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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Klaus" data-source="post: 1808983" data-attributes="member: 607">I really liked the Buffy rationale over their rule. Translated to D&D it would be that hp represent an overall ability to turn lethal strikes into glancing blows. That's why Buffy beats the vampires up before bringing out the stake. She "softens" 'em up so that she can finish them off with a critical hit. Instead of having a flat chance that the critical wouldn't work (that tends to turn players off, IME), I'd restrict that to critical hits with a slashing weapon. If said critical does enough damage to kill the vampire, it goes poof! in Buffy-esque fashion. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />In a similar vein (heh!), I'd stat a stake to be a piercing light weapon (1d4/x2) that has a threat range of 19-20 vs. vampires and bypasses its DR. I'd follow the same rules as for a head hit, except that if it reduces a vampire to 0 hp with a critical hit, the stake hits the heart, with the usual effects.That makes easier to make a Buffy-like character, with Improved Critical (stake). The Slayer Scythe (that funky guitar-like weapon from the series finale) would follow the rules for a dwarven urgrosh, excpet that the spear-end is replaced with a stake end.But now I'm just rambling...</blockquote>