A really **different** kind of vampire

[Sir ThornCrest]

have you considered a vampire lord +12 str (+6 VL + 6 base vamp) I think should cover your request of being strong. Fast heals 8 hit pionts per round, telepathy, domination, control weather, wild shape (as 12th level druid), & telekinesis ...all at will. 10/+3 damage reduction
now this is one nasty mofo!!!!!

plus he will undoubtedly have a few vamps that serve him to boot!

Thorncrest

you can find them on wizards of the coast site

 

[Umbran]

So, I want this guy to be really strong, have a high To Hit and Damage characteristic, and be blindingly fast and nasty. Rather than drinking your blood, he probably just munches on your flesh, and does a Con drain thingy that can mummify a person in 30 seconds flat.

Any other ideas on how to make this guy interesting, and different that other vampires you've seen in the past?

As others have mentioned, "vampire" means something pretty specific to most fantasy genre fans. Even though there are many things that folklorists might classify as a vampire, folks who read modern fantasy novels have a fairly narrow concept of the beastie. If you make it too different, they won't recognize it for what it is - and then what's the point of calling it a "vampire"?

In D&D terms, what you're describing here sounds to me more like a highly advanced ghoul. Melee oriented, flesh-eating, dangerous toucht hat doesn't drain levels - more ghoulish than vampiric.

 

[Bryan898]

You could make him a hybrid looking vampire, as Dracula in Van Helsing, instead of looking like a human. Give him an inhumanly high jump check, let him jump of walls to charge, etc. Maybe you could allow him to regrow limbs. Have your PC cut off his arm only to see him pick it back up and attach it. I think making him different would be in how you portray him. Play him like an animalistic unstoppable juggernaut that isn't afraid of anything and ignores all the efforts of the PCs to slow him down. Stuff like that could create a good feel for the monster, making a lasting impression. "You thrust through the creatures chest, piercing through muscle and bone, until your sword comes out its back with a sickening pop. With an eager expression it pulls itself closer along your blade, the stink of death heavy on its breath, and lunges at your throat with razor sharp fangs."

Rather than drinking your blood, he probably just munches on your flesh[\quote]

IIRC correctly there's a corrupt spell in the BoVD that increases your strength and constitution after munching on some flesh, at the cost of Wisdom drain. You could always change it from eating the flesh to draining blood. I'd be pretty impressed if I saw something take a bite out of someone and suddenly its muscles bulge, veins pop out, and its eyes become more savage. Retaining the idea of a vampire drinking blood might help to keep the creature appear as a vampire to your PCs, even with a unique feel and set of abilities.

 

[Mark Causey]

Instead of Con drain, maybe you could look at the Drowned from MMIII, with its ability to make people feel like they're drowning .. in this case, maybe their own blood?

If you don't have it, I can post some specifics.

 

[Desdichado]

As others have mentioned, "vampire" means something pretty specific to most fantasy genre fans. Even though there are many things that folklorists might classify as a vampire, folks who read modern fantasy novels have a fairly narrow concept of the beastie. If you make it too different, they won't recognize it for what it is - and then what's the point of calling it a "vampire"?

Turning the players expectations on their heads a bit? Like I said, though, this idea isn't too far afield; both the Old World of Darkness and Warhammer had vampire variants that were sorta like this.

Bryan898, great ideas!

 

[Desdichado]

Instead of Con drain, maybe you could look at the Drowned from MMIII, with its ability to make people feel like they're drowning .. in this case, maybe their own blood?

If you don't have it, I can post some specifics.

Oooh! The only monster book I don't have yet! Yeah, if you could explain how that ability works just a tad more...

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Another idea is take the Vampire Scion from Green Ronin's Fang & Fury, and then just build him up from there - its a template that's only +2 ECL and aims for more of a "Buffy"-style vamp - no gaseous form, etc. but does have good stat boosts and the blood drain. Add the modifications for being large-sized and he'd be quite the monster.

My question is does he look like that all the time? Or does he have a more human appearing form?

 

[Desdichado]

My question is does he look like that all the time? Or does he have a more human appearing form?

Probably all the time, but maybe he can create an illusion that he doesn't look like that. One of the prevailing themes of my campaign is that the path to power is paved in corruption, both mentally (all magic costs Sanity to learn and then again to use) and physically (you may gain immortality after a fashion, by becoming a vampire or iron lich, but the cost is you are completely inhuman) or more likely both (this vampire is likely very cunning, but paranoid and insane to boot.)

But I actually hadn't though specifically about that until you asked.

 

[Mark Causey]

Try this on for size:

Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 20d12+20 (150hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (+1 dex, +8 natural), touch 11, flat-
footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+17
Attack: Slam +12 melee (1d8+12)*
Full Attack: 2 Slams
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Drowning aura
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 5, undead
traits, unholy toughness
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +12
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 13, Con --, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 12
Skills: Hide +20, Listen +14, Move Silently +20, Spot +18,
Swim +18
Feats: Alertness, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative,
Improved Natural Attack (slam), Lightning Reflexes, Power
Attack
CR: 8
Treasure: None
*Includes adjustment for Power Attack Feat

Drowning Aura (Su): A drowned gives off a 30-foot-radius
emanation of suffocating drowning, imbuing its surroundings
with a watery glint of deadly threat for creatures that
breathe. All breathing creatures within 30 feet of a drowned
are tread as if beneath water in terms of being able to
breathe. The drowning aura accelerates the process of drowning.
Normally, a creature can hold its breat for a number of rounds
equal to twice its Constitution score before it begins to drown.
Within the aura, a creature can only hold its breath if it
makes a DC 10 Constitution check every round. Each round, the
DC increases by 1. When the character finally fails its Con
check, it begins to drown. In the first round, it falls
unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, it drops
to -1 hit ponts and is dying. In the third round, if still in
the aura, it drowns.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

For super-fast creatures, I like this:

Unfathomable Celerity (Su): The creature forgoes its ordinary two actions for the next 3+1/2 level+Cha rounds. Instead, it gets one action (either standard or move) for every action an opponent takes.

This goes a long way toward making lone "boss" enemies a match for an entire party of PCs. It makes no actual sense, mind, but it's good gameplay.