D&D 4E [4e]Paragon path: Vampire

[Ketolos]

One of my players is nuts to vampires and he wants to play one badly. So another of my players tried to make up Vampire paragon path. So check it out and give me your opinion.


Vampire Lord

Prerequisite: Humanoid


Vampire Lord Path Features:

Vampiric Traits (11th level): You are considered an undead creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin. You gain resist necrotic damage 10 (20 at 21st level) and vulnerability radiant damage 5 (10 at 21st level). You are immune to disease and poison. You also gain darkvision.
Special: When you become Vampire Lord, choose Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity as the ability score you use when making attack rolls a damage rolls with Vampire Lord paragon path powers. Each of these powers has the same power source as that provided by the class that qualified you to enter this paragon path.


Mist Form (11th level): When you are hit by an attack, you can spend an action point and gain no extra action. Instead as an immediate interrupt you become insubstantial and gain fly of speed 12 until the end of your next turn. You can end the effect as a minor action or sustain the effect as a standard action. You cannot make attacks while in mist form. Mist form automatically ends at the end of encounter or after five minutes.

Bloodlust (16th level): When a bloodied enemy is wihin 5 squares of you at a start of its turn, it takes necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier. You also gain extra 1d4 damage when attacking a bloodied enemy.


Encounter power (11th level):

Blood Drain

Encounter * Healing
Standard Action * Melee Special
Target: One creature
Attack: Requires Combat Advantage, Chosen Ability +3 (+4 at 16th level, +5 at 21st level, +6 at 26th level) vs. Fort
Hit: 2d12 + chosen ability damage, and the target is weakened (save ends), and you regain hit points as if you had spent a healing surge.


Utility power (12th level):

Vampiric Regeneration

Daily * Healing
Minor Action * Personal
Effect: You gain regeneration equal one-half your level until the end of encounter. Regeneration does not function while you are exposed to direct sunlight at the start of your turn.


Daily power (20th level):

Dominating Gaze

Daily * Charm
Standard Action * Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Attack: Chosen Ability +3 (+4 at 16th level, +5 at 21st level, +6 at 26th level) vs. Will
Hit: The target is dominated (save ends, with –2 penalty to the saving throw). Aftereffect: The target is dazed (save ends).
Miss: The target is dazed until end of its next turn.

 

[77IM]

Wow, this is actually pretty good. Here are some suggestions.

1. I don't like the Chosen Ability part. I can't envision someone using Charming Gaze with Dexterity. Instead, I would use Constitution for the Blood Drain and Charisma for the Charming Gaze. These are both good powers so even if those aren't the best scores for the character, it should balance out. If you want, you could give each power its own ability choice, so maybe the Blood Drain is Str or Con, and the Charming Gaze is Wis or Cha. I'd write this as part of the power, like the Dragonborn's breath or the Warlock's eldritch blast. As an aside, I'd ditch the -2 to saves on the Charming Gaze. Domination is a great effect and doesn't need to be particularly difficult to shake off. The dazed aftereffect is also probably unnecessary.

2. Racial powers typically have no power source so I would not give these powers any power source either.

3. I like the mist form a lot. I would reduce the fly speed to 6 -- it's already super powerful, no need to make it quick, too. But, I would add (hover) because otherwise the mist has to keep moving, which is weird. I would change the restrictions from "no attacks" to "no standard actions" as this prevents you from misting and then using all your second winds and utility powers and so forth while insubstantial.

4. I would add some more vampiric weakness, such as sunlight vulnerability or need for blood, but I'm at a loss for how to phrase these rules in such a way as to not be game-breaking. You certainly don't want the character to explode while in direct sunlight. I'd say, if he is wearing proper clothing (dark hood, gloves) but is in direct sunlight, all his healing is halved. If he's in the shade (even under a tree), he's fine. And, instead of trail rations, he needs to drink blood (but not a lot of blood) or start to starve.

5. That Bloodlust ability, the more I read about it, may be too strong. I'm not sure -- you might compare it to the other paragon path "extra damage" abilities.

Overall though, I think this is very well done, and is in the spirit of 4e (capturing the flavor of the monster without having exactly everything).

-- 77IM

 

[Ketolos]

weakness is already in - you cant use regeneration when in direct sunlight. I dotnt think its good idea to add anything else - you shouldnt be persecuted ibn combat terms with paragon path you have chosen.
In RP terms, its entirely diferent story. Yes, you have to drink blood if you are vampire, but I dont think it has to be written in rules for class. Its entirely up to DM and player who has chosen to play vampire.

 

[Aulirophile]

There actually is a Vampiric Heritage feat and a two Vampire PPs that it qualifies you for (and some other supporting feats). It is Dragon content though.

 

[eriktheguy]

These suggestions are for whoever will use them, since people were looking for solutions to traditional weaknesses.
Hunger
At the end of a day in which you do not drink the blood of an animal, your maximum number of healing surges is decrease by 1. If your maximum number of healing surges decreases to zero, you become a ravenous beast under the control of the DM.
You can prevent penalties from accruing for this day by drinking the blood of any animal. You can recover all lost surges by drinking the blood of a humanoid.
Sunlight
While standing in direct sunlight, you grant combat advantage and cannot recover hit points. You can avoid this penalty by standing in any shade, by carrying a parasol like item (one hand) or by wearing a very heavy hood (-2 perception checks, don or remove with a minor action).

 

[eriktheguy]

Oh also the fly speed of 12 works out since 'sustain standard' limits you to one move action.
Although it lets you fly 24 squares if you forgo the attack on the last round. I doubt it will come up much though.