# Vampires vs. Necromancers



## Inquisitor Varrius (Jul 3, 2008)

Which is better? I'm running a small, speedy army with a bunch of light cavalry. I'd like to know what I should take as my hero choices (I get 3.) I'm thinking mounted vampire, necromancer, and wight king banner carrier. Thoughts? My basic troops will be ghouls and zombies if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance for any help,
Varrius.


----------



## clever handle (Dec 14, 2009)

Running one of each in small games should be fine. The wight king allows you to have a tough hombre (tougher than many lords) to accept challenges & keep your vampire alive.

In low point games necromancers are acceptable choices to keep your army marching - since they're only ever level one casters they can never really excel, though you do know for certain which spell they have before you start. They can basically look after raising losses into one unit each turn. Of course even a naked vampire with no equipment & no bloodline powers is well worth the extra 45 points over a necromancer purely due to survivability, but keeping a caster vampire and a utility necromancer / scroll caddie works very well in smaller games (note: below 2000points vampires REALLY struggle since many armies can bring enough DD to counter our magic phase & frankly, our troops are quite expensive & really rely upon outnumbering via IoN)


----------



## Inquisitor Varrius (Jul 3, 2008)

Ok, thanks. I'm not too worried about not having enough power dice, since I'll be playing my buddie's Bretonnia army, and he never takes magic.

So the follow-up question: Is it worth sticking the necromancer on a corpse cart?

Edit: Can a standard bearer be mounted?


----------



## clever handle (Dec 14, 2009)

If you're running a corpse cart you may as well stick your necromancer on it. The mode is still only US4 & not large meaning you can hide him in a unit now and he can't be picked out for shooting (and since the model is friggen huge he counts as 2 models in like 4 rows (not exactly sure how long he is...) as far as getting 5-models per rank for a rank bonus.

Also, standard bearers can be mounted, just note that necromancers can't be your BSB


----------



## Crimzzen (Jul 9, 2008)

Personally, If I can find the points I will always take a vampire over a necromancer. They pretty much perform the same function as a lvl 1 caster but the vampires ability to perform in combat + bloodline powers usually do it for me. In an army which relies heavily on their characters, vampires just do it better.


----------



## deathbringer (Feb 19, 2009)

2 vampires and a white king
Vampire is better in combat, stronger and knows Invocation of Nehek as a standard spell. He is just better all round, plus you can up his magic level make him stronger, generally he is just awesome.. especially with some of the vampiric powers to boost him 

The necromancer on the other hand is just meh, not too strong in combat . though putting him on a corpse cart is a good idea if you cant get the points for a vampire.

Plus a corpse cart is awesome, the always strikes first can really hurt especially on skeleton warriors or grave guard


----------



## Inquisitor Varrius (Jul 3, 2008)

I've actually changed the list to 2k, so I'm taking a lord, wight king (BSB), and vampire, I think. There's a thread in the army list section here if you've any advice on wargear or army composition, both are hugely appreciated. As a question about vampires, is this equipment set-up legal?

Lord 
-Wristbands of Black Gold
-Dreadlance
-Beguile
-Red Fury
-Dread Knight

This would run you close to 400 points, but his combat would be incredible. On a charge, he hits automatically with 4, S7 attacks, which probably re-roll to wound (beguile.) Then he'd get another attack for each one that wounded. Assuming the other guy fails his Ld test for beguile, he could do 8 wounds easily, 9 if the nightmare wounds. I won't take that (I don't have nearly enough points) but is it hypothetically viable? There's a character-only fight at my LGS this weekend...


----------



## clever handle (Dec 14, 2009)

I run a lord with +magic level, dread knight, red fury & walking death equiped with the nightshroud & the dreadlance.

This gives me a passive +1 combat resolution which makes charging into a ranked unit viable, and alllows for the 4 attacks which hit automatically @ S7 on the charge. The nightshroud means that if I don't get the charge off, or am facing an army like high elves I still get to attack (& usually destroy) anything which may target my general. Of course, I hide this character in a ranked unit of skeletons & try to be selective about which challenge I accept with her (try to avoid chaos lords, etc)


----------



## deathbringer (Feb 19, 2009)

Theoretically yeah that is possible and I can see noreason not to allow him. Plus he would be a bit of a beast with the automatically hitting, especially as with vampiric powers he may well be able to repair his wounds (no guarantees as it depends on tourney rules)

Definitely a point sink


----------



## Blackhiker (Dec 28, 2007)

In general unless you are strapped for points never go with a necro, but my favorite thing to do is have a wight lord as the general for the increased leadership when it is needed and a much more durable general for survivability to the army.


----------



## Abhorash (May 28, 2009)

The vampire with the highest leadership must be the general . And anyway the ld 9 will only be needed if he is in a unit which is crumbling after the generals death .


----------



## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

I miss the old necromancers, their really is no reason to take a necromancer unless you really need one model that is guaranteed to have vanhal, or you really fancy a necromancers riding a cart. Still if you are insanely strapped for points they can be useful, just not nearly as much as vampires.


----------



## Abhorash (May 28, 2009)

I you want bloodline armies here are the 7th ed ones we developed over on carpe noctem http://www.vampirecounts.net/pdfs/bloodlinebeta.pdf


----------

