In this post I'll talk about how I recommend to build the Kill Team: Novitiate box.
Novitiate Kill Team Build Guide
This Kill Team can be very complex and offers multiple ways to build a team for both the game of Kill Team and 40k. I’ll layout the current thinking of how to build for each game and how to use the parts you get in the Kill Team : Novitiate kit to do so. This is posted at the time for season 2 of Kill Team and the start of New 40k (10th edition.)
Kill Team roster
The current go to roster for the game is in a bit of contention as technically one would like to build 13 different models to fill out all popular ways to run the team. Each roster has its own niche and if you want the ins and outs of when to pick what and why, take a look at the Sisters of Battle Discord Kill Team channel.
With that out of the way, let me list the roster. This list is very competitive and a great place for a new player to start for any kind of Kill Team game. The list below is in order of importance for how the team will function on the tabletop.
1- Sister Superior with plasma pistol and power weapon
2- Novitiate with a flamer (Purgatus)
3- Novitiate with a flamer (Purgatus)
4- Novitiate with a rod and bold thrower (Condemnor)
5- Novitiate with a cup and bolt pistol (Pronatus)
6- Novitiate with an eviscerator (Penitent)
7- Novitiate with two whips (Exactor)
8- Novitiate with scepter and auto pistol (Dialogus)
9- Novitiate with healing gauntlet and auto pistol (hospitaller)
10- Novitiate with sword and auto pistol (Militant)
The first 8 entries in this list are broadly considered auto takes, the last two are situational picks, but incredibly common and the best general roster for Kill Team if you had to pick just 10 units to build.
Learn more about optional choices on the Sisters of Battle discord here
Kill Team Build guide
First: PROXY PROXY PROXY, look at the list above, if you have 2,000 points of sisters just match the load outs best you can and you too can be playing with Novitiates without ever having to paint a new model. Battle Sisters, Canoness, Repenta, superiors all get run in events held by games workshop as proxies for this Kill Team. What a great way to try a new game! Maybe you’ll love it.
Alright let’s look at the Novitiate box. The Kill Team : Novitiate box comes with 9 regular Novitiate bodies and so many weapon options you can quickly lose count. Also, the team depicted in the box’s build instructions is not competitive and missed out on some of the coolest things the team can do.
Let’s start building: I’ll be using the assembly document as reference, you can find a digital version here. The list below is ordered by how the instructions are printed, so just follow it step by step and you should get a great Kill Team ready to burn some heretics.
1 Sister superior, ensure we do 16.b and pair it with the 10c plasma pistol option. Then choose the best hat…. I’ll let you decide.
2 Penitent 17.d no changes to build instructions
3 Hospitaller 18.d no changes to build instructions
4 Condemnor we will use 19.a as our base for our condemner, this is a very simple build option that takes no greenstuff. Build 19.a then tale sprew parts D20, D21, D22 and place them on for an easy arm swap
5 Exactor 20.d no changes to build instructions
6 Militant 21.b is the best option for the military as the sword doesn’t protrude off the base too much, but if you need that extra drama in your pose, feel free to rotate the arms.
7 Dialogus 22.d
8 Pronatus a simple arm swap will get you where you need to go, build 23.a then take sprew parts C68,D28, D27, D26 and use them as arms for you model, be sure to assemble D28-26 before gluing them to the model.
9 our first Purgatis 24 .d no changes to build instructions
10 25.e our second Purgatis no changes to build instructions
40k unit roster
Currently Novitiates squads in 40k are fielded as a 10-person unit and then spilt up using a transport before the game begins and before you assign leaders.
Here is a common way to split the unit: Give banners (Sacred banner and simulacrum imperialis), flamers and superior to blade of Saint Ellynor palatine in an immolator.
And then you have 5 melee weapon Novitiates go run around, doing the emperor’s work.
It is also worth noting that at the time of writing most players consider this unit to be one of the weakest in the index for Sisters of Battle in 40k, but maybe our codex will change that! Let us pray to the emperor. 🙏
So the roster looks something like this
1 leader with power weapon and plasma
2 Novitiate with a banner (flag)
3 Novitiate with a simulacrum (tiny box on a stick)
4 Novitiate with a ministorum flamer
5 Novitiate with a ministorum flamer
6 Novitiate with a auto pistol and melee weapon
7 Novitiate with a auto pistol and melee weapon
8 Novitiate with a auto pistol and melee weapon
9 Novitiate with a auto pistol and melee weapon
10 Novitiate with a auto pistol and melee weapon
