Vampire ?'s

[DM_Matt]

Note that even a specially-built vampire hunter will, at high levels, be bested by spellcasters with sun spells. Any wiz, sorc, druid, or sun cleric can do an area-effect save or die when they get L8 spells, or can buy themselves a few scrolls thereof to largely eliminate the need for such a specialized character uless its a very vamp-heavy campaign.

Even at low levels, a cleric gets searing light at level 5 which does 1d8 per level to vamps.

If anything, making stakes better makes vamps more fairly vulnerable to melee types. If you want that, then you should institute staking rules.

Personally, I'd go for having multiple species of Vampire in the campaign. Lesser Vampires would be along the lines of those on Buffy and Blade (and SKR's Fleashbound Vampire template), be dusted by stakes, not keep coming back after coffin rest, etc, but a more powerful species of vampires would also exist that have mystical powers and exist along more traditional lines. As a bonus, one could add in the blood fiend from City of the Spider Queen in there somewhere, which has all the normal vamp powers, a primal aggressiveness, and 4 arms.

Then one can integrate them into some sort of ecology. Perhaps more powerful vampires can create other powerful vampires in asome more difficult way (a ritual, a quasi-willing swapping of blood, etc), while the lesser form is created from freash kills and just rise from the grave (and can in turn create only lesser vampires). Blood fiends could be the animating force of vampires that can either be summoned from other planes without being put into a human vessel, or xan be disassociated from the human form that weakens their natural powers and adds human frailties but also adds the discipline, cunning and patience that humans have and primal killing machines do not (sorta like the turok-han, but different).

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Of course, if the PCs are sleeping in a building or any space slightly less public than a market square, the vampire would need to get an invitation in order to enter--even in rat form. . . .

Or kill them by using offensive means; spy on them, and when they are alone for some reason, kill them in their sleep (transforming into a rat will let you in everywhere, and when mr Fighter is sleeping, he is in for a CDG from hell (as the vampire can bring a greatsword into his shape shift). To allow the opponents to take the fight to your lair is stupid, as they are prepared to fight and ready for attacks, something that makes it risky to defend even though you have some tactic advantages there.

 

[kreynolds]

Of course, if the PCs are sleeping in a building or any space slightly less public than a market square, the vampire would need to get an invitation in order to enter--even in rat form. . . .

Yup, but just about every adventurer ends up sleeping outside at some point. Of course, they can always just dominate someone that has the authority to grant entrance as well.

 

[Mordane76]

I didn't think entering a tavern would require invitation; it's paid lodging, and technically a public area.

 

[kreynolds]

I didn't think entering a tavern would require invitation; it's paid lodging, and technically a public area.

A tavern shouldn't, and neither should a private room at a tavern (the exception being maybe the tavern owners room there).

 

[Mark Chance]

Also...

So the Dungeon Master's Guide says. The errata to that book say differently.

The core rules themselves say differently as well by using a keen rapier as an example weapon. Forget where the example occurs, but I know I've read it.

 

[Mordane76]

Good... I've never had the PCs stay in the home of a local - most of my locals are far too skittish to allow strange, armed men (and others) to take up temporary quarters in their homes.

As for the keen question... the longer I think about this, I don't see why this is even relevant. The rule from d20 Modern states that the stake threatens to impale the heart on a NATURAL 20. I think that, unless you want to drive the proverbial coffin nail into the vampire population of d20 Modern, you should require that, even a magical stake require this natural 20. That makes it a little more "fair," IMO.

I can understand that makes Buffy as our example, from a d20 perspective, look like a combat god (considering how many vampires she dusts in this manner), but I think that Buffy's ability doesn't come from the stake -- it comes from her being The Slayer, and others shouldn't have this privilege unless they're also The Slayer.

 

[ruleslawyer]

I used to think that a vamp should only be vulnerable to staking when helpless or unconscious, but I have to confess that I don't see much of a problem with just allowing a stake to impale on a critical hit and have done with. How many players can you think of who are going to actually devote the gp, XP, and feats to enchanting a wooden stake and improving their crit ability with it just to take on vampires? If vamps are that much of a threat in your campaign, it's far more likely that a PC will just take the Sun domain and focus on improving his turning ability.

 

[dkilgo]

Yeah, the whole improving hte crit range of a stake, and spending the feats to do this, is insane. Why, unless you are in an infested world, would any character want to do that? There are cheaper and faster ways to deal with a vampire. Get someone else to do the work for you.

 

[kreynolds]

The rule from d20 Modern states that the stake threatens to impale the heart on a NATURAL 20.

No. D20 Modern states...

Wooden Stake: Wooden weapons that deal piercing damage (such as wooden stakes, arrows, pool cues, spear shafts, and table legs) threaten a critical hit against a vampire on a natural 20 (unless noted otherwise), even though vampires are normally immune to critical hits. A successful critical hit destroys a vampire instantly, turning it to dust.