Undead Tactics

Introduction:
The Undead army is the most original and unique army in the Warhammer world. They are the most difficult to harness, as their fighting ability is poor, and they depend GREATLY on their characters and magic. Next to magic, Undeads greatest weapon is psychology, they can make great armies run even before combat has begun. But it takes many hours of experience to harness the power of psychology. Unfortunately, there is an endless number of "anti-undead" items that are written for the sole purpose of destroying Undead. So experience and a knowledge of these nasty weapons will help you.

Infantry:
Undead have a vast array of troops, all of whom are immune to psychology and cause fear (which is paid through the teeth!). The weaponskill for Undead is ridiculously low, so not much casualties will be caused. Psychology is the major key to the Undeads infantry arsenal. It is very important to learn and remember the rules for fear and terror, even troopers with leadership 10 will eventually fail a leadership test. The most handy rule for fear that alot of people forget is if an opponent loses combat and is outnumbered by infantry that causes fear it will automatically break. There are many ways to avoid the anti-Undead item "Crown of Command".

Skeletons
The greatest feature of skeletons is the fact that they never break. I love taking in heaps and heaps of skeletons in huge units, led by small characters with handy magic items and banners. I once had two units of 40 skeletons 2 inches away from each other and a wraith between the two units for terror reasons. One unit had the "Hell banner" and the other one had a "Doom banner" This meant that anyone who approached would have to take a terror and fear test with a -3 leadership modifier. I usually give skeletons a spear, that way I always get to have an attack (hopefully!).

Skeleton Horsemen
Next to Bretonnia, Skeleton horsemen are the greatest in the game by my standards. They are my one hit wonders which I always field whenever possible. I feel that it is compulsary to give the unit the "Doomrider banner" which makes the unit hit automatically whenever it charges. I arm the unit with lances only, all equipment for cavalry is far too expensive. Because I save heaps of points by not arming them excessively, I can bulk up the unit to about 10-15 horsemen. I usually have a Wight lord leading the unit, he carries the "Battle stone"* and "Power stone"*, which he uses when the unit charges. When combined, the horsemen hit ferociously and can tear apart powerful units. Each horsemen for the first turn does two strength 6 hits and two strength 4 hits which hit automatically!!!! If you have 6 horsemen in the front rank thats 12 S6 HITS AND 12 S4 HITS AUTOMATICALLY!!!

Zombies
Patooie!! Zombies are crap, I try avoiding all units which "disappear" whenever they fail a leadership test. I couldn't be bothered giving the unit a "Crown of command". Stay away from them.

Ghosts
Patooie!! ACK!! 35 points!! Be like a human and stay away from ghosts.

Ghouls
Its MAC time!! (HeHe) Theyre dumb and incompetent. But I`ve never bothered fielding ghouls. Ive heard great stories about Ghouls having McDonalds at times when they were greatly needed. 2 Attacks and toughness 4 sound good, but i`ll never bother with them, they are too risky.

Wights
Wights are great horsemen and cannon fodder for missile fire. However, they disappear whenever they break which I really hate. And for something that costs 40 points, I`d expect atleast 2 attacks. When it comes to the crunch, Wights hit hard as Empire swordsmen in hand to hand combat and whats the use of Toughness 4 and 3 wounds if you disappear before the enemy can kill you.

Mummies
ARRGGHH!!! TOUGH AS A F..K!! I love mummies myself. They are nearly impossible to kill at Toughness 5 and 4 wounds and dont disappear when broken. I always arm them with double handed weapons, they'll never get to attack first anyways. I`d consider giving the unit a "Crown of command" as wounds come often against the unit and break tests are often lowered considerably. Usually units of five will do the job. I avoid bigger units as they become targeted by the dreaded warpfire thrower and fire based spells. The best placement for mummies is next to trees where you would expect scouts or gutterrunners. They are pretty much invulnerable to their futile attacks at toughness 5 and 4 wounds. Using them to get rid of special deployment troopers also avoids them from making the dreaded trip across the board which you know they will not make before the sun goes down. To wrap it up, mummies are the ultimate in defence and can take a beating and still fight back with deadly force, they are the slowest troopers in the entire game so planned deployment is important.

Carrion
Often overlooked as being to expensive and weak. But they are one of my favourite units in the entire game. Ordinary stats are hugely boosted by the ability to rip off 3-6 attacks each!! I recently had a game against another Undead side and fielded 10 carrion in one unit, charged a gigantic skeleton unit and totally nuked the unit in one and a bit turns, doing about 23 wounds in one turn. Although expensive and have ordinary stats, you must consider that carrions nearly always charge and have up to 6 attacks each, never break and the little wraith rider looks phat!!

Wraiths
At 75 points each Wraiths are not cheap. The fact that they disappear when they break is no bonus either. However, they are ethereal and cause terror. Never field huge units of wraiths (even if you can afford it!) the dreaded warpfire thrower will nuke the unit. If used correctly, Wraiths can come in very handy. Remember that a break test must be taken by opponents EVERY turn, even if they win combat. I usely field one to three Wraiths on the board each battle. They are great when deployed against scouts, gutterrunners, dispersed formation units, single ranked units and YES, WAYWATCHERS!! Becareful of solo characters though, they can wipe out the unit in one turn with ease (if he can afford the time!).

Machines of War:

Chariot
A bodgy version of the great high Elven chariots. At strength 5 they dont hit as hard, but they are alot cheaper so more chariots can be deployed. They are excellent psychological weapons as enemies will pour huge amounts of missile fire into your pour chariot and tear it apart whilst the rest of your army gets across the board. In my opinion, Undead chariots are the best in the game, they're cheap, can be raised, can be repaired and all hits are automatic.

Skull chucker
Ive only ever used skull chuckers once, and they performed shockingly, 6 out of a possible 8 misfires were rolled. But thats only bad luck. The greatest skill of the skull catapult is the panic test for casualties, but the price for skull catapults isn't worth it. I usually avoid them when possible.

Characters:
Undead characters such as Necromancers, Liches, Vampyres and Mummy Tomb Kings are the strongest (and most expensive) characters in the world next to the might of Chaos. The fact that their characters are mostly magic users is a great flaw, as you MUST choose whether you want your 500+ point character to be either a fighter or magic user, it is nearly impossible to specialise in both fields of combat. It is important to remember that valuable units that you dont want to lose when your general dies should include a character leader, even a 37 point wight will save the valuable unit from disappearing when your general dies. An important feature in the Undead army is that most of their special characters items are not compulsory, you can choose/change their items if it says they "usually" or "normally" take in these items. Most people forget that the generals ballistic skill is either 6 or 7, so always arm your general with a bow. It is almost a guaranteed hit and only costs 1 to 2 points. Be carefull when fighting opponents who have access to the "Chaos runeshield". It is very potent, so I recommend giving your general a flail and halberd or an extra hand weapon. In fact, all characters should be armed with normal equipment as equipment is dirt cheap.

Undead Heroes
Vampyre counts, Mummy tomb kings and Wight Lords make up the hero list for the Undead army. After fielding your general, it is not often you have much points left to field a hero or two. Vampyre counts are excellent fighters but are a bit expensive at 200 points. They can only have 2 magic items, one of which should be a magic save/ward item or the carstein ring if you havent bought the item. An excellent item to equip your count with is the "sword of destruction". This enables the count to kill human, elven and skaven generals in hand to hand with ease (considering they wound you on 6+ and you wound them on 2+). I have never had enough points to field a Vampyre count after purchasing the Undead necessaties, but I have seen an opponents Vampyre count rip apart enemies with ease. I usually invest in cheaper heroes. Mummy tomb kings are as tough as they come, they are a bargain at 100 points. The fact that they can ride horses at an extra two points is also a bonus. A mummy running around the board at 16 inches per turn is no laughing matter. A heart of Woe is often worth giving to the Mummy tomb king. Wight Lords are my favourite Undead Heroes, they are dirt cheap at 65 points, and are perfect candidates for giving the black gem of gnar to. They are pretty tough at T4 and 3 wounds and can hold theyre ground against other heroes or champions.

Undead champions
I use Undead champions for two reasons only. To provide support for my general in case of challenges and the like, and to keep other valuable units alive if my general dies. Because wraiths have a very low leadership of 5, I avoid using them as champions. Wights are perfect champions, they can hack a beating, only cost 37 points and have a good leadership of 8.

Undead Battle Standard
By far, the Undead Battle standard is the greatest standard bearer in the game. He is less than 90 points and is as tough as a skaven, elven or human lord. But the same problem arises as there are not enough points to field a Battle standard after arming your general. If you have a cunning plan and need a battle standard bearer dont hesitate and invest in one.

Necromancers and Liches
Necromancers and Liches are identical in every aspect except that a liche can only take 3 spells although he is level 4. Once again, I must highlite the fact that not only are Necromancers and Liches great magic users, but they are excellent fighters, perhaps the best in the game. An Undead general must choose which field to specialise. I strongly recommend specialising in magic, as they have the greatest magic in the game. As Liches are 60 points cheaper than a Necromancer Lord, I`d choose a Liche over a Necromancer - remember that Undead magic users are now allowed to CHOOSE their spells. I avoid using lower level necromancers as they are far too expensive.

Vampires
Ouch!! Vampyres are the greatest fighters in the old world who are considered normal characters and can choose their own items. At weapon skill 8, strength 7 and toughness 6, they can bring down huge monsters without the aid of magical items. The fact that they can use magic is considered an advantage. However, I consider it a disadvantage, because it increases their cost considerably and makes them vulnerable to spells such as "Waaagh!!" and the "Banner of Mork". The greatest feature about Vampyres is the "Carstein ring" and is invaluable when he dies, especially when he is your general. I usually mount my Vampyre on a Chimera, my pick of the monsters, his breathe weapon comes in very handy when I run him upto units. Other combinations include:
FUDGE VON FU - Vampyre of FuLand (riding griffon "FU TANG")
€ Frostblade
€ Golden Helm of Atrazar
€ Carstein ring
€ Something else of your choice

Another option is to give him the "Sword of Destruction". Even a Chaos General couldn't take him down in an even fight.

Magic:
The forces of Nagash is based around the most potent magic in the old world. More stonger than the might of the Slann or the High Elves (In my opinion). To win a battle an Undead commander must learn to harness the power of necromancy.
It is VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER that:
€ Besides High Elves, Undead is the only army who can field level 5 magic users. (Book of Nagash)
€ Undead magic users are the only sorcerers who can choose their specific spells.
€ Undead magic users are the only sorcerers who can retain spells, after they have been cast, and use them again instantly in each phase.
€ Undead are the only army who can create infantry or machines of war within an ongoing battle.
€ Undead have some of the most destructive offensive spells in the game (Wind of Death, Curse of the years, Gaze of Nagash)

SPECIAL CHARACTERS:

Nagash, supreme lord of the Undead
An awesome representative for the Undead army, however, he is the only special character in the Undead whose items you cannot change, so your opponent knows exactly what hes got. With the new magic rules, Nagash will own the magic phases, but in hand to hand, he will disappear to Chaos Lords with Frostblades or Executioners axes. A bit too much of an investment for me.

Isabella and Vlad Von Carstein
Vlad is an ordinary Vampyre Lord and should only be fielded when you field Isabella. Isabella is abit expensive at 175 points and has no magic skill. I`d avoid using the pair as they are 675 points plus the magic items.

Manfredd Von Carstein
Hmmm?? The idea is right, but I think the authors miscalculated his cost. He costs the same price as the basic Nagash and is also a level 4 Necromancer, yet his stats are ALOT less (-2S -2T -4W -4A). The only advantage of Manfredd is the fact that he can carry the Carstein ring and choose his magic items freely, and at his price, you could probably buy 2 magic users instead. Not to worry, just avoid Manfredd.

Heinrich Kemmler, the Lichemaster
Hail to the King of Undead. By far the best special character of Undead. Because he is on page 92 in the Undead book, he costs 60 points less (Might as well been:). I cant recommend Heinrich enough, he is a Necromancer Lord at the price of a Liche.

Arkhan the Black
My second favourite Undead special character. I just love his chariot, I give him the blade of leaping gold thats D6+13 attacks from that model alone. He has a big disadvantage as he can only carry 3 magic items. Ive only used him for muck up games as it is funny to see all his attacks hit and destroy units at a time. Arkhan causes terror which is handy at times, and can fly even without the horses! The chariots good, but the fact that he can only carry 3 magic items is a disadvantage.

Krell
Very similar to a dwarven king, but he is less skilled, has an extra wound and has a less attack. Not my choice in a non-magic using general unless the battle is only 1000-1500 points.

Settra
Settra can ride a steed for 2 points. Being a mummy, Settra is as tough as a rock and is my choice for a non-magic using general. I dont bother giving him the Mummy tomb king crown (Hes gonna be in the action all the time) but I like the flail of skulls. Giving him a sword of defiance will give him toughness 9 and invulnerable to alot of attacks. But I usually give him some armor and the crown of command leading a mummy horde. Ive heard of people giving him the Heart of Woe, but thats getting a bit too expensive.

Dieter Helsnicht
A normal preset Necromancer lord with normal items.

Magic Item Review:
A list of important items to keep in mind when selecting Undead armies:
€ Staff of Damnation 50 (compulsory)
€ Doomrider banner 25 (auto hit for horsemen)
€ Book of Nagash 100 (Lethal with new magic rules)
€ Skull staff 35 (lethal if used in conjunction with Book of Nagash)
€ Spellshield 50 (priceless with new magic rules)
€ Carstein ring 50 (Buy a Vampyre, get one free!)
€ Hell banner 75 (with so many Ld tests, it comes in handy)
€ Doom banner 50 (lethal in conjunction with Hell banner)
€ Cursed book 50 and ruby challice 60 (-2 to hit in h2h with entire unit)
€ Sword of destruction 100 (Had enough of those pesty magic items?)

Written by: Fudge Fu