Lasombra Newsletter, November 2006 INTRODUCTION Well, it's been ages (over two years in fact) since the Lasombra Newsletter has had an instalment. I've long wanted to contribute something to the VTES community to which I'm more or less utterly guilty of just observing and following the release of VTES 3rd Edition this seems as good a way as any to go about it. I make no real claims to being an expert at using the Lasombra; though they tend to be one of my preferred clans to play with and as a result I welcome any ideas or criticism. On a similar note, if anyone has anything, decks, ideas or fiction they would like to contribute please feel free to email me and I'll try to include it and give you your credit. I certainly do not intend to force any of you to suffer any woeful attempts I might make at fiction. It is my intention that this newsletter should serve as a back-to-basics of sorts. Given the nature of 3rd Ed as a base set this feels appropriate to me. As I've not been playing as long as a good portion of players (I started playing about half-way between Final Nights and Camarilla Edition) my own collection of cards is by no means extensive. I imagine that I may therefore understand some of the inherent difficulties of collecting the Lasombra as a clan given their lack of a recently printed precon. Finally anyone interesting in playing the Lasombra should of course look over the archive of newsletters that have been produced over the past few years. PLAYING WITH THE LASOMBRA In the Vampire the Masquerade roleplaying game the Lasombra are the de facto political leaders of the Sabbat. A clan of Machiavellian schemers subscribing to the beliefs of survival of the fittest. In VTES the Lasombra have a similar air about them. As a clan the Lasombra have significant political abilities similar to their VtM counterparts with a suitable spread of titles (8 titled vampires in the G2-3 pair and 7 in the G3-4 pair). However they rarely seem to be as dominant politically in VTES as their image might suggest, due in part to the typically high capacity of titled Lasombra (8.25 in the G2-3 pair and 7.57 in the G3-4 pair which only contains two archbishops and one cardinal) and partially due to the fact that as members of the Sabbat the Lasombra lack some power political cards available to the Camarilla (the Traditions), save our Lasombra prince, Giangaleazzo, The Traitor, and the fact that the Lasombra's disciplines do not directly contribute to political success; dominate offers some options but typically the best political clans will make use of presence, which is not a clan discipline for the Lasombra. In fact this is something of a common trend for the Lasombra whose disciplines seem to suggest a more toolboxy approach. Potence lets them fight, dominate lets them bleed (and deflect!) and obtenebration supports them in both strategies, offering both combat and stealth (which is also helpful for a political deck) but the Lasombra can be outdone by other clans in both areas (The Malkavians make better sneak bleeders, the Brujah better combatants); the key to success with the Lasombra in my opinion becomes a matter of embracing their flexibility and the unique abilities available to them; which I will explore over the coming few months. WHAT HAS THIRD ED BROUGHT US? Third Edition has brought us twelve new vampires (well, 11 and Dr. Julius Sutphen Advanced) and no new library cards for the clan, though we of course have received reprints and a number of new cards that suit us nicely. For now though lets take a look at the vampires: Andrew Emory Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 5 Disciplines: OBT aus dom pot Sabbat bishop. Rarity: Third:V Andrew offers us a couple of options; clearly of all of our strategies he's better suited towards politics given his title and OBT for much needed stealth which will also help him get bleed through. His auspex is interesting and he shares it with Antón, Melinda and Onaedo which may allow for a splash of auspex in such decks. Note that Anton and Melinda are both titled and that Melinda has that all important auspex. If this political approach isn't for you though you'd probably be better suited going for Ermenegildo instead. Antón de Concepción Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 9 Disciplines: ANI DOM OBT POT aus Sabbat Archbishop of Chicago: Antón gets an optional maneuver on the first round of combat. Rarity: Third:V I'm not hugely impressed by Antón to be honest. His title is nice of course and his optional maneuver may help protect him in a political deck (or empower him in a combat deck), but compared to the titled Lasombra from group two who had presence Antón seems like a lesser option. Still Antón does offer some interesting possibilities; ANI gives him access to some interesting intercept possibilities (as does his inferior auspex) as well as some significant combat abilities, making Antón a better combatant then your average Lasombra. Tooled up with a few Raven spies and Eternal Vigilance Antón could add a wallish aspect to a political deck centred on him, which wouldn't be a slouch in combat by any means. Conrad Adoula Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 8 Disciplines: DOM OBT POT ani cel Sabbat: While Conrad is acting, reaction cards cost younger vampires an additional blood to play. Rarity: Third:V It's a shame that Conrad lacks a title all things considered. That's not to say that Conrad lacks merit though, being the second youngest vampire in the G3-4 pair with all three clan disciplines at superior as well as a rather nice special ability that may discourage casual wakes as well as increase the cost of attempting to intercept Conrad or deflect any of her bleeds. Dr. Julius Sutphen Advanced Clan: Lasombra (group 3) Capacity: 5 Disciplines: POT dom obt Advanced. Sabbat: During a (D) action, Julius may burn 1 blood to get +1 stealth. [MERGED] Archbishop of Atlanta: Julius gets +1 strength in combat with a Camarilla vampire. Rarity: Third:V I tend to find that potence is the discipline I value least on my Lasombra; even with Obtenebration as a support discipline Julius will have a hard time going toe to toe with other serious combat decks. Similarly Julius' ability would have been all the more useful had he possessed superior dominate. Regardless it still makes him a suitable candidate for bleeding though one had best keep a careful eye on his blood supply. If your deck focuses on politics you'd be better off using the basic version of him however. Merging Julius is by no means a bad idea; for the cost of six pool you'll get your hands on an archbishop, which is a pretty good deal. Julius' abilities don't mesh particularly well, but they certainly don't hurt and may come in handy from time to time. An idea that does intrigue me is trying to tool Julius up with an Atonement, merging him and then obtaining an Eternal Vigilance while using skill cards to give him superior dominate and obtenebration creating an 8 cap archbishop who younger vampires must burn a blood to block (and if Julius is performing a directed action he will have the option of burning a blood for +1 stealth) who can then burn a blood to attempt to untap and block any attackers. Given the new card Abbot and the capacity for intercept obtenebration offers the idea doesn't seem too bad, though it may have too many moving parts... Ermenegildo, The Rake Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 5 Disciplines: DOM OBT pot Sabbat. Black Hand. Rarity: Third:V Beautiful. Everything we could ask for in a midcap vampire really; DOM and OBT support our traditional strategies of mixing bleeding and politics and he's Black Hand to boot! A candidate for almost every Lasombra focused deck for sure. Leila Monroe Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 4 Disciplines: dom obt pre Sabbat: Leila may change the sect of an anarch vampire with no blood to Sabbat as a +1 stealth (D) action. Rarity: Third:V A pretty useless special ability that may see use once a blue moon (and effective use once a decade) but that's not too worrying actually as it doesn't seem to have cost Leila much at all; she's a generic 4 capacity vampire who's traded in potence for presence which suits me just fine; she'll make an idea supporting vampire to any of the G3-4 Lasombra with presence. Lord Vauxhall Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 7 Disciplines: DOM OBT POT THA Sabbat. Our youngest vampire in the G3-4 pairing with all three clan disciplines at superior and although he lacks any special abilities his THA certainly suffices; allowing to persue a number of interesting combat strategies, providing maneuvers, bleed theft, damage unpreventable by fortitude alongside the ever wonderful Rutor's Hand. Lord Vauxhall isn't the only Lasombra with thaumaturgy at one level or another; so he has a number of playmates and even without them he can pursue an interesting bruise bleed strategy. Luca Italicus Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 10 Disciplines: DOM FOR NEC OBT POT tha Sabbat Archbishop of Philadelphia: Once each round after the first, Luca can strike for 2R damage. Rarity: Third:V Again I feel like I should complain about the fact that this large titled vampire lacks presence, but he's alright really. I can't see his special ability coming in handy too often, though it'll be nice when it does. FOR offers Luca the ability to multi-act and survive nasty combats (always a plus), Necromancy offers a number of interesting tricks (including the lovely Call of the Hungry Dead) and tha again offers a number of possibilities, including Rutor's Hand, though that could prove very risky if used at inferior. There are a good number of Giovanni with fortitude in the G3-4 pair who will be happy to work alongside Luca. Lucy Markowitz Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 3 Disciplines: dom obt Sabbat. Rarity: Third:V Not much to say about Lucy really. A nice support vampire. Melinda Galbraith Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 10 Disciplines: AUS CEL DOM POT PRE obt Sabbat cardinal. Rarity: Third:V Yeah, ok, she's a !Toreador...She only has inferior Obtenebration blah blah blah. To be honest that's not much to complain about as far as I'm concerned; you've got a cardinal with presence, a stealth providing discipline, serious bleed power (dominate AND Presence), intercept ability and combat capabilities above your average Brujah (that obtenebration will offer some nice abilities). This is one pretender I'm happy to welcome to the clan. Paulo de Castille Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 4 Disciplines: ani dom pot Sabbat: When Paulo is put into play during your influence phase, you may move 1 blood from him to any Lasombra in your uncontrolled region. Rarity: Third:V At first glance I'd be quite happy to dismiss Paulo; I don't think animalism offers him much and I'd prefer to see obtenebration to potence. Unless you're playing an animalism dominate deck I can't see Paulo offering you much; though if you decide to use him with one of the other Lasombra with animalism you may get some use out of his ability. For extra entertainment have him descend into darkness to let you do it again. Of course at that point you'll have to have used a skill card to give him obtenebration and it's not really worth the effort. Oh well. Maybe the !Nosfertu will find a use for him. Virginie, Prodigy Clan: Lasombra (group 4) Capacity: 6 Disciplines: DOM POT obt Sabbat bishop: Once each action, Virginie may burn 1 blood to get +1 bleed. Rarity: Third:V A very nice midcap all things considered, a title, the ever wonderful dominate at superior and a special ability that only adds to her bleeding capacity. Virginie is suitable to support most clan strategies. SIGN OFF Well, that's it for November. Being a student I'm going to have much of the Christmas period off, so expect another update in December relatively soon, in which I'll take a look at the two Lasombra we received in Legacies of Blood, the Lasombra clan discipline of dominate and some of the cards available to the clan. I'll see what I can do about providing a deck; but if anybody has one they'd like to share feel free to send it to me at insaneprophet@gmail.com. As a final comment I'd like to thank my VTES nemesis DeoqV2 for proof reading this newsletter for me and helping me iron out my abysmal spelling and grammatical errors.