Submission: Stone Roost

Name: Stone Roost
Type:
Card Text:
Only usable when an action is successful.
Put this card on the acting vampire. The vampire with this card cannot act, play reaction cards or block. Burn this card in your next untap phase and this vampire gains 2 blood.
As above, but this vampire gains 3 blood.

Art notes:
Classic image of a petrified gargoyle perched on the corner of a gothic building.

How does this card address a compelling game need?:
Means to restore blood and offer pool gain mechanics for Gargoyles without expending an action (restoration) at the cost of reduced defensive and multi-acting capabilities. With non-slave Gargoyles you spend pool/blood at a high rate and playing conservatively really kills your speed making you an insignificant addition to the table. This card also helps steering away from pure combat a bit, making it more attractive to go for the mediocre stealthy package of Gargoyles.

Possible power combos (abuse?):
1) This card can potentially be used to churn out hatchlings at a high continuous rate, though still a lot less powerful than , or weenies in my opinion. Such a theme will have weak stealth, defense and weak (but still conditionally scary) combat, not to mention severe lack of efficient bleed modifiers or ousting oriented actions.

2) Attaining "Preternatural Strength" and "Heroic Might" become costless and you can save damage prevention cards for the really painful hits more often with this card idea. So it does indirectly boost combat oriented Gargoyle decks, but for non tupdog Gargoyles to work, this edge might be justified. In this theme, not being able to use your vampire for defense one turn is a hefty price.

3) Synergises well with "Skin of the Chameleon" and "Flow within the Mountain" for a toolbox bleed deck, which was what I had in mind for this card. Gargoyles don't have much options in blood recuperation and non-slave gargoyles can't utilise "Path of Service". Won't be near as powerful as an obfuscate toolbox bleed deck (samedi) but does offer a twist in play style with the Gargoyle combat package.

GreyB wrote:

Name: Stone Roost
Type:
Card Text:
Only usable when an action is successful.
Put this card on the acting vampire. The vampire with this card cannot act, play reaction cards or block. Burn this card in your next untap phase and this vampire gains 2 blood.
As above, but this vampire gains 3 blood.

I have to say, I quite like it. For me, it hits the sweet spot between three things:

1) it's a decent "bread and butter" ability - blood gain is widely useful
2) it's fairly short and uncomplicated - the card wouldn't be crammed with 9 lines of tiny, crumbly text
3) it's different - it's not a copy-paste of another card (which is the easiest way to fit in with 1) and 2), most of the time), so a Gargoyle deck doing blood gain would feel different from other decks.

On a purely textual matter, I'd change the timing to: "Only usable at the end of a successful action (after resolving the action)." to mirror cards like Freak Drive etc. more closely, giving fewer rules headaches.

GreyB wrote:

1) This card can potentially be used to churn out hatchlings at a high continuous rate, though still a lot less powerful than , or weenies in my opinion.

The need for the action it's used on to be successful isn't entirely negligible for a clan like the Gargoyles - they have some decent stealth options from Soar and Skin of the Chameleon, but they're not swimming in the stuff. And Skin of the Chameleon itself costs blood.

If it turned out very strong, you could perhaps go for something like:


...to temper things a little.