A Vampire is an undead creature that can be encountered in the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1][2][3]
Overview[]
Vampires are predatory undead creatures who feed on the life blood (and energy) of living creatures, particularly humanoids. Moving silently through the night, they prey upon the living without mercy or compassion. Vampires must return to their coffins within which they pass the daylight hours, and even if they are deep underground on a celestial body, they must occasionally return to their coffins to rest, for their power is renewed by contact with soil from their graves.[2][3]
Description[]
Unlike other undead creatures, vampires are able to pass among mortals without drawing attention to themselves, for though their features may have gained a sharp and feral cast, they do not appear inhuman. In many cases, a vampire's true nature only becomes apparent when it attacks its prey.
There are ways in which a vampire may be detected by a careful observer; they do not cast shadows, or reflections in glass, and they move in complete silence.[2][3]
Behavior[]
Vampire have no place in the world of the living. They are things of darkness that exists only to bring about evil and chaos. Almost without exception, vampire are feared and hated by those who dwell in the regions in which it chooses to make its home. A vampire's unnatural presence is all-pervasive and will cause dogs and similar animals to raise a cry of alarm at their presence.
Vampires are slow and meticulous when deciding on a particular course of action or planning a campaign. It isn't uncommon for a vampire to undertake some scheme which may take decades or even centuries to reach its conclusion. Because of their inherent deathlessness, vampires often feel that time is always on their side and will often defeat foes who might otherwise overcome them; that they can simply go into hiding for a few decades until the passing of years brings down their enemies.
Vampires sustain themselves by draining the life force from living creatures. Unless they have a specific need to create additional minions, however, they are careful to avoid killing those they attack. In cases where the death of a victim is desired, the vampire will take care to see that the body is destroyed and that will not rise as an undead.[2][3]
Abilities[]
Vampires are savage and fearsome opponents in battle and are physically very powerful. However, their most dangerous ability is their gaze attack, which allows them to charm (as per the spell) any person who looks into their eyes. Using this ability, vampires are able to penetrate any defense which relies on living sentries, passing through with ease and surprising their chosen victims.
Like most undead creatures, a vampire's essense exists on both the Material and the Negative energy planes at the same time. Their powerful negative essence allows them to drain life energy from anyone they physically touch, though this ability will not work if the vampire chooses to strike a foe with a weapon.
Vampires can only be harmed by magical weapons with a +1 or greater enhancement bonus, and even then are able to heal any injuries they receive within minutes. If a vampire is struck with what would normally be a mortal blow, it is not killed or destroyed, but instead immediately assumes gaseous form. Once in this state, the vampire will attempt to flee and return to its coffin where, after eight hours of rest, it will regain its corporeal form. If a defeated vampire is unable to reach its coffin within 2 hours, its essence dissipates and the creature is no more.
A vampire is unaffected by sleep, charm, and hold spells, paralysis effects and cannot be harmed by poisons. Spells and attacks that inflict cold- or electricity-based damage are also less effective than normal.
A vampire can assume gaseous form at will, dispersing its physical form into a cloud of elemental vapor. In this state it is all but immune to attack and can escape from almost any confinement. In addition, a vampire can also assume the form of a large bat, allowing it to fly through the night sky.
Vampires can summon lesser creatures to its side, which normally arrive within 12 minute of being summoned. In subterranean environments, a vampire will typically call forth a swarm of up to a 100 rats or bats. In the latter case, the bats will not attack physically, but instead serve to confuse and obscure the vision of the vampire's foes. In the wilderness, a vampire will normally call on up to 18 wolves for assistance.
A vampire can scale sheer surfaces at will, using a spider climb ability (as per the spell). Vampires typically use this ability to gain access to rooms on upper floors without alerting those on watch downstairs. It also allows a vampire to seek refuge in places which are all but beyond the reach of mortal men.[2][3]
Weaknesses[]
Despite their great power, vampires are not without weaknesses of their own. The odor of strong garlic repels them and they will not approach it. Further, they will recoil from the face of a mirror or lawful good holy symbol if either of these is presented to them with courage and conviction. It is important to understand, however, that this will not actually harm the vampire in any way nor drive it off. Garlic will prevent the creature from attacking or entering an area, while mirrors and holy symbols force the vampire to find some means of removing the offending object before it can be bypassed. In most cases, the vampire will seek to overcome these hazards with the aid of its minions. For example, a charmed person might be called upon to attack someone who is holding the vampire at bay with a holy symbol. Another important point to keep in mind is that a holy symbol will affect the vampire regardless of the vampire's original religious background. Vampires which are splashed with a vial of holy water or struck with a lawful good holy symbol are burned by them.
Just as they can be kept at bay, so can a vampire be slain by those who have the knowledge to do so. Any vampire which is exposed to direct sunlight is instantly rendered powerless and after a minute of exposure is utterly destroyed. Secondly, a vampire can also be destroyed if it is immersed in running water for at least 3 minutes. Lastly, a vampire can be killed if a wooden stake driven through its heart. In this case, however, the creature can be restored simply by removing the stake, unless further measures are not taken - in order for it to be completely destroyed, the vampire's head must be cut off and its mouth stuffed with holy wafers (or their equivalent).
In addition to their aversion to items like garlic and holy symbols, vampires are constrained by a number of other limitations. One of the most powerful of these is its inability to enter a home without first being invited to do so by a resident of the dwelling. This restriction does not apply to public buildings and places of business which, by their very nature, extend an “invitation” to all. Once a vampire has been invited to enter a residence, it may come and go freely as it wishes. A common tactic used by vampire's to obtain permission to enter a home is through the use of its gaze to charm a servant or other inhabitant.[2][3]
Creating a vampire[]
Any humanoid creature slain by the life energy drain of a vampire is doomed to become a vampire itself. Thus, those who would hunt these lords among the undead must be very careful lest they find themselves condemned to a fate far worse than death. The transformation into undeath occurs within 24 hours of the creature's burial. Those who are not actually interred, however, do not become undead and it is therefore traditional in certain regions that the bodies of a vampire's victims be burned or similarly destroyed. Once a victim becomes undead, the new vampire is under the complete control of its killer. However, if the master vampire is destroyed, the controlled undead are freed from its power and become self-willed.
In most cases, those who become a vampire do not lose the abilities and knowledge they had in life, meaning that they retain their skills as spellcasters, thieves or even as priests. In all cases, of course, the new newly risen vampire becomes chaotic evil.[2][3]
Society[]
As with all undead, vampires are perfectly adapted to wildspace in that they have little in the way of air requirements,[4] however they do have a significant problem due to their vulnerability to sunlight. While it is true that there is always a sun or similar fire-based celestial body in most crystal spheres, any type of shade can provide sufficient protection from direct light affecting a vampire. This could include travelling in a fully enclosed spelljamming vessel, such as a nautiloid or a dolphin, or wearing clothes that fully cover their bodies, for example a female vampire wearing a full length dress, gloves and a parasol to keep off a local sun's rays.[1]
Because of their need to feed on living creatures, vampires prefer to live in established communities. They also prefer to live on larger celestial bodies which have ecosystems that can support animals, so that they can summon any local rats, bats or wolves (which are understandably in short supply in wildspace).[1] However, vampires have a distinct preference for living in desolate regions where they won't be reminded of the lives they've left behind. Ruined castles or chapels and large cemeteries are popular lairs, as are sites of great tragedies or battles. Vampires often feel a strong attachment to specific areas with some morbid significance, like the grave of a suicide or the site of a murder.
Vampires are normally solitary creatures. When they are found in the company of others of their own kind, the group will certainly consist of a single master vampire and a small group of lesser vampires which it has created to do its bidding. In this way, a vampire can exert its power over a greater area without running the risk of exposing itself to attack by would-be heroes.
In general, vampires feel only contempt for the world and its inhabitants. Denied the pleasures of true life, they have become dark and twisted creatures bent on revenge and terror. When a vampire creates another of its kind, it considers the new creature a mere tool. The minion will be sent on missions which the vampire feels may be too dangerous or unimportant for its personal attention. If the need arises, these pawns will gladly be sacrificed to protect or further the ends of their master.[2][3]
Eastern vampire[]
Known as "eastern vampires", these undead predators are commonly found among oriental cultures, such as that of Kara-Tur on Toril. These creatures share many of the strengths and weaknesses of their western counterparts, though they do have the additional ability to fade from sight at will. These monsters are unable to charm their victims, however, and cannot assume gaseous form at will.[2][3]
While eastern vampires appear human at first glance, they have slightly feral features and faintly luminous skin which make them appear slightly inhuman. What is most notable about them are their fingernails, which grow to a length of between 5 and 12 inches; any fingernails that are broken or cut off will regrow while the creature sleeps. Although most eastern vampires have dark hair and eyes, rare individuals may have lighter hair and western features.
Notable Vampires[]
- Morgion Frost was marooned when his ship was defeated in battle and crashed on a desolate asteroid, where he survived by feeding on those few crewmembers who survived the crash.[5]
- Gorlo was a lesser vampire created by Morgion Frost.[6]
- T'Laan was the vampiric overlord of Darkspace who attempted to usurp rulership of Greatspace.[7]
- Vlad Tolenkov was the vampiric ruler of his own eponymous nightworld, and a prominent member of the Union of Eclipses, a powerful and influential cabal of vampires whose dominion spanned across numerous worlds.[8]
Signature Spelljammers[]
A number of vampires have taken command of their own spelljamming ships, and a few of these have sought to make deals of convenience with any local mind flayers, since they feed on related "materials". The illithid and other humanoids are not immune to a vampire's energy drain, but not all will transform into vampires upon being slain.[1]
Appendix[]
External Links[]
- Vampire article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Vampire article at the Chronicles of Astinus, a wiki for the Dragonlance campaign setting.
- Vampire article at the Eberron Wiki, a wiki for the Eberron campaign setting.
- Vampire article at Greyhawkonline.com, a wiki for the Greyhawk campaign setting.
- Vampire article at the Dungeons and Dragons Lore Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from every edition.
- Vampire article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Lorebook of the Void, 1989, (TSR Inc.), Undead section, chapter 3 Spacefarers, page 64
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 J. Paul LaFountain, SJA3 Crystal Spheres, 1990, Vampire entry, pages 63-64
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Vampire entry, pages 355-356
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Lorebook of the Void, 1989, (TSR Inc.), Undead section, chapter 3 Spacefarers, page 62
- ↑ Nicky Rea and Wes Nicholson, SJR8 Space Lairs, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Marooned chapter, pages 33-36
- ↑ Nicky Rea and Wes Nicholson, SJR8 Space Lairs, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Marooned chapter, page 35
- ↑ J. Paul LaFountain, SJA3 Crystal Spheres, 1990, T'Laan entry, Non-Player Characters chapter, page 4
- ↑ Ed Stark, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Fiendish Codex 1: Hordes of the Abyss, 2006, (Wizards of the Coast), ISBN: 10-7869-3919-2, The Nightworld of Vlad Tolenkov, page 126