How would you flavor this race and class combo?

[Dannyalcatraz]

The creapiest suggestion I've heard (from here, can't remember whom) is that they need the blood of the living as their lubricant.

I remember seeing that myself- that IS creepy.

I have a tangentially related PC concept I've roughed out in 3.5Ed & 4ED- Hellbox. He's a fusion between Hellboy and a LeMarchand Box from Hellraiser, designed to be a living gateway to the lower planes.

The 4Ed version:

What I have for Box so far:

Box, a.k.a. Hellbox

Hybrid Battlemind/Warlock


SKILLS:

Arcana
Athletics
Intimidate

Power Points: 2

LVL 1 POWERS:

Eldritch Blast (W)
Iron Fist (B) (Augmentable)
Bull's Strength (B) (Augmentable)
Flames of Phlegethos (W)

I'm still undecided about which Feat to choose first- Hybrid Talent to get the Battlemind Armor would improve survivability; WP Spiked Chain is appropriate for the PC's flavor, but isn't crucial to the early levels; Ritual Magic is on the list- I want him to be able to incorporate his own components (even though I can't make the spiked chain into one). And, of course, there are other options.

That same kind of mentality could go into figuring out the Vampiric Warforged. As mentioned upthread, a 'Forged whose creation included necromantic energies could very well fit the mold!

Or, perhaps he's more like Christine* from the Steven King story...











* or Killdozer, or the animated machines from Maximum Overdrive or Trucks...

 

[Unwise]

I think there are three main options:
1) It is not a Vampire per se but was built like that.
The issue is that the Vampire class is very textbook, with changing into a wolf, mist and bat, you cannot really just say that a Warforged feeds on blood/life/psychic emanations to keep its servos running. Well if you do, why can it change into other forms and charm people?

2) He was a Vampire that became a Warforged
The vampire got terribly damaged by sunlight and being unliving he could not heal it up. So he (or his master) fitted him out with cybernetics. Now he is like a vampiric Darth Vader. This adds a cool Frankenstien element.

3) He was a Warforged that became a Vampire.
I guess it makes sense that a Warforged Vampire would gain the normal powers of a Vampire. I would say it takes a concerted effort to infect a Warforged though. Something like hooking him up to tubes and taking out all his fluids, replacing them with a Vampire Lords blood. Why would someone do that though? Maybe a Vampire Lord found an old non-functional Warforged and thought it would make handy guard. He knew nothing about making them, but thought some magic and blood might do the trick to revive him.

My main problem with Vampires is working out why I would want one in my game, they are basicaly bad guys. I am sure that suits some groups, but in ours it does not feel heroic running around killing the peasants you just saved. If the Vampire is not a bad guy, then why has he not killed himself? It feels like we stray too far into cliche territory to justify having one around. The allowances the rest of the group have to make RP wise are excessive too.

 

[Spatula]

How warforged-y is the warforged? I mean, does it have to be a living metal-and-wood golem? Because you could use warforged stats to represent an undead creature just as easily.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

If you don't like some of the more iconic vampire powers such turning into a wolf, making it a hybrid will allow you to ditch some of those.

 

[Klaus]

If you don't like some of the more iconic vampire powers such turning into a wolf, making it a hybrid will allow you to ditch some of those.

Or just take a skill power in place of those utilities.

 

[Castellanox7]

Almost to what Klaus said, what if it isn't a vamp in the bloodsucking sense? What if it had to feed off psionic/arcane auras, much like how arcane magic saps the life from anything living in Dark Sun?

I'd suspect that'd provide some interesting encounters with fellow PCs... but that's my $0.02.