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Advanced Helena Preview (spoiler)

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John Flournoy

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Sep 22, 2005, 5:29:48 PM9/22/05
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Posted to
http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/index.php?line=news&articleid=297 today:

Helena (Advanced)
Toreador
Group 3
Capacity 10
dai obf pre tha AUS CEL DOM
Advanced. Independent: Helena pays no blood costs for reaction cards
that require Auspex or Dominate. Infernal.
(Merge): Helena is immune to damage from demons and gets one level of
Daimonion and Obtenebration.

--------------

-John Flournoy

Jay Kristoff

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Sep 22, 2005, 5:52:10 PM9/22/05
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"John Flournoy" wrote:

Thank you Robert, Scott, Oscar and company.
Now I can have this deck ready for our storyline event:


4x Helena
1x Helena (advanced)
2x Marcellus
2x Ira Rivers
3x Isabel de Leon


2x Art Museum
3x Blood Doll
Direct Intervention
Giant's Blood
Gift of Experience
Pentex Subversion
Powerbase: Chicago
The Rack
Smiling Jack, The Anarch
2x Toreador Grand Ball

2x Anima Gathering
Graverobbing
2x Magic of the Smith
2x Nose of the Hound

3x Forgotten Labyrinth

4x .44 Magnum
Bowl of Convergence
2x Flack Jacket
IR Goggles
Palatial Estate
Sire's Index Finger
Sport Bike

4x Eagle's Sight
2x Enhanced Senses
6x Telepathic Misdirection
6x Wake with Evening's Freshness

Mylan Horseed (Goblin)
Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter)

4x Aura Reading
6x Blur
4x Concealed Weapon
2x Conflagration
Fast Hands
4x Flash
4x Psyche!
2x Side Strike
4x Side Slip
4x Taste of Vitae


feedback?


Jay


x5m...@gmx.de

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Sep 23, 2005, 8:16:17 AM9/23/05
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I had the same idea seeing the advanced version of Helena.

But i cannot see, what your deck is really doing with the ADV Helena.
Is paying no cost for Telepathic Misdirection and two Conflagration
really worth to pay the infernal cost?

I was thinking about playing Helena ADV with Valerius, i.e. AUS and DAI.

johnmeier1

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Sep 23, 2005, 9:10:17 AM9/23/05
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There are only a few cards Helena plays for free:
Burnt Offerings - still not worth playing
Deflection - neat!
Sins of the Cauchemar - eh, okay.
Telepathic Misdirection - nice :)

Kindred Coercion - HA! This rules, give her a [pre] master and you are
set.

-johnmeier

Alias

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Sep 23, 2005, 9:21:18 AM9/23/05
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I would like to see some trick, which can't be done by 6-cap Tremere
with superior DOM and Ankara Citadel.

Helena is, as any other 10-cap without votes, pretty pathetic.

Sten During

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Sep 23, 2005, 9:26:35 AM9/23/05
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If you suspect people to vote, well, a few Kindred Coercion to change
the votes of, let's say, 500 vampires could come in handy.

Sten During

Ezekiel...@gmail.com

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Sep 23, 2005, 10:05:49 AM9/23/05
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I see a nice little anarch revolt deck...

Helena Inferior can block all the vampires going anarch, and if someone
decides to call to burn the AR, she can play Kindred Coercion for
free...

Not much, but at least something. Prob not worth the infernal, though.

Jozxyqk

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Sep 23, 2005, 10:43:15 AM9/23/05
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Why not worth the Infernal?
If you give her an intercept permanent or two, and a Rack, then you'll
rarely (if ever) have to untap her during your turn.

Ankur Gupta

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Sep 23, 2005, 10:56:54 AM9/23/05
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> I would like to see some trick, which can't be done by 6-cap Tremere
> with superior DOM and Ankara Citadel.
>
> Helena is, as any other 10-cap without votes, pretty pathetic.

You underestimate the value of say, being anarch. Helena is a *beautiful*
vampire for anarchness.

And she packs a punch without any setup with respect to your 6 cap example
anyway. Also. . . how many 6 cap Tremere have all superiors?

Just a thought.

Ankur Gupta
Prince of West Lafayette

Frederick Scott

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Sep 23, 2005, 11:24:17 AM9/23/05
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<x5m...@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:1127477777.9...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

>I had the same idea seeing the advanced version of Helena.

What idea is that?


Frederick Scott

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Sep 23, 2005, 11:30:40 AM9/23/05
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"Sten During" <ya...@netg.se> wrote in message
news:4334028c$0$49018$1472...@news.sunsite.dk...

> x5m...@gmx.de wrote:
>> I had the same idea seeing the advanced version of Helena.
...

> If you suspect people to vote, well, a few Kindred Coercion to change
> the votes of, let's say, 500 vampires could come in handy.

Hmmm. That's an interesting point. When playing under such text wording
on a vampire card, can you set X to be anything you want and pay nothing?
Or does that fact that Advanced Helena's card text forces her to pay zero
blood mean that X must always be zero when Helena plays the card?

I suppose the former does sound more likely but I'm not sure.

Fred


Jozxyqk

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Sep 23, 2005, 12:15:06 PM9/23/05
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Frederick Scott <nos...@no.spam.dot.com> wrote:

> "Sten During" <ya...@netg.se> wrote in message
> news:4334028c$0$49018$1472...@news.sunsite.dk...
> > x5m...@gmx.de wrote:
> >> I had the same idea seeing the advanced version of Helena.
> ...
> > If you suspect people to vote, well, a few Kindred Coercion to change
> > the votes of, let's say, 500 vampires could come in handy.

> Hmmm. That's an interesting point. When playing under such text wording
> on a vampire card, can you set X to be anything you want and pay nothing?
> Or does that fact that Advanced Helena's card text forces her to pay zero
> blood mean that X must always be zero when Helena plays the card?

X can be anything.
Just ask Dragos with a fortitude skill card, playing Hidden Strength.

Jay Kristoff

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Sep 23, 2005, 12:18:33 PM9/23/05
to

<x5m...@gmx.de> wrote:

> I had the same idea seeing the advanced version of Helena.
>
> But i cannot see, what your deck is really doing with the ADV Helena.
> Is paying no cost for Telepathic Misdirection and two Conflagration
> really worth to pay the infernal cost?


You are right. It's not the best plan ever. It might be cool
for Storyline play. I will add a Contagion, and I may choose
to never pay the infernal cost.


> I was thinking about playing Helena ADV with Valerius, i.e. AUS and DAI.


sounds like good, satanic blocking fun.


Jay


pd...@lightlink.com

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Sep 23, 2005, 12:30:07 PM9/23/05
to

Frederick Scott wrote:

> Hmmm. That's an interesting point. When playing under such text wording
> on a vampire card, can you set X to be anything you want and pay nothing?
> Or does that fact that Advanced Helena's card text forces her to pay zero
> blood mean that X must always be zero when Helena plays the card?
>
> I suppose the former does sound more likely but I'm not sure.

Isn't there a Dragos precident that solves this question--like, I'm
pretty sure it has been determined that he can prevent infinite damage
with Hidden Strength, say.

-Peter

Alias

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Sep 23, 2005, 12:32:07 PM9/23/05
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Frederick Scott napsal:

actually, you cannot set X to be higher than 255, otherwise, you will
shut down whole game.

Colin Goodman

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Sep 23, 2005, 2:02:46 PM9/23/05
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"Alias" <ransom...@seznam.cz> wrote in message
news:1127493127....@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

>
>
> actually, you cannot set X to be higher than 255, otherwise, you will
> shut down whole game.
>

How so?

--
Colin "Eryx" Goodman
Samedi Prince of St. Neots, Cambridgeshire

Cambridge UK
http://www.geocities.com/eryx_uk/Cambridge_by_night.html


Frederick Scott

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Sep 23, 2005, 2:28:32 PM9/23/05
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"Colin Goodman" <colin.g...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:arXYe.19555$6p....@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net...

> "Alias" <ransom...@seznam.cz> wrote in message
> news:1127493127....@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>> actually, you cannot set X to be higher than 255, otherwise, you will
>> shut down whole game.
>
> How so?

Apparently, VtES is an 8-bit game. There was still a lot of that back
in 1994, when it was first developed.

In most CCGs developed after 2000, X can be anything up to 2 to the 64th
power minus one (!).

Fred


Emmit Svenson

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Sep 23, 2005, 3:37:05 PM9/23/05
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John Flournoy wrote:
> Helena (Advanced)
> Toreador
> Group 3
> Capacity 10
> dai obf pre tha AUS CEL DOM
> Advanced. Independent: Helena pays no blood costs for reaction cards
> that require Auspex or Dominate. Infernal.
> (Merge): Helena is immune to damage from demons and gets one level of
> Daimonion and Obtenebration.

Merged Helena sure makes Abyssal Hunter more appealing.

ira...@gmail.com

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Sep 23, 2005, 4:49:18 PM9/23/05
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> Merged Helena sure makes Abyssal Hunter more appealing

Does Conflagration (1R agg) burn the Abyssal Hunter if used at close
range?

Ira

LSJ

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Sep 23, 2005, 5:03:20 PM9/23/05
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ira...@gmail.com wrote:
> Does Conflagration (1R agg) burn the Abyssal Hunter if used at close
> range?

Card text:
"Burn the hunter if any ranged aggravated damage is done to him, even if it is
prevented."


--
LSJ (vtesr...@TRAPwhite-wolf.com) V:TES Net.Rep (remove spam trap to reply)
Links to V:TES news, rules, cards, utilities, and tournament calendar:
http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/

Olive...@gmail.com

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Sep 23, 2005, 6:44:49 PM9/23/05
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LSJ wrote:
> ira...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Does Conflagration (1R agg) burn the Abyssal Hunter if used at close
> > range?
>
> Card text:
> "Burn the hunter if any ranged aggravated damage is done to him, even if it is
> prevented."
>

to clarify:

>LSJ 5 Sep. 2002 16:37
>Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad
>Von: LSJ <vtes...@white-wolf.com>

>Guru wrote:
>> Are "ranged" and "usable at long range" interchangeable?

>Yes.

>--
>LSJ (vtes...@white-wolf.com) V:TES Net.Rep for White Wolf, Inc.

ira...@gmail.com

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Sep 23, 2005, 7:28:23 PM9/23/05
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Hello LSJ,

> > Does Conflagration (1R agg) burn the Abyssal Hunter if used at close
> > range?
>
> Card text:
> "Burn the hunter if any ranged aggravated damage is done to him, even if it is
> prevented."

Thanks for the quick response. I realize that the card text is already
clear to you, and perhaps you suspected I didn't read the card text,
didn't search google, or didn't spend sufficient time considering the
card text. I'm sure you get many questioners who fall into that
category (I do sometimes as well.)

In this case though, I did all those things and I'm still confused, so
posting the card text didn't help me any.* I know you answer many
posts a day, but perhaps you would consider including "yes" or "no" in
addition to the card text (if it's a yes/no question.)

My specific point of confusion, which I should have been more clear
about in my question (and posted the card text myself, to demonstrate
that I had already read it), is whether or not 1R agg damage is
considered "ranged agg" even if inflicted at close range.

*But... perhaps I hadn't *really* thought about my own question enough.
Your answer spurred me to look more, and Darkling Trickery is a good
parallel case. DT would still prevent damage from a gun shot at close
range, so I think that the Hunter would still burn if the ranged agg is
inflicted at close range.

Thanks, LSJ! :)

Ira

Janne Hägglund

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Sep 24, 2005, 1:22:42 AM9/24/05
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"Alias" <ransom...@seznam.cz> writes:

> Helena is, as any other 10-cap without votes, pretty pathetic.

Not as pathetic as Enkidu, an 11-cap without votes. ;-)


--
hg@ "If you can't offend part of your audience,
iki.fi there is no point in being an artist at all." -Hakim Bey

Daneel

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Sep 24, 2005, 10:16:20 AM9/24/05
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I don't think he can prevent more damage than he is actually taking,
though. So that kind of limits the possible prevention to around
900 damage in one playing of the card.

--
Bye,

Daneel

LSJ

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Sep 24, 2005, 1:33:26 PM9/24/05
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Dragos can choose X to be 10,000,000,000,000,000 if he likes.
He can only play Hidden Strength if there is damage to prevent, but
when playing it, he chooses whatever X he likes.

Just like when Arika takes 1 damage, she can spend 11 on Hidden
Strength to prevent 12 damage.

Or when Arika takes 1 damage, she can prevent it with Soak
(preventing 2 or 4 damage).


--
LSJ (vtesr...@TRAPwhite-wolf.com) V:TES Net.Rep (remove spam trap to reply)

Gregory Stuart Pettigrew

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Sep 24, 2005, 1:46:18 PM9/24/05
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On Sat, 24 Sep 2005, Janne Hägglund wrote:

> "Alias" <ransom...@seznam.cz> writes:
>
>> Helena is, as any other 10-cap without votes, pretty pathetic.
>
> Not as pathetic as Enkidu, an 11-cap without votes. ;-)
>

But he makes a Damned Spiffy Liason.

Sten During

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Sep 24, 2005, 2:54:34 PM9/24/05
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Frederick Scott wrote:
> "Sten During" <ya...@netg.se> wrote in message
> news:4334028c$0$49018$1472...@news.sunsite.dk...
>
>>x5m...@gmx.de wrote:
>>
>>>I had the same idea seeing the advanced version of Helena.
>
> ...
>
>>If you suspect people to vote, well, a few Kindred Coercion to change
>>the votes of, let's say, 500 vampires could come in handy.
>
>
> Hmmm. That's an interesting point. When playing under such text wording


Want to have more fun?
Let Helena host the Toreador Grand Ball. She'll cost you a pool to untap
anyway, so you could at least get another Toreador unblockable to offset
that cost, and of course, you DO get to untap her. Don't we just love
infernal Toreadors? :)

Sten During

Gregory Stuart Pettigrew

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Sep 24, 2005, 4:54:45 PM9/24/05
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> Want to have more fun?
> Let Helena host the Toreador Grand Ball. She'll cost you a pool to untap
> anyway, so you could at least get another Toreador unblockable to offset
> that cost, and of course, you DO get to untap her. Don't we just love
> infernal Toreadors? :)
>

I'd love Infernal Masika more.

Daneel

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Sep 25, 2005, 12:04:34 PM9/25/05
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On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 17:33:26 GMT, LSJ <vtesr...@TRAPwhite-wolf.com>
wrote:

> Daneel wrote:
>> On 23 Sep 2005 09:30:07 -0700, <pd...@lightlink.com> wrote:
>>> Isn't there a Dragos precident that solves this question--like, I'm
>>> pretty sure it has been determined that he can prevent infinite damage
>>> with Hidden Strength, say.
>>
>> I don't think he can prevent more damage than he is actually taking,
>> though. So that kind of limits the possible prevention to around
>> 900 damage in one playing of the card.
>
> Dragos can choose X to be 10,000,000,000,000,000 if he likes.
> He can only play Hidden Strength if there is damage to prevent, but
> when playing it, he chooses whatever X he likes.
>
> Just like when Arika takes 1 damage, she can spend 11 on Hidden
> Strength to prevent 12 damage.
>
> Or when Arika takes 1 damage, she can prevent it with Soak
> (preventing 2 or 4 damage).

I see. Thanks for clarifying!

--
Bye,

Daneel

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