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So watching a game today where a vamp lord with the skullstaff and summon critters (it could be any of those booster powers) was invoking into bats, for a total of +2 to casts. He was taking rolls of 2 as cast (at power 4), but don't vamps have to hold to the 3 min to cast rule like the rest of us? The vamp FAQ doesn't suggest otherwise, though the skullstaff and the booster powers both say that it adds to the "casting roll" not value or total or some other word. The only precedent I know of is from ogres, where tooth gnoblars +1 do not make a roll of 2 into a successful roll of 3 ... Have not checked my LRB to see what the actual wording is, but I suspect the die actually has to roll a 3+ to not auto-fail, no matter the +X stacked on.

Don't play a lot of vamps so I've not seen how this is dealt with.

- Salvage

Unless you have a very specific rule stating you may ignore such, you ALWAYS must cast on a 3+ with the dice roll. If they said otherwise, they were cheating.

Yeah that guy was cheating. As this is a permissive rule set, since there is a rule stating in the BRB that there is a minimum 3 to cast, and since the VC book does not say they are exempt, they are not.
Something good to notice as a lot of people I see playing abuse that (well, with pretty much any race.)
Greetsz,
Mr. Self Destruct

It wasn't malicious, the dude either didn't know about the min cast or was assuming that when the VC book says it adds to "the casting roll" that somehow changes the die value involved. I brought it up but couldn't totally convince the players so they decided to press on. Will let him know.

- Salvage

A lot of players out there do not know the minimum to cast roll is a 3+ from the BRB. Many are not very seasoned players, and have either played other armies where they didn't use much casting, and then moved onto VC.

The reason not a lot of people know is in most books its not relevant. Not many other armies can spam the same spell over and over then VC. Also not many other armies can get +2 to cast. You really have to point it out straight in the rule book. Its the easiest way.

I think the only army that gets to ignore that rule is tomb kings with invocations.

That's because Tomb Kings currently aren't casting anything: They're merely rolling to see how "powerful" the Incantation is.

BTW, Ogres also make use of the "Minimum of 3+ to cast" rule, arguably more than VC, due to the fact that none of their base spells has worse than a 3+ to cast.

I still think they make the clarification in the book to avoid any sort of rules arguments over that item.

Sigmarite Priests are the same here also. Their spells count as bound and thus not subject to the 3+ minimum to cast.

As for other armies. I don't think there's an item in the game that allows you to avoid that rule.

Is the 3+ to cast still in the 8th edition? Could make high level casters a bit less useful.

obviously the standard is going to be using 2d6 to attempt the cast all spells if the 3+ minimum is still in effect.

A natural score of 1 or 2 will result in failure - so essentially yes, minimum 3 is there, and now you cannot cast any further...but no miscast, you only miscast on 6,6