Things in my Warhammer Page:
Army Lists for both Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer
40,000
Undead Tacticus with pictures
Warhammer and WaReZ Links
Plans for scenery
Wight
and Wraith Champions
Wight
Lords, Mummy Tomb Kings and Vampire Counts
Undead
Battle Standard
Lesser Necromancers
Necromancer
Lord, Vampire Lord, Liche
Skeletons
Zombies
Ghouls
Ghosts
Wights
Mummies
Carrion
Wraiths
Screaming
Skull Catapults
Undead
Chariots
Zombie Dragons
Nagash
- Supreme Lord of the Undead
Vlad Von
Carstain
Isabella
Von Carstain
Manfred
von Carstain
Heinrich
Kemmler
Arkan
the Black
Krell
Settra
Deiter Helsnicht
Mannfred von Carstein surveyed
the lands of Sylvania from his castle. Already, his dark messengers were
returning.
He could feel the Undead stirring in their graves.
Soon, very soon, his army would march forth once again in their full
Undead might. Hel Fenn would be his last defeat.
He would crush everyone and everything in his path. The dead would
not rest again in Sylvania - never again.
Undead in General
The Hordes of Undeath aren't like any other race
in the Warhammer world. Although slow, they are one of the toughest troops
available, and they ceaselessly press on, indifferent
to everything but the will of their masters. Most troops cause fear and
are
immue to psychology. The Undead army can be divided
into three types of units, the missile fodder, barrels of wounds, and the
Lords of Undeath. ARMY
PIC!
The Masters of Undeath - Undead Characters
Same stats as normal troops, use Undead Champion
like any other champion. Wights are used much more often since they are
cheaper and have Wight Blades (which are equivalent
to 35 point Bone Blades). On the other hand, a Wraith Champion with
the Scythe of Destruction will eat up enemy characters
for lunch. Unfortunately, whether this makes the Wraith invincible in HtH
is under much debate, so make sure your gaming
group allows this. Also, that SoD is much more useful used elsewhere. But,
just the threat of a SoD armed Wraith is enough.
If they don't, don't feel to bad. Just hit'em back with a Sword of Destruction
armed Vampire.
Wight Lords, Mummy Tomb Kings and Vampire Counts
Altough Undead rank and file are tough, they are
not great fighters, so your Heroes are important. Wight Lords are one of
the
best deals, since they are as tough as some Lords
and cost only as much as a human hero, a welcome relief in an expensive
army.
Mummy Tomb Kings are a midway point between Wight
Lords and the elite Vampire Counts. Take one along if you need the
Tomb King's Crown. Since they have pretty great
Strength, Toughness, and Wounds, give him something to raise his Weapon
Skill to a more acceptable level, or just get
him a Blade of Darting Steel. An interesting tactic is to give a Tomb King
Boots of
Flight and Heart of Woe. Charge the strongest
unit and when you die, BOOM! Strength 5+D6 Hits for 4". If you can spare
the
point, mount him on a Hippogriff (too bad the
Undead can't ride a Pegasus) and give him the Heart and a Dark Mace. Make
sure you're touching as many figures and unleash
the power of the mace. When your opponent retaliates, blast 'em with the
Heart.
Vampire Counts are your foremost fighters, just
as good or even better than your general and they're level two necromancers.
They're only a bit weaker than Vampire Lords
and cost 175 points less. Give them a nice magical sword and a Golden Helm,
or a magical armor if you don't need their magic,
and they can easily take on most opposing Lords. Also, you might want to
give him a Sword of Destruction if you can't
afford that Vampire Lord.
One of the best Battle Standard Bearers in the
game, three Wounds will at least keep this much targeted character in the
game
for a while. Pretty decent price too. A must
take, since many Undead die when they break.
Since your general's also your main wizard, and
Vampires can usually do backup magic, Lesser Necromancers aren't used that
often. Your main mage is already taking up a
hefty amount of points and you really don't need more wizards. Allied Skeven
Warlocks are cheaper, lets you carry some more
scrolls, and gives you access to Skaven Magic, which isn't that bad.
Necromancer Lord, Vampire Lord, Liche
The most powerful character in the Undead army,
and probably the entire game, the Undead General is the sustainer of the
Undead army. Often, they are forced into sulking
role in the back since they are so vital. Don't let this happen. These
guys are
such good fighters that they don't need much
offensive magical items, so stock up on defense - Black Amulet, Golden
Helm of
Atrazar, Cloak of Mists and Shadows, and Carstein
Ring for Vampire Lords. However, your Special Characters are generally
better and cheaper. Their only fault is that
most of then can't ride monsters or chariots, so unless you really want
your general
on a monster or chariot, stick with Special Characters.
A popular option is to mount a Vampire Lord with the Sword of
Destruction on a Manticore or, if you can afford
it, a Dragon. Even Chaos Lords will be no match for such a character.
The Hordes of Undeath - Undead Regiments
The basic Undead troops, Skeleton Warriors are
way too expensive. Their high cost and sub-average stats makes you want
to
cry and laugh at the same time. Although they
don't break and cause fear, they aren't justification enough. Zombies led
by a
character with Crown of Command are much better
deals. Don't bother to give them bows since their BS is so low that they're
not likely to hit anything. If you really want,
take along a big unit and tie up that unit of Chaos Knights. An alternative
is to take a
smaller unit armed to the teeth since when you
raise more Skeletons, they're equipped like the unit. Hell Banner/Banner
of
Doom's a good buy since you cause fear and Vanhel's
DM is so useful for pursuing...
Skeleton Horsemen, on the other hand, are pretty
good once you give them the Doomrider Banner. Arm 'em with lances and
watch your enemy cringe as you inflict 4+ S5
hits. You can also arm these guys to the teeth and raise some more. A good
tactic
is to take a lead a unit of Skeleton Horsemen
with a Wight Lord carrying both stones of Le Marquis. Use Bridge of Shadows
to charge 'em, cast Van Hel's and get a couple
hits in. Next turn, you'll count as charging, since you used Bridge of
Shadows,
so use both stones for 10+ S6 auto hits. Not
many can withstand this.
What can I say, here are the missile fodder of
your army. Another testimony to the fact that you should clean your corpse
thoroughly of all flesh before raising it. Give
them double-handed weapons, since they'll be striking last anyways, get
a big
whopping unit, and lead it with a Mummy Tomb
King wearing The Tomb King's Crown. Place them centrally so the Tomb
King doesn't slow them down too much. Cursed
Book for the Tomb Kings pretty good as it will let you actually have some
Zombies left alive in the front ranks to attack.
If you can live with their idiotic rule about
feasting on the dead, Ghouls are great troops with Toughness 4 and two
Attacks.
Don't bother leading them with a Crown of Command,
just boost their Combat Resolution as much as you can since they
automatically break if they lose combat. As for
their feasting, there's nothing you can do except use them defensively
or stick
them in the middle where they're bound to meet
up with another enemy unit.
Ghosts are a weaker version of their deadly brethren,
the Wraiths. Altouh Wraiths are better, their cheap cost and etherealness
make Ghosts useful protection for your character
against missiles.
The elite troops of the Undead, Wights with their
Toughness of 4 and three Wounds can take on any enemy. Leadership 8 and
Wight weapons don't hurt either. Make sure you
mount them since this costs only two points instead of the usual doubling.
Take a Banner of Might along, since they're WS
isn't that great. A unit of Wight Knights with the Undead Battle Standard
carring the Banner of Might led by a Wight Lord
is a truly formidable foe. You may want to take a Crown of Command along
if
you're really worried about breaking.
The notoriously tough nobles of Araby, mummies
have more Wounds than most Lords of other armies. Bring along an
anti-magic item so you don't get fried by spells.
There is almost no easy way to take on a even a fairly small unit of Mummies
that are protected from magic. Vanhel's is essential
since they're so slow. They don't have that high initiative, so consider
giving
them double handed weapons for two (four with
Vanhel's) swings of Strength 6 destruction.
Carrion
Because of their 24" flying rate, Carrions are
essential to an Undead army. They aren't that strong, so stay away from
characters and elite troops. Take out those war
machine that are probably the only danger to your Lords (Even Nagash will
succumb to multiple cannon hits), then hang back.
Use Vanhel's to charge fleeing units and cut them down.
The most powerful of the lesser Undead, these
souless husks of Necromancers will srike terror into the hearts of your
enemies.
Terror, Chill Attack, Etherealness, and three
Wounds are just too good to pass by. They don't have a minimum unit size,
so
always take at least a Wraith. Etherealness make
Wraith great war machine hunters. Your only problem is getting these guys
to
the enemy's back line, where most of their war
machines would be. Vanhel's helps, but Bridge of Shadow is preferable,
if you
can get it. Remember, Wraith can break, and you
never want to test on a five. Bring along a Wight Lord with the Crown of
Command and if you don't mind being called a
cheater, the Talisman or Obsidian, Spellshield, or Spelleater Shield.
Engines of Undeath - Undead War Machines
The only reasonable missile weapon in the Undead
army, Skull Chuckers are pretty good, and don't cost a lot. Take at least
three to ensure an average of one HIT per round.
Great against Goblins, Skaven, and Humans, since they have large numbers
and low Leadership. Even if you miss, the chances
that you'll hit something is pretty good against a cheap army like Goblins,
Humans, and Skaven, and since even a single Wound
will cause Panic, the low Leadership of the aforementioned races will
present a problem for your them. Don't worry
if you need more Catapults or it blows up from a misfire, you can always
raise
more.
Just like Skull Chuckers, you can alway repair,
recrew, resteed, or create more Undead Chariots. Undead Chariots aren't
as
strong as other Chariots, but they do cost less.
Personally, I don't use chariots. Skull Chuckers are much better and easier
to
raise (only a roll of 9+ rather than 10+). Don't
forget that one can have a Magic Standard.
Horrors of Undeath - Undead Monster
Ordinary Dragons may seem much better than the
Zombie Dragon at first, but these guys aren't that bad. Mind you, they
aren't
really worth their point value, but are pretty
effective against heavily armored targets are units with high Tounghness.
Pestilence
breath is one of the better breath attacks, since
it'll Wound everyone hit on a 4+, no need to make a separate To Hit and
To
Wound rolls. The Zombie Dragon will eat knights
for breakfast. A must take against an Empire or Chaos army.
The Lords of Undeath - Undead Special Characters
Nagash - Supreme Lord of the Undead
Probably the best character in the game, Nagash
can even defeat the Bloodthirster. Stats that rival Greater Daemons, Save
against all attacks, and a level five necromancer,
even the forces of Chaos cringe when facing the Supreme Lord of Undeath.
He's got fixed magic items, but they're well
chosen. Just remember, Nagash isn't invincible (altough he's pretty darn
close). This
guy is a cannon and other warmachine magnet,
until you pull off the Dark Mist...:)
The general of choice for an offensive Undead
army, Vlad is a close combat monster. Take Isabella along, wait until she
gets
killed, and charge that Chaos Lord or Dwarven
High King (with full nine runes totalling 600+ points) with eight attack
(thing I
don't get is why Necromancer Lords and Liches
have more attacks than a Vampire Lord) carrying a Sword of Desruction.
Another option is to protect him with a Black
Amulet and Carstein ring, arm him with a Blade of Leaping Gold (11 Attacks
while Frenzied!!!). Bring along a Skabskrath
for additional mayhem. Or, if you're facing a Bloodthirster, take the Talisman
of
Ravensdark and let the Greater Daemon of Khorne
charge.
If you take Vlad, always take Isabella along.
The chance to get a frenzied Vampire Count is just too good to pass by.
Give
Isabella a Heart of Woe and either Carstein Ring
or Dark Mace of Death or a Sword of Destruction, if available, and charge!
However, don't just throw her away. She may cost
25 points less than a normal Vampire Count, but she's still not something
to
sacrifice. Take chances, but don't do anything
stupid. Isabella can easily take on Lord-level characters by herself.
Although a bit on the expensive side (as expensive
as Nagash!) Mannfred is a good buy if you want your general to be
prepared for anything. Take along a Book of Nagash,
Black Amulet, Carstein Ring, and a nice sword and you'll have one of
the most powerful and safest characters in the
game. His stats are good enough that he can take on any enemy chracters.
The most popular Undead general, Heinrich costs
60 points less than a normal Necromancer Lord. Only drawback is that he
can't ride monsters or chariots, but 60 points
saved in a point-strapped character intensive army is well worth not being
able to
ride a monster. Give him a Book of Nagash, Skull
Staff, and two of the following: Black Amulet, Cloak of Mists and Shadows,
Staff of Damnation, or Ring of Corin. This is
one of the safest way to field an Undead General, since the Book of Nagash
and
Skull Staff will make you one of the most powerful
wizards on the field and you can hang back, stay away from combat, and
cast away. One cheesy tactic is to hide behind
a hill or building, raise skeleton horsemen and send them through the obstacle.
Or, take the Chaos Tomb Blade and Cursed Book,
get locked into combat with that 100+ Skavenslave/Crown of Command
unit, and hack aways, getting 4-5 additional
magic cards. Take along the Chalice of Fate and re-roll and high Winds
of Magic.
You'll easily domninate the magic phase.
Although he's not cheaper than normal like Heinrich,
Arkhan has access to the Arkhan's Chariot. It's a steal at 50 points
considering that it's stronger than a normal
Undead Chariot, it's got scythed wheels, the Manticore head can attack,
and most of
all, it can fly. Who needs a monster when you've
got a flying Chariot that does D6+2 automatic Strength 6 hits? Equip him
similiarly to Heinrich. You might want to take
along a decent weapon if you plan to charge a lot, such as the Sword of
Destruction. The ultimate Undead cheese is Arkhan
with his chariot, SoD, and the following spells: Dark Mist, Hand of Dust,
and one other spell. Cast Dark Mist, and with
the SoD, you'll be almost invulnerable. Charge the baddest character your
opponent has, cause some wounds with the chariot,
then Hand of Dust him over to your side. :)
Krell is not very useful unless you have a small
army. In a decent-sized army, Krell is demoted to Hero roles, and Vampire
Counts are much better and cost only 40 more
points. In fact Mummy Tomb Kings are almost as good and cost 60 points
less.
Only advantage Krell has is that he can carry
three magical items. You could always make him your general, hide him
somewhere he can't get hurt, and have Vlad wreck
havoc. Your general will be safe, so you won't have to worry about your
army falling apart.
Settra, like Krell, is good for small armies or
as a secondary character. You may want to take him along if you've grown
tired
of High Elves and their blasted Drain Magic.
He's a buffed up Tomb King and tough as hell, with Toughness of 6 and a
whopping 5 Wounds, for half the cost of a Nec
Lord. He's still a mummy, so make sure you protect him from fire. Dragonhelm
seems like a pretty good item, so's the Tomb
King's Crown, since his WS of 5 will greatly help the low skilled Undead
regiments. Remember to mount since Movement of
3 will bog you down, especially since he can march move. If he's not your
general, give him a Heart of Woe, charge the
largest, baddest unit, and enjoy the carnage. Remember, he can carry Undead
Wizard only items, so he might be a good character
to hold that Staff of Damnation.
There's nothing special about the Doom Lord. He's
just your basic Nec Lord on a Manticore. He's pretty useful in a large
game
as he allows you to field another Nec Lord. Since
the Manticore can fly, and can take on just about anybody, fly over to
the
rear lines of your opponent, take out his war
machines, then slow him down by being within 8" and pummel 'em with spells.
When you've decided that you've toyed with them
enough, or they begin to annoy you, charge they butts off.
