2 Important Counts Questions

1. When a Necromancer uses Vanhel's Dance Macabre and there is no Vampire present can the unit receiving the spell march?

2. If I cast Dazzling Brilliance on a unit and a Vampire uses Crown of Commandment what WS does the unit use (WS 1 or WS 7/6)?

1. The spell grants the unit an 8" move, regardless of their base movement, so it can alway move 8", regardless of march-blocking or vampire proximity. It still takes movement penalties for terrain, but thats it.

2.I would say they are at WS1. The crown says they use the vamp's WS instead of their own. The spell says their weapons skill is reduced to 1 for the rest of the combat phase. I'd say that they get to use the Vamp's WS, which is then reduced to 1. Question is, why not just give the Vamp's WS to another unit.

That second question has been submitted for the faq.  You may have to diceoff until it gets answered, and even then you may have to diceoff still.

Ok. I'm glad it is in an FAQ.  Now for the first one every forum that I've gone to everyone has just taken the 8" move for granted so I'm a little worried.  I don't care if it is one way or the other but the rule is unclear to me at least.  The wording says "normal move" so I felt that it could entail march restrictions like you said terrain still comes into effect but why not march blocking or their inability to march.

If you let it involve marching, then it would have to allow the unit to march 16". A normal move is that where the unit goes up to the distance on its profile. We seem to take for granted that a "normal" move involves marching, simply because that is what a large percentage of units' moves are. As the rule does not say a march move of up to 8", then the 8" move is not subject to the rules of marching, as it is not a normal march move.

I read it as the move is up to 8" subject to the rules for a normal move.  So if Black Knights near a vampire get it they go 8".  If not near a Vampire 7" if they have barding.  There is quite obviously a maximum of 8" on the move and everyone is agreeing that terrain is taken into account but no one has quite explained why marching isn't involved.

Your second question has now officially been answered in the new VC FAQ on GW's page.

The Helm of Commandment does indeed ignore negative modifiers to the target unit's weapon skill.

Did anyone else realize how GW doesn't know their own rules.  The actually recommended casting Dazzling Brilliance on the vampire himself in order to get around the Crown of Commandment.

You can only cast Dazzling Brilliance against a unit engaged in hand to hand and if the Vampire is using Crown of Commandment he can't be engaged in hand to hand.

I hate GW rules writers and I hate RAW.  I just woke up so I'm not as incensed as I was yesterday but honestly I could train a monkey to do a better job than these people.

Did anyone else realize how GW doesn't know their own rules.  The actually recommended casting Dazzling Brilliance on the vampire himself in order to get around the Crown of Commandment.

You can only cast Dazzling Brilliance against a unit engaged in hand to hand and if the Vampire is using Crown of Commandment he can't be engaged in hand to hand.

I hate GW rules writers and I hate RAW.  I just woke up so I'm not as incensed as I was yesterday but honestly I could train a monkey to do a better job than these people.

Ehem... I think you missed a case. The Vampire can be in a unit that is engaged in hand to hand but because of placement NOT be in a combat himself(for example it was flank charged and he is in the front). You can still cast the spell on the unit, which then effects the Vampire who would have otherwise granted his WS to that unit, or another unit.

No I didn't miss that case.  Seriously frak that case.  It'll happen once every 200 combats and that part of the FAQ was still used to make the Crown of Command better than it's points really indicate.  Every FAQ regarding the crown just made it go from annoyingly good to overpowered.