Adepta Sororitas Codex Review 9th Edition Podcast

In this episode of the Competitive Warhammer 40k Podcast we cover everything you need to know about the new Adepta Sororitas Codex. 

We cover the different ways to build an Adepta Sororitas army list, some of the more interesting Order choices as well as the top units, characters, abilities and stratagems. 

If you are a Adepta Sororitas player then you will find this episode really useful as there is so much to unpack in this awesome new codex and this episode will hopefully give you some great new combos and ideas to play with. 

If you are thinking about playing Adepta Sororitas then this episode will help break down what's good in the codex so that you have a good idea of where to start your collection. 

If you don’t play Adepta Sororitas then this episode will also give you a good idea of what to look out for on the tabletop when playing against them. 

If you like the show please remember to share with your friends, subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review.

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Show Notes

First Impressions

A great example of a well balanced Codex. Plenty of interesting choices but nothing feels brokenly strong. Although some of the more potent units of Codex’s past have taken a bit of a hit the power level is more broadly spread across the entire book.

It can play the game of 9th edition well and as we’ve seen in recent tournaments can even deal with Drukhari and other top tier factions.

What is the appeal with Adepta Sororitas?

• A close range fighting force - suits 9th edition well
• Good saves with low toughness
• Have ways of ensuring important dice rolls 
• Model range look incredible
• Morvenn Vahl

What you will need to play Adepta Sororitas

• Codex
• Book of Fire once it’s released

Faction specific benefits

Sacred Rites

After determining the mission you can either select one sacred rite or roll for two. There are other ways of manipulating them in game.

The Rites are:

1. Hand of the Emperor: Add 1 to advance and charge rolls
2. Spirit of the Martyr: When a model is destroyed by a melee attack roll a d6, on a 6 it deals a mortal wound up to a max of 6 per phase.
3. Aegis of the Emperor: Changes the Shield of Faith auto deny to a 5+ instead of a 6+
4. Divine Guidance: Gives ranged attacks +1 AP on a roll of 6
5. The Passion: 6’s to hit in melee score an additional hit
6. Light of the Emperor: Ignore modifiers to leadership and combat attrition

Acts of Faith (Miracle Dice)

Monofaction Bonus, they can be gained in a number of ways but most notably you gain one at the start of each battle round and whenever one of your Adepta Sororitas units destroys another unit or is themselves destroyed. This is limited to one per phase.

They can be used to replace a dice roll for:

• Advance
• Charge
• Hit
• Wound
• Damage
• Saving Throw
• Morale Test

Zealot

Reroll hit rolls for melee attacks in a turn where your unit charged, was charged or heroically intervened

Shield of Faith

Units gain a 6++ Invuln save and a free 1d6 deny for each unit (a 6 auto denies)

Order Convictions

Specific and custom

Standard set of subfactions

Decree Passive: One Canonness and One Missionary per detachment

Order Convictions: All Adepta Sororitas units with the ability gain a conviction as long as you only have units from one Order in a given detachment

Some units do not gain the benefits but also don’t stop the rest of your army gaining them either, they will have either the Outcast or Sanctified Keywords

Cult Imperialis and Agents of the Imperium can also be included without breaking the detachment benefits.

Each order gets 2 bullet point army wide rules

• A Warlord trait
• Relic 
• Stratagem

Order of Our Martyred Lady:

• Extra Miracle Dice for destroyed units
• +1 to hit for units under starting strength

W - Shield Bearer: -1 to damage taken, miracle dices become a 6 if this warlord kills a unit, for sacrifice in general and also when this warlord is destroyed

R - Martyr’s Vengeance: 12” strength 9. -4 AP inferno pistol that does d6+3 damage

S - Honour the Martyr’s - 1CP: When one of your characters is killed give your units +1 to wound against the unit that killed them

Order of the Valorous Heart

• Ignore mortals on a 5+
• Reduce AP by 1 from -1 or -2 AP weapons

W - Impervious to Pain: Regain 1 lost wound every time it performs an act of faith and gain a 5+++ feel no pain

R - Casket of Penance: 3” aura of -1 toughness to enemy units and if it’s affecting Chaos units it also gives them -1 strength

S - Blind Faith - 1CP: Use during shooting or fight phase, you can ignore all hit roll, ballistic skill and weapon skill modifiers

Order of the Bloody Rose

• Add 1 to the attacks of a unit if it charged, was charged or heroically intervened
• Improve the AP of melee attacks by 1 when the unit charged, was charged or heroically intervened

W - Blazing Ire: +1 attack and advance and charge for this warlord

R - Beneficence: Replaces a chainsword, +2 strength, -2 AP, 1 damage. The bearer makes 3 additional attacks and if there are 6 or more enemy models within 3” it makes d3+3 additional attacks.

S - Tear them down - 1CP: Unmodified hit rolls of 6 auto wound

Order of the Ebon Chalice

• Choose two sacred rites instead of rolling for two
• When performing an act of faith, discard a miracle dice, the dice you then use for the act counts as a 6

W - Terrible Knowledge: The Miracle dice you gain at the start of each battle round is automatically a 6 and roll a d6 each time you spend command points, on a 5+ one is refunded

R - Annunciation of the Creed: Replaces a Condemnor bolt gun, the stake mode has a bonus AP and does flat 3 mortals to a Psyker

S - Cleansing Flames - 1CP: Use in the shooting phase, get +4” to the range of flame weapons, and when attacking with a flame weapon an unmodified wound roll of 4+ causes a mortal wound in addition up to a max of 3.

Order of the Argent Shroud

• Counts as having remained stationary during shooting phase after moving or advancing
• Can reroll one hit or wound roll whenever a unit shoots or fights

W - Selfless Heroism: Allows for a 6” heroic intervention and grants fight first when in engagement range

R - Quicksilver Veil: Add 3” to their move characteristic, each time an attack is made against them they get -1 to hit

S - Faith is our Shield - 1CP: In any phase, ignore mortals on a 4+ on a unit

Order of the Sacred Rose

• Auto pass combat attrition tests
• When you use a miracle dice, roll a d6 and on a 4+ gain a miracle dice

W - Light of the Divine: Once per turn when this warlord performs an act of faith the miracle dice used is considered to be a 6. Gains a 6” aura of fall back and shoot for core units

R - Light of Saint Agnaetha: Replaces a brazier of holy fire with one that removes the once per game clause

S - The Emperor’s Judgement - 1CP: Shooting phase, 6’s to hit score an additional hit. 

Minoris Convictions:

Much like other 9th edition codexes you can mix and match army wide benefits to create your own Order. These can be selected freely apart from one or two that specify they can’t be taken together. 

Blessings of the Faithful - 

The usual set of character upgrades that we’ve been seeing in 9th.

Each blessing has an always on part and a once per game part called a Miraculous Ability which costs a miracle dice to use during your command phase and lasts until the next command phase. The Miracle dice used determines the miracle range of the ability, a 1 will grant 1”, a 2-5 a 3”and a 6 will give you the full 6”. These abilities are not classified as auras and therefore cannot be increased or turned off by abilities that affect auras.

Word of the Emperor 40pts: 

Passive: Choose a unit within 3” at the start of the fight phase. They fight last

Miraculous Ability: While an enemy unit is within miracle range of this model it cannot make invuln saves against friendly core/character units.

Rapturous Blows 25pts:

Passive: +1 Strength and Damage of this models melee weapons (excluding relics)

Miraculous Ability: While within miracle range of this model friendly core and character units do mortals in addition when rolling 6’s to wound

Divine Deliverance 15pts:

Passive: During your opponent's command phase, select an enemy unit within 6” and roll 3d6. If you beat it’s leadership you can disable one of its auras.

Miraculous Ability: When a core or character unit is within miracle range of this character if they destroy a unit with a ranged attack, subtract 1 from that unit's leadership characteristic up to a max of 3.

The Emperor’s Grace 20pts:

Passive: This model gains d3 lost wounds in each of your command phases

Miraculous Ability: While a friendly core or character unit is within miracle range enemy units cannot reroll hits, wounds or damage against them.

Righteous Judgement 25pts:

Passive: Ignore look out sir for this model's ranged attacks and unmodified 6’s to wound cause a mortal in addition.

Miraculous Ability: Each time a core or character model within miracle range makes a ranged attack against an enemy unit that unit does not gain the benefits of cover against that attack

Blinding Radiance 30pts: 

Passive: Subtract 1 from wound rolls from ranged attacks against this model

Miraculous Ability: When friendly core or character units are within miracle range, subtract 1 from hit rolls from ranged attacks against them

Hymns of Battle

Similar to chaplain litanies. Preachers know War Hymn, Missionaries know War Hymn and can pick one from the first three on the list and Dogmata can pick from any of them. The Dialogus also knows Hymns. 

War Hymn: One core, character or engine of redemption within 6” gets +1 attack.

Refrain of Blazing Piety: Select a visible enemy unit within 12” it suffers d3 mortal wounds or 3 if it has the Chaos keyword

Chorus of Spiritual fortitude: One core, character or engine of redemption within 6” stop being affected by psychic powers and any already affecting it stop doing so

Psalm of Righteous Smiting: Add 1 to the priests strength and attacks, improve the ap of non relic weapons by 1 and the priest can fight again if it’s within engagement range at the end of the fight phase

Litany of Enduring Faith: One adepta sororitas core or character within 6” has it’s invuln from shield of faith improved by 1 to a max of 4+.

Verse of Holy Piety: One adepta sororitas core or character within 6” gain a selected sacred rite that is no active for your army in addition to any others.

Catechism of Repugnance: Choose one adepta sororitas core or character within 6”, each time they make a ranged attack with a bolt weapon unmodified hit rolls of 6 auto wound and if within half range improve the ap of the attack by 1.

Codex Secondaries

The main standout ones are:

Sacred Grounds (Shadow Operations):

One Adepta Sororitas infantry or Cult Imperialis Priest can perform the following action ad the end of your movement phase if it is within range of an objective marker that has not already been consecrated by your army. 

The usual restrictions apply in terms of the unit needing to survive until your next command phase and not being able to perform the action if any non aircraft enemy units are within range of the objective. Once completed the objective gains the inspiring keyword and you gain 1 points if it’s within your deployment zone or 4 if it’s not.

Defend the Shrine (Battlefield Supremacy):

After both sides have finished deploying your opponent selects an objective not within their own deployment zone to be the Sacred Shrine. 

• You score 3 points at the end of your turn if you control that objective.
• You score 3 points at the end of the battle if you control that objective
• At the end of the battle reduce the number of VP you have scored from this objective by 3 if your opponent controls that objective 

The other two secondaries are tougher to score and require specific playstyles to do so which may conflict with the rest of your gameplan

Unit highlights

Characters

Morvenn Vahl

• Supreme commander, very strong in combat, full rerolls, once per game fight again. 
• Very durable 2+/4++ and half damage. 
• Aura that gives reroll 1’s for hits and wounds for CORE
• Can select one core or character unit for full rerolls

Junith Eruita

Ephrael Stern and Kyganil

• Ephrael’s attacks ignore invulns
• Both are -1 to hit and wound
• 4++

Troops

Battle Sisters

• Can be taken in blocks of 20

Elites

• Can still alter Miracle dice used by nearby units
• Can now sing Hymns

Dogmata

• Can allow CORE units to shoot whilst performing actions
• Can grant one Core unit a turn of ObSec (or double if they already have ObSec)

Hospitaller

• Gains a 6+ feel no pain aura for infantry
• Now a strat to res models

Celestians

• Elite battle sisters or Sacresants
• Sacresants are 2+/4++
• Strat to make the -1 to wound in the fight phase

What is the play style of the Adepta Sororitas

• Short ranged shooting and good melee
• Good mid-board pressure
• Fantastic flanking units - Repentia
• Reliable rolls thanks to Miracle Dice