How do you like your stake?

[Sravoff]

Whoo hoo! I ike the water elemental. In my games I usually let unusual/crazy ideas work even if they wouldn't under the rules. Tjough I have had to cut it off a bit recently as my players were taking that as an advantage. I would probably let vampire make a reflex save to get out of the 'elemental' circle.

I would let the decanter work if it was like this:

......|......
......|......
...../.\.....
..../...\....
.../.....\...
../.......\..
./.........\.
/...Vamp....\
\.........../
.\........./.
..\......./..
...\...../...
....\.../....
.....\./.....
......|......
......|<-Decanter

My two copper commons

-Sravoff

 

[Coredump]

Well, thank-you-very-much. I'll be here all week.


Hmm, I don't think so. (I just tried drawing it using text, but that didn't work very well.)

Okay, let me re-phrase that. The Vamp could just take the decanter if you used my, obviously lame, method. Your Double-Y (patent pending) method seems superior, and would make for one flummoxed vamp.

H

 

[Sravoff]

Just out of curiosity, how are we going to convince the vamp to stand there while we dig a trench?

-Sravoff

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Masterwork Holy Stake made from Silver. Thats my prefrence.

 

[Sravoff]

Masterwork Holy Stake made from Silver. Thats my prefrence.

I want one.

-Sravoff

 

[Three_Haligonians]

Silverwood is a nice sounding name and all.. but..

Masterwork Holy Stake made from Silver. Thats my prefrence.

The stake has to be wooden in order for it to have "instant-vampire-slaying" powers. Well according to the MM entry anyway, the history of vampire weaknesses has been fraught with variations.

J from Three Haligonians

 

[azhrei_fje]

Just out of curiosity, how are we going to convince the vamp to stand there while we dig a trench?

-Sravoff

That's what fighters are for.

My main goal is not necessarily to kill the vampire (since he'd turn to gaseous form and be useless to me in that regard), but to instead corral him somehow so that some parlay could be arranged.

I realize that civil conversation with a vampire is probably a relative unknown in the D&D world (!), but I would have either protection from evil or magic circle vs. evil going, so I'm not too concerned about the domination ability. I'd be more concerned about minions of the vampire ganging up on us. Of course, once the fighters are keeping him busy, they can step over the water and protect us clerics and wizards!

Anyway, I plan to already have the dirt from the vampires coffin safely tucked away in a ZipLock(tm) bag. And I'll be showing it to the vampire and threatening to release it into the water if he doesn't cooperate.

 

[RisnDevil]

I think the best way to handle vampires is to take a couple of pages from White Wolf here.....

Try modifying the rules a bit (and give the players a knowledge (Religion, Arcana, or Undead) check to know about these changes....

Have a stake through the heart NOT kill, but only immobilize. This way, they can talk after being staked, but not move. To kill, you change it to behead, though I would probably make it a little more complicated than just that.

You can leave in any of the other idosyncrasies you want, like the running water, holy water, and sunlight things, but if you change the staking like I suggest, it makes your situation more plausable.

 

[azhrei_fje]

Hmm, thanks, RisnDevil; I like that approach.

I'm not the DM in the game I'm referring to, but I have a recurring female vampire IMC so I'll have to introduce this tweak.

 

[The Edge]

As a DM, in my campain I've split vampires into many seperate varietys, which behave diferently and have differing abilities. So far my players have only encountered one type, the 'blood vampires' which are the weakest and by far least inteligent but most savage and agressive. I've allowed that same tweak, although the version of vampire they've been faceing is made much simpler due to not haveing gaseous form or the coffin stuf. But when they come up against the other types they'll have to learn how to fight them all over again.

Vampires are playing fairly heavily in my campain, but the players don't know it yet. In fact their last few adventures/activitys have been given to them by an 'Greater Vampire', another type. This type is on of the most powerful, mostly due to their abilitys to control and influence others, and that they can blend in perfectly with non vamps. The PCs are actually working for a family of aristocratic vampires, that have been 'hidden' among the city for years, with no idea of the sinister truth. I love doing this with my players.


As for the running water bit, I thought it meant they couldn't touch the water. If that was the case the ability to make a one foot jump would spoil your idea. Shame, because its very cool; an XP earner for sure. I think I need to have another look at the book, but im presumeing im wrong.

For another vamp trap how about a whole set of holy symbols used in formation?