Some ideas for unique units for each bloodline, like in Rise of Nations.

These ideas are purely for fun, and will certainly never see the light of day where becoming official is concerned. It's just for fun. :)

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Von Carstein

Teutogen folklore speaks of the Wolf-kin, rare individuals in deep communion with the winter god Ulric, able to channel the god's essence and transform into lupine forms to serve as the god's warriors and avengers. Those among the Ulrican wolf-kin who have perished either on the cursed soil of Sylvania or in unnatural circumstances, however, are condemned to an uneasy afterlife. Trapped in their wolf-forms and severed from their god, these husks of their former selves are vulnerable to subjugation by the Lords of Sylvania.

Werewolves........... 55pts/model (RARE)

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
7 4 0 4 4 3 5 3 8

Unit Size: 3+
Equipment: feral claws (hand weapons)
Special Rules:
Undead
Slavering Charge (+1S on charge)
Unnatural Resilience (5+ Ward Save against all non-magical attacks)

Blood Dragons

The Blood Dragons honour combat prowess and stern martial discipline above all else. Certain Blood Dragon Lords are known to maintain a retinue of former opponents from the past who, though not skilful enough to be granted the Blood Kiss, still proved themselves sufficiently to serve the Lord as his elite retainers in eternal undeath.

0-1 Blood Knights............ 32pts/model (RARE)

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 4 3 4 4 1 4 2 8
8 2 0 3 3 1 3 1 5

Unit Size: 5-20
Equipment: hand weapons, lances, heavy armour, shield, barding
Options: upgrade musician for 8pts, upgrade standard bearer for 16pts, upgrade champion (Blood Captain, +1A) for 16pts, may take magic standard worth up to 50pts.
Special Rules:
Undead
Wight Blades
Martial Pride (Each Blood Knight counts as a unit champion for the purposes of issuing and accepting challenges, but not for allocation of attacks against the unit. Blood Knights are subject to the same challenge rules as Blood Dragons, i.e. if no Blood Dragons are present in the combat, a Blood Knight must always issue challenges and a model from the unit must accept any challenges if possible.)

Strigoi

A Strigoi vampire may hand-pick a group of the strongest, most ferally intelligent Ghouls around him to be his personal servants. These Ghouls are possessed of a cunning that marks them out from their slavering peers, and are capable of stealth as well as animal ferocity. In battle they often infiltrate enemy lines, striking where the enemy is weakest and the flesh softest for their palates.

Bonepickers............. 12pts/model (SPECIAL)

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 4 0 4 4 1 4 2 7

Unit Size: 5-15
Equipment: filth-encrusted claws and animal bones (hand weapons)
Options: upgrade champion (Bonecruncher, +1A) for +10pts.
Special Rules:
Mainstay (number of Bonepicker units may not exceed number of Ghoul units)
Alive!
Skirmish
Scout
Poison
Scavengers
Cause Fear

Lahmians

In the halls of the Silver Pinnacle the Queen of the Night resides, attended by her personal bodyguard. The enchantments of Neferata, the first of all Vampire-kind, are of a different order than those of even the most powerful Vampire Lords. Her Wights are imbued with unnatural speed and grace of movement for Undead servants, even while exhibiting the deceptive jerkiness common to Undead soldiery. On the rare occasions they are called to battle, the Lahmian Queen's Palace Guard stand silently, swathed in black, only to explode into lethal movement when battle is joined.

0-1 Palace Guard................ 15pts/model (SPECIAL)

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 5 3 4 4 1 5 1 8

Unit Size: 10-30
Equipment: hand weapons, halberds, heavy armour
Options: upgrade musician for 6pts, upgrade standard bearer for 12pts, upgrade champion (Sanctum Custodian) for 12pts, may take magic standard worth up to 50pts.
Special Rules:
Undead
Wight Blades

Necrarch

The evil genius of certain Necrarch lords has brought these abominations into being. These wretched beings exist only to serve the dark purposes of their masters and creators, acting as storehouses of Necromantic energy. It is this same energy that keeps them active in unlife. When required, this energy may be drawn upon by the Vampire, at the expense of the Necrophages' continued existence.

0-1 Necrophages............ 10pts/model (SPECIAL)

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 2 0 2 3 1 2 1 4

Unit Size: 10+
Equipment: none
Special Rules:
Undead
Laboratory Tools (Necrophages cannot be joined by any character)
Necromantic Energy (The unit of Necrophages may opt at the beginning of each player's magic phase to provide 1 extra magic die to your dice pool. Each time this ability is used, roll 2d6 and compare it to the unit's unmodified Ld, i.e. 4. Subtract this value from the value of the dice roll, and remove the resultant number of Necrophage models from the unit. If you have to remove more models than are left, remove the entire unit. The magic die is still added to your pool for this turn.)

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Modelling ideas:

Werewolves: conversions possible from Gorgers, Sabretusks, Boris Ursus' bear...? I'd go with Gorgers.

Blood Knights: most any cavalry conversion should do, as long as they look significantly more powerful than your normal Black Knights. Which they are!

Bonepickers: Mordheim Ghouls? as long as you aren't using them for your normal Ghouls already. Some of the Possessed models from Mordheim?

Palace Guard: Black Guard!!!

Necrophages: Horror models with some minor conversions? Or lots and lots of Familiars? A new range of familiars just came out for Chaos.

I like the idea of the Blood Knights. The Palace Guard, though, I think should be swain mortals who are so devoted to Neferata that they would jump off a cliff if she willed it. For the Necrarchs, I think Undead fighting machines would be better (maybe Ogre-sized lab experiments?)

The flaw with most of those units is they could be pretty much replaced with either ghouls, black knights or grave guard.

The exception is necrophages. A little complicated but the concept is absolute genius :D

Yes but notice how they basically are different kinds of the replacements you before mentioned, plus it says purely for fun ^_^

stil i do like the lahmian palace guard, like low level assasins, plus black guard woukld make excellent models as you said

Dan