What do you do for...Vampires?

[trav_laney]

(Continuing the great "What do you do for" tradition...)

Folklore and Hollywood have more flavors of vampire than Baskin Robins has ice cream. What special flavor do you serve at your table?

 

[Ibram]

Vampires fall into two major groups IMCs the Classic vampire and 'uber ghoul'

The classic vampire is just that, often a noble type with long range plans and his own army of abominations (or the servant of one).

The 'uber ghoul' is a degernerate slavering beast that is little more then a slaughter machine opperating from sun down to sun up.

all my vampires opperate under the 'standard rules': cant cross running water, cant enter a residence uninvited (which does not mean that the vampire cant smash a hut to bits to get at the people inside...) but they dont all have a variety of magical powers.

 

[Land Outcast]

Official Dicefreaks Vampire Template, worth looking at it http://dicefreaks.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=29

 

[frankthedm]

The energy drain on a slam is replaced with a supernatural Haste effect that increases their hunger drastically if overused.

Max temporary HP = Base HP

Piercing weapons can crit them {provided the attacker knows to leave the weapon IN them].

A Slashing weapon can potentially lop their head off in combat {Choose to take -4 to hit, if the damage would take them to 0 or fewer HP, chop! Damage that would have been a crit can be counted in this way to see if decapitation happens. I allow this on living foes too.] Staking can be attempted in this way as well.

Idea I just had! Con drain is instead normal HP damage = slam. Each ‘drink’, fort save {HD+Cha] or become fatigued {then exhausted if a second save is failed, then KO if.a third save gets failed.

 

[Old_Skool]

In the book (by Bram Stoker), vampires could transport magically through moonlight. So I think it would be interesting to give them the Shadowdancer's "shadow jump" ability, but they must begin and end each movement in an area with at least some moonlight instead of shadow.

Also according to Bram Stoker, placing a fresh rose on their casket while the vampire rested within would trap the creature there until the rose wilted (about 3 days).

Vampires were also repelled by sacraments (bread wafers) as well as garlic...you could put a line of them in front of a door to ward the room from vampires.

I'm sure there are more, but these are the only ones I can remember off the top of my head...

 

[trav_laney]

I am running a desert-themed campaign right now, with a lot of ancient Egyptian flavor. So I made a few tweaks and cosmetic changes to the D20 vampire.

- A vampire looks like a dessicated, dried human corpse until he has fed. Each point of Con that he drains from another living creature restores his body to a normal (although slightly feral and pale) appearance for one day. In addition to giving the vampire a human appearance, this "restored" body grants the vampire a +2 racial bonus on all Charisma-based skills and ability checks. Vampires in position of political power often have a constant food supply handy, such as a harem.

- Vampires are vulnerable to fire.

- Children of the Night: the vampire summons rat swarms, bat swarms, or a pack of jackals (use stats for dog, and double the number appearing).

- Alternate Form: the vampire can assume the shape of a bat, dire bat, jackal, or dire jackal (use stats in Sandstorm).

- Sand Form: instead of assuming gaseous form at will, the vampire can turn his body into sand instead (as per the "sandform" spell in Sandstorm.)

 

[el-remmen]

In Aquerra,

As vampires get older they gain more immunities and more powers, starting out somewhat weaker than the 3.xE template - but eventually getting stronger than that.

Early on they can be destroyed by beheading and cannot go to gaseous form for example.

 

[Al the Absentminded]

Vampire is a general term for anyone who drinks fresh human blood and receives a mystic benefit thereby.

Keeps the players on their toes. Heck, once had a player seriously consider having his character initiated into a vampiric cult for the potential benefits.

-Albert

 

[pallandrome]

I usually run them as, when they drop below 1hp, they regen a hit point a round until they are up to 1. The only way to bypass this is by destroying the heart, removing the head, sunlight, or fire.

 

[Dagredhel]

If you're interested, take a look at the links in my sig below.