==Purebloods: Power Beyond Compare==
Thus far, I have gone out of my way to discourage using Purebloods as anything more than background characters in a campaign, but what is the point of making statistics for Purebloods if I’m not going to give any way to actually use them? It is entirely possible to make Purebloods visible NPCs in your campaign. If you inject a Pureblood into your campaign, you are going to have to go about it differently than lesser vampires. The key to Purebloods is role-play, not combat. Before we even get into the personal power a Pureblood boasts, we must first deal with the influence a Pureblood can have. To put it simply, a Pureblood has the potential to rule an entire world. Now, I’m not suggesting that your campaign world MUST be ruled by a Pureblood if they exist (although taking down the immortal overlord of the world can be a time-tested classical end goal of a fantasy adventure game), but I AM establishing that, if a Pureblood wanted to, it could easily and quickly become the ruler of any given kingdom or region. If your Pureblood has decided to gain influence, the easiest way to go about it is to make the Pureblood the leader of an exceptionally large Clan. A Clan with a Pureblood for a leader is a special case, in that the Pureblood does NOT answer to the interests of the Clan, although this does not mean it does not look out for the Clan (afterall, if the Pureblood does not ensure the welfare of its Clan, of what use is the Clan to the Pureblood?). PCs that meet a Pureblood in person will soon learn that the legends that surround the Purebloods are only pale shadows of the real thing. They are far more beautiful and terrible than any story can convey. The atmosphere is the determining factor here. Now, it is entirely possible that the Pureblood does not reveal its true nature, even to the point that it uses its Change Shape, or similar abilities, to disguise itself. If this is the case, then the encounter should seem somehow “wrong” (perhaps a cold stillness in the air coupled with an anxiety with an indiscernible source), but otherwise a normal encounter, assuming it is a non-violent encounter. A Pureblood might do this in order to pass on information, to gauge the party’s strength (to learn if they can defeat the dragon or evil cleric), or to learn something about the party (perhaps out of curiosity). If a Pureblood DOES reveal its true nature, than the encounter should be both otherworldly and overwhelming. A Pureblood’s mere presence can cause even the mightiest vampires to tremble. The PCs may experience a tightening of their skin and weakening of their body from the necromancy that exudes from the Pureblood. The Pureblood’s appearance is impossibly beautiful and hides a terrible power. The PCs might be the greatest heroes in the region, but the Pureblood will speak with great confidence and without an ounce of fear. If the PCs attempt to harm the Pureblood, it will thwart their attacks easily. This all amounts to the PCs feeling overwhelmed, but not necessarily insignificant, before the Pureblood. Regardless of how the Pureblood chooses to interact with the PCs, ultimately you must decide what the Pureblood wants. Younger Purebloods are typically sheltered individuals, so curiosity is easily justifiable. In fact, Mature or younger Purebloods are probably the easiest Purebloods for the DM to use. They are closer to their humanity than the older Purebloods, enabling them to sympathize with the PCs struggle to protect a community. There is some good, if cliché, role-play value in this case. A young Pureblood playing the Reluctant Monster is in a position to change vampire society. The good that the PCs could indirectly accomplish by slowly but surely teaching a naïve Pureblood that his kind are daily preying upon innocents and desperately need to change their ways cannot be measured. Older Purebloods are virtually impossible to reasonably play off as being naïve, and they have had so much time to make allies that there is rarely anything for them to gain from the PCs; nonetheless, there are a few things they might want from the PCs. One such thing is to make childer for themselves. It might be time for the Revitalization or perhaps they are just bored, whatever the case, the PCs have been selected by the Pureblood to become some of the most potentially powerful vampires in the world. The Pureblood may decide to force this upon the PCs, but typically they do not do this. If the PCs are too timid to willingly become one of the undead, than they are unworthy to be the Pureblood’s Childer. Besides, most players will simply not react well to being forced to become undead. With that said, the potential for role-play in the light of having vampirism forced upon you (as is the case for many many vampires) is monumental. If you do want to force this on the PCs, it would be best to discuss this with the players before hand to make sure they’re ok with it (you don’t have to establish that they will become vampires, just that you want to force “something” on them that will tangibly alter the game). Maybe the Pureblood isn’t interesting in Embracing the PCs, maybe the Pureblood has been watching them, and thinks they will make excellent servants. Since Purebloods typically have many dozens, if not hundreds, of vampires and many more mortal servants at their disposal, they wouldn’t approach the PCs to recruit them for something as trivial as soldiers or couriers. The PCs have proven that they would make good diplomats, advisor, personal retainer, or some other position that puts them in close contact with the Pureblood. Yet another reason a Pureblood might make personal contact with the PCs is to convince or manipulate them into pursuing some dangerous goal. Since Purebloods can grant Sorcerous or Warlock powers, they could be the reason why the party’s Sorcerer or Warlock has their power at all, or maybe one of the PC’s is actually a descendant of the Pureblood (granting the PC access to certain Heritage Feats and even explaining why the PC has Sorcerer or Warlock levels (if at all)) and the Pureblood has taken an interest in that PC’s progress. You must decide where the Pureblood came from. Is it the original vampire in your campaign world? Did some very powerful lesser vampire develop a version of the Pact of Unreachable Blood that does not require a Pureblood to perform? If it is not the only Pureblood, than are these Pureblood related, such as when a Pureblood is born to its Pureblood parents? Is the Pureblood the offspring of some evil god and a fiend (this could be the original vampire)? Was the Pureblood created by the foul machinations of an evil god (as in the case of this sourcebook)? Purebloods themselves are not just terrifying from the perspective of mortals, they are terrifying from the perspective of other undead, especially vampires, as well. PCs who have dealings with other vampires may sometimes hear of beings called “Purebloods” spoken only in hushed whispers as though they were some ghost story or a curse not meant to be discussed. There is a less obvious advantage to having had dealings with a Pureblood. Just knowing the Pureblood’s name can be used as a bargaining tool. Consider the following scenario: The PCs have unknowingly spoiled a decades old scheme of a Clan of vampires to gain a foothold in the region. Alberoth, the Clan leader, quite upset about this disruption, arranges the kidnapping of the PCs so they can be taken to his court for “trial”. The PCs, not knowing the subtle nuances of high vampire society but knowing just enough to know that the Purebloods are not to be trifled with, mention to Alberoth that they are servants of Jezebel, one of the Purebloods in this world. Whether or not this is a lie (and if the PCs are lying, they had best make sure they are protecting themselves with a Glibness spell or similar forms of anti-lie detection), Alberoth has now be thrown into a corner. On the one hand, these are mere mortals that have clearly wronged this Clan, on the other hand, Jezebel is unlikely to react favorably when she learns that some of her servants were slain without her consent. Alberoth can take revenge and risk incurring the wrath of a Pureblood, or he can imprison the PCs until he can learn the truth. He can always kill them later. The risk clearly outweighs the reward, so Alberoth chooses to imprison the PCs, giving them a chance to escape or strike a deal with AlberothUndergoing revision.
=Encountering Vampires From The Unliving Side Of Life=
