lamentation for a queen

[HoneyBadger]

I think the vampire queen should have classic vampire powers: she should be able to turn into a wolf, a bat, possibly a combat version, giant rat-woman. None of her forms need to be hideously strong, just versatile and purposeful. She should get inherant mistform while in human form, and she should have Fear and Animal Fear. Maybe even a dose of Awe, ala Salma Hayek in From Dusk Till Dawn Magic should definitely be reduced to 40 path. Then she'd be worth the 175.

[vfb]

Starting magic paths of A1D1B2 would give the VQ access to Air Shield and Mistform for combat, and maybe help justify the high base chassis cost. Higher starting dominion would make a Dom 9 or 10 Awe boost more affordable too.

HB's suggestion about intrinsic Awe or Fear would also do much to make her more usable. I also think that most vampire lit/movies includes both fear and awe attributes for vampires.

And I agree, Salma Hayek is Awesome in anything .

[quantum_mechani]

It's just so bizarre having gone through the era of crazy VQs to see people grasping at straws to boost her.

Personally, I'd say the most sensible boost after just lower base cost would be lower path cost, afterall she was once pathcost 20.

[WraithLord]

I think everything suggested here towards boosting the VQ can work. Be it lower price, lower path cost, add additional start path (like air), ethreal back, fear, awe. Maybe CBM can also reduce her path cost to make her affordable for her price. And maybe, hopefully, IW will give some loving to the VQ and Vamps in general in one of the next patches.

What I have in mind is not making VQ a no brainer choice like in early dom-II, far from it - What I would like is for VQ to be a viable choice for a pretender which she currently isn't and for vamps to be thematical, which means bad-*** monsters and not laughable chaff they have become.

[quantum_mechani]

I didn't mean to imply they were bad ideas being suggested. Just that there is an understandable tendency towards the more exotic and interesting changes, rather than those straightforward and unlikely to cause thematic or balance difficulties.

[Torin]

Kissblade says it´s competitively. At least with Patala.