Vampire Counts 8th community FAQ (need your input)

[dongilles]

After being a part of this great community for several years, I want to do something for all the wonderful players (the old and the new)

Everyone know that GW is great at writing rules that are kinda vague...
So my idea is to make a FAQ where we as a community all can agree on and use this in our own games or for new players so they don't need to skim trough all the old posts and still don't have a clear answer or something from past editions.

I have asked Najo to help me with the fact checking and completing the list but I will also need all your help, are there questions you have, questions you always get or are there things that need extra clarification, please ask/write them in this tread.

So what will be in this FAQ? Everything Vampire Counts related:

• Army special rules
• Units
• Spells
• Vampiric powers
• Magic items

This is a short example on how our FAQ will look like.

Terrorgheist
Is the Death Shriek ability a shooting attack?
No, the Death Shriek is a special magical attack that happens during the shooting phase

Does Magic Resistance help against the Death Shriek?
No, The Death Shriek is a magical attack and not a spell

Can the Death Shriek be used as a Stand and Shoot charge reaction?
No, Undead units must always Hold.

Can the Death Shriek “shoot” into combat that the Terrorgheist isn’t part of?
Yes

If the Terrorgheist is in close combat, can the Death Shriek target a unit that is not in base contact?
Yes, the Shriek can target a unit that is not in base contact (this is different then the Ghostly Howl)


Keep in mind that these aren’t the official FAQ from Games Workshop but generally accepted rulings of the Vampire Counts community

 

[Pirate Robot Ninja of Death]

One that has frequently come up for me is the intersection between Unstable and No More Foes. I got into a dispute with a clubmate about it and he suggested I go write an essay about it. And since I'm an obnoxious fuck:

The rule at issue is called “No More Foes,” found at page 61 of Warhammer Fantasy Battles 8th Edition (Cavatore, Alessio et al (2006). Warhammer. Games Workshop.ISBN1-84154-759-X., “the BRB”). The section reads as follows:
“NO MORE FOES

In multiple combats it can sometimes happen that at the end of A ROUND OF CLOSE COMBAT some units are no longer engaged with any enemy unit (normally because the unit they were engaged with has been completely destroyed). Such units are OUT OF COMBAT FOR ALL PURPOSES and can move normally from then on. Any combat result points that unit would have added to the fight for wounds inflicted are still counted for the fight's overall combat resolution, but other bonuses, such as standards, charges and so on. are not. Note that such a unit cannot cancel out steadfast in an enemy.” [Emphasis Mine]

In simpler terms, this rule applies to any unit that finds itself out of base-contact with the enemy following a “Round of Close Combat” involving multiple units from each side. That unit will be “out of combat for all purposes.”

Where confusion frequently arises is around the commonly misinterpreted term “Round of Close Combat.” Players frequently misconstrue this as referring to the “Close Combat Phase” as a whole, or the phase as it relates to any individual combat. This is – however – not actually the case.


Page 46 of the BRB breaks the “close combat phase” of the game into 4 basic steps: 1) Fight a Round of Close Combat, 2) Calculate Close Combat Result, 3) Loser Takes a Break Test, 4) Flee and pursue. Note that - in true Games Workshop fashion - a “Round of Close Combat” is not actually defined here, nor in the section bearing its name, but instead in the bolded headnote of the following section (“2. Calculate Close Combat” at BRB page 42), which reads:



“Once all of the models engaged in the combat have fought, this concludes what we call a ‘combat round’ or ‘round of close combat.”


Thus the check for the “No More Foes” rule occurs immediately after dice are rolled and casualties removed, but before the “Calculate Combat Result” step and any rule triggering thereafter. This would necessarily include the effect of rules like “Unstable” or “Frenzy” that trigger against units on the losing side of a combat (a result that has not yet been determined), in addition to saving units from having to take break checks.


Note that this is also the reason for the FAQ ruling that units may make an “Overrun” move if their foe is destroyed through the “Unstable” special rule. This is because the “Overrun” rule (BRB page 58) only triggers when a unit’s enemies are wiped out “by the end of that round of close combat”. Since “Unstable” does not trigger until the “Calculate Combat Result” step, and “Overrun” tests before that, by the time the unit is destroyed the opportunity to Overrun has been lost.​

 

[dongilles]

I think I am missing some information. what was the dispute about?

 

[dongilles]

Are there no questions you always get, You dont know or you know needs to be faq'ed?

 

[Dragonet]

As a casual player I think this is a brilliant idea, as soon as I can think of a question I'll jot it down. Good luck guys!

 

[Kromathus]

In pirates example he is arguing whether or not he takes wounds on the losing side of a combat if that unit is affected by 'No more foes.'

He of course is correct and you do not take the wounds from unstable, nor would you lose frenzy.

 

[dongilles]

okee good thought so

 

[Pirate Robot Ninja of Death]

Another interesting one is Nightshroud against weapons that "set" the user's strength at a certain number. Hellebron's swords being the most pertinent example.

Is this a strength bonus? I would argue yes. However I would not question that there is room for other interpretations here. Much better to just kill her with your ASF vampire lord before she gets to strike (her striking at mere initiative, given ASF+ASL).

Note also that Nightshroud ONLY affects S bonuses from WEAPONS. It doesn't work on things like Potion of Strength, nor any bonuses conferred by spells (Beasts spells, Occams) or special rules (like "Choppas," from the Orcs and Goblins book, which contrary to popular belief - and the bounds of common sense - has nothing at all to do with the bearer's weapons).

Edit: Another one is healing wounds on Vampiric units. You can only regain one would per "spell," so it is arguable whether the lore attribute can add an additional would where Invocation of Nehek has already restored one. Note that you cannot use a wound from the lore attribute to heal a model that has been removed (so a unit of 4 vargheists with 3 left and no floating wounds cannot be affected, but add one wound with Invocation to bring up another model and you can now remove one of the two "floating" wounds).

 

[dongilles]

Thanks these are great additions!

I will add these to the list!

 

[The Sun King]

Good idea @dongilles! Really helpful in the sense that we can link this thread when questions come up.

 

[The Sun King]

Vargheists:
Can I charge warmachines from one direction and end up looking another direction when in contact with the warmachine? (Also called 'janky charges')
Yes. As a warmachine has no facing you can utilize the one free wheel that you get on a charge to clip the warmachine so that you look in another direction as shown in the diagram below.