# Sexy Sororita Armor



## Over Two Meters Tall! (Nov 1, 2010)

I've been poking around on our own forum and through Lexicanum/Wiki to better understand the Sororitas, who are frequently compared (roughly) as the female equivalent of the Adeptus Astares... there even seems to be suggestion that they're every bit as deadly as the Astares, causing the IF to fall back during the assault on the Imperial Palace to overthrow Vandire, their use of full pattern bolters instead of the smaller, etc.

In looking at the pictures of the Sororitas, all the depictions lend themselves to the fembot-style armor that highlights their, ahem, Fleur-de-Lis proud and prominently, the form-fitting flared upper leg guards protecting the thighs and hips, the calf guards that ensure they always look like they're in 4" pumps, and the mid-waste armored corset that can take a beating and still show you they're a woman. In a way they look downright Eldarish, if you strip away all the fetishes and logos. Snark aside, it would appear there's a level of tech used in the armor the Astares could take advantage of, in it's overall lower mass/protection ratio and effectiveness of design... much like you do see for both male and female Eldar armor profiles.

If you look at female elite athletes like runners, weight lifters, gymnasts, climbers, etc. their physiology starts resembling their male counterparts as bundles of lean muscle mass with fat below the 5% level, rather than the swimsuit models their armor design would suggest. Outside of the black carapace and total size that's missing in the Sororitas, there's no good reason to have significantly different power armor designs from their Astares counter parts. Even carapace armor for unenhanced males (Inquisitors, Arbites, etc.) is still scaled to the Astares style.

I think the Imperium should/could provide an enhanced armor design that would both give the Sororitas more powered strength and also increase their protection in battle. Stop focusing on the armored version of the black cocktail dress and start treating them like the faceless bringers of death they are trained to be.


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## Stella Cadente (Dec 25, 2006)

You can't give sisters advanced power armour, the armour they have is some of the best you can get (besides what an inquisitor can afford/request), the only better armour is marine armour, but sisters cannot ever use it without the black carapace, which again they can never use, but the level of tech between sister armour and marine armour is like comparing a stone and chisel to a super computer.


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

One of the reasons Astartes have the giganti-huge shoulder pads and all the impractical jazz they have is that it's traditional, it's always been that way. You give the Marines armour that strays from the traditional image, they immediately become less recognizable. Same reason they don't change their armour colours to suit the environment - Marines are intended to be immediately noticeable as those-fucking-scary-dudes-who-kill-everything. They're a symbol as much as a powerful military asset.


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## Protoss119 (Aug 8, 2010)

According to the _Blood of Martyrs_ supplement for Dark Heresy, you may actually have Goge Vandire to blame for the way Sororitas armor looks, as he commissioned it, although it was the forges of Mars that actually did the work. It would harken back to the 2nd edition fluff on the Sisters, when they were not just Vandire's bodyguards, but they also "tasted the High Lord's food, fed him when he fell weak with illness, nursed his frail body and entertained him with singing, dancing and other, more exotic, skills." (_Codex: Sisters of Battle_, 2nd edition, pg. 10). The armor is "the only part of [Vandire's] legacy that was not removed with his head." (_Blood of Martyrs_, pg. 118). Make of that what you will.


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## Ddraig Cymry (Dec 30, 2012)

Stella Cadente said:


> You can't give sisters advanced power armour, the armour they have is some of the best you can get (besides what an inquisitor can afford/request), the only better armour is marine armour, but sisters cannot ever use it without the black carapace, which again they can never use, but the level of tech between sister armour and marine armour is like comparing a stone and chisel to a super computer.


I wasn't aware the difference was that much, I was always under the impression about the only thing separating Astartes power armor from others (excluding their size) is their ability to connect directly to the armor's machine spirit.

I agree with the fact they look too feminine. I find 'boobplate' and bits of metal strung together with nothing but wishful thinking to be in poor taste. In all honesty though their existing armor isn't really revealing, it's just form fitting, if that makes sense. The whole body is covered and the armor looks like solid plate armor, which is more than what some female armors can boast. Really I like their overall design, it's just too unrealistic, if that makes sense.


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

Ddraig Cymry said:


> I wasn't aware the difference was that much, I was always under the impression about the only thing separating Astartes power armor from others (excluding their size) is their ability to connect directly to the armor's machine spirit.


Power Armour worn without the Black Carapace significantly encumbers the user's agility and speed, as remarked by Zso Sahaal in _Lord of the Night_:

'_Power-armoured and massive, but moving with the stultified discomfort of one without augmentation. No Space Marine, this, merely a _copy'.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Indeed. Astartes power armour is worlds apart from any other variant of power armour available. Even ignoring the Black Carapace, it also augments and aids a whole host of other implantations that the Astartes have. As Stella said, you can't even compare the two really.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Protoss119 said:


> Stuff


Soooo they were armored bodyguard concubine maids...genius.


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## Rems (Jun 20, 2011)

Your treating an out of universe issue as an in universe issue. 

Their power armour looks like that to emphasize their femininity, because you want them to be recognizable at a glance across the table. They're scultped like that so there's no confusion that their female. It also appeals, to some of, the primarily male demographic of wargamers. 

If there were none of those considerations then in universe their power armour would likely look much more similar to space marine power armour. Though Protoss gave a good in universe reason for why it looks as it does.


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

Is it that sexy? Personally i always liked SOB because their armour wasn't as stupid as the majority of female miniatures.

They aren't wearing heels, all their flesh is covered and they are posed like they're trying to fight a battle rather than touch themselves up.

Compared to the majority depiction of female warriors in a fictional setting they are pretty tame.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Varakir said:


> Is it that sexy? Personally i always liked SOB because their armour wasn't as stupid as the majority of female miniatures.
> 
> They aren't wearing heels, all their flesh is covered and they are posed like they're trying to fight a battle rather than touch themselves up.
> 
> Compared to the majority depiction of female warriors in a fictional setting they are pretty tame.


Couldn't agree more !


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## iamtheeviltwin (Nov 12, 2012)

Rems said:


> Your treating an out of universe issue as an in universe issue.
> 
> Their power armour looks like that to emphasize their femininity,


Actually, the designers gave good in-universe reasons for the Soritas to make sure they emphasize their feminine attributes. Because they have to be a female army by the laws of the Imperium. 



Ddraig Cymry said:


> I find 'boobplate' and bits of metal strung together with nothing but wishful thinking to be in poor taste. In all honesty though their existing armor isn't really revealing, it's just form fitting, if that makes sense. The whole body is covered and the armor looks like solid plate armor, which is more than what some female armors can boast. Really I like their overall design, it's just too unrealistic, if that makes sense.


This is a common complaint about "boob-plate", but many ancient armors were designed to emphasize certain "aspects" of the warriors who wore them...practicality be damned.

I mean does this look practical?










but that is a far cry from typical fantasy armor like this, which is more bits of metal:


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## Rems (Jun 20, 2011)

iamtheeviltwin said:


> Actually, the designers gave good in-universe reasons for the Soritas to make sure they emphasize their feminine attributes. Because they have to be a female army by the laws of the Imperium.


The law only requires them to be female. It doesn't require them to look it with specially shaped power armour. Anyone who needs to in the Imperium knows the Sisters of Battle are female whether they can see they have breast armour not. 




> This is a common complaint about "boob-plate", but many ancient armors were designed to emphasize certain "aspects" of the warriors who wore them...practicality be damned.
> 
> I mean does this look practical?



That's a perfectly serviceable cuirass. A small about of superficial shaping to create the illusion of the male form is very different from blatant 'boob plate'. For one thing the cuirass decorated like that doesn't compromise the armour's function. 'Boob plate' would if made as commonly depicted. The slope of the breast shape armour leading to the sternum creates a weak point in the armour and channels any glancing misses into hits to the center of your chest and your vital organs. Your essentially helping the enemy hurt you. There's a reason armour's curved so blows are deflected outwards, not inwards.


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## Ddraig Cymry (Dec 30, 2012)

Rems said:


> The law only requires them to be female. It doesn't require them to look it with specially shaped power armour. Anyone who needs to in the Imperium knows the Sisters of Battle are female whether they can see they have breast armour not.


I feel like their name should be fairly informative of their gender haha



Rems said:


> That's a perfectly serviceable cuirass. A small about of superficial shaping to create the illusion of the male form is very different from blatant 'boob plate'. For one thing the cuirass decorated like that doesn't compromise the armour's function. 'Boob plate' would if made as commonly depicted. The slope of the breast shape armour leading to the sternum creates a weak point in the armour and channels any glancing misses into hits to the center of your chest and your vital organs. Your essentially helping the enemy hurt you. There's a reason armour's curved so blows are deflected outwards, not inwards.


Exactly what I was going to say. Another key component is padding. You can be wearing solid metal plate but if you don't have padding to cushion sword/mace blows, you'll still have broken bones and a cracked skull.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Ddraig Cymry said:


> I feel like their name should be fairly informative of their gender haha


And DE wyches are?...the name suggests female spell casters but they are neither, although some are female.

Brotherhood of Steels suggests that they are all males but they have female members.

Brotherhood of Mutants once again suggests all males but again they have members with matching chromosomes.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood would suggest that all the assassins are male but there are females.

Name does not=gender.


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## iamtheeviltwin (Nov 12, 2012)

Rems said:


> That's a perfectly serviceable cuirass. A small about of superficial shaping to create the illusion of the male form is very different from blatant 'boob plate'.


Serviceable, yes, unneeded, yes, practical, not really the sculpts on that armor will still channel hits toward the center or narrow parts of the body if that is your worry. In reality, they don't matter...anyone swinging a weapon at someone wearing those styles of armor is aiming for limbs, head, and lightly armored joints in the plate, not the center of mass (which was also usually covered by a very effective shield).

As for being "very different"...The point of having that "illusion" of the male form is for the exact same reasons that people create "blatant" boob plate. To mold the illusion of an idealized form onto the armor...

Which in the 40k universe is the whole point of the SoB armor. To emphasize that they are women, not men. To emphasize that they are complying with the Byzantine laws of the Imperium, which would be very important to a culture like that in the 40k universe where symbolism (especially religious and political symbolism) are top priorities. Not just for pious reasons, but also for legal reasons when those who watch you could easily just order Exterminatus and Assassination to deal with those that violate the order.



Rems said:


> The slope of the breast shape armour leading to the sternum creates a weak point in the armour and channels any glancing misses into hits to the center of your chest and your vital organs.


Which is mostly bollix...it is a argument that ignores the actual physics and construction of modern armors. (We are going to assume the armor is designed to actually protect the individual.) 

Any armor that is designed to prevent penetrating shots will disperse the impact of the shot across the whole of the armor, if the armor was designed with that in mind then the breast cups would still perform this function and the deflection itself would slow the projectile meaning it would have less impact when it hit the center of the armor full on (armor I remind you is basically capable of deflecting tank rounds). 

On a more practical construction, I would imagine on the Soritas armor the "boobs" are decorations over a solid ceramite plate underneath. The SoB are not going to hike their breasts into obviously oversized and standardized cups (that or they have all had reconstructive surgery to grant them G cups). They are going to be tucked safely underneath a solid plate of ceramite that might have a slight angled shelf to compensate for the female chest upon which the "decorative" breasts are molded. Further a good artificer would ensure the construction of the decorative materials would collapse, shatter, or otherwise absorb a projectile impact before allowing the projectile to pass through to the ceramite plates underneath.

In fact, if you look at the artist renditions of Soritas armor the whole "corset and breasts" assembly appears to be a decorative harness that is fit over the power armor...


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

iamtheeviltwin said:


> The SoB are not going to hike their breasts into obviously oversized and standardized cups (that or they have all had reconstructive surgery to grant them G cups).


Well, if you look at the Repentia models, they offer pretty compelling evidence that such reconstructive surgery has indeed been put into effect.


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## Protoss119 (Aug 8, 2010)

iamtheeviltwin said:


> The SoB are not going to hike their breasts into obviously oversized and standardized cups (that or they have all had reconstructive surgery to grant them G cups).





Mossy Toes said:


> Well, if you look at the Repentia models, they offer pretty compelling evidence that such reconstructive surgery has indeed been put into effect.












Right, I'll just...take my boner elsewhere...


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## iamtheeviltwin (Nov 12, 2012)

Mossy Toes said:


> Well, if you look at the Repentia models, they offer pretty compelling evidence that such reconstructive surgery has indeed been put into effect.


Perhaps that is what they are repenting about...body altering in the name of the Emperor can only be done by Space Marines. :wink:


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

iamtheeviltwin said:


> Perhaps that is what they are repenting about...body altering in the name of the Emperor can only be done by Space Marines. :wink:


So SoB doesn't actually stand for "Saggy or Bouncy" then....?


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## Veteran Sergeant (May 17, 2012)

Could be the HGH they put in the gruel at the convents when they are young girls, as well as the genetically modified beef from 40Kattle that are altered to produce more milk.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Has anyone thought to ask a woman what sort of armour would be best ?

Boobplate? Surfboard ? Leiamail ?


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Magpie_Oz said:


> Leiamail ?


Works for me


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## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

Magpie_Oz said:


> Has anyone thought to ask a woman what sort of armour would be best ?


Not quite sure if this has any place but...

I do the sport of fencing. Women are required to wear chest protectors in order to compete--basically hunks of harden plastic in order to protect their breasts. They are anatomically correct, at least vaguely.

In the particular weapon I do, you have to thrust and hit with the tip in order to score the point. The curvature of the chest plates have a frustrating tendency to deflect the tip, making it difficult to score. 

Men--and very young girls--can also use chest plates. They are completely flat vertically and slightly rounded. They deflect some hits as well, but not nearly as often as a woman's.

I'll post a couple of pictures:

Woman's: http://www.medieval-fightclub.com/product_images/z/247/fencing_chest_womens__51023_zoom.jpg

Men's: http://www.victoryfencinggear.com/images/chest-prot.jpg


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## iamtheeviltwin (Nov 12, 2012)

Magpie_Oz said:


> Has anyone thought to ask a woman what sort of armour would be best ?


I have been active in LARPing and SCA over the years and outside of someone doing "costume" armor (ie Halloween), none of the women have used "boob" plate (In fact I can't think of a single woman who has worn boob plate at an event or game). In the rare times they used plate (most women in my experience wear leather, scale, or light chain...heavy female fighters are rare in my experience) it is a "standard" chest plate. Their breasts are usually "taped" tightly against the body and covered under padding.

I have never asked the women why they use the armors they do, but I would imagine in the case of "boob" plate if it was not precisely fitted to their bustline would be highly uncomfortable.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

hailene said:


> Not quite sure if this has any place but...
> 
> I do the sport of fencing. Women are required to wear chest protectors in order to compete--basically hunks of harden plastic in order to protect their breasts. They are anatomically correct, at least vaguely.


Ok so that is a pretty strong vote for a form of boob plate. I've always thought that individual cups in a breast plate would be impractical to say the least but a fitted curved plate would seem quite practical.




iamtheeviltwin said:


> I have been active in LARPing and SCA over the years and outside of someone doing "costume" armor (ie Halloween), none of the women have used "boob" plate (In fact I can't think of a single woman who has worn boob plate at an event or game). In the rare times they used plate (most women in my experience wear leather, scale, or light chain...heavy female fighters are rare in my experience) it is a "standard" chest plate. Their breasts are usually "taped" tightly against the body and covered under padding.
> 
> I have never asked the women why they use the armors they do, but I would imagine in the case of "boob" plate if it was not precisely fitted to their bustline would be highly uncomfortable.


Could it also be that costume armour is very much about the look and female specific armour wouldn't fit the lore ?

I know from my own experience with my wife being my rally navigator we spent a considerable amount of time trying to find a racing suit that was more form fitting as the type designed for men were tight in all the wrong places and are really uncomfortable for a woman to wear all day.


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## iamtheeviltwin (Nov 12, 2012)

Magpie_Oz said:


> Could it also be that costume armour is very much about the look and female specific armour wouldn't fit the lore ?


In the SCA this would probably be an issue (in general they try to achieve some level of historical accuracy).

However, in the LARPing scene looking good is often more important than functionality (many LARPers do CosPlay and other such activities where combining both is looks and functionality is nice, but not needed). Since most LARP combat ranges from "light" to "medium" touch actual protection is redundant. I would have expected over the years that if I was going to see some actual "boob" plate it would be in this environment. I really think it has more to do with comfort and allowing the maximum range of movement.

So I think like you have said, comfort is a big issue (in the LARP environment anyway)...for the diehard SCA types, not so much...otherwise I wouldn't see guys in full plate and padding on 100+ degree summer days.

I know that I have had to abandon my old LARP clamshell armor (costume level armor) since I am about 50lbs over weight from when I had it made and far less muscle mass. While it looks "ok" with my gut bulging out the bottom, it pinches too much under my arms and around my shoulders limiting my range of movement.

Doing some image searching and this is about the only example of "real life" (modern) boob plate I could find...Not a practical bit of armor, but fits in the fantasy vein...looks over functionality for sure:


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Certainly the leather seems to get a good work out

http://www.mittelalter.net/witch-elf-armor-larp-lederruestung-schwarz--10272.html

but nothing on offer in the plate department

http://www.mittelalter.net/ruestung/plattenruestung/

There is a bit about tho'

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Druchii-sorceress-at-LARP-Warhammer-FB-2011-269521232


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Magpie_Oz said:


> http://www.deviantart.com/art/Druchii-sorceress-at-LARP-Warhammer-FB-2011-269521232


I want one.....


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Tawa said:


> I want one.....


Nah, it would make your arse look big and Gold isn't your colour mate.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Magpie_Oz said:


> Nah, it would make your arse look big and Gold isn't your colour mate.


That being the case I would have looked terrible at the Staff Xmas party this year.
Thanks for the honesty, Mags....


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Tawa said:


> That being the case I would have looked terrible at the Staff Xmas party this year.
> Thanks for the honesty, Mags....


Your Xmas parties sound way funner than mine !


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Magpie_Oz said:


> You're Xmas parties sound way funner than mine !


You'd better believe it! :laugh:


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Tawa said:


> You'd better believe it! :laugh:


So .. ah .. have the invites gone out for this year's ?


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## Zion (May 31, 2011)

No surprise that I have an opinion on this, but not all Sisters art extenuates the femininity of their armor as much as the old 2nd Edition art does. Most of it actually gives them sensible, flat soled boots, and tones down the breast armor quite a bit. 

That said, for the models I do hope it's toned down a bit. Especially on the Mistress of Repentance. It looks like she robbed Madonna's closet for a bra.

Outside of that, it's not buttfloss or some kind of combat thong, and it actually covers their entire body unlike most female armor in fiction so it's not that bad.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Magpie_Oz said:


> So .. ah .. have the invites gone out for this year's ?


I think so. I've not had mine yet


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Tawa said:


> I think so. I've not had mine yet


Ah good. Must mean mine's still in the mail as well. Wouldn't want it go astray like it must have last year ...... And the year before....... And before that too now I think of it.


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## Bearer.of.the.Word (Aug 11, 2013)

Just went on to GW to check some of the SOB models out, has anyone else noticed that the name has been changed to Adepta Sororitas officially. if this happened recently to me that says possible near future upkeep will occur, of course this could have happened 3 years ago and I just failed to notice. Complete opinion nothing substantial in any way what so ever, just seemed a bit curious to me.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Bearer.of.the.Word said:


> Just went on to GW to check some of the SOB models out, has anyone else noticed that the name has been changed to Adepta Sororitas officially. if this happened recently to me that says possible near future upkeep will occur, of course this could have happened 3 years ago and I just failed to notice. Complete opinion nothing substantial in any way what so ever, just seemed a bit curious to me.


I noticed that yesterday, I don't think it said that atleast a week ago.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Magpie_Oz said:


> Ah good. Must mean mine's still in the mail as well. Wouldn't want it go astray like it must have last year ...... And the year before....... And before that too now I think of it.


I did wonder why you weren't there :blush:



Bearer.of.the.Word said:


> Just went on to GW to check some of the SOB models out, has anyone else noticed that the name has been changed to Adepta Sororitas officially.


That'll be to tie in with the new digi-dex


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## High_Seraph (Aug 28, 2009)

So what about my invite? I mean after what I did you said I'd get in a few days and yet here we are almost a year later and no damn invite!


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## DarkDisciple_Nahum (Oct 6, 2013)

MidnightSun said:


> Marines are intended to be immediately noticeable as those-fucking-scary-dudes-who-kill-everything.
> Midnight


Yes! Win! Thats exactly what Marines are! *bows to your wording*


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

High_Seraph said:


> So what about my invite? I mean after what I did you said I'd get in a few days and yet here we are almost a year later and no damn invite!


I sent it off the day after 





All this talk of Sisters is making me want to dig out the boxes and see what I can find in the loft


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## Chaplain-Grimaldus (Aug 4, 2013)

I will deffo be getting the codex, the first digital one I will be getting too.

Sisters are flying off eBay at the moment too!


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## Over Two Meters Tall! (Nov 1, 2010)

DarkDisciple_Nahum said:


> Yes! Win! Thats exactly what Marines are! *bows to your wording*


Hmmmm... very few Imperial citizens ever ever see one of the Adeptus Astares and if they do it's in the middle of a shooting war. Unlike the Titan legions described in Titanicus, I've never heard anything in the fluff like, "And Billy ran to his room and grabbed his book of the Adeptus Astares to see if he could match the coloring with the Angel of Death now descending on his house in vengance since his mother and father were condemned as Chaos-loving heretics for doing that kinky shit in the bedroom last weekend."

I suppose my main question centered on the advancement in Sororita armor, being scaled down, but still highly effective. If it's that good, then why haven't the advances made it up the food chain after the last 5 millennia? Hell, a new STC model of combat knife surfaces and within a few hundred years it's already spreading throughout the Astares Chapters. Not as good as full ceramite plate? Well, then give it to the Scouts, or the chapter serfs, or the Imperial Guard commanders.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Over Two Meters Tall! said:


> s for doing that kinky shit in the bedroom last weekend."


Doing kinky stuff doesn't make you a chaos worshiper in the eyes of the Imperium ALOT of inquisitors are into far weirder kinky stuff and don't even get me started on the fat inbred planetary nobles, the......horror :shok:.

Especially considering the tutoring/advising branch of the Sororita have to go through conditioning NOT to shoot said fat nobles. 

EDIT: Now if they had some REALLY kinky roleplay involving emperor and slaanesh then....yeah they are screwed...not in a that way.


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## DavC8855 (Oct 14, 2008)

locustgate said:


> ....... and don't even get me started on the fat inbred planetary nobles, the......horror :shok:.
> 
> Especially considering the tutoring/advising branch of the Sororita have to go through conditioning NOT to shoot said fat nobles.
> 
> EDIT: Now if they had some REALLY kinky roleplay involving emperor and slaanesh then....yeah they are screwed...not in a that way.


LOL-Gross


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## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

Hey, hey hey buddy!! Let me tell you how sexy those girls look in that damn beautifully crafted power armor. I'd sneak into a Sororitas dormitory if I was na Imperial citizen; just to sneak a look at those fine women. Besides that power armor of the Adeptus Astartes is usually a foot taller than their female counter-parts. Also Warhammer 40k needs it's sexy side.....don't take away the boob armor man :angry:


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