file Submission: Shadow Court Beastie (Changeling)

01 Nov 2017 02:08 - 12 Mar 2018 17:53 #84067 by jblacey
Name: Shadow Court Beastie (Changeling)
Cardtype: Ally
Cost: 3 pool
Capacity: NA
Discipline: NA
Clan: NA
Requires a Sabbat vampire. Changeling with 3 life, 1 strength, 1 bleed. Beastie may play cards requiring a vampire; if the card requires a discipline they may use it at the basic level.

Flavor test: "Grrrr…"

Art notes: Their forms are less animal and more monster. Their forms are meant to inspire terror. Think of a monster from your worst nightmare. Here is a link to picture from the book. vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/whitewolf/images/e/e8/Beastie.png/revision/latest?cb=20170505035403

World of Darkness reference: page 66 & 67 of The Shadow Court. They are a particularly vicious breed similar to Unseelie Pooka that take joy in tormenting their prey. They are known mostly as shape-shifters and usually prefer taking the forms of beasts. They have a similar shape shifting ability of Pooka but they also have the ability to disappear from the memories of those that witness them. Their powers are varied and flexible giving them the ability to mimic most vampiric disciplines. The Shadow Court has an alliance with the Sabbat and Beasties are a common emissary as they usually very self-sufficient, have an innate ability to remain undetected and their temperament makes them natural allies. whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Beastie

How does this card address a compelling game need?: One of the challenges of making a Sabbat Ally deck is that most of the good allies are clan specific and not sect specific. Thematically Sabbat have an alliance with the Shadow Court, they should be able to make Sabbat changeling deck without having specific clans in play, for example Shadow Court Satyr is Gangrel antitribu only, Draeven Softfoot is Kiasyd only, and Dauntain Black Magician is Malkavian antitribu only. My goal is to create a flexible ally that any Sabbat clan can use to build a deck. Since the changeling's abilities don't lock them into any specific disciplines this means they should be viable for many decks. Example: a Brujah antitribu with :PRE: could use the Summoning to put the Beastie into play. It means less numerous clans like Harbinger of Skulls, Pander, or Ahrimane have a viable Ally that can play all in-clan disciplines at basic level. This means that we don't need to create a changeling ally for each Sabbat clan, but instead create one that is flexible enough to be used by any. The card's cost and stats are modeled after Shadow Court Satyr but this card doesn't have the ability to attach a card which can be re-used.

Created by: Justin Lacey

Update: November 1st

Shadow Court Beastie (Changeling)
:ally:
Cost: 3 :pool:
Requires a Sabbat vampire. Changeling with 3 life, 1 strength, 1 bleed. Beastie may play combat cards requiring a vampire; if the card requires a discipline they may use it at the basic level.

Update: November 8th

Explanation for the changes is in the thread.

Shadow Court Beastie (Changeling)
:ally:
Cost: 3 :pool:
Requires a Sabbat vampire. Changeling with 6 life, 1 strength, 0 bleed. Each time Beastie loses one or more life in combat, they permanently gain +1 strength and bleed. Beastie gains 1 life at the end of each of your turns. +1 intercept.
"Grrrr…"

Update: November 10th

Several tweaks below.

Shadow Court Beastie (Changeling)
:ally:
Cost: 3 :pool:
Requires a Sabbat vampire. Changeling with 5 life, 1 strength, 0 bleed. In combat, the Beastie gains a life and a +1 strength depravity counter at the end of each round, and if the opposing minion leaves the ready region then their controller burns a pool. +1 intercept against (D) actions.
"Grrrr…"

Update: November 20th

Shadow Court Beastie (Changeling)
:ally:
Cost: 3 :pool:
Requires a Sabbat vampire. Changeling with 4 life, 1 strength, 0 bleed. In combat, the Beastie gains a life and a +1 strength depravity counter at the end of each round. Beastie may enter combat with a minion as a (D) action and the controller of that minion burns a pool.
"Grrrr…"

Update: March 12th

Shadow Court Beastie (Changeling)
:ally:
Cost: 3 :pool:
Requires a Sabbat vampire. Changeling with 3 life, 1 strength, 1 bleed. Beastie may put a glamour counter on a ready vampire you control as a +1 stealth action. Beastie may play combat cards requiring vampires as though they had the clan, disciplines, and sect of the vampire with their glamour counter. Glamour counters are burned if the vampire leaves the ready region. A Beastie may only have one glamour counter in play.
"Grrrr…"
Last edit: 12 Mar 2018 17:53 by jblacey.

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01 Nov 2017 05:10 #84068 by direwolf
This type of ally is already in the game in the form of Shadow Court Satyr .

This card is too general. *any* sabbat vampire may play it. It can use *any* discipline. Having an ally play non-discipline vampire cards is unprecedented. It is not unique. Basically, it's the "Target: Vitals" of allies.

Also, why "Beastie?" Other Changling cards refer to the Kith of the fae. You mention Pooka in your description, why shouldn't that be what the card is called: "Shadow Court Pooka."

My suggested revision:

Shadow Court Pooka
3 :pool:
:ally:
Requires :ani:
Changling ally with 3 life, 0 bleed, 1 strength.
:ani: Shadow Court Pooka may play cards that require basic Animalism :ani: Spiritus :spi: or Mytherceria :myt: . Any cost is payed in life instead of blood.
:ANI: As above, with 1 bleed.

:tore: :pre: :tem: :aus: Independent Futurist. Contrarian (titled, X votes where X is the number of votes as the acting minion.) Target Vitals is always the better combat card.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kraus

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01 Nov 2017 14:01 - 01 Nov 2017 15:35 #84085 by jblacey
So let's go through this line by line.

This type of ally is already in the game in the form of Shadow Court Satyr .


That is part of the problem. Shadow Court Satyr should have never been Gangrel antitribu only. The Shadow Court made an alliance with the Sabbat, not the Malkavian antitribu, the Gangrel antitribu, or the Kiasyd. If you are referring to a versatile ally specifically, there are multiple clans that would benefit from a versatile ally and IMHO there are too few decks that have viable ally options.

This card is too general.


You might be right, the text should have said combat card. My intent was that it should only be combat cards.

*any* sabbat vampire may play it. It can use *any* discipline.


None of those should be show stoppers, we have Allies with no requirements at all and don't see play.

Having an ally play non-discipline vampire cards is unprecedented.
It is not unique.


You mean like Shadow Court Satyr?

Changeling with 3 life. 1 strength, 1 bleed.
When the Satyr enters play, you may put a combat card from your hand on him. Once each combat, the Satyr may use the ability of that card as if played from your hand. If the card requires a vampire (e.g., costs blood or requires a Discipline), he may use it as a vampire with the basic level of the Discipline (if any).

As for disciplines cards if you want to restrict the card to those, there are plenty of examples.

The card design of allies playing disciplines as vampires exists. 20 of them, 1/5 or 20% of all Allies in the game have the ability to play cards requiring disciplines. Some of which are non-unique, don't require a discipline to recruit and still don't see play.

Akhenaten, The Sun Pharaoh (Mummy)
Alia, God's Messenger
Ananasi Vampirephile
Bima
Ghouled Street Thug
Grey Thorne
Herald of Topheth
High Top
Infernal Servitor
Kherebutu (Bane Mummy)
Marijava Thuggee
Nephren-Ka
Nocturn
Ossian
Rafastio Ghoul
Reanimated Corpse
Rock Cat
Samuel Haight
Talaq, The Immortal
Vivienne Géroux

Basically, it's the "Target: Vitals" of allies.


"Target: Vitals" displaces other combat cards like Undead Strength which have a more narrow use (close range only, requires a discipline and vampires only). Which ally are you afraid would be displaced by Shadow Court Beastie, because I don't see it. In fact the only Ally that I was worried this card could replace was Shadow Court Satyr but I am confident that the attach ability of Shadow Court Satyr is so strong that Shadow Court Beastie would not replace him.

Also, why "Beastie?" Other Changling cards refer to the Kith of the fae. You mention Pooka in your description, why shouldn't that be what the card is called: "Shadow Court Pooka."


Because Beastie *is* the Kith. You may be familiar with the Kith in Changeling the Dreaming.

Boggans
Clurichauns
Eshu
Ghille dhu
Merfolk
Nockers
Oba
Piskies
Pooka
Redcaps
River hags
Satyrs
Selkies
Sidhe
Sluagh
Trolls

What you may not know is that the Shadow Court added five new kiths.

Beastie
Boggarts
Bogies
Goblins
Ogres

As far as Shadow Court Pooka, they don't seem to exist. Unseelie yes, but not Shadow Court and definitely not on the Midnight Court. I have been doing research sifting through all the Changeling books for the last month. It is possible I missed a reference but I don't think so. In this case, I decided to use Kith uniquely appropriate to the Shadow Court.

My suggested revision:

Shadow Court Pooka
3 :pool:
:ally:
Requires :ani:
Changling ally with 3 life, 0 bleed, 1 strength.
:ani: Shadow Court Pooka may play cards that require basic Animalism :ani: Spiritus :spi: or Mytherceria :myt: . Any cost is payed in life instead of blood.
:ANI: As above, with 1 bleed.


No, to requiring a discipline. All Shadow Court Changeling should require the sect "Sabbat". Shadow Court Satyr was a mistake, let's not make it worse. VTES has made thematic mistakes multiple times, but this time I am actively trying to avoid that mistake. Example: Wake with Evening's Freshness is a Tremere specific level 1 Thaumaturgy ritual. Meaning the card *should* require Thaumaturgy.

I can't see a reason why they shouldn't have a bleed. Changeling can be wicked smart and vicious peering into the heads of their victims to bring out their horrors and making them real. I could make a strong case for why Beastie, specifically should have :dem: :obf: :pro:.

If you feel that Beastie has access to too many disciplines, then I would rather that the Methuselah that put it into play got to *choose* disciplines. It was meant to be combat cards only so... I feel that the flexibility of the disciplines should be the power of the card.

Also my understanding is that the text referring to life as blood is unnecessary as this has been clarified by the rules.
Last edit: 01 Nov 2017 15:35 by jblacey. Reason: Formating

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01 Nov 2017 20:18 #84092 by Blooded Sand
perhaps something along the lines of inceptor would work?

:assa: :flight: :QUI: :OBF: :POT: :FOR: :TEM: :DOM:

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01 Nov 2017 22:01 #84093 by jblacey

perhaps something along the lines of inceptor would work?


That could work. I could try it out.

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08 Nov 2017 16:57 #84159 by jblacey
After quite a bit of testing, I learned a few things.

1) This is a solid concept (non-unique, sect specific, combat ally), but the original design was lazy. It never escapes a comparison with Shadow Court Satyr. Playing cards as vampires is very powerful and unnecessary for this card.
2) The flexibility of the card design caused the creation of a very powerful weenie swarm deck; which was not my intention at all. I run a powerful discipline-less Sabbat weenie deck... and so I replaced spawned cards with this Ally and it became insane. Being able to play any discipline combat card is too much for an non-unique Ally.
3) The original card was extremely aggressive. The part of this card that I regret the most in the original design is that Beastie only goes forward. Meaning the Beastie only helps very aggressive decks.

This is the new design.

Shadow Court Beastie (Changeling)
:ally:
Cost: 3 :pool:
Requires a Sabbat vampire. Changeling with 6 life, 1 strength, 0 bleed. Each time Beastie loses one or more life in combat, they permanently gain +1 strength and bleed. Beastie gains 1 life at the end of each of your turns. +1 intercept.

The idea is that the Beastie loves combat. He grows and adapts his physical body. He is initially a weak blocker, but the more combat he gets into, the more powerful he becomes. He learns how to fight his opponents (which increases his strength) and learns their fears (which increases his bleed).

From a game mechanic perspective, his ability to intercept means that he can block small stealth. His high starting life means that he should survive at least one combat against a non-combat deck, but if he doesn't take damage in that combat he does not become more powerful. In particular this card is more likely to punish power bleed decks that are light on stealth and combat.

What can be improved?
- The text can probably be tighten because I couldn't find an ally to use as a template for this design.
- The numbers are based on a straight conversion, 1 bleed = 3 life. So 1 strength, 1 bleed, 3 life becomes 1 strength, 0 bleed, 6 life. The life grows each turn so the starting life is flexible.

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