well it depends if u want to be competitve or not
basically there is 1 list VC can do however this list is very good
this list revolves around a unit of grave guard (about 7 wide and 5 deep) stuffed full of characters and then a few units of gouls and ethral units
This is sadly very true, but ethereal units are notoriously hit-or-miss. Leave them at home in a competitive environment, because magic will end them far quicker than you could ever raise them back...
however here are a few tips on buids:
1st off zombies are rubbish, they are probably the wost unit in the game...
No, zombies
ARE! the worst unit in the game!!! They're too expensive even at 1pt/model right now...
however VC have a helm of command or something to let them use the lords weapon skill. now there is a magic weapon which gives u WS10. these can both be stuck on a vampire hero and ta da u hve WS10 zomies (a slight immprovment from there WS1)
Only a Vampire Lord can pull that combo off as pointed out above, that item combo is 70pts all told!
If you take the Helm (and why wouldn't you?!) then you'll want to invest in a 25-30 strong skeleton 'bunker' which can sit behind your main fighting line and keep the helm out of any combats! (as it won't work if the helm-wearer is locked in combat)
if you are going for a zomie dragon then i wld take a unit of zombies for fun and of course a corpse cart or 2 (i wouldnt take the black coach)
Never spend pts on zombies - EVER!!! Every single unit bar ghouls & grave guard are hienously over-costed so we don't have even a single spare point to throw away on garbage units...
Skeletons while terrible and double the cost of the new tomg king versions, are still a hugely vital unit for forming bunkers and for adding additional banners to your army as certain senarios require them for meeting objectives!
Finally, Corse Carts are for asthetics at best. Their spell is a 'poor mans' vanhel's danse and the cart either chews up a tonne of your Heroes alotment, or else won't help you reach your Core Units requirments... (thus relegating it into the over-crowded 'garbage slot')
The Black Coach on the other hand is fearsome - especially against armies that are built around magical offense! The coach powers-up insanely fast now, is easily the game's hardest chariot and can potentially cripple magic phases as it sucks up power dice! Next to the Vargulf, the Black Coach is our 'best' Rare Unit choice. (as Blood Knights & Cairn Wraiths are easily at least about 15-20% over-costed right now)
grave guard are awsome
they have a 4+ save which isnt to bad however again here is another trick
deploy 5 wide with full command and then put a vampire lord and another vampire or wright king
then take a battle standard with the regen banner and give him lore of metal and give the unit the +1 to hit banner
now it is possible to have grave guard with a 2+save followed by a 4+ regen with killing blow and with 2+ to hit and armour piercing
i wld give the vampire lord in the grave guard lore of beasts and the other vampire lord on dragon lore of light
First off, no one uses the hand weapon/shield - great weapons on 1A infantry are just too good this edition!
Wight Kings should always be the BSB (battle standard bearer) as they're far, far tougher than a Vampire Thrall. Also, don't get sucked into thinking that the Drakenhof Banner makes you invincible! Only morons don't bring flaming attacks this edition and a single fireball spell, or flaming arrow, or high initiative flaming attack will end your grave guard
fast!
Also don't try and rely on magical buffs... Besides, before looking into the lores of metal or beasts, getting our own VC lore and/or Lore of Light is better. (both lores synergise far better and help deal with our basic undead drawbacks much more effecitively)
basically if you are looking at a fluffy 3k list then it wld look somethign like
vampire lord on dragon (lore of light)
Vampire lord (lore of beasts)
Wight king
Vampire with the WS10 thing
Vampire bsb with regen banner
50 zombies
50 gouls
2 corse carts
25 grave gard
then maybe a few of the flying wolf things
About that rough 'list';
- to bring both lords to the table,
you will have all of 65pts to spend on powers/equipment for BOTH!!! Sadly, zombie dragons suck even moreso this edition... If you're wanting a real monster, wait untill the Aug white dwarf as we're getting a new 'official' monster in there!
- A Vampire Thrall cannot have both the WS hat + Fencer's Blades - only Lords have the pointage for that combo... The Helm is still a solid choice though!
- Vampire Thralls should never, ever,
EVER carry the army standard... They're too costly, their stats for the cost suck and their most basic armour option is horrendously expensive.
Wight Kings on the other hand are among the game's very best battle standard bearers!
- Zombies are a waste of upto 212pts... That's enough to get your skeleton bunker for a Helm of Commandment vampire however!
- Corpse Carts don't ever count towards your core minimums... Those pts need to go into either more ghouls or more skeletons.
Besides, why spend upto 100pts on a corpse cart, when for only 2/3rd's of that cost, you can have a Necromancer who will always know the most critical spells 'Invocation of Nehek' & 'Vanhel's Danse Macabre'?!
- Grave Guard should be 30 strong and with great weapons.
- Vargulfs are fun! As is a Black Coach.
- Fell Bats make for amazing war machine hunters!
- We get a brand new monster in next month's White Dwarf!!!
Finally, wlecome to the underdog army!
Cheers!