Greetings, I am running an online Deathwatch campaign, but have introduced some Sisters of Battle into it, which brings me here with a question. How would an SoB react to being healed with a psychic power by a Space Marine? Being Witchhunters of Ordo Hereticus, would they be horrified at the thought of being touched by the Warp or would they have a lesser reaction? Thanks!

Nice questions:

Since the Sister of Battle do not hunt down Sanctioned Psykers, I assume that they would not revult against being healed by a Sanctioned Psyker. They might feel bad about it, so.

Base on this assumption, I say "no problem".

Of course, such topics are (in the end) " every Sister for herself". Some of them might VERY WELL be upset even by the idea of such an act.

GENERALLY:
As long as I do not have a rule in a book that says "this pc will never do such a thing", I leave it up to the player.

Hah, I have just the same "issue" in my current DH game! Fortunately for the Witch, inquisitorial secrecy and a certain lack of communication regarding the individual Acolytes' backgrounds have so far hidden his taint from the watchful eyes of Sister Elana, and the few acts of witchcraft he has pulled off so far were hidden enough to escape the others' notice in the heat of battle. I am looking forward to the roleplaying that will ensue if his secret ever comes out, though!

Anyways: Even Sanctioned Psykers are commonly regarded as a "necessary evil" in the Imperium, and when this already applies to the common men, the Ecclesiarchy likely holds an even more extreme point of view. Furthermore, some Sisters also act as wardens on the Black Ships, likely leading to an even more polarized view than their dogmatic view on purity in both body and soul already decrees. Hence, it is my opinion that a Sister would react quite irritated at the thought of being touched by the warp. As her faith will now conflict with her sense of duty, she will likely not freak out and attempt to kill the psyker where he stands (especially if it was a Marine), but a hostile reaction would still seem appropriate, ranging from voicing her protest and demanding that the witch shall never touch her again, be it with his hands or his mind, up to (depending on the characters in question and the circumstances) giving him a short-tempered punch with a power-armoured gauntlet. A few (not too many, and it should depend on the character's previous "exposure" to psychic phenomena) Insanity points might be a suitable effect to such a shocking revelation as well.

After the mission's conclusion, the Sister will likely go into a period of meditation, prayer and self-mortification to remove the taint she feels has befallen her, and to chastise herself for not having avoided it in the first place. If you want your character to take the Repentia advance, this could even become a good hook for doing so.

You do have some leeway depending on your Sister's personality (and your personal interpretation of the fluff as a player), though, so feel free to use what seems most fitting for either your character or your campaign!

Finally, let me finish with a small excerpt from the Black Library novel "Faith and Fire" by James Swallow that may well serve as inspiration:

---

"This vexes me, Sister Superior", said Iona, her frown deepening beneath her hood. "What is our cause if not to take the psyker to task for his witchery, to show the Emperor's displeasure?" She looked as if she wanted to spit. "That we are called upon to... to associate with this mutant is enough to make my stomach turn. There is a part of me that wants to contact the captain and order him to take that abomination from the Emperor's sky."

Miriya gave her a sharp look. "Have a care, Sister. You and I may detest these creatures, but in their wisdom, the servants of the Throne see fit to use these pitiful wretches in His name. As much as that may sicken us, we cannot refuse a command that comes from the highest levels of the Ecclesiarchy."

The answer was not nearly enough to satisfy Iona's disquiet. "How can such things go on, I ask you? The psyker is our mortal enemy-"

Iona's commander silenced her with a raised hand. "The witch is our enemy, Sister. The psyker is a tool. Only the untrained and the wild are a threat to the Imperium." Miriya's eyes narrowed. "You have never served as I have, Iona. For two full years I was a warden aboard one of those blighted vessels. On the darkest nights, the things I saw there still haunt me so..." She forced the memories away. "This is how the God-Emperor tests the faithful, Sister. He shows us our greatest fears and has us overcome them."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Iona spoke again. "We are taught in the earliest days of our indoctrination that those cursed with the psychic mark in their blood are living gateways to Chaos. All of them, Sister Superior, not just the ones who eschew the worship of the Golden Throne. One single slip and even the most devout will fall, and open the way to the warp!"

Miriya raised an eyebrow. It was perhaps the most passion she had ever seen the dour woman display. "That is why we are here. Since the Age of Apostasy, we and all our Sister Sororitas have stood at the gates to hell and barred the witchkin. As the mutant falls, so does the traitor, so does the witch." She placed a hand on Iona's shoulder. "Ask yourself this, Sister. Who else could be called forth to accomplish what we shall do today?" Miriya's face split in a wry smile. "The men of the Imperial Navy or the Guard? They would be dead in moments from the shock. The Adeptus Astartes? Those abhumans willingly welcome psykers into their own ranks." She shook her head ruefully. "No, Iona, only we, the Sisters of Battle, can stand sentinel here." The woman patted her pistol holster. "And mark me well, if but one of those misbegotten wretches steps out of line, then we will show them the burning purity of our censure."

Awesome replies! Thanks, kindly. As the Sister in this case is an NPC, I'm leaning to have her reaction a little more on the extreme side.

Cheers!

I would take this approach as I also run an NPC Sister in my DH game. If the psyker were sanctioned she won't react violently but would likely verbally rebuke him for doing so. If it was a Space Marine librarian then she would behave differently and might even thank him because he is one of the Emperor's chosen.

Just as a side question, if this is a Librarian who is healing, are you using the Deathwatch rules, or some alternate psychic system? As this would also imply that this is a rank 5 Ultramarine librarian (or some variant chapter), as I don't think there are any other healing powers in that system.

One thing that sticks out for me is a sanctioned psyker has been judged by THE FRICKING EMPORER and found to be worthy. Hence they are Sanctioned Psykers - a valuable resource of the Imperium, and not Witches . Would a SOB presume to second-guess the Emporer? I don't think so.

The SOBs on the Black Ships not only see the psykera going to Terra, but they also see the few who return, so they would have some sort of grasp that not all psykers are tainted and that these individuals who come back are somehow special.

Other than that, I pretty much agree with what Gregorius said, re. each Sister being an individual. If in doubt, just have the SOB respectfully decline (because being rude to a space marine librarian probaly isn't such a great career / long-term-health move).

And Lynata, thanks, you are as always a veritiable font of information about the Sisters which is I dare say is appreciated by all.

Still on topic re. "What would a Sister do?", our SOB player has been away for two sessions and my Assassin is now sporting a lovely new suit of shiney black xeno mesh. I'm not sure which race made it but it is definitely xeno. Should I be worried about her reaction? (I can probably beat her up anyway if she chooses to go there te-he).

Zakalwe said:

Well, from this perspective, Psykers should be accepted by all and everyone in the entire Imperium. Especially the Ecclesiarchy.
I don't think that reasoning applies. The psychic gene is a curse - Sanctioning just means a stay of execution. Until the psyker starts to show aberrant behavior. Maybe it's yet another matter of in-universe interpretation: Sanctioning doesn't mean the Emperor would like them, just that he accepted them. His servants do not need to, nay, should not want to do more!

If the Imperial populace would really differentiate between Sanctioned and Unsanctioned Psykers, the bias would only affect the latter, whilst the former would be seen as a blessing and a welcome sight amongst Imperial troops. Quite a heretical thought!

In the end, Swallow's interpretation in the novels strikes me as suitable. Psykers are a gateway to the warp, Sanctioned or not.

But of course, all of this are mere suggestions and personal conclusions - I do not think there's an actual GW studio material paragraph somewhere saying that Sisters specifically dislike Sanctioned Psykers, so interpretations will vary!

Zakalwe said:

I don't really think there is much to worry in that particular case. Depending on the character, she could very well dislike your character's decision to don "impure" materials and forego Imperial equipment and you might see a drop in both characters' relationship, but in the end, xeno mesh, while alien, doesn't really strike me as extreme.

Actually, does it even look alien? I don't suppose there's a "xenos-made" tag somewhere on your back, so this may well be something that the Sister won't notice...

The question of whether this particular suit was truly made by alien creatures or is an Imperial replica of said technology might be of importance, too. The Ecclesiarchy runs its own Technology Purification Centre in the Convent Sanctorum, and some of the Sisterhood's Orders Pronatus are tasked not only with the retrieval and investigation of archaeo-human but also xenos technology (leading to a nice rivalry with Mechanicus explorator fleets, even if most discoveries eventually end up in the hands of the Ad-Mech either way). So there actually is a chance to have this kind of stuff judged safe for use.

If you're interested in preserving a good relationship with that Sororitas character, or if your Assassin is a believer in the Imperial Creed, maybe you can ask an (NPC) cleric to sanction it?

Zakalwe said:

Thanks right back! To be honest, I really appreciate these topics as a chance to discuss one of my favorite factions. They're far too scarce.

Due to the small profile the Sisters occupy in the franchise, what little exists in terms of fluff (both studio as well as licensee material) has been spread out amongst a dozen sources, half of which aren't even available anymore. I tend to believe that this information needs to be spread, not in the least because this may well affect their "public image". So in a way this is in my own interest!

Speaking of interest: If you want, I can re-upload my copy of the so-called "Sisters bible" - a zip file full of summarized studio fluff (including stuff such as some of their rules or heroic deeds, extended descriptions of their various Orders, a glimpse at their training, the actual pattern name of their armour, etc.), half of which coming from old White Dwarf articles and other sources you'd have a hard time finding now. It originated from within the old and large SoB yahoo!-group, but comes with a list of the official material that served as sources.

Thanks for the advice Lynata. I'm actually thinking now that the redemptionist cleric will be more of a problem as the SOB has taken a very pragmatic approach to the varied party composition so far, and to date it hasn't taken much to cause the Cleric to draw chainsword and start swinging.

If you do upload the SOB file I'll gladly add it to my library with thanks, but don't know that I would have an immediate use for it. I haven't played the TT and I tend to project my (rather) secular view onto DH without even meaning too.

Don't get me wrong though, I would LOVE to play a Dune-style Sister Famulous if I ever got the chance: They are totally Bene Gesserit, and the Bene Gesserit are cool.

As for my Assassin and the Imperial Creed, he is a feral worlder raised as a beast hunter / night stalker with stories of the Emporer's legendary sky warriors. The world he comes from is a space marine tithe world, and he was taken away as part of the tithe. Sadly he didn't make the cut as he only has a meager 21WP. (He has a decent INT though, so I rationalise that as him believing/actively practicing that discretion is the better part of valour -"Jungo no good to Emporer if Jungo dead" ha!) Lucky for him, an Inquisitor having business with the space marine chapter stepped in and said "I'll take that one thank you" and he has served the Emporer faithfully ever since. He belives in the Emporer as the savoiur of humanity, but hasn't really had any exposure to the Imperial Creed beyond the Cleric and SOB PCs, and the tribal Imperial Cult from his home which was essentially all about the Emporer and being a bad ass, didn't feature the church, and is possibly heretical in the eyes of the ecclesiarchy (the SMs in question don't care, they are only concerned that the natives venerate the Emporer as humanities greatest warrior and are tough mofos). He is actually quite confused about the ecclesiarchy thing, and really doesn't think much of the Redemptionist Cleric beyond said Cleric's party role as cannon fodder .

Once again, cheers.

Zakalwe said:

Heh! Yes, I think that is one of the ironic things in the universe. Sororitas are pretty fanatic and dogmatic, but in some way still somewhat rational due to their "controlled" environment and upbringing. Clerics on the other hand can cover the whole range from scheming politicians to benevolent shepherds to true maniacs. Your party's Cleric sounds like he'd belong to the latter, though there's nothing particularly wrong with that; on the contrary..

As for your Assassin and the general party constellation, I'd see a lot of room for excellent roleplaying there, with the religious characters possibly trying to "recruit" you for their faith. That definitively has some potential, regardless of the actual outcome!

Reminding everyone that the view on psykers are different in different parts of the imperium.

Sanctioned means "accepted for use" and while a sanctioned psyker is a very valued tool, they remain aware of the danger their mere pressence pose, as do most other people around them. The average imperial is taught to fear and hate the wyrd, but know not to mess with the people in power.

A psyker, despite being sactioned, is still a warpbreach waiting to happen, hence the mandatory carrying of a knife meant for suicide (This also applies to Librarians if my memory serves).

Some psykers hold that the psyker-gene is not a curse, but a blessing, bringing them closer to the Emperor since he himself was a psyker.

However, since this thread is called what would a SOB do, calling the emperor a psyker, might not be the best sollution to the problem

In fact I dare say that the any psyker would stand a higher chance of survival if burned the words "Go suck it Bolter *******!" into the doorframe of the local Adepta Shrine, than he would do if as much as drew air into his lungs, with the intend to say "The emperor was a psyker".

Nearyn said:

+1 internets for you, sir

The Priest in my party used to flatly refuse psychic healing from the party's Psyker. It wasn't until about third level that he became comfortable enough around the Psyker to allow him to "flood his body with warp energy" to heal wounds.

Marine Librarians dont heal or fix anything. Problem solved!

Come to think of it, you could also see the refusal against any kind of warp healing as another balancing factor for SoB characters. They have pretty good equipment, but a lot of restrictions that come with the package.

MKX said:

Marine Librarians dont heal or fix anything. Problem solved!

Now that you mention it - that's actually a very good point. Do Librarians even have some kind of healing power? And if they do, would they use it? And if they would use it, would they use it on anyone other than a Space Marine? *unsure*

Oh yeah, and here's the fluff stuff I mentioned: https://rapidshare.com/files/3154810905/The_Adeptus_Ministorum.zip

I've not uploaded all the other documents that deal with special characters and ally rules etc, as that's just tabletop numbercrunch.

As per the original author blackdwarv, who compiled all this information, the sources are:

• Codex: Witchhunters
• Imperial Armour Update
• Games Workshop Chapter Approved FAQ ( http://www.games-workshop.com/40kuniverse/warhammer40k/Chapter_Approved/ )
• Games Workshop Battlezone: Cityfight FAQ ( http://games-workshop.com/40kuniverse/warhammer40k/cityfight/Cityfight_FAQ1.htm )
• Citadel Journal 49 (Special Character updates)

• Codex: Sisters of Battle (v2 rules, but *excellent* source for fluff)
• Chapter Approved: The Second Book of the Astronomicon (2002, the one *without* a Dreadnought on the cover)
• US White Dwarf #275/UK #274
• US White Dwarf #227 (Reprinted here: http://games-workshop.com/40kuniverse/warhammer40k/Chapter_Approved/assets/archive/wd297_chap_approve.pdf )

(I think the links don't work anymore since GW turned their website into an online store though )

Lynata said:

Unlike 40k codexes (and the DH rulebook), you can't really talk about the powers Space Marine Librarians have. Psykers come in different flavours, with different abilities, and (whilst it's conceivable that the Space Marines would prioritise certain, more offensive, powers) not every Librarian would have the same abilities. So yes, some Librarians (fluff-wise) could heal their brothers.

As it stands DW Marines in the current material rely completely on their Apothacary to do any kind of healing and they do it extremely well.

MKX said:

Except in one case - Ultramarines Librarians have access to a single psychic power capable of healing, and Imperial Fists Librarians can grant themselves regeneration with one of their powers.

You never stop learning. Thanks!

Lynata said:

If I may join in, I like the Sisterhood's concept and would glady read your "Sisters Bible", should you re-upload it.

See post #14, then.

Lynata said:

Ops, I missed it...

Thank you!

Edit: as a cleric-oriented roleplayer (in any setting), I found both texts very interesting. And as a Dark Heresy GM, at least the Liber Sororitas will be mandatory reading for any player wishing to play a Sister.

It depends....

KommissarK said:

Sorry, I said Deathwatch, but they are not quite there yet. We are using some fan-created rules based on Dark Heresy. The XP level in Deatchwatch basically starts them at Level 9. This fanfic ruleset takes them from neophyte, through scout to marine in a reserve company. The Librarian in this game has access to minor psychic powers, for which I am using the Dark Heresy rules ( Healer power, specifically). For major powers we are using the Deathwatch rules.

And I really liked Lynata's first post - that's exactly the kind of flavour I was looking for. If you dedicate your life to eliminating a particular trait, it doesn't mean you have to like it when told to accept it.