Assamite Clan newsletter. Volume 4, Issue 4 (April 2004) Written by Otto Koskinen ========================= Booyakasha. As I'm writing this, I'm listening to the "Music from the Succubus Club" Hemoglobin. What utter crap.. sigh. The Crüxshadows - Bloodline v2.0, for all you fans of the Clan. Onward. ---------------------------------------- VAMPIRE OF THE MONTH Tariq, the Silent Assamite, 7 cap. cel AUS FOR OBF QUI Independent: Tariq's capacity is reduced by 4 while he is controlled. Tariq can enter combat with a vampire controlled by another Methuselah as a (D) action. Blood hunts cannot be called on Tariq. The Blood Curse doesn't affect Tariq. So, we have a 3-cap whom everyone fears. Rightfully so. The biggest hurdle in the Clan burning vamps left and right is not in my opinion in the Blood Curse, but in the blood hunt which ensues. Now, not only does Tariq not need the Tajdid, being a righteous one, but also he is free from the judgement of others. A true free spirit, so to speak, eh? His flaw makes him very vulnerable, especially if you are caught without prevention in hand, or before you are able to equip yourself. You will need to equip in most cases. Sure, Flash, Taste of Death, Amaranth is a viable option, but it would be wasting Tariq's abilities, to a point. He can be made tight. Really tight. As in, 1 card combat, which leaves behind nothing but ashes. His second flaw lies in his inferior celerity. That isnt as critical as one might believe, mainly because Tariq can - and often will - get a discipline card after doing his first "run". He really does need it, although he has Auspex for the Telepathic Trackings, those things cost blood. Not good, when youre a 3-cap and blood is precious. Thus, Psyche will be better choice in the long run for him. Also, to generate additional strikes you need CEL to do it without blood costs. As a general rule of thumb, bloodless card should be the way to go. Rolling with the punches, Pursuit, Psyche. Those are the corecards of closecombat Tariq. At least, for the combat part. His AUS makes him also able to block anyone who not so much as twitches with the wrong action. Toss in an Draught of the Soul for the extra permanent intercept, and spare on the intercept cards. Anyhow, if you decide to play Tariq, be prepared to talk like the best of them, or otherwise make sure you can take the heat of the table. Most people who have met a Tariq deck full in function can be.. afraid. Very afraid. And thus, lob trouble your way, given the chance. "Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive. And don't ever apologize for anything. -Harry S. Truman (1884 - 1972)" ---------------------------------------- CARDS OF THE MONTH Path of Death and the Soul Master Unique master. Put this card in play. When a minion controlled by another Methuselah is burned, you may tap this card to search your library (shuffle afterward), ash heap or hand for a Master: Discipline card. Move 1 blood from the blood bank and that card to a ready vampire you control. Now, this card is a no-brainer in a Tariq deck. Or is it? Let us presume you dont need Tariq to be bigger than 4-cap, with CEL. What good is this card then? You only gain 1 blood, but who cares, you've already amaranth'd the sod anyhow, and thus should be full of blood. Ah, but this can give the discipline and blood to another minion of yours. Yes, yes, it's quite evident, but too many a time I've found myself thinking "duh" after overlooking something blatantly in my face. It can be really handy at times to get that 1 blood more on your other vampire, especially if you play Tariq with the twist that I do. Rowan Ring Equipment Cost: 1 pool Unique melee weapon. Send the opposing vampire to torpor as a strike. This card is transferred to that vampire, and he or she doesn't untap as normal during the untap phase as long as he or she remains in torpor. The weapon of choice in many Tariq decks. Why? Because it is the best, by far. No damage means not only more vitae on the opposing vampire, but also no way for some pesky prevention to come between Tariq and his kill. It's downside's are: doesnt work under Immortal Grapple. Doesnt work on range. Shucks, can't have it all. If you run into potence monsters, pray for the best, or start making deals. For weapons, of note are also Ivory Bow, Sengir Dagger, and Flamethrower. All good choices for Tariq decks, Ivory Bow and Flamethrower especially if you can snatch a pair of IR goggles. Draught of the Soul Cardtype: Action Modifier/Combat Discipline: Auspex & Quietus Only usable when this acting vampire burns another vampire. [qui] This vampire gains 1 blood. [aus][qui] This vampire gains 1 blood. Put this card on this vampire. The vampire with this card has +1 intercept. [AUS][QUI] As [aus][qui] above, and this vampire gets +1 bleed when bleeding the controller of the burned vampire. The uses of this card, for once, are rather obvious. You hit Smudge -> Smudge burns. Smudge's soul is captured in a small jar for Tariq to toy around with, and in the process gain some pemanent intercept and bleed. Of note are two things: It is a combat card, thus it can be played fourteen times in one single combat, provided an optimum flow of cards. Also, cards are not required to be played superior. Of those fourteen, only the two first need to be superior, thus giving Tariq only +2 bleed, but +14 intercept. Bleed of three being the "right" amount. Not too much to get Archon Investigation played, but enough to hurt where it should. Daemonic Possession Cardtype: Action Cost: 2 blood Discipline: Necromancy [nec] Only usable when a minion controlled by another Methuselah has been burned since your last turn. Move that minion from his owner's ash heap to your ready region, put 1 blood or life from the blood bank on the minion and tap the minion. You now control the minion. [NEC] As above, but the minion is untapped. This is my "twist" card, when playing Tariq. Rub the salt in on the wounds, would you? Yes, you would. It's lovely to see Stanislava hold hands with Tariq, it really is. Now, this card has it's downside. You need to have it in hand pretty much when you burn a vampire, but also you need to be able to provide stealth for the action, as it lacks it. Well, provided you dont Freak with Tariq, and do it with him, once youve taught Tariq the art of Necromancy. The name "Tariq" has a permanent +3 stealth stamped on it, in my experience. Moreso on undirected actions. ---------------------------------------- TARIQ AND NECROMANCY - Jump in on the corpse wagon Well, first off, why not? The thought struck me once I'd burned two vamps in a row with Tariq, and then promptly proceeded to watch my prey bring out another Raven in place of the one I had just burned. Teardrops, I tell you. The main benefit is obvious, with Daemonic Possession. The biggest question is who to use in conjunction with Tariq for the DP actions. The Giovanni are the obvious choice, having Necromancy and Dominate for some serious bleeding as well. But they lack something. And that something is, discipline synergy with Tariq. Not many of them have celerity. Only four, in fact. Of those, Rafaele Giovanni rises out with his +1 bleed, inferior Celerity and inferior Obfuscate. His superior Necromancy guarantees a free use of the new vampire you've just possessed as well. The main grudge in the Giovanni is the fact that it can be hard to keep them alive and possessing, while Tariq goes and burns everyone. They are a lot more tempting target to rush than Tariq, once the player with combat has a rush in hand. They drop easier, and have a smaller risk of hurting the attacker. This is where Egothha comes in. He has perfect discipline spread to work with Tariq. AUS FOR, for bounce and protection if he gets rushed. Inferior Obfuscate to get use of the Forgotten Labyrinth. And his special doesnt hurt either, especially since he gains blood from it. Blood for the Daemonic Possessions. Egothha is "my choice". But there is a third runner-up as well. And a very, VERY solid at that. She has the main con of the Giovanni, not having the defensive disciplines. But her ability is a killer. She is, Carlotta Giovanni. Her special ability (+1 stealth action, 1 blood, switches a card in hand to a card in ashheap) is a killer in a Tariq deck. Pickup that Amaranth you have 0 in hand, and then go to town. Want to multi-rush, but aint got a freak? Send Carlotta to the ashes. Superior Necromancy to possess any who fall to Tariq. But, what are the numbers then. How many Daemonic Possessions do you really need in a deck? 6? 8? 10? Well, it really is up to you. Personally, I like to think that since you only burn a few vampires in the game, you dont need that many of the card. But then again, if you dont have it when you burn, it just might be a dead slot. I've had good experiences running 7 copies in an 80-card deck, sofar. The "module" if you want to call it, looks pretty much like this: 4-5 vamps with NEC 0-2 Necromancy Masters (For Tariq) 6-8 Daemonic Possession 2-5 Forgotten Labyrinth Hunting ground. Yes, I am well aware that I have skipped Anisa Marianna Lopez on the Necromancy vampires. Why? Even though she has QUI, the AUS is more important. Her ability is great, especially if you have a lot of weenies around your playgroup. Her inferior Auspex, and lack of obfuscate, though, make Egothha a lot more viable choice. Now, if you were to play Tariq with QUI, then she might be just the one you are looking for. If in the future I run across a QUI Tariq deck, I might just give her a shot. ---------------------------------------- DECK OF THE MONTH Deck Name: Tariq meets Egothha Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 16, Max: 28, Avg: 6,00) ---------------------------------------------- 4 Tariq AUS cel FOR OBF QUI 7, Assamite:2 3 Egothha AUS FOR NEC obf 7, Harbingers of Skulls:2 2 Le Dinh Tho aus dom NEC 5, Nagaraja:2 2 Rudolfo Giovanni NEC 3, Giovanni:2 1 Carlotta Giovanni dom NEC obf POT 7, Giovanni:2 Library: (80 cards) ------------------- Master (10 cards) 3 Blood Doll 1 Celerity 1 Morgue Hunting Ground 2 Necromancy 1 Path of Death and the Soul 1 Underworld Hunting Ground 1 Vast Wealth Action (8 cards) 5 Daemonic Possession 3 Nose of the Hound Action Modifier (8 cards) 4 Forgotten Labyrinth 4 Freak Drive Reaction (10 cards) 3 Forced Awakening 2 Telepathic Counter 3 Telepathic Misdirection 2 Wake with Evening's Freshness Combat (32 cards) 10 Amaranth 2 Aura Reading 4 Disguised Weapon 6 Psyche! 7 Rolling with the Punches 3 Unflinching Persistence Equipment (7 cards) 1 Flamethrower 1 IR Goggles 1 Ivory Bow 4 Rowan Ring Combo (5 cards) 3 Draught of the Soul 1 Ritual of the Bitter Rose 1 Swallowed by the Night This is a very basic Tariq deck at heart, although lacking in the multi-rush, somewhat. Once a turn should be enough, most of the time. Equip Tariq, start burning, bleed for one with your Daemonic Possessed vamps. ---------------------------------------- PATH OF BLOOD Have you heard of it? No, I am not talking about the card anymore. The Path of Blood is the best on-line site dealing with Vampire: The Eternal Struggle. As the name implies, it deals mainly with the Clan, but lots of other topics are hollered in the halls of Alamut. The site is maintained by Todd Banister, a man who deserves every bit of recognition for his work on the site. I'm not one for rosy words, but your'e doing a great job, Todd. If you are interested more closely in Assamites, visit the site at: http://www.thepathofblood.com/ ---------------------------------------- That's it folks. 'Till next month. Comments can (not) be posted at: Oko@city.fi ----------------------------------------