Homoncular Servant
Harbingers of Skulls/
Retainer
Requires a Harbinger of Skulls
1 life
When there is no acting minion, this Harbinger of Skulls may tap this retainer to untap.
As above, and this Harbinger of Skulls may tap this retainer to gain +1 bleed as an action modifier.
Harbingers do have Necromancy Rituals (from the online materials I've found) that would allow them to have effectively necromantic hands to do some of their bidding. This may include helping destroy others property or performing menial tasks for them, hence the two abilities.
It's meant to give them a little free untap (not usable as a 'wake') and some extra go-forward.
Thoughts?
Retired Baron of Sydney, Australia, 418
The inferior seem badly written or overpowered. My Harbinger of skull do something, then once the action is finished (no action, so no acting minion), he tap the retainer to untap ? In other word, FREE rutor hand ?
> Juggernaut1981 wrote:
> It's meant to give them a little free untap
>
What does "little" mean here? It's a free untap. Period.
Prince of Paris, France
Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director
It's a multiact not a block. Its once off. Not endless (unlike drawing endless Freak Drives). It only works when no minion is taken an action, like Heidelberg Castle.
Retired Baron of Sydney, Australia, 418
> Juggernaut1981 wrote:
> It's a multiact not a block. Its once off. Not endless (unlike drawing endless Freak Drives). It only works when no minion is taken an action, like Heidelberg Castle.
>
... And it work every turn, making it the same as Rutor hand, but for 0 blood instead of 4. And it work the turn you put into play.
Hum... not unique... you can stack them...
Its probably less damaging to have a HoS unique location to untap ONE of them...
They also lack voting power.
> Juggernaut1981 wrote:
> It's a multiact not a block. Its once off. Not endless (unlike drawing endless Freak Drives). It only works when no minion is taken an action, like Heidelberg Castle.
>
You can use it during another player's master phase. Or simply between two of his actions (just like Heidelberg), so basically it can be used to block too.
Prince of Paris, France
Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director
Here's a nerf (and I fixed the typo in the name)
Name: Homuncular Servant
Cardtype: Retainer
Clan: Harbinger of Skulls
Cost: 1 pool
Zombie with 1 life.
[nec] You may tap this retainer at the end of a successful action this Harbinger of Skulls performs to untap him or her.
[NEC] As above, and you may tap this retainer to give this Harbinger of Skulls +1 bleed for the current action.
1 pool seems balanced for the dual effect.
Prince of Paris, France
Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director
And still the card is very powerful. I don't know whether you could use it to untap after the action to equip it, but two action per turn, every turn, for an inferior discipline seem strong. And that with an Heidelberg Castle may net you a lot of action. (not that the retainer can be used multiple time in a turn, but you could pass it around to alway have it on the vampire with two interesting action).
A "tap this vampire at end of turn" for the inferior effect would be in line of the poster intent of it not being useable as a wake, and it would be pretty original.
And you can still stack it...
So... jack of both sides for this retainer... tap the retainer... do something else...
Stack a couple of them for the +x bleed...
> Eius wrote:
> Or a statement that addational h.servants add no additional benefit. I.e. do not stack
>
Perhaps your previous suggestion is more elegant and it restricts possible Heidelberg shenanigans and whatnots...
But the Harbingers don't have anything great to do with all their extra actions, nor enough stealth to ensure the actions are successful. What do you propose we do with this card? Just get more servants?
Pulse @ AUS
Revelations @ aus
Get Masquer Wraiths
Make Shamblers
... I'm just basically trying to come up with thematically plausible cards that may actually help Harbingers, since people have whinged they are useless. And the trick seems to be Clan cards.
Retired Baron of Sydney, Australia, 418
I would much rather have some actually useful necromancy cards that are usable by everyone, as currently the whole discpline is pretty much just Shambling Hordes, Spiritual Intervention, Call of the Hungry Dead, and Spectral Divination.
The problem is that Giovanni already have all of the interesting zombies (except Reanimated) as clan allies. Adding in NEC cards MUST take into account all of the Gio-specific cards they already have.
Retired Baron of Sydney, Australia, 418
> Juggernaut1981 wrote:
> The problem is that Giovanni already have all of the interesting zombies (except Reanimated) as clan allies. Adding in NEC cards MUST take into account all of the Gio-specific cards they already have.
>
That still doesn't mean that all the other vampires with necromancy should be shafted.
> Juggernaut1981 wrote:
> Pulse @ AUS
> Revelations @ aus
> Get Masquer Wraiths
> Make Shamblers
>
> ... I'm just basically trying to come up with thematically plausible cards that may actually help Harbingers, since people have whinged they are useless. And the trick seems to be Clan cards.
>
Good idea, but can't they just use Freak Drive?
> Juggernaut1981 wrote:
> The problem is that Giovanni already have all of the interesting zombies (except Reanimated) as clan allies. Adding in NEC cards MUST take into account all of the Gio-specific cards they already have.
>
This isn't really accurate. You can add as many new Necromancy cards as you like, the problem is making new cards that favor non-Giovanni clans as much or more. That's a difficult and interesting problem because the Giovanni have good clan cards and Dominate.
> Juggernaut1981 wrote:
> The problem is that Giovanni already have all of the interesting zombies (except Reanimated) as clan allies. Adding in NEC cards MUST take into account all of the Gio-specific cards they already have.
>
Giovanni have Khazar's Diary so the card cannot be unique to not further help this already decent archetype. Giovanni have dominate and potence, while harbringers have fortitude and auspex. To help you need to take into account their crypt choices and viable archetypes, and how the created card affect them.
Given they have and , wallish strategy seems painfully obvious. Another interesting sub-theme is blood denial (Lazarene Inquisitor) and milling the deck.
Sabbat.Black Hand Shakar: Lech loathe ranged weapons. Once each action, he may burn 1 blood to become Camarilla Prince of Krakow until the end of the action.
@Lech
So they can become:
A Grinder Wall that can't lunge (No Dominate)
A Combat Wall that doesn't hit hard (Not !Salubri or Osebo)
The Brinkmanship Clan (Because apparently that works awesome-sauce)
What else are they going to do? NEC seems the way to enhance them, Samedi and Nagaraja.
NEC seems to suggest retainers (like a Rutor's Hand and others), allies, ashheap management, manipulate wraiths/zombies/vampire bodies... but you have to make sure that it won't aid the Giovanni's in their already strong areas (Classic Powerbleed, Khazar's Diary, Guillermo's Real Estate)
Retired Baron of Sydney, Australia, 418
There needs to be more NEC+for or aus cards. both help harbingers, and aus helps nagaraja, and for helps samedi. and, lady constantia (a capadocian , to be fair) is the only Giovanni to benefit all 3 capadocian disciplines.
so, maybe some combat aid with for NEC and some blocking and ashheap stuff with aus NEC, and 3 clans benefit especially the shafted HoS. also, hordes doesn't get better, or Giovanni while doing it.
I still think a HoS clan card or cards is needed, tho.
@Reverend:
Maabara is a location that allows card recycling. It's actually a nice card despite its apparently high cost for drawing the card (1 MPA).
Again, they are reasonably capable at combat (Mercy for Seth, Fortitude, maybe with Guns) but there is still even a danger of making the cards NEC FOR because of Proxy Kissed (which gives a Gio ). This is why it is disappointing that so many necromancy-related cards have been made Giovanni Clan cards. It basically means that any new necromancy card should either become a clan card, or needs to be so carefully designed because of those Giovanni clan cards.
AUS NEC is a possible option, but won't help Samedi at all.
Retired Baron of Sydney, Australia, 418