Vlad von Carstein

Vlad von Carstein is a Legendary Lord unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer with Update 3. In The Old World and Mortal Empires campaigns, he is one of the two Legendary Lord choices for , along with Isabella von Carstein. In Immortal Empires, he leads , along with Isabella von Carstein.
== Description ==
Vlad von Carstein was the first and greatest of the Vampire Counts of Sylvania. A master swordsman and skilled general with no small aptitude in the magical arts, it was he who tainted the aristocracy of Sylvania with the curse of vampirism, and in doing so, created an Undead kingdom at the heart of the Empire. Count Vlad was a towering figure, with a mane of long hair and piercing eyes. Those who met him and survived described him as possessed of a "feral charm", but with an evil temper that could turn into a berserk fury if he was thwarted in his endeavours. It is said that at such times, only his wife, Isabella, could calm him without blood being spilled. No records tell of Vlad's origins before his coming to Sylvania. Even the Vampires of that realm know nothing of his life before that fateful night in Drakenhof, and Vlad certainly never recounted or wrote down his personal history. That he knew much about the workings of the Empire, and its internal division at the time of his arrival, attests to knowledge of the dealings of mortal men for many years.
==Attributes== 
== Spells ==
=== Campaign Only ===
* Invocation of Nehek
* Vanhel's Danse Macabre
* Flock of Doom
* Raise Dead
* Transformation of Kadon
* Wind of Death
=== Multiplayer Only ===
* Invocation of Nehek
* Vanhel's Danse Macabre
* Raise Dead
* Gaze of Nagash
* Curse of Years
* Wind of Death
== Unit Abilities ==
=== Active Abilities===
* Master of Beguilement
==== Campaign Only ====
* Magical Animus
* Undeath Resurgent
* Blood Lust
* Red Fury
* Storm of the Night
=== Passive Abilities===
* Aura of Dark Grandeur
* Crumbling
* Disintegrating
* The Hunger
* The Curse of Undeath
* Wounds
==== Campaign Only ====
* Arcane Conduit
* Evasion
=== Item Abilities ===
* Blood Drinker
* The Carstein Ring
== Hero Actions ==
In Immortal Empires, Vlad becomes a legendary hero if Isabella Von Carstein is chosen as the Legendary Lord for .
=== Embed Hero ===
* Training
=== Constant Local Effect ===
* Stimulate Growth
=== Target ===
*Settlement
* Damage Walls
*Hero
* Wound
*Army
* Assault Unit
== Unique Items ==
*Blood Drinker
*The Carstein Ring
== Campaign starting units ==
=== The Old World & Mortal Empires===
=== Immortal Empires ===
== Lord Effects==
* Battle healing cap: +50% when in an army with Isabella von Carstein
* All units in Vlad von Carstein's army receive Vanguard Deployment
=== WH2 ===
* Attribute: Siege Attacker
* Undying Love: +15 to Melee Attack and Melee Defence when Vlad and Isabella are reinforcing each other
* All units in Vlad von Carstein's army receive Vanguard Deployment (Lord's army)
=== WH1 ===
* Campaign movement range: +5% (all characters)
* All units in Vlad von Carstein's army receive Vanguard Deployment
== Character Traits ==
=== Personal Trait ===
 Consuming Thirst: "Surrender and serve me in life, or die and slave for me in death."
* Battle healing cap: +50% when in an army with Isabella von Carstein
* All units in Vlad von Carstein's army receive Vanguard Deployment
=== Defeat Trait ===
 Undeath Descendant: Down but probably not out, as you cannot really kill what doesn't truly live.
* Wound recovery time: -4
== Talent Tree==
*Vlad's skill tree on TWWH Characters
*Skill Tree on TotalWarhammerPlanner (Lord)
*Skill Tree on TotalWarhammerPlanner (Hero)
== Strategy ==
The following applies only to the Mortal Empires or The Old World campaigns:
*He is a powerful melee fighter who gives all units in his army vanguard deployment, and casts spells from the Lore of Vampires.
* Vlad von Carstein solves one of the Vampire Counts' only weaknesses in battle: Getting in to combat. While ranged units and artillery could be a concern previously, giving your entire army Vanguard Deployment means you can almost immediately close the gap to melee. On top of that, Vlad himself also takes advantage, which makes up for his inability to take a mount. Lastly, units that cause Terror or Fear can almost immediately begin causing issue to the enemy.
*While he's not as much of a spellcaster as Mannfred, his abilities can help his army continue to perform either through regeneration or by buffing individual units. Once in melee, Vlad becomes one of the most difficult Lords in the game to take down, thanks to multiple sources of regeneration and strong overall stats. And against particularly difficult opponents, having Isabella reinforce him boosts those stats higher still, making him an absolute nightmare to contend with.
*If facing Vlad, utilizing ranged damage or cavalry can take him down without suffering too many casualties. If kept at a distance, ranged damage will chip away at him without consequence. Cavalry can keep him off his feet and cause severe morale penalties. If he does close the gap, try and take him down quickly, as his healing will essentially undo small bits of damage.
== Gallery ==
vampire_vlad.png