Retaining and Regaining Life for Allies

One important aspect when playing an ally deck in VtES is, how can you keep them alive, either by preventing damage or by gaining life. For a vampire that's quite an easy task. First of all there's hunting, but there also a large of number of cards that provide blood directly (e.g. Hunting Grounds, Taste of Vitae, Theft of Vitae, etc.) or indirectly (e.g. Blood Doll, Vessel, ..) Furthermore a large number of vampires have access to damage prevention cards (Fortitude, Thaumaturgy, etc.). The options for allies on the other hand are rather limited in comparison, and a lot them is build on their special abilities.

• Active Life Regeneration by Allies
• Ossian gains life in combat for each damage successfully inflicted.
• Amam the Devourer gains a life if he burns a vampire in combat or by diablerie.
• Gregory Winter, Impundulu and Succubus can steal life/blood from other minions. Unfortunately for him, Gregory Winter also looses one life in his controller's untap phase.
• A Nephandus gains one life when diablerizing a vampire, Gregory Winter even two life.
• The Ananasi Vampirephile can take an action to regain a life.



• Automatic Life Regeneration by Allies (Passive)
  
  • A number of allies regenerate a life automatically (usually during the untap phase) if a certain lower limit has been reached, namely Black Spiral Buddy, Ohoyo Hopoksia (Bastet), High Top, Harzomatuili, Renegade Garou, Remnant of the Endless Storm, Samuel Haight, Tunnel Runner.
  • The Vagabond Mystic has a special position, since he's the only source which can be used repeatedly for giving allies life back.
• Allies with Damage Prevention
  
  • A number of allies which can prevent damage in combat.
    
    • Gargoyle Slaves prevent one damage each combat.
    • Nephren-Ka can prevent one non-aggravated damage each combat.
    • A War Ghoul can prevent one damage each round.
    • Three allies (Ambrosius the Ferryman, Ponticulus and Tye Cooper) all ignore non-aggravated damage.
      
  • Another group of allies have damage inflicted against them reduced.
  • When an effect used against Remnant of the Endless Storm that does more than 2 damage, the excess is ignored.
  • Each strike or damaging effect does one less damage against a Nephandus or Walks-With-Might.
  General Active Life (Re)Generation
  
  • With Leech Mortals, Ghouls and Mages can steal a Blood/Life.
  • Putrescent Servitude (requiring Thanatosis) give back a life to a mortal or a ghoul.
  • Healing Touch, Panacea, Rayzeel's Song, Renewed Vigor (all req. Obeah) give back allies one or more life.
  • Root of VitalityRoot of Vitality (req. Vicissitude) give allies back one life.
  • Mortals gain a Life if they're Ghouled.
  • Tainted Spring (requiring Animalism) provide animal allies an extra life.
• General Damage Prevention
  
  • Glancing Blow is combat card without any requirement which allies can play to prevent one damage.
  • Heaven's Gate prevent one damage to an ally (req. Necromancy) or can be used to bring back an ally which is about to be burned in combat (req. Obeah).
  • Infection (req. Thanatosis) prevent all damage to a ghoul ally.
  • Martyr's Resilience (req. Fortitude & Auspex) let vampire prevent 1 damage or X+1 damage to an ally.
    
  • Bestow Vigor provides allies with Fortitude (for playing combat cards) giving them access to wide range of damage prevention cards.
  • And finally there's a number of equipment cards that allies can use to prevent damage in combat (e.g. Flak Jacket and Kevlar Vest).

What's the best ally with regards to life regeneration & damage prevention? Remnant of the Endless Storm look like quite good. He has a high starting life, max. damage per strike against him is two and he regenerates one life every untap, but this comes with very, very hefty price of 6 pool. Probably the best non-unique in my opinion are the mid-cost allies Nephandus and War Ghouls. Both are rather cheap and without playing combat cards (or permanent extra strength) they not killable. Of the unique allies, Ambrosius the Ferryman, Ponticulus and Tye Cooper shine, since most decks are not able to kill them. On the other hand, Shambling Hordes seem to be quite bad when it comes down to life regeneration, because they simply can't. But then can you see them as what their are expendable rush allies, or you can play Glancing Blow or even put a Flak Jacket or Kevlar Vest on them. In any ally deck containing a number of allies have 2 or more life, the Vagabond Mystic is a must, since he's the best way of keeping allies alive for a long time.
And if all that doesn't help, there a number of cards that can bring back allies after being burned:

• Compel the Spirit, Daemonic Possession (both req. Necromancy & Resurrection can bring back an ally burned since your last turn.
• Pressing Flesh can bring back an ally (burned since your last turn.) as zombie with an extra life (at superior Thanatosis), who can also play Fortitude cards, but cannot gain life anymore.