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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steverooo" data-source="post: 2711878" data-attributes="member: 9410">Vampires and...?Many creations, for me, begin out of irritation...  When something irritates me sufficiently, I "fix" it, usually investing quite a bit of work.  Metal-spitters are one example, as is this one.It has always bothered me that the D&D Vampire (and almost all undead) are linked to the "Negative Material Plane", and suck energy levels, instead of blood.  In one of his ancient Dragon expositions, Gygax condemned the Conan The Barbarian movie because it was unlike the books, yet when asked why the AD&D Vampire didn't resemble the legends more closely, replied that "This is the AD&D Vampire!"  Hmph!  That never worked, for me.While I have thought of "fixing" the Vampire, on many occasions, I have never bothered.  No one else seems to care, and it just hasn't bothered me, enough.  It's a minor irritation, and too little to invest the time and work required to come up with a version that better fits the legends that I want to represent in the game...What has irritated me enough, however, is: Why, when there are so many powerful undead in the world, that can create spawn, is there nothing on the side of Good to counter-balance this?  If there are the Undead, why not the No-Longer-Alive?This was brought to a head when a PC "became a Vampire", but refused to be one...  Instead of submitting, he climbed out on the roof, and waited for the sun to rise!  He prayed, and refused to move, even though he knew that the sunrise would kill him.  He'd died fighting Vampires, and NO WAY was he becoming one!  He'd rather EXPLODE!Now whatcha gonna do, with a guy like that?  I say you reward committment!So I insta-created the Eripmav, one of the Dual-Lived.  Infused with Holy, Supernal power, just like the Undead are infused with Unholy, Infernal.  Instead of negative energy, they are based upon positive.  Instead of draining levels, they Cure Wounds (5 HP) and Restore.  Having to come up with it on the spur of the moment, I was vague, but told the PC that, despite what legend said, the Sunrise didn't kill him... it changed him, instead.  He got a brief message from some higher power, saying "Well done", or somesuch, and to continue the fight...As play progressed, and I had a chance, I worked up some stats, basing them off the Vampire template.  I didn't give him an Alternate Form ability, nor Charm, but did give him immunity to Charm, and later revealed that his Cure 5 HPs and Restore abilities only worked on Vampire-wounds and level-drains (it was later expanded to work against attacks from ANY Undead, but not sword-wounds, etc).So basically, I made him the "Good Anti-Vampire", whose powers undid all of theirs, and who was immune to all of their attacks.  I even gave him a limited "Spawn" power, in that he could convert other willing Vampire-would-be-Spawns, instead of allowing them to be Undead.Now, the forces of Good are beginning to balance the Evil, as the Dual-Lived face off against the Undead, and heroes who fall in battle have another choice, instead of rising to join the enemy! <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious    :]" data-shortname=":]" /> The player of the Eripmav PC (who would have been an ashed Spawn) was pleased with his "new" character, even though he had to spend a few levels fighting to "earn off" the Template LA (in the meantime, he kept his class levels, as his not knowing his abilities made them impossible to use, until I told him about them, as he gained XP).  All told, I was happy with it, and the players seemed to be, as well.(And if either of these sparks any interest, I guess Tourneys, Faires, & Taverns sounds good.)</blockquote>

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