Editing Total War: WARHAMMER (section)

====[[Vampire Counts]]====
[[File:Vampire Counts Wallpaper.jpg|800px|center|thumb|'''Look what daddy issues will do to you.''']]
While in terms of number of factions they are outnumbered, four compared to the 12 Empire factions (plus the Empire clones), the counts are surely not a force to be trifled with. Led by [[Mannfred von Carstein]] as the faction leader with [[Heinrich Kemmler]] (<s>seemingly without Krell</s> who can now summon Krell) and [[Helman Ghorst]] as additional Legendary Lords. With the Old World Edition update, [[Vlad von Carstein]] and his wife [[Isabella von Carstein]] now lead their own sub-faction instead of putting up with Manny's bullcrap. Unlike the Dwarfs and Greenskins who will be fighting up in the mountains for control over the Dwarf Holds, the Counts can control and manage human settlements driving them into conflict with the other human factions, when the vampires take an area they won't just loot it, they are there to stay.

Their main unique mechanic on the campaign as of Warhammer II is the Vampire Bloodlines. Using their unique Blood Kiss currency (gained by killing faction leaders, or assassinating characters), you can recruit Lords from the five Vampire Bloodlines. Lahmian, Von Carstein, Blood Dragon, Necrarch, or Strigoi. These generic bloodline lords put some Legendary Lords to shame, with some pretty powerful skills in both campaign and battle. Investing enough Blood Kisses in specific Bloodlines grants you a swath of bonuses. From high research rate from Necrachs, hefty Calv bonuses from the Blood Dragons, to being able to recruit Sylvanian Crossbowmen from the Von Carsteins. Their other campaign ability is Raise Dead, with it you can immediately recruit units if you have sufficient money and space in your army for it. There will always be low level undead around on the map, but if there has been a big battle, and you have already unlocked them, you can raise high level undead units. They also have Vampiric Corruption, which is a statistic that a province akin to religion you find in older Total War games. Vampire armies traveling though untainted terrain suffer attrition, while enemy armies in corrupted turf also suffer attrition. It can spread and cause undead rebellions in nearby settlements so it's best you use corruption and make those Witch Hunters earn their pay even in places where you're not going to immediately invade. In occupied settlements you'll face Public Order problems if you don't get it high enough. Vampires spread corruption with heroes and some buildings in settlements.

On the battlefield the Vampire Counts are arguably the most unique of the launch game I races. Unlike the other factions the Vampire Counts have no ranged units, but make it up by having tough infantry, immunity to panic and very good flying units. As well as a good amount of monstrous units that usually have fear or terror effects to quickly break the enemy's morale. Fittingly they also have a decent amount of options to summon additional units to the field, along with a lot of regeneration potential from their support units. However, their major weakness is that the entire army will crumble away should your Lord get taken out. So while they can certainly hold their own in combat, it is best not to be reckless with them. Additionally, beating the wood elf mini-campaign nets you the Red <s>Duck</s> Duke for multiplayer or if you somehow manage to confederate with Mousillon in the campaign.

Their Army Roster can be found [[http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Vampire_Counts_Army_Roster here]].

Their base game legendary lords are Mannfred von Carstein and Heinrich Kemmler. Later joined by Helman Ghorst (Grim & the Grave DLC), Vlad von Carstein (FLC), and Isabella von Carstein (FLC).

:: [[Mannfred von Carstein]] leads the main Vampire Counts faction, called '''Sylvania''', or the '''Drakenhof Conclave''' in Immortal Empires, starting in Castle Drakenhof. It's a pretty good start overall, having access to a goldmine right off the bat, the Von Carstein's acting as a decent meat shield against Dwarfen and Empire aggression, and picking apart Tempelhof is an easy affair with some Raise Dead abuse. Mannfred himself is pretty damn powerful, being the only character with two full Lores of Magic at this disposal (Lore of Vampires and Lore of Death), and his items give him an absurd pool and recharge rate of Winds of Magic. Meaning he will be spamming his spells pretty much all battle long. CA even gave him a Zombie Dragon, a mount option he didn't have on Tabletop. Presumably more because they didn't add Abyssal Terrors as a mount, rather than actually fitting Mannfred to ride a Zombie Dragon though. His Quest Items include the Sword of Unholy Power and the Armour of Templehof.

:: [[Heinrich Kemmler]] as of the Aye Aye! Patch now leads his own subfaction called '''The Barrow Legion''' situated in Blackstone Post; which has the honor of housing Castle Drachenfels as a unique landmark. His faction effects include a bonus in diplomatic relations with Chaos races and a 50% reduction to Necromancer Heroes. Lore effect wise all units in Kemmler's army are immune to attrition from being in territories with low Vampire corruption, has a boost to Necromancer recruit rank, and has access to [[Krell]] as a summonable hero. Kemmler was once a joke of an LL when Warhammer I first came out, but no longer. The OG Special Character is now quite a force to be reckoned with. With a number of skills in his tree to boost his casting potential, and his unique skill line is dedicated to buffing Krell. His Quest Items include the Chaos Tomb Blade, the Cloak of Mists & Shadows, and the Skull Staff. He also has access to a Barded Nightmare as a mount.

:: [[Helman Ghorst]] hangs out with Mannfred in the main Vampire Counts faction, breaking away in the third game to steer the '''Caravan of Blue Roses'''. His faction effects include a boost Corpse Cart charge bonus and recruit rank, increased casualty replenishment rate, and an increase in research rate. Lord effect wise all units in his army receive a watered down version of poison. Oddly enough he actually does have a dedicated skill line, that focuses on buffing his own stats, and later boosts his ability to cast Vanhel's Danse Macabre by a substantial amount. Has access to a unique variation of Raise Dead called "Awaken from the Grave" that summons Grave Guard, and will instead summon a Wight King when overcasted. His sole Quest Item is the Liber Noctus. He also has access to a unique Corpse Cart mount called The Brothers Ghorst Corpse Cart.

:: [[Vlad von Carstein]] leads the creatively named subfaction called '''Von Carstein''', now properly called '''Sylvania''', starting next door to Mannfred in Schwarzhafen. His faction effects include a boost to campaign movement range for all characters, access to a unique building in Castle Drakenhof, and starts with 1 Blood Kiss right off the bat. His lord effects gives vanguard deployment to all units in his army, and he gets a boost to melee attack and defense when fighting alongside Isabella. While he does not have a dedicated unique skill line like other LLs, he has a few notable unique skills. With Coven of Undeath boosting experience gained per turn for units ''factionwide''. Vlad's main niche is to be that one LL that just never dies. Being one of the tankiest characters in the game to this day through his items, and his natural regeneration skills. His Quest Items include his sword Blood Drinker, and The Carstein Ring.

:: [[Isabella von Carstein]] hangs out with her sugar Vladdy in the same subfaction of '''Von Carstein'''/'''Sylvania'''. Her faction effects include a bonus to Vampire Hero capacity, a boost to their weapon strength, access to a unique building in Castle Drakenhof, and she starts with 1 Blood Kiss straight away. While Lord effect wise she has increased melee attack and melee defense for embedded Vampire heroes, and gets a stat boost when reinforced by Vlad. Much like her husband, she doesn't have a dedicated unique skill line, but does have a few nifty skills. With each one boosting leadership and melee attack for the various beasties in the Vampire Count roster. Her sole Quest Item is the Blood Chalice of Bathori. She also has access to a Barded Nightmare and a Hellsteed as mounts.
 
[[Total War Warhammer/Tactics/Vampire Counts| More specific tactics here]]


<gallery mode="nolines">
File:Sylvania.png|The Drakenhof Conclave
File:The_Barrow_Legion.png|The Barrow Legion
File:Von_Carstein.png|Sylvania
File:Caravan of Blue Roses.png|Caravan of Blue Roses
</gallery>