Source
r/WhiteWolfRPG•
agmaster

Killing off Tremere at their 'Best'

VTM

Super simple thread. Everyone else seems easy enough to screw with, so let's talk how you would hurt these vamps. After all, most of the other clans' weakness allow you to be creative with how you combat them. With Tremere, it just seems so pedestrian how to best them. We know fire, sunlight, and just being magically/physically stronger works. But how can we ruin thaumaturgy for them? Or really use that bs perfectionism flaw in a life threatening situation.

  • For context I am thinking of making a Tremer the big bad, but my playstyle would make it kinda unbeatable. Rather than make it easier, I want ideas to down powerful Tremere at their best.

Posted Jun 13, 2019, 7:52 AM UTC

714
DoctorMezmerro•

Animalism or Dementation to fly them into Frenzy. Most Tremeres are fairly pathetic when frenzying, since they cannot use their magic or ritualistic bag of tricks.

That being said it's dangerous to rely on stereotypes, and once upon a time you'd run into Tremere who secretly leveled Protean, Celerity and Potence just to tear an assholse who try to pull this trick a new one.

11
ThatBlueHatGuy•

Why not just have the Malk or Malks use Totally Insanity ?

1
DoctorMezmerro•

Because chances are only ancillae and elders know 5-dot powers, and we're playing neonates.

3
ThatBlueHatGuy•

Got you.

1
GreyICE34•

Well the answer is that you don’t. Thaumaturgy is a finicky discipline. You need setup time, ritual space, and blood. Shittons of Blood. V5 renamed it to Blood Sorcery because that’s just more accurate - it’s the path of spilling blood by the bucketload to get some effect. If your idea is to give them all the setup time, all the blood, and all the research they need,you don’t want to be standing in front of that cannon.

On the other hand, all of that can be disrupted.

8
Mrchrisc•

Agreed. An effective Tremere is one that has foresight, time, and a bit of luck. With time to prepare and the right rituals to stack the odds, combined with a few different path powers, they become nearly unbeatable.

The way to stop them is to deny them access to ritual material, and above all else do not give them time to activate their favorite combination of abilities.

2
agmasterOP•

Hm, I admit I know more of garou and mages, so I assumed blood magic had more spontaneously powerful affects in the bag. Could you give some examples of disrupting components of their casting. Contaminated blood immediately comes to mind.

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NotAWerewolfReally•

Also, they tend to consume assorted blood in the course of various rituals. If you can get them to taste your blood three times, they aren't really so much an 'enemy' anymore.

1
agmasterOP•

My troupe is unlikely to add a vampire to their clique...so that's gotta hide in the pocket for now.

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NotAWerewolfReally•

Garou? Please say Garou?

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GreyICE34•

They can pull off some cool things, but it’s a force multiplier, and not out of line with other disciplines. A Banu Haqim might poison his blade with his own blood, but he has to get that blade into the Elder’s back. A Tremere magus might boil the blood in your veins - but freeze at a single word of an elder, and turn her magicks on her own people, believing them to have betrayed her. To throw discipline against discipline is to invite defeat, and Thaumaturgy is no protection against those when wielded like a blunt mace.

Wards can protect you absolutely - but rely on symbols of blood that can be cut. A Tremere can make a blood pentagram that teleports them across a continent - but a single knife blade across the blood line and it’s a mess on the floor for a servant to clean up. Blood magic relies on runes scribed in blood or powers imbued in objects. Find the blood, cut the lines, contaminate the blood, break the magicks.

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DocOccupant•

Beating a Tremere is the same as beating any wizard type. Deny them safe or stable ground. Deny them time to prep. Deny them a clear target. Deny them information.

Personally, I'd remember the Joker's example from The Dark Knight. Look at what can be achieved with gasoline and gunpowder. They're cheap, easy to deploy, destructive and disruptive. Used properly, you can put a Tremere off balance, and the trick then is to never let up until you have them where YOU want them.

4