Typical Vampires
| F Ty 6 |
A Gd 10 |
S Rm 30 |
E Ex 20 |
R Gd 10 |
I Ty 6 |
P Ty 6 |
Res Pr 4 |
Pop Ty -5 |
| *off Gd 10 |
*dex Ex 20 |
*upr Rm 30 |
*res Gd 10 |
*log Ty 6 |
*alt Gd 10 |
*will Gd 10 |
*mat Ty 6 |
*pub Ty -5 |
| *def Pr 4 |
*bal Ty 6 |
*lwr Rm 30 |
*sta Rm 30 |
*mem Ex 20 |
*awr Pr 4 |
*pre Pr 4 |
*$ Fe 2 |
*sec Sh 0 |
| Health: Karma: |
66 22 |
NH: MH: |
42 12 |
Origin:
Vampires are undead beings, risen souls that have come into being after being slain by the blood draining attacks of another vampire. Sometimes, however, powerful curses or stray magic can cause an otherwise normal person to be transformed into one of these undead.
Known Powers:
Animal Sympathy: vampires have the ability to control creatures commonly considered vermin, such as bats, rats, roaches, and wolves, at their Psyche (pre) rank +2 CS (in a standard vampire's case, Good (10)). These creatures act as if they were an extension of the vampire's existence, and will gladly do whatever it commands, even if they die in the process.
Bio-Vampirism: the dreaded blood-sucking attack of a vampire, this allows them to, in addition to causing Edged Attack damage with their fangs, inflict additional damage due to blood loss. Possessing this power at Typical (6) rank, this allows standard vampires to typically drain normal humans dry in just one or two turns, which just might kill them, thus creating another undead.
Body Transformation: all vampires have the ability to transform into at least two forms, one of which will be an animal, the other being a sort of misty cloud (of any preferable color). Some vampires can even change into more than one type of animal, though this is somewhat rare. Abilities a vampire has in its transformed state include:
* Bat: while in a bat form, a vampire can utilize a Feeble (2) ranked claw and bite attack, as well as fly about at Feeble (2) speeds (about thirty miles per hour), and make use of a bat-like sonar sense. This sense works at a rank equal to the vampire's Intuition (alt) score (Good (10), in this case), as it replaces the bat's typically rotten visual sense for the duration of the transformation.
* Mist: this form grants a vampire complete (Class 1k) resistance to physical and energy attack, as well as Feeble (2) ranked flight, though it doesn't allow them to attack at all. However, some vampires have shown the ability to force their misty form into the lungs of an opponent, and thus gain mind control over them, per that power; of course, the would-be victim gets an Endurance FEAT roll to resist this...
* Wolf: though this form doesn't allow flight, it does offer improved attack and sensory capabilities over those of a bat. For one thing, a vampire can utilize a wolf's sense of smell at their Intuition score +1 CS, as well as Typical (6) ranked bite attacks (which can be used concurrently with their bio-vampirism powers). They can also run at Poor (4) ground speeds (thirty miles per hour).
Fangs and Claws: vampires are equipped with retractable fangs and claws, which grow out of ordinary teeth and fingernails, and allow the vampire to inflict Edged Attack damage in melee combat without exterior weapons of any sort. A vampire's claws can be used to inflict Excellent (20) Edged Attack damage per strike, and the fangs can cause Good (10) Edged Attack damage per use.
Immortality: all vampires are essentially immortal beings, in that they no longer age whatsoever, and will eventually recover from most means of injury that would otherwise cancel the existence of mere mortal folks. However, vampires are not vulnerable to the standard means of eradicating immortal folks, really, instead having their own batch of supernatural weaknesses (see limitations for more on this).
Mind Control: by achieving eye contact with a would-be victim, a vampire can attempt to influence their mind at Good (10) rank. This often makes it extremely easy for them to dine for the evening. Furthermore, if a vampire has created 'children', or has bitten a body who he let live, he can utilize this power against them at +2 CS, as his vampiric ichor binds their will to him somewhat.
Mirrored Powers: some vampires, if their creator wields special non-vampiric capabilities, may also have them to some extent. This is especially the case if a 'father' vampire possessed mutant abilities or some sort of altered physique before his transformation. Powers like this must be determined on a case-per-case basis, which makes such vampires extremely unpredictable...
Regenerative Armor: vampires are exceedingly difficult to harm, in that they heal from inflicted damage at an astounding rate. They wield this power at Excellent (20) rank, allowing them to instantly recover from like damage as if they had equivalent armor instantaneously. This protection, most effective against physical attack, is outlined as follows:
Ex 20 / Ty 6 / Fe 2 / Sh 0 / Sh 0
Furthermore, this power allows vampires to heal from damage at a rate of two Hpts, NH, and MH per turn. Alternately, if you utilize the standard Regeneration rules, this translates into a 20 Hpt gain per ten turns spent healing without injury. Similarly, if one uses the UPB regeneration method, this recovery is equal to .6 Hpts per turn (power rank x recovery rate per turn).
True Flight: an appreciable amount of vampires have shown the capability of flight, without the benefit of any sort of wings or other mechanism. Sure, a rare few actually wield batlike wings at all times (a discussion for another time, perhaps), but those with this power can utilize it at Poor (4) rank, allowing them to fly at approximately sixty miles per hour.
Wall-Crawling: some, but not all of the blood-drinking undead have demonstrated the supernatural power to walk on walls and ceilings like an insect. This power normally functions at Excellent (20) rank, which allows a vampire to cling to most standard surfaces, as long as such things aren't lubricated with oil, water, or ice. These are more difficult to cling to...
Weather Control: even fewer vampires have demonstrated the power to manipulate the weather, but enough have it to discuss it here. Vampires possessing this power will typically wield it at Excellent (20) rank, allowing them to create and modify weather patterns to destructive effect. Vampires begin with no power stunts, however, and must develop them normally.
Limitations:
Vampiric Weaknesses: while standard immortal types are permanently slain only by total body disintegration, destruction on their home plane, or being killed by a fellow immortal, vampires are instead beholden to a completely different set of weaknesses. All suffer from the direct sunlight, wooden stake, and blood lust weaknesses, described below, plus one other random limitation.
* Blood Lust: vampires must feed upon blood to survive. For each day this sick need is denied, a vampire's ability and power scores will drop by -1 CS. If they all drop to Shift 0, the vampire will slip into a form of suspended animation until an immediate opportunity to feed presents itself; when emerging from such sleep, a vampire is nearly mindless until it is sated.
Now, normally twelve Hpts of blood gained is enough to sate a vampire for a day, but if a vampire has allowed itself to fall into its hunger-induced coma from lack of feeding, it must drain a number of Hpts from a target in blood equal to twelve times the number of days it went without feeding before it will return to normal; each twelve points drained restores +1 CS of lost ability and power score ranks.
* Direct Sunlight: if exposed to direct sunlight (not mere daylight conditions, but actual rays of sunlight), vampires suffer an Amazing (50) amount of damage each turn. This is usually enough to turn most of these undead to dust within two turns, unless an exceptionally powerful specimen is uncovered. However, such beings still won't last much longer, unless otherwise protected.
* Holy Symbols: some vampires are susceptible to the will of a faithful person, focused through some sort of symbol holy to their religion. If this is the case, such vampires take an amount of damage equal to the Psyche rank of the offending faithful person wielding such a device, for each turn it is brandished at them. Furthermore, the vampire can't attack this person while he's holding said symbol.
* Home Soil: some vampires need a touch (several pounds) of their native soil with them for some unknown reason. If such soil isn't within inches of them while sleeping during the day, such vampires cannot regenerate from their wounds, healing at a much slower rate than normal; it only progresses at a natural rate for a person of similar Endurance until such soil is present...
* Running Water: many vampires have an aversion to crossing running water, such as a river. Such vampires must pass a Red Psyche FEAT roll in order to do so. Furthermore, if these beings are submerged in running water, they'll take Excellent (20) damage each turn, which isn't countered by their regenerative armor any, until they get out of the water or dissolve...
* Touch of Silver: the mere touch of any silver object will cause many vampires to recoil. Furthermore, attacks made against such a vampire with silver weapons or projectiles will pierce their regenerative armor as if it didn't exist, and such damage cannot be regenerated; it will merely heal at the normal rate for a character of similar Endurance.
* Wooden Stakes: when a vampire is pierced in the heart (with a killing blow) via some wooden object, it will instantly crumble to dust unless it can pass a red Endurance FEAT roll. Even if this FEAT is made, the vampire will be reduced to 1 Hpt, and must instantly remove the stake or die as described above. Of course, this is somewhat difficult when somebody's hammering the thing in...
Quirks:
(none)
Talents:
There are no specific 'typical' talents that vampires possess. Most of their skills come from whatever they've managed to learn in their previous life. However, some of these darker folks manage to overcome the horror of their existence and learn some new skills after their transformation. These are the truly deadly ones, so one should watch out for them...
Contacts:
Most vampires have few initial contacts at first, one of which will typically be the undead monster that created them in the first place. Others might include folks from the vampire's old life that still like him or don't know that he's changed, or maybe some weirdo that, despite what's good for him or her, is enamored with the whole undead thing.
New Vampires
When an ordinary character is transformed into a vampire, the game mechanics involved are quite simple, really. All one needs to do is 'add' in the above supernatural powers and limitations, and adjust the characters statistics some to reflect the alteration in physical capability that vampirism confers. This change is reflected here:
| F n/a |
A +1 CS |
S +2 CS |
E +2 CS |
R +1 CS |
I n/a |
P n/a |
Res n/a |
Pop Ty -5 |
Of course, the simple addition of a bunch of new powers and limitations isn't all that happens. The vast majority of newly risen vampires experience a drastic personality shift upon realizing what they must now do to survive - unless they're already insane to begin with, and simply enjoy that sort of thing. Very few transformed humans can retain their pre-risen personalities.
As such, it is likely that most player characters transformed into vampires should quickly be retired, as playing a murderous undead creature isn't all that heroic, when one gets down to it. However, sometimes playing a vampire attempting to redeem itself can be interesting, since this would involve a tremendous and constant struggle for the beast's very humanity.
Which, admittedly, can make for one heck of a story. However, this should only be attempted by the most trustworthy of players, as some would simply use the excuse to maim and kill indiscriminately, or simply descend into the power-gaming realm. And this is never fun, especially for everybody else (unless all of one's players are into that...).
Extra Goodies:
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