A Druid Vampire

[Dannyalcatraz]

Mechanically, there's no issue.

Flavor-wise, though...I almost can't imagine a being that would hate itself more than a Druid inflicted with vampirism, what with them being outside the natural order of things...

 

[Doug McCrae]

It's a good idea, got a nice race/class opposition thing going on. In my current campaign there's an NPC dryad businesswoman, who's the 'CEO' of a company that's trying to exploit the natural resources of the forest where she sprouted. Sort of the opposite of your concept.

Pixie assassin, succubus paladin, dworf bard, skulk actor, catoblepas courtesan, rust monster blacksmith, the possibilities are endless.

 

[billd91]

Flavor-wise, though...I almost can't imagine a being that would hate itself more than a Druid inflicted with vampirism, what with them being outside the natural order of things...

I can see that. But I can also see a vampire making the best of it, even revelling in the nightly hunt, feeling the light of the moon shine on him, running with the pack or with the swarm of bats like a real predator. It's a bit more werewolfish, sure, but what's a vampric druid to do?

 

[falcarrion]

what better way to slay humans that defile the land. With some of the druid spells it would work well. Warpwood and make your self a coffin from a dead tree trunk. You could make a new coffin each night. Shape change into a human that can't be detected as undead. A bit of a stretch but what the heck.
Have some fun with it.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

but what's a vampric druid to do?

Try to get a suntan.

Shower in Holy Water.

Eat lots of garlic.

Get an apprenticeship in a local carpenter's shop and ask to test the pointyness of wood.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I guess your animal companion would be a vampire bat?

Various other "unnatural" creatures can become druids, the obvious example being constructs such as warforged and various undead. It does seem to be the intent of the rules that this is acceptable. Note the following feat from Libris Mortis:

Corrupted Wildshape [Monstrous]

You have learned to use the necromantic energies that power your undead form to overcome the inability of undead creatures to wildshape. You can assume the form of an undead, rotten creature with the use of your wildshape ability.

Prerequisites: Undead type, wildshape class ability.

Benefits: You can use your wildshape ability even though you are undead. The ability functions just as if you were a living creature using the ability, with the following exceptions:

You do not gain a Constitution score in the new form, and you retain all of the immunities of the undead type while in your new form. The form you assume looks half decayed, with missing patches of fur and rotted worm-eaten flesh. While in this form, the rank odor of death hangs around you.

Normal: Since it is based on the polymorph spell, wildshape works only on living creatures.

 

[Lanefan]

I have no problem with it, though the rules-as-written might in some editions.

Even in 1e, I've always seen Vampires as intelligent enough to go on gaining levels in whatever class they like, if it strikes them to do so. And I long ago took off the alignment restrictions on Druids, so while it's a bizarre combination I suppose it *could* work...

Hmmm... :: puts RBDM hat on, wanders off thinking to self::

Lan-"thanks for the BBEG idea"-efan

 

[Derulbaskul]

I run my games in the Forgotten Realms and have had vampire druids of Malar the Beastlord several times. Malar is CE and is the archetypal predator. Vampires seem to suit his dogma quite well.

 

[Hand of Evil]

See no issue with this myself.

As for the darker side of nature, spilling of blood for a good harvest, bring thoughts of druid blood rites, chidlren of the corn, wicker men and even the wild hunt. Oh, less not forget pumkin head and scarecrows.

 

[Cor_Malek]

Damn, that sounds like a really fun idea with a lot of potential.

It would also allow a lot of directions from very start. Is this a druid inflicted by vampirism or a vampire that decided to become a druid?

He could hate/dislike idea of vampires, but once he get's it - well what's he going to do, roll over and die? How would that be better? Or he might not understand what's the problem with him having developed canines and not tolerating sun.
Vampires get inexplicably bad rep. As their food-source is renewable and they don't have to kill victims, they're already above all carnivores. And human-vegetarians, who unlike some more careful animals mostly kill the entire plant they're eating.
So I'd say they're as bad as, um... giraffes? They don't have to kill to survive, but sometimes it happens if they don't pay attention to how much they ate.

Killing all victims? Um... tricky to pull off (rationalization-wise), as there's a lot of bio-mass just going to waste.

I'd say that a very good way to do this, would be to have the vampire druid stripped of druidic powers, and have him work his way up/back to them. Show that he can shield nature in his current condition.
Underground ecosystems could even mean that a lot of people are not aware this druid is a vampire. And dwarfs could make for even better targets for druidic turf wars than humans.


Of course there's this whole unnatural, undead thingie. Thankfully, none of those has ever been explained in a comprehensive way. Unnatural? Well they're part of nature, so evidently not. Undead? Well it might not be so obvious in many cultures, including XX-XXI c. Earth, where heart beat is not defining life or death. Change of definition of "alive" was mostly a pragmatic thing - which part cannot be replaced / stop of what organs cannot be restored. For example - resurrected adventurers are not considered undead. They were dead and they returned, so what's the deal?

RPG's are made up things. So if you want to have something - just do it, and rationalize your way up! IMO that's pretty much the whole point!