How do you guys run your Lords/Heroes in 1500pt

[Siegecommander]

To me the dark elf army is one that stresses synergy. While any of our units are decent on their own, what really makes em shine is how they work with our other units. In my mind the biggest part in creating synergy is good Lord/Hero choices. So I'm wondering how do you guys run your lords/heroes at 1500 or even 2k?

[Calisson]

The easiest part is the ones whose role is ONLY synergy:
Sorceresses & COB have usually no direct role in melee and usually no role in shooting (save lifetaker).
BSB and General could be played in a similar way: a BSB COB stays away from melee. A sorceress General as well. Their BSB and General Ld influence is only remote.

Your question is more interesting for fighty characters:
Lord, Heroes, non-COB DH (if any), Assassins, special characters.
There are specific settings which offer a very specialized role, such as the "unkillable" Lord to hold the opposite most dangerous unit - if you have no unit to oppose; or the Peggy Master as warmachine hunter - but we get other agile troops who can do the same job - or the star assassin harasser inside a Shade unit.
Myself, I use none of them. A level 4 is my general and the BSB gets the COB.

[Silic]

For my army, I tend to run a level 4 shadow caster at nearly all point levels. Once again, I nearly always have a master as well, and usually he is a BSB. More recently I joined the ranks and purchased a master on pegasus... We'll see how hooked on it I get.

[Vulcan]

At 1500, there really is no choice for your best general. It's a level 4 caster, period. Shadow is preferred; Dark can be good; both depend on synergy with the rest of the army. Fire gives shooting to a combat-heavy list. Metal can give you a way to deal with heavy-armored stuff the rest of your army might struggle with. And the magic defense of a level 4 is worth it in it's own right.

I give her the PoK (I have other plans to protect the BSB) and either a dispel scroll or the Sac dag, depending on the rest of the list.

If you are willing to operate under a bit of a handicap, the Unkillable Dreadlord is an adequite - but not optimum - option.

The second character - the BSB - is where you have some options. Either a Master BSB or a Hag BSB. The two have different roles, and are good in different ways.

The Master can join more types of units. Thus, he can be a more active participant in the battle, OR he can find safe shelter in more places. I either use him as the famous HydraBanner bearer for my COK, or with AoES and the Dragonbane Gem. There's nothing like having an opponent say, "Regen? Okay, I've got his number" (one flaming attack later...) "2+ ward? You sneaky b*****d!"

The Hag can only join Khainite units. This can be a good thing, if you run a Khainite-theme army. It's the only way to get the ASF banner on your Executioners... if only for one turn before the other side ganks her. But the most valuable role for her is the Cauldron BSB. BSB benefits, Cauldron blessings, and T10 vs shooting means the other guy pretty much HAS to get into close combat to kill it... unless he can force an Initiative test with magic. Thus, never run the Cauldron BSB without a level 4 caster.

Always give her the 5+ ward save gift. It's the only defense she can have.

The only other downside to a Cauldron BSB is that you are going to struggle to fit in a third character, which I usually use for a level 2 caster. A level 4 (shadow) and level 2 (Dark) have some nice magical synergies together (Loose d3 S and then make a S test or take a wound is especially vicious). If the two both take the same lore, you're guaranteed to get any particular spell you are depending on. I usually give the level 2 the Tome of Furion (unless she is on the same lore as the level 4) and Seal of Ghrond.

[Blackfrost]

What a coincidence, I just played a 1500 pt game last night!
A Supreme Sorceress is the way to go generalwise. PoK is far too good not to take. Miscasts are just brutal in 8th.
I was facing a new player so I ran Dark Magic instead of the usual choice of Shadow Lore. I use ToF now as I feel it's important to have four spells in particular from the Lore (Mindrazor, PoS, Miasma and the T debuff). Stuck with the ToF against the new player as a force of habit.
The Cauldron is good fun and a very solid choice. It arguably gives us the most well protected BSB (she stays behind units and has a 4+ ward) and the buffs we need to preserve our fragile units or to make them better combatants.

[Calisson]

Vulcan, the Hag can join ANY unit, it's Khainites who can be joined only by DH. However, a Master is usually much better than a DH nowadays in most situations, so there is hardly any reason to join anything but Khainites with a DH.
Also, the COB needs not the 5+ws as it has naturally a 4+ws.

Else, I fully agree with what you wrote.

[Norngahl]

Run a Lvl 4 with talisman of perservation, sacrificial dagger and ironcurse icon in spearman with gleaming pennant.

Then, a BSB on pegasus with pendant of kaeleth, dragon helm, great weapon and mundane armour.

That´s all I take and it works great.