Vampire

Introduction

Vampirism straddles a delicate boundary between a distinctive racial status and a condition reminiscent of various planetouched creatures. A vampire, an undead being, retains its original race while preserving its mental faculties and much of its appearance, unlike many other forms of undead. This makes it challenging for an untrained observer to distinguish a vampire from a regular individual of the same race, contributing to the perception of vampires as among the most perilous and fearsome undead entities.

In some ways akin to lycanthropy, vampirism can be viewed as a curse, although it differs in that it is not necessarily an infectious condition. The process of becoming a vampire is not precisely understood, with conflicting beliefs suggesting that a mere vampire bite could transmit the affliction, while in contrast, others argue that only willing individuals who surrender their life and, in return, receive the vampire's blood may undergo the transformation. Beyond speculative theories, the only established fact is that creatures killed by a vampire and drained of their blood transform into loyal vampire spawns, essentially minor vampires.

Physically, vampires resemble their 'normal' counterparts but exhibit a slightly more feral and predatory demeanor. Notably, vampires cast no natural shadows and do not reflect in mirrors or similar surfaces.

The motivations behind a vampire's existence are unique to each individual, and predicting whether two vampires will become allies or sworn enemies is nearly impossible. However, the common thread among all vampires lies in their profound embrace of darkness and evil, a shared characteristic that unites them despite their individual differences.

Playing a Hidden Monstrous Races

If playing a race that has the ability to hide it monstrous nature, you must understand that should they become well-known and outed then they should expect to be considered and treated as a Monstrous Race and all the rules that applies to playing a monster race will apply to your character.

If outed as one of these races, whilst entering settlements would not be a rule break, you should likely expect to be thrown out by PCs or NPCs, with little recourse.

Attributes

 * Level 1: +1 regeneration, +1 str, +1 dex 
 * Level 5: +1 regeneration, +5% move speed
 * Level 10: +1 regeneration, +2 con 
 * Level 15: +1 regeneration, +5% move speed
 * Level 20: +1 regeneration, +1 str, +1 dex 
 * Level 25: +1 regeneration +5% move speed
 * Level 30: +2 con 

The ability scores (STR, DEX, CON) are all soft and count towards the +12 cap bonus. The bonuses are cumulative: A level 5 vampire will have 2 regeneration, for example. This bonus is tied to their Blood levels. If they keep themselves well-fed, these abilities will appear as they are. If the vampire, however, neglects its hunger, these bonuses will decay and quickly turn into negatives.

 * All base race abilities, stats, and feats
 * All described above
 * They are immune to critical hits, mind-altering effects, and sneak attacks (and all effects that need those to work).
 * Restored by negative energy spells
 * 100% Negative Damage Immunity
 * +5 to Interrogate NPCs
 * +10 to Seeing Track Details
 * +4 Turn Resistance
 * Permanent Ultravision
 * Vampires do not have a rest meter, as the dead have already found enteral rest. They do, however, suffer an endless hunger for the blood of the living. Thus their starvation penalties are more severe.

Summon Stream: Vampire, Zombie

Weakness

As undead creatures, they gain a plethora of abilities and immunities. However, their apparent immortality and a large arsenal of tricks come with an equally large list of weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Holy Magics

Vampires are damaged by healing spells, blessed weapons, holy water, and can be Rebuked/Turned by powerful clerics.

Spells

Vampires can be affected by Undeath to Death, Control Undead, and Magical Sunlight.

Natural Sunlight

Vampires that are exposed to sunlight will rapidly die. Every round they spend in the sunlight they will gain an increasing stack of negative regeneration until they hide in the darkness. Artificial darkness, as created by the spell, serves as a temporary cover.

Moving Water

Because of their inherent characteristics, vampires cannot endure submersion in extensive bodies of water. Nevertheless, swamps and streams pose no hindrance to the undead's mobility. (Engaging in underwater activities or falling off a ship can lead to dire consequences for a vampire!)

Starvation

Penalties for negative blood meter scores essentially mirror the bonuses, except that regeneration is not applied as negative regeneration, but rather used to calculate the extent of starvation debuffs. The amount of negative regeneration (which can range from 1 to 6) will be referenced as X for the following penalties:

 * A -X penalty to AB, AC, skills, and saving throws
 * An additional -X penalty to concentration
 * (5 * X)% miss chance and spell failure

These debuffs are applied alongside the existing STR/DEX/CON decreases and, eventually, movement speed penalties encountered at such low scores.

Abilities

Bat and Wolf form

The vampire can morph into these forms at will.

Darkvision

Vampire's receive Darkvision.

Gaseous Form

Once per day, upon death, the vampire will instead enter a gaseous form for twelve seconds. This form confers immunity to damage and an inability to attack for the duration of the effect. They will be at 1HP when the effect ends. (Activation of this form is separate from the Godsave timer. Example: If the vampire dies, they will enter a gaseous form. However, if that ability is on cooldown, they will instead attempt a Godsave.)

Domination Gaze

Once every 10 minutes, Vampires can attempt to dominate nearby humanoid creatures for 3d3 rounds + 1 per 5 character levels. Player characters are dazed, not dominated. While under the effect of Domination Gaze, NPCs are valid targets for the Vampire Feed ability. The effect also allows Vampires to automatically succeed in some social interactions with affected NPCs (like GSF: Enchantment and Charm/Dominate Spells).

Climb

Added a climb bonus equal to 1 per 2 character levels. Fall damage is not reduced unless they're polymorphed into a bat.

Feeding

Vampires cannot drink or eat. Instead, vampires must fill their blood reserves by killing creatures (NPC Monsters), Biting (A special bite attack that can be used on NPCs/PCs), or Feeding on a willing victim (PC Only).

Blood Vials

It is possible to craft blood vials through the use of alchemy. It is a difficult task to store blood such that it keeps fresh for a prolonged period, but once you have the vials, they won't expire.

Bite

Every 3 minutes, a vampire can mark their next attack as a bite, and if successful, they will heal and recover a large portion of their blood reserves, which scales depending on the size of the creature. (This works on NPC and PC alike)

 * The Vampire Bite ability applies a minor level drain instead of a constitution penalty.
 * When used against humanoid NPCs that are fatally injured, it can infect them, causing them to rise as Vampire Spawn upon death.
 * The probability of infection rises by 10% for each 6 of the vampire's levels.
 * Trying to turn NPCs in this way may leave behind clues that can be examined.

Willing Victim

Vampires can nourish themselves by feeding on Player Characters. This is accomplished when the willing player types the command "-thrall offer" and the vampire PC selects "feed" from the radial menu. Following each feeding within the preceding 24 in-game hours, the victim incurs a -2 constitution penalty, ultimately resulting in death upon the fourth feeding. It's important to note that undergoing a vampire's feeding process does not transform the victim into a thrall, as this specific transformation occurs only through ingesting a vampire's blood, despite the command being named "-thrall offer."

Noble Blood

Thanks to centuries of arranged marriages and careful breeding, the life force extracted from a person of noble lineage (Minor Award) yields approximately 5% more vitality compared to the blood of an ordinary individual.

Thralls

Vampires have the ability to recruit other characters as their thralls by granting them a portion of their immortal blood. This process involves the vampire player choosing the "offer" action from the radial menu, while the thrall player enters the command "-thrall feed." As a result, the thrall gains the following physical enhancements:

 * First feeding in 24 hours: +1 con 
 * Second feeding in 24 hours: +1 con 
 * Third feeding in 24 hours: +1 con 
 * Fourth feeding in 24 hours: +1 con 

These bonuses are cumulative and count towards the +12 ability cap.

The more a thrall feeds from the vampire, the more urgent the thrall's dependency on the vampire's blood becomes. A prolonged period without feeding may result in drastic withdrawal systems, ultimately culminating in death without extensive treatment. ('In In Character terms, withdrawal should be considered a potentially lethal effect. However, this is not mechanically enforced.')

Thrall RP

Consuming the blood of a vampire establishes a potent mystical bond between the thrall and their sire. This connection manifests in various ways, ranging from heightened positive emotions towards the vampire to an unwavering state of loyalty and obedience. Initially subtle, these effects grow in strength over time or with each feeding, eventually leading to severe psychiatric issues upon complete bonding. This affliction may manifest as a desire to emulate the dark patron, such as engaging in the consumption of living flesh (Renfield Syndrome) or adopting other vampiric-like behaviors. Sustaining the state of thralldom requires regular feedings by the vampire, lest the sire lose control over the victim with time.

NOTE: Vampires and thralls are forbidden from directly engaging in intimacy for reasons of dubious consent regarding niche lore in the setting.

Creating a new character on Arelith

Prerequisites:

• Requires Major award
• Must be approved by the DM Team

• For this, you should send a PM to any DM in the forum or to the Active DM group. The content of your PM should explain that you got the major award, that you want a vampire character, some loose background and your intention for the character. Researching vampires and undead in general beforehand may be wise. The Libris Mortis (3.5) may provide useful information. Bear also in mind that the approval is not only to verify that you won't play a setting-disrupting character, but also, to control the number of vampire characters active in the island, and your request may be denied solely for the latter reason.
• Only 13 active vampires are allowed at once. If we are full, approved applications will be put in a que and allowed to make only once the active number falls below 13 again.

Notes

• Does not have to eat or drink.
• Starting City: Same options as base race OR Andunor with Outcast tag