Sororitas Dreadnoughts?

[Evil Eye]

Disclaimer: I know very little about the Sisters' fluff beyond what everybody knows (their origins in the Reign of Blood, the reason for them being all-female, etc) and in fact the first I heard of them was in Dawn of War: Soulstorm. I am a terrible person.

 

Anyway, it occurred to me that, whilst the Sisters have access to the Penitent Engine, which is very Dreadnought-esque, they don't seem to have any actual Dreadnoughts (beyond that one ancient metal model). This seems kind of strange to me, as I would have thought the whole "serving the Emperor beyond the clutches of death" thing would be a very Sistery thing to do. Would Sisters of Battle Dreadnoughts actually make sense fluff-wise? I don't know if they require the black carapace of a Space Marine to work properly- I would assume not, seeing as many Dreadnoughts' "pilots" have very little of their original bodies left inside their sarcophagi, so I assume the reason we haven't got SoB Dreadnoughts is due to GW not wanting the Sisters to be too much like "Space Marines BUT FEMALE!".

 

I suppose the more pressing question is, would Sororitas Dreadnoughts be something you lot would be interested in?

[BitsHammer]

Only one Sororitas dreadnought exists but there isn't any background to it's existence.

 

The Dreadnought likely just works better with Marine physiology than normal human bodies is all.

[Aqui]

Back in the day, there was a Dreadnought, which players had to kit bash. There were rules as well (I've been trying to find the images, but have failed so far), but it has been taken out of the Lore, so no, there aren't any.

 

It's an interesting idea though. A Battle Sister of a high rank (or even a Sister who has been elevated to that of a "Living Saint"...well, barely living. Perhaps someone who is as important as Katherine or one of her Sisters who founded the main Orders) who was/is that important to the Order or even to all Orders that she is given a Dreadnought to carry on fighting. Not sure if the idea would ever be revisited.

 

Edit: Found it. And non other than Ephrael Stern herself. But as I said, I doubt Sisters Dreadnoughts will ever be a thing again. That said, it has given me an idea for a Celestine counts as...

[Servant of Dante]

The level of awesome is conflicting with the level of non-fluffyness. I've never known how to feel about this

[Aqui]

The level of awesome is conflicting with the level of non-fluffyness. I've never known how to feel about this

I think the fact that it's Stern is what would cause the most conflict. Whilst she remained(s) a loyal Sister, others do not think so. Plus Sisters wouldn't have access to a Dreadnought Chassis even if they were inclined to inter a Sister. To be honest, I'm not sure how a typical Sister would feel about it.

[*Furyou Miko]

Ephrael Stern in a Dreadnought never made any sense either. But nor did Ephrael Stern as a counts-as-psyker-because-we're-not-bothered-to-write-special-rules, and that happened.

 

On the other hand, that thing has a multi-melta and a twin-liked heavy flamer powerfist.

 

I think the main reason for the lack of Sisters dreadnoughts is honestly that someone had the idea for the Penitent Engine, and decided they weren't really needed.

 

That and Sisters being what they are - that is to say, human - they tend to be a lot more likely to die from battlefield wounds than Space Marines or Techpriests. The odds of a Sister both being badly wounded enough that they need a Dreadnought, and living long enough to be interred in one are astronomical.

[Aqui]

Ephrael Stern in a Dreadnought never made any sense either. But nor did Ephrael Stern as a counts-as-psyker-because-we're-not-bothered-to-write-special-rules, and that happened.

On the other hand, that thing has a multi-melta and a twin-liked heavy flamer powerfist.

I think the main reason for the lack of Sisters dreadnoughts is honestly that someone had the idea for the Penitent Engine, and decided they weren't really needed.

That and Sisters being what they are - that is to say, human - they tend to be a lot more likely to die from battlefield wounds than Space Marines or Techpriests. The odds of a Sister both being badly wounded enough that they need a Dreadnought, and living long enough to be interred in one are astronomical.

The latter part is another reason, certainly. Dreadnought chassis' are rare enough for Chapters, having one nearby for a Sister, no matter how important she is, would be a miraculous event in itself.

Still, just think - A Sister Dreadnought with a Multimelta, Laud Hailer, powerfist and underslung flamer..!

[Servant of Dante]

The latter part is another reason, certainly. Dreadnought chassis' are rare enough for Chapters, having one nearby for a Sister, no matter how important she is, would be a miraculous event in itself.

Still, just think - A Sister Dreadnought with a Multimelta, Laud Hailer, powerfist and underslung flamer..!

Trust in the Emperor is all that is required!

Edit: welp, I had to look up Ephrael Stern. Haven't read Daemonifuge.

[ElectricPaladin]

Dreadnoughts only really work with Astartes physiology. Apparently, the procedure is so spectacularly painful that even Space Marines sometimes drop dead. That said, it seems like mortals ending up in dreadnought-like chassis is the sort of thing that you'd see a lot of during the Dark Age of Technology or Old Night. It's also the sort of thing that the Mechanicus and the Ecclesiarchy is unlikely to be too sanguine about.

 

That said, if you want to re-skin (and maybe kitbash) a penitent engine that is less "method of punishment and slow execution" and more "giant robot the Sororitas built to help them take on giant monsters" or even "it still hurts but it's temporary and you do it to prove your devotion," nobody is stopping you. That's the kind of thing that I can see some Orders doing.

 

Though, it's important to remember that the armies of the Imperium really aren't supposed to operate in a vacuum. If the Sororitas need mobile artillery or giant robot close combat support, they can call on the Imperial Knights, or the Imperial Guard, or the Space Marines. Every Imperial army doesn't need its own way to do all the same things - they have each other for that.

[BitsHammer]

 

The level of awesome is conflicting with the level of non-fluffyness. I've never known how to feel about this

I think the fact that it's Stern is what would cause the most conflict. Whilst she remained(s) a loyal Sister, others do not think so. Plus Sisters wouldn't have access to a Dreadnought Chassis even if they were inclined to inter a Sister. To be honest, I'm not sure how a typical Sister would feel about it.

Plus it implies the Thrice-Born could actually be mostly dead AND that something happened sometime after she left with an Eldar to go to the Black Librara (a destination we know she made it to since Stern's Codex made it there).

[dracpanzer]

With the Sisters being an Order who are actually HOPING TO DIE FOR THE EMPEROR the idea of a Sororitas Dread doesn't make any sense to me.

[Teetengee]

Would any orders have their repentia serve in penitent engines rather than walking?

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Would any orders have their repentia serve in penitent engines rather than walking?

I thought the Penitent Engines interred HERETICS, as those interred are brainwashed and/or lobotomized to launch suicide attacks. The Sisters Repentia do NOT require brainwashing or lobotomy to make them launch suicide attacks.

[Aqui]

 

Would any orders have their repentia serve in penitent engines rather than walking?

I thought the Penitent Engines interred HERETICS, as those interred are brainwashed and/or lobotomized to launch suicide attacks. The Sisters Repentia do NOT require brainwashing or lobotomy to make them launch suicide attacks.

 

That's what I thought. I don't think a Sister has ever done something so severe that required them to be plugged into a PE as a way to redeem themselves. The confusion might be that the model has both a male and female pilot included, the latter mistaken for a Sister rather than a regular citizen.

[Teetengee]

Oh, I understand the purpose of penitent engines, but considering the variation in practices between different sects both in real life and in the 40k universe, would it be that much of a stretch for there to be women in some orders who believed themselves deserving of such a fate (even if they likely weren't). Maybe an order so obsessed with purity that even the slightest deviations from expected behavior were severely (self-)punished?

[*Furyou Miko]

Individual Sisters might do it, probably without permission from their Superiors, but I doubt any Canoness or Superior would sanction such a thing. The next heretic to be strapped into the penitent engine does not deserve to be exposed to sthe anctified Sororitas blood that would remain on the engine's needles and knives.

[Minigiant]

This thread is good timing, I have just started working on my Sororitas count as Dreadnoughts

[Noeh]

This thread is good timing, I have just started working on my Sororitas count as Dreadnoughts

I just made a few dreadnought counts as Penitent Engines :D

[Minigiant]

This thread is good timing, I have just started working on my Sororitas count as Dreadnoughts

I just made a few dreadnought counts as Penitent Engines

I am using the SM codex

[Acebaur]

Ephrael Stern in a Dreadnought never made any sense either. But nor did Ephrael Stern as a counts-as-psyker-because-we're-not-bothered-to-write-special-rules, and that happened.

 

On the other hand, that thing has a multi-melta and a twin-liked heavy flamer powerfist.

 

I think the main reason for the lack of Sisters dreadnoughts is honestly that someone had the idea for the Penitent Engine, and decided they weren't really needed.

 

That and Sisters being what they are - that is to say, human - they tend to be a lot more likely to die from battlefield wounds than Space Marines or Techpriests. The odds of a Sister both being badly wounded enough that they need a Dreadnought, and living long enough to be interred in one are astronomical.

 

That and part of the reason that Marines are chosen to be interred in a dreadnought is that they are heroes of the chapter with centuries of battlefield experience that the chapter does not want to lose. 

[Master Antaeus]

It doesn't work because of martyrdom.  It wouldn't be much of a sacrifice if the hospitalers could take your brain and spine and throw it in a dreadnought.

[*Furyou Miko]

This thread is good timing, I have just started working on my Sororitas count as Dreadnoughts

I just made a few dreadnought counts as Penitent Engines

I am using the SM codex

>> You're missing out.

[Noeh]

This thread is good timing, I have just started working on my Sororitas count as Dreadnoughts

I just made a few dreadnought counts as Penitent Engines

I am using the SM codex

>> You're missing out.

Psh..I'm using sisters and space wolves. Just thought I would make up for some of the normal weaknesses with a few things to mix it up. So far nobody has really known how to handle my army. They think it's sisters but then I go rather heavy on close combat...and then they try to kill my rhinos buuuuut shield of faith saves them. :D

[*Furyou Miko]

Ooh, allies. That's different. XD Thought you meant you were just using SM rules to represent your Sisters.

[Minigiant]

Ooh, allies. That's different. XD Thought you meant you were just using SM rules to represent your Sisters.

Oh I am