Vampires

[stormmaster1]

Make the vampires really expensive, a kind of tax on ST4/AG4. Maybe 160-180k. Could also give them MA5 henchmen.

[Grumbledook]

You can't be serious with this ? I've tried to play Vampires in our league multiple times, and I'm surely a veteran BB player. Even with the most cautious 2 Vampires maximum play, I didn't have the slightest chance against other fresh teams. As written now, the team is not challenging (as it should be), it's only frustrating.

I am serious, I won our last league in LRB4 with them.

They got a boost in lrb5 with the changes to hypnotic gaze and the fact you can use apoths on the vamps as well as the thralls.

I was also mistaken that this was in the play test section not the house rulez. I normally stay clear of this area with good reason, didn't mean to get anyones backs up ;]

[Jural]

If one imagines that Vampires are:

6 4 4 8 Hypnotic Gaze, Regenerate GA/SP

With no negatrait, would it be even possible to make a balanced roster? On my way home from work today, I was thinking the following might work.

0-2 Vampires 6 4 4 8 Hypnotic Gaze, Regenerate 130K
0-6 Thralls 6 3 3 7 Thick Skull 50K
0-16 Skeletons 5 3 2 7 Regenerate 30K.

Re-roll 60K.

I wonder if that roster might be balanced? Obviously no playtesting, I'm wondering if it sets off warning bells for guys like Fen and Galak though?

Just an intellectual exercise, I like the Vamps as they are and don't want to see them changed.

[Snew]

Weird looking team. no Block. All AV7 except 2 players. They'll get eaten alive. ST4 AG4 is HUGE but I don't think it'll help that team.

The bigger issue is all those who will scream that it's not a Vampre team with only 2 Vamps.

[vanGorn]

I like the Vampire teams as they are. A house rule for Vampires I thought about was a special rule to transform a thrall into a vampire between games. The thralls value would give a discount so we pay 70,000 to make him a vampire. I prefer that he doesn't retain the skills and injuries, but the former thrall becomes a fresh vampire player.

[Jural]

The bigger issue is all those who will scream that it's not a Vampre team with only 2 Vamps.

I agree. but my instincts say even 0-4 such players would be unstoppable. Many vamp coaches as is only field 4 vamps at a time, even once they have skilled up. These vamps definitely make an impact, even with Bloodlust!

[mattgslater]

How about this?

0-4 Vampires: 6/4/4/8 Hypnotic Gaze, Loner, Prima Donna, Regenerate; AS/GP 120k or 130k
0-2 Ghouls, if you think they're needed
0-16 Thralls
70k RRs

Prima Donna: Certain players (read: Vampires) believe themselves to be the rightful focus of any Blood Bowl team on which they play, and are frequently unwilling to play second fiddle. At the beginning of each drive, whenever you set up a Prima Donna player, roll 1d6; if the result is greater than the number of players already on the pitch, set the player up on the pitch as normal. Otherwise, the player won't play since he's not getting top billing, and remains in the Reserves for this drive. Repeat this process for all players with this skill, in any order, as you set them up. Players who fail their Prima Donna checks may absolutely be replaced with other players for the drive, but this usually means filling in with a second-stringer. Note that the first player's roll automatically succeeds if he is set up first (he needs to roll higher than 0). If after rolling for Prima Donna players you are unable to set up legally using players on the pitch and those remaining in the dugout, you may restructure your set-up using the players on the pitch.

That way, you just can't field all four at once unless you get super-duper lucky. As a minor side thingy, all Vamps have to be set up before the Thralls show up, which doesn't mean much but makes kind of cool fluff. It may be best to find a new name: "Prima Donna" I think makes a nice, descriptive working title. How about "Gloryhog" or "Egomaniac" instead?

[Snew]

The bigger issue is all those who will scream that it's not a Vampre team with only 2 Vamps.

I agree. but my instincts say even 0-4 such players would be unstoppable. Many vamp coaches as is only field 4 vamps at a time, even once they have skilled up. These vamps definitely make an impact, even with Bloodlust!

I fully agree. Give me 0-4 such players and I don't really care what other BB-isms make up the rest of the roster. I'm gonna have a field day!

[mattgslater]

So what about rules to keep them all from being put on the pitch at once?

[Snew]

If you do that you may as well limit them 0-2.

[mattgslater]

Except for all those coaches would scream about 0-2 but who would go "Oh, ok, I can have 4," and instead of being afraid they shouldn't field them all, they'll be afraid they can't field them all. It's not the same thing as just limiting it to 0-2. You might be fielding only 2 or 3 once you've got 4 on your roster, but a) it makes you make roster decisions favoring depth, and b) it lets you have Vamp depth, which given the high positional quality really feels like an asset in the particular match. If you've got a Vamp out of the game, you can replace him right off your bench. Plus, if you get lucky, you can get a big drive out of what would otherwise have to be a pretty mediocre team (0-2 Vamps with no weaknesses plus 0-16 Thralls wouldn't be enough, and would get beat up a lot). Also, it "feels" more Vampire-y, as you can have several Vamps on the roster, all of whom are likely to see play each match.

With Prima Donna (or whatever its final name is), you can even keep them at 0-6 and it won't matter. No roster would have six guys with that anti-skill, and no team would rely on fielding them all, even with only two or three.

[mattgslater]

Hmmm... here's how it would break down:

Your coolest Vamp: Automatic

#2: 5/6. So if you have 2, you'll field 1.83 on avg.

#3: (1/6x5/6 + 5/6x2/3) = 25/36. So with 3, you get 2.53 on avg.

#4: (1/6x1/6x5/6 + 1/6x5/6x2/3 + 5/6x1/3x2/3 + 5/6x2/3x1/2) = 125/216, so with 4 you'll get about 3.11 Vamps.

So at 130k each, that's +520k to TV for three super-cool guys and a really neeto benchwarmer who has only a little better than a 50/50 shot at being able to fill in for a fallen comrade.

[stashman]

Well how about this one (think I have seen it on Specialist-games forum):

When a Thrall is biten and is dead he will turn into a rookie vampire.

The new Vampire can be added to the Vampire team for free during step 5 of Updating Your Team Roster (see page 29) if the team has an open Roster slot.

This will not make the team better but will help the team get an expensive player and make it a bit more fun.

[Kyrel]

I'll throw in a (broken) idea, just for the fun of it. IMO Vampire Teams are good fun, but should ultimately be really bad teams. Vamps are solitary predators that don't play well with others, have special diatry needs, and don't take too well to playing outdoors.

1-16 Vampires
MA6 ST5 AG4 AV9
Skills (GSA/-):
Hypnotic Gaze, Dodge, Regenerate
Cost: 90.000

Re-Rolls: Team can not use Team Re-Rolls

Special Rules:
- Can not use Apothecary.
- Out for a Bite: Before each Drive, roll a D6 for each vamp on the team. On a roll of 4+ the player is unavailable for the Drive. The player is helping himself to a...snack.


I wouldn't expect this team to ever do very well, but it should certainly be different to anything out there. You are unlikely to ever field a full squad for a Drive, you don't have team Re-Rolls, and you can't use Apothecaries. On the up side you get insanely cheap powerhouse players though.

[stashman]

Out for a Bite: Before each Drive, roll a D6 for each vamp on the team. On a roll of 4+ the player is unavailable for the Drive. The player is helping himself to a...snack.


I like this as a diffrent Bloodlust!