[Submission] Grave whisperings (Thanatosis/Necromancy)

Again, just to put an idea out there.

Name: Grave whispers
Cardtype: Action (leading to combat)
Cost: None
Capacity: N/A
Discipline: Necromancy/Thanatosis

Card text
+1 stealth action.
Enter combat with a ready tapped minion controlled by another Methuselah. This acting minion gets an optional press in that combat.
As above, with an optional maneuver. If Samedi, not usable on a Nosferatu or a Giovanni.
As above, and add a counter to this card that may be used to pay towards this vampire's blood cost this combat.

[353 characters including spaces - any suggestions on whittling it down? Please read justification of card first].

Flavour text
None that I can think of - probably need to maximise card space! Any suggestions welcome.

Art notes
Comedy: Zombie learning on a gravestone talking to a Vampire, Zombie pointing over their shoulder with one hand and making a rude sign with their other.
Serious: An interview with a corpse, the Vampire making notes.

World of Darkness reference
No references, but building on similar action-combat cards.

How does this card address a compelling game need?
The idea is that the minion with this card has gathered intelligence through speaking with the dead (the enemies of the target minion) about where they are. This is why the target Vampire has to be tapped (has done something that spirits can tell other spirits etc). This knowledge allows the acting minion to be better prepared to ambush them. For , this information is where the target minion is and scoping out the location has given the acting minion the ability to maneuver. For , also time to box the target minion in by summoning non-combative Groaning Corpses or Wraiths or similar. gives the acting minion some vital clue (perhaps a 'grave secret', if you'll excuse the pun) that allows the minion to be more efficient in combat (hence the counter can be used to pay for or towards a combat discipline card, presumably Fortitude, Necromancy, Potence or Thanatosis). "Gain a blood" would be simpler and save card space, but this means its also effectively a hunt action and feels too unbalanced to me. EDIT: just realised that the basic version is the same as "Ambush", so swapped the press option to with the maneuver to .

This submission is also to build Samedi up to their martial hype. A "Nose of the hound" ( www.secretlibrary.info/index.php?lib=1039 ) for Vampires with Necromancy/Thanatosis mixed up with the Samedi card "Dirty Contract" ( www.secretlibrary.info/index.php?lib=1002 ) and a dash of Fatuus Mastery ( www.secretlibrary.info/index.php?lib=1418 ). Obviously useful for Giovanni and Samedi, not so useful for Harbingers (who usually have Auspex) although better than "Nose of the Hound" if part of a mixed Giovanni/Samedi crypt.

Created by
Chris Nelson.

You just designed a better version of sense death which is one of he better rush card out there.

I say "carefull" !! But sill, it is not a bad idea...

Thank you both for your input.

Hmm. I don't own any Salubri/Valeren cards (swapped them years ago) and I don't think I was aware of "Sense Death", but I am pretty sure a member of our play group played such a deck a while ago. I didn't last long enough for my minions to interact with his minions, so maybe the card was played after I left the table but was in earshot and it's been bubbling away in my subconscious since.

Sense Death
+1 stealth action.
Enter combat with a younger vampire.
Enter combat with any minion. This acting vampire gets an optional press during this combat.
As above, and this acting vampire gets an optional maneuver during this combat.

So "Sense Death" can enter combat with any minion at basic , whereas I've suggested "tapped minions only" because of the reasoning behind the card.

What would be suggestions to balance this proposed card to make it more level with "Sense Death"? Leave text as is, up the discipline requirements slightly and add back "non-Giovanni, non-Nosferatu" clause? Making it require both disciplines makes sense. How's this?

[nec] Enter combat with a tapped minion. This acting vampire gets 1 optional press in that combat.
[thn] [nec] As [nec] above, with 1 optional maneuver in that combat.
[THN] [nec] As [thn] [nec] above, and once this combat, this vampire can reduce the cost to play a combat card by 1 blood.

Not that I was designing it for any particular Samedi, but quite a few have basic Necromancy, and of course there's Lisandro Giovanni and Unre (Harbingers) too.

I like it the way it is.