4/5 stars. Some really great customization and background fluff available through the use of these doctrines!
Background.
The Solar Auxilia can all take a cohort doctrine per detachment. There are some that prevent allied detachments, but in principle, you could take more than 1 through the use of an allied Solar Auxilia force. These rules are almost like selecting a legion for your space marines. They give them flavour and background and are well worth thinking about for customization. Below I go through them with some thoughts added.
Solar Pattern Cohorts. This one is for your elites of the elites; or maybe the most traditional units that can trace lineage back to Jupiter. You move Veletaris (elites) to troops, grant them line, and can take the Arvus as a dedicated transport and the price one artillery and one armoured tercio. Very reasonable overall!
Ultramar Pattern Cohorts. This is for those of you who love large blobs of las weapons in close formations. Rifle sections can be selected up to 6 units worth in a single tercio (wow!) and get +1 to hit when in base contact with their friends in the same unit at the price of going on foot. I think I've said it before, but vindicators are criminally underused in 30k, so you will get away with it most of the time too!
Reborn Cohorts. Veterans who long disbanded, brought back together in legendary units. Ld+1 and stubborn is absolutely amazing for this army and re-rolling 1's to hit is similarly amazing provided they've not moved. They're a bit old though, and so have a problem with sweeping, and don't take more than one artillery or armoured tercio.
Armoured Fist Pattern Cohorts. I think you will know what this is just from the name. Armoured tercios come as non-compulsory troops, you have to take a leman russ command tank which comes with a 5+ invulnerable and a tasty BS of 5 as a warlord trait. However, all units have to begin the battle embarked or in reserves which is a strong trade-off.
Penal Pattern Cohorts. Somehow, the elites of the mortal worlds can also be penal criminals. Furious charge is nice to have for them, and they can replace las rifles or volkite chargers with worse weaponry to reflect their lower standing - yay? Feel no pain - even at 6+ - is actually okay for large blobs of troops here. The Veletaris is available but only once, and you don't get close order unit types. This is a cohort that wants to get up close and personal, but can readily hold ground at range too. This doctrine is ideal for anyone wanting to transfer their 40k Imperial Guard to 30k Heresy era!
Feral Pattern Cohorts. Doing what they say on the tin, the feral cohorts are fearsome - and perhaps backwards. They gain fear at a points cost increase which is absolutely worth investing in, and the counter attack they get is sweet. They have to declare charges though - they like their head hunting after all. They are also mistrusted allies for loyalists. I'd be thinking here Catachan models, or even converted Khorne mortal armies in extremis. Heck, I could just about imagine a beastman mutant version.
Siege Pattern Cohorts. Having both artillery and armoured batteries as elites and heavy support choices means you get to have lots of big tanks with guns that never tire. Re-rolling the scatter die is a big bonus here potentially. The price here is that you also have to buy a dedicated transport where the option is given. This is one for the tread heads.
Iron Pattern Cohorts. The Forge World elites who take robots. Take Castellax and Thallax as elites, get a cortex controller option on your HQs, and master of the automata. Very nice. But once again you are limited in artillery and armoured tercios. Very fluffy in my opinion and brings something extra to the tabletop.
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