[posted at Presence.vekn.org, September 9th, 2007]
While probably not the best time to start a thread like this as people are more concerned with real cards, the lack of certain things becomes more obvious when a new set is coming out.
Something I would love to see is advanced group 1’s as a promotional set (2 copies of each vampire per tin/box/whatever) to reward longtime players. As well, I’d like to see fleshing out of group 1 with all of the stuff they missed out on: Sabbat, indies, bloodlines, Laibon. As well, group 2 could use some Laibon. Now, is this realistic? Well something has to fill out that promotional set, right? It seems kind of silly to have reprinted all of those 1’s in the 10th Set without supporting them with something (would have vastly preferred that 10th put in some advanced 1’s so that we didn’t just get vampires a lot of us already have).
Anyway, I took a shot at advanced versions of many of the less often seen or most horrendously designed group 1’s. When I thought about it, I tried to give them some crossover potential with group 2’s or hoped for new 1/2’s. I tried to do exactly 3 per clan, but I failed.
Bianca (Advanced)
G = 1
Brujah
C = 7
CEL, DAI, pot, pre
Camarilla. Infernal.
Bianca treats aggravated damage as normal damage. <merge> At the end of combat, if Bianca is ready and the opposing minion is not, Bianca untaps.
Miranda Sanova (Advanced)
G = 1
Brujah
C = 8
CEL, PRE, aus, obf, pot
Independent. Anarch. Baron of Portland, Oregon.
When Miranda is moved from your uncontrolled region to your ready region, you may search your library for a Master: Discipline card and move it to her at no cost. <merge> Miranda may play any card that requires more than one discipline at the basic levels.
Appolonius (Advanced)
G = 1
Brujah
C = 10
AUS, CEL, FOR, PRE, pot
Laibon. Magaji.
Appolonius gains +1 intercept for each Ishtarri you control. <merge> Any minion attempting to block Appolonius burns 2 blood or 2 life.
Zack North (Advanced)
G = 1
Gangrel
C = 6
ani, for, pot, pro
Camarilla.
Minions opposing Zack in combat cannot dodge as a strike. <merge> Minions opposing Zack in combat cannot end combat as a strike.
Gunther, Beast Lord (Advanced)
G = 1
Gangrel
C = 7
ANI, AUS, for, pro, vic
Independent.
Animal retainers Gunther employs have an additional life. <merge> Gunther does not have to burn blood to pay the cost of cards requiring Animalism that he plays.
Quinton, McDonnell (Advanced)
G = 1
Gangrel
C = 8
CEL, FOR, ani, obf, pro
Camarilla. Prince of Cincinnati.
Quinton has one optional maneuver and press per combat. <merge> While Quinton is ready, location cards you play cost one less pool.
Dancin’ Dana (Advanced)
G = 1
Malkavian
C = 6
AUS, CEL, obf
Camarilla.
Dancin’ Dana may dodge as a strike. <merge> Dancin’ Dana gets an optional additional strike during the first round of combat.
Sylvester Simms (Advanced)
G = 1
Malkavian
C = 8
AUS, OBF, ani, dom, for, pre
Camarilla. Primogen.
Rescuing Sylvester from torpor costs 2 less blood. <merge> Sylvester pays 2 less blood for the leave torpor action and this action cannot be blocked.
Dr. Jest (Advanced)
G = 1
Malkavian
C = 8
DEM, OBF, aus, dom, for, pre
Camarilla. Primogen.
While Dr. Jest is ready and untapped, cards discarded from hand by your prey are removed from the game. <merge> If Dr. Jest successfully bleeds your prey, untap him at the end of your turn.
Sebastian Marley (Advanced)
G = 1
Nosferatu
C = 7
ANI, POT, aus, obf
Camarilla.
Sebastian gets +1 stealth on directed actions. <merge> Primogen. Sebastian has 2 additional votes.
Chester DuBois (Advanced)
G = 1
Nosferatu
C = 7
ANI, POT, for, obf, ser
Camarilla. Primogen.
Chester can burn a vampire in torpor to gain blood equal to the burned vampire’s capacity as a (D) action. This action is not considered diablerie. <merge> Chester may send a younger vampire to torpor or burn an ally as a strike.
Ebanezer Roush (Advanced)
G = 1
Nosferatu
C = 8
ANI, OBF, POT, nec, pro
Camarilla.
Once each combat, Ebanezer may burn a blood to gain +1 strength until the end of combat. <merge> When Ebanezer burns a vampire in combat, that vampire’s controller loses 2 pool.
Marty Lechtansi (Advanced)
G = 1
Nosferatu
C = 9
DOM, OBF, POT, ani, for
Camarilla. Primogen.
+2 bleed when bleeding a Methuselah who controls an ally. <merge> Each round after the first round of combat, minions opposing Marty take 2 damage at the beginning of the round.
Kallista, Master Sculptor (Advanced)
G = 1
Toreador
C = 6
AUS, CEL, pre, pro
Camarilla.
<merge> Kallista may play an Aim card from your ash heap. If she uses this ability, remove the Aim card from the game instead of burning it.
Adrianne (Advanced)
G = 1
Toreador
C = 6
aus, cel, obt, pot, pre, qui
Independent.
Adrianne may gain 1 level of any discipline another of your ready vampires has at superior as a +2 stealth action. <merge> Anarch.
Eliott Sinclair, Virtuoso Thespian (Advanced)
G = 1
Toreador
C = 7
CHI, PRE, aus, cel
Camarilla. Primogen.
If Eliott is ready at the end of a round of combat and has successfully inflicted damage on an opposing vampire during the round, he gains 1 blood. <merge> Once each turn, Eliott may pay 1 less blood when playing an action modifier card.
Sabine Lafitte (Advanced)
G = 1
Tremere
C = 5
aus, dom, pot, tha
Camarilla.
When Sabine successfully hunts, she gains 1 additional blood. <merge> Sabine’s capacity is increased by 2 while she is in play.
Thomas Thorne (Advanced)
G = 1
Tremere
C = 6
DOM, ani, aus, cel, tha
Independent. Anarch.
<merge> Each time a vampire becomes an anarch, Thomas gains 1 blood from the blood bank.
Lydia Van Cuelen (Advanced)
G = 1
Tremere
C = 6
aus, dom, pre, ser, tha
Camarilla.
Lydia gets +1 stealth on political actions. <merge> When Lydia is merged choose a discipline she has at basic, she gains 1 level of that discipline.
Cassandra, Magus Prime (Advanced)
G = 1
Tremere
C = 10
AUS, DOM, PRE, THA, cel
Camarilla. Primogen.
Combat cards that require Thaumaturgy cost Cassandra one less blood to play. <merge> When Cassandra is attempting an action that requires Thaumaturgy, younger vampires and allies cannot block and the action costs 2 less blood or pool.
Melissa Barton (Advanced)
G = 1
Ventrue
C = 5
cel, dom, for, pre
Camarilla.
When Melissa’s controller gain the Edge, Melissa gains +1 bleed until end of turn. <merge> If the Edge is uncontrolled, Melissa has +1 stealth.
Lucia Paciola (Advanced)
G = 1
Ventrue
C = 6
DOM, for, mel, pre
Camarilla.
Lucia gets one optional press each combat. Her hand strikes cannot be dodged. <merge> Lucia may tap a ready minion controlled by another Methuselah as a +1 stealth (D) action.
Helena Casimir (Advanced)
G = 1
Ventrue
C = 9
DOM, POT, PRE, cel, for
Camarilla. Primogen.
Helena may enter combat with an Independent vampire as a +1 stealth (D) action. <merge> Damage from Helena’s hand strikes is aggravated. +1 strength.
A fun waste of a few hours, at any rate.
p.s. I haven’t researched old material nearly as much as I expected to use for [classic] posts. But, every time someone talks about doing advanced versions of group 1 vampires, I am reminded of this. Not that I ever got a sense that these designs were thought much about, but it’s probably the case that the merged versions need to be powerful to justify playing with base versions, and I’m sure some of these don’t rise to that level.
ICLee's Gaming Blog 
You’ve made a serious error. Cassandra, Magus Prime must have CEL, not wimpy PRE. Sorry. Cassandra likes to crush.
It would work better with the Trophy mechanic, though PRE is far, far more useful in general. Could have both at superior for all I care. Last time I recall trying to play her, I forgot the real requirements for Shock Troops, that was only like 7 years ago.
The Merging mechanic still needs to fill a particular hole: that of the inverse-epiphany (advanced searches base version). Many crypt builds are currently unviable on account of this.
I mention this because some of these vampires would be prime examples of the need for such a card.
Drain
Nice ideas! I really wished White Wolf would have made 15th anniversary tin boxes with this kind of advanced vampires.
Something like this might be useful too:
Fulfilled Potential
Master. Discipline. Trifle.
Put this card on a vampire with no superior disciplines and choose a discipline that vampire has at the inferior level. That vampire gains one level of that discipline. Capacity increases by 1; that vampire is now 1 generation older. If that vampire’s capacity is now 6 or more, you may choose an additional discipline.
Thought: if there was an option to fetch a base version of an advanced vampire in play and overlay it for 4 transfers and 2 pool, would that be unbalancing? What about vice versa?
What merged vampire is worth paying 2 more pool?
This is the problem with adding mechanics to CCGs, a lot of times they will be clunky and unbalanced one way or the other. With V:TES, the conservative management of the game usually causes the new mechanic to be way underpowered to the point of creating a bunch of useless cards.
I would say that Kemintiri or Tegyrius (merged) could be worth 2 pool in decks that made use of their titles (or pseudo-titles). There’s also a case to be made for a Menele steal blood deck, or a Helene deck that intends to use DAI.
That said, I think the question sets up a false choice. In most cases, even if a deck intended to use the (theoretical) 2 pool rule some of the time, the expected cost of its merges would be much less than 2 pool; it would only use the built-in search when it didn’t draw Epiphany or when someone was blocking its +2 stealth actions.
Right now, when I look at an advanced vampire with an interesting Merge ability, I know I can’t really build a deck around that ability, because either it’s not going to be reliably available, or I’m going to have to waste a whole bunch of deck space on making it show up reliably and thus dilute my concept.
With a rule like that suggested, the equation in the former case changes from “deck fails to launch if I don’t draw an Epiphany” to “deck costs 2 more pool to get off the ground if I don’t draw Epiphany” – a much more reasonable position.
…. to me, this feels similar to the default “become Anarch” action; Anarch decks make use of it when they need to, but most vampires who become Anarchs use a different mechanism.
The whole way the Advanced mechanic currently works is just overly cumbersome and serves to limit deck variety. How about for four transfers and one pool you can search out the corresponding other version of a vampire and place it directly onto them.
Are there any vampires that are especially powerful merged?
The possibilities are still far from explored. Discipline-requiring cards whose basic effect does something related to merging vampires and with the superior focusing on something completely distinct (I was thinking about Auspex and something in line with Soul Scan, but many other disciplines would be apt candidates)
As it stands, casual merging of vampires is a pipe dream and non-superstar builds involving the mechanic are unworkable, imho.
Drain