Assamite Clan Newsletter, July 2006 - Out of Clan Disciplines
Wookie813
July 2006
By Tom Duncan
Straight up
I have been playing Assamites almost exclusively for a while now, and
have extensively explored using the clan-specific cards in combination
with Celerity, Obfuscate, and/or Quietus. I have enjoyed this a great
deal, and I have come to learn that I don't own quite enough Black
Sunrises to keep four Assamite decks built. I'm seriously considering
which one of my utilities I could do without to free up a little
spending money for a trip to my favorite on-line retailer. If only I
could keep my wife from figuring out that the water has been shut
off...
Content with my in-clan explorations (though certainly not finished), I
decided to spend the month of June trying some out-of-clan disciplines
on for size. Obviously I didn't get in enough games to try them all
- the act of building and deconstructing that many decks in a month
is beyond the scope of my available free time, much less getting in the
test games on Tuesdays. I was able, though, to play several tables with
this month's featured deck, and have spent some time considering
strategies for the other disciplines.
The unique structure of the Assamite clan, with it's three castes,
provides our crypts with a good deal of diversity AND synergy. I have
explored all of these "in-clan out-of-clans" at some point. The
caste disciplines are found relatively frequently, particularly in
group two, and make for a good starting point for discussion.
Auspex
Common among Sorcerers and Viziers, there are ten assassins who possess
it (four with superior - ADV Tariq and Tegyrius counted as separate
choices). Auspex is best known for its reaction selection, providing
multiple sources of transient intercept. Best among them for our clan
is surely Quicken Sight. Coming up with Celerity as the additional
requirement isn't difficult for Assamites, though Tegyrius is the
only option for using it at superior without a skill card.
Precognition and Spirit's Touch also provide useful combat helpers at
superior. With AUS weenie support, Anima Gathering, Revelations, and
Pulse of the Canaille become viable options, and Aura Reading is an
excellent combat helper at either level. Telepathic Tracking is also
considered a strong play against S:CE, but Psyche! is likely to be a
better option for us. The most commonly used Auspex card in the TWDA is
probably Telepathic Misdirection, for good reason.
Draught of the Soul and Truth of Blood both require [aus][qui], and are
strong plays if you have the crypt for them. See May 2006 newsletter
for a closer look at Truth of Blood. Nose of the Hound is a stellar
rush action, providing a maneuver and being immediately replaceable,
unlike Bum's Rush.
Dominate
Warriors will occasionally have Dominate. If you can't figure out how
to win with Dominate and Obfuscate, I can't help you.
Fortitude
Assamite Viziers of significant age might develop Fortitude. Primarily
a damage prevention discipline, it fits nicely into our combat
packages, usually replacing dodges and, as a result, a few additional
strikes. I tend to sprinkle Skin of Steel and Rolling with the Punches.
Soak can also be useful, depending on the meta. Mine is combat-heavy,
so being able to prevent all damage from a strike is efficient. RwtP
inferior is useful for environmental sources of damage, as well. You
can also try Restoration, but Succulent Vitae might be just as good.
Dawn Operation is a nice way to make combats extra nasty, should they
occur. The two most seen Fortitude cards in Assamite builds, though,
are probably Forced March and Freak Drive, which provide minion phase
untaps for multi-acting. Squeezing a few extras actions out of a fattie
(or even Fatty) is an excellent way to reap the rewards of a well-timed
Khabar: Glory.
Potence
Also found among the Warriors of the clan, a little Potence can go a
long way, even if only at inferior (only Thetmes, Husamettin, and Jalal
Sayad have it at all, and at inferior. Web of Knives Recruits, once in
play, also have inferior potence). The benefits of Immortal Grapple are
profound, limiting opponents to hand strikes and frustrating S:CE,
dodges, weapons, Comas, etc. Lazverinus and Enkidu will still laugh at
you, though. Pushing the Limit and Undead Strength are excellent melee
weapon boosters, though I prefer Torn Signpost and additional strikes
(remember that Dagon's Call and Scorpion's Touch are hand strikes).
Potence offers a selection of Ranged strikes, as well, though we have
that realm nicely covered with Taste of Death and Blood Sweat.
Presence
You will find Presence among the Viziers of the clan. It facilitates
the famous Bewitching Oration/Voter Captivation combo, which turns any
Political Action, even if completely ineffectual, into a Blood and
Pool-gaining bonanza. Awe and Scalpel Tongue can complement this
package. Aziz comes with superior and inherent votes, while Antara's
special text provides an opportunity for vote control at any given
table. Tegyrius, when merged, is a Justicar. Combine with Alamut for
some excellent potential.
Aside from political power, Presence is the second-best bleed
discipline. There are something like seven different bleed actions that
require just Presence, and Heart of the City provides a permanent
boost. The superior versions of the bleed actions add many nice options
- not always just more bleed - so there is something for everyone.
Deed the Heart's Desire becomes useful when bleeding big, and if
piling on tons of stealth isn't enough o keep you out of combat,
Majesty or Catatonic Fear will help pick up the slack.
Thaumaturgy
The signature discipline of Sorcerers, you can find six Assamites from
group two from which to choose. Only Al-Ashrad and Ur-Shulgi have
superior, and will make the best of the THA-required cards.
Rutor's Hand is perhaps the strongest Thaumaturgy has to offer,
providing a permanent minion phase untap each turn. The cost is high,
but only because it's totally worth it.
Theft of Vitae is a perfect Fortitude-hoser, and combined with Blur in
sufficient quantities can empty opponents of blood,
Fortitude-be-damned. Keep a Taste of Death or Blood Sweat handy for the
coup-de-grace. Rushing and Serenading the Kami with Blood Rages or
Furies is an expensive and card-intensive way to do business, but
offers plenty of gratitude when brought to bear.
Magic of the Smith is perfect for fetching vital equipment like
Kali's Fang or the Bowl of Convergence. Perfect Clarity is a nice
play to nerf Deflections and Majesties, though its two blood cost will
limit its use.
Steppin' Out
When going out-of-clan and out-of-caste for disciplines, it is
important to ask yourself one question: "Why?" Seriously. If you
really want to play Obtenebration, why do you want to play it with
Assamites? Firstly, there are no Assamites with Obtenebration, so you
will have to completely bolt it on. Secondly, if there are more than a
few Lasombra in your crypt for support, would you be better off using
their clan stuff or Assamite clan stuff? For example, this month I
built an Aziz-based deck and wanted to try Form of Corruptions and
politics. I ended up running a Free States rant voter that focused on
PRE SER with OBF support. The deck had a few Khabar: Glories and Black
Sunrises in it, but otherwise should have been all Setites. Upon
rebuild, I made it a combat deck that used Skin of the Adder and Mark
of Damnation. It didn't perform very well either, though I felt
better about myself. You can't really put a price on feeling good,
now can you?
When you stretch for an out-of-clan discipline, it is important to
remember to use it in an "Assamite" way, that is, in combination
with Quietus and Assamite clan cards that create situations that cannot
be duplicated by any other means (ideally). To use my above example,
Mark of Damnation + Haqim's Law: Judgment is a great way to get
several Assamites an opportunity to use Khabar: Honor and hit for six
with a press.
Animalism
Amaravati, Olugbenga, and Yazid all have it at inferior, which is just
enough to allow for Raven Spies, Raptors (and any other animal
retainers you find useful), Army of Rats, and the Frenzy cards to
assist in combat. Cat's Guidance is worth a play at inferior, too.
Boosting to superior will make Carrion Crows a worthwhile option, and
I'm a fan of Scorpion Sting (it's cheaper than Shadow Feint!).
Carrion Crows + Scorpion Sting has always been a favorite of mine, and
when you add a pre-strike Thin Blood, you leave your opponent at loss
for more than just words.
Dementation
You aren't going to find any Assamites with it, but it has some very
'fun' things to offer us. More than a few Path of Blood denizens
voted Dementation their favorite discipline skill cards to include in
their Tariq decks in a recent poll. Blessing of Chaos was cited as the
primary reason; it disallows the use of cards requiring Dementation,
Chimestry, Dominate, and Presence by opposing minions, and thus
counters a great many of the cards often used in strategies that
frustrate combat in general and Tariq in particular. Lunatic Eruption
might be another good option - you can always target your own vampire
with it and gain a permanent rusher. Of course, gaining the bleed power
of Kindred Spirits is handy when combined with Khabar: Glory of Flurry
of Action (or both).
Necromancy
Found solely on Qadir ul-Ghani at inferior, Necromancy has a couple of
cards worth looking into. Firstly, Daemonic Possession for stealing
minions you burn and putting them into your ready region. Divine Sign
can help tie up one of your predator's pesky vampires with a
semi-permanent +2 intercept. Most of what Necromancy has to offer can
be reasonably duplicated with in-clan or no-discipline requiring cards,
though I would reckon a few Shambling Hordes to soften up the target of
contract could be helpful...
Obtenebration
Obtenebration is probably not worth the effort, though you could try
Black Metamorphosis for combat permanents or Descent into Darkness for
bloat tricks. Most of what else Obtenebration has to offer can be
duplicated, usually less expensively, with Obfuscate or Celerity. The
really cool Obtenebration stuff is just too costly, in my opinion.
Shades might be workable, but ask yourself "Why?" one more time,
please?
Protean
I have always been a fan of Protean - it might have been my favorite
from the original set. For Assamites, you will look to Reza Fatir and
find the inferior. This is enough for Flesh of Marble, a fabulous way
to minimize the damage you will sustain in a given combat. The
aggravated hand damage opportunities are also nice. With Protean as an
o-o-c, though, you teeter so close to just playing !Gangrel that you
really have to ask the question again.
Serpentis
I've mentioned this a little already, but to expound, I think
Serpentis has plenty of neat tricks for Assamites to try. You will
really be running Aziz and support, but if you can get him superior and
perhaps a few other vampires with inferior to help him out, you get
good mileage out of even just a few cards. I've yet to pull off a
Dismemberment of Osiris with Aziz, but Night Moves + Enticement is a
standby Setite trick that we can mimic. Thin Blood + Ghouls of the
Plaza can burn blood to facilitate Forms of Corruption or Temptations,
and The Jones at superior can severely limit your opponent's options
when you come to collect on a contract.
Vicissitude
The signature Tzimisce discipline, it has only a couple of things that
we cannot reasonably duplicate with in-clans. Notably Bauble, which
allows Horatio to 'go Megatron' and jump into Starscream's er,
Abd-al Rashid's hand as an Assault Rifle. You might also try Immense
Size if you are tired of being grappled by Tupdogs already, and use
Dagon's Call to take advantage of the press. An Inner
Essence/Succulent Vitae combo can help pay for combat cards all game
long. Oh yeah - Horrid Form and additional strikes. The damage
prevention is each round, so keep pressing. Eek.
Getting there
Obviously, when bolting on disciplines that are completely out of clan
and caste, you will want to use Deviki Presanta. If you are NOT using
Presence, you will be unable to Summon her, so you will need several
copies in your library. I had decent success with three copies and
running seven or eight skill cards in addition to the number of Master
cards I would normally play. You can work through the tight spots early
if you have to, and once DP is up and at 'em, your deck should flow
just fine.
You may notice I skipped discussing Bloodlines disciplines completely.
I did this on purpose, be cause the methods of gaining those
disciplines with Assamites are very limited. Aside from Spontaneous
Power, Sanguine Instruction, and Vial of Elder Vitae, your Assamites
are unlikely to get the rare discipline at all, much less superior. You
will most likely play the bloodline with an Assamite or two for kicks,
giggles, or what have you. If you come up with something particularly
effective or amusing, by all means let us know.
I also skipped Chimestry because it is the discipline I chose to play
test this month.
Deck Name : Assamite Swirly
Author : Tom Duncan
Description :
In this build, Amaravati and Mata Hari team up to throw opponents
face-first into the toilet and flush 'em. It takes a lot of actions,
using casual stealth to get them through. In my local game, bounce
isn't all that prevalent and +2 stealth will usually get you where you
want to go, though earn you some serious ire. This deck is a little bit
of a bleeder, using Comp Hacks and stealth or Fata Morgana. It tools up
a bit, and uses Edged Illusion to thwart Ally hording or for late game
hijinks. I use Black Sunrises more for untapping than for block
attempts - the intercept/stealth reduction is not present in enough
quantities to be consistent, for sure. However, once you show a couple
of reaction cards, your predator will always be wondering, and might
out-think himself. Happens all the time. The combat is designed to
deliver maximum yield, as my regulars have no qualms about rushing
Assamites. If I need to get into a fight, all I have to do is bleed at
stealth and one will usually come my way. You may need to mod a bit for
your local scene.
Selective Silence + Mayaparisatya is the primary combat combo, and I
try to hold onto it when it cycles in. The anti-fortitude tech is
needed in my area of late, making it a little better than Taste of
Death. Fata Amrias are for squashing Psyche! superior and reigning in
the POT CEL combat chains I am known to see. There's enough tooling to
do, and if I can keep blood on the vampires, I do alright. Fatuus
Mastery is key. So far, two has been enough - one each for Amaravati
and Mata Hari. I've typically been playing a three vampire game with
this one. Note that I was tempted to add a Deflection or two and a
Govern or three, but resisted to keep on theme. At the very least, a
single Conditioning could be devious. I have added two WoKRs, the
Market Square and Sport Bike, and two Drabas since the last play test.
Alamut and two Political Actions seems prayerish, but I've managed a
Hunting Ground steal that might have been the difference when the Edged
Illusions cycled in a bit later. I think they're a good idea.
Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 1 max: 8 average: 6
------------------------------------------------------------
4x Amaravati 8 DOM OBF QUI ani chi Assamite:4
3x Mata Hari 7 CHI OBF aus for qui 2 votes Ravnos:4
1x Vardar Vardarian 6 OBF QUI cel pre Assamite:4
1x Janni 5 cel for obf qui Assamite:4
1x Kamau Jafari 4 QUI obf Assamite:4
1x Ali Kar 3 obf qui Assamite:3
1x Basir 1 qui Assamite:4
Library [90 cards]
------------------------------------------------------------
Action [20]
3x Ambush
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal
6x Computer Hacking
4x Edged Illusion
2x Fatuus Mastery
2x Khabar: Glory
2x Web of Knives Recruit
Action Modifier [18]
2x Cloak the Gathering
3x Deed the Heart's Desire
3x Elder Impersonation
1x Faceless Night
3x Fata Morgana
1x Lost in Crowds
1x Mask of a Thousand Faces
4x Spying Mission
Action Modifier/Combat [4]
4x Swallowed by the Night
Action/Reaction [2]
2x Draba
Combat [14]
1x Coagulate Blood
2x Gemini's Mirror
5x Mayaparisatya
5x Selective Silence
1x Taste of Death
Combat/Reaction [2]
2x Fata Amria
Equipment [3]
1x Ivory Bow
1x Kali's Fang
1x Sport Bike
Master [14]
1x Alamut
4x Blood Doll
3x Chimerstry
2x Life in the City
1x Market Square
1x Perfectionist
1x Underworld Hunting Ground
1x Yoruba Shrine
Political Action [2]
1x Disputed Territory
1x Kindred Segregation
Reaction [10]
6x Black Sunrise
2x Confusion of the Eye
1x Foul Blood
1x Veiled Sight
Retainer [1]
1x Robert Carter
Find everything you need to know about playing Assamites at
www.thepathofblood.com!
Comments, Suggestions, and Submissions should be sent to:
veknp...@yahoo.com