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

[Dagredhel]

I believe that ablilty would make the half-vampyr a LA +2 template.

Level Adjustment +2 it will be.

I have some questions and opinions on it if you don't mind.

Course I don't mind--- I appreciate the assistance.

Is the half-vampyr immune to all ability damage, ability drain or just those of undead creatures?

The half-vampyr is only immune to the special attacks of the undead.

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.

I pick whats behind door #2. The half-vampyr's quasi-living, psuedo-undead state protects it against the life-draining and ability-numbing attacks of the true undead, but naught else.

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)".

I think their are some undead with special attacks that affect mental ability scores, so I think I'd want to leave it open, seeing as how the immunity is versus the special attacks of the undead.

And I would note that this ability does not prevent Constitution damage from the half-vampyr's Blood Strength and Blood Dependency.

That is a very good point. You're extremely astute. Its almost embarassing how often you catch me on points such as this. I'm really glad you've taken the time to lend a hand.

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.

I'd like the half-vampyr to be subject to poison, since its still alive (more or less). When they are fully fed, they will have a +3 to their Fortitude save, which seems sufficient to me, in terms of reduced susceptibility.

I'd definitely like this template to be as least as much a curse as a blessing--- even for an evil character. The threat of rising from the grave as a full-fledged vampyr should be a fate to be dreaded, or at least avoided as long as possible, rather than embraced. So I've tried to go heavy on drawbacks but hold back on 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.

I think the issue of fatigue was something I was forgetting. My initial thought is that half-vampyres are immune to fatigue-effects resulting from hunger or thirst (they suffer Constitution damage instead from want of blood.) And I think that when they use their Blood Strength ability, they should ignore penalties from fatigue or exhaustion for the duration.

Another good point.

I've been busy as of late, but as soon as I have soon free time, I'll edit the template per your suggestions.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Great stuff. I son't understand how I missed this.

 

[Dagredhel]

Thank you, sir!

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Thank you, sir!

Hey, no prob. Most likely I'll be statting up a Half Vampyr over the weekend.

 

[Elethiomel]

Great stuff! I'll definitely use this in any future campaign with vampires in it. Much better than the "I am very much like a wight, but more awesome" template in the MM.

I'll change the rules for turning people into vampires, though. Vampires who turn everyone they feed into vampires are a bit too viral for my worlds, and I think having to use a deliberate action to turn others into vampires (like in V:tM) makes much more sense from a "social predator" point of view.

 

[Dagredhel]

I'll change the rules for turning people into vampires, though. Vampires who turn everyone they feed into vampires are a bit too viral for my worlds, and I think having to use a deliberate action to turn others into vampires (like in V:tM) makes much more sense from a "social predator" point of view.

Thanks for the kind words, Elethiomel!

The idea that anyone on whom a vampire fed was doomed to become one themselves was taken from the novel. But to be honest, I didn't pay much thought to the mechanic... as you probably noticed, it's cribbed straight from the lycanthrope write-ups.

Now that you mention it, it is a bit rough... especially since the Constitution damage from the vampire's feeding reduces the victim's Fort Save.

You could just ignore the Create Spawn ability if you prefer, in which case a victim would need to drink the vampire's own blood to be "infected".

 

[Angel Tarragon]

You could just ignore the Create Spawn ability if you prefer, in which case a victim would need to drink the vampire's own blood to be "infected".

This is more in tune with Anne Rice's works, which are pretty much my favorite vampire novels.

Yoinked!