BRB Lores & Magic Items

Lore of Fire
(Green) Lore Attribute Kindleflame: To really benefit from this Lore Attribute
you need a level 4 Wizard or multiple level 2 Wizards, which is a big investment for
Vampire Counts. A number of Forbidden Lore vampires all with Lore of Fire could be
very effective armed with cheap ranged spells and Flaming Sword of Rhuin. The
Lore Attribute stacks with the Fireball from Ruby Ring of Ruin which is nice, so cast
the bound spell first.
(purple) Fireball: A long range magic missile that does 1D6, 2D6 or 3D6 Strength
4 hits. Fireballs are cheap to cast and deal a decent amount of flaming damage. This
makes them versatile against a number of targets, especially large monsters with
regeneration. The only drawback with Fireball is once engaged, your vampires cant
cast this spell. This spell is so versatile it is worth bringing Lore of Fire only because
of it. Combine this with a character using Ruby Ring of Ruin and you can really ruin
someone's day.
(blue) Cascading Firecloak: An augment spell that causes 2d6 Strength 4
Flaming hits to each enemy unit touching the vampires unit at the end of each
Magic phase. Although the damaged isnt caused during combat, it weakens enemy
units before combat and speeds up any attrition tactics you are using. Because its
an augment, it can be cast while the vampire is in combat too.
(green) Flaming Sword of Rhuin: Although some of our lower Weapon Skill units
wont get as much from this, our heavy hitters will melt faces, gaining +1 To Wound,
and both magical and flaming attacks. Fairly useful spell that ups our damage
output. Especially brutal when assaulting buildings and fighting ethereal or
flammable creatures. This spell is especially nasty on fast, hard-hitting units with
lots of attacks like Morghast Harbringers and Varghiests.
(Yellow) The Burning Head: This spell doesnt do much damage, and with such
high Leadership scores and rerolls, panic tests are fairly ease to pass. Plus, direct
damage spells lose their value after the mid-game as we engage most of the enemy
units. Still, the spell affects every model passed over and it can boost its 18 range
up to 36. Against horde armies with Toughness 4 or less troops, that can do some
damage and cause a failed panic test or two. Also, combined with Doom &
Darkness, it could ensure a key unit breaks and runs. In either circumstance, keep
the spell if your tactics can use it, otherwise swap for Fireball.
(yellow) Piercing Bolts of Burning: In most cases Fireball is a better choice, but
when you are facing deep ranked enemies this spell is valuable. Against units with
four ranks Piercing Bolt has the same casting value and rough number of hits as
Fireball. For deeper units, Piercing Bolts actually does more hits. It can also be
boosted to 48 at the lower casting value of 13+, giving Piercing Bolts easier reach.

Although, Fireball is more consistent, Piercing Bolts is a good backup as a second

flaming magic missile. Be careful though, against MSU armies or after your enemy
has suffered heavy causalities, this spell loses a lot of its value as it cant deal as
many hits.
(purple) Fulminating Flame Cage: Undoubtedly the best Lore of Fire spell. Your
enemy either has to forgo moving or take a LOT of hits (a Strength 4 hit for every
model)! As controlling the movement phase is often key to victory, dictating how
the enemy moves is a step closer to that goal. This spell is very useful, shutting
down movement and supporting our attrition-based tactics all at once! Flame Cage
also combines well with Fires ranged attacks, because either its dealing damage or
the target isnt moving. When the target doesnt move its unengaged, allowing you
to hurl more flaming damage at it!
(Yellow) Flame Storm: With the scattering template this spell is just too
unreliable. Against concentrated large units, Flame Storm can be very powerful.
Against smaller units or armies that are spread out, it is too unpredictable to
warrant expending power dice on. If facing a mass horde this spell is useful,
otherwise swap it for Fireball.
(Green) Overall: Generally a good lore as Fireball shores up our lack of range and
Flaming Sword or Flame Cage both synergize with our playstyle and Lore of
Vampires well. Lore of Fire can add some serious punch to our army, giving both
range damage, close combat buffs, and counter movement. The only drawback with
Lore of Fire is our Vampires are often better as blenders in combat than staying back
and casting magic missiles. If all you want the lore for is Fireball, just take Ruby Ring
on a Necromancer and have him stay back and blast away. If you want Flame Cage
and Flaming Sword, then take a vampire or two with Forbidden Lore, just make sure
you have a backup plan if you end up without those spells.

Lore of Beasts
(yellow) Lore Attribute - Wildheart: This Lore Attribute is situational and its
bonus too small to gain any real benefit from it. Since Wyssans Wildform is the
primary spell you will be casting, you would have to build your entire army around
units like Black Knights, Spirit Hosts and Dire Wolves. Though those are all good
units, Wildheart isnt worth hampering your playstyle for.
(purple) Wyssans Wildform: This spell is likely the reason you are taking Lore of
Beasts. A signature spell that grants +1 Strength and Toughness to a unit within 12
(or 24 when boosted) is never bad. With this spell, take any undead unit and make
them utterly formidable in close combat (and more durable to shooting too).
Although there are countless applications, imagine Toughness 4 Zombie tarpits or
Strength 5 and Toughness 6 Crypt Horror anvils. Toughness 5 Black Knights that are
Strength 7 when they charge or Vampires that are Strength 6 without their magic
weapon! With how well Wyssans Wildform works with our units, consider adding a

Level 1 Vampire or a Strigoi Ghoul King with Forbidden lore if your tactics can take
advantage of it.
(Yellow) The Flock of Doom: Overall, its low Strength makes this spell less
appealing. Flock of Doom is alright against elf MSU armies or for clearing out chaff,
but our army has more reliable ways to do this. Swap this spell for Wyssans
Wildform unless you are facing targets this spell is actually effective against.
(Yellow) Panns Impenetrable Pelt: Most of our characters are already tough
enough to not need this. There are rare instances where the bubble version of the
spell can protect your Necromancers or Wraiths from attacks or spells that can harm
them. You might also have a character trying to hold a unit in place on his own. In
either case, the circumstances are too rare for this spell to be effective for us.
(blue) The Amber Spear: A good spell for an army with traditionally no artillery
and few ranged ways to deal with 2+ armor saves. Cast normally it chews up and
spits out knights and the odd Monstrous unit. Boosted it takes out the big monsters
such as Bloodthirsters or the assorted dinosaurs of the Lizardmen with ease. Make
good use of this spell when you get it and youll easily end up with range
superiority!
(purple) Curse of Anaheir: As essential as movement and combat is, a hex that
reduces an enemy units To Hit roll and punishes them for moving synergizes
especially well with our tactics. This spell causes the unit to treat all terrain as
Dangerous Ground that they fail their test on a 1 and 2, instead of a 1! Curse of
Anaheir works with most playstyles and against many armies, but its most
devastating to Cavalry units, who are completely reliant on their armor saves and
movement.
(blue) Savage Beast of Horros: Although any character would love to have this
spell, a Red Fury vampire with it is absurdly powerful. Any vampire with +3 Strength
and Attacks (not including effects from Magic Weapons) is terrifying, and since the
vampire can cast it on any friendly character within 12 (including himself), the
spell doesnt require any tricky maneuvering to get close to your target. Just make
sure your Savage character isnt bogged down challenging a piddly unit champion.
When boosted, the spell becomes even more frightening. All friendly characters
within 12 gain its bonus, turning Wraiths, Vampires, Wight Kings and Banshees all
into blenders. Did someone saywraithwall?
(yellow) Transformation of Kadon: This spell is intended to turn an everyday
wimpy wizard into an all-powerful monster. The problem is most vampires already
are all-powerful and really dont gain anything from this spell. What the vampire
loses in magic items doesnt make up for what they gain in special rules and many
of the monsters have stats lower than a Vampire Lord. The other issue, is even
though vampire powers still apply while transformed, since the vampire has to take
Forbidden Lore, Vampire Lords cant get both Quickblood and Red Fury and
Vampires cant take either of them. Still, the spell isnt useless. A hero Vampire

gains from turning into any of the various monsters and powers like Dread Knight,
Beguile, and Aura of Dark Majesty are all useful in monster form. While a Vampire
Lord with Red Fury can use the boosted spell to become a Mountain Chimera and
lay absolute ruin to your opponent. Overall, basing your strategy around this tactic
isnt worth the risks of running two Vampire Lords and a Vampire with a high chance
of miscasting when you transform. Still, the look on your opponents face the first
time their unit takes 4d6 Strength 7 hits with Red Fury, absolutely priceless!
(green) Overall: The Lore of Beasts is decent but a mixed bag for us. A Level 1
Forbidden Lore vampire is viable and you can easily build your army around
Wyssans Wildform. With a Level 2, you potentially could end up with spells that
dont work well together. But since the signature spell is always good, just swap the
bad spell out for Wyssans Wildform as it works with any tactics.

Lore of Metal
(Green) Lore Attribute Metalshifting: The lore attribute is good, but it applies
to only two of the spells. Since one is the signature spell, you can reliably get
metalshifting if you need it, but overall it has little effect on the lore. Still, it is
utterly devastating against armored units that Vampire Counts typically struggle
against.
(blue) Searing Doom: Not every army is crawling with armored plated things to
melt, but nearly every army has one or two units that either have a very good
armor save or a moderate armor save paired with a high Toughness. When facing
down a nasty looking Doombull or outmaneuvered by a flying Daemon Prince,
Searing Doom is the friend to have and its a signature spell too!
(yellow) Plague of Rust: A one point armor save penalty is fairly mild, but since it
is permanent and stacks with other modifiers (and successive castings of this spell)
it can be helpful in drawn out grinds (which undead are fairly well-known for).
Plague of Rust does work against the Lore Attribute, and thus the signature spell, so
it can conflict with the other spell.
(blue) Enchanted Blades of Aiban: Everyone likes +1 To Hit and Armour Piercing,
especially undead hordes and their Vampire Lord blenders! A fairly decent spell that
helps our units hit more and punch through amour better. Ideal with Crypt Horrors
and Crypt Ghouls because of their low Strength and high number of attacks. Also
works well with Grave Guard and Black Knights, getting even more hits through
(and thus more Killing Blows). Vampire blenders benefit greatly too, often hitting on
a 2+ and gaining a -3 to Armor Saves before considering any magic weapons.
Nearly all of our units can benefit from Enchanted Blades and its a handy spell to
have if you face ethereals.
(blue) Glittering Robe: Undead units are not generally known for their armor
saves. With this spell, Skeletons and Grave Guard have 3+ (even 2+) armor saves.

Our Zombies, Crypt Ghouls, Crypt Horrors and Spirit Hosts gain a 5+ armor save.
Hexwraiths have a 4+ armor save. Though normally its heinous for a vampire to
sparkle, here its a good thing, as your vampires on foot can easily get a 2+ armor
save without using any magic items.
(green) Gehennas Golden Hounds: Basically a 12 version of Searing Doom
that can single out characters and when boosted has a 24 range instead of doing
2D6 hits. Although decent against certain characters, its useless against Wizards.
Usually you should swap this spell for Searing Doom unless you are facing a heavily
armored army or heavily armored characters, in which case you want this and
Searing Doom.
(yellow) Transmutation of Lead: This spell reduces its targets WS, BS, and
armor saves by -1, so its not too shabby. But since undead have low WS to begin
with (vampires aside), a -1 to enemy WS may have little to no effect. Likewise, the
reduction of armor saves is good, but it works against the damage spells and the
Lore Attribute.
(purple) Final Transformation: A very powerful spell. It effectively removes a
third of any enemy unit and has a small but real chance of killing a bunkered
character with no save at all. The resulting Stupidity test isnt a big deal, but if
youve targeted the enemys center unit, you can cause Stupidity tests on most of
their units and law of averages says some of them will fail the test, particularly if
they are away from their BSB.
(blue) Overall: Lore of Metal is a good lore. Not all of the spells are great but there
no real duds and Searing Doom gives our army a way to deal with armored units at
range. Since the signature spell and Gehennas Golden Hounds value varies
depending on what army youre facing, if there are no targets with decent armor
saves, focus on using the lores augments, hexes and Final Transmutation instead.

Lore of Light
(Yellow) Lore Attribute Exorcism: Depending on your opponent, this Lore
Attribute is either very useful or completely useless. Against Warriors of Chaos
Daemon Princes running amok, Daemon armies or other Vampire and Tomb King
armies its amazing.
(Blue) Shems Burning Gaze: Lore of Lights signature spell, Shems Burning
Gaze is a cheap magic missile with a 24 range that inflicts D6 Strength 4 hits that
count as flaming attacks. In an army with little to no shooting, magic missiles are
always good to have and with Shems you can swap for it. The spell can be boosted
to 48 range and Strength 6. Against daemons and undead it becomes a powerful
2D6 hits.
(blue) Phas Protection: A fantastic augment spell thats cheap to cast and has a

good range. This augment gives one of your units (or all within 12 if boosted) a -1
to be hit from shooting or close combat. This makes tarpits more sticky and elite
units very hard to kill. Because it reduces damage hits dealt to the unit (and thus
damage) one casting can immensely turn an entire round of combat against your
opponent.
(blue) Speed of Light: Another good, cheap augment spell with a bubble option.
Speed of Light grants its targets Weapon Skill and Initiative 10. Although vampires
may not really need this, the entire rest of our army does. Speed of Light negates a
major weak point in Vampire Count armies and helps both their offense and defense
at the same time. Our units go from being hit on 3+ to hitting on 3+ and from
hitting on 4+ or 5+ to being hit on a 4+ or 5+. Speed of Light synergizes well with
Corpse Carts and Purple Sun. Always Strike First from the cart and Initiative 10
means they are getting rerolls To Hit against nearly everyone, while the Purple Sun
will only harm our models on a 6.
(red) Light of Battle: Not very useful for an army that is unbreakable and immune
to psychology. Although we do need Leadership tests for marching or swift reforms,
it isnt worth using a spell to do something we rarely need and even more rarely fail.
Swap this spell out for Shems Burning Gaze.
(blue) Net of Amytok: The damage from this spell is usually inconsequential.
Normally, this spell is cast at a unit to prevent it from moving or shooting. Generally
speaking, units are kept from moving or shooting only about half the time. But
where the spell is very powerful is shutting down artillery and Wizards. Since war
machines automatically fail Strength tests (page 108 in the BRB if you dont believe
it) Net of Amytok prevents one from shooting at you altogether! With Wizards, make
sure their main Wizard is affected by the spell, and then each spell he attempts to
cast potentially is stopped and causes damage, harming him directly. In both cases,
the D6 Strength 4 hits are much more effective, possibly removing the target after a
single casting.
(blue) Banishment: A nasty magic missile that deals a solid 2d6 Strength 4 hits at
24 range. Banishment increases its Strength by +1 for each Light Wizard within
12 of the caster, so this spell gets fairly powerful, fairly quick. When boosted, the
spell increases its range to 48, giving it excellent reach. But the real secret of the
spell is successful ward saves taken against it must be rerolled! Add in the Lore
Attribute and boosted range, and daemons have no hope against you!
(purple) Bironas Timewarp: This spell is very powerful with any of our units.
Granting double Movement, +1 Attack and Always Strike First, Bironas Timewarp
removes some of our key weaknesses. Ghouls and Grave Guard with double
movement, an extra attack and Always Strike First are incredibly deadly. Blood or
Black Knights (and their mounts) both gaining an extra attack means they hit even
harder when charging. When targeting the units holding our blenders means the
vampires within them gain all of these benefits too. Combine Brionas Timewarp
with Speed of Light, and our units become unstoppable killing machines.

(Blue) Overall: Light has great synergy with our armys low initiatives and weapon
skills. There is really only one useless spell (Light of Battle) and the signature spell
is fairly good. Lore of Light gives our army powerful tools against daemons and
undead, and a lot of good augments to make our units even better. With all of its
benefits for us, Lore of Light is one of the best options with Forbidden Lore.

Lore of Heavens
(Yellow) Lore Attribute - Roiling Winds: Adds an extra D6 Strength 4 hits when
your spells target flyers. Although great when taking down Great Eagles or
Terradons, anything north of a Griffin will barely notice. Roiling Winds does add on to
the Lores two hexes, giving them a secondary use of chaff removal, but overall this
Lore Attribute is fairly narrow in its use.
(Purple) Iceshard Blizzard: This hex works well with our army and is one of the
reasons to take Lore of Heavens. Early game the spell reduces your enemys
shooting. While the -1 To Hit, To Wound and Leadership greatly swings close combat
into your favor. The Leadership penalty not only affects Fear or Terror tests, but
Combat Result and the resulting Break test too. Finally, a -1 to Leadership also
synergizes with our armys screams and stacks with other penalties (like from Aura
of Dark Majesty or Doom & Darkness).
(Blue) Harmonic Convergence: Rerolling 1s isnt flashy, but this augment is
cheap to cast and can make the difference on large blocks of troops or massed
combats with multiple units. Since Harmonic Convergence rerolls 1s on our units To
Hit, To Wound and Armor Save, its fairly useful with most of the units in our army,
especially those with Poisonous Attacks or Killing Blow. Not as versatile as the
Signature Spell, but used together our units become a lot more dangerous in
combat.
(yellow) Wind Blast: This spell requires ideal maneuvering and paying close
attention to enemy movement to use properly. It shoves one of their units directly
back D3+1 (D6+2 when boosted) from the caster. If any collisions occur, some
damage can be done. But considering how important movement is, disrupting it can
be valuable and that is where Wind Blasts value lays. With our armys easy access
to tarpits and redirectors, this spell is more effort than its worth.
(green) Curse of the Midnight Wind: In most cases, Harmonic Convergence is
better because it takes one less power dice to cast on average. However, Curse of
the Midnight Wind really shines against enemy units with Poisonous Attacks or
Killing Blow. It also combos better with Iceshard Blizzard, effectively neutering many
units.
(Yellow) Uranons Thunderbolt: A 24 Strength 6 magic missile is decent in an
army no real range attacks and has trouble dealing with high armor saves. What
makes Uranons Thunderbolt less desirable is that it only causes D6 hits, and is less
reliable than other options.

(Purple) Comet of Cassandora: The psychological effect of this spell alone is

worth using it. Players often concentrate on getting away from the comets marker,
and end up making tactical mistakes because of it. The comic is cheap too, making
it easy to cast unexpectedly. For best results, use Zombies to tarpit enemy units
within range of the counter and hold them in place until the comet hits. Due to its
area of effect the comet is easily one of the most cost effective damage spells in the
game.
(yellow) Chain Lightning: Although a bit more to cast than Uranons Thunderbolt,
you get D6 Strength 6 hits plus a reasonable chance to hit multiple targets
(including those in close combat). Unfortunately, because it only does D6 hits per
target, the spells hits are not very reliable and unless the enemys units are close
enough together, the chances of getting more than 2 or 3 bounces is unlikely.
(Green) Overall: Lore of Heavens is a mixed bag for Vampire Counts armies. Its
two hexes and one augment are really good with our army, but overall similar
effects can be found in Lore of Vampires and Lore of Death. Wind Blast, Thunderbolt
and Chain Lightning all leave something to be desired and really do less for us then
Raise Dead, Gaze of Nagash or Curse of Years can do. Where Lore of Heavens is
unmatched is the Comet, which you may not get. If you want to use this lore, take a
level 2 Wizard, go for the Comet and then swap the weakest spell rolled for the
Iceshard Blizzard.
BRB Magic Items
Magic Weapons
(green) Giant Blade Though having a Strength 8 Vampire Lord makes short
work of armored enemies and monsters, its debatable whether its worth losing
your 4+ ward save. Against most enemies, Ogre Blade is good enough and leaves
enough room for Talisman of Preservation or Armour of Density.
(green) Sword of Bloodshed With a Red Fury Vampire Lord who is facing mostly
Toughness 3 troops, this sword is good. Boosting Strength is the more reliable, allcomers route though, and when taking this sword your lord cant have a 4+ ward
save. However, a Strigoi Ghoul King can make good use of this weapon when
combined with Potion of Strength. Facing 16 re-rollable Strength 8 attacks is, to say
the least, fairly disturbing.
(red) Obsidian Blade For ten fewer points you can take the Ogre Blade, wound
more often, and eliminate most armor saves anyway. The Obsidian Blade isnt worth
it unless your Meta is full of Chaos and Bretonnia.
(blue) Ogre Blade One of the best options for a blender as it boosts him to
Strength 7, gives his attacks -4 to armor save and he Wounds most units on a 2+. At
40 points, it leaves enough room on a Vampire Lord for Talisman of Preservation and

an item like Other Tricksters Shard. Even on a Vampire, there is still room for a
useful item like Seed of Rebirth or Charmed Shield.
(green) Sword of Strife Nearly as powerful as the Sword of Bloodshed, but
without cutting into your points so far that your Lord can still get a 4+ ward save.
(Green) Fencers Blades Since Vampire Lords have such high Weapon Skills,
they usually dont need Fencers Blades. Still, a Weapon Skill 10 can be both
defensive as well as offensive, making any character with Fencers Blades difficult
To Hit. Even necromancers you plan to have in the frontlines can benefit from it.
Vampire Lords combining Fencers Blades with Glittering Scales are even harder to
hit (though a lack of armor is a bit risky and the two together keep you from taking
a 4+ ward save).
(Green) Sword of Anti-Heroes This sword has a lot of hype around it, but its
value varies depending on you and your opponents playstyles. Against armies that
load their units up with characters, or vampires that end up in challenges or solo
charges, it can be extremely powerful. The problem is our blenders kill more and
generate better combat results when fighting rank and file, which requires you to
avoid enemy characters. Also, since a good opponent can counter this weapon by
spreading their characters out, means Sword of Anti-heroes is increasingly
unreliable the more experienced your opponent is.
(red) Spellthieving Sword When a character is directing attacks at an enemy
wizard, you want them to KILL the wizard, not merely dock his spells. Absolute
waste of points and a magic weapon choice.
(blue) Sword of Swift Slaying The secret ingredient to making a baby-blender!
With only 50 points to spend on vampire powers, there is no way to give a Vampire
both Red Fury and Quickblood. This weapon steps in and gives the vampire Always
Strikes First. Since the weapon is fairly affordable, the Vampire still has points for
other items like Dispel Scroll, Book of Arkhan, Other Tricksters Shard or some cheap
defensive items like Dragonhelm, Charmed Shield or Enchanted Shield.
(yellow) Sword of Battle Although an extra attack is always nice, an additional
hand weapon is cheaper (at the cost of carrying a shield) and doesnt eat up magic
item allowance. Also, strength bonuses are usually preferred so your vampires can
punch through armor saves better.
(red) Berserker Sword Since undead are Immune to Psychology, this is just an
inferior form of the Sword of Battle. This sword is more a liability than anything else.
(green) Sword of Might For the blender on a budget, this is a decent weapon.
Makes your vampires Strength 6, with a -3 to armor saves. This is worth taking on a
secondary blender if you already using Ogre Blade.
(yellow) Gold Sigil Sword With our vampires high Initiative scores and easy
access to Always Strike First, this is often a poor choice. Against elven armies, the
Gold Sigil Sword gives vampires a higher Initiative than the elves they are fighting.

For necromancers casting Purple Sun, the bonus Initiative is a neat trick to avoid
being killed by his own spell.
(blue) Sword of Striking You hit more often and its fairly cheap, whats not to
like? A great weapon if you arent fighting armored units. Combines well with Potion
of Strength or vampires using Lore of Beasts.
(Yellow) Biting Blade A Strength boost is always better, but this weapon is very
cheap. Not a bad afterthought for a character without a magic weapon and 10
points to spare in magic items.
(red) Shrieking Blade Shrieking Blade shouldnt ever be taken and has no use
whatsoever in our army, if you dont understand why, just put down the Vampire
and stop playing Warhammer now. Doing so will save yourself and your future
opponents so much grief and wasted time. You can thank us later.
(red) Relic Blade Against nearly all enemies, vampires and wights should be
wounding on a 5+ or greater anyway. As a general tactic, Vampire Count Generals
shouldnt be putting their characters up against units they cant wound easy either.
The Relic Blade is a relic, avoid it!
(red) Tormentor Sword This sword is an absolute waste of points and your
magic weapon choice. Its effect is so specific and circumstantial, it will never come
into play. Unless youre actually trying to make spellcasting characters who can
survive a round of combat while fighting your vampire gain stupidity, just so they
have to make stupidity tests in order to cast spells during the few turns remaining
before they die, then you are only weakening your vampires by giving them this
sword.
(green) Warrior Bane As a cheap option for a magic weapon, Warrior Bane is
decent. Used for neutralizing monsters or characters causing trouble. Whatever
character you give this weapon too, build it to survive fighting in a challenge and to
cause lots of wounds. Combines well with Other Tricksters Shard and Potion of
Strength.

Magic Armors
(Blue) Armour of Destiny Since you can take heavy armour, Talisman of
Preservation and either Charmed Shield or Enchanted Shield and get better
protection, Armour of Destiny is better taken as a second 4+ ward save for another
character. Still, Armour of Destiny is a second way to get a 4+ ward save and you
can combine it with Magic Resistance items.
(green) Tricksters Helm Vampires and Wight Kings are already hard to wound
for most things, but this helm makes it even harder. Although expensive, Tricksters
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.
(Green) 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 Fencers
Blades on a Vampire Lord makes him extremely difficult to kill.
(yellow) 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.
(Yellow) 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 enemys
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 cant 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.
(green) Glittering Scales Sacrificing a point of armor save for -1 for enemy To
Hit rolls is powerful, but risky. You can pair these with Fencers 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.
(red) 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.
(Yellow) Spellshield A decent way to give Magic Resistance (1) to a character
and still let them take a talisman.
(Yellow) Gamblers Armour If you want a 6+ ward save, take Talisman of
Protection with heavy armour. Gamblers Armour is alright when combined with
Obsidian Amulet.

(blue) 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.
(Blue) Enchanted Shield A good way to get a 3+ armor save on foot and a 2+
while mounted if the mount doesnt have barding.
(blue) 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
(Purple) Talisman of Preservation With how dependent Vampire Counts are on
characters and magic, a 4+ ward save is indispensable. Whether protecting a
Master Necromancer from miscast damage or giving vampires a ward save in
combat, Talisman of Preservation is useful in every situation. Ideally take this
talisman on your general or another blender if your general is a Vampire Lord using
Armour of Destiny. A master necromancer can use it to protect himself from spells
and miscast damage. It can be combined with Charmed Shield on a Wight King or
Vampire for a hero that is very difficult to kill. With all of its applications, its no
surprise this magic item is found in nearly every Vampire Counts army.
(green) 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.
(Yellow) Talisman of Endurance In most circumstances, 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.
(green) 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 circumstances
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.
(green) 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.
(green) 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.
(yellow) Obsidian Trinket Although a cheap way to get Magic Resistance (1),
Obsidian Trinket isnt 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 Fencers 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 Tricksters Shard and other similar toys. This allows
the hero to grant Magic Resistance (1) to the unit without compromising the choices
for the units banner. Overall, there are better talismans you should consider first,
but Obsidian Trinket offers some interesting applications that can work in the right
armies.
(Yellow) 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.
(green) 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.
(Blue) 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.

(Yellow) Pigeon Plucker Amulet To circumstantial 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 doesnt need a better talisman
or you face a lot of flying units and characters.
(green) 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 dont forget to use it.
Magic Standards
(Yellow) Rampagers Standard The cost of this banner means its only able to
be taken by our Battle Standard Bearer. Unfortunately, Battle Standard Bearers in
our armies are usually better off taking other magic items. To really get any value
out of this, youd want to put the BSB in a cavalry unit next to a very killy Vampire
Lord. Otherwise your BSB is a points sink carrying this.
(red) 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.
(Yellow) Ranger's standard Dont 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.
(green) 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.
(green) 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.
(Purple) Banner of Swiftness A cheap banner that simply adds +1 to its units
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 units charge range. Banner of Swiftness is best used with Skeleton
Warriors or Black Knights, adding extra mobility to our army. Dont 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.
(green) 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.
(yellow) Standard of Discipline Although undead dont take as many
Leadership tests, they still do when reforming and marching. But with Vampire Lords
often running the show, this banner isnt 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.
(blue) Banner of Eternal Flame You never know when youll need to assault a
building or fight something with Regeneration. Banner of the Eternal Flame is cheap
enough, that even if you dont run across these situations often, you arent out
much when you dont 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 blenders attacks getting negated.
Remember that the flaming attacks dont 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.
(Yellow) 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.
(red) Scarecrow Banner This banner may be cheap but it does literally nothing
for us since everything already causes Fear.

Arcane Items
(Yellow) Book of Ashur Definitely can help you dominate the magic phase, but
overall it costs too much for what it does. Never take this on a Wizard below Level 4
as the wizard levels are cheaper than this item and they give you spells too.
(red) 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 dont
put ward saves on their wizards. Otherwise a waste of points.
(red) Scroll of Leeching A lot of points for something that has one use and cant
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
circumstances 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.
(yellow) Sivejirs Hex Scroll Although its fun to turn enemy Wizards into frogs,
this Arcane Item isnt reliable enough to effect most Wizard lords and it might only
last for a single turn. Thats a lot left up to chance to waste a Necromancers 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.
(Green) Power Scroll Remember, Power Scroll was officially FAQd and now cuts
a spells 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.
(Green) 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.
(Green) 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, whats
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.
(green) 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+).
(red) Tricksters Shard Between having to announce when you are using this
item and how odds are against it wounding, this item isnt very effective. Overall,
Tricksters Shard is not worth taking up a precious Arcane Item slot.
(blue) Earthing Rod Hopefully you wont 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 Lores 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.
(Blue) Dispel Scroll Every player knows this item, since its 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 cant justify playing without it, then make sure to make
room for one.
(green) 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 didnt think you could cast. If timed right, this can be game-changing.
(Yellow) Sceptre of Stability If you already have a Dispel Scroll and are
desperate for more magic defense this isnt 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.
(Yellow) 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.
(blue) 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 its a Remains in Play spell, you get the 4+ ward save every round until
the spell ends. Whats really good about Scroll of Shielding, is it works even if a spell
is cast with Irresistible Force.

Enchanted items
(red) Wizarding Hat As our Vampire Lords are Wizards, we really dont gain
anything worthwhile from this item. Its a waste of magic item points for us.
(red) Fozzriks 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 Lords damage or a Master

Necromancers spell casting.
(red) Arabyan Carpet A flying mount or the Flying Horror power are both
cheaper than this item and they dont use up your magic item points. Plus, a
Vampire with either of those options can still join units.
(red) Crown of Command - Undead dont roll break tests, so we have no use for
this item.
(red) 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.
(yellow) Featherfoe Torc In most situations this Enchanted Item isnt 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 dont bother with the Featherfoe
Torc.
(Blue) Ruby Ring of Ruin Ruby Ring is useful for many army builds. Since its an
Enchanted Item, it doesnt use up any Arcane Items and can be taking by nonwizards. 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.
(red) Terrifying Mask of EEE! If you really need Terror, take Supernatural Horror
for the same cost and dont waste your magic item allowance. Better still, take a
Cairn Wraith and get a nasty character along with it.
(Green) 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.
(yellow) 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.
(Blue) Other Tricksters Shard A powerful Enchanted Item that allows your
blenders to avoid ward saves negating their attacks. Other Tricksters Shard is
invaluable against characters, Tzeentch Warriors and Daemons. Just be careful to
not go after powerful characters unless you have too.
(blue) 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 cant go
wrong taking Iron Curse Icon.
(green) 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
arent using your Enchanted Item slot for something else.
(Yellow) 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 its so cheap it may be worth taking if you have a spare 5 points.