RR3 Van Richten's Guide to Vampires (2e)
2e
Vampire, Vampyr, Typical Vampire, Common Vampire, King of the Undead, Lord of the Undead, Blood-Sucking Fiend, Vaporous Vampire, Mundane Vampire, Immortal Vampire: I have recorded tales of a place called Krynn, and a race of sea elves who claim that if one of their race is buried on land, it will rise from the dead to seek vengeance on its brothers by drinking their blood.
From still another place, called Oerth, a man has told me of a family curse that causes the first-born male in every twelfth generation to rise after death to drink the blood of the family unless the body is burned at burial.
How did vampirism get its start? If new vampires are spawned by other vampires, as virtually all tales would have us believe, how then was the first vampire created?
According to most related tales, a vampire can create another simply by killing a mortal either with its life-energy draining power (draining all the character's experience levels) or by exhausting the mortal of his or her blood supply. If the victim's body is not properly destroyed, it arises as a vampire, under the control of the creature who killed it, on the second night following the burial.
There are several nontraditional processes of creating new vampires as well, but these are much less widely known. One is in the taking of a "bride" or a " groom."
This method is, thankfully, exceptionally rare. The saliva of certain vampires contains various necrological substances. First among these is a slow-acting but highly lethal poison. A single bite from a vampire can inject enough toxin to kill a robust warrior. Unlike most poisons, however, this toxin does not kill the subject for several days. Few people make the connection between the vampire bite and the victim's collapse, hence the body is quite likely to be buried improperly. Meanwhile, within the dead body of the victim, other necrological agents from the vampire's saliva are having their effect. Several nights after the victim's death, he or she comes to consciousness as a vampire.
Some of the monsters also have the dread ability to impart vampirism via a curse. With their voice and their gaze they are able to afflict a victim with a terrible wasting disease that drains body strength. After a number of days, the victim dies and then rises as a vampire the night after burial. The only means of saving the victim known to me is to destroy the cursing vampire before the victim finally succumbs. Of course, the body can be destroyed to prevent it from rising, but this is obviously too late to help the victim.
In general, any victim brought to death by any draining effects of a vampire, but not by normal combat or spell damage, is a candidate to become undead.
Vampiric Curses
Some vampires have the ability to cast a special version of the unique priest spell, divine curse, once per day or even less frequently (DM's choice). The effects of this curse are always the same. Should the victim fail a saving throw vs. spells, every time the sun rises thereafter he or she loses 1 point of Str. When the victim reaches 0 Str, he or she dies and will rise the next night as a vampire under the control of the monster who cast the curse. If the vampire that inflicted the curse is destroyed, the curse comes to an end and the character regains 1 point of Str per day.
Of course, the easiest way to destroy a vampire is to be sure that it never rises at all. When a person is killed by a vampire, as I have postulated, it is almost certain that that person will become a vampire as well. The best way to prevent a victim from rising as a vampire is to completely destroy the body rather than bury it. If the body must be buried for religious or other reasons, there are other ways that it can be prevented from becoming a vampire. The way most certain is to drive a stake through the heart of the body, fill its mouth with a consecrated substance, and cut off its head.
This belief system carries with it the implication that vampires feed upon the living in both a spiritual and metaphorical sense. It would be appropriate, then, that vampires should also feed on the living in a physical sense as well.
Where does this symbolic equivalency arise from? Some sages believe that it is a jest of the ancient and evil deities who originally set vampires loose upon the worlds of the universe. Others hold that a parallel arises from the very nature of reality; in other words, we know that evil preys upon good, and vampires vindicate this axiom on the supernatural level.
Before discussing the psychology of immortality in more detail, it is necessary to distinguish between the three " classifications" of vampires. based on their origins. The first classification includes those who became vampires because of " deadly desire," like Strahd Von Zarovich. The second comprises those who became vampires as the result of a curse, whether laid by a mortal or by an evil deity. The third and final category is the most numerous: those unfortunates who became vampires as a result of the attack of another vampire.
An intrepid vampire hunter was slain by one of the creatures she so tenaciously hunted; the monster that killed her was immediately destroyed by her colleagues. For whatever reason, these colleagues neglected to take the precautions to prevent the woman from rising as a vampire.
A man of good alignment was killed by a vampire, and became a vampire himself under the control of his dark master.
Nonetheless, it is better to face an armed vampire than an unarmed one because the creature can drain life energy only when it strikes a foe with a bare hand. Thus, while a two-handed sword in the hands of a vampire can cause hideous damage, there is not the associated risk that anyone killed by the attack will rise later as a vampire.
A young, naive man, raised in a sheltered and privileged family, was slain by a vampire passing through the neighborhood. At first, he was unaware of his true nature (or unwilling to accept it), believing that his "death" had been only profound sickness and that his "premature" burial had been a mistake by his overzealous family. Evidence of his vampiric nature soon became apparent. however, but the poor wretch was unable to fully renounce the life he left behind. He took to "haunting" his old home, watching from the darkness and trying to pretend he was at least peripherally part of mortal life. He would seem a totally pathetic figure had it not been for his vicious attacks against anyone who tried to take away from him the semblance of his former life.
A man of good alignment was killed by a vampire, and became a vampire himself under the control of his dark master. When the master vampire was destroyed, the "minion" vampire became free-willed. Even though undead, he still held the beliefs and attitudes that, while alive, had categorized him as Good. Now, in secret, he decided to use his powers to at least partially set right the damage that he and his master had done. In fact, for some decades he was a secret benefactor to his home town.
Vampire, Supernatural Creature That Drink the Blood of the Living, Undisputed Master of the Undead, Dark Creature, Lord of Darkness, Gaseous Creature, Fiend, Ultra-Powerful Monster, Blood-Sucking Fiend, Creature of Darkness, Foul Creature, Evil Creature, Undead Master, Cursed Monster, Ultimate Undead: ?
Baron Metus, Vampire: ?
Erasmus Van Richten, Vampire, Vampire Groom: The Baron was a vampire, and he had passed on that dark gift to my only son!
Undead, Living Dead, Undead Creature, The Dead: ?
Undead Beast That Used to be a Man: ?
Once-Living Man: ?
Undead Lord: ?
Count Strahd Von Zharovich, Lord of Barovia, Vampire, Once-Living Creature That Now Feeds on the Blood of the Living, Mighty Vampire Lord: How did vampirism get its start? If new vampires are spawned by other vampires, as virtually all tales would have us believe, how then was the first vampire created? These questions have plagued sages as long as the undead monsters themselves have plagued mankind. Perhaps the answer lies in Barovia.
The gift-or curse-of immortality was not thrust upon Strahd Von Zarovich, Lord of Barovia, by another vampire; rather, he stole it from the lips of death.
By Strahds account, the battle was fierce and will make for a great song, should I live to compose it. Both men were excellent swordsmen-Strahd from his years as a general and the officer from his constant training. Yet Strahd's madness gave him the edge. and he finally struck down the officer .. . but not before he himself had taken a wound that would have slain a lesser man instantly.
Strahd Von Zarovich was as good as dead. In hts mind he knew that, but his hatred and rage would not allow his failing body peace. As the lifeblood poured from his body, Strahd made a pact with Death. He reached over. grabbed the dead guardsman, and drank the blood from the corpse.
Strahd would now live free from Death forever, cheating that dark and shadowy figure! But the pact required another act to be complete. He would have to kill his brother Sergei on his wedding day to finally seal the wicked contract.
Strahd hid the guard's body and continued with his day-to-day affairs, awaiting Sergei's wedding day. As the time passed, Strahd found his charade more and more difficult to maintain. The daylight hours were becoming increasingly uncomfortable and the naked rays of the sun physically painful to his skin. He also found it difficult to eat food, which hardly satisfied his hunger. The transformation to whatever creature Death had in mind for him was beginning.
On the day of the wedding Strahd sought out Sergei and instigated a fight, intending in this way to give himself some justification for killing the young man. Strahd expected his young and fit brother to be a challenge to defeat, but quickly found that his physical strength had increased far beyond its previous limit. With but a single, cruel blow Strahd felled his brother and his pact with Death was complete. Strahd Von Zarovich had become a vampire!
No doubt perceptive readers will have noticed the same gaps in this narrative that I spotted when it first came to my attention. For instance, how exactly did Strahd Von Zarovich strike a "pact with Death?" As "Death" is merely a cessation of life, what possible manifestation of this natural condition could propose or accept such a pact?
It is questions such as these that force me to doubt the complete veracity of Gregorri's tale. Perhaps this famous bard could not resist the urge to embellish upon the tale told to him by Von Zarovich (although the diary entry shows little of the internal consistency and stylistic brilliance characteristic of tales known to have been written by Gregorri Kolyan). More likely is the possibility that Von Zarovich lied to the bard for his own reasons. This might explain Kolyan's eventual escape or release: the vampire wished to use him to spread misinformation. Or, in the perhaps most likely interpretation, Von Zarovich lied, but not only to Kolyan. Aging humans often color or alter their memories of events that were less than flattering to them. In humans this tendency appears in just a few years. How great may the tendency to embellish be in a creature that has lived for centuries and can expect to live forever?
The first classification includes those who became vampires because of "deadly desire," like Strahd Von Zarovich.
Apparition: ?
Ghoul: ?
Dwarven Vampire: ?
Fledgling Vampire, Typical Fledgling Vampire, Fledgling: Each vampire age category has a title associated with it. The titles and related ages are:
Fledgling: 0-99 years
Mature: 100-199 years
Old: 200-299 years
Very Old: 300·399 years
Ancient: 400-499 years
Eminent: 500-999 years
Patriarch: 1000 + years
According to most related tales, a vampire can create another simply by killing a mortal either with its life-energy draining power (draining all the character's experience levels) or by exhausting the mortal of his or her blood supply. If the victim's body is not properly destroyed, it arises as a vampire, under the control of the creature who killed it, on the second night following the burial. As an aside. I pose the question: What exactly does it mean when the victim " arises" as a vampire? When the sun sinks fully below the horizon on the second night after the burial, the victim in the grave " awakens." The occupant of the grave is now a Fledgling vampire with all the characteristics, powers, and weaknesses which accompany that condition.
Saliva Poisoning
A character bitten by this type of vampire is entitled to a saving throw vs. poison. It is best if the DM makes this roll secretly. If the save is successful, the victim suffers only 2d4 points of damage; should this be enough to kill the victim on the spot, he or she won't rise as a vampire. If the character fails the save, 2d4 days later he or she will suffer sudden heart failure and drop instantly and painlessly dead. Within 1d4 days of burial the character will rise as a Fledgling vampire, under the control of its killer.
Aged Patriarch: ?
Newly-Created Vampire, Newly-Created Fledgling: ?
One-Day Old Vampire: ?
Millenium-Old Patriarch: ?
Precocious Creature: ?
Patriarch Vampire, Aged Patriarch, Millennium Old Patriarch, Patriarch: Each vampire age category has a title associated with it. The titles and related ages are:
Fledgling: 0-99 years
Mature: 100-199 years
Old: 200-299 years
Very Old: 300·399 years
Ancient: 400-499 years
Eminent: 500-999 years
Patriarch: 1000 + years
Patriarch Vampire, Sunlight-Immune Vampire, Great Vampire, Ancient Creature: ?
Jarmin, Vampire: ?
Mature Vampire: Each vampire age category has a title associated with it. The titles and related ages are:
Fledgling: 0-99 years
Mature: 100-199 years
Old: 200-299 years
Very Old: 300·399 years
Ancient: 400-499 years
Eminent: 500-999 years
Patriarch: 1000 + years
Old Vampire: Each vampire age category has a title associated with it. The titles and related ages are:
Fledgling: 0-99 years
Mature: 100-199 years
Old: 200-299 years
Very Old: 300·399 years
Ancient: 400-499 years
Eminent: 500-999 years
Patriarch: 1000 + years
Very Old Vampire: Each vampire age category has a title associated with it. The titles and related ages are:
Fledgling: 0-99 years
Mature: 100-199 years
Old: 200-299 years
Very Old: 300·399 years
Ancient: 400-499 years
Eminent: 500-999 years
Patriarch: 1000 + years
Ancient Vampire: Each vampire age category has a title associated with it. The titles and related ages are:
Fledgling: 0-99 years
Mature: 100-199 years
Old: 200-299 years
Very Old: 300·399 years
Ancient: 400-499 years
Eminent: 500-999 years
Patriarch: 1000 + years
Eminent Vampire, Eminent: Each vampire age category has a title associated with it. The titles and related ages are:
Fledgling: 0-99 years
Mature: 100-199 years
Old: 200-299 years
Very Old: 300·399 years
Ancient: 400-499 years
Eminent: 500-999 years
Patriarch: 1000 + years
Cunning Vampire: ?
Great Vampire: ?
Young Vampire: ?
Subterranean Vampire: ?
Zombie, Common Zombie: ?
Ghast: ?
Undead Minion: ?
Animated Skeleton: ?
Walking Undead: ?
Vampire, Cursed Beast, Puissant Creature: ?
Particularly Unpleasant Vampire: ?
Vampire Despicable Monster: ?
Unique Vampire: ?
Lucky Vampire: ?
Vampire Who Has an Unquenchable Thirst for Blood, Monster, Creature, Insatiable Blood Drinker: ?
Especially Cursed Vampire: ?
Unlucky Vampire: ?
Vampire Unique and Powerful Creature: ?
Lesser Undead: ?
Uniquely Powerful Vampire, Uniquely Powerful Creature: ?
Progenitor Vampire: A progenitor is a vampire whose creator has been destroyed, or one who was not created by another vampire, but came into being by some other method.
Masquerading Vampire: ?
Animated Corpse: ?
Vampire, Fiend, Hissing Screaming Monster: ?
Older Vampire: ?
Vampire Innately Immune to Sunlight, Sunlight-Immune Vampire: ?
Highly Magical Creature: ?
Exceptionally Powerful Vampire: ?
Vampire With a Unique Heritage: ?
Spellcasting Vampire: ?
Vampire Who Retains Magical Skills From Their Former Life: ?
Subservient Vampire: ?
Once-Human Vampire: ?
Vampire, Fiend, Dark Figure: ?
Atypical Vampire: ?
Vampire, Creature of Undying Evil: ?
Vampire-Like Creature Who Feeds on Cerebrospinal Fluid: ?
Vampire That Subsists on Lymphatic Fluid: ?
Creature Who Drains the Aqueus and Vitreous Fluids From the Eyes of (Demi)Humans: ?
Vampire That Feeds Upon Life Energy Directly From Their Victims Via Touch: ?
Vampire That Seems to Feed Upon the Magical Power That Flows Through the Body of a Wizard or Even a Priest: ?
Sluggish Vampire: In contrast, when a vampire has gone without feeding for a period of time. the reverse effects occur. Its skin becomes colder and paler, sometimes inhumanly so. The creature also becomes more sluggish. (Do not misunderstand this: the monster is still capable of incredible feats of exertion when necessary The "sluggishness" relates more to its preferred level of activity than to its capabilities. A sluggish vampire is very much like a sluggish shark: to consider either of them to be weak is a dangerous error.)
Vampire Raging Beast: For each day that a vampire does not feed sufficiently it loses 1 HD, with all concomitant losses of THACO, saving throws, etc.
If a vampire is ever reduced to1 HD, the creature becomes a raging beast, incapable of doing anything but attacking any source of blood.
Vampire Who Truly Sleeps, Vampire Who Falls Into a Deep Sleep, Vampire That Sinks Into Deepest Oblivion at the Moment of Dawn: ?
Vampire Who Merely Becomes Partially Dormant, Vampire Who Only Dozes: ?
Vampire That Seems Not to Need Sleep, Sleepless Vampire: ?
Vampire, Hideously Dangerous Foe: ?
Hibernating Vampire: ?
Vampire, Solitary and Territorial Predator: ?
Younger Vampire: ?
Master Vampire: ?
Offspring Vampire: ?
Vampire Bride, Vampire Groom: Creating a bride or groom, although seemingly a simple process, requires an exhausting exercise of much power by the creating vampire. For this reason, only vampires of advanced age and capability can even assay this procedure. A bride or groom can be created only by a vampire of age category Ancient or greater, and not even all of those are capable of doing so.
The first step requires that the vampire find an appropriate mortal to be the bride. (Note: With apologies to the feminine gender, I shall use the term "bride" and the pronouns "she" and "her" to refer to both brides and grooms. Unless otherwise specified, there are no restrictions or differences in the procedure based on the sex of either vampire or victim.) Usually this problem solves itself Very rare is the vampire who decides in isolation. "I will make a bride,” and then seeks out a mortal to fill the bill. In the vast majority of cases. The process occurs in the reverse order. The vampire IS drawn emotionally to a mortal and decides, because of the strength of this emotion, to make her his bride.
The nature of this emotion can vary widely. It may simply be hormonal lust (after all, the physiological systems related to such effects in mortals are still present, and sometimes still functional, in vampires). It may be an obsession dating from the days before the vampire became what he now is, as is the case with Strahd Yon Zarovich's obsession with women who resemble his lost Tatyana. In these cases, the vampire creates its bride in cold blood, for the sole purpose of satisfying its own desires.
Sometimes, however, the emotion may be close to what mortals classify as love. The happiness of the vampire becomes tied up with the prospective bride, and its well-being depends on hers. In these cases, the vampire might actually believe it is bestowing a gift when it turns the mortal into its bride-the gift of freedom from aging and death.
To actually create the bride, the vampire bestows what is known as the "Dark Kiss." It samples the blood of its mortal paramour-once. twice, thrice-draining her almost to the point of death. This process causes the subject no pain; in fact, it has been described as the most euphoric, ecstatic experience, in comparison to which all other pleasures fade into insignificance. Just as the subject is about to slip into the terminal coma from which there is no awakening, the vampire opens a gash in its own flesh-often in its throat-and holds the subject's mouth to the wound. As the burning draught that is the vampire's blood gushes into the subject's mouth, the primitive feeding instinct is triggered, and she sucks hungrily at the wound, enraptured. With the first taste of the blood, the subject is possessed of great and frenzied strength (Str 18. if the character's Str isn't already higher), and will use it to prevent the vampire from separating her from the fountain of wonder that is its bleeding wound. It is at this point that the creator-vampire's strength is most sorely tested. He is weakened by his own blood loss, and also by his own rapture as the " victim" of a dark kiss. Overcoming the sudden loss of strength and the inclinations of lust, the vampire must pull her away from its own throat, hopefully without harming her. before she has overfed. Should the subject be allowed to feed for too long (more than 2 rounds), she is driven totally and incurably insane, and will die in agony within 24 hours.
Once the subject has stopped feeding, she falls into a coma that lasts minutes or hours (2d 12 turns), at the end of which time she dies. Several (1d3) hours later, she arises as a Fledgling vampire-and her creator's bride.
The actual process of creating a bride inflicts some limited damage on the vampire. Even the small amount of blood the bride drinks weakens it for some time.
Any vampire can have only one bride or groom at a time. A vampire is physically incapable of creating another bride or groom while it has a companion already bound to it in this relationship. If the vampire wishes to create another bride or groom. it must either destroy its current bride or groom or follow the ritual described later to dissolve the bond between them.
Vampire Creator: ?
Vampire, Cruel Creature: ?
Newly Created Bride Vampire: ?
Married Vampire: ?
Offspring Vampire: ?
Secondary Vampire: ?
Vampire, Poor Wretch: ?
Minion Vampire: A man of good alignment was killed by a vampire, and became a vampire himself under the control of his dark master.
Free-Willed Vampire, Undead Benefactor, Secret Benefactor: ?
Vampire, Dark Master, Master Vampire: ?
Vampire, Rampaging Fiend: ?
Servitor Vampire: ?
Vampire-King: ?
Particularly Intuitive Vampire: ?
Berron Labras, Jonat Labras, Vampire: ?
The Spider, Vampire, Ancient Assassin: ?
Wealthy Vampire: ?
Countess Abalia, Vampire, Fiend: ?
Vampire-Priest, Vampiric Priest: ?
Vampire-Mage, Undead Wizard: ?
Vampire-Thief: ?
Vampire-Bard: ?
Vampire-Warrior, Abomination: ?
Vampire-Ranger: ?
Jander Sunstar, Vampire: ?
Lord Soth, Mysterious Death Knight: ?
