Vampire Counts Cairn Wraith?

My wife has just bought me a present - a brand new (and ancient and grizzled) cairn wraith! My vampire counts army is growing by leaps and bounds. As soon as my wife and I have our budget meeting to discuss the distribution of some extra moneys and I can bid on some huge lots of skeletons and ghouls, I'll be ready to play.

Well, that and get my lizardmen painted up. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The trouble is, looking at the cairn wraith's stats, I'm not quite sure how to use it. There are no Ethereal infantry units it can join, and it can't join non-Ethereal units. It's small base size and relative fragility (Unstable rule) makes it pretty poor as a charge redirector, since you're likely to lose it if it's charged (2 wounds + 3 attacks + loses one wound automatically for every point by which it looses combat = uphill battle to win combats and avoid dying of instability). Do you rely on its mobility and resistance to shooting to run it up the flanks and try to take out squishy targets that you really want dead, like warmachines?

I'm used to lizardmen, where - except for a carnovet/carnoblood - all my characters seem designed to hang out with some kind of unit. Any advice would be welcome.

Pretty sure it can join non-Ethereal units? Granted its ages since I looked at that rule, but fairly sure it's a one way street.

If not? Get two more and a Bumshee....

Youre right! I read it wrong. Non-Ethereal characters aren't permitted to join ethereal units, but ethereal characters can join non-Ethereal units. That's a whole other world of awesome. Put him in any unit and anyone who ends up in combat with them has to deal with a very special, very nasty surprise lurking in the ranks.

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Originally Posted by ElectricPaladin

Youre right! I read it wrong. Non-Ethereal characters aren't permitted to join ethereal units, but ethereal characters can join non-Ethereal units. That's a whole other world of awesome. Put him in any unit and anyone who ends up in combat with them has to deal with a very special, very nasty surprise lurking in the ranks.

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Easily one of the best 'bodyguard' Heroes in the game!

Keep him in a unit with a Champion, to avoid unfavourable challenges (like some git with a magic weapon!). Enemy has no magic weapon? Let the Wraith take the heat!

Plus, he causes Terror. Which means even my Ogres may shy in combat with your Skellingtons.....

Also pinning a monster or a unit of monstrous infantry/cavalary is a good job for a wrath.

They also make a great wound denier for zombie buses. Throw one or two in to reduce the number of attacks that can wound you equals less dead zombies from crumbling. Which means a harder bunker to dislodge.

I've seen skeleton death stars will a front row of 5 cairn wraiths with 34 skellies. PLUS a necro sat at the back casting invocation. Nasty!

Nice model though!

(First post!)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ElectricPaladin

Youre right! I read it wrong. Non-Ethereal characters aren't permitted to join ethereal units, but ethereal characters can join non-Ethereal units. That's a whole other world of awesome. Put him in any unit and anyone who ends up in combat with them has to deal with a very special, very nasty surprise lurking in the ranks.

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They are awesome mate and it's a great model as well. You can definitely build up some funky synergies with the right Vamp build and certain armies obviously struggle with Ethereal too. The only obvious cautionary tale is that Daemons don't really give a fig but against something like my Empire army you're in hog's heaven!!