Late Halloween living corpses: vampires

[AmesJainchill]

Originally Posted by Victor Maxus

In Dracula, the book that is, he was very capable of walking about in the day time. However, he could not use his power, change forms and so on. He was very much an ordinary man in those situations. Just wondering how to work that in. Also, he would miss the benefit of resting and regaining lost energy from his native soil if he did this. Kind of like a human going on an all nighter, then trying to go to work first thing in the morning.

Well, yeah, he would have to rest sometime I suppose.

Another aspect is the ehole blood drinking thing for Dracula. From what I could from the book, it seem to me to be something he did not need to do on a regular basis. And the biggest side affect to not doing it was that he grew older. To me, that is his real motivation for drinking blood, not so much to stay alive like we eat food to do, but to just avoid the aging process. I could be wrong, but it is something to look into. I know they have that option some where in the rules, but added to that is the fact he could grow young again if he drank enough blood. As he did with the crew of the Demeter.

My perception is that he just appeared older and drank blood to satisfy a hunger...since dying of old age as a vampire, well...I guess it could work that way.

And yes, he was stabbed in the heart with a Bowie Knife, not a wooden stake.

Also decapitated with a Kukri.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Victor Maxus

Just something to work into the Gothic Vampire. Something I tried to do but fail, maybe you can do it. In Dracula, the book that is, he was very capable of walking about in the day time. However, he could not use his power, change forms and so on. He was very much an ordinary man in those situations. Just wondering how to work that in.

The powers he looses during the day should have Accessability: only at night, -30% on them.

[Redcrow]

Would anyone familiar with the "Subspecies" series of movies from the early 90's care to take a stab at statting the vampire Radu. He's one of my favorite vampire characters and I would love to use him in a game.

[Victor Maxus]

How about strength? Would the -30% work on that. Again, just the idea from the story that he was not as strong physically during the day. and would this affect his physical HP. I would say no. but then again, with the injury tolerence advatage, I may give him maybe a +2 Strength, then 4 levels of lifting and striking strenght, subject to the -30%. Again, just some ideas, not sure about it.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Victor Maxus

How about strength? Would the -30% work on that. Again, just the idea from the story that he was not as strong physically during the day. and would this affect his physical HP. I would say no. but then again, with the injury tolerence advatage, I may give him maybe a +2 Strength, then 4 levels of lifting and striking strenght, subject to the -30%. Again, just some ideas, not sure about it.

Hard to say... Lowering it some certainly looks called for, though recall that he showed no fear facing the five men at the house in Picadilly until they displayed their Crucifixes and Holy Wafers. And his quickness at evading their blows and escaping from the house still seemed preternatural.

[Victor Maxus]

Shrubbery, that is true. He still demonstrated some powerful feats in that situation. The book does saw he dodged Jonathans swipe (the one that slashed open his money pouch) with speed beyond what was typical of the average person. He also leaped into the room with swiftness that was "unhuman". And he jumped out the window and landed below seemingly unhurt by it all. So maybe his physical stats would remain the same in day time. Just his powers would fade, mainly his ability to change shape, which Van Helsing says he could only do at mid-day.

But again, dracula is just one example of a Gothic Vampire. So all of this is really just a question of do you add it to the overall template, or do you just add it for Dracula who is based on a Gothic Vampire.

[RedMattis]

I think the insubstantiality (mist form) should have some sort of limitation reflecting that they can't pass through a solid wall (unless there are cracks or holes going straight through, also, this would probably take awhile). I'm guessing at about -30%
Mist is also affected by wind, so the mist-form vampire could have a limitation reflecting that going against the wind is harder (while it is easier going in the winds direction), about -5% of a nuisance effect I'm guessing.

[Max Schreck]

Originally Posted by Victor Maxus

But again, dracula is just one example of a Gothic Vampire. So all of this is really just a question of do you add it to the overall template, or do you just add it for Dracula who is based on a Gothic Vampire.

I would say that it is specific for vampires in Bram Stoker's tale, not just Dracula, but all vampires in that book. But I won't be including it in the Gothic vampire generally, because, as you pointed out, Dracula is just one interpretation among many. One could also argue that Dracula is a very early, modern vampire and not a Gothic one, as the Gothic/Romantic literary genre had pretty much dried up by 1897.

But I will be posting Dracula later, and then we'll see if I remember to get all his peculiarities into his stats.

Later, Max.

[Max Schreck]

Originally Posted by RedMattis

I think the insubstantiality (mist form) should have some sort of limitation reflecting that they can't pass through a solid wall (unless there are cracks or holes going straight through, also, this would probably take awhile). I'm guessing at about -30%
Mist is also affected by wind, so the mist-form vampire could have a limitation reflecting that going against the wind is harder (while it is easier going in the winds direction), about -5% of a nuisance effect I'm guessing.

True. Insubstantiality doesn't quite cut it as mist form, now that you mention it. I'll look into it. Thanks.

Max

[JAW]

Originally Posted by Mgellis

I suspect vampires should either have Doesn't Eat or Drink [10] or Restricted Diet (Blood) [-10]. As far as I know, vampires don't eat normal food. So they either don't have to eat at all (and the blood thing is necessary because of the Draining) OR they do have to eat, but can only eat blood (in which case, the Draining might be redundant).

This raises one of those "no right answer...depends on the campaign" questions...how much blood does a vampire need?

Doesn't Eat or Drink and Draining makes it easy. A vampire must drain 6 HP of blood from a victim to gain back the 2 HP he loses every day from the Draining. This is what I would recommend.

I hope this helps.

Mark

Well in campaing with vampire PCs and some non vampire ones it might be fairest to go with restricted diet. I think that the vampires are definitely at disadvantage compared to omnivores (like humans) when it comes to sustenance so they should get some points for it. Vampires might have does not eat or drink that is limited to inactivity - or some other advantage that represents their ability to stay in suspended animation for extended periods.

That of course leaves the blood need for vampires undefined - but on the other hand the exact amount of food needed for humans is not defined either.

One could simply roll urban survival or something like that for vampires to see if they get into trouble when hunting.

One might want to restrict the vampire diet to fresh blood or human blood to prevent the vamps simply going to supermarket to buy blood or alternatively give the vamps an addiction or compulsive behavior that keeps them hunting.

Reduced sustenance might be appropriate for some vamps - I think Dracula doesn't have to feed that often..