... the all-encompassing planetary bombardment that had ended the Manticore War against the Tyranids at a terrible terrible cost in lives.

He hit the wall, cracking the plaster and that thought was gone in a pinpoint of agony. Momentary weightlessness; and then he hit the buckled floor on his shoulders, barely avoiding a broken neck.

He lay there, sprawled across something some uneven bulk, gasping; winded. The internal lights were out. Smoke was everywhere. Burning wood; scorched metal; blistering flesh. And wind. He bent at the waist, twisting his body so he could get to hands and knees.

The wall was gone. Fully one third of the building was gone, ripped away in the detonation of whatever had struck. And then he saw what had saved him: his secretary’s body, broken and torn on the floor beneath him.

She used to chatter about her son; a toddler. She used to smile and laugh. But damn him, he couldn’t remember the name of that son now. His mind was a whirlwind of tactical responses and assessments of threat level. However he still didn’t even know what he was up against.

Until he looked out across the cityscape of Qualitat, Valorax’s capital city, and saw what was coming.

White armoured transports and tanks and in the shadows of the ruined and smoking buildings all around: white armoured figures, lithe but stalwart. Red cloaks; bolters and dark bobbed hair. The Adepta Sororitas. Sisters of Battle.

Ivan Chord cursed and got to his feet as the remains of his bodyguard kicked open the burning door and ran to give him aid.

There, don below, striding through the ruins on pistoned legs, supported in the lumbering but entirely potent Throne of Judgment, was Inquisitor Lord Karamazov.

They hadn’t even announced their secession from the Imperium – they’d done precious little to work toward it in the midst of re-escalating conflict with the invading xenos – but the Inquisition had known and here they were to deal with it.

“Well it had to happen sometime,” he murmured, smiling grimly.

“Sir we have to get you out of here!”

Chord focused on the officer. “What’s the evac route?”

“We have a Vendetta gunship on the landing pad at the rear of the building that didn’t get hit in the preliminary bombardment.”

“Then what are we waiting for?!?”

As Ivan Chord and his escorts ran for the faltering staircase, Valorax Guardsmen ran to take position in the ruins below and in flanking buildings. The bulk of their number had been wounded or killed in the Inquisition’s firestorm but there were enough at least to mount a delaying action.

Lasguns, grenade launchers, plasmaguns and meltaguns let rip against the approaching forces as two Leman Russ Battle Tanks rolled up to support them, taking out the lead transport of the Sisters of Battle. Arco Flagellants, boiling with holy rage, bounded down the street toward the line of guardsmen positioned to face them but, impervious as they were, they got whittle down to nothing before they could strike.

Ivan Chord and his bodyguard were down to the ground floor. The devastation was even worse there. This room had been a conference room for lower level officers. Now it was as if a broom had swept everything; furniture and people; into the corner in a grisly mass of broken flesh bone and metal. The sound of lasgun fire was deafening but they kept their heads down and kept running. All of these men here would die – there was absolutely no doubt about that – but the sacrifice had to be made, no matter how horrifying. Without him to lead them, the weakened planet would surely collapse before its myriad enemies. The war would be lost and all survivors would be purged.

But that didn’t mean Chord had to like it.

They ran out the back of the building, even as the Adepta Sororitas closed to bolter range at the front, unleashing torrents of explosive shells into the faltering guardsmen. They hadto get on board the Vendetta! Now!

They ran to the foot of the landing pad and Ivan Chord slammed his palm against the control panel to close the crenulations of the protective shield to protect the craft as they boarded. The machinery clicked and then whirred as it started to move.

Then no more than fifteen yards away, the air ruptured, whining as unnatural tears began to split it, and Ivan Chord’s throat clenched. There was a brief flicker, then a bright flash and out of the tiny warp explosion strode five grey knights, raising their arms and letting fly with Storm Bolter fire that ripped into Chord’s guardsmen, taking three of them down instantly.

His mind flicked to the report he’d read of what they’d named the Valorax Schism, the battle in the heavens with a Grey Knight battle cruiser to secure more troops to bring home. He had known they would come one day, but the combined assault with the Ordo Hereticus he had not anticipated and he had not prepared for.

There was only seconds left now to make his escape: climb up the ladder; get into the transport craft; fly away and hope not to get shot down.

But then the shield guard of the landing pad snapped into place, revealing sky above his head and there was a sudden cooling of the air.

Ivan Chord looked to the man beside him. He was shouting; screaming as more Storm Bolter fire ripped him in half; but no sound reached Chord’s ears. The din of approaching battle was completely blanked out.

The Grey Knights strode towards them, raking left and right with their fire but the shots made no sound.

There was light everywhere suddenly; all around him; centered on the spot where he stood.

All around him, his bodyguard were lying dead or wounded. But the Grey Knights were no longer approaching. They were lowering their gun arms. They were only watching as the light grew brighter and then brighter still.

Ivan Chord’s brow furrowed. The light was growing in intensity. For a moment he didn’t know what it meant.

And then he understood, and his thoughts went again to the Immolation, his order to wipe out the Tyranid threat from space, even at the expense of hundreds of thousands of lives.

What had he said before he gave the order? What sound bite of trivial nonsense had he given to both immortalise and trivialise that horrific but necessary loss?

Oh yes.

“I ask you once again to give your lives so that others may survive; to die alongside the foul xenos filth that corrupts our world so that we can at last be free of it.”

He whispered those words now, appreciating the irony, as the ship-to-ship lance on the Inquisition’s gunship speared down and incinerated him in white fire.

The impact burst out across the watching Grey Knights but they did not move.

The Planetary Governor was dead.

The impact of this would be far reaching and devastating.

But the war was still only just beginning...

On the Painting Table: Sisters of Battle Canoness

Man! How long has it taken me to paint this little lady?

Chuffing ages, I tell you! But here she is!

This model represnts The Saint, a spcial character of mine whose backjground as existed for over a year but has never before seen the tabletop.

Here it is:

Pilgrimage of The Saint

On the sun parched front steps of the Abbey of the Immolated Martyr, a young pregnant girl was found on the verge of death. The Abbey was built into the precipitous cliffs of the Lady Mount at the scorchmost tip of the Chalice with only scorched desert for a hundred miles in every direction leaving no indication of how the girl could have reached it.

Dying without a word of explanation giving birth to a girl child, the woman took her mystery with her to the grave and the sisters of the abbey took the baby on to raise her.

The girl was named Argent Rose and entered training to be a member of the Adepta Sororitas,  excelling at every required skill. On the morning of her final graduation however she announced that the Emperor had visited her in a dream and told her to walk the land until she came to a full understanding of his mission for her. She left the abbey on foot and set out with no provisions into the burning wastelands of the Hellgrove. Over the following years, Argent Rose walked the land, administering to the poor and needy, speaking with the people and learning all that she could about the ways of mankind.

She made her way up through the Chalice and into Lapitar, visiting Qualitat by sea before going on into Paelar and finally Kaltirey, making her way through the streets of the capital before heading out across the frozen plains further and further chillward until she reached the Abbey of the Cold Heart of the Emperor at the freeze. Here she paused only long enough to strap on her power armour and take up her holy bolter for leaving once more.

This time though, as she walked south, she no longer helped the meek, she hunted the wrongdoer, the mutant, the heretic... and she exterminated them. Years of extermination passed as she made her way back down toward the Lady Mount until when she finally arrived, her fame and notoriety had spread. Thousands of pilgrims and Adepta Sororitas were waiting for her and proclaimed her The Saint.

She spurned this title but proclaimed that the Emperor had chosen her for a new task now that she had proven her worth. Taking hundreds of battle sisters with her to the stars, she began a Crusade of Immolation that continues to this day, taking her holy fury into the night.

The Path of The Saint became a huge lure for pilgrims from across the sector and the already strong Ecclesiarchal presence became even stronger, Sisters of Battle guarding the many shrines erected along the route of the Path.