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So im starting Vampire counts and man has it been a long time since I collected or played any fantasy, tomb kings had only just been released!
Anyway I thought I'd change it up this time instead of buying all the troops first and ending up getting bored of the army half way through, I'd start with a nice looking model as a center piece.
So with that in mind I purchased a vampire lord on zombie dragon because of obvious reasons...Zombie Dragon....Giant undead bat thing.

Now I'm not sure what to do with it, I don't want to just build it to look cool I want it to function in an army Ive yet to even buy. With that in mind I suppose I could have it anyway seen as I have yet to make an army but I wanted opinions on what others think is the best option for this thing, which build which tactics, what type of army would it fit best in

I'm not well versed in VC but I think the general consensus is that mounting your Vampire on a big monster is not a great idea.

I think the other beast the kit makes is quite good and can do some good damage with it's "scream" attack.

I'd build it as one of them and put the Vampire on a steed.

Can only your general be on the dragon? I forget actually if the other vampires could.

Never ever take your VC general on a large target if only because he'll be cannon fodder (and other war machines) and then you'll have to take instability tests. Admittedly the other vampires that know the vampire lore can take over for him but your army will still feel it.

Cannonballs behave like templates and they will hit both the rider and mount. The other war machines can also do some nasty damage but the vampire might do ok against them.

Build it as a Terrorgheist and stick the rider on a barded nightmare.

 thedarkavenger wrote:
Build it as a Terrorgheist and stick the rider on a barded nightmare.

This.

We can't stop you using a Vampire Lord on a Zombie Dragon if that's what you really want, but be warned, in the current edition, such a model will rarely make its points back and will more often that not die very quickly.

Like thedarkavenger suggests, building the Dragon as a Terrogheist (un-ridden) is a much better option. Although still vulnerable to cannons, T-bats (as they're often known) aren't so expensive/important that its loss is crippling to the opponent, and it's relative cheap-ness, combined with its fantastic scream attack, makes it a very powerful model in the game.

Doing this also allows you to use the two riders (the Vampire and the Ghoul King) separately. The Vampire Lord can easily replace the body of a black knight and be run as a mounted Vampire Lord, and, with the use of some of the rocks the kit comes with, the Ghoul King can be modeled on foot. All three models will see a lot more use and a lot more efficacy if built this way.

If you want any more info, just ask!

Ok I think I understand now

So It seems the best option is to build a Terrogheist unmounted and have my lord on a horse/barded nightmare.

Can I still use the ghoul king in the army at the same time? perhaps on foot with some ghouls?

 AtomicEngineer wrote:
Ok I think I understand now

So It seems the best option is to build a Terrogheist unmounted and have my lord on a horse/barded nightmare.

Can I still use the ghoul king in the army at the same time? perhaps on foot with some ghouls?

Depends on the size of the army. My Vamp lord generally sets me back all of my lords allowance at 2400.

Honestly, I love the Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon as a MODEL way more than as a unit choice... But you could (should) consider buying another set after you have built more of an army up.

Follow the advice given... make a Ghoul King on foot (or with wings! My favorite), a Lord or baby-vamp on steed, and use the monster to make a Terrorgheist.

After you have a decent sized force I would build a dragon with lord mounted just for kicks... but from a practical stand point, it is not the best.

 AtomicEngineer wrote:
Ok I think I understand now

So It seems the best option is to build a Terrogheist unmounted and have my lord on a horse/barded nightmare.

Can I still use the ghoul king in the army at the same time? perhaps on foot with some ghouls?

It depends on the size of the game and how much you kit them out, but usually you'd struggle to fit them both in with decent builds.

However, you could easily use a Ghoul King and a mounted Hero Vampire in the same army, though it's perhaps not the best idea, as powerful Vampire Characters like to chill in the same unit for extra hitting power. Could work with two mounted Hero Vamps though. I guess having your Ghoul King in a horde of Ghouls would be pretty good, and fluffy, and your Hero Vamp(s) in a unit of Black Knights from your Special Allowance.

It's not what I'd normally use, but it could be pretty effective!