Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters

[Shade]

Agreed with everything except the Str reduction. These guys seem even more brutish than standard spawn, due to lack of other abilities.

Added to Homebrews.

 

[freyar]

Fair. I'm just not sure if these are going to end up almost as tough as vampire spawn anyway.

Shall we put in all the usual vampire weaknesses?

Skills: max Bluff, Disguise, Intimidate, Listen, Spot? (Make use of that Cha.) I could also see putting ranks into things like Tumble or Balance.

Good brute feats: Power Attack and Cleave?

 

[Shade]

Before we move on to skills (I like your suggestions), which of these should we retain?

Skills: Vampire spawn have a +4 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks.

Do we want to keep any of the spawn's bonus feats? Alertness (B), Improved Initiative (B), Lightning Reflexes (B)

Repelling a Vampire: Vampires cannot tolerate the strong odor of garlic and will not enter an area laced with it. Similarly, they recoil from a mirror or a strongly presented holy symbol. These things don’t harm the vampire—they merely keep it at bay. A recoiling vampire must stay at least 5 feet away from a creature holding the mirror or holy symbol and cannot touch or make melee attacks against the creature holding the item for the rest of the encounter. Holding a vampire at bay takes a standard action.

Vampires are also unable to cross running water, although they can be carried over it while resting in their coffins or aboard a ship.

They are utterly unable to enter a home or other building unless invited in by someone with the authority to do so. They may freely enter public places, since these are by definition open to all.

Slaying a Vampire: Reducing a vampire’s hit points to 0 or lower incapacitates it but doesn’t always destroy it (see the note on fast healing). However, certain attacks can slay vampires.

Exposing any vampire to direct sunlight disorients it: It can take only a single move action or attack action and is destroyed utterly in the next round if it cannot escape. Similarly, immersing a vampire in running water robs it of one-third of its hit points each round until it is destroyed at the end of the third round of immersion.

Driving a wooden stake through a vampire’s heart instantly slays the monster. However, it returns to life if the stake is removed, unless the body is destroyed. A popular tactic is to cut off the creature’s head and fill its mouth with holy wafers (or their equivalent).

I'd say we definitely keep the sunlight effects, since it is mentioned in the writeup. What of the rest shall we keep?

 

[freyar]

If these are supposed to be weaker than or similar to vampire spawn, we should keep all of it (except for the part about 0hp, 'cause these don't have fast healing anyway).

Let's keep the racial bonuses to Bluff, Hide, Move Silently, and Sense Motive. I don't want to keep all the bonus feats, but I could go up to 2 of them.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Good maneuverability for flight?

Want to increase the pack size?

CR 3? They seem about comparable to wights.

Lesser vampires speak Common?

For the flavor text, any suggestions on how they come to exist, what niche they fit in the vampire hierarchy, and so forth?

 

[freyar]

Let's just give them average maneuverability unless you particularly care for good. I just don't really see them as hovering. We could also switch a feat to Flyby Attack.

We could go with 3d4 as pack size.

CR 3 is good. They're also a touch weaker than vampire spawn.

Common is good.

Perhaps there are some vampire spawn that can create spawn themselves? Though that doesn't exactly explain the different SAs. We've been approaching them as the weakest of the vampires, and perhaps they are the most social (others certainly usually have the "loner" feel). What do you think?

 

[Shade]

All sounds good.

As I'm typing up some flavor text, I'm started to wonder if we shouldn't give them the create spawn ability. They fill a nice niche for low-levels, and could resemble the "foot soldier" types of vampires found on shows like Buffy or movies like 30 days of night. Since vampire spawn cannot create more of their kind, these could be a nice alternative to the "tough vampire and his spawn" scenario, instead allowing for packs of near-equals.

Thoughts?

 

[demiurge1138]

I like the idea that vampires create lesser vampires as foot soldiers, scouts and spies. They're perhaps less free-willed than vampire spawn, and their lack of a dominate gaze prevents them from following their own agendas.

I'm not sure I like the idea of them creating spawn, though.

 

[freyar]

I like the idea that vampires create lesser vampires as foot soldiers, scouts and spies. They're perhaps less free-willed than vampire spawn, and their lack of a dominate gaze prevents them from following their own agendas.

I'm not sure I like the idea of them creating spawn, though.

I also like this flavor idea.

Regarding spawning: perhaps they can create spawn, but only through a longer ritual? We could allow all vampires or vampire spawn to use this ritual to create lesser vampires as well.

 

[Shade]

I like the idea that vampires create lesser vampires as foot soldiers, scouts and spies. They're perhaps less free-willed than vampire spawn, and their lack of a dominate gaze prevents them from following their own agendas.

I'm not sure I like the idea of them creating spawn, though.

I like those suggestions!

I also like this flavor idea.

Regarding spawning: perhaps they can create spawn, but only through a longer ritual? We could allow all vampires or vampire spawn to use this ritual to create lesser vampires as well.

How about something like this?

Many vampires have the ability to create lesser vampires rather than (or in addition to) vampire spawn. They are less free-willed than vampire spawn, and their lack of a dominate gaze prevents them from following their own agendas. As such, they make excellent foot soldiers, scouts and spies for the more powerful vampires. And since lesser vampires lack the ability to create spawn, a master can keep their numbers in check.

Occasionally packs of lesser vampires break away from their progenitors, perhaps due to the master's death. Although they are usually content to simply roam about and feed, the rare individual with a spark of ambition may lead a pack to capture a true vampire, which is then forced to "breed" others of their kind.