Supernatural Creatures Templates

[RedMattis]

In fiction of various kinds we have seen creatures such as ghosts, demons, vampires and other creatures in many interpretations and versions.

The point to this thread is for to see what kind of creatures GURPSers such as you and I have created, or just find interesting, and later create a pdf with all this information.

Don't worry about posting something that is similar to what has been posted already. If we get twenty kinds of vampires I'll just create a Vampire chapter in the pdf, perhaps with categories such as Modern, Gothic and other. ;)

Try to write a short description to the creature, or at least make it clear what kind of creatures it is.

Basically every supernatural or weird science creature is OK for this thread (unlike the powers thread which mainly is about the very supernatural-supernaturals) is about all kinds of creatures, so feel free to post your virus-zombies or other 'not'-actually-supernatural horror monsters as well as the more obvious ones such as vampires

Try to write your templates with a header and a description, like this:

Shadow

[240 points]

Attributes: ST-6 [-60] DX+2 [40]; IQ-2 [-40]
Secondary Characteristics: Hp+10 [20]; Sizemod -2 [0]
Advantages: Catfall (Feather Fall, +30%) [13];Claws (Talons [8]; Dark Vision [25]; Doesn't Breathe [20]; Doesn't Eat or Drink [10]; Doesn't Sleep [20]; Enchanted Dodge 1 [15p]; Enhanced Move 1: Shadow Form [20]; Immune to Pain* [30]; Indomitable [15]; Injury Tolerance: Diffuse [100]; Regeneration: Very Fast [100]; Shadow Claws** [23]; Shadow Form [50]; Silence 6 [30]; Unaging [15]; Unfazeable [15]; Unkillable 1 (Achilles' Heel: damage to the heart/core -30%) [35]
Disadvantages: Appearance: Monstrous [-20]; Dread: VERY strong light [-10]; Fragile: Unnatural [-50]; Hidebound [-5]; Low Empathy [-20]; Magic Susceptibility 3 [-9]; No Sense of Humor [-10]; Numb [-20]; On the Edge: CR 9 [-22]; Slave Mentality [-40]; Social Stigma: Monster [-15]; Vulnerability: Fire (x4) [-60]; Vulnerability: Magical Effects (x2) [-30]; Weakness: Sunlight (1d/5min) [-30]
Skills: N/A
Features: Weights only a few pounds [0]; Victims' shadows becomes 'Shadows' [0]; 'Heart' can be hit at normal penalty for full damage [0]
Notes: Nasty little critters from the Abyss that likes to swarm their enemies.

*
Immune to Pain Immune to Shock, Knockdown/Stunning, Pain/Agony conditions and Pain-Based torture - talked about all over the forum... replace with High Pain Tolerance [10] if you wish (reducing the cost to 220p)

**
Shadow Claws (+270%)
Innate Attack 1d (cut) (Melee Attack: C, -30%; Cosmic: Ignores DR, +300%

Description: A shadowy creatures that exists somewhere between the physical world and the spirit world. They are a form of inbetweener, and cut through flesh and armor as a knife through butter with the claws. This is slightly offset by the fact that you can almost cut them with a butter-knife...
"Shadows" are living shadows most of the time, and the only way to kill them is by striking the concealed heart within their bodies
A shadow is an abyssal creature and typically tries to kill everything it comes across unless given specific orders.



For Powers to super-powered monsters check out This thread

[RedMattis]

Dracul/Draculina

[120 points]

Attributes: N/A
Secondary Characteristics: HP+10 [20p]
Advantages: Catfall [10p]; Damage Resistance 3 (Tough Skin, Crushing Only) [2p]; Doesn't Breathe, [20p]; Dominance [20p]; Energy Reserves "Blood Pool" 10 (Special Recharge: Leech, -70%) [9p]; High Pain Threshold [10p]; Injury Tolerance (Unliving) [20p]; Leech 3 (Accelerated Heeling, +25%; Heals FP, +30%; Blood Agent, -40%) [29p]; Night Vision (2) 5, [2p]; Regeneration: Regular II*, (recover 1 HP/10 min), [35p]; Regrowth [20p]*; Resistant (Immunity to Metabolic Hazards) [30p]; Teeth, Sharp [1p]; Temperature Tolerance 10 [10p]; Unaging [15p]; Unkillable 2 (Hindrance: Decapitation, Stake through the Heart, Final Rest spell, -25%) [75p]; Vampirism Talent 1 [5p]; Telepathy Talent 1 [5p]; Animal Control Talent 1 [5p]; Weather Control Talent 0 [0p]
Disadvantages: Cannot Float [-1p]; Compulsive Behaviour (Attain Blood, CR: 12) [-10p]; Dependency (Home Earth, Daily) [-60p]; Divine Curse (Cannot enter dwelling for the first time unless invited) [-10p]; Draining (Blood of sentient beings) [-10p]; Dread (Religious Symbols, 3 yards) [-12p]; Fragile (Unnatural) [-50p]; Revulsion (Wood, Heart only, -60%), [-4p]; Social Stigma (Dead (or secret) [-20p]; Supernatural Features (No body heat, temp) [-1p]; Susceptible (Garlic, Retching, -30%) [-3p]; Temporarily ages when unfed [-1p]; Vulnerability (Holy Weapons, Damage x2) [-20p]; Lecherousness (CR:12), [-15p]; -15 points of disadvantages (traits as addiction, chummy, Comp-Beh, Sadism, Obsession, etc.) [-15p]
Skills:
Features: Affected by True Faith [0p]; Neither has nor uses FP [0p]
Notes: Inspired by the Dragonetti from Blue Devils


Powers: [+97 Points] Most Dracul and Draculina get the following Powers when they rise as the undead (cost not included in template)
(I might add these to the Power-up! Supernaturals thread later...)

Cognition 1 (Improved Senses): [29 points]
Acute Taste & Smell 3 [6p]; Parabolic Hearing 2 [8p]; Telescopic Vision 3 [15p]

Shape-Shifting 1 (Form of the Wolf): [24 points]
Alternate Form (Wolf; Reduced Time 3, -60%)

Vigor 1: [41 points]
Lifting ST 8 [20p]; Striking ST 8 [13p*]; Super Jump 1 [8p]
Notes: All levels halved during the day, -20%

* House Rule

Description: Vampires from the famous Vlad Dracula's bloodline. They are known for their attunement to nature, and their near immortality, but fortunately they dread crosses and cannot enter a dwelling uninvited.
Young vampires of this bloodline are known to be very beastial, and stupid, but after a few years they mature into power and retain their intelligence. (see lenses below). Those sired directly by dracula tend to mature and regain their intelligence much faster though, perhaps other powerful vampires of the bloodline can do the same to their fledglings.

Ghoul 1 day old [-137p]
IQ-5, Stress Atavism, Moderate (CR: Always), Taboo trait, IQ 5 max

Ghoul 1 week old [-105p]
IQ-4, Stress Atavism, Mild (CR: Always), Taboo Trait, IQ 7 max

Goon 1 month old [-60p]
IQ-3, Taboo Trait, IQ 9

Fledgling 1 year old [-40p]
IQ-2, Taboo Trait, IQ 11
(buy another level of Vigor)

Master Vampire 1 decade old [-20p]
IQ-1, Taboo Trait, IQ 14

Elder 1 century old
N/A

Edit: Edited out Magery and replaced it with 3 talents. This is a Powers based vampire build after all.
Also, I changed the cost of Regeneration Regular II to the reccomended value. I am hesitant to change regrowth to much from RAW so I will keep it at 20 points for now. Removed Dependency Mana, I don't know how it ended up there.

Edit 2: Leech was miss-priced. Fixed. Damage Resistance and Night Vision were adjusted to keep the cost the same.

Edit 3: Removed No Reflection. It was a leftover from the template I based it on. Feel free to return this disadvantage to your Draculs and Draculinas if you think it fits though. It is a classic Dracula-style disadvantage.

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by RedMattis

Regeneration: Regular II*, (recover 1 HP/10 min), [40p];

Hellboy had it at 35 points.

Originally Posted by RedMattis

Regrowth [20p]

Kromm said this should cost 10-15 points.

[Gef]

My take on vamps and related curses for my fantasy campaign (part I):

Vampire
317 points minus bloodline traits
ST +6 (Only at Night ‑20%; 48), Per +2 (10), Affliction (Follow-up to bite; 10), Alternate Form: Bat (Active Change +20%, Only at Night ‑20%; 15), DR 1 (Tough Skin ‑40%; 3), DR+8 (Eyes +4%, Ablative ‑80%, Only at Night ‑20%; 8), Doesn’t Breathe (20), Dominance (20), High Pain Threshold (10), Immunity to Metabolic Hazards (30), Injury Tolerance (Unliving; 20), Metabolism Control 4 (Hybernation ‑60%; 8), Power Investiture (Sanctity Syphon +50%, Cursed: See Below ‑10%, Only at Night ‑20%; 12), Protected Power (Cosmic +50%; 8), Sharp Teeth (Switchable +10%, Uncontrollable Trigger – the sight or scent of fresh human blood ‑10%; 1), Unaging (15), Unkillable 2 (Except by the natural weapons of other Unkillable beings ‑30%; 70), Vampiric Bite (Leech that Heals FP +60%, Blood Agent ‑40%; 30), Wightsight (Darkvision for Lifeforms Only ‑20%; 20), Combustible (‑5), Compulsive Behavior: Territorial on 12 (‑10), Restricted Diet of human(oid) blood (common, Substitution +50%; ‑10), Supernatural Features (No Body Heat except after feeding, Pallor except after feeding; ‑6), Vulnerable to Light (Rare as an attack, double damage; ‑10), Feature: If a vampire attempts to eat solid food, his body will reject it. Individuals may buy more levels of Hibernation and ablative DR. When a vampire bites his victim, she is stunned by a momentary euphoric rush, allowing the vampire to drain her life force; a sleeping victim is unlikely to awaken. Other powers accorded to vampires in legend, including shapeshifting to other forms, are the province of vampire magic. Vampires are relatively susceptible to fire, but killing one is not easy, as they can shrug off the first blow. A stake through the heart or mouthful of holy wafers can aid the process depending on the victim’s bloodline traits:

Bloodline Traits
Every strain of vampirism carries additional disadvantages, at least 30 points’ worth from the following: ST ‑3 (‑24), IQ ‑1 (‑20), Bad Smell (‑10), Berserk on 12 (‑10, or ‑15 with Battle Rage), Blood or Moonlight as a Trigger for Unkillable (‑5), Daily Dependency on Native Soil (‑30), Disturbing Voice (‑10), Dread of All Things Holy (‑10), Dread of Entering Uninvited (‑10), Dread of Garlic (‑5), Dread of Running Water (‑10), Frightens Animals (‑10), Infectious Attack instead of Dominance and Pack Mentality instead of Territorial (‑16), Lacks Affliction (‑10, or ‑11 if also Lacks Shapr Teeth), Lacks Alternate Form (‑15), Lacks High Pain Threshold (‑10), Lifebane (‑10), Night Vision with Light Sensitivity (no cost at any level), No Reflection (‑10), No Shadow (‑10), Nocturnal (‑20, or ‑40 if permanent), Odious Personal Habit: Disturbing Aura ‑1 to ‑3 (‑5/level), One College Only of Power Investiture (‑4), further Restricted Diet to the blood of infants (‑5), Slow Riser (‑5), Unnatural Feature (‑1), Variable Weakness in Sunlight averaging 1d per half hour (‑9), Leech Only During Sex (‑15), Uncontrollable Appetite on 12 (‑15), Universally Hideous (‑20), Wood through the heart as a Hindrance to Unkillable (‑15), Wounded (‑5). The Unnatural Feature is likely red eyes or non-retractable fangs, but some bloodlines substitute the form of an owl, snake, spider, or large wolf for that of a bat, and hey may have an Unnatural Feature derived from this form. Instead of Hideous with Supernatural/Unnatural Features, a bloodline may be Monstrous for a net cost of ‑9, and Hideous or Monstrous bloodlines may have Terror (Always On) for 24 points. A hundred points’ worth of these traits would not be unreasonable, and the lot is worth 395!

Vampire Magic
Vampires use the improvisational “Ritual Magic” variant with Hidden Lore (Vampires) as its basis. Hidden Lore is not as difficult as Thaumatology or Ritual Magic skill, but then its scope is not as broad. While few practice it, every vampire can use magic, drawing on the power of the curse that sustains him. The process makes the curse stronger, so vampires need not form a Pact with any god to increase their Power Investiture, although they may do so in order to gain access to more paths, for the curse encompasses only half a dozen paths based on its aspects, and none of them can directly benefit others except for the draughts specifically mentioned in the Path of Blood. (This is the “Cursed” limitation mentioned in the template.) If a path includes a spell that could normally benefit others, such as Might or Regeneration, the vampire’s version affects himself only. Vampires may purchase Energy Reserves at a ‑30% discount for the Curse and Only at Night limitations.
Path of the Beast: The Animal college. Most bloodlines have an affinity with one class of animals as a Feature, and suffer a ‑2 penalty for spells relating to other classes. Those who favor mammals get a +1 bonus for bats, rats, and wolves; those who favor birds get +1 for owls, ravens, and vultures; those who favor reptiles get +1 for venomous snakes; and those who favor vermin get +1 for mosquitoes and spiders. A variant shapeshifting spell creates cursed companions (see the template).
Path of Blood: Power over blood itself, which is basically the college of Water except that it applies to blood. For example, a vampire can cause his blood to scald like acid or make a solid object of frozen blood. Some water spells may not admit to this interpretation, and in particular a vampire cannot Create Blood for sustenance. However, he can use this path to cast Lend Vitality by granting a draught of his own blood, and mortals who receive the draught can acquire vampire magic with an additional ‑10% limitation, for the advantage only works if the mortal receives another dose every month. Instead of Scrolls, vampires make potions of their own blood by means of which the imbiber can cast a spell. (Otherwise use the same mechanics, with blood standing in for the literacy requirement.)
Path of the Corpse: Healing and Necromancy spells which do not deal with spirits, such as Zombie or Death Vision, plus Decay, Body Control curses like Deathtouch and Pain, and Shapeshift to human form, which temporarily alleviates bloodline traits (but if the vampire is trapped in human form, he acquires the Cursed Companion template). A vampire can use this path to suppress his gag reflex and swallow food, although he cannot digest it.
Path of Darkness: The college of Light and Darkness, without the light spells (except Mage Light), plus weather spells which produce darkness indirectly (by summoning clouds and storms).
Path of the Demon: Spells which replicate the powers of demons or spirits or enable the caster to interact with one, including Breathe Fire, Body of Air, Armor, Might, Dispel Magic, Astral Vision, and Planeshift to wherever demons come from.
Path of Dominance: The college of Mind Control. Vampires use this path to make victims forget.

[Gef]

Vamps part II (very much a work in progress):

A typical subject of the Emperor knows all about vampires: They are wicked undead who hunt the living by night. Unless they are already evil, they are tormented and ultimately damned by their need for human blood. Being already dead, they do not die, but their “immortality” pales in comparison to the afterlife awaiting all who heed the Word of Humble. In ancient Agony of hated memory, the devil Shardan made them rulers of men, able to quench their thirst from their human slaves, but the holy light of Halos burns them, and the symbols of the church now protect men from their predation. Sometimes the victim of a vampire becomes a vampire himself, unless buried with a protective ritual, but only an evil man would desire such an existence, sleeping in a coffin by day and killing by night. Vampires can take the form of a bat, dominate the minds of men, and practice other black magic, but these powers fail against a true believer in Halos, and they cannot cross running water or enter a home uninvited.

An occultist refers to vampires as demon-dead, rather than undead, for he knows that it is demonic essence which sustains the semblance of life in a corpse. He also knows that innate vampire magic is blood magic, although some may practice chaos or black magic, or even gold magic in the service of their devil-goddess Trevira. Not all vampires are bats; in fact Agony begat several breeds, each with different powers and weaknesses. Do not rely on sunlight or running water to stop them all. The rare breeds are the twice-damned, those who subsist not merely on blood, but on the blood of infants.

Lore of the Curse
Lutor ki Quarn tu Sondre is one of the most interesting and tragic figures of Agonese history. He was the high priest of the temple of Sonderey, dedicated to the gods Axili and Monst, headquarters of the Agonese eugenics program. Those few remaining vampires who knew him personally describe him fondly as an arrogant prick – rather like the god-king himself. Like all who held high offices during Shardan's reign, he was a “hands on” administrator.

Monst and Axili were seen as the principles of male and female fertility, respectively; Monst gave the power to beget the strongest mutant children, and Axili had the power to bear them. Priests of Axili served as prostitutes and midwives throughout Agony, but those at Sonderey bred different races together with rituals to ensure a fruitful union, and when a useful mutation cropped up, they put the mutant to stud in an effort to stabilize it, in the hopes of providing the god-king with soldiers able to slay demons and other supernatural terrors. “Fight monsters with monsters” might have been their motto. Agonese knowledge of eugenics was not particularly advanced, but Sonderey compensated with a brute force approach, breeding thousands to get one stable hybrid. College, the original “black” project, could dispose of the rejects with their experiments into blood magic and necromancy. High priest Lutor had been a project leader at College before assuming the mantle of Sonderey.

Ancient Agony discovered through painful experience that demons do not always eat women; sometimes they rape instead, begetting a demonic child (or brood) which eats the mother from the inside out. Time and again a flying squadron would arrive in a threatened village only to find it in flames, with a desperate maid writhing in torment. The squad wizard would teleport the poor woman to Sonderey (for such magic was possible in those days), and time and again the emperor's best obstetric priests would fail to save her. In spite the necessary callousness of the eugenics program, and in spite of the value that baby demons had to research, Lutor ki Quarn determined that saving the demon-seeded would be the mark of his term at Sonderey.

[Gef]

Vamps part III - bloodlines

Axilitu (-105)
Lutor attempted to control the conception of the demon-born, ritually mating a demon to a temple prostitute, hoping to birthe a hybrid loyal to men and yet able to strike down demons. The prostitute, Mireth, miscarried, but she herself changed into the first vampire bloodline, named after Axili, the goddess of the temple. Of course, she did not at first realize her fate, until she became pale and cold and suffered a terrible thirst. At last desperation drove her to the temple nursery, where she attacked the attendants who guarded her feast and passed on her curse. Her bloodline traits were the Alternate Form of an owl instead of a bat (avian focus for Path of the Beast), further Restricted Diet to the blood of infants (‑5), Dread of Garlic (‑5), Dread of all things Holy (‑10), Lacks Affliction (‑10), Frightens Animals (‑10), Lifebane (‑10), Moonlight as a Trigger for Unkillable (‑5), Night Vision 3/3, Nocturnal (‑20), Odious Personal Habit: Disturbing Aura ‑3 (‑15), and Uncontrollable Appetite on 12 (‑15).

Axilitu, Male (‑108)
The curse of the Axilitu manifests a bit differently in male victims, who are weaker but who can derive nourishment from the blood of adults. They have the following bloodline traits: Alternate Form of an owl instead of a bat, ST ‑3 (‑24), Dread of Garlic (‑5), Dread of all things Holy (‑10), Lacks Affliction (‑10), Frightens Animals (‑10), Lifebane (‑10), Moonlight as a Trigger for Unkillable (‑5), Night Vision 3/3, Nocturnal (‑20), Odious Personal Habit: Disturbing Aura ‑2 (‑10), One Path Only (Darkness; ‑4).

Lamian (‑74)
Mireth was powerful and able to slay demons, and spreading the curse to trained warriors proved quicker than raising children. The breeding program at Sonderey produced plenty of rejects to feed to the Axilitu, but Lutor lamented the drawbacks of the curse. Having failed in his original intent, he chose another captured demon, reworked his rituals, and tried again with another prostitute, Lami. The results differed slightly, but once again he transformed his breeding stock without producing a hybrid: Alternate Form of a snake instead of a bat (reptilian focus for Path of the Beast), further Restricted Diet to the blood of infants (‑5), Dread of All Things Holy (‑10), Dread of Running Water (‑10), Lacks Affliction (‑10), Leech Only During Sex (‑15), Uncontrollable Appetite on 12 (‑15), Weakness in Sunlight (‑9).

Lamian, Male (‑119)
As with Mireth, the curse of Lami manifested differently among male victims, for the power of Axili which invoked it has a strong gender aspect: Disturbing Voice (Hissing; ‑10), Dread of All Things Holy (‑10), Dread of Running Water (‑10), Frightens Animals (‑10), Lacks Affliction (‑10), Lacks Alternate Form (‑15), Leech Only During Sex (‑15), No Shadow (‑10), One Path Only (Dominance; ‑4), Uncontrollable Appetite on 12 (‑15), Unnatural Feature: Non-Retractable Fangs (‑1), Weakness in Sunlight (‑9). The hissing voice of a male lamian is not sexually attractive, but the path of dominance can compensate for that.

Monsteratu (‑46)
Back to the drawing board. Lutor had been calling upon the power of Axili, a fertility goddess, and he realized that demonic essence perverted the power that had worked so well for other hybrids. This time he called upon Monst, the principle of male fertility, instead of Axili. The demon slew and consumed its breeding partner, disrupting the ritual, which somehow turned Lutor himself into a frightful vampire with the following bloodline traits: Alternate Form of a spider instead of a bat (vermin focus for Path of the Beast), IQ ‑1 (‑20), Berserk (‑10), Dread of All Things Holy (‑10), No Reflection (‑10), Universal Hideous Appearance with Terror Always On (4).

Monsteratu, Rotting (‑89)
Upon his transformation, Lutor went mad and attacked his acolytes, spreading the curse to them as well. Dismayed by the damage to his formidable intellect and that of those he transformed, he hastily prepared another ritual, dedicated to Sybirn the merciful, but Sybirn is also a goddess of death and zombies, and once more demonic essence perverted the ritual, altering Lutor further. The ritual succeeded in arresting the deterioration of the vampires' minds, but once again the priest went berserk, attacking his assistants, spreading his newly mutated curse to the survivors. Although he gave his god and king a powerful weapon against demonkind, Lutor considered his project a failure, and he subsequently left the temple and served heroically in battle, but the bloodlines he created are still known as Lutoran vampires. The mutant monsteratu is even more vile than the original, an eternally decaying corpse, with IQ ‑1 (‑20), Bad Smell (‑10), Berserk on 12 (‑10), Disturbing Voice (‑10), Dread of All Things Holy (‑10), Frightens Animals (‑10), Lacks Alternate Form (‑15), Universal Monstrous Appearance with Terror Always On (15), One Path Only (Corpse; ‑4), Wounded (‑5), and a queerly reversed Lifebane effect (‑10): the transient reanimation of small creatures. (If you step over a dead frog, it becomes a frog zombie and hops away until out of your presence, and a cloud of dead bugs may surround you. The little zombies are not under your control.) Lifebane persists even if the Monsteratu shapeshifts to human form with vampire magic. Lutor himself retained the alternate form and full access to vampire magic, even though he did not pass on these traits to those who assisted him in the ritual to Sybirn.

Treviran (‑89)
Breeding a demon hybrid remained a priority for the temple, but the project was put on hold because of the staffing problem caused by Lutor's rampages. During this time, a priestess of Trevira snuck into the temple of Sonderey, using her illusion magic, and stole the research notes for the vampires, hoping to do a better job and thus win favor with the god-king. As Trevira was the goddess of illusion, there was naught in her ritual for demonic essence to pervert. The cult's efforts produced the best-known bloodline with Blood as a Trigger for Unkillable (‑5), Daily Dependency on Native Soil (‑30), Dread of All Things Holy (‑10), Dread of Entering Uninvited (‑10), Dread of Garlic (‑5), No Reflection (‑10), One Path Only (Blood; ‑4), Wood as a Hindrance to Unkillable (‑15), and Night Vision 5/5 (though of course wightsight works in all lighting conditions).

Treviran, Slave (‑182)
The Treviran vampire was superior to anything Sonderey had produced in that he was less severely affected by the light of the sun. However, those he infected were weaker, and they turned to ash at the sun's touch, as if they were naught but illusion themselves! The temple solved the problem by replicating the original ritual, producing a series of master vampires, and when one of them fell in combat, it became clear that his slaves could rise to master status themselves. Until their master dies, slaves have ST ‑3 (‑24), Blood as a Trigger for Unkillable (‑5), Daily Dependency on Native Soil (‑30), Dread of All Things Holy (‑10), Dread of Entering Uninvited (‑10), Dread of Garlic (‑5), Lacks High Pain Threshold (‑10), Night Vision 5/5, No Reflection (‑10), Odious Personal Habit: Disturbing Aura ‑1 (‑5), One Path Only (Blood; ‑4), Unnatural Feature (red eyes; ‑1), Uncontrollable Appetite on 12 (‑15), Wood as a Hindrance to Unkillable (‑15), and Nocturnal (Permanent, ‑40); they turn to ash when struck by the sun. Game mechanically, slaves may buy off the extra traits while their master is hibernating or dead awaiting blood to revive him. Masters may induce hibernation voluntarily to give slaves an opportunity to grow. Buy Nocturnal down in stages: Nocturnal (non-permanent) with Weakness in Sunlight, then just the weakness, then buy it off altogether.

Virilu (‑95)
Ironically, the attention of the empire put pressure on the cult of Trevira to produce, and Axilite critics pointed out that the Treviran “demon-fighter” was severely handicapped by its need for native soil, countering the mobility of the bat form. Their next attempt on Virile, who volunteered out of love for the goddess and became her consort, begat another sun-fearing bloodline, but one with fewer handicaps: Alternate Form of a large wolf instead of a bat (mammalian focus for Path of the Beast), Berserk with Battlerage on 12 (‑15), Dread of all things Holy (‑10), Dread of Running Water (‑10), Infectious Attack instead of Dominance and Pack Mentality instead of Territorial (‑16), No Shadow (‑10), One Path Only (Beast; ‑4), Slow Riser (‑5), Unnatural Feature (Hairy Palms; ‑1), Weakness in Sunlight (‑9), Wood as a Hindrance to Unkillable (‑15).

Living Vampire (‑30)
After the death of Virile revealed a flaw in their efforts to date, namely the vulnerability to Wood, the cult of Trevira proclaimed the Pinnacle Project to produce a perfect vampire. They recruited among the finest warriors in Agony, offering the title “Consort of Trevira” in honor of Virile. This project yielded the famous “living” vampire, so-called because it can enjoy normal food, although it derives no nourishment therefrom. The Ritual of Isolation destroyed those vampires most proficient with the Path of the Demon, devastating the living vampire population and reducing the Lutorans, although it left Trevirans and Virilu untouched. Living vampires have the following bloodline traits: Lacks Alternate Form (‑15), Lacks Sharp Teeth and Affliction (‑11), Night Vision 2/2, One Path Only (Demon; ‑4).

[Gef]

vamps part IV


Other Curses
Meanwhile, the temple of Sonderey decided to breed their “vampire mothers” instead of working with demons directly. Attempts to breed a mutant with Lami caused her curse to mutate, producing the first stoner, or Lami-kos in temple terminology. Analysis of what went wrong suggested a new line of research, and the temple persuaded a scion of Trevira’s strong new line to participate by offering Lutoran blood. That first directed experiment engendered the ratcurse, and a subsequent program with a Virilu volunteer yielded the first lycanthrope, or Virilu-kos in temple terminology. These joint efforts helped heal the rift between Sonderey and the cult of Trevira.


Vampire Culture
Shardan recognized the efforts of the cult of Trevira and named their goddess queen of the vampires, removing the entire program from Sonderey, as it was not technically a “breeding” program at all. Shardan was known in Agony as the god of Law, but he expected his subjects to know when to break the law, and to be willing to accept the consequences. Had the cult failed, they might have been proscribed for their reckless theft from Sonderey, but because they succeeded, they gained honor. Lutoran vampires chafed under the ruling, a conflict which has simmered throughout vampire history, and Treviran avarice exacerbated the problem after the fall of Agony.

The bloodlines of the cult of Trevira never had full access to vampire magic, an insignificant consideration in Agony, for Trevira's burgeoning status enabled her to invest power in those of her subjects interested in such power. With the contraction of Sanctity for Shardan and his allies, Treviran vampires must fall back on the powers of the curse itself, but they can use their sole path to activate the potential of blood from Lutoran victims, thereby gaining access to the full range of vampiric power. Of course, they could use Chaos and Black magic in theory, but vampires have good reason to shy away from these dangerous forms.

The curse is traumatic, and most victims suffer psychological issues. Fortunately, the nature of the curse makes new vampires subservient to the senior vampires who infected them, enabling the master vampire to curb the erratic impulses of his slaves. Shardan reinforced the natural tendency of vampires to hierarchy with a decree that master vampires are responsible for the crimes of their slaves, and that they must have the approval of their own masters to share their curse with a mortal. Consequently, most vampires select recruits with care, mentoring them for years to be sure that they have the strong will and sense of honor necessary to endure rebirth. Treviran vampires have discovered that their weaker slaves actually exhibit fewer psychological symptoms, and they are easier to kill if that becomes necessary, so Treviran vampires can recruit more heavily, and recruit younger humans. Conversely, slavery of Virilu is a matter of law only, and in theory a young vampire may depose a pack leader and become titular master of the whole pack.

In Agony, Axilitu and Lamians were supported by the breeding program at the temple of Sonderey, disposing of the reject infants. Since then, they have had to be very circumspect, and they keep their numbers down. If they don't, other vampires will hunt them ruthlessly in order to prevent a backlash that would affect the entire community. Monsteratu are too obvious; they can prosper only in hiding, and living in hiding for eternity is difficult. For these reasons, all of the Lutoran vampires tend to a nomadic and rural lifestyle. By contrast, Treviran vampires prefer urban areas with a large food supply, and sometimes they will support Monsteratu in exchange for service. Virilu packs need a large food supply too, and even more than the others they strive for the ideal vampire lifestyle, as feudal lords over a population they can rule by fear, where they need keep no secrets.

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vamps part V - related templates

Lycanthrope
172 points
For a hereditary shapeshifter, just apply an Alternate Form, for an animal template with the IQ penalty and mentality meta-trait removed. This template is for a character cursed to become a monstrous wolf (500#). Alternate Form (Active Change +20%, Non-Reciprocal Damage +50%, Reciprocal Rest +30%, Uncontrollable ‑30%, Unreliable: 14 Activation ‑10%; 24) to Monstrous Wolf (below; 135), Protected Power (Cosmic +50%; 8), Slow Regeneration (10), Speak with Animals (Specialized for wolves ‑60%; 10), Lunacy (‑10), Susceptible to Wolvesbane ‑5 (Occasional; ‑5). A werewolf can attempt to change at any time, but it must change under the light of the full moon, 3 nights per month. (Stress together with an occasional trigger is not worth a significantly greater discount than stress alone.) Some werewolves learn to combine the shapes of man and beast into another Alternate Form with Reduced Time because it is halfway to the wolfen form (halve characteristic modifiers of the wolf and replace Quadruped with Bad Grip, Ham-Fisted, and Semi-Upright).

Wolfen Form (base 150 points): ST +6 (No Fine Manipulators ‑40%, Size ‑10%; 30), DX +2 (No Fine Manipulators ‑40%; 24), IQ ‑2 (‑40), HT +2 (20), Per +6 (30), Will +4 (20), Blunt Claws (3), DR 3 (Can’t Wear Armor ‑40%, Tough Skin ‑40%; 3), Discriminatory Smell (15), Enhanced Move (20), Fur (1), Night Vision 5 (5), Penetrating Call (1), Sharp Teeth (1), Supernatural Durability (Can be killed by the natural weapons of another character with the advantage Supernatural Durability or Unkillable; 150), Temperature Tolerance 3 (3), Bad Temper on 9 (‑15), Increased Consumption (‑10), Infectious Attack (‑5), Monstrous (‑20), Quadruped (‑35), Quirk: Pack Mentality (‑1), Vulnerable to Silver (‑20), Wild Animal (‑30). A lycanthrope in wolf form thinks like an animal, albeit a very cunning one.

Ratcursed
34 points
Alternate Form (Active Change +20%, Reciprocal Rest +30%, Uncontrollable ‑30%, Unreliable: 14 Activation ‑10%; 17) of Monstrous Rat (below), DR 8 (Ablative ‑80%; 8), Protected Power (Tier 2 Cosmic +25% to +40%; 7), Resistant +8 to Disease (7), Slow Regeneration (10), Speak with Animals (Specialized for rats ‑60%; 10), Berserk on 15 (‑5), Vulnerable to Silver (‑20). The ratcursed can attempt to change at any time, but they always change on the dark of the moon, 3 nights per month. (Stress together with an occasional trigger is not worth a significantly greater discount than stress alone.) Some learn to combine the shapes of man and beast into another Alternate Form with Reduced Time because it is halfway to the ratlike form (see Rat Man, but add Infectious Attack). Instead of taking damage separately like the forms of a lycanthrope, those of the rat-cursed reinforce each other (ablative DR), which makes for a tougher man and a small sneaky animal that’s not as weak as it looks.

Ratlike Form: ST ‑6 (‑60), DX +2 (40), IQ ‑2 (‑40), HT+1 (10), Per +2 (10), Will +1 (5), Acute Hearing and Smell +3 (12), Catfall (10), DR 1 (Can’t Wear Armor ‑40%, Tough Skin ‑40%; 1), Reduced Consumption 1 (Cast Iron Stomach ‑50%; 1), Flexible (5), Night Vision 3/9 (6), Sharp Teeth (1) with Striking Strength +3 (One Attack ‑60%; 6), Silence 2 (10), Talent +2 (Climbing; 4), Bad Grip (‑5), Ham-Fisted (‑5), Horizontal (‑10), Infectious Attack (‑5), Ugly (‑8), Wild Animal (‑30), SM ‑3. The cursed in rat form retain some of their human intelligence but otherwise think like cunning wild animals.

Stoner
64 points
This curse causes your hair to fall out and snakes to grow in its place, and then your gaze turns people to stone. You can however cover your face and see through the eyes of the snakes, but your vision is blurry and confused that way. 360º Vision (Easy to Hit ‑20%, Hard to Use ‑5%; 19), Affliction 1 (Petrification +150%, Permanent +150%, Ranged Malediction +150%, Accessibility: Eye Contact Only ‑20%, Always On ‑50%, Easy to Hit ‑20%, Vision-based ‑20%; 44), Immunity to Petrification (rare; 5), Protected Power (Tier 2 Cosmic +25% to +40%; 7), Regrowth (Minor ‑40%, Asps Only ‑20%; 12), Snakebite: Impaling Striker (Cannot Parry ‑40%, Uncontrollable ‑30%, Weak ‑50%; 2) with Infectious Attack (‑5) as its venom, Monstrous (‑20). While a mirror doesn’t turn a Stoner to stone, the spell Reflect Gaze will do so. The spell Stone to Flesh will cure a stoner’s victim, but spells designed to alleviate paralysis have no effect because they don’t address the underlying cause.

Cursed Companion
106 points + species template
By means of the Path of the Beast (see above), vampires can share their curse with animal companions. This is a variant of the Shapeshift Other spell: Instead of a conventional Shapeshifting spell prerequisite, it requires the vampire to feed his own blood to the recipient, 7 hit points’ worth. The spell is permanent for animals unless the caster aborts it in the first hour, for they have less than IQ 7 before the transformation; humans subject to the spell require 3 additional hit points of blood per hour for maintenance until IQ drops to 7, trapping them as a hairy, ghoulish brute. The technique is known to affect hawks, horses, rats, and men, but most commonly dogs (or wolves).

The appearance of a cursed companion is distinctive, with ropy muscles, bristly manes, and oversized jaws filled with fangs as hard as metal. Even horses become carnivorous under the effects of this spell, favoring carrion. On a diet enriched with vampire blood, they’ll grow large for their species, and their eyes emit (or reflect) an eerie red glow visible at night. Apart from the unwelcome scrutiny that a large aggressive animal may invite, cursed companions are a danger to their owner, because their Dependency and Bloodlust can overcome their innate Sense of Duty. Vampires risk it, however, because the centuries are lonely. Although the template itself does not make animals sapient, it removes the Fixed IQ trait so that they can grow in wisdom over the centuries.

ST (30), Claws (5), Dark Vision (Nuisance: Gleaming Red Eyes ‑5%, 24), DR +1 (Tough Skin ‑40%; 3), Hard to Subdue +2 (4), High Pain Threshold (10), Resistant +8 to Metabolic Hazards (15), Unaging (15), Unkillable I (50), Bad Temper on 12 (‑10), Bloodlust on 12 (‑10), Dependency on Vampire Blood (occasional, monthly; ‑20), Ugly (‑8), Sense of Duty (‑2), remove Fixed IQ for animals. Additionally, humans have IQ ‑3 (‑60) with Per +7 (35) and Will +5 (25). Strength: Men, hawks, and rats have ST +3; dogs have ST +5; and horses have ST +6. Claws: Dogs have Sharp Claws; hawks and rats have Ablative DR 5 instead of claws; and horses and humans have Blunt Claws plus Sharp Teeth and Penetrating Voice.

Most cursed companions feel a sense of duty to the vampire who cast the shapeshifting spell on them, but it is possible – though very difficult – to cast this spell on a vampire. It may be done as punishment, ceremonially to overcome the vampire’s Protected Power. This substitutes the Cursed Companion template for the Vampire template, except that instead of a Sense of Duty, the exile retains an Infectious Attack that creates new vampires.

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Doppelgänger
42 points
“Dops” as they are commonly called have no culture or language of their own, so it is possible that they are a created race, and their lack of assertiveness is consistent with the theory. They can change their appearance and even their size from ‑1 to 0, so they can look like a hobgoblin or human. Their paranoia compels them to hide among other races, often in menial roles where they will not be noticed. Those who would benefit from their service often ask them to impersonate political leaders, but their lack of cleverness gives them away before too long. When a doppelgänger eats a man’s brain, it assimilates some of his memories and personality, typically his native language and Expert Skill for his life, enabling it to impersonate him accurately. Those who wish to impersonate dwarves and elves study their complex elder tongues, because they simply cannot absorb convincing knowledge of those languages from neurophagy.

Dops are amphibians who breed in saltwater, and adults retain the tadpole ability to breathe water, although they tire quickly. They can swim like a fish but have obvious fins and webbing when they do so (not a problem if they’re trying to look like fish men). A rare mutant retains the tadpole tail as an Unnatural Feature he must hide in human form, although he can emulate tailed humanoids.

IQ ‑1 (‑20), HT ‑1 (‑10), Per +1 (5), Acute Smell +2 (4), Amphibious (Nuisance, Takes 1s ‑10%; 9), Doesn’t Breathe (Gills ‑50%, Very Unfit ‑15%; 7), Elastic Skin (20), Growth (10), Hermaphromorph (5), Language Talent (10), Sensitive (Scent-Based ‑20%; 4), Slow Regeneration (Not in the Presence of Silver ‑10%; 9), Super Memorization 4×2 (Must Eat Brain ‑40%; 21), Talent +3 (Acting; 6), Ultrasonic Speech (Racial ‑20%, Vague ‑50%; 3), Broad-Minded (‑1), Paranoia (‑10), Short Lifespan (‑10), Vulnerability to Silver (‑20), SM *‑1. Credit where it’s due: Inspiration for this treatment came in part from shapeshifters in Glen Cook’s series Garret, P.I. (

[Gef]

Wight
5 points
Most wights are created by a necromantic variation of the Resurrection spell, but some arise spontaneously to guard their tombs. Doesn’t Eat or Drink (10), Intact Undead (95), Wightsight (Darkvision for Living Things Only ‑20%; 20), Unhealing (partial; ‑20), Unnatural (‑50), and Dependency on Mana (constant, common; ‑50). In addition, wights may take a 5-points mental disadvantage to off-set the template cost and represent the psychological trauma of undeath, typically Callous. Wights can heal in their tombs (or in the place where they died, if they have no tomb), but that doesn’t prevent their decay into rotting or skeletal undead. If a wight is not made from a fresh corpse, it may have a variant upon genesis.

Ghoul
‑6 points
ST +1 (10), IQ ‑4 (Daily Mitigator on half ‑30%; ‑56), HT +1 (10), Per +8 (Daily Mitigator on half ‑30%; 28), Will +4 (Daily Mitigator on half ‑30%; 14), DR 1 (Tough Skin ‑40%; 3), Flexible (5), Night Vision 5/9 (4), Protected Power (Tier 2 Cosmic +25% to +40%; 7), Resistant +8 to Disease (7), Sharp Teeth (1), Silence (5), Bestial (Daily Mitigator ‑60%; ‑4), Hunchback (‑10), Infectious Attack (‑5), Restricted Diet of human(oid) flesh (common, Substitution +50%; ‑10), Quirk: Pack Mentality (‑1), Uncontrollable Appetite on 12 (Daily Mitigator ‑60%; ‑6), Ugly (‑8). The alchemical mitigator almost makes the curse worse, because it enables the ghoul to appreciate how much it has lost.