Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Cbas_10" data-source="post: 3976649" data-attributes="member: 55767">Some advice for you when running a vampire as more of a leader than &quot;just another monster.&quot;Don't limit the vampire, his tactics, or your ideas to just the italicized (Ex) or (Su) statblock entries.&nbsp; Looking at the Ability adjustments, you can see that their undead nature makes them (on the average) superior to the average human (or whatever race you are dealing with).&nbsp; They are smarter, have a sharper wit, and have a far stronger force of personality than the &quot;normal&quot; people around them.&nbsp; They are also scary to deal with on any personal level outside of combat; because of their skills, they are able to see, sense, anticipate, and manipulate those they interact with....with relative ease.&nbsp; A +8 racial bonus on top of whatever ranks and ability modifiers the vampire has will ensure that it has the upper hand over practically all &quot;common&quot; folk around him.They don't die.&nbsp; Well...our heroic characters might destroy them, but aging and time sure wont.&nbsp; Without even touching on how time allows them the luxury of collecting magical powers, items, and other stuff...think of how they could cultivate a staff or even a small village over a couple of generations.&nbsp; It could start with the vampire (or more probably a single, most trusted and capable pawn) employing a certain set of people as his staff.&nbsp; They take care of his home, purchase needed goods, and provide protection, just like people would do for any other lord of the land that is &quot;away&quot; for extended periods.&nbsp; Occasionally, the vampire meets with the people and provides positive reinforcement, gaining trust and loyalty.&nbsp; Time goes on, the vampire learns more about his employees' lives, convinces them to have their offspring or other relatives work for him, and does his evil bit to drive out or destroy other wealthy/influential people who could be competition.&nbsp; Generations would go by, and his secret would inevitably get out: he's a vampire.&nbsp; Fortunately for him, he's been a motivating influence in town for so long that people simply accept his presence as an unfortunate truth in nature.&nbsp; People simply would not have the drive and ambition to do what it would take to oppose him and his loyal followers.Vampires don't lead or command by powers alone.&nbsp; Blackmail, threats, intelligence, raw charisma....oh....and that fairly impressive bit of normal townsfolk being utterly powerless to do any real harm to him, let alone destroy him.Ravenloft is a great example of this sort of reasoning (indeed...a huge inspiration behind a lot of vampires in games).&nbsp; Check out the original module or the recent Expedition to Castle Ravenloft.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Cbas_10, post: 3976649, member: 55767"] Some advice for you when running a vampire as more of a leader than "just another monster." Don't limit the vampire, his tactics, or your ideas to just the italicized (Ex) or (Su) statblock entries. Looking at the Ability adjustments, you can see that their undead nature makes them (on the average) superior to the average human (or whatever race you are dealing with). They are smarter, have a sharper wit, and have a far stronger force of personality than the "normal" people around them. They are also scary to deal with on any personal level outside of combat; because of their skills, they are able to see, sense, anticipate, and manipulate those they interact with....with relative ease. A +8 racial bonus on top of whatever ranks and ability modifiers the vampire has will ensure that it has the upper hand over practically all "common" folk around him. They don't die. Well...our heroic characters might destroy them, but aging and time sure wont. Without even touching on how time allows them the luxury of collecting magical powers, items, and other stuff...think of how they could cultivate a staff or even a small village over a couple of generations. It could start with the vampire (or more probably a single, most trusted and capable pawn) employing a certain set of people as his staff. They take care of his home, purchase needed goods, and provide protection, just like people would do for any other lord of the land that is "away" for extended periods. Occasionally, the vampire meets with the people and provides positive reinforcement, gaining trust and loyalty. Time goes on, the vampire learns more about his employees' lives, convinces them to have their offspring or other relatives work for him, and does his evil bit to drive out or destroy other wealthy/influential people who could be competition. Generations would go by, and his secret would inevitably get out: he's a vampire. Fortunately for him, he's been a motivating influence in town for so long that people simply accept his presence as an unfortunate truth in nature. People simply would not have the drive and ambition to do what it would take to oppose him and his loyal followers. Vampires don't lead or command by powers alone. Blackmail, threats, intelligence, raw charisma....oh....and that fairly impressive bit of normal townsfolk being utterly powerless to do any real harm to him, let alone destroy him. Ravenloft is a great example of this sort of reasoning (indeed...a huge inspiration behind a lot of vampires in games). Check out the original module or the recent Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. [/QUOTE]

Verification