2000 pts, thoughts appreciated

[Kongy]

Hi, very interested in starting a VC army, been mucking about with the army book and my biggest problem (as I'm sure others are familiar with) is cutting down all the cool stuff that I would love but simply can't afford to take.
This is my favorite list I've come up with; is this a viable thing to build towards?

Lords-498
Vampire Lord, Lv 3, LoV, Quickblood, Red Fury, HA, Shield, Barded Nightmare, Ogre Blade, TOTS, Nightshroud, Summon Creatures of the Night

Heroes- 160
Necromancer, Lv2, LoV, MotD, Rod of Flaming Death

Core-500
7 Dire Wolves
7 Dire Wolves
6 Dire Wolves
45 Skeletons, HW/S, SB/M
19 Skeletons, HW/S

Special-842

9 Black Knights, Lances, Barding, FC, Banner of Barrows
10 Hexwraiths
6 Crypt Horrors

Rare- 0

Total-2000

So- tooled up vamp lord, very combat capable, with an IoN-friendly BK escort. Forms spearhead of a mobile element that includes a large hexwraith unit- these can thus be consistently close to the general to ensure 16" march moves, and thus pick and choose who they will deliver their 10 devastating hits to. Mobile element also includes several units of doomwolves. Can be used as roadblocks/general chaff, but with the addition of Summon Creatures of the Night on the mobile general, can be buffed at +4 models per turn. Starting size of all three units thus big enough to hit a rank-disrupting 10 models with a single level 3 cast of IoN.
More static element to army consisting of small skeleton mage bunker for MotD Necro, decent sized crypt horror anvil, and large skeleton anvil/tarpit (both skele units to be further boosted in size of course).
Particularly pleased with the vamp lord's build- 5 ASF S7 attacks plus quickblood, with rerolls to enemy ward saves. Defensive- 1+AS, enemies ASL, no strength bonuses. Unfortunately no points to squeeze in a ward save, but you cant have it all can you.

I'd particularly value thoughts on whether this vamp lord could be improved, on whether people see a better use for the necro's magic items than the flaming rod, and what people's experiences with large units of hexwraiths have been like.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Minimono]

I think this list is interesting. I wonder what TOTS is?

 

[Kongy]

TOTS- the other trickster's shard. Sorry, thought I was using universal shorthand.
What do you find interesting about the list?

 

[Fragskull]

No BSB? I might knock two lvls off of your lord and drop a hexwraith or two just to take a naked wight king, but thats just me.

 

[Kongy]

I was under the impression undead BSBs weren't really felt worth it. Losing one less wound in a lost combat doesnt sound to me to be worth all the stuff I' have to drop to squeeze that in. Have I really misread this? Is there something I'm missing about the BSB, because as I'm reading the rules he doesn't seem value for money.

 

[Fragskull]

Well I'm definitely not up on the whole meta right now but just from my perspective, having a massive unit of skeletons with the BSB in it would not only prevent additional wounds but the +1 combat res from a BSB would be really beneficial. Considering that you won't be winning combat with wounds but with ranks and standards, plus the other player might be apprehensive to throw their good heroes against the wight king on account of the killing blow.

 

[Kongy]

I see where youre coming from. However, I think thats trying to get more out of that unit than Im planning on asking of it. Im not intending that unit to kill anything, only tarpit and not give away too much CR if I countercharge its opponent with CH or VL/BK. The latter is why I want skellys rather than zombies.
I think your suggestion is probable valid in a list designed primarily around the infantry blocks, but the synergy Im hoping for here really comes from the fast movers. I think watering them down to take a BSB woulddefeat what Im hoping to achieve.
Thanks for the input though, its helped formulate some thoughts for a eifferent list.

 

[meowser]

Nightshroud and Quickblood seems a little overkill, unless there is alot of ASF in your meta. Enchanted shield + dawnstone might be an interesting alternative.

The Hexwraiths might be best used in 2 units, and why not 4 x 5 dire wolves, since you are taking SCotN anyways.

I've never used RoFD, but I worry that D6 S4 hits isn't enough to reliably wound anything I'd care about holding up with it's effect. Maybe try out other bound spell items in it's place (Staff of Damnation on your cav would be amazing; it has great synergy with mounted models)

 

[Kongy]

An interesting point about Quickblood and Nightshroud. Hmm. My thought process had been based largely around the stacked effects. With Quickblood I like the synergy of the rerolls to hit combined with high strength attacks maximising the potential bonus attacks from Red Fury. And with Nightshroud, my thoughts had been as much based around forcing attacks to be at base strength as the ASL. Made me feel better about no ward save- not many things going to be attacking at higher than S5, leaving me AS3 against them. I'll have a think on that. Dawnstone and Enchanted Shield could work instead for a few points cheaper.
I hadn't really thought about the Staff of Damnation. You're quite right, that really would be worth squeezing in. Hmmm again. On that nore we might be reading the RoFD rules differently; I hadn't read it to say that you actually need to wound to cause the holding up effect. If you do, you're again right, that makes it much less worthwhile (visions of immobilised Gor blocks get crumpled up and dropped in the charnel pit).

The reason for 7,7,6 DW rather than 4x5 is that with SCotN from my level 3 Lord, they will each get to 10+ models with a single casting of IoN, and can then be used to disrupt ranks. I have been debating how worthwhile this actually is; DW are pretty fragile, and won't necessarily stay that strong even hitting flank/rear of most units. I might drop the SCotN to squeeze in the Staff, in which case I would run those DW 4x5, or even 3x5 and beef up the skellies.

I haven't tried out Hexwraiths yet, and am not committed in my head to running them in a block of 10 rather than two 5s. It strikes me though that the potential effect of 10 of their autohits is disproportionately higher than just 5 on the units I'm interested in hitting, making me far more likely to eliminate or reduce to <25%. One block will be a lot easier to keep within march bubble of my general than 2. The one block will also I feel be easier to fit in gaps in the enemy army than 2 smaller ones, in terms of compound 1" separation. Finally a block of 10 gives me the potential to disrupt in a charge, in the same way I was thinking with the direwolves, only the hexwraiths are far more likely to stick around (most rear/flanks of enemy units shouldn't be sporting magical weapons).

Thanks for your thoughts

 

[setual]

RoFD does not need to wound for its other effect to work. Plus if you hit a horde with it your opponent is really going to have to consider whether they want their 40 man unit to take 40 st4 hits just so he can move it up. I saw this item as being mainly effective against large units of weak models so I'm curious Meowser, what kind of units were you thinking you'd be targeting?

 

[bonesaww666]

I think RoFD is by far the best bound item we have, in an army that lacks mobility it gives us board control.

To the Hexwraiths I see the point in Disruption of Ranks but you have to remember that the unit only counts models that pass through for hits and they do not "bounce" like DoC Screamers, so the entirety of said unt has to pass through and move 1" minimum beyond the hit unit. Since most armies seem to field Hordes and even monster bases are getting remarkably large I think your going to be making some serious long bombs. Also dont let the fact that they are Etheral fool you, if I were fighting against them I would willingly engage the unit to stop the "Drive by Attacks" as the CC affects of this unt are sub par compared to the auto hits. Also relying on your Generals presence to continue to march means dropping a Hero w/magic weapon somewhere where he could threaten them shouldn't be too hard as revamping your battle line on the fly is made much harder.

Second advantage to smaller units is more targets for a wizard to shoot at which is more dice spent on MM and less spent buffing/hexing units.