===================================================== [ AHRIMANES NEWSLETTER ] ===================================================== First Howl | http://www.rack.tk | Issue #1 [ Index ] - Starting Up [Word from the Editor] ... - New Spiritus/Ahrimane Cards [Article] ... - Self Defensceİ [Article] ... - Werewolf Bashers [Deck] ... - Emergency Exit --Starting Up--------------------------------------- Welcome, This is the first issue of Ahrimanes Newsletter and the guy behind the keyboard is Alexander Gyhlesten *waves* As its the first time I ever does a thing like this I hope you´ll find it enjoyable and keep returning here and perhaps give me some good feedback :-) I find the Ahrimanes amusing in Vampire:The Masquerade, a bit mystical and a bit savage. I´d presented some Ahrimanes as NPC in my game sessions and most of my players enjoyed seeing me act them out - They´re an excellent tool to introduce players to the life outside the city. When Bloodlines came and introduced the Cats to Vampire:The Eternal Struggle I got a feeling that they maybe wasn´t a wining concept, but could rock some tables sometimes. It was a long time since I saw a Ahrimane deck win and hopefuly this newsletter will heat the Cat Engine ;-) /Alexander Gyhlesten, Kitzune@Tjohoo.se --New Spiritus/Ahrimane Cards----------------------- Inventing new cards to V:tES has probably been done since the game came out. Here´s two cards I came up with while I was bored in school. I´ve tried to make them balanced and a given cause for their existence. Please, mail me if you´ve come up with some cards. Name: Spirit Dance Type: Action Cost: 1 Blood Clan: Ahrimanes +1 Stealth Action. Put this card on the acting vampire. This vampire may prevent 1 damadge each round in a combat. Each time this is done, put a counter on this card. When there is three counters on this card, burn it. - Could be a nice card. Go back to the roots and shake a leg ;-) Name: Forest Tracking Type: Action Modifier Disi: Spiritus Cost: 1 blood [spi] If this action is blocked, the acting vampire gets one manuever in the resulting combat. [SPI] As above, but the cost for this card is reduced by one blood. - Maby I´ll make a painting for this card sometime. Got this picture in my head where an Ahrimane sits in a tree, gazing at a Kine belove it. Thought this to be a combo-card with Chameleons Color. --Self Defensceİ------------------------------------ If you play metagames in my area you´ll see very combat-heavy decks roaming the tables, smacking everything in their way to pieces. The Ahrimanes has some ways of defending themselves against these kinds of decks and Im exploring whats can be done in this short article. - Disciplines Well, first of all - What is Presence (in-clan discipline for Ahrimanes) famous for? Strike:Combat End cards! Majesty is a great card, as well as Catatonic Fear. But, those cards would probably not keeping people knocking on the door and start mocking around, especially when there´s lots of cards to counter S:CE. Best way to keep bruisers of the carpet, IMHO, is to scare them away. Animalism is a key to this. Carrion and Murderous Crows, wolfs can bite their way through almost everything. Adding other disciplines to your deck that can scare people is effective. For a live example, look at the deck presented in this newsletter. - Gear On the preventing side we got Leather Jackets, Flak Jackets Blood Tears of Kephran. I personaly favour Flak Jackets over Leather Jackets. Flak Jackets feels more permanent. But the pool cost together with its vulnerability (can be stolen and/or destroyed) makes up the bad side with flak jackets. If a minion attacks one of your vampires and its so critical that you have to waste your Leather Jacket, then its probably not worth it to have others because then you´ll be sure that vampires based on that deck will inflict more heavy combat damadge - With Flak Jackets you can´t take the heavy smacks but prevents your vampires from taking one damage. Blood Tears is nice for other thing than just prevention. Every now and then I manage to pull a very good combo with it: Minion Tap all blood from a full vampire with Blood tears, burn blood tears for 2 blood and then let the vampire do the Engling Fury. To avoid close-combat with vampires (ie Lazverinus or Thetmes) IR-goggles is a great choice. --Werewolf Bashers---------------------------------- Ahrimanes Deck Author: Alexander Gyhlesten Strategy: Introducing Protean to the Ahrimanes in an atempt to do something "new" with the cats. Using proteans both defensive-power, offensive-power and stealth-power. Has worked well in the only tournament I´ve tried it in (gained a 2nd place). [Crypt - 12 cards] 2x Nettie Hale, 5 cap, ani cel pre pro spi +1 stealth when employing retainers/allies 2x Bear Paw, 5 cap, pro pre for ANI 2x Howler, 8 cap, obf ANI PRE SPI 1 manuever each combat, cannot use weapons. +1 Str. 2x The Siamese, 7 cap, ani pro PRE SPI +1 Bleed. 2x Catilin, 6 cap, aus dom ANI PRO Bishop. 2x Cynthia Ingold, 6 cap, ani for pre SPI +1 Str. when in combat against Camarilla Vampires. Total: 74 Average: 6.16 Best: 20 Worst: 30 [Library - 86 cards] Master (13) 2 x Blood Doll 3 x Protean Animalism Presence Feral Spirit Protracted Investment Hungry Coyote Anarch Troublemaker Secret Horde The Barrens Protean (18) 3 x Form of Mist 2 x Earth Meld 4 x Flesh of Marble 4 x Earth Control 4 x Bone Spur 2 x Wolf Claws Spiritus (16) 4 x Swiftness of the Stag 4 x Strength of the Bear 3 x Engling Fury 3 x Speak with Spirits 2 x Falcons Eye Animalism (17) 2 x Army of Rats 4 x Carrion Crows 3 x Rats Warning 4 x Scorpions Sting 2 x Canine Horde 2 x Cats Guidence Presence (14) 3 x Majesty 3 x Enchant Kindred 3 x Legal Manipulation 3 x Social Charm 2 x Intimidation Equipment (6) 3 x Vial of Garou Blood 3 x Flak Jacket Retainers (2) 2 x Marijava Ghoul --Emergency Exit------------------------------------ Well, that sums up the first issue of the Ahrimanes newsletter. Suggestions and comments can be sent to: Kitzune@Tjohoo.se Or you can log on to the Rack [www.rack.tk] and pay a visit to the official Ahrimanes Newsletter Forum at the site. The next issue is released 15th December. Thanks for reading, /Alexander Gyhlesten