Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vampire Template

Please help me determine CR or Level Adjustment.

This will hopefully be used in an FR campaign. I wanted to make a vampire along the lines of BtVS, not too strong and capable of being killed by "normal" people with some luck.

Constructive comments or suggestions are appreciated.

Vampire (Template)
Vampire is an acquired template that can be applied to any humanoid. The creature's type changes to undead. It uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Undead: Vampires have the traits and immunities common to undead

Hit Dice: Change to d12

Speed: Same as the base humanoid.

AC: The base humanoid's natural AC improves by +1.

Attack: A vampire retains all the attacks of the base humanoid and gains a slam and bite attack if it didn't already have one. Slam attack 1d6 point of damage. Bite attack 1d3 points of damage.

Special Qualities:

Blood Drain: A vampire can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d3 points of temporary Constitution damage each round the pin is maintained.

Create Spawn: A humanoid slain by a vampire's blood drain attack rises as a vampire the following night.

Fast Healing: A vampire heals 1 point of damage each round so long as it has 1 hit point. A vampire reduced to -10 hit points is destroyed.

Darkvision: A vampire has darkvision at a range of 60 feet.

Weaknesses:

Direct Sunlight: A vampire caught by the rays of the sun or in broad daylight recieves 1d4 points of damage per round.

Holy Symbol: A vampire takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls against a creature prominently displaying a holy symbol. A vampire touched by a holy symbol receives 1d3 points of holy damage each round.

Inviolate Sanctuary: A vampire cannot enter a privately owned residence unless invited by an occupant.

Wooden Stake: Wooden weapons that deal piercing damage threaten a critical hit on a 18-20, although vampires are immune to critical hits. A successful critical hit utterly destroys a vampire.

I like using the Vampire Spawn entry from the Monster Manual and just ignoring the gaseous form rules. Also maybe ignoring domination (although elite vampires have domination).

I agree that there has to be some sort of rule added for using wooden stakes in combat. But it could be as simple as once the vampire is knocked to zero hit points, it can be staked as a standard action. Generally, Buffy hits the vampire at least once before staking them.

dreaded_beast said:

Wooden Stake: Wooden weapons that deal piercing damage threaten a critical hit on a 18-20, although vampires are immune to critical hits. A successful critical hit utterly destroys a vampire.

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I'm thinking the vampire still needs a template bonus to strength and dexterity. Even BtVS vampires are stronger and faster than mortals.

I'm thinking the Fast Healing should be more too...maybe 3 or 5. They take quite a lickin' before going down.

One thing you might toss in is a note that while these vampires are immune to crits and sneak attacks as usual, that a natural 20 that confirms as if it was a crit, that's made with either a wooden piercing weapon or any kind of slashing weapon can instantly kill a vampire.

This is the "combat staking" and decapitation effect.

Of course, were one to then stat the Slayer, that template would have some kind of special ability that allowed staking on more than just a natural 20.

Edit - Actually, Endur has a good point too.

Qu

dreaded_beast said:

Please help me determine CR or Level Adjustment.

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Shoot for +1 CR, +2 LA.

dreaded_beast said:

AC: The base humanoid's natural AC improves by +1.

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I say remove this. BtVS vamps aren't any harder to stick, they just need a lot more sticking.

dreaded_beast said:

Blood Drain: A vampire can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d3 points of temporary Constitution damage each round the pin is maintained.

Click to expand...

Do you want to allow this to speed healing? Each 1 pt gives 1d8 hp?

dreaded_beast said:

Create Spawn: A humanoid slain by a vampire's blood drain attack rises as a vampire the following night.

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Not quite. Joss doesn't go into it, but vampires need to feed some of their blood to a victim for the victim to rise. So, a vampire that drains a character to 1 point of constition can cause the victim to feed, and then raise up the next night. (DC 50 will save to resist.)

Fast Healing: A vampire heals 1 point of damage each round so long as it has 1 hit point. A vampire reduced to -10 hit points is destroyed.

Click to expand...

I'd change this to regeneration, with the only exceptions being the "instant death" rule of a natural twenty on a critical confirmation (cut the head off), or a single attack at -10 with a wodden stake.

Darkvision: A vampire has darkvision at a range of 60 feet.

Click to expand...

FWIW, I'd change this to low-light vision. Even Spike had candles in his lair.

Direct Sunlight: A vampire caught by the rays of the sun or in broad daylight recieves 1d4 points of damage per round.

Holy Symbol: A vampire takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls against a creature prominently displaying a holy symbol. A vampire touched by a holy symbol receives 1d3 points of holy damage each round.

Click to expand...

I'd increase the damage--sunlight to 2d6 damage per round--and have a holy symbol act as _protection against evil_ to the vampire.

Qu

dreaded_beast said:

Please help me determine CR or Level Adjustment.

Click to expand...

Shoot for +1 CR, +2 LA.

dreaded_beast said:

AC: The base humanoid's natural AC improves by +1.

Click to expand...

I say remove this. BtVS vamps aren't any harder to stick, they just need a lot more sticking.

dreaded_beast said:

Blood Drain: A vampire can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d3 points of temporary Constitution damage each round the pin is maintained.

Click to expand...

Do you want to allow this to speed healing? Each 1 pt gives 1d8 hp?

dreaded_beast said:

Create Spawn: A humanoid slain by a vampire's blood drain attack rises as a vampire the following night.

Click to expand...

Not quite. Joss doesn't go into it, but vampires need to feed some of their blood to a victim for the victim to rise. So, a vampire that drains a character to 1 point of constition can cause the victim to feed, and then raise up the next night. (DC 50 will save to resist.)

Fast Healing: A vampire heals 1 point of damage each round so long as it has 1 hit point. A vampire reduced to -10 hit points is destroyed.

Click to expand...

I'd change this to regeneration, with the only exceptions being the "instant death" rule of a natural twenty on a critical confirmation (cut the head off), or a single attack at -10 with a wodden stake.

Darkvision: A vampire has darkvision at a range of 60 feet.

Click to expand...

FWIW, I'd change this to low-light vision. Even Spike had candles in his lair.

Direct Sunlight: A vampire caught by the rays of the sun or in broad daylight recieves 1d4 points of damage per round.

Holy Symbol: A vampire takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls against a creature prominently displaying a holy symbol. A vampire touched by a holy symbol receives 1d3 points of holy damage each round.

Click to expand...

I'd increase the damage--sunlight to 2d6 damage per round--and have a holy symbol act as _protection against evil_ to the vampire.


And, as Shayuri suggested, vampires need a bonus to Strength and Dexterity. I'd make it +4 in each case.

These are all based on my opinion so when I should take it as I would do it that way.


Definately a bonus to Str and Dex. like +6 str +4 dex.

Also they should gain Scent.

Also racial bonuses to Jump +6-+10, Move Silent +4-+8, Hide +4-+8, Listen +4-+8, spot +4-+8.

Something most Buffy vamps could do was slink around, Jump, and move queitly. I would also be tempted to give them tumble as well.

PlanesDragon covered most of my other points so I second his.

Also Exposure to daylight may need like a fortitude save or die. Some of them went up in smoke fast. Only those like angel spike and other older/more powerful vampires could handle it.

Also for the staking thing just say maybe that when criticalled by a pointy wooden weapon the Vampire saves (reflex) or dies as it gets their heart. So every pointy wooden thing doesn't kill them especaily the tougher/older ones.

Also as an idea you could do this template as a cross of dragons. A more powerful template by age including bonuses to saves versus the things I have suggested.

also you might want to consider certain powers that ocur when the get their "game" face on. a bonus to initimidate being one.

later

Thanks for all the replies so far! I will definately be using these suggestions and will try to come up with a finished template soon.

I'm playing 3.5 DND based in the FR setting and my player LOVES the BtVS show, so I figure I would give her some vamps to stake, heh.

However, the DND version of the vampire, in my opinion, is WAY more powerful than the Buffy variety. In the show, "ordinary" people like Cordy, Xander, etc., could "kinda" take-on vampires (with a lot of help) and even get a stake in once in a great while. I wanted to emulate that feel, so that my player can feel like "the Slayer".

I might also add something about their alignment automatically switching to (blank) Evil. Some vampires were chaotic, but most definitely not all of them.

I see stakes and decapitation as being to vamps as fire and regeneration are to trolls. I don't suggest making any auto-kill abilities with stakes or decapitation in melee, because a stake through the heart or getting your head lopped off is equally fatal to humans, but there's no rule for that (or any other insta-kills) in the core combat system.

After reading your template, I had some comments, but after reading further, its seems that Planesdragon pretty much already made them. I agree that regeneration rather than fast healing is probably the way to go--- it'll allow you to specify what types of damage are potentially lethal, for one thing. Also, if you are trying to stick close to "Buffy"-type vamps, how about Frightful Presence, to represent the vamp's "game face"?