Joining this conversation a bit late. I can see how a vampire character would be a bit off in a game where people who don't know each other can roll up with any character they like as long as it is 'oficially legal'.
In a home brew campaign with people who knew each other this would be a totally different story.
However the player, with even a small amount of forethought, could have made such an off putting character slot into the story much more smoothly. Like, by not revealing he is a vampire for example. And by the time the other PCs discover that he has had a chance to prove his worth, and maybe they give him enough time to explain why they should let him live, and keep them with him.
As for non-typical vampire tropes in fantast literature ... anyone here read the Geralt De Rivia Saga? Well, to cut a long story short, the main character is a Warlock, which in the story is a professional monster hunter basically. He ends up travelling with a Vampire, a creature he would normally hunt and kill. The vampire doesn't drink blood. He doesn't frighten animals. He smells of herbs and spices. Okay ... he does know a lot of history ... and he is kind, well mannered, loyal and above all not seeking redemption. The saga is well worth reading. I'd even go so far as to say it is a masterpiece. And I don't say that lightly.
So, in short vampires don't have to be Count Dracula or Buffy Vampires, but I think this takes effort on the part of the DM and Players to make it work. LFR as a campaign world is probably not a good fit for such characters. All the characters/options in Heores of Shadow seem to be along those lines.
I was more interested to read how the Vampire played out mechanically. How it dealt with the issue of Surge Shortage etc.
Nevermind.