The Vampyr-with illustrations, age categories, a PrC, & a half-vampyr template!!!

[John Q. Mayhem]

You're doing an excellent job of it, too.

 

[Dagredhel]

The template is now complete with weaknesses, and can be downloaded as a Word document.

Should weaknesses be labeled as extraordinary or supernatural, as with special attacks and qualities? Also, still looking for advice on ecl and cr, and for comments/critiques.

For instance, do you think a vampyr should be able to turn to gaseous form while armored, taking the armor with it? That seems a little off to me, but I'm not sure... Maybe its from reading Rifts...

Anyways, thanks in advance.

More to do: Age Categories, Spawn, Prestige Classes, figuring out where Dracula got his other nifty powers from...

 

[Ferret]

Can I try and steal it?

Very nice, i never knew a beheading and staking was in order to kill them. Thats what you get when you base your entire vampire knowlege on "Dracula: Dead and loving it.".

Oh confusion again, do you have to burn the remains or is that just an alternative?

 

[Dagredhel]

Can I try and steal it?

Very nice, i never knew a beheading and staking was in order to kill them. Thats what you get when you base your entire vampire knowlege on "Dracula: Dead and loving it.".

Oh confusion again, do you have to burn the remains or is that just an alternative?

Once you've dropped a vampyr below zero hit points, you've done it enough damage that its helpless. After that, the old one-two on the heart and head is a good way to make sure its permanent, but I figure anything that'll destroy the corpse will work just as well. Cremation (not just a light toasting, but really well-done ,) dropping in in that ol' vat of acid that just happened to be lying around, or a disintegrate spell or the like were the examples that sprung to mind.

Cremating the body of a suspected vampire was standard practice in some parts of the world, although so far as I'm aware, the idea that vampires were especially vulnerable to fire isn't part of the folklore. Its interesting to note that there are vampire myths from places where cremation was the standard practice. I have to admit that my own cultural bias makes the idea of a vampire that rests in a funerary urn rather than a coffin seem a little too I-Dream-of-Genie .

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Don't forget the roses. Classic but little-known vampire-stopping technique.

 

[Dagredhel]

Don't forget the roses. Classic but little-known vampire-stopping technique.

I dindn't completely forget...

"Denying a Vampyr its Rest: There are several methods of denying a vampyr its place of rest. The application of holy water or similar stuff (holy wafers, as an example,) a consecrated holy symbol, or a branch of wild rose will all spoil a grave for the vampyr’s use. A consecrate spell is equally efficacious."

Do you think roses should be treated the same way as the garlic plant, in terms of warding off a vampyr?

The other thing that is nagging me is that I seem to recall that Van Helsing laid a circle of protection using holy wafers towards the end of the novel which kept Dracula's brides at bay (and maybe kept Mina inside?) That may need some mentioning...

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Sorry; I hadn't read through the revised template yet. I am very much liking this template. Have you seen the V:tM vampire template posted here a while back? It had age categories and sundry coolness.

 

[Camarath]

Does the penalty from Garlic and Holy Symbols apply to grapple check as well as melee attack rolls?

 

[Dagredhel]

Does the penalty from Garlic and Holy Symbols apply to grapple check as well as melee attack rolls?

Yes, on both counts. (Should I specify that, or do you think it would be better reworded? I think I borrowed the language from the MSRD.) Maybe I should have also made it explicit that if a character corners a vampyr with a consecrated holy symbol and then uses it to attack, (or makes any sort of attack, for that matter,) then the vampyr is free to respond in kind? I figured that since holding the creature at bay is a standard action, a character wouldn't be able to do that and make an attack at the same time.

 

[Camarath]

I think I would go with CR +2 since it is not any more powerful than the base Vampire template but still provides a number of abilities that would make it challenging to encounter and ECL +4 becuase it provides good abilities that are somewhat balanced by a significant set of limitations and none of the abilities appear to be devastating except for the Mesmerize ability, also the template looks about as strong as the other ECL +4 templates Lich, Half-Celestial, and Half-Fiend.