Praying Mantis: Adepta Sororitas vs Tyranids

 It's been a while, but I'm back among the batreps!

It's been a while but I, Stylus, finally have a bit of spare hobby time, not only to play a regular 40k battle report, but to actually write it up.

And this was a corker - my brand new Sisters of Battle against Rapid's Tyranids (complete with their brand new codex!)

Adepta Sororitas: The Order of the Blessed Saint Daphne

It's Order of the Bloody Rose all the way for me, so my Sororitas list is pretty punchy. That said, there's some pretty good firepower on balance too (as this is a Hobbypocalypse army, each month is a different selection). The one thing I am missing is psychic powers - other than my innate Deny the Witch.

Battalion Detachment - Bloody Rose

• Prudence - Canoness (HQ) (Warlord)
  Blessed Blade, Condemnor Boltgun, Frag and Krak grenades
  Warlord: Righteos Rage
  Relic: Mantle of Ophelia
• Faith - Palatine (HQ)
  Power sword, Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak grenades
• 5 x Battle Sister Squad (Troops)
  Power sword, Bolt Pistol, 4 x Boltguns, Ministorum Flamer
• 5 x Battle Sister Squad (Troops)
  Chainsword, Bolt Pistol, 4 x Boltguns, Meltagun
• 5 x Battle Sister Squad (Troops)
  Chainsword, Bolt Pistol, 4 x Boltguns, Heavy Bolter
• Temperance - Repentia Superior (no org slot)
  Neural Whips, Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak grenades
  Saint In The Making: Indomitable Belief
• 9 x Sisters Repentia (Elite)
  Penitent Eviscerator
• 6 x Sisters Repentia (Elite)
  Penitent Eviscerator
• 5 x Dominion Squad (Fast)
  Chainsword, Boltgun, Bolt Pistol, 4 x Artificer-crafted Stormbolter, Frag and Krak grenades
• 5 x Retributor Squad (Heavy)
  Boltgun, Bolt Pistol, 4 x Multi-meltas
• Immolator (Transport)
  Immolation Flamers, Heavy Bolter, Hunter-Killer missile
• Sororitas Rhino (Transport)
  Stormbolter, Hunter-Killer missile

Tyranids

Battalion Detachment - Unstoppable Swarm, Territorial Instincts

• Tervigon (HQ) (Warlord)
  Massive Scything Talons, Stinger Salvoes
  Powers: Neuroparasite
  Warlord: Adaptive Biology
  Relic: The maw-claws of Thyrax
• Neurothrope (HQ)
  Powers: Neuroparasite, Psychic Scream
• 15 x Termagants (Troops)
  Fleshborers
• 3 x Tyranid Warriors (Troops)
  Devourer, Lash Whip and Bonesword
• 3 x Tyranid Warriors (Troops)
  Devourer, Lash Whip and Bonesword
• Zoanthrope (Elite)
  Powers: Psychic Scream
• Carnifex (Heavy)
  Spore Cysts, Toxin Sacs, 2 x Carnifex Scything Talons
• Harpy (Flyer)
  2 x Stranglethorn Canon, Scything Wings, Stinger Salvoes

Mission and Deployment

We were playing from the Open War deck (which, despite the advent of Tempest of War, remains my favourite way to play), and it threw out a corker.

The mission was Stand Off, which is a fairly standard scenario of three objectives, one in the centre and one in our respective deployment zones. At the end of the turn, you score 1VP for your own objective, 2VP for the centre and 3VP for your opponent's.

The wrinkle was that we also drew a deployment map that put the defender in an 18" strip across the width of the table, and the attacker on two deployment zones along the short edge.

This meant that, with two objectives in their deployment, the defender would rack up an early lead. But with 12" gaps between deployment, the first turn could be carnage. As a twist, we also rolled Hatred, so to reroll 1s to wound the closest model, which would help everyone (Sisters to punch through that thick chitin, Tyranids to ensure their big attacks hit home).

I won the roll-off and, because it seemed appropriate, had the Sisters occupying the ruined abbey in the centre while the Tyranids swept in from all sides.

I put two squads of Battle Sisters on the central objective, with another on my home objective. Canoness Prudence and Palatine Faith also held the centre, along with a Rhino filled with Dominions and Retributors. The Immolator went on the southern flank, filled with six Repentia.

The other nine Repentia and their Superior went on the norther flank, ready to rush the eastern Tyranid deployment zone and their objective.

The Tyranids split their deployment across both ends. Along the western flank went the Neurothrope, Zoanthrope and Carnifex, with the Harpy in the corner, flapping its wings for a first pass.

Along the eastern flank, one pack of Tyranid Warriors hid behind the rocks, while the other Warriors sat on the home objective, along with the Tervigon and her brood of Termagants.

I won the roll-off and gratefully too the first turn!

Turn 1

Before the fun begin, there was some new codex admin to take care of: the Tyranids now have a Synaptic Imperative ability - basically a one-off effect that applies to all synapse creatures, but a different one to choose for each type. Rapid began with the Zoanthrope's Warp Shielding, which gives every monster in 6" of a synapse model a 4+ invulnerable save, and every other creature a 5+ invulnerable save (anyone would think he was facing meltas!)

The Immolator moves cautiously along the southern flank, and I use the Cleansed By Fire stratagem to maximise its Immolation Flamer shots, burning away two of the Tyranid Warriors.

Pushing against the western attack, the Rhino handbrake turns and unloads its passengers. Desperate to remove the Zoanthropes (Rapid's explained to me what they can do!), I use the Blessed Bolts stratagem to inflict 6 mortal wounds from my artificer-crafted stormbolters and take out half the unit. The remaining shots are heavy going, but I persevere with every small-arms shot I have, and just about manage to take out the unit.

I'm not so blessed with the Retributors. They unload their multi-meltas into the Carnifex, but only manage to score two wounding shots - both of which are saved by the 4+ invulnerable (life-saving synaptic imperative there!), so the beastie isn't even scratched.

The last of my alpha strike units is the Repentia, who charge pell-mell towards the Tervigon's brood. It's an easy charge, but I don't try to slingshot around into the objective (with the Territorial Instincts biomorphology in effect, everything, including the Tervigon, has objective secured, so I'm not taking it from them).

Instead, the Repentia do what they do best, and just try to kill things. However, there's another fly in the ointment: Rapid plays the Reinforced Hive Node stratagem, which reduces my 2 damage eviscerators by 1. This leaves me with some decisions to make about how to split my attacks (since the Warriors now need twice as many wounds inflicted) between Warriors and Termagants.

I end up wiping out the Warriors (with almost twice as many wounds as I needed) but only take out two-thirds of the Termagant pack (gee, I hope they won't spawn back or anything...)

On the Tyranid first turn, they respond with equal brutality. The surviving Termagants fall back and Rapid plays the Endless Swarm stratagem to fill out their numbers, while adding the Tervigon's 'bonus' unit of Termagants onto the home objective.

They unload fleshborers and stinger salvoes into the Repentia, felling eight of them, then the Tervigon charges in to deal with the last one and her Superior. Incredibly, the final Repentia makes all but one of her invulnerable saves, then shrugs the two wounds that get through. The Emperor protects! (although he must have been distracted immediately afterwards when the Repentia misses all her attacks and fails morale).

On the other side of the battlefield, the pushback is even more brutal. The Neurothrope blasts away the luckless Retributors with a single super-Smite, and the Harpy dive-bombs the Rhino, knocking off some wounds, then guns down half the Dominions, before the Carnifex runs them down.

Big damage inflicted on both sides - quite the first turn!

Adepta Sororitas 3 : 1 Tyranids

Turn 2

Having lost most of my offensive weapons, it's a scramble for me to hold what I have. Ignoring the Neurothope and Harpy, the Canoness, Palatine and melta Squad all pile into the Carnifex. I was confident about taking it down, until I learned about it's damage-reduction ability and it survives on a couple of wounds. 

It turns its claws on the Battle Sisters squad (since, if they're gone, it will secure the objective), but one Sister survives (and my low-rolling Miracle dice will allow me to pass that morale test)

Deprived of her flock, the Repentia Superior falls back into the ruins, and the Immolator races to support her, gunning down the last Tyranid Warrior and failing to burn away the pack of Termagants on the objective.

The other two Battle Sisters squads continue the whack-a-mole game of gunning down Termagants, only to have them respawn.

In the Tyranid turn, the Neurothrope blasts away the last surviving Sister with the melta gun. The Harpy strafes the Immolator, and I proceed to fail every save and the vehicle is destroyed (I must remember to use Miracle dice for this sort of thing). The Repentia spill out of the wreck, only to be gunned down by Termagant small-arms.

The Repentia Superior can only look on in horror, although she survives all the shots thrown at her (we were using the Armour of Contempt rules and they were paying off), although a robust charge from the Tervigon finishes her off.

The Carnifex elects to fall out of combat, but the only way it can leave combat and stay on the objective is to remain within heroic intervention range of the characters. The Canoness accepts the challenge and chops him down with her blessed blade.

The Sisters are racking up the points, but down to characters and troops now.

Adepta Sororitas 6 : 2 Tyranids

Turn 3

I have no hope of grabbing the enemy objective. All I can do this turn is spread out what I have: the two remaining squads try to cover both objectives, while the Canoness runs off swat the Neurothrope.

The Tyranids begin with respawning (both Termagants are now at full strength), although in the absence of the Neurothrope, the psychic phase is a bust as the Tervigon rolls a Perils and damages herself.

With nothing left in the western flank, the whole of the eastern side moves forward (leaving a pack of Termagants to guard their home objective) to grab points before the game ends.

There's little else to shoot, although the Tervion manages to wipe out one of my Battle Sisters squads (I rolled abominable for their armour saves).

The Harpy goes into hover mode and shoots down the Palatine instead. It's all over the Sisters' home objective, but it will need a ground-based bug to secure it.

Adepta Sororitas 9 : 3 Tyranids

Turn 4

While the Sororitas hunker down, the Tyranids move onto the central objective, wiping out the Battle Sisters squad that was defending it.

The Canoness sees the Harpy circling overhead and jumps into the damaged Rhino for cover.

Not to denied, the Harpy detonates the Rhino instead. As the Canoness jumps clear, the driver detonates the prometheum tanks and it explodes, injuring the Harpy and Tervigon.

Adepta Sororitas 10 : 6 Tyranids

Turn 5

The last Sororitas on the field, the Canoness goes for glory and charges the Tervigon.

Using her Righteous Rage ability, I reroll all my attacks to secure some more 6s (which explode into extra attacks, due to The Passion sacred rite). I score more than enough wounds to kill the big bug, but then Rapid rolls uncharacteristically well (which is to say, average) for his invulnerable and shrug saves, and the big beast survives.

An advance onto the Sisters' objective and a Smite for the Canoness is all it takes to end the battle and the field belongs to the Tyranids!

Adepta Sororitas 10 : 12 Tyranids

Locker Room

Fantastic game! I'm enjoying the Sisters of Battle, although there's clearly a lot more for me to learn about them. Playing them as melee-focussed seems to accentuate their hit-hard/die easy style, and I should master when and how to use Miracle dice (particularly as I get a lot more of them now).

There's even more to learn about fighting these new Tyranids, and I think that would have affected my target priority in the first turn - killing all the Termagants dead for one. Another would have been to put my multi-metlas into the Harpy (which wasn't in synapse imperative range) rather than the Carnifex. There's clearly a lot of tricks to be had, and it was great fun facing Rapid's beautifully-painted bugs,