Rules Team Rulings - 23 June 1998

Rules Team Rulings - 23 June 1998

Comments to rulings and errata (for further clarification or to explain the reasoning behind a rule) are identified by hash marks. Archivists may safely delete the lines begining with hash marks to save room, as necessary.

ERRATA TO THE RULES (OR CHANGES TO ERRATA TO THE RULES):

Actions

An action is successful if it is unblocked and uncancelled, even if it has no other effect. An unblocked bleed of zero or less is an unsuccessful bleed, but is a successful action. An unblocked political action is successful even if the referendum fails. The cost, if any, of an action is paid if the action is successful, regardless of these other factors.

# That is, you still pay for a Govern the Unaligned even if the bleed is reduced to zero or less (so long as it isn't blocked).

Blocking

The last step of a successful block vs. a Ready acting minion is combat. Combat is not delayed until after the block. Thus, Cat's Guidance would be played after the combat, not before.

# This helps straighten out a minor convolution caused by Form of Mist.

Locations

Changing the controller of a location has no other effect, unless specified by card text. Exception: A location "on" another

controlled card is moved onto an appropriate card controlled by the new controller of the location.

Contesting Titles

A vampire who cannot pay a blood to contest his title must yield - he does not have the option of going to torpor (and then

yielding).

Damage Prevention cards

are not restricted to strike resolution.

# Combat cards can be played whenever appropriate during combat - and any time preventable damage is inflicted is an appropriate time for damage prevention.

Diablerie

can only be committed by Ready vampires. Vampires in Torpor cannot commit Diablerie.

# To fix corner-cases presented by Kiss of Ra, Blood Brothers, etc.

GENERAL RULINGS

Bleed

A minion's "current bleed" is the amount the minion would be bleeding for when he announces a bleed action against his Prey.

# This affects only Justicar Retribution, but is a general ruling.

Combat cards

By default, only apply to the round in which they are played. Explicit card text is needed to overcome this default.

# See Blood of Acid, and note the errata returning Immortal Grapple to its Jyhad wording.

Weapon Damage

a weapon's "current damage" is the amount of damage that the weapon would inflict if used as a strike by bearer against a generic opponent.

# This affects Concealed Weapon, Illegal Search and Seizure, and Machine Blitz.

Moving cards

The rule against moving a card onto something it cannot normally be played on is no longer in effect.

# It really only served to fix Beast, Leatherface of Detroit. See Beast's new card-specific errata. This ruling was reversed because it caused problems for other cards (and headaches for rulemongers).

Contesting

All card text on a contested card is ignored - including any title. Contested vampires do not contest titles. 

# The vampire will begin contesting his title when he returns to the controlled region, if the title is still held by another vampire at that time.

Titles

can only be held by vampires of the appropriate clan or sect. A clan Justicar title can only be held by a member of that clan, Camarilla vampires cannot hold Sabbat titles and vice-versa, etc. If a titled vampire changes clan or sect inappropriate to his title, he loses the benefit of the title unless and until he changes his clan or sect appropriately. If his title is contested while he is a member of an inappropriate sect, he immediately yields the title. (Losing capacity is not sufficient to lose the benefit of a title.)

ERRATA TO CARDS

Antediluvian Awaking

A player can burn a vampire (to burn the Antediluvian Awaking) only during her untap phase.

Beast, Leatherface of Detroit

New card text:

"Beast cannot perform action-card actions or recruit allies. He cannot have or use equipment or retainers. As a (D) action, Beast can enter combat with any Ready minion controlled by another Methuselah. +1 hand damage."

Closed Session

New card text:

"Only usable during a political action, before any votes are cast. Non-Camarilla vampires cannot vote during the current political action."

# Does not have anything to do with blocking, since it isn't played until the referendum.

Deflection

New card text:

"Only usable when a you are the target of a bleed. Choose another Methuselah. You cannot choose the acting minion's controller. The acting minion is now attempting to bleed the chosen Methuselah. The chosen Methuselah may attempt to block. Tap this reacting vampire. 

Superior: As above, but do not tap this vampire."

# That is, you cannot deflect to yourself.

Form of Mist

New card text:

"Superior: Strike: Combat Ends. If this vampire is the acting vampire, this vampire gets +1 stealth (and this card counts as an action modifier) and the action continues as if unblocked."

Golconda

Removes the selected vampire from the game instead of burning him.

# A vampire finding Golconda isn't destroyed - he simply has chosen not to participate in the Jyhad any further.

Immortal Grapple

New card text:

"Only usable at close range before strikes are chosen. (This round,) neither minion can strike except with hand strikes.

Superior: As above, with an optional press, and if combat continues, the range of the next round of combat is set to close range - skip the Establish Range step for that round."

# The "This round" is redundant with the new general ruling on the default duration of combat cards, but is included here for emphasis.

Kalinda

New card text:

"As a (D) action, Kalinda may bleed with +1 bleed and +1 stealth. This action costs 2 blood."

# Obvious intent.

Living Manse

New card text:

"The vampire with this location gets +1 bleed. When the vampire with this location is in combat, he or she can burn this card before range is determined to end combat. A vampire may have only one Living Manse."

# Ending combat at any arbitrary time during the combat sequence is not a good thing.

March Halcyon

New card text:

"If March is diablerized, no one can call a Blood Hunt against the diablerizing vampire."

# Obvious intent.

Redirection

New card text:

"Only usable when a you are the target of a bleed by a younger vampire. Choose another Methuselah. You cannot choose the acting vampire's controller. The acting vampire is now attempting to bleed the chosen Methuselah. The chosen Methuselah may attempt to block. Tap this reacting vampire."

Superior: As above, but the acting vampire can be the same age or older."

# That is, you cannot redirect to yourself.

Reform Body

New card text:

"This card can be played as a combat card or a reaction card. Only usable by a vampire being burned. Not usable by an acting vampire. This vampire goes to torpor instead of being burned. 

Superior: As above, and this vampire gains 2 blood from the blood bank."

Return to Innocence

Removes the acting vampire from the game instead of burning him.

# See explanation for Golconda

Ritual of the Bitter Rose

New card text:

"This card can be played as a combat card or an action modifier. Each of your ready vampires gains an amount of blood from the blood bank equal to the amount of blood on a vampire being burned either by diablerie or while in combat with this vampire."

# The VTES text munged the action-modifier aspect of this card when attempting to clarify the Jyhad text. Hopefully the above text is clear and correct.

Rutor's Hand

A vampire can only have one Rutor's Hand.

New card text:

"Superior: As above, but this vampire can pay 3 blood to prevent the damage."

# Idea: The vampire gets to take agg damage and pre-pay what it would have cost him to get out of torpor all in a single step - without the need for a second action and without actually going to torpor - 1 blood for the damage, two to leave torpor - getting rid of that cumbersome "how to prevent non-combat damage" errata.

Second Tradition: Domain, The

New card text:

"Requires ready Prince or Justicar. +2 intercept. Also usable by a tapped Prince or Justicar, even if intercept is not yet needed, to untap and attempt to block with +2 intercept."

# Usable by an untapped P/J if he needs intercept, and usable by a tapped P/J even if he doesn't (yet) need intercept.

# Idea: being untapped and adding intercept are both "stuff for blocking", while stealth is "stuff for avoiding a block". The rule against unneeded stealth/intercept has been applied here as if it were "cannot do stuff for blocking unless you need stuff for blocking." Use that idea if it helps you understand this errata, ignore it if not.

# This idea doesn't extend to superior Bonding, since +bleed is not "stuff for avoiding a block", nor to plus-intercept-with-a-combat-bonus cards (like Spirit's Touch) since the combat bonus is not "stuff for blocking". Those cards can still be played only if the stealth/intercept is needed.

# (The idea for use by an untapped P/J comes from the original card text)

Taste of Vitae

Is not cumulative. A Taste of Vitae will not count any blood loss counted by a previous Taste of Vitae.

Tereza Rotas

"If another Methuselah controls the Edge, Tereza may take the Edge as an action directed at that Methuselah. This action costs 2 blood." 

# Obvious intent. Also, the action cannot be thwarted by burning the Edge after the action is announced.

Telepathic Misdirection

New card text:

"Superior: Only usable when a you are the target of a bleed. Choose another Methuselah. You cannot choose the acting minion's controller. The acting minion is now attempting to bleed the chosen Methuselah. The chosen Methuselah may attempt to block. Tap this reacting vampire."

# That is, you cannot misdirect to yourself.

CARD RULINGS

Anathema

Burns the target vampire when the target is reduced to zero blood in combat, regardless of the source of the loss of blood (card text). Still won't burn a vampire just for entering a combat with zero blood, however - there must be an actual "reduction" in blood.

Blood Brother Ambush

Is only an action modifier when it is not in play, and is only an Ally when it is in play.

Blood of Acid

Only lasts for the current round.

Brujah Frenzy

Can only be played if the acting Brujah is Ready (not in Torpor).

Burning Wrath

All of the damage from the strike is aggravated (card text).

Charming Lobby

The vote to be called is played/named when the action is declared, and is called (by the acting minion) by the resolution of this action. This action is a political action.

Code of Milan Suspended

The "Methuselah with the Edge" is identified at the start of the referendum. Burning the Edge during the referendum will not change the effects of the vote, if successful.

Justicar Retribution

Counts the bleed each minion would have when bleeding his prey.

Mask of a Thousand Faces

Cannot be used to mask an action if the Masking vampire is not capable of taking that action, nor if any action modifiers have been played on this action that could not have been played if the Masking vampire were the acting minion.

# Removes a lot of strangeness from the rulings.

Propaganda

The Methuselah being bleed with superior Propaganda must choose an untapped ready minion to tap if she has any.

# Obvious intent.

Rotschreck

Play as written.

# That is, play on a vampire who is to receive aggravated damage from his opponent in combat.