Beasts of Chaos Tactica - take 2

[timk1111]

Gday,

Ok guys! I've created a new thread for the tactica (one that I can update...), link is as follows:

http://www.librarium-online.com/foru...ml#post1148743

Now, for all those that can contribute and wish too, simply post your interest here! Just tell us what you want to write about, then post your article in this thread when it;s done. Let people look over it for a couple of days and if everyone is happy, presto, the article is in!

As much help as we can get would be great and we should knock this over quick smart!

Cheers,

Tim

[thegreatjam]

well im interested in writing an article about some of those magic weapons but i don't think i have enough experience too.

[timk1111]

well im interested in writing an article about some of those magic weapons but i don't think i have enough experience too.

Well, you're more than welcome to give it a crack! Write up an article, and post it here. If you prefer, you can PM me. I'll tell you what I think.

Tim

[timk1111]

Dealing With a Specific Enemy:
Vampire Counts

Facing a Vampire Counts army can be quite daunting for the Beasts indeed and they will always pose a great challenge. However, he we will look at what can be done to help send the dead back to their graves.

Contents:
Being Undead
Other army Points
Know thy Enemy, army list Breakdown
-Vampiric Powers
-Magic Items
-Lore of the Vampires
-Unit Breakdown.

Being Undead

Vampire Counts have quite a few unique rules, when compared to ‘living’ armies, which are as follows:

* All units Immunity to Psychology
* All units causing Fear
* Limited Marching
* Unbreakable, but take additional wounds
* The General and Crumbling.

Don’t count on making Vampire Counts run, because they simply won’t! This point can be used to the Beasts advantage and by setting up favorable charges, as there’s no way they can flee from them.

Everything also causing Fear is a big problem for a Beasts army, not exactly boasting the best Leadership going around. There are a few things that can be done to combat this. Unit selection goes a long way into helping against fear. Minotaurs are an excellent unit choice, causing fear themselves, so being immune to it, while also having huge hitting power and a lot of attacks to get rid other heavy hitters. Bestigors are another good unit to bring. The Mark of Chaos Undivided gives good resistance to Fear, especially when the General tags along. The Mark of Khorne will give immunity to Fear but only while frenzied. Be careful not to charge this unit into a losing combat, as being outnumbered will still cause an Insane Courage test. Slaanesh and Nurgle offer complete immunity to Fear, all the time, so are great choices. The Mark of Tzeentch will actually weaken a Bestigor unit against Fear, with the loss of all psychology advantages. If taken, keep the General close.

Bringing a Doombull along as the Army General is also an excellent way to combat Fear, bringing with him the best Leadership a Beast can have - 9. Bring him along with a Bestigor bodyguard, keep the Beast Herds close, and not much should be running away at all.

Another great way to protect from Fear is by using the Mark of Nurgle on characters. This becomes particularly useful for Beastherds, who cannot be Marked themselves. Join them with a character with the Mark of Nurgle, and the unit will gain all advantages of causing fear themselves as well, in the form of being Immune to it.

It should be noted that Ambushing against Vampire Counts should be carefully considered, and probably avoided. Unless used for march blocking, getting in the way, or supported by a character with the Mark of Nurgle, there isn’t much chance of even getting off a charge. Vampire Counts armies contain next to no shooting units though, the Banshee being the sole shooter in the army, so this isn’t a huge loss, as there tend to be no soft targets for Ambushers anyway.

Limited marching is a disadvantage of being Undead. Unless within 12 inches of the General, or withing 6 inches of a Vampire, Undead cannot march. Make sure you learn what is and isn’t a Vampire, and if the opportunity arises, take them out. This will slow a Vampire Counts army considerably. Just beware throwing your units into losing combat against these fellows, they can be quite tough to kill, being usually well protected and hit back very hard.

Facing an Unbreakable army is quite a challenge for Beasts, who rely on close combat themselves and breaking through the enemy lines. Undead will lose extra wounds by whatever they lost the combat by, however, so try and stack the odds in your favor the best you can. Frontal charges supported by flank charges easily achieve this, as well as charges supported by geared up Characters and Chariots.

We then come to General, the single most important model in a Vampire Counts army. This is the one big weakness they have, as when the General dies, the entire army will start to rapidly vanish. Throw a Doombull, Beastlord or even a Shaggoth at him, with any magic weapon or even a Great weapon, and chop him up. Again, these guys are very tough customers. Expect a Vampire Counts player to give him all the protection possible, in the form or Armour and Ward saves. Because of this, The Black Maul and Great Fang are great choices against a Vampire Lord.

Other Army Points:

* Magic
* Speed
* Monsters
* Ethereal creatures

All Vampires are wizards and a Vampire Counts player can bring quite a few Power Dice to the field. It is through magic that Vampires and Necromancers heal units, and create new ones, as well as directly damaging their enemies. Unfortunately, not a great deal can be done about this, don’t expect to stop every spell, not by a long shot. Bring a few extra Dispel Dice to field to stop the big spells, as the smaller ’Necromancy’ spells can be re-cast anyway, and that’s about it. Dispel Scrolls also help, but will only help in the opening turns, as there tends to be a high volume of spells being casts, as well as an abundance of Power Dice.

If possible though, simply kill those darn Wizards! The General will more often than not be the most powerful Wizard in a Vampire Counts army, so killing him becomes even more useful.

Another important part to the Vampire’s magic is the amount of Bound Spells available. Corpse Carts and several magic items contain bound spells, so be wary of them.

Even though the Vampire Counts have an average Core selection, in terms of speed, the rest of the army can quite fast. Pack an army with speed as well, to try to counter this and pit the Vampire Counts’ against unit they should lose to. Such as, Centigors vs. Dire Wolves. They can’t flee, so once in charge range, should be easy picking. Also remember that Beasts CAN flee, and doing so to setup counter charges is a great tactics. We’ll look at each unit later on.

Vampire counts can also summon quite a few Monster to their sides. Again, bringing your own can quite often be the best defense against it. Giants, Shaggoths and Chaos Spawn will all help kill or slow down Monsters. Bringing along the Rune of the True Beast will help against a Zombie Dragon and others as well, just be sure to bring the Mark of Nurgle or the Slaughterer’s Blade, with little to no defense against the Vampire on top of him! More on these units later.

Ethereal creatures are another little trick Vampires can bring along. Only being hurt by magic weapons can make them quite hard to kill indeed. There is a simple solution to this however - magic. Bring a couple of Wizards as well as some magic weapons, and you’re sorted! These creatures can be defeated by static combat resolution as well, so Bestigors with ranks and Warbanner can do quite a number on them.

Know thy Enemy, Army List Breakdown.

An important part of facing any enemy is not allowing them to take you by surprise! Where the first half of this article discussed specific strategies to counter the Vampire Count's strengths, the next half will simply look at the army list itself and possible deadly combinations to watch out for.

Vampiric Powers

Here, we’ll look at a the list of Vampiric Powers and what to watch out for. Vampiric Powers are what makes a Vampire so customizable and so hard to predict what they can do. Keeping these in the back of your mind, and watching out for what a Vampire could do, is all that be done. Here we go:

Spectral Form - Killing an Ethereal Vampire can seem daunting at first, but remember they have quite obvious weaknesses. Firstly, the usual weakness to Magic and Magic Items. A Vampire with Spectral Form cannot use Magic Items either, or be mounted, so target him with all the Magic you have. Next, he can only join Ethereal units, meaning if you can blast the hell out of the inevitable Wraith bodyguard he will have, he cannot redeploy in a hurry. See further down for information on Wraiths.

Ghoul kin - Another way Vampires can gain a boost of speed, allowing Ghouls a March Move before the game. Beware this power, and if Ghouls are put down on the table, expect it. Vampire Counts players can place Characters in this unit as well, to gain a march themselves.. A Vampire that can Fly with a Great Weapon could potentially join this unit and move 28 inches in the first turn, enough to destroy a chariot or two, charge your prized Beast herd (who won’t get ranks against a single model) or anything like that. Keep you distance and simply expect it to happen, then you shouldn’t be caught off guard.

Supernatural Horror - This Power allows a Vampire to cause Terror. As much as Fear is a pain for Beast, Terror is even worse. Building on your armies defense against Fear will also boost your defense against Terror, so taking earlier suggestions will help in this department.

Master of the Black Arts - A simple way to boost a Vampire’s magic, with 2 extra power dice. Quite a common upgrade for any magic heavy Vampire army. It can’t be countered, except by simply killing the Vampire.

Forbidden Lore - This allows a Vampire to choose his spells from 7 of the Lores from the Rulebook, or the Lore of Vampires. Additionally, he will gain all spells in that lore AND Invocation of Nehek. Again, quite popular amongst magic heavy armies, and just something to be aware of.

Dark Acolyte - Simply grants an extra magic level. Useful when combined with Master of the Black Arts, to allow a single Vampire to generate an absurd amount of power dice, up to 6 just on his own! This power is the only way for a Hero level Vampire to become level 2, so take note at the start of the battle, that any Vampire Heroes with this power won’t have too much more in the way of other powers, as this takes up quite a good chunk of his points allowance.

Flying Horror - Grants a Vampire the Fly special rule. Vampires with this power will normally do one of two things. First is enter a support role, with a little magic and the Helm of Commandment, simply passing on his Weapon Skill to nearby units, and raising them back up, too. Second, is in combination with Ghoulkin, as mentioned earlier, so keep your distance, as they can easily come with a Strength 7 weapon. These are just examples, though, and a flying Vampire becomes hard to kill, and difficult to catch. Gun him down with magic if possible.

Infinite Hatred - The Vampire will Hate all enemies, but the re-rolls last after the first round of combat. Popular on Combat orientated Vampire. If you suspect a Vampire has this power, you can try and use it to your advantage, knowing that they MUST pursue your unit when broken. This should allow you to setup an easy counter charge afterwards. One combo to keep in mind, is when this power is combined with a Zombie Dragon. Remember, that the Vampire will confer his Hatred onto the mount, so suddenly you will have a LOT of attacks ALL re-rollable! The Rune of the True Beast is the best we have against this combo.

Hunter in the Dark - Allows a Vampire to use the Scout special rule. Usually left at home in favor of the Ghoulkin power, but could still crop up. Expect this to be used in combination with a movement enhancing power or item, suck as Flying Horror, or Talisman of the Lynci. He will be all alone, however, so once again, gun him down!

Red Fury - For each unsaved wound the Vampire inflicts, he will get another attack. Brutal to say the least and very popular on Combat Vampires. Not much you can do, really, except kill the guy back! Look out when combined with the Dread lance - Auto hits at Strength 7 are nasty with this Power, an almost certain 6-8 wounds on anything. It’s also boosted by the Infinite Hatred Power. It may not Auto Hit, but pretty close to it and far cheaper. It should be noted that Red Fury cannot be combined with a Great Weapon.
Avatar of Death - This is how Vampires get Great Weapons, Heavy Armour, Shields and Additional Hand Weapons. Not too much to worry about here, it’s just mundane gear in the form of a Power.

Dread Knight - This is how a Vampire gets Barding for a Nightmare and a Mundane Lance.

Aura of Dark Majesty - This Power causes all units with 6 inches to lose 1 point of Leadership. It’s quite a problem to an army that already has poor leadership, however, it’s very expensive, so Vampires with this Power will have little room for much more. Watch out if used with a Flying Horrors and Scabscrath, as you’ll be taking Terror checks at -1 Leadership! Beguile is another god one to use with this, so beware when accepting a Challenge from a Vampire!

Walking Death - and easy +1 Combat Resolution for a Vampire. Common on mounted or lone Vampires that don’t generate much static Combat Resolution.

Beguile - Allows a Vampire to re-roll to-wound rolls, but the target has to fail a Leadership check at -3 first. Don’t line your characters up against a Vampire or accept a Challenge against a Vampire until you’re sure he DOESN’T have this power, if possible!

The Master Powers - Vampires then have access to Powers the help them use Invocation of Nehek on certain unit types, granting them +1 to the casting roll, and the ability to increase the unit above starting size. These Powers are a common way for a Vampire to boost his magical ability, so look out for it in a Magic Heavy army.

Magic Items

Vampires have access to lots of Magic Items, and it should be noted these are in addition to all Vampiric Powers chosen. Here, we will look at them in detail:

Frost blade - Rarely seen in most lists due to it’s points cost but still can crop up. A single wound on any model with this weapon will kill a model outright. Seems deadly at first, but taking this item means the Vampire will have NO other magic items at all, which is the only way for him to gain a Ward save. So, he should be fairly easy to kill, even for a Great Weapon equip Beastlord. Expect a Vampire to come along with Dreadknight, to get some sort of armour, and Infinite Hatred, in order to maximize his effectiveness.

Dread lance - This is one of the powerhouse weapons available to a Vampire count. Auto hitting lance hits with plenty of points to spare. Anything automatic in Warhammer in invaluable, so watch out for this lance. This item is almost certain to come along with Red Fury. A combat vampire like this will have to sacrifice magical ability, so you won’t be coming up against as much magic, but in combat he will hurt. Either avoid him as much as possible, tie him up with cheap units, or charge him with something tough, like a Beastlord or Shaggoth. Getting charged by this Vampire will almost always end badly for Beasts.

The Black Axe of Krell - This a Wight Kings deals out D3 wounds. Models wounded but not killed also take a Toughness test each turn or suffer a wound. Usually left home for the Sword of Kings, which is half the cost.

Blood Drinker - A weapon that heals the Vampire and unit he is with. It’s basically Invocation of Nehek that looks like a sword. Not much can be done about it, other than trying to limit the amount of wounds caused by the Vampire with Challenges, or by facing him off with tough models, such as the Beastlord, as the Vampire will have to strike at it’s base strength.

Skabscrath - This sword make the Vampire cause Terror. Pretty cheap for what it does, so watch out. Terror has been discussed previously however - build resistance to Fear, and you automatically build
resistance to Terror.

Sword of Kings - A common weapon for a Wight King, increasing his Killing Blow from 6+ to 5+. It has obvious uses in killing characters. Try a nd pack a Ward save of you want to try a kill a Wright King with this sword, or face him with Ogre sized models or bigger - Wights don’t like Minotaurs or Giants! This sword also gives a Vampire killing blow on 6+, but isn’t seen often, as there’s usually more useful weapons for a Vampire.

Tomb Blade - A cheaper version of Blood Drinker that can only heal a Skeleton unit joined by the Character.

Walach’s Bloody Hauberk - This suit of armour is one of two ways a Vampire gains a Ward save. It grants a 5+ Ward with a 4+ armour save. This power is typically combined with Dreadknight, to increase the armour to a 1+ save. This is a very hard Vampire to kill, so be sure to bring along something with Strength 7 to Punch through that armour.

The Accursed Armour - Vampires with gain +1 Toughness, but at the cost of -3 Weapon Skill and Initiative. Not seen a whole lot, because of what it does to the Vampire’s weapon skill. Still, when seen, hit the Vampire with high Strength attacks.

The Flayed Hauberk - Grants a 2+ save. Again, bring along those high Strength attacks.

Armour of Night - Won’t affect Beasts, who have no shooting at all.

Night shroud - Anything attacking a Vampire with this armour will ALWAYS strike last and lose all charging bonuses. Impossible to stop, but as it’s light armour, the Vampire will still be a little easier to kill. Beastlords with the Slaughter’s blade will like this Vampire, as he can heal back any wounds caused by the Vampire anyway.

The Cadaverous Cuirass - Doesn’t affect Beasts, who have no access to Poison or Killing blow.

The Hand of Dust - Contains a bound spell that causes 2D6 S5 hits on a unit in base contact. Very bad for beasts! Its only power level 3, so make sure it gets dispelled. It exhausts it’s power on a roll of 1, so make sure you remind your opponent of this each time it’s used!

Rod of Flaming - D6 S4 hits at 18 inches, bound spell power level 3. Not a big deal until you realize it causes a panic check. Try and dispel it, unless the target unit is expendable enough to not waste dispel dice. This item can also exhaust it’s power.

Helm of Commandment -





So there's the start. Suggestions welcome. To be continued and proof read......

[timk1111]

All suggetions with this one welcome, as it's looking like it could take a while! I'm going to hold off on the Marks of Chaos, 'til i get some other done, but this one will be finished soon.

Any thoughts on the format guys? Im trying to cover as many aspects of facing Vampire Counts as possible,,,,

Tim

[khazad varn]

Like the format Tim nice one.

[timk1111]

Ok, I've managed to finish off the Vampireic Powers.

I've also added another section, that will talk about the Lore of Vampires.

Hope to finish this one soon!

Tim

[Soylent Robot]

Hi!
Ive got a first draft of my tactica about Morghur, Master of Skulls. I wasnt sure where to just post it without asking, so here I am asking ^_^

[timk1111]

Ok guys, I'm bak on the tactica, I'll work through it the beast I can. We don't have a date for the new book, so I may as well keep going.

Facing Vampires has been furthered a little. I'll work on something else next though, and get back to it here and there.

I'm also runnign a Vorewar, so I'll see how I go

Tim

[timk1111]

Hi!
Ive got a first draft of my tactica about Morghur, Master of Skulls. I wasnt sure where to just post it without asking, so here I am asking ^_^

Just post it in this thread - no dramas. I can then link it up with the main tactica anyway.

Tim