Imperial allies to add to Sisters?

[Elric of Grans]

My first army was the Sisters, but I stopped playing them mid-fifth edition to start playing Tyranids. The Sisters are still my favourite faction, but I was bored with the lack of variety in the army. (Then the Nids got nerfed later and had less variety: go figure!) Now that Imperial allies are so heavily encouraged by GW, I was considering picking up a second Imperial force to add the variety the Sisters need. I would like a little advice on the options!

I already have a good core of Sisters (Celestine and a coupe of Canonesses, loads of Bolters, a selection of special/heavy weapons, some Repentia and Arco-Flagellants, three Rhinos, three Immolators and two Exorcists) and one of each Assassin. I do not have any Inquisitors, as I never liked them. I am a fluffy player, so making the ultimate tournament list is not my goal, but I still like to feel effective on the table

Adeptus Astartes - Fluff-wise these seem fairly neutral. Mechanically, they add Las/Plas, Flyers, anti-air and some new tactics (eg Drop Pods).

Adeptus Mechanicus - Fluff-wise, these seem terrible. Mechanically, they could be more interesting with Skitarii providing objective-camping infantry and an anti-air platform.

Astra Militarum - Likely the most expensive and time consuming (painting), but probably the best fluff-wise. Mechanically, it offers long-range shooting (plonked on an objective), anti-air and Flyers.

Imperial Knights - Probably easy to justify fluff-wise, but expensive and difficult-looking to paint. Fielding a Lord of War would make me feel like That Guy, while adding very little tactical variety.

Militarum Tempestus - Essentially, the old Inquisitorial Stormtroopers (who I never owned/ran). Fluff-wise I am not sure how they work. Mechanically, they only add Plasma and Flying Transports.

Unsure if I want to add Psykers to my Sisters. They seem wrong, but that is now a notable part of the game,

What do the Sisters players here think?

[WarriorFish]

I made fairly regular use of Guard allies back in the day so I was glad to see allies return on recent editions. Guard are a great complement to a Sister force adding numbers and long range fire power that can otherwise be lacking in a Sisters list. Adding a Knight is also great because again it offers something Sisters don't have, plus is really cool and you can go to town on giving it Sororita iconography It's just a giant vehicle so isn't difficult to paint either

The Stormies would be nice, adding some specialised fire power and deep striking but nothing that special from a Sister perspective. If you wanted to run them better to have them as part of an allied Guard force I reckon. Mechanicus can play nice with Sisters, but Sisters already have the good infantry thing down so I'm not sure if they'd add too much? In my experiences Marines don't add anything to a Sisters force, though the opposite is a different story. If you want smaller scale allies what about the Inquisition?

There's a lot you can do if you want, the only caveat is that an allied force must always complement the primary one in my opinion. If there's too much treading on toes you need to stop and ask yourself if it's a good combination. At the end of the day you can't go wrong with adding more Sisters to a Sisters army if you're in doubt

[furstyferret]

I'm actually playing a game tonight using my Sisters with Imperial Guard allies. It's mainly a case of using what I happen to own, but I've tried to come up with a list that's got a bit of everything. The barebones of it is:
 

Celestine

 

9 Sisters w/flamer & heavy flamer, Priest, Rhino

9 Sisters w/flamer & heavy flamer, Priest, Rhino

 

6 Dominion w/4 meltaguns, Simulacrum, Immolator w/multi-melta

6 Dominion w/4 meltaguns, Simulacrum, Immolator w/multi-melta

 

Exorcist

Exorcist

 

Lord Commissar (with Conscripts)

 

Infantry Platoon

30 Conscripts

Command w/grenade launcher, autocannon

10 Infantry w/grenade launcher, autocannon

10 Infantryw/grenade launcher, autocannon

 

Vendetta

Vendetta

 

Like you, I'm not a tourny list player. I thought this was a good mix with plenty of decent firepower. If I remember I'll let you know how it got on.

[Ironheaded]

In your IG infantry, can you squeeze in lascannons instead of autocannons? If you are going anti-infantry with your Guard units, disregard my suggestion. Would help spread out some anti-tank, and your Dominions can go unit/Character hunting. Melta anti just for vehicle hunting. Turning someone's Warlord into goo can nab you that Victory Point, since one might not get First Blood with Sisters as often as other armies.

[Duke Danse Macabre]

Personally I feel the only allies we truely need is the Emperors Glorious Inquisition, our fortifications and now and then the odd grav cannon. ;)

[Spacefrisian]

What about them Assasins?

[Elric of Grans]

I did not mention Assassins because they are, really, a single model.  Potentially interesting on the table, but not a big deal.  You can easily slot them in with or without other allies.

[Goonbandito]

Imperial Knight for sure. They're actually pretty well balanced for a Super Heavy, with a point value that is definitely not undercosted (they're no Wraithknight). A Single Imperial Knight should not prove difficult at all for anyone who has prepared adequate Anti-Tank options in their list. For Flavour with the Sisters weapon of choice, I'd recommend a Knight Warden who comes with the Avenger Bolt Cannon.

 

Plus the models themselves are amazing. Very easy to paint too imo, if you can paint Rhinos or other vehicles with large flat surfaces then you wont have a problem with a Knight.

[bkde]

I second the Imperial Knight, but I prefer the Paladin for the double tapping Battle Cannon shots.  Being able to pump out two large blast templates a turn, plus large volume of missile fire from two to three exorcists make a great mobile firebase which completely changes how the army works.  Suddenly, instead of racing to get into range with your 8-12" loving Sisters, your opponent is persuaded to come to you.  Otherwise eat Exo missiles and pie plates.

 

Inquisitors can also be fun, simply because they have such a large bag of tricks and can gain access (for a very, very small henchman tax) to amazing transport options.  Land Raiders for Repentia/priests, valkyries for fun.

[Blackarmor_redtruth]

I run a vindicare and IK paladin. Paint to match your army and your all set. This lets me keep my main list as fluffy as I want and still be competative. I may try Black Templar some day, but that is a long way down the road. The rest, Inquisition, GK, don't appeal to me much.

[Sororita Katya]

I know a lot of people don't see us as being apart of the inquisition or even a chamer militant for the Ordo Hereticus but I will be building my army with grey knight and inquisitorial allies, rocking a storm raven for repentia, deep striking grey knight terminators with a dreadknight as some CC assistance, inquisition will give new multipurpose retinue with a Valkyrie for my cannoness command squad to get right up the board and lay down all their special weapons. Of course this will be for big games, for anything below 2k I'll be taking sisters with an IK, or just pure sisters which are good on their own anyway :)

[Warsmith Aznable]

I know a lot of people don't see us as being apart of the inquisition or even a chamer militant for the Ordo Hereticus but I will be building my army with grey knight and inquisitorial allies, rocking a storm raven for repentia, deep striking grey knight terminators with a dreadknight as some CC assistance, inquisition will give new multipurpose retinue with a Valkyrie for my cannoness command squad to get right up the board and lay down all their special weapons. 

 

As one of the people who often gets vocal about this point in the fluff, I will admit that it's very right and normal to have Inquisitors leading Sororitas, especially Hereticus. I also admit that it's part of the fluff that the Sororitas are watching the Ecclesiarchy for the next Goge Vandire as much as they are watching the general populace for standard deviancy.

 

What I often object to is that the Witchhunters codex caused the two organisations to be so linked in the minds of some people that their link to the Ecclesiarchy become so overshadowed. Whenever I see the Inquisitorial =][= where the Ministorum symbol should be I die a little inside.

 

My usual refusal to acknowledge the Inquisition is pure personal preference for the Ministorum and the idea that the Imperium is a byzantine mess of cognitive dissonance when it comes to the concepts of unity and loyalty. I've long run a "don't need no damn Inquisition" style Sisters list, but I don't begrudge any player who does it the other way.

[Sororita Katya]

Likewise Warsmith, and I understand your point entirely, yet another reason I love sisters, they are so multifaceted that ant kind of build makes sense be it pure sisters or allied :)

[Ironheaded]

and the idea that the Imperium is a byzantine mess of cognitive dissonance when it comes to the concepts of unity and loyalty.

Are you talking about the Imperium , or GW itself?  /jokes

 

Yes, Sororitas do NOT need Inquisitors to make a good game.   Like Katya, said.. there are so many options and combos that can be had, without calling in the Big =][=  .   and they are fun options too.

[*Furyou Miko]

I haven't used an Inquisitor since third edition (I have several, but that's because they're fun to kitbash!), and even then I mostly treated them as a Guard colonel with an interesting command squad.

[Chaplain Erasmus]

Honestly, the only armies that seem to be the most difficult "fluffy" allies for Battle Sisters are Marines (because they have an unfortunate history of going bad) and the Mechanicus. Otherwise, I think the sky's the limit when choosing allies, even with Marines/Admech, as every single other force adds something that either covers the Sisters' weaknesses or enhances their strengths. Even the aforementioned Militarium Tempestus, I think, can be used well in conjunction with Sisters (and the models are sweet). 

 

One good idea I've seen MWG's Sororitas player do is take allied Marines as Deathwatch. It would be a small matter to take a Librarian, a big squad of converted Sternguard and bring them down in a drop pod, along with a small Tac or Scout squad to fill the minimum troops requirement. 

 

What I hope to do at some point is have several allied detachments ready for my Sisters main force. I already have some Guard, Grey Knights, Assassins and an Inquisitor: from there it will be a small matter of maybe some more Guard, Inquisitorial Storm Troopers (I mean, Militarum Tempestus), and a Knight.

[GreenPlasma]

Tempestus tends to end up with a lot of empty fast transports.

 

Do you think it would be possible to get some traction out of 3x5 Repentia?

[Spacefrisian]

3x5 Repentia in a Landraider spearhead? (although 5 might be a bit on the low end) Wished Battle sisters stil had Landraiders as an option (unless i bring IA vol 2).

[*Furyou Miko]

IA2 shouldn't still give Sisters land raiders... lol. But if you're filling a Land Raider, stick all the ladies in there you can fit, with their independent character tank support!

 

I mean, if you're gonna take Inquisitorial Land Raiders anyway, a Terminator Malleus would be a good addition to a Repentia squiad.

[Spacefrisian]

So the marines formation it is, with some Battlesisters posing as Marines and random HQ (Chaplain?) to make it battle forged. Sounds like a plan. Although thats a huge amount of points..gulp.

[GreenPlasma]

Nah I'm talking about the Taurox Prime. Since all Tempestus infantry have Deep Strike, it's easy enough to load up the Repentia squads on their first turn. They then get a 24" move, and with 2 side hatches it's somewhat easier to project them into cover or dead ground. Here's an example: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8lLtWgGSLYI/U0x-TWzGFnI/AAAAAAAABJI/8omJyycQzpw/s1600/WP_20140414_003.jpg

 

So if you're running an allied det, you can get 3 transports and 2 of those will be ObSec. Small arms fire will cut Repentia to shreds but I figure against certain units pushing 250+ points (like Grav Cents, Missilesides, and Superheavies), you can lose an entire squad and still put them into a no-win situation.

 

Not exactly conventional but who dares wins, right?

[Ovar Da Mighty Pupy]

I have been using several allies, with a great success. 

 

Tempestus squads deep striking, combining plasmas and meltas. fluff-wise, check 9th Iotan Gorgonnes, they are actually a special regiment fighting alongside adepta sororitas. So MT seems a good fluffy choice.

 

Inquisition is obvious choice.

 

I have also used White scars. Not that fluffy, but since my sisters have white/red colour scheme, it looks nice on the table - and gravguns + MM sidecars are just awesome addition to sisters.

[ElectricPaladin]

Personally, I'm building a pan-Inquisition force. When/if the rumored Deathwatch supplement appears, I'll have Sisters and Ordo Hereticus, Grey Knights and Ordo Malleus, and Deathwatch and Ordo Xenos, together again for the first time!

[UncleB]

I cant help but want to ally with White Scars- Gets you the Chapter Master with Hunters Eye (ignores cover for squad relic) attached to a grav bike command, and use a bike squad to escort celestine.. And a drop pod for a 4HVYFlamer Ret squad... love it...

[Ironheaded]

MUST---SHOOT----NEW---- GENESTEALER CULTIST!