User:FiddleSticks96/Libris Vampiricus (3.5e Sourcebook)/Chapter 1

Terminology

This section explains how this overhaul treats vampires as opposed to the traditional view of the undead and procreation. It also adds some role-play fluff that should enhance the vampire experience.

• Note: The terms Category A Vampire and Pureblood are used interchangeably, as are Noble Class and Category B Vampire.

Vampire

A type of undead that survives by feeding off of the blood/life-force of other entities. The nature of a vampire’s abilities varies depending on which bloodline they belong to, as well as other factors such as character class and level. They have a tendency to pursue decadence and finery, and vampires who exist outside The Night Kingdom can often be found rising in the local nobility or business world. Vampires have a red tint to their eyes and their eyes glow blood red when angry, hungry, or in the dark. Purebloods eyes are different. A Pureblood’s eyes are blood-red with reptilian like slits for pupils; their eyes glow in the dark, when angry, or when they are hungry. Purebloods do not have whites in their eye; instead, their iris covers the entire eye, with the exception of the pupils. Vampires are darker in nature, innately selfish, and more warlike, but are not innately evil (though they are far more prone to be evil, especially Purebloods). There are just as many nonevil vampires as there are evil ones. The general populace, however, sees all vampires as evil abominations to be hunted down and destroyed. When someone is bitten by a vampire and then has vampire blood enter their system they will be infected with a disease known as “Porphyric Hemophilia” (which only humanoids or monstrous humanoids may catch). This disease can be cured, but it is nearly impossible to notice to those who are not educated in vampire lore. The only warning is that when the victim sleeps, they will be plagued with nightmares. After 72 hours, the victim will die. The incubation period may take longer than 72 hours for beings with strong constitutions. In all cases, after death, the victim will rise as a vampire in roughly 7 days. Despite the fact that vampires are undead, they can still sexually reproduce, though it is much harder. The greater the percentage of vampire blood in a person, the harder it is for them to sexually reproduce. It is nearly impossible for a Category A Vampire to have offspring. When someone is turned into a vampire, their percentage of vampirism will be half that of their sire, to a minimum of 30%. The nature of the disease does not allow for a turned vampire to be less than 30% vampiric, so if the vampirism in a turned vampire would be less than 30%, it is automatically enhanced to 30%. When someone is born as a vampire, their vampirism percentage will be equal to the combined percentage of their parents divided by 2. This is one of only two ways vampirism below 30% to exist (the second way is described in the subsection Purebloods: Malefic Power). The vampiric state will not be added to a being born as a vampire until sometime during their adolescent years. The process of the vampiric state falling upon a natural born vampire is called “awakening”. Until their true nature awakens they are, for the most part, indistinguishable from their base race. They must eat food appropriate to a living member of their base race. There are only a few dissimilarities that can be distinguished. First, the immune system of the unawakened vampire will still be as advanced as it would be if they were awakened but they do not have any regenerative abilities. Second, the unawakend vampire is truly alive, only after they awaken do they become undead. Third, the unawakend vampire is weakened (but not harmed) by sunlight. It is rare to see unawaked Category B Vampires at anything other than home or a social party. Since the Category B Vampires are almost always nobles, it is difficult for commoners to see them anywhere else, as they will be under protection until they can protect themselves. Only the most influential or trusted individuals will ever meet an unawakened Pureblood in person. Such Purebloods are in constant danger of being kidnapped as bartering chips, or worse. One can be certain that an unawakened Pureblood will be under constant protection by their clan’s honor guard. The greater the percentage, the more powerful a vampire is. The difference in power between vampires on opposite ends of the same category is minute but noticeable. This difference in power assumes that both individuals are equal in power before applying their power as a vampire. The only way to be more than 50% vampire is through birth, with the exception of a Pureblood that came into existence via The Pact of Unreachable Blood. While this is not true for all vampires, vampires tend to be very territorial and prideful.

Examples

Someone who is 72% vampire turns someone into a vampire. The turned vampire will be 36% vampiric. Someone who is 100% vampire turns someone into a vampire. The turned vampire will be 50% vampiric. Someone who is 40% vampire turns someone into a vampire. The turned vampire will be 30% vampiric. Someone is born and their parents are 50% and 100% vampire. When the newborn’s vampiric nature awakens they will be 75% vampire. Someone is born and their parents are 30% vampire and 0% vampire (not vampiric in any way). The newborn will be 15% vampire.

The Hunger

Vampires grow hungry for blood in the same manner other beings grow hungry for food, but the need is far greater and can overwhelm a vampire, causing them to lapse into a bloodthirsty frenzy if they are not careful. It is their way of surviving. The longer a vampire goes without feeding, the weaker they become. A vampire can feed off of another vampire but the blood will not be as nutritious and the hunger for blood will not be kept at bay for long. The exception to this is the blood of a Pureblood, which is not only extremely nutritious as well as keeping the hunger at bay for a longer period of time but will permanently increase a vampire’s power. Vampires lust for a Pureblood’s blood more than anything, including their loved ones. A vampire cannot die the true death via starvation. A vampire grows weaker the longer they go without drinking blood. Eventually, the vampire will wither and fall dormant until enough blood enters their system, after which they will awaken and return as normal (though they are likely to be extremely hunger). A starving vampire can be trusted not to bite someone as much as a cornered animal can be trusted not to attack.

"A thirst that knows no end for those who cheat death. An obsession so vital and compelling it will endure for eternity."

The Beast/Inner Vampire

Deep down inside, all vampires are animals entirely under the control of their instincts. When a vampire is in grave danger, or succumbs to the hunger, they often lose themselves to their “inner vampire”. The vampire will often go berserk, but this is not the only effect it can cause. Vampires, particularly Purebloods, may sometimes seemingly have a conversation with their inner vampire as they try to control themselves (though this interaction is almost always a mental one). The inner vampire’s desires are of the purest form and are not easily contained. The inner vampire is not an alternate personality, though when a vampire succumbs to it it may appear as though the vampire’s personality temporarily changed, but a vampire’s true nature. Most vampires love and hate themselves because of their inner vampire. They are in a constant state of existing between the borders of sanity and madness.

"The beast? It's always there. It's wait'n to take over, and when it does, it's like a wild animal wearing your skin, desperate, scared, reckless; it'll do anything to survive and it's you that has to deal with the consequences. The only way to fight the beast is to keep in touch with your humanity and don’t go hungry. It’s a fine line." – Jack

Bloodline

A Bloodline refers to one of the many strains of vampirism. Each bloodline has its own set of strengths, powers, and weaknesses. Though they are referred to as strains, bloodlines are actually just individual aspects of full vampirism. This would mean that the only true vampires are the Category A Vampires. All vampires belong to a particular bloodline with the exception of Category A Vampires. When a vampire is born, they will inherit the bloodline of their most vampiric parent. In the case of having a Pureblood for a parent, the bloodline of the non-Pureblood vampire will be inherited. If the other parent is not a vampire at all, a random bloodline will be inherited.

Childe

A person turned into a vampire is referred to as their maker’s “childe”. A childe is not magically compelled to obey the vampire that turned them, but, in most cases, they obey them anyway. The plural form of Childe is Childer.

Sire

The vampire who turned someone into a vampire is called that person’s sire. The sire has no special influence over the childe and the childe is not bound to the sire in any way.

Thrall

A mortal servant of a vampire who has gained some of their master’s powers.

Embrace

To embrace someone means to turn them into a vampire.

The True Death/Final Death

Vampires refer to being destroyed as “The True Death”. Vampires cannot die because they are already dead but they can be destroyed and will thereafter be truly dead.

Pureblood/Category A Vampire

A creature that is 100% vampire. The same as being 100% Elf or 100% Human. The change into vampirism affects many aspects of the victim, DNA included. There are only two ways a Pureblood can come into existence. The first being birth, the second requires a month long ritual in which someone who is already a vampire must overcome their vampiric instincts. Purebloods are as powerful as Demigods, and very often they are more so. Purebloods are the most powerful of vampires in existence, but there are very few of them. So great is their power in fact, that they often find the gods interfering with them. One can be sure that, when a Pureblood acts, the gods are paying close attention, perhaps even using their own deific power to hinder, or help (depending on the deity), the Pureblood in some way. Purebloods can be anything from the darkest agents of good, to the most vile of undead, but their strong, often overriding, vampiric instincts force any who would deal with them to keep the Pureblood at arm’s length, if they know what’s good for them. Regardless of personality or alignment, a Pureblood’s thought patterns are quite alien to the living minds, even to lesser vampires, and are best left for scholars to debate.

The highest recorded number of Purebloods to exist at the same time is 47 (immediately before the fall of Lamae Bal and her army). Usually, one Pureblood (not between just one couple, but between the entire Pureblood population) is born every 2 to 3 thousand years but there have been cases where more than one is born within that time frame. A Pureblood couple that has more than one child within 3000 years is considered exceptionally lucky, even blessed by the Vampire's Pantheon.

Purebloods possess highly advanced forms of all the powers of all the vampire bloodlines and then some. The powers they possess are enhanced far beyond the comprehension of most beings. This great power is also a great weakness. Purebloods have so much power that their development is exceedingly slow. Before anything, they must first learn to control the vast raw energy that they possess.

Purebloods tend to live far longer than most vampires, who generally live not much longer than 500 years; though exceptions abound. It would not be strange for a Pureblood to live over 5000 years. This is not to say that vampires may die of old age, indeed, they are already dead. Vampire society is a dangerous place to live. Eventually, someone will destroy you. When a Pureblood reaches approximately 10,000 years of age, they become a daywalker. Daywalkers command great respect even amongst the Purebloods.

There is a high suicide rate amongst Purebloods, and it is the leading cause of death amongst Purebloods. The method most often employed is walking out into sunlight, though some Purebloods have forcibly embraced vampire hunters and used their Pureblood’s Geas to force the newly turned hunters to end their endless existence. Other than sunlight and anti-vampire weapons, there aren’t really any other ways to destroy a Pureblood, and daywalkers, though unimaginably rare, can’t even be killed by sunlight. Some Purebloods are too proud to commit suicide (these same Purebloods are usually the ones to force vampire hunters to do the job), and have been known to willingly fall into the Slumber, permanently. When someone lives long enough, they tend to long for death, and because of this, daywalkers are so rare as to be virtually non-existent. Purebloods do not always turn to suicide when they are exhausted with their existence. The older Purebloods are known to go into temporary Slumbers, usually anywhere from 100 to 500 years, to regather their spirit and rest their mind. They are always guarded and out of the way, but not always hidden from the world, and their servants know when they are supposed to wake their master/mistress up. This is when a Pureblood is at their weakest, but those foolish enough to disturb a Slumbering Pureblood are assured a quick death if not prepared, as centuries of dormancy have left the Pureblood ravenous, and being woken before they wished usually leaves them furious.

Incest is commonly practiced amongst Purebloods in order to keep the bloodline pure. While this may seem bestial to most, a Pureblood’s physiology is vastly different from the living races and they use their own incomprehensible logic. There is no risk of genetic defects. Pureblood siblings often genuinely fall in love with each other. This is because Pureblood siblings feel a particularly strong bond with each other because their blood shares a special bond with their family that goes beyond being related.

"Being able to trace a lineage back through ancestors entirely untainted by living blood...even amongst vampires, that's something extremely rare. To have inherited the powers and abilities of the Blood Matron herself...creatures feared even by other vampires. The vampires within the vampires...the Purebloods." – Excerpt from Vampyrum Manifesto

Pureblood’s Geas

An innate extraordinary ability all Purebloods possess, this ability allows a Pureblood to completely control the actions of any non-Pureblood vampire within a given radius. The Pureblood need not make any vocal or telepathic command, and is not required to make any gestures; the Pureblood simply wills the lesser vampire to obey their will. The length of the radius depends on the Pureblood’s power. The radius is 100ft per HD +1,000ft per Age Category of the Pureblood. Even if a vampire is outside this radius, if the Pureblood can still see them with their own eyes, not merely through magical scrying or the like, and has an unbroken line of effect between themselves and the lesser vampire, than they can still control them. The control is limited to actions only, and the Pureblood cannot force the vampire to divulge information (though information could be forced via other means, such as torture or with the Blood Memories Vitae Feat), to think in a certain way, or to speak. Any other action the controlled vampire is capable of doing is fair game. The Pureblood could force the vampire to claw someone’s eyes out, cast a particular spell they know, use a Vitae Feat, or even force the vampire to kill themselves or a loved one. Example: A Pureblood could force a non-Pureblood vampire to move to a certain location or perform an action such as unlocking a door or attacking someone else or themselves but they could not force them to tell them valuable information the Pureblood might be looking for.

The control is maintained so long as the Pureblood wills it, but it immediately ends if the vampire leaves the Pureblood’s radius of control, or in the case that the vampire is already beyond the radius, if the Pureblood can no longer physically see the vampire or no longer has an unbroken line of effect. The Pureblood may control multiple vampires at the same time. A Pureblood is not required to concentrate on this control, and may perform other actions while controlling other vampires.

A vampire is entitled to a Will save to resist this effect with a penalty to their saving throw equal to the Pureblood’s Age. The save DC is equal to 20 + ½ Pureblood’s HD + the Pureblood’s Charisma Modifier. A natural 20 is not an automatic success, and once failed, the vampire is not entitled to further saving throws until they are released from the Pureblood’s control. There have only been a handful of vampire’s in the history of the multi-verse with a will powerful enough to resist a Pureblood. A vampire can sometimes resist a Pureblood to a very limited degree even if they fail their save, albeit only for a short while and to no great significance. This happens when a vampire rolls a natural 20 on their saving throw, but they still failed to beat the save DC of the Pureblood’s Geas. When this happens, they resist the Pureblood for a number of rounds equal to 1 + their Age. During this time, they are considered to be Staggered, but are immune to the Pureblood’s Geas of that particular Pureblood until the rounds end. After those rounds end, they are no longer immune to the Pureblood’s Geas of that particular Pureblood and must make a new saving throw if the Pureblood in question is still using this ability.

This power has no effect on Vampire Familiars, they have no will of their own to begin with; there is nothing there for the Pureblood to control.

This power has a limited effect on Dhampirs. Against Dhampirs, the power manifests as a Command spell, but nothing more. The save DC for a Dhampir to resist this power is 10 + the vampire’s Charisma Modifier, and the Dhampir does not receive a penalty to their save. A natural 20 successfully resists this effect.

If two or more Purebloods attempt to control the same vampire, the commands of the Pureblood with the least HD are ignored (the Pureblood with the most HD wins). If all the Purebloods have the same HD, the conflicting wills negate each other, and the vampire that the Purebloods were attempting to control suffers 1d4 Wisdom Drain because of the conflict within its mind.

This control cannot be blocked by a Protection from Evil spell, or similar effects. The control is not a magical or supernatural effect, but an instinctual reaction to the Pureblood’s will that is deeply ingrained in a vampire’s blood. The lesser vampires tainted with impure blood are chained to the will of the Purebloods. It is the result of the Pureblood’s call, and even if the vampire does not hear it, the blood will, and the blood will listen. This control overrides all other forms of control, even if the vampire is possessed, it must obey the Pureblood, and the possessor can do nothing to stop it. Vampires controlled by another vampire’s Create Spawn ability are not protected against this ability. Only Purebloods and the Vampire Familiars are immune to this ability, and only if they are the familiars of another Pureblood. Even an Area Divine Shield from a deity will not block this control, but a deity using the Alter Reality Salient Divine Ability can prevent a specific vampire from being controlled, or drive out the controlling force, so long as the deity concentrates on the vampire it is protecting.

The Pact of Unreachable Blood

The name of the ritual used to turn a non-Pureblood vampire into a Pureblood vampire. This ritual can only be performed by a Pureblood. Once started, failure to successfully complete the ritual results in permanent and incurable insanity and insatiable bloodlust in the vampire. The nature and details of this ritual are a closely guarded secret and the existence of the ritual itself is known by only a few beings outside The Ring of Purebloods.

Noble Class Vampire/Category B Vampire

Someone who is anywhere from 70%-99% Vampire. This is the second most powerful level of vampires though they are much weaker then Purebloods but more powerful than Category C Vampires. The term “Noble Class” arose in the Night Kingdom as Category B vampires make up the bulk of the Night Kingdom’s aristocracy. Though less common than Category C Vampires, there are roughly ten thousand Category B Vampires as opposed to the pitiful number of Category A vampires. Category B Vampires possess enhanced powers of the bloodline they are from.

Main Stream Vampire/Category C Vampire

Someone who is anywhere from 30%-69% vampire. These are the most common of all vampires as well as the most numerable.

Dhampir/Category D Vampire

Someone who is anywhere from 1%-29% vampire. Dhampirs are sometimes referred to as Half-Vampires though this would be incorrect since a half-vampire would be 50% vampire. They are the product of a vampire of no more than 59% and a non-vampire. They do not possess the same strengths and weaknesses of vampires and are, for the most part, human (or elf, dwarf, etc…). They are not undead and their race is always that of their non-vampiric parent. They must survive in the same manner of their race, which typically includes eating food as opposed to drinking blood. Despite their mostly human (or other) body they do have some alterations. One or more of their abilities will be enhanced; the number of abilities, which abilities, and the magnitude of the enhancement vary depending on the bloodline the vampire parent belongs to. They also heal faster and live about 4 times as long as their base race. In addition to these enhancements, once a month, a dhampir must feed on living blood and will be burned by sunlight. Dhampirs typically bear a special resentment for vampires, particularly their vampiric parent, because dhampirs are incapable of reproduction. Dhampir’s have been known to disclose the identity of a vampire or the location of a vampire coven to the authorities due to their resentment, because of this, vampires typically avoid mating with non-vampires; on some occasions, a vampire has killed their dhampir child to avoid this from happening. Most dhampirs become vampire hunters.

Level E/Category E Vampire

This category is not so much a class of vampire as it is a derogative term used to describe a vampire that has given in to their instincts. Vampires who cannot control their instincts and blood lust typically “degenerate” into a Category E Vampire unless tamed by another, more powerful vampire. They tend to form packs, traveling from place to place in numbers in order to more efficiently hunt and for greater protection. They are as wild as beasts. They usually attack anyone or anything on sight, including other vampires, but not members of their own “pack”. They retain their intelligence, but their only drives are those of the most primal level, usually just finding shelter and food. A rare few are not so far gone that they can pass as a normal vampire for a short time, but this is only a façade used to hunt prey or escape stronger predators. Level E vampires will torment their prey if they are not starved for blood. Making noises to let their prey know they are nearby, but never showing themselves, or capturing them only to let them go are just some of the ways level e vampires hunt. They have been known to sometimes let their prey’s family find the corpse to cause the family grief, only to pick off another family member. They find pleasure in the pain and suffering of others. The fact that this category is placed lower than the category Dhampirs belong to is proof that Level E Vampires are given absolutely no respect by their more civilized peers.

“Imagine a predator with the cruelty of a demon, the cunning of a ghoul, the strength and longevity of an undead, and the savagery of a wild beast. Now imagine that this predator cared only to feed on blood and spread suffering and death. That is what a Level E is.” – Serteng, Vampire Hunter

Vampire Familiar

A vampire familiar can only be created by a Category A Vampire. Vampire Familiars are creatures who were turned into a vampire, but their maker chose to take their free will away. Vampire Familiars have the same powers, abilities, and cognitive awareness as other Category C Vampires, but they are incapable of disobeying, fleeing from, lying to, attacking, or otherwise betray their sire. Unless otherwise told by their sire, the vampire must do everything it can to preserve its own existence, unless doing so would endanger their sire or would force them to divulge information. The link between a Vampire Familiar and their sire is unaffected by distance and continues to function even if sire and familiar are on separate planes. At any time, the sire may choose to use the senses of any one vampire familiar to sense everything they are sensing (as Soul Scry, but the familiar is affected despite the fact they are undead and cannot resist the effect) and, if they choose, take control of the familiar (as Soul Domination, but the familiar is affected despite the fact they are undead and cannot resist the effect); the sire may only use this ability if they are on the same plane as a familiar. A Vampire Familiar will continue to serve their sire until they are destroyed, or their sire chooses to return their free will to them. A Vampire Familiar functions as a spawn in all regards. For obvious reasons, Vampire Familiars despise their sire, and are unlikely to forgive the wrongs committed to them after they are set free. In most instances, a Vampire Familiar is destroyed by their sire once they feel that the familiar has outlived its usefulness. If their sire is destroyed, their free will is automatically returned to them. Other than by the will or destruction of the sire, the only way to break this bond is the direct intervention of a deity with the Alter Reality salient divine ability.

“Can’t you see? The choice is not mine to make. I am his vassal.” – Elaren Nervot, a Vampire Familiar

The Nature of the Vampire

Vampirism is not a blessing, it is a curse. The transformation into undeath may grant powers the living do not possess, but they come at a price. One such price is the wild instinct inherent in all vampires.

To say vampires are not inherently evil depends on perspective and how much of a difference one places on intentions vs instinct. While vampires have the capacity to be good, their most basic instincts are evil by most standards; after all, Molag Bal created the vampires specifically to spread chaos and evil. This is not to say that they are born evil, indeed, they are not bound to evil in the same way fiends are, and even fiends have been known to turn to good, or celestials to evil, they just have more trouble resisting evil than other creatures. Vampires are usually evil (more than 50%). This is in part due to the vampiric culture (if the DM wants a vampiric society to not be evil aligned, this evil tendency can be reduced to often (40-50%)), and in part due to their instincts.

What are the commonly shared instincts vampires share despite their base race? The first and most obvious is their hunger for blood. The mere scent of blood can excite a vampire, the taste even more so. A hungry vampire may find that their companions are looking more and more delicious. The vampire may find it hard to resist the urge to feed off their companions, especially if the blood is freely offered. A starving vampire probably won’t even care who they feed off of and will likely want to feed NOW. This is the most basic and overriding instinct a vampire has. Vampires are more warlike then most of the living. They usually prefer bloodshed then peaceful negotiations. They don’t necessarily have shorter tempers, they would just rather fight then talk, but this does not mean they will fight if it would be more advantageous to talk. Vampires are innately selfish (more so then humans), and are often predisposed to debauchery. They may find an opportunity to benefit themselves to be a more obvious choice then benefiting others. Vampires also have more trouble to fight against their desires. None of these instincts define the vampire in question, they are merely the temptations they feel, albeit more strongly than humans feel temptations. A vampire may even be disgusted with their nature and seek to do as much good to offset it. As a rule, the greater the percentage of vampirism in someone, the more they struggle to control their instincts.

Part of becoming undead involves letting go of the concerns of the living. Mortality is by its nature a hectic state in which individuals are constantly at the mercy of various physical and psychological drives. Many of the undead feel various sorts of unnatural hunger, but few experience any compulsion other than this singular drive. The remainder of the troubles and distractions that plague the living vanish, leaving intelligent undead with a calm and terrible patience. If absolutely necessary, they can outlast mortal foes. Plans that require years or decades to complete seem far more reasonable to beings that can exist for thousands of years. –– (taken straight from Open Grave – Secrets of the Undead.)

The innate selfishness of a vampire makes a good alignment difficult to uphold (especially for Purebloods), but not impossible. What’s more, a vampire does not easily retain its humanity, and even the strongest willed vampires always lose at least a small part of their humanity. Neonate and Young vampires find it especially difficult to control their impulses, and the humanity they have lost, which normally acts as a buffer to control desires one does not normally act on, no longer has as strong an influence on the them. Still, despite all this, a vampire can maintain a good alignment if they try hard enough. When someone becomes a vampire, either through awakening or through the embrace, they must make a DC 20 Will save or have their alignment shift towards Chaotic Evil. This save is made BEFORE the vampire template is added. The change in alignment might affect class features, especially the Cleric and Paladin classes. The new vampire will not want to change alignment if they fail their save. This save can be voluntarily failed, thus allowing the new vampire to freely shift their alignment towards Chaotic Evil as far as they wish, up to becoming Chaotic Evil, without penalty.

(Lawful Good becomes Lawful Neutral, Neutral Good becomes True Neutral, Chaotic Good becomes Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Neutral becomes Lawful Evil, True Neutral becomes Neutral Evil, Chaotic Neutral becomes Chaotic Evil, Lawful Evil becomes Neutral Evil, Neutral Evil becomes Chaotic Evil, Chaotic Evil remains the same)

Vampires are often driven by their self-destructive impulses. They aren’t out to destroy themselves, they just don’t always consider the consequences of whatever action they are taking. This too, is one of their most basic instincts. Some sages theorize that these self-destructive impulses are there to keep the vampire population from multiplying too rapidly; thus creating an overconsumption of their food supply (living creatures).

"What does eternal life mean to you guys ANYWAY? It's so...CHEAP in this city...it's just this ORGY of blood and life! It's like you're trying to use up a bar of soap that isn't getting any smaller! Whether you wanted it or not, you BECAME immortal, didn't you?! How can you just throw it away so EASILY?! Don't you think that's a WASTE?!" - Akira Kaburagi Regendorf

“That's what vampires are like. We stampede like crazed stallions, fuelled by our lust and desires...and devour EVERYTHING in sight. Eternal life, too, is just a fuel, after all.” - Alphonse Medici Borgiani

“You people are insane.” – Akira Kaburagi Regendorf

• Note: I recommend using the material in 3.5e Libris Mortis - Book of the Undead, and 4e Open Grave – Secrets of the Undead as a means to add flavor to a campaign involving vampires. Even if you don’t want to use the monsters, feats, spells, etc… within the book, the fluff and information within it add a certain amount of flavor that really fleshes out undead.

The Nature of Purebloods

When one generalizes about the nature of vampires, it is important to distinguish between Purebloods and all other forms of vampirism. Instinct does not mean the same thing for other vampires as it does for Purebloods. Purebloods are not just very powerful vampires, they exemplify vampirism, they are its ultimate embodiment. This means that any instinct a bloodline or vampirism in general has, a Pureblood has as well, but it is 10 times stronger. The hunger for blood is 10 times stronger, the beast is 10 times more wild and savage, the selfishness is 10 times greater, and the distance between themselves and their humanity is 10 times as vast. This has some serious implications. So much so that Purebloods actually have the Chaotic and Evil subtypes. Despite what has been stated previously in this overhaul, a good aligned Pureblood is rare, most of them are evil, with some maintaining enough semblance of humanity to stay neutral; and the older they get, the harder it is to retain their humanity. Regardless of a Pureblood’s alignment, there is great evil deep within their hearts, an evil they must struggle to control for their entire unlife, especially the good aligned ones.

Purebloods also think differently than lesser vampires do, and while some lesser vampires may discern a pattern to a Pureblood’s thoughts given enough time, a Pureblood’s logic seems totally aberrant to the living. This makes interpreting a Pureblood’s morality and ethics difficult, since their thought patterns are aberrant. It is best to interpret a Pureblood’s alignment relative to what is stated in the Players Hand Book, or whatever alignment system you have come up with, in the same way as everyone else; the Pureblood is good if they act in a good way, not if they think they are acting in a good way.

Lesser vampires eternally struggle to keep their inner beast at bay, or at least keep it in stalemate. It is always there, whispering dark pleasures into the vampire’s ear, and in some cases driving it to do evil. The inner beast of a Pureblood is a force to be reckoned with. A Pureblood forced into a stressful situation runs the risk of frenzying even when it would not be an appropriate response, particularly if the Pureblood is angry or afraid. A Pureblood’s inner beast is nearly sentient, being something of a quasi-personality all on its own. This quasi-personality can surface even when the Pureblood is not frenzied, driving the Pureblood to respond to stimuli with questionable morals. Even good aligned Purebloods can end up disturbing their companions that do not understand the cause of the Pureblood’s sudden and dramatic shift in personality. Purebloods typically become very irritated, if not angry, when in the presence of good aligned religious phenomena (see subsection Weakness to holy ground/objects), although they do not necessarily show that they are angry. Purebloods are temperamental creatures.

Of particular note is a Pureblood’s hunger for blood. The Hunger is the single greatest instinct vampires have, so one can imagine how strongly a Pureblood hungers. The Hunger is a TERRIBLE feeling, and for Purebloods, who hunger so strongly, this is a feeling that must be subdued or they risk destabilizing. A vampire does not WANT to feel hungry; they HATE it; this is the most probable cause for why Purebloods have been known to demand a “meal” from someone in exchange for their service. A Pureblood that has close friends still among the living tends to be protective of them; not because of a desire to protect their friend’s lives, but a desire to protect their blood. Since vampires have a tendency to crave the blood of those they are close to, this is only a natural consequence. One must understand that a vampire does not merely crave the blood of their most precious loved one, but that they can quickly develop a psychological NEED for it. For a Pureblood, this need extends to their closest friends as well, not merely their most precious loved one. When someone, anyone, threatens that blood, they are threatening the psychological wellbeing of the Pureblood. Such a Pureblood may come to see their living companions as their own possessions, every last drop of them, and those who would dare spill even a single drop of the blood of their precious friends may find themselves on the wrong end of the Pureblood’s wrath. More than a few Purebloods distance themselves from the living because of this. If they develop too many close living friends, their hunger may get to the point where it can’t be satisfied, at least until the number of their close living friends decreases.

Example: Maria is a Young Pureblood, being only 19 years old, physically and chronologically. She is Chaotic Good; perhaps it is because she is so young, but it is clear that Maria has successfully subjugated her inherent evilness, so much so that she maintains a good alignment. She has not been as successful with her chaotic nature, but that could change in time. Maria is a kind and caring girl, always thinking of the needs others, in spite of her own selfish desires, and what she could do to make their lives better. She abhors violence, but will use it when necessary. Those who know her think highly of her for obvious reasons. One night, two of Maria’s human friends are captured by vampires because they witnessed a vampire trial. The vampires there did not wish their existence in this area to be made known, but did not realize that these humans already knew vampires had settled in the area, but it would not matter to them regardless, the humans must die, lest they warn the locals. During the ensuing struggle, the judge there cuts one of the humans, it was just a nick, but big enough to shed a small amount of blood. Maria knows the scent of this human’s blood well. Smelling it from miles away, she rushes to their aid, arriving in less than a minute (Purebloods are fast). After a few moments of observing the scene, Maria pretty much knows what happened and why. This truly was a misunderstanding and Maria knows this, but she does not care. The vampire judge DARED to shed the human’s blood, BLOOD THAT BELONGS TO HER. Maria is furious, and all there can FEEL the unholy power leaking out of her. Maria demands to know why her human’s blood has been shed, and her human friends take note that Maria said “MY humans”, as if she thought they belonged to her. After realizing he wasn’t going to talk his way out of this mess, the vampire judge pleads for mercy. Maria practically explodes at the thought, and in an inhuman voice says something along the lines of “how dare you ask for mercy with the same mouth that did not offer mercy to my humans.” The punishment for drinking from another vampire’s humans is the removal of the offender’s fangs (they will grow back, but until then it will be difficult for the vampire to feed). The vampire judge did not even bite the humans, he only nicked one and spilled a few drops of their blood, during a struggle even. Maria demands his jaw as payment, and hints that she may take a limb or two as well. Out of pity, Maria’s human friends talk her out of mutilating the vampire judge. Maria agrees to spare him, and he states that he will repay her favor. As Maria leaves with her human friends, she states that “Oh, you will. Trust me, you will.” While thankful for saving them, Maria’s human friends are disturbed at what they just witnessed. Maria is so kind, what could have caused her to act this way? The answer is simple, it was her nature. This is an example of how a Pureblood, being caught up by their emotions, can act in a viciously cruel and temperamental way, even if they are good aligned. Maria may feel remorse for what she did, but it is more likely that she will feel remorse for losing her temper in front of her friends, rather than because she acted in a cruel manner towards a vampire that dared to waste precious blood that belonged to her.

This is a fact: Purebloods are slaves to their own instincts, more so than any other vampire.