Sunny & Najo’s Vampire Counts 8th Edition Handbook (2014) - Carpe Noctem (2024)

Trickster’s Helm – Vampires and Wight Kings are already hard to wound for most things, but this helm makes it even harder. Although expensive, Trickster’s Helm makes a Vampire Lord nigh-invulnerable to most rank and file. When combined with heavy armour and a shield, your vampire has a 3+ armor save on foot and a 1+ on a Barded Nightmare.

Armour of Silvered Steel – A good way for vampires on foot to get a 2+ armor save and still pack a great weapon or additional hand weapon. For mounted vampires, there are better ways to get a 2+ armor save. Combined with Fencer’s Blades on a Vampire Lord makes him extremely difficult to kill.

Armour of Fortune – If you want a 5+ ward save, take Talisman of Endurance with heavy armour and save points for a for another magic item.

Helm of Discord – For its cost, you really need a guaranteed matchup with a low leadership enemy to make this item worth it. Helm of Discord theoretically works if building a whole strategy around reducing the enemy’s leadership. Combined with Aura of Dark Majesty, Iceshard Blizzard and Doom & Darkness you could make an entire army based around causing fear, screams and a Vampire Lord who can’t be attacked in challenges. Overall, a bit too gimmicky and you lose reliable powers and items in place of more conditional ones, but fun none the less.

Glittering Scales – Sacrificing a point of armor save for -1 for enemy To Hit rolls is powerful, but risky. You can pair these with Fencer’s Blades or Dread Knight to ensure a high Weapon Skill making most models only hit you on a 6. Mounted vampires can take a barded nightmare and shield for a decent 3+ armor save, and still take Dawnstone or a magic weapon. Works well with Beguile too.

Shield of Ptolos – Only really useful for solo vampires in a meta with little to no cannons and a lot of elves. Unless the elves are wood elves. Skip this item.

Spellshield – A decent way to give Magic Resistance (1) to a character and still let them take a talisman.

Gambler’s Armour – If you want a 6+ ward save, take Talisman of Protection with heavy armour. Gambler’s Armour is alright when combined with Obsidian Amulet.

Dragonhelm – Often taken for the 2+ ward save vs. flaming attacks. Dragonhelm also gives a point of armor save and still allows the character to take a great weapon or an additional hand weapon. Combines well with both foot and mounted vampires with shields (and barding) togive 3+ or 1+ armor saves respectfully.

Enchanted Shield – A good way to get a 3+ armor save on foot and a 2+ while mounted if the mount doesn’t have barding.

Charmed Shield – A powerful one use 2+ save against the first hit suffered. Can ignore anything that hits this character, including a cannonball. Invaluable to a vampire on a mount or flying solo but be careful as veteran players will shoot the vampire with ballistic weapons first, so be smart with your movement. Charmed Shield is also a cheap way to keep a Vampire acting as baby blender alive or make a Wight King even harder to kill.

Magic Talismans

Obsidian Lodestone – Magic Resistance (3) is good if you plan on running a large deathstar style unit that needs protection against spells. Since magic resistance stacks with ward saves, you can combine this item with Armour of Fortune to give a character a 2+ ward save against magic too. Not recommended for mounted or solo Vampire Lords as a 4+ ward save with magic resistance (2) is better in both cases.

Talisman of Endurance – In most circ*mstances, you should go the extra 15 points and take Talisman of Preservation instead. The exceptions are if you need 70 points free on your Lord for other items or if you want a hero to have both a magic weapon (Sword of Might is ideal) and a decent ward save. Combines well with another character using the Obsidian Lodestone. Have both characters join the same unit, and the bearer of the Talisman of Endurance gains a 2+ ward save against spells.

Obsidian Amulet – Ideal for a solo or mounted Vampire Lord using Armour of Destiny. The magic resistance (2) from Obsidian Amulet stacks with the 4+ ward save from the armor, granting the bearer a 2+ ward save against spells. Obsidian Amulet works well on vampires joining a unit of Blood Knights with the Flag of Blood Keep, granting the unit a similar benefit. Of course, neither of these circ*mstances are the safest place for our vampires, but depending on your playstyle and local meta, this talisman can grant the extra protection needed for those vampires to get into combat safely.

Dawnstone – For a heavily armored vampire, the Dawnstone is an excellent investment granting a rerollable armor save. Where its value varies is against armies that easily ignore armor or have high strength units that reduce armor saves to little or nothing. If your character will face a lot of screams, Lore of Death sniper spells, waywacthers, gunlines, or high-strength monsters or characters, then Dawnstone is Yellow and you should invest in a ward save instead. If you can avoid or minimize those threats, then Dawnstone is Blue. Dawnstone combines well with Armor of Destiny on a Vampire Lord with a shield, lance and barded nightmare, giving the vampire a 2+ rerollable armor save and a 4+ ward save.

Opal Amulet – Sometimes one good save is all you need and this talisman is fairly cheap. A two wound character will benefit from a single 4+ ward save more than a multiple use 6+ save. A good choice for heroes, as a lord should have something more substantial. Opal Amulet is a risky way to give a character a more powerful magical weapon and still have a 4+ ward save at a crucial moment. Combined with Charmed Shield, the Opal Amulet might be the only ward save you need. If you really love gambling, take a Vampire Lord with Charmed Shield, Opal Amulet, Sword of Bloodshed and Potion of Strength. Mix in Red Fury and Quickblood of course, and then aim your blender towards whatever you want to kill.

Obsidian Trinket – Although a cheap way to get Magic Resistance (1), Obsidian Trinket isn’t usually worth disregarding the other talismans, especially when you can take Lichebone Pennant instead. A Vampire Lord can use Obsidian Trinket with Armor of Destiny and leave enough points for Fencer’s Blades, Sword of Anti-heroes or Sword of Swiftslaying. This gives the Vampire Lord a 3+ ward verses spells and still leaves room for a decent magic weapon. This approach is ideal for a Vampire Lord with Red Fury and Flying Horror, who can take the Sword of Swiftslaying in place of Quickblood and still gain decent protection against spells without losing much killing power against rank and file. Obsidian Trinket can also be thrown on a hero and still leave room for cheap but effective items such as Sword of Might, Charmed Shield, Other Trickster’s Shard and other similar toys. This allows the hero to grant Magic Resistance (1) to the unit without compromising the choices for the unit’s banner. Overall, there are better talismans you should consider first, but Obsidian Trinket offers some interesting applications that can work in the right armies.

Talisman of Protection – Although a 6+ ward save is better than none, its price is a bit steep for a save that will fail you most of the time. Talisman of Protection is alright when used in conjunction with other defenses or you are putting most of your points in offensive items.

Seed of Rebirth– Seed of Rebirth grants its bearer Regeneration (6+) and since its only 10 points, a hero can take Seed of Rebirth with an Ogre Blade. Add in heavy armor and a shield, you gain a hero that is fairly effective at killing and has some decent protection. Where the Seed of Rebirth really shines is when combined with a pair of Mortis Engines. The overlapping dark auras from the Reliquary grants the bearer Regeneration (4+)! If your army includes even a single Mortis Engine then Seed of Rebirth is Blue as the protection it provides for its cost is too good to pass up. Just keep your character away from Killing Blows and Flaming Attacks.

Dragonbane Gem – This talisman is so cheap its worth including on one of your heroes just in case of Flaming Attacks. Practically standard issue for a Strigoi Ghoul King, Dragonbane Gem allows him to charge into units with Flaming Attacks and be nearly immune to them. Since its only 5 points and the security it provides is invaluable, this talisman is Purple for a Strigoi Ghoul King.

Pigeon Plucker Amulet – To circ*mstantial to recommend wholesale, but in certain metas this talisman is a cheap way to give a decent ward save against the more common flying threats out there and leave your character plenty of points to do other things. Only worth taking if your character doesn’t need a better talisman or you face a lot of flying units and characters.

Luckstone – One of the better dirt cheap magic items. Sometimes one save is the difference between winning and losing. If a character has a solid armor save and a five points of magic items left, you could do worse than to give them the Luckstone. Just remember to write yourself a note so you don’t forget to use it.

Magic Standards

Wailing Banner – There are far easier ways for the undead to cause Terror than this overpriced banner. Just throw a Banshee or Wraith in a unit instead.

Ranger's standard – Don’t bother giving this to your infantry. But in a unit of cavalry with vampires in them, this banner might surprise an opponent using terrain to screen himself from you. If you take Black Knights without vampires, their spectral steeds make this banner pointless, especially since they are better off taking Banner of the Barrows.

Razor Standard – A decent upgrade for your Black Knights or Grave Guard, helping them deal with armor. This banner on your BSB, lets your unit take another banner (like Banner of the Barrows) and allows the Razor Standard follow your vampires, making them better at dealing with armor. If your meta has a lot of Warriors of Chaos or Bretonnia armies, then this banner is a good addition to have.

War Banner – Although a bit expensive, War Banner adds +1 to your combat resolution. Not only are you more likely to win combats and break your enemy, but this banner reduces any causalities we would lose by one. Often overlooked, this banner is worth considering for adding stability to our units.

Banner of Swiftness – A cheap banner that simply adds +1 to its unit’s movement. But in a game where movement is so important, that extra inch could win you games. This banner means two more inches when its unit is marching and a +1” to the unit’s charge range. Banner of Swiftness is best used with Skeleton Warriors or Black Knights, adding extra mobility to our army. Don’t forget, the banner also affects characters moving out of or charging from the unit, which makes for some nasty surprises from vampires and Cairn Wraiths having a Movement of 7 for that turn.

Lichbone Pennant – Same price as the Obsidian Trinket, but its points come out of your units instead of characters. Since Magic Resistance benefits everyone in the unit, this banner combos well with our characters’ ward saves. Best used in Skeleton Warriors, since the points come from Core and the Magic Resistance (1) can cover a large number of models that way.

Standard of Discipline – Although undead don’t take as many Leadership tests, they still do when reforming and marching. But with Vampire Lords often running the show, this banner isn’t very useful. The banner becomes more useful when used with less traditional tactics though. If a Strigoi Ghoul King is your general, take this banner in his unit to give him Leadership 10, and thus boosting nearby units and Spirit Leech spells. This banner can also be given to a unit of Blood Knights or a Vampire BSB, allowing them to operate more reliably when away from our Vampire Lords.

Banner of Eternal Flame – You never know when you’ll need to assault a building or fight something with Regeneration. Banner of the Eternal Flame is cheap enough, that even if you don’t run across these situations often, you aren’t out much when you don’t and prepared when you do. Put the banner on Skeleton Warriors, and have them joined by vampires with non-magical weapons or a Strigoi Ghoul King with no weapons (and thus Flaming and Poisonous Attacks). Watch out for Dragon Princes, Flamespyre Phoenixes, most of the Chaos Dwarves, and characters with Dragonbane Gem or Dragonhelm though. If your vampires end up in combat against a character with one of those items, make sure your champion accepts any challenges to avoid having your blender’s attacks getting negated. Remember that the flaming attacks don’t confer over to magic weapons, which is a good way to have a character within the unit that can deal with 2+ ward saves vs. flaming attacks.

Gleaming Pennant – This banner cost next to nothing, and a rerolled Leadership test could be useful at a key moment. Still, with how little we rely on Leadership tests there are overall better choices of banners to take.

Scarecrow Banner – This banner may be cheap but it does literally nothing for us since everything already causes Fear.

Arcane Items

Feedback Scroll – Not powerful enough for its’ cost or that it uses an arcane item slot. Could be detrimental to opponents who six-dice all their spells and don’t put ward saves on their wizards. Otherwise a waste of points.

Scroll of Leeching – A lot of points for something that has one use and can’t actually stop or mitigate a spell in anyway. Where Scroll of Leeching might have use is being played when your opponent rolls doubles on the Winds of Magic and has between 8 – 12 dice. Then when they cast their first spell with 3-4 dice, you let it through, and gain extra dice for the remaining 5-9 power dice. But because these circ*mstances are few and far between, this Arcane Item is a waste of points, especially if they miscast and lose the rest of their dice anyways.

Sivejir’s Hex Scroll – Although it’s fun to turn enemy Wizards into frogs, this Arcane Item isn’t reliable enough to effect most Wizard lords and it might only last for a single turn. That’s a lot left up to chance to waste a Necromancer’s entire magic item allowance. Where the Hex Scroll has some use is against lower level Wizards with specific spells that are causing some issues or powerful characters that just happen to only be Level 1 or 2. A Strigoi Ghoul King would get turned into a frog on a roll of 2+ and then is easily killed by anything targeting him, since all his stats are reduced to 1. Combines decently with Lore of Death sniper spells.

Power Scroll – Remember, Power Scroll was officially FAQ’d and now cuts a spell’s casting value in half (rounded up). Anytime you want to make a spell easy to cast, you can use this item and two dice nearly anything. For maximum potential, hold out on casting a nuke spell, wait until your opponent is out of dice and has used their Dispel Scroll, then use this Power Scroll to cut a high casting value in half and two dice out a Purple Sun or Final Transformation.

Staff of Sorcery - This item can be found in the Warhammer FAQ and adds +1 To your dispel attempts. If you want to play a magic light army, but still want a good magic defense take Staff of Sorcery on a Level 2 Necromancer. If you also take a corpse cart with Balefire, you can virtually forgo a Level 4 Wizard altogether. This item is very useful in lower point games.

Wand of Jet – A one use item that allows you to add D6 to a casting result after the roll is made. Though not the strongest of Arcane Items available, what’s interesting about Wand of Jet is that you can add D6 to a casting after its rolled, turning a failed result into a successful one. With an army as dependent on magic as Vampire Counts, Wand of Jet can save your magic phase at a pivotal moment.

Forbidden Rod – Vampire Counts thrive on a stable magic phase, and Forbidden Rod can help you maintain one. The down side to Forbidden Rod is that it deals D3 Wounds to the bearer of this item. Strategies on minimizing this down side vary from taking the item on a Master Necromancer and letting his 4+ Ward Save mitigate the wounds, to using the item on a Necromancer and just take the chance he is going to get killed. Adding an Opal Amulet gives a Necromancer a 4+ ward save against one of the wounds, while Seed of Rebirth with the Regeneration bonuses from two Mortis Engines gives him a very dependable Regeneration (4+).

Trickster’s Shard – Between having to announce when you are using this item and how odds are against it wounding, this item isn’t very effective. Overall, Trickster’s Shard is not worth taking up a precious Arcane Item slot.

Earthing Rod – Hopefully you won’t need Earthing Rod, but if you do, it reduces the risk of losing your Wizard from 8.34% to 1.35%. With how important our Wizards are, Earthing Rod is more an insurance policy to protect your investment when a casting roll goes bad. Depending on what Lore you are using, the bonuses you have when casting, and what other Arcane Items you need determines how useful this item is. Earthing Rod is less useful when your casters are using Lore of Vampires. With the Lore’s low casting values, you can easily two dice most spells with a Level 4 without miscasting. With the more expensive spells of Lore of Shadows and Lore of Death, Earthing Rod can keep your primary Wizard alive.

Dispel Scroll – Every player knows this item, since it’s in nearly every army. Most players would quickly label this Purple, and for some experience levels, playstyles and army builds, Dispel Scroll very well may be. The reason Dispel Scroll is only Blue for Vampire Counts, is we have to many good Arcane Items competing for the same slot (Black Periapt, Book of Arkhan and Cursed Book to name three) and since Invocation of Nehek easily heals damage, we can often let damage spells through. Another consideration is the other Arcane Items can keep being used every round, while Dispel Scroll only works once. Still, when you need a way to stop a spell that is going to ruin you there is nothing more reliable than Dispel Scroll, and after weighing your options if you can’t justify playing without it, then make sure to make room for one.

Power Stone – A great way to gain an unexpected edge in a magic phase, especially if your opponent thinks you are down to your last power dice or two. You can use the extra dice from Power Scroll to surprise your opponent with a nasty spell they didn’t think you could cast. If timed right, this can be game-changing.

Sceptre of Stability – If you already have a Dispel Scroll and are desperate for more magic defense this isn’t terrible. The problem is one use items like this are usually given to your Necromancers and you really need a Level 4 Wizard to get maximum mileage out of this. Overall, the Dispel Scroll is all you need and is more reliable.

Channeling Staff – If the bearer can stay alive the whole game, Channeling Staff will yield you on average one extra power die and dispel die per game. If you have a free Arcane Item slot open on a Necromancer, this item helps strengthen your magic phases. Otherwise skip it as we have much better options.

Scroll of Shielding– A decent, cheap alternative to Dispel Scroll. Although Scroll of Shielding is only one use, it grants a unit a 4+ ward save against any damage caused by a spell your opponent cast. It can cushion the blow of a nuke spell, and if it’s a Remains in Play spell, you get the 4+ ward save every round until the spell ends. What’s really good about Scroll of Shielding, is it works even if a spell is cast with Irresistible Force.

Enchanted items

Fozzrik’s Folding Fortress – This item costs too much for our Lords to make good use of it. Aside from being a 100 points, it completely consumes their magic items, which is key to maximizing a Vampire Lord’s damage or a Master Necromancer’s spell casting.

Arabyan Carpet – A flying mount or the Flying Horror power are both cheaper than this item and they don’t use up your magic item points. Plus, a Vampire with either of those options can still join units.

Crown of Command - Undead don’t roll break tests, so we have no use for this item.

Healing Potion – Too expensive for what little healing it provides. Vampire Counts get all the character healing we need with the Vampire Lore attribute and the Hunger.

Featherfoe Torc – In most situations this Enchanted Item isn’t worth it. If your meta has a lot of powerful flyers, it might work as part of a Vampire Lord build that can fight those flyers toe to toe. Otherwise don’t bother with the Featherfoe Torc.

Ruby Ring of Ruin – Ruby Ring is useful for many army builds. Since it’s an Enchanted Item, it doesn’t use up any Arcane Items and can be taking by non-wizards. As Vampire Counts lack a lot of magic missiles, Ruby Ring provides an invaluable tool providing range, chaff removal and flaming all wrapped up in a fairly cheap magic item.

Terrifying Mask of EEE! – If you really need Terror, take Supernatural Horror for the same cost and don’t waste your magic item allowance. Better still, take a Cairn Wraith and get a nasty character along with it.

Potion of Strength – Potion of Strength is one use, but it adds a powerful boost to Vampire Lords and Strigoi Ghoul Kings at a key moment, especially if they do not carry a magic weapon. This allows the vampire to focus their magic items on making them more powerful against rank and file, and then the potion allows the vampire to kill something that would normally be too tough for them to handle. Potion of Strength is really good combined with Sword of Bloodshed on a Strigoi Ghoul King.

Potion of Toughness – For the points, you can get a more reliable defensive item. If used properly, this potion can protect your Strigoi Ghoul King or Vampire Lord at the right time in order to survive fighting a nasty monster or character. Overall, there are better magic items you can take.

Other Trickster’s Shard – A powerful Enchanted Item that allows your blenders to avoid ward saves negating their attacks. Other Trickster’s Shard is invaluable against characters, Tzeentch Warriors and Daemons. Just be careful to not go after powerful characters unless you have too.

Iron Curse Icon - This item is so cheap, it only needs to save one model every other game to pay for itself. Whatever your MVP unit is, you could do worse having a character in that unit carrying this. If you ned another Enchanted Item on this character for a specific reason, take that item instead, Otherwise, you can’t go wrong taking Iron Curse Icon.

Potion of Foolhardiness – For only five points your blender can get an extra attack on the charge (and one more chance for Red Fury). A great deal if you aren’t using your Enchanted Item slot for something else.

Potion of Speed – Fairly limited in its use as our vampires have a high Initiative and the Potion of Speed has to be declared before it is used. This item can help a Master Necromancer by boosting his Initiative before he casts Purple Sun, giving him additional protection if the spell misfires. Not the best option for our characters, but it’s so cheap it may be worth taking if you have a spare 5 points.