I've always preferred Camarilla characters in the TTRPG. Structured, superior, and slightly unbearable. My Tremere in one campaign embodied all three: the kind of vampire who would correct your Latin mid-combat. My coterie was an odd pairing: a Gangrel whose entire strategy was "growl louder", and a Toreador who believed subtlety meant switching from red velvet to burgundy.
Our mission? Investigate some Sabbat activity. Easy. I had wards, chants, and more smugness than sense. Then the Lasombra showed up. He didn't walk into the room, he deleted the light. One second we were in an old church, the next we were in what felt like the inside of my own poor decisions.
The Gangrel charged. The Lasombra caught him mid-air and tossed him into a wall with Potence; the supernatural equivalent of "I am the boss, boy". The Toreador tried to flirt; he used Dominate, and she froze mid-wink, like a particularly fashionable mannequin.
I began an offensive chanting. Full incantation, flawless hand gestures, ten out of ten on the presentation, but Obtenebration had other ideas. His shadows moved like they had opinions. One of them patted my shoulder in disappointment.
Then the Lasombra turned to me, smiling that perfect "I own this cathedral and your dignity" smile. He said, "Sit. And listen".
And I did. Oh, I sat. Because when a man who can punch the moon out of orbit gives you life advice, you listen.
Technically, we survived. Spiritually, I'm still recovering. The Lasombra left, the light returned, and I discovered my Gangrel friend had embedded himself in a confessional booth. I congratulated him on rediscovering religion. Then we went home and never talked about it again.
That encounter taught me two things: one, shadows have better PR than the Tremere; and two, sometimes raw power is the most elegant answer.
Funnily enough, a few months later, that same Lasombra defected to the Camarilla. Then half the clan followed in the V5 timeline. I pretended to be skeptical (you know, for political consistency) but secretly, I was thrilled. Finally, I could stay loyal to the Cam and play these edge lords without guilt. Nothing says character growth like embracing the darkness under official supervision.
I wanted my first Lasombra deck focus on punching and punishing. No political niceties or careful rituals. Just raw, elegant brutality.
I started with the combat module, because we all know that Lasombra diplomacy begins and ends with Potence. I built the deck around Immortal Grapple, Torn Signpost, Roundhouse, and Arms of Ahriman, the kind of card combination that politely removes the concept of "survivors".
To make sure no one gets too comfortable, I added Umbrous Clutch, perfect for dragging unsuspecting minions into combat and teaching them the value of better life insurance. For defense? Well… there's Deflection. Just Deflection. A single thread of hope and denial holding the whole strategy together. I will almost certainly regret that.
My card pool is still pretty limited, so I'm not posting the full deck list yet. I'd rather test it first and make sure it can actually function outside the safety of theorycraft. If it performs as terrifyingly as I hope, I'll be bold enough to share the full list later, possibly along with a triumphant battle report or a detailed account of my spectacular failure. Either way, it'll be entertaining.
The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.
Custodian Hargrave
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