Vampires and Rain: Death from above?

[Three_Haligonians]

The Monster Manual clearly states that Vampires cannot cross running water and are seriously compromised if immersed in it. My question is: What do you think constitutes "running water" and "immersion"?

What about:

Rain (both light and heavy)
A stream
A rain gutter (filled with rain water.. not just by itself)
A waterfall
A bucket of water poured out from above

Can you think of any other instances of water that may or may not count?

J from Three Haligonians

 

[Shayuri]

I would posit that, for the purpose of vampiric death, "Running" water is not the same as "water that happens to be moving."

To be considered running water, the water has to be flowing along the ground...and furthermore would have to have a certain minimum volume. I don't see hurling a pail of water uphill and hiding behind the resulting rivulet of downward flowing water for the round or two it exists, for example.

Thought it might be interesting to try with a Decanter of Endless Water.

Hmm.

 

[Crothian]

soon we will get into the super soaker as the ultimate anti vampire weapon.....

 

[Delemental]

Since the d20 rules do not provide a context-specific definition of those terms, one must default to the common definition.

As far as running water, "running" means flowing, as in not contained in a finite body. So a vampire can walk through puddles and ponds just fine if it wants. But it couldn't walk across a stream, or through a waterfall. Rain wouldn't stop it ('flowing' is not the same as 'falling'), nor would a bucket of water thrown on it (unless the vampire happens to also be the Wicked Witch of the West, of course).

And don't forget that the vampire can simply fly over any stream or river via gaseous form or via shapechange (bat). Or find a bridge; the prohibition really only prevents them from physically walking through running water.

immersion

n 1: sinking until covered completely with water [syn: submergence, submerging, submersion]

So, you need to be completely covered with water to be immersed. Again, rain won't do it, nor the bucket of water (if a vampire could be killed by any 1st level cleric with create water, they wouldn't be nearly so feared).

Really, the old 'running water' thing is a holdover from the mytholocial origins of the vampire, and in the context of D&D really has no practical value. About the only time you could make use of it would be if you managed to grapple a vampire and pull them into the nearby river.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I always considered the running water deal to be an antithesis to Vampires based on its connection with the concept of Life, call it latent Positive Energy if you will. In this view, part of why Holy Water is effective is that the blessing restores that latent energy to stored water.

Following this, any water that has been stored in a container or is created through magics loses this proprty. Streams and heavy rains, both 'life giving' forms of water, would affect the creature. Immersion has to be total, so rain will never accomplish this on its own.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

The Ravenloft game world has rules to answer all of these questions (Van Richten's Guide to Vampires). IIRC, it must be running water such as that from a stream or river. Not water in a gutter and definitely not rainfall.

 

[DamionW]

soon we will get into the super soaker as the ultimate anti vampire weapon.....

That's how Palladium works it in Rifts. *shiver* Among the many things I hate about their vampire mechanics.

 

[Three_Haligonians]

The Ravenloft game world has rules to answer all of these questions (Van Richten's Guide to Vampires). IIRC, it must be running water such as that from a stream or river. Not water in a gutter and definitely not rainfall.

Holy Sh ! We have that book! Thanks,

R from Three Haligonians

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Crothian
soon we will get into the super soaker as the ultimate anti vampire weapon.....

DamionW
That's how Palladium works it in Rifts. *shiver* Among the many things I hate about their vampire mechanics.

Sorta- remember that is a Techno-Wizard weapon and it only works AFTER a spellcaster or psionic character has dumped some ISP or PPE into it, charging it with energy. After that charge is expended, it can't be reloaded if your supernatural PCs are still busy.

 

[Starglim]

The Monster Manual clearly states that Vampires cannot cross running water and are seriously compromised if immersed in it. My question is: What do you think constitutes "running water" and "immersion"?

What about:

Rain (both light and heavy)
A stream
A rain gutter (filled with rain water.. not just by itself)
A waterfall
A bucket of water poured out from above

Can you think of any other instances of water that may or may not count?

Of these examples, the second and possibly the third could immerse (completely cover) a vampire, and then only if it was a very deep gutter and the vampire was lying down. Anything less than immersion does not harm the vampire.

I'd count a waterfall as running water. A vampire can't walk through a waterfall, though the vampire can certainly walk around it if it doesn't fill the width of the opening.

A vampire cannot cross running water. That means that the vampire can't move from one side to the other by any movement of its own, including walking over a bridge or flying. Since the rule does not say the vampire cannot cross over running water, it is also not allowed to cross under running water. Since a vampire may be carried, it's possible that a vampire in gaseous form could be blown over running water if the wind was blowing in the right direction.

edit: It's probably easiest, for a variety of reasons, to say that rain is not counted as running water until it touches natural ground.