A Necrarch Lord mounted on a rotting steed leads his undead minions to battle.

When the forces of the Vampires march to war, the world trembles. The Undead are among the most dangerous creatures in the known world. Bound by the will of one of the Lords of Undeath, the walking dead are a fell and mighty foe. They cannot be reasoned with, bribed, or coerced. They know neither fear nor mercy. They need no sleep or warmth, neither drink nor wholesome sustenance. As they march onward, their ranks swell with the corpses of the fallen. The legions of the living dead are terrible to behold. Hordes of corpses walk resolutely forward with dry flesh creaking, decaying innards exposed, and corroded wargear scraping and clanking. Only a fearless commander and the most stout-hearted troops can stand against the army of a Vampire Count and hope to win the day.

There are five major types of Vampires known in the Old World. The Lahmians are the oldest of the Vampire bloodlines and were the first to discover the secret of immortality. These almost exclusively female Vampires are faster than any living creature, and their beauty has seduced many an unwary soldier into lowering his guard to his doom.

The von Carstein bloodline is the most powerful and most important in the history of the Old World. Concentrated in the eastern lands of the Empire known as Sylvania, the armies of the von Carstein Vampires have repeatedly attacked the lands of Men and have, on a few occasions, come close to conquering the Empire.

The Blood Dragon Vampires descend from one of the greatest warriors in the ancient Nehekharan kingdom of Lahmia. This martial tradition continues to this day, and these Vampire Knights are terrors to face on the field of battle as their martial prowess is second to none.

The Necrarch bloodline has only a passing resemblance to its once human form. These mad Vampires are masters of Necromancy and seek to end all life the world over.

Finally, the Strigoi are the least human of all the bloodlines. Known as “Ghoul Kings,” these Vampires were long ago rejected by others of their kind and forced to live a scavenger’s existence. Soon, their more bestial traits prevailed and eradicated any semblance of human appearance. Like all Vampires, they are feared and shunned the world over.

All Vampires have the ability to raise the dead from their slumber and lead a number of different troops into battle. Wights, Wraiths, Skeletons, Zombies, Ghouls, Bat Swarms, and Dire Wolves all flock to the Vampire’s banner. Elite units also join the Vampire’s ranks and provide troops such the dead warriors of the Grave Guard, the undying and once noble Black Knights, giant Fell Bats, ghostly Spirit Hosts, howling Banshees, and the Black Coach, which conveys the body of a Vampire Count while he slumbers.

The Vampire Count armies have many strengths, not the least of which is the Fear or Terror they inspire in the enemy. While Vampires themselves as well as some of their troops are fierce fighters in close combat, many of the Core rank-and-file are poor, slow warriors and must rely on strength of numbers and their own unnerving presence to win the day. Although the army has no troops with missile weapons, it retains a degree of versatility and can be constructed as a huge host of troops, a largely skirmishing force, or a fast, hard hitting force of cavalry, Dire Wolves, and Ghouls.