The New Vampire Counts 8th Edition Tactica

[Askari]

Quick up unit review! Of course this is based on personal preference, but it gives the jist of how I see each unit.

First up, can't say much on the special characters as a) they bore me and b) haven't tried them in game. Quick summary – Kemmler seems alright, Mannfred potential use as hero monster rider, Konrad cheap for killy vampire. Everything else can bugger off.


Lords


Vampire Lord


Our primary lord choice, this guy can do it all. Wizard level 1-4, 100pts of Vampiric Powers and 100pts of magic items mean his cost skyrockets easily. However, at his most base level, although his stats are impressive he doesn't really contribute as much as, say, a Master Necromancer. Which is why you need to spend, spend, spend. Once you add a magic weapon, couple of magic levels, ward save, Red Fury and Quickblood he'll start approaching 400-500pts, but for that investment you get a model that is a Level 4 Wizard that can also kill 10+ models per round of combat. Resilient though he is, at this cost he'll be your general, don't stick him up against hordes with Killing Blow.


Master Necromancer


The second 'real' lord choice. The Master Necromancer comes at around half the cost of the Vampire Lord once tooled out. However he has typical human mage stats and so probably needs bunker to hide in. If you're only taking one, he'll have to take the Lore of the Vampires which, although a fantastic synergy buff lore, is not very destructive and so you'll need to spend the points saved from getting a Vampire Lord on some really hitty units like Varghulfs, Grave Guard or Blood Knights to get the killing done. Don't go for the bait and take loads of Zombies and Skeletons to maximise the benefit of Invocation, you need to kill enemies to win, not outlast them.


Strigoi Ghoul King


I'm really not impressed by this guy, in smaller points games you could probably stick Red Fury and a Dragonbane Gem on him and call it quits – but that's still a 315pt investment into a likely general that has T5, no save, and 5+ Regen. Far too squishy for my liking, and being a wizard with no mundane armour options, he can't improve that save much. Even the much loved Skabscrath, Curse, Gheist combo doesn't really strike me as a good choice – I'd rather have two, seperate, Terrorgheists instead.


Heroes


Vampire


Now, on like the Lord, Vampires can get expensive, quick. Unlike the Lord, you don't want this at all. Pick something to be good at – mobile Invocation to go with Knights, Forbidden Lore caddy, Fearbomb. Get bare minimum to do that. Done, dusted. Don't overspend.


Necromancer


Cheap enough to spam for access to Invocation, although Level 2 is worth the buy really. Real use for Necromancers is backup for when the general dies, and arcane items. The Book of Arkhan should be in every single Vampire Counts list. Cursed Book is also great so are the usual choices of Dispel Scroll, Power Stone and Forbidden Rod. If only the Black Periapt was cheap enough to take on Heroes...


Wight King

The best choice of BSB, if you indeed want a BSB at all, and even then only really if you want a magic banner. Could also see him mounted in Black Knights to add a little punch, but otherwise unimpressive. Equivalent points of Grave Guard will outfight and outlast him.


Tomb Banshee and Cairn Wraiths


Well, the Banshee certainly has more uses as a hero than a champion for a Wraith unit, as you can stick her in something rubbish like Skeletons, protecting them with her Ethereal status and killing some stuff. Cairn Wraiths can do the same, adding kills to units while protecting them from non-magical attacks, although Cairn Wraiths are also perfectly capable of going off on their own to run down fast cavalry or small chaff units. Pretty decent for their cost.

[Askari]

Core


Dire Wolves


Excellent chaff/drop units, can become useful in numbers in cavalry-type Vampire lists. I personally prefer Spirit Hosts for similar cost for my redirectors in an infantry list but if you need to fill up Core a little more, these guys do fine. Don't bother with Doom Wolf upgrade - except in the little challenge trick, it's uses are not universal, but if you face a lone character (Pendant Dreadlord on Pegasus comes to mind) you can use the Doom Wolf, as a champion, to challenge and hold up the character for at least one turn (1 wound Doom Wolf, 5 max overkill means you need 7-strong unit). To hold up longer, just Invocation them up, it resurrects the champion


Zombies


By turn 2 these end up about double the size you started the game with. By turn 5 they end up annihilated by the supreme crumble they suffer from being atrocious fighters. They're cheap though, and can hold up monsters for all eternity. Being cheap, they also make excellent bunkers for Master Necromancers without taking points away from the front line.


Skeletons


More survivable and slightly better at fighting than Zombies for a couple of points extra. With a Mortis Engine grab spears, otherwise stick to sword and board. That parry save will save a fair few over combat rounds which may delay the enemy enough for you to hit them with something else. Another 'okay if you need to fill core' choice.


Ghouls


My go-to core infantry, unlike everything else, Ghouls can kill. Not spectacularly, but they'll outfight Clanrats and State Troops and are the bane of high Toughness monsters everywhere. Small units of 20 are useful support to Skeleton/Zombie blocks, while I horde them up to maximise those base 2A touching the enemy.


Core summary – spend minimum. Bang on 625 in 2,500 if you can.


Special


Bat Swarms


Alright little things, great for forcing ASL onto nasty units (High Elves). Yeah, these are pretty viable so long as you ensure they dual charge to make the most of that special rule. For dual charging to the front (which is the only time you try to get these in combat) it can be beneficial to have them fielded 1 wide and 2 deep so the unit that actually has some fighting power gets all their models in combat, in the flank, depending on what you face it still may be a good idea to do this to preserve CR.

Black Knights


Our cheaper cavalry option, the other being Blood Knights. Black Knights make great company for a mounted Vampire/Lord as he doesn't really need the extra kills, but could do with something to soak up wounds for him. They are also more easily raised, combined with their lower cost makes them quite a bit more survivable than Blood Knights, but prone to rubber lance syndrome if on their own.


Corpse Cart


Good god this is slow. An M4 chariot? You will need Vanhel's Danse to keep this up with the rest of the army, I can't stress how utterly pathetically slow it is. However, it's got a nice bonus – especially to Zombies, and isn't exactly expensive. Never put a Necromancer on it though, no discout and you expose the caster to cannonballs.


Fell Bats


Me - No.

Everyone else but me - Uses due to being the cheapest drop we have (just) and Fly is useful so they can go block whatever they need, regardless of obstacles in the way.


Grave Guard


Ah, finally, true killers. About the same cost as Empire Greatswords for 1 worse save, +1S & T, and Killing Blow. They also have worse Weapon Skill but we can get around that with the best magic banner around – the Banner of the Barrows. These guys should always have Great Weapons, sure parry is nice and Killing Blow can make up for some of the killing, but those S6 attacks are too good to miss out on, and hit on 3+ wound on 2+ vs most things in the game is just wonderful. The army can struggle getting kills so I'd say unless you're going pure-cav, you need Grave Guard. Lots of them. Horde them up 40 strong.


Hexwraiths


OMG these are going to break the game?! No, they're actually pretty terrible at using their own special rules. Their prime target – Chaos Knights – are also their perfect counter. Still very good in smaller points games where magic and magical attacks are limited, but once you get to around 2,000 and above, low end Fireballs can wipe the unit off the board, and you can tarpit better with...


Spirit Hosts


Can be taken in units of 1. I'll let those implications sink in. Redirect, drop, tarpit all in one package for the price of 9 Skeletons. Take 2 or 3, place them.. anywhere. Forcing your opponent to give away the position of an important unit, then use the Spirit Hosts to block everything that tries to stop your Grave Guard from getting to that tasty unit.


Vargheists


Flying Monstrous Infantry? Great yes but too fragile to be a line unit, keep them minimum size and use them to obliterate flankers and chaff, with their numerous high Strength attacks they can even take on small Knight units, I'd avoid Chaos and Blood Knights but otherwise they can do alright. Oh, and they're Vampires, so don't need the general's babysitting to go off and do their work.


Crypt Horrors


Woah! The kings of never dying. Toughness 5, 3 Wounds, Regen, Invocation and the Lore attribute means these guys will just never, ever shift. They're also better fighters than Ghouls thanks to S4, but retain that ever-useful poison. Take these guys in larger units, 3 can be killed, 6 are tough, 18 is starting to taking the mickey. Try and ensure that they have something worth tarpitting, the only way these guys will let you down is if they get bogged down fighting something worth less than themselves – they can struggle to fight their way out of combat. Basically, avoid Skavenslaves and Zombies.

[Askari]

Rare


Black Coach


Doesn't use up those 6s on the power dice, huzzah! Also has no effect at all in the opponent's magic phase so is both slower to power up and not a form of magic defence anymore. It's still a T6 chariot with 4 Wounds, with the capability of becoming Ethereal. It's okay, but quite an expensive blocker unless it powers up.


Blood Knights


Chaos Knights can go cry in a corner, these guys are seriously hard hitting. 3 S7 attacks each on the charge means they seriously wreck face. 50 pts a model means you won't have more than 5, but realisitically that's all you ever need – supporting models will only get 1 attack each. They can be raised as well, which helps survivability, as well as being quick and access to Vanhel's all but ensures flank charges. I quite like a unit of 4, with possibly the Flaming Banner, to go monster hunting. Not ludicrously expensive, and statistically they kill a Hell Pit Abomination or Hydra on the charge.


Mortis Engine


Buffs up Regen for other units, damages enemies, can provide +2 to cast, survivable chariot. For more than the cost of that Blood Knight unit up there, with a worse miscast, and prone to exploding killing your own men also. If you take one, either put it far away from the Vampire Lord, or take a Master Necromancer with a secondary caster outside it's influence. You really don't want to risk those miscasts without some backup available, and as said it's not cheap. Really don't see the point of dual-Engines, you still only get the +2 to cast, and while the Regen stacks, you could instead spend the points on more bodies in the first place... you can take 6 Crypt Horrors for the price of an Engine.


Varghulf


Monster on the cheap. I mean, it's really quite cheap, and on a smaller base which means less attacks back! Fast, damaging, and can soak up the odd cannonball shot with Regen. I include one in every list, obliterate a chaff unit then hit a flank or go for the warmachines. As a Vampire, it doesn't have to stay near the general to march either.


Terrorgheist


A shooting attack to be scared of, this thing can kill Bloodthirsters, Mournfang Cavalry and Warsphinxes with no hassle. Not as scary as a Varghulf in combat, and far more vulnerable to Cannons due to lower Regen and much larger base. They perform well though, and that Death Shriek alone can be worth the points, the fact you get a flying 6 wound T6 monster with it is just gravy.

Cairn Wraiths
An Ethereal unit that's actually pretty decent in combat? As expensive as Blood Knights, with extra survival against non-magical attacks, and much less against magic attacks. They're another decent choice, keep them reasonably small to take on support units, or go huge and risk the magical onslaught. Don't bother with the Banshee, the hero version is better.

[Askari]

Magic Items

Skabscrath

So it's for giving your Vampire Lord (too expensive for Heroes), or more commonly Strigoi Ghoul King, a Death Shriek attack like the Terrorgheist. It has a downside so minor we won't even discuss it, but it's quite an expensive item - you're not beating 6+ ward if you take this. It's frequently seen in double-scream Ghoul King/Gheist mount combos, although I personally see more use on an infantry model, no-one will expect a model on foot to have this ability and it could surprise an enemy who's already dealt with 'Gheists. It also grants Devastating Charge, Frenzy and sadly Flaming Attacks - the Flaming is a huge pain, as the Lord will often be facing Dragonhelm-bearing opponents, although it's a bonus for the mounted Ghoul King, as he can strip Regen ready for his mount to kill a monster.

Scratch that, remembered about the Frenzy test - you're unlikely to fail but you do have to tell your opponent that you're testing for it, which kind of gives away the surprise. Still could be useful, but it's not an ace in the hole.

Nightshroud

A great little item, it's got a brilliant little combination of effects that make the bearer quite difficult to kill. Sadly, it only affects models in base contact so it's pretty worthless against enemy blocks. It's not very cheap either, but it can just about fit on a hero. Due to the base contact rule it does get better if mounted on a Zombie Dragon, Coven Throne or Terrorgheist, and so should be a serious consideration in those cases.

Banner of the Barrows

Auto-include if you use Grave Guard in any real numbers (30+), I'd probably also include it with a Black Knight bus as it really alleviates rubber lance syndrome, but not on 5-man units. Although it does benefit Wight Kings as well, it is certainly not a reason to include a Wight King. The fact that it's benefactors can take the banner without the need of a BSB exacerbates this.

Screaming Banner
Part one of the fear-bomb. A cheap little banner that's basically reverse Cold-Blooded when taking Fear tests. It's fine, and cheap enough that even if it doesn't work it doesn't really matter.

Black Periapt

Not, as many seem to think, bonus power dice. It allows you to store spare power/dispel dice and save them for the next magic phase. It's a nifty little item that was indeed too cheap in the last book, but I feel it's just 5pts too expensive, if a hero could take it, it'd be a brilliant item. Still has uses in Master Necromancer lists.

Staff of Damnation

A good little item that can really boost the power, especially if you put the bearer in the corner of a Grave Guard unit next to a Ghoul unit. As a bound spell it's always likely to be dispelled, but it's almost guaranteed to make the opponent reach for those dispel dice, which may warrant it's inclusion. Cheap enough for a hero to take.

The Cursed Book

I love this little book. It sucks up D3 power dice (if you choose to use it, this is important) and automatically casts one spell from a table. All the spells are good debuffs with moderate casting values which mean you'd probably be casting on 2-3 power dice anyway, making it absolutely superb when you get that 1 on the D3. Another way to draw dispel dice.

Book of Arkhan

Auto-include. Vanhel's Danse Macabre is a supremely important spell for Vampire Counts, and apart from Mannfred and taking too many magic levels this is the only way to guarantee it. Having such a low power level means you can save one power dice off hand and have a good chance to cast it at the end of a magic phase - preferably after another spell the opponent really doesn't want to let through. Alternatively, another dispel dice draw.

Rod of Flaming Death

A.k.a the Rod of Flame Cage. This will either get dispelled or the opponent just won't move the unit. Does automatically force a Panic check, which is useful. The Ruby Ring does the same kind of damage while being 3 Skeletons cheaper though.

Vampiric Powers
Master of the Black Arts
75pts down the drain. Some have hammered out the maths on this power and it just doesn't seem worth the high cost. If you want more power dice/dispel dice ratio, there's arcane one-use items which do that, and which are useful regardless of the Winds of Magic roll.

Curse of the Revenant
Comboed with the Skabscrath Ghoul King build. +1 wound for more points than Red Fury? No thank you. Does make the Ghoul King a little hardier as well, which he needs. I wouldn't give it a second look on a Vampire Lord however.

Red Fury
I'm amazed this still costs the same as the last book, this is the single most hated power the Vampires have. Vampire Lords have impressive statlines as it is, and are more than capable of killing enemies. Now, for each enemy you kill, you get another attack? So worth the points it's not even funny. The only shame is no Frostblade to murder Ogre deathstars anymore, although Konrad can still sort of replicate this.

Flying Horror
Lets your Vampire fly. So does a Hellsteed, which as a mount improves your armour save, and is same cost, and most importantly doesn't take out of Vampiric Powers. I'd say give it a miss on Lords, as you can combo up the powers better, potential uses on heroes who can't afford the good combos anyway.

Quickblood
ASF on a I7 character is lovely, as it almost guarantees re-rolls to hit. Also means you can have a last laugh against High Elves. Superb choice.

Aura of Dark Majesty
Part two of the fear-bomb, gives an area debuff of enemy Leadership by -1. The implications are obvious. Also, pretty cheap.

Dark Acolyte
A bonus to casting after the spell is already successfully cast? Probably worth it if a hero Necromancer could have it, but since you can't, there's better powers to have.

Forbidden Lore
No longer gives Loremaster. This really limits it's use as you can't often afford a second Vampire Lord to take this either. OK I suppose, but make sure to pick a Lore with good signature spells such as Beasts. Infact I'll go ahead and say Beasts is the only one worth going for, as you can already take Shadow, Death and Vampires and can't have Life.

Supernatural Terror

Causes Terror, like half of everything else in the list. Skip.

Fear Incarnate

Part three of the Fear bomb, this really raises the probability of a unit failing it's fear test. It's not a bad power to have off-hand as a semi-fear bomb, since it's cheap enough to fit in along Red Fury/Quickblood.

Beguile

Brilliant bargain power, for 3 Skeletons you have a real chance of having an enemy be forced to re-roll successful hits against the Vampire. Especially good with Glittering Scales/Zombie Dragon/Dread Knight.

Master Strike

Discount price or not, this power sucks hard. Swap out all those impressive number of attacks you have for a single attack with Heroic Killing Blow? Didn't they learn from the Necrosphinx that one HKB attack is rubbish, never mind the fact you don't even get to perform your other attack as well. The fact you have to pay for this power is an insult.

Dread Knight

+2 Weapon Skill. Must issue and accept challenges unless higher Ld character in unit. It's not bad, it's really cheap and those 2 points of Weapon Skill can really enhance the survivability of the Vampire, making Weapon Skill 4 hit on 5s for the Lord. Having to challenge is a bit of a pain, especially as a Lord can easily get more than even maximum overkill against regular unit champions but at least being in a challenge saves him from the unit's attacks. Nice on heroes, due to cost and helping vs. Weapon Skill 3.

Summon Creatures of the Night

Excellent in cavalry lists, raising Dire Wolves beyond starting it quite nice. You won't have any Fell Bats to raise though... will you...

Mounts

Skeletal Steed

Only available to Wight Kings. Should be barded. Not much else to say about it really.

Nightmare

Great mounts for all purposes. Possibly even worth taking the risk with a hero putting them on a steed in an infantry unit... possibly... if Cannons are out of fashion in your meta.. Natural choice for all-cav lists.

Hellsteed

Nightmare that flies! Let's a Vampire start in a Black/Blood Knight unit then fly off and do his own thing later on. Reasonably cheap too. Wouldn't advise it on your General as he could do with the better armour save from barding, and your army is better served with him closeby. Otherwise, great option.

Abyssal Terror

The only good thing about this monster is that it's cheap. It's a woeful (for a monster) fighter, is reliably killed by Crossbowmen or Handguns, nevermind serious firepower, has no save and most importantly exposes your Lord to cannon fire. All that being said however, Mannfred the Acolyte, a hero choice, can take one as a mount. Surprisingly this is worth considering, while being far from optimal, it can work, especially if you pack the rest of the list with monsters also, Zombie Dragon Lord, 2 Terrorgheists and a Varghulf can make the enemy really worry about all the fast moving monsters around the place.

Terrorgheist

Only mount option for a Strigoi Ghoul King. No discount for taking it as a mount, with aforementioned cannon bait problems. Just take another one in Rare. If you already have two in rare/out of points in rare, don't bother at all.

Coven Throne

Slightly cheaper than a Zombie Dragon with, probably, slightly better overall damage output. Battle of Wills can really change the outcome of a combat. Do note the Throne has the Ward Save, not it's rider. Heroes do well on Thrones as, so long as they remain near the General they should be able to use his Leadership for Battle of Wills, while you don't have to care so much if it's killed.

Zombie Dragon

Ah, my favourite. Dragons are always deadly, and assuming you don't face too many Cannons these Dragons can destroy armies. 5 S6 attacks and Thunderstomp is lovely, a Breath Weapon for when things get hairy, and a rider who is if anything more dangerous than the Dragon itself. Glittering Scales and Nightshroud really synergize with this thing, as the huge base makes the most of the Nightshroud and Glittering Scales means anything not a Bloodthirster or Assassin will really hit the Vampire, a shame both items are Armour, or it'd be sickening.

[Askari]

Phew, got more reviewing to do yet!

Common Character/Unit Builds

Blender Vampire Lord

Vampire Lord decked out with offensive gear - Sword of Strife/Ogre Blade/Sword of Bloodshed. Potion of Strength/Other Trickster's Shard. Talisman of 4+/5+ ward. Heavy Armour. Shield/Enchanted Shield/Dragonhelm. RED FURY, QUICKBLOOD. Capital letters for importance. You can also give him Wizard levels if a) points too short for Master Necromancer support or b) fits a theme. Has one main job, jump on a unit and kill it dead. It does this quite well, and as you probably want a Level 4 caster anyway this is the perfect dual-purpose character. Very expensive.

Double-Shriek King

Strigoi Ghoul King with Skabscrath, Curse of the Revenant, Terrorgheist. All other items optional. Supposed way to get an extra Shriek into the army, but at this cost it's very vulnerable to cannons and costs more than two seperate Terrorgheists, which having more wounds and able to target different units, are strictly better at the same job.

Sacrifical Necromancer

Base level 1 Necromancer with the Forbidden Rod. Mortis Engine users like the Seed of Rebirth to try and save the Necromancer. Job is to provide an extra Invocation until Winds of Magic roll low, then the poor sod gets sacrificed to the Rod for the greater good of +d6 Power dice.

Fear-bomb Vampire

Vampire hero with Fear Incarnate and Aura of Dark Majesty. Defensive gear keeps him alive long enough for the power to swing combats - I'd recommend Armour of Silvered Steel/Luckstone/Great Weapon or Heavy Armour/Enchanted Shield/Dawnstone/Magic weapon. Glittering Scales also an option if you want to risk it not working. Always placed in Screaming Banner bearing unit - usually Skeletons.

Balerion mentioned Supernatural Terror probably a better choice than Aura against Ogre/other fear-causing enemies.

Anti-Abomination Knights

A personal favourite of mine, due to Hydra/Abominations around. 4 Blood Knights (i.e. minimum) with the Banner of Eternal Flame. Statistically average rolls kill aforementioned monsters on the charge, before they strike, for similar points cost. Fast enough to get the charge, do the deed, then flank units afterward.

[Askari]

I'll do the Lore of the Vampires spell by spell.... uh... now. And I'll give an overview for the other Lores we can access (spell by spell breakdowns for them are available elsewhere). Then I'll consider this complete.

So, without further ado;

The Lore of the Vampires

The Curse of Undeath - Lore Attribute
Identical to the Lore of Life's lifebloom, it's a truly great attribute, especially with the relatively low casting values on our spells mean we can get lots of spells off to heal numerous wounds. Take special note that, if your Wizard and other characters are unharmed, you can use this on our numerous multi-wound models as well. Especially good on Vargheists, Spirit Hosts and Varghulfs who are limited to healing 1 wound a cast with Invocation.

Invocation of Nehek - Signature Spell

It doesn't take a genius to see this spell is important. Resurrecting Zombies and Skeletons is all well and good, but resurrecting 5-10 Grave Guard, or 5 Black Knights per casting (on a Level 4) is just ludicrously good. If you're able, go for the 12" version, it should affect the entire main battle line with this and will be harder to dispel - the 18" version is a little bit expensive in power dice to be of much use - you'd get more use casting the 6" twice with different casters.

Vanhel's Danse Macabre

You need to somehow ensure you get this spell, as it's not a Signature like Invocation you're only getting one of these. This is why the Book of Arkhan is important as well. Especially with no marching outside of the general's radius, this can allow the opposite flank keep up with the army - or better, slingshot cavalry behind the enemy, there's a real oppotunity to have cavalry behind enemy lines by the shooting phase of turn 1, and have them charging warmachines at the tip of turn 2.

That's not all, once combat begins you gain re-rolls to hit. Amazing on Ghouls for more of those precious 6s, but good on everything. At only 12+ to cast for a 12" aura, it's a beastly spell. Sneaky tricks, hype up the power of Invocation to your opponent, say things like "Woah! Those 7 Grave Guard you killed are now back alive!", let him waste dispel dice on Invocation, this spell is more important in a great many cases.

Hellish Vigour

Re-rolls to hit are generally better than re-rolls to wound, especially when you get the former on a lower casting value with alternative effects. That being said it's impressive on Grave Guard, due to Killing Blow - although you should have Great Weapons which reduce the efficiency of this spell. It's still a pretty potent spell and certainly worth casting.

Gaze of Nagash

Reasonably powerful magic missile with decent range and moderate casting value, S4 means it wounds decently well and affects armour. This is alright, great for things like Sabertusks, Outriders, and especially pesky Skinks. No complaints at all.

Raise Dead

Summon a unit of Zombies anywhere near the caster? Handy if something gets by your redirectors, or has some unexpected entry system which leaves you open (Dwarf Miners and Gutter Runners come to mind). These can delay them. Unless you have a Master of the Dead Master Necromancer I wouldn't try the Skeleton Warrior version, they'll be too small to buff up and quite likely killed off before your next magic phase - stick to the Zombies and Invocation them up if you need to.

Curse of Years

Pretty potent spell, can be used to try and snipe certain models - although no opponent worth his salt will leave it undispelled so that it wounds easier. Casting this can be a form of magical defence, forcing the enemy to waste dice dispelling the Remains in Play instead of using them on your forces.

Wind of Death

High casting value magical vortex. It's not Purple Sun, although S3 no armour saves can hurt certain units (Greatswords, perhaps), it's quite random in the distance travelled and how many hits it inflicts, no it doesn't hit everyone under the template, that would make it useful. No, this is probably the best option to switch out for Invocation.

Other Lores

Lore of Shadow

Everyone knows how powerful this lore is, and it remains so for Vampire Counts. However, it's 6th spell is decidedly useless for Vampires - Okkam's Mindrazor makes Zombies, Terrorgheists and Varghulfs worse at fighting. The debuff spells are welcome however, due to our generally poor stats, if you lower the enemy to be equally poor, you'll win through attrition.

Lore of Death

I've seen the idea of the Zombie Battery, casting Purple Sun through them to gain Power dice from the lore attribute - a little bit gamey but I guess it works. Assuming you have that spell of course. Character sniping is quite useful to Vampires, as you don't want anything to threaten that all-important General, and killing off the BSB helps a lot with Fear tests and fleeing enemies. In larger games, i.e. where you already have 2 Lore of the Vampires casters, I see no issue with having a Death wizard somewhere in the army.

Lore of Beasts

Only available through Forbidden Lore, you're taking it for the signature spell - Wyssan's Wildform. That spell alone makes our units just horrendous to face. T6 Crypt Horrors? S6 T5 Blood Knights? T5 Ghouls! Yeah it's not fun for anyone. Sadly, the lack of Forbidden Lore on Necromancers means you pay a hefty price for this one spell, so save it for large games.

[the_picto]

How successfull do people find their blender lords? Sword of bloodshed, quickblood and red fury against an unarmoured enemy that is hit on 3+ and wounded on 2+ (almost ideal circumstances) statistically causes about 8 wounds. Is that really that impressive for 400pts worth of vampire? You're still not going to win combat unless you put him in an expensive unit of graveguard, ghouls or black knights, making for a very expensive combined unit.

[Askari]

I'm getting just over 10 kills on average against the enemy you mentioned. That's 10 more combat resolution you add on to whatever standard, ranks and kills your unit gets - that can very easily swing it in your favour. Doing the math, against things like Chaos Warriors and of course Knights of various kinds you're better off with the Ogre Blade than the Sword of Strife, and more middling things like Dwarfs you're about the same either way. I just use the latter due to my Elf and Skaven metagame.

Remember that 400pts is also a Level 3-4 Wizard, with T5 and the ability to take armour and heal itself very easily, which you should take into account. So you're not paying 400pts for 10 kills, you're paying +150 over a Master Necromancer for 10 kills per round of combat and much higher survivability. That's certainly a price worth paying I reckon.

[Nocculum]

Master Strike

Discount price or not, this power sucks hard. Swap out all those impressive number of attacks you have for a single attack with Heroic Killing Blow? Didn't they learn from the Necrosphinx that one HKB attack is rubbish, never mind the fact you don't even get to perform your other attack as well. The fact you have to pay for this power is an insult.

Sword of Striking and Dreadknight...

Re-rollable 2+...very useful against anything without a ward...like most monsters...

[Askari]

I'd rather 5 S7 attacks hitting on 3s with a re-roll, than one HKB attack hitting on 2+ with re-roll. I guess you could use Hellish Vigour too to raise the chances but, it's still pretty low. On a hero... maybe, but you're not getting that ASF re-roll then.

[Frankly]

Awesome write up Askari!

[Samaeus]

Magic Items

Skabscrath

So it's for giving your Vampire Lord (too expensive for Heroes), or more commonly Strigoi Ghoul King, a Death Shriek attack like the Terrorgheist. It has a downside so minor we won't even discuss it, but it's quite an expensive item - you're not beating 6+ ward if you take this. It's frequently seen in double-scream Ghoul King/Gheist mount combos, although I personally see more use on an infantry model, no-one will expect a model on foot to have this ability and it could surprise an enemy who's already dealt with 'Gheists. It also grants Devastating Charge, Frenzy and sadly Flaming Attacks - the Flaming is a huge pain, as the Lord will often be facing Dragonhelm-bearing opponents, although it's a bonus for the mounted Ghoul King, as he can strip Regen ready for his mount to kill a monster.

The main problem I have with the Skabscrath is that the best use of it is to keep it a surprise... but with a potential 18" charge the vampire will have to roll leadership tests for frenzy way before getting near the enemy, revealing that he has it! Not to mention how annoying it would be if he failed that test...

[Askari]

Hm, that's a fair point, with high Leadership I wasn't expecting him to fail Frenzy but you do have to tell your opponent you're rolling for it. Incidentally, this makes it an even worse idea on a Terrorgheist - where you want to choose your targets wisely, not go running off after a Rat dart.

[Ville]

I've noticed that Corpse Cart's low movement usually doesn't matter that much. If you deploy it as far up as possible, preferably in a space between central core units, it will be within 6" of your main line usually when the fighting begins to do its magic. It's a chariot, but its true purpose is quite different. ASF bubble is the most important factor.

I always take it with Balefire uppgrade: it has ruined magic phases for my opponent surprisingly often.

[meowser]

I've noticed that Corpse Cart's low movement usually doesn't matter that much. If you deploy it as far up as possible, preferably in a space between central core units, it will be within 6" of your main line usually when the fighting begins to do its magic. It's a chariot, but its true purpose is quite different. ASF bubble is the most important factor.

I always take it with Balefire uppgrade: it has ruined magic phases for my opponent surprisingly often.

I agree Balefire is really where the money is at (when I remember I've taken it), most opponents will forget about and not incorporate it into calculating how many dice to throw

[Darnok]

Army list

If you want to discuss an army list, please do so in the respective forum section. Please don't clutter tactica threads with stuff like this.


Darnok [=I=]

[Arnizipal]

If you want to discuss an army list, please do so in the respective forum section. Please don't clutter tactica threads with stuff like this.


Darnok [=I=]

Agreed. Posts moved to their own thread in the correct subforum.

Arnizipal,

++ The Warseer Moderation Team ++

[Brotheroracle]

I would like to point out the the Flying Horror is good for a non terrorgheist mounted ghoul king, and for suprize charges out of infantry blocks. Sure a hellsteed gives you a better armor save, but you can hide flying vamps in infantry blocks, so I think its a decent trade off.

[Frankly]

Flying horror is great in certain lists for sure. I play a flying circus list and a flying lord is an awesomely fun way to play your lord.

[Brotheroracle]

Exactly, I think its a great thing for choppy foot lords who your opponents might try to avoid, if running a foot list I think a flying horror vamp is something to consider simply so you can support the combat you need to.

On a second note as the hellsteed is not monstrous am I correct in thinking he'll still get a look out sir roll in/near a unit of cav?