A good trick I like using with vamps is to have them use there Dominate ability to recruit some neutral or good aligned bodyguards, to prevent Pala-Smite being so easy. It also means they aren't using them on the PC's, which often isn't much fun.
Constructs are also good, for the same reason - neutral can't be smited, and a smart, survivable vamp will know holy warriors are his biggest danger.
Add in a sprinkling of evil minions and some re-animated support troops such as ghouls, lesser vampires and maybe a Grave Knight lieutenant and enjoy.
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Vampire Spawn and other vampires are solid minions thematically. As are other intelligent undead and literally anything susceptible to mind control, given the nature of a Vampire Antipaladin's save DC on Dominate (DC 27 or so).
And just being an Antipaladin does a lot of your work for you in terms of being an effective boss monster. A Vampire Antipaladin is terrifying.
At Level 16 (and thus CR 18, a fitting individual villain CR, especially since I'd round the encounter out to CR 19 with minions), he could easily have 28 Charisma (to go with a 28 Strength, 16 Dex, 16 Int, and 12 Wisdom...assuming a headband of Charisma +6, and a Belt of Strength +6) and thus 236 HP and saves in the stratosphere (+19 Fortitude, +17 Reflex, +20 Will, all before adding a Cloak). With Dex 16 and +5 Mithral Full Plate, a +4 Ring of Protection, a +4 Amulet of Natural Armor, plus a Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone and a Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier he can manage an AC of 43 (47 vs. his smite target), and with an Unholy, Conductive, +5 Greatsword and a source of Haste (Boots work, or a minion who can buff) +26/+26/+21/+16/+11 for weapon damage plus 33 (plus 2d6 more if Good). And that's before Smite (which adds +9 to hit and +16 damage) and Touch of Corruption (which you can toss on via Conductive, and adds 8d6 damage plus your Cruelties). A Quick Runner's Shirt is also cheap and excellent for melee villains. He might even work better as an archer, actually...but I'd go melee for effect, and to give the PCs a chance to escape if they need to.
It's just a crazy combination.
Look up the mythic vampire template. A mythic vampire can blot out the freaking sun. Very cool flavor.
Vampire Spawn and other vampires are solid minions thematically. As are other intelligent undead and literally anything susceptible to mind control, given the nature of a Vampire Antipaladin's save DC on Dominate (DC 27 or so).
And just being an Antipaladin does a lot of your work for you in terms of being an effective boss monster. A Vampire Antipaladin is terrifying.
At Level 16 (and thus CR 18, a fitting individual villain CR, especially since I'd round the encounter out to CR 19 with minions), he could easily have 28 Charisma (to go with a 28 Strength, 16 Dex, 16 Int, and 12 Wisdom...assuming a headband of Charisma +6, and a Belt of Strength +6) and thus 236 HP and saves in the stratosphere (+19 Fortitude, +17 Reflex, +20 Will, all before adding a Cloak). With Dex 16 and +5 Mithral Full Plate, a +4 Ring of Protection, a +4 Amulet of Natural Armor, plus a Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone and a Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier he can manage an AC of 43 (47 vs. his smite target), and with an Unholy, Conductive, +5 Greatsword and a source of Haste (Boots work, or a minion who can buff) +26/+26/+21/+16/+11 for weapon damage plus 33 (plus 2d6 more if Good). And that's before Smite (which adds +9 to hit and +16 damage) and Touch of Corruption (which you can toss on via Conductive, and adds 8d6 damage plus your Cruelties). A Quick Runner's Shirt is also cheap and excellent for melee villains. He might even work better as an archer, actually...but I'd go melee for effect, and to give the PCs a chance to escape if they need to.
It's just a crazy combination.
just reading this gave me a shudder of fear, and im no where near the campaign...
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Just got the first character in... CAGM Barbarian. Half-Ogre with +6 STR belt, 7 DR/- from Invuln Rager. Then he gets +6 STR from Greater Rage, 6 STR from Racial Bonus, 2 STR from levels and 2 more STR from permanent Enlarge Person. 40 STR while raging. Plus a weapon with undead bane, holy and vicious.
I run, he gets the charge for a pounce full attack with his beast totem. I hit him, oh boy I get 3-4 AoOs a round that resolve *before* my attacks (what the crap CAGM is overpowered)... Unholy crap, save my poor little vampires.
Have the Vampire sneak up while invisible (an Antipaladin spell) and Dominate him while he isn't Raging (possibly aster using Dispel Magic to get rid of Protection From Evil). Or go with the archer idea. Or, well, anything but try to take him in a straight melee fight...though if he's Good Smite Good ignores his DR and ups the vampire's damage enough to mes him up (see below).
Also, consider the standard House Rule that undead Antipaladins can do the same thing as Paladins and Touch of Corruption themselves as a Swift Action. 10d6 Healing per round (with an Evil version of Greater Mercy) and doing 67 damage per attack plus another 35 on the first (and hitting with all of them, for something like 370 damage in a round, since your lowest attack vs. a CAGM build is +24) while only getting hit something like half the time (because even with all the Barbarian's Strength, AC 47-48+ is nice) might let you take him in an emergency. Especially if you move up to him with the Quick Runner's Shirt and Full Attack him (meaning he hopefully only gets the AoO before going down).
If he's not Good, you'll definitely need to take him down outside of melee, but that's hardly unfeasible...
Add a few minions, and if anybody remembers expedition to Castle Ravenloft *lightning crash in the background* dominate one or two pc's. Pick out a pc with a somewhat pvp mentality and let him do all your work for you.
If you want him to be able to take on a party, give him some minor CC. Consider arming him with a flail, and nothing in the off-hand, with one or two feats to improve his ability to trip. Dudes get into melee and he can use a few of his attacks to keep them on the ground, AND make a secondary slam attack that carries a bit of energy drain if the PCs aren't savvy enough to ward against it.
Also, don't use him all up in a single encounter. With his ability to heal himself with negative energy, he can go gaseous when his HP gets low and flee to a different room to heal up, find a few more minions, and then hit the party again later.