Lahmian Theme choices for Vampire Counts

[eldargal]

I thought I would write out a list of what I consider to be the ideal choices one would include in a Lahmian themed VC army, as it isn't as clear cut as I initially thought and I'd welcome some feedback.

The one, single absolute rule is: No SCs. von Carsteins are a rival bloodline andare rivals of the Lahmians, even coming to blows in the upcoming Ulrika the Vampire novel Bloodsworn. Krell and Kemmler aren't exactly appropriate either, the only vampire we know of them working with is Mannfred von Carstein.

As you would expect Lahmians are very feminine and sophisticated. They don't skulk around the outskirts but infiltrate society usually at the highest levels. Thus one assumes they would want their forces to be fairly discreet, few of the big, hulking monsters and nothing that couldn't be explained away as the bones of ancestors or your garden variety haunting.

The Lahmian theme list, with explanations below:

Lords:
Vampire Lord
Master Necromancer

Heroes:
Necromancer
Vampire
Wight King
Cairn Wraith
Tomb Banshee

Character Mounts:
Skeletal Steeds
Nightmare
Hellsteed
Coven Throne

Core:
Zombies
Skeletons
Ghouls

Special:
Corpse Cart
Grave Guard
Black Knights
Fel Bats
Bat Swarms
Spirit Hosts
Hexwraiths

Rare:
Blood Knights
Cairn Wraiths
Mortis Engine


Lords

Vampire Lord: Obviously highly appropriate, representing your average Vampire Countess. Not much else to say.

Master Necromancers: Necromancers often enter the service of vampires as willing servants or thralls, no reason to assume Lahmians wouldn't have their services.

Strigoi Ghoul King: Different bloodline, so definitely not.

Heroes

Necromancers: Same as Master Necromancer, appropriate for a Lahmian army.

Vampire: Same as Lord Vampire, not only appropriate but integral.

Wight King: Appropriate, not hard to see Lahmians maintaining wights, easy to shove in a sarcophagus and call an honoured ancestor if the Witch Hunters come calling.

Cairn Wraith: The tormented spirits of dead thrall Necromancers or tortured lovers? Definitely appropriate.

Tomb Banshee: Female is a big plus, perhaps the spirit of deceased former female thralls or servants that didn't get a Blood Kiss, certainly appropriate.

Character Mounts
Skeletal Steed: The Lahmians wouldn't be using them (vampires can't take them), but their wights might. Might makes wight, teehee. Sorry.

Nightmare: The chosen steed of the Midnight Aristocracy, absolutely appropriate.

Hellsteed: Different breed of nightmare, appropriate.

Abyssal Terrors: More of a Necrarch thing, not exactly discreet, hard to see a Lahmian riding one in most circumstances.

Terrorgheist: Strigoi creation, not appropriate.

Zombie Dragon: Similar to the Abyssal Terror, not really appropriate.

Core

Zombies: They may not seem like the thing elegant, sophisticated Lahmians would use but they rise on the presence of vampires with next to no effort so hard to see Lahmians going to war without them. I'd say on this one summoning them in a battle would be more appropriate then starting witha unit of them

Skeleton Warriors: Very appropriate, relatively discreet (stuff them in a crypt and de-animate when the witch hunters call).

Crypt Ghouls: Well, they are more of a strigoi thing but they hang around grave yards, Gardens of Morr and the like so it is easy to see them following a Lahmian army.

Dire Wolves: Big dead wolves? Well no more indiscreet as ghouls or zombies but I don't feel they are appropriate personally. I don't see Lahmians keeping packs of dead hunting dogs like I a von Carstein might.

Special

Corpse Cart: You have necromancers, I think you would have their favourite mount too.

Grave Guard: In with skeletons and wights, fairly discreet and appropriate, from a modelling perspective you could use human models as a 'counts as Lahmian Thrall Bodyguard'.

Black Knights: Fairly appropriate, for similar reasons to skeletons nad wights. Just a bunch of bones in a crypt when the witch hunter comes investigating.

Crypt Horrors: You might think big ghouls would be in with little ghouls, but these are largely a strigoi creation so not really appropriate.

Fell Bats: Big bats fluttering around a Lahmian belfry? Seems appropriate to me

Bat Swarms: See above, definitely appropriate.

Spirit Host: The tormented souls of past victims, very appropriate.

Hexwraiths: Like most spectral/ethereal units, very discreet, very Lahmian.

Vargheists: Big bestial killers, not very Lahmian.

Rare

Vargulf: Not really in keeping with the Lahmian theme, as with vargheists.

Blood Knights: Technically a different bloodline so not very appropriate, but you could play them as vampire protectors of the Lahmians or even 'counts as' a female order of militant Lahmians.

Cairn Wraiths: Same as with the hero choice, appropriate.

Black Coach: Most vampires of any power have them,so very appropriate.

Terrorgheist: Strigoi thing, innappropriate.

Mortis Engine: Can't really argue against it, Necromancers and corpse carts are in, and its no more indiscreet than a Coven Throne.

Opinions?

[eldargal]

Vampiric Powers:

I would include the following as absolutely Lahmian:

Master of the Black Arts: Lahmians are often depicted as more sorcerous than militant and given that it was the Queen of the Lahmians who created Vampires through magic I would say this fits with the theme.

Quickblood: Really appropriate to all vampires, but Lahmians are also depicted as unsually fast and nimble.

Aura of Dark Majesty: Lahmians are one of the main bloodlines that infiltrate mainstream society often at the highest level, exuding an aura of superiority and power seems appropriate.

Forbidden Lore: One would assume the Lahmians would have access to a great deal of forbidden lore through Neferata at her refuge in the Silber Pinnacle.

Beguile: The quintessential Lahmian Vampiric power.

I could see arguments being made for many of the other powers also, given the right background or model. Fear Incarnate for example, I don't see why a particularly violent Lahmian wouldn't have it. THe only powers I think are utterly non-Lahmian would be Flying Horrow and Supernatural Horror.

Equipment: I really see no restrictions here, the most armour a Vampire can have is heavy armour which is basically a breastplate. Ditto magic items, as far as I recall there is no full plate in the BRB so it would just be a breastplate. It's magic, it could be an arming doublet like Ulrika wears on the cover of Bloodforged.

[gcsmith]

btw u never mentioned the reasoning on the coven throne, although i geuss its obvious due to the hand maidens

[eldargal]

The fluff of the Coven Throne quite explcitly states that the Coven Throne is favoured by Lahmians, so its presence doesn't really need me to justify it.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Good appraisal of the army book, outlines the theme pretty well.

Vargheists, though, could probably fit among the Lahmians; since they're Vampires who were on the losing end of a vamp-vamp fight locked underground for interminable amounts of time I could really see a Lahmian condescendingly keeping a past foe (or unfortunate ally) as an "adorable" pet. Adding some collars, and perhaps a Lahmian keeping 'em on a leash as a unit-filler would seem mighty appropriate. (I guess this could apply to Varghulfs too.)

[eldargal]

That is a fair point about Vargheists, I very nearly made a 'borderline' category with them in it but decided against it. I should say these are obviously just guidelines and my own opinion, I have a friend who is going to include Crypt Horrors and Dire Wolves and whatnot in his Lahmian army and has some pretty good fluff justifications for it.

[isotope99]

Put some pink diamante collars on the chaos hounds kit and you could use some dire wolves that way.

Kill, fluffy, kill

[addamsfamily36]

Iv'e been going over the same sort of idea as this. What not to include etc

I think zombies for me are a definite no. Their smell, look etc would be completely unappealing to a Lahmian.

Skellies yes because they are a "non offensive" troop for Lahmians.

crypt ghouls possibly, but again i feel this is more of a taint that Lahmians would not approve of. strigoi being quite "jealous" of the other vampire lines.

special choices, wights or ethereal units are perfect. I can see the Lahmians having hordes of once proud knights and warriors who have fallen for their beauty only to be turned into wights and the undead for their ignorance.

the big creatures...maybe, but same again they are a devolved/evolved version of vampires or ghouls. more strigoi.

blood kinghts could have place as a small allowance of male vampires, but unlikely. Black coaches are great very fitting i feel.

hope that helps.

[eldargal]

Zombies is another tough one, I agree they would be smelly and quite un-Lahmian but they are the easiest to raise apparently. I forget where but there was some mention of them coming back in the presence of Vampires with very little effort. So I'd make an exception for them, at least raising them in battle if not taking them at the beginning. Of course if you are playing a campaign you could justify zombies on the basis you are raising recently deceased enemies.

Isotope, I was actually thinking of using some kind of kitties as Dire Wolf counts-as.

[addamsfamily36]

I think the fluff behind it is something like, zombies only require reanimation whereas skeletons require reanimation and magic to hold them together where a corpse still holds together somewhat. I can seem them being used, but maybe not as part of your starting list. maybe as a raise the "enemy" style thing.