Vampires and Domination

[Laruuk]

When a vampire uses its domination ability, does it have to make a ranged touch attack before giving the victim it's will save?

Dominated minds want to know.


Thanks

 

[gfunk]

No, the gaze attack works as per the spell Dominate Person except that it is a supernatural ability. Since the spell doesn't require a touch attack, neither does this vampirc ability.

 

[Suldulin]

I always thought it was a gaze attack, don't have rulebook infront of me though atm

 

[Laruuk]

So, as the DM, all I have to do when my Vampire baddie is fighting the party is look at the fighter of the group and say "Roll a will save."

*dice roll*

"You failed. You're dominated."



Right or wrong?

I read nothing in the description of the Vampire template/spell that limits the amount of times a vampire can use this ability per day.

Am I missing it or is there no limit?

Thanks.



Laruuk

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

This trick probably won't work on a Cleric or anyone else who has a good Will save.

The typical vampire is a fighter, with a base Charisma of 8. Even after the vampire bonuses, and with his low HD compared to CR (2 less than CR usually), the save DC won't be unstoppable.

Vampire sorcerers, on the other hand, are just plain sick. Bonus to Charisma score really pushes up that save DC, and the hp gain will have your front-line fighters tearing out their hair - unless they're ordered to stop.

If you know you are going to fight vampires, get something that protects you from his gaze attack - like Magic Circle against Evil (which will also give you an AC bonus, cool, huh?).

Get your cleric (who made his Will save) to turn the vampire. Even with turn resistance, the vampire's effective HD are only about it's CR, so the cleric will turn it more easily than they can turn a zombie of the same CR. Then shoot it with blessed crossbow bolts, get your druid to toss magic stones at it, etc.

 

[AuraSeer]

So, as the DM, all I have to do when my Vampire baddie is fighting the party is look at the fighter of the group and say "Roll a will save."

Exactly right. That's one of the most powerful weapons in the vampire's arsenal, and I think they should not hesitate to use it. If your vampire NPC gets killed without managing to dominate even one of the fighter-types, you must be doing something wrong.

Every vampire hunter needs Magic Circle Against Evil, or some other way of preventing domination.

[edited to clarify]

 

[Laruuk]

Make no mistake

Due to some poor rolls, my vampire has dominated everyone in the party. Except the rogue and the cleric.

Of course, the cleric is dead and the rogue is not a threat.


Laruuk

 

[hong]

Re: Make no mistake

Due to some poor rolls, my vampire has dominated everyone in the party. Except the rogue and the cleric.

Of course, the cleric is dead and the rogue is not a threat.

Perhaps you should start up a society called B.A.D.U. (Bothered About Disposable Undead).

 

[rankarrog]

Re: Make no mistake

Due to some poor rolls, my vampire has dominated everyone in the party. Except the rogue and the cleric.

Of course, the cleric is dead and the rogue is not a threat.

The cleroc is dead? This might explain why your domination didn't work on him But what about the rogue? How did he made his save?

I play one(ar rogue) and every spellcaster with a lowlevel-snchantment-spell get's me to fight the party (Of course I'm not that much of a threat to them, but it's becoming common that MY PARTY knocks me out at the beggining of a fight with a spellcaster ).

 

[ruleslawyer]

One minor clarification:

"A vampire can crush an opponent’s will just by looking onto his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that the vampire must take a standard action, and those merely looking at it are not affected."

As the description of the ability indicates, eye contact is necessary for this ability to work. So the vampire just looking AT someone is not going to trigger the ability. Consider closing your eyes and blind-fighting the sucker, or flanking it. Moreover, it takes a standard action to use this, so unless the vampire is hasted, it won't be doing anything else in the round, giving other party members a good chance to beat it senseless or turn it.

Vampires are deuced powerful, but by no means invincible.