Guided by faith to execute the will of the Ecclesiarchy; armed
with righteous strength and shielded from harm, they perform
their holy duties in the name of the Emperor.
“We remember you, Alicia Dominica. You who received the word of our
Father and cast down the apostate. You who returned us to our true path
of vigilance and devotion. We remember you and honour you with our
words, actions, bodies, and souls.”
–from A Prayer of Remembrance
Starting skills
Athletics, Charm or Intimidate, Common Lore (Adepta Sororitas), Linguistics (High Gothic), Medicae or Parry
Starting talents
Weapon Training (Flame or Las, Chain)
Starting equipment
Hand lamer or laspistol, chainblade, armoured bodyglove, chrono, dataslate, stablight, micro-bead
Background bonus
Incorruptible Devotion: Whenever an Adepta Sororitas character would gain 1 or more Corruption Points, she gains that many Insanity Points minus 1 (to a minimum of 0) instead.
Background aptitude
Offence or Social
Recommended roles
Chirurgeon, Fanatic, Sage, Warrior
Legends say that in the inal moments of the Reign of
Blood, Alicia Dominica, leader of the warrior Daughters
of the Emperor, stood before the Golden Throne with a
select few trusted of her order. There they received the Light of
the Emperor, illing them with terrible purpose to defy the tyrant
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 ire 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 Ministorum from controlling any
men under arms, and thus prevent the Ecclesiarchy from threatening
the Adeptus Administratum’s rule over the Imperium. 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
ierce 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 in enacting the judgement of
the Ecclesiarchy, but the Sisters have also grown into a number of
Non-Militant Orders devoted to the healing arts, communications,
and diplomacy. In all ways, though, they are supremely loyal to
the Emperor, utterly incorruptible and ready to purge all heresies
with hymns and ire.
Role within the Imperium
As the primary military arm of the Adeptus Ministorum, the
Adepta Sororitas is expected to ight the Ecclesiarchy’s Wars of
Faith and to defend its holdings from alien or daemonic attack.
Additionally, its Orders are charged with maintaining the rule of
the church by keeping Imperial citizens on the Emperor’s path.
Those citizens outside the Adeptus Ministorum who have dealings
with any Sister know that she is an extension of her Order, of
the larger Adepta Sororitas, and of the Ecclesiarchy as a whole.
This gives even a lone Sister the ability to achieve much, for her
authority to act in the Emperor’s holy interest is almost never
questioned, lest recalcitrance be perceived as heresy. Because no
obstacle must be allowed to impede this holy mission, even those
citizens within the Ecclesiarchy itself defer to the requests of a
Sister. If she requires access to an otherwise of-limits holy tome,
or if she demands answers from a Cardinal, she will not be denied.
The Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas have an intrinsic protective
instinct and a willingness to sacriice themselves for a purpose and
for the love of their Emperor. Such inspiring devotion for others
comes through instruction and indoctrination. These iercely loyal
women are Daughters of the Emperor in more than just title, for
no child has ever so loved her own father as the Sisters love the
Emperor. In His name they seek the enemies of their Father and
annihilate them with unmatched zeal. It matters not to them if their
foe is a sect of overt Chaos-worshipping humans discovered on a
backwater world, or a seemingly loyal Imperial Guard regiment
standing watch at the heart of Imperial space. Heretical action
demands deadly retribution, and the Sisters of Battle mete it out
regardless of the nature of the foe.
This is not to say that all members of the Adepta Sororitas
are soldiers, as its various organisations are divided into Militant
and Non-Militant Orders. The Sisters of the Orders Militant serve
as soldiers, guardians of sacred sites, and righteous enforcers of
the Emperor’s Will wherever they are needed. The Sisters of the
Non-Militant Orders ill the ranks of the linguists and scholars
(Orders Dialogous), negotiators (Orders Famulous), physicians
(Orders Hospitaller), and other non-combat personnel. Though
not as visible to the foes of the Imperium, the Sisters of these
Orders are just as vital for uncovering and rooting out traitors.
Their knowledge is used to reveal the blasphemous meanings
of mysterious texts, to discover the beginnings of heresy in a
suspect’s family history, and to keep prisoners alive long enough
for Confessors to see their grim eforts bear fruit.
Adepta Sororitas characters
The unquestioned access and deference to the power of the Adepta
Sororitas grants Sisters of all Orders, be they actual power-armoured
battle maidens or not, the ability to accomplish much that others
cannot. Battle Sisters of the Orders Militant are renowned for their
purity and martial prowess. This secures the Sisters’ positions at the
sides of governors, politicians, and other dignitaries, where they
ofer matchless protection while keeping watch over their charges,
without fear of being drawn into any political machinations. A
Sister of the Orders Militant may serve on many planets and ight
thousands of battles in her lifetime, all in the name of her Order
and her Emperor.
A Sister of the Non-Militant Orders may be just as well-
travelled as her warrior kin, but her roles are very diferent. With
access to otherwise sealed historical records, a Sister can uncover
plots that have been centuries in the making. Negotiating on behalf
of a planetary governor, she can steer arrangements to the beneit
of her Order, or even prevent those deemed unwise. A Sister’s
keen mind makes her a welcome addition to the staf of a wealthy
merchant, where she can maximise proits while also tracking
resource movements in search of illicit dealings. War and disease
bring pain and misery to all parts of the galaxy, and many Sisters
take it upon themselves to aid those who have sufered, especially
those who have fallen in service to the Emperor.
There are also Sisters who save lives by acting as translators
across the stars or even on single planets, where human tongues
have twisted base Gothic into myriad forms, and a single
misspoken phrase could ignite a bloodbath. The ways in
which a Sister of the Non-Militant Orders can use
her skills and devotion in order to serve her vital
mission are limited only by her persistence and
will, and for her these traits are never in
short supply. The diverse range of skills
and roles represented in the Adepta
Sororitas and the devotion all within
have to the Emperor’s Will can
even lead to a Sister working
with like-minded Inquisitors
of the Ordo Hereticus as
they purge the Imperium
of the enemy within.
Sample Adepta Sororitas background:
the order of the watchful eye, Ordo Famulous of Juno
As the capital of Askellon, Juno is home to more wealth,
aristocracy, dignitaries, and potentially damaging treachery than
any other planet in the sector. Each day the sun sets on a thousand
new alliances between families, traders, and rival powers. The
Ordo Famulous maintains a sizeable monastery here to track the
unending dealings and shifting tides of inluence, and its monastery
is a highly-sought destination for young Sisters wishing to prove
themselves in even the most diicult of bureaucratic circumstances.
Those who carve out a strong reputation might be recruited to
execute the Emperor’s Will in even greater service.
Ignis Aeternus WH 40K campaign notes 