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Old 01-31-2023, 01:56 PM   #111
Pursuivant
 
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Default Re: Blending Star Trek and the World of Darkness (classic)

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Why would the Federation (or any other group) allow the creation of any other new vampire?
It would have to be for purely humanitarian reasons and completely consensual. That limits the pool of new vampires to people who were terminally ill or mortally wounded when they were turned.

It's also possible that superscience medicine or magic would find a way to reverse vampirism or similar conditions. In that case, existing vampires might serve a useful role as medics. "Vamp" the mortally wounded, allow surgeons to operate on the comatose/torpid neonate's corpse to fix any injuries or medical conditions they might have, allow the newly awakened neonate to feast on blood to heal their post-surgical injuries, then hit them with the anti-vampirism serum/ray to convert them back to human.

(For that matter, the "healing ray" devices that Starfleet Medical uses to instantly close wounds might be a scientific outgrowth of whatever trick vampires use to "lick their wounds closed," substituting strange energies for the mystic power of blood.)

Temporary vampirism might also be a method of treating otherwise incurable diseases or massive doses of poison or radiation. Vamp an otherwise doomed patient. Let them remain in vampire form for long enough to kill the pathogens or purge the toxins or radiation, then reverse the process.

Less ethical organizations might use temporary vampires as assassins or super-soldiers. Since vampires don't need to breath or drink water, they could survive in environments where air-breathing creatures couldn't survive, potentially defeating security scans. Once at their target, they use super strength, speed, and stealth to attack, drain their victims to heal and restore their powers, then head for the evac point. Once they're back to safety, the vampirism gets reversed so they can function normally. Section 31 would love to have assassins like that.
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Old 01-31-2023, 02:33 PM   #112
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Default Re: Blending Star Trek and the World of Darkness (classic)

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Less ethical organizations might use temporary vampires as assassins or super-soldiers. Since vampires don't need to breath or drink water, they could survive in environments where air-breathing creatures couldn't survive, potentially defeating security scans. Once at their target, they use super strength, speed, and stealth to attack, drain their victims to heal and restore their powers, then head for the evac point. Once they're back to safety, the vampirism gets reversed so they can function normally. Section 31 would love to have assassins like that.
Depending on the particulars of their vulnerability to sunlight (apologies, I haven't kept up on the thread if this has been discussed), vampires could also make excellent spacers, as they should be able to survive exposure to hard vacuum. If any star of a given brightness will turn them to ash, however, they probably won't be able to do suitless EVA unless in deep space or sufficiently far out in a solar system (I feel the snow line would be a good cut-off point; in our own solar system, that would be 5 AU, or around Jupiter's orbit).
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Old 01-31-2023, 08:27 PM   #113
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Default Re: Blending Star Trek and the World of Darkness (classic)

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Depending on the particulars of their vulnerability to sunlight (apologies, I haven't kept up on the thread if this has been discussed), vampires could also make excellent spacers, as they should be able to survive exposure to hard vacuum.
Vampires might need the equivalent of "shrink wrap" to keep their bodies from desiccating in vacuum. For extended work in vacuum, they might need a suit with integral heating to keep their bodies from freezing (unless they're somehow immune to freezing solid when temperatures drop below freezing).

A simple heated body suit with sun-reflective barrier and a closed helmet with HUD would provide complete protection from sunlight while allowing indefinite activity in vacuum. Add some sort of cooling system for operations close enough to a star that heat buildup becomes an issue.

The main limit on a vampire's ability to operate in deep space would be their need to feed. Whole blood doesn't keep that well. They could, in theory, survive in deep space indefinitely due to their ability to go into torpor.

Once replicators become commonplace, it would be relatively easy to have a small dedicated replicator which just produces blood equivalent and link it to a demand-activated feeding tube built into the helmet.

Compared to a standard spacesuit, a "vampire suit" might have a much lower EM signature due to reduced power requirements, making it much harder to detect even before you add in Chameleon skin (or a mini-cloaking device) and sensor spoofing features.

A vampire assassin with the ability to become truly insubstantial (rather than the "Body of Mist" trick) could fly through vacuum, use mechanical thrusters to maneuver at their destination, use insubstantiality to penetrate the hull of a starship or starbase, make their kill, and leave the same way.

Select for vampires who don't need to ask to be invited inside.
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Old 02-01-2023, 11:32 AM   #114
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Vampires might need the equivalent of "shrink wrap" to keep their bodies from desiccating in vacuum. For extended work in vacuum, they might need a suit with integral heating to keep their bodies from freezing (unless they're somehow immune to freezing solid when temperatures drop below freezing).
I was thinking more of relatively short times in hard vacuum, rather than just staying there more-or-less indefinitely, in which case getting freeze-dried shouldn't be a concern. Essentially, you don't have to worry if the section of the ship they're in suffers a hull breach, and they can do short EVA jaunts for repairs and the like if needed. A light-reflecting suit with a full-coverage hood would be good basic equipment for a vampire spacer, however, for in case they need to go outside when on the wrong side of the snow line.

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The main limit on a vampire's ability to operate in deep space would be their need to feed. Whole blood doesn't keep that well. They could, in theory, survive in deep space indefinitely due to their ability to go into torpor.

Once replicators become commonplace, it would be relatively easy to have a small dedicated replicator which just produces blood equivalent and link it to a demand-activated feeding tube built into the helmet.
It doesn't seem like replicated blood should work, considering their reliance on blood is mystical rather than physical - they need blood from a living thing. I similarly probably wouldn't let blood cultures sate them. They'd need to either serve alongside humans (or possibly other sapients*, depending on what species they can feed upon) who were willing to be donors or have large stocks of blood in stasis... although in the latter case, at least the blood wouldn't take up nearly as much room as food and water for a comparable human crew (a vampire needs about a pint of blood a day).

*Can't some vampires subsist on animals? I seem to recall something about Nosferatu being able to survive on rats. In that case, they could have nonsapient lifestock to feed off of.
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Old 02-02-2023, 12:07 AM   #115
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Default Re: Blending Star Trek and the World of Darkness (classic)

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*Can't some vampires subsist on animals? I seem to recall something about Nosferatu being able to survive on rats. In that case, they could have nonsapient lifestock to feed off of.
There's a problem with doing that.

When it comes to vampires you are what you eat.
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Old 02-03-2023, 05:22 PM   #116
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Default Re: Blending Star Trek and the World of Darkness (classic)

We've been talking about Vampires a lot. How about Changelings and Imbued Hunters? Each of these groups would provide special challenges. Both tend to be humans under different degrees of possession by alien spirits.
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Old 02-04-2023, 12:54 AM   #117
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When it comes to vampires you are what you eat.
It would also be hilarious if a skulking 23rd century once-human vampire accidentally got a bite of a Vulcan, Orion, or Bolian. GM's decision if there's any value in copper- (or whatever-) based blood, but sure to leave a bad taste in the vamp's mouth.
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Old 02-05-2023, 12:16 PM   #118
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Default Re: Blending Star Trek and the World of Darkness (classic)

It would seem to me that Rage, which is as important as Gnosis to Shapeshifters, means that no Garou could ever join Starfleet.
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Old 02-05-2023, 12:22 PM   #119
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It would seem to me that Rage, which is as important as Gnosis to Shapeshifters, means that no Garou could ever join Starfleet.
The question of whether or not the Federation's squeaky cleanliness is enough to appease the Garou's righteous eco-based anger is obviously important but the most important question might be what happens to Garou who leave Earth(Gaia)?

They might lose all shifting powers and be only humans (or wolves). You can't defend Gaia if you aren't there.
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Old 02-05-2023, 04:01 PM   #120
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Default Re: Blending Star Trek and the World of Darkness (classic)

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The question of whether or not the Federation's squeaky cleanliness is enough to appease the Garou's righteous eco-based anger is obviously important but the most important question might be what happens to Garou who leave Earth(Gaia)?

They might lose all shifting powers and be only humans (or wolves). You can't defend Gaia if you aren't there.
Many shifters become Umbral travelers. Leaving Gaia far behind. They don't lose their powers. Moreover, who is to say that every planet with a living ecosystem isn't part of Gaia?
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