Submission: [Silent Approach] and [Dance of Death]

Name: Silent Approach
Cardtype: Combat
Cost: No cost.
Capacity: Not applicable.
Discipline: Quietus
Clan: none
Maneuver, only usable to go to close range.
As above, and/or this vampire can equip with a melee weapon from your hand (pay costs and fullfill requirements as normal).

Flavor text: The assassins are trained since childhood to master all forms of combat.

Art notes: A backview of a dashing assamite, who is drawing silently a hidden ninja-to away from the sight of his enemy. At the background, the enemy is seen firing a gun.

World of Darkness reference: As whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Assamite,
Assamites are master of many combat forms, including melee.

How does this card address a compelling game need?:

1. I found its horrible to use melee weapon with the all great group 2-3 assamites, because many dont have obfuscate to use disguised weapon to get the nice unique melee weapons. In fact, I reached the conclusion that Assamites should equip melee weapons on a more profitable way than disguised.

2. Assamite melee weapon combat cant hold against simple combat packages (aid from bats + carrion crows), (torn + blur), (ranged weapons + CEL), (protean agravated package), (vicissitude aggravated package) and others. Please, notice that weapons usually costs pool and have the problem to equip. Card flow is usually horrible for quietus combat.

3. As filling a gap in the game, this is a golden opportunity. Assamites should be awesome in melee combat. Why not add flavor to game, making melee weapon combat fearsome as a toreador celerity guns deck?

4. This designed card helps a LOT against guns and other combat long-range-tech decks, transforming all of your "concealed and disguised" weapons in a potential maneuver to close. And it wont clog your hand, if you already equipped.

5. Please notice that I intentionally didnt use for this card, as could be the obvious choice.The fact is I wanted to capitalize in the awesome melee g2-3 crypt, with Tegyrius, Parmenides, Jalal and Parnassus (who dont have at all).

Created by: Alexandre Costa
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Name: Dance of Death
Cardtype: Combat
Cost: No cost
Capacity: Not applicable.
Discipline: Celerity and Quietus
Clan: none
Only usable at close range before strikes are chosen.
This minion choice of strikes cant be restricted at close range this combat. Only one Dance of Death can be played each combat.
As above, and if the range is close, this vampire can burn 1 blood to cancel a Strike card as its played once this combat. (no cost is paid)

Flavor text:
When you're lying in your sleep, when you're lying in your bed
And you wake from your dreams to go dancing with the dead
-Iron Maiden, Dance of Dead

Art notes: A wounded vampire is trying to grasp his enemy, but his arm swings in the wrong direction. An assamite, back by back with his enemy, prepares to swing another strike of his dagger.

World of Darkness reference: This combined power allows the assamite to confound and "dance" with a supernatural speed as a combat technique around its victim, avoiding its strikes and silently using the stealth provided by quietus, staying close - but out of the victim range and making it miss - a lot.

How does this card address a compelling game need?:
1. Usually, assamite melee combat is horrible, at the very best. They need a way to work without being hosed by everything. Here, we have three main problems: Immortal Grapple, Combat ends, and Quietus proactive combat.

2. Quietus proactive combat means I have to throw out all my resources (Disease, Wave of Lethargy, Silence of Death) before striking. A simply Majesty or Staredown (among other thousands CE cards) could make many combat cards fail.

3. This card is designed to allow assamites a better chance to enjoy their usually mediocre cards. Having potential to make assamite combat suffer much less from combat ends and immortals by adressing both of issues and making proactive combat viable.

4. I did some tests with both cards, check end of post.

Created by: Alexandre Costa


Notice that the problems the assamites have at close range cant be adressed by just one card. It requires at minimum 2 to make it viable. As a comparison effect, I built two combat modules:

Assamite (Dance of Death)
5 Selective Silence
5 Silent Approach
4 Sidestrike
7 Dance of Death
6 Blur
3 Strike at True Flesh
5 Taste of Vitae
Equipment:
3 Baseball Bat
1 Kali's Fang
1 Crimson Sentinel

Crypt used: Jalal/Parnassus/Fatima
35 combat cards and 5 weapons. 8 pool cost added to the deck.

And this:

8 Immortal Grapple
8 Torn Signpost
2 Slam
6 Pursuit
6 Blur
6 Taste of Vitae

Crypt used: Theo Bell, Beast and Pug Jackson.
36 combat cards. No need to pay pool cost for melee weapons. A bit vulnerable for close range, but very strong and solid. Far better than up there.

1. There should be a sweet spot for those cards. I dont want to be better than in close range, obviously, but the way it is now is simply a sick joke.

2. With Shadow Dance and Silent Approach, is far better than before. Also, notice it can handle gun decks FAR better than the module, and it gives a chance to hurt decks.

3. Usually, if you are not using Dance of Death, you would use Psyche. This means the module dont stand any chance against the module below. Also, almost all proactive cards played will be wasted against CE decks.

I hope you enjoy.

Since everyone discussing melee weapon enhancers, i give this an UP maybe to increase discussion. posting new cards soon.

I think the discussion should be taking place within next 4 days, when we see new cards for assamites/quietus that may address the issue.

I think you did well with selecting areas where melee combat need to be improved (namely, easy maneuver to long range by cc/afb and .44 combat and insane hosing by immoral grapple at close range).

However, there is some new axe that address grapple issue and is decent melee weapon overall. Of curse, it's unique, but there might be some other helping cards in the future.

Re-useable maneuver issue is far more important, imo. Major problem is, that even if we send such vampire into torpor, someone will rescue it and he will still use his weapon. Maybe something that steal his equipment would help against .44 ? Yes, there is fast hands, but really it isn't that hot when it can be dodged - but we can now prevent dodging issue with new spoiled card. We can selevtive silence to set range, prevent dodge/s:ce and steal their damn weapons. Of course, some form of weapon steal card that have some uses when used against non-gun weapons, but situation in gun front have improved.

Ani combat is still pita, grapple too with no way to cancel grapple (celerity should offer such card, your idea is also decent).