A New Deck Idea for a New
Millennium
(With profuse apologies for doing that.)
Ah, he said finally slumping back into his chair in front of his
computer, rather than having to use horribly configured University
systems....
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.
Let us consider for a time, rather than the Malkavians themselves, their
Antitribu brethren. Most specifically, let us consider their slight
alteration in discipline mix, that of Dementation.
Dementation is an odd discipline, in that it is very powerful in some
ways, yet still has room for some "fun" cards as well. 3 very strong
bleeding cards set out to make Dementation a more than acceptable
alternative for Dominate in an Anti-Malkavian deck - Confusion, Eyes of
Chaos and Kindred Spirits. Two tapping cards make Tap and Bleed a
viable option - Wave of Insanity and Passion. Minor stealth in Passion
is combined with some combat defence, which is also found in Coma - most
often used in a situation to throw a surprise, rather than actively used
to hurt vampires. Derange makes for a fun card, which can also be
highly efficient when combined with Sacrifice, if you can get the vote
superiority. Those of you with an encyclopaedic knowledge of cards will
notice that I have missed two cards out.... Whilst you see if you can
remember what they are, let's have a little (related) diversion.
A while back on the newsgroup, one of the periodic discussions about
Strike: Combat Ends occurred, as they do. At one point, one
participant[0] asked the question of "Which cards stop Strike: Combat
Ends, then?" The discussion continued with several people listing the
obvious candidates for cards. Immortal Grapple is the most common card,
of course, forming a major part of most Brujah combat decks, and a lot
of Nosferatu ones too. Then we had Thoughts Betrayed - the expensive,
though viable, option for the Tremere, negating a lot of other nasty
strikes too, but it could help against Strike: Combat Ends too. Dog
Pack, the Gangrel's somewhat laughable alternative, providing, as it
does, a very expensive and fragile unique retainer for one vampire.
Psyche was mooted as a possibility, in that it can sometimes be
considered an option - though it does not actually stop the Strike:
Combat Ends, it allows you to get back into combat without using another
action, albeit meaning that they still get to cycle the S:CE out.
Rotschreck, of course, is another option, conjured up by James McClellan
and Salem Christ nigh-on simultaneously and independently to exploit the
Out of Turn nature of the card, facilitated by Madness Network. Hidden
Lurker was discussed as a possibility, but the requirement for blocking
was nasty, since an Obfuscate loaded combat deck might even include a
little stealth in order to select its target (a Swallowed by the Night
or two, perhaps, or a Forgotten Labyrinth - allowing exact targeting of
a rush action or a diablerie attempt, perhaps if playing the Nosferatu
Law Firm). Fast Reaction has similar problems in that if you want to
get into combat with a specific vampire and hit them, you have to get
them to act and be able to block them and have the spare vampire - not
easy.
However, so far as I was able to tell, I proposed two further cards that
were not commented upon by others - those two being those cards
available in Dementation not already mentioned. Let us consider the
root of the problem regarding Strike: Combat Ends, in how it is
effected. There are two major sources of Strike: Combat Ends - Presence
and Protean. Presence is, by most people's definitions I would think,
the more prevalent of the two providing, as it does, Majesty and
Catatonic Fear as highly potent Strike: Combat Ends cards - the ability
to untap, and the ability to also do damage being highly prized. Whilst
Protean has a superior card to Majesty in Earth Meld, this is not
commonly found due to its being limited to Protean, found only on the
Gangrel and Gangrel Antitribu as clan disciplines. Form of Mist is
quite highly utilised in some decks, finding a place because of its
ability to continue the action you were taking. Rapid Change seems to
be rarely found, however. Since Presence is found as a clan discipline,
though, on the Brujah, the Brujah Antitribu, the Toreador, the Toreador
Antitribu, the Ventrue, the Ventrue Antitribu and the Followers of Set,
and assorted other vampires contributing to roughly one-third of the
entire set, whereas Protean is only found on less than one-sixth, it is
not unreasonable to cite Presence as the major contributor.
Let us not forget, though, that there are other sources - Mercy for the
Weak has had 15 minutes of fame in another of the concoctions in which
the good Sir Legbiter was involved, and Riposte, Preternatural Evasion
and Spiritual Intervention, with a few more limited cards besides.
However, these sources are few and far between in game play.
So, we are left with Presence primarily, and Protean as a secondary
concern. Most concern has been placed upon the question of "How do I
stop them playing Strike: Combat Ends cards?" However, an equally
valid question would be "How do I deny them the resources to use Strike:
Combat Ends cards?" The difference is subtle - rather than attacking
the card itself, the common link is the discipline - attack that. Were
the common link to be the clan, say, if a card were to have been written
requiring the Toreador to play it to Strike: Combat Ends, a Derange
could be utilised in order to effect the same option as is being
proposed here - deny them the utility of their disciplines, not the
cards themselves. Let us not forget, of course, that we are dealing
here with disciplines as our common link. Disciplines are not solely
used to play Majesty, nor Earth Meld, though they can be should a
Methuselah so desire. There are other uses for them that denying them
the discipline will also impede.
There are two Dementation cards available to effect this plan. However,
if we merely wish to reduce the effect of their Strike: Combat Ends,
such that it does not include an untap option, or a damage dealing
option, we may find that the following card offers certain
possibilities:
Card Title: Dauntain Black Magician (Changeling)
Pool: 3
Clan: Malkavian Antitribu
Card Type: Ally
Card Text: Ally with 4 life.
3 hand damage, 0 bleed.
As a (D) action, Dauntain Black Magician can steal a
Master Discipline card from a vampire and put it on a
vampire you control that does not already have the
superior version of that Discipline. As a (D) action,
you may burn Black Magician to burn a Tremere
Antitribu controlled by your predator.
If you find that vampires are being brought out with only inferior
Presence, a removal of the extra discipline cards played may be a way to
reduce, though not neuter, the effect of any Strike: Combat Ends card.
Since speed is often of the essence, getting a small, weaker vampire,
though one capable of using the basic levels of the disciplines you
need, may be a strongly used option in your play group, bolstering them
later so that you get that extra turn of acting, that extra turn of
blocking, that extra turn of, well, that extra turn. A delay in the
bestowing of an extra discipline may be worth it, for your players.
Make their life hell.
The Dauntain himself is not that bad an ally, though there are many
problems intrinsically with allies which, it is my opinion, could be
addressed by a card in the future mini-expansion. However, assuming
that you would consider an ally in your deck anyway, he is not too bad.
He has a substantial amount of life and some serious clout with 3 hand
damage, which would make him useful against those smaller, less
developed vampires if you came up against them. The burning of a
Tremere Antitribu as a side effect might turn out to be worth it, so
that brings another option, though somewhat unlikely it has to be said.
However, now we turn to those options presented to us by Dementation -
Blessing of Chaos and Mind of a Child. Let us not forget that Mind of a
Child has one of the most disturbing pieces of artwork available in
V:TES[1], and it is certainly one I would like to pick up as a print, if
not the original, though I suspect that such would prove difficult.
Mind of a Child is the more "catch all" of the two, in that it prevents
the use of *any* discipline by the afflicted vampire - this clearly
would hamper the ability to use Celerity, Protean, Presence or
Necromancy, only easily leaving Mercy for the Weak as an option, and one
not likely to come up very often. Also, this card works most
effectively in making it harder to pull off other actions and tricks.
Since it requires an action on their part, a well-timed playing of it
could expose their vampire at a very vulnerable time which, if well-
planned, would be perfect for stomping on them. However, it is a highly
expensive card at three blood, and it is fragile, in that an action can
be taken to burn it. This need not be a problem if you act soon enough,
but it could equally be a huge problem.
Blessing of Chaos, on the other hand, works quite differently. It is
played on one of your vampires, and is only effective (for combat terms)
against the Presence based defence - though it would also neatly protect
you against an unexpected Coma, too. It is cheaper and, though only
affecting one vampire of yours, could affect many of theirs. Should you
be able to play multiple copies of it on different vampires, it could
easily make their life difficult, and its ability to target many of
their vampires could be equally troublesome in *non*-combat settings -
an attempted block of a political action, with no ensuing intercept so
the +1 stealth action proceeds, would prevent the acting vampires from
playing cards like Awe, Voter Captivation, Bewitching Oration and so
forth - and a failed block, as you have done, means that you can block
again. It would help you against Majesty very nicely indeed, though
leaving you exposed to Protean. However, it is cheaper and more
permanent, and potentially more effective.
Let us also note that since these cards, unlike Immortal Grapple, do not
depend on range, they can allow you to play a more versatile type of
deck.
Card Title: Blessing of Chaos
Blood/Pool: 1 blood
Clan/Discip.: Dementation
Card Type: Action
Card Text: This is a +1 stealth action.
Put this card on the acting vampire. If the vampire
with this card attempts to block another vampire,
that vampire cannot play action modifiers requiring
Dementation, Dominate, Presence, or Chimerstry.
Vampires opposing this vampire in combat cannot play
cards that require those Disciplines.
(S) As above, and actions requiring those Disciplines
cannot be directed at this vampire.
Card Title: Mind of a Child
Blood/Pool: 3 blood
Clan/Discip.: Dementation
Card Type: Action
Card Text: (D) Put this card on any vampire. The vampire with
this card cannot play cards that require Disciplines.
This card may be burned by any vampire as a +1
stealth action.
(S) As above, and the capacity of the vampire with this
card is reduced by 1 (but not below 0).[2] Remove
excess blood.
So, if we examine those vampires who already have Dementation, we can
see that there are combat options open to them, beyond Coma. Artemis
has "for" and "cel", allowing a blurred onslaught with damage
prevention, as well as OBF for a hidden gun, perhaps. Boy Toy is too
small to be really useful, though with a skill card he could potentially
make a useful employer of Mind of a Child versus others, or a vote
stopper with Blessing of Chaos as noted. Claven has the options with
"obf" to make a Disguised Weapon deck, as does Hannibal who can also
blur with "cel". Imogen superbly has "pro vic obf", allowing the
Disguised Weapons, claws, Bonecrafts, Breath of the Dragon and so forth.
Korah is limited to "OBF" and "ani", though animalism could make an
interesting tool with Scorpion Sting versus dodges, were you to upgrade
it, and the obligatory obfuscate reference applies here, too. Marlene
has "for dem tha", which really allows for creative options on your
part. Muriel has no really offensive disciplines, so using her as Boy
Toy is an option. Vasantasena gets "OBF" and "pot", the potence making
her potentially lethal. Yorik has "obf", and the standard references
apply. Gillian Krader exists as a Pander to utilise it with animalism.
Ian Forestal, of course, could use any of these cards and combine them
with others to form an interesting combat deck, though some might
consider Immortal Grapple to be the more worthwhile option[3] in such a
situation.
The other alternative is to throw a few copies of the Dementation master
card in a deck with a few copies of, say, Blessing of Chaos and use them
when they come up. This is *one* alternative, but there does appear to
be a more popular one currently which is doing the rounds for non-
standard disciplines - Infernal Familiar.
Card Title: Infernal Familiar
Blood/Pool: 2 blood
Clan/Discip.: Thaumaturgy
Card Type: Retainer
Card Text: Retainer with 2 life.
The vampire with this retainer can play a card that
requires a Discipline he or she does not have as if h
or she had the basic level of that Discipline; if he or
she does so, place an investment counter on the
Infernal Familiar. If the number of investment
counters on the Familiar is greater than his
controller's capacity, burn the controlling vampire.
Whilst the counters are unfortunately cumulative with the Familiar, not
the vampire using it at the time, it could prove to be an option,
especially if you could get a Heidelberg into play - useful for other
things, not just this.
How much fun could you have sneering at a Majesty when smacking hard
with Zack North, with claws? Or a Tremere deck that could steal blood
and not just stand there thinking "Oh, how lovely you are"?
All this and more could be yours, for a small investment in a few non-
standard cards.
***
With special thanks to Legbiter for being so creative in his deck ideas
that sometimes you just think "What would *he* do?" and an answer
appears in your head which is just so weird, it isn't true.
Any loss of victory points for using the concepts in this article is
entirely at the risk of the person creating a deck. Neither Clan
Malkavian, nor the Malkavian Mouthpiece, are available for court room
appearances in the real world.
[0] Names left out to protect the innocent.
[1] I would suggest a close inspection for those who have currently
missed this.
[2] Standing errata over-rules this, in that capacities are not allowed
to fall below 1 by any means.
[3] However, if you are only working for efficiency, this is not the
right way to do it.
--
James Coupe (Malkavian Mouthpiece)
Vampire: Elder Kindred Network
http://www.white-wolf.com/VTES/vekn.html http://www.obeah.demon.co.uk