Card Idea: Ashes of the eldest. and others

Yeah, but the point is to avoid having a Marksman Curmudgeon/Creepshow or say a Master At Arms-Sociopath. I don't mind the idea of having 4 or 5 vampires with say Marksman or Master-at-Arms... but I don't think there should be a combination of them and the existing Archetypes.

The only card that gives an unconditional +damage in combat is Depravity. Its +strength, its unique and it costs 1 pool. So it seems to balance out to make it remove other archetypes (can't get bonus damage to melee and range).

I could potentially see them being Trifles, but it may make them too powerful.

The Elder's Ashes seems to be fairly strong, but I do think it should potentially involve a "combat theft" option...

"A minion may enter combat with the minion with this equipment. During that combat, the minion which deals the most damage by the end of that combat move this equipment to that minion." Instead of just a action steal action.

An equipment card that gives +1 cap just screams turbodeck to me. Perhaps with Kiss of Lachesis or Filchware's Pawn Shop or just have a ton of the Ashes in your deck.

Give it to any old vamipre and give him/her "for" for freakdrvies and daring to trigger soulgem and we are off!

Very true indeed. OTOH the equipment costs two pool everytime you equip it, three with Filchware's. Isn't that hard to pay even for a turbodeck?

Easy nerf: no +1 cap of course.

I loved the sword master - gunner idea (with juggernaut's names and pendargon's text).

IMHO, the idea seems balanced, since they do not give "unconditional" damage (you have to strike with a gun or melee weapon). Master at Arms may seem a little underpowered in comparisson to Depravity, but the diference comes to the uniqueness, since there may be only one depravity in game and many MaA.

At a glimpse, the 1 pool cost may seem to low for a +1 damage, but it has to be considered that the extra damage requires an extra card (the weapon) to work.