Chapter IV:

Adepta Sororitas
“By bolter shell, flamer burst and melta blast, the mutant, the heretic and the traitor alike are
cleansed of their sin of existence. So has it been for five millennia, so shall it be unto the end of time.”
– Words of Devotion, Verses IV-V, Chapter X, Volume LII

Legends say that in the final moments of the Reign
of Blood, Alicia Dominica, leader of the warrior
Daughters of the Emperor, stood before the Gold-
en Throne with a select few trusted of her order.
There they received the Light of the Emperor,
filling them with terrible purpose to defy the ty-
rant who had taken control of the Ecclesiarchy
and instigated the worst civil war since the Horus
Heresy. When they emerged from that most holy
chamber, they carried His righteous fire within
them. Dominica descended upon the treacherous
High Lord Vandire and ended his terrible Reign
along with his life.
In the Reformation that followed, the Decree
Passive was enacted to forbid the Adeptus Minis-
torum from controlling any men under arms, and
thus prevent the Ecclesiarchy from threatening
the Adeptus Administratum’s rule over the Im-
perium. The all-female Daughters were deemed
exempt, though, and became the Orders Militant
of the Adepta Sororitas—a powerful presence to
ensure the will of the Ecclesiarchy was enacted
faithfully. The fierce devotion of the Sisters to their
Emperor has ended many a threat from within the
Imperium since those dark days. No heretic can
stand against their zeal.

78 Chapter IV - Adepta Sororitas

This chapter provides advice and gameplay me-
chanics for creating and playing as sisters of the
Adepta Sororitas. Gameplay mechanics for creat-
ing characters from both militant and non-mili-
tant orders are detailed.
As outlined in Chapter I: Elite Level Play, it's
important to be aware that creating a Battle Sister
requires 80 experience points for the relevant Elite
Advance. Orders non-militant characters require
55 experience points. While technically this would
allow a character to purchase these elite advanc-
es with the starting experience points from their
Home World, it's recommended that GMs do not
allow this. Investing such a substantial chunk of
starting experience severely limits a player's ability
Agents of the Inquisition are often exceptions
to purchase characteristics during character cre-
to the norm however, and not all Sisters are cut
ation, and Battle Sisters in particular can be quite
from the same cloth. In rare circumstances, Sis-
overpowered compared to their comrades at such
ters might be drawn from outside organisations,
a low level of experience, due to their free access to
in particular the ranks of the servants of the In-
powerful wargear. It's also worth noting that cre-
quisition, although this is relatively unusual and
ating a Battle Sister requires a minimum Renown
only undertaken following lengthy consideration.
score of 6, although non-militant sisters have no
Some worlds particularly loyal to the Emperor,
such restriction.
such as Shrine Worlds, are also used as recruiting
Creating Sororitas grounds for Sororitas on rare occasions. Due to the
exceptional nature of non-Schola recruitment, any
Characters Home World choice other than the Schola Proge-
Unlike Space Marines, Adepta Sororitas char- nium should be discussed with and approved by
acters largely follow the character creation rules the GM.
outlined in the Dark Heresy Core Rulebook. The
only difference is that you must purchase the rel-
Career
evant Elite Advance, detailed later in this chapter. Adepta Sororitas characters can use any career in
However, there are some guidelines worth consid- the Dark Heresy Core Rulebook. However, there
ering when making an Adepta Sororitas character. are some which make for a particularly appropri-
ate fit.
Home World
Sisters of Battle fit well into the Crusader, Fanat-
The majority of recruits into the Adepta Sorori-
ic, Heirophant and Militant careers. Sisters of the
tas are drawn from the Schola Progenium, having
Orders Hospitaller are a natural fit for the Chiru-
been identified by the Drill Abbesses as suitable
geon career. Orders Dialogus characters often fit
candidates from an early age. As such, the Schola
best into the Sage career, while Orders Famulous
Progenium is the default Home World choice for
characters make good Heirophants.
Adepta Sororitas characters.

79
Chapter IV - Adepta Sororitas

Sororitas and
Equipment
As devout servants of the Emperor, Adepta So-
roritas have little regard for personal possessions.
They utilise different gameplay mechanics to ac-
cess equipment, compared to typical Acolytes.
Sisters of Battle
Battle Sisters utilise the rules for Elite Acquisi-
tions detailed in Chapter VII: Elite Armoury
to acquire equipment. Typically a Sister of Battle
will not attempt to accumulate wealth in any way,
and won't purchase equipment, relying on the ar-
moury of her convent. A Battle Sister ignores any
money gained during character creation, instead
selecting her equipment from the Chambers Mil-
itant armoury.
Sisters Non-Militant
Non-militant Sororitas may acquire equipment
and thrones as per usual, although much like Bat-
tle Sisters they rarely focus on the accumulation of
wealth. They are expected to be more self sufficient
than Battle Sisters, due to long periods spent away
from their Order.
80 Chapter IV - Adepta Sororitas
Non-militant Sisters may use the same Influ-
ence systems regular Acolytes have access to in
order to acquire equipment, and can accumulate
thrones and purchase gear with them as usual.
On top of the usual systems of acquiring equip-
ment, members of the non-militant Orders may
access equipment from the Sororitas armoury us-
ing the Elite Acquisitions rules detailed in Chap-
ter VII: Elite Armoury. However, they count
the Requisition value of any such equipment as 1
higher (this means that items with a score of "-"
increase to 1).
The only exception to the above rule is equip-
ment specific to their role, such as the Dialogus
staff for sisters of the Orders Dialogus, or the med-
ical tools of a Sister Hospitaller, which remain at
no Requisition Point cost. Additionally, all Soror-
itas characters have access to a Chaplet Ecclessiar-
citus for free, and ignore any restrictions on Rarity
to acquire this item.
Elite Advance: Sister of Battle
The Sisters of Battle represent some of the dead- er characters; see Chapter VI: Faith and Fury
liest and most fanatical warriors humanity can for details.
muster, and any members of the Adepta Sororitas • Unwavering: Adepta Sororitas characters do
who reach this lofty rank are fighters of renown not upgrade the difficulty of fear checks due to
amongst their order. Clad in power armour and a foe's Daemonic trait. Additionally, they may
adamantine faith, they smite the foes of the Eccle- spend a story point to ignore a fear check en-
siarchy, driven on by their unwavering zeal. While tirely (this must be done before any rolls are
few can stand in the path of these holy warriors, made).
the effect their actions have on the populace is as • Combat Doctrine: Sisters of Battle gain one
great as their strength of arms. The might of the rank in Athletics, Discipline, and Ranged
Sisters of Battle lies not only in their martial prow- (Heavy) . This may result in their skills being
ess, but also in the sacred dread they evoke in all elevated beyond rank 2 during character
who bear witness to their crusades. creation.
Sister of Battle Abilities
Cost: 80 XP
Restrictions: Must be selected during character
creation. Party must be Renown 6 or higher.
• Incorruptible Devotion: Whenever an Adep-
ta Sororitas character would develop a malig-
nancy due to accumulating too much Corrup-
tion, they instead develop a mental trauma.
• Pure Faith: Adepta Sororitas characters may
acquire Faith Powers at a lesser cost than oth-

Power Level
While Space Marine characters
require a very significant XP investment
in order to be playable, Sisters of Battle can
be included in much lower powered groups
(although a Renown minimum of 6 does
apply).
This can present some challenges for
balancing the game effectively, as they can
access more powerful arms and armour
than their Acolyte comrades. Players
should seek their GM's permission
before creating a Battle Sister
character.

81
Chapter IV - Adepta Sororitas
 Elite Advance: Sister Non-Militant
The Daughters of the Emperor were more than a
community of warriors, and devoted themselves
to a wide range of disciplines by which they could
serve the God-Emperor. Many of these disciplines
survived the Age of Apostasy, and have been fur-
ther developed by the Adepta Sororitas through
specialised categories of non-militant Orders.
Common examples of such Sisters include the
scholars of the Orders Dialogus, the diplomat ad-
visers of the Orders Famulous, and the battlefield
chirugeons of the Orders Hospitaller.
Sister Non-Militant
Abilities
Cost: 55 XP
Restrictions: Must be selected during character
creation.
82 Chapter IV - Adepta Sororitas
• Incorruptible Devotion: Whenever an Adep-
ta Sororitas character would develop a malig-
nancy due to accumulating too much Corrup-
tion, they instead develop a mental trauma.
• Pure Faith: Adepta Sororitas characters may
acquire Faith Powers at a lesser cost than oth-
er characters; see Chapter VI: Faith and Fury
for details.
• Unwavering: Adepta Sororitas characters do
not upgrade the difficulty of fear checks due to
a foe's Daemonic trait. Additionally, they may
spend a story point to ignore a fear check en-
tirely (this must be done before any rolls are
made).