Assamite Clan Newsletter
February, 2006

Assamite Clan Newsletter
February, 2006
by Tom Duncan

"Hidden behind veils of secrecy and mystery, the Black Hand serves as
the martial arm of the Sabbat. When the blood and fire of the sect's
packs and prisci fail to win the night, the Black Hand arrives like a
grim cavalry on the cusp of the night. Now, these faithful warrior
elite stand determined not only to fight for survival in these Final
Nights, but to win and, ultimately, to claim their reward from Caine
himself." - White Wolf website.

Black Hand - the forgotten trait. There are vampires a-plenty who
possess it, but they are spread across many clans, and finding a large
enough group from which to comprise a crypt that has significant
discipline synergy is challenging. Making sabbat vampires Black Hand
requires library resources, and has the potential to cripple ones hand
with dead cards. Does belonging to the Hand provide vampires with
enough in common to compensate for this lack of discipline sharing? For
Assamites, it might.

The Black Hand and Assamites were briefly discussed in the February,
2004 Assamite Newsletter. You can find it at The Lasombra's Assamite
clan page: http://www.thelasombra.com/ClanPages/assamite/index.htm

The Assamites have four clan members in the Black Hand - no clan has
more, and only the Gangrel Antitribu have as many, though they are
split between the city and country variety.

Black Hand Assamites

Yazid Tamari
Clan: Assamite (group 3)
Capacity: 8
Disciplines: CEL QUI ani dom obf
Sabbat. Black Hand Seraph: +1 bleed. The blood curse does not affect
Yazid.

Joe "Boot" Hill
Clan: Assamite (group 4)
Capacity: 7
Disciplines: CEL QUI for obf
Sabbat. Black Hand: Joe can enter combat with a werewolf ally
controlled by another Methuselah as a +1 stealth (D) action. Joe gets
an optional maneuver in that combat. +1 strength. (The Blood Curse does
not affect Joe.)

Reza Fatir, The Dark Angel
Clan: Assamite (group 4)
Capacity: 6
Disciplines: CEL QUI obf pro
Sabbat. Black Hand: The Blood Curse does not affect Reza.

The first thing we notice about these guys is that they have [CEL QUI
obf] in common, in addition to their Black Hand trait. Yazid takes
command with his Seraph "title" (it isn't a title for game
purposes, simply a trait which interacts with other cards), and this
power trio has the makings of a deadly 'classic' Assamite combat
build, with access to Hand-specific abilities. They combine to cost you
21 Pool, so chances are that getting all three in your ready region is
going to take some extra planning. Yazid is a good candidate for a more
bleed-oriented build, while Joe Hill asks for the rough stuff. Reza is
perfectly poised (and priced) to support either one.

Tariq, The Silent Advanced
Clan: Assamite (group 2)
Capacity: 7
Disciplines: AUS FOR OBF QUI cel
Advanced, Sabbat. Black Hand. Red List: Tariq's capacity is reduced by
4 while he is controlled. He may steal 1 blood as a ranged strike. The
Blood Curse does not affect Tariq.
[MERGED] Independent: Tariq's capacity is not reduced by his card text.

Tariq is in a class all his own, as always. He is the only group two
Black Hand member. You can't use him in a crypt with Joe Hill, even
though you really want to, to make use of their Fortitude. I have not
seen any attempts to abuse Tariq's Black Hand trait, probably due to
the fact that he requires such special handling in any deck that
features him. The Black Hand does offer Tariq some opportunities that
he cannot get elsewhere, however. TARIQ ADV IS NOT IMMUNE TO
BLOODHUNTS!! A.D.H.D. sufferers like myself have to be constantly
reminded of that fact.

I am of the opinion that both Merged Tariq and Base Tariq are better
than Advanced Tariq, because being immune to the bloodhunt is just so
darn useful. If you intend to feature Tariq and utilize his Black Hand
trait, I would advise merging him to get his capacity up to it's
rightful seven. A note on merging: when merged, the advanced version of
the vampire is placed on top of the base version, per game rules
regarding advancement in section 1.5 of the rulebook. Tariq is special
in this regard, too, in that there isn't a judge anywhere in any
sanctioned VEKN tournament that will make you look at Tariq ADV's art
if you don't have to. When it comes right down to it, though, Tariq
is one bad mamba-jamba, no matter which version you have in play.

Non-Assamite Black Hand Vampires

Looking over the resumes of Black Hand vampires from other clans, I see
a few who have some discipline synergy with our assassins.

Henri Lavenant
Clan: Lasombra (group 3)
Capacity: 7
Disciplines: DOM OBT pot qui
Sabbat. Black Hand: You have +1 hand size while Henri is in combat.

Henri is the only non-Assamite Hand member with Quietus. His synergy
kind of stops there, but if DOM is your thing, he and Yazid could
surely combine to generate significant Bleed pressure. Henri might be
worth including for his Corporal Reservoir/Descent into Darkness bloat
trick (Reservoirs return to play untapped, even if they were tapped
when Henri played Descent).

Skryta Zyleta
Clan: Gangrel antitribu (group 3)
Capacity: 5
Disciplines: CEL obf pot pro
Sabbat. Black Hand.

Skyrta might be the most useful Hand member to assist the Assamite
contingent of the sect. Her low cost and [CEL obf] fit her right into
the fold, and she shares Protean with Reza.

Roger Farnsworth
Clan: Malkavian antitribu (group 3)
Capacity: 4
Disciplines: OBF aus
Sabbat. Black Hand.

Roger provides a nice low-cost option for an Assamite-driven Black Hand
deck. The fewer actions you have to take to make vampires Hand, the
better, and getting one for four Pool with a superior clan discipline
seems worth the cost. Use him to Cloak the Gathering, Sacrificial Lamb,
Night Moves, or Hidden Lurker with a Disguised Chainsaw.

Marthe Dizier
Clan: Toreador antitribu (group 3)
Capacity: 10
Disciplines: AUS CEL OBF PRE pro
Sabbat. Black Hand: When a combat involving Marthe ends, she can burn a
blood to move a card she played during that combat from your ash heap
to your hand. +1 bleed.

Marthe is costly, but her [CEL OBF] makes her useful when supported by
Assamites. Look at that [pro] sitting there begging you to include Reza
(and Skyrta) in the crypt! Belonging to group 3 and having [AUS ] also
makes her a viable companion for Tariq Advanced.

Colonel, The
Clan: Malkavian antitribu (group 3)
Capacity: 5
Disciplines: AUS cel dem obf
Sabbat. Black Hand.

With The Colonel, I'm again thinking about Tariq Advanced. For 5
Pool, I think he's a little too pricey to only get [cel obf] and the
Black Hand trait. However, if you can utilize his Auspex, too, he is
well worth the Pool.

Non-Hand Sabbat Assamites

Michael diCarlo
Clan: Assamite (group 4)
Capacity: 5
Disciplines: CEL obf qui
Sabbat: If Michael successfully performs an action to enter combat with
another minion, he may set the range in the first round of the
resulting combat to long (skip the determine range step). The Blood
Curse does not affect Michael.

Michael diCarlo is the only Sabbat Assamite who is not Black Hand. His
discipline spread and special make him a welcomed addition to the
crypt, and an excellent candidate for inclusion in the Hand with a
Blooding. A Contract allows him to use his special unless blocked, and
a Sniper Rifle allows him to set range on defense, too. On a personal
note, I start humming Beastie Boys tunes every time he is mentioned.

Non-Sabbat Assamites

Any other Assamites you might include will not be able to become Black
Hand members until you can first make them Sabbat. You can do this by
using Clan Impersonation to have them become a member of a clan that
has Sabbat as it's default sect, or with Into The Fire, a common
Trifle from the Anarchs set. You can go this route with Tegyrius or
Olugbenga if you really want to, but seriously, what are you trying to
prove? Remember that Qadir ul-Ghani can change clans as a cardless
action, too.

Membership Has It's Privileges

So what does belonging to the Hand get us? The trait is sort of like an
extra discipline, in that it provides for the use of certain cards to
which other vampires don't have access. Most of the effects are not
all that powerful, but can combine with existing strategies to be very
useful. Let's take a look at some of them.

The Admonitions
Type: Master
Unique master.
Put this card in play. Tap to discard one card if you control a ready
Sabbat vampire. Tap to draw two cards if you control a ready Black Hand
vampire. During your discard phase, control of The Admonitions passes
counter-clockwise until it is controlled by a Methuselah who controls a
ready Sabbat vampire (or is burned if there are none).

An excellent card cycler, the downside of not always having control of
it, and thus allowing another Methuselah to benefit from it, can be
bothersome but probably not traumatic (most of the time). Given that it
is free, it may be worth the play, especially if you are tool-boxing
your build a bit. If your meta game is full of Sabbat, perhaps this
card isn't for you. Combined with W: Chosen Are Called, you can
really move your hand if you choose to. Kind of appropriate, don't
you think, that the Black Hand has options to benefit Your Hand?

The Art of Memory
Type: Action Modifier
Requires: Black Hand
Requires a Black Hand vampire. Only usable when the action is
announced.
Remove this card from the game when it is played. If the action is
successful, move one card played by this vampire during this action
from your ash heap to your hand. Discard down to your hand size.

This is a useful card, especially if you've found a weakness in your
neighbor's deck that you can repeatedly exploit. Remember that the
ensuing combat from a successful rush is part of the action, and you
can use this card to pull your S:CE trump or Taste of Vitae back to
your hand. Any action card you may have played is also considered to
have been played 'during this action', which means you can use the
same Reunion Kamut or Khabar: Loyalty with additional Hand or Assamite
vampires for extra bloating, too.

Blooding
Type: Action
Requires: Sabbat
+1 stealth action. Requires a ready Sabbat vampire.
Put this card on the acting vampire and move one blood from the blood
bank to this vampire. This Sabbat vampire is Black Hand. A vampire can
have only one Blooding.

Unless all of your crypt vampires are Black Hand to begin with, you
will gain from the use of this card. The acting vampire qualifies to
untap via Watchtower: Four Ride Fourth on the same turn if the Blooding
is successfull.

Bloodwork
Type: Action
Requires: Black Hand
Requires a ready Black Hand vampire.
(D) Bleed at +1 bleed. If more than 2 pool is bled with this action,
ignore the excess. If the Methuselah you are bleeding controls a ready
Sabbat vampire, this action is at +1 stealth.

Not quite as cool as a Computer Hacking, unless your prey has a Sabbat
Vampire. Since Assamites have Obfuscate, we'd probably prefer the
more universally applicable Computer Hackings or Flurry of Actions that
allow the bleed to be modified, especially if we have Yazid in play.
Khabar: Glory is by far the best bleed card Assamites have going for
them.

Chronicle of the Lost Tribe
Type: Action
Requires: Black Hand
+1 stealth action. Requires a ready Black Hand vampire. Unique.
Put this card in play. You get +1 hand size. Any vampire with a
capacity above 4 may steal this card for his or her controller as a (D)
action.

Increased hand size is always helpful, and though the Chronicle can be
stolen, it is also easily defended if the Watchtower: Four Ride Fourth
is in play. If you are playing a medium to heavy combat deck, I reckon
most players will be content to let you keep it. If you want to be
really tricky, you can allow it to be stolen and then contest it as a
means to do Pool damage.

Circumspect Revelation
Type: Action Modifier
Requires: Black Hand
Requires a Black Hand vampire. Only usable when a Sabbat vampire
attempts to block.
The block attempt fails, and that Sabbat vampire cannot attempt to
block this action again.

The fact that you cannot know if your neighbors will even have a Sabbat
vampire in play keeps this card from being very useful. While its
effect is extremely powerful, the possibility of it being a dead card
makes Deed the Heart's Desire a better option for our clan. Our Hand
members do not have [DOM] or [OBF], but if you can build to it,
Seduction and Elder Impersonation superior can further your
block-denial ambitions.

Corporal Reservoir
Type: Master
Master: trifle.
Put this card on any Black Hand vampire. This vampire may tap this card
to prevent 1 point of damage in combat or to gain a blood. This card
doesn't untap as normal. This vampire may burn a blood to untap this
card during his or her untap phase.

Being a Trifle makes this card very playable. Being able to gain a
blood or prevent one damage on credit is handy, and since it's
essentially free to play, Corporal Reservoir is useful even if you
never pay the blood back to untap the card. You can stack them to gain
the ability to spread out the damage from a big strike over the next
two or three rounds as you pay to untap the Corporal Reservoirs at a
manageable rate. It's a common card, so you probably have a few of
them. An appropriate Archetype, Succulent Vitae, Palatial Estate, and
similar blood-gainers can all be useful in helping pay off your CR
debts. They are extremely useful in the endgame, when they can make the
difference between 'forced to hunt' and 'bleed for the oust'.

Council of Seraphim
Type: Action Modifier
Requires a Seraph.
Only usable when a minion is attempting to block. If a Sabbat vampire
is attempting to block, that block attempt fails (do not tap that
vampire). That vampire cannot block this action. Otherwise, the
blocking minion gets -1 intercept. Burn option.

This card exemplifies the power the Hand has over the Sabbat as
described in the Vampire: The Masquerade source material. Thankfully,
it has a cycle-friendly "otherwise" clause. Yazid can use Council
with a Seduction and Deed the Heart's Desire to push Bleeds through
with near impunity. Add an Obfuscate skill for access to Elder
Impersonation superior and never be denied!

Deep Cover Agent
Type: Action
Requires: Seraph
+1 stealth action. Requires a ready Seraph. Unique.
(D) Put this card on a younger ready vampire. You still control this
card. During your untap phase, you may look at this vampire's
controller's hand. This vampire can burn this card as a (D) action.
Burn option.

Black Hand Seraphs aren't all that common, so the burn option is nice
to have on this card. The (D) action to burn DCA is not at stealth, so
if you can dedicate a minion to blocking that action, you can look at a
player's hand all game long. Don't underestimate this ability, or
blow this card off because you think it's too hard to keep in play.
Only looking at your prey's hand once could be all you need, and any
other means you have of occupying the target younger vampire will keep
this card in play (XTC-Laced Blood, Pentex Subversion, Spike-thrower,
etc). You can also, and perhaps more efficiently, put the target
vampire in torpor. The target vampire is the only one who can take the
removal action, after all. Put a Bloodstone and a Deep Cover Agent on
your predator's favorite vampire and watch him second-guess himself
into being ousted.

Dominion
Type: Master
Master.
Put this card on a Black Hand vampire. Vampires must burn 1 blood to
attempt to block this Black Hand vampire. A vampire can have only one
Dominion.

The Camarilla Exemplary of the Black Hand, Dominions cannot stack. You
can combine them with Sabbat Priest, however, to allow your Assamite
Hand member to get by largely on reputation. The prospect of burning
two blood just to attempt to block a vampire who has Obfuscate will put
your opponents to two tests: do I potentially waste two blood if I fail
to block, and do I want to burn two blood just to get into a fight with
an Assamite?

Ebony Fox Hunt
Type: Master
Cost: 1 pool
Master: out-of-turn.
Cancel a blood hunt called on a Black Hand vampire you control. You may
play this card during your turn.

The Black Hand Assamites are not affected by the Blood Curse, so if you
want to explore the wonderful world of Diablerie, here is a nice way to
get away with it, regardless of who has vote lock or incidental Princes
and Archbishops. Watch out for those Sudden Reversals, though!

Marijava Thuggee
Type: Ally
Requires: Black Hand
Cost: 2 pool
Ghoul with 3 life. 1 strength, 1 bleed. Requires a ready Black Hand
vampire.
The thuggee can play cards requiring basic Obfuscate [obf] as a
vampire. He can inflict 1 damage on a ready vampire as a (D) action.
During your untap phase, if the number of thuggees you control is
greater than the number of Black Hand vampires you control, tap all the
thuggees you control.

The Thuggee is great for Assamite Black Hand builds, given the likely
use of Obfuscate in the deck. He has an innate bleed, and might
actually survive a fight with a vampire. He can push his special action
through with transient stealth. Combined with Ghouls of the Plaza
Moreria, your allies can do their part to help keep your opponents'
vampires locked down by removing blood from them every turn.

Ministry
Type: Reaction
Requires: Black Hand
Cost: 1 blood
Requires a ready Black Hand vampire. Do not replace until the end of
this action.
This vampire gets +2 intercept. If the acting vampire is Sabbat, this
vampire gets an additional +1 intercept. If this vampire does not
successfully block this action, he or she is tapped after action
resolution.

Given the fact that there are only a few members of the Hand from any
given clan, and therefore less discipline-sharing, Ministry gives
members a disciplineless way to generate intercept. The lack of an
intercept discipline among our Black Hand Assamites makes Ministry a
welcomed commodity. It is similar to a Second Tradition, though not
quite as savvy due to the untap clause being applied in reverse, and
having -1 hand size for the action. Come to think of it, Second
Tradition is way better. OK, compared to Legwork...

Reunion Kamut
Type: Action
Requires: Black Hand
+1 stealth action. Requires a Black Hand vampire.
Move 2 blood from the blood bank to a Black Hand vampire in your
uncontrolled region.

It's a Scouting Mission or Enchant Kindred superior, without the
pesky utility of a bleed action. Not a bad option, especially when your
crypt is a bit fat and your vampires lack superior Dominate or
Presence, like ours do. Combine with Watchtower: Greatest Fall, you can
significantly accelerate your influencing. Notice this one doesn't
have a "to a younger vampire" restriction, making it perfect for
getting good use out of smaller Black Hand vampires such as Piotr
Andreikov and Roger Farnsworth, who can move Pool to your extra copies
of Yazid.

Seraph
Type: Political Action
Requires: Black Hand
Political Card -- Worth 1 Vote. Called by any Black Hand vampire at +1
stealth.
Choose a non-Seraph Black Hand vampire with a capacity above 5. If this
referendum is successful, put this card on the chosen vampire. That
Black Hand vampire gains 2 blood and is a Seraph. Non-Sabbat vampires
cannot vote in this referendum.

Getting this referendum passed could prove difficult without the help
of Alamut, even though non-Sabbat vampires cannot vote. Gaining two
blood in the process adds a little incentive to give it a try. Any
methuselahs who control titled Sabbat vampires are not going to want
you to have a Seraph, given the advantages Black Hand members have over
the Sabbat and the fact that the really cool Hand cards require a
Seraph. Fortunately, we have Yazid to do our Seraph dirty work for us.
Should you want a back-up Seraph just in case, Joe Hill and/or Reza are
perfect candidates. Micheal diCarlo needs a Blooding and a skill card
before he qualifies. Coincidentally, he gets respect. Your cash and
your jewelry is what he expects...

Shakar
Type: Master
Cost: 1 pool
Master.
Put this card on a Black Hand vampire. This Black Hand vampire can
enter combat with any younger non-Black Hand vampire as a (D) action. A
vampire can have only one Shakar.

The Black Hand have a reputation for finding their enemies, and Shakar
is the word they use to describe the hunt. Assamites have their own
brand of justice, and our Master perma-rush doesn't cost a pool.
Shakar is more versatile than a Contract in that any younger vampire
qualifies at any given time, but it won't allow for Provisions of the
Silsila or Khabar: Honors. Our oldest Hand member, Yazid, is probably
not the oldest vampire on the table, either. Sometimes, you just have
to rush Lazverinus, even when you don't want to. For that, Shakar
won't help you. If your crypt contains high-capacity non-Assamite
Hand members, and you are intent on using rush combat as your strategy,
you will benefit from Shakar in your library. It can also be useful in
a multi-rush build by providing another rush action to take.

Watch Commander
Type: Reaction
Requires: Black Hand
Requires a Black Hand vampire. Only usable when attempting to block a
(D) action.
+1 intercept.

Common and free, Watch Commander especially helps the Assamites, whose
Hand members lack intercept-gaining disciplines (all due respect to
Reza and his ability to play Sonar). You can trumpet the merits of
Rooftop Shadow and The Mole all day, but I will never concede that
Celerity is an intercept discipline. Ministry should be your card of
choice, but WC can sprinkle in for an extra boost. (Quicken Sight
requires Auspex, so don't even go there!!)

Watchtower: Chosen are Called
Type: Master
Requires: Seraph
Cost: 1 pool
Master: Watchtower. Requires a ready Seraph.
Put this card in play. You may use a master phase action to draw three
cards (discard down to your hand size afterward). Burn this card if
another watchtower enters play. Burn option.

It costs a Pool and requires a Seraph, and for the additional cost of a
Master Phase action you have an opportunity to redirect your hand to
better fit your current situation. Excellent if your library has
multiple copies of unique cards or to wash your hand of a jam.
Sacrificing the Master Phase action is fairly significant, though, and
I'm not sure that this card is better than The Barrens for it's
utility. It is not unique like the Barrens, but any other Watchtower
entering play will burn it. It could be excellent if combined with
cards that grant additional Master Phase actions. Its effect is
significant, though of the Watchtowers, I think this one is the weakest
due to its costs.

Watchtower: Four Ride Forth
Type: Master
Requires: Seraph
Cost: 1 pool
Master: Watchtower. Requires a ready Seraph.
Put this card in play. During your discard phase, you may tap this card
to untap any ready Black Hand vampire. Burn this card if another
watchtower enters play. Burn option.

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this is the best Watchtower
to use if you are paying any heed to defensive play at all. Yazid
benefits greatly from this, as he can Flurry bleed for 2, take a second
presumably heinous action, and untap via W:FRF and be ready to block
with Ministry/Watch Commander or bounce bleeds with Deflection. Getting
the most out of your vampires is always a good strategy. Of the
Watchtowers, this is my personal favorite.

Watchtower: Greatest Fall
Type: Political Action
Requires: Seraph
Cost: 1 pool
Political Card -- Worth 1 Vote. Called by any Seraph at +1 stealth.
Watchtower.
In this referendum, each ready Seraph gets 2 additional votes. If this
referendum is successful, put this card in play. Tap this card to move
1 blood from the blood bank to a Sabbat vampire in your ready region or
your uncontrolled region (not usable during combat). Burn this card if
another watchtower enters play.

This is a powerful card, though it is appropriately costed and
difficult to get into play. It's dual function makes it highly
valuable, and the referendum will start with three votes from the
Seraph performing the action. If you've had Alamut in play for a few
turns, you should be in good shape to get this vote passed and start
bloating.

Putting it Together

After taking a look at our Black Hand tools, what will they help us
build? Let's look at our basic deck strategies and how the Black Hand
can enhance them.

Combat
Corporal Reservoir jumps out as the most obvious benefit the Black Hand
has for Assamites in a combat build. For crypts lacking Fortitude, it
will surely help manage a vampire's blood. Combined with Sideslip
and/or Blood Tears of Kephran, Assamites can actually generate decent
prevention without Fortitude, and not have to rely on dodges as heavily
(thus striking more often).

Deep Cover Agent and The Art of Memory can also be very useful to a
combat deck. Being able to see your prey's hand before you start your
minion phase? Sick. Re-using a rush or combat card with your next
minion? Delightful.

Ebony Fox Hunt can also be particularly useful for the Black Hand
Assamites, because the ability to commit diablerie can give you more
opportunity to use your Provisions of the Silsila. Shakar can be useful
for an extra conditional rush option.

Dominion can be helpful to jump-start the combat package of a "Bruise
and..." strategy, and combined with Thin Blood puts the bad guys at a
serious disadvantage before strikes are even declared.

Bleed
Again, Deep Cover Agent and The Art of Memory can be useful. Knowing
your prey's weakness and being able to exploit it twice with the same
card on the same turn makes you that much more efficient. For example,
use the same Govern the Unaligned twice in the same turn to bleed,
after you get to look at your prey's hand for bounce or Archon
Investigations. Bloodwork and Council of Seraphim could be worth a
splash, as well.

Politics
The Black Hand trait doesn't lend itself to political prowess
directly, and any Assamites with titles are either Independent, Laibon
(Olugbenga), or Camarilla (Merged Tegyrius). However, Alamut can fuel a
Political module. To enhance that module, The Art of Memory could come
in handy, especially to pick up a vote card and call it again with
another vampire. It should be noted that Black Hand and Seraph are
traits, not titles, so feel free to push Crusades and Cardinal
Benedictions if that's the way you want to go! For example, Cardinal
Yazid could call a Kine Resources Contested with The Art of Memory,
using counters on Alamut to push the vote through if needed. Use The
Art of Memory to take the vote card back into your hand. Archbishop of
Detroit Joe Hill could then call the same KRC and use any leftover
Alamut counters to push the referendum. If you pull that off, you have
bled the table for 8 with one card. The same trick could work with
Banishment, Conservative Agitation, Consanguineous Boon - any
Political Action card that doesn't remain in play.

Wall/Block & ...
Obviously, the extra intercept options from Ministry and Watch
Commander will help, but I'm not sure they are enough. You will need
several sources of permanent intercept to consistently block, and in
the case of wall decks, you need to diversify your crypt and include
Auspex for the ever-important Eagle's Sight. If you do that, you
might not need Ministry and Watch Commander as much. Whatever you
decide, Watchtower: Four Ride Fourth will surely save you cards slots,
and provide you with a 'free' action each turn.

There are several other cards that require, or otherwise benefit, Black
Hand vampires that I have not specifically discussed. Weeping Stone,
for example, could benefit just about any strategy with its increased
hand size and free blood gain. Remover's utility can perhaps be
explored in a multi-acting or weenie build, where having an extra
action to take is likely. Use it to tap a media location or
bleed-bouncing vampire. It's inherent +1 stealth will have your
opponent tapping the location just to block you anyway, and tapped
vampires can't play Deflection. Emergency Powers gives a Seraph an
additional vote during a referendum for each Gehenna card in play. What
manner of political horror can your Black Hand Assamites visit upon the
table after the Camarilla has fallen?

And now, in a break from tradition, I offer not one, but two decklists
that feature the Black Hand trait and our favored Assamites. May they
inspire you to unleash the power of the Hand on your play group.

Deck Name : Hand Box Bleed
Author : Tom Duncan
Description :
Black Handamite bleed, toolboxy block and vote.


Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 1 max: 8 average: 5.92
------------------------------------------------------------

4x Yazid Tamari           8  CEL QUI ani dom obf   Assamite:3
3x Reza Fatir, The Da     6  CEL QUI obf pro       Assamite:4
2x Michael diCarlo        5  CEL obf qui           Assamite:4
1x Joe "Boot" Hill        7  CEL QUI for obf       Assamite:4
1x Ali Kar                3  obf qui               Assamite:3
1x Basir                  1  qui                   Assamite:4


Library [90 cards]
------------------------------------------------------------

Action [19]
  1x Clandestine Contract
  6x Flurry of Action
  5x Khabar: Glory
  2x Khabar: Loyalty
  2x Reunion Kamut
  3x Web of Knives Recruit

Action Modifier [16]
  3x Art of Memory, The
  3x Cloak the Gathering
  1x Deed the Heart's Desire
  3x Lost in Crowds
  3x Mask of a Thousand Faces
  3x Suppressing Fire

Action Modifier/Combat [4]
  4x Swallowed by the Night

Combat [7]
  4x Disguised Weapon
  3x Psyche!

Equipment [7]
  5x .44 Magnum
  1x Sniper Rifle
  1x Ivory Bow

Master [18]
  3x Alamut
  4x Blood Doll
  5x Corporal Reservoir
  1x Market Square
  1x Obfuscate
  1x Perfectionist
  1x Underworld Hunting Ground
  1x Watchtower: Four Ride Forth
  1x Weeping Stone
  1x Yoruba Shrine

Political Action [6]
  3x Consanguineous Boon
  3x Kine Resources Contested

Reaction [12]
  6x Black Sunrise
  5x Ministry
  1x Watch Commander

Deck Name : Black Eye from the Black Hand
Author : Tom Duncan
Description :
A somewhat traditional Assamite combat cake with Black Hand frosting
and sprinkles.


Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 1 max: 7 average: 5.09
------------------------------------------------------------

3x Joe "Boot" Hill        7  CEL QUI for obf   Assamite:4
3x Reza Fatir, The Da     6  CEL QUI obf pro   Assamite:4
2x Michael diCarlo        5  CEL obf qui       Assamite:4
1x Skryta Zyleta          5  CEL obf pot pro   !Gangrel:3
1x Scarlet Carson O'T     4  CEL pro           !Gangrel:3
1x Jesús Alcalá           2  cel               !Gangrel:3
1x Basir                  1  qui               Assamite:4


Library [90 cards]
------------------------------------------------------------

Action [14]
  2x Blooding
  5x Clandestine Contract
  2x Games of Instinct
  1x Khabar: Glory
  1x Reunion Kamut
  3x Zillah's Tears

Action Modifier [5]
  2x Art of Memory, The
  1x Forgotten Labyrinth
  1x Hidden Lurker
  1x Succulent Vitae

Action Modifier/Reaction [3]
  3x Provision of the Silsila

Ally [4]
  1x Ghouls of Plaza Morería, The
  1x Gregory Winter
  2x Marijava Thuggee

Combat [31]
  2x Baal's Bloody Talons
  5x Blur
  1x Claws of the Dead
  4x Pursuit
  3x Selective Silence
  5x Sideslip
  3x Taste of Death
  3x Thin Blood
  5x Weighted Walking Stick

Equipment [5]
  1x .44 Magnum
  2x Cooler
  1x Ivory Bow
  1x Kali's Fang

Master [17]
  2x Blood Doll
  2x Contract
  6x Corporal Reservoir
  2x Fame
  2x Minion Tap
  1x Perfectionist
  1x Shakar
  1x Tension in the Ranks

Reaction [11]
  6x Black Sunrise
  5x Ministry

************************************************************************
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