LEGACIES OF BLOOD

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Bloodlines Return as New Ones Emerge
Distinct from the major clans, rare lineages of Kindred also play their part in the great Jyhad. The known vampiric Bloodlines return to the eternal struggle, plus all-new legacies of blood emerge from the Dark Continent of Africa! Vampire: The Eternal Struggle is again exploring the more exotic lineages of Caine's blood.

The set revisits the clans and disciplines introduced in 2001's popular Bloodlines expansion with new faces, new powers, and new tools to strengthen old strategies and to forge some new ones. What started as a trickle with the Baali in Kindred Most Wanted grows to a torrent of bloodlines now. The rumor of a coven of Blood Brothers in Mexico is confirmed. The Red List welcomes new names, like the Samedi child monster Genina. Joining Adonai of the Salubri antitribu, more bloodlines' founders appear in Legacies of Blood, among them Muricia of the Ahrimanes and Troglodytia of the Samedi.

Most vampire know little about the bloodlines (and might not even know they exist). But while the bloodlines might be small in the World of Darkness, some of their members have become legends among the Kindred. One of the most famous (though seldom seen) will finally be captured on a card.
Like the Baali in Kindred Most Wanted, each bloodline in Legacies of Blood expands into group four (with the occasional group three "bridge" vampire) so that the 3/4 crypts can have access to the bloodlines clans. (This also helps us avoid piling up too many members in a single group pair, helping maintain the support role for which the bloodlines are designed.) Each bloodline also gets new library support in Discipline-based and clan-based cards (expanding the options for the original group two bloodlines members, as well.

Bloodlines was an ambitious expansion, with 12 new clans and 10 new Disciplines. Now the new Legacies of Blood expansion embraces that philosophy and pushes it a little further. In addition to the clans and Disciplines from Bloodlines, it adds a new sect, a new Discipline, and a few more new clans.
For the first time in the eternal struggle, players can also explore the long-hidden domains of the Laibon, the Cainites of sub-sahara Africa. Either misunderstood or simply ignored by the western Kindred, the secretive Laibon have evolved a different society with different concepts of morality (Aye and Orun instead of Humanity/Path) and different standards of interaction both with each other and with their breathing neighbors. In V:TES terms, Laibon is introduced as a fourth sect. It comes with a new title (or two), and several library cards help set the tone of the sect.

One of the first questions players raised after Legacies of Blood was announced was "Will the legacies (Laibon clans) be new clans in V:TES (like the Salubri antitribu to the Salubri), or will they be handled by creating new members of existing clans with the new sect designation (like the Assamite antitribu to the Assamites)?! The answer is: both. Some of the Cainite clans that migrated to Africa have retained enough of their tell-tale attributes to be considered members of their "parent" clans, at least for V:TES.
Four, however, have changed enough to be considered new clans, and these four will each be featured in the starter decks for the set. The Akunanse are the wise wandering "spiders" of the Ebony Kingdom, with the Disciplines Abombwe, Animalism, and Fortitude. The founders of the Ebony Kingdom, the Guruhi, govern it still, with the Disciplines Animalism, Potence, and Presence. The self-indulgent Ishtarri - with the Disciplines Celerity, Fortitude, and Presence - feed their vices openly. The strong but conservative Osebo make excellent followers if not leaders, with the Disciplines Auspex, Celerity, and Potence. Unlike most of the bloodlines, these four new clans are designed to stand on their own, not to have just a supporting role.

The Akunanse are the animalistic wanderers of the Ebony Kingdom. But unlike the Gangrel, the experience (and stories) gained from their wandering nature causes the other Laibon in the Ebony Kingdom to seek out their counsel and wisdom. This means that the Akunanse do not suffer from a lack of political and social influence (bleed and votes). Abombwe, the signature Discipline of the Akunanse, helps the Akunanse resist frenzy (as well as being more proactively useful as a cousin of Protean).
The Guruhi are generally the oldest vampires and are comfortable in their rule. Unlike the Ventrue or the Lasombra, however, their rule is not based on overtly held titles, but on more subtle manipulations. In the card game, this means they have to rely more on transient votes (provided by their Presence) and have little in the way of power bleed ability (even their 11-capacity member has no bleed bonus). Instead, they must use stealth, blood gain, and influence (transfers) to exert their will.
The Ishtarri are undisciplined and unpredictable. Conditional stealth, votes, bleed, and even some untap and pool gain are all symptomatic of their volatile natures. On those occasions when they get everything in order, look out!
The Osebo have a natural affinity for the role of bodyguard, and intercept combat is clearly their string point in the card game as well. But like most Laibon, they are not just stereotypes. They have a bit of vote power, bleed, and other proactive resources to bring to bear as well.

The other main Legacies, the Followers of Set, Kinyonyi, Naglopers, Shango, and Xi Dundu, are also represented with new members of their more well-known "parent" clans and supported by new library cards. The Ghiberti line of the Giovanni in Africa, while not technically a Laibon Legacy in the World of Darkness, is also visited.
Of the minor Legacies, only the Mla Watu and the Nkulu Zao are 4 found in this expansion, again as part of more-familiar clans, the Harbingers of Skulls and the Salubri antitribu.
Legacies of Blood is a sweeping expansion designed to showcase the roles of the mysterious strangers in the already strange world of the eternal struggle.

The Legacies of Blood starters main disciplines:
Akunanse (Abombwe, Animalism, Fortitude)
Guruhi (Animalism, Potence, Presence)
Ishtarri (Celerity, Fortitude, Presence)
Osebo (Auspex, Celerity, Potence)

 Promo Cards 5

Genina, The Red Poet (Samedi) (Scrye #89. November 2005)
Genina's Discipline spread makes her an interesting vampire. Having Celerity and Fortitude gives her multi-action options like Freak Drive and Forced March. She can use these cards to play multiple disruptive Chimerstry actions. We can expect the multi-rush players to take advantage of her Disciplines and specials. Her Red List disadvantage may be a liability, but with cards like Regenerative Blood and Ashes to Ashes, she'll be hard to put down for good. Genina may prove to be a destructive force on the table.

Angelo (Blood Brother) (Game Trade Magazine #69. November 2005)
First of all, Angelo's special is white hot for any Blood Brothers deck. The ability to play with either or both current circles makes Angelo versatile and a necessity in any Blood Brother deck. Angelo's Disciplines lend to the "beats" side of deckbuilding with Potence, Celerity, Vicissitude, and Fortitude. Additionally, his superior Celerity and Fortitude let him act at +1 stealth with Forced March, an ability the Blood Brothers had been lacking.

 New Rules 5

Laibon: Laibon is a new sect which is composed of just four clans: Akunanse, Guruhi, Ishtarri and Osebo. Laibon are non-Camarilla, non-Sabbat, non-Independent vampires.

Ousted cards: If you are ousted, all the cards you control are removed from the game. (Not burned, just removed from the game).

Reflex: A minion can play a reflex card to cancel a specified kind of card played against him as it is played. The minion need not be untapped or even ready to play the reflex card. The cost of the card, if any, is paid as normal, even for the reflex usage.

Magaji: Magaji is a new title worth 2 votes. It can only be held by Laibon vampires. The title is not unique.

Title: A Title card is a placeholder for a title. If the title is yielded or lost, the card is burned. If the title is unique, contests are paid with vampire blood, as normal for titles. (Simplifying the handling of Praxis Seizures and similar cards).

 Expansion format: 5

Fans can choose from eight-deck starter displays, one of four individual 90-card starter decks, individual 11-card booster packs, or 36-pack booster displays-all of which provide new minions and new strategies to bring to bear in the Eternal Struggle. Starter decks are all balanced for beginning play and feature one of the Ebony Kingdom clans.
In boosters there will be 201 new cards and 99 reprints (from the Bloodlines expansion). That includes 50 new rares and 50 reprint rares. The rare sheets are laid out so that three of every four boosters will get a new rare (the reprint rares show up only in 25% of the boosters). The precons also contain new cards that are only found in the precons. Namely 6 new precon-only vampires in each plus a couple of precon-only library cards. Each of the precon-only crypt cards is found twice in its respective starter (to fill out the 12-card crypt).

V:TES: Legacies of the Blood Starter Display (ISBN 1-58846-641-8) $79.92 (contains 2 each of 4 different starter decks)
V:TES: Legacies of the Blood Booster Display (ISBN 1-58846-642-6) $107.64 (contains 36 booster packs)
V:TES: Legacies of Blood Boster Pack (individual pack contains 11 cards)
V:TES: Legacies of Blood AKUNANSE starter deck (ISBN 1-58846-643-4) 2693 $9.99 (contains 90 cards and a rulebook)
V:TES: Legacies of Blood GURUHI starter deck (ISBN 1-58846-644-2) 2694 $9.99 (contains 90 cards and a rulebook)
V:TES: Legacies of Blood ISHTARRI starter deck (ISBN 1-58846-645-0) 2695 $9.99 (contains 90 cards and a rulebook)
V:TES: Legacies of Blood OSEBO starter deck (ISBN 1-58846-646-9) 2696 $9.99 (contains 90 cards and a rulebook)

 Checklist 5

Note: Uzoma (a vampire from the Osebo starter) was accidentally inserted on the uncommon sheet as well, in place of Kisha Bhimji. She doesn't appear in the set at all. All crypt cards are U.

 Starters 5