Hello folks per request I have been working on a unit by unit item by item spell by spell overview of our army book. Here is your first installment! This shall be updated and consolidated into the first post.
Lord Choices:
Vlad Von Carstein: Vlad is ok and IMO the best of the bunch when it comes to our SC. High level wizard, good ward, decent weapon, some other cool rules and a good model make him decent. But high cost and lack of red fury really kill it for me.
Count Mannfred: Over-priced with no wardsave I see Manny going down fast. Best to just use his model as a vampire lord.
Heinrich Kemmler: Heinrich is interesting in that he is a close quarters necromancer. With ethereal he can be fairly safe and loremaster is not something to sniff at. His pricetag is a bit much for someone who can just be death sniped though.
Vampire Lord: Our Swiss-Army knife lord choice. You need a level 4? He can do that. You need a blender lord? He can do that. You need a cav monster? He can do that. His only real drawback is if you build him for more than one role he can get very very expensive. He is best mounted on a nightmare to ride with Black Knights. Will almost always be running Lore of Vampires
Master Necromancer: Where to begin about our little friend. Well first off he is the cheapest level 4 we can get by 130 points. Secondly he can take lore of Death if not the general which is huge as Death is very strong in 8th. Low LD hurts him but does not really hamper him. I like keeping him cheap and almost naked personally but I have seen some tooled up ones in the past. Also has Master of the Dead which allows him to raise Skeletons above starting size, gimiky really but still cool.
Strigoi Ghoul King: Combat character right out of the box. He can either be heavily augment with magic weapons and items or just be used as a cheap knock-around character. Either way his pricetag is reasonable and is also a caster. Personal favorite out of the lord choices.
Heroes:
Mannfred the Acolyte: Once again a decent casting loremaster but his pricetag + no saves worries me.
Krell, Lord of Undeath: Brilliant model with decent character killing rules. Once again though his pricetag does him in.
Konrad Von Carstein: Facing Ogres? Konrad is your man. Other than that I would leave him at home.
Isabella Von Carstein: If you are running Vlad she is a must. If not you can build her for cheaper out of a basic vampire. Also boobs
Necromancer: Cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap. Also did I mention he is cheap? Can take two different lores and be a arcane caddy I see no reason why there is not atleast one in every list.
Vampire: Can take a myriad of lores, be a cav character, a BSB, a magic support character. Really this guy is just a Vampire Lord in his uses, he just wont do anything as well. Good pricetag means I see no reason why you would not consider one in your list.
Wight King: A very interesting choice. He is kind of a hold-over from the last book but still has his uses as a BSB or a bodyguard of sorts. Dont be fooled by his stat-line as he is not a real combat character.
Carin Wraith: Cheap and decent in combat. Best used as a place holder to make sure mages and the like are not in the front rank. Also can be a monster hunter.
Tomb Banshee: Cheap and spam-able. With the recent FAQ really became much stronger.
Core
Zombies: Due to the most recent 8th edition FAQ regarding crumbling this unit just went from being recommended to being essential. That plus being easy to raise, holding a banner and being a drop makes them fantastic. Best run in either 20's or 40+'s. Muso only with a character and Standard only if playing Blood and Glory.
Skeletons: Well there is always a runt of the litter and sadly this book it is Skeletons. At half the price of a ghoul they fight to find a niche in our core requirements. Ghouls out fight them and zombies out chaff/tarpit them. Only real upside is nice models and the ability to carry a magic banner which will be covered later.
Ghouls: Where to start. Yes they did get a pretty hard nerf from the last book but in reality that just took them from overpowered to very good. T4 +2 poison attacks and being raised D6+Lvl makes ghouls very hardy and able to shred most lightly armored infantry without much if any magical support. May need a vampire to deal with high armor. Best run in units of 35+ to maximize attacks and minimize damage.
Dire Wolves: Cheap, fast, fills core and is a drop? What is not to love about dire wolves. While not a combat core unit they can easily apply pressure where needed to small units and warmachines. At S4 on the charge wolves can also be used to snipe out lower level mages. Best run in units of 5-6 with a frontage of 3.
Special:
Corpse Cart: The cart is another hold-over from our last book. It seems to of been built with the idea of it being a frontline support piece, but due to 8th edition chariot rules it can never march so it is often left behind. Can be tooled for minor magical defense and increased raising power. But all in all it is best left at home.
Grave Guard: Graveguard much like Ghouls took a hard hit with the new book. But despite that their low cost for high damage output makes them a very attractive choice in a mostly foot slogging list. Best run in either a block of 30+ or a horde of 40+. Shields are considered lesser of the two equipment choices for a reason.
Black Knights: With current raising rules and a good armor save Black Knights have exploded onto the tournament scene. Able to deliver a Vampire Lord right where he needs to go in safety and still have enough models left to fight (which they are not slouches in mind) and be healed up makes Black Knights fantastic. Lances and Barding should always be taken. Unit should be sized 12+
Crypt Horrors: Horrors are one of the real gems in our book, with insanely high toughness and regen for their very reasonable cost. Add to that their poison attacks and ability to be raised 1+Lvl and you have a very very solid combat block that will not be easy for anything besides S7 to shift. Best run in units of 8-12
Fell Bats: Cheap flying unit means they are a versatile drop. Keep your general near them and in a pinch they can block or redirect a charge. Not really made for combat though they can tie up archer units and warmachines for a turn or two. Best run in units of 2-5
Bat Swarms: With quasi flying and T2 batswarms are most of the time a liability, but in rare circumstances can be useful. If you can minimize the number of attacks coming on them you can steal ASF rerolls and help ghouls and the like shred units that suddenly got ASL. Fragile combo piece so use with caution. Best run in units of 2-3
Spirit Host: Cheap, Ethereal and Fast. They are a drop, they can hold units, they can stop charges and maybe even win a fight against a small unit. Normally Hosts will draw out magic missles but in most circumstances this is a good thing as it is not going at your more expensive things. Best run as single bases.
Hex-Wraiths: Strong ethereal fast-cav with flaming damage bonus's. While not cheap points-wise Hexwraiths are very good at being a fast moving distraction. Able to stride through units and do damage Hex-Wraiths are top notch cav hunters. Best run in units of 5-6 with Hellwraith.
Varghiests: Single fastest non character unit in our book Varghiests make perfect assassins and back-field hunters. Due to their frenzy you will have to moonwalk them the first turn while getting into position but this should not be a problem due to their skirmishing rule. Run 3 with a champion in a single file formation to hunt mages and the like or use slightly larger units for devastating rear charges. Best run in units of 3-6.
Rare:
Varghulf: Well what can be said about the savage? He is fast, good save, vampiric and rocks a thunder-stomp. I think he is ok but slightly over-costed, and while he hits hard you have to bring him around a flank as front to front he will die to combat res.
Blood Knights: The FAQ hurt these boys quite a bit though they do pack a major punch. 3 attacks a piece at S7 on the charge is nothing to sniff at but their pricetag + their slow raise makes them a less than optimal. Banner of Blood Keep makes them survive against shooting but they are a very expensive unit if you go this route.
Cairn Wraiths: Ethereal combat rank and file. Hard to raise and often over-shadowed by stronger choices in our book. They can be used to break ranks but are not very mobile. Best taken as characters if you want wraiths.
Black Coach: Once again a hold over from the last book. The coach has taken a major hit in power now that we have no way to reliably produce power-dice and it only siphons during our magic phase. Very tough but greatly over-priced.
Terrorghiest: The most recent FAQ has tossed the Ghiest into the slot of one of the best monsters in the game. With a scream that can pick up most small units and ignore armor it is a almost auto include in competitive lists. With the ability to be a support combat res generator, flying and high defensive stats the Terrorghiest is a steal for its points. For best results run in pairs.
Mortis Engine: A very versatile support piece that can do a great number of things. Aura can do light damage as well as give saves to our lightly armored units and boost saves of things like Crypt Horrors. Has a Banshee howl and is a minor combat chariot that explodes when it dies. If you want to go Lore of Vampires heavy it can be given the Tome which improves casting greatly. Overall a fairly decent choice.
Mounts:
Skeletal Steed: Your basic run of the mill horse with a nice little twist. Without a vampire character they can have the ethereal movement special rule which helps them ignore their barding and ignore all dangerous terrain that normally hurt cavalry.
Nightmare: A good heavy horse for your vampire to trot around on. S4 is not shabby for a 1 wound mount.
Hellsteed: Like a nightmare but you swap barding for wings. Honestly not a shabby trade.
Abyssal Terror: Kind of like a griffon except worse in every way. Honestly not worth the paper it is written on. Cool for themed lists though.
Terrorghiest: Slightly worse than the rare terrorghiest but still very useful and strong. Only available as a Ghoul King mount.
Zombie-Dragon: Well, it is a dragon, so like all Warhammer dragons it has good toughness no real save and a breath weapon. Major draw-back is its points and massive base.
Coven-Throne: Can be used as a lord or hero mount. Uses a combination of leadership bubbles and leadership tricks to do its major damage. Requires certain character and equipment combos in order to work properly. Needs to close to combat very quickly as despite its wardsave it is very fragile against shooting.
Vampiric Powers:
Master of the Black Arts: A real holdover from our last book this power has sky-rocketed in points and gone down in effectiveness. It allows you to reroll one winds of magic dice but a reroll is not always reliable. Best left for themed lists.
Curse of the Revenant: Fairly interesting power that grants you a extra wound on your profile. While expensive I can see its uses in a limited play-group but not in a TAC list due to the popularity of Killing Blow.
Red Fury: Ah the gem of our vampiric powers. With the ability to generate a great deal of wounds to most units I see no reason not to take this power. Rerolls to hit or to wound are invaluable with this power.
Flying Horror: Does what is printed on the tin. Gives flying. A tad gimiky considering you can just take a Hellsteed for cheaper.
Quickblood: ASF on I7-8? Yes please and thank you.
Aura of Dark Majesty: -1LD to all enemy units is very strong for its cheap price when combined with screams, the coven throne or just being used to crack a hard steadfast unit. Very solid multi-use power.
Dark Acolyte: Useable now with the current FAQ. Not really worth its points as it only affects one spell. Very fluffy but if that is your thing then that is your thing.
Forbidden Lore: Well this power got a bit of a nerf but still very usable. Small amount of points can get us access to all those tasty lores we normally cant have. I can see this used very efficiently in a list built with it in mind.
Supernatural Horror: Terror? Meh give me a Cairn Wraith if I want terror.
Fear Incarnate: Helps the enemy fail their fear-tests and works well with a certain magic banner. Over all it is a gimik though due to ITP and fear-causing units.
Beguile: A fairly cheap power that helps protect a character fairly well. Worth its points.
Master Strike: Trade all my precious attacks for one heroic killing blow attack? No thank you. Too expensive for what it does.
Dreadknight: Fairly good power for cheap. Honestly I dont think many Lords could take on a vampire in a challenge so the +2WS is just a boon.
Summon Creatures of the Night: Helps raising our cheap warbeasts up to decent sizes. A interesting but over-looked power. May be overlooked for a reason.
Spells:
Curse of Undeath: Fantastic lore attribute. Brilliant for damage control in monsters and characters. Best army book lore attribute so far.
Invocation of Nehek: Easy to cast spell with two other casting levels. Fantastic and easily spam-able it is easy to fix any damage done to our army so we can close into range. Easy to raise back any unit we need it to with the addition of Curse of Undeath's wound. Small thing is it does not work on characters but that is not a real problem. Best spell in the lore is our sig.
Vanhel's Danse Macabre: Very easy to cast and can be bubbled. Allows for movement and rerolls. It took a major hit from our last book, but honestly it was a broken spell back then. Now that it is balanced I think it is a decent spell.
Hellish Vigour: Slightly over-costed casting cost for what it does. Rerolling to wound is nice with killing blow but at a 8+ to cast I would rather the IoN.
Gaze of Nagash: Your basic run of the mill magic missle. Not being flaming really hurts it. Great for light damage but over all a real letdown of a spell.
Raise Dead: This spell was kinda a joke pre-faq. But now thanks to no over run after crumble this spell became insanely good. Dont ever boost it too skeletons it is just not worth it. Also cheap to cast and does not give up any VP's. Great spell.
Curse of Years: High casting cost RIP spells are both good and bad due to when it is dispelled. Does light damage and if ignored it can do greater damage each magic phase. The key is it kicks in both players magic phase not just yours so that helps. Over all a very so-so spell.
Wind of Death: Its a vortex that is not purple sun, so it joins Mad Moon and Skull-Storm in the "Take only in a friendly game" pile. Not much more to say on this disappointing spell.
Magic Items:
Skabscrath: Very well priced magic weapon for a ghoul king. It does have a good number of special rules and a very interesting End of Game clause. Good in a list built with it in mind.
Nightshroud: Well this changed a little from our last book.It only works on models in BTB so other ranks still get their bonus. If it was cheaper it would be brilliant. It does not count as light or heavy armor so it can combined with those. Being able to be worn by Necromancers is more of a gimik than anything.
Banner of Barrows: This item has not changed at all. +1 to hit and well priced makes this banner our old fallback. A must have in grave guard unit.
The Screaming Banner: Cheap and gimiky this banner looks brilliant at first glance but then you realize most armies in 8th are chock-full of ITP it makes the banner fairly bad. Good in selected meta but not in general TAC lists.
Black Periapt: Expensive item that allows minor magic dice control. Good in lists built around it. Not a bad item but not a great item.
Staff of Damnation: Insanely expensive for a high casting level bound spell that just gives a extra attack. Not really worth the paper it is written on.
Cursed Book: This item is a gem. Slightly random it can cast spells that for the most part have high casting costs with very few dice. Per the FAQ its buffs can stack with itself. Over all it should be considered for most lists if there is a open arcane slot.
Book of Arkhan: Cheap bound Vanhel's Danse is not shabby. Sadly you can not bubble it but still good if you REALLY need that spell. Decent item.
Rod of Flaming Death: Very cool item that causes panic as well as drops out a flame cage. Decent range, low casting cost and being a enchanted item makes this a decent spell. Well worth a second look.
Lord Choices:
Vlad Von Carstein: Vlad is ok and IMO the best of the bunch when it comes to our SC. High level wizard, good ward, decent weapon, some other cool rules and a good model make him decent. But high cost and lack of red fury really kill it for me.
Count Mannfred: Over-priced with no wardsave I see Manny going down fast. Best to just use his model as a vampire lord.
Heinrich Kemmler: Heinrich is interesting in that he is a close quarters necromancer. With ethereal he can be fairly safe and loremaster is not something to sniff at. His pricetag is a bit much for someone who can just be death sniped though.
Vampire Lord: Our Swiss-Army knife lord choice. You need a level 4? He can do that. You need a blender lord? He can do that. You need a cav monster? He can do that. His only real drawback is if you build him for more than one role he can get very very expensive. He is best mounted on a nightmare to ride with Black Knights. Will almost always be running Lore of Vampires
Master Necromancer: Where to begin about our little friend. Well first off he is the cheapest level 4 we can get by 130 points. Secondly he can take lore of Death if not the general which is huge as Death is very strong in 8th. Low LD hurts him but does not really hamper him. I like keeping him cheap and almost naked personally but I have seen some tooled up ones in the past. Also has Master of the Dead which allows him to raise Skeletons above starting size, gimiky really but still cool.
Strigoi Ghoul King: Combat character right out of the box. He can either be heavily augment with magic weapons and items or just be used as a cheap knock-around character. Either way his pricetag is reasonable and is also a caster. Personal favorite out of the lord choices.
Heroes:
Mannfred the Acolyte: Once again a decent casting loremaster but his pricetag + no saves worries me.
Krell, Lord of Undeath: Brilliant model with decent character killing rules. Once again though his pricetag does him in.
Konrad Von Carstein: Facing Ogres? Konrad is your man. Other than that I would leave him at home.
Isabella Von Carstein: If you are running Vlad she is a must. If not you can build her for cheaper out of a basic vampire. Also boobs
Necromancer: Cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap. Also did I mention he is cheap? Can take two different lores and be a arcane caddy I see no reason why there is not atleast one in every list.
Vampire: Can take a myriad of lores, be a cav character, a BSB, a magic support character. Really this guy is just a Vampire Lord in his uses, he just wont do anything as well. Good pricetag means I see no reason why you would not consider one in your list.
Wight King: A very interesting choice. He is kind of a hold-over from the last book but still has his uses as a BSB or a bodyguard of sorts. Dont be fooled by his stat-line as he is not a real combat character.
Carin Wraith: Cheap and decent in combat. Best used as a place holder to make sure mages and the like are not in the front rank. Also can be a monster hunter.
Tomb Banshee: Cheap and spam-able. With the recent FAQ really became much stronger.
Core
Zombies: Due to the most recent 8th edition FAQ regarding crumbling this unit just went from being recommended to being essential. That plus being easy to raise, holding a banner and being a drop makes them fantastic. Best run in either 20's or 40+'s. Muso only with a character and Standard only if playing Blood and Glory.
Skeletons: Well there is always a runt of the litter and sadly this book it is Skeletons. At half the price of a ghoul they fight to find a niche in our core requirements. Ghouls out fight them and zombies out chaff/tarpit them. Only real upside is nice models and the ability to carry a magic banner which will be covered later.
Ghouls: Where to start. Yes they did get a pretty hard nerf from the last book but in reality that just took them from overpowered to very good. T4 +2 poison attacks and being raised D6+Lvl makes ghouls very hardy and able to shred most lightly armored infantry without much if any magical support. May need a vampire to deal with high armor. Best run in units of 35+ to maximize attacks and minimize damage.
Dire Wolves: Cheap, fast, fills core and is a drop? What is not to love about dire wolves. While not a combat core unit they can easily apply pressure where needed to small units and warmachines. At S4 on the charge wolves can also be used to snipe out lower level mages. Best run in units of 5-6 with a frontage of 3.
Special:
Corpse Cart: The cart is another hold-over from our last book. It seems to of been built with the idea of it being a frontline support piece, but due to 8th edition chariot rules it can never march so it is often left behind. Can be tooled for minor magical defense and increased raising power. But all in all it is best left at home.
Grave Guard: Graveguard much like Ghouls took a hard hit with the new book. But despite that their low cost for high damage output makes them a very attractive choice in a mostly foot slogging list. Best run in either a block of 30+ or a horde of 40+. Shields are considered lesser of the two equipment choices for a reason.
Black Knights: With current raising rules and a good armor save Black Knights have exploded onto the tournament scene. Able to deliver a Vampire Lord right where he needs to go in safety and still have enough models left to fight (which they are not slouches in mind) and be healed up makes Black Knights fantastic. Lances and Barding should always be taken. Unit should be sized 12+
Crypt Horrors: Horrors are one of the real gems in our book, with insanely high toughness and regen for their very reasonable cost. Add to that their poison attacks and ability to be raised 1+Lvl and you have a very very solid combat block that will not be easy for anything besides S7 to shift. Best run in units of 8-12
Fell Bats: Cheap flying unit means they are a versatile drop. Keep your general near them and in a pinch they can block or redirect a charge. Not really made for combat though they can tie up archer units and warmachines for a turn or two. Best run in units of 2-5
Bat Swarms: With quasi flying and T2 batswarms are most of the time a liability, but in rare circumstances can be useful. If you can minimize the number of attacks coming on them you can steal ASF rerolls and help ghouls and the like shred units that suddenly got ASL. Fragile combo piece so use with caution. Best run in units of 2-3
Spirit Host: Cheap, Ethereal and Fast. They are a drop, they can hold units, they can stop charges and maybe even win a fight against a small unit. Normally Hosts will draw out magic missles but in most circumstances this is a good thing as it is not going at your more expensive things. Best run as single bases.
Hex-Wraiths: Strong ethereal fast-cav with flaming damage bonus's. While not cheap points-wise Hexwraiths are very good at being a fast moving distraction. Able to stride through units and do damage Hex-Wraiths are top notch cav hunters. Best run in units of 5-6 with Hellwraith.
Varghiests: Single fastest non character unit in our book Varghiests make perfect assassins and back-field hunters. Due to their frenzy you will have to moonwalk them the first turn while getting into position but this should not be a problem due to their skirmishing rule. Run 3 with a champion in a single file formation to hunt mages and the like or use slightly larger units for devastating rear charges. Best run in units of 3-6.
Rare:
Varghulf: Well what can be said about the savage? He is fast, good save, vampiric and rocks a thunder-stomp. I think he is ok but slightly over-costed, and while he hits hard you have to bring him around a flank as front to front he will die to combat res.
Blood Knights: The FAQ hurt these boys quite a bit though they do pack a major punch. 3 attacks a piece at S7 on the charge is nothing to sniff at but their pricetag + their slow raise makes them a less than optimal. Banner of Blood Keep makes them survive against shooting but they are a very expensive unit if you go this route.
Cairn Wraiths: Ethereal combat rank and file. Hard to raise and often over-shadowed by stronger choices in our book. They can be used to break ranks but are not very mobile. Best taken as characters if you want wraiths.
Black Coach: Once again a hold over from the last book. The coach has taken a major hit in power now that we have no way to reliably produce power-dice and it only siphons during our magic phase. Very tough but greatly over-priced.
Terrorghiest: The most recent FAQ has tossed the Ghiest into the slot of one of the best monsters in the game. With a scream that can pick up most small units and ignore armor it is a almost auto include in competitive lists. With the ability to be a support combat res generator, flying and high defensive stats the Terrorghiest is a steal for its points. For best results run in pairs.
Mortis Engine: A very versatile support piece that can do a great number of things. Aura can do light damage as well as give saves to our lightly armored units and boost saves of things like Crypt Horrors. Has a Banshee howl and is a minor combat chariot that explodes when it dies. If you want to go Lore of Vampires heavy it can be given the Tome which improves casting greatly. Overall a fairly decent choice.
Mounts:
Skeletal Steed: Your basic run of the mill horse with a nice little twist. Without a vampire character they can have the ethereal movement special rule which helps them ignore their barding and ignore all dangerous terrain that normally hurt cavalry.
Nightmare: A good heavy horse for your vampire to trot around on. S4 is not shabby for a 1 wound mount.
Hellsteed: Like a nightmare but you swap barding for wings. Honestly not a shabby trade.
Abyssal Terror: Kind of like a griffon except worse in every way. Honestly not worth the paper it is written on. Cool for themed lists though.
Terrorghiest: Slightly worse than the rare terrorghiest but still very useful and strong. Only available as a Ghoul King mount.
Zombie-Dragon: Well, it is a dragon, so like all Warhammer dragons it has good toughness no real save and a breath weapon. Major draw-back is its points and massive base.
Coven-Throne: Can be used as a lord or hero mount. Uses a combination of leadership bubbles and leadership tricks to do its major damage. Requires certain character and equipment combos in order to work properly. Needs to close to combat very quickly as despite its wardsave it is very fragile against shooting.
Vampiric Powers:
Master of the Black Arts: A real holdover from our last book this power has sky-rocketed in points and gone down in effectiveness. It allows you to reroll one winds of magic dice but a reroll is not always reliable. Best left for themed lists.
Curse of the Revenant: Fairly interesting power that grants you a extra wound on your profile. While expensive I can see its uses in a limited play-group but not in a TAC list due to the popularity of Killing Blow.
Red Fury: Ah the gem of our vampiric powers. With the ability to generate a great deal of wounds to most units I see no reason not to take this power. Rerolls to hit or to wound are invaluable with this power.
Flying Horror: Does what is printed on the tin. Gives flying. A tad gimiky considering you can just take a Hellsteed for cheaper.
Quickblood: ASF on I7-8? Yes please and thank you.
Aura of Dark Majesty: -1LD to all enemy units is very strong for its cheap price when combined with screams, the coven throne or just being used to crack a hard steadfast unit. Very solid multi-use power.
Dark Acolyte: Useable now with the current FAQ. Not really worth its points as it only affects one spell. Very fluffy but if that is your thing then that is your thing.
Forbidden Lore: Well this power got a bit of a nerf but still very usable. Small amount of points can get us access to all those tasty lores we normally cant have. I can see this used very efficiently in a list built with it in mind.
Supernatural Horror: Terror? Meh give me a Cairn Wraith if I want terror.
Fear Incarnate: Helps the enemy fail their fear-tests and works well with a certain magic banner. Over all it is a gimik though due to ITP and fear-causing units.
Beguile: A fairly cheap power that helps protect a character fairly well. Worth its points.
Master Strike: Trade all my precious attacks for one heroic killing blow attack? No thank you. Too expensive for what it does.
Dreadknight: Fairly good power for cheap. Honestly I dont think many Lords could take on a vampire in a challenge so the +2WS is just a boon.
Summon Creatures of the Night: Helps raising our cheap warbeasts up to decent sizes. A interesting but over-looked power. May be overlooked for a reason.
Spells:
Curse of Undeath: Fantastic lore attribute. Brilliant for damage control in monsters and characters. Best army book lore attribute so far.
Invocation of Nehek: Easy to cast spell with two other casting levels. Fantastic and easily spam-able it is easy to fix any damage done to our army so we can close into range. Easy to raise back any unit we need it to with the addition of Curse of Undeath's wound. Small thing is it does not work on characters but that is not a real problem. Best spell in the lore is our sig.
Vanhel's Danse Macabre: Very easy to cast and can be bubbled. Allows for movement and rerolls. It took a major hit from our last book, but honestly it was a broken spell back then. Now that it is balanced I think it is a decent spell.
Hellish Vigour: Slightly over-costed casting cost for what it does. Rerolling to wound is nice with killing blow but at a 8+ to cast I would rather the IoN.
Gaze of Nagash: Your basic run of the mill magic missle. Not being flaming really hurts it. Great for light damage but over all a real letdown of a spell.
Raise Dead: This spell was kinda a joke pre-faq. But now thanks to no over run after crumble this spell became insanely good. Dont ever boost it too skeletons it is just not worth it. Also cheap to cast and does not give up any VP's. Great spell.
Curse of Years: High casting cost RIP spells are both good and bad due to when it is dispelled. Does light damage and if ignored it can do greater damage each magic phase. The key is it kicks in both players magic phase not just yours so that helps. Over all a very so-so spell.
Wind of Death: Its a vortex that is not purple sun, so it joins Mad Moon and Skull-Storm in the "Take only in a friendly game" pile. Not much more to say on this disappointing spell.
Magic Items:
Skabscrath: Very well priced magic weapon for a ghoul king. It does have a good number of special rules and a very interesting End of Game clause. Good in a list built with it in mind.
Nightshroud: Well this changed a little from our last book.It only works on models in BTB so other ranks still get their bonus. If it was cheaper it would be brilliant. It does not count as light or heavy armor so it can combined with those. Being able to be worn by Necromancers is more of a gimik than anything.
Banner of Barrows: This item has not changed at all. +1 to hit and well priced makes this banner our old fallback. A must have in grave guard unit.
The Screaming Banner: Cheap and gimiky this banner looks brilliant at first glance but then you realize most armies in 8th are chock-full of ITP it makes the banner fairly bad. Good in selected meta but not in general TAC lists.
Black Periapt: Expensive item that allows minor magic dice control. Good in lists built around it. Not a bad item but not a great item.
Staff of Damnation: Insanely expensive for a high casting level bound spell that just gives a extra attack. Not really worth the paper it is written on.
Cursed Book: This item is a gem. Slightly random it can cast spells that for the most part have high casting costs with very few dice. Per the FAQ its buffs can stack with itself. Over all it should be considered for most lists if there is a open arcane slot.
Book of Arkhan: Cheap bound Vanhel's Danse is not shabby. Sadly you can not bubble it but still good if you REALLY need that spell. Decent item.
Rod of Flaming Death: Very cool item that causes panic as well as drops out a flame cage. Decent range, low casting cost and being a enchanted item makes this a decent spell. Well worth a second look.
