On this forum, I've seen vampirism done as a race, and done as a paragon path. Both work well, but they got me to thinking. Could it be done with feats? Feats are a lot more flexible, but they are harder to balance, and feat trees tend to get overly large and complicated for my tastes. Plus, most of the vampire's traditional powers resemble, well, powers, and I don't want to blur the line between the feat system and the power system.
So, this works sort of like the multiclassing feats: vampire powers are gained through a power-swap feat. So you need to give up a class power to take a vampire power, as well as taking the feat. So most of the powers below are just a smidge better than a normal power; they should be roughly equal to a power + a feat.
The base vampire feat is meant to be pretty weak. Resist necrotic isn't that good, and inflicting ongoing damage to grabbed targets is not worth suffering the effects of Turn Undead. I incorporated some traditional vampire restrictions but tried to keep them playable (like, they are weaker in sunlight but don't take damage for it). I ditched a number of vampire restrictions from the Monster Manual (like, sleeping in coffin or being 11th level). The goal was to make this flexible, so that you could build different sorts of character concepts for storytelling purposes.
Please let me know if any of this looks confusing, imbalanced or unfun.
-- 77IM
Vampire Feats
VAMPIRE
Prerequisites: You must have had the Dark Gift of the Undying ritual performed upon you, or been killed by the blood drain power of a vampire lord who is now destroyed.
Benefit: You gain the undead type for effects relating to type. You have resist necrotic 5 + 1/2 your level, and vulnerability radiant 5. As a minor action, you may drink the blood of a living creature that you have grabbed, inflicting ongoing 5 damage (until escape).
You still breathe and sleep normally. You no longer need to eat or drink, but must drink blood or face the consequences of starvation. When you are exposed to direct sunlight, you can't use any vampire powers (those acquired with the Vampire Power feat) and can't spend healing surges (as if you were all out of healing surges), although other forms of healing work on you normally and you can use your other powers (such as class and race powers). Artificial light, such as from a sunrod or other magical effect, does not count as direct sunlight, nor does moderate shade, such as from a tree or building. Overcast weather or dark concealing clothing provide partial protection: you can use healing surges, but can't use vampire powers.
Special: Selecting this feat requires the DM's permission. Retraining the feat also requires the DM's permission, and may be accompanied by a special quest.
VAMPIRE POWER
Prerequisites: Vampire.
Benefit: You lose an encounter, daily, or utility power from your class and replace it with one of the encounter, daily, or utility powers below. The replacement power must be of the same category (encounter, daily, or utility) and of an equal or lesser level than the power you are replacing. You can only replace class powers, not powers from a race, feat, paragon path, or epic destiny.
Special: You may select this feat more than once, each time swapping a class power for a new vampire power. When you gain a level, you can change your selection of which powers you have swapped, just as with a multiclass power swap feat.
Vampire Powers
These can only be acquired via the Vampire Power feat (above).
Blood Drain / Vampire Attack 1
You reach out and suck the blood from a living target.
Encounter * Healing
Minor Action / Melee touch
Target: One living creature
Requirement: You must have combat advantage against the target to use this power. You must not be in direct sunlight.
Attack: Strength + 2 or Constitution + 2 vs. Fortitude. Increase the bonus to +4 at 11th level and +6 at 21st level.
Hit: 1d6 + Strength or 1d6 + Constitution damage, and you spend a healing surge.
Special: When you first gain this power, decide whether it uses Strength or Constitution for its attack and damage rolls.
Inhuman Swiftness / Vampire Utility 2
Your grace and speed are uncanny.
Encounter
Immediate Interrupt / Personal
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Trigger: You make a Dexterity-based attack roll, skill check, or ability check, and you don't like the result.
Effect: Reroll your Dexterity-based attack roll, skill check, or ability check. Use the second roll, even if it's lower.
Wall Crawl / Vampire Utility 6
You can climb any surface.
At-Will
Move Action / Personal
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Effect: You can climb any solid surface that holds your weight (including sheer cliffs and overhangs), with a speed equal to 1/2 your normal speed.
Hypnotic Gaze / Vampire Attack 7
Victims are held captive by your glare.
Encounter * Charm, Gaze
Minor Action / Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Attack: Wisdom + 2 or Charisma + 2 vs. Will. Increase the bonus to +4 at 11th level and +6 at 21st level.
Hit: The target is dazed (save ends).
Special: When you first gain this power, decide whether it uses Wisdom or Charisma for its attack rolls.
Mist Form / Vampire Utility 10
You become a shifting cloud of fog and slip silently away.
Daily * Polymorph
Minor Action / Personal
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Effect: You assume a misty form until the end of the encounter or for 5 minutes. In this form you are insubstantial, gain fly 6, and can’t take standard actions or make attacks. You can slip through narrow openings, squeezing through any space that is not airtight. Reverting to your normal form is a minor action.
Dominating Gaze / Vampire Attack 13
Victims' minds are held captive by your stare.
Encounter * Charm, Gaze
Standard Action / Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Attack: Wisdom + 4 or Charisma + 4 vs. Will. Increase the bonus to +6 at 21st level.
Hit: The target is dominated until the end of your next turn (save ends).
Sustain Minor: The target remains dominated (save ends). You can't sustain this power if the target has successfully saved against it.
Special: When you first gain this power, decide whether it uses Wisdom or Charisma for its attack rolls.
Blood Savage / Vampire Attack 17
You slash into your opponent, a geyser of blood feeding your thirst.
Encounter * Healing
Standard Action / Melee touch
Target: One living creature
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Attack: Strength + 4 or Constitution + 4 vs. Reflex. Increase the bonus to +6 at 21st level.
Hit: 4d6 + Strength or 4d6 + Constitution damage and ongoing 5 damage (save ends), and you spend a healing surge.
Miss: Ongoing 5 damage (save ends), and you spend a healing surge.
Special: When you first gain this power, decide whether it uses Strength or Constitution for its attack and damage rolls.
Undying Mist / Vampire Utility 22
You suddenly become a shifting cloud of fog and slip swiftly away.
Daily * Healing, Polymorph
Free Action / Personal
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Special: You can use this power even when you are unconscious and dying.
Effect: You may spend a healing surge, if you wish, gaining the full normal benefits. You assume a misty form for up to one hour. In this form you are insubstantial, gain fly 12, and can’t take standard actions or make attacks. You can slip through narrow openings, squeezing through any space that is not airtight. Reverting to your normal form is a free action.
So, this works sort of like the multiclassing feats: vampire powers are gained through a power-swap feat. So you need to give up a class power to take a vampire power, as well as taking the feat. So most of the powers below are just a smidge better than a normal power; they should be roughly equal to a power + a feat.
The base vampire feat is meant to be pretty weak. Resist necrotic isn't that good, and inflicting ongoing damage to grabbed targets is not worth suffering the effects of Turn Undead. I incorporated some traditional vampire restrictions but tried to keep them playable (like, they are weaker in sunlight but don't take damage for it). I ditched a number of vampire restrictions from the Monster Manual (like, sleeping in coffin or being 11th level). The goal was to make this flexible, so that you could build different sorts of character concepts for storytelling purposes.
Please let me know if any of this looks confusing, imbalanced or unfun.
-- 77IM
Vampire Feats
VAMPIRE
Prerequisites: You must have had the Dark Gift of the Undying ritual performed upon you, or been killed by the blood drain power of a vampire lord who is now destroyed.
Benefit: You gain the undead type for effects relating to type. You have resist necrotic 5 + 1/2 your level, and vulnerability radiant 5. As a minor action, you may drink the blood of a living creature that you have grabbed, inflicting ongoing 5 damage (until escape).
You still breathe and sleep normally. You no longer need to eat or drink, but must drink blood or face the consequences of starvation. When you are exposed to direct sunlight, you can't use any vampire powers (those acquired with the Vampire Power feat) and can't spend healing surges (as if you were all out of healing surges), although other forms of healing work on you normally and you can use your other powers (such as class and race powers). Artificial light, such as from a sunrod or other magical effect, does not count as direct sunlight, nor does moderate shade, such as from a tree or building. Overcast weather or dark concealing clothing provide partial protection: you can use healing surges, but can't use vampire powers.
Special: Selecting this feat requires the DM's permission. Retraining the feat also requires the DM's permission, and may be accompanied by a special quest.
VAMPIRE POWER
Prerequisites: Vampire.
Benefit: You lose an encounter, daily, or utility power from your class and replace it with one of the encounter, daily, or utility powers below. The replacement power must be of the same category (encounter, daily, or utility) and of an equal or lesser level than the power you are replacing. You can only replace class powers, not powers from a race, feat, paragon path, or epic destiny.
Special: You may select this feat more than once, each time swapping a class power for a new vampire power. When you gain a level, you can change your selection of which powers you have swapped, just as with a multiclass power swap feat.
Vampire Powers
These can only be acquired via the Vampire Power feat (above).
Blood Drain / Vampire Attack 1
You reach out and suck the blood from a living target.
Encounter * Healing
Minor Action / Melee touch
Target: One living creature
Requirement: You must have combat advantage against the target to use this power. You must not be in direct sunlight.
Attack: Strength + 2 or Constitution + 2 vs. Fortitude. Increase the bonus to +4 at 11th level and +6 at 21st level.
Hit: 1d6 + Strength or 1d6 + Constitution damage, and you spend a healing surge.
Special: When you first gain this power, decide whether it uses Strength or Constitution for its attack and damage rolls.
Inhuman Swiftness / Vampire Utility 2
Your grace and speed are uncanny.
Encounter
Immediate Interrupt / Personal
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Trigger: You make a Dexterity-based attack roll, skill check, or ability check, and you don't like the result.
Effect: Reroll your Dexterity-based attack roll, skill check, or ability check. Use the second roll, even if it's lower.
Wall Crawl / Vampire Utility 6
You can climb any surface.
At-Will
Move Action / Personal
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Effect: You can climb any solid surface that holds your weight (including sheer cliffs and overhangs), with a speed equal to 1/2 your normal speed.
Hypnotic Gaze / Vampire Attack 7
Victims are held captive by your glare.
Encounter * Charm, Gaze
Minor Action / Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Attack: Wisdom + 2 or Charisma + 2 vs. Will. Increase the bonus to +4 at 11th level and +6 at 21st level.
Hit: The target is dazed (save ends).
Special: When you first gain this power, decide whether it uses Wisdom or Charisma for its attack rolls.
Mist Form / Vampire Utility 10
You become a shifting cloud of fog and slip silently away.
Daily * Polymorph
Minor Action / Personal
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Effect: You assume a misty form until the end of the encounter or for 5 minutes. In this form you are insubstantial, gain fly 6, and can’t take standard actions or make attacks. You can slip through narrow openings, squeezing through any space that is not airtight. Reverting to your normal form is a minor action.
Dominating Gaze / Vampire Attack 13
Victims' minds are held captive by your stare.
Encounter * Charm, Gaze
Standard Action / Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Attack: Wisdom + 4 or Charisma + 4 vs. Will. Increase the bonus to +6 at 21st level.
Hit: The target is dominated until the end of your next turn (save ends).
Sustain Minor: The target remains dominated (save ends). You can't sustain this power if the target has successfully saved against it.
Special: When you first gain this power, decide whether it uses Wisdom or Charisma for its attack rolls.
Blood Savage / Vampire Attack 17
You slash into your opponent, a geyser of blood feeding your thirst.
Encounter * Healing
Standard Action / Melee touch
Target: One living creature
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Attack: Strength + 4 or Constitution + 4 vs. Reflex. Increase the bonus to +6 at 21st level.
Hit: 4d6 + Strength or 4d6 + Constitution damage and ongoing 5 damage (save ends), and you spend a healing surge.
Miss: Ongoing 5 damage (save ends), and you spend a healing surge.
Special: When you first gain this power, decide whether it uses Strength or Constitution for its attack and damage rolls.
Undying Mist / Vampire Utility 22
You suddenly become a shifting cloud of fog and slip swiftly away.
Daily * Healing, Polymorph
Free Action / Personal
Requirement: You can't use this power when in direct sunlight.
Special: You can use this power even when you are unconscious and dying.
Effect: You may spend a healing surge, if you wish, gaining the full normal benefits. You assume a misty form for up to one hour. In this form you are insubstantial, gain fly 12, and can’t take standard actions or make attacks. You can slip through narrow openings, squeezing through any space that is not airtight. Reverting to your normal form is a free action.
