Warmachine: Khador’s Vladimir Tzepesci, Great Prince of Umbrey Tactica Pt.1

In part 1 of this tactica, we take a look at what Vlad is capable of in Khador and discuss the benefits of his theme force.

In this incarnation of Vlad (commonly referred to as Vlad3, eeVlad, or legendary Vlad), he’s finally embraced his full heritage by saddling up! Stats wise, he gains +2 SPD as he is obviously mounted, his STR, MAT, DEF, and CMD remain unchanged, while he gains +1 ARM compared to his previous versions. He’s on a large base, which can become a problem for screening purposes when not playing with a heavy amount of cavalry. He has 2 initial weapons, Huntsman and the Horse Lord’s Spear, both with average P+S for warcaster weapons. The Horse Lord’s Spear has Brutal Charge, making it P+S 14 on the charge and Huntsman has Chain Weapon. Vlad is also a Combat Rider, allowing him to attack with his mount in an activation where he did not charge. 

His special rules are Blood Quenched and Relentless Charge, plus the cavalry special rules of Tall in the Saddle and Ride By Attack. Blood Quenched gives Vlad a cumulative +1 bonus to STR and ARM when he kills a living enemy model during his activation, and the bonus lasts a round. The rule also triggers from Impact Attacks as they are melee attacks. Blood Quenched is the source of the crazy high ARM values of Vlad, as his combination of Flashing Blade, Tall in the Saddle, and Ride By Attack allows him to be crazy offensive against heavy infantry armies and clear lanes for the rest of the army.

Kinda like this

Vlad’s spell list dictates that he can be one of the most aggressive casters in Khador, following Butcher3 and of course, Butcher2. He is able to provide army support through Hand of Fate, Dash, and Infernal Machine. Dash can be considered Vlad’s bread and butter spell, as it allows models that are not cavalry to move as if they are cavalry, while also ignoring free strikes. Imagine SPD 7 Doom Reavers, or Black Dragons affected by Shield March from the Iron Fang Kovnik moving 9” under the Shield Wall order. Man-o-War units become SPD 5, fixing their biggest problem.

Flashing Blade is Vlad’s primary offensive spell, and with Tall in the Saddle, he can move up to screens and can attack through screens whose base sizes are smaller than his own.

His feat also provides a hit and run aspect to his army, Iron Fang Uhlans in particular gain quite a bit from this feat. They are able to charge in with their Blasting Lances, and if they kill what they charged, they’re able to Sprint back to where they started their charge and form back into Defensive Line, which brings their armor value up to heavy warjack levels. Alternatively, if they don’t kill what they charge (so long as they hit), they are able to Side Step into base to base in order to benefit from Defensive Line.