From beyond death the Vampires come, striking anywhere they please. Their domains are the dark and forgotten corners of the Empire and the cursed lands of Sylvania.

Units of Skeletons, Grave Guard or Wight Cavalry may upgrade a model to a Champion, musician or standard bearer for +10 points each. A Champion will have +1A. A standard bearer from the following units may carry a magic banner worth up to 50 points: Grave Guard, Wight Cavalry.

Unless otherwise noted, the following special rules apply to all characters and troops in a Vampire Counts army.

• Immune to psychology.
• Cannot be broken, but a unit beaten in combat suffers 1 extra wound for every point they lost the combat by. No saves of any kind are allowed.
• Immune to poison.
• Cause fear.
• Cannot March.
• May only choose hold as a charge reaction.
• May always choose not to pursue.
• Vampires and Necromancers don't roll on the miscast table. If they roll double 1 the spell simply doesn't work.
• Creatures noted as being ethereal may move across difficult or even impassable ground (or through any obstacle) without penalty Note that they cannot see through such terrain if it would normally block line of sight. They can only be damaged by magic weapons or spells.
• If the General is slain all units that are not led by a character or unit champion are destroyed, and any led by a character or unit champion suffer D6 Wounds, no saves of any kind allowed. Characters never suffer wounds from this. Note that if a unit is left without a character or unit champion at any stage once the General has been slain, it will be destroyed.

Equipment: Hand weapon. Necromancers may not have other equipment except barding for their Nightmares. May have a Great weapon (+6 pts) or a halberd (+6 pts). A Vampire may also have a spear (+6 pts), light armour (+3 pts), heavy armour (+6 pts) and/or a shield (+3 pts).

A Vampire Lord may ride a Zombie Dragon (+320 pts) or a Winged Nightmare (+100 pts). A Necromancer Lord may ride a Manticore (+215 pts). Any may ride a Nightmare (+15 pts). Mounted Vampires may have a lance (+6 pts) and may bard their Nightmares (+6 pts).

Special rules: A Necromancer Lord is a level 3 wizard. This may be increased to level 4 at a cost of +35 points. If Necromancers are not with a unit of Undead the special Undead rules for the army do not apply to him. A Vampire Lord is a level 2 wizard, a Vampire Count is level 1. A character riding a Zombie Dragon counts as 1 Lord choice and 1 Hero choice. A Winged Nightmare can fly and causes fear. A Zombie Dragon is a large target, can fly, causes terror, has a 3+ armour save, breathes S3 fumes and is -1 to hit (as is its rider). A Manticore is a large target, can fly and causes terror.

Equipment: Hand weapon. May have a Great weapon (+4 pts) or a halberd (+4 pts). A Vampire or Wight may also have a spear (+4 pts), light armour (+2 pts), heavy armour (+4 pts) and/or a shield (+2 pts).

Any may ride a Nightmare (+10 pts). Mounted Vampires or Wights may have a lance (+4 pts) and may have barding for their Nightmares (+4 pts).

Special rules: A Necromancer is a level 1 wizard. This may be increased to level 2 at a cost of +35 points. If Necromancers are not with a unit of Undead the special Undead rules for the army do not apply to him. The Wight Lord does D3 wounds per hit if he does not have a magic weapon.

One Vampire Thrall or Wight Lord may be upgraded to a Battle Standard Bearer for +25 points. He may carry any magic banner (no points limit), but if he does so he may take no other magic items. He may not be given any extra equipment except light or heavy armour and barding for his nightmare. A Battle Standard Bearer may not be your army General.

Unit Size: 10+ for Skeletons and Zombies, 10-30 for Ghouls.

Equipment: Zombies and Ghouls have no need of weapons or armour, though a few may carry them for old times' sake. Skeletons have a hand weapon and shield. Skeletons may also have a halberd (+1 pt) or spear (+1 pt). Skeletons may have light armour (+1 pt) or heavy armour (+2 pts).

Special rules: Ghouls are not Undead and so the special rules for the army do not apply. However, they do cause fear. Ghouls may not be joined or led by characters. As long as Ghouls have a greater Unit Strength than their foes they don't take Break tests. If Ghouls lose a round of combat to foes with an equal or greater Unit Strength they automatically break.

Unit Size: 1-5

Special rules: Unbreakable. Bat Swarms are not Undead and the special rules for the army do not apply. They are represented by several models on a single base and are treated as a single creature with 5 Wounds. Bat Swarms fly, but only move 8" rather than 20".

Unit Size: 10+

Special rules: Dire Wolves get +1A on the turn they charge.

Unit Size: 10+

Equipment: Hand weapon, light armour and shield May have a Great weapon (+2 pts), halberd (+2 pts) or spear (+2 pts). May upgrade their light armour to heavy armour (+1 pt).

Special rules: D3 wounds per hit.

Unit Size: 5+

Equipment: Hand weapon, spear, light armour and shield. May swap spears for lances (+1 pt), upgrade their light armour to heavy armour (+2 pts) and/or bard their nightmares (+2 pts).

Special rules: D3 wounds per hit from the Wights, but not the nightmares.

Unit Size: 1+

Special rules: Spirit Hosts are represented by several models mounted on a single base and are treated as a single creature with 4 Wounds. They are ethereal.

Unit Size: 1 chariot with 1 crew, pulled by 2 nightmares.

Equipment: The Wraith has a scythe (count as Great weapon).

Special rules: The Black Coach causes terror and has а 4+ armour save. For every 6 unsaved Wounds it inflicts during the battle it adds +1 to the number of impact hits caused (up to +3).

Unit Size: 1

Special rules: Ethereal. In thG Shooting phase the Banshee may howl. This is a shooting attack and follows the normal restrictions. One enemy unit within 8" is hit automatically and takes 2D6+2-Ld Wounds with no armour save. Units that are immune to psychology (including unbreakable units) are also immune to the Banshee's howl.

Unit Size: 3-10

Special rules: Flying unit.

Necromancers and Vampires can randomly select their spells from the Lore of Fire or from the Lore of Death, as normal. In addition, they can always choose a Necromantic spell from the 2 below instead of rolling a dice on the table of their chosen list.

Example: A third level Necromancer can choose both Necromantic spells and roll one spell on the chosen list or choose a Necromantic spell and roll two dice on the chosen list or simply roll three dice on the chosen table.

Wizards can cast Necromantic spells more than once in a single magic phase, as long as the player has power dice left. The only limit is that Vanhel's Danse Macabre cannot be cast successfully on the same unit twice in a single magic phase. Note that if you wish to recast a Necromantic spell on a unit, you must do it immediately. This last restriction does not apply to the Staff of Damnation.

Vanhel's Danse Macabre (3+ to cast):
This spell can be cast on any one Undead unit within 24" of the caster. Any Undead unit (except Ghouls, Vampires, the Black Coach, independent characters not in units and all flying models) can be affected by this spell.

The unit affected can immediately make a normal move (including a reform), with all the normal restrictions on movement. If this move brings the unit into contact with the enemy the Undead unit counts as charging in the next round of combat. Charge responses are as normal. Vampires and Necromancers which are in the unit will move with the unit and cannot choose to leave it and move independently.

This spell can also be cast on a unit already engaged in hand-to hand combat. If successful, the spell allows the Undead to fight with one extra Attack in the following Close Combat phase (Nightmares will get an extra Attack as well). This spell will not affect Vampires and Necromancers.

NOTE: A unit only gets one of the possible effects (movement or +1A).

Invocation of Nehek (5+ to cast):
This spell can be cast on any one unit of Zombies or Skeletons within 18" of the caster. If cast successfully, it adds D6 models to the unit. The new Skeletons will be armed and equipped exactly like the other models in the unit. The victory points value of the unit does not change.

You may choose magic items for your characters and units from the following list and/or the common magic items in the rulebook.

Ring of the Barrows (talisman):
4+ ward save.
45 pts.

Staff of Damnation (arcane item):
Casts Vanhel's Danse Macabre once per Vampire Magic phase on all Undead units within 36" of the caster. Exhausted on a D6 roll of a 1. Bound Spell. Power level 4.
50 pts.

Banner of Doom (magic banner):
Enemy units within 6" suffer -1 Ld.
50 pts.