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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Henry" data-source="post: 270149" data-attributes="member: 158">I see the D&D Vampire fine as-is, but there is certainly room for variation. I think the most salient point brought up in this whole discussion is that D&D Vampires are supposed to be scary to only one group - the players. If they don't scare the players, they aren't doing their job.How do you scare a player? Storminator has it right on here: You either give them abilities that take away those things the player holds dear to their characters, or you use mood, ambiance, tone, etc. to generate the feeling that these beasties can REALLY put an end to your characters.Not all DM's are masters of tone and mood. However, the PC-destroying powers of level-draining and mental dominance are perfect for subtly scaring the bejeezus out of the people behind those character sheets.Back in the olden days of 2E, when level draining was almost permanent, I used level-draining undead sparingly. When I did, they were treated with more viciousness on the part of the players than against any other creature I set them against.Once, I ran a halloween-themed game against them, involving HUNDREDS of wights, wraiths, and spectres. I never saw a finer tribute to navy SEALS than I did out of the players at that session. They were so on the edge of their seats, you would have sworn it was THEM in Vecna's Spidered Throne, rather than their PC's. It wasn't Vecna that scared them - it was his minions they had to bypass to get to him.</blockquote>

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