Card Idea: Exoskeleton

jamesatzephyr wrote:

direwolf wrote:

So... now it has the same card text as Apparition (Chimerstry)

I quite like the idea of damage prevention via an exoskeleton, but also would quite like to see it work a different way.

Just throwing something together...

Exoskeleton
Action/Combat
1 blood
[vic] [action] +1 stealth action. Put this card on this vampire with SOME (4? 5?) bone counters. Burn a bone counter to prevent a point of damage this vampire suffers in combat.(*) A vampire can have only one Exoskeleton. Burn this card when it has no bone counters.
[VIC] [combat] As above, but you may play this as a combat card.

(*) There's a better wording, I'm sure. But I'd quite like it to be repeatable - so you can prevent 2 from the same strike, or two from this strike and two from an additional strike (Blurred gun etc.). Mostly because things like Flak Jacket are rubbish for their one damage.



In power terms, the idea would be to try to hit a sweet spot where it's good - but because of the "one per vampire" limitation, you can't stuff your deck with them and cycle them really easily (as you usually can with, say, Skin of Rock), so you have to be careful about the number you include. There's a sweet spot somewhere, I think.

Thanks for the constructive feedback James, I like your ideas re: bone counters. Like many of us, I play many decks with fortitude for the freak drives and damage prevention, however I never play "Ablative Skin" due to it being an action, and there being more fortitude damage prevention options that I like better. And of course you are spoilt for choice with fortitude, damage prevention being such a big part of the discipline.

This action/combat card may be similar to Ablative skin, however I like it as it's a more interesting idea than my original proposal, also your correct regarding finding the right balance.

What do you think of:-

Exoskeleton

Type: Combat

Cost: 1 blood

[vic] Put this card on this vampire with 3 bone counters. Burn a bone counter to prevent a point of damage this vampire suffers this round. A vampire can play only one Exoskeleton in a combat. Burn this card when it has no bone counters.

[VIC]As Above, but with 4 bone counters. this vampire may burn a bone counter to prevent a point of damage this vampire suffers this combat

or

Exoskeleton

Type: Combat

Cost: 1 blood

[vic] Put this card on this vampire with 3 bone counters. Burn a bone counter to prevent a point of non aggravated damage this vampire suffers this combat. A vampire can play only one Exoskeleton per combat.Burn this card when it has no bone counters.

[VIC]As above, however 4 bone counters. This vampire may burn a bone counter to prevent a point of damage this combat.

How about:

Exoskeleton

2
Only usable before range is determined.
Put this card on this vampire with 3 bone counters. This vampire may burn a bone counter to reduce the damage from a single source to 0. Burn this card when it has 0 counters. A vampire may only have one Exoskeleton.
As above, with 5 bone counters.

direwolf wrote:

How about:

Exoskeleton

2
Only usable before range is determined.
Put this card on this vampire with 3 bone counters. This vampire may burn a bone counter to reduce the damage from a single source to 0. Burn this card when it has 0 counters. A vampire may only have one Exoskeleton.
As above, with 5 bone counters.

I quite like it. With the "reduce from a single source" rather than "prevent", the inferior is fairly strong too. If it turned out too strong, I might consider "to reduce the damage from a single source to 0 by 2", or something like that.

It's not currently restricted to in-combat damage; is that a problem? Rutor's Hand, Force of Will... Hmm.

presumably this would work on damage that is specifically non-preventable?

self wrote:

presumably this would work on damage that is specifically non-preventable?

Damage reduction and damage prevention are different things. Unpreventable damage can be reduced.

[LSJ 20100519]

LSJ wrote:

> Or, to put it another way: is reducing damage equivalent to prevent?

No. Unpreventable damage can be reduced.

(The context is Nephandus.)

direwolf wrote:

How about:

Exoskeleton

2
Only usable before range is determined.
Put this card on this vampire with 3 bone counters. This vampire may burn a bone counter to reduce the damage from a single source to 0. Burn this card when it has 0 counters. A vampire may only have one Exoskeleton.
As above, with 5 bone counters.

I like the damage reduction to 0 idea.

I assume your proposed version of this card stays on the vampire outside combat until counters is 0?

Maybe "reduce the damage in combat from a single source to 0"

To avoid exploitation outside combat