The Vampyr-with illustrations, age categories, a PrC, & a half-vampyr template!!!

[TheOneAboveAll]

I like it more and more, each time I read the whole thing as well as new additions. Can there be more to add? I hope both not and so. I am thinking of how best to use them. I have the players I just need the stage.

 

[Camarath]

This is my take on the Half-Vampyr (which you did a good job on by the way).

I think you need to change the last sentence in the Drink Blood ability to read "The half-vampyr heals Constitution damage it has itself suffered as a result of its Blood Dependency or Blood Strength at a rate 1 point per point of Constitution damage thus inflicted."

I think you might want to change the DC for Vulnerable to Turning from (10 + the effective cleric level + the Charisma bonus) to the more standard (10 + 1/2 the effective cleric level + the Charisma bonus).

Also the Half-Vampyr should not have the augmented type unless the creature type actually changes.

I think a CR +1 works for the Half-Vampyr. I think that a LA +2 would work if you give the Half-Vampyr Immunity to all mind-affecting effects or Not subject to critical hits (I like Not subject to critical hits) or both if you like.

I hope that helps.

 

[Dagredhel]

This is my take on the Half-Vampyr (which you did a good job on by the way)..

Thanks.

I think you need to change the last sentence in the Drink Blood ability to read "The half-vampyr heals Constitution damage it has itself suffered as a result of its Blood Dependency or Blood Strength at a rate 1 point per point of Constitution damage thus inflicted.".

Makes sense.

I think you might want to change the DC for Vulnerable to Turning from (10 + the effective cleric level + the Charisma bonus) to the more standard (10 + 1/2 the effective cleric level + the Charisma bonus).

Ummm... Actually, thats what I meant it to say. I can't believe I missed that one. Glad you caught it.[/QUOTE]

Also the Half-Vampyr should not have the augmented type unless the creature type actually changes.

I was really uncertain about this one... What is the general case in which one would add 'augmented' before the creature type when applying a template?

I think a CR +1 works for the Half-Vampyr. I think that a LA +2 would work if you give the Half-Vampyr Immunity to all mind-affecting effects or Not subject to critical hits (I like Not subject to critical hits) or both if you like.

What would your level adjustment recommendation be for the half-vampyr with neither 'Immunity to mind-affecting effects' or 'Not subject to critical hits'?

To be perfectly honest, I don't like the former special quality when applied to intelligent undead creatures in general. (It does makes sense to me for something mindless, like a skeleton or zombie.) I like 'Not subject to critical hits' just fine, but I figure 1) the half-vampyr already has the potential for +3 hitpoints per level because of the Constitution bonus, 2) the half-vampyr is still alive and dependent on all of those vital areas of its anatomy to stay that way, and 3) if a half-vampyr dies, unless extraordinary measures are taken, it'll be back shortly as a full-fledged vampyr.

I hope that helps.

Immensely. I really do appreciate it.

 

[Camarath]

I was really uncertain about this one... What is the general case in which one would add 'augmented' before the creature type when applying a template?

The Augmented subtype is I believe use to note when a creature's type has changed so that it is easier to understand the creautres features (HD, BAB, Saves, & Skills) since they are usually based on the creautres on original type not the creatures new type.

What would your level adjustment recommendation be for the half-vampyr with neither 'Immunity to mind-affecting effects' or 'Not subject to critical hits'?

To be perfectly honest, I don't like the former special quality when applied to intelligent undead creatures in general. (It does makes sense to me for something mindless, like a skeleton or zombie.) I like 'Not subject to critical hits' just fine, but I figure 1) the half-vampyr already has the potential for +3 hitpoints per level because of the Constitution bonus, 2) the half-vampyr is still alive and dependent on all of those vital areas of its anatomy to stay that way, and 3) if a half-vampyr dies, unless extraordinary measures are taken, it'll be back shortly as a full-fledged vampyr.

I think it is too strong to be a LA +1 template but it draw backs make me feel it is a bit too weak to be a LA +2 template. If nothing is changed I think I would have to put it at LA +1 but it would be very strong in a game where its draw backs did not come into play.

I can see why both of those options might not fit well. What would you think about "Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects."? I think that that might better fit a still living creature tainted by Undeath and would pretty clearly make the template LA +2.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

I like this. I'm big on folkloric flavor for my monsters, and I like this version of the vampire much more than the kinda wack DnD version.

 

[Dagredhel]

The Augmented subtype is I believe use to note when a creature's type has changed so that it is easier to understand the creautres features (HD, BAB, Saves, & Skills) since they are usually based on the creautres on original type not the creatures new type.
I think it is too strong to be a LA +1 template but it draw backs make me feel it is a bit too weak to be a LA +2 template. If nothing is changed I think I would have to put it at LA +1 but it would be very strong in a game where its draw backs did not come into play.

Your explanation makes sense, and fits in with the monster writeups I took a look at for examples. You know your stuff.

I can see why both of those options might not fit well. What would you think about "Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects."? I think that that might better fit a still living creature tainted by Undeath and would pretty clearly make the template LA +2.

Excellent suggestion, and I see your point. How about 'Immunities (Ex): The half-vampyr is immune to disease, death effects, paralysis, sleep effects, and to the ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain attacks of undead creatures.' In your opinion, would that do for LA +2?

(By the way, I am going to edit for your sugested changes--- I'm just waiting to do it all at once, mostly so that I'll only have to change the Word Doc once.)

 

[Dagredhel]

I like this. I'm big on folkloric flavor for my monsters, and I like this version of the vampire much more than the kinda wack DnD version.

Thanks, Andrew.

I actually wrote a paper in college on the origins of our current ideas about vampires. Obviously, literature--- and more recently other mass media, movies, television, comics, etc.--- has shaped our popular conception of the creature. But I think its really interesting to trace the origin of popular stereotypical vampire traits to the two other main sources, one of which would be folklore, and the other would be the pre-scientific lack of understanding of what happens to a body after death.

Looking back to the folklore, the lines blur between ghosts, vampires, witches, and werewolves, which are pretty well defined in the modern imagination different types of monster. The distinction has been largely a result of their popularity in literature--- they have become archetypes. But if you go back to the sources, the variations and confluences are fascinating.

As to forensics, one can look to historical, documented cases of supposed 'vampirism' where post-mortem pathology was taken as definitive proof of vampiric activity. Lack of visible decay (during frigid winters, usually,) supple limbs (rigor mortis is only temporary, as dissolution progresses further,) liquid blood in the mouth or veins (not unusual, and again the result of degenerative processes,) and the apparent growth of teeth (the gums receding) or of hair (the follicles loosening) were all taken as proof that a corpse was indeed a vampire. The predations of such a creature offerred an explanation of a series of deaths actually due to infectious illness. Those afflicted might report visitations by very recently departed loved ones or neighbors--- easily attributable to fever-induced dream and delirium, especially in a culture in which vampirism as an explanation for epidemic was prevalent. The folk belief actually survived in the American Northeast into the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

especially in a culture in which vampirism as an explanation for epidemic was prevalent. The folk belief actually survived in the American Northeast into the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century.

Even later than that, actually. The incident in Exeter, RI (referred to in Lovecraft's "The Shunned House"), where a corpse was exhumed and the heart burned for fear that it was a vampire, took place in, IIRC, 1892. That's only a bit over a century ago, and in a fairly urban area!

This may be the wrong place to plug my own stuff, but I did a template for something called an atemdieb, part of whose powers were based on the old Slavonic traditions that when burning a corpse, you had to kill all the beetles and worms and such that came out of the body. I used that and made the vermin each host to a piece of the demon that animated the corpse, which can then take up residence in another corpse.

In fact, if all's cool with you, I might throw this guy up on my site as well.

 

[Camarath]

Excellent suggestion, and I see your point. How about 'Immunities (Ex): The half-vampyr is immune to disease, death effects, paralysis, sleep effects, and to the ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain attacks of undead creatures.' In your opinion, would that do for LA +2?

I believe that ablilty would make the half-vampyr a LA +2 template. I have some questions and opinions on it if you don't mind.

Is the half-vampyr immune to all ability damage, ability drain or just those of undead creatures? Either way, I think the ability should be edited to make it a bit clearer. Here are two examples:

1)Immunities (Ex): The half-vampyr is immune to disease, death effects, paralysis, sleep effects, ability damage, and ability drain. It is also immune to the energy drain attacks of undead creatures.

2)Immunities (Ex): The half-vampyr is immune to disease, death effects, paralysis, and sleep effects. It is also immune to ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain if those effects result from the abilities or attacks of undead creatures.

Also the Undead are only immune to damage to thier physical ability scores, thus you might want to replace "ability damage" with "damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution)" And I would note that this ability does not prevent Constitution damage from the half-vampyr's Blood Strength and Blood Dependency.

I after looked at the half-vampyr's Vulnerable to Turning I understand why immunity to stunning wouldn't work but I liked immunity to posion. This is how I would rewrite the ability if it was up to me. As I wrote the ability it is a bit stronger than if the ability only protected against ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain from Undead but it think it would still work with LA +2.

Immunities (Ex): The half-vampyr is immune to posion, disease, paralysis, sleep effects, death effects, energy drain, ability drain, and damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution). This ability does not prevent Constitution damage suffered because of the half-vampyr's Blood Strength and Blood Dependency abilities.

Also what do you think of this ability? I don't think it is a very strong ability but it might add something to the template if you like the flavor of it.

Blood Endurance (EX): Every time the half-vampyr would become fatigued as the result of an effect or condition it instead suffers 1 point of Constitution damage. If an effect or condition would make the half-vampyr become exhausted it instead suffers 2 points of Constitution damage. This damage can only be healed by its Drink Blood ability, and not through normal healing.

 

[Dagredhel]

This may be the wrong place to plug my own stuff, but I did a template for something called an atemdieb, part of whose powers were based on the old Slavonic traditions that when burning a corpse, you had to kill all the beetles and worms and such that came out of the body. I used that and made the vermin each host to a piece of the demon that animated the corpse, which can then take up residence in another corpse.

Since its my thread, I think it would be alright if I 'plugged your stuff'. So here is my recommendation that everyone check out Andrew's website, the World of Dendain. The monster section is especially nifty.