How to stake a vampire?
- Thread starter Markn
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Alzrius
The EN World kitten
There were rules given on this back in an early 3E Dungeon (IIRC #84). That said, I recommend not using them.
The problem with rules for staking an "active" vampire (that is, doing it Buffy-style), is that this is basically using a weapon to make an instant-kill on a creature, bypassing its hit points. This drastically lowers the challenge of vampires as threats. Worse is that it's a slippery slope from there...after all, if it works on a vampire, why not an orc? And if a stake does it, why not a spear, or a sword? This is the sort of thing that unmakes a game rather quickly.
A coup de grace after the vampire has been forced to return to its coffin at 0 hp is my recommendation.
The problem with rules for staking an "active" vampire (that is, doing it Buffy-style), is that this is basically using a weapon to make an instant-kill on a creature, bypassing its hit points. This drastically lowers the challenge of vampires as threats. Worse is that it's a slippery slope from there...after all, if it works on a vampire, why not an orc? And if a stake does it, why not a spear, or a sword? This is the sort of thing that unmakes a game rather quickly.
A coup de grace after the vampire has been forced to return to its coffin at 0 hp is my recommendation.
JimAde
First Post
And even using Buffy as an example: in the show she usually pounds on the vampires for a bit before staking them. The staking can be regarded as a special effect of reducing the vampire to 0 HP.
I haven't played the Buffy RPG, but I believe it has a similar mechanic of roughing the vampire up before staking it.
I haven't played the Buffy RPG, but I believe it has a similar mechanic of roughing the vampire up before staking it.
Interesting, under the vampire it says if you can put a stake through its heart it is instantly slayed yet they give no mechanic for it. We were kind of thinking either a coup de grace or a pin followed by stake to the heart. Although who in their right minds wants to pin a vampire.
Jack Simth
First Post
A Wizard or Sorceror with a high spellcasting stat casting Telekenisis could pin a vampire. At range, so the vamp can't win the pin and drain blood from the caster in response.
Lancelot
Adventurer
In my campaign, I've usually gone with the "stake as a coup de grace" suggested above, but I've also allowed the following...
The stake always counts as an improvised weapon (-4 attack), provoking an Attack of Opportunity (regardless of any special combat feats the PC may possess), and it requires a confirmed critical hit to succeed. In other words, the player basically needs to roll a natural 20, with a confirmed threat at -4 attack, while copping an energy-draining AoO for their bravery/stupidity.
This is pretty desperate stuff at low/mid levels. Vampires have excellent dex and Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat, so even if the whole party is attempting to stake it, that's a lot of Attacks of Opportunity on them. Many more than if they just tried to engage the vampire in straight combat.
Of course, I'm sure there's ways to munch around this ad hoc rule, especially at higher levels... but it added a huge amount of tension and excitement in my experience, and was a little bit different from the usual "whack it 'til it runs out of HP" combat style.
The stake always counts as an improvised weapon (-4 attack), provoking an Attack of Opportunity (regardless of any special combat feats the PC may possess), and it requires a confirmed critical hit to succeed. In other words, the player basically needs to roll a natural 20, with a confirmed threat at -4 attack, while copping an energy-draining AoO for their bravery/stupidity.
This is pretty desperate stuff at low/mid levels. Vampires have excellent dex and Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat, so even if the whole party is attempting to stake it, that's a lot of Attacks of Opportunity on them. Many more than if they just tried to engage the vampire in straight combat.
Of course, I'm sure there's ways to munch around this ad hoc rule, especially at higher levels... but it added a huge amount of tension and excitement in my experience, and was a little bit different from the usual "whack it 'til it runs out of HP" combat style.
Three_Haligonians
First Post
Jack Simth said:
Unfortunately, you would have to redirect the spell to go from grappling to pinning, and in the mean-time the vampire could change into gaseous form. My group currently uses the pin and stake rule, but unfortunately it's almost impossible to accomplish unless you have more than one base attack, as far as I can see.
R from Three Haligonians
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